Disclaimer: I don't own Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3.
Notes: Hey! This took a little longer than expected to get up, so in return you're landed with an extra long chapter.
ii: lukewarm gloom ( april, part two )
April 8th, 2009.
Minato, having overslept, had to find his own way to Gekkoukan High, as Yukari had already left by the time he got up. He was barely off the train and down the steps when he heard a pair of girls gossiping excitedly next to him.
"Did you hear the rumour?" the shorter of the two hissed, huddled with her friend under a blooming cherry blossom tree near the school gate.
The other, sporting a large white bag, frowned in concentration. "Oh, um," she said, uncertainly, "something about… a bathroom?"
The small one went red. "N-no!" she snapped, looking around furtively to check if anyone had overheard. "Not that one! I mean the story about the first-year student!" She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Not only did she stop coming to school, she does nothing but sit and stare at the walls all day! If her mother tries to talk to her, she only mutters to herself, 'It's coming! It's coming!'"
"Huh," her friend said blandly, because this rumour was obviously much less interesting than the one about the bathroom. "How about that."
The short girl scowled. "You don't believe me?"
Just then, the first bell rang, and Minato realised he'd been standing like an idiot for the past minute, just listening to the two students chatter. He quickly kicked himself into a trot and ran for the school.
His classes breezed by for the most part—well, aside from his Composition class in the afternoon, when Ms. Toriumi grilled Junpei after catching him not paying attention. Thankfully, the blue-haired boy had jumped in to save the day, and now he was high up in Junpei's good books.
The class clown had insisted on walking home with him until they were forced to part ways at the dorm; when Minato vanished inside, a little relieved, he found Yukari deep in conversation with an older man that he hadn't seen before—very friendly-looking, with long hair and a brown suit, all smiles.
"Oh," the young woman said when Minato shut the door behind himself, "he's back."
"So, this is our new guest," the sophisticated gentleman said with a broad grin, standing up to meet Minato halfway and give him a hearty handshake. "Good evening! My name is Ikutsuki Shuji. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school."
Minato allowed his hand to be pumped up and down as he wondered, dimly, what the excitable man was doing here. He was only half-listening as the Chairman continued with a chuckle, "'Ikutsuki'… hard to say, isn't it? That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes!" Still smiling, he turned and gestured to the couch animatedly. "Please, have a seat."
Minato followed him back to the couch and found a spot next to Yukari. Before he had a chance to say anything, Ikutsuki was off again. "I apologise about the confusion regarding your accommodations," he said seriously. "However, it may take a while longer before you receive the proper room assignment. Now, is there anything you'd like to ask me?"
The young man couldn't help himself. "Why are you here?"
Ikutsuki beamed. "To welcome you, of course!" Pause. "Well, to be honest, I do have other business here. Speaking of which, where's Mitsuru, Yukari?"
"She's upstairs," the brunette replied at once.
The older man adjusted his glasses and sighed. "As diligent as always. Although, it doesn't hurt to come down and say hello…" He turned back to Minato. "Is there anything else?" The student shook his head no, and the Chairman nodded his head with yet another dazzling smile. "Then, I hope you have a successful school year. If you'll excuse me…" He got up to leave, but stopped by Minato's side of the couch. Reaching out to pat the boy brusquely on the shoulder, he added, "You must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early. As they say, 'The early bird catches the bookworm!'"
Minato blinked up at him, unsure of what to say. Ikutsuki ducked his head at this and offered, "Please forgive the bad pun."
Once he was gone, the blue-haired young man turned to Yukari sceptically. She sighed, shrugged—the Chairman was clearly a lost cause—and said, "You'll get used to his lame jokes."
"Working hard?"
Ikutsuki quietly shut the door behind him and walked into the middle of the Command Room. As expected, Mitsuru and Yukari sat before the computer. Its massive screens took up a good chunk of the wall. One small square in the upper left hand corner showed a fuzzy image of Minato, fast asleep in his bed.
"So, how's he doing?" the Chairman continued lightly, over the buzzing and beeping and clacking as Mitsuru typed furiously on the keyboard.
