whistle. And we're back... Well, just me for now, my co-authors are kinda busy doing nothing productive. Screw em.
Wuteven : Alright, here is a question, Minato or Ryoji? Who do you like more?
Xaxiel : do you have any doubt?
oldreader : Nope, I don't ship anyone now, I go with what makes the most sense, haha. He thanks you and well, brace yourself for more. This won't be pretty.
guest : I greatly fear for your female family members.
Ryoji slammed the door open and took a glance around the lounge before taking a step inside the dorm. He breathed in and took the scent, almost puking due to the disgust building inside of him. "Disgusting..." he spat but at the same time, the lounge brought back memories-
A vivid memory managed to surprise him. It was the memory of him and Minato-
Why was it so blurry?
Ryoji shrugged it off and walked over to the couch, gently placing the passed out blunet down. "Minato..." he smiled slightly, even if Minato was disfigured, he was still a brother to him and now, at last, they were finally reunited.
Ryoji thought ahead to the future and smiled wider. "Perfect... This will be perfect."
His happiness was cut short when he heard a number of quick footsteps and that brought the disgust back to him. They were coming back. Those worthless sons of bitches were here.
Ryoji turned around and the first one he saw was Hamuko and she was panting hard.
"Minato!" Hamuko cried. She rushed forward and brushed past Ryoji, crouching down to inspect Minato but at the same time, the shadow of Ryoji above her made the redhead shiver and soon enough, she started shaking.
"That's enough..." Ryoji said slowly. "Get. Off. Him..."
That cold voice of his made her shudder again but Hamuko didn't. She grabbed a hold of Minato's wrist and began to check for his pulse, an act that displeased the God of Death.
"I said!" Ryoji snapped and the next moment, Hamuko found herself on her back, far, far away from Minato. "Get away..."
"What the hell just happened?" Hamuko blinked. She briefly recalled being launched through the air but it happened so fast, as if her mind just blanked for a few seconds. "Ugh..." she managed to get up and walk a few steps forward, eyeing the shadow with hate, hate for all that he had done to them but at the same time, she was afraid, seized by an explainable fear.
"Y-You..." Hamuko gritted her teeth. Everything that went wrong in her life or in the life of Minato, every single thing was the fault of the black haired student standing a few feet away. "I-I never thought I'd see you again..."
"Hmmm..." Ryoji narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I never wanted to see you again," Hamuko hissed. "You piece of shit-" she was cut short whne Ryoji opened his mouth slightly and widened his eyes a little more, sending another cold shiver down her spine.
"I'd watch your mouth if I were you," the male spoke calmly but at the same time, his voice was cold than even Makoto.
"Watch my mouth?" Hamuko spat. "I have so so much to say to you..."
"Speak one more word and you will regret it," Ryoji promised.
Hamuko bit her lip. It was clear from the venom in his tone that Ryoji didn't like her one bit which was strange because Pharos had called her a friend on numerous occasions and even consoled her when Minato was away in Strega. Before she could talk back, the rest of her team came running in and all of them were wary of the teenager standing in the middle.
"Fuck!" Ryoji cursed, hate flooding into his stoned heart the moment he glanced at their ugly faces. He had half a mind to head over and brutally maim them for all that they had done to Minato but he relented because their fate deserved to be a lot more painful.
Sho met his gaze and for the first time, he had trouble keeping eye contact and for the first time, he began to feel fear, an emotion he had never experienced before despite being on death doors so many times before.
Mitsuru noticed that Ryoji was breathing hard and grinding his teeth together, his body was also shaking, most likely due to disgust and hate. It seemed like he was going to explode at any moment. He hated them immensely, that was clear from the murderous look in his eye.
"Do not do anything stupid," Mitsuru said to her team mates. "Do not provoke him, no matter what."
Akihiko gulped, sweat running down the side of his face. The way Ryoji was staring at them, he was afraid to take even a step in fear that the demon would rush over and kill him for making the slightest sound. "I got you."
He looked back and everyone was the same, pale and horrified just standing in the same room as him. All of them grew terrified even when the dorm was miles away because they could sense that ghastly aura for miles, it was that terrifying and now, face to face, none of them managed to talk.
Ryoji took another look at Minato's bruised face and maybe it was because of the sickening auras of the teenagers but he lost it, causing the nearby lights to burst simultaneously, startling the persona user.
"What did you do to him!?" Ryoji demanded in a horribly distorted voice, his blood boiling in hate and fury. He set his sights on Hamuko and bolted, pressing her against the wall in a couple of seconds.
