4/9 - 4/11
“Now arriving at Shibuya.”
Ren sighed and got his things together as the doors finally opened. A voice endlessly replaying in his head .
“Damn brat…I'll sue.” he hasn't known peace since.
He started walking through the station, looking at his phone for guidance and exactly where his guardian lived. He made it to the station square before long, looking at the GPS and looking for his father's message about the address, Ren knew he sent it if only could actively find it-
“Sorry,” Ren murmured as he bumped into someone, he didn’t get a response. In Fact, he didn’t hear anything at all. As he looked around he realized something.
Everything had stopped. Everything stood in place as time froze for everyone but him. He swallowed, throat dry, as the hairs on his neck stood on end. A sudden fire broke out in the middle of the square. Whatever this was, it wasn't normal, he needed to run. Where he had to go could wait. He needed to-
And everything was normal again. The fire was gone, and people were walking around him yet again…
Ren sighed and continued walking. He must have hit his head while on the train…
Looking at his phone , he found the red app once again. He sighed and deleted it. Ren really had to get that checked out eventually. Maybe if he was allowed a part time job…
It took around twenty minutes from the Aoyama-Itchome station to get to the street where he was supposed to live, looking around it was a lot different than what he was used to in his hometown. He headed to the place that matches the address his father sent and to his surprise, it was a house instead. It was quite modern with flower pots on both sides of outside the door on both sides; neither seemed to be in use however. With his heart racing quite a bit he knocked on the door. Quietly he straightened himself out before he heard the itdoor unlock. The door opened and a woman with grey hair and a serious face answered. She stood in high heels that made her the same height as Ren when he slouched over. Yet somehow she managed to look intimidating with how her red eyes pierced through him. Analyzing him.
“You're lucky Ren, you’ll have a good guardian over the next year who is sure to fix your behavior,” his mother had said as she finished the papers Ren would need when he moved to Tokyo. Ren rolled his eyes at the time. Looking at the woman before him, she really was everything he had been told.
“Good morning,” she said, crossing her arms.
“Are you Sae Niijima?” He asked, pushing up his glasses. She nodded, eyes seemingly watching every moment he made.
“I take it that you’re Ren Amamiya? Welcome to Tokyo,” she said as she opened the door to let him inside. The front first room was a living room and kitchen, all whites and grays.
All except the two people sitting on the sofa facing himself. One was a woman with brunette hair and crimson red eyes, who was extremely neat and perfectly sat on the end of the sofa. Next to her was a boy roughly lalso the same age, though his hair was a lighter brown instead he had the same eye color. They seemed nice at the least. The girl seemed so polite it was almost forced. The boy however seemed a bit more laid back, meeting him with a kind smile that seemed to ease Ren a bit. Ren swore though he recognized him but decided to ignore it. Both stood up and smiled.
“So you're the guy who's coming to live with us,” the girl said, raising a hand to her chest, “I'm Makoto, and this,” she gestured to the boy next to her, “is my brother, Goro.”
“It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” heHe said. They looked nice at the very least. Maybe they’d be goodnice roommates as well…
“You guys can call me Ren,” he told them said with a smile, finding himself relaxing with the two.
“I’m glad to see you three are getting to know each otheralong,” the eldest Niijima said as she walked over, “Me Goro and I will be out a lot more due to our work, so we may not be here all the time, Makoto, however, will be.” She said Ren tilted his head and looked at Goro.
“I work with Sae-san and the police force as a detective,” he answered before Ren even got to ask. “Although I still attend school, Sae-san and I work quite a lot.” he said with a chucklechuckled.
“Don’t let that give you any ideas. I want to see some improvements in, I want to see some improvements from the grades you had in your last school,” Niijima said sternly. Ren shivered as her eyes fixated on him.
“Sae-san, why don't you give him a break to settle in today,” Goro attempted to convince her p said as he placed a hand on his hip. She sighed and relented.
“Alright, get ready for tomorrow, however, we'll need to go to Shujin Academy tomorrow to finish up the paperwork, I'll continue then.” Ren nodded along, and something told him that he'd better listen, any wrong stepfooting would be a bad idea.
Makoto walked to the kitchen.
“I made dinner for the four of us if any of you are hungry.” She opened the pot and the smell alone made his mouth water. He hadn't eaten all day.
“I suppose it'd go to waste if I didn't have some,” Goro said as he went to grab several plates and looked back at his older sister. “It is certainly cheaper than sushi, don't you think?” Niijima gave a hum of approval as everyone sat down for an early dinner.
It was pretty quick and silent, not that it mattered to Ren. Dinners like this were the usual back home where the usual like this. If he had nothing to share with his parents, they didn't usually say anything at all. Goro toAkechi excused himself pretty fast, saying something about needing to make a phone call. Next wasith Niijima, she said she had more work to do before bed, . Leaving Ren with just Makoto. Both of them finish up pretty close to each other.
“I'll show you to your room,” she said, taking their plates to the dishwasher. Walking down the short hallway into 64 rooms, Makoto walked to the one near the end and opened it for him. “Here we are.” It was a pretty nice room with a comfortably sized comfortable-sized bed and a desk next to it, though it matched the rest of the theme of the house.
“Sis said to tell her if you need anything,” she said, “and with anything relating to our school you can ask me., I'm the student council president after all.” She said with a smile, it made Ren smile back.
“Will do, madam President.” heHe replied, looking through the box of clothes for some pajamas.
Makoto left the room, leaving Ren to his own devices. by himself. He got changed and did his nightly routine before sliding into bed.
It wasn't too bad here, he had to admit he didn't mind this. They all seemed nice at the very least. It was comfortable lying down on the bed, better than the one he had at home.
Images of that night flashed through his head yet again. Different things he could have done, different ways he could have gone about helping that woman. A future where he just walked past…
No, he would’ve regretted that., Inin the end, he at least stopped him., anything he was planning definitely wouldn’t have been good.
His phone’s alarm snapped him out of his thoughts and he rolled over to look at his itphone, noticing the red icon staring back at him yet again. He sighed and deleted it, before searching for any virus that could download apps like this.
He awoke with a start to a dark ceiling, blue light filtering in through the… bars. He sat up slowly, belatedly realizing the weight he felt on his wrist wasn’t his imagination.
Shackles tied both his arms together with only a foot or two apart. Sitting over the edge he just had to take a moment. This was a dream, nothing else about it.
As he grappled with the fear rising in his chest, he heard a small chuckle.
So much for trying to calm down…
Footsteps came closer until soon two little girls appeared on each side of the doorway. Each stepped closer to the other showing a striking resemblance, most likely twins, each wearing some sort of police uniform, with light blonde golden hair and golden eyes. The only difference between the two is that one has brains and the other has twin buns on each side of her head. Both wore an eye patch on the opposite of each other.
Standing up, Ren tried to move closer only for one of his legs to be weighed down. A ball and chain tied around it. He dragged it along and tried to reach the bars anyway.
The twins slowly turned, letting him instead focus on a…man in the middle of the room.
Just looking at him was off-putting, his nose was too long and his mouth and eyes were just too wide. His hair was grey and balding but he could barely think about that with how hunched its position was.
Safe to say it was not a person.
“Trickster, welcome to my Velvet Room,” he said in a freakily low voice.
“So you’ve come to, inmate!” the girl to his left yelledsaid, her voice a lot more demanding than what he’d thought.
“The you in reality is currently fast asleep,” the one with braids told him. Easily the calmer of the twosaid. She was on his left now. Her voice was a lot softer than her counterpartcalmer. “You are only experiencing this as a dream.”
“You're in the presence of our master. Stand up straight!” the one to his right scolded.
“Welcome, I am delighted to make your acquaintance,” the weird man started, “this place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a contract may.” it started tapping its fingers against the desk as it spoke. “I am Igor the master of this place, remember it well.” So he had a name, nice to know his dreams were creative at the very least. “I summoned you to speak of important matters. It involves your life as well.”
“Important matters…?” He asked, confused.
“Still this is a surprise, the state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such. You truly are a “prisoner” of fate.” Ren’s hands tightened around the bars of his cell. This is just a dream he told himself, but it didn’t stop his racing heart.
