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Demonic/Persona Compendium- These magical storage books are usually tied to a single Wild Card or a Fool Arcana Persona User and kept in the possession of a custodian Summoner (See summoners) based in the Velvet Room. These Summoners are not to be confused with Demon Summoners who deal with Demons instead of Personae.
A seemingly harmless book that stores an imprint of Personae that were found or fused by the connected Fool. It records the imprint of the spiritual level, strengths, weaknesses and skills of that Persona at the moment of imprinting. The imprint is pressed into a physical card which is then stored in the book. Physical items can also be sealed into cards and stored in the Compendium to use it as a kind of inventory.

(excerpt from 'The Velvet Room guide' by Philemon)
   It was an ethereal night.No.More like an ethereal nightmare. The night was cool and macabre enough to unsettle anyone who dared step outside. Malice hung heavy and predatory in the air, waiting to twist the minds of the unwary. Sheer depravity of the bloodstained night could shatter a lesser man's sanity with a glance. And it had before, regular people who slipped into the hour between days, who had their mentality shredded by the reality shift and inner shadows brought forth by the yellow moon. Everyone had shadows, and this night could bring that darkness to life.             Blood stained the streets, pooling on the side walk in grotesque puddles. A sickly green glow lit up the surroundings brightly, highlighting the horrors and casting sharp shadows with the contrast. The near full moon hung forbiddingly in the sky illuminating large hulking coffins in the streets. Twisted shadows roiled in the heavy darkness-  - glimpses of yellow eyes flashing. Impossible shapes of monsters born straight out of any nightmare lurked in the darkness. They stalked through alleyways in search of their next prey, claws scraping across pavement and fangs gnashing in frustration. Growls echoed faintly across the city at intervals. This was the hour of man-hunting monsters, creatures born of the dark side of humanity. It would take a certain kind of person to walk among this blood spattered and twisted world without surrendering to the monsters, both real and those born of their own psyche. A person with a certain kind of...potential, you might say.             Amidst the blood and monsters, a blue haired boy walked among the towering coffins in the street. Despite the danger, he showed no fear at the strange and otherworldly environment. In fact, he was almost bored. He just kept walking, slouched and relaxed, as if going on an afternoon stroll. There was nothing remotely strange about him, nothing noteworthy of a second glance if you passed him in the street. He was neither overly handsome or well-dressed or tall. The only thing that could stand out was his blue hair, and even that was dark and unobtrusive. He was nothing more than a regular human teenager. However, there was something simply wrong about him. Shadows fled before his measured steps. A cloak of nearly tangible power about him warned off anything that would dare try their luck. His shadow was distorted and much larger than his physical body. The pools of blood that thickened the air with a heavy iron smell, barely even slowed him down. This was a person who walked among monsters. His posture was relaxed, but his silver eyes were sharp and watchful like an unsheathed blade. Despite looking like excellent prey -too young, too scrawny, too relaxed- he managed to convey in one glance that taking him on was a waste of time and energy. Everything about his behaviour was calculated to create a powerful front to the creatures in the shadows. From the smooth and predatory gait to the sharp, almost birdlike motions of his head when he detected the slightest noise.This was one that was not unfamiliar with violence.            His clothes were not anything noticeable either. A brand-new school uniform just like the hundreds of school children in the city. A backpack just like any other bag, not even adorned with stickers or pins. An old pair of silver headphones battered and cracked but still functional. Like all other electronics, the MP3 player attached to those headphones had long fallen silent. A pair of gloves, black leather with a glint of silver reinforcement. Made to protect the hands and cause damage when punching.
And….

A book.
It was just a book, a large hardcover heavy enough to kill a man, easily mistaken as a textbook. The cover was brown and plain with pretty inlaid patterns. At a second glance, those pretty patterns formed a complicated magic circle. Even with the questionable decoration of the cover, its betraying characteristic was the aura it gave off. It was just as unsettling as its owner, subtly wrong. Even a non-magic sensitive person would be able to tell something was strange about it. To those that were, it radiated a power that was very blue.   The unsettling hardback was held carefully tucked against his chest and his other hand held a mundane sheet of directions to the new dorm he would be living in for the next year. 
Gekkoukan High, huh...
 His story was not quite as generic. At the age of ten he had been suddenly orphaned and suffered partial memory loss, assumed due to the trauma. With no family to collect him, he entered the foster system where he was passed around several families like an unwanted toy. Every few months, he was moved to a new town, a new school and a new family. By the time he hit high school, the government was content to throw him into a dorm. The hefty scholarship and free housing were the only reason he decided to switch schools yet again for his second year. Checking the map again, he counted the visible numbers on the buildings until he was certain he had the correct one. He eyed the large doom building with unease. It looked too fancy for free housing. He was expecting something shabbier and more rat infested. Gekkoukan was really a rich school. Thankfully, it was only four floors, so he wouldn’t have to deal with too many stairs. Or people. There was nothing more awkward than trying to work around the ‘dorm rules’ with a few dozen people living in close quarters. Four entire floors of people might be pushing it. Hopefully the dorm had empty rooms, or his night escapades would get much harder. On the bright side, there were a few trees growing right up to the windows of some of the rooms. If he was lucky, he’d be able to sneak out by climbing down one of the trees. Just to be clear, he didn't particularly like people. If he could avoid them, he would. They always had too many inconvenient questions to ask. Like ‘Where are you going?’ ‘Where’d you get that?’ ‘Why do you have a knife?’ He much preferred his own company to others and was content with his own independence. His lifestyle of violence and near-death made him mature very quickly. Unfortunately, it also made those around his age group seem very childish in comparison. They were stuck on relationship troubles, homework and chafing at parental supervision.It was hard to drum up the same enthusiasm as his peers when there was a chance of dying every night. He had very little faith in the education system, since he’d rather spend time on subjects that could keep him alive and improve his techniques. What use did he have for English have when monsters were roaming? His detachment combined with his frequent moving, made for a friendless childhood. That didn’t even account for his issues with the adults. To begin with, his lack of emoting made them very uncomfortable. Then there was the damage Dark Hour left on him. Inexplicable broken bones from ‘falls down stairs’, enough so that one of his foster houses was investigated for abuse. Bruises that were brushed off as ‘boys roughhousing’ and anemia. Always suffering from slight blood loss anyway because of cuts gained in battle. Being suspected of suicidal tendencies because of his scar collection. Thankfully as time had gone on, he had learnt how to heal better, fight better and hide injuries better. His strangeness was still on record though, so people were still wary of him. Not that he'd ever needed any human friends...             With a suffering sigh, he adjusted his grip on his bag and stared at the steps. He was ridiculously tired and it had nothing to do with his current surroundings. Traveling for nearly twelve hours left him in a near state of collapse that hadn't been apparent in his movements. With another groan, he realized that the dorm members wouldn't be awake and he'd have to wait for the night to return to normal before getting a room. He mustered the energy to pull himself up the stairs and shove open the door.             The lobby was dark, lit by the green glow that he knew so well filtering through the windows. He surveyed his surroundings with approval. It was a rather posh setting but not too overdone, the furniture and decorations were tasteful despite what he knew was a truly exorbitant price tag. To his great relief he noted that there were no coffins in the Lobby. There would be no need to hatch together a pack of lies to cover his sudden appearance at the hour's end. On the other hand, that also meant that no one had stayed up to greet the new student and give him a room. “You're late. I've been waiting a long time for you.”             The young man turned around to face the desk, not even jumping in surprise at the suddenness of the voice. The new tenant let out another sigh before dropping his bags with a dull thud. The appearance of a strange child in prison clothes now smiling behind the reception desk didn't seem to faze him in the slightest. In fact, from his yawn, he seemed to be more concerned with finding a bed to sleep in than wondering about the sudden appearance of a creepy kid. Said child studied him with otherworldly dual coloured blue eyes, the inner iris a deep blue similar to the student’s hair colour and the outer iris a bright almost glowing electric blue. “Sure you have Pharos.” The boy responded easily, trying to blink away his weariness. Pharos pouted. “You were taking forever to walk here, Minato.” The student, now labeled Minato, just shrugged noncommittally. “Now if you want to proceed, please sign your name there. It's a contract. Don't worry, all it says is that you'll accept full responsibility for your actions. You know, the usual stuff.” Minato shuffled closer to the desk to stare at the deceptive single slip of paper. A single line to seal his fate. He nearly snorted at the contract before him. “A Velvet Room Contract? Why would I need to sign one after all this time?” Pharos smiled knowingly at him. With a slightly bemused huff, he gave in and started to look for a writing implement. After a few minutes of digging in pockets while Pharos watched in amusement, he managed to procure a pen. With another scan of the contract to make sure he wasn't selling his soul to the devil, he signed Minato Arisato as neat as he could manage on the dotted line. Which is to say, it was polite chicken scratch. Pharos smiled cryptically. “No one can escape time. It delivers us all to the same end. You can't plug your ears and cover your eyes. Though I doubt I need to tell you that.” He picked up the contract and closed the binder. Turning it to the side, it vanished from his grip. Once again Minato hardly seemed fazed by the sudden disappearance of the contract. He did tilt his head briefly to acknowledge the boy however. The simple motion caused his creepy grin to evolve into a full-fledged beaming smile. “And so, it begins.” Cheerfully saying his farewell with an ominous statement, the boy faded away into the shadows with a childish giggle leaving no trace of his existence. For the first time since arriving Minato showed a sliver of emotion in a fond smile twitching his lips. “…Dramatic kid.” He shuffled back to his bags to drag them over to the couch. With no residents around he planned on crashing for the night on the extremely comfortable looking couch. In his state, even the floor was a good option. Suddenly his plans for sleep were once again shattered when a voice broke the night's silence. “Who's there?!”             Minato whirled with an irritated growl, his book snapping open and an almost feral gleam appearing in his eyes. That was the second interruption that night and he was beginning to get annoyed. While he might tolerate it from Pharos, someone else was another matter. A girl in a pink sweater was standing on the stairs looking startled at his quick reaction. His eyes narrowed briefly, sizing her up.             At first glance, she was a plain good looking teenage girl with light brown hair. However, holstered obviously on her thigh was a handgun. The look in her eye was too frantic for her to have any experience or training with the weapon. The extremely short skirt and stylish pink jacket further cemented that this was a popular girl trying to play at warrior. An inhale brought a strong scent of heavy floral perfume that almost worked to block the underlying scent of weak magic. 
Persona user? Hmm...Wind natured I’m guessing…Very low level...
             With a dismissive snort, he snapped his tome shut and relaxed. As much as he was annoyed at another interrupter of his plans to collapse into a puddle and sleep for four days, he might get an actual bed now.            The girl spluttered some nonsense before reaching for the gun, which considering that she was a wobbly, fresh new Persona user, was probably an evoker. He had never seen one in person before, but he had heard about them. Just to be sure, even though it was unlikely she could even muster enough courage pull the trigger, he quickly switched to a wind resistant Persona. Being cautious had saved his life before and he wasn't going to stop now. Before she could do anything, a voice called out.
 
“Takeba, Wait!”
 
At that moment, the Dark Hour melted away.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Summoner- One who can summon Personas from a Compendium directly without being related to the Persona itself. The residents/attendants of the Velvet Room are all Summoners. To be able to do this, Summoners are usually 'blank' cards (See Blank Cards) with the sole exception of Minato Arisato, who is a Fool Arcana. Blank Cards(Nulls) should not be confused with Wild Cards (Fools).
 The person who called out, walked down the stairs with a regal swagger. With curled scarlet locks and an imperial gaze, she gave a faux friendly smile to the newcomer, her scarlet eyes cold and calculating. This was her territory, she was queen here and the prickle of chill in the air confirmed it. Minato gave her a searching glance. A slight sniff of her aura nearly froze his nose with how sharp it was and he hid the wince. She was powerful, not stronger than him, but closer than he’d ever seen before. Strong willed and obviously sharply intelligent, a lethal combination. A subtle hint of danger lay interlaced with the formidable frosty aura of her Persona. He mentally made a note to never cross her. It wouldn’t do to have the full weight of her Empress authority bearing down on him. Not that he feared it per say, it just would be very inconvenient. As she reached the ground, he realized, with a little irritation that she towered over him. It didn’t help that she was also wearing high heeled boots. Having to crane his neck up to look her in the eye left his neck uncomfortably exposed. It crawled his spine to have to expose his neck to a potential threat. He was very short for his age and gender. He had no idea if genetics had contributed but his fiendishly high metabolism due to nightly ‘exercise’ and several rough years with a lacking diet had probably stunted his growth. Most of the food he ate was fueled directly into producing magic that in turn kept his body from falling apart. Growth wasn’t very high on the priority scale. In recent years, he made up for it by eating the most calorie high and unhealthy foods he could get his hands on. He was still significantly shorter than most other boys his age and most girls but there was little hope for a growth spurt. He wasn’t particularly bothered by it, even though his lack of height reduced his range in combat, it also made him really hard to hit and that was more important to his fighting style. He relied more heavily on magic, If he was in physical range he was doing it wrong. He stared her down, not willing to back down. “I didn't think you'd arrive so late. I apologize that no one was here to greet you, we merely stepped upstairs for a moment. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm.” “...Who's he?” The brunette asked cautiously, still fingering her gun. “He's a transfer student. It was a last-minute decision to assign him here. He'll eventually be moved to a room in the boys' dorm.” “This isn't a girl's dorm, is it?” He asked hesitantly. That would be very awkward. Mitsuru shook her head in amusement. “No. It's a Co-ed dorm. There is another male senior staying here as well.” “...Sempai, is it really okay for him to be here?” The still unnamed brunette uneasily asked.  The senior raked her gaze over the new student. “We'll see...oh yes, this is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a Junior this spring, just like you.” “...Hey.” With an obvious distrustful aura, the girl in the Pink sweater continued to eye him with doubt. Ignoring the hostility, he bobbed his head in acknowledgment. “Minato Arisato.”             Seeing the itchy trigger finger girl looking decidedly uncomfortable he almost smiled. Deciding to see if they were quick on their feet, he shoved his hands back in his pockets. Rocking back on his heels to reduce his tense posture, he nearly smirked. He let himself slouch and allowed tiredness to bleed through his mask. Time to play the clueless and harmless civilian. “Nice gun.” “Um, well...” She was flailing for something to say. It was mildly entertaining. “It’s not real.” Mitsuru interjected, gesturing to her own holster on her hip. “You know how it is these days. It’s for self-defense.”             He nodded in approval of the quick thinking and confident aura. If he hadn't known their true purpose he might have believed her. Definitely someone to be cautious of. Spotting a flaw in her reason he voiced it without fear, intrigued at what her reaction would be. Yukari was utterly forgotten, his threat radar barely registering her. He stared at the guns letting a sliver of doubt appear on his mask. “Wouldn't it just be better to learn self-defense or martial arts?”             A sliver of approval and intrigue flitted across her schooled features. “It is a lot simpler to just carry a deterrent. However, our other dormmate, Akihiko Sanada, is a boxer. Both of us have trained in offensive sports.” He hummed, nodding his head at the information. The swaying on his feet wasn't entirely faked at the moment. He was dead tired. The little fishing he was doing for information was draining his energy even more. Noticing his exhaustion Mitsuru took pity on him. “It's getting late, so you should get some rest. Your room is on the second floor, at the end of the hallway. Your things should already be there.” He could barely comprehend the directions and stayed staring at her. The red head's tone became faintly concerned. “Are you alright?” “I... don’t think I could find my room in the state I'm in...” He admitted ruefully. “I had to travel quite a way…” With a silent command by the Upperclassman, his new classmate piped up. “Oh, I guess I'll show you to your room then. Follow me.”             Noting her disgruntled tone, he silently picked up his bag and began to follow her. She seemed like the type to anger over the littlest thing. She was too weak to be a threat to someone like himself but given time, she could truly be a terror. If she wasn't already one to normal people.             At the back of his mind, he realized that the two girls were good looking and were probably popular in school and he was going to be staying in their dorm. He internally groaned, this would bring a lot of negative attention on him from the male portion of his peers. He much preferred flying under the radar of the school population, but it seemed like, for this school at least, the choice was taken out of his hands. Silently bemoaning the future harassment, he obediently followed Takeba up the stairs. Along the way he caught the strong scent of scent of ozone, sweat and blood coming from one of the other rooms. Hints of another persona user, though the smell wasn’t strong enough to indicate that he was still in the room. Considering that the dark hour was over, he was probably coming back from patrol. This was getting more and more suspicious. Two was coincidence but three was enemy action. Persona users were not a very common condition. The twisted mindset was easy to find, especially among angsty and issue ridden teenagers but the few who woke rarely lasted long on their own. Lacking backup made a difference, especially if their persona couldn’t heal. There was also the tactical disadvantage of not having anyone at your back. No one to take watch during the dark hour to let the other person sleep or offer a second element to offense. Both which were more important than they sounded. If Minato wasn’t a Wild Card, survival would’ve been incredible difficult. Most people were stuck with one element, and if a shadow immune to it happened to come along…well that would be it. An hour was a long time to try and evade something that could brush off or absorb your attacks. Of the few persona users he had met in the past ten years, three weren’t mentally strong enough to make it through the acclimating period, where their body rebelled against the distortion and made them disoriented and weak. It was almost like the effects of a concussion. Shadows killed them easily in their confusion. Years ago, a nameless powerful kid several years older than him had helped him through the night when his body had been breaking down. Unfortunately, common sense said that despite his power, it was unlikely that that kid had survived to adulthood. Three and now four Persona users grouped together spoke of external meddling. It also made him doubly wary, how were they tracking them down? How had they selected him for this dorm? Were they just rotating students through the dorm until they hit success? Did they read his disaster ridden file and guess? It read like a horribly troubled student fraught with abuse reports and suspected suicidal tendencies, but it also detailed exactly how he ended up in foster care. Anyone in the know would be very curious about that. Making her way past the room that fairly stank of a physical and electric user to his sensitive nose, Takeba finally reached the room at the end of the corridor. “This is it...It’s at the end of the hall so it'd be pretty hard to forget.” She chuckled awkwardly. “Oh yeah, make sure you don't lose your key, or you'll never hear the end of it... So, any questions?” “Can you tell me the house rules in the morning?” He yawned again. “I won't remember anything now.” “Huh.” She eyed him calculatedly. He wouldn't remember anything, huh? Perfectly aware of her calculated gaze, he slouched some more and cracked another yawn. Being dead on his feet could not get rid of his habit of probing for information. Information was life in the Dark Hour. If you didn’t know what weakness a shadow had, you could hit it with a spell and possibly heal it and that was never fun. “Um...Can I ask you something?” “You just did.” He sighed. “What?” Deciding to ignore the weird new transfer student, she continued speaking. “On your way here from the station, was everything okay?” “Okay?” He stared flatly at her. He fidgeted under his unimpressed gaze. “Yeah, like…like…uh…” He huffed and decided to spare her further embarrassment. “No, there were coffins and blood in the streets.” He deadpanned. This was utterly useless, she knew nothing. She was clumsily trying to probe him for information, to see how much he knew without outright asking. He nearly scoffed at her poor attempt. She seemed shell shocked by his words but that was the effect he was going for. She would most likely run to report to her upperclassmen about his response. It would make them wary about him, but meeting them in the dark hour almost guaranteed that they already knew he could operate in the dark hour. The casual dismissal would throw them off. If they thought that he only believed the dark hour to be a product of extreme tiredness, they would underestimate what he knew. He met her startled gaze and smiled stiffly in polite dismissal. 
The ball is in your court, strange group of Persona Users.
 “I must've been tired. Goodnight Takeba-san.”             He instantly slammed the door on her face. Resting his head against the door, he listened. Several minutes later, rapid footsteps raced away from his door. A tiny smirk graced his face. A cursory glance confirmed his belongings were boxed neatly in a pile and untouched. The bag slipped from his fingers to land with a dull thud on the ground. Deciding that he was exhausted, he eyed the pillow with happiness. Wasting no time, he kicked off his boots and flung himself on the bed. He allowed himself to luxuriate at finally being off his feet, before he feebly yanked at the covers. He flopped around until he was safely burrowed beneath the warmth and finally relaxed. The pillow smelt harsh and new but between one breath and the next, he slipped away into slumber.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Blank Card
- A Blank Card or Null has no innate Persona/Mask. This is a rarer state of being than it sounds. Not to be confused with a Wild Card which can also summon multiple Personae, but has an initial Persona. As a Blank Card has no initial Persona, they can use this void to easily summon any kind of Persona once they have access to a Fool's collection (their compendium).

Because of their condition they are also able to perform fusions between Persona or Demons at a very high level of difficulty and complexity. It is possible for Wild Cards to learn how to fuse but it is impossible for them to manage anything greater than a triangle spread. (See the Symbiosis of Summoners and Wild Cards).
4/7/09“Welcome to Gekkoukan High School. Hope you like it!” The still slightly unsteady boy kneaded his forehead in irritation. “Takeba-san, It’s a SCHOOL. They’re not designed to be likeable.” He could admit that the facilities were impressive. Massive buildings of shining steel and glass framed by numerous flowering Sakura trees. It was surely an expensive school for the elite, funded by the equally elitist Kirijo Group. Graduates were guaranteed to have a bright future backed by their name. But honestly, he could think of a lot of more productive things he could be doing. Scouting the area to prepare for eventual dark hour street combat. Despite Tartarus’s presence drawing most of the shadows to it, that didn’t mean there weren’t ones in the city, there was just a lesser amount of wilder shadows. Minato would prefer to know about their patterns and habits before it became vitally necessary. Shuffling and organizing his Compendium. Practicing magic. Snooping around to find who had put him in a dorm with three other Persona Users. Hawking items dropped from shadows for sizeable cash. But no, he still had another year before he turned eighteen and was released from foster care. As a ‘troubled youth’ he was monitored too closely to slip out of normal society and live fully in the supernatural societies where he would no longer be judged for his age. They valued power more than appearance, especially since Lucifer thought it amusing to occasionally traipse around as a small blond angelic boy. No one would dare mess with anyone who appeared to be young or naïve for fear of biting off more than they could chew. This habit actually made the supernatural societies oddly safe for children.             Getting to sleep after midnight and then being woken up at six in the morning had done nothing for Minato's characteristic sarcasm. There were few things that the generally uncaring boy valued; Sleep, food and his precious book. Long before, his family had been somewhere on that list but that had been before the tragedy where he lost them but also lost his real last name and any chance of finding any other relatives. This girl had managed to deprive him of SLEEP, chase him out of the dorm WITHOUT BREAKFAST and had tried to get him to leave his Compendium home. Needless to say, Yukari was not Minato's most favourite person at the moment.             And to add to his sulk, she wore the same loud pink sweater she had worn the night before (Which he was nearly sure was against school rules). He was beginning to hate that cheerful pink colour. On any other day, he would’ve barely noted it. Today was not a good day in any sense of the word, his mood was in the basement. In the manner of any non-morning person confronted by an overly cheerful early bird, he mentally plotted murder. She had obliviously ignored the dark glares and muttering of death threats on the whole walk and train ride to the school. She was either very indifferent or very oblivious.             Enthusiasm deflating slightly at the sarcasm, she just continued to the shoe lockers. Before she could speak he quickly spoke up. His quiet voice betrayed none of the annoyance he had towards her. His face had gone completely blank, hardening his outer appearance to prepare to rub shoulders with far more people than he was comfortable with. “I'll be fine from here.” His head was swinging, taking in all the sights with a cautious air. He hated school. Teenagers had no concept of personal space. They were also loud and disruptive. It was making him twitchy. With an utterly emotionless face he shifted his bag and nodded in thanks to his temporary guide. “Faculty office?”             She pointed to her left and he nodded again. He left her there, drawing up his shields even tighter the instant he stepped away. A mask of utter indifference and poise quickly fixing on his face. He slipped around the crowd, uncomfortable with the press of too many bodies. The faculty office was in plain sight now that he knew where it was. Drifting past the French boy and... teacher...wearing a very impressive samurai helmet, he knocked politely on the door and entered the Faculty office.             The day was so utterly boring and forgettable that he slept through most of it, still travel-lagged and sleep deprived. From the moment that Principle started to drone the MP3 was instantly playing a soothing tune. Blocking out the speeches with ease he slipped into the grasp of his old friend Morpheus. Assembly? Slept. Morning Class? Slept. Lunch? He nearly slept through that too. He promptly went and bought out the cafeteria's entire supply of melon bread to the poor lady's shock. And half the school's too. Bread was a good dark hour snack and he felt a little cheerful that he could buy convenient tasty rolls at a good price. Afternoon Classes, full on a dozen of the tasty things, with a nice sunbeam angled just so through his window, there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that he stayed awake.               Automatically, he shifted awake at the sound of dozens of students packing up and chattering. Totally unconcerned by the fact he slept through the entire day, he began to gather up his belongings. It didn’t take very long. He hadn’t taken out his books to begin with. Blinking down at his desk he came to the slightly embarrassing conclusion that he had fallen asleep on his precious tome. He quickly wiped off the accumulated drool. With a sigh, he reached for his book bag and slung it over his shoulder. About to properly get up to leave, he was stopped by a shadow falling over his desk. “S'up, dude? How's it goin'?”             He stared at the scruffy boy wearing a baseball cap, assessing him. Just from his untidy method of dress, he could tell the boy was quite carefree. And though he had a growing goatee which made him look a lot older than their classmates, he had a wide friendly grin. Minato could tell he was a pretty well-meaning guy, but a further cautionary sniff made him frown. A growing scent of spice and steel made him very suspicious. It was faint. Something easily dismissed as having a spicy lunch or handling too much metal but a scent that sharp that no one else reacted to could not originate from the physical plane. He was certain that a Persona was roiling near to the surface of the boy's consciousness. Not quite manifested but nearly. This made four Persona Users in one city. He was not liking these odds. Something was not right with this city. He thought about the boy's question and answered in his usual deadpan. “I’m good. Who are you?” “Heh,” He looked at Minato oddly for a second before becoming exuberant to introduce himself. “I'm Junpei Iori. I got transferred here in eighth grade. I know what it’s like to be the new kid so I wanted to say 'hey'!...See what a nice guy I am!”             Minato almost smiled at the characteristic behavior of a Magician. He could tell the budding user’s Arcana from the moment he opened his mouth, Magicians had a certain way of interacting with the world that was entertaining to watch. Then Yukari entered the classroom and his amusement quickly faded as he watched the exasperated glare she was shooting his new friend.  “Hey, it's Yuka-tan! I didn't think we'd be in the same class again.” Minato let out a slight snigger at the nickname. Junpei didn't seem like the type to know about geography so he wouldn't notice the unintentional geographical joke at the nickname. Yuka-tan? Yucatan? She sighed “At it again, huh? I swear, you'll talk to anyone if they'll listen. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?” “What? But I was just bein' friendly.” “It’s no big deal Takeba-san. Iori-san was just being polite.” He cut in, unwilling to leave the boy at her unwarranted mercy. Another strange look was thrown his way at his formal speech. “Dude, just call me Junpei.” He bobbed his head in acceptance. Formal speech was generally very useful at keeping people at arm’s length from him but from this budding Persona User, he could allow it. After all, give it a week or two and he would be one of the few people able to relate with his unique night experiences. He would have to remember to keep an eye on him to help him through the Awakening. “Okay Junpei-kun.” “Drop the 'kun' too!” “Alright then, Junpei. You probably heard but I'm Minato Arisato.” “Alright Minato, you can be my new best friend!”             The stoic teenager looked at his new self-appointed best friend in amusement. This was new. This Magician had something different about him. It probably had to do with his developing Persona, he had never met a Magician Persona-User. The fact he was developing one meant that he was well aware of the darkness in his own heart or ‘shadow’ and was working on accepting or overcoming that flaw and harnessing it into a useful Persona. From his Arcana, Minato assumed that he was struggling with the Magician’s fatal flaw of jealousy. Of course, he could still be entirely wrong with his guess but he could only tell so much from a scent and basic observation. “Why not?” He shrugged, a smile breaking across his face. “Woah!” Junpei grinned. “I got you to smile!”             Instantly, his face sobered but the amusement remained glinting in his mercury gaze. The Magician could still tell the other boy was greatly amused. He didn't know why he had felt to approach the transfer student but he was glad he did. But still, Junpei thought to himself, Why does he feel so...different?
 
The blue haired enigma had coolly walked to school with Yukari, slept through all the classes and had eaten out the cafeteria of Melon bread. In a single day, rumours were already running rampant. People were wondering at his lackadaisical and dismissive actions. How could someone be that uncaring and still get into a school as prestigious as Gekkoukan? Rumours were already racing about that he was a troubled genius. Or maybe he was related the Kirijos in some way. Since he was housed in the dorm with the Kirijo Heiress, some people thought he was her fiancé. The stories kept getting wilder the more they spread. The gossip mill hadn’t been more excited since they heard that Golden Boy Akihiko had moved into the Ice Queen Heiress’s dorm. “Did you forget I was here?!?!” Yukari snapped, sounding highly affronted. “My apologies Takeba-san but why did you come over here?” “I just wanted to say that it was nice we ended up in the same class!” “Maybe it's Fate.” Junpei would've laughed if not for the serious look in the other boy's eyes as he stared down at the huge book before him. Minato called it F.A.T.E. As in Flawed Attempted Trap Execution. He was certain now, this was a trap. Someone high up was gathering Persona Users for their own ends. Yukari just scoffed. “Fate? Yeah, right. I'm still a little surprised.” Junpei suddenly grinned evilly. “By the way, I heard you two came to school together this morning. What's up with that? C'mon, gimme the dirt!” Minato leaned back and watched the other girl splutter with great amusement. He wasn’t going to say anything; with her fluster, she would undoubtedly dig herself into a hole of her own making. “Wh-What are you talking about!? We live in the same dorm. There's nothing going on, okay? NOTHING. Why are people even talking about it!? Now you have me worried... Hey... You didn't say anything to anyone about... you know what, did you?” He fixed her with a mildly amused gaze, rocking back in his seat. “I don't believe I know what you're talking about.” “Don't tell me you forgot already!” She growled in annoyance. “Forgot what?” He grinned innocently. “Seriously... Don't say anything about last night, alright?” She reminded fiercely. A devilish smirk cracking his facade caused her to rethink her statement. She turned to watch Junpei looking at her in mock horror. “W-what?” She nervously stuttered. Junpei was staring at her like she was a ghost and the new kid was widely smirking. “L-Last night...?” “W-Wait a minute! Don't get the wrong idea! Listen! I just met him yesterday, and there's absolutely nothing between us! Geez... I've gotta go. I've got something to take care of for the archery team.      But, you better not start any rumors!” The extremely flustered girl fled the room posthaste to Junpei's mad chortling and Minato's scary grin. “Ah, who cares? No one takes rumors seriously, anyway. She's so paranoid... But, hey! It's your first day here, and people are already talkin' about you! Believe it or not, she's actually pretty popular. You da man! Heheh, this is gonna be a fun year. I can feel it!” Minato shot a withering look at the door. “She's popular? How?” “Ouch,” Junpei winced. “What'd she do to you?” “Wake me up a six in the morning after arriving past midnight, make me leave without breakfast and had the AUDACITY to tell me to leave my book home.” He delivered in straight deadpan. “Dude, I've been meaning to ask that. What IS that thing? It isn't a text book.” “Ah. This was a very dear gift to me from someone very close to me. I carry it everywhere.” “Man, it’s a book! A heavy one at that!” Junpei wildly gestured. “Why WOULD you carry it around?” “The one who gave me it isn’t really around anymore.” Silence. “I'm sorry, I didn't-” “-Know? It's quite alright, it was years ago.” He brushed off easily. It was true enough, Elizabeth was no longer around. It was also easier to explain his strange attachment to the book if he explained it as the last gift from a precious person. People would be so busy tripping over themselves to apologize and try and make up for their social faux par that they wouldn't ask any more questions about it. He could keep it in the Velvet room, where it was technically supposed to be, but it was easier to keep his greatest weapon on hand. Even though it was broad daylight, where Dark Hour shadows couldn’t reach, there were other supernatural forces that weren’t restricted by such things. “Oh...er...so, um, what's it about?” Junpei stumbled trying to break the awkward silence. Minato smiled. “Tarot cards.” “What-? So, you can tell the future?” He snorted a tiny laugh. “Not like that. For example,” For the first time ever, Minato showed his Compendium to a human. Flipping opened the well-worn pages to a spot near the front of the book he pointed to the tarot labeled one. “-That's you.” Junpei leaned closer over the book, getting interested. He started to read aloud. “Magician Arcana. Associated with action, initiative, self-confidence, manipulation and power. Woah, I sound cool!” Minato just grinned and tapped the bottom of the page. “Fatal flaw of arrogance and – hey!” With a bark of laughter, Minato ducked under Junpei's arm and swiped up his bag and tome. Cackling insanely, he raced out of the classroom with Junpei hot on his heels and yelling pointless insults. This kind of lighthearted teasing between friends was something he had missed. It felt good to have a friend. 
CRACK!

Your acceptance of this Magician's friendship has awoken a new Social Link.

Thou shalt be blessed when summoning Personas of the Magician Arcana.

