...04/10/2009 Sunday; Dark Hour...
...FULL MOON OPERATION...
The ragged breathing of S.E.E.S. filled the Dark Hour.
Each member of the group felt their legs burning, their lungs protesting with every breath they took.
Sweat ran down their foreheads, down their backs, soaking their clothes from the inside.
Ahead of them, floating as if defying the laws of physics, the Shadow Arcana of Strength fled.
Its distorted form dragged itself through the air, moving with an urgency that bordered on desperation. It knew the Dark Hour was coming to an end.
It knew that if it could survive just a few more minutes, it would be safe.
"That bastard won't stop!" Akihiko gritted his teeth, eyes locked on the creature slipping between the buildings.
Minato ran beside him, his chest burning. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder at the rest of the group, who were falling further and further behind.
"I don't know if everyone can keep running much longer…" his voice came out broken by lack of air.
"ARE WE GETTING CLOSE TO TARTARUS?!" Junpei's sharp voice came from behind, filled with disbelief and exhaustion.
That's when they all looked ahead.
And every one of their hearts skipped a beat.
Tartarus.
The massive, distorted tower rose before them, its warped silhouette against the sickly green sky of the Dark Hour.
They had crossed Moonlight Bridge without even realizing it. Gekkoukan High was right there, just a few hundred meters away.
Hiro forced his eyes to focus on the warped clocks floating around the tower, marking the remaining time of the Dark Hour.
Eight minutes.
"Shit…" Hiro muttered through clenched teeth, frustration burning in his chest. "We're running out of time."
Then came a whistle.
A sharp, agonizing sound that pierced their ears like needles and lodged itself directly in their brains.
"AH, FUCK!" Hiro groaned in pain, clutching his head.
Beside him, Fuuka wiped the sweat from her eyes, trying to see better. That's when she noticed Hiro slowing down.
"Hiro?" concern tightened her voice, even as she gasped for air. "What's wrong?"
"My head…" the answer came muffled, as if he were speaking from the bottom of a well.
When Hiro opened his eyes, everything seemed to move in slow motion.
Akihiko's legs kicking up dust from the asphalt. Sweat sliding down Mitsuru's face in slow motion. The look of concern frozen on Fuuka's face.
Hiro looked around, confused.
Until he looked behind him.
And saw himself.
His own body still running, still moving with the group, still keeping pace despite exhaustion. But he was there… floating, watching from the outside.
Not again…
A laugh cut through the unreal silence of that state.
It wasn't a normal laugh. It was deep. Arrogant. Macabre.
"Well, well…" the voice came from everywhere and nowhere. "Why haven't you realized what's going to happen yet?"
The chill that ran down Hiro's spine was so intense he felt every hair on his body stand on end.
Slowly, with a fear he couldn't control, he turned his face toward the Shadow Arcana of Strength.
And saw.
Floating above everything, a macabre figure cut through the green sky with black wings.
Lucifer.
His Persona.
The figure stared at him with eyes glowing like embers. A maniacal smile split his face, revealing his teeth. His wings beat slowly, keeping him suspended in the air with terrifying elegance.
Another laugh escaped his lips. Louder this time. More insane.
Lucifer tilted his head, eyes fixed on Hiro with an intimacy that made the boy feel exposed.
"Sometimes it seems like you pretend to be blind, Hiro."
Hiro's body trembled with anger.
It surged through his veins like mercury, filling every empty space, every rational thought. His teeth clenched. His fist tightened so much his nails nearly pierced his palm.
Every time.
Every time there was an operation, Lucifer appeared. And always with those cryptic words, always with that smile like he knew something Hiro didn't.
Hiro took a breath. Let it out slowly.
"Calm down. Calm down. You need to understand what he wants." Hiro repeated it a few times, trying to focus.
"What do you want?" his voice came out rougher than he intended.
The look he gave the Persona was pure irritation.
Lucifer placed a hand on his chest, feigning surprise. The smile, however, didn't fade.
"Me?" his tone was mocking, almost amused. "Well, I'm trying to help you. But most of the time… you play the fool."
"Nothing you say makes any damn sense!" Hiro pointed at himself. "What do you mean I'm going to bring death to everyone?! I'm not a murderer!"
The words echoed in the empty space between them.
Lucifer just smiled.
Then he dissolved.
The Persona's body exploded into red particles that danced in the air for a moment before regrouping.
When Hiro blinked, Lucifer was right in front of him. So close he could feel the unreal heat radiating from his pale skin.
Hiro stepped back, surprised but alert.
Lucifer tilted his head, the smile still fixed on his face.
"I never said you were a murderer," his voice came out lower now, more intimate. "But that doesn't mean you don't kill many things."
Hiro frowned. Confusion clashed with the irritation in his chest.
"What do you mean?"
Lucifer looked away toward the frozen group, toward the Shadow Arcana suspended in the air, trapped in that eternal moment.
"Isn't it obvious?" his tone was enigmatic, almost provocative. "Why do you think the Shadow Arcana is afraid? Why is it running from you?"
Hiro followed his gaze. The creature hovering in the air seemed almost… terrified.
"Isn't it afraid of dying?"
Lucifer's question lingered like smoke.
Hiro pressed his lips together.
"We have to stop the Arcanas," the answer came faster than he expected. "That's the only way to destroy the Dark Hour and Tartarus."
Lucifer laughed.
Not a restrained laugh. Not polite. A full, unhinged cackle. It echoed through the void, reverberated in Hiro's bones, made his blood freeze and boil at the same time.
The Persona took a few steps back, his wings spreading like a mantle of darkness.
His silhouette, carved against nothingness, looked like something from an ancient nightmare.
Hiro felt chills crawl up his spine. But along with them, the anger returned. Stronger. Hotter.
When the laughter finally stopped, Lucifer wiped an imaginary tear from the corner of his eye and looked back at Hiro.
"Oh, man…" he shook his head, his tone now pure irony. "So naïve… and you still say you want to protect everyone."
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Hiro lunged forward, fists clenched, trembling with rage. "I'm not going to stop killing those bastards! I'm not going to stop protecting everyone!"
Lucifer stopped looking at him.
For a moment, his face became serious. Almost… thoughtful.
He raised his gaze to the full moon hanging over the Dark Hour.
His expression shifted subtly, as if accessing a distant memory.
Someone. A conversation. Words spoken long ago.
"Yeah…" he murmured, almost to himself. A different smile appeared on his lips. Not the usual macabre one. Something more… normal. "He's just like you said."
Hiro blinked, confused. "Huh?"
Lucifer lowered his gaze again and looked at him. This time without mockery. Just… truth.
"Very well. If you really want to continue… I'll help you." The words came out calm. Almost gentle. "But know this…"
The world around them began to fall apart.
The edges of the void dissolved like melting ice. Time resumed outside — Hiro could feel his body moving, running, gasping.
Reality was pulling him back.
Lucifer's figure began to fade.
But before disappearing completely, he cast one last look at Hiro.
The macabre smile returning.
"From today on…" his voice echoed like a whisper directly inside Hiro's mind. "Your suffering will begin."
And then he was gone.
TO BE CONTINUED...