“Ruin?” he managed to question, with a sinking feeling.
“Worry not there is a means to oppose such a fate,” Igor started, “You must be “rehabilitated.” Rehabilitated towards freedom. That is your only means to avoid ruin…” he paused for a moment, “Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?”
“I’d rather avoid ruin…” like he had much of a choice.
“Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation,” Igor said. Suddenly, both twins turned around towards Ren again. “Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others. To your right is Caroline to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here.” Huh, he knew his brain was naturally creative, but he never knew to what extent.
“Try and struggle as hard as you'd like.” Caroline practically demanded.
“The duty of wardens is to protect inmates. We are also your collaborators.” Justine said, clearly the nicer of the two- “That is if you remain obedient.” Nevermind.
“I shall explain the roles of these two at another Occasion,” Igor says, “Now then it seems the night is waning… It is almost time. Take your time to come to understand this place. We will surely meet again eventually…” a loud loud alarm rang through the room, nearly making him jump.
“Times up,” Caroline announced. “Now hurry up and go back to sleep.”
With that, the world faded from view.
4/10
Ren woke up to his alarm the next day. What a weird dream…was all he could think. Standing up, he got on his school uniform and yawned. He rubbed his eyes and finished getting ready just as there was a knock at the door.
“Are you awake?” Nijima asked through the door.
“Yeah, I’ll be out in a second.” replied with a long sigh. He really should’ve brought more clothes.
They were on the road less than an hour later, taking Niijima’s car to the school. Shujin Academy was an ordinary prep school, somewhere he could easily keep his head down and maybe make some friends.
When they arrived at the school, Ren took a moment to look at it. It was quite big, several stories high, and had multiple buildings.
“It's pretty nice,” he said, Niijima only offering a nod before they both headed inside.
Once they arrived at the office, the paperwork was quite easy. The principal eyed him suspiciously every second he was therether, e like he expected Ren to try and steal something off his desk the moment he wasn’t looking. Next to him stood a woman with short curly black hair and eyes. She wore a yellow and orange striped shirt with a jean skirt that went down to her knees. She looked somewhat annoyed and tired as she stood there. Anytime could tell she didn't want to be there.
To reiterate, just so we're clear,” The principal stated, “You will immediately be expelled if you cause any problems. In my opinion, you're nothing but a liability, but we had our circumstances to consider…” Great he already doesn’t like him, ”Whatever you might have gotten away with in your hometown… Those days are over. If you are thrown out from our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind.” Suppressing a sigh, Ren nodded. The principal turned his head to the woman next to him. “This is the teacher in charge of your class.” He said, the woman looking up right after.
“I’m Sadayo Kawakami.” She said, “Here’s your student ID.” She put down the ID with his picture and information on the desk but for some reason, there were some papers underneath, unfortunately, he didn’t get to seesay anything before she hastily took them back. “Be sure to read the school rules,” she told him as he grabbed his ID, slipping it into his pocket. “Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office. And, if by chance you cause any problems, I won't be able to protect you at all.” she turned to the principal again, “...That is your promise, yes, principal Kobayakawa?”
“Mm,” he nodded, “He is responsible for all his actions.”
“But really though, why me?” she said, “There should’ve been better candidates.”
“It was a sudden transfer, and your class was the only one that had an opening.” the principal replied. Great to know I’m wanted… Ren didn’t have the self-control to suppress his sigh. Niijima cleared her throat as both looked at her.
“Thank you for letting Amamiya-kun attend your school, please, if there are any issues feel free to contact me,” she said shortly.
“Of course, Niijima-san please keep an eye on him, don’t let him cause any trouble outside,” the principal said, as if a threat.
“Of course, we’ve already discussed my expectations now that he lives with me,” Niijima said.
“Come to the faculty office when you arrive at school tomorrow. I’ll show you to your classroom.” Kawakami said with a sigh. The meeting ended swiftly after that, leaving Ren and Niijima walking back to the car in silence. Ren could confidently say he wasn’t going to get into any trouble. But with how the staff already seemed to act around him, he wouldn’t be surprised if that didn’t matter to them.
He remembers it well, after the arrest. His old school had let him continue going while the court's decision was still being negotiated. He’d given up on trying to prove his innocence to anyone by then, instead letting them talk. In no time, other students wised up to what a criminal record could mean. Soon if he was near some sort of incident, it was his fault. Everyone stopped talking to him, so he stayed in his home all day and night, rarely showing his face outside.
But the other students didn’t know about his record here. He could live normally, and maybe things would be normal again. As his mom said the last time they talked, “Everycloudhasasilverlining.” No matter what, he'd have to be the best Ren Amimya to ever walk the earth this year.
He could do this.
The car ride was quiet and slow, traffic seemingly picked up out of nowhere just as they were leaving the block. Niijima tapped the steering wheel impatiently, a thin frown as she waited the long minutes between each time the car moved. Ren stuck to looking at the different forums on his phone. Nothing in particular caught his eyes.
Just then her phone started ringing loudly, and both of them nearly jumped out of their skins before she picked up the call.
“Hello?” She asked.
“Sae-san, did you see the news?” It took Ren a second to realize it was Goro on the other side of the phone, it was easy to hear the people around him panicking.
“No, I’m still out with Amamiya-kun, why, what happened?” She sat up watching the road more intensely for any sort of opening.
“There was a crash in one of the train lines. It seems quite bad,” he told her. “The driver doesn’t remember just what happened…” He said, as if he was thinking as he did, trailing off into thoughts he left unheard. Ren listened on. What was happening?
“Just like the truck driver from a while ago,” Niijima said, Goro snapped his finger.
“Exactly what I was thinking, maybe they’re connected.” he said, “Anyway, I’ll wait until you get home to discuss any more of this.” Ren sighed, somewhat disappointed with the lack of information. The conversation continued, mostly Niijima making sure Goro wasn’t actually near the crash, appropriately acting like the big sister before hanging u[p the phone. Ren had to suppress a laugh as Niijima sighed.
“So, what were you talking about?” Ren asked. Niijima sighed.
“We call them mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns, at the moment at least there’s been several different cases of it, but this so far has been the most moment destructive. “Currently I'm the one on the case.” Ren slowly nodded, that was interesting at least.
“Can you tell me more,” he attempted only to be met with a flat no. Sighing he sat back and looked outside the window for a while. The silence was fine with him but something had been on his mind since he arrived.
“Why did you take me in?” He asked, not looking at Niijima.
“I know your parents, that's all.” Ren nodded, choosing not to ask any more questions.
It took three hours to get back home, with the sun setting as Niijima walked through the door. By then, he was honestly way too tired to do much besides go to his room after setting out his clothes for the next day. Laying down on the bed as comfortably as possible, he drifted to sleep again.
4/11
He woke up early for the day to get ready for school and he practically died. He half expected to wake up to an empty house, but Niijima and Goro were in the kitchen. Goro was in a different uniform while Niijima was getting ready for work. Makoto seemingly left earlier.
“You like waiting until the last minute, don't you?” Goro said as he stood up, briefcase in hand.
“What do you mean?” Ren asked.
“You have 30 minutes before school, and it takes about,” he stopped for a moment, “23 minutes, give or take, to get there.” Needless to say, he didn't eat breakfast as he rushed out.
He was almost there when his luck turned for the worst.
Rain. Of course, it would rain. Why wouldn't it?
He sighed as he looked up at the sky, hoping it would be over soon enough. It was like some type of omen, screaming “Go back home!” he usually would if it wasn’t his first day.
With how much the world hates him, it'll continue all day. He'll be walking into his first class on his first day of school, already wet. Fantastic.
He looked down at his phone, hoping the rain would let up in less than…10 minutes, when.
That damn app was back, he sighed, as it expanded over the map again.
He didn’t have a chance to delete it before someone in a hood stopped next to him, hiding under the same store for shelter. He looked over just as they took off their hood.
A woman with big blonde pigtails and blue eyes, not really someone he’d see every day. She caught his eyes and for a moment (one filled with embarrassment) they stared at each other before she gave him a small smile and looked back out at the rain. He watched for a few seconds more before he looked back as well. She seemed about his age, maybe even the same school if he was lucky. She seemed nice at least.