Magician Social Link Rank 1

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The Symbiosis of Summoners and Wild Cards- As you have no doubt noticed, Summoners and Wild Cards are heavily reliant on each other. Wild Cards collect Personas through various means, when they run out of space in their Psyche, the Summoners store the extra Personas in the Compendium. The Summoners are then able to use the stored Personas as if they were their own. The Wild Cards cannot access the Personas in the Compendium and need the Summoners to do so. And since the Summoners/Blank cards have no Persona, they need a Wild Card to collect Personas for them to use. The Summoner of the partnership always holds the Compendium. Each Wild Card has a Summoner partner.
Without a Summoner Partner to siphon off the excess, an active Wild Card would acquire too many Personae for their psyche to handle. The extreme mental stress would cause their magic to go haywire as the different shards of self, fought within the Fool's mindscape. They may also display symptoms of schizophrenia or extreme forgetfulness. Depending on the Personas acquired, they can become very violent. This can also happen if a Wild Card doesn't visit their Blank for a long period of time. Persona suppressants can dull the effects and reduce the pressure on the Psyche but they carry their own side effects.
 4/8/09             After a full night's sleep in a marvelously comfortable bed, Minato woke feeling slightly more charitable towards the universe. This new-found bliss from not being sleep deprived did not mean that he would walk to school with the girl that ruined his yesterday. To prevent any kind of polite invitation, he left the dorm that morning through the window. It was only the second floor after all. A nearby bush cushioned his bag and he easily made him way down the side of the building. Red brick had plenty of gaps to use as finger and footholds. The large arching windows of the first floor were a bit of a nuisance but the decorative concrete in between them was sturdy enough for him to use the small ledges of the design to make the final part of his descent not too difficult. Thankfully, the windows had heavy curtains still drawn closed at this time of morning. Not one would be able to spot him from the lobby. The people on the street hadn’t noticed him either, a tree blocked the line of sight to that part of the building and most people were too drowsy or too preoccupied to care. Junpei had been very helpful the day before, giving him an impromptu tour of Port Island and the surrounding area. He had pointed out all the good spots, bad spots and methods to get by in the city. Little tricks that only locals would know, like how the train to the shopping areas was usually ten minutes off schedule on mornings. He enjoyed it, despite himself. Junpei was bright, lively and had the ability to shamelessly try and pick up any girl that crossed their path. Some of the lines the persistent magician had spouted had given him secondhand embarrassment to just be in the vicinity of them. He could admit that some of them were witty though. It was great entertainment to watch him get shot down continuously by girls. Junpei showed remarkable resilience and politeness with his hunt, he brushed off rejection easily, but he wasn’t overly persistent, aggressive or crass to the girls. It was easy to see that he wasn’t taking it seriously and the few girls that rebutted obviously didn’t take him seriously either. Minato couldn’t begrudge the hopeless guy his fun when he was being nice enough to show him around, but he drew the line at joining in.             Perhaps later he could allow one of his flirtier Personae to influence his behaviour enough so that he could join in on the game without feeling mortified and socially awkward. He could faintly hear Personae cackling in the back of his mind at the failed attempts. They seemed to be very amused at the free comedy show they were getting. Minato could honestly say he had more non-Dark Hour fun on that single outing then he had experienced in the past ten years of his life. One could never discount the sheer silliness that sometimes could occur during the time of monsters. The mundane hours had never been much fun for him, but Junpei seemed to be changing that. It was the oddest thing.             Perhaps the call of binding to someone with a Persona was stronger than he thought. Like an evolutionary instinct to band together to increase the likelihood of surviving the Dark Hour, he seemed unusually pulled to form a strong social link with his new Magician. He could tell that Junpei was feeling it too, even if it was his personality to be welcoming, he was warming up far too quickly for it to be normal. Junpei was constantly in his space, alternating between mother-henning and far too much physical contact. It was fascinating to watch; Minato had never been acquainted with an awakening Persona User so all the behaviour was quite new to him. Eventually Junpei would awaken to his world and he would have less to hide from him then any regular companion. It was nothing like the fragile Social Links that he had nursed over the years that had inevitably and irreversibly shattered. Eventually he had gone out of his way to stop building the links at all. But this new Magician’s link had a solid foundation to build from. And hopefully, his support would prevent Junpei from losing his life in the early days of manifestation. The disorientation and nausea caused by their first breeching of the Dark Hour made them easy targets for hungry shadows. His journey to school was short and mostly spent listening to music on his MP3 and ignoring the world. Walking straight past the girls gossiping at the front gate, he noticed something strange.             A rather large number of girls appeared to be eagerly awaiting someone. He remembered those kinds of looks from his last school. There had been some hotshot rich boy in the upper year that had always sent the girls into a tizzy. Fangirls. He felt sorry for whoever their victim was.  Carefully stepping around the hoard he quickly began to move into the school building, it would not do for them to notice him. He had a kind of bishounen face that made him easy prey for girls like that. He didn’t want that kind of romantic attention and had learnt to cover his face with his bangs to prevent the hassle. He made it to the door before he heard the high-pitched squeal of dozens of teenage girls. “Akihiko-sama~!”             Minato only caught a flash of silver hair before the poor boy, whoever he was, was mugged by his zealous followers. He stopped and bowing his head and clapping his hands together to pay respects to the poor unfortunate soul. “Poor guy.” Thankful that he still remained an unknown, he happily continued on towards his class.             The school day was just as dull as the previous one. There was a brief bit of excitement with Junpei getting asked a question in Composition. He had prompted the correct answer to his struggling friend before settling down to go back to sleep. The dullness was kind of relaxing, none of the teachers seemed interested in waking him up when he slept in their classes, so he was able to rest and restore his energy. When he wasn’t napping, he was writing shorthand on scraps of paper. Anything from tactical notes to magical element theory. He kept his brain occupied and working on problems relevant to his survival, occasionally keeping an ear out for science and history and any subject that had anything useful to offer his tactics. For lack of anything better to do, he contemplated the strangeness of the city. Four Persona users already present in the same school, nearly all in the same dorm. A tall, twisted tower that rose up from the skyline. He needed more information to make solid plans. The next step would be to find that information, a scouting run of the city and an investigation of the tower were the obvious next steps. The other Persona Users wouldn’t be much of a threat or hindrance to him. They appeared to be independently operating and would be fine on their own. He saw no need to make himself known to them and step in to offer aid. A plan of action decided, he made his way to his ‘temporary’ lodgings. With a sigh, he pushed open the door to the dorm, preparing to deal with the pushy Yukari and calculating Mitsuru. Hopefully, this time he would get to meet the third member of the dorms, the boy who smelt of beaten iron and ozone crackle and the sweat of hard work. However, the person inside the dorm lobby was someone he never expected to see again.             Sitting harmlessly next to Yukari on the lobby couch was a familiar face. Brown hair, glasses and a generic brown suit paired with a disarming smile...It could be no one else. It had been years and the man hadn’t aged well but he knew him. Minato instantly killed all emotion in his face and relaxed his tense stance. He could not afford to betray himself in the slightest amount. He recognized that man. He recognized that foul stench burning his nostrils. The cloying scent of rotting filled his nose, overpowering the strong scents of the other Persona Users. Deep on the inside, where the emotion would never show on the surface, he was furiously seething. His fury had skipped the irrational stage and gone straight to wondering exactly why he couldn’t just gut the man. Unfortunately, common sense prevailed. If the man was here, he was obviously under the protection of the Kirijo Group. Minato acknowledged he was good, but he didn’t think he was that good to get away with killing the man without proof. Kirijo had resources. For all his magic skills, he still needed to eat and sleep. As satisfying as it would be, he couldn’t eat vengeance. “Oh, he's back.” Yukari smiled cautiously at him. He paid her no mind, all his attention focused on her companion. “So, this is our new guest...” Just listening to the man talk made him feel to take a bath. Everything about the corrupted scientist made him feel dirty and so...unclean to his very core. He had been like that even seven years ago, talking absolute filth with a pleasant smile on his face. Now the question was, would he recognize Minato? He had changed from the incident seven years ago, but was it enough to disguise him? His hair length, colour and style had drastically changed. His entire demeanor was the furthest thing from the bedraggled, malnourished and desperate child he had been in that alleyway. The two stood from their seats and the man started to introduce himself. “Good evening. My name is Shuji Ikutsuki.” Minato relaxed a small amount, the ever-so-slight gathering of magic at his fingertips fading away. The impersonal generic greeting confirmed it. He didn't recognize the boy who he had tried to second-hand murder all those years ago. “I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school. "Ikutsuki"...Hard to say, isn't it? That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes...Please, have a seat.” “There's no need.” Minato said coolly. “I have no questions about my situation. It is...nice to meet you but I have homework to do.” “Wow!” The man smiled, Minato crushed the urge to unload a magical nuke in his face. “Another studious one?” Minato merely shrugged and began to make his way towards the stairs. “Well, you must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early. As they say, “The early bird catches the bookworm!” ...Please forgive the bad pun.”             Minato kept his face completely blank as he walked up the stairs. A direct contrast to the deep roiling hatred that was all in favour of storming back down the stairs and gutting the man with a spoon. Entertaining images of such a feat managed to calm him down rather well.             What assignments he had were lazily accomplished with surprising speed on complete auto pilot. He had an uncomfortable feeling of being watched crackling along his nerves, a feeling one learnt to sense very quickly in the Dark Hour. He couldn’t smell anything odd though. It was strange someone would be studying him at daytime, where his unremarkable and forgettable Persona would not draw attention. He took a discrete glance around, even checking out the window as he put his books away. With Ikutsuki's comment earlier he knew that he might be being watched. They wanted him to sleep while they observed. Probably to discover if he was aware of the Dark Hour. They were attempting to midwife what they thought was a possible awakening. He didn’t have to guess this time, Ikutsuki was undoubtedly the cause of the odd gathering of Persona users. He was collecting and Minato was wary of folding in with him again. That kind of thing was dangerous and left people willing to eat poison that caused slow organ failure. He had half a mind to just remove himself from the situation entirely. Just get up and leave. Take the train far away and live on the streets again, avoid social services until he became legal. Just go nope, not doing this, nope, nope, nope. But if he did that, this group of persona users would be consigned to a horrible fate and that smug arrogant bastard would still be alive. He would go on to collect another batch to murder and just keep going in his twisted game until he got what he wanted. By the power of spite and godamnit he’ll put himself through guiding a set of fledgling Persona users for a chance to uproot that douche’s plans. So, at that moment, he began preparing to deal with his dormmates. He couldn’t say that he was a Wild Card, Ikutsuki knew what that was. If it didn’t cause him to connect Minato to the wild card he murdered years before, it would still make the schemer try and kill him anyway. The man seemed to hate everything the Wild card stood for, mostly for its unpredictability and way of throwing a wrench in the most concrete of plans, something a schemer like him would hate. Restricting his ability pool would be stupid and suicidal though. In the loosest of terms, Minato was a Summoner. He was halfway between a Wild Card and a Blank Card, able to both supply Personas to a Compendium and summon them. So, with that in mind, and playing on their extreme ignorance of spiritual matters, he was going to pass himself off as a Summoner and completely bullshit his way. Feeling more confident with a clear plan of action, he started to settle into his room for the evening. His school jacket was carelessly thrown over the back of the only chair in the room, followed by his bookbag and shoes to be retrieved the following morning. He settled neatly on the bed, loosening his clothes and drawing out a pack of Tarot cards from nowhere. Most people would write it off as sleight of hand, especially since it was a pack of cards.             He shuffled the Persona cards gently, taking care with the reflections of ‘self’ sealed within. He couldn’t produce specific predictions like Igor was capable of. But with shards of Personae born from the sea of his soul acting as a medium, he could get very vague or immediate responses by drawing a single card. It could tell him if he was going to have a bad day, if someone was trustworthy, if he should fuse. It was very useful, since he didn’t usually have access to Igor.             Comfortably tucking his feet under himself, he leaned back against the headboard. He breathed on the cards, drawing them close to his lips to hide the mist of blue energy that infused the cards with the motion. He closed his eyes for a moment, intoning the names all the personae in the deck. The cards softly glowed in response. He carefully laid the deck ontop his compendium, feeling the rush as they intimately connected with the physical representation of the sea of his soul. He clenched his hands to hide the crackle of blue energy between his fingers. The shuffling itself meant nothing as the physical placement of the cards meant nothing. The appropriate card would always be drawn. Carefully thinking of nothing, he flipped the first card. Raijuu crackled softly at his fingertips. Tower Arcana. The foreteller of disaster. He almost laughed at the predicable result. He tucked the card back in the deck and flipped the next card. The second card revealed a skull faced reaper atop a white horse. Pale Rider. The Arcana of Death was something he was well acquainted with, it being Pharos’ social link, one of the few he had maxed out to make unbreakable. Despite what one would think, the Death arcana was not an omen of demise, or at least not usually. It was a sign of great change, regeneration and rebirth. There would be a great upheaval. However, this kind of fortunetelling was vague. This change could be to him, or it could be to the other Users from having him dropped in the middle of them, it could even indicate Junpei’s coming awakening. Ordinarily this kind of prediction would drive someone to distraction. He was used to it. The point was not to find exactly what was going to happen, but to know that something bad would happen. He could prepare for disaster instead. Something very serious was afoot and he was right in the middle of it. His stay in this city was certainly going to be interesting   Yukari sighed as she shifted in her seat. “When is he going to sleep?!”             For the past hours, she had been treated to much of her enigmatic classmate's behaviour. None of it made sense. She was at least grateful that he hadn’t outright stripped in front of the cameras. That would have been too mortifying for her to handle! As it was, she had gotten an eyeful of scars on his arms when he rolled up his sleeves to unpack his room. No one could understand the card business either, the camera could only tell that the cards weren't playing cards. He had seemed to study the two cards he had flipped very intensely before clearing up the cards. No one saw where he put them either. It was like they had vanished but that would be ridiculous.              He had shoved aside the chair and moved the empty boxes to the corridor to create a nice empty space in the middle of the room. He quickly had set aside his uniform pants for the next day and quickly changed into looser exercise pants. He began to stretch and limber up. She could admit to herself that she was jealous of his flexibility. It was nothing freakishly impressive, like tying himself in knots, but it was still miles and miles better than anything she was capable of doing. Fully warmed up, he started at the oddest training sequence she had ever seen. He shadowboxed, ducking and twisting as well as he could in such a small space. He practiced what seemed to be basic kendo katas with a wooden sword, a boken produced from among his luggage. He had practiced kicks and footwork after that, the motions unorthodox but quick, efficient and obviously well practiced. Yukari had a sickening feeling that Akihiko would love the new potential persona user. After finishing with a combo of kicks, he finally started to cool down, checking each of his worked over joints with a meticulousness that meant he had a previous injury at some point. When that was done, he finally headed out to bathe. He came back already dressed in a loose pair of pajamas.            He sat cross legged on his bed, facing the camera. Taking that odd book of his onto his lap he closed his eyes. Mitsuru claimed he was most likely meditating. She could understand that, but he had been sitting like that for three whole hours.             All without twitching or moving an inch. As if his mind had abandoned his body. As Dark Hour struck the three observers eagerly leaned over the monitors. He didn't even open his eyes. He wasn't a coffin. Even as they watched, half way through Dark Hour he seemed to come back to himself. He stood up and gave his surroundings a brief glance. To the trio's surprise he was largely unconcerned by the scenery changes. He even yawned as he pulled the comforter up.             He made as if to flop onto his bed in a more comfortable position. Then he paused. Turning his head directly to the camera, he gave them a totally blank gaze, dead eyes drilling into their souls.He raised his arm up and.... gave them the finger.             Mission accomplished, he burrowed into his bed and curled around his curious hardback. Every single person in the Control room stared at the feed in total shock. Shakily, Yukari asked the one question that was on all three's lips. “H-how...?”  “Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young man.” As soon as his eyes were opened he caught a flash of blue and the rattling of machinery before he was tackled off his chair. “Mina-chan!” “E-Elizabeth?”             Clinging to his body was the unmistakable form of the Velvet Room attendant he had met so many years ago, appearance untouched from mortal hands of time. With her distinctive blue dress and golden hair, it would be hard to mistake her for someone other than a velvet room attendant. They had similar physical features and dress sense., Theo would never tackle someone and Margret would be too refined to do such a thing. By process of elimination, it could only be the incredibly childish attendant of the velvet room. “Now, now Elizabeth,” An old, long-nosed man chided from his seat in a comfortable armchair. “Please treat our guest with more decorum.” She hastily released her beholden summoner and straightened her clothes. “Ah...Forgive me.” Minato waved it off, getting up and sitting back down on the chair with a smile. “Igor, It’s nice to see you again old man.” “Likewise.” The man chuckled creepily, wide grin distorting his face. “Um...” Minato began, looking around the elevator. “Where is everyone else...?” “Unfortunately, everyone else is off on business right now.” Elizabeth smiled full of glee. “So, I have you all to myself! Do not worry though, I’m sure you will see them soon.” Letting out a breath he relaxed. It was nice to know that all the residents were okay. Not that much could harm the overpowered clan of Blank cards but it was nice to know nothing bad had happened. “It's fine. It’s nice to see this place again.”             He let his gaze travel around the new form of the Velvet Room. An elevator...? How strange. It must mean something about his journey. It had been a plain room the last time, though he was hazy on the details. Without a contract, it made sense that his unsanctioned visits hadn’t prompted a physical change in the room. His favourite part of the room, the colour scheme, had survived the change. The entire place was decked in his favourite shade of blue. A rich deep royal blue almost the same hue as his hair.             Catching a glimpse of his arm, he realized that he no longer was wearing his pajamas. In place of the comfortable baggy clothes was his combat armour. He wasn’t very specific with his underclothes once it was easy to move in but he was particular about his actual over armour.   “I see you repaired it.”             The armour did not resemble armour at all, it appeared to be nothing more than a double-breasted greatcoat. It was plain enough to pass in regular society but resilient enough to brush off the rigours of heavy Dark Hour combat. It was even machine washable. Forged by the residents of the Velvet room for their current wild card, they had all insisted on making him a blue coat fit for a resident. It was inlaid with the best protective spells possible. It was very good armour. But Minato always pushed it beyond what it could take. In his latest escapade, he had managed to royally shred his faithful coat. He had had to send it to the Velvet Room to regenerate for a few days. Without it, he had been feeling twitchy and uncomfortable. He felt unspeakably relieved that it had fully reformed.   Accompanying the protective coat was his best pair of fighting gloves. He had made them himself, fusing a tough chariot Persona into the weapon with assistance from Theo on one of his infrequent visits. They didn't look very impressive at all. Made of a dark leather with only slight metal studs on the knuckles, it just looked like an expensive glove. Minato liked them that way. They were very inconspicuous even if they weren't as strong as the other weapons he owned. Inconspicuous was better for outside the dark hour. “What happened to my Armoury?”             Igor grinned and waved his hand. With the simple motion, an enormous pile of objects materialized to the side. Minato stared.            The pile covered nearly half of the room. It didn't mean any of it was valuable, considering the hundred or so Imitation Katanas he owned, but it was a lot. His encounters with Shadows over the years had given him this much loot?!? Usually, upon receiving useless loot, he wouldn’t bother storing it in the compendium. He would use the compendium as a gateway to throw items he didn’t want straight into the Velvet room. He hadn’t checked on it in years. Apparently, it had grown enormous in that time.             He gleefully rubbed his hands together. He'd never be without cash again after he sold the more outdated stuff to a weapons dealer! A giggle from Elizabeth and a chuckle from Igor made him realize, with great embarrassment, that he was drooling over his own collection. “Ah. Apologies. You know my fascination with sharp objects of mass destruction.” He leaned back, with a last wistful glance at the pile of weaponry. Elizabeth went into another fit of giggles. Igor sighed and shook his head in exasperation. “It appears that Thanatos's fondness for weaponry has passed on to you.” He commented. “Thou art I and I art thou, and all that stuff.” Igor cackled. “And all that stuff indeed!”             Shifting into a more businesslike pose in his chair, Minato gave them a last fond smile before clapping his hands to draw their attention. “Right, as fun as seeing you guys again was, what have I been called here for?” The two sobered themselves into a more serious mindset quickly. With a sigh, Igor waved a hand. The contract Minato had signed appeared on the table. 
I Choose this fate of mine own free will

Minato Arisato

Igor nodded. “You have signed the contract. I only ask the usual, for you accept full responsibilities for your actions. There is no need for another explanation after last time, I take it?”
 
The Fool shook his head. “No need. I did notice that I got a contract this time, what's that about?” Both entities shifted uncomfortably. Igor shot his assistant several warning glances. Finally, Elizabeth decided to speak. “This time is different. You will have to find out how on your own power. This isn't just about survival like last time.”             He nodded and held out his book which miraculously traveled with him to this space between dream and reality. Instantly the mood lightened and the blond attendant snatched the book from his hands. Surprisingly, Minato made no move to protest.
 
“I see it's looking quite good.” Elizabeth praised, flipping through the pages. “But your social links need some work. You've had too many low powered ones which have faded.” She fixed him in a stern glare. “This contract requires greater power than you have now to fulfill it. You NEED to work harder and form some more unbreakable bonds. The ones forged with us in the Velvet Room is not enough.” Minato bowed his head against her harsh rebuke. Great, she just told the anti-social to make friends. Just great. This was not going to be a good year for him, was it? “If you are in need of fusing Personas do not hesitate to ask.” Elizabeth continued.
 
She grinned. “There will be a 'fee' of course.”
 
He deadpanned. “You don't need to bribe me to get me to take you outside you know...”
 
A being that supposedly ruled over power jumped up and down in excitement like a little girl. “Yay!”
 
Minato just smiled softly at her glee. He was well accustomed to her childish habits. Even if he didn’t find it endearing, he would’ve put up with it. She had saved his mind and soul from insanity after all.
 
“I think that will be all for now.” Igor smiled in that partially grandfatherly and partially creepy way of his. “I will reinstall the key into your Compendium...”
 
            Curiously, he accepted the strange glowing key from the old man. He usually found his way into the room by random doorways that were never in the same place twice or rarely in dreams. Sometimes, the attendants would find him outside the room. Gaining what was essentially a free pass was a relief after ten years of annoying hide and seek. Elizabeth handed back his tome with a friendly smile. With a bright flash, the key flew straight into the book. Minato grinned down at the now, slightly glowing book.
 
“'Til we meet again...”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The Velvet Room Pact- The Velvet Room Pact was made to make the Summoner/Wild Card Partnership easier to accomplish without the Wild Cards having to search for a Summoner to help manage their Personas. A Wild Card without a Summoner either leads to a weak Wild Card (one that knows how to dismiss the Personas that show up) or one with severe psyche strain (One that doesn't know how to dismiss and eventually dies because they collect more Personas than their head limit allows). Without a Summoner, most Wild Cards cannot fuse and must rely on whatever Personas they find in combat. Personas found in combat are usually significantly weaker than fused ones. The Pact allows all Wild Cards access to the Velvet Room Which holds the only Summoners, Igor, Elizabeth, Theodore and Margret. Eg Elizabeth's Wild Card was Minato Arisato originally. (See Minato Arisato's circumstances) 4/9/09             Minato awoke to another boring day. Still half asleep, he stumbled around his room, performing his morning routine in a zombie-like manner. He barely remembered a thing that happened while he got dressed. As he picked up his Tome on the way to the door, the thing gave him a slight shock. Suddenly fully conscious, he startled and glanced around the room in confusion.             Realizing he had done everything on auto pilot again, he stared down at the book. There was a thread of velvet room blue inlaid into the cover that hadn’t been there the night before. He stared at it almost giddy. Unrestricted access to the Velvet room! He wouldn’t have to make do with slipshod fusions and rationing of equipment and inventory space anymore! With that in mind, he set off to school with a bounce in his step.             At the school gate, he met his new best friend who was energetically bouncing up and down. Minato frowned slightly, the magician’s scent had doubled in strength overnight. The spice was not yet at the point of burning his nose but it was well on its way. Thankfully the rusty steel tempered some of the fire of his scent to make it bearable. He shouldn’t have developed that quickly but Minato was certain that he had at least partially breached into the Dark Hour last night. Not quite fully there, but beginning to become aware of it, maybe crossing over for a handful of minutes. Thankfully, if it was partial, he wouldn’t be in danger of Shadows yet. It was unlikely he’d breach again for a few days, since his body would be rapidly trying to adapt to prepare for the Supernatural force it was going to channel. The next breach would be the one that brought the nausea and disorientation as the mind tried to adapt. “What's up!? Man, today is the perfect day! The sky is blue... We're young... What more could we ask for!?” “Some quiet?” Minato grinned back. “Psh, quiet is overrated! When you have hot-blooded awesomeness, you need nothing else!” Minato blinked and stopped. “That sounded straight out of a shounen anime. Next thing, you’d be going on about the power of friendship.” He looked a little embarrassed, “H-hey man! It’s cool!” Minato smiled faintly at him. “I didn’t say it wasn’t.” “Woah, is that a smile?” The faint smile vanished behind his blank mask. “Nope.” “It totally was.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Though his face was impassive, the magician could make out a twinkle of mischief in the fool’s eyes. “Whatever you say…” Junpei leaned closer in a conspiring manner. “Dude, listen to this...” His face screwed up in guilty realization, “Oh, wait! I'm not supposed to say anything! Whoops! Sorry, man.” “Eh.” Minato waved his hand flippantly. “I won’t pry.” Chatting and teasing each other, the two teenagers entered the high school. To them, it was a normal day, full of annoying classes and homework. Both loners reveled in the new-found bond and enjoyed each other’s joking company. They were not aware of the looming danger that night would bring.   Three people sat in the command room, staring at the wide screen before them. Mitsuru merely sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. “I figured he'd do that...” They were all staring at the camera feed to Minato's room. Or lack thereof. The entire screen was engulfed in static. “Interesting...” Ikutsuki muttered. Yukari stared at the screen in disbelief. “But how? How'd he even find it?” Disturbingly enough, Mitsuru was smiling in appreciation. “He's sharp. We might as well bring him up now and talk to him. From his attitude so far, he probably knows someone was watching him.” “We don't have enough data...” Ikutsuki whined. “And we're not going to be getting more.” Mitsuru gestured with much amusement. “So why not?” Abruptly, a sharp beeping cut off their argument. Dismissing the matter for now, Mitsuru swept down to answer the call from their only free ranging agent. “Command Room...Is that you Akihiko?”              Minato woke with a start to the yellow and creeping green of the Dark Hour. As the only night he was certain Junpei wouldn’t be awakening on, he had planned to sleep straight through the night to make up for the midnight monitoring he’d have to do for the next week. It seemed that he wouldn’t be getting that luxury. Sparks of magic crackled along his veins, his body reacting to imminent danger before his brain could register it. An ever so faint scent of ash drifted in from the window. The air was thick and heavy with malice, warm and muggy against the skin like the humid of a tropical night before a storm. Something powerful was abroad in the night, its aura burning through the night smoky and indistinct.             Deep in his soul, past the surface where his other Personas resided, nestled closed to his core of self, his oldest Persona rattled to life. Chains rattled and screeched as the god of death got riled up in preparation for a good fight.             Under Thanatos’s urging, Minato began to equip himself with whatever equipment he had on hand. His pajamas were quickly exchanged for the uniform he had planned to wear tomorrow to act as under armour. He had stored most of his equipment for the move, not wanting to cause suspicions. He slapped his Compendium in a rush. Sensing this, the book slammed open and expelled what he needed in a rush of blue energy. He had no time to fully kit out, so he settled for snatching up his second-best body armour, a flexible Kevlar vest, and a standard pair of gloves. Most of his main equipment was still in the Velvet Room after all, he’d take what he could get.  Slipping a handful of knives in a pocket of the vest, he raised his head to sniff again. The ash was growing stronger, a sharp-as-knives metallic smell joining it. He wouldn’t bother with any other weapon for the moment.Rumbling up from the back of his mind, Thanatos growled out.
A big one approaches, it's stronger than anything we've ever fought before
             The ultimate Persona of the Death Arcana was practically giddy with excitement. Thanatos was a simple Persona, with simple tastes. Weaponry, explosions, destruction, sarcasm… things that had bled across to his container. It lent a certain perspective to life when you had a death god riding around in your head for your formative years. As Igor rightly said, having Thanatos so deeply rooted in his soul had not done good things to his sanity.             Minato glanced out the window, smelling the frantic rush of ozone-steel-sweat that was his missing dormmate approaching at a clip. The rage-ash-knives was following on his heels, powerful enough to be drawn to the power keg of the Dorm. Weaker shadows would’ve been terrified and would’ve fled from such a power nexus. It was strong and he was under equipped, the only piece of steel he had on him was a mere handful of daggers. It was a crippling disadvantage. Thankfully his true weapon would always answer his call.             A ruckus was beginning downstairs, ozone-sweat-blood had arrived injured. Lesser shadows were beginning to flock, hoping to pick off an easy kill from a bigger shadow’s mayhem. Making a quick decision, he snatched up the compendium and slunk out of his room. He locked it behind him, to give him a few more minutes if anyone came looking for him, and raced for the stairs. He sniffed a little at the connection between all the floors. Rot-liar, Ice-mint and herb-weak-wind were downstairs with ozone-sweat, he didn’t smell enough blood for the injury to be serious, so he wasn’t worried. Confirming the presence of all the dorm residents downstairs, Minato began to run up the stairs. Height would allow him to get a good look at the shadow without it being able to attack him. Orpheus, how much energy do I have? Nestled next to his core self, right next to Thanatos, where a regular Persona-User’s Persona would rest, the master of strings stirred. The calm to Thanatos’s glee, his second persona pulsed a chord of magic, checking on the state of his body and reserves. The ever-taciturn Persona quickly gave him a report. You have been sleeping well for the past few days so we are in good shape, body functioning at 95% and reserves at full. You’ll be able to use low tier spells without much consequence. Factoring other usage, don’t use more than ten Second tier spells or area of effect spells. If you use enhancement spells for longer than eleven minutes we will run into problems. Don’t even think about summoning anything. If regular methods are not enough, you have sufficient energy to manifest Thanatos for a total of twelve seconds before you reach critical levels.  Twelve seconds when he was at full capacity sounded small, but Thanatos was very stressful for his body to manifest. As he used his magic reserves in battle, the amount of time he could summon him for rapidly decreased. But that wasn’t much of an issue, he rarely needed that much time to ruin someone’s day. The strain of summoning him physically, even for a little bit, would doubtlessly send him into respiratory arrest so it was an extreme last resort. Thanatos? A deep rattling sigh.  Despite my eagerness to do battle with this opponent, It will do no good to entice your illness by burning you out. Even if it is the Dark Hour. Save me as a trump card. Use Hades instead.               Minato closed the door to the roof and walked to the edge. His harsh breathing quickly evened out. He was fit from nightly combat, but those stairs were evil. Leaning over the edge, he looked down to the front door. An eyeless blue mask stared back at him and froze.              Dozens of haphazard arms sprouted everywhere on the thing, all an inky black colour. Even as he watched, smaller shadows were gathering. Several slipped around to the back door and a few remained to squeeze through the front door. “I see.” He mused. “The presence of the stronger shadow makes the weaker ones brave enough to try their luck. The weaker shadows are drawn to the stronger shadows.”He frowned grimly. “Following that theory, that makes me a greater shadow.  But the shadows I normally attract always try to kill me. Back to drawing board for that one.”              The large Magician class leapt, latching onto the side of the building with it many arms. Using anything it could find it began to haul itself up the building side with remarkable speed.“Pity.” Minato sighed. “I didn’t get to observe more.”            He jumped fearlessly onto the railing of the roof, impeccable balance and a lack of wind preventing an embarrassing fall. It was a long drop. He flexed his hand. After years of use, the magic crackled down his arm with barely a thought to direct it. He stared down at creature coming vertically at him. Raising up a hand as if to grasp something, he smiled pleasantly down at the shadow. Framed in the Dark Hour's unholy full moon, he looked like a forbidding specter of death to the approaching monster below.There was only one thing he had ever been able to summon besides a Persona.“Thanatos, lend me your sword.”  The god roared in assent, sending his own crackle of energy up the arm to give the final push that brought the blade from the realm of the mind into the realm of matter.            He pulled Hades straight from nothingness. A relatively simple construct, the bone white katana never less gave off a forbidding aura of death. As soon as he felt the hilt in his palm, his arm snapped downward.            Death's blade screamed towards the shadow's mask. Noticing it a bit too late, it still managed to tilt its mask to avoid being pierced. This did not stop the sword burying to its hilt in the thing's main body however. With an unearthly screech, it lost grip and toppled from the side of the building with a splatter of ichor, taking the sword with it.            Standing on the ledge of the roof with nothing to support himself, he let himself lean forward, intent on free falling to the ground. A scream behind him caused him to turn slightly as he was about to kick off. Standing by the roof door was Yukari, looking utterly horrified.            With nothing left to hide, Minato let a slightly deranged grin spread across his face. Then he kicked off from the roof. Turning back to the ground, the pissed off Magician pulled out a set of wickedly sharp knives. He had to visibly force back the squealing weapons collector side of him, namely Thanatos. Holding out a palm before himself, Minato quietly switched Persona and summoned forth the magic it held.Strong green winds, razor fingers blunted by his will, cushioned his fall. Descent safely slowed by the second-tier wind spell, there no longer was a danger of going splat against the sidewalk. First tier was useful for a lot of functions, but it didn’t have the strength to support a human body for more than a second. Even Garula couldn’t support human weight, it was made to slice with speed and air pressure, it just didn’t have enough push power when it was blunted. He made a sharp gesture with his hand. The wind obeyed, lashing out to catapult the summoner away from the building and therefore away from the shadow waiting at its foot. Still slightly cushioned by the wind, he neatly landed upright on top an unsuspecting car.            As soon as he landed, the monster rushed. With barely a thought, the hilt of Hades smacked into his palm, vanishing from where the shadow had flung it in its rage.  As a second thought, Minato flung away his Compendium, the book shattering into blue shards the moment it hit the ground. It would only get in the way in such close combat.            With a raucous battle cry drawn from Thanatos, Minato sprang off his perch, swinging the katana down with both hands on the shadow. A pair of gleaming knives crossed to block the blow. For a fraction of second, they stared at each other across crossed steel. The summoner’s face wild and savage and the blue mask with empty sockets filled with eldritch rage.Quick as a flash, the other arms shot forward to decapitate him while his sword was occupied.  Planting a foot on the shadow's mask he kicked off the impromptu foothold, catapulting himself back into the air in a summersault to dodge the flashing steel.            Wild laughter ripped from his throat as he felt the breeze of guillotine blades snapping down on his previous position. Calling for another Persona, he raised his hand up to cast another set of spells midair. Persona magic was surging in his veins with intoxicating power. He supposed it must be what drug addicts feel like, high on their poison of choice. All the possibilities lay before his sight, the magic of the Wild Card that was empty and yet limitless. The power to become anything. To become an angel or devil, a god or a spirit, a hero or a monster The neutral point between all supernatural factions that could channel them all, yet belonged to none. He possessed all their strengths and all their weaknesses. His power was still growing, but at the heights of it, he shuddered to think what kinds of things he’d be capable of channeling. He flung out a crackled of energy sparked into an offensive spell. “Zio!”Lightning crackled around the shadow, causing it to spasm slightly, but otherwise not affecting it too much. It was enough to delay it from following his retreat and let him land safely. Thudding onto the cracked pavement, he felt the impact rattle up his bones. Reaching for electricity had prevented him calling a physically resistant persona in time. He mental grasped again, a fused Persona rising to the call. Fused specifically to be able to use multiple low level spells without him having to switch. He grasped the offered power and flung it outward, hoping one of them would reveal a weakness. “Bufu!” Chill surged through his veins and ice crashed down, freezing several limbs in place. “Garu!” Power rushed out, wind blades no longer blunted, to severe arms. The last one, he had a sinking feeling, wasn’t going to work but it was at least worth a try, since the others didn’t make a dent. Ash scent… “Agi!” The magic exploded underneath the shadow’s feet in a scarlet conflagration. To his annoyance, just as he thought, the flames were absorbed by the shadow, allowing it to regenerate some of its limbs. He was hoping that the shadow didn’t have an elemental nature, but with his luck it wasn’t just fire resistant. It was fire absorbent, which meant trouble since he had essentially healed it. Finally, free of the ice, the Shadow surged forward with a screech, knives waving dangerously.             With a swear, Minato backpedaled, swinging his sword in carefully controlled strikes to block the swift strikes raining down on him. Clangs of steel rang through the green night. Miraculously, he had managed to avoid being injured for the whole exchange. Though that was more due to his slash resistant Persona then his actual skill. This shadow was unbelievably strong, like nothing he'd ever faced before. It shrugged off the gaping wound caused by Hades and the lost arms barely phased it. Hopping onto a car as a springboard, Minato launched himself back up in the air. He threw out a hand in a desperate slashing movement to shatter a blue card. It wasn’t a Persona card, but it was a hand of skill cards. The valuable items were ruthlessly smashed to pieces to provide a one-time only spell. “Physical enhancement!” A package of stacked enhancement spells slammed into him full force as he fell towards his foe. Strength and speed doubled as the blue fire raced through his veins. He roared as he brought the blade down.            Accidentally missing the Magician's mask yet again, he cleaved the entire being in two. The two piles of limbs dropped on either side of him as he landed. He grinned madly as he surveyed his handiwork, pleased.              Without warning, one of the hands lashed out with a knife, digging deeply into his arm, nearly hackling the limb off. With a roar of pain, Minato brought his sword crashing down on the shadow's newly forming mask. Seeing a glow from the corner of his eye, he turned. Swirling to life inches from his face was a blue fireball held in the hands of the original half.“Shi-”            He brought his left arm to shield his face just in time. The Agilao imploded with an impressive explosion of flames which he collected at point blank range. Sent flying, he smashed into the car behind him, utterly totaling it. The flames ignited several trees along the sidewalk, adding to the plumes of smoke rising off the trashed car.            Standing on the top of the stairs, Mitsuru jerked into action. The smaller shadows had been easily dispatched before Yukari's panicked transmission reached her. Following the sounds of battle to outside she opened the door to meet the sight of the suspected Persona User cleaving the huge armed shadow in two with a sword she knew he hadn’t brought in his luggage.            Questions could wait, right now, her kohai was grievously hurt and possibly dead if his innate persona was weak to fire. Either way, she wasn't going to let another death happen on her watch. His form was hidden from her field of vision by smoke and flame of the car but he obviously wasn't going to be in good shape, even if he had resistance to fire.            Recalling his lack of Evoker, she cursed. He wouldn't be able to summon, even if he was capable. As she charged, one of Akihiko's Zio spells lanced past her to electrocute the shadow. To her worry, it only jerked slightly under the shock before whirling......To meet the end of her rapier.            The hands were annoyingly quick but could not stop the quick pierce. She yanked the blade out quickly and skipped backwards, dodging the retaliating snap of knives. Her evoker was fired towards her head with battlefield efficiency. Staring at death, her mind reached enlightenment of self. The barrier of her consciousness shattered like glass and her mask against the world materialized. Ice imploded around the monster, lacerating its form and scratching its mask.            Groaning, Minato picked his carcass up and stumbled away from the flaming wreck of car. Looking down at his battered body, he sighed. He had been going fine right up until that moment and he wasn't too pleased about his new battle injuries.            His right arm sported a deep slash courtesy the first attack, from the glimpses of bone he was getting, it was probably a miracle he hadn’t lost the arm. His left no longer had a sleeve and was burnt painfully all the way up to his shoulder. Not that he could tell. Raising his blackened left arm up to his face, he noted with detached amusement that this is supposed to hurt.He was capable of regeneration and casting healing spells, though he was very lousy at the latter, preferring instead to shove energy directly at an injury until it healed, but third degree burns would require far more concentration than a battlefield could provide. And the stab wound had undoubtedly severed important nerves, since his arm didn’t seem to want to respond. The lacerated muscle was no problem but nerves were always funny business. It was bleeding a lot but it seemed to have missed a major vein. He had neither the time or energy reserves available to repair the damage. So, to his incredible annoyance, he was going to have to wrap up the fight quickly. Wreathed in smoke, he walked forward towards his prey's roars. The sight of Mitsuru dueling the thing with back up from a silver haired boy was a bit of a surprise. The boy slumped against the front steps, but still doggedly casting zio spells, looked vaguely familiar. As he breathed in, nearly overshadowed by ash-sharp-steel was the last unknown scent, ozone-blood. What a way to finally meet the fourth Persona-user. Minato closed his eyes and sighed to himself, this was going to be a hell of a first impression.Three Persona users are watching... Orpheus informed him. Are you sure?              He lazily cracked an eyelid. The battle had ground to a halt. Mitsuru was staring at Minato with something close to shock from where she had retreated out of range. The silver haired man was nursing his ribs in the lull, warily shifting gaze from the Shadow to Minato. Yukari's faint scent remained on the rooftop. Despite the seniors' closer proximity to the shadow, it now ignored them completely to focus on the person it had failed to kill.Closing his eyes again, he focused on that bright blue spark in his mind and murmured. “Come Compendium.”Seven seconds. Orpheus told them sternly, fingers deep in the strings of his reserves, monitoring its ebb and flow.Five seconds. Thanatos agreed, shouldering forward to the front of the consciousness.Blue shards gathered to form a thick brown tome which hovered in the air before him.Mitsuru stared. “But that's-”            Minato could do it without the Compendium, of course, but with it the summoning would be less damaging to his body if he used the book to channel the summon instead. It also paid to let everyone think that he needed it to summon Thanatos. It would make them sleep easier at night knowing that there was some way to leash his power. Under ordinary circumstances, summoning the god of death would be easy, Minato wouldn’t have to expend an ounce of energy.However, from that night ten years ago, when he ceased to be Minato and became Minato-and-Thanatos and barely seconds after that Thanatos-and-Orpheus-who-is-also-Minato, Thanatos had lost his autonomy and become leashed tightly to Minato’s core of being. And those chains were not easily slackened to allow him loose. Sensing the building danger, the Magician charged forward on swift hands, dismissing the others entirely. To its mistake. Mitsuru swiftly drew her evoker, pressing it to her head. Without any hesitation, she pulled the trigger again.“Penthesilea, Bufu!”            Ice sprang around the shadow's limbs, buying Minato more time as it turned to free itself. Eyes still closed he nodded his thanks. He took another deep breath, storing up on oxygen in his bloodstream, the book flipping open to a certain page on its own. Charred left arm rose stiffly until it was on the level of the book. His eyes snapped open, fixing the trapped Magician with an unforgiving mercury glare.
 
“THANATOS.” He intoned, his voice echoing and deep.
 
            Blue energy gathered around him, greater than anything he had used previously. A matrix of swirling blue power and broken shards. He could feel his strength rapidly draining. A slow constriction of his chest was the only thing informing him he was reaching his limit. The world shattered.             A monstrous being rose from his summoner's shadow. A long coat flapped in the summoning vortex. A chain necklace of ornate coffins clattered in the air behind him almost like wings. A bony white, almost birdlike, helmet sat on his head with two empty eye sockets.             To everyone it was a monstrosity, something that should never have achieved corporal shape. but to Minato it was his soul.
 
            Painfully aware of the time limit, Thanatos lunged forward even as Minato doubled over coughing. The shadow never had a chance. Thanatos was almost frantic. His regular rage went out the window and he shot forward with surgical precision. Hades appeared in its true owner's hand to easily lope off a few of the shadow's grasping limbs. Its knives clattered to group with its arms, effectively disarming the creature. The thing screeched, trying to run away with its remaining hands.            The embodiment of death held onto the sludge like mass of the shadow and cleaved the being in two with a final swipe. The blue mask was neatly bisected.“Shatter!” Minato gasped, breathless and choking.            Eyeless sockets snapped around to meet pained silver. To his horror, his Summoner was hunched over clutching his chest as his lung rebelled. Every single Persona Minato possessed knew the signs, Thanatos better than most since his summoning provoked them far worse than others did. With a nod, the huge Persona began to dismiss, satisfied the enemy was disposed of.            Edges starting to fade, he suddenly jerked with a howl. Minato could feel it too. A surge of foreign yet familiar energy was pulsing from the carcass. Blue-black energy swarmed from the shadow's body. Without warning the energy suddenly shot forward like an arrow.            Thanatos bodily threw itself in between the bullet but he had faded too far. The energy punched a hole through his body causing him to fully shatter out of the material plane. With a muffled swear, Minato tried to resummon any Persona to protect himself.“Orph-Gugh!”            The blue bullet collided with the center of his chest. More pain flared through his chest. He staggered, an expression of pure shock on his face. Dropping to his knees he clutched his chest, searching to put pressure on the injury. Bringing a hand up, he was surprised to find no blood.
Wha-? What did it-GAH!!!!!!!!!
             Abandoning his chest, he clutched his head and howled in pain. His Personas raged in his head as his entire selection shuffled and expanded and morphed painfully. The constriction on his chest squeezed uncomfortably. Before he knew what was happening, rough coughs were forcing their way out of his mouth. Blood trickled down his lips as he braced himself against the spasms.            Vaguely, he heard someone frantically trying to heal him. He cracked open an eye, staring unsteadily at the sidewalk before him. It was an unpleasant flashback to the early days when his mind had been roiling and bulging at the seams. He had been in this position often in those days, dully staring at blood spattered pavement inches from his face with a heavy copper taste on his tongue.“Enough of this!” He growled, using up the rest of his air in a defiant shout. “NOT AGAIN!”            He dizzily slammed his burnt hand palm first into what appeared to be air. Another shattering of shards later, his Compendium rested against his palm. As soon as he touched the book, it began to glow. Visible blue energy raced down his limbs, cracking like electricity to loosen the band around his chest. He took several deep gulps of air to stop the world from spinning. After a few seconds, he let out a relieved sigh.            The mental pain gradually faded as the book systematically compartmentalized each Persona to stop their essences from mixing. The glow died down, returning the book to its brown colour.Let's never do that again. Orpheus deadpanned.
Agreed, as much as I like fighting, I can't do it if you're dead. You alright?

Dunno. How bad's the internal damage?
There was a moment of silence as Orpheus, the Persona in charge of organizing and analysis, did his job. A brief hum ran in his veins, categorizing its state after prolonged abuse.Thanatos. Orpheus said, utterly emotionless like Minato himself was like on default.
What?

Please knock him out.
Minato stared blankly at the book for a few seconds. Orpheus rarely resorted to such measures. The last time he did it, it was when they had to deal with trying to figure out how to reattach his spine. He preferred for his summoner to not be conscious while he had to concentrate on healing nerve and organ damage.Minato could already feel the death god gently tightening the bonds between their consciousness. As Thanatos sunk back to the core of his soul, the soft chains tugged his consciousness down with him. Leaving the repair work to the Persona that was best at it, he let his exhausted mind slip into the warm and comforting embrace of Death.            Wordlessly, his physical body crumpled to the ground. His prized grimoire followed him seconds later, the book clattering harmlessly to the ground inches from his charred fingertips before it shattered into blue shards again.Mitsuru startled and worried and the sudden collapse, knelt by his body, quickly checking his pulse. With her other hand, she fired her Evoker twice. As healing light began to envelop his body, she turned to call her other injured companion slumped against the steps.“Akihiko get over here!”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Minato's Circumstances- Minato started out just like any other Wild Card. However, his power was forcibly kickstarted years before it was supposed to. Because of the early awakening, he had none of the support structures needed, no Velvet room, no partnered Attendant/Summoner, and worst of all, he did not know how to dismiss. So three years after his power awoke, he overloaded. The pressure got too much and he turned to the only thing that could keep it down. Suppressant Pills, obtained from a back-alley dealer who charged cheaply. He took the poison to stave off his mental breakdown, preferring for his body to break down before his mind.

Several months passed, nearly a year, before Elizabeth found out what was happening. To save his life, she handed over custodianship of his Compendium. The Compendium naturally siphons off Personas that were not in use and neatly organizes them to be easier to handle. It is a powerful summoning and storing device.

