A/N and update: It's about YHVH-damn time I updated this story because I got lazy once the new school year started. Instead of a new chapter, I'm updating an old one because I am lazy. I've seen a Let's Play of Persona 4 (The Shadow of X) and I have Persona 3 Portable for the PSP. Yes, this story will include the Female Protagonist from that game if anyone asks and if you flame me over it or a few other issues, then I will just ignore you and continue writing this story because I like writing Fan-fiction.

Also, I don't own the Shin Megami Tensei series, Persona games (excluding legal copies), or related shit such as Digital Devil Saga because Atlus does.

Inaba, Central Shopping District South, May 23rd, 2009, 23:15 local time.

Enforcer was busy watching the entrance of the Tofu Shop from a rooftop, his eyes squinting down and focusing through the Holographic Sight on his ACR six-point-eight. It was a useful weapon for the mercenary as its 6.8 mm Remington Special Purpose Cartridge was cheap to produce and buy. The ACR 6.8 itself was also produced on-site at the Headquarters of his mercenary group, Ghost Force 969. The group's headquarters was set up in the coldest part of Siberia, where temperatures reached as low as negative sixty-eight degrees Celsius.

Enforcer knew what was going on right now. Apparently shadows had been sighted in the vicinity an hour before and during the Dark Hour, which came right at 00:00 local time, and randomly preyed on any humans who were not asleep. The Marukyu Tofu Shop was at risk because an old lady maintained the place and there was no doubt that the shadows would attack if they sensed that she was awake. According to information obtained from a friendly contact in the area, the shadows tended to be super-active whenever a full moon appeared in the sky. Right now, there was no moon in the sky, something that was known as a new moon.

Suddenly, at 23:35, Enforcer spotted a few shadows that had wandered into his vision. He fired on them, taking them down quickly since previous encounters with shadows proved that they were vulnerable to 6.8 Remington rounds. More shadows did not appear before the time was 23:55, at which point a large group of them tried to break into the shop as Enforcer took them down. Thankfully they couldn't break through since any shadows that got close enough to attack the entrance got taken out first. When the last one fell, it was 23:59.

Ghost Force HQ transmitted, "Be advised, Enforcer, the Dark Hour is approaching."

Enforcer only replied, "Understood."

Suddenly the time on Enforcer's watch read 0:00. The Dark Hour had come. The sky, moon, and buildings of the town assumed a sickly green color while a few puddles of water nearby turned crimson. Enforcer turned around and saw a massive shadow approaching him.

Enforcer then transmitted, "Enforcer to HQ, a large one's been sighted. It's a New Moon Shadow."

Ghost Force HQ replied, "This is the same New Moon Shadow that we observed back in Azerbaijan. How did it follow us here to Japan?"

"I don't know, but whatever that New Moon Shadow's motives are right now, it isn't interested in the tofu shop owner. She must've went to sleep around 120 to ten seconds before the Dark Hour came. We should follow that shadow, and figure out why it's here." A Female Mercenary answered.

Enforcer then said, "Agreed. Aiko, you're with me and Tunazu. We're going after that shadow."

Aiko replied, "Understood."

Ghost Force HQ then transmitted, "Be advised, the Inaba Police Department will not be able to assist you. They've already retreated into their coffins like every other human that's asleep."

Enforcer's only response was, "Understood."

The New Moon Shadow suddenly took off in a random direction and Enforcer followed it, jumping off the rooftop he was on and descending to street level to pursue it. After about ten minutes, it moved in yet another direction.

Ghost Force HQ hastily transmitted, "That Shadow's heading straight for the Amagi Inn. Stop that thing!"

Aiko answered, "Already on it."

Enforcer replied, "Understood."

As the Shadow slowed down, Enforcer managed to get close to it and noticed its body shape was similar to a Wyvern. Taking aim at it, Enforcer manages to nail its wings with a few bullets and send it crashing to the ground.
Aiko then arrives and fires an entire clip into the mask that the Shadow had, killing it.

Akio then said, "Well, that was a job well done."

Enforcer replied, "Yep. HQ, the New Moon Shadow has been neutralized. Orders?"

Ghost Force HQ then transmitted, "Come on home, boys. This mission is over."

"I have a feeling that this isn't the last time that we'll face the New Moon Shadows." Aiko said as she left.

Enforcer then noticed a glowing object on the dead Shadow. He picked it up and it turned out to be a piece of paper that held something.

Ghost Force 969 Japanese Branch Headquarters, the Dark Hour local time.

Enforcer asked a nearby mercenary, "Any idea on what that things was?"

Tunazu replied, "Yeah. It's a prophecy of something."

"Does this prophecy have anything to do with that craziness about the Fall?"

"Yeah, but this prophecy makes note of a weapon that can stop the Fall forever. That New Moon Shadow, we collected in core essence and it turns out to be one of the key components for this weapon that can stop the Fall. The Shadow was the reverse of a certain Arcana. Which Arcana, though, is still a mystery, but its core essence is the first key component of whatever can stop the Fall permanently."

"Well, that doesn't help any of us."

"At the very least, we can reopen our organization's Weapons Development Department."

"Yeah, that's true, but as far as I know, the weapon that can stop the Fall requires the core essences of Shadows that represent the reverse of the following Arcana: Temperance, Devil, Tower, Sun, Moon, Star, and Judgement. We need to track down the Shadows that have these core essences or our world is doomed."

"You're right. We'll need to search the entire planet for this mission. We'll return here in about a year and then set up permanent shop."