A car pulled up in front of them a moment later, the window rolling down as a man with black hair and a surprisingly square chin leaned over to talk to them.
“Good morning.” the guy said, "who the hell was he?” “You want me to give you a ride to school? You’re going to be late.” He asked.
“Um, sure. Thank you.” She said, walking over to the car.
“Do you need a lift too?”
“Huh? Uh- nah.” he gave a nervous laugh and waved his hand. Yeah, not a good idea at all. The moment the man looked away his smile faded. The window started rolling up but the girl looked…sadworried. She looked down but the window closed before he could see anything else. The car started driving off leaving without much fanfare.
But a second later a blonde boy ran over.
“Damn it. Screw that pervy teacher.” He cursed, coming to a stop. Pervy…what? Ren looked at the blonde boy confused.
“…Pervy teacher?” he questioned, the boy looked back at him with a hum.
“What do you want?” He said, walking over to Rent a bit menacingly. Ren stood up a bit taller, and images of the bullies from his old school flashed into his mind. “You planning’ on ratting’ me out to Kamoshida?” He questioned.
“Kamoshida?” Ren asked, keeping his voice in check. Confused.
“Huh?” the blonde looked equally confused, kicking his leg a bit, “In the car just now. It was Kamoshida.” Oh, that makes sense…
Wait shit. That girl was in there with him. A sense of dread feeling like he was dunked in water. And there wasn’t anything he could do besides get to school.
“He does whatever the hell he wants.” the boy said, turning his head to look at the road. “Who does he think he is--the king of a castle? Don’t you agree?”
“ …What do you mean?” Ren replied.
“Uh,.” the boy watched him for a moment as he crossed his arms. “...wait. You really don’t know Kamoshida? Are you for real?” something told Ren he should figure out who that was soon. “You’re from Shujin, right?” the boy asked.
“YeahI think so…?” he found a strange urge to laugh.
“…You messin’ with me?” Ren didn’t know how to answer, trying to figure out how to act with this guy. “You’re wearing a uniform.” He looked him up and down, “Huh, a second-year, huh… we’re the same grade then.” he said, a strange amount of relief flooding through Ren at that statement. “Never seen youyou before though.” Suddenly his eyes lit up. “Are you a transfer student?” he asked. Ren nodded.
“Just starting today,” he answered.
“Then no wonder you don’t know him. " He turned to the road again. “This rain ain’t too bad. Better hurry up, or we’ll be late.” Ren nodded, but before he could even step out from under the store, he felt lightheaded. Closing his eyes for a moment, he willed himself to walk. Probably just because he didn’t eat this morning, he’d have to get back into the habit of school life.
But the boy seemed to be feeling it too. Strange.
“My head hurts…” he groaned.
“Let’s hurry to the school then…” Ren said, a bit concerned for the blonde, who nodded.
“I know a shortcut,” he said before walking down the street. Ren may have missed it before, but he noticed the boy had a limp has he walked. How strange.
So he followed this straight through a few, always stopping only when he thought he heard someone. I swear if I get murdered-
A yell broke his train of thought immediately. He ran over quickly only to stop in his tracks.
In front of them was a huge castle, and everything about it felt sinister, like they shouldn’t even be there. The sky was suddenly a lot more violent, a purple glow raining down and illuminating the rest of the space. A gate loomed over where, if Re wasn’t mistaken, the school gates were supposed to be. Eve then, just past that the castle made them feel as if they definitely weren’t supposed to be there.
“We didn’t…come the wrong way though…” The boy looked around, apparently, the school couldn’t change like that. “Yeah this should be right…what’s going on here.” Ren shrugged.
“Does it usually look like a medieval castle?” Ren jokes.
“No, of course not.” The boy spat. Ren just nodded; with a slight smile could be seen if anyone looked hard enough. He sighed, “Might as well just go in and ask…” Was that a smart idea? No. Probably not. But-
When was the last time he actually went on an adventure with someone?
As soon as they stepped inside, the atmosphere was different. Looking around, it looked like any evil castle you could find in a movie. There were red carpets, and it was lit only by torches. Stone walls and stairs led up to, god knows, where. They stopped near the middle of the room, looking around for any signs that this was still their school.
“Th-that’s weird… Where’s the school?” the blonde said, probably just thinking out loud.
“Did we make a wrong turn?” Ren asked, looking around just as lost.
“No! This has to be it!” he yelled, before he faltered, “I mean, it… should be…” Ren shrugged and looked back at the entrance. They should leave, nothing good could come out of staying here. The boy looked down at his phone. “Out of service? Where’d we end up? The sign was for the school right?”
“Yeah, I saw that too,” Ren confirmed.
“Right?!” but before they could say more something approached them. A huge knight it seemed, with sword and shield in hand. Over its face seemed to be some type of blue mask. The boy nearly jumped back when he saw it.
“Geez… you freaked me out…” the boy said as if this wasn’t insane. Ren was close to grabbing him and running. “Who’re you? A student?” he asked as if that was even something possible. Ren could leave why the boy distracted me, it's smart. But no, it’d be shitty to leave someone to the wolves like that, so he stood his ground.
“Hey, we should…” Ren started, but the blonde didn’t seem to hear him.
“Man, your costume is impressive… is that armor real.” Ren watched anxiously as another knight came out of nowhere. The boy took a step back.
“H-hey what’s goin’ on?” the blonde said, confusion turning into fear.
“What is this,” Ren mumbled, finding himself taking a few steps back.
“…This shit’s real” the boy took another step back. The other knight followed causing the boy to jump. “C-calm down! Time out, man!” the boy looked at him “We gotta run!” FINALLY. Ren turned and started running to the entrance.
More knights appeared in front of them. His eyes widened as he stopped. Looking around, he saw nowhere they could go. He was cornered.
“Ugh, what’s with these guys!?” the boy yelled before the knight closest shoved him to the ground. He let out a painful yell. “You're gonna break my bones, damn it!” he yelled, Ren winced looking around for an exit that they could use. He could probably drag the other out he’d just had to think-
A sudden pain stemming from the back of his head.
Lights out.
When Ren’s eyes opened again, they were met with a stormy dark sky. Confused, he looked around, his eyes catching on the entrance of what seemed to be- no... it was a huge cave. He knew this. He’d been here before. He’s-
“Must you panic over everything?” Ren jumped back, turning around to find a black-haired boy with curly hair. Something irked Ren about him, a sense of wrongness that told him whatever this was, it was definitely not supposed to be there. He took a few steps back, his eyes searching for a way out. “Dude…relax.”
“Where am I?” Ren asked. If a castle could form in the middle of the city, then maybe he could be transported…here.
“You know exactly where we are,” the boy said. Ren just shook his head, yet something was familiar about this boy. His…everything was way too similar to Ren's.
That’s when revelation dawned on him.
“Who are you?” Ren asked, his voice shaking. He hands grabbing at the grass.
“You know exactly who I am, Ren,” the boy replied. Yet Ren started, the wind seemed to pick up, ripping at him as if it wanted to push him over. The boy frowned. “I didn’t think this would distress you that much.”
“This…this is a dream, isn't it?” Ren said. The humidity made his clothes stick to him, making him feel more trapped than anything. As he looked closer at the boy, he realized something.
A red flannel with grey jeans, and a yellow rope that was double-knotted around his waist.
It was the same that day…
Wasn't it?
The thunder boomed overhead as rain began to fall.
The boy came closer, to the point where he could easily see him through the pounding rain.
“Hey, wake up!” It was a different voice now as he scrambled back. Except he seemed to somehow lose his footing, falling back with a heavy thud.
His eyes opened to a blonde boy in front of him. He looked…concerned. But as he sat up and looked around, he could see why.
They were in a cell, but that’s all he could think about. His head was pounding. He leaned on his elbows and covered his eyes. So this wasn’t all a dream.
Well…the dream he had was but probably not the castle.
“You all right?” the boy next to him asked, Ren nearly forgot he was there. Ren nodded and looked up at him. He tried to ask how he was but his words seemed stuck at the moment. Still reeling from that cruel dream.
