The Dark Hour

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Tatsumi Port Island.

June 17, x788.

Not long after slaying the Leviathan, the Sixth sense docked at the port on the east side of Tatsumi Port Island. Although the people at the port were surprised to see such an exquisite ship made of metal, as metal ships were uncommon on Earth Land, what really surprised them was the massive aquatic magical beast that was towed behind it.

"What is that?" A woman standing on the port and enjoying the view of the sea asked in a panicked tone while pointing at the Leviathan's corpse.

"It's a sea serpent." A man shouted in surprise after seeing the Leviathan's corpse. "Did the people on that boat actually kill a sea serpent on their way here?"

"You're only half-right." A man wearing a sheek business suit said while adjusting his black framed glasses. "Though it is a kind of sea serpent. That's a Leviathan. An S-Class aquatic magical beast. They are among the most dangerous monsters in the seas."

That caused everyone within earshot to be surprised. And quickly, the news spread around the port, causing the population to go into a frenzy.

"Finally, someone who can recognize a Leviathan at first sight." Alfonzo said as he led the other three in disembarking from Sixth sense. "I never thought I'd see the day.'

In response, Alzack, who had also misidentified the Leviathan as a sea serpent lowered his head with an embarrassed blush on his face. Meanwhile, Bisca, with a bright smile on her face, consoled him, thinking her husband was really cute when he was embarrassed.

"Be nice, Fonzie." Elicia said with a smile as she swatted at Alfonzo's arm. "You're embarrassing Alzack."

Smiling in reply, Alfonzo glanced at Alzack with a teasing glint in his eyes.

Seeing the look in Alfonzo's eyes, Alzack pouted.

"Stop teasing me, Alfonzo." Alzack said as he turned his head away. "I don't have as much time to spend in the library as you do. I need to work on my accuracy."

Though he had a lot to say about that, Alfonzo decided to let Alzack save his pride. Then, he turned his head towards the man in the suit, who was approaching the group.

"Excuse me, would you be interested in selling that Leviathan's corpse?" The man asked in an expectant tone. "Oh, please excuse my manners. I'm Shuji Ikutsuki, I work for the Kirijo Group. Oh, but you can just call me Shuji. I know my last name can be hard to pronounce. And that Leviathan's scales and skin would be great materials for defensive equipment."

The man, Shuji Ikutsuki, was a relatively tall, clean-shaven, middle-aged man with facial features that made him appear quite friendly. On top of that, his brown, shoulder-length hair was slicked back and styled very neatly.

Hearing the name, Shuji Ikutsuki, Alfonzo and Elicia slightly narrowed their eyes. However, they did not show any other emotions on their faces.

The reason for Alfonzo's and Elicia's narrowed eyes was simple. In Persona 3, Shuji Ikutsuki was first introduced as an ally to the main characters' organization. However, in the latter half of the game, he showed his true colors, betraying the main characters.

However, since they were not supposed to know about Shuji's true colors, Alfonzo and Elicia kept their calm.

"That depends." Alfonzo said, slipping into his businessman persona. "How much can the Kirijo Group offer for such a top-class magic beast corpse?"

Seeing Alfonzo's shift in aura, Shuji immediately realized that Alfonso was no simple young man. So, he began choosing his words more carefully.

"Unfortunately, I don't have the authority to decide that." Shuji replied while shaking his head. "But I'm sure our chairman would be happy to discuss the specifics with you."

"Your chairman? Are you talking about Takeharu Kirijo?" Elicia asked while tilting her head.

"That's right." Shuji said with a nod. "I assume you came from the mainland, right? I'm actually surprised you know of him. He's not very famous on the mainland, after all."

"Well, we actually came here to meet Mr. Kirijo." Alzack said in a solemn tone.

"That's right, we're wizards from Fairy Tail." Bisca added. "We're here to complete his quest."

Hearing that, Shuji narrowed his eyes for an instant. However, his expression reverted to normal quite quickly. So, no one, other than Alfonzo and Elicia, who were wary of him from the moment they heard his name, noticed.