Minato is still technically a Wild Card AND a Summoner, two sides of a partnership fused into one person. Even as a psudo-summoner, he should not be able to attempt any of their magiks, since he is not a Blank Card or inhuman. However, with DEATH itself sealed inside his soul, he has a warped enough mind to be able to understand and perform a small fraction of the inhuman magiks the Velvet Room Residents are capable of. (See Velvet Room Magiks)

Minato's eyes fluttered open weakly to be met with comforting, familiar blue lit by the flickering of a rising elevator. Even the clattering was a welcome noise, as it proved that he wasn’t dead yet. He sighed to himself and clumsily tried to lever himself up from his sinfully comfortable resting place. Before he could get very far, a delicate hand pressed down lightly on his chest. It only exerted a small amount of pressure but in his weakened state it felt like a brick. Too weak to resist, he complied with the force and settled back into the cushions. The couch, generally reserved for him during his visits that he slept through, was far too comfortable for him to attempt to rise a second time. Among familiar surroundings, he saw no need to be upright and alert. He’d rather just drop back off to sleep and continue absorbing the ambient magic of the Room to recover his thoroughly tanked reserves. He bit back a grimace as he distantly felt Orpheus pull a little more from what he had left.His eyes flicked towards the sisters hovering over his couch.“Minato-sama, you've gone and hurt yourself again.” Margret chided, standing behind Elizabeth.He blinked woozily again, everything seemed out of focus, even for the Velvet Room.“Stay still Mina-chan,” Elizabeth softly smiled at him.She rested a hand on his forehead and warm energy rushed through his body. His sight abruptly sharpened. He closed his eyes in relief as the pain began to fade. When she removed her hand, he felt her move away. A new weight settled on his couch.
Wha-? Theo would never be so informal, who's this?
“Nii-san you need to be more careful.”His eyes flew open, startled. Heart in his throat, he stared in disbelief at the figure sitting on his couch.             Auburn hair was pulled up in a ponytail, a pair of bangs covering an eye. A set of clips were lined up to form XXII, the number of Arcana. An identical MP3 rested comfortably around her neck. She wore exactly what she had been wearing the last time he saw her with a slight colour change.            A pleated black skirt modestly covered her knees, about the length of Mitsuru's own. The long sleeve red blouse she had worn had been changed to a plain white button down. Instead, her favourite colour was paid tribute by a red bow tied neatly around her neck.            Most surprisingly, a thin velvet-blue coat was draped over her shoulders. He had never seen that before and it wasn’t something she wore in life but he’d know that colour and unique smell anywhere. His sister was a Velvet Room attendant. He stared at her. She was all grown up now, no longer the child whose life had been tragically cut short. “Are you really here?” He croaked.             She nodded brightly. She seemed to be as affected as him, tears were gathering in her eyes. Ignoring the lingering pains, Minato pulled himself up and wrapped his long dead sister in a fierce hug. She returned the hug with equal fervor, the two clinging fiercely to each other. “H-how?” He mumbled into her hair.This was beyond his wildest dreams. She was alive. A living, breathing, solid weight in his arms. A familiar scent of burnished copper and spice tickling his nose. She was alive.She pulled back with a blinding smile. “That's something for another time. Please rest Minato-nii, you're exhausted.”She gently wiped away the tears he didn't even know were falling from his eyes. He slumped against her side, his mind desperately trying to comprehend how his dead sister was holding him in warm and decidedly not dead arms.            The transition of Minato to Minato-and-Thanatos had effectively scrambled his mind and memories. He remembered little of personal memories before the moonlit bridge, the information destroyed as an immense god was shoved into his brain, but he remembered her. She was the strongest memory he had from when he was Minato because she had still been there when he became Minato-and-Thanatos. He held her, with Death raging in his head, until her life had finally slipped away. At that point, Minto-and-Thanatos became Thanatos-and-Orpheus-who-is-also-Minato, his natural Persona waking up from a sudden realization of self to buffer the primordial Death. And Death had quieted and become Thanatos.The parts of him that had been irreparably scarred at her death were still there, but the pain was fading. It was nice to realize that some part of him was still human and not a vessel of Death.“Heh.” He smiled quietly looking at his sister. “I didn't even know I could still cry.”She eased his weak body back against the couch, even as his gaze remained fixed on her face. Gently brushing his bangs off his face, she started to hum an old lullaby. He didn’t know it but at the same time a faint part of him registered it as familiar. Another piece of his family that he had forgotten. Total contentment was clear on her face.“Hamuko...”“Shh...”He reached up and grasped her fingers.“Don't leave me again...”Against his own will he felt his eyelids slipping closed, exhaustion and shock working against him. She hummed, stroking his hair.“I won't Nii-san. I missed you too.”   “Kirijo-san?”“Yes?”The redhead turned to look at the doctor, with trepidation. Beside her, Yukari also looked up in worry. The two had been waiting there for nearly two hours after the Kirijo doctors got at Akihiko and Arisato.            The doctor, a young man with wild brown hair, sighed. Though he was only in his early twenties, Taiki Shimizu was personally in charge of dealing with all Kirijo Group Persona-users. It was a taxing job despite their limited numbers but It granted him access to unlimited funds for his regular patients as well as the ENTIRE Kirijo databank. He was required to know everything about shadows and Personas as part of his job so he could treat injuries related to the phenomena and deal with any ill effects.            Taiki couldn't deny that it gave him a thrill to know that supernatural stuff was real. He had been a real fantasy/magic nut when he was younger and was extremely grateful to the head of the Kirijo Group for giving him the job. More importantly to the elder Kirijo however, he treated the Persona-users like people and not test subjects. Considering his own daughter was one, such ideas were ruthlessly crushed by the organization.“Sanada-san will be fine but Arisato-san...” Taiki hesitated.“Will he be alright, Shimizu-san?” She barked, fingers tightening around the armrest of her chair.“He is recovering, though not by our efforts.”           He motioned for them to follow him. They had only taken a few steps when Akihiko appeared from around the corner. Mitsuru gave him a glare but he only raised his hands in a placating gesture, showing the bandages on his arm. The boxer's face was completely serious. “You need to see this.”             The group of misfits followed Taiki into Arisato's room, with anxiety. The boy was bundled under a thick blanket, his arms left exposed for the doctors to monitor the injuries. He appeared to be hooked up to an IV line and a blood transfusion line. An oxygen mask blocked half his face from view, but from what little Mitsuru could see, Minato appeared to be peacefully sleeping. That notion was quickly thrown out the window as she stepped into the room. The very air seemed to crackle, static racing along her skin.             According to what Yukari had seen, he had used all the elemental spells without summoning once. Mitsuru herself had felt his aura drastically change three times before he summoned the last one. The energy signature blazing through the room now was also different from the overwhelming presence of the obviously combat oriented Persona he materialized before. Benevolent power of a different kind saturated the air. It was nothing like the vicious magics and Persona he had used before.   Five Personas? Mitsuru speculated.             Even Yukari, the weakest Persona user present could feel the energy being expended within the room. She gasped as the pressure hovered over her as well. Akihiko merely grimaced at the weight of the supercharged air. Taiki just sighed. He could feel the power but he could easily brush off such things. That was just how he was.“They said he's been like this since they put him here.” Akihiko supplied. “No idea why he's using so much energy though.” “What are his injuries like?” Mitsuru demanded.             Taiki picked up a clipboard on the bedside table with a grimace and glanced at the boy on the bed. The blue hair reminded him painfully of a boy he met many years ago, in a filthy alley. With a deep breath, he started to read aloud. “He had third degree burns over his entire left arm which are regenerating quickly. His right has a deep laceration on his bicep that severed muscle and nerves and bruised the bone. It won’t be capable of motion for a while. With the nerve damage, his arm might never recover to its full range of motion.  Normally we'd use stitches to close the wound but with how fast and erratic his regeneration seems to be it would only injure him more. We’ve had to give him a transfusion for blood loss. He also had several cracked ribs but those healed within the first hour. Added to that, his blood oxygen was very low, we had to put him on oxygen.” “You can't do anything?” Yukari asked slightly desperately. The doctor shook his head. “There's something else...” "Go on.” “According to what we could discover from his body, when we examined him, he's no stranger to fighting.”The man passed a thick wad of pages to Mitsuru. Taiki shifted uncomfortably. He wasn’t under oath to uphold patient confidentiality but it still seemed invasive to him.“To begin with, he appears to have suffered from malnutrition in his youth. From what we’re seeing, he should have at least a few more inches of height. Other than his stunted height, he seems to have recovered from all the ill effects so we’ve estimated it occurred when he was about nine or ten. Now from what we can tell by the primary examination, he's broken each limb at least four times, cracked his ribs more than a dozen times, been run through twice and shows signs of a patchwork of scars from teeth, claws, wind and fire spells. Some of it is very faint, so he likely is capable of using healing spells. The telltale weakened areas of bone that signify prior breaks were very difficult to spot, they’ve almost perfectly healed. I was going to run another test to see how bad his scarring went but..."The entire group stared. Mitsuru just looked at the boy lying comatose on the bed. Not even she had that much scars and she had been the longest active. His injury list was ridiculously long."What happened with the tests?" She mused absently, her mind still shocked.Taiki grimaced. The motion did not go unnoticed by Mitsuru. She turned all her attention to the doctor and made a gesture to continue. He clasped his hands nervously over his dark purple buttoned up shirt and refused to meet any of their eyes."Kirijo-san, this boy is...he's been giving off the same type of energy as the Dark Hour. It’s been killing all our spiritual scanners- getting the MRI and Xray done was very difficult- but allowing us to hook him up to monitors. It’s as if he's subconsciously directing the energy to cancel specific electronics. Something in him, probably his Persona, doesn't want us to look any further. Whatever Persona it is, it is far stronger than you three combined.""!""You think it was that big one?" Akihiko puzzled. "That thing was overflowing with power. Polyduces kept screaming to get away from it.""Did you get a name?" Taiki asked quickly."Um...Thata...thachacros? Thana...." Yukari tapped the side of her jaw thoughtfully. "Don't think so. I was a bit distracted by that thing."Oh gods, please don't say who I think you're trying to say... The doctor, who was also a mythology expert by virtue of his job, pleaded."Thanatos." Mitsuru enunciated clearly. "That was what he shouted when he summoned it.""Oh dear. Thanatos,” He said, outwardly calm. “Is the Greek God of Death.”“Isn’t that Hades?"“Hades is the god of the Underworld, Thanatos is the God of Peaceful Death.”The three teenagers exchanged uneasy glances.“Nothing about that creature was peaceful.” Yukari denied. “It nearly ripped that shadow apart.”The doctor just shrugged. “Well, that’s only what his legend says. However, I think it’s safe to say that Arisato-san's an Origin Witness.""A wha-?" Yukari questioned.Taiki unconsciously shifted positions until he was in his lecturing pose, waving his clipboard as a pointer."An Origin Witness is someone who was awake and witnessed the first Dark Hour when it happened. That's around ten years ago.""He's been awake ten years?!?!" Akihiko exploded. "He would've only been seven!""The energy signature is unmistakable. There have only been three or four known ones that've been recorded. The other three confirmed ones have been very twisted from the experience, however because of them we know that there are five total Origin Witnesses. Their prime characteristic is that they wield strong Underworld-related Personas, that possess their own consciousness’s. They’re not like regular Personas, which are extensions of your own consciousness’s, they are actual Gods that were somehow sealed into people when the Dark Hour first manifested.”“Actual gods?” Akihiko puzzled. “I don’t understand.”“You know what a Persona is, right?”“Of course,” Mitsuru frowned. “It’s a physical manifestation of the mask you use to face the world.”The doctor nodded. “Yes, think of them as mirrors. They mirror legends from the human consciousness. However, some of those legends exist in truth.”“Wait, gods are REAL?” Yukari yelped.“Some of them are, yes.” Taiki chuckled. “But most of them were sealed away centuries ago. That’s why it’s even more amazing that five old time gods are present in the modern era, sealed into people. It’s a great mystery. What’s even more fascinating is this kid. All the Origin Witnesses have a slight scent-"At this point, everyone watched him strangely, but he was too lost in his scientific mumblings to care."-of Dark Hour but I don't think any actually have power over it."He stopped and tapped his chin with his clipboard, still ignoring the people in the room. "Well maybe two of them but not to this extent!""He is different, then." Mitsuru deduced. "Stronger?"The doctor nodded firmly. "That 'Thanatos' seems to be very strong but it provided whiplash on his body. Which is why he's expending so much energy to fix whatever he's strained. From what Akihiko told me, he can use multiple Personas. The limit to them might be endless. He's been in combat for ten years. To your point of view, he'd be the perfect recruit.""But...?""He's not strongly built like Akihiko or...you know(Shinji)...From what I can observe, his breathing tends to seize up when he over strains himself. And summoning Thanatos in any way seems to count. I could pass it off as an extreme asthmatic reaction, but he was coughing blood. There is something seriously wrong with his lungs and his damn overprotective Persona won’t f**king let us scan."Most people would be horrified to speak so loosely to a member of the Kirijo family who owned the entire island. Taiki Shimizu had long past that state of formality. He had been working as the SEES doctor for a very long time, despite his young age. Though she would never admit it, Mitsuru tended to see him as an older brother. He didn't get cowed, like other people, by the Kirijo name. He simply didn't care who her father was."Hmm...He could still be helpful. It would be better than letting another Origin Witness vanish." She shot back.Taiki chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. “Hey, I had nothing to do with letting those three go wandering off.”The glare she shot him was artic. “I was talking about the unconfirmed fourth one where you managed to cause a power surge testing whatever mad equipment you cobbled together and lost all the data we had of the sighting!”“Hey, it was an accident!” “Yes,” She hissed. “But we never saw the fourth again! For all we know, they fled to the other side of the world!” “That’s unlikely, Mitsuru-chan.” “What makes you say that?” “Well, the core of their power is tied to the Dark Hour. It’d be super uncomfortable for them to move out of the Dark Hour’s range. Actually, since here’s the core of the Dark Hour, its likely they were drawn to this city, just like Arisato-san.” The heiress’s look was dry enough to cause a man to die of dehydration. “And you didn’t say this before, why?” “You didn’t ask?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Velvet Room Magiks - The Residents are all inhuman and capable of reality twisting magiks that humans can barely comprehend. The Velvet Room itself is an example of such. Only a Wild Card can achieve the mindset required to see the door. Regular people, even fellow Persona-Users cannot do so and thus cannot see it.
These impossible magiks involve the Velvet Room itself, the fusion of Personas (fusing two aspects of a soul is rather impossible), entering dreamscapes, crossing dimension barriers, spacial manipulation, insane amounts of spiritual power, summoning bits of someone ELSE's soul, Knowing the future and using Social Links to create power (Which is a very strange power source).

Minato only knows how fuse on a very minor scale, enough knowledge of Spatial Magiks to store his inventory in cards that he keeps in his Compendium and a slight, unwanted talent at divination at the moment.

X
4/17/09            Even as he returned to consciousness, the memory of his sister's face remained with him. He could smell the faint traces of the other Persona users lingering in the room, along with an unfamiliar scent he couldn’t place that reminded him a little of the smell of a clear dark night after rain. It was too difficult to place.The unknown was the strongest scent in the room, followed by the two senpai. He noted that the silver haired senpai had was no longer smelling of blood but his smell was fading, he had probably left an hour ago. Mitsuru’s sharp mint however, was strongly wafting off from where she sat by his bedside.He just...couldn't bring himself to care about them right now.            Unbidden, his mind drifted back to the last time he had seen Hamuko's face. Childish face stained with blood as they lay together on a moonlit bridge, red eyes dulled and glassy with death. Bodies and growing stains of copper blood. Fire. Destruction.Death.            His hands clenched around the sheets briefly before he forcibly relaxed himself. She was alright. Stuck in the Velvet Room for now, but alive. The other attendants could leave so he was sure he could get her out. Even if it was only for a few hours walk around town, he couldn't care less.She was alive.            Feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he opened his eyes. A white hospital roof greeted him. A quick flick of his eyes to the left revealed Mitsuru sitting there engrossed in a book. Shifting back the covers a little, he proceeded to sit up. To his great annoyance, he was wearing a generic drafty hospital gown.            That was not his concern though. Used to battle and the injuries that came with it, he began to analyze the damage. His left arm was entirely encased in bandages which made it itchy and uncomfortable to move. His right got off light, with only a small amount of bandages wrapped around the knife wound. It stung a little but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He flexed his fingers and was pleased to see the arm follow the motion.
The nerves should be fine.

How's the internal?

Well and truly f-
Thanatos, shut up. Orpheus really was at the end of his tether. A tinge of annoyance was seeping through his tone.Minato sighed.
Could one of you tell me how bad it is?

We've repaired 90% of the damage to your lungs. These humans were helpful enough to put you on oxygen, so the healing went smoothly. The Jack Brothers repaired the burn.
Minato could hear the strain on his saner Persona and winced. Stuck supervising Thanatos and the two Jack Brothers for several days was probably very unpleasant for him.
Thank you, Orpheus. Please take a break.

I will.
He heard the fierce whack of something metallic echoing in his head followed by a flare of heat and a yelp from Thanatos.Do I want to know? He asked hesitantly.I've wanted to do that for the past week. Orpheus stated as blankly as ever. Serves him right for being an annoyance during surgery.
OWWWW! Dammit you-!
Thanatos. Minato sighed.
He blew up my face!

You probably deserved it. Now could you be quiet? I’m going to check on the Compendium.
            Ignoring Thanatos's complaints, he looked around the sanitized ward for his brown book. His Compendium wasn't in sight. He assumed Elizabeth wouldn't have let it lie around. The key was still his though. Holding out his hand, he was rewarded when his Summoning Tome dropped into his palm. Mitsuru looked up, startled at his casual summoning.            He couldn't feel anything from his charred arm, thankfully. The Velvet room attendants had helpfully numbed all the pain. Re-growing skin and nerves after a fire spell was always painful and annoying. It had also helped that they had let him sleep for four days straight in the room where time flowed differently. He was well rested and had replenished his magic reserves to almost full. The book was instantly hugged to his chest. With his teeth, he started tugging on the bandages. Mitsuru finally moved, trying to stop him.“You'll aggravate your injuries!”            Minato stared at her blankly. Ignoring her he went back to tugging on the strips of cloth. Getting annoyed with his behaviour, she forcibly pulled his arm away. Unfortunately, the bandage was already loose. As the cloth fell, Mitsuru gasped.            His arm was no longer charred, it had been perfectly restored to its previous state. The Jack Brothers had done a good job, there was no sign of scarring or pink new flesh. It looked just as it had been before, except with a lack of arm hair. Even his thin line scars from nearly losing the limb to bladed weapons and garu wind spells remained. His healing was good enough by this point that anything less than nearly or outright losing a limb didn’t leave a scar. Finally, free of the constricting bandage, he flexed it and tested the range of motion of his fingers.             Now that he had finished assessing the healed arm, he turned to the other. A quick poke informed him that the damage wrought by the slash had been fully healed. The Kirijo heiress didn’t try and stop him again when he unwound that bandage to reveal a new razor thin scar to add to his collection.Shifting his gaze to the red head at his bedside, he finally acknowledged her presence.“Kirijo-senpai. How long have I been out?”“It’s been two days, you nearly slipped into a coma. I take it from your behaviour you are aware of your actions?”He simply looked at her. “And what about them?”She looked like she was considering something but shook off the idea. “We will discuss it at the dorm. I expect you to come back to the dorm tomorrow after the doctor releases you from hospital.”He gave her a weird look. “I'm fine. It would be nice if you brought clothes though.”            Thankfully, she had brought a bag of clothes. After a quick dig through he was annoyed and slightly amused to discover that his suspicions had been correct. The one who had packed it had put in a short-sleeved T-shirt, one of the few he owned in fact. It would leave his razor thin scarring on full display, he wasn’t self-conscious about it but it made him feel bare and vulnerable. Out of the Dark Hour, that kind of scarring was easily mistaken for the marks made from cutting. It made him memorable, and that was never a good thing to be.During dark Hour, that kind of pale exposed skin was just asking to get a vein cut. He'd just have to suck it up and deal with the pitying gazes until he reached back to the dorm. On the bright side, they were faint enough that they wouldn’t be immediately obvious. As he looked at Mitsuru and raised an eyebrow, she remained poised and answered his unspoken question.“Akihiko Sanada, the other senior, packed it.”“Ah. Silver hair, guy who gets mugged by fangirls.”She seemed highly amused by that.“...Was there any collateral damage?” Minato asked hesitantly.Mitsru's face twisted in bemusement. “Surprisingly enough, the only irreparable damage was to Ikutsuki's car. You completely totaled it.”The Wild Card stared at her in complete disbelief. “Really?”She nodded and Thanatos let out a raucous cheer. Minato mentally gave the very destructive Persona a high five.Take THAT you stink bastard! Thanatos crowed.It may only be a car... Orpheus smugly said. But payback is refreshing in any form. Ah...Schadenfreude.“That is...unfortunate...” He said with the straightest face he could manage.It did nothing to disguise the malicious gleam in his eyes though. It left Mitsuru wondering why he was so pleased. She shrugged and simply decided to dismiss it.“If that is all, I will be taking my leave then.”She stood up to leave but he stopped her.“Forgive me for asking, but why are you here?”She froze. Turning to give him a slightly strained smile she replied. “I just came to make sure a dorm mate was recovering.”He gave her a genuine smile, even if he doubted that was true, which seemed to catch her slightly off guard. “Thank you.”She quickly turned away but not before Minato caught the flame rising in her cheeks. He grinned madly as she gave him an awkward farewell, not meeting his eyes. He had read her correctly then, she was cold and strict but probably unaccustomed to praise or genuine compliments or even genuine thanks. It would be to his advantage to keep her off balance as much as possible. She was certainly sharp enough to see through some of his actions.Orpheus sighed but Thanatos crowed at his host's success. Even as socially inept as he was, it was amazing what a genuine smile at a pretty girl could do.
Oh yeah, I still got it!
             Sneaking out had been very easy. He changed into the fresh clothes as soon as Mitsuru was out the door with the eagerness of one who's paper thin robe was doing nothing to block the AC chill. The lack of long sleeves made the scars obvious but he was going to rely on his charisma and quiet demeanor to get himself out of any trouble.            It was all in the way you moved, if you looked like you were supposed to be doing what you were doing, people would pay no mind. In a way, his lazy demeanor helped greatly to make him look harmless.Thanatos was the absolutely worst Persona for blending in, no matter how he enjoyed observing humans, he made people unconsciously uncomfortable. With his quiet charisma, Orpheus was the best persona at this kind of daylight hour sneaking. As from the legend that his reflection was drawn from elaborated, Orpheus was a musician. Someone whose musical skill had been so great it had soothed the great ruler god of the Underworld. His charisma was only present through his music. In direct contrast, it made him extremely unnoticeable if not playing or speaking.His two main Persona were the most used and most reliable in his arsenal. Orpheus for daylight interactions and Thanatos for his savagery and bloodthirstiness in the Dark Hour.Thanatos was the most unique entity that resided in his head. In theory, he was split into two fractions. First, Thanatos himself, bloodthirsty killer and weapon's specialist extraordinaire. He held a deep fondness for blowing things up and setting it on fire. Orpheus generally did not like the chaos that Thanatos liked to cause in his organization of Minato's head. This generally lead to headaches for Minato as the two rivals would duel all over his head, thank you very much. Whoever said Orpheus was weak had another thing coming. He may be very calm and patient but everyone had their breaking point, and it just so happened that Orpheus’ was Thanatos.            The other fragment was so deeply embedded into his soul, he doubted he'd ever be able to remove it without grievous soul tearing injury. The larger fragment was, surprisingly, Pharos. A small, supposedly innocent, child dressed in prison clothes and a penchant for the creepy. His presence was very weak most of the time, he almost never spoke to him in his head. But some nights, his power would exponentially spike and he was capable of physically forming in the Dark Hour. Minato would never admit it but he was very fond of his creepy pseudo little brother. The kid had a very dry set of humor that was very entertaining. His creepy way of talking became endearing over the years. Plus, he enjoying teaching the embodiment of death about the world, he liked kids.Minato took an annoyed deep breath as he prepared to slip out of the hospital room.Human interaction. He grumbled. How tedious.We need to avoid the doctor that oversaw us. Crisp-night-rain. Orpheus reminded him. Do you wish one of us to take over?He paused, mentally eyeing up the two he would trust with his body. Orpheus usually would be ideal, but his personality was identical to his own. If Thanatos took over though…
That might work. I don’t see any cameras in here. Your creepiness might actually help keep people away. Thanatos, don’t be too obvious.

Aw you know me, discrete is my middle name!
Minato could feel a razor-sharp grin spread across his face even before he purposefully sank to the back of his mind and allowed Thanatos to take the reins. It was very bizarre to feel your body moving without your input. He could see his irises in the door glass, overtaken by the supernatural electric blue of death’s presence.“Woo!” Thanatos whooped, stretching in his new physical form.A quick hand slicked back all the hair in his face, a touch of static keeping it in that position. Just from that simple alteration, he looked like an entirely different person. Combined with the entirely different body language, there was no chance anyone would connect the two.Disguise in place, Thanatos bounded out into the corridor. He moved with purpose and a hit of teeth and no one glanced twice at him, subconsciously disturbed by the heavy presence of death walking in human form. It was the same effect that occurred when people saw someone clearly dangerous, an old animalistic instinct that told them to not draw the predator’s attention to themselves. It was a bit of, If I don’t see you, you can’t see me.Thanatos luxuriated in the freedom, stepping out into the sunlight. In the broad daylight, his repulsive aura dwindled to nearly nothing, easily passed off as the air of a troublemaker instead of something deadlier. He preened under the appreciative glances of the teenagers on the street. Whereas Minato hid his face under heavy locks of hair to remain unnoticeable, Thanatos knew how to handle the attention and use his face. People always like a bad boy. He grinned, winking at girl that had stared too long. She blushed scarlet and hurriedly walked away.Orpheus huffed, voice full of disproval. Stop misusing his body.
Aw, you jealous?

Must you be such a child?

Okay, okay, calm down. The ACTUAL owner of the body says we need to find a Velvet room door.
Orpheus gave one final huff. The key should give us direction.Thanatos hummed and started down the road, the buzz of the compendium leading him on. Minato didn’t bother to ask for the body back, assured that Orpheus would keep his wild counterpart in line, slipping into a light doze. Any excuse to nap was good in his book.He was finally nudged awake in a dark alley lit by a blue glow. Thanatos easily relinquished control with a cackle. Minato studiously decided not to ask about the new switchblade he could feel in his pocket.There were just some things he didn't want to know.Before him lay a familiar blue door.A genuine happy smile crossed his face as he opened the door only he could see. His entire body froze on the mortal plane. It only took half a second before his body relaxed and a coat materialized around his body. A beat later, a teenage girl stepped straight out of thin air as she left the blue door to latch onto his arm.“Come on Nii-san, show me around!”“No need to be so pushy!” He smiled indulgently. “I only got here, what? A week ago? And then I spent most of it unconscious! I don't really know my way around...”“That just makes it more fun!” Hamuko grinned. “We’ll be lost together!”He merely smiled at her cheerfulness. He had no idea what had happened to her after her death but she seemed to have retained some of her childlike innocence and happiness.            He guided her around the mall to the best of his limited ability, as he wasn't too familiar with his surroundings either. An hour was spent in the music store with Minato pointing out the modern bands to her, imparting a lot of his stored up useless music trivia and getting her a new CD. The love of music was equally shared among the twins, emphasized by their near identically MP3 players.            Because Hamuko expressed interest in seeing the spiritually powerful shrine, Minato decided to go along with the idea. Getting directions from a nice guy, if a bit sickly looking, sitting on a bench at Minato's insistence, they both set off. Hamuko remained latched onto his arm as she chattered away, reluctant to let go after so long away from her big brother.            They took a relaxing walk, taking a different route so they wouldn't pass in front the dorms. Minato refrained from mentioning his miserable life during the years she was dead, only giving general answers. He knew that she probably already seen his collection of scars, even if she didn’t know what caused them."So, midget, what…how exactly are you alive again after all this time?”She frowned lightly, chewing on her lip. "I'm not too sure...""Hm?"She hummed thoughtfully as Minato tugged her out of the way of another light pole. Not even noticing, she hummed some more as he sighed and guided her around the bicycle rack she hadn't seen either."Well, I remember dying.” She shrugged. “And there was a lot of blue for a really long time. There were lots of people talking and not-talking. It was weird. I know lots and lots of stuff now that I never knew before.”“Wait, you were in the collective unconsciousness? ““I mean, I guess? The Velvet room guys woke me up a little while ago so I’m not too sure about anything. But I’m training to be an attendant now!”“I didn’t think you were a Blank card…?”“A what?”“Er, never mind. Has it been fun?”She skipped along, full of glee. “Absolutely! Magic is fun! I’ve blown up lots of stuff!”“Aw,” He ruffled her hair. “Atta girl.” "Stop it!” She whined, swatting at his hands. “Look, look, we’re here, so stop!”            Hamuko was delighted with the traditional shrine. She skipped along the path, finally letting go of him to run away from his tickling fingers. A joyous laugh left her throat as she spun among the fallen petals, her coat flaring out behind her. Minato let a rare soft smile break through his shields. He was smiling far more than he ever had in the past years. It was so peaceful. It was so idyllic, he wished he could stay like that forever.            A lazy glance through the shrine only revealed a tall man with a beanie petting a white dog. A second glance revealed the man to be a tall, sturdy brunette with an impressive maroon coat. At the sight of him, Thanatos stirred. Minato could feel it too, his sensing abilities sucked but he didn’t need them to know he was staring at something dangerous.A belated sniff made him tense up. This man smelt like hardened steel, but that wasn’t what caused his alarm, even though a steel scent that strong was especially effective against someone like him. The area was saturated with the man’s scent as well as one that smelt like oddly like blow-dried dog fur. He had accidentally stepped into someone’s territory. He was expecting the shrine to at least be under jurisdiction of one of the Demon Summoner Clans, but this guy was a Persona User. He had no business supervising a demon summoning shrine. And he could tell it was that kind of shrine.            His scent was powerful, but there was a touch of blood and sickness and death that smelt too familiar for him to dismiss. The miasma and decay was unique as far as he knew, he had never met anyone else with the smell. He knew these symptoms, these effects and this familiar scent of fatalistic resolve.He is burning his own life force to suppress his Persona. Thanatos reported grimly.He has suppressant poisoning. Minato grit his teeth. That man has already infiltrated and poisoned a user in this area.
There’s no telling if there are others, further on in deterioration, or already dead.

He wouldn’t know anything about other users. It’s unlikely the dealer would tell his victims how many of them he was poisoning.

We could always ask who his dealer is.

Oh my god, Thanatos! You can’t just walk up to a guy and ask him who his dealer is!

…Why not?
            As the man straightened up, their gazes locked. In that moment, both knew of each other’s power. The utter violent nature of both their Personas connected across the space. Kindred spirits of a manner, Minato would think. The Wild Card dipped his head briefly in respect but didn't blink. Showing something that wild a weakness would label him as prey and an easy target.             Minato let Thanatos's sheer power seep into the air, but the man's Persona was wickedly powerful and not about to bow down easily. But little by little, the raging Persona quieted. It may be ridiculously strong but Thanatos was DEATH and everything bowed to him in the end. The man relaxed slightly as the ever-oppressive presence of his own power became silent.            The moment was shattered by Hamuko bouncing in front of the other man. The staring contest shattered as the other fighter looked down at her in confusion. Minato had to stop himself from rushing forward to pull her away but the Persona-User didn't seem aggressive. In fact, he seemed outright befuddled.
He seems to be holding up quite well. His Persona type must be slowing the deterioration. We’ll have some time to sort out his situation.

Yeah, I don’t want to confront this guy about his drug habits when Hamuko is here.
“Huh?” The man blinked, staring at the girl now smiling at him.“It’s nice to meet you, Mister! What's your name?”The man tugged his beanie over his eyes to hide his discomfort in the situation. “Tch. I ain't that old, there’s no need to call me 'Mister'.”Hamuko's smile didn't diminish in the slightest at his caustic attitude, in fact, the sparkle of mischief in her eye only grew stronger. “Okay, Nice to meet you Sempai!”The man nearly choked. “Don't call me that either!”“Then what's your name Sempai?”He was silent, eyes averted. The dog at his feet nudged him encouragingly. Minato gave it an assessing glance as he drifted closer. The dog appeared to be an albino Shiba Inu, but much larger than he had ever seen. The breed was usually small, only a foot and a half tall at most. Even the larger Japanese breeds of dogs that looked similar to a Shiba weren’t this large. The red eyed dog had shaggy fur but was well fed and appeared to be quite intelligent, if the assessing gaze being leveled at him in return meant anything.
Ah, that explains the warm dog fur smell.
Behind the dog’s eyes was something dangerous and filled with hellfire and darkness. Something old and oddly protective, a hellfire beast tamed by kindness rather than a contract. He couldn’t smell any hint of a contract holder in the dog’s scent. It was a bit of a surprise; a free roaming spirit or demon was rare. Usually the one of the supernatural police forces would bring all their might down on unchained wandering demons.The dog finished its scan and-Minato was amused to see-dismissed him completely as a threat and went back to pointedly nudging his human companion.“Shinjiro Aragaki.” He grudgingly acquiesced.“Okay, Shinjiro-sempai!” Hamuko chirped with a grin full of mischief. “Don't call me that!” He huffed and ducked his head away, embarrassment colouring his cheeks.             Minato hid his grin behind a hand. Despite his rough appearance, the man really seemed kind-hearted. He just didn’t seem to know how to deal with people. Hamuko peppered the man with cheerful questions, even as he looked highly confused at the barrage. They locked gazes briefly as Minato began to approach, Shinjiro flicked his eyes downward to Hamuko and back up as if to say. Is she involved?             A perfectly reasonable question to ask another Persona-User when you meet them, prevents you from sounding like an idiot in front of other people. Minato gave a slight shake of the head. She may be a resident of the Velvet Room but she had barely started learning magic. No one had told her yet of Personae and shadows and how her brother fought for his life in the time between days. How his body was constantly on threat of organ failure. They would get there eventually, but it wouldn’t be for a while yet.“Hamuko, it’s getting dark. We need to get home.”She pouted and turned. “But nii-san, I made a new friend!”“I noticed.” he said dryly, studying Shinjiro thoroughly. “I'm Minato Arisato. This highly energetic sister of mine is Hamuko Arisato.”“Tch. You heard my name already.” The man gruffly responded with a wary glance.Neither male offered a handshake but Minato inclined his head again. “It is nice to meet you Aragaki-san but we really have to be going.”“Nii-saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan...” She whined.“Do you want Margret to grill me for keeping you out late?” He countered, amused by her antics.“Fine...” She grumbled before turning to Shinjiro. “I guess I'll see you later Shinjiro-sempai!”“Don't call me that!”“I’ll see you later, Aragaki-san.” Minato called back at the man, a farewell and a promise.X

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

4/18/09
 "Uh...Morning..."            Minato eyed the brunette girl with great amusement. After watching him jump off a building and engage in hand-to-hand combat to the death with a Shadow, the poor girl simply didn't know how to react to him.            After that interesting outing with his re-found not-dead sister yesterday, he had escorted her back home without any difficulties. And by that he meant Margret didn’t set him on fire for having his sister out after dark. Not wanting to be harassed about curfew, he then had to break into his own room via the second-floor window. At this point, he really didn’t see the point in leaving the camera operational to track his comings and goings, and when he changed clothes. That was just be creepy. Too tired to try a sensible solution, he just froze the entire corner of the ceiling.Serves them right for being a bunch of stalkers."Good Morning Takeba-san." He greeted politely.She looked even more uncomfortable. "Uh...you seem to be doing well..."He raised an eyebrow.            Any evidence of his moonlit scuffle had long since healed completely. Even his magic reserves had recovered perfectly. His magic consumption rate was quite high but so was his magic regeneration rate, especially in such a spiritually saturated city. The visit to the shrine had helped a lot, as a place with a thinner barrier between worlds, it had a high concentration of spiritual energy. Swimming in such concentrated energy had almost tripled his regeneration rate.            Aside from lingering phantom pains in his lungs and a well-founded urge to take things easy for a little longer, he was feeling better than he had in years.  "I guess." He shrugged at her."Wow...I guess after all that rest you would be…"            She was starting to become comfortable talking to him now. He decided to take pity on her and not retort back with the sarcastic jibe on his tongue. The last time she had seen him he had been savagely brawling with a giant monster born from the depths of human consciousness. No need to kick her world view further...for now. Harassing her sheltered civilian self was fun though. Minato was honestly baffled at what mental scarring she had that made her capable of summoning a Persona."Hey, sorry to add this to your worries, but... Ikutsuki-san wants to talk to you today. Come to the 4th floor of the dorm after school, okay? Don't forget.""I won’t." He told her coolly, hurrying into the building.He had to prepare to sell his story like he meant it."H-hey Junpei."            Junpei leaned back, gaping dramatically. As soon as Minato reached near a desk, he instantly latched onto it for support. His legs were oddly not agreeing with him at the moment. Why did his class have to be up a flight of stairs? Why was it he could fight constantly for an hour in hellish conditions but outside the dark hour three flights of stairs left him wheezing. He really needed to stop running up stairs. To be fair, he had been testing how his lungs would handle a little exertion. The answer was, not well at all."Woah, dude! Are you okay?"Minato shot him the dryest look imaginable. "What do you think."            Instantly, Junpei was by his side, helping him support his own weight as he started to cough. Several people were turning curiously to watch the odd sight. Whispers were already going out.“What?” He snapped. “You never *cough* seen anyone with asthma before?”The other students grew less curious at that announcement now that they had a legitimate reason for his absence. The Magician carefully guided the Fool towards his desk."What happened? Was it a gang? Did you beat them up? Oh, I bet it was a bear!"            Settling at his desk, he blinked several times looking up at his friend. He started to chuckle softly before breaking into rare full blown laughter."A-a bear?!" He gasped out.Junpei sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah I didn't believe that rumor either.""Rumor? Already?" He asked, as his laughter died down. "What are they saying about me now?""Which one?""Oh, good gods." Minato grumbled, rubbing his forehead.Junpei began to tick off the stories on his fingers. "One says you fought a bear. One says you got mugged by a gang. The last one says you got picked a fight with a gang, beat them up and became the boss.”"No, No... what was that last one?"Junpei shrugged. "They just said you got mugged, beat the crap out of your assailants, had them swear undying loyalty and then went to the hospital to check in all your new followers."Minato blinked several times. "Huh.""Amazing, huh?""I think I like that last one." Minato grinned."So, what actually happened?" Junpei leaned closer.“Well none of those, obviously.”“Minatooooooooooo…”            The Wild Card looked at him with a sigh. He was like a five-year-old waiting for a bedtime story. It felt like kicking a puppy to not tell him. How was it possible that a scruffy teenager could still pull of puppy eyes? Thankfully, Ms. Toriumi decided to enter the classroom at that moment to spare him the shame."Nothing. I'll tell you later." He expertly dodged.            In a moment of insight, Junpei must’ve picked up Minato's uneasiness with the topic of the source of his injuries and decided to not ask about it again for the rest of the day. Minato was very thankful. He really didn't want to feel like he kicked a puppy. He liked animals.            Thankfully the long day of sitting down at a desk allowed Orpheus to finish cleaning up his lungs to the best of his ability. By the time the day was drawing to a close Minato was back to his usual snarky and antisocial self.…and also, capable of outrunning Junpei before he could ask him anything.            Minato entered the dorm quickly, easing the door shut behind him. The instant he did so his Compendium thudded into his hand. He had no idea what was in store for him but he wasn’t planning to be caught off guard if things went under and potential allies became confirmed enemies. A wary glance around the empty lobby confirmed that he was, in fact, alone.He quickly called forward Orpheus to the forefront of his mind as he started up the stairs. He needed calm. He needed more than calm, he needed the detachment.
Alright, Thanatos you need to keep yourself in check.

They did know about him having a savage death god in his head, but if his persona displayed overt hostility to Ikutsuki, it would make them ask questions.

