"Welcome to the Velvet Room."
Despite not being fully awake, I still somehow managed to recognize that voice. Despite it having been a couple of years since I heard it last, I still somehow managed to recognize that voice. The voice belonged to the long-nosed master of the Velvet Room, Igor.
"I understand that you must be confused right now. After all, it has been quite some time since you visited us last."
The Velvet Room looked the same as it did three years ago. A limousine, with a strikingly blue interior, once again on an endless journey forward, with the residents not knowing (or fully knowing, but keeping quiet about it) when it will stop. It was indeed a very nostalgic scene, but as always, I feel conflicted entering this place again.
On one hand, the Velvet Room always makes me feel somewhat safe and secure. Perhaps one of the causes of that is how time outside has no place in here, so a 'guest' could spend as much time as they want in here (to be deep in thought or to calm oneself down, for example) without any thought of immediate outside world matters. On the other hand, the only time I find myself in the Velvet Room is when I need the help of its residents; in other words, only when I, my friends, or the world, is in danger.
It's been three years since I entered it last, and four years since I entered it first. But I can still remember every bit of it and its residents, every conversation we've shared, every Persona I created. I also remember that both the times I had access to the Velvet Room were also times of great distress; them being the Inaba Murder Cases that happened while I was spending a year of high school there, and the whole P-1 Grand Prix fiasco that happened shortly after. Thinking about the P-1 Grand Prix reminded me of Sho for a moment, since I never really did get to see him again after he left promising to kill me someday.
"Hello again. Allow me to apologize for never having come to see you."
This familiar voice did not come from Igor. As usual, to Igor's left was the gold-eyed, silver-haired Velvet Room attendant, Margaret. She had the small, secretive smile on her face she always has, but she looked genuinely happy to see me again. I felt the same way too, although I did my best not to show it on my face. She must've caught on, because I could see her smile widen a little as I thought that. Before either she or I could say something, however, Igor continued.
"I sincerely hope that you've enjoyed the life you lived so far. However, there is one important matter that we have to discuss."
I saw Margaret's smile darken a little from the corner of my eye, and only then did I notice that there was another figure to Igor's right. It was another familiar figure, one I met during the course of the P-1 Grand Prix. I could recognize her anywhere, because despite looking a lot like Margaret, as for some reason she seems so much stranger. Maybe 'out-of-place' would be the correct term here.
"I see you have finally noticed me," said Elizabeth. "How do you do? Still working hard?"
Elizabeth's lively demeanor lightened up the Room's atmosphere a little, but even I can see that there was some sort of shadow behind Elizabeth's eyes. It made me feel a little uneasy, and some questions started popping up in my head besides the obvious 'why am I here'. I greeted Margaret and Elizabeth back, and voiced my concerns.
"No, I have not completed my mission," said Elizabeth, with a sigh. "I am here because I have discovered something which I have to tell my sister and you."
Something in Elizabeth's voice worried me. Whatever it is she found, was it dangerous? Did they need my help to take care of whatever it was? I unconsciously tensed up. Of course, Igor must already know. But as usual, he never discloses anything to the rest of us, so I never expect him to. And since Margaret is still an attendant of the Velvet Room, it'd probably be up to Elizabeth and I to take care of this thing. Of course, my friends from Inaba would want to do their part to help too, and I'd have little choice but to let them do so.
Margaret must have figured out what I was thinking, but to my surprise, she gave me an expression I've never seen before.
"Sometimes I forget that you're you," said Margaret with a bitter smile, her eyes unable to meet my own. "I tried everything I could, but…"
Margaret's voice slowly died out. I felt something heavy burden my heart, and I was struck by a moment of panic. Did something happen to everyone? I, stood up, ready to forcefully leave the Velvet Room and either catch a train or drive to Inaba before Igor's voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Yes, it seems that you are still the same guest that graced this room from those years back," said Igor, with an indiscernible emotion. "Tell me, do you trust your friends?"
Without even a moment's doubt, I told him that I trust them with my life.
"Of course, but what I would like to know is whether your trust runs deeper than that," said Igor.
Confused, I looked at both Elizabeth and Margaret questioningly, but both of them seemed unable to return my gaze. I asked Igor whether everyone was okay or not.
"They are fine," said Margaret, answering my question. "Everyone besides your Detective Prince is still in the small town you love, and every last one of them is thriving."
Of course, she didn't need to tell me the second part. Despite having lived away from them for quite a while, I have always remained in contact with them, visiting every once in a while. Our friendship is as strong as ever, and no distance could ever change that. Naoto especially, because over the years we have become much closer than friends, and I now share a different type of bond with her than with that of the other girls. Relieved to hear that they were okay, I sat down. But there was still something strange tugging at my heart, so I asked about Mitsuru-san and the others.
