" you've got to be kidding me ... we're only one month away from the final battle , and I promised Shin-chan I would fight to the end the Dark Hour for him ... so why can't I call a Persona and fight ?!! "
Minato realized the situation they were in was much worse than he had thought , and the formation he had made the team to be , as divided between himself and his sister , would leave those under Minako's lead defenseless without Minako leading them since she can't use her Persona . He also knew that panic wasn't an option , as a hasty and messy escape could cost them their lives , so he had to come up with a plan and quickly .
" everyone , follow my command to the letter , we're gonna pull back slowly as chance presents itself ! "
Minato began by calling both Helel and Lucifer , blasting the shadows with one Armageddon to the face , then he turned to his team and commanded them to pull back . As more shadows began to surface , their escape got slower and slower , and Minato realized he couldn't do anything on his own .
" Fuuka ! Can you guide the others to attack specific shadows , each according to their weaknesses !
" didn't she say that striking the weakness isn't enough here ?! "
" it would still slow them down so I could keep up with them ! And on that note , senpai ! "
" say no more , I got your covered ! Caesar ! "
" Aigis ! Activate Orgia Mode ! "
" understood !"
With the combined effort of everyone , they managed to pull back into the fourth block and use the teleporter in there to bring them back to the entrance . The increase in Minato's potential was just barely enough for them to pull through the overwhelming hoards of enemies . Had Minako been able to fight , they probably wouldn't have had to suffer through such a defeat . However , that was what ended up happening , someone among them just lost her ability to call Personas , and it had to be Minako of all members , the one of the two members they needed the most . There had to be a reason behind that .
" Minako , did I hear you right in there ? " Minato asked anxiously " Did you actually say you can't summon a Persona ? "
" WHAT ?!! " everyone screamed
" Minato ... " Minako whispered , and her eyes stole quick glances to those around her , as if she didn't want him to say that in front of the others
" I strictly reprimanded Ken for hiding something related to the Dark Hour " Minato shook his head " once it became a part of the Dark Hour , you mustn't keep it a secret "
" I wasn't keeping a ... "
" please get to the point ! Now , can you use a Persona or can't you ? "
" I ... well ... " it was very tempting for Minako to reveal the problem back when she was within the danger zone , but now that she was only faced with expectant , anxious and confused looks from her team , she couldn't just say she was unable to call her Persona , instead she said " lemme try again ! "
Silence governed the place as Minako took out her evoker hesitantly with shaky hands , and brought it closer to hear head . She looked at her anxious team one more time before pulling the trigger , and sure enough nothing happened . The anxious looks on the eyes of the members changed to that of shock and disbelief .
" I ... Minato ... can you call your Persona in front of me ? I'm probably doing something wrong here ! "
" very well ... Kikkuri-Hime ! " Minato took his evoker , and sure enough a Persona appeared and healed him " well ? "
" let me try again ... " Minako tried calling a Persona again , but still nothing happened " I don't get it , why isn't this working?! "
" she really can't use her Persona ?! " Junpei exclaimed" how does that even work ? "
" Yamagishi , do you sense anything from her ? " Akihiko asked anxiously
" well ... nothing about her is out of the ordinary ... "
" are you okay ? Maybe you're sick ? " Yukari placed her hand on Minako's forehead " you don't seem to have any fever "
" a Persona is a manifestation of one's psyche " Mitsuru theorized " the loss of a Persona should be related to that "
" a psyche ... ah ! " Minako suddenly realized
" did you figure something out ? "
" no ... I ... well ... " Minako forced a laugh " I might be just a little tired ... just slightly tired , that's all ... "
" Shinjiro senpai " Minato murmured , getting everyone to look at his grim looking expression " I should've realized ... I'm such an idiot ... "
" no ! " Minako suddenly screamed at her brother " Shin-chan... I mean ... Aragaki senpai ... has nothing to do with ... with this !"
