Chapter 4: The Chains That Break
December 21st, 1621
Asta knows that what he sees before him is impossible.
There's no way that he could be here.
Hell, the only reason Asta got this far was because of luck, and a very kind bird.
But what comes next convinces him that this is real.
*smack*
Reeling from the punch that Yuno just gave him, Asta is speechless. Not once has Yuno ever hit him. He's always been a sensitive person, even if that changed after that day. But that doesn't even make sense, he's never been a violent person.
"Worthless cur..." Yuno hisses out.
Asta doesn't know why, but he feels like his very life is in danger. More footsteps come from behind Yuno, and stepping into sight are the people that he hoped never to see again.
Sister Lily, The Father, the man that tried to mug Yuno.
The faces of people that always belittled him for things out of his control.
All standing there.
All glaring.
As they take another step forward, Asta finally gets the idea to run for it. Shoving past Yuno and the Father, he makes a break for the Study. If he's lucky, he might be able to use the bookshelf to barricade the door.
And so he flees.
(Take your time)
As his heart beats in his ear, he can scarcely hear the sound of the footsteps signaling his demise. Taking a chance, he finally peeks from around the corner to see if he can make a run for the Study.
Their backs are turned.
If he can get at least halfway down the hall before they turn their backs, he can get the door shut. And so, summoning the little courage left in him, he steps out, careful not to make much noise.
One step, they don't turn.
Two steps, they still don't turn.
Three steps, they turn their heads the other way, but not at him.
Four steps, he's almost to the hallway.
Five- he slips on a patch of moss.
That he could've sworn wasn't there last he checked. With a meaty thud, he hits the ground. They snap their glares toward him and lay eyes on their target.
With nothing but fear in his soul, he scrambles for the door, running like hell itself wants to claim him. The noise of sprinting footsteps spurs him on to go faster.
Finally he reaches the door, throwing it open, and desperately trying to close it. But as he's about to shut it, it flies open, smacking him square in the nose.
Stumbling backwards, his body hits the desk that lay in the study and he sinks to the ground.
Even as his death approaches him, his mind isn't on the fear of what they'll do to him. Rather, it's on one singular feeling. One that he's felt for a long time now.
Anger
Rage that boiling beneath his veins.
Why him?
He never did anything to anyone!
His whole damn life, he's only ever gotten the short stick, so why can't he just leave and do what he wants for once?!
As these thoughts flood his mind, he can only hear parts of what they're yelling at him.
"-magicless scum!"
"peasant!"
"-burden on everyone-"
"Worthless!"
At that last word, something inside him snaps
"LISTEN UP, I'M NOT WORTHLESS, AND YOU DON'T GET TO DECIDE THAT!"
They all shut up at that.
On unsteady legs, he rises.
"NOW STOP LOOKING DOWN ON ME WITH YOUR HIGH AND MIGHTY BULLSHIT!"
...
Finally. Took you long enough.
A sharp ringing noise in his head forces Asta to his knees, and clutch his head in pain.
If all you have left to lose is your life, let's do this big.
His breaths are coming out shorter than before, thanks to his bouts of painful screams.
Your whole life, you've been chained down by others, by their judgements, and by your class.
Throwing his head around gives him a glimpse in the mirror at his own face, and if he's not losing his mind already, he'd believe he was now, since his eyes are glowing yellow.
But chains like those weren't built to last.
The burning in his arms has returned with a vengeance.
Now, if you wish to stand by your words, then let us forge a contract.
The tattoo starts to slither.
I am thou, thou art I. If you yet wish to rise above those that condemn you, then let us see this through to the end!
One last agonizing shout is what he gives before a burst of blue flames locks shackle handcuffs to his wrists. And without question, he knows what to do.
Bending over, he hooks the chain under his foot. Then, he pulls.
He pulls so hard, his six-year-old wrists might rip off.
As he pulls, the shackles start to glow blue. The pain is unbearable, and his screams attest to that.
When he finally rips them off, his thumbs almost go with them, only hanging on by the flesh, instead of bone.
As the shackles hit the ground, they explode into a pillar of blue flames, rising outwards from the center. A few seconds later, the flames condense inwards, into the shape of a man.
Or, a man with a few more things than himself.
Standing on a boat, holding a sword, is Asta's other self.
His Persona.
Back with Asta, his breathing has evened out, and his injuries have restored themselves. But on top of it all, his clothes have changed. No longer the ragged patchwork clothes for the orphanage, these clothes look like something from the Royal Capital.
A deep blue trench coat with short sleeves, and a crimson undershirt. All-black pants, with a pair of boots. On his hip is a dagger that is proportional to a child his size. Grasping it, he unsheathes his weapon and points it toward the room's occupants.
"My life is mine to live, and you won't be changing that. I'll make sure of that!" He declares.
With a wave of his arm to the figure behind him, he calls out to the persona.
"Come, JOHN-BALL!"
With a swing of the French sword, the Persona dubbed John-Ball cleaves the tall figures down, leaving only Yuno, who was short enough to dodge without moving.
As they lock eyes, Yuno starts to twitch. Arching backwards, Yuno's stomach explodes outwards in a spew of red and black. As the body melts away into the spray, a large figure emerges, a tall man with the head of an owl, wings, and arms crossed over its chest.
"You're as weak as ever, so don't blame me if you get killed." It says in a monotone, but faintly angry voice.
