Guiding Star
Written by Aiyumi
Disclaimer: Persona and all related characters are property of Atlus. Any trademarks that may be referenced in this fan fiction are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and do not have any relations to said people/companies.
Chapter 16: Purpose
The full moon came. Just like the other time, SEES confronted Strega, then proceeded to defeat the 12th full moon Shadow. The battle ended. It was over... well, the first part anyway.
However, instead of everyone celebrating and calling a party like the other time, something different happened.
"Um... Is it just me, or does something actually seem off?" Yukari voiced her opinion. "I mean, we've just defeated the 12th Shadow, but somehow I don't have that conclusive feeling..."
Yukari glanced at Junpei, probably expecting to hear a laid-back response such as, "Relax, Yuka-tan. You're just being paranoid!" but the cap-wearing boy only gave her silence. Something quite unsettling, coming from him, and this had an equally unsettling reason. Junpei had remembered the past, and those who managed to remember the past knew their problems were not over just yet.
"No, it's not only you." Akihiko was the one who answered. "As to what's off, it's simply the fact that it's still Dark Hour. From the theory that the chairman gave us, defeating all of the Arcana Shadows should end the Dark Hour. If we go by this theory, the Dark Hour should've ended by now..."
Mitsuru raised an eyebrow. "Oh, Akihiko, you have a very good point..."
"Then, the theory was wrong?" Yukari had a troubled expression. "No, wait. Why do I have the feeling that we're missing even more than that?" Yet another glance at Junpei.
"H-hey, why are you looking at me?"
"Um, I think she's expecting you to break the awkward mood..." Minako gave her input.
"Wow, Yuka-tan's counting on me for something!" Junpei's comment didn't come out as cheerful as usual, though. "But I'm sorry. To tell the truth, I have this same nagging feeling as you. Uh, at least we can say that we agree with each other for once..."
"Ugh, why do you have to agree with me about eerie stuff, out of all things?!" Yukari was ready to vent her frustrations on their capped friend.
"Ah... Yukari-chan, calm down!" Fuuka tried to be the voice of reason. "L-let's wait until tomorrow, and if the Dark Hour still persists, we'll think about what to do next."
"It's a sensible plan." Mitsuru agreed. "I will contact the chairman and try to discuss the issue with him."
Everyone present nodded, and proceeded to make their way back to the dorm in silence.
Pharos had watched the whole interaction, and honestly, he couldn't agree more. Something wasn't right. Slowly but surely, Pharos' power was coming back, along with his memories. He had a nagging feeling about them, and stubbornly refused to think about his past. Pharos was afraid that if he were to remember his past, he wouldn't be the same anymore. All the things he learned and the feelings he experienced thanks to Minako made him the individual he was now. Even though remembering his true identity had been his main objective for all these ten years, now he believed that his new identity was as much as important, and he wasn't willing to throw it away.
Pharos was sure he could operate outside the Dark Hour now. He was sure he could break free from his prison. However, he chose not to. He wanted to stay with Minako for a bit more. It was only a matter of time until his memories exploded in his mind. There was no escape. When the time came, he would need to fulfill whatever his purpose was. Until then, though, he would try to hold his memories off for a while longer. He would be content if he could continue being Pharos and experience the outside world for at least one day.
Minako awoke the following morning expecting Pharos to be there like in the previous timeline, but he didn't show up.
She went downstairs and soon noticed that Aigis was missing, just like in the other timeline.
"Where is Ai-chan?" Minako asked, already with suspicions of what the answer would be.
"The chairman sent me a text message and told me that he took Aigis to the lab." Mitsuru informed. "I called his cellphone number, but he didn't pick the call up. I replied to his text message and told him that we have important matters to discuss. He hasn't gotten back to me yet."
Minako had a bad feeling about that. She had somehow hoped they could do something before Ikutsuki took Aigis away to reprogram her, but it was too late.
"Can't you call the lab right now?" Fuuka seemed to be having those same thoughts.
Mitsuru took her phone and called the lab, to no avail. "Nothing. No one picks up."
"W-what do we do?" Fuuka asked apprehensively.
"If he doesn't reply to my message until lunch break, I will try calling the lab again."
Mitsuru's plan didn't sound very promising. Those who had remembered the past resisted the urge to trade worried glances among themselves. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do, except go about their school day as normal.
In the afternoon, Pharos came out. He was finally moving outside the Dark Hour. It felt so good! As always, he was wearing the clothes Minako gave him. He took a walk on the street for a bit while marveling at the sights around. He stopped walking once he was in front of the dorm. Was Minako already back from school?