Either way, the blonde turns to the cell bars.
“Looks like this ain’t no dream…” he said. “Ugh, what’s goin’ on!” he yelled. He ran to the bars, banging on them loudly. “Hey, let us outta here!” he yelled, “I know there’s someone out there!” it accomplished nothing, and the boy walked back, defeated.
“Damnit. Where are we? Is this some kinda movie set!?” Ren let him yell without comment. They didn’t have much of a choice but to wait for what might happen.
A sudden scream got them both pressing against the bars, looking around for the source. The person sounded like they were in horrible pain, giving Ren chills.
“Th-the hell was that just now?” The blonde’s frustration quickly was replaced with fear.
The screams continued, a bit less loud but all the more disturbing. Ren's hand gripped the bar to stop itself from shaking.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa…” the boy next to him mumbled, backing away from the bars. “You're shittin’ me right?” Ren swallowed and looked away from the bars and back at their cell. “This is really bad…!” the boy mumbled, “come on we have to do something.” He seemed to steel himself a bit to help look around.
And look what they did. For anything really, that could stop what may as well be their deaths.
However nothing was enough, they couldn't hide in the barrels and they had no sort of weapons. The chains were useless when you realized how bulky those “knights” were.
Ren was still investigating beds when suddenly-
“huh…do you hear that?” The boy said, both of them turning to the bars in time to see the knights walk up to them.
“Be glad that your punishment has been decided on.” The knight said, “Your charge is ‘unlawful entry,’ thus you will be sentenced to death.” Ren nearly fell back, forgetting how to breathe.
“Say what!?” the boy, understandably, yelled. A voice cut in, something familiar in tone.
“No one's allowed to do what they place in my castle.” It said, the knights making way for a-
Man with a red king's cape with pink hearts as a pattern, and his legs were bare which made Ren fear the rest of him was as well.
“Huh wait…” the blonde gasped as he looked closer, “Is that you Kamoshida?” THAT'S THE TEACHER!?!?
“Kamoshida…?” Ren looked at the blonde in disbelief.
“I thought it was some petty thief, but to think it’d be you, Sakamoto…” the (teacher? King?) said, “Are you trying to disobey me again?” the man said with a smirk, “It looks like you haven’t learned your lesson at all, huh?” A shiver crawled up his spine when Kamoshida looked at him, everything in that moment screamed at him to look down and not associate with the boy next to him. So he did just that, despite the hum at the back of his head disagreeing. “And you even brought a friend this time…because you can’t do anything for yourself.” the man laughed. “At least he seems to know when to bow to a king.” Shame rolled over him in waves.
“This Ain’t funny, you asshole.” Sakamoto rocked the bars, seemingly trying to open it again.
“Is that how to speak to a king?” Kamoshida yelled, “It seems you don’t understand the position you’re in at all.” “Not only did you sneak into my castle. You committed the crime of insulting me–the king.” with the same disgusting smirk he continued, “The punishment for that is death.” Ren looked at the blonde, eyes wide. He wasn't doing himself any good, he needed to step in, he needed to talk down that king of before he really did kill him. But before he could say a thing, Kamoshida yelled again. “It’s time for an execution! Take him out!” Ren’s heart sank, this was it. They were going to die here, weren’t they?
“St-stop it…” the blonde mumbled as he was backed into a counter by the invading guards. Ren stood there, forgotten as he could only stare.
“Goddamnit…” with a sudden bout of strength, Sakamoto rushed the guard in front of him, it fell with a large clang before he looked up at Ren with fierce determination in his eyes. “I ain’t down for this shit! C’mon, we’re outta here!” Ren almost followed for a moment before reality swept back in. A different knight walked over and punched the blonde in the stomach, sending him staggering to the wall, cradling his stomach, and letting out a painful groan. He fell to the ground. Helpless.
Ren didn’t even know what he was thinking before he grabbed onto a knight’s unnatural arm, pulling with all his might to no effect.
“Just go!” Sakamoto yelled, “Get outta here! These guys are serious!” but Ren couldn't do that. He didn’t know why but he couldn’t. Everything from the past 7 months flashed through his mind but still, he refused.
“Oh? Running away, are we?” the king started, “What a heartless friend you are.”
“He ain’t a friend,” the boy said through huffs before looking back at Ren. “C’mon! Hurry up and go!”
“What’s the matter? Too scared to run away!” Kamoshida taunted. But Ren was torn, learned self-preservation told him to do what the high authority said but…
“Humph, pathetic scum isn’t worth my time…” he smirked once again (no matter how you looked, it never got less gross), “I’ll focus on this one’s execution…”
Ren was useless here. Forced to watch as guards held Sakamoto up as the king took turns punching him. Until finally the boy fell to the floor. He watches as the teen is picked up by a knight and thrown to the ground.
“A peasant like you isn’t worth beating,” Kamosida said, hate obvious in his tone. “I’ll have you killed right now.” Ren couldn’t stop himself.
“Stop it!” he yelled, he regretted it almost immediately, as the king looked back, all attention focused on him.
“What? Don’t you dare tell me you don’t know who I am.” the king said. Stalking close Ren put on a brave face. The king invades his personal space before his face flashes with anger.
“That look in your eyes irritates me!” he says before suddenly kicking Ren in the stomach, he falls back against the wall. In the end, his attempt to help was futile… it always is.
“Hold him there… after the peasant, it’s his turn to die.” Still when Ren saw the knight start walking toward the boy something inside him screamed to move. He didn’t get far, and with a strangled grunt, he was pointed to the wall. He could hear the boy clearly.
“No…I don’t wanna die…” he begged as the king walked to him with no mercy.
“This truly is an unjust game…your chances of winning are almost none,” a voice said. Before a white butterfly fluttered across the cell, nothing else seemed to see it. “But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you…”
What’s the matter? Are you simply going to watch? A voice called out to Rent. Looking around he couldn’t see anyone.
Are you forsaking him to save yourself?
Death awaits him if you do nothing.
Were your previous decisions mistakes as well?
It wasn’t. He watched as the knight across from him held Sakamoto up in the air and pointed straight at him. And Ren felt determined for the first take in so long. Like a fire rekindled in his veins.
Very well… I have heeded your resolve.
Suddenly, pure agony pierced his head. Like he was being ripped apart but nothing could cause it. He struggled against the guards, unable to stay still against whatever torture this seemed to be. All he could do was struggle and scream out in pain.
Vow to me
I am thou
Thou art I…
Thou who are willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice!
Call upon my name, and release thy rage!
Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!
“Execute him!” the words broke through the painful haze instantly. A feeling Ren hadn’t felt before rushed over him.
“That’s enough!” Ren said, his voice felt more powerful than ever before. Kamoshida turned around, shocked and infuriated. Even the knight did the same.
“What was that…?” Kamoshida said, but Ren knew there wasn’t any true confusion. The knight let go of Sakamoto and turned to Rent as well. “You desire to be killed that much? Fine!” he grinned, before nodding to the knight next to Ren. It lifted its shield and hit Ren with him. He fell back, glasses knocked off his face. Pain radiated from the side of his head as spears forced from against the wall, right against his neck. He couldn’t move as the sword was raised high.
Before it could come crashing down the pressure from before returned with a vengeance. He didn’t notice how everyone was forced back a few steps. His mind was occupied with the feeling of… something on his face. He reached up with his hands grabbing something around his eyes. Something he needed off. He needed to take it off, something deep inside would scream.
Somehow it felt attached to him. It wouldn’t move.
But eventually, he felt it give away, slow at first but quickly becoming easier. . His face burned as he ripped the mask off, warm liquid flowed down his face with a pained scream. Yet somehow Ren had never felt so free.
He looked up at Kamoshida's scared face as power seemed to consume him.
His clothes changed, and what was once a school uniform turned into something entirely different. Red gloves and a long black tailcoat fitted perfectly around a dark grey corset.
He saw glips of the creature behind him, yet he wasn’t scared. He watched the knights fly into the walls and bars, crumpling to the floor and only narrowly missing the king. Kamoshida looked terrified and he scrambled away.
“What the…” Sakamoto mumbled.
