What's up, everyone! This is GKC here bringing you a crossover between Persona and Fate/stay night. This story is a parallel to Gilgamesh the King of Heroes' own story 'Fate Masks of Heroism' in which case all of the Personas summoned by the characters are all Heroic Spirits.
The Servants summoned are all decided so that they all match the personalities or at least the Arcana for SEES. Don't complain if you think it is stupid.
Now for the disclaimer: I do not own Persona 3 or Fate/stay night. All rights belong to their respective owners.
Now let's get this party started… BEGIN!
Persona: Souls of Fate
Chapter 1: A Contract and a Journey
[Philemon's Realm]
A brief sigh escaped a powerful deity looking like a middle aged human man. He had on a mask that covered practically the entirety of his face and has the image of a violet butterfly wing in the right side of his face and the eyeholes do not show his pupils. He also wears a suit consisting of a black shirt and tie, a white blazer and white pants with black dress shoes. He also has long, black hair tied up in a ponytail.
"How boring. No matter how many times I've seen the same outcome every time whenever I've watched these Wild Cards." He spoke softly then felt a presence he hadn't felt for quite some time. "Zelretch, what brings you here to my realm?"
In the blink of an eye, an old man with blood red eyes and grey hair with a beard appeared. He was dressed in a black business suit with a cane in his hand. A playful yet sly grin on his slightly wrinkled face.
"Philemon, I've come to pass on a little interesting proposal." The old vampire's smirk widened.
"And what sort of proposal are you offering?" An unseen brow rose from behind the deity's mask.
Zelretch chuckled his usual condescending and mischievous laugh. "Tell me, have you heard of the Throne of Heroes?"
"Bits and pieces from what you've told me. Why do you ask?" Philemon questioned.
"Well, how about a little test with your Persona system and the Heroic Spirit summoning for this Wild Card that you seem to favor?" The Dead Apostle suggested.
A look of interest caught the butterfly deity. "I'm listening…"
[Monday; April 6, 2009, Afternoon]
It was noisy. People everywhere speaking over a hundred conversations all around him. Outdoor shops, street entertainers, and hundreds of ordinary pedestrians. A typical day on the path to the monorail station for the trip to Tatsumi Port Island.
He paid them no attention. To him, it might as well be nothing more than empty space.
There was nothing extraordinary about the young man in the black school uniform. Not at first glance anyway. In this day and age, even his dark blue hair attracted no comment nor his cool gray eyes; and if it had, he still wouldn't have noticed nor cared.
Making his way through the crowds, a duffel bag over his right shoulder and a map in his left hand, the youth lost himself to the music his headphones blasted into his ears. Memories of his childhood and the day his parents passed away in a car crash.
Ten years… Ten long years had passed since that fateful night. He didn't remember what happened due to the crash but living with other relatives at least kept him fed and sheltered even if he barely saw anything noteworthy that he cared about.
Iwatodai, his hometown, and now he was returning to where his life once ended.
[Later that Night]
Having boarded the train, the blue-haired teen watched the city, the trees, and the sea pass by faster than his eyes could track.
Had his music not been playing, the youth would've heard the voice over the PA system. "We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay…"
Even if he had heard it, the boy wouldn't have cared about it at all. He was tired, it was almost midnight, and he just wanted to get to the dorm and collapse on his bed for much needed sleep. Having school the next morning testified his reason for sleep after a long day.
"Iwatodai, Iwatodai," The PA system droned just as the he stepped off the train and out into the station. "This is the final train bound for Tatsumi Port Island. Please make sure you board in time for departure…"
The youth paused on the platform, reaching into his pocket, and pulling out a note. His headphones blocked out the noise of the crowd that still lingered in the station and now was as good a time as any to reconfirm the dorm's location. The last thing he wanted was to get lost at the dead of night in a town he hadn't been in for ten years.
"Iwatodai, Iwa-"
Suddenly, the boy's music cut off much to his displeasure. Just when he was enjoying the finale.
