Chapter 7; The 13 arcanas

...29/07/2009 Wednesday; Dusk...

The dormitory was buzzing with activity.

As Hiro opened the door, he was immediately enveloped by a whirlwind of intense conversations echoing throughout the lounge.

Yukari hurried over, her expression anxious. "Hiro, thank goodness you're here. We're talking about the Arcana Shadows."

Hiro stopped abruptly, his face showing confusion mixed with a touch of worry. "Huh? Arcana Shadows? What are you talking about?"

Minato, sitting near Mitsuru, turned toward her with a serious expression. "Are you sure these Shadows only appear on full moon nights?"

Mitsuru nodded, holding a clipboard with data. "Yes, all readings confirm it. Look at the records of our encounters with the Lovers, Emperor, and Empress Arcana. They all show the same energy levels."

Across the room, President Shuji was engaged in a discussion with Fuuka, holding a red cartridge. "This Theurgycartridge amplifies your Persona's power to extraordinary levels, without causing harm to your body..."

Hiro's mind felt like it was on the verge of exploding with so much information he barely understood.

Frustration built up within him until it reached a boiling point.

For a brief moment, his eyes gleamed with an intense red light.

"SHUT UP!" Hiro's voice boomed, reverberating through the dormitory.

Silence fell like a heavy weight. Everyone's gaze shifted to Hiro, shocked by his outburst.

He took a deep breath, trying to contain his anger, but his voice still carried irritation. "Arcana Shadows? Theurgycartridge? New suits? Can someone explain any of this crap to me?"

Junpei raised his hands, trying to diffuse the tension. "Easy, Hiro, no need to scare everyone like that."

Hiro ran a hand over his face, exhaling slowly to calm himself down. "Okay... sorry. But seriously, can someone explain all this to me? What the hell are these Arcana Shadows? And what do they have to do with the moon? Emperor and Empress?"

Mitsuru exchanged a displeased look with President Shuji, who sighed, visibly uncomfortable.

"President, you didn't explain to Hiro about the origin of the Dark Hour and Tartarus?" she said, a hint of irritation in her voice.

The President adjusted his glasses, clearly unsettled. "Uh... I admit, I may have overlooked a few details."

Mitsuru frowned. "So Hiro has been fighting without understanding the reason behind Tartarus and the Arcana Shadows existence? That was a huge risk, President. You can't forget to share such crucial information."

Hiro crossed his arms, intrigued. "That's something I've been wondering about myself..." he said, with a curious tone, glancing at everyone. "So, what's the origin of all this? Where did Tartarus, the Dark Hour, and these Arcana Shadows come from?"

Yukari averted her gaze, sadness etched on her face.

The memory of the truth behind it all was painful.

Minato noticed her distress and quickly pulled her aside, offering comfort.

"Yukari, it's okay," he said softly. "I know it's hard to remember, but we need to explain everything to Hiro."

Yukari held back tears, her voice trembling. "I know... I just can't bear the fact that all of this—the Shadows, Tartarus, the Dark Hour—is the result of a failed experiment my father conducted."

Minato held her face gently, her eyes locked on his. "Remember what I told you. Your father wasn't to blame. He warned about the risks of studying Shadows, but the Kirijo Group decided to go forward with the experiments."

Yukari tried to smile, reassured by Minato's words. She wiped away the single tear that had escaped.

"You're right. Thank you."

Meanwhile, Hiro observed the brief moment of intimacy between Minato and Yukari but soon refocused on what truly mattered. "So, what is the real reason behind all of this?"

Mitsuru gave a signal to Akihiko, who quickly went up the stairs to fetch something.

"First, we need to explain the reason why the Dark Hour exists," Mitsuru began, turning to Hiro. "The Dark Hour was the result of a failed experiment led by the Kirijo Corporation, my family's company."

Hiro blinked, surprised. "Your family?"

Fuuka, who was sitting nearby, murmured, "More specifically, Kirijo-senpai's grandfather. He was the main director of that experiment."

