Persona Festivities Intro
Author's notes: Hello guys. This is essentially a small snippet into one of the works that I've made in my spare time, as a guy who has streaks of possibilities opening up every so often, ideas like this come up to mind when I see potentially good works of games, animation or so forth. This is just a chapter one-shot about possibility, there's no guarantee it will come true and also I miss one-shots like this as it gives ideas to others to let them try their hand at it or put forth suggestions of trying some other perspective of it.
For those who are wondering from my works I do appreciate some canon and some could say I walk the canon ground while others are well-versed in shipping fics and other possibilities that are far away from the canon as possible. I have to admit that it is true, I am rigid in some ways which challenges me to write flexibly compared to just sticking with the canon all the time as some people may know it by watching or playing the same events over and over, so as a writer about existing works the question of creativity and exploration come to challenge you. What can you change? What if this was possible? That's why I enjoy writing some of these one-shots as they act as some kind of inspiration tool that I can turn to or use for you readers to think maybe it could work into a full-fledged fiction story spanning tens of chapters.
Well I won't keep you from some of the thoughts I share on these one-shots, enjoy the one-shot intro to a potential universe called Persona Festivities.
I do not own the Persona Series or the Shin Megami Tensei series, they belong to their rightful owners of Atlus and stuff, may Persona 5 be great. I also recommend Naoto be mentioned or being a minor or perhaps a side antagonist to the criminal protagonists, I mean a phantom thief would attract enough attention for the great detective ace Naoto right?
Come on guys you gotta admit that would be a good nod to Persona 4 right there.
2009 first day of February, ?
But when you close your eyes
Does it always feel like, nothing's changed at all?
The beat of the music, rhythmic and pounding was all that the owner of the vermillion-white headphones could hear in his ears as the chorus rang with chants and drums thumping loudly like an undercurrent to the singer's voice accentuating a feeling of power resonating within. Eyes that were once closed began to open up slowly as a pair of equally red orbs flittered to life, the rustling of clothing which was slightly loose while muddy blonde strands of hair swept over an eye before a hand shoved the fringe away the red-eyed person finding himself awakening to a degree of noise from the surroundings as he shifted his body which was planted firmly on the back of a slippery smooth wall, the slide of his body being unbalanced caught his instincts and tried his best to keep attached.
"…" The boy with headphones lurched forward when a sudden jerk of force from the wheel bumping his head into the back of a businessman, the man in the suit giving no heed as his leg too had shifted to accommodate for the sudden change in physics however a forest of legs prevented his slide from doing much to soften the impact grunting as he did so. The boy meanwhile kept silent and slithered back against the wall trying to avoid any eye contact with anyone in the vehicle, the sound of the wheels clanking against the railroad track being the comforting source.
"May I have your attention please?" The boy shifted his eyes upwards as a mechanical voice slightly feminine in tone announced itself over the PA system, a frown etched on his face while he tapped his foot softly to the bridge which had softened from the loud chorus. "Attention, the train will now be stopping soon at…"
Another stop closer, the thought that sprang to the forefront of his mind and was shrugged off, the weight behind the words were making his body feel chained. The boy watched the black suited backs holding suitcases stand back faced against him like a boring string of monotony, the lack of freedom and a feeling of suffocation and being cut out were exuding from their positions to the boy, his finger reaching to the player in his hand and scrolling down the list of songs and artists red eyes reading each title before he settled for his choice planting his finger in a long delayed tap, the current track grinding to a halt in mid-beat before static was heard. The player soon began to play the desired track just as the doors to the train opened and a hiss of air prompted him to wince at the unnatural sound, the crowd of adults moving out in a flood of squashed bodies as the boy hung in the back his right hand brushing the rough fabric which he could sense from touch was the large sports bag that he had managed to bring along carrying his belongings, the touch seemingly bringing up the fact that it was existent to the boy as he stared at it for two seconds and turned his head back to the nearly empty train of commuters. As the train rumbled away, the boy set the volume of the player up just a little higher letting the lyrics flood his ears as he grabbed his bag moving to the row of empty seats as he noticed the once crowded train becoming thinner down the cars of the train leaning his back against the seat.