With a sigh, he left the train station and traversed out into the streets, ignoring the uneasy silence, the strange black coffins, and even the eerie green sky along with the golden moon.
He even ignored the screams of terror and agony. He didn't care. It didn't affect him so he had no business getting involved.
He stepped into a puddle of what could be blood but he ignored it just like everything else. His gray eyes glanced up at a large dorm building. It must be the place he was assigned to sleep at. With a sigh, the young man grabbed the door handle and marched inside.
The interior seemed to be lit with only a few lamps for some reason when everything else seemed to be shut off. It didn't seem all that impressive. A few couches, an old TV set, a check-in counter, and dining room in the back with a fully functional kitchen. Overall, it looked more like large hotel lounge room than a dorm.
The blue-haired teen removed his headphones. However, the moment he did, he heard a voice, "You're late."
His grayish-blue eyes followed the source until they landed on a small child, a little girl with bronze skin, short white hair, and ruby red eyes. She was also clothed in a white sundress. She had this innocent smile on her face yet at the same time, something inside the young man told him that he could trust her.
"I've been waiting for you for ages." She commented with a giggle. He looked at her with his usual stoic expression. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers then some sort of contract with a feather pen and ink was placed on the countertop. "If you want to proceed, please sign your name there." The girl gestured to the mahogany red cover. It opened to reveal a piece of paper with the words 'Contract' largely bolded. "It's a sort of contract. There's nothing to be afraid of. It just says that you will accept responsibility for your decisions from now on. Typical contract stuff."
It was understandable. It usually came to those who wanted to prove themselves or just never read the fine print to even care. Which is what the bluenette did by taking the quill and writing down his name in Japanese.
…
Minato Arisato
That is his name…
With his signature signed, Minato handed the contract over to the strange yet oddly familiar girl, who took hold of it then held it close to her chest almost like she was thankful he did such a thing. "It's true. Time brings an end to all things." She holds the contract over her right eye while speaking in riddles. "Even if we plug up our ears and cover our eyes." With a wave of her hand, the pad disappeared without a trace.
Encroaching shadows engulfed the girl as her scarlet eyes bore into his grayish-blue ones. She held out a hand as if welcoming him. "And so it begins…" She spoke before vanishing completely.
After which, Minato was left by himself in the darkness of the lounge. The entirety of what happened unaffecting his facial expression.
"Who are you?!" Another girl's voice shouted.
He looked to the left and found himself looking at a pretty girl with neck-length light brown hair and brown eyes. There was also small white earrings on her earlobes. She wore a pink sweater jacket, a loose red ribbon, a black mini skirt, black stockings with white lines, and a heart-shaped white choker. On her left arm was an armband with the initials 'SEES' written on it. Another interesting feature was the silver gun she had on a holster.
Minato noticed the girl looking at him as if he were a threat yet at the same time, she seemed to be shaking. Not from the cold but of fear…
Did he do something to her?
Just as she was about to take the gun out, a voice stopped her. "Wait, Takeba." The girl flinched in surprise and looked back. Minato followed her line of sight until his cool gray eyes landed on another beautiful girl with long vivid red hair, reddish brown eyes, and fair skin. From what he could gather, if the girl called Takeba was cute then this newcomer is drop-dead gorgeous.
"But Kirijo-senpai, he-" The girl tried to speak.
"Don't worry, he's an ordinary transfer student." The redhead reassured the brunette.
A brief uncomfortable silence radiated between the teens.
"What do you mean, "ordinary"?" Takeba asked.
At this moment, his music came back on. Good, now he wouldn't have to waste any money getting a new MP3. Minato watched as the beautiful young woman came down the stairs, "We were expecting you to arrive earlier." She spoke while stopping by the other girl. "I'm Mitsuru Kirijo. I live here in this dorm."
The brunette narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the boy. "Why did he pick this hour to show up?" She asked her senior.
"It was a last-minute decision to put him here." Mitsuru explained. "He'll probably be formally assigned to the boys' dorm eventually."
