Chapter 4; Tartarus

...24/07/2009 Friday; Dark Hour...

Tartarus rose in its melancholic, overwhelming form, towering and oppressive.

The walls seemed to pulse softly, as if they were alive, while the hands of a massive clock continued their relentless movement.

Looking up, Hiro couldn't hide his astonishment.

"Damn, look at the size of this thing. It's enormous," he exclaimed, trying to process the scale of the place.

Aigis, always calm and precise, replied, "Tartarus is the place where we fight to try to reduce cases of Apathy Syndrome. But, according to my scans, we're not even halfway through."

The group began to move forward, passing through the massive entry doors.

An imposing hallway led them into a vast, open area that resembled the interior of a gigantic clock.

Metal gears turned incessantly around them, while a huge pendulum swung back and forth, its hypnotic motion filling the air.

Still in awe, Hiro took in his surroundings. "My God…"

Mitsuru and Akihiko moved ahead. Mitsuru carried a medical kit, which she began setting up on the floor in case of an emergency.

Still dazed, Hiro glanced at the massive staircase leading to the grand clock at the center of the room.

"Our school has always been this tower? Holy shit." he murmured, still trying to make sense of the situation.

Junpei, already used to the sight, gave a slight smile but still looked impressed. "No matter how many times I see this floor, it always gives me chills."

Minato, who had been silent until now, recalled something important. "Hiro, there's something we forgot to tell you. Tartarus has many floors that change with each Dark Hour. Our goal is to reach the top floors of each area."

Fuuka, who had joined the group, explained, "The group is divided into four, with Minato as the leader. He decides who goes up with him, which means three others."

Mitsuru, finishing her setup of the medical kit, clapped her hands and decided, "Since we'll see how you do in combat, the group will be you, Takeba, and Iori. Arisato, can you keep an eye on him?"

Minato nodded. "Yes, I'll watch over Hiro. I'll be in the clock passage at the top of the stairs."

Meanwhile, Hiro observed Yukari adjusting her bowstring, while Junpei practiced a few swings with his greatsword.

Suddenly, a distant voice echoed in his mind: "Finally… the time is near."

Noticing that Hiro had stopped moving, Mitsuru approached him with a concerned expression. "Mikoshi, are you alright?"

Hiro, snapping out of his brief trance, responded, "Ah, yeah. I was just… thinking about something."

Mitsuru, drawing her Evoker from its holster, offered it to Hiro. "I see. Here, take my Evoker. Yours hasn't been produced yet, so use mine for now."

Hiro took the Evoker, studying it for a moment.

The device, shaped like a silver pistol with intricate details and the S.E.E.S emblem engraved on the barrel.

He twirled the Evoker on his finger and holstered it on his new belt. "Thanks, I'll need it to meet my Persona."

At the top of the staircase, Minato, Junpei, and Yukari waited patiently.

Fuuka, adjusting her headset, addressed Hiro: "Hiro-san, I forgot to mention. My Persona isn't meant for fighting like yours, but I'll provide tactical support through telepathy."

Mitsuru added, "Another thing, when you're ascending the floors with Arisato, always listen to his orders or mine, which I'll relay through Yamagishi's telepathy."

Hiro began climbing the staircase, listening to Mitsuru's instructions.

Before disappearing through the clock passage, he looked back, drawing his scimitar from its sheath. "Alright, I'll try to follow his orders. For now."

Mitsuru watched as the four vanished into Tartarus's darkness.

Beside her, Fuuka had already summoned her Persona, Lucia.

Lucia's ethereal figure floated beside Fuuka, with a pale, translucent body clad in a pink dress that emitted a soft glow.

Her face was red, partially obscured by her bandages, revealing only her mouth and nose, and her blonde hair levitated gently, reflecting the greenish light of Tartarus.

Mitsuru gazed at Tartarus with a grave expression. "Yamagishi, can you see them?"

Fuuka, focused on her Persona, replied, "Yes, in a moment, I'll be able to mirror Lucia's view in the center of the circle."

Aigis approached Lucia, curious. "I wonder what kind of Persona Hiro-senpai has. All of ours are connected to gods or significant figures from Greek mythology."

Akihiko, crossing his arms as he looked at the display projected by Lucia, commented, "Let's see what you're made of, Hiro."

