Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

A Jack Frost Guy - You'll find out about how Roy's whole Persona situation works at some point in this story. Not in this chapter, but somewhere in here.

Xamusel - Updating Duality currently isn't in my hands. Tori's the one working on chapter 7 right now, and college + work hasn't exactly been kind to her for a while.

And now, on with the chapter!


The alarm buzzing to life elicited a yawn from Rusei as he sat up and shut it off, the initial groggy feeling slipping away quickly as he got up off his futon. Cobalt eyes scanned the room, taking the soon to be quite familiar look of things before lingering on the notepad on the table. He winced for a moment, reaching up to lightly inspect where he'd fallen the night before and found the spot sensitive when prodded but otherwise a non-issue.

-So I wasn't entirely dreaming...- he thought, plucking the notepad off the table and looking at the quick notes jotted down upon the first page. -...Alright, two strikes against my imagination thus far. How about a third?-

Rusei pivoted around and reached out to touch the screen of his TV. Like the night before, it slipped in with no more resistance than the surface tension of water in a bucket.

"...Three strikes, insanity's out of the question." he mused aloud, slipping his hand out of the television set and tossing his notepad onto the desk in the corner of his room.

-Have to see what the others dealt with at school, I suppose.- thought Rusei before he set about getting ready.


Rusei's stride was fairly brisk as he left the Dojima Residence, his mind having been processing various explanations and reasoning behind the strange events that had befallen him since he arrived.

-All too close together to not be related.- he thought, nodding to himself. -First that Limousine, then the dream about a battle in the fog, and now being able to enter TV screens to a currently undetermined maximum capacity...- his brow furrowed as another thought came to him. -And then there was the death of Mayumi Yamano the day I arrived as well. Is that also tied into these odd happenings?-

A phone ringing pulled him from his puzzling, and he quickly retrieved his from his pocket and answered it.

"Hello?"

["Hello yourself, little brother. Sorry I didn't call sooner, I had to move to a new dorm room yesterday."]

A smile came across the charcoal haired teen's face. "It's alright, Yoshiro. How've your first few days of this term been?"

["Oh, can't start complaining yet."] replied the elder Norimoto sibling, the faint sound of shuffling coming through with his voice. ["Well, aside from the news station jumping to wild theories. Is everything alright out there?"]

"Can't say I'm surprised you heard about that death." sighed Rusei. "But other than Uncle Dojima being a bit... concerningly diligent at his job, everything's alright."

["I see... hopefully he'll peg that murderer before anything else happens. How's his daughter?"]

"Too much like me at her age."

An audible wince came over the line. ["...You'll help her out, right?"]

"Of course." Rusei replied, his tone suggesting that such a thing was obvious. "She's family, after all. Cute as a button, too."

["Heheh, good to hear. Did Uncle ask about me at all?"]

"No, not yet. I think everything happened too quickly for him, so it slipped his mind."

["Fair enough."] hummed Yoshiro. ["How're you taking to Inaba thus far?"]

He went silent, thinking for a moment before deciding he couldn't well lie to his older brother. "Fairly well, odd happenings aside. And no, I don't mean the death of Yamano-san."

["Odd happenings?"]

"I had some kind of daydream about the inside of a blue limousine on the train to Inaba. Following that, I dreamt about fighting someone in a foggy place with some sort of samurai helping me." stated Rusei. "And just last night, while looking into a rumor someone told me about a strange television show that only comes on when the TV is off at midnight on a rainy night, my hand slipped into my TV screen as if the glass had the consistency of water."

The line was silent for a time before Yoshiro spoke again. ["...Have you told anyone else about this?"]

"I was planning on sharing with the small group of associates I've found myself apart of after school today. It was Satonaka-san's idea that we even test that 'Midnight Channel' rumor."

["The program at rainy midnights, I presume?"]

"Yes."

["Hmm. Best be careful then, Rusei. That's... an odd string of happenstance over the time you've been there."]

"I thought much the same. If it persists, I plan to start off by telling mother and father."

["What about Ryotaro?"]

"He has enough on his plate with Inaba's troubles and his daughter. The least I can do for him is handle the strange events coming my way." he replied. "It'd certainly be something to do when I'm not practicing or studying."

["Or watching Featherman."]

"You are not one to judge me on that."

Yoshiro let out a laugh. ["I know, but I had to tease you a little. Stay safe with whatever ends up happening, alright? I have to get ready for class now."]

"I will, don't worry. Good luck with your assignments, Yoshi."

["And you with yours, Ru."] said the older sibling before the line went dead and Rusei tucked his phone back into his pocket.

"How long have you been back there?" Rusei asked over his shoulder, eliciting a grin from the redhead walking a few paces behind him.

"About since you mentioned shoving your hand into TV." answered Roy, striding up beside the charcoal haired teen. "Which I wager means you saw the Midnight Channel last night."

With a nod, he pulled out his notes and handed them to the taller male. Orange eyes scanned them quickly before Roy let out a low whistle.

"You were able to pick out that much about the brunette on there last night?" he inquired. "Damn kid, and here I thought I had good attention to detail."

"I try my best." hummed Rusei as he took his notepad back. "But how much of that happened to you?"

"Brunette on the screen and my hand going into the TV. No spooky voices, though I don't envy you about that."

An eyebrow arched at the comment. "Yours did as well?"

"Yeah. Uncle Kihei nearly slapped a talisman he'd had sitting around for like twenty years on it to purge a tsukumogami he thought was trying to eat me." Roy laughed. "I just made a joke about wanting a pokeball to catch the Rotom."

"I see." said Rusei with a chuckle. "You think the same may have happened with Yosuke-san and Chie-san?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. We'll have to ask them to find out for sure, but man... things are already strange. All that's missing to make it as weird as my last high school is a blue room run by a balding man with bloodshot eyes and a huge nose."

