Chapter Text
4/14, Afternoon
"Now, class, be sure you put your names on the Career Questionnaire before passing it up. We don't want anyone getting labeled one of those Errants now!" cracked the bluenette teacher from her desk at the front of the class.
As usual, no one laughed at her joke.
She shook her head lightly. "Well, anyway, just make sure it's all filled out right, then pass it up."
'Whatever…' thought a bored young man as he looked down at his paper. 'Writing your name's the first thing you do when you get a paper….'
When his eyes drifted to the place he was sure he had drawn his name, however, he only found blank space.
'What? Did I really forget to write my own name? That's basic school stuff 101 right there. Guess I'm slipping…'
In truth, for the past few months, life had been rather… dull for the young man. He felt sluggish and apathetic like a nary thing really mattered. Things he used to love now didn't have the same luster or pizzazz as before. But, by the kid's reckoning, that was probably just part of growing up.
'Let's see… there we are, Haruto Fukuzawa.'
The boy looked up from his paper to resume his typical activity of gazing out the window. He used to love watching the sun slowly shift in the sky as clouds floated by, but now it simply was a way to pass the time more than anything else.
"Hey." The kid felt someone behind him tap his shoulder.
He turned and saw one of the other kids, some redhead like him dressed in the usual Kokatsu Academy tan blazer (Izumi-san, was it? He didn't really remember), holding out her paper for him to pass up.
"Ah." He grabbed it, put it with his, and then leaned forward to pass it to the black sweater-wearing girl with dirty blonde hair in front of him.
(Wasn't her name Aria or Airi or something? He didn't quite recall.)
(...Why didn't he recall?)
"Excuse me."
"Hmm? Oh, sorry, Fuku-kun!” She smiled, then swiftly grabbed the papers from him with her deceptively strong hands.
'Fuku-kun…? What does she think I am, a good luck charm?'
Surprisingly this tiny comment had been the one thing to get him to feel something other than apathy today.
That it was snobby indignation… well, it was something, at least.
"Say, Fuku-kun, I noticed you haven't filled out any future plans on this."
'Ugh, why does she care? This is going to hold up the class.'
"Eh." He shrugged.
"Have you not decided yet?" she asked.
'More like I can't decide… the answer's obvious what I'll be doing.'
"No, I'll probably be going into business; I just didn't feel like marking it down."
The bluenette suddenly appeared behind the chatty blonde. "Arai-san, do you have questions?"
“A-ah, Katayama-sensei!”
Katayama rapidly seized the papers from Arai's hand.
"Hmm… marking it empty despite having actual plans…." She smiled, which made Arai squirm in her seat. "If you weren't such a good student, Fukuzawa-san, I'd have to report you to the Millennium Kingdom site for Errant behavior!" she joked.
She then turned around and returned to her desk.
"That smile…" Arai whispered. "She's mad…."
'Well, maybe don't hold up class next time…' Haruto thought.
Katayama took a moment to scan the stack of papers on her desk before speaking up.
"Alright… I think that's everyone. Class dismissed! Be careful heading home today; with the recent Phantom incidents, who knows what might happen on the street!"
The young man stood along with several classmates as everyone rushed to pack their things into their bags and get going. However, as the redhead moved to head out the door, the teacher stopped him.
"Fukuzawa-san."
“Yes, Katayama-sensei?” He turned to look the bluenette in the eyes.
"I'd like to ask you not to joke around on your Career Questionnaire next time. These are important for the school, and having someone mark nothing down on their future plans looks bad for us."
Haruto nodded. "Understood."
"Thank you. Now… would you be willing to do me a favor?" she asked.
"What do you have in mind?" he replied.
"You know the French teacher in 2-B, Boivin-san? I borrowed a book from her, and if you could return it for me, I'd be grateful."
She was probably singling him out because he was a member of the Student Council, but whatever, it's a minor thing; he could do that with no issue.
(He used to feel proud of being part of it, but now it was just another thing he dealt with as part of his student life.)
(When did things get so stale?)
"Sure, I'll take care of it."
"Thank you!"
