HI GUYS!
THIS IS KING NIKEN WITH CHAPTER 1 OF LARCENCY OF THE DIVINE. I'M A HUGE SMT FAN AND IVE PLAYED SOME OF THE PERSONA GAMES. I'VE ALWAYS LOVED PERSONA 5/ROYAL AND THIS IDEA CAME TO ME ABOUT A STORY I SHOULD WRITE.
DONT BE AFRAID TO SHARE YOUR HONEST OPINIONS. NO NEED FOR INSULTS BUT CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM IS ACCEPTED AS WELL.
PLEASE REVIEW, FAVORITE AND SHARE THIS STORY IF YOU THINK IT'S GOOD.
LET'S BEGIN.
"You know…"
Ren Amamiya mused to himself.
"...this whole being dead thing isn't half bad."
Ren had regained consciousness almost an hour ago. The Japanese youth had found himself floating, alone, surrounded by a sea of ethereal darkness.
No lights.
No sounds.
No scents.
Only this obsidian colored pool of liquid goo that he found himself imprisoned in.
Well if Ren were to be completely honest with himself he wasn't absolutely sure that he was in fact...deceased.
He had no recollection of when or how he had even ended up here...wherever here was.
His most recent memories were quite foggy as well.
Wasn't he at the station waiting to catch a train to Yongen Jaya or was he already at home getting ready for bed ?
Whatever his previous situation, suddenly waking up in an ocean of what felt like cheap hair gel on his skin left very few ideas in his mind as to what had happened or was currently happening.
He was quick to rule out the usual suspect for most of the strange experiences in his lifetime.
This wasn't the Meta-verse.
He was sure of it.
He couldn't even feel his Personas much less summon them. This area didn't hold the particular 'spiritual weight' that the Palaces or Mementos were known for.
It certainly didn't feel like anything close to reality either.
As gloomy as it may have sounded, being dead was the only thing that made sense to him. There was a sense of peace that it was all finally over.
"It could be far worse I guess...I'm pretty sure that after a while I'll get used to this, find a nice spot and even get a few naps in from time to time."
He chuckled or at least tried to. Thinking about sleep at a time like this ? Morgana had truly corrupted him.
The name of his feline friend echoing through his mind was akin to a pyre being set ablaze.
Several distant memories flashed before his eyes.
Scenes that were precious to him…
His Lover.
His friends.
Places.
Moments.
The joy lasted for mere seconds, his traitorous mind would without fail pierce his heart by reminding him that these scenes also reminded him of what he had lost…
His normally kind expression softened to a somber one.
"Perhaps this is my punishment. For not being able to save the world, for allowing it to fall into ruin. I couldn't even protect them."
His failures as a man, as a boyfriend, as a son, as a friend…as a Phantom Theif.
"I wonder if I'll ever see them again. I wonder if I'll get the chance to say I'm sorry for what I did...for what i had to do..."
Ren's eyes widened slightly in surprise...
He was beginning to sink...
The substance that held him captive was slowly swallowing him.
Where other men would cry, beg for help,curse and fight for dominance. Ren would not offer that sort of resistance.
He smirked.
The final evidence of the rebellious will within the black-haired youth's soul was the very same expression he held whenever he and his team had successfully stolen another heart.
"I guess this is how my story ends..."
Ren blinked.
He was no longer drifting nor sinking.
He was now lying down on a posh leather couch.
Light, sound and warmth were once again a part of his immediate reality.
"Was I just dreaming?"
His gaze slowly focused upward on the royal blue ceiling decorated with tiny golden stars.
The Leader of the Phantom thieves narrowed his eyes.
"This isn't my place..."
"Thank you for joining us on such short notice."
Ren slowly eased himself up into a sitting position trying to make sense of what he had heard and was now seeing.
Seated to his left on another chair, balancing a very large blue ledger in his lap was a man that he had not seen in over a year.
"Igor?!"
The bald headed man grinned.
"Greetings Trickster. Welcome to my Master's Lounge."
Ren wasn't naive enough to just be caught up in the moment. How was he to be sure that this was the real Igor ?
It wouldn't have been the first time someone had seen it fit to impersonate his guide and take on his appearance.
A new voice interrupted Ren's train of thought.