He heard Koromaru barking from inside and alerting the others of his presence. Pharos was wondering whether he should remain there and try asking someone about Minako when the door opened and Yukari appeared from it.
"Um, do you need something?" Yukari asked him.
For the first time, someone other than Minako was interacting with him! Pharos felt so touched that he lost his words for a while. "Ah... hi! Uh... is Minako back from school yet?"
Fuuka also came out from the door and gave him a gentle smile. "Oh, You`re Minako-chan's friend... Pharos-kun, right? Minako-chan told me about you."
"... She did?" Pharos couldn't understand how. Unless Minako had mentioned him while he was "sleeping" or something.
Yukari, on the other hand, seemed clueless. "Pharos...?"
"It's his nickname." Fuuka clarified.
"Hmm. What an... odd nickname." Yukari remarked.
That was true. Pharos felt embarrassed to admit it. He probably should have come up with a more Japanese-sounding nickname...
"W-well, anyway, I'm Fuuka, and this is Yukari." Fuuka cut in. "Nice to meet you! ... Oh, and that's Koromaru." Fuuka pointed at the dog discreetly poking his head from the door.
"Oh, nice to meet all of you." Pharos gave a slight bow of his head. "You too, Koromaru."
"Arf!" Koromaru came out of hiding and barked cheerfully. "Arf arf!" He barked again when he realized Minako was coming.
Minako arrived. "Whoa, Pharos-kun!" She seemed pleasantly surprised.
Pharos turned around and bounded over to her. "Welcome back! I was taking a walk around, and when I realized I was close to the dorm, I decided to stop by to see you! ... Um, since I'm here, I was wondering if we could hang out for a bit..."
Minako turned to Fuuka. "What's the status, Fuuka-chan?"
"Nothing yet..."
"Alright. Then I'll be showing Pharos-kun around. Give me a call if something important comes up, okay?"
Fuuka nodded.
"Let's go, Pharos-kun."
Pharos' eyes lit up, and he eagerly followed Minako onto the street.
Minako took Pharos to the movies, and made sure to choose a non-romance movie for them to watch. No movies with those pick up lines, thank you very much.
Then, they went to Hagakure. Minako ordered the special menu, and they kept discussing the movie while they waited for their food.
"Wow, so this is it! The special ramen!" Pharos marveled at the sight of the food that had just arrived. After a moment of contemplation, a look of determination filled his eyes. Pharos took his bowl, and... ended up spilling the soup onto his face when he tried to slurp the noodles. "Ugh... not how I had expected it'd go. Well, take two..." He tried again, with the same result. "Err... this is harder than I thought. But I won't give up!" Another attempt, and this time he also spilled the noodles.
Minako didn't want to offend him, but was unable to keep from laughing.
"H-hey, don't laugh..." Pharos whined, with a very embarrassed face.
"Sorry, sorry." Minako retrieved a napkin and gently wiped the spilled food off of his face, and this action caused him to blush.
"Uh, this didn't go too well..." Pharos laughed sheepishly and fought the embarrassment off. "The ramen tastes great, though!"
Pharos put the embarrassment aside, and proceeded to eat his ramen without attempting to slurp. He seemed engrossed during the whole meal.
They spent some time at the playground at Naganaki Shrine, then went to Octopia where Minako ordered some takoyaki for him.
"Oh, this is so good! Much better than I had expected! I think the cook lady is right. It's so good that may make our cheeks fall off!" He quickly added, "... I know, not in the literal sense. But I think it's an effective way to describe how amazing this takoyaki is!"
Minako had to agree.
A few minutes later, they were in the train station, about to head back home. They had just come down the escalator.
"Minako, wait. You had said you'd let me ride the escalator in the opposite direction..."
"... Huh." And Minako recalled she had indeed said that. Even though she was still against the idea, she figured she would let him have his fun. "... Alright, I'll be waiting here."
Pharos seemed disappointed that Minako wouldn't be joining him, but agreed. Minako waited worriedly for him to do his thing, and had to ignore the safety messages on the loudspeakers warning people not to let kids ride the escalators the wrong way. After a few tries, Pharos managed to climb the escalator. But instead of coming down from the same escalator, Pharos made sure to find an upwards escalator to climb down from. Even though he failed a few times, he managed to climb down the upwards escalator by skipping steps.
"It was a fun ride!" Pharos flashed a proud grin once he reunited with Minako.
Minako could only sigh in relief that neither of them had gotten in trouble for that little escapade. On the other hand, she was happy to see the joy on Pharos' face as he had fun.
... ... ... ... ...
They arrived back in front of the dorm. Minako was considering having Pharos enter and spend some time with the SEES members when he called her name and interrupted her.
"Minako."
"What is it?"
