"Alright Eri, I think it's time we started the real work," Ren said.
He and Eri sat down on the couches in his private room. A room Izuku had given him specifically so he could have his sessions without having to use his office.
"O-Ok." Eri built up her resolve. She'd heard about this process from Izuku, and she'd known she'd be confronting some scary stuff.
Oh who was she kidding, she knew exactly what she was going to see.
But this was her best chance to move past all that for good. And she wouldn't pass that up. She couldn't.
"I'm ready," Eri said, mustering up her determination.
Ren smiled. "What a strong-willed girl. Alright, let's go to sleep."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Lavenza greeted with curtsy, as Ren and Eri arrived.
"H-Hello." Eri greeted her, Ren had told her about Lavenza beforehand, so she wasn't surprised to see her.
Lavenza smiled and pulled out a small glass. "Here, I heard you liked apples, so I prepared some apple juice for you. It's nice to have something sweet before experiencing something bitter."
"T-Thank you!" Eri immediately took the glass and scarfed it down. It was so sweet and cold, it really did fill her with an extra confidence she really needed.
"Well then, let's not waste time," Ren said, standing up, and getting ready to start the mission. "Lavenza, do you have it ready?"
"I do. It's not as bad as I feared. But…" Lavenza looked sorrowful. "It's still rather upsetting."
"I know. I'm prepared for that." Ren said, before looking at Eri. "I already asked you, but I need to confirm it. Are you ready to face your past?"
"...Can I have another juice?" Eri asked.
Lavenza smiled and served her another juice, which Eri promptly gulped down with gusto.
After slamming the glass back down, she took a deep breath and then gave Ren a determined look. "I'm ready."
She stood up, and the two of them walked to the back door.
Ren opened the door, and the two of them entered. Headed into an old, new hell.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
They ended up at the entrance of a tomb.
In front of them was a small stone building, with the words "Shie Hassaikai" etched into it.
The area around them wasn't much to speak about. A forest filled with dead trees, the skies covered in thick black clouds making it hard to see with how little light got through. And blackbirds cawing, and flying around from wilted tree to wilted tree.
"Huh, a tomb." Ren was already thinking of several theories as to why this place appeared the way that it did. I guess Eri views the Shie Hassaikai as dead. Although if that was true we might not have had to come here either. Gonna need to see more.
Eri on the other hand was completely shocked. She'd heard that her cognition would distort the places she thought of…but she hadn't fully understood what that meant. She still didn't. So it was more than a bit beguiling to see that the Yakuza base had been turned into this.
But that didn't change what she had to do.
"Alright, let's go in shall we," Ren said, going up to the tomb, and opening the stone doors.
Behind them was just a staircase. One so long that they couldn't see the bottom. And it was dimly lit. Only brighted by small, weak torches.
Taking a deep breath, Eri followed Ren down the stairs, as they both descended into who knows what.
The stairs truly went on for a while. The two descended for minutes without seeing the bottom. And with each step, it felt like it got colder and colder, as the air grew stale.
A suffocating feeling that Eri was all too familiar with.
Why are these stairs so long!? The place wasn't this deep underground…although it felt like it sometimes…oh. Eri suddenly realized what Ren had meant. Because it felt like it was so far away, it became like this in my head. Did I feel like this place was a tomb? That feels right.
They kept going a bit further down, until eventually, they finally reached the bottom.
There they were met with a large room. Made of stone as one would expect, the dark, cold, stale environment didn't improve one bit when they entered.
The room was mostly empty, the only thing inside, being three large bird statues.
Eri immediately got a bad feeling from those statues. Like they were watching her. Like they were alive.
Before they could think about that, suddenly people ran in from the other side of the room.
Birdmen. Eight humanoid crows, wearing black robes.
"Finally, we found her!" Said one of the birds looking at Eri. "The key! We found the key! CAW!"
"The eternal sacrifice that will resurrect the Shie Hassakiai! Grab her!" They shouted as all of them flew at them.
