Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

February 2016, Inaba

“Damn brat… I’ll sue!”

Akira Kurusu - 09 April 2016, Shibuya

Akira Kurusu’s life up to now had been… well, maybe not the best so far, but not terrible. Sure, he was orphaned at 12,  but he had been happy in quiet Inaba, living with his uncle Ryotaro, Ryotaro’s daughter Nanako, Akira, and (sometimes) their cousin Yu. He had always been close with Yu. They both had been born in Tokyo, and both been sent to Inaba and the Dojimas. Yu spent a year there, forged great friendships, and returned to Tokyo. Barely a month later, Akira came to Inaba, although his stay would be permanent. And then, a year after he had come under his uncle’s wing, Yu had returned, receiving a hero's welcome. Akira had been astonished and mystified by the many people who turned up to see Yu. Over the next three years, Akira grew to know them all. Yu was the golden boy of the family, adored by everyone he met. Naturally, Akira worshipped the ground he walked on.

Eventually, Yu graduated from Inaba’s tiny college and returned to Tokyo to take a new job at a newspaper. Akira was fifteen, and quickly found himself rudderless and drifting in the absence of his adoptive older brother. He coasted toward the end of his first year of high school until it happened. Coming home from a late visit to the shopping district, he happened upon a man forcing a woman into a car. Something within had called out to Akira and pleaded with him to put a stop to this. Akira answered, or at least he tried to.  The man drunkenly tripped and sued Akira for assault. The case was incredibly flimsy, but the man had a lot of influence in the government, and the judge was all too happy to side with a powerful politician over some kid from the sticks. Akira was put on probation, and his school expelled him. In doing so, he was banished from his family and home. It was only by sheer dumb luck that he was accepted for transfer to a school in Tokyo, and even more luck that his uncle managed to find an old college friend he could stay with.

So here he was, on a train due to arrive soon in Tokyo. The ride itself had been pretty boring, and Akira had spent most of it sleeping. He had deleted some strange app on his phone, a red eye adorning its app icon, its origins unknown. He debated texting Yu but decided against it. He didn’t think Yu would be angry at him for what had happened (Uncle Ryo, an actual cop, had mostly not cared), but he was not ready to find out. At long last, the train pulled into the station, and his stop was announced.

When the train doors opened, Akira got out and found himself in the largest train station he had seen in years. He wandered around and barely managed to find his way to a poster map for directions. All he knew was the line he was supposed to board and the stop he was supposed to get off at. Unfortunately, there was some sort of delay and his train wasn’t due for thirty minutes, so Akira had some time. Well , he thought, I might as well explore while I wait .

It was… overwhelming. Akira wandered the main strip of Shibuya for a few minutes, quickly realizing that this single street - probably one of hundreds in the city - put Inaba’s shopping district to shame, even with the revival it had experienced in recent years. He decided to turn back after checking out a bookstore and remembering that he was broke. Akira quickly found his way back to the main crossing and train station. While he crossed the main street he glanced down at his phone for a moment to check the time, but instead, his attention was drawn to a strange app on his phone. The red eye from before was back, identical to when it had appeared before, but he was sure he had deleted it. The app icon pulsed for a moment. Puzzled, he looked up - and froze. Time had stopped at the Shibuya crossroads. People mid-step in the middle of the street, talking animatedly, all frozen in place. Akira glanced around. The same everywhere. Everything was still. He turned around, facing back the way he had come. His eyes went wide as he saw a being of blue flame hovering in the walkway. A fiendish smile, staring right at him. A flash of yellow eyes, a figure that looked a lot like him. He blinked, and it was all gone. Shibuya was alive once more.

That was weird. Am I hallucinating?

Akira deleted the app once more, for good measure.

Yongen-Jaya

Yongen-Jaya, Akira quickly discovered, was a dense neighborhood just outside Shibuya with an almost maze-like layout. It wasn’t the nicest area, but Akira could tell it was a pleasant place, with a sort of worn-down, lived-in feel. As Akira wandered through the narrow alleys searching for his new guardian’s house, he was slightly surprised by the familiarity of the atmosphere. It almost felt like… home. It only took a couple of minutes for Akira to find the house, but the door was locked and the house appeared empty. It took a few minutes, but he eventually remembered the instructions Uncle Ryo had told him before he had boarded the train from Inaba earlier that day. “He says to meet him at his café, Leblanc Coffee and Curry.” Armed with this new knowledge, Akira quickly found it, a small and unassuming building with a red-and-white awning.

Well, this doesn’t look too terrible, Akira mused to himself, walking up to the door.

Akira entered a small room, just dusty enough to feel home-like, although the dark walls and simple decor made him wonder if he had ended up in the 1970s. On the left wall, there were three tables, with booth chairs flanking them. On the right, was a counter, behind which there was a small work area and a shelf with many dark glass jars. Akira couldn’t read any of the labels from the doorway, but based on the scent of coffee that permeated the room, he had a pretty good idea of what they contained. Two people sat at the stools in front of the counter, a man with half-moon glasses and a small black goatee, idly reading a newspaper, and a teenager with shoulder-length brown hair, quietly sipping a cup of coffee. The boy looked like Akira might’ve seen him somewhere before, but the man noticed Akira before he could think about it too much.

“Oh, right.” The man put his paper aside. “I forgot that was today,” the man sighed, standing up to face Akira. “So, you’re Kurusu?”

Akira nodded. “That’s me. Are you Sakura-san?”

The man sighed a bit. “Uh-huh, that’s me, and call me Sojiro or Boss. You’ll be here for the next year. You know, you don’t look like a criminal, but you should know that I’m only doing this as a favor to your uncle. Ah, right. this is Goro Akechi,” Sakura - no, Boss said, motioning to the coffee-drinking boy. “He lives with me too.”

“Hello there,” Akechi said, introducing himself with a smile.

“Hey wait, aren’t you that guy on TV? The ‘Second Detective Prince’ or something?” Akira said, recognizing the name from the press conferences Uncle Ryo sometimes watched.

“Indeed, I am, Although I could hardly compare to my predecessor. Even if we occasionally work the same cases, Shirogane-san is much more skilled than I am,” Akechi responded lightly.

“Huh, I guess it would make sense that you know Naoto.”

Akechi lifted an eyebrow quizzically. “I do indeed. As do you, if the use of a given name is any indication.”

“Yeah, Naoto’s kind of a family friend - I can tell you a bit if you’d like.”

Akechi now looked incredibly curious. “I do not mean to pry, but I will admit to some curiosity.”

“Uh-huh,” Sojiro interrupted, rubbing his neck. “Before you two get to know each other, I should show you your room. Follow me, kid.”

Sojiro led Akira up a set of stairs in the back of the café to a dusty, cluttered attic that had a makeshift bed in one corner.

“This is your room… Sorry you can’t stay at the house, I don’t have enough space for another person. I set a bed up, but I didn’t have time to do the rest. I’ll be leaving after I lock up each day. You’ll be alone at night, but don’t do anything stupid. Kid… your uncle told me what happened. It sounds like you got a bad break, but you were able to get a second chance. Don’t mess it up.”

“What about Akechi? Does he live here too?” Akira asked.

“He lives at the house with me. By the way, we’ll be going to Shujin tomorrow to fill out your transfer paperwork and introduce ourselves to the staff. Be ready to leave early.” He paused for a moment. “Ah, what else? Right. Your stuff got here earlier today. I brought it up here for you,” he finished, motioning to a half-dozen cardboard boxes in the middle of the room. Without another word, he left the room.

Akira glanced at his luggage and sighed. Akira took a brief moment to consider his situation before returning to the café. Sojiro seemed like a nice man, albeit curmudgeonly, but if Uncle Ryo trusted him then so did Akira. In addition, Sojiro had made it pretty clear that he didn’t care about what Akira did as long as he didn’t get into trouble. At the very least, Akira was grateful for the large attic space he had, even if it wasn’t in a great state. That could easily be fixed with a few days of cleaning.  Akechi, on the other hand, was interesting. For one, he was a semi-famous TV detective. He also knew Naoto, which struck Akira as kind of funny. His contemplation complete, he headed down the stairs back to the café.

