The Moment of Fate
Whenever summoned to the velvet room, disaster always seemed to follow after leaving. Most of the time, Ren would have to wait a couple of days to a couple of weeks before something crises worthy happened. Today was the first time disaster followed immediately after finishing a meeting and stepping out of the blue-colored room.
Several bombs had gone off in several sections of the Antarctic headquarters, causing several staff members to scramble and execute their orders during times of emergencies.
"All Security personnel are to execute code Red Protocols. All non-combatant staff members, please report to the designated safe zones."
The panicked former Phantom Thief's first instinct was to go to obey the Loudspeaker. That instinct soon derailed when he caught sight of a golden butterfly turning a corner.
"Lavenza?" He whispered to himself.
"Over here," The gold butterfly said. The voice was distinctly male. Ren's eyebrows raised. Lavenza was likely trying to recover from whatever she was doing; This could be one of her siblings helping him in her stead.
After one split second, Ren had decided to follow the butterfly.
"Ren, where are you going? The safe zone is this way!" Morgana said over his shoulder.
"I don't think a shelter is where we need to be," Ren replied as he rushed and chased after the golden butterfly. "Come on."
There is a sense of panic permeating through the air as the Chaldean Master ran through the busy hallways. He saw staff members retreating towards designated safe zones. He also saw armed security going towards the bomb sites.
After a good five minutes of running, the butterfly had to lead them to their destination.
"That's," Ren paused gazed upon his destination. It was the Rayshift room. What was left was nothing but ruins. The bomb had destroyed everything; There was rubble and debris all over the room. Fires were raging at the corner of the room. There were also dead bodies were could be soon all over the room. Moans of pain and torment could be barely heard amongst the sirens and the P.A announcements by people who managed to survive the blast. The sights and sounds of so many suffering had elicited a mixture of nausea, fear, and sadness within Ren.
"We have to help them!" Ren said, his voice was pained and subdued.
"There's not much we can do right now," Morgana replied, ever the more rational voice. "Unless you know some fire controlling Magecraft, you're ultimately useless here. Why did we come here?"
Before Ren could respond about what he had seen, his eyes caught sight of a certain purple-haired girl he saw earlier.
"Mash!" Ren yelled out, his body moving and entering the room before he could think. Morgana, surprised at his leader's outburst, was flung from his shoulder as he rushed forward to the girl. Before he could follow after Ren and try to pull him back, the automatic doors to the Ray shift room had activated, shutting the entrance down and locking Morgana out and Ren and Mash in.
"Senpai!" Mash said weakly. Ren's expression changed from pure anxiety for his new friend to pure horror as he took in the girl's state. He saw half her body covered in rubble and debris. Mash herself had cuts all over her scalp, blood slowly dripping down her face. She looked like she is about to lose consciousness soon.
Despite how dire and hopeless the situation was, Ren had quickly looked around to see if there was something he could use to remove the giant rubble from the girl's body.
"Hang on. We'll get you out of there!" Ren yelled, his eyes and head darting around.
"Ren Senpai; Please! It's already too late for me." Mash said, mustering as much strength as she can to calm the dark-haired man. Ren looked at the dying girl. At that moment, he knew that the girl that he had befriended would not survive. Yet, within the deepest part of his heart, he refused to give up.
"Could you do me a favor?" The dying girl asked.
Ren closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He laughed bitterly to himself. His first day to save the world, and things are already going to hell. His eyes opened. He gave the girl one of the kindest smiles he could muster. Deep down, behind the smile, he steeled himself. The Phantom Thief knew what had to do. Before he would do it, he would fulfill one last wish for the girl that would die.
"Sure," Ren responded, kneeling at the girl's side.
"Hold my hand."
Ren complied, his hands reached out to the girl with glasses. He squeezed her hand gently; It felt soft and delicate.
"I'm sorry Senpai," Mash whispered.
"Shh! It's okay." Ren whispered soothingly in return.
"Central Area sealed, 180 seconds till internal containment procedure, Coffin Vitals: Master, Baseline no reached, Searching for another candidate." The P.A announced. "Master Found, Unsummon Program, start. Spiritron Conversion, start.
Ren's eyes gazed around as gold light surrounded both himself and Mash.
"What?"
Before he could truly comprehend what was going on, there was a flash of golden light. Ren felt himself falling towards something, his consciousness quickly fading. The last thing he saw was a golden butterfly and black hole.
—
Ren was dreaming. He was dreaming. He dreamed of all the people he had left behind when he chose to head over Antarctica and begin his life in Chaldea. His dream depicted each other going about their lives with nary a care in the world.
In his dream, he saw Ryuuji running deliveries for a part-time job he was going on the side while he was studying hard in cram school to get into a decent college. He'd spent evenings after work either studying or cleaning up his apartment.
He saw Ann taking photos at a modeling shoot and even befriending a rival who she'd gotten to know well as they worked for the same agencies.
