The world is not right.
It is distorted, and sent down the path of chaos.
Human desires shall become the downfall of man.

However…

There are those who would defy the course of fate.
From the beginning of their story, they are known only as,
"Trickster."

O slave…

You are a Trickster.
It is time to shatter your bonds and break free from this otherworldly prison.
It is time to claim your emancipation.

"Trickster of Fate"

"Damned punk…! You'll pay for this!"

The sound of sirens and a man's roaring voice threw the teen out of his sleep, startled and gasping. It took a moment for him to remember that he was on a train bound for Shibuya. Slowly, his body reclined back in the slightly uncomfortable padded seat and closed his eyes, taking a breath.

This isn't the courthouse. It wasn't the street. He was in a small moving box. Breath in, out.

'It's been a month since the court decided I would be put on probation, and here I am, being sent miles away from home.' Amamiya Ren thought sadly, clutching his bag as he looked out the window of the train. The scenery was passing by so quickly, he barely had any time to get a good look at the city. 'Has it...really been a month? It feels more like its been years.'

The incident was hazy in the back of his mind, mainly due to the stress that had been present in the events afterwards. The shouting of adults, the slamming of a hammer, the buzz of sirens ringing loudly in his ears, the disappointment from others. His world was falling apart by the seams. The only real friend he had left was the only one to see him off, but calling him a "friend" was pushing it. Did Amamiya consider him a friend? Or was he just a mere casual acquaintence at best?

[Shibuya. Shibuya.] the train's comm buzzed. [We will be arriving at Shibuya station momentarily. Please gather your belongings and wait outside the door.]

'Here's my stop...'

Pushing himself up, Amamiya took his bag and slung it over his shoulder, gently pushing his way through the thick crowd of people cramming the exit. The train squealed in its approach, slowly coming to a stop. A small jolt later and the doors opened, letting loose a steady flow of passengers back out and allowing new ones to enter. Amamiya had some trouble exiting, occasionally bumping into a few and swiftly apologizing. Compared to the small city he lived in, the city was crowded.

It wasn't hard leaving the station, despite a few difficulties in navigating his way out. There were so many people, he thought he must have bumped into a few number of people before finally leaving. The sky was clear and there were numerous birds flying overhead. Amamiya stopped briefly, marveling at the numerous towering buildings around him and the enormous crowd of people coming and going.

It was nothing like his home town. It was like a chaotic concrete jungle. And this was where he was going to spend a year?

Amamiya sighed, slightly in exasperation before he looked at his phone. Looking through his messages, he stopped at the one that had been near the lower middle. Attached to the message was a photograph of where he was supposed to meet his guardian for the year. It showed the statue of a dog, a recognizable landmark from brochures and magazines. Hachiko. It wasn't too hard to find, though navigating through a tight crowd was troublesome on its own.

Surprisingly, the Statue had been less packed than everywhere else he looked. There were quite a number of people here, though. Mostly high school students, given the matching uniforms. Most of them wore black blazers with turtlenecks and plaid pants. 'They're from...Shujin Academy, I think.' Amamiya thought. 'One of the best schools in Tokyo. It was the only other school that would accept me.'

Following a meeting with the detective in charge of his case, and after that farce of a trial, Amamiya was given a choice. No other school would accept him, so his only option was to move elsewhere and attend school in that region. There were two choices: Shujin Academy, one of the better known schools in the Tokyo Area or Kosei High School, which was known for its cultural arts program. Either choices sounded good, so he mostly just relied on his decision being the flip of a coin. When the coin landed, Kosei was chosen.

If he was being honest, Amamiya didn't have that big of an interest in arts. Then again, it wouldn't hurt to have a hobby, since he would be spending a year here.

'I wonder who my guardian will be for the year. At best, the only thing I know about her is that she works for the government, but nothing else.'

That was a bit scary, though. Living with a complete stranger for a year? Granted, it could be worse. Even so, he had no right to refuse. For all intents and purposes, he may as well have been handcuffed and being sent to his own little cell. He could practically see it. Chains around his ankles and wrists, the world reduced to a hallow corridor, faceless figures escorting him down it. The lights were dim, barely enough illumination to see the cracks in the wall and across the floor. His footsteps echoed, though they sounded more like the songs of inmates, cheering for the arrival of fresh meat. In the shadows were faces, leering and sneering at him with eyes tracking his every movements and-

"Amamiya? Ren Amamiya?"

The world snapped back into reality as Amamiya shrunk back, stepping away from the woman in front of him. He was so deep into his own head that he hadn't noticed someone approaching him. His reaction also surprised her, as she reared back slightly.

