AUTHOR'S NOTES: Been a while since I last updated, so this story may not be as good as my writing a few months ago (or maybe it's actually better somehow, who knows). I might post later on regarding my future updates on my profile, so if you're interested, watch out for that.

Please review! Any criticism is greatly appreciated!

Disclaimer: Persona and Atlus don't belong to me.

Messiah Complex

Out of all the things that have happened in my life, Iwatodai is probably the worst out of those things.

From the day my parents died several years ago on the Moonlight Bridge, life has been a living hell for me. No relative or family friends wanted to take me in (so much for friends, huh?) and all of my friends waved goodbye. And I swear they were almost happy about it, too.

Eventually, after rotting in an orphanage for seven goddamn years, I received a letter in the mail; a letter outlining my enrollment at Gekkoukan High School, in Iwatodai. I would have declined (quite harshly, I might add), but something inside me… told me that I should accept. At the time, I didn't know what drove me to actually accept the offer. But soon enough, I was dressed in the official Gekkoukan uniform for male students, sitting in an empty train and waiting for this dreaded year to start. Why the Kirijo Group of all companies or organizations decided to send me back here is beyond me.

It only took me so long afterwards to figure out why fate drew me back here.

Shadows. That was the name of our enemy: Shadows. The ones that cause all of those incidents of Apathy Syndrome in the news, and the ones that cause people to disappear all of a sudden, exactly at midnight.

S.E.E.S, an organization assembled together by the heir of the Kirijo Group, dedicated to ridding the Earth of the "enemy of mankind." Sure. Whatever. I really only joined because they'd kick me out if I hadn't. I guess it's a break from the life I had before all of this, but I honestly wouldn't care if the Shadows ended the world or something. Good for them.

Though I do suppose I had the shadows to thank for killing my parents and ruining my life. A little revenge would be nice, yeah. Maybe this year won't be so bad after all.

I like to call the time when I first summoned my Persona "The day I signed my soul away to the devil." That's essentially what I did when I fused Satan, anyway.

Fighting in an hour hidden during the day, destroying monsters that feed on the minds of people, all while trying to keep your own mind from being nibbled on. Having a persona is like trading away your innocence for power, but for me this is power I never wanted.

I also liked to call it that day because it was when everything was set in motion for Nyx's rebirth and the end of the fucking world. Awesome, it's all my fault, eh?

I discovered the reason why I chose to come back to Iwatodai, this city I swore never to come to again. That reason came in the form of a small, creepy boy dressed in prison garb who's been dormant in me for ten years. That's why.

Apparently he was the one who coaxed me into coming back to Iwatodai, and joining S.E.E.S. He was probably another reason why we killed all the Arcana Shadows and unleased Nyx (that was mostly Ikutsuki's fault, though); he was one of the thirteen Arcana shadows, and doing that was like an animal's instinct to survive to him. Then again, if he had actually known, we probably wouldn't be in a situation like this. But regardless, he comes back as Mochizuki Ryoji and says we have a month to live before the Fall comes and annihilates all life on Earth.

Abso-fucking-lutely wonderful. Not only did I have to suffer the school year so far, now me and everyone else on this god-forsaken planet will die?

I had half a mind to punch Ryoji in the face as soon as he told us that. But instead I opted for choosing to look Nyx right in the eyes and facing our new opponent, however futile it was. By now it's an obligation for me to stop Nyx, the mother of all shadows, the Night Queen. Easily the most powerful opponent we will ever face, more than capable of raining death down on us and obliterating the world.

I punched Ryoji later.

Ascending Tartarus has never been so anxiety-inducing before. Sure, we've done this plenty of times already, and it became so simple it practically felt like it was second nature to me. It's cool; run into a tower a few nights a week, slaughter black blobs of evil and face the Greek goddess of death herself. No sweat, am I right?

Strega certainly seems to take it seriously. I doubt humanity is being "reborn" or "saved" by the Fall; if some of these insane video game villains would actually take a second to think rationally about it for once, boy would they be surprised. Then they'd help try to fix the damage they've done. But nope, it's always the good guys that have to do everything, and the antagonists seem to prefer staying evil to the core, because why not. (It's too bad they tend not to be very strong.) We were already sailing to the top of the "Tower of Demise," as Takaya put it, and finally ready to confront the manifestation of humanity's end itself.

The moon is growing.

It's splitting apart, and revealing a massive eye in the centre of it.

Everyone is watching in silent shock and horror as the Nyx Avatar flies up to the moon, and begins to unleash the power of the Fall. I bet those cultists are throwing a party right now.

Suddenly everyone feels a crushing force weighing them down. Everyone is having a difficult time trying to stand; some even fall to the ground and succumb to the intense force being exerted. A massive shockwave blasts outward from the moon and it feels like I was thrown into a scrapyard compressor, and crushed into a small block of metal. Imagine that feeling, times a thousand.