I am the rebel’s soul that resides in you.
If you so desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis.
“Give me your power.” Ren said, looking up at the winged man (?)
Hmph, very well…
“Who the hell are you!?” the king said from the cell door. Ren forgot he was even there. “Guards!” all the guards that had fallen stood up, shaking for a second before transforming into some sort of creature similar to a pumpkin witch. “You'll learn the strength of my men!” Kamoshida yelled.
Still, Ren strangely didn't feel scared as the creatures rushed him.
This power of mine is yours!
The creatures lunged towards Ren and, with agility he didn’t know he had, he dodged out of the way.
Kill them however you want.
Run wild with your heart’s content! Arsene’s voice yelled out around him. And he did just that.
He evaded a fireball before grabbing his dagger and going in for a hit. It landed straight on, cutting through the pumpkin easily before it retaliated and threw him away with a wack. Instinctively, he grabbed his mask, ripping it from his face with a confident smile.
“Asene!” He yelled, power rushing through him almost instantly as dark matter seemed to engulf one of the pumpkin witches. It fell and disappeared a second later and only with a single hit, did the other one as well.
He looked around, finding Sakamoto still on the floor where the guard had dropped him earlier.
“What…” the boy said, shock riddled his voice. “What was that just now?” Before Ren could even answer, the King came over again.
“You little…” Kamoshida said he looked like he was getting ready to summon guards-
Ren didn't notice Sakamoto get up and crash right into the king, eyes wide he found himself close to laughing.
“You like that, you son of a bitch!” The blonde shouted at the fallen man.
“Get the key!” Ren yelled, they'd fallen when Kamoshida was pushed over. The blonde grabbed them quickly, and both of them ran out and locked the door behind them.
“Okay. It's locked!” Sakamoto yelled.
“Damn you!” The king yelled, the blonde didn't pay him much mind before looking at Ren.
“Hey, what was that just now?” He asked, Ren shrugged.
“Our way out of this place,” Ren replied, he didn't have much of an answer as he stuffed his hands in his pocket.
“and…Your clothes?” the boy said, confused. Oh right, his clothes did change, he almost forgot. He looked down at his red gloves and black jacket-
In a burst of blue flame, they were back to normal. Ren suppressed a sigh, Can't have shit in Tokyo.
“whoa, it went back to normal!”
“No shit…” Ren said bitterly.
The two of them ran through the dungeon, confused and weary of any noise that sounded like footsteps. Ren looked around, the river (?) in the middle of the cells definitely made it harder to hear but-
“Hey, we gotta hide!” Sakamoto yelled, he nodded and hid behind some crates.
“Over there… they're lookin’ for us, right?” he said quietly, waiting for the guard to leave before continuing. “I ain't around with this anymore! We gotta find a way out of this goddamn place!” He let his frustration out, Ren let him. It felt like they'd been here for hours…surely the day had passed and they'd been here all night. With a groan of frustration, he stood up again. His feet and back were protesting.
They walked up the stairs nearby, hoping it would at least change the scenery. But all that waited for them was the same long stretch of hallway with a river down the middle as where they had just come from.
“Oh come on…” Ren groaned.
“Dude…You gotta be joking’” The blonde said. “This isn't the exit?! What the hell is this place!?” he yelled.
“Hell. This place is hell,” Ren said, dragging his feet to look for the exit all over again.
It wasn't long before they found a couple of cages, looking closer he realized they were wearing the same uniform. His eyes go wide.
“We really did hear people screaming…so we ain't the only ones that got captured.” He looked at Sakamoto.
“Recognize anyone in there?” Ren asked.
“Kinda, I've seen them around during school.” he looked concerned, “Is uh… is he okay?” Ren looked at the student, weakly gripping the bars, and shook his head.
“I doubt it…” They continued down the road, an uneasy feeling settling in their guts. They came across a statue of Kamoshida, and the bridge beside it was drawn. Thus, they were effectively trapped on this side of the dungeon until they figured out how to leave.
“ …Hey, you there.” a smaller voice yelled out, making both teens jump nearly out of their skins. “Blondie! Frizzy Hair! Look over here!” it yelled, Ren got ready for some type of battle. In whatever hell they’re in it was totally possible.
Ren held his breath as he turned to face the supposed guard, it was nowhere to be found. Instead, the duo only saw some weird anthropomorphic cat thing with a yellow bandana.
“What is this thing?!” Sakamoto shouted.
“You’re not soldiers of this castle, right?!” the cat immediately questioned. “Get me out of here!” Of course, Kamoshida would lock the cat in his palace, truly a monster in every way. Ren looked around trying to figure out if there was a way for the creature to escape. “Look, the key’s right there.”
“We’re trying to get the hell outta here,” Sakamoto said, somewhere between shouting and talking. “I mean, you obviously look like an enemy too!” The blonde had a point, this could easily be a trap.
“I’m locked up here, so how can I be your enemy!? Help me out.” Ren put his hands in his pocket, confused.
“Why would Kamoshida lock up a cat,” he asked.
“I am NOT a cat!” the creature yelled, just the look in its eyes left no room for discussion. “Say that again and I'll make you regret it!” Neither boy had any time to respond when they heard footsteps drawing closer.
“They’re catching up already!” Sakamoto whisper-yelled, eyes wide as the both of them turned towards where the noise came from. He looked at his phone again, “Shit, there’s still no service. Ain’t there any way to contact someone outside?!” Ren looked at his phone silently, but it seemed about the same as the blonde’s. “How the hell do we get out of here!?”
“Hey, you two!” the cat-like creature yelled, instantly grabbing their attention. “You want to know where the exit is? Let me out and I’ll take you there,” it said, and hell, what other choice did they have?
“Fine,” Ren said. Simply, Sakamoto looked at him like he’d lost his mind.
“Are you crazy! This thing is probably lying’” Sakamoto reasoned.
“You saw that power I used, if it tries anything I'll do the same thing,” Ren reassured. The blonde didn't seem convinced but didn't put up an argument.
A moment later the cell was opened and the cat-like creature bounced out with a grin.
“Ahhhh…freedom tastes so great…-” footsteps seemed to get closer, stopping the cat's celebration in an instant.
“Now, where's the exit, you monster cat!?” The boy asked hastily.
“Don’t call me a cat! I am Morgana!” the ca- Morgana snapped.
“Shuddup,” Sakamoto said, clearly getting anxious, “And hurry it up, do you wanna get locked up again?!”
“A-all right, sheesh!” The creature said, “Follow me and stay quiet.”
Neither boy objected as they followed the strange not-cat around the dungeons, it was their best bet of getting out of whatever the hell they’d managed to get stuck in. It seemed to know a lot more than Ren had thought, seemingly knowing how to answer the bridge problem.
Sadly that just seemed to make a new one. One that appeared as the three almost ran into a guard head-on.
Once again Morgana seemed to know way more than either of them, facing the enemy with no fear.
“Tch…weakling!” it mumbled before turning to Rent, “Hey, you! You can fight, right?” Ren shook his head. He already felt out of his element.
“Hm? But you got a persona don’t you?” the creature, only to sigh at the confused look Ren gave him. “Well judging by the outfit change, I’m pretty sure you do!”
“The…” huh. It did change.
“Never mind that, help me deal with this, Save the questions for later!” the guard was splitting up, forming the same weird witch monster with a pumpkin for a head. And an… imp-like thing with a stinger conveniently placed to match the castle’s asthenics.
“Come,” Morgana’s voice drew Ren’s gaze back, just to see blue flames erupt from around the catlike thing. “Zorro!” he called out before Ren was nearly blinded. When he looked up at the person… no the populations were too exaggerated, and its head was just his eye and a hate though it wore a large belt with a “Z” on the front. It waved it's…what’s that type of sword called again? Whatever it was, loomed over them all menacingly, but Morgana seemed used to it, almost like it was completely normal to him.
“You got one of those things too?!” Sakamoto said from his place on the floor. The creature didn’t pay him any mind as it crossed its arms and looked at the guard in front of it.
