It is time for Chapter 3 my dudes. Aka where all becomes one. I won't be able to post for the rest of the week because Midterms are gonna eat my ass through and through. But I'll be back for Winter Break. Fuck Midterms tho, because I'm probably gonna fail my Trig and Spanish midterms. Anyways enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 3

Akira woke up bright and early for the big day today. He was finally going to be back in school for once! He just hopes it'll be a normal first day to start off his life…

Sojiro feed him his signature curry, which immediately woke up Akira for the day. After breakfast, Akira hurried over to the train station headed for Shibuya. He must trek all around Shibuya just to get to the Ginza life. What a real struggle for someone from the country. Akira finally made it, and was able to get to Aoyome-Itchome, where Shujin Academy awaits. But when he made it outside, was where he wanted to kick himself. Hard.

It was pouring. And he forgot his umbrella at home. Akira decided to wait it out and hope for the best. He checked his phone, only to see that damn app still there. But before he could try to delete it again, someone walked up and stood next to him. He looked as over they took off their hood… only to see a girl with ash blonde hair and bright blue eyes. 'A foreigner?' Akira immediately thought. 'She's also wearing the Shujin jacket, so she must also go to Shujin as well.' Akira's mind was whisked away when he kept thinking about where she was from, when she suddenly turned to him. "Hey there." She said, with a nice calmness in her voice. "You don't look familiar… are you new here?" Akira just nodded his head, as he was sort of putting together where she was from. "Unlucky first day then, huh? That sucks. My name is Ann Takamaki, mind if you tell me yours?" But before Akira could reply, a car pulled up to the curb besides them. A window rolled down to show a middle-aged man in a tracksuit. He wore a smile, but to Akira, something about him seemed… off.

"Hey, Ann. You want a drop to school? You'll be late if you try to walk in this weather." Ann's face had a flash of… sadness? Why was that, Akira wondered. But her face came back to normal almost instantly. "Yea, of course. Thank you." Ann hopped into the car, and the two of them were off. Almost instantly, as soon as they took off, a young man attempted to chase down the car, before giving up shortly after stopping in front of Akira. "Damn that pervy teacher!" The young man growled. He had the Shujin jacket on, so Akira can assume he goes to Shujin, but his hair was unnaturally blonde. 'Must've dyed it that way. Can't blame him, he rocks that look really good.' Akira thought. But Upon hearing his words, Akira was thrown into confusion. "Pervy…teacher?" Unbeknownst to Akira and the boy, the strange app on Akira's phone picked up Akira's voice record of him saying 'pervy teacher'.

"…The hell you lookin' at?" The vulgar boy growled. "You plan on rattin' me out to Kamoshida?" Now Akira was confused again. "Kamoshida? Who's that?" "What!? You messin' with me? The asshole in that car just now!" Akira thought back to the car that pulled up earlier. 'So that was Kamoshida, huh? Wonder what he hates about him?' The vulgar boy spoke up again. "Still, how the hell do you not know about Kamoshida? You do go to Shujin, right?" "I mean, I guess so…" "Tch, you guess?" The boy just sighed and then he put two and two together. "Oooh, I get it now. You're a transfer student, aren't you?" Akira sighed out in relief and nodded. "Then it's no wonder you don't know about Kamoshida. Bastard thinks he some king of a goddamn castle." The vulgar boy then looked out towards the rain, which had eased up a bit. "Hey, rain's not that bad now, let's book it or else we're gonna be late!" But right before they tried to walk, both boys felt a sudden surge in their heads, giving them a minor headache. Little do they know, the app had recorded their exchange, and found its keywords…

"The hell…? Dammit, I ain't got time for this, let's go, uh… wait what even is your name?" "Akira. Akira Kurusu." "Alright then, name's Ryuji Sakamoto, pleased to meet ya. Now let's get a move on Akira." Akira and Ryuji bolted towards the school. Akira learned of a shortcut that Ryuji told him about, so they were using that. After getting past all the small corridors and crannies they made it school… or not.

In place of Shujin Academy was a large stone fortress with a drawbridge, leading into the Castle. Ryuji and Akira were really baffled, as what they were seeing was unreal to them. "Are you… for real? Didn't we take the right way?" "Maybe it's some event for the spring?" "If it was, they'd tell us beforehand." Ryuji sighed in defeat. "Might as well just go inside and ask what the hell happened." And the duo entered the Castle…

They walked inside… only to see that the entirety of the school looked like the insides of a castle. "What the hell is going on!?" "You sure this is Shujin Ryuji?" "Of course it is! I saw the damn sign outside too!" Suddenly a guard approached the two teens, brandishing a shield and sword. "GAAHH! Geez! You really freaked me out there for a second…" After Ryuji caught his breath, grew curious. "So what, you a student? Nice outfit by the way…" The guard simply stared down Ryuji. "What the eff man, say something!" Another guard entered the scene, brandishing his own weapons. "H-hey man… this ain't funny!" "Maybe it's some sort of elaborate prank?" "Maybe you can shut the hell up Akira! They're gonna kill us!" So Ryuji said the only reasonable thing while he was in panic mode. "RUN!"

