Second Chances

Disclaimer: Atlus owns everything, 'cept for this story's plot -this does not include the back story-, and any oc's that may occur.

I really don't know what to say, but here I go. If you guys know me, you probably know how my other stories are going; I haven't updated them in a long while. I'll tell you why, simply because I lack inspiration, and I lack the plot. I mean, not the plot itself, but I have trouble getting from point A to B without making it too long. And if you don't know me, thank you for taking the time to read this author's note. I have one when I start writing the story/chapter and one after I start writing it. I'm gonna try to wipe the slate clean with this one. But know this, I lost inspiration simply because I don't see reviewers anymore, that just gives me a go signal that everyone just stopped reading. Maybe, but I still get hits, but the agony of trying to figure out if you guys liked it or not just sorta makes me anxious. Anyway, enough of this ranting, I'm gonna go ahead and let you start reading the story. But thanks for reading this, if you ever did.

XxX

There is a brief moment when you awaken where you don't remember anything. You know nothing about what happened before, no memories to recollect, no happy thoughts, no sad memories, no outbursts of emotion. Just the thought of you waking up to a world, you don't know if you love or hate. And for the span of five seconds, you are as innocent as the time you were born. But, after those five seconds of innocence, your memories flood back. All the happy thoughts, the sad memories, and all the emotions you had when you went to sleep last night flood back into your mind. However way you awaken, this is always true. You do not register whether someone has awakened you, or if you woke up by yourself.

But, why wake? Why do people wake up? If some people wake up to memories of sadness, or anger, or any other negative emotion, why bother waking up? Even if you were happy the night before, why wake up to not remember what happened? Even if for a mere five seconds of nothing? When you wake, you feel nothing. So why bother waking up? All those happy thoughts, all those sad memories, all those emotions, all disappear when you wake up. What makes you get out of bed?

People would argue that it's to live. But if you awake with no emotion, then you aren't really living. Some would argue that it's to do whatever it is to do that is important. But for the briefest of moments, you have no memories. So the important thing you have to do is void, you don't remember it to be important. You do not have a reason to live, for the first five seconds of waking up. You simply awake to a dead world, you awake to nothing.

These thoughts of apathy were driving him crazy; he simply didn't know why he was thinking like this. He had gathered the thoughts when he woke up from the pounding that was echoing. The sound of metal being hit, the deafening clang it made, it echoed into space and into his ear. But that wasn't what woke him; it was the pain that followed. After each clang of metal, he felt immense pain. Each powerful sound of metal being hit reverberates into pain, it shook his very soul.

Like his thoughts before, when he first woke up, he didn't feel anything. Only that he was awake and he was seeing. And for the first five seconds of waking up, he felt nothing. He didn't know if he should feel happy, or sad, or any other emotion. He was just awake.

But after those five seconds of glorious nothing, came the crashing feeling of empathy. He remembered where he was, and he honestly didn't feel anything. After the first few times, he would have shouted out in anguish, after anguish, he grew insane. All the feelings of weakness and not being able to do anything caught up to him. But….

The feeling of insanity soon grew boring. Being insane was good for the briefest of moments, but he soon found that being in anguish was better then being insane. Insanity was far less comfortable then being in anguish. At least when he was in anguish, he could think. When he was insane, he knew nothing except to laugh like a madman for days.

After his insanity came apathy. He began thinking the reasons for his being here, and all the reasons as to just abandon this and let it happen. But he soon found thinking of these ideas was boring as well, and he soon found himself thinking of different topics altogether.

But he wasn't alone in his imprisonment, for he had the reason of his imprisonment right behind him, literally.

The very personification of death was behind him, it neither spoke nor thought, it neither drew breath nor did it move. It was simply there. And he didn't want it any other way. This was the only feeling he knew, that the being behind him stay there.

And the very essence of man's secret desire to die was in front of him. The two headed creature rammed its horns against him again, always trying to get to the being that was behind him.

After awhile, the horns of the creature dulled down. Or did he simply get used to the constant poking of the creature? Did he get so used to it that his mind simply ignored the pain? Like how the brain ignored the nose and how you can always see it? Did it think that the pain was common, and had adjusted to it?

The thought would have scared any living man. But he simply shrugged, there was no use thinking about it, seeing as how he was going to have to endure it for an eternity.

