Chapter 8 - Arcana Revealed
/_\
It was only Raylans' second time at Aeon, not even for his lectures, and it was to meet with Headmaster over the events of last night. That made both of his visits revolve around meeting the Headmaster, one for his initial first impressions meeting and his second for getting into a fight that same day.
Truly, the young man is making the most of his time in Aeon.
As he entered through the front gates Raylan took note of the numerous students milling about the grounds. Some were going about their business, merely moving from one building to another. Others hung around in groups, chatting amongst themselves, and some stood or sat alone with books or laptops in front of them working or studying away to themselves.
Raylan paid them little mind, at first. It was only when he got closer to some of the groups on his way to the Headmaster did they notice him. That's when the whispering and stares began. It slowly spread like a fire throughout the grounds as more and more people noticed him.
It didn't take a genius to unravel the reasoning behind their long stares and whispered words, he was likely going to be a hot topic of discussion for a few days given he'd already been involved in a fight on induction day.
And likely be marked by staff and other students as a potential troublemaker.
Despite the fact what he did was well-intentioned, and was purely in defense of another, mostly, that would be unlikely to change their perception. That Raylan wasn't afraid to use violence to solve a problem in the eyes of others undoubtedly soured their opinions of him.
"Screw the evidence and the circumstances of the situation though, right?" Raylan thought as he brushed off their stares and ignored their whispers. If they were to judge him poorly for what he did, so be it. Raylan had done what he believed was right, nothing more nothing less.
As Raylan entered the building, he found his situation didn't improve. A staff member, one he recognized from the previous night, gave him a disappointed look before shaking his head. Other students, just like outside, glanced his way or whispered to a nearby friend.
None bothered to try and talk to him.
With nobody attempting to stop him, he kept moving. It was honestly frustrating to see people act like he was some pariah but the young man quickly realized that that was what he was going to become. The student body would likely avoid him, at least for a period, as not to be associated with him for most of the year. At least until they saw more of him, understood whether or not last night was a one-off case.
Hopefully, it would only be a one-off case.
But in the back of his mind a part of him told him there was a chance it wouldn't be. If another situation like that popped up Raylan knew he wouldn't have acted any differently than he did last night.
Choosing to ignore that possibility Raylan continued on toward the Headmaster's office.
/_\
As Raylan entered the secretary's reception area just outside the Headmaster's office he was greeted by the same woman he'd seen the other day.
"You're early," The secretary stated flatly, "The Headmaster will be here shortly so please take a seat until his arrival." The woman gestured toward the seats on the opposite side of the room. The same seats he'd been in the other day.
Raylan did as suggested and moved to take a seat. The young man noted the secretary didn't seem phased by his presence, no subtle glares or sly glances his way. He assumed she knew of the events of last night and his reason for being here but apparently she didn't seem to care.
That's a first today.
Whilst waiting for the Headmaster, Raylan pondered how their chat was going to go. From his experience with Headmaster from their previous meeting he assumed he was going to be decently understanding in regards to what happened. Of course, he was going to have a few choice words for Raylan, mainly on how poorly he represented Aeon, the Headmaster was unlikely to throw him out for this.
Raylan knew that was no guarantee, seeing as there were rumors of students being thrown from the university for falling grades and poor performance before the years' end. Apparently, Aeon expected results throughout the year and if you slipped up in their chosen field then you were tossed to the curb.
It was harsh considering the expectations Aeon had, something Raylan could honestly say he heavily disliked about Aeon, but it was a university that created the best of the best so they wanted the best of each person in return.
Something Raylan knew people couldn't always give.
It didn't take long for the Headmaster to arrive, entering the receptionist area the same way he did last time. The man himself looked flawlessly groomed, his suit was nearly identical to the one he'd worn during their first meeting with the shirt and tie merely changing colors.
"Mr Sinclair," The Headmaster regarded him upon seeing him, "Punctual, just as before, I like to see that in my students," he stated.
