...04/10/2009 Sunday; Dark Hour...
...FULL MOON OPERATION...
The full moon hovered over the sky of the frozen world, pouring its green light over sleeping Arcadia. The streets reflected that sickly glow, as if the very air pulsed with a silent discomfort.
One by one, people's bodies began to stiffen, transforming into coffins. The distant sound of lids slamming shut echoed through the deserted city.
The water in the canals turned red, rippling like freshly spilled blood.
None of this was new. That grotesque and hypnotic sight had already become routine for those who survived that moment between time.
But then, a sound broke the silence.
A scream.
Feminine — but distorted, metallic, as if the throat that produced it no longer belonged to a human being.
It reverberated through the alleys near Iwatodai Station, scraping against the cold night air.
From the shadows, two silhouettes moved.
The first — small, almost the size of a dog — hopped forward, emitting a rhythmic hiss, each step leaving small black marks on the ground.
The second floated above the asphalt, wrapped in something that resembled bars or chains, its body twisted into impossible shapes.
Both stopped.
The air seemed to grow heavier, the sound of the streets cutting off completely.
They did not need words. They simply knew.
They knew that something lay ahead — something that was calling to them.
And, bound by that instinct, the two began to move.
The Shadows Arcanas were hunting.
...IN THE DORMITORY...
Inside the dorm, the sound of voices echoed through the command room. The glow of the monitor reflected on the focused faces of S.E.E.S.
At the center of the room, Hiro and Mitsuru watched Fuuka, who remained motionless with Lucia projected around her — the translucent, angelic figure of her Persona raising its hands in prayer.
A little farther back, Yukari adjusted the new string on her bow, with Minato and Aigis helping with the setup.
The dry sound of the bow being drawn echoed through the room, followed by a soft snap as the string settled into one of the hooks.
In the corner, Akihiko and Junpei spoke in low voices with president Shuji, who typed rapidly at the computer keyboard, his eyes fixed on the stream of data on the screen.
Koromaru, lying on the couch, let out a loud yawn, his ears twitching lazily as he watched the group prepare.
Fuuka remained still, her eyes closed as she tried to locate the Shadows.
Silence fell, until she opened her eyes, an intense glow reflecting off the lenses of her visor.
"I found her!" she announced firmly. "It looks like she's at Iwatodai Station."
Akihiko let out a short breath and crossed his arms. "Finally. It felt like she was hiding."
Shuji frowned and began typing again, the light of the screen reflecting on the faint sheen of sweat on his forehead.
Lines of text and graphs moved quickly before stopping on the dossier of the previous nine Shadows.
"This will be the tenth Shadow Arcana," he murmured, touching his chin thoughtfully. "Only two will remain… and the Dark Hour can be destroyed."
Yukari pulled the bowstring tight, the sharp sound cutting through the air. "Well, as long as two don't show up at once..." — she secured the string in the hook and took a deep breath. "We'll probably take down the Dark Hour in December."
But something in Fuuka's expression changed. The girl closed her eyes again, her trembling hands joining once more.
The light around Lucia intensified, until the space around her seemed to distort — her vision projecting the image of Iwatodai Station inside her mind.
She saw the ground covered by the green mist of the Dark Hour, the distant sound of metal scraping against concrete.
Two presences — immense, brutal — throbbed within the darkness.
Her voice came out weak, but filled with astonishment:
"Incredible... Yukari-chan! I'm sensing two of them!"
The bow nearly slipped from Yukari's hands. "What?! Are you serious?!" — she stepped back half a pace, her face going pale. — "Ahh... me and my big mouth..."
Hiro ran a hand over his neck, exchanging a glance with Mitsuru. "Just what we needed. So, Mitsuru, what's the plan?"
Mitsuru placed one hand on her hip, giving Hiro a sidelong look. "We'll decide that when we reach the station. But most likely... we'll use the same strategy we used against the Justice Arcana and the Chariot."
Akihiko rubbed his shoulder, trying to ease the tension already weighing on his muscles.
The atmosphere was far too heavy for something that hadn't even begun yet.
He swept his eyes quickly across the room — everyone was there.
Or rather, almost everyone.
Something inside him seized for a moment. A familiar absence.
"Where's Shinji?" he asked, frowning.
Fuuka turned toward him, her hands still clasped together. "Aragaki-senpai told Hiro and me that he had to take care of something."
"Take care of something…?" Yukari crossed her arms, staring at Fuuka in disbelief. "Right now, at the start of the operation?"
Hiro raised a hand and rubbed his neck. "Fuuka and I asked what happened. But he wouldn't say why… at least he promised he'd join us later."
Akihiko let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair as if reliving an old frustration. "Yeah… he's always been like that. Keeps to himself and never asks for help."
Minato looked at Hiro, a little uncertain. "But… should we wait a bit longer?"
Hiro shook his head slowly. "I don't know… we could wait."
