It's finally here.
I have had this idea boiling up in my head since... I believe nearly 8 to 9 months. And in that duration I have been researching, planning, designing, researching, crying, planning, redesignin-You get the point, a lot of heart went into making this thing happen. This entire story is mostly original, and the OCs in it are some I've used in various other stories I've written in the past and are expanded upon in this story. HOWEVER, no prior knowledge is needed to enjoy this story as a whole. The development to the characters in here and done solely for this story and this story alone. And to add on to that, to those that are fans of my work but don't know anything about Persona, please actually give this a read as you're not going to be alienated. You'll get to learn about things just as the characters do. Prior knowledge to Persona will only just give others a chance to gauge how strong/far the characters are in the story. With all that out of the way, I hope you enjoy the prologue.
Disclaimer: I do not own Persona, however the plot and characters of this story are mine to take credit of.
A yawn escaped the young man's lips as he sat up in his bed. A hand came up to brush a few auburn colored locks out of his face as he rolled his shoulders to loosen the joints. Even after waking up from his sleep the man remain seated in his bed, waiting for his body to adjust to becoming active again.
"Just get up already, dammit." To most, hearing someone trying to rush their morning routine would be seen as both rude and irritating, but this was rather usual to him. Turning his head slightly, the young man gave a small smile.
"Good mornin' brother." Although the redhead was in a good mood his warm gesture was returned with a glare coupled with arms being crossed in disappointment.
"It's two in the afternoon," The brother unfolded his arms to rub his temples, it had always bothered him how easily his sibling could fall unconscious, and stay that way while he struggled to even get a wink of sleep. "If you're going to sleep in, at least let me know the night before!"
The redhead tilted his head slightly as he tried to find the reason as to why his younger brother was becoming so hostile. Normally he would have to do something worse than sleeping in a few hours to get both a death glare and scolding. Eventually the young man's palm met the side of his face as he realized what he had promised the other day.
"Shit, Ah'm sorry!" The raven haired boy sighed deeply as he tossed the redhead a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. The man struggled to fight his grogginess as he slipped the jeans on under the covers. Leaping up out of his bed, the older man dashed out of the room with his shirt slung over his shoulder. The redhead dashed across a hall, nearly crashing into the wall as he turned a corner to enter a bathroom.
After relieving himself, the man looked himself in the mirror for a moment. The white t-shirt still slung over his shoulder, barely concealing a large burn that ran from the top of his collarbone and down his back, just one of the many scars that laced his body. Ignoring his marks of stupidity and reckless abandon, the man began to run the water in the sink, cupping his hands to splash his face for a moment. As he did so, he swore he had caught a glimpse of something shimmering in the reflection of the mirror. Looking behind him, the man found nothing but the bland coloring of the bathroom. Rubbing his temple, the man began to question if he was seeing things.
Shaking it off, the young man carefully pulled his gray toothbrush from among others. Squeezing out a generous amount of toothpaste, the man began to brush his teeth. As he stared into the mirror again the redhead began to notice a dark blue butterfly fluttering behind him. Carefully turning his head, the man nearly ceased in all his functions as he could not spot the butterfly at all.
'Gah… First a crazy dream, now Ahm seein' butterflies that ain't there…'
Continuing on with his grooming, the man spat in the sink and slipped the t-shirt on. Checking himself in the mirror one more time, the man ran a hand through his messy red locks. There was no hope in taming his wild mane, so he saw no point in brushing his hair.
Returning back to their shared bedroom, the redhead slipped on a pair of socks as well as a pair of boots. He avoided the daggers that his younger brother glared at him while he fished for his keys in the dresser. After retrieving them from the controlled mess that was his dresser, the redhead motioned for the raven haired boy to follow him.
After turning the corner to head down the stairs, the redhead tripped halfway down and tumbled down the short flight of steps. Although the fall was rather painful, the redhead could do nothing but laugh as he lay sprawled on the ground. Even his younger brother shared in the laugh as he joined him on the first floor, the redhead's accidents were too common for anyone to take seriously anymore.
"Did Keith fall down the stairs again?" A voice called from the second floor. Both brothers responded with a simple yes. Said redhead began to stretch out his body as he picked himself off the floor, double checking for any bruises or injuries as he already knew that their eldest brother would question if anything was broken.
"Nothin' broken, Paul!" In a matter of seconds a brown haired man stood at the top of the stairs, an apathetic expression on his face as he crossed his arms. A sigh escaped his lips as he warned that the paramedics were no longer taking their calls. Keith shrugged his shoulders as he found that decision to be completely justified. Even he wouldn't want to put up with a single person that got injured as much as him.
Continuing on with their trip, the redhead began to make his way outside to the driveway. A large grin spread across his face as he admired the way his Charger looked in the sunlight, its simple solid black paint job shining wonderfully. Feeling a large smack against the back of his head, the redhead cursed under his breath as he opened the door to his car. As much as he wanted to give his younger brother a scolding for being impatient, it was his own fault for sleeping in.
