Chapter Text
[Opening Scene: Metaverse - Unknown Palace (Inside)
Theme of Unknown Palace: The Days When My Mother Was There from Persona 5]
Shadow Futaba floated in the middle of what was meant to be her tomb, sweat dripping down her face, and green/aqua blue shards of energy floating around her. From the moment she felt Arsène's presence disappear from her world, she had been using every little bit of her power in locating him.
She knew the risk of this.
If she were to exhaust all of her energy, the mind of Futaba would crack and then shatter. She couldn't allow that to happen, but her big brother's absence meant there would be no one to save her or Futaba.
So she searched with everything that she could muster without risking Futaba's mind, but with how weak she was compared to her awakened self, she couldn't expand her reach to find him. 'Forgive me, Futaba, but this is for both of our good,' Shadow Futaba inwardly lamented. The shards of energy grew as the pyramid trembled. Plums of Dusk began to fill the air as Shadow Futaba's eyes, normally the eerie yellow of a shadow's, now a crystalline teal.
While using more of her power expanded her searching capabilities to heights just below her awakened self, she couldn't keep it for long. "Focus," Shadow Futaba urged herself as her crystalline eyes gazed into the distance, allowing a spectral form of herself, that of a green/aqua-blue toucan, to fly from her body and soar into a world past the sands of her realm, past the busy streets of the real world, and into a realm she never wanted to go to again…
[Scene Change: Sea of Souls
Theme of Sea of Souls: Poem of Everyone's Soul (Arrange Version) from Megami Ibunroku Persona]
With a burst of Plume of Dusk, the spectral toucan of Shadow Futaba flew into a vast starry night, with water beneath her that was so crystal clear that it gave the reflection of the sky above.
As she soared in between the myriad of souls waiting to be reborn, she could feel the familiar but woefully faint soul signature of Arsène somewhere out in the fringe of the Sea of Souls. She narrowed her eyes and pushed onward until a female voice whispered, "Stop."
[Theme of Elda: Ancient Eldan Sanctum from Metaphor: ReFantazio]
The spectral toucan landed in the water beneath it and looked around in confusion. The toucan looked around but was met with nothing but the familiar vastness of the starry night…until she caught it.
A white butterfly with shimmering rainbow wings fluttered through the sea of souls, accompanied by the golden butterfly, until it morphed into a fair-skinned woman with beautiful, long, silvery white hair and crystal blue eyes before her.
The woman wore a beautiful dark blue, purplish robe that covered most of her body, with the hem of her robe covered in white, geometric patterns, and a thin, golden halo with many beads attached around its rim that sat around her head. The woman held a regal-like air around her that made Shadow Futaba want to kneel.
"You must not advance further," the woman softly, but firmly, informed with a rather curious accent.
"I don't know who you are, but I must find my brother," Shadow Futaba explained. "His presence is out there, and he is needed."
"That, I am aware of," the woman replied. "However, the Resilient Lodestar of the Wild Card must remain in Fantazio until his duty is complete."
"His duty?" Shadow Futaba questioned. "His duty is to our world."
"Yes, but also to ours," the woman said.
"I, and my beloved, understand how important the Resilient Lodestar of the Wild Card is to the World Before and the journey he, along with you and your allies, must endure. But for now, please allow him to finish his duty in Fantazio. Once completed, I, as Queen of Elda, swear to you, Necronomicon, that he will return safe and sound."
The eyes of the spectral toucan widened.
How did this woman know?
"How long will this be?" Shadow Futaba asked.
The woman smiled.
"Soon…" the woman answered before she turned away and gazed out into the distance. "When it's time…you will be his anchor home…until then…"
"His anchor?" Shadow Futaba asked.
Slowly, the woman walked past the toucan as she morphed back into the rainbow-winged butterfly and fluttered off into the distance, leaving the toucan to watch it depart.
It was then the toucan noticed a rose gold butterfly flutter from behind it and position itself right on its beak. The butterfly flapped its wings twice, and the toucan fizzled out of existence.
[Scene Change: Metaverse - Unknown Palace (Inside)
Theme of Unknown Palace: The Days When My Mother Was There from Persona 5]
Shadow Futaba was suddenly jarred from her deep concentration, causing her to plummet to the ground. She reached up to touch her chest when she noticed something.
It was a thin, rose gold chain, coming out of her chest and toward the ceiling of her tomb, where it faded out of existence. She reached up and touched the chain, and to her amazement, her eerie yellow eyes switched to crystalline teal, and she found herself staring down into an unfamiliar world, where Amamiya Ren and a small girl with angel wings walked side by side through the streets of a city.
"When it's time…you will be his anchor home…" the woman's voice echoed in Shadow Futaba's mind.
Slowly, Shadow Futaba smiled.
[Scene Change: Royal Capital Grand Trad – Sunlumeo Street
Theme of Royal Capital Grand Trad: Royal Capital Grand Trad (Day Ver.) from Metaphor: ReFantazio]
"It's like being inside of a palace…" Pixie whispered into Ren's ear as the two of them traveled through the rather packed Sunlumeo Street, with only Maria's hand guiding him. As he looked around, he could see the distrusting looks on the various groups of people he passed.
What was even weirder were the people.
Thanks to Maria, he was able to properly identify each group.
The human-looking ones with the horns on their heads were of the Clemar Tribe.
The really tall elf-eared human-looking ones were of the Roussainte Tribe.
The human-looking ones that had canine ears and tails were of the Paripus tribe.
The human-looking ones with dark or alabaster pale skin hues and white hair were of the Rhoag Tribe.
