Persona 3: Never To Leave

To Live Is To Die

Finding myself in a pile of rubble, I looked around and found a lone figure there which I recognized all too well. It’s good that she’s alright… especially after what happened.

“Nyx,” I called to her with a small smile.

“Minato, you’re alright! Is Minako alright?” she asked eagerly, approaching me with a hopeful expression. It was the one with a bright glint in her irises. Yeah… that’s the one I know.

I wrapped her in a hug and smiled. “She’s fine,” I replied as I pulled away.

“Thank the Fates…” she sighed in relief. “I’m glad… I’m really glad…” Before when I had first met her, she probably wouldn’t have batted an eye about my friends and family. After all this time, she’s actually developed more of a sense of care for the people around me.

Before long, Nyx looked towards me with an expectant gaze. I knew what was coming.

“I’m also glad that I didn’t have to leave on such a bitter note…” Nyx smiled. It was that sad smile…

It was the kind that was flooding my mind with memories of the times that I spent with her. I could remember her naivety… She would ask me questions about everything that she could, and I’d answer to the best of my ability.

Even just common, little things. Things like anime, video games… heck, even TVs.

Certain memories swam into my mind, and they were almost beginning to fog the moment before me. Whether the fog was literal or not was a bit more of a mystery, though I had to admit that I was hardly able to keep any composure in my expression. I was hoping it wasn’t real.

I sighed. This wasn’t a time to be stuck in the past or something like that.

“I’m… I’m kinda glad as well…” I gave her a broken smile. I tried my best to smile, I really did. But… it was hard. I was having a hard enough time trying to hold back my tears. How could I ever smile properly in a situation like this?

Nyx merely nodded before taking another step back. That smile of hers was ever present on her face, and I could tell she was trying to remove it for now so that it wouldn’t be so difficult.

It wasn’t only the saddest smile I had ever seen. It was the most memory-filled smile that I would ever see.

No more words were spoken.

I didn’t need them.

She didn’t need them.

There was only the reign of silence.

…

Before long, I closed my eyes. I almost didn’t want to lay my eyes on the scene that I knew would be splay out before me.

…The scene that would probably haunt me for the rest of my life if my eyes were open.

However, a soft voice spoke at the back of my mind. It was one I hadn’t heard in who knows how long anymore. “You can’t plug your ears, or cover your eyes…” she said.

Maybe it was a memory, maybe it was really her. That old friend. I don’t know anymore, but eventually I opened my eyes and rushed forward towards Nyx with a silver glow surrounding the sword I had summoned into my hand, Frostbite.

Nyx didn’t flinch at the sight. She just stood ever stoic.

Even when my sword was stabbed through her stomach. I quickly drew my Ichor covered sword from her, flicking off the golden blood. By the time the sword was cleaned off, the silver glow from before had faded.