Dreams of a War to Come

The hour was at hand for Kariya Matou as he made his away quickly towards the large theatre. Three years ago, he never imagined that he'd be drawn into the moonlit world once again. It was a terrifying world filled to the brim with death and tragedy. It was for this reason that the man had ran away from the Makiri family.

However, after a certain incident in Sumaru City and now the situation with his childhood friend's daughter, he no longer had a choice but to dive into this world of horrors head first as he ended up becoming a Master for the Holy Grail War.

"Caster?" Kariya said placing his hand over a small jeweled earring and adjusting it a like a headset. "Did you locate her?"

"Not yet Master," Replied a woman on the other end "I'm running into some problems with an enemy servant."

"Oh no…" Kariya gasped. At this point there were only three servants left in the entirety of the Holy Grail War. His Servant Caster, Saber, and Archer. Saber and her master at the moment were currently aligned with his team and while her master had a done several morally dubious things during the course of this War, the Magus killer knew what kind of stakes were at hand should Archer's Master wield the Holy Grail. Besides, Saber's Master knew Kariya's true goal in this war and with a convenient ally

"It isn't Archer…" Caster said. There was a long stretch of silence as he heard the sounds of chants and explosions on the other end their little transmission.

"Caster!" Kariya spoke, the volume of his voice rising and his expression shifting to concern. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine Master. Lancer is a tough one."

"Lancer? Oh no that means he was…"

"I know. The entire situation is decaying fast. We have to end this battle soon or else the entire city will be destroyed. We have our tasks. Lets focus on then. Don't worry. I'll be able to handle Lancer. You on the other hand should focus on getting to Archer's Master."

Kariya took a deep breath and nodded. Despite her origins, Caster had been completely trust worthy throughout this war. He needed to get there fast and there was only one way to do it.

'Potete Parlami;

He felt his body warm up, and the familiar situation of having switched on his magic circuits flooded into his body. With one more chant, he activated his reinforcement and his body was quickly darting through the halls. His instincts were on full alert for any enemy demons or familiars.

The third rate Magus could barely believe he had gotten this far in the Holy Grail War. Him a complete amateur that had abandoned his right to be the heir to Makiri and a Magus was now almost at the end of the War.

His heart suddenly stopped. He took a deep breath. A sinking feeling entered his stomach. He had this feeling all too much whenever he encountered either a powerful demon or another Persona User. Mentally Kariya readied himself.

He was at the third floor of the theater when he encountered his first set of enemies.

'Well it was nice not having to fight for a little while.' The dark haired man mentally snarled. Greeting him on this floor were three Giant humanoid dogs bearing large wooden clubs and wearing gold plated armor and a green loin cloth. They were brandishing their weapon and bearing their fangs at the incoming intruder.

"Persona!" Kariya, bellowed. Blue light enveloped him and a creature popped up from behind him. "MABUFUDYNE!" He chanted.

The temperature of the hallway became as cold as the arctic, Ice encased the humanoid dogs freezing them in place.

"I have no time for you." Kariya said with a fury and intensity that would even rival Berserker. Activating, his reinforcement, he charged at the Demons smashing ones skulls head in, relieving one of its weapons an using it to cave its chest. For the third one he jumped up behind him and twisted its neck.

After he made quick work of theses demons, he made his way further down the hallway and was soon greeted by a murder of black crows other wise called Yatagarsu. They swarmed the magus the way bees swarm those that threaten their hives.

"Damn it… too fast! Persona! Masukunda!" With the curse invoked, All of the crows in the hallway slow down. Calling upon his Persona again he then yelled. "Mabufudyne!"

All of the Yatagarsu froze in place, however unlike the Kobolds he had killed earlier they died instantly, their bodies disintegrating leaving nothing but melted ice and ash.

"Caster. I'll be arriving at the vessels location any second now. How are things your end?"

"Kariya…wat-… I-… Somethings…"

Kariya frowned as he tried to decipher the words of his Servant. Nothing was coming out but static on the other end of his magical radio. Archer's Master must have been disrupting communications. He and his partner always acknowledged this was a possibility the moment he entered Archer's Domain. Even prepared for it should something happen. For now he'll have to trust that she was alright and handling her opponent.

"If you can still hear me, I'm about to arrive. I'll do what I can but please hurry."

After several a few more minutes of running and Demon slaying, the dark haired magus finally reached his destination: A large golden door and behind it was the War's conclusion. Taking a deep breath he pushed the door open.

II.

The theater was deathly silent when Kariya had entered. It was also empty save for one on thing. On the dimly lit stage was a table and on the table was a woman with silver hair and a wearing a white dress. Kariya's eyes narrowed as he reinforced his eyes and got a better look at her. There was a dark red stain on the dress and the woman was not visibly breathing. In fact she's dead.

'So that's the Grail's vessel.' Kariya internally commented as he stepped forward. He was barely five paces away when out of the corner of his eye a dark ball of energy was sent his way.

Kariya narrowly avoided attack and called forth his Persona and had it prepare its defense.

"That's far enough Kariya-kun." A voice said sweetly from afar. The Persona user's widened as his head traced the voices source.