Takeba glanced at the redhead. "Is this a good idea?"
"We'll see." She answered.
This was getting tiresome. He needed some sleep. Minato passed by the two girls to find a room to drop off his stuff and to enter the warm comforts of a bed.
"Hey, you!" The brunette exclaimed.
"Your room is on the second floor at the end of the hall." Mitsuru informed the bluenette.
End of the hall on the second floor… Good, now he can get some sleep.
He stopped when she continued. "Takeba, show him the way." The girl looked surprised but her senior persisted. "This is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a second-year this spring. That's the same as you, right?"
Well, she isn't wrong.
"I'm Takeba." Yukari introduced herself courteously.
"Minato Arisato. Good to meet you." He introduced himself, neutrally.
"Same here. Nice to meet you." She replied.
The boy's eyes landed a little too intently on the silver gun holstered on Yukari's thigh. There was something about it that just...interested him.
"It's late. You should turn in." Mitsuru brought him out of his staring then turned to look at her junior and gave her a set of keys.
"I'll show you." The girl offered. "Follow me."
Left with little choice, Minato followed Yukari up the stairs to his new home for the next year.
He was unaware that Mitsuru was watching his back intently. A comforting presence she knew all too well found its way behind her.
"Mistress, is something wrong?" A feminine voice spoke.
"There's something about that boy. Something that I can't place my finger on." She replied.
"Shall I watch him?"
"There's no need. He's not much of a threat. Just an ordinary boy." Mitsuru reassured her companion.
"Very well, Mistress."
[Second Floor]
"Here's your room key." Yukari handed said item to the blue-haired boy.
"Thanks." He nodded. He stared at it, ignorant of the shy look on the girl's face.
"Um, can I ask you something?" He stared at her. "On the way here from the station, you didn't run into any trouble?"
Trouble? Not really. There weren't any muggers or thugs threatening him. Even if there were, he wouldn't really care.
Ah, it seems his confusion materialized on his face.
"I just mean-" Whatever she was about to say was gone. Yukari bowed her head apologetically. "Sorry. It's nothing." She gave the boy one last glance. "Well, good night."
He watched her leave. His emotionless mask contemplating on what to do. Left with nothing else to do, he entered his dorm room and slept for the rest of the night.
[Tuesday; April 7, 2009, Early Morning]
When he awoke, Minato went on his usual daily routine. Clean up, get dressed, and eat breakfast. Yukari waited for him to give him a tour of his new school.
They had to take the train to get there however but luckily, it was close to the dorms. Still, Minato watched the city pass by from the window with Yukari across from him. The two barely chatted. Well, the boy less than the girl since he really had nothing to say. That, and he had his headphones in his ears.
"Look, there's the school there!" Yukari suddenly spoke, breaking the tense atmosphere. "See? Over there."
Minato opened his eyes, glancing at the window to see said educational facility from across the bright blue water.
[Gekkoukan High School]
Minato, despite his mask, was in slight awe at the numerous sakura trees that decorated the front door of the school. He heard numerous other students saying 'good morning' to one another then noticed his unofficial tour guide smiling at him.
"This is Gekkoukan High School. I hope you like it here." She closed her eyes when she smiled too. It was honestly cute in his opinion.
He didn't answer but continued to gaze emotionlessly at the building.
[Class 2-F]
Minato sat at his desk, listening to his new homeroom teacher preach. "Starting today, you are all second-year students. Let's have a good year together. Don't do anything to get me into trouble, okay? Alright, that's it for homeroom."
"All rise!" A student led off. All of the students rose. "Bow!" They performed said action to respect their teacher.
Once the teacher left, Minato sat emotionlessly at his desk. It enjoyed his brief few seconds of quiet until a hand patted his shoulder.
"Hey there, transfer student!" A boisterously, loud voice spoke, drawing his attention to another boy with short dark hair, grayish eyes and a goatee. He also seemed to be taller than Minato. He wore the same male uniform as him but he had on a blue collared shirt, a blue baseball cap, a silver necklace and a chain attached to his pants.
