Chapter 1: The Other Awakening
4/11/20XX
"It seems that you have been pent up ever since this morning."
A tall figure dressed in red was towering over the small bathroom, two horns almost reaching the ceiling while its long top hat bending sideways at the ceiling, a devilish smile painting its face as it talked in a calm voice. Its eyes watched the rumored high-school delinquent do his business in the toilet.
"..."
Akira Kurusu only stared at the tall figure briefly, then proceeded to roll the toilet paper. After doing the deed, he flushed the toilet and walked towards the sink. The figure's devilish expression remained unchanged as it just watched Akira use the sink. Washing his hands properly before proceeding to wash his face. Thinking that a simple wash can improve his eyesight. Drying his face with a towel he then looked at the mirror, only to see the figure still standing there. Noticing that Akira was looking at it, he waved his hand with long and pointy nails at the high school student. Akira replied with a wave as well.
The tired Akira brushed his teeth as he slowly got ready for bed. Changing to his pajamas he walked towards the door, which was opened by the red figure. "After you." It seems that it was truly a gentleman, its neatly tailored clothing suited his behavior.
"Thank you." Akira's voice remained unfazed as he walked upstairs to his room. The figure after closing the door, levitated off the ground as it followed Akira to his room.
"Your room seems to be clustered with equipment, materials, and dust alike. Dirty, stained, and chaotic while not unpleasant in the eyes. If you do give it more shine, you can truly call it home." The red figure voiced its opinion as it looked all around the room.
"Clean house. I'll write it in my schedule." Akira replied, and made a mental note of cleaning again, as he flopped in his bed, ready to pass out any minute due to the fatigue his body had stored throughout the day. His eyelids slowly covered his line of sight, as he drifted off to sleep. Aware that even though there is a fashionable horned demon standing in his room, he never felt alarmed or any fear towards it. His consciousness left him until he was transported to the place of chains.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_THE VELVET ROOM-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Akira Kurusu opened his eyes, seeing the unfamiliar ceiling a second time. His drowsiness seemingly left his body, as he sat on his prison bed rubbing his eyes.
"...About time you've come." The strict voice made him aware that it was Caroline who spoke up. "On your feet, Inmate!" Her commanding voice was followed by the echoes of her baton hitting the prison bars.
"I'm up. I'm up." Akira replied in a sleepy voice towards Caroline, as he walked towards the prison bars. "Morning, Caroline and Justine. You guys sleep well?" he asked looking at the two Velvet Room Wardens.
"Our master wishes to speak with you. It's for your own sake that you take his words to heart." This time in a calm voice, spoke Justine the other Velvet Room Warden.
Akira's eyes then transferred to Igor, unlike the two wardens to Akira were cute even with the "bad cop" act of Caroline, so Akira immediately got used to them. Igor was more… eerily creepy to some extent. From his expression and voice, Akira knew it would take some time for him to be accustomed to Igor's being.
'So waking up in a prison cell in the middle of the night is easier to get used to than a long-nosed man sitting on a table outside my cell?' Akira joked to himself,
Seeing that Akira's attention was on him, Igor then spoke, "First off, let us celebrate our reunion. Oh…? You've awoken to your powers and special ones at that." Igor's voice hinting a slightly impressed tone. "Your rehabilitation can finally begin."
"Powers? Rehabilitation? Do I like to have an addiction or something?" Akira asked, interested in the answer.
"There is no need to understand it all for the time being," Igor replied,
"Bummer…" Akira said in a seemingly sad tone.
Igor ignored Akira's reaction as he continued his explanation, "You will be training the power of Persona, which you have awakened to."
'There it is again… My Persona…' Akira thought to himself, as he remembered the figure that suddenly appeared in the bathroom while he was "meditating".
"Personas are, in other words, a "mask" an armor of the heart when confronting otherworldly matters."
'A mask...' Akira grasped the part of his face where his mask was. Slightly cringing at the memory of the first time he took it off.
"I have high expectations for you," Igor said, a tint of excitement in his voice.
Akira however was ticked off by how Igor was treating him as an experiment. "That's not my concern," he said, a rude tone in his voice.
"...Oh?" Igor's expression changed ever so slightly at the display of courage from the Trickster.
"How dare you speak to our Master like that!" Caroline hit the prison bars harder than before, angry at the disrespectful action of the Inmate.
"Now, now Caroline. This just shows the courage and willpower of our Trickster to rebel against the unfairness of society. Let's take this as a positive." Igor said, calming the bun-haired warden. Which the warden just clicked her tongue at Inmate before calming down.