"Aoi? What are you doing here?"

The Dark haired woman known as Aoi walked in from the corner, pointing her index finger at the Master of Caster. She was wearing a white dress shirt and also wearing a beige dress pants. The most notable feature of all though was her yellow eyes.

"Protecting what's left of my family Kariya." The woman responded coldly. "Making sure you don't wipe them out."

"What are you talking about?" Kariya responded with raised eyebrows. He had made sure that they were all. Suddenly, he felt a chill in the air. Something was wrong here.

"GRGGHGH!" He yelped. There was a sharp pain that shot through his head. It felt like a thousand hammers ramming against him all at once. He saw images, flashes of memories. In one memory he saw a purple haired girl crying and begging for the sweet release of death. In another he was, standing over the body of a man wearing a red suit a knife in his hand.

"So you remember now don't you?" Aoi said with a cruel sneer. "What you did to my Tokiomi and Sakura. Now Rin is also in danger from your ambition."

"But that never happened." Kariya coughed out, fighting through the massive headache. What was going on here? "My ambition? All I ever wanted was to save Sakura from the fate all Matou's end up following."

"Don't lie!" Aoi screamed. A Red light began to surround the girl. The Magus' eyes widened as he saw something bizarre and horrible materialize behind the woman. It had black beads for eyes. A golden grown and red wings. Its skin was as grey as smoke and as scaly a reptile.

"You… You shouldn't be here." Kariya muttered staring at the monstrosity behind the woman. Mustering all the strength he could, he took hold of his persona and commanded it.

"Black viper." Kariya chanted. The persona raised its hands and black and red comets propelled themselves at the red winged creature. The creature in question simply waved its hand and dispersed the attack.

"What? No wait. Ragnarak!"

Nothing came. Kariya tried again again to use different spells but no result came out. His childhood friend simply laughed cruelly. With a wave of her arm the creature behind her vanished and materialized instantly in front of Kariya. Before he could respond the creature grabbed his throat and lifted him up in the air. His eyes wearing gazing into the creatures dead black eyes.

"You were exiled from this dimension! How are you still here?" The former Makiri heir said. His vision was quickly fading. He tried to command his Persona but to wasn't responding. In fact, it had vanished the moment this Chaotic beast grabbed him.

He needed to do something fast or else he won't be able to save Sakura and reunite her with her mother and and sister. But what?

Somebody! Anybody! Help me! If you can't help me then at least help her!

It was at this plea at this darkest moment that he heard a voice echo within the recesses of his soul.

'You've met with an unfortunate fate haven't you?'

The dark haired man recognized the voice. It belonged to a man he had encountered two times. At least, he thought it only two times. What followed the man voice was a the image of a blue butterfly.

'Kariya Makiri.' The voice said. The third rate magus flinched at being called his true name. 'It is at this moment where all the timelines will converge. It is at this moment where you will have to preform a true miracle.'

And How the hell am I supposed to do that?

'Look within yourself. Look within your other self. Once you do you'll attain the truth and with that truth, will come the ability to preform a miracle.'

My other self? He asked.

His vision the suddenly went white. Hey felt his body was on fire. Was this death? Was this hell? Was this the divine retribution he was going to get for running away all those years. It felt right and just yet….

Relive that moment and search for it. The Truth and your answer.

My answer…

With nothing else he could do at the moment, he did as the voice commanded. He remembered. He remembered the day this all began. That faithful day in Sumuaru city and the day he first awakens his power and later his Magecraft.

III.

One year ago in Sumaru city

"You're waiting for a train, a train that will take you far way. You know where you hope this train will take you, but you don't know for sure. But it doesn't matter. How can it not matter to you where that train will take you?"

Kariya's eyes snapped as he looked about his surroundings. The train car he was in was empty save for himself and a homeless man dressed in rags and disheveled clothing. He had a long nose and red bulging eyes.

"I'm sorry what did you say?" He asked.

The Mysterious man simply chuckled as the train crossed through another tunnel causing the inside to black out once again. When the train left the tunnel the man wasn't there. Kariya frowned.

Well that isn't creepy at all? Maybe I'm seeing things. I should lay off reading that horror novel.

Ignoring the weird moment all together; When the announcement came for his stop. Kariya simply stood up and left the station.

When he arrived at the station's entrance he found himself soon greeted by a dark haired girl with a brown and beige blazer and a red head woman in a turquoise Kimono. The Dark haired woman waved Kariya over. He smiled.

"Maya! Thanks for picking me up." He said to the dark haired girl.

"Hey! That's what neighbors and co-workers do." The Woman known as Maya said with a cheerful grin. the red head next to her simply glared at Kariya. Taking notice of the glare, he turned to the other woman.

"Alright. What did I do now Ulala?"

"For starters, we're late for a mixer because we have to pick you up and to compound that, that boss of yours decided to have Maya interview some kids at a Seven Sisters High School." The red head known as Ulala responded. The dark haired man's eyes glanced over to Maya.

"Seriously? You couldn't just say no?"

"You know how she gets. She's been in a foul mood all week." Maya said with a tired look.

