Chapter 33: The Aeon Arcana.

September 15th, 2017

"They seriously tried to kill us in Tartarus?!" Futaba screams while the rest of the Thieves look at S.E.E.S in complete shock. "And we were saved by our older selves!? I mean, us! I mean…! Urgh… my brain hurts from thinking about that…!" Isara slams her hands together with a large metallic clang while Sophia is busy hugging Ren and Makoto as they silently take in everything they are told. It was so strange and yet, it answered so many questions that they had.

"And they dragged Hifumi, Sumire, Goro, Kasumi, and Sae-san in with us?! Just how desperate were they trying to kill us?!" Ann shouts as Ryuji slams his hands together with a growl.

"What frightens me is how close they succeeded. If it wasn't for Lavenza warning us, we would all be dead." Haru comments, letting out a shake even as Yusuke hugs her. "And that they tried to get the Reaper to do it."

"It also explains why we were more afraid of the Reaper when we came back… it almost killed us as kids. We still remembered it, even if our memories of Tartarus are gone." Ren quietly comments, rubbing Sophia's head. "And that's why you wanted to protect us as well, Aigis?"

"That's right." Aigis replies, patting her legs. "I had mistaken the essence of death that had clung to you from your encounter with the Reaper as the same as Ryoji living inside Minako and Minato."

"Does that mean that, in the original timeline, we somehow fell into Tartarus as well?" Makoto asks, rubbing her head as she holds Sophia close to her. "Not that we would remember whether we did or not anyway. The memories of our childhoods are… blurry." Silence fills the café even as Haru and Ren try to focus back on serving up more coffee as the time reaches its third hour. It really showed just how long this story was.

"So, what had happened after our rescue?" Yusuke asks, holding a hand out. "Did we encounter any other problems?"

"Thankfully, no we didn't." Minako comments, moving one leg over the other. "The following day, we blazed through the final floors of Tartarus, maxing out the Judgment Social Link at the same time, and waited until the 31st. Minato and I did have one last interaction with Takaya, though, although nothing came from that. And we had a miracle on the 21st, but there was one other thing we started as we waited for the 'Promised Day' to arrive." Minako looks over at Aigis, nodding her head at her as Minato makes himself comfortable.

"We formed a new link with Aigis. The Aeon Arcana."

January 8th, 2010

"How have things been, Aigis? It's been a while since you were last at school." Minako asks as she, Minato, and Ren hang around with Aigis in the classroom. The android in disguise made sure everything was in her bag before heading home.

"I admit, it has been strange adapting back to school life after my absence. And it may sound strange saying this, or the best situation, but… I have a new outlook on so many things." She looks out the window, taking in the warm sunset as she looks back at the trio. "If you don't mind, but can we visit some place before returning to the Dorm?" The trio look at each other before nodding back. Aigis smiles at them, motioning them to follow her as they leave the school, heading for a familiar location. The Shrine.

"I find myself coming here a lot." Aigis admits to them as they reach the stone steps. "Before, I couldn't understand the benefits of coming to these 'shrines'. But lately, that's changed…"

"Was it due to the fight you had at Moonlight Bridge? Or back on the 30th?" Ren asks, stretching his neck. Aigis lets out a hum, tilting her head as she turns back to look at him.

"To be honest, I cannot remember." She replies, glancing at the spot where Koromaru was injured all those months ago. "This is also the same spot where we found Koromaru-san last summer. He waited here until we found him, even though he knew his master had died."

"Yeah…" Minako replies, looking at the old Torii gate. "Was it really last summer that Koromaru joined us? That still feels like yesterday…"

"Indeed." Aigis replies, turning back to look at them. "I understand now. What drives people isn't necessarily facts but feelings. He knew for a fact that his master had died, but his feelings of wanting to be with him made Koromaru-san stay. And I feel the same. I recognise the fact that I can't protect you, but I came back anyway. Subconsciously, I was acting based on my emotions rather than logic. I was so confused at the time that I didn't notice it, but it's true."