Justine seeing the opportunity, continued for her Master's. "You have no choice but to hone your strength. It's not because we're forcing you but because this is your fate." Her calm voice explained, her tone of voice and attitude a polar opposite of Caroline. "If you choose to neglect your fate... You will die."
Akira sensed and knew deep down that Justine was not lying. He can only tighten his grip on the iron bars, as he has no choice on the matter. "Understood... No pressure at all, really." he replied in a joking tone towards the "good cop" warden.
Taking a few seconds to let the Trickster absorb this newfound knowledge, Igor continued. "By the by... have you come to appreciate the Metaverse Navigator?"
"You mean the "virus eye" app in my phone?" Akira asked, confirming what Igor asked.
Igor nodded, "Using it will allow you to come and go between reality and Palaces." Igor explained.
"Palaces... The place me and Ryuji walked to? So it was that app's fault?" Akira questioned, piece by piece seeing the picture.
"...I bestowed it upon you as a means to train you as a thief." Igor didn't bother in saying yes to Akira's question, as he continued to explain.
'There it is again...' Akira thought, curious as to why he is termed a thief. 'From Trickster to inmate, and then thief... All I wanted was to be called a ladies man or even a gentleman...'
Now it was Caroline's turn to explain. "The Metaverse Navigator is a gift from our Master! You better take care in using it, Inmate!" she commanded, looking at Akira.
"Devote yourself to your training so that you may become a fine thief." And Justine finished for her other Warden.
"Yes, Ma'ams." Akira replied with a smile at the two Wardens.
Igor is still not done with his explanation, "It must be disheartening to make use the Metaverse navigator alone. Should others would prove beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well. This is all for you to grow as a most excellent thief..." And that, Igor's explanation is done.
'But I'm not alone in my room literally speaking...' Akira thought, sensing in Igor's voice that he is not aware of Akira's situation.
As if on cue, the alarm of the prison suddenly rang. Serving as an alarm to go to bed in this Velvet Room, or an alarm to wake up in the real world.
"Hmph, it's time. Go back and enjoy whatever rest you might have..." Caroline said, and with it, Akira's vision was slowly darkening.
"Igor wait..." Akira suddenly spoke up, fighting the drowsiness. "Can I only use my "persona" you call it in the Metaverse? It doesn't apply in the real world?"
Interest sparked in Igor, as he unrested his chin from his hand. "Oh...? That is most interesting indeed..." Igor thought for a moment before speaking again. "Yes, in normal circumstances. Your persona is your mask from otherworldy matters, after all, it doesn't apply in the real world as you have your own mask in real life... If it does..." Igor looked at Akira's slowly dropping eyes, his smile spreading more. "Then think of it as an advantage and disadvantage... A double-edged sword if you will...I will not tell you why, as you're the only one that can know in time."
'That...doesn't really answer...my question..' Akira thought out, basking on the darkness that filled his vision.
As Akira seemingly disappeared out of thin air. Igor still sat there with the same eery smile he had on his face. Excited about what was to come. "...You are really an interesting case," he whispered to himself, as the light of the Velvet Room went out.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_TAKE YOUR TIME-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
4/12/20XX Tuesday
The morning breeze slipped through the room's closed windows as it hit Akira's face, his eyelids twitched as he woke up from his "dream".
"A weird "dream" if you can even call it that... Fate and awakening? What is this an RPG?" he muttered to himself, as he sat up from his bed. "A cup of coffee can help me wrap my head around this." he rubbed his eyes, as a yawn came out which was interrupted when he saw the state of his so-called room.
It was...was cleaner so to say. The dust on the wooden floor that was very noticeable last night, was almost spotless now. The books that were sprawled all over the wooden desk cabinet, were more arranged based on their categories. While the other equipment such as the heater, bicycle, ladder, etc. were not arranged, the dust that was surrounding them was removed as they are seemingly shining.
'How did this place even got this clean in one night?... I didn't sleepwalk and cleaned the place right?' Akira eyed his room, getting more comfortable by the minute. In his head thinking of a plan where to donate the books, and the equipment he wouldn't need. 'I can only think of one reason why this room got cleaner...'
And with that, Akira fixed his posture as he looked straight to the empty room. "You're there aren't you?" his gaze of the empty room was slowly filled as a red figure seemingly went through the floor, its form not taking a proper shape until its long legs touched the floor. Its top hat yet again bent on the ceiling from the sheer length of it. But it was not the full size of the red figure that surprised Akira. But the whole getup it was wearing.