Hamuko couldn't even see him due to all the darkness, much less move out of the way and a second later, she was against the wall, Ryoji's hateful face staring at her from above.
"I told you to take care of him!" he demanded, knocking the breath out of her lungs by applying just a bit of pressure.
"Hey!" Akihiko finally managed to yell. "Get off her!"
Ryoji paid no attention to him and gazed into her soul, making her freeze again. "You weak pathetic fool! Look what you did to my brother, you worthless bitch!"
Hamuko found her courage. "What did you do to him, huh!?" she yelled. "You goddamn abomination!"
Before Ryoji could punish her for talking back, someone finally pushed him way, or rather, made him take a couple of steps back. The black haired teen didn't even blink and only looked up to see Sho standing beside Hamuko, staring him down.
"Bad move," Ryoji said. "Fucked up move..."
"Wait!"
Ryoji stopped briefly as Mitsuru stepped in front of Sho with her hands up, trying to calm him down. He didn't attack just yet and enjoyed the look of fear on the face of Mitsuru, hell, even Sho had a hard time controlling the fear, evident by the deep breaths that he was taking.
"Heh," at the end, humans were humans, weak and fearful. They were insignificant to Gods like him and Minato.
"Calm down," Mitsuru said, trying to defuse the tension. There was still a lot that they needed to know. Who was Ryoji? What was his connection to Minato? But looking at his face, Mitsuru doubted she could get the answers by herself.
"I vaguely remember you," Ryoji recalled, a number of bad memories drilling into his psyche. All of them had wronged Minato, he could recall a single moment in which they didn't annoy or berate him. "Take my advice and keep your mouth shut..." he said, walking over to Minato.
Ryoji picked him up again, unable to stand in the same floor as the others. "Stay away..." he headed for the steps and looked back one more of them with his large shinning blood red. "Or else..." he spat and stormed up the steps, taking Minato with him.
"D-Dammit..." Junpei cursed, unable to stop himself from shuddering. It only took a few minutes but those few minutes felt like the longest of his life, they were that painful. "W-Who is he?"
Hamuko coughed out and gritted her teeth. Dammit, that fear... she thought she had gotten rid of it when she awakened to the wild card but every time she glanced at Ryoji, the dread returned to her. It was a lot different than last time, it had nothing to do with horrible memories, childhood memories, this time, the fear was a lot more pure and simply reeked off death, simply put.
"He's Death..." Hamuko answered. The same entity who had made Minato's life a living hell for the past ten years.
"D-Death?" Yukari murmured, speaking lowly to make sure her voice didn't reach the horrfying entity on the upper floor.
"You seem to know him," Mitsuru said. "Who is he, Hamuko?"
Hamuko bit her lip, not sure how to explain. "He's the demon..." the redhead said slowly. "Remember how you guys said that Minato was possessed by something supernatural? Well... Ryoji is the one who possessed him."
Everyone tried not to gasp but they were a little sound could set Ryoji off but a few surprised gasps did end up escaping their mouths.
"H-How do you know?" Akihiko asked.
"I just do," Hamuko closed her eyes and recalled that horrible night ten years ago. "I could never forget that feeling..." she looked back to see Aigis who was still motionless and badly damaged, being supported by Junpei who was having a hard time getting a grip on her. He came in and took one of them away, he took Aigis away in a couple of seconds.
That damn thing was just bad luck for them. Everything that he touched, he destroyed.
"I can't wait here," Hamuko shook her head. There was no way she was going to leave Minato alone with a psycho like Ryoji. He was acting a lot nicer to Minato but she didn't trust him one single bit.
"Hamuko, wait!" Yukari cried but her friend paid no attention to her warning and raced up the steps.
"Shit," Junpei looked down. As much as he wanted to head up and offer support, his heart just wasn't into it.
Mitsuru took another look at Aigis and winced. The repairs would take a long time, that was for sure.
...
Ryoji was still hovering over Minato, smiling at the future that awaited the two of them. Just the two of them.
"Don't worry brother," Ryoji said. "Everything will be fine... I will take care of you now..." he promised. Just when he was about to reach down and hug the battered blunet, Hamuko came running into his room, shouting at the God.
"Get the hell away from him!" she demanded. "Stay the fuck away from Minato, you monster!"
"Monster?" Ryoji didn't move and merely twisted his head backwards, scaring the crap outta Hamuko but she held in the scream and glared back at him, drawing out an amused chuckle from the male.
"I'm not going to let you touch him," Hamuko spat. "Everything you touch, you destroy. No wonder I hated your stupid guts the moment I saw you."
