I do not own Persona 5 as its rightly owned by Atlus while it's created and made in P-Studio, I also do not own any of the characters within the universe of Persona nor any of it's music as they rightfully belong to their creators and companies, the only thing I own in this entire story is my OC and nothing more.
Chapter 1
A Desperate Act
Within a circular room room full of prison cells, a frizzy black haired youth wearing an black ankle-length tailcoat, a high-necked waistcoat with gold accents, black jogger-style pants, brown-black winklepickers, and a pair of red gloves with a mask is a black and white, birdlike domino mask stared upon the young girl he had just seen being brought about fusing the two wardens as a a young girl with long platinum hair and golden eyes as her attire appeared to be that of a French or Victorian era maid with a blue dress, and a rather stylish matching headband with white butterfly ornaments and yellow roses.
"My name... is Lavenza, Thank you, Kurisu Akira. I was torn apart by a malevolent will and took on the form of those twins however, I sought help before my body was spilt in two." Lavenza explained as Akira was confused by this.
"A malevolent will?" Akira asked before remembering the blue butterfly that spoke to him within the interrogation room and how the voice was familiar. Before his thoughts were brought to a stop as Lavenza spoken once more."I believed in you, I knew that you would make it thus far." Lavenza praised Akira with admiration before redirecting her attention to a long nosed man in a black suit, standing much taller than both of them.
"And to the scoundrel who swindled my master's name... Your lies shall work no longer now that my sight has been restored!" Lavenza stated as the long nosed man responded. "The game isn't over yet."
Akira looked upon this man, he was supposedly the Master of the Velvet Room, Igor who he had been giving him power in form of a Social Link of the Fool and the man literally hovered in mid-air, his entire body notably darkening and his bulging eyes shining white, a red wind blowing from underneath the hovering form.
"Whether the human world is left as is or destroyed and rebuilt, it is all but sport to me." Igor's voice had turned more more demonic with a double tone as Lavenza glanced to Akira. "Be careful. " Lavenza cautioned the youth and Akira stared at Igor.
"What are you?" Akira asked warily and Igor soon responded. "If I were to put it into words you can comprehend, I am the Holy Grail that grants wishes... No, it may be more accurate to say I am a god who responds desire and holds dominion over man... I hoped seeing a righteous thief vanquish evil would inspire mankind to change own their indolent hearts... However, the results is as you know, the masses made it so none of it transpired, humans should be met with ruin, you brought forth that answer." Igior explained, looking down upon the two inhabitants.
"But to be frank inmate, I believe it may be worth re-evaluating you... A human has sought out the Holy Grail and has seen through my true identity... You've surprised the god that I am often enough, that cannot be done by a foolish commoner, you truly were the prisoner that did not bore me." Igor said and Akira felt a much more stronger connection with... whatever this god was, he blanked out the words echoing in his head.
"Perhaps observing you a while longer may prove amusing, I shall grant you the opportunity to make a deal with me." Igor offered and Akira relaxed himself, keeping his air of calmness and swagger to the forefront, pocketing his red gloves into his pockets, standing up straight. "What is this deal?" Akira slowly asked.
"Should you wish it, I shall return the world to its prior state, one rampant with distorted masses.." Igor offered and Akira was taken aback by this proposition. "Revert the world to what it was before? Can he really do that?" Akira thought in surprise as Lavenza spoken up. "You forcefully dragged him into the Metaverse and imposed an ordeal he did not deserve... Yet you are still intend on toying with him!?"
Igor spread his arms out and continued, undaunted by the blonde's remark. "The Phantom Thieves will be praised and gain fame, the world will escape ruin as well, what say you?" Igor asked and Akira had to think. "This means all my friends will come back after we failed in our mission and the world returned to normal without the Metaverse appearing in the Real World." Akira thought wistfully, the image of his fellow thieves being erased by the masses was still very much fresh in his mind.
"However, the con will be the populace will be trapped, unable to think for themselves... Is that how the world should be? ...No, we lost too much already and what is there to say we won't suffer something much worse than being forgotten by the people? With this, everyone will be safe again." Akira considered and he inhaled and exhaled, eyes closed before reopening them once again.
"Very well... I accept your offer." Akira stated and Lavenza's eyes grew wide as Igor chuckled. "The contract is sealed then..." Igor said and Akira spoke again. "It's a very good deal." as Lavenza looked away.
