Chapter 7 - Welcome

/_\

"And here's your order!" The waitress said as she laid out a pizza between Raylan and Miles. "Enjoy!" The waitress bowed before quickly turning on her heel and back toward the kitchen she'd come from. Leaving the two patrons to their, ever so-fancy, meal which consisted of a pizza and soft drinks.

This was their cheat day considering what they had just gone through today.

"So what should start with?" Raylan asked, "Better introductions or recent events first?" Although he already knew where this conversation was gonna go before he even spoke, he was just being polite by asking.

"I think we both know what we're going to talk about, other worlds are real," Miles said, checking their surroundings to make sure they were alone and not overheard as Raylan went about cutting up the pizza, dividing it between the two of them. "An alternate world inhabited by shadow creatures."

"A dark mirror of our own," Raylan replied as he took a slice for himself. "Inverted to our own, mirrored in the sky above, looking back at us like a dark reflection." Oddly poetic sounding when spoken out loud Raylan realized.

"That's a strange thing to notice considering all the other bullshit we went through, like maybe fighting for our lives?" Miles took his own slice, taking a bite of the food as he finished speaking.

Raylan hummed in agreement, "You aren't wrong about that, we did have more pressing issues at the time, but it was the first observation I made. It's just how my mind works, sees something it can't explain and breaks it into smaller more logical pieces. I figured we should start from there and work our way through our previous ordeal."

"Can't argue that," Miles conceded as he dug into his own food with gusto, "But what's the dark mirror part about?"

"It's a dark mirror because not only is it a reflection of our own world but also twisted in its own way, heading down a different path than the one we're on," Raylan began to explain, "A better example would be that of fictional characters, a dark mirror is a character that mirrors another but seeks the opposite of the one they mirror. Responsibilities, power, and so on. Although the world in the sky mirrored our own, it was twisted, like it embraced the horrendous parts of our own. You heard the rumors in this city, right?"

Miles nodded as he swallowed a mouthful of pizza, "Yeah, hard not to. Assaults, the occasional murder, even a few people missing." He recalled all the headlines that he'd seen when he did some of his own research on the city, the information was hard to find and some of the statements made by people online couldn't always be backed up by evidence either.

But what he did find painted the city in a worse light than it usually portrayed itself in.

"Recall the enemies we fought, the shadows, did they not look like hoodlums and thugs to you? At least before they revealed their more fantastical forms." Raylan asked as he took another small bite of his food. You wouldn't normally see a knight or pixie roaming around now, would you?

Miles mulled it over for a second before agreeing, "Yeah, they did look like the stereotypical street thugs. So what? You're saying they look like that because those things embrace the shit that happens in our world?"

"That's my theory at the moment, yes." Raylan sighed, "I don't have proof of this of course, but I'm trying to logically break down everything we saw piece by piece, the symbolism, and literal facts are there. Mirrored opposites, but darker. Embracing what the city hides, the thugs swarmed us on the streets, and public buildings which aren't how they usually operate in our world. They're not hidden, they're in the open. Like the darker side of the city is there on the surface for us to see."

Miles leaned back in his chair and rubbed the back of his neck, thinking over his friend's words but Raylan continued. "Again, this is just my hypothesis. I'm trying to find correlations between our world and that one."

"You're doing a better job of that than I am Ray," Miles admitted, he lowered the hand that held his food and leaned forward. "Honestly, I'd be better off asking you what you think of everything, you might be able to explain it in some logical way."

"Take your time, this isn't something either of us are going to figure out in a single day. I'll do my best to explain everything for both our sakes because I doubt either of us are gonna get any sleep tonight unless we find some answers at the very least." Miles nodded in agreement as he took another bite of his food, Raylan continued changing the topic as he did, "The shadows were… interesting to say the least." The mirror world was done, now onto the creatures they fought.

"Fucking right they were," Miles mumbled.

"For shadowy monsters-," Raylan began as he muttered under his breath about how stupid that sounded, "-they acted with very human emotions and desires, as twisted as some of them were. Especially our Knight friend." Raylan raised his right arm and examined it, visualizing the white cracks that had appeared across the limb multiple times earlier, "The fact I was able to inadvertently convince one of the shadows to join us goes to show they can operate independently of one another and can actually agree with people like us and not just other shadows."

