Persona 3: Second Chances
By Crimson Reaper Ragna
Co-authored by Omegaxis1
I'm deeply sorry to say that Persona 3 Plus 1 is under rewrite.
I underwent a lot of stress with Social Link OCs, some of which never showed up, and I'm sorry about that.
Please understand, and also know that I hope to surpass the original in every way possible.
Well, he will with my help. I'm the co-author Omegaxis1. We exchange the chapter and try to bring out its full potential.
Well, enjoy the first chapter.
We do not own Persona, we do not make Persona, and we do not own Atlus Entertainment. Disclaimer stated.
Chapter 1: Final Hopes
A man stood in front of a mass of darkness, unflinching as was the formless entity in front of him. He stared it down, waiting for it to move. Seeing no movements in his enemy, he cleared his throat and smiled from behind his white mask. "Have you considered my proposal?" His statement was blunt, and straight to the point. No hesitation was visible in his words, and the mass of darkness before him knew that.
"It is a foolish idea. You will undoubtedly fail. The past cannot be changed, no matter how much power this youth wields. Surrender to my demands."
The man shook his head, before responding. "I'm afraid not, Nyarlatotep. I believe that in the end, I will be the victorious one in this deal." Nyaraltotep's foreign presence groaned. Making a deal that would endanger the entire fate of reality itself was foolish. True... he had been defeated once, but he had simply let his guard down. No... this time, the outcome would be different. He would reign victorious, and watch in amusement as humanity finally obliterated itself.
Just as they were meant to when they called him.
"Very well. Let it... begin." Nyarlatotep disappeared in silence as the man simply shook his head once more. "Once again, your arrogance shall be your very undoing. Just as it was when Tatsuya Suou defeated you..." he muttered before fading into the light.
Elsewhere
The young silverette looked out of the window on his train and smiled. After such a long wait, he was finally gonna return home. Sure, Yu had missed his parents like no tomorrow but some part of him had longed to return to Inaba, where he had the experience of a lifetime.
It was there that he made friends that he'd never forget, especially one. He actually got a girlfriend during his visit. Sure, he was popular, smart and funny, but one girl always loomed in his mind.
"Heh, wonder if she's gonna keep pulling off the detective look," he muttered to himself. Yu paused for a moment and looked around the train.
Something was off.
He couldn't feel the rails under the wheels or hear the sound of steel upon steel. Moving from his seat, but remembering his bag, the young Persona-user walked into the next car.
Nothing was in it.
Or the next car.
Or the car after that. It was almost as if every single person vanished.
Yu flipped his phone and dialed his uncle's number, but nearly dropped it when he saw that he had no reception.
Impossible. He had full bars earlier. What was going on? This felt somewhat familiar though… But from where and when did this happen again?
His question was answered when he felt something behind him and wheeled around to see a very familiar door.
The Velvet Room.
Why did appear there? The only times he had seen it was at the shopping district, the Midnight Channel entrance and the Hollow Forest. And another thing, why was it here in the first place? His journey was over. The world was at peace. So what was left here anyways? With no other options, Yu reached into his pocket and pulled out his old Velvet Key. It still shimmered even though it was over a year old. Closing his eyes, he inserted it into the door and felt the world around him change.
He could not have anticipated what happened next. Instead of arriving in the limo that he had become accustomed to during his visits, he arrived in what appeared to be a long hallway. Well, this was new.
It was black all around him, and in the far distance was the same door that appeared earlier. At least, what appeared to be so. Deciding to just go with it, Yu proceeded forward, towards the faint blue light of the door.
Tokyo, in a different universe...
A young man in a white and blue hoodie walked down a bustling street. His hood sported two bunny ear attachments and an MP3 was hanging from a strap around his neck. His pitch black hair waved in the breeze as he admired the crowd.
The man continued to walk until his phone let out a noise singling he had received a new message. Pulling it out and standing against a building, he opened his phone and checked his message.
The sender caught his eye immediately, as this 'Igor' was no name he had ever heard before. But even moreso was the subject.
Persona was all that was listed.
He opened it up, and before he could even read a block of text, the entire world around him turned white, and he felt himself lose his balance. Before he could attempt to regain his composure, his body began to lift off the ground, and float towards what felt like the sky.
And it wasn't long before he lost the ability to think, and faint from exhaustion.
