TARTARUS ● DARK HOUR ● NEW MOON ● ???

Dark, damp and empty. That was how it felt like inside of Tartarus's muscle? blood? bone? soul? Even Minako was confused what to call the insides of Tartarus's inside.

After activating the Traesto gem, plunging into Tartarus's void was easy. She's been floating into the unknown, not sure how much time has passed, or if she was still alive. She feels alive but it was as if her brain had melded into whatever the labyrinth was, melting her away like the slob shadows she's been fighting for months.

Aside from that, it has come to her awareness that a flood of past memories began rushing in like multiple movies being downloaded in a cramped 2GB flashdrive. It was giving her nausea and anxiety all at the same time.

One scene was from the night she arrived at the station when the moon was full and the people suddenly became coffins scattered all over the streets. She didn't know what was going on but she managed to reach the dorm unscathed.

Another was her first encounter with a shadow at the rooftop of the dorm. Similarly, the moon was high and full, but her hands were shaking as she held the gun against her head. All that came after that became a blur.

The scene shifted into her conversations with her classmates, friends, the lonely bookstore couple, the Paulownia Mall salesman, the monk, and all other encounters she made in all the months she's been in Port Island and all over town.

Then there was the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad also known as SEES. A group devoted to fighting shadows. But it wasn't all that. SEES was more than a team fighting for the people. SEES was her home. Being an orphan was hard, but thanks to these people who accepted her and gave her purpose, she was able to face different challenges that she would have never imagined facing in her short life. Thanks to them, the thought of having lived her life to the fullest in the past few months eased her.

"Yessss. Let it gooooo. Accept your faaaaaate." Hissed a cold voice that sounded like a rusted guitar string finding its tune.

The field of memories began to appear further from her, shifting rapidly like a Youtube video in max speed. Zooming in and out like a camera.

"Is...Is this really okay?" She whispered back to the voice.

"Youuuu beloooong heeere. You will feel noooo paaaaiiiin..." replied the cold voice now sounding like the blade of ice skates scraping the rink.

"No...pain..." She repeated. The thought of fleeing away from suffering wasn't a bad idea. All this time she kept her fear inside trying to keep everybody together. If she had a third choice, she'd rather battle Nyx all alone and erase the memory of pain from everyone else so they could live happily.

The thought consumed her. All she wanted was for everything to go back to how it used to be. She wanted to shop with Yukari. She wanted to see Junpei play more games. She wanted to see Ken grow up. She wanted to see Mitsuru to fulfill her father's dreams. She looked forward to cooking with Fuuka and possibly with Shinjiro when he wakes up from his coma. She even looked forward to playing with Koromaru while asking Aigis what the dog has been saying. And Akihiko, her sweetest Aki...she wanted to spend more time with him. And if given the opportunity, she looked forward on having a family with him.

But all that will not be possible if they don't defeat Nyx. And who knows what else will happen after they have accomplished defeating the bringer of the Fall. The bringer that she unknowingly brought into this world. Deep inside, Minako blamed herself for being clueless. Staying inside of Tartarus wasn't a bad idea.

Just when she was about to surrender to the void, a familiar voice rung into her head.

"Is this really what you want?"

Her heart ached. "This is how it should be." She whimpered.

"Didn't you say your happiness is finding a way out of this?"

His words triggered a bell. All of the sudden, the memories came flashing back around her like a subway train as she stood in the middle. Happiness never really mattered to her. Living was enough. And yet, the more she saw her face in those memories, her happy mid-laugh expression, the more she realized, what she feared most.

Tears fell as a reconciliation came to mind finally accepting her flaws. "I'm afraid to lose them."

Her body flared in the dark. She began regaining her warmth and energy surged from all over her body. She wrapped her arms around her, feeling the heat of her love for them.

"Now do you understand?" added the familiar voice, now in two part harmony: one from the boy who visited her dreams and the boy who cared for her since the beginning of time.

Around her the clips of memory sped up and began to crack.

"I want to go home." She said and the memories shattered into several pieces falling above. Minako held out her palm and caught a piece. Her eyes widened. On her hand hovered a card in blue with a half and half white and black mask printed in the middle. The card felt warm and it beated like a child's heart.

"Call for me." said the voice.

"Noooo! Aaaagh!" hissed the other but sensed the presence vanish when her light shone brighter.

"Call for me Minako." repeated the familiar tone. "I'm always in you."

The card pulsed on her hand and with all her strength her body heaved for the spell. The spell that she almost forgot but has now come back. In one big voice she yelled: PERSONA! and a hollow breaking sound bellowed in the darkness.

Minako's eyes fluttered open. She almost panicked when there was more darkness even after she had broken free. However, this darkness didn't feel scary. She looked down to herself and saw that she was still glowing in the same warm light.

"You did it, Minako." a soothing voice greeted.

Minako choked back a sob. In front of her appeared a boy in white rolled up long sleeves paired with the usual black trouser and black oxfords shinier than teeth. Around his neck was his signature yellow scarf wrapped around twice while the excess draped down to his waist. His hair was still pushed back and he smiled the same way she left them that night.

"Ryoji.." Her voice trailed, cupping her mouth in muffled sobs.

Like her, the boy was enveloped in the same light as if he mirrored her heart.

"You almost gave in to Tartarus, Minako." He raised a brow. Same old cocky Ryoji, she thought.

She blinked. "I did? That voice earlier was..?"

He nodded. "As you suspected, Tartarus recognized you as a part of the mother Shadow, Nyx, making you a good source of power for the tower to stand treacherous and more dangerous. It didn't disintegrate your soul knowing it could still use you. However, it also recognized your mortal heart, full of fear and doubts. If you hadn't realized it sooner, Tartarus could have taken you in to its heart."

The thought of being dragged in made her shudder.

"I'm sorry." She sighed. "I was weak. I thought I could handle it all on my own. I thought it was best for everyone to be spared from the pain."

Ryoji wiggled his index finger with a tsk-tsk-tsk, "No, Minako. What you felt was natural. You felt responsible for causing everyone's pain. You felt scared that at some point they blame you for bringing the Fall closer to them. It was inevitable." He shrugged.

Minako winced, holding back her tears.

"However," He continued. "Without you, they would have went blindly with their lives unaware of what was coming for them. You were never the bringer Minako. No matter what you think about it, you are not Nyx. You are the beacon of hope for your friends and you should never forget that."

Ryoji's words felt like a wrecking ball hitting her high walls. Sturdy the wall may be, the truth woke her up. Now that it has been breached, light can finally pass through again. The birth of a new resolve.

"Live, Minako." His body began to fade. "Find the path."

"Wait!" She yelled reaching out to him. "Don't leave me here!"

Ryoji chuckled, his usual flamboyant style, "You'll know the answer. You'll wake up now. Goodluck Minako."

On his command, she gasped and her eyes flew open. She was back at Tartarus.