Persona 3 FES:
"Advent of the Fool"

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1. DATE: 4/8 (Wed) Velvet Room
PLV 1 - DJKL

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"Welcome to the Velvet Room..."

DJ rubbed his eyes, trying to stay awake. He felt so tired, yet... relaxed at the same time. He glanced at the three figures in front of him, the old man and the two attendants...

"What...? What is this?" DJ asked earning a large grin from the old man. "Who are you guys...?"

"My name is Igor." The old man spoke. His voice was so... strange. It sounded like he was excited about something. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance." He gestured to the two people beside him. "These two are Elizabeth and Theodore... They are both residents here, like myself."

"Pleased to meet you." The woman, Elizabeth, said, her golden eyes staring into DJ's. The looked... hungry. Like she wanted something from him.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Theodore said. He looked much less predatory than Elizabeth, but still seemed to stare at DJ like he was Santa Claus or something.

"Where am I?" DJ asked, looking around the blue elevator. "And how'd I get here anyway?" Igor's smile grew larger, if that was even possible.

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter." Igor said, snapping his fingers. "It's been years since we've had a guest."

"Dream and rea- Am I asleep?" DJ asked, sitting up. The drowsiness he felt a while ago was already starting to fade. Although, there was something about Igor that just seemed... terrifying.

"In a way, yes." Igor explained. "But fear not. Soon, you shall be able to come to the Velvet Room on your own accord." DJ raised an eyebrow and looked at the tab- Wait, since when was that folder there? It looked like... "Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place... Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room."

"H-Hey that's-" DJ stared at the contents of the folder with wide eyes. It was the same document he had signed when he got to the dorm. "Does that mean that kid's here too?!" Igor and his two assistants chuckled.

"All in good time, my guest..." He waved his hand, closing the folder. "You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so."

"Uni- 'The hell are you talking about old man?!" DJ tried to get up from the chair he was in, but it felt like something was holding him back. "What's going on?!" Igor smile widened.

"Hehe! Never before have I seen a guest like you, my dear boy." He laughed, Elizabeth and Theodore seemed to agree with him. "All shall be explained in time and you shall see why you require my assistance. I only ask one thing in return."

"Oh crap, I really did sell my soul didn't I?!" DJ shouted, leaning back as far as he could. "That kid swindled me!"

"Nothing of the sorts child." Igor said, silencing him. "All I ask is that you abide by the contract and assume responsibility for the choices you make."

"I-I... I still don't understand..." DJ looked around, a dark feeling in his gut. One hadn't felt in years since his parents death. Fear. "I'm so confused..."

"Worry not child." Igor said, looking at DJ with those bloodshot eyes of his. "Your future is different than those who came before you... Here, take this." DJ looked confused before having to shield his eyes from a bright blue light that appeared out of nowhere. It descended in front of him, before dropping into his hand.

"What...?" DJ muttered as the light died down. In his hand was a glowing velvet key.

"'Till we meet again." Was the last thing he heard before feeling something pull him back.

"N-No! Wait! I still don't-" He couldn't say any more as his entire world went dark.

4/9 (Th) - EARLY MORNING
FULL MOON

"-get iiiiIIIIIIIII~ OW!" DJ muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. He sat up groggily, staring at where he was. He was no longer in the "Velvet Room", as Igor had called it, but in his room. And seeing that he was sitting in the floor, he realized he must've fallen out of bed.

"It was all... a dream?" He asked no one, staring at the ceiling. Some dream... He had never seen anything like it. What, did he eat something bad last night? Or was sleeping in Green Scream finally having some kind of effect on him?

These answers filled his head for a moment before he realized he had to get ready for school. He sighed and got up, walking towards his wardrobe to get his stuff ready.

All while failing to notice the velvet colored key sitting on his desk.

DJ hummed the melody of the song playing on his headphones as he walked towards the school. A little music always helped him calm down, even if he just had the strangest dream in the history of dream.