"I can truly understand your hesitancy after what you've been through but surely your 'eye' should be able to reveal the truth. I'm sure you've noticed by now that you've regained your abilities. Hm?"
Ren wasn't sure as to how he had not sensed this other persons presence before. Seated to his right, A masked man wearing an immaculate white suit. His dark brown haired pulled into a medium length ponytail. The white porcelain mask only covered the top half of the man's face.
Ren stared at the man for a few more seconds hoping to get a reaction or further information but the masked man only smiled before taking a casual sip from the cup of tea in his hand.
Ren sighed before activating his 'Third Eye' as the masked man had suggested. Sure enough Igor's frame glowed with a beautiful azure hue. The same glow he had often observed around Lavenza.
He was real.
To sate his curiosity Ren also turned his third eye to the mysterious white suited man...
The man chuckled.
"It seems I'm being investigated as well, Igor."
Igor opened his mouth to speak but a raised hand by the man was enough to stop whatever he was going to say.
"He's only being thorough. No harm in that."
The moment was interrupted by a gasp from the Phantom Theif.
Ren had never seen such a beautifully complex aura before. Several different shades of blue swam, mixed and interchanged around the man's frame like a raging whirlpool.
The masked man spoke up.
"I'm sure you've received the confirmation you needed. Staring can be rather impolite, Trickster."
Ren deactivated his 'Third Eye'.
"My apologies...I uh...got a little caught up there. Never seen an aura like that."
Igor took that as an opportunity to interject.
"Allow me to make proper introductions. Ren Amamiya the Trickster, this is my Master and owner of the Velvet room. Philemon."
Ren spoke the name softly as if he was tasting it.
"Philemon?"
The man identified as Philemon nodded.
"Indeed. As Igor stated I'm his Master and ruler of the space we call the Velvet Room."
Ren responded.
"I see..."
To the surprise of both Igor and Philemon, the Trickster took a moment to stand and bowed.
"I wish to express my gratitude. It is the Velvet Room that helped me to gain the power to protect my friends from those who wished to harm them."
Philemon smiled.
"I think that's the first time a Trickster's ever out right thanked me like that. There was that one time I got punched in the face but I suppose I was kind of asking for it. You may be seated Ren-san, if you continue I may end up blushing."
Ren shook his head.
"I also wished to apologize."
Philemon tilted his head to the side.
"Oh? What for?"
"For failing. Igor told me that this power was given to a Trickster to prevent ruin, all of my minor victories were not enough. We...I failed. I could not stop the world from becoming...lost."
Philemon sighed.
"Sit down Ren-san."
The young man acquiesced. Philemon continued.
"Well that's one of the reasons you're here Ren-san. You're not the one who failed. We are the ones who failed you."
Judging by his facial features Ren's confusion was hard to miss.
"What?"
Philemon nodded.
"Indeed. I'm the one who should be apologizing to you...and to Igor as well."
Igor shook his head.
"There is no need for such things, Master. The fact that I'm here is an honor within itself...but I must admit that I'm rather curious to as what had happened to the Trickster's world after Yaldaboath disposed of me."
Philemon nodded.
"Ah yes. I should explain that, well please listen closely children. I'm not a fan of needlessly repeating myself."
Both Ren and Igor had their attention singularly focused on Philemon. The Velvet Room's Master took one last sip of his tea before placing the cup and saucer on a small table in front of him.
"First allow me to explain what has been happening in the background before this whole thing started. I know that you are privy to some of this Igor but I must go over the details for Ren-san's sake."
There were no objections.
"There is a...council of very powerful individuals...entities. Some would often refer to them as 'gods'. These gods preside over the collective universes."
Ren leaned forward.
"Universes?"
Philemon nodded.
"Ah yes, different worlds connected yet disconnected. Patterns and mirrors of the same realities often similar often vastly different. Infinite and often quite chaotic. Truly you didn't think your world was the only reality Ren-san?"
Ren scratched the back of his head.
"Never really thought about it to be honest."
Philemon smirked.
"Interesting..as I was saying the council of gods seek to preside over these worlds and their inhabitants, mankind."
"There are times when a god is entrusted with a universe to provide care for as they guide them to true peace. We have observed on countless occasions that humans are far too dangerous and destructive to leave to their own devices. We believe that they should at least be given the chance to create a better path for themselves."
