AUTHOR'S NOTE
Cover Art Drawn By: FlareVortex_
S.E.E.S.
The Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad.
Officially, the group's formation was officially recognized as a 'school club' under the board of Gekkoukan High but underneath their simple guise, a complex secret mission known only to its members was continuously carried out.
For 10 years, when the clock struck midnight, S.E.E.S' unyielding objective they'd have to inevitably uphold began as a phenomenon known as 'The Dark Hour' unfolded, remaining ever so omnipresent while simultaneously remaining elusive to the rest of those that inhabited Tatsumi Port Island.
What spawned from this frightening and unnatural occurrence of the 25th hour were the creatures of darkness known as Shadows & a tower manifested on the grounds of Gekkoukan High known to S.E.E.S. as Tartarus and it was their mission to find out more in hopes of understanding The Dark Hour.
Previously, S.E.E.S. had consisted of their supervisor and chairman of the school board, Shuji Ikutsuki, along with its current members consisting of students gifted with the power of Persona: Mitsuru Kirijo, Yukari Takeba, and Akihiko Sanada.
In the small corner of Japan that Tatsumi Port Island resided, there was only so much S.E.E.S. could do on their own against The Dark Hour & Tartarus alike.
Even with the luxury of resources to back them up, Ikutsuki could only ensure the group's continued stability for so long, and there wasn't any guarantee that any one of the members would choose to stay.
What they needed was more manpower, but the trouble was, the odds of finding more able-bodied students willing to put their lives on the line on a nightly basis was slim to none.
To further their troubles, scouting candidates for Persona users was almost near impossible as everyone around them, oblivious to The Dark Hour, would be transmogrified into coffins just like the rest, and they could do nothing until someone happened to stumble into their ranks…
One such night became a lucky turning point for S.E.E.S. in April of 2009, when new transfer student, Makoto Yuki, moved into the dormitory.
The first two months of S.E.E.S' treks up Tartarus went very well.
Ever since Mitsuru appointed him leader while she remained a line of communicative support for the group using a mix of her Persona and specialized communication equipment, Makoto Yuki displayed a tenacious & balanced dedication that both allowed him to expand his abilities as a Persona user and open up a little more to his other teammates.
After all, as a certain someone with a long nose reminded him, he couldn't grow as a fighter or as a person without the bonds of others, so he had to make effective use of his time to form those friendships.
His first two teammates that he led into combat, Yukari Takeba & Junpei Iori, were focused under his leadership so he could help them perform at their best.
Junpei, while remaining envious of Makoto's appointment as leader, continued to fight for the cause and tried to show his willingness to collaborate.
And Yukari felt confident that wherever Makoto led them, that they'd go in the right direction.
Watching him in battle, observing his ability to wield multiple Persona, and watching his effortless resolve to keep a cool head even in the most heated of situations, it reloaded S.E.E.S.' motivation to fight against The Dark Hour in hopes of one day destroying it...