"What on earth was that…!?"
Clutching his ribs because each breath is painful, one arm dangling like dead weight, Akihiko is disturbed beyond belief at the scene on the monitors. He feels useless, he's been told to stand back, and he could fight despite his injuries except shock is keeping him rooted in the command room.
From what he can see on the screen, Takeba is sprawled unconscious on the roof's floor, and the Arisato girl is hovering next to her like a living shield. Her twin is screaming shrilly as he clutches his head like someone is trying to rip it off, while his nightmarish persona rampages through inky shadow appendages like they're paper tissues. The apparition looks like an angel of death, surrounded by a ring of floating coffins, and it's completely berserk.
The shrieks must be very loud since the mics connected to the roof camera are screeching, as if the frequency is too intense for their receptors. Ikutsuki is drawing heavy breaths, puffing out light clouds of steam while he stares with wide eyes.
The air during the Dark Hour is usually neither hot nor cold, simply dead, yet the temperature in the control room seems to have dropped a few degrees when the twin's second summon manifested itself. There is an ominous pressure as well, heavier than the usual presence of an actualization and it's pressing on Akihiko's temples like lead clamps. It's like this persona is impeding on reality and the sensation of it bites down to the bone marrow.
I've never felt anything like it!
The blue-haired twin falls silent and breathes hard once the large shadow dissipates in a billow of smoke. His summon flickers and reverts to the original harper form it previously had and the exhausted teen crumples on the floor. His sister immediately rushes over, drops her weapon in a clatter and tries to rouse him roughly.
"Min, wake up!"
Mitsuru passes a hand over her eyes and breathes, seemingly refreshed by the loss of pressure in the room. She peers at the monitor as Takeba tries to raise herself to her knees, woozy.
"Is it over…?"
The feed glitches and wavers, then the unmistakable sound of slimy shadows is heard through the microphones and Yukari screams.
"Arisato, it's still moving…! No… G-Get away from me!"
Despite his pain and Mitsuru taking a forceful hold of his arm, he is about to rush up there to protect his juniors when Ikutsuki hisses with excitement.
"Just wait!"
The copper-haired girl gets to her feet and squints. She looks down at her brother, the position of the enemy, Takeba, then the dropped evoker. For a second, she doesn't move at all, still as a statue as if she's waiting for something, then she raises her eyes to Yukari and Akihiko swears they're glowing like the first time he saw her. His heartbeat slushes in his ears and the inner static in his limbs amps up; something's about to happen and his body knows it.
So quick it feels like monitor lag, she picks up the replica gun and her makeshift naginata in one fell swoop and rushes in toward the defenseless archer. There is no hesitation in that fluid motion, just a grim set of lips and a tension near her eyes that betrays an intense concentration.
The bladed weapon spins gracefully in the air to connect with the black sludge and slides through the porcelain-like mask, cleaving it in two. Her form is natural as she stands on the balls of her feet, knees flexed slightly to keep her mobility like someone used to move with balance. She whirls toward the second shadow in a half-circle, draws the evoker to her temple and screams in a clear voice, eyes leaking red.
"Persona!"
A new presence manifests in the whirl of blue fire coming out of her head, very similar to the mirage conjured by her twin but clad in gold and fiery hues, heart-shaped harp in its back. Crimson flames jut from it, embracing its owner and her weapon. Her eyes glow as bright as the power she called forth like little stars and she swings her naginata toward the remaining enemy.
The jet of heat is directed true and bursts forth with a splash of light, blinding the screens like a flashbang. As the inferno dims, her twin embers are still visible. The girl blinks and her glare dims when she sways on her feet, taking three steps toward her brother. Her legs give way in a wobble and she faints next to him, dropping everything she was holding. The evoker flies in the air a few times as it bounces on the concrete, breaking the moment like a pin drop.
Akihiko exhales with force, just now realizing he has been holding his breath for some time. He knows how awakening to the potential can be brutal, yet the twins had done it in a fashion that was extraordinary. He glances at Mitsuru with wide eyes; she's as shocked as he is and shakes her curls to get her composure back.
Takeba rushes toward the twins in a huff on camera and calls for backup, yet he barely pays attention; Mitsuru and the chairman can handle that. He uses his arms to get up and puts weight on the wrong one, crumpling in pain.
Ouch! Forgot about that.
His nerves are twitching like mad, his ribs feel raw, and he flexes his fingers to lessen the sting. Hopefully this solves itself quickly, if there's more of these larger enemies, he needs to be ready. Surely he can be back in the fray quite soon.
We never saw shadows like this before.
Shortly after the Dark Hour ends, the twins are brought to the hospital along with him, despite all his protests. Mitsuru doesn't want to hear any of it, so he hangs his head in defeat and waits for the doctors to come and fix his bandages. Forlorn, he looks through the window at the winking lights of Tatsumi Port Island.
This sucks.
Akihiko thinks back on his earlier fight with the large mass of dangling swords and arms and how quickly he was taken out of commission. It tastes like failure; he's been training forever for a challenge like this and still it wasn't enough.
The twins not only dispatched the huge shadow that hounded him to the dorm in short order, but several of the smaller ones that plague the streets during the Dark Hour with no instruction, no fear and no hesitation. When death loomed near, they had the drive to face it head on and do what must be done, because it had to get done.
That I can respect.
He just smiles to himself, eyes gleaming, because the situation has a lot of potential. Akihiko has no hard feelings against Takeba, but she's still hesitant and unsure of her power. It will take some time and training to get her to the same level of determination as the twins. Fellow juniors with such talent would be a good example for her to emulate, talented peers tend to apply subtle pressure. It might be the boxing captain in him assessing how to best strategize around their new team members, because he has no doubt about their acceptance to SEES.
The more he daydreams the better he feels; the twins will be worthy companions to brave the Dark Hour and its dangers and fellow members that can hold their own strikes a particular competitive streak in him. He flexes his arm to crack his knuckles in anticipation and hisses in pain; obviously this will have to wait a few days.