"Who are you?" The blue-haired boy asked.
The newcomer waved his hand nonchalantly. "Come on, don't be so standoffish!" He gestured to himself with a big grin. "I'm Junpei Iori!" He leaned in uncomfortably close to his face. "Just call me Junpei!"
"Personal space."
"I transferred here in my second year of junior high, myself." Junpei ranted. "It can be rough as a transfer student without anyone to show you the ropes. So I figured I should come break the ice." Once again, he invaded Minato's space, irritating him a bit. "Ain't I nice?"
"Personal space."
"You never change, do you?" A familiar girl's voice spoke, interrupting their one-way conversation.
"Well, if it isn't Yukari-cchi!" Junpei grinned widely. "I didn't expect us to be in the same class again."
Yukari gave the capped boy a neutral gaze. "You'll talk anyone's ear off if they give you half a chance." Junpei looked at her, losing his grin. "You should think about whether you're bothering that person."
"Eh?"
Yukari smiled at Minato. "Quite a coincidence, isn't it? Us winding up in the same class."
"Huh?" Junpei looked mockingly hurt. "Shouldn't you be saying that to me, too?"
"Should I?" She deadpanned.
"Takeba." At the door, Mitsuru looked at the brunette.
"Huh? Kirijo-senpai?" Yukari seemed confused at her senior's sudden appearance.
The redhead continued speaking, "Do you have a minute?" She asked.
[Chairman's Office]
The two young women sat on separate sofas while Mitsuru read over Minato's background information. Sitting at a desk was a middle-aged man with dark brown eyes, long wavy brown hair, and a goatee. He wears a tan jacket over a brown turtleneck, tan slacks, and white dress shoes. He also wears a pair of thin glasses.
"It's pretty unusual to see you at school, Chairman." Yukari pointed out.
The man, Shuji Ikutsuki smiled at at the girl. "When Kirijo told me about him, I couldn't contain my curiosity."
"Then, you think he's also a-" Yukari trailed on.
"It's almost certain." Mitsuru finished her kouhai's sentence.
"He really is a most fascinating case." Ikutsuki spoke, his smile still present. "Even if he has the potential, he really ought to be more unstable. Suffering from memory loss, disorientation, and so on."
This time Mitsuru added her own opinion on Minato. "But he arrived at the dorm as if it were no big deal to him. He casually walked there during that hour."
"Are you saying he's not normal?" Yukari asked.
"Possibly." The red-haired beauty replied.
"Which brings me to this." The Chairman laid down a copy of Arisato's information. "Takeba, I'd like you to monitor his activities up close for a while."
"By which, you mean spy on him?" The brunette realised what her seniors were telling her to do. It made her feel a little uneasy.
Ikutsuki turned in his seat, resting his chin upon his hands. "I suppose I do."
Mitsuru brought up a folder. "Skim through this, Takeba."
Taking said folder in hand, the girl looked at the black covering with a small bit of guilt in her eyes. "I feel a little bad about doing this…" She thought back to the emotionless boy. "He doesn't know anything yet."
The Kirijo heiress decided to lay her junior's fears to rest. "This is necessary to determine if he's qualified to know."
"I understand that, but still…" Yukari opened the file to look through the given information.
"He seems to have bounced around from school to school." The spectacle-wearing Chairman informed his subordinates. "He's moving from relative to relative. His parents are dead. And they died in the accident that happened in this city ten years ago."
This tidbit of info surprised Yukari, who released a small sound that resembled a gasp. Even Mitsuru seemed a little taken aback.
"That's a strange coincidence." The redhead pointed out.
Yukari stared at the picture of the blue-haired boy's emotionless mask of a face. "The accident ten years ago…" She mumbled under her breath.
Meanwhile, on the train ride back to the dorms, Minato looked out the window towards the setting sun then closed his eyes.
[?]
