IV: Reawakening

She knew she wasn't in Shujin anymore.

Then again, she was in Shujin, but at the same time, she wasn't. Her surroundings changed—what was once an orange sunset sky was replaced with an ominous reddish purple hue, and the large building that was once her school was turned into a larger, darker infrastructure that permeated a ghoulish atmosphere around her.

Somehow, the only thing that told her she was still in Shujin was the sign up in the front. However, the looming stone castle that filled in the place of otherwise her school with banners and even sculpted statues of Kamoshida decorating the exterior had churned a sick feeling in her gut. The red stained windows that looked like fresh blood didn't do much to alleviate it either..

There was another beep on her phone, and Reina looked down. Kamoshida's Palace, the marker stated.

What the fuck?

The black-haired teen closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to convince herself that this was all just some crazy dream. I mean, I've been having a lot of those lately… what makes this any different?

To her complete disappointment, she was still in the twisted version of Shujin and she almost wanted to scream in frustration. "What the heck is this place?" She breathed, almost afraid to raise her voice. "Is this for real? Did I hit my head somewhere…?"

She knew there was no use wondering around and thinking aloud what was going on (she knows for sure she's going to end up screwed if she stalled her time just standing there), and so Reina took a cautious step forward and forayed into the ominous building. Inside was a little more pleasant compared to its exterior. The red carpet was plush under her black loafers and the marbled floors were so polished she could actually see her own reflection staring back at her. A giant portrait of some faculty she vaguely knew hung on top of the grand staircase, but other than that, the interior itself was devoid of life as well.

Reina didn't quite trust herself to go further without some precautions, and so she took out her closed fan from her pocket. She gave it a twirl and her naginata came to life, resting comfortably in her grip. "At least if I die, someone's going down with me," Reina mused, though she had a sinking feeling that was going to be the most likely outcome of her venture today.

With a deep breath, she turned to her right where one of the doors were open and prayed that she might encounter someone there. Or someone to at least help me get out of this place.

The door took her to the deeper levels of the castle; with each step descending, she felt more cautious and anxious as she had yet to encounter a living soul in this strange place. Naginata close to her, she opened another door and she faintly heard a continuous echoing sound. Is that… rushing water?

She turned round a corner, and she had to resist the urge to gasp loudly when she saw a row of dungeons with a rapid stream of water running in the middle of the corridor. "What am I getting myself into?" She murmured and hesitantly approached the cells. Maybe she could find someone there, but unfortunately there was no one hiding in the cells.

"Hey! What are you doing here?"

Instinctively, Reina gripped her naginata forward and took on a battle stance. She looked around warily, eyes darting from corridor to corridor as she tried to find the source of the voice. Was she just hearing things?

"Down here!"

She looked down and saw… a cat? Or that was what she thought it was. It had a large round head and smaller body with large blue eyes and small cat ears. It seemed to have a black bandana covering half of its face and a black jumpsuit concealing its body sans the paws and feet. A yellow bandana was also wrapped around its neck and a utility belt around its waist. The way it stood itself just fine on its hind legs gave Reina the impression that this was some sort of bipedal creature.

And she thought the castle itself was weird enough.

"Just who are you?" Reina asked, bringing down her naginata and pointing the tip of it towards the cat-like creature. No matter how cute it was, she didn't know whether it could be trusted or not just yet. "Or more like, what are you?"

"H-Hey, lady! Could you put that spear down? I'm not gonna attack you or anything," it spoke nervously, paws raised up when the point of the naginata barely brushed over its body. "Besides, I should be the one asking who you are."

"It's a naginata," Reina snipped, almost like she was used to correcting people what kind of weapon she brought with her. But, she did lower her naginata—only a bit. "I asked first though! I'll answer yours if you answer mine."

"Jeez, you're more of a pushover than blondie," it grumbled as it lowered its paws when the black-haired teen lowered her weapon. "My name's Morgana, and I'm a phantom thief!"

"Uh huh," Reina said, unconvinced. "A talking cat in a weird costume claiming to be some "phantom thief." I really must be dreaming."

