PERSONA3R - Rebirth, Reverse, Reunion

"Life is nothing but an endless cycle of rebirth and death."

"The path you take will lead you to either your demise or closer to your goal."

"Even if Death welcomes you by his door, don't be afraid."

"Know that even in Death, there is life."

"And so, the wheel turns…"

~ Cycle 1 - REBIRTH ~

You'll live on…In our place.

-Moonlight Bridge, Iwatodai-

-October 4th, 1999. A. D.-

[DARK HOUR]

The sound of the ear-piercing screams filled with terror and agony, tires skidding, metal and glass shattering, crumbling noises emitted by the fragile stone pillars and chains of explosions filled the air around Moonlight Bridge. Panic and terror seeped through the air as explosions started in random areas of the large bridge, and people ran out of their cars in waves, rushing to safety.

The crowd was mostly families. Since it was nearing the weekend, many families decided to go on a weekend trip outside the seacoast town of Iwatodai. However, most of them didn't realize that as soon as they'd gotten into their cars, started the engine, passed the bridge, and heard the clock strike twelve, that fateful event had started.

It began with an explosion at the facility on Tatsumi Port Island - a man-made island just a few kilometers away from the Iwatodai coastline. Then, emerging from the debris were deformed creatures with bodies as black as the night and that lurked within the shadows of the darkness. They emerged one by one, from the depths of darkness, and charged into the city, preying on those poor souls who made contact with them. Leading them was a tall figure. It had the body of a human, yet its complexion was as black as the night and its eyes were as yellow as the moon. The human-like "shadow" moved slowly towards the bridge - its eyes were gazing into the distance, while the other "shadows" moved silently behind it.

Soon enough, chaos started at the bridge as the vehicles stopped moving, crashing into one place and another, as the sky turned into eerie green, and several people started turning into large, otherworldly coffins covered in blood - covering the grounds and reflecting the eerily gigantic moon. Panicking, a few people who observed this mysterious phenomenon came out of their cars, rushing to find safety - only to be devoured by the "shadows" that awaited them.

Several people who managed to escape these "shadows" and remain un-transfigured streamed into safety. Among the crowd were two children with blue hair and dazzling grayish-blue eyes. The taller girl with long, silky blue hair was breathing heavily as she led the younger, timid-looking boy through the crowd that was squeezing the two children's tiny bodies.

"Onee-san…" the boy wheezed, barely able to breathe, given the suffocating circumstances, "Where are mother and father? Why aren't they coming with us?"

Guilt struck the older girl's heart as the words "mother" and "father" rang in her ears. Her grip on her younger brother's tiny hand tightened. She opened her mouth to speak, but the voice that came out was shaking. "Mom and dad are safe," she said in a cracked voice. "We'll see them later. What's more important is that we get out of here!" The little boy said no more and obediently let his sister lead the way.

Deep down, the girl felt horrible. She felt horrible for lying to her brother. Mom and dad aren't safe. We won't see them anytime soon. She felt even more horrible just remembering it. After all, the one who killed them was-

There was another explosion. A nearby stone pillar that came crashing down sent fear to the few escaping citizens. Screams of terror and panic surged through the air as black, shadow-like masses emerged from the darkness and devoured the citizens, one by one, and turned the poor victims into nothing but a lump of sticky black goo. The girl felt her body crushed in the panicking crowd, not noticing that her brother's hand had slipped away from hers.

Soon enough, the crowd vanished at the hands of the "shadows", leaving the little girl alone, lying unconscious on the ground after having been knocked out by a frightened crowd. As the "shadows" loomed closer to her, attempting to devour her as well, an invisible wall appeared, repelling the "shadows" from the girl. The "shadows" staggered backwards as blue mist surrounded the girl's body. The mist thickened and soon enough, a transparent figure emerged from the girl's body. The figure was a lady - with waist-length hair that was similar to the girl's, red eyes that gleamed in the dark, and an onyx-black complexion. She was wearing a turtleneck net-like outfit with belts crossing her breasts, a long grayish-pink shawl that covered her mouth and stretched to her toes, a long skirt with the same muted pink hue, and a black mourning veil. The woman had no legs, but instead, vine-like black cloths, intertwining with each other. The woman also carried some sort of lantern with a small ball of light inside it.