His thoughts soon drifted away from the being, his mind simply ignoring the sound of metal being crashed into, and the pain that followed. 'How long has it been?' his thoughts drifted back to his humanity. Those were the first humane thoughts he had thought of in a long while, and honestly, he wasn't surprised, seeing as how he had grown bored of his monologue about every single thing.

'I wonder, is life treating them right? Are they living like I wanted them too?' His thoughts drifted to his friends, the people he had opened his heart to. And truthfully, it scared him. He didn't open his heart to anyone, after his parents died, he didn't grow attach to anyone, afraid that if he grew close to anyone, that he would only see them dead before his eyes. But these people, they managed to worm their way into his heart. And he doubted it had anything to do with the people in that room. But, thanks to the people in that room, he was able to meet the people he was closest with.

The priestess was one. She was always trying hard to cook for everyone, and almost always ended up making them take an early trip to the bathroom to flush out their systems. She meant well, but she needed to learn how to cook. Though, her cooking was horrible, her knowledge on computers and their systems baffled everyone. They wouldn't have guessed that the shy girl who always cooked, or at least tried to, was into computers.

'That was part of her charm though. Her hidden knowledge and how she chose to accept it rather then push it away, she truly deserved to be called a priestess.' He thought, drifting away from the priestess. He soon found himself thinking about the magician.

He was always trying to make people smile, even at the expense of his own. Though, he hid a different side from prying eyes. He knew that he hated being at home, since there, all he was greeted to, was a drunken father. He kept strong though, through everything, he always found a reason to smile, even if it ruined other people's opinion of him. He had great potential to grow, and he accepted that fact. He embraced his faults, and used it to his likeness. He used his resources, even though he didn't have any idea how to use those resources.

He briefly wondered if he got his dream of playing baseball in the big leagues. 'He's probably still making people laugh. I can't put that behind him.' He shrugged, thinking about the strength of, not a human, but a dog with the heart of one.

The white canine was always a mystery to him; he didn't know what drove the dog to go to those lengths to help the group. Though he knew one thing, the canine never discriminated in whom to approach. Quite frankly, the dog would approach anyone, and almost always befriend them. He would bark happily when meeting new people, and almost always played with everyone.

'The strength of one who has lost everything. He embraced his loss, and embraced the new experiences happening around him with happy arms. He always looked forward, never looking back. Always protecting those he deemed as a friend.' He thought about the strength of the white haired beast. He then moved over to the star of the team.

The white haired boy was almost always training, never stopping. Kind of like a freight train, once momentum was gained, there was just no stopping him. He charged ever onward, leading those behind him to follow suit like he did. His blinding light never faded, and people never lost their way when they looked at him. And when he was the most vulnerable, when he lost his friend, when he was all alone. He used his anguish to burn brighter, he never backed down.

'I always admired that part of him, he never knew when to back down, and when he did fall, he'd stand up ten feet higher.' He mused as his own thoughts. But these thoughts soon drifted to the lover.

True, she was very guarded. Never wanting anyone in her shell, always pushing people away, but once he found a way past that shell. She opened up like a gate. She never showed it, but she had always wanted someone to talk to her, even if she didn't talk about herself. Her thoughts and actions were never just for herself, she had other motives. In every step she took, she tried to help those around her. She tried to help others, though she almost always was hurt herself.

'You always were a moody one, though that changed after everything we went through together.' He thought bemused at remembering her reaction when he went looking for her after she made him wait a long time. He quickly shook these thoughts away, focusing on the magnificence of the empress.

Like the lover, she was guarded. Though, unlike the lover, she kept these secrets not to protect her own feelings, but to protect those around her. She kept those secrets to prevent anyone from hurting; even if that meant making those around her suspicious and weary about her. Her façade of ice soon melted when he started to want to grow closer to her. Soon, she shared all her thoughts and feelings to him, melting the wall of ice she kept to prevent anyone from sharing her burdens. He offered her solace in his words. He reassured her that she didn't need to shoulder the burden alone.

'You always were more open with me. You trusted me, so I trusted you.' He thought solemnly.

The thoughts of his friends drifted into his heart, and he soon heard something that he thought wasn't possible anymore.

Crash!

Thou art I, and I am thou. Though hast broken past time and space, thou hast forged a bond of never ending strength.

I am Orpheus, the father of songs.

I am Thanatos, the god of death.

I am Messiah, the redeemer of man.