"Thanks for hanging out with me. It was fun, just as I had expected it would be! But... I have to go..."
"Huh? Where are you going?"
Pharos gave her a sad look. "I don't know. I was scared of embracing my memories, and still am, but experiencing some of the outside world cheered me up, and I think I'm a bit more at ease about facing them now. My memories are threatening to come back at any moment. I think I need to be alone for a while."
This worried Minako a bit, especially since she had known what those memories were about. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be okay. No matter who you were in the past, you'll still be yourself."
"I hope so..." Pharos smiled through his insecurity. "And there's one more thing I'm unsure about. I have this weird feeling... I don't know if we can see each other again. So..."
Minako gasped, and her eyes watered. This was farewell. She was sure of it. She remembered this had been the day when Pharos had left in the other timeline as well, yet Pharos' farewell still felt too sudden. Minako hoped he would become Ryoji and they would meet again. Even so, she couldn't prevent her eyes from watering.
Pharos closed the distance between them and hugged Minako tightly. "Minako, thank you for everything. I'm very glad to have met you and become your friend."
She hugged him back. "Me too, Pharos-kun. Me too..."
They held each other in silence for a bit, until Pharos broke both the hug and the silence. "I wish my tears would at least come out... it looks like this is one of the experiences I won't be able to have, eh?" His voice wavered as though he were crying, but tears didn't form in his eyes. He forced a sheepish chuckle. "Whatever. Goodbye, and take care."
"... Bye... and you take care, too!" Minako said her goodbye, and Pharos walked away from her sight.
She heard the familiar shattering-glass sound.
"Thou art I... ... and I am thou. Thou hast reforged the bond thou had chosen to start anew. A bond that cannot be broken."
The Death Social Link had reached maximum level.
Minako was still teary-eyed when she entered the dorm. All eyes turned to her.
"Arisato, where's 'he?'" Akihiko asked.
"He... left."
"... Left?" Fuuka echoed.
"He said goodbye and left." Minako explained. She noticed that Yukari and Mitsuru weren't present in the living room. Only those who had remembered the past where there. She lowered her voice. "I know there's still Ryoji-kun... I mean, I hope so. But still..."
"What a shame." Ken lamented. "Fuuka-san told us that Pharos-san had come here, and we were hoping to see him..."
Junpei nodded. "Yeah, what a bummer."
Mitsuru came down the stairs with a tired expression. "It's no use. I've been trying to call the lab the whole afternoon, but no one picks up. I also called other labs and asked whether anyone had any news about the chairman, but no one had gotten anything. Nothing from Aigis' cellphone, either. It seems to be turned off."
That exact moment, a text message arrived on Mitsuru's cellphone.
"Oh, it's the chairman! He stated that he's been busy performing extensive tests on Aigis that will likely take the whole day, and that he will get back to us later."
"So, we'll have to wait..." Akihiko clearly didn't like that.
Everyone else was equally apprehensive, but what else could they do? If anything, those who were aware of what was going on were sure that Ikutsuki would be in Tartarus tonight, where they would settle the score.
... ... ... ... ...
It was 11:59 P.M., and Ikutsuki had yet to contact them. All the SEES members sat quietly and apprehensively in the command room. The minute went by, and everyone traded looks when the atmosphere changed into the eerily familiar green night of the Dark Hour. It really wasn't over...
"I don't like this." Yukari spoke up.
"Neither do we." Akihiko agreed.
Then, loud bell sounds startled everyone.
"This is...!" Mitsuru stood up in alarm. "This must be coming from Tartarus! We should head there immediately!"
Everyone stood up, gathered their equipment and left the dorm. All of them with aggravated expressions, and huddled close to each other for safety.
On their way to Tartarus, they ran into Takeharu Kirijo, Mitsuru's father.
"Mitsuru...?"
"Father!" Mitsuru exclaimed. "Why are you here!?"
"Ikutsuki contacted me. He said it was an emergency and that I should come to Tartarus as soon as possible. Honestly, I have a bad feeling about this."
"He contacted you? Strange." Mitsuru observed. "Even though we defeated the last Arcana Shadow yesterday, the Dark Hour didn't end like we had thought it would. I have been trying to contact the chairman to discuss this, but he still hasn't agreed to talk. His only answer was in the afternoon, when he stated that he was busy performing time-consuming tests on Aigis and that he would get back to us later, but he hasn't contacted us yet. To be honest, I also don't like this..."
"Since he called Kirijo-san to Tartarus, now we know that he's there. Then, we'll barge in and check what's going on." Yukari suggested bitterly.
"I will be going as well." Mitsuru's father was firm.
