With a yawn, Minato Arisato languidly got out of his bed. As lucidity slowly crept its way back into his mind, he looked around to make sure Aigis hadn't broken into his room...again. Thankfully his room was free of intruders. Far too many people felt far too comfortable in entering whenever they so pleased.
As he yawned again, Minato flicked his bangs out of the way to wash his face.
The special training for track and field began today. Minato flipped open his phone and checked the time, noting he had to leave immediately. He grabbed his MP3 and, without saying a word to anyone, left the dorm.
Dreamless dorm, ticking clock
I walk away from the soundless room
Windless night; moonlight melts
My ghostly shadow to the lukewarm gloom
"Hey! No slacking off!" Yuko yelled at them. "You're not gonna win against Mamoru Hayase like that!"
Nightly dance
Of bleeding swords
Reminds me that
I still live
I will
"S'up, dude?" Junpei greeted him as he arrived back home.
"Welcome back." Mitsuru turned and acknowledged him before returning to rummage through the display cabinet for...something. Minato silently nodded to both of them as he crashed next to Fuuka. Across from him sat Junpei, while next to the cap-wearing boy was Akihiko and Ken, who conversed among themselves (or rather, Ken kept assaulting the stoic senior with questions, as the latter tepidly answered).
"So, how was practice, bro?" Junpei asked.
Minato shrugged. "I'm kinda tired." He muttered.
"Dude, don't push yourself too hard." Junpei said, worry in his eyes quickly turning into excitement. As Minato stared at him and sighed, the other boy's said, "...if you think you can handle it, let's go to Tartarus tonight. We have less than two weeks to get ready, and I'm sure the next Shadow will be stronger than the last one." Akihiko not-so-subtly eyed him for his response, as the two girls in the room had the decency to at least try and look nonchalant.
"Not tonight." Minato said. "Sorry." He walked back up to his room without another word.
BURN MY DREAD
I once ran away from the god of fear
And he chained me to despair, yeah
BURN MY DREAD
I will break the chain and run
Till I see the sunlight again
Despite resting the previous night, and despite his body feeling rather light, his time wasn't that good.
I'll lift my face
And run to the sunlight
"Welcome back." Mitsuru greeted him. Despite clearly starting another sentence, Minato simply nodded and kept walking towards his room. He could feel the tension in the room as he walked away, but he didn't care.
Voiceless town, tapping feet
I clench my fist in pockets tight
Far in mist, a tower waits
Like a merciless tomb, devouring moonlight
"Last lap! Keep it up!" Yuko yelled at him. "You gotta beat Mamoru! This is our year!"
Clockwork maze, end unknown
In frozen time, a staircase stands
Shadows crawl on bloodstained floor
I rush straight ahead, with a sword in hands
"Hi. How was your day?" Fuuka asked as he returned. Minato shrugged. "Mitsuru-senpai is not back yet. She said she'd be back by midnight." Fuuka expression dimmed. "Maybe we shouldn't go to Tartarus tonight."
"Sounds good to me." Minato said as he sat down next to Junpei.
"You know," Yukari said while filing her nails, "Akihiko-senpai acts differently when Ken-kun's around. Have you noticed?"
Minato nodded. "Yeah."
"I wonder why." She scrunched up her nose. "Maybe he just doesn't get along with kids. I mean senpai is kinda awkward in social situations."
"Ken does tend to ask him a million questions a minute." Minato mumbled.
"It's cuz Ken respects Akihiko-san so much." Junpei said. "But I can totally understand how he feels. I mean, Akihiko-san's won his last sixteen bout boxing matches. Every little kid should look up to him. He's like a hero, don'tcha think?"
"Not really." Minato paused to yawn.
Junpei shook his head. "Tch, you just don't get it man."
Cold touch of
My trembling gun
I close my eyes
To hear you breathe
BURN MY DREAD
BURN MY DREAD
Minato jolted awake, the familiar psychic wavelength of Fuuka's Persona washing over him like a full-body shock. "Sorry to wake you!" She said. "I detect a Shadow! Please hurry to the fourth floor!" Minato dragged himself out of bed and quickly got dressed.
He arrived with Aigis, Junpei, and Yukari in tow. "What's going on!?" Junpei yelled.
"There's a Shadow in the city." Mitsuru said calmly. "Yamagishi found it by chance."
Yukari tensed up. "But, the moon isn't full yet..."
"Actually, it seems to be just a normal Shadow." Fuuka said. "However, it is outside of Tartarus..."
"It's near Naganaki Shrine. Akihiko went ahead since he was in the vicinity." Mitsuru explained. "I'm sure he can handle it alone, but let's get ready just in case."
Junpei grinned. "Gotcha!"
