Hey, I'm JurassicCore. You've probably never heard of me.

This is a story that I've been working on since... about forever ago, really. I've been stuck in rut in regards to this story for an embarrassingly long period of time.

Until now, that is.

This very first chapter, as posted on this website, used to be very, very long. It took me a while to figure out that most people didn't really appreciate that, but the problem's been fixed, more or less.

This is a continuation story, taking place after Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, and features many original characters. I understand that many people might be turned off by this, but hey, just bear with me for a bit and give it a fair shake, alright? It might come to grow on you.

The events that took place in Persona 3, Persona 4/Golden and Arena/Ultimax will remain the same for the most part, with a handful of minor changes to the story of those games. You'll see what they are, in time.

August 12th, 2012…

Tohru Adachi had never been a patient man.

He had always been cunning and shrewd, but his impulsiveness had always been his fatal flaw, seeing as he often made woefully foolish decisions in his haste, decisions which more often than not led to serious consequences. Whenever things started deviating from his intended plan, his go to solution had always been to charge headfirst and forcefully remove whatever may have been in his path. And as a result, the universe usually found a way to make things come full circle and bite him in the ass.

So, it sort of came as a wonder to him that he had not yet strangled the blonde man who was currently sitting across from him and regarding him with a pensive stare, as he had been doing for the past half hour.

"How curious," the blonde man finally remarked, putting an end to the long and awkward silence, "I would have thought that you'd be more pleased to hear this."

The former detective let out a derisive snort in response. "Oh trust me, I am. I just can't help but wonder why you and your folks went through all the trouble of bailing me out."

"Come now, is it really that hard to believe we helped to release you from the goodness of our hearts?" the other man asked with a mock hurt expression, yet still maintaining a polite smile on his lips.

"Oh please, get real. Nobody pulls this kind of shit just for kicks. You obviously want something from me. So tell me, Theo, what's the catch?"

"And here I was wondering how someone like you could have become a detective," the blonde, Theodore, chuckled, ignoring the vicious glare Adachi shot at him. "To be quite frank, there is no catch to this. We require your assistance, yes, but we didn't plan to use your freedom as a bargaining chip," he explained, "You could consider it as a show of good faith."

Adachi simply stared at him with a scowl that could have smashed concrete for almost a full minute. He opened his mouth slightly to say something, but stopped himself. Instead, he reached towards the liquor cabinet to his left and grabbed the bottle nearest to him. 'Jack Daniel's', he allowed himself a small grin. He'd always been fond of that particular brand.

Foregoing the need for a glass, he quickly unscrewed the cap and took a hearty chug before turning back to Theodore.

"See, that's what I don't get, It's barely been four months since you all pretty much told me to go fly a kite and I got thrown in this shit hole, but already that miserable old bastard sends you—the goddamn driver-"

"Actually," the blonde interrupted, with that irritatingly polite smile still plastered across his face." My position as the… chauffeur for the velvet room was only temporary. I'm currently acting as an assistant to master Igor."

For a brief moment, Adachi seriously contemplated taking his whiskey bottle and repeatedly beating his 'gracious host' over the head with it.

"Alright, so—the hunchback of Notredame sends you — his chauffeur turned home attendant, to tell me that I can cash in a 'get out of jail for free' card out of the blue, free of charge, with no repercussions. After all of you very clearly left me to fend for myself. And you just expect me to buy that bullshit? Stop jerking me around and tell me what the hell is going on already!"

"If you insist," Theodore's smile broadened, much to his guest's irritation, and wordlessly withdrew a thin folder from the inside of his blue jacket and slid it across the table, revealing its contents to Adachi.

Even in the dim blue lighting of the Velvet Room, it was easy to see how all the color drained from the former detective's face. His eyes rapidly darted back and forth across the paper, hoping against all hope that the letters would suddenly rearrange themselves to deliver different message.

But despite that, it stubbornly refused to change. The numerous faces that blankly looked back at him were still there. Forensic analyses, dates of birth and death, and the official information made available to the public were all there. Just like that, all his fears had been confirmed.

The Rules of this world had changed once more.

Instead of barraging him with obscenities or trying to jump across the table to pounce upon him, as Theodore had expected, Adachi... just began let out a series of choked sounds from his mouth.

For a moment, Theodore mistakenly thought that the man was suffocating, but soon realized that he was actually laughing at him. That choked chortle slowly grew into a full-blown cackle, accompanied by a mocking applause.

It took a few minutes before his laughter slowly wound down and he met Theodore's eye once more. "So that's it, then," he snickered, taking another sip straight from the bottle, much to the blonde's chagrin. "I just wanted to do my goddamn time quietly, you know. I was seriously ready to just stay here for the rest of forever, 'atone for my crimes,' that kinda stuff... Shit, I guess that ain't happening anymore, is it, Theo?"

"This is only the beginning, Master Adachi. Many more will be lost in the coming days, and you yourself wouldn't live for more than a week without our assistance. They'll find you, and you will meet the same end as the others." Theodore's sharp gaze met Adachi's, and the polite smile on his face vanished almost immediately.

He grit his teeth in frustration.

He'd just started getting comfortable in his cell, looking forward to a boring and predictable life sentence in prison, and now he, a convicted killer, of all people, was being recruited into a goddamn war.

That goddamn hunchback had really put him between a rock and a hard place with almost no effort.

If he accepted, he'd be forced back into the game, right under the decrepit little dwarf's thumb.

If he refused their terms, Theodore would just smile, again, give him his condolences, and Adachi's mutilated corpse would be found hanging on top of an outhouse a few days later, and so would end the life and times of him.

Hell of a Catch 22.

"So," Theodore said, placing an ornate pen on the table, right beside the folder, and replacing his smile, "are you prepared to assume the responsibility for your actions, Tohru Adachi?"

The ex-convict simply shook his head, and deciding that he might as well, gulped down the

remaining half of the whiskey. "Right, like I even have a damn choice," he scoffed as he sloppily signed his name on the contract, and effectively relinquished what little control he had over his own destiny.

Still, he couldn't help but feel a small mixture of relief and gratitude towards Igor and his servants for not just leaving him to die. Now, with this revived power he would actually have a chance to survive in the world.

Capsizing the World

A Persona Fanfiction

By JurassicCore

Episode 1: The World, in Its True Form

0

The Fool