A/N: This is another project that deals with a series I also have a rather unhealthy encyclopedic knowledge of. In this work, it goes through the trials and tribulations of the Investigation Team and the Shadow Ops as they find out who the Malevolent Entity really is (a P3/FES/P and a P4/A/G crossover). The project works with many theories of how the P3 male protagonist, named Makoto Yuki from the film, will be saved. The onset of this chapter is set on the 2-year anniversary of the Promised Day. This is the first part of a three-part project. Set pairings: YuxRise, MakotoxYukari, AkihikoxMitsuru, YosukexChie, KanjixNaoto, and JunpeixChidori.

NOTE: Minako, the most commonly used name for the female protagonist of P3P, is set to be Yu Narukami's age.

SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT PLAYED PERSONA 3 [FES]/PORTABLE AND PERSONA 4 [GOLDEN]/ARENA. Read at your own discretion.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Persona Series, Atlus, or any subsidiary of the Sega Corporation. This is merely a fan-based work with no monetary gain expected.

Legend:

-Date – Weather – Time-

Location

"Speech"

'Thought'

"Speech from the other line of the phone or electronics"

'Persona speech'

Chapter 1: ...Meanwhile in the Seal...

-1/31/2012-

White. All he saw was white all around him. The horizon was an endless sea of white, as far as the eye can see. But in front of him was a wall, a wall of gold. He found his imprint at the very center of the wall, like it was a marking of his eternal tomb. The air around him… there was no air around him. How he found himself breathing was both a miracle and mystery. There was no sense of weather, any sense of hot and cold, no sense of day or night. There was no food, no water, no life... it was an endless void. And yet, his strength did not falter. He knew he was bound to this fate and would not give anything to alter it. This was the Great Seal, separating the Goddess of Night and the God of Darkness, guarded by the young man with blue hair and impeccable taste in music whom sacrificed his life and soul to ensure the survival of humanity.

It had been this way for two very long years, but there was no way he could have known. There was no sense of time in the Sea of Souls. All he has been doing was listening to the same sixty songs on his blue neck-strap MP3 player. It was amazing that all this time, the batteries never run out, but the Sea of Souls bends reality, warps logic, and eliminates all that makes sense. He could compare it to Davy Jones' Locker, where all who have perished at sea remain in a reality-warped dimension. He needed to find something to keep his mind occupied; the same sixty songs playing for the last two years remained to get any better.

He looked around again, seeing nothing but a sea of white. While the barrier holds back the mighty God of Darkness, Erebus as he was called, he sat on the other side, where Nyx supposedly was. He decided to test this theory out. He slowly let in a gasp of "air" and slowly let it out. Sound can be heard resonating from his throat; he finally found his voice after two years of silence. He wanted to push his limits to see where he can go, a simple word would suffice. He slowly spoke a single word.

"…Hello?"

The silence that followed was deafening. He waited for a response while taking a seat with his back against the seal. He remembered why he did not want to speak for two years; it was like carrying on a conversation with himself. While he felt Erebus getting his ass handed to him by Elizabeth, and Elizabeth occasionally visiting and talking to the seal (he felt her presence), there was no way he could respond; sound could not travel between the barrier. How badly he wanted to talk to her, his only friend in this world. He would soon find out he was not alone in this world. A reply came to him, much to his surprise, in a woman's voice.

"…Who dares speak in my domain?!" it bellowed, startling Makoto out of his bored-like stupor. He wondered if he should respond back. Wait… only his physical image is out of the seal while his internal soul is still holding up the barrier. This voice cannot do anything to him. He was the seal, for all he cared.

"Uh… this is Makoto Yuki… the Great Seal which separates Nyx from Erebus. Who am I speaking to?" he responded slowly, unsure of the outcome of this conversation. Usually, he did not have a problem talking to strangers… only if they were human and could be dealt with if they rubbed him the wrong way. Talking to a faceless being that may or may not be his destruction is another thing. He patiently waited for a response, hoping for the best case scenario. The worst case was that there was a violent, primordial being on this side of the seal and now would have to deal with two things breaking the seal instead of one; he was not ready to deal with that, especially if his physical image was on this side. He chose to materialize on this side for a reason, which Erebus was definitely not on this side of the door.

"Ah… the young man who sacrificed his soul to keep the God of Darkness from touching me. To what may I owe this pleasure, to?" the voice, now female in character, stated. Makoto could not tell if she was being sincere or sarcastic; either could be a different outcome, to say the least. He decided to respond anyways.

"Well, I've been stuck here for a long time and was getting a little, for lack of better term, bored. Just wondering if you could do something about it."

