I wrote this on a whim after remembering an old, unreleased fan fiction I wrote years ago. I just got off the press of Persona 5 Royal, but I haven't played Persona 1 in what feels like forever. I'll try to familiarize myself with the game and characters more as I write, but I apologize for any inaccuracies.

Chapter 1: Velvet Woes

"Better hustle next time, inmate!" Caroline whacked her baton on the side of the Velvet Room door.

Akira, having just left school for the week, begrudgingly dragged himself behind Central Street's shady alleyway. He was summoned out of the blue. It wasn't that that was peculiar though. After all, Igor seemed to always have another trick up his sleeve. No, instead it was Caroline and Justine's desperation to call him there. Considering the amount of times his phone disturbed class, it would be fair to say they were in a predicament of sorts. Usually they were considerate of his schedule as a student.

"We would like to have a word with you. It is an urgent matter." Justine looked back at him as disappeared into the portal-like door emanating a velvety blue fog.

Akira looked at Caroline and nodded before following the other warden's lead. Once inside, it was evident that both the door to his cell and Igor were no where to be found. The soothing piano melody in the background almost distracted from the gaping hole in the floor where Igor's desk used to be.

"It seems we're in quite the predicament." Justine stood looking over the matter, flipping through the pages on her clipboard, possibly for guidance.

"What happened to him?" Akira looked down at the small, deadpan warden. Envisioning Igor at his desk abruptly falling like a cartoon character forced Akira to hold a bit of laughter. Perhaps he even stayed in the air for a few seconds?

"No idea." Caroline interjected, catching up to their placements in the room.

"Not our master, nor out master's master, left any instructions for an instance like this." Justine shook her head, staring at her feet.

"And there's no way in hell we're going down there!" Caroline exclaimed. She pointed her baton at the frightening, pitch black void.

Caroline always had a way to chastise him before he even spoke. Not that it was surprising. She is supposed to be a prison warden–a small, supernatural one, but a warden nonetheless. Not being confined by chains this time, Akira felt a dying urge to show off snark in a place he'd otherwise be punished for it.

Raising an eyebrow, he sighed, "I kind of have a deadline to meet on this whole Niijima situation? Can't it wait?"

"Of course not, inmate!" Caroline's baton landed with a satisfying thwack against his calve before he could even take time to pat himself on the back for his bravery. The stinging pain lingered

"It is your duty as a guest of this place to serve it as it serves you. You must come to understand the responsibilities your rehabilitation brings forth."

"No slacking off! Got it?!" Caroline brandished her tiny weapon with an icy glare to boot.

"Do not worry, for I have summoned teammates I thought to be of use to you during your journey into the depths of... this." Justine gestured behind them.

"Woah, what the hell, man?" Akira was surprised to see Ryuji walking up behind him. "You know this place?"

"What in the-!" Ann stood there just as taken aback as the delinquent next to her.

"This looks just like the citadel! No! I'm not prepared for that fight yet!" Futaba ran and clung on to the lanky, blue-haired boy known as Yusuke.

"Do you like the selection?" Justine turned to the bespectacled guest.

"Dude! What is this place?" Ryuji exclaimed.

"I was walking my usual path to the subway and then suddenly I was here." Yusuke rubbed his temples, his eyes pressed closed.

"Urgh! This is what I get when I try to go outside!" Futaba stomped her foot.

"This is has got to be a dream." Ann sighed.

"Likewise. I'm waking up." Ryuji closed his eyes and made an attempt to wait for something to happen.

"I can assure you this is not a mere dream. You were all summoned here for an important task." Justine explained.

"Huh? Akira, why are you here?! Who are these two? And why are they kids?!" Ann ran up to the frizzy-haired boy wedged in between the two velvet twins.

"Aww they're so adorable! Can I take one home with me?!" Futaba detached from Yusuke's arm, her child-like wonder bringing about a sort of glimmer in her eyes.

"Sleepy..." Ryuji yawned.

