Chapter 3

Dorm

Ben is seen strolling down the sidewalk toward the dorm with his hands tucked in his pockets with music filled his ears

Stepping through the door into the Dorm, he was confronted with the sight of Yukari, who was speaking with a Man in a tan suit, with shoulder-length hair and glasses.

The man in the suit had his back to the door, so it was Yukari who first spotted the new arrival. "Hey" she was saying, "Just who we were talking about. Over here, Ben-kun."

Ben then took off his headphones and made his way over. "Evening, Yukari-san," he greeted. "Sir," he added respectfully, nodding at the unknown man.

The man smiled, also coming to his feet. "Ah, then you'd be our new guest. Ben Strega, I believe?" He held out his hand. "I'm Shuji Ikutsuki, Chairman of the Board of Gekkoukan High." Shaking Ben's hand, he chuckled. "Ikutsuki… Kind of a mouthful, isn't it? Even I get tongue tied by it sometimes."

"Righht" Ben said simply.

"Ignore him, he thinks he's funny." Kotone said as she joined the group

Ikutsuki just laughed sheepishly, as he gestured toward the common area. "Please, have a seat." Once Ben had joined Yukari and Kotone on one of the couches, the Chairman had resumed the chair he'd previously occupied, his expression turned apologetic. "I'm sorry about the confusion with your room assignment. You know how bureaucracy is, right?"

"Paperwork," Ben said dryly

Yukari, Kotone and Ikutsuki all laughed. "Yes, that's about right," the older man agreed. "Your transfer came at a bit of an awkward time, and I'm afraid it's going to be at least a few more days before things get straightened out."

"That's all right," Ben assured him. "I don't mind."

"I'm glad to hear it." Ikutsuki gestured vaguely. "Anyway. Since I'm here, are there any questions I can answer for you?"

"I'm kind of surprised the Chairman of the Board would be visiting a dorm like this." Ben said casually. "Why are you here?"

Ikutsuki replied, making a self-deprecating gesture. "To welcome you of course. But it's true I did have other business to attend to… Speaking of which," he said, turning, "where is Mitsuru?"

"Upstairs," Yukari said, pointing toward the stairwell. "Studying, I guess

"As diligent as ever," the Chairman mused. "Though it wouldn't hurt to say hello, at least…What about your brother?"

"Right here," Makoto said joining the group

"Are Senpai, Yukari and the twins, the only other people staying here?" Ben asked

"The twins?" Makoto asked, slightly amused

"Mentioning all your names would have been a hassle." Ben shrugged

"There's another senior here, actually, Akihiko Sanada. Captain of the school boxing team. I understand he keeps odd hours, so I'm not surprised you haven't seen him yet." Ikutsuki stood. "Well, much as I'd like to stay and chat, I do have work to do." Making for the stairs, he added over his shoulder, "You're probably tired after everything; only your second day here, after all, so you should probably get some rest. After all, 'The early bird catches the bookworm!'"

Chuckling to himself, the man headed up to the higher floors of the dorm, leaving Ben to give his back a strange look.

Next to him, Makoto heaved a long-suffering sigh. Shaking his head. "Sorry about that. The Chairman likes puns… but isn't very good with them. You'll get used to it soon enough."

"Thanks for the heads up." Ben said as he got up and started heading for his room

Later that Night

Alongside Yukari, Kotone and Mitsuru sat before the monitor station in the command room with Makoto standing behind them, observing their newest tenant via well-concealed camera. Having been otherwise occupied the night before, Mitsuru hadn't had a chance to see this for herself before, but it was, so far, matching up with her expectations.

The Dark Hour was on the way, but Ben slept like a log. By now he had to know it was a nightly phenomenon, yet he'd gone to sleep as if he hadn't a care in the world

"Diligent as ever, I see," a voice interjected into her thoughts. "Keeping an eye on things personally, Mitsuru?"

Mitsuru turned toward the approaching Ikutsuki. "It seems prudent," she said. "Considering how… unusual Strega's behavior has been."

"Yes, Yukari informed me of that," the Chairman said thoughtfully. "I know I wasn't that calm, the first time I experienced the Dark Hour, and I at least had some idea of what was going on." He looked over at the monitor. "So, how's he doing?"

"He went to bed shortly after you left earlier," Yukari offered. "I guess he'd had a long day; he's been asleep since then."

"Not surprising," Mitsuru noted. "Judging from how long it takes him to get back to the dorm after school…" She glanced back at Ikutsuki. "Mister Chairman, do you think he's…?"