"The Great Seal is rethinking of becoming the Great Seal?" Nyx mocked as she let loose a bone chilling laugh. Makoto frowned at that. He never wanted to become the Seal; no one in their right mind would willingly sacrifice themselves with a smile. He did it out of a sense of duty and what he owed to his friends, teammates, and, most importantly, lover that showed him a way out of darkness; it was only natural that he paid them back with a chance for them to find a reason live as he already found his.

"Do you really have to say it like that?" Makoto asked, exasperated, "I know you are not inherently evil, so why the hate?"

"So you decided to cage me in… well not really, but still!"

"You're still able to move around, just not past this wall. I'm the one who can't move."

"Well, you did materialize a physical copy of yourself on this side of the wall and connected your eyes to it. Shame you don't have enough power to do that to let you see the real world."

"Sh-Sh-SHUT UP!" he yelled.

"Ha ha! I kid, I kid. Just how long has it been since you sealed me up in here?"

"Again, just blocking you with a wall. Didn't seal you in a cage or anything. But, I don't know, based on the amount of times I've played my entire MP3 player, about two years exactly?"

"Ah. Such a long time without anyone to talk to, although I haven't talked with anyone for eons. Then again, I'm the Goddess of Night and don't really need to."

"How do you deal with this boredom? It's increasingly irritating."

"How would I know? I've been watching people for multiple millennia until recently and that's always kept me busy."

"Ugh! You're no help! It's really lonely in this place and you're not making it any better!" Nyx let out a rather loud grunt.

"Okay… we both don't want to be in this situation, but we can't do anything about it. What can I do to make it more… bearable?" Makoto started to think of ways he can make living a life of solitude more tolerable. His thoughts permeated the "air"; everything here was out in the open. No one can hide their thoughts… unless one was Nyx as she was the original inhabitant of this domain. Nyx had suddenly thought of an idea. If Makoto was able to manifest a physical being on this side representing himself and use it as an avatar, there was no doubt she could do the same. She began to work on her special project to hopefully ease the newly found tension. She did not want to deal with an irritable Messiah.

Makoto's thoughts began to wonder. What were all of his friends up to at this point? How did they enjoy their second chance at life? The one time he saw them as the seal was when they were fighting amongst each other with various options to go back in time and save him. He did not want any of that. Still, he began to wonder… did Junpei ever make it out of high school? Was Akihiko a full-time boxer? Did Fuuka ever learn to fully master the art of cooking and make a supercomputer to do it for her? Does Ken still stay at the dorm? Does Koromaru still take long walks with Akihiko? How was Mitsuru faring with leading her company out of darkness? Were she and Akihiko ever going to end up together? Was Aigis doing well as a humanly human robot? And most of all, does Yukari still miss him like she said she did…

If there was one person he missed most of all, it was Yukari. Together, they have been through a lot, keeping each other company at school to fighting grotesque monsters that spewed out of nowhere in a giant tower that seemed to never end. Upon their rocky first meeting (she drew a gun on him, for starters!), their friendship grew out of trust and teamwork, always supporting one another through the best and worst of times. One of those times where Yukari was at her lowest was when Kirijo-san (the head honcho, not one of his best friends) showed an unknowingly doctored video that put Yukari's dad in probably the worst spotlight possible. She ran out of the mansion, crying hysterically, blaming herself for ever believing in him. Makoto took this moment to chase after her and comfort her, igniting a spark that would last through the ages, or at least he hoped so. He would never forget that moment where he was there to pick her up while she was down. And that was all he cared for, to make sure she was never down again.

He still hears her in his thoughts, those silent thoughts that drove him for two years. Here in the Sea of Souls, or the Collective Unconscious (he did not know what to call it anymore), the thoughts of all human beings rang softy in his head. It spooked him at first, but over time, he learnt to tune specific frequencies out to single out specific people as well as channel his own thoughts over the others. He still constantly looked out for his former teammates and most of all, Yukari. He still remembers her last thought, which was three hours ago based on what song he was on during the current reiteration of the playlist.

'I hope he's okay up there; it must get lonely. ~sigh~ I miss you so much, Makoto. I'll still be here waiting for you even in the next life. Maybe I could spend all eternity sitting with your statue at the Seal. You'll still be there waiting for me, right?'

"Of course I'll still be here waiting for you. Hell, I'll even let you inside if I could. We could spend eternity together in here, I don't need anyone else." Of course his thoughts resonated through the void as he was physically part of this dimension, meaning that Nyx heard it. He cringed at the thought of Nyx giving him shit about sappy love stuff, but in the end, what was the Goddess going to do? Speak of the devil…

"Okay, boy. To appease the Messiah of his boredom, loneliness, and, apparently, love-sick heart from the separation from his consort, I have decided to make myself physically present. I hope this keeps you from complaining." She materialized out of thin "air" and stood proudly in front of Makoto. It was one sight to behold.

