The battle android stared at the back of the blonde boy she had been following. A while ago, after school, the boy showed up at her class and asked her to follow him, telling her that Buchou wanted to meet her. And by Buchou, he meant Rias Gremory, the red-haired girl who called herself a Devil.
"Sorry about yesterday," the boy said to Aigis as he led her down the hallway of the school. "You see, we didn't have much of a chance to explain everything to you, Kirijo-san, so I hope you don't mind me dragging you out of your class like this." He looked over his shoulder to see Aigis, giving her an apologetic smile.
"I do not mind, Kiba-san," Aigis replied to the boy. "And I do wish to know more about yesterday."
Despite being relatively new to this school, Kuoh Academy, she knew who this boy was. In fact, she had heard his name many times before from her female classmates. Yuuto Kiba: a second-year student, super popular among the female population of the school. Handsome, polite, soft-spoken and courteous, he basically had most positive traits that could be found in a gentleman. 'A truly rare breed indeed,' Aigis thought to herself. He even had a legion of fangirls following him around.
Aigis didn't realize that some of her female classmates were giving her evil eyes when Kiba showed up to see her back then.
Back then, right after Rias Gremory introduced herself and the rest of her group as Devils, Aigis gave them suspicious look. After all, the woman who invoked the Dark Hour in an attempt to fulfill the prophecy of Nyx also called herself a Devil. Seeing that it wasn't the right time to do any explanation, Kiba stepped forward and suggested that they should do it tomorrow at school, diffusing the tension that started to build up.
Aigis looked at Kiba, who was leading her to meet Rias. Like Rias, he was also a Devil, but he looked and acted like a normal boy. As a matter of fact, Rias and her group seemed like a bunch of normal teenagers.
Aigis sighed. She didn't expect this kind of development. It's supposed to be a simple reconnaissance mission, in which she only had to observe the area to see any sign of Shadow activity, but now, she seemed to be involved in some kind of situation she couldn't quite comprehend.
"What's the matter, Kirijo-san?" Kiba asked, noticing the sigh. "Is something bothering you?" He was leading her to an old schoolhouse somewhere around the school area.
"No, there is nothing that is bothering me," Aigis answered.
"I see…"
Both Aigis and Kiba continued walking silently. Yesterday, right after she returned from her mission, she immediately put herself in sleep mode. The fact that she had activated Orgia Mode and summoned two different Personas had put a strain on the battle android. She had received minor damages from the battle against that Devil lady and the Shadows, and while she could function just fine despite the damages, she still needed to get herself repaired by the technician. She hadn't reported back to Mitsuru regarding this mission, and she wanted to focus on her recovery first. She also wanted to learn more about Rias Gremory and her group, especially about her self-proclamation of her being a Devil, as well as her connection with the woman Aigis defeated and killed yesterday.
When they finally arrived at their destination, Aigis took a good look at the old schoolhouse. It was a three-story building that was apparently in quite a good condition despite the vines creeping up to the second story. Kiba, who was leading her, stopped and turned around, smiling politely at her.
"Welcome to the Occult Research Club, Kirijo-san," Kiba said in a welcoming tone.
And so, the boy led Aigis into the building, which was supposedly the meeting place for the Occult Research Club. Inside, Aigis was able to take a look at the clubroom, which was a wood-paneled room with Victorian-styled coaches and chairs along the walls. She also saw Rias and two other girls who were with her yesterday.
The black-haired one, the one who was constantly smiling while sitting beside Rias, was known as Akeno Himejima, one of Kuoh Academy's Two Great Ladies, with the other one being Rias Gremory. Aigis had heard their names a few times on her first day at school, so she recognized them right away after seeing them. It seemed that these Two Great Ladies were enjoying their cups of tea when Aigis showed herself.
She couldn't quite recognize the other girl, the one with the petite body and white hair. She seemed to be wearing a cat-shaped hairpin. When Aigis entered the clubroom, the girl was eating yokan, which was some kind of Japanese dessert.
"Buchou, here she is," Kiba said to Rias. The Buchou placed her cup of tea on the saucer before she looked at Aigis, giving her a curious look.
