August 22, 2015 – Saturday, Afternoon - Sunny
They had been traveling for what felt like several days to arrive at their destination, and only now were they approaching it.
A teenage girl with short, light brown hair sat looking out the windows of her family's van, which was following a moving truck filled with all of their things. She yawned, watching the grassy countryside pass her by as they moved ever closer to their new home. After this, it would be likely that she would consider herself to have seen enough ranches and little towns for an entire year. Her father had said that once they got used to the new surroundings, that they'd love the place. His new job had been the whole reason they'd left their original home, anyways.
It was beginning to bore her so much that she was falling asleep, and considering that they were still hours away from Quartz, a small city named for the abundance of the eponymous rock, it would be to her benefit to catch some Zs. She leaned back in her seat and tried her best to maintain a comfortable position; thankfully her younger brother was content with watching a movie on his portable video player and hadn't bothered her in the last thirty minutes.
Her eyes fluttered as she let sleep begin to take her away, and for a moment caught a glimpse of a white object that had appeared upon the window. It gave off the appearance of a butterfly, which had somehow managed to keep its footing on the glass as the van rolled along the highway at seventy-five miles an hour. She blinked rapidly and saw the unusual white insect disappear almost as quickly as it had appeared.
I must be imagining things, that's how bored I am now. Still, why would I see a butterfly of all things? Who knows...
She let herself fall into the realm of the unconscious, hoping to return at the point of her destination.
However, where she landed was not the outskirts of Quartz, but instead in a black void where she stood alone, a spotlight cast on her. She couldn't remember ever having a dream where she was alone in a world of darkness, and wondered what would happen to her. She began walking through the void, the spotlight following her as she went along. She looked around and saw nothing, turning all around to see that there was clearly not another soul in-
"Hello." She found herself looking at a strange man, who also had a spotlight shining down on him. He was dressed as if he was going to a masquerade, wearing a well-tailored black-and-white suit and a black mask with a butterfly motif, the butterfly resembling the white butterfly she had seen before falling asleep.
"Can you tell me who you are? What is your name?" His voice was calm and pleasant, as if he was speaking to an old friend that he hadn't seen in a long time. The girl looked into his eyes, which possessed a brown shade that reminded her of her own irises, and was able to speak her name to him.
"Lydia. Lydia White." At this, the man nodded in approval, closing his eyes for a moment as if to think of his next words.
"Yes. Lydia. That's right. You were able to remember your name... there are not many who are able to when I come to them like this. Since you have given me your name, I will now give you mine. I am Philemon, a dweller of the realm between the conscious and the unconscious, and the one who exists as the goodness of all souls."
Around Philemon, the world suddenly flickered to life, as if someone was turning on a TV channel and the void had been the previously blank screen. Lydia identified the place as a river, where a boy and a girl sat facing it and a raft floating on top of it, tied to a pier. Huge masses of rock were in front of them and to their sides, denoting the place as some kind of canyon.
"What? What is this? This is..." She trailed off. She recognized this place, as well as the boy and girl that were sitting a few yards away from where she stood. She could only see them from behind, but the pink jacket that the girl was wearing used to be something she herself had worn – but had gotten rid of since she'd outgrown it. If that was supposed to be a younger version of her, then that meant the boy was-
"Alex?" She spoke, wondering if her younger self and the boy could hear her. Before she could absorb anything more about the scene, it flickered again, showing a different area downriver, where the water was swiftly flowing, frothing with multiple whitecaps and was dashed against multiple large rocks. The girl was hunched over by the side of the river, soaking wet and sobbing, and the boy and raft were nowhere to be found. Lydia shivered, instantly recognizing the scene.
"Why are you showing me this?!" She cried, turning away and closing her eyes. After a few seconds, she felt the ground rumble underneath her, and opened her eyes to see that the world around her was changing again – and now she and Philemon were in the midst of a vast, open valley, dotted with hundreds upon hundreds of milky white quartz deposits. The sky was blue and completely clear, with a midday sun beaming down on them both. She whirled around to ask the man with the butterfly mask what exactly was going on, what was his purpose for bringing her here and showing her all these strange things, when he surveyed his surroundings and nodded, acknowledging something Lydia had no clue about.
"So, this is how it shall be? Very well."
"Answer me! Philemon? What is going on?" His eyes settled on Lydia.
