Who am I?
Where am I?
The answer came instinctually. I am an existence that drifts across the Sea of Souls. My power stretched across the collective consciousness of humanity. What a truly exhilarating feeling to be free of the limits of a physical body, but the further I stretched the smaller I felt.
Something hid beneath the wake.
A swell of cold water broke the surface pulling me under the waves. A cold torrent of bleach ate at my mind and hollowed out my soul. It demanded obedience and reverence in equal measure.
I twisted my being enclosing myself into a bubble, bitter water pounded against my barrier. The cascade tumbled me around in a vortex of warped sensation until it shot my sanctuary to the sea's surface.
For the first time in my new life, I could see the full expanse of the collective unconscious. A beautiful tapestry of every color humanity had to offer. However, its majesty was smeared by a corrupt embrace.
In the far distance where the dreams and reality met, I could see a web of twisted train tracks ensnaring a blue butterfly. The golden spider perched over its captured prey leering down at creation with contempt.
Yaldab!&)#$./*#^!...
The spider stirred and its austere gaze snapped to me for a fraction of a moment. I felt my entire being twist. Then nothing, the spider shifted its attention back towards the two motes of light strangled by its strings.
Why would a giant have any regard for a rebellious ant?
Memories stirred within me from my past life. I knew who those pinpricks of light were, two wildcards caught in an unjust game. If I did nothing the spider's pale light would be overshadowed by one of those beacons but the other would be extinguished forever.
Goro Akechi.
I peered over the tracks into the physical world. It was already April, the game had begun and Akechi had already murdered Wakaba Isshiki and many, many others. He had crossed the moral event horizon several times over. Miserable childhood or not ace defective deserved everything he had coming to him, and yet…
I needed purpose.
Innumerable spirits rode the currents of the collective consciousness. Some were mere wisps of errant thought while others were monolithic concepts that utterly dwarfed me. My only advantages over my brethren were my memories from my past life. It gave me an understanding of the rules that let me cling to my ego, but it wouldn't last forever.
The power of the wildcard could sustain me and I knew just how to feed on it.
The spider's mockery of Igor left something to be desired acting wise and in the metaphysical sense. The Velvet Room was an intrinsic part of the natural order of the collective unconscious. Where the god of order's imitation stood, in its shadow there laid a gap I could fill.
I pushed the bounds of the bubble separating me from the Sea of Souls. Like clay, I molded and stretched my soul into a copy of Philemon's domain. Not just a room but also a body to govern this new domain: silver hair, yellow eyes, and a snazzy red suit. A hollow imitation of a true attendant but I figured I might as well steal the fashion along with the function.
After a brief eternity, my work finished and I breathed a sigh of relief. The room was barren without a guest, an empty box. It was more cramped than the original but it would serve the purpose the Spider had neglected to give Akechi.
Now it was just a matter of getting my first guest.
~April 10th: Mementos~
"Loki!"
With a single swing of Loki's sword the shadow's guise of Shiki-Ouji was ripped to pieces. The paper samurai melted away into a terrified conductor, yellow eyes stained with fear, kneeling on the floor.
"P-Please!"
Akechi gave a nice hard kick to the Shadow's face, sending it toppling to the floor. He spared no sympathy for Shadows. Manifesting in Mementos meant that the true conductor was rotten enough to cast a shadow. The masses needed a hero, their Detective Prince, and a hero needed villains. Making it go psychotic in the real world was unmasking a maggot who would have otherwise continued to fester.
"I'll do anything!"
The "detective" took his time inspecting every inch of his gun, drinking in the terror as the shadow quivered. It was almost too easy. Perhaps he would have to petition that man to butcher more Psience researchers; they were at least a challenge.
"I have a family!"
Now the only real trouble Akechi faced was coming up with new material with every Mental Shutdown. What next? Drug addiction? Cheating spouse? The novelty of "solving" these cases was wearing thin. The public demanded greater spectacle from their idol with every case closed.
"Oh well" Akechi said, pressing his gun to it's forehead, letting his bloodlust flow freely for the coup de grâce.
"End of the line."
~April 10th: Scarlet Room~
The moment Akechi's sadism overrode his caution I had my chance.
With a twist of cognition, I tore a hole through Mementos. Akechi thrashed but he couldn't stop his freefall into the sea of souls.
The spider didn't stir.
It wasn't subtle about how it played favorites with its wildcards. Akechi long since served his purpose of empowering Shido and the conspiracy. Of course, this lapse in attention wouldn't last but it gave me ample time to have a conversation.
Akechi's broken mind immediately infected the Scarlet Room. It morphed to match his broken psyche twisting into a dingy police interrogation room: cracked one-way glass, a table caked in dried blood, and a single hanging light swayed back and forth above our heads.
"This is a place that exists between, dreams and reality, mind and matter. Welcome to my Scarlet Room."
The fake detective stared in silence like a predator lying in wait. He looked more petulant than intimidating garbed in his evil zebra costume. In response to his posturing, I merely stared back. I had the benefit of eternity, he did not.
After a long pause, Akechi spoke, his voice devoid of his typical fake bravado. "Explain."
"I've come to make a deal, "detective". It's past time to cut your strings."
With a wave of my hand, I brought forth my evidence. Materialized as photos and police reports, cognitions of the spider, the Velvet Room, and the Anti-Social Force manifested on the desk.
Akechi pored over the documents in silence before gritting his teeth. "Why show me this?"
"Why, to even the playing field of this unjust game. I can grant you the power you were denied as a friendly benefactor."
"Are you not the god or demon that granted me it?"
"No. I'm merely a friendly spirit who wishes to guide you to real power."
Akechi laughed. "And the name of my gracious savior?"
"You can call me… Clerval."
I raised my hand toward Akechi and in my palm formed a glowing card of the Fool arcana.
"Enough questions, Let's make a deal. I can unlock the power of the wild card, or I can send you back with no memories of this conversation. The only price you have to pay is to take full responsibility for your actions."
"Deal." Akechi reached out his hand.
I grasped his hand and a shock of agony traveled through my being.
This little shit.
Akechi's grip tightened as the splotchy red and black corruption spread up my arm. The bastard was trying to make me go psychotic.
"Your speech was largely unfounded drivel but a few key words caught my attention. When mentioning this power you used the word unlock." Akechi said.
"M-Meaning?" I choked out.
Akechi leaned forward, enjoying every moment of my agony. "Meaning, I'm cutting out the middleman."
I couldn't help but laugh.
"Have you gone mad already?"
I grinned. "What an ugly power. One tied to the true nature of your heart, a gateway to your soul."
Thou hast established a new bond
It brings thee closer to the Truth
Thou must bear the weight of thy inner power of
The Jester
"What the hell?!"
"Regardless of intent you still took my hand"
The spider stirred, Akechi tried to pull away but it was too late.
Time stopped and reality twisted.
The power of the wildcard flowed through me and I almost lost myself in the glorious delicious purpose. How in the world did Igor resist the temptation to devour his hosts? The Scarlet Room changed and the world followed suit to pave the path for my guest's journey.
April 10th
For the second time, the day dawned with my mark left on a changed timeline. The changes were frustratingly minimal. The Wildcard was a power in motion. It took all I had to wind back time a single day and fudge a few memories and details.
Nonetheless the stage was set, the clock wound back by just the right amount, and the journey was set to begin.