"Hey, I'm not a cat! I'm a human!" The cat—Morgana—snapped, seemingly irritated to be called that. "Besides, I answered your question. Now, answer mine!"

The black-haired teen paused for a moment. "I'm Shiomi Reina, and I don't know how I got here in the first place."

"What, really?" Morgana exclaimed, surprised. "I thought frizzy hair and blondie brought you here as backup—I was gonna kick their asses for leaving me behind yesterday!"

Reina didn't know who these "frizzy hair and blondie" Morgana was referring to, but she let it slide. This time, she lowered her naginata. "Well, can you help me out? I really want to get out of here."

Morgana turned a bit and crossed its arms, seemingly pondering on her request. "Well… I supposed I can help you get out of here, as thanks for not slicing me to bits."

"Thanks, Morgana," Reina said with a wry smile. Morgana returned her grin with one of its own, and dashed down the corridor, stopping near the stairs where she took earlier. "This way!"

Reina followed the feline's lead and they took the route leading back to the foyer. They were about to go down another corridor when they heard the sound of clanking metal drawing near from that side of the room. She drew forth her naginata just as Morgana pulled out its scimitar from who knows where.

Two guards in knight-like armor appeared, blocking the entrance of the corridor they were supposed to go in. "Tch, we found the escaped prisoner! And an intruder as well!" One of the guards said, the voice sounding distorted like there were two people speaking at once.

They both raised their spears, but it was at that point that Reina's mind seemed to go into autopilot mode. She raised her naginata to intercept the spears before they were drawn down on them. She heard a yowl of surprise from Morgana, before the cat rushed forward with a smirk and taking down one of the guards with its scimitar. "I'm getting tired of having to run into you guys every single time. Take this!"

With one guard down, Reina took this as an opportunity to push the other guard back before quickly jabbing her naginata straight into it. It disintegrated in a mist of black, and she sighed before relaxing her grip a bit. Pathetic.

"Wow, you're a natural at this!" Morgana exclaimed with a twinkle of excitement in its large blue eyes. "Just like frizzy hair… you could be an amazing phantom thief at this rate!"

"Uh… thanks?" Reina said, though she knew Morgana was right about one thing. The way she defended herself earlier… it was as natural to her as breathing. As if she was used to cutting down strange creatures at a daily basis, and she didn't even break a sweat. Okay, what kind of person was I before Shibuya?

But just as quickly as they took down the guards, more of them appeared, doubled. They didn't have time to react and get into fighting stance when one of them swatted Morgana away with its spear.

"Ack!" Morgana yelped as it ended up skidded across the foyer, body slumped on the ground. It winced and gritted its fangs in pain.

"Morgana!" Reina yelled, but she ended up in the same fate as the feline: one of the guards raised its spear and swung the rear at her, smacking the black-haired teen. She fell down roughly, and her naginata was sent flying across the room.

"Reina!" Morgana gritted. "Ugh, I can't fend them all off… Reina, you have to summon your Persona!"

Reina, at this point, had already sat up, wincing in pain. "My what?"

"Your Persona! You probably have one, otherwise you wouldn't be able to make it here in the Palace. You just have to summon and fight with it!"

What was this cat going on about? Thinking about it was making her head hurt a lot. "I don't know how!"

"You have to try!" One of the guards grabbed Morgana by the neck and slammed it against the floor. Raising its other hand, it pointed its spear at the cat. "Enough!" The guard commanded. "King Kamoshida wants any and all intruders dead, including you!"

Morgana was wheezing at this point, but the defiant glare never faltered from its eyes as it scratched the guard's grip with its paws. "Like that's going to happen! I'll never bow down to the likes of him..!"

The guard before her raised its spear, ready to strike it down at her. Reina's eyes went wide as the situation they were in was quickly sinking in her. Was she really going to end up dying here?

Her fingers curled into her palms, knuckles whitening at the hard grip she had on her fists now. She could feel the fear and panic rising in her chest, but the flame of defiance in her was stronger. Was this how she was back then? How pathetic. She might not remember what kind of person she was back then, but Reina knew that she would be laughing at her present self for giving into a miserable state. The situation's bleak but she wasn't going to give in that easily. No, she was going to find a way to help Morgana and get out of this hell of a castle. Even if it meant dying in the process.

