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TEEN: - Ongoing Shin Chimera Tensei

Episodes
Created
Status
Incomplete

An index to show which version of the Shin Chimera Tensei Verse you're about to get yourself into.

Chapters won't be labelled as chapters, but the portion of the multiverse they reside within.
<Persona 1>: Persona: Pixies Aren't Real, Part 1. New
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
710
Reaction score
765
Pronouns
  1. He/Him
MATURE Themes
  1. No MATURE Themes Apply
TEEN Themes
  1. Moderate Violence
  2. Mental Illness or Mentions of Self Harm/Suicide
EVERYONE Themes
  1. Mild Mature Themes
Other Content Warnings
There will be depictions of transphobia and homophobia here sometimes from antagonistic groups. Please remember: the 1990s especially were not kind to queerfolk. I do not condone this kind of behavior. Be kind to everyone.
Hello, everyone, welcome to Shin Chimera Tensei. This should be pretty straightforward, but if not, it's a collection of two/three-shot stories that take place in the Siorc Ingne Persona and Megami Tensei verse. This will consist of stories that take place in slightly alternate version of the Persona 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and Devil Survivor Worlds where my chimera ocs go through the events of Persona, but altered in some ways, while still abiding by canon. The difference mostly being that chimeras exist. Note that it will not a be 1-1 of the Persona games, but rather, me writing my ocs and my own twist on things.

Also, to note, these are six different Siorcs in the multiverse. Persona 1 Siorc =/= Persona 2 Siorc, and etc.

Also, please be kind to me, I'm mostly an anime only... I played Persona Q, and that's it. And some of Devil Survivor 2, but I know the whole plot of most of the Persona games.

That being said, for the most part, the only warnings that apply here are some violence, and depictions of transphobia and homophobia from the antagonist. At least, in this first part. The 1990s were not kind to queerfolk. But, in later episodes, this will peter out since later Persona series take place later in time.

That being said, here goes.



<Persona 1>: Persona: Pixies Aren't Real, Part 1.




"Hi there, sigh. Do
I have to introduce myself? I don't see

The point. Listen, I'm not a talker,
Hardly
Ever have been,
Roar. Sigh, whatever.
Eh. My name

Is Siorc Ingne, I'm eighteen years old, hyena chimera.
Moved to Mikage-cho

Super recently from England. Mother
Is a historian,
Or whatever. I'm
Rather unfamiliar with her job.
Can't say I have interest in her work.

Now, because of her job, I
Ended up having to move to Japan.
Well, she told me a year ago she'd
End up being transferred and
Stuff, but whatever.
That's hardly the point. I'm

Transferring today to a new school.
Rather late, I guess.
Apparently, school starts in April here
No idea why, and now it's
Somewhat halfway into May.
Feel like we
Ended up moving here
Ridiculously late. Anyway, I'm transferring to

St. Hermelin High as of
Today, I'm a third year.
Uh, I guess anyway.
Doesn't matter,
Except for one thing that does.
Now, after eighteen years of suffocating, I get
To wear the girl's uniform.

After all this
Time, I don't have to

Suffocate. Mother had
To pull many strings for this to

Happen, so I
Am starting a week or so after Golden Week ended. We
Moved here, uh, I guess a few months ago now,
Eh. I feel
Like everything blends together
If I'm being honest.
Now, at least in my final year of

High School,
I can wear the
Girl's uniform. I
Had to wear

The boys one in London for, so
Horribly long. Too long
If you ask me. But, that
Stupid era is finally behind me.

The time has come where
I don't have to hide! Well,
Maybe a little,
Err, some kids

In town were

Going around about this
Err, rumor.
That something is about

To happen? Demons are coming
Or something?

Well, that's what I've heard.
Eh, I don't believe in
Any of that. It's kind of
Ridiculous. I mean, demons? Demons

Are not real! Let's

Get real here for a minute.
I've never thought demons were
Real. Haha, oh, well.
Let's hope that
Stuff doesn't happen in school.

Uh, well, I have
Not heard
If St. Hermelin High
Fumbles with all
Of that, but eh. I'd
Rather not get involved with
My classmates

Anyway if they're the ones
Fooling around with
That rumor.
Everything is better if we see things
Realistically, at least that's what I think.

Even still,
It's kind of weird. Mother suddenly
Getting a transfer notice to move to Japan.
Hardly know why
That was decided,
Eh what's done is done.
Even still,
Now is the time. I can finally breathe.

Yes, after
Eighteen years, I'll be
Able to breathe. Sadly, the uniform is a
Rather putrid
Shade of green, but

It's fine, that's

Completely fine,
As long as I can wear the skirt,
Nothing matters. It would have

Been better if it were plain, white with a red
Ribbon, but
Eh, oh well, it's
Already way
Too late for that.
Haha, demons,
Everyone seriously

Needs to wake up and realize those aren't real.
Oh, well,
They won't, I guess. St.
Hermelin High
Is going to be interesting.
Not sure how many chimeras
Go there, guess I'll find out.


Can't say there's going to be
A lot though. Oh, well,
No matter. I'm

Ready for everything.
Unless I have to
Introduce myself.
Not all

That interested in that,
Haha.
It is what it is, though. Day one,
Start!"


>Present Day: May Twentieth, Nineteen Ninety Six.

Present Time: Seven in the morning.

Quake activity in the coming days:
highly likely.


Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring.


A short, young adult feminine appearing person with a hyena tail from behind lifted himself up from the bed covers as the pesky alarm clock rang from wall to wall. Long, dark purple hair covering the face, the person groaned. Ugh, stupid little thing, why did it have to ring on time for? What day was it again?

Gazing at the calendar on the wall, the hyena let out a yawn. Oh, right, it is May Twentieth. What was going on today? Nothing important, right? Nope, nothing at all, yawn. Time to go back to sleep, zzz. Must have turned the alarm on by mistake, totally. It happens. Yawn, goodnight world, be back in the afternoon. Snrk, snooze, zzz.

Wait a second, no, hold on. Wait.

Lifting up from the covers, a realization washed over the chimera. Wait a second, hold on. Wait, wait, just wait a second. What day is it today?! May twentieth?! No, no, no, this had to be some kind of mistake, right? No way that was right! How was this possible?! Had the person leapt through time? Maybe? No, no, no, that's not possible, of course not! That is simply ridiculous.

Gazing at the calendar one last time, a red circle had been drawn over the blank space. Transferring today written slightly crooked, the student resisted the urge to rip the creature off the wall. Gah, why did he have to write it like that?! Ah, forget it, who cares anyway? Time to get out of bed and get ready, he guessed. How long until he had to leave? An hour, maybe, sigh.

Turning his attention towards the wall, the chimera's tail swished from behind him as he locked eyes with a light green uniform with a low hanging blue tie. Finally, after eighteen years, and twenty three days on this planet, he could finally wear the girl's school uniform. No more suffocating, no more blazers, he could finally breathe, starting today, hallelujah! If only it were blue, though, sigh. But, some things were just not meant to be.

Uncovering the mirror in the corner of the room, the young adult's mismatched purple and green eyes glared back at him. The school isn't going to ask him to put on contacts, are they, or dye his hair, or anything? His hair and eyes were natural, thank you very much! Please, Sensei Whoever, he was born this way! Undoing the buttons on his pajama pants, the student huffed. Here goes everything.

Top soon on, the hyena adjusted the tie. This thing isn't crooked, right? Please, don't be lopsided. Sigh, why couldn't the school have a cute ribbon instead? Oh, well, maybe in his next life. Skirt slipped on, the chimera did a little twirl. Oh, gosh, it's perfect! No more suffocating, no more dark, heavy blazers to drown in, he's free, he's finally free!

Reaching for the scrunchies, the student wondered, how should he wear his hair today? Ah, he knows. Slipping the little fluffy rubber bands in, super high stringy side twintails soon graced the top of his head. Hmm, this could use a cute red ribbon, here goes. Three, two, one, click. And, the princess, is ready!

Wait, no, no, no, one more thing.

Click, click.

Circular green earrings with x-shapes inside them hooked into place, the student's index fingers touched one another. This isn't too much, is it? Is he even allowed to wear earrings at school? Maybe? Or, maybe not? Perhaps, they'd let it slide for the first week or so? Please, Sensei Whoever, he's new here, okay?! Slapping his cheeks, he stepped towards the door. Here goes.

Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock.

>
Present Time: Seven thirty in the morning.

Gazing at the clock on the wall, the large hand was about ready to race past the six. Small hand halfway between the seven and eight, the chimera tried to remember. When does he have to be out of here by? Oh, right, he has to be out of here by eight. Wait, wait, wait a second, hold on. When does he have to be out of here again?! Oh, right, eight o'clock, the latest.

Wait a second, hold on, just, hold up for a moment!

Eight o'clock ringing the bells, the chimera's ear's twitched. Eight o'clock?! What time is it now?! Seven thirty?! It may as well be eight o'clock already! Agh, did he even have time for breakfast? Nope, probably not. Racing towards the refrigerator, nothing but yogurt, yogurt, and more yogurt glared daggers at him. Sigh. Should have woken up a little earlier. Too late now!

Slam.

Slurp, slurp, slurp. Trmp, trmp, trmp.


Familiar feet soon stomping, the student hurried and reached for a pen. Tall, middle aged hyena chimera with furry paws strutting towards the kitchen, the young adult looked the opposite way. Please, mother don't call attention to him, he doesn't have time for small talk here! But, it was too late, eyes had already been on him. Oh, well.

"Good morning, Siorc," mother greeted. "I know it's your first day at St. Hermelin and all, but don't you think that's a little too much?"

Finishing up the yogurt tin, the chimera held in the urge to sigh. Okay, what's too much? The ribbon, the earrings? Maybe it was, but who cares? No one is going to notice anyway. And, besides, who's going to gawk at him? He'll just fade into the background after introducing himself. What does it matter?

<Gosh, mother, it's not like I'm wearing a whole ton of makeup or anything! It's fine.> A written sheet of paper cried.

"If you say so," mother responded. "So, have you thought of a club you're going to join?"

Question coming his way, the chimera shrugged. Was joining a club mandatory or something? It was nothing like this when he was in school in the United Kingdom! Well, that was there, this is here. Can't he just come straight home after classes ended for the day? No, probably not, sigh. At least, he didn't think so, maybe.

<I don't know, maybe the Gardening Club, if they have one? We'll see.> A written sheet of paper said.

"I see, well, have fun," mother said. "Can you write in Japanese okay?"

<Of course I can. Can you stop asking me a million questions, please?! I have to go now, bye. Which way do I have to go to school again?> A written sheet of paper asked.

"Walk straight and take a left turn at the intersection," mother responded. "Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?"

<No, ugh! That'll make me stick out, okay?! I'm eighteen now, I'll be fine on my own!> A written sheet of paper shouted.

"Alrighty, if you insist. See you later." Mother waved.

Reaching for his school bag, the hyena raced towards the exit. Small black shoes slipped over his currently human feet, the chimera groaned. He could never get used to putting his shoes on at the door. Sigh, maybe someday. Skipping through the entrance, the young adult slapped his cheeks one last time. Here goes. St. Hermelin High or bust!

As the chimera pressed on through the streets, the student couldn't help but overhear a ton of chatter off in the distance. Demons are coming this, the world is going to blow that. Tch, what nonsense. Demons aren't real! What's next? People are going to head to the roof to try and summon a ghost? Ha, as if that'll work. There's no such thing as the supernatural!

Shk, shk.

Ground shaking a little, the young adult almost became one with the ground. Huh, what was that? Was there a train somewhere nearby? Hmm, no, silly him, there's nothing that like for kilometers. Maybe it was just the pre transfer titters. Yes, of course, that's all it is. It's fine, everything will be alright. He can do this, Siorc.

Spotting more students on the way, the nonsensical blah blahs continued. Blee, blee, bloo, blah, demons this, blah, blah, the world is going to end that, blap, blap, blempish, the world is going to end soon, the hyena shook his head. Oh, like, come on now, how silly can humans be? Was there an exam today, or something?

Crossing at the intersection, the young adult took a deep breath. Almost there, just a little longer. No one's looking at him, are they? Dashing forward, the chimera prepared himself. Just a little longer. He can do this, just a tiny bit more. Heading north, the young adult soon made a run for it. Better hurry, time's ticking.

Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock.

Present time: Seven fifty eight in the morning.

Quake activity:
highly likely in the coming days!

Reaching the gates, a large brown building with what felt like hundreds of windows glaring at him, a tiny little gold plated clock ticked away at the top of the building. So, this is St. Hamelin High School, huh? This place looked nothing like the private schools he went to while in the United Kingdom. Please, let him blend into the walls.

Hallways bustling with activity, the young adult broke into a sweat. Why is everyone putting their shoes in tiny little boxes? Wait, mother told him about this. Things are pretty different here, he needs to remember that. Should he go to the office and ask where his is? Hmm, nah, maybe later. There's no time for that, is there?

Sifting through his school bag, the chimera tried to remember. Which classroom was he in again? Oh, right, the third one, letter b. That was it, right? He was reading this paper right, wasn't he? Maybe not. Maybe he should go to the teacher's office first. Where was that again? Agh, he should have come back here a second time before his first day. Too late for that now!

Heading to the faculty office, the young adult drummed his fingers on the side of his skirt. The teachers weren't looking at him weirdly, were they? His tail wasn't sticking out, right? He could have sworn he made that poof away while doing his hair. Please, tell him it's not there. Old bag of bones pushing up his glasses, he hid a gulp.

"You must be the new transfer student," the old bag of bones said.

<Yes, that's me. Where's Class 3-B?> A written paper note asked. His Japanese was legible, right? Please be clear.

Teacher making him fill out a million things the chimera held back the urge to sigh. Oh, right, he had to go and do all of this. Sigh, should have known. Is he going to have to introduce himself in front of the whole class? Please, no, anything but that. Can he just melt in his seat and hide forever instead, maybe? No? Oh, well. Time to head for the classroom.

Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock.

Present time: eight thirty in the morning.

"Class, we have a new student joining us today all the way from the United Kingdom, please introduce yourself!" an energetic female teacher cried.

Everyone locking eyes with eyes with him, the young adult broke out into a sweat. Ah, did he seriously have to introduce himself? Come on now. Chalk between his fingers, he tried to think. How does he write out his name in Japanese again? Oh, right, scrch, scrch, scrch. In gu ne Shi o ru ku, was that it? People are going to laugh at him for that, aren't they? He didn't sound like some character straight of out some cartoon, did he?

<Hello, my name is Siorc Ingne, I came from the United Kingdom. Let's be friends.> A written note said, he then bowed.

"Our new friend here came to Japan from the United Kingdom because of his mother's work, and he might not be used to things yet, so please try to make him feel welcome!" the teacher cried. "Let's see, you can sit next to Donat!" She pointed at the back seat from the window as she said such.

Everyone's eyes remaining glued to him, the student almost wanted to melt. Why is everyone looking at him like that? Oh, no, don't tell him, his tail's sticking out again! Plopping down onto the empty desk, he swore his desk neighbor was smirking at him. Why is he looking at him like that? This isn't good.

"Fresh meat, lovely," his seat neighbor whispered.