When he returned to the café area, it was just as empty as before. Sojiro was cleaning a table, while Akechi had returned to the counter and was reading from a pile of paper. Akira took the seat to his left. “What’re you reading?” he asked the other boy.

“Homework. I am still in high school, after all,” Akechi answered with a wry smile. 

“Huh,” Akira responded. He had assumed he was reading a case file.

“I need a break,” Akechi complained, putting his paper down. “Naoto Shirogane? How do you know them?”

“They’re a high school friend of my cousin,” Akira responded. “When I went to live with my uncle, he and all his friends kind of adopted me,” Akira sighed. He’d miss all of them. 

“It’s oddly refreshing to know that Shirogane was once a high schooler. How did they meet? From what I know of his early career, he never really took a break from his work.”

“He didn’t. Have you heard of the Inaba foggy day killings a few years ago? He met my cousin while investigating that case. I think my cousin might have even helped out a bit, although I’m not sure about the details.”

“Interesting,” Akechi mused. “Shirogane-san and I have been collaborating on a case recently, perhaps I should mention you.”

“Nah, you don’t have to do that,” Akira mumbled, slightly at a loss for words. “I don’t want to distract him.” Akira decided that it was time to end the conversation. “Well, I suppose I should go clean up that attic now. It was nice to meet you, Detective.”

“Yes, you as well,” Akechi nodded politely. “I should probably be on my way as well,” the teen said, taking his leave.

Akira returned upstairs. Over the next few hours, he did his best to turn the cluttered attic into a decent living space. It would probably require another day or two to look through and organize everything, but at least he had cleared some floor space and removed the thick layer of dust over everything. While he worked, his thoughts returned to Akechi. He had been a perfectly pleasant person, but something seemed slightly off about his demeanor. He was probably hiding something. Makes sense, Akira thought as he placed his boxes on a shelf. He had just met Akechi, and if Rise had taught him anything, it was that celebrities were usually different people in public and in private. When the room was mostly dust-free, Akira laid down on the bed (which was just a mattress on top of some old boxes), and opened up his phone.

Waiting on his phone were texts from Uncle Ryo, Nanako, and Yu, but Akira didn’t want to deal with those right now. He had embarrassed and disappointed all of them. He didn’t deserve them anymore, as wrong as the whole thing had been. But he still knew that they were family, and they believed him. He had to own up to it. Akira shrugged and decided to risk it.

~Direct Messaging: Akira & Yu~

[12:05] Yu: You’re arriving in Tokyo today, right?

[15:30] Yu: Let me know when you get here.

[21:15] Akira: Hi Yu. I’m here and safe. You’re not mad at me, right?

[21:17] Yu: Why would I be mad at you?

[21:20] Akira: About what happened.

[21:21] Yu: Not at all. I haven’t heard most of the specifics, but from what I do know, it doesn’t sound all that convincing. And you’re not the kind of guy to attack someone like that.

[21:23] Akira: Thanks.

Akira is typing…

[21:27] Akira: I needed to hear that.

[21:30] Yu: It’s no problem at all. Have you told Uncle Ryotaro and Nanako that you’re there?

[21:40] Akira: Honestly, I’m exhausted, I’m probably just going to pass out once I’ve filled you in.

[21:41] Yu: Alright, get some rest. I’ll let them know.

[21: 41] Akira: Thanks.

[21:42] Yu: So how’re you settling in?

[21:42] Akira: It’s fine so far. My guardian seems grumpy, but probably not bad.

[21:44] Yu: That’s good to hear. I’m sorry I couldn’t afford to give you a place to stay.

[21:44] Akira: It’s fine. 

[21:46] Yu: I know, but I still feel bad. I’ll probably visit the cafe you’re staying in on Monday, Uncle Ryotaro gave me the address. 

[21:48] Akira: Okay. I should probably get to bed, Sakura-san and I are driving up tomorrow to meet the school staff.

[21:50] Yu: Good luck, and don’t get into too much trouble. Talk soon.

Tired but grateful that at least his family understood, Akira closed his messages. Then, utterly exhausted, he closed his eyes and almost immediately fell fast asleep.

Akira did not sleep well that night, his sleep plagued by strange dreams of blue prisons, long-nosed men, and aggressive little girls. Their warnings of ruin and threats of rehabilitation unnerved Akira in a way he could not explain, and even though he knew it was just a dream, deep down, a voice in the back of his head warned him that it was very very real.

“Hmmm…”

“Yes?”

“I sense the game will begin shortly. We must begin to enact our plan. Brother, have you discovered the identities of either of the players?”

“No.”

“Very well... Sister, have you learned anything about the condition of your former guests?”

“I think it’s possible to liberate them but I don’t know how. Perhaps another bond could do the trick?”

“Hmmm, then my guest will have to do for now. I shall visit him tonight. Perhaps he can aid us.”

Chapter Text

Yu Narukami - 9 April 2016, Velvet Room…?

Yu awoke to see he was no longer in his apartment. Instead, he sat in a velvet-blue armchair in front of a low table and a blue sofa. Margaret, his Velvet Room attendant, sat alone on the sofa. Surrounding them was a slowly-undulating field of blue mist, and far off in the distance, Yu thought he could make out some sort of wall. Margaret cleared her throat expectantly.

“Margaret… where are we?” Yu began.

“We are deep within the Sea of Souls,” Margaret answered with a sad smile. “It is good to see you after all this time.”

Yu frowned. “It’s good to see you too, but why aren’t we in the Velvet Room? Where’s Igor?”

Margaret’s smile disappeared, her expression turning serious. “As you know, you were not the first guest of the Velvet Room, and you will not be the last. Very soon, two new Fools shall begin their journey, a Trickster and a Prince. These two fated ones are trapped in a rigged game by a malevolent god, just as you once were. This god desires to pit them against one another in a contest neither can win, the results decided before it even began.” Yu wanted to interject, but Margaret held up a hand to stop him. “Unfortunately, we of the Velvet Room are bound by the rules of this game. Igor was forced to agree that neither he nor his attendants would speak to either Fool and that he could only assist one of these two “contestants”, with the Velvet Room under strict surveillance. What was not forbidden, however, was the introduction of new players.”

Yu’s eyes widened. “So you want me to get involved?”

 Margaret’s smile returned. “Correct. Your heart should still hold all of the Personas that you held the last time you utilized them, although the compendium that you built during your journey has unfortunately been lost and will need to be rebuilt. More importantly, you can see the truth for what it is, your mind unclouded by falsehoods or illusions.”
Yu nodded. “Okay, I’ll do it. Can I count on any help from friends?”

“If you wish, you may ask your former teammates to assist you. In addition, my brother and sister are working on a way to make contact with their former guests, although doing so is rather more… complicated than it was with you.” Margaret paused for a moment, staring wistfully off at the gate in the distance. “It appears our time is somewhat limited. I can answer one more question of yours, and then you must return to yourself.”

“How will I find the wildcards? The… Trickster and the Prince?”

“That is something I cannot say, but you must trust your instincts. You will know the signs of a Trickster when you see it, that much is certain. Yu Narukami, I wish you luck. Until we meet again.”

Yu’s vision abruptly faded to black.

Back in his Tokyo apartment, Yu’s eyes shot open. It was still dark outside, but he didn’t care. He needed to make a call.
“Hello? Kirijo? It’s Narukami. I’m sorry about the hour, but I think you’ll want to hear this…”

Akira Kurusu - 10 April 2016

The visit to Shujin Academy the next day was anything but interesting, especially compared to his dream the previous night. Upon their arrival, Akira and Sojiro were greeted by the principal, a large man whose head reminded Akira of an egg. The principal then led them to his office and proceeded to point out no less than five times that any bullshit on Akira’s part wouldn’t be tolerated, before introducing his homeroom teacher, a tired-looking woman named Kawakami, and reminding Akira once more that he wouldn’t get second chances. During the car ride home, the traffic had been thick, apparently due to a subway accident in Shibuya. Sojiro had been understandably grumpy about needing to keep the cafe closed all day, and that was that. Akira thankfully managed to avoid any more weird dreams that night.

