Chapter 13: Orphic Opera

Tatsuya Suou

Early Morning – 11/11/2012 – Club Escapade, Paulownia Mall (Half destroyed), Tatsumi Port Island

Slowly and carefully, Tatsuya and Maya walk into the club where the stage have been rebuild with better structure, incase Naoya destroy it again. The Shadow Operative and Investigation Team are already present in the club, including Katsuya, Ulala, Baofu and most importantly Nanako with her beautiful red dress. The front hall of the mall had been sealed under Mitsuru and Nanjo's order, preventing anyone else from entering the mall. The Naoya's group is still nowhere to be seen, giving the others some time to roam around the club.

"…your soul…the gate…"

"Grrrr…." Tatsuya growl while gritting his teeth and clutching his head. 'That voice again!' Tatsuya monologues to himself. This didn't go unnoticed by Maya who is standing beside him as they walk to the chair at the bar stand. "That reaction again, Tatsuya, I think it's time for you to tell me something." Maya force him to answer as they take a seat. Tatsuya is silent, because even he didn't know how to explain to her.

"'I haven't ask Eriko yet, but myself from the other side told me something about 'Nuclear Chaos'. I don't know how is it related to Nyarlathotep, but something tells me that it can be something worse than any other enemy we face so far." Tatsuya finish his explanation in a single breath. Maya face become pale, which is noticed by Tatsuya.

"…Could it be…one of the Four Horsemen?" Maya ask, but Tatsuya can only shook his head in response. "Anyway, let's go see Yu and his cousin." Tatsuya said. They begin to rouse from their seat and walk toward the group of Investigation Team.

Aigis

Early Morning – 11/11/2012 – Club Escapade, Paulownia Mall (Half Destroy)

Aigis, dressed in her black suit, never move from her position at the corner of the club ever since the Shadow Operative arrived at the club. The rest of her friends are standing in front of the stage for the final touchup of the concert: the piano. As for Mitsuru, she is seen talking to the manager of the newly built stage and piano delivery. But she pays no attention to everything around her, her mind only focus her conversation with Igor last night.

"…Aigis?" Aigis wake herself from her stupor when she heard a voice calling out for her. She turns to see Yukari, standing in front of her. "…Yukari…" Aigis reply but turn her head away, not wanting to make eye contact with Yukari. "Yukari, I'm…"

"I'm sorry…" Yukari said in a very sad tone, "I know Minato mean so much to you, and I know you trust that girl to save him. What happened wasn't your fault, I shouldn't have said those words to you." Aigis remain silent as she slowly turns her face toward Yukari. "We're friend again?" Yukari give a warm smile. "Yes." Aigis return the smile.

"I hope I'm not interrupting you two." Fuuka call for Aigis and Yukari, startling both of them. "The preparation is all set, we just need to wait for Nanjo's group." And so Fuuka depart, but leave them with a relieved expression to see them finally making up with each other. "Aigis, Yukari, come and see Rise here!" Labrys shout from across the club. "Let's go, Aigis." Yukari said and begin to pull Aigis with her to where Rise and Yu is.

Naoya Toudou

Early Morning – Club Escapade

"Thanks for the repairment, Nanjo. It's beautiful." Naoya said to Nanjo as his group enters the club to see a black piano has been prepared on the stage. "Miss Kirijo is the one who funded the cost, said that she takes full responsibility for what happen yesterday. However, I need you to wait outside, you should know why." Nanjo glare at Naoya as he slowly walks away from the group to meet with Mitsuru.

"What? Nyarlathotep was the one who destroyed the stage. I'm innocent." Naoya said to his friend, but they ignore him and begin to wonder around the club, leaving Naoya behind with Eriko.

"I can wait with you outside, if you don't mind." Eriko said with smile. "I appreciate that, Eriko." Naoya smile back. They both begin to leave the club, taking a seat at the bench near the fountain.

Meanwhile, Nanjo's group have finish talking with the Shadow Operative about the second meeting that will took place at Kirijo main facility. "Very well, we will take our leave when the concert is done." Nanjo said, locking his eye on Rise and Nanako who are preparing themselves beside the stage. "Can they do it, Miss Kirijo?"

"Yes, I have faith in them." Mitsuru confidently answer, "Rise is a well-known idol, so singing will not be a problem. For the young girl, she is an amateur, but I'm confident about her skill."

"And why is that?" Nanjo question her.

