Noctal found himself back at the Velvet Room while he was unconscious. Igor was, expectedly, in the exact place he was in before, sitting on a chair behind a table with Elizabeth standing beside him. "It's so nice to see you again?" Said Igor.
Noctal took a minute to regain himself, and to recognize the area he was in. "…Back in my dreams, are we?"
"You became unconscious after awakening to your "power". It's nothing to worry about though, so no need to stress over it…. And I see that it was Pride, of the Devil Arcana, who answered your call... Impressive." Igor continued "The power you used is called, Persona… It is a manifestation of your psyche.
Noctal was expectedly puzzled and had questions ""Per… sona?" As he said those words, he recalled uttering them before he passed out.
"A persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli. Call it… a mask, which protects you as you face hardships. Your Personae grow as you grow, and you will eventually come to harbor more than one Persona, being able to unlesh more ."
Noctal's interest was verily piqued "I… I see. So in a way, this is strength, or power? Fascinating… how very fascinating…" He said with a slight chuckle.
"Now then… Time marches on in your world. I shouldn't keep you any longer…. Until the next time we meet, farewell…" And with that, Noctal was sent away from the Velvet Room before he knew it.
Later, on the 19th of April….
Noctal was beginning to wake up as his head got clearer. Opening his eyes he saw a white ceiling above him, bright light pouring in and a blanket covering him. "How… long have I slept?" He wondered, but a headache soon struck and he started to lose his breath a bit. "Wait no, m-my…" He noticed somebody was right beside him.
"You're awake!" A familiar face spoke, Yukari. "Thank goodness you finally came to… Yeesh, how long you need to sleep? It's been a week." She said, apparently relieved "So, how do you feel?"
"Am I… In a hospital?" Said Noctal weakly, he was obviously not at full strength. "W-wait… a week…?"
"…Oh yeah, this is Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. It's just a short walk from the station. The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with you, he said you were just exhausted." She paused for a bit as she hung her head low "Um…. Look, I'm sorry I couldn't do anything back then… I guess I'm still weak…"
Noctal struggled to sit up "Pah, don't say that, it wasn't your fault. Besides, I myself was terrified and only let my instincts take over… In fact, if you weren't there I would likely be in a much more severe condition." He reassured her, but a question also popped into Noctal's head "Speaking of which… What exactly happened back then?"
"You mean the Shadows? They're what we're fighting. And the power you used… We call it "Persona". I'm sorry, but you'll have to hold your questions for a bit later. I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything before…" She lowered her head slightly "I, uh… I wanted to tell you that… I'm sorta like you."
"… What do you mean, exactly?"
Yukari looked gloomy "My dad died in an accident when I was little. And my mom and I aren't exactly on good terms with each other…" She looked at Noctal "You're all alone too, right?"
Noctal himself looked more serious "I… I'm sorry to hear that. And that… is something I'd much rather not talk of."
"To be honest, I already know that part about your past..."
Noctal interrupted her "W-Wait… Exactly how much do you know?"
"Sorry to bring it up, but I don't know much outside your parents dying. I don't even know how they died…"
"I… I see." Noctal said uneasily. "I'm terribly sorry for interrupting you."
"It's alright… But me knowing about that didn't seem fair, so I wanted to tell you about some of my past." She continued "It was back in '99, there was a big explosion in the area. Supposedly my dad died in the blast, but nobody knows what actually happened… He was working in a lab run by the Kirijo Group. So I'm hoping that if I stick around long enough I'll find out something about what happened. That's why I'm going to Gekkoukan high, and why I was there when this happened to you." Yukari shifter her gaze away for a bit "…Of course, I panicked and wasn't much help… It was my first time fighting them too."
She smiled "And here I am telling you all this right when you wake up. While I was waiting I kept thinking to myself 'I've been hiding so many things from him… When he wakes up, I'll tell him the truth.' " She breathed a sigh of relief "So, thanks for listening. I've been wanting to share that story with somebody for a long time."
"That's… That's quite the tale, Ms. Takeba. I'm glad that you're honest like this."
"Oh please, no need to be so formal."
For a while, the two continued chatting with each other and soon Yukari left the hospital. Noctal had to stay there for a day longer, and then he could be discharged.
The next day, outside the school gates…
A soothing, bright sunny day with students walking about around the school grounds. As Noctal walked in, he heard somebody greet him "Yo, Noct! Long time no see!" It was Junpei. "Man, saying your name feels weird. Anyway, what happened? Got sick?"
