"Minako, how long will you awake? My dearest, It's not a sleeping time! You have an important matter to deal with, didn't you? Please, wake up!"
"Hm? Ry…Ryoji…..?"
She heard those voice, those voices were so familiar to her. It's just like my just met her old friend again.
Those voices made her to slowly open her eyes up.
"Where…am…I?"
Minako slowly woke up and looked around where she is. It was a small room that only had a desk, a bed and a TV has been around her. There was also calendar hanged on the wall. She gazed at a calendar, wondered what the date is.
Judging from the room itself, Minako began to understand that she has been teleported into the Iwatodai dorm. She quite missed this dorm so much.
*pops* *pops* Before she would be able to reminisce, she heard a gun sound from below floors.
"A gun sounds? An enemy? Is there something happened there?"
She knew something was up here. More than that, why it must be the dorm. What sort of condition to teleported her inside of the dorm. But she put aside that thought, walked out from the room.
She slowly tiptoed straight to the hallways. She saw a vending machine and a large bookcase, standing there. This's 2nd Floor which Boy' rooms were constructed in this floor.
During walking, she felt something strange about the dorm, it felt like time didn't flow normally here. She thought that she might be overthinking about it.
*pops* *pops* * bang * * bang * A gun sounds again? But this time, it has a hammer sound too. It sounds like they have been fighting each other. She couldn't stand it, waiting here. She decided to sprint, walked downstairs to see what actually happened.
She sneaked behind the wall, peeked out. She began to be shocked what she saw. Everything in the living room was scattered everywhere. Ken, Mitsuru, Junpei were lay down on the ground while seeing Aigis was fighting with someone. It looked like a Aigis.
But it's totally different from Aigis. Is that a Shadow, inside of the dorm? Minako tried to clearly gaze at that robot. Those model and shape were exactly the same as Aigis. She could even use Orgia Mode! How can this be? She wondered… Isn't Aigis supposed to be the last Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon? Who is she?
For a short moment, Aigis lost the battle against that robot. Ken was being captured by that robot. She was ready to kill Ken! She couldn't stand it to see her friend end up being hurt like this. She saw some Evoker near her. She picked it up and pulled the trigger.
"Come, Orpheus!" She called, tried to summon her Persona.
*click* "…What the hell? Nothing happened? How can this be!" She felt anxious, knew that she couldn't summon her Persona. She tried to pull the trigger many times, but no, nothing came out.
She frightened, questioned to herself, why can't she use her own ability anymore? She lost her power because she was no longer human anymore? How does she be useless while her friend will be killed?
Before she would think anything, she saw something outside from Aigis, She began to sense something from Aigis.
"I won't allowed that happened!" Aigis thought in her mind. Minako also heard this voice without knowing.
It's Athena but something was wrong, Athena suddenly transfigured into Orpheus! But wait, That Orpheus is not hers. Appearance is totally different from hers! This Persona had a short, while hair, body color is light blue, resemble as a male.
That Persona subdued that robot out from Ken. She relieved that Ken was saved. Aigis was lost conscious and passed out. Minako quitted hiding and approached Aigis.
"Aigis! Aigis! Hey! Are you all right?" She panicky said while holding her hand.
"Wait! Who are you! Are you an enemy?" someone spoke out. she quickly turned her back to that voice, it's Yukari's voice.
"Ah! Who are you?" How can you know about Aigis"
She felt confused…why couldn't she remember her.? She stayed in the dorm with them for a year. How could she forget her? It must be some sort of mistake. For a while, a short, white hair boys came after Yukari.
"Hey! I never seen you before. Who are you? Why are you here? And why're you holding Aigis' hand?" That's voices! It's Akihiko' voices. But he seemed too aggressive to her. He never said like this before. He couldn't even remember her too.
Now only two of them, Even Ken, Mitsuru, Fuuka and Junpei make their confused face, whispered, wondered who she is. Koromaru also began to growl at her.
Minako' panic, stress and what happened in front of her eyes made her felt irritated. she couldn't hold it any longer.
