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June 17th:

I'm Minato Arisato but I was someone that went by the name Makoto Yuuki. I was someone fighting against monstrosities known as Shadows along with my comrades. We traversed through Tartarus, a tower that nests Shadows. The power we wield was Persona, a mask that braves life's hardships, the manifestation of the one's inner self. I was an empty person but thanks to the Social Links, my friends, I was able to learn the importance of bonds and gain power from it.

We accidentally triggered the end of the world due to a madman's design. I then sacrificed myself with that power and seal away Nyx. I'm supposed to be dead as a result…

The question now is how am I alive, why do I keep meeting people I knew back then, and why am I here? There are many questions that needed answers but there was no one to answer them at all.

Of course I had to doubt that I was Makoto Yuuki. For all my life I went by Minato Arisato and these memories I have as Minato Arisato had confirmations. My last relatives sent me here during middle school. I could call them to get some information. There was another possibility that the memories of Makoto Yuuki could've been fabricated. Or I've just hit my head really hard.

I bolted up which surprised the two people beside me. I took a glance around ignoring them. I was lost in my thoughts.

This is Academy City, where anything can happen. What I needed was some information and confirmation.

"U-Um, are you alright, Minato-san?"

"Touma-san…"

"Yes?"

"Who am I?"

…

"AHHH, such misfortune, look what you've done! How am I suppose to explain this to everyone in class!?" he screamed into the night, "It's your fault!"

"W-What?" said the middle schooler, "If you just faced me properly then this wouldn't have happened!"

"Like I've been saying, I won't be able to survive if you hit me with that!"

They were bickering and seemed to have forgotten me. I looked at my elbow and my knees. I had several scorches and scratches on my body. Other than that and my mashed-up memories, I'm fine.

This is no good, I need to research the Kirijou Group, Personas, and take a look at the timeline to see if I had really died. I guess after school, I'll go to the library or something, there's no need to panic. I'll have to get answers myself but first…

"Good night, Touma-san, girl I don't know."

"Are you sure your okay?" Touma asked, "I mean you got hit with lightning from biri-biri."

"Stop calling me that!"

"No, I'm fine. It's not the first time I was hit by electricity," I said dismissively.

The both of them looked at me oddly but Touma had a look of understanding while the girl probably thought I was odd for nonchalantly stating the fact that I'm used to electrocution. Her expression changed from perplexity to realization.

"Wait," said the girl, "You're that strange artist from that one time!"

"Do I know you?"

"You may not remember me, but I was in the group of girls that bumped into you in spring."

"…Sorry, I don't know anyone nicknamed biri-biri," I said with disinterest, "Well, I shall be off then, have a nice evening you two."

The girl was shocked and angry how I dismissed her with that particular name. She then shot electricity but my [Invalid Entry] should reduce it since I have anticipated that she would do so but instead of reducing it, it was nullified to my surprised.

An image of an orange-red and blue star with an eyeball in the center appeared in my mind. It was the [Persona] known as Decarabia of the Fool Arcana, except, it seemed to be upgraded a bit.

I turn around and the girl was astonished how I was able to nullify her attack. She then glared at me and in response I only tilted my head voicing out a question.

"Is there something you need?" I asked emotionlessly, "If not, I have something urgent to attend to tomorrow."

She was put-off by my calm yet apathetic mannerism. After all, I don't feel like dealing anything troublesome and I haven't really done anything wrong.

"What is your level?" she voiced out.

I sighed. I'm being interrogated by some stranger and I have no idea why she's angry with me. I suppose being honest is a start…

"Level 0…"

The girl looked like she was seeing something that was outlandish but I was only telling the truth. I guess she didn't take the truth very well…

"Don't lie! There's no way a Level 0 should be able to stop that attack!" she shouted at me, "Don't tell me you have the same ability as he does!?"

"What reason is there for to lie about?" I calmly asked, "The system's scans couldn't read my level, so I ended up as a Level 0, hence the name, [Invalid Entry]. No one actually knows what my ability is."

Technically, I do know what it is but I'm not sure if it's actually [Persona] or [Invalid Entry] that's my true power. Of course, I'm not actually going to give out anymore information that I already divulged. After all, only an idiot would reveal their abilities and I don't like gloating.

"As for Touma-san, well, his ability is different from mine but it's also a complete mystery."

[Imagine Breaker], the ability that isn't an Esper power. It is able to erase any supernatural phenomenon. Although, it seems to erase Touma-san's luck, I have to wonder. If it has the ability to erase good luck, couldn't it erase bad luck as well since bad luck is also a phenomenon, thus nullifying all luck? Or does it use good luck as compensation? Well, I don't know the nature of his power. The same could be said about my ability as well.

I looked at the direction Touma-san was going and he was running away sneakily. He looked like he was giving me an apologetic gesture and pleaded. I only sighed but the girl still gave me some skeptical look.

"How do I know you're not lying?" she asked.