"But because of the Shadows Arcana..." Mitsuru cut in firmly, crossing her arms. "...we can't afford to waste time."
Yukari snorted, resting one hand on her hip. "Well, at least it's not like with a certain someone who went and got himself kidnapped."
Junpei's eyes went wide as he raised his hands in defense. "Hey, come on! How was I supposed to know Chidori was with Strega?!"
Hiro let out a small smile at his reaction… but it faded quickly.
A chill ran up his spine, scratching at the sense of alertness in his chest. He looked around again, counting every face more carefully.
Himself, Mitsuru, Aigis, Yukari, Junpei, Akihiko, Minato, Koromaru, Fuuka…
Shinjiro wasn't there.
But also… there was someone else missing.
Hiro's heart tightened. A small presence.
He swallowed hard.
"Guys…" His voice came out low, seized by sudden unease. "Where's Ken?"
Everyone exchanged quick glances, as if each of their minds needed a few seconds to process what Hiro had just realized.
The room suddenly felt far too small in the face of that detail they had all… simply ignored.
How had they not noticed before?
How had they let it slip?
Ken had always been quiet — discreet to a fault.
He moved like a shadow through the dorm's routines, polite, light, almost imperceptible. Sometimes… it was easy to forget he was even there.
But this time… he truly wasn't.
Yukari brought a hand to her forehead, trying to pull some memory from the morning. "You're right… Amada-kun isn't here either."
Minato narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms as he looked at Yukari. "On top of that… did anyone see him earlier? He didn't leave his room all day."
President Shuji frowned, his finger hovering over the keyboard as he looked at Aigis. "Aigis, go call Amada-kun in his room. Without him and Aragaki, facing the Shadows could be riskier."
Aigis nodded with mechanical precision. "Of course. I will call him."
She turned, firm footsteps echoing across the metallic floor as she headed toward the door. Her cold hand touched the doorknob — and she left.
Hiro followed Aigis with his eyes, but… something inside him began to derail.
A strange weight fell over his breathing, as if the air had turned viscous.
The sounds around him… grew distant.
Like voices submerged underwater.
The world seemed to turn into a uniform, damp, suffocating shadow.
And in the middle of all that darkness — right behind Minato — something took shape.
A silhouette.
Tall.
White like exposed bone.
Black wings tearing through the air as they unfurled in a monstrous arc.
Lucifer.
That crushing presence stared at him as if he were a broken toy.
A stretched, crooked smile that should not have fit on a human face.
And then...
TICK-TOCK
TICK-TOCK
TICK-TOCK
The sound of a clock echoed inside Hiro's head, each beat louder, closer, more invasive — like nails scraping the inside of his skull.
Lucifer slowly raised his hand to his own mouth.
TICK-TOCK
TICK-TOCK
With every centimeter the fingers drew closer, the sound swelled like an earthquake trapped inside a bell.
Then he lifted only his index finger, pressing it against his lips.
A slow gesture.
Clinical.
Cruel.
Shhhhh.
TICK-TOCK
TICK-TOCK
TICK....
And the sound of the clock… stopped.
The only thing that remained was Lucifer's smile, as he stared at Hiro.
"Hiro."
A muffled voice came through, as if pulled from the bottom of a well.
"Hiro."
Hiro blinked in surprise, his mind snapping back to normal — colors, sound, voices — all returning in a jolt that almost hurt.
Akihiko was standing in front of him, a firm hand on his shoulder.
A confused look, eyebrows raised.
"Hiro, are you okay?" he asked, tilting his head. — "You were just staring at the floor out of nowhere."
Hiro takes a deep breath, trying to shake his head as if he could drive Lucifer's image away — the smile, the finger to the lips, the forced silence.
The bitter taste of frustration gets stuck in his throat, and a low growl slips out between his teeth.
He doesn't understand. Why is this coming back now?
But there's no point in clinging to the doubt… not there, not at that moment.
Hiro straightens his posture and looks at Akihiko.
"Uh-huh… I was just thinking about something… don't worry."
Akihiko watches Hiro for a moment, as if trying to think of something to say.
But before he can speak, Mitsuru's voice cuts through the air.
"Pay attention. We have two Arcana Shadows to face this time." She shifts her gaze smoothly, fixing it on Minato. "Arisato, when we arrive at Iwatodai Station, you'll decide who will be on the front line with you."
Minato only inclines his head, his voice steady: "Right… and about the—"
Before he can finish his sentence… Minato stops speaking when a sound echoes through the room.
The noise of hurried footsteps rushes up the stairs, interrupting him. They strike the metallic floor like sharp, dry blows, far too urgent to ignore.
Aigis appears at the top, running. By the rigid way she moves her arms and the almost uneven haste of her pace, something is clearly wrong.
She enters the command room and stops between Junpei and president Shuji, as if her internal system were flashing a red alert.