Katayama opened a drawer on her desk and withdrew an old beat-up paperback novel, which she handed to the young man. He took a moment to look it over, seeing it was 'The Arrest of Arsène Lupin' by Maurice Leblanc, before nodding at her and heading out the door.
‘Arsène, huh? That’s an oldie,’ he mused.
-
When Fukuzawa left, Katayama's face turned pensive.
'Haruto… what happened to you... to make you so out of it?'
-
The young man quickly found his destination, what with having Boivin's class the year prior in addition to this year.
"Ah, Haruto-kun, what might you be doing here?" the gray-haired, gray-eyed woman asked as she spotted him walking in.
(Something about how she said that felt off, just a little too flat and lifeless.)
"Katayama-sensei wanted me to return the book she borrowed from you in her stead. Here." He held out the novel, and she took it in her hand before unceremoniously stuffing it into her bag.
“Thank you, Haruto-kun.”
(Once again, the inflection was just that little bit off. Boivin was usually a tad more enthusiastic. But, surely nothing was wrong… right?)
(Right?)
"If that's everything, I'll take my leave, Boivin-sensei."
Boivin simply nodded. "Be seeing you."
(His gut was screaming that something wasn't right here, but his conscious mind had yet to notice anything wrong.)
Haruto made for the door, then headed past the roving students around him towards the stairs.
"Ah, someone new got a calling card from the Phantom?"
"Eh? Really? Who?"
"Some Pharmaceutical CEO, I think…."
"Great, they're blocking the way…." Haruto grumbled to himself as he spotted the trio of gossiping schoolgirls blocking up the stairwell.
"May I suggest you three gossip in the cafeteria instead? You're blocking the stairwell," spoke a tall, dark-haired woman in a stern yet soft voice as she approached the trio.
“A-ah, T-Tanemura-senpai! S-sorry!”
The three swiftly bowed in apology before rushing away as fast as they could without earning another admonishment from the Student Council President.
She turned to Haruto.
"Fukuzawa-kun, just the person I wanted to speak to. There's been a delay in the shipment of new balls for the sports teams, so we're delaying our next meeting to Monday."
He simply nodded.
"I see. Is there anything else you need, President-san?"
She giggled lightly as she shook her head. "Always so formal… Though, yes, I do have something. If you wouldn't mind, could you stop by Fuji's Confectioneries and order some cherry cheesecake for Izumi-san? We're planning a surprise party for her on the 17th to celebrate her birthday and welcome her to the Student Council."
"I'll be sure to get it done."
"Thank you." She smiled before walking off.
'Another thing to add to the list…'
Haruto held in a sigh before heading down the stairs.
'Shimokitazawa, hmm? Yes, I can feel it here.'
A black and white owl with a set of red goggles around his neck soared through the skies of Tokyo, seeking out a particular academy. When his intended destination came into view, he swooped down through the front doors and landed silently on the lockers.
'Now, where is it…?'
His keen eyes scanned the crowd of students before settling on a specific man. His short hair was a dark, almost blood-red shade, with curtain bangs cascading down the sides of his face, and his clothes were simple; Red sneakers, gray and black striped pants, a white hoodie with a white undershirt poking out, and an unbuttoned tan blazer on top. His crimson eyes, though…
'Interesting…' the predatory bird thought. 'So he's really the one? He doesn't look like much. Those eyes of his look rather despondent....'
The walk to the station was quick, though Haruto had to begrudgingly listen to the students around him ramble about that stupid Phantom trite that everyone and their mother wouldn't shut up about.
"Hey, did you hear about that new calling card?"
"I wonder what provoked the Phantom this time?"
"Some sort of pharmaceutical exec? What for?"
"I hope I don't get labeled an Errant."
'Just shut up already, you damn gossips….'
(Why was he so angry over some kids talking rumors?)
The train quickly arrived, and while Haruto inputted Fuji's Confectioneries into his phone's GPS, he noticed a strange app appear on his home screen.
'What the…?'
The icon was red, with a black eye staring right at him.
'Weird…'
He quickly deleted the app before pocketing his phone and taking his seat.
'Gonna have to run a malware check when I get back home… What a pain.'
The train soon started, and Haruto grew weary and tired as it left the station.
'Why am I so drowsy…?'
He yawned, and then, soon enough, sleep claimed him.