"And what are they telling you know, Aigis?" Minato asks with hands in his pockets as always. Aigis looks between the twins, glancing over at Ren as she nods her head at all of them.

"The parameters governing my behaviour seem to have been updated during my time with all of you. Or it could be Fuuka and Futaba messing with my programming while I sleep."

"You could tell?" Ren asks, blinking in surprise.

"Of course. However, they have never been intrusive, and so I continued to let them do so. After all, it did save me from being Ikutsuki's doll." Aigis shakes her head at the memories, locking eyes with all three of them. "But regardless, my choice has not changed. I want to be with all of you, no matter what." The three of them nodded in agreement but the twins were surprised to see their world darken as another Tarot card flew past them. Followed by Elizabeth and Theodore speaking into their minds, despite the confusion they felt.

I am thou… Thou art I…

Thou has established a new bond…

Thou shall have our blessing when thou choosest…

To create a Persona of The Aeon Arcana…

"Aeon Arcana? What is that?" Minako asks, blinking her eyes in surprise while Ren and Aigis look at her in confusion. "I don't remember seeing that in a Tarot deck."

"Aeon? Did you just form a bond with Aigis?" Ren asks, blinking his eyes in surprise.

"We did…" Minato replies, looking at Ren. "…did you never have an Aeon Link?"

"No. To be honest, Aeon and Universe are both new to me. I never had either of them during my Journey." Ren tells them before folding his arms with a pout. "How come you guys two Tarot cards I've never seen before? Even if I have the Universe now."

"Maybe you haven't found yours yet." Minako snarks back with a grin as Aigis chuckles at them. "Still, this is a nice surprise."

January 9th, 2010

Today, Aigis decided to visit the rooftop to look out at Iwatodai. She always liked to visit the roof and admire the view, picking out locations for fun and trying to time herself how fast she could do so with different weather conditions. It certainly surprised her how she could even find their Dorm as well from the rooftop, even at this distance. And that it gave her a sense of peace above all else.

"Enjoying the view, Aigis?" Minako's voice echoes behind her as the twins and Ren join her. Aigis smiles at them as she turns to look back at the ocean.

"I am. I like this place. I can see the entire town from here."

"It's impressive how much you can see from here." Minato agrees, leaning against the fence. "Certainly makes a difference when you don't have buildings surrounding you at every point." Aigis nods at him, laying a hand on the fence as her eyes falling the ocean below.

"Back at Yakushima, where I'd be sleeping, the ocean waters are much clearer than they are here… but I prefer the view here." Aigis's gaze follows the ocean, watching it as it goes far beyond the horizon as the clouds seem to mix with it at the vast distance. "Before I came here, I didn't even think about whether I'd like the scenery or not."

"Well, I can say for certain that this is miles ahead of what we had at Shujin." Ren tells Aigis, his eyes locked on the ocean. "At Shujin, all we had were buildings surrounding us on all sides. The only bit of nature we had was what Haru was growing on the school roof or in the courtyard outside. If one were to compare the two, it would be night and day."

"I guess that makes us all in agreement." Minato comments, looking at the ocean. "We like the view as well." Aigis smiles at the trio, finding joy at how they all enjoy the same view. It reminded her how she could now feel emotions, and the thought that came with it.

"I'm reminded how I began to feel 'emotions' towards various things that I hadn't felt before. It's a little scary at times." She admits to the trio, grasping her hands together. "But if I can change by staying with all of you, then I want to cherish these feelings." The twins nod at her as they watch the second star form on her Tarot card while Ren gives her a smile as they all head home. The wind was starting to become a bit chilly for them up here. But as they made their way back to the station, they suddenly found themselves stopped by two dogs and a cat. With one of the dogs, a black Shiba Inu, growling and barking at Aigis.

"What's wrong with them?" Minako asks, taking a step back at seeing just how angry they were being. While Minato and Ren felt themselves tense up on instinct, Aigis steps forward, holding a hand out to them.

