I think this chapter turned out pretty good, huh? Nothing but shadow slaying goodness, so it feels a bit more urgent and action-y. Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Tartarus (Present)
Having gained a few new personas and discussing Liz's involvement with the current members of SEES, Minato and the aforementioned exited the future velvet room and stepped out to find that Yukari was fully ready for deployment, having taken care of her bird shadow, who was promptly seated on her shoulder. Junpei, despite his continual stretching, seemed to be ready too.
"I'm glad Igor is less strict," Minato said, "I feel like he definitely wouldn't have let you come before, unless it was magical destiny business."
"Hmm... I don't think I can sympathize. He was adequately agreeable before," Liz defended. Minato knew better than to argue with her now, especially since argument about Igor would last along time. They instead walked back to their companions, Minato drawing her sword in anticipation.
"You two ready?" She asked, spinning her sword in her hand lazily. She had gotten so good at wielding it before that once she held it again and practiced a bit, she was pretty much at the same skill level she ended her first journey at. Yukari nodded curtly.
"You know it!" Junpei agreed, pumping his fist high into the air.
"You sure you want to take the little guy out too?" Minato questioned, pointing to the bird shadow on Yukari's shoulder.
"I couldn't get him off, even if I wanted to. But, I'm sure he'll be fine," Yukari assured. She patted the shadow's head lovingly. Minato smiled.
"Alright, then we're off," She announced, turning to Mitsuru, who in turn nodded along. "Let's head out!" They passed through the narrow entrance in the clock face, Minato immediately deciding against going straight up to where they left off on floor eight and instead opting to tackle it from the bottom. "For now, Elizabeth and Junpei, you take a look around. And, remember, stay together! Yukari and I will take care of shadows and find the stairs while you loot," Minato instructed, the team climbing the stairs that would lead them to the first real floor of Tartarus. As they broke into the brighter, green tinged corridors, Junpei and Elizabeth quickly broke off to take a look around.
"So, where to?" Yukari prompted, bow drawn and preloaded with an arrow.
"Let's go straight for now. Just, follow me."
They went along the eerie hallway, a few tiny shadow blobs screeching and running in terror at the sight of the two. They had already become used to that reaction, as Minato made them defeat so many shadows that they were a lot more powerful than most. Minato chuckled sheepishly at the reminder. That was a bad habit of hers. Over preparation. To be ready for big obstacles, she liked to put her own mind at rest by training everyone so much, she would never find a single doubt cross her mind about it. Now I feel kinda bad... She was suddenly caught off guard by Yukari's firing an arrow, piercing a larger shadow and causing it to take shape. This one was more powerful than the cowardly Mayas they faced previously.
"Careful! There are three enemies, and they look tough!" Mitsuru warned, a tad late to the game.
Three Merciless Mayas graced the field, their signature blood red masks glistening in the pale, ominous moonlight.
"Tch," Minato readied her sword at her side, seeing Yukari draw another arrow for her bow. "Valkyrie!" She shot her temple, the fabled duo of horse and rider appearing out of the sea of her soul. "Mabufu!" Minato ordered. Valkyrie let out a war cry, sending a wave of ice to greet their foes. The Mayas were easily knocked over, allowing the opportunity for Minato and Yukari to rush in and finish them. The Mayas tried to fight back and flailed to get back up, but were stopped by Minato's sharp blade slicing clean through their masks one by one. They began to disintegrate, but not before one Maya swung wide and gave Yukari a nasty scratch on the arm. Blood began to seep out of the wound like little bubbles, rising up in small drops before falling to the side.
"Ow...!" Yukari held her shoulder in pain, crying out quietly.
"Caaaww...!" The bird shadow chirped sadly, rubbing against Yukari's neck for support. Minato, seeing this, knew exactly what to do.
"Unicorn!" She summoned, bringing forth the horned equine. "Use Dia!" A minty green light began to swirl around Yukari, and in seconds the wound was lessened, only appearing as a thin scar.
"Thanks, I owe you one," Yukari sighed in relief, relinquishing her grip and grabbing her bow with both hands. Her shadow also flapped it's wings in what seemed to be a thank you, happy for her recovery.
"Don't mention it," Minato nodded, glad to help. She felt a bit winded from that, the skill taking her own stamina to use, but it was nothing compared to some of the spells she'd used.
"I found the stairs!" Junpei's sudden shout interrupted them, grabbing their attention.
"Already?" Yukari asked. They made their way to the other group, finding traces of what appeared to once be shadows as they located the stairs.
