Minato found it funny. Christianity spoke of the eternal pain and damnation of Hell, the glorious joy of Heaven. Buddhism spoke of the bitter chill of Naraka, and of the jubilant euphoria of Nirvana. Judaism of Sheol and Shamayim, Hinduism of Yamalok and Moksha. There was either everlasting pain, or everlasting bliss, awaiting humanity after death.
And yet, floating in the Sea of Souls, one with the unconscious world, Minato found himself…nonplussed. Granted, his case was a unique one: Tethered by the Universe Arcana to become the Great Seal, he was incapable of fully joining the Sea—he merely existed in it. He was fortunate that Elizabeth dealt with Erebus: Constantly the creature would pound against his Seal, weakening him. But so long as she was one time to atomise it each year, he was left alone, and simply felt…Alright. Content, he supposed. Not under any major duress. But not exactly exultant, either.
He would have sighed, if that were possible.
He could be gaming.
Still, intangible though he may have been, Minato could still feel—namely, the Sea of Soul's motions: Ripples in the tide, great waves of unconscious thought, shifting currents as ideas took hold of form and became cognitive beings—Shadows, Personas, entities like Erebus. He could tune into that, at least; follow the flow, observe its cause. He had seen a great, consuming fog spew forth from the deepest recesses of the Sea, a six-armed behemoth shape a new world of cognition, and a parasite god with the power to bend reality.
Somehow, though, he had never felt a ripple quite as big as the one approaching.
It ripped through the Sea of Souls, a great tidal wave crashing and careening through the collective unconscious—but not natural, not following the flow of thought. No, it was as if something was…underneath the Sea, something that didn't belong, ripping through. It crested into a great wave, rising up, and…
Minato's vision went white. His senses were dulled, but—senses? He could feel. He could taste the inside of his mouth—stale, dry, but it was there. He could feel his clothes on his skin, hear the subtle buzz in his ears from years of headphones cranked a little too loud.
His feet were on the ground. He jumped, and they left, before returning.
He outstretched, and felt the tension in his muscles releasing.
One eye closed. The other open. He alternated for a while, curling and flexing his fingers and toes. Everything…worked. He had all his faculties. His physical form.
"You."
He half turned on his heel, wobbling as he adjusted to his body having weight once again.
He met the darkened gaze of a hooded figure, standing in the white before him. He pointed to himself, cocking his head. Me?
"Yes, you."
Okay, him. Releasing tension he was unaware he held, Minato turned around fully. He slipped his hands into his pockets, leaning his head back. He considered questioning precisely what was happening right now, but he figured it best to just go with the flow of things. After the Velvet Room, waking up in strange realms inhabited by an enigmatic figure with a plot behind their eyes was really nothing new.
"You died, right?"
Mhm. He had been acutely aware of that for the past eight years. He nodded, seeming just a tad bored. He was hoping for something a little more exciting, honestly.
"Yeah. Thought as much. Otherwise you wouldn't be here," the figure spoke assuredly.
Minato stared. Aaaand?
"...The Reapers' Game," the figure amended annoyedly, after a brief silence.
Ah, yes. The Reapers' Game. Whatever that was.
Sensing Minato's bewilderment, the Reaper explained, "You've got one week. Survive all seven days, and you complete the game. Win, and you'll get a second chance at life. Lose? And you'll be erased. Lost forever."
Ah. Well. That certainly raised the stakes a bit.
He had been taken from the Great Seal to this place, so he didn't imagine he had the option of backing out. If he did, it would have been far easier to ask him *before* undoing the infinite power of the Universe Arcana. Still, Erebus had only just been slain once more by Elizabeth—there would be time before Erebus could return and call upon Nyx for the Fall. If he succeeded, then the barrier could be forged again—or, with the new Persona users that had arisen in the past years, perhaps a permanent solution could even be found. If he lost…Then the power of the Universe Arcana would be lost, too, and the Fall would annihilate humanity.
Better win, then.
Minato took one step forward to enter this "game" before the figure spoke again. "All you've gotta do to participate is give up the thing most important to you. It can be anything. An item, a memory... someone else's memory."
He stopped. There it was. The thing most important to him…
He pressed his hand against his chest, a brilliant azure shimmer sparkling within his palm. He outstretched, presenting it.
"That will do."
The Universe Arcana. More than the swell of power behind the Great Seal, it was the manifestation of his bonds—all of them, with everyone, no matter how great or how small. The effect of every action he had taken in relationships, how his existence affected others. The feelings others felt for him, the regard they held him in. Not a physical thing, nor memories—bonds, hearts, feelings and emotions. By sacrificing this, all would remember him, but none would feel for him. He would not be their friend, their confidant, even their enemy or rival—he would simply fade to the background, as though he had merely existed in the corner of their eye.
He grimaced as it hovered towards the Reaper, biting the inside of his lip.
He had to do this. There was no other way forward.
They'd find each other again.
"Good luck. Oh- and don't forget this."
The Reaper reached forward, placing the pin in his now empty outstretched hand. The deal had been sealed: Minato Arisato would become a participant in the Reapers' Game.
…?!?