As they crossed through the passage, Hiro looked around, observing the dark, claustrophobic atmosphere. "Damn, I think it's gonna take a while to get used to this." he murmured, still surprised.

Fuuka's voice resonated in their minds through telepathy. "Can you all hear me?"

Yukari looked up, as if she could see Fuuka. "Loud and clear. We're just here to test Hiro, right?"

Mitsuru confirmed via telepathy. "Yes, if he performs better than expected, feel free to go as far as you can."

Junpei, always enthusiastic, tightened his grip on his greatsword. "Alright, time to slay some Shadows."

The group began advancing through the corridors, climbing a few floors in search of Shadows.

When Hiro turned a corner, Yukari quickly grabbed the collar of his jacket, pulling him back.

"Careful, there's one over there." Yukari whispered.

The four peeked around the corner and spotted a Shadow—a slimy creature with multiple arms dragging itself across the ground, searching for something.

Minato drew his sword from its sheath, preparing to attack. "Alright, I'll explain our tactic quickly. If we can hit a Shadow from behind, we'll have the advantage. For some reason, they only react after our 'turn,' so it's crucial to strike first."

Hiro nodded, trying to process the information. "Got it, one at a time. Let's do this."

With a swift movement, Minato charged at the Shadow, striking it from behind with his sword.

The creature let out an irritated scream, its body twisting and shifting into a green, cylindrical form with limbs and blank white eyes.

Hiro stepped back, startled. "What the fuck? What is this thing?"

Junpei adjusted his stance with the sword, ready to strike. "Just one of the many forms a Shadow can take."

Surrounded, the four kept their eyes on the Shadow, which seemed to be studying them, searching for a way out.

Without taking his eyes off the creature, Minato gave the next command. "Yukari, your turn."

Yukari pulled back the string of her bow, carefully taking aim. "Alright."

She released an arrow that struck the Shadow's eye, causing it to screech in anger and focus on her.

Mitsuru's voice echoed in their minds through telepathy. "Now's your chance, Hiro. Use your Persona."

Hiro looked at the Evoker in his holster, pulling it out with his left hand while his right gripped his scimitar tightly.

He examined the device, which looked remarkably like a gun.

"Okay, just point it at my head and pull the trigger." he murmured, trying to calm his racing heart.

He pressed the barrel against the side of his head, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Just pull the trigger. Just pull the trigger." he repeated to himself.

Then, a deep, resonant voice echoed in his mind: "At last... the time has come for a new chapter in this story. Shout the name you carry within. I am thou, and thou art I."

A sinister smile formed on Hiro's lips, so unsettling it made Yukari shudder.

"Hiro..." Yukari whispered, feeling a chill.

Hiro felt a strange, powerful energy surge through him, making his hair stand on end.

Even if the device were to kill him—what did it matter? This was his truth.

"Yes, let's end this," he murmured, almost as if speaking to himself. "Lucifer!"

His eyes opened, filled with a bloodlust he had long hidden.

"Persona!" he shouted, pulling the trigger.

A flash of red light shot out from the other side of Hiro's head, signaling that the Evoker had been activated.

A dark, red energy began to swirl around Hiro, until finally, his Persona emerged behind him.

Lucifer appeared, an imposing and terrifying figure.

His face was as pale as the moon, with a wide, unsettling grin that revealed sharp teeth. His eyes glowed with an intense red light, emanating an overwhelming power.

His short white hair complemented his pale skin, while black feathers spread across his muscular, well-defined body.

The feathers were concentrated mainly on his shoulders and chest, some of them pulsating with a red light similar to that of his eyes.

His legs resembled scaled, black claws with red details.

To complete his appearance, Lucifer had enormous white wings that extended to the sides.

Despite his angelic wings, the contrast with the rest of his figure created a disturbing and threatening aura.

Junpei, in disbelief, could only murmur, "Damn, look that Persona."

With a battle cry, Hiro commanded, "Finish it, Lucifer!"

Lucifer pointed his hands toward the Shadow and launched Eiha, a dark-element attack.

Black wires emerged from the ground, wrapping around the Shadow's limbs.

With a resounding pull, the wires sank back into the ground, tearing off the creature's upper arms.

The Shadow let out a scream of pain as black liquid gushed from where its arms had once been.

