Important Author's Note: I'll like to take a bit of time to explain the previous chapter's surprise Servant. For the longest while, I was conflicted between doing a Persona or a JoJo Digital Human story, eventually deciding Persona. But I still wanted something from JoJo, so I decided that one of the three new Servants would be something from it knowing that it can be a turn-off for some of my readers who don't particularly enjoy multi-crossovers. Jotaro is the only JoJo-related thing in this story, there will not be any other Stand users or JoJo material. He's primarily a Servant contracted with Hakuno Kishinami. He's a support character, not a main one.
All the other new Servants are ones that have appeared in other Fate media. I hope this explanation serves to resolve some readers of the doubts, but I understand if you decide that this story is not for you. I myself don't particularly enjoy when a story suddenly becomes multi-crosser.
Anyway! Enjoy the chapter!
A NEW ORIGINAL ART COVER! Deviant Art Link Here for a bigger view: fav me/ddadkc0
What lies in the body, the heart, and the soul? Are they but physical and metaphysical? The flame caused by her actions now seeks to devour her, but the road to her deletion is yet to be paved. Can this Digital Human change her path?
Digital/Culmination
Chapter 10: Two Perspectives
Hakuno Kishinami blinked multiple times as she looked up at the massively-sized building that was the Altas Company's headquarters. It wasn't a skyscraper, but it was impressively constructed with about thirty stories, akin to an expensive suite or hotel. She didn't know what the company did, the Atlas Institute had fallen with the disappearance of Earth's mana back in her world, Rani VIII was the last known member and homunculi to live.
The magus shook her head, she shouldn't deeply compare her original world with this one.
She reached into her pocket and brought out the slip, it was the written permission that Rani had gifted her yesterday. Supposedly, this would allow her to access different floors than the public normally wouldn't be able to enter under the guise of a personal tour.
Regardless, Hakuno entered the building, seeing the lobby where numerous individuals, employees, and customers, were chatting with busywork. She felt a bit out of place here but logically knew that it was just a personal perspective.
"You're here."
Hakuno Kishinami nearly jumped in surprise. She turned to face Rani Re-Atlasia, who looked at the magus with a stoic expression. After taking a few seconds to recollect herself, Hakuno spoke.
"Yes, you did invite me," She said, revealing the slip.
"I'm glad," Rani said, though her face didn't display it. "We can spend time in my resident room."
"Resident… Room?" Hakuno asked confused.
"Place I stay at while she works," Rani explained, expecting the question. The purple-haired girl motioned Hakuno to follow, which the magus decided to do. As they walked, Rani continued. "Altas is a research institute, wide variety, primarily medical-related. No specific study, many independent, kept in safety guidelines."
Hakuno Kishinami blinked at the words that Rani spilled as if her friend's counterpart was used to answering questions pertaining to Altas business. The Digital Human didn't know too much about the Atlas Institute back in her world, Rani and Rin didn't speak much about it unless related to problems Hakuno encountered against other Masters. But, seeing Rani, it was possible that the Altas Company had similarities to her world's own that was more than just the namesake.
"Wasn't going to ask that," Hakuno said. "I wanted to know about you," She finished.
"Daughter of CEO, I have some experience. Planning to enroll in college for multiple degrees," Rani answered like a machine.
It unnerved Hakuno Kishinami, why did Rani have this sort of speech pattern? Even Rani VIII in the Moon Cell didn't have this particular manner of speaking, almost robotic, different from even a self-aware AI such as her.
"Don't care about that," Hakuno said as they both entered an elevator, Rani sliding some key card into a detector of some description. "Why did you feel interested in me?"
"My… Mother…" Rani had difficulty in saying that word. "Expressed that I should find someone to discover myself."
At least that was similar enough to what Hakuno knew.
"Thank you," Hakuno said, trying to keep from further comparing this world's Rani to the one within the Moon Cell. They had similarities, but each was their own individual.
Rani glanced at her oddly, which wasn't unexpected, the girl must be mildly confused on Hakuno Kishinami's familiarity with her. The elevator reached its destination with a 'ding!' sound, opening its metallic door to allow both girls entrance into the floor. It was a rather spacious room, and clearly, Rani had been in the area many times as she walked in. Hakuno followed, looking at the furniture, electronic devices, and even a small kitchen of sorts.