Ryoji laughed, grabbing a hold of his neck to bring his head back. He finally turned around, a sadistic grin playing on his features. "What did you do?"
Hamuko growled.
"I left him for a few months, in your care," Ryoji spat. "And he's barely recognizable."
Hamuko went silent. She couldn't deny that, her weakness did end up costing Minato a lot but at the same time, Ryoji was no saint and looking back, he was the reason Minato was forced to endure the torture that he went through. All because of him and his bloodlust.
"I never thought I'd see yo again," Hamuko said. "I dreamed of this moment every single day for the past 10 years. The day I would see you again so I could beat the crap out of you, for all you did to me and him."
"Do it," Ryoji dared. "I dare you, take a swing at me." he said, leaning his head closer.
Hamuko clenched her fist.
"On the contrary, I am not going to let you touch him," Ryoji promised. "You don't deserve to be anywhere near someone like my brother."
Hamuko reeled back in disgust. "Brother? Don't you dare call him a brother!"
"There is a bond between the two of us, a bond that you filthy mortals cannot comprehend," Ryoji said, recalling all the brutality that Minato had showered on pathetic weaklings in the past decade. All of those memories brought a smile to his face. "Stay the fuck away from him, you low life bitch."
"I'm not going to leave him alone with a monster like you," Hamuko swore. "Last time I did... I saw what happened."
"Last time that happened," Ryoji said. "You did nothing, and the same will happen now."
Hamuko lost it and screeched, breaking into a run for the taller male who didn't bat an eye at her charge. The redhead got close and grabbed a hold of his throat, hoping to choke the life out of him but Ryoji never budged, despite the collision and didn't even blink at the force.
"You-" Hamuko scowled in his face.
"Fool," Ryoji spat, shoving Hamuko away and even with the little force behind, the shove managed to launch Hamuko out of this room and sent her smashing against the door to Junpei's room.
Hamuko winced. What just happened? He had literally launched her across the air with a little shove.
"My brother took pity on you but don't push it," Ryoji warned. "I will inform him of your insolence and he will set you straight."
Hamuko got up. "If you really are Pharos, you know the bond between me and him. You are stupid if you think he will do anything to me."
Ryoji laughed again, causing beads of sweat to run down Hamuko's face. "Bond? You made me laugh and because of that, I will spare you this time. Stay away. Last warning." he waved his hand and the door to Minato's door slammed shut.
Hamuko pounded on the door. "You monster!" she shouted. "Let me in!" she punched the door a couple of times and bit her lip.
"One more word and I will kill everyone downstairs," Ryoji warned and the edge in his voice managed to stop Hamuko. He wasn't joking about that at all.
Hamuko backed off and shut her eyes. What on earth was she supposed to do now?
A sigh escaped her lips.
All she could do now is wait for Minato to get up. "Minato..." she winced at the thought of heart-ache that was coming for the blunet. He indeed loved Pharos like a brother and finding out that he was the one behind all the crap that he went through was going to be painful.
Minato's nerves weren't the same anymore, evident by the fact that he had cried more in the past week than he did in the whole year.
"Hey,"
Hamuko heard the whisper and turned to the side.
Mitsuru was standing there with her hand outstretched towards the junior. "Come back down... We need to talk..."
Hamuko looked back at the door, sent a prayer for Minato and joined Mitsuru. They just had to wait for Minato to wake up and hopefully, he would be able to calm Ryoji down and get some answers outta him.
Back down, everyone was terrified and clearly broken just due to the aura of the black haired student. Even the fearless ones like Akihiko and Sho were clearly wary. They were sharing the dorm with a goddamn demon who was strong enough to freeze them with just a stare. God knew what was going to happen if Ryoji actually got serious.
"No wonder Minato was like that..." Yukari muttered. But at least, Minato had a little bit of warmth, especially towards the last few days where he finally became one of them, Ryoji lacked even that. Yukari couldn't sense a little bit of warmth from him which meant there was nothing holding him back...
"This is all so crazy," Junpei spoke up, clenching his fists. "I hope he doesn't possess Minato again... He's had enough now..."
"The worst is yet to come," Hamuko said, to herself mostly. She was fully expecting a breakdown from Minato. She couldn't fathom how painful the revelation was going to be. "I guess the fates just don't want us to be happy..."
Even now, she could hear Ryoji's frantic footsteps in the upper floor, he was pacing around in Minato's room, clearly annoyed by the wait. She had no intention to take a risk and have Ryoji murder her friends. Best option right not was to leave him with Minato because the only solace in the nightmarish situation was that Ryoji still cared for Minato.