"...That's oddly specific." Rusei noted, recalling his dream of that 'Velvet Room'.

Roy shrugged again, stifling a yawn. "True, but I've heard stranger things."

"I'll bet."

"I'd win that bet, so don't."


The duo made it to Yasogami High would much else said between them, though neither Chie nor Yosuke was able to discuss the previous night's happenings with them before school started. The same couldn't be said for after school, however.

"Y-Yo, Rusei... um..."

The dark haired teen turned sideways in his seat to better look at the brunette and redhead behind him.

"You wanted to discuss the Midnight Channel?" he asked.

Yosuke nodded reluctantly. "Y-Yeah... Did you guys watch it?"

"Mmhm. Rusei showed me his notes on the way to school this morning." reported Roy. "Sounds like at least the two of us saw the same thing."

"Wait, seriously?"

Rusei nodded once. "So it would seem."

"Hey, Rusei-kun!"

The charcoal haired teen turned his head towards the voice, a small smile on his face. "Hello, Chie-san. How was your evening yesterday?"

She fidgeted slightly before answering. "It was... okay. But did you guys hear the rumor?"

"There's another one?" asked Roy. "What's it about, a crazy website you can only access at noon?"

Chie shook her head. "No, it's about Saki-senpai. People are saying she's the one who found the body."

"Oh, so I'm not the only one who noticed that it was her in the interview." hummed Rusei.

"Uncle Kihei said it was her, too." Roy added. "The blur filter was pretty pointless in his opinion, since anyone who's lived in Inaba for more than a year or two would know her. Feel bad for Saki-san, though. That reporter must've ambushed her."

Yosuke was chewing on his lip as he listened to the conversation. "Damn, no wonder she looked so down yesterday. Plus, well..."

"What?"

"...It didn't seem like she was at school today."

Rusei hummed, placing a hand on his chin. "Could be stress related. If one reporter found her, more could've shown up and she just stayed home to avoid the trouble."

"There was some commotion from down the street this morning." said Roy. "I didn't stick around to check it out before I headed for the school."

"Huh... but did you guys see... it... last night?"

Yosuke nodded nervously. "Yeah... We were about to talk about it when you showed up. Did you?"

Chie rapidly nodded her head. "I saw it! There was a girl on the screen! But... my soulmate's a girl?" she frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Depends. What'd the girl look like?"

"I didn't see her face, but she had brown hair that went down to about her shoulders and she was wearing our school's uniform."

"Wait, what?" asked Yosuke. "That sounds exactly like the girl I saw..."

The brunette martial art's expression turned confused. "Then... what, do we have the same soulmate...?"

Roy shook his head. "No, I don't think that channel has anything to do with soulmates. I know exactly two people who could fit the description either in a platonic or romantic definition, and neither of them appeared. It was just that brunette girl you two saw."

"You saw her, too?!"

"So did I." added Rusei, pulling his notepad out of his pocket. "And I took notes."

Yosuke snatched it out of the dark haired teen's hand, looking over them quickly. "...Jeez, how thorough were you with these? But..." an eyebrow arched curiously. "...You heard voices and your TV tried to eat you? Dude, you sure you didn't fall asleep?"

Blue eyes flattened slightly. "The lump on the back of my head from where I hit the coffee table says otherwise. And I tested the 'hand in the TV' phenomenon this morning. It actually worked."

"Wait, what?" sputtered Chie. "Y-You're kidding, right?"

"Even if he is, I'm not." Roy interjected. "I tried tapping the screen last night to see if the TV was just acting up and my hand went right in. Had to keep my uncle from trying to expel a youkai out of the damn thing when that happened."

Yosuke and Chie exchanged nervous looks.

"You guys are just messing with us, right?" asked the headphone-clad teen nervously. "This is just some joke from the big city we're not in on...?"

"If you don't believe us, we can simply prove it." stated Rusei, taking his notes back from Yosuke. "Junes has an electronics section, doesn't it?"


"The fact you guys are so sure this is gonna work has me nervous." said Chie as she stood in the Junes Electronics Department with Roy and Rusei. "Like really, really nervous..."

"Eh, don't be." hummed Roy. "Not like you're trying this crap by yourself or anything."

The brunette hummed, glancing at the TV screen they'd picked out. "I guess..."

"As long as we don't do anything excessive, it shouldn't end up causing problems either." Rusei added, glancing at his watch. "I do hope nobody is heckling Yosuke-san on his way back from the restroom, though..."

"No, I just made a stop by the backroom to check my schedule to make sure I wasn't forgetting a day I had to work." stated the man in question as he approached the waiting trio. "Still say you're both pulling our legs."

Roy shrugged. "The truth can be stranger than fiction."

"Indeed." Rusei agreed, raising a hand. "Like so."

With a swift motion, he threw his arm out straight towards the TV. As had happened before, his hand went into the screen as if it were no more solid than water.

"H-Holy crap, you weren't kidding!" Yosuke sputtered. "What the hell is going on?!"

"Not just that screen, either." said Roy, drawing attention himself. His own arm was in a different television set, though he pulled it out and strode over to the other one. "And not just Rusei."

Chie started shaking Yosuke by the shoulder. "Th-This is just some new kinda TV function, right? They're just like... beta testers..."

"Hell no it's not!" declared the brunet. "I'd have heard-" His face drained of color. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Rusei gave Yosuke a quizzical look. "I'm going to stick my head through and see what's on the other side. If we can go in, there has to be something there after all..."

"...Yeah, got a point there." said Roy. "Scoot over a little, I wanna see this as well."

"Y-You guys are insane!" exclaimed Chie. "What if someone sees you?!"

"Keep watch and tell us if anyone is coming this way so we can avoid that scenario." Rusei replied before he and Roy plunged their heads through the screen.

