April 16th, 2012, City of Auros, Midday.
The artificial sun of the Underworld beat down upon the agricultural city of Auros, its rays a comfortable, consistent warmth that nurtured the strange purple crops surrounding the settlement.
In the quiet guestroom of the mayor's residence, Seekvaira Agares allowed herself a moment of respite.
The morning's parade, a necessary but exhausting duty as the heiress of her powerful clan, was finally over. The green-haired girl laid upon the plush bed, savoring the silence, when a soft knock interrupted her peace.
"Come in," she called, not bothering to sit up.
The door opened to reveal Alivian, the queen of her peerage. A reincarnated zmei, a Slavic dragon of significant power, he now wore the impeccable guise of a butler with effortless grace. He pushed a polished food trolley into the room, its surface laden with an array of exquisite dishes crafted from the finest local produce.
"Lady Seekvaira, I have brought your lunch," he announced, his voice a calm, respectful baritone.
"Thank you, Alivian," she said, finally sitting up and eyeing the spread with appreciation. The aromas of roasted grains and spiced fruits filled the room.
"It is my pleasure," he replied with a slight bow, turning to leave.
"Before you go," Seekvaira began, her sharp eyes fixing on him. "Where did you disappear to earlier? You left the carriage procession but returned quite promptly."
"I stopped a kidnapping, my lady," Alivian answered simply, pausing by the door.
"A kidnapping?" Seekvaira's interest was piqued. She set down her fork. "Elaborate."
"Two common criminals attempted to sell a stolen bird familiar to the Phenex merchant representative. I intervened and returned the creature to its owner, a magician. The interesting detail is that when the merchant subsequently made a generous offer to purchase the familiar outright, the woman refused him."
"All that trouble for a bird?" Seekvaira mused, taking a delicate bite. "Though if a Phenex merchant was willing to pay, it must have been a remarkable specimen."
"Indeed. From what I overheard, he believed it would make a fine addition to Lady Ravel's personal collection of avian pets."
Seekvaira's mind drifted. 'The last time I visited the Phenex estate, their aviary was a spectacle of biodiversity, rivaling even the Agreas family's private zoo.'
The thought of such a coveted creature being refused a place there was curious.
"Alivian, did you recognize this magician?"
"No, my lady. She introduced herself as Elizabeth. I am certain she was neither a reincarnated devil nor a noble-born one. She carried herself with an odd... otherness."
"A commoner with a strong magical susceptibility, then," Seekvaira deduced. "Some of them still manifest weak demonic traits despite their non-pillar lineage. If her talent in the summoning field is genuine enough to attract a Phenex offer, she could be useful. I would prefer not to wait months for an opening at the Familiar Forest to equip my peerage." A plan began to form in her strategic mind. "Find her, Alivian. Extend an invitation for a discussion."
"At once, Lady Seekvaira," he said with another bow, exiting swiftly and silently.
Meanwhile, in the bustling heart of Auros Square, Elizabeth and a thoroughly chastised Quicksilver navigated the vibrant market. The attendant's golden eyes scanned the stalls with open curiosity, while the rooster-form Persona followed in a sulky, obedient silence.
'Should I purchase a souvenir for Makoto?' Elizabeth wondered, her gaze drifting over arrays of strange fruits and artisan crafts. Then she saw it: a stall gleaming with rows of brightly colored canned beverages, each purportedly made from the unique fruits of the Agares territory.
'Oh, beverages!' Her eyes lit up with delight. 'One, two, three... eight different varieties!' she counted internally. 'I didn't ask Serafall about the local currency. No matter, precious metals are a universal constant. I shall purchase two of each—one for me, and one for Makoto.' She nodded, immensely pleased with her decision.
Her attention then fell upon the sullen golden rooster at her feet. "Do you desire some wheat grains, Quicksilver?" she teased.
To her genuine surprise, Mercurius puffed out his magnificent chest and let out a soft, affirmative crow. He was, it seemed, willing to play the part if it meant a snack.
"I shall consider it," she said, turning her attention to the vendor. "Good day, sir. What is the price for two cans of each beverage you offer?"
"Two of each?" the vendor repeated, doing a quick mental calculation. "That will be twenty luciferings. Would you like a bag to—"
His sentence died in his throat, his mouth dropping open in sheer astonishment. The entire market seemed to hush as Elizabeth placidly placed a solid gold ingot, nearly half a meter long, onto his counter.
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Dozens of eyes locked onto the gleaming bar of pure wealth.
