"Its... Its a SHADOW!" Kaidou screamed. I leap back with Enki and whipping out our weapons.

"Ryu, Enki! Are you okay?" Suzuki came forward, since he was a damage dealer.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." I mainly focusing on the shadow, it was... Different than the others. The shadows we encountered had only a masked while this one... Had some kind of armor around it. They're a different shape. Four legs, a metal cog and drills on the side. The mask was at least two feet above us. I was perplexed.

"This one isn't a normal one." Enki stated.

"Yeah, I noticed. Just what makes it different?" As I said that, the shadow let out an attack. It dashed right in front of us, Suzuki and Enki dodged it but I was almost hit when Ms. Kikuno pushed me aside with her, just in time to dodge it.

"T-Thanks." I said getting up with her.

"Be careful next time, you won't be lucky like that again." She says as she takes out her pistol that was strap on her waist. Firing at it, trying to hit the mask but missed all shots.

"She's right." Touka was behind me with a Nodachi, a two handed katana in her hand. I was visibly scared but also took out my axe.

"You know what? Take this!" Enki shot multiple times with his Chu ko nu, none of them pierced the heavy armor.

"What!?" Enki cried. Kaidou went in front of Enki and used "Ecstasy".

"Eugenides!" He calls out his persona and try to fend it off, his body suffering some damage.

"Kaidou! I call thee, Virtus!" Suzuki summons his persona, Virtus. He successfully hit the shadow, pushing it back. I went in front with Enki, to try and think of a strategy.

"There should be some sort of weakness." I said, as I try to get a better look of the shadow.

"We should try getting a better look at it's armor, it may have an opening somewhere." As Enki said that, the four legged shadow spun dangerously, almost hitting Kaidou and Suzuki.

"Suzuki! I call upon thee, Leto!" As Touka screams, summoning her persona, she uses a fire attack which is highly effective against the shadow. It helped us getting some time to prepare for the next attack.

"Good, now we just need a strategy." Enki said. I tried to take a better look at the damaged shadow. The armor around it... Had some openings that could possibly render its mobility useless.

"You see it?" I pointed at the revealing parts of the armor to Touka and Enki, they realised what I was trying to do.

"Just like medieval armor in real life, there a small openings to let the body move. You're suggesting we should try to block its movement, right?" Touka smirked, taking a stance with her two handed Katana.

"Yes, exactly. We have to try hit mask, and by doing that we have to render its speed useless first. Then we can have someone shooting from afar, breaking the mask." I explained further, in little time.

"I see... A simple strategy. I'll take the heavy hitting then." Suzuki proposed.

"Sure, Kaidou will have stay behind. It seems you would be best using your persona at mid range just like me and Touka. Enki will render it immobilized and Ms. Kikuno will deliver the final shot." I reviewed the plans further before the shadow recovered.

"Okay, let's do this!" Kaidou shouted, in excitement. Can't blame him to be a bit excited. I was behind Suzuki where he had block one of the incoming attacks and I switched with him, dealing some damage with my axe on the shadow.

"Grraaa!!" The shadow let out a horrid scream, and tried to hit me when suddenly Kaidou used his persona and sent out a lighting attack.

"I got you! Just keep going!" Kaidou said. Touka ran up and hit the shadow with her nodachi, almost slashing through the armor. I took out my Esctasy and summoned my persona.

"PASITHEA!"

"LETO!" We both summoned at the same time and unleashed a combo attack against the shadow, weakening it a bit. Enki came out from the side, and hit all of the not protected parts of the armored shadow. The shadow kneeled and couldn't move. We backed away to give Ms. Kikuno her shot.

"..." She inhaled, slowly before taking the shot. It hit the shadow's mask and it let out a screech.

"GRAAHHHHHH!!!!" Letting out a fearsome screech before fading into black particles. We just stood there.

"Did... Did we won?" Kaidou asked.

"Looks like it... Heh... Not bad for your first time rookies. Especially you,Ryu." Suzuki complemented us, patting my back. We laughed for a bit.

"Good job, I could barely do anything." Touka smiled.

"That's not true, you helped me to bring it down. That's plenty enough."

"Heh... You're good with your words." She said. I looked around to see Enki... Which wasn't looking merry like the others. I checked up on him.

"Hey, what is it?" I asked.

"Huh?- Oh, nothing. Just... Something doesn't feel right." Enki was perplexed. He was fidgeting. I didn't understand why.

"What do you mean?" I asked again.

"Just that... Shadow. It didn't feel like the one which was gazing at us just now... And I feel like... Its still here." Enki looked around, being sure there was nothing left. He wasn't wrong. It did felt weird, but I can't feel any more shadows are gazing at us anymore.