The more ruckus we raise, the more questions it will raise. No matter what he did to us we CANNOT react. Indifference will keep us alive.
Thanatos grumbled darkly. He tried to KILL you and practically CRIPPLED YOU!
Thanatos, Please.
It was rare that Minato begged him for anything, as their instincts usually ran the same way. They had the same brutal straightforwardness that ran more towards slaughtering problems that trying for subterfuge and playing the long game. But this was far more serious. Instinct was going to have to be shoved down as far as possible so that he could slip, unnoticed, into the lair of the beast.
If you cannot keep yourself in check I fear our animosity and rage will overtake us and we'll kill him without finding out his plan.
If we kill him now, Orpheus added. We won’t figure out his goal. And with that giant nest of shadows looming over the city, we need his information. Fine. Only 'cause you asked nicely. He grumbled.
Thank you. When we get to kill him, I promise to give you full reign.

Damn Straight!
Well, I guess It’s my show now. Orpheus grumbled, shoving forward to the front of his psyche.His mask dropped over his soul and Minato relaxed, hopefully the slight emotional dullness will stop his temper from sparking to an inferno at the sight of Ikutsuki’s sleazy face. He had a sinking feeling that it wouldn’t help as much as he hoped. Expression utterly blank, he trooped up the last flight of stairs to meet Yukari standing outside a pair of thick wooden doors."Oh! There you are!" She smiled uneasily.            He obediently followed her lead into the meeting room, sharply observing. His eyes were immediately drawn to the large monitor that took up a whole wall. Ah. That answered the question of the ‘watched’ feeling. They were basically giving him ammunition to use against them. He was going to have fun with this. Mitsuru, Ikutsuki, and the silver-haired senpai were already sitting around the table. As they entered, Ikutsuki eagerly raised his head."Ah, there you are. I'm glad that you're okay. The reason I asked you here is because I needed to talk to you. Please, have a seat."Minato eyed the shiny silver briefcase on the table warily before settling down gingerly on a couch opposite the combined force. Yukari also settled down on a loveseat off to the side."Oh yes, before we get down to business. This is Akihiko Sanada.""How ya doin'?" The senior amiably greeted with a smile.Minato tilted his head, studying the source of the ozone-steel-sweat scent. He was taller than him, he could tell even when sitting down. Though that didn’t mean much since most people were taller than him. At some point, most of his nutrient intake had been too busy filing his energy reserves to divert to growth. So even among the Japanese populace which had a fairly short national average height, he was very short, especially for a male. This guy was above the average, but not to the extent of Shinjiro who loomed over him.More importantly, his body was packed with streamlined muscle. This guy knew how to fight. He met his gaze evenly, no trace of fear in the silver eyes. In that way, at least, he reminded him of Shinji. Yukari was terrified of him, even Mitsuru was wary, but Shinji had been flatly unafraid of him even after feeling Thanatos’s power in the shrine. Akihiko was weaker than Shinjiro but carried that same solid fearlessness. Minato couldn’t help being impressed. And from the appreciative and well-hidden glint of bloodthirst in the mercury eyes, he was surprised to see that the sentiment was returned.It was rare for him to meet anyone who accepted his savagery, much less someone who wholeheartedly approved. He was almost gleeful at realizing that the senior was also a battle junkie who thrilled at fighting in the Dark Hour.Man, what a find! Thanatos whistled. It’s a pity he has an injury, I’d love to see him in a fight.
He did manage to survive a brawl for a good while with Sir Shadow knives-a-lot.
I feel sorry for him. Orpheus mused. Such a low healing rate must feel like torture when his soul calls for combat.
I feel sorry that he’s stuck with these wet blankets! They have too much propriety and duty, duty, duty, the poor wolf must feel stifled.
 "You're the one who gets mugged by fangirls." Minato greeted back amiably.There was silence for a few seconds before Akihiko slapped a hand over his face to hide his embarrassed laughter. Mitsuru chuckled into her hand. Yukari just looked confused."It’s not like I want to get mugged," He hastily said. "Aren't we supposed to be discussing something else?!""Right," Ikutsuki clapped his hands. “We’ve called you here to deal with a serious issue.”The mood quickly sobered. Mitsuru looked grim, like a goddess set for war, prepared to conscript another soul for her mighty quest. Yukari’s jaw was clenched, she seemed like the sort to want people to volunteer but was grimly aware that this was not something where people were given a choice. They could pretend all they like, but the illusion of choice was just the polite and easy way of getting the new persona user to think it was their own idea to join. The only one who was still amused was Akihiko, who realized that they were in way over their head and facing down a bigger predator who was bemused at their seriousness. "Okay, let me start off by asking you this...” Ikutsuki started, full of drama and suspense. “Would you believe me if I said that a day consists of more than 24 hours?"            Minato honestly couldn’t help it, his temper lit in a flash. Gone from placid calm to flaming rage in a millisecond. In a second Hades was in his hand and pointed at the chairman's throat across the table. The others half rose from their seats in shock. A second ago, he had been blank and unthreatening as a sheet. Now rage was building in his eyes."What do you take me for?" He growled, letting Thanatos through a bit. "A fool?”
Well that was a poor choice of words.
“You know I already know about the Dark Hour. Stop messing about the subject, we all know why we’re here." He hissed full of venom.Ikutsuki gulped nervously at the poison in his tone, eyeing the shining blade at his throat.Mitsuru calmly intervened. "Please put away the sword Arisato."
Back off Thanatos! You're pushing out too far!
With a twist of the hand the sword shattered back into nothingness. Everyone else looked on in interest at the motion though Ikutsuki merely looked thankful to be out from its blade.“I have no patience for whatever game you’re playing.” He told them bluntly. “Who are you people and what the heck do you want me for?”"Long story short, we're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad-SEES for short. On paper, we're classified as a school club. But in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows. Mitsuru is the leader. I'm the club advisor.""Defeat the shadows?” He scoffed. “How exactly are you planning to defeat the embodiment of the darkness of human consciousness?”Mitsuru looked suspicious but decided to let it go. “If we find how to stop the Dark Hour, the shadows will also vanish and the spread of Apathy Syndrome will stop.”“Apathy Syndrome, huh. That’s a nice idea.” He shrugged. “But Shadows won’t go away. It might work, but not in the way you think. Removing the middle ground where they can pull humans through to devour them would stop Apathy Syndrome but the shadows themselves would always exist.”
And though the Dark Hour is the only consistent breach I know of, I know there are others but their conditions are too vague or unknown. Like Inaba’s Fog Zone once every fifty or so years.
“Once we can stop Apathy Syndrome, we will continue to investigate.” Mitsuru declared firmly.“You don’t understand. The Dark Hour is the middle ground you won’t be able to investigate anything else because you would’ve closed it.”The Kirijo Heiress took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “In that case, stopping Apathy Syndrome is more important. Shadows don’t normally affect people otherwise.”“Hmm...only three Persona Users in an area hosting the Nest of Shadows, that's not wise.""You know about the tower?" Akihiko asked in surprise.Minato tilted his head. "Well, Yes. It was hard to miss."“That’s our goal.” Mitsuru declared. “We believe that the tower holds some clues about how the Dark Hour started and how we can end it.”Mitsuru got up and opened the briefcase. Inside was a gleaming silver faux-gun and a red armband similar to what all the others wore with S.E.E.S written on in in bold black lettering."What we were trying to say is, we want you to join us. We've prepared an Evoker for you. We'd like you to lend us your strength."“Do I have a choice?” He watched them with bemusement. “If I refuse, you can easily make my life a living hell, Kirijo-san.”“W-what?” She startled. “I’m not going to pressure you to accept! Look, even if you don’t accept membership, I still want you to have an Evoker for your own protection.”He tilted his head emotionlessly. Then he started to laugh."You think I need an Evoker?" He chuckled. "Did you see me use one before?”She looked unsure. Ikutsuki just looked downright fascinated. “That’s right, you didn’t use one before.”“I am a Summoner, not a User. The facets of my soul do not require a medium to materialize.""What is a Summoner?" Ikutsuki asked eagerly, leaning forward."Someone with a Compendium at their disposal." He admitted, tapping the inconspicuous book. "I'm afraid that I'm the only mortal one left.""Hm... There are others then?" Mitsuru calmly replied."Indeed." He replied honestly. "But as I said, they won't help you, only me. And even I can only receive limited assistance from them. They will not fight for you. They don't even reside on this plane of existence."To her credit, Mitsuru only blinked in response to his statement."What is a ‘Compendium’ then?" Ikutsuki asked eagerly.            Minato lifted his book to show the team, with an almost invisible smirk on his lips. They took in the plain hardcover book with confusion. The Summoner smiled and channeled the barest of energy into the tome. A blue aura flared to life around the book and a pulse of invisible pressure seemed to emanate from it.Okay, I've scanned all of them using the Compendium. Orpheus reported. The strongest would be Mitsuru in terms of Spiritual Rank."Before you get any ideas, this book only answers to me and always remains by my side. It is near indestructible. It also cannot be replicated. Each Compendium is unique to each summoner." He told them harshly, fixing them in serious silver eyes. "Do not tamper with it or the spirits within will kill you."The flash of annoyance in Ikutsuki's eyes didn't go unnoticed by the Wild Card."I've been a Persona Summoner for seven years," He smiled, letting some of Orpheus fade back. "But I've been awake for ten."Mitsuru's jaw tightened. He could see the guilt and pain in her eyes. Ah. Kirijo. That explained everything. Her family was the one that created the Dark Hour, accident or not.“Doesn’t that mean you had no method of defense for the first 3 years?” Akihiko shrewdly pointed out.“I was a Persona-User for those years. I believe you saw me summon him?”They all cringed except Akihiko. The senior looked almost thrilled, possibly realizing that the kind of Persona Minato had, meant that he was a fellow battle junkie.“Wait, so then how’d you become a Summoner?” Ikutsuki eagerly asked.“It’s a very complicated method.” He replied coolly. “It cannot be replicated.”“Are you sure of that?”“Positive.”“Hmm….”He could feel the suspicion being leveled at him.Distrust will sour any working relationship. Orpheus advised. We also don’t need them deciding to dissect us. It won’t harm us to tell them, the method really is unique, but it may harm us if we don’t. “You know what,” Minato sighed. “I don’t feel like getting dissected.”“Why do you always think the worst?!”“Forgive me Kirijo-san, but you run a group. You cannot control the actions of all the individuals. Unfortunately, dissection or any study won’t reveal anything. As far as I can understand, I’ve had a Compendium tied to my soul since I was born. One of the Summoners is supposed to look after it until I pass from the mortal realm. And when I die, I would get my Compendium and join their ranks.”“Woah…”He had to hide a smile at how they were lapping up the lies. He wasn’t certain how the Attendants became Blank Cards but SEES had none of that information and were unlikely to come across it by any other methods. This was the best method he could think of to highlight that he was NOT a Wild Card.“However, because of the Dark Hour, I was throwing around magic and summoning before I was supposed to do so. The Summoners decided to induct me early because I wouldn’t survive otherwise. They don’t have large enough numbers to allow a potential to slip by. My guardian summoner handed over my Compendium and I became the first mortal summoner.”“Well I guess you’re right.” Akihiko laughed. “You can’t replicate that.”“Even cloning won’t work.” Minato added cheekily. “The trait isn’t carried in my DNA.”Mitsuru looked disgruntled at his not-so-thinly veiled accusations. He was mainly throwing all the barbs for Ikutsuki’s benefit. He didn’t want the man trying anything, so he was clipping off any ideas before they could start. The man’s teeth were grinding behind smiling lips. Minato and Thanatos gloried in the annoyance they were causing him."Moving on, as a Summoner, I can use all the elements with varying degrees of proficiency and can negate attacks if I see them coming."            It was best to let them know how dangerous he could be without informing them of the full extent of his abilities. The idea of his ability to cast outside the Dark Hour would not be a good thing to let them know with Ikutsuki in the room. Dates of incidents that happened to him would have to be lied about to prevent suspicion from falling on him. The only good thing was that after what happened seven years ago, the little boy Wild Card was supposed to be dead.Then he grimaced, realizing a flaw in his plan."If you truly want me to work with you, I must tell you about my condition.""You want terms?" Yukari asked in confusion."No," Minato chuckled. "My medical condition. I have a quite serious one. Do you still want me to join?""Yes," Mitsuru answered confidently. "It would be safer for you if you have a liability like you're implying. You are quite strong and have a quick mind and a decade of experience. Even if we don't send you into the field you can give sound tactical advice."Minato nodded grudgingly. "You have a point.""Though...Forgive me, but your files showed nothing medically wrong. The doctor that looked you over found something seriously wrong with your lungs but couldn’t identify the problem..."He stared at her blankly. "Do you think I can honestly go to a regular doctor with my condition?""It is Dark Hour related?" Ikutsuki demanded, leaning hungrily forward.            Minato sighed uncomfortably. How much could he give away without revealing himself? It was critical he inform them about his condition but the idea of Ikutsuki also hearing it was not appealing at all. He may link the symptoms with those found in long term suppressant users."I was not aware that the Dark Hour can cause medical problems." Mitsuru stated dryly."It... well...isn't directly linked to the Hour..." He shrugged. "Thanatos is too strong for my body…”“Oh!” Yukari interrupted. “The doctor told us! He said your body breaks down if you use him, right?”“Wow,” He said unsmiling. “Whatever happened to patient confidentiality, I wonder.”The girl instantly looked sorry she ever opened her mouth.“Look, overreaching myself is a serious business. If you do it you only get tired, right?”The older two, well used to pushing their limits, nodded.“Well It’s not like that for me. I strained my body so much summoning Thanatos when I was younger that my body is very reliant on my spiritual power and his presence inside me to function. If I use too much or Thanatos makes an appearance, the blood vessels in my lungs burst and I start to drown in my own blood.”Yukari was grossed out, her face looking almost green. The seniors were cold-eyed serious.“That is the most obvious symptom. For lesser cases of drain I sometimes get dizzy or experience muscle weakness. If I overexert myself in any way, physical or magical, I have respiratory problems similar to severe asthma. And like asthma, It’s utterly incurable and potentially fatal if it continues for an extended period of time.”"The doctor was right about his suspicions then. Your time fighting would have to be regulated..." Mitsuru murmured, tapping her chin in thought."Don't bother." Minato shook his head. "Besides, the shadows won't leave me alone. I've fought ten years, I can last another.""Another? Are you planning to leave at the end of the year?"He closed his eyes and tilted his head back slightly, an enigmatic smirk on his face."It’s just a turn of phrase."She gave him an entirely unimpressed look and crossed her arms. He chuckled dryly but remained silent on the matter, continuing with his explanation.“All of this was never good when I was surrounded by shadows or running from them. That brings me to another side of my illness.""Surrounded by shadows?" Mitsuru wondered. "We barely encounter four at a time, maximum!""Something draws Shadows to me. If they're anywhere within a certain distance from me they immediately home in on me and attack in numbers.”"Oh my..." Yukari gasped, looking horrified. "Those scars-!"He nodded grimly, not bothering to ask how they knew about them. "Those are from the early days when I didn't know how to fight and had a weaker set of Personas at my disposal. They loved me then. Every night was a deathmatch.""It sure was difficult to explain the numerous broken bones in the morning." He chuckled without humour. “As yes, I don’t miss those days before I figured out how to heal.”Even stoic Mitsuru was looking a little sick at the thought."Hmm, I may have been…eleven? A gigas had thrown me into a building. Broke my spine quite badly, it’s rather a nasty thing to deal with honestly, not that that’s the last time I broke my spine. Breaking your neck is even worse! Anyway, I guess the fatal shock managed to kickstart some sort of internal healing factor? I heal quite fast now-I’ve even managed to reattach limbs before- but it burns through my spiritual reserves quite fast. I like to think I got quite good at weird spiritual surgery. Well, I survived at least.""That's..." Yukari seemed to be in something of shock.“Though honestly, I can’t really heal anybody else. I’ve never really cast healing spells, Thanatos doesn’t much like them.”Ugh, Thanatos shuddered. It’s like having a bath in the sun. It’s really damn bright.“The shadow attraction and inability to heal others might make me something of a liability if you intend for me to play a support role." He confessed plainly."That's fine." Mitsuru stated firmly. "It will be safer for you to have others around you to help protect yourself. If we leave you they would still come after you but you'd be alone."“Well,” He said, not entirely joking. “I don’t want the Kirijo Group to blacklist me so I guess I’ll join your fruitless crusade.”He picked up the armband with a faint smile and began to attach it to his uniform jacket."Guess that's that." He nodded. "I look forward to working with you."A familiar voice rang in his head and he had to hold back a wider smile.
Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choose to create a Persona of the Fool Arcana...
"Thank you so much. I'm really glad." the chairman smiled. "Oh, I almost forgot...About your room assignment... Why don't you just stay here, in your current room? I don't know what the holdup is, but I guess it worked out in the end."Minato tilted his head impassively. "I was under the impression that the dorm was for those capable of moving through the Dark Hour. There is no need to hide the fact that you were stalking me to find out if I had 'Potential'. If you would note, there is now a small iceberg where your camera once was."The room was silent."I think that's all for the meeting!" Ikutsuki decided to beat a hasty retreat and fled out the door.As soon as he left Minato shot a death glare after him."Creepy stalker pedophile..." He mumbled under his breath to himself.Yukari and the others got up to go but Minato quickly called out to Mitsuru."Kirijo-senpai? I believe I need to arrange for a new uniform jacket since I totaled the last one." 
Dark Hour
 "Hi, how are you?""Peachy." He deadpanned."Good to hear!" Pharos remarked cheerfully.            Once again, his shadowed side had taken full advantage of the Dark Hour to manifest himself in Minato's room. Said person partially unburrowed himself from his nest of blankets and sighed at the sight of the boy innocently smiling at the foot of his bed."Is there any chance I will be getting a full night's sleep?" He dryly responded.Pharos ignored his snark as usual and clapped his hands together. "Soon, the end will come. I remembered, so I thought I should tell you."Instantly, Minato was on guard. "The end? Mine? Or in general?"The boy in the prison clothes sat comfortably at the foot of his bed, starting to swing his feet childishly. "The end of everything...but to be honest, I don't really know what it is."Minato facepalmed with a groan of annoyance. "Typical, why do you never know about half the prophecies you announce?"Pharos perked up. "Oh, you mean like that one I picked up? 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...'?""Ugh, I hate that one. You need better hobbies."Pharos hummed happily and grinned. "Your power is getting stronger, you know. It just might be your salvation depending on where you end up.""...Hm..." He stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought.Pharos smiled enigmatically at Minato, rising from the bed. "It's nice to see you for once. Okay then, I guess I'll see you later.""Pharos!""Hm?""You can stay you know." Minato sighed in exasperation.            He wasn't going to get any sleep during Dark Hour anyway, might as well do something with the time. The boy's face lit up in a bright smile and dove onto the bed. Quite happy to be close to his favourite person, he lay next to his theoretical older brother with no regards to personal space. Not that there could be anything personal between them since they shared a head. Staring at Minato with happy eyes, he kicked his feet childishly against the bed."So how was your day?"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Persona Suppressants - A drug manufactured in secret by Kirijo Group under the orders of Ikutsuki to suppress Personas. Side effects include a difficulty in regulating body temperature, a weakness in the respiratory system that can lead to coughing up blood and finally organ failure. Suddenly stopping the drug can result in the user's persona going on a rampage and killing them. The length of time a person can take these drugs before dying depends on the person, their willpower and their persona. The more uncontrolled a persona is, the higher a dose user needs and the less time they have to live.
Shinjiro Aragaki took them for two years. He was already coughing blood by then, but to be fair his persona was really strong, really violent and he was popping pills like candy.

Strega were picked up as children so they must've used them for around 8 or 10 years depending on when the experiments occurred.

"Their common function is to keep unruly Personas from killing their hosts but ironically have lethal side effects." - Except from Persona wiki

4/19/09

“MINATO!!!”

“Good gods, can you quiet down?” Said person in question grumbled as he walked down the stairs.
             Disheveled blue bangs stuck out every which way as the Summoner rubbed irritably at his face. One of his gloved hands supported him against the wall as he stumbled down the stairs. His coat had obviously been thrown on in a great hurry, as none of the buttons were done, showing a creased T-shirt and shorts beneath. He made a mismatched, half-dressed picture and nobody could understand why one of his first reactions was to pull on a pair of gloves and a greatcoat.
“I would've, if you came the first time I called!” Yukari growled, unperturbed by the sight.
“I was s-s-*yaaaaaawn*-sleeping...” He yawned, but stumbled to join the others in the lobby.
“...Okay, he's here now. So, what's this all about?” Yukari demanded.
“...You called me out of my nap and you didn't even know what was going on...?” his voice was utterly menacing for someone half asleep causing the two to shiver in fear.
“T-There's someone I wanted to introduce.” Akihiko spoke up from the door. 
Turning back to outside the dorm he sighed.  “...Hey, hurry up.” 
Right as the door opened, Minato caught scent of a familiar energy signature. An amused expression spread across his face as he heard the replying voice. 
“Hold your horses... This is freakin' heavy.” 
Jupei Iori himself, entered Iwatodai dorm with a huge suitcase. Huffing and puffing from dragging the heavy piece of luggage up the stairs he gave a cocky grin. Minato almost laughed at Yukari’s dismay. 
“J-Junpei!? ...Why is HE here!? Wait, don't tell me--” Yukari screeched. 
Oblivious as always, Akihiko continued. “This is Junpei Iori from Class 2-F. He'll be staying here as of today.” 
“Wazzap!” He grinned widely. 
Minato raised a hand in greeting, using the other to stifle a yawn. “Yo.” 
“He's staying HERE!? You've gotta be kidding me!” 
“I bumped into him the other night. He has the potential, but he just awakened to it recently... I told him about us, and he agreed to help.” 
“You have the potential!? For real!?” 
“He found me cryin' like a baby at the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins. I don't remember much, but... man, that's embarrassing!”
Minato had been lurking around the fledgling for the past few Dark Hours to keep an eye on him. To his amusement, He hadn’t had to midwife his Awakening. On his first full breach, Akihiko had been patrolling the area and had seemed to sense something off. Junpei had imprinted on Akihiko instead, to the poor man’s confusion. He got a good laugh at seeing the awkward senior trying to teach the clumsy boy the basics. He might be friends with Junpei, but even he knew he’d have probably tried to strangle him if he had to explain everything.
“He said that's, ya know, completely normal... in the beginning. Like, bein' confused and not remembering anything. Did ya guys know that?”
Minato blinked, the last traces of sleep leaving his system as he heard that tidbit. So, they knew about that, that was interesting. They probably didn’t know about the multiple breaches or how to find budding Users or Junpei would’ve been brought in before.
 “None of that happened with me.” He replied honestly. “How bad is it?”
 “Ugh.” Yukari shuddered. “It’s horrid. You probably don't remember since you awoke when you were young.”
To her surprise, he nearly growled at her. “Unfortunately, I remember my first awakening perfectly. I may have been young but that’s not exactly something I’d forget.”
“Woah, really dude?”
How could I forget watching my entire world end and be reborn?
“It was...traumatic...I'd rather not talk about it.”
“Come on man,” Junpei grinned. “It couldn't be worse than mine.”
Minato rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “You do remember I’m an orphan, right?”
“You are?!?”
“Oh my god, really?” He sighed. “I awoke when my parents died, ok?”
“Oh. Ooooooh.” Realization finally dawned on his face and he cringed.
“Yeah, oh.”
“Way to be insensitive Stupei!” Yukari whapped the boy on the arm.
“No, it’s ok, I don’t remember much of them anyway. I remember my sister better.”
“You have a sister?” Junpei questioned eagerly.
“Had.”
Junpei cringed again. Yukari hit him again. He was really amused at this point. It was easier to joke about it now that he knew she was alright.
“It’s really alright, I’ve had ten years to get over it. She wouldn’t want me to mope.”
“Uh, well I can see why you wouldn’t forget awakening then.” Junpei awkwardly concluded.
He hummed in agreement, mind still lingering on his traumatic awakening. It wasn’t hard to remember the first set of clear memories he had. They were bloody and brutal and awful but they were the first moments of his new life. Whoever he had been had died at the bridge, he still didn’t know what his previous last name had been. All he remembered was that he was Minato, and he clung to his sense of self through that name. By the time he was Thanatos-and-Orpheus-who-is-also-Minato, Minato ______ was nothing but a distant memory.
“...But man, I was shocked to find out about you guys. I had no idea. I'm glad I'm not the only one. It could get kinda lonely, ya know. I bet you're stoked too, right!? Havin' me join...”
“I don't know.” Minato tilted his head. “I am used to fighting alone. Having you as a teammate might be fun though.”
“Way to kill the mood Mr. Deadpan!” Junpei chortled and slung an arm around the Summoner's shoulders.
“Thank you.” He inclined his head with a smirk. “I try.”
Akihiko cut in. “Well, enough with the introductions. I think we're about ready...”
“Ooh, we're gonna go do something? Sweetness! Club activity!” Junpei jumped up and down excitedly.
“With this many people, we can start exploring that place.”
Instantly, Minato tensed up. “What place...?”
“You mean... Tartarus...?” Yukari blurted.
“Tartarus...?” Minato couldn’t help the disbelieving laughter that rose up. “That’s what it’s called? You named a tower after hell’s pit of suffering?”
Akihiko shrugged. “We didn’t name it. Mitsuru scanned it and that’s the name she got.”
“So, you’re telling me that that’s the actual Tartarus?”
“Well it is a shadow nest. It’s kinda appropriate.”
Orpheus this is hilarious.
I’d say so. The musician drawled, sounding faintly amused. Into the depths of Hell we go once more. At least there’s no Eurydice this time.

Do you remember anything about Tartarus, Orpheus?

A flash of fire, brimstone and moving darkness flickered across his mind. Minato nearly staggered from the brief moment of disorientation. He was used to such things happening but the memories-fragmented and brief as they were-were so vivid he couldn't help but reel back.
            A Persona may only be a reflection, but they often carried fragments of their memories from the demons they reflected. They were fragments from the sea of human unconsciousness that humans had created through belief and legends. There were angels and demons and monsters and spirits but it was the heroic legends that sometimes held memories of their legends. He still had no idea if the memories were further generated by humanity’s beliefs or if they were actually what happened.
 “Dude!”
            A hand on his back steadied him quickly. A warm body braced his side to steady his suddenly wobbly knees. As he blinked away the dizziness, the sight of everyone staring at him in concern met him. He hurriedly steadied himself.
“My apologies.”
“Don't apologize.” Akihiko assured him, slowly backing away from where he had braced him upright. His eyes were still sharply studying him to make sure he wouldn’t lose balance again. “What happened?”
“Yeah, you said something about Tartarus and then nearly fainted!” Yukari panicked.
“Ah. I just asked Orpheus if he remembered Tartarus.”
It felt odd for him to actually tell people about the things he would see. He was used to keeping the contents of his head to himself, sharing them made him feel inexplicably exposed. It was also uncomfortable to bare the craziness in one's head for others to view. The people in the room reeled.
“WHAT?!?”
“He only had a brief bit of memory for me but it was unpleasant to say the least.” He shook his head. “If that tower I saw is really 'Tartarus' then it’s very bad news. Do you guys have a plan, equipment? Do you know how you’re going to find information in there?”
“We’re mostly good for equipment, the Kirijo group has developed stuff for us to use. We don’t have a set plan yet, we’ll need to scout out the place first to see what we’re up against.” Akihiko reasoned. “As far as we know, it’s the epicenter of the Dark Hour, so there must be clues somewhere.”
“Fair enough.” Minato shrugged. God, I’m so tired.
“The Chairman will give us the details of the operation tomorrow night, so be ready.” Akihiko addressed the entire group.
“If that’s all, I'm going back to sleep...” Minato grumbled, rubbing his eyes again. “And this time, LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE.”
            Yukari meeped, and fled upstairs quickly before he could fully make his displeasure known. With an unintelligible grunt, Minato grabbed Junpei's collar and started to drag him up the staircase, suitcase and all. Akihiko's muffled laughter followed them up the stairs.
            Reaching the end of the second-floor corridor, the Summoner wordless pointed to the door opposite his. Point made, The Wild Card slammed his door shut to go back to sleep.
Standing in the deserted corridor, feeling very bewildered, Junpei asked to no one in particular. “What's Tartarus?”

Minato yawned. He had spent his day cataloging his Compendium discreetly during the classes. The weak pulses of Yukari and Junpei's Persona barely distracted him from his task, even as the Personas which were of the same Arcana stirred. He replaced some of the eight that resided in his head, making sure to have enough to cover all the elemental areas. The presence of Thanatos stirred briefly at his efforts but didn't move from his permanent crevice in his head.
            He assumed that they would attempt to climb Tartarus that night and he didn't want to be caught off guard. They had no idea what kind of shadows lay in wait, so he’d feel better if he could cover all his bases. Mitsuru informed them at lunch to meet at the dorm for her to tell them something. That confirmed his suspicions and he redoubled his efforts. Yukari's annoyance to Mitsuru coming into their classroom was something of a surprise though.
Ikutsuki clapped his hands, drawing the attention of everyone. Minato glanced up from where he was showing Junpei his Compendium.
“Okay, everybody's here. I'd like your undivided attention. For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had. But, that number recently jumped to five. Therefore...Starting tonight at 12:00AM, I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus.”
“Sorry... I asked this yesterday, but what's this Tartarus thing again?
“Tartarus is the depths of the Underworld. Hell, if you'd prefer.” Minato supplied.
“...why are we going into hell again?”
“You haven't seen it, Junpei?” Yukari shot back.
“Uh, no.”
“It’s this big tower that overshadows everything on the island. Really creepy and twisted. It’s a Shadow Nest during the Dark Hour.” Minato once again helpfully supplied.
“The Dark Hour...? Their nest, huh...?”
“Interesting, huh? And it's the perfect place for us to train!” Akihiko declared eagerly. 
A single thought passed through the entire group at that declaration.

Adrenaline Junkie...

“But, Senpai... what about your injury?”
His face fell into a grimace as he rotated his arm.
“Since Akihiko hasn't fully recovered yet, he'll only come as far as the entrance. Isn't that right, Akihiko?” Mitsuru's glare could make a shadow reconsider its career choice.
“...Yeah, I know.”
“Well, I'm sure he won't complain, as long as you don't go too far in. Since we're dealing with Shadows, Tartarus isn't something we can avoid.”
“Relax, I've got your backs.” Junpei enthusiastically fist pumped.
“You better take that seriously.” Minato told him with a straight face. “Because I will be counting on you.”
“Really?” He looked absolutely over the moon to be of help.
“I'm not so sure about this...” Yukari murmured.
“What about you, Mr. Chairman?” Mitsuru professionally asked.
“I'll stay here. As you know, I can't summon a Persona...”

Oh really...

“This is it? THIS is the place? Why HERE?”
 Minato facepalmed. The school. Really? Really? This sounded like a bad plot device in some high school shounen adventure manga. The kind of stuff that people like Junpei read daily. Fights and the power of friendship against the bad guys.
 “Just wait a few minutes... It's almost midnight.”
             Minato pulled out his silver pocket watch and clicked it open watching as the all the hands hit twelve. As a mechanical device, the clock wasn’t affected by the Dark Hour, he had paid good money to modify it so that when it hit midnight, the gears switched over to a fourth hand that would count an hour precisely before returning to the regular hands. The ability to count time in the Dark Hour was far more convenient than it sounded.
A forbidding gong rang out, resonating through the now green light. The ground began to rumble as the school began to morph and twist. A huge impossibly constructed tower rose higher and higher. An architect's nightmare of insanity and physical impossibility.
As the final gong rang out the building shuddered to a stop.
Mitsuru professionally announced, gesturing with aplomb. “This is Tartarus--the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour.”
“Labyrinth...? It’s a tower! What are you talking about!? What happened to our school!?” Junpei freaked.
“Impressive...” Minato breathed, the magic of the Dark Hour was much stronger than usual here.
Thanatos was enthralled by the overwhelming blood-and-cool-shadow magic that saturated their senses and felt like home. Minato moved forward, almost as if he were in a trance, focused on following that comforting scent. The Magician stopped his confused rant to look at his friend.
“Minato...?”
The Wild Card didn't answer, though to be fair, he didn’t hear him. He raised his gloved hand to rest on the gate. The construct shuddered under his touch, the magic of the building finally seemed to take notice of him. It almost seemed thrilled, the gate unlocking with a snap and opening on its own.

Say friend and enter?

What is that smell? Thanatos mused distractedly.
He continued walking towards Tartarus in his trance-like state, reveling in the dense magic that made him feel like he was walking on air.
“Wha...?” Mitsuru gaped.
“It’s never done that before!” Akihiko yelled.
“Minato!” Junpei called out, rushing after his friend.
            The door to the tower opened by themselves to allow Minato to pass through but slammed shut after him. The entire building shuddered as he entered. He stopped in the middle of the Lobby, closing his eyes and tilting his head up. Contrary to what the others believed, he was in full control of himself. He was just entirely focused on the distinct whispers in his ears and the feel of magic.
            The atmosphere was welcoming, like returning home after a long time away. This tower felt like nothing else he'd ever felt before. He could smell hostile shadows on the floors above but the tower itself seemed to mean him no harm.
Welcome Shadow of Death. A cold and deeply echoing voice rang out in his head.
Was that any one of you? He asked, even as he knew the answer. The voice was just too ancient and powerful to belong to one of his own save Thanatos. The death god himself seemed rather quiet, not even getting savagely territorial over the intrusion, he actually seemed rather bemused.
A chorus of negatives replied.
“Who are you?” Minato called to the empty Lobby.

I am the Reaper. The Master of Tartarus. I welcome you to my game.

“Game? What game?”

That is for you to find out.

“Forbidding bastard, aren’t you?” Minato smiled. “Fine, I'll just have to find you and make you answer!”
You are welcome to try. The voice was definitely amused by his bravado.
“Damn straight!” He roared, punching his fist into the air.
Then he paused, stared at the raised fist and blinked. He brought the hand down to facepalm.
“Thanatos, could you please stop doing that?”

Oh, come on, I couldn't resist! Challenging another Death incarnation isn't something that happens often!

“I'm going to kill him.”

I look forward to your challenge, True Thanatos.

Then the voice went silent, the encompassing presence of blood and gunpowder fading away.
“Oh dear.”
Thanatos... Orpheus growled. That thing isn't a shadow is it?
Nope! He declared cheerfully.
“Orpheus.” Minato deadpanned.
A huge explosion ripped across his head. He winced lightly at the noise but merely sighed.
What have I said about challenging inhuman entities? He scolded in the confines of his head.

It's unhealthy?

Close enough.

You think he’d’ve learnt after that mess with the Kitsune.

That was fun, though!

Yes, well it wasn’t your body that ate that revolting spicy noodle that annoyed fox swapped with my ramen.

But did you die?

I couldn’t feel my face!

Ahem, back to the matter at hand. Minato, it is likely that this 'Reaper' is a higher true form, like Thanatos.