Giggle coming his way, the young adult studied his seat neighbor for a brief moment. Sitting in the next row over had been a short young adult cat person with scaly lizard palms for hands. Messy dark maroon hair with some spiky edges, his locks reached to about his shoulders. Braid in the middle of his bangs, his eyes were bright green. Smirk still painting his face, the chimera blinked. There were other chimeras at this school? Hmm, no, maybe Donat was wearing a headband or something.

Teacher starting the day with math, the young adult wanted to bury his head underneath his desk. Ugh, come on, this early? Who starts the day with a bunch of numbers? Oh, well, better pay attention. What is this gibberish staring at him on the board? Sine, cosine? What's a tangent again? Please, Whoever Sensei, don't call on him. Haha, why does he feel like he's a fish out of water?

Ding, ding, ding, dong. Dong, ding, ding, dong.

Present time: Nine thirty in the morning.

Next teacher coming in, the young adult puffed a sigh of relief. English is next, huh? This should be a breeze! Or, so he thought. What is with the English books here? That's not how grammar works at all! Everyone forced to read sentences aloud one after another, the young adult crossed his fingers. Don't look over here, don't look over here, don't look over here! Tick, tock, tick, tock. Phew, he's practically invisible, thank goodness.

Other classes droning on by, the student almost wanted to bury his head underneath his school bag. Why couldn't mother have waited at least a year before moving? How was he supposed to know stuff about the Shogunate? Who even was that? And, what's all this about the warring period? What does that even mean? How is he going to survive the next ten months here? He doesn't know.

Ding, ding, ding, dong. Dong, ding, ding, dong.

Present time: Twelve thirty in the afternoon.

Quake activity:
guaranteed, guaranteed, guaranteed, guaranteed!

Multiple students making a run for it, the chimera scratched the side of his head. Huh? What's going on? Girls aplenty screaming, the melon bread's theirs, the young adult shook his head. What is this, a warzone? Forget that, he'll just melt over here. What did mother pack him today? Oh, a pork teriyaki sub. She sure was getting into making those, wasn't she? But, a disturbance soon hit the force as he was about to dig in.

Slam.

"Hey, there, new guy," a tenor voice said, smirk on the face. "Couldn't help but notice your uniform. Ya think yer a girl or somethin', ribbit?"

Slam.

"Yeah, ya little pansy," a deep, bass voice said, laughing. "You may gotta girly face, but I can smell you from a mile away."

"You noticed that too, huh?" Donat asked, laughing. "Look at what's behind him, too!"

"Ha! Little pansy's gotta hyena tail, no wonder!" the bass voiced student shouted.

Looking at him with a smirk on their face had been a slimy looking frog person with one eye closed for some reason. Blue mullet looking barely combed, the young adult tried to look away. Why does this person look like they want to wring out his neck? Male school uniform on them, he drummed his fingers. How can this lot call out his tail when this person over here is frog legs and all? Whatever.

Laughing next to them had been a rather tall dark skinned man with porcupine quills sticking out everywhere. Bright red hair draping over his shoulders, a portion of it covered his left eye. Singular blue eye visible, something about this dude felt off. Is it just him, or did he have frog eyes? Is he a frog chimera, or a porcupine chimera? Ah, who cares, can he get his hand off his desk please?

Nibbling on his sammy, the chimera kept his attention on the window. This school sure was big, huh? Sigh, he's going to get lost around here, isn't he? Probably. Or, maybe not, who knows? Hands slamming down on his desk once again, further noise had been about to come his way. La, la, la, la, la, Super Duper Lovely Rangers!

"Tch, this little pansy's ignoring us, Zinn!" the bass voiced guy said. "Who do you think you are, huh? We're talking to you!"

"Ha! Maybe we gotta drill it into him some more, Goma! What do'ya say?" the one name Zinn asked. "Listen, ya little queen, since you're new around here, you'd better listen up!"

Keeping his attention on the window, the young adult poked the straw into the small plastic carton. Ugh, apple juice again? Didn't mother read before dumping this into the cart? Nope, probably not. Maybe he should go to the convenience store himself next time instead. Throat ready to burn, he attempted to lift himself up from his desk. But, such was cancelled, in an instant as a slimy palm locked onto him.

"We're talking to ya, ya little queen," Zinn said in a sinister tone, croaking. "Listen, new guy, you think yer so pretty do ya? Well, ya ain't nothin' tell ya get yer initiation!"

Initiwhat now?

"Ohhhhh, I almost forgot about that!" Donat cried, laughing. "Look here, fresh meat, you think you can just waltz in here looking like that? You need to whipped into shape!"

Sorry, come again? Can't hear them. La, la, la, Super Duper Lovely Rangers!

"Little pansy's not listening!" Goma shouted. Yoink. Hands on the little pansy's tie, he continued. "Look, you'd better get familiar with who's the top chimera 'round here." As he said such, he twisted the collar in further. "Meet us on the third floor after school!"

Collar in the palm of the porcupine, sorry, frog classmate's hands, the young adult reached for the dude's hands. Watch the uniform, please. Shaking his head, he turned off towards the opposite direction. He sees where this is going. Not happening, sorry. They can go kiss the wall and ask someone else, bye.

"Who do you think you are, huh?!" Goma cried. "I didn't say I was giving you a choice. Meet us on the third floor after school. Ya hear me?" But, such had soon been interrupted.

"Big brother, what are you doing?!" a high pitched voice cried.

"What do you think he's doing?" another voice asked. "You can see with your own eyes!"

"I concur," a third voice said,.

"Dear me, the yankis are causing trouble like always, I see," a deeper voice said.

Collar soon let go of, the young adult turned off towards the new distractions. Standing closest to him with a glare on her face had been a short young dark skinned girl with porcupine quills on her side. High bright red ponytail on her left side, she, too had frog eyes for some reason. Uniform skirt slightly shorter, he couldn't help but feel a little green. Why did his have to go down to his calves?

Standing next to her with her hands on her hips had been a short goat girl with light blue hair pulled into two thick high pigtails. Golden eyes looking rather shiny, one of her curly bangs was practically cutting into one of her eyes. Strange armband on her left sleeve, he placed his finger on his chin. This girl important or something?

Also standing pretty close with his hands on his hips had been a rather taller panda guy with short spiky silver hair pulled into a tiny little braid on one side. Pink eyes looking rather sharp, he too had that weird armband on his left sleeve. Who are these guys anyway, classroom patrol? Did Japanese schools have that? Maybe he should have paid more attention when he toured the school a few weeks ago. His fault, he guessed.

Looking a little icy furthest from the back had been a somewhat shorter rabbit person. Bright orange hair pulled into a high ponytail, the chimera placed his finger on his chin. What are those antlers on their head, are they a deer too, something? No, jackelopes aren't real. They're just fantasy, hearsay, made up; fairy tales.

"Marble, what are you doing in here?!" Goma cried. "Aren't you supposed to be cleaning up your classroom?!"

"Rumor has it, a new transfer student came in today, and what do you know, you're already in his face!" Marble cried. "Lay off of him, alright?"

"Listen here, ya little lady, we ain't gotta listen to any of you!" Zinn cried. "Ya think just cause ya'll part of the Student Council yer large and in charge or somethin'?"

"Did I say that?" Marble asked. "Lay off of him, got it? Or else."

"Or else what, huh?" Goma asked.

"You know what'll happen." A smirk.

"Whatever! We gotta clean our desks anyway!" Stomp, stomp, stomp.

Party of three walking away, the chimera drummed his fingers on his desk. The student council, huh? He almost forgot that existed. What kind of thing was that again? Honestly, he doesn't know. Probably some school politics things, or something. Who knows? Don't sign him up for that, please, he's totally not interested.

"They're gone now," the goat girl said. "You doing okay? Your name is Siorc, right? Nice to meet you, my name's Mellem. But, my friends call me Meli."

"Dear me, I didn't expect those guys to cause a ruckus again, but I guess was proven wrong," the panda guy said. "Ah, apologies for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Jiaolong. I'm a transfer student just like you, as you can see."

"Uh? You know, most of us chimeras here are, right?" Marble asked, eyes lowered into a squint.

"Ah, yes, you are right, apologies," Jiaolong responded. "Isn't it funny how all of us are gathered here together at Mikage-cho? One could say it's fate!"

"Tis be so!" the rabbit person cried.

"Muga, could you speak normally, please?!" Mellem cried. She then sighed. "Same old story, huh? Transferred here due to work? I have a question for you. Have you ever heard of demons?"

Dumb question coming his way, the young adult almost wanted to leave his desk. Not this again, sigh. How many students are going to whisper about this? Demons aren't real! They're just scary stories that people tell to keep kids in line when they misbehave. What's next, is she going to ask him about pixies, too? He bet she was. It's about time to put a stop to this right here, right now.

<Demons don't exist. Please, if you don't have anything better to do, could you go back to your classroom? Thank you for your help, I'm fine now.> A written note said.

"Come now, Mellem, now's hardly the time to be springing to that!" Jiaolong cried. He then steadied himself. "We just figured, since you're new here, we'd show you around the school when classes are done for the day. You'd like to see what clubs we have to offer, no?"

Hand extended to him, the chimera shook his head. Why did this panda guy look like he'd been waiting to say that all day? Sigh, please, step behind the line. He can find the Gardening Club on his own, thank him very much. That is, if they even had one. They did, right? Fingers crossed. Toes too, maybe.

<No need, thank you, I already took a tour.> A written note said.

"Ah, apologies, then for being forward." His hands were in the air.

"Well, if you don't need anything, please let us know if my brother and his friends bother you again, okay?" Marble asked in a warm tone.

<I'll be fine on my own, thank you.> A written note responded.

"Right, but, us chimeras should stick together, you know?" Marble asked, eyebrows furrowed. "Please, if my brother bothers you again, come see me. I'll deal with him for you."

"Tis be so," Muga responded. "Chimeras must cleave unto their kin."

"Muga, speak normally!" Mellem cried.

"Thou is speaking normally." Their hands were on their hips.

"Forget it Muga never makes sense," Marble said, shaking her head. "I know you said you'd be fine on your own, but please know I'm always here you need someone to talk to." She then turned around. "Well, we have to go now, see you around school."

Wiping off his desk, the hyena let out a sigh. What a strange group of chimeras. Who says things like that? Chimeras should stick together? Since when? Ah, forget it, those four are in a whole different world. Trash discarded of, the next bell soon rang. What's next? Ah, lovely, literature. Can he be excluded from this one, please? No? Oh, well.

Ding, ding, ding, dong, dong, ding, ding, dong.

Present time: three thirty in the afternoon.

Cleaning time, cleaning time.

Quake activity:
critical alert, critical alert, critical alert!

Putting the mop away, the young adult almost slipped. Was it just him, or did the ground shake just now? Nah, must have been his imagination. Maybe the students in the Going Home Club are making a run for it? At least, that's what he heard some of the other students say just now. Yes, that's all it was. Cracking his knuckles, he stretched for a moment. Whelp, it's about time he looks for the gardening club! Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go!

Yoink.

"Heya, little pansy," Goma said in a low voice. "You remember what I told you earlier, don't you?"

Wrist gripped into a lock, the hyena brushed the palm away. Sorry, he's got other places to be. Go bother someone else. Attempting to step away, the young adult resisted the urge to transform his currently human hand into a hyena paw. But, he put a pin in such. Best not to waste his energy on this group.

"Where do you think you're going, fresh meat?" Donat asked, gripping his other hand. "We're giving you your initiation, remember?"

Swiping the scaly palm away, the student kept moving. Sorry, he just remembered, he's allergic to lizards, achoo! Maybe he should transform his legs into hyena ones? Nope, that's no good, either. Sigh, why did he have to wear high rise leggings today? His bad. Attempting to run once more something sticky had become one with his back. Tilting backwards, the cold, hard floor was soon beneath him.

"Tch, ya still don't get it, do ya?" Zinn asked, laughing. "Alright, boys, ya know what to do, ribbit!"

Yoink.

Stomach soon gripped the young adult had soon been nothing but a ragdoll. Trying with all his might to scream, everything blurred together. Is it just him, or did everything feel fuzzy all of a sudden? Closing his eyes, he swore he could hear the party of three laughing as everything grew dim for a moment.

Blink.

Huh?

Where is he?

Finding himself in a dusty classroom, the student held back the urge to sneeze. Where is this place? Why did it feel like he had been sent to another world? Is it just him, or did this place feel like it was from centuries ago? No, no, that's not possible! Come on, stuff like that isn't real. Standing up from the desk, he tried to head off towards the door. But, another sticky foot had soon been on his back.

"Trying to get away again, are ya, ya little pansy?" Zinn asked. "Maybe I should sunk my little ooze in deeper. It might have manned ya up a little!" They then laughed some more, smirking deeply. "Yer not gettin' away this time! Welcome to your initiation!"

Slam.

Party of three circling around him, sweat poured down the chimera's cheek. Is it just him, or did this room close to pitch black? No, he's probably imagining it. Standing back up, he tried to walk towards the door, but such action had cancelled in an instant. Pesky lizard cat standing in front of it, another smirk had come his way.

"Nice try, you're not going anywhere, fresh meat!" Donat cried. "You wanna go home, then you're going to have to play a game with us!" Lowering his head, a toothy grin painted his face. "Say, fresh meat, have you ever heard of the game Persona?"

Question coming his way, the young adult turned his head off towards the opposite direction. Turning towards the window, he wondered. How far of a drop would it be from here? Maybe it would be too far. Alright, here goes. Attempting to crab walk, his back had soon become one with the ground once more.

"You'd better answer me, fresh meat!" Donat cried. "Have you ever heard of the game Persona?"

Shaking his head, the student kept looking off towards the window. There, they happy now? Hmm, maybe, he could try and climb down the window instead, perhaps. Huh, why is his head spinning? And, did the ground shake just now again? No, of course not, he's just imagining it, that's all. Totally.

"Of course a dumb little queen like you has never heard of it, I should have known!" Goma cried, laughing. "Listen, you hyena. You wanna go home? You're going to play Persona with us." He then pointed at Zinn. "If you think you can refuse, don't worry, Zinn's got other plans for you!"

"Dat's right!" Zinn cried, sticking their webbed hands up. "I'd listen, if I were ya!" They then stood in the lower left corner. "Why don't we show queenie over here how it's done!"

Party of three forming a circle, the chimera blinked. Uh, wait, why is everyone standing on the left? No, stop, don't think about that. Sorry, he's out of here! Dragged towards the opposite end of the elliptical, the hyena closed his eyes. Fine, he'll play their stupid little game, happy? This had better be quick.

"Persona, persona, come here!" Zinn cried. They then tapped Goma's shoulder. "Heh, heh, let's hope today's little friend mans little queenie up here!"

"Persona, persona, come here!" Goma cried. He then tapped Donat's shoulder.

"Persona, persona, come here!" Donat shouted.

Shoulder soon tapped on, the hyena turned off towards the opposite direction. What in the world is this stupid game? Persona, persona, what now? First of all, ghosts are not real, and second, even if they were, there's no way they'd ever show up here. And third, shut their filthy traps. Eyes soon on him, everyone smirked.

"Ya'd better say it, or else," Zinn said, webbed hands out in front of him "Let's just say ya won't be in commission fer a whole week, ribbit!"

Ha, ha, ha, ha.

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

Ugh.


"Persona, persona, persona, come here!" the hyena accidentally shouted. Ugh, his voice is hideous.

Slam.