"COULD YOU JUST SHUT UP AND HELP AIGIS! SHE HAS BEEN LAY DOWN HERE!" she raged, rampantly shouted to them.
Everyone being extremely panic by her frightfully shouting, making them came to their sense again.
Fuuka was the first one who talked to Minako "Yo…. You're right. We need to check up and repair her immediately."
Fuuka and Minako checked Aigis's body. Her body was almost damaged. Her power circuit was still viable. But it seemed it need some of enhanced armor to her body, including her weapon.
"Akihiko-senpai, Junpei-kun, help me carry Aigis to her lab. We need to examine and fix her quickly!"
"Ye…. Yes ma'am…" Junpei panicked nodded.
"Ah..ehhh..right" Akihiko helped her still be freaked out.
Minako's side carried Aigis to the labs while the rest still recovered at the living room.
But while Minako tried to check her, that robot slowly walked to the labs without everyone's knowing. She has a same model as Aigis but her body color is black. Her right arm is similar to Aigis. She has golden helm-like headpiece with a red butterfly visor on her head, Moreover, around her waist is a metallic "skirt" which continues the red butterfly motif. That's a unique model she had ever seen.
Everyone suddenly panicked, ready to fight her again while Minako could only watch from afar.
But that robot seemed has no intention to fight, begging Minako.
"Please, stop! I have no intention to fight you, I'm Metis! I am her "sister"." Metis persuaded.
"And how can we goona trust you that? You just taken her down, didn't you?" Akihiko insisted, not trusting her.
"I only do that because she's getting my way, I didn't have a choice. Please, if you want to save my sister, let me help you!"
"…" Everyone was silent for a while. They looked up each other, thinking they should accept her begging or not.
Minako looked at Metis with pity "All right! I'll try to trust you this one. But it doesn't mean I'll fully trust you. You'll be interrogated for your doing, okay?"
She nodded "Thanks you. That would be enough."
Both Fuuka and Metis helped each other to find a way fix Aigis.
It takes quite a times to fix her, thanks to Fuuka's technician skill and Metis's advice. Fuuka was great about something too mechanical things, or something was similar to computer skills.
Fuuka finished fixing Aigis up, enhanced her armor. Aigis was being carried back to the living room again, waiting for her to be awake. Metis was being chained by Akihiko.
Everyone in S.E.E.S seemed to calm down for a little bit, Minako looked at their face, looks like they have a lot of questions to ask her. Like, why does she know about them? How can she come in here without noticing?
"I….um... Thanks for your help. I appreciate it. And I'm so sorry about what I talked to you about being enemy." Yukari apologized.
"Don't mention it. It's water under the bridge. I don't mind it." Minako carelessly said.
"Anyways, could you please tell us who you are? You seem to know everyone here deeply" Mitsuru questioned.
Akihiko sat on sofa while tried to question about her.
"Yeah, you hid behind the wall and came out from nowhere!"
Minako felt weirdly painful about that question, she knew them each other for a long time, but it turned out no one who she was.
She stood up, bowed while introducing about herself.
"Oh, that's right. Well then, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Minako Arisato. I used to be Persona 'user before. Please to meet you all"
"Oh man! Is she pretty, guys?" Junpei being stunned.
"Now you mention it, She's totally beautiful, like a goddess." Ken looked interested in her.
But meanwhile, everyone being panicked and quite curious what was just she told them.
"Arisato? Wait! Do you have any directly connect to Minato Arisato?" Mitsuru asked seriously.
"Eh? Him who? That's what a first time I heard that name before." Minako expressed with a truly baffled face. She never heard that name beforeม even she had real Minako' s memories. She totally sure that she never had any siblings. She wondered…. just who is Mitsuru refer to?
Minako glanced around the room. Their reaction when they heard that name again, they looked sad and uncomfortable, easy to read after all.
She curiously thought about who Minato is, finding someone to clearly elaborator to her.
"Could someone elaborate this man to me?"
"Ah…" It's Yukari who spoke first."