“Hmph, we will promptly shut them up!” and with that, the battle started. To say Ren didn’t know what he was doing was an understatement. He looked at Morgana who was mumbling something about how they were out for blood. He tried to focus, taking his dagger in hand, somehow it seemed to help a bit.
“I’ll back you up, so fight like your life depends on it! Let’s go!” The creature said, surprisingly it brought some clarity to Ren’s already overcrowded thoughts.
“Right.” He mumbled. Just like earlier, he could do that. He focused on the two monsters in front of him and took a breath.
“Arsène!” A rush of power filled him as he directed it toward the two monsters before they had time to attack.
“I knew you were an Amature,” Morgana said before blasting them with what seemed to be wind, the pumpkin wish fell almost immediately. “Strike at a weakness to knock them down! Use that opening to strike again!” It explained, following through to hit the other monster after yelling “Persona.”
Both enemies stood back up and came back to fight, one landing a hit on Ren as he nearly stumbled back for a moment. It was quick as he grabbed his mask and called out “Persona” the imp dying only a second later. Morgana did the same with the pumpkin witch as if fell and disappeared into nothing.
Ren opened his mouth to say something and he realized something was in his left hand. Looking down he found 200 yen.
“Is this normal?” he asked. The creature looked at him.
“Yes, in most battles you almost always walk away with something.” Ren nodded slowly, at least he had some more money saved up after they escaped this horrible place. “Your persona’s pretty powerful, not bad.” the creature remarked.
“Persona?” Sakamoto walked up to the two of them, “Y’mean that thing that comes outta you guys all dramatic-like?” he asked.
“Yes.” Morgana replied, “You saw how fizzy hair here ripped off his mask when he summoned it, right?” Suddenly blue flames surrounded Ren and he was back in his uniform... Damn it.
“Huh, he's back to normal…”
“Hm, it looks like you don’t have full control over your power yet.” Ren sighed.
“I was hoping to get a picture before it disappeared again.
“This crap doesn’t make any sense!” Sakamoto said, frustrated. Who wouldn’t be?
“Can’t you just sit still and listen for once, blondie?!” Morgana scolded immediately.
“Don’t call me Blondie! My name is Ryuji…” Sakamoto said, seemingly ready to fight.
“Actually, there’s no time for me to lecture you!” The creature looked back at Ren, “You wanna escape this place in one piece, right? Let’s go!” And with that, they were off again.
Ren found it a lot easier to move now like some power had been unlocked. Who knows, maybe that’ll carry over to the real world…
“Hold on a sec,” Sakamoto said behind him, Ren stopped to find the blonde staring at a call with a boy in their gym uniform.”I feel like I’ve seen what this dude’s wearin’ before…” He looked out a frustrated yell, “Dammit! I’m too flustered to remember anything right now!” Ren turned to him.
“We can come back later after we figure out how to leave this place,” he said, trying to calm him down.
“But… who are these guys?” Sakamoto asked.
“Do you really think you have time to worry about other people right now?!” Morgana interrupted, “ Besides they’re-”
“There!” The bridge lowering caught the group off as a guard came rushing through.
“You should’ve listened to me…!” It said, annoyed.
“Let’s do this,” Ren said, a puff of blue flames brought his outfit back as he readied his dagger.
“I’m glad you stick to your guns,” Morgana remarked before the guard split once again, this time into two fairy women.
The battle didn’t take too long, and Ren found himself getting used to the way the battle flowed.
It went perfectly, at least he thought it did with the limited experience he had.
“Alright, let’s get away before more show up,” Morgana said, Ren nodded before Sakamoto spoke up again.
“Hold on, we can’t just leave these guys here!” He said the concern for them was easy to see.
“You really don’t get it, do you?” letting out a frustrated noise he looked angrily at the blonde. “There’s no time to explain. Look, I'm going. If you don’t want to follow, be my guest!” Ren winced as it ran off, that was harsh.
“Dammit…fine, I’m coming!” The two dashed off after the cat creature.
After a bit, they arrived at a hallway to the side of the main room they got caught in earlier.
“We’re here,” Morgana said.
“Finally we’re saved…” Sakamoto went to open the door only for the door to be locked. “It’s not opening…” he looked at the creature angrily. “D’you trick us, you jerk!?” He accused right off the bat.
“Don’t jump to conclusions! Over here!” it said before turning to the door next to it and going inside.
“Hey wait up.” the blonde said as the boys followed.
They entered a pretty empty room with no exit inside. Ren sighed, wanting nothing more than fresh air at this point.
“Where are we supposed to get out of here?! There aren’t even windows!” Ren was starting to feel his frustration.
“Ugh, amateur.” Morgana sighed, “This is the most basic of basics.” Ren looked around the room for a moment, spotting a vent on one of the walls.
“A vent…” he mumbled.
“That’s right!” Morgana said, startling Ren. “As I thought, you’re a natural at this.” Ren felt himself smile from the bit of pride welling up inside him. From there it was just managing to pull the metal off.
It hit the ground with a loud bang as Ren paused to look at the door.
“Seriously, we’re finally gettin’ outta here!” Sakamoto said relieved.
“You should wait on celebrating until you actually get out,” Morgana smiled, “Now, get going.”
“But… What about you?” The blonde asked.
“I still have something to do, so we’re going our separate ways.” the catlike creature said. Ren nodded, ignoring the small pang of loss he usually felt in this type of situation.
“Good luck,” Ren said then grinned as he added, “Don’t get caught again,”
“Hey, that was a fluke!” Morgana sighed, “Be careful on your way.”
“Will do.” with a wave the two boys were off.
When Ren opened his eyes he found himself on the main street out of breath as his body felt like it might fall sideways at any time. Sakamoto was saying something but it was all behind the heartbeat still ringing in his ear. He looked at his phone.
Charged- check
Signal- check
Time- 12:23 PM.
Ren's breath caught in his lungs. Slowly he looked at the blonde who'd somehow started talking to the police.
Fuck.
“…Are you his friend?” Is the only thing he really heard of the conversation.
“Eh something like that,” he grinned trying to play off before he turned to Sakamoto. “We're neighbors and usually I wake us both up, haha guess we both overslept a bit.” He excused himself, laughing nervously.
“Dude tell them about-”
“Sorry, he's still in dreamland!” Ren shouted over him, watching the officers relax a bit.
“Well, you two have some running to do, the school days almost over.” The police officer nodded.
“Of course, Sir, we'll be going now.” Ren turned away and started walking, leaving no choice but for the blonde to follow.
While some of his anxiety faded, the rest bloomed into something ten times worse.
He was late to school.
Something like this never would've mattered back at home.
Hell, he'd end up late a lot, most of the time when he WAS late, he'd just go back home and sleep the rest of the day.
That wasn't an option anymore, not with the threat of expulsion lingering over his head.
And the subsequent consequences forced the point in further. Ren couldn't fuck this up.
“Why didn't you back me up just now?!” Sakamoto asked, the betrayal in his voice was obvious.
“They weren't going to believe two teens cutting class were they?” Ren countered.
“Well- no I guess not.” The blonde sighed as the conversation died between them. Reaching the school was a bit longer without the shortcut but it felt even shorter as Ren tried to figure out an excuse to tell the principal.
“Oh, I got lost.” No, he'd seen through that.
“woke up late…” that just made Ren look incompetent.
“I accidentally wandered into a castle and got kidnapped by this king and his guards and-” Damn it, there was no point there. Maybe with any luck the school did actually turn into the castle for good-
“Is this for real…” Sakamoto’s voice cut through his thoughts like butter. Looking up Ren saw the school, the exact same building he saw yesterday.
So he was screwed. Magical stuff aside. That didn't stop the inevitable.
“I'm sure this is exactly where that shortcut took us…what's going on here?” Before Ren could even respond a voice came from the school entrance, and a man walked forward wearing a disappointed frown.
“That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you.” The man said, “We received a call from the police.” Ren's blood ran cold.
“Damn cop snitched on us after all.” the blonde cursed.
“It's rare not to see you alone,” the man hummed, “where were you running around all this time?”
“Uhh…a ca- a castle…” the blonde said, really living up to the hair color.
“So you have no intention of giving an honest answer.” The man said, dismissing the answer entirely. Ren sighed and dug his hands further into his pockets.