"A pact between a false god and the human we've placed our hopes on, even we could have not predicted this., you have even undone my master's wish, you are a Trickster after all..." Lavenza said sadly as Igor chuckled once more. "You are truly a child of man, it seems even you cannot hope to win against your own desires, there is no need to ashamed, I will grant you that wish..." Igor stated before laughing as Akira soon was taken by darkness and Lavenza remained still.
"No..." Lavenza despaired as Igor focused his attention upon the lone woman. "The game is over, I have won and proven that man does desire to be controlled, free will is but a useless thing that should not exist, I shall watch over this world, the Velvet Room is of no further use to me, may you and your master wallow together in misery." Igor said before departing in a black wisp of smoke.
Lavenza turned around and saw a flash of blue light as a wooden desk and the familiar long nosed man appeared, this was the true Igor. "Master!" Lavenza said in concern and Igor stirred, looking upon the young assistant.
"Lavenza... did our..." Igor asked and looked in the empty room. "We.. did not anticipate the Trickster accepting the false god's offer Master... the world is now under his control, the masses unable to think for themselves indefinitely..." Lavenza said and Igor puts his hand together.
"I... see, then our last effort to save humanity has been rendered unfruitful... It is a shame we cannot ask previous Guests to help in this matter..." Igor said and Lavenza nodded. "Master... I am so sorry, I was unfit to be of assistance to the Trickster and to your freedom, we are but imprisoned within this place... never to host another Guest again." Lavenza said sorrowfully.
"Do not blame yourself my dear, we did not prepare for all possible scenarios in such a small amount of time... I sense some people trapped within this place, are they...?" Igor asked and Lavenza spoke. "The Trickster's companions, however, with him accepting the offer, they will remain trapped in here as only the Trickster's strong bonds could hope to rescue them from the prison this place has become."
Igor let loose a sigh, he could not reach out to those young people as he wasn't bonded to the group and Lavenza set her grimoire on the table. "We... really cannot do anything can we Master?" Lavenza asked to confirm it and Igor nodded briefly and closed his eyes, the eerie quietness of the room remaining for what felt like an eternity.
"What is this..." Igor muttered, something caught his attention, there was some kind of... invisible presence within the room that was slowly fading, Igor stood up, pushing the blue chair he sat in back as he walked around the table. "Master?" Lavenza asked and Igor raised his hands to feel the presence out.
"There is something here that the false god was unable to change... Lavenza, I require your assistance immediately!" Igor said and Lavenza snapped to attention, getting her grimoire off the table and looked to her Master. "What do you need me to do?" Lavenza asked and Igor took her hand and Lavenza felt a power guiding her, her Master directing her to the fading presence. "What is this Master? It doesn't feel malevolent as the false god..." Lavenza said in low tone of surprise.
"I do not know but if we can give this presence form, we may be able to have a tiny hope of a chance to turn things around, lend me your power.." Igor said and Lavenza nodded, closing her eyes with her grimoire open as tarot cards spiralled out of the book and Igor directing them to the middle of the room, the cards slowly beginning to spin.
A golden sphere soon was forming before it gradually took on a human like shape of a young male and Igor looked considerably strained, beads of sweat pouring down and a burst of light suddenly exploded outwards, blinding the Master of the Velvet Room momentarily as there was an audible thump and a young voice.
"Ow, what the hell... I was just playing Person-" The voice said in utter bewilderment and confusion and Lavenza looked upon the youth, it was a brown haired young male with flat hair, his eyes were a surprising brown and greenish hue, his clothes consisted of a black jacket with two breast zip pockets and two more at the side as it was unzipped, revealing a red shirt underneath and black trousers with black trainers, the youth appeared to be a young adult, possibly the same age group as the Trickster.
"Master..." Lavenza said as Igor stood still as the youth took in his surroundings of the Velvet Room as a prison "This place is..." The youth finally took notice of the two residents. "You're...!" as Igor bowed slightly. "Welcome to the Velvet Room, my name is Igor, I am delighted to make your acquaintance, this place-" Igor begun to say as the youth interrupted his monologue.
"You're Igor and this is the Velvet Room, existing between dream and reality, mind and matter right!?" the youth said and Igor was taken aback by the youth knowing of this. "It is indeed, may I ask who you are...?" igor begun to ask and the boy stood up immediately.