"…Because Narukami did." Mitsuru chuckles in response, which stop Nanjo from continuing the conversation. Akihiko, Junpei, Fuuka, Labrys, Yukari, Aigis and even Ken who is there to hear the conversation is pleased to know Yu's trust for his little sister.

Yu Narukami

Early Morning – Club Escapade

At one of the corner near the stair to the stage, the Investigation Team is seen gathering around Rise who is sitting on a small chair, currently putting on her makeup. Nanako already memorized the notes of Apollo's concert, which earned her a hug and a praises from Yu.

"How do I look, senpai?~" Rise sweetly ask for Yu's opinion. "You look great, Rise." He said while tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She blushed at his action. "I seriously never thought we're going to have so many audiences today." Yu look around the club. The other worker has left the club, leaving only the persona users to wait for the concert.

"They're all going to watch you, Nana-chan. Don't worry, they will love you!" Teddie appear in front of Nanako, wearing his casual shirt without his bear costume. "I know, big bro is going to watch me too!" Nanako respond.

"Yu, how's it going?" Every member of the Investigation turns to see Tatsuya and Maya, bringing along Katsuya, Ulala and Baofu. "Nana-chan and Rise-chan is ready to go!" Teddie shout happily, surprising Tatsuya and his friend. "...Ummm, who are you again?" Tatsuya ask, unable to recognize Teddie without his bear costume. "That's Teddie, without his bear costume." Yu swiftly reply, which in turn gains a shocked expression from Tatsuya.

"What the…" Tatsuya jaws drop, seeing the rather 'bishonen' looking boy in front of him. "I know, very surprising." Yosuke grin in response. "You look better without the costume." Maya praise Teddie, giving him a boost of ego for his look. "Do I look great?~" Teddie give a charming gaze to Tatsuya's group. Everyone sweat drop. "You'll get used to it." Chie said.

"Okay, Narukami, I suppose your cousin and friend are ready." Nanjo suddenly appear besides Tatsuya, gaining everyone's attention. "Don't worry about Mr. Toudou, he won't be bothering us for the concert."

"Yes, they have. Please give us a moment, we will begin shortly." Yu replies, shifting his eye to Nanako and Rise. "Good luck, Nanako, Rise, we'll be supporting you from down here." He pats Nanako and Rise's head.

"Thank you, senpai! Are you ready, Nanako?" Rise said, standing by with her microphone. "Yeah!" Nanako quickly respond as she begins to walk toward the stair.

Everyone's attention is now focused on the little girl with a piano and an idol wearing a scarlet dress. "That's the young idol people been talking about, Rise Kujikawa. To think that she's a persona user too, this world is sure full of wonders." Yukino state while readying her camera, "This will be a good front cover for my latest magazine."

"This concert must be kept in private from the public. What do you think people will respond when they see the famous Rise Kujikawa is singing with a little girl on stage right in the club of half destroyed Mall?" Maya frown, she quickly swipe and shoves the camera back inside Yukino's bag.

"We make the concert only to summon Orpheus, finding Minato's missing body is our top priority right now." Tatsuya said, feeling somewhat intrigue to see the last man of prophecy.

On the other side of the club, the Shadow Operative and the Investigation Team is having their conversation as well. "May I know your friend here?" Mitsuru ask as she looks directly at Teddie. "…He's Teddie." Yosuke answers and the entire Shadow Operative instantly gain the same expression as Tatsuya. "That's…surprising." Akihiko firmly said. "That right! Only Labby-chan has seen my charming face, right Labby-chan?" Teddie proudly give another charming smile to the Shadow Operative. Labrys only giggle when her friends look at her in surprise.

"Shhh, be quiet, the concert is about to start." Naoto whisper as Rise and Nanako begin to test their microphone and piano key.

"Go Nanako!" Yu and Teddie shout excitedly. Most people stare at them, especially Yu since he is usually calm in most situations. "Are you really sure you are not a sis-con?" Yosuke ask while sighing. Yu just ignore him as he continues to cheer for his little sister.

"*cough* Testing! Today I would like to sing a song written by Mr. Tatsuya's persona, Apollo! Please enjoy this short song!" Rise gives her introduction. 'This isn't a real concert…' Tatsuya thought, slightly embarrass when his name and his persona name is mentioned. And finally, the concert begins.

On the third cue, Nanako begin to dance her finger on the piano's key, producing a very soft, warm and beautiful tune. Everyone gasp, amazed to see a little girl can play such a beautiful music. Timing at the right tone, Rise takes a deep breath and begins to sing.

