Hello, all, and welcome to my latest project, one that I have adopted from The Metal Overlord, who was apparently inspired by a similar story written by another user called Phoenix Champion on fanfiction. And now that I've adopted this story from The Metal Overlord, I intend on finishing what he started. In fact, I've already started working on the next chapter for this project. Also, this story is in no way tied to Reincarnation or The Royal Strikers. Just putting that out there.
Also, I have decided to not make Teams RWBY and JNPR Persona-Users. This will make the development process and the crafting of the story that much easier for me. Plus, there are certain things that cannot be fixed or dealt with by just popping into the Metaverse and causing a change of heart. They must instead be solved using the Silver Eyes or abilities in another Huntsman/Huntress' skillset.
Well, I don't really have anything else to talk about, so on that note, let us start the game!
Prologue
Ren Amamiya, a young man with frizzy black hair and steel gray eyes began to stir in his sleep at the sound of a familiar opera melody before realizing that he was not in his bed, nor was he wearing the clothes that he usually wore whenever he went to sleep, but rather his casual winter attire, which consisted of a black jacket over a white shirt, blue jeans held up by a black leather belt, and black shoes.
Sitting up on the bed he found himself on, Ren took a look at his immediate surroundings. It seemed as though he was inside a lounge that had been converted into a large bedroom meant to hold several guests. While the velvet blue color of the lounge coupled with the opera music gave Ren a fairly solid idea of where he was, it was the people who were asleep on the other beds in the room that really caught Ren's attention, as he recognized all of them.
On the first bed, Ren saw his best friend, Ryuji Sakamoto, a young man his age with short spiky hair that had been bleached blonde and was clad in an open purple coat that had red stripes on the arms with a black shirt that had a yellow emoji face on it underneath, black pants with a white stripe on the sides, and yellow and white sneakers.
On the second bed was Ann Takamaki, a young woman around Ren's age with long blonde hair that was tied into two pigtails wearing a red jacket with a 'S' on the chest and long pale beige sleeves, a white skirt over black leggings, and red sneakers.
On the third bed was Yusuke Kitagawa, another young man his age with deep blue hair wearing a brown suit like jacket with thin black lines on it over a pink tinged shirt, black pants held up by a black leather belt that had a collection of keys dangling from it, and black shoes.
On the fourth bed was Makoto Nijima, a young woman a year older than Ren with brown hair in a bob cut wearing a light blue coat over a black turtleneck, black pants, and thigh high brown boots.
On the fifth bed was Futaba Sakura, a young woman a year younger than Ren with long orange hair wearing a blue-green coat with a furred collar, a black tank top under her white shirt, black shorts that had a belt dangling from her right side, and black stockings over black boots. On a table next to her were her large round glasses.
On the sixth bed was Haru Okumura, a young woman a year older than Ren was with curly auburn hair wearing a slightly puffed gray coat with a wool collar and a pink skirt, as well as white leggings and red shoes.
The person on the seventh bed was something of a surprise to Ren. Goro Akechi, a young man a year older than him with light brown hair wearing a black turtleneck underneath a brown coat, black pants, and black shoes. Akechi's presence was surprising in that while Ren had encountered him in the twisted, "perfect" reality that had been created by Maruki and his Persona, Azathoth aka Adam Kadmon, the last time Ren had checked, Akechi was dead, having sacrificed himself in order to save the lives of Ren and his friends.
Upon noticing that there were no more beds, Ren quickly found himself growing worried until he turned back towards his own bed and found his girlfriend, Sumire Yoshizawa, a young woman a year younger than himself with long hair tied into a ponytail with a red ribbon tied into a bow wearing a knit cream-colored sweater with a knee length orange skirt, and black ankle boots, sleeping there, her dreams completely and utterly untroubled.
As he felt his concern disappear, Ren caught sight of a familiar-looking bag that was partially zipped open sitting on a bedside table. His curiosity getting the better of him, Ren looked inside the bag and found Morgana, his pet cat/getaway car/getaway helicopter and perhaps the most faithful member of his team, snoozing away inside, wearing only a yellow collar with his identification tags attached to it.
Ren found himself frowning. If his entire team was here, including Akechi, and he was where he thought they were, then something big involving Shadows and Personas was either already going down or was about to go down. But after five years, why them?