"She's always in a foul mood. What's the assignment anyway?"

"I'm supposed to write an article about the Joker myth."

"The one where, if you call your own own cell phone number on your cell phone someone called Joker appears and grants your wish?"

"The very same. I don't so suppose you have any information about it."

"Only what I heard before I went to vacation at Fuyuki" Matou commented lightly. His eyes glanced over at the clock and frowned. "How long is that mixer up to?"

"Midnight." Maya replied. " We have a couple of hours though."

"And by the time we get there all the good ones will be taken." Ulala complained. Kariya frowned thoughtfully as the trio made their way to the parking lot.

'It is my fault they'll be late… Well later then usual. I'd like to help. Truthfully though, I want to get some sleep in a nice comfy bed. It's been a long trip…' He glanced at Maya once more and caught of set of heavy bags under eyes. The girl, despite her cheerful demeanor looked ragged and tired. It was a detail, He had learned pick up on whenever he worked with her at Kismet Publishing. The woman certainly knew how to hide her feelings which always irriated the journalist. if she was tired or irriated she should just say so. Not put on a fake smile.

Knowing about this and how troublsome it would be later down the line and after some more deliberation, the Matou male finally made a choice.

"I'll help." Kariya said. Maya looked over at her friend curiously.

"What?"

"I'll go with you to Seven Sisters High. Do some interviews and you two will be at the Mixer in no time." He clarified. "Trust me, Two journalists are better then one and you'll be done a lot quicker."

"But you just got back from your trip." Maya stuttered.

"I know but I do owe you for this and several favors you've done for me in the past. Hell. I still owe for covering for me that one week reporting on that whole scandal at the Mayors office."

"Yeah…but…" Maya's eyes looked rather distant. Ulala who was simply listening in quietly gave her friend an exasperated look.

"Don't tell me your still hung up on finding that high schooler?" The Red head finally said. Maya blushed slightly.

"It's not like that…"

"Come on. You should be going out with guys our age." The Roomate chided. "Forget about him."

"Who are you talking about?" Kariya asked. Maya looked at Ulala with a sense of nervousness and panic.

"I'll tell on the way there." Ulala said as they got into Maya's Car

"Ulala!"

She laughed and simply shrugged as they got in the car.

While Ulala, was describing Maya's dream boy much to Maya's dismay, Kariya, looked out the window of the car, his mind drifting to his trip to Fuyuki city. Visiting his childhood friend Aoi and her daughters was once again nice way to escape the drudgery of working for a teen magazine. However whenever he was at the city there was always this pull he felt concerning his old house and family.

I couldn't even muster the courage to visit them this time. I heard Byukuya has a son now that's the same age as Rin. Still though….

The dark haired Matou's eyes caught sight of a blue butterfly flying nearby the car at a stop light; His eyes gazed at it at for a long moment before the car moved on and he sighed. He was barely paying attention to Ulala description of the Maya's dream boy.

Maybe it was best I didn't come to the mansion. That old vampire would have killed me anyway…

As the the car drove through one of Sumarau's many shopping districts, Kariya caught sight of a something that he noticed wasn't there before he moved into the city. It was a mysterious building with a Shiny blue door that looked inviting and welcoming. He quirked his eyebrows.

'The Velvet Room? Was that always there?'

Before Kariya could asked further about this, the car made one more turn and soon the trio had arrived at Seven Sisters High to hopefully finish up Maya's latest assignment.

Authors Note:

Welcome to my newest piece, Fate's Eternal Punishment! This piece actually came to me after looking over some play through videos of the upcoming Persona 5. As you've noticed it does copy a couple of beats from the game, namely the opening chapter. I might actually pull some elements from the game itself although that's going to be a long way off. Worry not though I will say that Kariya does not become a Phantom Thief. In fact he's not even a Wild Card come the true start of P2 plotline. Although like the rest of the Persona 2 cast they can shift and change

Also another notable inspiration is Fate Reach Out which also happens to be on the same crossover list. For the few that have found themselves here in this fic and haven't read it, I highly insist that you do as its a far better read and highly entertaining.

Right now I'm primary focusing on Kariya's development through the P2:Eternal Punishment cast as well as how it influences his actions through the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Fair bit of warning. This is going to something of a Semi-AU for both the Nasuverse and Personaverse so there maybe changes to the in-universe mechanics as well as the timeline. I'll try to find a balance between the two although I will try stick to following Nasuverse rules to a closer degree.

The most notable change will be made for the Kuzonoha Agency. The members will have their character backstory changed up to fit more in line with Nasuverse mages.

As for Kariya's persona. Will there is a reason I didn't reveal it at the beginning and I didn't give a description. I of course wanted big debut for his Persona. This i more of tease. Also, I may have an idea of the Persona's abilities but I haven't decided what Persona he should have yet or even His Starting Arcana.

For the few that's been following my other Fic The Wild Card of Remnant. I'll get to it someday when I have a solid idea of how to execute my plans for that fic but for now my muse demands that I write this.

Hopefully you'll enjoy it, but if not, well as always I am open to criticism.