"Well, if that's the case, allow me to take you to the Kirijo Group's headquarters." Shuji said with a friendly smile. "There, you can discuss both the details of the Ten Years Quest and sale of the Leviathan's corpse with Mr. Kirijo."

Waving off Shuji's suggestion, Alfonzo spoke his own idea, instead.

"It's already pretty late." Alfonzo said. "On top of that, we've been sailing all day. So, we'd like to get a good night's rest. How about this? You can lead us to a hotel. Then, you can tell Mr. Kirijo that we've arrived. And we'll meet with him tomorrow, if his schedule allows it."

Nodding in response, Shuji made a half turn while gesturing towards the city behind him.

"If that's the case, I'll show you to Tatsumi Port Island's best hotel." Shuji said with a smile on his face. "Then, I'll let Mr. Kirijo know of your arrival. I'm sure he would be happy to free up time in his schedule for you."

Receiving nods from the four Fairy Tail wizards, Shuji then began walking towards the port's exit.

"And don't worry about anyone stealing the Leviathan's corpse, I'll make sure there are some guards assigned to protect it."

"If there's anyone capable of taking it, then they can have it." Alfonzo said with a smile.

*Rumble!*

As he said that, the ground rumbled, as if something heavy had been driven into it.

In actuality, Alfonzo had used his [Metal Magic] to disconnect the chains he used to tow the Leviathan from Sixth Sense's stern. Then, he forced the ends of the chains into the ground, anchoring the Leviathan in place. On top of that, the anchors were dug rather deeply into the ground, making them exceptionally difficult to pull out.

Not long later, Shuji had shown Alfonzo, Elicia, Alzack, and Bisca to the finest hotel on the island, a hotel owned and operated by the Kirijo Group. Then, after they received their room keys, he left, taking out an lPhone to make a call as he walked out of the hotel. Meanwhile, the wizards from Fairy Tail decided to have dinner in the hotel's dining hall before heading to their room for the knight.

"So, do you think there's a Dark Hour on this island?" Elicia asked. "That's the only reason I can think that the tower mentioned in the quest has never been seen by anyone whose come to complete this quest."

Currently, Alfonzo and Elicia, after taking a bath and getting rid of the feeling of sea salt clinging to their skin, were cuddling in the room's king-sized bed. So, with nothing to do, they began discussing things they should have no knowledge of about this quest.

"The Dark Hour, huh?" Alfonzo muttered absent-mindedly. "The unseen extra hour that only appears at midnight. Honestly, I'm not sure. I mean, we've been living in this world for more than fifteen years now. But we've never experienced anything like that."

"That could just be because we were transmogrified into coffins, couldn't it?" Elicia asked, pointing out the game's setting.

"That's true." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "but if that's the case, then we made this trip for nothing, as we'd probably just get turned into coffins when midnight hit, anyway."

"*Sigh* I know." Elicia replied as she snuggled even closer to Alfonzo. "I hope that's not the case, though. I'm curious to know how far into the storyline we are. I mean, it's already June. So, the first two Zodiac Shadows should have already been taken care of, right?"

"The first three, actually." Alfonzo corrected. "I think the one in June happens on the eighth, right?"

"I don't remember, it's been a long time since I played it." Elicia replied. "But if you're right, Akihiko, Mitsuru, and Fuuka should all be part of the team, right? I wonder what they'll be like in this world. And are Persona's a kind of magic? If so, what kind?"

"Who knows." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "But We'll probably find out when we meet the Head of the Kirijo Group tomorrow."

Nodding in response, Elicia did not continue the topic any further. Instead, she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Alfonzo tightly with a smile on her face.

"Good night, Fonzie." Elicia said sweetly. "Let's finish this quest fast, okay? I miss Mar'e already."

"Yeah." Alfonzo replied with a smile as he combed his fingers through Elicia's hair. "I wanna spend a few days with him before I have to go back to the Leaf Village. I wanna be there for the end of the Chunin Exam, after all. Those kids would be crushed if I wasn't there to see them compete."