Their attempt to make a break for it was short lived, as two more guards immediately came and clocked both teen unconscious. Last thing Akira could remember was being taken away by some guards… Some time later, a very familiar voice was able to wake Akira up from his K.O'd state. Ryuji finally got the boy to wake up, which he was relieved about. 'Alright! Lucky bastard ain't dead!' He thought to himself. Now they had to focus on more pressing matters now that they were up. "Hey, so how the hell are we supposed to get out of here?" Akira thought for a bit. "Try to find a lose brink and escape from there?" "Alright, I'll try. Probably won't work though…" Before their 'plan' could be set into motion, A scream tore them from their thoughts. This sent Akira and Ryuji into a panic mode. "Oooh… shitshitshitshitshitshitshit!" The two teens were scared shitless.

Suddenly, a guard came in and smashed his shield against the cell bars. Alright inmates, be glad!" The guard's voice boomed. 'Inmates…' thought Akira. 'Why does that sound so familiar? Was I in a cell like this before…?' The guard's voice brought him back to reality. "You will be let off… WITH THE PUNISHMENT OF DEATH!" The two boys were silent for a good 2 seconds… "WHAT THE EFF MAN?! YOU'RE SERIOUSLY GONNA KILL US?!" Ryuji could only scream at the guard in front of him. "Why, yes Ryuji… I am going to kill you. You did try to trespass on my castle, after all." A cruel, distorted voice said. The owner of that voice stepped forward to meet the boys in the eyes, and they were disgusted. A man wearing nothing but a King's cape, crown, and pink underwear was standing in front of them. The man's facial features made him none other than Kamoshida, yet he was different. His eyes were a bright yellow, and his expression was sinister. "The hell are you wearing, you pervy asshole?!" Ryuji hissed at him. There were clear sides of resentment to this man, Akira had reasoned. "Oho? So you think you can just whatever you damn well please in my castle then? Alright then… Ryuji Sakamoto, I sentence you to death!" Ryuji face went pale as guards pooled into the room to execute him.

The guards pinned him to a wall as Kamoshida swaggered in. He took a good look at Ryuji and spat on his knuckles. "What… the hell… you doing…?" Ryuji soon learned what was happening as Kamoshida started to clobber him in the face. Akira was getting pissed at the scene unfolding before him. "Stop it!" Kamoshida simply turned and taunted Akira. The guards pinned Akira to the wall and forced him to watch Ryuji's execution. Akira thought all hope was lost then and there. 'After Ryuji dies… I'll die too… Man, what a shitty first day, huh?'

Suddenly, time slowed to a crawl. A voice rang out in Akira's head. "This is truly an unjust game… your chances of winning almost to none." A blue butterfly with the words 'PHIL' engraved on its wings started to flutter past Akira. "However, if my voice is reaching, there might be a possibility open to you…" Time had begun to move again. But another voice decided to ring out in Akira's head. It sounded malevolent, but at the same time, it didn't… It was strange. 'What's the matter? Are you going to simply sit back and watch? Are you forsaking him to save yourself? Death awaits him if you don't do nothing. Was your previous decision… WAS IT A MISTAKE THEN?!' Akira's mind went back to his incident, and his resolve became clear. "No… What I did… was no mistake…!" The voice gave a huff of approval and continued. 'Very well, I have heeded your resolve.' Akira suddenly felt pain surge throughout his entire body, causing him to sweat profusely and scream uncontrollably. 'Vow to me. I am thou, thou art I… thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Call upon my name… AND RELEASE THY RAGE! SHOW THE STRENGTH OF THY WILL TO ASCERTAIN ALL ON THINE OWN, THOUGH THOU BE CHAINED TO HELL ITSELF!'

"EXECUTE HIM!" Yelled Kamoshida, but before the guards could do much, Akira yelled in great rebellion. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" Kamoshida looked back to Akira in utter disbelief. He regained composure and glared at him. "You desire to be killed that much? Fine!" The guards pinned Akira to the wall and prepared to slice his skull in half… but a sudden burst of energy blew everyone in the cell back. The energy converged to form a mask on Akira's face. "This mask, I don't need this mask on me anymore!" And Akira painfully tore off the mask from his face, causing blood to pool from the area where it once was. But, the boy was smiling, and his eyes turned to yellow. Blue flames erupted from his body, engulfing the boy. When they dissipated from his body, Akira's appearance was completely different. His attire was a long, black coat, black clothing, red gloves, and a white and black mask, although it hung at his side for now. The big difference was the being behind him. It was a red demon whose body seemed to resemble a red tuxedo. Its hat had tentacles at the sides. And it wore a malicious grin. Its name… Was Arsene!