Their view was admittedly nothing spectacular; most of it was obscured by fog, though some faint outlines of what seemed to be metal rafters were visible.

"...Hey Rusei, I don't think we should be messing with this place." said the redhead. "I don't like the vibes I'm getting here..."

"Neither do I, nor can I see any ground so physically entering would be a bad idea."

Something started tugging on Rusei's shoulder, getting his attention.

"Get outta there!" came the sound of Yosuke's voice, sounding much like it was coming over a small intercom speaker. "Customers are coming!"

"Shit, yeah we better back off the-" Roy's statement was cut off by a confused yelp as he suddenly pitched forward, reflexively grabbing the nearest thing. In this case it was Rusei's arm, leading the duo to tumble through the air towards whatever ground awaited in the fog.

Their voices, however, were not the only ones heard as they fell. Two others were mixed in as well, though screams of terror were quickly replaced with pained grunts as they did finally reach some manner of floor. Roy hit first and with all the grace of a sack of rocks. Rusei bounced once on impact, as did Yosuke, while Chie managed to land in a decidedly more graceful crouching pose. The teens who didn't seemingly possess cat-like reflexes groaned in discontent as they started to get to their feet.

"Ow... I think I landed on my wallet..." Yosuke complained.

"Ugh... man, where the heck are we...?" asked Chie as she stood up.

Rusei shrugged, not caring if it was seen or not. "Inside of that television set, I believe..."

"So... n-not inside Junes...?"

"Well, technically yeah cuz the TV's in the store..." said the brunet. "But I can't see for shit in this place..."

"Is everyone alright?" inquired Rusei, turning towards his companions. "Nothing broken?"

Yosuke shook his head. "I think my butt's cracked, and not in the normal sense..."

"I-I'm okay, I whacked my shoulder pretty good but it'll probably just be sore for a little while..." Chie answered before turning her head. "Roy-kun, you okay...?"

The redhead didn't respond. He wasn't even facing the group.

"Roy?"

"...We shouldn't be here." he said suddenly, his voice shaky. "Everything about this place just feels... wrong. But... it can't be there... I saw it disappear..."

Yosuke walked over and nudged the taller man. "Dude, what's gotten into you?"

"Bad memories." Roy answered, still not looking at the others in the group. "And worse nightmares..."

Rusei took a step closer to the redhead. "Well standing here won't sort anything. We need to keep calm, and either find a ladder so we can get out the way we came in or another way out."

"Wait, why a ladder?"

"We did kinda fall in..." said Chie, though her gaze shifted from Yosuke to Roy. "...Think you can hold together till we get out, big guy?"

There was a pause before the redhead started nodding.

"...Yeah. Yeah, definitely. We just... gotta stick together." he replied, still sounding shaken. "None of that Scooby-Doo 'Let's split up, gang!' bullshit."

"Alright..." Rusei scanned the area as best he could despite the fog. "...I think I see something of a path. Follow me. And Chie-san? Stick close to Roy. If something's got him spooked, I'd prefer he had someone to lean on if something happens."

"R-Right!"


The group started down the path Rusei had found, sticking as close together as they could. Roy seemed to be noticing something the others weren't, though if he actually was he didn't say anything. They walked for what at least Rusei presumed to be about a half an hour before they came across some manner of building. Yosuke suggested they investigate it, as there might be people there and they'd logically know the way out. Seeing no better alternative, they trudged up the stairs of what they quickly discovered was actually an apartment complex. To their frustration, none of the doors opened until they reached the end of the hall on the third floor.

"...Hey, Rusei. The fog in here look lighter to you?" asked Yosuke as the two of them peered into the apartment.

"Yes, it does." replied the darker haired teen. "...At least, inside of it. I can't see out that window over there."

The duo entered first, Chie and Roy only two steps behind them.

"Jeez, this place is spooky..." commented the brunette. "I don't blame you for being weirded out, Roy-kun..."

"There's more to it than just how this place looks..." he noted.

A frustrated sigh escaped Yosuke as he stopped near a bed. "No cell service. Figures..." he slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Now all we're missing is something like Pyramid Head..."

"Please don't go there..." Chie wined as Yosuke and Rusei turned towards her and Roy. "This place is bad enough as it is..." she paused when she saw the looks on their faces. "...What's wrong?"

Rusei pointed past her. "Beyond the fact we're at a dead end? Those posters on the wall don't exactly inspire confidence..."

The brunette and redhead turned around, the former jumping slightly upon seeing the indicated posters. The appeared to be covered in blood and the face of whomever they depicted was torn off completely.

"...Great. So the air's stressing me out and we found Hannibal Lecter's spare bedroom." said Roy, a sigh escaping him a moment later. "Fucking wonderful. I don't need this much crap in my life today..."

"I hate to make it worse, but... you guys might wanna look at this."

Three heads turned towards Yosuke, prompting another distressed sigh from Roy.

"Oh god please tell me I'm not seeing what I think I'm seeing." he griped. "I really don't need to see that..."

"Sorry, but you are indeed seeing that." said Rusei, looking over the grim sight of a crude noose hanging over a lone chair that Yosuke was standing beside. "Best not to touch it, either..."

The headphone-clad brunet nodded, stepping back two paces. "Yeah... nooses are bad as it is. Really don't wanna deal with a booby-trapped one..." He glanced around the room again and sighed. "Doesn't look like there's much that could be a hidden switch for a secret exit in here either..."

"Indeed. We should-"

"G-Guys, there's something over here!"

The three men hurried towards the door at Chie's statement, crowding behind her as something seemed to be staring at them through the fog. It took several shallow steps forward, a soft squeaking noise heralding each footfall. The shape came clearer into focus – some manner of cartoonish creature, with a round, red body and a fuzzy blue head.

"...The fuck?" Roy asked simply, orange eyes sizing up the strange creature.

