...10/09/2009 Thursday; Dark Hour...
The deserted streets of Tatsumi Port Island were bathed in the oppressive green light of the Dark Hour. Despite the usually chaotic nature of this distorted world, an eerie silence hung in the air.
The wind blew softly, making the leaves rustle like ghostly whispers. In the canal, the water flowed as usual—but now stained a deep, viscous red, like fresh blood.
During the Dark Hour, the sea always took on this color, turning into a sinister ocean that reflected the perverse nature of this cursed time.
Then, the ground trembled.
A subtle vibration, as if something colossal was stirring.
Seconds later, footsteps echoed in the distance.
At first, just a few. Then, many.
Countless frantic, hurried footsteps—
People were running.
The empty streets were suddenly filled with ragged breaths and muffled screams. A deafening crash shattered the silence as a building in the distance exploded into debris, shards of concrete and glass flying like deadly projectiles.
Cars were crushed, street signs twisted out of shape.
And then, a roar.
A monstrous, savage, overwhelming roar.
That was when they appeared.
Out of the dust and rubble, S.E.E.S. emerged—running, wounded, desperate.
Sweat dripped down their faces. Small cuts and bruises marred their skin. Their eyes were wide open, the pure reflection of absolute terror.
They weren't just running.
They were fleeing from something.
"DON'T STOP!" Hiro shouted, turning a corner.
Mitsuru, Minato, Shinjiro, Akihiko, Yukari, Hiro, Junpei, Aigis, Koromaru—all of them ran as fast as they could.
And right behind them, the Shadow pursued.
The colossal creature burst through the dust, its sickly green skin glistening with the repulsive slime that coated its massive body.
Its glowing yellow eyes, wild and ravenous, shone through the dim light—hungry, insatiable.
It dragged itself across the asphalt, its massive claws carving deep scars into the pavement, tearing through street signs and crushing lampposts with sheer brute force.
Mitsuru and Minato were at the front, leading the group, but their faces reflected pure dread.
"Shit!" Shinjiro growled, glancing over his shoulder as he ran.
He bit his own lip, tasting the metallic tang of blood. "That thing just won't stop chasing us!"
"Kirijo-senpai!" Yukari panted, nearly stumbling over her own feet. Her wide eyes locked onto Mitsuru, desperate for an answer. "What do we do?!"
Mitsuru kept her eyes on the ground, her mind racing for a solution. But there was nothing.
"I... I don't know!" Her voice trembled. "We've never recorded a Shadow of this scale that wasn't an Arcana Shadow."
"LOOK OUT!" Akihiko shouted.
Everyone instinctively turned their heads.
The Shadow was closing in.
And then it attacked.
With a grotesque bite, it tore off a massive chunk from the side of a building, its jagged teeth pulverizing concrete like it was nothing.
But the creature didn't swallow.
Instead, it spat the debris out like cannonballs, hurling them straight at the group.
The sharp whistle of displaced air was the only warning before impact.
Aigis was the first to react.
Still running, she spun her body, her eyes glowing with mechanical precision. The built-in machine guns in her arms clicked into place.
And she fired.
Bullets tore through the air, hitting the debris mid-flight. Concrete shattered into fragments, turning massive chunks of rubble into dust and splinters.
The pieces that weren't destroyed crashed to the ground in deafening explosions.
But thanks to Aigis, the group had just enough time to push forward.
They were still alive.
But for how much longer?
Aigis kept firing, her machine guns spewing relentless bursts of ammunition against the debris the Shadow spat their way. But then, a sharp beep sounded.
A warning flashed red across her internal systems.
[WARNING: SYSTEM OVERLOAD]
[CRITICAL OVERHEAT]
The tips of her metallic fingers glowed a faint red, signaling extreme heat buildup.
But that wasn't the only problem.
Another alert flashed across her vision.
[AMMUNITION LOW]
[REMAINING: 1 MAG (LEFT HAND)]
Aigis' body jolted slightly as she felt the weight shift in her weapons. She was running out of bullets.
"Oh no..." Her glowing eyes flickered with urgency. "Kirijo-senpai, I'm almost out of ammo!"
Akihiko, breathless, shot her a look of alarm.
His jaw dropped further when he saw her pulling a magazine from inside her own body and slotting it into her left arm's reload mechanism.
"What?!" His eyes widened. "How much do you have left?"
"This is the last mag!" Aigis replied, urgency lacing her mechanical voice.
Mitsuru clenched her jaw. Her pulse pounded in her ears, a chaotic mix of adrenaline and sheer frustration.
