Persona Zero: The First Journey

Chapter 1: The New Guy in Town

Hey there! Welcome to the new chapter!
Be advised that from now on, except for a few characters that will appear as the story goes, the entire story will now be entirely composed of OCs. If that isn't your cup of tea, I advise to cease reading.

As always, I do not own the Persona series or any of its characters. (I would love to, though….)

Alright then, let's continue!

Unknown Area

The soothing sound of a piano being played was heard, in a dimension where only a select few were able to enter. The room was painted all in dark blue, with an open ceiling, where it shows the night sky full of stars. The piano was played by a tall, young man, with long brown hair and dressed all in white. His face was half obscured by a mask which resembles a butterfly. As his fingers danced over the keys, the man's expression is solemn, despite the soothing tune he was playing. Usually, Aria of The Soul was able to calm him of his troubled mind, and seldom does he was in such a state. He was always a calm and somewhat cheerful person.

Not this day, he thought. He felt as though there was something bad is about to happen, and it was about to happen soon. Finishing the song, he stood up from the chair and snapped his fingers. Instantaneously, another man materializes into the room. His whole body was shrouded in a robe, and his face hidden inside the hood. The man kneeled before him. "You summoned me, Master?" He asked. The masked man sighed before replying. "It seems that my eccentric friend has begun his first move. Innocent souls in the mortal world are being reaped as we speak." "Does this mean, the Reverses are about to show themselves to the world, Master?" The masked man shook his head. "No, not yet." He then gazed to the open sky above him. "For now, they are using their minions to do the deed. But they shall appear, when they have gained enough power to rule over the mortal world."

"Then what shall we do for the time being, Master?" The hooded man asked. The masked man looked at him. "I believe, my dear servant that the time has come to finally fulfill the purpose of this room." The hooded man looked at his master expectantly. "You mean he is ready to become a guest?" He was answered with a nod. "Correct." The man now began to head to the door. "As this is the grand opening of this room, I should greet the man myself." The hooded man stood up and asked, "But Master, what about the other boy?" He opened the door and looked back at him. "He does not need to be bothered, but continue to monitor him." He then sighed. "That boy had enough in his mind right now."

The hooded man then bowed. "Very well, Master. Take care." He then smiled at his loyal servant. "I'm counting on you, my dear Igor," and Philemon walked out the door, leaving Igor in the room alone. He then pulls out a thick heavy book and opened a page. Within the book, a single card came out and Igor took it, smiling. "This would be very intriguing. Fufufu…"

Iwatodai Residential District, April 7, 1990

*GASP*

From his bed, a young boy suddenly woke from his sleep. Panting and sweating, he placed his hand on his sweaty forehead. He could not comprehend what he had just experienced. He dreamt of two men he had never known before, conversing about matters that he does not understand. What were they talking about, he thought. Something about a room, and Reverses? He sighed. He glanced at his alarm clock. It was 2 A.M. Great. And I have to wake up early today. Feeling tired, he turned to his side and looked at the night sky from his window. Such a beautiful view, he thought. He then lay back on his bed and slept. Should he gaze out the window longer, he might have noticed a blue butterfly flying pass his window.

Soon, my dear guest. Very soon….

"Ara, good morning, sweetie," said a voice when he climbed down the stairs. "You're up early today." The boy replied with a forced cheerful tone. "Morning, mom. I slept like a log last night." He lied. He can't go back to sleep after that dream, so he stayed up reading the new Dragon Ball Z manga he just bought a few days ago. "Can't be late for my first day of school, can I?" His mom looked puzzled. "Eh? You were never this excited for school before." He let out a nervous laugh. "W-Well, anyway!" He tried to change the subject. "What's today's breakfast?"

As he ate his breakfast, he began to ponder about things. His family had just moved to Iwatodai about a few weeks ago. His dad was working with a company that had begun a very steady rise on the stock market. What was it called, Nanjo? He couldn't remember much. All he knew is that his dad got a promotion, which requires him to work in their branch in this city, and here he is. According to his dad, he was going to some prestigious school nearby, Reisen High. Huh, he thought. Is that a high school or a flight school, with a name like that? He didn't give it much thought, though. After finishing his meal, he began final checks on his uniform. The Reisen High male uniform consists of a white shirt, black blazer with white trims on the sleeve, and matching black slacks with white trims on the side of each leg. Since he is enrolling as a second year student, he wore a red tie. The freshmen wore green ones while the seniors wore blue, according to the student handbook he received when registering. As he put on his shoes, his mom called him from the kitchen. "Sweetie, your student ID!" Oh crap! He took the card on the dining table. "Thanks, mom! I'm heading out!"

"Have fun at school, Souji-chan!" he heard his mom answer, and Souji Narukami heads out to his new school.

The streets of Iwatodai City were very different to his old place. It was just 7 A.M, but it was already filled with activity. People bustling for work, hurrying to avoid the traffic jam that would almost certainly will occur about a couple of minutes later. Shops are beginning to open, and he can already see a few of what he thinks to be his fellow schoolmates up and about. This is going to take some time to get accustomed to, Souji thought. According to the map he was given, the walk to Reisen High wasn't a really long one, as it was located near the seaside. As he walked, Souji savored the cold morning breeze, as he hummed the tune of a certain mecha anime theme song that he was loyally watching since last year. At last, he reached his destination, and paused for awhile to study his new school.