"As I said before, there is no reason for me to lie. Level 0's are always looked down upon, so a lot of us would like to keep that as a secret. As for me, I don't really care for reaching Level 5 or ranking up."

She gave me a strange look like I just said that elephants are purple.

"By the way, didn't you have business with Touma-san?"

I pointed in the direction Touma-san was running in. She then looked surprised and after him.

"Ah, such misfortune!" he echoed out in the far distance.

I pray to Touma-san for an apology since I used him as an escape-goat and I would pay him back later. I was tired of talking to her and wanted her out of my hair. Hopefully, I won't meet her ever again.

June 18th:

Looking over my personal files, I'm Minato Arisato, a 1st year in [A Certain High School]. I just started a couple months ago this year, 2008. Like Makoto, I lost both my parents and moved around quite a bit. Last person I was living with was my grandfather.

According to my old memories, I, or rather Makoto Yuuki, died in the year 2010 in the end of March, the day of graduation. Port Island doesn't exist and [Academy City] was established several years ago according to the history books.

Yet, even if there is evidence that points that the memories of Makoto are false, I feel like that there are invisible threads pulling me, telling me that Makoto's life story are the truth. That the person that I once was is in fact Makoto Yuuki. It's probably silly considering that this is a city of science but I believe that there are some unexplainable things. [Imagine Breaker] for one thing, [Invalid Entry] is another example, and this [Persona] business.

After school I went to talk to Takeba-san since I didn't feel like I was getting anywhere.

"Excuse me, Takeba-san…"

"Oh, for you to initiate a conversation is quite rare. What is it?"

"…I was wondering, is your father Eiichiro Takeba?"

If I remember correctly, then Yukari's father is in fact Eiichiro Takeba. He died trying to stop the experiments caused by Mitsuru's grandfather. If he's not Yukari's dad then it'll prove my memories are false.

"…That's right, how did you know my dad's name?"

I didn't think this through! Yet, how did I know in the first place?! It makes me sound like a stalker! I needed an excuse fast. I'm thankful that my face doesn't change but I'm internally panicking. I heard from a rumor? Yukari is going to hurt me. I overheard your conversation on the phone? That's rude. Ah, where are the options in my head?

"Oh wait, did you meet him when you were getting your scans?"

"Uh, I overheard the speakers in the lab calling for him and since he had the same surname, I was curious…"

"Yeah, he occasionally helps the staff but he mainly works for the Kirijou Group that funds some experiments. I sometimes worry about him since I don't get to see him very often and my mom told me he's working hard."

"…You care about you family huh?"

"Yep, but I'm rather surprise that your more easier to talk to than I thought," she giggled.

"Can I ask you another question?"

"Go ahead."

"…Do you know anyone by the name Makoto Yuuki?"

"No, I don't," she said with no hesitation, "Is it someone from this school?"

"…No, it's alright, forget about it, sorry for asking you strange questions."

"No problem," she said, "You're an odd person, but I don't hate that about you. Later, I got to study for the next exam!"

She left looking cheerful and I was all alone in the classroom.

This world Yukari still has her family. However this raises more questions rather than confirming anything. The fact that I knew this tidbit of information was strange. How did I know Yukari's dad's name? If I hit my head and got the info wrong then I was probably hallucinating but I got it right. Does this mean the memories I received is accurate in some ways? I need to keep searching.

As I walked out of the classroom, someone ran into me. She dropped her books and began to fluster.

"I-I'm sorry!"

I silently bent down and picked up her books for her. I then handed them to her to which she accepts. Just then I realized that she was Fuuka Yamagishi, our support and my Priestess Arcana Social Link. She got up while I also got up.

"Thank you and sorry for bumping into you, Arisato-san," she bowed.

"…How did you know my name?"

"Oh, you're quite famous for sleeping in class and listening to your headphones all the time. Also your grades are in the top ten in our year…" she explained, "Oh, I'm Fuuka Yamagishi by the way. I'm sorry for bumping into you and thank you for helping me."

"It's not a problem, Fu—Yamagishi-san."

"Fuuka, what's keeping you? C'mon let's go and get some crepe!"

"Ah, hold on Natsuki!"

Natsuki Moriyama was someone that bullied Fuuka but after realizing her wrongdoing, she became friends. In this world, it seems that they're friends.

"Yamagishi-san can I ask you something quickly?"

"Yes, what can I help you with, Arisato-san?"

"Are you… enjoying your life with your friends?"

"Yes, I am," she smiled radiantly, "Is that all?"

"…Yes, sorry for holding you up."

"You're quite strange but I don't think you're a bad person. Have a nice day, Arisato-san."

She left chasing after her friend. In this world, Fuuka is getting along with Natsuki and there doesn't seem to be any bullying involved. It seems that the people that I knew were living perfectly happy lives…

I walked out of the school and head to my next destination.