She herself was mostly convinced of it by now. After everything, she believed it would be more surprising if he did not possess the talent they were looking for; to be strange in so many ways, yet normal in the one that mattered…

"We'll know soon enough, I think," Ikutsuki told her, settling onto a nearby stool. "In the meantime, the Dark Hour will be upon us soon, and I'd like to see his reaction to it myself."

Nodding, Mitsuru turned her attention back to the monitor. For the moment, waiting as the clock ticked away the final minutes before the world turned strange, she occupied herself examining Ben's vital signs; what could be told while he was sleeping was somewhat limited, but still informative

The room's main lights winked out, the world became tinged with green, and an eerie silence, devoid of the usual noise of a city, came over the world. Only the command room's monitors remained functioning, completely unchanged. Including the images they showed.

"He's still sleeping," Ikutsuki said unnecessarily. "Just as you reported." When the students turned toward him, he nodded at the screens. "As I'm sure you'll recall, an ordinary person doesn't truly experience the Dark Hour; they're Transmogrified into a coffin, kept in a form of stasis until the Dark Hour passes. Safe, and oblivious."

Yukari glanced over her shoulder at the display. "Which means Ben-kun must be…"

"Indeed. Ben is still asleep; he may be experiencing the Dark Hour unknowingly, but he is still physically affected by it.

"The only question, then," Mitsuru mused, "is whether or not he actually has the potential. But then if he didn't, by now the Shadows would've gone after him; one night of luck I could see, but not three."

Yukari shivered. "I sure hope so. Being able to experience the Dark Hour, but not actually defend yourself during it… That's a scary thought."

"Very," Ikutsuki said wryly. "Which is why I try to make sure I'm around one of you guys when the Dark Hour begins." Chuckling at the look on Yukari's face -the other having forgotten that detail- he turned his attention back to the sleeping student. "In any case, let's continue watching Ben, at least for a few more days. I think we'll have our answers soon enough."

"Yes, Sir," Mitsuru acknowledged.

A sigh from Yukari caught her attention. "I feel kinda bad," the junior murmured. "We're spying on him, and he doesn't even know it…"

"All for a good cause, Yukari," Ikutsuki assured her. "And once we're sure he can take care of himself, there'll be no more need to. For now, we're just keeping him safe." He chuckled. "Not as if there's anything going to happen to him while he's tucked into bed, of course, but better safe than sorry."

Unknown Area

The elevator was ascending rapidly, hurrying toward the floor of his destination; when it would arrive, well, who could say.

Something about that thought seemed odd to Ben, but it took him a few moments to figure out why. Wait a minute… Elevator? Wasn't I just in bed…?

Ben gradually became aware of his surroundings. An antique elevator, several times larger than he thought such an elevator was likely to actually be. Open air barely visible through gaps in the walls; and lots of blue on the inside. Blue velvet, he rather thought, though it was hard to be sure.

He himself sat in a straight-backed chair upholstered in the same blue velvet, wearing his school uniform. In front of him was a table covered in what appeared to be white silk, and beyond that…

"…Where the hell am I?"

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young man," said the entity sitting on the other side of the table. A spindly, hunched old man with the longest nose Ben had ever seen, wearing an old-fashioned suit with a handkerchief tucked into his vest pocket. Standing to the man's left was a young woman in a blue dress of some sort.

But the old man was speaking again, distracting him from the other oddities of his location. "My name is Igor," he said, gesturing at himself. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance, young man. And this," Igor went on, waving at the strange woman, "is Elizabeth. We are both residents of the Velvet Room, and bound by the duties that entails."

Elizabeth then smiled at him, a strangely charming expression coming from someone so peculiar. "A pleasure to meet you," she said, tone strange but somehow not quite frightening.

"How many coffee's did I have?" Ben thought

"No doubt you're wondering about the nature of the place you find yourself in," Igor remarked, pulling Ben's attention back to him. "This is, after all, very different from the reality you experience in your waking life." He made a sweeping gesture, encompassing the room at large. "This is the Velvet Room, a place existing between dream and reality, a room that it between the construct of the unconscious mind and the matter of the waking world."

"It's been years since we've had a guest," Igor continued, smiling in a way Ben could not decide was friendly or predatory. "Igor waved a hand again, and something resembling a hotel register materialized on the table between them, flipping open to the first page; Ben recognized it as the document he'd signed the night he arrived at the dorm. The one held by the mysterious boy no one else seemed to know about.