And the very few humanoids with unique masks that showed their three eyes and traditional costumes were of the Mustari Tribe.
Maria explained that there were more tribes than just those five, but it was those that were populous in Grand Trad. However, Ren was curious about Maria's angel wings. However, he didn't want to seem rude, so he left that question alone.
"Good job on the restraint, Ren," Pixie whispered with a proud smile on her face.
"Thanks," Ren whispered back.
It was also strange to have a Persona by his side, out in the open like this. He was used to Arsène popping in and out, but having a Persona that wasn't him by his side was jarring. However, it being Pixie gave him a peace he wasn't expecting.
He wished he could figure out why, but something deep within him felt like it was filled. "So, Maria," Ren started, looking down at the girl while trying to avoid Pixie's touched expression. "I've been meaning to ask…What's up with that?" Ren pointed at a large stone hovering in the sky that looked like it had a face of an old man, with three faces in the right eye.
"Oh?" Maria vocalized. "That's where the Royal Palace is. Well...um…on top of the King's Avatar."
Ren blinked.
"The King's Avatar?" Ren repeated.
Maria nodded. "Father, my Big brothers Will and Strohl, and Big sister Hulkenberg went to complete Father's mission. I don't know how it turned out, but suddenly, the palace flew into the air and said it would reward the person whom everyone believes in most as our new king." Maria smiled and pointed at one of the faces in the right eye. "That's Will's face!"
Ren stared at the third face in the eye, the stone-etched face of a young man with short hair and a headpiece, and narrowed his eyes.
"All you have to do is test the mettle of a visitor of mine…To see if he is worthy of the power he wields…" More's voice echoed in Ren's mind.
That was the target.
Will.
"That's him, huh? I would have thought it was the one with the longer hair and horns," Pixie commented.
Ren watched as Maria stiffened, her face twisting into an expression of anger and sadness."That is Louis Guiabern…the man who took Father away from me…" Maria revealed. "And the one Will, Strohl, and Hulkenberg are trying to stop…"
"Makes sense," Pixie said. "Someone as handsome as him could only be as evil."
Ren looked at the stone face of Louis Guiabern and—
"…But that is what happens when you face off against true justice," a voice echoed in his mind in smug satisfaction.
Ren swiftly looked away from it, his irises trembling and his breathing becoming shallow.
"Ren!" Pixie exclaimed as she flew in front of his face and placed her hands on both his cheeks.
"Mr. Ren, are you okay?" Maria asked with worry.
"He'll be okay, Maria," Ren heard Pixie assure, but the pounding of his heart in his chest barely allowed it to register.
He needed to calm down and focus before he passed out again.
"Ren, you have to breathe," Pixie instructed. "Deep breath in and then out."
Ren shakily nodded and followed her instructions.
"That's it," Pixie whispered. "Focus on my voice. In and out. In and—"
[Scene Change - Aoharu – Amamiya Residence (Evening - Flashback)
Theme of Tenderness: Brand New days -The Beginning- from Persona 3: FES]
"—out."
A seven-year-old Ren hiccuped with watery eyes while Shiomi, who sat on one knee, held his face with a somber smile on her face. Today was the worst day of Ren's life because today was the day that his big sister was leaving for Gekkoukan High School in Tatsumi Port Island.
Ren had spent the better part of the year trying to convince her to stay, but his mom and dad told him that this would be the best for her and that she needed to start building for her future. Ren had even gone so far as to hide her suitcase, which failed when she found it under his bed.
"That's it," Shiomi whispered as Ren's crying began to die down. "I know that you don't want me to go, but I have to, Short Stuff."
"B-B-But I don't want you to go, Shiomi-nee," Ren hiccuped, but then he noticed something. Shiomi had tears falling down her eyes, too. Was he making her sad by not letting her go? Ren walked forward and hugged her as hard as he could. "I-I'm sorry…"
"Why are you sorry, Ren?" Shiomi asked as she returned his hug.
"I-I didn't mean t-to make you cry," Ren mumbled against her neck.
"Aww, Short Stuff, you didn't make me cry," Shiomi whispered. "I'm crying because I'm going to miss you, too." Shiomi gingerly pulled Ren back and placed both hands on his shoulders. "I don't want to leave you behind, Ren. I never want to do that. But I want to be able to get a career to help both you and Minako-nee." Shiomi pulled a hand back to wipe her eyes and then smiled. "But don't worry. I'll be back here in time for your birthday and we can do anything you want? Okay?"
"P-Promise?" Ren asked.
Shiomi smiled.
"I promise," she answered. "Do you—"
[Scene Change: Royal Capital Grand Trad – Sunlumeo Street (Present)
Theme of Royal Capital Grand Trad: Royal Capital Grand Trad (Day Ver.) from Metaphor: ReFantazio]
"—feel better?"
Ren snapped out of his memory and looked at Pixie with clear eyes. "I-I'm fine now…" Ren stammered. "I'm sorry…"
"Don't be sorry, Ren," Pixie told him with a hesitant smile.
"Yeah," a new voice chimed from behind him. "Panic attacks happen." Ren suddenly felt the weight of someone's arm around his shoulders and saw a male Clemar with short grey hair to his left.
"That is right," another voice chimed in. He turned his head to see a female Roussainte with long red hair standing to his left. "Do not think less of yourself for reacting as one does under duress."
"I agree," the final voice kindly added, prompting him to look ahead, and standing beside Maria was a familiar face. "The prince suffered from them, too, from time to time…It can be hard," the blue-haired, heterochromia boy told him. "Take all the time you need to sort through it, Amamiya Ren…because after that, we have to talk."