DISCALAIMER: Persona belongs to Atlus and Square Enix, I make no claim to the ownership of the name nor themes therein.

Date: Monday 2nd June

Weather: Snowy

Moon: Full

It's snowing… Snow in June?

That is the last thing I remember before…did I fall asleep? Regardless, I now find myself in a room…is it a room? There are windows and the surroundings appear to be moving. The entire place is draped in blue velvet – absolutely everything is some shade of blue; the only exceptions are the flames on the candles illuminating the 'room'. Before me is a circular table, with a deck of tarot cards sitting in the centre of it. To my right is perhaps the most beautiful young woman I have ever seen. I say woman, but she can't be any older than myself. Her skin is pale, it looks as delicate as porcelain, her hair is a dirty silver, the colour of city snow, and reaches just down to her fragile, bare shoulders. She wears an ultramarine polo-neck dress reaching down to her mid-thighs, knee-high boots and elbow-length gloves. Her ensemble is topped off by a low-cut corset around her waist, what appears to be a chauffer's cap perched on her head. To my left is an elegant man dressed in an extravagantly-smart tuxedo playing the piano whilst blinded by a blue blindfold. The music he is playing is truly beautiful; as is the operatic singing I can here coming from behind me. However the most striking thing in the room is the balding elderly gentleman sitting opposite me. He too, is dressed in a suit, but that's not what striking about his appearance, rather, what is striking is his blood-shot eyes and his abnormally long nose. It is at this point that I am jerked out of my thoughts by the peculiar-looking gentleman speaking to me.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear." His voice is smooth and calm, yet eerie and full of mystique. I can't help but feel relaxed by that voice; accompanied by the soothing atmosphere and beautiful music, I feel truly at ease here.

"This is the space between consciousness and unconsciousness – mind and matter, it is a room that only those who are bound by a contract may enter. The fact that you are here indicates that such a fate awaits you in the near future." Contract? What sort? I… I can't really think straight…or maybe it's that for the first time I AM thinking straight.

"My, and what an intriguing destiny you have. We have not had a guest like you in quite some time, not since the time of fog, I believe. Now then, I am Igor, a servant of Philemon, and presider over this Velvet Room. What is your name?" That last question is the most straightforward thing this guy has said.

"David Beale" I answer honestly.

"I see. Well then, do you believe in fortune telling?" I take a minute to register what he means. I do believe in fortune telling, in fact I conduct readings myself on a semi-regular basis. I reply by nodding my head in confirmation. Igor then waves his hand over the deck of cards, spreading five out into a pentagram, with a sixth in the centre.

"Very good. I find that fortune telling shares its key principles with life itself. Let's see now…the card representing you is…'The Fool' in the upright position. It seems you are at the start of a journey. The job of this room, and those who dwell within is to aid you on that journey, however we can. Your immediate future is represented by…Ah, 'Death' also in the upright position. It seems you will not be the same at the end of your journey as you are now. Beyond that is…'The Wheel of Fortune', also upright. It appears that the changes foretold by 'Death' will be beneficial." He laughs. " Let's see, the future beyond that is…'The Strength' upright as well. This indicates that the changes you will undergo will allow you to 'tame the beast within', my…how fortunate. Following that is…'The Justice' in the reverse position. It seems the law itself may become your enemy. Finally, it seems the last card is…'The Lightning-Struck Tower' in the upright position, indicating a terrible catastrophe. I cannot foresee anything beyond that… It seems that your journey may take any number of paths, or even end prematurely, based on your own actions." Igor then seems to realise something before speaking up again.

"Ah… It seems I have neglected to introduce my companions to you. This is Nameless." He waves his hand in the direction of the pianist.

"Greetings. I am Nameless. I am the one who will open the locked doors of your heart." His voice is smooth and suave, kind of like James Bond, if James Bond were an ethereal pianist.

"And I am Belladonna~ I praise our visiting guests~ Those who challenge the beast within~ That beast we call 'self'~" I turn around in my seat to see that behind the sofa I am sitting on, there is an elegant woman standing on a balcony, getting covered in snow. I begin to realise I'm in what appears to be a horse-drawn carriage. Now it makes sense. The singing I can hear is coming from this woman.

"… And this is Alice" Igor concludes by gesturing to the beautiful girl to my right.

"Salutations. I am Alice, keeper of the book of the heart. Whenever new bonds are formed, it is my duty to record them here." She gives me a delicate smile, one I try to return…though I'm not sure if I succeed. Igor then knocks on the ceiling, signalling to the driver, before turning to me again.

"It seems our time is up. We shall meet again, if your destiny requires it, until then, farewell."

I open my eyes groggily, I'm on a train, taking me from Kyoto to Tokyo. I then look out the window, trying to wake up, taking note of the blizzard out of the window.

It's snowing… Snow in June?

Chapter's End Corner~

So! That's it! That's the start of my Persona fanfic. Note that the title is misleading, it's not intended as a prequel to Persona 1 (That'd be 'Shin Megami Tensei If…'), rather it is designated '0' because I didn't want to use 5, since there IS a Persona 5, or, there will be, soon. Besides, it ties into the plot…kinda. Also yay for Belladonna and Nameless!