"Erm… Yes, in a way."
Junpei was brimming with energy "Hey, I got something special to tell ya…" He paused "…Oh wait, I'm not supposed to say anything about it… Ehh… Forget I said anything, alright?"
Yukari noticed the two talking and entered "Yeesh, somebody sure is energetic today… I could hear you from all the way over there."
"Huh? You both came to school separately even though you're in the same dorm?"
"You're still going on about that?" Yukari said with a sigh. She then faced Noctal "I'm sorry to hit you with this right in the morning, but the chairman wants to talk to you later on. He'll be at the 4th floor of the dorm after school."
Noctal nodded "Alrighty then."
"Oh and one more thing… You were acting kinda strange yesterday in the hospital… Everything all right?"
"Hm? Oh yes, now I am perfectly fine. I-it might've just been from waking up after such a long while."
"…Alright, if you say so…"
The school day went on normally.
Afterschool, at the dorm…
Noctal walked in, seeing nobody around on the ground floor lounge. "Huh… They must all be at the 4th floor then…" The lack of life was a bit off-putting to the foreigner.
He went up the stairs and to the upper floors. On the 4th floor, he saw single room to enter and went in.
After opening the door, he saw Yukari, Mitsuru, Ikutsuki and somebody unfamiliar to Noctal all in the middle of the room, sitting on the sofa and chairs. "Ah, there you are." Ikutsuki said after noticing the foreign student. "I'm glad that you're okay. I asked you here because I wanted to talk to you."
"Answers, I presume?" Noctal said coldly as he walked towards the group. "I would very well like to know if I'm going mad or not, after the event last week." He also took notice of the case on the table, but ignored it.
"Well, you're certainly direct." Ikutsuki said with a chuckle. "Please, have a seat." He motioned to a chair across him. Noctal accordingly sat down. "Oh and I forgot to introduce you…" He moved his hands over to the white haired man "This is Akihiko."
"How ya doin'?" Said the red vested student casually.
"Pleasure to meet you." Noctal replied.
Ikutsuki spoke "With that out of the way, let me start off by asking you this…" He pushed up his glasses "Would you believe me, if I were to say that there were more than 24 hours in a day?"
Noctal sat puzzled for a short few seconds, pondering over what he just heard "…I'm sorry, what?"
Mitsuru chuckled "I'm not surprised by your reaction. But I'm sure you experienced this first hand. Do you remember the night you first came here? You had to have noticed the signs. The streetlights went out… Nothing was working… There were coffins everywhere… Didn't it feel like you were in a different time?"
Noctal thought about what Mitsuru said "So that was…"
"The Dark Hour, a time period hidden between one day and the next."
Noctal merely sat still, clearly baffled. Ikutsuki chuckled "I know how you feel. It's hard to believe such a story, isn't it? But the Dark Hour occurs every night, right at midnight. It'll happen tonight, and every other night to come."
Akihiko spoke "Normal people don't realize it, since they're all sleeping in their coffins. But, that's not what makes the Dark Hour so interesting. You saw it yourself."
"…Those creatures?"
"We call them 'Shadows'. They only appear during the Dark Hour and they attack anyone not in their coffin. And it's our job to defeat them." Akihiko smirked "Sounds exciting, doesn't it?"
"Akihiko! Why are you always like that? You just got hurt the other day!" Mitsuru burst out.
Ikutsuki interrupted "Now now, he does do his work well."
Noctal laughed "I'm in agreement with him actually… But a question. How was I alive the night I arrived then? I did not encounter any of those at the time, or when I was sleeping the next few nights. Until, of course, that one event."
Ikutsuki spoke "You had the 'potential', as we call it. Your ability to use Persona."
Noctal was still confused "… But then why did the multi-armed 'Shadow' attack?"
Mitsuru spoke "That one is still an odd case, even we don't know anything about it."
Ikutsuki, "So long story short… We're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad. SEES for short. On paper we're classified as a school club. But in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows." He continued "Mitsuru is the leader and I'm the club advisor."
Mitsuru, "A Shadow feeds on the mind of its prey; the victim becomes a living corpse. They're responsible for most of the incidents on the news, if not all of them."
Noctal stroked his chin "Well then… I expect the police to be of little use considering how supernatural this is, but how exactly do you handle this?"