"How'd you two get here so fast?" Minato questioned, her battle stance falling. Junpei laughed nervously and pointed to Liz, who seemed rather pleased.
"Miss Shadow Exterminator over here was pretty quick with 'em," Junpei explained, shrugging. "I know you guys said she was powerful, but man, can she really bring the pain! I was kinda gettin' afraid that she'd try to set me on fire too..."
"Oh, please. It was a few simple Maragidynes, that's all," Liz retorted.
"Maraga- what?! I don't even know how to say that, let alone what it is!" Junpei complained, flailing his arms dramatically.
"Then, perhaps we should have left you at the bottom with Mitsuru and Akihiko," Elizabeth suggested scorningly. Junpei scoffed.
"Okay, okay. That's enough, you two," Minato tried to quell the growing argument, making peaceful gestures with her hands. "If you won't get along, we'll leave." The two were surprised by this and, turning to look at eachother, they seemed to come to a sort of understanding and kept quiet. "Thank you. Now, come on." They started up the stairs when a loud screech cut them off.
"CAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWW!" It cried, shaking the building with it's booming volume. A shadowy creature raced by a window to their left, the distinct shape of something with wings present once more as the creature zoomed by again.
"What the heck is that?!" Junpei exclaimed, jumping back in surprise and nearly falling down the stairs. The building shook as the force of an impact hit it, sending everyone off balance.
"I don't know, but it isn't friendly!" Yukari screamed, raising her voice over the predatorial caws and readying an arrow in her already drawn bow. Another tremor shook the tower, this time accompanied by a crack in the wall beside them.
"Everyone, move!" Minato hollered, legs moving as fast as possible up the steps. The others followed suit, quickly joining their leader in her ascent. Yukari's shadow held on for dear life amidst all the chaos, cooing timidly. Junpei lagged behind a bit, off put by the violent shaking and losing trust by the second. With one final scream, a hole in the wall burst open.
"Whoa!" Minato slipped, turning around instinctively to see the damage. A massive hole in the wall had been formed, the SEES members and Liz stopping dead in their tracks to watch in horror and curiosity. Slowly, a large bird head was made apparent, easily twice the size of a bear and wearing a flashy red and orange mask. It poked in from the hole it generated, staring at the humans before it.
"CCCCAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWW!" It blasted, turning it's attention to the one member who was lagging behind the group. Junpei fidgeted nervously under it's gaze. The bird drew it's head back, thankfully, and they all let out a collective sigh of relief. That is, until a taloned toe popped in, slowly exposing a whole, highly dangerous foot. It reached out and, just like that, snatched up Junpei.
"H-hey! Put me down!" Junpei banged his fists against the shadowy flesh of the bird, but was met with another sharp screech as he was pulled out of the hole. AhhhhhhhHHHHHHH! HELPPP!"
"Junpei!" Minato called. She rushed down to the hole, immediately poking her head out the other side. What she saw was a huge bird, tall as skyscrapers and wide as a ship, carrying Junpei into the night in it's talons.
Shoot! Dang it Junpei!
"Iori!" Mitsuru's startled cry pierced their minds simultaneously.
"This is why we need to make fun of him more," Yukari grumbled, doing a facepalm and shaking her head.
"Elizabeth!" Minato turned to Liz, beginning to panic just a little bit.
"Hmm?" The girl was spaced out, staring out into the vast, shadowed green sky. Her eyes were transfixed on a certain area, a couple buildings in the distance, and she didn't seem to want to let them out of her sight.
"Can you find where it went? Or, where Junpei is?" Minato asked fervently, expectantly watching for her response.
"It's nest is that building over there. We only need to reach it..." Liz explained, trailing off to mumble to herself. "How would we reach it...?" She didn't realize she was still talking aloud, did she? Minato already had a solution to their problem, however. She opened her clenched fist, gathering a simple light between her fingers that formed a tarot card. Upon flipping it over, it was revealed to be Orpheus Telos. Minato closed her eyes and concentrated her energy into the card before allowing her fingers to close around it. Yukari watched the whole time, very confused and very much in awe.
"Orpheus Telos...!" A shatter split the air, the card crumbling between Minato's fingers and swirling around her instead. A shape began to form around her, her very own ultimate persona taking shape behind her. This time, a clack of steel on tile was also prevalent, Orpheus Telos actually standing on the ground. Minato turned and reached out, touching the cold metal body of her persona. She smirked, heart beginning to calm down a bit.
"Elizabeth, Yukari!"
"Yes?" They both asked, still at a loss for words.
"Find Mitsuru and Akihiko and stay with them. I'll handle the bird."