She was beautiful. Very pretty. Long gray hair, asymmetrically parted on her right side and mauve red eyes that brimmed with intelligence. A black business suit, fitting on her slim form with a black turtleneck. Blazer's cuffs and the lower part with a clamshell-like design to them. Accessory-wise, she wore a necklace of a section sign, earrings, and a few dark hair clips found above her right ear. Strapped over her shoulder was a dark leather purse.

Realizing his mistake, Amamiya clammed up. "S-sorry."

"No, I apologize. You were clearly deep in thought." the woman told him. She looked at him, up and down, before tilting her head. "You were younger than I was expecting." Shaking her head, the woman extended a hand. "At any rate, my name is Niijima Sae. For the next year, I'll be looking after you."

For a moment, he was stunned. She was going to be his caretaker? His surprise only lasted for a moment before he accepted her hand, noting how firm her grip was. "Nice to meet you."

TakeYourTime

The ride to Sagamihara had mostly been in silence, whether it was because Niijima didn't want to strike up a conversation or Amamiya was just uncomfortable speaking with her. It had gone on for maybe two or three minutes before the woman had stopped at a red light. Her eyes remained firmly on the road, though it was clear even she was a bit uncomfortable.

"...I've read up on your situation, you know. According to the report, you attacked a man, though you claim you saw him harassing a woman and pulled him off. After which, he sustained a minor head injury after he hit the curb, and afterwards sued you. Do I have that right?" Numbly, Amamiya nodded rather than give a verbal answer. Noticing the silence, Niijima sighed. "You aren't much of a talker, are you?"

"...sorry."

She shook her head. "I'm sure you've already been given the details, but I'll say it again, just for clarification's sake. You'll be under my supervision until next March 16th. It won't mean you'll be living under the same roof as me, however. I've already talked it over with the landlord of the apartment complex I'm in, and she's agreed to let you have an apartment next to mine. It goes without saying, but if you cause any trouble for me or the landlord, you'll be thrown out immediately. This also applies to Kosei High School as well. If you cause any trouble there, you'll be expelled."

Amamiya grimaced. Her tone was clipped, but even. They weren't scathing, just merely scolding. Not that he wasn't expecting it. It was only reminding him of his situation. His fingers dug into the fabric of his bag. "...I understand."

"If you do, then don't cause any trouble. I have my hands full as it is with my own job and looking after my sister. I don't need any more unnecessary problems."

'If you don't want the extra baggage, then why did you agree to look after me in the first place?' Amamiya wanted to ask, but refrained from it. He didn't want to risk angering the one who was going to be in charge of his life. His warden. Jailer.

The rest of the ride was done in silence, with Niijima keeping her eyes on the road as the light finally turned green and Amamiya unable to look anywhere but his own lap.

Saturday, April 9th [Afternoon]

Sagamihara was one of the more populated cities in the Greater Tokyo Area, being a next-door-neighbor to Machida. It wasn't too far from the coastline, but it wasn't too far away from the Aoyama school district, where Shujin and Kosei were located. The apartment complex wasn't small by any means. In fact, Amamiya thought it was perhaps too large. Niijima hadn't spoken much, even as she led him inside and giving him a few words, telling him not to wander off or to follow her. Honestly, he thought he must have been wearing a collar at this point. He felt like a dog being led around. After a minute or so in the elevator, their stop arrived. The walkway provided an excellent view of the area, though sadly the ocean was nowhere in sight.

A shame. The view might help ease his mind off things.

"This will be your apartment." Niijima revealed his new home for the year, using a key to open the door, swinging it open before she held it out for him to take. "Each tenant is only given one key. If you lose it, you'll have to pay for a replacement. Word of warning, they aren't cheap either."

"Right." Amamiya accepted the key, stowing it away inside his pocket. Looking at the entryway, he couldn't help but remember how his mind wandered off into that narrow corridor. It didn't help the fact that it was dim, though that was only because there wasn't any lights on. He took notice of the many cardboard boxes near the entrance, each with a label on the side.

"I'll leave it to you to unpack." Niijima said as she turned on her heel. She stopped shortly after though once her hand was on the knob of the door to her apartment. "One more thing. I expect you to be up early tomorrow. We're meeting with the principal of Kosei regarding your placement there."

Just like in the car, Amamiya gave no verbal answer. Merely an obedient nod. Niijima accepted it and left him to his own devices, entering her apartment and closing the door behind her. He stared at her door for a few minutes before he entered his apartment, closing the door behind him. The air smelled somewhat stale and musty. A thin layer of dust had already accumulated on the floor, meaning that the apartment hadn't been used in a while.

"We find the defendant... Guilty."

"I'm sorry, Ren-chan..."

"How could you ruin your own future by pulling something like this?! Why won't you answer me, boy?!"

"Stay away from us."