"Mornin' dude!" Junpei said, walking up to him.

"Morning Junpei-kun." DJ greeted back. "You seem happy this morning."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Junpei asked. There was a noticeable skip in his step as he walked. "The sky's blue, we're young... What more could we ask for?"

"Besides fame, fortune and our own personal harem?"

"Duh! That stuff's on a whole different level!" The two shared a laugh before heading towards class. "I can tell you this much, nothing could possibly ruin this day!"

4/9 (Th) - AFTER SCHOOL

"You enjoy jinxing yourself, don't you?" DJ growled as he and Junpei walked out of school. "'Nothing could possibly ruin this day'. Well I found something that can. It's called Mr. Ekoda and Classic Literature!"

"Sorry! I didn't we had his class today!" Junpei said, raising his hands in defense. "Heck, I even forgot to bring my textbook."

"Oh please! You were asleep all class! I was forced to stay awake through that torture!"

"Forced? By who?!"

DJ paused before a chill went up his spine. One that did not go unnoticed by Junpei.

"You don't want to know man..." He muttered, spooking Junpei.

"O-Okay, forget I asked." He sighed. "But man... The day was looking so positive and then Mr. Ekoda comes up and ruins it." Junpei stretched his arms and yawned. "I'm still tired from his class..."

"Meh. That happens dude." DJ muttered. He rubbed the back of his neck and yawned. "You never know what the day has in store for you."

"I guess..." Junpei muttered. "Still, you get bummed when things don't go the way you want." DJ blinked and glanced to the side. Junpei had a point. If one thing doesn't go the way you wanted, it could ruin your whole day...

Or life...

Or your parents life...

"Hey, you okay there DJ?" Junpei asked, snapping him out of his daze. Junpei looked at his friend worriedly. He had just stared off into space out of nowhere and went pale all of a sudden.

"Y-Yeah. I'm good..." DJ muttered. "Just remembered a few... things... Wait." He stopped. "Just DJ? No honorific?"

"Well..." Junpei trailed off. "Don't take this the wrong way dude, but your name is a bit weird with honorifics and that kind if stuff. You don't mind, do you?"

"I wasn't complaining." DJ said, much to Junpei's relief. "I just found it a bit out if the blue. Usually I'm the one telling people to stop using honorifics with my name."

"Really?"

"Yep. Speaking of which, I got to tell Yukari to stop too." He shrugged. "Well, I can save that for later. Right now I got to get to the dorm and do that Classic Literature assignment Mr. Ekoda gave us."

"Yea- Wait, what assignment?!"

4/9 (Th) - Dark Hour

"...How is he?" The Chairman's voice broke Mitsuru's concentration from the monitor. She sighed and turned her chair over to him.

"The same as last night. He already went to sleep this time around though." She answered, earning a nod from Ikutsuki.

"Hmm... Very interesting." He muttered, sitting down. "This subject is quite the peculiar case." He spoke up, getting Mitsuru and Yukari's attention. "Even if he does have the potential, he should've experienced some of the common symptoms... And yet, nothing. Fascinating."

"But... We're treating him like a guinea pig." Yukari muttered. Every time Ikutsuki talked about DJ made it seem like he was a rat. A worthless animal made for testing chemicals. Dangerous chemicals "I really don't like this..."

"I understand your concern Yukari." Ikutsuki said. She glanced at the man. "But it's imperative that we recruit new members." Yukari bit her lip. She knew that they were in a tight spot, but this still seemed wrong. "Besides, wouldn't you be more comfortable working with someone from the same grade?"

She looked down. "Yeah, I guess..." An alarm on the computer made her jump.

"Command room." Mitsuru spoke into a microphone. "Is that you Akihiko?"

"You're not gonna believe this! This thing is huge!" Akihiko's voice said over the radio. He was panting and Mitsuru could make out the sound of footsteps.

