Author's Notes
Hello, I'm Captain Bell and I'd like to thank you for looking at my story.
This is not my first submission to the site, but this story is actually the oldest of the crossover ideas that I've been plotting out in my head since before I decided to actually write and release them. That makes this the oldest story I've worked on here and my original inspiration to write fanfiction seriously again, so I hope that it is well received.
I have included a suggested soundtrack within the story. These are songs that I was either thinking of or listening to while writing and editing those sections of the chapter. You should feel free to ignore them or to substitute your own preferred reading music, of course, but if you are interested in following mine then you can find any suggestions I make under the names provided. Just play them on loop until it suggests a new piece or says End Track and you will have the intended soundtrack.
With the introduction out of the way, let us begin.
REMNANT OF THE MAGATSU WORLD
Chapter One: The World That Refused to End
[Persona 4 OST: Omen]
Christmas Eve. A day of celebration in almost any other year became simply a day of rest for the Investigation Team. A single day to catch their breaths, appreciate their loved ones, and prepare for their final battle with Tohru Adachi.
Yu Narukami lethargically ascends the stairs of his uncle's home. The silver-haired seventeen year-old is still not used to the emptiness of the house despite Ryotaro and Nanako being in the hospital for a while now. Yu may have come to the small town of Inaba as a fairly closed-off individual due to his school transfer, but he is now a man who appreciates and relies on his connections with others. Being separated is more painful for the high school student than before, but he now accepts that as the price of experiencing life to the fullest.
The late dinner alone was uneventful. Christmas Eve is traditionally a romantic day for couples to spend together in Japan, but Yu suspects that none of his teammates would indulge in that today even if they had partners to do so with. Yu couldn't spend today with his unusual lover even if he wanted to since her ability to exist in the same world as him is unreliable. The tension in the air is too much of a distraction for romance to occur.
Yesterday had been especially tough. The Investigation Team finally battled their way to the end of Magatsu Inaba, the region of the world created by human hearts that Adachi now occupies and has warped to his own design. The man who murdered through supernatural means and the manipulation of proxies gained unusual control of the realm when he entered it, which made the traversal of his lands all the more twisted. A deadly battle with a powerful Shadow called a Reaper earlier that same day had already exhausted the group. When the team realized that they had secured the route to their target Yu called an end to the day's journey to rest and recover for the final battle.
Adachi had warned the students that by the end of the year the world they accessed by using television sets as portals would contaminate their reality with its fog and turn everyone into Shadows, existences devoid of curiosity and ignorant of others. There were only a few days left until the end of December, but the group was relieved to make it to the dirty cop with almost a week to spare. Since Christmas Eve is a holiday anyway Yu decided to order the team to take the day off to enjoy themselves as best they could, so they will have no regrets for what is to come. Despite his words, Yu finds he can do little today but rest and think through strategies for tomorrow.
Yu closes the door of his room behind him and takes a deep breath. Only the ticks of a clock pierce the teen's senses when he closes his eyes to settle his nerves. Dressed in just a white long-sleeved shirt and dark pants, the boy is ready to go to bed early. When Narumaki's grey eyes open, however, he is surprised by how little he can see. The young man's work desk and assorted supplies, his old TV set, his shelves filled with figurines and completed models, his collection of books, and even his futon are all obscured. The inside of Yu's room is filled with fog.
'When did it get inside the house?' Yu wonders. Only now does the boy realize how unusually cold the temperature feels. Yu turns to his window and pulls the curtain aside to see if he has left it ajar. Narukami is shocked to see the window is not only closed but that a completely opaque wall of white blocks all visibility. It's extremely foggy outside.
Yu shoves the curtain back into place and turns away from the wall. It is an act of denial.
'It must be a sign of time running out,' the leader tries to reason. 'Tomorrow we'll-'
A sharp screech-like sound and a flash of white in Yu's vision bring a wave of dizziness to the teen. Narukami grabs his head and shakes it to clear his thoughts. The fog in the TV World has the nasty side effect of giving people headaches if they don't have special lenses to see through it, and this feels similar to that.