"Best to be consistent, sir." Raylan acknowledged as he stood, the Headmaster moving toward his office doors as he did.
"Well, let us hope you aren't consistent in everything, hmm?" The Headmaster gave him a sly side look as he pushed through into his office. It didn't take a genius to comprehend what he meant by that. "Please follow me." He added.
The young man followed through the doors, closing them behind him as he moved toward the seat he'd been in just the other day.
"Ha, Deja Vu," Raylan thought as he and the Headmaster took their respective seats. It was like a repeat of yesterday, merely a change in the topic of discussion being the only difference between now and before.
"I must say, given their performance last night, you proved that you are indeed different than the rest of your peers as you said during our initial meeting." The Headmaster stated, beginning their conversation with a calm, humorous opening. On the surface, the Headmaster seemed completely calm, not in any way irritated with him despite what he'd done.
"A unique start to the year was needed to stand out, for a first impression," Raylan responded, a dry and drab tone to his words. "Sir."
"Quite," The Headmaster agreed, "Although, most would opt for a good first impression as opposed to what you seemingly did, Mr. Sinclair." His words carried a hint of mirth to them even if he was still as calm and controlled as he usually was.
"It's a memorable first impression though."
The Headmaster hummed in amused agreement, "Not the words I would use but factually you aren't incorrect." The older man's arms came up onto the table as he clasped them together to rest on its surface. "Although, I would rather you aim for a good impression in the future Mr. Sinclair."
"I'll keep that in mind for next time, sir," Raylan replied.
"See that you do, thank you." The Headmaster reached into his desk and pulled a folder out, laying it on the desk still closed over.
Raylan suspected that it might be his but on further inspection of the folder cover, it was likely the report of last night's incident given to him by his staff. Oddly enough, the folder seemed thicker than he would have expected.
"There's no way that's just a report on last night's fight," Raylan concluded in his mind before turning toward the older man across the desk.
"Now then, I think it's time we get to the main topic for today," The Headmaster began earnestly, the young man's full attention now focused on the head of Aeon. "I don't believe I need to inform you as to why you are here, nor do I need to reiterate what was reported to me by members of my staff. That said, I believe I can understand the context of the situation. It wouldn't be amiss to say Jack was the main aggressor, with you acting in defense?"
"That would be right, sir." Raylan agreed. "I attempted to remain uninvolved but was forced to intervene when the situation became more… tense." The young man kept his eyes on the Headmaster as the older man listened intently.
"Just as I thought," The older gentleman nodded, "Now, first, before we discuss what happens to you next, you may be wondering why I'm not being overly severe with you after your scuffle last night." The older man smiled slightly, "Well, that's because this is really a minor offense in my eyes."
Raylan couldn't stop his brows rising in surprise. He hadn't been expecting that from the head of Aeon. Honestly, he hadn't expected that response in the slightest.
The Headmaster hummed a small laugh, noting the young man's expression. "This is not the first time an incident like this has taken place young man. I've seen many students pass through this institute, and I've seen this exact incident happen before."
Raylan said nothing, instead choosing to let the Headmaster continue his explanation.
"It's an unfortunate situation to deal with as it usually stems from some form of jealousy or envy." Raylan figured that was the case for Jack. "I've seen this exact set of circumstances before, an individual who didn't make it into Aeon confronts someone who does in a fit of anger. Would that be an accurate comparison to what happened last night?" Raylan nodded. "As expected. On some occasions it's simply a stranger confronting a random student they believe doesn't deserve to be at Aeon with their grievances, on others I've seen two long-time friends fall out with one another over one being accepted and the other not. Often heated words are exchanged but every now and then a fight does break out." The Headmaster sighed. "And they have been far worse than what occurred with you last night."
"I mean, mine was pretty bad." Raylan attempted to argue, jokingly. "There was a group of four of them to deal with."