From the dancing star, from the Muses call

Upon all the world, a man will sing a song of hope

A golden lyre, a verse voice

He charm the living life of all

The voice of Siren are ignorable, the god plead him for another song

He with his lyre, continue to be blessed by all

"Woahhh…That's so beautiful…" Yosuke said in low tone, not wanting to disturb the others that continue to hear the song. "That's my sweet Nanako and Rise. As expected of th-" Yu stop his word when he felt someone's grab him by each arm. He turns to his left to see Chie holding his arm, then he turn to his right to see Yukiko holding his arm. It seem that they both unaware that they clinging on the same person. Yu smile a bit, seeing that they're both still focused on the stage.

"You don't have to hold me so tight, both of you. Not that I mind, though." Yu carefully choose his word to make them realize their 'mistake'. Finally realizing it, they both release Yu's arm at the same time with heavy blush on their face. They notice Yu is grinning at them, making them blush even more. "D-Don't get me wrong! It's just that the music is so good that I accidently grab your arm!" Chie nervously said. "You look like you're lonely, so I just want to give you some company." Yukiko slowly said, while glaring at Chie. 'Chie, what are you doing?!' Yukiko whispers. 'Y-You too!' Chie whisper back. Yu give a big sigh, since he actually can hear perfectly what they are whispering about.

"I didn't know Apollo is such a composer." Maya chuckle as she turning her head to Tatsuya. "He IS the god of music, which mean Orpheus must be a good composer as well." Tatsuya said, somehow starting to feel proud having Apollo as his persona.

"Minato is going to be happy to know so many people are waiting for his return." Fuuka said. 'Minato-kun…when you get back, I will cook for you my best dish yet!' She thought to herself, remembering how Minato used to spend time with her and tasted her horrible cooking.

"When he come back, I'm gonna treat him for some Hagakure's ramen!" Junpei said, feeling excited for his leader and friend return. "Maybe I'll get him to spar with me too! After all, he's the only one who can give me a challenge in a fist-to-fist fight!" Akihiko said excitedly.

"I would be more than happy to meet him again…" Mitsuru mumbles, beginning to miss him more when she thinks about him. After all, he's the only guy that managed to capture the ice queen heart.

Meanwhile, Naoya and Eriko rouse from their seat at the fountain when they listen to the voice of Rise and sound of piano. "Did you hear that? They already start the concert!" Eriko happily point at the club. "Yeah, yeah, I know. It's not like I can go in anyway." Naoya growl, lazily land his entire body back to the chair.

"Come on, Naoya, why don't you enjoy the song for a bit?"Eriko persuade him. "Okayyyy…" Naoya stand again and begin to walk closer to the club entrance to get a better hearing.

After a moment of pause, Rise continues.

Wept by the voice, sadden by the loss

He venture to the land of dead for the love of his life

Soften by the song, he was given a choice

But he broke it… he broke the promise and was separated forever…

His blood and flesh is ripped by his sin of dishonor

His head and lyre flow through the river and to the heaven

And his grieved song is placed among the star

Orpheus…heed my call…Orpheus…

Rise bow her head along with Nanako when the last lyric is sang. "AMAZING!" Teddie shout, clapping his hand. Everyone soon follow, giving them a big applause. "That's great, Nanako, it's beautiful! Your voice is charming as always too, Rise!" Yu said to them as he jumps to the stage to hug Nanako. He then tries to hug Rise but stopped when he realized three deadly glares are directed to him by Chie, Yukiko and Naoto. "Save that for later okay?" Yu nervously said to Rise who's now pouting cutely.

"Why have you call for me?..." A rather deep voice is heard across the club, startling everyone. "Where's that voice come from-" Tatsuya said, but stop when he look at the ceiling. Everyone soon follow by lifting their head upward to see a figure floating above them.

"Orpheus!" Aigis shout, proving that the concert is successful. "So the concert is a success." Naoya said as he walks into the club with Eriko.

"Big bro, what's that?" Nanako ask, slightly scared seeing a persona for the first time. "Ummm…it's a 3D projection! Yeah that right." Yu lie, glaring at the others for support. "Yeah, that's right. It's just a projector." Maya said with a smile, successfully fooling Nanako into believing Yu's lie. "Let's not waste anymore time, quickly ask him about Minato!" Junpei said.

"I heard a song calling from Apollo…" Orpheus said.