The ring of Yu's phone acts as a beacon for his thoughts. Narukami focuses on the sound and drives back the disorientation that had come over him. As the boy pulls the phone from his pocket and flips it open, he sees Naoto Shirogane listed as the Caller ID.
'She must have noticed the increased fog as well,' Yu thinks as he answers the call.
Before Yu can even say a word, Naoto's voice shouts from the other end of the line.
"Th-The entire town... It's filled with Shadows... I can't...!"
Yu's eyes widen. Naoto is almost never panicked, even in battle. The younger girl isn't even trying to hide the feminine tone from her voice like she usually does.
"A-Aaaaaagh!"
The line dies as Shirogane screams. Narukami is left alone with only the steady ticks of the clock once more.
Yu drops the phone to the floor when his fingers cease to work. The boy's head and arms all fall limp in shock. This is his fault, the leader realizes.
Tohru Adachi is the criminal the Investigation Team was formed to catch, but Yu was still influenced by the strange friendship the two had built up over his year in Inaba. Yu had even gone alone to see his uncle's partner in the TV World prior to the team's first exploration of Magatsu Inaba, where he could have easily been killed. This was another result of that twisted bond.
'I believed him,' Yu thinks as a cold fear begins to set into his spine. 'When he said the world would be engulfed in fog by the end of the year... I took him at his word to mean we had until then. I... I'm sorry everyone.'
Yu had not yet come to terms with how Adachi may very well have fooled him into failing without even meaning to when he is distracted by another sudden wave of disorientation. It feels like a physical assault on the boy's mind, as if cold soup were dumped into his thoughts and he was left to slosh around in the mess in search of coherence. Yu holds his head again, but is unable to keep his balance this time. The teen feels extremely dizzy and falls to one knee, barely keeping his upper body off the floor. Narukami opens his eyes but the fog seems to shine in front of him and his vision is completely overtaken with white light.
Yu loses control of his body, and the familiar sensation of his mind drifting out of normal reality overtakes him.
Reach Out to the Truth
[Persona 4 OST: The Poem for Everyone's Souls]
When Yu's vision returns he is in a familiar, if unusual, setting.
Narukami sees the inner cabin of an expensive limousine, the driver's seat hidden behind the wall directly in front of him. The vehicle's elaborate decorations are dominated by rich blues and its windows show a sea of fog that it passes through. Due to that fog, Yu can only be sure the limo is in motion because of the gentle sense of vibration in his seat. This is a place between dreams and reality, mind and matter, where a Wild Card like Narukami is able to focus and manipulate the properties of his only weapon against the Shadows: his Personas.
This is the Velvet Room.
"Are you awake?"
The speaker is Igor, the room's master, who sits directly across from Yu behind a small desk while wearing a black suit like a butler's. The man's soft and gentle voice is not congruent with his hunched, elderly appearance. Igor's unnaturally-large pointed nose and bloodshot eyes that always seem to be bulging out of his head are more indications of his inhuman nature. Despite those worrisome traits, Igor is only ever eager to help as much as he is allowed.
"The mystery has deepened... and the fog has grown much thicker."
Yu finds that he can't speak because of his shame. The boy knows what Igor alludes to. The man's prophecy at the start of the year was that Yu must solve a mystery or be set upon by calamity. Even if the Investigation Team has identified Adachi as Inaba's serial murderer, the case can hardly be considered solved without the culprit's capture.
Yu's attention drifts to Margaret, who sits on the wall seat to Igor's left. The Velvet Room attendant, garbed in her blue dress uniform and holding her purple Le Grimoire book closed on her lap, stares directly back at the young man with a strict golden gaze. There is no judgment in the platinum blonde's expression, but Narukami can't help but feel that he has let the woman down. Margaret helped Yu train his ability to create Personas, after all, so for him to lose without the chance to utilize them against his final foe must have been a disappointment.
"It has become too dangerous to continue driving," Igor announces gently, but with grim finality.