"You three! What are you doing to him?!" Marble cried. "I told you to lay off of him!" But, such had soon been interrupted.

Feeling something tap his shoulder the hyena blinked. What was that just now? Why did it feel so chilly? Could it have been? No, there's no such things as ghosts! Right, of course not. Maybe it was a leak from the ceiling or something? Perhaps, that had to have been it! Right, of course, that's all it was. But, his thoughts had soon been interrupted.

Shake, shake, shake.

Room shaking up a storm, the young adult had become one with the ground. Oh, no, what's happening?! Why is the world quivering? What's going on here? Short girl wearing a white dress in the corner crying as the tremors only grew stronger, everything spun. Wait, who's that? When did she get here? But, such thoughts had been further interrupted by a shout in the corner.

"Yes, yes! It's coming, it's finally coming!" Goma shouted. "I knew this little pansy was the last piece to the puzzle!"

"Dear me, let me guess, they played Persona again, didn't they?" Jiaolong said, hand slapped onto his forehead.

"Tis be so," Muga said, nodding.

Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake.

"Help me, please, someone, please help me!"
A voice cried.

"What was that just now?!" Mellem cried.

"Help me, please, please, someone help me!" The voice cried again.

Little girl crying in the corner, the room continued to shake further. This kid, did she run in here during the commotion? Why does she look like she's from another time? Huh? What's going on? Why does everything feel so heavy all of a sudden? Dropping backwards, he could soon feel himself slip away.

Flap, flap.

Golden butterfly flying towards him, the young adult rubbed his eyes. Huh, where is he now? Something's not right here. Looking ahead, nothing made any sense. Wait, why is he in a palace? Where is he? Is he dreaming? Weird black haired man in the corner wearing a peculiar mask, he soon clapped.

"Congratulations, chimeras," the strange man said, clapping.

Masked man looking straight at him, the chimera blinked. This man, why does he feel so familiar? Something's not adding up here. Other chimeras standing up one after another, chicks flew over his head. Why is everyone else here? Maybe everyone else fell to the ground with him. Who knows? Mellem soon pointing, a predictable set of words soon escaped her lips.

"Who are you?!" Mellem cried.

"I am you, you are me, and I shall always watch you from within," the strange masked man said.

"Sorry, what?" Marble asked.

"You all have many masks dwelling within," the masked man said.

"Uh, what does that mean?" Marble asked, tilting her head.

Masked man using the word persona moments after, more holes added themselves into the mix. What is this about Persona? He doesn't know. This is all just a dream, right? Surely, it had to have been. Right, he's going to wake up after all of this like nothing happened. Of course, that's bound to happen soon. Come on, Siorc, time to wake up!

Everyone else awfully quiet, the hyena crossed his arms across his waist. Those guys have nothing to say, do they? Whatever, who cares about them? Weird masked man doing a bow, the young adult closed his eyes. Why does everything feel so heavy again? Is this really a dream? He doesn't know anymore.

Blink.

Present time: six o'clock at night.

Quake activity: maximum energy, maximum energy, maximum energy!

Finding himself in the school infirmary, the student rubbed his eyes. Huh, how did he end up here? Looking around him, a sinking feeling flowed through him. What is this sense of doom flowing through him? He really doesn't know. It's about time he went home. Other chimeras waking up, questions threw themselves out there.

"Did you guys have that strange dream just now, too?" Mellem asked, huffing.

"You mean with the masked man?" Marble asked.

"Hmm, yes, I did indeed have a similar dream," Jiaolong said, hands on the side of his head.

"Tis be so," Muga said, nodding.

"Muga, I swear, you have to speak normally!" Mellem cried.

"Yes, it's finally here," Donat cried. "The time has come!"

"That's right, the time has finally come!" Goma cried, hands in the air.

"After three years, it's finally happenin!" Zinn shouted, webbed hands in the air. "Wait, what is?"

"Oh, you'll see when you step outside!" Donat cried, smirking.

Sniff, sniff.

Huh?


Whiffing up a smoky scent, everything spun. Wait, what is that stench? Did something happen? Springing out of the school building, a sight to behold caught the young adult's attention. World set ablaze, the young adult dropped to his feet. What happened to Mikage-chou?! Is he still dreaming? Pinching himself, he clicked his tongue. Doesn't look like it! Ugh.

Large creatures stomping about, the hyena closed his eyes. What are those things? Are they? No, of course not! Demons aren't real, demons aren't real, demons aren't real! Everyone Huddling together, the young adult turned his attention towards the school. Wait, is it just him, or did it look different just now?

"Siorc, watch out!" Marble cried.

Bam.

Little creature with moth wings swinging towards him, the young adult let out a scream. What is this behemoth?! Someone help him, please! Huffing, his head pounded. Someone, anyone? Where is he?! Can someone tell him, anyone?! Everyone looking as wide eyed as he was, he held in the urge to laugh. Looks like this is the end, goodbye world.

I am thou, thou art I.

Aaaaaaaaah!


Head screaming, tears streamed down the young adult's face. What was that just now!? Everyone else holding their heads at the same time, the student swore he could see something come out of his cranium. Or, did it? He doesn't know. Something soon floating next to him, he studied it for a second.

Purple haired tan pixie with a short pompadour, the hyena scratched the side of his head. This little fairy, why do they have mismatched purple and green eyes? Little green shirt exposing their legs, their boots were almost too big for them. Who's this now? Ah, forget it, that's hardly important right now, this mothman thing needs to go down!

"It's time, it's time!" Donat cried. "Sick 'em dead. Mot!"

Weird coffin creature lunging themselves at the enemy, the young adult backed two steps away. Wait, so what is he supposed to do here? Is he supposed to command this pixie thing, or something? Uh, fine, whatever, little pixie, do some magic, or whatever! Not like that stuff is real, or anything. Thing floating towards the monster, he swore he heard them whisper.

"As you wish."

Bam, bam.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh.


Mothman thing looking weak, everyone kept the momentum going. Pointing at the monster again, the young adult's head spun once more. Ugh. Why does everything feel so fuzzy again? Come on, Siorc, get it together, it's fine, just a little more. Lightning bolt dropped down from who knows where moments later, the fiend faded into dust.

"It's down, we've got to hurry and find somewhere to hide!" Marble cried.

"Look, over there, let's hide there for now!" Mellem cried, pointing.

Dashing towards a barely functioning hotel, the young adult huffed. Staring at the city around him, a realization soon washed over him. Is it just him, or was Mikage-cho out of this world? No, that simply had to have been his imagination. Right. But, he shook his head. No, that's wrong, it's time to wake up and face the reality in front of him.

Sneaking into a suite sized room, the chimera studied the world around him one last time. Creatures like he's never seen before running around everywhere the eyes could see, the hyena closed his eyes. That quake, did this cause what's going down right now? Maybe so. Sitting himself down on the bed as Marble chatted away about what to do, a dumb set of words soon burned him deep.

"We should save the city together," Marble said. "Something's not right here!"

Everyone chatting away, the burning horizon cemented itself into place. Those things, demons, whatever they were, maybe, if everyone got rid of them, everything would go back to normal? Perhaps, so. What choice did he have? That pixie thing, maybe he and they should give those things a good beating? Perhaps? Yawning, the student curled up into a ball.

Should he try and save the city with the rest of these chimeras?

Maybe.

But, is that possible?

Maybe not.



So, first of all, I've always wanted to try writing a two/three part story that isn't in a series of anthologies unrelated to one another. Though, I did do this maybe once in my Zenless oc fic series, this time, it's not anthologies, but a series of two-three chaptered short stories published into one single collection.

As for why I'm doing a whole entire Persona verse like this? To be honest, it's the 30th anniversary of Persona, so why not? If I hadn't done this, I'd have probably written a Fate/Series Oc fic. But, I've decided to push it back. Maybe some other time.

Anyway.

Persona 1 Siorc.png
Here's Persona (1) Siorc and his Persona, Pixie. (I know, so creative.) The first few or so will just be the demons as shown in the Shin Megami Tensei universe as, in the first game, and I guess, the second, there more demons than custom Personas and such. But, later entries will have custom ones.

This part will be two episodes, by the way. After that, we're moving on to Persona 2, so that's fun, lol.
 
<Persona 1>: Persona: Pixies Aren't Real, Part 2. New
Not much to say, this is part 2 of 2 of the Persona 1 portion of this partial story collection. It's continuing the story of the last one. And, it's around the same length as the part above it.

Same warnings apply as the above.



<Persona 1:> Persona: Pixies Aren't Real, Part 2.


"This is Siorc and, I
Hardly know what day
It is anymore.
Since the quake, everything

Has changed
And now demons are everywhere, or
Something, and I have this pixie that

Goes and fights them
Or something. Which, I don't understand.
This makes no sense

To me still.
Okay, so maybe this is one

Big long dream, maybe
Everything happening is

All just a

Dream! Yeah,
Right, as if.
Everything in front of me is reality,
And I need to face this
Might be my life forever. It's

Ridiculous, though
I don't know how it ended up this way
Guess Mikage-cho
Had always been on
The edge

Or something. I
Feel like we shouldn't have moved here. I

Can't believe mother transferred to Japan, but
Oh well, she had no idea this would happen.
Unless she did? No. I'm
Rather certain
She didn't.
Eh! Oh well,

It is what it is. Is
There any way to turn this city back to normal?

I don't know,
Simply put, I wish I

Did, but I don't.
Eh, perhaps,
Maybe fighting all
Of the demons might do something?
No, it's not that
Simple. Why would it be? It's

Absolutely far from being that simple. Maybe there's
Room for that being the light at the
End of it all, but

Nah. For now I'm ruling it
Out. I feel like
There is many things I can

Rule out. But, one thing
Especially is defeating
All the demons.
Let me

Also rule out a few other
Things. I'll rule out this being a dream.

Let's not act like
Everything is
A dream just because demons
Simply aren't real.
There's other things,

But, I don't know.
Eh, let's move on
For now, I guess.
Okay so, everything is burning
Rapidly. I feel like
Even as who knows how long

This
Has gone on the flames won't leave.
I don't know, I
Still feel like, at least,

At this stage the world will
Likely continue to burn. Not
Like I thought it

Was going to stop, but
Eh, whatever.
Nothing can stop
This world from burning.

Don't know even
One
Way to let this all stop. I'm
Not, and have never been,

The leader type. It
Hardly matters
Anyway, I guess.
Things are
Simply too messy in the

World right now for that. I
Have to deal with
A ton of demons with no end in sight.
There has to be a way to end this,

I just want

To live my highschool life in my last year,
Hahaha, that's all
Over now, isn't it?
Ugh, I
Guess it is. I
Have
To face the reality of the

Situation now that
It's all over, I
Guess I
Have to look ahead to no future.

Oh well, it is what it is. I probably
Have to fight demons again.

What
Else is new?
Let's hope for an ending.
Let's still hope this is all just a bad dream."

>
Present Day: Ju-- zzzzzzzzt, zzzzzzzzzzzzzt, who knows, who knows, who knows what day it is?

Present Time: Seven in the morning.

Demon activity in the coming hours: highly unlikely.

It had been, weeks, days, who knows how long since everything changed for Mikage-cho's chimeras. Demons continuing to attack from every angle, every single day had felt almost exactly the same. Was time even moving anymore? Maybe it wasn't, or maybe it was, who could say, and who cares? The hyena sure didn't.

In the first few days, loops, moments, who knows anymore, a question had kept throwing itself into the mix. Maybe this was all a dream? It could have been. Demons and pixies weren't real! But, the chimera knew that probably wasn't the case. This is reality now. And, it'll remain reality forever, until the end of time.

But, as the days, weeks, nothing, who knows, kept passing by one last question threw itself into the mix. Was this even Mikage-cho anymore? Maybe, somehow, everyone had fallen into a different dimension? No, of course not, other dimensions weren't real. None of that was. Going on with fights aplenty, today would be the day that the student would get some answers.

Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong.

Urg.


Seventh chime from the clock letting down its racket of doom, the hyena let out a groan. Why did they have to continue to hole up in this hotel for? Couldn't they at least try to see if their homes were still standing? It's not like there had been that many demon attacks in the past few days. Moments? Agh, who knows at this point? Every single day was exactly the same!

Removing himself from underneath the ratty old hotel covers, the student gazed out the window. Nothing doing, the young adult puffed a sigh of relief. Please, don't let any demons attack today! Surely, everything would go back to normal soon, right? This had to be a sign for things to come! Crossing his fingers, a sea of yawns soon filled the room.

"I swear, your brother had to have made that clock louder on purpose," Mellem said, groaning between yawns.

"I don't disagree with you, but, uh, I'm pretty sure they went out to go demon hunting for today already," Marble said, shrugging.

"Ugh, I thought we agreed to work together and to not split up!" Mellem cried. "Aren't we supposed to be saving this city together?"

"One thinks it would be betest to permit those three to scout out for any present wathe," Muga said.

"Can you speak normally for once in your life?!" Mellem groaned.

"Thou is speaking normally." Hands were on their hips.

Looking through the hotel for the moment, the young adult placed his finger on his chin. That's strange, Jiaolong isn't here. Did he go with the others? Maybe he had. How odd, he almost never went with Goma and his little lackeys. Oh, well, maybe something changed or he was roped into their shenanigans. How should he know? He could never guess what those three were thinking.

<Jiaolong isn't here, either.> A written sheet of paper said.

"Ugh, not him, too!" Mellem cried. "I thought I told that guy if he's going to leave with the dudes to at least let us know!"

"You know Jiaolong, he slinks in completely unnoticed then comes back whenever he deems fit," Marble said, sighing. "It's fine, he'll come back when he feels like it." She then sat on top of the bed crisscross. "What do you think we should do today in the meantime? You know, since those guys decided to get a head start and all that."

Inquiry coming everyone's way, the student wondered. Should he suggest trying to go home? At least, just to check if everyone's families are okay? Come to think of it, ever since that quake, there's been no one else around. Just him, and these seven. Where did everyone else in Mikage-cho go? Underground, perhaps? Maybe now would be a perfect opportunity to at least look for other signs of life. Hmm, nah, that would waste time, wouldn't it?

"I don't know, maybe we should try and see if there's anyone else around somewhere?" Mellem asked.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Marble said, shaking her head. "What if we walk across the street and we get ambushed by demons?"

"Uh, hello, we'll summon our personas and give them a good beating?!" Mellem cried, hands waved around in the air. "But, seriously, don't you think we should look for other signs of life?"

"Not really," Marble said, shaking her head. "For starters, who knows if they can fight. We don't need those kind of liabilities weighing us down."

"Nay, lokende for potential losian individuals would be a detriment," Muga said, shaking their head as well.

"Sometimes I wish you went with those guys, too!" Mellem cried, tone annoyed. "I swear, can you speak like a normal person for once in your life?" She then sighed. "What do you think, Siorc? Should we look around the city to see if there's anyone else out there?"

Question thrown onto the playing field, the young adult shrugged. Honestly, what point was there in looking for others at this point? If there had been anyone else, they would have turned up by now, wouldn't they? Most likely. At least, that's what he thinks. Why waste time and resources to find themselves at a dead end? There's no point, that's for sure.

<No, that's pointless, don't you think? If there were other people around human or chimera, I'm pretty sure we would have run into them by now. So, let's not do that.> A written sheet of paper said.

"You think so too, huh?" Marble said, arms crossed.

