Mikage-cho

Mikage-cho is an alternate reality layered onto but mostly separate from the city of Lunarvale. Brought into being by Maki Sonomura's dreams about the world she wanted, the DVA, and the damages later inflicted onto the DVA, this 'twin' of Lunarvale's continues to persist, making life dangerous for most of the residents of the city without their knowledge. Demons are natural inhabitants of this realm, and their power here holds sway.

In and Around Mikage-cho

Mikage-cho can be divided into two main sections, east and west. The west side is vastly safer, and strongly resembles Lunarvale with some slight changes, mainly demonstrated by the presence of demons and buildings that seem normal save for this or that minor detail that just seems off. Demon populations are lower here and there are more safe havens. There are even places of business, reflections of those in Lunarvale.

The east side, by contrast, takes the form of Lunarvale with post-apocalyptic touches. This side of the city is much more dangerous, and has seen conversely greater changes dealt to it in terms of structures present. Places of safety are rarer on the east side, but they do exist. The stores and other buildings that exist on the west side on the other hand, don't. The good news is that it's easy enough to survive in Mikage-cho--assuming one has food, water, and doesn't get killed by demons. In general, the environment is not innately hostile to human life.

There are key things missing on both sides, however. There are no hospitals or police stations in Mikage-cho, not even on the west side of town.

Goods and Services

For the most part, what can be purchased on Mikage-cho's west side is much the same as can be found in the real world, if branded a little strangely at times or being the wrong color. The packaging can be assumed to have a sort of 'cheap knock-off' vibe. However, there is one item that can be readily had in Mikage-cho that can't be so easily found in the real world: guns. One can buy a gun almost anywhere in Mikage-cho's west side, and with the absence of any police, use them with impunity. There is a catch, though: all firearms and ammunition purchased in Mikage-cho only exist within Mikage-cho. They turn into little more than garish toys when removed from the alternate reality.

Into and Out of Mikage-cho

Getting into Mikage-cho can be easy or difficult, depending on the person. It's entirely possible for someone to step wrong and end up sucked into one of the many transient portals that dot Lunarvale. This can happen to civilians, making their rescue essential. The same is not true once inside Mikage-cho; in the demon city, one needs to find one of the permanent portals out again.

These permanent portals of course make up the other major entry point into Mikage-cho. They exist in the Industrial section of town, the SEBEC Headquarters, and the ruins site to the northwest. In order, these lead to the east side of Mikage-cho, the haunted house in the east side of Mikage-cho, and the west side of Mikage-cho.

The exits out again are somewhat more limited, existing in the forest on the west side and the haunted house on the east side. Both send the traveler of those roads to the stand of Agastya Trees in Lunarvale. Other exits into and out of Mikage-cho exist from locations beyond Lunarvale itself, but they are considerably more varied.

Other Exits Into and Out of Mikage-cho

Other exits that exist that lead either in or out of Mikage-cho can be found in Port Island and Inaba.

Port Island possesses a portal deep in the water near the Moonlight Bridge that, in the Dark Hour and the Dark Hour only, forms a connection from there to Mikage-cho. Demons may freely travel between the Dark Hour in Port Island and Mikage-cho, but they are unable to leave the Dark Hour. Others may also make use of this portal... if they can reach it. Humans, naturally, are not subjected to becoming trapped in the Dark Hour if they arrive there from Mikage-cho.

Within the Midnight Channel, a twisting pathway hidden deep within a certain dungeon (reports state that it looks like a shopping mall) leads straight into Mikage-cho. However, this portal is one-way only, and typically deposits people within the dark mirror of St. Hermelin High... except on those few, strange, random occasions when it does otherwise.

Residents of Mikage-cho

As noted above, the primary denizens of Mikage-cho are demons. As natives to the demon world, they cannot exist in the real world without a source of magnetite (please see Demons for more information). These demons can be contacted and cajoled into doing the bidding of those contacting them, but they aren't blindly loyal minions either, or at least not without the right motivation. Whether this takes the form of a bigger bribe or a bigger 'stick' is variable.