Prologue: The Night Before
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It was a roof. A roof where, a brown-haired girl, a boy in a baseball cap, a white-haired boy, a regal girl, a green-haired girl, a brown-haired child, and a small dog were currently looking to the sky. With them stood the one. The strongest of them. The key to all this madness. Their leader. And even to them, what was coming from the moon was utterly terrifying.
"Something's coming from the moon!"
The warning given by the green-haired girl did nothing to prevent what came next for the group of teenagers currently facing towards the moon. The surface of the moon itself had folded outwards, making visible a glowing red core. And from that core...
[WOOSH]
A wave of pressure descended upon them, forcing them to adopt wider stances in order to avoid falling to the ground.
"Agh...!"
"What is this...!? It's like something's crushing me...!
"Ngh... This is... nothing...!"
The white-haired boy, the brown-haired child, and the brown-haired girl. All of them were struggling to stand, and it showed in their voices. As they tried to keep upright, a voice came from behind them.
"Ha... Haha... Hahahahaha! How marvelous! I cannot believe the moment has finally arrived!"
Over by a flight of stairs, a man with a bare chest, pale skin, and long hair laid, clearly in great pain.
"You...!"
"Shuddup... you bastard!"
The insult thrown at him by the boy in the baseball cap failed to disuade the dying man from talking.
"Death will be patient no longer... Can't you see that? Why continue to struggle...?"
The blonde girl was indignant to the man's nihilistic words.
"I will never give up... Never!"
Suddenly, the apparatus attached to her ear began spinning. The girl was building strength and looked to be able to stand. However...
[WOOSH]
Another wave of pressure barreled down on the group, keeping the girl from standing. The sight of her futile gesture brought a smile to the shirtless man's face as the life left his eyes. He was not long for this world.
"Everything will disappear… Jin…"
And with that, his eyes slowly shut, with the smile on his face. The man had died happy, reveling in the suffering of the people who were still struggling to stand.
"Ugh...!"
"Why...? What good will it do it rise up? Give in…"
The voice came from an almost angelic figure, draped in black, with four wings on its back. Its face was that of a cracked mask that resembled an adolescent human's face. It had an almost divine, yet terrifying, presence.
"Nuh-uh... I'm not backing down!"
"My mind's made up! I'm in this to the end!"
"Raaaaagh!"
[WOOSH]
The protests from the boy in the baseball hat and the brown-haired girl were met with naught but another wave. This one much stronger than the last.
"Agh...!"
The pressure becoming too much, the child collapsed to the ground.
"Ken!? ...Argh!"
The concern that the white-haired boy showed for the child led to a lapse in composure that sent him to the floor as well. The brown-haired girl was soon to follow.
"Ngh...!"
In her wake, the blonde girl.
[CLANK]
In hers, the green-haired girl.
"Ugh!"
In hers, the boy with the baseball hat.
"...Dammit...!"
In his, the regal girl.
"We've come this far... I refuse to submit!"
And finally, in hers, the one.
"Makoto...!"
"Makoto...san…"
"Makoto-san...!"
The voices of the one's friends met them on their way into unconsciousness.
It was an elevator. An elevator covered entirely in blue material. Velvet. In the center sat a long-nosed old man on a couch in front of a table, his hands folded, and an attendant dressed in blue at his side. Across from him sat the. For a moment, they said nothing, their face a mask of shock, until the old man interrupted the silence.
"There's no need to worry." the old man said, "This isn't the afterlife... You're still alive. Do you remember what I once told you…? …How the strength of your Social Links will determine your
Potential?"
The old man put a hand to his ear, as if he was trying to hear a faraway sound.
"Listen… Can you hear the many voices? Each one's power is limited… Yet, they all reach out to you… Can you feel them?"
"Yes, I sense them…"
The one's response was filled with certainty and awe. Their mind picking up the voices the old man had told them about.
"Close your eyes and listen carefully... Their voices may be faint, but certainly you hear them…"
A ball of light began gathering in the old man's hands… And with it, the powerful emotions of flowed into the one's heart.
"I know you're facing a difficult task… But, I truly believe that you can overcome any obstacle."
"Something frightful's going on... but we won't give up."