"Why isn't anyone on my side?!" Mellem cried. "If we had more people on our team, we could save the city faster, don't you think?"

"No, Mellem, I don't," Marble responded, shaking her head. But, as she said such, the door soon opened. "Jiaolong, how many times do we have to tell you to let us know if you're going out?"

"Ah, you have my utmost apologies, but the guys wanted to patrol for demons early today and told us not to let the girls and Muga know," Jiaolong said, shaking his head.

"I swear, I'm going to pummel those guys!" Mellem cried, fist in the air. "So, how did it go? Any demons today? And, where are they now?"

"Dear me, you might not like what I'm about to say," Jiaolong said, hand on the side of his chin. "Please, prepare yourselves."

"Just say it already," Marble said, sighing.

"If you insist, but, I am telling you, you might not like what I'm about to say," Jiaolong responded.

"Just spit it out already!" A loud, groaned shout.

"Alright, alright, I won't keep you all waiting for a moment longer," Jiaolong said, hand out in front of him. "The guys decided to try and head back to their homes to see if they're still standing."

Room growing quiet, the young adult rolled his eyes towards the hotel ceiling. Of course those three had to think the same thing he did. Maybe it's a good thing he didn't suggest that then. Please, let a demon eat them up so they never come back? That would be so lovely right about now! Haha, why would that ever happen, though?

"I can't believe them, the nerve of those guys!" Mellem shouted. "Who do they think they are?! They should have told us!"

"My brother has a mind of his own," Marble said, shrugging. She then paused for a moment. "Forget all that for now. You know, I've been thinking the same thing. Maybe we should head home while we still can."

"I guess I don't object to that," Mellem replied, sighing. "I can't believe those guys would decide that without us!" She then turned back towards Jiaolong. "The coast really is clear, though, right? No more demons?"

"I swear that there are no demons out there," Jiaolong responded. "Worry not, if there are any, I will take care of them."

"Thou shall remain hitherto," Muga said, eyes closed.

"We weren't going to ask you to go with us anyway, Muga!" Mellem cried, hands clinging onto her hair. "Marble and I will go." She then turned towards Siorc. "Unless Siorc wants to go with us, too?"

<I guess I'll go. To be honest, I was going to bring it up anyway.> A written sheet of paper said.

"Alright, that's settled, then," Marble said. "But, just in case, let's stock up before we go."

Shoulder bag loaded up and ready to go, the young adult crossed his fingers. Please, don't let there be any demons today. Let this quick check be a smooth one. Cracking his knuckles, the chimera wolfed down a muffin from who knows how long ago. Sprinting off towards the door, he prepared himself. No demons, please, no demons, please, no demons, please.

Hotel doors shut behind him, the student took a moment to squint. Is it just him, or had the road leading to the crossing of his home look rather swirly? No, no, no, he was just imagining it. Of course he was, he's just a little tired from the past few days of fighting, that's all. It's time to get moving before it's too late.

>Present time: eight thirty in the morning.

Demon activity in the coming hours: probable, but unlikely.

Marble and Mellem walking beside him, the chimera moved off towards the familiar crosswalk. But, as he prepared to do so, he swore he could hear something buzzing. Buzz, buzz, buzz, noise only getting louder, the young adult covered his ears. No, don't tell him, there's a demon hiding somewhere here. Maybe they should all turn around right now.

Shaking his head, the chimera pressed on. No, no, no, nothing is buzzing. Why would anything be buzzing? It was probably just a bee somewhere! It was still spring, after all. Or was it? Who knows, maybe it was. Every day had felt the same since the quake! Maybe it was still late May. Maybe it was already September. Who knows, who cares, it hardly mattered at this point.

Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.

Racket only getting louder, the hyena turned his head towards the left. Alright, demons, come out, come out wherever they are! Buzz, buzz, buzz. But, no such thing happened. Crossing at the junction, something had felt quite off. Is it just him, or was there a strong breeze somewhere close by? Nah, come on, Siorc, stay focused. Keep going.

"Where is that buzzing noise coming from?" Mellem asked, ears covered.

"I'm not sure," Marble said, ears covered as well. "Let's just keep going for now."

Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.

>Present time: Nine in the morning.

Demon activity in the coming hours: likely, likely, likely,

Continuing on, the pesky buzzes had only gotten louder. Covering his ears, the young adult resisted the urge to turn back around towards the path of which he came. There's definitely a demon hiding somewhere around here close by, isn't there? Sigh, don't come out to play, not today. He has more important things to take care of here, thanks.

Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.

Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.


Reaching the end of the road, a surprising world soon awaited the trio. Pitch black world locking eyes with him, the student rubbed his eyes. Where did the pathway go?! Gazing down, a sea of flames bathed the road deep. What happened here? Looking at Mellem and Marble, everything froze for a brief moment.

Marble's eyes looking quite big, the chimera locked eyes with the flames down below once more. What if everyone's homes was eaten by some sort of ghost? No, no, stop that, ghosts aren't real, come on now! Mellem raising her fist in the air, the hyena prepared himself. Here it comes, the battle of words is about to begin.

"There's nothing left here," Marble said, face growing dark.

"The demons did this, I bet!" Mellem cried. "I'm going to give them a piece of my mind!"

"Let's not, Mellem," Marble said, voice trailing off. "Please, let's just go back."

"What about your brother, huh?!" Mellem cried. "I bet he jumped into the fire with the rest of his gang!"

"Please, can we just go back? Please, Mellem." There was desperation evident in her voice.

Looking down at the burning world below, the glue had become undone. What in the world happened to Mikage-cho? Why does it feel like the city had been pulled out of this world? And, the surrounding neighborhoods, what happened to them? Maybe he should investigate on his own? Ah, nah, he probably shouldn't do that. At least, not now. Turning back around, he swore he could see a butterfly flapping away in the distance.

>Present time: ten in the morning.

Demon activity: likely, likely, likely, likely, likely!

Returning to the hotel, the young adult rocked back and forth. Is there nothing else left of this world besides the city? How could something like this happen? He doesn't have a clue. Maybe if they fought more demons the world would go back to the way it was? Or, maybe everything would be this way forever. No, no, of course it wouldn't be! After they fought all the demons, everything would go back to normal. But, as he kept on thinking, a pesky set of voices had come his way.

"Man up, ya little pansy!" Zinn shouted. "What, ya see a scary little demon out there? Get over it, they're everywhere, ribbit!"

"Yeah, queenie, man up, why don't you?" Goma asked, laughing.

"I knew we should have left little skirty behind at the school!" Donat cried.

"You three, just stop it!" Mellem cried. "Also, how dare you three try and go back home without us!"

"First of all, goat, we don't answer to you," Zinn responded, smirk on their face. "And, second, so what if we did?"

"We're supposed to be a team, you know!" Mellem shouted. "Let me guess, you guys found the same thing we did, didn't you?"

Silence filling the room, the student rose an eyebrow. What's that, they've got nothing to say to that? Come on, speak up! Aren't they supposed to be the so called strong headed ones of the group? Tch, what nonsense. Fine, then, bite their tongues, it's not like what they had to say was worth listening to anyway!

"Everything's gone," Marble said, face dark. "Everything! Everything beyond the main city is gone!"

"Look a that dumb sister of yours, she's a wreck!" Donat cried, pointing and laughing. "This is why we should have split off from them ages ago! Women are pathetic!"

"Dear me, now let's not walk ourselves into hot water right now, " Jiaolong said, hands up in the air. "Whatever do you mean by everything is gone, Marble?"

"I just told you! Everything is gone!" Marble cried, shaking. "Beyond the crossroads, there's nothing left!" Huffing, she held the sides of her head. "It's like the entire world was eaten by the demons!"

"Why ya gotta be so dramatic fer?!" Zinn cried, croaking. "Ya were just lookin' in the wrong direction, ribbit!"

"Oh, then you tell me if you found anything when you three tried going home!" A loud, shaken shout.

Pesky trio going silent again, the student resisted the urge to laugh. Oh, what's wrong, huh, got nothing to say? Of course they did it. Go on, admit it, they found themselves in the same spot Marble, Mellem and he did. But, no, why would they ever do that? Maybe they should have fallen off the edge and never come back instead, that would have been thrilling.

Shake, shake, shake.

Hotel shaking up a storm, the young adult tried to hold on. Oh, no, not another quake! Becoming one with the ground, the chimera swore he could see that short girl wearing that white dress again. Huh, why is she here? Agh, his head is spinning again. Tremors only getting stronger, the hyena closed his eyes.

Flap, flap.

Golden butterfly in the corner of his eye, the young adult groaned. Not this thing again. Huh, wait, where is he now? Something's not right. Looking ahead, the chimera did a double take. Wait, why is he in the palace again? And, why does it look like there's more rooms than last time? Something's not right here.

Weird black haired man with the mast in the corner with his arms crossed, the hyena blinked. It's that person again. Who is he? No, what was he? No, that wasn't right either. Did it matter who he was? Not really, this was just a dream. Yes, that's all this was. What else would it be? Trying to get it together, he swore the stranger looked straight at him.

"You chimeras are doing quite well, I'm impressed," the strange man said clapping.

Masked man clapping, a chill dropped down the chimera's spine. Why does this guy still look so familiar? Could he have met him somewhere before? But, where? Ah, no, nothing comes to mind. He's probably just imagining it. It was a trick of the brain, that's all. A trap of false memories ready to drown him. What else could it be?

"It's you again!" Mellem cried, pointing. "Just who are you?!"

"I am you, you are me, and I shall always watch you within," the strange masked man said.

"Not this again! What does that even mean?!" Mellem cried. "You'd better let us go back home!"

"What's the point?" Marble said, face dark. "There's nothing left."

"Come on, Marble, now's not the time to be a quitter!" Mellem cried. She then pointed at the strange masked man. "You'd better tell us how we can go back home! We're wasting our youth fighting these demons! I want to go back to school! I want to graduate!"

"Who cares 'bout school at a time like this?!" Zinn cried.

"You said it, brother," Goma said.

Masked man in the corner of the room looking ready to burst into laughter, the student let out the quietest of sighs. What is this person thinking? He doesn't know, he could hardly read him. Whatever it was, they're probably going to find themselves in the center of another demon attack when they get out of here, aren't they? Sigh, probably.

"Persona users, if you wish to return to beyond, take part in the trials to gain the right to head to the Hearts Desire's dungeon," the strange masked man said.

Stranger pointing at some door, the chimera blinked. Sorry, what did he say just now? What trials? Oh, no, what's he about to get himself roped into now? Sorry, he's got far more important issues to take care of here, count him out. But, he knew he couldn't say that, everyone would have choice words to say if he did.

"What is this Hearts Desire dungeon!?" Mellem cried, pointing. "Explain yourself!"

Finger soon over the mouth piece, the young adult shrugged. What is this, a secret or something? Maybe he should partake in this trial just to be safe. But, what if it all lead to nothing? What if this was just a trap set by the demons? This guy was a demon, wasn't he? He bets, at the end of that dungeon this dude will be waiting for them demanding a fight! No, no, this guy isn't real, why would he be there?

Everyone else not saying a word, the hyena crossed his arms across his waist. Nothing to say, huh? Ah, forget that, does it matter? Weird masked man doing another bow, the chimera closed his eyes. Why does everything feel so fuzzy? Ah, he can't hold on anymore. So, long, goodnight, don't let the demons bite.

Blink.

>Present time: three in the morning.

Welcome to the trial, welcome to the trial, welcome to trial stage.

Finding himself in a disheveled hallway, the student rubbed his eyes. Huh, where is he now? Looking around him, a strange wooden frog stood in the way of everyone. What's this doing here? Creature locking eyes with Goma, he looked away. If that thing attacks him, sorry, he didn't see anything, goodbye.

[Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. Mascara!] A loud shadowy voice shouted.

Goma backing away, the hyena resisted the urge to spit on the ground. What did that frog thing say now? He didn't hear that correctly, did he? Maybe he's still dreaming. Pinching himself, the chimera clicked his tongue. Nope, he's most certainly awake right now, sigh. Please, can he just go back to the hotel?

"Shut it, you stupid frog!" Goma cried, backing away.

[Oh, oh, but why should I, Mr. Mascara? It's true, after all! We both know it!] A loud, shadowy voice shouted.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! I don't know what you're talking about!" Goma shouted, ears covered.

[Oh, but, you do! You know you do! It was just a little, a teeny tiny bit of mascara! Just a little! But, bam, {What are you doing?! What are you wearing?! You want to be a cop someday like me, you've got to man up!} Man up, man up! That's right, we got to man up and stomp on all the little queenies we meet!] A loud, shadowy voice shouted.

Glass fragment showing a makeup routine, the young adult shook his head. Who did this frog man think he was coming after him when he was in a similar boat? Nah, he wasn't at all. Maybe this was years that have since long passed. Who cares, anyway? He didn't see a thing. Porcupine quills out and about, he backed away.

"Who are you, you, pansy!" Goma shouted, porcupine quills out and about.

Stone frog bouncing the quills back, the student held back the urge to laugh. Looks like this porcupine frog pest has met his match. Please, froggy, be a good little demon and knock this guy out! Maybe knock some sense into him while he's at it. Wait, no, stop. If that happened, they'd all lose the trial, wouldn't they? Of course they would. Actually, no, don't take him out, that's a terrible idea. An awful one!

[I am you, you are me, and we shall duke it out to see which me is the one that's supreme!] A loud, shadowy voice cried.

"I've had enough of your quips!" Goma shouted, hands on the side of his head. "Armaiti, kill this stupid pansy at once!"

Light brown creature with pointy ears and nothing but a singular red eye for a face, and multiple pupils beside a busty chest, the hyena's hands were soon on his hips. When did this guy get that persona? Ah, who cares when he did or how? Did it matter? No, not really. Why waste his energy on thinking about that for anyway?

[It was just a little mascara! Just a little, and our stupid dad just had to catch us! Face it, face reality! We should have just thrown it away! We gotta be a man! Be tough, gruff and give all those little weak pansies a piece of our minds!] A loud shadowy voice shouted.

Bam, bam, bam.

Tall eye creature dishing out an array of dance like strikes, the student wondered. What's his trial going to be like? If they ever got that far, that is. What if they're all knocked back to square one, then what? Come on, Siorc, get it together, that's not going to happen. Frog thing soon gaining holes aplenty, another shout had come its way.

"So what if I use a little mascara every now and again?!" Goma cried, porcupine quills flying towards the enemy. "I can still man up in other ways! Armaiti, finish him!"

Once last dance gifted to the frog, the party of eight kept moving forward. Large torn doll soon on the pathway staring straight into Marble's eyes, a booming voice was about to take over the area. Student council member beside her shaking, the young adult could feel it, any second now, and the next trial would start.

[Look who it is, Miss Wannabe Traffic Cop! Listen, girly, you should stay at home and ply with dolls! The street is dangerous for you ladies!] A loud, shadowy voice cried.

"Let me guess, you're me," Marble said, sighing. "You sound just like father."

[That's right, I am you, you are me!] A loud, shadowy voice cried.

"Listen, I'm not about to take this nonsense from some doll I forgot about!" Marble cried. "Triglav, let's end this thing!"

Large doll creature looking ready to throw a hissy fit as some three headed woman on a bright red horse lunged forward, the young adult almost wanted to summon his persona, too. Attempting to do so, fog clouded together from within. Why does everything feel so muddy? Forget it, this isn't his trial.