"On one occasion a knife was pulled." He paused. "And it was used to a startling degree."
…
Okay, that shut Raylan's argument up quite swiftly. That sounded pretty damn severe, far more than a simple brawl. Luckily he didn't face such a situation himself, fighting four guys was bad enough but if a knife or two had been pulled he might not have been sitting where he was right now.
His mind swiftly recalled the Mirror World ordeal he and Miles survived but Raylan pushed that out of his mind.
"Given the level of severity of what happened last night, I don't see fit to expel nor suspend you from Aeon." The Headmaster held up his hand, "However, I must inform you that repeated offenses will incur harsher punishments. Consider this incident a learning experience."
"Not nearly as bad as I thought this might have gone." Raylan thought, "I understand."
"That said," The Headmaster continued, "I'm obligated to keep you under tabs for a period to reassure the staff that you won't be trouble. So, I will be calling you to my office for a little check-in to see how you are doing with a small examination of your grades to see if you are keeping up with your education and generally see how you are coping throughout the year."
"That's not bad really." The young man thought, "One meeting with the Headmaster every so often isn't really a punishment all things considered." If all he had to do was go about his life and keep his grades up then there was no change. He planned to do that anyway, all that changed was now he had an outside observer.
The Headmaster smiled at the young man, "I'm sure this isn't what you had anticipated when you first arrived at Aeon, but we can't always choose what happens to us." The Headmaster leaned on his desk, "But you can at least decide how to act from this moment forward. I look forward to seeing how your time here treats you."
Just as Raylan was about to respond the world came to a sudden standstill, time itself froze, the space around them darkened with only a single light from above shining down upon both Raylan and the Headmaster.
Chains burst out from all angles across the room, and right in front of Raylan's eyes a familiar-looking card formed between he and the older gentleman. A different symbol and image appeared across the face of the card than the one he'd witnessed in his dream.
And that's when an all too familiar voice spoke.
I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the voice of truth that frees your body and mind.
With the birth of the Judgement Persona, thou has obtained the winds of blessing that shall guide you to your journey's end.
Silence descended upon the room, motionless for a few precious seconds before the chains and Arcana card faded into darkness completely vanishing from sight. Colour eeped back into the world, time itself resumed, it was as though life itself had returned to his surroundings.
Raylan remained still, somewhat rigid, from what he'd just seen.
"...that was real." The young man's mind confirmed. "Just like when I made that deal with Igor." He did note the difference in the arcana, Fool and Judgement. Although he might not have known what made them different they must have been different for a reason.
"I believe that's the main reason for this meeting dealt with," Raylan turned to the Headmaster as the older man spoke, "Before I let you go I feel as though I should inform you that the police won't be getting involved with the situation from last night given recent happenings."
"Really?" Raylan asked with a slight furrow of the brow, "I'm surprised, I figured we'd have to make statements at the very least."
This time it was the headmaster's brows that furrowed, "Given what happened it's of little consequence now."
Raylans' look of confusion deepened across his face. The Headmaster met his confusion with momentary mild surprise before it turned into a saddened frown.
"So you really haven't heard."
…hadn't heard what?
"The young man you shared an altercation with last night, Mr. Jack Winchester, was tragically killed in a hit-and-run incident near the residential district."
…
…
Jack… was dead?
"What? What the fuck happened after I left?" Raylan's mind rapidly questioned, with each question coming faster than the last. "Where had Jack gone on his own? He did break off from his friends afterward… Was this an accident or is there something more to it?"
"So you didn't know," The grim voice of the Headmaster pulled Raylan from his thoughts, "I was informed of the situation by the police early this morning when they came by to question the young man's whereabouts last night. They were retracing where he'd been and when he was last seen alive, so I informed them of what happened during the party." The Headmaster raised a hand in a calming manner, "I also explained to them that you and Jack had gone separate ways as seen by members of my staff, just to be safe, but the police have stated you aren't a suspect although they don't have a lead as to who the driver of the vehicle actually is."