"Ah, please take a seat, Kirijo-san." Rias spoke to Aigis, gesturing to the couch opposite her. "And I'm sorry about yesterday. We haven't had the chance to explain ourselves, have we?"
Aigis shook her head. "That is alright. Please, excuse me." She took her seat.
"Would you like some tea?" Kiba asked. A courteous person, indeed.
"Thank you, but it shouldn't be necessary," Aigis replied, shaking her head. As a battle android and an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, she wasn't built with a function to eat or drink.
"I see…"
And so, all of them took their seats. Even the petite girl, who was still nibbling her yokan.
"So…" Clasping her hands together, Rias looked at Aigis, her expression neutral. "I'm sure you have many things to ask, Kirijo-san."
Aigis nodded. That was an understatement, considering what happened yesterday. "Yes. You told me yesterday that you and the rest of your group are Devils." After a pause, she continued. "I would like some elaboration."
Rias smiled. "Ah, yes, yes…" She nodded. "But, before that, I suppose a proper introduction is in order. Please allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Rias Gremory, and I am the President of the Occult Research Club." She paused. "I'm sure Yuuto had told you about this club, right? Pleased to meet you."
Then, she gestured to Akeno beside her.
"And this is Akeno Himejima, the Vice-President of the Occult Research Club." Rias introduced the girl on her behalf.
"It's so nice to meet you, Kirijo-san," Akeno said to Aigis, smiling.
After that, their attentions were focused on the petite girl, who was helping herself with a third serving of yokan. "And this is Koneko Toujou. She doesn't talk much, so please excuse her for that…" Rias introduced the white-haired petite girl. The girl, Koneko, stopped eating her yokan for a while to give Aigis a nod of acknowledgement before she continued having her meal.
Rias took a sip of her tea before she put the empty cup down. Kiba picked up the teapot and poured some tea into the cup.
"Ah, thank you, Yuuto…" Rias nodded to the boy. "And he probably had introduced himself earlier, but this is Yuuto Kiba." She gestured at the boy, introducing the boy to Aigis.
"Let's get along well, Kirijo-san." Kiba showed an award-winning smile to the battle android.
"Pleased to meet you all," Aigis responded to everyone.
"Now that we're done with introductions, let us start with the main event…" Rias said, setting down her cup of tea, giving a mysterious smile to Aigis. "Tell us, Kirijo-san, what do you understand about devils?"
Aigis blinked. She wasn't sure whether it's meant to be a trick question or not, but since she's asking her that question, it would be proper to answer the question accordingly. "Devil: taken from the Greek word 'diabolos', which means slanderer or accuser. They're believed to be the personification of evil and the enemy of God in many religions, myths and cultures, particularly in Judeo-Christian traditions. Traditionally, the devils are often depicted as demonic figures, and it seems that the imagery of a red-skinned, horned demon with a pitchfork is the most popular one." She eyed the self-proclaimed Devils before her. "But judging from how you look, it looks like the imagery is a bit off."
Rias was silent for a few moments before she chuckled. "Well, that's not how we expected you to react, Kirijo-san. And yes, you are mostly right… except about the red-skinned demon with a pitchfork." She tapped her cheek as she looked at Aigis. "Now, let me explain to you about everything, about us Devils, as well as some other things…"
Heart of a Butterfly
Persona 3 and High School DxD Crossover
Chapter 03: Devil's Advocate
Aigis was given the explanations about the Devils, including the fact that the Devils here were the ones mentioned in the Bible. Rias also gave the battle maiden a detailed explanation about Devil society and culture, as well as information about the reincarnated Devils, individuals that used to be humans, other living beings, or creatures that were changed into Devils with the help of some sort of artifact called Evil Pieces. She also told Aigis that Kiba, Akeno, and Koneko were reincarnated Devils instead of pure-blooded ones. Not only that, Rias also told her about the existence of Angels and Fallen Angels, natural enemies of the Devils. These three biblical factions had been at war against one another since ancient times, and while outright battles among the three factions did not occur anymore, there was no peace between the factions, with occasional fights and conflicts happening over the years. The Great War had left the factions in a state of conflict, which continued for many centuries.
