Disclaimer: I own nothing in this work.
Chapter 1 – A Day of Change
The familiar and haunting music was what stirred Ren into consciousness. Perhaps some part of himself had come to associate the piano notes and the opera singing with a safe haven, an unreachable refuge that only he and two others could enter. Even after the revelations that had happened in December, that association of safety had not disappeared from his unconscious mind. That perhaps explains why Ren Amamiya opens his eyes with little surprise to see himself once again behind the cell bathed in velvet light.
Ren slowly sits up, groggy and unfocused as he sometimes was in the morning. As he looked down at his body, Ren noticed that he was back in the prisoner outfit he had worn for most of his time in Tokyo, complete with the handcuffs and ball-and-chain.
'Huh…I'm here again,' Ren thinks to himself. He looks to his side, and sure enough the cell doors that kept him separated from the other residents was there. However, as Ren peers through the bars, he sees no one with him in the room.
The Velvet Room. The strange reality where he first encountered the supernatural nature of the world. A place that reminded him of his weakness even as it gave him the means of growing stronger.
He frowned as he took in his appearance again. 'Wait…why am I in these again?'
A part of his knew that something was wrong. It screamed at him that he wasn't supposed to be in the outfit that signified him as a prisoner of fate. Yet when Ren tried to answer why he felt this way, there was nothing that came to mind. It was as though there was a gap in his mind that prevented his thoughts from making connections at the moment.
Ren rubs his hand against his head. 'What was I doing before?'
He closes his eyes and tries to remember. He remembers his friends taking off to drag attention away from him. He remembers meeting Maruki and the man rejecting his payment. He remembers meeting Sumire at the train station before he boarded. He certainly remembers the strange feeling he had experienced in the train when looking through the group chat…
'Wait, what happened after that?' Ren tries harder, but nothing comes to mind. The last thing he can remember is looking up from his phone, but nothing else comes to his mind. It was like his memories cut right from looking away from his phone to waking up in the Velvet Room.
Ren opens his eyes and grimaces. 'Wasn't that how Akechi described his recollection in Maruki's reality? A gap in his memory?'
The implications of that began to creep into Ren's mind, and a shiver runs down his spine. The idea that he may have died and come back wasn't as farfetched as they would have been at the start of the year, but that thought made him anxious and wary. They had gotten rid of the Metaverse, hadn't they? There shouldn't be a way for reality to be affected in the way Maruki and Yaldabaoth had previously done…right?
"Tri…ster…"
Ren pauses. He was sure there was a voice calling out just then. Sluggishly rising to his feet, Ren stumbles towards the cell door and grasps it as tightly as he can manage. His body feels weak and unstable, as though he hadn't used the muscles on his limbs in a very long time.
Ren grits his teeth as he carefully opens the cell door and steps out. As soon as his body crosses into the larger room, the music grows noticeably fainter. It was as though he was suddenly hearing the music being played from a few feet away, rather than right in front of him. The sudden shift in atmosphere further intensifies the feeling of wrongness that is at the back of his mind.
Ren looks at the simple yet elegant table and chair that are in the center of the Velvet Room. He recalls moments throughout the year when he heard Lavenza's words in the Velvet Room, broken and hardly understandable as they were at the time. Her words had grown stronger and more comprehensible as the year came to an end, culminating in the moment when her voice broke through the Holy Grail's influence on her separated halves.
Ren swallows. He is sure that the voice he heard a few moments ago was Lavenza's. The more he thinks back to the past year, the more certain he becomes. He wets his lips and clears his throat, the sound uncomfortably loud in the Velvet Room.
'If she could try and talk to me back then, when she had no power…could I do the same?' He wondered.
He stalls for a moment, unsure. He had no idea what special circumstances gave Lavenza the ability to breach separate realities and how her voice grew stronger with time. The Velvet Room was a place that was supposedly outside the normal reality that he and everyone else lived in, and he was very certain that Igor and Lavenza weren't human. What chance did he have to do the same thing she did?
A moment later, those uncertainties were driven away with a sinister laughter echoed in the depths of his soul. The laughter was wild and menacing, yet the familiar sound brought clarity and calm to his mind.
"What's the matter? An option lies open to you, yet you shake and doubt yourself before you even try." Arsene's voice echoes in Ren's mind, playful, mischievous and taunting. "Come now, my other self. We have gone through too much to be shackled by our uncertainty."
A moment passes and the noisy silence is broken by Ren's soft laughter. "You're right," he says to himself, "Might as well give it a shot…not like I've got anything to lose."
