When Emil rematerialized, he found himself in a cool, dark place. It was similar to the space he was just in, but no stars surrounded him. Now, it was simply just void.
Except, he could hear something in the distance. Occasional shuffling, the sound of steel clanging, but nothing more.
Slowly, cautiously, he began moving towards those noises. The ground below him felt like uneven rock, as if he was in a chasm deep underground. But soon, he saw light shining down from the ceiling in the distance.
As he approached, a man sat under that light. Dressed for battle, with a reinforced jacket and black pants, holding a sheathed sword with both of his hands.
Emil stood a distance away and observed him for a while. He would sometimes draw the sword ever so slightly, just to close it again. He looked… empty. As if he had lost everything he lived for and more, but couldn't die.
Emil's head started to throb slightly, and the man turned slightly, not looking at Emil, to speak to him.
"I did."
"...w-what?" Emil stammered, not sure what he was talking about.
"I did lose everything. I'd say you're perceptive for noticing, but I'm sure it's written on me clear as day." The man spoke clearly and concisely, barely a hint of emotion in his voice.
"I didn't… I didn't say that out loud."
"I know you didn't, but you're in my own little world now. I know what you think when you're here, if I really want to. Knew you were here from the moment you arrived, figured you'd find me so it wasn't worth looking for you."
"Okay… okay. Am I dreaming right now? Or is this…"
"That depends on your perspective. Your body is most certainly cozy in your bed, sleeping without a care in the world. Your mind, however, is here. This is as real as anything else to your soul."
The man picked up a handgun that Emil hadn't noticed was at his side and began to disassemble it.
"Does that mean that… thing is real too?"
The man froze.
"...you saw Erebus?"
He stood from where he was sitting and turned to face his visitor.
Emil was shocked to see he was now face to face with that very same guardian statue, in the flesh.
He stood about even height with himself, similar eye color but he had shorter brown hair that was parted in the center. Easily only 16 or 17 years old.
"Is that what the beast is called? I've been seeing him every night, in my dreams." Emil said as calmly as he could, trying keeping the quiver of fear out of his voice.
It was the man's turn to be shocked.
"You… you're just a normal person. You aren't a Wild Card? Not even a Persona user?"
"What do you mean by 'Persona user'?"
The man put his face in his palms and let out a big sigh.
"Great. Just fuckin' great. Look, kid, there's usually a process to this whole thing. Considering you aren't even a Persona user, do you even know why you're having these dreams? Did you… ugh!"
The man threw his hands up and just stood there, looking angry and sad about something.
"Look, I don't know anything, man. Are you trying to tell me that there's a meaning behind my dreams? And don't call me 'kid', you're younger than me for god's sake."
The man looked off into the distance for just a moment, before coming to terms with the fact that he's gonna have to explain everything to this… anomaly.
"...okay. First things first, I may look younger than you but I promise, I am not. Trust me, it'll make more sense in… awhile. Take a seat, I have some explaining to do. No questions til the end, I can already tell this is going to be a bitch."
The man stuck his hand out.
"My name's Vincent. And I am something called a Keeper."
After an indiscriminate amount of time, what Vincent called "the basics" were nearly over.
They were in a plane of existence above that of the mortal world, but one that influences countless mortal worlds, called the Collective Unconscious.
The Sea of Souls.
It exists outside of standard linear time, and has its own timeline separate from the mortal worlds it influences.
Long in the Collective Unconscious' past, something threatened all of existence itself. It wished to bring death to everything. One human, a man from a world similar to Emil's and Vincent's, rose up to stop that. Using the power that he amassed over his Journey, he developed a power unrivaled. The ability to bring about a new beginning, or the absolute end.
The Universe Arcana.
Using this power, he created a powerful seal to keep this being from ending everything. But the seal requires something from the mortal world that is powerful enough to maintain it.
Thus, that man gave up his very soul, and became the First Keeper of The Great Seal.
But, the soul is a finite thing. It doesn't matter how powerful you can grow, your soul must eventually return to whence it came.
And so, the soul of the First Keeper began to fade away.
And the seal itself carried on his will. Knowing that every possible world connected to this Collective Unconscious would suffer the same fate if the being was freed, it began sending a signal out to every world connected to it.
Searching for a new candidate, a new Keeper.
Since the first Keeper, there have been countless others. All people like Him, powerful beings capable of safeguarding the future for everyone else.
"...and that's the basics. Any questions before I continue?"
Emil just sat there, working to grasp it all in his head.