Hearing that, without opening her eyes, Elicia frowned.

"I wanna see it, too." Elicia muttered. "The Konoha Crush was one of the most exciting parts of the Naruto series."

"Well, since it's the Chunin Exam finals, maybe Hiruzen will loosen the restrictions a little." Alfonzo said before kissing Elicia on the forehead. "If so, I might be able to bring a few more people with me when I go back.'

"If he does, we should bring Mar'e and Grayfia with us." Elicia said with a smile. "We'll need someone to take care of Mar'e while we deal with the Sound and Sand shinobi, after all."

"You know, most parents wouldn't even consider bringing their infant child into a place they know is gonna turn into a warzone." Alfonzo said in a helpless tone.

"But I want Mar'e to see how strong and cool his mommy is." Elicia said excitedly. "Besides, if we bring Grayfia, who is basically an S-Class wizard without the title, he'll be fine."

Like that, the two continued to chat until just before midnight, when they started falling asleep. However, as soon as the clock struck midnight, everything on the island changed.

June 18, x788.

As the day changed, every light on Tatsumi Port Island went out. On top of that, the atmosphere covering the island became much darker. Naturally, Alfonzo and Elicia, who were on the verge of falling asleep, felt the change, causing them both to snap their eyes open.

"Is this…?" Elicia asked in a surprised tone.

"The Dark Hour." Alfonzo said, answering Elicia's question. "And I think it only affects this island. I doubt it even has an effect on the rest of the world."

"That's so strange." Elicia muttered. "does that mean we're moving around in stopped time?"

"That's what it looks like." Alfonzo replied. "We should get up and see what's going on on the rest of the island."

Nodding in response, Elicia separated herself from Alfonzo's embrace. Then, she climbed out of bed and quickly put on her battle attire. Naturally, Alfonzo did the same.

Then, when they were both dressed, they moved to the room's door, expanded their [Magic Power Detection], and carefully opened the door.

"That's weird, I can't feel any of the other guests." Elicia muttered as she poked her head out of the door. "The only person I can feel in the hotel is Alzack. And he's still in the room across the hall."

"Yeah, I noticed that, too." Alfonzo said quietly. "come on, let's go see how he's doing."

With that, Alfonzo and Elicia stepped out into the hallway. And they saw what appeared to be puddles of blood dotting the floors when they looked up and down the hallway. That sight added an extra level of desolation to the dark atmosphere.

Deciding to ignore the puddles of blood, Alfonzo and Elicia approached Alzack's and Bisca's room. When they arrived outside the door, before they could even knock, the door was flung open. And Alzack, in a panicked state, rushed out, running into Alfonzo in the process.

"What?" Alzack shouted in surprise as he pointed his pistols at the obstruction. However, when he realized it was Alfonzo, he quickly lowered his guns. "Alfonzo, Lici, I'm glad it's you! Bisca! Bisca, she…"

"Calm down, Alzack." Alfonzo said sternly. "Tell us what happened calmly."

"That's right." Elicia added. "What ever happened to Bisca, we won't be able to do anything about it until we know what's happened. So, just tell us calmly."

Hearing how calm Alfonzo and Elicia were, Alzack took a few deep breaths. Then, after he was able to calm himself down a little, he gestured for the two to enter his room.

When the trio entered Alzack's room, the first thing they saw was a black coffin exuding a red aura lying on top of the bed. The next thing they noticed were all the clothes scattered around the room. And although the situation was a rather serious one, Alfonzo and Elicia could not help but smirk while turning their gazes to Alzack.

Knowing exactly what his two longtime friends were thinking, Alzack blushed slightly. However, he was too worried about his wife to worry about that. So, he looked at them solemnly.

"Bisca and I were… busy with something." Alzack said in an awkward tone. "And just as we were about to finish, Bisca turned into… that."

'Damn, I hope Alzack didn't turn impotent from the shock.' Alfonzo thought to himself while looking at Alzack with pity.