Great Seal
How long has it been since he became the Great Seal…? How long has he been holding off the sin of mankind… Erebus? How long will he continue to live here…? No, he shouldn't question that. He chose to become the Great Seal of his own free will… yet sometimes his mind questions if it was worth it…
He gave up more than his life… no, he didn't die. He lives on still, but he was in a state worse than dead… He was not alive. He was not dead. He was… existing. And those he cared for still remained there in the world that he believed will one day stop wishing for The Fall.
What was everyone doing now…?
Did Junpei finally become that man that Chidori would fall for? Or Fuuka, is she doing well? Hopefully her cooking's getting better. Mitsuru is most likely fine, and she has Akihiko with her. Akihiko's probably going to be a cop. He's always seen that in him. Ken's probably gotten a lot taller now. Komamura's doing fine, since he's a dog and can take care of himself.
Aigis… was she able to feel more like a human? She was there with him when he fell into his slumber as the Great Seal. He gave her his power because she was still questioning who she was. She needed her own journey because she needed to find herself. That was why he gave her his power…
And Yukari… he felt her pain back then. He could somehow hear her voice and the voices of his friends. Her desire just to be with him again. She would even sacrifice the world for him. How he missed her. He truly wished that he could have another chance…
Yet Makoto Yuki knew that that would never happen. He made his choice… and now he was going to exist as he was for all of eternity. But these memories… just remembering them… no, they didn't hurt, but rather, they were a reminder of why he made his choice. He wasn't doing it for himself, but for them.
They were… his precious friends… And it was from them that he had gained the strength to keep his will going.
…?
Something was wrong… Makoto could feel it. The dimensions… they were twisting, turning, a great force was coursing through the universe, and Makoto could feel it completely, being the wielder of the Universe Arcana. In fact, he could literally feel the force going right through him, and he was feeling like he was going to be torn to pieces.
Suddenly Makoto felt his eyes open and sees a bright light and tried to see what was going on after the light faded. Wait… he felt like he was more… physical, rather than ethereal now… what was… going on…?
Looking forward, Makoto saw the Velvet Room door appear before him. Why was it here? Why did it come now? Makoto slowly felt himself walk up to the door, and upon reaching it, pulled out his blue key from so long ago. Inserting it, he was somewhat relieved to see the familiar light that shined whenever he entered.
But when it subsided, he was not in the Velvet Room that he had come to know.
It was not an elevator that constantly ascended with pieces of furniture against the walls. It was a simple room with a blue floor, blue walls... and Igor, sitting on the couch that he remembered seeing. But Elizabeth was nowhere to be seen. Why? Well, at least he had a familiar face to talk to this time.
But then, he noticed a different person- one with silver hair and a black jacket- standing in front of the old man who managed the small room. Turning around, the silver haired boy saw the the bluenette and raised an eyebrow, confused by his appearance.
"Who're you? Another Persona-user?" he asked.
Makoto was caught off guard by this question. He knew that many other people had the potential to wield the Persona ability, but two people in the Velvet Room at the same time...? It was not normal. He had never seen it happen through out his whole journey.
But there's a first chance for everything, he thought.
Makoto walked towards the young man and extended his arm. "Makoto Yuki. I'm a Persona-user, like you. At least, I assume you're one?" The other youth nodded and returned the gesture, shaking Makoto's hand. "Yeah. I'm Yu Narukami. Nice to meet you, Makoto."
"Likewise," Yuki exclaimed. He was glad to be able to talk with someone living and breathing for the first time in years. After concluding their introductions, the two Persona-users turned to Igor and Yu broke the ice.
"I haven't seen you in a long time, Igor. I guess I should thank you again for all the times you aided me during my battles." Makoto looked at Yu, eyes wide. "You know him?"
Yu nodded and smiled. "He helped me during my time in Inaba. There was a bizarre murder case going on, and he helped me find the real person behind it," he explained, though Makoto didn't understand what he meant, so he simply nodded with a straight poker face that he usually has and then turn his gaze back to Igor, who wore the same smile he had become accustomed to. Feeling the moment was right, Igor began to speak.