"No, actually she was the one that sing the song, but your father is the one who made the song." Tatsuya explain, "The reason we call you here is because we need you to tell us the location of your master, Minato Arisato. His body has been missing for days, and we need you to track his body."

Everyone wait patiently for Orpheus answer when Orpheus somewhat remain silent. "Orpheus, please tell us." Aigis plead him. "Give him a break, it's not easy trying to track a dead body." Naoya said. "He's not just some dead body!" Yukari shout in anger over Naoya's word. "Guys, calm down!" Yu try to calm the situation.

"His body is in the chamber behind the clock tower, while his soul resides at the deepest slumber of Sea of Soul." Orpheus answer.

"Behind the clock tower? You mean…that 'tower'?" Yu ask when his first thought would be Tartarus, but not fully certain of it.

"So you're saying that Minato's body could be somewhere inside the Tartarus!" Junpei said.

"But why Orpheus referred to it as clock tower, instead of Tartarus? He must already know of its name when he's with Minato 2 years ago. Isn't it too simple to hide a missing body of such an important person in such an obvious place?" Fuuka said, questioning her curiosity.

"So that tower name is Tartarus. But you right, why pick a place where we can easily see?" Tatsuya starts his detective deduction.

"The soul is not a problem, as we already know it's location. But…" Aigis said but left her word unfinished.

"We're missing something…" Naoto said, trying to solve the riddle behind Orpheus word.

"Thou if his soul never return to his body on the night of the new moon when the Great Seal is broken, there will be 'messiah' no more…"Orpheus finally said before slowly disappear into thin air, leaving everyone in confusion.

"Did he just said that the Great Seal will break on the night of the new moon?" Yukino said.

"Fuuka, when is the next full moon will happen?" Mitsuru ask Fuuka.

"According to my calculation, the next new moon will happen on…14/11/2012, 3 days from today." Fuuka state, making everyone in the club surprised. "3 days?! That mean we don't have much time!" Maya panic, "We should check the tower from last night!"

"Leave the tower to us. We should proceed to my office for our second meeting." Mitsuru said, packing all her stuff. "Let's go, 3 days is not short."

Everyone begin to depart from the club, all having the same destination: Kirijo Main Facility. Yu however, had no choice but to send Nanako away with detective Kurosawa when the meeting is being held. Ken and Koromaru will have to join the meeting, as they're both a persona user. Koromaru understand human language, after all. Everyone finally find their seat in the meeting room after a half an hour.

Morning – Main meeting room, Kirijo Main Facility, Tatsumi Port Island

26 chairs have been filled with persona users, excluding Koromaru who is sitting on the ground. Nanako is waiting patiently outside with detective Kurosawa. At the rectangle glass table, Mitsuru sit at the chair behind the main white screen, Nanjo sit opposite her alone at the end corner of the table. On Mitsuru left side, the seat is crowded by the Shadow Operative and some of the Investigation Team, include Aigis and Yu. On Nanjo left side, the seat is crowded with St Hermelin persona users and Tatsuya's group with extra three seat filled by Naoto, Kanji and Teddie. During this time, Mitsuru take a moment to introduce Ken and Koromaru to everyone. As expected, most of them look surprised.

"Look what we have here, the reunion of all persona users. It sure will be complete if Maki, Reiji, Yuka and Masao are here." Naoya laugh as he look at his friend, "Nah, they already retired, might as well stick to this group."

"If we work together as a persona user, I'm sure we can overcome any obstacle by the Four Horsemen in the future." Yu said, feeling a sudden burst of mood as he observes around the room. "If you are prepared, we can now start our meeting." Mitsuru give a sigh of beginning the meeting.

And the second meeting begins.

1st topic: The Dark Hour and Tartarus
"The Dark Hour only appears at midnight, you may call it a hidden hour between a day and the next. In this hour, most people will be transmogrified into coffin, and some of them who experience the Dark Hour will be hunted down by shadow and is feed on their psyches. This is the time shadow can actively move around the town. Only us, the persona users, can experience the Dark Hour and help to fight shadow." Mitsuru continue.

"The tower you saw last night is Tartarus. In the morning, it appeared as Gekkoukan High School, but it turns to Tartarus during the Dark Hour. You may call it as shadow's nest, where all shadow from this Island came from. We had explored the tower three years ago with Minato Arisato as our leader, and we successfully complete the tower on January of 2010. The tower was supposes to disappear along with the Dark Hour two years ago, but it return to Inaba, Narukami's town during the second tournament masterminded by Nyarlathotep, the 'Malevolent Entity'. The reason it return here again last night is still a mystery to us."

