Persona 4: Fear Itself
Summary: August 16, 2010 was the beginning for Julie Amano after moving to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Rumors of vicious animals that attack people at night become something of a new feature for her in this town. However, what's strange about these attacks are that after a person is attacked, they begin to behave like animals. What else is new is this new power of hers known as Persona, granted to her by Philemon, a wanderer of the conscious and unconscious mind. Finding herself in the line of protecting ordinary humans from the likes of these monsters. However, what she and her friends will learn is that the real monsters... are themselves!
~Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.~ -Dorothy Thompson
NOTE: I hold no ownership of Persona or any of its content, though this story is an original (sort of). All rights to Persona belongs to Atlus. All OC's of this story, which will be the main cast, are owned by me, however.
Act 1: First Day
-Unknown Train-
Pieces of her vision slowly began to collect as her consciousness began to awaken. An unknown aura waved around her as her eyes slowly began to open, her palm catching the grasp of her forehead that was slightly aching. Once her eyes had fully opened, she had found herself inside an unknown room far beyond her own knowledge.
However, as she looked around, she noticed that not only was this was a room, but a train car. If she had only one sort of emotion to react on, it was most likely confusion.
GIRL: ~Wh-What the...?!~
It was most definitely a train, but what was odd about the train was the blue color scheme. Never has she been on any kind of transportation system where its view and appeal bore only one color. This was something that she wasn't used to.
GIRL: ~Why on Earth is everything blue? Where am I?~
A lead of questions began to pour into the girl's head.
As she looked around, it was then that she caught sight of an unknown figure for whom she had never seen before, let alone could even trust. However, just by staring at the figure did she not feel any hostility or wave of aggression. A peaceful aura radiated from the individual, but the girl was weary of this.
The figure donned a white business suit that was normally worn at work, but she could identify that the figure was a male. He bore shoulder-length brown hair that was tied in a ponytail and what was notable of his appearance was that he wore a white butterfly mask that was split to cover half of his face. An eager yet warm smile surfaced on his face as his eyes met with hers. A shiver ran down her spine but she felt as though this man could not be of any danger to her. Still...
MYSTERIOUS MAN: I am sorry to have disturbed you, my dear. Do not be alarmed.
For once ever since their eyes made contact, he spoke. His voice was delicate yet mature, bearing wisdom beyond his years.
MYSTERIOUS MAN: For you see, I have summoned you to this realm. This place is the Velvet Room. It exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... My name is Philemon and I will always be with you on your journey. Would you care to introduce yourself?
The man known as "Philemon" directed his full attention to the girl. What was this all about? Why did he summon her to this Velvet Room? Was it all a dream? Still, it didn't seem dangerous, so for now, the girl would have to introduce herself.
GIRL: My name is Julie Amano.
The man caught onto her name and her accent. Such a splended, British accent she carried in her tone of voice.
PHILEMON: You have such a nice accent. If I may ask, are you from England?
JULIE: ... Um, yes, actually. However, both of my father is half Japanese and half British-Caucasian. My mother is a full-blooded Caucasian.
PHILEMON: Intriguing. Anyway, I have summoned you here to tell you of your fate, milady.
JULIE: Fate? What fate? What are you talking about?
Philemon directed her attention to a deck of tarot cards that were mysteriously displayed before her eyes. All the cards were faced down on the table, their Arcana hidden from view. Julie had heard of the Major Arcana and if possible, could tell each one even with their portraits being faced down.
PHILEMON: You see, there were three people who bestowed the Wild Card ability. Originally, a number of people who were capable of summoning a Persona were able to summon more than one, but it seems that has changed. In the year of 2008, I witnessed three guests of this room who bestowed the ability of the Wild Card.
Before Julie could ask a question regarding to a "Persona", Philemon had already swiped one card from the deck. He observed the card, with its Arcana facing away from Julie. She observed him and acknowledged the seriousness in the tone of his expression. Something must not be good.
JULIE: What is it?
As she asked, he threw the card into the air and in a flash, a light blue light encircled the card, causing it to suspend in the air. It wasn't shocking for Julie since most of everything she had witnessed was rather supernatural. The card turned over to reveal itself as the Devil Arcana.