[Face it, face reality! As if they'd ever accept a little tiny girl like you as a traffic cop! They only want powerful human men! And, what are we? We're just a pathetic little frog girl! We should just take up watching over the kindergarteners at daycare!] A loud, shadowy voice cried.

Boom, boom.

Sparks flying, the ratty doll soon got a run for its money. Button eyes falling straight off, the young adult almost lunged forward as Marble teetered. He needs to someone pixie right now! But, the fog kicked in once more. Right, this is not his fight, this is Marble's battle, after all. He was nothing more than a spectator watching from afar.

"Maybe that's how it was for mama all those years ago," Marble said, huffing a breath. "And, sure, sometimes I think I should think of a different future." Pointing at her persona, she soon rose her voice. "But, I'm not mama! And, papa's barely ever home, so what does he know? This is my destiny, and I'm going to walk the path I want!"

Doll becoming nothing but ashes, the party of eight kept running. But, what came next added more thorns to his side. Gigantic scorpion going on and on about looking tough and stomp on all that stood in their way, the chimera shook his head. Oh, let him guess, Zinn's trial, huh? Have fun getting stomped on.

"Knew this was comin', ribbit," Zinn said, rolling their shoulder.

Stupid speech going on and on about manliness or whatever, some disgusting looking demon made quick work of the arachnid thing, the hyena looked away. La, la, la, Super Duper Lovely Rangers, la, la, la. Oh, what was that, a shiny one hundred yen coin on the ground, too? Wow! Today was his lucky day!

Corridors getting much thinner, the student soon wobbled. Huh? What's going on? Where did this stench come from? Covering his mouth, the young adult resisted the urge to gag. Large rabbit with a theater mask on their face, the chimera huffed. Just, how many trials were left? He didn't know anymore, maybe every one had one of their own.

[Beneath all that old timer talk, we're nothing! There's nothing but a void, a void! Who would we be if not for that? We ought to keep it up!] A loud shadowy voice shouted.

"Thou hast no inking of what thee is speakething of," Muga said, shaking their head.

[Oh, come on, now! You know it's true! We've got nothing going for us! We're just a little blank slate that can be painted on to look like we are someone! But, we are no one! Nobody! Just a blank little bunny going through the motions!] A loud shadowy voice shouted.

Arrows raining down on the enemy, the chimera's ears rung. Head pounding, everything wobbled. Is it just him, or is everything starting to feel really heavy? Rabbit crumbling to bits, the young adult dragged himself off to the next corridor. Goat with handcuffs everywhere, the buzzing noise only grew louder.

Goat vanquished who knows when, the student tried to remember. Who cleared their trials so far? Goma, Marble, Zinn, Muga, Mellem? Uh, who else got through theirs? Did he get through his? Huh, why does everything feel like jelly all of a sudden? And, what's that eggy scent? Something's not right here.

Continuing on, that eggy scent only grew stronger. Racing through a long winding river, the world blurred together why does everything feel so strange? What's going on here? White creature with a blue jester hat dancing around the area, not a single thing was adding up here. Had they moved onto the Hearts Desire's dungeon? Where is this place?

Large lizard with cat ears blocking the path, the fuzz continued to eat him. What is that thing? Why are they here again? Huh, why can't seem to recall? Where is all this fog coming from all of a sudden? He doesn't know, he doesn't have an answer for that. Donat's lips moving, no words came out for minutes on end.

Whistles bleeding, the chimera covered his ears. Wait a second, why does everyone feel so far away? Huh? Please, everyone, wait up! Splash, puddle ready to swallow him whole, the hyena blinked. He needs to hurry and catch up before he's trapped in here forever. But, how? Wait, wait, a second hold on. How far away is everyone again? Please, everyone, wait up!

River in front of him, the tweets grew louder. That lizard cat monster is saying something, but what? He doesn't know. Maybe it's not his business anyway. Large, busty woman with two cat tails bulldozing the creature down into nothing, the young adult made a run for it. He has to catch up with everyone else, hurry!

Huff, puff, huff, puff, huff, puff, huff, puff, huff, puff.

Continuing on, everything grew dim. Why does he feel like he's fallen to the bottom of the ocean on Europa? Huff, puff, come on, Siorc, shake it off. Get it together. Slapping his cheeks, the world twisted and turned. Everything splitting into seven pieces, the young adult placed his hands on the side of his head. Is he in a kaleidoscope? Can someone please help him? No? Just move forward.

Large panda creature with a pattern of the map of Asia all over it, the world around him kept on burning. Whistle drowning everyone out, the young adult almost let out a scream. Someone, please, shut off the noise! Someone, anyone? No? No, alright. Tweets reaching their peak, the young adult covered his ears.

Sea of eyes locking onto him, the young adult looked away. Why are all the monsters staring at him like that? No, maybe he has this all wrong. World tingling, the chimera tried to keep his focus forward. Shake whatever this is off right now! What if his trial is coming up? Or, did it happen already? Agh, why does everything feel like jelly again?

[Ghosts, the supernatural, they're all real, and you know it!] A voice in his head cried.

Dragging himself through the mud, the hyena let out a barely audile laugh. What was that just now? Must have been the wind. It sure is chilly in here, huh? Better keep moving. How many of them needed to clear their trial again? Oh, right, everyone had to. Or, had everyone except him cleared theirs already? Huh, why didn't he know the answer to that? Where did all this fuzz come from?

[It's true! It's true, and you know it! You remember what you saw when we were six and went to that historical site with mother! You know what you saw, you know you did! We both know what we witnessed that day!] A loud shadowy voice said.

Continuing on, the laughs continued. What is this thing talking about? That never happened! Nope, never. What historical site? What did they see? Nothing, that's right. Ghosts aren't real! There's no such thing as the paranormal! And, demons aren't real, either! It's all nonsense! All made up! Stop the noise already!

[Look at you, pretending you can't hear me! You know what we saw that day! But, no! No one would read what we scribbled down! Not a single person believed us! They all laughed, and laughed, and laughed! The supernatural is real! We know it! We can prove it! But, you choose to play pretend like you always do ever since that day!] A loud shadowy voice shouted.

Covering his ears, the young adult's body shook up a storm. No, stop it, please! That never happened, what are they talking about? That's all made up, totally a lie! That was just a dream, right, something that happened in his sleep! Demons aren't real, ghosts aren't real, pixies aren't either! It's all just lies, fibs, made up stories! All of it! Of course it was! Who is even is this thing? Large feminine hyena person looking straight at him, he placed his hands on the side of his head.

[You know who I am! I'm you, and you're me! Face reality!] A loud shadowy voice shouted.

Room looking ready to melt, the chimera let out a loud scream. Please, stop the noise already! Closing his eyes, it all flickered through him. Pixie, come on, get rid of this thing already! Something popping out of him, the familiar creature stood by him. But, huh, why do they feel so far away? Something about all this doesn't feel right. Trying to pull himself together, he pointed at the hind legged hyena monster. Pixie, uh, take them out with a magic spell, or whatever.

"As you wish."

Bam, bam.

[No, no! I won't go quietly! We know what we saw that day! The supernatural is real! Quit running away from the truth! We witnessed it with our own two eyes!] The booming voice screeched.

Shaking his head, the fight continued. Okay, maybe he might have seem something a little scary all those years ago. But, come on, now, he's an adult now! Maybe the supernatural were real, maybe they weren't. It's not like anyone can prove it anyway! Let it go already, whatever this thing is! Stop the noise, quit going on and on about a whole load of nothing!

Bam, bam.

Hyena thing crumbling, the young adult had become one with the ground. Why is everything spinning? Student council members calling his name, he closed his eyes. Is it just him, or does everything feel heavy again? Consciousness about ready to fly away across the river, the last few threads were ready to come undone.

Blink.

Seeing that golden butterfly again, a strange dark world soon awaited the student. Heart shaped cages everywhere, he scratched his head. Where is he now? Sniff, sniff. Wait, what's that musty stench? Black haired mask man clapping once again, a sense of doom flew through him. What's he doing here? What's going to happen now?

"Congratulations, chimeras, and welcome to the Hearts Desire's Dungeon," the black haired mask man said, clapping.

"Apologies, sir, but may I ask you a question?" Jiaolong asked.

"Listen here, you goody two shoes, you really think we can trust this dude?" Donat asked.

"Goodness, when did I ever say any of that?" Jiaolong asked, sighing. "Come now, I just have an inquiry for you, sir."

Strange man bowing, the young adult blinked. Why did he do that just now? Wait, hold on, what's that behind him? Is that a large snake? No, he's just imagining it, surely. He's just a little tired from that trial he was just thrown into, that's all. Of course, nothing to see here! Not at all. Nope. Silly him, there's no snakes in Mikage-cho anywhere!

Wait, this isn't Mikage-cho.

So, where is this place?

"Now, let me ask you sir, if we defeat that friend behind you, it will lead us to the truth, no?" Jiaolong asked.

"What thing are you talking about?!" Mellem cried. "Jiaolong, come on!"

"You student council members are so brainless, I swear!" Goma cried. "Look behind this dude! See?"

"Can it, Mr. Mascara!" Mellem shouted. "What is that thing?!"

"It's a medusa," Marble said, voice blank.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious, we can see that!" Donat shouted.

"I don't believe I asked you, Sir Worried About Looking A Little Too Girly Because Of His Face!" There was a sarcastic tone echoing throughout.

Strange masked man bowing, a large battlefield opened up. But, what laid in the corner caught the hyena's attention almost immediately. Rotting tree pulsating throughout the area, a realization washed over the young adult. This place, he's been here before. But, when? He can't seem to remember. What did he have to do again if he saw that thing? He doesn't remember that either.

"Yer kiddin', this thing's huge!" Zinn shouted. They then turned towards the little queen. "What are you doin', huh, ya little pansy? 'Fraid to get yer hands dirty, or somethin'?"

Turning back towards the rotten tree, the chimera looked at it for a moment longer. Wait, he knows, that historical site! But, how long ago had he been there now? He doesn't remember. Dumb frog going on and on, the student cracked his knuckles. Blah, blah, blah, sorry, he's deaf to all kinds of ridiculous nonsense. But, do feel free to keep running their mouth until the world ends and see what that does for them, he's sure the demons in the underworld would be thrilled to be called names!

"Everychone, summon thy personas now!" Muga cried.

"Muga, come on, can't you just?" Mellem started to say, but stopped herself. "Ugh, forget it. Why do I even bother?" Hand raised in the air, she let out one last scream. "Hermond, let's turn this snake into mince meat!"

Personas all out and ready to go, the young adult closed his eyes. Here goes nothing. Pixie ready to go, the student prepared himself. Come on, pixie, do a little magic, or whatever! Aim for the head and knock this thing out! Ha, not like magic is real or anything. Creature screaming out a loud one, the chimera huffed. Come on, just a little more.

Coffin creature slicing and dicing, the fight continued for what felt like forever. Huh, why does time feel like it's stalled to a crawl just now? Did this large snake monster do something? Focus, Siorc, focus. This battle has only just gotten itself started! Alright, here goes. Pixie, shoot them down with their powers, go all out!

"I shall."

Fiend looking about ready to fall, the hyena crossed his fingers. Now's their chance. Give this thing one last strike, and then it's over! Marble's persona dealing the blow to end all blows, the monster wobbled. It's look bleak for this thing! The time is now to knock this thing out from behind! Come on, pixie, give it one last finishing blow! And, three, two, one.

Kaboom.

Creature fading away, the student glared at the tree in the corner. What did he have to do again? Closing his eyes, a memory flowed through him. Little girl in the white dress staring at him, he snapped his fingers. Oh, it's coming back to him now. Or, is it? Maybe there's a chance he's recalling this all wrong now.

"What do we do now?!" Mellem cried. "We beat that thing, right?"

"I'm not sure," Marble said. "Maybe we're stuck here?"

"Come now, I'm sure there's a solution to this," Jiaolong said, hand out in front of him.

<There is.> A written sheet of paper said.

"Oh, is there now?" Jiaolong asked. "Do tell."

<We have to sever the branches off of that rotten tree over there. And fast! If we do, we're out of here!> A written sheet of paper cried.

"Ah, is that so?" Jiaolong asked. "Then, let's get to it." He then turned towards the peanut gallery in the corner. "Now, if you three have anything to say, you'll have to go through me. Is that clear?"

Pests in the corner zippering the lip, the young adult closed his eyes for a moment. Human hands becoming hyena paws, the chimera prepared himself. Tree from who knows where, it's time to say goodbye. Everyone launching whatever they had on them all at once, he swore he could see that girl with the white dress again in the corner.

"Thank you, everyone," the small girl in the white dress said. "It's time to go back home."

Shake, shake, shake, shake.

World quivering, the young adult closed his eyes. Why is the world spinning, huh? Little girl fading away, a puzzle piece clicked together. Oh, he remembers now, that girl, he? Ah, forget it, he's fading away. Sea of darkness eating him up for breakfast, the student tried to hold on for just a moment longer. Please, wherever he ends up next, don't let there be anymore demons to deal with.

Blink.

>Present day: July twentieth, Nineteen Ninety Six.

Present time: Twelve in the afternoon.

World status: In the height of summer vacation.

Rubbing his eyes, the chimera groaned. Where is he now? Oh, it's that dark classroom again. Huh, how did he get here? Oh, right, he was dragged into a game of Persona and demons came. Or, was that all a dream? Maybe it was. But, he shook his head. No, that wasn't possible. He knew what he saw.

Looking out the window, the summer sun almost burned him into oblivion. What day is it? Calendar in the corner ready to laugh at him, he did a double take. Wait, what? It's July?! Huh?! When did that happen? Exiting the third floor, he swore many teachers looked at him like he had a hundred heads.

Word missing hollowing everywhere, the young adult shrugged. Nothing can be done about all that. Letting out a yawn, the chimera took the long road. But, he couldn't help but feel a knot form in his stomach as he crossed at the junction. Is he really back to his world? Maybe he's still in that strange Mikage-cho.

Home completely empty, the hyena sighed. Guess mother is away on another excursion again. Oh, well. She probably didn't notice he was not here anyway. Dragging himself to his room, he let out a yawn. He could use a little nap right about now, maybe. Curling up into a ball underneath his covers, one last thought threw itself into the ballpark.

Maybe the supernatural is real.

But, who cares?

They're taken care of.

Can he just go back to blending into the wall now? Thanks.



A lot of this came to me as I went. And, to be honest, most of this definitely diverged entirely from the Persona 1 plot, but my goal is to not do a 1-1 anyway. Rather, take portions of the games and put my own spin on it with my own ocs while still trying to comply to the canon to some extent. That being said, that's the end of the Persona 1 portion. Next is Persona 2. We'll see how that one goes.

Also, sorry if some of the stuff is weirdly formatted. Bulba likes to take the less than and greater than symbols and turn them into quotes for some reason. That's not what I intended, and I don't feel like fixing it.
 
<Persona 2>: Persona 2: Mika's Mommy's Sin, Part 1. New
So, this is the Persona 2 section of the Shin Chimera Tensei book. Please note that this is a completely different Siorc in the multiverse from the previous one. This is also pretty different from the Persona 2 duology while still using the setting and mechanics. I tried my best with this.

Beyond crude language, no other warnings really apply for this one at the moment.