"What about the fog?" Baofu ask, "Is the fog exists within the Dark Hour as well?"

"The fog is our explanation." Naoto answers.

2nd topic: The TV world and the Midnight channel
"Last year, a series of murder took place in Inaba, cause by Adachi, who now freely escape with Nyarlathotep. That's when the Midnight channel happen, where when you watch the TV exactly at midnight during a rainy day, it is believed that you can see your soul mate. This is not true, the Midnight channel project image of the victims that were thrown inside the TV by Adachi. It finally stopped when the murder case is solved but return again a few months ago when Labrys was kidnapped." Yu explain, while glancing at Labrys.

"During the case, we finally came to realize that a persona user can enter a TV, where you can see another world within filled with fog. But with the glasses made by Teddie here, we can see through the fog. In the TV world, everything is made by the image created from people mind. But the fog that should have disappeared a months ago suddenly return along with the Dark Hour during the second tournament, P-1 Climax. It returns again last night as you saw it." Naoto explain.

"Did the tournament linked to Nyarlathotep?" Katsuya ask, and is responded with several nods from the Shadow Operative and Investigation Team.

3rd topic: Nyarlathotep
"Hmmm… yep, that's Nyarlathotep alright. That's just like Nyarla-chan with his weird ass plan." Naoya said after reading the full article about the two tournaments masterminded by Nyarlathotep, the P-1 Grand Prix and P-1 Climax. "To think that he would come this far after we defeated him years ago, what could he mean by 'One True Vessel'?" Maya said, beginning to start a theory.

"Obviously, he wants a vessel for him-self to walk on earth like how he did to Kandori." Hidehiko said. "Now who the hell is Kandori?" Junpei ask with a raised eyebrow. "You don't know?! You gotta be kidding me! The famous Takahisa Kandori, the CEO of SEBEC company in 1996 before he was confirm dead! I mean, we were the one that killed him because he's trying to destroy the world with Nyarlathotep." Hidehiko said. "Dude, I was four that time! How the hell would I know?!" Junpei counter. "Then why did you ask, brat?!" Hidehiko counter. Their conversation receives several laughs from most of the people in the room.

"They remind me so much of Eikichi, especially Junpei-san." Tatsuya said, finally notice the similarity between their personalities. "Yeah, you're right, hahaha! How did I overlook that?" Maya reply.

"Go and join them, Yosuke." Chie teases. "What, why me?!" Yosuke strongly protest. "Don't worry, they will easily accept you in the 'league of clown'." Teddie tease him. "You are so done, Teddie, when we get home, prepare to work overtime!" Yosuke growl, feeling embarrass when he realize that he receives some attention from the adults.

"*cough* The meeting, everyone. We are still half done." Nanjo said with a serious tone to catch the attention of everyone, immediately silencing the room before he continues. "We have encounter Nyarlathotep ever since we're at high school. His scheme by plotting something like this is no surprise to us. What Hidehiko said could be true, Nyarlathotep always find a vessel to freely walk on earth to manipulating us, human to let our shadow consume our heart."

"Nyarlathotep is not just a shadow, he's an entity that born from destructive potential in humanity's heart. He can never be destroy permanently, as he will continue to exist as long as human continue to do evil." Tatsuya explain Nyarlathotep's true nature.

"So he's just like Erebus, who's born from humanity's sorrow and secret wish to destroy the world…" Aigis said slowly, but her word manages to be heard by Eriko. "Did you say something?" Eriko ask her.

4th topic: Nyx, Erebus and Izanami
"Do you know why Arisato sacrifice his life to become the Great Seal?" Mitsuru said on behalf of Aigis. Some shook their head and some remain silent. "To become the barrier between two gods that can bring the end of this world. The two gods were Nyx, the goddess of night and said to be the mother of all shadow and Erebus, the god of Darkness that manifested from humanity's grief negative emotion. If these two were to make contact, our world will end." Mitsuru finish her explanation about Nyx and Erebus. Everyone give a different expression by the truth about the 'messiah' death.

"I suppose, these two were the one that created Dark Hour, Tartarus and the TV world?" Ulala ask. "No, the Midnight channel and TV world were created by Izanami, the Japanese goddess." Yukiko correct her. "Izanami? That goddess was involved as well?" Katsuya said.