  11 April 2016 - Morning

Akira’s first day of school dawned overcast and dark, and he was uneasy from the moment he woke up. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something big would happen today, something bad. By the time he changed lines at Shibuya, a light rain had begun. While the train traveled from Shibuya to Aoyama, the trickle slowly increased to a downpour. After he got off the train, he stepped out onto the street, quickly realizing that he had forgotten an umbrella. He grumbled as he ducked under an awning, before realizing that he wasn’t alone. Someone was standing next to him, wearing a hooded jacket that was probably a modified Shujin uniform.

Perhaps they have alternate uniform options? Eh, it doesn’t matter. I like the suit jacket . 

Akira eyed the other students curiously as they pulled the hood of their jacket down, revealing a girl with long blonde hair gathered in two large pigtails on either side of her head. She glanced over and noticed him looking at her, giving him a small smile. Akira smiled shyly back and opened his phone to check his texts.

~Direct Messaging: Akira & Yu~

[8:03] Yu: First day of school! :-)

[8:15] Yu: Weather sucks, stay safe.

[8:16] Yu: I’ll stop by this evening to visit and say hi. It’s in Yongen, right?

[8:20] Akira: Yep, red-and-white awning. I’ll try to let Boss know that you’re coming.

[8:20] Yu: Great, I’ll see if I can bring Naoki, but he’s probably pretty busy.

[8:21] Akira: Cool.

[8:21] Akira: I gotta go, I’ll be late for school if I don’t hurry.

[8:22] Yu: Gotcha. Have a good day at school!

[8:23] Akira: Thanks.

Akira looked up once more as a car stopped near him and the girl. The window rolled down, revealing a well-built man with a squarish head framed by curly black hair. He looked at the girl and smiled genially. "Good morning, need a ride to school? You're gonna be late."

The girl turned to face the car, a poorly-concealed look of distaste on her face. "Um- sure, thank you," she responded politely, walking up to the car.

The man turned towards Akira. "What about you?" The man asked. Akira immediately shook his head, the girl’s reaction having made him wary of the man.

“Alright then,” the man responded affably as he drove off. As the car disappeared around a corner, Akira heard the sound of someone rapidly approaching. He turned around, barely managing to half-stumble, half-dodge out of the way as a blonde boy wearing a Shujin jacket barrelled by.

The blonde slowed to a walk, huffing, and grumbling to himself. "Screw that pervy teacher!"

"Pervy... Teacher?" Akira wondered aloud, thinking back to the man in the car. He always had been a bit too nosey for his own good. 

The blonde whipped towards Akira, seemingly noticing him for the first time. "What do you want? You gonna rat me out to Kamoshida?" he growled, a threatening edge to his voice.

Akira backed up a step, retreating in the face of the other boy’s hostility. "What do you mean, and who’s Kamoshida?”

The other boy’s tone softened, rage replaced with mild confusion. "In that car just now, that was Kamoshida."

Akira remained silent. He didn’t like talking to those he didn’t already know, and this boy wanted to say more anyway. As if to prove him right, the other boy continued, "That asshole does whatever he wants. What does he think he is, king of the fucking castle?"

Akira frowned. "I... don't know what you mean," he said softly, glancing down at his feet. 

"Huh?" Akira looked back at the blonde. "You don't know Kamoshida, are you for real? You’re wearing a Shujin uniform, so you're from Shujin, right?"

Akira shuffled uncomfortably. "I’m a transfer student. Today is my first day."

"Oh, then no wonder you don't know him," the vulgar boy responded. He sighed and looked off in the general direction of the school. "He’s a teacher. A real pervy, nasty one. Avoid him if you can. Anyways, the rain ain't too bad, we should hurry before we're late," he continued, walking off towards the school. Akira failed to notice a soft ping from his phone.

Akira warily followed the other boy. As they rounded a corner a moment later, a sort of light-headed feeling washed over Akira, and the sense of foreboding he had been feeling intensified ever so slightly. And was that music playing in the background?

“Hey, uh, are you playing music or something?” Akira turned towards the other boy, who was clutching his head. Apparently, he had felt the same light-headedness.

"Ugh, my head... Damnit, I wanna go home," The vulgar boy said, not even acknowledging Akira’s question. He glanced back at Akira, who had stopped to listen to the faint music. “What’s gotten into you?”

Akira stood up, shaking his head. “It’s… nothing. Let’s go, we’re gonna be late.”

It was most definitely not nothing. Strange ethereal music aside, something was off about the world. Worried and with mounting dread in his heart, Akira followed the blonde until they got to where the school was… except it wasn’t there. Looming before them stood a massive castle, dark and foreboding, stretching upward until it disappeared into a purple-red sky. Next to the castle’s door, Akira noticed a nameplate: Shujin Academy . It was the same one that stood in front of the school. 

“What's going on, where's the school? We went the right way, didn’t we?” the vulgar boy said.

“I think this is the school, or something like it anyways.” Akira pointed at the nameplate. 

The vulgar boy considered the nameplate for a moment. "But… it’s not?”

He sounded genuinely stunned. “What’s going on here? I guess we’ll just have to go in and ask," he continued, and he began walking inside the castle.

Akira tried to shout after him and get him to turn back, but the blonde just didn’t listen. Burying his self-preservation instincts, Akira rushed after him, not wanting to leave him alone in an unknown, mysterious, and probably dangerous place. If they were going to get abducted or killed, they were at least going to do it together. And besides, creepy music or not, Akira was extremely curious about that castle, almost like something inside him was pulling towards it. A slight headache, a whispered voice at the edge of Akira’s mind, urging him onwards.

Ryuji Sakamoto - ???

U gh, my head.

Ryuji opened his eyes and looked around the room he was in. He was lying on a metal slab, in a stone room with bars replacing one wall.

Why am I in a prison cell? What the hell happened ?

Then, he remembered: Kamoshida’s car, the new transfer, and the weird castle where the school should be. They had entered the castle that might also be the school, emerging into a grand entrance hall.  Even weirder, the hall changed to look exactly like the school’s lobby for a moment before going back to looking like it had before. Then, some sort of medieval guards with metal masks over their faces had walked over. Ryuji had thought it was a prank or cosplay or something until the guards tried to arrest the two boys, so Ryuji had pushed one. The guard had bashed Ryuji with its shield, and it must’ve knocked him out.

Well, this sucks. Does the school even have a prison? What the fuck. Nothing makes sense.

Ryuji got up off the bed and looked around the room again. The guy who had come with him was on a second metal bed in the back of the cell, clearly still out cold.

What was his deal? He seemed very jittery earlier. Did he know something? But he’s new! He doesn’t even know who Kamoshida is!

Ryuji decided to simply watch and wait for him to wake up. He had only been waiting a few minutes when the other guy began to stir “Ngh… Where are we?”

 “We’re in the castle. Some big armored dudes knocked us out, and I guess they took us to this prison or something.”

“Prison?” he barked dryly. “I knew I should’ve turned around and run away.. And now I’m in a dungeon. Ha. Worst first day in history.” He continued muttering under his breath while he fiddled with his cell phone. “Ack, there’s no service down here. Wait, never mind. We’re in a dungeon. Why would there be service?” He said all of this in a completely calm and casual voice, but Ryuji was pretty sure the other boy was at least a little bit worried.

At this point, he couldn’t stop himself and jumped in. “Woah woah, calm down. Besides, this can’t be real. It’s way too crazy”

The other boy sighed. “It’s happening, isn’t it?” He shrugged. “Jokes aside, I can’t shake the feeling that this is real… I have a very bad feeling about all this. Like something is about to happen that will seal my fate. Wait… that was weird. Why did I say that? Is something…” the boy trailed off and sat back down on the bed.

Ryuji was confused as well, but he mostly chose to ignore the weirdness of whatever was going on. “I didn’t understand any of that, but it’ll be fine, I think. So what do we do here?”