As he expected, Reisen High was much larger compared to his old school. It was huge complex, which consists of two main buildings, connected to each other by a corridor accessible on the second floor. It was facing a large courtyard which is filled with cherry blossom trees. It is already filled with students chatting with each other, sharing their stories during the last spring break. Souji walked through the courtyard with admiration for the surroundings. This place seems much better than my old one, he thought. Well, Dad wasn't kidding about this school being top notch. Souji then entered the main school building, according to his student handbook. The inside of the school was as astounding on the outside. The main lobby floors was made out of shining, white marble, and Souji instantly felt the cool breeze of the air-conditioning. There are also a lot of students hanging around here, most notably at the notice board, where the classes are probably listed.

"Hello there!" A voice called out, and Souji turned to see a young lady possibly in her mid-20s, judging by her face approached him. "Are you a new student here?" Souji nodded. She was probably a teacher or a member of the faculty. "I see. Please follow me," she beckoned him to follow, and Souji complied. She brought him to the faculty office on the first floor of the same building. Here he saw many teachers. Some who are conversing with each other, some are addressing other students and- wait, was that teacher had a katana behind his desk?!

She probably noted Souji's alarm and understood what he was thinking. "That's Mr. Masamune's. He's the history teacher. You don't need to worry about him using that in class." Then she thought for a bit. "….sometimes." That was not reassuring, Souji thought. "Anyway!" She diverted his attention back to her. "I'm Ms. Tachibana, and I handle the intake of new students." Souji nodded in acknowledgement and noted her name in his mind. "You're Souji Narukami, correct?" His eyebrow raised slightly over how she knew. She did not miss that gesture and elaborated. "You stood out from the rest of the new intakes because you were the top student of your old school's freshmen batch." Ah, now he gets it. He had to thank Mom for making him study himself till he dropped last year. It's a miracle he even made it to the exams in the first place. When he was announced the top student of the first years, he was sleeping soundly on his chair, till someone kicked him awake.

"You'll be in Class 2-A. That's my class." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Oh, the Welcoming Ceremony is about to begin." She stood up from her chair. "Let's head to the Assembly Hall, shall we?" Souji nodded. "My, my," Ms. Tachibana said. "You're very polite. We need more boys like you here." Souji was taken by surprise by the compliment. "A-Ah, thank you." She chuckled and led the way for him to the Assembly Hall. The hall was quite large, that it took up the first floor too. Souji wondered if everything in this school is made big. Ms. Tachibana took him to his designated seat and headed to the teacher's seats. Soon, the hall began to fill with students and the ceremony began.

"…and now, a few words from our Principal," the teacher on the stage announced as the Principal of Reisen High approached the podium. He was a man Souji guessed was in his 50s, with graying hair and mustache. He wore glasses and walked with a cane held in his left hand. He couldn't sense it and first, but he had an aura of authority. That explains why the students were so silent; just awhile ago a lot of them was quietly talking with each other. He cleared his throat and then addressed the audience. "To all the students, whether new or returning ones, WELCOME TO REISEN HIGH!" Souji flinched considerably on his seat. His voice was so booming loud, it filled the entire hall with ease. He didn't need to use the microphone at all. No wonder they're paying attention, Souji thought. He realizes he wasn't alone since a few other students, notably the freshmen, reacted to his voice.

"Heheh, you'll get used to it," a voice quietly called from beside him, Souji could just barely hear it. Sitting beside him was a boy with brown hair and wore a hoodie over his uniform. "You're new here, eh?" He asked again, to which Souji nodded. "Fuyuki Shirakawa. Same class as you," the boy offered his hand. "Souji Narukami," he took his hand. "Nice to meet you, Shirakawa-san." The boy laughed, which he should've done because-

"HEY, YOOU! WHAT'S SO FUNNY?!"

….that happens. Fuyuki was so stunned by the gesture he yelped loudly out of his seat. The hall was filled with laughter at the scene. Souji felt a little sorry for the poor guy. As the Principal was restoring order to the hall, Souji noticed a student just entering the hall. He watched as the student quietly took a seat at the far top right corner of the hall, without anyone noticing. From the looks of it, he seems to be a senior due to his blue tie. Then he looked at Souji's direction and realizes he was staring at him. He then gave him a stare that was so scary to look at he quickly looked away. He also could've sworn his eyes glowed yellow for a moment, but dismissed it as a trick of the light. To his side, Fuyuki slid down to his seat dejectedly, sighing while probably wondering why he did all of this happened to him. "Sorry," Souji said to him. "Meh, it's cool, dude." He breathed back. "Just call me Fuyuki, okay?" Souji nodded, while Fuyuki smiled back a bit.

This could mean the beginning of a wonderful friendship, Souji thought. As the Welcoming Ceremony ended, Souji gazed back at where the senior he saw sat and realizes he was gone. That was fast, he thought. The guy's got sneaking skills worthy of 007. "Dude, whatcha' standing there for?" Fuyuki called him. "We gotta get to class or Ms. Tachibana's gonna be steamed at us!" "Be right there!" Souji called back and took one last glance at where the senior used to sit.

He had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time he will see of him….

Phew! There we go! So, how are you liking Souji so far? You might be wondering, "Hey, wasn't this supposed to be a story about Makoto's parents? Why the heck is this Narukami guy here?"

This is all part of the story, and they'll make an appearance later. You should probably already made a connection on who Souji is now, right?

As always, feel free to rate and review. Suggestions and criticism is welcomed as I need to know what to improve and what not to do to make this story even better.

Well, that's all from me! Seeya on the next chapter!