As she dragged me toward class, my mind kept drifting back to that dream—if you could even call it a dream. It felt more like a vision: visceral, haunting, and unshakeable.
Why would my Arcana speak to me before I've even awakened it? I already knew the answer, even if I didn't want to admit it. Something dark was brewing. Something terrible was going to happen today, and I could feel it in my marrow: it was going to cost me my Persona. I wasn't ready. I wasn't even close. But then again, there's no bartering with Fate, is there?
"Hey! Are you even listening?"
Izame's voice snapped my consciousness back to reality, her shout piercing through my spiraling thoughts.
"Silver! Are you there? We're about to make it to class, silly!" she cried, hauling me around the last corner of the wide, echoing hallway.
"Please... let me go, Izame... this doesn't feel too good," I managed to groan, attempting to find my footing while she kept a firm grip on my arm.
"Nope! Sorry, can't do that, Silver!" She reached the classroom door and swung it open with a flourish. "We're here!"
With a sudden heave, she tossed me across the polished floor.
"Oww! Would it kill you to be gentle?" I complained, somehow managing to tumble across the tiles and land, by some miracle, perfectly into a vacant chair.
The entire class of twenty students turned as one, staring at me with expressions of pure confusion. Amidst the heavy silence, an unrecognized voice drifted down from above. "Wow. You two sure know how to make an entrance."
I looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the voice as the other students continued to gawk.
"I'm up here, kid," the voice said.
I tilted my head back. "Now why the hell are you standing on the ceiling? You must be the teacher, right?"
"Yes, indeed I am," he answered with a smirk, looking down at me as if gravity were merely a suggestion.
"Why are you on the roof?" I asked, bewildered.
"I wanted to give my new students a special surprise. Why else?" He replied, jumping down with effortless grace and landing without a sound.
"All right, class, it's time for introductions. First off, my name is Lucius, and from now on, I will be your teacher and supervisor." He walked to the front of the room, every head tracking his movement. "Today, we won't have a formal lesson. Instead, we'll do introductions and get to know one another. And since you made such a grand entrance... you go first, kid."
"Me? All right, I guess... ah, my back really hurts," I muttered, pushing myself up and limping to the front. "Hello, everybody. My name is Silver Archive. I'm fourteen years old. My goal is just to live a peaceful life, so hopefully, we can all be friends."
The class offered a polite round of applause.
Before I could head back to my seat, Lucius held up a hand. "Before you sit down, I have a question. You said your name was Archive, right? Are you related to the Student Council President?" He tilted his head, a pondering look on his face.
"Yes, I am. Maki is my sister."
The room erupted in whispers as students exchanged shocked glances.
"NO WAY! You're the Student Council President's brother?" a boy stood up and yelled.
"Yeah, I am. But it really isn't a big deal," I said, offering a small, awkward smile.
"That's so cool!" a girl in the back added.
"Haha..." I laughed nervously, rubbing the back of my neck.
"Alright, alright, don't praise him! You're just going to inflate his ego," Izame chimed in from her seat, though she had a small smirk on her face.
Lucius leaned in closer, his tone teasing. "You two seem really close. Are you childhood friends... or maybe lovers?"
Izame's face turned a brilliant shade of crimson. "N-No! We're not lovers!"
"Sure, if you say so," Lucius smirked, turning back to the chalkboard.
"Can we just get class started, Teacher?" Izame snapped, her expression annoyed as she tried to hide her blushing cheeks.
"Oh, yeah, you're right. Forget the formal introductions. How about you all get to know each other on your own time?" Lucius announced, leaning against his desk.
This dude really made me introduce myself just to change his mind immediately? I thought, sighing.
"Alright, class, you're dismissed," Lucius instructed, starting to walk toward the back door of the classroom. "You can stay here or look around campus for now, but meet me at the training grounds at 11 o'clock sharp."
"Wait, Teach, where are you going?" I asked.
Instead of just shouting from the front, I walked up toward him, stopping a few feet away. He paused at the door, looking back at me.
"I have things to attend to. And you don't have to call me 'teacher,' Silver—or anyone else, for that matter. I'm only seventeen, after all. Just call me Lucius."
The whole class shouted in sync: "YOU'RE SEVENTEEN?!"
"Yes, I'm seventeen. Do I really look that old?" Lucius asked, looking genuinely offended for a moment.
"No, you don't," I admitted, looking him over. "I just thought you were... naturally youthful or something. Haha."
"I'll take it, I guess," Lucius said, waving a hand as he disappeared into the hall.
I let out a breath and walked back toward the back of the room. I stopped at my desk and sat in the seat next to the window, finally finding some comfort. Izame was already there, waiting. This is probably the best seat I could choose. Hopefully, I can stay out of conflict here.
Immediately, the classroom buzzed with conversation. A boy leaned over toward my desk. "Hey, your name is Silver, right?"
"Yeah, it is. What's yours?"
"My name is Makoto. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, Makoto."
He turned to Izame. "And what's your name?"
"I'm Izame."
"Nice."
As we spoke, a girl stood up and walked over to join us. "Hey, can I join you guys?"
"Yeah, sure, why not?" Izame responded warmly.
"Yeah, go ahead," Makoto added, tilting his head with a smile. "What do you say, Silver?"
"Yeah, I don't have a problem with it," I said, my gaze drifting back toward the window.
Izame looked at the newcomer with an excited face. "Alright, what's your name, girly?"
"My name's Yuki. How about you?" Yuki responded with a wide grin.
"THAT'S SO CUTEEE! My name's Izame!" she squealed.
Hearing the volume of her voice, I stood up from my chair and walked the small distance to her side. I leaned in close to her, lowering my voice so only she could hear.
"Izame, sit back down and lower your voice while you're at it, please," I muttered.
She froze for a second as I hovered near her. I pulled back slightly and turned to face her fully. "It's not that I want to be mean... it's just the whole class is staring at us, and I don't really like it," I said, my face tight with anxiety.
Izame blinked, her face softening. "Wow, I bet you're fun at parties, you gloomy bastard," she retorted, though her voice was much quieter now. "Oh... yeah. Let me sit down. I'm sorry."
Yuki laughed. "You two are hilarious! You're like an old married couple, haha!"
"Come on, everybody says that, but we're not dating or anything," I sighed, returning to my own seat.
"Yeah, we're not dating. It's not that funny," Izame added, though she didn't sound as mad as before.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Yuki giggled, wiping away a tear of laughter.
"I think it's funny," Makoto chimed in.
"Yeah, we can tell," Izame said dryly.
I checked my phone, noticing the time. "Oh, guys, we have an hour left. We should probably look around the school before we have to be at the training grounds."
"Okay, let's go!" Izame replied, jumping up.