"For how long...?" Hamuko closed her eyes.
"Ugh," the moment Minato woke up, he leaked a few tears and pushed down on his chest, trying to ease the painful ache on his heart. His single eye slowly opened and the blunet pulled his head up slightly, scanning his room-
"Minato!"
Said teenager cringed. Oh God, what was he even supposed to feel?
The cold voice made him sit up on his bed and almost immediately, Ryoji hugged him, a little too tightly, causing him some pain but Minato was a little numb to the sensation, still trying to process the fucked up situation that he was in.
"I knew I'd see you again!"
"..."
"I missed you!"
"..."
Minato was still frozen, looking up at the black haired teenager who was still hugging him with a smile on his face which made Minato think he was staring into an old mirror.
His old self with the same smirk flashed across his eyes and Minato tried to pull away to no avail. Ryoji was just inhumanely strong and didn't even feel Minato trying to break the hug.
"Are you not happy to see me?" Ryoji said with an edge in his voice.
"I..." Minato had no idea how to answer that. When he first found that he was Pharos, he was the most happy he had been in a long time but the horrible truth that followed left him no idea on how to react anymore.
"I-I am..." Minato said, trying to push the horrible memories and the pain to the back of his mind. He hugged Ryoji back, patting his shoulder which calmed the entity down.
Ryoji pulled away from the hug and sat down next to him, looking over his face. "What happened to you...?"
Minato kept staring at him for a few moments. One part of him wanted to grab Ryoji by the head and beat the shit out of him while the other wanted to hug him again... What on earth was he supposed to do?
Who was he?
Death? The entity who had ruined his life?
Or was he Pharos, the kid who he considered a family...?
"A lot of bad stuff..." Minato managed, trying to bottle up his emotions.
"Did those bastards do anything to you!?" Ryoji demanded. "Just say it once and I will present their heads to you, right now."
"No," Minato shook his head, fighting back the sobs. "It's alright..."
Ryoji raised an eyebrow at his unusual kindness. When was he this merciful?
"How could you allow this to happen to you?" Ryoji said.
"Stuff happened..." Minato tried to form the name in his mouth. "Pharos... A lot of stuff happened."
"Don't worry," Ryoji said, turning Minato around to face him. "I will make everything right..."
Minato finally cringed but Ryoji kept on talking.
"Just like 10 years ago..."
Minato clenched his fist. He wanted to get up and punch the bastard for ruining his life but...
Minato managed a smile and patted his shoulder, like he used to do before. He couldn't handle another fight anymore, despite all that had happened, his heart just wasn't able to go through another fight especially with someone like Ryoji.
"Brother..." Ryoji smiled at him and hugged the blunet again.
Minato leaked a few tears. This was a slap on the face to his parents since he was hugging the entity who had caused their death.
His only option now was to secure the lives of his friends, nothing more or nothing less.
"We have to talk," Ryoji said. "There is something that you must know."
"Okay," Minato nodded slightly. "I'll gather the rest."
"Who gives a shit about them!?"
"I do," Minato replied, confusing Ryoji who frowned at him.
Minato stood up and stumbled his way out of the room and went downstairs.
Ryoji blinked. Did Minato just leave him alone to meet up with the rest.
"Nah," Ryoji smiled as he glanced around his room, enjoying the vivid memories.
Minato stumbled his way down the stairs and was immediately hugged by Hamuko who was standing near the steps, waiting for him for the past several hours.
"Minato!" she cried. "Are you okay?"
The rest stood up and ran over to him again, pity and remorse clearly on their features.
"Yeah," Minato lied, pulling away from the hug. He glanced at the others and spoke. "He wants to tell us something-" he was cut off when Yukari shirked in horror before clasping her mouth shut.
Minato widened his eye and looked back to see Ryoji standing on the first few steps, frowning at the scene. Those filthy humans were standing so close to Minato that it made him sick to his stomach.
"Ryoji?" Minato said.
Ryoji glared at Yukari. "Back away..." he ordered and Yukari gulped, slowly moving away from Minato until the blunet grabbed a hold of his wrist, stopping her from moving away.
"It's fine," Minato said.
Ryoji gritted his teeth. What was he doing?
"Gather up in the command room," Minato ordered. "Ryoji has something to tell us."
"Right," Mitsuru nodded.
Minato moved up the steps, brushed past Ryoji and headed towards the command room.
"Hmmm..." Ryoji followed him up.
"Now," Hamuko shouted, still not comfortable about leaving Minato alone for a second.