[Persona 5 OST - Aria of the Soul]
He was falling.
It was dark, aside from bits of blue kelp and bubbles flying past him as he fell.
He could hear something bubbling and a faint, muted tune.
And then, his eyes shot open. He was sitting at a round wooden table inside a drab gray tunnel with a glass ceiling revealing… water?
And then, a whale swam overhead.
Was this some sort of aquarium?
"Hehe…"
His eyes immediately moved to the source of the soft, almost ethereal voice; a hunched-back, balding old man with a bulbous head dressed in a black suit with white gloves. He had bulging eyes with pinpoint pupils, an inhumanly large nose, pointed ears like some kind of elf, and a wide, almost demented-looking grin.
Typically, such a sight would've made the young man jump, but something about this place made him feel at peace.
"So he's the 'right' one, hmm? In that case, you are welcome…."
He outstretched his gloved palm.
"This place in which you find yourself, call it the Velvet Room."
"The Velvet Room…?" Haruto asked.
"A place between dream and reality, mind and matter… If you've found yourself here, then you must have made a 'choice' of some sort. Thus, you are a 'Guest' of this room."
"A choice? Guest? Would you mind elaborating… I'm sorry, what's your name, Sir?"
"Ah, my apologies; I should have introduced myself sooner. You may call me Igor, and this woman here…."
Haruto wanted to smack himself on the head for only just now noticing the woman standing beside the old man. She stood tall, with silver eyes and matching hair with a blue ribbon running through it wrapped up in a bun, sans the bangs running down her forehead and one huge bang cascading down the left side of her face.
"...Call her Merope," Igor finished like he had come up with the name on the spot.
She wore a dark blue coat of some kind with long, puffed-out sleeves and black gloves that reached her elbows, and within her hands lay a black book stylized with golden pins and a large, also golden 'V' on the cover.
She made a slight bow.
"My name is Merope; please tell me more about your existence."
She wore a serene expression with a small yet comforting smile.
"Uh… okay. So, Igor-san, Merope-san, a pleasure to meet you." Haruto stood for a moment and bowed, before returning to his seat, which elicited a small chuckle from the old man. "Now, what was this about a choice and me being a guest?"
"It's surprising that you haven't noticed," Igor replied cryptically.
Haruto was about to reply when Merope spoke up.
"Think of this place as a tunnel dug through the deep sea of mankind's mind."
Haruto raised an eyebrow, but once more, he couldn't ask any questions before Igor spoke up.
"I can see you wish to know more. Unfortunately, our time grows slim. However, as I wish to see you again, allow me to give you a piece of advice before you go."
His grin seemed to grow ever so slightly.
"Not having any desire can lead to one giving up on themselves."
'Hm? What does that mean…?' Haruto wondered.
"There are many like yourself in the world today… I hope you can understand my Master's advice," Merope added.
Haruto could feel something tugging at the back of his skull, trying to drag him away from this place.
"Well… I look forward to seeing you again, young man," Igor said.
Then, he awoke.
Haruto's eyes shot open.
"Huh?"
He looked around and saw he was still on the train.
'What was that…? It felt too real to be just a dream….'
He shook his head.
'Well, whatever it was, I still need to pick up that cake and cigs….'
The young man pulled out his phone and put in the passcode, only to be stumped as the app he had deleted earlier sat on the home screen in the same place as last time.
'That… that has to be malware then. Great.'
He rolled his eyes, and then, his ears picked up on the sounds of something flapping. Suddenly, a white and black owl swooped into his field of vision and started cawing at him.
"Whoa, whoa, what the…!"
He tried to shoo the bird away, but it kept flying back at him to continue cooing and cawing.
"Sheesh, I don't got any worms on me, birdie!"
(He didn't notice it at the time, but something was starting to stir in his heart, like a crack appearing in the walls of a cell.)
The owl suddenly landed right on the boy's arm and began pecking at his phone.
"Hey, hey, don't damage the screen!"
Then, out of seemingly nowhere, a black-clad person appeared at the end of the train car on top of a motorcycle with a long metal pipe in their hands and revved the engine, causing the other passengers to freak out at the sudden intruder.
"Phantom!"