Ren turns to the desk and leans against it. He closes his eyes and visualizes Lavenza in his mind. He takes in a deep breath and calms himself.
"Lavenza," he calls out.
Silence greets his words, but Ren ignores his failure. Lavenza hadn't gotten through to him on her first attempt. This failure wasn't indicative of anything just yet.
"Lavenza."
Silence.
"Lavenza!"
Silence.
"Lavenza!"
Silence greets Ren again.
Ren's grip on the desk tightens. He opens his mouth to scream once again when another familiar presence makes itself known to his soul.
"Allow me to aid you, Trickster. As another mask of your anger, I shall call forth the bond that gave birth to this form!"
Ren feels Arsene's presence diminish as Zaou-Gongen, the ultimate Persona of the Strength arcana, emerges from the depths of his soul. Immediately, Ren feels his state of mind grow calmer and more serene; if he were to close his eyes, he would describe the sensation as standing at the base of a mountain and looking at the ocean in the afternoon.
Even so, behind that serenity was a burning anger that surprised Ren each time he called on Zaou-Gongen. It was buried deep within the waves of serenity, but Ren could feel that anger each time Zaou-Gongen manifested in the Metaverse. Like seeing the serene exterior as well as the burning, passionate exterior, as Yusuke had once said.
"Now, Trickster! Call out once more and let your voice be heard!"
Ren breathes in and exhales, taking the moment to keep his anxiety at bay. He opens his eyes, their grey color now a burning bright red. Blue flames erupt across his eyes, spreading across his face in the vague shape of wings. Behind him, Zaou-Gongen manifests in the Velvet Room and glows with a blue ethereal light.
"LAVENZA!"
His voice echoes in the room, louder and harsher than the opera singing and piano notes. His anger, frustration, yearning are all felt in the call that passes through the Room. At that moment, Ren hears something crack and break somewhere in the Velvet Room.
"Trickster?!"
The voice strikes a chord in his being. The fog that had been clouding his mind was pierced through by the weak yet unmistakable voice of Lavenza, the Velvet attendant who had helped him greatly throughout the last year.
"Can you hear me?! Where are you?!" Ren calls out again, Zaou-Gongen's power amplifying his words into powerful shouts.
"I can't…call…please!"
Zaou-Gongen shifts in place, catching Ren's attention, and stares at something that only he can see in the distance. "Trickster, call out once more. Lady Lavenza's presence is near, but unaware of us. If she is this close, then one more call should have her pinpoint our location."
'And how do you know that?' Ren glances at Zaou-Gongen, his thoughts on the verge of coming out, before he holds them back. Now was not the time for those questions.
As he calls out once more, Ren sees a familiar butterfly shape appear in the space in front of the Velvet Room's desk. First it was a silhouette, then it morphed to become an outline of something tangible, and then the glow of supernatural power filled it until the light grew too bright for Ren to look at directly. Shielding his eyes, Ren waits for the glow to die down, and is caught off guard when someone runs into him and buries their face in his stomach.
The light dies down slowly, with Ren closing his eyes to avoid its intensity, but the sobs and the small, delicate, familiar hold that he felt around his body made him wrap his arms around the person and hug them tightly.
At that moment Ren didn't need his eyes to know that it was Lavenza who he was embracing. There was only one other person he knew who was as tiny as Lavenza, and Ren knew with certainty that Shinya didn't know of the supernatural world.
"Oh, Trickster…"
Ren looks down at Lavenza, concern rising within at the sheer relief he hears in her voice. "Hey," he speaks softly, wrapping his arms around her as reassuringly as he can, "it's alright Lavenza. It's me, I'm here right now, okay? I'm not going anywhere."
Rather than reassure her as he intended, Ren's words trigger another round of muffled tears and a tightening grip on his body. Ren sneaks a glance at Zaou-Gongen, hoping for some kind of help, and receives a solemn nod from his Persona before its presence recedes and is replaced by another familiar mask.
This time, the figure that materializes radiates neither the serene fury of Zaou-Gongen nor the mischievous darkness of Arsene but the warm and gentle sensation of a mother's embrace. Parvati, the Hindu goddess of love, draws close to Ren and Lavenza; her gentle smile remains even as she bows her head towards Ren.
"Allow me, Trickster. I shall soothe the ache in your hearts," she declares as she stretches her arms out. A soothing green glow appears around Ren and Lavenza, and Ren immediately feels a pleasant release, like a weight has been lifted from his thoughts. Lavenza's sobs grow softer and her shaking slows down to a slight tremble.