"This is no time for sleep! You have a mission to carry out!" Caroline shouted, pointing her weapon at the delinquent boy. However, it seemed her efforts were for not, as Ryuji refused to open his eyes.

"It's complicated..." Akira rubbed the back of his neck and flashed an awkward smile.

"We'll be sure to explain whatever questions may arise. For now, please listen to what we have to say." A rare smile tugged at Justine's lips. "You will be rewarded for your efforts if you do well to serve us."

"This is so weird..." Ann shook her head and took another panoramic glance at the prison scenery. Akira himself hadn't gotten quite used to it yet, but the thought of the other's having to see it too never really crossed his mind. Sometimes it felt like the Velvet Room was detached from his adventures entirely. So yes, it was so weird.

"Don't tell me this has something to do with that, does it?" Yusuke gestured to the massive, dark crevice-shaped elephant in the room.

"We want you to investigate it, right inmate?" Caroline shot another glare at Igor's prized guest.

"W-wait! We have to go down there?" Futaba suddenly became jumpy again. She hid behind Ann this time instead, her glasses peering over one of the other girl's poofy blonde pigtails.

"Not you." Caroline scoffed. "Of course you'll stay here and do your little thing."

"O-oh. Uh... ok." Futaba fully disappeared behind Ann's hair.

"The rest of you will be required to make an excursion." Justine turned back around, peering down the abyss. "Good luck."

"But this is so sudden!" Ann looked back and forth between Akira and Caroline.

"You won't need to worry about that. I think." Justine said.

"Oh my god..." Ann sighed, crossing her arms and moving her sight to the floor.

The group heading into the hold steadily climbed down a set of spiraling staircase in pitch black darkness, holding onto the wall. Futaba, meanwhile, was stuck above them with the velvet assistants. Akira envisioned her nervously typing away at her keyboard. She was never very good with strangers. When he agreed to helping her put herself out there, Caroline and Justine were probably the last people he wanted involved.

This was a weird situation overall. A futile observation at this point, sure, but Akira always assumed Igor and the twins had the Velvet Room was taken care of.

"Hey! You guys, can you hear me?" Futaba's voice piped up when everyone else was silent.

"Yeah yeah we can hear you loud and clear." Ryuji sighed.

"Can you hear me as well?" Justine's voice interjected.

"Yep." Ann took another careful step down the path of stone stairs.

"Good. Now it may be-"

"Wait!" Futaba exclaimed, nearly startling everyone off their footing. "I'm getting a super weird reading below you guys!"

"The 'eff? What the hell is it?"

"I-I dunno! Please be careful!"

"Of course." Yusuke mumbled.

The darkness started to become replaced by an overbearing white. Soon enough, the stairs disappeared as well. The party was collectively sucked down the blinding abyss, all screaming and reaching out to the now nonexistent entrance. By then, they were engulfed in white and there was nothing they could do. That was it. Anybody with a brain would know it was foolish to just wander down there. It wasn't like he had a choice though.

"Guys!" Futaba's telepathic voice faded about as quickly as it appeared.

"Shit shit shit!" Ryuji shouted. Any noise they made seemed to trail behind them.

Then everything went blank.

Masao took another swing at the demon, his axe barely scraping the skin of one of its many toned, turquoise arms. The lock and chain dangling around its neck sang as its body twitched and all three of its grotesque faces bellowed a roar loud enough to shake the entire hospital room. It retaliated by throwing the high schooler what must've been twenty feet from where he stood. His scraped-up body quickly collided with that of his classmate Nanjo's. Together they tumbled onto the solid wood floor in a heap of flesh.

As expected, Nanjo didn't wait to re-orient himself before saying something slanderous. He had to, "Get off me, you worm-!"

"You're one to talk! You goddamn almost impaled me!"

"Guys!" Maki interrupted. "Focus!"

"R-right, ma'am!" Masao gulped before Nanjo swiftly shoved him away and steadily returned to a standing position.