Thankfully, it seemed as though he wouldn't have to wait long for answers as a familiar, high-pitched voice that held a certain calming something rang out across the room.
"Trickster, welcome to the Velvet Room," the voice said.
Ren turned around to find none other than the real Igor, a small gremlin-like old man with a huge nose wearing an old fashioned black suit, sitting in a large chair. Standing nearby were two more familiar faces. Lavenza, a young girl with platinum blonde hair wearing a royal blue and black dress with black shoes and white stockings carrying a massively thick tome called Le Grimoire, and José, a young boy with short platinum blonde hair, this time clade in a royal blue blazer with a black turtleneck, black dress pants with a black leather belt, and black dress shoes.
"Igor, Lavenza, José. It's good to see you guys again," Ren said, giving the three a nod in greeting.
"It has been far too long, Ren," Lavenza said with a charming smile.
"Indeed. Granted, we have not really met often, the Azathoth incident notwithstanding, due to Yaldabaoth's machinations," Igor agreed with a solemn nod.
"So, I can safely assume that this isn't a social visit?" Ren asked the residents of the Velvet Room.
"Indeed. In fact, we've collected you and your friends to discuss the results of my studies," revealed José. "But, before we go any further, I think it might be a good idea if we wake up your friends so that they may partake in this discussion. Sister, if you would be so kind as to give our guests a wake-up call?"
Giving her brother a mischievous smile, as though she knew full-well that what was about to transpire would be rather humorous, Lavenza lifted her tome high above her head before slamming it down onto Igor's table with a loud and resounding thud, making Ren jump and cry out in surprise.
"Holy shit- gwah!" cried Ryuji, as crass as always, before he fell out of bed in his alarm.
Ann, Makoto, and Haru, meanwhile, let out near identical shrieks of surprise and alarm as they sat bolt upright in their beds, while Yusuke woke up with nothing more than alarmed gasp.
"I'm awake! I'm awake!" screamed Futaba, grabbing her glasses from nearby and putting them on quickly.
"HELP! THE DELICIOUS PANCAKES TRICKED ME AGAIN!" Akechi cried out in alarm, a terrified look on his face as he looked around wildly in a state of panic.
"Ren-kun?!" Sumire shouted, sitting bolt upright on the bed, giving a clear insight as to what she had been dreaming about.
"MRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEOWW!" howled Morgana as he shot out of the bag in fright, letting out a hiss as he looked around for the source of the disturbance.
After everyone had settled down from their sudden wake-up call, the Phantom Thieves took a good look around at their immediate surroundings… as well as who was among them.
"Okay, first off, where the Hell are we, and secondly, why and how is Akechi here?" Ryuji asked no one in particular.
"I'd like to know that as well… last time I checked I was in…" Akechi muttered to himself.
"You are in the Velvet Room, Phantom Thieves," Lavenza explained. "It is good to see all of you again."
"Wait a minute… is that the real Igor sitting there?" Makoto asked, a touch of suspiciousness in her voice.
"I can assure that is the real Igor," José said, drawing the attention of the gathered Phantom Thieves to him. "My master has gathered you all here to discuss the findings of my studies of humans, and to ask a favor on behalf of his master."
"Your studies?" Yusuke asked, confused.
"Oh! That's right! I remember you said you were studying humans for someone!" Ann said.
"Indeed I was. Although, it would be more accurate to say that I was studying you guys, to see if you were suitable candidates for the mission that my master's master has been sitting on for far longer than he would have liked," explained José.
"Master's… master…?" Morgana asked, clearly confused. Although he had been created by Igor using what had been the last dregs of humanity's hope for their freedom at the time, that didn't necessarily mean he was privy to everything that those who called the Velvet Room home were.
"Indeed. You see, although I handle this place's standard affairs, such as providing aid to those who have been gifted with the Wild Card and helping them nurture their abilities, I am not truly the master of this place, as Yaldabaoth may have led you to believe. That designation goes to the entity responsible for the creation of this place and all who dwell within it, Philemon," explained Igor. "And as José explained, my master has asked you for a favor based on the results of his research on you."
