(Welcome everyone, to a new tale. This tale-)
'So, another story?'
(...Is related to the tale of Golden Emerald.)
"Really, Sir? How so?"
(You shall see Trois)
"Sir...?"
?
'Trois?'
(We can't use your real names-)
'So you're using comic book code names?'
(Yes)
...That's fine with me
"It is an interesting proposition."
'...'
(Very well. From now on, you will be known as Une)
Got it
(You already have your name, Trois)
"Trois...I kind of like it"
(And you are Deux)
'Really? The French word for Two?'
(I could always call you Mr Bon Clay)
Persona doesn't belong to the author. It belongs to Atlus. All the author belongs are the original characters and ideas.
Prologue
?
Why did it always end up with running? Either it was running away from the enemy or running towards them. It was never anything else, it was always just running. Not that he complained... much. He had a job that would never finish until he died. Which didn't happen.
*BOOM* .
At least, it was hard to do. This guy might finally be the one to do the deed. He ducked behind a rock and snapped his fingers, forming a barrier just in time to block a blast of dissolving shadows.
"Come on out, little lamb!".
He peeked over the rock and saw the robed figure leering menacingly at every boulder in his sight. He cleared his throat.
"Uh, I'm right here!," he called out helpfully, before ducking as his barrier shuddered against the onslaught.
He gave a small grin, as it was always amusing to mess with the enemy.
"Show yourself!"
"Why?"
"So I may destroy you!"
"Let me see...No, I think I'll stay here!"
All he heard was another resounding explosion. Honestly, you'd think he'd try something else. Another explosion made the barrier shudder, and he formed a fireball in his hand, before throwing it. The figure was absorbed into a sea of flames. He watched the flames carefully, trying to see if the man had made it. Nothing stirred except for the flames. He gave a sigh of relief...Only for a blade to rise from the ground and skewer his calf.
"Ah, son of a-!"
He threw himself to the side to avoid the eruption of stone and fire that would have messed up his day. Three writhing humanoid bodies rose from the ground, and his mouth curled into a frown. He always hated things like these. The figures screeched and leapt towards him, fangs outstretched and maw opened. He quickly formed a large slag of stone and swept them all to the side. The first to get up was impaled by a volley of ice. The second a blast of lightning. He ran up to the third and planted his boot on it's chest, before forming a shard of light and killing it. He then whirled around and brought his hand up, and the shadows rose, bringing up a stunned Mr. Hood. Before Mr. Hood could escape and turn the shadows on him, he snapped his fingers and large grey chains, mist flowing from them, wrapped Mr. Hood around a large Iron pillar. Mr. Hood started to struggle, but it got him nowhere. He kneeled down and looked at the jagged blade stuck in his calf, before wincing and removing, scanning over it.
"Where did you find a cursed Netjeri Blade?" he asked, standing up.
"Then again, where do villains find things like these anyway?" he said, looking at Mr. Hood, who growled.
"I could ask you the same thing," Mr. Hood struggled against the chains, "Where does one find such heavy chains, and made of Cold Iron?"
He felt the smirk under Mr. Hood's hood.
"Then again, where do 'heroes' like you find such things? Truly, you live up to your reputation, Traveling Man."
He frowned and got up right into Mr. Hood's face, spinning the Netjeri blade. Mr. Hood didn't flinch. He whistled.
"I gotta say, most people usually at least flinch or squirm in these situations. You on the other hand..."
He grabbed Mr. Hood's hood, and felt him tense up. He smirked.
"And the culprit behind this mystery is..." he said dramatically, throwing back to hood, before his eyes widened. Before he could step back from the smiley puppet, the chains rushed towards him, and pulled, his limbs splayed out. He knew better than to try to thrash against chains of Cold Iron. There was a reason they were used against the supernatural. He instead tried to gather himself, and glared at Mr. Hood, who was standing smugly in front of him.
"When I get out of here, you are so-"
He was interrupted by Mr. Hood throwing black sand into his eyes.
"Gah, insult to injury much?" he sputtered, eyes burning.
"Hahahah! Who knew the Traveling Man could be fooled so easily!" Mr. Hood gloated.
"Look buddy, as soon as I get free, you're going to wish you hadn't done that," he ground out.
Mr. Hood started to laugh again-only to be interrupted.
"Ixion..." a voice that brought to mind a foreboding sense of doom rumbled darkly.
He hesitated, still blind. That didn't sound good.
"Uh, Master! I was just-"
"Playing with your prey is unbefitting of you."