"He went to bed a little while ago," she said, standing. Yukari echoed her movement and leapt to her feet. "He's asleep now." She shook her head, still a little incredulous, as Ikutsuki took a seat on a nearby pouf. "Mr. Chairman, do you think he's…?"
"Well, let's wait and see for now," he said cheerfully. "The Dark Hour is approaching."
Simultaneously, all three turned to stare at the clock mounted on the wall behind them as it slowly counted down to midnight.
Far from the Iwatodai dorms, several drunken partiers had found their way behind Port Island Station. Obnoxious music boomed from a stereo, and a pair of giggling girls dressed in barely anything at all skirted around a swaying troublemaker, tossing an open can of beer carelessly behind them. It landed at a young man's feet, and he spat out his cigarette in annoyance. "Bitch," he muttered under his breath, flipping his cell open.
"—at the sound of the tone," it told him, "it will be twelve o'clock AM."
He shot to his feet in disgust, bathed in moonlight as the clouds began to thin above his head. He half-listened as his mobile counted down the seconds, punctuating each with a loud beep. Five, four, three, two, he thought, and waited for the flat whine that would tell him it was tomorrow.
It never came.
Instead, the light above him glimmered green, and a steady plink-plink sound pervaded the air, like water dripping to the ground from somewhere up high. "Guys?" The stereo was silent, and his pals weren't shouting or singing or making any noise at all. Those fuckers, he thought. They left with the whores.
Exasperated, he whirled around—and froze. Where his friends had been joking and laughing and generally getting drunk off their asses, a collection of tall, dark monoliths stood. One towered before him, and the young man staggered back, a gasp falling from his lips in the still air.
He continued to back away from the standing caskets; when a cold, viscous drop of red landed on his shoulder, he made to turn and run—
But then an oily black substance dribbled from one corner of his mouth. A thicker stream curled down his forehead like it had a mind of its own, and he let out a low moan, his grip on the precious blue phone in his hands loosening. The cell clattered to the ground as the ooze welled up and out of his eye like a gigantic tear. His hands flew to his face, tearing at the sticky muck, but it was too late.
Letting out a long, agonised scream, the young man fell to the ground and lay still.
Back at the dorms, Mitsuru blinked at the green tinge that had settled in front of her eyes, knowing it wouldn't go away no matter how many times she rubbed at it. As she turned away from the clock—frozen at midnight—to survey the dark room, she marvelled, as she always did, at how it seemed as if someone had taken a brick from the foundations and tilted the building ever so slightly off-kilter.
"Hm," Ikutsuki said, one hand to his chin, "he's still sleeping." Nodding to himself, he recited, "The Dark Hour occurs every day at twelve midnight; you could say it's the 'hidden' hour. During this time, an ordinary person transmogrifies into a coffin, and is oblivious to all that occurs."
Yukari shot a glance at Minato, dead to the world in his bed. "Then, he must be…"
"As you can see," the Chairman continued, "he's retained his human form. He's asleep, but he's definitely experiencing the Dark Hour. The only question that remains is whether or not he has the potential." He frowned thoughtfully. "Although, he must! If he didn't, they would have preyed on him by now."
The brunette shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. "Scary," she mumbled.
Ikutsuki smiled reassuringly and stood, motioning at the screen. Both girls turned to it, and he said, "In any case, we should continue to monitor him for a few more days."
Mitsuru nodded shortly. "Yes, sir."
Yukari shot the redhead a nervous look. "I feel kind of bad, though," she said, and glanced again up at the sleeping Minato, "spying on him like this."
Through sleepy eyes, Minato thought he saw blue and white chequered tiles and a navy door swinging open as he approached; beyond that entryway, a giant sapphire clock was mounted on a cobalt grate; its golden hands spun at a ridiculous pace. Below the clock, a short man sat in a high-backed couch behind a small table, smiling down his ridiculously long nose at the newcomer. A tall woman—surely not much older than Minato—stood beside him, white-haired and golden-eyed and stony-faced.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young man," said the elderly gentleman in the loveseat with a wicked grin.
