Fandom Persona: Be your True Self

[Maiden of Law]

Ah, high school. Homework, peer pressure, teen romance, more homework, demon invasions...wait, what?


On the morning of the first day of school, a few students obtain a strange email; from a sender named PHILEMON, it entails a warning of a demon invasion, and how the only way to survive is to manifest one's Mask which protects the True Self as beings from Myth and Legend, and the email came with an app called the PERSONA SUMMONING PROGRAM that did just that. The app downloaded into the students' smartphone without their consent. Oh man, more spyware...Ignoring the app, the students go to school, and deal with everyday stuff. Getting acquainted with one another, getting used to school life, readying for the year...


And then the world began its end. The students find monsters known as demons have infiltrated the school, and the school soon becomes a place of chaos. Getting attacked by demons, the students are soon protected by the the masks that protect their true selves, manifested as beings from myths and legend....the Persona.


With this power, the students make their way out, only to find out that it is not only their school that has been invaded...


Where did the demons come from? What is their goal? Just what is Persona? No-one knows for sure. But we do know one thing...


Peaceful days are over.


Let's survive!

 

[Maiden of Law]

The sky was full with beautiful stars. While that was hard to find, in the middle of a city like Tokyo, it was normal enough.


But having clouds as the ground? That was bit odd...though Hime never left the city of Tokyo all her life, so she wouldn't know...


And in this odd world, there was only her and single, golden butterfly.


It was a beautiful butterfly. She did not know if glowing butterflies existed or such a species of butterflies did, but she could certainly say that at least.


But then to her surprise, the golden butterfly transformed into a man.

Spoiler

Hime wanted to ask the strange man who he was. Where they were. But he answered them before she could ask.


"Greetings, young child of Man. I am Philemon, the spirit guide, and I welcome you to the Sea of Souls, where the human psyche gather..." he said, giving a formal bow.


And then he gave her a long, hard stare, one that unnerved Hime. "I see...you are different. Most minds begin as a blank, an empty white paper in which their ideals are printed on depending on the choices those minds make, effectively making them balanced. But you...your minds, for whatever reason r another, has begun with a set mindset, one that wishes for peace and order. But, what is the price of those ideals? What are you willing to do to achieve those goals? That...is your decision and yours alone."


The man -- Philemon, apparently -- somehow grabbed a card from thin air and showed it to her. "The world is a harsh place filled with countless ordeals and conflicts, most of which do not take place in the physical reals, but rather in the mind. To combat this, humans have since long ago wore masks to protect their fragile true selves. People wear countless of these masks to handle the many ordeals of everyday life, and what you see here is only one of them..."


With that, Philemon crushed the card, and it broke into countless blue shards. The shards reformed into a blue butterfly, and flew into Hime's chest.


--x--x--x--x--x--


Arousing from her sleep, Hime got up blinked in confusion.


"That was a weird dream..." she muttered to herself. And she could remember it all so clearly too, not to mention that odd feeling she got when that butterfly went inside her.


The vibration of her smartphone broke her thoughts, and she immediately reached out to it. Once opening it, she saw the picture of a beautiful couple, and she closed her eyes in silence. Her parents were great people, albeit a little too overprotective of her (they refused to send her to a school and just home-schooled her for most of her life, after all.), but still wonderful people nevertheless. But the universe seems to hate good people (well not really, the Universe is what's keeping the Embodiment of Darkness from harassing his wife), and replaced them with an asshole uncle who cares more about his dying business than his niece.


Checking her e-mails -- one of which is by her uncle who kindly requests that she tries negotiating with the CEO of the Nanjo Group (read: an order to have an arranged marriage), which she immediately deleted. Another was a warning by the local police, that everyone should be on alert due to the explosion at the Yamato Perpetual Reactor earlier this morning, and the attacks by wild beasts soon after. And the last e-mail she got...


"...What this?!" she said to herself.