He saw Yusukue at an art gallery, speaking avidly to a reporter inquiring about his latest piece of work. The man was eccentric as always, with the young artist going into a long-winded rant of how he came to create his latest masterpiece. As the interview went on, the reporter was looking increasingly reluctant to stay and listen to him.
He saw Makoto entering the police station for the first time, dressed in her uniform, getting ready to start on her training and hopefully rise to the ranks of the Force. Hopefully, become a police chief like her father was before her.
He saw Futaba finally graduating high school. He saw all that she would accomplish: Entering Tokyo University, actually socializing more, and entering the cognitive pscience program on a scholarship.
He watched as Haru was at the grand opening for her new franchise cafe. The girl dressed in a dark business suit and skirt. Standing not too nearby was her grandfather's closet friend; He watched approvingly as the heiress finally took the reigns of the business.
He saw Zenkichi arresting a criminal. After putting that criminal behind bars, he drove back to his daughter Akane to have a quiet dinner with her. The atmosphere between them was light-hearted and loving. Akane was smiling more. Zenkichi was less nervous about interacting with his daughter.
He saw Sophia and her creator Kuon going into a large lecture hall in the conference, the pair giggling and enjoying an inside joke.
He saw Kasumi participating in a national competition in America. She would win the adoration of the audience with her elegant and rhythmic movements. Ren could tell: That was the happiest she has ever been. She was finally out of her sisters' shadow.
Finally, he saw himself. He was walking the doors of Mont Blanc Cafe. The scene was surreal, all of them making small talk about their lives. They were all enjoying the curry and coffee. It tasted of warmth
, love companionship.
It all turned to ash.
Each scene that played out his dream turned into a horrific nightmare. He watched in horror as he saw each of his friends burst into flame, their screams echoing within the corridors of his dreamscape. He could smell their flesh cooking and observe their skins melting. He watched them die, one by one. He felt the heat and temperature rise. He saw their bodies eventually turn into nothing but black dust.
In each scene of their deaths, they called out to their leader. With all his will, Ren struggled to help them. But every time he did so, he had failed.
"Why did you leave us, Joker!"
"You could have saved us since you were here."
"Was I wrong?" Ren whispered to himself. "Should I have stayed behind?"
He saw another image. It was of Morgana; His body was lying on a street corner in London, his body with the rest of the city turning into flames. The Phantom Thief that guided him was dead.
Except, that wasn't right. Morgana wasn't in London. He was with him at Chaldea, accompanying him on helping him save humanity. The moment the man came to this realization, the dreams had stopped. He found himself in a black void.
"Nice try!" Ren yelled defiantly. "But you left out one tiny detail."
"As expected of a Master and a commander of Chaldea." Someone from behind him called. The voice was bestial and inhuman.
Something materialized from the dark void. It was Humanoid in form, the size similar to the Persona Thor with its was even muscular like him. However, the differences ended there. If there was one word that Ren would use to describe the being before him, It was a monster. Its face looked like a white expressionless mask with what looked like tree trunks growing from its head. Its arms were massive. He has red-claw-like hands. The color of his body was a mixture between red and black. The most notable feature of all was its chest. There was a glowing eye at the center of it. Its color yellow.
Was this a shadow? Ren internally speculated.
"Who are you?" Ren asked.
"You will know very soon. Cretin." The creature responded. "I might have been able to do more, but It looks like you've already had me backed into a corner. I can't believe you made it this far. Color me impressed."
Ren gave the being a confused look.
"So be it. I officially recognize you as somebody worthy of my attention Amamiya Ren." The beast said, his tone of voice growing more dangerous.
"COME STEAL IT IF YOU CAN!" The beast proclaimed.
The beast's words echoed throughout the void. The beast then vanished another voice called out to him.
With the beast's vanishment, Ren had heard another voice in the void.
"Senpai! Wake up!"
—
"Senpai," The voice said, sounding increasingly irritated. "If you don't wake up, I'll kill you!"
Ren's eyes opened quickly at the words 'kill'. He soon found himself in a world on fire and surrounded by walking skeletons equipped with Medieval weapons. His head turned to his side, and he found a familiar pink-haired girl.
"Thank god you're all right." Mash sighed in relief.
"Did you say you'd kill me if I didn't wake up?" Ren frowned, standing up.
"Hey! It worked. Didn't it?" Mash shot back, going slightly. Ren laughed and shrugged. Despite being surrounded by an army of undead, it was good to have a familiar face.
Well, the face may be familiar, Ren thought. The clothes were not.
The outfit she was wearing looked something out of cosplay. It's something far less modest; She was wearing would like a miniskirt with armor that fit snugly around her body. Along with the armor, she was carrying a large shield that was the shape of the cross.
"Master!" Mash said, calling Ren's attention back to the dilemma they've found themselves. The Phantom Thief's eye quirked at being called "Master.". However, before he could question it further, Ren's attention diverted towards the oncoming army of the undead. Instead of the Skeletons this time, it was Zombies.
"Get back! Master! I'll take care of this."