He awoke sitting on a chair inside of what could be an elevator. There were two individuals in front of him. A creepy man with a long nose, a balding head, and bloodshot eyes. Next to him was a beautiful girl of Caucasian descent with short silver hair, yellow eyes, and was dressed in a blue uniform.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room." The man spoke in a voice that sounded generous and regal. "My name is Igor. I am glad to make your acquaintance." He gestured to the girl beside him, who Minato could guess to be Igor's assistant. "This is Elizabeth. Like me, she is a resident of this place."
"I am Elizabeth. It is a pleasure to meet you." The young woman introduced herself, holding a tome in her left hand.
He listened and stared at the two. His mask still shadowing his emotions.
"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter." Igor explained with Minato listening to every word. "It has been years since we last welcomed a guest." A brief glow on the table caught the boy's attention. It was the contract he had signed. "Only those who have fulfilled the contract in some manner may visit here. From this point onwards, you are a guest of the Velvet Room. Please take this."
Minato watched as a golden glow appeared in front of Igor until it materialized into an ornate key.
"This key signifies that you are a guest." Elizabeth explained the nature of the item. "Take good care of it."
He took the item in hand and pocketed it.
"Until we meet again." Igor bid farewell to the boy.
It was at this moment that the boy awoke from his sleep, revealing that it had been a dream.
[Thursday; April 9, 2009]
[Gekkoukan High School]
After the first half of his classes ended, Minato decided to take a small walk around campus to clear his head. That's when his ears caught onto what could be scuffle.
"Ms. Moriyama, please stop…" A shy, nervous girl spoke.
"Why? We're inspecting your personal belongings for you." Another girl, this one condescending and mocking taunted.
In front of him, a green-haired girl was on her knees. School supplies splayed out in front of her while three girls stood over her.
"That's Goody-goody Fuuka for you!" A girl with dark hair teased. "No fun stuff at all on her!"
"Continue to behave yourself!" Another girl with similar dark hair taunted.
With mocking laughter, the trio of girls left the obviously bullied girl alone.
Normally, seeing something like this wouldn't make Minato care one bit. However, something told him to at least help the girl. With an inward sigh, he marched up to the girl and helped her pick up her school supplies.
"Thank you for helping…" He heard her shyly speak. He didn't reply, only continued picking up her things then once he grabbed the last of them, he handed them over to her which she nervously took in her hands. "Um, I'm sorry to be a bother."
Truthfully, Minato didn't consider her a bother at all. He just did his one good deed for the day. Wordlessly, he stood up back onto his feet and continued on his path. Unaware of the green-haired girl watching him with shy interest.
[Dorms - Night]
As the boy slept peacefully with his headphones blasting music in his ears, the Kirijo Group watched from the command center within the dorms to watch Minato.
"No change, eh?" Ikutsuki questioned.
"His pulse and brainwaves are both remarkably stable." Mitsuru informed, impressed by the boy's psyche. She looked at the Chairman. "He has the potential."
"So it would seem." The older man agreed. "If he didn't, he would have been eaten by them by now."
Yukari looked down. "I still feel a little guilty about this."
A quick transmission came in, prompting Mitsuru to act. "Operations Room."
"I spotted an amazing one! I've never seen anything like it!" A young man's voice spoke over the radio.
A brief rumble shook the foundation, garnering a few grunts and cries from the three people in the operations center.
"What was that?" Mitsuru wondered with wide eyes.
At the front door, a young man with short silver hair, gray eyes, and a white band-aid above his left eye storms inside, holding his injured arm and closed the door. He wore a slightly modified school uniform which replaced the standard jacket with a red sweater vest. Additionally, he also wore black leather gloves.
He slid down the door, gritting his teeth in pain.
"Akihiko!" Mitsuru cried out, worried about the young man.
"Sanada-senpai!" Yukari added with equal concern.
"Are you alright?" The redheaded woman asked.
"Don't worry about me." Akihiko stated with a reassuring smirk. "That unbelievable one is coming. It's gonna knock your socks off!" The way he said it boarded on the lines of excitement.