Having some religious belief, Julie did not feel anything good relating to the card.
PHILEMON: The Devil in the upright position... It seems that you will encounter a mysterious being who holds great pride and greed. I also see a card beside it as well.
As Philemon said, another card began to magically appear beside the Devil Arcana. Slowly, its Arcana was shown as the light dimmed around it: the Tower.
PHILEMON: The Tower in the upright position as well... Great calamity will fall upon you as you begin a new life. You will follow a destiny that has been set for you and as you walk, you will meet new faces and explore new territories that you have never seen before. Which leads me to this...
Suddenly, Philemon leaned forward to Julie, stretching his hand towards her chest. However, as his hand came closer, it suddenly phased through her chest, creating a gleam of blue light around the area it had entered. Julie did not know how to react to this. It was strange but the process did not ache her. Why so?
He brought his hand out of her chest, the light around it dimming and eventually fading to reveal another Arcana. It felt as though Philemon was reaching for her heart.
He observed the card, an intrigued look embellishing his face and turned the card over for Julie to see. She was surprised to know what her Arcana was: the Fool.
JULIE: The Fool?
Philemon nods.
PHILEMON: Yes, but this Arcana is your secondary Arcana. All guests who bestow the Wild Card ability will have this Arcana as their second one. Besides, you have one Arcana that determines you.
He crushes the card with his palm as it burns away into ash. The ash in his hand eventually lit aflame, giving rise to a new card once the flames had dissipated. The new Arcana revealed itself as Justice, something that also caught Julie by surprise.
PHILEMON: Ah. It seem your main Arcana is the Justice. Previously, the guests of this Velvet Room held different Arcanas than compared to you. One held Death, the other held the Sun and the last one wielded the Empress.
The Arcana vanished from sight and Philemon resumed in his speech.
PHILEMON: Still, you will be guided into a new life, but you will be chosen to fight against an evil force that prevails your way. However, you will not be alone, for you will have allies that will be with you along the way. But please be reminded of this old saying, "Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live."
That old saying... Julie couldn't deny that she had heard it from somewhere, but... Where did she last hear it from? More importantly, why was Philemon telling her this?
PHILEMON: I believe the hour strucks quickly. This will be the only time where we meet in person, but do not fear for I am always with you. Also, another one will hold this room together and he's very familiar with those who hold the Wild Card.
Suddenly, the lights had gone out and it felt as though the train had came to a halt, which was something new it had done since she found herself on it. Despite the darkness, Julie could hear Philemon's voice as it ranged around the darkened environment.
PHILEMON: Farewell, Julie...
As his voice resonated in her eyes, Julie felt her consciousness slip away once more...
JULIE: Not again...
-August 17, 2010: Tuesday: After School-
Today had ended rather quickly. There wasn't much for Julie to do but being the new student, she was practically the center of attention, especially when it came to her accent. How could the faculty and staff not address her ethnicity as Japanese and British? Wasn't it clear enough through her accent that she bore more than one racial background?
Julie had worn the standard uniform for Riverside High: a white dress shirt, a black school single-breasted jacket, plaid skirt, white knee-high socks and black slippers. She wore a purple ribbon to keep her mid-length blackish-brown hair tied and carried light green eyes.
JULIE: I didn't expect to explain myself to a lot of people. It felt so odd telling everyone, "I'm 1/3 of Japanese and 2/3 of British-Caucasian descent."
A sigh escaped her lips following that sentence. With nothing else to do, Julie grabbed her belongings from beneath her desk while fixing her unruly hair that had begun to frizz following an encounter with a sweaty jock who didn't take "no" for an answer. A twinge of annoyance activated each time Julie thought about the encounter. If it hadn't been for those two boys who came to her rescue, she think the jock would've made his way with her. Thankfully, the situation didn't escalate that high.
As she removed herself from her desk, she was stopped a familiar sound that she had heard earlier. Turning her back to the voice, she caught sight of the two males who rescued her from the jock this morning.