Slowly, Minato realised he was sitting opposite him, in a chair that was all sharp angles and metal spokes. He shifted uncomfortably as the room—Some sort of elevator? he thought—rose higher and higher; the man with the long nose saw this and smiled widely. His attendant barely batted an eyelash.
"My name is Igor," the old man drawled. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance." He motioned to the beautiful woman, reaching over to pat her lightly on the arm with a gloved hand. "This is Elizabeth. She is a resident here, like myself."
"Pleased to meet you," she said with a slight smile, and Minato heard the ages of wisdom in her high, kind voice, and knew his assumption about her age had gone rather wide of the mark.
Igor retracted his fingers and folded them together in his lap. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It's been years since we've had a guest." With a wave of his hand, a familiar leather-bound book appeared on the table, its red surface standing out in the dark blues and purples of the windowless room. A smile split his wrinkled face. "Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place. Henceforth, you shall be welcomed here, in the Velvet Room."
"You are destined to hone your unique ability," the old man continued, "and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return—that you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices you make."
Minato hesitated. Igor was still grinning at him broadly, but not in a way that made him feel in the least comforted. Elizabeth's commanding stare burning into the top of his head wasn't making him feel any more at ease, either. "I… don't understand," he said, timidly.
"That is fine, for now," Igor said, and held out his bony hand. "Hold on to this."
The blue-haired boy went to get up and fetch whatever the elderly gentleman was offering, but he found himself frozen in place, and something heavy dropped into his pocket. Fishing inside his jacket, he pulled out a silvery key with a blue sheen.
From the table, Igor smiled. "'Till we meet again," he said, and everything went dark.
April 9th, 2009.
Minato woke up feeling distinctly well rested, but there was an uneasiness in the back of his mind that made him feel like he'd had a strange dream—one that he couldn't remember. He got washed and dressed as quickly as possible, hoping the business of the day would take his mind off of his strange night. Unsurprisingly, Junpei met him at the school gate.
"What's up?" he said with a grin. "Man, today is the perfect day! The sky is blue, we're young—what more could we ask for?"
Minato was unimpressed. "You're full of energy."
"Of course," the young man exclaimed. "Dude, listen to this…" Expectantly, Minato turned down his music and waited to be let in on the big secret, but Junpei promptly shut his mouth. "Oh, wait," he said, still cheerful as ever. "I'm not supposed to say anything. Sorry, man."
Rolling his eyes despite his disappointment, the blue-haired boy turned his MP3 player up and walked into Gekkoukan aside his new friend.
The day passed in a whirl of boring teachers and boring classes—his Classic Literature teacher, Mr. Ekoda, was particularly mind numbing—and before he knew it, Minato was on his way home once more. He was alone, as Junpei had some meet or another to go to, and he found himself surprisingly lonely on the quiet trip back to the dorms.
Late at night, once the clock had stopped working, the Chairman once again crept up to the Command Room to meet with Mitsuru and Yukari. "How is he?" he asked with a smile, glancing at the sleeping boy.
Mitsuru barely looked up from the computer. "The same as last night."
Surprised, Ikutsuki moved to the pouf he always sat on and murmured, "Hm, very interesting. Even those who have the potential tend to be unstable at first. Memory loss, disorientation… but this subject is rather unique. He hasn't exhibited any of the common symptoms."
Yukari frowned at the Chairman and Mitsuru. "But we're treating him like a guinea pig!" she protested.
"I understand your concern, but it's imperative that we recruit new members," the older man said firmly, drowning out further exclamations. "I heard he's your classmate. Wouldn't you be more comfortable working with someone from the same grade?"
"Yeah, I guess," the brunette mumbled half-heartedly. "But still…"
A high pinging noise interrupted her before she could finish, and Mitsuru stopped typing, slammed her hands down on a series of red buttons, and leaned forward. A small microphone rose from the centre of the keyboard and she said into it, "Command Room. Is that you, Akihiko?"
"You're not going to believe this!" a young man's voice panted from the other end of the line. He gasped for breath, and footsteps that must have been his own nearly drowned out his next words. "This thing is huge! Unfortunately, I don't have time to talk—it's chasing me. I wanted to let you guys know. I'm almost there."
