This story is a work of fiction.
Similarities between characters or events to persons living or dead in your world are purely coincidental.
By deciding to read this story you are agreeing to the above, allowing you to partake in the mending of a broken world.
The contract has been sealed.
Humans strike at each other's throats, hate and despair charging their actions.
In times of great turmoil there would rise a hero to calm such storms. A Vigilante.
This story is about one such Vigilante and the force for good he inspires.
The fate of the world now rests in his hands.
A boy's eyes slowly opened as he took in his surroundings. He was in the passenger seat of his mother's car on a cliffside highway headed to the beachfront town of Mitsuzawa. In his ears were his earbuds playing punk music quite loudly, the woman's voice a mixture of angry and sensual as she sang about how unfair and unforgiving people can be.
He felt a nudge on his leg and turned to his right to face his mother, Sakata Mika, who's auburn hair was a mess. "Hey kiddo, you're finally awake!" She mused in a pleasant, but tired voice as she reached over and ruffled her son's messy carmine hair. The boy didn't give much of a response outside of a slightly bothered smile. "Don't worry, we'll be at our old-new home in less than ten minutes, aren't you excited?"
The boy had to think how he felt. Was he excited? All this came about because of his father and mother's divorce, so it was completely out of his control. But… it could be a nice change of pace and scenery; he was moving to a resort town on the coast after all. "Uhh, yeah, kinda. It should be interesting." He spoke a bit unconfidently.
Mika sighed at his demeanor. "You'll like it here. I know it." She assured, running her hand through his hair again which prompted him to push her hand away softly in protest.
The car began to slow down as the boy's mother noticed a police car tailing them. With a sigh, she pulled over.
After a few minutes of dealing with the boy's mother, the officer approached the boy. "Young man, can I see your student ID to know you live here like this woman says?"
The boy nodded silently and took his ID out of his wallet to show the officer. Said officer nodded and inspected the ID. "Arisawa Kota, second year student at Keidokawa High School, Mitsuzawa." the officer read off.
Kota nodded. "That's me." He affirmed plainly. "Will that be all, officer?" He asked.
The officer chuckled. "Well, I welcome you to Mitsuzawa, Arisawa-kun." He mused, holding his hand out for a handshake.
Kota smiled and grasped the man's hand, but as soon as their hands locked the world seemed to waver around the two, a pang of rage and aggression charging through his head and chest and he involuntarily squeezed onto the officer's hand, who only seemed to smile at Kota and squeeze his hand as well, a flash of gold in his eyes before he let go.
"Have a nice day, you two." The officer said kindly, before handing Kota back his ID and walking back to his cruiser with a wave.
"That wasn't as much of a hassle as I thought it would be. That man seemed nice." Mika mused as she watched him get into his car. "He's sort of handsome as well… I wonder if he's single."
Kota only leaned back and gave his mother a funny look.
In five minutes the town of Mitsuzawa finally came into view. It looked different than Kota had remembered it seven years ago.
The beautiful blue coastline crashed playfully on the sandy white shores, crowds of people lounging on towels or playing in the water. Further inland it appeared that the town had a clean divide between a bustling city and a quaint suburban town, the former being a newer addition. Beautiful and vibrant green trees and flowers decorated the sides of each road and the whole town descended towards the coast on a hillside.
"My, my! Things sure are different, huh kiddo?" Mika asked her son with a smile on her face. "It almost feels like a completely new town."
Kota gave an uneasy smile back at his mother. "To be honest, I'm kinda nervous." He lamented.
"Nervous? Are you afraid you won't make any friends, sweetie?" Mika asked with a worried expression. "You just need to put yourself out there, as hard as that might seem."
Kota nodded, but remained quiet.
The car drew nearer to their home as the entered the town's suburban side. Today was Sunday, so kids wouldn't be going to school. On the sidewalks Kota noticed groups of kids walking, some of them wearing similar colors or with dyed hair. This both intrigued and worried him. Either way, he sunk back into his seat to think about everything.
Kota's mother and father had gotten a divorce in the US after several years of living there. His mother was given custody of him for a year and she decided to move back to their old town from before they moved to America. Now here he is, sitting in a car as it pulled up to his childhood home. A pang of nostalgia rang in his heart as he looked upon it.
It was a simple suburban Japanese home. Two stories, two bedrooms, small living room attached to the kitchen, two bathrooms and a garden out back. The only remotely luxurious thing the house had was the balcony over the doorway that lead out from the second story hallway.
"Help me unpack the car, Kota." Mika ordered as they exited her car. "Don't worry, the moving company already brought all the heavy stuff in."
"Yes mother." Kota replied with an obedient nod as he circled around to the trunk to grab some boxes.
After a few minutes the two made their way into their "old-new" home.