"Attention, the train will have its' last stop at Iwatodai station…repeat, the train's last stop is at Iwatodai station. Any commuters who are wishing to board the train to Port island station, we regret to inform you that a delay of half an hour would be required to wait for the train due to…"
The Mp3 player's volume was turned up a little further as the music became clearer, the boy not wanting to listen to the pointless announcement closing his eyes and began to let sleep overtake his senses.
?, unknown time February 2009
"Ah, a new guest..." The boy said nothing as he took up his seat at a couch leaning against the backrest of the large comfortable seat, the boy staring ahead at the source of the voice with blank eyes different from his worried orbs of red from earlier as he blinked slowly, as if groggy from a dream as the image of a man appearing behind a square table addressed him with a soft tone. The boy with muddy blonde shook himself awake as the last dregs of sleep were torn from his mind clearing up the haze as quickly just as the boy looked around confused for a second, observing the four walls filled with clock faces without any frames or electronic numerals, metal hands turning and turning in circles with no regards to actual time passage while the man in front of him spoke merrily at his presence.
"It is rare to have not one, but two guests who are on the same path yet time doesn't seem to agree with the intersections in between don't you think?"
"…Where…?" The boy responded to the strange question posed for him as he turned his head to either direction of the walls noting the clock faces that were continuing to turn. The man didn't wait for him to finish his unstated question as he stretched out his hands, the teen finally realising that this man had bulging eyes with small beads for eyes as well as unnaturally long hands which were a contrast against his lean physique and broad shoulders overarching his head. But that didn't scare him, instead the teen looked in fascination at one of the most inhumanely achievable large-sized nose that was resting atop the gloved palms of the strange man with balding hair, the sound of clocks ticking being the only period of silence before the man spoke to him, smiling still.
"We're in the Velvet Room, dear guest…or have you forgotten the first time you visited us?" The man said yet the teen couldn't sense any disappointment at him but a chuckle broke the silence that had befallen the weirdly designed room proved that point, the man instead smiling wider as he brought his hands out at the expanse of the room. "It does not matter whether you do remember your last visit to us I suppose, you have approached us out of your own will and acceptance of the contract which you had signed beforehand."
"I…did?" The teen said in an emotionless quizzed look, clueless to the man's words as the bald man grinned his large nose resting atop of his palms again, the man smirking widely while he gestured to the air as a simmer of light formed above the table settling down to form into what appeared in the teen's mind to register as a paper attached to a folder cover the teen not bothering to question how it is that it turned up in the middle of nowhere as he watched the paper jut out at him as he read the fine print.
I, Felice, swear upon by this contract, that I will be responsible for any action that I take and that I will abide by the terms of the contract stated.
"This looks…"
"Familiar? Indeed, perhaps you are close to regaining some sort of memory as to what you previously told me before you signed this contract. But what is done is done, I would advise you that before we move on there are some things that even someone like you cannot hope to run away from, and this is one of those times…your road has been destined to be difficult especially with what you've knowingly signed for, you will face both sadness and sorrow yet still hold your smile and move into the future no matter how mired the present seems. With this contract, you have accepted a heavy burden of responsibility and I feel that it is right that I forewarn you about it, but do not lose hope in such dark times…please remember this." The man said as the teen kept quiet nodding in understanding as the man then smiled satisfied with the answer that the boy had given him before he leaned backward into the chair but held his elbows firm onto the table.
"My name is Igor," the man introduced himself as he gestured to his left which the teen followed with his inquisitive eyes, and the sight he beheld was a woman dressed in a very formal velvet jacket and pants with wavy blonde hair with golden eyes staring at him stiffly while standing next to Igor holding a large book in her left hand while she gave a light bow in his direction. "And this here is my assistant, Margaret. She is an attendant who takes care of some of the duties around the Velvet Room."
"Pleased to meet our guest," Margaret said politely as the teen found a deep silence and a loss for words as he leaned forward on the couch, blinking more slowly as if to not wake up from the dream as he found some measure of strength in his voice to speak. "…Such beauty, like that of an angel." Margaret's expression fell slightly but was covered up as she took the compliment in stride, Igor chuckling at the brief mental blank that the teen had drawn as he closed his eyes briefly.