A voice rang in his head…
I am thou…Thou art I.
Thou has acquired a new vow.
Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Death arcana…
Bonds…?
A bright blue light enveloped him.
He opened his eyes, feeling his weight sink into a plush seat beneath him.
"Aaah," chimed a familiar man's voice.
"Our most exquisite guest has returned to us again!"
Minato raised his head, casting a glance between Igor and Elizabeth. By the fidget of her foot and the drum of her fingers across the Compendium's spine, the latter was evidently quite excited. Nonetheless, she did her best to hold this back—clutching her book tightly and hiding her joy with a calm, detached smile.
"It's most excellent to see you back," she bowed her head, hiding her smile as it grew.
"I trust my occasional visits were not too disruptive?"
Hands clasped together, Igor flashed that familiar grin. "Indeed, Elizabeth sought a way to free your soul…But, it seems a mysterious force has broken the Seal. You are free, but the Seal has been disturbed—The barrier between Nyx and Erebus broken. And, not only that, but the Bonds which gave that Seal its power have been lost…A most complex situation."
Minato hesitated to nod. He felt a pang of shame strike him when Igor had said it—he had just given up the bonds that were so important to him.
"But…" Igor reached down to the table, placing his palm flat down to the left.
"Fate has dubbed you the Fool for a reason." He moved his hand across to the centre of the table, leaving behind the card of the Fool.
"Though an end has come to the bonds you once held…" He moved again. Death.
"...Sacrifice is necessary to move onwards." Once more, the Hanged Man.
"In a world of uncertainty, where the past has been lost…"
He raised his hand up, turning it around to Minato. Between two fingers he held the card of the Lovers.
"...There exists infinite potential for kinship."
Tucking the Hierophant and the Star into his sleeve before they came loose, Igor clasped his hands together.
"
In fact, you have already forged a bond with those who watch over you…"
The Death card in the middle of the table began to shimmer, rising up as blue energy pulsed around it. Igor raised a hand out, as if pushing the card further up.
"...And from that bond, a great power will bloom."
The card reached its apex at the clock-face of the Velvet Room, and the light within burst forth into radiance. In its place, the Persona his Bond had summoned hovered.
"Hi!" The Persona's distorted voice chimed gleefully.
"I'm Alice, of the Death Arcana. Will you play with me? I wanna play the Reapers' Game!"
With a gentle flash, she disappeared into a trail of light. It trickled down through the air, finding its place within the sea of Minato's soul.
"You mustn't let the loss you've faced deter you from moving forwards," Elizabeth declared.
"The bonds you forge here will be the key to protecting those you have lost. Press on, through the darkness…and find the light that awaits you at the end. The Velvet Room will always be here for you, whenever you may need us."
Igor nodded, smiling.
"Most true. We shall endeavour to do all in our power to guide you on your journey through this new world. For now, however, you must first greet it…Open the door, and meet your new destiny. We shall be watching closely."
Minato nodded, decisively so. They were right: There was no sense standing idly about. It was time for action.
…
The door to the Velvet Room opened, and out stepped Minato. He took a moment to take in his surroundings, noting the…brickiness of the walls? Okay, he knew he was in an alleyway of some sorts. But this could be *anywhere,* and it wasn't like there was anything of interest down here anyways. He'd step out, then, into the light, to enter…
Shibuya Central Street?
Standing in the middle of the street, Minato turned all around to take in his surroundings. As he moved, he felt the jostle of his Evoker against his hip, nestled snugly in its holster. His short sword in its sheath, pressed flatly against his back. When did *those* get there? He didn't recall having them when he faced the Reaper. The Velvet Room must have hooked him up with them then…That was concerning. What did they see in his future that he couldn't? And just what exactly did these games entail?
Refocusing, he took a look up and down the street once more. There were others here, sparse though they were and concentrated mainly in the square—from an eyeballed estimate, he'd put the population at…sixty, probably. Pocketing his Player Pin, Minato turned to take a walk down the street, towards the square. Whether they had been told to wait there for a reason, or human psychology commanded them to gather in the same spots even in death, he figured he should stay close to the crowd. The image of such a bustling city so eerily quiet conjured images of the Dark Hour in his mind—and he was acutely aware of what happened to those who wandered off alone in the Dark Hour.
As he approached the group, his eyes narrowed on one individual in particular. They, unlike many of the others, didn't seem to be doing much wandering, nor had they split off into a smaller clique like the others.
He recalled what Igor and Elizabeth had said to him…His bonds were going to be the key to success here. There'd be no chance for him if he didn't make any, right?
Slinking through the smatterings of bystanders, Minato approached, hands pocketed. He moved closer, into the periphery of Audric's vision, and raised a hand in a curt wave. He cleared his throat, mentally revising his English lessons from Gekkoukan to ensure whatever he was about to say was comprehensible.
"What's up? You look—" Time to break out the big guns.
"—Ostensibly—" He said it confidently, with emphasis, as if he had used the word correctly.
"—Lost. Penny for your thoughts? Or...Hotdog?"
(art by
will do a little dance for one pizza)
Yes. After nearly a decade frozen in the Sea of Souls, he was confident that this was how people socialised.