This is the power of Nyx. The moon itself is Nyx, and it is what will unleash the Fall. It is what will ultimately eradicate all life on Earth, never to bloom again.

Another shockwave brings everyone back down to the ground, and I black out.

I know what I need to do. I have received this power and I am going to use it to save the world.

Standing up is surprisingly easy; in fact, the intense gravity I had felt a moment ago no longer seems to affect me at all, and I feel lighter and stronger than I've ever felt my entire life. So light that, in fact, I could probably…

Fly...

I take a step forward, and to my surprise as I put my foot down I feel nothing but air. When I raise my other foot the same thing happens. I'm flying, and it's a wonderful sensation. But there's no time to enjoy it. I need to stop this.

Turning to face the moon, I direct myself toward it and fly toward it. I hear the cries of disbelief and shock from my friends slowly fade away as I disappear from their view and enter the warped moon.

The inside of what normally looked so menacing on the outside looks incredibly serene and beautiful on the inside. It's like a starry night all around me, and I momentarily forget what I'm soon to face.

Even still, I allow myself to become lost in the stars for a few more moments.

It feels like my body's going to collapse into a pile of ash.

The core of Nyx's true form, a large glowing egg surrounded by a transparent shell and branch-like extensions, continues to blast me with its devastating and explosive attacks, and I can barely take them, wondering how I'm able to survive all of these blows.

"Shit…" I mumble as I stand up, wiping a small trickle of blood from the corner of my mouth. My weapon was thrown into the abyss from an earlier explosion so my hands are empty; I have nothing to fight back with. Coming here was a stupid idea. I feel all of my resolve crumbling. Is this seriously how I'm going to die? At the thought of that, I felt defeated, useless and silently contemplated what a wonderful ending this was to an equally wonderful year it's been.

A voice echoes in my head. It snaps me out of my thoughts and I wonder where it's coming from. There's no one else here but me and Nyx (who probably can't talk anyway).

"There's nothing we can do?!"

Ken…? I hear his voice… I remember his mother died in an accident from the shadows, just like how both of my parents did. Despite everything, I wanted to console him, but I never could…

"Don't give up! We have to believe in him!"

I hear Akihiko's voice too! His parents weren't killed by the shadows, but he and I fought them together like a pair of champions in the ring. He made an incredible opponent when he and I sparred.

"Give him strength! Take my life if you must!"

Mitsuru… She's an heir to the Kirijo Group, and I finally realize how large of a huge toll it must have been on her. All of her hard work won't go to waste if I can help it.

The Justice, Star and Empress Arcana awaken to a new power I never knew I had, and I feel my strength slowly returning. I slowly stand up, not letting this energy given to me by my friends go to waste. There's still excruciating pain all over my body, but I'm overcoming it through sheer will.

Without the use of my evoker, I unleash the powerful form of Melchizedek, who uses Akasha Arts to inflict heavy damage on the shell of the egg, shattering some of the extensions. Next, I summon the angelic Helel, who immediately uses Morning Star to engulf Nyx in a brilliant burst of light, creating a small but noticeable crack in the shell. Then, I summon the idol of Alliat and freeze the egg using Mabufudyne.

I may have a chance yet.

The ice shatters violently and red energy pools around Nyx and I close my eyes and brace myself for another attack. To my surprise the attack feels much weaker and much more bearable. I still cringe in pain and stagger but manage to stay standing. I begin to mutter in confusion before I'm interrupted by another voice.

"Don't die! You can't die on us, Minato!"

Yukari… the Lovers. She was a great friend to me, and one of the only people I felt I could get along with. Her father's death came from the results of another man's insane experiments. I'll avenge him for you, Yukari, so don't worry…

"He's going to face it all by himself!"

And Fuuka… Priestess. Your cooking was probably enough to kill any shadow from the stench itself. Even still, your amazing technical skills proved to be a great asset to S.E.E.S and you helped more than you'd ever believe. I hope I'm able to come back and help you out with your cooking.

"No! He's not alone! I won't let him die!"

The Magician… Junpei. He was an idiot, but still a damn good friend. Our relationship mirrored that of Orpheus' and Hermes', but we're going to stick together as bros up until the end. I'm not going to die here; I'll make sure of it.

The Lovers, Priestess and Magician give me more power and I feel a numbing sensation overcome my body; my wounds are being healed, and now I can move with more vigor than before.

Searching through the deck of tarot cards in my mind, it comes across the Lovers, and the motherly form of Cybele materializes before me. She swings her swords and points them upwards, causing a shower of arrows to rain down on Nyx. Next, I switch to the Priestess, summoning the legendary Scathach and using Magarudyne to whip up ferocious winds around my enemy.