"Good lord, Yukari's gonna kill me…"

Standing a nice 168 centimeters tall (at the same height as him), the Queen of Night donned a fitting black dress, cut to the knee. Her eyes radiated green pupils and her long, black hair flowed straight down her back to her knees. Her pale complexion provided the needed contrast to the darkness of herself. Her slender figure was complemented by proportionate curves all around, especially her upper chest. Makoto was not sure what to think at this point; his nose was past the point of bleeding, if there were such thing as bleeding. Should he keep staring, or turn away in embarrassment.

'No… Nyx isn't shying away like other girls, more like she's proud of this body she made. But where have I seen that before. It's almost like a weirdly proportionate Medaka from Medaka Box with black hair and a black dress… good manga, but damn I didn't get to finish it! Aside that point, damn does she look good. Must've taken some notes from looking at all of the people down on Earth. I wonder what it's like on the moon. How does it feel to be on the moon? How do- wait a sec… I can hear my thoughts in this dimension… SHIT!'

"Yes, you now remember everyone can hear your thoughts in here. I feel quite flattered. Now what should we do first?" Makoto thought about it a little. For two years, he has not eaten a single bite; there was no need to in this world. He wanted to taste some steak, but he wondered how he was going to cook the steak, let alone find one. Where could one find a random cow in this dimension anyways?

It seemed that Nyx already had the answer. With one wave of a hand, two slabs of a raw 32oz rib eye steak appears along with a grill, two tables, plates, forks, knives, and even napkins. His jaws hit his feet. Just how was she able to materialize things out of nothingness? It seemed Nyx was prepared to answer this question based on how quickly her mouth opened in response.

"Well to answer your question, this Sea of Souls, or the Collective Unconscious (which ever you prefer, I don't care), houses human thoughts and emotions. Of course people would think about steak and food. Anything that humans think can become reality here. That is why when humans wished for death, they called upon Erebus to make it happen, or until you single-handedly stopped it. Any questions?"

"So say if you were to materialize a girl in here…"

"I know what you are thinking, but unless she's the thought of someone from the outside with the same feelings, motives, and personality as you, chances are that she's not going to appear or is not going to be the same. Since you are here, your thoughts will not materialize, unless it is yourself since you need to move around." Makoto became increasingly depressed at that statement.

"Oh don't get all depressed, now. I materialized myself to help appease that. Now, teach me how to cook steak; I've always wanted to see a human actually do it. I've only seen it from afar or heard people think about it. So what do you say? Will that cheer you up?"

"Yeah, sure. So we start with…" Makoto showed Nyx how to properly marinate, season, and grill the steak. Part of him was wondering if it would even taste like anything since it just appeared out of nowhere. About 2 hours later, they had two ready-to-eat steaks served with a side of salad. Makoto feared for his life of how this steak would taste (he used his secret recipe in which only Yukari, Fuuka, and Mitsuru have tried). Even worse, he was debuting this recipe to a Goddess. This for sure will not go over well. Slowly, he picked up his fork and knife and began to cut into the meat. His steak was cooked medium-rare, which he saw a good amount of red and pink, but not too bloody to the point of hearing the steak moo. It was after he finished cooking his steak where Nyx tried to cook hers. Needless to say, it can be said that she was able to grasp concepts quickly. Her steak came out even better than Makoto's, if one was going for a perfect rare steak. He glanced over to her plate as she sliced it open with the steak knife. Outside was a perfectly dark brown coat with red meat, oozing with red juices. They ate their meal in silence, not daring to bother each other.

As far as Makoto can tell, the steak tasted pretty genuine. He was not sure how it was possible that something out of thin air could taste so real, yet it was like a projected image. He just remembered, though, that people's thoughts make up the Collective Unconscious; their thoughts of taste probably made its way into the steak as a collective thought on how it was supposed to taste. But that aside, it dawned on Makoto that boundless creative freedom exists here. After they had finished their steak, he wanted to see if he could summon a one-handed sword, a simple one for starters.

"Hey Nyx," Makoto suddenly said, making Nyx look up from her giant steak, "how did you summon these things?"

"Quite simple, actually. Thoughts of all humans make their way in here. There's bound to be someone thinking of what you are thinking at the moment. So all you have to do is think about it yourself and it will appear right in front of you."

