"What the hell?" Junpei shouted.

"Tartarus." Mitsuru explained. "It's the Labyrinth that appears during the dark hour."

Junpei turned to her. "I know that, but what the Jif happened to our school?"

Bit of an odd expletive, but I'd heard people say 'Oh, Lemons', so why not?

"Once the dark hour passes" Mitsuru responded, "Everything turns back to normal"

Wait, they don't sell Jif over here, so how does Junpei know about that brand of lemon juice?

Maybe it's because they sell oven cleaner too? Or is that Cif?

Side note: I'd hate to mix those two up next Pancake Tuesday...

Junpei turned to Akihiko. "This is the nest you were talking about?" he asked. "But Why! WHY did Our School turn into a FREAKIN' TOWER!"

More importantly, what was I going to put on my pancakes next February?

Junpei turned to Mitsuru. "You don't know either?"

Then it hit me.

"…No…" She replied.

I slept through the entire Easter weekend this year.

I'm not getting a Pancake Tuesday...

"Does it matter?" Yes Yukari, it does. "It's not like it wouldn't change our minds about fighting."

"Come to think about it, it is their fault…" I muttered.

"Eh? What's whose fault?" Yukari asked.

"Oh, Erm…" Crap, you can only follow two conversations at once if you keep them separate! "The Shadows? The… dark hour is their fault… probably?"

Everyone looked at me like I'd just made an arse of myself. Which I just did. No need to rub it in.

"Who Knows?" Akihiko asked, bailing me out. "Maybe now we'll find out. Mitsuru and I have only gone in to take a peek, so this will be our first time exploring it. Exiting isn't it?"

"Akihiko." Mitsuru glared at him. "I respect your enthusiasm, but you won't be coming with us today."

Akihiko sighed. "Yeah, I know…" he replied, glancing at his broken arm.

"We going in then?" I asked. Yep, composure regained.

"Lead the way, Arisoto." Mitsuru invited.

Oh sure, send the newbie. Is this going to be a running theme?

"Woah, it's just as cool on the inside…" Junpei looked amazed.

Yukari, on the other hand, looked nervous. "But it sure is creepy…"

Me? Oh, I was concerned about why The Walls Were Floating Around Above A Bottomless Pit Of Death And Despair. Say what you want, that's more important than the staircase leading to the oversized clock, or the freaky DDR pad.

This was clearly old news to Mitsuru, who simply informed us that "This is only the entrance. The Labyrinth is through the doorway at the top of the stairs."

I looked up and found that the clock was missing a large chunk at 6:00. Ah, so that's what the stairs are for… another mystery solved.

"First, we'll have you three get a feel for the place." Mitsuru decided. "Why don't you go have a look around?"

"What!" Yukari wasn't expecting this. "By ourselves?"

"We're not asking you to go very far." Mitsuru clearly thought that everything in the plan for 'Operation: Charge of the Green Brigade' was all reasonable. "Don't worry, I'll be feeding you information from here."

Yep, Knew they didn't intend to come in from the start.

"We'll also appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions, since I'm injured and Mitsuru's providing support." Akihiko stated.

That got our attention. Junpei was jumping up and down with his hand in the air, like the kid who gets picked to play football just to shut him up. Wait, they call it soccer over here, don't they? Silly Americans, football means the ball only touches your foot, now you've got the poor Japanese confused too. Bless their little mistaken heads.

"You're in charge." Akihiko decided.

That better be me or so help me…

"W-wait a sec, why him?" Junpei complained like the kid who didn't get picked. "He doesn't look like a leader!"

"He has fought them before." Yukari pointed out.

Yep, me.

"Yeah, I know, but still-"

"There's another reason." Akihiko said, cutting off Junpei's whining. "You two…" Akihiko pulled his evoker out and held it to his head. "Can you summon your persona without any problems like he can?" Good Question. "Can you put the gun to you head and pull the trigger without hesitation or fear? Because if you're in a panic, your persona 'ain't doin' nothin'."

That shocked both Yukari and Junpei, and explained a lot.