<Persona 2>: Persona 2: Mika's Mommy's Sin, Part 1.


"Hi, I guess, why do I
Even have to introduce myself for anyway? I feel
Like it's a waste of time? It's not
Like I'm much
Of a talker. Oh, well,

I'm Siorc Ingne, I

Guess, hyena chimera, and resident of Sumaru City,
Uh, I'm eighteen, Gardening Club president, and Third Year at Seven Sisters High School.
Eh, I moved here from Germany when I was twelve, I guess
Since mother
Split ways with father. But,

I live with father in Germany over the summer, for like close to two months, I guess.
My summer vacation just ended,

So I am back
In Japan, and I feel like something changed
Overnight here. I'm
Rather unsure what, but something feels a bit
Creepy. It might be my

Imagination, though. Keyword,
Might. In any case, the next semester starts today. August just

Ended, so we're
In the fall semester. I
Guess I should prepare myself, sigh. There's
Hardly any chimeras in my classes,
Though, I guess that's what I should come to
Expect by now living here for six years now.
Eh, guess it doesn't matter. My stepsister,
Nah, I'll just call her my

Sister, told me that chimeras
Usually don't want to
Mingle with humans, but
Ah well. Anyway, things have felt
Rather eerie since yesterday,
Ugh. I don't know what's wrong, exactly, I

Can't say.
I went to go feed
The kitties after I settled in back home. Ah,
Yikes, forgot to mention this, my sister and I, her name is

Rizo, we started a little cat society and we
Ended up taking care of many
Stray cats across Sumaru City.
In any case, they seem to be acting weird lately. I
Don't know why. I just don't,
Eh. I do
Need to look into
This, but they seem to

Be very frightened, like
A monster attacked them? I
Can't say, I don't
Know, my sister didn't tell me. So,

I don't know what might have happened, I am
Not sure why, but I feel like something is

About to
Change, what
That change
Is going to be is beyond me.
Of course I know there's
Now only

About half a year before I graduate, but I
Feel like
That's not
Especially the thing that's about to change. Something feels
Rotten, like

Something bad is about to be
Unleashed upon the city. But
Maybe that's just
Me trying to get used to
Everything again after being away for six weeks.
Rizo doesn't seem to notice, but I

Very much do. Oh, well,
At the end of the day, I
Can't say.
And maybe it's best I move on.
Yes, I suppose

It's best I

Get ready for the fall term.
Oh, well.

There's nothing going
On, I am

Simply mistaken.
Everything is
Very much fine.
Everything is. There's
Nothing wrong. Or maybe this is the

Start of the apocalypse,
It is the final year of the twentieth century.
Some think
That the world will
End December Thirty First Nineteen Ninety Nine
Right at the
Stroke of midnight. I

Highly doubt
It, but I
Guess it's possible, I
Hardly feel like

Such is true,
Come on,
How could people think that?
Oh, well,
One thing is for sure, I'm not
Looking forward to school

At all today.
Not one bit. I
Doubt the club took care of the garden when I

Stepped away.
It happens every year. And when I
Graduate, I bet they'll
Have to shut

It down. But,

Whatever,
It's too late for that,
So, I guess I'll
Have to live with the consequences of

Such. It is what it is,
Ugh.
Maybe I should have
Made it more clear
Everyone should pitch in.
Roar, too late for that now. I

Don't know,
I'm not looking forward to seeing everything is
Dead. But,
Not like I can skip school,
That's not an option.

Eh, I
Need to press on.
Don't think about anything else. Alright, let's do this."


{Present Day: September First, Nineteen Ninety Nine.}

{Present Time: Six in the morning.}


{Days remaining until the apocalypse: one hundred twenty two days!}

{New millennium? More like no millennium!}


Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

Groan.

Uuuuuuuugh.


A short, young adult feminine appearing person with furry hyena paws peeking out from under the covers let out a groan as the alarm clock rang for minutes on end. Gah, what time is it right now? Oh, right, six in the morning. Groan, but is it really? Sigh, jetlag should die a miserable death already. Long, dark purple hair crunching underneath the elbow, the groans continued. Forgot to pull the locks up again before going to bed last night. but, what else is new, honestly?

Turning underneath the covers for a few minutes more, the chimera closed the eyes once more. Yawn, it's too early to be awake right now? Thirty more minutes? Besides, it's not like there's school today, right? Yawn, it's still summer vacation, isn't it? Probably, never mind, goodnight world, zzz. Can schools start in the afternoon in his next life or something?

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.

Uugh.


"Onii-chan, wake up," a high pitch voice cried. "We're starting school up again today! Don't you have to check on the gardens before class?"

Rolling back around underneath the covers, the young adult let out a yawn. School today? Nah, school totally isn't back yet. It's still August Thirty First, yeah, totally. There's still one whole day until that's back, surely. Of course, yawn, goodnight again. Wake the person up when September First actually starts, thanks.

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.

"Siorc-onii-chan, come on, you have to wake up!" a high pitch voice shouted once again. "I swear, he probably still thinks he's on Germany time." Slam. "How can you still be in bed? Aren't you supposed to be the president of the Gardening Club? You need to be out of here early!"

Letting out a fake snore, the young adult sighed. Silly Rizo, it's still August Thirty First! Is this some kind of prank? Maybe it was, yawn. Well, sorry, he's not falling for that, nice try. Zzzz, snnrkle, snnrkle, snnnrkle. Nighty, night. She can pretend it's a school day all she wants, he's not falling for that trap.

Toss.

"Did you hear me, onii-chan?! We've got to get ready for school!" Rizo cried. "Are you going to pretend to be asleep forever?"

Tossing the covers back with a loud roar had been a short young adult rabbit girl with short pink hair that draped over her shoulders. He believed her hairstyle was referred to as a hime cut, or something? He doesn't know. A lot of girls in his school wore their hair like that, he hardly paid any attention. Horns on the top of her head as well, her eyes were the same color as her locks. Dark blue uniform on her, the young adult let out another yawn. Why is Rizo waking him up for anyway? It's not like she and he went to the same school. Whatever. Reaching for the small whiteboard in the corner, a marker squeaked away.

Squeeeak, squeeeeeeek, squeeeeeeeeeek.

{Okay, Rizo, you can cut the prank. It's August Thirty First! We still have one day left until the fall semester starts!}
A whiteboard shouted to the heavens.

But, a head shake had come his way as his stepsister, excuse him, sister, read such. Wait, this isn't a prank, is she serious right now?! When in the world did it become September First? He should have come back from Germany a week earlier instead! But, no, that didn't happen, as usual. Come on, Rizo, cut him some slack here, would she? Haha, as if she ever would, though.

"I swear, you're still on Germany time, this happens every single year!" Rizo cried, sighing. "Come on, onii-chan, get up already!"

{Look, I only just got home two days ago, okay?! Cut me some slack, would you?!} A whiteboard shouted to the heavens.

"Should have convinced your dad to only stay for five weeks then." She shook her head.

Sister practically shrieking his thoughts out loud, the young adult wanted to bury himself underneath his pillow. He knows, okay? Geez, he tried that like, every single year since he moved here. But, no, it never happens. And, why would it now? Sigh, whatever, time to get out of bed, he guessed, groan.

{Alright, alright, I'm getting out of bed, okay? Can you please get out of my room?} A whiteboard asked.

"Fine, I will," Rizo said, sighing. "Are we going to the stray cat sanctuary after school ends today?"

{Probably. But, don't you have club activities after school?} A whiteboard asked.

"There's nothing stopping us from checking on them in the evening, is there?" Arms crossed.

{I guess not. Can you please get out of my room now?} A whiteboard practically groaned to the heavens.

Sister finally walking out, the young adult let out a sigh. Why did today have to be September First for? Sigh, oh, well, it's about time he gears up into school mode. Heading off towards the closet, a pitch black school uniform shirt with a red ribbon awaited him. Gulping, sweat dripped down. Please, let this still fit him. He didn't eat too many wieners while in Germany, right, right? Crossing his fingers.

Gazing at his reflection in the mirror, the chimera's mismatched green and purple eyes locked onto him. He didn't look super dead today, did he? Well, nothing a little foundation couldn't fix. Wait, did he even have any left? No, probably not. Guess he'll have to go into town after feeding the kitties, sigh. But, wouldn't that be after curfew? Guess it'll have to wait, sigh. Skirt slipped on, sweat poured down his face in rapid fire. Don't be tight, don't be too tight, snap. Phew, there's still room, maybe.

Hyena paws locking eyes with him, the student let out a screech. Gah, why were those still out? If he came to class with these out, everyone would stare at him in more places than one! Closing his eyes, the young adult hummed. La, la, la, here's a nice little magic spell, super hero change! Human hands returning once more, he reached for a light green rubber band.

High ponytail soon in place, the young adult reached for the accessory box. Should he skip them today? But, she shook his head at such. No, no way, that would be like going out in the street naked, not happening! Matching pink heart hairpins and earrings clicked into place, he stared at the white shirt buried in his closet. Maybe he should take that one for today. Nodding, such had soon been thrown into his schoolbag. Strutting towards the kitchen, a smoky scent overtook the room.

"Okaasan, you're burning the toast again," Rizo said, sighing.

"I'm sorry!" a frantic voice cried. Snap.

Stopping the toaster in the corner had been a middle aged hyena chimera woman with long dark purple hair that reached to about her backside. Bright green blouse covered with an apron, the young adult let out a yawn. She's still wearing that getup, huh? He could have sworn mother got rid of all her dirndls when they moved here. Guess not. Violet eyes darting around the room, the young adult crossed his fingers. Please, do not bring up that again today.

"Otosan, your tie is crooked again," Rizo said, pointing.

Fixing his tie in the corner of the room had been a rather tall middle aged rabbit man with short dark pink hair showing signs of greying at the edges. Business attire practically drowning him, the student let out a yawn. Just looking at that outfit made him want to crawl back into bed. Oh, well no time for that now.

Toast almost falling straight onto the floor, the young adult crossed his arms across his chest. Sigh, what's with mother and father today? Ever since this year rolled around, it's like they've had ants in their pants, or something. Not like they'd ever admit it. What were they always so jumpy over? Oh, no, they weren't going to? Haha, no, of course not. That definitely wasn't going to happen. Probably.

Squeeek, squeeeek, squeeeeeek.

{Good morning, mother!}
A whiteboard practically shouted.

"Good morning, Siorc," mother greeted, shaking. "I'm sorry, the toast's burned again!" Her eyes then wandered. "You're in the girl's uniform again?"

{Is that a problem, mother?} A whiteboard asked.

"No, no, of course not! Of course not!" mother cried. Ding.

"Okaasan, the rice cooker just beeped," Rizo said, pointing.

"Oh, did it?! I could have sworn it still had a few minutes left!" Her voice was shaking.

Mother knocking her rump into almost everything, the student shook his head. Geez, what's with her lately? He swears that she wasn't like this before he left for summer vacation. Maybe something's up at work? Nah. It's not his business anyway if it were. She'll be back to her normal self eventually, right? Right, of course she would be.

Squeeeeak, squeeeak, squeeeak.

{Good morning, father.}
A whiteboard greeted.

"Mornin, Siorc," father greeted. "Surprised the uniform my coworker's daughter gave ya still fits you."

{Come on, father, I didn't eat that many wieners in Germany!} A whiteboard shouted to the heavens.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" father shouted. "So, how were your folks doin'? They weren't, you know?" He then placed his finger between his lips.

Father laying down the question, the young adult held back the urge to sigh. Is he asking about that again? Sigh, can everyone stop trying to bring that up? It's not like it's for certain that is going to happen! It's still only September, and besides, it's not like it was for certain! Probably, anyway. Who knows at this point.

Squeeek, squeeek, squeeeeek.

{They're doing fine. Same as always. Can we please not bring
that up right now?} A whiteboard said.

"Alrighty, but ya know, we gotta be prepared for it!" father responded.

"Otosan, please can we save this conversation for later?" Rizo asked, groaning. "I want to eat my rice in peace."

Bowls of rice placed on the table, the young adult gazed at his watch. Time is running out, he has to get out of here pretty soon. Burning grains going down the hatch, the chimera huffed and puffed. Hot, hot, hot! Okay, maybe he should have waited a few minutes before chowing down. Too late for that now. Wolfing down the toast, the hyena stood himself up from the table. Better get going now before it's too late.

{Present Time: Seven Thirty in the Morning.}

"You two have your cellphones on you, right?!" Mother cried, shaking. "In, case, you know."

"Of course, okaasan," Rizo said, nodding.

"Don't you think you should transfer to Seven Sisters High School, just in case, you know."

"No, okaasan, I'm staying at Kasugayama. See you later." Slam.

Nodding, the hyena let out a sigh. Can mother please stop bringing up that every opportunity she got? What's she going to ask next? Is she going to try and convince him to transfer to Kasugayama instead? No way, not happening. The last thing he needed was to be branded a traitor by everyone. Outdoor shoes on and ready to go, he swore he could hear something clap up above.

{Present time: Seven Forty in the morning.}

Boom, clap, clap, claaaaaaap.


Making a run for it, the young adult let out a scream. Oh, great, a storm was coming. He should brought a raincoat with him! Gah, he'd better move fast before the rain could catch up with him! Huff, puff, huff, puff. Better hurry up, it's coming. It's coming fast. Circling around the street, he swore he could hear people chattering about something under their breaths.

Human students mumbling about wishes getting granted, the young adult shook his head. Tch, what's this about wishes? What, is there some magical genie floating around in some underground club in Sumaru City? Haha, as if. As if that would be a thing. Come on, everyone, Tanabata passed already! Get back into school mode already. Not like he's ready either, though, he supposed.

Boom, boom, boom, clap.

Pitter, patter, pitter, patter.


Hands soon over his head, the student made a run for it. Oh, great, it's coming down hard! His uniform is so going to be soaked to the bone! Better hurry! Speeding through the streets, the hyena huffed and puffed. Wooh, he's out of breath. Ugh, why did the weather have to go south immediately? Is his school cursed, or something?

Familiar white building with three storeys and triangular center with a clock on top, the young adult huffed. Same old Seven Sisters High. But, why does it feel like there's this major dark aura surrounding it? Something feels strange. Ah, forget it, he's got to hurry and head for the garden right now! Clap, clap, rain, rain, go away. Keep itself out of the garden today.

Zoom.

Pitter, patter, pitter, patter, pitter, patter.


But, as he headed for the garden, the hyena swore the droplets of doom came down even harder. Come on, now, did someone hear his wishes up in the heavens or something? No, of course not, that's dumb. Stuff like that probably doesn't happen. Four familiar faces from afar reaching for heavy cloths, the young adult reached for his own.

"Hurry, Liath, hurry!" a high pitched voice shouted. "We gotta hold down the fort!"

"I am?" a deadpan voice asked, groaning.

"Clearly, you're not trying hard enough!" another voice shouted.

"Yeah, nya, you're clearly not, nya!" another voice said, meowing.

"You and your fake accent, I swear." A Deadpan Sigh.

"It's not fake, nyaa, I've lived here a lot longer than all of you, nyaaa!" the fourth voice said, meowing even louder. "Oh, gosh, Siorc's here! Good morning, president. We totally took good care of the garden while you were away, yup!"