"Please, stay back. This could be dangerous." She turns her gaze to the animals, tilting her head in confusion. "You are the ones I see at the shrine. What's wrong?" He eyes flow over the animals, analysing their body language before her eyes widen in surprise. "What? Koromaru-san? You think we what!?" Aigis suddenly seems to panic while the trio behind her look at her in confusion. "Wait! We aren't mistreating Koromaru-san! It's true that he's been helping us in our battles, but—!" The flick of the animals tail interrupts her as Aigis takes a step back in shock. "What? No…"

"Um, Aigis? What are they saying?" Ren asks, glancing between her and the angry animals. Aigis glances back at them with half open eyes as she lets out a sigh.

"Oh, they appear to be some of Koromaru-san's old friends. They doubt our intentions regarding Koromaru-san, since he's been more frequently injured lately." Aigis shakes her head, still seeing the angry glares she was receiving from the animals. "How can we make them understand?"

"Just try to explain it to them." Minato tells her. "If they are thinking like that, then tell them the truth." Aigis blinks before nodding back, although she wasn't sure if the animals would listen as she turned back to them.

"This is all a misunderstanding, everyone! Please, don't be angry… calm down." Unfortunately, the black Shiba Inu tries to bite Aigis's hand. Only to find out too late that her hand was not a normal hand as the poor dog bit into reinforced metal. Hurting itself while the cat and the other dog look on in shock. As for Aigis, she looks at the dog with a sorry look. "I'm sorry… my hand is hard." The moment those words leave her lips, the animals turn around and run, leaving Aigis behind as she lets out a sad sigh of resignation.

"Aigis?" Minako asks, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"I see now. No wonder they were suspicious of me. My body is completely unnatural to them… I hope that dog isn't hurt."

"I don't think so. It might have a sore jaw for a while, but I don't think they broke any teeth." Ren assures her. While Aigis appreciated the remark, she couldn't help but let out a sigh as she rests a hand on her chest.

"I've… been thinking lately. No matter how human my heart becomes, my body will forever remain a machine. Of course, it's obvious when you think about it. But I'm not strong enough to be a weapon, and I'm too stiff to pass as a human. There's nowhere I truly belong… I'm neither completely machine, nor quiet human…"

"That's not true." Minako retorts, tightening her grip on Aigis's shoulder. "You do have somewhere you belong. With us."

"But…!" Aigis turns to reply but the words die in her throat as she shakes her head. "No… you may be right. Thank you, Minako. You're right… even if I can't quite explain it, I have to be true to myself. Sorry for brining all this up."

"No need to apologise. Better to let it all out than bottle it all in." Minato tells her as they both see the third star form on the Tarot card.

January 12th, 2010

"This isn't the same Paulownia Mall that I've come to love over the year… it looks so… dead." Minako remarks as she, Ren, Minato, and Aigis step into the Mall. More rubbish seemed to be piling up, while more posters of 'Nyx' were strewn about. Not helped by the several people who were sitting around doing nothing, just staring at the ground with no life in their eyes.

"The Fall is making itself known with every passing day… damn it." Minato quietly remarks while Ren shakes his head. Walking further in, they were soon encountered by an old lady who looked very troubled as she walked over to them.

"Excuse me… could I trouble you for a moment? Have you seen a kitty cat around here?" The old lady asks them in a semi-distressed voice.

"A cat?" Ren asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. She's a precious little white, spotted cat named Mii-chan. She slipped away when I wasn't looking. She's getting on in her years just like me, so I doubt she could have gotten very far."

"A white spotted cat… did any of you see one?" Aigis asks the others, only for them to shake their heads. "I see. But we can still search the area for you if you like. More hands make light work, as they say."

"Really? Oh thank you." The old lady replies, bowing to them. "I'm sure I've looked over here, so if you could look somewhere nearby, that would be a tremendous help. I will stay here until the sun fully sets."

"We'll be as quick as we can." Minako replies as the group turns around and retrace their steps. Yet as they looked for the cat, all they found was more posters, discarded bottles, and more people become Lost. Yet not a single white spotted cat in sight.

"I wonder if we're searching in the wrong place?" Minato asks as they find themselves near the school.

