Okay, this is getting crazy…

Not even gonna bother with the summary. Here's the rundown: This is essentially the game retold with some MAJOR changes, including more palaces/bosses, more stuff to enjoy, etc. here are some highlights so far.

The Phantom thieves will have a slightly bigger team, with Mishima, Shiho and surprisingly Sojiro, the other confidants and a few more people being apart of it. (I only have Mishima's thing planned out though so go nuts on speculation, more on that later.)

Because the second I post this, everyone will be up in each other's throats with that "best waifu" and "shipping hell" crap, I'm going to list the pairings here. AkiraXharem (duh), RyujiXHifumi (I read a fanfic that made me like this ship), Minor FutabaXYusuke, and other stuff.

Things will take some dark turns, but try to stay along the story. I'm getting pretty annoyed at how most of the good fics kinda end up on hiatus after 20 or so chapters on kamoshida's arc, so I'm keeping things somewhat fast.

There will be elements from the following: Rise of the TMNT, the Gamer AU, God of War, and a few extra stuff i'm too lazy to add at the moment.

There will be extra content as well… not spoiling on that though… only that everything will take place in a whole year's timeline instead of six months because of OBVIOUS reasons.

I'm going to put this up on Wattpad, mainly because I can place pictures on there to help out with the story (as well as put my art up on the stories). And maybe post this on as well.

Enough of this… the story begins now.

This is a work of fiction

All of the characters, ideologies, and phenomenons are doubtlessly unrelated to those in real life...

Only those who agree with the statement above will be given the right to participate in the game…

….

...I see…

The world these days is unable to maintain its ideal form anymore. It is full of distortions and it will certainly collide…

People who are eager to reform the world and resist their fates…are sometimes called "tricksters"...

Thou, trickster…now it's time for you to step forward and face the abyss of the distortions...

~Hey… Hey bud. Wake up!~

Slowly rising, the person in question opened his eyes slightly. The first thing he sees is a boy, not older than him, floating… yes floating beside him, with a look of concern on his face. The boy consisted of a Dark violet jacket and black shorts with matching loafers, with the more prominent features being the double irises in his eyes, the silver hair, and the long thin tail waving around his back. For some reason the boy couldn't find why… he felt something calming despite the situation he was in... like he knew he could trust the floating boy.

~You okay man? They fucked you up pretty badly?~ the boy asked. ~Akira… you've gotta stay with me here. I'll help you get through this.~

Akira, that boy mentioned, slowly nodded, ignoring the sting of pain dancing along his battered and bruised body.

~Now, you might not remember this… or anything for that matter… but they drugged you. So you'll probably have a hard time recalling anything. Thankfully, I'm not drugged, so I'll help you through.~

Nodding again, the boy looked at the door, which started to open.

~oh, and one more thing… only you can hear and see me right now, so don't bring attention to me. That'll make things harder to get you out.~

A final nod was his answer as a silver haired woman entered the room with what seems to be a binder.

"So… it was you, Akira Amamiya-Kurusu." the woman started, "To think that you were the leaders of the phantom thieves… no matter."

"..."

"I'm only here because you've helped both me and my sister in the past… and I… may have taken things too far before. I know this is hard for you… but…"

~this bitch again… stay wary of this lady, Kira. she's part of the reason you're here...~

"...nevermind. Do you remember who I am?" a shake of his head made her sigh in slight frustration. "What the hell did they do to you... I am Sae Nijima, your prosecutor."

A slow nod ushered her to continue. "Now look, I care for you, okay?"

~could've fooled me…~

"And I can help you out. As long as you tell me everything, completely honest with no lies or tricks this time, then I'll do what I can to lighten your sentence."

~Heh, that's more of an Ultimatum than a proposal.~

"Look, I have 3 hours to get the answers I need, so we'll have to keep things quick. Start from when this all began… What exactly happened?

"...You wouldn't understand." he finally answered.

"Then make me understand. I want to help you."

~bullshit.~

"And to do that, I need your cooperation."

A few seconds of silence echoed through the room, until Akira finally sighed as he nodded.

~Alright Kira, let's start the plan. It started on January~

"...It all started on…"

You're a slave

a "destined slave" whose future is already sealed

this is an extremely unreasonable game…and you have almost no chance to win…

however, if you can hear my voice, then there's still some hope left…

…please. Win this game…and save the world.