"Huh? But, how are you-?" Yukari started, Elizabeth cutting her off.
"Come," Liz prompted, grabbing her arm to drag her away. Minato nodded thanks.
"Come on, Telos," She drew the persona to the hole, watching the building where Elizabeth said the beast made it's nest. She went behind Orpheus Telos and jumped, wrapping her arms around it's neck. "Let's go." With that, Orpheus Telos sprang into the air, clearing up twenty Tartarus floors from the outside with ease. It certainly couldn't fly, but Orpheus Telos was an excellent jumper. It leapt from platform to platform, building to building, springing forth with speed and grace. They soon made it to the top of the nest, a shocking scene sprawled out before them. Bones, still coated with chunks of flesh, made up a large, makeshift bird nest. Inside, Junpei sat, looking like a frightened animal as he huddled in the bone pile. The bird stood before the nest, wings tucked away for the time being, as if waiting for someone to come and challenge it.
"CCCCAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWW!" It bellowed, shifting around a bit. Minato, steeling herself, allowed Orpheus Telos to come plummeting down, landing with a distinct "shreeee" as it skidded forward with momentum. The bird snapped around, fixating Minato and Telos with a heated red stare. It's eyes bore right through them, Minato clenching her fists to fight back the minor shaking that was starting up.
"You pick on my friend and you pay for it!" Minato taunted, taking a daring step forward in challenge. Orpheus Telos disappeared with a flash, it's purpose fulfilled. Minato opened her hand once more, summoning another tarot card. It bore the symbol of death, and a familiar young boy appeared at Minato's side. "Pharos... Can you lend me your strength?"
"Why, of course," Pharos murmured calmly, tapping the card to be sucked in with a small flash of light. Minato smiled again. Energy gathering around the card, she curled her fingers slowly and methodically.
"Thanatos... Come forth!" A bright light illuminated the nest, a radiant blue glow overtaking the whole scene for a few moments. A dark figure took shape behind Minato, a long, thin sword appearing in it's hand. It slowly, slowly lifted it's head to pierce the bird with it's merciless stare. Thanatos, the greek god of death, stood there in all it's glory, menacingly staring the bird shadow down. A sword appeared in Minato's hand as well, mirroring the deadly blade her persona wielded with perfect accuracy. Her inhibitions forgotten, Minato sprang forth, Thanatos at her side as they became temporarily airborne. Afloat for only a few moments, they suddenly became as fast as lightning and as powerful as Nyx herself, effortlessly flying forward many feet with one step and both taking a shot at one of the bird's legs, effectively knocking it down.
"Arisato!" Mitsuru's scream speared her head painfully, rattling her concentration. "Arisato! Answer me!" Minato bit her lip in frustration, turning smoothly to face the shadow once again.
"Not now Mitsuru. I need to concentrate." Without even waiting for so much as an "Okay", Minato had already resynchronized with Thanatos, springing back into the air to avoid a harsh, powerful sweep of the bird's wing. Even knocked down, it seemed it was still fighting back. Minato's mind was coated in thick fog, thought obscured and pushed aside. It was a zen-like state that was difficult to interrupt, let alone break. They landed, dashing forward to score the shadow's exposed back with slashes and gouges, each performed by a flick of the wrist and obviously very painful to the bird.
Throwing it's head back, it howled, " CCCCCCCCCAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWW!" The ear-bleeding volume didn't even faze Minato, who had stepped back along with Thanatos. All Minato could hear was static, never ending static that failed to permeate the calm state they both were currently in. It was like a trance, a trance that wasn't broken until the enemy was ended.
Permanently.
Minato couldn't force down a crude, maniacal grin, preparing for another attack when, without warning, the door on the building flew open, exposing the other members of SEES in an absolute frenzy, along with Elizabeth, who looked mildly concerned. Breathless, they faced their martyr in a varied mix of emotions. Eventually, those expressions all shifted to one of surprise.
"Minato!" Yukari gasped, still slightly winded. Minato didn't spare her a second glace, instead dodging another attack from the bird, narrowly evading it's gnarled beak.
"Arisato... You... You changed back...!"
Minato froze, eyes moving to confirm what had just been said. Mitsuru nodded, shaken. Minato looked down for the first time since that morning and, what Minato saw was impossible.
Impossible, and a miracle.
He was back! Back to normal! But, how though? How had he miraculously changed back...?