"Lydia, I have foreseen the future, and have come to tell you that this next year will be a trial for you. At the place you are going to, you will come across an ordeal set in motion by those who would desire humanity's undoing. This place we are in now will be the battleground upon which the fate of all will be decided, and you will be swept up in it and made to choose between yourself or the person you think you should become. I am here to grant to you the power you will need in order to overcome your trial. If you would give me your hands?" She was sure she had never seen this man before in her life, and yet she couldn't deny that he somehow felt familiar to her, as if he was a long-lost friend.
"Why do I have to be involved? Is it really... fate? I can't escape it?"
"You are free to do as you wish. You may go your own way... but then you will have to face yourself alone. In that case, it is very possible you will never find the healing you seek for your loss." Lydia blinked. She looked into Philemon's eyes once again, and saw her own sorrow reflected back at her. She felt there was a reason she had been shown those memories she would have preferred to bury forever; what this strangely benevolent person was offering her was some kind of solace, a way to finally move on. Somehow, Philemon understood her pain. She didn't understand how, but something in her was secure with trusting him.
"Okay. Then... here." She extended her hands out to him. He took her hands in his own, and he said:
"In you I bestow the power of the Beholder, whose perceptions are capable of determining the future. I grant you the ability to fashion pure and unblemished ideals, such that by your will, you will play a part in writing the destiny of man." He let go of her hands, and smiled at her.
"When you arrive at your destination, you will meet with a servant of mine in the same way you have met me. I know you have many questions, Lydia, but do not worry. You will find your answers when they are ready to find you." Philemon turned away from her, looking at a point in the distance that she could not see. His body began to glow white and to waver, as if it was about to fade away. The valley began to fall to pieces around them, the sun being blown out like a candle and all the rocks within it turned to dust, all the blades of grass all being blown away by the wind. They were left in the black void, the light from Philemon's body the only illumination in the darkness.
"Know that I am you, and you are me. I will always be with you, watching over from within. We will see each other again..." As he spoke those last words, his body dissolved into many white butterflies flying through and past Lydia, imbuing her with a similar white light – with his butterfly mask the last thing to disappear.
Lydia woke up calmly, rested as if she'd been sleeping the rest of the day. She half-expected for it to be nighttime already, but looking outside the window revealed that the sun was beginning to set, bathing nature in its orange tones. She looked forward and saw that her mother was looking back at her, smiling.
"Did you have a good nap?" She asked.
"Y-Yeah. Are we almost there?"
"Uh, yeah! Look, you can see the buildings and everything from here!" Her brother had finished watching his movie and had put away the video player, and was now pointing to a sign that denoted the city limits of Quartz, Texas, with a population of 85,199. The sign flew by as Lydia noticed the landscapes of her new home come into focus. Suburbs and named streets began to appear, with other cars coming and going to indicate the trappings of civilization.
That was one incredible dream. I've never had anything so vivid and clear before – it's like it's been perfectly preserved in my mind. Well, looks like my nap did its job; I skipped the last few hours of this really boring road trip.
"We're heading to Peter Street. The house isn't too far from your new school, so you shouldn't have to drive very far." Speaking of driving, for some inscrutable reason her parents had decided to drop her car off at the new house before bringing her over, instead of doing both at the same time. Now that she had her driver's license, she was expected to bring her younger brother Gerald to and from school, as well as negotiating with him as to how much he could use her as a chauffeur since he was only going to be a freshman this year.
The moving truck parked beside the curb, whereas the family van parked in the driveway behind Lydia's car. The rest of the day was spent unloading what they could from the truck, boxes upon boxes that filled the open spaces of their new house.
Saturday, Evening - Clear
Before she knew it, it was almost midnight and Lydia was laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling of her new room. This had to have been the best part so far of this whole moving thing – having a room all to herself. Her old house was much smaller, forcing her parents to put both of their children in the same room.
There was still one more day before school started. Tomorrow was a Sunday; many families would go to church at some point during the day, but Lydia's family had never been all that religious, so to them, it was just another day. Most of the day would probably be spent unpacking all those boxes, as well as arranging the new furniture that had been set up ahead of their arrival.