"So, that's the gist of it, I suppose," Rias said, leaning back after she was done giving the explanations to Aigis.
"I see," Aigis said.
Several eyebrows raised as the Devils heard Aigis' response.
"You seem to be taking everything we told you rather well, Kirijo-san," Akeno said as she tilted her head, crossing her arms under her rather ample bosom.
"Let's just say I have encountered a couple of supernatural-related events in the past…" Aigis responded. After encountering Nyx, Erebus and Hi-no-Kagutsuchi, nothing seemed to faze or disturb her anymore.
"That explains why you were there yesterday," Kiba spoke. "The phenomenon that happened yesterday, it was our first time seeing it." He was referring to the Dark Hour, the miniaturized version which was invoked by the stray Devil who was defeated by Aigis. "And you seem more familiar with that phenomenon compared to us."
"So, do you have any questions?" Rias asked.
"For now, none," Aigis responded.
"I see…" Rias eyed the battle maiden carefully. "Well, then. Now, it's your turn, Kirijo-san. We'd like to ask you a few questions regarding yesterday's event."
It seemed that she wanted to know about the phenomenon that had occurred at that time. Considering how much they had revealed to her, there was no reason for her to withhold information from them.
"First, what are you?" Rias asked, and Aigis raised an eyebrow. Well, it wasn't a question she had been expecting from her, at least not the first one to be asked. "We saw your battle yesterday. You seem human, and yet the way you moved told us otherwise." When they watched her battling the stray Devil, they noticed how strange the way she moved was. It was too mechanical, and it seemed to be extremely programmed.
At first, Aigis considered not telling the truth, but after thinking that it wouldn't be fair for them because they had told her the truth, she decided to tell them about her true nature. "Very well." She nodded. "I am Aigis, the 7th Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, specifically designed and created to battle Shadows."
Rias, Akeno and Kiba blinked a few times after Aigis told them about herself.
"Umm… what?" Rias said, confused.
"She's a robot," one voice supplied, and the voice came from the petite girl who was busy enjoying herself with her dessert.
All eyes were on Koneko, whose expression seemed calm. She was looking at Aigis, carefully assessing her, while at the same time, having her fifth serving of yokan.
"Oh," Kiba responded to that.
"A robot?" Akeno frowned, her smile started to waver for the first time before she looked at Aigis and blinked.
Aigis looked at Koneko before she nodded. "That is an oversimplification, but it's also essentially correct." She folded her sleeve, revealing her mechanical part and metal armguard. "The development of the Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons had started since the eighties, and I am the 7th Generation to be developed." After a pause, she added, "Let's just say that I am designed to do work that normal humans are unwilling to do, such as doing menial tasks or destroying monstrous threats. I am normally equipped with firearms in case for the latter."
"Oh, do you mean like a Gundam?" Akeno asked.
This time, all eyes were on the Vice-President, staring at her.
"No, there is a distinction between an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon and a Gundam. We, the ASWs, are considered to be androids, while a Gundam is some kind of vehicle or mobile suit, or in other words, a mecha. A Gundam also requires a pilot in order to move, while an android does not require one," Aigis explained.
"That's not really the main issue here, Kirijo-san…" Kiba quipped.
"Right. Okay." Regaining her composure, Rias straightened her posture. "A robot. Right." In normal circumstances, she would say that she wouldn't believe what Aigis had said, but after seeing what Aigis was capable of, she decided to accept it as a fact. "So, you are a robot…"
"An Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon," Aigis amended.
"Right, an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, or whatever you are…" Rias pinched the bridge of her nose, starting to feel a headache. "Let us move on to the next issue. Oh!" Then, she remembered something. "You said that your name is Aigis, right? Is Ai Kirijo not your real name, perchance?"
Aigis saw no real harm from telling her the truth. "That is correct. Ai Kirijo is just a pseudonym. I do not mind if you keep calling me Kirijo, but Aigis is my real name."