Frankly, it all remained Hakuno of the Student Council Room, but more… Luxurious.
"There's tea," Rani revealed, already prepared on top of a small table in front of a couch.
Looks like she had been anticipating Hakuno for a while, there are even snacks!
Hakuno Kishinami craved some snacks.
As such, the magus girl sat down on the couch, next to the other girl, and began to partake in snacks and tea. While the tea was good, it was better when eaten with the different cookies. This was perhaps the first time Hakuno got to indulge herself in treats, the ones that Moon Cell provided in the commissionary just weren't up to par.
Her taste buds were in sugar heaven…
She had expected some sort of serious meeting, a surprise visit from an adversary, or anything that would bring her more trouble really. But, to her astonishment, Hakuno spent the evening with a purple-haired girl that was more monotone than she was, and she enjoyed it. They had a casual conversation related to everyday occurrences, the magus admittedly didn't have much to talk about so she detailed a few things at Shujin Academy. Rani only seemed to half-listen about them, but that was more than could be said about some people.
On the Atlas's girl side, Rani chatted about very few topics, but what she did converse about Hakuno noted for later.
"You can't seem to hold any friends?" Hakuno questioned in confusion.
"After a month they leave, you might too," Rani Re-Atlasia replied.
"Can't you figure out why? That's very strange," The magus asked.
The purple-haired girl shook her head, "No. Just after a month no more contact. Most move away."
"Who was your last friend?"
Rani paused, thinking for a moment, "Chiho Kata." She answered.
It was an unfamiliar name, but Hakuno Kishinami marked it as a potential information source if she could find the presumably female person. She could journey back into Mementos but decided to hold off on that and instead see what could be found in the real world first. The following week there would be three days of no school, a suitable time to then venture into the cognitive world, before then she would investigate Chiho Kata.
Information gathering... Just like back in the Moon Holy Grail War.
All to see what the mystery behind Sialim Eltnam Re-Atlasia is and why her friend's mother was a candidate for the MetaNav.
There was something to it, and Rani clearly didn't view her parent as a mother than just her legal guardian, Hakuno may not be well versed in relationships but even she knew that wasn't normal.
She glanced to the entertainment system attached to the flat screen television, it looked mostly unused and the few games nearby were still wrapped up. Her fake highschool memories shoved into her head in the Moon Cell's preliminary rounds provided an adequate amount of cultural and knowledge background, which included these devices.
Curiosity got the best of her, besides, she never got the chance to play with a friend before.
"Hey, Rani… Want to play a game?"
The doorbell chimed with a pleasant tingle as Ren Amamiya, known as Joker to his companions, returned to Leblanc Cafe. He had finished his daylight business by spending time with Ryuji, which had been rather fun for an exercise. His Confidant had increased with his friend, but that was just a side benefit for spending time with his comrade, the real positive was just hanging out without the stress of reality bearing down on them.
"Hey, you're back," Soujiro greeted warmly, only glancing his way for a moment before continuing his work on a coffee order.
Ren nodded, his mind wandering a bit on what he should do for his free evening hours. Then, gentle padding of a paw on his shoulder indicated that Morgana wished to speak with him in private. The teenager walked past the booths and towards the end of the building, going up the stairway into the attic which had been cleaned up and reorganized by him many weeks ago into a bedroom.
A black cat jumped out of his bag and onto a desk, Morgana stretched for a minute before sitting upright and facing Ren Amamiya.
"To begin, I'm positive that Kamoshida experienced a change of heart. If yesterday's absence spoke of anything, it's that he certainly didn't suffer a mental breakdown," Morgana started. "But I wanted to talk about another thing."
"Something bothering you?" Ren asked.
"I didn't want to talk about this to the others yet, but it's been bothering me ever since a few days back, it might be related to my missing memories perhaps…" He trailed off for a moment, shook his head then continued. "Do you remember the other transfer student?"
"Hakuno Kishinami," The boy replied in acknowledgment.