Thaaaaaaaaanks Thanatos, he drawled, full of sarcasm. You picked a fight with your death cousin.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Minato? Minato!” “Hm?” The doors of the Lobby finally slammed open to reveal the rest of SEES crowded frantically around the door. Without a moment's delay, they quickly clattered in to crowd him and assess his health frantically. "Well he looks fine." Akihiko sighed in relief after giving him a once over. “Arisato, what was that?” Mitsuru demanded, half looking like she wanted to strangle him.“Sorry Senpai, it’s just...this place feels so familiar...” He took a deep breath and let out a relaxed sigh, a tiny smile on his lips.The red head tilted her head slightly and her ruby eyes narrowed calculatingly. “Has this happened before?""Nah." He denied, mostly ignoring her and preferring to rake his eyes over the eccentricities of the hall they were in.“Whoa... It's just as cool on the inside...” Junpei said in an awed voice.“But, it sure is creepy...” Yukari shuddered.“Nonsense!” Minato grinned. “I love it!”            The strange devices around the place and the interior design were gothic and classy. A weird clock, something that resembled a jukebox and a familiar blue door. A huge set of carpeted steps led up to a huge clock with a door where the six should be. Plain pillars kept the roof up, though he had a sneaking suspicion that if they weren't there the roof wouldn't fall anyway. Outside the massive windows, instead of showing the schoolyard, creepy green silhouettes of architecture floated around."If you're as in-tune with the Dark Hour as I suspect, then there is definitely something connected to the Dark Hour worth looking for in here." Mitsuru declared.
In tune? Do they know something?
Junpei ran excitedly up the stairs, grinning like a goof. "Hey, there's a door up here!"            The Summoner took a few steps after him before a smell wafted under his nose. He froze, recognizing the familiar, familiar scent of cloying death and rusty blood wafting from the enticing doorway. The Magician was at the top of the velvet covered stairs, peering into the entrance.
Can't he smell that?!
Minato raised his voice with a hint of panic and rushed up the stairs."Junpei, don't!""Huh?" the teenager yelped. "Why? There's only another corridor behind he-"The smaller teenager grabbed his shoulder and yanked him away from the entrance and hauled him down the steps. Something beyond the wall screeched and the humans froze. Minato unhanded Junpei and turned around resolutely. In the darkness past the doorway, he couldn't make out anything but he knew they were there. He wouldn't be surprise if the Master of Tarturus, the forbidding Death-entity Reaper, was watching.“I’m sensing a powerful shadow!” Mitsuru yelled.            To the surprise of SEES (and Yukari's personal fright), the impassive boy turned and snarled at the gaping portal, flaring a powerful spike of killing intent and heavy spiritual pressure.
Back off dark-fragments! These are under this demon's protection!
            The Persona-Users' faces went white as the sounds of shadows fleeing in terror registered. Mitsuru looked vaguely sick. Junpei only looked mildly rattled. Yukari was looking ready to bolt. Akihiko, to his credit was only slightly wobbly-kneed.“As I was going to say, we are only in the entrance. The labyrinth lies beyond that doorway at the top of the stairs.” Mitsuru informed them with only a slight quaver in her voice.“First, we'll have you three get a feel for this place. Now that Minato's scared them, they shouldn't be as aggressive. You'd be able to look around fairly safely and get some battle experience.” Akihiko suggested.Yukari freaked out as usual. “What!? By ourselves!?”Minato nearly sighed. This girl really wasn't Dark Hour material, she freaked out too easily. If she was on her own she'd be dead. Humming to a song only he could hear, he started down the stairs.“We're not asking you to go very far," Mitsuru assured and held up a set of earpieces. "I'll be feeding you information from here.”Junpei indignantly yelled. “So, you two didn't plan on coming in the first place?!”The boxer smirked. “That's right. We're also going to appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions.”The magician instantly perked up and began jumping up and down. “For real? ...One of us? Oh! Oh! Me me me! Pick me!”The Summoner sighed and stepped off the staircase. “Sorry Junpei, but I think they mean me. I have to teach you guys how to fight.”Akihiko nodded pleased. “That's exactly it. Arisato will be field Leader.”“W-Wait! Why him!?” The hapless cap-wearing boy protested. “He doesn't look like a leader! He's all scrawny-”"WHAT WAS THAT?" Minato smile sweetly."Nothin'. I didn't say nothin'.""That's what I thought."“But, he HAS fought them before...” Yukari input. “He's been doing it for ten years.”“Seriously?” Junpei gaped at his shorter friend, who only returned the disbelief with a cool gaze.The Wild Card took a deep breath. “Junpei, I have a serious request.”“Hmm? What do ya want leader?” He snickered at the title.Minato let out a long-suffering sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “No one's told you yet but I'm seriously ill.”“WHAT?!” The fledgling Persona User grabbed Minato's shoulders in a desperate grip.            The brunette frantically looked the Wild Card up and down, as if expecting to have something obvious wrong with him. His best friend was seriously sick and hadn't told him? Fear gripped his heart as he stared down at his shorter classmate that had somehow wormed his way into his heart in a very short time span. From what he saw during that small time, the younger boy brushed off serious wounds like nothing. For him to admit there was something wrong, it must be very bad.“A-are you going to be alright? What's wrong with you?”Minato sighed and carefully unpeeled Junpei's bruising grip. “It not that life threatening. You don't have to panic."The rest of SEES shared a unanimous thought of. Yeah right."You sure?" The Magician poked again."I just need you to watch my back Junpei. I can collapse sometimes. I won't die, I'm too good at surviving for that to happen, it’s just the condition I'll survive in is a bit of a debate."Junpei looked mildly poleaxed."Now, your Persona will be strong, I can smell it." He admitted coolly. "I am putting my life in your hands." He bowed his blue head briefly.“W-what?!”All of his budding jealousy evaporated in that moment. They wouldn’t let him lead, the hero like his manga, but the Leader, his friend, desperately needed his help. Someone needed him. Minato said he was strong, that he was someone he could depend on. That sealed it."...I'll try my best!” He agreed.“Are you sure that's wise?” Yukari interrupted. “Junpei tends to be a bit irresponsible.”Minato nodded firmly, mind made up. “No offense Yukari, but Junpei is going to end up outclassing you in brute power. He'll be a strong protector.”Having allies will take getting used to. He mused. I’m going to have to learnt to rely on these people, even if it’s only a little.
Aw, now I have to worry about friendly fire...
I suppose we will have to prioritize their survival? Orpheus asked in a businesslike manner.
Yes. We can allow them to get injured, it’s a good learning experience, but we will have to intervene for more serious injuries for now.
“There's another thing.” Akihiko spoke up. “You two...”The Lovers and Magician turned to face him. The silverette pulled out his evoker and nonchalantly aimed it at his head.“Can you summon your Persona without any difficulties, like he can?”“Y-Yeah, of course I can!” Junpei declared, a little unsure of himself.“I think so.” If anything, Yukari seemed more unsure.“These are Shadows we're talking about here. Without your Persona, you're screwed.” The boxer told them sternly.“I'm aware of that.” Yukari huffed.            The group began to move towards the stairs. A faint buzz from his Compendium informed him that the Velvet Room would require his presence in a few hours. No matter how tempting that door was, he really didn't want to look like an idiot in front of everyone.“Now, you don’t have to rely on your Persona alone, we have a wide selection of accumulated weaponry that will fit each of you.” Mitsuru informed them, gesturing to a small collection of cases.“Right,” Akihiko said business-like. “Yukari, we know you’re good at archery, so we have a bow for you. Junpei, we have a selection but I recommend something heavy like a Katana to make use of your height and strength. Minato...”“Don't bother.” He waved him off with a smile. “I have everything I need.”            Yukari dutifully strung her new bow without any trouble, testing the string. Junpei then distracted everyone by running around waving his chosen katana in glee and yelling any epic quote that came to his mind. To Minato's own surprise, he recognized a few.“Did you just make a Kamina reference?”He made another pose. “Yep! I'm livin' the dream man!”The summoner saluted him wryly, bemused at his antics. “You really are.”The two manga nerds gave each other high fives while the rest of SEES just stared. Junpei offered the Wild Card the hilt of another sword but he just shook his head.“I'll be fine without anything.” He hefted the deceptively innocent tome in a palm. “Besides, I'm not supposed to be fighting, I’m teaching you two.”Everyone gave the book a strange look but the Wild Card only smiled enigmatically. With lots of teeth. The rest of them unanimously decided to drop the subject for their continuing well-being.“Come on then.” Minato urged them on starting up the stairs, Junpei and Yukari following him faithfully.            Minato stared at the doorway into hell. He didn't need to look to know that his teammates were behind him. The rusty scent of blood drifted from the opening causing the rookies to cringe. Minato hesitated only a second, doubting if he could keep the ragtag bunch alive on their first hunting, before his foot landed on the other side of the door.            He stepped into a checker tiled corridor, crimson dripping on the walls, with the corridor glowing the standard Dark Hour green. He took a deep breath and relaxed, the shadows he could smell were ridiculously low ranked compared to him, they’d be safe enough for the fledglings.A few more hesitant footsteps followed his own. The two had finally gathered enough courage to step after him. A quick glance behind him reassured him that Yes, Yukari hadn't chickened out. Also, that the doorway had sealed shut as if it were never there in the first place."So, this is it, huh...?” Junpei wondered, observing the corridor. “I hope I don't get lost...” Yukari fretted.             A few quick steps brought him back to the now blank wall, ignoring his party members. The Summoner rested a gloved hand against the wall, lightly pushing for weakness. The entire structure was solid. “I hope there's an exit somewhere on this floor Kirijo-senpai...” He grumbled. “Can you all hear me?”             Minato whirled violently, bringing his fists up to guard. His gaze did a habitual sweep of the corridor before his mind caught up with him. Junpei and Yukari both jumped at his sharp reaction. He relaxed and ran a hand through his hair in annoyance. “Senpai could you please refrain from startling me in future? I tend to react rather violently...” “That's putting it mildly!” “Alright Arisato. I'll be providing audio backup from here on out.” “Roger senpai.” “Wait... Ya mean, you can see inside here?” Junpei yelped, glancing around wildly. Minato could almost feel the smugness radiating from the Kirijo group heiress. “It's my Persona's ability. I'd like to join you, but the structure of Tartarus changes from day to day. That's why outside support is imperative.” “...I don't really think so...” Minato mused. “If you have enough wits about you you'd be able to navigate fine.” A beat. “Doesn't that make her job a bit useless?” Yukari said, a bit too eagerly. “Depends.” “...Based on your current location, you can expect to encounter some low leveled enemies at any moment. Get comfortable with your weapons. Arisato, do not engage in combat.” “Meh.” He brushed off the direct order. “I make no promises.” “...Arisato.” “Kirijo-san, not to disrespect you or anything, but even if I stood in a horde of low leveled shadows for the entire of Dark Hour, they can't really hurt me. The two fledglings though, they could take serious damage. I’d rather intervene if it came to that. I’m not going to be picking a fight I can’t win, don’t worry.” “Very well then. You may fight if necessary.” Not like she could've stopped us! Thanatos cackled madly. Now Thanatos, remember we’re here to escort the fledglings on their maiden hunting trip, not murder things. These shadows are a bit too underleveled to offer a challenge anyway.  I can smell stronger ones further up the tower, we’ll return without the rest and have some fun solo hunting okay? Humph, I guess that’ll have to do. A ghost of a smile flit across Minato's mask. “Now, let's begin. Keep in mind, these are real battles you'll be engaging in. Now, see if you can eliminate all the Shadows wandering around on this floor.” The small group obediently shuffled forward. Minato took point despite Junpei's protests. His companions clunked along for a few meters before Minato let out a sigh and stopped. “This is ridiculous.” “Huh? W-what is?” Yukari flinched. “You two sound like a bunch of elephants is what! The shadows will hear us long before they see us!”             He spent several minutes pointing out to them how to move more carefully before they continued along the corridor, slightly less noisy than before. Only slightly though, which irritated the silent Minato greatly. All his senses were practically wailing in horror at the combat faux pas his teammates were committing. To make it up to Junpei, the Wild Card had to promise that as soon as the fighting started, the Magician was allowed to be loud. "Now rule number one," He lectured, checking around a corner. "Anything goes." "Huh?" Junpei blurted, confused. Silver eyes fixed him in a serious gaze. "These shadows are like highly intelligent, vicious beasts. They will not hesitate to harm you. The only way to even the field is to return the favour. Blindside them, hit them from behind, ambush them, do anything to ensure your continued survival. There are no morals in this death game." Correct little Death. The Reaper's amused voice rang out in his head.The only sign he heard the other Death god was a slight narrowing of his eyes.Guess we found rule number one. He stated grimly."Game? You think this is a game? That's insa-" Yukari nearly screeched."No one said I was sane, little girl." Minato coldly snapped back, checking around the corner again. "In fact, I'd been the first person to admit I'm mad, but that's how all Persona Users are. You just haven't found your own mental problems yet.""Wha-?" She gaped flabbergasted.Junpei actually looked a little thoughtful at his words.“Minato, if you would stop scarring the rookies...?" Mitsuru's bland voice rang over the comm."Hai, hai, sempai.""There's a Shadow around the corner. Move in and hit it before it attacks you. If you surprise it, you'll have the upper hand!”Woman, how do you think we're still alive?! Thanatos grumbled. By playing fair?!Thanatos... Orpheus groaned. Stop distracting Minato.Sure enough, a large black blob with arms was crawling along the floor around the corner, oblivious to the predator lurking but distressed all the same. A disgusting trail of ooze was dragged across the floor behind it. Minato nearly smiled.
Ah.
“I call those blobs.” He declared cheerfully, tossing his tome up and down in his hand like a ball. “Who wants to bet I can nail it from here?”            Before anyone could answer, he wound back his arm like a pitcher and lobbed his tome at the blob. The heavy brown book whacked the dark creature with an audible thwack. Instantly, the blob split into three very pissed off blue masked magician shadows.“Now, you have the initiative! Strike!” Mitsuru called.“Junpei, front and center!” Minato commanded.“Righto Leader!” The excited magician yelled.He charged forward, swinging his heavy katana wildly. Luckily, the sword managed to land a fairly large gash on one of their assailants.“Yukari! Aim at the weakened one!”“H-hai!”            He returned his attention to the wildly swinging Junpei just in time. The multiple enemies were overwhelming the rookie. A timely arrow, dispatched the wounded shadow, leaving two.“Slash behind you!”            Junpei obeyed instantly and ichor splattered across the floor from another successful hit. One of the Cowardly Mayas lunged for Minato but the Summoner dodged quickly. An arrow implanted itself directly in the blue mask, sending the monster back to the nether.“Home run!” And the last shadow exploded as Junpei, with his horrible sword style, decimated it.            The rookies breathed hard in the silence, adrenaline catching up with them. Minato inwardly preened. For once in his life he wasn't the one fighting to catch breath and it pleased him immensely.“Good job.” He simply said.“Heh...That...was...awesome!”“I figured you'd say that.” Minato smiled.            He idly drifted down the corner, away from his panting classmates. Book once again tucked comfortably under his arm he let his steps echo down the corridor. As he walked he caught sight of a massive set of stairs.“There should be a staircase nearby. Do you see it? A staircase is the only way to proceed to the next floor. I can't allow you to go any higher today, but please remember about it next time.”“Hai Kirijo-senpai.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Ooh! That's a big one!”Minato whirled around at the excited shout.“Junpei, NO!”            The capped teen had bolted down another corridor after a massive shadow without a backward glance. He didn’t need to take a second glance to know that whatever it was, Junpei was too under-leveled to be fighting it. He bolted after his reckless friend, wheezing slightly. He was trying to avoid equipping Thanatos, for fear of every single shadow on the floor vanishing in fear, but he regretted it now.A rush of feathers and wings could be heard up ahead and he tried to guess what shadow it was as he raced towards it. Many shadows had feathered wings, but the only one he could think of that would be so weak would be Venus Eagles. But there was no telling if the Tartarus shadows were the same as the shadows outside, in shape as well as weaknesses.            He slipped on a blood puddle as he turned a corner. With heavy breaths, he pulled himself to his feet. At that moment he cursed everything, his lungs, Junpei for falling to his fatal flaw, Yukari for being an even worse runner and Mitsuru for being so far away. Akihiko got a pass this time for being injured.
 
Orpheus, Sukukaja!
 His stumbling gait picked up speed as the enhancement magic rushed through his body like a cool wave. Every breath still ached but it barely registered anymore. With blinding speed, he skated around the corner to an open area in the hallway.A gunshot.“Hermes!”            Minato briefly registered a huge blue and gold figure dashing across the room to tackle down one of the birds. His concern was more on the school uniform clad boy staggering backwards. As the Persona dispersed, Junpei fully collapsed against a bloodstained wall.“Is this...how it ends...?”            Cap lying disheveled on his head, he stared up at the three feral birds preparing to descend on him like carrion crows. He felt so drained and weak, how could one summoning take so much out of him...? Now he was feeling regret for leaving the other two behind. As if from another life he remembered Minato's tarot card book.Fatal flaw of arrogance... He thought grimly. With a ferocious scream, one of the birds descended. The Magician closed his eyes, bracing for his death. Instead he heard a furious yell that made him open his eyes. “GET YOUR OWN MAGICIAN!” Sprinting at full speed towards him was his friend, one of his hands was clenched over his heart glowing blue but the look of utter fury on his face caught Junpei by surprise. The teenager’s face rarely got more emotive than ‘smirk’ or ‘mild amusement’, outright rage was a shock.In the next instant, all he saw was blue as the person he was supposed to protect bodily threw himself in front of him. There was the harsh sound of the bird hitting Minato before gravity made him crash land spectacularly. But even as Junpei thought his friend was injured, the Wild Card kept rolling, to land steadily on all fours. Eyes hard as steel glared at the bird which was beginning to look a little panicked. “Now, Let's see what you don't like...” The bird opened its wings to gain altitude from the very scary person but a blue flame was already gathering around the normally stoic boy. Currently, a very insane grin was spread across his face. He made a finger gun and pointed at his own head. “Orpheus!”             The Master of Strings materialized in all his mechanical glory and transfixed the Eagle with a baleful scarlet eye. He brought his arm down violently like a rock guitarist across his lyre. Flames exploded before the bird, knocking it back, but not down. It recovered far too quickly, wings beating furiously as it righted itself.            Minato's euphoria faded, and he scowled, the disadvantages of being such a good Mage meant that he often had to waste energy finding a weakness every time he ran in to a new kind of shadow. That kind of thing drew out a battle and he didn’t like that. Drawn out battles drew shadow attention and lead to a huge pileup of foes. All his experience told him that the quicker and more efficient the kill, the better.  A blue card appeared above his palm. With a nod, Orpheus faded back into the ether. He made a sharp motion with his hand, slicing through the card. “Sarasvati, Bufu!” The Hindu Goddess appeared with a twirl, ice exploding around the bird. With a horrified squawk, its wings froze, and it collided harshly with the floor. With a feral grin, now that he had found the thing's weakness, Minato slashed another card. “King Frost, Mabufu!” “He ho!” The loveable winter demon, released a flurry of ice, freezing all three Venus Eagles. As they collided with the floor, heavily they all burst into shadows. Minato let a sigh leave his lips, those shadows were a bit harder than he was expecting to deal with under his self-imposed handicap.He walked slowly over to where Junpei was lying wide eyed against the wall. He seemed to be fine but he had just summoned for what must’ve been for the first time.“Are you okay...?”“Dude...Wait, what about you?! You're bleeding!”Minato blinked and looked down at his shoulder where Junpei was pointing. Sure enough, there was a tear in his coat that exposed a gash that was steadily staining the shoulder of his coat a dark red. He sent a silent thanks to Thanatos for numbing the pain, who responded with a subdued acknowledgment. Pressing down on the shoulder, he looked up at his friend with his emotionless mask again.“I'll be fine.” He said blankly. “Are you injured...?”“...I'm fine.” Junpei looked away in embarrassment.“That's good...” He murmured.
Orpheus healing will be appreciated.
             The musician hummed with a wave of acknowledgment and a rush of healing energy flowed to Minato's fingertips. The crawling feeling of flesh stitching back together had lost the unsettling feeling it had years ago. Now, he merely closed his eyes to help him focus and let the magic do the work. After a few seconds, he removed his hand to reveal his coat and shoulder in one piece again. The coat was made by the Velvet Room after all, with the same self-repair functions that an Attendant's uniform would have. If their uniforms couldn’t repair, they’d probably spend a fortune in clothes with how much damage and wear and tear occurred in their daily lives. If he tried a little harder, he could even remove the blood stains (ruins the blue aesthetic you know), but he’d wait until he was out of Tartarus before dealing with that. “Perhaps we should call it a day...” Minato offered, kneeling to be face-to-face with his friend.“...I can't believe you took that hit for me...I'm supposed to be the one protecting you...” Junpei muttered guiltily, still not meeting his eyes.Me neither... Thanatos grumbled. Since when have we taken death blows for others? Only one third of Death liked people, and that part was not Thanatos. Only one person mattered to Thanatos, and that was his host. He was an aspect of death; he saw the vile and bitter ends humanity would go to in search of riches and power. At the very core of his nature, he couldn’t trust them. He could only trust his host, for he had seen down to the depths of his soul and nestled in its cracks. He trusted his host like a person trusted their arm. There was not even a sliver of thought that it would betray you. Thanatos couldn’t, didn’t, trust humans. He wouldn’t trust any of them, but he especially couldn’t trust any of them with the care of his dear host. Quiet. Orpheus snapped. He had all the trust Thanatos lacked, all the trust, little though it was, that Minato still had left in him.Minato smiled faintly. “It’s alright. You just need to learn from your mistakes.”“JUNPEI YOU IDIOT!”Both teenager's heads snapped up at the sound of incredibly pissed off Yukari. She was storming toward them, covered in black ichor, clothes a mess and murder in her eyes. It appeared that she had been delayed by shadows. Minato was impressed that she managed to switch from fear to murdering shadows so quickly, but the rage probably helped.“You shouldn't run off like that!!” She screeched, fingers tightening around her bow like she wished it was Junpei’s neck.“...uh-”She wildly gestured to Minato as he sat with eyes half closed, leaning against the wall and taking deep, purposefully slow breaths.“Yukari.” He cut in firmly. “I'm okay. If some running could do me in, I would’ve died long ago.”“Why were you wheezing then?” Mitsuru's voice piped in, flat and disbelieving. “It’s okay to admit that-”“I’m usually better than this.” He cut her off too. “But I couldn’t let Thanatos be too prominent or all the shadows would run away, and he usually helps me breathe.”“How fascinating.” Mitsuru murmured. “I didn’t know a persona could do that.”“Best way to think about it is, you know how there are enhancement spells? It’s like a low-level enhancement that runs all the time.”“Sounds exhausting.”“Not as much as you think it is. Junpei, are you willing to continue?”The magician nodded numbly, getting to his feet. Yukari glanced uncertainly between the two, fidgeting with her bow.“Now, that that's cleared up. Junpei you are not to separate from the group unless told. That kind of thing comes later, but it’s your first day.”He nodded numbly again. Minato patted him on the back as comforting as he could manage.“Look, nobody starts as a good fighter. When you’re new and weak, it’s better to stick together, that way we have the power of numbers in case anything goes wrong. When you get stronger and can kill the shadows on this floor in one hit by yourself, then you won’t need that safety net anymore. And that goes for all of you, understand?”His two new students nodded quickly. Minato just sighed and shook his head. Hopefully the message would stick, but you never know. With that pep talk done, he started to walk towards the faint figure of a black blob in an adjacent corridor.“Now pull yourself together!”Without waiting for an okay of any kind, the Summoner hefted his tome with a wicked grin. He wound back his arm and pelted the heavy book at a blob for the second time that night. This time, he raced after it calling encouragement to his teammates behind him. He wasn’t running particular fast, for all his talk his reinforcement was at a critically low level and he was a little winded. It didn’t matter though, because he had the element of surprise and a headstart. The sight of their charge rushing headfirst into battle seemed to snap the two out of their daze.“ARISATO, what do you think you're doing?!” Mitsuru demanded.            With a wolfish grin, he snatched up his book as the blob split into four around him. Just as the shadows were about to pounce on him, a long katana crushed one into oblivion and the other sprouted three arrows in quick succession.“Giving them a little incentive!”He heard her huff. “Do not be so reckless! At least give some warning or give some sort of pre-battle briefing.”He shrugged. “Sometimes, they’re not going to get a warning. But now that we’ve started, we can start coming up with strategies.”“In case you didn’t know, my power can also analyze enemies to find their weaknesses and strengths. It may take a few seconds but I should be able to scan your enemies.”“Kirijo-san, you are a miracle. That’s really useful, can you scan these?”“I'm on it.”Before anything could be said, another dual combo of sword and arrow, cut down the rest of the shadows.Minato muffled a snort of amusement. “Ah, well, please scan them next time.”“ARE YOU NUTS?!?!” Junpei yelled, waving around his sword violently. “Why did you jump in the middle of them?!”“It got you moving didn't it?”That reduced the Magician to violently strangling the air while he growled expletives under his breath. Yukari also looked very unhappy with his actions and drew in a large breath to start a rant at him. Sensing impending danger, Minato quickly took off down the corridor."Hey! There's another one!" He chirped with unnatural cheerfulness.Instantly the two rookies took after their cackling leader with frantic shouts, not wanting a repeat of before. Ignoring both, he cheerfully threw himself headfirst into the next group of shadows.            Down in the Lobby, Mitsuru sighed. The boy was a tactical genius from what she could tell so far but he certifiably INSANE. He threw himself at the shadows with no regards for his own health and came up with strategies that were so unconventional, she had to stop and blink for several moments to figure out half of them. Also all the yelling in that his teammates were doing at him as he ran up and down the corridors like a child on sugar was giving her a headache.            After another of the Minato-caused fights, he gave his companions a once over. Both were doing rather accurate impressions of goldfish as they gulped air into their oxygen-starved lungs. He nodded smugly, barely out of breath. Pharos had spent most of the trip in the forefront of his mind, which had induced the childish running up and down the corridors. The kid was honestly having too much fun in Minato's opinion.“I think that's enough for today. Kirijo-senpai, can you locate an exit?”            After a few seconds, she responded with directions to a corridor a few feet away. Yukari helped Junpei to his feet, both shooting Minato several dark looks. The pair were drenched in ichor and blood from the walls and themselves. They had numerous small wounds that Minato refused to heal and their uniforms had seen better days. Maybe they’d learn to come in more easily replaced clothes next time.            Totally unperturbed, Minato sauntered down the hall whistling with his hands in his pockets. The other two trailed behind him, still muttering threats. At a swift kick to the weird glowing green thing, the trio disappeared from floor one of the first block of Tartarus. With a flash of light, they staggered out into the lobby.“Arisato-san! Are you alright?” Mitsuru called out, rushing over at the sight of the impressive blood stains over his coat. Unlike the others, he didn’t have a drop of ichor on him, despite being in the middle of the melee.He ducked, taking a few steps back to dodge her grip. “I am quite all right.”"Yeah, HE'S fine." Junpei growled, shooting him another dirty look. "The idiot was like a kid on sugar."Minato smirked and tapped the side of his chin in mock thoughtfulness. "That's fairly accurate.""What did you EAT?!?!" Yukari and Junpei screeched in unison."Well, one of my Personas likes sugar and I let him have some earlier...""Dude...never again...""Nonsense." He chuckled with good natured humour, that lit up his normally blank face. "Who'll watch my back, then? You guys were such good protectors after all. What would I do without my valiant and heroic bodyguards?"            He extended a friendly hand to where the Magician had flopped on the floor. Junpei huffed but took his hand anyway. The instant their hands connected, he sent a wave of Dia to clear up the rest of his second in command's injuries. With a nod, he heaved Junpei to his feet. Thankfully he could lean on Thanatos a bit to haul the teenager to his feet.

Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Magician Arcana...

Rank two. Orpheus helpfully supplied. He turned and offered his hand to a nervous Yukari. She was looking extremely embarrassed to take his hand. He sighed. "If you would like, I'll heal you without touching you." The Lovers Arcana nodded quickly and Junpei snorted at her actions. She sent him a glare but gripped her bow tighter. The Summoner took a step back and focused on a specific Persona. "Dia." He intoned. A wave of green light cleared away all her injuries and the ichor, which pleased her immensely. She smiled a weary grin that carried a new spark of pride."Man, I'm beat!" Junpei yawned. "That's the effect of the Dark Hour; you'll become fatigued more easily." Mitsuru told the rookies."Don't worry, though, you'll adapt. But, I'm surprised... you all did much better than I expected."She paused."Even with Arisato-san running around like he was. It was a good first day. It was actually a good idea.""I thought so too." He grinned."Wha-?""Arisato-san, is training you to adapt to the Dark Hour quickly by making you expend large amounts of energy in the heavier air. At this rate, they'll catch up to you in no time, Akihiko." "Heh, we'll see about that."

Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to make a Persona of the Fool Arcana...

Rank two. Orpheus once again piped up.

Sometimes I wonder who exactly is announcing the Social Links in my head...

It’s not me!
 Minato mentally rolled his eyes as he followed his teammates reluctantly out of the building.

Obviously, it’s not you, Thanatos. The person sounds too mature.

Hey! I resent that!
 Minato smiled faintly as Thanatos once again started an annoyed argument with Orpheus over the matter. It was routine by now.
Fluff-headed musician!

Megalomaniac Pyromaniac!

The insults were never the same though.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Ikutsuki snarled to himself as he paced in his room. His usual mask of impassiveness and good cheer had shattered to reveal his utter displeasure at the situation. It was a frightening change, his face twisted cruelly, and his eyes glinted with a spark of unbalance. His clothes were in a state of disarray that matched his mindset.“A summoner? What the hell is a summoner?” He muttered to himself as he paced, hands yanking on his hair. “I’ve never heard of such a thing!”Despite his insanity, he was quite brilliant and knew it too. One did not engage in a ten year long con underneath Kirijo’s nose without being brilliant and well informed. He had sympathetic compatriots in every cranny of the corporation. Being well informed kept him steps ahead of everyone. Not knowing about summoners could prove to be a fatal mistake. That’s why, like the child he had learnt about wild cards from observing, he would keep an eye on this summoner and learn everything he could before he disposed of him too.“Oh, but he’s erratic...erratic just like a damn Wild card!”Shuji Ikutsuki did not like Wild Cards.            He liked to plan things to the last detail and have them fall into place without much effort. The entire existence of a Fool Arcana flipped Fate off and sent all his careful planning into shambles. They were erratic, powerful and hard to predict. The last Fool, a foolish and desperate ten-year-old several years ago had been given suppressants as a 'friendly' gesture to stop the discord in his head. He didn’t want something that powerful growing up to put a wrench in his plans.            The members of Strega had taken the suppressants for the longest period of time recorded and they had been healthy and well looked after. That half-starved street kid didn’t have a chance. Sure enough, after a year, the kid didn't return to get a new bottle of pills. If it was suppressant overdose or other factors, he didn’t care. It had provided the same result. A forty-something man had planned the murder of a child a fourth his age without any guilt at all. His entire being was focused on his goal, nothing would stop him.Not even this new player on the field, Minato Arisato.4/21/09            Minato bit back a yawn as he approached the school gates at a lazy saunter. A quiet song played softly in his headphones, not helping his semi-awake state. None of his teammates accompanied him, both of them were too sore and were coming late. Maybe he really had pushed them too hard, but in his defense, he’d never babysitted fledglings before.Almost drowned out by the music, two of his aspects were quietly chattering away. Or to be precise, Ryoji was nattering nonstop in his head. The constant stream of words was only broken when Pharos made one of his blunt comments that caused the chatterbox to descend into an embarrassed silence or start spluttering.            Orpheus was enjoying the calm to organize his 'paperwork' and humming along to whatever was playing on Minato's MP3 player. Thanatos was on watch duty, since their host was barely conscious. At this point, the death god was mostly controlling the body's steering. If it had been left up to Minato, they would've ended up being acquainted with several light poles along the way. As it were, Minato had already put on his good fighting gloves in his automatic daze when he was dressing and had yet to notice. It would probably get them some funny looks since it was in the middle of spring, but the others just chuckled and said nothing. Even if it wasn’t a blade, having any weapon on their Summoner's person relaxed them all considerably.            It might not be Dark Hour but that never stopped people from trying to harm Minato because thugs mistook lithe apathetic predator for scrawny wimpy prey. Needless to say, most never made that assumption twice. If they survived the first encounter anyway.
Oi, Minato, Magician at nine o' clock.
"Hey, you're Minato Arisato, right?"Slightly more awake, he gave the rather plain looking boy a glance. He had the kind of features that made him seem very approachable and nonthreatening. It was helped by his tousled boyish hairstyle and the warm brown of his eyes. That kind of natural approachability didn't mean anything to Minato. Appearances could be very deceiving, Ikutsuki had taught him that life lesson."...And if I am?" Minato replied cautiously.The guy leaned back on his heels with a friendly grin and let out a whistle. "Junpei said you didn't talk much, but I didn't think you were this bad!"That caught his attention and he looked at the boy with new eyes, now catching the almost invisible flame that lay behind his eyes.Magician. He remembered with bemusement."You're friends with Junpei?""Yep!" He grinned with typical Magician confidence. "I heard you're pretty close with Yukari-san. You sure do move fast. Well, I guess it doesn't matter, I'm looking for someone with a little more experience anyway if ya know what I mean.” He winked. “I'm Kenji Tomochika. There's a morning assembly, so we better hurry."            Minato blinked once at the entire rush of words that Kenji had spouted before the brunette had grabbed his wrist and started yanking him along towards the auditorium. He almost smiled as the excitable boy dragged him alone chattering incessantly. The Persona argument in his head had mostly died down as they realized their host needed to concentrate on the outside world again. Kenji easily found them a seat by Junpei (and Yukari).            He couldn't help but start to respond to some of Kenji's nattering, until they were having a heated discussion about the pros and cons of different anime. He didn’t watch much, didn’t have the time for it usually, but he kept abreast enough to at least hold a good argument about the more popular ones. Kenji was very good at starting and keeping conversations going, he even managed to pull in Junpei and Yukari. It caught Minato by surprise when they were told to quiet down for the speech.            The Summoner settled down in his chair and did what he did best, that is, ignore the world around him. He zoned out like a pro, but it also helped that he could talk to the voices in his head. He was startled from a polite debate with Orpheus about his diet (Orpheus thought he need to take more calcium supplements, Minato thought he needed to drink more milk) by Junpei nudging him."Hey, Mitsuru's giving a speech. Wake up lazybones!""...You are lucky I wasn't actually sleeping, or I would've killed you." Minato deadpanned.Junpei chuckled nervously but made no move to touch his grouchy seatmate again.“...That was a joke Junpei,” Minato sighed.“How can I tell??” Junpei whispered furiously. “Your face never changes expression!”Yukari cut across the boys to bring them back to the topic at hand, that is, the red head now walking up to the stage. "So, she did get elected as Student Council President. Well... I guess she IS the most popular girl in school."She didn’t sound too pleased about that. In fact, she sounded outright bitter. Not for the first time Minato wondered if those two had some black history together. It could just be jealousy but Kirijo was also the daughter of a major conglomerate, it was equally likely that the Kirijo group itself had done something against Yukari or someone she knew to cause her to hold a grudge."You can say that again! There's like some kinda aura around her. Besides, this school's owned by the Kirijo Group, right?" Junpei piped up eagerly."Yeah, I try not to think about that." Yukari grumbled."That doesn't mean anything."Both turned to watch their Field Commander as he stared unblinkingly at the redhead stepping up to the podium with her characteristic aristocratic grace and poise."She has skill and determination to back herself up. It isn't about her family or how rich she is or even about nepotism."They didn't say anything as they returned their gazes to their cold and aloof upper classman. They could see it, to be honest. When they tried to think about who else in the school the Student Council President could’ve possibly been, no one else came to mind. She was that strong a contender. A polite cough from the podium brought their attention back to the front quickly. This was the Ice Queen after all, she'd execute them if she knew they weren't listening.She started her speech with all the gravitas and seriousness of a war general addressing her troops. "As I begin my term as Student Council President, I'd like to share with you my vision for this coming year. It is my firm belief that each of us must accept the responsibility of bettering our school.  However, change cannot occur without sustained effort and an unprecedented level of commitment. That is why we must restructure our daily lives to accommodate this lofty goal. I'd like each of you to dig deeply into your well of motivation, and re-evaluate your convictions... To imagine a bold new future without losing sight of the realities around you. That is the key. I am certain that many of you have your own visions of the future. For us to reap the full benefits of our education, your participation, ideas, and enthusiasm are essential. Thank you."The redhead bowed slightly and retreated from the spotlight. Minato hummed and rubbed at his cheek in deep thought."Dang... That was freaking amazing... So, do you have any idea what she just said?" Junpei said, totally lost with all the lofty words Mitsuru had used.Minato blinked, shaking himself out of his stupor. "More or less. It wasn't something you'd say to people our age though. Too much about 'thinking into the future' which we aren't that good at.""It sure didn't sound like somethin' a high-schooler would say...If it was anyone else, we'd be laughin' our asses off.""I'd love to see you try to laugh at her." The Fool commented dryly. "Heck, I would PAY."Minato idly tapped the spine of his Compendium. Ms. Toriumi, clad in her regular pink pantsuit, was starting on the Composition class. With her usual, no nonsense manner, she called the class to attention."All right, today we'll be going over Meiji-era literature. Open your textbooks to page 12."The entire class let out a simultaneous groan but obediently shuffled their books open to the page. She looked down to begin teaching but her face twisted with dislike as she studied the page in question."Oh... Hmm, I don't really like this author. Okay, never mind. I've got a great poem we can cover instead. Close your textbooks, everyone, and listen!"            With less disgruntlement, the class quickly obeyed. They were teenagers, the literature book was boring but there was a slim chance that whatever Ms. Toriumi wanted to talk about would be slightly less boring. Minato himself perked up. He normally didn't listen to classes for a multitude of reasons.
He needed to recover energy and the safest time for him to sleep ran from after midnight to lunchtime
Grades carried very little weight on his future career path, if he lived long enough to reach a career
He knew most of the information already, one of the benefits of having multiple people in his head. There were legendary scholars at his disposal who were thirsty for knowledge. He just had to channel one of those while he got some sleep and they’d happily memorize history for him
Using Personas was probably a cheat but not even the strictest scholar could argue that it was necessary for their exhausted summoner to learn all of it. Their future lay in darkened nights and desperate fights and a bloody, too-young end. It didn’t lie in studying hard, good grades and a bright future in an office somewhere. Even if he could count on a life and body that could reach his late twenties, he didn’t know what career he would even aim for.           He couldn’t deny that he did like Literature class. After all it focused on the stories and myths that humans crafted and what was a persona but the reflection of the stories that humans told. Besides, with a Persona as Orpheus as his Initial Persona, he had a massive inclination towards music and the arts."Ahem... 'Beyond the seas, high above in the skies...'"Minato tilted his head as he listened to the poem. It was a beautiful one and Ms.Torumi’s recitation was engaging despite the times she paused to lash out at the sleeping members of the class."All right, Kenji, you'd better not be sleeping back there! You should be ashamed of yourself, taking a nap while I pour my heart into reading this poem! For that, you get another essay along with your regular assignment tonight! I'll expect a slice of cake when you turn it in, too!"Minato wanted to laugh as he heard the Magician let out an indignant whine.
How is she a teacher?!
The afternoon brought some nice clear weather and a…horde of girls?Minato had barely made it out of the front door of the school before he ran into the small crowd. There had to be at least three girls from every class in the school. It didn’t sound like much, but they added up when they were all packed together like that. It wasn’t hard to spot Akihiko in the middle of the group, his hair stood out like a silver beacon.  Minato quickly tried to stifle his mirth, but Akihiko must’ve heard him because he gave him a look that was several parts panic and most parts begging. The silver haired boy was currently up to the shoulders in girls. From the squealing and chattering they could only be some of his fangirls.(And if he looked around the edges he could see some fanboys too)The Wild Card stood just out of the line of fire and waved innocently at his trapped teammate who looked close to committing a crime just so he could get away. Even though they were in a school full of teenagers and Akihiko was in the middle of a crowd, Minato could still make out the slowly climbing scent of ozone. If he left him there a little bit longer, he’s sure that some of those girls would start getting static shocks and a major case of frizzy hair. He was almost impressed that Akihiko could start to manifest magic in the real world out of sheer panic.He’d probably have to sit him down later to coax it out properly"Look, it's Akihiko-senpai!" A girl sighed next to him."Where!?” Her friend barked, head swiveling and a particular feral look in her eyes. “...Oh, there he is!"The pair of them scrambled over to join the mob with glee.Minato couldn’t quite understand the behavior. Did they like him because he was good looking? A sport captain? Popular? If they liked him so much, why were they mobbing him?He knew why he liked Akihiko, but it had more to do with his combative personality and that familiar look in his eyes. Of all of SEES, he liked the boxer the best. He didn’t have to teach him, like Yukari and Junpei, and he didn’t have remain on guard, like with Mitsuru or Ikutsuki. Akihiko just wanted to fight things and that was something he whole heartedly supported.He just didn’t understand the behavior of these girls. And from the looks a few other girls were throwing at the debacle as they passed, they didn’t quite get it either. At this point Minato just shrugged and accepted that this was just how the world was going to be."Have you noticed how popular Akihiko-san is with the ladies?" Junpei mused as he walked up to his side.  "Just look at how many girls! I didn't use to talk to him much, but now I've got a good excuse. If the girls know I’m friends with him, maybe I’d get a girlfriend! I know he's the captain of the boxing team, but who woulda thought he'd be such a chick magnet!?"Minato shot Junpei a dry look. "'Chick Magnet'? Really? The guy's denser than a brick when it comes to girls. And these girls don’t care for him beyond his face."“I mean, if he’s dense then it’s more for me!” Junpei cheered. “When those girls get rejected by him, they can seek comfort in his ‘buddy’s’ arms! It’s a foolproof plan!”"Pervert..."A shout brought their attention back to their mobbed upperclassman. Thankfully, they weren’t shameless enough to paw at him, yet. That didn’t mean that they weren’t packed tightly around him and leaving him no avenue of escape.The boxer hopelessly tried to wade through the mob with a look of intense discomfort. They didn’t really want to move and were starting to take the excuse to paw at him as he passed. Minato had to hand it to him. They guy was definitely no stranger to extracting himself from overly affectionate mobs. He weaved and nudged through them with the air of long practice.The mob on the other hand were a bit less organized and a small scuffle broke out.The senior stumbled away from the mob frantically glanced around trying to catch his bearings, a look of relief appeared as soon as he spotted the pair of them off to the side. The poor guy practically dived away from the girls towards them."Hey, are you guys free this afternoon?" He asked quickly, almost stumbling over his words in his rush."Hell yeah! Whatcha got in mind!?" Junpei leered, eyeing the girls.Minato rolled his eyes. "Pervert."What a teenaged boy. Orpheus said, with all the tone that implied that it was an insult.True to his obliviousness, Akihiko ignored that.  "I want the two of you to meet me at Paulownia Mall. You know where it is, right? I'll be at the police station. See ya there.""Th-The police station? You mean, we're not hangin' out with your friends...?""Do they look like his friends?" Minato asked dryly.Gekkoukan's Golden Boy had a look of intense sufferance. "Who, these girls? I don't even know their names. They talk so much they give me a headache. Anyway, I'm gonna head out. ...Don't keep me         waiting."Message delivered, the silver haired golden boy took off at a frantic sprint, using all that Shadow fighting training to outpace the rabid fangirls. Minato watched him go in bemusement.
I am SO glad that I don’t have to deal with that.
"Awww... Why can't he be more friendly?" One girl sighed."But, that's what makes him so cool!"As one, the entire mass of fangirls let out the dreaded fangirl squeal and started to run after their love interest."WE'RE COMING AKIHIKO-SENPAI!!!!!!!!!!""Man, how can he not know their names!? I mean, seriously! Just look at them!""Are we even looking at the same people?" Minato wondered to himself as he began to follow his friend towards the gate.The train was on time and the clear weather wasn’t too hot with the cool sea breeze whipping off the port. Their trip to Paulownia Mall didn’t take any time at all. It felt very strange to be walking into a police station. He was almost certain he had committed some crimes at some point, accidental property destruction, not paying for train tickets etc. Just the kind of things that tended to happen when you were knee deep in the Supernatural side of the word.Regular laws didn’t really apply to those on the supernatural side of life who could so easily break them without consequence. People like him had an entirely different set of laws and police forces. On the not-so- bright side, the policing forces that deal with supernatural infractions were very hardcore. On the bright side, once he didn’t kill anyone or risk major exposure, Minato could do whatever he liked.As the duo entered the police store, Minato raised an eyebrow at the policeman Akihiko was talking to. The guy looked about as friendly as a rabid wolf. Something about his stiff posture and sharp eyes made a person’s back self-consciously straighten out of fear. Minato liked him immediately."Thank you, Sir.” Akihiko nodded to the man. “These are the guys I was talking about earlier."            The cop didn't reply, cold eyes studying each inch of the pair before him. An officer's hat was pulled down low over his eyes adding more to his intimidation factor. Something greatly assisted by his looming height, immaculate uniform and the utterly emotionless dark gray of his gaze."I was waiting for you guys. This is Officer Kurosawa. He helps keep our squad well-equipped. And, this is from Ikutsuki-san..."The boxer handed them a small handful of money. Minato stared at the money in something close to amusement. 5000 yen was barely a spit in the vast fortune that he had amassed from his shadow hunting days. All of which was conveniently stored within his Compendium. Which was great, because he didn’t want to explain to a bank how he got so much money."R-Really!? Sweet!"Free money was free money after all. The only thing cooler than buying weaponry was buying weaponry and not having to pay for it with your own money."You can't fight empty-handed, so find something you like. Officer Kurosawa has connections but, these things still cost money."
Is he a dirty cop...? Why is he selling weapons to children?
This is awesome, he better have some cool blades! Thanatos grinned. Plus, this guy looks like a total hardass!Minato nearly sighed. Really, Thanatos? Really?
HE SELLS POINTY THINGS.
...You have a point. Kurosawa grumbled. "Of course, they do. Nothing in life is free."Akihiko just smiled in the tired way of one who knew that all too well. "I realize that. Well, I'll see you later. Thanks again."            The boxer carefully poked his head out the doors, scanning the mall for his dreaded stalkers. Apparently, the coast was not as clear as it looked because he rapidly paled and shot out of the door like a bullet. A small group raced past a few seconds later, their squeal muffled by the glass. Kurosawa didn't even blink and instead only leaned over to make another mark on a chart on the wall."I've been informed about you two." He fixed the pair in a glare that could pierce steel.
Well that sounds ominous. What exactly did Akihiko tell him?
 "My job is to maintain peace in this city, regardless of the circumstances. I'm just an ordinary police officer, but it doesn't take a genius to know something strange is going on here. I'm only doing what I think is right."Somewhere is the back of his mind, Minato is a little bit in awe. Because, what did Kirijo tell this hardass of a man to get him to sell weapons under the table?"Well, we appreciate it." Minato nodded."Uh, yeah!" Junpei mumbled, quailing under the glare."I have several catalogs of weaponry that I have in the back. I don’t have any guns, but Kirijo-san has already informed me that none of you are allowed to use them anyway. Otherwise, feel free to browse."“Thank you, Officer Kurosawa, we won’t abuse your trust.”His face didn’t soften in the slightest, but his eyes relaxed a tiny bit as he handed over the catalogue. Minato gets the strangest feeling that this man knows, not just whatever story Kirijo told him, but properly knows what’s going on. Maybe Akihiko cracked and told him the truth but no matter how he found out, this man knows. And he’s decided to help out in the only way he could. Minato could really respect this guy. “See that you don’t.”The list was woefully limited, barely more than a single page but there were useful pictures and descriptions alongside the names.Did you ever consider that we don’t need more weaponry? Orpheus pitched in, with the air of someone who knew his perfectly reasonable point was going to get flattened by the steamroller of enthusiasm.  We have so many swords dropped from shadows that we could probably outfit a small army. You don’t even use them anyway since they snap like matchsticks and Thanatos’s sword is so much better!
Shhhh. We don’t want any logic in this house.