Something in her pulsed.

You took your time.

Reina gasped as a sharp pain pierced through her skull. She sank to her knees and gripped her head as the pain intensified. It is just the same as before, having the people dear to you entrenched in adversity. What will you do now, what do you desire the most?

Who was speaking to her? Reina barely had the time to wonder about when it felt like her mind was torn in half and her body was on fire. The pain she felt was excruciatingly unbearable and she couldn't help but scream and scream in hopes that it would recede.

Will you wait for your loved ones to meet their demise in the hands of those who wronged them? Or will you bring wreckage and pull those adversaries down to their knees to let them taste their punishment?

And suddenly, a collective of scenarios blurred her mind's eye. A kid weeping for the gunned down thug… A young woman with red hair hugging her father's still body with unhinged sobs… A young, baseball-cap wearing man swearing in heartbreak as the redhead in his arms smiled peacefully and didn't stir again… They each struck a chord in Reina's heart, and though she didn't quite remember them, she knew she couldn't let them and the rest of her loved ones suffer the same kind of fate again.

She knew she had to save Morgana first.

Let us renew our contract—swear your soul to me and together, we shall bring retribution in death's time!

"Yes," Reina breathed out. Blue flames flickered across her face, but she felt nothing. Instead, her face felt heavier… like she was wearing a mask. Before she could realize what was going on, she ripped the mask off her face. Blood dripped down as a blast of blue power flared around her. Blue flames engulfed her body, but she felt no pain from it; instead, she felt something sturdy replacing her school uniform, as well as something draping over her head.

Reina felt a familiar surge of power as something materialized behind her.

The being was something that gave chills down her spine. Its head was mechanical, almost like an unfinished skeleton of an automaton, colored white with limbs of the same color as well. It was cloaked in black with red straps around chest and arms and a black-and-gold belt securing around its waist. Metallic coffins were chained to its back and it held a long, serrated sword in one hand. Reina felt like she was looking at a grim warrior seeking death for those who crossed it.

And despite how terrifying the being looked, Reina felt a strange attachment towards it.

With a deafening roar, the being swooped down and laid waste to the guards, penetrating through their armors and into their cores and tearing them apart easily with its sword.

Morgana was released from the guard's grip, and it fell down to the ground for the second time. "Amazing! A new Persona!" The feline exclaimed in awe.

Thou art I… and I am Thou. The being spoke with a grimness that gave Reina chills. I am Thanatos, the harbinger of death. I was born of thee, and I shall wreak havoc by thy side until the ends of time.

The being, Thanatos, faded from reality, and Reina exhaled. She clenched her hands, marveling at the new power she had grasped, before it slowly sank in that her hands were gloved. It was only when she looked down did she realize her change in wardrobe.

Her outfit changed from her Shujin uniform to a black and gray high-collared halter top with two red, intersecting belts over her chest and black shorts. Her arms were donned with white bell-like sleeves, and her hands were clothed with fingerless maroon gloves. She also had two strips of gray cloth draping either side of her hips, along with a white holster tied around her waist. Black stockings and gray boots with a hook-like end completed her outfit, along with a red hooded cape around her shoulders and a sterling silver butterfly mask nestled on her face.

Rein was reeling in shock with what happened to her clothes. "What the heck?"

"You awakened your Persona!" Morgana proclaimed gleefully as it scampered over to her.

"Persona?" Reina repeated. The term itself was fairly new to her, but she felt a sense of familiarity saying it out loud. "Like… a mask people wear to hide themselves?"

"Something like that!" Morgana said eagerly, definitely excited and proud to share its knowledge. "Think of it as your inner self rebelling against all those that wrongfully punished you. You rip off that mask you wear in your heart and become your true self that breaks free and fights all those injustices!"

Reina's eyes widened in realization. "Is that so? My true self…" She muttered, turning pensive. Maybe this was the first step to finding out who she really was.

Suddenly, a burst of white light appeared and her extravagant clothes were morphed back into her school uniform. "Whoa!" Reina exclaimed in surprise. "My new clothes are gone! Was this supposed to happen..?" She patted down her body, as if trying to see how it did that.

