Chapter 18

Aigis' eyes darted back and forth between the Minato unconscious on the ground and the one standing before her. She wanted to scream but her mouth felt dry and she was unable to make a sound. "Hello Aigis." The new Minato said. "I'm sorry I had to scare you like that."

"Who are you?" She finally managed.

"Minato." He replied.

"You cannot be Minato." Aigis said. "You are not the real Minato."

"Strictly speaking, you're correct." The new Minato admitted. "He, however, is not the real Minato either."

"I do not understand." Aigis said.

"Allow me to explain it then." The new Minato offered. "I am, that is Minato is, dead. He died years ago. Don't you remember? The Dark Hour, Tartarus, Nyx, he sacrificed his life to save the world. Minato died in your arms. This is all an illusion."

"No, that cannot be true!" Aigis shouted. "Minato is right here and he loves me. We are getting married. I do not know who you are, but you are not Minato." She crouched beside the fallen Minato. He groaned but still seemed unconscious.

"You have to remember." The new Minato pleaded. "Your friends need you. Would you rather live in this fantasy than be with them? Do you have any idea how sad they would be if you did? It would be as if you died. Think about how you felt when I died."

"No, that is not true." Aigis cried. "You are lying."

"I didn't want to do this." Minato sighed. "Unfortunately it seems I have no choice." There was a flash of light and the new Minato transformed into a monster. It was a vaguely humanoid figure wearing a black overcoat but with a monstrous head. What appeared to be coffins floated around it connected by chains, forming a partial circle around its back and sides. "Do you remember yet? This is Thantos. You could not defeat death, so you trapped it in a young boy, Minato. It reunited with its fragments with the intention of bringing about the end of the world through the intervention of Nyx. Nyx could not be defeated, so Minato sacrificed himself to seal Nyx away."

"No!" Aigis pleaded. She covered her ears with her hands and shook her head. "Stop it!"

"Look at Minato." The monster commanded. "Look at him!" Aigis looked at the downed Minato, but instead of her love, she saw a rotting corpse infested with maggots, bits of flesh hanging off its skeleton. "Now you see him as he really is!"

"This cannot be happening!" Aigis screamed. She sobbed uncontrollably.

"You're not even human." The monster said. "Look at yourself. Really look. You're a machine, a machine with human emotions, but still a machine." Aigis looked at her arms and instead of her pale skin saw white metal joined to red plates at her wrist with white and black metallic hands. "Now remember!"

"No, I do not want to remember." Aigis sobbed.

"You don't want to remember?" The monster pushed. "Remember what?"

Suddenly it all came flooding back to Aigis. Facing death on the Moonlight Bridge, trapping death in the boy, meeting Minato on Yakushima, the Dark Hour, Tartarus, Thantos, Nyx, Minato's death, she remembered it all. She was a weapon designed to fight shadows. This world was a lie.

The monster transformed back into Minato. He stepped forward and hugged the crying Aigis. "It's okay." He comforted her. "You have friends waiting for you. One day, maybe, just maybe, we'll meet again." Aigis closed her eyes and pressed her face into Minato's chest, unable to stop sobbing long enough to say something.

Aigis woke up in a warm bed. She looked around in a panic, not knowing where she was. The morning light illuminated the room, throwing long shadows across the furniture. There was no one else in the room but the door was open. She saw someone pass by in the hallway then quickly return. It was Pyrrha. "Aigis is awake!" Pyrrha yelled. Soon the room was full of people. The Investigation Team, Team RWBY, Team JNPR and her sister Labrys were there in a flash.

Labrys rushed to her and hugged her. "I thought I'd lost you." Labrys said, crying tearlessly. "I thought I was alone again."

"You'll never be alone." Aigis said. "Even if I am gone, you still have all these wonderful friends, and so do I. I am sorry I worried you, it must have been difficult."

"We thought you were dead." Labrys said. "You were in complete shutdown and nothing we did would reactivate you. I'd given up."