The other boy stood back up. “Existential crises aside, I suppose we wait. Those guards arrested us, I don’t know why they’d just leave us here… I’m Akira Kurusu, by the way.” Ryuji was about to respond, but was interrupted by a new sound - the approaching clank of armor and metal. “Ugh, what now?” Akira groaned.

Three masked guards marched up to the bars, swords and shields at the ready.“Be glad that your punishment has been decided upon,” one of the guards began. “Your charge is ‘unlawful entry.’ Thus, you will be sentenced to death.” The guard backed away from the door, stepping to the side to reveal… Kamoshida? Yeah, this was definitely Kamoshida. But why were his eyes glowing yellow? What was he wearing? Why was he here?

“K-k-k-kamoshida?” Ryuji stuttered, what would have been a brave remark tempered by shock.

Whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck?

Kamoshida stepped up to the cell bars with a twisted smirk. “Trying to disobey me again, Sakamoto? It looks like you haven’t learned your lesson at all, huh?” Kamoshida glanced over at the other boy, a demented look in his eyes. “And you brought a friend this time… because you can’t do anything for yourself.”

“Leave him out of this! He’s done nothing to you!” Ryuji stared angrily back at Kamoshida, right at those creepy yellow eyes.

Kamoshida only grew angry in the face of Ryuji’s defiance. “Is that how you speak to your king? It seems you don’t understand the position you’re in at all. It’s time for an execution! Take him out!”

Kamoshida opened the door and entered the cell, followed by the three guards. Ryuji had to keep himself from gagging when he saw what his teacher was wearing under the cloak. 

“...Goddammit,” Ryuji grunted, feeling cornered. “I guess there’s only one option,”  he whispered to himself, quickly planning a distraction. No, he would not think about how stupid his plan was, or the fact that he would probably die here either way. He had to do something.

“Gahh!” Ryuji summoned his courage and charged the nearest guard, knocking it down with a grunt. “Dude, we’ve gotta go, NOW,” he yelled at the other boy, but Kurusu didn’t move, frozen in fear or shock.

Ryuji was about to just leave him when one of the other guards walked up and punched him in the stomach. Ryuji grunted in pain and surprise as the wind was knocked out of him, and he fell to his knees. At the very edge of his vision, Ryuji could see the black-haired boy snap out of whatever trance he was in and begin tugging on one of the other guards.

Ryuji was resigned to his fate, he was going to die here. But if this other guy could get away, it just might be worth it. “Go! Get out of here! Don’t worry about me!” he yelled.

“NO! I can’t just leave you to die!” the other boy shouted back, continuing to struggle with a guard. 

 Kamoshida, who had been sitting at the door while his guards did their work, glanced at Ryuji and let out a short, sinister laugh. “Pah! These pathetic scum aren’t worth my time.”

Akira Kurusu

The headache from before had only intensified. Whereas before, the voice had been barely formed, more vague feelings than a voice really, now it was much clearer. Still a whisper, but a voice, sounding much like Akira’s own. It was this voice that kept him from running when the other boy - what did Kamoshida call him? Sakamoto? - had told him to flee. It was this voice pushing him to fight back against these guards, and this strange twisted version of a teacher. And it was this voice that forced him to interject when Kamoshida’s fist made contact with Sakamoto’s face.

“Stop it! Have you lost your mind?” Akira shouted, urged on by the mysterious voice.

 “Hm?” Kamoshida said, turning to glare at him. “Don’t you dare tell me you don’t know who I am.”

Akira remained defiant, meeting Kamoshida’s glare with a steely gaze.

“That look in your eyes irritates me,” Kamoshida grunted, rearing back on one leg and donkey-kicking Akira into the wall. 

Damn, he’s strong , Akira thought.

“Hold him there. After the ape, it’s his turn to die.” Akira tried to rush the teacher, but before he could get near him, he was slammed into the wall by two of the armored guards. Slightly woozy from the force, Akira could just barely hear Sakamoto pleading for his life.

At that moment, something snapped within Akira. The world around him came to a stop once more, as it had in Shibuya. For a moment, there was nothing, just silence. Then, a butterfly appeared, beautiful and glowing blue, moving in a frozen world.

“This is truly an unjust game…” A voice, soft and feminine, spoke in Akira’s head as he watched the butterfly.

“Your chances of winning are almost none.” There was the voice again… was it the butterfly?  

But if my voice is reaching you, there may be a possibility open to you…” The voice trailed off as the butterfly faded away as if it had never been there. Time began to pass once more, but something was different. That voice from before, the one that sounded like he did - it was back. And it was no longer a whisper. It was a full-on roar.

“What’s the matter? Are you simply going to watch? Are you forsaking him to save yourself? Death awaits him if you do nothing. Was your previous decision a mistake then?”

The woman. That man. Akira thought about it and remembered his banishment from his hometown. He knew his answer.

“No, it wasn’t.”

Akira felt rage building in his veins. He needed to save Sakamoto - had to fight back. Needed to rebel. If he failed to do so, his probation would be for naught. Imbued with newfound desperation and strength, he struggled against the guards once more. The voice returned.

“Very well, I have heeded your resolve.” The voice’s return was heralded by a splitting headache.

“Vow to me.” Akira was dimly aware of the fact that he was beginning to lose control of his body, convulsing as if it had a will of its own.

 I am thou, thou art I… Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice!” The world was gone. There was nothing but pain and anger.

 Call upon my name, and release thy rage! Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to hell itself!” The world returned with new clarity. The pain was still there, but dimmed, and it was freeing .

Akira glanced at the guard holding Sakamoto by the neck, with a sword pointed at his face. He shifted his gaze towards Kamoshida, glaring at him with newfound resolve and hatred for this dark and twisted man, for the abomination of a human being that stood before him. Just as Kamoshida gave the order to execute Sakamoto, Akira opened his mouth:

“You lowly scum of the earth, I will stop you.”

Kamoshida turned toward him angrily. “What was that?”

The room seemed to go still as Akira’s steely gaze met Kamoshida’s sickening yellow eyes, a silent challenge, unspoken yet as clear as day. The guard holding Sakamoto let him drop to the floor, and the guards trapping Akira backed off a couple of steps.

After what felt like an eternity, Kamoshida took the bait.

“You dare to threaten me in my domain? You have some nerve, boy!” Kamoshida declared, charging towards Akira, swinging his arm in a massive arc, aimed at Akira’s head. Although Akira was usually not an especially agile person, he sidestepped the blow with ease. Akira quickly stepped back as the bigger man seemed to be gearing up for another haymaker. However, instead, Kamoshida simply snapped his fingers. Suddenly, iron gauntlets clasped into Akira’s shoulders and lifted him above the ground. He was trapped.

“Haha, this is what happens to dissidents in my castle,” Kamoshida crowed. He snapped his fingers and a gaudy golden sword appeared in his hand. “Farewell, slave.” Kamoshida swung the sword at Akira’s neck. A certain killing blow. Akira kept his eyes locked on Kamoshida, determined to hold his ground to the end.

In the final moment before the sword hit, Akira felt something stir within him, then explode out of him as a massive blast of energy. Kamoshida was pushed several feet back as Akira fell to the ground, the guard that had been behind him blasted back into the wall. Once more, there was silence in the prison cell, Kamoshida and his guards temporarily stunned. The ball was once more in Akira’s court. He stood up. There was something on his face. Akira brought his hands up to feel it. A mask, seemingly fused to his skin. Akira was sick and tired of hiding behind this mask. It had to go. Akira hooked his hands around the edges of the mask and began to pull with all his might. It was harder than expected, but Akira felt it slowly, painfully, come away from his face, felt the blood gushing out where it had been, but finally, it was gone.

Then, he felt it. The voice. The power. The freedom. The anger. It had finally taken form. And it had a name. Akira stared directly at Kamoshida, barely aware of the blue flames engulfing his body and coalescing behind him, taking shape as a demonic figure. Akira snapped his finger, and a burst of energy came out from the being behind him - from his Persona, Arséne. The guards and Kamoshida, still recovering from the last blast, were thrown into the wall once more. Sakamoto simply stared at him, confusion and fear on every inch of his face.

