The 'truth' can be difficult to find. However, it is not unreachable, especially with today's technology. But how do we reach this 'truth'? What paths do we have to take? This is a story about finding the 'truth'.

But that 'truth' comes with a price.

—

Date: ?

Location: ?

"Wake up, Nick." A familiar voice was calling out to me. But I didn't want to wake up. Mostly because I wasn't really busy today. Sure, I could have done my job and played some poker, but I honestly wasn't in the mood today. Yet, the voice still complained, ringing in my ears. "Niiiick! Come on, wake up!"

(Five more minutes, Maya. It's not like I'm busy doing anything, anyway.)

And that's when it clicked. That was Maya's voice, no doubt about it. I hadn't seen her in seven years (though we did keep in touch through phone calls and mail), and her voice didn't change a bit. Wait a sec— that wasn't possible.

My eyelids flew open as I checked my surroundings. No sign of Maya or her alien clone, Ayam. Guess it was just another dream; an illusion that seemed to play with my mind. But that wasn't the only thing that was wrong with this scenario. The office - yes, I clearly knew that this was the Wright & Co. Law Offices and not the Wright Anything Agency - looked exactly how it used to look. Seven years ago, that is.

"Ha, ha," I laughed aloud, finally realizing the horrible joke that had been played on me. Of course, my own laughter seemed hollow: maybe it was because I hadn't slept much (if, at all) for seven whole years, or perhaps it was because of something entirely different. I didn't know. Nor did I really care all that much. But one thing's for certain: this place looked a lot different than it did last night. "Trucy, honey, did you make all the stuff disappear?" I asked, but it was then and there when I realized that I was just talking to the air. And the air did not talk back. It was days like this when I wished that Charley could talk. The things he must have seen...

That thought, however, didn't last - for the voice that was haunting me returned. "Earth to NIck! Hello, can you hear me? You're not ignoring me so you can live out your life repeating your same, silly mistakes, are you?"

I jolted from my sleeping area on the couch, looking left and right frantically. Was Maya actually... haunting me? Sure, I could peer into people's hearts with the magatama; and I've even seen Mia Fey, my longtime mentor be channeled by Maya, but this? This was completely insane. Maya wasn't dead yet, that much I knew. So was I just hearing things?

I had to know. I absolutely had to. Which is why I did the dumb thing and decided to talk to the disembodied voice. I mean, it wasn't going to kill me, right?

(Gulp. Hands shaking... body trembling... I guess I have no choice! I have to talk to it! He! … She. Uh, whatever.)

"Ma...ya?" I asked awkwardly, my eyes wandering left and right. I'm probably looking just as freaked out as I feel right now. As I waited for a response, I could've sworn that heard the soft giggling of the current Master of Kurain.

Was I going crazy? That little voice in my head sure was saying so. But I was completely wrong. Especially when I could hear her cheery voice going, "Hee hee, who else would it be, Nick?"

(Um, Maya? You do know that you're a voice coming out of nowhere, right?)

"Very funny, Maya," I spoke my thoughts aloud, giving, yet again, a hollow laugh. "But where are you?" It was an important question. I had to know if I was going insane or not. I wasn't, was I? After all, Maya's voice could be real. And to me, it sounded all too real.

Silence reigned for about two minutes (give or take) before Maya's voice filled the air. "Well..." And if I could see the look on Maya's face now, I would probably see the sly, mischievous smile that I missed so much. "I'm in your head... kinda."

("Kinda"? Maya, that's like saying that I really am crazy!)

… Great. "What do you mean by that?" I inquired, hoping that things couldn't get any worse. They definitely couldn't, right?

"Hey!" Maya's voice didn't seem to be too happy. It was almost as if she could see the dumb expression on my face. "Don't look at me like that, Nick," she continued to whine out of nowhere.

(Maya... you do know that I can't see you, right? And therefore, I'm not the one looking at you like 'that'.)