"Oh. Let me try one. I'll create a sword." Makoto waited for a thought to come in about swords. He thought for five or so minutes before he recognized one thought, and who it belonged to. Unsurprisingly, the thought was about him, S.E.E.S, and the times he went through with his katana. He must have come across his katana in his closet or something.

"Here's the sword of my best friend, Junpei!"

A katana with black lacing and a silver handle materialized in Makoto's hand. He swung it around with pride and gusto as Nyx watched on. She manifested her own sword: another katana, belonging to a teenager she identified as Yu Narukami.

"Say, I saw you wield a blade against my avatar, Ryoji. I would like to test your skills myself." Makoto smirked at the proposition.

"Well, now that you asked for it, I'm not holding back." Within an instant, their swords clashed. A loud ring echoed through the void and reverberated from the golden wall. They evenly exchanged blows for well over an hour. But that did not matter, no one here got sapped of energy because they were just mere projections. Makoto was still in the Seal and Nyx was still an omnipotent being.

"Oh yeah," Nyx began as they continued clashing swords, "did I ever tell you that I wasn't planning to bring the Fall."

"…what…" Makoto responded flatly, as he tried to charge at the opening, failing to see her right knee go up.

"You see, the human collective was represented by Erebus, or as you read in Greek Mythology, my ass of a husband. They call upon him to try to touch me so I will bring about the end, but in truth, I didn't want that, I don't want to mess with the order of things. You could call me indifferent about the situation. But if Erebus were to touch me, your species would be at its end. I'm kinda glad you put a stop to that."

"Heh, it was no biggie. Just had to sacrifice my soul in exchange for 7 billion more to live on. What's so bad about losing a guy instead of everyone, right?"

"Well that's one way to look at it. Let's do something else. This sword play is getting quite boring since we are on equal footing. Your training is impeccable."

"Heh, well thanks. This was eight years of kendo training and a year of fighting shadows. Really honed in my swordsmanship." They both stopped and put down their weapons.

"I know! Let's make futons so I can finally get some rest! This white floor is kinda uncomfortable," Makoto suggested.

"I would agree." They both materialized futons on separate sides of their now "designated" area. They had set up a small, circular wall to enclose them in. They continued to make furniture that made up pseudo living quarters. It seemed as if they created a fairly large, open-spaced apartment with a living area, dining area, kitchen, gaming center, tennis court, sparring ring, two separate bedrooms, dressers, and pretty much anything you could find in an apartment. Their usual activities ranged from about 8 hours of rest, 3 hours of total eating, 2 hours of exercise, an hour of leisure reading, an hour of talking to each other about various things, an hour of gaming, 5 to 6 hours of studying, 2 hours of trying something new, and about half an hour of bathing. Of course with bathing, they had curtains that go up. This went on for almost two months.

They were in the middle of playing tennis when Nyx suddenly stopped and dropped her racket. Makoto stared at her as he noticed her face change. It went from being content and satisfied to concerned and worried.

"Hey Nyx," Makoto called out from the other side of the court, "you okay over there?"

"Well, on the bright side, it feels as if a great burden was lifted from this land, like the truth was finally revealed and dealt with accordingly. But, now I have this feeling that there is more trouble brewing, like there was more to the situation that meets the eye. Even I don't know what it is. Whatever is out there is plotting something against this universe, but you and I can't do anything about it. This Malevolent Entity I'm sensing… I don't like it and I feel it will endanger your friends." Makoto's face darkened.

"…How are you sure about this?"

"You see, I am one of the beings who willingly live in and watch over this dimension. You'll gain that power soon enough. I can see and sense outside this seal where as you cannot. I know Erebus has been reforming itself after the ass kicking your teammates did. It's not remotely as strong, but it has regained its full physical form. But let's get back on subject, there is a threat out there and could be targeting your friends who wield personas. I don't know what to do here, but since Erebus can only bring about the Fall without my full power. I believe we can stop it from happening if I leave a part of my existence up here while my physical self and the rest of my existence will be in your dimension."

"Well, I can't do anything because I don't have any power here! Why are you asking me what to do even if I have no way to communicate with the outside world?!" Nyx became thoughtful after that comment.

"Well, I have an idea. It may not work, but we will give it our best shot. You see, I have a feeling that we can connect with the outside world if we find someone exactly like you in potential and history, meaning wild card status, who hasn't awaken to their persona yet. If that person already has their persona, their mind becomes clouded with their other self and it will be impossible to establish a communication link. It should be fine to talk to said person after they awaken their persona, though (counting that we've established a link beforehand). They don't have to have the same personality though, due to having multiple personalities as a wild card."