"W-wouldn't it be wise to retreat?" Eriko leaned on her rapier, one eye pressed closed as her huffing breath showed signs of excruciating pain.

"Would you truly give up that easily?" Nanjo scoffed, brandishing his own longsword in fragile retaliation. His own body trembled from the many injuries he'd already sustained.

"There's no where to go..." Naoya's breath hitched. "But we can't just-"

"Uh, what in the hell!" Masao's eyes snapped open as he climbed to his feet.

Maki gasped, "Thats..."

Everyone looked up to notice a distortion forming in what used to be plain gray walls that surrounded. The demon they were fighting didn't even seem to pay mind to it. Suddenly, a flash of blinding light engulfed the area. It was only fleeting, but when it was over and they all unshielded their eyes, another group of completely different high schoolers were lying on the ground where they absent previously.

"Owww..." A blonde, possibly only half Japanese girl with twin tails whined, slowly sitting up.

"Dammit I think I cracked my ass." A boy with a delinquent-like appearance lay next to her.

"What the hell?!" Masao exclaimed.

"This is... odd?" Eriko muttered.

"It appears I have passed on." A boy with a lanky stature and deep voice spoke next. There was one more as well: a boy with frizzy black hair and thick-rimmed glasses quietly remained in pain, keeping his groans muffled. All of their uniforms looked unfamiliar as well. Not only that, but their style altogether looked rather off. It was more of a direct observation rather than an insult, of course.

"Are you guys ok?!" Another girl's voice called out, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"No..." The boy with glasses spoke up.

"You have to run! You're in danger!" Maki warned.

The ground shook. It seemed their adversary was starting to grow tired of their human bickering. The floor below them began to crack open and soon enough Maki was launched off her feet herself.

"Maki!" Masao ran to her side.

One of the mysterious teenager's heads perked up in retaliation to the commotion of the scene playing out in front of him, "H-huh?"

The Western-looking girl stood up in a hurry, "What is this?!"

"You need to get out of here or you'll die!" Naoya was stern in his warning, seemingly startling the girl even further.

"I-is that a shadow?" The disembodied girl's voice gasped.

"What...? Shadow?" Nanjo mumbled to himself through gritted teeth.

That word alone grabbed the attention of the mystery kids enough for them to snap out of whatever state they were in. They all climbed to their feet eventually.

"It is. I recognize it." The frizzy-hair boy pushed up his glasses in a manner so overly dramatic it could be considered corny. Hell, it could've lightened the mood if they weren't all on the brink of death.

"That's a hecatoncheires, right?" The disembodied voice spoke up again.

"It appears it's you all who are in need of retreat!" The scrawny boy looked the Hermelin kids up and down. In a way he was right. They had been fighting so long that their energy for summoning personas had drained. By that point, they were just normal people who also happened to have weapons.

"Arsene!" A sheen of blue flames danced across the bespectacled boy's face, replacing his extra pair of eyes with a decorative mask. Before the early stage of theatrics even passed, his hands wrapped around its sharp edges. Soon enough, those same hands would be covered in a layer of blood as the mask was torn from his skin. His uniform was quickly replaced by that of a long black coat. The crimson stains on his hands now turned to gloves, their thread tailoring around each finger impeccably.

Behind him materialized another being dawning dark gray feathered wings and a color scheme of bright red to match its owner.

"It can't possibly be..." Eriko coughed.

Arsene spun around and the threat of a demon was soon engulfed by a performance of black and red flames dancing from below its feet then rising and disappearing into thin air. Whatever that attack was seemed to have weakened in substantially.

"Eat shit!" The blonde boy, now dawning his own elaborate mask costume charged at the creature, landing a solid hit at its side. After it evaporated into black fog, the other two teenagers could be seen in those strange outfits as well.

"How embarrassing..." Nanjo's face crinkled into a begrudged smirk. His words trailed off before suddenly collapsing on the ground himself.

I'm trying a more simplistic style of writing than normal so if there's any way I can improve, please tell me! Thank you!