'I am thou!' A voice called within Ren's mind
For a moment, he was surprised. When he heard that oh-so-familiar voice, Ren felt a rush of relief coming to him. He gave the purple-haired girl a sly smile.
"Senpai?"
"You've been carrying on alone, protecting me," Ren said, taking a step toward the army of zombies. "It's time I pull my weight as well."
"Master! Your eyes!" Mash said in a panic. "They're turning yellow!"
'Thou art I, Call my name once again.'
"It's been a while, Arsene. Let's see if you still have it."
Blue flames surrounded and consumed Ren at that moment. Much to the surprise of Mash, they didn't elicit screams of pain or anguish from her newly made friend. The blue flames had vanished. Ren's clothes had changed. He was no longer wearing the long-sleeved white shirt and black pants the made up his Chaldean uniform. Instead, he was wearing his phantom thief attire.
The black trench coat, the more form-fitting black pants, and the white mask felt far more comfortable for Ren than the uniform. The only thing that remained from his uniform was the white bracelet that came with all Chaldean uniforms.
"Mash. Cover me." He said, adjusting his white gloves. Before Mash could protest, He dashed forward "PERSONA!"
The familiar red and black humanoid form of Arsene had manifested at his side. The Persona's eyes glowed, gathering its dark energies. Ren meanwhile pulled out the mystic code he had forged during the final months of Basic Magecraft training. Much to the dark-haired youth's surprise, instead of a basic-looking combat knife which he had enchanted to help act as a focus for his magecraft, the weapon took on the form of a large medieval dagger with a shiny black metal handle a red and black blade. Furthermore, His phantom thief attire had a gun and a holster. Before being teleported here, he had the stored and safely secured in his bag inside his dorm room. One last curiosity was how quickly he seemed to make his way to the army of enemies. His body had felt both lighter and faster. It was like being in the metaverse.
Unfortunately, Ren did not have the luxury to dwell on the sudden change to his dagger or his newly found physical enhancements.
'Eiagon' Ren mentally commanded his Persona. One section of the army of zombies was pushed back by the first of his Persona's abilities. With an explosion of dark energy, the zombies evaporated like dust in the wind.
Out of the corner of his eye, he observed Mash fighting, taking out another battalion of Skeleton Warriors that seemed to have manifested out of thin air. The purple-haired girl was a sight to behold. She was mercilessly bashing skulls, dodging strikes, and blocking heavy blows. She moved with both the strength, grace, and efficiency of somebody that had fought for years.
'And you say I'm the Senpai.' Ren chuckled, beheading three zombies at once.
The pair were making quick work of this army; Despite that, they couldn't keep at this forever. They had to end this battle decisively. Lucky for the pair of warriors, an opportunity came when Ren had discovered he had one more ability that had lied dormant since the last time he operated at the Phantom Thief: Third Eye.
When he activated the third eye, the world from Ren's perspective had gone dark, objects of note had glowed blue. The object of his desire and need. A broken down Sudan. Within a split second, Ren commanded Arsene to fly over and pick the car; The Persona threw it at Battalion Ren himself was battling. Before the card hit the army, Ren used his third eye and aimed his gun at the car's fuel tank, causing a massive explosion killing an army of Zombies and Skeletons warriors.
The numbers now thinned. Who or whatever was commanding the army of the undead to attack them had seen fit to cut their losses. The ordered zombies and skeleton warriors scurry away.
With the battle won, the pair had decided to take this time to rest and regroup. Mash and Ren chose to find the closest area of the city that wasn't so out in the open and select their next course of action.
"I take it you have questions." Ren speculated.
"About the mystery you're using? I've never seen anything quite like it. I like to talk to you more about it, but I think we both have a more pressing concern." Mash responded.
Ren nodded in agreement. "We need to contact headquarters."
"That bracelet you received along with your uniform. It's a device that will allow us to communicate with H.Q directly. We can use that." Mash advised.
The phantom thief nodded again and rolled up his sleeves. He looked at it, wondering how to activate it. Lucky for him, Mash knew how him. Her hands had quickly touched a couple of buttons on the bracelet, and with that action, a blue hologram and screen materialized out of thin air. When he saw the familiar face of Roman on the screen, one thought had persisted in his head:
Time to figure out what the hell is going on.
Author Notes:
After so many years I'm back to writing! I mainly wrote this because I've had this idea stuck in my head for a while and I really wanted to get it out. After finishing Persona 5 Strikers, I did want to publish this story while I have the energy and will to write this. Considering the summary, I do know this would be an ambitious undertaking considering there will be lots of characters to juggle around not to mention type-moon lore mechanics I'll have to bear in mind.
So long as I'm engaged, I'll keep writing as much as I can. Currently, my goal is to get the Singularity F arc finished. Only other thing I have to say about this story is that this is going to be an AU fusion. So don't expect everything to be identical to how canon F/GO plays out. Especially when we have the persona cast in the mix. There are certain things I'll keep the same as far as the story line goes and there is going things that are completely different.
As always, please read and review.