Credit goes to RavenRaith of DeviantArt for the cover art.
And thus… he was gone, vanishing into the boundless ether which harbored all of the spiritual essence in the world.
Zen had found it rather… novel. He never did possess what could be called a mortal soul, being an Aspect of Death. In spite of that, this migration of spirit felt almost comforting.
What irony…
The expanse was a tranquil void, containing the numerous specs of life which cycled through periods of existence, and now it was pulling his own into its boundary.
And yet, something else… something just as harrowing was yanking at him from beyond the coil of mortality.
Hm…
So even then… after realizing his capacity for human emotion, the concept of Chronos was still reaching out for its existential components, including that portion of itself.
He never did belong to that collection of souls in any shape or form, so he figured it was inevitable such an event would befall him at some point.
It was a hefty burden which he could only shoulder… alone.
Ngh-
Amidst that flowing ocean of spirits, a familiar one was looming near his own. He directs his sight down toward it, the ethereal image of their prior forms in his view, and he was taken aback by the identity of the presence.
Rei…
The small bundle was lingering close to him in the quiet wavering of the space, almost as if within a deep slumber from which she would never wake.
Of course… she had her sorrowful memories restored to her before, but she still possessed that same link to him which tied them together…
How poetic of fate for the deity and mortal pair. He knew all too well that she belonged to the realm of the living, so he already closed his heart to that inevitability.
As he remained still in that vastness, her soul begins withdrawing from his own, motioning back toward the mortal world…
…
The same world which denied her freedom…
…
He falters for an instant as he gazed down at her retreating state.
…
The same world which left her rotting…
…
He closes his eyes at that moment, but he remains hesitant.
…
The same world which neglected her worth…
…
His hand snaps forward, latching onto the wrist of her tinier form.
…
No… he would never think of subjecting her to such an existence, perish even the slightest chance of it occurring to her again. Through his brief contemplation, he was assured of that.
Having the deceased reject him or welcome him had become so… commonplace. Rei did no different in denying that compliance, but she suffered at the impudence of his mere curiosity.
He made his tactless mistake. He knew it there and beyond himself. She had gone through trial and tribulation for her lease on life, but even then… she desired so much more than just that.
Resolved in his choice for the both of them, he opens his eyes back up, and he pulls her meager spirit back toward his own.
As the coalescence of divine power encompassed Zen, he wraps the light of his being around that of Rei, fading into the murky energy as a united glimmer…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…Silence…
That was all which permeated throughout the bleak corridors of the sanctuary. It was as serene as it had always been, bearing a still air in its twisted hallways. In its center, a sizable room laid within the grand dominion, harboring a lone deity between its walls.
Through it all, he sat in the peaceful ambience of what could be known as a throne room, his sight on the eerie display beyond the wide glass pane before him. Nothing but spiritual presences ebbing and flowing about the boundless expanse, never changing form in that realm.
His realm…
Hm… even beyond the plane of mortals, time had no effect on beings such as him, failing at eroding his cold demeanor. He simply existed per his necessary field of influence, shrouded in anonymity which eluded all those of the living.
Though, something about it had been feeling different.
But… was it for the better?
An ever so slight distortion in the air cuts through the nearby hallway, resounding at a quick speed which suggested haste from the being. It culminates in the arrival of a young woman who was levitating above the pristine floor until it came to a slow end.
"Zhn…"
Right then… some type of pang thumped at his chest.
When she halted beside the Aspect of Death, hovering above the staircase around his seat, he regards her arrival, "Yes, Philé?"
He could never pin down as to why… He feels his hand shift up to his torso, but he still keeps his calm sight on the other inhabitant there.
She floats closer toward him, bypassing the steps underneath her, and she lands onto the floor before him, as light as a stray feather.
There she stood… his Envoy from Beyond. The angel was clad in simple garbs akin to uniform attire, similar to his own. A remnant of their experiences from a hazy memory… perhaps.