After a couple of minutes, everyone gathered up in the command room, still shaken up and terrified. Even with Minato around, the ghostly aura was still rolling off Ryoji, burning the oxygen in the air. Everyone just kept staring at their shoes, with only Minato and Hamuko being able to stare at Ryoji who was pacing around the room.
"Who are you...?" Mitsuru finally broke the tense silence. "... No, what are you?"
"Funny that you are the one asking me that," Ryoji sneered, finally taking a seat on the single couch. "I'm same as the beings that you call shadows."
"You're a shadow!?" Junpei gawked.
"Quiet!" Ryoji hissed. "In fact, scratch that, I'm no mere shadow. I am the 13th Arcana, the embodiment of every shadow."
Mitsuru gulped.
"I am Death," Ryoji answered, leading to Hamuko growling.
"Death," Minato murmured. So that was the name, it was actually a little fitting.
"No wonder your presence..." Sho bit hip lip. "Reeks..."
"Brother, why did you leave him alive?" Ryoji spat, glaring at Sho. "You should have killed him during the first yet."
Minato blinked. That was a far cry from the Pharos that he knew.
"Elaborate on that," Mitsuru continued. "How did you-"
"No," Minato interjected. "Forget about that right now. You said you were sealed into me, what do you mean by that?"
"It is true," Ryoji leaned back on the couch, recalling the moment with a smile which sickened Minato. Why the heck was he smiling about that!?
"10 years ago, a man collected a great number of shadows..." his eyes shone and then fixed on Mitsuru. "And that someone was your bastard grandfather."
Mitsuru bit her lip, looking over to Minato who was listening intently.
"So..." Mitsuru clenched her fist. "The group is responsible for what happened to him... I'm sorry, Minato." she whispered to herself. Another sin, another innocent life ruined by her family.
"The unification process was interrupted and I escaped," Ryoji frowned. "I ran out of the facility and headed for the moonlight bridge and someone else followed me there."
Hamuko grabbed Minato's hand, squeezing it to calm him down.
"That someone was Aigis," Ryoji continued.
"So..." Minato blinked. Aigis was the fourth person on the bridge?
Ryoji started laughing, unnerving the others. "Even then, she was pathetically weak and never came close to matching me, so in a last desperate attempt, she ended up sealing me a child who happened to be nearby..." he said and then turned to Hamuko who flinched and looked away.
"But then, someone else came running in and took her place," his gaze then fell on Minato who sucked in a deep breath. He was hoping that he had misheard at the bridge but no, what he heard was true, Ryoji was indeed everything that was wrong with his life.
"I'm so glad that you came in, Minato," Ryoji nodded. "I couldn't stomach being with someone as weak as her."
Minato frowned, not liking the jab. What the hell happened to Pharos? he was never like this.
A long silence prevailed in the command room with the teenagers exchanging nervous glances, unsure of what to say further.
"So..." Fuuka spoke. "What now?"
"You are all going to die," Ryoji announced with glee, leading to everyone gulping, fearful that he was going to attack them.
"No," Minato stood, holding out his arms. "Don't attack them."
"What are you doing?" Ryoji shook his head. Why was he caring for them? Made no sense.
"What do you mean we are going to die?" Akihiko asked.
Ryoji tore his eyes from Minato and faced the others again. "The fall is coming..."
"The fall?" Minato parroted. Pharos had talked about the fall briefly but never really expanded on it properly. "What do you mean?"
"I am the appraiser," Ryoji said. "My existence is the affirmation of the fall, a prophecy that has been going on for centuries," he turned back to Mitsuru. "The prophecy that your grandfather embraced with open arms."
"W-What is the fall?" Mitsuru asked.
Ryoji leaned his head forward, another psychotic smile sliding into his features. "The end of humanity."
"W-What!?" Ken gasped.
"What do you mean the end?" Hamuko demanded. "This is another sick joke, it has to be!"
"I told you..." Ryoji clenched his fist, warning Hamuko again. "Keep your mouth shut, or else-"
"Hey,"
Hamuko blinked.
"Don't look at her like that,"
Ryoji narrowed his eyes at Minato who stepped in front of Hamuko.
"And turn your frown upside down,"
Hamuko smiled slightly. This was a moral victory for her. Minato was still defending her and taking her side.
Ryoji wasn't liking his new attitude, in fact, the change in Minato was making him a little sick. What had happened to Minato?
"Continue," Minato said. "What is the fall?"
"As I said, the fall is the end of humanity," Ryoji replied. "The shadows are here to bring forth the maternal being..." he paused for a few seconds, a genuine smile forming on his face. "Nyx..." he whispered the name with a great deal of respect and awe.