"Hellooo…? You don't need to understand it fully yet, but I need to know that you're at least comprehending what I'm saying! It's very, very important."
"Yes, yes, I'm following you. Continue if you must."
"Good. Now…"
"Every candidate undergoes their own Journey, called an Ascension. Every candidate is referred to as a Messiah.
Typically, the Ascension consists of a journey undertaken by a Messiah where they find themselves, and learn about the world and life through their bonds with others. It's these bonds that teach them about life, the good and the bad, and that gives them their immense power.
I'm not going to explain what a wild card or a Persona is to you, it's not worth it, kid. You can't even use one as you are now.
The important thing to know is, every single Messiah went through this process in some way. I don't know why, it's just the way it works. Maybe it's some sort of symbolism that we need to follow in the First's footsteps, it doesn't matter.
What does matter, is that the current Keeper's soul is fading."
Emil felt his heart sink. He hadn't considered why he'd been brought here or why he was learning all of this. But as soon as those words left Vincent's mouth, he knew.
Vincent noticed his change in demeanor immediately.
"Finally hit you, huh? You didn't end up here by accident, kid. All of us Keepers felt the pulse that the Seal sent out, your dreams probably started as soon as that pulse reached you."
"But… why? Why me? I don't have these… powers! I don't even have anyone in my life that I have a strong bond with! Why did it choose me?!"
Emil started to feel distraught as he yelled and grabbed Vincent.
Vincent, not too eager to be dealing with the dramatics, gave him a swift punch in the jaw as soon as he grabbed him, knocking him to the ground.
"Trust me, Emil, if I could answer that I would. But, if I'm being entirely honest, I don't know how you're supposed to stack up to being the next Keeper. You're nothing. The only thing you have going for you is that potential inside of you, aside from that you're just a pathetic man."
Emil didn't get up. He didn't sit up. He just laid there on the ground, feeling sorry for himself.
"I can tell you what won't help you," Vincent continued, "not getting back up won't help you. Because, unless I didn't make it clear enough, if you don't become the next Keeper then we're all as good as dead. Then our sacrifices will have been for nothing.
Everything you have ever known will be reduced to nothing."
Emil could feel himself spiraling downward, he didn't know how to deal with this, his own mortality being so brazenly thrown around like cogs in a machine.
Was that really all his life would result in?
"Y'know," Vincent began, bitterness and anger began to fill his voice "You have no fucking idea what any of us had to go through."
Emil perked up, forgetting his thoughts weren't private here. Vincent looked angrier than anyone Emil had ever seen in his life.
"You have nothing. You were going to amount to nothing if you had kept going like this. And now, now that you've been chosen for a purpose far above your station, NOW you feel robbed of your life?!"
His steady and clear voice now a loud and intimidating scream as he yelled at Emil.
"You have no clue who you are and where you stand! You don't know what it's like to have to go through this bullshit! To REALLY have your future, EVERYTHING YOU LOVE, taken from you!"
Emil could feel the fear and unease grow inside of him as Vincent approached.
"I think I know how to make you understand. I think I know how we need to mold you into your new role."
Vincent quietly said as he placed each of his hands onto Emil's face.
"I'll show you… just what MY Ascension looked like!"
Vincent Sinclair was, by all means, not perfect. Far from it, actually. But it was his Ascension that would lead to him showing his true colors. To the few that knew the man behind it all, Vincent was the best they all could ask for. A strong leader, a reliable anchor, and a true friend.
…but it wasn't enough.
Vincent led his team into a world that existed inside of mirrors that they called the Plane of Glass to stop a malevolent God from corrupting his town to use as a springboard for the rest of the world.
His Ascension was… unique. Not unlike Emil, in the way that his Journey didn't begin as an Ascension.
Let's start even further from the beginning.
Emil found himself in an almost trance-like state, inside Vincent's head. Seeing flashes and moments in time, feeling the emotions he did.
I cared nothing for the world. I cared nothing for this race of humans I was a part of. Everyone is a piece of work, and no one is redeemable. Suppose that line of thinking was because of my parents, but I'll never know for sure.
Emil caught flashes of a small home in a large town. The autumn leaves falling as the temperature outside similarly dropped. A giant fountain as the centerpiece, the main attraction to such a town, that sits in the middle of nowhere. A bookshelf to rival his own in this house where only one high school student lived.
I did horrible things. Manipulated anyone and everyone to get whatever I wanted. And I mean whatever I wanted.
I lied, cheated, slandered, stole. It didn't matter.