"Our guest is quite the complimentary one, isn't he?" Hearing nothing from Margaret Igor continued as he looked at the teen grabbing his attention with his voice. "It seems that time grows short, so I will be brief: did you know that cards can tell a lot about someone's own path, and how unpredictable such cards can be?"
"Uhh…no, I don't believe in fortune telling and all that bullsh-" The boy closed his mouth when he noticed Margaret looking sternly at him and he felt a chill accompany that look of disapproval, turning his head slightly to the left avoiding eye contact. "Well the thing is I am not comfortable with things like that to predict someone's 'future' and cause self-fulfilling prophecies."
"True, but this is just a warning of what is to come." Igor smoothly claimed as his hand reached out onto the table and drew out an entire deck of strange cards with masks atop of them, the teen feeling very discomforted as he saw the masks seemingly staring up at him while the strange man called Igor continued to shuffle the cards his eyes miraculously keeping an eye on him during the shuffle, if you could call outstretched palms and sliding cards from a deck of cards that have mysteriously disappeared into the man's sleeve a shuffle. "Tell me then, what do you believe of destiny?"
"It is predetermined and yet can be changed by the right choice of the person, yet that changes the path so there are no answers." The teen answered without hesitation, Igor looking intrigued as he stopped the shuffle and spread the first line of cards out onto the tablecloth smiling brighter than the Cheshire as his left hand hovered over the last card, Igor pausing before he continued speaking to the boy. "Normally many would disagree with your bold statement, some would argue that it is humans since we are the autonomous beings who owed their existence to no miracle but survival, while others would suggest that it is the will of a god who did a trial by fire to create destiny by predetermination."
The boy watched intently as Igor used his second hand to slip one card out after the other in the second row, the teen giving it some thought before he inclined his head at Igor. "There are people who want to pick sides so they can bicker and prove some superiority because of the fairy tale they feed themselves called the 'truth'. No god creates a people to torment them, nor do gods involve themselves to create trouble…existences of the gods are a fairy tale and so are those who call our existence survival." Igor grouped the cards together and with a flourish spread the cards out into the centre and out again each card magically slipping across the tablecloth onto a new position from the pile, the man humming in some thought as he retracted his hands satisfied with the layout of cards while he stared at the boy who answered his query. "And yet such a contradictory statement you lay out yet again, as I have said before…there are some things that one cannot close himself off to when the time has come to see."
"I am a walking contradiction, but I will not be so blinded until I become a blind leading the blind."
Igor chuckled as he gestured towards the cards on the table, Margaret watching the interaction with silence as she watched the guest's glimmers of determination shining through his frown. "I see, well then we as the residents of the Velvet Room according to the contract are honoured to have you as our honorary guest and lending our arm of service to you. In the meantime, let us see what your current predicament or immediate future will be…" Igor waved his hand over the two rows of cards as the two lines gathered together one lying atop the other before Igor waved a hand to produce five cards instead of the ten cards which he had set up, the man grinning wider.
"Let's see who you are…" A flip of the card on the far right drew the boy's attention as he followed the swift motion and stared blankly at the image of a person standing in the middle of a ruined building, Igor's bulging eyes were bulging further as he stared at the card in silence. "I see…"
"Master, is that…?"
"A card that has never existed before with such an image but the message itself and the Arcana it represents is clear to follow…it is the Tower, an image of a person in the middle of the disaster swirling around you and you unlike the ones who cast themselves off from the Tower instead throw yourself into the storm without consequence. I wonder if that fits the description of what your true self is, or if it is simply the result of the cataclysmic event heading your way that may alert you to something?" Igor mused as he snickered flipping the second of the five cards over the look of shock on Margaret's face disappeared as a normal Arcana image came to the fore. "I see that it describes you with not the Fool, but instead you are like a Hermit, closed up and searching for something with your life but you are unsure," Igor said as he flipped over the reversed Hermit revealing it to the teen who shook his head which earned a chuckle from Igor at the tense expression on his face before the third and fourth cards flipped simultaneously as Igor watched the teen shift in discomfort at the images.
"The Moon in the upright position means one mystery is going to shroud the place not in fog but simply that: a mystery. Is it someone or something that is catching your eye, or perhaps…" Igor trailed off as the teen felt a shiver down his spine as the bulging eyes lingered a little longer than it should before his eyes closed, a period of silence seeped in as the ticking of the clocks could be heard as Igor's smile completely wiped itself from his face, "It seems a harder journey awaits you, more than I thought."