"I see…" Rias mused. "You don't mind me calling you Aigis-san, then?"
"I see no problem with that, Gremory-san."
Rias nodded. "So, second question: What are you doing here, in my territory?" The crimson-haired Devil asked. Her expression turned serious. "While we are very thankful for your assistance in eliminating the stray Devil we have been hunting since months ago, we still need to know the reason of you being here. Which organization or faction do you belong to?"
For a few seconds, Aigis was pondering to herself. Should she reveal the existence of the Shadow Operatives to them? They had revealed the existence of the Devil's society to her, so it was expected of her to return the gesture.
"I was sent to observe this area and investigate the phenomenon that occurred here," Aigis started. "The phenomenon is known as the Dark Hour, a phantom zone that is supposedly hidden from normal humans, and within this phantom zone, there are monstrous creatures roaming around. These monsters are called Shadows." She placed her hand on her chest. "I am specifically created to destroy those monsters."
"'Shadows'? Do you mean the monsters summoned by Gremda?" Rias asked, curious about these creatures called Shadows.
"'Gremda'? Who?" Aigis inquired.
"Oh, we haven't told you yet, have we?" Rias remembered that they hadn't told her about the stray Devil's name. "That's the name of the stray Devil. She used to be a middle-ranked Devil who belonged to a rather famous peerage in the Underworld, but two years ago, she somehow went rogue. And a few months ago, there were some rumors about her showing up in certain places before some of Kuoh Academy's students started to disappear." She leaned forward, her eyes focused on Aigis. "Don't tell me the conditions of the kidnapped students had something to do with that phenomenon…"
Aigis recalled seeing the people the stray Devil, Gremda, had kidnapped. They had showed the symptoms of Apathy Syndrome, and she had explicitly said that she had used some methods which allowed her to harvest the Shadows out of them, creating her own legion of Shadows.
"Through certain means, she managed to create her own army of Shadows and invoke the Dark Hour," Aigis said. "I was sent here to investigate the Shadow activity that we had detected around the area, but I did not expect that someone like her was responsible for that."
Somehow, the atmosphere had turned heavy. Even Koneko had stopped eating as she listened to what the battle android had said.
"So, why did she do that?" This time, Akeno asked. "What's the reason behind her invoking this Dark Hour?"
"The end of the world," Aigis answered, her expression turned grim. "She wanted to fulfill the prophecy of the Fall, calling forth a maternal being called Nyx that will end all lives on Earth. And by harvesting the Shadows, she would try to summon the Appraiser of Nyx, a herald whose sole objective is to call forth Nyx." Back at 1999, Mitsuru's grandfather, Kouetsu Kirijo, had started some experimentations on Shadows in order to create the ultimate Shadow, the one with thirteenth Arcana that would eventually become Death and the Nyx Avatar. And this Gremda had tried to do the same through magical means in order to bring forth the Fall. "When Nyx descends upon the world, all living things will turn into the Lost, those who have lost any semblance of self, just like the students that stray Devil had kidnapped. Imagine, a world where all people become unresponsive, unaware of things around them as they slowly rot away. That's the end of the world that Nyx would bring forth."
After Aigis was finished with her explanation, Rias cleared her throat before she spoke. "So… are you saying that a stray Devil was trying to end the world?"
"That's what I said." Aigis nodded.
"Honestly, this is not what I expected to hear…" Rias admitted. "Though, I suppose it's certainly a good thing she's been eliminated."
Aigis shook her head. "No. Even if she was left alone, she won't succeed."
Rias frowned. "Why? You did say that she was trying to do something that will cause the end of the world."
Aigis closed her eyes. She considered telling them everything, telling them about the ultimate sacrifice of one particular boy who now stood between Nyx and the darkness within human's hearts.
"A similar situation almost happened before, and something had been done to make sure that it won't happen again." At last, Aigis decided to be vague about it. They had no need to know about what occurred back in 2010. She had told them more than what was necessary, and she would rather avoid burdening them with more unnecessary knowledge.