Ren looks at Parvati and smiles. "Thank you Parvati," he says.
Parvati accepts his thanks with her usual smile, yet Ren feels her gratitude through their connection. Ren continues to hold on to Lavenza while Parvati's soothing aura calms her down; the only sounds that are heard in the silence are the near-silent sniffles she makes.
Eventually, after what feels like several minutes, Parvati ceases her magic and bows her head once more. As she begins to disappear into azure flames, she speaks to Ren once more, "Call on me whenever you require my assistance, Trickster. No matter what comes your way, believe in the truth that I and several others will be there for you whenever you call."
Ren nods, watching as Parvati disappears and leaves him alone with Lavenza. As he turns back to Lavenza, a part of him wants to immediately discuss what was happening around him; why he was suddenly in this strange version of the Velvet Room, why Lavenza and Igor hadn't been with him when he woke up, why Lavenza was acting so emotional when she saw him.
Instead of doing any of that, Ren opts to gently rub Lavenza's back. As he does so, a stray thought comes to his mind, whispering 'I look like some sort of brother calming down his adopted sister or something.' His lips twitch upwards for a moment before he subdues the smile that threatens to break out. Now wasn't the time for odd humor.
Luckily for Ren, Lavenza pulled away from his body and stepped back a bit. Her golden eyes were still wet with tears, but there was a large joyous smile on her face that was so bright that it made Ren feel a little self-conscious.
"Oh…I apologize for my actions, my Trickster," Lavenza said as she wiped at her eyes. "Things just happened so fast…and my emotions are still fluctuating in this form…"
"It's alright," Ren says, rubbing the back of his neck. "You don't have to apologize for anything. I'm just really glad I was able to reach you."
Lavenza's smile dims and her gaze turns serious. She wipes her eyes one last time and stares directly into Ren's eyes. "Before we continue, there's something that I would like to confirm with you. It is of the utmost importance, and I simply cannot be at ease unless I hear the answer from you."
In response to her serious demeaner, Ren straightens his posture and solemnly nods. "That's fine with me. I also have some questions of my own that I'd like to get some answers to. I'll answer your question, so please go ahead."
Lavenza nods and takes one steadying breath. "Thank you. Could you tell me the last memory you can recall?"
A pit begins to form in Ren's stomach. The earlier anxiety and trepidation from when he first woke up was starting to come back. He rubs a lock of his hair, taking the moment to think his way through his response.
"The last thing that I remember…was a feeling that something was off, for lack of a better word, when Morgana and I were waiting for my trip back home to begin," Ren says. "There was just something about that moment, just before the train was scheduled to depart, that reminded me of when Maruki's actualization first began affecting me."
Lavenza looks at Ren, eyes wide with surprise. "Is that really the last thing you can recall?"
Ren nods, even as his earlier trepidation doubles within him. "What happened? You sound like you expected me to know something."
Lavenza steps forward and gently grabs Ren's hand. Ren looks down, surprised at her reaction. While she had always been supportive and helpful to him, this gesture was more human and understanding than his previous interactions with her. He knew she wasn't human and had some difficulty understanding why and how people behaved.
"I am not sure how to say this gently, so I shall tell you as honestly as I can what happened to you that day," she said, giving him a gentle squeeze, "I learned that one way humans show support and encouragement to one another is through grasping each other's hands…and I believe that even you need that support right now, my Trickster."
Ren stares at Lavenza, his heartbeat slowly thundering in his ears. The errant thought whispered to him once more, reminding him of Akechi's fate in Maruki's world and how similar this was turning out to be. His hand slowly grips Lavenza's smaller hand, grasping for support for what is to come. His grey eyes look into her golden eyes, anxious for what is to come yet free of any fear.
"Thank you," Ren says, "and please, tell me what happened on that train ride. What am I supposed to know, and why am I here right now in this place?"
Lavenza takes in a deep breath.
"Two days ago, in the real world, your train was involved in a collision with an apartment complex. Several people died in the accident…and you were one of them."
*Click, click, click, click*
In the silent halls of Beacon Academy, the sounds of heels striking the hard floor echo loudly as Glynda Goodwitch makes her way towards the Headmaster's office. Her movement is sharp and urgent, getting as close to running as someone of her position and nature would allow.