"Where the hell did they come from?"
"Is that the Phantom?!"
"Oh crap, we gotta get out of here!"
Then, the figure bolted forwards, metal pipe raised in the air as the bike barreled towards the schoolboy.
'Oh shit!'
On a panicked reflex, he tapped the strange app on his phone, and suddenly, the world melted away into a crimson mockery of a subway station, instilling a deep sense of unease in the young man.
"W-what in the…"
"Well, of all the potential incursion points, it's fortunate you picked a good one," said a voice that sounded like a young kid.
"Hmm?"
Haruto's eyes darted around before settling on the strange, cartoonish-looking owl-man thing standing on the bench before him.
He had strange proportions; a small, stocky body with short limbs and a large, bulbous head. His face was white, and it seemed like he was wearing a white mask over his giant, round yellow and blue eyes that blended with his face. As for the rest of him, he had a small yellow beak and was dressed in a red-rimmed gray hoodie with white diamonds on the sleeves. He also had two blue-tipped white feathers protruding from his hood and a set of… pants? Sneakers?
'I can't tell where the pants end and the sneakers begin… guess I'll call them Sneants for now.'
"Now that I have a closer look at you… you have some class," he said.
His eyebrows raised. "... I'm sorry, but could you explain what's happening right now?"
'It would be bad to panic right now, in whatever the hell this place is. If I fly off the handle, I'll only worsen the situation. Hopefully, this guy can explain some things….'
"Ah, 'wanting to know'. You are a human who doesn't hide his intellectual curiosity." The creature giggled. "Truly, you are someone worthy of meeting me."
'...Or not.'
The thing crossed his arms.
"Call me Luffel. I did some research beforehand, and your name is Haruto Fukuzawa, correct?"
"Right…" Haruto trailed off. 'How does he know my name?'
The creature was about to speak again when a ghostly black train with red-tinted windows came rushing past, leaving a large quake in its wake.
"We've been discovered. Come, we need to get out of here right now," he said.
"Uh, okay?" The schoolboy felt it would be better to leave the questions for later and go along with whatever this guy was saying.
"Our first priority is escaping this place. If you don't want to die, follow me," Luffel commanded.
Haruto nodded before standing up. "Very well. I have a lot of questions, but survival takes priority."
"You have some brains," the thing smiled, revealing sharp, serrated teeth within his beak, "good!"
He stylishly flipped off the bench he was standing on before gesturing for Haruto to follow him.
The two trudged through the empty, rundown subway tunnels filled with red mist and strange black vines (or were they veins?), each step causing splashes of pinkish liquid that fortunately didn't seep into their shoes.
'Just what is this place? It's like a warped version of reality... as if someone turned the subway system in a horror movie set….'
Haruto swallowed.
'Let's just hope there's no monster out here… but given what Luffel's said, there's clearly something we need to look out for….'
"You know, I'm curious about something, Haruto."
"Hmm?" Haruto looked down to meet Luffel's side glance.
"Earlier today, your eyes seemed despondent, but now there's a spark in them. Have you noticed anything different in the past few hours?"
"'Have I noticed anything different in the past few hours'…" Haruto muttered. He chewed on the thought momentarily, but nothing came to him.
"I can't think of anything."
"In that case, what's the funniest movie you've ever seen?"
"Funniest movie? Easy. Odyssey of the Shrine Maiden. That one scene where Suzaku had to cross-dress as Himiko and walk through the red-light district had me laughing so hard I almost threw up my popcorn," Haruto replied with a smile.
"Ah, so that's what it was…" Luffel muttered to himself. "Say, have you been feeling dull lately?"
Haruto didn't know what made him respond truthfully, but he couldn't stop himself. "Yeah. Things just don't have the same… I dunno, 'poof,' I guess, as they used to. Everything just seems so… boring."
"I see. I think I understand-" Suddenly, several masses of bubbling black ooze came rushing in from the tunnels around the duo. "Hmph. It seems they don't want to let us go."
Luffel bared his teeth.
"For these things, we're like worms waiting to be plucked off the ground."
"These things?" Haruto asked.
The black masses started transforming, taking on a more humanoid shape with gray masks adorned all over their large, hulking bodies.