The house was a maze of boxes inside. Most were marked, some weren't. Kota was told not to immediately worry about it by his mother and that he should check out his room first. "Maybe you should try on your new uniform, sweetie. I'll bet you'll look so handsome!" her words made Kota smile lightly.
His room was no more organized than the rest of the house. So, with a reluctant sigh he got to work.
About an hour later he had his bed made and his dresser built, filled with clothes as well. His shelves and walls remained undecorated too, with the exception of one odd article.
A mirror hung on his wall parallel to his bedroom door. It was roughly 1.8 meters tall and 0.7 meters wide, with an ornate frame that looked like it was crafted from platinum. At the top of the frame was etched in some sort of Latin phrase Kota didn't understand. The most interesting thing, though, was how clear the glass was; how perfectly flawless his reflection was that stared back at him. It was as if Kota could just walk through the mirror like it was an extension of his room.
His reflection's chocolate brown eyes suddenly became a cruel gold and it's expression turned into a dark sneer as it began to move on it's own. No, it didn't, because Kota's movements matched with his reflection. Was Kota the reflection now? A lot of thoughts began to throb and course through his head as his hand reached forward to meet his reflection's on the mirror's surface.
There was no surface. His fingers and his reflection's fingers curled around each other's hands in perfect unison, and before Kota could make a sound he was tugged forward, falling into the mirror.
"What are you trying to do, child?"
Kota awoke in his bedroom again. He sighed as he looked around, but his eyes suddenly widened. Everything was backwards. His door was facing east before, now it faced west. His bed was on the opposite side of the room as well as everything else. A subtle green tint hung on everything, like in that movie from the 90s called The Matrix. Also, the mirror was now noticeably missing, leaving him seemingly stranded. Gritting his teeth, Kota stood up and hurriedly pushed through the door.
"Humans are disgusting, violent creatures. Why stand in the way of nature?"
He was greeted to an extended version of his hallway which seemed to bend and wind the further it went down, his mother's room not present on the opposite wall to his door. Cautiously, Kota began to step forward.
"You aren't above them. You fight just like the rest of these corrupt mortals, destined for Hell."
Kota gritted his teeth and broke into a sprint down the hall. He had an urge to find out what was down there. It was something beckoning him; challenging him.
The walls he sprinted past had the same uniform design as the inside of his home, but the further forward he ran the more withered and old it became. The halls twisted and winded like a maze as well, where the only direction to go was forward.
Kota felt as though no progress was being made. The more he ran the more distance he felt he needed to travel. He turned around to look behind him and was shown the end of the hall and the door to his room again.
"A meaningless effort; to save these wretches from themselves. Turn back and turn your eyes and heart away from them. The road ahead isn't worth traveling anyways."
Tightening his fists, Kota turned away from his door and continued to run down the hall, not once thinking to look back. He didn't even know what he was running to or why. There was just the nagging notion that if he were to remain inactive, bad things would happen.
"You're a stubborn child, you know? I honestly find you amusing… fine I'll play a game with you."
As Kota rounded another corner of the hall he was finally shown the end. A wall with a mirror identical to the one that was in his room. It reflected his room back at him with his reflection standing there in an identical position. Or… was he the reflection now?
Kota then looked around and noted that he was in his mirrored bedroom again. He felt angry and his fists clenched until his knuckles turned white, his teeth audibly grinding. "What the hell is going on!?" He demanded, stamping his foot down as he yelled.
"You and I are going to war, child, a war to determine the future of this world I've forsaken. Gather your army, because I'm going to gather mine."
Kota suddenly saw his reflection, or whatever was on the other side move forward and he realized that his actions were the same. Stepping forward in tandem, he and the other him reached out their hands to one another once more.
"We'll see what mortals are capable of. I doubt I'm wrong, though."
Like before, Kota and his reflection's hands locked and Kota was pulled forward.
Kota found himself staring at a blank wall where he could have sworn the mirror was. His head hurt and he felt agitated. "H-huh… what's…" he murmured as he stumbled around on his feet.
Before he could react, his mother burst through his door with a worried expression on her face.
"Kota, honey? I heard you yelling and I came as quickly as I could! Are you hurt? What's wrong?" Mika shot questions at him rapid fire and he was still trying to figure out what happened.
"I-I'm fine. Just leave me alone mom." He spoke with a hint of anger in his voice. He caught his sudden mood change and his eyes widened.
"Don't talk to me like that, I'm your mother." Mika said with a stern tone. "I love you and I'm just trying to help. You don't have to be a brat." As she closed his door and walked off, Kota could hear her grumbling about men and puberty.
Time passed and Kota was left to wonder if what had happened was real or not. Eventually the sky outside grew dark and Kota grew tired.
Laying in his bed, Kota stared at the ceiling, his scruffy dark red bangs framing his dark brown eyes. He had so much to think about, but all he could think at the moment was how tired he was.