"This is no time to think something is cool!" Mitsuru scolded the young man.
"Sanada," Ikutsuki interjected. "Is it them?"
Noting the seriousness of the situation, Akihiko continued. "Yes, but it's not a run of the mill-"
Another rumble shook the foundation.
"Chairman, remain in Operations!" Mitsuru ordered. "Takeba, go upstairs and wake our guest. Get him out of here!"
"But what about the rest of you?" Yukari asked in distress.
The red-haired beauty looked at her kouhai deathly serious. "We'll hold them off here no matter what it takes."
From outside the dorm building, shadow-like beings with blue masks crawled all around the building.
Minato awoke to the annoying rumbling and proceeded to get dressed. Whatever it was, he didn't want to go out in his pajamas. Just when he was about to reach for the door, Yukari burst in, grabbed his hand, and dragged him out into the hallway.
The girl dragged the boy up the stairs, his emotionless mask doing little to quell his confusion. At the next flight of stairs, the young man slipped out of Yukari's grip and stared at the yellowish-green full moon.
"Arisato?" The brunette looked at the bluenette, who continued to stare at the moon.
"The moon…" He spoke softly, mystified by its ethereal appearance.
"What are you doing?" Yukari questioned, a bit irritated at the boy's lax attitude. "Our lives are in danger! Do you want to die?!"
She expected him to give her an answer saying that he was afraid or even terrified. She was not prepared for what he really said…
"I don't really care." Minato admitted. The brunette gasped in surprise. The boy looked at the girl with his cold, emotionless eyes. "Is dying that scary to you?" He asked, innocently.
"How… can you say that?" Yukari questioned, shocked there was a person that didn't care about their own life.
A third rumble shook the dorm building, earning grunts from both Yukari and Minato. The two suddenly noticed something at the window. A creature with a multitude of nothing but black, lanky arms with one holding a blue mask that had the Roman Numeral for one.
"What… is that?" Yukari asked, terrified.
The shadowy creature pressed its hand against the window to grab the two humans.
Seeing the danger, Yukari pushed the boy down. "Look out!" She cried out just as the window shattered. She flinched in pain when a shard of glass left a small deep cut on her leg. Regardless, she needed to save the boy. "Get up!" She yelled, pulling his arm and dragging him to the stairs. "To the roof!"
The creature looked through the window to find its prey but found nothing.
Minato had no choice but to be dragged up the stairs. Suddenly, his ears caught onto something that the girl spoke off. "I can't die in a place like this." Her teeth were gritted, either from irritation or from biting back the pain. "I haven't learned anything yet! I don't want to die!"
Why is dying so scary for her? Does she really seek some form of truth? What's it like to actually...feel?
Eventually, Minato and Yukari reached the rooftop. Bursting through the door as they breathed heavily from running. Well, more the girl than the boy.
Once she got her breathing under control, the brunette looked back at her charge. "Are you ok-" She was cut off by what could have been an explosion. A terrifying rumbling drew the attention of the two teens. Each small rumble came closer and closer until at last it revealed itself as the giant, freakish creature being a mass of arms and a lone mask.
"No way…" Yukari shrinked back in fear as the creature fully stepped onto the roof then brought out a set of serrated silver blades in six of its hands. She stepped in front of Minato protectively. "Run!"
"Huh?" The boy blinked in confusion then noticed Yukari quickly take the silver gun from her holster.
The monster charged at the teens to end their lives. Yukari placed the barrel of the gun directly at her forehead.
Minato was confused. Didn't the girl want to live? What reason does shooting herself prove?
As the monster came closer, the brunette seemed hesitate to pull the trigger. She started to hyperventilate. Her body trembled in fear from both the imminent threat and the thought of shooting herself. She closed her eyes. This, along with her hesitation, caused the creature to slap her away. She flew hard enough until she rolled across the ground, dropping the gun right in front of Minato, who seemed ignorant of the entire thing.
Despite the boy being in front of it, the monster saw him as uninteresting and stalked towards the unconscious girl.
