[7/3 (Wednesday) - Early Morning]
[Velvet Room]
"First," Igor began, bowing his head slightly. "We of the Velvet Room would like to offer our apologies."
Surprised, Clerval immediately moved to stop him from bowing any further.
"Thank you."
Raising his head once more, Igor continued.
"To provide some context, for guests who are currently on their journey, most... 'activities' are conducted through a physical medium that exists parallel to reality. In this case, that medium is the Labyrinth."
"However, we did not anticipate such an unusual predicament occurring. The manifestation of a Shadow into reality—and its apparent connection to the creatures of darkness native to this world—was something even we did not expect."
"Though, your case has always been... unique, as a guest of the Velvet Room."
Igor paused.
"Nonetheless, due to the surprise of witnessing hidden forces at play, our Master has decided that he, too, will partake in helping you through your journey."
All of this was making little to no sense.
Hidden forces?
And now there was supposedly a Master of Igor?
Clerval questioned him about the points he was hearing for the first time.
"I understand your confusion. However, I'm afraid that I cannot delve into the matter."
"Back to the topic at hand, a few things have been afforded to you in light of recent developments."
Clerval glanced down at the three cards, his curiosity piqued.
"Given the circumstances, our Master has deemed it appropriate to provide you with certain privileges that may prove useful along your path."
"Again, I cannot disclose what will be granted, but my Master has commented that they will prove greatly useful in the future, so please wait patiently and with great interest."
"Second, I'd like to congratulate you on defeating the Shadow."
"As you fell unconscious after Asinious the Zero had fallen, a plethora of items were dropped by the Shadow. Elizabeth retrieved them for your use before transporting your body back here, to the Velvet Room, where you could rest."
With a wave of his hand, several objects began to manifest on the table.
A Golden Slate colored platinum, several chunks of what appeared to be crystals, and a black card faced down.
Picking up the platinum-colored Golden Slate, Clerval flipped it over, only to find... nothing. Unlike its golden variant, which usually displayed an illustration to determine its contents, this one bore no markings whatsoever.
It soon caught fire, the remains of the card forming into a plastic Lien card worth...
"10,000 Lien?" Clerval muttered in surprise.
That was a lot of money.
He then moved on to the chunks of crystal.
"These are the crystallized remains of the Shadow," Mary commented as she opened the Compendium.
"By infusing a Persona with a fragment, perhaps a mutation of sorts may happen to it."
Nodding, Clerval moved on to the final object on the table.
Picking it up cautiously, he flipped it over, only to find the demented version of The Fool staring back at him.
"The reversed Fool. It represents recklessness, poor judgment, or holding yourself back out of fear."
Clerval stared at it for another moment before eventually pocketing the card.
His thoughts immediately returned to the distant door on VESTA 11.
He couldn't explain why, but something about this card felt connected to it.
"Now then, onto our final business for today."
With a snap of his fingers, the table before them briefly shimmered before a deck of tarot cards materialized upon its surface.
"The first floor of the Labyrinth has been conquered. To celebrate, let me grant you a service."
"My fortune telling has the ability to manipulate the odds of a certain aspect in your daily life to greatly occur. Would you like to test your fate? The first time is free of charge."
Accepting the offer, Igor shuffled the deck with practiced ease before withdrawing the first three cards from the top.
He watched closely as Igor placed them on the table, each one laid facedown.
And with each reveal, an inexplicable sensation ran through Clerval, until a sudden shiver shot down his spine.
He instinctively tensed, glancing around as though expecting something to happen.
"You should feel the effects as soon as you exit the Velvet Room."
Before he could ask what exactly that meant, the alarm of the train suddenly blared throughout the room; the familiar sound brought an abrupt conclusion to the conversation.
"Until then, my dear guest."
Igor smiled, his unusual grin somehow appearing both welcoming and unsettling at the same time.
"Farewell."
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JUDGEMENT (XX): Igor
Level 1 → 2 / 10
New Ability: Fortune Telling I [NEW!]
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A/N: I honestly did not like how this chapter was written, but I literally have no idea how to go forward without writing the chapter this way.
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