The first one had spiky brown hair that was lighter than Julie's, emerald green eyes and milky-white skin, wore a maroon school jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, black pants and white sneakers. The one beside him was taller than his friend, had a slight tan complexion, brown eyes and spiky black hair. He wore the standard Riverside High uniform, with the addition of black suede shoes, black gloves and diamond earrings. Between the two, the boy with the earrings was probably more handsome than his friend. Julie noticed a motif on his school jacket with a man performing a high kick wearing a gi. If Julie recalled correctly, the motif meant that he belonged to the Karate Team or one of the martial arts teams.
BOY IN MAROON JACKET: Hey there! Remember us? Your heroes who saved you from Justin the Monster?
Julie giggled since it was a fitting joke to describe the jock who harrassed her.
JULIE: Of course I remember you. You two are also in my class. By the way, you two never introduced yourselves to me.
BOY IN MAROON JACKET: Oh yeah! We didn't, huh? Well lemme start! My name is Clayton Lavistor. I'm a member of the soccer team here in our school.
Intriguement was read all over Julie's face.
JULIE: Really? Which position are you?
FEMININE VOICE: Team manager.
Out of nowhere, the group turned to their backs to catch the sight of another classmate of theirs from their class. She appeared to be an African-American young woman with mid-length black hair, hazel eyes and caramel-brown skin. She was the same height as Julie, but probably an inch taller. She wore the same uniform as Julie but with the addition of black stockings.
Julie turned back to Clayton and his friend and noticed a twinge of annoyance on Clayton's face.
CLAYTON: Ashley... What are you doing? Can't you see we're trying to talk to the new student?
ASHLEY: Yeah. But that can wait. Besides, I've came back to get my skates.
The moment Ashley said that, Clayton's face turned white.
CLAYTON: Y-Your skates...?
ASHLEY: Yes! My skates! I need them for figure skating practice today! Remember? You asked me if you could borrow them for God knows what reason?
By then, his friend looked at Clayton rather confusingly.
BOY WITH EARRINGS: Don't you have them, Clayton? I reminded you before we got here to bring them.
Clayton looked at his friend and back at Serena. With a nervous gulp, Clayton reached into his backpack, pulling out a brown bag with a trembling hand. He extended it towards Ashley, who grabbed the bag. However, the moment she touched it, she felt something off with its texture. More specifically, the inside of it. She could feel several threads and fiber, along with the feint sensation of liquid. Something wasn't right.
CLAYTON: Welp! There's ya skates! Gotta go! Let's go Ian!
Before Clayton could make the first move, he was pulled back by Ashley, who grabbed the collar of his shirt.
ASHLEY: Hold it!
She opened the bag in a haste, quickly drawing a look of astonishment as she pulled her gloves out of the bag. Before her were not her skates but disheveled pieces of mess mangled beyond recognition that she held in her hands.
ASHLEY: What the-?! My skates!
Ashley turned her head to Clayton, who was trembling in fear, with a glare of anger directed to him.
ASHLEY: Clayton. ... What the hell happened to my skates?!
CLAYTON: Uhhhh... Y'know, this is a really funny story. You're probably going to laugh.
ASHLEY: We'll see.
CLAYTON: Well, um, last night, I came home late. I thought I had put the skates in the bag a-and didn't think to check to s-see. So by this morning, I went to look for them and when I noticed that they weren't in the bag, I ended up playing a good game of tug-of-war with Rocky over them, which explains the dog saliva.
A grimace of disgust towards the saliva caused Ashley to drop them as she smeared the saliva on the wall. However, that didn't change the emotions she was demonstrating before them. Julie hadn't met this girl for five good minutes and she could see that the girl was not one to be pushed over.
ASHLEY: You didn't put them in the bag?!
CLAYTON: W-Well, like I said, I was tired! I mean come on! Do you really need those skates for practice?
ASHLEY: Yes, you ass!
The sudden harshness caused Clayton to jump a little.
ASHLEY: Yes! I need my skates for practice! Without them, I can't practice today!
CLAYTON: W-Well, um, I guess you're just going to have to find some. See ya!
In a matter of seconds, Clayton took off in a hurry.
ASHLEY: H-Hey! Wait!
She could chase after him, but given how fast he went, it would be impossible to catch up to him.
ASHLEY: *growls* The next time I see him, I'm going for the neck!
She turned to Julie, after calming herself, and introduced herself.