"Yes, she created it to seek humanity's true desire about the world. We defeated her, allowing her to understand the hope inside human's heart and spare the world." Yu explain. "That's good to hear. And where is she now?" Tatsuya ask.

Yu become silent, apparently the question struck a nerve. "…She's been kidnapped." That word raise more question than answer. "How did you kidnap a god?" Naoya asks, thinking that Yu is not making any sense.

"…Even though she's a shadow, she has a human appearance. The weather reporter, Mariko Kasumi, is actually Izanami in her human form." Yu answer has greatly surprise them. "You mean…that reporter that went missing a few days ago?! I see… So Izanami is the one you want to find with Contact Card." Tatsuya said, but receive no respond from Yu.

"It was probably Takaya and his group that kidnapped her." Labrys guess.

4th topic: The people under Nyarlathotep
"From the looks in this file here, we have about 4 person that involved in Nyarlathotep's plan, Tatsuya Sudou, Takaya Sakaki, Tohru Adachi and…Takahisa Kandori?" Mitsuru read the list of name of Nyarlathotep's people. "I thought you said Takahisa Kandori is dead in 1996."

"I know, but I swear that I saw him as the driver when I was almost kidnapped by Sudou." Maya said, giving her proof. "He has been resurrected once in the past by Nyarlathotep's power. So I'm sure my wife is telling the truth. Tatsuya Sudou was the same, he died once before we saw him again yesterday." Tatsuya support his wife.

"Whatever their scheme is, it is possible that they were the one that stole Minato Arisato's body." Naoto said.

"That is quiet impossible, how can anyone did not saw Minato's grave being dug? There must be a witness even at night they saw the vehicles that carry his body." Akihiko reject the idea.

"Unless if they do it in Dark Hour." Fuuka said. "If all of them have a persona, they can surely experience the Dark Hour."

"I would think the same, but even if they did, they still need a vehicle to carry the body without being notice. As far as I remember, there were no electricity and light during the Dark Hour, let alone a moving vehicle." Tatsuya said.

"…No, it is possible for a vehicle to be active during the Dark Hour." Mitsuru begin to explain, "In Kirijo Company, most of us can adapt to the Dark Hour even without a persona. We even made a special vehicle that can actively use in Dark Hour… But it's not possible for outsiders to have such a vehicle without Kirijo's order."

"Are you saying that…there's someone in your company that supplies such a vehicle for them to be use?" Katsuya ask to confirm it. "Hey, when I remember again, wasn't there someone that can easily take control over Labrys mind? He must have a technology like Kirijo Company." Yosuke remind everyone about the Eerie Voice that took control over Labrys in the P-1 Grand Prix tournament.

Everyone lock their attention to Mitsuru who's thinking deeply, trying to find any suspect in Kirijo's company. "…I don't have a suspect, but I will take immediate action to find anything suspicious in my company." Mitsuru said. "Let's move to our next topic."

5th topic: The Four Horsemen
"Any valuable info?" Nanjo ask, but actually force his eye on Naoya who pretend to ignore the question. "Hmm…how about you, Naoya?" Nanjo direct the question to him.

"…Nah, I'm out of clue." Naoya shrug while avoiding the stares from his friends. "Something about Conquest was the one set the date of the Judgement Day is 'out of clue'?" Yukino force the question on Naoya, at the same time surprising everyone in the room. "Wait, you know something about Conquest?!" Maya ask, but Naoya stubbornly shrug again.

"What about the other three: War, Strife and Death?" Baofu speak.

"I don't know anything about War and Death, but I notice that my persona, Izanagi, seems to recognize Strife well enough for them to start a conversation." Yu explain. "During our battle with Adachi yesterday, Strife suddenly appear and stop our battle before he said Mari- I mean, Izanami is fine."

"Almost sounds funny, but Izanagi was supposed to be from Japan mythology. The Four Horsemen was from the 'Book of Revelation' of Christian. It's hard to believe for them to recognize each other." Ken speaks for the first time since the start of the meeting.

"Persona and shadow are one and the same, came from our true self and collective unconsciousness,that's why I think it's possible. Since the Four Horsemen is so powerful, I bet our personas recognize them." Labrys said.