"He…he used to be our leader, fighting against Nyx. He was our true friend. But after he performed that miracle, he…he...*sob*" Yukari sob, trying to shed her tear off.
"Yukari, you don't need to go that further." Mitsuru comforted Yukari, warmly hugging her.
Minako began to understand in the whole picture. This is not her world as she used to live. She has been sent by some entity, to a different universe. That must be those voices in the Velvet Room who sent her here.
And their leader who died during fighting Nyx, he shared the same role as her. But he…died this time. She felt sympathized to him. Another of herself was still mindless entity. She didn't even sure that she should tell me about her being Nyx.
"A….Ah…" Aigis began to wake up. Everyone relieved.
"Woof! Woof! "Komomaru happily barked.
"Aigis!" Fuuka said.
"A…..ah…..I" Aigis dizzily said.
"Phew, you woke up. You really sacred us, collapsing like that."
Aigis confused looked at Yukari.
"Yukari-san."
"Sigh….. I came cause Mitsuru-senpai called for me just in case, and I caught up in this? Give me a break." She irritably mumbled.
"I'm sorry to have worried you." Aigis apologized to Yukari.
Aigis stood up, realized that her body has been fixed and her upper part has been enhanced.
"Hm? What's all this?" Aigis looked confused.
"While we were fixing your body, we added some additional equipment. We found some strange things under the floor…"
Mitsuru spoke further "Since there was no sign that you would wake up, so instead of waiting, we tried everything we could."
"And do you find anything in there, like a clue that cause everything here?" Minako questioned.
"It's complicated, you should see it by yourself."
Mitsuru pointed her finger at the large door on the ground. It's just like a door that led to basement. Minako wondered where it leads, thinking that that door may have the answer she seeks…. why did she end up in here.
Aigis glanced around and Minako was sitting beside her.
"Hm? Who are you?"
"My name is Minako Arisato. It's good to see you, Aigis. I have fixed you along with Fuuka-chan and Metis."
But with her own instinct or her pure feeling, she sensed something from Minako, this warm feeling it's…. just like him. But she thought it might be her own imagination.
"Thank you, Minako-san" Aigis felt impressed and thanked her.
"Anyways, where's Metis?" Aigis asked.
"She was chained with a chair, there." Mitsuru said, point her finger again.
Metis was forced to sit on a chair, chaining her with an iron chain. Minako and others decide to walk to her, asked her what happened here.
"I have been chained her as you ask. No worries here, though… She's on best behavior now."
"Anyway, she can't cause any trouble now. We have our Evokers this time." Ken distributed those Evokers to all S.E.E.S members.
"Would you like to keep an Evokers, Arisato-san" he asked.
"Sorry, Amada-kun. I now can't use my own Persona with some reason." Minako explained to Ken.
It's peculiarly weird to her by saying their last name even she had already known everyone with… Well, she obviously knew a reason.
"Well, then I'll keep this for you." Ken said, keeping other Evokers to himself. Minako nodded, letting him keep it for her. She may be able to summon her Persona with some condition she didn't know yet.
Minako, and others waited Metis to speak up something, but she didn't speak or any moves at all.
"What do you gotta bust things up like that for? I mean, today's my turn to clean the place!"
She still be silent like a tree stump.
"Hey, quit with the silent treatment and say something." Junpei grumbled.
Minako tried to look at her clearly. She's… snoozing! That means she has been sleeping while sitting on a chair for an entire time.
"Well, she's sleeping…. I don't know to react. She totally a child." Minako said, snickered.
"Oh, come on! Minako-chan. It's no time for joking! We've been serious situation right now." Junpei embarrassingly mumbled.
While they were taking, Metis was awake from noisy chatting.
"Mm... Huh...? Metis slowly opened her eyes.
"Come on! Are you serious...? You were sleeping all this time!?" Junpei grumbled even more.
Metis beware about her dislike aura from them, she decided to lift her mask. Minako was impressed about a little detail about her model. Her creator must be a genius, Minako thought.
"...It opened!" Yukari barely shocked.
"I-I..."