But I had to get things out of the way - and figure out this whole weird situation. To me, it almost looked like I came from a new rendition of "Back to the Future", or any other sort of weird sci-fi movie. But that was impossible! … Then again, I used to think 'spirit channeling' was impossible, too. However, this was a completely different story.

"S- sorry," I stammered, scratching the back of my head awkwardly. For some reason, I felt more relaxed around Maya, even though 'this' Maya was some sort of weird disembodied voice.

I could hear Maya's cheerful laughter even now. Yes, it was pretty disturbing, but I was happy nonetheless. Maybe this was just me trying to reassure myself. Or maybe not. At least Maya wasn't trying to guilt trip me into... doing something stupid.

"Hey, Maya..." I managed, attempting to get my thoughts together, "why exactly are you in my head, of all places?"

(And the even bigger question: why does my office, well, look like my office? From seven years ago?)

Again, Maya was silent. But even though she didn't speak, the sound of static ran through my ears, making me jump back in surprise. Thankfully, I didn't fall on the floor.

"Maya?" I asked, staring at the ceiling dubiously. I didn't look up because I thought Maya was a god, even though I knew spirit mediums were on a whole other level than us ordinary humans.

No response. Yet again. I called out her name again, a little louder this time. "Maya, can you hear me?"

A few seconds later, she finally responded with a small chuckle.

(Was it something I said? Or did? Hey, Maya... you don't have to worry me like that...)

"Sorry, Nick. The... connection's pretty bad." Her voice sounded nervous, and even uneasy. But I didn't understand why. Why was she acting so strange?

("Connection"? Is it like some sort of spirit channeling connection...? No, probably not. … Wait. Could she be referring to the static I heard earlier?

Static... connection... interference? I don't remember what it's called, but... it's that thing that happens on a radio, or a transmitter...)

The fact that this was reminding me of the Engarde case was bothering me. I was pretty certain that Maya wasn't kidnapped due to the tone of of her voice, but still... that didn't explain anything, much less the static that I heard.

Taking a deep breath, I collected my thoughts, trying to think of the right words to say. But my head was spinning, my throat was burning...

I fainted.

… Just kidding. I might have been nervous inside and out, but I somehow managed to keep my composure. "What... do you mean by 'connection'?"

If I didn't get an answer, I'll probably head towards the nearest hospital. And check in for good.

"You don't remember, Nick?" Maya questioned. If I could see her now, she would probably look at me with puppy dog eyes... Yeah, now I was kind of glad I couldn't see her. She almost sounded worried - did I get partial amnesia or something?

I shook my head as an answer. Even if I couldn't see Maya, I knew she could see me. And besides, if I did remember, we wouldn't be having this problem.

Maya sighed, almost as if I were her disappointing son (though I am older than her, honestly). "You really don't remember, do you, Nick?"

We were going around in circles. What exactly was I forgetting? Was I really going crazy? Was this all some sort of mind trick?

But I didn't realize that I was indeed forgetting something. I had no idea why I blocked it out of my mind; it just happened.

And that memory would not resurface anytime soon, even after Maya revealed to me the shocking truth about this place. About... what was going on. And what she did say was truly something I would not forget.

"You're in the past, Nick."

Author's Notes:

Wow, it's been a really long time since I've written fanfiction, haha. This is actually my first time writing for the Ace Attorney fandom, as well as writing in this style. I know the first chapter was a bit short (by my standards, anyway), but it's more of a prologue of what's to come. Things from here are probably going to be a lot longer, intriguing, and yes, a lot more interesting.

To be honest, I was considering having Mia be the "guide" - it would seem more plausible considering the circumstances - but I wanted somebody who was still alive but knew Phoenix in the original trilogy. That's how it ended up being Maya. She'll definitely show up a little in the second chapter, but 'this' Maya will probably not have a prominent role in the story.

Feel free to like, review, or just leave a comment in general! Also, as of right now, this story does not have a beta reader! If you would like to beta-read this story, feel free to ask me. My contact information is on my profile.