"…This is rather discomforting for you to speak of me like you know my life." Igor simply ignored his jab while his eyes perused over to the next image, the grin never wavering even with the sight of a skull and two scythes sitting on either side like a message of foreboding doom. "Death...a conclusion to your story, yet it may be upright but conclusion doesn't mean death for it is only one of the ways by which your journey can end, so do not be downtrodden or discontent with the image. However you should still take great care in the duration of your journey to avoid that step, and that is what Margaret and I both are here for…to ensure that our guest is ready for the trials of the unpredictable nature of life itself, and to guide him to the self-discovery of the true self and their purpose."
"Hmm…" The teen replied bitterly while Igor didn't smile again as he waved over the last card seeing the final image to piece together the puzzle in front of him as Igor noticed the teen's face tearing away from the image. Margaret expressed another look of stunned silence as she observed the table of the final image, turning back to Igor who was staring at the cards in deep thought as he didn't blink for a few moments tilting his head a little. "Very interesting, but it seems that the Sun is reversed, the conclusion that you seek may not be the brightest conclusion you wish for. It seems that a very heavily stacked deck is against your story being one of happiness at all, but as I said before even though this may come to pass there would not be an overwhelming amount of bad without good. Do not be worried, for that is the unpredictable nature of life, and cards only tell what the outcome it assumes it will be in your current state…however as I have warned."
Igor rested his elbows on the table once more as he closed his eyes in thought, the boy in front of him gritted his teeth as Igor decided to move on from the change in mood spreading his hands out, "It would seem that as per usual the cards move around in their unpredictable nature, though I wouldn't be surprised at the results…history has shown that predictions tend to be just that."
"That contract that I signed from before, what does it…" The boy wanted to say before Igor cut him off abruptly with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Will be explained in full detail but time runs short in the Velvet Room as time marches on in your world while you are here and the time is ripe to bid you farewell for now. I wish you all the best, and you have my sympathies…" Igor concluded as the boy felt his eyes grow heavier and darkness overtook his sharp senses which had become dulled, upon the disappearance of the boy who faded into light Igor took a glance at Margaret who was still staring at the cards on the table deep in thought before the weird long nosed gentleman folded his arms. "Are you worried for our guest?"
"His destiny is intertwined with the other, and knowing our other guest this journey would be crucial and the stakes are dangerously high," Margaret reasoned as Igor chuckled at her non-answer towards his line of questioning as the man dropped the topic before he leaned back elbows planted into the table. "So you do have some concern for our guest."
"I will not deny it." Margaret said somewhat defiant at any suggestion that she was thinking otherwise, Igor humming in thought. "I see, that is good to hear. Now, if you would excuse me Elizabeth and I need to greet our second guest and guide him to unlocking his potential." Without further delay a door which hung at the back of the room opened up and Igor rose from his seat walking towards the open door pausing at the doorway to look up at the surrounding walls which held the faces of the clocks before he chuckled once more.
"What an interesting guest that we have indeed." Igor said as he stepped through the door, leaving Margaret to her own duties as the blonde woman watched her master step out of the guest's consciousness before she moved over to the couch settling in as she opened the book in her hand to glance through a few things, the attendant recalling the interaction and the cards the first card coming to mind more than the others as she shut the book mulling over the image of the man in the tower.
"That was the Tower Arcana, no doubt about it…but why did it show such a detailed image different from the Arcana's usual expression?" Normally the cards would show the relatable image to let the interpreter know the event, but to have an actual Arcana go out of its way to detail it as such for a particular guest was unheard of in the Room, no one had created such a massive response from a card regarding events. Though the more Margaret thought about it, the only way that such a response could be garnered from a card would mean one of two things: that either the card was attempting to communicate with the person via the changed image than the usual depiction of the Tower and the fleeing occupants, or that the message could mean something guest specific that Igor and her should be mindful of…the evidence was thin now, but Margaret couldn't shake the feeling that something was definitely wrong.