"You look pretty comfy there... "I ain't afraid of no humans," huh?" Junpei angrily taunted her.
"I-It's just... I was tired after going into Orgia Mode... ...Ah." Metis suddenly gazed Aigis, not looking at Junpei.
"Did you cooperate with them in order to help me?" Aigis questioned Metis about her intention to help her.
"The reason I came here in the first place was to protect you. These restraints aren't necessary. I won't attack anymore." Metis keeps insisted while promised not attacking her friends. Everyone seems quite hard to believe in her words.
"No one is going to believe you if you don't explain why."
"It's... It's because... I thought you wouldn't like me..."
"…. Let's release her."
Everyone extremely shocked about Aigis's decision. Metis was tried to eliminate her friends, but she still wanted to release her. She might has her own reason.
"Are you sure about that, Aigis? She just tried to kill your friend! Is that really okay? Minako clearly asked Aigis to make sure that she wanted to release her.
"I don't know if she can be trusted, but I believe she has no intention of fighting us. Besides which, if she
has the same parameters as I do, the chains will not hold her anyway." Aigis confirmed to everyone.
But Metis broke out of her chains and stood up. Making everyone freaked out.
"Well, she broke it easily. Just as I expect." Minako made a blank expression. she seemed not surprised about it though.
"Huh!? Then these friggin' nonstop shifts were for nothing...? Junpei disappointed.
"First, tell me who you are and your purpose in being here."
She began to introduce herself. "...I'm Metis. As you can see, you and I are practically siblings. And as for my purpose... It's simply to save you, my only sister...from this hopeless situation."
"Hopeless situation...? Did... something happen while I was asleep? How long was I asleep, anyway...?" Aigis barely comprehend what Metis's saying means. Just how long she has been sleeping here.
"Since our battle ended, I'd say about a day and a half has passed...Yet today is still March 31st. Tomorrow, and all the days after it, will also be March 31st. At this rate, it will last forever."
Everyone barely to believed what she just said for a moment. Minako could only scratch her head and asked to herself. How can this possible? Is there any kind of entity like her doing this too? She considered what an abnormal incident that happened during being here. She too, had sense something wrong about time' flowing here.
"Didn't you feel it? The moment when time skipped?" Metis questioned everyone.
Minako wanted to be sure that what Metis said was true or not. She decided to find someone to talk with.
"Could someone lend me a smartphone? I want to check what a date it is today." Minako asked everyone for borrowing smartphone to check a date.
"Here, Arisato-san" Ken lend her a smartphone.
"Thanks, Amada-kun."
She picked Amada' smartphone up, checking a date. She gazed at the calendar clearly.
It was actually March 31st!
"Hey! It is the same day as Metis said. So, the time is actually looped by itself!" Minako shockingly shout.
"You're correct." Metis nodded.
Everyone began to realize that what Metis said was true. They slowly believed her for a little bit.
"Have you been finally believed the truth what I told you? I think she understood in me, more over than all of you."
Yukari felt furiously raged again, began to argue her back. "How dare you!"
"Yukari, wait!" Mitsuru tried stop arguing and made a Yukari calm down.
"But she-"
"I understand that you feel irritated what she tried to insult you, but maybe we should listen her more. She may be understanding what kind of situation we're facing." Mitsuru tried to persuade to believe in her.
"Mitsuru-senpai…. Sigh…Fine! I'll put that aside and listening to her first, okay!" Yukari still felt irritated but could put that aside.
"That's not all... We haven't been able to leave the dorm since this morning. That makes two ways we're trapped here." Akihiko rubbed his forehead.
Minako being curious, tried to open the entrance but it was stuck. No matter how she tried to find a way to open the door by kicking or using tools around her to open it, it wasn't working.
What Metis tried to say was correct all along. They had been completely cut off from the outside world.
Everyone began to be panicked.
"No... But why?" Aigis shocked, didn't understand what happened here.
"The Abyss of Time below us is causing a space-time distortion." Metis point out to a door that led to "The Abyss of time" to allow Aigis could see at it.