In the operations room, Mitsuru and Akihiko watched from the cameras in worry. "This is bad!" The young woman exclaimed.
"Let's go!" The young man declared.
However, just before they could leave, they were stopped by Ikutsuki's cry, "Wait!"
Back on the roof, Minato watched with an open mouth. His eyes wide as the creature continued its slow, murderous trail towards Yukari. Something inside of him was screaming for him to do anything to save her. But what could he do? He didn't have any form of power.
It stood over her with its blades poised to pierce her body, rendering it into a pincushion.
He gasped when his inner mind revealed the same little girl, smiling at him. His eyes trailed down to the silver gun resting at his feet. He leaned down, picking it up tenderly as his breathing quickened. Memories of death and pain entered his psyche, ones that caused him to start hyperventilating.
A burning bridge,
Smoke and pain,
A lifeless woman's hand…
The little dark-skinned albino girl appeared in his mindscape. "Go on." She spoke softly.
Minato pressed the cold barrel of the pistol against his cranium. He panted a few more times before suddenly breaking out in a mad grin. "Per...so...na…" With a single pull of the trigger, an explosion of power released itself from his mind. His eyes glowed an icy blue after something shattered within his psyche. A summoning circle appeared beneath the boy as a figure rose from behind Minato.
"I am thou. Thou art I. From the sea of thy souls, I have cometh." The figure spoke in a neutral yet gentle voice. "Under the Arcana of the Fool and of the Lancer class, I shall stand with you, my Master." The figure is revealed to be a young man with snow white unkempt hair, sharp icy blue eyes, ghostly pale skin, and an emotionless mask on his face. He wore a skintight black bodysuit with the area around the chest opened to reveal a red sunstone and several gold diamonds around it, golden armor, and red wing-like protrusions on his back that went to his left side. In his right hand was an intricate golden spear with an obsidian black spearhead of gargantuan size with violet energy coiling around an eye-shaped symbol at the head of the shaft. "I am the Hero of Charity, Karna!"
At his declaration, the Magician Shadow looked at this new threat hungrily. Yukari opened her eyes, noticing Karna in front of the blue-haired boy she tried to protect.
"A Persona…" She weakly said. "Arisato…"
The monster charged at the Persona, who brought his spear up to bear and swung the blunt side down, flattening his foe then delivered a fierce kick that sent it flying away.
It landed on its unattended palms, relatively unharmed. Karna's left eye glowed red as fire danced around his palm. He released the fire spell called Agi upon the Shadow, burning it thanks to his Divinity skill along with his Mana Burst (Flame) ability. However, the Magician shook the flames off and tried to flee. Karna narrowed his eyes and released another Agi spell. While it was weaker than the power of Agni, it was still a useful magic to wield.
Three explosions of fire. All three avoided by the Shadow.
Despite his emotionless face, Karna was mildly irritated by this strange foe.
In the operations room, Mitsuru noticed how stressful Minato was putting his psyche into the fight. "No! Your psyche won't last long if you attack like that!"
However, Minato didn't care. All he wanted to see was the enemy destroyed. For it to be eviscerated and burned to ashes.
His breathing quickened as Karna continued to attack the Shadow with fire spells. The Persona knew his Master was wasting prana but couldn't deny his orders. He had to eliminate the monster now before Minato drained himself of his od.
The boy suddenly grasped his head in pain. Karna began to contort, grasping his own head as if something was trying to push its way out of his body.
Minato screamed in agony, his eyes glowing from icy blue to a scarlet red, then the unthinkable happened…
Karna's body was torn to pieces in a shower of gore from a set of feminine hands, revealing a new figure that released a cry of battle.
The new figure revealed itself to be a young woman with tan skin, short snow white hair, cold red eyes, and white tattoos/markings on her body. She wore a white-black bikini-esque outfit that revealed much of her skin with black leg bangs on her shins, black-red and white sabaton shoes, white-black arm half sleeves, and a long white bridal cap that made it seem as if she had long hair. In her right hand is a somewhat futuristic longsword with a tri-colored blade of light ranging from blue, green, and red.