"Although rare, there are those who can function during the Dark Hour." Said Ikutsuki "Some may even awaken to a power that enables them to fight the Shadows. That power is, as I mentioned before, Persona. It's what you used that night. The Shadows can only be defeated by Persona users. Which means, it's all up to you guys."
Noctal again thought over what Ikutsuki said "I see… This is certainly interesting, to say the least."
"I'm glad you're quick to understand."
Mitsuru opened the case that was on the table…. Revealing an oddly gleaming silver gun. "What he's trying to say is, we want you to join us. We've prepared an Evoker for you. We'd like you to lend us your strength."
Noctal went still for a bit, obviously thinking over the situation. He eventually came to a conclusion "Well… I've already got myself caught up in this mess, so I might as well should take part."
Yukari, who was quite until now, sighed "I was afraid you'd say no… Welcome aboard!"
Ikutsuki responded in a similar manner "Thank you so much, I'm really glad that you're joining us." He realized something "Oh I almost forgot… About your room assignment… Why don't you just stay here, in your current room? I don't know what the holdup is, but it worked out in the end."
"Hold up? But wasn't that…" Yukari cut herself off "Oh, never mind."
"SEES, Shadows, hidden hours…. Exciting indeed, exciting indeed…." Noctal thought with a smirk.
The group chatted with each other for a good while, but eventually Noctal headed off to sleep before everybody else.
At the Dark Hour, Noctal's Room…
Noctal woke up from his slumber as he thought somebody was in the room with him. He turned to see a familiar young boy "Hi. How are you?" It was the boy who gave Noctal the contract. He was sitting on Noctal's bed, beside his feet.
The foreigner spoke while rubbing his eyes "How… did you get inside here?"
The boy smiled "Oh that? I'm always with you, no matter where you go, or what you do…" He chuckled "Soon, the end will come. I remembered, so I thought I should tell you."
Noctal couldn't help but be confused "… The end?"
"The end of everything… But to be honest, I don't really know what it is." The boy's face lit up "Oh, looks like you've awakened to your power… And an unusual power it is. A power that takes many forms, yet is bound by none… It may prove to be your salvation, depending on where you end up."
Noctal raised an eyebrow "So making my personality go feral will save my life? Well, it already happened once…"
"Do you remember when we first met? I expect you to honor the commitment you made. I'll be watching you, even if you forget about me… Okay then, see you later." And with that, the boy once again melted into the darkness… Disappearing from sight.
"… An odd one, that. He's always with me? So is HE also a part of my 'Persona'?... Bah, sleep time now." And with that, Noctal went back to bed.
The next day at school…
Noctal strolled into the school and was greeted by Yukari "Mornin'. Um… Thanks about yesterday."
"Hmm? What for?"
"For joining us. Akihiko-senpai's injured and I was really uneasy about working alone with Mitsuru-senpai…"
"He's wounded?" Noctal asked.
"Yeah, he was attacked by a Shadow the day that you collapsed too. He said that he injured his ribs a little."
Noctal stroked his chin "So he lured it over to the dorm? Huh…"
The two kept on talking as they went back to class.
Evening, at the dorm…
The foreign student burst through the entryway holding several expensive-looking bags of food in both hands. "Welcome ba-… What are you doing?" A puzzled Mitsuru asked.
After closing the door with some struggle Noctal replied "Hm? Oh, I thought I'd bring some food over." He walked over to the lounge table "No worries, it's no cheap fast food…" Dropping the food down on the table he looked around the room "…Is nobody else here?"
"… The chairman's not here for the time being, Yukari's in her room and Akihiko went out." Mitsuru closed her book with a still surprised expression "How… much food did you buy? And how much did this cost you?"
Noctal laughed "Oh no need to worry for how much it cost, believe me, I have more than enough to buy much more than tenfold of this amount. I didn't come here as if I were a beggar, after all."
"Fine but… why?"
"Why not?"
Mitsuru went silent, then let out a sigh "Alright for this instance I'll allow it, but the next time you do something like this I'd like it if you let us know ahead of time."
Noctal began setting the food on the table "Ah yes, I forgot to do so. For that I apologize, it was sloppy of me."
Yukari came downstairs at that moment and noticed the food. "What's going on? Something special happen?"
"Oh you're both here now, what I wanted to tell you is-" Mitsuru was interrupted when someone came through the doorway.
It was Akihiko… with a large bag slung over his shoulder "How much stuff did you bring!?"
"Stuff that's essential to a man, of course!" A familiar voice said. Somebody else entered while lugging a large suitcase around… It was Junpei. "You coulda' slowed down a bit y'know?"