"Abyss... of Time?"
"It's difficult to explain... It may be easier to show you."
"I'll lead the way. Please follow me." Metis presented herself, led everyone to below ground.
Everyone didn't know what they going to do next, decided to follow her, left Yukari being behind.
"H-Hey! Who elected you mayor!?" Yukari was still pissed about Metis.
Minako and others had been walking to the below of the dorm, they were surrounded by an amount of sand. It's infinite space, never ending. In front of them was a one door, waiting for them to move forward.
Everyone truly terrified what in front of them.
"It's so huge! It's totally infinite, never-ending land! I don't even see the edge of the land itself!" Minako freaked out about what she just witnessed.
Metis elaborated about Abyss of times further "This is the Abyss of Time. It's an uncharted area that probably spreads beneath this area like a tree's roots."
"How could something like this have appeared under the lounge...?" Aigis puzzled.
Metis continued to speak "At first, the Abyss of Time was a small thing. Then, without warning, it began to spread out, and formed a connection to your dorm."
"It's clear just by looking at it that this place was not man-made. It might be the product of some dangerous power, the way Tartarus was..." Mitsuru said.
"Tartarus, huh? I thought I would never hear that place again…Sigh…." Minako loudly sighed.
Tartarus…. A nightmare stuff that she would never step on that place again. It's terrified and truly dangerous. It probably made sense if both has been directly connected to this unusual incident too.
"Wait Minako, you had gone to Tartarus too?" Akihiko asked.
"In my world, yes" Minako bluntly said out of the blue.
Everyone bewildered, questioned about Minako who she is, actually? "In my world" What does she refer to?
Thinking back, they never knew her before, but she claimed to know her everyone. They must find an answer for this, from Minako herself.
"Um, Arisato-san? Would you mind I ask about you? Ken-kun questioned.
"Sure, go ahead."
"Who… are you, really? Why do you know about us that much? You seem to know our situation here quite well."
She quietly stood still, had anxious on her face. Everyone noticed she has something hid from them. Akihiko considered by looking her appearance again, she's not actually human. He never saw that eye color in normal people.
Akihiko mustered his courage, directly asked her.
"Minako, are you truly human?"
Everyone, including Metis confused why Akihiko asked her like that, her shape and appearance is a human.
Mitsuru remembered something "Hey! Don't tell me she's just like-"
Akihiko nodded, warned everyone "Everyone, stay back from her."
All S.E.E.S members and Metis stayed back from Minako while some of them was pointing their Evoker, ready to summon Persona, to attack her.
"Minako! Who are you? What are you? Why do you come here? What is your purpose here? Tell me!" Mitsuru loudly shouted, seriously asked to Minako.
"We wouldn't believe in you if you don't tell us" Aigis begged Minako to tell the truth.
She thought she had gained their trust, but it's opposed. She was being suspicious by her friends again, even they are actually not her friend in this world.
She knew she couldn't hide about her true selves from them anymore.
She deeply sighed and concentrated.
"My name is actually Minako, but the truth is I have an alternative name. I… I am Mother of all Shadow…. Nyx. Is that clear?"
Everyone being deeply panic and wondered….is she lying to them? But looking at her face, she was serious.
"She what! Holy shit!" Junpei panicked, jawed dropped.
"Everyone…I" She began to make an explanation, approached to them. Hoping they'll listen to her.
"Don't move! Stop right there! Don't come any closer, you freak!" Junpei panickily shout, Minako suddenly stopped.
She tried to find a way to speak with them, but no one would willingly listen to her.
" No way….Is she supposed to be defeated? Why the hell is she here!" Ken began to shake with.
"I know deep down I shouldn't trust her that much, but she's actually help me to fix Aigis…." Fuuka sadly said.
"Don't tell me, his sacrifice…is nothing but in vain!" Yukari mumbled.
"Whatever it is, we must-"
Before they were attacking her, Aigis interrupted them, protecting her from them and let Minako be behind her.
"Aigis. you…" Minako surprised that Aigis tried to protect her.