It peered into the souls of everyone present, causing Ryuji to just sputter in fear. It then crushed two guards into pieces, as if they were just pumice dust. Kamoshida was not having any of its shit, however.

"What the hell are you waiting for?! ATTACK HIM!" Arsene looked at the last remaining guard, who ripped off his face to reveal A Pyro Jack and a Pixie. Arsene merely laughed at its enemies and readied itself for battle. "I kick ass for the LORD!" Was what Arsene cried before going into battle. Akira was too caught up in the moment to laugh, but Ryuji had to stifle a laugh from coming out.

The demons were surprisingly scared of this threat, however. "Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh FUCK! He's a servant of YHVH then isn't he, ho?!" Pyro Jack cried. "Calm down idiot. There's no way he serves YHVH, look at how he's dressed for Christ's sake! Does that look 'Holy' to you in any way?" Pixie reasoned. "Y-yeah, you're right, ho! Let's kick his hee-ho!" Arsene looked at the demons before him coldly before turning back to Akira. "Looks like my ruse didn't quite work out… Ah well, we'll just have to kill them then." Akira nodded as he prepared for battle. He wondered what were Arsene's powers so he can use them against his opponents. His mind cleared and he pictured what seemed to be a skill sheet that only showed one move: Flux. Without any other options, Akira just casted the spell. "Now Arsene! Attack the Pixie with Flux!"

Arsene followed his user's call, creating an orb of purplish matter. It then threw it straight at the Pixie. It was engulfed by the purplish matter and disintegrated immediately. Pyro Jack saw the power of the orb and grew extremely afraid. "SHIT SHIT SHIT!" Was all the poor thing could mutter. It cried out spell in desperation. "AGI!" Flames erupted from the lantern it held and they went straight towards Akira. "Like I'd allow that!" Arsene swooped in front of Akira, protecting him from the flames. Akira took some damage due to the fact he and Arsene are linked, body and mind. "My apologies master. It seems we took some damage…" "It's fine Arsene, you were just doing your job. Now the, let's finish this runt off!" "Do it with style, master. Swing your blade at him!" "My blade?" Akira had then noticed that at his side was a black dagger. "Oh, you mean this thing? Alright, I'm game." Akira surged forward towards the Pyro Jack and slashed it across its stomach. It was barely hanging on for life, but the Pixie wasn't here to save it this time. Now then, let's clean up." Akira walked up to the Pyro Jack and stomped its head into pieces, causing it to disintegrate to black smoke.

Ryuji watched the whole thing, and seeing Arsene in action made him scared out of his mind. "H-hey man… WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" was what Ryuji screamed, mainly in fear. "THAT'S WHAT I SHOULD BE ASKING HIM!" Kamoshida came back and glared into Akira's eyes. Ryuji saw Kamoshida rear back for a punch so he charged at the pervert and pummeled him to the ground. "You like that ya son of a bitch?!" Akira acted quickly due to Ryuji's actions. "Ryuji, the keys! Lock him up!" "Oh yea, gotcha!" He gave Kamoshida one last good, hard, kick to the face and ran out the cell with Akira, locking it back. Kamoshida was unconscious, and the duo was safely outside the cell. "But seriously though, that was crazy! That thing that came to you, those demons… hell, even your clothes! …Which are back to normal by the way. Akira didn't even notice his clothes went back to normal after the fight. "God, that was effin' nuts. C'mon, let's get out of this place!"

Akira and Ryuji found a broken bridge that led to an open gate after they ran from Kamoshida. "I think we can jump across this bridge… the gap doesn't look too bad." Akira noted. "Ya think so? Well, if you're fine with it, I'm down with it too. Lead the way." Ryuji didn't really trust himself leading the way in this maze, plus Akira could fight while he couldn't, so that was a huge plus. So the duo ran past multiple cells, and crawled through a tunnel until they found themselves stuck in another dungeon maze. Ryuji was about to voice his concerns when Akira shut him up. "Shh! I hear something coming!" Akira spotted some giant crates in a corner. "Come over here, hide and don't make a noise, ok?" "Yea I got ya man." Ryuji whispered, still very afraid of the place. Some guards rushed in and then turned the corner. Once they were gone Akira and Ryuji made a break for the spiral staircase. "Hopefully this leads to an exit…" Ryuji panted. This whole experience was super taxing for him.

The exited the staircase, only to be met with another dungeon hall. "What the hell is up with this place?" They ran past some cells, which had people inside of them. All of them looked beaten up and worn out. They reached and dead end and there was no luck. "Dammit, there's just no end to this place…" Hissed Akira. He was slowly getting agitated too. Then, a voice rang out that made both teens jump. "Hey, you two! Blondie, Frizzy hair! Look over here!" The two of them turned towards the cell they were next to and saw two inhabitants. One was a weird creature, which was trying to paw at them for their attention, and the other was a woman with long, royal blue hair with a defeated expression. That expression turned into one of relief when she saw the two teens. The creature spoke first. "Hey, you're not soldiers of the castle, get us out of here!" Ryuji then looked down at it and had to do a double-take. "Are you for real?! A talking cat?!" "I'm not a damn cat! Look, me and my partner here were locked up here yesterday. You free us and we'll show you the way out, ok?" Ryuji looked like he was about to interject, and Morgana looked like he was gonna tear off Ryuji's face. But their partners stepped in to defuse the situation. "Knock it off, will you?" Lucina and Akira said in unison.