"CCCCCAAAAAAAWWWWWW!" The merciless screer of the bird broke his thoughts, snapping him back to reality. They were all in danger. He had to protect them. Minato sifted the concerned voices of his friends from his ears, focusing only on the shadow at hand, and the presence of his persona by his side. They resynched, leaping in the same heartbeat. A newfound power coursed through them this time, a blue light emanating from Minato's twisted, cold gray eyes. He felt a strength unparalleled flow through him, a river of pure energy surging chaotically. Like a rhapsody, unbridled and without stops put in place, it ran rampant to it's heart's content. Minato and Thanatos, plummeting back from the sky, sliced the wings of the bird shadow clean off, dark miasma streaming in thin puffs from the wounds. "CCCCCCCCCCCCCCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" The shadow cried in pain and rage, legs buckling beneath it to ground it. It's head dipped a bit, shadowing the once triumphant red eyes of the avian and instead conveying deep fear and powerlessness. Minato strolled up to it, unfazed in all the anarchy, and held the pointed edge of the sword towards the bird's mask, threatening to slice it clean off. Thanatos backed him on this, following suit and doing the same on the opposite side. Minato could vaguely hear the voices of his companions as Junpei's was placed back among their ranks.
"... Thank goodness...!"
"... That was a close one..."
"... Hold me...!"
The energy stopped dead in it's tracks at that very moment. His concentration shattered, abandoning his position to turn and view the scene for himself. Junpei was a little roughed up, but seemed otherwise fine. He was bawling like a baby, though, and Yukari looked pretty emotional too. Her shadow friend was cawking in a fashion similar to laughing, with Elizabeth petting it lovingly. Mitsuru shook her head, a well meaning smile hidden on her face before she turned to face Minato. Even Akihiko was there, giving a few friendly pats to Junpei on the back in what comfort he could offer.
"Everyone..." He breathed. The sound of his voice, his very own voice, startled him for a moment before he adjusted. Having a higher pitched voice had become the norm, but his voice was always his and always welcome. All attention turned to his friends, Minato took a tentative step towards them, encouraged by Mitsuru's welcoming smile. However, in his blunder, he forgot where he was exactly, giving the bird shadow the chance to act.
"CCCCccccccAAAAAAAAAAaaaWWWWWWWWwww...!" It wheezed forcefully, a tempest brewing around it and forcing Minato and Thanatos away. It dug it's razor-sharp talons into the building, a new pair of wings sprouting up from the empty twin abysses bore into it's sides. Not sparing a moment, it took flight and used the brief few seconds of the opening to leave altogether.
"Not so fast..." Pharos's voice echoed. Thanatos leapt high into the air, catching up with the fleeing bird in a matter of moments. Drawing it's sword, it sliced down the middle of the shadow, cutting it clean in two. Minato watched this, a twinge of fear crossing his heart while Thanatos landed. The shadow began convulsing midair, it's body dissipating into a thick, heavy black fog tinted with shades of scarlet and crimson. The mist floated it's way down to Yukari's shoulder and directly into her bird shadow's mouth. Thanatos bowed it's head a bit, Minato could swear he saw a smirk in it's body language, and disappeared as well.
"Minato!" Yukari called.
"Arisato..."
"Hey, get over here!"
"Yeah, yeah..." Minato smiled, just the tiniest bit, but soon pushed it aside. He went over to his friends, calm as ever.
"Minato!" Elizabeth ran up and hugged him, a fair bit too tightly, he might add, and beamed.
"What were you thinking?!" Mitsuru started in. It was just like her to do something like that. He broke from Liz for a moment to answer Mitsuru.
"I wanted to save Junpei..."
"Alone? Are you suicidal?!"
"..." Minato couldn't respond to that. He wasn't, yet he knew he'd be lying if he said that. After all, he did give himself up for them, willingly to boot. Mitsuru let out a tired sigh.
"Don't do that again, all right?" Minato nodded.
"Hey man, what was that back there? And, how did you change back?" Junpei meekly popped in still shaken. Minato froze. Oh no, they saw... How was he going to explain this one?
"I'm... not sure. I just wanted to save you, Junpei, and..." He trailed off.
"Umm, guys? The little guy kinda... grew," Yukari interrupted, pointing to her shoulder.
"Hmm?" Minato eyed the shadow still perched on her shoulder. He was definitely bigger. Not a ton bigger, but very noticeably bigger all the same.
"What does this mean?" Akihiko asked, turning to Minato. He pondered that question for a bit.
"I think it means he'll grow more in the future. We can't be certain how it will affect his nature, but I think it's safe to say he'll most likely be fine."
"Riiii..." The baby bird chirruped.
"Huh?"