"Well, it's the only shot we've got. So let's start scanning." Nyx stood on her side of the court and concentrated her power, closing her eyes and clasping her hands over her heart. Her form began to emit a green aura that lit the entire void, going through the wall. This green wave show continued for over an hour before she stopped emitting green waves. She slowly opened her eyes and her hands fell to her sides.

"I believe I found a worthy candidate, although it may not be who you'd expect. I shall create a TV for a link to this person so as we connect with her, we can see what is going on in the outside world. This is the only chance we have to warn the others. Are you ready to see who your counterpart is?" Makoto stood, shaking. He gulped as she created a large 213cm display from Sony, more specifically the Sony XBR 4K 84" TV. She then concentrated her power again, taking Makoto's information, and emitting blue light at the TV. The TV flipped on and revealed a…

...

-3/21/2012 – 11:00 PM – Clear Skies-

Iwatodai, Japan

For ten years up until two years ago, she felt something was off with her. It was every day at midnight where the world turned a sickly green. She would always pass it off as an extra hour of needed sleep. She never told anyone about it in fear of other marking her as delirious, but she pressed on. She had no real set of parents to call her own; she remembered the night someone came to her house and told her that there had been an accident at her father's workplace. Her mother was picking up her father after he got called in for an emergency at around midnight. It was that time where she first noticed the world turned its sickly green color. She went down to the first floor to check on her aunt who was living with them at the time.

-Flashback – 12/21/1999 - Dark Hour -

"…Obasan…" she cautiously yelled, echoing throughout the house. The air was cold, dense, and had the distinct smell of blood. Where ever there was water, it turned to blood. She feared the worst when her aunt did not respond. After all, the air did smell like blood. She slowly approached her aunt's bedroom and opened it up. What she saw next scarred her for life. In the bed that her aunt was supposed to be in was a black coffin. She could not hold back the scream she was attempting to hold in. Locking herself in her room, shutting all of the blinds, and retreating to the darkest corner of the room, she crouched up in a fetal position and cried to herself, waiting for it to be all over. Just as all hope seemed lost, everything reverted back to its original color, the air became warm and humid again, and the scent returned to its original, musty odor. But as she stood up, the doorbell rang. Her aunt was at the door by the time she got down. A tall man with dark hair, a dark suit, and an eye patch greeted the two with a solemn tone.

"Good evening… is the young Ms. Arisato here?" he slowly started. She slowly nodded her head, her aunt looking down at her. The next words that came out of his mouth were the most painful to hear, and still haunts her to this very day.

"I regret to inform you of Mr. and Mrs. Arisato's passing in a company accident. I am truly sorry and offer my dearest condolences. Your father was one of my dearest friends and coworkers…" he began to break down in tears, even leaking through his eye patch, "…and your mother was a very dear friend of mine as well. I am so sorry, Minako…" he cried. She did not know what was going on. All she saw at the moment was the tall man in the black suit with the leaking eye patch embracing her in a hug. She knew him from her father's company and their gatherings. She would sometimes see his daughter, with dark-red hair that was three years older than her, another girl with short brown hair that was two years older than her, and a boy with silver hair who was around her age. Regardless, she was let go of the embrace and the man left without another word, his face hardened and stained with tears. Her aunt retreated to her room and she began to hear muffled crying at the loss of her beloved sister. Minako retreated up to her room, closed the door, and replayed the words of the man with the eye patch. She slowly sunk down at her door and the dam finally broke.

-End Flashback-

All of these thoughts about the "Green Hour" made Minako frown as she retreated up to her room for the evening. She promised herself that she would try not to remember the first time she experienced the Green Hour. Her aunt was probably downstairs sleeping in her room. For 12 years, her aunt had been caring for Minako, sending her off to the best boarding schools money could buy. Her parents' will allowed for that, as well as the Kirijo's Group compensation on behalf of the Chairman himself. She had just completed her 2nd year at the nationally renowned Gekkoukan High School.

It was strange how about two years ago, the Green Hour just stopped appearing. It was like someone or something had stopped it. She thought about the strangeness of not getting an extra hour worth of sleep or time to do homework. She learnt to tune out the sounds of monsters that echoed across the city. But it was a welcomed change and a burden lifted from her heart. She plopped herself down on her bed, took a look at her room decorated in red, and turned the lights out. Within minutes, she drifted off into…

...

She woke up in what looks like white area with furniture everywhere. The area was sectioned off to seem like an apartment of sorts with no walls. In front of her was a young man, probably two or so years older than her in her high school's uniform, and a young woman looking about the same age in a very form-fitting dress. They looked at her with amazement as she stared back at them with fear and confusion.