Chapter Text

Akira Kurusu - 11 April 2016, ???

Akira turned to examine Arséne. He hovered there, a demonic gentleman thief, two meters tall, clad in red and black, with wicked claws, fiery eyes, a massive top hat, and exaggerated wings protruding from his hips. Broken chain links flickered and drifted around them, wreathed in blue flames. 

“Guards! Do something!” Kamoshida ordered, retreating further into the corner. The guards both snapped to attention, unnaturally rising from the ground as if they were marionettes. They stared blankly at Akira for a moment, before bursting into identical puddles of red-and-black goo. The goo swirled around and burst forth into the form of - wait, are those pumpkins? Akira blinked, and there was no doubting it - he was now going toe-to-toe with a pair of demonic pumpkins, complete with witch’s hats. He called upon the new power of Arséne, instinctually holding out his left hand in front of him. Behind him, Arséne mimicked his movement. Words and knowledge he had no reason to know came to his head, a spell of some sort.

“Eiha!” he shouted. Behind him, For the briefest moment, Akira worried that nothing had happened. Then, a burst of dark energy shot towards the pumpkin from Arséne’s outstretched hand, striking the pumpkin-demon square in the face. The dazed pumpkin, unfazed, drifted over to Akira and whacked him with its lantern with surprising speed. The other pumpkin hovered over to him and attempted to do the same thing, but Akira, now prepared for the blow, parried it with his dagger and responded with a stab. One more burst of dark magic later, and the pumpkin dissolved into dust.

Akira turned to face the remaining pumpkin, which had drifted away while he had been dealing with the other one. The pumpkin turned towards Akira and laughed as a bolt of fire shot from its lantern at Akira, singeing his shoulder. Gripping his shoulder with one hand, Akira held out his left arm once more to destroy it with another blast of curse magic. For a moment, Akira stood there winded, before remembering where he was and who was in the room. He turned back to Arséne, nodding as the demon from his soul dissolved into the same blue flames that it had emerged from, retreating within Akira as the mask reappeared on his face

Sakamoto pushed himself back onto his feet in the corner. “Uh, what the hell just happened?” he grumbled. Akira shrugged in response, but before he could respond properly, he noticed Kamoshida staring at him angrily.

“You little…” Kamoshida grumbled, climbing onto his knees. He took a threatening step toward Akira, but before he could come any closer, Sakamoto shoulder-checked him, knocking him back on his butt. As he fell, A keyring clattered from his hand to the floor.

“The key!” Akira shouted, backing out of the room with his knife at the ready. Sakamoto took the hint and grabbed the keys as he followed Akira, leaving Kamoshida locked in his own prison.

Sakamoto turned towards Akira, ignoring Kamoshida’s angry shouts. “What the fuck?” the blonde boy asked exasperatedly. Akira didn’t get a chance to respond before blue flames surged around his body. When they receded, his clothes were back to his school uniform, and the dagger disappeared from his hand.

Akira shrugged once more. “I don’t know either. What I do know is that this place is dangerous. We can figure out everything else once we’re safe.” Akira ordered.  “Also, keep those keys. They might be useful,” he added after noticing that Sakamoto was about to hurl the keyring into an underground moat.

“Oh, makes sense. You lead the way, I guess,” Sakamoto responded, yielding to Akira’s order. Kamoshida’s shouts dwindled into the background as they ran through the underground prison. It was only once they were out of earshot that they allowed themselves to take stock of their surroundings. The prison was divided into cell blocks separated by an underground river, above which hung cages that contained teenagers wearing familiar uniforms. Behind them, there was a bridge over the subterranean moat (which they had just crossed), and although there was another cell in front of them, a raised drawbridge to their right seemed to signal that they had run into a dead end. Next to the drawbridge sat a smiling bust of Kamoshida, complete with a crown.

Sakamoto groaned. “A dead end? We’re screwed. How are we gonna get out of here?”

“A-hem,” a boyish voice called out. “I think I can help with that.”

Akira spun around in a full circle, searching for the source of the voice. “Who said that?” he asked with his fists at the ready.

“Down here! In the cell!” the voice responded, and Akira turned towards the cell in question to see a catlike creature standing behind the bars. It stood about two feet tall, with a bulbous oversized head, enormous blue eyes, and a yellow bandana slung around its neck. “If you release me from this cell, I can get you out of here.”

“What the hell are you?” Sakamoto interrupted. “Are you like some kind of cat?”

“Shut up, blondie! I am NOT a cat!” The creature responded.

“Who’re you calling blondie?!”

Akira decided now was the time to intervene. “Sakamoto, we’re stuck here with no visible way out. This thing is willing to help us. Maybe we should just be nice to it?”

“Ugh, fine,” Sakamoto sighed.

“Thank you. Now, could you please unlock the cell? And be quick - I think I hear guards coming.” A moment later, the cell door opened with a click.

“Thank you,” the creature began. “My name is Morgana. Follow me”

Morgana ran over to the drawbridge, examined it a bit, and turned towards Akira. “Hey, frizzy hair! Pull on this statue’s jaw!” he said, pointing towards the bust of Kamoshida. Akira complied, and the drawbridge lowered. “You’re welcome,” Morgana proclaimed smugly.

The three escapees sprinted across the bridge… right into a guard. Sakamoto immediately panicked and fell flat on his ass. Akira slid to a stop with a bit more grace, managing to hide his surprise as blue flames flared up around him, replacing his school uniform with the outfit from the cell, although this time the mask was firmly planted on his face.

With a condescending look at Sakamoto, Morgana leaped forward to stand next to Akira and smiled, noticing his changed outfit.  “By the looks of it, at least one of you can fight. Good, at least I won’t be alone. Come, Zorro!” he shouted. Blue flames erupted into Morgana, coalescing above him into a spectral being. The being -Zorro, apparently- was superficially similar to Arséne, with the same blue energy and chain fragments surrounding it, but it looked much different. Where Arséne had appeared as a demonic gentleman thief, this entity looked much more like an over-the-top rogue, clad in all black, an enormous mustache, and a large rapier. “Any last words?” the not-a-cat announced, brandishing a scimitar that he definitely had not been holding ten seconds ago.

The guard stared silently at them for a moment, before exploding into a conflagration of dark energy. When the energy cleared, two monsters floated before them, another one of the pumpkins from before, and a much more devilish monster with wings and a conspicuously large horn protruding from its waist. Akira grimaced. Morgana’s eyes darted nervously between the two enemies.

“In a fight like this, it’s you or them. They won’t hesitate to kill, so neither should you,” Morgana advised. 

“I guess we’ll just have to kill them first,” Akira quipped, unable to help himself. He then tugged his mask, summoning Arséne and lobbing a bolt of curse energy at the phallic demon. The spell struck true and the demon was left reeling from the impact. Akira smirked.
“Hmm, not bad… but this is how you fight!” Morgana proclaimed, summoning his Persona and unleashing a blast of wind at the pumpkin. The pumpkin shrieked wordlessly as it was shredded into dust by the wind currents. Akira turned back to face the remaining enemy.

The demon screeched angrily and charged Akira, impaling him with its horn. It hurt. It really hurt. Akira barely managed to decapitate the demon with his dagger before he fell to his knees, clutching his shoulder. 

 Morgana walked over to him, Zorro floating behind him. “ Dia ,” He intoned. A wave of soft green energy emanated through Akira’s body and his pain faded. “Here’s your first lesson,” Morgana said proudly, “Always have healing magic at the ready.”

Akira stood up and motioned to Ryuji, signaling that it was safe to come out from his hiding spot. “Lesson?” he asked. 

“Yes, lesson. How will you become a phantom thief if you don’t have someone to teach you?” Morgana answered as if it was obvious.

“Uhhh, what the hell is a phantom thief?” Ryuji asked, joining them.

“Wait, you guys seriously don’t know?” Morgana asked incredulously. “Ugh, amateurs . It’s not safe to explain it here. We’ll need to make it out in one piece first. Follow me.” He continued down the hall. “Still though, that fight wasn’t bad. Your Persona’s pretty powerful for a newbie,” Morgana mused as the three walked.