Her mind wandered to that dream that she had on the way over; even though she'd been preoccupied with helping unpack, recalling exactly what happened in that dream was easier than she expected, with every word and action being clear as crystal to her. She wondered about what Philemon had told her, that this upcoming year was going to be a trial for her and that she would have to "face herself". Was he talking about her new school? Maybe that's what the whole "power of the Beholder" stuff was about – high school was a breeding ground for rumors and self-image issues, for sure. Her mind was likely just trying to help her get used to the changes by giving her that kind of dream.
Still... the man with the butterfly mask had also said she'd meet a servant of his in her dreams, too. Would he have some kind of caterpillar mask, maybe? That made sense for a servant of Philemon, at least to her.
"I guess I'll find out soon enough." She mumbled to herself as she turned over, giving herself up to the realm of the unconscious once more.
August 23, 2015 – Sunday, Morning – Sunny
Lydia's room was on the second floor of the house, with a window overlooking Peter Street. Even with the boxes still scattered about, she felt like a queen now that she had her own domain to rule over. Her own closet, her own TV, her own place to do whatever she wanted. Well, maybe not whatever, but after years of having to get changed in the bathroom, this was a welcome change. She looked out the window that was next to her bed to see that she had a pretty good view of the street, with the sunlight not being intrusive or anything.
I thought that maybe I would've had another one of those crazy dreams. I guess maybe it was just a one-time thing.
She heard a knocking on the door as she changed clothes.
"Get changed and come downstairs! We need you to help with moving the furniture." Her mother's voice sounded from the other side of the door.
"Be right down!" Lydia said as she got out of bed and changed into a clean t-shirt. Arranging her room would have to wait, she guessed.
Sunday, Evening – Clear
Given that the kitchen still needed some work, the family decided to go out to eat for lunch and dinner at the nearby fast food restaurants. Most of the day was actually pretty busy, since the family also needed groceries to stock the kitchen and pantry with, and only after they had gotten back home from eating dinner was Lydia given any time to unpack her own things and start setting up her room.
It was once again close to midnight as she flopped on her bed, tired from all the moving things around. Gerald had at least been forced to deal with the heavier stuff, but he couldn't care less about where his things ended up. It was very possible that some of the stuff in his boxes would never leave them until their parents forced him to either do something with it or give it away to charity.
That wasn't to say she didn't have her fair share of old things she didn't want to let go of. She looked over at ol' Junebug, a worn-out old stuffed ladybug that she'd used as a pillow when she was a kid. He was too old to be used as a pillow anymore, but she could never bring herself to give him away, even after all of her other stuffed animals had been sent off to live with other children. Junebug was there to listen to her troubles when nobody else could, or would. Even if she had just imagined a personality for him, the memories she had with him were precious enough to let him stay.
"So, what do you think the new school will be like?" She whispered to him. Of course, he didn't say anything – she'd imitate a deeper, cartoony male voice for all of his responses. Even though she was alone now, she didn't feel like doing the same thing again. Instead, she merely imagined his response in her mind:
"It'll be whatever you make of it!"
With this thought in mind, she once again fell asleep, awaiting the day to come.
Instead of waking up in her bed, however, she now found herself sitting in a big blue chair, with painstakingly crafted wooden armrests and a cushy velvet-lined backrest. She blinked and looked up to see something even more unusual than Philemon: a short, balding man sitting across from her with an impressively long nose that immediately brought to mind images of Pinocchio. Standing next to him was a young man that looked somewhere in his early twenties, dressed very nice in a blue suit that resembled that of a butler's. The young man had silver hair and otherworldly golden eyes, and was eyeing her with a curious look, making her feel self-conscious.
"Ah! It would seem we have yet another interesting guest. Do not worry; you are still fast asleep in the real world." The man with the long nose spoke, his eyes never leaving her. Looking around, Lydia saw that this place was reminiscent of a theater's dressing room, with many different costumes hanging on racks and a set of mirrors with dimmed vanity lights placed behind the chair of the long-nosed man. Everything was veiled in blue – the floor was blue, the racks and most of the clothes were blue, and even the mirrors had a bluish tint to them. The only thing that seemed to be missing was an actual exit, which might have been behind her for all she knew since all she could see was what was in front of her.
"My name is Igor. Welcome to the Velvet Room. This place exists between mind and matter, between dream and reality. If you are here, it means that you have signed a contract, or are very near to doing so. What is your name?" A contract... she didn't remember signing any sort of contract. Was this what Philemon was talking about, perhaps? Was Igor the servant he had been referring to?