Together, let us walk past the edge of space, and let us outlast time itself. With the bonds we have forged, the universe is ours to conquer.

Thou shalt be blessed when creating personas of the universe arcana.

Honestly, he was not expecting that to happen. He never knew that the bonds could strengthen when he just thought about it. As he thought of the universe arcana, he suddenly felt his connection with the gate loosen. But this did not scare him, no, it intrigued him.

'Maybe someday I can…. Well, I can hope.' He thought as he refocused on the entity banging on the gate, and sighed again.

'Just stop it already.' He thought. The being almost seemed to relent for a short while, as if to mock him, to mock him that it knows what he said, but then continued its banging just as fast as he relented. This piqued his interest, never has it done that before. He wondered if it could really read his thoughts.

But as his thoughts drifted away from the entity, and into the blackness of space. He saw a figure approaching the gate. He immediately thought of the platinum blonde elevator attendant, seeing as how she visited him a few times already. But that thought was soon brushed away as he saw that the figure was significantly taller then the elevator attendant, and that the figure had the build of a man. He also noted that the figure was wearing a white business suit, and a white fedora hat. From his place, he could also make out that the figure was wearing a mask, a mask of what? He could not say. But he knew that this man must hold some kind of power to be able to walk casually here of all places.

The entity seemed to acknowledge the man's presence, and began to….

'It's shivering, is it scared?' He thought as he looked at the cowering figure of the two headed entity, why was it scared of the man? Was the man an even greater power? If so, could he possibly be able to withstand whatever was going to happen next?

His thoughts were answered as the entity seemed to move away from the gate, moving over to the side, seemingly trying to hide from the mysterious man. He now knew that this man was infinitely more powerful then the entity trying to gain entrance past the gate he was guarding.

He steeled himself as he saw the man moving his hand up and making a stop gesture at the gate keeper.

'What the hell is he doing?' He thought as he looked upon the man, readying himself for an attack. Though he had the universe at his fingertips, he knew that the entity before was the collective consciousness of the people, and it was extremely strong. And to have that very being cower away from the man before him, he knew that he had to muster everything to try to prevent anything happening to the seal.

He looked down on the man, who seemed to visibly smile. The man then clenched his hand into a fist and pulled back his hand in one swift motion.

He then found that he was being pulled away from the seal, the force was almost unbearable.

'No! I can't! I won't leave the seal!' Were his thoughts, but these was futile, and he soon found himself blacking out.

'No…..' Were his last thoughts as he saw the white gentleman smile and tip his hat at the seal that was crumbling away.

XxX

The sound of smooth jazz being played on a piano echoed through his ears as he sat up with a groan. He was still dazed, but he tried to look around his new surroundings. He was sitting in, what looked like, a small bar. The bar was centered with two rather large, lounge chairs; the one on the right was white, while the other was black. He looked to the right of the bar, and he found that the grand piano he was hearing was right there. It was being played by a mysterious individual. The individual was wearing a deep blue tuxedo that had a fork at the bottom of his jacket. The man also had platinum blonde hair, bordering on white. The man didn't seem to acknowledge his presence and just continued to play on the piano.

He looked up, and found that he was staring at a mirror. The mirror was rather large; it stretched from one end of the bar to the other. And seeing as the bar could seat 25 more people, well, that was how big the mirror was. Though he didn't see the faintest sight of any alcohol, he didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

He soon shook his head, and stood up, regaining control of his senses. He then heard a door opening, but he didn't know why, there were no doors here. At least, none he saw.

He looked towards the sound, which was coming from behind the lounge chairs, and saw two doors materialize from nowhere. The two doors opened, and he saw the white gentleman from before, and another man, a man in a tuxedo, a man with a rather long nose…

"Igor?!" Was all he said as he looked at the long nosed man. Who smiled, the smile he knew oh so well.

"It is a pleasure to see you again Master Minato. It is good see you in good health. Tell me, how has the universe been treating you? I would say world, but you do not belong in that plane of existence anymore." Igor said cryptically. The white gentleman merely chuckled as he took a seat on the white lounge chair, and Igor took the other lounge velvet chair.

Minato carefully walked towards the front of the lounge chairs, and looked left and right at Igor and the gentleman. The gentleman smirked, as he stood up and offered a seat for Minato. Minato was about to ask what seat, but before the words escaped his lips, a sofa and coffee table materialized in front of him. He took a seat on the sofa, and eyed Igor and the man skeptically.