"How long was it?" Aigis asked.

"This would have been the third day." Ruby replied. "We had no idea what to do. We haven't been out fighting the shadows since."

"You did not have to stop on my account." Aigis said. "You are more than skilled enough to fight shadows without me."

"It seemed pretty pointless." Yosuke said. "The Tower's still blocked, so we couldn't do anything there, and the only shadow world left is yours, so we couldn't go without you."

"Now that you're back, we can all take on your world together!" Nora shouted.

"Maybe Aigis should rest for a while." Ren suggested.

"No, I will be alright." Aigis said. "I am not injured."

"What happened?" Blake asked.

Aigis sighed. "I think it is time I told you about my past."

"Ten years before the incident there was an explosion at a laboratory where shadows were researched." Aigis started. "My sister units were destroyed in our attempt to contain the shadows, and ultimately I was forced to fight death alone. Death was too strong, so I did the only thing I could: I trapped death inside a child who happened to be nearby. That child was Minato. He returned to the scene ten years later, sparking the incident. I encountered him when he visited Yakushima, the same island where Labrys was created and where I was being kept."

"So that's why you were distracted when we were in Labrys' world." Pyrrha said. Aigis nodded in confirmation.

"My memory had been damaged by all that had happened, and I did not remember him, except that I knew I wanted to be near him." Aigis continued. "It sounds romantic, but when my memories returned I realized I simply wanted to keep an eye on death. He and I, along with a group of other Persona users were deceived into killing certain shadows. This inadvertently reunified death with his lost parts and returned it to full strength. I tried one last time to defeat death, but I failed and was heavily damaged in the process. My mission, my reason for living, was to destroy shadows and I failed that."

"That must have been difficult." Jaune said.

"When I was reunited with my friends, I determined a new reason for living with their help." Aigis said. "I would protect them. By that point my emotions were fully developed, but I did not understand life the way humans do. Minato spent time with me and helped me understand what it means to live. He did not have to, and I am sure there were many other ways he could have spent his time that would have been more enjoyable, but he chose to help me. More than anyone else, he saw me as a person rather than a machine. I guess you could say I loved him, and perhaps he loved me."

"What happened with death?" Yang asked.

"The situation involving death was rather complex." Aigis replied. "Death in this case was just an avatar for Nyx, a god that could bring about the end of the world. This was caused by the collective despair of mankind and their desire to no longer be forced to suffer the pains of life. This desire spawned another god, Erebus, who would call Nyx to come and fulfill mankind's desire. We fought Nyx, but it was hopeless. Nyx was all-powerful. Minato sacrificed his life to create a seal that prevented Erebus from summoning Nyx. For the sake of his friends, he clung to life for a few months before his inevitable death. He laid his head down on my lap and died. My new reason for living, my goal in life, was to protect my friends and Minato in particular. Again I had failed. There is not much else to it."

"What happened while you were unconscious these past few days?" Yu asked. "I assume it was related." Aigis explained the world her mind had been trapped in, going into great detail. She also explained how she had escaped.

"So, if the second Minato wasn't really him either, who was it?" Chie asked.

"I cannot say for sure, but I have a theory." Aigis admitted. "I believe he was a combination of part of my mind that was aware of what was happening and trying to escape, and him. He once made physical contact with my Papillion Heart, which burned some of his genetic material into it. I believe this combined with my one mind to create that version of him."

"I thought our Plumes of Dusk weren't supposed to be exposed except in laboratory clean rooms." Labrys said. "Were you that damaged in battle that it was exposed?"

"No, I was not damaged at the time." Aigis replied. "At my request and following my instructions he accessed and touched it. I wanted to be closer to him, and that was the best way I could think of to do that." She paused and looked at the floor. "I had never felt a pain like I did upon his death. I do not think I ever will, and I would not want anyone else to experience that."