"Oh, a humble morning to you my fellow thief. Have you rested well?" The red figure greeted him, wearing a cleaning apron, his long hands holding the end of the dusting stick, and to top it all off a bandana was tied up in his top hat.
"Yep, had a blast in my dream." Akira stretched, "It doesn't need a detective to know that you were the one who cleaned the room. Thanks, by the way, you clean much better than me." he joked, a light smile on his face as he looked at the red figure.
"No thanks are needed, I had nothing planned on my mass schedule of free time." The red figure's smile slightly deepened, as it removed his cleaning attire. "It is clear in your expression that you have questions for me. You are welcome to do so."
"You read my mind," Akira replied with a bit of playfulness in tone, as he processed the question in his head. "You're my persona right?" he asked his first question.
"Indeed I am, the mask that you acquired in that palace. It was I that answered your call of power and the power that is yours ever since."
"I am..." The red figure tipped his hat with a bow. "Arsene." And on cue, Arsene spread his black wings covering every corner of Akira's room.
"As cool as that introduction was, don't get any feathers on the room. You just cleaned it you know." Akira breathed a sigh of relief, confirming the truth. "The long nose Igor told me that you were only accessible in the Metaverse. How come you can appear here in our world, phase through walls, ceilings, and floors, and even hold and move objects?" he then resumed his questioning.
"I... do not have an answer," Arsene replied, his fingers rubbing his mask as he thought of a reason. "My only memory of appearing here was the one of last night when you were doing your "numbers" in the restroom. And that is all. I do not have an explanation as to why, and how I can perform this way."
"Your first impression of me seems to be a good one at least" Akira's fingers also rubbed his chin, as he also thought of a reason why.
"Nonetheless, it doesn't change the fact that I desire to be of assistance to you all the way. Use my abilities to its fullest extent however you see fit." Arsene spoke up, a hint of loyalty in his voice.
Akira was slightly surprised by Arsene's words, "I really don't like the idea of a winged red-suited demon being like a slave of mine. Not really my tastes." he joked, a bit of happiness in his tone.
Arsene's hearty laugh coursed through Akira's room, as his devilish grin deepened yet again. "You really are a joker, my fellow thief. You seem to be speaking a lot more since last night. A change of heart, perhaps?" This time, Arsene was the one who questioned him.
"A change of heart is really stretching it, and more like I thought I was hallucinating." And with Akira's answer, so did Sojiro's yelling.
"Hey, kid! You're gonna be late again if you don't hurry up!"
Akira looked at his phone, "Wow, that is really cutting it close. Need to get ready now."
"Seems that our conversation will continue later then," Arsene stated, now tucking his wings to give Akira space.
"Seems so." Akira stood up, walking to his hanged uniform, suddenly stopping on his tracks and then facing Arsene. "I'm Akira by the way. Akira Kurusu." only realizing that this was his first time introducing himself to Arsene.
Arsene's eyelids seemingly raised with surprise, as his grin remained intact. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, I am Arsene. Arsene Lupin." Arsene introduced himself again as he tipped his top hat towards Akira.
Akira then walked closer to Arsene and then extended his hand. "Glad to be working with you... Arsene." A grin of excitement painted Akira's face as he looked at his partner. Which was a direct copy of Arsene's devilish grin. "I say the same to you... Akira." Arsene's hand met with Akira as they shared a handshake.
"...You really should cut your nails," Akira said to his persona, as he felt the long sharpness of Arsene's nails on his arm.
"Cut nails. I'll write it in my schedule." Arsene replied, making a mental note of cutting his nails later.
Chapter 1 The Other Awakening END
AN: And that's a wrap! Thank you for the ones reading, tell me what you guys think. I really plan on continuing this series to the best of my ability. Since the Persona series is my all-time favorite game, I'll really not run out of ideas anytime soon. Criticism is most welcome since I really want to know what you think of it. A big thank you to Kisdota-TheFreak Gamer, for inspiring me to write this story. His story of Persona 4: Split Personalities was really the whole inspiration for this fanfiction of mine, and I hope you guys read his works. They are really greaattttt! Oh yeah a question, do you guys prefer my own use of dialogue or the game? This chapter was a very short one since it only serves as an introduction to the concept. Chapter 2 will probably a lot longer than this one, so stay tuned guys!