"You must be wondering why you're here. And why I abruptly pulled you away from the seal." The gentleman stated. Minato's eyes widened in shock and he stood up abruptly.

"The seal! I need to go back! Erebus might get into contact with Nyx!" Minato said in a panic as he looked behind him, hoping to see another door, but he was soon interrupted from his line of thought as the gentleman coughed. Minato looked at the man with a frown and tried his best to keep calm.

"Don't worry about the seal and Erebus. I have both of them taken care of. Now, I believe that I have business with you. If you would kindly take a seat and listen to my offer, I'm sure all those thoughts about pulling out Helel and trying to destroy me with a morning star will all go away." The man stated as he lowered his head, allowing for his hat to block away his eyes. Minato was fairly surprised by this, but kept his stoic face. Outside, he looked cool and collected, but inside, he was panicking, trying to figure out what to do.

'He can rea-'"-d my mind? Yes I can, and do not look so surprised; I have done other otherworldly things that you can only imagine. Just ask Igor here." The gentleman said, pointing at the long nosed gentleman next to him, whose smile didn't leave his face since the beginning of the conversation. Igor then looked at the white gentleman and coughed.

"Master, I believe we still have business with master Minato, and I still have to attend to other clients of the velvet room." Igor stated, the other gentleman smiled at this.

"My, my. Igor, are you talking about that Narukami? I thought he was finished with that little debacle with Izanagi, or was it Izanami? I cannot get those names right." The gentleman said as he looked onwards, towards a confused Minato. Igor merely smiled wider. Minato swore that if the strange man smiled even wider then this, he would split his face in two. Though he kept a straight face, he was anxious to find out what deal the strange gentleman had.

"That, and the fact that I still have to tend to Elizabeth coming back. Now that master Minato here is no longer in the seal, she'll come to me, hoping to find answers. And powerful I may be, I am still an old man, and I simply cannot incur Elizabeth's wrath without injury." Igor had explained, if this was a social call, Minato would have burst out laughing. But he managed a straight face, though the strange gentleman had no trouble keeping his humor to himself –seeing as the man had just laughed a hearty one-.

"Yes, of course. Excuse me for my outburst, but that would be one to see. Now on to business, Minato." The man voice changed from humorous, to serious, Minato straightened himself and looked the man in the eye.

"Yes?" He had to use all his willpower as to not stutter. He kept his poker face and just looked on, but a flash of light appeared over his head, he shielded his eyes from the bright flash, and then looked up to see a floating piece of paper.

"What the? This looks like the contract I signed with Pharos. I thought it was completed. I took responsibility of my actions and became the great seal; I thought the contract'd be void." Minato pondered over the contract, the man just smiled and motioned for the contract to come down on the coffee table.

"Well, normally yes. This contract not only bound you to your actions, it also made you unable to look away from reality. Remember the last few weeks you spent before your conscience finally left your body and reunited with your soul?" The gentleman asked. Minato immediately looked up at the man, an incredulous face adorning him.

"Wait, you mean to tell me, that all the only reason I retained my memories of Nyx coming down to earth, was because this contract didn't allow me to look away or to forget everything that was happening or had happened?" Minato asked, as he read through the piece of paper. Though it only had two lines on it, namely the words "I chooseth this fate of mine own free will." And the fact that his name was written right under those words.

"Exactly, you could not forget, because that would mean that you would never fulfill your contract." The gentleman said with a straight face, he looked down at the slouching form of Minato and saw that he was now sweating.

"S-so if I chose to kill Ryoji…." Minato trailed. The man hid his face under his hat.

"Exactly. You would have had to live the last days of your lives wondering if you chose the right path. You would have lived, remembering everything." This time, it was Igor that had explained. His smile fading.

Minato just sat there staring at the piece of paper. So if he had chosen to kill Ryoji, then he would have lived with the pain of watching his friends go about their own lives, without knowing that their days were numbered. He thought of all his friends, all the people he had spent time with. And then Nyx coming down from the heavens, sucking each and every one of their souls away. He shuddered at the thought. He was interrupted from those dark thoughts as the gentleman coughed.