Ren spoke again.
"A chance ?"
Igor was the one to speak this time.
"The Law of Freedom. A statute instituted by the Lord of the Empyrean several millenia ago. If a world collectively rejects the help of the gods then that decision must be respected and adhered to."
Philemon smiled.
"Yes, that is correct, Igor. Allow me to also clarify. The Lord of the Empyrean is the most powerful god and leader of our council. He sits upon the throne of Creation and we often refer to him as the Great One. We are guided by his directives."
Ren nodded to convey his understanding and as a sign for Philemon to continue.
"Unfortunately there have always been some gods who believed that our methods were too...soft, too lenient. Some have said that humans should be our slaves, others think that humanity are not even worth making note of. That you should be destroyed. There are even some who fear you."
"Fear us?"
"Yes but it was not always so... Many eons ago we had discovered that one of the gods had without permission claimed one of the worlds as their own and was seeking to enslave the humans there. When a team was sent to remedy the situation we had discovered that the god had been defeated by a group of humans that manifested a strange new ability. The power of Persona."
Igor frowned in confusion.
"You never told me this Master."
Philemon chuckled.
"There is always an opportunity to learn something new Igor. Not every lesson can be rushed into."
"I understand. I am sorry for interrupting."
"That's fine. It's only natural that you and the Trickster will have your questions."
Ren continued.
"So what did you? About the world that discovered the Personas?"
"I volunteered to study them. To study other worlds. The entirety of my being was dedicated to understanding this phenomenon and it's great potential. Never before had we dreamed that a god could be defeated by a human but this opened up so many possibilities. In time we noticed that even a few animals had the ability."
A small frown crossed Philemon's face.
"Again not every god saw this development as a scientific revolution. Many saw it as a threat and asked for the Great One to use his power to destroy any world that had the Persona potential. Naturally he refused and a small sect of gods deserted the council and went on their own ridiculous campaign."
Ren concluded.
"To destroy any world that seemed to have Persona users."
"Yes. When I discovered the cruel intentions of that group, I decided to show the council the culmination of my research. The Velvet Room. A place where humans could strengthen their Personas among other things. The room's various services that would help them stand against the evil gods if it was ever needed."
Philemon scratched his chin as if remembering a fond memory.
"In time we even saw the birth of Wild Cards like yourself, Ren-san. Persons who could use multiple Personas. The gods were doubly wary of individuals like yourself. A few others also left the council ruled by their fear and paranoia if nothing else."
A thought crossed Ren's mind.
"Yaldaboath. He's one of the evil gods that broke away from the council?"
Philemon shook his head.
"No. That brute was still a council member when he was assigned to your world."
"But how did-?"
"When he was asked by the council to watch over your earth, he protested. He claimed such a duty was beneath him and it was better for him to simply brainwash and control your world. Igor and I were also in attendance at that meeting. We objected and proclaimed that Yaldaboath was underestimating the human spirit and what it could accomplish under the proper guidance."
Igor groaned.
"And that's where the covenant was made, a wager to see what humanity would choose. He was supposed to admit defeat if the world chose to follow what you represented Trickster. He was supposed to play his part in helping your earth."
Philemon sighed.
"Yet once he arrived in this universe. He imprisoned Igor and split Lavenza in two. He rigged the game countless times and still lost. How unbelievably pathetic."
Ren's eyebrows shot up.
"Countless times?"
"Yes. After you defeated Yaldaboath the first time, he used his power to reset this earth's timeline."
"After I shot him in the face?"
Philemon snorted and Igor blinked in surprise. He had never seen a reaction like that from his Master.
"I must say that was quite the entertaining scene to watch...but to answer your question the god of control as he liked to call himself seemed to have some type of back up plan. An ancient magic that allowed him to reset the timeline at a pre-determined moment. Interestingly enough that point wasn't always after his defeat at the hands of yourself and Satanael. At times it was after you defeated the Broken Doctor or after you erased the Jails."
Ren scratched his head.
"The Broken Doctor and the Jails?"
"Ah yes. This timeline never got around to that part, did it? In any case Yaldaboath continued to fail, no matter how many different ways he tried to rig the game. You would always defeat him and his back up plans."