"Aigis, why do you help her? She's the reason our leader has died! Don't you get it?" Yukari felt irritated even more because Aigis tried to protect Nyx who made him performed miracle, dying for them.
"We don't want to fight you but please Aigis, Step aside." Akihko begged Aigis.
"No! I won't go anywhere." Aigis strongly insisted. "And all of you, could you please just listen to her for a little bit?"
Aigis glanced around. "If she's that Nyx, she would eliminate everyone here already. But she's still tried to find a way to fix me, even let Metis help Fuuka to fix me too."
"Sister…"
"Moreover, she…. she has a same aura that I met…. Him. I trust in her." Aigis sadly said while holding Minato's Evoker.
"Aigis…" Mitsuru being calm, seemed to come understood Aigis.
"Even we can't trust her, at least we should listen her reason from herself first. She might know something about Abyss of Times." Aigis suggested even Everyone still disagreed with her.
All of them looked up each other, they have no choice but to do as Aigis' s suggestion.
"Okay, we'll try to listen you, err…. Nyx…or Minako? What should we call you?" Yukari asked.
"Whatever, I don't mind to being called by both of them."
"Okay, then. We'll still call you Minako. I don't wanna heard that last name again." Yukari sorrowfully said. Well, Minako quite concerned about her feeling. Her grief of losing her friend became even more obvious.
"Okay, fine by me. You don't to need say my last name." Minako easily accepted without minding about it.
"Well then, where should be begin with?"
Minako decided to summarize her own story, told to everyone. Their situation is not being safe for listening a long, boring stuff anyways. For a while, she finally completely told everything about her.
"…The final task? A whisper? And you're saying you're trying to find a way to fully control your power too? Damn, it's too complicated to get all of that!" Junpei felt dizzy.
"Everything I said earlier is true. I'm not your Nyx. I'm not your enemy. I lost of my power while being teleported to this place. I have already told my lover before being trapped here."
"I think I completely understood what situation you're in. I'm sorry for being too careful." Akihiko apologized.
"No problem, Akihiko-senpai"
"Ehhh…. I know we shouldn't poke one's nose into someone' else business, but who is your boyfriend?" Yukari interested about Minako's boyfriend.
"Hm!"
Minako embarrassed what Yukari asked, her face was slowly blushing and became shy. All of them chuckled around her.
"Well, she has a very cute side after all. Perhaps you should try to date with her, Sanada-senpai? Junpei teased Akihiko."
"Hey Junpei!" Akihiko stopped Junpei for teasing.
"Stop laughing at me, everyone…Ewww! Well…" She deeply sighed, concentrated.
"Him." She pointed to Akihiko, everyone seemed shocked about that, especially, Akihiko.
"What!" Akihiko rubbed his hair, shocked.
"Really! You two already dated together!" Junpei shocked.
"She means in her world, Stupei." Yukari loudly knocked Junpei's head.
"Ouch!" Junpei screamed. Everyone laughingly joked.
"That's enough. We have been digressing, keeping out off the track too far." Mitsuru warned everyone.
"You're right. We should let Metis continued her speaking." Fuuka agreed.
Metis nodded, beginning to explain about Abyss of Times again.
"Like I said before, The Abyss of time has formed all the dorm like a tree roots. I've already tried the simplest, most direct way... ...Eliminating all of you. "
Everyone was dismayed what Metis said, Minako considered…. Why did she think that eliminating all of them would solve the problem? That didn't make sense at all!
Metis elaborated further "The Abyss of Time connected to this dorm, as if drawn to it... That, together with the way you can all perceive the time skips... It seems clear to me that you have a lot to do with the reason for this happening." She tried to assume that everyone was the cause that the Abyss of time."
"So that's why you attacked? In order to eliminate us...?" Mitsuru seemed barely believed what Metis said. It's coming out nowhere.
"What the hell!? We've never even heard of this place before!" Junpei furiously irritated.
"Minako, do you have an understanding what situation we have been faced here?" Mitsuru asked.