"That's right, dear... Makoto-chan wouldn't want us to lose hope…"
"I know in my heart, Makoto-chan... You're doing all you can right now, aren't you? You always helped me out. Now it's my turn to help you…"
"Makoto... Things are going crazy right now, and I'm scared... but I'll be alright. I can feel from here that you're doing your best… You have to believe... that you're not alone either..."
"Everyone else is scared, but not me… You showed me how to be tough! I won't give up."
"Makoto-sama... 'ow are you doing? I 'ope you are okay...I am 'ere for you... like you were zere for me!"
"What on earth made me think of you at a time like this...? Well, I suppose you did teach me a thing or two about loyalty…"
"You must be fightin' the good fight right about now… Well, you taught me that runnin' away never solves nothin'... so I'm here for ya, kid."
"I know I'm not the only one who's suffered... You've endured a lot, too… But, you can't just give up... You taught me that."
"Can you hear them?" the old man said, "These are the voices of hope that wish to help you… Separately, they are weak... But together, they will bring about a great change in you. Now is the time to draw on the true strength of the bonds you have forged!"
Suddenly, the one saw a card, spinning in the mass of energy.
"I never dreamed of seeing that card with my own eyes…" the old man said, his voice slowly building in excitement, "This is indeed a surprise… Behold the last power you and I shall unveil… It is the power to bring about a new beginning, or the ultimate end. It may be possible now, with this newfound power… You may be able to defeat the one who cannot be defeated. What you have in your hands is the power of the Universe… Nothing is outside the realm of possibility for you now."
And with that, the card disappeared, its essence flowing into the one. It was then that they understood what had to be done. The duty that came with the power they now possessed, and what the old man meant. What would follow would be both a new beginning and an ultimate end.
And they were fine with that.
"We will soon reach your destination."
The attendant spoke in a smooth, neutral voice, with a small hint of melancholy that one could easily miss. And with that, the old man began to bid his farewell.
"It seems that, in addition to Death, fate has also dealt you the wild card," the old man said, and despite his voice not changing much in intonation, Makoto could tell he was brimming with pride, "You must accept your destiny. Our contract has been fulfilled... and I have completed my role as well. You were truly a remarkable guest-"
The elevator stopped abruptly. The shock even caught the old man off guard, and flung the one out of their chair. The old man, quickly regaining his balance, simply resumed his posture, and lowered his head.
There was silence. Utter silence for around half a minute before the old man spoke again.
"I feared this would happen…" he said, "But alas, there is nothing I could do about it."
He raised his head to meet the one's eyes.
"I cannot say anything to console you. But know that my door will always be open to you in the trials to come."
And with those words, before the one could muster a response, the elevator plummeted.
The two who had the dream woke up in different places. In different times. In different ways.
For Yu Narukami, sleeping backstage behind the Love Meets Bonds Festival's concert, he shot up. In awe of what he had just seen.
"Were those… Kirijo-san's friends?"
As he caught his breath, he took a look at his friends, all spread throughout the backstage room. The concert had taken a good deal of energy out of them, and they had retired early. It had been an eventful, positive conclusion to their adventures on the Midnight Stage, but now Yu Narukami had several questions running through his head.
"...Yu?" a voice said, coming from the couch next to his, "You okay?"
Rise Kujikawa had been woken by the sound of Yu's voice. Apparently, she was a light sleeper.
"Yeah," Yu responded, "Just a weird dream. Something about Kirijo's group."
"Hmph…" Rise said, "You better not be thinking of her-"
"Heh, of course not," he said softly, "I've only got eyes for you."
"Can't you think of anything a little more… unique to say?" Rise said.
"Nothing quite as unique as this," Yu said, holding up his right arm, showing a silver bangle on his wrist. The silver wasn't totally smooth, and was actually quite jagged in places, but Yu showed it with complete pride.
"You still wear that?" Rise said, "But isn't it kind of…?
"Heavy?" Yu said, "What can I say? Gives me a good workout."
"You dork…" Rise said, her eyelids fluttering open and shut.
"Heh, I may be a dork," Yu said, "But I'm still the dork you decided to date."
"At least you're not as much of a dork as Yosuke," Rise said.
"Maybe you should give him a break for once," Yu said, "He gets enough grief from Chie as is."