Horrified, Yukari shot out of her seat as the connection was cut off abruptly. "Does that mean he's bringing that thing here?" she shrieked.
Mitsuru got up as well, turning to Ikutsuki with fire in her eyes. "Mr. Chairman! Let's suspend our observation for now. We'll prepare for battle!"
"R-right!" he stammered, jumping off the pouf and backing up in a hurry. "Be careful!"
There was a loud slam from somewhere downstairs, and Mitsuru made towards the door as fast as her feet would take her, beckoning wildly for the others to follow. They rushed down to the ground floor to see Akihiko, his pale hair dark with blood, shutting the door behind him and slumping to the carpet. He was clutching his torso, and crimson was leaking through his fingers.
"Akihiko!" the redhead called out, rushing to him.
Yukari knelt next to him, peering at his side and head for injuries. Delicately, she pressed her fingers against his ribs; he jerked away from her touch with a low groan, and she cried out in worry.
Scowling, Akihiko pushed her away. "I'm all right," he bit out, and smirked despite himself. "Get ready to be surprised! It'll be here any second."
Mitsuru stalked over, so angry she was shaking. If he wasn't already injured—! she thought, pressing one hand to her temple to calm herself. "This is no time to joke around!" she snapped.
The Chairman stepped forwards reluctantly, not wanting to get in the way of the redhead's rage. "It's one of them, Akihiko?"
The boxer nodded. "Yes, but not an ordinary one—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the dorm shook violently, as if suffering through a massive earthquake. Yukari staggered, screaming, and latched onto the nearby desk for balance. "What the—?" she gasped. "You've got to be kidding me!"
Whipping out a gun, Mitsuru turned to Ikutsuki, completely composed. "Mr. Chairman, please head for the Command Room!" Next was Yukari. "Takeba, go upstairs and wake him up. Then, escape out the back."
The brunette faltered and glanced between the redhead and the boxer uncertainly. "But what about you two?"
"We'll stop it here," Mitsuru said, whirling on Akihiko, her pretty face darkening in a deep scowl. "You led it to us, Akihiko, so I'm afraid you'll have to fight."
He shot her a glare and forced himself to his feet. "Like I had a choice!" he growled, and pointed at the stairs. "What are you waiting for, Yukari? Go!"
"I-I'm going!" she stammered, and dashed away.
White exploded behind his closed eyes as a thunderous crash shook Minato to the core; with a cry, he careened out of his bed and onto the floor. He landed hard on his hands and knees, bit back another yelp, and forced himself to his feet. Shaking out his smarting hands, the young man looked around uncertainly, not knowing whether the loud noise he'd thought he'd heard had been dream or reality.
On his way to the door, he grabbed the jacket that was slung over the side of a nearby chair and pulled it over his pyjamas. Before he could reach the hallway, however, several loud knocks stopped him short, and Yukari shouted from beyond the doorway, "Wake up!" Then, "Sorry, I'm coming in!"
Without further warning, the girl burst through the door, impeccably dressed in her uniform and pink sweater as if she'd never gone to sleep at all. Minato blinked at her in confusion. "I don't have time explain," she babbled at his wondering eyes. "We have to get out of here, now!"
Reaching out in a useless attempt to calm her down, the blue-haired boy said, calmly, "What's going on?"
Just then, another crash shook the building, sending Minato tumbling into a stack of books, and Yukari into several unpacked boxes.
"Hurry," she pleaded, gesticulating wildly as she resurfaced from the crates. Without waiting for affirmation, she grabbed hold of his arm and tugged him out the door. "Downstairs! We'll leave through the back door!" Halfway into the hallway, she paused. "Wait," she said in a quivering voice, turning back to face Minato. With a choked, scared sob, she pressed something small and cold into his palm. "Take this, just in case."
Bewildered, he glanced down as she pulled away and started down the corridor at a pace he could barely keep up with under normal circumstances. A penknife, gleaming in the dim light, glittered in his hand. A bolt of icy cold shot though the young man, and he suddenly felt rather sick. Just what were they running from?