"The question is, why did this happen?" Elicia asked. Though she was thinking the same as Alfonzo, she managed to get her question out with little change in her expression. "The three of us are fine. So, what's the difference?"

While Alfonzo and Elicia were familiar with the phenomenon going on, thanks to playing Persona 3 in their past lives, they had no idea what it meant in this world. So, they both stopped to think of what the issue was, and why they were unaffected by the Dark Hour.

After a few minutes of silence, Alfonzo had an idea. And although it sounded crazy to him, it was the only thing he could think of.

"I have an idea." Alfonzo said solemnly. "It's the thing the three of us have in common, but Bisca doesn't."

"That we're S-Class wizards?" Elicia asked in a serious tone.

"Although that's true, that's not what I'm talking about." Alfonzo replied.

In that instant, Alzack raised his head with a look of realization on his face.

"It's because we have [Soul Armaments]." Alzack said.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "Honestly, I don't' know why that would make a difference, but it's the only thing I could think of."

In actuality, Alfonzo had an idea about that. In Persona 3, the only people who could move around during the Dark Hour were the people who gained the potential to wield a Persona, which was the power of one's soul, to be vague about it. And a [Soul Armament] did exactly the same thing for wizards.

And with that line of thinking, Alfonzo believed that people wielding Zanpakuto, such as Kaguya Mikazuchi and Retsu Unohana, would be able to operate during the Dark Hour, as well.

"I think this has something to do with the reason none of the wizards who took this quest in the past could see or even find the tower mentioned on the quest sheet, too." Alfonzo continued.

"If that's the case, what are we gonna do?" Alzack asked in an anxious toen. "Bisca doesn't have a [soul Armament]. And that means she'll be in this state until we get her off the island or things go back to normal."

"On top of that, she won't be able to participate in this quest, either." Elicia added.

"Well, we should be able to do something about that… probably." Alfonzo said as he drew his tonfa from the strap on his lower back. "[run Wild with Destruction on Your fingertips. Usher in Pandemonium with Creation in Your Hands. Riot, Bedlam]."

Once again, Alfonzo were covered in liquid metal. Then, he raised his right hand to chest level. A moment later, a metallic necklace appeared in his hand. Fixed on the necklace, was a bullet shaped pendant. This pendant was a [Soul Armament Embryo].

"Here, try putting this on that coffin that Bisca turned into." Alfonzo said as he extended the [Soul Armament Embryo] to Alzack. "I don't know if this will work while she's in that state, but hopefully it will reverse the transformation."

Nodding solemnly, Alzack accepted the necklace. Then, once his hands were empty, Alfonzo turned around and started walking towards the door to leave.

"Alfonzo?" Alzack asked in surprise. "Where are you going?"

"Well, if it works, Bisca's gonna be as naked as the day she was born. And unless you wanted me to see her like that, I thought I should leave. But if you did, I gotta say, I'm not really into that. Your wife is your wife, Alzack. And I'm not into sharing my friends' wives."

Immediately, Alzack began to blush in embarrassment. Though, not because he was implied to be into swinging. Instead, it was because he thought about what he and Bisca were doing before everything changed.

"Got it." Alzack replied while nodding his head frantically. "I'll come get you if it works."

Nodding his head, Alfonzo, closely followed by Elicia, left Alzack's and Bisca's room. Meanwhile, Alzack carefully placed the [soul Armament Embryo] on top of the coffin, where he expected Bisca's chest to be. Then, he waited.

Meanwhile, at the Kirijo Group's headquarters, in the chairman's office, Shuji, a middle-aged man, and a beautiful, teenaged girl were watching the image of Alfonzo and Elicia exiting Alzack's room through a remote viewing lacrima. And they were surprised to see the two of them glance at the lacrima that was monitoring the hall just before they re-entered their hotel room.

"It looks like we've found someone who can handle the Dark Hour." The man sitting at the large desk in the office, said in a calm, yet relieved tone. "Finally, we'll have some information about what lies beyond the tower's lobby."

"Only if they survive and return to report about it." The teenaged girl said in a somewhat cold tone with her arms crossed in front of her chest.