Minako gritted her teeth. Mitsuru's father was another person they needed to save. If only he hadn't decided to show up, it would have been easier."Kirijo-san, are you sure about this? We may run into Shadows, and you don't have a Persona."
"Yes. Ikutsuki has been behaving oddly lately, ignoring orders and taking decisions without my approval. I have a suspicion that he is doing something behind my back. This is why I came. I need to talk to him in person. I must get to the bottom of this."
"Father, I will stay near you." Mitsuru determinedly posted herself protectively in front of her father.
It looked like there was no way to keep Takeharu Kirijo out of this. Minako had to accept it, and they pressed on.
Ikutsuki awaited them in front of Tartarus. Aigis stood next to him, with lifeless eyes.
"Ai-chan!" Minako called out to Aigis.
"Hmm. So, all of you have come as well..." Ikutsuki's eyes scanned the group.
"Ikutsuki, what is the meaning of this?" Takeharu demanded an answer.
"You had told us that defeating the twelve Arcana Shadows would put an end to the Dark Hour," Mitsuru said accusingly. "It was a lie, wasn't it?"
"Oh, but I never really stated that the theory was 100% proven true. I only said that it made sense and was likely the case."
"You deceived us!" Ken stated.
"Stop messing with us!" Minako finally allowed her hatred towards Ikutsuki to manifest. "You said that the Arcana Shadows began the Dark Hour, and that defeating them would likely end it. Kirijo-san told us that you've been behaving in a suspicious way. You actually know more than you let on. You know that the theory was a lie!"
Ikutsuki chuckled. "Yes, you got me, Arisato-kun. The Dark Hour hasn't ended, and this was just what I had expected. I never intended your group to put an end to it in the first place. In fact, the explosion from ten years ago that released the Arcana Shadows wasn't what started the Dark Hour. It had already started during the first phase of the Kirijo Group's experiments. The Arcana Shadows are part of a whole. The explosion only held the Shadows off by keeping them apart for ten years. By defeating them, all that your group accomplished was to join all of them into one again!"
"My father's recording said that the Shadows must be destroyed," Yukari said. "That was a lie too?"
"Well, I did some... modifications to that video. It was quite useful, I might say. He doesn't know it, but I had great respect for your father, Takeba-kun. He was really one of the best and smartest scientists. He researched beyond the basics of the Dark Hour and the Arcana Shadows. Too bad that he was unable to comprehend the magnificent potential that the experiments held..."
Yukari gaped. Her eyes got unfocused for a few seconds, then suddenly filled with rage. "You used both my father and me! How dare you manipulate the recording that cost his life?! And you still have the nerve to say that you had respect for him?! Don't give me that crap, your heartless piece of-"
"Y-Yukari-chan...!" Fuuka squeezed her eyes shut in horror.
"Ikutsuki, you betrayed us! I will not tolerate this!" Takeharu was also furious.
"Betrayed? Don't get me wrong. This is for all your sakes as well. Who doesn't appreciate a good sake?" Ikutsuki laughed maniacally.
"This guy gets on my nerves..." Minako fumed. "How can he still try to do these lame puns at a time like this!?"
Ikutsuki kept laughing, but apparently for a different reason. "What a shame, Takeharu Kirijo. You also didn't understand the greatness of your father's experiments. Kowetsu Kirijo has failed, but I succeeded! The process got delayed for ten years, but at last, the thirteenth Arcana Shadow, Death, will awaken and summon Nyx, who will cleanse this world and bring salvation. All living things will die, and the world will start anew! Since I was the one to guide the world's change, Nyx will recognize me as king of the new world!" He cackled.
"You... you intend to cause the Apocalypse!" Takeharu concluded.
"Hmph." Yukari rolled her eyes and spat with disdain. "So, you want to call upon some powerful being that will kill everything in the world, and you expect it to appoint a pathetic and worthless piece of garbage like you to be ruler of the reset world? This is ridiculous! Stupid, stupider than the worst puns you've ever made. You're downright demented!"
"Say what you will. Who laughs last laughs best. In the end, I will be the king, and you will have been nothing but a foolish child." Ikutsuki seemed to be getting irritated. "Enough of this. Let's start this ritual at once! It's time for Aigis to fulfill her role... as a weapon." He took a remote controller-like device and pressed a button on it. "Aigis! Subdue them! They will make perfect sacrifices to Nyx..."
"... ... Understood." Aigis' voice came in a monotone.
"Aigis!" Fuuka called out to her.
"Aigis, no!" Followed by Yukari.
And Minako. "Ai-chan, don't!"
Then Junpei. "Snap out of it!"
"Aigis-san...!" And Ken.