"Maybe... Its just your imagination..." I tried comforting him.

"Y-Yeah... Maybe." Enki shrugged it off and took his crossbow. That feeling must still be around him.

Suddenly... There was a big crash! We saw one of the buildings was crashing down and causing large amount of dust to cover the area we were in.

"Cough* Cough*... Kaidou... Enki... Where are you guys?" I searched around the newly created fog. It was hard to breath and I couldn't see anyone near me.

"Kaidou!" I shouted his name, hoping for a response.

"Over here!" I heard someone shouting behind me. I then ran towards the direction where the voice had come from. When I reached there, I saw Suzuki kneeling down. Kaidou was unconscious.

"The situation?" I asked, still fearing for Kaidou's life.

"Could be worse. Another shadow. I don't where the rest is at." Suzuki told me. I had an uneasy feeling. Suddenly I heard clashes of metal echoing in the distance.

"Arrghh!!" A scream was heard from the same place.

"TOUKA!" Suzuki quickly got up. She was in trouble, so is the others.

"We can't get to her like this." Suzuki said.

"I know. I have an idea." I took out my syringe, Ecstasy, an summoned my persona Pasithea. I used Garula, a medium wind based attack, to clear all of the dust in the area. It would give me a clear sight of where they are but when I cleared it, I was immediately struck by the shadow.

"Ah!" Falling down on the floor, my mind went blank and a buzzy noise was ringing in my ear. Almost like a television static. I tried to stand up but I fell down, again and again.

"Ryu!... Hang... There... Arrgh!" I could see some flashes of Suzuki, trying to protect me. The words couldn't get in my mind. The next thing I know, I was carried by someone.

"Ryu! You alright?" It was blurry but I still could see his face.

"Kaidou?" I mumbled, trying to open my mouth.

"Hey! Listen to me, hey!" He said. Slowly my mind was getting clearer. I could see crystal clear of Kaidou's face.

"Hey! Stay with Me!" He shouted.

"I'm... I'm fine. How... Is the others." I said, sitting up. I saw the scene myself. Suzuki and Touka was fending it off, side by side. Ms. Kikuno used her gun against the shadow, which wasn't effective. Enki, concious, but couldn't get up. I don't think they would last any further if they kept fighting like this.

"Well, what do you think?" Kaidou asked me. I then observed the shadow. It had armor, just like the previous one but was faster and a shape of a... Jaguar? It has a tail but also have wings, that weren't covered. It looked damaged. Maybe it was shot down. I.. Can't think... What... Am I suppose to do?

Kaidou realised I was panicking. My breath was unsteady and cold sweat drip down my face.

"Hey!" He slapped me, I was shocked.

"Come on, say something. We have to get out of here, and thats all. Don't you want to live?" Kaidou told me. Right, now I just need to get us out of here.

"Right... Thank you." He helped me up and I took another observation at thr shadow. It looks like he's entire body is covered excpet for his wings. His fast...!

"His legs! They arent any armor there!" I said to Kaidou.

"Alright, so?"

"If we can try to slow it down enough, we may be able to get to Chinatown. By shooting its legs, it becomes slower and if we shock it or freeze it in place.... We may survive." I explained to him.

"!... I see. Alright then." He took out his Ecstasy and summoned his persona.

"Zio!" He used a lighting attack against the shadow, shocking it.

"Grahhhhhh!!!!" It screams in pain.

"Alright, here's our chance. Touka, Suzuki! Lets get out of here!" I said.

"Alright!"

"Ill get Enki!" Suzuki carried him on his back. We ran towards the gate in Chinatown, the shadow chased us.

"T-Thanks."

"No problem."

"Ms. Kikuno, are you able to shoot its legs?" I asked her. Since Enki is not able to move, Ms. Kikuno is the only one who can do it.

"Yes, I need a clear view of it though." She said.

"Okay, Kaidou!" I called.

"Hmm? Yeah?"

"I need you to shock it again. Touka and I will use a comvine attack to expose its bottom side. Ms. Kikuno will try to hit the Achilles knee of the shadow." I told him.

"Okay! Lets do this!" Kaidou stops running and turns around, we followed suit, with Suzuki still running with the injured Enki.

The shadow approaches us, faster than ever.

"Here goes nothing! Eugenides!" Kaidou summones his persona and hits the shadow with Zio, shocking it.

"PASITHEA!"

"LETO!" Touka and I summoned our persona and used a combine attack against it, a fire tornado. It backed off and exposed its bottom, giving a clear shot to Ms. Kikuno.