"The Velvet Room is only accessible to those who have signed the contract," the beak-nosed man said, nodding at the document. "As one of those who have, you are henceforth welcome here, young man. The talent you have is quite unique, and one that you will need to hone if you are to succeed in the events that are to come. My role… is to assist you in that task."

Ben glanced down at the contract, then turned a wary gaze back on Igor. "A unique talent… I suppose I'll find out what you mean soon enough. As for your assistance… what's the catch?"

Igor smiled benignly. "None whatsoever, in the sense that you mean, young Ben. Assisting the one who has signed the contract is the role assigned to me by my master, after all. All that is expected in return is that you abide by the terms of the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices you make and the consequences thereof."

Ben glanced around once more, taking in the elevator that apparently wasn't, whose destination was still unclear. "I don't understand everything you just said, but if the way things have been going so far is any indication, I probably will soon. But I do have one question: is this a dream?"

Another smile, this one approving. "It is exactly what you suspect it to be, my dear young man. This is the Velvet Room as your subconscious draws it for you, using the imagination of your unconscious mind as a medium to communicate with you; in the real world, you remain in your own bed, fast asleep." He raised his hand, and something began to appear in the air before Ben. "You will, however, come here of your own accord soon enough, and this will be needed."

The object finished materializing, and dropped into Ben's hand. A key, he quickly realized, of the same blue as the room around him. It didn't take someone with his deductive talents to figure that sooner or later he was going to find a physical door leading into this place.

Even as he took stock of that, though, he realized the room was beginning to fade; in the real world, he was probably beginning to wake up. The last impressions he had were of a cheerful farewell from Igor, and a smile from Elizabeth…

Next Day

Walking down the final stretch to Gekkoukan High, Ben shook his head in bemusement. He'd thought at first that the previous evening's addition to the mystery had merely been an extremely vivid dream; certainly that was more plausible, even with the bizarre changes Port Island underwent at midnight. That comforting thought had lasted all of thirty seconds after awakening in the morning, however.

The discovery of the key "Igor" had given him lying in his hand had been fairly strong evidence that his experience had been no mere dream.

"Yo!" Junpei called energetically, awaiting Ben at the school's gate; as ever, he wore his blue ball cap and a smile that could've been used as a shaving mirror. "Hey, Ben, what's up? Looks like a perfect day, huh? Great weather, we're in the prime of life… What more could guys like us ask for?!"

"You're full of energy this morning, Junpei. Just how many energy drinks did you start the day with? Or do you just hook yourself up to a car battery and get it direct?" Ben asked

Junpei laughed. "Nah, nothing like that, man. 'Course I'm excited! After all-! Ah, right, I'm not supposed to say anything." He chuckled. "Sorry, dude. But hey, who cares! You've got me for a friend, what else do you need?"

Ben just rolled his eyes at that

Later

So far, classes at Gekkoukan had been refreshingly normal, one of the few "typical" school experiences Ben had ever had. The principal was only slightly more boring than usual, and his homeroom teacher was reassuringly sane. Alas, that trend was now to come to a halt.

"Ahem," the teacher said, clearing his throat a second time. "I'm Mister Ekoda, and that means I'll be your Classical Literature teacher this year. That's right, here's where you'll be learning about the works of literary art from good old Japan herself." Ekoda shook his head. "So many people say Classic Lit isn't relevant to modern, everyday life. I say they're crazy. Why, what is the present built on if not the works of the past? Nothing could be more… Hey," he said sharply, "are you even listening to me?"

"Unfortunately yes." Ben thought. " Well. Time for a boring session of Classic Literature."

Dark Hour/Full Moon

"…So, what's the situation?" Ikutsuki asked

"The same as last night. Nothing unexpected." Mitsuru replied

"Except for the fact that it's happening this way at all, of course." Shuji Ikutsuki gazed thoughtfully at the command room monitor. "I've been thinking about what you've said about Ben, particularly his arrival that first night. Even those with potential have several distinct symptoms upon first experiencing the Dark Hour."

Mitsuru nodded. "Memory loss, disorientation. Generally somewhat unstable, at least for the first few nights."

"Not this guy, though," Yukari said, shivering a little at the memory. "He just walked right in as if it was nothing, and from what little we talked about it the day after, I think he remembered it perfectly well."

"Looks like you have yourself some competition bro." Kotone said to Makoto who just stayed silent

Yukari shifted uncomfortably, pointedly not looking at the screen. "…It still feels like we're treating him like a guinea pig."