And Koromaru. "Arf arf! Arf! Arf!"
Aigis charged towards the SEES members. Many of them took their Evokers and tried to defend themselves, but Aigis effortlessly knocked the Evokers out of their hands and also knocked most of them down.
Most of the SEES members were unconscious on the ground after having been subdued by Aigis. Only Minako, Mitsuru and Koromaru were still awake. Mitsuru stood determinedly in front of her father.
"Get Mitsuru out of the way. I will deal with Takeharu myself." Ikutsuki ordered.
"Ai-chan... don't listen to him!" Minako called out.
Aigis hesitated for a moment, probably fighting the reprogramming. However, the reprogramming won, and she charged towards Mitsuru.
"Nooo! Father! Father!" Mitsuru flailed desperately in Aigis' arms. "Not again! Not this time...!"
"M-Mitsuru... senpai..." Minako uttered. Were Mitsuru's words a sign that she remembered something? "Aigis... Ai-chan!" Minako insisted on calling out to Aigis. "Please stop! Don't you remember? It's us!"
"Now, it's just you and me, Takeharu." Ikutsuki left Aigis to handle the SEES members and turned to Takeharu. "Since those kids were useful to my plans, they are worth as sacrifices. However, you only got in the way, thus are worthless to me. The new world will have no place to those who do not comprehend it. In other words, your time has come, Takeharu Kirijo." Ikutsuki pointed a gun at Takeharu. "Farewell!"
"Stop!"
An unexpected voice startled Ikutsuki, and caused his aim to falter. Even so, he managed to fire and hit his target.
"This voice..." Minako turned around. "Pharos-kun...!"
Pharos was there, face to face with Aigis, still wearing the clothes Minako gave him.
"Aigis..." He murmured. "that time, you stopped me when I had panicked and gone berserk. Now, it's my turn to stop you." Then, he shouted. "Open your eyes!"
He charged at Aigis and forced her to let go of Mitsuru. With no more risk of hurting the SEES members, Pharos tackled Aigis and threw her backwards. Aigis froze in her tracks and began fighting the reprogramming again.
Ikutsuki realized that his shot hadn't managed to kill Takeharu. He intended to shoot again, but the sudden combat noises diverted his attention. "W-what is happening here!" He turned behind and rushed to the scene. It was his mistake.
"Now, Koromaru!" Pharos signaled.
With an angry bark, Koromaru pounced on Ikutsuki and snatched the device the chairman had been using to control Aigis.
"Agh!" Ikutsuki gasped in surprise as he fell to the ground and dropped his gun.
"You two, nice work!" Minako took the device from Koromaru. "Ai-chan, wake up!" She threw the device onto a wall with all her might. This effectively destroyed it.
Aigis' eyes slowly regained life. She saw the SEES members fallen on the ground. "Ah... everyone! I can't believe this... how could I have fallen to that again!?" Her gaze stopped on Pharos, and she gasped. "... You..."
Pharos tensed.
However, Aigis took him completely out of guard when a bright smile broke into her face. "I see... you helped us. Thank you for the intervention."
"...Huh?" Pharos blinked.
The fallen SEES members began regaining consciousness.
Akihiko snapped awake and sprang up at the sight of Pharos. "You are...!"
Junpei woke up. "Pharocchi...!"
Followed by Yukari. "Pharos... kun, was it?"
Fuuka stood up with a hopeful smile, and Ken got up without a word.
"Father!" Mitsuru was already tending to her father. She let out a sigh of relief. "He's unconscious, but alive..."
Ikutsuki recovered and grunted in irritation. "What's happening here!" He got into a sitting position, and saw the SEES members already on their feet, with Pharos near Aigis. "And who is this kid?! Ah, it doesn't matter! I'm sick of all of you, you useless children, and you useless defective machine!" He retrieved his gun from the ground and stood up. "You've gotten in my way enough, and aren't worth as sacrifices anymore. You all shall perish!"
Ikutsuki began unloading a volley of shots in the SEES members' direction. He could have never expected a Tetrakarn-like barrier to appear in front of his targets, and all bullets to explode on impact.
"I won't let you hurt my friends!" Pharos shouted determinedly.
The chairman's eyes bulged, and he gaped like an idiot. "... W-what was that?!"
"Your head is what is defective, Mr. Chairman." Aigis' tone was unusually mocking, and not robotic at all. There was a shattering glass sound, and a Persona appeared behind her. And it was not Palladion. It was Athena.
