Once Upon An Us ~ Shukita [Persona 5]

Chapter 1: The Dream about the Purple Forest

I'm sorry if this chapter is kinda short, but I hope you enjoy! I also apologize for the typos I made 😔✌️
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   "Hey, kid! Hurry up in there and give me a hand, would ya?"

A tall man, probably in his early 40's, with a receding hairline and a beard to match his raven slicked back hair called out from the inside of the kitchen. The tavern was buzzing with a lot of townspeople, mostly men, drinking and having a good time as they enjoy each other's company.

   "Yes, sir." A young teenager with messy jet black hair responded, his voice sounding a bit rough due to exhaustion from working his ass off. He lifted up a questionable amount of dirty dishes and placed it on the sink to clean and wash it. This young male is Ren Amamiya, a simple average looking person with a dreary life. His parents disowned him right after he was accused of a crime he didn't even commit, and left him at the doorstep of the LeBlanc tavern, where the owner who goes by the name of Sojiro Sakura, took him in and treated him as his own.

Ren doesn't have that many friends growing up, but he had always been helpful and kind to the others, despite his tarnished reputation due to assaulting the king. Of course, no one knew what really happened, and they refused to believe it. But that was all in the past, and it has almost been a year since then. Surely people have forgotten about it by now, right..?

   "Ey, kid! Come over 'ere for a sec." A loud and gruffy voice snapped him back to reality. Ren looked over to see who it was, only to find out it was one of the regulars that visits this tavern on a daily basis.

   "Is there something I can help you with?"

   "Don't be shy! Tell me 'bout how ya managed to attack the king!"

Guess he was wrong. He was still labeled as a criminal, and as a dangerous person who "could rsnap at any moment", as they say. Ren hesitated to answer, and decided to ignore it and turn away. Thankfully, Sojiro came to his rescue and took care of the customer, explaining to them about the unspoken rule to never mention anything like that.

How much longer will his life be like this?

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The frizzy haired boy collapsed on the worn out bed in the attic where his room is, letting out an exhausted sigh after a long day of working hard. His eyelids felt heavy, and so he decided to fully succumb into a deep slumber.

Clink. Clank.

The moment he opened his eyes to the sound of chains clashing against each other, he realized he was in a different room. Well, it was more like a prison cell. Ren slowly sat up straight to get a better idea of where he could be. He's dreaming. There's no way he's in prison again.

   "Come."

An unfamiliar voice suddenly called out to him from the darkness outside the cell. Ren followed the voice, grabbing onto the long metal bars thick enough to stop him from going through. A wave of light suddenly shone upon the whole room, blinding him a little and covering his eyes with his arms. The next thing he knew, he was in a different place outside of the cell.

   //What the hell? Where am I?// The raven haired male asked himself, scanning the area. Towering green trees narrowed the rocky path in front of him, almost letting in no sunlight at all. A purple mist enshrouded the whole forest, sending chills down his spine. Ren wrapped his arms around him, hugging himself to feel at least a bit of warmth as he walked through the narrowed path. That was when he saw it. Amongst the purple fog, a pair of glowing yellow eyes, and a shadowed figure that looks like a human, except for the fact that it has ears and a giant long tail of a fox. Is that what he think it is? They're so mysterious, yet so dangerous. No one knows what may happen if you ever encounter one of those creatures.

Ren must've did something stupid aside from standing there, because the figure saw him and immediately took off in another direction. "Wait-!" He called out to it, but he could suddenly feel himself slipping and..falling? Wait- he's actually falling? Where did this neverending pit of darkness even came from?

   "You must go...the treasure awaits you..."

Was the last thing he heard the voice say, before closing his eyes and falling back into a deep slumber. Many questions rummaged through his mind. Treasure? A purple forest? A mythical creature? What could it all possibly mean? Well..only Ren will be able to find out by himself.

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He tried not to think about the odd dream he had last night, and focused on his work instead. He was filling in for the postman as the current one was feeling ill and has to stay in bed today, so he decided to take over his job for him. Ren strolled around the village, delivering different kinds of letters and notes to each and every household. He shortly reached a small bakery that has grown quite popular these days, making his way through the heavy crowd that seems to be buzzing. There seems to be an altercation happening.

   "I'm telling you! This fur came from the fox itself! I attacked it while it stole my corps last night! I say we go over to the purple forest and kill it!" One of the brawny looking men declared as he argued with the other, slamming his fist on the table. Cheers and yells echoed throughout the bakery as they all raised their fists up in the air. However, Ren was thinking of something else. The man mentioned the purple forest, and the fox that has been the talk of the town nowadays. Many people have claimed that they have seen it in the middle of the night during the darkest hour. He pondered, rubbing his chin after he gave the owner of the bakery her mail. //Just what is going on..?// He thought to himself, but unfortunately, it was only answered with another question he couldn't answer. No matter how hard he tries to think about it, nothing. All it gave him was a slight headache.

"Excuse me, young man. Do you have a minute?"

A silvery tone of voice of a young woman queried that made Ren snap back out of his thoughts and into reality, realizing he still have a lot of mail to deliver. But he always have the one to assist someone whenever he could.

"Yes-? What is it that you need?" The raven haired male asked, turning to the woman. The woman has light blonde hair and enchanting dark magenta eyes. It was none other than the infamous fortune teller of the village, Chihaya Mifune. It has been said that her tellings has always been straight on the mark, and you can't escape from it.

   "Would you allow me to tell you your fortune? No pay needed." She gave him a gentle and heartwarming smile. Ren thought about the offer for a moment, before finally nodding and replying with a "yes".

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I'll get the second chapter done as soon as I can. Stay tuned for more! Thanks for reading!