ASHLEY: Oh right! My name is Ashley Lowry. I'm on the figure skating team and I sit beside you in class.
JULIE: I know. It's a real pleasure to meet you.
Julie turns to Ian.
JULIE: By the way, you haven't introduced yourself to me yet?
IAN: Oh! My apologies. My name is Ian Ricardo de Luca. I'm captain of the Martial Arts Team and um... Let's see, what else should I say?
Despite his formality, it was very clear that Ian was kind of shy. Whether this was a pretty boy act or not was very unclear to Julie.
ASHLEY: How about telling her that you're also the smartest guy in our grade and your family is from Italy?
JULIE: That's right. I've noticed it when you've introduced yourself. But smartest guy?
IAN: Well, I am pretty smart.
ASHLEY: Uh, pretty smart? How about scoring a 31 on your ACT and always having the highest grades on all tests and exams?! Last year, the two of us were on the top ten list after we took the final exam and he placed first while I was on fifth.
Ian's cheeks began to redden.
IAN: C-Come on, now! You're embarrassing me!
ASHLEY: *giggles* Sorry. But come on, Ian. A first impression is always the one you need to make the best of.
IAN: Now you're starting to sound like Clayton. Which reminds me, I need to find him. I'm sorry about your skates.
ASHLEY: Don't worry, it's your not fault. After all, you did remind him.
IAN: Okay. I hope to see you again, Julie.
He shook her hand and departed from the classroom. Now it was just Julie and Ashley, who were standing beside each other and turned to face each other.
ASHLEY: Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. Have you decided on any clubs you would like to be on?
JULIE: I don't know. Back in Inaba, there weren't as many as after school activities as it is here, but I've always wanted to join a club.
ASHLEY: Heh. I know that feeling. Because of the school's popularity, it offers a wide array of afterschool activities, even sports like croquette and badminton.
JULIE: Is that so? Well, I suppose joining a sports club wouldn't hurt, but I was really looking for a non-sport related activity, like journalism or photography.
ASHLEY: Oh. So those piqued your fancy, huh? Well, the journalism and photography club won't be looking for new members until the 22nd, but I know you need your own state-of-the-art camera.
And just like that, an animated conversation was made between the two. It seemed like after an encounter where Serena was going to kill Clayton, the two girls who knew very little of each other became friends.
ASHLEY: Oh yeah. I need to go to the mall and get some skates for practice. Why not come with? You might find some cameras that you'll need for photography or journalism?
JULIE: Sounds like a plan.
-Amano Residence-
Julie stepped inside of the household, removing her shoes from her feet and placing them by the door. As she walked into the home, she saw her father sitting in the living room, watching the news. She walked closer to the living room, eventually catching her father's attention with her footsteps. He turned to his daughter, bearing a smile on his face the moment he spotted her.
HANBEI: Julie! Welcome home. How was your first day?
She walked over to the couch where her father sat, removing her backpack and school jacket.
JULIE: It was okay. I made a new friend. I went to the mall with her today to help her get some skates for the figure skating team after hers got... ruined. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to find a state-of-the-art camera for photography.
HANBEI: Oh? You're thinking about joining a club?
JULIE: It has been on my mind for some time. I've even had in mind to join a sports club.
A surprised look embellished Hanbei's face.
HANBEI: Wow! I've never seen so much ambition! You're just like your cousin, Maya.
JULIE: *giggles* By the way, how is Maya?
HANBEI: The same as ever. She's working for a new magazine company after her boss fired her.
JULIE: Figured. Maya's not a bad person or employee for that matter, but I've never liked her boss. She was always jealous of Maya.
HANBEI: Yeah, but I'm proud of her. She makes me feel like she's my own child.
JULIE: That's good to know. Oh! Um, when is mother getting back?
HANBEI: Probably somewhere around midnight. *sigh* You know that woman, always busy.
A slight upset tone was clear in Hanbei's voice. Julie's mother, Cathryn, was working for a magazine article known as "In Today". It was a job where Cathryn had to go around town and interview people regarding various occurrences in town or out of town. As of now, Cathryn was around the town asking people about a case that has been going on for some time.
Now that her mind was on the subject, she looked over to the TV screen to see the news broadcast. It was discussing another "attack".