"Just know that you're not alone." Ruby said, hugging Aigis. "We have felt the pain of loss as well. When I was young, my mother was killed while on a mission. I feel that loss to this day, but having friends to talk to, friends who can comfort me, makes the pain a little more bearable. I hope talking about it helps, and if you ever need someone, I'm here for you."

"I'm glad to hear Aigis has recovered." Ozpin said. "This does raise some concerns however. Based on how you described the situation, it sounds like she was in serious danger."

"A weaker person would have been in serious danger." Yu said. "Knowing how strong she is, mentally and physically, I don't think there was any chance she wouldn't escape."

"Still, you must be careful." Ozpin advised. "If our foe has the ability to trap someone's mind, even if the snare was not particularly difficult to escape, he must be exceptionally powerful." He took a sip of his coffee. "I'm very concerned about the potential danger to my students, you must solve this."

"We're doing everything we can, you have my word." Yu said. "We won't stop until Beacon is safe." He shook Ozpin's hand and left.

Soon after, Glynda walked in. Ozpin was staring out the window, a sure sign that something was bothering him. "What's wrong?" Glynda asked.

"I'm worried about our guests." Ozpin replied. "Aigis has recovered, but even if they won't admit it, it was a close call. They have experience dealing with this sort of thing, and it seems even they can be caught off guard. If they fail, I fear there will be nothing any of us can do."

"We've done all we can." Glynda said. "As much as I hate to admit it, we just have to trust them." Ozpin did not respond. "There's more to it isn't there?"

"I feel like we're using them." Ozpin admitted. "They may be here of their own free will, but they're being put in danger for our benefit all the same. If they should fall…to have that on my conscience…"

"We put all our students in mortal danger." Glynda reminded him. "It's part of being a Hunter."

"They're not Hunters." Ozpin said.

"They'd be better Hunters than many of our students." Glynda said. "They've faced real danger, they know the risks and the stakes. They're also remarkable fighters. I've never seen complete novices progress so quickly. They could easily defeat many of our students. If anyone can do this, it's them."

"I hope you're right." Ozpin said, staring out the window. "I hope you're right."

"It would be safer for me to go alone." Aigis said. "This is my responsibility. The rest of you should wait here. There is no need for the rest of you to put yourselves at risk."

"Not a chance." Ruby said. "What kind of friends would we be if we let you face this alone?"

"Ruby's right, we're all coming with you." Yu declared.

"Thank you, this means a lot." Aigis said. She slapped a magazine into her forearm. "I am ready." That was not strictly true, but she was as ready as she would ever be. She entered the door and the others followed.

*Recommended Music: Iwatodai Dormitory (Persona 3 Soundtrack)*

It was immediately apparent to Blake that something was wrong. For one thing, they were in the wrong place. The first time they had entered Aigis' world, they had arrived in the lobby of a dormitory. This time, they were in a smaller room. The décor was of a similar style, probably from the same building, but it was certainly a different space. On one wall was a large set of electronic devices below a bank of monitors. The center of the room was occupied by a set of chairs and a small table. A double door behind them was presumably the entrance, and a single door at the far end of the room appeared to be the only other exit. Secondly, some of them were missing.

"Yu and Naoto aren't here." Yosuke observed. "Are you guys missing anyone?"

"Team JNPR is accounted for but Aigis and Labrys aren't here." Jaune said.

"Ruby and Yang are missing too." Weiss added.

"This again?!" Rise exclaimed. "They split us up last time too." She summoned her Persona and scanned the area. "The others aren't far away, but they're spread out and I can't contact them." She reported. "We're sealed in this room too. Some force is holding the doors closed."

"Is there anything we can do to break out?" Pyrrha asked.

"No, I think the others have to do something to let us out." Rise replied. Nora ignored her and slammed Magnhild into the double doors. It bounced off and nearly hit her in the face. "That's not going to work." Rise warned. "We should conserve our energy just in case we're attacked."

