Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 5. All assets of the game belong to Atlus and its subsidiaries.
Summary: Ren is returning to Tokyo for summer and can't wait to see his friends. However, when an unfortunate event happens and leaves him stranded in the middle of nowhere with nothing but an empty town and no Morgana, he's going to have to fight to make it home. If nothing else gets him first.
Persona 5
The Silence
Chapter 1
Unknown
Ren hummed a happy tune to himself as the train moved along. Speeding its way along tracks and through the countryside that was his home. He watched hilly landscapes roll by along with small snatches of woods. The ocean was conjoined to the land's hip, with a matching sky zooming alongside it.
Ren could admit the sight was beautiful. There would always be a certain charm to nature in the country that the city would never be able to replicate. However, for him, it would never truly beat the vast skyscrapers, bustling crowds, and lively atmosphere of the city of Tokyo. Especially after the events of last year had made him feel the most alive he's ever been.
Idly, he thumbed open the messages on his phone and looked at the recent chain of comments from his friend group.
Monday, 12:47
Ryuji: Yo. Sorry ta spring this on ya, but we can't come pick ya up. The "Monabus" is busted and it's gonna take at least a week to fix.
Ren: You know there's only one Monabus, Ryuji.
Ryuji: Shut up! Ya know what I meant, smartass.
Yusuke: Regardless, this still means we cannot pick him up for his summer break.
Makoto: I'm really sorry, everyone. Especially Ren. I have no idea what happened.
Haru: Don't worry, Mako-chan! We know it's not your fault.
Ren: Haru's right. You're fine. I'll just take the train. I have more than enough money saved up.
Ann: Just don't piss off the train conductors. We don't need another 7-11.
Ren: You mess with security one time. . .
Futaba: If you had you're way you would have pissed off every cop you came across during your probation just to spite the government.
Ren: Guilty.
There was a rustling movement in his bag and Ren looked down to see Morgana pop his cat head out of the zipper.
"Are we there yet? This bag is getting stuffy." Morgana whined and the teen gave him a sympathetic smile.
"It's still going to be a little bit. Maybe another hour." The cat groaned.
"Really? Can't I come out now?" The sympathy turned to something a little more stern, but the look on Ren's face suggested this wasn't the first time they had this talk.
"You know I'll get in trouble if they catch me with a cat."
"I know! But look. There's no one here."
He wasn't wrong. Save for himself and the talking cat, there wasn't another person in this car. He knew other people got on, very few but they did. It was strange how none shared this car with him though.
"Someone could still walk in." Ren argued. Morgana made a noise in his throat, they both knew a conductor hadn't passed through here in some time, but dropped the subject and slipped his head back into the bag.
He sighed. He did feel bad about keeping Mona inside his bag the whole time, but he couldn't afford to get into trouble. He didn't want anything delaying his trip back to Tokyo, specifically Shibuya and Yongen.
The thought of the cramped alleys and Leblanc brought a smile to his face. He wondered what he would do after arriving. More than likely have dinner with Boss and Futaba, perhaps some fatty tuna for Morgana as an apology for keeping him trapped. Maybe he'd go running with Ryuji through Inokashira Park or go shopping with Ann. Gardening with Haru sounded fun, or maybe he'd help Iwai at his shop for old time's sake. He'd definitely go see old man Tora and how he's doing. With that thought, he shot off some quick texts to his friends.
Tuesday, 13:30
Ren: Hey. I'm on the train, I'll probably be another hour or so.
Ryuji: Sweet!
Futaba: I'll tell Sojiro to start up the curry!
Yusuke: Safe travels, my friend.
Ryuji: Dude. He said he'll be here soon. He's not taking days to get here.
Haru: I think it's sweet. I look forward to seeing you, Ren-kun!
Makoto: I'm still sorry about the van.
Ann: Makoto. . .
Ren: Don't worry about it.
Ren was too busy texting to notice the train going through a tunnel and coming out the other side to a forest. He did notice, however, when he looked out the window and saw fog.
Huh? Ren blinked. He checked the weather on his phone. There doesn't seem to be fog in the forecast.
