The hollow building collapsed, crushed like a paper bag.

This was her doing. Her warped personality, an eldritch phenomenon, a bunch of misguided kids, a corrupted company and the physical manifestation of death itself had come together in a perfect storm to create the destruction that she'd been waiting for. Shina grinned to herself as concrete and metal performed their final death throes, their breaths fading into a green and black mass grave.

Yet, as she dismissed her Shadow, there was something trying to call out to her at the back of her mind. Shina had derided it as the last vestiges of her irrationality trying to turn her away from the path that she'd started walking down so many years ago. It was persistent, she'd give it that. As she itched to get a better grasp of those fleeting thoughts, they ran like hell was on their heels. Shina supposed that it would be apt to think that way, since if she did succeed, she'd destroy them; no question.

"Shina! Yoko!"

That was most definitely Hakori's voice. He actually sounded distressed. Shina thought that he was someone that was able to keep their cool under pressure. Either she was wrong (which she never was) or the situation really was that dire.

Shina set off running down the twisting, shadowy labyrinth of the Dark Hour covered town. Her footsteps, the lurching of nearby Shadows and Hakori's voice served as her only background music. Actually, his voice was getting fainter. Raspier.

She supposed that would explain the weakness she'd been hearing.

The seconds ticked by with her footfalls, and, eventually, though a simple walk seemed to take an eternity, she found Hakori. That is, his smashed glasses, the right side of his body underneath a slab of concrete and his lips foaming with blood. Shina looked up at the looming black Shadow just near him, which was unleashing inky blots of black fog onto the surrounding buildings.

"Sheesh, what happened to you?" Shina asked, observing the debris that had fallen atop him with more morbid curiosity rather than good will.

Hakori just groaned. "I—" He paused and caught himself before he said something that might piss Shina off. Worse still, just about everything pissed Shina off. If he were being completely honest, her dismissive, higher-than-thou tone was not appreciated in this situation, but he didn't have a death wish more than he wanted this damned rock to kill him. "My Shadow's going berserk and – cough – and I got caught up… in the crossfire," he explained gruffly.

She scoffed. "Right. Good fucking job."

"You make it sound like it's my fault," he pointed out, coughing all the while.

"Of course it was. If you didn't keep a good leash on your insecurities, this wouldn't have happened," she said matter-of-factly – either she didn't notice or she didn't care about Hakori's frown. "But not to worry: I will help you. I just need to figure out how…"

Truthfully, Shina knew the answer, but seeing Hakori squirm and scowl never failed to give her some much needed entertainment. Still, as right as she was, it wouldn't do to leave her subordinate in such a state. The injuries he had were probably worse than they looked. She supposed that it wouldn't hurt to have a little 'fun' with him, though.

Meanwhile, Hakori was resigning himself to bleeding out, possibly to death, or being stuck under the rock for at least the rest of the hour. This was how Shina was. Sure, she got stuff done, but to put it shortly… she was a jerk. A huge one. They agreed on a few things, of course. That was why they were still in this situation in the first place. 'Working together', as it were. But still…

"Onyx Beholder," Shina calmly addressed. Out of the silence, a crackle of black and red fog burst from behind her. The bits of shadow matter slowly pieced themselves together until they formed smooth, pristine surfaces of crystal. Each were facets of dark gemstone which formed a spherical core, the jagged edges violently shining with white blasts of light at its centre like an eye. Floating and surrounding the core were seven serrated, blade-like carvings which formed arm-like limbs of a sort. Each ended with wicked talons, and a beady, eye-like spark.

She grinned to herself, giddy at the thought of seeing Hakori's look of utter shock – Pardon the pun. "Destroy it."

The slow-mo recession of his eyelids to reveal the reddish whites of his eyes. The breath that he sucked in at that split second of cresting lightning. As she thought, it was priceless.

With a roar, a blast of concentrated electricity touched down onto a single point of the concrete slab. A sharp explosion rang out as the rock was eviscerated within a blinding flash of light, sending smaller bits and dust up into the air in a glorious, smoky flurry.

Well, at the very least, the debris would no longer be a nuisance to him. Shina imagined, however, that he was livid at her course of action. Not that she cared much. Yoko could patch him up.