“What's this about a “castle”?” A way too familiar voice asked. One that made Ren's hair stand on end.
A muscular man with curly black hair and a very square jawline walked to the top steps of the school. Kamoshida stared down at the two of them.
“Kamoshida!?” Sakamoto yelled. Ren's eyes were glued to the man, he was different than he was in the castle. Notably, he was in regular clothes.
“You seem so carefree Sakamoto,” the teacher said, “Quite a difference from when you did morning practice for the track team.”
“Shuddup! It's your fault-”
“How dare you speak that way to Mr. Kamoshida!” The man yelled before giving way to a disappointed sigh. “There's not much leeway left for you, you know?”
“He's the one who provoked me!” Sakamoto defended himself but Ren could already tell the teacher wasn't listening.
“Do you really want to be expelled?” The man shook his head, “In any case you'll have to explain yourself! Follow me!”
“What?! This is bullshit!” the blonde yelled.
“You're just making us later…” Ren said, his voice a lot stronger than he thought it would be.
“Come now,” Kamoshida started, “I should have been more considerate too, let's just say we're both to blame.”
“Well if you say so…” the man said. Ren looked away from them, Kamoshida really was still a king, it seemed. “Still you're coming with me, it's undeniable that you're extremely late.” The man announced.
“Fine…” Sakamoto said, defeated. Ren only nodded.
“By the way, you're the new transfer student, correct?” Ren looked straight up, confused before nodding again. But the man didn't say anything else.
Sakamoto walked up first, Kamoshida watching him all the way and not even acknowledging the glare the boy had given him.
He then turned back to Ren, a sudden look of surprise crossing his face.
“…have we met before?” He asked, and it took Ren a moment to realize he probably was thinking of when he was in the car earlier.
“Huh, I remember that “ the man scratched his head, “Well, I'll overlook this just for today.” However, that friendly-ish look vanished an instant later. “I'm sure you heard from the principal, but cause any trouble and you'll be expelled, got it.” Ren swallowed thickly.
“Of course.”
“At any rate, go to the school faculty office, I'm sure Ms Kawakami's tired of waiting.” The man said before turning, “Good luck trying to enjoy your new school life!” He said in a way that could only mean this year will be nothing but hell. Ren sighed, he expected as much.
He was led to class only a bit after meeting Ms Kawakami. She was reasonably annoyed, not buying any excuses he could have come up with.
“How could you have gotten lost for that long, it's almost lunchtime.” She sighed, “While it's probably true you're not used to the area yet…but you're still way too late.” Ren decided to stop paying attention a bit after that. Until he heard her saying something about Sakamoto.
“What's wrong with that?” Ren said, tilting his head, only to be hit with another sigh.
“Don’t get involved with him, okay? He's nothing but trouble.” Ren slowly nodded. “He wasn't like that when he was devoting his time to track and field though…” he looked back at Ren. “Breaks are almost over…classes will end after 5th period today because of the subway accident, I'll have you introduce yourself when class resumes.” She informed him.
It wasn't as long as he hoped it would be, in a flash, he was standing in front of the class.
“Hello, I'm Ren Amamiya, it's nice to meet you all.” He said his lines. But he could hear the whispers around the class as he stood there. Stuff about how he'd attack someone for insulting him. Or how he looked surprisingly normal. Or that he loses his temper easily. and that-
That he was arrested for assault…
He gripped the end of his shirt, panic rising as he stared at the ground. He nearly laughed, so much for a brand new start.
“You will be…” Ms Kawakami said before pointing at a seat next to the window. “Over there, the open one.” Ren stiffly nodded and headed to his seat to sit down. The whispers didn't stop as he sat down.
“Sorry but can the people nearby share your textbooks for today.” He could hear the complaints already.
“Lies…”
Looking up finally, he saw a familiar set of blonde pigtails. The girl from earlier seems to have gotten to school just fine. Good thing from everything he knew about Kamoshida.
“Hm?” He hummed quietly, but she just looked away. Getting the hint, he sat down at his desk with no further preamble. He heard the whispers change, including the girl now. A pang of guilt at the fact he'd included her in this now.
“Do they know each other?”
“Eww, do you think he tried to hit on her before the transfer?”
“That means she's cheating on him with Kamoshida!” Ren looked out the window, trying to not pay attention any more than he had to.
“Then again, this is Takamaki-san we're talking about…”
“For real…that side of the room is totally awful.” Ren closes his eyes. Stubbornly trying to ignore everything they were saying.
The last bell rang a bit later and almost instantly Ren was getting up to leave, eyes glued to the floor as he grabbed his bag and headed out the door.
“Amamiya-kun, may I talk to you.” He looked up to find Makoto in front of him. Swallowing his fear he nodded and nodded, following the older girl to a room marked for “student council.”
“Where were you earlier today?” She questioned immediately after the door closed.
“I woke up late.” He looked away at the table.
“Goro walked with you, so it had to be intentional.” She said, calling him out.
“I'm sorry,” Ren said, gripping his bag. “It won't happen again.”
“It most definitely won't, si- ahem, Sae was already notified and she will be coming home early to… have a talk with you.” Ren tensed. When was the last time he actually got in trouble with a guardian?
Well, his parents were angry when he was arrested, but instead of yelling most other people would have experienced they just didn't talk to him anymore. In the end, his relationship with them remained entirely unaffected.
This time he couldn't tell where this was going. Would Niijima actually kick him out? That would make staying in school for the year a lot harder.
It only made him more anxious.
“Let's get going. I suppose I will have to walk you back home.” She told him, leaving no room for arguments.
Ren couldn't pay attention on the way home. He felt nearly sick as Makoto opened the door to the apartment. There sat Sae Niijima, with a stern expression on her face. Her arms were crossed as she seemed to be talking to Goro who sat across from her with a nervous smile.
“We're home…” Makoto said, taking off her shoes. Ren quietly stood by the door, while Niijima focused on him.
“Goro, Makoto, can you leave the room for a bit,” her voice was stern and Makoto just headed to her room a little sad. Goro didn't at first before he walked away as well. “You may sit down now.” She said to Ren, he did so immediately. He looked at her. She looked back.
“Um-”
“Where were you all morning?” She asked, the frustration in her voice was easy for anyone to hear. Ren didn't answer, instead looking at the floor. “Do you think offering no answer is better than the truth?”
“No,” Ren said.
“Then why won't you say anything?”
“You wouldn't believe me anyways.” Is all he said, voice dry of emotions.
“Hmph, try me.” She challenged me.
“Would you believe me if I told you that I and a different student got sucked into a different world where our gym teacher is a king in a castle and locked us both in the dungeon and it took us hours to actually escape?” he asked, and like he suspected Niijima looked confused before sighing again.
“Were you on something?” she asked.
“No.” Ren suppressed a sigh.
“Either way, I was hoping I could trust you to do what you needed for your probation, but I guess not.” Ren didn't look at her. “From now on you come straight home after school.” Ren didn't respond besides gritting his teeth. “You'll be studying whenever you're here.”
“Okay,” Ren said.
“You can go to your room now. I had to take time out of work just to come talk to you, so this better not happen again.”
“Of course,” Ren said, standing up and grabbing his bag. “I'll go study, I guess.” He sped and walked away.
Sae Niijima sat on the couch and sighed. Was she actually too harsh on him? It was obvious he'd never had too much authority in his life and maybe she jumped the gun. She heard someone walk into the room and instantly knew who it was.
“That was surprising.” That was all he said before sitting down.
“What about it?” She looked up at him, as usual, he was politely sitting back against the couch.
“For someone with his track record, you'd expect a lot more of a reaction, wouldn't you think?” He posed the statement as a question, yet Sae didn't respond to it.
“Might just be a once-off thing,” she reasoned. “I remember when Father first took you in, you never got upset before you exploded that day.” the boy across from her winced.
“Sae-san, you must bring up the past,” he asked embarrassed. She laughed at the memories. Of course, at the time it wasn't funny but looking at her younger brother now, it was impossible to see the child with long brown hair who threw a book through a window over a broken pencil. “In any case, what you said may have been counterintuitive.”