"I see…" At first, the red-haired Devil looked like she was about to ask her a question, but then she just sighed. "Well, if you say so, then I suppose we should be relieved, then. The world's not ending, a dangerous stray Devil was eliminated, and no one was hurt…" She smiled at Aigis. "I guess everything turned out okay in the end." Then, she remembered something. "And if you're wondering about the people kidnapped by her, don't worry. They're starting to recover and they seem to have no lasting injuries to speak of."
"That's quite a relief," Aigis said. Back then, whenever a Full-Moon Shadow was defeated, those who were inflicted by Apathy Syndrome would start to recover. It could be said that the same was happening to these kidnapped students. "So, is that all?"
Rias and Akeno were looking at each other for the time being before the red-haired girl looked back at Aigis. "That should be all for the time being. In any case, we'll come to you if something like this is happening again. You're free to go."
"I have to admit, that was quite a new experience for me…" Rias spoke after taking a sip of her tea. Aigis had left the clubroom, accompanied by Kiba who offered to walk her out of the clubroom. A quintessential gentleman, indeed. "I mean, there were a lot of things to take in!" She complained.
Rias, Akeno and Koneko remained in the clubroom. This time, the petite girl was helping herself to a plate of strawberry shortcake.
"So, what do you think about this… Aigis?" Rias asked Akeno.
"Well, for certain, she's an interesting person…" Akeno answered, tapping her chin as she spoke. "And she has this… unique aura around her, that's for sure."
Rias thought that for a robot, she was quite personable. Shouldn't a robot act like, well, a robot?
"Her scent."
Both Great Ladies of the Kuoh Academy looked at Koneko, who was holding her fork between her fingers.
"From her scent, I could sense something in her…" Koneko spoke. "Something that somehow makes her a living being instead of just a mere machine."
Rias looked at Koneko for a while before she nodded. "Now that you mention it, I also felt something…" She folded her arms. "It felt like there was something embedded in her that turned her into something that's almost unmistakably human. It's similar to an Evil Piece, yet different…"
"So, you're saying that she's acting like a human because of some supernatural elements?" Akeno asked. "I suppose that makes sense. I mean, even with the current technology and science, it should be impossible to create something that is so unmistakably… human." Then, she chuckled. "My, this is quite interesting, don't you think, Rias? I almost thought our genre is going to shift from supernatural fantasy into science fiction, fufufu…"
Rias cleared her throat after giving Akeno a strange look. "Even so, we still have to monitor her and her movement. After all, she hasn't told us what organization or faction she belongs to. It was clear as day that she was coming here under someone's order, and judging from her knowledge about this phenomenon and also this prophecy, the organization she belongs to may have something to do with the supernatural world. We still need to know their motives and everything about them, and if everything goes well, both her and the organization she belongs to may become an important asset for us."
Akeno tilted her head, looking amused. "My, how devious of you, Rias." Then she hit her palm with her fist, as if something suddenly came to her mind. "Ah, don't tell me you're planning to offer her a place in your peerage and turn her into a Devil."
Rias coughed. "W-well, after all, she did show us her strength in battle, and I'm sure her power can be quite a useful asset for us." She saw the battle android fighting all the Shadows all by herself, and there was also that woman bearing the shield and spear, as well as that mechanical creature that conjured fire. "Though I'm not sure whether an Evil Piece can work on a robot or not." Then again, there was also something within Aigis that was similar to an Evil Piece, yet at the same time, different. If something like that could affect a machine like her, an Evil Piece could probably work too. Perhaps she needed to ask her brother, Sirzechs Lucifer, as well as his fellow Satan, the creator of the Evil Pieces system, Ajuka Beelzebub, about this. They seemed far more knowledgeable about this matter, after all.
"Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, Rias. Use the correct term," Akeno said, smiling teasingly.
"Hush, you."
While Akeno was teasing her Buchou, Koneko was busy enjoying her strawberry shortcake. It was delicious.
Right after having quite an enlightening conversation with Rias and her group, Aigis immediately walked home, which was an apartment. Certain adjustments had been made to the interior of the apartment in order to accommodate her, a battle android. She immediately made a phone call in order to report to Mitsuru.