Hakori coughed profusely as he turned away from the dust, inadvertently turning onto his damaged ribs and aching everything. He hissed in pain, muttering curses under his breath. Hakori literally could not bring himself to move. "Did you have to do that...?" he finally uttered, loud enough for Shina to hear.

"Of course. Someone had to teach you a lesson about controlling yourself," Shina replied simply.

He growled, "I hadn't learned my lesson from having a building fall on top of me, already?"

She shrugged. "It was funny!" Shina retorted (as if that reason was as good as any other that she could've offered up). "Besides, at least it was me, and not our benefactor. I bet he'd've ripped you to shreds or just laughed in your face without helping you in any way!" she then pointed out.

"Well then, thanks Shina," Hakori mumbled, "for showing less than human decency to an ally."

"That's a statement seriously in need of amendment, but I'll let it slide, just this once," Shina replied.

Hakori just let out a sigh. And where they did agree, at times, Shina was too extreme, even for him. "I just hope Yoko hasn't fallen asleep somewhere..." he eventually said, giving Shina a pointed glare.

She countered it with one of her own, but eventually, "Sheesh, fine, I'll go look for her, you big baby," Shina conceded.

"...Right. Thanks." As Shina left, Hakori let out yet another sigh, looking up at the jet tombstones above him, the emerald ocean, thinking everything he could if only to keep himself awake. Not that it was difficult for him to do, but still.

Were they doing the best thing? It would be a silly question to ask if they were doing the 'right' thing (even if Shina thought she was righteous) after all they'd done. So it fell to 'best' to bear the connotations he was looking for.

It would be an utter understatement that something had seriously messed them up to get them to where they were now, killing a home (even if it wasn't Hakori's, it was many other wistfully ignorant people's homes), killing other people, killing the world they lived in. Why did they do it?

Of course, Shina, being Shina, never really thought wrongly of it. There was a passion burning inside her to assert her own selfish righteousness, because she 'always' knew best. Something, she never really detailed, made her think so. Maybe at first, trying to get people to see her point of view was out of concern and protection. Perhaps now, as she begrudgingly afforded those who did agree with her some peace, converting others to her way of thinking was out of bitterness. Pride. A mixture of unsavoury feelings come to bear down upon a group of people who'd come to reject her.

Yoko? Cutesy demeanour stripped away, she was lonely and scared. The way she always curled up next to him even after how many times Hakori had told her to sleep somewhere else? How much of a crier she was? How much she loved praise? Though it was truly a mystery to Hakori how Yoko and Shina managed to get along... The cute facade, too, was evidence to her loneliness and fear, at least to Hakori.

And him? Hakori guessed it was a toxic catharsis for him; even though he could ace a test, he could never handle the pressure. A temper tantrum, he'd freely admit.

He'd eventually figured out the reason as to why they were together: All things considering, everyone in the team was there because they shared a weakness that in some ways, they'd come to lick like a common, ailing wound in a pack of lost wolves.

To an extent, Kishimaru shared this with them. That anger. The need to lash out at everything around him. That 'It's not fair!' and 'Why can't things go my way!?' mentality. Where they diverged? As tough as he appeared to be, Kishimaru was too sentimental at heart. It was an ill-managed, grief-triggered rampage over the loss of an important friend. Maybe that was why he ended up being able to save himself from the grave they'd dug together.

Hakori, for all of his apparent intelligence and perceptiveness came to realise this too late, when they were already dealing with blood lust incarnate. With an impassive, resigned expression, he watched as dark, necrotic fog from his Shadow ate at the sky, at the buildings, at the air, crawled into view...

"'Too late' is too right," he murmured to himself.

...

From within Tartarus, the collapsing Iwatodai was crystal clear. Jin shook his head. Those kids were really getting in over their heads.

Though, to be fair... everyone, including him, Chidori and Takaya had gotten in over their heads. Especially when it came to the strength of the forces that were once biding their time within that Kagami girl and Arisato. He was careless. Chidori, also. Though it hurt to admit, it was an undeniable fact.