That meant very little at the moment.
Raylan struggled to form the right words to say, his mouth moved once, twice, before closing it, unable to find the words he needed. The Headmaster took this as a sign to continue.
"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news like this," The older man said with a low, gentle tone, "I'm sure this wasn't what you expected, nor desired, the outcome to be."
There was a quiet lull between them, a brief moment of silence before it was broken by a question.
"When did it happen?" Raylan asked, finally coming to terms with the news.
The Headmaster hummed, "Not long after Midnight, so I've been told. From time stamps taken from security cameras, he was found shortly after being struck but was pronounced dead at the scene."
"Killed nearly instantly then…" If he'd survived he could have held out for help, but Jack hadn't been that lucky. Luckiest Jack could have gotten was an instantaneous death, painless and quick. That's all Raylan could hope for at the moment.
"Try not to let this tragedy weigh too heavy on you Mr. Sinclair."
Raylan said nothing. Although his words didn't ease him or his thoughts, he appreciated the attempt at kind words of comfort.
"I think it's time we end this meeting, I'm sure there are concerning thoughts on your mind right now." The Headmaster conceded, "You're dismissed Mr Sinclair," He gestured for the door, "Do take care till next time we speak young man."
With no time to waste Raylan stood from his seat. Despite his mind still preoccupied with revelations of what happened to Jack, he responded to the Headmaster.
"Good day to you, sir." With a slight nod of his head, Raylan turned and made for the door. He was quick to swing open the doors and step through.
The doors closed behind him with a small slam, leaving Raylan standing in an empty reception. The secretary having disappeared off to do whatever it was she was doing, leaving just him alone.
Raylan sighed, "I can't believe it…" He muttered. The young man quickly pulled out his phone, starting to make for the hallway, as he checked his messages.
Nothing from Miles, so that might have meant he didn't hear the news either. Miles would have called or messaged him about it otherwise.
With several swift clicks and taps of his phone he was sending a message to Miles.
They had to meet up, there was a lot they had to get through.
/_\
"Fuck me," Miles swore under his breath, "This is unreal." The young man ran a hand through his hair as he spoke. "Do you have any more details? Anything about the specifics of what happened?"
"Nothing," Raylan admitted with a small frustrated sigh. "I know as much as you do now."
As soon as the two had met up Raylan shared all the details regarding Jack's death from his discussion with the Headmaster, rapidly bringing his friend up to speed. Irritatingly they had little to go off of beyond it being an open-shut case of hit and run.
They'd checked the morning news reports as soon as Raylan had explained what he'd been told by the Headmaster, confirming the worst, and found only small tidbits of information on the situation.
It was labeled as such because it was caught on two separate street cameras. Although neither he nor Miles had seen the footage yet, as it had also been leaked online despite the police's best efforts to contain it, the local media outlets reporting about the incident said the police had seemingly deemed it enough to label it as such.
There was a warrant out for the vehicle and unknown driver, and a police information plea had been made for anyone who had spotted the vehicle or knows more about who might own it, but beyond that, the police had very little else they could do.
"Damnit," Miles muttered. "And here we thought we had it bad last night."
"We did have it bad enough ourselves, we just pulled through at the last minute." Raylan countered, "We almost suffered the same fate, if not a worse one."
"I know, I know!" Miles groaned, "It's just… It's not right. For everything Jack did he sure as shit didn't deserve to die." The young man looked to the ground as he spoke, with Raylan doing the same.
"No, he didn't." Raylan agreed solemnly. "Nobody deserved to die, neither us nor him." The young men remained silent for a moment, both coming to terms with the fact someone they just met last night, even if on bad terms, had died the very same night. The very same night they had fought for their own lives in another world.
Jack had deserved better than this.