"…ummm…who are you guys and what the hell am I doing here? No, the correct question is how did I get here?" Makoto tried to answer, but could not. Nyx was just too amazed that it even worked.

"Hey! I want some answers here! Am I dreaming?"

"In a sense, yes," Nyx finally answered, "we summoned you here because we have a task that we think only you can do." Minako recoiled, again.

"…wait! Why me?"

"Because you hold my level of potential and have a very similar history, and thus I can only communicate through you to the outside world."

"Wait, back the hell up! What do you mean?"

"You know how the Dark Hour stopped? You have to have experienced it before, right?" Minako tried to understand the question, but ultimately could not. Makoto decided to help her out a little bit.

"Okay… did you ever experience a time of day when the world would have this really weird green tint, everyone would turn to coffins, saw pools of blood everywhere, and everything would smell like blood?" Now Minako gets where they are driving at.

"Oh," Minako finally replied, "you mean the Green Hour?"

"Well my friends and I called it the Dark Hour. Same concept. You know it stopped, right?"

"Uh, yeah. Two years ago I believe. How did it end? You seem to know a lot about it."

"Yes, because my parents died in a car accident on the Moonlight Bridge on the night the Dark Hour started. I've been experiencing it for as long as you have. And to answer your question, I put a stop to it." Minako looked rather amazed.

"So wait… how did you actually stop it?"

"You see this golden wall over there?" Makoto pointed to the right of himself, "that is the actual me while the person you are staring at is merely a projection of myself. Same goes with her." He gestured towards Nyx.

"The Dark Hour was where these creatures called Shadows would come out and prey on humans not in their coffins. They attack the mentally weak-minded. I'm assuming yours is quite strong, or you would've been eaten 12 years ago. But that aside, humanity wished for Death and brought about a creature in this dimension to make it happen called Erebus. Since Nyx here is the Goddess of Night and Erebus is the God of Darkness, any contact between the two would result in the end of humanity and the Dark Hour was to facilitate that, first slowly eating humanity away. When the day came for Erebus to make his move, I had to step in and create a barrier between the two, sacrificing my soul in the process. Understand a bit better, now?" Minako looked as if she was going to faint, but nodded in response.

"I guess I should thank you for saving humanity and giving me and the rest of the world a chance to live in peace." Makoto only smiled.

"Good! Now I can't communicate with the outside world while I'm in here, but because you have the same power as I do, just not awakened yet, I am tasking you to find these people and deliver this message. The first one to be warned is Mitsuru Kirijo, since she is the leader of my team. You will find her at the University of Iwatodai, I think. If not, just ask around. After that, please tell a girl named Yukari (ask Mitsuru) that I'm okay and am still waiting for her. I have drafted this letter in anticipation of your arrival that details the message. It details of a great threat that we just learned here in the world, so deliver it as fast as you can. Can you do that for us?" Minako nodded again.

"I'll do my best! But how will I still have the letter if I'm dreaming." Makoto chuckled softly, his hands in his pockets.

"Well, that's because you're not dreaming and this is a state between dream and reality. I assume something will pick you up and send you someplace else." And as he said that, Minako fainted.

...

She woke up in a room, playing soft piano music. It looked like an office filled with… blue. There were shelves full of books and smaller shelves full of various wines and spirits. There was a chair seated in front of a round table with a chair in front of it and sofas flanking either side. There were occupants in all three chairs. The person in front of her was the most interesting of the three; he was quite elderly donned in a tuxedo, a rose in the front pocket, long white hair in areas where it's not bald, and a nose with seemingly endless length.

'This just feels like I'm in a nightmare…'

The next person was a lady in blue. She reminded Minako of a bellhop. She had a blue cap and a short blue dress that had large gold buttons that went down the center and black lines that traverse the dress. The person sitting on the other couch looked exactly like the lady, but male, wore a blue tux and black slacks. Both were elegant and proper with the way they handled their rather large books they held in their arms. The old man in the center suddenly looked up, his bulging, bloodshot eyes gazing into her. She tensed up rather quickly, unable to move or make a sound.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," the old man spoke, "My name is Igor. Please to make your acquaintance. These two here are my assistants, Elizabeth and Theodore, although Elizabeth is just visiting today as she has other matters to attend to. My other assistant is currently away on an errand; you will meet her in the near future. Theodore is a resident here, like myself." It was then the two stood up from their couches, faced Minako, and bowed. The female spoke first.

"Please to meet you. We will be running into each other often." The male spoke next.

"Pleasure to meet you." It was then the old man spoke again.