Everyone shivered, the name inspiring fear into their hearts.
"Nyx?" Minato clutched his chest, trying to calm his heart down. "W-Who is that...?"
"Nyx is a great entity, brother, the mother of all shadows," Ryoji widened his sick smile. "When she awakens, darkness will cover the land again and every living thing will perish."
A number of horrified gasps from the teenagers angered the God of Death who screeched in return, stomping onto the ground. "Shut the fuck up!" he spat, giving them a dark look.
"E-Everyone will die?" Junpei couldn't help but scream. "W-What are you saying?"
"I'm not lying," Ryoji smirked. "You filthy humans will get what's coming to you. I promise, the fall will be horrible and I am going to enjoy your pain and suffering-"
"What are you saying?" Minato said. "Ryoji! What happened to you?"
"Hm?" Ryoji shrugged. "I'm perfectly alright, Minato, why do you ask?"
"No, why are you-"
"You hate them too, don't you?" Ryoji said, pointing at the others. "I mean, you went to bed every night praying for a painful demise for everyone of them."
Minato chewed on his bottom lip, hiding his face from the others. "Dammit..."
"I am granting you that wish," Ryoji swore. "I promise, they will die in the most horrific way possible."
"Stop it," Minato ordered.
"What the fuck is going on?" Ryoji finally stood up. "I know you hated them. You cannot lie to me. I felt every bit of the hate. The only one whom you tolerated was the worthless female behind you."
"Don't talk about Hamuko like that," Minato warned.
What the heck was going on with Minato? He was everything a God was before, cold, ruthless and powerful. Now, this new attitude of his was making Ryoji sick to his stomach. Minato was ugly, broken and worst of all... He had grown soft and caring.
No, this had to be some sort of trick. Had to be. Maybe Minato was just joking around.
"Okay..." Ryoji breathed out, trying to calm down. He gave an all knowing smirk to Minato and nodded.
"How do we stop the fall?" Junpei asked. "I mean, we can do it right? All we have to do is beat Nyx, that's all!" he grinned.
Ryoji gave a dark chuckle. "Beating Nyx? You are still stupid as ever," he laughed. "Beating Nyx is impossible. You'll have a much better chance at stopping the flow of time."
"What?" Hamuko clasped her mouth.
"Defeating Nyx is impossible," Ryoji declared. "And let me tell you, if you ever speak her name out of tone, there will be hell to pay."
"So... you're saying the fall is inevitable?" Fuuka asked.
"Yes, there is no way to stop the fall," Ryoji assured. "You are all going to die, there is no stopping that. Good riddance, you fucking weaklings."
Everyone was at a lost for words. An undefeated enemy? They had a hard time believing that but even someone as powerful as Ryoji was speaking the name with a great deal of respect. The mother of shadows... Which meant she was also the mother of the God standing before them.
"HAHAHAHAHAH!" Ryoji started laughing again, enjoying the fearful looks on the faces of the mortals. "What? Are you scared?"
"Grrr," Sho was shaking as well. If Nyx was really a mother to Ryoji then he couldn't fathom how powerful she would be.
"You're joking right, Ryoji?" Minato finally forced a smile, knocking Ryoji on the shoulder. "You're kidding, right? I-I mean, there is no way this could be true-"
"I would never lie to you," Ryoji said, smiling back at the blunet. "The end of humanity is coming, rejoice brother! This is what you always wanted!"
Minato fell silent, trying hard not to scream. After all those years, when he finally a home... This was going to happen. Everyone was going to die and the most painful truth was... This whole problem was his fault. He was the one who grew up carrying Ryoji.
"Every full moon shadow that you defeated, you came one step closer to completing me," Ryoji said. "And when you finished the last one, we had to say goodbye."
Ryoji rubbed the back of his neck. "I actually don't remember much of it. When did we say goodbye?"
Minato widened his eye. He had forgotten? Minato could never forget the night. The night was burned into his memory forever and yet, Ryoji had forgotten? Minato could recall Pharos crying his eyes out when he last saw him so why, why did he forget?
Nobody spoke for the next couple of minutes and Ryoji enjoyed the silence and the fear rolling off them but there was one thing he was not liking, that was the pain on Minato's features. It was clear that Minato was under a great amount of stress and so, after a few more seconds, the appraiser spoke up.
"The Promised Day is on January 31," Ryoji said. "On that night, Nyx will descend on the top of Tartarus and everything will end..." he turned to Minato and grinned. "But, there is still one way."