"Come on," Yukari wailed, and suddenly she was at his side again, clutching and pulling him towards the stairs.
Once at the bottom, they dashed through the lounge and around the bar to the back door, shrouded eerily in shadow that seemed almost unnaturally deep. Minato paused to catch his breath, shaking his aching limbs out a little; the brunette had been holding on so tight that he couldn't help but wonder if she'd done some damage.
"All right," Yukari said breathlessly from beside him, "we should be safe now—"
Before she could go on, a high-pitched pi pi pi! noise cut her short, and she quickly dove into her pocket and pulled out a small cell. She flipped it open to reveal a tiny screen with Mitsuru's worried face staring up from it, and the redhead's voice chimed from the machine's tiny speakers: "Takeba, do you read me?"
Yukari faltered at the blatant horror on the older girl's face, which was normally so composed and stern. "Y-yes," she stammered. "I hear you!"
"Be careful!" Mitsuru exclaimed over a dull, unidentifiable roar in the background. "There's more than one enemy! The one we're fighting isn't the one Akihiko saw!"
Yukari stumbled on her shoes and nearly dropped the phone as she staggered against the wall in utter disbelief. "What?"
Suddenly, a loud bang behind the pair of unfortunate juniors knocked her from the panelling and succeeded in sending the mobile tumbling to the floor, cutting off their connection with Mitsuru instantly. The screen went dark as Yukari fell all over herself in her haste to pick it up and hurry away with Minato in tow. "L-let's pull back!" she said with a gasp as whatever was behind the door smashed against it once more.
"What are we going to do?" she wailed as they made for the stairs. "They're downstairs! Do we have any choice but to go further up?"
Minato took the lead as the brunette, her eyes brimming with tears, fell back, her legs shuddering and ceasing to work properly as terror tore through her slight body. "Whoa, whoa," she gasped as he took his turn pulling her up the stairs, staggering as the dorm shook again. "What are we going to do?"
He looked questioningly towards the rooms, but knew they were nothing but a dead end. Shrugging, he tugged her up the next two flights, wincing when a crash accompanied by the sound of breaking glass echoed from below. Yukari stopped with a gasp, pulling out of his grasp at once, and hovered by the railing. "What was that?" she whispered, peering down into the darkness. Disgusting squelching sounds echoed from the foot of the stairs so far below, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. "It's getting closer," she exclaimed, running back to Minato and swallowing an empty retch. "K-keep moving! Hurry!"
He didn't need to be told twice. While he didn't know what was chasing them, it was obviously big, bad, and dangerous, and what more incentive did he need to run from it?
At the top of the next staircase, they were faced with nothing more but a short dead end, furbished only by an armchair, a dark lamp, and a door.
"O-oh yeah," Yukari hissed, tugging him towards it. "If we go out through here—!" She had pushed Minato through it before he really knew what was going on; next thing he knew, he was standing in the middle of the roof, gazing up at the moon overhead. It was ridiculously massive and bright, shining green in the cool night air. The flat plane that stretched out around him was bathed in its harsh light, turning red pools at the corner of his vision to glittering gold.
Behind him, Yukari's sigh as she switched the latch into place reminded him where he was. He turned to see her sag against the door, eyes closed, chest heaving with exertion. "I think we're okay for now," she let out in an exhausted whisper. One slender hand clenched at her shirt directly over her racing heart.
Minato felt the beginnings of a relieved smile start to pull at the corners of his mouth, and opened his mouth to ask several long overdue questions.
He hadn't even started on the first one when a crash from the far side of the roof made the ground beneath his feet shift like water. He stumbled, wheeling his arms widely to keep his balance as the wet squelching they'd heard inside started up again.
Yukari let out a gasp and whirled away from the lock box, releasing it from the hold of her stiff, freezing fingers; she'd grabbed it at the sudden disturbance. Another shudder shook the dorms and nearly sent her to her knees as she stared hopelessly at the edge of the building, fresh tears bleeding down her cheeks. "What?"
Slowly, an oily black hand forced itself over the lip of the roof. It was followed by another, and another, until every bloodstained brick was obscured by a wandering hand as the huge creature struggled to pull itself onto solid ground.