"Well, it's a good thing that you picked to face Nyx. Now please no more unpleasant thoughts. Remember, I can read your mind, and right now, I am experiencing things that I shouldn't." The gentleman had said. Minato then visibly relaxed as he leaned back on the couch. Igor smiled, while the man just smirked.

"Now, allow me to re-introduce myself. My name is Philemon. And I summo-" Before he could finish, Minato interrupted him.

"Wait, Re-introduce? What do you mean, I haven't met you before." Minato stated with a confused face. The man merely smiled.

"Oh I believe you have already seen me, in fact, we met on the train, the day you were coming to your dorm." Philemon had said, Minato looked at him with a confused face, before he finally took in the color of the butterfly mask.

"You were the strange voice I heard! Don't tell me you were the blue butterfly!" Minato pointed out, standing up and glaring down at Philemon. Who merely smiled.

"The one and only, Philemon at your service. Now please, sit down, we have much to discuss." Philemon said, Minato calmed down, and sat back down on the couch. Though he still eyed Philemon with caution.

"Now, this contract -" He then promptly picked up the contract. "- was supposed to be void the moment you became the great seal. But it seems that the universe has taken a liking to you. It seems as if your new found understanding of the universe has given you the power to rival gods." Philemon explained. Minato just sat there, nodding his head in understanding. This time, Igor spoke up.

"And powerful deities we may be, we cannot fight back a power equal to ours. So you see, we come offering a deal." Igor explained. Minato was shocked at learning that Igor and Philemon rivaled the power of gods. But he still managed to keep a straight face.

"For the longest time, we have been in a three way struggle with another powerful being. Who this being is, I will not say. As it is not your time yet to know. However, this single being has made it his mission to destroy the human world." Igor explained. Philemon watched on as Minato just sat there, trying to understand what he was saying.

"So you're saying. That this deity, one who is as strong as both of you, has made it his mission to end all life? Why? More importantly, was he the one that sent Nyx to earth? Was he behind the reason Mitsuru's grandfather had gone insane?" Minato asked, Igor merely turned to Philemon. Quietly asking him to take over.

"To answer your three questions. The first one, we do not know. Though I know that he thinks humans are a waste of space. And for your second question. No, Nyx is another being altogether. Nyx and Erebus are the collective consciousness of people. They represent the secret desire of people to die, and to end their suffering. Though, the being that wishes to destroy humanity is the collective evil of the people." Philemon said as he placed a hand under his chin, in a thinking position. Minato just sat there, shocked to have heard that, though this raised another question altogether.

"So, if this being is the collective evil of mankind. Then you are…." Minato trailed, Philemon merely smirked.

"A sharp one, its no wonder girls are all over you. You are smart enough to figure that out. You're charming enough to make me smile, and you are brave enough to listen to me without reason. I applaud you. Yes, I am the collective good of all mankind. And now to answer your third question, no. He just went insane by himself; he had brushed too close to the shadow area of the universe. He caught a glimpse of Nyx, and had worshipped her like it was a god." Philemon answered. Minato was about to ask another question, but was cut off.

"And yes, there are other dimensions in the universe. There are some dimensions that tilt towards the light, while other dimensions tilt towards the dark. Right now, we are in my dimension, this place may look like the velvet room, but make no mistake. This dimension is so far back into the realm of light, any and all dark beings are merely myths, meaning, that they simply cannot exist in this dimension. The velvet room was made by yours truly, but I sent it into the gray area, leaning closer to the light." Philemon explained. Minato nodded in understanding.

"So basically, if the dimensions were put on a map, this dimension would be on the farthest left, where only light exists. And the velvet room is closer to the middle, but is leaning more into the light. So I'm assuming that this being, exists in the farthest right, into the realm of darkness, where no light exists. Though that raises another question. What about Nyx and Erebus? And how do I fit in all of this?" Minato asked plainly, looking up at Philemon and Igor. Who were both smiling?

"Master Minato, Nyx and Erebus live in the shadow dimension, like the velvet room, except the polar opposite. So it is closer to the gray area, but at the same time, it is leaning more to the dark area. And as for you fitting in here, why, I thought you already knew. In your soul, is the power of the Universe." Igor said, smiling wider. Minato nodded his head again, and waited for them to continue.