"Akihiko?" Mitsuru asked, starting to feel worried. "What's wrong?"

"No time to talk!" He yelled. "It's chasing me! Just calling to let you know I'm almost there!" A sense of dread filled the air.

"Wait, does he mean... He's bringing that thing here?!" Yukari screamed. Ikutsuki looked nervous and Mitsuru gnashed her teeth. This was not good for anyone. Plus there was still-

Oh no...

"Mr. Chairman, we have to suspend our observation for now. We need to prepare for battle." Ikutsuki nodded.

"O-Okay. Be careful!" He said, earning a nod from Mitsuru.

"Wh-what do we do?" Yukari asked, trembling. Mitsuru was about to say something when she saw something on the video feed.

Akihiko had just came in through the door.

Akihiko sighed in relief as he slumped down on the floor. He knew it wouldn't last long, but he needed to catch his breath. That thing was coming fast and he needed to be ready to take it out.

"Gotta... catch my breath first... Guh!" He hissed when he felt the pain in his ribs. That monster really did a number on him, much more than a normal one. And from the small time Akihiko spent with it, he could tell that this thing was far from normal.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru's voice called out. Akihiko looked up to see her, Yukari and the Chairman running up to him. He hissed when he tried to stand up.

"Senpai!" Yukari shouted, running next to him. "Are you alright?!"

"N-Never better..." He lied, trying to get up. "Just get ready... That thing will be here any second now."

"This is no time to joke around!" Mitsuru said, walking up to him.

"Is it one of them Akihiko?" Ikutsuki asked, looking concerned. Akihiko nodded.

"But it's not a normal one, I'll tell you that much..." He muttered. Before he could say anything else, the building shook violently. Nearly knocking everyone off their feet. Yukari shrieked before the shaking stopped.

"W-what?" Yukari said, trying to look out the window. "You've got to be kidding me!"

Mitsuru growled and stood up. "Mr. Chairman head to the command room! Takeba, go wake KL up! Then escape out the back!"

Yukari blinked. "B-But what about you two?" Mitsuru said nothing as she stared at the door.

"...We'll stop it here." Mitsuru grabbed Akihiko hand and help him up. She winced when she saw the state he was in. His clothes were ripped and his white shirt was stained with his own blood. Plus he must've broken something, shown by the way he clutched his stomach. "Akihiko, you led it here... So I'm afraid you'll have to fight..."

Akihiko glared at her and growled. "Like I had a choice!" He looked over to Yukari, who was still frozen in her spot. "What are you waiting for Yukari! Go!" Yukari jumped when he called her. His words registered jn her brain and she nodded.

"I-I'm going!" She said quickly before running up the stairs. Akihiko winced as the pain kicked in again.

"I told not to be so careless Akihiko." Mitsuru said angrily. She glared at Akihiko, who was to busy looking at the door to even care.

"Aright, I should've listened to you!" He yelled, getting into a fighting stance. "But right now, we need to be ready. This is gonna be one hell of a fight!"

Now when DJ first heard commotion going on downstairs, he really didn't think much of it. They were probably just messing around with a few things and ended up getting carried away or something like that. There was absolutely no need for him to be worried.

Now, when the whole freakin' building shook, that was a different story.

The tremor was so strong it made DJ fall out of his bed. When he got up he figured it was just a small earthquake, but when a second small tremor hit, he knew something was up.

"What is going on?" He asked himself, putting on his jacket. He felt naked without that thing on. He was still dressed in his pajamas, but oddly enough he was still wearing his boots. He shrugged and walked to the door...

Only for it to slam into his face.

"Ow!" He yelled, grabbing his nose. A little harder and it would've been broken! "What the hell?!"

"O-Oh my God, sorry!" Yukari shouted. DJ sighed and let go of his nose and glared at the girl. But the glare went away when he saw what the girl was carrying. A large bow and a short sword. Not to mention the fact that she was here while it was Green Scream again.