Minato fell back in disbelief, mouth whispering over unspoken pleas; his eyes were gigantic grey holes in his pale face as he shot a look at Yukari. Her pretty face was torn in a mix of desperation, fear, and determination. This is crazy, he thought in a sorry attempt to rationalize. I'm dreaming. I never actually woke up. This is all some weird dream.
As if from somewhere up high, he watched as the monster pulled itself properly onto the roof. One of the countless shadow-hands held a mask in phosphorescent blue; above the perpetual Cheshire Cat grin and somewhere deep within the empty eyeholes, a violet spark flickered. It looked around for a moment, turning this way and that, until finally it focused on the two hapless students by the door.
It must have been a trick of the light, but the woozy Minato could have sworn that fixed smile widened for a moment. But then all thoughts of its face vanished from his head as short swords, more than he could count, suddenly appeared in the monster's many hands. They gleamed in the moon's light, like sharper, longer versions of the penknife that was still clutched in his fist, as the spectre moved forwards.
"Those monsters," Yukari whispered as she shoved herself in front of him, "we call them Shadows." Her voice was steady for someone whose whole body was shaking like a leaf; she clutched weakly at the gun strapped to her thigh as the creature picked up speed, each blade's tip glittering in a reminder of what awaited them should they fall into its grasp. The brunette pressed the barrel between her eyes and shut them tight, struggling to stay calm, stay sane. Her lids fluttered upwards a moment later: a mistake. She caught sight of the Shadow's fast approach; one black hand flickered outwards, and two columns, blue and white and promising death, spun towards the pair at top speed.
Yukari clenched her eyes shut, shoving Minato back against the wall. The wheeling razor-sharp ribbons barely careened past them, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on the pistol. You can do it, Yukari, she told herself, her finger twitching on the trigger. He's counting on you. You can do it.
But she hadn't seen the thin sword hidden behind the columns. Her eyes flew open when Minato cried out in alarm, and as she desperately flung herself out of the blade's path, her grip on the gun loosened. She screamed in horror as it tore free of her grasp and landed in a pool of blood at the blue-haired boy's feet. She slammed into the hard concrete with a choked gasp as all the air flew out of her lungs; her head spun as she fought to keep conscious, and with a great effort, she raised her eyes to his.
He wasn't looking at her. His grey gaze was fixed on the machine at his feet, and he only looked up when one of the Shadow's hands landed in the red puddle only a few feet before him. Suddenly, its grinning blue face was all he could see, and Minato closed his eyes against his impending doom.
An image, faded and scratchy like that in an old film, flickered behind his eyelids. It was the child from the dorm, all bright eyes and dark hair, that sweet smile still in place as he raised his index finger to his temple.
Go on.
Only one floor below, safely locked away in the confines of the Command Room, Akihiko lunged forwards in his seat beside Mitsuru and jabbed emphatically at the screen; several monitors, each displaying the motionless Minato, suspended above the gun, glowed brightly in the otherwise dark room. "There," the boxer exclaimed as he pushed out of his seat. Mitsuru was quick to follow, and they were halfway to the door before the Chairman held up a hand.
"Wait."
Slowly, Minato bent to retrieve the pistol. He clutched it in a tight fist as he straightened, his blank eyes glazing over as images tore through his ravaged mind.
He saw Yukari first, shuddering and shaking as she held the gun to her head; the green moon flickered into sight next, only to be swallowed up by that child's face, still smiling, still sweet. He fused almost instantly with the Shadow, blue-faced and forever grinning; it vanished quickly into a blood red moon, and then Minato gritted his teeth and murmured in a voice that didn't sound like his,
"Per—so—na."
White exploded behind his eyelids, and power, hot and burning, surged up within his body, running like fire through his veins. Blue fragments danced in the air around him, and a wild grin spread across his face as smoke from the barrel of his gun rose into the night air.
Yukari forced herself to sit up, brown eyes wide in disbelief. "Arisato?" she choked out, staring into his glowing eyes. No way…
Thou art I, and I am thou.