Two nights ago, he had to drag Chidori away from the battle. After many minutes, each feeling longer than the last, they ended up taking solace within the precious Dark Hour's relic – Tartarus – before the ensuing carnage could begin. Though he had no real desire to keep his life, Jin couldn't help but feel his blood run cold when he caught a glimpse of the monster that strode out of the darkness. The pressure on his periphery was awe striking, and that somehow set off the mewling survival instinct within him.

Honestly, Jin was stumped. His leader, Takaya, was dead and the monster he saw, with help of the other three Shadow Whisperers, was doing Strega's work at an incredible pace. Fearfully enough, just because they could. No, actually; because it was what they had to do. In the monster's case, maybe that was what it wanted to do, too.

He gave yet another sigh – one of many over the past couple of days – and turned to face Chidori. The two of them managed to find their way up to the Thebel block of Tartarus, being that it was the 'safest' of the ones SEES had managed to unlock. She was limp against the bottom steps of the stairs leading up to the Arqa block, listlessly observing the swirling vortex of the tower surroundings: The blended up structures that appeared to be a mish-mash of everything Tartarus had to offer, suspended in a greenish void.

"Jin..." Chidori whispered, "What are we going to do now?"

His face stayed expressionless as he spoke, "I don't know."

She hummed in agreement. "There isn't really that much left for us, is there?" Chidori reaffirmed aloud. "They're too strong for us to fight, even with our power."

"You're right." Jin walked over and sat down next to her. "I don't know if we can exactly help the Shadow Whisperers and that monster along with what they're doing, either."

"Well, we could, but... Medea is warning me not to," Chidori murmured.

Jin raised an eyebrow. As valuable as their Personas were, their advice wasn't always reliable. At least, to Jin's observation, Medea's advice tended to be more primal than logical. Tonight, he could actually agree with her. "Fair enough," he conceded. "Something was also telling me that I shouldn't stick my head into what they're doing, too."

Chidori nodded, thinking to herself in the oppressive quiet of Tartarus. "Do you... know what it means to be strong, Jin?" she asked. He looked at her with widened eyes. They'd discussed this before. "I know... My Persona is what gives me strength. But after what happened, are we really 'strong?'"

Somehow, they'd agreed that their Personas, their power, their free reign during the Dark Hour... It was part of their strength. It was what they had to hold onto after the Kirijo Group shattered everything else – innocence, joy and childhood, if only to name a few examples. The little power they had left, if they couldn't rely on anybody else, was their anchor. And yet, even that had managed to fail them in the face of the Shadows.

Jin could only speak a logical conclusion. "Considering that, I believe that we do have strength, for what it's worth." He scoffed. "But alongside the Shadows, and that monster, it appears to be near incomparable, I have to admit."

As she'd thought. "Where do you think the Shadow Whisperers and SEES gets their strength?" Chidori wondered aloud.

He closed his eyes, beginning to recall all those kids; the kids who somehow managed to survive that crisis. "I suppose that when it comes to those Shadow Whisperer kids... Even though they don't really get along all the time, I think that to some extent, they do seem to care about each other as more than just team mates," Jin thought aloud, "You remember Hakori and Yoko? And when Shina was talking to Yoko, too?"

Indeed, they did somehow manage to get along – even put an effort into getting along, Kishimaru's stubbornness and Shina's abrasiveness notwithstanding. Their point of agreement was their strength. "And SEES, even though they're all working towards the same goal for different, even hypocritical reasons, they are caring about each other to an extent, however difficult it has been for them at times."

"They're determined, aren't they?"

"We aren't the same?" Jin asked.

She replied, "Perhaps, but... I don't necessarily feel the same as I did before," Chidori admitted. "Ever since I'd met SEES and the people in it."

Jin, again, was curious and sceptical about his partner's ruminations. Likely one of the other reasons why Chidori had chosen to divulge this to him was because of Takaya's more extreme views on the subjects of companionship and camaraderie. Undoubtedly, while they were all loyal to each other's motivations, their relationship was surely complicated. On the one hand, they thought of each other as trusted allies, but on the other, they would always put their nihilistic goals first – even willing to sacrifice their lives for it, considering their lives' worthlessness in the grand scheme of things.