"About Death…" Aigis begin to speak, but left her word hangs itself. On the Shadow Operative mind, Ryoji was the 'Death' that became the harbinger of the Fall. But to find another entity with the same name…

"What about Death?" Kanji ask after a long silence. "…There is a shadow that we fought who was called 'Death'. He was the one that bring Nyx upon the world two years ago. But he was suppose to be sealed along with Nyx, so I'm can't confirm whether or not it's the same 'Death' as Death of the Four Horsemen." Mitsuru explain.

'…Possible…' Naoya thought to himself, as he lean back to his chair.

"So we got Conquest as the one that 'set' the date for the Judgement Day, nothing at all about War, Strife who seems to know Narukami's persona and Death, who might be the same entity that the Shadow Operative fought two years ago." Nanjo conclude, "I think this is as far as we could go, the rest is up to the Shadow Operative to investigate the tower, Tartarus."

'Wait, what about the Nuclear Chaos? If the entity is one of the Four Horsemen, which one is him? Or is the 'Nuclear Chaos' a separated being?' Tatsuya think, but decide to keep it to himself.

With the conclusion, everyone begin to rouse from their seat and starts to pack their things. "What are you going to do now, Tatsuya?" Yu ask. "I'm going back to my city of course. I still got a son who's waiting for me." Tatsuya replies. "As for you, you can continue your school at Inaba."

The member of the Investigation Team stop abruptly as they turn to Tatsuya at the same time, finally remember that they still have school to attend. "B-But the world is about to end, who care about school?" Yosuke said, trying to argue with Tatsuya. "Oh yes you do. Remember, I'm a vice-chief police, I can arrest all of you if you dare try to skip school." Tatsuya said, giving a warning glare at the Investigation Team, making them shiver.

"Then I better finish my study at Inaba, I'll talk to my parents about changing my school to Yasogami High so I can focus on Nanako and my uncle. I'm sure they'll understand." Yu said calmly, much to the joy of his friends.

Rise quickly clings to his arm. "Yay! I get to finish my study with senpai! We can walk home together, eat together, hold hands together, kyaa~!" Rise said joyfully. "We'll see!" Yukiko said as she clings to Yu's other arm.

"I'm glad, Yu-senpai." Naoto said with a tint of red on her cheeks. Yu grin at her, causing her to cover her face with her hand in embarrassment. It's in times like these that she regrets not wearing a hat.

"Now I can force you to teach me in my studies again!" Chie said happily. "Am I only a mere tutor for you? I'm hurt." Yu said in fake hurt.

"O-Of course not! I'm just happy to spend time with you again…idiot…" Chie said while blushing lightly.

'Lucky bastard…' Most of the guy in the room thought simultaneously.

"We shall part ways for today, but next time let us hope that Arisato will be joining us." Mitsuru said. "3 days left, just 3 more days before we can witness all four man of prophecy gather." Eriko said.

The day come close to noon and they all take their separate way home. Nanjo's group retakes the same private plane to reach Sumaru City, before they part away with Nanjo and Naoya that decide to drive straight to Mikage-Cho to take Naoya's precious car. Tatsuya and Maya however, decide to take the train home and went straight to Lisa's resident to meet with their son. The Investigation Team is taking the train as well, but their destination would be Inaba as their school reopens tomorrow after the explosion case is closed. The Shadow Operative is preparing themselves for their exploration to Tartarus tonight, hoping to find any lead to Minato's missing body…

?

? – 11/11/2012 – Somewhere behind the Great Seal

"Well done, Orpheus, for telling them about the seal." Said the blue haired boy who stands alone in the white space to Orpheus that floats above him, "But I'm more worry about Ryoji and Elizabeth, because I cannot sense them anymore… Where could they be?..."

"They are safe, only further than you can think of." A second voice is heard through the white space. The boy turn to see a man dressed in full white cloth, suited with a blue butterfly mask that covered his entire face except for the eye. His long and dark blue hair is tied up and his right hand is seen holding tightly to something.

"Who are you?" The boy asks, but the respond is a simple chuckle from him. "My name is Philemon, the dweller in the rift of consciousness and unconsciousness. I'm the one that bestowed upon you your Wild Card ability as well as personas ability to you and your friends." Philemon introduces himself. Slowly, he opens his right fist and from his hand, a blue butterfly flew away and quickly disappears into thin air.

"…It was you, you're the blue butterfly that I saw on the train that day." The boy said, remembering the glimpse of blue butterfly on his first arrival to his hometown. "Correct, and as the deity of the collective unconsciousness, you help is the most needed among all four man of prophecy." Philemon said.