"Only for a little longer, Yukari," Ikutsuki assured her. "And though I hate to say it, the stakes are high enough that we don't have much choice. It's imperative we recruit new members if we're to take any effective action at all. Besides," he added with an encouraging smile, "wouldn't it help to be working with someone in your own year?"

"Hey, what about me?" Kotone asked.

She blinked. "I… guess so, yeah…" Yukari ignored Kotone. She had to admit she hadn't quite thought of it that way; but then, she hadn't had a chance to talk much with Ben yet.

Any further discussion on the topic was forestalled by a chime from the command console, prompting Mitsuru to frown and tap a key. "Command room," she said into a microphone. "I assume that's you, Aki-"

"No time for that," Akihiko interrupted, sounding out of breath. "Damn it, this thing is huge!"

Everyone exchanged alarmed looks, and Mitsuru's frown deepened. "Akihiko, what's going on?"

"I don't have time to chat," the boxer replied, breathing heavily. "It's chasing me… Look, you'll see for yourself soon enough! I'm almost there!" The signal cut off almost before he finished speaking.

Yukari stared at the now-silent console, face white. "Is he bringing that… that whatever it is here?!"

Mitsuru spun to face Ikutsuki, face taut. "We'll cease observation for now; I think that may have just become a moot point. Mister Chairman, we'll prepare for battle!" Nodding sharply at Yukari and the twins, she snatched up her gunbelt from a nearby table and strode quickly to the door, already strapping it on.

By the time they made it down to the eerily-lit lobby, Akihiko Sanada had just closed the front door behind him… and slumped down against it, clutching his ribs, breathing hard and unevenly.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru called, showing a degree of concern Yukari found surprising, and hurried to the boxer's side. "What happened?"

Yukari saw the blood starting to stain Akihiko's shirt, and gasped. "Senpai! You're hurt!"

He waved away the concern with the hand not occupied with his injury. "I'll be all right," he bit out. The claim didn't have much credibility, considering his appearance, but there wasn't time to question it. Surprisingly, he even managed a tight grin. "You guys have a surprise coming. It wasn't far behind me…"

"This isn't the time to joke!" Mitsuru snapped, aplomb beginning to crack. "What the hell is going on, Akihiko?"

"Is it one of them?" Ikutsuki interjected urgently, face as tight as any of the others. As well it might be, Yukari thought, considering he was the only one present without any way of defending himself, even potentially, from the probable threat.

"It sure is," Akihiko confirmed, grimacing as he tried to pull his legs under himself. "But this one isn't like usual. It's bigger, and-"

A loud thump, like a very heavy footstep or perhaps something banging on the wall of the dorm itself, interrupted his explanation, and almost made Yukari jump out of her skin. Mitsuru, though also startled, simply drew the pistol from her belt and turned to Ikutsuki. Makoto was battle ready with Kotone, who was surprisingly serious

"Mister Chairman, I suggest you head for the command room! Takeba, get Strega up and head for the back door!"

Yukari swallowed. "What about you guys?"

"We'll hold it off." Mitsuru glanced over at the boxer. "You led it here, Akihiko, so you'll have to help me take care of this mess."

"Like I had a choice!" Akihiko said irritably, but he hauled himself to his feet anyway, hissing in pain yet not letting it stop him. "Now get going, Yukari! There's no time!"

Yukari nodded choppily. "R-right!"

Whirling, she took off for the stairs at a dead run. She didn't like leaving the others and an injured Akihiko, but she had no illusions about her own likely contributions; she still had difficulty using her power at all, and would probably just get in the way. Not to mention I left my bow in my room… No time to get it now.

Yukari sped toward the second floor, and placed her hope in the mysterious potential of their newest acquaintance.

Ben's Room

Ben almost catapulted out of bed at the first thud. He tended to sleep lightly during the period when the world went strange, and on previous nights had woken at the slightest sound; this one was anything but slight.

Much as he liked to think things through, in this case he figured his instincts were probably right.

He was already dressed and pulling on his jacket -having gone straight for his school uniform in his haste- when someone started pounding on his door. "Ben-kun, wake up! I'm coming in!"

"Seriously?" Ben thought. "Don't these guys know about the ritual called, 'locking your door'"

Ben was slightly shocked, as his supposed, looked door was swung wide open, admitting a very harried Yukari. "You just broke my lock." he said slightly amused

"No time to explain!" she said, visibly trembling. "We've got to get out of here, now!" She then grabbed his arm, before rushing out of the room with him into the hall and toward the stairs.