" Minako ... " No one in the team was convinced
" what're you looking at ? I told you I'm fine ! "
" we didn't want to talk about it because we didn't want to upset you " Fuuka said sorrowfully
" yeah , but it seems you're past the breaking point , right ? " Mitsuru sighed
" past the ... ? Now you're just pulling my leg ! " Minako seemed to be in denial " you're talking as if he is already dead ! He's fine , and his condition is stable ! When we end the ... "
" his condition is far from stable , don't lie " Minato said as he forced his gaze away from his sister in defeat " don't think you're the only one worried about him , as we've been visiting him as much as you have been , and we've seen his condition worsens and even getting close to actual death more than once "
" we know you spent a long time with Shinji back when he was in the team , so we know that you must've been affected by what happened to him more than anyone "
" I ... that's not true ... " Minako couldn't look at her teammates anymore in her denial , and her hand unconsciously held her mouth " you're all such ... worrywarts ... "
" Arisato " Mitsuru turned to Minato " you're the only member with similar abilities to Minako , do you have a theory about why this had happened to her ? "
" well ... I do ... but I'm not sure " Minato remembered that Personas from a broken social link can't be called , but there was no way Minako had every social link within her broken , at least , that's what he believed " Minako , why don't you pay the velvet room a visit ? Theodore probably would know something about what was happening "
" but Minato ... ! "
" we could be wrong about our assumption , and maybe Shinjiro senpai really had nothing to do with your problem after all . We're no experts in Personas "
" but those velvet dudes are , right ? "
" yes , so what do you think ? "
" I'll ... I'll give it a try ... " Minako looked hesitant , she was feeling a mysterious feeling of dread from the velvet room, but she chose to agree
" good , the rest of us will train in the second block ! "
" the second ? "
" I see ... " Mitsuru nodded " if the powerful shadows have spread into the lower blocks , we could use the intricate mechanics of the second block to train with easier escape routes "
" well , I'll be going then ... "
Minako quickly turned her back to the team and hurried to the velvet room . When she entered the velvet room , Theodore was the only one present . He was busy looking at her compendium , but turned to welcome her when he heard the sound of the door opening . That was when he saw her wiping her eyes , and when he knew for sure that something had indeed gone wrong .
" I'll get straight to the point , Theo ! " Minako frantically spoke " why can't I use a Persona ? And when will I be able to again ? "
" you can't use a Persona ? I see ... "
" you ... see ... ? Wait ! You knew about this ?! "
" I have been a witness to strange occurrences in regarding to your power growth , and as you revealed the loss of your potential I simply made the connection to those strange occurrences " Theodore gave her the compendium " it's not a procedure that we practice here in the velvet room , but I invite you to look into the compendium ... "
" is this ... ?! " Minako stared at the compendium with a puzzled look " is this book ... supposed to be ... empty ?! "
" starting several days ago , entries from the compendium started disappearing . This is something that has never happened in the velvet room before , which is why we couldn't alarm you until we could understand exactly what was happening "
" that's fine , but did you figure it out ? "
" tell me , my lady , why would you suddenly lose the ability to call a Persona ? From your own experience "
" I ... well ... if a social link is broken , the Personas in it become unusable " Minako realized that was her brother's theory , but he couldn't speak about it in front of the others , and yet ... " does that mean I broke every social link in a few days ?! How am I supposed to reconcile with so many people ?! And I don't even know what angered them !!! "
" I think the situation is a little different . Broken social link Personas are still there and can be accessed , but aside from the protection you get from their affinities to elements and physical attacks as well as their passive skills , you can't summon them in battle . Here , the Personas no longer exist , you cannot summon them nor can you benefit from their passive effect "
" so I basically became as useful in battles as the chairman ... neat ... But why is this happening ? If it's not the social links , then what ? "
" as I had clarified , it is an entirely new phenomenon that was never witnessed in the velvet room , so even now we don't have a firm grasp on the cause , and yet I have a theory "
" a theory ? " that didn't sound very assuring , but Minako needed answers desperately , so she replied " well , what does it say ?"
