19 Lone Night x Thinking x Zethes

A few hours had gone by and Megan's and my things were already brought. It took us a bit of time to organize everything in our rooms and by the time we finished, it was already time for dinner. Shizuka informed me that the meeting with the Kirijo group was arranged for the weekend, so I asked her to focus on hiring maids and butlers in charge of the cleaning. I also asked her to search for at least two cooks, since now I had to worry about the food of more people than I had intended to.

Suddenly, the idea of being an actual noble didn't seem so bright. Still, there was nothing I could do about my current situation. I also wasn't planning on complaining about Shizuka's choice of house, even more so when she went ahead and had an entire studio built for me.

Later on that same night, while Megan slept, I left the mansion and went sit by the pool. I was looking at the sky while thinking of everything that had happened in the past few days. I woke up in a world that wasn't my own, with a System that allowed me to do things I would've never dreamed of. I discovered my family didn't really hate me and that Megan, even if wrong in her ways, only wanted the best for me. I discovered I had talent in singing even without the System, which probably showed in how much I enjoyed singing and performing. I became a Magician to survive the ever-present danger and ended up becoming a Campione.

It had all been so fast that I didn't really get any time to digest things, yet I already had to think of the future because of a possible threat.

"I'll take this night to cool down"

With my own words I took off my clothes, leaving only my underwear, and dived into the pool. The water cooled down upon contact with me, enough to help me relax my mind. I began thinking. I had come to this world and had done many things, started a relationship with Megan, learned things I never expected and become the head of a country. But somewhere inside of me I still felt... unaccomplished. Just what was it that I wanted to do?

I had been allowing the current to pull me and had been acting on impulses rather than thinking about my actions. My thoughts drifted to the Kirijo group. That was the first time I actually thought about something before acting. It was a matter important enough for me to be worried. Then again, was I really thinking? I didn't know. I just thought that would've been the best thing to do in the face of possible danger, meet with those involved, but I didn't stop to consider other variables.

'I've just been doing whatever first came to my mind'

But that was just the way I was. I was honestly selfish, acting in a way that suited me without really caring for the rest, with the exception of their safety. Even Megan, who I claimed to love... did I really love her? Did I feel anything at all for Jean or Shizuka at all, for that matter?

I wasn't sure, but I knew that I felt attracted to them. And I knew that my heart told me that, were something to happen to Megan, I would lose something inside of me. Still, I was slowly but surely loosing myself. I wasn't the charming guy that sang and made people excited, happy or sad with his voice. Nor was I the Riajuu that should go and explode because girls like him over a few photos seen on Pictagram. Alan Bennet was still the lonely and depressed guy that wanted to disappear in hopes that, that way, someone would ask were he was.

At that moment I realized that all I had been doing was screaming for attention. That was all I wanted. I thought Jean was cute and wanted to pick her attention, since that would validate that I was no longer that kid. I dated Megan as a way to prove myself that I could be loved, though that didn't mean that I didn't really love her, that much I was sure of. It was thanks to Shizuka that I realized that I didn't like that kind of attention. For once, I thought of how nice it was to be just another person in the crowd. Alas, it was impossible for me to go back to being "just someone else".

"My first step... is figuring out what I wish to do while enjoying everything as much as possible"

Once I made up my mind, I felt a pull in my heart and heard a voice calling for me. It was muffled at first, so I focused on it. When I heard it, I became almost ecstatic. Not because of the fact in itself, but because it meant that I had taken a step forward in figuring myself out.

"I am thou... Thou art I... From the sea of thy soul, I come..."

I already knew what I had to do. I focused on the pull and pulled it back to me. I was engulfed by fire suddenly and, when I could finally see, a mask was covering my face. My clothes had changed too but I wasn't going to think about that at the moment. I grabbed my mask and, without thinking about it twice, I pulled on it. In spite of how much blood came out, it didn't hurt at all. All I felt was the pull growing stronger.

Then, I called forward to that pull.

"Come forth my Persona ¡Zethes!"

When he appeared behind me, I was extremely happy. He looked like a human, just way bigger. He didn't have hands, as his forearms extended into cannons. His appearance was similar to a Warframe from the game of the same name. The fact that his name was that of Khione's brother was quite comical to me.

"I am Zethes, born from the wind that moves you forward and the ice that keeps you grounded. I shall provide you with my powers to the best of my capabilities, should you need it"

Zethes disappeared after introducing himself, but I could feel him in my soul, as little sense as that makes. The fact remained though, that when one summons their Persona for the first time, it tires them out. It would seem that Campione weren't exempt of said rule, which made me want to sleep. Hence, I left the pool, grabbed a towel and my clothes, and left for my room.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Mythology, Zethes is one of Khione's brothers. He also has slight control over ice and wind, though not as strong as Khione's. Of course, his Arcana is that of The Fool, not only because he is the protagonist's persona, but because the MC is a Campione, which are also known by The Fool. His appearance is in the Auxiliary chapter and in the paragraph were Alan describes him.