"How did you manage that anyway?" Miles interrupted, tilting his head as he asked, "You absorbed that pixie-like shadow and used it like our…" He glanced around the restaurant, "Used it like our Persona's." It still felt weird to be speaking about this stuff in public, although it was easy enough to speak about it between the two of them. A small mercy.

"I didn't do it intentionally," Raylan admitted as he turned back to his friend across the table, "It felt as though the Pixie shadow was the one to initiate things, I simply gave it permission, and from there the shadow was absorbed. Honestly, it was more an unconscious feeling than a cognitive thought that went into absorbing the Pixie."

"So it just came to you? No real effort on your part?" Miles asked, head tilting slightly as he asked his questions. "I didn't feel anything beyond my own Persona when fighting those shadows."

"I'm at a loss myself as to how or why I'm able to do what I did."

Miles scratched his head in thought, "Either way we should count ourselves lucky because that heal you did certainly help turn the tables, kept us in the fight till the end."

Raylan hummed in agreement. Having a healing effect inside that world truly was a lifesaver, it would come in handy if it ever happened again.

That thought gave Raylan pause.

Would it happen again?

Could it?

He didn't know. Were he and Miles able to travel between these worlds if they discovered an entrance of some sort? They were dragged there against their will this time, but they found a way out that they could freely pass through. Did that mean there was a way to go back?

What reason would they have to go back?

It took Raylan a single moment to find one.

"We weren't the only people in there," Raylan stated, changing the subject suddenly for both himself and Miles. "There was that strange individual that greeted us in the other world." Miles' eyes widened in recognition for a second before speaking.

"Right, that guy we saw just before we were attacked. He talked some shit before summoning those shadows then hightailed it outta there." Miles leaned back in his chair, "He looked like something out of a fantasy novel, didn't he? All noble and elegant looking."

"He looked oddly similar to how we did after summoning our Persona's." Raylan added.

"Yeah, you're right." Miles agreed, "Does that mean he has a Persona as well? If he did we were lucky he didn't stick around to finish us off before we awakened ours." It was fortunate for them but was it really just down to luck? It felt as though he was confident, arrogant even, that they would succumb to the shadows without issue. A severe underestimation on his part then because both of them made it out alive with powers of their own. So maybe it was a combination of both.

"Considering everything that happened tonight we got a mixed bag when it comes to our luck." Raylan countered slyly. Miles merely hummed in amused agreement as his response. "Luck or not, I doubt we would have done well against him. I'd be willing to bet that he was more experienced than us, even with both our Persona's I can't see us coming out on top."

"Well, I'd bet that we would have gone down swinging if it came to it." Raylan smiled at his friend's response, he couldn't agree more with that sentiment. After all, Raylan had been willing to stall the shadows for Miles to escape, and Miles had willingly chosen to stay with him.

It seemed they both had a fighting spirit.

"But the one thing to note about our mystery man was that he was expecting us." Raylan stated to which Miles perked up, "He wasn't surprised by us being there, and he immediately acted once our little exchange with him ended."

"Man, you're right." Miles seemed troubled at the realization, "He was able to summon those shadows to his side, so does that mean he was the one who summoned those shadowy arms to drag us into that mirror world?"

"It's entirely possible," Raylan contemplated the idea for a moment, "That means it wasn't an accident that we ended up in the mirror world."

"Does that mean we were targeted?" It was a good question. Were they targeted from the start or were they merely in the wrong place at the wrong time? Were they the intended target or merely a golden opportunity?

"I don't know." Raylan conceded with a small sigh, "As much as we'd like answers to all this, we don't know enough to draw any conclusions. At least, none that would satisfy us both."

"I doubt any answers we gave tonight will," Miles countered, he groaned lowly, "Not unless we find a way back into the mirror world to find the answers ourselves."

That gave Raylan pause. That was true. If he wanted answers then that may just be the right way to go about it. Theorizing all day wouldn't do much without proof or evidence to back it up.