"J-Junpei!? Why is HE staying here!?" Said an irritated Yukari "Wait… Don't tell me…"
Noctal spoke "It is as it appears, it seems… Oh dear how many times did I say 'it' there?"
The cap wearing student let go of the suitcase and smiled as he looked at the other students "So wazzap?"
Mitsuru continued from where she left off "What I wanted to say is this. Junpei Iori from Class 2-F will be joining us as of today."
Yukari was still irritated "He's staying HERE!? You've gotta be kidding me!"
"I bumped into him the other night. He has the Potential, but he just recently awakened to it. I told him about us, so he agreed to help." Akihiko said.
"He found me cryin' like a baby at the convenience store, surrounded by a buncha' coffins. I don't remember much… but man that sounds embarrassing! He said that's like… completely normal in the beginning. Bein' confused, not remembering anything and all that. "
Noctal, "I… Can't say the same happened to me."
Junpei scoffed "Big deal. It happens to everyone else… But man, I was shocked to find out about you guys, I had no idea. I'm glad I'm not the only one, it got kinda lonely ya know." Junpei smiled "I bet you're stoked too, right!? Havin' me a part of the team…"
Noctal nervously laughed "Err… Well… The more the merrier, I suppose…?"
"Huh?" Yukari wasn't paying much attention "Uh, y-yeah…"
"Well, enough with the introductions." Akihiko smirked "I think we're about ready… With this amount of people, we can start exploring the tower."
"Ooh we're gonna do something!? Sweetness!" Junpei's enthusiasm shot through the roof after hearing Akihiko.
Yukari spoke uneasily "You mean… Tartarus…?"
"Tartarus…? What's that, some kinda toothpaste?"
"We believe we can find the truth behind the Dark Hour there." Said Akihiko.
"I hope so…" Yukari said, looking a bit worried.
Akihiko caught wind of something "Wait, what's that smell?"
Junpei looked over at the table "Whoo sweet! You guys prepared food for welcoming me in? D'awww…"
"Geez, somebody's full of themselves…" Said Yukari quietly.
"Oh dear the food's going cold!" Said a Noctal that was both worried and excited.
And so they all ate the fancy food Noctal bought, and the day came to a close.
The next day, April 20th, afterschool…
Noctal let out a long yawn as he stretched his arms after the dull class. Yukari got off her seat "Yeesh, I thought I was gonna fall asleep there…"
"Err… I actually did." Noctal said as he finished stretching.
Mitsuru entered the class and talked to the two. "Can I have a minute? Come to the command room when you get back home. I'll save the details for later."
"Very well then." Noctal said, but Mitsuru already began leaving the class "…Take care? Well, she was certainly direct."
Yukari shrugged "She's probably busy with things like Student Council, unlike us."
"Whoa, Yuka-tan! Do I sense hostility?" Junpei, from out of nowhere. Apparently he was listening as well.
"Well, it's not that I don't like her, She's just… y'know."
The trio headed back home shortly after.
Evening, at the dorm, in the Command Room…
All the members of SEES were present in the room as Ikutsuki asked for them to be. The chairman was about to speak "Now then, I'd like your undivided attention. For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had. But now the number has jumped from two to five… Therefore, starting tonight at 12:00 AM, I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus."
"I'm sorry, I asked this yesterday but what's this Tartarus thing again?" Junpei asked.
"You haven't seen it, Junpei?" Said Yukari.
Ikutsuki spoke "It's no surprise since it only appears in the Dark Hour…"
Akihiko chuckled "Just like the Shadows… interesting, huh? And it's the perfect place for us to train. Think of it as a Shadow nest."
Junpei was a bit startled by the answer "Woah… A nest huh?"
"But senpai… What about your injury?" Yukari said, showing concern for her fellow teammate.
"Since he's still injured, Akihiko will only go as far as the entrance." Mitsuru explained.
"Well, I'm sure he won't complain as long as you don't go too far in." Ikutsuki pushed up his glasses "Since we're dealing with Shadows, Tartarus isn't something we can avoid.
"Relax, I've got your backs." Junpei said smugly.
"… I'm not too sure about this now." Yukari was, clearly, a bit worried about that.
"Oh come now I'm sure that… that… We'll scrape by." Noctal said while scratching the back of his neck.
