April 6th, Monday
A crimson butterfly flapped it's wings, flying across Japan. It ventured far and wide, soaring through Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Sapporo, Chiba, Saitama and so on, even visiting small towns such as Inaba.
But it's journey inevitably came to an end as it reached Iwatodai. It settled on a tower overlooking the Moonlight Bridge, and waited. . .
The stars in the night sky twinkled, their myriad of colors rivaling the beauty of the nearly complete full moon. For a brief moment, those stars all shined at once. . .
A young teen arrived at the end of the bridge, crossing onto Tatsumi Port Island. . .
The wind blowing at his vibrant orange hair ceased to exist, and the shining stars faded away, hidden by the dark, jade clouds in the sky.
The white moon had become an eerie green.
The blue oceans had become a bloody red.
The innocents had become steely coffins.
"So, it's started?" A smooth, slightly high pitched voice echoed across the silent night. The young man hummed as he began walking through the haunted world. . . .
———————————————————————
My name is Angel Akeboshi.
And I. . . don't know who I am.
I don't know what my purpose is.
I don't know when I came to be.
I don't know where I come from.
I don't know why I'm here.
I was graced with extraordinary power.
I was graced with a brilliant mind.
I was graced with plentiful talents.
I was even graced with an amazing, beautiful, and precious friend.
Yet, the life I lead is empty.
Simply because. . .
I don't know why I'm alive.
———————————————————————
April 7th, Tuesday
On the path to Gekkoukan High School, Angel Akeboshi found himself daydreaming. His mind wandered often, and no one could quite pinpoint just what it was going on inside his head. . .
". . . Butterflies." He mused thoughtfully, aquamarine eyes opening to the sight of his new school.
The school year began today, and he would be attending Gekkoukan High as a First Year.
Angel! Wait up!
The orange haired child came to a stop, glancing over his shoulder to meet his childhood friend.
Tao Isonokami
"You certainly took your sweet time." Angel remarked with a sly smile, standing tall with a hand over his hip as his friend puffed out her cheeks and accusingly pointed at him.
"And that's because someone actually needs her sleep!" Tao pouted, adjusting her backpack and facing their new school. She let out a deep breath and nodded in affirmation. "You ready? This won't be anything like Junior High, you know."
"Don't worry about me. If anything, I should be worried about you." The boy decided as they trudged along.
"And why's that?" The girl wondered.
"Do you have any idea how many guys are going to be lining up to try and be your boyfriend?" A bright blush spread across her cheeks.
"It's a good thing I've got you around to scare away all the bad boys." She muttered with a nervous laugh, embarrassed by the implications of his words.
"Hm? Are you sick?" Akeboshi asked, noticing the red of her cheeks. He leaned into her to get a closer look, Tao's skin only reddening further!
"NO! I'm okay!" Isonokami shrieked as she jumped away! A few murmurs began circling through the bystanders as Angel observed her cluelessly.
"Okay then. . . ."
—
After a rather boring welcoming ceremony, classes began. Unfortunately, Angel and Tao were separated in homeroom. The first day went by fast, and as teachers came and went, so did time.
The day came to a close, the sun shining through the windows of the classroom. Angel stretched his arms as he rose from his seat, lifting his bag off the desk and hoisting the strap over his shoulder.
The class was already half empty, and Akeboshi wasted no time joining the leaving students. On his way out, he found himself spacing out once again.
Only this time, there was a consequence. The student was on a collision course with a teacher, who was reading a file labeled 'Minato Arisato' and wasn't looking ahead of her.
Isako Toriumi
And so, the two crashed together! While Angel barely stumbled, the teacher was completely knocked off balance, staggering backwards as her reading material flew into the air! After trying and failing to catch herself, an arm wrapped itself around Toriumi's waist.
Holding her up was Angel Akeboshi, his free hand reaching out and effortlessly catching the falling file. Every student in the hallway had completely fallen silent, eyes glued to the scene unfolding before them.