Minako considered, made a hypothesis. "As I understand, When the Abyss of Times has been formed and connecting into some place, that area will be cut off. If you became trapped here, you can't go outside. I tried to prove my statement by opening a door and turned out to be true. And the cause that the Abyss of Times still existed because of some forces, not allowing a time to move forward, isn't that it?
Metis truly surprised that how much Minako knew about this place, but she almost forgot that she's Nyx. Of course, she knew that Minako must know about these stuffs in some ways.
"Yes, just like what I said before." Metis confirmed Minako' theory.
" What you want us to do is investigating the Abyss of Times to erase that cause, is that correct?" Minako directly asked.
Metis comfortably nodded that Minako was all correct.
"Wait... is this a joke? Are you seriously telling us to go back to the way things were when Tartarus was around!?" Yukari disliked about being back to fight again.
"Wait a minute! if we can't leave the dorm... how will we eat!? If we're stuck here for long enough, and we run out of food... Are we going to... starve to death!?" Fuuka panickily dismayed.
All of them fearfully dismayed. Everything is here was completely out of control.
"Nooooooo!" Junpei loudly shouted while being panicked.
"If the current situation continues, your lives may all be in danger. What I'm asking you to do is the only way for you all to survive." Metis fully claimed.
"Naturally, we all want to survive. But you first appeared to us as an enemy. You must understand that we can't entrust our lives to you." Aigis wanted Metis to be more reason with them.
"I'm not even buying your reason for being here. You say you want to protect Aigis, but what's in it for you?" Akihiko asked about her intention for protecting Aigis.
"In it"? I'm doing this because I care about her! For heaven's sake, she's my only sister!" Metis still claimed that she was Aigis sister.
"But isn't Aigis supposed to be a last Anti Shadow weapon in her series? In my world, she too never mentioned about having siblings ever. And how can you know so much about The Abyss of Times anyways? You know more than me too." Minako curiously questioned.
"Your Aigis is also the same as us? Damn, dude." Junpei surprised.
"More importantly, aren't you supposed to be a weapon anyway? How do you square that with attacking us to save Aigis? Akihiko keeps Metis at bay.
"That's... I... Um..." Metis hesitated to answer.
"Well? We're waiting... Hope you've got a good answer. Cause if you're stringing us along, we're not gonna let you get away with it..." Junpei angrily waited Metis to answer.
Metis felt raged before being exasperate.
"E-Enough about me! What good is any of this supposed to do you? I thought I told you, there's no time to waste! Now follow me. Or are you going to give up so soon? Because if you are, you should have let me kill you in the first place!"
"What did you just say!?" Akihiko irritated what Metis said to them.
"Sigh…. Could both of you just being reasonable and shut up already? We have a life and death situation we must confront! Don't be childish!" Minako raguly shout, making them began coming to their sense.
"She's correct." Mitsuru nodded.
Metis and Akihiko began to understand, apologized each other.
"Eh…. Sorry." Akihiko felt embarrassed.
"Me either. Sorry." Metis ashamed.
"I'm…. truly afraid of her, now." Junpei terrified of Minako.
"Minako-san is totally a leader here." Ken impressed about Minako.
"You're right. She reminds me of…. Aaa…. him." Yukari saw Minato in her while being sadness.
Everyone had been nervous, should they bring Metis come with him? How can they sure that Metis would not betray them? But, if they didn't Metis come with them, they couldn't investigate what inside of Abyss of Times. Minako is also not used to this place. It is the first time she saw the whole mass of the Abyss of Times like this.
"…. Metis" Aigis said.
"Sister?"
"If you wish to protect me, you must fight to protect us all. Hurting my friends will not be tolerated. Do you promise?" Aigis made Metis promised not hurting her friend.
"Yes! I promise!" Metis easily accepted.
"Hmph. This better not come back to bite us in the ass." Akihiko said.
Minako realized something, about Aigis' Persona changed to Orpheus.
"Aigis. May I ask you about something?" Minako asked.
"Sure, Minako-san."
"That Orpheus…How can you acquire that Persona?"