"One way?" Akihiko spoke up, a little hopeful. "What's that?"
Hamuko doubted it was anything good. The way Ryoji was smirking meant it was something twisted.
"We have been together for a long time now, haven't we, Minato?" Ryoji smirked. "10 years now and because of that, I can give you a choice."
"Choice?" Minato smiled slightly. Maybe Ryoji hadn't changed after all...
"Everyone will perish but you," Ryoji said slowly. "Just you, brother, you can live..."
"W-What?" Minato reeled back.
"Just for you, I can save you," Ryoji said, holding out his hand. "Let us be whole again..."
"No..." Minato kept backing off, not wanting any part of his offer. "What do you mean?"
"Come with me," Ryoji said. "Leave this pathetic world. Be with me. Be with Nyx."
"What the hell!?" Hamuko finally found her voice. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not saving you," Ryoji spat coldly. "Don't get hopeful."
"I don't want to be saved by someone like you!" Hamuko shot back. "But there is no way I'll let you take Minato! Stay away from him!"
"HAHAHAHA!" Ryoji cackled. "That's funny. What have you done for him? I saw you crying your eyes out when that shadow was on your tail. You couldn't do anything. I had to step in and kill him."
Mitsuru widened her eyes. So Ryoji was the one who had killed the shadow?
"I should have allowed that, to be honest," Ryoji scowled. "He should have raped you because you deserve it!"
"I hate you!" Hamuko spat.
"Without me, you'd be nothing, bitch," Ryoji hissed back. "I awakened your Wild Card. Get down and bow before me."
"Don't talk like you're some sort of saint," Hamuko spat. "Don't you remember all that you have done to Minato?"
"I did nothing wrong," Ryoji replied back casually.
"Nothing...?" Minato whispered. He had killed his parents, taken away his childhood, had given him countless mental and physical scars and yet, there was no pity in his voice. In fact, he actually sounded proud.
"I assure you, Minato," Ryoji said. "Everything will be alright. These wounds will be gone. Your eye will heal again. You will be back to normal."
"Normal...?" Minato hung his head low. The last 10 years of his life weren't normal at all...
"Forget these weaklings," Ryoji held his hand out again. "Be with us. I will save you again, like I did 10 years ago."
Minato gritted his teeth and looked back at his friends. All of them were silent but they were also pleading him to reject his offer. He then turned towards Hamuko who was shaking her head furiously, begging him not to leave them.
Minato looked back at Ryoji and then at his hand which he was still holding out.
"No..." Minato shook his head. "I refuse."
That finally did it, Ryoji pulled back in shock, startled to hear the answer from Minato and finally, the glare he was holding back came into his features, directed for Minato who was still back at him.
"What do you mean!?" Ryoji demanded. "I am holding my fucking hand towards you!"
"I refuse," Minato repeated. "No chance. No way. I am not leaving them to die."
"What are you doing!?" Ryoji's voice shifted to someone much deeper, something inhumane and more demonic. "Brother! What has gotten into you!?"
"..."
"Don't sacrifice yourself for these worthless sons of bitches!" the black haired male snarled. "They don't deserve someone like you. You deserve much, much, MUCH more! Now, take my fucking hand and COME WITH ME!"
By that point, Hamuko got up and stood beside him.
Ryoji scowled. What the fuck was wrong with Minato? Was this really Minato? The one he knew was never this soft. Never this emotional. Never this weak!
Soon enough, his other friends stood up and came to a stop beside him.
"What is this madness!?" Ryoji demanded to know. "What have you to done to my brother!?"
"They did a lot," Minato said, remembering how each and everyone of them protected him, how they fought against Makoto to keep him alive. "And I grew up."
"BULLSHIT!" Ryoji started yelling again. "They made you soft. Snap out of it. Remember! You love chaos, Minato. That is what defines the two of us. Remember the blood lust, remember who you were!"
"My answer will not change," Minato spoke firmly. "I don't want to leave them Ryoji..." he spoke softly, hoping to calm the God down but Ryoji got even angrier.
Ryoji was starting to pant and the rest braced themselves. Ryoji was looking like an unstable animal who could lash out at any second. Clearly, Minato rejecting his offer rattled him pretty badly and it also had did a number on his pride.
"So you are choosing her!?" Ryoji scowled at Hamuko. "Over me!?"
"I am not choosing anyone," Minato replied. "I just don't want to lose anyone."
"You are choosing her!" Ryoji screamed at the top of his lungs, making the entire building quake. "She is nothing. She is worthless. She is weak. She never did anything for you!"