'Ah crap, there's gotta be at least 6 of them around us… I don't know if we can take them all on….'
"Shadows. They are our enemy, and they seek to end our lives."
Luffel suddenly pulled out two tonfa from seemingly nowhere and charged at a trio of Shadows in front of the duo, leaping on top of the first one and slamming his feet down on him hard enough to knock the brute to the floor. He then jumped up and kicked another in the face, sending it flying back, before whacking the last one with his tonfa hard enough that it immediately collapsed in a heap.
'Holy shit! For a small body, he's packing a lot of power!'
However, the rest of the black masses around them wouldn't stand idly by. Suddenly, two came charging while the other ran to a nearby fuse box and flipped it open before pulling a switch that shut the large gate behind them.
"Watch the enemy closely, and react quickly!" Luffel yelled as he moved to intercept one. The other made a beeline straight for Haruto.
'I don't think I can match this guy in strength; I gotta keep some distance between us!'
Haruto began running down the tunnel, keeping his eyes back to watch the shadow giving chase. However, as the young man neared a corner, another Shadow rounded it, making Haruto stop in his tracks.
'There's two!'
He tried to turn around, but the shadow's fist came barreling for him, clocking him right on the back of the head and making him fall to the floor.
"Gah!"
The other shadow quickly took advantage of Haruto's prone state and launched a powerful kick that sent him flying into the wall across the tunnel.
"AGH!"
His vision began to blur as pain filled his senses, his head throbbed, and he could feel blood trickling in his mouth.
"Ugh…"
The shadow casually walked over to him, gripped him by the throat, and lifted him into the air.
"Errrrrgh…" Haruto choked out as his arms reflexively shot up to grab the hand choking him.
‘No… no… I-I… I can’t…’
Its grip tightened.
‘Air… I need… air…’
His lungs burned, and he so desperately wanted to alleviate the aching…
‘I… I… I…’
Darkness began swimming in the corners of his vision.
"Haruto!"
Luffel tried to rush towards the Shadow strangling the young man, but several other hulking black masses rushed in from a side tunnel, cutting him off.
'Is this it…? Am...am I going to die here…?'
A pulse shot out from within, and suddenly Haruto saw nothing but a blue ocean in a dark void, with bubbles rising up.
"Sticking to the status quo, seal away your desires, do not resist…."
Pain flared in Haruto's mind as a strange presence made itself known.
"All it would take now is a single moment of such for you to achieve an everlasting peace."
A feeling of disgust filled the young man.
"But… wouldn't you say such a thing is laughable? To just let yourself die?"
A loud, booming laughter rang out in Haruto's mind.
"This kind of ending… it's one someone like you could never stomach, right?"
Haruto felt a power swelling from within as something began to surface in the sea of his soul.
"Hehe… what a joke. Dying here, now, of all times?"
He gripped the shadow's arm as a wicked grin formed on his face.
"LIKE HELL!"
His leg shot out and slammed into the shadow with unearthly strength, sending the thing flying back as it let go of his neck.
"Yes, that's right!"
A powerful gust burst forth from the schoolboy as he stumbled forward a few steps.
"Is he...?!" Luffel exclaimed.
"All you have to do now is sign the contract…"
"I am Thou…"
Haruto's eyes turned to gold as his grin grew.
"And Thou art I!"
Large, pointed yellow sunglasses appeared in the young man's hand, which he swiftly set on his face.
"Now come, Persona!"
Haruto was engulfed in a golden light as a gargantuan being appeared behind him.
"Hahahahahaha! I was not expecting to make my debut any time soon with what that Phantom did to you!"
The giant began to take shape, revealing a humanoid dressed in white, with long blonde braids running down his back and the sides of his face, a shining golden chest plate, an oversized, billowing coat draped on his shoulders, a massive, white and gold hat on his head, and a face covered by a golden mask with a glowing red visor. In his hands lay two large golden guns resembling a shepherd's axe.
"I am Jánošík, the one who awakens suppressed desire with my charms! Now come, my other self, let us reignite the world!"
The golden light around Haruto faded away, revealing a new outfit: A white bodysuit covered with white arm gloves with red fingers, thigh-high white boots, and a white tailcoat with a collar that went high enough to cover the lower half of his face.