Sender: PHILEMON


Greetings, young child of Man. In the mental realm we have met, and now in the physical too, do we meet, albeit indirectly. Mankind has always gone through ordeals, many of them small but significant, some are large and great, and some affect one life and grow to change many others. The Great Cataclysm, the Conception, the Fall, these are just some ordeals that mankind has faced in this world and in others, some of which mankind ultimately fail.


And now once more does mankind must face an ordeal. An ordeal that stems from mankind itself but features more than just that; the ancient old gods known as "demons". Will humanity survive this ordeal? Shall mankind band itself together to survive? Or will humans simply continue to fight amongst themselves?


Only time will tell. However, child of Man, I can say with certainty that I believe mankind can gain victory, and I shall guide you humans to that path...


Inside this e-mail is a program that shall help you defeat those demons. The power to manifest one's mask as beings from legend...Use it well, in the hope that your fellow humans will follow you to salvation.





After all that information was digested into Hime's brain, it was only then that she realized that a program was forcibly installed into her smartphone. She panicked for a short while at the thought of dangerous malware inside her phone, but then a thought entered her mind.


Today's the first day of school.


I've got no time for this.


With that, she entered the bathroom to start her day.

 

[Pierrot]

Maki remembered going to bed. She remembered that she was at home, in her room, after long tiring day. So why did she wake up to vast expanse of black, a canvas painted with white dots of varying sizes but none larger than a thumbtack? She felt the wind caress her, it wasn't a strong wind but a cool breeze. She looked around to see nothing but the black canvas stretching as far as the eye can see. The moon shone overhead and illuminated this cloudy stage. Maki was stepping on solid cloud.


Again, she decided to admire the scenery around her. Even if this was a dream, it felt so real, like she was actually soaring through the air. A golden butterfly flitted around her, circling her once, twice, three times before stopping in front of her. The change was probably too strange for Maki's brain to handle but soon she found herself staring face to face with a very tidy man, who wore a golden butterfly mask. He dressed in very formal clothes and the man radiated power, as if some sort of authority figure. His hair was tied into a neat ponytail.


"Who?"


"Greetings, young child of Man. I am Philemon, the spirit guide, and I welcome you to the Sea of Souls, where the human psyche gathers."


The strange man, Philemon, gave a practiced bow. It was almost as though he had been doing this for quite some time. Maki wanted to question him but somehow she stayed her tongue. This was no ordinary man and she was out of her own element.


"It seems you are different. Most minds begin as a blank, empty slip of paper in which ideals are printed based on the choices those minds make. But your mind, for whatever reason, already has an ideal imprinted on it, one that wishes to be free from the shackles that bind your wings. But, what is the price of that ideal? I wonder if you could discern a certain truth about this world, about what you wish. Perhaps you have already seen it and simply avert your eyes. You and a select few shall have quite journey ahead. I wish you luck. And I bear a gift."


Philemon grabbed a card out of nowhere, he showed it to her, slowly, deliberately flipping the card around. One side of the card was blank and yet the other had a design. Within the elegant frame, was a flame, below the flame were two hands, above the flame were two eyes, and above the eyes was the symbol for infinity. The Background was nothing more than two symmetrical zigzagging lines that effectively split the contents of the frame in 3, left most and right most parts were colored purple.


"The Magician. Interesting. It calls to mind something I have heard before. 'The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate. Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope. Yes, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed. Attaining one's dream requires a stern will and unfailing determination.' This world is full of ordeals. Most happen in the mind. Humans have long since worn masks to defend themselves from these ordeals. What I have here is but one of many masks, the mask you possess..."


Philemon crushed the card in his hand.


Waking up to a new day

"What the hell was that?"


Her eyes fluttered open as the sunlight began filtering through the windows and resting on her face. Whether she liked it or not, it was time to wake up. Maki sat up and stretched the stiffness of sleep away, today was a new day and a new year in school. As if she didn't have enough problems already. She got out of bed and pulled back any stray strands of her hair that got in her face, perhaps the new school year warranted a new haircut.