"Are you really Pharos?"
"Fuck Pharos!" Ryoji scowled. "Don't call me that. Makes me sick. I am Ryoji! And I am telling you, dear brother..." he hissed the last part out. "Let go off them and join me."
"Calm down," Minato urged with a small smile. He couldn't leave his team but he also didn't want to lose Ryoji.
"I-I understand," Ryoji nodded furiously. "Y-You are still... uh... uh..." he stomped the ground. "Shaken, yeah, that's it. I-I'll give you a f-few days, think clearly and I will be back."
"I-I have until New Years Eve, after that, I will disappear," Ryoji said. "I-I know you will make the right decision and leave these pests."
"My answer will not change-"
"I am not taking a fucking no for an answer!" Ryoji screamed back at him and the rest grew terrified, thinking he was about to attack Minato but to the credit of the blunet, he never shied away and stood in front of him. "I will come back every single day until you make the right choice.
"You should make the right decision," Ryoji said and got dangerously close to Minato. "Or else..." he whispered.
"Or else what?" Minato finally winced, dreading to even think of a fight against the black haired teen. "Why are making this so difficult? Just me a break, please!"
"..."
"I beg of you, please," Minato bit his lip. "Don't make my life any harder. Give me a little break."
"I am going to save you," Ryoji nodded after hearing his begging. "Y-Yeah, I will. I fucking swear I will."
"No..." Minato gave a miserable sigh.
"Brother... Do not doubt me," Ryoji spoke up, his cold voice startling the teenagers. "I will give you time, come up with the right answer or else..."
He pointed at the members of SEES, his friends. "There will be hell to pay."
"Ryoji," Minato placed a hand on his shoulder and Ryoji broke down, finally having enough.
"FUCK!" he cursed out loud, the brutal vibrations of his demonic voice easily shattering the windows of the command room. Everyone backed off, clasping their ears until a powerful explosion of dark magic sent them crashing into the walls. Ryoji disappeared in the explosion with another ungodly screech.
"I'll be back!" he swore. "I WILL!"
Minato was not blasted back by the attack and still stood at the same place. "Heh..." he gave a bitter chuckle and a few tears that he held in finally started escaping the corner of his eye. Just another problem in his life, just great.
Minato scratched the back of his head and started moving, walking out of the command room.
"Minato!" Hamuko called out to him but he didn't listen. He dragged himself towards his room room and locked the door shut. He threw his smelly jacket to the side and kicked his shoes off before marching towards his bed.
"Huh..."
Ryoji was Pharos.
Pharos was Death.
Death was responsible for everything.
Death had given him an ultimatum.
Join him and watch his friends get slaughtered
Or...
Refuse him and watch his friends get slaughtered.
Minato couldn't hold the building levels of sorrow and despair and so he shouted on the top of his lungs, letting out a huge wail before he collapsed back down and just the like the nights before, he cried himself to sleep and slipped from one nightmare to another.
"Everything he touches, he destroys," Hamuko was in her own room, looking out the window. Her heart was broken even just thinking about the pain Minato was going through.
Death had backed him into another corner.
Ryoji was no brother.
He was selfish.
He had a twisted savior complex.
He thought he knew everything.
Ryoji never cared about the heart-broken look on his face. Never paid attention to the tears in the corner of his eye. He didn't care about the absolute hell Minato had gone through in the last few months.
"He came in..." Hamuko bashed her head against the desk. "And broke Minato again..."
"Dammit..." the redhead bit her lip. What on earth were they supposed to do now?
Ryoji was no Pharos.
He had grown up way too fast, all he had were broken, incomplete memories of his past self.
Even now, she could hear Minato crying in his room. She had begged him to open the door but he never did, understandably so.
"We need a miracle..." Hamuko closed her eyes and went to sleep with her head on the desk. She was way too exhausted after everything that had happened.
Deep down, despite the hate she held for Ryoji, she hoped, she wished, she prayed that he would come back to his senses. Like he had said before, Minato and Ryoji did have a bond, they were literally the same entity for the past 10 years.
"Come to your senses Pharos," Hamuko whispered.
"Come to your senses Pharos," Minato whispered.
"Come on, bro..."
I'm going to get Microsoft Word now. Writing on Notepad is a fucking pain.
As always, do review, favs and follows are cool-okay, not as much, I need feedback guys because I ain't doing this shit much longer now.
Hopefully we finish this by September, otherwise, it'll be a pain to update.
Good to see you peeps again. I swear, this is still going because of fan support, thanks for that for all these years. Cheers!