"Is there a problem?" Elizabeth asked, her head tilting in genuine confusion. "Do you not accept gold here?"
"N-no! No problem at all!" the shopkeeper stammered, his hands shaking as he swiftly bagged all sixteen cans. "Here you are! Enjoy, and please, come back soon!" He practically shoved the bag into her hands, his eyes darting between her face and the ingot as if expecting it to vanish.
"Thank you," Elizabeth said cheerfully, taking her purchase and turning to leave, utterly oblivious to the stunned silence and covetous stares that followed her.
It was this very commotion that drew Alivian back to the square. He arrived to find a growing crowd and several guards trying to calm a fervent argument that had broken out near the drink stall.
"What is happening here?" he demanded of the nearest guard, who immediately recognized him and snapped to attention.
"Lord Alivian! A fight broke out, sir. Someone used a literal ingot of gold to pay for drinks. People started scrambling for it."
'Paying with a gold ingot? Is she trying to get herself robbed?' Alivian thought, incredulous. He watched as the guards finally restored order, scolding the crowd for their avarice.
Devils were naturally susceptible to greed, but they were not mere monsters—most could exercise restraint.
Then he saw her: the woman in blue, carrying a bag of goods, her golden rooster trailing behind her like a disgruntled shadow.
'There she is. If I am quick, I can intercept her before she attracts more trouble,' he thought, beginning to make his way through the thinning crowd.
He noticed, with a sinking feeling, that he was not the only one following her. At least five other figures were shadowing her movements with less-than-honorable intentions. 'This woman is a magnet for trouble. Either she attracts every criminal in the city, or this city has a profound problem.'
Unaware of her entourage, Elizabeth decided her shopping was complete. "I believe this is sufficient for today, Quicksilver. Let us return home," she announced, turning into a narrow, deserted alley she deemed suitable for summoning a door back to the Velvet Room.
"Elizabeth, you just paid for beverages with a fortune in raw gold. Walking into a dead-end alley is the height of folly," Mercurius hissed, his voice low and urgent. "And we are being followed by no fewer than six individuals."
"And? We are simply going home," she replied, unconcerned.
"Are you truly that naïve, Attendant?" he asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer was a resounding yes.
They had only taken a few steps into the alley's shadows when five figures fanned out, blocking the entrance. A sixth, Alivian, hung back at the mouth of the alley, observing, ready to intervene if necessary.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," one of the thugs mocked, his voice echoing off the close walls. "A rich girl with so much money she uses a solid ingot to buy canned juice."
"Who do you think you are? Some Pillar noble? Time to learn your place!" another shouted, cracking his knuckles.
"And while you're at it, hand over the rest of your gold," a third demanded, stepping closer.
'This will not end well,' Mercurius whined internally. 'When we return, I will insist the Universe teach his attendant the basic rules of a functioning society!'
"Oh," Elizabeth said, her face lighting up with amusement. "Is this what they call a robbery? Makoto watches a television program called Phoenix Ranger Featherman R. They defeat people like you. If I defeat you, does that make me a hero as well?"
"What in the Satans' name are you babbling about?!" they shouted in unison, advancing menacingly. One of them spotted the large, leather-bound book she carried. "Is that a magic book? As if you could use it. Hand it over, and maybe no one gets hurt."
Elizabeth's demeanor shifted instantly. Her playful smile vanished, replaced by a chilling stillness. Her hand went to the cover of the Persona Compendium, her fingers caressing the leather with a possessive tenderness.
"How dare you..." she whispered, her voice dropping to a venomous low.
Mercurius felt a surge of divine panic. "No! Attendant, don't! Please!" he crowed, desperate.
"You call yourselves devils?" Elizabeth's voice rose, her eyes beginning to glow with an intense, terrifying light. "Let us see how you fare against a real one. Come forth. Beelzebub!"
The air crackled with immense, hostile power. The form of the Ultimate Persona of the Devil Arcana began to materialize, a monstrous fly-like entity radiating pure miasma and decay. The thugs froze, their bravado replaced by primal terror.
But before the summoning could complete, before the alley could be torn asunder by a power far beyond its scope, Mercurius acted. In a flash of blue light, he abandoned his rooster form, returning to his true divine appearance. He spun his caduceus with desperate speed, channeling every ounce of his power into The Wanderer.
"Tempus fugit!" he cried.