"Yeah, let's show these Shadows what for!"
Jánošík raised one of his guns and pulled the trigger, turning one of the shadows before the two into a fine black mist before fading away. However, Haruto wasn't worried one bit. He could feel Jánošík's presence in his mind, ready to be called forth anytime.
"Hoh, he's packing some firepower!" Luffel said.
Seeing a clear danger, the other began shaking violently before exploding into two cloaked jack-o-lanterns with little witch hats and lanterns in their hands.
"Hee-ho!"
One of them raised their lantern, and a great ball of fire appeared before launching at Haruto, bathing him in scorching flame.
"Ergh! Think that'll be enough to stop me?!"
Haruto ran forward and suddenly found a large bowie knife in his left hand.
"I'm gonna teach you…"
He jumped up and slashed downwards, tearing into the shadow before going for a second horizontal slash, then a third diagonal one, causing the shadow to explode into black goo.
"...that I'm fuckin' invincible! Now…”
He turned to face the other floating jack-o-lantern.
“Jánošík! Smite this bastard!”
Haruto raised a hand to his sunglasses, which then disappeared in a golden flash as shining light surrounded the boy. Jánošík appeared behind him, and suddenly several blades of light appeared around the shadow and shot forth, skewering it before exploding in a great ball of holy energy.
Haruto smirked as Jánošík faded, and the glasses returned to his face.
"Ah, the-ra-putic~!"
It was like a fog was lifted from the young man's mind. He could finally feel something after months of emptiness. Anger, sadness, fear, and joy washed over him, and he embraced them all.
"Woohoo!"
He jumped in the air and pumped his fist.
"Yes, yes, yes! I feel great! I feel alive! You hear that world? I AM ALIVE! In fact, I'm a man and a half!"
Haruto let out another cry of victory.
"I'm gonna kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I'm all out of gum!" he shouted in English.
"Quiet! You'll draw more shadows to our location with your yelling!"
"Ah..." Having been engrossed in his hype, Haruto had completely forgotten Luffel was there.
His face flushed in embarrassment.
"...Sorry. I'll follow your lead."
'Persona, eh? I think this power will suit me just fine.'
The two continued to journey through the labyrinthine subway tunnels, this time with a much less cautious pace, as they had Jánošík's firepower with them. Along the way, they faced a few more shadows, though with the combined might of Luffel's brutal bashings and Haruto's mad slashings, they were quickly dealt with. That is, until...
"Please, don't kill me!" pleaded the small fairy as Haruto held his knife to her neck.
"Nah."
Haruto moved to kill, but Luffel stopped him.
"Hold on, she might have something of use to us."
"Alright." Haruto looked the fey in the eyes. "What do you have on you? Make it quick."
"I... I..." Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Wait a minute, I'm not a shadow! I'm Pixie, a part of the sea of souls! Please, take me with you!"
"Okay...?"
Taking his questioning statement as acceptance, Pixie suddenly transmogrified into a replica of Haruto's sunglasses before flying right into his face.
"W-what?"
He could feel her presence in his mind, right next to Jánošík, as well as a general sense of her weaknesses, resistances, and techniques.
'D-does this mean I can wield multiple personas?'
He reached for his glasses.
"Pixie!"
Sure enough, the small fey girl appeared before him momentarily before fading away.
"Huh, so I can use more than one..."
"Impressive," Luffel said. "I don't think I've ever seen a Persona user who could utilize more than one mask."
"Mask?"
Luffel shook his head. "Again, I'll explain later. Come, the exit should be right up ahead."
The two continued to walk on, and soon enough, a set of stairs came into view.
"Here." Luffel suddenly turned and tossed an object at Haruto, which he deftly caught. Looking it over, it appeared to be a greenish bead, though the young man could feel a soothing warmth.
"That's a bead. It's a common item around here that can heal wounds. You activate it by squeezing it hard."
"Any particular reason you're giving this to me now?" Haruto asked.
"Sometimes, strong shadows will camp out the entrances and exits of this place. Since we're coming up on one, I figure it would be best if we both carry something that can deal with injuries, just in case," Luffel explained.