"They too, are fine," said Elizabeth with a smile. "They are all doing their bests in their own way."
I was again relieved to hear that. After making sure that nothing happened to anyone, even Sho, I found myself satisfied but still confused. If nothing was wrong with anyone, why was I brought here?
"While it is never easy to trust another with your life, it is even more difficult to entrust something more important," said Igor. "What you should ask yourself is, would you entrust those you love with the world?"
The world?
Of course I would. I know my friends would do whatever it takes for their home to be kept safe, and I told him so with no hesitation. But what Elizabeth said next was what shocked me into a long silence.
And when she said it, there were no thoughts running through my mind.
It took a while for me to recover, but that didn't change how shocked and confused I was after hearing that. When I came to, I saw Margaret looking out the window, and Elizabeth making a pained expression at me. Igor's expression did not change, but there was no smile on his face.
"I'm afraid that there is no mystery for you to solve this time," said Igor, in a strangely solemn voice. "But this is a duty that we can only entrust to you."
"If you accept this task, then the world as you know it will cease to be," said Margaret. "Those you have forged a bond with will also be burdened by it, but that is a necessary sacrifice."
"Should you refuse this task, then the world as you know it will cease to be," said Elizabeth. "However, the entire world shall be burdened by your choice, but again, that would be a necessary sacrifice."
What is this? There's obviously some kind of heavy task that I was given a choice to accept or refuse, but what's this about others being burdened by it?
Sensing my confusion, Igor began to explain what my task entails, and what kind of consequences it would lead to. At first, I was shocked. I was told what would happen, but I found myself unable to accept it for a while. I just couldn't believe what was happening, and what I needed to do to restrain it. A whole bunch of emotions went through my brain; despair, panic, hopelessness… but my mind eventually returned at full force, and with it, my determination.
I opened my hand and summoned Izanagi's card. My Persona… a side to myself that became one of my most reliable partners in battle. It seems that we would have to part for a while. Quickly thinking back to everything Izanagi and I had gone through, I held his card to my heart and felt it dissipate into thin air.
It was indeed a very heavy task. But I had to do it.
"I know that you must be confused," said Margaret, approaching me with a face full of emotion. "If things were any different, then I myself would insist that you not accept it."
Margaret sat next to me and brushed my hair aside. There was a look of intense sadness on her face. To my surprise, the beautiful and mature lady I have worked with for over a year was now close to tears.
"And you don't need to accept, you know?" said Margaret, with a pleading voice, her hands holding onto one of mine. "The Velvet Room is disconnected from your world; should you so desire, you can just choose to safely remain here."
I was somewhat glad to see that our relationship after all this time has not deteriorated; that she would sacrifice so much for me just as I would for her, and it was kind of flattering. But deep down, she knows that I could never agree to that. Holding her shoulder in an effort to comfort her, I politely declined.
Margaret seemed surprised for a second, but after a while, she managed to regain her composure.
"Of course, you would never be that selfish," said Margaret, taking a deep breath. "You never change, do you?"
I apologized once more as I agreed to her. Margaret let out a chuckle, and after taking another deep breath, she turned back into the dependable Margaret I remember so fondly from my time in Inaba.
"You truly are cruel, agreeing to leave like that so easily," said Margaret, back to her usual self. "But if this is truly the path that you have chosen to follow, then it is my duty as an observer to simply nod to it. No matter what you do, I have the utmost confidence that you will follow it through to the end."
I quickly thanked her, and with the picture of Margaret's smiling face in mind, I turned back to look at Elizabeth and Igor. Elizabeth was smiling as per her usual self, and so was Igor. It seems that my determination had been able to reach out to them in some way.
"I am afraid that you do not have time to inform your friends of this decision," said Igor. "If you agree to this, then we should begin right away."
"I will be the one to lead you to your destination," said Elizabeth. "But only after my sister decides to let go of your hand."
I looked at my hand at Elizabeth's teasing, and sure enough, Margaret was holding it with her own. Margaret, however, seemed unaffected.
"I will not let go until the very end, sister," said Margaret in her usual professional voice. "I will go with him, all the way to the end. I want to be able to support him and his decision."
As Margaret said that, I quickly thought back to my friends. Although I feel really guilty for doing this, but I trust them to be able to do what needs to be done. Standing up, with Margaret still holding on, I signaled to Igor and Elizabeth that I was ready.
I'm sorry, everyone, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to be bothering you a lot for a while, even more than the usual.
Be strong for me, okay?