Without giving it a chance to react, Lucifer disappeared, and Hiro advanced with his scimitar in hand.

He grabbed the Shadow's head and, with a clean, precise cut, decapitated it.

The Shadow disintegrated into a black mist, disappearing into the air.

Hiro twirled his scimitar, wiping off the Shadow's black blood with a fluid motion. "That feeling… it was incredible."

Minato relaxed, lowering his combat stance. "I'll admit, the first time can be amazing."

Yukari still looked shaken, her gaze fixed on Hiro. "Hiro, for a moment, you were…"

Hiro, noticing her concern, shrugged. "Oh, the sinister grin? Don't worry, it's rare to see me that excited."

Yukari shook her head, frustrated. "That's not it, you idiot. Your Persona… it's different from ours."

Junpei, not understanding, intervened, "Uh, Yukari, did you forget that each of us has our own Persona?"

She sighed, bringing a hand to her face. "Oh my god, you two share the same brain cell."

Akihiko's voice sounded through telepathy, clarifying what Yukari was trying to say. "She's trying to explain that our Personas are tied to Greek gods or figures from Greek mythology. But Hiro's… is from Judeo or Christian mythology."

Hiro, with a bored expression, retorted, "And does that really matter? No offense, but if you think my Persona is strange, I don't know how to chan—"

Before he could finish, he noticed Yukari, Junpei, and Minato staring at him with expressions of pure terror.

Hiro was confused. "What? Is there something behind me?"

Fuuka, her voice laced with panic, shouted through telepathy, "Hiro, get down!"

Instinctively, Hiro ducked just as a massive magic bullet whizzed past him, smashing into the wall behind him and shattering into countless pieces.

"What the hell was that?!" Hiro exclaimed, still in shock.

Fuuka responded, her voice trembling with fear. "It's the Reaper! Run!"

Hiro turned to look, and his blood ran cold as he saw an enormous Shadow, armed with a pair of gigantic revolvers, staring directly at him.

The ominous figure seemed to be analyzing him, its eyes void like a terrible darkness.

Reaper: ヘラルド

Minato rushed over to Hiro, grabbing his arm tightly. "Don't just stand there, run!"

Without hesitation, Hiro, Minato, Junpei, and Yukari started running as fast as they could, the sound of their boots echoing through the corridors as the Reaper relentlessly pursued them.

"Hey, why is that Shadow chasing us?!" Hiro shouted, trying to make sense of the situation.

Mitsuru's voice echoed in their minds, urgently explaining. "To Tartarus, we're intruders. If we spend too much time on the floors, it sends the Reaper after us."

Minato, leading the group as they ran frantically, added, "Also, the entrance floor is the only place the Reaper doesn't enter. So, that's our only safe place."

Yukari looked back, pale. "It's getting closer!"

Junpei glanced over his shoulder and saw the Reaper quickly closing in on Yukari.

In a desperate move, he pulled the Evoker from its holster and pointed it at his own head.

"Hermes!" Junpei shouted, summoning his Persona.

A flash of light appeared from the other side of Junpei's head, and his Persona, Hermes, emerged, flying toward the Reaper.

With impressive speed, Hermes delivered a kick to the creature's chest and launched a burst of Agi, a powerful fire spell.

Flames engulfed the Reaper's torso, but it didn't hesitate; it aimed one of its massive revolvers at Hermes and fired a wind-based magic bullet, hitting the Persona's weakness.

Hermes was knocked back, injured, and disappeared into the air.

Hiro looked back and saw that, although they had gained some distance from the Reaper, Junpei's arm was covered in blood.

"Junpei, your arm!" Hiro exclaimed, concerned.

Junpei bit his lip to contain the pain. "I'm fine. Keep running."

The four continued sprinting through the corridors of Tartarus until they reached a room with a teleportation device.

"Get on the teleporter! Now!" Mitsuru's voice sounded through telepathy.

Without hesitation, the four stepped onto the platform, and Minato pressed the button.

A bright light surrounded them, and they vanished from the room, escaping just in time.

At the entrance to Tartarus, Mitsuru looked up, watching the teleport activate.

In an instant, Minato, Junpei, Yukari, and Hiro were thrown out of the machine, landing in a heap on top of each other.

Akihiko and Aigis rushed over to them, worried.

"Are you guys okay?" Akihiko asked.