"Damn it..."
Junpei panted, sweat dripping down his face, his vision slightly blurring.
Every step felt unbearably heavy.
"Senpai..." he gasped, his chest rising and falling erratically. "I... I can't keep running much longer!"
Minato glanced at his friend beside him. His dark blue hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, but his eyes remained as serious as ever.
"Just hold on a little longer, Junpei!" He gritted his teeth. "We'll find a way!"
Hiro kept running, adrenaline pumping through his veins. But something made him look ahead.
And when he saw it, his blood ran cold.
There, between the buildings... the top of their dorm came into view on the horizon.
They were close to home.
But instead of relief, a chill ran down his spine.
"Ah, shit..." Hiro wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, his eyes narrowing. "We're near the dorm."
Junpei, still panting, turned to him.
"That's... good," he tried to smile between heavy breaths. "At least we can stop and re—"
"There's no way in hell we're going back there!" Shinjiro snarled, his teeth clenched. "If that Shadow sees us going inside, it'll bring the whole damn building down on us!"
Junpei blinked in surprise for a second. Then, as if realizing the problem, he smacked his own forehead.
"Ah... crap, you're right!" He groaned. "But what do we do with this thing?!"
Mitsuru kept running, her mind racing for a solution. They needed a place to fight.
Then, an image flashed through her mind.
The industrial district.
The warehouses and commercial buildings, abandoned during the Dark Hour. The perfect space to fight the Shadow without destroying more of the city.
She made her decision.
"We'll lure the Shadow to the industrial district!" Mitsuru commanded, her eyes sharp.
Hiro frowned.
"The industrial district?"
Mitsuru nodded.
"Yes! There's a building that stays empty before the Dark Hour." She explained quickly. "We can use it to fight without putting civilians or the city at risk!"
Minato looked at her and gave a firm nod.
"We don't have much of a choice." His gaze turned serious, as if accepting an inevitable fate. "It's our best option."
Before they could continue, Fuuka's telepathy activated again.
But this time, the voice that echoed in their minds wasn't hers—it was Ken's.
And he sounded terrified.
"Guys, are you okay?!" His breath was ragged, full of urgency. "I need help here!"
Hiro's eyes widened as he kept running, his heart tightening in his chest.
"Ken?! What's going on?!"
But before the boy could respond, the sound of battle bled through the mental link.
Blows slamming against concrete. A strained grunt.
The metallic sound of a blade piercing flesh.
"Mikoshi-senpai!" Ken panted, his voice strained with effort. "A lot of Shadows started coming to the dorm! They're trying to break in!"
Shock hit the group like a freezing wave.
"I'm outside, fighting them, but there are too many!"
Yukari's eyes widened, the color draining from her face.
"Oh my god... Ken, why didn't you tell us sooner?!"
The answer came quickly, full of confusion.
"I tried!" Ken shouted, amidst the muffled sound of impact. "But Yamagishi-senpai's telepathy stopped working for a while!"
Hiro clenched his teeth, his eyes as sharp as blades.
"Shit..." Sweat dripped down his temple. "We can't go back to the dorm with this thing chasing us."
But what could they do?
The Shadow behind them was a monster on another scale.
They needed to get it away from the city before things got worse. But Ken... he was alone.
Then, a bark rang out beside him.
Hiro flinched and looked down.
Koromaru.
The dog was running alongside him, but his eyes weren't fixed ahead like the others'—they were locked onto him.
Hiro didn't need Aigis to translate. He understood.
Koromaru wanted to go help Ken.
Hiro nodded, deciding in that instant.
If Ken needed reinforcements, then he'd get them.
He snapped his fingers and pointed down the street leading to the dorm, like a commander directing his best soldier.
"Go help Ken at the dorm, boy!"
Koromaru barked loudly, confirming the order, and shot forward like lightning.
Within seconds, he turned down a side street and vanished into the shadows of the buildings.
Yukari looked at Hiro, surprised.
"Hiro... you..."
He met her gaze, his eyes burning with determination.
"Ken won't last long on his own." He clenched his fists. "But with Koromaru, he'll have a better chance of defending the dorm!"
Mitsuru watched Hiro for a moment, then smiled in satisfaction.
"Très bien, Hiro." She turned forward. "Now, let's get to the industrial district!"
And then, they ran.
The shadows of the buildings passed like ghosts as the group pushed themselves faster, heading toward the industrial district.
And behind them, the Shadow pursued without rest, like a ravenous predator stalking its prey to the bitter end.