"Hello everyone, Drago3511 here with another Kamen Rider story for your reading pleasure! And this time, we're going down the path of a card-themed Rider!"

Sean: "Is it Decade?"

"No... we just started that with DiEnd."

Sean: "Is it Ryuki?"

"I'm doing that later... why are you even here?! This has nothing to do with you!" *Pulls out the Home-Run Bat from Super Smash Bros and hits him, home-run style*

GAME!

"...ANYWAY! We're going down the path of Kamen Rider Blade this time! And we're doing that as a crossover with... Persona 3! Having just beaten the game not too long ago, I'm feeling very good about this one. And I'm sure you all guessed it from the title, well... the Persona fans anyway, Blade will be none-other than our protagonist Minato Arisato!"

"And yes, I'm using that name from the manga. Not the name they gave him in the Persona 3 movies. Makoto Yuuki sounds like a girl's name anyhow."

"Let's get on with the disclaimer then. I do not own Kamen Rider, Shin Megami Tensei, or Persona. They all belong to their own respective creators. I only own any characters, Riders, attacks, etc. that I created out of my own ideas. Now let's get on with this!"

TURN UP!

"I am sorry, child... there is no other way. Death must not be allowed to roam free." The soft, but somehow cold female voice apologized. There was nothing to recognize, no way of identifying the voice.

Standing there on the bridge during midnight, a young boy with dark blue hair stood there next to a turned over and wrecked car that had caught on fire, smoke rising into the night sky. If one were to look inside the car, they would find an adult male and female body... both unmoving, as their lives have left them.

"For your own protection, take this. They will come for you someday."

The boy took hold of a large rectangular device that didn't quite fit in his hands, and a single card depicting a kabutomushi with a red ace on the back of it's shell.

"Protect it with your life, for it will also protect you."

The voice then ceased... as if it was merely the wind speaking...

"Ten years ago... it still feels like a dream."

Yes, it's been a whole decade since that night... that same boy has now reached his teen years. His dark blue hair grown slightly longer so his bangs covered one of his grey eyes. Over his ears were a pair of silver clip-on headphones, connected to a slim stick-style mp3 player, currently playing the song "Burn My Dread". He was aslo wearing a school uniform consisting of black slacks, a white button-up shirt, a black string tie, and a black blazer.

It was nighttime, creeping closer and closer to midnight.

The boy was riding a train currently, on his way to his new high school where he's transferring to this year. But tonight, he'd have to move his belongings to the dorm where he would be living for the next two years.

"We apologize for any inconveniences, passengers. Our next stop will be Iwatodai."

The conductor announced over the speaker system. He couldn't hear the announcement over his headphones... and it didn't help that he had the volume maxed out. He couldn't even hear an explosion at this rate. But he read the map that layed out the train route beforehand. He knew that his stop was next.

So he started to walk over to the train door, so he'd be the first one to get off.

About ten minutes later, the train slowed down to a halt, and the doors to the train car opened.

"Iwatodai. Iwatodai. This is the last train bound for Tatsumi Port Island. Please make sure you board in time for departure."

The clock reached ever closer to the new day...

11:59:50

11:59:55

56...

57...

58...

59...

12:00:00

The music stopped. The lights went out. There was no power... and the sky glowed an eerie shade of green. And what looked like blood started to ooze from the clock in the station.

"Huh?"

The only words the boy muttered. He blinked before sighing and walking out of the train station. What should have been busy streets were completely abandoned... save for the coffins standing upright scattered throughout the city.

Sidewalks, crosswalks, alleyways, stairs, doorways, you name it.

Not even the sound of mice or alley cats... everything was completely silent... save for his footsteps echoing into the night.

But the sight did not deter him. He simply kept walking, carrying his luggage, headphones still clipped on even with no music. And in his hand, a sheet of paper with basic information on it about his new school.

Gekkoukan High.

He stopped walking, right in the middle of a puddle... it was thin like water... but it was completely blood red. But he didn't stop to inspect the puddle that he stood in. He was looking up at a single four-story building. The building that he would call home for the rest of his time at Gekkoukan High School. This was his dormitory. But unlike the rest of the city, the lights were on inside.

He grabbed the handle of the door... and opened it.

Stepping inside, it looked relatively clean and normal. Actually, it looked a little high-end. A decorative rug at the doorstep, green and yellow wall-to-wall carpeting, a reception desk to his left, laps on either side of the door, a china cabinet to his right, two leather sofas and a leather chair surrounding a coffee table, an old TV, and a wall with frosted glass separating the room from the dining room and what looked like a bar.

He placed his bag down in front of him and took off his headphones, clipping them to his blazer.

"You're late. I've been waiting a long time for you."

He looked back over at the reception desk, and he noticed there was a pale young boy with short black hair and blue eyes, wearing striped clothes behind the desk... the clothes looked stereotypical of a prisoner.

"Now, if you want to proceed..."

And with the snap of his fingers, the young boy was in front of the older one, and a red folder appeared on the desk, next to an ink pot with a quill pen inside.

"Please sign your name here. It's a contract."

As if on command, the folder opened itself to reveal a contract.

"Don't worry, all it says is that you'll take full responsibility for your actions. You know, the usual stuff."

And so, after letting the younger boy speak, he picked up the pen and signed his name in the usual Japanese way. Last name, then first name...

Arisato Minato.

"No one can escape time." The boy took the folder and closed it, hugging it to his chest. "It delivers us all to the same end. You can't plug your ears and cover your eyes." With a sleight of hand, the folder disappeared, as if it was never even there to begin with.