Raylan had held no ill will to the guy, sure he'd been a prick when they'd met but after seeing his broken state when he and Jack were tossed out of the hotel Raylan reevaluated his first impression. It wouldn't have been a stretch to assume Jack had felt guilt and regret about his actions. The way he didn't speak, still and motionless, even pushing his friends away as though he wished to be alone, it painted him a more sympathetic individual who couldn't take back what they'd just done. One hot headed moment was all it took to ruin everything for him.
And one instant for everything to end.
It was a disheartening thought, one that stirred up bad memories for Raylan, but there was a small tingle in his gut that kept telling him that there was more to to this than what they'd heard. His intuition told him that there was more.
Raylan wasn't normally one to ignore his intuition, it often worked out for him when combined with some careful planning, and right now it was telling him to look further, look deeper, into what happened to Jack.
"Should we see it for ourselves?" Raylans' question gave Miles pause, no doubt thinking on the question, he continued, "I'd rather know for myself what exactly happened. It's hard to explain but I have a gut feeling there's something more to all this." He knew it wasn't right to watch something like this on video, as it was disrespectful, but he had to know if his intuition was correct.
"A gut feeling?" Raylan nodded once.
"There's more," Miles turned to focus on Raylan, "I had a dream last night, it's related to the Mirror World." Miles' eyes briefly widened before leaning in closer, paying more attention to Raylans' words.
Raylan summarised what his dream had entailed last night. From detailing the Velvet room as a whole to his discussion with the mysterious man Igor and his supposed role as some kind of hero, and how the world faced ruination if nothing was done. He mentioned his bonds, how he'd formed a vow with both Igor and the Headmaster, Fool and Judgement. Honestly, the more he spoke the more ridiculous it sounded.
But that meant very little after witnessing the Mirror World. Ridiculous was a part of their life now it seemed.
Miles, for his part, was completely tuned in to the conversation, listening to his friends every word, occasionally questioning something for clarification like when he mentioned how these bonds formed right in front of him.
And how the world was to be brought to ruin if nothing changed.
It was frustrating that they had so little to go on in relation to changing the world's ultimate fate, but Raylan pushed the conversation onward.
He layed out all the details he could in relation to his experience with Igor, and ultimately explained why he had this gut feeling about last night.
"After what happened to us with the Mirror World, and my dream with Igor, I have this feeling that there was more going on than what we witnessed. I believe Jack has something to do with it."
"You think Jack is involved in that mess too?" Miles questioned.
Raylan nodded, "I do, but I have no evidence yet. It's why I want to see the footage of the incident myself to confirm my suspicions." Raylan recalled how Igor had phrased it during their conversation. How he specified last night being where his journey began.
It could have simply been a summary of what they'd gone through in the Mirror World, but what if it was more than that? What if everything and everyone, from last night was of importance?
Last night was truly where your story began.
He remembered those exact words.
If he was right, and there was more to it than what had been reported, and Jack had been involved in the Mirror World then wouldn't it be right to find the truth about what happened?
To do right by Jack and anyone else who hadn't survived the Mirror World.
"Let's do it then, let's check out what happened." Miles walked over to his friend and tapped him on the shoulder, "If you say something's up I'll trust ya." Raylan's mouth curved into a small smile.
"Alright." With that Raylan pulled out his phone, and quickly tapped his screen as he put in the details in an effort to find the leaked footage. It took several minutes to find it but eventually, the two found it on a privately run forum that discussed many of the happenings of Domhanda.
And there was a lot to talk about on this website apparently, something that he and Miles both agreed to look into further at some point.
"You ready?" Raylan asked as his finger hovered over the play button on the footage.
"Ready."
Raylan nodded and hit play.
The perspective they got was of a street camera looking up at a completely deserted street. For a few seconds nothing happened until, from the left side, the camera caught sight of Jack sprinting across the street. He got across one-half of the street before a car came hurtling into view before it struck Jack at high speeds.