"Za?" He blinked. Why the heck did she have weapons with her? Were they real? Holy crap, they really were real! "What the heck-" The building shook again. "Again?!"

"Oh no... They're coming!" Yukari said, getting a confused glance from DJ. "Hurry! Downstairs! We'll leave through the back door!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room. DJ had to admit, she had a pretty strong grip.

But that didn't change the fact he still had no God damn idea as to what was going on!

"Woahwoahwoah!" He yelled pulling himself and her into a stop. "What the heck is going on?!" A smaller tremor happened and Yukari let him go.

"No time!" She yelled before shoving the sword into his hands. "Here, use this if you need to, but come on!" DJ blinked in astonishment. Yukari looked... terrified. There were pools of tears in her eyes and she looked even more frightened then the night they met.

"Yukari," He said, forgetting the honorific. "what's-"

"Takeba, do you read me?!" Mitsuru's voice came from nowhere, startling DJ.

"Y-Yes, I hear you!" Yukari yelled. DJ could've sworn he heard fighting from wherever Mitsuru was talking from.

"Be careful! There's more than one enemy!" Wait, what? Enemy?! "The one were fighting isn't the one Akihiko saw!"

"What?!" Yukari yelled, making DJ wince. What were these guys even talking about? A rumbling sound coming from downstairs caught their attention. Afterwards, several loud crashes were heard, making the two jump back. "No... L-Let's pull back!"

"To where?!" DJ yelled. He didn't know much, but one thing was for sure, they were in trouble. "The only other place we'd be able to go is to the roof!" Realization flashed across their faces. "Do we have a fire escape?"

"Y-Yeah! Now come on!" DJ nodded and ran up the stairs after her. They heard something else chase after them, but they didn't bother left looking back. "K-Keep moving!" Yukari opened the door to the roof and DJ ran through. She slammed the door shut and locked it before letting out a sigh in relief. "Finally..."

"You said it... Now what the hell is going on?!" DJ yelled, startling her. He was going to yell again when he noticed something off. "Do you hear something...?" Yukari looked confused before a large tremor shook the building. Yukari turned around in horror while DJ just looked at the edge confused.

Even more confused when he saw a giant hand grab the edge of the building.

He didn't even know what to say as more and more hands started climbing up the building. One of them stood out though, carrying a large blue mask that seemed to act like its head. DJ watched as the entirety of the monster climbed on to the roof, revealing it to be a large mass of black hands. And then a large number of the hands took out a sword from who knows where and looked at the two.

"'The hell...?" DJ muttered as Yukari took a step back. "It's like something from a video game..."

"Those monsters," Yukari breathed. "we call them Shadows." She gulped as it came closer. She reached towards the fake gun on her thigh. Slowly and trembling, but she still managed to grab it.

"Uh... Yukari-san! A fake gun's not gonna help us!" He yelled at her before motioning towards the monster. "Aren't you carrying a bow?! Use it!" Yukari didn't listen as the thing came closer. She placed the barrel of the gun on her forehead.

"I can do this..." She thought, looking back at DJ, who was yelling at her, but she didn't pay attention. "I have to protect you... I just have to..." The monster was right in front of her, She closed her eyes, her hands tightening around the gun... and her thumb on the trigger.

"Yukari!" DJ shouted as the monster raised one of its arms. He growled before gripping the sword he was given tightly. "Hold on! I'm coming!" With a battle cry he charged at the large beast and stabbed the sword into its body... only for it to shatter into pieces, leaving only the handle remaining. "...Really?"

The monster used one of its free hands and swatted DJ away, knocking him back into the door. "Gah!" He cried. He squinted his eyes and watched in horror as the beast brought its sword down on Yukari.

"Yukari!"

BANG!