Igor then nodded at Lavenza, who then conjured up a map out of seemingly nowhere and placed it on Igor's table and unfurled it.
"Come," Igor said. "Take a look at this map."
The Phantom Thieves did as Igor asked and leaned over the table, almost instantly coming to one conclusion.
"This is not a map of Earth," Akechi said.
"No shit, Sherlock," Ryuji said under his breath.
"Indeed… two of these continents look remarkably similar to ancient dragons. See here?" Yusuke noted, pointing out the two continents in question.
"You know, I can actually kinda see that," Sumire said.
"This map is of a world of bloody evolution known as Remnant," Igor explained. "Humanity of that world is in grave danger of ruin, or worse yet, extinction."
"What?" Ren asked, looking up from the map at Igor. "What's going on over there?"
Igor waved his gloved hand over the map, transforming it into projected images of a variety of shadowy, demonic beings that had bone-like protrusions, black bodies, and glowing red eyes. One of the creatures resembled a massive dragon of some kind. Another resembled a werewolf's beast form, while another somehow reminded Ren of the Undeads from The Legend of Hilda: Flute of Time.
"The Creatures of Grimm," Igor explained. "Dark beings of destruction attracted to negative emotions not dissimilarly to primitive forms of Shadows. However, while those Shadows feed on the mind, these Grimm feed on… everything else. These monsters have existed in Remnant for centuries, during which time humanity has adapted and evolved to being able to fight them. However, that will not be the case for much longer."
"What do you mean?" asked Makoto, a serious look in her eyes.
"The Grimm have a leader. A Queen, if you will." José said as Igor waved his hand over the map once again, changing the projected images to one that took the vague shape of a woman with unholy red and black eyes that sent chills down even Akechi's spine. "She's become far more active recently, and has been gathering pawns, leading the Grimm as though they were an army. But, that's only the tip of the iceberg, and this next bit is why we've decided to ask you for your intervention rather than, say, those who have bested Izanami-No-Okami or the heroes who sealed away Nyx."
"You see, the people of Remnant are divided into two distinct races: humans like yourselves, and an even younger breed of humans known as the Faunus," explained Lavenza.
"Faunus?" asked Morgana as he hopped onto the table.
"Yes. They are beings that look and act human in virtually every way, except they have certain traits from animals that populate both your world and Remnant. Truth be told, neither I nor my brother have been able to fully determine what animal traits are not among the Faunus, as there are so many variations," explained Lavenza.
"You know, that actually sounds pretty neat," Futaba said as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Imagine having the thick hide and strength of a rhino! Nothing could stand against you!"
Ann beamed at the thought. "Or imagine having the claws and senses of a cat! That'd be pretty neat!"
"Heh, then you'd be Panther full-time!" joked Ryuji.
"I personally wouldn't mind having the camouflage abilities of a chameleon. Would have really helped back when I first arrived at Shujin, not to mention when we were out doing our Phantom Thief thing," said Ren.
"Oh, just imagine having the wings of a bird on your back! Flying high above it all…" Sumire added in.
As the other Phantom Thieves talked about how cool the Faunus admittedly sounded, there was something about Lavenza's words that rang several...unpleasant… bells for Akechi. After a few moments, the former detective spoke.
"These Faunus… are treated poorly, aren't they?" Akechi asked Lavenza.
The young girl nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so. The cancerous racism between humanity and Faunus has resulted in a massive increase in negativity, rallying the Grimm far faster than a single leader ever could. Worse, it has caused the strife between the two races to boil over into blatant terrorism," revealed Lavenza.
"What?! Terrorism?!" gasped Makoto in shock.
As one, the Phantom Thieves casted a glance at Akechi to see how he'd take this information. Sure enough, his fists were clenched in anger, and he was grinding his teeth, no doubt reminded of his own experiences with discrimination on account of his illegitimacy, and how that had caused him to become a puppet and attack dog to his own father.
"Are they truly fighting amongst themselves rather than against a common enemy?" Yusuke asked in disbelief.
"Unfortunately, yes," José said. "But, there's more. Because of the current situation, a new Metaverse has arisen in Remnant. And as far as I can tell, each of the four major Kingdoms of Remnant has its own Mementos, each similar to, yet unique from each other. Whether this means there are multiple entities similar to Yaldabaoth, or if they have a shared core with a single entity at its heart, I cannot say."