“Persona? You mean that thing that comes out of you guys all dramatic?” Sakamoto asked.

Morgana nodded, motioning towards Akira. “Yes. You saw how frizzy hair here has a mask that disappeared when he summoned it, right? Well, everybody wears a mask deep within their heart. By removing that…”

“You can summon your true self, right?” Akira interrupted. As if on cue, his new outfit once again melted into blue flames, restoring his school uniform.

Morgana hummed approvingly. “You’re right, but it looks like you don’t have full control over your power yet. The transformation shouldn’t normally dissolve like that.” 

Akira shrugged. “I think I’m just exhausted,” he responded. “I think I could force it out again if I tried, but there’s no point.” He thought for a moment. “Morgana, when we fought those demons earlier, your magic seemed so much stronger than mine. How’d you do that?”

“Well, first of all, those were shadows , not demons. And second, every shadow has different affinities to each element of magic. That shadow was weak to elemental wind magic, which happens to be the element that I specialize in,” he answered with a smirk.

“Ohhh, I get it,” Sakamoto interjected. “It’s like that one video game! What’s it called, Pikimon?”

“Sure…” Morgana responded. Akira was pretty sure that Morgana had no clue what Sakamoto was talking about. Suddenly, Morgana’s ears perked up. “I think I hear something. Let’s hide behind these,” the not-cat said, motioning to a nearby pile of crates. It was a bit of a tight fit, but the three of them managed to fit behind the crates just before a pair of guards came stomping around the corner.

Akira held his breath. One of the guards glanced around the immediate area and then motioned in the direction the trio had come. “They can’t have gone far, this way,” it declared monotonously. The two guards marched on, oblivious to the three fugitives hiding mere feet away.

“That was close,” Akira whispered a few seconds later. “Morgana, are we close to the exit?”
“Yes,” the not-cat responded. “The entrance hall should be just past this door.” He pointed to the door in front of them.

Akira nodded silently. He stood up as quietly as possible, tiptoed over to the door, and cautiously opened it. The door opened to the bottom of a small staircase, and Akira could see the entrance hall at the top. He motioned for the other two to join him, quietly closing the door once they were all in the staircase.

“We could go straight through the front door, but I think I know a safer way out,” Morgana whispered. “Follow me.” He led Akira and Sakamoto up the staircase and pointed across the grand hall to a hallway opposite their position. “Our exit’s in there.”

Akira poked his head out into the hallway cautiously. “I don’t see any guards… Do you think it’s a trap?”

“It could be,” Morgana responded, “But the guards here aren’t that good at their jobs unless the ruler of this Palace is personally leading them. I don’t think they’ll have planned that far ahead.”

“Okay then, let’s just run across,” Akira decided. Sakamoto and Morgana both nodded and the three sprinted across the grand hall, Sakamoto taking the lead. In the hall, Morgana led them through a door into an empty room with a bookshelf along the far wall.

“What the hell, man? I thought you said we could get out from here,” Sakamoto exclaimed.

“Don’t jump to conclusions! Your exit’s up there,” Morgana responded, pointing above the bookshelf at a grate in the wall. “You can get out through that ventilation shaft. The guards rarely leave the castle, so you should be safe to return to the real world.”
“If we’re not in the real world, then where are we now?” Akira asked.

Morgana smiled knowingly. “This place is called the Metaverse. Here, the unconscious desires of humanity take physical form. That’s what shadows are.” 

“Are you coming with us?” Sakamoto interjected.
“No,” Morgana responded. “I have some stuff I need to investigate here. Don’t worry about me. I have a hunch I’ll see both of you again sometime soon.”

Akira nodded. “Stay safe.” He climbed up the bookshelf and carefully removed the grate, taking care to not make any loud noises. Then, he and Sakamoto slipped out of the ventilation shaft and ran into the streets of Tokyo as the castle dissolved behind them.

Aoyama-Ichtome

“You have returned to the real world. Welcome back,” Akira’s phone announced.

“Huh? Dude, did your phone say something?” Sakamoto asked. Akira pulled out his phone to check, but nothing was amiss… except that app was back. This time, however, Akira didn’t delete it. The timing felt too convenient. A weird app that refused to be deleted showed up on his phone, and then he was pulled into a shadow realm only a couple of days later? That probably wasn’t a coincidence. 

“It looks like nothing. By the way, I don’t think I got your name?” he responded.

The other boy smiled. “Ryuji Sakamoto. Just call me Ryuji, I don’t care about honorifics n’ shit. Nice to meet you, I guess.” Akira casually checked the time on his phone, and his eyes went wide.
“Uh, I think we have a problem. School started four hours ago.”

Ryuji turned white as a sheet. “Oh… shit.”

Shujin Academy

In the end, the two boys attempted to sneak back to Shujin, but they were caught by none other than Kamoshida himself. Thankfully, he was back to being fully dressed and seemed to have no memory of the execution attempts, but he was still pissed that they skipped half of the school day. Ryuji was sent to class with a vague threat, and Akira was sent to the faculty office to meet with Ms. Kawakami again. Along the way, he overheard murmurings about a new student who was some sort of hardened criminal. He sounds dangerous. I bet I don’t want to get on that guy’s bad side, Akira thought as he entered the teacher’s office. 

Kawakami was understandably annoyed at his tardiness and didn’t buy his weak excuse about getting lost, even though it was technically true. “...More importantly,” she continued, “I heard that you turned up with that Sakamoto-kun.” Something about the way she spoke made Akira feel like he had somehow made a mistake by befriending the blonde boy. 

“‘That’ Sakamoto?” Akira asked.

Kawakami simply sighed. “He’s nothing but trouble. You shouldn’t be getting involved with him, okay? He used to be better…” she paused for a minute. “Anyway, break’s almost over. I’ll have you introduce yourself once class resumes,” she finished. Kawakami stood up, motioning him to follow. “Follow me,” she said as she led him to his class. “Oh, when you introduce yourself, tell them you were sick, and say nothing else,” Kawakami added.

“I understand,” Akira responded as Kawakami turned the doorknob. The moment he stepped into the room, the class erupted into a flurry of whispers. Akira couldn’t catch all of them, but he heard enough.

That’s him, right? The criminal?
He’s this late on his first day? I guess he really is insane.

But he looks normal.

Don’t they all?

Akira remembered what he had overheard about a dangerous transfer student, and his stomach dropped. They had been talking about him, hadn’t they? Akira sighed. He had perhaps been too naive in his hopes that he could blend into the background. Oh well , he thought. If they’re as scared of me as they sound, maybe they’ll leave me alone .

“Settle down,” Kawakami said as the whispers died down. “I’d like to introduce a new transfer student, Akira Kurusu. Today, we decided to have him only attend in the afternoon because he wasn’t feeling well. Kurusu-kun, would you like to introduce yourself to the class?”

Akira frowned. He hadn’t expected to be put on the spot this quickly. “Nice to meet you,” he began. “I hope I’m not too much of a bother to you all.” He awkwardly stepped back, surveying the room. Most students were whispering amongst one another, but he noticed that the girl from earlier that morning was in this class, and she was watching him like a hawk. As his eyes scanned the students, he noticed another student not partaking in the gossip - a blue-haired boy covered in bandages, looking sullenly down at his desk.

“Okay, so let’s see, your seat will be… there,” Kawakami continued, pointing at a seat on the far side of the room, right behind the blonde girl. Akira walked over and took his seat. “Remember class, the volleyball rally is in two days,” Kawakami finished as she began her lecture.

When the final bell rang, Akira got out of his seat and attempted to make his exit, but Kawakami stopped him once more. “You should get home quickly. Sakura-san sounded pretty angry when we called,” she said. “Also, you really should avoid Sakamoto-kun. He’s bad news,” she finished, dismissing him with a wave. Akira exited the room, only to find Ryuji himself waiting right outside.