DJ wasn't sure what happened. One moment he thought Yukari was about to be killed, the next he sees the monster recoil in shock as a blue light engulfed Yukari. Not only that, he could've sworn he heard a gunshot go off from somewhere. And amidst all the confusion, he swore he saw a silhouette of... something large behind Yukari.

"Wow..."

Unfortunately, the monster regained its bearings almost as fast as it lost them. Only a second passed after that light engulfed Yukari and before she could do anything, she was swatted away like a bug, all of that energy coming from her, gone in a flash.

That's when he registered the fact that Yukari was sent flying near the edge of the building, unconscious.

"Y-Yukari-san!" DJ shouted, getting up and running to her. He crouched down to her lifeless body and shook her. "Come on! Get up Yukari-san!" He put two fingers on her neck. He let out a sigh of relief when he felt her pulse. However, a dark feeling built up in his stomach as he heard loud stomps in his direction.

The monster had found its new prey. Him.

He stood up and backed up, momentarily forgetting Yukari as the monster came closer. A dark feeling built up in his gut. Fear, once again. Here he was, about to be slaughtered by a monster without a chance to defend himself... or Yukari. DJ looked at his broken sword and the back at the beast. This was bad. Very very bad. There was no way he could fight this thing with a broken sword! He looked around, hoping there was something, anything that could help him survive!

CLINK!

DJ froze, the soft sound of blood being squished under his boots stopped him. In the puddle he had just stepped on, laid Yukari's fake gun.

He didn't know what it was, but something about it seemed... familiar. Like he had seen it before, held it before. The cold metal of the weapon glistened in the yellow moonlight. It made it look so... alluring.

DJ picked up the gun, blood getting on his hands. Such... beautiful blood... Whoa, where did that come from? The cold steel of the weapon felt so... relaxing. It fit in his grip perfectly, as if it was made for him. As he stared at the barrel, it was like everything around him disappeared. No Yukari, no monster... Just him and a gun.

Yukari groaned as she stirred awake, her sides hurting as she tried getting up. The monster seemed to notice, but he ignored her. She winced in pain before reaching for her-

!

Where was it?! She looked around frantically, hoping it didn't end up somewhere she couldn't reach or worse, off the edge.

But instead, she found it in DJ's hands, the boy staring at the barrel as if it was the only thing that matters.

"D-DJ-kun!" She yelled at him, trying to get his attention. She didn't. "Get out of here!"

Unfortunately the disk jockey couldn't hear her over the sound of his own heartbeat. What was it about this thing that looked so... amazing, lovely and perfect... And why did it seem so familiar?! Why?!

"Go on."

DJ's head snapped up. There was no monster in front of him. No nothing. Nothing but an endless white space, that ended with nothingness. That... and the kid from his first day at the dorm. The kid smiled. He made a gun out of his fingers and pointed it at his temple before imitating a gunshot with his mouth.

But that's not all. Beside him... were two other people. One, a boy with blue hair and grey eyes. The other, a brunette girl with fiery red eyes. Both of them looked... happy. Each one held a gun like the one DJ was holding to their temples. Both smiled at him.

"Go ahead." The boy said. "It's your turn now."

"Who knows?" The girl said, smiling brightly at him. But there was a hint of... sadness in her voice. "You might even do a better job than us!"

DJ blinked. Then blinked again. And again. The illusion was gone and the monster was back, gazing at him with its lifeless eyes. DJ chuckled.

He chuckled. And then started giggling. Why was he so afraid before again? This oversized piece of crap that tried to kill him and Yukari? Was that it? The thought of it made him laugh. This poor poor thing was gonna die. And he was the one who was gonna do it. He wouldn't just kill this bastard. He would completely destroy it.

"There it is!" Akihiko yelled. He and Mitsuru had finished off all the smaller Shadows that had tried to get in and were in the control room with Ikutsuki, looking for the main one. As soon as they found it, they were greeted to the sight of it wacking Yukari away and walk towards DJ.

"Hurry! We have to help them!" Mitsuru said as both of them turned to head out.