"An interesting guest indeed…"
Later
"Attention passengers, approaching Iwatodai station, I repeat, approaching Iwatodai station. Please remember to take all your belongings upon departure from the train as this would be the last stop for this train. I repeat…" The echoes of the announcement awoke the teen to time as he blinked rapidly the passage of time alerting him to the darkening skies, the teen scrambling to grab his bag as he heard the rumbling of the train and the approaching station coming into view. Placing his headphones down which had been blasting music into his ears for the longest time, the boy felt his ears stinging from the brutal session while he had been in dreamworld. Speaking of which…
What the hell was that all about? That dream with Igor and Margaret, the cards…it's so vivid like it had just happened in the span of about three minutes. Did I really sleep that long from Inaba?
"Imagination, must be." The boy reasoned aloud as he walked over to the doors joined by the remaining crowd of people who had gathered at the doors of the train, a few people standing at his side as he soon found himself pushed to the middle yet there was a considerable distance placed between the other. The teen didn't have to think about it as the doors hissed open welcoming the occupants of the train into the early night, the teen joining the small flood and made his way towards the entrance below tapping his card at the reader to pay his fare, a rogue wind blowing his way as he immediately flipped the fur lined hood of his forest green jacket over his head to prevent the cold coming forth.
"Okay, now to find the apartment," the boy reached into his chest pocket digging in to find the callous feeling of paper as he took it out confidently unfolding the paper to look over the contents for a moment before his mood began to sour. "Hmm…maybe I should have drawn a line with details on how to get there in the first place."
An hour later, 8:30pm
"Hello, I am Felice Armbruster. I was going to be in your care for the school year." The teen spoke with a polite bow of his head at the stone path as an elderly woman around his height greeted him livelily as she waved her hand at the young man. "Oh you are Armbruster, the transfer student from Inaba! It seems I am your caretaker for this school year and a half while you study, I do hope you enjoy your stay here in Port Island!"
"I appreciate your kindness once again." Felice bowed lower as the older woman let out a friendly 'tsk' again gesturing to the inside of her home as she spoke, "Oh don't start flattering me now you should get inside before you catch a cold. Can't have you collapsing on your first day to school after such a long train ride, you must be tired." The old woman shuffled in while Felice smiled joining the old woman inside, the warmth of the home immediately hitting his body as he felt a lot lighter than the heavier atmosphere he was getting from the outside, slipping his shoes onto the side of the shoe storage while he locked the door behind and hit the latch.
"Ah, thank you Felice-san, in my old age I forgot to lock the door." The old woman said with a sigh of relief while Felice shook his head in adamant protest, "No, I have been forgetful myself so there's no need to apologize. So are you living alone?"
The old woman chuckled. "Me? Not at all, I have two grandchildren and my daughter staying here but they're all in separate rooms, you'll be taking the guest room on the ground floor which is one of the more comfortable rooms there is in this house," the old woman shuffled on followed by the guest who looked at the bare hallway and the amount of space save for a phone atop an end table near the entrance. The two didn't have to walk that far as a door on the right opened and the lights were turned on inside, the old woman letting Felice step into the room his mouth slightly wide as he began to explore the room with interest eyeing the single bed that was in the centre of the room against the wall in a horizontal position while a large window with a study table with its drapes were present, a large mirror was hung next to the bed where an end table sat holding four drawers for various purposes was stacked aside for space. Nodding, Felice heard the old woman chuckling at his antics as the boy turned around confused by her laughter, the woman smiling at him. "This is the first time you've been in Japan, Felice-san?"
"Oh, no this is my second time since moving over from Europe…my parents are away for two years or so, I just needed a place to stay since it was too far for me to reach my school," Felice explained as he dropped his bag in the corner joining up with the old woman as she gestured towards the kitchen walking for a moment before the old woman stopped suddenly letting out a sigh placing a hand on her forehead. "What's wrong, did you forget something?"
"As a matter of fact I have, it seems I forgot to buy some octopus balls for dinner and the nearest supermarket is rather far to go to as well…that is rather sad, Yuki-kun loved that whenever I would cook it for him in his miso soup." The old woman sighed as Felice gestured to himself immediately when he noticed the crestfallen expression, "I could lend you a hand with that shopping trip if you would let me. I would like to repay the favour of you accepting me into your household for the year and a half after all." The old woman looked at him momentarily hesitant as she bowed her head to the floor speaking with a kindly tone at him shaking it lightly.