The key to reversing your fate is the bonds from your memory…

the revived truth you grasped with your friends…

everything began half a year ago…the day when this game started…

please, recall your memories…for the future of the world…and for yourself

10 months ago…

January 9th

*Thank you for using this line today. We will soon arrive at Shibuya, Shibuya. This is the last stop. Please transfer at this station if you would like to use the subway lines*

The moving train in which Akira Amamiya-Kurusu boarded in slowed to a halt as the passengers inside flowed out of the machine's the constant stuttering whispers from the pedestrians around him, He fished out his phone, looking at the time on the device.

~Hey, Kira, where are we again?~ a voice in his head asked. ~we were supposed to head to this "LeBlanc" place right?~

"Yeah. I know, we're close by it Arata." the boy answered not even looking at the pale floating boy to his side. Perhaps I should explain… well, long story short, 5 years ago, a 12 year old Akira found a black heart shaped gem in his hometown, and broke it accidentally. This lead to the revelation that the gem was in fact a seal for a slumbering god-like spirit, and upon breaking it, the god thanked the male by forming what was called a Soul Pact, a contract far stronger than the strongest of blood oaths. Afterwards, the god like being, Arata, served as Akira's shadow, partner, and guardian whilst providing the male powers beyond mortal comprehension since.

~alrighty then, lets-~

"Hey, what's this app?"

~huh?~ the newly christened Arata mumbled, looking at the phone in the male's hand. A weird and unsettling looking app in the image of an eye took up most of the screen. ~i don't like the looks of this… but it feels oddly familiar.~

"Familiar? Why does a creepy looking app give off a familiar feeling ..to… um.."

~what?~ Akira looks around the area and was starting to get worried as everything seemed to slow to a stop around him.

"What's going on?"

~how should I know?~

"You're the expert on this kind… of…" he trailed off, looking in front of him, which prompted Arata to do the same. Right in front of the two, was an exact replica of Akira, gazing with a sinister grin on his face as he suddenly bursts into azure flames.

Blinking a few times, Akira looked around to find that everything was in motion again and nothing seemed to catch on fire around him. "...weird. I may be more tired than I-"

~HOLY CRAP!~

"Huh!?" slightly jumping at the floating partner's yelp, he turned to him slightly. A panicked look etched on his face.

~your stats! Where'd they go!?~

"My stats? What happened to them?" he whispered.

~looks like someone resetted them all!~

"What!?" He shouts, gaining some unwanted attention in the process. "... let's get to Leblanc's first, this is starting to get tiring…and embarrassing."

~yeah. You'd need some rest if I get trapped in your hallucination of all things.~

"Let me see my stats."

~sure thing.~ a soft ping like noise rung in his ears as a black and red screen appeared in front of them.

Akira R. Amamiya-Kurusu

Lv. 1

Hp: 210

Sp:200

Guts (Rnk 2): 5/10

Kind (Rnk 3): 2/10

Prof (Rnk 1): 0/10

Chrm (Rnk 3): 3/10

Intl (Rnk 2): 7/10

"...FUCK!" he shouts as he sprints to the given directions he was told to go.

After an eventful two days of meeting his ward, a barista named Sojiro Sakura, cleaning up the pig sty he was given as a room, getting signed up into a highschool called Shujin Academy, and finally, finally freaking out with Arata over the stat reset, both Akira and Arata called it a night and softly slept in his makeshift bed (well, Arata floated above him, but whatever)

Opening his eyes, Akira immediately freaks out at the rather familiar looking place he found himself in.

~Kira, calm down, you're not in juvie!~ Arata shouts, taking the male's attention from his initial freakout.

"W-what?" he whimpered weakly.

~this just looks like a prison.~

"Then why are my clothes like this!" he asks, gesturing to the prison garb he wore. "And why aren't you wearing this!?"

~because I'm awesome. Now calm down. We're not alone…~

Looking at the only open area in front of his… cell… stood a desk in the dead center of the room, an odd looking demon like man sitting in front of it with his unsettling cheshire grin.

"Welcome, trickster and friend, to the velvet room." the goblin man greets in a deep voice.

~holy shit, that's his voice!?~

"Shh!"

