Author's Note:

My humblest apologies for not updating as quick as I wanted to, but now I can, so let's get this on the move.

Chapter 7: The Dark Premonitions

As Eva, Negi, Chachamaru, Minato, Souji, and Hamuko were in the main lobby of Eva's cabin, they all conversed and the Persona-users explained how they used their power against their foes and anything of that nature.

"I see..." Eva replied, "A mysterious power indeed."

"That's what I thought when I first used mine." Minato replied, sipping some tea that was offered to him by Chachamaru.

"I still don't see why we should join you." Eva commented.

"Look, Evangeline, we don't have to like each other... but, like it or not, we're all in some sort of trouble. Igor strictly told us to remain vigilant." Souji replied in a calm tone.

Eva just starred at him before making a change of subject, "Speaking of which... This proprietor of yours... Is he around here?"

"No. And you can't meet him either." Minato answered, "He dwells within... somewhat of missing link world. Like between fiction and reality."

Souji chuckled, "It's like Ince-"

"Don't. You. Say. It." Minato said, pointing a low finger at him and giving him a look of annoyance.

"Very well. Would you like a look around?" Eva said, making a gesture to the entire house, "I believe if it's important to look for any clues, then we should start with the most obvious of places."

"Uhh... Well... Sure, but... where first?" Souji asked.

"We're in a creepy situation in a creepy house owned by a creepy girl... Basement." Hamuko said as if it were an obvious choice.

"Well, I don't really think it would work, but let's try it anyway." Souji replied, with Minato standing up and following Eva as everyone went down the basement.

Upon arriving, Hamuko's eyes danced at the many dolls and puppets that were sitting on shelves, "Ohhh my GOD! Those are so adorable!"

"Pay attention, girl." Eva ordered, turning around and giving her a look of complete scorn.

Minato looked over to see Negi, who's face was completely stoic, "Negi, what's up? You've been quiet."

"Huh?" Negi got out of his critical thinking and stared at the Persona-user for a few seconds before looks back down and rubbing his eyes, "Oh, it's nothing. I'm just a little tired."

Minato starred for a second, knowing that the wizard was lying, Kid's a bad liar. He thought.

Suddenly, something chilled the back of Minato's spine before turning to his left and looking at an elegant, body-length mirror, the edges with fancy designs that were a shiny silver. He walked over and simply could not get his eyes off of what was troubling him.

Souji noticed Minato acting peculiar and started to speak up, "Minato what's wrong?"

"This mirror." He mumbled, "I don't know what, but I have some strange feeling about it."

Eva looked at him and narrowed her eyes, "It's all in your head. That's just a normal mirror, nothing more."

Minato acted like he didn't here that and continued to glance at the mirror, "It's just..." he raised his hand very slowly before reaching forward and placing his hand on the surface.

Only it didn't stay there.

He hand literally went through the mirror as the glass began to deform and the refelctions became twisted. He jerked his hand out and the reflections went back to normal. Looking back at everyone who was starring at him with complete shock, he made a wry face and proceded to lunge forward into the mirror, gone from sight.

"Minato-san!" Negi yelled, running up to the mirror. He tried to put his hand through as well, but it didn't work as his fingers touched solid glass, "Wha-... Why?"

Souji stepped forward slowly, "Hold on." As he stopped, he proceeded to, as well, reach for the mirror, yet this time it worked again, It's just like the TV world.

He tunred around, "Everyone, get in! I'll keep my hand in and you guys slip through."

Negi didn't know what was going to happen, but he knew he'd regret it if he didn't do anything, so he went through the mirror chasing after Minato. Followed by Hamuko, then Eva, then Chachamaru, and Souji himself.

Making it out of the mirror, it seemed like nothing happened. When everyone got out, there they were, just inside the basment again.

"That did nothing." Eva commented.

"No..." Souji replied, running up the stairs, followed by the rest of the group. Souji rushed out the door and knew his intuition was true. Everything else indeed looked the same, but the sky was a very creepy shade of red.

"You noticed to, huh?" Minato said, who was down the steps, looking over at Souji, who looked at him with a slow nod.

"Yeah. It's the TV World all over again."

The others made it outside the house, but before they knew it, Minato was on the run again. They didn't speak, only ran. They tried their hardest to catch up with the two male Fools and finally managed when Minato and Souji stopped in the middle of the city.

"Nobody's here." Hamuko said.

"Look over there." Eva replied.

Everyone turned to see a woman, about in her late 30s, on top of a roof starring down to the ground as the still quiet air lingered.

"Hey! Excuse me!" Negi called, but there was no sign of her acknowledging at all. The long silence continued as they tried calling to her again.

Then... something horrifying happened.