"Y-Yeah, of course I-"

"I-I think so-"

"BANG!" Akihiko shouted.

Everyone shut up.

"These are shadows we're talking about here." Stated Akihiko, lowering his gun arm, his injury a testament to what he was telling us. "Without your persona, you're screwed."

Oh, he's good. That brought them down to earth faster than a whale and a pot of petunias. "I'm in. "

What choice did I have? I felt like lifting my sword into the air and riding into battle against Mordor. Ah, Aragorn, how we love thee.

I stepped forward, and I saw something glow behind Akihiko. Walking past him, I walked towards the blue door. The key in my pocket felt warm.

"Minato?"

"Hold on a sec…" and I stepped through the door.

"I've been waiting for you." Igor grinned.

"Evening Igor. Hello Elizabeth."

"Good day." She replied to me, nodding.

"The time has come for you to wield your power." Igor told me with delight. "The tower that you are 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. That is why you must be made aware of the nature of your power."

That could wait. "About that door, I'm the only one able to see, touch, or pass through it, right?" I asked.

"Of course. Now-"

"And the passage time?"

Igor smiled at my interruption. He probably wasn't used to having such a cocky 'guest'. "No time passes in the real world when you visit us willingly." he said. "Any other questions, or may I continue?"

"I'm good." I said, sitting down.

"Marvellous." Igor chuckled. "Your power is unique. It's like the number zero... It's empty, but at the same time holds infinite possibilities." I nodded. "You, my boy, are able to possess multiple Personas, and summon them as needed."

"Eh? Really?" I didn't know what was more shocking; the possibility of multiple personae or that it was rare among persona users.

Igor smirked. "Surely you have noticed this within yourself." he said. "One moment you think one way, but you have a completely different personality the next." Igor smiled, clearly amused about something. "This change is completely internal; it does not change who you are, or how you appear to the outside world. What changes, however, are your attitudes and thought patterns. THAT my boy is the power of the Fool that you grasp. Each attitude is another Persona, waiting to answer your call. As you learn to control your ability, you will learn to completely control these changes within you."

"So I get different powers depending on my mood." I nodded. "Gotcha."

"When you have defeated your enemies, you will see the faces of possibility before you." Igor said with a smile. "There may be times when they are difficult to grasp... But, do not fear." Igor waved his hand. "Seize what you have earned. Your power will grow accordingly... Be sure to keep that in mind."

This was a lot to take in, but I knew Igor was true in everything he said. In fact, looking back, I've gone through the Jock, the creepy detective, the bored asshole, the hyper kid, and that was just today! What am I now… The Fool? Wait a sec…

"You said the Fool, and the number 0." I said. "I remember the number 13 when I summoned Thanatos." I frowned. "And that monster, the Magician?" Don't ask how I knew its name, I just did. "It had a number 1 on its mask. Does this have anything to do with Tarot?"

Elizabeth's jaw almost dropped as Igor laughed heartily. "You are indeed an interesting guest!" he shouted. "You are the first to make that connection so quickly…" Igor looked directly into my eyes. "Even today, you have passed through the Chariot, the Justice, the Hierophant, The Hermit, The Star, and currently you are the Fool, which is the closest to your true self."

"So, how does this apply to fortune telling?" I asked him.

"If I were to give a reading based on those cards…" Igor waved his hand over the table, and those cards appeared there. "Then an Impulsive Decision will lead you to fight against injustice. You will find hope within yourself, and lead others on their journey to find themselves. Very interesting…" Igor looked up from the table. "Now tell me… what impulsive decision will lead you onto this path?"

I smiled, rising from my chair. "It was nice talking with you Igor, but I must be going now."

As I did this, a seventh card appeared on the table. Following my gaze, Igor looked at it and laughed. "hm… The Magician… Your overconfidence is your weakness…"

"Your faith in your friends is yours." I replied. He was asking for it.

That tickled him. Me too, I wasn't expecting him to get the joke. "Well, my spare time will soon become scarce." he said. "But, please come again of your own accord. I'll tell you then of my true role… the manner in which I can best assist you."