As she briskly walks through the hallway towards the elevator, Glynda frowns deeply as she looks at her scroll once more. The screen that was displayed showed a short twelve second video that looped every time the video ended, sent to her from Professor Peach barely half an hour ago. The video came directly from Peach's scroll, along with a short and blunt message to show it to the Headmaster.
The message that she had received was certainly one that raised concern; while Peach was less experienced on the field, there was a reason why Glynda and the Headmaster had approved her application for teaching at Beacon. For her to send such an urgent message for the Headmaster's attention…
Reaching the elevator, Glynda's hands moved unconsciously to enter the floor level of the Headmaster's office while she bit her lip. Her mind was going through the various Huntsmen Beacon could afford to send out, estimating how long their absence might be; the new semester would start in only a month, and Peach herself had already been expected back from her last assignment three days ago.
The ding of the elevator's arrival jolts Glynda out of her thoughts, and she quickly makes her way towards the Headmaster's office. Knocking sharply against the door, Glynda waits only a moment before hearing his words.
"Come in!"
Entering the office, Glynda sees Headmaster Ozpin seated at his desk, drinking his cup of coffee. His eyes had several bags under them, yet he smiled at her like he wasn't as drained as he appeared. "Ah, Glynda…can't say I was expecting an early visit today. How are you doing today?"
"Apologies for the abruptness, but there is something that I have to show you right now," she said. Striding across the room, Glynda places her scroll in front of Ozpin and crosses her arms as he leans forward. "This was sent by Professor Peach nearly forty minutes ago, and I believe this is why her return has been delayed this long."
A frown forms on Ozpin's face. "I apologize, but where was Thumbelina's assignment again?"
"A settlement near the coast of Vale," Glynda replied. "The assignment was unrelated to the threat of Grimm attacks, but the video she sent suggests a mobilization that
"I see," Ozpin says, gazing intently at the looping video. "I take it you have some suggestions about what to do?"
"Yes, but they aren't optimal," Glynda answers. "Port is available for the rest of the week, but taking an airship to Peach's location will take three days, and carries the possibility of his assistance coming too late to help. However, we also can't leave Professor Peach to solve the issue on her own; her relative inexperience aside, leaving one of our own members to the Grimm is an option that I refuse to entertain."
Ozpin nods, "Agreed. Barty and Qrow are unavailable as well, so Port will have to do. If he believes some assistance would be helpful, then please clear my schedule for the rest of the week as well."
Glynda shoots Ozpin an exasperated glance. "Very well, but you'll have to address the new students when the semester starts."
Ozpin hides his smile behind his coffee mug and takes a sip. "I'll be sure to do so. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss with me?"
Glynda opened her mouth, ready to give Ozpin one more playful jab before she left to execute his instructions.
Suddenly, a new message notification appeared on her scroll. Quickly grabbing the device, Glynda frowned when she saw the message 'Urgent. Watch with Headmaster and everyone!' come from Peach. "Sorry sir, but Peach just sent another message…and she wants us all to see it."
Ozpin paused, eyebrows arched. "Really? Why don't we-"
His voice trailed off. Glynda turned to see what held his attention, and nearly dropped her scroll in shock.
In the distance, visible from several miles away and in the brightness of the sunny day, was a pillar of light that extended all the way into the heavens. The pillar glowed like a star in the distance, its brightness catching Glynda off guard.
"Wha-"
She wasn't sure who spoke at that moment, and was given no chance to do so; her scroll was suddenly buzzing with notifications from all manner of outlets. News station articles, video links, and even forum posts were showing up on her scroll.
"Glynda," Ozpin's voice was urgent, and snapped Glynda to attention, "what was the message Thumbelina sent you?"
For an instant, she wasn't sure why Ozpin had brought that up, but then the implication entered her mind and a shiver crawled down her spine. "Give me a moment," she said. Opening the message, Glynda waits for the video to load as she enlarges the clip and sets the scroll on Ozpin's desk, all while Ozpin makes his way to her side to watch as well.
The video opens with a scene that has Glynda's mind in shock; an absolute swarm of Grimm marching towards what appeared to be a large and withered tree trunk. What really surprised Glynda wasn't the numbers; the Grimm attacks had grown more frequent in the past year, with larger packs with each subsequent attempt. No, what makes her take notice is the sheer diversity of the Grimm that was displayed; Beowolves, Boarbatusks, several Beringels, and even a few Goliaths were in the video.
"Oh no…"
"Excuse me for a moment," Ozpin interjected, moving to pause the video. He looked at the duration of the video and frowned. "Fifteen seconds…alright then, lets see what Thumbelina captured in that short time."