Morgana must have noticed his lack of movement and poked his head out to check.
"Hey, is everything okay?" He looked out the window,"When did it get so foggy?"
"I don't-" He went to answer the cat, but cut himself off when he noticed Morgana staring out the window. His blue eyes were wide and his ears were pulled flat against his head. His midnight fur was bristling and and he could just make out his tail lashing about inside his bag.
His grey eyes went to the window, all he saw was a flash of red and suddenly the train was lurching.
Ren fell from his seat, his phone skidding from his palm. Morgana managed to just barely hold himself onto the cushion with his claws. The third year looked out the window to find that the fog was covering everything, not a minute detail of scenery could be seen. However, he could hear the train beginning to speed up on the rails and he felt his heart bob. Memories of a subway jumping tracks came to mind and he desperately prayed history wouldn't repeat. This time with him caught in the middle.
He tried to stand again only to be thrown back down. Another attempt at getting his feet under him suffered the same results.
The train began to visibly sway from side to side and Ren's stomach with it. He couldn't even understand Morgana's yowling as the cat held on for his life. Out of the corner of his eyes he continued to see that same flash of crimson. Even without the jerking of the train it was near impossible to track.
The lights inside began to flicker, dropping them in and out of darkness. Ren was being rolled from one side to the other as the rocking worsened. He could distantly hear the other passengers in the other cars screaming. He flailed out a hand and managed to catch a pole. He struggled his way up.
"Mona!" He yelled once he was standing, holding a hand out for the feline to come to him. Morgana looked at him, panicked, and the lights gave into darkness again.
Ren felt something hit his foot. The lights flicked back on as he looked down. A picture of his friends and himself, laughing and grinning up at him. He could see the reflection of a red blur on the surface of his own face.
There was a strong bounce and Ren's grip was ripped from the pole. He flew head over feet, his heart lodged in his throat, his vision tunneling-
-Then darkness.
Tuesday, 13:50
Ryuji: Yo, Renren, you there?
Ann: Maybe he's going through a tunnel.
Yusuke: That's a long tunnel.
Futaba: Hey, you there, big bro?
Haru: Ren-kun?
Makoto: Is everything alright?
Yusuke: Did his phone die?
Futaba: C'mon this ain't funny, you jerk.
Makoto: Maybe it lost service.
Ryuji: Ren?
Haru: Please, answer, Ren-kun. It's been twenty minutes.
Ryuji: Let me try our personal chat.
Makoto: Please be okay. . .
Ann: . . .
Ryuji: Hey, dude, you there?
Ryuji: Stop messing around. This ain't funny, man. Futaba's freaking out.
Ryuji: Renren! Pick up your damn phone!
Ryuji: C'mon, Ren. . .
Ryuji: Remember? You said you wouldn't ignore me.
Ryuji: Ren?
"Breaking news, a train bound for Tokyo and traveling from the countryside was found today. This train is the same one that had went missing yesterday sometime after leaving Yasoinaba station at approximately ten in the morning.
"It appears to have been a derailment, more than likely taking place some time yesterday afternoon. The cause for this incident is currently unknown as investigators look into the matter.
"However, according to experts, they say the derailment was more than likely caused by an increase in speed, due to the fact there is little to no evidence of disturbance upon the tracks.
"There was fifteen passengers, including the conductor and driver.
"There is no word on any survivors."
Hey, everyone. Welcome to Persona 5: The Silence.
It's been quite some time since I last wrote anything that was an actual, ongoing story and not a oneshot or a collection of them. While I don't have the best track record with these things, I'm still going to try my best and see this plot bunny through.
However, critique for this story will be very important and very helpful, especially since this story is going to have a very serious tone, so don't expect fluff and rainbows, guys. You ain't getting that here. Neither is Ren.
Sincerely,
Fallen L. Angel
P.S.: This was originally going to be a crossover with Silent Hill, but I decided to drop that idea when I realized I don't know enough about the games to do the setting proper justice. The title is just the leftover from the original concept, and I liked it too much to change it. There will probably still be strong elements of Silent Hill, but the setting won't actually be, well, Silent Hill. :P
You'll see. Hopefully.