"Wait!" Ikutsuki said, not turning around. Mitsuru was about to object when she saw what was on the monitor.

DJ had picked up Yukari's Evoker. And was pointing it at his head.

Yukari watched as he raised it to his head. What was he doing? Did he know how it worked? No, he shouldn't know! So what, he was wanting to commit suicide or something?! "D-DJ-kun...?

DJ smiled as his finger brushed against the trigger. And it wasn't his normal smile either. It was a smile reminiscent of a complete psychopath. But that didn't matter to him. All that crossed his mind was one word...

"Per...

So...

Na!"

And then he pulled the trigger.

Yukari couldn't believe it.

She had been trying for days. Trying to get herself to pull that stupid trigger on her Evoker and finally summon her Persona. She had spent countless hours in her room trying to do it... But she couldn't. No matter what she tried, she couldn't bring herself to do it. The thought of what it was going to bring was to terrifying for her. But today was different.

She had a job. She had a mission. Keep DJ safe. Safe so she could tell him... that they were the same. She had managed to do so until they got here on this god forsaken roof where that Shadow had confronted them.

As scared as she was, she had no choice. She watched DJ try to fight it, but she knew it was useless. Her Persona was the only way! But then, when she finally managed to pull the trigger... she was too late. The Shadow had gotten to her and she got sent flying. She failed... and there was nothing she could do.

But then she saw DJ pick up her Evoker... And shoot himself in the head so easily. Something that took her ages to do. He did it without even knowing what he was doing.

She watched as a torrent of energy circled around him.. Even the Shadow took a few steps back as DJ's Persona came into view. A large mechanical man with a golden lyre and red scarf flowing in the wind.

"Thou art I." It said as it rose into the air. "And I am thou. From the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Orpheus, Master of Strings." The DJ stood up high, the blue energy licking his clothes and skin as Orpheus roared into the air. It was so amazing...

She blew her chance... And now, here he was. The boy she was supposed to protect ended up being the one to protect her.

"I'm so worthless..." She cried silently.

"Just as we expected..." Mitsuru said as she saw Orpheus rise into the air. Akihiko watched the scene, impressed that he could summon his Persona so easily.

Still, there was something bothering him. The kid hadn't been told anything about Personas or about the Evokers yet... So how did he know what to do with it?

In that moment that DJ pulled the trigger, the one thing he felt was pain surge through his skull. Pain easily compared to getting shot in the head. But then there was that huge surge of power that came forth, only to manifest himself as the mechanical man floating behind him.

He glared at the monster, the "Shadow", as Yukari called it. This... abomination deserved to die. A slow and painful death. One that would show these monsters who they were dealing with! One that one destroy, cremate, obliterate, annihilate, decimate, kill destroy DIE dEATH DeAd KILL D3STR0Y DeA7H DIE! DIE! DIE!

DJ clutched his head as an overwhelming pain clawed at his skull. Even Orpheus suddenly seemed to be in pain. The two twisted and grunted as the pain grew more and more and the urge to kill to maim to-

A loud inhuman growl escaped his and Orpheus's throat. He clutched his head and groaned louder as Orpheus started convulsing wildly. A dark hand shot out from inside Orpheus as he groaned and growled with pain. A second one burst through its mouth and grabbed Orpheus's shoulder, as if it was trying to claw its way out. With each motion DJ yelled a bit louder.

And then, it just... burst out.

Orpheus was no longer standing there. Only his remains laid scattered on the floor. No. In it's place stood something terrifying. A large creature in a black robe, carrying a long sword. Its face was that of a monster, a metallic jaw that showed no emotion other than rage and pure bloodlust. And behind it was a cape completely made out of coffins.

The Shadow immediately stopped in its place staring at the new beast, who roared into the sky. It took a step back, but unfortunately for it, the cloaked Persona already had it in its sight. In a split second, the Persona appeared in front of the Shadow, faster than anyone present could even register.