"Crap, he's looking this way!"

Amamiya's shoulders trembled as he pushed his back against the door, staring up at the ceiling with a foreign look in his eyes. Memories from after his arrest and subsequent label as a juvenile came back to him for no reason. The faces of everyone he used to know, the people who had a place in his heart, were no longer there. They had been replaced by strangers. People who looked at him differently than before. Scorn. Hate. Fear. Sadness.

"Damned punk... You'll pay for this!"

The night replayed in his mind. As it did, Amamiya's hands curled into balls.

"But... It wasn't my fault..."

Sunday, April 10th [Morning]

Amamiya had not unpacked the other night. He had been too exhausted to even attempt the effort and instead went straight to bed. Whether or not Niijima cared about this, he didn't know, as she simply came to collect him. Once again, it was a silent drive to Kosei Academy, though unlike before, Amamiya was glad for it. He wasn't in the talking mood today, either.

Kosei Academy's campus was fairly large. As one expected, there was a gate out in the front, though otherwise it was stone walls and a large white building with several windows revealing its hallways and the school emblem just underneath the clock out on the front of the main building. If any of it stood out, it was the large clocktower sitting to the far back.

The principal of Kosei was a fairly old man, with sunken cheeks and a frost-white beard that stretched out a bit in a fuzzy mess with beady eyes hiding beneath a pair of glasses. His hair was the same as his beard and swept back neatly, leaving only a few strands out of place. His hands were folded neatly, elbows propped on his desk. Amamiya couldn't help but notice how much the man looked like a warden at a prison, due to the suit he wore and its color.

"Now, I'm sure you've been told this several times before, Ren-kun, but if you cause any mischief during your time here at Kosei, we will have no choice but to expel you." Principal Shikibu said, though surprisingly, his tone had been rather gentle than scathing. If anything, it was like an adult talking to a child who didn't know any better or something. "With that said, of course, we do hope you find some peace of mind while you're here."

He turned his attention to the young woman standing next to him. She looked to be around the same age as Sae if not younger, with dark brown hair tied into a braid and dark purple eyes. Like Principal Shikibu, she also wore thin glasses that hid her eyes, though a glare obscured any sort of presence behind them. She looked the part of a teacher, wearing only a button-up shirt and a black skirt that came down to her knees with fishnet stockings and stiletto heels.

"This is Honoda Saegusa. She'll be your homeroom teacher for the year."

Amamiya bowed respectfully. Honoda merely nodded back. She then put something out on the desk. "This will be your student ID and hand-book." she told him, her tone even. "It goes without saying, but don't lose them."

"As I'm sure you are already aware, Kosei offers its students a wide variety of cultural arts programs. Since you'll be with us for the year, I'm sure you'll be able to find something that will keep you occupied." Principal Shikibu explained, waving his hand. "Of course, the decision is yours. We are merely open our doors to you. Now then, I shouldn't waste anymore of your time." The old man smiled slightly as he looked at Niijima, bowing his head. "Especially yours, Niijima-san."

"Thank you, Shikibu-sensei." Niijima bowed deeply before turning on her heel. "Amamiya, let's go."

The teen nodded meekly. As he made his way to leave, Principal Shikibu called out to him. "Oh, before you go, Ren-kun. Let me offer a piece of advice: No one can survive as a stranded isle in the oasis. You'd do well to make some friends while you are here. You would be surprised what someone with those at his side can do. If I may quote the motto of the Kirijo Family: Two in harmony shall surpass one in perfection."

Amamiya didn't understand the meaning behind his words. Even so, he could tell the old man was different. He wasn't treating him like some common criminal or something. It was...refreshing. Nice. Smiling, he pretended to understand the significance of his words and followed Niijima out of Kosei.

'Friends, huh? With my luck... That will be impossible.'

Sunday, April 10th [Evening]

"...done."

Not long after they had returned from Kosei, Amamiya finally found it within himself to begin unpacking. He repressed any and all wishes to go down memory lane, out of fear of dragging up that night again and being forced to relive it. He didn't bring much with him from home. Merely the bare essentials and a few comforts, such as his sheets, blankets, pillows, etc. After he cleaned up the apartment, re-arranging furniture and whatnot to suit his needs, he began putting everything in place. Once everything was finished, he allowed himself to take a break and sit on his bed.

'A year... I'm stuck here for a whole year, huh?'

The situation was starting to set in. He wanted to scream and cry out of frustration that this happened to him. It wasn't his fault. He was doing the right thing, wasn't he? He just couldn't let that happen right in front of him.

So...why did things turn out this way?

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair!

It wasn't...

'I'm so tired...' Amamiya yawned loudly, unable to keep his eyes open for long. His back fell unto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. 'I should just...go to sleep...'

