The sound of an Aria is heard singing in the background. As I wake up, I see walls that are painted a Velvet colour. Curtains at my side, and I am lying down on what seems like a hospital bed. As I sit up, I then looked around. Its the Velvet Room, if I'm not mistaken. I saw a desk in front of me, there were a long pointy figure and a woman in blue next to him.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." The long pointy nose figure said.

"... Igor?" I wiped my eyes. I wasn't dreaming that's for sure.

"It's so nice to see you again my guest. It seems like you have awakened to your 'power'. It seems Pasithea heeded for your call." He chuckled a little bit. I was a bit confused. Annabelle only stared at me.

"It's a first for the persona heeded for your call is a woman and the user is a man... Moving on." He said, clasping his hands together.

"The 'power' that you have awakened is called Persona. A persona is the manifestation of your psyche." He told me. Psyche... The manifestation of my psyche... It sounds weird but after what happened, I just have to believe him.

"It may take some time to comprehend. A persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli. It can be considered as a mask that you use in your daily life to protect you from hardships and so on. Though your 'power' is still weak." Igor told me.

"Weak...?"

"To use your persona's ability, you must channel your inner strength. Your ability evolves as you develop Social Links... Social Links is the emotional ties you have with others... By deepening the bonds you have with others, the more powerful your abilities will evolve. Please remember that." Igor said. Annabelle took down notes, I don't what it was.

"I... See..." Bonds, huh? Its something I've been avoiding actually... Now I have to do something like that. I sighed.

"It may be hard but it's worth taking the chance... It may also help you change your future." He advised as he laid back on his chair.

"... Thanks. Right, I didn't introduce myself yet did I?" I said.

"No, you haven't my guest," Annabelle said.

"Well then, my name is Ryu Himuro, it's a pleasure to meet you." I smiled.

"Likewise," Annabelle said.

"Now then, time marches on in your world. I shouldn't keep you here much longer. Next time we meet, you shall come here by your own accord. Until next time my guest." Igor bowed as my vision is fading into a pitch black.

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The alarm chimes loudly in my ear, the sunlight bounces my skin and sloth... I want to stay in bed...

"Well let's get up and what time is- IT!?" As I look at the time, it was 8:30.

I'm going to be late for school I thought.

"Man, fatigue from yesterday can give you one hell of a nap," I said while rushing down taking a bath. After that, I wore my uniform with my blazer.

"Oops, almost forgot my jacket," I said as took it my dark green jacket with me. I had a melon bread in my hand that I was having a hard time to open.

"Well, this situation is not a daily occurrence, is it?" I said as I run towards the school with the bread still with the plastic wrapping around it, in my mouth. As I get to school, which I was already late, the disciplinary teacher had scolded me and I went to class, a furious Miss Toyama appeared with half of the class and Kaidou worried about me. I got my scolding again, this time from Miss Toyama and went back to the seat.

"Well aren't you late?" The first person to speak to me today was Rei.

"Well, I'm tired as hell yesterday," I said, stretching.

"Huh, Kaidou was tired too," Rei told me as she pointed at the sleeping Kaidou.

"He made it to school though... Bastard." I cursed quietly.

" What happened yesterday?" Rei asked me as she turns around with a worried expression. I then remembered what had happened yesterday, or today that is. It rushed in my mind almost making me puke again.

"N-Nothing! We were fine." I said I didn't know I made her worried more about us.

"Really, you don't look fine to me. You look pale..." She said as she inched closer inspecting my face. Sweat was dripping down from my face to my chin. Cold sweat. I don't know what to do.

"Hmm... We...Hngg... We... Went for a... Ahh... Drink... And... Drunk... Hehe." Kaidou said as he mumbled in his sleep. Rei backed a bit.

"You guys went for drinks?" She asked. I nodded at the statement which Kaidou said.

"Well fine." Rei turned around and sat through class. Haaaa... That was bad. Well, thank good Kaidou helped me out, in a bad way. Whatever, it's best for her to think that way.

".. But Kaidou is a light drinker." I heard someone said. I looked to see it was a female, a girl with hair covering one of her eyes. Her name was... I couldn't remember it nor see it. Man yesterday screwed me up.

"Well that is all for today, well talk more next class." Miss Toyama said.

"The next class was Chemistry, right? We have to go to the science lab." Someone said.

"Man it's boring!" A loudmouth said.

"Well, whatever. Did you hear this? Three people went missing yesterday." A gyaru was saying.

"Oh yeah, they were saying that on the news. I don't remember why though?" The loudmouth said.

"I heard its because of this specific drug. It makes you hallucinate and directs you somewhere. There are also rumours you would hear a voice and a lady in white will appear in front of you. If you're lucky, you get out alive and not..." One of the students explained.

"That's scary!" The gyaru shouted.

"Yeah, man what the hell. It most probably because of those Yakuzas, why can't the government do something about that!" The loudmouth said out loud.

"Yakuzas?" I asked.

"Yeah, Yakuzas. You're new so yeah, you wouldn't know. Yakuzas here are common but just recently they have been more active than usual." Rei said as Kaidou woke up, listening to the explanation.

"How is that?" Kaidou asked.

"The number of missing people increases by the day and people figured it was the Yakuzas doing." She continued.

"Right, but what about this drug? How do they get a hold of it?" Kaidou asked.

"I don't know, you think I'm a Yakuza?" Rei was a bit irritated.

"Sorry. We're asking the wrong question. If the government knows about this then why-" As we were walking towards the Chemistry lab, a brown short-haired girl approached me. She had this noble aura around her and she wore a grey cardigan over her school attire with the blazer over it. She was the same height as me.

"Its because they are powerless." The brown-haired girl said, standing there all proudly. Three of us stopped right there, confused.

"The government can't do anything towards them because they are protected." She said with her arms crossed and her gaze towards me.

"Basically corruption." Another person comes in. He was unkempt, his clothes were untucked and tie was loose. He has long black hair and glasses on.

"Sorry but I'm Suzuki Goh and she's Touka Kanazaki. Sorry for being so rude." He said.

"I'm not being rude, I was just stating out the facts." She said as she goes the other way.

"We'll meet again, roturier." She says as she walks away. He also follows her.

"Weird..." I say. I looked at Rei, who had a distressed face.

"Did you two do anything yesterday?" She asked, worried as hell.

"Nothing. Really." Kaidou said.

"Yeah, why?" I asked.

".... Well fine. Its nothing, maybe I'm just worrying myself." Rei said as she walks faster than us to the lab.

"... What was that?" I said, I was confused.

"It's going to get a bit more complicated." A voice said from the window. As I fixed my vision and see the person that said it, it was a snake. A small slithering white snake.

"Huh- Woah!" Kaidou jumped. I just looked at the snake.

"Calm down, it's me." The snake spoke again.

"Huh?" Kaidou was confused.

"... Are you the one that saves us?" I asked the snake, which may seem crazy.

"Yes, I'm Enki. Nice to meet you!"