" you may have the power of the wild card which would grant you the ability to call a wide variety of Personas , but in the core of your soul you're still you . There are many Personas that you wielded , but among them there is one that defines you more than anyone "
" there ... is ... ?" Minako quickly skimmed through the Personas she had summoned , from recent and powerful Personas like Titania and Setanta , to weak Personas like Apsaras and Ara Mitama
" I'm sure you know of it , my lady . Why , it's the Persona that saved you when you had no grasp over the concept of Personas at all ... "
" Orpheus ! " Minako gasped " don't tell me that I lost my powers because I haven't summoned her in a long time ! "
" wouldn't that mean your sibling would have been here as well had that been the reason ? "
" uh ... right ... "
" Orpheus should still be there , even after all this time you had spent not using her , because she is the manifestation of who you really are . However , if you open the very first page of the compendium ... "
" she's not in here , either ?! " Minako was faster than Theodore, and she was so shocked by that she dropped the compendium on the ground " I can't even call Orpheus ?!! What does that mean , that I'm no longer who I am ?! "
" it is complicated , but I'll try to explain it as best as I can " Theodore picked up the compendium " think of your potential as the wild card as a mirror , a mirror that you can look through to see the Persona you wield . When you look at the mirror with your bare face , you see yourself who is Orpheus , but calling other Personas is you looking into the mirror with a mask . Orpheus is still behind the mask , but the Persona that emerges is a different one "
" that somehow made it more complicated ! "
" I'm trying to draw a mental image in your mind . Now , imagine that the mirror you look into has broken into pieces , this would make the apparition before you unrecognizable , you wouldn't know who you are if you looked into the mirror , because there is no mirror to look at . There's a bridge that connects you to who you are , but it was destroyed . You can't recognize yourself anymore , your heart is lying to you "
" okay ? How do I get that mirror back ? How do I stop my heart from lying to me ? "
" this , I'm not entirely sure of , but I believe you need to look for what had changed in you . Some changes had occurred in you that broke the mirror , and this had occurred rather recently , too "
" well , I did lose someone important , but they are still alive , just ... well ... "
" that should have only strengthened the bond between you and him , not break it . There has to be something else "
" well ... I'm out of ideas "
" it is something that defined you as a person , something unique to you "
" you talk as if you know what it is " Minako impatiently exclaimed
" my lady , I watch over your growth in strength , but I know little of your life or your world "
" that's right ... So it's up to me to figure it out ? "
" take it slowly , and give yourself time . Sometimes understanding ourselves is not as easy as it seems , and our hearts may lie to us when we try to recall who we really are "
" that's fine and all , but time isn't something I could afford so I could give myself time to think ! " Minako was on the verge of tears as she desperately explained the situation of her team " my team needs me now more than ever , and we're only weeks away from the final battle ! I need my Personas , and I need them now ! "
" my mistress ... " Theodore was taken aback by the emotional burst that Minako displayed
" I ... I'm sorry ... I'm talking as if the whole situation is your fault ... I'm such a wreck ... " Minako began crying
" my , what is happening here " Elizabeth said as she stepped into the velvet room " Theo , don't tell me you broke your mistress's heart , how insensitive of you "
" sister ?! That ... isn't the case ... " Theodore looked at Minako crying emotionally " .... is it ... ? "
" listen here , brother " Elizabeth replied " my master is a man , so I could relish in teasing him , and yet I need to act serious when the situation demands . As for your mistress , she is a lady , so even if she attempts to conceal it , she is affected by her emotions , and will require support from you . The fact that you haven't realized that until now shows how incompetent you are as an assistant "
" that ... that's not true ... ! " Theodore quickly turned Minako and tried to calm her down " don't worry , my lady . I have been your assistant for the past months ever since you've stepped into the velvet room , and I know you will realize what made you lose your potential , and reclaim it in no time "
" ... what if I ... what if I don't ... ? "
" until you figure out the problem , sweetie " Elizabeth interfered " you'll never be able to call a Persona again "
" What ?!! "
" sister ?! Wasn't it you who said I need to watch over my mistress's emotional state ?!! "
" well I never said I need to watch over it . She's your mistress , Theo , not mine "
" very well , could you please give us some space ? "
" of course " Elizabeth walked toward the door to leave , but not before saying " oh , and remember ... no change of heart , no Persona "
" sister , please ! " Theodore glared at her as she left the room , before turning to Minako . He saw that she had stopped crying and was smiling instead .
" thank you for everything , Theo " Minako said with a content voice " don't worry , I've been through worse , and I survived . I'll figure out what happened to me and fix it ! "
" it might have not been directly related , but something about what had happened to that one person that you mentioned to me should have something in relation with the problem . In the meantime , I'll look into the situation on my end and see if I find anything else of importance "
" thank you so much , Theo . I'll be leaving now "
********************
I tried to hint at the problem that Minako had been suffering from as well , as the solution , in previous parts . I wonder who managed to figure it out ?
Anyway , I need to put a disclaimer here before we move forward . The upcoming parts of ' Minako Arisato ' will include the topic of ... the topic of suicide . It is a heavy topic , and this story is by no means a representation of the entire subject or the people struggling with such thoughts . I really hope I do this justice , but should I fail , I want you all to know that I don't mean nor even dare to think of ridiculing those people , they need help . I'm approaching this daunting subject as best and most cautious as I can , but if I make a mistake in any way , I want to give my sincerity apologies now , and as I am still on the long path of learning , I would like your opinions on the matter in the next two parts regarding that subject .
This is actually a great deal of the reason why I said this season is going to be heavy and dark . I would rather not approach such a topic , but it is a part of the story , so I hope I do it justice .
Anyway , I hope you enjoyed this part , and if you did please consider voting for it , and also remember to comment on who your opinion of Shinjiro's fate , and I'll see you in the next part . Stay safe