The computer console beeped several times. "Yes, this is Fuuka."
"I'm here." Akihiko said over the transceiver. "Sorry, but I think you guys better come, right away."
"What's wrong?" Mitsuru quickly asked. "Is it a powerful one!?"
"No, the Shadow's been defeated. In fact, it was already defeated when I got here."
Mitsuru and Fuuka looked at one another in confusion. "What happened?" The former asked.
"The little fella's been injured. I wanna save him if we can."
Yukari turned to Junpei. "'Little fella'? Who's he talking about?"
Junpei scratched the back of his head, looking as confused as any of them. "Beats me."
Mitsuru turned to the four. "At any rate, let's go."
As they arrived at the shrine entrance, they saw Akihiko standing next to a white dog laying on the concrete...in a pool of his own blood. Fuuka gasped as she saw who it was. "Koro-chan!" She and Yukari ran over to him and kneeled down to inspect him. "Are you okay, Koro-chan!?"
"You know this dog?" Mitsuru asked.
Yukari gave her an annoyed look. "Yeah, everyone around here does. We have to help him!"
Mitsuru nodded. "First, we must stop the bleeding."
As they tended to Koromaru, Akihiko shook his head. "Man, he's one tough fighter. He defeated that Shadow all by himself."
"Wait," Junpei turned to him, eyes slowly widening, "does that mean this dog's a Persona-user!?"
Aigis walked closer to Koromaru. "He says, 'this is a place of peace, so I protected it.'"
One by one, everyone noticed the flowers left next to the entrance. "Those flowers..." Fuuka whispered, "they must be for the priest who died in the accident."
Yukari cradled the pup. "So, he really was guarding this place..."
Junpei turned to their robot teammate. "Uh, Aigis? Don't tell me you can translate dog language too."
"Canines do not have their own language." She said in a manner as robotic as her appearance. "However, speech is not the only means of communication."
"This fella really is a rare breed." Akihiko said approvingly.
"Confirmed."
"He's not the only one." Junpei muttered.
Mitsuru stated aloud to them, "alright, let's report to the Chairman so we can conclude this mission. As for a vet, it may be midnight but I believe I can arrange for one."
Yukari smiled and petted him. "Good job, boy. You're one amazing dog." Koromaru looked up and weakly wagged his tail.
The next day, Minato awoke, memories of their emergency 'mission' from last night drifting through his head. It would likely be some time before Koromaru was healthy enough to walk around freely. He briefly wondered what would be an appropriate gift for an injured dog.
But that was in the future, and as Minato lived in the present he had to focus on another day of special training for the track team. Only three days to go until the competition.
I will BURN MY DREAD
This time I'll grapple down that god of fear
And throw him into hell's fire
BURN MY DREAD
I will shrug the pain and run
Till I see the sunlight again
"Wow, Minato-kun!" Yuko beamed. "That was a great lap! Keep it up! You can do it!" She yelled.
Oh, I will run...
Burning all regret and dread
And I will face the sun
With pride of the living
Fuuka smiled as he entered. "Hi, how was your day?" Minato shrugged as he sat down next to Aigis. "One more week until the moon is full again." Her eyes dimmed. "Unfortunately, the number of victims has been increasing lately. Let's do our best to stop it!"
"Let's." Minato tonelessly responded before yawning. "How's the dog?"
"The veterinarian told me that Koromaru is in stable condition." Mitsuru announced. "The wound was severe, but fortunately there wasn't any damage to his internal organs."
Minato nodded. "That's good."
"Do you think the priest who passed away saved him?" Fuuka asked.
"Like a ghost?" Junpei asked with a grin, Yukari shooting him a dirty look as he said it.
"If Personas and Shadows can exist...why not ghosts?" Minato said.
Fuuka smiled and nodded. "The bond between a human and a pet is so beautiful. Even in death he cared for Koro-chan?"
Junpei shook his head. "Everything's so messed up. First, a robot can use a Persona, and now a dog can? What's next, a monkey?"
"Afraid of being replaced?" Junpei shot back a dirty look to a grinning Yukari.
Instead of responding to her, Junpei focused his attention on Minato. "Dude, let's go tonight, it's been a while since."
As everyone present eyed him for an answer, clearly communicating their desire to go, Minato pondered for a moment. Despite the exhaustion seeping into his bones, beckoning him to another early night's rest, something else in him beckoned him to the tower. A part of him wanted to- no, had to go to Tartarus tonight, regardless of how tired he was.
He glanced to Mitsuru, who gave him a silent nod.
"Let's go." He stated with quiet finality.