"I'm sorry, ma'am! I was not paying attention at all. . ." He chuckled as he pulled her so she could stand straight and held out her papers. . .
"I uh. . . Thank you." The second year's composition teacher simply said to get this embarrassment over with. She took the file from his hands and walked off as quickly as she could, her cheeks red all the way.
Angel's eyes trailed her for a moment before he shrugged and walked off himself.
"And you were all worried about me having to deal with dates." Tao Isonokami laughed, joining him as they exited the school.
"Huh? What do you mean?" The boy asked obliviously, his friend only sighing and shaking her head.
"Never change, Angel."
—
The Gekkoukan Dorms were close to being overpopulated, most rooms taken. At least that was the case for the boys' dorms, the girls' dorms had significantly less occupants.
That aside, the dormitories weren't anything special. The rooms were simply a bed, and a desk. Anything else was up to the students, and seeing as it was only Angel's first week there, his room had nothing of substance.
The walls were beige, and the ceiling was gray, as were the sheets to the bed. Everything was quite monotone. . .
"I really should try and liven up the place." Angel muttered as he set down his things and took a seat at the basic desk. He sharpened his pencil and opened up his notebook. "But, that can wait. Tao would kill me if I start falling behind. . ."
And so, a very long session of studying took place. . . and it ended long after the dorm fell silent.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Tock.
The room darkened, the moon once again shifting from white to green as the night sky was poisoned. . . Angel rose to his feet and approached the window, undoing the lock and lifting the glass.
He climbed through to the other side and stood on the windowsill, aquamarine eyes looking down to the ground three stories below. . .
Without so much as a second thought, the orange haired student jumped.
———————————————————————
The Dark Hour was a phenomenon that occurred every single day at midnight, a literal, hidden 25th Hour that existed outside the laws of nature.
Ordinary humans transmogrify into sleek, black coffins, oblivious to the existence of such a time.
Though, there are outliers, those who do not become coffins. More often than not, these people are nothing but targets to the Shadows of the Dark Hour. . . .
———————————————————————
A man dressed in black shrieked as the world around him morphed into something unbelievable! The very person he was just talking to had become a coffin, and the sky had become horrifyingly dark! The malicious moon glowered over him as his breathing quickened, his heart overflowing with utter panic!
He shrieked again as black ooze began to deep out of his finger nails and eyes, out of the follicles that kept his hair stuck to his head! It was consuming him. . .
Then suddenly, in a flash of light, the substance was vanquished! In a moment of shock and relief, the man gasped and hugged himself! Five fingers then abruptly found their place on his face, and an instant later. . . he was a coffin.
Erupting from the ooze splattered across the street was a Shadow. . .
Maya
The masked figure howled as two more Shadows identical to itself rose from the puddle! The first pounced, reaching for the man's savior. . .
A powerful first plunged into its body, tearing it in two! The second one threw itself forward, a second strike sending it flying into the third Cowardly Maya with enough force to kill both of them!
Their bodies faded away into nothingness as Angel Akeboshi let out a sigh.
"It's always Mayas, give me something new. . ." He complained half heartedly, hearing bubbling behind him.
Drive
Beetle
A second sigh escaped the boy's lips.
"Just had to open my mouth."
The Shadows charged as Angel whirled to face them, dashing towards his opponents with his half undone school uniform wildly flowing with his momentum! As the Shadows neared, Akeboshi suddenly leaped into the air, soaring over the enemies as his aquamarine eyes shined!
Garu
Angel swung his arms, a powerful wave of force emerging from beneath the shadows and blowing them apart, sending them to opposite sides of the street! The boy flipped forward and landing on his feet, glaring back at the Drive Shadow as his eyes glared again.
Bufu
Frost spread up the Shadow, stretching from the ground to its torso and freezing it in place! Angel turned his attention the now charging Beetle, bracing himself and reeling his arm back!
Agi
Flames enveloped his arm as he sprung forward and uppercut the Shadow, releasing the gathered fire in an explosion of embers! The Beetle was lifted off the ground, it's underside exposed!