"Which brings us to the here and now," said Igor. "There are a large number of figures at fault for the rampant racism and terrorism that are plaguing Remnant. By infiltrating their Palaces and seizing their Treasures, both sides of humanity will be able to benefit from a sudden stop in aggression on one or both sides of the conflict. More importantly, if you can change the heart of one of the Grimm Queen's pawns and remove each Mementos from the Kingdoms, you will be able to stave off the ruin and extinction that is ever-approaching Remnant and its people."
A brief moment of silence passed before Ann came to realize something. "Wait a minute! What about our families!? Our jobs!? Our lives here on Earth!?" she cried out.
"Do not worry, my master has already prepared for this scenario," Igor said. "Should you choose to assist Remnant, doppelgangers of yourselves will be sent back to your home to live your lives as though this meeting never happened. They will be, on all accounts, no different than the real ones."
A few longer moments of silence passed as the gathered Phantom Thieves looked at one another. Finally, Ren spoke. "Can we have a few moments to talk about this?" he asked.
"Certainly," Igor said as he leaned back in his chair. "Take all the time you need."
Ren nodded at Igor before he pulled the other nine members of his team into a huddle to discuss the choice that had been placed before them. On one hand, agreeing to help Remnant would essentially mean that they would be turning their backs on their lives in Japan, and judging by how well-made their doppelganger would be, this would be, in no uncertain terms, a permanent decision, and one that Akechi was all for, given his past crimes.
On the other hand, if they refused to help Remnant and kept living their lives here, they would effectively be throwing that world to the wolves, quite literally if some of those Grimm were anything to go by. Could they, the heroes who had blown a hole in the God of Control's head and stopped the warped desires of a gentle madman, in good conscience, allow an entire world to fall to ruin, even if it wasn't their own?
After a few moments, Ren and the others turned to face Igor. "All right. We'll help save Remnant," he said, his determined look shared by the rest of the group.
"I knew you were the right people for the job!" José said, a proud smile on his face.
"Must you be so proud, brother?" Lavenza said, rolling her eyes. "Now then, there are several things you must know about the journey ahead. First off, the four Kingdoms of Remnant use a currency known as 'Lien,' which means any Yen you have is completely useless," Lavenza continued. "However, we were able to convert the Yen the Trickster put towards fusing bigger and stronger Personas. This should help cover your immediate expenses while in Remnant," Lavenza said, holding out what looked like ten credit cards, each with the Velvet Room's logo. Ren took two of the cards while everyone else took one.
"Your bank accounts will be tied to the Velvet Room, so as to avoid arousing suspicion in regards to the source of your income from defeating Shadows and the like," Igor said, his smile as wide as ever. "Furthermore, do not worry about being undefended while in Remnant. My master has arranged for several gifts for you upon your arrival in Remnant. I have also arranged access points around Remnant that will allow you to access the Velvet Room, should you or Akechi need to fuse or strengthen Personas."
"You'll be transported to an area near the outskirts of a settlement called Argus. From there, you should be able to find transport into the frozen Kingdom of Atlas. The entire kingdom is floating hundreds of meters above the ground, so this is the only way for you to get into Atlas proper without arousing suspicion," explained José as he pulled out a stack of papers and handed them to Ren. "Here are the necessary papers, they'll help you get into and out of each of Kingdom of Remnant."
"Thanks," Ren said, taking the papers with a nod.
Igor chuckled. "Well, I do believe that concludes everything of importance. Are you ready to set forth?" he asked the Phantom Thieves.
Ren took a look at his teammates, who all nodded at him, their faces seeming more determined than ever. Turning back to Igor, Ren simply said, "Yes."
Igor chuckled. "Very well," he said.
And with that, the entire Velvet Room glowed with a bright white light before there was a flash, and everything went black.
And thus concludes the prologue! It might be a bit rushed in some places, but I think I did a pretty okay job over all. In any case, if you like what I'm laying down, then be sure to fav, follow, and review, and I'll see you guys next time as the Phantom Thieves begin their journey to the Greatest Kingdom, and we learn a little bit more about how the hell Goro Akechi is still alive!