"What is it..." sputtered Chie. "A monkey...?"

"I'm a bear!" replied the creature, sounding offended. "And you guys need to leave! Now!"

Rusei took a step forward. "That's what we've been trying to do. We can't-"

The bear made a worried noise, then suddenly dug around in what seemed to be a pocket before shoving something into the charcoal-haired teen's hands.

"H-Here, take these and use them to get out of here!" it exclaimed. "They'll help you find your way around so you can get out before the Shadows find you!"

At the word 'Shadows', Roy quickly became more on edge.

"The hell do you mean, 'before the Shadows find us'?!" he demanded, panic more evident in his voice. "How do you even know what those are?!"

The bear didn't even seem to hear Roy as it started looking back and forth. "O-Oh no... No no no..." It took several steps back. "TH-THEY'RE HERE! RUN AWAAAY!"

"Wait, I'm not-!" Roy began, but the bear had already turned tail and took off like a gunshot. "Holy shit, that thing's fast...!"

"U-Um, what's a Shadow?" asked Chie.

"And why do you sound like you know what that actually means?!" Yosuke added.

Rusei, however, was slightly preoccupied by the item the bear had given him – a pair of black glasses. Curious, he tried them on and found his vision greatly improved. Almost as if the fog didn't exist.

"They're things you really don't wanna deal with, that's all the important detail." answered Roy as Rusei seemed to spot something down the corridor. "Let's follow the bear's lead and get the hell out of here!"

"Two things quickly." Rusei interrupted. "First, it seems these glasses our fuzzy associate gave me let me see better in the fog."

"What's the other thing?"

Cobalt eyes remained focused on a black blob that was taking form on a wall further down the hallway. "We have company, and I doubt it's friendly!"

Roy's eyes snapped wide open, watching the mass of black leap off the wall and form into a sphere with a blue mask on it. The sphere span around, revealing a large mouth with proportionally size tongue hanging out of it.

"GET DOWN!" he shouted, as within a second the mouth monster lunged at the group. They'd all listened and dropped low, the creature sailing over their heads and into the room behind them. "NOW RUN!"

Not needing to be told twice, the group scrambled to their feet and sprinted down the hallway towards the stairs. Somehow managing to not trip or fall as they headed down to the ground floor, Chie managed to get ahead of the boys enough that she almost ran face-first into another orb monster, but thankfully Roy's long legs meant he was able to grab her and yank her away from getting slobbered on by giant monster tongue. The group found themselves surrounded now, as roughly ten of the creatures hovered around them.

"Why are they just... floating there?" stammered Chie. "Are they circling for the kill...?"

"I-I don't know! I've never seen this kind of Shadow before..." Roy answered. "Damn it..."

Yosuke nervously chuckled. "Oh good, so I'm not the only one confused and terrified by the killer Rolling Stones logos. That makes me feel so much better..."

Rusei started to say something, but was stopped by a sudden pain shooting through his head. "Ngh! What the...?"

A voice began to resound within his mind as he grasped the side of his skull with one hand, his eyes shut tightly.

'I am thou... thou art I...' It said, and at once the charcoal-haired teen recognized it. He'd heard it before the previous night – before his hand went into his TV.

"Rusei!" "Rusei-kun?!"

'The time has come...' continued the voice that spoke to Rusei. 'Open thine eyes, and call forth what is within!'

In an instant, the pain faded and he pulled his hand away from his head. He stared at the card that had materialized in it for a moment, flipping it over. There was no image upon its surface, but in less than a second a bright light began to shine from it. The Shadows seemed to move back, as if afraid of whatever was happening.

"What the hell?!"

"That light..." stammered Roy. "It's...!"

A single word started demanding to be spoken aloud as Rusei continued staring at the card, a sense of calm washing over him.

"Per... so... na..."

Azure flames sprang forth both from the card and in a ring around Rusei, but they brought with them no heat. Not even as the card was crushed in his hand did they burn. The firelight reflected off his glasses as a figure began to rise from the cerulean inferno and loom behind its summoner.

The summoned entity stood easily twelve feet tall, glad in a light, silvery gray jacket that reached to just above its knees. A dark blue belt around its waist held an empty, ornate sheath – the blade was currently held in their right hand. It wore armored boots that seemed to force it to stand on tip toe constantly. Armor akin to what you would expect on a suit of samurai armor covered their lower arm, the jacket's sleeve going underneath. A single circular gem sat just behind the wrist on the armor, and another was on the outside of both the boots about where the ankle should be. Teardrop shaped, silver gray guards sat where its ears would be, pointing back at an angle on either side of the helmet that wouldn't look out of place in a sentai series – it was almost completely round, coming to a slight point just at the back of the head. A silver mouth guard sat just below the black visor that had a pair of light gray, diamond shaped eyes visible through it. The helmet, like the armor on the arms, belt, and boots, was a dark shade of blue, and the front of the jacket was closed up to the figure's collarbone, held shut by a black pin with a pearly white crescent moon emblem on it. The blade it carried appeared to be a science fiction styled but otherwise normal sword, save for the glow of the edge that was reminiscent of some manner of laser sword.

'I am thou... thou art I.' began the summoned entity. 'From the sea of thine soul, I cometh. I am Tsukuyomi, God of the Moon.'

As if taking offense to Tsukuyomi's appearance, one of the Shadows rushed at him. The Persona's retort was to bisect the offending Shadow, its two halves fading into black mist.

"H-Holy shit!" sputtered Yosuke. "What'd he just do?!"

Rusei made not response as he shifted his stance slightly, noting that Tsukuyomi did the same. The entity felt as natural an extension of his own body as his own arms. A surreal feeling to be sure, but with the adrenaline pumping in the heat of the moment, the charcoal-haired teen didn't pay it much heed. He could fight back against the creatures that threatened him and the people he was with, that was the important part right now.