Zio
The teen aimed his hand at the airborne Beetle, electricity building up in the center of his palm, unleashing a powerful bolt of lightning! The Beetle was torn apart and vanquished by the strike!
A shattering sound filled Akeboshi's ears, the Drive Shadow breaking free of the ice and wildly spinning itself towards him from behind! It's powerful arms spun so violently the wind picked up, yet they weren't strong enough to break through the child.
Angel simply raised his arm, the being's appendage crashing against it only to be completely stopped in its tracks! The Shadow struggled, but the boy was not budging an inch. . . Aquamarine eyes gazed into the yellow mask of the shadow.
Hama
Holy white hieroglyphics began to materialize out of thin air, markings and fortunes spiraling around the Shadow. They flared, shining bright and consuming the Shadow, deleting it from existence. . .
"Hm. They're getting feisty again." Angel mumbled to himself as he began to wander as if he hadn't just battled five supernatural beings.
To him, this was nothing new. Going out during the Dark Hour, putting innocents back in their coffins, and defeating whatever Shadows he could find was a nightly occurrence. . .
He couldn't even remember the first time he experienced the Dark Hour. It was quite some time ago. . .
"It's almost the full moon. . ." Angel Akeboshi looked to the unnatural green of Earth's satellite, eyes following the small, speck of red traveling across it. . .
The Butterfly.
———————————————————————
April 9th, Thursday
Full Moon
Wednesday passed by without a hitch, an ordinary day of school and an ordinary night of hunting Shadows.
Thursday was something else entirely. . . and it all began early in the morning. As usual, Tao was running late and Angel was waiting for her by the school gate. . .
It was there where he crossed paths with him.
Minato Arisato
Their eyes met, gazing into one another's soul for a moment, just for a moment. Before Angel even knew it, Minato was gone. . .
Something about the second year intrigued him, in a way unlike any other.
The same could be said for Minato about Angel.
—
Velvet Path
Being the transfer student wasn't exactly new to Minato, but he never expected to be here, at Gekkoukan High, at Tatsumi Port Island. . .
It was here where his life spiraled out of control, and after being away for so long, it seemed fate had brought him back.
"It wouldn't harm anyone if I rest me eyes for a bit." The blue haired teen yawned and rested his head on his desk, the lecture of his teacher flowing through one ear and right out the other as he dozed off.
When he awoke, one of his door mates was patiently waiting for him.
Yukari Takeba
"Third day and already tired of it, Arisato-san?" The brunette sighed before laughing. Minato grunted as he awoke, rising to his feet.
"I guess you could say that." He kidded while rubbing his eyes. "What are you waiting for me for, Takeba-san? Is something important going on?"
"Nah, it's nothing big. Kirijo-senpai just asked that I escort you back to the dorm today." Yukari explained, to which her dorm-mate nodded after a moment to ponder the words.
"Then, let's get going."
On their way from 2-F to the exit, the two arrived at a rather. . . ridiculous event at the school's entrance. Three guys were on their knees begging for a girl to go on a date with one of them. . .
"Oh geez." Takeba sighed, adjusting her archery gear as she glared at the boys. "The first week hasn't even passed yet and they're already torturing that poor first year. . ."
The girl being hit on was none other than Tao Isonokami.
"Where's Angel when I need him?!" The younger girl gulped as they shamelessly threw compliment after compliment at her.
"Hey, Tao. Wanna go to Paulownia Mall?" The boy in question asked nonchalantly as he appeared, the three boys falling silent.
". . . Yeah, sure." Tao accepted after registering what he said, quickly jumping behind him and allowing him to escort her off campus. The single men observing all looked on jealousy, Minato excluded of course.
"Wonder who that was." Yukari commented as she started walking. The bluenette followed close behind, and with Angel and Tao gone, the attention flew to them. They'd already walked to school together on multiple occasions, so despite having just met, the rumor mill was up and running.