"You're still probably adjusting to your new powers, so it's normal," Morgana hummed. "Besides, you're the third person I've met who can wield this power. Unlike frizzy hair and blondie, I feel like you're the person who can actually help me out on this!"

Reina gazed at the feline warily. "What are you going on about?"

"Like I said, I'm human… but I'm stuck in this body." Morgana explained, and Reina couldn't help but notice the twinge of sadness in its tone as it talked about it, although it was subtle. "I don't know how I ended up like this, but I know for sure I can get my human self back through the Palaces."

"Okay, what the heck is a Palace?"

Before Morgana could answer, there was a distant sound of metal clanking together and hushed voices. The duo freezed, and realization sank in that the guards were probably on the move right now and looking for the intruders.

"This is the third time already, and it's really getting under my skin," Morgana grumbled with obvious annoyance. Then, it turned to Reina. "I'll explain later, but we need to move or else it'll be off with our heads this time!"

Knowing that she didn't have much of a choice, she nodded and the duo made a break for the corridor. They turned for the room on the left and dived in. Morgana jumped on the bookcase and proceeded to rip off the grate above it. "Here! You can leave the Palace and return to the real world through this."

Reina waved her hands around, as if signaling a break. "Wait, hold up. Before I leave, can you at least tell me where the heck am I? This isn't a dream, right?"

"I'll be damned if this turned out to be a dream," Morgana said. "This is a Palace, a place where one's distorted desires take shape. A Palace is how a distorted person sees a certain location. This may be a school to you, but this is a castle in the ruler's eyes."

"So… this is all cognitive?" Reina wondered. Which person in Shujin would ever view the school as something as horrid as this?

Morgana grinned. "Yes, that's right! You're pretty smart, Reina. Better than that blondie."

She frowned. "You keep mentioning this frizzy hair and blondie fellows, but I have no idea who they are."

The grin on the feline's face fell, and Reina swore she didn't think it was possible to see eyes bulging so wide in surprise until she saw the look on Morgana's face. "What? You mean, all this time—you don't know who frizzy hair and blondie are?!"

"It's not like I actually acknowledged knowing who you are talking about," she huffed. "I just got here, okay."

Morgana just hissed and crossed its arms. "Okay, fine. You have a point. Grr, I'm gonna claw those two out after leaving me in the dust yesterday even when they promised to help!"

Man, those two guys did a good job pissing Morgana off. Reina rubbed the back of her neck, watching Morgana fume in anger (probably because it was reliving those memories again). But… what are the chances those two were from Shujin? With how the Palace was a cognition of the school, the chances of "frizzy hair" and "blondie" being a non-Shujin student were nil. How else would they discover this world in the first place?

It's a huge step, considering she virtually knew no one in Shujin, but it's worth the try. "Hey, Morgana, how about this: I'll take you back with me so you could find this "frizzy hair" and "blondie.""

This seemed to surprise the cat. "What? You'd really do that?"

Reina shrugged. "It's worth the try."

"Wow, you really are amazing! Thanks!" Morgana yowled in glee. It was probably the worse course of action it ever thought of because they heard a sturdy, metallic sound clanking nearby. "Yikes, we gotta go now! Hurry!"

She knew this idea was going to bite her back in the ass someday, but she didn't have time to think of possible regrets over it. Reina jumped up the bookcase just as Morgana crawled into the vent. The black-haired teen followed after it, and in a couple of moments, light was shining at the other end, and it wasn't before long they reached the other side of the world.


Blue. Deep, plush, velvet blue.

That was the first thought that came to Reina's mind when she got her bearings straight. Almost everything within her field of vision was colored blue, though the shapes were not clearly defined.

After her little dimension-jumping episode earlier, Reina came home from Shujin immediately. She gave her guardian a quick greeting before hustling over to her room, not giving her guardian the chance to ask why was she bringing a black cat in her schoolbag. She managed to let Morgana settle in her room before crashing straight into her bed, exhaustion tolling heavily on her. She barely paid heed to whatever the cat was yowling on about when sleep came to her quickly. Her rest felt dreamless and undisturbed until, well... this happened.