Haruto nodded. "Good thinking."
The duo then ascended the short flight of stairs, finding themselves in a large brick hall with several pillars along the walls and an escalator at the room's far end.
Luffel's pupils turned to predatory slits. "Something strong is nearby; I can feel it."
Haruto drew his bowie knife with his left hand in a reverse grip.
"Any idea which direction it's coming from?"
Luffel shook his head.
"It's like it's all around us, in this hall."
"Hmm..." Haruto's brow furrowed. "Alright, let's take the direct approach then. Hey bastard, either screw off or eat lead!"
Suddenly, several black goo masses shot out from the walls, ceiling, and floor before coalescing into a vast violet vortex.
"Hmph. It seems this wasn't the one I was hoping for..." Luffel said as his pupils returned to normal. "Still, this isn't any ordinary foe."
"Yeah, this guy seems like a cut above the rest..." Haruto replied.
Several chains shot out from the vortex and implanted themselves into the floor with large red spikes before the purple mass surged forth and spewed a foul miasma, causing the two to recoil.
"Ergh!"
"Hugh!"
'Yeah, this thing is gonna be tough!' Haruto thought.
[Persona 5 OST – Keeper of Lust]
When the smoke cleared, before them stood a golden lock with several chains attached, the most prominent being to a colossal dried-out head with a large circular hat and several tassels running down its face. Its empty eye sockets spewed smoke as they glowed a malevolent shade of purple.
"Looks like I won't have to be polite with this one." Luffel took several steps forward as the shadow before them roared.
"Rob Roy, show yourself!"
A shining aura surrounded Luffel, and behind the cartoonish avian, a chibi mecha clad in black and crimson armor appeared with several gray fins, a blue targeting scope over its left eye, and a large rifle in its hands.
"Let me tell you one thing before we begin. We are people who are starting from nothing, and as the saying goes, those with nothing to lose, have everything to gain!"
His pupils turned back into predatory slits, and he leveled a piercing glare at the shadow.
"And believe me when I say we will take everything from you!"
Two snake-like heads shot out from the shadow's eyes, darting straight for the persona using duo. Both quickly dodged to the side.
"Rob Roy, show them the flames of hell! Agi!"
Rob Roy leveled his gun at the shadow and fired, unleashing a ball of flame that slammed into it, causing it to recoil from the heat.
"KIIIIIIIIII!"
"Eat this, kouha!"
As Jánošík appeared behind Haruto, a slew of celestial blades appeared and skewered the shadow, though they seemed to do less damage than Rob Roy's earlier attack.
'So it's more susceptible to fire...'
"It's weak to Rob Roy's flames!" he shouted.
Luffel smirked. "Perfect! Go, Rob Roy!"
The chibi mech appeared again and belched another torrent of flame from his rifle, coating the shadow.
"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"
A dark aura appeared around the shadow before something bubbled up beneath Luffel's legs.
"Look out!"
Haruto rushed to Luffel's side and shoved him out of the way. However, before he could evade himself, a large black viper rose from the murky ground around him and bit into his torso, causing immense pain to shoot across the young man's body.
"Augh!"
He involuntarily fell to his knees.
"Careful, if you take one more hit, you're done!" Luffel exclaimed.
'And like I promised you, Jánošík, dying here would be laughable,' Haruto thought. He reached into his pocket and gave the bead a squeeze. The effect was immediate, as a soothing warmth covered his body and eased his pain.
"Heal him, Rob Roy!"
The black mech raised his rifle toward Haruto, though instead of flame, it shot out an odd black mass that converged on the young man's body and further patched his wounds.
'What is this, nanomachines or something?'
"Now, time to give you a lesson in thermodynamics!"
Rob Roy turned and pointed his rifle at the shadow again before unleashing another fireball aimed at the central lock. The metal started glowing bright red on impact.
"Now, Haruto, pull out your gun and shoot the lock!"
"Uh, okay?"
Haruto raised his hand, figuring it would be like what happened with his bowie knife, and sure enough, a Glock 19 appeared in his right hand.
'Glock, huh? I can work with this...'