"I don't think that's necessary, Yuki-kun can always wait for another day and besides I imagine they would be asleep soon-"
"It's okay, I wanted to experience the city at night for myself," Felice spoke with a smile as the old woman's earlier frown broke into a sunny bright grin at the boy's insistence to the situation as she sighed, the woman hesitating once more but chose to reach into her pocket for her wallet. "Ah, what polite manners you have! If this generation wasn't so focused on living on love in the moment I would have guaranteed you that a girl would fall head over heels for you!" The old woman laughed heartily as she handed him a few thousand yen, the boy smiling brightly in thanks and at the woman's positive attitude as she picked up a piece of paper from the pad sitting near the phone using the pen to scribble a few instructions on it before handing it to Felice who took it. "These are instructions to get to the strip mall which is in the main city area near the school…be careful not to drop by Port Island Station at this time, there are gangs moving around there."
"I'll be careful, thank you." Felice spoke as he exited the house once more, the woman closing the door behind him as he walked into the street smiling as he retraced his steps once more towards the train station leading to the strip mall.
I hour later, 9:55pm, strip mall
"Damn, I barely made it to the stand," Felice said as he left the supermarket which was a distance from the food strip holding a small bag containing a few extra groceries that he had bought with his own funds along with the old woman's cash for the octopus balls, the teen earning some strange looks from other people as he strode down the street his muddy blonde hair being the outstanding factor of his appearance, the teen ignoring the stares while he made his way to the station. "Is my hair really that weird?"
The boy self-consciously rubbed his hair with his free hand, scratching the scalp as he placed his card on the reader entering the station and moved towards the platform which led to a local stop further down near Port Island station, the boy sighing as he looked at a stray strand of muddy blonde in front of his eye. If people had been judged by the color of their hair, he was confident that he would be left out of a lot of activities…for the longest time much to his amusement his look of muddy brown blonde was enough to draw unwanted attention to his person, and some even shrunk back in fear of him being a gang member or former biker boss as one of the rumors at his last school planted him in. He initially thought it was funny, but then his name got tagged with a biker gang that was hanging around the highway near Inaba and because of the noise pollution that they constantly made around the nearby neighbourhood, he had a visitor come stalking through his front door and demanding questions about their hangout. Needless to say that after coming into contact with the delinquent-looking boy and calming him down by disproving the rumors that he was involved with said biker gang who left with a foldable chair (he still didn't know why it was there, but a chill told him not to ask), Felice knew that he had to step in and dispel any bad stories regarding his natural hair. In fact his reputation grew to be the only guy with balls to talk down the infamous Kanji Tatsumi in his school, and earned a lot of respect from the guys and girls who used to whisper about his hair in the hallways back then though there were the occasional stories that he beat down Kanji in an epic one-on-one duel, that rumor followed suit for the rest of his year.
"Those were some good times…it's too bad I had to go away again."
It was too bad indeed, his parents had to work overseas despite moving over to Japan out of work obligations so they left him in a school with easy access and best education to keep him occupied for the year and a half while they were gone, the regular emails were enough for Felice to know that they were still concerned with his well-being which made the boy smile at that. However, the long distance thing was the first time he had experienced it so having his family taken away from him and separated by a continent was a challenge for him since he had not been too used to doing things on his own, and it was a miracle that his parents managed to find someone willing to take care of him for a minimal fee along with said easy access to the school he was planning to enter. Speaking of which…
"I forgot to buy the school uniform." The boy echoed his thought as he shrugged, the teen knowing he could drop in on the first day without a uniform no problem so long as he told them he enlisted into the school records and was in a rush from preparing to leave Okina city due to the sudden call up for his parents. Hearing the sound of something grinding to a halt screeching against the metal tracks, Felice looked up as he saw the train coming to a halt in front of him the teen walking through the open doors as a small crowd of people moved out into the main centre, the boy waiting patiently in the middle as a hole in the flood allowed him to move through the crowd seamlessly.
"Oof!" Or so he thought as a turquoise blur hit his chest, the boy stumbling a little as he felt shocked by the hit clutching his torso as the doors closed behind him the train moving along like nothing had happened just then, a few bystanders taking light notice before they turned back to their business the sound of the wheels hitting the tracks being the only sound. "Ow…who was-?"