"And he never stopped trying or gave up ?"
"No. He continued to conjure creative dilemmas for you to overcome but they all came to naught. Perhaps that's what truly drove him over the deep end...Realising that he could never defeat a 'lowly human'."
Igor frowned.
"But shouldn't the Great One have stopped this ? Yaldaboath had definitely broken the rules of our agreement."
Philemon nodded.
"Yes he would have stopped this but I'm afraid we are all a bit occupied on our own end during this time. A short time after the game had started between you and Yaldaboath, The Great One had been seemingly killed by a Usurper."
Igor gasped.
"What? But...how ?"
Philemon continued.
"As you can imagine the realm of the gods was in great confusion and disarray for quite some time. The god who sat upon the throne had been there for a very very long time. Not many knew what would happen next and several of the other gods were beginning to present themselves as candidates for the throne. War was going to break out and Yaldaboath used the opportunity to continue to break the laws of the gods in his sick attempts to win his rigged game. He even found a way to deny us access to this world. We could only stay at a distance behold as his plans came to fruition. That cunning vermin."
Igor posed a question.
"But Master you are here now. How is this so?"
"The answer is obvious. Someone claimed the throne. A very powerful being in fact. He had managed to defeat every single top contender on his way to the top. Once he had become the new Lord of the Empyrean, I approached him with this world's situation. He was more than ready to assist, he seems to have a soft spot for humans...however I'm afraid that by the time we got here it was already too late."
Igor frowned.
"Too late?"
"Over the course of the many timelines Yaldaboath lost interest in winning your wager. His sanity polluted by his refusal to accept defeat, he became fervently obsessed with one goal. The ultimate and continuous suffering of the Trickster, Ren Amamiya. He wanted to destroy him body, mind and soul."
Igor shook his head in disbelief as Philemon continued.
"He studied Ren-san. Took note of the things he loved and cherished and finally came up with a plan to take them all away from him. With his foreknowledge and ancient forbidden magics he carried out many abominable acts."
Igor would have asked for further details but both he and Philemon had noticed Ren's current state. The young man had grown pale, sweaty, his body shaking as if he were catching a cold. He obviously remembered everything.
Philemon cleared his throat.
"I'll skip the...details for now. Upon our arrival this world was lost and heading into an unescaple ruin. Yaldaboath had finally won. The new Great One quickly rectified the situation by once again resetting the time line. Erasing Yaldaboath's mad sorcery and revoking several of his abilities and privileges including his power to reset time."
Ren steadied himself with a few deep breaths before speaking.
"Yaldaboath is still alive?"
"For now. His crimes were presented before the council and we have deemed him guilty. A punishment however has not yet been decided upon. That is another reason why you are here."
Both Igor and Ren asked the same question with their eyes. A question Philemon was always ready to answer.
"The Great One acknowledges what you've lost and the pain you've experienced. He believes vengeance is rightfully yours and that you should take from Yaldaboath as he had stolen from you. An idea was proposed, to allow you to participate in his rigged game once more. His memories erased, yours intact. For you to show us once again the justice of the Phantom Theives in a world made crooked by humanity , sullied by Yaldaboath's influence."
Igor seemed confused.
"But Master to what end? Why would the Trickster do this ?"
Philemon smiled.
"A chance to right many wrongs, to protect those he never got a chance to defend. To truly make a difference in a world lost to their own twisted cognitions. I've seen you steal many things Trickster. No matter the obstacle you've always put on a performance worthy of your title as a Phantom Theif. But I must now ask you a question, propose to you a new challenge."
Ren tried his best not to gasp as Philemon leaned closer to him, his golden eyes glowing fiercely behind his white mask.
"Have you ever considered stealing a godhood?"
THAT WAS CHAPTER 1 OF LARCENY OF THE DIVINE. SHARE WHAT YOU TJINK. DONT BE AFRAID TO LEAVE A REVIEW.
I MADE SOME CHANGES TO THE LORE BASED ON WHAT I WANT TO FO WITH THE STORY. HOPE YOU FIND IT AS INTERESTING AS I DO.
I WANT TO UPDATE THIS STORY AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH.
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.
PEACE OUT.