The new Persona released a powerful cry that sounded like a watery/robotic cry as she glared darkly at the cowering Magician Shadow. It tried to attack the woman but she avoided it with a single leap then slashed her sword, severing several of its arms and releasing a burst of power that released a shockwave, stunning it. She growled then grabbed a hold of the hand grasping the mask and slashed it in half. The Shadow's remains turned into a reddish-black ichor that dripped onto the ground.
Once the remains had vanished, the Persona held one of the still wiggling arms in her left hand then crushed it as blood dribbled to the rooftop floor.
Minato stared at the dark-skinned girl. A sense of familiarity and confusion etched on his face. Exhaustion crept upon him as she gave him one last glance then vanished, revealing Karna, who seemed relatively unharmed.
"My Master, forgive me for draining you of your prana. Once I disappear, you will be unconscious." The Persona informed the boy. "Once you recover, call upon me when you have need of my services. Farewell, for now." With that said, the Hero of Charity vanished into blue particles.
With the danger gone, Minato felt the exhaustion of his mental fatigue hit him hard. He collapsed on his knees and fell onto his front, unconscious.
Yukari, after getting over her apparent shock, weakly stood up and limped her way over to the unconscious boy. "Arisato…" She groaned.
[Philemon's Realm]
"I must say, Zelretch. That was certainly interesting." The masked man smirked.
"I knew you would enjoy it, my friend." The Dead Apostle commented with a smirk of his own. "We should do this again sometime in a different universe."
"Ah, but then the balance would be thrown off." The omnipotent being pointed out. "I can't have you continuously interfere with my realm all the time. Though, if it pleases and amuses me, I make exceptions."
"Well, I already had a plan for that kid that wishes to seek out the truth." Zelretch's grin grew. "What was his name? Narukami?"
"Ah yes, that Wild Card. A most interesting boy, that one." Philemon nodded. "I've seen what you've done with him and his friends. I must say that it is quite astounding to have switched out their initial Persona for something more."
"I'm glad you approve."
"Though make no mistake," Philemon leveled a brief glare at the vampire. "If I find out that you brought in a tainted Holy Grail into my dimension, I will personally make your life a living hell."
"And what will you to me that I've not already experienced?" Zelretch challenged with a smirk.
The master of the Velvet Room smirked in return. "I'll erase the idea of Magical Girls from your dimension."
"Oh, you really do know when to hurt an old man's pride." The Dead Apostle backed down reluctantly, his grin still present. "But that's what I like about you, my old friend."
"You always did like to play your incessant pranks," Philemon grinned. "That's what makes it all the more fun with you."
"Well, I suppose I should head back to my own universe. I have a marathon to watch and pupils to prank." Zelretch activated his Second True Magic: Kaleidoscope to open a gateway to another world. "Until we meet again, Philemon."
"I look forward to your next visit, my friend." The masked man nodded his farewells to the Dead Apostle, who casually walked through the vortex and vanished. "Such an odd yet amusing man. A shame he can't be around much. I rather enjoyed his pranks."
A/N: That's it for the first chapter and damn am I glad! This took me a while to do!
I've been doing a few writing projects lately. Some of them you've seen already. This is one of them. The next is a Persona 5/Rosario + Vampire crossover that will be coming out soon along with a new chapter for Shadows of Fate and King of Wolves.
In that essence, I'm sure some of you have already figured out Minato's ultimate Death Arcana Persona. I also picked Karna as the Fool because he sort of symbolizes the Arcana and he's like Minato in some ways. The other SEES members' Personas will be introduced in later chapters.
Also, while this is parallel to Gilgamesh's Masks of Heroism story, it is in no way on the same universe.
Please review and comment on this chapter. If I've made any mistakes or anything, please inform me and I shall correct them at once.
A big thanks to all my followers and readers. You are my inspiration to keep going and doing what I like best.
Peace out, everyone!