"I wasn't serious about that, Ray," Miles' voice brought Raylan back to the conversation. He turned toward Miles, noting the faint smirk on his face. "Were you seriously considering the idea?"

Raylan smirked slightly to himself as he shrugged, "I'll admit, I did for a few seconds there." Miles' reaction was a deadpan with a playful eye roll.

"You'd want to go back?" Miles asked, not waiting for an answer he continued with another question, "Why would you want to go back there? Why bother?"

"Because we might not have been the first victims taken there." His words seemed to pull the wind out of Miles' sail, the mood dampened a bit with thoughts of who else might have gone through what they did and not made it out.

"Fuck," Miles swore under his breath, "That's true, what if we weren't that guy's first victims? Hell, I doubt we'll be the last if he gets to roam free after all this."

Yeah, that dragged the atmosphere down to ground level. It's not like they could take this to the police, they wouldn't be believed. All they had were each other. Just the two of them against a dark mirrored world full of shadows. They were neither prepared nor informed enough to make a move nor could they just go back as they hadn't a clue how to get there on their own.

Raylan sighed at the depressing thought, "There's not much we can do for the time being so it's best we put those depressing thoughts to the back of our minds." He turned back to his long-forgotten food in an attempt to distract himself but found nearly all of it had gone cold.

Miles' seemed to be in the same boat, attempting to distract himself from thinking any more what-ifs. It was on the fence whether it was working or not.

"Maybe I should have kept that thought to myself," Raylan winced.

"Nah, better to hear it now and deal with it than think of it later." Mile leaned back in his seat and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Regardless, I'm sorry."

"All good man," Miles' reassured him before picking up a slice of semi-cold pizza. "Let's just have some cold pizza and enjoy the rest of our night."

Raylan's lips twitched upward into a small smile, "Alright," he agreed as he brought up his own slice. "To an eventful night!" The two young men mimicked tapping their drinks together with their slices before both taking a bite. As the two enjoyed their food, Miles spoke up.

"Here, Ray," Miles' brought out his phone, "Give us your number. After everything we went through tonight, I think it's safe to exchange numbers."

Raylan hummed through a soft smile, pulling out his phone. The two exchanged numbers, saving the other in their contacts. "After a night like tonight, I doubt we could be anything but friends, right?"

"Damn right," Miles' strongly agreed, "You pulled my ass out of the fire earlier, and I did the same for you. I doubt either of us are gonna forget that any time soon."

Both young men laughed to themselves as they enjoyed their food. They settled in for a more pleasant conversation, even if it wasn't a long one.

One thing both men could agree on was despite everything that had happened tonight, they at least got something good out of it.

/_\

After separating with Miles, the lone walk back to his apartment was uneventful, wet due to the light rain, and overall eerily silent save for the occasional car that ruined the atmosphere as it rolled past. The journey back seemed much longer than when he'd initially left for the party. Raylan's thoughts were cluttered with the happenings earlier. He'd been grateful for the distractions he had with Miles' but now that he was alone his thoughts eventually slipped back to the most unbelievable part of the day.

The mirrored world, the shadows, their powers. He couldn't help it, the reality of it all was surreal. Raylan had thought his mind would be solely focused on his new life at Aeon but that quickly became an afterthought for tonight. Life had truly thrown him, and Miles, a curve ball nobody could have ever seen coming.

It made time pass by slower, it felt as though he'd never reach his apartment.

But he did, eventually. He made it back to his apartment in one piece, alive and of sound mind despite the insanity of previous events. Raylan was exhausted, both physically and mentally. The wave of tiredness hit him like a truck, so when Raylan entered his apartment he merely tossed off his shoes and jacket before collapsing into bed.

It didn't take long for the young man to pass out, finally able to rest after the night's events. Except, unlike any other time, once he'd fallen asleep he felt as though he was suddenly awoken. But not in the real world, not in his apartment, but within a space he'd never seen before.

(Play Aria of the Soul)

A faint music began to play throughout the space, like that of an opera singer raising and lowering her voice to a rhythm. A song with no words. His surroundings revealed themselves to him as he felt himself move into a seated position.