"Ah, it seems you have been assigned a task by one of our previous guests. From what I understand, there is a looming danger that nears and could be the end of the world as we know it. The nature of this danger and what it is, I do not know. You must find the others and band together, as one man alone cannot face such a danger. Let us create a contract, in which you will abide to no matter how great the cost." A red notebook appears on the table flipped open to reveal finely printed letters and a signature area at the bottom. Minako read it to herself to make sure she was reading the right thing.

"I, Minako Arisato, hereby take full responsibility of any and all actions I may make, no matter how great the cost." She scanned up and down to see if there was any fine print, finding nothing.

'It seems like a simple contract, but the weight of it is almost unbearable. It looks like I'm the only one that currently has the power to do this. I'll manage somehow.' She took the pen and signed the document at the bottom. Igor took this chance to speak again.

"Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place… Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return... that you abide by the contract and assume responsibility for the choices that you make."

"But that was what was on the contract!"

"Ah… sometimes, others tend to go against what they say and do. A hypocrite, if you will. We do not have a tolerance for that here, so as long as your actions are genuine and you own up to those actions, then you are within your contract. Remember, your world will change around you; it is up to you whether you accept this change or not. We, as the Velvet Room, can only guide you so far." A blue key materializes out of thin air and lands on the table.

"Hold on to this… this will grant you access to the Velvet Room, upon which you will come of your own accord. Time marches on in your world. Til we meet again." Minako blacked out again and woke up in… her own room.

...

-12:00 AM-

Tokyo, Japan

It was still out of habit for him to still be up and about at this hour. He stared intently at the TV, waiting for something to happen, although he felt nothing should happen after all that had transpired the past year. His parents, after a year-long absence, had returned from their business overseas for the Kirijo Group. At the stroke of midnight, he felt something vibrate from his right pocket. A blue glow emanated from his pocket, his Velvet Room key. It had seemed the room was active once again, not after a day he had left. This was something he needed to investigate.

...

-3/22/2012 – Clear Skies – 10:00 AM-

Iwatodai, Japan

Minako woke up with a massive headache. Light permeated the window next to her queen bed, which looked out to the sea across the street. It was a nice sized room, given the location of the apartment they lived in. There was red everywhere in her room. Her sheet set and pillow were red, her furniture had a red varnish, her TV was a deep red, even the majority of her clothing ranged from red to orange, the only non-red clothing item being her school uniform. She only had one thought in mind, though.

'Was it all just a dream? That had to be the strangest dream I've had, much better than the other ones I had… especially those dreams…' She glanced over to her night stand and saw an object that was never there before: a folded up letter.

'Wait… a dude gave me a letter in the dream. Please tell me this is not the same letter…' She took the hand-written letter and opened it. It read as follows:

Mitsuru-senpai,

It has been two years since I've become the Great Seal. I'm sure you all have moved on in some form or fashion, but I would like to tell you something. I have met Nyx in person as the Great Seal and she seems to be indifferent towards the state of humanity. She never wished for humanity to end, she just wanted to keep the status quo and ensure the peacefulness of our existence. Erebus was the one who wanted to end all humanity, but needed Nyx to bring about the Fall. Regardless, it seems she has powers of sensing things in the dimension I currently reside in. It has been brought to our attention that there is a disturbance that is developing that can jeopardize the state of the universe. Apparently, the persona users and people who harbor the potential are the only ones who can combat it, and this disturbance is targeting persona users at the same time. I need you to warn the others if possible.

Also, to prevent the Fall from happening again, we need to figure out a way to keep the seal up, get Nyx and I out of this dimension, keep Erebus at bay when doing so, and stopping this disturbance. Find a girl named Elizabeth for that. Minako Arisato here is the line of communication between here and your dimension. Please don't over-stress her.

Your dear friend and comrade,

Makoto Yuki

P.S: Can you tell Yukari that I'm okay and still waiting for her here? I'll be back in this dimension in no time if this plan goes well.

'So his name is Makoto Yuki and the girl is the Goddess of Night, Nyx…' She put the letter back in her pocket and put on her favorite red sundress. She, apparently, had a lot to do today.

'Okay, so I need to find a person named Mitsuru Kirijo… wait is it the same Kirijo as the one where Dad used to work? Wait a second…' She thought about it for a moment and remembered the man with the eye patch. She never got his full name. 'Well, it's time to go for a manhunt… in this case, a woman-hunt.'

"Obasan, I'm going out!"

"Okay, dear! Be back in time for dinner!"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" With that, she made her way out the door and into the heart of Iwatodai.