Ikutsuki chuckled "Well I'll be staying here. As you know, I can't summon a Persona." He got off his seat "Alright, why don't we get ready to see Tartarus then?" After everybody got up they all left the dorm, except for the chairman.
At the school….
The SEES members were all standing in front of the closed school gates under the pitch black night. "This is it? THIS is where Tartarus is?" Junpei asked showing surprise. "Why HERE!?"
Akihiko, "Just wait a few minutes, it's almost midnight…"
The Dark Hour struck, the atmosphere shifted into an eerie hunting ground once more, coffins could be seen in the distance and red fluid was scattered about the streets but something else also underwent a change… The school.
The very ground of the school shook and shattered, spires upon spires upon towers jutted out from the ground and shifted up the school, distorting and shaping the education center. The décor, the entrance, the appearance, the size… everything had been completely changed about the school.
Now the students weren't standing in front of the school gates, they were standing in front of a large, decorated entryway with a clock above it. "This is Tartarus, the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour." Mitsuru explained.
"Labyrinth…?" Junpei was, expectedly, confused like his fellow rookie Noctal. "What are oyu talking about !? What happened to our school!?"
"Calm down, Iori." Mitsuru asserted "Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal."
Noctal, who stood in awe of the new structure, spoke "So… is this the 'nest' you were speaking of earlier? Quite the design, if I say so myself."
"Evidently, yes it is."
"But why? …Why'd our school turn into a giant tower!?"
Mitsuru went silent, not giving an answer.
"… You don't know as well, do you?" Noctal asked.
"… No."
Yukari entered the conversation "I'm sure it's complicated. Who cares, anyway? It's not like it would change our minds about fighting Shadows. "
"No. No it would not. But it helps to have an idea of where we're fighting." Noctal said.
"Well, maybe now we'll find out. After all, Mitsuru and I only went in to take a peek… this will be our first time exploring it. Exciting, isn't it? There has to be some clue about the Dark Hour inside…"
"Exciting indeed… Very exciting…" Said a grinning Noctal.
"I respect the both of your enthusiasm. But Akihiko, you won't be joining them in their search,"
"I know, you don't need to remind me…"
Following that, the team stepped into the labyrinth. Inside, Junpei was taken aback by the surroundings "Whoa… It looks even cooler inside." He said, as the inside was filled with stylish, nigh otherworldly décor with a grand light shining down from the ceiling and stairs leading up to a large golden clock with a door in the middle of it.
"But it sure is creepy…" Yukari added.
Mitsuru, "This is only the entrance. The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs."
"First, we'll have you three get a feel for the place. Why don't you have a look around?" Akihiko explained.
"What, by ourselves!?" Yukari exclaimed.
"We're not asking you to go very far, and I'll be giving you whatever intel I can from here." Mitsuru said calmly.
"So I take it that you both didn't plan on joining us in the first place?" Noctal said facing the two seniors.
"That's right." Akihiko answered. "We're also going to be appointing a leader to make any necessary decisions."
"For real? ...One of us?" Junpei's face lit up "Oh! Oh! Me me me! Pick me!" Yukari groaned after hearing Junpei, maybe it was for the thought of him being the leader, or him yelling right beside her ears.
Akihiko looked at three students silently, but chose who'd be the leader. "You." He said, looking at Noctal.
"Me?" Noctal was a bit surprised.
"HIM!? W-wait! Why him!? He doesn't look like a leader!" Junpei clearly did not approve.
Yukari chimed in "But he HAS fought Shadows before. A tough one at that, and he was pretty good too."
"That's true, but there's another reason…" Akihiko looked at both Yukari and Junpei "Can you two summon your Personas without a problem, like he can?"
"Y-yeah, of course I can!"
"I think so…"
Akihiko looked stern "These are Shadows we're talking about here, monsters that'll kill you at any moment if you give them the chance. Without your Persona, you're screwed."
"I'm aware of that." Yukari said, not losing her composure.
"Alright, go on inside. Are you ready, Noctal? …Your name's weird to say you know?"
"Well, I'm a foreigner after all…. But yes, I am ready."
Akihiko laughed "Haha, that's the spirit."
Noctal was about to go up the grand stairs, but something caught his eye. He noticed a strange door with a blue glow in the corner of the lobby. He approached it…. Though his fellow students were thinking his behavior was odd.
As Noctal stood in front of the blue door, the velvet key from before appeared in his hands. The foreigner unconsciously inserted the key into the door and unlocked it.