The same thing happened to Yukari, and her ultimate Persona, Isis, appeared behind her. "We're the ones who're sick of you! You say you're doing this for the world's sake, but you aren't thinking about anyone besides yourself! Life may not be easy for everyone, but there are a whole lot of people that want to live. You don't have the right to take these people's lives away and force them into your delusional nonsense. Let others do whatever they want with their lives. If you think death is salvation, then just go and die by yourself!"
"Y-Yukari-chan...!" Minako's eyes widened in horror at that outburst. As much as she despised Ikutsuki, that was still extreme.
"W-what i-is the meaning of this...?" Ikutsuki uttered shakily. He seemed to be getting genuinely scared at the strange barrier that stopped his shots, and the sudden appearance of those Personas he had never seen before.
Minako recovered her composure. "It means that your plans are going wrong, that's what!"
"Aah!" Ikutsuki recoiled when he looked behind, only to see one more new Persona.
Now, Mitsuru was standing. She faced Ikutsuki from her position, and her ultimate Persona, Artemisia, was behind her. "You may think we were fools because we carried out a plan without knowing what our actions would entail. We don't know everything. But neither do you. There are factors that you couldn't have predicted, and this is why your plan is going wrong."
"No... this can't be..." Ikutsuki's eyes lost focus, and he began muttering to himself. "It wasn't supposed to turn out like this... I thought I had everything laid out perfectly... where did I go wrong? Were my theories really this off? Does this mean that Nyx won't recognize me as ruler of the new world? Then, what was the point in waiting for this long, planning for this long!? No, no... no!" Ikutsuki panicked, and fully lost it. "This pathetic world... I'm sick of it! If Nyx won't recognize me as king, then..."
"H-hey, wait!" Junpei called out. "What are you...!"
"Aaaaaaah!" Ikutsuki let out a cry of anguish. Before anyone had time to do anything, he took his gun and shot himself on the head without a second thought.
Everyone gaped, at a loss for words.
"He... he w-went and..." Ken broke the silence.
"I kind of feel bad now." Yukari put a hand to her stomach and looked downwards. "Despite what I said earlier, I didn't think he'd actually..."
"I-is he...?" Minako asked.
Aigis went to check. "Yes. Ikutsuki is dead."
More silence. Despite everyone's bad feelings towards Ikutsuki, they couldn't help but be shocked.
"What about Kirijo-san?" Ken asked.
"Thankfully, he's alive." Mitsuru answered with relief. "Ikutsuki's shot didn't hit a vital point. Let's take my father to the hospital."
... ... ... ... ...
They left Tartarus and headed to the hospital. Pharos kept close to Minako, and everyone remained silent the whole way. The Dark Hour ended shortly after they arrived at the hospital.
After a gruesome wait, the doctor brought the news that Takeharu's life wasn't in danger, though he was still unconscious. Mitsuru stayed near her father for around twenty minutes, but he didn't wake up.
Nevertheless, they had managed to save Takeharu's life this time. More at ease, the SEES members and Pharos left the hospital.
"Um, Pharos-san, right?" Ken approached Pharos on their way to the dorm. "Minako-san has told us about you, and I had been curious to meet you."
"Uh, yeah, I was curious to meet all of you, too," Pharos said. "I only wish the circumstances were better."
"You helped us. Thanks for that," Yukari said.
"Arf!" Came a bark from Koromaru.
Mitsuru looked at Pharos. "Yes. You helped us greatly. If not for your intervention, my father probably would have died. Not to mention what might have happened to us."
Pharos cracked a weak smile. "I didn't do much. Though I'm glad that everyone is okay. Oh, and it was really cool when the three of you had those different Personas appear. I wish I had a Persona too."
"You did great without one." Minako assured him.
"Yeah, that barrier thing you did saved us," Junpei said. "You did awesome, Pharocchi."
"Pharocchi...?" Pharos laughed at the way Junpei addressed him, and finally broke the tense atmosphere. "Uh, just don't ask how I did that without a Persona. I... um, I don't know how to explain."
"You're on our side, right? This is good enough for me." Akihiko shrugged.
"Akihiko, this is an important point. Normally, you shouldn't just accept things like this." Mitsuru traded a knowing glance with Akihiko, and actually didn't sound as stern as usual. "Although he saved our lives, including my father's, and I'm very grateful for this. I can at least refrain from asking for details for the moment."
They continued on their way. Aigis kept staring at Pharos from a distance, but didn't utter a word.