". . ." Minato didn't pay them much mind, but Yukari was more than a little annoyed as they left school.
"Looks like you and I got the short hand of the stick too. . ." The archer groaned as she rolled her eyes. "How are you handling all this?"
"I don't mind. Besides, if rumors become true, they aren't rumors anymore."
"Yeah, you've got a point- wait, WHAT?!?!?" Minato Arisato smirked mischievously, a half-hearted glare hitting him through Yukari's flushed cheeks! "Don't just say stuff like that!"
"You're pretty when you're flustered."
"STOP!"
Minato decided that Yukari was fun to tease. How cute she was when she blushed was just an added bonus. . . .
———————————————————————
Nothing could have prepared Minato for the events that would be set in motion that night. The dream he'd had the day prior was weird, but he didn't think it would allude to something. . . like this!
The Magician
Yukari Takeba was on the ground, blood dripping from her lips as she gazed up to the monster, the being standing over Minato. . .
It turned away from him, and then to her. Primal fear filled her from head to toe as it approached, the girl screaming as tears stung her eyes. . .
The boy's gray eyes landed on the pistol at his feet, Yukari's Evoker. The man with the long nose from the dream last night, and the boy dressed in black and white stripes from the night he arrived, flashed into his mind. . .
—
You must take responsibility for the choices you make. . .
Can you do what it takes?
—
Per. . . so. . . na. . .!
Ethereal blue flames emerged from the depths of Minato's soul, and with it, emerged his other self!
Thou art I.
And I am thou.
From the sea of thy soul, I cometh.
I am the Master of Strings.
ORPHEUS!
The Shadow raised its blades to face this new threat, the Persona drawing its Lyre and bringing it down upon the Magician! They clashed, a shockwave of force emitting from the collision as they pushed for dominance!
It was then that Minato felt a searing pain in his body, his heart stopping as he clutched his head and let out a deafening cry! Orpheus mimicked it's summoner, the Persona tearing itself apart. . . A new one, took its place.
With a resounding roar, the Persona'a power resonated across the night sky!
The Shadow barely comprehended that it was missing a limb, because not even a second after it was gone, the Persona was ripping it apart. . . piece by piece.
It held up its arm and violently crushed it before slicing the Magician in two, beginning the series of events that would define the next year. . .
Minato Arisato smiled as Orpheus returned. He'd protected Yukari, and right now, that's what mattered. . . Alas, everything went black.
———————————————————————
Scarlet Path
Two dozen shadows lay dead, slowly fading away as Angel Akeboshi took a moment to rest. It was rare to even see a single shadow, but to see twenty-four in one place was absurd. . .
And those weren't even the only shadows he'd faced tonight.
It was then that he felt it, heard it. The scream that sent ripples through his body, the scream that was brimming with absolute power.
"What. . . What's going on?!" Angel demanded as he staggered, gazing in the direction of the sound. Yet instead of finding the source. . . he saw it once again.
The Butterfly.
The questions in his mind about the scream, it's power, the Full Moon, the Shadows, all of it disappeared and was replaced by wonder. . .
Angel followed the red glow, letting it guide him through the darkness, the shadows, through the Dark Hour. . . .
—
The butterfly suddenly dissipated into red flakes, Angel reaching out for its pieces as they twinkled away.
It led him to Naganaki Shrine. . . In the walkway to the offering stand, to the center of the shrine, was a gateway.
A deep. . . red. . . gate. The boy steeled himself, and without an ounce of fear, ventured through it. . .
—
It was a maze, a mirror maze dyed and lit in scarlet. It didn't take Angel too long to traverse it, but the endless, infinite number of mirrors made him. . . uncomfortable.
At the end of the maze was small room, walls constructed by the very mirrors that made up the labyrinth.
A man sat behind a table. Angel Akeboshi could only stand in awe, trying to comprehend what was going on. . . Thankfully, the host was more than willing to elaborate.
Welcome. . . To the Scarlet Room.
———————————————————————
(A/N- And thus begins Scarlet Souls.)