After walking inside, Noctal found himself back in the Velvet Room. Again he was sitting in front of Igor, with Elizabeth standing beside the long-nosed old man. "I've been waiting for you." Igor said as Noctal appeared before him. "The time has come for you to wield the power you hold. The labyrinthine tower you're about to venture into… how did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist? Regrettably, you are not yet capable of answering these questions."
He continued "But with your power, you will grasp the answers. You, my boy, are able to possess multiple Personas, and summon them as needed, but for now you must only use one. Forge your bonds to perfection, and your power will grow accordingly… Make sure to keep that in mind. My spare time will soon be scarce, but we will meet again in the near future. Until then… Farewell."
And with that, Noctal was once again sent out of the Velvet Room, this time not even saying a word. Now back in Tartarus, he found himself standing, Yukari was shaking his shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?"
"Hmhuhwha?"
Junpei was right beside her. "Yeah what's up? You look like a zombie, man."
"I… I'm fine. No need to worry." Noctal said, his friends were apparently unaware of the blue door and the Velvet Room.
"Sheesh, we haven't even started and you already pass out… Helluva leader we got…"
"Hey, don't be so hard on him. If everything's alright, let's get going."
Noctal cleared his throat "Yes, let's begin." And so the trio headed up the stairs and proceeded to explore Tartarus…
But before they entered, Mitsuru interrupted Noctal. "Hold on, do you have a weapon?"
Junpei, "I got a big katana I can use."
And Yukari, "I can use my bow and arrows."
Noctal awkwardly stopped and checked his pockets "Err… I recall having a knife a week ago, but I apparently lost it."
"Very well then, I had something prepared in case of this. I hope it's suitable for you." Mitsuru brought out a single-edged sword in a black scabbard with a black colored grip. She handed the blade to Noctal, who took it in his hands without hesitation.
The foreign student unsheathed the sword, the sheen from the blade blinding him for a second. After it was fully out, he swung it around a few times to test it. "… 'Tis quite the fine blade, impeccably made with a sharp edge, a good grip, a sleek design and very light to boot!"
Mitsuru chuckled "I'm glad you like it. But do you have any form of weapon training, let alone with a sword?"
Noctal smirked "Yes, I am quite capable with a sword, and am equally capable when unarmed."
Akihiko couldn't help but take notice "Oh you can fight without a weapon too? Wonder how good you are… It'd be nice to have somebody to spar with when I recover."
"Then I'll gladly take you up on that offer, Sanada-senpai." Noctal said enthusiastically. He then put the sword back in its sheathe and held it in his left arm.
"One more thing…" Mitsuru pulled out three ear-pieces and handed them to the trio. "You'll need these to communicate with each other, and so that I can reach the three of you."
"Alright then." the exploration team put the ear=pieces on. Noctal faced the door up the stairs once again "Now then, shall we?" He said to both Yukari and Junpei.
The three then went through the doorway, off to explore the mysterious depths of the unnatural Tartarus.
Tartarus 1st block, Thebel…
Upon going through the golden clock door, the three found themselves in a corridor with a black and white tiled floor lined with green on the sides, green windows that had no view and the same red splotches of liquid from outside splattered on parts of the floor. "So here we are, the oh so mysterious Tartarus… Looks more composed than I expected, really."
"This is it, huh…"
"I hope I don't get lost…" Both Junpei and Yukari spoke their thoughts.
A static-y voice then popped up from out of nowhere. "Can you all hear me?" It was Mitsuru.
"Whoa! Is that you senpai?" Junpei, startled.
"I'll be providing audio backup from here on out."
"Wait, ya mean you can see us inside here?"
"It's my Persona's ability. I'd like to join you but the structure of Tartarus never stays the same, each time you enter or leave it will change, which is why outside support is imperative."
Yukari groaned "Well, THAT makes me feel a whole lot better…"
Mitsuru continued "Now, based on your current location, you can expect to encounter enemies at any minute. They shouldn't be too difficult, but proceed with caution. Practice makes perfect, after all."
Junpei, "Right!"
Noctal, "Understood."
Yukari, "Got it… Why is she always like that?"
"Let's begin then." Mitsuru then cut off contact for the moment. The trio proceeded into the darkness, wary of the dangers they face…
On the way, Noctal decided to strike up a conversation "Sooo…. What are the both of your thoughts on this place? It looks finer than I expected, it doesn't even have so much as a ste-!" He was interrupted as a flying, bird like object swooshed over his head "… Well that was just rude."