The Shadows had largely begun to ignore the others, their attention appearing to solely be upon Tsukuyomi as several more lunged. Two were swatted aside, while the third was punctured by the Persona's blade straight through its mouth. It defiantly bit down on Tsukuyomi's arm, eliciting a yelp of pain from Rusei before it was violently yanked off and evaporated. A fourth Shadow attempted to capitalize on the distraction its comrades had made, only to find itself blasted towards the ground by a burst of ice; the added weight from part of it being flash-frozen preventing it from making another attempt to strike.

"He really is a Persona user..." stammered Roy, almost in awe of what he was witnessing. "Fucking hell..."

"Roy-kun, behind you!"

The red-head span around, smashing his left arm against a Shadow that'd tried to sneak up on him.

"Shit! Rusei, there's more of them now!" he called out, noting that another six of the large mouthed shadows had appeared. "Chie, Yosuke, get back!"

"I'd offer to entertain them, but I have my hands full with these ones at present!" replied Rusei, sidestepping a tackle from one Shadow before commanding Tsukuyomi to slice it in half. "And I'm already not fond of this metaphorical trial by fire I've found myself in as is!"

Roy cursed under his breath, smashing his fists against two more monsters that'd come after him. "Damn it, there's only so much I can do like this...!"

"Oh crap, there's more coming!" shouted Yosuke. "Roy, do something!"

"I'm trying!" snapped the redhead, smashing his foot down on a Shadow that'd been slammed into the ground by a backhand from Tsukuyomi. "Damn it, I know you fuckers are in my head! C'mon already!"

"G-Get back!" exclaimed Chie, taking a shaky fighting stance as two Shadows began to bear down on her. "I'm warning you!"

Rusei let out a shout of pain as a Shadow managed to dart past Tsukuyomi and bite down on his left arm. It didn't get to do worse, as the teen smashed it against the ground hard enough to get it to let go before he backed away, his Persona between him and the Shadows as he approached the others.

"I'm not so good at dealing with large groups..." he panted, checking his arm for any bite marks or wounds.

"Damn it... damn it!" spat Roy, staggering back towards the other teens. "These things... they're here because of me, and I can't do anything...!"

Yosuke yelped as he jumped back to avoid getting smacked by one of the monster tongues. "Dude, now is really not the time to blame yourself!"

"No... no no no..." Roy was shaking his head rapidly. He wasn't handling the stress of the situation well. "This... this can't happen..."

Tsukuyomi slashed through three Shadows at once, Rusei's eyes alight with a determined fire.

"It won't, if you stop panicking and focus!" he exclaimed. "This cannot be insurmountable!"

Roy didn't seem to hear him, still shaking his head.

"No... NO!" He screamed as he pulverized another Shadow as it charged at him. "I'M NOT DYING BEFORE I SEE THEM AGAIN!"

A ring of sapphire flame surged up around the redhead, forcing several of the Shadows poised to attack to back off in what seemed to be a panic. Roy barely looked like he could comprehend what was happening till a blue card started spinning in front of him. To him, it was as if the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. A defiant spark surged to life in his orange eyes as he reached out for the card.

"I don't know which one you are, but I don't really care!" He exclaimed. "Persona!"

Blue fire exploded from the card as he crushed it, a figure materializing behind him.

Taller than Tsukuyomi, Roy's Persona was clad in a black, sleeveless shinto monk's robe with dark gray, loose pants covered in a dark red spiderweb pattern. Simple, featureless dark brown boots covered the feet, while its four arms appeared to be covered in a cross between a skintight, science fiction bodysuit and an insectoid carapace. A set of small black spikes adorned the backs of its lower arms, and the hands seemed fairly normal as the carapace armor stopped at the knuckles. A mane of dusty orange hair sprang from the rest of the head, appearing to reach the middle of its back. Eight glowing, orange eyes peered out of the four eye holes in the white and red spider-styled mask that made up its face.

"It's showtime, Tsuchigumo!"

Four Shadows instantly rushed the newly summoned Persona, while two others went after Tsukuyomi. The latter blasted one of its assailants with ice before cleaving the other in half, while the former grabbed one shadow with each hand, the 'mouth' of its mask opening as a small burst of crimson flame escaped it.

"Hey Rusei, you any good at dealing with stragglers?"

"...It wouldn't be that difficult, why?"

As if to answer his question, Tsuchigumo let out a roar that appeared to cause every Shadow surrounding them to be impacted by a burst of flame.

"Because I got a way to hit every one of these bastards at once!" said Roy. "I don't got a lot of 'em in me right now, so hit 'em fast!"

Not appreciating being set ablaze, the Shadows started converging on the spider persona. Tsuchigumo promptly threw the four it was still holding at the others, knocking a few around and outright killing two before it let out another roar to cause another set of fire bursts. Tsukuyomi wasted no time capitalizing upon the damage the other Persona was inflicting, darting through the Shadows and swiftly slashing them apart. Between the flames and the blade, it took barely a minute to be rid of all the assailants, leaving the two Persona users and their friends standing alone in silence as the Personas themselves vanished.

Roy sighed, staggering in place.

"Heh... I still got it." he said, a weak sort of pride in his voice.

"Dude, that was amazing!" shouted Yosuke. "What the hell was all that?! I mean, I heard you guys say 'Persona', but-!"

Roy clamped a hand over the brunet's mouth.

"Not a damn word of anything you've just seen to anyone." he said, sounding exceptionally weary. "And questions about how it works can wait until I've had food and sleep, because the panic attack I was having coupled with the actual exhaustion of fighting those things is not doing me any goddamn favors. Okay?"

Yosuke simply nodded silently, which in turn prompted Roy to let go of his face.