"And what exactly did this experiment involve?" Hiro asked, his interest piqued.

Junpei stared at the floor, a shadow of regret crossing his face. "The Shadows."

President Shuji continued the explanation, trying to choose his words carefully.

"Years ago, even before the Dark Hour and Tartarus existed, the Kirijo Corporation discovered the Shadows. Even without Tartarus, some Shadows would appear on rare occasions. They were captured for study, and that's where Mitsuru's grandfather came in."

President Shuji adjusted his glasses before continuing.

"He discovered that, by using the Shadows, it would be possible to control space and time. So, he hired scientists to carry out experiments to perfect this power for his own use. The place where these experiments occurred is precisely where Tartarus appears today—Gekkoukan High School."

Hiro looked from Mitsuru to the President , the revelation shocking him deeply.

Akihiko, who had returned with a laptop, placed it on the table.

"Mitsuru, I found the video, but it's got that playback error," Akihiko said, concerned.

Mitsuru then looked at Fuuka. "Yamagishi, can you fix it?"

Fuuka nodded and approached the laptop, starting to restore the damaged file.

Meanwhile, Mitsuru resumed explaining. "During these experiments, the scientists discovered a prophecy stating that the Shadows, which feed on human souls, would bring about the end of the world."

President Shuji added, "These Shadows are represented by the Major Arcana of the Tarot. There are twenty-two cards in the Tarot deck, but the Shadows only go up to the thirteenth card, which is the Arcana of Death."

Minato and Yukari returned to the room, following the conversation.

"And what does this have to do with the Dark Hour?" Hiro asked, still trying to make sense of it all.

Mitsuru continued, her tone grave.

"One of the responsible scientists, Eiichiro Takeba, realized that the end of the world was approaching quickly because of these experiments. He decided to split the Shadow representing the Death Arcana into twelve parts, creating the Arcana Shadows, which represent the Arcana below the thirteenth."

Hiro widened his eyes as he made the connection. "Takeba... Wait, is that scientist Yukari's father?"

Yukari simply nodded, her gaze lowered. "Yes, he did that."

Hiro took a deep breath. "This… explains a lot. So, what do we do with these Arcana Shadows?"

Fuuka finished restoring the video and sighed with relief. "Got it. Hiro-san, you'd better watch this."

Hiro approached the laptop and sat down. On the screen, a frozen image of a man in a lab coat appeared.

He looked exhausted, with deep dark circles under his eyes and a serious expression.

It was Eiichiro Takeba.

Mitsuru pressed play on the video.

The footage began to roll. The shaky image revealed a laboratory engulfed in chaos, with red lights flashing incessantly.

The alarm blared loud and constant, creating an atmosphere of panic and despair.

At the center of the frame, a man in a white lab coat adjusted the camera.

Eiichiro Takeba, his face marked by exhaustion and urgency, began recording as an explosion echoed in the background.

"It all went wrong…" The words escaped his lips like a lament. "If anyone finds this video, please… give it to my daughter, Yukari Takeba."

A deafening roar shook the camera, followed by screams and the sound of gunfire.

Equipment behind Eiichiro began to catch fire, the situation becoming increasingly desperate.

"Yukari." he continued, his voice choked with emotion and despair, "I'm sorry I didn't come home, but you need to pay attention to what I'm about to say. Humanity is in danger. The Arcana Shadows… the Shadows that escaped from here, never let them merge. I divided them into twelve parts, and they will disappear as soon as they escape from here."

The flames grew higher, and the alarm became more intense, partially drowning out his voice.

"Warning: Test subjects have left the containment tubes. Facility self-destruction has been activated!" a robotic voice announced over the laboratory speakers."

Eiichiro clenched his fists, the desperation clear in his eyes.

"Under no circumstances, allow them to reunite. I may have separated them, but it's only a matter of time before they merge and bring Death back. With each phase of the moon, they will reappear. Kill them… kill each of them as soon as they appear. Only then will humanity have a chance to survive."