Shuji's eyes widen, surprised by Aigis's urgency.
"Aigis?! What is it?!"
Her voice comes out trembling as she looks in Mitsuru's direction.
"Kirijo-senpai, Ken-san is not in his room!"
The impact of the news falls on everyone like a sudden weight.
Their gazes cross, anxious.
Shinjiro's absence was already a problem… but Ken disappearing without explanation?
Fuuka brings a hand to her chest, her expression worried.
"But… did you check the rest of the dorm?"
Aigis shakes her head, confused — a movement almost too human.
"I checked almost everything, but I did not find him anywhere."
Voices begin to overlap. Junpei mutters something nervously, Yukari paces back and forth, Minato narrows his eyes as if trying to force the puzzle together.
The room fills with anxiety, each word crashing into the next.
Hiro runs a hand over his face, takes a deep breath — too deep — and takes a few steps away from the others, his shoulders tense.
"Shit… this is the last thing we needed…"
The sentence comes out muffled between his hands, as if he's trying to hide his own irritation.
The agitation grows. The worry spreads like loose electricity through the air.
And in the middle of it all, Shuji only watches — cold, unmoving, evaluating every expression with calculating eyes.
Their doubt… their panic… he almost seems to savor it.
But only for an instant.
Shuji raises his fist and strikes the metallic side of the computer hard.
The noise booms through the room like a gunshot, making everyone turn at once.
He takes a deep breath before speaking, and the controlled calm in his voice is as sharp as the metal he just hit.
"Calm down. Pay attention to what I'm about to say."
He looks at each of them, making sure no one dares to interrupt.
"I know it sounds absurd, but there is no time to go after him. Aragaki will join you when he can. As for Amada…" He closes his eyes for a moment, as if making a decision.
"Either you go after him now and lose the operation, or you kill the Shadows first and only then go look for Amada."
Silence settles like a dense fog, filling every corner of the room.
No one dares to breathe too deeply. No one dares to move a muscle.
Their gazes meet, tense, restless — everyone understands the gravity of facing two Arcana Shadows while being two members short.
Hiro feels a chill run up his spine. Something in the president's tone, in the calculated coldness of his words… something simply doesn't fit.
How could he be so calm?
As if someone from the team going missing were just an inconvenient detail?
Hiro takes a step forward, his voice slipping out before he can stop it.
"President… how can—"
Shuji turns his face slowly, showing neither surprise nor irritation — only that neutrality that seemed like an impenetrable wall.
"I know you may be worried about Amada," he says firmly, almost impersonally. "But the Dark Hour will not wait for you to go chasing after others. Go after the Arcana Shadows."
Hiro closes his eyes for a moment, breathing deeply.
He glances sideways at Mitsuru, as if seeking a decision from her.
Mitsuru returns the look for only a second before lowering her eyes to the floor.
She remains still, trapped in thoughts that weigh heavier than any weapon they carried.
Two people fewer.
Two Arcana Shadows ahead.
And in her memory, like a wound that never heals, the sound of Hiro's scream returns: the brutal impact, his body crushed against the wall the last time they faced two Arcanas.
She breathes in, steady. Lifts her face. Her gaze recovers its usual seriousness.
"Let's move. We have to kill both Shadows as fast as possible. That way we'll still have enough time to go after Amada."
Minato crosses his arms, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Ken knows how to take care of himself. He probably took his equipment… so he can fight."
"I thought that too." Mitsuru nods. "Does anyone else have something to say?"
No one answers.
Some merely shake their heads, agreeing with Mitsuru's choice.
Even if, deep down, a small, uneasy voice throbs inside each of them — saying that something is wrong.
But when Mitsuru looks toward Hiro, she senses that something there is… off.
It isn't just worry.
It's as if his gaze is fixed on something no one else can see.
Hiro touches his own forehead, trying to organize his thoughts.
The letter.
That letter Shinjiro crushed before leaving…
Could it have been from Ken?
But that line of thought dissolves when a firm hand rests on his shoulder.
Mitsuru.
Her touch cuts through the fog of doubt like lightning.
For a second, the two of them simply stare at each other — something silent passing between them, something that doesn't need to be said.
Hiro forces a light smile.
"Sorry. We can go. After all… the Shadows won't wait very long."
Mitsuru returns it with a discreet smile — short, restrained, but gentle.
Then she turns to the group, her voice filling the room once more with unquestionable authority.
"Prepare yourselves for another operation! Grab your weapons and let's head to Iwatodai Station at once!"
"Understood!"
The voices echo in unison, flooding the room with sudden energy.
Then the footsteps begin.
One by one, everyone in S.E.E.S. leaves the command room, their shadows following them through the door.
President Shuji remains where he is, watching each of them disappear down the hallway.
When the last silhouette vanishes, he slowly crosses his arms.
"Good luck, everyone."
TO BE CONTINUED...