There was a silence as Mr. Hood, Ixion, presumably bowed down to who ever was this 'Master'.
"Either way, Ixion, we have successfully grabbed your prize."
"Let go of me, Let go!"
He tensed at the sounds of a woman struggling. He heard Ixion purr.
"Ah, my sweet little thing, you haven't lost any of your beauty."
"Rot in Hades, you asshole!"
His anger sparked as he heard the sound of flesh slapping flesh and a woman gasping in pain.
"I'd still that tongue of yours, little lady," Ixion growled.
"Ixion, calm yourself...You are sure that she is what we need?"
"Yes, of course Master."
"Excellent. Start the extraction process, and you may keep her."
Ixion gave a sinister laugh.
"Yes, I was hoping to hear that...Now then my sweet," Ixion purred, "Just wait, and soon you'll be mine."
"Like Hades I will-!"
The woman's yelling was interrupted and muffled, and he had enough.
"Hey, Hood Man! Let go of her, your quarrel is with me," he barked out, trying with no avail to clear his eyes.
"Actually, my quarrel is with her. You, Traveling Man, just got in the way."
There was a sudden spike in energy, and he heard muffled screams. Okay, now he was pissed. With a roar, he rushed forward, the chains screaming before snapping. He blindly rushed forward, and collided into Ixion.
"Gah, you idiot! Don't interrupt the ceremon-!"
He interrupted Ixion with a good old Falcon Left Hook, only to scramble back as another knife sank into his belly.
"You fool! You've messed everything up! Now there's no telling what will happen!"
The energy swirled around, and with nowhere to go, it did the only thing it could do-try to complete the ceremony. There was a flap of wings as he felt the skies darken, and he heard the woman give a muffled gasp.
"Traveling Man!" something roared.
Wings beat as something flew towards them, and he felt the energy swirl around violently. The woman started to chant under her breath, and Ixion gave a strangled roar. He rubbed an arm over his eyes, healing them, and the first-and last- thing he saw was a resounding explosion.
He collided against the ground roughly. He took a sharp breath, before getting up slowly, clutching his belly. Well, that had hurt. He opened his now sand free eyes and looked around, sitting up. He was on a bridge. Well, that didn't quite help him at all. He knew he was in a different world. But the bridge part didn't help him. Lots of places had bridges. Ankh-Morpork had the aptly named Ankh Bridge. Castelia had Sky Arrow. California had the Golden Gate. It was also night, but that didn't help him either. Oddly enough, there was no traffic on the bridge, except for the absolutely destroyed, burning car...
His eyes snapped back to the burning car in shock. Completely destroyed was the only apt way to describe it. As he stared at it, a small figure stirred next to the wreckage.
A kid.
He immediately leapt to his feet and ran towards the car, only for every fiber suddenly felt like it was being torn apart. He heard a wail, intermixed with a roar of sound and the breaking of glass. He opened his eyes slightly, and for a moment, the sky was a poisonous green and the ocean a blood red. Then the world flashed back to normal, and he stood up shakily. What in the name of the universe was that...?
He looked around warily, and his eyes fell on another prone figure. Another kid, right at the edge of the bridge. He ran towards it and found a little girl with striking copper red hair, and thin clothes that was reminiscent of prison garbs. He removed his jacket and wrapped her up in it, before hefting her over his shoulder. Wouldn't do to get a cold now would it? He looked at her expression. It was peaceful, almost happy.
He shook his head before running to the still burning car. Next to the car was another kid, a boy with navy blue hair. He had cuts and scrapes all over his body, and unlike the girl, his face was contorted into a grimace. He placed the girl next to the boy, and looked inside the car. All he found were two dead people. The boy's parents, if he guessed right. He grimaced before crawling into the car and grabbing the man's wallet. It was disrespectful to steal from the dead, but he didn't think the man would mind. He opened the wallet and scanned the man's personal details, before pocketing the wallet and started to get out of the car. Only for something to grab him. He turned to see the woman staring at him, breathing her last breaths.
"My son...Please..."
"I'll protect him," he said reassuringly.
The woman smiled, before the light in her eyes died out. He got out of the car and grabbed the boy and girl, before placing a black rose in front of the car, giving a sigh. Well, time to- A sudden feeling made him hesitate. The feeling that he was missing something. He closed his eyes, and let his feet take him. He was never one to ignore his instincts. He continued to walk, before opening his eyes. And meeting unblinking orbs of blue, framed by golden locks of hair, stuck in the riverbed.