There was a brilliant, concussive flash of light that swallowed Elizabeth, the half-formed Beelzebub, and himself. When the light vanished a second later, the alley was empty save for five terrified, confused criminals and a single bewildered butler, all staring at the spot where Mercurius and Elizabeth had just vanished from the face of the Underworld.
April 16th, 2012, Tartarus, Afternoon.
The transition from the sun-drenched alley of Auros to the oppressive, shifting architecture of Tartarus was instantaneous. The half-formed, monstrous visage of Beelzebub dissolved into motes of dark energy before it could fully manifest, its summoned rage cut short.
Elizabeth landed gracefully on the cold floor, her expression one of sharp annoyance. Mercurius stood before her, having returned to his true, divine form, his chest heaving with exertion and panic.
"Why did you stop me?" the Attendant demanded, a rare frown marring her features.
"Are you being serious!?" Mercurius shouted, his voice echoing through the barren halls. "You were on the verge of unleashing Beelzebub in the middle of a populated city! The resulting miasma and decay could have wiped out that entire district! All over a handful of common thieves!"
"Yeah," Elizabeth replied, her tone defensive yet carrying a faint, unfamiliar hint of guilt. She looked away, her fingers brushing against the cover of the Persona Compendium. "I... took it personally. They overstepped their boundaries. They threatened this."
For any Attendant to a Wildcard the Persona Compendium wasn't merely a book, it was both a task and their reason to live entirely.
Before Mercurius could deliver a furious rebuttal, the familiar, ornate door that connected Tartarus to the Velvet Room swung open. Ryoji Mochizuki burst through, his usually placid face etched with alarm. He emerged from the deep shadows cast by the labyrinth's impossible geometry, his form almost seeming to bleed from the darkness itself.
"Attendant!?" he called out, his voice tight with worry. "What happened? Makoto felt the surge of power from Beelzebub being called, and we hurried back immediately!"
A moment later, Makoto himself stepped through the door, his evoker held loosely at his side, his eyes scanning the scene for immediate danger. "Liz?"
As soon as she heard Makoto's voice, every trace of guilt and irritation vanished from Elizabeth's face, replaced by her characteristic, beatific smile. The woman who had nearly laid waste to a city was gone, replaced by the playful denizen of the Velvet Room.
"Makoto! I bought these for you. Here, take them," she said cheerfully, practically shoving the bag full of colorful canned drinks into his arms, her previous fury entirely forgotten.
"Thanks...?" Makoto said, accepting the bag with a look of profound confusion. He glanced from the beverages to Elizabeth's radiant smile, then to the still-agitated Mercurius.
Ryoji was not so easily diverted. "Attendant, what happened?" he pressed, his gaze serious.
"Nothing of importance," Elizabeth dismissed the question with a airy wave of her hand. "We simply concluded our errand and decided to return home. That is all." Her tone was final.
Mercurius drew a breath, ready to contradict her and explain the sheer magnitude of the catastrophe she had nearly caused. But the words died in his throat as Elizabeth's eyes flicked toward him.
It was not a look of anger, but a simple, silent glare that promised immense and creative retribution if he spoke a single word. The God of Travelers and Thieves, for perhaps the first time, chose discretion and closed his mouth.
"Makoto," Elizabeth continued, seamlessly changing the subject as if the previous moment had never occurred, "would you like to go eat somewhere together this evening?"
Makoto was certain something significant had transpired. The residual energy of a powerful Persona summoning lingered in the air, and Mercurius's anxious posture was telling.
Yet, his trust in Elizabeth was absolute. If she said it was nothing, he would accept that. She had never given him a reason to doubt her care for his well-being and the world's safety.
"Sure," he answered simply.
Ryoji watched the exchange, his own concerns momentarily sidelined. He, too, was keeping secrets. Earlier that day, Rias Gremory had confided in him about her forced engagement and her only hope of escape: victory in a Rating Game. She had been adamant that Makoto not be involved, a sentiment Ryoji fiercely shared.
'The Attendant is keeping her secrets,' he thought, observing Elizabeth's flawless performance. 'The same as me. Rias is Makoto's Priestess, but she herself refused to burden him with this. Neither will I. He carries the weight of the universe on his shoulders; he is the only one who can stand against an existential threat like Nyarlathotep. That is more than enough for a seventeen-year-old boy.'
His eyes met Elizabeth's for a mere second. In that fleeting glance, a silent understanding passed between them—a pact of mutual secrecy for the sake of the boy they both served in their own ways.
If only they knew how wrong that choice was...