"Now you mention it, I have been doubted about that for a while. I never thought I would never saw his Persona again." Ken doubted about Athena transfiguring into Orpheus.
Minako gazed back to Yukari, she felt that Yukari felt envious about how Aigis could been granted that power from him. Why shouldn't be her? Minako could only gaze from afar. This is not her matters, anyways.
"Minako, do you have an understanding of her power?" Mitsuru questioned.
"That power. It's called "Wild Card". It allowed them to use a multiple Persona. Only a specific condition can make them awaken their power." Minako answered.
"What condition?"
Minako concentrated, ruminated what a condition that Aigis can awaken her power but…she never stayed with them before a scene. She wouldn't find a right answer by making a conspiracy theory.
"To be honest, I'm not sure about her condition. Maybe, those answer we would like to know may lie in that, inside of the Abyss of Times."
"Your logic makes sense. There's no coincidence that Aigis could awaken her special power with normal states." Mitsuru agreed.
"But If we're going back into combat, this clothing won't do."
"Well, you and me are still Gekkoukan students until that magic degree comes in the mail."
"Sorry to trouble you, Yamagishi, but could you retrieve the armbands from the command room?" Mitsuru requested Fuuka to bring armbands to them.
"Of course. Oh, and the things we found when the floor opened up...I'll look into them once I have the chance. Maybe I can learn something." Fuuka volunteered to research about the things they find on the lounge' floor.
"All right, let's get back upstairs."
Minako and others nodded. got back to upstairs, leaving Aigis and Metis being alone.
"Um... Aigis? I promise to listen to what you say, so... Could I... call you Sister? ..." Metis begged her.
"Go right ahead." Aigis slowly accepted Metis.
"Thank you... Sister!" Metis happily smiles.
After they go up to upstairs, they prepared their weapons and Evokers, ready to investigate the Abyss of Times. Only Minako couldn't use her power here.
"Minako, are you sure that you actually want to join us, you can't even have a weapon." Akihiko worries said.
"I must make sure that all of you will be truly trust me. If a Shadow know I'm here, they won't attack me by recognizing their creator. If I want to make that theory will be true, I must test by myself." Minako keeps insisted.
"I know but you're Nyx in your own world. But this is too risky." Akihiko warned her.
"It would be all right. I'll keep close with you guys if everything is not according to the plan." Minako said.
"Sigh…. If you say so."
Before everyone went to below through a door on the ground, leaving Akihiko and Minako was the last one, he still had a question to ask her.
"Minako, could I ask you about something before going to investigate?"
"What's the matter" Is something on your mind? Minako asked.
"No…It just… We only interested about investigating the Abyss of Times. I never asked about your world, didn't I? Akihiko seemed had something want to ask.
"So, what would you like to know about?"
"Shinji….. He… Is he alive?" Akihiko stammered.
Minako wondered why he asked about Shinjiro, before realizing that Shinjiro has been shot during that time.
"He's alive. He survived by his old watch I was trying to find and bring back to him. I think…he might be awake from his coma…." Minako sadly said.
"I…..I'm glad he okay in that side…. I truly envy another me…..so much."
"Senpai…" Minako sadly gazed at him. He may miss Shinjiro so much.
"Ah…..That doesn't matter. We shouldn't everyone wait for us. Let's go" Akihiko said.
"Um…"
Every had been gathered around that door. They wondered…..what would be inside of that door? No one knew until they would check by themselves.
"Everyone, are you ready?"
"I'm ready!" Junpei happily said.
"Yeah, I think everyone's ready but Minako, are you…" Yukari looked at Minako, worried about her safety.
"Don't worry. I'll try to keep distance between them. I'll stay with Fuuka as much as possible."
"Thank you, Minako-chan." Fuuka thanked.
"If you say that…. Okay"
"Aigis, lead the way." Mitsuru commanded Aigis.
"Um…. Let's see what's waiting for us."
Aigis slowly approach to a door, went through a door. They wondered behind this door. They wondered if this Abyss of Times had an answer they seek.