"I can come back any time I want, right?" I asked.

Igor's smile changed slightly. "Correct. Until then, farewell."

"Hey, are you alright?" Yukari asked.

Okay, back in Tartarus.

"What's up man?" Junpei's face moved in front of mine. "Dude, you look like a zombie."

"Brains." Classic. I turned around and headed for the door. "Come on, let's go." I ordered.

"Here's an earpiece and some supplies." Mitsuru passed me a headphone and one of those single-strap backpacks that go over one shoulder, plus they had a thin bag that fits under your jacket. Looking back, Junpei and Yukari already had theirs.

Sighing, I put it on and plugged in the headphone. "No mic?"

Akihiko smiled. "Don't worry, you won't need one."

Us three headed up the stairs while Mitsuru explained the basics of Persona battle.

Basically, our Personae altered our actual physiology, granting us increased physical power, as well as resistances to specific things in exchange for giving us weaknesses, like pokémon.

Basically, there's fire, electric, ice, wind, light, dark, and then there's three physical types called strike, slash and pierce. That might not make sense, but getting stabbed is very different to getting punched. I'm not sure how light and dark works, but if we assume that Akihiko's Persona is resistant to electricity, giving him rubbery skin, but as the trade-off, he's pretty susceptible to cold. Me, my Orpheus is weak to electricity, so electric shocks will hurt like hell now, and apparently dark will hurt me more, however that works.

Actually, Igor said I can have multiple personae so... yeah, exactly like pokémon. Huh.

Hah, could you imagine? A bunch of guys battling demon shadow things, using pokémon moves on each other. How crazy would that be?

Yes, I played Pokémon. And I got right into it. And fact is, ten quid says so did you, and if you didn't, you're lying. Get over it.

Anyways, Orpheus could use Agi and Bash, covering two out of nine weaknesses. Me and Junpei had swords, and Yukari had her bow, so that covered the three physicals, so I reckoned we'd be fine for now.

Look, at least it wasn't Yu-Gi-Oh or D+D, alright? I don't have to roll for initiative to kick your ass, so just drop it you... imaginary antagonist...

... I think the stress is getting to me.

Anyway, what surprised me most was that Mitsuru could answer our questions. When I asked her about it, all she said was that "It's my persona's ability. I can receive visual and audio information from here, so I can relay instructions via your earpieces."

"I thought I was the leader." I asked.

"You are, but you'll still do as I command."

I sighed. "Fine. I'm the Sergeant, you're the Captain." he said. "So how come the headphones work?"

"They're special." Sounds more like a plot device to me, but then again, the Evokers worked during the dark hour, and so did the camera system… and basic lighting back at the dorm…

Alright, they knew how to make technology work during the dark hour. Oh, great, Mitsuru was just said something important and I just missed it. Something about structure changing? "What's that mean?" I asked, hoping to catch what I missed by the explanation.

"It means that the layout of each floor changes each time you enter Tartarus." Mitsuru said. "I believe that certain floors remain the same, but this is why outside support is imperative."

Right, that's what they were talking about.

Gotcha.

"Now, judging by your location," Mitsuru continued, "You can expect to encounter enemies at any minute. They shouldn't be too tough, but proceed with caution. Practice makes Perfect."

"Gotcha!" Junpei grinned.

I nodded.

"Alright." Yukari said. However, under her breath, she muttered "Why is she always like that…"

Mitsuru either ignored that or didn't notice. "Let's begin. Keep in mind, these are real battles you'll be engaging in. Now, see if you can eliminate all the Shadows wandering around on this floor."

I led the way, and saw something move in the darkness. "Watch out!" Mitsuru warned us "I detect a shadow in front of you."

"Really?" I replied in English. "I never would have guessed." It was vital that she got the sarcasm.

"Was that Sarcasm, Arisoto, or were you just slipping into your native tongue to make battle easier for yourself?"

I shrugged, rushing forward. "Probably both!" I answered stabbing the shadow in the back. It exploded.

And it's all in my eye. What a great start to the first scrap of the evening.