"Uuukari...!" It buzzed again. Did it just... speak?!
"Whoa! Did that thing just talk?!" Junpei blurted.
"How facinating..." At least Liz didn't say interesting, or she'd be as bad as Akihiko. "A shadow with the capacity to think and love... This is indeed very rare."
"Rare? It's happened before?" Yukari pressed. She looked concerned, eyes wide with a saddened anxiety. Elizabeth didn't respond.
"Elizabeth? Is this true?" Mitsuru joined in.
"... Yes, it has happened before," She confirmed. "Well... Not before, as in past tense, but I have seen this once in my past." She can't mean... In the future?!
"Y-you mean...?" Minato weakly let her catch his drift, raising an eyebrow in an expression he couldn't quite name. Liz nodded, a light smile gracing her face. She got a distant look in her eyes.
"This shadow I met... They could speak fluently and actually became a persona user, going so far as to grow it's own human body in the process." Liz sighed. "Teddie bear..." She mumbled, dejected.
"Do you think it'll happen to Tsu, too?"
"Tsu?" Minato asked.
"Who the heck is 'Tsu'?" Junpei added.
"Err... We can't just keep calling him 'little guy', so I thought of Tsu, as in Tsuki," Yukari explained, shyly itching her cheek to preserve her nerve.
"Fitting," Minato smiled reassuringly. Yukari sent him a weak grin in response. It was strange, but the group dynamic was as explosive as ever, even with all the passive aggressive banter. It was good to be back.
"So... What now?" Junpei continued, oblivious.
"I suppose we should return to Tartarus, don't you think?" Mitsuru turned to Minato, looking to him for an answer.
"I suppose, if Junpei's feeling up to it."
"Huh?! Er... I dunno, guys... I still feel kinda weak..." Junpei began to slump and shuffle wimpily about.
"Oh, cut it out! Not everything's about you, you know!"
"Oh, so everything's about you now?"
"I didn't say that, you idiot!"
They, after a long and heated debate between Yukari and Junpei, made their way back to Tartarus on foot. It was eerily quiet. Coffins littered the streets like trash, obscuring the path of those that had to deal with them. Yukari and Junpei were as far from eachother as they could be, arms crossed and sending eachother glares every now and again. Of course, for no real reason, Liz was clinging to Minato's arm, humming without a care.
"So, how did you guys get to me so fast?" Minato asked, breaking the silence. Mitsuru instinctively looked to the velvet room attendant currently latched to Minato's free arm.
"Your friend... She brought us there," Mitsuru answered. She seemed confused...
"How?"
"She... Well, one second we were in Tartarus, the next minute she was sprinting down the stairs with Takeba. She explained in rough detail what was going on, which is when I contacted you earlier. However, when you refused to answer, she insisted we go to assist you. She did something and... we appeared in the building. We only needed to climb the staircase from there," Mitsuru elaborated further. Elizabeth did something? What did she do?
"You are curious as to what exactly I did, are you not?" Liz poked, grinning. Minato and Mitsuru nodded. "It was teleportation, simple as that."
"Teleportation? Since when have you been able to teleport?!" Minato demanded, shaken by the new information.
"Hmm... Forever, I believe."
What. Minato couldn't find the nerve to force any words out, his disbelieving jaw already dragging on the ground. Liz giggled. "Did I really never tell you?"
"Uh, no?!"
"Oh... I apologize for that, then." She really was impossible... and amazing. But, mostly impossible.
"You sure have some strange friends, huh?" Yukari chimed in. Minato chuckled.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that." They grew closer and closer to the school, Mitsuru's expression growing more worried by the second. "What's wrong?" Minato asked. Mitsuru looked to the sky.
"I believe we have only a short while until the hour is up. Shall we head back? It's been a long night," Mitsuru suggested helpfully. Minato nodded. In that case...
"Yeah. Everyone, let's head back! We deserve a good rest after that!" He announced to the others, raising his voice to reach their ears. He still didn't know why he'd changed back, but perhaps it had something to do with Pharos, or his personas. He wasn't yet sure. They dragged themselves back to the dorm, Ikutsuki congratulating them on another job well done. Minato couldn't bother to investigate the exchange Yukari and Mitsuru were having as everyone else shuffled tiredly to their respective rooms. Changing into some comfy pajamas and lending Liz some of the pajamas Yukari lent him, he let Elizabeth use his bed while he slept on the floor under a soft blanket. The sturdy floor didn't dissuade sleep, oddly enough, and the extended use of his personas in that way finally began to weigh down on Minato, falling further and further into slumber.