"Before I tell you what is happening, there is but one more guest to arrive," he said, and gestured to another corridor that appeared and from there, a young girl, about the two Persona-users age with auburn hair tied in a ponytail and red eyes. She wore the same uniform that Makoto wore, but for girls. Makoto was curious as to who she was. Well, moreso than Yu. While she looked confused by the other two people, she seemed to recognize Igor.
"There, so you are all present here. Now, allow me to explain to you why you are all here…" Igor said, and then watched the three, and then eyed Makoto and the new girl. "Before anything, first you must be aware of something. Makoto Yuki. Minako Arisato."
The girl, Minako stiffened, and then looked at Makoto to know why he was talking to them first. "Um… so what is it that you want us to be… aware of?" she asked. Makoto nodded to gesture that he was thinking the same thing.
"Look at each other. To your eyes, it is a different person, but in truth, you are both one and the same," Igor said. All three were confused by what he said, so Igor continued. "Makoto and Minako. You are two different people in appearance, but in actuality, you are the same soul, but from different worlds. Worlds parallel to one another."
Now he was making sense… somewhat. It was actually very hard to understand him at times, cause he tended to talk so cryptically. But from what he said, Makoto and Minako… were the same person, just from parallel worlds.
Minako looked at Makoto and then Igor, and pointed at Makoto and then to herself. "You mean, he's me and I'm him?" she questioned, clearly finding it hard to believe.
Makoto however wasn't finding it too hard to believe. Talk of parallel universes were always a mention in jokes, but no one ever really considered that it might exist. So that would mean that this Minako is Makoto if he were to be born as a girl and raised as one. Her personality though seemed to be the exact opposite of Makoto's though. Well… that meant that his alternate self was… a complete and total opposite of him in every way, literally.
Yu felt like he was the third wheel in the conversation, but waited patiently for what it was that he was needed for.
"Now, just as you two are one and the same, so too are your fates," he said, making the two alternates realize the meaning. Just like Makoto, Minako had also given up her life to become the Great Seal to hold off Erebus. But that still didn't explain why they were here. Why couldn't Igor just tell them what was going on.
"Now that you know about each other, I shall now tell you the reason you have come here. You see… you have both been given a second chance. A chance to return to the beginning of your journey for another chance to try and change your fate from the one that you had chosen to take upon," he explained, making both of them widen their eyes in shock.
A… another chance? "W-why?" Makoto found himself asking. Even he couldn't hold back the desire to talk, and even his poker face was breaking from this.
Igor shook his head. "At this moment, it is something that cannot be said, as you are not ready for it. However, what you must know is that you have another chance. And you, Yu Narukami, are going with them, to assist them with your power to help alter their fate. All three will go to the same world, at the same time of the beginning of their journeys." Now Yu understood what it was that he was brought for.
"But why me? I can understand if it's just them, but why do I have to come as well?" he asked. Sure, he didn't actually mind, but he couldn't help but feel curious about this. He didn't know either of them, and from the sounds of it, he was going to have to join them, but the question was… why?
"All will be understood in time, but be aware. It will not be just you three that will be the changes in history. Many things that hadn't happened before will happen now. Many things will stand not to reason, but you cannot expect what happened before to happen now. Anything can happen," Igor warned. "Now… go and take upon the steps of your journey, and attempt to carve out a new future for yourselves…"
With that, a new door appeared out of nowhere, and they looked at it. They looked at each other, and had many questions, but wouldn't be answered at this moment. But it seemed like they had a choice in this. However, Makoto and Minako knew their answer, and soon enough, Yu decided that he should try this as well. Whatever the case, they would need each other to get through this, or they'd probably fail again. The door opened in a bright light, and all three walked in, to begin their new journey.
As the door closed, and the dimensions were now being distorted, even the Velvet Room seemed like it would somehow collapse. Igor's usually smile faltered a little at that. "Good luck… May you finally find the future that you desired from your hearts…"
Well, that's that. How was the first chapter of the rewrite? Interesting? Hopefully it's better than the one from before.
So yeah, Minato Arisato is going to be Makoto Yuki here, and Minako will remain the same. A little different, but the concept will be sort of the same.
Well, if you enjoyed it, please review. Any comments are welcome and we are open for criticism.
Hello, I'm the uploading author, Crimson Reaper Ragna. Fans may know me as Shunto.
And I hope that this story will keep you entertained as it progresses.
Please R&R and again, criticize if necessary.