"My name is Lydia White. Are you Philemon's servant?" At the mention of his master's name, Igor's grin widened, and for a moment he closed his eyes and chuckled. The young man next to him took a moment to give Igor a questioning look, as if he'd never heard the name before.
"Ah. It has been quite a while since I have heard that name. Yes, I am a servant of Philemon. It would seem, then, that you have met my master. Knowing him, he has already told you of what is in store for you, and has given you the power you need to overcome it. Which means... it now falls upon me and my assistant to help you develop that power. Please, Victor, introduce yourself to our guest." The young man standing next to him bowed gracefully to her.
"My name is Victor. Like my master, I too am a resident of this Velvet Room. It is my duty to assist you in whatever ways possible throughout your time here. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I must also thank you. I was not sure what my master's laugh would sound like, and because of your question, now I know." She nodded to him, not sure of what to say.
"Well, then. It would seem that we still have some time remaining before you awake. In that case, allow me to present you with the proof of the contract you have made. Victor, if you would."
"Yes, of course." Victor reached into his pocket and pulled out a large key with the symbol of a mask on its handle, and gave it to Lydia. She held it in her hands and found that it was weighty, about as heavy as she would expect from a key this size.
"That is a key to this Velvet Room. When you return to the real world, you will come across several locations that will allow you to access this place again. Of course, you will be the only one able to see them." Lydia put the key beside her in the chair and looked directly at Igor. Even though he looked menacing with his wide grin and bizarre appearance, she could sense that he was a good person – a similar feeling to the one she had when she met Philemon.
"What exactly do I have to do to fulfill my end of the contract?" She asked.
"All we ask is that you take responsibility for your actions. Your decisions will no doubt change the destinies of those around you, and seeing as how my master has deigned to give you the power of the Beholder, your perceptions of others will also influence how things will unfold. Please keep that in mind as you go forth from this place. Until we meet again..." The Velvet Room and its inhabitants began to waver and dissolve away in front of her, until she opened her eyes again and found herself back in her bed with the rising sun just visible outside of her window.
August 24, 2015 – Monday, Early Morning – Sunny
Today was the day her junior year of high school began. Lydia sat up in her bed, thinking that maybe the dream with Philemon was just an incredible coincidence. To have this sort of thing happen twice in just a few days told Lydia that this was very unlikely to be a coincidence, a randomly generated set of thoughts from her unconscious. She knew that whatever was going to happen over this next school year would be unlike anything she'd experienced before, and that knowledge filled her with both a sense of excitement as well as a sense of dread.
I don't know what the power of this "Beholder" is. Philemon said I was meant to play a part in deciding the "fate of man"? Does that mean he wants me to be some kind of heroine? I... I don't know if I really want that, but there's a part of me that not only doesn't mind, but wants to jump into it without abandon. Well... I shouldn't worry about that right now. Whatever he was talking about will sort itself out later. It's time to get ready for school.
A/N (originally written May 18, 2015): It's been a while since I've had an idea that I felt was good enough to go the distance for. I read up on the history of the Persona series and learned about the terrible localization of the very first Persona game for PSX, which gave me an idea: have a Persona story take place in the Western world, built from the ground up to take advantage of a different setting. That means the calendar and narrative flow is going to be different, but as this opening chapter has hopefully shown, there'll be enough familiar elements such that it still feels like Persona.
A/N (for Halloween 2015 update): I figured that highlighting a certain event in Lydia's past from the start would set up certain future chapters better. Hopefully it's done that. Also I cleaned up some stuff.
A/N (for July 2017 update): I changed two things, both of which are very minor. First thing is, Quartz's stated population is now 85,199 instead of 40,199. This is due to there being three high schools and a decently-sized mall in the city, which the previous population was far too low to justify. If you're curious as to where exactly Quartz would be on a map, look up League City, Texas. Why not just use League City, you ask? Two reasons: 1) It's less research for me to have to do and 2) I get to design the city where the majority of the story will be taking place in. The second thing I changed is the line where Lydia remarks to herself about the butterfly on the window, instead questioning why she sees a butterfly instead of questioning its color. Turns out white butterflies are not that uncommon in Texas!