"Makes me with Morgana was here. He'd probably be able to find her." Ren remarks out loud, shaking his head. But his comments, while unintentional, was a jab at Aigis who lets out a sigh, grabbing their attention.

"I'm useless, aren't I? I can detect hostile readings like Shadows with no problems, but when it comes to stuff like this…" Ren winces as he looks away, rubbing the back of his head. Realising that, while not directed at her, his comment did make Aigis self-conscious about herself.

"Don't let it get to you." Minato jumps in, patting her on the shoulder. "We'll keep looking, no matter how long it will take."

"That's right. We're not giving up until we find Mii-chan." Minako adds with a grin patting Aigis on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry if my comment made you feel that way, Aigis." Ren adds, grabbing her attention. "It wasn't my intention…"

"I understand. I know you weren't directing it at me. I am not mad, Ren." Aigis replies, letting out a smile before sighing. "Still… I feel it's not working out at all. How can a machine like myself have feelings like a normal person?" Just as Aigis lets out another sigh, a cat's meow echoes nearby, grabbing everyone's attention. Where they see a white spotted cat sitting on a bench, looking around with wide eyes.

"Is that the cat we're looking for?" Minako asks as Aigis walks over to it. The cat looks at her, pulling itself into a ball for protection as Aigis slows herself down and kneels to the cats' height.

"Are you… Mii-chan?" She asks slowly. The cat's ears perk up as it slightly lowers its defences. Letting out a meow with Aigis's face lighting up as she looks back at the others. "It's Mii-chan! I'm so glad…!" She looks back at Mii-chan, the cat untangling itself from her ball and sitting up right. "Let's get you back to your owner, okay?" The cat nods, leaping onto Aigis who quickly holds her with the group making their way back to Paulownia Mall. Where Mii-chan's owner was waiting on a bench. Her face lighting up as Aigis hands Mii-chan over to her.

"Oh, Mii-chan! I'm so glad to see you again!" She cries as Mii-chan nuzzles her head under her owner's chin. "Awww, there, there… you seem a little skinnier than you used to be." She looks up at the four with a grateful look in her eyes. "This little one is all I have left to keep me company, you see. I was so lonely when Mii-chan went missing. I don't know how I can thank all of you."

"Just seeing you happy is more than a reward for us." Minako tells her with a grin with Ren and Minato nodding in agreement. But as for Aigis, she was more focused on something else.

"Lonely… is being by oneself… lonely?" She asks the old lady, who nods back at her with a sigh.

"Oh, yes dear. When you get to be my age, you'll find all the wealth in the world won't take care of you. No one can truly live alone." She lets out a sigh, rubbing under her cats chin. "Some of my neighbours have delightful children but… none of them are interested in and old lady like me." She stands up from the bench, bowing to the four once more before heading home with Mii-chan in her arms. Purring away happily.

"I'm glad we found her cat. Living a lonely life is not pleasant." Ren comments as he remembers how he felt so along when he was framed for assault. How cut off he was from everyone while others shunned him. Even when he was in Sojiro's café, he was alone until Morgana joined him.

"It seems that living is something that can't be done alone." Aigis comments, watching as the lady leaves the Mall. "It's important to keep someone in your thoughts, and to know that you are in theirs. To be able to contact them at any time… and… to touch them…"

"Aigis?" Minato asks, tilting his head at her as Aigis shakes her head.

"Do not worry about me. I am just rambling. There is one thing I understand, though. I feel happy when I am with all of you. And with everyone back at the Dorm. But… I can't put my finger on it exactly."

"You'll find out soon, Aigis." Minato tells her, as both he and Minako see the Aeon card jump up to the fifth star. "For now, how about we all head home. It's starting to get late."

"I share that." Minako agrees as they all head for the station. "It's warmer at home that here." Ren and Minato chuckle at her while Aigis looks off to the side. Letting one word bounce around in her mind as she looks up at the clouds above her.

Home… why does that make me feel so at peace? I know what it is, but… why do I suddenly feel so different about it?