But… that all changed when…
The prior visions all melted away, leaving only one figure in sight.
She had steel gray eyes, and beautifully braided hair. Emil couldn't make out anything more, as the image grew hazy.
"...you aren't that anymore, Vin. It's okay."
Vincent paused, and Emil could feel the tears welling up in his eyes.
She made my life better. She made me a better person. But I had to ruin it. One little misunderstanding, and…
The girl, now disheveled and terrified. A man, maybe 10 years their senior, beaten and bloodied on the ground. And Vincent's hands covered in his blood.
She wouldn't look at me the same after that. Not like I could even talk to her. Thankfully she testified for me, and I didn't go to jail. But that was it.
Maybe a year later, people start disappearing. Some rumor about mirrors.
I didn't care until Amelia's brother came to my house. Told me she was gone like everyone else.
Now, Emil saw Vincent staring at himself in the mirror. His reflection didn't follow his movements, and soon reached out of the mirror itself to pull him in.
The world in there was lifeless. A perfect mirror to what He wanted our world to become.
But, that was where it all started.
A labyrinth with walls that reached the tall, tall ceiling. An always shifting maze. A doppelganger.
We called them "Reflections". They wanted us dead, so they could take our place. Creations of the God of this world, just more pawns in his game.
Emil could feel the fight play out as Vincent and his Reflection brutalized each other.
Until the sound of glass shattering was heard, and a brilliant light sprawled forth from him.
I summoned Mendacius for the first time, just to kill this imposter. And I suppose that was the beginning of the end.
A blue room, brilliant in its color, and soothing in it's sounds.
Soon, that long-nosed bastard explained it all to me. Personas, the meaning of the Arcana, the bonds I must forge, and my role to play as a potential Wild Card.
I didn't care.
I just wanted to get her out safe.
So, I built a team through deception. They all saw me as a good-natured man just trying to do right by his town. I preyed upon their insecurities to bring them all together.
Emil saw 9 figures all standing around him. Happily chatting, and enjoying their time with one another.
But, things weren't going to be so easy.
Our foe had been busy, and would recruit broken people for his own team. Head to head with us.
Each and everyone of us was forced to kill each and everyone of them.
Suddenly, with no time to prepare, Emil was flown through every kill as if he were there. He didn't know how to feel about it himself when he was feeling everything Vincent did in those moments.
Emil wanted to throw up and run away.
When we found Amelia, she had been forced to work with them. Ordered to kill me.
We got her out, thinking that we would be safe in our world. I was the happiest I had ever been in my life, and she was so glad to be back. I neglected my duties to my team to the point where I tried to pull the plug.
I had gotten what I wanted, and I suppose the mask slipped.
She, of all people, wouldn't let me. She worked under that God for weeks, knew what he was planning, and it was far bigger than any of us had imagined.
I didn't think I could handle being my true self and the leader of us at the same time.
"You are capable of anything you set your mind to, Vin. You got me out, didn't you? As long as I'm by your side, we'll handle anything he throws at us."
And she was right. The first step was coming clean to the group, and then it was time to plan an attack.
But… but…
Vincent trailed off, his voice breaking. Emil soon found himself not just seeing flashes of memory, but reliving what might have been the most defining moment of Vincent's life.
A cold November day. The leaves were all but gone from the trees. A small pavilion in a local park, where they always met before excursions into the Plane.
The meeting was going well, and Vincent was just about ready to have his big talk.
He soon noticed a man, dressed in all black, pale as snow, and taller than any man he had seen in his life. He was approaching them rapidly, and Vincent felt something was terribly off.
When the man arrived at the table, no one but Vincent seemed to notice him until he made his presence clear.
"Greetings. It is so nice to finally meet all of you…"
Amelia began to shake in her seat as he put a cold hand on her shoulder.
"And you… it's wonderful to see you again my dear Amelia."
Vincent wanted to jump out of his chair and lunge at him, but found himself glued to his chair along with his teammates.
"I… am Nyarlathotep. The Faceless God. Let this be a lesson to you, who break the rules of my little game."
A blue butterfly flew in front of the tall man's face, causing him to smirk.
Before he raised his arm, and skewered Amelia through the chest.
Vanishing into orange butterflies, Amelia dropped to the ground and the paralysis eased.
Vincent rushed to her, desperate to keep her alive.
"...Vin. You… you must kill him. He's going to… destroy everything."
Her face showed no signs of pain as the color drained from it.
Vincent pleaded and whispered, begging her not to go.
"I don't want to go either, Vin. I love you."