Grey eyes widen. If Igor's statement means what Yu thinks it means, then the Velvet Room will cease its aid from this point forward. If that guess is true then what will that mean for Marie? That girl's weak existence is only stabilized by the room's assistance. Yu still isn't sure what exactly the girl he loves really is, she certainly isn't human, but he does know that she is at risk of disappearing without the Velvet Room's otherworldly power. The teen immediately turns his gaze to the pale girl with chin-length dark hair who sits on the same velvet cushioned sofa as Igor, to the old man's right.
Marie doesn't meet Yu's gaze. The amnesiac girl's blue cap nearly covers her bright green eyes entirely due to the forward tilt of her head. Marie just stares silently at the floor between her and her lover. The girl is still wearing the same white shirt and black tie with red plaid skirt, striped leggings and tall black boots that she always does, her bag strap is even still slung over her right shoulder. Why then, Yu wonders, does Marie seem so different than usual? It isn't simply that the girl won't look at the boy. Marie seem unnaturally distracted, especially given the situation at hand.
Yu can't help but think he would be able to figure out what was wrong if he could only see her eyes. Before he can, Igor interrupts again.
"Whether you end your journey here, or retrace your steps some ways..."
'End it here? Retrace my steps?'
How could Yu do either of those things? The boy can't possibly give up, but it isn't as if he can just go back in time to try again either.
"The time has come to make a decision."
'A decision? There's only one decision to make.'
The scene before Yu grows dark. How it feels to have one's mind shifted across realities begins to set in. The boy detects some uncertainty in the pull this time, as if the forces that move him are unsure where he should go next.
Was this the decision Igor spoke of? Will Yu's mind be flung somewhere else depending on his resolve? Will the young man leave everyone else behind to their fates?
'Nanako!'
Yu's right fist loudly slams into the back wall of the Velvet room when he smashes his arm to the side.
"I'll fight!"
The darkness lifts and Yu's vision clears. Igor remains as unfazed as ever, but Margaret actually expresses surprise at the outburst and blinks owlishly at him.
Marie jumps at the noise of the slam and raises her head instinctively. Yu seizes the chance to lock eyes with the girl. It lasts only a few moments, but Marie's wide-eyed stare is enough to assure her love that she's still herself. Whatever troubles the girl, beyond Yu's failure to prevent this disaster, hasn't completely broken her. That is some comfort.
"Your opportunity to fight has passed," Igor points out, his relaxed tone unchanged. "To do so now will require-"
"I won't give up," Yu interrupts. The boy still holds his fist against the wall behind him. Igor often has important things to say, so Narukami has never interrupted him before, but this is different. Yu can still feel the forces of the room pull upon his consciousness. If the young man relaxes for even a moment he isn't sure where his mind will end up. "And neither will my friends. Naoto didn't turn into a Shadow, so I know they're all still alive. I believe in them."
Igor seems to ponder this response. Both of the room's female residents begin to look to the older man as if they are completely lost. Yu doesn't know if that's a bad sign or not, but he can't do anything but move forward so he speaks again.
"Send me back. That's my decision. We'll still find a way to solve this mystery and save the world."
Silence follows. Yu feels the pressure on his mind drop, so he relaxes enough to lower his hand back to his side. The teen can't break his gaze with Igor's bloodshot eyes, though, for fear of losing his nerve. The Velvet Room might offer Yu a way out of this dire situation, but the leader can't consider a decision to abandon the the rest of the Investigation Team or his other close bonds to be valid.
The next few seconds are some of the longest in Narukami's life.
"Very well."
With Igor's approval, Yu can feel a great tension in the air being released. Both Margaret and Marie look surprised.
"You are our guest, after all. It would be rude to deny such a simple request," the man continues. Igor shifts his hands so that which one is held on top of the other in front of him is switched. This is the closest thing to a tell that the entity has, and Yu guesses that it means he's managed to surprise his patron. "Even if we can no longer continue with you from here, only you can determine where your own journey ends."