He had no idea what was going on. Yukari, however, apparently did, and if she thought haste was in order, he wasn't going to argue. " Although, she might break my arm." he thought, reaching the stairs and descending them at a rate not generally recommended for those interested in long-term survival.

"Back door," Yukari gasped out, when Ben glanced at her again. "The others are holding it off, but we need to get out of here, quick!"

Ben said nothing, as they rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs, cutting through the dining area to the back door leading behind the dorm.

Skidding to a halt just in front of the door, Yukari took a moment to catch their breath. "Well, this is exciting," Ben muttered, not bothering to keep his sarcasm internal.

Yukari took a deep, shuddering breath. "We should be okay now; our senpai should have it contained out front, and we only need to last until-"

A beeping interrupted her, along with a brief burst of static from the headset Ben now noticed she was wearing. "Takeba, do you read me?" Mitsuru's voice said.

Yukari twitched. "Y-yeah, Senpai. Loud and clear!"

"Watch out! The one we're dealing with is not the one Akihiko warned us about! It could be anywhere!"

The brunette's lost some of the color it had begun to regain. "What?!"

What little color remained vanished entirely a moment later, and Yukari's hand clenched on her Evoker, when a series of harsh pounding noises resounded against the door they had just been about to escape through. Something was clearly on the other side… something unfriendly.

"I don't think we want to go that way after all," Ben said. "Any bright ideas, Yukari-san?"

"Up," Yukari replied, pale as a sheet. "I don't know where else…" She trailed off, and took off for the stairs again.

Ben followed close behind. He didn't know what the hell was going on, but it was quite obvious that it wasn't good.

The pair stumbled out onto the roof, and Yukari slammed the door shut behind them, locking it. This wasn't where they would've preferred to end up, but the sounds following them up had made it clear any lower in the dorm wasn't safe… to put it mildly.

By now, Yukari was tensely tightening and loosening her grip of her Evoker, wondering if she was going to have to use it… or if she even could even use it.

"W-we should be safe for now," Yukari gasped out, leaned her head against the door. "At least long enough for the others to finish things."

"Don't jinx it." Ben said. "Tell me something, Yukari-san: what's coming after us?"

"The full explanation will have to wait," she replied, struggling for breath. "Too complicated. But the thing right now is-"

THUD.

Yukari jumped a foot in the air. "This isn't happening," she whispered, eyes wide and dilated. "This isn't happening…"

Slowly, both of them turned to look toward the edge of the roof, and Ben had his first glimpse of eldritch horror.

Black hands were coming into view. Pure black, clearly the very structure of the hands, not some kind of gloves. Many black hands, too many to be any creature of the world Ben knew. Worse, hands were all he could see… until an eerie blue mask came into view, held up by one of the hands like some kind of periscope.

Perhaps that's exactly what it was. The moment the mask's "eyes" were turned on the pair of humans, something else frightening happened: a number of the freakish hands suddenly produced knives. Very sharp ones, if Ben was any judge.

Yukari's hand dropped, trembling, to the grip of the pistol at her waist. "Those monsters," she bit out through a mouth gone bone dry. "We call them Shadows." She shook visibly, barely managing to stay on her feet now.

The "Shadows" had now climbed over the edge of the roof, and were advancing. To Ben's intense, primal discomfort, all they consisted of were hands, some of them gripping knives, one of them the mask; no other trace of anatomy could be seen.

"Am I afraid?" Ben thought to himself. Having not experienced said emotion in 10 years. "Except from that time Alfred got angry. Guess this fear isn't potent enough to numb my sense of humor."

Yukari's fear-spawned paralysis snapped suddenly, and she yanked the pistol from its holster. To Ben's surprise, she pressed the barrel directly to her head, breathing impossibly becoming more ragged still. "What the hell are you-?!"

The Shadow started advancing after seeing Yukari's Evoker. Yukari stay motionless, not doing anything until the Shadow's knife lanced out at her.

Yukari fell to one side, sprawling on the rooftop. The pistol flew the other way, landing in a puddle of water-turned-blood at Ben's feet.

Command Room

"We need to get up there." Mitsuru said, after seeing what was happening on the roof from the command Computer

"Wait." The Chairman said stopping them. "Look."