"Kaito sir, Kaito Kurayami." Kaito introduced himself as Igor moved to sit behind his desk and Kaito looked at him. "So um.. not to be rude sir, but is this a dream I'm having right now?" Kaito asked and Lavenza spoke, "No... this is very real."
Kaito pinched himself to check, he definitely felt a shot of pain then looked to the young blonde taking a a few moments to take in her appearance. "Okay, you are definitely more cuter than Elizabeth and Margaret, what's your name?" Kaito said and Lavenza found a warm feeling beginning to rush up to her face. "He... finds me cuter than my sisters? Wait... how does..." Lavenza thought in surprise.
"This is Lavenza, my assistant, it seems you are.. familiar with my other assistants, I have had many guests but not one who returned after their journey was completed... how do you know of them?" Igor said, one of his eyebrows raised and he hands clasped together.
"Well, you see..." Kaito said, rubbing a hand behind his head. "Can I... sit down first sir?" Kaito asked and Igor nodded, making a hand gesture as a chair soon materialized a few feet away from him and Kaito rather gingerly, sat in the chair, it honestly felt like Igor was a headmaster and he was being scolded as Lavenza took her place beside her Master.
"You see... I know of them because I played this series called Persona and I went through a few of the journey you set your guests out on like Minato Arisato, Aigis and even Yu Narukami." Kaito said Igor was certainly intrigued. "We have had guests by those names, you say we are... part of this series called Persona yes? What have you witnessed from these journeys?" Igor inquired.
"Well... I seen their ends of reaching the truth they were looking for, I think Minato kind of gotten the bad deal being the Great Seal between Nyx and Erebus while sacrificing himself, but the whole journey did make quite an evaluation on Death and how one accept or rejects it... Yu Narukami was more thrilling in solving the fog and the murders, eventually reaching the truth, that one is likely one of my all time favourites-" Kaito stopped when Igor raised a hand.
"That is enough for now, what you say does indeed correlate with what I have witnessed but my next question, why is it we were able to bring you here? If I recall, you said you were playing Persona?" Igor asked and Kaito shifted under the Master's gaze and breathed.
"Yes sir, I was playing the newest instalment and was just about to make my choice of turning down the false god's offer until well... my screen kind of turned bright enough I had to look away and then I was dropped here." Kaito answered in an unsure tone.
"The choice... you mean to say you were playing as the Trickster?" Lavenza tentatively asked and Kaito nodded. "Yes ma'am, in the Persona series, we kind of follow the story of the Wild Card and make the choices based on what we learnt and in turn, when we beat said game, we felt we have accomplished something meaningful and connect with the characters." Kaito answered.
"Master... what does this mean?" Lavenza asked him, turning her head as Igor looked pensive for a few moment. "It seems the reality of our world is seen as a game in another universe and we may of incidentally pulled this young man from his universe to ours." Igor stated calmly.
"Wait, universe...? I thought..." Kaito begun to say and Igor noted the young man's pupils go smaller, the man was about to go into a panic attack. "Calm yourself... it may be possible we could return you back to your reality however, at this current time, that will not be possible at all." Igor said calmly with his eyes closed.
"What... do you mean?" Kaito asked as Lavenza walked around the side of the table and produced a cup of water to which Kaito gratefully accepted, drinking it to calm his nerves. "We mean the power to send you back home won't happen because of the circumstances we are currently in... Master, may I...?" Lavenza said and Igor nodded, Lavenza taking a deep breath.
"Not too long ago, the human we placed our hopes on, the Trickster was able to discover the truth of what was distorting the masses and managed to reform who I originally was meant to be, however, the false god, offered the Trickster fame and order which he took, I imagine the fear of being erased from the masses collective consciousness may have been a part of that, all of this was designed by the false god to take humanity's free will and forever imprison my Master, even preparing a counter piece to our Trickster, the game was unfortunately rigged to his favour, we placed all our hopes on the Trickster's personality and choice to save us... it backfired on us in a way we did not expect." Lavenza said solemnly, explaining the situation and waited a few minutes to let this information sink in before continuing.
"With the Trickster's choice, we are forever imprisoned in this room, unable to invite any more Guests to save humanity from the ruin it faces, it was then my Master sensed a invisible presence and so, with our power, we pulled upon it and in its place, you appeared, I do not know how it happened but it did cost us much of our power." Lavenza admitted honestly.