"Get ready!" Ren shouted as he pulled out his weapons. "Arsene!"
Arsene appeared behind him in a burst of flames, stunning Eri for a second, before she turned focus back on the bird men.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Ren shot at the birdmen, while Arsene threw fire at them. Taking out a few of them, while the rest of them descended on him.
All except for one, which flew right at Eri.
"A-Ahhh!" Eri immediately ran back, all the courage she'd built up vanished as she looked at the bird, and images of her past came bubbling up into her eyes.
She ran towards the staircase, but the Birdman was faster, and flew over there first, blocking her exit.
With no other option, Eri ran to the right, as the bird chased her, until eventually, she reached a wall.
Eri turned around, only to see the Birdman right on top of her, its wings spread out, blocking her from escaping, as it loomed over her, a menacing grin on its beak.
"Finally caught you…ERI" Suddenly Overhaul's voice came from the birdman, causing Eri to completely freeze up in terror.
"Eri" She recalled Overhaul, strapping her to a chair. Leaving her powerless, as his hand came closer.
Her in mind both Overhaul and the bird overlapped, as the Bird backed her against the wall, and reached for her.
Eri's breath became rapid, her chest rising up and down rapidly, and yet her body only grew colder, as she felt control over her limbs vanished, and she fell on her butt.
It was time. It was time for her to die again.
"ERI!" Ren shouted, his strong commanding voice cutting through the panic attack she was having for a moment. If only barely. "You're not the person you were before! You're stronger now! You have people rooting for you! Show them Eri! Show them who you are! What you became! Show them!"
"W-What I am…" Eri said through her hagged breaths.
Who am I? I'm…I'm Eri. Eri Midoriya. Eri thought, and immediately, something warm filled her. Midoriya. Yeah, I-I'm a Midoriya. Just like dad. And like my brothers and sisters.
That's right, Eri. Now she heard Izuku's voice in her head. And the warmth continued to fill her body, so much so that she started to glow. You're my daughter. Eri Midoriya. You are loved. You are powerful, and you are free. Never forget that.
We're all rooting for you Eri. She heard Kioku's voice.
They mess with the Eri, they get the horn! Give it to them Eri! She heard Kei now.
Eri! Eri! Eri! Eri! She heard the voices of her siblings in her head. Each one makes the light glow brighter and brighter.
"AGHHHHHHH!" The birdman stumbled back, covering its eyes. "Too much light!"
"Right. Now I remember." Eri said, her breathing returning to normal. "I'm not weak. Not anymore. And I'm going to get stronger. So get out of my way!"
The light turned into a fire that wrapped itself around Eri.
"Come out! Mr Dantes!" Eri shouted as she felt a name come into her head.
FWOOSH!
The fire jumped off of her and took the form of a man.
He was a tall and elegantly dressed man with long whitish silver hair, styled into a ponytail, and parted over one of his eyes. He wore black shoes with added purple and hints of gold, as well as black shoes, white gloves, and a long black cape.
"Hmph." The persona aimed its palm at the birdman, and white flames shot out, engulfing the birdman completely.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" The birdman shouted as it collapsed onto the floor, burnt to death.
"All of you! Get away from Mr Akira!" Eri shouted, turning her attention to the rest of the birdmen.
Her persona formed several white fireballs and threw them at the birdman that had been fighting Ren.
The fireballs slammed into birdmen, burning them all to a crisp.
"Huh." That was all Ren said.
Eri's persona grabbed her, and suddenly the two teleported in front of Ren. "Are you ok Mr Akria!?"
"I'm fine. And it looks like you manifested your persona." Ren said, taking a look at Eri's persona. "Edmond Dantes. I don't suppose you've read the Count of Monte Cristo?"
Eri shook her head and looked up at her Persona. "Is that where he's from?"
"Yup. I guess your persona pulled a character from my subconscious rather than yours." Ren said. "It happens sometimes."
CRACK! CRACK!
Suddenly, the two of them heard a cracking sound, and the two of them looked up at the statues.