"Cool." he sighed, then he looked at Chie. "Hey, you see which way the bear went?"

She shook her head. "No, why?"

"I believe I spotted him heading in the direction of where we initially landed." stated Rusei, still trying to catch his breath. "I can't be certain, since those monsters demanded more attention than a cowardly bear."

"Nah, it's cool. Guess is good enough for me right now." hummed the redhead. "Let's just go find him and make him let us out. Fuzzball's gotta know something, right?"

"Here's hoping..."


The quartet tiredly trudged back towards the area they'd first arrived in, a task made much easier due to the glasses Rusei had.

"Hey... anyone else not feeling well?" asked Chie as the finally reached the platform.

"Physically or mentally?"

The brunette made a 'so-so' gesture. "Kinda both...?"

Roy sighed. "Yeah... probably the atmosphere here."

"Wha-?! H-How did you all escape the Shadows?!"

Four heads turned to the source of the voice as the bear from before approached them.

"We fought them off, but that's not the important detail at the moment." replied Rusei. "We're tired, lost, and really just want to leave... wherever this place is."

"Does this place even have a name?" inquired Yosuke.

The bear seemed to shake his head. "This place is what it is... it doesn't have a name. It's where I live."

"You... live here?"

"I have for a long time." it answered matter-of-factually. "You guys really should just get back to the other side! Someone's been throwing people in here, and it's a big headache for me!"

Roy arched an eyebrow. "Wait wait, so there's someone else who knows about this place?"

"I guess? I don't know who's doing it, but it's making a mess of this place!" exclaimed the bear. "Didn't they learn not to play with things they don't understand?"

Chie scratched at the side of her head. "What do you mean by 'making a mess'?"

"That place I found you guys in? That appeared recently!" The bear replied. "Someone was there, but they disappeared a little while ago..."

Rusei hummed intently. "That person... were they more like me or more like her?" He gestured towards Chie as he spoke.

The bear looked between the two for a moment before pointing at the brunette. "More like her, but like I said you guys really shouldn't be sticking around!"

"Trust me, we'd love to get out of here but we haven't been able to find a damn exit!" exclaimed Yosuke. "It's why we even ended up in that spooky place you found us at!

The bear perked up. "Oh, well why didn't you say so?"

"We did, you stupid bear." griped Roy.

It seemed to ignore the redhead as it tapped its fuzzy foot against the ground, causing a small stack of television sets to appear before the group."

"What the hell?" shouted Yosuke.

"Wh-Where did these TVs come from?" asked Chie.

Roy looked them over. "...Looks like the nineteen fifties to me."

Rusei turned towards the bear as the four teens approached the TVs. "Is this our way out?"

The bear nodded, then started shoving them all towards the screens. "Yeah, now out ya go! I'm a busy bear!"

"Hey, slow down- WHOA!"


The four teens landed in a heap in the floor of the Junes Electronics department, groaning in discontentment as they stood up. An announcement about a daily sale came over the intercom, causing Yosuke to panic.

"Holy crap, we were in there that long?!" he sputtered.

"Seems that way..." said Rusei. "Is everyone alright?"

Chie and Yosuke nodded, but Roy silently shook his head.

"I've... gotta go." he said, his voice sounding shaken again. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

The redhead took a few steps back before turning and walking away completely.

"What's up with him?" Yosuke wondered aloud. "I mean, he knew about those monsters and that whole place had him acting weird..."

Chie shrugged. "It was making my skin crawl too, but I don't know him that well. Not really our place to pry either if he said it was bringing up bad memories..."

"In truth, his behavior reminds me of descriptions of post-traumatic stress disorder." noted Rusei. "But I can only guess at that being the case."

"...H-Hey guys, look!" exclaimed the headphone-clad brunet, pointing at a poster on the wall. "It's the same ones we saw in that creepy room!"

The other two teens turned, looking at the indicated poster. It was one advertising Misuzu Hiiragi.

"...So it is." Rusei hummed. "It was difficult to tell without the face and the apparent bloodstains covering them."

"Yeah... and hasn't she been on the news a lot lately?" asked Chie. "Something about her husband having an affair with that announcer lady who died..."

"...Hey. That bear... it said someone like Chie was in that place, right?"

Rusei and Chie turned towards Yosuke.

"You think... maybe that weird room we saw was related to that Yamano lady's death?" he asked. "I mean, there was that creepy noose..." he shook his head rapidly. "Yaaargh, no, stop! I'm not thinking anymore about what happened today! I just wanna go home and faceplant on my bed..."

"Good idea..." agreed Chie. "But hey, Rusei-kun? Is your arm okay? I know one of those monsters bit you..."

The charcoal-haired teen nodded. "It's fine. I didn't have the time to break the skin or even really damage my sleeve, though I'd have to agree with Yosuke's desire to rest. I'll see you both at School tomorrow."

"Right... later guys!"


Kihei Daidara looked up from the table in his dining room, a smile on his face as he heard the door to the shop open.

"Ah, looks like he's back." said the blacksmith, standing up. "Roy! Where have..."

His question died in his throat when he got a good look at his nephew. In Kihei's opinion, the kid looked like he'd just come out of picking a fight with a pile of falling rocks as he weakly shook the rain off his umbrella.

"Is everything alright?" came a different voice as a tall, redheaded woman poked her head through the door behind Kihei. She bit back a shriek before she pushed past the blacksmith. "Roy, what happened to you?!"

The teen didn't respond, beyond a weak smile as the woman rushed over to him.

"Hi grandma." he said, sounding as worn down as he looked as he dropped his umbrella in a barrel with a few others like it. "Is gramps here, too?"

She shook her head. "No, he hasn't been feeling well the past few days but..." Concern became abundantly evident in her eyes. "What happened? Did someone pick a fight with you?"

"Tamiko, bring him into the living room!" Kihei called out. "I'll grab him something to eat."