Maki found her phone on her night table and turned the display on. A bunch of notifications displayed, no doubt all of them were spam and none of it was from him. A simple apology would have been very nice, an answer to her why would have been better too. The asshole just ended it for no good reason, he didn't even make an excuse, it's like that year they spent together was nothing. So early in the morning and already her nerves were frayed. She continued thumbing through and deleting the contents of the notifications, all except one.


The subject was blank but the sender was named PHILEMON. It was probably a joke but something in her demanded that she open and read through everything on it. That somehow this was important.


"What the shit is this?"

Greetings, young child of man. In the mental realm we have met, and now in the physical realm, albeit indirectly. Mankind has always gone through ordeals. Many of them are small but significant, some are large and great, and still some affect one's life and grows to change many others. The Great Cataclysm, the Conception, the Fall, these are just some ordeals that mankind has faced in this world and in others, some of which mankind ultimately fail.


Once more, mankind faces another ordeal. An ordeal that stems from mankind itself and yet encompasses more than just that, ancient deities known as "demons."Shall mankind band together to survive? Or will humans simply continue to fight among themselves? Only time will tell.


However, child of Man, I can say with certainty that I believe mankind can gain victory, and I shall guide you humans to that path.


Inside this e-mail is a program that shall help you defeat those demons. The power to manifest one's mask as beings from legend and myth. Use it wisely.

Just in time for her to finish reading the message, another notification appeared on her phone. It had successfully installed the Persona Summoner App. Strangely enough, the antivirus in her phone detected nothing malicious about it, which meant that the app wasn't messing around with her phone. She would have time later to see what this app could do, but for now she had to get ready for the day ahead of her.


It would be a very long day, Maki had already wagered against herself. In the first hour of arriving to school, she would already be knee-deep in Student Council members and the Student Disciplinarians, telling her why she can't do this or that or whatever. The naggening was going to be happening.


Maki slipped out of her clothes and into the shower. A warm jet of water erupted from the shower head. There were so many people she wanted to avoid today, but there was one person she wanted to see. She wanted to see him, to get answers from him. He didn't reply to her texts or picked up her calls over the break. She deserved an explanation that was long over due and she would get one before the school day was done.


That was her goal for the day.

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

Hiraki was flying in the cloudless full mooned nigh sky...Or was she? It felt like she walked on solid ground but all she saw the clouds that were missing down at her feet. So absorbed was she to the though of walking on clouds she barely saw the man forming from a gold butterfly


"Greetings, young child of Man. I am Philemon, the spirit guide, and I welcome you to the Sea of Souls, where the human psyche gather..." He said almost making her jump in fright. She went speak to ask as the man bowed but she couldn't speak or move, just listened what he had to say.


"I see...you are different. People tend to see things in absolute, you are good and your are evil, yin and yang, with me and against me, to give examples. But you.., your mind is a different, you see the truth in both sides and find agreement in both and so get along with all. But, what happens when staying on the fence is not enough? What or who will sacrifice when forced to chose? That...is your decision and yours alone. Do not fear it for in the crossroads of life and bleakest of times is were change can happen and people awaken to their true potential"


His words sounded foreboding and uncomfortably insightful. Who was this Philemon to speak to her about such things? Was her subconscious trying to tell her something?"


There was a flash of blue in the mans hand as a card appeared in the mans hand, Hiraki could only stare in awe.


"The world is a harsh place filled with countless ordeals and conflicts, most of which do not take place in the physical reals, but rather in the mind. To combat this, humans have since long ago wore masks to protect their fragile true selves. People wear countless of these masks to handle the many ordeals of everyday life, and what you see here is only one of them..."


Philemon crushed the card in his hand and the there was a blind flash of blue light and the sound of ringing.


Inside this e-mail is a program that shall help you defeat those demons. The power to manifest one's mask as beings from legend and myth. Use it wisely.


She was on the train to school when she finally checked her phone and saw the message by Philemon, making her remember her dream.


"Defeat demons?"She wondered before the app began to install, instinctively fearing a virus or some sort of trojan she made an attempt to stop the installation. Failing that she tried to delete the up but the app kept on reinstalling. Finally she was tempted to turn it on but the train arrived to her stop before she could and she needed to get moving.