And like that, he drifted off into sleep…
Kota's eyes opened and he found himself sitting upright, rather than laying in a bed.
Looking around, he took note of his surroundings. He was sitting in an ornate chair made from what seemed like gold, with a comfortable blue fabric to sit on and detail it. The room around him was pentagon shaped and had tapestries hanging from each wall with a sigil of a golden V emblazoned on them. One of the walls was a chain linked fence with a gate on it. In each of the five corners of the room was a large pillar that was hollowed out and filled with different books, scrolls and weapons. Though his attention was primarily drawn to what was just before him.
Sitting at a table just in front of Kota was an elderly man in a butler's suit with a long nose and beady eyes, to his left was a girl with golden eyes and silver hair who looked two or three years older than Kota who was dressed like a drill sergeant.
"Ah, welcome to the Velvet Room." The long nosed man greeted in a friendly tone, the girl next to him standing tall and proper with her hands behind her back. "My name is Igor, and this is my assistant Isabella." He spoke again, gesturing to her. Upon Kota paying her further attention he noticed her shaking lightly, though he had no idea why.
"Where… am I?" Kota asked Igor, looking around at the room again.
"This place is a station that exists between your subconscious and reality. Do not worry, for you are sound asleep in your bed right now." Igor explained with a playfully dismissive wave of his hand. "It takes its shape based on the state of your heart; to think your heart is a war room. It's troubling, yet fitting for what the future holds."
Kota cocked his head nervously, looking at Igor and trying to comprehend his words. "The future? You can see the future?" He asked.
Isabella spoke up now. "My master cannot clearly see the future," she said with a shaky voice, "he can only see what the cards tell him."
As if to demonstrate, Igor swiped his hand over the table, leaving a pair of cards. Picking up the one on the left, he turned it towards Kota. The card showed a man with a bag on his shoulder, walking towards a cliff with a dog following his steps. "This card is that of the Fool Arcana. It is numbered 'Zero', an unidentified value that could evolve into anything, or drag everything down to its level. You are represented by this card, Kota."
"Kota… you know my name?" Kota asked, slightly alarmed.
"As stated before; this room exists between your subconscious and reality. I know much about you, but there is still a lot to learn based on how you progress." Igor's voice was earnest and kind, which offset his generally uncomfortable appearance. He truly sounded interested in Kota.
"I don't really know you that well…" Isabella murmured behind her hand as she looked away briefly.
Igor proceeded to turn over the second card and it showed an angel with two grails in each hand, a transfer of liquid between them and a crown to her left. Though, the card was drawn upside down, making it a sort of reflection. "This card is the Temperance, number fourteen. It represents harmony, understanding and care, though when reversed as it is, it becomes discord, conflict and hate."
Kota looked at the card and the feeling it gave him suddenly became a lot more sinister.
"Tarot is a form of fortune telling. The reading I just gave you is irreversible. You are destined for a great conflict for which it will be your job to mend the hatred." Igor said with lament in his tone. He crossed his hands and rested them before his mouth and under his nose, his eyes providing a look of pity. "I encourage you not to take on this task alone. Find those who will fight alongside you as both friend and comrade, for your bonds will be your greatest weapon and defense."
Kota wanted to say something, but he felt nothing he could say would matter. "Do I have any choice in my future?" He asked.
"Of course. But this coming war of hearts is your destiny." Igor replied.
Isabella stepped forward and cleared her throat. "I would like to introduce myself personally." She said to Kota, seemingly forcing herself to be confident. "I'm Sergeant Isabella, the attendant of this Velvet Room and assistant to Igor, master of the Velvet Room. I'll be assisting you in raising an army to help you in the coming war."
"A-army…?" Kota asked, leaning back in his seat nervously. He felt drained and overwhelmed by everything he was being told. "This is all a dream, right? Even if you say it's not a dream, that doesn't make it real?"
Igor provided a grimace to the boy behind his hands, his eyes full of confliction. "Whether you choose to believe in this reality or not is up to you, but the truth remains that a war is coming." Igor then swiped his hand over the two cards and they were gone. "You will wake up momentarily. Your life will proceed normally for a short time, but I hope to see you again soon. Goodbye."
Kota felt incredibly tired all if the sudden and his body felt like sand bags. As he leaned back and fell asleep, he heard Isabella. "See you soon, Captain."
Well, I've been wanting to bust out a Persona story for a long time now, but I've had to work out all the little things and intricacies so that it didn't feel like a hammy and thoughtless fan piece.
I'm not going to act all goofy and leave plot hints in my Author's notes like I've done in the past and seen other writers do; I plan to play this straight. I'm also not going to try and explain my story in my Author's notes. If I can't convey what I want through the story itself, then I've failed as a writer.
Anyways, I hope you guys like this because I plan to keep consistent with it, unlike my earlier, more cringey works.
See you all next chapter.