Minato peeked around the wall and saw the same Shadow still blocking their way to floor eighty-six. Three porcelain heads stacked on top of each other, each rotating different directions from the one they touched. Their previous encounter with it had ended...poorly, with Aigis and Yukari taking the brunt of its electrical attacks, and Minato had to order a hasty retreat against their silent, stationary enemy.
But not today. Last time they left with their tails between their legs. Today, with a shared fire in their stomachs, weapons at the ready, and Personas ready to break this thing to pieces, they were ready.
"Be careful. This Hierophant is quite powerful."
Minato turned to the three he brought with him, Aigis, Akihiko and Junpei. They all silently nodded. On his mark, the three humans pulled out their Evokers. and all four rushed out.
"King Frost!" A large, regal snowman appeared above him. "Rakunda!"
As the debilitating wave of energy was sent at the Shadow, his three teammates struck. "Polydeuces! Sonic Punch!"
"Hermes! Bash 'em up!"
"Palladion! Kill Strike!"
As the Shadow took the trifecta of physical attacks, it was thrown around the hallway, cracking apart and rolling far away. But it quickly reunited its constituent pieces, levitating them back into place, with all three sections pulsing with energy.
"Be careful! It's charging up an attack!"
The three segments began crackling with electricity. Minato held up his Evoker to his head. "Akihiko, guard Aigis!" He yelled as he swapped King Frost for Narcissus. "Junpei, get ready!"
"Understood!"
"Right!"
"Affirmative!"
It indiscriminately shot out searing hot bolts of lightning, slamming Minato and Akihiko as Junpei narrowly avoided being hit.
"Take this!" He roared as he summoned Hermes. "Assault Dive!" The Persona deftly dodged the blasts of lightning, now aimed and focused at it alone, and with a single strike on a large crack, destroyed the middle segment. The other two fell haplessly to the floor, and the four members of SEES ran in to smashing it to pieces.
"Woooo!" Junpei yelled, smile shining brighter than anything else in Tartarus. "We sure showed that thing up!"
Minato sighed, shoulders slumping. "Good job everyone." He turned to the other two. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Akihiko said as he dusted himself off. "Just a little shock."
"Are you certain?" Aigis asked as they began to walk to the next floor. "Even with your Persona's native resilience to electric attacks, it would not be well for you to ignore your health."
He shrugged. "I'm good, don't worry about me."
Minato rolled his eyes as he saw the top of the stairs. "Just make sure to heal yourself up before we encounter the next enemy, alright senpai?" A few seconds passed in silence. "Did you hear me, I said-"
Minato froze in place as he realized there weren't any other footsteps following him. As he turned around, all he could see was a dead end, no team or stairs in sight.
"Not again." He mumbled. "Fuuka, can you hear me?"
"..." All Minato could hear was the occasional psychic static from Lucia. The kind that happened when Fuuka was trying to reach someone she knew was there, but not exactly where.
"Damn." Minato muttered. The floors were getting longer, they were crawling with more Shadows, he was tired as hell, and he was cut off from the others. While he had survived being alone up here before, there was never a moment he felt safe in this tower even with the others. The quicker he could reunite with them, the better. But that meant being diligent, keeping his wits about him, and making sure nothing got the drop on him.
Anything here could be lethal, anything was a threat. There was nothing he could take for granted as an easy foe. Nothing he should engage if he could avoid it. Even if it was...the Almighty Hand staring at him from across the hallway.
Both it and Minato silently stared down the other. Small, quick, and unpredictable, these things often carried precious gemstones. Very precious. They also hit like a truck, but more often than not they ran rather than fought, leaving them wide open for a strike it from behind.
Its fingers twitched ever so slightly, as he moved his hand millimeters towards his Evoker every secon. Minato blinked, and in that split-second the hand run off. "Loa! Mudo!" Minato yelled as he bolted off towards it.
Galloping on all five digits, the hand launched itself into the air, dodging the dark incantation from the skull. As it landed, it snapped its fingers and showered Minato in an impromptu ice-storm, smashing into him and sending him back. The ten meter thick wall of ice blocked the entire hallway, and the Shadow rode away.
"Damn it all." With a grunt and a groan, Minato forced himself up. "This was a mistake, this was absolutely a mistake."
Minato looked at his reflection in the ice wall. He could feel the cold sting on his temple, where a sharp shard of ice sliced it open, but as he reached up and touched it, he could feel the blood there. But he...couldn't see it. Not in this reflection.
No.
Not a reflection.
Not at all.
It was him again, his doppelganger.
The other him who possessed a fuller face with softer edges. The other him who stood a bit taller, whose hair was a bit longer, and whose eyes had a bit more light in them. The other him who didn't carry an Evoker. The other him that he had seen once before.