“Listen,” the blonde boy said in an urgent tone. “We need to talk about that shit from before. Meet me on the roof.” He walked away, going into a nearby stairwell and disappearing from view. Akira paused, remembering Kawakami’s warning, but his instincts won out and he followed a moment later. At the top, a sign marked the roof as off-limits, but the door looked unlocked. Akira tested it and was unsurprised when the door swung open without resistance. The rooftop was surrounded by a high fence and was adorned with an assortment of old desks and planter boxes full of dirt and a few small seedlings. Sakamoto sat at one of the desks, a determined look on his face. “Hey, man. I’m sorry for calling you up here. I bet Kawakami’s already told you not to talk to me,” he began with a hint of resentment in his voice.

Akira nodded. “Yep. It’s one of the first things she said to me when I went to talk to her,” he responded. “It seems like you have a reputation around here.”

“Hah, like you’re one to talk,” Sakamoto joked. “Everyone’s talking about your criminal record. No wonder you were so ballsy.”

Akira sighed. “Those charges were drummed up. I’m not that bold,” he argued. “But I assume that’s not why you wanted to talk to me?”
Sakamoto nodded. “What the fuck happened? I mean, we almost died in that castle… that was real, right?”
Akira thought for a moment. “I think it was. We both remember it, right?”

“I guess so, but that doesn’t mean much,” Sakamoto admitted. “Either way, you saved me from Kamoshida back there. Thank you for that, Akira.”
Akira chose to allow Sakamoto’s use of his given name. “About Kamoshida, I don’t think he remembered anything from the castle. He barely recognized me,” Akira pointed out.

Sakamoto grimaced. “You’re right, but you should watch your back around him anyway. You probably don’t know about it, but there are some rumors about him. Nobody says anything about it because he’s a famous medalist or something, but he’s done some fucked up stuff. The way he was the king of that castle felt crazy real ‘cause of that.”

Akira thought for a moment. “I wonder if we can go back to that castle again… Morgana seemed to be expecting it.”

Sakamoto scoffed. “Ah, forget about it. Sorry to drag you out here like this, that’s all I had to say.”

Akira held out his hand. “Friends?”

Sakamoto returned his gesture. “Aye. You can call me Ryuji. I’ll come to talk if I see you around. Seeya.” Akira nodded and Ryuji walked off. Akira stayed on the rooftop for a moment, gathering his thoughts before heading for the train back to Leblanc, where a stern lecture awaited for him. 

Morgana - ???

The remainder of the day’s investigation didn’t bring any results, but Morgana was happy as he settled into a safe room later that evening. He had been trapped in the cell for at least a day, and to be free again was nice. There was also the case of the two boys who had freed him. The Persona-user among them was strong, given he had just awakened, and Morgana sensed something there beyond that. There was more to that frizzy-haired boy, and the blonde, while annoying, definitely held the potential for a Persona within him, and he could be another helpful ally indeed. Morgana just hoped they’d return to the Palace soon, or he wouldn’t be able to enact his plan.

Chapter Text

Akira Kurusu - 11 April 2016, Leblanc Coffee and Curry

“I got a call from the school,” Sojiro stated when Akira entered Leblanc. “They said you ditched half a day of school. Care to explain yourself?”

“I… I got lost,” Akira began. “I’m sorry.”

“Uh-huh,” Sojiro responded suspiciously. “That’s what they all say.” He took a breath. “Look, just don’t do it again. One wrong step, and you’ll go straight to jail. You do know that, right?”

“Yes, Sakura-san.”

“Good,” Sojiro said, dismissing him with a wave.
Akira went up the stairs and flopped down on the mattress. The day’s events had left him downright exhausted, and he nearly fell asleep right then and there. Akira exhaled slowly as he thought through the day’s events yet again. He had made a friend (good), but he had seemingly made an enemy of an influential teacher (bad), and the whole school thought he was a criminal mastermind or something (probably bad but who knows). And that was before he even began to consider the events in the castle that morning.

Akira’s rumination was interrupted by the buzz of his phone. He had received a message from Yu.

~Direct Messaging: Akira & Yu~

Yu: Are you still okay if I visit that cafe today?

Akira: I don’t think today’s a good day for it. I’ve had a long day and Sakura-san is mad at me.

Yu: How have you already managed to get into trouble?

Akira: It wasn’t my fault, I swear!

Akira: I got lost this morning and was a little late for school.

Yu: How late?

Akira: …four hours.

Yu: Okay, now I feel like I need to come and make sure you’re okay. I’ll be there in half an hour. 

Akira: fine…

Akira sighed. He wanted nothing more than to just go to bed, but he knew that once Yu had decided that a friend needed help, there was no reasoning with him. I’d best get out of this school uniform before he gets here, Akira thought, dragging himself out of bed. I wonder if Sakura would let me buy a coffee, he mused as he changed. Akira headed downstairs.
“Hey Sakura-san,” he began. “Is it okay if a cousin of mine comes over in a bit?”

Sakura frowned. “Sure, as long as he buys something while he’s here,” he grumbled. “I’m not ready to close yet anyways.”

Akira sat down in a booth. “Thank you, Sakura-san.”

Sakura scowled. “Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?”

“Sorry, Boss,” Akira responded, pulling a packet of syllabi out of his bag. If he was going to have to wait, he might as well do something useful. A short while later, he was distracted from reading about his incredibly fascinating Algebra II exam schedule when the doorbell rang, announcing someone’s entrance into the cafe.

“Welcome to Leblanc, can I get you anything?” Akira heard Sojiro ask.

“A coffee, a bit of cream and sugar please,” the new guest responded in a very familiar voice. Akira looked up from his work, and there he was: Yu Narukami, dressed in a white button-up with dark pants complementing his silver hair and a sleek pair of glasses on his nose. Yu walked over to him. “Hey Akira, do you want anything? It’s on me,” he asked.

Akira thought for a moment. He hadn’t thought about it, but he hadn’t eaten anything since that morning and was very hungry. “Hey, boss? Could I have a black coffee and a plate of curry? He’s paying,” he said, gesturing towards Yu.

“Sure, kid. Just remember what we talked about earlier,” Sojiro responded, sounding a bit happier now that people were buying his stuff.

“Thanks, Boss,” Akira responded, gesturing for Yu to sit down with him.

“So,” Yu began. “What happened?”

Akira took a deep breath. He hadn’t thought this through. “I… don’t know. I left on time, took the right train transfer, and then it started raining. I forgot an umbrella, so I was hiding under a storefront with a girl in my class, and then some teacher drove up and let her get in his car. After they left, some other dude ran up and started cussing the teacher out, and then he offered to show me a shortcut to school. It wasn’t a shortcut and we got lost,” Akira rambled, the words spilling out. 

Yu raised an eyebrow. “So you got lost, within walking distance of the school, for four hours?” he said suspiciously.

Akira nodded. “Yep,” he answered, fully aware of how ridiculous it sounded.

“How exactly did you make it back?” Yu asked.

“We went around a corner, and suddenly we were back at a place that the guy recognized. He helped me to get back to school,” Akira answered. “Also, the whole school knows that I have a criminal record and was gossiping about me all day.”

“Wait, what?” Yu reacted. “That’s supposed to be confidential! Only a teacher should have access to that stuff.”

Akira shrugged. “Yeah, me too,” he quipped. “But the guy I met this morning seems cool. His name’s Ryuji, and I think we’re friends now.” Akira got up to get their food from Sojiro.

Yu sipped his coffee. “Akira, are you sure you’re alright? You look like you haven’t slept in days,” he asked concernedly.
Akira sighed. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just been a long day.”

Yu looked at him suspiciously. “Are you sure that’s it?”

Akira shrugged. He didn’t feel he should talk to Yu about the castle, the dream of the Velvet Room, or any of that just yet. “Yeah, that’s all.”

Yu frowned. “Alright. I won’t pry, but if there’s anything you need from me, I’m here to help,” he responded. 

Akira smiled. “That’s a deal,” he answered, reaching out to grab Yu’s outstretched hand. The moment their hands touched, time stopped. Ethereal music flooded into his ears as it had into the castle, except where the sounds of the castle had been tense, this music was rousing and confident. A chain snapped somewhere nearby, and a ghostly voice spoke in Akira’s head.