She put her left foot forward first steadily with a little hesitation before extending to full extent, she leaned forward and...

She jumped.

"NOOO!" Negi yelled as they ran, they ran like their own life depended on it.

But they were too late.

Everyone looked away, closing their eyes as Hamuko grabbed her brother from the side, shireking and sobbing, with him wrapping an arm around her tightly to comfort her.

"What's going on here?" Souji whispered.

"I'm not sure. But let's not stick around here anymore." Minato said as he proceeded to walk back to the direction of the woods, followed by the rest of the group. Minato proceeded to walk back through the mirror and back into the world. The others doing so as well.

"What in the hell was that place?" Eva asked, looking over to that mirror, "Why hasn't that mirror done that until now?"

"I think it's the same thing as our ability to go through the TV. Something about that place is related to Personas." Souji answered, looking back to the mirror as well.

"Great. Here we go again." Minato said angrily, clenching his fists, "Dammit."

"Big brother?" Hamuko called, looking up to him with worry.

"I'll be fine." Minato assured her, "We'll call up the group tomorrow. Let's all go to the dorm." Everyone nodded as they did so, however, Souji declined the offer to stick around the lobby to grab something to eat and headed to his own dorm room.

Evening

Minato was cutting a few pieces of cheese and tomatoes as Negi, Asuna, Eva, and Chamo were sitting at a table, talking about normal things as they thought that talking about magic and whatnot was getting old, plus it wasn't necessarily the right time or place for it. Eva and Negi agreed to keep quiet to Asuna and Chamo about the world inside the mirror, since it didn't seem anything happend in the real world while they were away.

As a quiet pause came about for a few seconds, a thought struck Negi. He contimplated, and he figured that if he didn't say anything now, he wouldn't get the chance to.

"Minato-san."

The afformentioned turned around, "Yeah?"

"Before we fought... you mentioned something about defeating the Queen of Death."

Minato's face contracted, as if he remembered some painful memory.

"I've been meaning to ask... What exactly do you mean by that?"

Minato fell silent, looking down at the floor as he tried to think of the right things to say. He turned back around.

"Negi... I don't think you know, since you're new to Japan, but Asuna. Eva."

The mentioned girls perked their ears up at the call of their names.

"You rememeber the catastrophy of the Apathy Syndrome cases four years ago?"

Asuna's eyes lit up, "Oh yeah, most of the job ratio declined from people becoming one of those people."

"Yes. It was a hell of a mess." Eva, for once -and probably will be the only time- agreed with her.

"Those causes weren't natural."

"What?" Negi exclaimed.

"The causes were from beings called Shadows. They are the exact opposite of Personas. They robbed those people of their consciousness. Little did we know that their main objective... was to bring about the end of the world."

"The end...? Wait, I recognized a doomsday cult around the same time of the apathy syndrome cases. You mean?" Eva said, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes. Nyx was not just some figure. She was a real entity... The Queen of Death."

"And you defeated her, yes?" Negi questioned.

"Yes. But it was far from easy. We almost died. But, with the help of my proprietor, I managed."

"Wow..." Asuna exclaimed.

"Well, now that the little monolouge is finished, I'm feeling hungry here!" Chamo yelled.

"I gotcha, you little rodent." Minato said, narrowing his eyes.

MEANWHILE

Souji was walking in the room with his head down low, still affected by what he saw in that other world.

"Senpai?"

He looked up at the sound of the soft gentle voice of his beloved. She walked up to him.

"Senpai, you're pale. Are you alright? I should go talk with Shizu-huh?"

She ceased her words as she felt to strong arms wrap around her as he hung his head, "I was just... thinking how I wouldn't know what do to if you weren't with me." he whispered.

Naoto paused for a second before looking up into his silver eyes, "Oh, come now Senpai. You know better than to talk like that. You're the one who showed me that."

Souji smiled as he lowered himself to capture her lips and looked back into her kind irises, "Thanks for worrying about me. I'll be alright."

Naoto nodded slowly before he released her to walk to the couch, followed by her as he put an arm around her and grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.

The news was on.

Breaking News: Unexpected Suicide of Young Woman Kikio Tamaki.

It showed a picture of the deceased, and Souji's mind went blank as he felt horrified. That same woman that...

He leaned forward with eyes wide open as he couldn't find any words.

"Senpai, what's wrong?" Naoto said with great worry.

Souji was shaking, "Oh my God..."

Author's Note

Sorry for the late update, but now I got this one up. Like always, I'm not so sure as to when I'm going to update again, but I promise I will as quick as I can. I can assure that the next update will be in about a month MAXIMUM.

Please bare with me folks, school is killing me. But this story if about halfway through so... Yeah, it won't be long.

Take care of yourselves, and until next time.

-Arcananox