"I am Igor, resident of this place. And these two are my assistants." with a snap of his fingers, two more people entered the teen's view. The two appeared to be twin girls, no older than 10, wearing a warden themed ensemble with eye patches covering one side of their eye each. The only difference they could see were the hairstyles of the two, the one on the right had twin buns, while the other had hers in a braid. "To your right is Caroline, to your left, Justine."

"You'd have better got it memorized, Inmates!" the girl on the right, Caroline, hissed.

"Our job is to aid you on your quest." the girl on the left, Justine, continued in a monotone voice.

~Aww… you two are just so cute! I just wanna pinch your heads off!~ Arata cooed, proceeding to lightly pinch the two before Caroline smack him over the head with a baton she pulled out of nowhere. ~AGH!~

"Take us seriously!"

~well someone's not getting a cookie…~

" time is short, so I shall be brief. With your current progression, you are surely headed towards ruin."

"Ruin? What do you mean?"

"Your path will lead to disaster by the end, as well as the world. However, you possess the potential of changing such a fate. The only way out of this ruin is through a process called rehabilitation."

"What?"

~rehab? Oh god, it is juvie all over again…~

"To avoid such a fate, you must sign this contract." at the snap of his fingers, Justine handed the males a single board with a paper attached to it, alongside a pen to sign with. "That contract states that you must take full responsibility for your actions whilst your rehabilitation is in progress. Breaking this rule will end your rehabilitation and you must redo the procedure entirely, something you cannot afford to do with such a limited time... All I need for you to do is to sign to confirm your resolve."

~you're not gonna take our souls, are you birdman?~

"How dare you!" Caroline barked, smacking the cage in which both teens were in.

Chuckling at the events unfolding, Igor shook his head. "Nothing of the sort, you could say the exact opposite, but who really knows?"

Looking over the contract, Akira signed his name on the parchment, handing over the pen to Arata.

~oh, fine. I'll sign it off as Fuckboy Jones!~ he cheered, getting a smack in the face from Akira and gaping faces from the two lolis.
"You are not doing that!"

~alright, alright! Hmm… I got it! Horny McFucknugget!~

"Are you serious right now!?"

~Ha, I was just pissing you off. Alright then Aratakaja Beldirever… there.~

Another snap of his fingers teleported the contract to Igor himself, his unsettling smile never fading in the least. "The night is waning, so I shall let you rest Trickster. We will meet again soon." Igor stated, before the world went black once more.

Now in a black void, the only two people left were Arata and Akira, the former seemed to be deep in thought.

"Arata? What's wrong?" Akira asked.

~oh nothing just...something's… off.~

"Off?"

~I've been to that place before, and I know Igor, but...something's definitely wrong…~

"...like?"

~for one, unless the Birdman's balls finally dropped, I don't remember him having a voice that deep. And those two lolis we've met earlier… they feel… the best term for this would be incomplete…~

"Hmm… well, you said that you were in the velvet room before right? Do you know what that means? if I'm in there as well i mean..."

~the only time I've heard of others besides Igor and his attendants were….. Oh my god.~

"What?"

~this is… wow.~

"What? What is it?"

~... okay look, there's this thing called a Wild Card. all I know is that it's very rare… however you're the first person I've interacted with with this power.~

"Why? How do you know if you never witnessed it before?"

~Igor had other attendants before Loli one and two back then, I mainly heard about it from them… now that you mention it… Where were Marg, Liz and Theo?~

"Who?"

~the other attendants… we've only seen the three so far…~

"Well, let's not worry about that for now."

~right.~

Monday, January 11

Rainy

Shujin Academy

morning

Walking in the morning sprinkle, Akira strolled down the streets of the bustling city, Arata lazily floating behind him. After a brief discussion over a curry breakfast from Sojiro, another brief talk with this Blonde chick, and some creep taking her to school in his car, the two sighed at the morning they're having, not noticing the blonde male behind them.

"Hey newbie!" the male shouts, startling both males at the close proximity of the voice. Turning around, they became face to face with a male not much older than them with blonde, spiky hair and what appears to be the exact same uniform Akira was wearing. "Aw man, I was too late Dammit!"

"Oh hello…"
"Screw that pervy teacher…"

~pervy? So when he asked you for a ride, was he coming-~ Arata stopped when he heard a soft ping from somewhere.

