Yep. I'm nuts. I told myself I wasn't going to do this. But oh, no. I had to get all excited when the old thread was revived. I had to pull out the list of ideas I made for this idea six months ago. I had to start posting in the old ideas topic again. And I had to ask some people if they'd be interested in helping out with this.
Then I absolutely had to write this. My life is a goddamn mess.
Original Idea: Souffle.
Persona 3 and Shin Megami Tensei belong to ATLUS. I just love their worlds.
<><><><><>
NEW GAME +
Chapter 1
<><><><><>
"Ah, you've awoken at last."
Disorientation hits. A moment ago I had been falling asleep at Gekkokan High School in Tatsumi Port City. Now here I am, sitting in a chair in a room somewhere, my body stiff and my vision clouded over. The person who spoke earlier must have seen my agitation, because he speaks again, comfortingly.
ôI see you are not fully conscious yet. Do not be concerned; after an ordeal such as the one you have just been freed from a little discomfort is to be expected.ö The voice is familiar to me, although with my head stuffed full of cotton as it is I can barely remember who I am.
LetÆs seeà Arisato Minato, age seventeen, no, eighteen as of recently. For the past year IÆve been the leader of S.E.E.S. (short for Special Extracurricular Execution Squad; dumb name, cool acronym) an organization of school kids with the power to summon a Persona. Personae are supposedly someoneÆs psychic inner-self, or something like that. IÆve never really understood what that was all about, and I seem to be an exception to that rule anyway. To make a long story short, nine of use faced off against thirteen Shadows (monsters trying to destroy the world) and a few other Persona users who wanted nothing more than for those Shadows to succeed. We won.
Hmmà anything else? Oh, yeah.
IÆm dead.
Yet here I am in this unfamiliar place... Wait, no, I recognize it as my vision clears up. Or rather, I recognize the man who is the room's other occupant.
"Do you remember me?" Igor asked, his eyes dancing over his long, hooked nose. "It has been such a long time that it would be quite understandable if you did not."
I donÆt know much about Igorùhe was usually silent during the times I visited him in his "Velvet Room," preferring to let Elizabeth, his assistant, do the talking. HeÆs got some weird powers thoughùhe can combine Persona, and he knows way more about things that happen outside the room than he should, given that he never leaves it.
I tried to ask him a question, but all that came out of my moth were a series of low moans. I stopped immediately, shocked at the sound. I sound worse than the Lost... what the hell's going on?
Igor noticed my predicament and sighed to himself. "My apologies, I should not have expected you to speak so soon. Please, take your time." He chuckles at some joke that only he understands. "Oh yes, time. All we have left now is time, you and I... now, when we no longer need it."
Igor fell silent after his cryptic speech, and neither of us spoke for a while. The only sound I heard was my own breathing; the only way I knew Igor was still alive was seeing his shoulders rising and falling in time to his breath. WaitùIÆm seeing details now, so my vision must have cleared up. I used my newly restored eyes to inspect the place IÆve found myself in. The two of us are in some kind of high-ceilinged sitting room, with a low table between us. The chair at my back feels familiar; I figure itÆs probably the one with the lyre motif from the Velvet Room.
I craned my neck for a better look around the room. I notice the lack of exits firstùno doors or windows. I wasnÆt worried. If my suspicions were correct then I wonÆt need a physical exit, and . Besides, I'd gotten in here somehow, so I had to be able to get out.
Next I noticed how dark it was. With no sources of light the room should have been pitch black, but a luminescent glow around our table served to highlight the darkness of the rest of the room. Everything in the lit parts of the room is colored a deep, midnight blue. The chair at my back and the man in front of me had been all the clues IÆd needed to guess where I was, but there was still something offà
Nothing else in the room caught my attention, so I turned back to face Igor. I donÆt know how much time passed before I tried to speak again. ôIsà is this the Velvet Room?ö I whispered, my voice so quiet I barely heard my own words.
Igor responded with his characteristic good humor. ôYes, my dear boy, this is the same Velvet Room that you visited before. Are you wondering why it seems so different?ö
I nodded, then slowly said, louder than before, ôYeahà I remember the Velvet Room looking like an elevatorùno wait, it really was an elevator. What happened? This place doesnÆt look at all like what I rememberàö
ôI believe I told you before that the Velvet Room was between your world and the other side,ö Igor answered. He indicated our surroundings with a wave of his hand. ôIs it not sensible that this place changes as the needs of its visitors change? If a place changes, should it not retain its meaning to the person there? I think you will be pondering that question for some timeàö
ôHuh?ö I managed ever-so-intelligently, trying to work through IgorÆs usual circular speech pattern. ôDo you mean that because what I need is different, the Velvet Room is different? And what was that about a question IÆm going to need to think about?ö
Igor laughed. ôOne question at a time! I am an old man, and cannot answer you as quickly as you can ask questions.ö He gestured at our surroundings again. ôThe Velvet Room is under my control. By borrowing a tiny piece of my visitorÆs consciousness I can craft a space suitable to his needs. Howeverà recent events have taken that power from me. What you see here is the Velvet Room I created for my last guest.ö As he spoke, something about his eyes reminded me then that Igor was not human. He looked older than I remembered; not old like Bunkichi and Mitsuko, but old like the stone statues of the Shinto gods I remember visiting in my childhood. And he was tired.
ôTell meàö he began, and then hesitated. For the first time I felt an aura of uncertainty from him. ôDoes something feelà different about this Velvet Room?ö
I didnÆt have to think about my answer to that. ôItÆs empty.ö
Igor nodded. ôYesà my attendants have long since gone. But no, that is not the greatest loss to this chamber.ö
Did he say attendants? Does that mean that there were more of them? Out loud, I said, ôThatÆs not what I meant.ö I tried to explain. ôEvery time I came here before I di-died,ö I stuttered, ôI could hear someoneàsinging. And a piano! It was like, there were more than just the three of us in the old Velvet Room besides the three of us, and whoever was singing and playing the piano.
ôBut now, it feels like thereÆs no one else alive in the universe.ö
For a second, Igor looked stunned. He recovered quickly, but it was a moment before he responded. ôHow interesting that you should say that. What would think if I told you that you are correct? That in truth, you are the only human left in the universe?ö
All of my thoughts ground to a halt. Everyone in the universe was DEAD!?! ôWhatà what are you talking about?ö I whispered, my voice a hiss thanks to my tightening throat. ôWh-what about everyone else? Junpei and Yukari, and my friends? Are you telling me that I failed!?!ö
Igor sighed again. All of the exhaustion hinted at in his profile had was on display in his face, and I started to wonder about just how long Igor had been in the Velvet Room.
ôEverything that exists has a beginning and an end. This is a fact of life. When something is born, be it plant or animal, planet or person, it will die eventually. To not do so is against the natural order of the universe.
ôYou have been under the impression that you were fighting to stop the death of humanity, the end of the world? As far as that goes, you are correctùI assisted you in order to prevent The Fall. My goal, and that of my master, was to prevent the destruction of mankind, until the correct time for it.ö
ôWhat!?! You wanted humanity to be destroyed!?! How dareùö
ôNo.ö IgorÆs tone cut me off faster than if he had struck me. ôMy master and I did not seek the destruction of humanity, but its proper end.ö
ôIsnÆt thatà the same thing?ö My head must have still been fuzzy, nothing Igor said was making sense. No, wait, he was just him being himself.
ôMy master was interested in the power of humanity to grow, and change, for individuals to better themselves and their world. His aim was to help the species evolve past all of its limits. By assisting a small number of your kind in their struggles against that which would see it destroyed, my master achieved his aim.ö
His eyes bored into mine. ôSince your death sealing Nyx, several millions of years have gone by. Humanity leapt to the stars, and beyond, exploring the secrets of space and time. Research was conducted into the nature of dreams, and the powers of the subconscious mind. And at lastà humanity passed out of the universe.
ôIt was a glorious ascension, the souls of every man woman and child that ever had been born rising up together, passing beyond the other side, into the great unknown.
ôMy master left with them, to serve as their guide though he himself knew nothing of their path. My attendants he took as well. I, however, stayed behind, in order to watch over the one soul that must stay behind.ö He smiled at me.
ôI did not lie, Arisato Minato, when I said that you were the only human left in the universe.ö
I couldnÆt respond. Every human in the universe had decided to ôgo on to the next dimension,ö or whatever? What was this, bad science fiction anime?
But even as I wanted to refute IgorÆs words, I remembered the night when Ryoji told us about the Fall. My friends and allies were told that what we had fought for was a lie, that in defeating the Shadows that threatened us we had allowed Death to be reborn. Worse yet, we were told that Death would be unstoppable.
We had felt the ôtruthö in RyojiÆs words as he brokenly told us the secret of his existence. To deny the Fall was inconceivable, after the shock had worn off.
Like then, now. My heart accepted the truth, even as my mind rebelled: Humanity as I knew it was gone. I let out a sob I hadnÆt realized I has holding in, and buried my head in my hands.
Once again, a long time passed before either of us spoke. Igor patiently waited until I looked up.
ôThere are three options open to you.ö IgorÆs words were measured and slow. ôFirst, you may go on and join the rest of humanity on the next plane of existence. This is a trip into the unknownùI cannot tell you what lies beyond, in the new space that humankind has gone to.
ôNext, you may return to the physical universe. While it is empty of human life, humanity left behind an extraordinary number of machines such that you would be able to live quite comfortably for a very long time. Your life there could be quite long, given the amazing advances in the sciences made before humans passed on.
ôLastlyàö Igor smiled. It wasnÆt a nice smile. It was the kind of smile that promised that the foundations of someoneÆs world were about to fall apart. ôLastly, you may return to your own time.ö
WHAT!?!
Out loud I screamed, ôWHAT!?!ö
IgorÆs smile didnÆt shift at allùhe kept the diabolical grin on his face. ôThe final option available to you is to return to your world, before you began your journey.ö
ôWhùwhy would you do that? Especially after telling me about this ôascensionö bullshit? ö
ôI offer you this option because it is a choice that you have. I have always done my best to help all the guests of the Velvet Room with the choices they face. It would be a betrayal of the charge given to me when I entered my masterÆs service to do other than inform you of all the paths open to you. Now, choose.ö
There was nothing for me to think about. ôIÆll go back.ö
ôAre you sure you want to do that?ö Igor had dropped the smile, instead he had covered him mouth with his hands and seemed to be glaring at me over them. ôIf you return, all of your work during that year will be undoneùyou will have to fight Nyx, again, rebuild the bonds you forged, draw back again the Personae sleeping within the sea of your soul, and as you will be returning to the body you had at that time, lose the strength of arms you built over that year. And worst of all, the Shadows you fight will be even stronger.ö
That last partà made no sense. I told him so.
ôOh, but doesnÆt it? Shadows have the power to affect space and time; how else do you think that your friend Pharos foresaw the Fall? It was a memory to him, as if it had already had happened. The Shadows will be aware of your victory if you choose to return, and will come at you stronger than ever. You will not find the common Shadows so easy to defeat, and the Greater Shadows, with their powers, will be even worse.ö
ôThat doesnÆt change my mind though. I still want to go back. I donÆt want to die again, and I donÆt want to live forever without any other people,
Igor nodded. ôVery well then. Before you go, I will give you two warnings. First, the world did indeed have a future after you created the Great Seal but your first success will have no bearing on whether or not it will be possible for you to stop Nyx from being summoned this time, much less defeat her. You are risking this future by making this decision. While it is a selfish decision, I applaud your determination.
ôSecondly,ö here Igor sighed loudly, before continuing, ôThe universe has does not care for people who meddle with the flow of time. Those who try and rewrite history are often faced with unexpected events that thwart their goals, as if the universe itself stands in their way. Not everything in this new timeline will be exactly the same as it was originally, either. Also, your own actions will have repercussions. Do not depend overmuch on your knowledge of the future, for that future is your past, and has just as much influence on the world as you let it.ö
I took the opening to ask a question that had been nagging at me. ôWhy do I have to go to before I started fighting the ShadowsùwouldnÆt just going back to when I died be a better idea?ö
ôPerhaps it would be. However, you, in this place, are still bound by your contract to æaccept the consequences of your actions.Æ That includes the decision to create the Great Seal. If you returned to a time after your passing, certain Powers who audited your contract would have reason to claim that you had voided your contract. Doing so would allow them to exercise their full powers and destroy the world immediately.ö
On second thought, maybe going back to before I signed the contract was a good idea. ôAlright, fine. April 6th, 2009 it is. Now send me back!ö
Igor shook his head. ôI? I have no power to turn back time.ö I fought the urge to attack him. ôBut you have that power.ö
ôExcuse me?ö I said, completely confused. ôI have time control?ö I suddenly felt angry. Angry at everything that had happened to me, angry at old men who knew everything and refused to say one thing to help, at my friends for not being able to help me, and at the universe for letting Nyx happen.
ôThat makes no sense. If I had control over time, why couldnÆt I just erase Nyx? Or save Shinjiro, or Chidori, or kill Takaya before he hurt anyone? Dammit, if I can control time, WHY DID I HAVE TO DIE!?!ö
Igor had leaned back as I had leapt up and started yelling. He waited until I sat back down to answer me.
ôCheck your front pocket.ö Igor was back to the self I remembered from the old Velvet Room, smirking and knowing more than he should. But heÆd never been wrong beforeà.
I reached into the front pocket of my shirt. Like heÆd said, there was something in thereà rectangular, one side about three centimeters, the longer edge about six-and-a-half. No thicknessà
A card?
I pull it out. ItÆs blank. A familiar black-and-white mask adorned the back, but the front was blank except for its border.
ôWhatÆs this card? Where did it come from?ö
Igor smirked, and pointed at the card I held. ôLook closer.ö
Irked by his manner, I brought the card up to my eye. And I sawà I sawàeverything.
I jerked my eye away with a gasp. ôTh-this isàö
ôThe Universe. Quite a shock, isnÆt it, to realize that such a power sleeps within you? I was quite surprised to see it so many years ago. To imagine that a human being managed to create such a power out of his own soul... well, it was quite something. Regardless, with this, you should be able to go back.ö
Something was off about thisà ôWait, how did I get this card? Are you saying that this is a Persona?ö
Igor seemed pleased. ôYes. This Universe card is the ultimate expression of your æself.Æ All of what you learned on your journey, all of the lessons, trials and victories in tangible form. ItÆs quite impressive, and unique to you alone. I have not seen itÆs like since you first drew it.ö
As I stared at it again in wonder, it flickered slightly in my grasp, only to fully materialize again. "Is...there something wrong with it?" If I was about to use it to catapult myself through time, I certainly had no desire to use something that was broken...!
Igor smiled, rubbing one hand back and forth as he replied. "Nothing is wrong with it so much wrong as it is...'incomplete'. Its power is immeasurable, yet...well, even this has limits. You should be able to use it to travel back in time...but, only once. The attempt will shatter the card, and you will be unable to use it again."
ôSoà how do I use this?ö I was starting to feel excited, despite the situation. I couldnÆt count the number of times Junpei and I had talked about how we would have liked to deal with the crap that we did if we had known what was actually going on. Even though Junpei would never remember those conversations, I was feeling anticipation at the prospect of putting some of our plans into action.
Igor shrugged. ôItÆs your card. The way to use it is inside you.ö He saw my doubt and continued. ôJust think about what it is you want to do, and try to remember how you felt the first time you used it. That should be enough.ö
What it is I want to do? ThatÆs kinda hard. I want to save Shinjiro-senpai, and JunpeiÆs girlfriend. I want to stop Takaya and Ikutsuki, and Nyx. I want to survive. Andà
And I want to see everyone again, before the fighting, the heartbreak, back when we were still kids. I want to go back.
<><><><><>
Less than ten seconds after Igor spoke, ArisatoÆs face lost its strained look. Igor watched with interest as his face mirrored the expressions that he usually was unable to express: first regret, then determination, then peace. Arisato stood up for the first time since he had been brought here.
Minato held the card up between two fingers, staring at it intently. Stretching out his arm, he let go of the card. Instead of following the laws of physics and dropping, the card hovered in mid-air. With no further dramatic moves, Minato pointed at the card. There was a sound of cracking glass and for a moment Minato was silhouetted by a strong light. With a flash, he vanished.
Igor leaned back in his chair, and fought to keep a smile from growing on his face. ôAnd off you go. I wonder what wonders you will have wrought, when we meet again.ö
<><><><><>
April 6th, 2009
Train to Tatsumi Port City
Arisato Minato was going home. He had mixed feelings about this. He had grown up there after all, but his parents had also been murdered by a knife wielding maniac in front of him ten years ago there.
Not that he remembered that. He couldnÆt remember much of anything from his childhood. He spent much of his free time trying to remember those lost years, trying to find some hint as to why he was the person he was.
At his old school, Minato had been an introvert. HeÆd always had fair grades, and had been well liked by the faculty. Unfortunately heÆd never gotten the hang of making lasting relationships; not to say that he didnÆt have friends, but outside of four or five people who had been friends with him since grade school he was awkward around other people.
And now he was leaving his few friends behind, for a city he didnÆt remember, with a bag full of clothes, his laptop and his MP3 player. He couldnÆt quite remember now why heÆd thought going to school in Tatsumi Port was a good idea; but something had whispered to him when he saw the scholarship form that, just maybe, heÆd find the answers to his questions there.
Right now though, he could do for an answer to the question æWhen the hell is this train going to arrive?Æ He turned to face the window with a sigh. As much as I love the music, I should have brought a bookà Hm? There was something just outside his window
A butterfly?
And then the world ended.
<><><><><>
I canÆt describe what it felt like to travel back in timeùI wasnÆt moving, per se, and I didnÆt see my life moving in reverse. I did however feel The Universe being drained. For a timeless second, I was worried that whatever powered it would run out before I reached my destination. But suddenly, movement! Weight! Glass?
ôOW!!!ö
I opened my eyes just in time to catch a glimpse of a blue butterfly flapping itÆs wings outside the trainÆs window, and immediately felt a jab of pain from where IÆd hit my head. I raised a hand to the sore spot and winced. That had hurt.
I turned to check where I was. The train was empty, save for a salaryman reading a newspaper, a few older women who were watching me and a boy and girl holding hands in the back. Over their heads, a digital clock flashed the time: 9:57 PM. I smiled nervously at the women, who chuckled and turned back to their conversation, and I turned back to stare outside.
I had done it. The realization struck suddenly. Here I was, facing outside a view I had last seen what was to me one year before my ôdeath.ö I couldnÆt feel The Universe anymoreùlikely I had used it upùbut I did feel another familiar presence.
Death. Pharos. Ryoji.
In three days I would face the first Greater Shadow, and unlock the sleeping powers within myself. I had one year to change everything that I could; to change fate again.
The train passed through a tunnel suddenly, and for a moment I could see my reflection. I hadnÆt changed overmuch in the last year, so it was a familiar sight: blue hair, Gekkoukan High uniform, MP3 player.
Out of place in my reflection was the small, superior smirk on my face, which widened with my perception of it. I had two hours before reaching Tatsumi Port city. Two hours on my own before I had to put on a mask. Two hours to plan everything; how I would act, how I would help some people and hurt others, two hours to decide how to handle all of the revelations and choices I would face once again this year.
IÆd always been good at doing the impossible.
<><><><><>
The End of TimeùEND
There, was that so bad? Now: tell me what I did wrong.
I'd like to thank my dedicated team of awesome, who are helping me write this story. By name; Luthorne (Speak-No-Evil, or idea monkey), who saw the chapter in it's incpmplete form and helped make it better, darkforce222 (continuity monkey, or Hear-No-Evil) who's helping me stay canonical as to the Personaverse, and Scygnus Darkhawk (See-No-Evil, aka snippet monkey) who's cacklingly crackish snippets ought to give me more fuel for scenes. (Yes, that's how I think of you all in my mind. I'm Do-no-evil, or author monkey.)
I'd like to add one more person to the team; a dedicated beta reader. Please only apply if you have enough free time to actually go through and read these things about once or twice a month, and are good with grammar and at spotting mistakes.
Last note: feel free to suggest scenes for the story. The four of us have some pretty good ideas, but we need more. We have some plans that might make your ideas unworkable in this setting, but that's no reason not to put them forward.
Then I absolutely had to write this. My life is a goddamn mess.
Original Idea: Souffle.
Persona 3 and Shin Megami Tensei belong to ATLUS. I just love their worlds.
<><><><><>
NEW GAME +
Chapter 1
<><><><><>
"Ah, you've awoken at last."
Disorientation hits. A moment ago I had been falling asleep at Gekkokan High School in Tatsumi Port City. Now here I am, sitting in a chair in a room somewhere, my body stiff and my vision clouded over. The person who spoke earlier must have seen my agitation, because he speaks again, comfortingly.
ôI see you are not fully conscious yet. Do not be concerned; after an ordeal such as the one you have just been freed from a little discomfort is to be expected.ö The voice is familiar to me, although with my head stuffed full of cotton as it is I can barely remember who I am.
LetÆs seeà Arisato Minato, age seventeen, no, eighteen as of recently. For the past year IÆve been the leader of S.E.E.S. (short for Special Extracurricular Execution Squad; dumb name, cool acronym) an organization of school kids with the power to summon a Persona. Personae are supposedly someoneÆs psychic inner-self, or something like that. IÆve never really understood what that was all about, and I seem to be an exception to that rule anyway. To make a long story short, nine of use faced off against thirteen Shadows (monsters trying to destroy the world) and a few other Persona users who wanted nothing more than for those Shadows to succeed. We won.
Hmmà anything else? Oh, yeah.
IÆm dead.
Yet here I am in this unfamiliar place... Wait, no, I recognize it as my vision clears up. Or rather, I recognize the man who is the room's other occupant.
"Do you remember me?" Igor asked, his eyes dancing over his long, hooked nose. "It has been such a long time that it would be quite understandable if you did not."
I donÆt know much about Igorùhe was usually silent during the times I visited him in his "Velvet Room," preferring to let Elizabeth, his assistant, do the talking. HeÆs got some weird powers thoughùhe can combine Persona, and he knows way more about things that happen outside the room than he should, given that he never leaves it.
I tried to ask him a question, but all that came out of my moth were a series of low moans. I stopped immediately, shocked at the sound. I sound worse than the Lost... what the hell's going on?
Igor noticed my predicament and sighed to himself. "My apologies, I should not have expected you to speak so soon. Please, take your time." He chuckles at some joke that only he understands. "Oh yes, time. All we have left now is time, you and I... now, when we no longer need it."
Igor fell silent after his cryptic speech, and neither of us spoke for a while. The only sound I heard was my own breathing; the only way I knew Igor was still alive was seeing his shoulders rising and falling in time to his breath. WaitùIÆm seeing details now, so my vision must have cleared up. I used my newly restored eyes to inspect the place IÆve found myself in. The two of us are in some kind of high-ceilinged sitting room, with a low table between us. The chair at my back feels familiar; I figure itÆs probably the one with the lyre motif from the Velvet Room.
I craned my neck for a better look around the room. I notice the lack of exits firstùno doors or windows. I wasnÆt worried. If my suspicions were correct then I wonÆt need a physical exit, and . Besides, I'd gotten in here somehow, so I had to be able to get out.
Next I noticed how dark it was. With no sources of light the room should have been pitch black, but a luminescent glow around our table served to highlight the darkness of the rest of the room. Everything in the lit parts of the room is colored a deep, midnight blue. The chair at my back and the man in front of me had been all the clues IÆd needed to guess where I was, but there was still something offà
Nothing else in the room caught my attention, so I turned back to face Igor. I donÆt know how much time passed before I tried to speak again. ôIsà is this the Velvet Room?ö I whispered, my voice so quiet I barely heard my own words.
Igor responded with his characteristic good humor. ôYes, my dear boy, this is the same Velvet Room that you visited before. Are you wondering why it seems so different?ö
I nodded, then slowly said, louder than before, ôYeahà I remember the Velvet Room looking like an elevatorùno wait, it really was an elevator. What happened? This place doesnÆt look at all like what I rememberàö
ôI believe I told you before that the Velvet Room was between your world and the other side,ö Igor answered. He indicated our surroundings with a wave of his hand. ôIs it not sensible that this place changes as the needs of its visitors change? If a place changes, should it not retain its meaning to the person there? I think you will be pondering that question for some timeàö
ôHuh?ö I managed ever-so-intelligently, trying to work through IgorÆs usual circular speech pattern. ôDo you mean that because what I need is different, the Velvet Room is different? And what was that about a question IÆm going to need to think about?ö
Igor laughed. ôOne question at a time! I am an old man, and cannot answer you as quickly as you can ask questions.ö He gestured at our surroundings again. ôThe Velvet Room is under my control. By borrowing a tiny piece of my visitorÆs consciousness I can craft a space suitable to his needs. Howeverà recent events have taken that power from me. What you see here is the Velvet Room I created for my last guest.ö As he spoke, something about his eyes reminded me then that Igor was not human. He looked older than I remembered; not old like Bunkichi and Mitsuko, but old like the stone statues of the Shinto gods I remember visiting in my childhood. And he was tired.
ôTell meàö he began, and then hesitated. For the first time I felt an aura of uncertainty from him. ôDoes something feelà different about this Velvet Room?ö
I didnÆt have to think about my answer to that. ôItÆs empty.ö
Igor nodded. ôYesà my attendants have long since gone. But no, that is not the greatest loss to this chamber.ö
Did he say attendants? Does that mean that there were more of them? Out loud, I said, ôThatÆs not what I meant.ö I tried to explain. ôEvery time I came here before I di-died,ö I stuttered, ôI could hear someoneàsinging. And a piano! It was like, there were more than just the three of us in the old Velvet Room besides the three of us, and whoever was singing and playing the piano.
ôBut now, it feels like thereÆs no one else alive in the universe.ö
For a second, Igor looked stunned. He recovered quickly, but it was a moment before he responded. ôHow interesting that you should say that. What would think if I told you that you are correct? That in truth, you are the only human left in the universe?ö
All of my thoughts ground to a halt. Everyone in the universe was DEAD!?! ôWhatà what are you talking about?ö I whispered, my voice a hiss thanks to my tightening throat. ôWh-what about everyone else? Junpei and Yukari, and my friends? Are you telling me that I failed!?!ö
Igor sighed again. All of the exhaustion hinted at in his profile had was on display in his face, and I started to wonder about just how long Igor had been in the Velvet Room.
ôEverything that exists has a beginning and an end. This is a fact of life. When something is born, be it plant or animal, planet or person, it will die eventually. To not do so is against the natural order of the universe.
ôYou have been under the impression that you were fighting to stop the death of humanity, the end of the world? As far as that goes, you are correctùI assisted you in order to prevent The Fall. My goal, and that of my master, was to prevent the destruction of mankind, until the correct time for it.ö
ôWhat!?! You wanted humanity to be destroyed!?! How dareùö
ôNo.ö IgorÆs tone cut me off faster than if he had struck me. ôMy master and I did not seek the destruction of humanity, but its proper end.ö
ôIsnÆt thatà the same thing?ö My head must have still been fuzzy, nothing Igor said was making sense. No, wait, he was just him being himself.
ôMy master was interested in the power of humanity to grow, and change, for individuals to better themselves and their world. His aim was to help the species evolve past all of its limits. By assisting a small number of your kind in their struggles against that which would see it destroyed, my master achieved his aim.ö
His eyes bored into mine. ôSince your death sealing Nyx, several millions of years have gone by. Humanity leapt to the stars, and beyond, exploring the secrets of space and time. Research was conducted into the nature of dreams, and the powers of the subconscious mind. And at lastà humanity passed out of the universe.
ôIt was a glorious ascension, the souls of every man woman and child that ever had been born rising up together, passing beyond the other side, into the great unknown.
ôMy master left with them, to serve as their guide though he himself knew nothing of their path. My attendants he took as well. I, however, stayed behind, in order to watch over the one soul that must stay behind.ö He smiled at me.
ôI did not lie, Arisato Minato, when I said that you were the only human left in the universe.ö
I couldnÆt respond. Every human in the universe had decided to ôgo on to the next dimension,ö or whatever? What was this, bad science fiction anime?
But even as I wanted to refute IgorÆs words, I remembered the night when Ryoji told us about the Fall. My friends and allies were told that what we had fought for was a lie, that in defeating the Shadows that threatened us we had allowed Death to be reborn. Worse yet, we were told that Death would be unstoppable.
We had felt the ôtruthö in RyojiÆs words as he brokenly told us the secret of his existence. To deny the Fall was inconceivable, after the shock had worn off.
Like then, now. My heart accepted the truth, even as my mind rebelled: Humanity as I knew it was gone. I let out a sob I hadnÆt realized I has holding in, and buried my head in my hands.
Once again, a long time passed before either of us spoke. Igor patiently waited until I looked up.
ôThere are three options open to you.ö IgorÆs words were measured and slow. ôFirst, you may go on and join the rest of humanity on the next plane of existence. This is a trip into the unknownùI cannot tell you what lies beyond, in the new space that humankind has gone to.
ôNext, you may return to the physical universe. While it is empty of human life, humanity left behind an extraordinary number of machines such that you would be able to live quite comfortably for a very long time. Your life there could be quite long, given the amazing advances in the sciences made before humans passed on.
ôLastlyàö Igor smiled. It wasnÆt a nice smile. It was the kind of smile that promised that the foundations of someoneÆs world were about to fall apart. ôLastly, you may return to your own time.ö
WHAT!?!
Out loud I screamed, ôWHAT!?!ö
IgorÆs smile didnÆt shift at allùhe kept the diabolical grin on his face. ôThe final option available to you is to return to your world, before you began your journey.ö
ôWhùwhy would you do that? Especially after telling me about this ôascensionö bullshit? ö
ôI offer you this option because it is a choice that you have. I have always done my best to help all the guests of the Velvet Room with the choices they face. It would be a betrayal of the charge given to me when I entered my masterÆs service to do other than inform you of all the paths open to you. Now, choose.ö
There was nothing for me to think about. ôIÆll go back.ö
ôAre you sure you want to do that?ö Igor had dropped the smile, instead he had covered him mouth with his hands and seemed to be glaring at me over them. ôIf you return, all of your work during that year will be undoneùyou will have to fight Nyx, again, rebuild the bonds you forged, draw back again the Personae sleeping within the sea of your soul, and as you will be returning to the body you had at that time, lose the strength of arms you built over that year. And worst of all, the Shadows you fight will be even stronger.ö
That last partà made no sense. I told him so.
ôOh, but doesnÆt it? Shadows have the power to affect space and time; how else do you think that your friend Pharos foresaw the Fall? It was a memory to him, as if it had already had happened. The Shadows will be aware of your victory if you choose to return, and will come at you stronger than ever. You will not find the common Shadows so easy to defeat, and the Greater Shadows, with their powers, will be even worse.ö
ôThat doesnÆt change my mind though. I still want to go back. I donÆt want to die again, and I donÆt want to live forever without any other people,
Igor nodded. ôVery well then. Before you go, I will give you two warnings. First, the world did indeed have a future after you created the Great Seal but your first success will have no bearing on whether or not it will be possible for you to stop Nyx from being summoned this time, much less defeat her. You are risking this future by making this decision. While it is a selfish decision, I applaud your determination.
ôSecondly,ö here Igor sighed loudly, before continuing, ôThe universe has does not care for people who meddle with the flow of time. Those who try and rewrite history are often faced with unexpected events that thwart their goals, as if the universe itself stands in their way. Not everything in this new timeline will be exactly the same as it was originally, either. Also, your own actions will have repercussions. Do not depend overmuch on your knowledge of the future, for that future is your past, and has just as much influence on the world as you let it.ö
I took the opening to ask a question that had been nagging at me. ôWhy do I have to go to before I started fighting the ShadowsùwouldnÆt just going back to when I died be a better idea?ö
ôPerhaps it would be. However, you, in this place, are still bound by your contract to æaccept the consequences of your actions.Æ That includes the decision to create the Great Seal. If you returned to a time after your passing, certain Powers who audited your contract would have reason to claim that you had voided your contract. Doing so would allow them to exercise their full powers and destroy the world immediately.ö
On second thought, maybe going back to before I signed the contract was a good idea. ôAlright, fine. April 6th, 2009 it is. Now send me back!ö
Igor shook his head. ôI? I have no power to turn back time.ö I fought the urge to attack him. ôBut you have that power.ö
ôExcuse me?ö I said, completely confused. ôI have time control?ö I suddenly felt angry. Angry at everything that had happened to me, angry at old men who knew everything and refused to say one thing to help, at my friends for not being able to help me, and at the universe for letting Nyx happen.
ôThat makes no sense. If I had control over time, why couldnÆt I just erase Nyx? Or save Shinjiro, or Chidori, or kill Takaya before he hurt anyone? Dammit, if I can control time, WHY DID I HAVE TO DIE!?!ö
Igor had leaned back as I had leapt up and started yelling. He waited until I sat back down to answer me.
ôCheck your front pocket.ö Igor was back to the self I remembered from the old Velvet Room, smirking and knowing more than he should. But heÆd never been wrong beforeà.
I reached into the front pocket of my shirt. Like heÆd said, there was something in thereà rectangular, one side about three centimeters, the longer edge about six-and-a-half. No thicknessà
A card?
I pull it out. ItÆs blank. A familiar black-and-white mask adorned the back, but the front was blank except for its border.
ôWhatÆs this card? Where did it come from?ö
Igor smirked, and pointed at the card I held. ôLook closer.ö
Irked by his manner, I brought the card up to my eye. And I sawà I sawàeverything.
I jerked my eye away with a gasp. ôTh-this isàö
ôThe Universe. Quite a shock, isnÆt it, to realize that such a power sleeps within you? I was quite surprised to see it so many years ago. To imagine that a human being managed to create such a power out of his own soul... well, it was quite something. Regardless, with this, you should be able to go back.ö
Something was off about thisà ôWait, how did I get this card? Are you saying that this is a Persona?ö
Igor seemed pleased. ôYes. This Universe card is the ultimate expression of your æself.Æ All of what you learned on your journey, all of the lessons, trials and victories in tangible form. ItÆs quite impressive, and unique to you alone. I have not seen itÆs like since you first drew it.ö
As I stared at it again in wonder, it flickered slightly in my grasp, only to fully materialize again. "Is...there something wrong with it?" If I was about to use it to catapult myself through time, I certainly had no desire to use something that was broken...!
Igor smiled, rubbing one hand back and forth as he replied. "Nothing is wrong with it so much wrong as it is...'incomplete'. Its power is immeasurable, yet...well, even this has limits. You should be able to use it to travel back in time...but, only once. The attempt will shatter the card, and you will be unable to use it again."
ôSoà how do I use this?ö I was starting to feel excited, despite the situation. I couldnÆt count the number of times Junpei and I had talked about how we would have liked to deal with the crap that we did if we had known what was actually going on. Even though Junpei would never remember those conversations, I was feeling anticipation at the prospect of putting some of our plans into action.
Igor shrugged. ôItÆs your card. The way to use it is inside you.ö He saw my doubt and continued. ôJust think about what it is you want to do, and try to remember how you felt the first time you used it. That should be enough.ö
What it is I want to do? ThatÆs kinda hard. I want to save Shinjiro-senpai, and JunpeiÆs girlfriend. I want to stop Takaya and Ikutsuki, and Nyx. I want to survive. Andà
And I want to see everyone again, before the fighting, the heartbreak, back when we were still kids. I want to go back.
<><><><><>
Less than ten seconds after Igor spoke, ArisatoÆs face lost its strained look. Igor watched with interest as his face mirrored the expressions that he usually was unable to express: first regret, then determination, then peace. Arisato stood up for the first time since he had been brought here.
Minato held the card up between two fingers, staring at it intently. Stretching out his arm, he let go of the card. Instead of following the laws of physics and dropping, the card hovered in mid-air. With no further dramatic moves, Minato pointed at the card. There was a sound of cracking glass and for a moment Minato was silhouetted by a strong light. With a flash, he vanished.
Igor leaned back in his chair, and fought to keep a smile from growing on his face. ôAnd off you go. I wonder what wonders you will have wrought, when we meet again.ö
<><><><><>
April 6th, 2009
Train to Tatsumi Port City
Arisato Minato was going home. He had mixed feelings about this. He had grown up there after all, but his parents had also been murdered by a knife wielding maniac in front of him ten years ago there.
Not that he remembered that. He couldnÆt remember much of anything from his childhood. He spent much of his free time trying to remember those lost years, trying to find some hint as to why he was the person he was.
At his old school, Minato had been an introvert. HeÆd always had fair grades, and had been well liked by the faculty. Unfortunately heÆd never gotten the hang of making lasting relationships; not to say that he didnÆt have friends, but outside of four or five people who had been friends with him since grade school he was awkward around other people.
And now he was leaving his few friends behind, for a city he didnÆt remember, with a bag full of clothes, his laptop and his MP3 player. He couldnÆt quite remember now why heÆd thought going to school in Tatsumi Port was a good idea; but something had whispered to him when he saw the scholarship form that, just maybe, heÆd find the answers to his questions there.
Right now though, he could do for an answer to the question æWhen the hell is this train going to arrive?Æ He turned to face the window with a sigh. As much as I love the music, I should have brought a bookà Hm? There was something just outside his window
A butterfly?
And then the world ended.
<><><><><>
I canÆt describe what it felt like to travel back in timeùI wasnÆt moving, per se, and I didnÆt see my life moving in reverse. I did however feel The Universe being drained. For a timeless second, I was worried that whatever powered it would run out before I reached my destination. But suddenly, movement! Weight! Glass?
ôOW!!!ö
I opened my eyes just in time to catch a glimpse of a blue butterfly flapping itÆs wings outside the trainÆs window, and immediately felt a jab of pain from where IÆd hit my head. I raised a hand to the sore spot and winced. That had hurt.
I turned to check where I was. The train was empty, save for a salaryman reading a newspaper, a few older women who were watching me and a boy and girl holding hands in the back. Over their heads, a digital clock flashed the time: 9:57 PM. I smiled nervously at the women, who chuckled and turned back to their conversation, and I turned back to stare outside.
I had done it. The realization struck suddenly. Here I was, facing outside a view I had last seen what was to me one year before my ôdeath.ö I couldnÆt feel The Universe anymoreùlikely I had used it upùbut I did feel another familiar presence.
Death. Pharos. Ryoji.
In three days I would face the first Greater Shadow, and unlock the sleeping powers within myself. I had one year to change everything that I could; to change fate again.
The train passed through a tunnel suddenly, and for a moment I could see my reflection. I hadnÆt changed overmuch in the last year, so it was a familiar sight: blue hair, Gekkoukan High uniform, MP3 player.
Out of place in my reflection was the small, superior smirk on my face, which widened with my perception of it. I had two hours before reaching Tatsumi Port city. Two hours on my own before I had to put on a mask. Two hours to plan everything; how I would act, how I would help some people and hurt others, two hours to decide how to handle all of the revelations and choices I would face once again this year.
IÆd always been good at doing the impossible.
<><><><><>
The End of TimeùEND
There, was that so bad? Now: tell me what I did wrong.
I'd like to thank my dedicated team of awesome, who are helping me write this story. By name; Luthorne (Speak-No-Evil, or idea monkey), who saw the chapter in it's incpmplete form and helped make it better, darkforce222 (continuity monkey, or Hear-No-Evil) who's helping me stay canonical as to the Personaverse, and Scygnus Darkhawk (See-No-Evil, aka snippet monkey) who's cacklingly crackish snippets ought to give me more fuel for scenes. (Yes, that's how I think of you all in my mind. I'm Do-no-evil, or author monkey.)
I'd like to add one more person to the team; a dedicated beta reader. Please only apply if you have enough free time to actually go through and read these things about once or twice a month, and are good with grammar and at spotting mistakes.
Last note: feel free to suggest scenes for the story. The four of us have some pretty good ideas, but we need more. We have some plans that might make your ideas unworkable in this setting, but that's no reason not to put them forward.