"What prophecy?" The boy ask, confused.

"It is no surprise if you know nothing about it. You can only see everything that happened near the Great Seal, so I believe you know about Nyarlathotep's plan to use Yog-Sothoth to destroy your soul but you know nothing about the Four Horsemen and the prophecy?" Philemon explains.

"The Four Horsemen? I don't know about them, but then why Nyarlathotep came for Nyx by destroying the Great Seal?" The boy asks.

"Surely you don't how Nyx supposed to destroy the world by Erebus contact her?" Philemon smile, not like he can see it or anything.

"I don't get it." The boy swiftly answers.

"Nyx is only a 'container', but Erebus was born to fuel her true power to bring the end of the world. Thanatos is the key to pass down that true power to Nyx before it was fueled by Erebus. That is Death of the Four Horsemen, bearing the Archetype of sorrow and death." The boy blink his eye upon Philemon's word as it was his first time hearing such word.

"The 'Archetype'?" The boy asks again.

"Me and Nyarlathotep had long abandoned that word ever since we made a bet of humanity's fate, we only refer to it as 'butterfly' based on our Archetype symbol. But you have created one of the most powerful Archetype symbol in the collective unconsciousness, known as the 'Universe' that once resided within you." Philemon said, slowly lifts his hand high in the air and said…

"Let me take you to a place where your most important decision will take place."

From his hand, a sudden burst of bright light appears, blinding the boy's vision and slowly making him lose consciousness.

…

? - ?/?/? – Rooftop?

When he opens his eye, he sees that the white space surrounding him has turn to a place, a place he felt extremely familiar with. He observes around him and he sees daylight, it is a quiet but peaceful moment. He observes again, and he notice he is at the rooftop of some school. He is sitting on one of the bench, wearing his school uniform.

"This is…" The boy begins to speak and as he tries to stand, he finally notices there's someone lying on his lap, someone…

He remembers everything, this is the same moment that happened to him before his death. He was landing his head on Aigis's lap, waiting for any moment for his eventual demise. But this time, the role has been change. He was the one that sitting, while the person on his lap…

A girl, wearing a female Gekkoukan High School uniform, she has auburn color hair which is tied in a high ponytail, along with silver barrettes which form the roman numeral 'XXII'. Her age is probably about the same as him. She's sleeping…no, she's 'resting' with her eye close.

Now, the boy is popular for being a ladies' man, so he had met a fair share of beautiful and gorgeous women, such as Yukari and Mitsuru. Even adorable ones like Fuuka. But this girl…he found her beauty to be unique, her sleeping form look so peaceful and serene. To him, she looks like an angel.

While he is admiring her beauty, the boy doesn't realize that one of his hands is holding the girl's hand tightly.

"…You…" The boy said in a very low tone. The girl slowly opens her eye, revealing a pair of crimson red eyes. He is quickly captivated by her beautiful crimson orbs, as it is the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. As the girl stare at the boy's face, her pink lips suddenly form into a smile. She raises her free hand and gently strokes the boy's cheek before saying…

…

"Makoto, do you love me?"

…

"Ahhh!" The boy gasps, panting a bit before he realizes he is back at the white space with Philemon. "It's just a premonition, whether or not it will become reality depends on you." Philemon calmly speaks.

"But it was different… Aigis should be in my position and the girl, I'm the one that should be in her position…" The boy said panting, while taking a deep breath, "And she called me Makoto, what does-"

"All the questions to your answer will come to you sooner than you expected." Philemon interrupts him, as he slowly disappears into a swamp of blue butterfly, "We'll meet again, Minato Arisato, the messiah of the universe…"

The blue haired boy is alone once more, no Philemon or Orpheus on sight. His mind becomes fuzzy as the auburn haired girl's image keeps on appearing in his mind.

A/N: Although the persona users think Orpheus song is beautiful, I think it's just a simple lyric a child can make. What about you readers? Sorry if the song is not as beautiful as you think. (I'm not a music composer) Not much to be said about this chapter, except that Naoya and Tatsuya's group will return to Sumaru City, the Investigation Team will continue their study at Inaba with Yu and the Shadow Operative will be investigating Tartarus. 3 more days before Minato is free from the Great Seal, so please be more patient with me.

About the word 'Archetype', THAT is my most powerful theory in this story, but I decide to lefts the detail unexplained until Minato's return. For the last part where the girl with auburn hair… Seriously, do I really to say it for you to guess who she is?