"So what about you, huh? Come to rat me out to that Shitlord?"

"I literally just got here. I don't even know you, let alone rat you out for… something?"

"... foreal? You serious?"

"Uh… yeah?"

"You don't know that guy? Suguru Kamoshida?"

"Was he the creepy guy in the car?"

"... oh god, you really don't know… wait… right, the transfer!" the blonde boy cheered up. "You're heading to Shujin academy right? I know a shortcut from here." another ping from somewhere, but Arata kept looking around for it.

~what the…~

"The Name's Ryuji by the way. Ryuji Sakamoto." the newly named Ryuji greeted.

"Akira Amamiya-Kurusu. I go by either Kira , Kirren or Ren."

"Alright. Nice to meet ya Kira. come on, I'll show you the way." Ryuji stated, walking ahead with the partners in tow. As time went on, Ryuji informed both of them about the ongoing rumors going on in the school, which lead to Ryuji ranting on about Kamoshida again.

"That Bastard really pisses me the eff off."

~eff? You're cursing like a sailor and you say eff?~

"Just who the hell does he think he is, some king of a castle or something? That'd be a really shitty castle if that's the case."

A third ping sounded off, but this time a voice followed suit, leading Arata to Akira's phone as it softly vibrated.

*Destination found, beginning navigation*

A wave of dizziness flowed to the two males, Arata not being affected, but they merely shrugged it off and continued forward.

"...uh…"

"What the hell?" Ryuji proclaimed.

~huh…~ Arata moaned.

After a few minutes of walking through alleyways, the three eventually made it to their destination. The problem however, was that instead of the school they were supposed to see, in its place stood a castle, a rather weird looking one at that.

~well ain't this just a kerfuckle?~ Arata complained.

"Hey, watch yo- Wh-what the hell!?" Ryuji said, jumping at the sight of Arata floating beside him.

~...what's Ryuji jumping around for now?~

"Who are you? Why are you floating and how do you know my name!?" Ryuji replied, his disbelief stacking on top of his panic.

~huh? Yo Kira, who's he talking to?~

"I'm talking about you!" he answers, pointing to Arata, who suddenly gets a look of surprise on his face.

~...you...can see me?~

"Hell yeah I can see you! Were you stalking us or something!?"

"Calm down Ryuji, he's a friend of mine." Akira answered this time, attempting to calm him down. "His name is Arata, he's… a special friend you see. Only I can interact with him…"

~until now that is… Hey Kira, look at your phone.~

"Huh, why?" he asked, fishing out his phone as instructed, looking like he got bitch slapped. Akira looked on at the red and Black eye flashing on the entirety of the screen.

~that app again?~

"Hey Kira… Arata… I think I got it too." Ryuji said, showing the same thing on his phone.

"What?"

"HALT!" a new voice bellowed, startling all three of them, turning around, they say a few knights with what looked like poorly made masks covering their faces instead of helmets.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Ryuji questioned. Looking back, Akira and Arata were back to back as the three were surrounded by six to eight of the knights

~...Aw shit.~

~what is it with people and locking us up in cages!?~ Arata groaned. The three were now in some sort of prison cell.

"Whoa man! Is this for real!?" Ryuji yelled out, full blown panic in his voice. "Let us out man!"

~Kira's stats are reset, I don't know about you, and I don't think I can last long if they send millions of them at me by myself…~

"Stats?"

"Silence peasants!" a new yet familiar voice yelled back, a new person appearing before them… which lead to Akira and Ryuji looking in horror and disgust while Arata screamed and attempted to claw his face at the sight. In front of them was the very same man who tried to get Akira into the car with him, the same man Ryuji hated, the very Kamoshida… wearing nothing but cape and a pink speedo.

~My eyes! I'M BLIND!~ Arata screamed hysterically

"Kamoshida!?"

"gross ."

"I don't have to take that from plebeian shits like you!"

~They're BLEEDING!~

"Just what the hell's going on!?"

"I'll tell you what's going on! You're going to be executed!"

"What!?"

"Huh!?"

~Oh Why does my eyes forsake me so!~

"Alright, shut this bitch up, then start with the blonde one." Kamoshida ordered, several knights opening the cage as they piled in.