The elder woman nodded, putting an arm around her grandson's shoulder and ushering him into the other room.

"Thanks..." Roy said weakly as he sat down on the small sofa. "And, no... nobody wanted to rumble..."

Tamiko chewed on her lip before sitting down beside him.

"Then what happened?" she asked softly. "Is it why you were so late getting back?"

He nodded silently at first.

"Yeah... You heard that Midnight Channel rumor?"

"Midnight...? Wait, the thing you and Kihei watched the other night? He said your arm went straight into the television set..."

Roy nodded. "Yeah. I told some... I guess friends I'd met at Yasogami I'd check it out. We talked about what happened after class today. One of the others... dude named Rusei. He had the same thing happen, plus extra stuff."

"...Extra stuff?"

"Said he heard voices before his arm went in. The other guys... Chie and Yosuke. Neither of 'em believed us." he continued, glancing up as his Uncle walked into the room and handed him a microwave container with some stir fry in it. "Thanks..." He took a bite as Kihei sat down by the table, setting down two cans of pop. "Rusei was like 'Junes has an electronics department, right?' so we headed there. Stuck our hands in some TVs and freaked the other guys right the hell out..."

Tamiko bobbed her head as she listened to his story. "Alright, what happened after that?"

Roy took another bite of the food before he relented the whole tale of that afternoon's events to his grandmother and uncle. All the way from their fall into the television, to his panic when the Shadows attacked, to their escape with the help of a cartoon bear that was a little too grabby when it pushed them out of that other world.

"I just... left once we got out." he said, having emptied the container as he told the story. "I barely even really know what happened on my way back here... think I bumped into someone, but I'm not even sure. Just... needed to get home."

"Damn, no wonder you look like hell..." sighed Kihei. "...All that got you thinking about what happened."

Roy halfheartedly shrugged. "...I don't even know what to do. I want to see them again, but... if this isn't permanent..." he started trembling. "...If this is just some sick joke, then I... I can't. I can't walk back into their lives just to be taken away again..."

Tamiko silently hugged him as a sob escaped his throat. The blacksmith sighed again, leaning back on his arms.

"...One of them called earlier."

Amber eyes focused on Kihei as he remained in his grandmother's embrace.

"Said his name was Junpei." Kihei continued. "Told me he was sick of getting your voice mail so he called me. Damn near insisted I hand the phone over to you until I finally got a word in edgewise." he laughed. "Had that tone you hear when someone's got somethin' real important they wanna say. Griped about someone named Ryoji when I said you weren't home, then asked if I could pass along a message before he hung up."

A weak half laugh, half sob escaped Roy. "Sounds like Junpei alright..."

"...You can't avoid them, Roy. You know you can't."

The redhead didn't respond.

"Your uncle's right, Roy." said Tamiko. "They're not going to stop trying to contact you."

"...I know, but..."

"But nothing, young man." she stated firmly, shifting Roy so she could look him straight in the eye. "You matter to these people. They've been with you even at your worst. You can't turn them away just because you're afraid of hurting them."

Kihei sat up straight. "And what about that girl you're so fond of? You going to hide from her, too?"

The redheaded person-user seemed to shrink under the gaze of his relatives.

"Roy, running away from things isn't going to solve your problems. And what even makes you think you'll be torn away from everything again, anyways?"

He started to say something, but before he could breathe a word, he stopped. Why did he think it was all going to be taken away from him? Why did he believe fate was being cruel? What possessed him to believe there wasn't a way for him to stay?

"...I don't know." he finally said, slumping back against the sofa.

"Then find someone who does know." stated the elder woman. "And get them to tell you."

"Don't you know a few gods?" asked Kihei. "Hell, isn't one of your friends related to one? I know you mentioned something like that was the case..."

Roy stared at the ceiling for a moment before answering. "Ryoji. His dad's the Grim Reaper and his grandmother's Nyx."

"Then call him up!" exclaimed Tamiko. "Get some answers! If something tries to take my grandson away again, I'm going to bludgeon it with a Honda Civic till it wises up!"

A laugh escaped the teen. "I don't think going Oni smash on something will solve that problem, Grandma."

"You say this like it's never solved most of issues I've had over the years."

"And it wouldn't just be one Oni doing the smashing, either." added Kihei. "Your Grandfather and I would never let it happen either."

"...Okay, yeah, I can't deny that three Oni smashing the fuck out of it would probably sort things out." Roy admitted, frowning a moment later. "...I just..."

Tamiko patted him on the shoulder. "You worry just like your mother, I know. Masaru is the same way."

"...Mom was like this?"

Kihei nodded, his voice somber and nostalgic. "Akane kept fretting she'd terrify your father if he found out she was an Oni. Didn't want to drive away the man she loved, but well..." he smiled. "...She was worked up over nothing, as you can guess."

Roy kept staring at the ceiling, processing those words. He was still afraid. He didn't want to admit it, but he was. After being torn away from everything he cared about out of the blue, the thought of it happening again... it shook him to his core. At the same time, he didn't want to just give up. He wanted to see his dear friends and the woman he loved again.

He jumped when he heard his phone going off. He knew that ringtone all too well.

"...Aren't you going to answer that?" asked Tamiko.

The redhead remained silent, reaching into his pocket and taking out his phone. He flipped it open, pressing it to his ear.

"Hello, Aigis."


Rusei sighed, shaking off his umbrella as he finally reached the Dojima residence. He felt as though he'd spent the whole day furiously training, as opposed to roughly ten to fifteen minutes doing battle with monsters.

"I'm back." he called out, trudging from the entrance to the table and tiredly taking a seat.

"Welcome home..." said Dojima, eyeing his nephew. "...What happened to you?"

"It's... been an exhausting afternoon." Rusei replied.