She softly spoke, before the light left her eyes.
Emil wanted to scream. He had never in his life felt such anguish, such heartbreak.
Left in darkness, Vincent was silent for a long time. Emil didn't dare try to speak until he was ready. He didn't even know if he'd be able to manage it.
It was clearly very hard for Vincent to tell this story, and he still had no idea what he was trying to communicate.
Eventually, Vincent continued.
…I fell into a pit of despair. I locked myself away in my home, didn't answer anyone. Didn't even realize that the town outside was slowly falling into ruin as Nyarlathotep's grip grew stronger.
After… two weeks? Maybe even three, Amelia's brother, Andrew, came knocking.
When Vincent said knocking, Emil immediately heard the sound of a door being broken down.
Broke into my house, apparently Amelia left him a letter with the truth. She… she must have known that it was too good to be true.
Vincent was silent as Emil witnessed Andrew give him the beating of a lifetime.
Our own navigator, not even on the front lines fighting, beat me senseless. But afterwards, he reached down and helped me out of that pit.
He was my first real friend from the group. Him and his sister truly were cut from the same cloth.
We continued onward, as I worked to forge true bonds with everyone.
I… felt alive. But some part of me would always be missing, and all of them knew it. That's just how life goes.
They all accepted me for who I was. Who I was trying to become, at least.
And eventually, we made it to the bottom of that labyrinth.
Suddenly, Emil was back in his own body. Vincent beside him, as what he described played out in front of his own eyes.
That God's lair was a cool, dark place. No light. No stars, like the Collective Unconscious he was born from. A cold void.
And when confronted, the battle ensued. We… we weren't ready. We were humans against a GOD. It became a battle of attrition, and when we were worn down, he got serious.
One by one, bodies began to appear surrounding the floor around them. Emil knew what it meant.
He wouldn't let me die. Kept me alive to watch as he cut down and bled my only friends. Each one of them telling me that it's okay.
Emil witnessed the pure terror that was Nyarlathotep with his own eyes. The towering menace that was the Faceless God.
I found myself in the Velvet Room after that. They told me that I had done the impossible. Through the purity of the bonds I had made, despite everything, I had obtained the ultimate power.
Emil watched as Vincent began to emit light like no other, and summoned something entirely new.
Nyarlathotep looked as if it cowered in fear at the newfound power.
I summoned the Guardian of Heaven, Ianus. And banished the primordial God back to his godforsaken corner of the Collective Unconscious.
But that didn't change anything.
Vincent fell to his knees as Emil watched. In that same beam of light he had found him in, the blue butterfly approached him.
Suddenly, it took the form of a man.
The man in the butterfly mask asked me if I wished for a purpose. Or if I wished to return to the world where everyone I loved was gone.
I told him, "What purpose would I have in a world such as that?"
And with a flash of light, everything was back to normal again. Vincent was sitting under that beam of light again.
"He made me a Keeper. Apparently I met his requirements." Vincent said, eyes red and wet streaks visible on his face.
Emil, as if walking on eggshells, asked the most vital question he could.
"Vincent… you said earlier that the 'current Keeper's' soul is fading. Are you not the current Keeper…?"
"...No, I'm not."
"Then… why are you here? Shouldn't you be in whatever comes after? Shouldn't you be… with your friends?"
Vincent cracked a smile, one that seemed especially self-deprecating.
"That's not how it works for us. We don't get that privilege."
Emil was deeply saddened by his statement. He didn't see it as fair, to go through that much suffering and pain only to not even get to rest by the end.
"...it's not fair, kid. That's just how the world works."
Vincent stood up and walked toward Emil.
"I hope hearing my story has done something. I'm getting the feeling that whatever I was supposed to do here, I accomplished that goal. You get to go back to your bed, kid. I get to go back to the Throne. Maybe we'll meet again up there."
Emil stammered in protest, he still had many, many questions. But Vincent was done, and with a touch of Emil's forehead, he was whisked back into unconsciousness.
When Emil awoke, he was in his bed. Morning had come and it was nearly time to go to work.
But, unable to process the life-altering events he just witnessed, he did not get up.
He moved the covers over his head, curled into a ball, and softly began to cry.
Author's note:
well, I hope this chapter has served to intrigue you. updates will come in 2 chapter batches, I think.
Vincent is a character I made for something I have been working on since almost right after I finished Promises, I hope to tell his story in it's full, unfiltered glory eventually. but I need way, way more experience before I undertake something like that.
anyway, thank you for reading, and until next time!
-alex