Cracks started appearing in the statues, as their heads turned to look at them.
"RAHHHHHHHHH!" The birds cried, as they broke free of the stones, and flapped their wings.
Each bird was different.
One bird was larger than the others, and entirely covered in crystals.
Another bird had a giant beak, with sharp teeth, and spit leaking from it.
And the last bird had human hands instead of talons.
"Well well well, looks like little Eri thinks she's tough!" Cried one of the birds. "Guess we better show her her place! CAWWWW!
Immediately the sharp-toothed bird rushed at them, trying to devour them.
They teleported out of the way using Eri's persona, causing the bird to crash into a wall.
The crystal bird rushed at them, its footsteps shaking the room as they approached.
Ren and both personas opened fire at the crystal bird, only for their attacks to bounce off it.
"That's annoying," Ren said, as once again, Eri's persona teleported them out of the way of their attack.
"Got you!" Shouted the bird with the hands, dive-bombing at them, coming to grab Eri.
BANG!
"AGH!" The hand bird cried out in pain as Ren shot it in the eye.
Arsene and Dantes shot fire at it, setting the bird ablaze.
"AHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The hand bird cried as it died on the floor, burning even still.
"Well, at least that one wasn't a problem," Ren said before he saw the sharp-toothed bird take another dive at them. "Watch out!"
Eri used her Persona to teleport them away before the bird could bite down on them.
"That is a damn good persona power," Ren noted, before looking at his two remaining foes. "And it gives me an idea. Eri, I'm going to distract the crystal bird, and I want you to get the other bird to attack it. Understood?"
"Ok!" Eri then used her persona to teleport them, right in front of the crystal bird, before teleporting herself away.
"Hey! Over here!" Ren called, making sure the crystal bird's attention was on him.
SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!
The crystal bird immediately started pecking at him, attempting to strike him down while Ren dodged each attack.
Meanwhile, the sharp-toothed bird flew up and got in position to charge at Ren once again, only to notice Eri, who just teleported on top of the crystal bird's head.
Seeing its real target, the bird immediately charged at Eri, and the crystal bird.
CRACK!
Eri teleported away just in time, and the sharp-toothed bird bit into the crystal bird's head. Breaking through the crystals and shattering its skull. Killing it.
"Now! Arsene!" Ren once again summoned his persona and unleashed a huge ball of black fire, right at the sharp-toothed bird.
BOOM!
The ball slammed into the bird, causing it to explode, destroying the last bird.
Eri appeared next to Ren and jumped up in celebration. "We did it! We-ugh."
Immediately, she collapsed onto one knee, and her persona vanished. "I don't feel so good."
"That happens after you first summon a persona. " Ren explained, picking her up. "Especially using as much energy as you did. I'd say we'd made good progress today. Let's end it here."
"Ok," Eri said with a pout. She wanted to just finish this already. But given how absolutely exhausted she felt, she could tell that wasn't in the cards.
She summoned her persona again, and then everything went white.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Ugh." Ren groaned as he opened his eyes.
Apparently, Eri could just teleport them out of the cognitive realm altogether.
You learn something new every day. Ren thought, before looking at Eri, who was getting up albeit very slowly, rubbing her eyes and yawning as she did. "How do you feel?"
"Tired," Eri said. "But also…good."
She'd been worried that the moment she started this process, she'd simply collapse from fear. But she actually managed to go into a palace and take on her inner demons. It was a big relief.
"Good. We can continue going through the palace next time, although it'll probably take us a few attempts to fully get through it." Ren told her. "Don't try rushing through it, or else you might bite off more than you can chew. Got it?"
"Yes sir." Eri sighed. She really did want to finish this as soon as possible. But she knew it was best to listen to the experts.
And she was too tired to argue even if she wanted to.
So yeah, this is the first season with Ren and one of the kids. Naturally, it had to be Eri.
Anyway, yes it's another fate servant as a Person, it just kinda of fits.
Kinda.
Anyway, please review and have a nice day.