~the fuck'd you call me- Bagaha!~ He shouts before getting dog-piled by a few Knights, a few knights held Ryuji by the throat as others restrained Akira.

"Now be sure to kill him slowly." Kamoshida chuckled. "I love to watch them writhe in agony before they die!"

"No!" Akira shouts, but was held back again.

~Get the fuck off me!~ Arata roared before several more joined the pile. Akira watched in horror as one of the knights raised one of their swords near Ryuji's throat. All of a sudden, everything seemed to slow down to a halt again, this time it dimmed into a darker realm. A rather soothing voice echoed through his mind.

This is truly and unjust game…

Your chances of winning are almost none…

But, if you can hear my voice…

There may yet be a possibility for you…

A rather elegant looking butterfly fluttered around him in a mystical trance, landing upon his face. Then a darker, deeper voice echoed in his mind.

~indeed, this is an unjust game, isn't it? No matter how hard you try, you're always forced to submit. Thine heart burns with a righteous fury, but under the influence of the world snuffed to embers. Tell me, are thou going to let this stand? Are thou going to give up?~

"No… Hell NO!" Akira shouts, repeating this over and over with more emotion in each verse.

~That's All I needed to hear!~ the voice cackled. ~an admirable resolve indeed. Well then, Vow to me! I am Thou, Thou art I, Thou who art willing to perform such sacrilegious acts for thine own justice, call upon my name and unleash thy rage! Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to hell itself!~

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!" Akira roared, the butterfly bursts into flames on his face, the blue inferno enveloped him until it revealed a black and white mask adorning his face. The sudden burst of power seemed to send him back to the real world, however, as the guards holding him were blown back into Ryuji's guards, freeing him and shocking Kamoshida.

"What the hell!?" the speedo wearing weirdo whimpered, looking in fear at the mask wearing male.

Feeling his face and discovering the mask, Akira began to tear the attachment off his face, his face bleeding heavily as ripping flesh was heard. Finally ripping the thing off, the male was engulfed in azure flames once again, this time cackling as the blaze took over him. The cackling got deeper and more sinister as the flames enlarged, revealing what scared both Ryuji and Kamoshida.

The being looked like a cross between a butler and a demon, with a blood red tuxedo like body and Black top-hat, along with the demonic looking claws, obsidian colored chains and black wings, the scariest feature was its face as it held eyes that screamed death and carnage as it gazed on the other occupants in the room.

The flames died down after the demon thing's reveal, revealing Akira grinning maniacally, his own changes visible as well. Instead of the student uniform he wore before he now wore a black suit with leather armor, a black tailcoat and crimson gloves completing the look.

~Hell Yeah!~ Arata yelled from the pile he was under. ~Hey Kira, a little help please.~

~Attack! Destroy them all! Let thy rage to your heart's content!~ the demonic entity roared.

"Ravage them, Arsene!" Akira shouts, swinging one of the many chains at the guards. The now dubbed Arsene cackled as he shot out black and red beams of energy towards the group, not only taking out most of the guards, but freeing Arata as well.

~alright, now it's my turn!~ Arata roared. ~this is for dogpiling on me, you shits! Eiha!~ shooting out his hands, beams of dark energy blasted forth, killing all but one guard and Kamoshida, who was to paralyzed with fear at the sight before him to do anything.

Looking at the last guard, both nodded before repeating their last attacks on the remaining guard, killing it. Looking at the scene before them, Arata grabbed Ryuji and Akira and bolted out the cell, closing and locking Kamoshida in, who just regained his bearings afterwards.

"What the hell! Get me out of here." the king yelled.

~let's go before more of those guys arrive, i do not want to get in another dogpile anytime soon.~

"Right."

"Hang on, I have SEVERAL questions!"

"Later Ryuji!"

"Hey wait!" and with that, the three ran ahead, leaving king speedo-man behind.

After several minutes explaining Arata's power, as well as wondering about the power Akira's acquired and helping a talking cat thing named Morgana, the group of four (yes, Morgana joined) were running around the area. well , it'd be that simple if Ryuji and Morgana would stop bitching at each other every two seconds.

"HALT!" a guard said in front of them. Arata and Akira automatically stood in front of the group, surprisingly, Morgana did also.

"Arsene!" Akira shouted, summoning the demonic butler being once again, which surprised Morgana of all things.