"I believe it may have been a Social Link between yourself and the Trickster that was unintentionally created nor were either of you aware of such a connection as you witnessed the Trickster's adventure through your eyes and experienced what he experienced." Igor suggested at a possible explanation.
"Okay... so... how will you two get me back home?" Kaito asked and Igor looked pensive. "That... remains to be seen, we truly do not wish for you to share our fate, not when you have your own life to live... perhaps... allow me a moment." Igor closed his eyes and remained quiet.
"So you're Lavenza..." Kaito said, looked ot the girl and she nodded. "I am indeed, forgive me for this instance but..." and Kaito was about to ask something and Igor opened his eyes as both of them looked upon the Master of the Velvet Room. "We may be able to send you back if humanity regains its free will and the Velvet Room free of being crudely imprisoned... however that will not be an easy task." Igor stated.
"But you said you can't do anything like that... so why..." Kaito begun to ask and Igor spoke, cutting him off. "We may not be able to do something about it but you on the other hand, may be able to do so." Igor stated calmly and now there was confusion in the air.
"Master, what do you mean he will be able to do what we can not?" Lavenza inquired and Igor breathed, that air thick with tension. "This young man has experienced all of the Trickster's adventure and shared a most unusual bond with him, one that not even we couldn't foresee, it seems the Social Link is capable of sending this young man back to the earliest point in the Trickster's rehabilitation and taking his place." Igor said and Kaito blinked in confusion.
"You mean.. time travel?" Kaito asked and Igor nodded. "In a sense, since the Trickster willingly entrapped himself within the false god's world, the young man's existence is a separate entity within that world, however, we may be able to replace you into the Trickster's past and perhaps change the course of history that has been written." Igor explained and Lavenza's eyes widened and Kaito held up a hand.
"Won't I take on his appearance or Persona though?" Kaito asked and Igor shook his head. "Not exactly, the cognition of the Trickster is his own as is Arsene of the Fool Arcana, you'd be taking his place in both body and soul, what your cognitive self will be or your Persona, that is hard to tell." Igor admitted honestly.
"Then... won't I be changing the past and changing how I was brought here, I seen many movies where changing the past affects the future and the people?" Kaito asked and Igor continued. "The events you'll experience is what the Trickster has experienced and like I said, this place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter, we as individuals will not be affected by the changes you make as we will no doubt be your benefactors for this journey you may undertake, the goal is save humanity and its free will."
Kaito looked to Igor. "But won't I retain all the memories of the journey, what if I mess something up?" Kaito asked and Igor chuckled. "You won't remember anything of the journey you are familiar with thus far, you will still have your own memories which will be adapted to fit the situation as we are using the link to send you back to that point in which your memoires of the Trickster's journey will be a fresh start, you are free to pursue any relationships you so desire and any choices you may make, however, all I ask is you make the right choice when the time comes, if you make the wrong one, we will trapped in this room forever, do you accept this fate of thy own will?" Igor asked Kaito.
Kaito looked at the man, unsure. "I get to experience Persona 5 up close and personal but I won't remember any of the story to help get an edge on it... that means the traitor and that man will be able to do what they want." Kaito thought and felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked to Lavenza who was staring at him.
"I too wish to ask for your help along with my Master, this is an outcome we did not foresee or leave humanity in this state of control." Lavenza said in a soft voice and Kaito looked to her then to Igor. "I have one more question, if I do this, what will happen when I enter the Velvet Room?" Kaito asked and Igor looked at him. "You shall be brought to us for the services we shall grant you, this is all we can offer to you, the rest is up to you." Igor finished and Kaito closed his eyes, remaining quiet, the room was tense for a few minutes and Kaito opened his eyes.
"I'll do it but I'm going to warn you about something, I'm allergic to cats." Kaito said and Igor let a soft chuckle. "Do not worry, Morgana is no ordinary cat so I doubt he will affect you, now let us send you on your journey." Igor said, raising his hands and Lavenza removed her hand, giving a small smile. "Thank you for giving us this chance... we'll- no... I'll do everything in my power to assist you, I will not fail again." Lavenza said with gratitude as Kaito felt his eyelids grow heavier and soon he fallen into a deep sleep.
The journey... has just started anew.,