“Hm? Why do you think so?”
“Well, why not give him a way out of this punishment?” He said.
“hm…” she thought for a moment. It would be a good motivator. “Why not the midterms, if he passes them all at least 20 points above his scores from the last school exam he had, he can go out after school again.”
“Seems fair to me,” he seemed to think for a moment. “I may need to take off from work for a week or two, my exams are coming up as well.” Sae nodded.
“Make sure everyone knows, it shouldn't be a major issue.” She said,
“Thank you, I'll tell him.” And just like that Goro sprang up and left. And for the second time this week, Sae Niijima realized how good Goro was getting at selling things to her.
????
Ren didn’t want to wake up. He was more tired than he thought and honestly what’s the point. But as he opened his eyes and saw the stars painted across the ceiling he nearly jumped.
This was…
How was he-
“Geez you really have to freak out everytime you wake up?” Ren whipped his head to his left only to find a boy his age. His hair was cut short while his glasses were cracked. He had a wide grin as he sat with his head resting on his hand.
“How is this…” Ren tried to speak yet just couldn’t. When faced with his childhood bedroom. Complete with an older version of his brother to match. He laughed, because what else could he do when faced with such a vivid dream.
“Is it that funny?” ‘Akira asked, an amused look on his face. Ren didn’t answer, his laughs dissolved as he buried his face in his arms.
“This isn’t real…this- how?” he looked up again, Akira just grinned.
“Would’ve thought this would be a happy occasion.” Akira rubbed the back of his neck.
“Yeah this dream makes everything feel amazing.” he mumbled.
“Well, who said this was a dream?” Akira said. As if it could be anything else.
“I’m in my childhood bedroom, talking to my dead brother.” Akira stayed silent for a moment.
“Well, I mean yeah, the bedroom thing is a dream,” he started, “But what if I told you I wasn’t.”
“It’d mean my brain’s become less and less creative.” Ren said dryly.
“Well, how could I prove that I'm real…” Akira thought out loud, before jumping up with a small “Oh” Ren looked at him again as he walked over to Ren’s bed. “Would a dead person really be able to form a bond with you?” Ren blinked a few times, confused.
“A bond?” He tilts his head.
“Yeah, I mean…um…have you not been told about them yet?” Akira asked, confused.
“Told by who…?” AKira looked at him blankly for a second before laughing a bit, nervously.
“Well, you’ll see if you just agree to something.” Akira proposed.
“Grandma always said never make deals with the dead.” Ren smirked.
“Well, if you agree, you wouldn’t be doing so.” Akira said, his face becoming serious. “You’ll have to trust me on what to do.”
“And you’re somehow 100% real?”
“Yes.” The convection in Akira’s eyes was plain and easy for anyone to see. He wasn’t joking around. If this was a dream, it should be fine, shouldn’t it? Akira shouldn’t exist outside of it.
“Alright, what do I need for this “bond” of ours.” Ren asked.
“Well it’s easy,” he replied before opening his arms for a hug.
“When was the last time you got a hug.” Ren stared at him.
“Childish much?” Akira gasped, mockingly offended. “It is not, how dare you utter such a thing?!” Despite himself, Ren still laughed and stood up. This did have to be some sort of dream, but still, a hug is a hug. It had been a long time since he felt any time of affection, he realized as they both embraced. He sighed, it’d be pretty said if his mind felt he was this lonely-
A voice suddenly crashed into his head.
I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Universe Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to new power…
A card appeared in his vision for just a moment before disappearing, instead being replaced for a small bit of warmth in his chest.
“What the fuck was that.” Ren pushed away confusion and quickly gave away to fear.
“You’ll find out when you go through that door.” Akira smiled as he pointed behind himself. There stood a glowing blue door, like the door to a cage it stood out like a sore thumb. “I’ll tell you more then they don’t want to talk to you.”
“Why the hell would I go there?” Ren asked. Akira just shrugged.
“It’s the nicer way, you’ll be inside no matter what anyways.”
“Right of course, dream logi-”
“About time!” A young girl's voice was yelling at him but honestly he could care less about it. He stubbornly kept his eyes closed until one of them banged on the cell and sent his heart racing. Sitting up he saw the two…wardens, and their master again. Just like the other dream. He read somewhere that people had multiple dreams a night but was it the usual that one and the other seemed to have connections to each other. Maybe he'd read up on it-
“On your feet, inmate,” one of them yelled. He sighed and stood up, dragging his feet the bars of his cell. First Akira and now this. Couldn't he have normal dreams anymore?
“Our Master wishes to speak with you.” The one with the braid said…Justine was her name, if he remembered right. “It's for your own sake that you take his words to heart.” he looked up at the weird looking man when he started speaking.
“First off, let us Celebrate our reunion.” he started. “Oh…? You've awakened to powers and a…bond. You're truly excelling in everything you've needed to escape ruin.”
“Ruin?” Ren asked, letting go of the bars to let her arms fall to his sides. And a bond…? Did everything in that Akira dream really affect this one as well? He'd had dreams with Akira before but of course it was never this.
“With this your rehabilitation can finally begin.” Is all he said, seemingly ignoring the question.
“What rehabilitation?” Ren asked.
“You will see with time,” he didn't answer. “You will be training the power of persona, which you have awakened to. Personas are, in another word, a “mask”, an armor of the heart when confronting worldly matters.” he kept smiling, unnervingly. But at least the personal stuff was more clear? Was that what Arsene is?
“I have high expectations for you.” Igor said. Ren sighed, he hoped that whatever they were wasn't too difficult to achieve. He looked away. Choosing to not say anything.
“You have no choice but to hone your strength,” Justine said, “It’s not because we're forcing you, but because this is your fate… Neglect it and you will die.” That should probably scare him more than it did.
“By the way… have you come to appreciate the metaverse navigator?” Igor asked, “Using it will allow you to come and go between reality and palaces.”
“Thanks…” he said, as if it wasn't the reason he got locked in a dungeon earlier.
“I bestowed it to you as a means to train you into a thief.” Igor told him.
“The metaverse navigator is a gift from our master!” Caroline yelled, “You better take care in using it, Inmate!”
“Devote yourself to your training so that you may become a fine thief.” Justine said, a lot more calmly.
“It must be disheartening to make use of the metaverse navigator alone, should there be others who prove beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well.” Igor told him, “this is all for you to grow as a most excellent thief.”
“Great…” Ren mumbled, there was too much going on and he was really getting desperate to just sleep like he used to.
“There is one more thing I'd like to discuss before you wake.” Igor said and it took every last bit of energy to just listen.
“During your journey to rehabilitation you can enter partnerships with others.” Igor told him. “Involving yourself with others is an important foundation for your recovery. You've done well.” Ren was barely holding on to the idea which was a dream at this point. “That said, I am not advising the formation of superficial relationships. It must not be a frivolity, but a ring of those who would, by morals or faith, lend you their strength.”
“In other words, they are bonds with those who have been robbed of their place of belonging. The expansion of said ring will in return, help you mature as well.”
“Personas are the strength of the heart…” Justine said. “The stronger the bonds that surround you, the more power your persona gets.”
“There are countless people in the city that have talents that a weakling like you don't.” Caroline told him, “you better wrap the noggin of yours and get them on your side. We'll change that into power.” …And here Ren was thinking it was some sort of metaphor…friendship is power and all that.
“Indeed, you should prepare to use even myself, or your ambition will not come to fruition.” he chuckled, “we have a deal then.” Whatever to get his over with, but he could already feel the weight of the new expectations on his back. Another voice pierced his head.
I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Fool Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to new power…
A card card appeared in his vision again, before turning into some sort of warm chest. Another bond.
Akira watched his brother disappear with little worry. He sat back on the bed and looked out the window. Outside it was quite dark out, but the stars glittering in the sky made it worth it.
Yeah, Ren would be okay. He will be.
He looks over at the glowing blue door that… didn't belong in their bedroom. It was boarded up and barricaded, just the way he left it. He would switch rooms in a bit. Ren had a near infinite imagination, and it helped whenever the banging started again.
When it started rattling he sighed and stood up. He never seemed to give up.