The brown-haired girl had gotten a bit of his attention and was now slowly becoming a common figure he'd spot in the morning if her visits to Leblanc Cafe on her free days were any indication. Her brief visit to the school roof had been a surprise for the Phantom Thieves, but there wasn't anything wrong with it. Though, if Ren had an opinion about Hakuno, it would be that she was rather expressionless most of the time.
Most of the time, that is, there was an intense shine to her eyes when Kamoshida tried to intimidate her.
"Yeah, Kishinami," Morgana said. "Don't know why but I feel intrigued by her, nothing that would compromise me of course! Just a…" He struggled to find a way to adequately describe it. "Enchanted? No, that's not it… I can't find the words yet but I can just feel that she's an important person… Kinda like you, Joker, but different."
"Similar, but different," Ren said. "Perhaps she's someone you knew?"
"Maybe? But she's not familiar, that day she visited us at the school rooftop was the first time I saw her. The first time you did I couldn't peak out the bag, and Kamoshida's cognition is not the same, regardless I didn't feel like I knew her."
"So what do you want to do?" He questioned.
"I was thinking of following her to her home and checking around a bit, as a cat, you have no idea how stealthy I can be!" Morgana praised himself. "So I'll be gone after school at times unless you schedule a meeting. I'll be back in evening hours!" He reassured.
Ren nodded, "So tomorrow?"
"Maybe, I'll let you know ahead of time," Morgana said. "I'll be fine if Hakuno does somehow notice me, she seems very nice!"
"You got sushi last time from her, that's why," He pointed out.
"I mean… There's that… But I know she's a good person!" Morgana insisted. "For now though, how about I teach you to make a few new tools?"
Ren Amamiya his eyes opened to the cold, dark roof of a prison cell. He brought himself upright, feeling the drag of iron chains attached to his wrists weight on him, his clothes now but the cast of black and white prison garments. The inmate's eyes drew to the cell's door, barred by metal and locked, his feet dragged him up and standing. He knew this place, the realm that only he could view and visit in the cognitive world.
The Velvet Room.
He had not willingly entered it this time, so that must mean the Velvet Room's master, Igor, had called to him.
The young man walked towards the cell's entrance and grabbed the bars with his hands, looking into the prison, a wide circular room with a lone desk in the center and a long-nosed man sitting at it, twin girls at his side dressed in blue warden attire.
Caroline and Justine stepped up to the cell, the former slammed a disciplinary tool against its iron, creating a mild racket that echoed.
"About time you woke up, inmate!" Caroline shouted in a harsh tone.
"Our Master has called you here," Justine said in a kinder voice.
Ren looked at the prison master.
Igor chuckled mildly, then spoke, "Tomorrow is the day in which you shall receive the truth of your work. Shall it succeed? Or shall it fail? An anxious answer now sits behinds an opening curtain," He spoke.
"It'll succeed," Ren said, he was confident that it would.
"A bold statement, but one well-spoken," He remarked. "This game is becoming quite interesting, and with a new player, I'm eager to see how it plays."
A new player? Another cryptic sentence from him.
"Another Persona-user?" Ren inquired.
Caroline laughed, "Ha! Not exactly, inmate!"
"You are the Trickster," Justine began. "The other is the Inheritor. They are two different roles, both under our guidance."
"Though the student is a piece of work," Caroline said. "It's hard to remember what we do for the other when in the other's room."
Another room, there was another Velvet Room. He wasn't exclusive, well, not entirely at least. So what was this Inheritor? Who was this Inheritor…?
Ren thought about what Morgana said, Hakuno Kishinami felt like Joker but different. It is possible she is this 'Inheritor', but there was barely any proof of it. Hakuno Kishinami also didn't react to Morgana talking, which likely meant she only heard a cat's speech. So, Hakuno was mostly out of the picture, unless she spontaneously gained access to the Metaverse in the time since this morning's brief chat.
He couldn't ask the twin wardens, as stated, it was difficult for them to recall the other's Velvet Room while in his. Both that also went both ways, the Inheritor couldn't ask about him either. So he was in the clear against potential identity problems.
"In light of this new change, I will grant earlier access to some of the Velvet Room's features," Igor said. "Use them wisely in your pursuit of rehabilitation..."
His grin was the last thing Ren Amamiya saw his drowsiness crept back in and darkness took him.