"You have a Persona too!?" the cat being exclaimed. "Then that makes things easier!"

"Right. Arata, I need a boost!"

~got it. Haste! Charge!~ Arata shouts, a red clock and wand looking runes orbited around Akira foe a few seconds before disappearing.

"Eiga!" He shouts, Arsene shooting several oversized beams of darkness at the enemy, killing the thing in one shot.

"Not bad! Very impressive!" Morgana said, noticing another guard sneaking up on them. "But let me show you how a pro handles it! Zorro!" he shouts, a flash of light and a new entity emerged behind the cat. This time, it looked more like a spanish fencer with a small lower body. Zorro then proceeded to swing his rapier at the target, blasts of wind knocking down the shadow and dazing the thing, which led to Morgana pulling out a scimitar that's as big as he was and cutting the being in half, killing it as well.

~not bad ninja kitty~

"I'm not a cat!"

~could've fooled me, cat.~ Arsene replied.

~please don't insult my user like that.~ the new person of the group, Zorro, continued.

"Alright, the exit's in this room right here!" Morgana stated, opening the door, revealing to the group… a standard looking room.

"What the Hell?!" Ryuji shouts in disbelief. "What gives cat were you lying to us this whole time?"

"Wow, those cliches about blondes being dumb are true."

"What was that!?"

"Look around you idiot! Use that monkey brain of yours for a second."

"The air vent?" Akira asked, pointing to the large opening to the side.

"At least someone's got smarts. Yeah, that's your exit."

"Oh… sweet. Sorry bout that cat."

"I'm not a cat!"

"If you insist you're not one, then what are you?"

"I'm a Human, an honest to god human!"

"Bullshit."

"You wanna go you damn dirty monkey!"

"Who're you calling a monkey you shitty fleabag!"

~this is gonna be a thing isn't it…~

After another short argument, and Morgana explaining a bit on whatever the fuck is wrong with this place, the two (three), reentered the real world, only for the fiasco to not stop there.

After getting in trouble on account of being late for hours, an excuse thrown around or two, and surviving the day of rumors and spiteful teachers, Akira and Arata return to Leblanc's to turn in for the night. The warning/scolding from Sojiro didn't help much though.

That night, the two drifted off into slumber again, and once again, they wake up in a different place entirely, but this time was drastically different. Unlike the prison cell they were expecting, they encountered a simple room of a deep blue, two other people sitting on one of the few pieces of furniture in the place.

Akira had a look of confusion at the new setting. This wasn't the same person he met before, but this presence was somewhat more calming and comfortable. Looking at Arata, he was surprised when the boy beside him had a look of excitement, relief, and awe at the individuals sitting before them.

"Greetings Trickster and Reaper, I am pleased to finally meet you." the first person, a man in a black shirt and tie, a white blazer and pants and black dress shoes, greeted. "We have much to discuss."

~that we do...~ Arata answered, a cheeky grin adorned on his face. ~nice to see ya again….. Philemon."

And that's the Prologue done. Like I said, there will be extra content, and the pacing will be both moderately fast, but enough for a good read.

More on things… I kinda lied a tiny bit in the A/N above. The Phantom thieves will be somewhat large. Here are the names of the people I'm adding to the group, but keep in mind that this isn't the final list, just the basis:

Guaranteed-

Mishima (i've already got a persona and thing in mind for him.)

Shiho

Kawakami

Sojiro

Natsu (oc)

Yuki (oc)

? and ? (you'll see later on)

Sort of (debating)-

Tae

Sae

Yoshida

Shinya

Iwai

Hifumi

Chihaya

Ohya

? (oc)

Keep in mind that at the moment, I've only made Mishima's story and persona to match the plot i'm making, which will be revealed next chapter. That being said, I'm all up for having you guys give me ideas for the rest of them. Just a solid set of rules first though:

1. No persona from their respective Arcana in the specific game. It's fine if it's from another persona game, but the more original the choice the better.

2. Give me a reason as to why this should be it. If it doesn't match the specific character, then give me something interesting to help me out with the details. I can't spend all my time focusing on making up their reasons for their awakening.

3. Be somewhat serious with your choice. I made that first rule because someone might put in Mara as a choice, and I want interesting, not cringy poop quality humor.

That being said. I'll talk more later on in the next chapter.

TBC.