As the lights dimmed and shadows crept closer, engulfing the boy, he let out four simple words...

"And so it begins."

And the lights died out... taking on the same green tint to the room that the rest of the outside world knows. And the boy... gone, like the contract.

It was silent for a few moments... just Minato and his luggage occupying the otherwise empty room.

"Who's there?!"

That was until a feminine voice called out. Minato turned his head to see a girl standing there, about his age. She had short brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a pink cardigan over a white button-up shirt with a red bow tied to it, a red armband on her left arm, a white choker around her neck with a heart-shaped buckle, a black skirt, black stockings that stopped just below her knees, and brown shoes. Attached to her right thigh was a holster... and it was filled with a pistol!

The girl was breathing heavily, sweat glistened on her forehead, she looked slightly crazed as her right hand reached for the gun. Just as she took a hold of the grip, another female voice called out.

"Takeba, wait!"

Minato and the girl both looked over at the stairs leading to the main room. Standing there was another girl, this one had a more mature air to her. She looked a year older, with long red hair curling over her shoulder while the rest of it fell down her back and covering one of her eyes, which were also a dark shade of red. She was wearing the button-up shirt and bow, as well as black heeled boots that also reached just below her knees. She also had a red armband and a holster containing a gun, only her holster was on her waist instead of her thigh.

And it was just like that, the lights came to life and Minato's mp3 player came back to life, continuing the song where it previously had cut off. The clock mounted on the wall of the room now read 1:00:00. The girl designated as Takeba had calmed down at the sight of the older girl, who promptly walked down the stairs with her arms crossed as she approached the two.

"I didn't think you'd arrive so late." she said to Minato. "My name is Kirijo Mitsuru, I'm one of the students who in this dorm." Takeba turned to Mitsuru.

"Who's he?" she asked.

"He's a transfer student, they assigned him here as a last minute decision. He'll eventually be moved to a room in the boy's dorm." Mitsuru explained.

"Is it okay for him to be here?" Takeba asked warily.

"I guess we'll see..." Mitsuru replied with a smirk on her face as she closed her eyes. She turned back to Minato and gestured to her brunette companion. "This is Takeba Yukari, she'll be a second-year this spring like you." Yukari nodded and waved softly.

"Hey."

Minato looked at them plainly and looked down at Yukari's thigh. "Why do you have a gun?"

It seemed like Yukari wasn't expecting the question, because she looked baffled.

"Um, well... it's sorta like a hobby... Well, not a hobby, but..." She was at a loss of words.

"You know how it is these days, it's for self-defense." Mitsuru cut in, promptly saving Yukari the trouble of trying to come up with something. "It's not a real gun, of course."

"Oh, alright." Minato seemed satisfied with the answer given to him.

"It's getting late, so you should get some rest." Mitsuru gestured to the stairs. "Your room is on the second floor, at the end of the hallway. Your things should have already been moved in there."

Yukari stood there for a moment until she realized her cue. "Oh, I'll show you the way. Follow me."

Minato nodded and grabbed his bag, following Yukari up the stairs. It was a large spiral staircase, leading to the second floor, which had a small area with a table, seats, and two vending machines. She lead him down the hallway, past a few doors, until she came to the very last one.

"This is it. Pretty easy to remember, right? Since it's right at the end of the hall." She smiled a bit before leaning in and whispering to him. "Oh yeah, make sure you don't lose your key, or you'll never hear the end of it." Then she leaned back and crossed her arms behind her back. "So, any questions?"

Minato scratched his chin for a moment before looking at Yukari with the same monotone stare as he did earlier. "Just one. Does that kid live here too?"

Yukari seemed confused by this... and a little freaked out. "What kid? What are you talking about? ...C'mon, it's not funny." She didn't seem to know what Minato was talking about at all. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"On your way here from the station, was everything okay?"

Now it was Minato's turn to act confused. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I... never mind. It seems like you're alright." She smiled a bit again. "Well, I better get going." She starts to walk away, but stops right after passing his door. "Look, I'm sure you have other questions, but let's save them for later. Okay? Good night." And with that, she left for the third floor, where all of the girls' rooms were.

Minato nodded and walked into his new room. It was very simple. Well, he did just move in. There was his bed, a TV on a small stand next to a desk with a swivel chair, a sink and mirror, and a mini fridge. Minato set his bag down on the desk and pulled out some pajamas, a tooth brush, and a comb. He changed out of his uniform and put the pj's on before brushing his teeth and getting under the covers for sleep.

Tomorrow was the first day of the rest of his life... which may not last as long as he had hoped. In his bag, two more items were inside that he made sure to keep with him at all times... that rectangular device, and a clear plastic case containing the card with the kabutomushi that showed the spade on the back of it's shell.

"And there's the first chapter of The Wild Card Ace. Sorry for no action scenes, and it was basically a retelling of the first 12 minutes of Persona 3. But we'll get more into the story starting next chapter. I'm cutting it off here because it's late right now and I want to get some sleep... because it's already midnight... everything seems to be working properly, so I don't think it's the Dark Hour right now..."

"Any of you who haven't played Persona may not get that joke."

"Oh, before I forget, I'm going to set up a poll on my profile for who Minato should "Social Link" with, if you catch my drift. I was originally going to put in Yukari, but I'm starting to decide against it. So, feel free to vote, those of you who know how polls work know it'll be on my profile. If you didn't know, now you do."

"Well, until next time everyone, ja ne!"