He glanced down to find he was now in a chair.

The room around him could be described, at the most fundamental level, as an office. Two bookshelves, multiple filing cabinets, a full body mirror in the corner, and a cork pin board covered the walls either side of him.

The wall opposite him had a large window in it, but through the glass all that could be seen was dark swirling clouds just like that strange darkness he'd found himself in before with that all too familiar butterfly.

In the center of the room was a large modern oak desk, with him sitting facing from the opposite side. But, to his complete shock, someone else was on the other side. Elbows on the desk, hands clasped together and looking directly at him with the smallest but most genuine smile.

"Hello, Mr. Sinclair." He greeted with a smooth calm voice, sounding like an elderly gentleman. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

For a few crucial moments, Raylan was lost for words, which gave the older gentleman opposite him a chance to continue his introduction.

"My name is Igor," he gestured to himself, before sweeping his hand across the room they were in, "And this is the Velvet room."

The Velvet Room.

"The Velvet Room…?" Raylan muttered to himself as he briefly inspected the room again as if he was going to find something new about it. He did notice that nearly the whole room was velvet colored to some degree, "...certainly earning its name."

Apparently, Igor had heard him, "Indeed," The enigmatic man answered, "This place exists between dreams and reality. It is a representation of your inner heart." A representation of his heart? Raylan glanced around again. If this was a representation of his heart then he needed more excitement in his life.

"And you, Raylan Sinclair, are our esteemed guest. A VIP of the Velvet room." Igor declared, pulling Raylan's gaze back to him. "We have much to discuss but now isn't the time to answer all the questions you no doubt have. I promise you we will speak again in the future and I will reveal everything I can when that time comes."

"..." Raylan said nothing as Igor spoke, still coming to terms with what he was saying. His mind raced through several ideas, working out how best to respond to all this. For now, it would be best to allow Igor to explain everything instead of merely trying to comprehend all this himself.

"For now let us focus on what must be said." Igor continued, he gestured with his hand in Raylan's direction. "Know this, Wildcard," Raylan noted that word. "Your world faces a threat that could well lead the world to its ultimate ruin." His words sucked the breath from Raylan. "You might not know it, but what you faced this night was a mere taste of what is to come if nothing is done."

"The Mirror World," Raylan muttered, acknowledging what Igor meant. It was the only thing it could be. "This is related to before, the Mirror world," Raylan concluded, "The mirrored city, shadows, Personas', Igor must know more about them."

"Correct, Detective." Raylan shifted at being labeled detective. "The Mirror world is the dark representation of your own, and you merely witnessed a fraction of what it was like on the other side when the two worlds momentarily converged and drew you into the other."

"So we weren't targeted then." Raylan's mind briefly thought. If they had just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time then this made sense. But that theory was quickly shot to pieces at Igor's next words.

"There are those that aid in the world's destruction," Igor explained slowly, "As you have seen for yourself no doubt." Confirmed. "These people wish to bring about a new changed world, but which such lofty ambitions they fail to comprehend that the world will perish due to their meddling in powers they don't fully understand."

"Too focused on their ambition to see what's right in front of them," Raylan concluded.

"Exactly, my young guest." Igor continued, "The Mirror World and your World are converging, Raylan. With each passing day, both worlds draw closer to one another, closer to ruin. If the worst were to happen, the worlds would come together as one, and madness and chaos would reign above all."

It was a bleak thought. To imagine Raylan's own world join with the one he and Miles had escaped. The shadows, monsters, and the ability to wield Personas. Raylan had his doubts many would survive in a world like that, especially if there were people out there like that man he and Miles met in the Mirror World. He had been the one to summon the shadows that had tried to kill them, he would likely do the same in the future.

And, unfortunately, Raylan suspected he'd done so already many times before.

They weren't his first victims.

The young man couldn't help but clench his fists at the thought.

"I see you are coming to terms with the gravity of the situation," Igor interrupted. His guest's attention now back to him. "This is why you must act, this is why you must face the ones who wish to bring the world to ruin. The path ahead of you will lead you to the turning point, to the exact point in time where a choice will have to be made, a choice that will lead the world to its salvation or its ruin."