"Hello, Mitsuru-san."
"Hello, Aigis. I suppose there is something important that you're going to report." Mitsuru's tone sounded neutral.
"About that…"
Aigis then told her everything that she knew, about the Dark Hour and the attempt to fulfill the prophecy of the Fall, as well as the existence of the biblical factions and their conflicts over the centuries. She even told her about Rias and her group.
"And that concludes my report," Aigis said.
Aigis could tell that Mitsuru was astonished by this sudden turn of events, judging from the silence that went on for almost a minute. Then, Mitsuru cleared her throat and spoke, "Well, I did expect something is going to happen, but I didn't expect this of all things. Are you sure that you are not joking, Aigis?"
"A hundred percent sure, Mitsuru-san. I see no point in joking regarding this matter," Aigis clarified. She could hear the leader of the Shadow Operatives sighing.
"This is going to be one of those days, isn't it?" Mitsuru said, and by 'one of those days', she meant like the event in which they encountered Hi-no-Kagutsuchi during Golden Week. "Putting that aside, you said that someone had tried to fulfill the prophecy of the Fall."
"Yes. A stray Devil named Gremda tried to fulfill the prophecy, and she managed to harvest the Shadows from the innocents and invoke a miniaturized Dark Hour. I believe she tried to summon the Shadow of the thirteenth Arcana that would eventually herald the arrival of Nyx to descend upon Earth," Aigis said. "And from what she had told me during our encounter, it seems that she gained the knowledge about the prophecy from Shuji Ikutsuki himself…"
"Shuji Ikutsuki…" Aigis didn't miss the contempt in Mitsuru's tone. It was already expected of her, considering that he was the one who murdered Mitsuru's father, Takeharu Kirijo, after betraying them. "Even in death, his ghost continues to haunt us." That madman was essentially responsible for almost every bad thing that happened to them, including the existence of the Dark Hour, which he shared with Mitsuru's grandfather, Kouetsu Kirijo.
"It appears that we have to clean up for all the mess that he left behind." It was a cumbersome task, yet it had to be done. Many had suffered due to that madman's diabolical machination, and Aigis wanted to prevent such a thing from happening again.
After all, he would do the same too, right?
"What's your next order?" Aigis queried. "Shall I remain on standby?"
"Aigis, I want you to monitor this Rias Gremory and her group. Report to me once you gain something new," Mitsuru ordered. "And would you like some reinforcement? I mean, you might be feeling lonely over there, and Labrys has finished all her tests. Would you like me to send her over to accompany you?"
Aigis blinked. Like her, Labrys was also an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, and she was her sister. Chronologically speaking, due to the fact that she was one of the 5th Generation of ASWs that was developed by Kirijo Group, she could be considered to be Aigis' older sister. Mitsuru had asked her if she wanted to have Labrys to accompany her in this mission, which was rather thoughtful of her. Having Labrys around would be the best thing ever for someone like Aigis, but she'd rather have the ruby-eyed mechanical maiden come over on her own accord.
"That would be nice, but she still has a say in this. It would not be right if you send her here without her consent," Aigis reasoned. Unlike Aigis, Labrys still had many things to learn about the real world.
"Ah, yes. I suppose you are right, Aigis. I apologize." Despite Aigis had just blatantly questioned her authority, Mitsuru didn't sound to be offended in the slightest. That was just the nature of their relationship. One of them might consider herself to be a subordinate, but she wouldn't hesitate to criticize the leader if the situation demanded it. "I will tell her about this and ask her whether she wants to come over or not. But considering who she is, I bet she's going to be quite ecstatic about spending time with her sister."
Aigis smiled. From her tone alone, it was clear that Mitsuru was really concerned about her and Labrys. "Yes, please do, Mitsuru-san. Thank you very much."
"Please, don't mention it," Mitsuru said. "Is there anything else?"