The other him who looked as confused as Minato felt, with his scrunched eyebrows, and eyes aimlessly inspecting him, looking up and down every couple of seconds.
"Are you...me?" Minato eventually asked
" ...kind of? " The other Minato mouthed.
"What does that mean?"
The other him mouthed back two words. " Parallel universe. "
Minato took a step back and inhaled sharply. Even after everything that had transpired this year...that made him feel like he'd been sucker-punched. "How, why, what!? "
The other him shrugged. " Long story. Life is weird. "
Minato pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can life be normal for five minutes?" He asked, not sure if it was aimed at himself, the other him, or the world at large.
The other him silently chuckled. "That's just how it is for us, no? "
Slowly, as they communicated, Minato could feel the heat rising around him. The psychic crackles of Lucia were getting louder. A crack formed in the ice separating the two.
"We just met, but I guess we have to bid good bye again." Minato said as they both placed their hands on opposite sides of the ice. "Do you think the two in Velvet Room would know anything about this?"
The other him blinked. " ...the what?"
"The Vel-" Minato did a double take. "Wait, do you not know who Elizabeth or Igor are?" The narrowed eyes and scrunched eyebrows were enough of an answer for him. "How many Personas do you have?"
A dark, imposing figure emerged out of fire and hovered over the other him. " Just the one: Orpheus, who became Bragi." Bragi with his ashed skin, flaming beard, and blue eyes softly looked upon him.
"Orpheus huh..." Minato mulled over it for a few moments. "There's too much to say, too much to explain. I'll just leave it with," he smiled, "good luck, other Minato."
The other him returned the smile. "Good luck to you two, other Makoto."
"Minato-kun!" A fire erupted from the other side of the ice. It, and the images of the other him, soon melted.
He sighed. "Where are the others, Fuuka?" He yelled.
"Go down the hall, make a turn at the second right, and then a left turn."
"Right!" Makoto ran off.
Four flying, eagle-like Shadows hovered above, half of them sending out torrents of wind as an equal number of their slithering, snake-like companions threw out waves of fire.
"Shinjiro!" Kotone yelled as Castor guarded them. "On my mark, you and me are going to go for the snakes as they're about to attack. Ken, you attack the Shadows above, alright?"
Shinjiro grunted as Ken hurriedly nodded, all three sweating profusely from the scorching heat. The raging inferno subsided for a moment, as a pair of Shadows above and another below began to cast their magic.
"Now!" She fired her Evoker, and Elea sent out dizzying blasts of light from her hands and midsections. The snakes fell to the ground, attempting to dodge by crawling under, as Castor ran through three of them from the side.
With shaking hands, Ken held the Evoker and brought it to his head. "Ptolemaios!"
An eagle, with feathers of gold and a wingspan twice as long as Ken was tall, appeared. In its left talon was an olive branch, and in its right a bolt of lightning.
"Hamaon!" From its body shone a single blast of light that tore straight through one of the flying Shadows, leaving only a wing. One that that fluttered in the air and disintegrated before reaching the floor. "Zionga!" Opening its break, it shot out a bolt of lightning that fried the remaining Shadow.
The three remaining Shadows attempted to either fly or crawl their ways away, only to be wiped out by a single large fireball. "Sorry about that." Makoto said as he arrived.
"Makoto!" Kotone waved him down. "You okay? What happened?"
"Yeah." Makoto scratched his head. "Long story."
Their attention quickly shifted to Ken, he fell on his knees, panting.
Makoto ran over to him and held him by the shoulders. "Don't strain yourself."
"I-I can still fight." Ken protested.
The older boy shook his head. "Some of us passed out the first time we summoned our Personas, there's no shame in being tired on your first night in combat."
"...kay." Ken said as he looked away, clearly embarrassed.
Kotone patted the boy on the back. "You did pretty good. I'm proud of you"
"Still think we shouldn't have gone this high." She shot a dirty look to Shinjiro, who turned away and muttered something.
She turned back to their youngest member. "You did good, but I think it's time we wrap this up. I think we gave you a nice sampler platter of all these floors, and the dangers that come with climbing them."
Ken hurriedly nodded. "B-By the way, what happened to you, Makoto-san?" The boy asked. "You disappeared on us out of nowhere. It was like one second you were there, and then you weren't!"
Makoto shrugged. "It happens up here. Trust me," he said with a grin, "it's not even the weirdest thing you'll find."
Persona Compendium:
Ptolemaios, better known as Ptolemy Soter, was a Hellenic general under Alexander, whom he was rumored to be the half-brother of. As a member of the Argead dynasty, he claimed to be a descendant of Herakles. During the Wars of the Diadochi, he seized control of Egypt and established the final independent