Igor's words echoed throughout Raylan's heart and mind, both his logical rational side and emotional side coming together in agreement with the other. Both his heart and mind resolved themselves, strengthening the other.

"Your journey is only just beginning, Detective. Last night was..." He paused, which Raylan took note of, "-truly where your story began. Your fate will be a difficult one to face. You will deal with many trials and tribulations along the way, face foes fiercer than you can imagine, and save many lives from an otherwise grim demise just as you have done this very day." Igor smiled gently at Raylan, "And you will decide the very fate of your world at the end of your journey."

Raylan's brows furrowed slightly, head turning away from Igor to stare off at the ground. The words spoken clearly having clouded the young man's mind with many worries. Having to take on someone, or some people, so powerful would surely be no easy feat. To hold the fate of the world in your hands is a power no single person should ever hold. And to save the lives of as many as he can along the way?

Truly a monumental task.

Igor chuckled slightly at the young man, clearly seeing the concern on his face. "But you need not worry, as you will not face this fate alone. The bonds you will form with those along your path will help carry you to your journey's ultimate end." Raylan took in every word the enigmatic man opposite him was saying.

"Bonds are what shall make all you face worth it. Involving yourself with others is an important step in your journey to adverting disaster. You've done well with that young man you were with earlier." Raylan was surprised for a moment that he knew about Miles, he could be the only person he was referring to, but pushed that thought to the back of his mind. "That said, I am not advising the formation of superficial relationships. It must not be of frivolity, but a ring of those who would, by morals or faith, lend you their strength as you lend them yours." Igor gestured between the two of them, "And that goes both of us as well."

"So that we all grow together to reach what we aim for," Raylan said in conclusion to the man's words. Igor smiled at his guest.

"Precisely." Igor affirmed, "And to start this journey, I merely need to hear your answer." Igor held out his hand toward Raylan, waiting for him to take it. "Will you take the first step?"

Raylan looked at the hand, and in that moment, several thoughts ran through his head. From the relatively simple, such as his future in Aeon, social and familiar situations, and goals for the future after graduation. To the extreme, the life or death battles against shadows within a mirrored world, uncovering the secrets the mirrored city held, saving lives, and even confronting their mysterious masked foe and his organization once again.

That could quite possibly be his life from this day forward, balancing the everyday with the out-of-this-world. It would be tremendously hard at times, he knew that, but if Raylan was being honest the thought invigorated and excited him more than it should have.

Was this what he wanted? Was this what he'd been looking for?

Was this the type of challenge he wanted to get involved in?

His heart stirred at the idea, he knew this was both right for himself and others. If he could save lives, like how he and Miles had saved themselves, then he knew what the right choice was. His mind and heart were in agreement, they had been resolved to this fate, he wasn't about to back out now.

Not when the right choice was right in front of him.

Raylan reached across the table between himself and Igor and took the man's hand in his own. As soon their hands met the world ground to a halt, everything dimmed around them, and a 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 Fool Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to the Ultimate Truth.

A symbol appeared before his face, intricately designed in a rectangle, one Raylan recognized as the symbol of the Fool Arcana. It faded moments after.

The world returned to normal as the two shook hands, Igor smiling softly at the young man's stunned expression as if knowing what had just happened. "Excellent. You have made the right choice, Wildcard." That word again. "Your journey will soon begin, but for now it seems our time is up." As he spoke the words, the world began to shimmer and fade around him. The edges of Raylan's vision dimmed.

"Until next we meet, Detective" Igor's voice echoed through his head as everything went black.

/_\

Raylan's eyes drifted open, rapidly adjusting to the light seeping into his room through closed blinds. The sign that the day was already in full swing.

Raylan blinked a few times, "It's morning already?" He thought as he got himself up and out of bed. "I couldn't have been in the Velvet Room that long…"

He couldn't have been in the Velvet room for more than a few minutes at most, his conversation with that man, Igor, was brief and left him with more questions than answers. Did that mean it was all a dream? Was any of it real? For a moment he wondered if he hadn't drank too much and merely dreamed up that adventure with Miles. But a quick feel and he could tell he had that familiar power inside him.