The blue particles that had gathered above the motionless Minato had begun to part, revealing a shock of sleek skin the colour of whitewashed bone, and gleaming red eyes under a mane of gleaming silver.
From the sea of thy soul, I come forth. I am Orpheus, master of strings.
All sharp joints and bright light, the creature rose into the sky, silhouetted against the green night. The spaces between the strings of the harp on its back sent thin streams of moonlight onto the roof far below. Its jaw hung loose in a low, inhuman roar.
Mitsuru clenched the keyboard before her with shaking fingers. "It's as we suspected," she whispered.
Just then, a flicker of movement in the boy on the roof caught her attention, and she watched in horror as the grin on Minato's shadowed face turned into a grimace of pain and horror. His eyes flew open as he curled in on himself with a wail, clutching at his head.
High above, Orpheus writhed in the air, screaming. As if being torn at from the inside, it was pulled into itself as arms ripped through the cavern of its throat, and a whole new being tore free.
Amidst Orpheus' remains—a flash of white metal, whipped away on the wind—a true monster rose into the air. Twice the size of the frozen Shadow so far below, the broad-shouldered creature bared a six-foot sword to the chill air and soared down to the roof. Eight coffin-like structures spread out like wings behind it, and it leered at its target, its jaw hanging wide in a sick imitation of a smile.
The Shadow didn't have time to flee before the larger beast was upon it, flinging its weapons away and digging into it with one white-gloved hand. With one slice of the monster's sword, the blue mask was cleaved cleanly in half, left to melt into a hissing acid on the pavement.
Horrified, Yukari shot to her feet, having finally gotten her bearings. One of the Shadow's severed arms flopped grotesquely nearby, and the brunette pressed a hand against her mouth to keep from vomiting. Slowly, its erratic spasms were reduced to slow twitches; before it, too, could vanish, the great monstrosity threw aside his sword and snatched it up. With great oily globs of black dripping from the corners of its metal maw, the creature sneered at it, twisting and pulling until the limb burned in its grasp.
Yukari swallowed hard and tried to step back, only to find herself up against the wall; she feared with all her heart that this monster would turn on her next.
It did nothing of the sort; barely paying the girl a single glance, it turned to the sky and let out another roar—
She blinked, and Orpheus, pearly white against the moonlit sky, had returned. Nearly sick with relief, Yukari fell at once to her knees and sobbed into her palms.
Still hiding in the safety of the Command Room, Mitsuru was starting to feel pretty ill herself. She sagged against the monitor with a gasp, her dark eyes still trained on the mystical being overhead. Beside her, both Akihiko and the Chairman shook their heads in utter disbelief.
"What on earth was that?" the boxer said breathlessly, even though he knew full well what it was.
Out on the roof, Yukari looked up from her hands. Minato stood motionless before her, his Orpheus still in the sky. "Is it over?" she whispered despite herself, brushing indignantly at her teary brown eyes.
The blue-haired boy swayed on his feet, slowly returning to himself. The sudden swell of power subsided, and he stumbled on his shoes with a light groan. The word Persona drifted slowly through his mind, and with a last glance up at the white creature overhead as it faded slowly out of sight, he fell to the ground and lay still.
Yukari gasped, pulled herself to her feet, and ran over to her new friend to shake him hard by the shoulders. "Are you okay?" she said, in a tone that gave away that it was less of a question, and more of plea. Cursing herself, she stared hard into his face and grabbed the lapel of his collar, rattling him so hard he nearly cracked his unconscious head against the concrete. "Come on! Say something!"
She heard the sound of footsteps pounding across the open roof, and then Akihiko's deep voice rang out from behind her.
"Are you all right?"
I am, Yukari thought, not even turning to give the two seniors (for she had no doubt that Mitsuru was there as well) the time of day as she slapped Minato lightly on the face, but he's not. "Can you hear me?" she all but shouted in his ear. "Please, answer me!"
Her own heavy breathing and the low hum of the machines in the streets as they began to work again were her only response; overhead, the moon's glow turned from green to silver, and all over the world, people jumped back into motion as if not a second had gone by since midnight.
But Minato still did not stir.