Regardless, she held quite the elegant air about herself. As she stepped closer to him, he steadies his shaky arm, lowering it back to his lap.
She holds her hands out toward him, revealing a small orb of light in her grasp, "Forgive me for being so late. This soul was being a tad… volatile on my leave."
He shakes his head back at her as he set a hand onto the sphere, holding it between the both of them, "Your retrieval was successful. There is no need for such an apology."
As she smiled from the commendation, a small blush on her cheeks, he closes his eyes for a moment, focusing his divine power on the spirit.
The light was there in one second and gone in the next, disappearing as swiftly as a snap of the fingers. Yet another ripple dots the void beyond the room in correspondence to that action.
He then lowers his hand onto hers as he returned his gaze up to her face, curling his fingers around her small hands, "You have been coming along rather well, Philé."
She shuffles around a little at that gentle compliment from him, her blush deepening, "Of course… Zhn. You have seen me through so much."
He nods his head in affirmation to her words, locking his sight onto her green eyes. As she returned the look to his own blue ones, he sits still from the silent exchange, almost transfixed on the angel before him.
He just gazes into the white dots which shined within the lime green of her orbs. But… when she nearly staggered from the deepness of his stare, he averts his sight from her form.
As he held his sullen expression, she faces him once more, and she lifts a hand, setting it onto his cheek, "Zhn… is something bothering you?"
Yet again… that same pounding beat at his chest.
He flinches from the kind gesture, almost losing his stoic disposition, but he shakes his head back up at her in response to her concern, "It is nothing…"
Nothing, but…
He stands up from his regal seat, keeping a hold on her hand, and he takes her over to the nearby staircase. As she gave him a curious look, he begins taking slow steps down from that platform of his, guiding her alongside himself. When they came before the clear pane of the room, she directs her gaze out to where the souls were residing.
The Sea of Souls…
He holds her near his own form as he looked out into the space as well. For so long, he had observed this phenomenon in utter solitude. It was nonetheless rather dreary for him, but now it yielded an unusual feeling which felt so pleasant to the reaper.
She gives a warm smile at the brilliant sight, and she then looks up to the somber expression of the god beside her, "Zhn…"
When she levitated back up to his height, he turns toward her, "Yes, Philé?"
As the ocean of spirits cascaded the pair in its mystical light, she closes her eyes for a quick moment, steadying her soft breath.
She places her other hand onto his own, "Thank you so much… for everything."
So… it really was before him.
As her blush peaked, he pulls her a bit closer, giving his own smile, "Of course, Philé…"
Beyond the veil of life and death itself, the two had stuck together. He learned that she regained her connection to her heart, but he knew now that he could sympathize on a feeling like that.
They finally shifted toward one another, letting their lips meet in a deep kiss. He realized the place of his heart, for he had found what even an existence like his needed in that realm.
Their realm…
And there you all have it, some ZenxRei which is sorely missing from this site. Seriously, this couple is one of the best things from Persona Q, so it needs way more attention from the fans.
With this particular story, I went for quite the hypothetical idea on what could potentially occur after the conclusion of the game. That premise being what if Zen restoring Rei's memories didn't also remove her magical connection to him, the same thing which gave her that greenish coloration to her eyes and provided her with those healing capabilities.
This course of events would in turn give Zen the chance to decide on incorporating her into Chronos like he was already going to be. Now both of them are taking up the mantle of being Divine Beings of Death in the afterlife. Like I said, it's a rather crazy outcome for them, but I feel like it is fitting for the pair of labyrinth explorers. At least it allows them to continue sharing their bond in one way or another after the events of their story.
Honestly, felt kinda metal to have them both turn out like this. But eh, it's just a concept. A concept which I have further detailed in my profile for any of you who are more curious about it.
I hope it was an enjoyable read for everyone here, and I would appreciate any kind of criticism for the fanfic as a whole.