The boy didn't finish as the same turquoise blur that smashed into his chest had bowed in front of him, apologetic for his plight speaking in a hurried voice. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see where I was going but the crowd was pushing and shoving and-!" Felice bit back his tongue as he waved his hands in front of the figure he registered as a girl due to the dark school uniform skirt as he protested with a wide open smile to calm the girl down. "Uh, no there wasn't an issue I have with you! I was just…well, uh…" he began to falter when the heads that were lowered turned back up at him again, making him feel nervous as he grabbed the girl's shoulders and raised her head by the cheeks staring into her.
"I said it's fine, you don't have to panic like that it makes me panic too and we'll be apologizing all night."
"O-Oh, I'm sorry…" The turquoise haired girl spoke as she nervously picked at her cuffs, the boy relaxing as he saw the heads of the other commuters lower back to what they were doing leaving the duo alone once they saw everything had died down, the girl silently waiting in her position before she whispered another 'sorry' under her breath as she moved away from Felice to another train car, the teen wondering what had gotten into her, confused by the aftermath before he decided to leave for a nearby seat this time making sure to stay awake.
"That was rather...strange." He absently commented as he looked out of the window to see the cityscape, fighting his urge to drift off the whole way there.
Near the caretaker's home, 11:57pm at night, 3 minutes to midnight
"Even with the train this house is really far despite the map," Felice groaned as he bit his lip knowing that the miso soup was probably too cold by now. He had been delayed, the train had suddenly experienced a breakdown and technicians had to show up to fix the line forcing the occupants to leave by foot as the trainline had to be shut down for the time being, the long trek down the track to the nearby station had taken up a bit of time on his end and so time flew by. Now he was running late, and the only thing on his mind was that the old woman was sitting in the house watching the hours fly by wondering if he had gotten into trouble out there…this was his first night, and the last thing that he wanted to do was worry the poor caretaker half to death. So now he was power walking towards his new home, groceries in hand as he tried to make it to the doorstep as soon as he could his eye going towards the digital watch on his wrist noting the time he was making.
11:57
"Crap, it's close to midnight already?! That poor grandmother must be worried sick! *sigh* Of all the times that I had to experience a breakdown of the railway and spend overtime at the supermarket it had to be now…on the first day no less, this sucks," Felice muttered as he walked down the empty street, the only companionship he had was the distant barking of dogs and a nearby cat mewling as he walked past Felice feeling very uncomfortable at the prospect of walking alone at night especially at such a late timing. Looking briefly at the sky, Felice stopped for a bit when he felt his breath begin to halt as he bent over nearly choking on his saliva which had been accumulating in his throat for some time, causing him to cough and move towards the nearby wall resting his back as he tried his best to not move too much as he looked at the street he was currently in breathing a little in relief.
"Oh good, the place is about three blocks away…good timing." Looking at his watch, the boy squint his eyes as his strong vision wavered under the light of the street lamp reading the numerals in his mental note.
11:59
One more minute to midnight, he was officially by all standards late already, that fact sinking in as Felice stared up to see the three quarter moon shining brightly in the sky over the city. To think that in a few more days he would get the chance to see the full moon, the thought of that brought a smile to his face as he recalled a memory: his parents and him strolling out in the park at night, eyeing the stars and finally the phases of the moon together while stories were passed to him by both mother and father recounting legends of origin while basking in the moon's glow. Felice began to stroll his way down to the house as he craned his neck side to side while he looked at his watch once more glancing back at the dark street, his footsteps bringing him to the gate where he recalled had ended in him running out on a late night errand the thought of her joyful face at having something for her grandson however made the trip worth it.
3 seconds
He reached the door, pulling down the handle and pushing the door aside as he walked in, closing the door and locking it along with the latch before he turned around.
2 seconds…
"Hello, I'm home…I brought the octopus balls."
1 second…
"Granny, are you still awake? Are you there-" He asked as he opened the door to the kitchen where he recalled seeing her last, his eyes turning away from the light switch that began to sparkle and sizzle for no reason at all before the lights that shone in the entrance and the hallway suddenly shot out plunging Felice's world into total darkness.
At that moment, the clock struck twelve. And hell was beginning to pour out in the distance.
End of Prologue