"I can't say that I understand what you're thinking. I thought you'd abandoned your life a long time ago, just like us," he stated, noticing how Chidori flinched at his words. "The Shadow Whisperers even understood what we felt, to a degree. How futile human struggle is. The permeation of disaster, sin and wrongdoing. Is that not enough to smother the hope that you're starting to think about?"

She was silent for a moment. Chidori knew all too well that Jin was right. Still... "Is it right to overrule the wills of people who genuinely, albeit ineffectually, are trying to survive with each other's goodwill? Surely, they know how ugly the world can be, but despite that, they still try to live, in their own ways. Is that foolhardy, or is that courageous?"

Chidori could see Jin's frown, the contempt in his sneer. "I know it sounds... strange, but Jin, just think about it. I know I don't really belong with you and Takaya. But..."

For a while, Jin's cold stare was fixated on Chidori, half-thinking, half-rejecting what she was proposing. Takaya was... "He was bitter. And all of us were. Yet that kid, Arisato... He might not have looked it, but he was getting under Takaya's skin, I'm almost certain," Jin eventually spoke. "He had nothing to live for. We had nothing to live for. We're on our deathbeds and all we have left is the present," he murmured. "But for some reason, even though Arisato knew how we felt – how the world was haunting him, how he was living on a knife's edge – the kid had the guts to try and fight against it, even knowing how impossible it might've seemed."

"Takaya was jealous, wasn't he?" Chidori proposed.

"Yeah. Yeah, he was. And... I am too, a little, as much as I'd hate to admit it," Jin agreed. "We really don't have anything left, except for cheap thrills."

Chidori's gaze returned to the fluxing dimensions above her. "Maybe we don't have to go on like that. I want to know how to live."

"Well, whatever you do, I'm not going to stop you," he said. "But you better not get yourself into something stupid." Chidori hummed compliantly. "I reckon we should get moving. What do you want to do?"

She fell silent, her mind strolling through the possibilities before them. "I want to get to know them better," Chidori said, rolling her back upright.

"Then let's go. But don't drag me into their... antics," Jin finished lamely. The thought of being friendly with others was still a vomit-inducing one.

...

You could perhaps argue that carrying a several kilogram hunk of bits and metal was as good a training exercise as any, but carrying that several kilogram hunk of bits and metal over some kilometres was not on Kishimaru's to-do list.

Unfortunately for him, however, Aigis had run out of power. Apparently they hadn't thought of solar-powered, energy sustainable batteries for cutting edge robot technology while they were so busy giving her a Persona. Still, he just had to bear with it until he reached the dorm. Somehow, even though there was a ton of black fog, debris, lightning and fire along the way, Kishimaru had managed to find a safer means of passage, getting out relatively unharmed. Thank god.

He just... needed a minute before he could open the door into the Iwatodai Dormitory. Yeah. Just a small rest.

Kishimaru leaned against the front doors with nothing short of relief, letting the tension from the past few hours leave his body. It probably should've taken them a lot less time to get to the dorm. However, from where he ended up in the city, he couldn't exactly go around with a limp android girl in his hands looking the way he did, either: The blood, grimy skin and torn clothes were not going to do him any favours.

Damn Shadows...

After a few minutes, he finally gathered up the strength to knock at the dormitory doors.

Some silence passed. Well, actually, no, Kishimaru could hear something but whoever was there sure was taking their sweet time.

That was until the door cracked open a little, just enough for a person to be able to see through. "Uh, you, you're... Holy, is it that Kishimaru dude? With Aigis?" the voice said.

"Just open the door, Junpei," another voice scolded.

"R-Right." It swung wide open to reveal Junpei and Akihiko. "Damn, you look roughed up. Promise not to kill us if we get you inside?"

"I mean, I could've just dumped her on the street somewhere instead of bringing her to you, you know," Kishimaru retorted.

Akihiko just shook his head and let the two of them inside, watching Junpei attempt to assist Kishimaru in carrying Aigis. This was going to be a long few days, wasn't it?


AN: Sorry about the long wait; school's definitely been getting in the way. What do you think of the Shadow Whisperers, especially with the extra details which I'm beginning to fill in now?

Thanks to Decode The Raging Philosopher for helping me flesh out one of the Shadow Whisperers! They wouldn't have this much personality if I didn't tell someone about them first.

Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter!