Kamoshida's palace

"RUN! RUN!"

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME TWICE!"

Throughout the corridors of a castle, two teens were chased by knights in heavy armour.

One of the teens had black hair and wore glasses, and the other had blond hair.

They were, of course, Shin and Ryuji.

After they entered the palace, they encountered a few knights that were standing guard near the gate. Even though Ryuji thought that it was all a complicated prank, Shin knew better, so as soon as he could, he pulled Ryuji away from the knights and ran as fast as he could.

They had somehow reached the dungeons underground while they were moving away.

"Where the hell did we end up? And what were those guys?" asked Ryuji.

"Looks like we're in the dungeons, and castles usually have them underground. The bigger problem is how are we gonna get out." replied Shin.

"Well, we're not leaving that way, that's for sure."

"Let's look around this place then."

They walked through the dungeons, searching for an exit.

The two teens passed several cells with prisoners and Ryuji was very unsettled.

"Hey, who do you think owns the place?" he asked, trying to take his mind off the people in the cells. They couldn't free them and they weren't real either, although Ryuji didn't know that.

Just when Shin was about to respond, a voice called out to them.

"Hey! You there! Blondie! Frizzy Hair! Over here!"

In the cell where the shout came from stood a biped tuxedo cat-like creature with a large spheroidal head. It was mostly black, with the exceptions being on its limbs and tail. The bottom half of its face was also white.

"What is this thing!?" asked Ryuji.

"You're not soldiers of this castle, right!? Get me out of here! Look, the key's right there!"

"We're trying to get the hell out of here...! I mean, you obviously look like an enemy too!"

"I'm locked up in here, so how can I be your enemy!? Help me out!" replied the cat-like being.

"Quiet down. You'll attract the soldiers." said Shin.

Right when Shin said that, clinging and clanking sounds were heard approaching.

"Tsk, they're catching up already...!" murmured Shin.

"How the hell do we get out..." said Ryuji.

"Let me out and I'll show you where the exit is. You don't want to get caught and executed, do you?"

"Well, dying now seems pretty shitty..." 'Not to say that this world is probably screwed if I die...'

"Are you seriously not messing with us?" asked Ryuji.

"I'm not lying! It's the truth!"

Ryuji looked at Shin with a questioning gaze. Shin just nodded in response and the blond went to get the keys that were hanged nearby.

Once free, the cat-like being stretched its limbs and enjoyed being free again.

"Alright, follow me and stay quiet."

The short creature ran towards a drawn bridge.

"Look! Do you notice something weird about this statue?"

"This is singlehandedly the most hideous statue I have ever laid my eyes on." said Shin.

"Agreed."

"Not that! Check the jaw!"

"Oh, you're right."

Pulling the jaw down brought the bridge down.

"How were we supposed to know to do that!?" asked Ryuji.

"Hmph, amateur. Come on, let's keep going!"

As they were running throughout the dungeon, they stumbled across a group of soldiers leaving another room.

"A-Aah! Shit! It's them!" shouted Ryuji, once the soldiers noticed them.

'I can feel you're in danger. Do you require my assistance?' said a deep voice from within Shin.

'Arsene? How am I able to talk to you?'

'I don't know why, but Master Philemon decided to send me to you as a 'gift'.'

It made sense now in Shin's mind. Arsene was the gift Philemon was talking about.

'I see... And I can summon you? Just like that? No ripping my face and all?'

'Indeed. If Master Philemon found you worthy, then I can only do the same. Feel free to use my power to kill your enemies however you want. Run wild to your heart's content!'

Shin had a scary smile on his face as he heard this.

"Very well... Then, slaughter them all, Arsene!" he shouted and opened his arms wide.

Ryuji was confused at his shout, but before he could ask anything, blue flames erupted on Shin's body, forming an incandescent suit before the fire separated itself from Shin.

Shin's body appeared from the flames in new clothing. He was wearing a black ankle-length tailcoat, a high-necked waistcoat with gold accents, black pants, brown-black winklepickers and a pair of red gloves. On his face was a black and white, birdlike domino mask.

The fiery being stood still for a few moments while red sparks appeared on the place where its head should be, forming a pair of eyes and a grinning mouth.

Gradually, the flames lessened as more of the being's actual body was revealed. It had a very tall top hat, a long-horned mask, a cropped red eighteenth-century-esque suit worn open with the collar popped, a white ruffle tie, and a black, tailed corset running down its torso. It had red coverings on its legs resembling pants and boots with blade-like heels, while its arms ended in claws.

The being was restrained by chains, the ends of which were held by Shin. When he threw the chains away, the being revealed a pair of large, black, feathery wings that started at around the small of its back.

The approaching soldiers were blown away by the wind from when the being unfurled its wings.

'Arsene?'

'What is it?'

'Can you do that every time I summon you? It was badass as hell!'

'It's not good to take so long to summon me in a fight. This was only for the first time.'

'Tsk!'

"So you were also a Persona user?" asked Morgana.

"Always have been..." replied Shin, albeit quieter.

"Since when can you do that!?" shouted Ryuji.

"Since 30 seconds ago."

"I'll join the fight too! Zorro!" said Morgana.

A tall swordsman with yellow eyes appeared behind the small being. Its upper body was disproportionately large compared to its lower body. It had a rapier in its right hand, while the sheath was on the left side of his waist. It had a huge Z-shaped silver buckle for its red and silver belt. The outfit was mostly black with silver accents. From beneath the black mask it wore on its face blue skin and a blue stubble could be seen. It had a long moustache that curved upwards and went over the high collar he had. On his back a small cape was fluttering in the wind.

Arsene and Zorro decimated the soldiers that were knocked down in an instant.

"Not bad. Your Persona's pretty powerful." said Morgana.

"Persona...? You mean that thing that comes outta you guys all dramatic-like?" asked Ryuji.

"Yeah. You see, everyone wears a mask deep within their heart. By removing that..."

However, Morgana was interrupted by a flash of light coming from Shin. When the light died down, Shin was back into his normal clothes.

"Huh? He turned back to normal?"

"Hmm, it looks like you don't have full control over your power yet. The transformation shouldn't normally dissolve like that. After all-"

"Argh, that's enough! This crap doesn't make any sense!" said Ryuji, rubbing his head in frustration.

"Can't you sit down and listen for once, Blondie!?" said Morgana, annoyed.

"Don't call me blondie! My name's Ryuji... Actually, what's your name?"

"Name's Morgana, but anyway, there's no time for me to lecture you. You wanna escape this place in one piece, right? Come on, the exit isn't too far away."

On their way to the exit, Ryuji suddenly shouted.

"Hold on a sec!"

The three stopped in front of a cell where a guy in sport clothes was lying on the floor next to the door.

"I feel like I've seen what this dude's wearing before... Dammit, I'm too flustered to remember anything!" said Ryuji.

"Come on, let's go!" said Morgana.

"Hold on, dammit!"

"What is it? We gotta go fast!"

"But... who are these guys?"

"Do you really think you have time to worry about other people now? Besides, they're-"

But Morgana got interrupted once again, this time by the shout of a soldier.

"There!"

Morgana looked like he wanted to say something, but Arsene just shredded the soldier immediately.

"Your Persona is really fast!"

"We should get away before more show up." said Shin.

"Wait, we can't just leave these guys here...!" said Ryuji.

"You really don't get it, do you? Tsk, there's no time to explain. Look, I'm going. If you don't want to follow, be my guest!"

"...fine, I'm going!"

They continued on the corridor and through the main hall, which was thankfully empty, and reached another corridor on the other side of the room.

"We're here!"

"Finally! We're saved!" said Ryuji as he went to try one of the doors, only to notice that it's locked.

"What the hell! Did you trick us, you jerk?" he asked Morgana.

"Don't jump to conclusions. Over here!" he said, entering a different room.

Shin and Ryuji quickly followed him.

"Where are we supposed to get out from here!? There aren't even any windows!"

"Ugh, amateur... This is the most basic of basics..." said Morgana, shaking his head.

"So... the ventilation shaft?" asked Shin.

"That's right! As I thought, you're a natural at this. It leads all the way to the outside."

"I see... Then we just gotta get that metallic mesh off!"

Ryuji hoisted himself on some bookshelves to get near the vent.

"And a one, and a-"

*CRASH*

"Whoa!"

Ryuji had accidentally gripped the mesh on the vent when he lifted himself there, and since the mesh couldn't sustain his weight, the whole thing crashed down from the wall, taking a few bricks with it.

"I hope the enemy didn't hear us... But dude, we're finally getting out!"

"You should hold the celebrations until you actually exit this place. Now get going!"

"But wait, what about you?" asked Ryuji.

"There's something I still have to do. We're going our separate ways."

"Don't get caught again." said Shin.

"Heh, you better be careful too. See ya!" said Morgana as he waved his hand to the two teens.

Once Shin and Ryuji were out of the castle, they just went as far as they could from it before they got tired.

Ryuji was panting while holding himself with his hands on his knees.

"Did... did we make it?" he said between gasps.

"Seems like it." replied Shin.

As he took his phone to check his signal, a voice came from the device.

"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back."

"What the heck...? You think it's related to that castle and the weird cat?"

"Most likely."

Shin checked the time as he turned to Ryuji.

"Hey, if we hurry, we might get to school on time."

"Really? It felt like ages in there..."

"C'mon, hurry up!"

"Alright, alright!"

-INTERMISSION-

"I'll see you later, Ryuji."

"Okay, I guess."

Ryuji went on his way to the second floor where the classrooms for second-years are.

"So you're that problem transfer student."

The speaker was a middle-aged teacher with specs.

'Gee, thanks for the warm welcome, teach.'

"Miss Kawakami has been waiting for you in the faculty office. Now hurry along."

Since he knew where the faculty office is, he didn't have to spend much time wandering the hallways. Even then, he could hear the murmurs of the nearby students.

"I heard he hides a bunch of dangerous stuff in his bag."

"Isn't he a criminal that's gotten into all sorts of stuff...?"

"So that's him? That's the guy with the criminal record?"

"This guy's done it all. Drugs, robbery, murder..."

Shin was slightly annoyed at the rumours concerning him. Kamoshida didn't even start spreading rumours on purpose and he was already so infamous.

Luckily for the rest of the school, Shin reached the faculty office before his thoughts could wander any more.

"Ah, you're here on time. Come on, I'll show you your classroom."

Kawakami stopped in front of the classroom and turned to Shin.

"By the way, when you introduce yourself... Be serious about it, even if you're lying to the class, OK? Do NOT say anything unnecessary."

"Alright."

Kawakami entered the classroom first to tell the students that there's a transfer student coming to their class, and signalled Shin to enter.

"I'd like to introduce a transfer student." she said, gesturing to Shin.

"My name is Shin Yuuta. Nice to meet you all!" he said, a small smile on his face as he said these words.

"Hey, hey, isn't he pretty cute?"

"Yeah, I thought so too!"

"He has a nice smile..."

While the girls were rejoicing since they had a good-looking classmate, the boys were brooding.

"Look how he's hogging all of the girls' attention!"

"Tch, he isn't even that handsome!"

"Compared to you, he is."

"You asshole!"

Since the students were getting pretty loud, Kawakami had to intervene.

"So... Uhh... Your seat will be... Hmm... Over there. The one that's open. Can the people nearby share their books with him for today?"

The seat Shin got was the second last next to the window.

'Protagonist seat GET!'

"...Lies." muttered Ann when Shin passed by her seat.

"Excuse me?" asked Shin.

"..."

And the rest of the class was already humming with gossip and theories about the two.

"Don't forget the volleyball rally is in 2 days. Everyone's just changed classes, so make sure you use that time to get to know each other. Well then, let's get the class started. Who's on duty today?"

A blue-haired student with many bruises on his face rose from his seat.

"Everyone, please rise..."

-INTERMISSION-

When Shin stepped out of the classroom after the lesson finished, Ryuji passed by him to tell him to meet on the rooftop.

After Ryuji left, Kamoshida and the principal went up the stairs and had a discussion about Shin himself. Since he was already within earshot, Shin thought that he might as well listen in on them.

"Why did you allow a student like him to transfer here? He's already started associating himself with Sakamoto. A student with a criminal record, and the culprit of an assault case. At this rate, it'd be pointless how much I contribute to the school." said Kamoshida.

"Now, don't be like that... This school counts on you, Kamoshida. You are our star. Still, a steady build-up is necessary behind such brilliance as well."

"...Your troubles never seem to end, do they, Principal Kobayakawa? All right, I understand. I'll continue to do my best to answer to your expectations of me."

Afterwards, the two went their separate ways. Since their discussion was done, Shin went to the rooftop to meet with Ryuji.

There, Ryuji was sitting on a chair with a leg on a desk nearby.

"Hey. Sorry for calling you here like this. I heard you got a criminal record. Everyone's talkin' about it. No wonder you were so gutsy."

Ryuji set his foot down off the table.

"What was all that that happened? You know, how we almost got killed at a castle? You remember it too, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Not that it means much if we remember it but, still, you saved me from Kamoshida. So yeah. Thanks, Shin."

"You're welcome."

"But, man... That Kamoshida we saw at the castle... You probably don't know this, but there are some rumours about him."

"Ah, the tall ugly guy with the horrendous statue."

Ryuji snickered.

"Yeah, that's him. That asshole who was all full of himself at the castle. Nobody says anything against him cause he's some medalist who took the volleyball team to the nationals. The way Kamoshida was king at the castle felt crazy real because of that..."

The blond lifted himself off the chair.

"... I wonder if we can go back to that castle again... Anyway, I'm sorry to drag you all the way here. My name's Ryuji Sakamoto. I'll come talk if I see you around.

-INTERMISSION-

After school, in Cafe LeBlanc.

"So, how was school?" asked Sojiro.

"Okay, I guess." said Shin, shrugging.

"That's good."

With nothing to do, Shin went up to his room. In the cafe, he could hear Sojiro's phone ringing.

'I'm a bit exhausted. I should do my training routine and go to sleep.'

'Once again, to the Velvet Room while sleeping.'

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This chapter's additional info is on... Personas!

A Persona is a manifestation of a Persona user's personality in the Persona series, referred to as a "mask" for an individual to use to face hardship. A Persona is similar to a Shadow. Shadows are malevolent manifestations of one's inner thoughts, while a Persona is a manifestation of the same feelings but tamed and trained.

If an individual takes up a resolution in their heart, the Persona will undergo a metamorphosis into a stronger form.

In the depths of human hearts, shared by all people, there is a domain where mythological archetypes dwell, and they grant an influence over an individual's personality development. Anecdotes of mythological divinities the world over probably exist because of that, so one could say that gods and demons exist not in Heaven and Hell but in the hearts of humanity.

In Persona 5, Personas are formed by individuals who find themselves in the Metaverse and are dealing with feelings of frustration of being wronged or taken advantage of. Should the person decide to rebel and take revenge, their Shadow Self calls out to them, forming a mask on their face. Their eyes also turn yellow, indicating their Shadow Selves are merging with their owners. Ripping this mask from their face formalizes their contract, causing the Shadow Self to turn into their Persona and take form. The process of tearing off one's mask is particularly painful, as it leads to excessive bleeding. Once the contract has been formed, the person then receives a special thief suit that represents their idea of a rebel, and the mask becomes a normal mask that they can freely take off without pain and serves as the conduit for their Persona abilities.