Pharos felt both touched and sad at the same time. Even though his interaction with Minako's friends was short, all of them received him warmly. He wished he could stay near them more, and put all his plans about living in the outside world into practice. However, Pharos had recovered his memories, and now he knew how naive he had been. He would never become one of them. He didn't belong in this world. He was actually the thirteenth Arcana Shadow, the one whose the mere existence would awaken Nyx and trigger the Fall. It was frustrating to think that what the Ikutsuki guy had said about the last Shadow that would summon Nyx was right... Pharos liked this world so much, and ironically he would be the one to put an end to it. Pharos felt miserable. To think that he had been so eager to lead Minako into defeating the Arcana Shadows... if only he had known about all of this sooner, he wouldn't have done that. If he had known that his freedom meant bringing the end of the world, Pharos would be okay with remaining trapped. But now, it was too late.
All Pharos could do now was try to delay attracting Nyx for a while, maybe a few months at most, but Nyx would inevitably notice his presence at some point and awaken. The Fall would eventually come. There was no escape. Minako and her friends had fought so hard, with the belief that they were doing what was right and would ride the world of the Dark Hour, when in fact, all that they accomplished was cause the end of the world themselves. This wasn't right. They didn't deserve this.
Pharos felt conflicted. On a whim, he ended up saving Minako and her friends earlier, and they thanked him for it. But what was the point in trying to save them if the end would soon come and take all of them away? He knew that there should be no point. But he didn't want to see them suffer, and couldn't help it. When Pharos realized it, he was already materializing at the scene and moving to save them.
Pharos thought back on his plans about going to school, to the beach, to Inaba... it had been so fun to think about these goals when he had been oblivious to his true purpose. Yes, while he didn't remember, he had been happy. Maybe, the only way to make Minako and her friends happy now would be to make them forget. Pharos would leave for now. The next time he met Minako again, they would be enemies. He would appear as the last Arcana Shadow, and hopefully Minako wouldn't recognize him. He couldn't be destroyed, but since Minako had a bit of his power thanks to having carried him for so long, Pharos was sure she could accomplish something. He would set it so that Minako defeating him in battle would make her and her friends forget everything about the Dark Hour, Tartarus, Personas, the way Ikutsuki had betrayed them, and they would lead a peaceful life until the end came. The Fall might be delayed until Pharos reformed again, but it still would inevitably come. At least the SEES members wouldn't remember anything, and wouldn't even realize that the world's end was nigh. Their end would be peaceful. Pharos didn't want to deceive them like this, but it was the only solution he was able to come up with.
"Sweet home!" Junpei exclaimed as they arrived at the dorm.
"It was a rough night. We should have a good rest." Mitsuru turned to Pharos. "You may stay as well."
"Uh, m-me? Thanks, but I..."
However, everyone ignored Pharos' attempt at a protest and muttered their good nights.
Pharos sighed. "Minako... we need to talk."
"Hm? Okay. Let's go to my room then." Minako gently took his hand and guided him. She sat on the bed, while Pharos remained standing.
Pharos sighed. "The chairman guy deceived everyone. A traitor had been near us the whole time. How couldn't I have realized it? I had that intuition about the fourth flower, but it looked like something else entirely, and I had felt nothing about him."
"It's not your fault."
Pharos shook his head. "If I hadn't encouraged you to defeat the Shadows, it wouldn't have turned out like this. If I had known the outcome, I wouldn't mind being trapped forever."
As always, Minako only smiled comfortingly at him. "You had no way to know. But you're free now. Our outing today was fun."
"Oh, yeah, about that. I couldn't talk to your friends much, but they're quite nice. I can't stay, though."
"You're really leaving?"
Pharos nodded. "I had so many plans about going to school, getting a part-time job, going to the beach and to the calm countryside town... too bad that these won't come true. I remember everything now, Minako. Who I am, what my purpose is. And my place isn't here. I have to leave, and do what I have to do..." He heaved a sigh. "Minako, remember that I told you the end would come? Sadly, one thing that that man said is true. There's one more Arcana Shadow. The one who will trigger the end. There's one thing you can do, though. On the next full moon, it will appear. If you defeat it, this whole thing will be resolved once and for all." Pharos' voice wavered. That advice was a huge lie, and he felt horrible for going through with it. "I... won't be here to remind you about the calendar, but I'm sure you'll be okay..." He tried to sound playful, without much success. "Well, same as always, really. You should be used to the process by now. It'll be fine." He forced a smile.
"Pharos-kun..." Minako's eyes watered, and made the moment even more painful to Pharos.
Minako suddenly stood up and pulled him into a hug. Her action caught him completely by surprise. He couldn't resist the comfort and allowed himself to enjoy it. This would be their last hug, after all, and he decided he should make the most out of it.
After a while, they broke the hug.
"Do you really need to leave now?" Minako spoke up. "Can't you stay here for a few more days? There are other places I could take you to and-"
"No. Sorry, I really need to leave." As tempting as that offer sounded, he couldn't give in.
