...12/09/2009 Saturday; Afternoon...
The silence in the room was broken only by the sound of Aigis's metallic fingers dancing frantically across the keyboard.
Lines of code and encrypted numbers streamed across the screen like a storm — a race against time and the corruption of the video.
Time seemed to dilate — minutes dragging on as if to test everyone's patience.
Then, with one final command, Aigis pressed the Enter key. A high-pitched confirmation tone echoed from the machine.
Aigis slowly closed her eyes, her tense shoulders relaxing slightly.
"I did it."
Everyone immediately turned to her. There was expectation in every pair of eyes. But Aigis hesitated. Her gaze dropped to the floor, and her voice came out quieter.
"But… all I was able to recover were two images."
Junpei took a step forward, disbelief on his face.
"What? Just two? Can't you try agai—"
SMACK!
A sharp sound rang through the room as Hiro's hand struck the back of Junpei's neck, making him wince in pain.
"Ow, ow, ow… That hurt!" he complained, rubbing the back of his neck, eyes squinting.
Yukari crossed her arms, glaring at him with an irritated expression.
"I was about to do the same… but Hiro was faster."
Junpei turned, looking at Hiro with a mix of indignation and surprise.
"Seriously, Hiro? Was that necessary?"
Hiro's gaze was sharp, and his voice was as serious as the edge of his kukri.
"Aigis did everything she could to recover this. Be grateful we even got something."
"Alright… my bad," Junpei muttered, still flinching from the impact.
Mitsuru, maintaining her usual perfect posture, tilted her face slightly toward Aigis.
"What were you able to recover, Aigis?"
Aigis nodded and turned to the monitor. With a touch, the first image appeared.
On screen, the familiar interior of the command room showed Noir carefully examining a digital file.
His face was still obscured by the hood's shadow, but his eyes were fixed on a screen displaying data about Hiro.
Minato crossed his arms, frowning.
"We've seen this scene before… but something's different now."
Ken leaned in slightly, eyes focused on the screen.
"Yeah… now we can see Mikoshi-senpai's Persona energy levels."
Everyone instinctively leaned closer. But despite the image's clarity, the angle was frustrating. Noir's head blocked the exact part showing the data of Lucifer's summoning without Theurgy.
Mitsuru narrowed her eyes, her index finger resting on her chin.
"Interesting… Hiro's energy level with Theurgy is equal to Arisato's when he summons a Persona normally."
Shinjiro raised a brow, glancing sideways at her.
"And… what's weird about that?"
"What's weird," Mitsuru said in a lower, more contemplative tone, "is that if we follow that logic, Hiro should be able to use multiple Personas… but he never has."
Hiro scratched his head, a nervous smile escaping.
"Well… I think it has to do with my Theurgy."
He raised his hand, pointing toward Mitsuru.
"Remember when I used Mitsuru's Persona ability with Lucifer? I think my Theurgy copies your Personas' abilities."
Ikutsuki, who had been watching silently until then, nodded slightly.
"That makes sense. But why exactly does your Theurgy do that?"
"No idea," Hiro replied with a shrug. "Maybe it's a gift from Lucifer?"
Shinjiro exhaled through his nose, arms crossed.
"Good to know. But that's not what we're looking for right now."
Mitsuru turned back to Aigis, her posture straight and voice firm.
"Aigis, show the next image."
Aigis nodded, her mechanical fingers sliding over the keyboard once more, and with a final press of Enter, the second recovered image appeared.
On screen, Noir stood before the computer terminal in the command room.
His gaze was fixed on a watch hidden beneath his sleeve, as if time, in that moment, was too precious to waste.
The screen next to him displayed a progress bar, transferring files from the S.E.E.S. members.
But something was visible during the transfer.
At the bottom of the screen, a file name stood out in red:
"Devil's Herald"
And just below, in smaller letters, almost like a printed whisper: "The only being she fears."
"Ah…" Hiro narrowed his eyes, brows furrowed as he leaned in slightly, almost unconsciously. "The Devil's Herald? I'm pretty sure I've heard that name before…"
Aigis's eyes narrowed. Something inside her vibrated. A metallic echo mixed with encoded memories.
"That name…" Her voice was muffled, low, almost hesitant. "The Shadow of the Hermit Arcana… it screamed that name."
Everyone immediately looked at her — confusion etched into each face. No one spoke, but the silence asked the obvious: Is she serious?
Junpei raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"You… understood what the Shadow said?"
Aigis brought a hand to her head, her fingers pressing against the sides like she was trying to hold something inside.
"Not all of them," she murmured. "But… that one… I heard clearly. When the Hermit was about to be eliminated… it screamed."
Akihiko leaned forward slightly. "Screamed what?"
She closed her eyes. For a moment, her expression was far too human — as if pain and memory blended within her data.
"Please, Devil's Herald! Have mercy on me! I didn't want to fight! I wanted to run! Run from death! Spare my life!"
The echo of that voice seemed to vibrate through the room, even though it had only been a repetition.
Then, a sharp sound broke the silence — a stifled groan.
Minato suddenly brought a hand to his temple, his face tightening.
Small beads of sweat began to trickle down his forehead.
"Minato?" Hiro stepped forward, his movements cautious. "What is it?"
"My… head…" Minato's voice came out muffled, distant, as if he were sinking into something no one there could reach.
Pain exploded within him like a silent thunder.
His knees buckled.
The air grew heavier, the edges of his vision turning gray. A scream tore through the air — hoarse, ragged, almost inhuman.
Everyone turned at once.
Minato took one more step back… and collapsed.
"Minato!" Yukari cried out in panic.
Shinjiro and Akihiko rushed forward with Hiro, trying to catch Minato.
But Minato's body was crumbling.
As if the world was being ripped from within him.
And then, the sound of voices turned to noise. The colors faded. Everything became distant.
In the middle of his fall, amid the confusion of consciousness fading, something — or rather, someone — appeared before his eyes.
A boy.
Blue eyes that seemed to pierce through layers of time. Short black hair. A faint smile, and a striped uniform — black and white, like that of a prisoner.
Pharos.
He watched Minato with a calm gaze. Unhurried. As if merely waiting for something inevitable.
And then, his voice sliced through the air like a whisper:
"The Herald… is coming, Minato."