Shadows: Beneath The Mask | Persona 5 Royal - Book 1

Prologue | The Fool's Fate

...The contract has been sealed. The world is not as it should be. It's filled with distortion, and "ruin" can no longer be avoided. Those who oppose fate and desire change... From time to time, they were referred to as Tricksters. You are the Trickster... Now is the time to rise against the abyss of distortion.

??? - ???

~???~

The room falls into a suffocating silence, broken only by Tatsuya's trembling breaths and the occasional drop of water from his unkempt hair. His head droops in his shaking hand, every nerve and muscle in his body throbbing with agony. The searing pain devours him, eroding away at his very being with each passing moment. Memories slip through his grasp as darkness creeps into his vision. Each breath is a struggle, each gasp for air more feeble than the last. Panic claws at his throat, fear and determination warring within him for control of his heart. He knows there is still more he can do, but what if this is truly the end? He refuses to give up, even as the weight of the situation threatens to crush him. How can one person possibly handle all of this? He's back in reality again, another face in the crowd just like he always has been. But as Tatsuya's thoughts swirl in the chaos of his mind, a voice cuts through the haze like a flame burning amidst the darkness of the shadows.

"...Kitsuji?" The voice is husky and feminine, but tinged with sadness. He lifts his gaze to meet the eyes of Sae, who stands before him with a mix of concern and resolute determination.

"Surprise." Tatsuya lets out a playful, teasing laugh, trying to hide the pain that courses through his body. His usual smirk graces his lips, but this time it's tinged with a hint of blood dripping slowly down his canines. He coughs softly, struggling to maintain his façade while waves of agony wash over him.

"I never thought it would be you," Sae whispers, her expression mirroring Tatsuya's own grief and disbelief. Her long, silky hair sways gently as she gracefully crosses the room and takes a seat opposite him. She lifts her chin slightly and folds her hands in her lap, radiating an air of calm confidence. Her head droops, and her gaze shifts from one corner of the dark room to another until it finally falls upon a single syringe, abandoned and out of place on the cold, hard tiles. "Those bastards..." she hisses, her jaw clenching as her brow furrows with seething rage. Tatsuya's eyes flicker with a mixture of surprise and admiration as Sae's usually composed demeanor cracks at the edges, revealing the depths of her emotions. Despite the pain still clawing at him from within, he can't help but be captivated by the raw honesty in her expression.

"Gotta love some good hospitality," he quips, his tone attempting to lighten the heavy atmosphere that envelops them both. Sae's lips twitch into the smallest hint of a smile at his words, a fleeting moment of shared humor passing between the two amidst the turmoil surrounding them. She reaches out a hand tentatively toward Tatsuya, her fingers hesitating just before making contact with his trembling hand.

"It seems you've been through a lot. Almost anything can happen here... and I can't stop them," she sighs softly, her voice laced with a mix of curiosity and concern for the boy sitting before her, battered and barely holding on. "I don't have much time, so I need you to answer honestly. Can you do that for me?"

"Sure, why not? I'm feeling lucky today." Tatsuya's words are laced with sarcasm, but there's an underlying seriousness in his tone that catches Sae's attention. She leans in closer, her eyes searching his for any sign of deception, but all she finds is a spark of defiance burning within him.

"Good," she nods, seemingly satisfied with his response. "What was the objective that led you to cause such a major incident?" She draws in a deep breath, her hands moving to rub her temples in a gesture of processing the overwhelming information presented to her just moments before. "I didn't think it was a prank from the get-go, but I couldn't assemble a case for a prosecution. It's because I couldn't figure out the method behind it."

"Of course you couldn't..." he mocks, tilting his head slightly as he leans back against his chair, his smirk never leaving his face.

"True," Sae responds, relaxing at Tatsuya's coherence, despite what he has been put through in this room. "There's no way I could be convinced of such a... 'world' just by reading the reports." She clears her throat, straightening her back as it fits to the subtle curve of the steel chair. "When and where did you find out about that world? Tell me your account of everything. Start from the very beginning..."