He was a monster.
A cold, heartless, sociopathic monster.
If it wasn't clear to him before, it certainly was now.
Minato Arisato stood alone in the bathroom of the second floor of the Iwatodai dorms. It was January 30th 2010, and it was slowly approaching midnight. Tomorrow would be January 31st- their judgment day.
Minato was currently dressed in a black tank top and dark blue jeans. He stared at his face in the mirror, the reflection showing his sadness and panic in his grey eyes.
In his right hand was his Evoker, and his left held the Cipher's Mask. This plain white, featureless mask was given to him as a gift by Igor- as a reward for forming strong, unbreakable bonds to match all of the major Arcana. This mask had allowed his to reforge his initial Persona of Orpheus into a stronger, complete form- Orpheus Telos.
What scared him wasn't how this new Orpheus looked- rather, he was in a complete state with Telos inside of his head.
Instead, it was the mask that he had clutched in his left hand. Was this who he had become? A featureless person who only wanted to benefit himself?
He recalled the times with his Social Links… How he could've said something the real Minato wanted to say, but instead, he said something else that he matched the personality of the person he was talking to.
When he talked to Kaz after first arriving at Gekkoukan and joining the track team, he was genuinely concerned with his injury. However, the only words that came up were that of encouragement- telling him to simply "toughen up" or to "quit whining".
But that's what Kaz wanted to hear- Minato would only oblige. And that was just the one example. He wouldn't have encouraged Kenji with his relationship with the teacher, but he didn't have a choice- it was what Kenji wanted to hear.
The time in which he really felt like himself was only with three links- The Fool, Death and Judgment. The Fool made sense, as he was able to properly bond with the rest of S.E.E.S over time and warm up to everyone on the team as they expanded and defeated the Full Moon shadows. Judgment was also the same, only it was formed from a new determination to reach the top of Tartarus and prevent The Fall. However, this meant that the entire team had to fight Nyx tomorrow night.
He thought of the Death link also, and how it had been with Pharos- a young Ryoji. Ryoji was a part of himself, so he wasn't surprised at all that that link went as it did- he couldn't hide from his true self.
He was scared. But to him, it felt kind of ironic- a monster like him being scared of a bigger monster. He could always just lie down and die before the Nyx fight- he wasn't even sure now that he still had a pulse.
He put the Evoker up to his temple and gave a sad smile. The feeling of the cold steel of the barrel against his temple had become almost therapeutic in a way. It reminded him that there was still something that needed to be done. Minato sighed as he pulled the trigger.
"Orpheus Telos". He spoke in a whisper.
Within a moment after saying that, the sound of glass breaking was heard, causing Minato to be surrounded in a pale blue glow.
Orpheus Telos stood behind the boy in all of his glory. He looked almost identical to the original Orpheus, except his body had turned a royal red, his hair turned a light blond and his eyes had turned a royal blue. All of the dull grey parts to him had become a vibrant gold colour, but his lyre remained the same.
"Master…" Telos spoke. "What is it that you require?" Minato was silent for a few moments.
"To prove I was still alive. You may return." Orpheus gave the boy a hesitant nod and vanished, returning to the sea of the boy's soul. Minato sighed before looking at himself in the mirror again.
"You're the worst kind of monster, you know?" He spoke to his reflection. "You gave these people hope, which they took. You gave them an answer, but they never asked about yours. You gave them a love unconditional, which they ate. And this is the reward you get." He turned to the Cipher's Mask in disgust. "You never wanted to help them at all, and it all became a lie. You just became a mirror for their own problems- they always asked, but never listened." He paused, looking at the reflection straight in the eyes.
"You're a coward. You should've killed Ryoji. But because you didn't, you signed their fate. Nyx will come tomorrow night, and there's no way you can win."
Minato gave a low growl before punching the mirror in front of him. The glass shattered in every direction from the strength of the punch. He smiled as the shards impaled his hand and the appendage began to leak crimson. This pain…
This was what it meant to be alive.
Without thinking, he switched from Orpheus Telos to Messiah. Picking the glass shards out from his hand, he ran a Salvation through his arm. He watched through his magic that the open cuts from the glass slowly began to stitch back together and heal itself. Within a few moments, the arm was completely good as new. As if nothing had ever happened.
"Minato? Are you awake?"
Shit. He didn't count on anyone still being up. It was Yukari that called down for him.
"Minato? I'm coming down…"
He sighed. He dusted some glass away from the sink and placed his elbows on the counter. He cradled his head in his hands and sighed.
"Is everything okay, Minato? I heard the sound of glass breaking…"
She was right outside the door now. He didn't have an option.
He walked out of the bathroom and looked to see her. She looked tired and her hair looked messy. She was dressed in pink track pants and a light blue hoodie- one of his.
"Yukari…" He began, looking at the wall behind her. "I had a nightmare. It was about the fight with Nyx." Yukari stared at him, ready to listen to him. "I dreamt terrible things… I dreamt that Ryoji was right after all; that Nyx couldn't be defeated and The Fall actually happened…"
As he said this, he felt a soft form hit against him. Yukari had wrapped her arms around his body and drawn him in close.
"Minato…" She began. "Do you not remember that one night?" Her face turned a pink hue. "When we… spent some time together?" His face turned a slightly pink hue also, remembering that it was the night that she had confessed her absolute and undying love for him.
"Yes, I remember." He replied to her. And really, how could he forget? After all, he confessed his love for her also. A love that he knew to be a genuine, unconditional affection for this girl.
Ever since he had arrived at Port Island last April and had met this girl, his eyes had been set on her for god knows how long. He was enthralled by her appearance and her ability to fight in Tartarus was second to none- whether it was to conjure up a wind storm, plug an arrow into some unfortunate shadow's face or to heal any wounds he or his team had sustained, she had become a vital member to his efforts to eradicate this accursed hour from the world.
However, if all went well tomorrow, they could see the end of it all.
"Do you want to know something?" She asked him, snapping out of his own thoughts. "I've had some dreams too, ever since that night. I dream of our future together- after college, after all this…" She took the hand that was just recently filled with glass and touched it to hers, the fingers intertwining. "You're not a monster, Minato. It's only in your heart to care too much and try too hard." His dark eyes widened as she said this- how had she heard him?
…Then again, he wasn't talking in a complete whisper.
"Yukari…" His voice was soft and delicate to her ears. "I'm scared to lose you… To lose everyone, and all that we've accomplished." Yukari smirked at him, and clenched his hand tighter.
"Minato…" Whenever she said his name, it seemed to roll off her tongue. "It'll be okay. We'll always have each other." She then drew him in close and kissed him.
The kiss was soft and genuine, with passion in every move. Her arms had wrapped protectively around his waist- offering her support and subtly bringing him close to her. Fingers tugged lightly at each other's hair as the kiss began to intensify.
When they broke, she gave him a tender, loving smile.
"Are you going to go back to your room now?" She asked, as the telltale signs of the Dark Hour hit. He nodded, which caused her to take one of his cold, calloused hands in one of her own smooth, warm and soft ones. "Leave the door open and unlocked." She whispered to him. "Tonight, we'll give that fire of yours one more light."