The "shadows" seem agitated at the arrival of the "woman", and began gathering to assault the "woman" in groups. The "woman" looked at the gathering "shadows" with her empty crimson-red eyes and lifted her lantern into the air. In an instant, the "shadows" were surrounded by a ring of fire. Several remaining "shadows" that managed to escape the ring fled, while their other companions remained trapped in the ring, eventually vanishing into a black smoke as the fire grew larger and crushed them all. The "woman" lowered her lantern as the "shadows" fled and closed her eyes. With that, she vanished into a thin blue mist.

Groaning, the girl opened her eyes slowly and struggled to stand up. She looked at her surroundings. Empty. Nothing was there. She wondered what had happened while she was unconscious. Suddenly, she remembered something important. Her brother. His tiny hand was no longer in hers.

"Oh my goodness!" She gasped in horror. "Minato? Minato! Minato, where are you?" She screamed into the empty air. Her voice echoed across the deserted bridge, but there was no response. The girl stood up and ran back toward the direction she had come from, in pursuit of her brother. While running, she constantly called his name, hoping to hear even the faintest hint of his voice.

Standing in the middle of the bridge, facing a shattered metal box that had once served as a car, was a pale-faced boy with blue hair. He stood motionless, watching the smoke that came from the beaten-up car, and the two pale, unmoving hands that could be seen through the cracks in the car exterior - the hands that could no longer protect him and hold him. Their warmth had been lost forever.

"Minato!" The girl, noticing her brother ran at him and held his shoulders. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you! Are you all right? You're not hurt, are you? Oh, Minato! Don't you dare worry me like that again!" She let out a long sigh of relief and hugged her brother.

The boy averted his gaze from his sister and looked instead at the remains of the tragedy that had taken the lives of the people he'd treasured the most - now gone forever, away from their reach. "Onee-san…" the boy spoke slowly. "…They're gone, aren't they?"

The girl held the young boy's face's gently. There was no sign of those rosy cheeks that emerged whenever she held his face. In his eyes, there was emptiness and traces of despair. No longer could she sense the will to live in him. She knelt and hugged the young boy tightly. She broke into silent tears.

She'd let them die.

She knew that she'd left them to die.

She shouldn't have left, but she'd left.

I am to blame for mother and father's death.

A part of her wanted to die to atone for her unforgivable sin, yet another part of her kept replaying her parents' dying wish.

'For our sake, you have to live. Your brother is still young. He needs someone to protect him. He needs you. You must protect him - teach him all that he needs to know in order to live on in this world. Know that he needs you more than us. You both have a long road ahead of you. We're sorry that we couldn't protect you any longer… But you must know that-'

After that, there had been a large explosion. The two children had been by their parents' bodies when the great explosion occurred. The girl's mind returned to her parents' unfinished last words. What is it that I must know? What was it that you wanted to tell me? I still want to know… I want to know, whether you will ever forgive me or not?

"Onee-san?" The boy whispered in her ears. He felt their hearts beat as one. His sister's tears flowed silently as she held the boy in her embrace. "Onee-san?" He called again. The young girl shook her head gently, while her trembling hands continued embracing the boy.

"It's alright, Minato. It's alright." She whispered in his ear. "Onee-san is here. We're here. We're still alive. I'll protect you." Her gentle, solemn voice was like the rain - sad, yet it washed away all of his fear. However - he didn't realize that it might've been the last time he would be able to listen to that soft, gentle, comforting voice and be embraced by such warm hands that protected him from the world's cruelty.

An explosion emerging from beneath the bridge shook the place and broke the silence that had spread across the bridge. Quickly, the young girl broke their embrace and seized her little brother's hand firmly. "We need to get out of here!" She screamed. "Hurry, this way! And stay close to me!"

I won't let this story end. For mother and father's sake - it won't end. I made a mistake by leaving them. But this time, it won't happen again. I'll never leave my brother behind. He is all… He is all that is left to me. I won't let the same thing that happened to mother and father happen to him!

There was another explosion from beneath the bridge that sent one of the stone pillars tumbling down to the left, causing the unstable bridge to crumble in that direction. Swiftly, the girl seized her brother to the right and held on to a fallen cable to prevent them from falling.