 

[Michael26504]

It was like a heavy pressure was being removed from his chest, a pressure that was keeping his body to the ground and once it was removed he found himself floating upward towards the starry sky. He surely had to be dreaming right? He had just gone to sleep, but if that was the case why did everything feel so real for him. Why was he so present within his dream? Things like this just didn't happen. He was lost in his world of thought as his body reached the clouds that quickly became solid and formed a floor for to him stand on. A golden butterfly began to float around his face drawing his attention away from the chasm that was his mind. His eyes followed it closely as it moved away from him and in a flash of bright light took a on a more human shape. A man that appeared to be wearing a mask, but what kind of mask had a butterfly wing appearing as if it was a part of his skin? He wanted to speak, ask questions, give him a rude remarks but he couldn't find his voice.


The man smiled and gave a formal bow before words began to escape from his lips, "Welcome child of Man. I am Philemon, the spirit guide, and I welcome you to the Sea of Souls, where the human psyche gather..." a dull silence filled the air after these words, and the man known as Philemon starred so intensely into Michael's eyes. As badly as he wanted to look away he found himself incapable of the action, he could only stand motionless as the stranger stared at him. The feeling of stranger looking into his very soul creeping throughout his entire body, one question entered into the young Michael's mind. What was going on here?


"I see...you are different. People tend to see things in absolute, you are good and you are evil, yin and yang, with me and against me, to give examples. But you.., your mind is a different; you see the truth in both sides and find agreement in both and so get along with all. But, what happens when staying on the fence is not enough? What or who will sacrifice when forced to choose? That...is your decision and yours alone. Do not fear it for in the crossroads of life and bleakest of times is were change can happen and people awaken to their true potential"


His words…they ate away at his mind. What the meaning locked away behind them? He couldn’t hope to ever really figure them out. Nor did he have enough time to do so, as Philemon reached outward and card appeared from thin air. His gloved hand wrapping around it and with the slightest bit of pressure it was crushed blue butterflies escaping from its remains. They floated towards Michael entering into his chest and making their way to his heart.


He awoke, sweat dripping down from his face as he took deep breathes. That had been such a strange dream had it not? Everything had felt so real, but here was on his bed covered in sweat. He took a deep breath and moved his hands through his hair; a shower would really do him some good. Before he could so however his phone began to beep, the ring tone for texts filling the room.


I will burn my dread, I once ran away from the god of fear And he chained me to despair.


Michael rolled his eyes and picked up the phone next to him to read the text message, as he did so he could find himself getting annoyed.


Greetings, young child of man. In the mental realm we have met, and now in the physical realm, albeit indirectly. Mankind has always gone through ordeals. Many of them are small but significant, some are large and great, and still some affect one's life and grows to change many others. The Great Cataclysm, the Conception, the Fall, these are just some ordeals that mankind has faced in this world and in others, some of which mankind ultimately fail.


Once more, mankind faces another ordeal. An ordeal that stems from mankind itself and yet encompasses more than just that, ancient deities known as "demons."Shall mankind band together to survive? Or will humans simply continue to fight among themselves? Only time will tell.


However, child of Man, I can say with certainty that I believe mankind can gain victory, and I shall guide you humans to that path.


Inside this e-mail is a program that shall help you defeat those demons. The power to manifest one's mask as beings from legend and myth. Use it wisely.


“Oh hahaha, aren’t you funny spam.” He placed his phone down and began to move towards the bathroom, taking the aforementioned shower. He didn’t want to go school smelling like sweat, it was the first day after all. First day of school in a new country, even if Michael didn’t care about others he didn't want to smell bad. The shower was quick and so was the task of putting on his clothes, he didn't care what he wore. He was here to learn not look like some model. His morning meal with his family for the next year was boring, no one bothered to say much and he wouldn't be the one to start a conversation with them.


He was on his way to school now, his mind racing with thoughts about his dream.