PERSONA 3 DEVIL'S HERALD

...30/08/2009 Sunday; Afternoon ...

The wind blew gently on the dormitory rooftop, caressing the walls and the metal railing.

Hiro leaned against it, gazing at the distant horizon. His thoughts were far away, and the Evoker in his hand felt cold and heavy.

He breathed slowly, lost in a spiral of questions and uncertainties.

The door to the rooftop opened slowly. Minato entered, his hands tucked into his pockets, headphones covering his ears, the music drowning out the sounds of the world around him.

He walked to the railing, stopping beside Hiro without saying anything at first.

Hiro glanced at Minato out of the corner of his eye, a faint, sad smile appearing on his lips. "I thought you weren't coming."

Minato, still with his usual impassive expression, removed his headphones. "How are you feeling?"

Hiro sighed, turning his gaze back to the horizon. "I don't know… my mind's all over the place… about what Elizabeth told me regarding the second stage of my Arcana."

Minato leaned against the railing, his blue eyes reflecting the sky before them. "That's what I wanted to ask you. Is the world against you?"

Hiro ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "Something like that. The world, or some external force, wants to destroy me… wants me to feel fear, insecurity, or influence my decisions. But what does that even mean?"

He took a deep breath, his eyes settling on the Evoker in his hand.

The metallic details and the S.E.E.S. emblem were still visible, though worn with scratches and dents from countless battles.

Hiro, his face tense and confused, gripped the Evoker tightly. "Elizabeth asked me if Lucifer has been appearing in my visions… and he has been, just to mess with my head. SO WHY THE HELL IS MY OWN PERSONA TRYING TO GET IN MY WAY?!"

His voice echoed across the rooftop, and he clenched the railing so tightly that his fingers turned white.

The air felt heavier, and he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

Minato looked at him, his expression remaining unchanged. "I don't think Lucifer wants to get in your way."

Hiro turned to him, intrigued. "What do you mean?"

Minato crossed his arms, keeping his gaze fixed on the horizon. "What if he's trying to warn you about something? Maybe he's alerting you."

Hiro ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. "But how am I supposed to know when I don't even remember what I talked to him about?"

Minato shrugged, his voice calm. "I'd say you should accept what he says."

Minato's words lingered in the air, leaving Hiro silent for a few moments.

He leaned further on the railing, burying his face in his arms, as if searching for answers within himself.

He tried to recall the times he had spoken with Lucifer, but all that came to mind was anger, blood, and an overwhelming sense of uncontrollable fury.

Hiro let out a frustrated sigh, lifting his head. "If I talk to him again… I'll think about what you said."

Minato kept his gaze on the horizon, his tone softer now. "Alright. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Hiro looked at him, curious. "About what?"

Minato lightly touched the necklace of his MP3 player, the gesture almost imperceptible but laden with meaning.

His eyes clouded over for a moment, and a flash of memory surfaced—the accident that took his parents' lives.

He shook his head, pushing away the painful memory, and finally faced Hiro.

With a calm tone, yet one laced with veiled melancholy, Minato said, "You lost your mother, and it doesn't seem to affect you much."

Hiro frowned, surprised by the direct question. "Yukari told me you lost your parents too. But in my case, it was just my mother… as for my father… he abandoned me."

Minato scratched his head, thoughtful. "I asked because you didn't seem like someone who wanted to live, you know?"

Hiro looked up at the sky, the vast, endless blue reflecting his own inner emptiness. "I guess… it's thanks to you guys that I have a reason to live. Fuuka and I made a promise… that I would try to become a better person. And so far, it's been working."

Minato nodded slightly, also gazing at the sky. "I noticed that. Yukari once told me that I seem calm… but the truth is, I always wanted to die."

Hiro's eyes darkened at Minato's honesty.

He had always sensed something dark in Minato's demeanor, but hearing it out loud made it all the more real. "Yeah… I noticed that side of you. When you asked me if death was really that scary."

Minato sighed, as if exorcising a burden from his soul. "When my parents died, I… kind of didn't care if I lived or died. I just… existed, waiting for fate to decide. If I were to die, so be it. If someone asked me to do something, I just did it. Because I didn't care."

Hiro quickly connected the dots. "So you joined S.E.E.S. because… it didn't matter to you, right?"

Minato nodded again, his face still expressionless, but his words carrying a deep exhaustion. "That's right. When President Shuji asked me if I wanted to join S.E.E.S., I said yes because I had no reason to refuse. I fight the Shadows without caring what happens to me. Because, in the end… I don't care."

Hiro and Minato remained quiet, each lost in their own pains and reflections.

The wind, once gentle, now sounded like a distant echo of memories they both struggled to process.

He sighed, the weight of his past pulling him back.

Minato, his voice low and tinged with melancholy, broke the silence: "But unlike me, you all have something that makes you happy. I… I want to help you."

Hiro smiled, but it was a bitter, almost ironic smile. "But you need to be happy too, you know? I remember Igor saying something when I entered the Velvet Room… He said you grow stronger through your bonds… something like that."

Hiro's words resonated within Minato, as if triggering a long-buried memory. Suddenly, he had a flash of recollection—the moment he first stepped into the Velvet Room. Igor's enigmatic voice echoed in his mind, the words now carrying more weight than ever before.

"Your bonds will lead you to your ascension. Forge new connections, live alongside your allies, and in the end, you will grow stronger."

Minato raised his eyes to the sky, watching the drifting clouds. He reflected on what Hiro had said, on what Igor had told him. And finally, something clicked in his mind.

Minato looked at Hiro, his gaze steadier than before. "Now I understand…"

Hiro arched an eyebrow, curious. "Understand what?"

Minato lightly grasped the necklace of his MP3 player, as if the simple touch brought him a sense of clarity. "It was the bonds I formed with all of you… It was all of you who made me feel like I needed to do something, that my life had a purpose."

Hiro remained silent, listening intently, realizing that Minato needed to let out something that had been buried deep inside him.

It wasn't something that happened often, so he let Minato continue.

Minato, still looking at Hiro, with a newfound determination in his voice, said: "I may put my life at risk… but I won't let any of you die when we fight the Shadow Arcana. Everyone's lives matter."

Hiro smiled, this time more genuinely, and replied, "But promise me you won't sacrifice yourself for all of us in the end, okay? I'm not in the mood to go to hell or heaven to bring you back."

Minato, in a rare moment of vulnerability, let out a wide smile, something Hiro had almost never seen before. "Well, if nothing forces us to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good… I won't die."

Hiro pointed at Minato, the smile still on his face. "It's pretty… different seeing you with such a big smile."

Minato looked at him, confused. "Huh?"

Hiro patted Minato's shoulder, his expression lighter. "Never mind. Thanks for listening to me."

Minato nodded, his eyes returning to the horizon. "Me too, Hiro. Talking to you… it feels like it eases the heart."

The two remained there in silence, but this time, the weight on their shoulders felt a little lighter, as if simply sharing their thoughts and pains had brought them a little closer.