In front of him was a black flying bird-like entity carrying a lantern. The three immediately knew it was a Shadow and readied themselves for combat. The bird-like foe was accompanied by more if its kind, and a few others on the ground. "It's got company!" Yukari said, signaling the other two of the increased numbers.
Noctal fired out orders "Junpei, you take the ones on the left, I'll take the right. Yukari, watch out for reinforcements and try to provide supporting fire."
"Roger!" Junpei responded with fierce determination
"Got it!" Yukari, the same.
Noctal grinned "Alrighty then… Wipe them All Out with Mass Destruction!"
Noctal unsheathed his sword and rushed forward to tackle his share of enemies. One of the flying Shadows charged down at him, but the foreign student instead leaped, stabbed it from above and used it as a foothold by kickjumping off of it to reach the other flying Shadows. In midair, he sliced one bird in half and took hold of the other, slamming it into the ground as he fell. He then kicked the bird he brought down, sending it flying into one of its sludge-like friends and rendering them unable to move. An arrow flew just past Noctal's head, landing the finishing strike on the two. Noctal looked back to see it was, as expected, Yukari who fired it.
Taking place at the same time on Junpei's side; he dashed ahead to take care of his side of Shadows, splitting two of the Ravens in half as they swooped down on him with a single swipe of his large katana. There was still one more bird left, but it was just out of reach, and two crawling Shadows were approaching Junpei. Seeing nothing more to do, Junpei cleaved one of the crawling slimes by dropping his sword on it. He followed up by swinging the blade around, with the sludge Shadow still attached, and hit the other sludge with it, now with two Shadows stuck to his blade. Then an arrow flew above his head and hit the black bird. Instinctively, Junpei drove his foot into the ground while stepping forward, reared his shadow-bearing katana back, "HOOOOOMERUN!" He yelled as he fiercely swung his sword in a horizontal slice, hitting the falling raven with the two shadows on his blade and obliterating the lot of them.
Junpei thrust his fist straight into the air and struck a pose "Whoo yeah! Take that ya mangy pricks!"
Mitsuru spoke to Noctal, "I'm impressed, you were ambushed and managed to stay completely calm while giving out smart orders to dispatch the enemies efficiently, and without suffering any damage… Looks like it was a good choice to make you the leader."
Noctal laughed "Hah, you make me blush like a giddy love struck little girl."
"Alright, now that you've had a taste of what it's like to fight in Tartarus, explore the rest of the floor then return back to the entrance. We can resume tomorrow."
"Very well then, madam." Noctal said nonchalantly. He then turned to his fellow classmates "Let's continue on, then." The two nodded in response. And so they marched through the eerie hallways of the mysterious tower…
After some time, the team came upon a three-way split in the path. "Hmmm… It would take a while to explore the paths as a group…" Noctal spoke into his ear-piece "What do you think madam, should we separate or stay as we are?"
Mitsuru responded "Yes, you should split up to cover the floor faster."
"Understood. Yukari, Junpei, explore the other two paths separately. I'll take the middle. When done looking about, return here."
"Gotcha." Junpei said with a smirk.
"… I think it's kinda dangerous to do this, but alright." Yukari expressed her worry.
"Not a worry, if either of you see that you can't handle a group of Shadows and cannot get past or become injured, then return here immediately. This goes without saying, but if a Shadow does seem dead set on chasing you then immediately request backup." Without leaving any room for an argument, Noctal went his way into the middle path, Yukari sighed as she went her way while Junpei shrugged and did the same.
On Noctal's path, the foreigner cautiously walked through the unnerving corridor, sword ready in hand and eyes focused on his surroundings. It was akin to a child navigating a mansion filled with hiding pedophiliac murderers, though in this case a child who was capable of defending himself against said murderers.
The eerie silence made Noctal all the more aware of the dangers around him. "Alright then, I'm alone and wandering a passage where monstrosities may likely murder me if I'm not careful…" The foreigner strolled through and through the hallway, only seeing the same repetitive environment over and over. But, after a good enough while, he came to a dead end. "…Oh bloody fu-"
At that moment an explosion was heard "What in the…?" Noctal hastily went back through the hallway. The explosion was far too worrisome to ignore.
Back to where the road diverged, Yukari was waiting while holding her right arm, seemingly in pain "Where's Junpei?" The foreigner asked.
Yukari shrugged "I dunno…"
"Dammit… You're injured aren't you? Stay here and wait for the both of us." After that, Noctal took the road Junpei went.