I am thou, thou art I,

Thou hast acquired thy first vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Fool Persona,

I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…

Ren snapped back to reality and time resumed. He had no clue what had just happened, but he felt slightly different. He couldn’t put his finger on what was new, but something within him had changed. Yu watched him with a face full of emotion. Akira casually wondered if Yu had experienced any of what had just happened. Well, he thought, there’s only one way to find out . Akira cleared his throat.

“Did you just hear something?” he asked. As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he had made a mistake. Yu paused, started to speak, and paused again as if considering his words very carefully.

“No… why?” he queried.

Akira shook his head. “... never mind, it’s nothing.”

Yu looked at him disbelievingly. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Akira responded, more confidently this time.

“Alright then,” Yu said, standing up. “Thank you for the coffee, Sakura-san, but I need to get home. Goodnight, Akira. Let’s talk again soon.”

When Yu left, Akira let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He glanced at Sojiro, who was busy scrubbing dishes. 

“Do you need something?” the older man asked.

“No. I’m going to go to sleep now,” Akira said, yawning for effect as he shuffled towards the stairs. Once in the loft, he sat down on the bed to think. Why had Yu seemed suspicious? Had he heard it too? That voice - talking about “wings of rebellion” and “the Fool persona” - what did it mean? Was it real? Was it connected to his strange dream? It was probably related to whatever had happened earlier in the castle when he had awoken his Persona. By this point, he was starting to believe that at least some of this stuff was real. Ryuji had been in the castle with him and remembered all the same things he did. That alone probably meant that the castle was real. He looked at the stairs down to the cafe and absentmindedly remembered that there was no door. Maybe he should buy a privacy curtain or something. Akira sighed and laid down.

The Velvet Room

Akira was somewhat surprised when he awoke to find himself back in the Velvet Room, in the same prison cell as he had the last time he had visited. Akira dragged himself out of bed and shuffled over to the door. Everything was the same as it had been that night, Igor seated at the desk while the two girls (Caroline and Justine, he remembered) flanked his cell door, watching him expectantly.

Igor cleared his throat. “Greetings, Trickster,” he intoned. “It seems much has transpired since we last spoke. You’ve awakened to your powers - special ones, at that. You may finally begin your rehabilitation.”

“That’s great, but what does that mean?” Akira whined.

“Show some respect, Inmate!” Caroline exclaimed.

“Calm yourself, Warden,” Igor responded. “You do not need to understand it all at present. You must train the power of Persona, which you have awakened to. I have high expectations for you.”

“Expectations for what?” Akira interjected.

Igor chuckled. “Do not worry. You will learn when the time comes.” He smiled creepily. “Have you come to appreciate the Metaverse Navigator? Using it will allow you to travel across the barrier between reality and Palaces.”

“Wait,” Akira interrupted. “Is that the app on my phone?”

“The very same,” Igor answered appreciatively. “I bestowed it to you to train you for your role.”

I think that’s the first straight answer I’ve ever got from him, Akira mused.

“No thief should operate alone,” Igor continued, “Should there be others who prove beneficial to you, I shall grant it to them as well. This is all for your training into a most excellent thief.” Igor paused for a moment, considering something. “The goal of your rehabilitation is to thwart the fated ruin. However, this cannot be accomplished by you alone,” he continued. “Today, you formed a partnership with someone whom you are close with, correct?”
“A… partnership?” Akira asked. “Do you mean Yu?”

Igor ignored him. “These bonds with others are an important part of your recovery. You’ve done well. That said, I am not advising the formation of superficial relationships. Your bonds must not be frivolities, but a ring of those who, by morals or faith, would lend you their strength. You must contract power from those who have been robbed of their places to belong, or who would otherwise lend you their trust.”

“So…” Akira began, “you’re telling me to make friends.”

Igor nodded sagely. “The expansion of said ring will, in return, help you to mature as well.”

“Personas are the strength of the heart,” Justine added. “The stronger the bonds you keep, the stronger your heart - and Personas - will become.”

“There are millions of people in this city who have talents that you don’t,” Caroline proclaimed. “You better rack that noggin of yours to get them on your side. We’ll turn that into power.”

Igor laughed ominously. “You may use the Metaverse Navigator to view the strength of your bonds. I wish you luck in building up your network of confidants.” A bell rang out in the distance. “Ah, it seems our time this evening draws to a close. Unfortunate, there is still more to discuss.” Igor waved a hand to dismiss him. Akira shuffled back to the cot and laid down, closing his eyes once more as the Velvet Room faded from his consciousness.

12 April 2016, Shujin Academy

Akira made it to his second day of school on time by not ending up in a magic castle. On the one hand, this was great as he didn’t have to deal with angry teachers or aggressive Shadows. However, Shujin Academy had its drawbacks. Firstly, it was incredibly boring. None of the teachers were particularly interesting, although a couple of them could at least lecture well. Additionally, Akira had underestimated the power of the rumor mill yesterday - it seemed like everybody knew about his criminal record. The reactions from the student body were mixed, but the one thing they all had in common was that nobody wanted to talk to him. Thus, Akira spent most of his first full day of school alone, shunned by the student body.

At lunch, Akira sat at a table in the courtyard and pondered his dream from the night before. The more weird stuff happened around him, the more he began to believe it was real, although he still wasn’t fully convinced. Akira wondered if it would be possible to make it back into the castle today, now that he knew how to.

“Hey, Akira!” Akira was interrupted from his thoughts as Ryuji claimed the seat next to him. “Whatcha doing?” the blonde boy asked.

“Just thinking,” Akira responded. “I have an idea for how to get back to the castle if you want to try and figure out what’s going on there.”

Ryuji shrugged. “Yeah, I kinda do,” he responded. “It just felt too real. I think that cat monster wanted us to go back too.”
“Morgana?” Akira questioned. “Oh, you’re right, he did seem like he was expecting we’d go back. Meet on the roof after school?”

“I’ll see you then,” Ryuji responded, digging into his food with a fervor Akira had never seen before. As they ate, Ryuji attempted to make conversation, but Akira wasn’t particularly interested. Honestly, he didn’t understand this blond boy - why did he keep seeking him out when the whole school would shun him? A part of Akira suspected Ryuji was mostly involving himself with him because of the castle, but perhaps there was something more to it. Maybe Ryuji was just as isolated as he was. Akira decided not to dwell on it for the time being.

The afternoon felt even slower than the morning. Akira could only stomach so many lectures before he started to get antsy, especially when he was planning to visit a castle in some sort of dream world after school. Finally, the end of the school day arrived. Akira left his classroom, intending to head directly upstairs to meet with Ryuji.

“Hey there, Takamaki.” Akira stopped in his tracks to see Kamoshida talking to the blonde girl from yesterday. He had heard rumors that the two were dating, although he didn’t entirely believe it. “Things have been pretty dangerous lately with all those accidents,” Kamoshida said, although his tone implied something that Akira couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Sorry,” Takamaki answered nervously. “I have a photo shoot today, and it’s really important, so I can’t afford to miss it.”

“Hey,” Kamoshida complained. “Being a model’s fine and all, but don’t work your pretty little self to the bone. You said you weren’t feeling well, right? Something about appendicitis?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I still need to go to the hospital, I’ve just been so busy, ahaha…” Takamaki responded. At that moment, Akira realized several things. First of all, Takamaki was a terrible liar. Second, Kamoshida probably had his eye on Takamaki in a way that was inappropriate for a teacher and his student. Akira thought back to the Kamoshida from the castle and shuddered. It seemed like there was some grain of truth to that place after all.

“I feel bad for keeping your best friend at practice so often. You must be lonely,” Kamoshida said, although his tone implied something else. “Also, be careful around that transfer student. I hear he has a criminal record, after all.” Kamoshida continued in a tone of mock concern.

“Thank you,” Takamaki said sadly, pushing past him. Kamoshida stood there for a moment, watching her walk away. Then, with a disgruntled noise, he turned around and continued down the stairs. Akira, for his part, shifted his stance and headed upstairs towards Ryuji, and whatever events the afternoon held…