But Orpheus, he might have new things! Quality things! Even you have to admit that most of the weapons the shadows drop are garbage.

…They are.

Look, even if this guy doesn’t have anything, he might have enough connections to get us access to legitimate powerful weaponry. Even if he doesn’t, one can never have enough knives.
As a trio, they gave a shudder. Once, Minato had a run in with a shadow he really wasn’t able to handle. In the ensuing chase and being driven very high up the scaffolding of a bridge, Minato had distracted it by throwing knives. They lost count of how many they threw at it pretty quickly in the adrenaline and panic but when they ran out of ammo they nearly died.
Okay, you make an excellent point. Just don’t waste money on more useless swords.

…

…

…

Pftt

HE DOESN’T HAVE ANY KNIVES?!?! WHAT KINDA BLACK MARKET COP IS THIS!

Ok well that plan derailed fast.
With dreams in fresh smoke Minato nodded at Junpei and nudged the catalogue closer to him. "Get some armour and a better sword. Here's my money.""Wha-? Dude-" He protested, trying to give the money back.He waved off the concern. "It’s alright, I have a full kit already. I’m pretty much set for life in armour and swords."Even Junpei couldn’t help but cave at that point. The only thing better than shopping for weapons was shopping for weapons with twice the expected budget and not your own money. Without further hassle, he delved into the list of sharp and pointy objects with childish glee. Honestly, what person hasn't ever dreamed of owning a sword?With his shopping companion sufficiently distracted, Minato leaned across the counter."So..."Kurosawa's eyebrow rose. Minato smiled with all his teeth."Do you do special orders?"            Junpei walked off whistling, a large case strapped to his back. He would've been gushing about how epic it was to own a sword, but Minato had pointed out how that was a bad idea. Kurosawa wouldn’t arrest him for waving around a sword in public, but the mall security might. Being denied the opportunity to boast, he still left in a very upbeat mood.Left to his own devices, Minato finally took the time to look around the mall idly. The shopping trip had been profitable even though he had nothing to show for it with his empty hands. He had left lists of the kind of items he wanted with Kurosawa with the promise that the man would send some feelers out to his contacts. The thought of all the sharp implements that lay in his future was enough to make him want to start to cackle madly.            He restrained himself to a devious smirk that he couldn't help. Thanatos himself was still cackling insanely within the confines of his head. Orpheus had resigned to the madness a while ago with a shrug.One of the stores drew his attention. A little spark on his senses and a whiff of otherworldly scent that didn’t belong to any particular element but was nonetheless magic. It was a small jewelry store, looking a little out of place on the same stretch as an arcade but he guessed they had wanted to be close to a police station.It was worth checking out. If they had anything worthwhile, he certainly had the hard cash to afford it.Not even bothering to read the sign, he ambled lazily in. At the jingle of the bell the saleswoman looked up and gave him a polite greeting. He had to give her props, she was professional and not a sliver of disdain crossed her face at the sight of a most likely window-shopper high schooler in her store. He gave the exceedingly cheerful saleswoman a neutral greeting before looking around at the multiple glass cases in interest.They were expensive, which was to be expected. He took a few deep breaths, tasting the air and was pleasantly surprised.
These are enchanted artifacts!
A handful of the chains and necklaces carried the scent of Magicite. The ore didn’t smell very strongly but it did carry a unique scent that he couldn’t compare to anything else. These weren’t particularly powerful but their very existence in this shop was strange. People didn’t just get their hands-on artifacts.Minato tapped the side of his face as Orpheus began describing the effects of each piece of jewelry. They weren’t even the same kinds of artifacts, one set added to resistance but the other boosted elemental affinity. It wasn’t even one or two pieces, there was at least one fully packed cabinet that had nothing but enchanted jewelry.
Well, isn't that useful.
 Oddly so. Orpheus agreed. It is strange that this store stocks Elemental Enhancers but the clerk is obviously not aware of it so it can’t be intentional.
Well the clerk isn’t exactly the owner. The owner could be fully aware of what he’s selling.

Even so, for them to be this collected and organized, this was an ordered supply.

Life is hard, maybe a Demon Summoner or rouge Persona-user had to sell some pieces to get by.
  Yes, but they’d get a far better price selling to someone who KNOWS what these can do.   Maybe he couldn’t find any supernatural buyers and had to settle for non-supernatural buyers. It’s always been hard to find other supernatural people unless you head to specific cities and organizations. We disguise ourselves too well.Ok, I guess It could make sense. Orpheus shrugged. It’s just very odd to find a massive stash of artifacts here of all places.
...You’re right, it is a little odd that artifacts would be a small shop in a city on the mouth of literal hell. The owner must at least be partially aware to have these stocked like this. It’s a very anonymous way to help out any fighters in this city without being involved themselves.
  Well don’t retired Demon Summoners usually start shops? Remember that red haired guy, a few cities ago? He had such nice knives…  Yeah, it’s just a pity those knives ended up the gullet of that dog-looking shadow. Such a waste.   We still have a pair of gloves from that guy… Moving on though, are you actually going to buy anything? Thanatos whined.
Shadows nearly never drop artifacts, even if they only have small effects, they can still be useful in bulk.
 "Good Afternoon, Can I have one of these Ward bracelets, Charms, Enhancers and Bracers in each colour?"The look on her face was several shades of polite disbelief but Minato was not the type to justify his strange behavior to strangers. He just stared at her with the polite interest of someone waiting for something. Thankfully, he didn’t have to put up with questions or demands for ID, both of which he’d gotten before.He stuck his hand in his pocket, touched the Compendium and drew a large wad of cash from his pocket to slap on the counter. It was the best way he could think to prove that he could pay despite looking like a broke high schooler.  She didn’t ask any questions after that. Money was money after all, and such a big sale was bound to give her a bonus from the boss. She unlocked the cabinet and started unloading the jewelry and pulling out boxes to pack them into. Minato just stared for a second as the number of boxes that was needed for all the jewelry grew significantly larger....I guess I shouldn't have bought it all at once. He thought dryly. Gee, what gave you that idea? Thanatos replied with full sarcasm. At least I'm not the one who has to carry it. "Please don’t bother with boxing them, a bag will do just fine.”She was still skeptical, but her face had to that mildly dissociated look of service staff where the general attitude was ‘this might as well happen’. The artifacts were packed without care to prevent tangling or ‘damaging’ into a few heavy-duty jewelry bags. (Artifacts were a bit harder to scratch and damage because of the Magicite so it wasn’t much of a concern.)Ringing up the purchase brought some life back into her. It was…a fair bit of money. Nothing he couldn’t part with now that he didn’t have to be constantly budgeting for food, clothes and lodgings. Besides, with a tower full of prey, he could probably make back the money in a night. Minato counted out the bills carefully on the counter and left the store with what felt like a sack of bricks. Individually, the artifacts weren’t small but combined they were remarkably heavy. His arms were screaming in protest against the weight. Thankfully there was a nearby alley that he could sprint down. With that goal in sight Minato moved as fast as he physically could while lugging his clinking and jingling sack. He felt a bit like a pirate with a sack of pilfered gold.The instant he was out of sight of the general populace he lowered the bag the ground carefully. He’d drop it but it would probably make a very large noise. His Compendium was quickly yanked out of nowhere along with an empty blue card."There's no way I'm lugging all this back to the dorm!"He smashed the card down on to the bag. There was a flash of velvet blue light and the huge sack of purchases vanished into the inventory space. He closed his tome with a crisp snap and a relieved sigh. The inventory space of the compendium was sometimes the absolute best thing.Never mind that he would probably have to sort through that stack of artifacts later. That was a problem for another time.He stuck his head out to scan the mall again. He didn’t much feel like checking them out and none of them smelled suspicious or interesting. He wouldn’t doubt that he’d see the more mundane stores from outings with his magician friends, so he was willing to wait.With a self-satisfied nod, he ducked back into the alley to visit his sister. He’d rather spend as much time as he could with her.            Minato hummed along to his music as he entered the dorm, making sure to sign in on the sheet. The instant he was out of the public, the Compendium appeared floating next to him like a bodyguard. Still humming a catchy tune, he drifted to the couches, the book following him like a puppy. He flopped down lazily on one of the couches opposite Mitsuru. The senior looked up from her book, startled. To her credit, she only glanced briefly at the floating book before focusing on Minato."Welcome back. I'd like to speak to you about our Tartarus explorations. Akihiko's ribs will be healing for a few more weeks so you'll continue leading the team for now. Though I must ask you to refrain from your.... eccentricities when training the recruits.""Well that’s no fun.""We could do without the heart attack." The redhead replied dryly.He sighed, a little disappointed despite himself. "…I guess…"“Wait.” He said, catching himself. “Why is Akihiko still healing?”Mitsuru frowned, looking a little upset herself. “We’re not too certain. There was a complication. He jarred it a LOT that night. He didn’t get treated for several hours and by then there was a lot of damage done.”Minato squinted at her. “…are you serious…?”He got a scathing look for that. “If you can remember, we had someone coughing up blood.”“No, I mean, you didn’t try to heal him?”“For broken bones, dia isn’t strong enough.”“Well yes but it would’ve helped with the muscle damage, or what about Media or Diarama or even one of those drop items?”“…We don’t have any of those.”“Oh. I could-““No,” She shook her head firmly. “I don’t want you to heal him. He’s been very reckless as of late. He needs some time to cool down and that injury will keep him quiet for a little while.”Minato bit his tongue. He knew how Akihiko felt and he could get where Mitsuru was coming from. But It rankled that she would make a call like that when it was Akihiko’s body and his pain. It was one thing to wait for an injury to heal and another thing entirely to deliberately not heal one when you had the power. He’d go see what he could do when she wasn’t looking."Other than that, we would like to be better prepared in case another powerful enemy appears. Whenever you want to explore Tartarus, just let me know, and I'll gather everyone there. Also, since I'm sure there are other things you will need to take care of, you may go out at night if you need to.""Wait, I wasn’t allowed to go out at night before?"The Kirijo Heiress rubbed her brow in exasperation. "Arisato, did you even read the dorm pamphlet?""No, Why? Was it important?""Just...Never mind. That's all I had to tell you. Keep up the good work.""Hmm...Are the rookies recovered from yesterday?"Mitsuru shot him another dry look from over her book."I suppose that's a no. Oh well then."
Guys, we're solo-ing the tower tonight.
His Persona let out a simultaneous cheer at the thought of the widespread havoc they could cause now that SEES wouldn't be watching them. None was louder than Thanatos's maniacal cackling. This was going to be a true and proper scouting run.He’d need to do some preparation. Even if he could demolish a lower floor without even using magic, the tower had multiple floors. There were more powerful shadows lurking in the dark. And he still didn’t know the rules of the game or what that powerful shadow of the tower was playing at.He didn’t have to gesture, The Compendium moved to face him following his intentions like a disembodied limb. The book glowed faintly and opened, several Persona cards appearing before Minato. He was already set and organized for weaponry and armour but shuffling his Persona set up was a consistent effort in self-improvement.He studied the cards of various Personas, shuffling through and arranging them into a specific order with jabs of his finger."...Damn, I guess I don't have anybody over Rank thirty..." He mumbled to himself, shifting past the card of Pale Rider."I guess I can cover most of the bases if I add in..."            The Summoner continued muttering to himself. Having a proper loadout could get fairly complicated. He had to achieve a harmony of all-elemental offense as well as all-elemental defense with as little Personas as possible. By now, the careful balance of elements and spirits was old hat. He hadn’t been very good at it when he started out, but experience was the best teacher.With small flash of blue light, he performed a minor fusion to upgrade Genbu to have an Ice boost and Mabufu.Most velvet room magics went right over his head. He had no idea if you had to be the special kind of being as a Velvet Room Attendant, a Blank Card, to understand it or it he just couldn’t get it. He hadn’t come away from several years of close acquaintance with nothing, however. The minor tricks, he could pull off. Nothing like summoning and setting a Velvet Room door, but he could use the Compendium to twist and pulls small pockets of space, his inventory wouldn’t work if he couldn’t. He could repair his own Velvet blue coat but that had less to do with his prowess and more to do with how the coat’s enchantments were set up.And the most hard-won skill of all, he could perform minor, low-level dual fusions.To his eternal dismay, and the other Velvet room Attendant's amusement, despite all his attempts he had never figured out how to fuse more than two Personas at a time. They had tried to explain multiple persona fusion at length several times, but he just couldn’t manage it. Even for more powerful double fusions it was still a learning process. At his current level, he couldn’t handle any sort of fusion over level thirty without it blowing up in his face. He owned no Persona that was over Spiritual Rank thirty.Orpheus and Thanatos didn't count.            Having ten years stuck with the same Personas and a minor fusing skill due to his inability to access the Velvet Room at the time led to some serious experimentation regarding inherited skills. They may all be under Rank 30, but they were some seriously well kitted out Personas. Fusing was something of a minor hobby to Minato. When he was planning particularly complicated fusion chains, he’d scribble diagrams all over papers until it looked like he was trying to summon Lucifer straight up from hell.(One day he’d figure out how to summon a persona-shade of Lucifer and a lot of people will have regrets)  The blue magic twisted around his fingers as he coaxed and directed his cards. He couldn’t say it was entirely comfortable place to do this, he wasn’t used to people staring at him so much. The gawking was only in his periphery, but it was still off-putting. He wasn’t going to move however; the couch was comfortable, and he didn’t want to humour them and go back to hiding away like he’d done for the past ten years. Besides, the more he acclimatized them to casual magic, the less they’d be shocked about the more ridiculous things he did later.            A figure in a white lab coat sat comfortably on the edge of a rooftop, his eyes fixed on the tower that lay before his sight. He lounged on the rooftop, utterly relaxed despite the chilling atmosphere and puddles of blood inches away from his unnaturally clean coat. And it really was unnaturally clean, it sloughed off the environmental blood and grime like water off a duck’s back. In fact, it was so shining white that it was actually shining softly in the night.            The man watched Tartarus with a bemused gaze. Every few minutes, a large explosion went off inside, lighting up the windows with their ferocity. Swears, cursed and yells often followed the concussive blasts, the owner of the voice being so loud that his watcher could clearly hear the words from his rooftop perch."Come back here you @#$%$ gold shadow!" Even as he watched there was a ferocious cry of 'Agilao!' on the tweflth floor and the side of Tartarus was ripped open in the massive blast. It was almost impossible to consider that someone could rip through the boarder of spatial disconnect that separated the outside of the tower from the inside of the tower. But the watcher wasn’t surprised, the lower floors were particularly flimsy when faced with an avatar of the death god roaring in its halls. He had trashed a few of them himself a year ago when he tried to topple the tower by blowing out the bottom floors.With his sharp eyesight he could make out the form of the Wild Card through all the smoke.            Clenched in one hand was an impressive bone white long sword dripping with black ichor. His hair was unruly with streaks of more black ichor running through the blue. His coat had similar treatment, with rivets of black staining the cloth. Tears in the cloth glowed blue, regenerating from the punishment it was being forced to take. There was a wild, almost feral look in the normally composed boy's eyes. With a bloodthirsty grin at the damage he had wrought on the structure, mercury eyes glinting, he vanished into the labyrinth to search for more prey."He's quite something, wouldn't you agree?" A different voice rang out on the rooftop.            The man sitting on the edge of the roof turned slightly to stare at the man that had moved out of the shadows. Dressed in only a pair of jeans, with a large revolver stuffed into the waistband without care for safety, the second man looked as odd as the first man looked plain. Extensive tattoos ran down his bare arms in full view due to his lack of shirt. Sickly yellow eyes stared mockingly at the man perched at the roof edge. "Why did you call us here Takaya?" The first man's voice was quiet, with the echo of a larger and stronger entity behind it."I was just wondering about this new Origin Witness, that makes five doesn't it?" Takaya's mocking voice rang out on the quiet rooftop.The first man remained silent and went back to watching the tower, his boyish features now cold. All amusement he had derived from watching the Wild Card tear his way through the tower was gone in an instant. He hated Takaya but he was right, that mad cackling avatar of death trying to trash the tower right now brought the count up to the dreaded five."He's the last one, isn't he Watcher?"He did not respond to the mocking words, but his tension was betrayed by his fingers' white-knuckled grip on the ledge."He's Thanatos, isn't he?" Takaya spat the name with intense hatred.The man sitting on the roof turned, blue and purple bleeding into his irises to overtake the plain brown. If it were possible, the tense form looked even more forbidding. A shadow of dark steel armour and purple magic loomed over the man with an oppressive presence. The echo in the man's voice became more pronounced and heavier.
"Watch what you say around me, Hypnos."
Takaya shifted back slightly, a mocking grin still on his face. "Ah, I forgot you were the neutral Gatemaster-"Before he could say anymore three knives embedded themselves an inch from his boots. The Gatemaster's white clad arm was still outstretched from where he had thrown his knives. There had been no warning in the motion or even a visible action to draw them. In all appearances, he had no weapons at all, nothing on him that marked him as unusual from any regular doctor.
"Don't lie. You have always known my role. It has never changed. Now, why have you called us here?"
 "The five of us are finally all here." Takaya grinned. "I just came to wish you a happy Apocalypse dear Janus~"             Several more knives were thrown at a startling speed towards the slightly insane man. This time Takaya avoided them with practiced, superhuman ease and a mad cackle, fading back into the shadows. He was gone as quickly as he came. With the departure of the annoyance, the blue and purple faded away to reveal normally warm brown irises. The oppression lifted away, the god returning to its roost inside its host. His hands flexed on the concrete ledge in irritation, itching to put his hands on that irritating man’s neck and just squeeze.He had tried it before, hoping to cut the man off before he made thing worse. It hadn’t worked at all. He thought it would’ve been easy. Takaya was on a steady diet of drugs trying to restrain the god in his skin and his grasp on his powers was fragmented and flimsy at best.Bringing all of Janus’s powers to bear on the man had just urged Hypnos to surge up in defense, manifesting powerfully to match him. His companions also jumped in until he was facing three full blown gods with no backup. Takaya had three Origin Witnesses to his one. For all they were weak individually, they still beat him with sheer numbers. Thankfully the man was mad enough to take it as a joke, nothing more than a squabble between god-siblings.He was protected by his supposed ‘neutrality’ as the neutral god of the five. He did not aid the destruction but neither did his role allow him to stop it, he just was. It was a torturous role where he could only look on as the world marched towards destruction.The man stared at Tartarus with a worried frown. Thanatos was a lynchpin to the final End, but he wasn’t quite the empty monster he had expected. There was a chance, slim though it may be, that Thanatos had been tainted enough by his human container to join him on the side trying to save humanity. Three versus two did not sound like better odds, but when one of those two was Thanatos, the literal god of Death, he thinks they might have a chance. "I wish you luck Thanatos. You're going to need it."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

4/22/09
  "Hey there man, you want to get some ramen after school? I know a really good place." Minato looked up from his bag in mild interest. He closed it quickly and tilted his head curiously at the boy before him. "Why are you asking me?" Kenji grinned and shrugged. "No reason, really. I just don't have anything to do later...and I thought we could finish our conversation from this morning. So whaddya say, man? Let's get some ramen and talk." The Wild Card studied the boy's genuine grin and honest offer for a moment and shrugged. 
What harm could it be?
 
4/22/09

Hagakure
             Minato was rather pleased with himself. This outing was giving him a good guide for eating places, Kenji was giving him reviews on every restaurant and fast food joint they passed. The extremely specific kind of recommendations that came from experience and a minor case of food poisoning. He’d already started to mark out a mental list of places to try out. It was a not-so-well-hidden secret that Minato liked to eat. He liked to eat a whole lot. With all the fighting and massive magic usage, he needed a lot of energy to get through a day. Usually, he supplemented his meals with whatever high nutrition snacks he could get his hands on, protein bars, nutrition shakes, dense biscuits. He prioritized foodstuffs that could last for a long time, could be bought in bulk and were as cheap as he could get them. Even so, keeping himself fed ate up a good chunk of his budget. If he didn't fight shadows at night and loot their corpses, he wouldn't be able to afford his appetite. It didn’t help that his energy reserves were enormous and constantly growing. Most of the fuel he ate was converted directly to magic/spiritual energy. Eating enough to keep himself topped up was a constant struggle because of how much magic he had to use on a day to basis. Aside from magic used for combat, he had a constant mild reinforcement throughout his body that kept him upright and healthy. If he took it down for more than ten minutes, either from summoning Thanatos or lowering his magic reserves too much, the heavy dose of suppressant poison still in his body would cause him to start to cough and wheeze. The constant growing of his reserves was also a looming problem. At some point, it wouldn’t be physically possible for him to eat enough to produce the amount of magic he’d need to fill up to maximum capacity. He’d be stuck with only a certain amount of magic even as his maximum capacity grew and the cost of skills and spells spiraled ever higher. Thankfully, the Velvet Room was knowledgeable enough to help him plan for the future. It wasn’t possible at his level yet but there were higher level personas who could absorb ambient spiritual energy and restore his reserves. There was even talk of enchanted items that could do the same. Either way, Minato liked food, the unhealthier the better. With his rapid metabolism, he could eat like a monster and not gain a single pound. On the bright side, it was impossible for him to put on weight. That meant he could throw himself further with a single wind spell, he could slide through cracks and had less body mass to enhance (which meant less magic spent) On the not-so-bright side, he had to worry about accidentally and dangerously losing weight that he couldn’t afford to if he didn’t eat enough. With most his fuel concentrated into refilling magic, there wasn’t much left for growth. He had been stuck at a height which could have him lose a height contest with a middle-schooler for the past three years. The lack of weight was also a bit of a problem with physical fighting, which depended on height for reach and weight and muscle for the power behind a blow. None of which he had. One of the best sources of fuel had to be ramen, which made it one of his favourite foods. The place Kenji took him to was worth the hype, even at first glance. The place was larger than usual for a ramen joint and had a steady stream of chattering customers. Everything about the place gave good indications that the noodles must be something spectacular.             Kenji seemed like a chatterbox, so Minato was pleasantly surprised that he remained quiet while they waited for their orders. Not that he could blame him, the heavenly aroma wafting from the kitchen was good at derailing any thought processes. The instant the bowls were set down with a small 'clack', the two teenagers fell upon it like a pair of starved wolves.             For several minutes, the only sound was the clatter of chopsticks and slurping. Minato finished first, due to his enormous appetite and experience with eating quickly. As soon as he slammed down the bowl he signaled an order for another bowl. Kenji tilted the bowl, slurping down the rest of the broth with gusto. "...Whew! Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Was I right, or was I right? Hagakure ramen is the best! I bet there's some secret ingredient in it… It's probably some sort of secret spice..." He trailed off before catching himself with slight embarrassment. "Oh, sorry. My bad. I get all geeked up when I eat here." "It's alright," Minato muttered in amusement, starting on his second bowl. "It is pretty awesome." "You think so? Really? You can appreciate the subtle yet unique flavor of the soup? Wow, you don't look like the type of guy I'd normally hang around with, but I guess looks aren't everything." "What's that supposed to mean?" He frowned, in between noodles. "Uh, I don’t really hang around the pretty boy type, no offense." Kenji shrugged. “It’s hard to get girls when you’re standing next to someone who’s better looking than you.” Minato blankly stared at him. “…Pretty boy…?” Kenji shrugged. “Yeah, you got that emo hair thing going on. Girls dig that kinda thing.” "You cannot be serious." The Magician just nervously chuckled. "Hey, don’t get mad! It was a compliment! A compliment!" He's right, Minato. You look kinda like a player- Thanatos began with the impression of an evil grin. How many poor girl’s hearts have you broken with your pretty face?

NONE. He growled and mentally snapped his fingers. Orpheus.
 
With pleasure. Orpheus replied with gritted teeth. As his initial Persona, Orpheus resembled Minato down to his shaggy haircut. They looked like identical twins. Insulting the appearance of one of them could be nothing less than an equal insult to the appearance of the other.

An explosion of Agi went off somewhere deep inside his skull. Minato got the distinct impression that there was a Tom & Jerry style race going on somewhere in his subconscious. Orpheus giving up fire for a chance to bash his idiotic teammate’s head in with his massive lyre.

DX

Serves you right.

Serves you right.

"...By the way, I hear you and Yukari are close. Damn, boy, you move fast! I mean, you just transferred here. I can't blame you, though. A man's gotta be aggressive nowadays." "...Why does everyone think I like Yukari?" Kenji gave Minato the most perplexed look he had ever seen, like he couldn’t even believe how that was in question. "But...She's popular! And you live with the chick!" The magician spluttered, waving his chopsticks. “How I that not the perfect setup to get close to her and ask her out!” Bemused now, Minato waved off the remark casually and started in on his third bowl with a satisfied air. The ramen really was quite good. Maybe Kenji was right, and it really was a secret spice… "She's nothing special. Rather self-centered, really. I'm not into romance anyway." The brunet made a strangled sound and started to laugh. "Nothing special he says…you've gotta be the first guy to be so utterly uninterested in her." "You don't seem too taken with her either." Kenji puffed himself up, and drawled. "I'm more interested in women with a bit more experience, ya'know." “…Is that a sex thing or an age thing, because I can’t tell.” “Age!” Kenji yelped. “I like my women a bit older, ok!” “…Kenji, I don’t want to burst your bubble, but you do realize that you’re jailbait, right?” He got a scowl for that. “I’m legal!” “eh…according to the law probably, but in the eyes of an adult you’re still a child. If you really want to try and date an older lady, you’re going to need to really come off as mature.” A wide grin spread across the boy's face. "I got my eye on just the one too! She's hot!" Minato hummed, fully aware that nothing he was going to say was going to make it through to the boy. Hopefully, whoever the lady was would do the right thing and shoot him down gently. Kenji might say he was legal, but he really wasn’t. Especially with his childish features, if he wasn’t careful, he might get his prospective girlfriend labeled as a pedophile. He sighed and lifted his free hand to wave it in Kenji's face. he’d better offer some advice that sounded slightly supportive. "Well if she's older, watch out for a ring. She might try and string you along." The boy scowled, indignant. "S-she wouldn't do that!" The summoner put down his chopsticks for a second to raise his hands in a placating gesture. "I'm not accusing her or anything but isn't it best to play careful?" Kenji scowled briefly, reluctantly nodding. Minato sighed internally; he really wasn’t close enough to this kid to give him criticism about how he chose to live his life. They really had just met today after all. He couldn’t just yell at the guy and ditch him; Kenji was good friends with Junpei. That might make things very uncomfortable, affect SEES operations and might even reverse his Magician’s Social Link if he wasn’t careful. And yes, he knew that sounded like a bit of a stretch but there had been incidents before with some superficial Social Links with previous classmates. He pissed one off with too blunt words and next thing he knew all the minor social links in his class reversed. The only thing he could do right now for this situation, was be as supportive as possible and help out if things go wrong. Minato patted a friendly hand on the brunette's back. "Good luck with your confession!" A wide grin spread across Kenji's face. "Thanks man! We should hang out after school again sometime. I'll tell you how my plan goes!"

CRASH

As the world froze in time, he blinked in confusion. This shouldn’t be happening; he’d never held multiple social links for one Arcana before.

What?! I have Magician already, what's going on?!

I don't know-

Your willingness to extend a hand of friendship beyond the ranks of Social Links to an eager Magician has gifted you with a Soul Weapon.

A what?

A Soul Weapon? We’ve never heard of that before. Thanatos helpfully supplied. 
Well aren't you helpful today.

A strange warmth washed through his soul as blue sparks rained down on his prone body.

The Magician's Ignatius Blade has tied itself to your soul.

The WHAT?

Sounds important. More importantly, it sounds SHARP.
 He only got a brief impression of it – fire, weight and a fearsome rattling growl- before the weapon sunk into his subconscious just out of reach. He could feel something had joined him, but he didn’t quite know where it had stored itself. It would probably take some looking around and digging in his subconscious before he could figure out quite what an ‘Ignatius Blade’ was. As time resumed, Minato composed himself to stop his confusion from showing on his face. 
Well isn’t this interesting?

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Shinjiro Aragaki reclined contentedly on his shrine bench, blinking drowsily in the warm sunlight. It was a nice afternoon, the sun wasn’t too bright or too hot, it was perfect conditions for basking. Sakura blossoms were falling like snow around him, dancing in the slight breeze and covering the ground in their brilliance. The rest of the shrine was empty, too early in the afternoon for schoolchildren but too late for the elderly. There was only himself and a single white dog cavorting in the petals.            The Persona User couldn't stop the faint upward twitch of his lips as Kuromaru rolled in a pile of pink, acting silly. The dog looked highly pleased with himself, despite the new splotches of pink stuffed in his fur. Shinji let out a small chuckle and patted the bench beside him.            He was too comfortable to get up, and his body was having one of its bad days. His entire body ached dully and discouraged him from moving too much. It could be worse however, the truly terrible days, he could barely leave his futon. Those were the days when all he could see was jumbled pain and memories, his breath seizing in his lungs and bubbling with scarlet. 
.....luminescent green

-Glass breaking (whywontheLISTEN)-

--blood splattered everywhere (whywhywhy)--

-screaming (was it me or her?)-

-a twisted body (nononononono)-

-pale hands (his own) covered in so much redredredred-
             His good days, which were slowly but surely decreasing in number, involved working all day and getting into fistfights with goons behind the station. The clambering edges of bloody memories remained silent on those days, leaving him in some semblance of peace. So, for the moment, he was quite happy to laze in his sunbeam, enjoying life while he still had it.            The large Albino dog eagerly jumped up onto the bench with no effort and lay down with his head in Shinji's lap. The dog could tell his human friend was in too much pain for their regular games today and was content to join the stoic man in his sunbeam. Shinji idly stroked Kuromaru's large head. The white dog was far larger than the usual size for dogs of his breed, his shoulder coming up to Shinji's thigh. If his size wasn't intimidating enough, he possessed the biggest set of fangs Shinji had ever seen off a shadow. Yet the dog was a total sweetheart, affectionate, playful and loyal to a fault.                       Kuromaru still took walks every day, like he used to do when his Master was still alive. It was kind of heartbreaking really. Sometimes, Shinjiro joined him, mourning his old friend equally. Kuromaru's Master had been a kind, if somewhat eccentric, man. Shinji was never exactly sure about the man's age and he had never given a straight answer when he asked him. He had white hair but he was clearly young somewhere in his twenties or thirties at least.            Okami, the strangest shrine priest anyone had ever laid eyes on, had sat down and quietly listened as Shinjiro confessed his wrongdoings and guilt. Despite his own fears on voicing the matter to the man that was housing him, Okami had offered quiet counselling and advice and even risked giving the gruff man a hug. Yet three months after, on his way back from the grocery, that same forgiving man was killed in a car accident. The only consolation was that it was instant.             And somehow, he, Shinjiro Aragaki, Murderer-who-got-away-with-it, was now legally in charge of the shrine and Kuromaru. With nothing but a few months training, he was now the arbitrator of the premier spiritual sanctuary in Iwatodai. He was no priest, able to put down barriers or heal but there weren’t any successors or apprentices to take over. Just Okami’s one traumatized tenant. Thankfully he had a guide and some backup. Kuromaru knew how the shrine worked better than he did as its prime spiritual guardian. It had been some months since he took over, but they were getting by. His physical power was enough to give him weight over the spiritual and demonic matters that came to the shrine. He even got audited by a terrifying man dressed in an all-black police uniform and a cat. Or at least he thought it was an audit, the guy showed up, checked everything in the shrine from the barriers to the health of the trees in the backyard. Then he just nodded, bowed at Kuromaru and left without a word. Aside from that, no one even bothered to check on him. On the bright side, he no longer needed to scramble for part time jobs. Guardianship of the shrine came with a nice paycheck from the government for upkeep of a cultural spot. Even so, he did take some shifts at Hagakure when he could. He didn’t want his cooking skills to get rusty. Also, sometimes he wanted to buy Kuromaru nice food and treats. Together they lived a bizarre existence in a small shrine in the middle of a city.             At first glance, Shinjiro Aragaki looked like a thug or a very tough guy but not quite like a gang member. with way he carried himself, no one could mistake him for someone low on the food chain.  He had a kind of cultured brutality about him. Dressed in a heavy maroon coat that never left his shoulders and an equally present beanie that kept his hair in a semi manageable state, He was more presentable than some of the muggers in the alleys. It wasn’t just his clothes, though his coat did look like it was worth a pretty penny. Any thief who struck rich could dress nice but something about his air, his confidence and the look in his eye marked him as above regular street garbage. In fact, he looked more like he would be leading a gang than part of one.The truth was far from it. In the ecosystem of the underground, he was worse than that. He was a lone wolf. He stood alone and fought alone and was all the more terrifying for it. He followed no one and listened to no one. He could walk back alleys untouched, muggers backing off with a single glare that could melt steel. Gang leaders feared him for his unpredictability. No one knew what he would do next.             It wasn't as if he would interfere with the crime syndicates, his sense of laws had long been skewed when he got away with his own accidental murder. He didn't trust police, less than he trusted the filth in the back roads. That was something considering he didn't trust them either. They had tried to shoot him in the back once. It hadn't ended well. For them. Sometimes he was glad for the physical powerhouse in his head. There were some perks. The look on their faces had been priceless.             Within his two years among the lowlife, he stomped out anyone that dared to challenge him. Eventually the local Yukuza realized it was getting far too troublesome to clean up after their attempts on his life and gave up trying to kill him off. That further cemented his untouchable status in the underground. Not that he spent much time there anymore. He only passed every week to pick up a new bottle of suppressants from Strega and put the fear of him back into the lowlives of Port Island.             He was more content to stay in the shrine these days, maintaining the property and cleaning occasionally (That is, when Kuromaru bothered him enough). His guilt still cut like a knife some days but had gotten better. It was strange that he was so content to live such a quiet life after the brutality he was used to. Somewhere along the line, he accepted that he would die in a few years, if not a year, and began to enjoy life as well as he was able. It was not like he could stop taking suppressants, with the ruckus Castor raised in his head sometimes. But that teenager...             The blue haired young man, with the sister that shone like bright sunshine, had an aura of sheer power and promise of death that made Castor back off. The Heirophant Persona outranked both Akihiko's Polyduces and Mitsuru's Penthelisea in sheer power. It was the strongest Persona Kirijo had on record, yet that scrawny boy stared it down.            Shinji had about as much talent as Akihiko when it came to sensing, that is, as much as a rock. Yet he could feel the coiled and condensed power held in that deceptively fragile body. There was no sense of separation between 'Persona' and 'User', there was only a single, blazing energy signature. Somewhere along the line, to Shinjiro's amazement, the Persona and User had become so in-sync that they became one. It was an utter acceptance of self.             It left of Shinjiro with a faint sense of longing to achieve something like that. Then he remembered the mildly psychotic Persona in his head and became rather grateful he was still his own person.             He carefully ran his fingers through Kuromaru's gray fur, making sure to scratch behind his ear. The dog let out a pleased huff and nudged his fingers for more. Shinjiro chuckled lightly but obliged the pushy dog. It was only when he touched the hound that he ever became aware of the continuous rush of blue energy that raced through the furry body. He knew if Kuromaru didn't want him too, he wouldn't feel the pulse even if he was touching him. That dog was creepily intelligent, almost a human. And possessed the stealth of a ninja.            Shinjiro wasn't too surprised honestly. Demon Summoners often arranged meetings at shrines. The holy grounds often built up immense protective spiritual power and made perfect neutral grounds for Summoner and Demon bartering. He had seen his fair share of demons and Summoners while he was staying with Okami. The white-haired man had acted as a mediator between Summoners and Demons wishing to form contracts. Not that Okami was any big Summoner or anything, he had no powerful demons under his command. All he had was a whole mess of holy tags and seals, some skill in barriers and Kuromaru by his side as offense and deterrent.            The dog was far from normal. Shinji had never heard the full story from Okami how a dog got to be so powerful but the end result was that Kuromaru was a spiritual powerhouse with an affinity for fire and a sharp intellect. Now with Okami gone, Kuromaru was the sole spiritual heavyweight of the shrine. With the way most of the demons that came looking for a contract treated him, Shinjiro was positive the dog the packing serious firepower. None of their clients had stepped out of line before, so he hadn’t seen Kuromaru’s full power yet.             The fact that he was the new mediator left a sour taste in Shinjiro's mouth. Mediator? Him? He preferred smashing heads over talking over issues. He just knew Okami was cackling from the afterlife. So far, the little disputes hadn't been so bad. But they were mainly from squabbling minor demon summoners who were passing through. Thankfully, when it came to demon on demon disputes those were solved by violence, a language he could plainly understand. On the bright side, Okami's extensive holy seal array was still working quite fine at repelling foul beasts, up to and including Shadows. No low to mid rank demons could enter with ill will. Speaking of demons... That blue haired boy carried a heavy scent of demon as well. Shinjiro suspected he was a disguised demon but Kuromaru had liked him. That didn't dismiss his suspicions entirely. The boy's raging energy signature might be the signature of a powerful but human-friendly demon, or it might just be of a human with a powerful in sync Persona.            Then there was that boy’s cheerful sister. As far as he could tell, she appeared to be completely human. To be fair, it wasn’t like he was very good at sensing. Most of his senses and the shrine’s barriers and defenses were more geared towards those with hostile intent, so there was a gray area in identifying those that came in peace. The only foolproof sensor he really had was Kuromaru. The only thing he could pick up from her was that the coat she was wearing, a shade of dark blue that matched her brother’s, was heavily enchanted with high grade defensive magic. The boy’s coat also had an identical enchantment. Any sort of enchanted artifact or clothing was hard to come by, so he almost wanted to know where he got them from. He didn’t ask though, an artifact of high quality like that was not something he’d be able to afford. And if he took the sibling thing into account, it was likely that those coats were some sort of family heirloom or family secret. He’d rather hold his tongue and not get involved in that. The boy, Minato, said she knew nothing, so the jacket was probably a gift intended to keep her safe without her knowledge. For all appearances, she was no summoner or persona user, but he couldn’t strike the impression that there was something off about her. She talked a little odd and moved like a spirit, light on her feet, there one moment and gone the next. She was curious, curious, curious but seemed to know very little at the same time. He had seen her pop up with some of the regular visitors, chattering away with the children and sagely nodding along with the adults. He couldn’t help but feel like she was gathering information and had somehow decided that his shrine was the perfect place to do so.   She greeted him cheerfully every time, full of good humour no matter how dour his response was. After a point he just gave up on his suspicion. She wasn’t doing anything harmful and he didn’t have enough time and energy to stress about her visits. Kuromaru perked up disturbing his thoughts, with his ears pricked up. "Hm? What is it?"             In a few seconds, it became obvious what he was listening too. The faint strains of someone singing was echoing up the steps of the shrine. He had to quell a smile as he recognized Hamuko's voice. She was humming along to whatever she had going on her MP3 player. It was a recent gift from her brother that she had taken to with great enthusiasm. He couldn’t recognize the tune but that didn’t mean much since he didn’t try too hard to keep up with the latest music. "Do you think you can distract her with your fluff?" He sighed. His bones weren’t quite up to the level of excitement Hamuko brought with her today. Kuromaru just gave him a flat look which plainly said. "  I see what you’re doing but I’ll let you get away with it because I’m only in this for the pats."
 