They meet each other's eyes for a second. Akira noticed the symbol in her eye. It reminded him of the girl he saw in the Velvet Room the other night. He'd ask her about it later. "Morgana, let's help them out." "Ryuji, we should help them out." Both Morgana and Ryuji stopped their bickering and looked at their partners with a defeated sigh. "But hey, Lucina. How are we going to get out? They threw away the keys, didn't they?" Ryuji then remembered something when Morgana said that. "Oh yea, I still have these things from when we beat up Kamoshida!" He pulled out a key ring. He was debating whether he should tease them for Morgana's rudeness, but the guards that were slowly advancing on them made him quickly unlock the door. Lucina and Morgana both ran out the door and started dashing. "Follow me if you want to escape this place!" called Morgana, which made Ryuji and Akira run after him and Lucina.

They reached a drawbridge, which had to be opened by pulling down the jaw of a Kamoshida statue. "How the hell were we supposed to figure that out?!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Shut up and keep moving! Or else do you want the guards to catch you?" Was all Morgana said. Ryuji just growled as he chased after the group again. They started to make another break until a Guard found them and declared battle. "SHIT IT'S THEM!" Ryuji yelled. "Calm down, we'll take them down. Akira, you can fight, can't you?" Morgana looked over to Akira, who already transformed and brought out Arsene. "Well then, looks like I'm not going to be held back then. Lucina! Make sure Ryuji doesn't get hurt! Akira and I will fight!" Lucina nodded as she went into a protective stance by Ryuji. "Time for action, ZORRO!" Zorro unleashed himself in all his glory, ready to cut down its enemies. It looked over to Arsene, whom it had a brief exchange with before going back to battle mode. "Hmph, nice sword you got there." "Heh, you look quite eager yourself, y'know?"

The soldier erupted in a red fountain, revealing a Pyro Jack and an Incubus. They looked especially eager for battle. Akira readied a Flux attack and smashed it against the Incubus, who merely shrugged it off. "I knew you were an amateur, THIS is how you really gain an advantage." Morgana casted Wind on the Pyro Jack, bringing it down to its knees. "Always aim for an enemy's weakness, you'll gain advantage better that way. Remember this well." He then casted another wind attack at the incubus, who was also knocked down. "Now, follow up for me, strike them while they're down!" Akira smiled as he lunged with his blade, and cut down both enemies easily. "Nice work Morgana. I couldn't have done it without you." "Of course you couldn't!" The cat-thing smirked to itself, feeling happy about the compliment. He shifted gears back to regular mode and looked back at the others. "Alright, no time for slacking off, we gotta get out of here."

The gang left the area and that's when Morgana spoke again. "Nice job on handling your Persona by the way." "Per…sona?" Ryuji uttered in confusion. "Yes, the thing that comes out of his body to fight with him is called a Persona." "Also, what happened to your clothes?" Lucina asked, looking at Akira curiously. "They were different during the battle." "Hmm… It must be because you don't have much control over it. It'll stay on him eventually." Lucina looked at their clothes again and still found them odd. "Your clothes, they look so…strange. Is this how you normally dress? N-not to be rude or anything!" Ryuji just stared at her blankly while Akira was confused by her mannerisms. "How are our clothes strange? If anything, your own seem to be the stranger one here…" Akira simply said. Lucina looked down at her own clothes and realized they must've looked strange to the other teens before her. Morgana realized they weren't going to go anywhere with all this confusion, so he tried to clear things up. "So, long story short, Lucina isn't from the same world as you guys are from. She's from another world it seems." This led to even more confusion, and Ryuji was getting too confused for it.

He pulled out his phone to check for signal again, only for Lucina to look at him strangely again. "What's up? Got something on my face?" "Why are you carrying around a piece of metal with you? What's the point?" It was then Ryuji and Akira sorta understood what time period she's from. Her mannerisms, her clothes, and her weapon. She was from the Medieval Ages. They were in silence for a bit trying to process the information they just learned about their comrade. "Dammit guys, we don't got time, let's go!" Shouted Morgana, ripping them from their thoughts. They'll continue this conversation later.