Yu felt an intense sensation of vertigo and stumbled, reaching out to grab something to steady himself. Finding nothing, he dropped to his knees and waited to regain his bearings. His dizziness faded, allowing him to get back to his feet. He looked around, but there was not much to see. He appeared to be on the roof of a building. A metal door across the roof was the only way to go, so he headed for it. The place was unnerving. The greenish sky was dominated by a too-large moon.

The door swung open and Naoto stumbled through it as if she had been pushed. The door slammed shut behind her as she spun around to grab at it. She turned back to Yu, her face displaying a mix of confusion and curiosity, and possibly a hint of trepidation. Her new weapon was missing. Yu reached for his own but came up empty. Clearly they had walked into some sort of trap.

"What's going on?" Yu asked. "Have you seen the others?"

"I don't know." Naoto said, examining their surroundings. "I don't remember anything before coming through that door."

"At least we found each other." Yu said with relief. "Will that door open?"

Naoto tugged at the doorknob. "It's locked." She reported. "Is there any other way off this roof? A ladder maybe?"

"I assure you, that's the only way." A familiar voice said. A figure dropped out of the sky, landing between them. It appeared to be Adachi, maybe a shadow version of him. Yu rushed at Adachi but slammed into an invisible barrier. "I've had enough of fighting you." Adachi said. "I think I'll see how I do against one of your pals."

Ruby lay flat on her back. She had a terrible headache. Sitting up, she looked around. She was in the lobby of the dormitory that made up Aigis' world, but she was alone. She grabbed a nearby chair and used it to help her stand. Her legs felt weak, and she felt a bit dizzy. Something was wrong. Where was everyone else? A banging noise drew Ruby's attention to the stairs at the fare end of the room. She looked over just in time to see Yang tumble down the stairs. Yang landed on her face but quickly sprang to her feet. She straightened out her clothes before glancing back up the stairs.

"Yang are you okay?" Ruby asked, still steadying herself with the chair.

"I'm fine." Yang said. "I don't know what's going on though. One moment, we were entering this world, the next I was falling down the stairs. Where is everybody?"

"I don't know." Ruby replied. Finally regaining her balance, she stepped carefully toward Yang.

Suddenly, a figure raced down the curved staircase and slammed into Yang. Yang fell backwards but rolled up onto her feet. "You!" Yang shouted angrily as she stared at Neo. Neo smiled and bowed.

Ruby knew Yang was in danger. She had done poorly when fighting Neo in the past, and even if this Neo was a shadow, the fight would be difficult. She swung Crescent Rose around and fired a series of shots at Neo. The bullets struck an unseen barrier before reaching their target. Neo wagged a finger at Ruby before turning her attention back to Yang.

Aigis was totally disoriented. Her eyes slowly focused and her systems returned to normal. She was in a dorm room. To be more specific, it appeared to be Minato's dorm room, but not exactly the same. It was far too large. Still, the layout was the same and all the furniture was there. She was sitting on the edge of the bed. Suddenly, the door swung open and Labrys stepped through looking very confused.

"Where are we?" Labrys asked. She held her head and winced as if she were in pain.

"This is certainly my world." Aigis replied. "I do not know what exactly is going on however."

"Where is everybody?" Labrys asked.

"I do not know and my sensors cannot detect them." Aigis answered. "I think it is safe to say we have fallen into a trap."

With a loud crash, a figure burst through the window, landing between the mechanical maidens. It appeared to be Sho Minazuki. "Oh great, the two defective machines." Sho sighed. Aigis stood up and approached carefully. She reached to her back for her spear, but it was gone. Still, she advanced until she came up against an invisible wall. "Did you really think I'd fight both of you at the same time?" Sho asked, drawing his swords. "I'm going to send her to the scrap heap, then I'll deal with you." He laughed maniacally. Aigis could not tell if it was a shadow or the real Sho, something was interfering with her sensors. In any case, he would be dangerous.