Shinjiro just sighed and settled back on his bench, looking resigned yet fighting down a smile to keep his face stoic. "Well here we go again."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

4/23/09 "Athletic clubs, huh? How boring." Minato sighed, the minute he heard people chattering. "I have better things to do with my time." 
Like what?

Literally anything else, including sleeping.

Minato, you can’t kill shadows during daylight hours anyway. Maybe a club would be beneficial? You could squeeze a Social Link out of it?

I guess that’s true but the options…they don’t really look that good. Kendo's out, I’d probably hurt someone if they tried to come at me in a threatening way. With all my scars, swimming is out of the question. Track isn’t a good idea with my lungs, it’d be way too tricky; I’d have to reduce my enhancement to normal human levels just to not stand out but that would also reduce the protection on my lungs. I’m not risking an attack just for a sports club.

Well... he really does have a good point. Thanatos shrugged.

These are only the sports clubs anyway, there should be other clubs opening for recruitment later. I can pick one of those to fulfill my school requirements and see if I get a Social Link. Right now, the free time I have could be used to improve the ones I have going now. I’m going to have to figure out how to become rather talkative if I want to gather a good base of friends like Lizzy said I should.

Not necessarily, a lot of these links seem to just want help with their problems or advice. You shouldn’t have to talk much at all.

Don't worry too much, Orpheus said, sagely. You already have a few fledgling Links, focus on strengthening the ones you have rather than reaching for new ones right now.

Alright, that sounds sensible. Let’s duck this club event and head out for some relaxation.

…but the social links?

Everyone’s busy right now with the clubs, its just us today.

Students burst into excited chatter the minute the school bell rang, a small scuffle occurring as some eager students fought to leave as fast as possible before their desired club ran out of slots. Within minutes the bulk of the class had completely cleared out. Minato sighed lightly, gathering up his implements hastily. Thankfully, Junpei and Kenji were both occupied with comparing notes on the latest game that had come out. He normally wouldn't mind their uplifting company but today...he wanted to be alone.             Of late, there had been a suffocating feeling of restriction, something he was distinctly uncomfortable about. The red band around his arm almost felt like a collar some days. Arriving at the dorm at certain times, Mitsuru always keeping a hawk eye on all the residents. A strict curfew. Not so well-hidden cameras monitoring the comings and goings, leaving no opening to sneak in anything. Even the roof had cameras. He was twitchy and out of sorts. Honestly, he was tired of it.             With quiet but sure steps, the blunette weaved through the mobs of students inconspicuously. Within minutes he was outside, setting a fast clip through the cherry blossoms falling around him. Some girls giggled as he passed, but he didn’t pay attention to them. They had probably caught sight of Akihiko again. The train ride back to the main city was equally tedious, the lucky students who signed up to their clubs early chattering in high spirits. He drifted out of the student crowds like a quiet ghost at the station. He needed some quiet and peaceful time to himself before he got anymore tetchy and accidently overreacted and killed someone. After years on his own, too much focus on him left him exhausted from constantly being on guard. Not wanting to appear conspicuous, he discretely made his way to a nearby alley.             In all his years of Shadow-Hunting, the Wild Card had never met any other Persona-User that stuck around for long. He had seen some before, of course, and even talked to a few. Even if the rate for awakening was low, statistics meant that there were at least one or two in a big city. The ones that lived to be veterans were quiet and steady. For them, the Dark Hour was an endurance game, they planned long term for survival as they worked around their jobs. The lucky ones, got their hands on some sort of warding and sleep through the night, forgetting about their gift(curse) that let them in to the twenty fifth hour.The practical ones worked nightshift jobs, so they didn’t have to worry about dying in their sleep.The clever ones learnt to make themselves unnoticed, dampening their presence straight down to nothing.Those who were rash, died as newbies. Either way, they only offered advice to leave the Dark Hour behind, run from it, fear it. It didn’t take long before he realized that he wasn’t the same kind of Persona User as them and stopped looking for them altogether. His powers just operated differently, from his multiple personas, to Thanatos, to how his energy system behaved. Things just didn’t quite match up. He had next to no clue about how a regular User's energy system worked. The only thing he was sure of, was that his was not supposed to operate like it did.             If he focused, he could feel the blue energy pulsing beneath his skin like a second heartbeat. If he closed his eyes and meditated, like when he did when organizing Personas, he could see the flow of crackling spiritual power. It condensed around his torso like a blazing star, permanently redirected there by Orpheus years before to combat his failing body. It protected his weakened organs but also acted as his reserves, or his Energy storage. It was a rather brilliant and efficient set up. Branching out in thick tendrils along his limbs were more veins of blue. Under practiced eyesight, it would alarm anyone to note that nearly all his body consisted of a constantly working energy network, far beyond a human's capacity.                        He smiled faintly, sniffing the air carefully. The scent of rotting garbage clogged his nasal passages and he winced. His sense of smell was just the same as any other human despite his way to sense magic. Thankfully, strong physical smells like garbage didn’t cut off spiritual smells. Physical mint didn’t ping in his brain the same way as spiritual mint/ice, that was the only mercy. Otherwise he’d be constantly jumpy every time he passed a restaurant. Most Persona users developed some sort of sixth sense after they had been awakened for a while. Usually, the sense wasn’t very good. Just a raising of hairs on the back of the neck when danger was aimed at you, or a gut feeling that you shouldn’t go down that street. In rare cases, it was very good, like Mitsuru’s sensing. Minato just had the weird one with his smell that only really had one advantage, it could pinpoint element types. But such a thing was easily figured out when your enemy started chucking lightning bolts at you so it wasn’t that impressive. However, with his pinpoint control over his magic he had eventually learned to create a spiritual sonar to ping out waves and collect information from when it bounced back. It took some creativity and Orpheus’s help, but it was good for scouting outside the dark hour. In the Dark Hour, doing that kind of pulse was just setting him up as a beacon that begged to get eaten. He sent out a discrete pulse to check his surroundings. No Persona users nearby, but he’d smell those first before his little pulse trick could catch them. He could feel the small reverberations where the pulse had bounced off people. He didn’t seem to have been followed or noticed.             Confirming he was in the clear, he ducked among the garbage. With the ease of long practice, he began stripping himself of any identifying markers. His school jacket and armband were quickly stuffed into his bag along with his necktie. His greatcoat was donned in its stead, and he pulled up from his slouch making him look several years older. The sleepy gaze of his half-lidded eyes sharpened into hyper aware silver. He ruffled his own hair and exhaled, lifting his beloved headphones to his ears. He easily sealed the cumbersome backpack into a card that was stuffed into the Compendium.             He exited on the other side of the alley, heading to a park he knew was nearby at a steady prowl. It wasn’t quite a quiet place, since there were always children running around but it was full of nature and lacked the city hustle and bustle. The children weren’t that annoying either since his headphones muffled the worst shrieking. Watching children play around usually put him in a better mood anyway. They reminded him of his younger sisters and the happier memories of his childhood, blurred as they were by the car accident. Days spent squabbling and wrestling with siblings, sharing pilfered snacks together and mounting tactical operations to catch the cat and put him in his sister’s doll dress. Memories of his parents had faded with age and the trauma, but Minato had never managed to completely forget his twin and younger sister.            It was a bright afternoon, a slight touch of warmth on the spring breeze. Perfect weather for the outdoors. Minato heard the children before he saw them. Loud shrieks of delight and laughter ringing through the air. The summoner smiled faintly, finding himself a shady park bench to sprawl across. Despite the warm weather, he didn't sweat at all in his coat, Jack Frost keeping a half formed Bufu circulating around his system with the ease of long practice. It was days like these when Minato smugly thought he was the luckiest person alive as he watched others sweat.             A group of middle schoolers were enthusiastically playing a game of tag, darting around the equipment to escape each other’s clutches. A pair of overprotective elder siblings were playing chaperone to the group, keeping a sharp eye out for trouble. The male high school student gave Minato a quick searching glare, before dismissing him as a threat and turning his watchful gaze back to his charges. Minato huffed in amusement, settling himself more comfortably across the bench.            Three older middle schoolers were having a friendly scuffle over the swings. To complete the picture, there was a redheaded girl sitting by a tree sketching. Despite the ruckus the children were causing, it was rather peaceful. Minato could feel his stress trickling away and simultaneously all his Personas let out a relaxed sigh. Thanatos curled around himself like a large pointy teethed feral wolf and dozed off. Orpheus started to play on his harp, a soothing tune with no real notes or patterns, making it up as he went along. The Summoner couldn't help but close his eyes and relax.             It may have been minutes or hours later when Orpheus gently poked Minato awake. A small spiritual pulse had entered the range of their senses, a sharp scent of crackling ozone and sunlight tickling his nose. Hazy silver eyes flickered open as he yawned and rubbed at his sleep crusted eyes. His gaze landed on a strange middle schooler sitting on his bench and staring at him with unabashed curiosity. Minato blinked.             The kid couldn't have been older than fourteen or fifteen, with odd silver hair cut in a practical bowl cut. He wasn't very tall for his age, apparently caught in the middle of a growth spurt. His eyes though, those drew Minato's gaze. Silver eyes so much like his own, dead and apathetic. Beneath that deadness, there was sharp intelligence and flickers of insatiable curiosity. The Summoner didn't even have to check to see if the boy was the source of the scent. "I haven't seen you here before." The boy stated blankly with a touch of boldness. "I just moved here kiddo." "Hm..." His eyes narrowed. "...Who are you?" "Minato Arisato." The Summoner replied easily, his gaze scanning the park that was now nearly devoid of life save for the blazing redhaired girl that still was sketching.             Almost casually, Minato swept his pointer finger in an unobtrusive motion like conducting an orchestra. Almost instantly, a cooling breeze began to blow across the park, rustling trees. The boy's eyes narrowed at the motion, but Minato just smiled slightly at him.             Despite the nonchalant motion, the slight wind he had cast had taken years upon years to learn and master. A regular Persona User's energy was tinged with whatever their primary element was. Eventually their bodies would adapt to handle the element at an unconscious level. A fire User like Junpei would never suffer from heat stroke or burns again. A wind User like Yukari would subconsciously deflect projectiles with the wind and would also subconsciously cause a breeze if she were feeling hot or stop one if she was attempting to make an archery shot. Mitsuru would be able to withstand punishing cold without any ill effects. Akihiko would have the slight misfortune of occasionally shorting out electronics with the slight charge crackling around him, on the bright side, his phone would never run out of charge.            However, Minato had no such privilege. Sure, Orpheus's primary element was fire, but he had Personas that spanned the entire spectrum. His Spiritual Energy had long since given up on using a mundane element to define itself, in fact the closest thing to it would be...almighty in nature. Any passive enchantments had to be consciously applied. Then there was the plain fact that Minato's energy was heavily inclined to mass destruction and slaughter. In the beginning, the mere motion to cause a slight breeze had caused a small razor tornado that had demolished a tree.            Due to pure necessity, Minato had to learn fine control. He would never have the natural defenses the others would have, but he had none of their weaknesses either. His natural inclination towards Death magiks and overpowered Almighty spells offered little in the way of passive protections, aside from a frightening aura and animals fleeing from his presence.             The silver haired boy, who sparked with faint lightning, had caught the subtle motion. Somewhere in his subconscious, he must have felt the energy in the air and reacted accordingly. Smartly, he didn't voice his suspicions and embarrass himself. A motion that Minato had done foolishly at the start of his tenure as a Summoner.  "...Seta..." The boy finally muttered, not giving his first name, he was talking to a complete stranger after all. Despite the offering of a name, he didn't stop giving Minato a stink eye. Oh boy, this is a friendly one. Thanatos snorted. "Well nice to meet you, Seta-san." Minato said mundanely. "Any reason why you're sitting on my bench?" Seta's eye narrowed further in thinly disguised childish animosity. "It was my bench first." Well, Orpheus murmured, slight surprise infusing his usually emotionless voice. I believe we've come across a fledgling Persona-User. Star Arcana surprisingly.
 
Ooh, so we have a junior Almighty User? How...delightful. Thanatos' bloodthirsty sharp toothed grin could be mistaken for nothing else.

He's not Almighty, idiot. If you'd actually look, he's electricity.

You're no fun. Thanatos practically pouted. "That's not what I meant, kid." He smirked without humour. "Oh...?" "Why do think no one's approached me?" The kid shuffled away, tensed and ready to run. "Because you're a crazy psycho killer?" Minato couldn't stifle the surprised laugh that forced its way out his throat. "Oh, no no no..." The Wild Card leaned slightly closer towards Seta, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "I'm a sorcerer." He declared grandly. "A street magician." Seta said flatly, totally unimpressed. "Oh, you're no fun."             Minato smiled in genuine amusement, sweeping his finger in a wide arc to summon a fresh breeze. He fed it a small trickle, tinging the air around them ever-so-slightly green with wind magic. The boy stiffened like a board; mercury eyes open wide at the sight. The Summoner allowed himself a tiny smile at the teenager's obvious wonder at the rush of magic in the air. "Wha-How?! That shouldn't be possible! Magic can't-" Minato didn't even bother to grace that with a reply, cutting the trickle of power and watching the teen. Seta stared out into space, deep in thought. Slowly a small grin slithered onto his face. "Magic is real." He stated, sounding surer of himself. "That is so freaking cool!" The Summoner couldn't prevent his own childish grin. "I know, right?" Silver eyes bright with unrestrained curiosity raked themselves over his figure, searching for anything out of the ordinary that would mark the young man before him as a supernatural caster. To Seta's disappointment, he just looked like any regular person. "Wait, you're not a youkai or a Clocktower Magus, are you?" Seta said, cautiously, remembering that not all magic users were friendly. Minato really couldn't help the laugh now. "Well, I've never gone to England so I don't know if the Clocktower actually exists, Mr.Type-Moon junkie. I do know Youkai exist. " "Really! Have you seen one?!" "Yeah, but they're a bit different to what you think. All spirits and demons that became gods and goddesses or 'divine' creatures of legend are all classed as 'Demon'. I know a Greek death God personally." "That is really, really awesome beyond words." Can we keep him, he called me awesome. The Death God preened. The bright spark of enthusiasm that was making his eyes shine pure silver, dulled gray as a thought occurred to the teen. He eyed Minato with far more caution than before. "...why are you telling me this?" Seta asked warily. "Kiddo, no one's approached me 'cause I'm sending out a subconscious magic signal that warns them off. You ignored it and walked right up to me to wake me up." "Eh...? But I didn't feel..." The albino puzzled curiously. "If that doesn't scream Mage, I dunno what does." Minato smiled faintly, not mentioning anything about Persona on purpose just yet. The whole Persona business was always a great annoyance to try and explain. Plus, if Kirijo found anything about Seta having potential and knowing about the dark hour, she would undoubtedly try and recruit him. Magic was a much easier thing to explain then why fragments of your psyche were physically manifesting. "I-I can do magic?" "Yeah." "O-oh..." "Normally people only have one or two elements under their control." The Wild Card began to instruct, enjoying the attentions of having an attentive student.             Junpei didn't count and neither did Yukari who was either constantly doubting his advice or interrupting him. It felt so nice to talk and actually be listened to. Was this how teachers felt?Maybe he should start paying attention in class? ...Naaaaaaah. "So, you've got wind...?" "It's nice that you're understanding but no. I'm a special case. I can tap into fire, wind, physical, ice, electricity and a little bit of holy. Jack of all trades but master of none. Except healing, can't heal anything living for my life. My true specialty, however, lies in Almighty and Death magic." He squinted, leaning closer to Seta and taking a whiff. "Looking at you, I'll guess you've got electricity with a tinge of Holy and a chance to evolve into almighty." "Um...that's good right...?" The teenager was looking very nervous, but curious at Minato's eccentricity, nonetheless. "Yeah, that's a pretty good spread kiddo."

Minato, are you going to do what I think you are...?

Well, why not? He's got a good chance to become quite a powerhouse. It would be a pity to see such potential die.
 Thanatos gave the mental equivalent of a thumbs up accompanied by a mild cackle.

Oh shut up, fool, you just want someone to blow things up with!

Never said I didn't!  
 
With a mental sigh, Minato went back to ignoring the arguing duo with the air of incredibly long practice. “Can…can you teach me?” "Kid are you really interested in learning the trick of my trade or do you want to walk back to your nice regular, safe life." The Summoner fixed the teen with a harsh glare. "Don't misunderstand, if you want to learn magic your life may become threatened and you will have to fight. Do not give me an answer now without thinking. Think on it. I'll be here in the afternoon again in three days, find me if you have the resolve. There's no going back once you become one of us." Dusting off his coat, Minato moved to stand. "W-wait!" "Hmm...?" Seta was looking slightly harried and flustered. "T-that's it? You told me about magic and are just letting me walk away?! What if I told someone or something?!" The Summoner let out a bark of laughter, rising to his feet and beginning to leave. "W-well?!" He turned, looking back at the young Persona-User sitting on the bench. "You could tell someone." Minato shrugged casually. "...If they'd believe you." "Later kiddo." With those parting words, he left the Star arcana sitting there with his eyes wide and his jaw hanging.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"This is sooooooooo boring..." Junpei whined. "I have so many other things I could be-" "Like what?!" Yukari snapped. "Playing Video games?!" "Now, now children." Minato scolded lightly, a mildly evil smirk on his lips. "...Unless you want to take a trip to Tarterus...?" Junpei paled rapidly and waved his hands around. "Dude! We need a break!" "Then sit down and shut up." "Yessir!"             When his two reluctant students were finally seated at the lounge table, he nodded decisively. Talking to Seta really made him want to try out properly teaching the rest of SEES. Mitsuru, sitting in a lobby chair was unashamedly eavesdropping. Akihiko, leaving the kitchen with one of his protein shakes, didn't even bother to pretend. He kicked a chair out to plop down on to listen to Minato's lecture. "Now SEES and the Kirijo group in general don't have a good grasp of...well anything really..." He totally ignored Mitsuru's scowl and pulled out a blue card. A quick fist broke the card into pieces and a full-sized white board hazed into existence behind him. Minato casually began to draw diagrams and scribble notes onto the white expanse in the silent lobby. "Should I ask...?" Akihiko sighed. "Arisato...why do you have a white board...?" Mitsuru tentatively queried. "Hmm? Oh, this? I borrowed it from my middle school." SEES collectively sighed. "Alright, let's get started."             Minato whirled around suddenly, pulling a pointer out of nowhere. He slapped the pointer on the board over three separate circles. One had a circle inside it. "The world doesn't just consist of normal world and 'Dark Hour'. We live in 'Ningenkai' or Human world. Next to us, we have 'Makai' or the Demon's homeland. This third one is the assumed 'Reikai' or spirit world, the land of the dead. Though, due to obvious reasons, no one's quite sure about anything there." "Are you talking about...heaven?" Minato shrugged loosely. "I have no idea. People rarely come back alive; you know." He slapped the pointer on the smaller circle within the Ningenkai circle. "What we have here are what I like to call 'Territories'. These are the things we find shadows in. It's like a small reality bubble that connects to Ningenkai by certain means. The bubbles often occur around powerful god demons that hide in Ningenkai and how they connect to our world would reflect the demon. Like, for our Dark Hour, we connect at midnight. I don’t know how much anime you’ve seen but a similar concept is present in shows like Fate and Jujutsu Kaisen?" Junpei nodded gleefully. Yukari grumbled under her breath. Mitsuru on the other hand, looked fascinated at the lore being imparted. "'Territories' are kind of like Reality Marbles or Domain Expansions. Basically, it’s a reality pocket in the world that reflects the one who it belongs to. A 'materialization of the mind'." He tapped a list off the side titled 'Dark Hour', with a list of the characteristics of the Territory. "'Dark Hour' is entered at midnight and centered around Iwadotai and Tartarus. The fringes of the Territory extend quite a distance across Japan but it is centered here. The sky turns green and the moon tints yellow, neither are good clues. Blood splatters...add to the general creepy factors. The major clue is what people who are not aware of the Dark Hour do." "They turn into coffins." Yukari answered. "Exactly," Minato nodded. "The rest has no defining characteristic. However, 'coffin' gives a clear clue." "Eh?" Junpei puzzled. "What?" "The Demon this is centered around is a Death-entity. Possibly Greek in origin." "Greek?" Mitsuru piped in, morbidly curious. "Why would you say that?" Minato tapped a hand on his chest a slightly fond smile on his lips that startled the rest of the team. "My Thanatos is a Death god on his own and he was born at the moment 'Dark Hour' first breached into Ningenkai. His legend is Greek in origin as well as my primary Persona. In fact, you'd notice all of your Personas are Greek in origin." "Oh," Akihiko blinked. "I think he's right."     "I believe it to be an influence of the Demon whose territory you all awoke in." "So we have to stop a Greek Death god?" Junpei squeaked. "That doesn't sound promising." "Well, we might not have to. I am certain, however, that we need to reach the top of Tartarus, the true origin point of the breach into our world, to find and fix the cause. For all we know, the explosion ten years ago accidentally breached the barrier and the Demon doesn't care much to fix it." "Also, not very comforting." Yukari sighed. Minato slapped the white board again, to catch their attention. "Look, I'm moving on." He tapped a flowchart in another corner. "This is the existence hierarchy of every known type of being." "Hey, why are humans on the bottom?!" Junpei protested. "Because you are." Minato grumbled. "Stop interrupting!" "Where were we...? Ah, that's right. At the top we have Gods, demons whose legends and power makes them known worldwide, we don't mess with those guys. Next we have demons in general, they can come in all kinds of species and types, mythical creatures and angels. They're like people though, some are good, and some are bad. Next we have Personas, which are reflections of a hero or demon that represents you. At the bottom we have humans. Humans are separated though. At the very bottom, we have mundanes who have no spiritual energy or power. Demon Summoners and Persona Users are above them but not exactly equal. Demon Summoners rank above you lot in most cases."  "Really?!" "Why?" "As a Persona user, you have your Persona's energies flowing through you, making you more resilient to certain things and that gives you better unconscious defense. Demon Summoners have better offense since they summon pure demons to do their will. Of course, it all depends on what power level you are on." "Power level?" "You don't know about that? Spiritual strength is measured in levels from one to a hundred. Your Rank increases according to how much you fight and use your energy. With your single Persona, you guys start at Spiritual Rank One. Now though, you're both at eight." "Wicked!" "However, just like a video game, the higher your rank the harder it is to get to the next level." "What's my level?" Akihiko asked eagerly. "Hm... Nineteen. Quite a good level to reach if the only prey you have to train on is the small fry in Tarterus. Mitsuru-senpai is a respectable Twenty-one." "And what is your level?" Mitsuru asked, Ruby eyes hard and searching. "Thirty-Seven due to sheer stubbornness and a horrible childhood." "Wow," Junpei gaped. "That's a lota grinding." "I'll say..." Minato grumbled. "Moving on to magic." The Summoner grumbled, flipping the board. The marker appeared out of nowhere in his hands as he started to draw the vague outline of a human. He drew a circle where the person's heart and their brain would be. "This diagram is of the energy system that runs through your bodies. The brain usually has the greatest concentration of energy as that's where your Persona sleeps. Users with greater magic skill usually have all their energy centered in the brain. Like Yukari, though I haven't confirmed it." He peeled a glove off and extended the bare hand to her. "Right, you're gonna have to let me touch you." "EH?!" "I need physical contact to map your system." "Oh." She carefully rested her hand in his own, embarrassed. The odd pulse that raced through her promptly distracted her. Dimly, she felt a strangely separate part of her start panicking and screaming. 
Get AWAY! GET AWAY! GETAWAYGETAWAY!

Minato snatched his hand back looking fairly queasy. "Sorry about that."
 
Before she could ask, he turned to Junpei to repeat the same procedure. The two senpai agreed to letting him scan them but at the end of it they all looked unsettled and jumpy.
 
"O-okay," Minato coughed lightly. "Yukari is a 'Mage' type with Wind affinity and Healing spells. You three are combat type. Junpei has a little of his magic energy near his heart, as does Akihiko-senpai to a lesser extent. It's a subconscious thing for physical combat users. Mitsuru-senpai has a nice even spread, with equal ability for magic and physical strength. Junpei has a fire attribute, Akihiko-senpai has electricity and Mitsuru-senpai has ice with a side of healing magic." "Oh~? I'm impressed." Mitsuru complemented lightly with a faint smile. "Yeah," Akihiko admitted, also impressed by the accurate assessment. "What's your type, then?" Minato coughed awkwardly. "W-well...I have a constant running flow of energy through my body, I don't really have a center. My core could be considered to be about here though" He rested a hand on his chest, directly on his sternum. "That's not normal?" Mitsuru asked lightly. "No, not really," He admitted, meeting her eyes squarely. "Under normal circumstances, my center would be in my brain as I’m a heavy magic user. However, my Personas redirected my flow to save my life because of my failing body. The constant flow heals the damage as it occurs and reinforces the rest. It's extending my life. I was given a year to live when I was ten, so I'm rather thankful I've made it this far in life." "EH? Really, Minato?" Junpei blurted. "Hai. As for my inclination...Well because of my situation my Energy has no inclination per say...Since I switch between them so much. However, due to my 'Summoner' status and other circumstances-" 
Namely, moi!
 "-My affinity lies with Death Magics and Almighty Spells." "Death Magics?" Mitsuru questioned. "I haven't heard of that before. Almighty as well, I've never seen such spells." "Ah...well, you must not have run into some of the more vicious higher leveled shadows." "Well, what do they do?" Akihiko asked eagerly. “Almighty is explosive and powerful, like a magical nuke. It can punch straight through resistances, strengths and shields but it has a very high magical cost. That’s why only really powerful shadows use it.” "Death Magic can knock out a person, but can kill a shadow instantly if it connects. Due to its 'instakill' its notoriously inaccurate and hard to aim. Despite its name, 'Light' magic does the same thing as Death Magic. It also can purify taint and in large enough number around an area, keep Shadows away. Don’t use these on regular people, I’m pretty sure it’ll kill them." Mitsuru looked incredibly offended. “Why would we-?! Arisato!” “Ah yes,” He exclaimed blankly. “You guys can’t use magic outside Dark Hour.” “Well duh!” Junpei yelled. “We can’t summon a persona out here.” Akihiko chipped in. “How would we cast spells?” “After a while, you should be able to channel the persona’s magic without summoning.” He explained, “I’m actually surprise that you haven’t been able to do it yet.” Abruptly, the boxer turned a sickly shade of pale. “Oh.” He said faintly. “Oh dear.” Mitsuru was eyeing her hands with a wicked sort of realization. The strong and much idolized Golden Boy of Gekkoukan merely whimpered and retreated. “She knows how to do it already.” He hissed. “Her executions!”  Three days after impulsively dropping a bombshell on the silver haired kid he met at the park, Minato settled down on the bench to wait. It was a sunny afternoon, with a few clouds threatening the edges of the sky. Birds fluttered along, unconcerned by human troubles, skirting around the bench in primal fear. The park was empty, swings swinging freely in Minato’s conjured breeze. He had no expectations; it wasn’t like he knew enough about the kid to predict what choice he’d make but he had an idea anyway. There was something in his eyes, a dull apathy, tired of the world. The look of someone who knows that no one in the world truly cared about him and the ones who should merely use him for their own ends. Minato could relate after many years jumping orphanages and foster homes after the accident. He couldn’t remember his last name and was abruptly shuffled into the system alongside all of the other orphans made that day. He never saw his younger sister or grandparents again. Sometimes apathy truly is the greatest shield against heartbreak. Do you think he will come? Orpheus asked quietly. He has nothing to lose. Minato stated sadly. Nothing to tie him to normal life. He will come, Thanatos affirmed. 
Yes, he will.

Will you awaken his Persona?

No. If I do, Kirijo will scout him for SEES. I think I’ll teach him like a Demon Summoner, without relying on outside forces to cast magic. If possible, I want to get him a contract with a fairly human friendly demon. I have a feeling his future will need all the help he can get.

Where do you expect to find a human friendly demon? Actually, where do you expect to find a demon at all?

Well, when in doubt, find a shrine. Something always hangs around those kinds of places.
 
Minato…you really need to start to write this stuff down.
 
Yeah, I know. With my expected lifespan, the last thing I want to do is to drop a civilian into the supernatural and then die halfway through instruction and leave him hanging.
 This is a lot of responsibility.  Orpheus advised sagely. Something like this will definitely form a permanent tie. A solid social link.

Are you sure?

I’m not getting any younger. If I let those ten years of supernatural knowledge go to waste…

I’d be a monumental shame.

I need to leave behind something in this world.

I’m sure.
             Minato sighed and shifted lazily on the bench. Normally, he would never have pushed the dark and dangerous supernatural world onto anyone. Most people would cry, whine, complain and be terrified when forcibly introduced to it like Yukari. But despite the darkness, Minato has always known that there are some people who simply belong in the dark life of combat and death but awe-inspiring power. In fact, you could say that they didn’t belong to ‘real’ life to start with. Minato knew that he was a prime example, more at home among blood, coffins and shadows with a god of death whispering in his ear than at a school among his peers. To an extent, he can see the same in Mitsuru and Akihiko. This world gives them purpose. And Junpei, who was never good at anything and still isn’t, but Minato can see what he’d become with Hermes at his back and it’s amazing.             Minato is not naïve to believe that they will ever be the same if the Dark Hour ends despite their noble intentions. However, unlike them, He knows he won’t have to deal with the loss. The others would become independent of the Dark Hour and move on. The Wild Card knows in his heart of hearts he is not the same. Thanatos is inexplicably linked with the Dark Hour. Minato doesn’t even know why or how he knows but there is a bone deep certainty that to end Dark Hour, Thanatos will have to leave him. Orpheus and Thanatos are the only thing keeping his body together. If he loses Thanatos, the unquestionably powerful god, he will die. If not instantly, then long and slow for as long as Orpheus and his willpower can keep him together. Honestly, he only predicts a handful of months, maybe two or three at best before his body would completely give out. He isn’t afraid of impending death though, he’s been terminal for years now, fighting for time every step of the way. He will keep fighting for as long as it takes. However, the others have a life beyond Dark Hour. The supernatural world isn’t only limited to the Dark Hour after all. Demons roam freely and there will always be shadows for as long as humanity exists.Minato know the look in Seta’s eyes though. Knows it intimately. And he knows that the budding magic user will find his home among the supernatural world and never want to leave. He knows the teenager will come. And as the clock slowly chimed the hour, he was not wrong. Seta appeared, silver hair glowing in the afternoon sun and body sweaty from running. His eyes, dull and flat and gray three days previous, shine a sharp mercury silver with determination. He doesn’t have to say a word. Minato already knew his choice.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

5/5/09             The past few weeks were an enlightening experience in socialization. Social Links kept accidentally dropping onto Minato's lap. First there was the Hermit Arcana Maiya, a gamer that he met trying out the MMORPG 'Innocent Sin'. Then there was the adorable old couple who owned a bookstore. He had been looking for new manga when Bunchiki struck up a conversation, his wife followed and before the summoner could blink, the world had frozen and the Lovers arcana had been added to the growing collection. Finally, on a midnight jaunt, he had run into a sly and tricky businessman by the name of Tanaka who embodied his Devil arcana perfectly.Despite the suddenness of the forming bonds, Minato could easily see himself becoming attached to them. Maiya possessed deep insight and a wicked sense of humour. The old couple were genuinely nice people that brought out a gentler and kinder side of the summoner that he hadn't seen in years. Tanaka had similarly loose morals and every conversation was an exercise in mental acrobatics. He loved it.             On the other hand, there was the SEES group. Anyone who possesses an advanced level of a skill can sympathize. When faced with rookies, their ineptitude was cringe-worthy in comparison. Shadow-hunting was not something you could survive at if you didn’t improve quickly. Ineptitude would get you quickly killed.Junpei and Yukari were loud, clumsy and just simply terrible to Minato's senses after years of assassin silence. Compensating for teammate was a new thing too, they were just so slow. He had to frequently compensate for mistakes, intercepting attacks when they were knocked over, being distracting when Junpei dropped his weapon, healing when Yukari couldn’t muster the nerve. The only positive side to the 'team' trips was that they were growing in Spiritual Levels quickly and gaining strength. Junpei could now cast a weak fire skill to go along with his bash skill, both which he often used at the worst possible times. Minato hoped that he would develop better battle judgment soon, patching up rookies constantly was NOT in his job description. It was made even worse by the fact that Minato was truly awful when it came to healing others. Long years in solitude, relying on Thanatos and Orpheus redirecting his magic flow to heal his injuries meant his magic was unfamiliar with actually casting ‘healing’ class spells and actively rebelled against using them. In fact, Minato had a feeling that the weak Dia and Media he had been using would soon reach a point where it was ineffective altogether.Yukari had a weak healing and wind spell under her belt, that she was far more efficient in using. Her proficiency in healing was already outstripping Minato’s even though he was a good twenty to thirty levels higher. It was a full moon and Thanatos was restless. All day Minato had felt the itch crawling of uneasiness under his skin. Something dark and cold was in the air and it was making Thanatos chomp at the bit, pulling and gnashing at his chains. Orpheus’s music wasn’t being as calming as usual, the lilting harp carrying a thread of tension.Minato didn’t even attempt to return to the dorm that afternoon. He drifted around the city before making his way to the shrine for his arranged meeting with his new apprentice. Before Souji could even think to begin casting, Minato was drilling him in magic theory and effects as well as battle strategy. However, his agitation drove him to finish the lesson early even though teaching was usually an enjoyable and hilariously relaxing task. The minute the cool breeze he was attempting to conjure turned into a chilly gale force wind, the Summoner clamped down on his magic reserves and canceled the rest of the lesson, to his inquisitive apprentice’s worry. Minato knew that if he had lived his life, had never been on that bridge at the dawn of the dark hour, his natural persona would have been Orpheus. Quiet, calming and gentle but not afraid to storm the depths of hell itself to get his loved ones back. Civilized. However, life didn’t happen that way. Orpheus was his civilized outer shell that dealt with humanity. But at his very core Minato held a wild untamed force of nature. He hid his teeth quite well in day to day interaction, but it always lurked under the surface, wary and waiting. And right now, that inner feral-ness was pushing up through the cracks of his ‘Orpheus’ face.The restlessness drove him from the street in search of higher ground. Slipping into a disreputable alley, he started climbing the side with great difficulty and a bit of wind magic that still wasn’t totally obeying. There was nothing quite like hanging onto a building five stories up by a rusty pipe and a lot of prayers. Once upon a time, Minato could remember being afraid of heights but having half a nuke of magic at his beck and call was remarkably calming on the nerves. The Summoner clawed and fought his way up the side of the building, looking like a particularly large and awkward blue spider.Where the rusty pipe began to fail, Minato charged his hands with a strong Agi and guiltlessly dug his hands into the bricks to make handholds, leaving red hot furrows. He had originally felt awkward and guilty about disfiguring strangers’ buildings once, but that ended abruptly after the time he decided to fully trust a particularly mossy drain and ended up falling three stories and breaking a leg. Not one of his better days. He pulled himself up seven stories, his muscles burning pleasantly when he crawled over the lip of the roof. The top wasn’t much cleaner than the pipe honestly but the clear sight he got across the bay was worth it. This time, Minato reached for a Garula, not wanting to take any chances. He took a running leap to the next roof and systematically began roof hoping, the Garula correcting any fatal mistakes and sometimes focusing under a foot to give him an extra step in the air. Or a Junpei would have put it, a ‘double jump’. Minato wouldn’t kid himself though, he knew that he wasn’t physically athletic enough to ever be capable of traversing rooftops without magic. The rattle of chains and uneasy growl in his head kept him moving through the afternoon, only stopping for brief rests and quick surveys of the city. Nothing was out of place, aside from the increased number of Apathy Syndrome victims.The uneasy patrol continued well into the night, ignoring curfew altogether. The chill grew and Minato buried himself in his reliable greatcoat, frowning at the odd chill. It was the middle of May. The days had been heating up steadily in preparation of a scorcher of summer months, the sudden cold was quite odd. As the clock ticked ever closer to the green hour, Minato grew increasingly agitated.             As it hit midnight, Thanatos roared. The transition to Dark Hour was usually flawless. A blink, a moment and the sky stained green. This Dark Hour came on with a ripple and a blast of cold air. Minato could feel the world warp. It was severely nauseating, as if everything in his body had been rearranged and rattled. The Wild Card wrapped a hand around his stomach and sank to his knees on the rooftop, fighting down the bile rising in the back of his throat. He shivered fiercely in the sudden temperature change, reaching for Pyro Jack to run an Agi in his system.             Thanatos was utterly still. Orpheus’s music had fallen silent.             Minato swallowed down the bile and staggered to his feet, eyes sharp and teeth bared. The vague hint of wrongness had evolved to full blown presence. Something was in the air, something cruel and dark and cold.

And it was challenging the god of Death.

When Minato tipped his head back, it was Thanatos’s roar that ripped through his throat, echoing across the city. With swift steps, he hurtled across the rooftop, stacking buffs to home in on the glaring beacon. Adrenaline burned through his veins, giving wings to his feet and burning away the cold in preparation for a good fight. Thanatos was rippling just under the surface of his psyche, right underneath Pyro Jack who was the one actually equipped.             When he tumbled and screeched to a stop at the train station, he was more clearheaded, the run helping to burn off the initial bloodlust. The Summoner took a few deep breaths to calm himself, all the more aware of his cardiovascular handicap that would undoubtedly act up with such a hard fight on the horizon. As he raised his hand to call the Compendium, he noticed the loose length of chain that had materialized to snake around his arm and sighed.             Thanatos, the overprotective mother hen he was, basically wrapped his chains around Minato whenever they were heading for a big and life-threatening fight. Despite his bloodlust and eagerness for the fight, Thanatos had always gotten worried over his particularly frail summoner. He was like a mother snake wrapped around her nest, hissing a challenge at the world. 
MINE
  MY summoner. MY Minato. COME TAKE HIM IF YOU DARE. The Tome shattered into existence above his palm and Minato smiled grimly. Thanatos’s behavior was quite telling, he only got protective when the enemy was very, very powerful. Orpheus struck up a tune, the nervousness and anxiety replaced by a strong battle song.             He drew cards from the great book and quickly smashed them against his arm. His Armoured gloves shattered into existence around his hands in a neat shortcut. Personae were shuffled to accommodate, and the Velvet Room greatcoat was buttoned closed. Instead of reaching for Hades this time, he reached for the new blade. 
You guys have any idea where this thing is?
 I don’t have it. Orpheus denied. 
Hee ho we don’t have it either.
 Thanatos was oddly silent. Then he huffed, sounding annoyed. I think I got it.  There was a familiar shatter of reality breaking and one of Thanatos’s coffins rose into existence before a startled Minato. 
Huh.
             The elaborate coffin was a bit larger than Minato and patterned with intricate silver gilding. The lid creaked ominously before opening, revealing an impossible oblivion beneath. And a blade. Minato’s jaw dropped, an unholy gleam shining in his eyes. His inner weapons collector (That is, Thanatos) was drooling. He reached out and grasped the hilt reverently, its ‘sheath’ shattering out of reality the instant it left its confines. The end of the bladed clanged harshly as it hit the ground, sparking.             It was huge. Unlike, Thanatos’s nondescript katana, Ignatius was as memorable as they come. It was about over three-quarters of his height and half a foot wide. It was a solid monstrosity that wouldn’t have been able to cut a single thing under normal circumstances. However, running along the ‘edge’ of the blade were the ferocious teeth of a chainsaw that connected to a very steampunk design of the hilt that was undoubtedly the engine. Minato grinned wildly. In his hands was basically, a chainsaw broad sword.               A touch of Pyro Jack’s Agi was tugged out of his body into the sword. Minato let out a startled yelp as the magic keeping him warm was funneled away without conscious direction. The pseudo magiteck engine roared. Minato watched on in glee as serrated teeth snarled and screeched to life, chewing away at the sidewalk it rested upon. OH YES! Thanatos crowed, sounding like if Christmas had come early The Summoner couldn’t tell if the unholy grin on his face was entirely Thanatos’s. Shiny.  He joined in glee. Wicked. Orpheus sighed. …And I’ve lost them both. Come on you knuckle-heads, we have work to do. B-b-but, SHINEY! They wailed together. No. Orpheus said firmly. …you can go try it out on…whatever this thing is. Just. Stop. Drooling! Minato hurriedly wiped his chin and hefted the massive sword up. I wasn’t drooling! Liar, Orpheus sighed. I swear, I’m the only sane one in here. You’re a voice in my head. Minato countered. You don’t really have a leg to stand on when it comes to sanity. Get walking…I feel like I’m your mother at this point.  Orpheus grumbled. I’m not paid enough to deal with you idiots We’re not paid at all! Thanatos piped in cheerfully. Minato winced when an Agi went off behind his eyelids.