January 14th, 2010

Despite the gloom of January, Escapade was still as full as ever. Even if the people partying there were not as energetic as last year, or even at New Year Eve. But for Minato and Minako, they weren't here to party. They were here for answers. Recently, they had heard about a so called 'Messiah' preaching about 'Salvation from Nyx'. And in their mind they already knew who it was. Which was why they were here now, investigating this supposed 'Messiah' by themselves.

"Are you sure we should do this, bro? Shouldn't we at least bring Morgana and Koromaru with us?" Minako asks as they follow a follower of the 'Messiah' into an alleyway.

"We'll be fine." Minato tells her, resting a hand into his jacket. His fingers brushing against the cold steel of a gun. "Remember, Ren and Makoto are with us." Minako nods, her hand reaching into her own jacket and brushing against her own gun as she lets out a sigh. The feeling, while sending a chill down her spine, was of some comfort in case their suspicion was correct.

"This is the place. Now, go and speak to our saviour." The man tells them as he leaves them alone. Minato and Minako look at each other, nodding as one before walking forward. Where they find, to no ones surprise, Takaya sitting on an old couch. Having descended from his loft perch atop Tartarus. And with a look of amusement on his face at seeing the twins before him.

"Well, well, well… isn't this a surprise?" He asks, his head resting one on of his hands. "I do believe this is the first time you are visiting me."

"We had a feeling it was you, Takaya." Minako tells him, venom evident in her voice. "Don't think we haven't forgotten about what you tried to do back on the 1st." Takaya's eyes narrow slightly, even as his smile fails to drop.

"I'm sure you're aware of the coming salvation."

"More like destruction." Minato replies, hands out of his pockets. "Why continue this, Takaya. You know about Ren and the others. Everything you are doing is for nothing."

"It is simple. It is my destiny." Takaya replies. "No matter what you say, the Dark Hour will persist, and Nyx will destroy this world. Fate has been decided."

"And we will fight against that fate with everything we have." Minako tells him, her own eyes narrowing and hands hovering near where she keeps Makoto's revolver. She hadn't failed to notice Takaya resting his hand on his own revolver, while Minato had his arms cross. To hide the fact that he was also reaching for Ren's gun just in case. Although they both hoped not to use them.

"Why do you continue to resist? We are simply being freed at last from the illusion of a future rife with betrayal. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm sure your future friends have told you about what is to come, yes? All you must do is embrace the truth. Do so, and I shall be your shepherd."

"Never." Minato tells him as Minako nods beside him. "This fight is not over yet."

"We're going to save everyone, no matter what. Even if it costs us our lives to do so." Minako adds, narrowing her eyes at Takaya. Takaya looks between them, stunned before he starts laughing at them both. As though he was told a very funny joke, covering his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Ah, but of course! That is just the kind of person you both are. So then, you intend to fight Nyx? I scorn those who preach about a future with improvidence." He reaches behind him, pulling out the black Evoker, making Minato and Minako tense. "The world does not need a script that is already written. Nor does it want for charlatans who speak as though the future can be seized. Even with your time-travelling companions, I reject their future. What the world needs is the curtain to fall." He looks at the Evoker, holding it tight in his hands as he whispers to himself. "'If I endure for now'… 'If I can wait until tomorrow'… These blind hopes for the future are the root of the people's suffering. They can never be saved because they look to a future that doesn't exist."

"That future does exist." Minato bites back, eyes narrow. "Ren and the others prove that."

"Even so, it doesn't matter whether you can defeat Nyx. Why, you ask? Because you won't even reach her."

"So you plan to stop us in Tartarus?" Minako asks, eyes narrow. "That suits us just fine… and don't expect us to hold back against you."

"And expect the same courtesy from me." Takaya replies, his eyes half-lidded. "Go. We will meet again… on the day of salvation."

"Count on it." Minato replies as the twins slowly leave. Each of them casts a glance back at him with narrow eyes, alternating every few seconds, making sure he doesn't try to shoot them in the back. And the next time they meet, they won't hold back against him.

Not after he tried to kill fourteen innocent children.