Slowly, his eyelids hid the world from him, leaving him trapped in darkness.

Chains rattled in a dark blue room, stirring the occupant of the cell awake. It was barely lit, revealing only a tiny space that would allow for minimal movement. His leg was held down, strapped to a ball-and-chain. The only exit was concealed by steel bars, guarded by two young girls, each dressed in matching blue outfits with an eyepatch over a different eye.

In the center of the room, a man stared at the cell's occupant, as if judging his worth before the occupant finally noticed the disturbing smile that stretched across his face.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young man."

Monday, April 11th [Morning]

Amamiya woke up with startled cry, body swinging upright. A cold sweat had drenched him from head to toe, sliding down his skin in a slimy, slow crawl that brought shivers down his back. Wildly, he looked around his room, looking for even the slightest discrepancy before he settled down, putting a palm to his face.

"A...dream. It was...just a dream." he assured himself. His heart was still beating like crazy. What in the world kind of dream was that? Was he really stressed out this much?

Sighing, Amamiya pulled himself out of his bed.

The next few minutes were spent washing himself in the bathroom, getting ready for school and trying to calm his nerves. The hot water ran down his body, wiping away the anxiety he felt for so long and the cold sweat that had disgusted him. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. What kind of school life would be waiting for him at Kosei Academy? Would he be able to keep his head down while he was there? What about the teachers? Would they give him grief because of his record? Would anyone find out about it? The more he kept thinking about the cons more than the pros, the more worried he became.

A downside to those worries was that he found himself scrubbing his hair too furiously, making him cringe when he felt his nails digging into his scalp.

After five minutes in the shower, he cleaned himself off and threw on his uniform. Looking at himself in the mirror, it wasn't too different from the one from his old school. A simple dark blazer with a red-and-blue striped tie and dark dress pants with a white button-up shirt. As he was about to leave, he noticed his glasses still sitting on the counter.

'It really is pathetic. I have to rely on glasses just to put on a show...'

But it was a necessary ruse. After all, since when did anybody ever expect the quiet, unassuming four-eyes to be a guy with a criminal record? Slipping the glasses on his face, he left the bathroom and took his bag. As he opened his door, he found an unexpected face standing outside: a girl with brown hair in a bob cut with blunt bangs and a braided headband. Her eyes were the same mauve red color as Niijima. She wore what looked like the Shujin Academy uniform, only without the standard blazer. Instead, she wore a black halter vest over a long sleeve white shirt with a turtleneck. She also wore a black and red pleated plaid skirt. She had black tights and brown ankle boots.

"O-oh, you're already awake." the girl remarked. Amamiya tilted his head, wondering who she could have been. Was she one of the other tenants here? Seeing his confusion, the girl bowed politely. "My name is Niijima Makoto. I'm Sae's younger sister." Ah. That would explain the eyes. "Nee-san left early today, so she asked me to show you the way to Kosei. If...that's okay with you."

Amamiya nodded, having no problems with the arrangement. The younger Niijima smiled slightly, though he could see the slight flinch in her form. Obviously, she was not comfortable escorting the guy who attacked someone unprovoked. Internally, he sighed but had no choice but to bear with it for now.

After all, prisoners had no say in the matter.

"Shall we go?"

After locking up, Amamiya and the younger Niijima left the apartment complex. At the time, the teen had no idea about the mysterious app that had suddenly appeared on his phone, represented by an eye with a star for a pupil.

#1: The Start of a New Journey for You

"You're that new transfer, right?"

"My name is Togo Hifumi. It's a pleasure."

"Another time, then, Takamaki-san."

The Next Number! A Prison with No Bars!

So, this is my third story. Honesty, this shouldn't even be out yet. I still have two other stories to work on. Then again, on the plus side, I don't have, like, a bijilion other stories to juggle with. Three stories is very managable. Four if you include the other story I have in the works.

This is also my first Persona story. I only recently got the game, but I have watched youtube vids by JohneAwesome and Shirrako. I'm also doing an Alternate Universe take, as you can see by my choice of having Amamiya attending Kosei instead of Shujin.

To clarify, though, most of the Palace targets will remain the same. Its merely a challenge of why would Amamiya tackle them. Best example being Kamoshida. Being in another school, he wouldn't know about the abuse. And Kamoshida is pretty much the root of most of his problems: he got his record leaked, he was constantly antagonizing him at every opportunity and he even threatened him with expulsion. Now that he's in Kosei, he isn't aware of what's happening.

I have found a solution to this, though.

Well, I don't know when the next chapter will be up. On the other hand, though, I kind of feel like this chapter was pretty weak. I may go back and re-write the whole thing.

That's it for now. See you later, fellow Phantom Thieves.