Go do what you two do best and go destroy stuff. I’ll deal with keeping your body going. I don’t care what happens, if things get bad, Summon the trigger-happy idiot. Better hospitalized than dead.

Yeah, I know.
 Minato took a deep breath and stepped forward, the Ignatius blade screeching as he dragged it along. It was too heavy for him to wield properly without augmenting his body and Minato had no wish to start burning his energy reserves this early in the game. Unfortunately, due to the fact the blade kept sucking away the Agi that was running in his system, Minato had to stop powering it. Which meant he was no longer warm.             There was no way the Shadow didn’t know they were coming, Thanatos’s roaring aside. The Blade was screeching on the tracks and Minato was walking with purposeful and heavy strides. There was no need for assassin silence when they already knew you were there anyway.

I can give you twenty minutes of the highest level of reinforcement but don’t fully summon anybody. You’ll also have about ten 2nd tier spells worth of magic to use on spells. The sword appears to run off Agi, so Pyro Jack will have to stay passively equipped. Thanatos can probably safely stay out for ten seconds. Your reserves appear to have recovered enough from the shenanigans of the past hours to not cause any major problems. We’re going in to this much better than last time.

Minato whistled. He hadn’t really noticed his spiritual reserves expanding that much. He was limited, like always, but his options were FAR better this time. 
Who knows, I might not end up in hospital this time!
 In the light of the full moon, the train tracks were lit up like midday. Over the cityscape, Tartarus could be seen rising like a morbid sentinel. The air was thick with the scent of iron, the sea breeze wafting the scent of its bloodied depths across the city. The Port was silent, the buzz of life locked in coffins and shadows cowering in fear from the two blazing energy signatures about to fight to the death on the railway. The Summoner didn’t even think to call SEES. In fact, he forgot completely about them while preparing for battle. A month of co-op fighting couldn’t erase ten years of solo hunting habits. Not that he would’ve called them, they were too green to deal with a shadow of this magnitude. The train came into view, large and eerily still. A thin layer of frost iced the tracks and the ground. The chill in the air was almost visible and Minato was surprised he couldn’t see his breath yet. The ground crackled underfoot. Minato sniffed the air, the cold and dark and damp smell much stronger. In the silence, with the sound of bloody waves crashing beneath him, Minato took a deep breath. He savoured the feeling of oxygen in his lungs, of his chest freely moving, knowing that soon he may not be able to do even those simple tasks. All was silent. Then blue energy began to waft around his feet. There was an audible crackle as Minato’s entire energy network was flooded with power. Under the greatest reinforcement they had ever attempted, a spell which had no name, Minato lift the Ignatius Blade with an unholy screech and tear of metal. Pyro Jack prepared an Agi but held it in reserve for the right moment.            An unholy grin that was part Thanatos and part his own spread across his face. An expression of unholy glee and far too much teeth. The Summoner broke the ground under his feet as he rocketed forward, heading towards the taunting and loud energy signature just up ahead. 
Let’s ROCK!
             The shadows came in swarms. Nothing like the small mobs that Tartarus hosted, these were the mobs Minato was used to. Overwhelming odds that never ended. Such warfare had become rare by the time Minato hit level thirty, his energy levels warning off the weaker shadows who were the ones more likely to swarm. It had only been recently that Minato had started to find stronger shadows willing to mob him. But then he was transferred to Iwatobi, where the streets were silent, and all the malice of the night was holed up in a physically impossible tower.           But this outrageous out numbering was something he was used to. Materializing out of writhing shadows and the darkened train were Priestess class shadows, enough so that Minato’s first sweeping glance couldn’t tell exactly how many there were. He gritted his teeth and charged. Fighting three dozen Mayas at the same time was an entirely different ball game from fighting magic users. As it was, he could count over a dozen Priestess class shadows charging spells all at the same time. It was not physically possible to stop them all in time, the wild Card wouldn’t delude himself into thinking he was fast enough. To further compound matters, a dozen were still perched on the top of the train. The summoner grit his teeth and slammed a foot down. The ground cracked and splintered under his foot, and with the turn of inertia, the broadsword came hurtling upwards. With that one swing, the first five Tiaras were shattered out of existence. The chainsaw wasn’t even on; the force of the blade alone was more than enough to destroy. Not willing to risk losing the inertia, Minto continued the swing taking it in a circular motion to sweep through a heat balance.Minato had no illusions about his body’s natural capabilities, he was short and frail, and physical power was not his best attribute. Even with the strongest and most dangerous reinforcement racing through his frame, he didn’t really want to overexert himself by having to power each swing himself. Using the force from the rush and a lot of creativity, he wasn’t planning on standing still for any length of time. A blast of wind whistled past his ear and he cursed. A second later, he swept away, a fireball narrowly missing his feet. An ill-timed lunge to get at a very annoying group of Heat balances, brought him right into the path of two Agis blasted from above. He yelped and instinctively turned away from the approaching heat. Minato braced for the worst, but it splashed against his back with a rush of heat and nothing else. “Huh.” He blinked and continued with another sweep of the glorified hunk of steel through another balance. There was no time to wonder at his sudden upgrade of his armour as space was becoming a little crowded. A turn to counter a crackle of Zio, caused him to elbow an encroaching Tiara. They were mobbing him faster than he could keep his surroundings clear. He twisted away from a lethally cutting wind aimed at his neck and leapt forward, a foot solidly landing on the crown of a Balance. With extra power to his leg and a helpful swing of the broadsword, he sprang upward. His eyes widened as he managed to launch himself upwards well past the roof of the train. It was the highest he ever managed to get in the air on his own.The light of the moon casted a halo around his ascending figure. Ichor stained his coat and darkened his hair. His coat had given in to the repeated near misses of spells, the edges scorched and tattered. A splatter of the black liquid caused his grin to look several shades more demonic. The Wild card angled his free hand towards the ground, drawing directly from his reserves while commanding Pyro Jack to let the Agi go. The engine of the sword roared to life in response, greedily guzzling the offered magic. “Mazio!” Lightning crackled down in a flash, lacking in power but more focused on conducting and reaching as many Shadows as possible. The horde below spasmed, some outright vanishing. A quick sweeping gesture caused a garu to unseat dozen shadows off the roof.A maniacal grin spread across his face as gravity start to catch up to him. The chainsaw roared as inertia carried past his body. As it reached the top of its arc, Minato swept it in a spin, building up more speed as he fell. And with a furious roar, He brought it slamming down right in the middle of the mob. 
BOOOOOOOM!
 The agi imploded with the impact, leaving a meteoric crater and shaking the bridge. The fire blast was thankfully absorbed by Pyro Jack but it did nothing for the soles of his shoes which landed solidly on the heated ground with a stumble and a wince. It took a second for him to recover from the reverberating shock running through his body and rattling his skull. When he finally blinked the white from his vision, there was a heated crater around him and far less shadows than he started with. A beat later and it occurred to him that his shoes were on fire. He yelped and scrambled back onto cooler grounds, slightly hindered by the Ignatius’s size. A curse slipped out as he frantically stomped around to out the fire. “How uncool….” He grumbled, keeping an eye on the remaining shadows. The chain on his arm tightened in response. Thanatos’s near feral growl was filled with warning. 
The big one’s about twelve meters off…. Wait. The power’s spiking…...!

MOVE!
  A heavy wave of magic crashed around him, sharp and cutting in its intensity as his world exploded in chaos as he hit the ground. A harsh wave of cold blistered above his head. As soon as it came, it was gone. Prepared for the worst, Minato gripped his sword and tried to rise. A sharp spike of pain in his leg made him growl. Ice splinter in your calf. Orpheus reported grimly. Ignore it, I can hold it together for now  The massive spiked ice flower that bloomed beneath his feet left a two-inch diameter pike of blue ice in his leg. The ice spine melting away once the damage was done to leave the wound to bleed out. A swing of the Ignatius decimated the glacier flower with a snarl and crash. The other shadows, if not outright killed by the blow, fled under the spiritual pressure of the new combatant. Blood spattered the ground and Minato stepped forward. Solid blue magic coated his legs, allowing him to ignore the pain and push on. Unfortunately, Pyro Jack was equipped. Ice cut twice as sharp and twice as bone chilling despite the pumpkin’s firepower.  The chill lingered in his legs like a weight. He ignored it and looked forward. Hiding, though not quite with that aura of malice and cold, against the driver’s car was the shadow.             The shadow wore a female form, long limbed and naked. Half of the giantess was a deep black and the other was a pale unnatural white. She lounged, leaning against the train car with an air of arrogance. Long ribbons of hair cascaded around her, covering the area around her in a tangle of black material. A butterfly mask covered her face, with inky pools of darkness where eyes should be. Her skin looked soft, but Minato knew it was much harder to damage than it looked. It looked immobile, weak. A target. His footsteps thundered across the bridge, nonverbally melting the ice of the floor before him. A sharp narrow of his eyes sent an Agi ripping across the area before him. The Priestess shadow merely laughed, a high and cruel Kufufu, waving off the flames. Minato snarled, finally in range, and jumped. The massive broadsword poised to swing down on reclining giantess. MINATO! Orpheus roared. Get out of there you fool! The Priestess smiled. It was a cruel smile spread inhumanly wide. Slender lips twisted cruelly and malicious glee in its features. And at that moment, he knew he screwed up. The benign carpet of ribbons, snapped to life, sharp, fast and deadly. His eyes only had time to widen before his momentum was stopped. The Ignatius slipped from nerveless fingers and shattered into blue glass on the ground. 
Wha-?
 The bloodlust was fading from his mind, but a dangerous haze was taking its place. He raised his hand, and detachedly watched the shaking limb. Ah. He mused. Red is a bad colour isn’t it…? A ribbon had dug into his shoulder but all he could feel was a numb sort of ache from his midriff. In his shaky vision he could see a group of razor-edged ribbons buried in his stomach. The limbs were deceptively strong, holding his body above the ground without visible strain. Thankfully, it appeared that the ribbon hadn’t had enough force to run him through or sever his spine because he could still move his legs. Blood splattered against the ground. His vision grew out of focus. The world was slipping. No, his consciousness was the one slipping. Orpheus was yelling frantically in his head, but Minato couldn’t hear a word. All he could hear was silence. Ah. He said. The void echoed. …… ………… …………………. Then. A rattle of a chain and a creak of six wings. Ah. He said again. I see. A blood-spattered hand clenched around the ribbon. The Summoner of death himself looked up, silver eyes burning and bleeding to bright unearthly blue. And the links of a thousand chains slithered in the night.

SHHHHHH

The slipping world burned into sharp focus before him and his blood ran hot. He roared at the shadow and drew deep from Thanatos. As always, the bloodthirsty god obliged. The world shattered around the wild card in shards of blue. And from the depths, unending links of black chains slithered through the cracks in reality.The priestess’s hair writhed and rose from the ground in challenge.  Minato snarled in reply and sent a burst of fire racing down the impaling limbs. The shadow screamed, high pitched and echoing, grating on sensitive eardrums. He winced and held onto the appendages as it flung side to side in its agony. 
Well that was a bad idea.
 With a firm shake, Minato went flying, a sudden ripping pain aching across his abdomen as the impaling appendages ripped free. A startled cry left his lips as the sudden removal cause blood to spatter anew. The spike of pain was short lived. He collided solidly with the train, the metal crumpling under his body and glass shattering around his ears. Minato’s vision whited out and all the breath left his body in one pained rush. The full body reinforcement shattered as his focus vanished under the pain. Minato gaped soundlessly and breathlessly, fighting to regain oxygen as he fell in a crumpled heap among the broken glass. Everything faded to numb distance again. The brief moment of clarity slipping from his grasping fingers. Pain overwhelming him in a dangerous way that had only happened few times before. Times when he had fatal injuries or missing and barely hanging on limbs. Under the surface of his psyche, Pyro Jack beat a hasty retreat as Thanatos shouldered forward. The seal and chains keeping him entrenched in his summoner’s head were dangerously loose and he was not charitable enough to let the glimpse of freedom lie. His chains raged through the air without Minato’s direction.  Furious and overprotective of his precious person, the death god sent several dozens more chains ripping through reality to defend his summoner’s body while he recovered. The shadow was screaming. Minato just lay there, in his steadily growing pool of blood, unfeeling and numb. Coat ratty and scattered like torn wings around him. This is much worse than last time. Orpheus frowned. I……k…now…. Even his thoughts were halting and slow. A Megido exploded in righteous fury. He couldn’t even feel the drain on his reserves. Thanatos’s chains were screeching and Minato could barely move. A heavy cloak of dark and death draped over the bridge, smothering the cold. It was shadows and fright and the final end, but to Minato it was a warm and comfortable blanket around his abused form. His chest eased and he took a deep breath, shaky and slow. 
T-his is live or die…...nothing has changed. This is just like before. No one will help me.

So I will help myself.
 He took another deep breath. In. Out. He breathed in.  And flooded his body with magic again. Blue energy crackled around his limbs as he overloaded his entire system. He rammed a hand into the ground, forcing his body up. All pain faded to a dull ache. He coughed up a glob of blood to clear his airway and struggled upward to regain his footing. He clutched an arm around his midriff to keep his entrails in as every lurch of movement threatened disembowelment. The energy sparked and crackled, rising like a visible aura. The only thing in Minato’s focus, was the shadow, lost in a wrestling match with dozens of materialized chains. The summoner staggered forward and yanked one of the chains. He snarled, ferocious and savage and full of nothing but feral instinct, and pumped magic down the length. Fire raced down the links towards the shadow it was wrapped around. An overloaded Agi, but he just kept pumping magic into the spell. More, more and more, until it became an Agilao and then an overloaded Agilao on the fringe of becoming an Agidyne. The priestess lit up like a bonfire, the massive flare of fire burning higher and higher into an obvious beacon. It burned. Burned and burned until the strength left Minato’s body and his chest grew tight. Until the chains shattered in his grip, returning to the mental plane. Until the Priestess burned away to nothing and there was nothing more for the fire to consume. The wild card breathed through the tightening of his chest and stared at the damage to his surroundings in mild awe. The area was simultaneously scorched black and iced over in parts. The front cabin of the train had been nearly demolished with the force he had struck it with. The standard bloodstains marred the ground, along with his own contributions.  Everything was silent once more.

MINATO!

He jerked, eyes jumping to the glowing residue of the shadow. 
Wait a second!
 Before they could react, the energy lunged forward and slammed solidly into his chest. Minato could feel his throat constricting already as his head alit with screams. His control was torn to shreds as he choked around the too full feeling. A feeling he was unhappily familiar with in his early days as Wild Card. The heavy cold was settling over his mind, burning in its chill. Before he could think to call the Compendium in his hazy state, Thanatos rose. GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! He roared. His intelligence and words were buried under a haze of protective instinct, still keyed up from the battle. At this point he would not take any threats to his summoner lightly. Even if it came from his own head. There was a feral snarl, a tear and Minato’s mentality fell back into order. The cold vanished completely and Minato gulped down air thankfully. D-did you just eat it? Orpheus choked out. Thanatos just snarled at him. We need to get away. Minato hazily realized. Go to ground. Dunno how much Dark Hour we have left, we need cover. He wearily crushed the dim glowing card that came to hand with a thought. A flash of flames and regal Suzaku rose before him. Even though Suzakus were supposed to be very powerful, the current one that Minato had picked up out of the blue from a ‘Shuffle Time’ was only level 25, barely a fledgling. He couldn’t remember exactly when it appeared, only that it was very useful with its stock of healing and fire spells.He staggered towards the phoenix and accepted its gentle help to mount it, too exhausted to think about making is anywhere under his own power. He settled into the crimson and gold down, weakly clutching at feathers to anchor himself. The bird cree-ed softly, leaning back to check his grip. Satisfied, it shook itself lightly and took flight as smoothly as it could manage. Minato barely felt a jerk as he drifted into a daze, hand clamped over his torn open stomach and the sound of Orpheus directing healing efforts echoing in his ears.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Minato drifted to consciousness lazily, fairly sure that what awaited him was not anything pleasant. Sure enough, the minute he became aware of his body, he winced. He hadn’t gotten that trashed for years and he was not enjoying it. His mind was nearly silent except for Orpheus’s faint strumming, low and soothing. He would’ve drifted back to sleep under the lullaby if he didn’t suddenly notice that his bed was much, much more comfortable than usual. That sudden realization brought him suddenly awake, eyes snapping open in slight panic. Calm! Calm down! Orpheus soothed, using the gentle tones that he had often used in Minato’s childhood when he was frightened and injured. That’s it, take a breath. Relax. We are here and we’re not going anywhere. You’re in a safe place. 
Orpheus…?
 Under the calming flow of the musician’s voice he gradually relaxed. Unfortunately, his injuries chose that moment to protest quite loudly against moving. He choked on his breath as the ache soared and an unbidden whimper left his throat. He felt utterly pulverized. Like if every organ in his lower body was removed and stuffed back in with no order or sense. Minato had been impaled before. Quite severely too. But this magnitude of ache was the worst he had ever suffered. And for some odd reason he couldn’t remember why his shoulder hurt so much. Post-Dark hour mornings were akin to waking up with a hangover -not that he would know- full of pain and unpleasant for all involved.Minato had never gotten a hangover before for multiple reasons. Mostly because he stayed away from alcohol like it was bleach. Something that could cause him to lose control was to be avoided at all costs. Losing control of his own mind would throw his magic into chaos or get him killed. Personally, Minato liked living. So, he was very much inclined to leave the stuff alone. Point being, Minato had no idea how he left the battlefield last night and had no idea where he woke up. He was having the wonderful experience of waking up after getting blackout drunk, without the actually getting drunk part.

In a wonderful change of pace, your lungs, are alright. You mostly have external damage, a heck of a lot of bruising and then there’s the wonderful mush that was your intestines.

…Do you know where we are?
 
 Sorry, Suzaku took you to the most protected place in the city.
 
Which is…?

The shrine. The priest was very helpful.

A lazy and tired silver eye opened to survey the traditional wood ceiling. Now he had a name to the place, he realized the calm caress of energy was familiar. The air carried weight and power, bolstering his drained reserves. He sighed in satisfaction and snuggled deeper into the futon.

You were out for eight hours. You missed school.

I care very little right now. I feel like I was repeatedly hit with a truck and I’m in a nice, comfortable nest. I don’t want to care for another twelve hours at least.
 Orpheus sighed. Go back to sleep you narcoleptic twat. Minato smiled lightly and let the darkness sweep over his consciousness once more.            The second time Minato awoke, he felt the presence of a Persona user in the room. With his eyes closed and breath even, he cautiously sniffed the air. The unknown didn’t possess much in terms of magical strength but radiated a wild physical strength that outstripped Minato’s own-even when reinforced-by miles. The man smelt heavily of metal and rust.             A rough hand touched his forehead without warning and Minato startled badly, eyes snapping open and body convulsing as he instinctually tried to move away and promptly regretted it. He still disregarded it and tried his best to scramble up and away. “Woah! WOAH! Calm down kid!” Tangled in quilt and in quite a bit of pain, Minato snarled ineffectively. The Persona User in question just stared wide eyed as the wounded teenager hissed warningly at him, looking like a small puffed up kitten buried in blankets. Completely harmless looking. “Calm down kid! I ain’t gonna hurt ya!” A single visible silver eye fixed him in a baleful glare. The summoner shifting uncomfortably as his injuries ached harshly and his vision swam in pain. “….W-who…?” “Shinjiro, we met before. Don’t you remember?” Minato blinked several times to clear his wavering vision, properly taking in the other teenager. “…oh.” He said faintly, finally registering the face before him.             The much larger teenager looked very much out of place in traditional Japanese clothes, dressed in a priest’s uniform. He looked very odd without his beanie and greatcoat. They did far more than he realized to harshen his face, because without it he looked almost soft.             Convinced that Shinjiro meant no harm, Minato allowed himself to crumple and sprawl back on the futon limply. His injuries pulsed and he bit back another cry. Gentle hands helped him rearrange his flimsy body into a position that didn’t hurt as much. “…Your fever broke.” The brunet commented. “Thanks…” The gruff man looked bemused. “Tch. You were collapsed on the front yard and bleeding all over the place. What else was I supposed to do?” “Take me to the hospital, maybe?” “I had no idea how to explain shadow injuries.” He said bluntly. “You know any healing spells? Cause I ain’t know shit.” “I know a little…” “Good enough.” Shinjiro barked. “You need to sit up or something?” 
Orpheus, should I…?

…Your leg has pretty serious damage, the mush of your insides is patching up fine but a Diarama might be best. It’s still bleeding out.

In response, he raised his lesser injured hand and a blue temperance card appeared. He crushed it and Suzaku appeared again in a blaze of velvet blue. An impressive corona of gold and scarlet filled the room, the phoenix nearly not fitting in the space. The bird crooned softly at him and cast its strongest healing magics over him, focusing on the missing chunk of his leg and the stab in his shoulder. Minato bit his lip harshly as a massive case of pins and needles raced up his bad leg. Job done, the phoenix elegantly bowed out of reality.Minato lay limp for a few more seconds, reveling in the significant, but not total, drop in his pain levels. The world looked so much wider and brighter and wonderful when there wasn’t a chunk missing from your leg. “Your persona doesn’t suit you.” A sliver of mercury cracked open. “How do you know? Behind this mask of indifference, I could be a flaming and flamboyant diva.” Shinjiro gave that remark the utterly flat look it deserved. With a tired sigh, the Fool acquiesced. “Suzaku isn’t my persona. They’re just the best healer I have.” “You have more than one?” He floppily waved his hand. “A few.” “…Do you have schizophrenia?” The summoner snorted a laugh. “No. And oddly enough, you’re the first person to make that connection.” “Hmm…” “It’s too long to explain. Can you…Help me sit up?” The physical powerhouse easily lifted him upright and helped him move the comforter at his insistent tugging. The summoner blinked. “Why….am I in a yukata? Where’s my clothes?” “I washed ‘em. They’re over there.” “Ah. Thanks Aragaki-san.”             Gingerly, and with help from Shinji, Minato started to probe at his bandaged leg. To his great relief, his calf muscle seemed to be whole and more forceful prodding only caused a slight ache instead of a spurt of blood. “Well my leg’s walkable now.” Minato declared. “I can probably get out of your hair now.” Shinjiro snorted. “I don’t think so kid.” And he poked the summoner-lightly- in his side to prove his point, ignoring his yelp. “I’m pretty sure you were impaled last night. Give it a few more hours. From what I’ve seen, you should be able to walk back to your place by then. You need to call anybody?” “No…” 
It’s not like I can call Mitsuru or something. I don’t have her number.
 “Alright.” The shrine custodian said briskly. “I’ll be back with some food. Don’t pass out.” The bulkier teenager helped him to lie back down without much fuss and stalked swiftly out of the room without another word. Minato returned to staring at the ceiling in slight bemusement. 
Well, he’s something.
 I like him. Suzaku cheeped. He’s very nice. He’s strong. Orpheus admitted. His persona is heavily physical based and over spiritual level thirty.  Minato whistled. Physical based were the strongest of Persona users out of Dark Hour as they didn’t use external magic at all. The Dark Hour allowed Personas to manifest and for novice users, the ability to use magic. Outside the magic saturated hour though, summoning Personas and using magic were all but impossible for people who did not have a firm and thorough grasp of self and purpose. Or a lot of experience. External magic was more restricted outside the hour for those used to the hour because of the difficulty adjusting to the less magic-rich atmosphere.However, all of a physical user’s ‘magic’ condenses into their summoner’s bodies. There is no need for external manifestation as all of their spells are focused internally or channeled through physical means which, while more physically draining, are able to work outside the Dark Hour. Simply put, with all their ‘magic’ focused inward, they permanently internally reinforced and were built to take and dish out immense physical abuse. Their physical limits were on the inhuman scale. For a mage type like Minato, who had absolutely zero physical power unenhanced, Shinjiro was a complete antithesis.

His persona is very wild and uncontrolled. But since it is physical, I believe Aragaki-san doesn’t need to summon his Persona to fight shadows.

Thanatos stirred slightly. I heard violence….? No, you didn’t. Orpheus sighed. Go back to sleep bonehead. The deity grumbled but settled back into his mental nest. 
It’s a pity we can’t fight with this guy instead of SEES.
 He wasn’t at all interested in recruiting this guy for the still dubious organization. The guy knew way too much about Personae and shadows to not have run into the group before. If he wasn’t with them, it was for a good reason. From watching his strength, none of them could’ve stopped him from doing what he wanted even if they tried.

I agree. This guy is a seasoned veteran. Much better than those children.

Even Souji is better than those guys. He at least wants to learn. The other two just want to jump to combat magic, which may be necessary considering how they want to throw them headfirst into exploring Tartarus, but they’re so……incurious.

At least we have one willing student.

Minato grinned. Sou-chan is going to be a devastating force in a year or two.

I cannot deny that I am sadistically pleased that we get to throw another player into spiritual matters. The Kuzanoha will hate our guts. The King of demons will probably be really amused though.

That guy is always so maniacally happy when a solo player hits the board. Like that Hotsuin kid? And that Kuze kid? Those two were quite a handful by themselves and then they went and teamed up. That did cause quite a ruckus. I’ve never seen the demon crime rate go down so fast.

I suppose it’s a problem of being too powerful, so I guess the King enjoys having people who are strong enough to…well, give him a good fight.

Considering how I keep scraping myself off of floors, I doubt we’re anywhere near those ridiculously overpowered people. If we ever survive that long and get strong enough……fighting them might be fun.
 Aragaki knocked on the door frame, a bowl of something steaming and delicious in his hand. “Oi, kid. Food.” “Thanks.”  “Arf! Arf!” “Ah, Koro-chan.” Minato smiled gently at the excitable and adorable dog that had nosed the sliding door open. The Shiba Inu instantly bounded into the room and nuzzled close to his side, begging to be patted. The summoner obliged him gladly, giggling awkwardly when the dog poked at ticklish parts of his side. “Minato-senpai?” “Ah!” Minato looked up, startled, to meet worried silver eyes. Souji Seta, apprentice summoner, was standing in the doorway of Minato’s temporary shrine room. The fourteen-year old’s eyes were wide as he took in the sight of his injured teacher. Minato was reclining weakly on a stack of pillows. Bandages were visible wherever there was skin, peeking out of his collar, traveling around his arms and wrapped around his head. He looked like a nightmare. Deep bags lay under his eyes like deep bruises and his frame was listing ever so slightly in exhaustion. He looked washed out, dressed in a white sleeping yukata rather than the customary bulky and dark coat Souji was used to. He looked small. “Sou-chan.” Minato smiled weakly at his student. “What are you doing here?” “Koromaru dragged me here.” He said, full of disbelief. “What happened?” “It’s nothing,” The elder summoner brushed off. “Just a bit of an accident with a monster.” “A monster?!?” The kohai yelped and scurried forward to frantically check over his teacher. “Meh. I got it in the end. There’s nothing to worry about.” Silver eyes narrowed. “That’s why you left early yesterday.” “Yeah. Sorry ‘bout that. Something big and dark was dancing on the edge of my senses all day. We can always finish the lesson now….?” Souji looked at him wryly. “You look like you went through a blender, shouldn’t you be sleeping or something?” “Nah, I’ve been sleeping all day anyway.” The door slammed open suddenly and a wave of harsh and terrifying killing intent raged through the room. Souji choked as the intent paralyzed him in fear. Minato remained wholly unaffected, the roaring intent to murder and defend going straight over his head. Abruptly as it came it was gone, revealing Shinjiro looming in the doorway, maroon overcoat and beanie shadowed over his glaring eyes causing him to look even more frightening. “Who are you? How’d you get in here?!” He snapped, his eyes burning with restrained killing intent at the intrusion into his domain and perceived threat to the injured summoner under his care. “It’s okay Aragaki-san!” Minato placated quickly. “He’s my student! It’s fine!” The brunette just scowled at him before turning back to glare at Souji with suspicion. “Yeah, but why is he in here?” Koromaru chose that moment to yip and paw at the air, like he was raising his hand. Shinjiro sighed, full of longsuffering and exasperation. “Should’ve figured the dog would be involved….” He grumbled. “And for the last time, I ain’t no –san, kid.” “Well, I’m not a kid either.” Minato shot back. “Aragaki-san.” The brawler’s eye twitched. “Tch, brat.” The summoner smiled pleasantly at him. “…Minato.” He relented. “Well now that’s cleared up Shinjiro, would you like to stay? I have to finish teaching Sou-chan.” Another eyebrow rose. “I’m teaching him about magic and demons.” He added. “I don’t know if you have any education on demon summoning and such, even if you’re the priest.” “I ain’t the priest. I’m just the regent.” The teenager admitted as he shuffled into the room. “Oh good, another student.” Shinjiro just scowled at him and made himself comfortable. Minato ignored him and turned to Souji. “Right, list what I told you last time for the benefit of the new student.” Souji gave the interloper a wary glance but he pulled out his small notebook and started to read from his notes anyway. “Ok, so people’s magic potential depends on the amount of ‘Magnetite’ in their body. There are four great summoning clans in Japan but the two most dangerous are the Kuzonoha and the Hotsuin. The Kuzanoha deal with rouge summoners and demons threatening to disturb the peace. The Hotsuin run a massive demon defense force and maintain the spiritual barriers around Japan. They’re really old families whose members are really powerful.” “Right,” Minato nodded. “Don’t piss any of those families off. Kuzanohas are terribly hard to spot since they don’t have any defining characteristics but Hotsuins have naturally gray-white hair. I’ve never met a Kuzanoha but I’ve heard of them, they have old traditional contracts with several deities. The Hotsuin summon using a fully digitized method and summoning program. Which will be the one we’ll be using for you.” “Digital?” Shinjiro sounded startled. Minato couldn’t blame him, the idea sounded completely ridiculous. “Yeah, some programmer a few years ago managed to digitize summoning rituals into a program. The Hotsuin were quick to convert to the system as it was much simpler than traditional summoning and offers greater protection to summoners.” Souji wrinkled his brows in thought. “Where would you get the digital thing though, it must be hard to get one if summoners are as closed off as you say.” Minato grimaced. “I will have to put myself under great debt to the Hotsuin.” “Wha-?!” “Tch, moron.” “Why?” Souji protested. “I mean, isn’t there any oth-“ “There isn’t.” “You could just have him summon the traditional way.” Shinjiro pointed out. “Unless you know any rituals, that isn’t an option. Besides, the clans are quite secretive, I’d have to swear my life and soul to them for them to give me any information about rituals.” “And you’re sure the Hotsuin won’t?” “I’m positive. They recruit regular people to their organization and teach them to use the program. Even if I can only barter for a simple and low leveled program, that will be enough. I just need for Sou-chan to be able to defend himself.” The look Shinjiro sent him spoke words. Minato shrugged. “Actually if I only have to deal with the Hotsuin head, I would’ve probably been forced into servitude. I’m not stronger than him right now. Thankfully, he has a…second in command that was not clan-born who should be more forgiving in negotiations.” “How do you know all this?” Shinjiro demanded. “I’ve been living at the shrine for years among the supernatural and I don’t know any of this. Heck, I know for sure Kirijo knows nothing about demons!” “Ah.” Minato said bluntly. “I have a demon sealed in me. I forgot to mention it.” “EHHHHHHHH?!!?” “YOU DIDN’T THINK THAT MIGHT BE IMPORTANT?!” “No…?” “Good god kid,” Shinjiro groaned, running a hand over his face is exasperation. “These kinds of things are important.” “So,” Souji’s eyes sparkled. “What’s its name? Is it nice? Is it strong? Can you summon it? Can it talk?” Minato laughed, silver eyes bright with rare mirth. “His name is Thanatos. Yes, he’s very strong. I can summon him but it takes a lot out of me. He can talk but he’s asleep right now.” “Thanatos…” Souji wondered. “That’s Greek isn’t it?” “Yes,” Minato admitted easily. “Thanatos the god of peaceful Death. He’s not very peaceful though. He’s bloodthirsty and hot blooded and likes collecting weapons.” “He taught you demon stuff?” “Yeah, the basics. I had to hunt down demon gossip to find out who the big players in the spiritual world was and if there was any authorities or rules keeping us in line on my own.” “Are there any?” Shinjiro frowned. “I never heard of any. The old priest never reported to anyone, and no one’s come sniffing around after he died either.” “There are no rules.” Minato smirked. “Except don’t get caught.” “What?” “I’m serious. You can do whatever you want with your powers once you don’t bring it to the attention of the general public. Serial killings and murder are frowned upon for that reason.” “So,” Shinjiro said slowly, a sickened kind of horror rising in his eyes. “If you set a building on fire using magic….” “Something like that is easily ‘explainable’ and cannot be tied to magic in anyway. Perfect crime. However, if you have a rash of serial murders with puncture marks on their necks and all the blood drained from their bodies. That is not explicable by mundane means.” “That’s horrible…” Minato shrugged. “Listen, Sou-chan, the supernatural tends to cross into the regular world and cause trouble and incidents no matter what. Demons will always be trying to cross over and rouge summoners will always be mad with power. These incidents will affect everything around them, it doesn’t matter if you know of the supernatural or not. And let’s just say, if you weren’t involved beforehand survival rate is quite low. Knowledge is power. That’s why I’m teaching you. Ignorance will not protect you from demons seeking you out for your high energy levels.” “…You say I have magic, but I’ve never felt anything of the sort.” “Ah, yeah, that’s another issue.” Minato cringed slightly. “Magic is usually woken up when its host is in life or death circumstance. That’s why it’s usually so dangerous. You still okay with this Sou-chan?” The teenager’s silver eyes glinted with steel. “What am I going to have to do?” “There are several methods we could use but all of them will affect you at a core level. Near death experiences can change people. Awakening magic can change you.” “Senpai…. I…” “Before my own awakening, from what little I can remember, I was an energetic and cheerful child with not a care in the world. My awakening was very, very harsh though so I doubt anything we use will scar you that badly but are you sure?” “Yes.” Minato bowed his head in resignation. “So be it.” “We will not be awakening your magic for a while. You need to be familiar with energy first. When you are surrounded by high energy environments, like this shrine or around me, it will encourage your own energy to be more active and grow to meet the environment. I will teach you magic theory and try to reduce the risk as much as possible. On the bright side, having a circulating magic system will make you immune to the Apathy Syndrome that’s being caused by supernatural means.” “Minato…What are you going to do to him…?” “Well, considering his aptitude, We’re probably going to have to electrocute him.” “WHAAAAAAAAAT?!?!” “Don’t worry,” Minato deadpanned, giving them a thumbs up. “If anything bad happens, I know how to hide a body.” “YOU’RE NOT HELPING!” “And what’s with this ‘we’?!” “Why electrocution senpaaaaaaaaai?!” “Well you’re electric based so after the, pardon my pun, shock to your system, your magic should wake up to absorb the threat.” “…And if it doesn’t, I die?” “Well, I’ll try and stop it before it reaches that point.” “But how do you know he’s electricity? If you electrocute him and he’s not…that would be bad.” “Oh that’s easy.” Minato said casually. “He smells of it.” The two stared at him blankly. “Smell…?” “Oh yes. My magic is heavy combat type. I can’t sense the broad side of a barn. But I can smell magic.” “…That’s the weirdest power.” Minato sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “And don’t I know it. I had to compensate to survive somehow. I can smell strong energy signatures and get a basic reading off of what I smell. Sou-chan smells like ozone and sunlight. Which means strong electricity and slight holy. Shinjiro smells like metal, which means he’s a strong physical combatant.” The two of them simultaneously raised their sleeves to take a sniff at themselves. The apprentice turned to Shinji and raised an eyebrow. The gruff man just huffed at the skeptical look and nodded. “…Don’t look at me me like that, did you think I was some squishy mage?” “Er…” “As a squishy mage, I take offense at that.” Minato drawled blankly. Shinjiro shot him a withering look. “You can’t be offended at the truth.” “…So magic users are…squishy?” Souji ventured. “Ah,” Minato looked faintly embarrassed. “No. Most aren’t, even at a low level. Magic users can take far more damage than a regular person. I can take it too but I’m, well…frailer than most of them.” Souji and Shinjiro exchanged startled and concerned glances. Minato caught the look and his gaze sharpened and burnt. “There’s no need for that. I’m not that flimsy. My defense may be shit, yes, but my offense is parallel to none. I’m fast and my magic is geared for mass destruction, it’s rare that I actually get hit.” “Like last night? If you’re as good as you say, what the hell were you hunting last night that left you in this state? And is it still around?” Shinjiro demanded. Minato waved him off. “I killed it but it was the strongest monster I’ve ever faced; I’ve never seen anything like it before. It was the hardest fight I’ve had in years. It’s unlikely that it would affect you.” “You’re okay though?” Souji poked at Minato’s shoulder, eyeing the numerous bandages warily. “Well, I’m not dead and my intestines are back where I can’t see them so I suppose I’m okay.” The younger teenager’s complexion tinged green. “I did not need that image.” “You’re welcome.” “Will you be okay to leave?” “Yeah, do you need me to leave anytime soon?” Souji bristled with indignation and glared at the shrine regent. Before he could open his mouth to protest at the injustice of his clearly injured and battered teacher being kicked out, Minato wacked him lightly on the head. “Hush, you. I’m well enough to return to my dorm.” Shinjiro grimaced. “Kid, you look like you got went a few rounds with a train and lost all of them. If I had my way you wouldn’t be going anywhere until tomorrow, but we really don’t have that kind of luxury. A Demon tamer is going to attempt a contract with a Bai ze Demon in about an hour. You two need to get outta here.” Souji didn’t know whether to be excited or frightened. Because, I mean, the chance of seeing a real, live supernatural being! But on the other hand, a real, inhuman demon, capable of casual murder at the slightest provocation. A few days ago, perhaps he would’ve been more frightened. But listening to Minato casually talk about the weakness of monsters in the dark had desensitized him. There was still a bright spark of fear, but it was quickly being overtaken by curiosity. “Someone’s summoning a demon right here?!” “Yeah.” Shinjiro said grimly. “So you need to go. It’s an old fashioned contracting so if something goes wrong both of you are sitting ducks.” “Understandable.” Minato nodded and shoved back the covers. Instantly, there was a scramble as the two lurched forward to offer support. It took several seconds of confusion before they sorted out their elbows. By that time, Minato was already standing, arm clutched reflexively around his stomach and swaying slightly. “Kid, walk him home. Make sure he doesn’t pass out or something.” Shinjiro instructed strictly. “He can’t.” Minato pointed out, shuffling to his cleaned clothes. “Kirijo can’t know about him.” “Then walk him to the street.” The elder Persona user unflinchingly stared him down. Minato huffed and turned away, stiffly bending to sort through his clothes. “I tried to patch up your coat but sorry. Your shirt wasn’t salvageable either. I put one of mine there.” The Summoner frowned and shook out his coat. The cloth had obvious dried bloodstains, smelling of rust and death. The shoulder where he was damaged was torn, the sleeve barely hanging on. Blood soaked the front, ragged fabric ruining the coat beyond repair. Some of the huge holes were awkwardly patched up. If it was possible, Souji paled more at the tangible evidence of his teacher’s bloody fight, swallowing harshly at the physical proof of the toll the supernatural lifestyle wrought.Minato exhaled and brought it to his face. With the scent of copper heavy in his nose and closed eyes, he chased the blue pinprick in his head that was his connection to the Velvet Room. The connection glowed softly and followed his gentle coaxing to his coat. Blue energy rippled down the fabric, mending, cleaning and regenerating the armour. Minato huffed in pleasure, shaking it out again. Then he turned to his gaping audience and pointed to the door. “Out. I’m not gonna change if you two are staring.”