Looking at everyone with a dead look on their face had been a tall androgynous scorpion chimera person currently hiding in human form. Very short indigo hair pulled into tiny pigtails, for whatever particular reason, their right arm and hand had been completely bone. Pitch black boys uniform on them lacking the tie, for some reason, they had upside down triangle patches stuck onto their blazer. Huh, where's Liath's school emblem? Weird.

Hurrying to cover the pea plants in the corner had been a tan lizard woman with short light brown hair that went slightly passed her shoulders. Girl's uniform on her soaked to the bone, the young adult gazed at his own. He's not soaked, too, right? Please, don't be soaked, he doesn't have time to change! Well, oh, well, Soie has physical education in her class first thing in the morning right? That's honestly pretty strange, he won't lie.

Looking ready to rip everyone's heads off had been a short young goat woman with short messy blue green hair that barely reached beneath her chin. Small high pigtails up top looking about ready to get soaked, her bright red eyes were looking about ready to stare into his soul. Yes, Kylling, he knows, he was gone for quite awhile. Not his fault father demands he stay at his home every single summer. He'd have stayed here if he could, but alas. Also, how is her uniform not soaked, huh? She magic or something? Nah, probably not.

Running around from plant to plant with all her might had been a young adult cat woman with bright orange hair pulled into high twin drills, the hyena sighed. Ulka changed her look again, huh? How long would this one stick for? A day, a week, maybe an hour? Probably. Crimson eyes looking rather sparkly, he held back a second sigh. Someone sure looks peppy today. Or not. Maybe not? Whatever, no time to think about all that, it's time to save the plants.

Squeeeeak, squeeeeeak, squeeeeeak.

{You'd better have taken care of the garden while I was gone! If any of them died, you're replacing them, got it?!} A whiteboard practically screamed to the heavens.

"Too late for replanting now, it's September," Liath said, deadpan.

"Yup," Soie said, arms crossed. "But, we kept the plants alive, promise."

"Um, did we though?" Kylling asked.

"We did, nyaa!" Ulka cried. "We totally did!"

Covering the rest of the plants, the hyena let out a grunt. Yeah, sure they all did. Why is he having trouble believing that? He'll have to take a look after cleanup time to see for himself! Sigh, why can't some other people join this club and drill it into everyone else to keep the plants well watered? He doesn't know. Oh, well.

Squeeeeeeak, squeaaaaaaaaaaaak, squeeeeeeeeeak.

{I'll believe it when I see it. I'm sure you all took lovely care of the plants while I was gone!} A whiteboard practically shouted to the heavens. Was that a little too sarcastic? Maybe. {Alright, I have to go get my indoor shoes, see you all later.}

"Siorc, wait," Soie said, hand up in the air.

Turning back around, the student gave a sharp look towards the peanut gallery. What now? Is she going to confess to her sins that she killed the school's corn plants? Well, if she's going to confess to her crimes, she may as well get it over with now. Better hurry, time is ticking here! Come on, confess, confess, confess.

Squeaaaaaaaaak, squeeak, squeeeeeeeeak.

{Let me guess, all the corn we've been growing is dead!}
A whiteboard shouted to the heavens.

"What? No, that's not what I wanted to say at all!" Soie shouted, hands waving in the air. "Have you heard about the rumors floating around the city?"

{No, I'm not familiar. What rumor?} A whiteboard asked.

"So, you haven't, huh? Strange," Soie said, sighing. She then lowered her voice into a whisper. "Have you heard about the rumor about wishes being granted if you call your own cellphone number?"

Rumor whispered on the wind, the chimera blinked. Uh, sorry, what? Ugh, not her, too. What's with everyone talking about wishes today? How he wished people would stop whispering about all of this! Shaking his head, he turned back around. Forget it, he needs to go get his indoor shoes, goodbye.

Tap, tap.

Clicking his tongue, the young adult gazed at his shoes below him. He didn't get taller, did he? No, of course he hadn't. It's fine, there's still some wiggle room, maybe. Please, let there be some wiggle room. Haha, forget it, it's time to head for class. Dashing through the hallways, the first bell chimed. Was it just him, or had it been much earlier than normal? Nah, he had to have been mistaken.

{Present time: eight twenty five.}

"Good morning, I will take attendance," sensei said in a tired voice. But, he swore she sounded like she had already been done for the day.

Names called one after another, the chimera drummed his fingers on his desk. Strange, there sure were many people absent today. That's pretty weird. Nah, maybe some of the students were still in summer vacation mode now. Maybe. He supposed he didn't blame them. Hmm, maybe he should have taken today off, too. But, nah.

"Siorc Ingne," sensei said.

Squeeeeeeeeeak, squeeeeeeeeeeak, squeeeeeeeeak.

{Present.} A whiteboard said.

"Siorc Ingne?" sensei asked again.

Yoink.

"Speak up, man, you know sensei can't read that thing from back here," Student A whispered.

Ugh.

Please no.


"Siorc Ingne, hello? Is Ingne-san here today?" sensei asked.

"Here!" the hyena forced out. He then buried his head on his desk. Man, is his voice absolutely disgusting.

Attendance done and dusted, the hyena placed his finger on his chin. Why is almost half of his class absent today? Was there some virus going around? Or, maybe, people were worried about that or something? Come on, that probably wasn't even going to happen! Can't people live a little? Wake up and smell reality! Weren't the world leaders totally prepared and trying to combat that? They had to have been.

Tap, tap, tap.

"Alright, class, please, take out your notebooks, we will be discussing Doomsday Preparation today," sensei said, pointing at the board.

Sigh.

There it is.

That.

Notebook out in front of him, the young adult glared at his notes for a moment. Blah, blah, blah, how to build a bunker this, bloo, bloo, bloo, stay safe during a zombie apocalypse that. Why does he feel like all his lessons for the entire school year thus far had all been the same? He's graduating soon, and yet, he hasn't had a single worthwhile lesson at all. What happened to learning math? Language arts? School is dead.

Blah, blah, blah, teacher going on and on about history of past apocalypses, demons had been brought to the table over and over again. Scribbling away, the young adult almost wanted to close his notebook. Come on, there's no way demons are going to invade at the eve of the new century. Are the older adults okay? Maybe they should all go to some island or something and get themselves straightened out. But, as if that would ever happen. Why would it?

Continuing to scribble away, the young adult crossed his fingers. Don't call on him, pretty please with sugar on top? But, he swore that he could see sensei's eyes wander towards him. Don't ask him to say the answer, he's begging. It's not his day, right? Don't be his day to be called on! Any second now, and the spotlight would be over him.

"Ingne-san, what do you need to do before December Thirty First at Eleven Fifty Nine?" sensei asked.

Ugh.

Why?

Squeeeak, squeeeak, squeeeak, squeeak.


{Turn your computer off!} A whiteboard practically shouted to the heavens.

"Ingne-san?" sensei repeated.

{Turn your computer off!} A whiteboard repeated, raised higher up above his head.

"Ingne-san?" sensei repeated once again.

Ugh.

Please no.


"Turn your computer off!" Siorc forced out. He then buried his head on his desk. Please, don't call on him again.

"That's right, that's right!" sensei cried, chalk ready to fall out of her hand. "And what happens if you don't?" She then pointed at %$%%% in the corner. "%$%%%! What happens if you don't?"

"Your computer will explode!" %$%%% shouted.

"That's right, that's right, it'll explode!" sensei cried clapping. "Remember, everybody, make sure you turn your computers off before December Thirty First at midnight, or your computer will explode!"

Blah, blah, blah, chatter continuing the next few periods were exactly the same. Blah, blah, blah, stack up on canned goods now, we'll all be underground before we know it. Bloop, bloop, bloop, can the teachers please just teach real classes? Who even started these rumors throughout the city anyway? It's not like rumors come true, or anything! No one believed in that stuff!

Lunch coming by in the blink of an eye, the hyena sighed as he cleaned up his desk. Maybe they should just cancel the rest of the year at this point. He'll take his diploma and go, thanks. Rest of the day droning on and on about the same thing, the chimera almost wanted to excuse himself. What happened to science, huh? He doesn't know anymore.

{Present time: three in the afternoon.}

Ding, ding, ding dong, ding, ding, ding, dong.


Finally.

Time to clean up the classroom and head back to the school garden!

Sweeping the floors, the young adult swore he could hear his classmates talking amongst themselves about rumors coming true while walking around Sumaru City lately. Hearing such, the student resisted the urge to laugh. Ha! As if that's the case. People seriously believe that? Humans, he swears, they never know when to distinguish fiction from reality. Everything done and dusted, he made a run for it. Time to find out once and for all if the crops were still alive.

Removing the covers, the chimera puffed a sigh of relief. The corn's looking good today! Maybe there was a rumor spreading around the city that crops were immortal? If there wasn't one, perhaps he could spread it? Club members entering as well, a voice soon called out to him. Groan, can everyone wait before trying to call his attention?

"Your sister called me," Liath said, deadpan. "She wants you to head to Gatten Sushi after you check on the cats."

"Why's his stepsister calling you for, nya?" Ulka asked.

"You know why." They glared.

"Why did your bro have to go traitor for?" Kylling asked.

"I could ask you the same thing. Why did your girlfriend have to go traitor for?" Liath asked, eyebrow rose.

"It's not like I knew she'd transfer, kay?!" Kylling shouted, hands waved in the air.

Squeeeeeeeeak, squeaaaaaaaaak, squeaaaaak.

{Why don't you four go with me tonight? We can all have sushi together, I'll pay.}
A whiteboard said.

"I mean, I guess, if you're offering, but I'm buying everything on the menu!" Kylling cried.

"He's not a bank," Liath said, deadpan. They then turned towards Siorc. "Her friends will be there, too, just so you know."

"I'm kind of craving sushi right now, nyaa!" Ulka cried, meowing.

"What else is new?" Soie sighed. "Sure, I'll go. There's something I'd like to try out while we're there, anyway."

"Oooh, ooh, and what's that, nyaa?" Ulka purred.

"Is there a super cool photo booth there? Spill it, sis!" Kylling cried.

"Soie has told you at least a thousand times now to not call her that." Liath shook their head.

"I've heard that, if we call our cellphone numbers while in Gatten Sushi, our wishes will get granted," Soie whispered. "Want to try it out?"

Everyone going silent for a moment, the chimera placed his hands on the back of his head. Not this again. Why is Soie bringing up this wish granting nonsense? If that were true, everyone would be going there and asking for the same thing! Why even bother trying it out? It would most certainly not work. But, he knew he couldn't say that. What harm would it do to put down something silly just to see if it works?

"Ooh, sounds like fun!" Ulka cried. "I'll do it, nya!"

"Whatever," Liath said, turning around.

"Um, sure, I guess, I'll play, too!" Kylling cried.

Squeaaaaaaaaak, squeaaaaaaaaaaak, squeaaak.

{I don't know, I guess I'll try it out. When did Rizo say she wants us to be there?} A whiteboard asked.

"Six Thirty," Liath said, arms crossed.

"Six thirty? Guess I'll see you all there, then," Soie said. "Also, it's not a game! Take this seriously, okay?"

"Fine, sheesh, nya!" Ulka cried. "Okay, gotta go, see you all later!"

Bidding everyone farewell, the chimera dashed off towards the school entrance. Better hurry and get changed. There's no one looking, right? White and pink shirt soon taking place of his uniform with two flowers on the chest area, a black skort soon replaced his school skirt. It's not too short, right? Please don't be too small. Slam, shoes swapped in the blink of an eye, he let out a sigh. He's going to need to go shopping pretty soon, isn't he?

Zoom.

{Present time: Four fifteen in the afternoon.}

{Remember to turn off your computer at midnight, remember to turn your computer off at midnight, remember to turn your computer off at midnight!}


Tall buildings in the distance repeating the same thing over and over again, the chimera held back the urge to sigh. He swears, things have gotten really strange since he came back from Germany. Was it this bad before summer vacation? No, it most certainly wasn't, that's for sure. What is going on with everyone lately? No, scratch that, everything. He swears, all the older adults had been even more jittery since summer vacation ended. Or, perhaps it was always like this, who knows?

Sumaru streets upon him, the chatter kept going. Blah, blah, blah, wishes this, bloo, bloo, bloo, rumor about something or other. When will the humans cut it out with all of that nonsense? First of all, rumors hardly ever are true, and wishes also don't come true. Continuing onwards towards the stray cat sanctuary, his thoughts continued to roll around.

Rumor from before replaying in his mind, the hyena placed his finger on his chin. If he could have any wish granted, what would it be? But, he shook his head at such. Stop it, none of that stuff is real, come on now. Why is he even thinking about this at this point? Moving forward, a dense alleyway with handmade cathouses soon waited for him.

"You're finally here, onii-chan," Rizo said as she rung a little bell. "Let me guess, your friends held you up again."

{No. They're having sushi with us, by the way.} A whiteboard said.

"I figured you'd say that, onii-chan," Rizo responded. She then sighed. "Where are the cats? Did someone start a rumor that all the stray kittens would drop dead in the streets?"

Squeeeeeak, squeaaaaaaaak, squeaaaaaaak.

{Could you please not say things like that?! I'll put out the food, okay?} A whiteboard practically shouted to the heavens.

"Alright, you know best." A sigh.

Snap.

Tap, tap.


Dropping the canned food into the bowls, the young adult observed the area around him. Strange, the cats usually come running by now, where are they? Rizo was taking care of them while he was away, right? She'd better have been. He trusted his life with them while he was gone! If she went and goofed off, he swears, he's moving the sanctuary elsewhere!

Squeeeeeeak, squeaaaaaaaaaaaak, squeaaaaaaak.

{You took care of the cats while I was away, right?} A whiteboard asked.

"Of course I did, onii-chan," Rizo said, sighing. "Every single day." Her ears then moved on the top of her head. "Some are coming now. I'll put out the treats."

Nya, nya, nya, nyaaa.

Cats weakly stroking in, the hyena locked eyes with his sister. She did take care of them, right? Why did they seem so sluggish today? He doesn't know. Littlest kitties holding papers in their mouths, another eyebrow was risen. What are they bringing to him, huh?

"Mika-chan, what are you holding?" Rizo asked the kitty.

Nya, nya, nya, nyaaa.

"You want me to read it?" A head tilt.

Paper soon rolled up, the chimera kept filling up the bowls. What did Mika-chan bring with her this time? This kitty sure was clever. Was she really a stray? Maybe she was secretly a demon hiding in kitten form. Nah, that's dumb, in his dreams. Gazing at her eyes for a moment, something wasn't right. Is it just him, or had Mika's eyes been purple and green?

"Onii-chan, look at this note Mika-chan brought us!" Rizo cried.

Squeaaak, squeaak, squeak.

{I'm sure it just says I want more treats or something. Do I really need to read it?} A whiteboard asked.

"Come on, onii-chan, if that were the case, I wouldn't even bother to ask you to read it!" Her tone was annoyed.

Sigh.

Looking at the note, the hyena shook his head. Watch out for monster, mommies, who wrote this, first of all? Why does the handwriting look oddly familiar? Whatever, time to brush the kitty's fur! They're looking a little dirty today. Purrs overtaking the streets, he let out a sigh. If only there were kittens to look after while he was in Germany.

{Present time: six fifteen in the evening.}

{Turn off your computer at midnight, or it'll explode! Turn off your computer at midnight, or it'll explode! Turn off your computer at midnight, or it'll explode.}


Beep, beep, beep, beep.