NEWSWOMAN: And now for the news. Police have found another victim who was mauled to death by an unknown creature last night. The victim was 45 year old Nathan Copeland. Many know him as the owner of Copeland Works, a construction company here in Minneapolis. About three days before his death, his company went bankrupt after a lawsuit from a few employees suggesting that they were not receiving the listed amount of pay for their work.
A picture is shown of the CEO of Copeland Works, Nathan Copeland. Given his age, he had short brown hair with a few white hairs mixing with it, brown eyes and rosy skin. He wore a black business suit with a red tie and seemed to give off a professional radiance that highlighted his title as CEO.
NEWSMAN: This isn't the first time that a victim has been attacked by these unknown animals. As we know, there have been a total of two attacks: 32 year old Holland Helfer and 21 year old Blaine Porter. However, Copeland's attack marks as the first death from these attacks.
NEWSWOMAN: Police have yet to identify the creature responsible for the attack. However, this is also not the first for police have been receiving trouble in trying to find the creatures responsible for this. As a matter of fact, because of these persistent attacks, police are questioning whether these are animals or humans who are doing this.
NEWSMAN: What's also intriguing is that the victims began to display behaviors and mannerisms of fear. Some psychologists say that it's from the attacks, but some hold opposite dispositions regarding it.
Another attack... This wasn't new to Julie at all. Her mother had been researching these attacks since the moment they moved to Minneapolis. Apparently, there have been two attacks from unknown attacks that have been occurring in the city of Minneapolis. The police have yet to identify the creature and much of the public has raised awareness to these attacks.
HANBEI: Another one?
Julie turned to her father, who was clearly absorbed in the information.
HANBEI: *sigh* It's starting to get dangerous. We haven't been here in less than two days and the news is crawling with these reports. At some point, they might end up placing a limit on when to go out at night, which doesn't sound like a bad idea.
The news continued but left the case of the attacks. For now, the city of Minneapolis was experiencing a case like none other. What were these animals? Were they being controlled? Why are they attacking people? So many questions poured into Julie's brain that she wasn't able to answer them, with or without an answer period.
As time flew on, Julie and her father ate a quick dinner and Julie went to bed. Turning off the lights and dressing herself in her night garment, she pulled back her lavender covers and laid herself on her bed, pulling the covers back to shield her body from the cold air. But before she could go into a deep slumber, her eyes drifted off to a mysterious blue butterfly that sat on the outside of her windowpane.
It was a shimmering blue butterfly with glistening wings and an aura that was radiating the shining heavens. It beheld such majesty in its appeal, not a single tarnish on its wing to ruin its glory. It was almost as if the butterfly was surreal. Julie had never come across butterflies such as this one. Was it real? Where did it come from? What kind of species was this butterfly?
The moment Julie's eyes made contact with the butterfly, it flew away, leaving a stardust trail behind it. Still captivated by what she had witnessed, Julie closed her eyes and begun to sleep, but the image of the blue butterfly remained in her head.
A/N: That is the end of Act 1. So, Philemon is in the story. I figured to bring him into the storyline since the newer titles of Persona have shown him as a mere butterfly. But there's no need to fear for Igor will appear, with a new and dashingly handsome male servant. Also, after watching some trailers and gameplay of Persona 5, it had inspired me to make some elements of that story equal to this one, just without the main cast being thieves, needing to remove their mask to awaken their Persona, using two weapons and fighting Demons.
Anyway, I figure I should tell you some of the main story plot. The enemies of this story are known as Fiends. Taking some inspiration from Ninja Gaiden, I've decided to use the enemy, Fiends, as the main enemies of this story. As you all know, every game has their theme. Persona 3 was death, Persona 4 was truth and Persona 5 is said to be liberation. For Fear Itself, the main theme is "fear", though you probably figured it out. Persona 3 Testament's theme ties in with Persona 3, so the main theme is "death" but also "faith". Also, be warned that this is an original, except for the fact that I do not own Philemon or Igor. Plus, I wouldn't call this story AU. Eventually, another Persona 4 story will tie in with the main cast of Persona 4 and Persona 4: FI, mainly as a retelling. Review!