"And Yukiko," Rise added, "And he's not the only one. Teddie gets grief."
"Yeah," Yu admitted, "But he has it coming more often."
"I swear," Rise said, ignoring her boyfriend's point, "Naoto-chan oughta get way more angry at those guys. She's too nice…"
"You don't mean that, right?" Yu said.
"Whaa-at?" Rise said, almost yawning now, "Don't tell me you DO have eyes for another girl…?"
"What, no!" Yu said. Even though Rise was giving him a coy grin, he was still taken aback by how much she was pushing this angle.
"I'm joking…" Rise giggled, her consciousness slipping away even more, "Just… don't go eyeing any other girls, alriiiight…?"
"Don't worry," Yu said, "I don't know many other girls who'd even date me."
"Liar…" Rise said, about one second away from going back to sleep.
"Sorry for waking you up," Yu said, "You can go back to sleep no-"
Rise jumped from her couch to his.
"O-kayyyyy~" she said, her statement turning into a blatant yawn as she lost consciousness.
Well, a bit more weight couldn't hurt him.
"I should just leave her be…" he said, deciding not to pay it much mind. Talking to her had taken his mind off the bizarre events that had played out in his sleep. It was just a dream. Not unlike many he'd had when he first began his journey. And besides, he could always talk to the Shadow Operatives when he felt like it. There was nothing to worry about.
For Ren Amamiya, the dream was almost fleeting. He knew nothing of most of these people. And his awakening was peaceful.
As he came back into consciousness, Ren saw his friends, spread out across the seats of the van they had bought for the trip, all asleep. But one was missing, as he inferred by the vacant driver's seat. Leaning a bit forward from his seat in the middle row, Ren saw Makoto Nijima sitting outside on a bench, watching the stars. Although Ren wasn't particularly affected on a personal level by the dream, it still felt a bit too… on the nose for him to entirely dismiss it. Being careful not to wake up Ryuji and Yusuke, he moved from his middle seat to the side door and exited the van. As he got out, he noticed that Makoto's gaze had turned to him. She had heard to door opening.
"Hey," she said a bit awkwardly, "You couldn't sleep either?"
"Nope," Ren said, going over to sit to her left, "Weird dreams. You?"
"Just kind of sleepless," she admitted, "I've been thinking a lot."
"What about?" Ren asked.
"Like…" Makoto couldn't find the words for a moment, "Do you think this is really the end of the Phantom Thieves? That we're done with Shadows and all that stuff?"
Ren paused in consideration.
"It's hard to say," he admitted, "But I don't think we're done."
"Why do you think so?" Makoto asked.
"It's just…" part of Ren wanted to mention the dream he had, that it felt a bit too real. Who was that person that had visited Igor, whose eyes he had seen the dream through? What was that thing in the moon? And what was that giant black ange-
"It's fine," Makoto said, "I'm sure if we're ever drawn back into it, then the trouble will just find us."
She paused for a bit.
"And we'll get through it."
Ren smiled.
"Like always."
As the two came to their conclusion, they looked out and faced the beach they had just spent the day at. It had been a really fun day. Almost certainly worth the talking to that his friends were going to get from his parents for taking him on this detour.
Slowly, Ren's hand, resting on the bench moved over to cover Makoto's. And for a moment, they just took in the view, until-
[Click]
The sound of a phone camera going off got their attention, and as they turned back to the van, they saw everyone's heads poking out. Ryuji, who had Morgana perched atop his head, just looked a bit curious, as did Ann and Haru, Yusuke on the other hand had a pen and paper at the ready, clearly intending to sketch the couple, and Futaba was holding up her phone. As the group realized that Futaba had failed to silence her phone a wide array of glares were sent her way, both from the couple, and her friends. And then-
"Maybe we should all go to sleep," Morgana said.
A car was speeding down a passage in the woods, its driver, a man in a grey suit and yellow tie with a gun at his side, locked in conversation on a cell phone. His voice was frantic, and his words foreboding. And as he brought the car to a halt in front and entered a large empty hall built around three giant pine trees, he spoke without any joy.
"Contact every Persona expert you can," he said, "We've got a fuckin' emergency on our hands."