What happened afterwards was a slaughter.

A single swing of the Persona's sword cut it in half like butter. Oh, but it did not stop there. It grabbed the Shadow, sinking its metallic jaws into its dark flesh before picking it up and slamming it on the rooftop, where he proceeded to continuously stab the monster. And stab and stab and stab and sTab StAB Stdie dIE dIE DIE!

After a final swing of its blade, the Persona stood up and admired his handiwork. The Shadow laid at his feet, or at least, its remains did. It was severed into dozens of small pieces, each one dissolving into the floor. Only one of its hand remained, the one holding its mask. It tried to limp away, but the Persona grabbed the mask and brought it to eye level, glaring at it. Without a second thought, the Persona crushed the mask with one hand into nothing.

Yukari stared at the new Persona in sheer terror. Just... what was that thing? What happened to the other one, Orpheus?

DJ panted heavily as he gazed at the cloaked Persona and the remains of the Shadow. A twisted smile appeared on his face as he admired the beautiful death of such a vile creature. His head ached again, much stronger than the other times. And for some reason, DJ felt like he should do one thing...

Roar.

And roar he did.

Alongside his dark Persona.

The three watching in the command room couldn't tell if they were either shocked or horrified. But in all honesty, it felt like a little bit of both. The three could barely contain their surprise when they saw a second Persona come out of the first one. One that managed to destroy the large Shadow so easily.

They had never seen a Persona with power like that. The sheer thought of something like that existing was to overwhelming. But here it was. Mitsuru watched as the Persona flickered like a light bulb before turning back into DJ's first persona, Orpheus.

"What...?" She muttered. Her eyes wouldn't leave the monitor. She was too in shock to even move.

"What the hell was that?!" Akihiko yelled. He had been hunting Shadows for a few years now, but he had never seen anything like that. The Chairman said nothing, but you could easily tell by his expression that he was surprised.

DJ sighed in relief as the overwhelming pain in his head died down. Orpheus floated above him, looking equally tired before disappearing in a flash of light. The boy stretched his arms before looking at Yukari's gun. He sighed and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Well..." He wheezed, still panting heavily. "That was... something."

"Wow..." Yukari's voice got his attention. She was sitting up, staring at him as if he had just preformed some kind of miracle. Which in hindsight, he kinda did. But at the same time, it also looked like she was staring at a monster. Which, again, he kinda did become one. It was debatable. "W-What was that...?" She questioned. Before DJ could answer, he swore he heard something behind-

"Guh!" DJ grunted as soon as he felt something lunge towards him. He narrowly jumped out of the way, but the small Shadow that assaulted him managed to his right leg.

"DJ-kun!" Yukari shouted as she saw the Shadow tear through his pajama pants. She saw DJ grunt before jumping out of the way. She gulped as she looked down at the tear on his le-

Wait, what?

DJ's calf wasn't bleeding. In fact, it didn't look like anything was bleeding... Actually, his leg didn't even look human. It looked... metal.

"What...?" She whispered, staring at the metal leg. DJ glanced at the tear and then glared at the Shadow- Er.. Scratch that. Shadows. Plural. Two to be exact. Two blotches of darkness with weird flappy arms and blue masks like that larger one.

"Oy!" DJ yelled, startling Yukari. "Do you have any idea how much this thing cost me?!" He yelled before glancing at the metal leg. "And you scratched my prosthetic!" He growled before taking off his right boot. Like the rest of his leg, DJ's right foot was made of metal.

"Y-Your leg..." Yukari muttered, but DJ didn't listen to her. He was too busy glaring at the Shadows in front of them. DJ tapped his metal foot on the ground and motioned for the Shadows to come at him. They happily obliged.

One Shadow lunged at him, but he simply stepped out of its grasp. He raised his leg and slammed his heel into the Shadow's mask before kicking it into the other Shadow. DJ grabbed Yukari's gun from his pocket and pointed it at himself.