As the redhead began to pull out of the driveway, his eyes fell upon a local child playing in the street. A small smile spread across his face as he recognize the young boy as their neighbor's child. The redhead chuckled in delight when the young boy waved in their direction, smiling widely in delight to see him. Keith almost didn't want to drive away, but he had already done enough to anger his little brother.
"Y'know, yew could have woken me up earlier 'stead of waitin'." The redhead pointed out as he drove out of their neighborhood. Just as they turned a corner, the raven-haired young sighed deeply.
"Last time I tried that you kicked me in the face," Before the redhead could both apologize and explain himself, his brother continued. "And another time before that you put me into a guillotine hold. And let's not forget that sleepwalking inci-"
"Ah get it, yew can stop now, Roy..." A small annoyed sigh left the redhead's lips, being reminded of those small incidents always brought back a lot of guilt. If it weren't for the radio playing alternative rock, silence would have plagued their car ride.
The minutes began to pass as quickly as the scenery out the window. The ride began to be less of a chore and a bit more fun for the two. Occasionally when a familiar song would play, the two would share a smile and offer some back up vocals. The redhead knew his voice wasn't fit for the song, and neither was his younger brother's, but that didn't stop them from enjoying it.
When the car finally stopped at its destination, the raven haired boy tore off his seatbelt and dashed out of the vehicle. The scent of leaves blew in the air, giving a nice sense of tranquility as he wandered off into the trees. Keith smiled widely as he watched his younger brother become so enthralled by nature. Despite not wanting to interrupt the raven haired boy's fun, Keith couldn't help but want to involve himself in his brother's fun. Getting out of the car, the young man chuckled as the wind blew a cool breeze into his face. Locks of red flowing into his field of vision and momentarily blinding him. Brushing his hair to the side the redhead stared off into the direction his younger brother had scurried off to, catching glimpses of him moving around in the shade of the trees. After limbering up, the young man dashed into the forest with excitement to catch up with his sibling, soon finding the raven-haired boy climbing a tree.
A cheeky grin spread across his face as the two met eyes, sparks flying for a second before the two began an uncanny race to the top of the tree. Even with the head start, Roy could only curse as his older brother passed him in a matter of seconds. Even with youth by his side, he was no match for Keith's strength. But the raven-haired boy did not give up hope, there was still a chance that another incident could occur and knock the redhead down a few pegs, possibly quite literally.
Before he knew it, the raven-haired boy nearly fell out from laughter from seeing the redhead hanging upside down. Of all the things that could occur, this was the least harmful yet more hilarious outcome of all. The younger sibling chuckled as he pulled himself up on a branch to be at eye level with his brother. A bright shade of red spread across the older man's face, whether it was due to the blood pooling to his head or from embarrassment was unknown.
"Uh, mah foot got stuck," Shaking his head with a chuckle, the raven-haired boy did his best to free his brother from nature's trap. Without warning, the younger brother managed to pull his leg out from the grip of the branches, causing the elder brother to tumble down a few branches. Despite the slightly rather clunky fall, the redhead managed to gain his balance in time to roll as he hit the ground. A proud grin spread across his face as he dusted himself off. "Nailed it."
Even with their race cancelled the raven-haired boy's mood did not sour, an amused smile still evident on his face as he joined his brother on the forest floor. After all, there was almost a cartoonish charm to his brother's small incidents. With a small glance at each other, the siblings silently agreed to rest and relax for a bit, as to prevent any more mishaps. Keith let out a chuckle as he watched his younger brother run into the woods again, both had very different definitions of relaxing. Shaking his head, the redhead made his way to his car. As he approached his vehicle, a shining silver object caught his eye. Getting closer to his car, Keith could make out a silver pocket watch laying on the roof of his car. Cradling the watch in his hands, Keith squinted his eyes as he took in the design.
A silver double hunter pocket watch, and a rather beautifully detailed one at that, complete with an equally visually appealing chain. The details etched into the covers displaying a pair of angelic wings creating a circle. Within that circle, the surface was polished enough to form a small mirror. Turning the watch over in his hands, blue eyes were greeted with the designs of gears inscribed into the back lid. Whether the gears were to indicate that side to be back lid or as a design choice was unknown. Just by sight alone he could tell that the watch was expensive, and probably irreplaceable. Curiosity began to flood his being as he wondered how such a valuable pocket watch ended up on his car in the middle of the woods.
Wanting to find some sort of inscription on the inside to find an owner, the redhead began to pry the front lid open. As soon as the decorative lid swung out, the young man clutched his head in pain as a splitting headache struck. A hand came up to his temple to rub away the awful sensation, his vision struggling to keep focus as he could barely make out what seemed to be chicken scratch on the inner lid. As the headache faded away, Keith sighed in relief and continued his small investigation. He arched an eyebrow as his eyes focused on the sentence engraved into the watch.
That which reflects what stands before it has the power to dispel deceptions, even humanity's greatest illusion.
I would like to say right now I've actually have the first chapter finished, but awaiting revision at the moment. On top of that, I've already started on the second chapter. With that news out of that way, I hope you enjoyed reading the prologue.