Rooftop

He didn't know if Yukari was hurt, or even if she was still conscious. Yet at that moment, Ben's own fear left as though someone had flipped a switch; instead of near-panic, he felt eerily calm. His gaze fell toward the pistol at his feet, then lifted to gaze at the shadowy horror still advancing on him.

For a brief moment, his vision went white, with the boy he'd seen the first night standing before him. "Go on," the apparition urged, smiling a strange smile.

His heartbeat was in his ears, slow but very strong. Bending slightly, Ben set the walking stick aside, and picked up the fallen pistol.

Cradling it in his hands, he flashed back to Yukari's attempted use of it, pressing it against his head as if preferring suicide to whatever the Shadows might do.

Breathing deeply, Ben lifted the pistol to his head, pressing it against his right temple. Only now did he tremble even slightly.

The trembling stopped. Ben's eyes closed, and his mouth twisted into a smile. The word came to him easily, though he knew not why.

"Per…so…na…"

Ben pulled the trigger.

A hammer blow resounded through his head, forceful yet somehow not painful. Shards of blue ice exploded out where the bullet might've exited, had the pistol been normal, and as Yukari came to her senses enough to watch, more shards rose up to spiral around him, an unseen wind billowing his jacket.

A voice from the strange vortex boomed out. "Thou art I," it said, in a voice eerily similar to Ben's own. "And I am thou. From the sea of thy soul, I come forth." Above Ben, stood a Tall figure with Long White hair, wearing a Dark robe and wielding a long staff, with a Skull at the top. It's face looked similar to Ben's, with it being paler, more mature and with the number 13, written in it's Roman form on it's forehead. "I am Hades, Judge of the Underworld."

Yukari Takeba stared at the apparition. We were right, she thought numbly. Ben does have the potential. Wow… he summoned it so easily, like even putting a gun to his head was nothing…

She thought she'd never felt so relieved in her life. Two seconds ago, she was about to suffer a fate possibly worse than death at the hands of a Shadow; now survival seemed not only possible, but probable, with Ben Strega on hand. He just stood there in the shadow of his Persona, grinning, Evoker still in his hand-

Then he let out a cry, doubled over, and clutched at his head, prompting Yukari to draw back herself in something akin to horror. The newly manifested Persona, Hades, had let out a scream of its own, a terrible sound of agony.

It wasn't difficult to understand why: something else seemed to be clawing its way out of Hades guts.

Ben and his Persona howling in concert, that something tore free of Hades, ripping out to freedom. Casting aside the tattered remnants of the first Persona, it bared itself to the moonlight: skeletal, made up of grays and blacks, its most notable features were its metallic, beak-like head, and the eight "wings" chained together behind it. Wings that, on closer inspection, looked entirely too much like coffins for comfort.

Before the appearance of this apparition fully registered on Yukari, the reaper-like entity spun toward the Shadow, swinging the long, katana-like sword it held in one hand. Bits of Shadow went flying, sliced as cleanly as with the sharpest razor; another cut, and several knife-wielding hands scattered off into the night.

Like something out of a samurai movie, the Reaper spun and cut and sliced at the Shadow, swiftly reducing it to a mass of dark shreds. The execution was effortless, brutal; something Yukari had never seen from her own Persona.

Perhaps three seconds after the Reaper began to attack, the encounter was over. It clutched one of the black hands in its own grip, still struggling, but that was all… and with a disturbing squish, even that remnant of the Shadow had been removed from the world.

The Reaper hung in the air, silhouetted against the green moon, for a moment longer, before letting at a roar of victory that echoed throughout the city. Then, with a flicker almost like radio static, it was gone, Hades once again in its place.

An instant later, Hades too vanished, and Ben fell to his knees.

Yukari shakily drew herself to her feet. "It… is it over?" she whispered. "Hey, Ben-kun! You okay?"

"I'm okay," he said, breathing hard and sweating. The stress… that was something else entirely. He'd started this whole mess by being dragged out from a sound sleep, and wrapped things up by shooting himself in the head and killing an eldritch abominations. "Nothing a week in bed can't cure." Yukari distinctly heard him utter.

Just before collapsing in an unceremonious heap, narrowly avoiding impaling himself on his own sword.

Yukari stumbled back to her feet and rushed to his side. "Hey, are you okay? Ben-kun! Answer me!" Only peripherally aware of the sound of Mitsuru, Akihiko and the twins finally arriving on the rooftop, she took hold of Ben's shoulder. "Come on, wake up! Please! Ben-kun!"