They reached a drawbridge, but a boy in a tracksuit stood out to Ryuji. "Hey, what about this guy? Can't we save him?" "Ryuji, we have no time to waste. Get a move on!" was what Morgana said. "Dammit cat! I can't let these people suffer in these cells! We gotta save them!" "I'm not a cat dammit! These people aren't even worth our time, they're just-" Morgana was cut off, as a guard had found them. "Got you now, thieves!" "Damn, we should've went when we had the chance." "No point in crying over it right now, let's fight it and get past it." Akira said, brandishing his knife. "Alright, I'll follow your lead then." Morgana already took out his saber, ready for a fight. The guard became two pixies, but the fight itself was over quickly. The pixies fell to Arsene's and Zorro's quick strikes. "What an inconvenience…" sighed Lucina. "Let's continue on, shall we?" Lucina crossed the bridge, with Akira and Morgana trailing behind. Ryuji took one last good look at the boy in the cell. He had blue hair, although it was darker than Lucina's. He had a pathetic look on his face. Ryuji shook his head and ran towards the group.

After running through the Great Hall, the group reached a corridor. "We're here!" Exclaimed Morgana. Ryuji lit up immediately. "For real?! Hell yea! Akira, we can go home now!" Akira was excited as well. Lucina opened a door leading to a room with some lockers and a large vent with a breezeway. "What the… how the hell we supposed to get out?!" Ryuji was getting impatient. "Through the vent up there, Ryuji. It's common sense." Lucina pointed out. Ryuji looked over and understood what to do. He climbed the lockers and bust open the vent… and fell off the lockers. "Oww… crap… You think they heard that?" Morgana shook his head and Ryuji let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god… And thank you both, Lucina and Morgana! Let's head back Akira!" And so they took off into the vents and left the deranged castle. Lucina looked up after them. "Y'know, you should go to. Who knows, maybe you'll get back home that way too." Morgana said to her. Lucina looked at Morgana with amazement, and shook her head to clear her mind. "Alright then Morgana, thank you. We may see each other soon, but I wish to be home." And with that being said, she leapt through the vent and was gone as well. "Hmm… Those three seem interesting… Especially Lucina and Akira. I can sense their potential."

"Phew… did we make it?" Ryuji panted, once they got out. Akira's phone confirmed it. You have returned to the real world. Welcome back! "Returned? So that means we must've made it through." Akira said. "Indeed we have, or should I say you have." A familiar voice spoke to them. Both teen turned around to see none other than Lucina, still clad in her Medieval outfit. "I went through the portal expecting to get home, but it seems I was transported to your world instead." She looked around, and it was then that she was really spooked. "Why are there giant metal buildings everywhere? What is everyone wearing? Are those images being played on the buildings?" Lucina was getting shocked by everything new around her. "Crap, this is bad! We can't have her freaking out in the middle of street. What the hell do we do?!" Ryuji was also freaking out now. "Guys," Akira tried to say, but both of his companions were freaking out. "GUYS!" He yelled sternly to get them in line. They instantly shut up and looked at him. "Look Lucina, this is pretty hard for you, isn't it? Being in a world you don't understand." Lucina simply nodded. "Ryuji, we gotta do something to help her, alright?"

"Yea, I got ya man…" But now Ryuji's mind was somewhere else. "What the hell was that just now though? With the Castle, Kamoshida, and that crazy cat-thing!" He yelled. Before Lucina and Akira could interject, a police officer come up to the group. "What's with all the yelling? Hey…Aren't you Shujin kids? The hell you doing out of school?" The three teens looked over at the cops who approached them. Ryuji was the first to speak up. "We were trying to go to school, but we ended up getting trapped in some sort of castle!" Akira and Lucina mentally face-palmed themselves. 'Too honest, Ryuji.' They both thought. The officer didn't seem amused. "Hand over your bags. You better not be high or something…" "Why the hell would you think that?!" "Because your story sounds like something a stoner would say. Look, are you his friend?" Akira nodded to the question. "Then just take him to school. Make sure he doesn't get into any trouble, alright?" "Got it. Let's go Ryuji." "H-hey man! What're we gonna do about Lucina?" 'Crap!' He thought. 'She's still having trouble trying to understand our world.' The cops did the questioning for them though. "And you miss. You aren't cutting school to go to some convention, are you?" "I, uh, er…" Lucina was getting flustered. "Could you repeat yourself?" The cops instantly understood the situation. "Ah, a foreigner. Alright then, be careful then miss. Sorry for the inconvenience." The cops were off. "What just happened…?" Lucina was left really confused. The cops spoke some sort of foreign language she didn't know, but Akira and Ryuji spoke perfect English. "Hey Lucina," Akira cut off her train of thought. "You're not going to be fine here, are you?" She shook her head feebly. Ryuji sighed in defeat, but Akira had other plans. "Look, wait for me after school, alright? I'll meet you on my school's rooftop to discuss the situation." "I-I guess…" Ryuji suddenly got a bewildered look on his face. "How the hell we supposed to smuggle her into school?! She looks out of place as is." Akira thought for a bit. "Give her your Jacket. She'll just look like a regular Shujin student if we take off some stuff and put on the Jacket." Ryuji kicked himself for not thinking about that idea sooner. They went through the shortcut and right before they headed in, they took off Lucina's armor until she was just wearing her regular clothes she wore underneath the armor. "Man, this crap sure is heavy. Good thing we found someone's old School bag through here." They stuffed the armor in there and gave her Ryuji's jacket. "It's a bit big, but it'll manage. Let's go in now."