"Persona!" DJ yelled, shooting himself with the gun. Orpheus appeared behind him and raised his lyre before dropping it down on both the shadows.

"After all that he can still use his Persona?" Yukari thought, staring at Orpheus as he disappeared. DJ took advantage of the Shadows' dazed state kicked one of the in the mask hard, shattering the mask and sending it flying into the wall, leaving a big black splat. The other Shadow saw its companion go down and lunged at DJ, who jumped out of the way before it could do anything.

"Heh. Kinda hard to win when all you can do is lunge, sucker." DJ taunted, making the Shadow seethe. Seeing the Shadow like that made something inside him grow. And unlike that weird bloodlust he was feeling earlier, this one was... good. He pointed the gun at his head again, one word going through his head. "So your 'heating up', huh? Well why don't I show you what real heat feels like?! Orpheus! Agi!" The Master of Strings appeared in the sky and his eyes glowed red for a split second. Yukari stared in confusion until the Shadow was engulfed in an explosion, destroying it completely.

Yukari stared as DJ twirled the gun in his hand before sticking it in his pocket. He turned around to her and smiled, giving her a thumbs up. She stared at him with her mouth agape.

"What are you...?" She whispered as DJ walked over to her. However, the boy only took two steps before his legs caved in and he fell to floor. "Wh- DJ-kun!" She yelled before running over to him. She shook him lightly, hoping to wake him up. "Come on... Say something!" DJ managed to keep his eyes open long enough to see her open her mouth, but that was all.

In few short moments, the world around him went black.

There weren't many things that surprised Igor.

He had spent countless years in the Velvet Room, watching the events of the universes around him. Since the very first day he was alive, he had sworn only to observe, to never directly interfere with the Multiverse. For eons he had respected this law and would continue to do so for all eternity.

However, there was one universe that he found very... peculiar.

The first time he arrived there, his guest was a young blue haired man. A fool. One who played the role of a savior. After facing many hardships and building many friendships, the man had performed the ultimate sacrifice. His life traded for the lives of everyone else. After that, the universe had continued its normal trajectory.

Igor thought he was done there... He was wrong.

Imagine his surprise when the universe reset itself.

For one thing, Elizabeth, his assistant sole assistant at the time, had no memories of his previous guest. No memories of her leaving the room in order to save him. Neither did her siblings. He found it... odd. Why was he the only one remembered it so well? It was something not even he could understand.

What's more is that the second time, he ended up bringing her brother, Theodore, instead of her. It was a wise decision, for their guest had changed completely.

Instead of the blue haired man, it was a brunette girl, with fiery red eyes and a bright smile. She took the role of the fool this time around. She went through hardships, some different than the man, but their goal was the same.

But the biggest change here was that she managed to correct one of the man's mistakes. The death of one of his friends. Unfortunately, her end was the same as the young man. Sacrificing herself for the sake of humanity.

Igor was finally about to leave the universe until it reset itself again.

Again, neither of his assistants remembered their guests, but he did. And their guest had changed once again.

But this guest was... interesting.

This fool was different than the others. This one kept secrets. So did the other two, but the secrets this young man had were much deeper. His life, his identity. They were all hidden from everyone. Being the fortune teller he was, he uncovered them easily, and they were incredible secrets.

He smiled as he saw him unleash his Persona. This guest was one of a kind. He reminded him of the other two, but he was completely alien at the same time!

This boy would be the one to write the true journey of this this universe. Igor could feel it in his blood.

Will he succeed? Perhaps. If he lets the fog around his secrets fade and show his true self.

Igor's smile grew as he and his two youngest assistants watched DJ fight off against the Shadows.

What will become of this boy's future? Will he suffer the same fate as those who came before him?

Or will he discover his own answer to life?

SAVE GAME?
YES -
NO

SAVING...

SAVED.