"Can't you at least stay the night? You still didn't experience sleeping on a bed for a whole night..."
"... Okay." With a sigh, Pharos agreed. Well, sort of. He would only stay for a bit, just to put Minako at ease. The moment she fell asleep, he would leave.
They took their usual places on the bed.
"Good night, Pharos-kun." This was the last time he would be hearing this, too.
"Good night, Minako."
... ... ... ... ...
Pharos woke up in the middle of the night. He couldn't believe he had actually fallen asleep while he waited. He stood up, and looked at Minako's sleeping form. He had been used to seeing her every day, and it was sad to think that he wouldn't see her anymore.
"Sorry, Minako, but I have to go." Pharos whispered. "I'm really glad to have met you, and will forever treasure all the moments we spent together. Thank you for everything. Farewell, my dearest."
Pharos leaned into the bed and gave Minako a gentle peck on the cheek. Then, he quickly disappeared from the room before Minako had time to wake up.
... ... ... ... ...
Pharos materialized outside the dorm, and stopped to observe the non-Dark Hour night. The moon was beautiful as it should be, and the sparkling stars were alluring. For the first time, he was able to experience night's true beauty and cool breeze, as opposed to the Dark Hour's strange atmosphere. He decided to take a walk around and observe some more. However, when he began walking, Aigis leapt from the dorm's roof and landed next to him.
"Where are you going?" She asked.
"I'm leaving."
"I'd like to talk."
"... To talk?" Pharos tilted his head. His most prominent memories of Aigis were of her attacking him. To hear that she just wanted to talk was quite surprising. But again, it had been ten years. She must have changed after all this time. Or maybe she actually hadn't recognized him yet.
"I'll go straight to the point. I know who you are." This effectively eliminated his last hypothesis. "And I must ask. Do you intend to trigger the Fall?" It was impossible to be more direct than this. Surprisingly, she not only knew who he was, but also his role and the terms associated with it. It was probably the chairman who gave her that knowledge when he took her away to control her.
"That's my role," Pharos answered, not making eye contact.
"I know. But what I mean to ask is, do you really want to do it?"
"..."
"Why did you help us earlier?" Aigis threw him another question. "If the Fall is coming soon to take all life away, then what is the point of saving us?"
It was the same question Pharos had been asking himself earlier. "I... don't know. When I saw all of you in danger, I just couldn't help it..."
Aigis flashed a slight triumphant smile, very uncharacteristic of a machine. "I take it that you actually don't want to trigger the Fall."
"Yes, you're right." Pharos admitted. "This world fascinates me, and I don't want it to end. But what I want doesn't matter. All that matters is that I've awakened. Even if I don't do anything, Nyx will eventually react to my presence and cause the Fall..."
"Then, how about you try to do something?"
"Me? Do something...?"
"Yes." Aigis nodded. "You are like me, in a way. I was created to be a weapon. My creators gave me the capability to have emotions, but this was only so that I could awaken a Persona. Otherwise, I was supposed to be apathetic, and only care about my sole purpose of being a weapon. There was a time when my initial purpose was all that mattered to me. I used to believe that my role as a weapon was the sole reason of my existence, and that not fulfilling it would make me useless. But I've realized that there's much more I can do, that there's much more beyond the reason I was created for. And if I find myself unsatisfied with my purpose, then the solution is to simply create other goals myself. This is what Minako-san and the others have taught me. This is my answer."
Pharos' mouth hung slightly open. Was this the reason Aigis had changed so much since the time they had fought? Because she was able to find her answer?
"After you trapped me, I forgot what my purpose was, and for a while all that I cared about was remembering about it. But as I observed Minako go about her life and learned more about the people near her, I began considering other things, too."
Aigis nodded in approval. "I don't know whether you were supposed to be sentient or not, but the fact is that you are. You can think for yourself, and act for yourself. You shouldn't let your capabilities go to waste. You are the key to trigger the Fall. Thus, you also might be the key to avoid it. If you aren't satisfied with your original purpose, then create a new one."
As hopeful as Aigis' points were, Pharos failed to see how he could do anything. Being sentient or not shouldn't make a difference. Nyx was much more powerful than him. In the end, she would inevitably awaken, then force him into submitting to her and becoming her avatar. Pharos couldn't think of any way to avoid that.
"It isn't that simple..." He argued.
"Probably not. However, there must be something that only you can do. You should take some time to reflect upon these points, and find your own answer."
Aigis turned around. She slowly walked back inside the dorm, and left a stunned Pharos standing on the street.
A/n: the part where Koromaru jumps on Ikutsuki and snatches the controller device comes from the animated scene in P3 FES. I'm not sure whether this also happens in P3P.