Hiro got up, still catching his breath. "I think so. Damn, that was close."

Aigis, noticing Junpei's injury, approached to help. "Junpei-san, let me take care of your arm."

"Ah, thanks, Aigis." Junpei replied gratefully as Aigis began to bandage his arm.

While Fuuka hurried to bring the medical kit, Mitsuru approached Minato and Yukari, but something strange happened.

A voice whispered in her mind.

"Herald..."

She looked around, searching for the source of the voice, but found nothing.

Hiro noticed Mitsuru's confusion; he stopped massaging his shoulder and asked, "Mitsuru, is something wrong?"

"I heard a voice," Mitsuru replied, still trying to understand what had happened.

Yukari looked at her with concern. "A voice? Mitsuru-senpai, I think Tartarus is messing with your head. No one else heard a voice."

Mitsuru placed a hand on her forehead, trying to shake off the strange feeling. "I think you're right."

Minato, attempting to ease the tension, changed the subject. "Well, on another note… Hiro's actually pretty good in a fight."

Hiro, unfazed, took the Evoker from its holster and handed it back to Mitsuru. "This isn't my first time fighting. I trained in fencing and self-defense at my old school before I transferred to Gekkoukan."

Akihiko, with a slightly irritated expression, glared at Hiro. "That explains a lot."

The two stared at each other, a palpable tension in the air.

The aura of animosity between them was almost tangible, and Junpei, sensing the situation, intervened.

"Why are you two staring each other down like that?" Junpei asked, trying to diffuse the mood.

Aigis, while wrapping Junpei's arm, applied a bit more pressure than necessary, making Junpei jump in pain. "Ow, ow, careful, Aigis."

Akihiko looked at Junpei, then back at Hiro. "Well, as you all know, I'm the best fighter in the boxing club. But one day, there was a student who was beating everyone else effortlessly, challenging everyone. And that was Hiro."

Junpei, Yukari, and Fuuka were surprised to hear this.

Akihiko was famous for being the best fighter in the school.

"Wait." Yukari exclaimed. "Akihiko-senpai, that rumor from last year that a student beat everyone in the boxing club, including you—wasn't that just a rumor?"

Akihiko shook his head, denying it. "No, it wasn't just a rumor. It was a sort of secret match I had with Hiro. I admit, I wanted to put him in his place. And the result..."

Hiro, stretching as if it was no big deal, finished the thought. "I walked away with a broken nose, and Akihiko left with one swollen finger and a broken toe."

Fuuka, still trying to understand the situation, asked, "But… why did you challenge the whole boxing club?"

Hiro responded in a nonchalant tone, "Someone bet me that if I beat the entire boxing club, I'd win twenty thousand yen. Really, I did it because I didn't have anything better to do."

Mitsuru, irritated by what she just heard, couldn't contain her indignation. "You did it just out of boredom? Mikoshi, do you realize what you did?"

Hiro, who was heading towards the exit, stopped and looked at Mitsuru. "Yes, I do. I needed to earn things. Unlike you, I've never been given anything from my parents. Money, gifts, nothing. After all, I didn't even know my mother, and my father abandoned me. Everything I do is just to survive. I'm heading back to the dorm."

Hiro began walking away, leaving everyone behind, showing clearly that he didn't care about anyone.

Minato, surprised by Hiro's words, commented, "That was unexpected. Well, I'll take the chance to head back with him."

Minato followed Hiro towards the dorm, while Mitsuru stood frozen, reflecting on the words that still echoed in her mind. "Unlike you, I've never been given anything."

She placed a hand over her chest, feeling the weight of those words like a bullet.

Mitsuru whispered to herself, "I don't get anything either, Hiro. I only receive orders from my family."

Akihiko, noticing the emotional impact on Mitsuru, placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's head back. We'll talk to Hiro tomorrow."

Mitsuru simply nodded in agreement and began to leave Tartarus.

Fuuka, still processing what Hiro had said, looked at Yukari and commented worriedly, "Yukari-chan, am I the only one who, after hearing what Hiro said, noticed something missing in him? Like…"

Yukari finished, also concerned, "Like he's empty inside? Yeah, I noticed that too."

Junpei, now on his feet, reflected on Hiro. "I used to be scared of talking to Hiro. But he's a good guy. I think he just needs to get used to us."