She had memorized the city in and out, back to front, side to side. The University of Iwatodai was one place that could be seen from space; the campus was just that large. It was extremely hard to miss and even had its own network of roads; there was even a freeway that ran through the center of it. The campus and its sheer size had always amazed her, always catching her attention causing her to occasionally space out. As soon as she got past the gate, however, she ran into a woman with long flowing red hair carrying a box full of rather large textbooks… well was carrying it and now strewn across the floor. The woman's intimidating facial expression immediately terrified poor Minako.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, mam! Let me help you pick up your books!" she cried frantically, not wanting to anger the rather intimidating woman in front of her. She was prepared and ready to receive a lashing from this woman when she looked up. The woman's expression softened, but still retained a frown having finished recollecting her box of books.

"It's no problem; I shouldn't be carrying this many books anyways," the woman calmly said. She looked down and saw the letter that Minako had dropped.

"Here, you dropped this," she said, handing Minako the letter. She suddenly gazed at Minako, as if trying to remember something, or someone.

'Where have I seen this girl before? My memories don't serve me well. Maybe a name would do…'

"So, what's your name, if you don't mind me asking?"

"…ummm… Minako Arisato. Pleasure to meet you." Minako bowed. The woman's eyes widened, as if she remembered exactly who it was.

'Oh my! It's been so long since I've seen her! 12 years to be exact!'

"Oh, can I help you with anything?" the woman suddenly asked, startling Minako. She thought of something and looked down to the letter.

"Oh!" Minako started, "do you happen to know of a Mitsuru Kirijo? I'm supposed to hand this letter to her." The woman let out a hardy chuckle.

"I may know where to find her. In fact, she might be in front of you as we speak." Minako tilted her head in confusion, question marks floating above her head.

"I'm Mitsuru Kirijo, chairwoman of the Kirijo Group. It's a pleasure to see you, again," Mitsuru bowed.

'Again? I don't remember ever… wait… no, I do remember now! She was the redhead that used to go to all of the company outings when I was 4!'

"What was this letter you're supposed to hand to me?" Mitsuru asked, looking down at the letter.

"Oh… funny story, this letter happened to be handed to me in a dream and I was just simply asked to give it to you. I'm also supposed to find a girl named Yukari Takeba. You wouldn't happen to know where she is, right?" Mitsuru's eyes widened again, and took the letter from Minako. She opened it and read it. Her face hardened and glared at Minako. She tensed up, as a result.

"…how did you get this letter, again?" she said, slowly, with increasing anger in her voice. Mitsuru glared at the letter again. She knew Makoto's signature by heart. It was exactly the same as in all of the official documents she kept of him.

"…I told you, in a dream…" Minako trailed off. Mitsuru knew there was no way Minako, or anyone else in the world could have forged Makoto's signature; it was just too hard to pull off. Still, she glared straight into Minako's eyes.

"You had better not be lying to me because Makoto is one of my most important friends, and if you or anyone else were to have played this sick joke on me or my other friends, you will pay dearly whether or not you were a family friend." Minako sunk deeper into fear, feeling the air grow rather cold for March; she swore she saw an icy breathe coming out of Mitsuru. The pre-execution ritual suddenly stopped when Artemisia suddenly rang in her head, sensing something off about Minako.

'…she has the potential! And it matches with those of Makoto's!' Mitsuru's face relaxed and the temperature around them changed back into warmth.

"Arisato-san, please follow me to my office. There is something I would like to discuss with you regarding the letter and about what you have. I also need to make a call to my best friend to meet me up in the office as well…" Minako finally relaxed, having been spared the icy execution of Mitsuru.

"…ummm, okay; would you like help carrying your books?" she offered, trying to be polite.

"…that would be nice…" Mitsuru said as they walked towards the street and spotting a limousine waiting for them. She started to dial her phone as she stepped into the limo.

"Hello?" the other line answered. The voice was female and had a tone of cheeriness and optimism, not at all what Minako had envisioned as Mitsuru's best friend.

"Yukari? It's me, Mitsuru. I have some news for you and we have a situation on our hands. Meet me at my office in 20 minutes."

"Wait! What's going on?!"

"I'll save the explanations for later! Just meet me at my office!"

"Okay, okay! I'll see yah in a bit." She hung up the phone. Minako stared on in wonder and confusion. She decided it was best to just wait for more answers.

'What a strange day… and I probably won't be home in time for dinner...' Minako thought as she got into the limo, heading to the Kirijo Group's headquarters.

A/N: As this is not my main project, the updates will be rather slow. Thank you for understanding and please review! I did my best to try to explain the premise behind this project and its many theories. The next chapter will happen after P4: Arena and P4: Ultimax.