The car barely slowed, with the vehicle not sliding or skidding, which meant the driver hadn't even attempted to brake. Miles grimaced when he'd seen the car collide with Jack, whilst Raylan fought back any outward reaction trying to keep his eyes scanning for any details.
Jack though, when struck, was sent bouncing violently across the road before his body left the frame of the camera. It was hard to watch for the both of them, but they pushed through their own discomfort.
The car, having not slowed, sped off down the street leaving the view of the camera as quickly as it had entered it. As soon as it did, the angle switched to another camera, which Raylan noted had displayed a different time, likely before the accident.
His theory was proven correct, as, from this angle, the second camera was pointed in such a way that it gave a side view. This footage showed Jack come sprinting out from a dark alleyway, with Jack momentarily glancing over his shoulder before he was illuminated by a set of headlights.
Jack's head swiveled in the direction of the light source before the car came roaring into view. The impact sent the young man hurtling down the street, once again leaving the camera view, the footage ended quickly after that once the car sped off-screen as well. Both Miles and Raylan barely maintained a calm outer facade, both having to fight down their discomfort.
Even if the small spray of blood in the footage was making that difficult.
However, they held it down for one main reason. Something else had been on screen.
"Did I see that right?" Miles asked, blinking once as his brows furrowed.
Raylan said nothing as he replayed the footage, skipping the first camera view straight to the second. He switched the video play speed down to 0.25 and watched the scene again.
This time Miles and Raylan focused in on the moment Jack came sprinting out of the alleyway. The second he came out of the darkness, Raylan paused the video.
"It was real," Miles muttered from Raylan's side. Both young men took a few seconds to take in what they were seeing.
Stretching out of the darkness were some uncomfortably familiar shadowy arms, reaching out of the alleyway in an attempt to grasp at Jack, with the young in question only barely escaping their reach.
They were the same type of shadow arms that had taken him and Miles to the Mirror World.
"You were right," Miles said as Raylan turned to him, "The Mirror World is involved somehow."
Raylan turned back to his phone, the screen still paused at the very moment Jack had left the alleyway with the arms outstretched toward him.
"We weren't the only ones targeted last night, but it seems Jack managed to escape before he had been taken to the other world." Neither of the young men said anything about how well that had turned out for him, neither of them needed to. "It's not a one-off occurrence, and multiple people can be taken in one night."
Miles nodded, his head tilted slightly in thought. "It happened in the darkness of the alleyway just like us too."
"I believe that's just because it's dark and isolated in alleyways during the night, the perfect place to grab someone without being seen," Raylan responded as he scrolled through the comments and tags below the video. "Miles, look at this."
Raylan held his phone closer to Miles allowing him a full view of the screen. Raylan slowly swiped up the phone, and after a few swipes, Miles spoke.
"Hundreds of comments but not a single one mentions shadowy arms." Miles said, turning back to Raylan, "So we're the only ones that can see it then?"
"It's a possibility," Raylan conceded as he lowered his phone, "It may be that in order to see these shadows you have to interact with them." He gestured between them, "You and I were taken by the arms, but we escaped them. It's possible that we can now see what others can't because we survived our encounter the first time."
"I suppose," Miles said. He sighed, "Guess that really means we're on our own, we can't convince others what we saw is real if they can't actually see it themselves."
Raylan hummed. Not quite true, seeing as they might have an ally in Igor, but as it stood now they were the only two who could see these shadows, and likely would be the only ones who could observe the Mirror World in this world.
"Looks like it's just the two of us then," Raylan agreed.
"Two of us to stop the ruination of the world, right?"
Raylan turned to his friend, surprised. Miles laughed slightly.
"What? You think you're in this alone?" He smiled, he waved him off once, "Not a chance Ray, you and I are in this together. Good and bad. If it's just you and me till the end then that's the way it's gonna stay."
Now it was Raylans' turn to smile, one he returned to his friend. "It's good to know you have my back. Thanks." Raylan held out his hand, which Miles took into his own as the two shook hands. "I'll have your back till the end as well."