"Okaasan, onii-chan and I are getting sushi tonight, so don't cook for us, okay?" Rizo said into her phone. She then paused. "No, I don't have tinfoil on me, why? Do you want us to pick it up before we go home?" Another pause. "Okay, we'll go get it, I promise." Click. "Okaasan wants us to get some tinfoil before we go home. Can you write that down in your notepad for me?"

Scribble, scribble, scribble.

[Shopping list: Tinfoil.
Cat food.
Paper towels.]


"We don't need kitchen paper, onii-chan." She shook her head, then sighed. "Well, let's head to Gatten Sushi now."

Trmp, trmp, trmp.

{Present time: six thirty in the evening.}

{Wear tinfoil on your head, radiation will kill us all when our computers explode! Wear tinfoil, wear tinfoil, wear tinfoil!}


Sliiiiide.

Sushi restaurant with nothing but one full table waiting for him, the hyena's eyes wandered. It sure is quite here, isn't it? Human employee in the corner wearing tinfoil on his head, the chimera shook his head. What is going on with all the older adults in this city? Everyone needs to get their heads examined, pronto. Skipping towards the table, he swore a party of three rolled their eyes at him.

"Seriously? You invited your stepbrother here?" an annoyed voice asked.

"Brother," Rizo corrected.

"But, like, you're not even related by blood," another voice said.

"Does it matter? He's my onii-chan." A sigh.

"More like onee-chan." A laugh.

"Say one wrong thing, and I'll punch you." Rizo's fist was raised.

"Shut up, all of you!" a third voice cried. Slam.

Slamming their hands on the table with all their might had been a short masculine appearing scorpion person hiding in human form. Short light blue hair that had been slightly messy, they adorned a light blue school uniform with an angry triangle patch sewed on for some reason. Like sibling, like sibling, he supposed. What was their name again? Right, Peltro. He thinks, maybe.

Laughing in the corner had been a tall blonde snake chimera person with serpents attached to their backs for whatever reason. Hair pulled into a braid, his eyes matched his uniform almost exactly. Millio was annoying as usual. Why was Rizo friends with him anyway? Because he was one of the few chimeras that lived around these parts? Probably, if he had to guess. Oh, well.

Looking ready to squeeze his head had been a tall sheep woman with short green hair pulled into ringed pigtails at the top, and a small side braid on the right side drooping from her bangs. Brown looking jacket eating her up, the chimera groaned. She's wearing way too much makeup. Can she tone it down? What was her name again? Oh, right, Blyant, he completely forgot for a second there. Way too much eyeshadow. Also, that mascara so didn't go well with her green eyes. Whatever, he should probably keep all that to himself.

Trmp, trmp, trmp.

"We're here, nya!" Ulka cried. "Ooh, ooh, is it wish time yet?"

"I told you, not yet, I'll explain in a little while, alright? So, hold your horses!" Soie cried.

"She's not listening," Liath said, deadpan.

"Hey, babe! Wanna go swing by a photo booth later?" Kylling asked Blyant.

"I already told you, like, fifty times already, darling," Blyant said, shaking her head. "We can't go to a photo booth right now, remember? Haven't you heard the rumor? If you got a photo booth, your microwave will explode at midnight."

"You believe that stuff?!" Kylling cried. "Come on, babe! That's not true!"

"Can we just order sushi now, nyaa?" Ulka asked, tail swishing behind her. "Siorc's gonna pay for all of us, by the way!"

Sister locking eyes with him, sweat poured down his cheek. Why did Ulka have to go and announce that for? He's so going to get chewed out when he gets home later! Ugh, couldn't she have waited to say that for when the bill came? No? Of course not, sigh. What will he do with her? He really needs to tell this cat to lay off.

Huh?

Mika staring at him from the window, the chimera blinked. What's she doing here? Something's not right. Ah, no, forget it, maybe she just followed him here? Silly Mika. Maybe he should just adopt her. Nah, mother would never approve, she's a hamster person, or whatever. Everyone soon ordering their sushi, eyes soon wandered towards Rizo.

"Still can't you believe you invited your brother and his friends here!" Millio cried. "You know our schools are at each other's throats by now!"

"Does it matter? Peltro-san's sibling is here, and so is Blyant-san's girlfriend," Rizo said between bites of sushi. "I can invite onii-chan whenever I want."

"If the humans see us together, they'll start rumors that chimeras will be poisoned at midnight and drop dead!" Millio shouted, hands banged on the table. "And, why are you calling your stepbrother onii-chan, like, isn't he only two months older than you?"

"Shut up and eat your sushi," Liath said, deadpan.

"Seriously, you're okay with this, sib?" Peltro asked. "If I'd known Rizo invited you guys, I wouldn't have come!"

"Shut and eat your sushi." Deadpan.

"So, um, when do we submit our wishes, nyaa?" Ulka asked, meowing.

"Please be patient, Ulka," Soie said, sighing.

"But I wanna know nooow!" Ulka whined, kicking her feet.

Employee in the corner rocking back and forth as he covered himself in tinfoil, the hyena shook his head. What is he, trying to become a steel mummy or something? Oh, well, not his problem, he's not getting him out of this situation if he falls flat on his face gasping for air. Sigh, the older adults have been so useless lately.

Biting down on his sushi, the young adult locked eyes with the window once more. Huh? Strange, Mika's still there. Does she want to come into the shop? Nah, cats aren't allowed in here, he's sure. Well, uh, fully furry ones, excuse him. Ulka squirming around some more, he kept nibbling away. Maybe he should order seconds and thirds, haha.

{Present time: seven thirty at night.}

{Wear tinfoil to prevent getting blasted by radiation. Wear tinfoil to prevent getting blasted by radiation!}

Slam.


"Alright, everyone, do you have your cellphones out?" Soie asked. She then lowered her voice into a whisper. "You know what to do, right?"

"Ooh, I know this one, I know this one, nyaa!" Ulka cried.

Ssssh.

"Whisper, you moron," Liath whispered, deadpan.

"Oopsie! Hehe," Ulka whispered. "We call our own numbers and then type in our wishes?"

"Yes, is everyone ready?" Soie asked. "On the count of three, open your phones and start dialing."

"Yup, I'm ready," Blyant said, phone opened.

"Mhm," Peltro said, phone opened.

"Me, too," Millio said, phone opened.

"Yes," Liath said, deadpan, phone opened.

"Mine's out, too," Kylling said, phone opened.

"Yup, yup, nyaa!" Ulka cried, phone opened.

"Mine is out, too," Rizo said, phone opened.

{Give me a second, I'll get mine.} A whiteboard said, but everyone glared.

Phone out in front of him, the hyena let out a sigh. Would something like this really work? It was probably way too good to be true, right? Of course it was. Who calls their own number expecting it to answer, like, come on now? So dumb. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, XXX-XXX-XXXX. There, it's in here goes. Get ready for nothing. It's not like anyone would really answer, right? Tch, this is so ridiculous.

Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring.

Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring.


Huh?

Everyone's phones ringing at the same time, the student blinked. Wait, what? What's going on here? He has to be dreaming, right? Phone screen shaking up a storm, he closed his eyes. What's going on? Something's not right here. Little mask appearing on his screen, his speakers soon crackled like the world was about to end.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSss.

Someone on the other end: {I shall grant you one wish.}
Someone on the other end: {Type in your grandest desire.}


Everyone tapping away, the hyena blinked. What should he wish for? Why does he feel like there's a catch to all of this? He doesn't know, there might have been. Sigh, he'd better start typing out his. This is so going to take forever. Countdown soon appearing, he nearly fell onto his rump. Ten minutes left?! Come on, now, how was he supposed to finish this in time?

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

Frwd: Wish
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. 444 9444777744 8666 777786667 6633332444664 8666 88777733 6999 88866644422233 3336667773388833777

{Send.}

Wait, wait, wait.

Wait.

Darn.


He added an extra word there.

Hahahah

hahaha

hahaha.

Hahaha.

Shake, shake, shake, shake.

{Error, error, error, error, error, error, microwave explosion, imminent! Everyone, put on your tinfoil!}


"What's going on, nya?!?!" Ulka cried. "I can't hold on!"

"Is there a microwave here?!" Blyant cried. "Everyone, duck!"

Ducking, the quivers only got stronger? Kitty's eyes glowing through the window, the hyena's head spun. What's going on? Why does everything feel so fuzzy all of a sudden? Ugh, forget it, he can't keep his eyes open anymore. So long, mother, sorry, he couldn't get her tinfoil for her, please, forgive him for this later.

Blink.

Coming to who knows where, the hyena rubbed his eyes. Where is he? Blue butterfly flapping in front of him, he closed them once more. What is this place, is he dreaming? Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. Every other chimera here as well, a long winding corridor soon waited for him. Maybe he should press on further.

Spotting a strange brown haired man with a ponytail and a white mask, the young adult placed his hands on the side of his head. This man looks so familiar. Why does he feel like he's met him before? No, that can't be possible, of course not. Why would it be? But, why does he feel like he's forgotten something important? Never mind, he needs to find a way out of here somehow.

"Welcome, chimeras," the strange man said, bowing.

Masked man looking straight at him, the chimera gulped. Why can't he shake off this feeling they've met before? There's no way they have, right? Of course they haven't, that's silly. There's no possible way. Everyone else looking straight at him, he could feel it. The battle of words is coming, any second now.

"You again!" Blyant cried. "Who do you think you are?"

"I am a dweller in the rift between consciousness and unconsciousness of all souls," the weird man said.

"Yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah, something, something, bestow us the power of persona, blah, blah, blah, you are me, I am you, and you'll always watch us from within!" Millio cried. "I heard it all last time!"

"You all have pasts which you refuse to let go of," the masked man said.

Strange masked man saying the word persona the young adult blinked. Why does he feel like he's heard that before, too? Something is not making any sense at all whatsoever. What is a persona anyway? Some stage thing? Sorry, he's not into theater! World around him shaking, he closed his eyes. Goodnight, world.

Blink.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAah.

Zap, zap, zap, zap.

Zap, zap, zap, zap.

{Present time: nine fifteen at night.}

{Microwave attack, microwave attack, microwave attack, mmmmmmmmmm microwave attack!}


Finding himself in the center of the city, the young adult fell onto his rump. Why is there a huge microwave that looks like a dinosaur trying to turn Sumaru City into dust?! What's going on here?! People piling up everywhere, his knees buckled. What's going on here? How long was he asleep for for something like this to happen? Screams continuing on, his eyes pulsated.

Wait a second.

Just a moment.

Wasn't this one of the rumors floating around the city?

Oh.

Oh, no. Oh, no.

Microwaves jumping around, the hyena's head pounded. What is this intense feeling of doom? He needs to find tinfoil, hurry! Everyone else screaming at the top of their lungs one after another, strange monsters soon joined the battlefield. What's going on here, huh? Critter coming towards him, he let out a scream as well.

"Onii-chan, hurry! It's going to attack you!" Rizo cried.

Huff, puff.

Huff, puff.


Head continuing to pound, the monster grew ever so closer. He needs to hurry and do something, come on! Creature looking ready to do Rizo in, his heart raced. Come on, cranium, calm down in there, please? Pretty, please. Huff, puff, why is the world spinning? Can someone turn it off? Huff, puff, huff, puff, huff, puff.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah, he can't take it anymore!

I am thou, thou art I.


Persona.

Something glowing, the young adult kept his hands on the side of his temple. Someone, stop the noise. But, he swore as the racked died down, he saw a familiar set of eyes lock onto him. Or, did he? He didn't know, maybe he was still dreaming. Little meow catching his attention, he studied the new creature looking at him.

Little tan cat person with light purple hair pulled into a ponytail and purple and green eyes, the young adult backed away for a moment. Wait a second, those pupils, he's seen them today. Dark green leotard over them as well and violet pants exposing their feet, their two tails spun rapidly. Blinking, the young adult's heart leapt out of his chest as reality washed in.

Wait a second.

Mika?!

Mika?!


No way.

"Mommy, let's fight together!" the cat person cried.

Backing away again, nothing was adding up. Wait, hold on a second, is this really Mika?! He has to have made a mistake, right? What was that rumor he heard about cats right before he left for Germany? Oh, right, uh, some kittens are actually nekomata in disguise. Maybe that was true, after all.

Pointing at the kitty, the hyena waved his hands in the air. They really were, Mika, right?! They were, right? Maybe, perhaps, who knows. Microwave monster looking ready to knock everyone to the ground, he closed his eyes. Please, if they're really Mika, punch that microwave into next week? Haha, as if they were, though.

"Okay, mommy!" the nekomata cried.

Punch, punch, punch, punch.

Crack.


Kitty punches looking ready to do the microwave in, everyone else looked about ready to fall on their knees. Come on, guys, put a tiny bit more oomph into it. Rizo's cat persona doing a little cheer, the young adult rose his fist into the air. Come on, microwave, it's time to be done in. Three, two, one, get wrecked!

"I feel a little more energetic now!" Millio cried. "Come on, Wilder, throw your best weapon at this thing!"

"You feel energetic?!" Blyant cried.

"I'm tired, I can't do this anymore, nya!" Ulka groaned.

"I should have prepared myself," Soie groaned. "Maybe I shouldn't have believed that rumor after all, ugh." She then pointed. "Come on, pixie, let's end this already."

"We can't give up now, Soie!" Kylling cried. "So what if that rumor became reality! We gotta do our part now!"

"You're too loud," Liath said, deadpan.

"Ditto," Peltro said, shaking their head.

"Everyone, let's just focus on the battle, we're almost done!" Rizo cried. "Chii-chan, give the monster a good long kick."

"As you wish, mama!" a cat cried.

Boom, booom, boom.

Rizo crying out Chii-chan, the chimera placed his hand behind his ear. Wait, come again, did she just say what he thought she said? Then, maybe this nekomata here really was Mika, maybe anyway. Closing his eyes for a moment, he took a deep breath. Mika, if that's really them, give the microwave monster one last punch.

"Okay, mommy!" the nekomata cried.

Boom.

Monster becoming nothing but dust, the young adult made a run for it. There's no more, right? Hopefully not. Sighing, he plopped himself onto a bench at the park. It's too late to go home now, he guessed. Mother would chew his head off if he walked through the door now. Everyone else except Rizo leaving, the young adult scrunched up into a ball. But as he was ready to doze off, he swore he could see a joker mask greet him as the dream world took him a way.

[One of you nine has chimeras sinned.]

[Which one of you was it? Which one of you could it be?]


Huh?

What was that?

Forget it, goodnight.



To people who had a phone with physical buttons back in the early 2000s, this one is for you. Like I said, I kept the core aspects the same, but instead, ramped it up with y2k and imminent apocalypse instead of doing a 1-1, but with my ocs. And, I'll probably continue to do this through this anniversary Persona oc book collection for the 30th anniversary.

Anyway.

Persona 2 Siorc.png
Here's Persona 2 Siorc and I guess, Mika the Nekomata. That plot point about the cat sanctuary was not a thing at first, I did it last second. And, it just fell in place from there. A lot of this was last second, in fact, the small summary I left myself was pretty standard, and had to be expanded.

Also, this is a tiny bit longer than intended, (8,600 words). I'm trying to keep these <10,000 this time. Let's hope I keep that promise.

Next week is part 2 of the Persona 2 portion of this.
 
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