Deeper in, the foreigner came upon marks on the walls; there was a fire, or explosion of some sort around there. Noctal couldn't help but fear for what might've happened.
Even farther in, Noctal noticed a dull silver shine just up ahead. Marching on, he saw the cap wearing student hunched over and aiming the Evoker at the side of his head. "Kick some ass…" Junpei pulled the trigger, destroying the limits of his mind. "HERMES!" Junpei's Persona formed itself above his head.
It was humanoid in shape and black and gold in color with multiple golden rods floating beside its legs, almost as if they were wings. Noctal thought it best to stand back and see how the scene would play out.
In front of Junpei was a group of five Shadows, some were grounded and others were floating book-like foes. Hermes slid through the air, cutting a path through the group. It quickly turned back and with a swiping motion of its arm, a swathe of fire engulfed every Shadow in the vicinity, effectively burning them dead. The Persona faded away right after and Junpei was overcome with excitement "Hahaha WOO YEAH BABY! That was so cool! I'm like an awesome superhero!"
"Junpei Iori, normal student by day and slayer of evil by night, protecting the people from horrors they shan't see?" Noctal said jokingly as he approached.
"Hell yeah! …Wait, who's there?!" Junpei turned around after his hype moment passed to see the four-eyed foreigner "Oh hey… You uhh… You saw all that?"
"Indeed I did, Mr. Hero." Noctal chuckled "So, you seemed to be doing well there."
Junpei shrugged "Yeah, nothing I couldn't handle, just a buncha mooks tryna' gang up on me. One almost caught me in an explosion a couple minutes ago but, being Junpei Iori, I breezed through that. By the way, I got the place covered. All I found was some stairs going up."
"I see… Then we might as well head back, wouldn't want to keep Yukari waiting any longer." The two thusly headed back to where the path split.
…
Back at where the road split, Noctal and Junpei saw Yukari holding her Evoker. The cap wearing student was about to call out to her but Noctal prevented him from doing so, likely to see what she's trying to do.
She aimed the silver gun straight at her forehead, holding it with both hands… "Come on out…" Yukari pulled the trigger, shooting through the limits of her mind "Io!" A girl sitting on, or chained to, a large cow skull formed itself above Yukari's head and a bright green glow engulfed the cheery student for a short few seconds. After that, the Persona vanished and Yukari just noticed her teammates looking at her. "W-what?"
"Oh nothing, we just came back from exploring that end of the hallway an-"
"Whoa Yuka-tan, was that your Persona just now!?" Junpei interrupted.
Yukari groaned "Yeah…"
"So, what were you trying out just now?" Noctal inquired.
Yukari moved her right arm about "I was trying to see what my Persona could do and apparently, I can fix up an injury."
Noctal stroked his chin "Hmm… Healing, eh? That, I believe, will be incredibly helpful."
"H-hey, don't rely on it too much. Remember, I'm not sure how good I can treat injuries… So you should still be careful." Yukari said, a hint of nervousness could be heard in her voice.
"Ahahaha, I'm certain that it'll still be useful." The foreign student changed topics. "So… what did we find in our little adventure? I found a goddamn wall. A rare encounter, is it not?"
Yukari shrugged, "I got a dead end too."
Junpei, "I found stairs going up…. This whole trip didn't do a lot did it?"
"It's our first foray, of course it wouldn't do a lot. But, since we're done here we might as well head back for now." That, the trio did.
Back at the ground floor of Tartarus…
The exploration team walked down the stairs leading into the upper depths of the tower, and Mitsuru greeted them. "Welcome back. So how do you feel after spending some time exploring Tartarus?"
Yukari, "I'm exhausted…"
Junpei, "Same…"
"That's the effect of the Dark Hour. You get fatigued much more easily, but eventually you will get used to it." Mitsuru looked at Noctal "And how was your experience in there?"
"It was… interesting. I can't say I wasn't afraid, but I can't say I'm against this. So… I suppose I've no issue. And it's decent exercise as well, helps to keep in shape and stay sharp." Noctal answered.
"Well, that's good to hear. If you gained a bit of confidence in fighting Shadows, then that's the best thing that could've happened. But there is one thing bothering me…" She paused for a bit "…Actually, never mind. Looking at everybody's condition, now's not the best time. We should all head back to the dorm."
And the entire team did just that. Now with supernatural beings to contend with… how Noctal was going to live had changed completely.