The detective nodded, still looking over the teen. "Probably best you head to bed early then. What happened?"

"I ah... got a little lost." he admitted sheepishly. "Took a few wrong turns on the way back from helping a friend pick out a television set at Junes."

"At least you got home okay..."

Rusei nodded. "I think going for a walk on Sunday to get the lay of the land might be a good call."

"Definitely." agreed Dojima, frowning a moment later. "But ah, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Have you heard anything about Saki Konishi?" he asked. "You said you ran into her the other day, right?"

The charcoal-haired teen nodded. "Yes, that was yesterday. All I've heard since is that she didn't appear to be at school today. A few classmates suspected she was quite stressed by news reporters bothering her and stayed home."

"Ah, I see..."

"Did something happen?"

The detective sighed. "Got a call from her family. She disappeared, so we've had people out looking for her."

Rusei hummed, crossing his arms. "That's... a large escalation from how she was acting when I encountered her."

"How so?"

"She seemed quite tired, at least to me." he answered. "Likely on account of what had happened both the day before and earlier in that day as well."

Dojima hummed. "Tired... when you put it that way, her running away does seem strange. Must be more going on in her personal life then..."

Rusei glanced at the TV screen when a story about the death of Mayumi Yamano came on the news, but he didn't pay attention to it. "Well, another classmate mentioned there was a commotion at the shopping district this morning. Perhaps that's part of it?"

"Could be... I'll have to look into it tomorrow." said the detective with a weary sigh. "Work just keeps piling up..."

Rusei began to say something, only to be cut off by a small sneeze. "Ah, pardon me... I may want to go get changed quickly."

"Yeah... grab something light out of the fridge and head to bed." said Dojima before he turned to his daughter. "Nanako, can you set out the cold medicine just in case?"

The young brunette nodded, getting up from the table and scurrying off.

"Ah... thank you."

Dojima chuckled, grinning at his nephew. "You're welcome."


After having a quick, small meal, Rusei headed up to his room and went to bed in short order. However, it seemed odd happenings weren't quite done with him yet, even as he slept.

"Welcome."

Rusei groggily shook his head, looking around. He'd once more found himself in that dark blue limousine, but the interior was different this time. While still clearly a limo, there was an oddly traditional Japanese look to it all now. The sight was a bit perplexing to him, but he couldn't deny it seemed to fit the already odd location.

"Do no be alarmed." said Igor, raising one hand. "You are fast asleep in the real world. I have summoned you within your dreams."

"Convenient..." Rusei murmured.

"This is a space that only those who have, in one way or another, entered into a contract may enter." said Margaret. "In your daily life, you subconsciously heard the call to awaken, and you chose to follow the destiny of your inner voice…" She smiled. "…Thereby enacting your glorious awakening to your power."

The teen shifted in his seat. "I'm not sure how coming under attack by a horde of monsters counts as a 'glorious awakening' of anything, let alone some godly avatar."

Igor chuckled. "Your power comes from yourself, not by channeling the strength of a deity. And please, hold on to this…"

A blue key appeared and floated over to Rusei, who took it and inspected it curiously.

"From this night forth, you are out guest in this Velvet Room." continued Igor. "Your destiny will require you to hone your power, and for that, you will inevitably require our help. There is but one price for this assistance…"

An eyebrow arched as steel colored eyes focused on the balding, long-nosed man seated opposite Rusei. "Oh?"

"You must abide by your contract and assume responsibility for all decisions you may make."

"I've signed no contract that I'm aware of." said the teen. "Or is your calling me here for that purpose?"

"Not all contracts are written." said Igor with a whimsical tone "Some are made in words, actions, or even choices. You chose to heed the call of your Persona, thus the contract was made. The Persona you have acquired… It is a side of yourself that shows itself when you face the world around you. Perhaps you can think of it as… a facade of determination you wear to face various difficulties in life." Igor's grin seemed to widen. "Your Persona ability, however, is that of the Wild Card. Compared to that of others, it is very special. It is like the number zero… empty, yet holding infinite potential within itself."

"That's... more in line with a mathematical variable, not zero as a number." said Rusei. "I do follow, I just think you need to work on your metaphors."

"The Persona ability is the power to control one's own heart, and the heart is strengthened through bonds." he continued, seeming amused by the teen's observation. "As you form bonds by becoming involved with others, your own Social Links will gradually develop. The power of these Social Links is what will determine your Persona's abilities."

A scowl came across Rusei's face. "So I become stronger by making friends?"

"Social Links are necessary for more than strengthening your Persona." stated Margaret. "At times, they will help light the way to the truth you are searching for."

"That doesn't make it any less wrong."

"...Curious." hummed Igor, his grin seeming to fade slightly. "And it seems you are a rare example indeed, for you have nurtured a bond to its fullest, unbreakable state before your power had awakened..."

Rusei blinked. "I have?"

A single card appeared between him and the residents of the Velvet Room. It hovered in place, showing the image of the Tower Arcana. As Rusei stared at it, he was at something of a loss on how to describe the sensation. It felt as if his family was there, even though all he saw was a card.

"Quite so, it is rare for a bond this strong to appear this soon on a guest's Journey." said Igor as the card vanished. "But where will your awakened power of the Wild Card will take you…?" He chuckled as sleep began to grip the fledgling Wild Card once more. "I look forward to traveling the road of your destiny together… 'Til we meet again…"


Author Notes - And so it begins. And yes, the rest of the story will be in third person like this. I had Chapter 1 in first person mainly so I could more easily hide bits since Rusei wouldn't know them because I felt like being evil like that~! But here we are, in the bizarre tale of Rusei Norimoto's Investigation into the Inaba Serial Murders, guest staring everyone's favorite red-haired idiot Roy Fortune. Where will it go from here? Only I know, and I'll never tell until the chapters are done! Mwahahaha!