A promise made between the two.
The world froze in a familiar way once again, for the second time today, including Miles, as color drained from the world. Their surroundings dulled as the light shone down on he and Miles. Chains burst forth all around the two, creating a web of metal, as another card faded into reality.
"Different from the ones he'd seen before." Raylan thought as a calming and familiar voice spoke.
I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the voice of truth that frees your body and mind.
With the birth of the Strength Persona, thou has obtained the winds of blessing that shall empower you till your journey's end.
As the voice finished, the image of the Strength Arcana disappeared. The chains around them burst into blue flames which swiftly fizzled out, vanishing like the Arcana. Colour and light returned to the world as time resumed.
Raylan blinked once, having processed what just happened as the two broke the handshake.
"You good Ray?" Miles asked with a brow raised having noticed Raylan's change in demeanor.
Raylan turned to his friend, and smiled slightly, "We have a bond of our own now." It took Miles a moment to realize what he meant.
"Ah," Miles stood up straighter, "We have a bond like the ones you made with Igor and the Headmaster?" He asked for confirmation, to which Raylan nodded. "So," He smirked, "What Arcana am I?"
"Strength."
Miles laughed as he scratched the side of his head, "Yeah, that sounds about right. I'm more the muscle of this team than the brains, I'll leave that part to you." The two friends shared a small chuckle between them.
"I'll try not let us down," Raylan replied. "Alright, let's work through what we know again."
The two friends began strategizing their game plan. They had a long list of things to figure out, from how they would go about re-entering the Mirror World, to what they were going to do about in regards to Jack and his case, and even working out questions Raylan would ask Igor if they met again in the near future.
As the two partners continued discussing what their next move would be, a little blue butterfly, that had been observing them the whole time, left its perch from above and slowly began fluttering off into the sky leaving the two their planning.
A faint whisper being the only sound the butterfly made.
Soon.
C8: End.
Love that little blue butterfly. lol
And here's another chapter.
Bet people weren't expecting that, but don't worry. Jack might be dead, but his story and importance in this Arc aren't. We'll be hearing more about him and the situation this Arc as we dive into the MetaVerse.
And soon we'll hopefully be getting a new member or two.
This chapter should have been out three to four weeks ago, so I'm sorry for the delays, but I was preparing for and on holiday for over two weeks (Gran Canaria is nice this time of year, lol) so I was busy for a few days before and I simply had no access to a computer to continue writing while abroad.
Regardless this should have been out sooner. We'll see if the next one is out quicker than this one as I don't want to leave people waiting too long. I do, however, have other stories to update so I'm not solely focused on this story either. Hope everyone understands.
Expect a few edits to the previous chapters, and this one especially, as I'm still working on adding to certain scenes as I think on them. Nothing major, just small mentions or things here or there, fixes, or minor edits. The usual.
And a little warning, there will be deaths in this story just so people are aware.
Review Response(s):
CR7 (Guest): I did some minor improvements/edits to the Velvet room scene from last chapter, I'll still likely add and change more in the future too. I'll also have it even more detailed during Raylans' next visit. Sorry about the lack of content but that's just how it will be at times. Life is life and I'm not dedicated to write at the moment. I write for fun, nothing more.
Roggi: Well, hopefully, we'll be seeing more characters popping up as the boys begin their adventure in the Meta-Verse. Thanks for the continued support as well!
LuxuryKiwi: I certainly don't want to drop this story, I love Persona as a series. I appreciate the continued support as well. I'm glad to see the chapters are enjoyable and to some people's liking. More interesting and humorous chapters are planned for the future hopefully. We'll get to know Miles better over the story and during his "Social Link". I thought that line was pretty good as well.
And that's the chapter done, hope everyone enjoyed it.
Thanks to everyone who continues to read and support this story.
Till next time!
AlcatrazDGold - Cheers!