It inhales, and on the exhale, icy winds cover Asta, somehow freezing his feet incredibly fast. Calling out orders to the persona behind, it follows his mind's thoughts to the letter.
"EIHA!" Asta shouts
Another burst of black and red shoots up at Yuno from his feet. Using the stumbling to his advantage, he chips at the ice with the dagger. After freeing his feet, he marches over to the downed man-owl. Its short breaths being the only thing to let him know that he's still alive.
Knowing what he needs to do, he raises the dagger. A second later, it finds itself through the man-owl's neck. It melts away in a miasma of black smoke.
Sheathing the dagger, he takes a step forward...
And falls flat on his face.
(Take your time)
Waking up once more, he finds himself in the blue church that gave him the idea to come searching for the key anyways. This time, a face immediately catches his attention. A elderly looking man with lanky limbs, bloodshot eyes, a very long nose, and a perpetual toothy grin.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room. My name is Igor. I am pleased to properly make your acquaintance."
"Umm... hi there. I'm Asta."
"Before anything else, only those who have signed a contract may stay in this room, so we are to continue speaking, I shall have to ask you to sign on the dotted line."
He points to something behind him, to his left. Standing there, a woman is holding out a clipboard and a feather pen. As she pushes the paper closer to him, he accepts them, and begins to read.
"Upon signing this, you accept full responsibility for actions you make. You shall fight against the coming dangers to the world, and you shall abide by the content of your own personal contract."
Not completely understanding what he's being told, he simply signs his name as best he can. After, he hands the contract back to the lady, and she smiles at him.
"We didn't have much time to speak last time, but now that you have acquired the key, you can freely enter the Velvet Room."
Confused, Asta asks,"What... is this place?"
"The Velvet Room exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. This is my assistant, Angelica."
Igor gestures to the woman now standing by his side. She's dressed in a blue nun suit, with silver hair, and beautiful amber eyes. On her hip, she holds a large book.
"So, what am I doing here? I went and found the key like you asked, but that scroll burned these chains onto my arms."
"A very good question. That scroll was left behind by the last guest to enter the Velvet Room, and its purpose has been served. The power has been passed onto you now."
Thinking, Asta comes to his own conclusion.
"You mean the power of Persona?"
Nodding in the negative, Igor clarifies.
"No, that was awoken by you, and you alone. What you have been given by that scroll, was the power of the wild card, and the ability to freely enter the Inversion."
Staring for a moment, Asta asks his questions.
"That's what that place was? A mirror world?"
That would explain why everything seemed so out of place. It was all just reflected.
"Yes, that's right. But onto other things, allow me to explain the purpose of the Velvet Room. This room is to be a guide when necessary, and also, to create new personas."
"...create new personas? Wait, does that have something to do with that wild card power you said earlier?"
"Yes, that's right. The wild card is a unique power. It bestows its user the ability to wield multiple personas, but only one at a time. When not being used, the others will reside in your sea of souls, awaiting your call."
Before he can continue on, Asta rubs the side of his head, incessantly. Standing up, he tries to get whatever's poking at his head to stop.
"It would seem that your presence is being called by someone in the real world. Let us continue this conversation another time, young man. Remember, you know how to find us."
He flashes a silhouette of the Velvet Key.
Everything turns hazy, and he wakes up, lying on the ground. The poking sensation hasn't stopped, so he starts to wave his arm around to shake whatever is there off.
It stops, letting Asta get up. Looking around, the bookshelf is back to where it was before he entered the 'mirror world'. That must mean he's back in the real world.
Feeling a pinching sensation on his hand, he hands it back, looking around to see what's putting him through more pain. Sitting on the ground, is the bird from earlier.
"Hey, you're ok!" He shouts happily.
Nodding, the bird then gestures to his arms.
Looking down, he can see the tattoos that he got earlier. Remembering Igor's words, his attention goes to the mirror again. Getting to his feet, he walks over to the mirror, and slowly holds his finger out to it. Before he touches it, the bird takes that moment to sit on his head.
Pulling his arm back, he throws a punch, expecting it to crash into the wall. Instead, it goes right through it, ripples waving across the whole of the mirror. After that, Asta puts the other arm into it, and walks straight into it.
After a few seconds of his vision warping, he steps out, and finds the room reflected. Before he can head for the door, a voice starts to speak.
"What is this place? I thought this kid didn't have magic. How did he-" The bird stops upon seeing that Asta is staring at her.
Neither speak for a minute.
Asta breaks the silence.
"Did... you just talk?" He says, remarkably calm.
"Did you just understand me?" She responds
A large scream rips itself from Asta's throat.
To be continued in Chapter 5
A.N: Well, Lookie here. It would seem that this chapter has been made. And with it comes the awakening to Asta's persona, John-Ball. This was an actual person, one of the leaders of the peasant rebellion, and they would fight for justice and equality for those of lower class. Asta has also gotten complete access to the velvet room, and has signed a contract bindi by him to his fate. And to top it all off, Nero will be known as Secre to Asta only, everyone else will know her as Asta's pet bird, Nero. She can speak, because in my mind, her own cognition of her being a human wasn't enough to break the curse she had placed on her those hundreds of years ago, but it does allow her to speak, because that's how she perceived herself. Sort of how Asta's clothes change. Tomato, Potato and such. Also if it wasn't obvious enough, those were cognitive versions of Asta's oppressors.