"Minato, right now, you are the only being that can strike a match to balance our worlds. And when I mean balance, I mean BALANCE. Never leaning towards one side, and never leaning towards the other. You are the Quintessential Gray, The Being of Balance. You understand why life needs to be lived; you understand why you need to die. You understand why people WANT to live, but at the same time WANT to die." Philemon explained to Minato, who was quietly taking this all in. He would have immediately dismissed this as joke, that he was never meant to be strong, that he needed to seal away Nyx, and that he couldn't kill her. But at the same time, he knew what they were saying was true, he knew why people want to live their lives, and why they want to die. Whether this be a rich man that has everything, and just wants to die before everything is gone. Or it be a poor man with nothing, and wants to live so he can have the chance for everything. But his question was still unanswered, so he opened his mouth, but was again interrupted.

"As for Nyx and Erebus, they exist parallel to you. They are neither good, nor are they evil. They are just there to strike a balance, they exists so people will remain what they are, people. For without death, people will not understand life." Philemon explained further. Minato pondered on this for awhile, and could not resist what came out of his mouth next.

"What about life?" Minato bluntly asked. If it was possible, Igor's smile bordered on insanity now, and Philemon's smirk was widening as well.

"No worries, you will meet her soon enough." Igor stated, cryptically as ever. Minato felt himself get annoyed at this point, but before he could rebuke Igor for his cryptic behavior. The sound of a phone ringing silenced him. He looked around for the source of the sound, but to no avail. It was only when he turned back to Philemon and Igor did he notice that the ringing was from Igor's strangely designed phone.

"Ah! Pardon me, it would appear that Elizabeth has found out I'm missing. If you'll excuse me, I have a pressing matter to attend to. But before I go, Minato." Igor's voice was deadly serious, Minato couldn't help but notice how he dropped 'Master' from his name. He turned to Igor, making eye contact as his smile faded.

"Your contract may not have expired yet. But if you so choose the decision to remain as the seal, your contract will expire, and you may never get a chance to save yourself again. Nonetheless, I will respect your decision and support you. But please, take this key." Igor waved his hand in front of his face, and a key started forming. The key, unlike the previous velvet key Minato had, was gray in color. It seemed to radiate a dying light that shone as bright as the sun, but didn't blind you. The key floated towards Minato, who held out his hand and grabbed it. Carefully examining it. He noticed it had no edges, it was simply a blank key.

"This key, will take you to another part of the Velvet room, when you are ready to see what lies in that room. The key will respond accordingly. And don't worry, if you choose to remain a seal, the key will disappear. Think of it as a bribe of sorts, to, entice you. Now, I must go, Master Minato, Master Philemon. I bid you good day. Theodore will keep you company." Igor stated as he waved his arms over to the pianist, who turned around and bowed, before turning back to his piano.

"Farewell Igor, do tell me what happens with that Narukami boy the next time you visit, he is quintessential as well." Philemon bid Igor goodbye. Minato just casually shrugged and waved his hand. Igor turned around and placed his hands behind his back, a bright light emerged and the familiar velvet door appeared. The door opened automatically, as if knowing that its master has returned. Igor stepped through the door, and the door shut. Disappearing as it did.

It was at this point, Minato remembered what he was going to ask Igor in the first place. He turned to Philemon and before he could voice his question, he was already answering.

"Life is someone you will meet when you restart. She'll be watching you, and so will Nyx. But know this. They are neither beings of benevolence or malevolence. They are only there merely to observe." Philemon said. At this point, Minato couldn't take it anymore. He slammed his hands on the coffee table, effectively cracking it. And demanded.

"What the hell are you going on about?! Restart?! Nyx and Life will be watching me?! And what about the deal you wanted to tell me? You haven't even told me that!" Minato seethed. He didn't know why they had to be so cryptic. Just get strai-

"-ght to the point. Fine. Minato Arisato, we come offering you a chance at life again. To restart in the beginning. To turn back time, to erase the seal, to erase Death's time on the world." Philemon said bluntly. Minato sat back down on the sofa, almost slumping down as he heard that.

"Wha-what do you mean?" Minato stuttered, his mask of calmness finally cracking. Philemon tipped his hat to cover his eyes.

"It is exactly that. You will go back, and you will balance the world. Nyx was never supposed to be summoned in the first place. The thirteen shadow arcana was never meant to exist. But through the machinations of one being; he was able to doom humankind. Through his will, he made the world's leading scientists want to die, through his will, he gave Nyx a reason to come down and make people WANT to die. It is because of him, that the human race, lost so much, lost their strength to live, lost their will to move on. It is because of him, that you are shouldering the world." Philemon explained. Minato sat there shell shocked at what he just heard.