Crack.

The sound of a splitting stone pillar to their right sent a surge of fear through the girl. However, by the time she'd realized it, it was too late. The stone pillar was coming down over their heads. Quickly, the girl pushed the young boy away from the falling pillar. Excruciating pain surged through her body as she realized that her tiny legs were crushed underneath the fallen pillar.

"Onee-san!" The boy shouted in terror as he approached his sister. An anxious fright was painted on his face. The girl was so annoyed with herself. She couldn't bear to see those expressions on his face. She blamed herself. She blamed herself for losing her brother in the first place. She blamed herself for not being quick enough. She blamed herself for being foolish enough to hold on to that cable in the first place.

"It's alright, Minato." She said, trying to ease her brother's fears. "I'll be fine, just-"

There was another crack. It was coming from the pillar next to the one that pinned her legs. Terror rushed to her mind. This time, she couldn't do anything. Her tiny legs were pinned to the ground helplessly. She couldn't protect him. The only way was to…

"Minato." She said, looking down at the ground. Her voice was shaking. "Leave me. Get out of here!" The boy looked at his sister with surprise. "No! I'm not leaving you behind, onee-san! We're going together!" The cracking noise got louder. The girl, shaking, took the boys' hands in hers.

"Minato…" she said slowly. She looked like she was about to cry. "Listen to me… You're still young. You still have a long road ahead of you. My road ends here, but yours is still long, Minato. That's why you need to live! Live on, and continue your story!" The boy looked at his sister with horror. "Nee-san! What are you talking about? Don't talk like that at a time like this!"

"JUST LISTEN TO ME!" The girl said in a higher tone, with pleading eyes. Tears were rolling down on her cheeks. "Because I…I might not be able to talk to you again after this… But don't be afraid, Minato…" Her trembling voice slowly gathered strength. "You'll live, Minato. You'll live on, for us… When there are times that you feel like you're alone, know that you never are. We'll always be with you, Minato. I'll always be with you…Watching your every single step…We'll always be together, no matter what. I promise." Her face was smiling, but her hands were trembling as she said it.

"Onee-san…"

She knew that she was going to die. She knew that her end was inevitable, but…

I just can't let him die…

The cracking noises grew louder as the pillar started to crumble down upon the two children. "Minato, you have to go, now!" The girl screamed as she broke into a cold sweat.

"But-!" the boy objected.

"Just go, NOW!"

Mustering all of her strength, the girl pushed they boy away. For just a moment, as she pushed her brother away, a vision of transparent, lady-like figure looking like an older version of herself, a black complexion, and blood-red eyes emerged. The apparition lifted the lantern she was carrying and sent a gust of strong wind to help blow her brother out of harm's way. She thought she was seeing things.

I'm going to die after all…

She looked up at the pillar that was coming down upon her. This is it. I'm going to die. I'm not afraid. Everyone will die in the end. This is…merely my punishment. But…

The young boy picked himself off the ground and looked in the distance at his sister. He could've sworn that just for a moment, he too, saw the lady-like being, kneeling beside his sister during her final moments. He turned his gaze to her sister's face. The soft, gentle face was covered with tears, yet she was smiling. Her smile was so mild and tender, as if comforting him, telling him not to cry. The boy ran with all of his might toward his sister. His screams, calling her name, were like music to the girl's ears. As the pillar grew closer, her pale lips moved, and she whispered slowly:

"Forgive me, Minato."

The sound of that single crushing pillar, to the young boy's ears, was much louder than all the explosions and crowd's screams combined. He wanted to move his body, but he could feel that every single bit of will to do so had faded away - along with his sister. He fell to his knees and watched as streams of blood gushed in his direction.

The warm hands that had always protected him were gone. That smile. Those eyes. That gentle, angelic voice. They were no longer here. No longer would he feel his sister's warm hands in his - hear her whisper at night - feel her soft, beautiful hair blowing in the summer breeze - listen to her melodic voice or the sound as their hearts beat together as one.

Those days. That person. Those feelings. They were gone forever.

"HINATO-NEESAN!"

There was nothing left for him.

Nothing but Death awaited him.

-to be continued-