The trio entered the School's front gate… only to see it was completely normal. "What the hell is going on?" Ryuji growled. "That's what I should be asking you Sakamoto." A man in a suit said as he walked down the stairs. "Where the hell where you all this time?" "A uh, a-a castle." 'Well, he's not wrong…' Thought Akira. "Tch, not telling the truth then eh? God your so irritating…"

"Sakamoto, you're not treating adults with respect again?" A eerily familiar voice said. "I'm disappointed." The voice belonged to none other than Kamoshida. "K-kamoshida?!" exclaimed Ryuji. One thing he noticed was that the man was fully clothed. Two, his eyes weren't yellow. "Hm? You look like you've seen a ghost." "Tch…" Kamoshida sighed at Ryuji's behavior. "Just excuse his attitude for today, alright?" Kamoshida told the counselor. The man simply sighed and went back to Ryuji. "Your behavior may be excused, but your lateness isn't come with me young man!" And Ryuji was carried off to the counselor's office. Kamoshida then looked back at the other two students before him. "…Have we met somewhere before?" "This morning." Akira said curtly. "Yea… I remember now… You're both transfer students, yea?" Akira nodded, which made Lucina nod too, mainly out of confusion. "Listen up. I'll let you off with a warning today since it's your first day, but if you slip up, you'll be expelled got that? This applies for both of you." Lucina and Akira both nodded their heads in agreement. "Good. Now head over to Miss Kawakami. She's tired of waiting for you two y'know?" And Kamoshida left.

On the way to Kawakami's office, Akira was confused. "Hey, don't you think it's strange that they were expecting you too?" Lucina thought about it for a bit. "It does seem a bit odd… but it does seem lucky for us." "Still…" Akira couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. They reached Kawakami's office, only to see a very upset Kawakami. "Do you understand how long I've been waiting?" Kawakami's patience was running thin. "Unbelievable… Where the hell did you disappear for half of the day?!" "I got… lost." Was all Akira could mumble out. Kawakami let out a sigh, calming down. "Look, I understand. I got lost trying to travel around Tokyo too when I was a kid. This is your first time in Tokyo, correct?" Akira did a small nod. "Fine… I'll let you off with a warning. But jeez, half a day late? That's gotta be fishy…"

Kawakami then looked over to Lucina. "And you must be the new foreign exchange student coming into my class. My name is Sadayo Kawakami, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for this school year." Kawakami let out her hand for Lucina to shake, who shook it firmly. "As for your uniform… well, this is fine for today, since you wouldn't really know much about out policies, but from now on, you'll need a proper uniform, ok?" Lucina blushed a bit out of embarrassment, which caused Kawakami's face to light up a bit. "Now then, let's introduce you to your class. Kurusu-kun, we'll just say you got a cold and had to arrive late. The class will understand your situation, uhh… crap. I didn't even get your name during our exchange. This is what happens when I'm too busy…" Lucina just gave her a small smile before introducing herself. "My name is… Lucina Lowell." Kawakami wasn't too surprised by her language. The manuscript she got just told her the area where the two students were coming from, Nagasaki and Wales. So it was safe to assume Lucina was from Wales, unless something weird pops up. Still, she needed a good translator for this new student. She then noticed how she and Akira were talking with one another perfectly fine. 'Well, that was easy…'

Kawakami guided the duo to their new classroom. "By the way," She started. "When you're introducing yourself, do NOT say anything unnecessary, ok?" Akira simply nodded as he and Lucina entered the class. "Alright now, settle down!" Kawakami called out to the class. "We have two new students here today. One is an exchange student who just traveled here from Wales, so that's why she's late. The other had a cold for the first half of the day, so he was at home resting. Well then, introduce yourselves."

"My name is Akira Kurusu, nice to meet you." Akira did a small smile, but that caused the class to erupt in gossip. "He seems quiet, but I bet when he gets pissed…" "Don't look him straight in the eye or he might slug ya, y'know?" More students joined in the gossip until Kawakami hushed them. "Now, onto out next student. Introduce yourself, please. Also, she can only speak English, so Akira will be translating for us." The class was now really focused on the pair. An Englishwoman came to their school, AND the kid with the criminal record can understand English perfectly fine.

"My name is Lucina Lowell, pleasure to make your acquaintance." The class was confused after her introduction, except for one. Ann Takamaki, the girl from before, knew exactly what she was saying.