He hammered the trigger, sending a burst of lead at the molten metal. He was surprised at how minimal the recoil felt, but considering he had constantly been jumping at and stabbing shadows for the past hour without breaking a sweat, perhaps this place enhanced one's physical abilities?
The snakeheads tried to intercept the shot, but the bullets tore through them like they weren't even there. The result was devastating, as several chunks of the golden lock shattered apart on impact, causing the shadow to cry out in pain.
"Now, let's strike together!" Luffel yelled.
Haruto grinned. "Jánošík, fill 'im with lead!"
The two personas appeared in a flash and began blasting the shadow with reckless abandon as Haruto and Luffel charged forth.
"I'll go up!" Luffel shouted.
"Then I'll go below!" Haruto replied.
Luffel leaped up and slammed his tonfa onto the top of the shadow's head while Haruto slid underneath the beast and repeatedly plunged his knife into it's flesh.
"Now, Jánošík!"
"Rob Roy!"
The two persona users jumped back as the twin outlaws appeared again, with Jánošík shoving his guns into the shadow's eyesockets as Rob Roy pressed his rifle to the back of it's head.
"Fire!" they shouted in unison.
As it was executed, the shadow exploded into a mass of black ooze, which soon faded away.
Haruto pulled up his collar. "Go beyond."
Luffel leaned against a nearby telephone. "We see you."
After that particularly rough scrap, the two persona users took a moment to breathe.
"Whew… that got hairy for a moment there."
"Yes," Luffel nodded. "But we persevered."
He looked down.
"Part of me was hoping we would find them here, but the more rational part of me knows we wouldn't have stood a chance against them if we did."
"Them?"
"The Phantom."
"Wait, the Phantom's a persona user?"
Luffel nodded.
"Yes, it is how they seal other's desires, like how they sealed yours."
Suddenly, a lot of things clicked into place for the young man.
'Oh shit, I had my desires sealed away.'
He clenched his fist.
'That damn Phantom took my feelings away and made me into an apathetic husk!'
"I can see you're rather angry."
"Damn straight I am; that bastard made life hell for me!" Haruto cracked his knuckles. "For months, I was just a zombie, losing joy in anything I did and only feeling either numbness or loathing. If that's what this Phantom is doing to people…."
Haruto sneered.
"Then I won't allow it to continue!"
"If that's the case, then we need to do some information gathering…" Luffel furrowed his brow. "Still, this was a good trip. Seeing your strength in action and gaining another ally in my fight, too, was worth it. To someone like you, I can look into assigning a mission right away."
"A mission?" Haruto asked.
"I'll explain more once we get out of this place; the exit's right up those stairs," Luffel replied.
"Okay…"
4/14, Late Afternoon
The world melting away again was as unpleasant as last time, but when it led to a reality where you weren't trapped in a labyrinthine series of subway tunnels, Haruto could find little to complain about.
And then, it all hit him at once. All the hits he'd taken, all of that sprinting, stabbing, shooting, jumping, and so on, slammed into him like a truck, leaving him utterly exhausted.
"Ah shit, I feel like I just ran a marathon…"
He looked around and noted he was right outside the subway station in Shibuya and that his clothes had returned to normal.
"Luffel… you there?"
A flapping sounded out from above him, and suddenly that black and white owl with the red goggles from earlier flew in front of him. Haruto put his arm out, and the bird perched on it.
"So you're back…"
"Back? I never left," the bird replied in Luffel's voice.
Haruto's eyes widened.
"You… you're Luffel then? An actual, honest-to-goodness talking owl?"
"That's right, I am Luffel."
The bird turned his gaze to watch the crowd of people around them.
"You look tired. Let's leave this be for now and talk again tomorrow. I'll answer all of your questions then."
He took off, accidentally hitting Haruto in the eye with one of his wings.
"Ah, sorry!"
He then flew off, leaving Haruto on his own.
'Just what have I gotten myself involved with?' Haruto laughed. 'God, today has been insane. To think I still have to put in an order for the cake and pick up some cigarettes...'
'Well, better get to it.'
Little did he know, as he began making his way to Fuji's Confectioneries, someone was watching him.
'Fuku-kun? How did he get to Shibuya? In fact, why does he seem so tired… just what happened to him when he disappeared from the train…?'