"It looks like I need some proper maintenance." During the battle against Gremda and her crew of Shadows, Aigis had sustained minor damages. While she still could function well even with the damages, they would affect her performance and she still needed her damaged parts to be repaired. She could just repair all the damaged parts by herself, but having a technician do the work would be better.
"I see. Very well, I'll send you one of our technicians to fix you this weekend. Anything else?"
"That would be all, unless if you allow me to say something about your decision of replacing some of my hardware a day before I went for the mission, which automatically locked my ability to summon my Persona." Mitsuru could almost hear indignation in Aigis' tone when she mentioned about the replacement. Due to that, she was unable to use her Persona at the beginning of her encounter against Gremda and the Shadows, wasting three precious minutes, which otherwise would bring a more favorable outcome if her Persona wasn't locked in the first place.
"Ah, I'm sorry about that, and no, you may not."
"Understood." It happened that Aigis was quite forgiving, so she let it slide for the time being. "Talk to you again soon."
Aigis sighed before she put the phone on the desk after the end of her conversation with Mitsuru. It shouldn't be possible, but these recent events had been quite mentally draining for her. She decided that it would be the best of her to sleep. She removed her clothing, folding them neatly and putting them on the table before she went to her capsule seat. She connected herself with the wires on the seat after sitting before she disabled her motor function. Then she set the time for her to wake up before she shut her eyes and put herself in sleep mode.
And the last thing she saw before falling asleep was a blue butterfly.
In a place between dream and reality, mind and matter, she found herself sitting on a seat in a place which felt familiar to her. Yes, she remembered this place. There's no way she could forget this place.
But something was different. Unlike before, this place wasn't shaped like the interior of an elevator, but instead, it was shaped like the interior of a train. There were several empty seats around her, and there were three people besides her in this place.
One of them was an elegant-looking woman with platinum blond hair adorned with a blue hairband, attired in a blue dress. Her shapely legs were covered by the black pantyhose she wore. In her hands was a thick-covered tome, which was titled 'Le Grimoire de Coeur', from what she was able to see. When the woman looked at her, her rouged lips curled up into a small smile.
The other one was a tall, handsome man in a suit with similar color as the woman's dress. In his hands was also a tome which seemed to bear the same title as the one held by the woman. Unlike the woman, though, he curiously looked at her with his strikingly golden eyes. It happened that the woman also had a pair of golden eyes, and she was assessing her with those golden eyes while smiling.
And the third person, the one she was most familiar with, even after all these years since the last time she was in this room, was a bizarre-looking old man in a posh black suit. And of course, the most memorable things about this old man were his bizarre-looking long nose and bloodshot eyes, and a grin that made him look rather imp-like. When he looked at her, his imp-like grin widened before he held out his gloved hand and drummed his fingers against the small table in front of him.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear lady…"
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's Note: Hello, this is me again, Prince Arjuna. Things have been better these days, and I'm in a rather good mood to write, so please excuse me if you think the update is too fast. Thank you for the reviews, I really appreciate them. And about the part where Aigis locked her ability to summon, I have to admit that it's due to my lack of foresight and my over-reliance in plot-device, which makes that scene to be rather cliched. Oh well, there is nothing I can do about that at this point, and here, I am giving an half-assed explanation of why she locked her Persona in the first place. It won't justify why she locked it, but at least there's an explanation to it, right?
And something that I found which somehow depress me a bit is the fact that whenever I look at the tab where I read this story, the title is cut off into Heart of a Butt. Now I kind of understand why both Ddraig and Albion were depressed to the point where they have to take medication because of their titles being Breast Dragon Emperor and Butt Dragon Emperor respectively.
And thanks to Sorata Shioya, the beta-reader of this chapter. It's so nice working with you.
So, I hope you'll like this chapter. And if you're kind enough, will you review this chapter too? For this author, the reviews will be his sustenance in order for him to keep writing. See you in the next chapter, Chapter 04: Wild Card.
My future plan (which may or may not happen): Sho Minazuki joining Vali Team, annoying the hell out of Vali with his lame puns.
Edit: The detail about the locked Persona is altered slightly.
Prince Arjuna (2014)