Once Akira translated, even more gossiping erupted, though they weren't bad like the ones for Akira. "Whoa, so that's a British person, huh? You don't get to see them every day…" "She looks kinda different from your average British person, but maybe that's her natural hair color?" More gossiping occurred until Kawakami once again had to quiet them down. She was really tired of her class' behavior today. "Alright you two, there are two empty seats in the back, behind Takamaki-san. Seat yourselves over there. As for the rest of you, kindly share your textbooks with them for the day. They'll have their own stuff tomorrow." Some students groaned as the duo took their seats. Lucina sat at the back, and Akira sat in front of her.

Ann glared at Akira when he passed by her. "Liar…" she hissed. Akira remembered her face from that morning and tried to say hi, but she simply ignored him. This roused up the class even more until Kawakami had to step in again. Classes ended like normal, and as Lucina and Akira stepped out, they had a migraine. The School's halls shifted from Castle to School rapidly, making them both clutch their heads for a bit, before eventually calming down. The visions had stopped, for now at least. Ryuji spotted them and waved over to them. "Yo, how's it hanging?" "Nothing much Ryuji, how about you?" Akira said, pleased to see him again. "Heh, same old, same old I guess. Anyways, follow me. We're heading for the rooftop." Lucina was troubled by this. "Why are we going there?" "We need a private place to talk about that place… and about you, Luce."

The trio went up to the rooftop, where they instantly started talking about their current situation. "You know, I'm surprised you guys stuck around with me. Teachers are always saying crap like 'Don't get involved with Sakamoto,' and shit. Heard you got a criminal record too Akira. That must effin' suck, huh?" Akira looked down and nodded, although he wasn't sad about it. He was upset about his situation. Ryuji took notice of this and started up again. "Looks like we're in the same boat then… 'two troublemakers up to no good,' is how the damn school labels us." Ryuji then grew serious. "Now then, what the hell was that all about back there? How we almost got killed in that castle?" "I really don't know… that strange app on my phone just sent us there." Akira said. "Huh… maybe it can get us back to castle again… I wanna explore it again." Now they shifted gears to Lucina.

"Say Luce," Ryuji started. "Where exactly are you from?" Lucina thought about it for a bit. "I am Lucina Lowell, as you know. But my true title is Princess Lucina of Ylisse." Ryuji and Akira had very confused looks on their faces. "Ylisse…? Where's that?" Ryuji asked. "That doesn't even sound like a town in Britain…" Akira said. "Well, Ylisse is a kingdom on a different continent in my world… You wouldn't know it here." Akira and Ryuji took in her words and processed it. Then, Akira had another question. "What's with your eye? It has some strange symbol in it." Lucina passed her hand over her right eye, recalling the Brand of the Exalt. After giving its explanation, the boys were getting an understanding on who Lucina truly was. "I see… Y'know, it's pretty late. Let's go home for now." Ryuji said as he got up and grabbed his bag. "Oh yea, two things. One, my jacket." Lucina realized she still had Ryuji's jacket from earlier and took it off. "Good thing we just needed on article of Shujin Uniform to be in dress code… Now, the next thing. I'll need your phone number Akira, just in case anything pops up." Akira complied, exchanging numbers with Ryuji. "Alright then, see ya!"

Lucina and Akira headed towards the subway. Akira had to try his best to keep Lucina's amazement of every little thing trivial. You can't have a random girl just gasping at the mere sight of a Train map or a subway, now can you? Before they boarded, the attendant gave Akira and Lucina special passes. She explained that they allowed free travel from Yogen-Jaya to Aoyome-Itchome. Akira also had no choice but to take her home with him. He knew for a fact that Lucina couldn't survive on the streets on Tokyo, even if she was a warrior from another world. They made it to Leblanc in one piece, where he told her that she can roam around freely in the backstreets, just not anywhere too far. She complied and started to wander elsewhere, taking notice to a small shop ran by an elderly couple.

Akira walked into Leblanc, only to face a very angry Sojiro. "I got a very interesting call from your school today. It's already your first day and you're showing up hours late?" "I'm sorry…" was all Akira could say. It felt bad being lectured by Sojiro. Sojiro just sighed and looked back at Akira. "Look, just be careful alright? You're on probation remember? Just one slip-up and your life's forfeit, got it?" "Yea, I got it…" "Good. Now get some rest." Just as he said that, his phone went off. "Hey," Sojiro's face lit up as he heard the voice on the other end. He ended up talking to the person on the other end for a bit before heading out and locking back the shop. On his way home, he noticed a girl he's never seen before, but she seemed to be getting along with the old couple down the road well.