And this time, Reina is certain this must be a dream.

She blinked a few times, and she could clearly see the shapes taking form now. She was sitting on something rather plush, colored blue like everything else in the room. Above her was a light blue chandelier that gave light to the place and highlighted the blue drapings over the corners of the room. There was also a large clock overhead and an elevator-esque design that seemed to be moving in a constant upward motion.

It was a strange place, but the person before her was even stranger. Standing a little over the side from the small blue table was a young man with platinum blonde hair and eerie golden eyes. He was wearing something akin to a bellboy suit (also colored blue) and holding a massive book in one arm. There seemed to be a flicker of recognition and joy upon seeing her in front of him.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room... Or should I say, welcome back," the young man mused.

Velvet Room? Well, it was a fitting name, considering the state of the place... Reina felt a little anxious though, seeing that nothing could tickle her memory of the familiar name. She bowed her head towards him. "I-I'm sorry... I think I know you, but I don't remember..."

Disappointment was clear in his eyes, and Reina almost felt bad for not knowing him. Still, he took it to stride and offered her a small, reassuring smile. "Ah yes, that was to be expected. Very well then, allow me to reintroduce myself... My name is Theodore, I am glad to be of your acquaintance again. Unfortunately, my master cannot be here at this moment." He frowned a bit and shifted his gaze away from Reina. "In fact, I should not be contacting you right now..."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Reina asked, confused. Were all her dreams going to be this confusing hereafter?

Theodore's face was grave as he explained to her the gist of what was going on. "The Velvet Room is a place that exists between dreams and reality, mind and matter. Only those who are bounded by a "contract" may enter the room... However, there has been a breach, and the room is under influence of someone far more malevolent and sinister than any entity faced by the previous guests of the Velvet Room. He has taken my master captive, along with the other residents of the room."

"But how?" Reina asked. "I mean, if this so-called Velvet Room is inaccessible, then how am I here?"

Theodore's smile was enigmatic. "This Velvet Room comes from the figment of your memories, the only remnants of the original left untouched and only place where I am capable of crossing. After all, you were a special guest to the Velvet Room, but now your contract with it has expired and you have passed on the power of the Wild Card to your predecessors."

Reina tilted her head wryly. "Why do I get the feeling that you know more than you're letting on?"

"You have always been observant," Theodore let out a small chuckle. "Perhaps, but even if I do, I cannot tell you. We cannot interfere and tell you directly of these things. You must discover those things on your own."

The black-haired teen sighed. "Well, that makes things easy. If only I have my memories back..."

Theodore smiled sadly. "I am sorry, but I can tell you this: the answer you are currently pursuing lies in the path taken by the current guest. My master has placed a dangerous gamble on the game played by our foe, but this change in fate may be the key in helping our guest safeguard the very fabric of your reality from potential ruin. You and him have the same power, thus you must help him combat the chains seeking to keep him and his friends down, though how exactly you will do so, you must find out for yourself."

"I don't understand," Reina protested, feeling frustrated and lost. This was similar to the dream she had the other night. "Who is this guest? What am I supposed to be fighting against?"

Theodore looked up at the clock. The hands of it were whirring faster than ever; his golden eyes etched on it was grim and hard. "I do not have much time. I may not see you again until all of this has settled..." He gave Reina a determined smile. "Help our guest, and keep moving forward with your heart as your guide. I have full faith in you to aid in averting this catastrophe. Until we meet again."

With those words, the blue of the elevator-like place became white and everything faded away.

The last thought Reina had was a name that seemed to etch into her mind. Phantom Thief.


A/N: Finally edited this + an additional scene, ooh. Things are gonna get interesting from here.

Hello, hello. Yes, Thanatos is Reina's Persona. No, it won't be as overpowered as it would be in the game, haha. I'm keeping the stats similar to the Phantom Thieves, so there would be some improvement with the new skillset as well as Reina getting hang of the power (again) as the story goes on. But hey, what do you really think her Arcana would be? Hmm.

Anyway, thoughts? Comments? Constructive criticism? Don't be shy to leave some here!