The scene before Yu grows dark again, but this time he knows exactly where he will end up. As the Wild Card returns to the physical world, Igor's final words reach out to him in the darkness.
"Even with this result... you were truly a remarkable guest."
Reach Out to the Truth
[Persona 4 OST: I'll Face Myself - 2nd Version]
Yu snaps back to consciousness in his room, still propped up on one knee. With a fresh surge of strength the teen grabs his phone and forces himself back to his feet. The leader of the Investigation Team has work to do and he refuses to waste any more time.
Even amid the fog in his room Yu easily finds the drawer of his desk where his special glasses are kept. The grey-rimmed eye wear being slipped on makes it easier for the boy to perceive his room, but he knows to go outside where the fog is thicker means visibility will still be poor for him. Inside the house the effect is at least enough for Yu to use his phone's keypad more easily.
'I need to get us all together,' Yu reasons. Narukami walks over to his old CRT television and reaches a hand out to it. 'If we can still enter the other side then we might still be able to find Adachi there.'
Narukami's hopes are dashed when his hand presses against cool glass. The teen stares at the screen with his hand on it for a moment. Yu realizes that it has been a long time since he could actually touch a television normally like this.
'If that world is gone then Adachi must be here. Anything he knows might help us fix this, but we have to catch him first.'
His decision made, Yu fishes out the Blade of Totsuka from the suitcase stuffed behind his desk. The long two-handed sword has a stark white double-edged blade and a vertical ring decoration that connects that to its hilt. The weapon was dropped in the TV World by the Reaper the team slew yesterday, and proved itself extremely effective against Shadows. As usual, Teddie had immediately known the item's name without knowing why, just as the Shadow-turned-human had for every other item found in that world. Yu realizes that he has no need to conceal the weapon on his person now since the fog will do that for him even if there probably aren't any witnesses to worry about.
Narukami also fishes out the surcoat the local blacksmith Daidara crafted out of diamond sheets in the previous week. The team had brought back the material from the remains of defeated Shadows in Adachi's Magatsu Mandala section of the TV World. Daidara never asks questions about the materials the team bring him, and his work has been a godsend for the group's survival. Normally the grey, diamond-studded robe would be worn under Yu's school uniform to hide it, but now the boy simply throws the sleeveless knight's garb over his white shirt.
Finally, Yu locates and slips on a bead ring. The high schooler's younger cousin Nanako gave the accessory to him as a gift for coming in first in his class on one of the exams earlier in the year. The elementary school girl is lying in a hospital bed right now because of Adachi's manipulation of Taro Namatame, who he tricked to believe the TV World could save people when in actuality it kills them. Yu is certain that Nanako remains human, and the same went for his uncle Dojima. Both were too strong to give in to this twisted fog. Yu takes the ring as a good luck charm, and to remind himself of what he still has to fight for.
While Yu arms and armors himself the teen also slowly punches in a text to everyone else in the Investigation Team. If any of the teenagers get it then they will head for their special headquarters in the Junes food court to meet up. With that done, Yu grabs the bag of supplies the team had intended to take to fight Adachi with tomorrow and heads out into the ongoing calamity.
The Investigation Team is separated for now, but Yu has faith that they will all make it back together. After that, the team will find a way to make things right.
Chapter End
Author's Notes
So ends the first part of the introduction to Remnant of the Magatsu World. Expect two more entries in this opening arc before the next phase begins.
This is a short chapter compared to what I originally intended. I typically divide chapters by content rather than length, and I do feel it is important to get the entirety of the introduction, especially to the point of the actual crossover happening, done in the first chapter. Unfortunately, I quickly realized that having all of the introduction arc in a single chapter would make it significantly longer than any chapters that will come after it. The full introduction is also a lot to go through in one sitting, so I have split it up into multiple more easily-read parts.
While the actual crossover has yet to occur in the story I do think that this serves as a pretty clear indication of what's in store and how it might come about. I hope you will look forward to the next installment.
Sincerely,
Captain Bell