The video resumed playing, showing the swarm of Grimm surge towards the tree trunk. The video was taken from a fair distance away from the packs, making it difficult to see what had the Grimm so hellbent on catching.
At the six second mark, there was suddenly an explosion of blue fire at the tree. The flames rose from the ground and into the sky, stopping a few of the Grimm for a moment. Glynda wondered if the flames were the doing of a Huntsman on the field, but then a form began to manifest from the flames and her thought was thrown away.
What immediately catches Glynda's eye is the six large wings that spread out in a dramatic flare. The being is humanoid, with what appeared to be golden horns jutting out of its head, and what looked like strips of cloth wrapped around its form.
With those blue flames licking at parts of its body, the creature raised its arms to the sky, and the video pivoted upwards. There, Glynda and Ozpin saw a bright flash that obscured the video just as the video came to an end.
There was a moment of silence.
"Glynda, prepare a flight to Thumbelina's location," Ozpin ordered, his voice booking no argument. "I will contact Port and inform him of the situation, but I want your assistance as well."
"Understood," Glynda said. With one last glance towards the pillar of light in the distance, she set out to prepare for what was to come.
Hidden away from the rest of the world, a pale woman opened her eyes, revealing glowing crimson irises and jet black sclera. Within the empty throne room where she sat, the woman rose to her feet with slow, deliberate movements and walked across to the large windows that opened her up to the rest of the world.
Even as she made her way to her windows, her mind was focused somewhere else entirely. She did not pay attention to the barren wasteland, with rocky terrain and enormous purple crystals sprouting from the ground, the dark red sky, or even the pools filled with a viscous, tar-like substance that spawned Grimm. No, her attention was focused on something even more unusual; a presence that she could not see, but one that she was subconsciously aware of.
The feeling that she could really liken her current experience to was the feeling of being watched by someone unseen. There was something that touched at the edge of her mind and her thoughts, a whisper of a presence that foreign yet familiar to her. Its presence was so faint, so light as it brushed against her that she would not have realized it belonged to something other than herself if she didn't have several years of reflection.
Her eyes narrow in thought. She begins to move across the room, focusing intently on the sensation that flits in and out of her awareness. Her footsteps echo in the silent room. Her only companion at the moment, the silent Grimm Seer, follows her movement in wait for a command that does not appear.
As she makes a complete rotation around her room and heads back to the window, her frown deepens. She cannot put a finger on why the presence she detects feels so familiar to her; each time her mind brushed against it, she finds half-formed thought and memories of her time before Remnant coming to the forefront of her mind.
"How…strange," she mutters, gazing out at the black ocean in the distance. "What is this?"
There was a sudden knock at her door, and the woman frowned.
"Enter," she said, keeping her irritation at being interrupted out of her voice. Her brows raised when she turned to see Arthur enter her room with an uncharacteristically unsure look on his face. "What is it that perplexes you, Watts?"
Watts nods at her, "Forgive my intrusion ma'am, but something rather extraordinary happened in the kingdom of Vale that I believed would be of interest to you."
The woman tilts her head, curious to what he planned to show her. Walking towards him, her attention was directed to the scroll in his hands.
"This video was the best footage I could get of the incident, and it was posted fifty minutes ago," he said, starting the video and handing her the device.
As the video began to play, the woman watched. When the azure flames appeared, she was intrigued. When the demonic-looking being appeared, her eyes widened. And, when the pillar of light ended the video, she went still.
A few moments pass in silence.
"…Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Watts." When she turns to address him, Watts nearly takes a step back when he beholds the odd mix of hunger, hope and interest in Salem's gaze. "Inform Tyrian that I have a task for him. You will be providing him with assistance. The others should carry on with their assigned tasks."
"Y-Yes ma'am. If you'll excuse me," Watts said, bowing stiffly before leaving the room.
As she is left alone with her thoughts once more, Salem turns to stare at the broken moon in the distance. Her hands clench and a feral smile forces its way on to her face.
A/N: I'm not sure how well this chapter ends, but I'd appreciate your thoughts. If you guys have suggestions that I like, I'll edit the end of this chapter before I publish the next chapter.
Anyway, with this things start moving. The next chapter will be where Ren truly encounters the world of Remnant, and I think you'll like what I have in mind. Unfortunately, the weekly schedule I had in mind isn't going to be feasible going forward, so I'll try and update at least once every month. With how unstable things are right now, that's the closest guarantee I can give you guys.
Read and Review,
The Wandering Maelstrom.