When Akira went inside of the café, Lucina took off to the backstreets. She saw many new things here and there, but the backstreets just seemed like an upgraded version of a regular town's street. Suddenly, a small shop caught her eye. It had all sorts of odds and ends selling. The old couple managing it invited her in, and were instantly surprised on how elated Lucina became with what they thought was trash. "These little trinkets are so quaint, I simply adore them!" The old man laughed while his wife looked at Lucina in concern. With all the troubles Lucina had went through, her clothes were ragged. Her face had signs of tiredness written all over. And to top it off, she was getting hungry. "Dearie…" The old woman said, and surprisingly, in perfect English. "Are you perhaps… homeless…?" Lucina stopped dead in her tracts and looked at the woman. She remembered the fate of her time, and how Grima ravaged everything she loved. How the evil dragon razed down her childhood innocence with a single breath. Everything she once had, now up in flames. Remembering these memories brought tears to Lucina's eyes. "…Yes… you can say… I have no place to call my own… anymore…" The old woman became sympathetic with Lucina. She stepped out of the shop at met with Lucina. "My dear, can I have your name?" "Lucina…" she whispered. "Well then Lucina," The old woman beamed at her. "Starting from today, we'll be your family." She embraced Lucina, who immediately broke down crying. The old man smiled as he watched the scene before him. 'That's the woman I married all those years ago…' he thought.

After the touching moment, Lucina followed the couple to their house, which was right by their store. "This is your new home now, Lucina. We'll get you everything you need, dear." Lucina nodded and walked with them into a square room. It had a barely used bed, a dusty desk, and a vanity. A walk-in closet was by the west wall, and a window to the back of the room, giving a view of the Yogen-Jaya streets. "Our daughter used to use this room before she moved out. This will be your new room. The shower is down the hall, and the kitchen is right around the corner." Lucina nodded as she looked inside the closet. There were a lot of nice looking clothes in there. "She left her old school clothes here for us to sell. But no matter what, we just couldn't part with them. They felt too loved to be sold. At least they won't be collecting any more dust." The old woman looked at her bag and smiled again. "We still have her old Shujin jacket, if you need it." Lucina instantly said yes to the offer, and the old man left. He came back with a nice, black jacket that fitted Lucina's figure. "We'll get you some new clothes Sunday, but for now, have a bath and get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow." "Yes, thank you so much. If there's any way I can repay you…" Lucina was cut off by the old woman pressing her finger against her lips. "Shh… I don't expect anything in return. I took you in out of kindness. That's what a loving mother should do, Lucina." Lucina gazed at the old woman in amazement, and continued to thank her. The elderly couple simply laughed and said their goodnights to Lucina. Their names were Sigurd and Dierdre Chalphy.

Soon, Akira and Lucina both fell asleep. And like before, they both woke up in a cell. The first thing they noticed were each other. "So, I was right… We did meet before…" Akira said to her. "It seems you were. You seemed familiar to me as well…" she responded. But before they could delve deeper, a baton slammed against the cell. "Listen up inmates! Our master has decided to speak with you!" Caroline barked. "It seems you've gotten our master's attention again, inmate." Justine said calmly. The inmates then stood up and faced Igor. "Welcome back, my friends. I see at least one of you have awakened to your special powers." He looked towards Akira. "Good, even if it's just one of you, your rehabilitation can begin…" Akira and Lucina both looked confused. "Rehabilitation?" "My powers…?" Igor simply chuckled. "There's no need to understand it all for the time being, as you'll learn soon enough… You will be training in the power of Persona, which you have awakened to, Akira." He continued before Akira could interject. "Personas are the physical manifestation of your inner self. They are the 'true you'. I have high expectation for the both of you."

Igor then seemed to remember something. "By the by, have you used the Metaverse Navigator? It allows travel between reality, and Palaces…" Akira and Lucina were once again confused. "Palaces…?" "Metaverse…Navigator?" Igor looked over to the Twin Wardens. "Explain it to them girls." Caroline was first. "The Metaverse Navigator was a gift from our Master. Use it well inmate!" Justine followed up. "Palaces are the forms of a human's twisted desires. Stealing their treasures will crush those desires." Lucina and Akira were still confused, but as the alarm sounded, they had no time left. "Time's up! Go back and enjoy your rest, inmates!" And so, the two inmates were sent back to their dreams, sleeping through the night.

WHOO! FUCKING DONE! That took longer than I expected it to, but I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Also, about Lucina's age, I decided to make her 16 years old. She's older than Akira by 3 months and 5 days. So that means the two of them will turn 17 soon. Lucina will turn it on the 20th, and Akira will be 17 on 7/25. Also ptl thank you so much for the ideas! I was just going to have them share Confidants, but your ideas work so much better, so thank you! Lucina and Akira will share Morgana as a Confidant, but the rest of the Phantom thieves are split. Akira has Ryuji, Makoto, and Futaba, while Lucina has Ann, Yusuke, and Haru. By the way, who liked that Genealogy Easter Egg? The Sigurd and Dierdre here ARE NOT the same as the one from Lucina's world. Sigurd is half Japanese, half British, while Dierdre is an American. That's why they're able to understand Lucina. I'll delve into their backstory more, and make them Lucina's Judgement and Justice Confidants. As I said before, I won't be active until maybe Saturday because exams, so until then, see ya!