'Everything happened, because of one guy? The Arcana shadows, Nyx coming down, my parents deaths, my seal….' Minato thought. He thought that he was doing everything of his own will. But it turns out, that one person; one person orchestrated this whole thing. He wanted Nyx to descend; he wanted the world to die. He wanted Minato to beco-

"No. You being the great seal were never part of his plan. He didn't think I could intervene. He didn't take into account a wild card." Philemon explained. Minato slowly looked up, eyeing Philemon wearily.

"But you gave me this power! I never asked to a wild card! I never asked to have personae!" Minato shouted at Philemon. Philemon met his furious gaze and answered.

"So you would have rather never met your friends?" Was his stoic reply. Minato froze at that, after a few seconds, he sighed and slumped down on the couch. Resigning that what he said made absolute sense.

"What do you want. Tell me now." Minato demanded. Philemon smirked at his assertiveness.

"We just want you to become the balance of the world. Balance of the human race rather. For without the human race, I cannot exist, and so can't he who did all this." Philemon explained. At this, Minato sighed.

"So wait, you're telling me, HE, wants to die as well?" Minato asked. Philemon chuckled at this.

"Yes and no. He wants to destroy the human race, but he doesn't want them to live." Philemon responded. Minato slumped even more in his chair.

"Ok. What you're saying makes absolute no sense, but at the same time. It makes sense. Let me get this straight. The collective consciousness of mankind's evil wants to destroy the human race, but he doesn't want to die. But in destroying the human race, he dies as well. Tell me one thing; does he know what he's doing?" Minato asked with a critical eye.

"Of course. He knows that the human race dying would mean that he would die. But, at the same time, the human race dying would fulfill his essence. His very being is to hate the human race; it overwrites the need to stay alive to see his plans unfold. The same can be said for me. I neither hate nor love the human race. But, I want them to have a prosperous future. I want them to have the best. If that means I would disappear. I would gladly do it." Philemon explained. Minato sat up straighter at this. He sighed as he finally managed to make sense of it all.

"Great, I have to fight against a zealot. But hang on. How would you send me back? That's imposs-"

"-ble? My dear boy. Remember, you hold the Universe. Nothing is outside the realm of possibility for you. Though, you haven't unlocked its full potential yet. I'm positive you'll see to it in due time. Now, I must ask the question. Do you accept?" Philemon asked making eye contact. Minato didn't flinch, didn't look away, he only smirked and nodded his head.

"I'll do it." Minato said with finality. Philemon smiled and stood up. Minato mirrored his actions. Philemon stretched his hand out, Minato did the same. They shook hands, finalizing the deal.

"Well then, I hope your days as the Grey will be worth it for you. For it has already been worth it for me. Now, my time will soon be scarce, but I implore you to visit Igor. He will tell you the nature of your wild card prowess. You haven't unlocked latent potential of it. As powerful as the Universe is, it cannot overwrite the powers of a wild card. And please, take young Theodore with you. I believe he needs to see his sisters soon." Philemon said as he turned around and started walking away. At the same time, the smooth music from the piano stopped. Minato turned to the piano and looked at Theodore. Theodore stopped in front of Minato and bowed.

"Master Minato. It is an honor to finally make your acquaintance." Theodore said while bowing. Minato mirrored his actions.

"The honors all mine. Now, how do we get to the Velvet room?" Minato asked Theodore. Theodore only smiled and waved his hand. The velvet door appeared, like it did to Igor previously. Theodore took a step forward and grabbed the knob and twisted. He pushed and entered the door fully. Minato took a deep breath, before following him in.

XxX

And cut. This chapter actually had two versions. The one you read right now, and another where Minato would suddenly appear during a party. Obviously, I chose this one. And also. This chapter is just a try. I was originally gonna make it longer, including the velvet room interactions, but, oh well. Anyway. For those that read my other story, 'Rise before dusk'. Don't worry. This was just finished before the other one.

And, a lot of plot and story is gonna happen. Mostly from my mind. Different Arcana, and, I won't spoil it, but you can say Minato can have different versions of the same thing.

Who is Life? What will happen to Minato? What is the Universe? All this questions will be answered. Anyway, R.R, read and review. C.O.Y.L OUT peace!