Lastly, the destructive Surtr appears in front of me and engulfs the egg in hellish flames using Ragnarok. I can see a layer of the egg melting away, and the core is almost exposed. I feel my crumbled resolve slowly build back up as my adversary grows weaker.

Once again, Nyx charges up and launches a powerful attack, this time directly at me. I close my eyes, still expecting to be blasted and knocked down this time, but instead my feet stay firmly planted. I feel the incredible force hit my body, but unlike before I don't feel any pain and it doesn't hurt me at all. I open my eyes to see nothing more than a few more rips and tears in my already worn-out uniform.

I hear more voices. Who else…?

"*bark* *bark*"

I couldn't hold back a chuckle, even here. Despite all of what I went through this past year, Koromaru really helped me get through it all (it still sucked, though), and he more than lived up to the title of "man's best friend."

"I won't allow this world to be destroyed!"

It was the mechanical maiden herself. I remember when we first met her in Yakushima and she had a strange obsession with me even she didn't understand. I've met many an awkward situation with her around and her mannerisms and naivety to human customs were amusing, at the very least. Eventually, she came to realize emotions, and that's when she truly became a friend to me and the rest of S.E.E.S.

I was about to ready myself for another assault when a deep and masculine voice echoing caught my attention.

"Alright. Let's do this."

I felt the ends of my lips curve upwards into a small grin as soon as I heard Shinjiro's voice. To me, he was the epitome of badass, and I admired him for being so cool. I was glad to have met him, and I'm not going to let him down now.

I feel the Strength, Chariot and Hierophant flood with power within me. I called on the power of the famous Siegfried, who swung with his sword, carving massive holes into Nyx with Vorpal Blade. Next, I feel the Norse god of thunder, Thor, smash down with Mjölnir and call down a wicked bolt of lightning to strike Nyx. The electricity coursed through it and the light within seemed to wane slightly.

Energy began to build up around the slightly more dim egg again, but I knew what to do next. Kohryu materialized itself from my mind, and its divine protection reflected the attack back at Nyx and dealt a critical hit. A loud cracking sound resonated through the inside of the moon, and I saw the outer shell break completely and fall into pieces. I smirked, seeing this exciting new development. I can fight back after all. In fact, I've always had the ability to fight back, to change my life. I only wish I realized this sooner.

I felt more energy awaken within me. The Fool, Death and Judgement Arcana call to me, and I answer, summoning Orpheus, Thanatos and Messiah all at once. Orpheus and Thanatos fly up to Nyx and begin wailing on its exposed core while Messiah slowly charges up a Megidolaon. When it's finally ready, I recall Orpheus and Thanatos back into my mind so they aren't nuked along with Nyx, and the powerful Almighty attack weakens the glowing egg even further.

The light in the egg dims almost completely and I can tell it lacks the energy to charge up another attack. Now's my chance!

I feel all of my social links give me power. These are all of the bonds I have with my friends. They're all genuine. Bonds I've built with strangers from the ground up are helping me in my time of need. I feel truly proud of them.

Suddenly, all the tarot cards for all of the major arcana spin in a perfect circle around me. Soon, they come together in a blinding flash of light to form…

The Universe Arcana.

This is it. The ultimate power needed to defeat the ultimate enemy. I glance back up at the goddess of Death. It's weakened. This will be the only chance I get; I can't lose now.

Stepping forward and approaching Nyx, I pause.

Coming to Iwatodai, it's all lead to this. Meeting S.E.E.S, forming bonds with others and defeating the shadows. It's all come down to this. This past year… As I reflect on it, I certainly thought it sucked for a while… But I don't regret it. It's been an important experience for me, and even though I have a feeling it won't last much longer, I have a new outlook on life.

I've been enlightened, and it feels sweet as all hell. I chuckled inwardly.

Looking up at Nyx with determination, I feel my resolve come back to me tenfold, and I'm ready to finish this. My hand moves naturally as I raise it and point a finger up towards the sky. Blue light dances around me and I feel a small smile grace my lips.

Get ready, Nyx. You're going down.

I unleash the power of the Universe Arcana, and we are both engulfed by a brilliant light.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: For you observant readers, you may have noticed I changed Yukari's line of dialogue during the fight against Nyx's true form. I just thought it sounded better. Yeah.

Anyway, I'm still not entirely satisfied with this end result but I decided to upload it anyway to see what other people thought of it. I dunno, the whole summoning Personas to fight back against Nyx is cool and all, but it isn't really all that related to the purpose of the story, which is to develop Minato's character. If I think it still doesn't work, I might come back and change it. You can still change my mind, though!

Leave a review if you'd like, and some criticism if you'd love! Because if you do, I will love you. Because you are a wonderful person. Thank you. And good night (or good morning, whichever you prefer).

No, but seriously, leave a review, please. I want it bad enough to update the story just for it.