I was researching in the library and borrowed a computer. The Kirijou Group funded many projects regarding technology and personality. There was nothing about Mitsuru other than a weird fan-made website, saying she is attending Nagatenjouki Academy and a Level 4 [Cryokinesis].

I checked for Akihiko-Senpai but all I got was records of boxing tournaments. I tried to search for Ken Amada, Shinjiro Aragaki, Aegis, and Koromaru even. Yet, there was no information on any of them. I typed in Makoto Yuuki but all I got was pictures of an actress. I typed in SEES but all I got was a foreign candy store.

There was nothing significant that I was looking for. All I can ask was, who am I suppose to be? Why do I know all of this history which shouldn't even exist? I sighed and continued my search.

[Persona] was the next thing on my list. The word [Persona] had many definitions. A character in a story, a role, an image of how one is perceived by the public, or/and someone's personality, were the many definitions. In psychology, it meant the inner self that is displayed externally. It is how the public sees an individual.

[Persona] was the manifestation to brave the world's hardships. It is a mask that would protect oneself from harm and wielded incredible power.

I don't have an Evoker and the Dark Hour doesn't exist here. That means I can't access any of the abilities. Now that I think of it, how does one create a [Persona]? I never really looked into its origin and just accept the explanation that it is a part of me. Seas of thy soul…

I wonder why I'm obsessing over these memories when there was a possibility of them being false. Is it because my life is empty and when I gain this information, I wanted something to do? Even if these memories may not be real, there's something that's telling me they are. The gears are turning and for whatever reason, I want to know, is Makoto Yuuki and I the same person? Or I am me and Makoto is a separate person? I suppose mauling over it won't help, so I went back into [Persona], my capabilities in it…

I looked at my hand and wondered…

"Change…"

Just then, Decarabia was replaced by a pumpkin wielding a lantern wearing a cape and a hat. The sudden change startled me for a bit but if I remember correctly, this is Pyro Jack.

Does this mean I needed a mental image in order to change a [Persona]? I chanted change a few times and appears to be the case. Parvati, Titania, Take-Mikazuchi, Hokuto Seikun, Leanan Sidhe, Kin-Ki, Angel, Lamia, Fortuna, Oni, Ubelluris, Thanatos, Xiezhai, Vetala, Cu Chuliann, Neko Shogun, Yamata-no-Orochi, Gdon, Raja Naga, Messiah, and then Orpheus. I went back to Pyro Jack. There were ones I recognized, some are new, and others changed Arcana.

I then saw Junpei walking on the streets from the window and thought that this would be the perfect time to test something out. I rushed out of the library and chased after Junpei. He then noticed me and stopped. He was probably curiously why I was after him.

"Junpei, do you have a minute?"

"Finally stop being formal huh," he smiled, "Sure what's up?"

"Follow me. I need your help with something…"

Junpei and I arrived at an empty park with a vending machine.

"Uh, I know I said I would help you, but just to be clear. You want me to shoot fire at you?"

"Yes, that's right. Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no, it's just that… why?"

"I need to confirm something. If my theory is correct, then no harm should come to me…"

"…Is there a chance you'll get hurt if your theory is wrong?"

I turn my head away…

"Say something!"

"Don't worry, trust me. After all, I'm counting on to watch my six…"

He looked at me in surprised and then grinned nervously, yet, there was determination in his eyes.

"That's not how you use that phrase," he shook his head but his hand lit ablaze, "I don't have the best control, so don't blame me if something happens!"

Flames spew forth from his hand and shot wildly in my direction. The fire was absorbed and my wounds from yesterdays all healed. There were no scorch marks or scratches on my body. I was okay…

Junpei ran up to me.

"Dude, are you okay?"

"Yeah, there was no damage to me…"

"Seriously, did you level up?!"

"I need a scan to tell me so but to my knowledge, I'm still a Level 0."

"Well, I hope you finally move out of your Level 0 status 'cause its sucks staying in one place huh?" Junpei smiled, "But we gotta keep moving forward, y'know what I'm saying?"

I only nodded and he smiled.

"But don't make me do that again. I don't wanna lose my buddy y'know."

"Understood…"

"Good. I gotta jet, I'm late meeting up with Chidori!"

Junpei ran off and I return to the dorms. It seems that this Junpei was still the same even if we were in different worlds, except he has a higher rank than me but I don't mind that. It feels somewhat comforting, even if everything around you changes, some things stay the same. I was starting to believe that those memories where real even without evidence.

I entered my dorm room and I was still confused on what to do. I empty out my pockets and heard a clank on the table. I took a look and to my astonishment, I saw a familiar velvet key…

I picked up the key and I took a look around my dorm room. There was a blue door next to my closet. I inserted the key and slowly turn it and I heard an all so nostalgic greeting…

"Welcome to the Velvet Room…"

To be continued…

Author's note: I'm still iffy about writing this but I'll try my best and give it a go. Thank you for reading.