His Persona.

"Sherlock…" Raylan thought back to his other self, his true self.

He could still sense his persona, its power within him. So that meant it was real, everything. The Mirror World, the fights, Igor and the Velvet Room. It… it was hard to believe, Raylan had tried to come to some logical conclusion.

Drinking too much was out of the question, he was confident he wasn't losing grip with reality, and being drugged seemed unlikely. Though he did admit that the last option wasn't impossible.

But he knew in the back of his mind that that wasn't the case. Everything he'd seen and experienced last night had happened, they'd been real. He could sense his Persona, feel the lingering exhaustion from their battles despite how well he'd rested, it all felt real.

He was going to have to explain all this to Miles, he'd no doubt want to know about all this if it hadn't happened to him. There was a chance it had but the way Igor spoke to him and only mentioned Miles he suspected he was the one Igor was interested in.

Raylan was broken from his stupor as he heard his phone vibrate from nearby. He reached over to grab it as the vibrations stopped, obviously a text then.

Raylan opened his phone and went to go to the texts app, however, he hesitated for a second as he saw an unknown app on his phone's home page. He didn't recall installing the app but quickly dismissed it in favor of finding the text in question, the most recent one. To his momentary surprise, it turned out to be from Aeon University. Specifically, it was from a staff member requesting he come to the Headmaster's office to discuss matters regarding last night. More than likely his involvement in the events of last night.

"Ah yes," Raylan sighed softly, "Time to face the music." The young student mused to himself. Being called into the Headmaster before we even officially begin lessons, talk about a great first impression.

He'd had a good start with the Headmaster yesterday, but that was now likely undone by what he'd probably heard about last night.

"Bollocks," Raylan muttered as he got out of bed. He'd been given a time to meet the Headmaster, which was three hours from now, so he'd best get ready.

Both physically and mentally.

Honestly though, Raylan didn't regret what he did. He wouldn't either despite the trouble he was likely in. He wasn't going to go against his morals just because it jeopardized his position in Aeon. Raylan had gotten here by his own merit and character and he wasn't about to betray himself for a measly university.

If people heard his feelings about Aeon he was sure they'd rip him apart, but oh well.

Raylan quickly removed his clothes and headed for the shower. He'd decided that he was going to have a long shower in preparation for the tedious day ahead of him. As the door to the bathroom shut behind him, a blue butterfly fluttered across his room, having gone unseen by the apartment's resident.

If only he knew what truly lay ahead of him.

C6: End.

Edited on 13/10/22 - Re-wrote Igors Scene, spelling errors corrected, and small dialogue changes made in other scenes.

And it's a late one! A really late. Sorry about that. A mix of writer's block, other activities, lack of motivation and never being satisfied with whatever I did manage to write for this chapter. I rewrote parts of this chapter twice, then deleted parts to make it what it is now. I'm still not happy about the first section of this chapter either. I feel as though I could have done better. I just know I've forgotten something or made a mistake somewhere in this chapter. I will likely edit this slightly over the coming weeks as I write the next chapter and re-read this one.

It wasn't a hard, long, or overly complex chapter. Why this chapter specifically managed to do this to me is beyond me, but there we are.

Anyway, the first major "Arc" is about to begin. Characters should start showing up more frequently (even if they don't officially join Raylan and Miles yet), social bonds, side quests, and sub-stories should also be coming soon. Within the next few chapters anyway. You'll be seeing your own characters around here and there in the background until their official introduction into the story and group. I'm going to try make the world feel alive and moving even if the MC isn't around to see it.

Again sorry for the delays.

Review Response(s):

Roggi: Correct, they can't exactly tell anyone about this. Nobody would believe them, so for the time being the two will have to rely on what information Igor can provide them and whatever else they can figure out on their own. At least until new teammates come into the picture that could help shed some light on the situation. They'll have to figure these things out for themselves until then.

And that's that.

I'll see you all in the next chapter! Which I'll try to get out way sooner than this one. We'll see how well that goes for me. Again, sorry for the long wait!

Thanks. Hope you enjoyed it!

AlcatrazDGold - See ya!