"Grahhhhhhh!!!!!" It screams, distrubing her aim.

"... There." She shot at all four of them, missing two. The shadow was still able to move and headed towards Ms. Kikuno.

"Shit! We missed! Zio!" Kaidou does another attack, but misses completely.

"Ms. Kikuno!" Touka screamed, as the shadow was about to get her. I could only stand there. Was it a failure? Could I not save her life? Time felt like it stopped, in that moment. My mind couldn't process what was happening. "Why..?" I thought. Suddenly I could hear a voice in my mind.

"You... can change this... think... Ryu"

I didnt know, what that mesnt but I... felt so something. It etched in my mind. The thought of the velvet room, S.S.E.C. and my past... memories. I felt a surge of power flowed into me. Before I knew it, my body had positioned the Ecstasy on my wrist, and shouted.

"PERSONA!" I screamed. Behind me was another persona, not Pasithea but... a snowman? Without having a second thought about it, I used Bufula against the shadow, freezing it in place.

"Is it... over?" I said, my mind was heavy. The persona behind me vanished and I... I blacked out.

---------------------------------------------------------

19/4/2018

Friday.

"Ngg... ngg.. Huh?" I woke up, in a small hospital bed. It doesn't seem to be the Velvet room... Its just a normal hospital room.

"Am.. I alive?" I asked myself, looking up at the ceiling.

"Of course. If not, you wouldn't be able to see me, right?" A lady said, who at my left. I turned to see Ms. Kikuno.

"Ah... Ms. Kikuno. You're alright." I felt relieved. Thank goodness.

"He he... Yes, thanks to you." She gave me a smile I've never seen before.

"U-Uh... Yeah... You're welcome." I said, blushing a little. Really? Come on.. Its just Ms. Kikuno... Well... Arghh!! Calm down.

"S-So.. Why are you here?" I asked.

"Huh? Well to look after you. Its been five days since that incident." She said.

"Huh!? Five!? I missed school for five times!?" Ahhh, crap. Whatever. I'm gonna get a scolding from Ms. Toyama and Aunt Tae.

"What day is it?"

"Friday, and tomorrow you will be discharged." She said, well not like I'm happy going back to school.

"... Well, fine. I'm sorry I couldn't... Help you..." I said, apologizing to her. I looked at her, she had a shock expression.

"What? You helped me enough. To be exact I wanted to thank you." She smiled. Huh... I wonder why, but she's really pretty when she's smiling... I should try to stop thinking about these stuff.

"Is that so? Well it was nothing... Well, kinda." I said. We laughed for a bit before someone came in.

"Hey, Ryu!" Kaidou shouted, in the hospital.

"Oh, Kaidou. You're fin-!" He then suddenly hugged me, with Enki coiling around my neck.

"We thought you were dead!!!" Kaidou cried on my shoulder. Enki... Miraculously he also cried, almost choking me.

"Y-Yeah... But Enki... If you don't loosen up... I'm... Gonna.. Die." I could barely speak but they then left me.

"S-Sorry... I just... WAS REALLY WORRIED ABOUT YOU!"" Enki started choking me again.

"Y-Yes... But please..." I said. He then stopped and Kaidou sat down, Ms. Kikuno stayed.

"Well, where's the rest, Touka and Suzuki?" I asked Kaidou.

"Huh? Oh Suzuki is at school, he has some business and couldn't attend and Touka..." Kaidou looked at Ms. Kikuno.

"She's fine... She went for a meeting... to discuss the future of the S.S.E.C with her father." Ms. Kikuno said.

"Is that so? Well... I hope it'll be fine." I sighed.

"It will... Anyway! Tomorrow you're going to be released! Touka said she had something important to discuss with us!" Kaidou was shouting again.

"Is that so? About what?" I asked.

"I don't know, but its something big! Anyway Enki and I are starving, so see ya!" He then runs out of the room and slams the door.

"... That's a bit rude." I said.

"Well, youth. Anyway I have to get going by now. See you to tomorrow." She says, as she walks out of the room and closes the door.

"Tomorrow... huh?" Well I'm gonna go to sleep now.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"Ahem, Mr. Evangelist?" A man speaks through a paid phone.

"Yes... is still alive." He said.

"Is that so... are you sure? The last shadow that was down was supposed to be for him but it seems another group interfered."

"... I shall heed your command my lord." The man put down the phone and on his suit was a small emblem pin, it was circle and had a small cross in it. A marking on the man was seen on his hand, which was a tattoo of a name... Soulless