A/N: This is my first attempt at a fanfiction for Persona 5, so I apologise if it comes across a little strange or unusual to most. I've literally finished playing Persona 5 not too long ago, and I came to favour Justine and Caroline after maxing our their confidant rank and all the trouble they went through because of 'Igor'. I tried searching on here for fanfics centred around them, but only came across M rated ones which... seemed to delve into territory I didn't want to stick my nose in based on what the summaries said. So, I thought I would give writing my own fanfiction for them a try, whilst adding original characters and scenarios into the mix to boot.

This fanfic is essentially an AU that follows on from what is canonically classed as 'The Good Ending' in the game, which is triggered when the player agrees to the offer that 'Igor' proposes instead of refusing it, leading to a world where humans lose the will to think for themselves and the Phantom Thieves appear to become the same as the antagonists whose hearts they've changed (or at least that's my interpretation of it. There are different ones out there, too). Out of all the endings of the game, this seemed like the best ending to follow from that didn't involve me copying the events of the game with a replacement for the main character. For now, the first chapter will focus on setting up the current scenario regarding to how things came to be, so expect a lot of recaps from the game to appear here. But things will start to diverge from this as chapter 2 kicks in. I also ask that you stick around for author's notes at the end of this chapter, as I'll vaguely expand on some of the decisions I made in this chapter to avoid confusion and people asking questions.

I would also like to point out that I was originally going to add dates into this chapter so people could discern the timeskips, but was unable to do so in certain parts since the date doesn't change on-screen in the game whilst the results of the good end play out. So please be aware that after the first scene in this chapter, the same date does not apply to the events that follow. They happen a little while after (probably around about two to three weeks, depending on how long it would have taken for the Phantom Thieves to change the hearts being broadcast in the news reports). I did my best to indicate this in the writing, but I just wanted to clarify in case people were still confused.

I hope you do give this story a chance, though. Justine and Caroline deserve more love.

WARNING TO ANIME-ONLY FANS: THIS FANFIC CONTAINS SPOILERS THAT GO BEYOND THE ENDING OF THE ANIME. IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED THE GAME AND WANT TO AVOID SPOILERS, I RECOMMEND AVOIDING THIS FANFIC UNTIL A LATER DATE AS THERE WILL BE SPOILERS GALORE.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 5 or any of its characters; however, I do own any original characters that will appear in later chapters.

Chapter 1: The Deceitful Trickster

24th December, 20XX [Time Unknown]

Standing with their legs spread apart in battle ready positions, Lavenza and Joker stared towards the false god disguised as the proprietor of the Velvet Room as he hovered a little way off the ground. With his true nature now exposed thanks to Joker reuniting Lavenza's two halves, Yaldabaoth stared down at the Velvet Room attendant and the human who possessed the power of the Wild Card with brightly glowing yellow eyes and hands held palm up on either side of him. Thin swirls of red and black curled around him as if to try to intimidate the pair stood before him, but their intense gazes remained locked to his darkly amused one with no sign of budging. He expected no less from Igor's loyal little assistant and the Inmate the old fool had put his hopes for humanity on.

"The Phantom Thieves will be praised and gain fame. The world will escape ruin as well," Yaldabaoth said in his distorted but deep voice, choosing to elaborate a little more on the deal he had offered as his eyes wandered to Joker's face to await his answer. "… What say you?"

With her scowl still present, Lavenza briefly side-glanced Joker from where she stood, not daring to budge from her position as she, too, awaited his answer. Despite Yaldabaoth's claims that he would save the world from ruin, Lavenza knew that world wasn't ideal in the slightest. It went against everything her master – the real Igor – had strived for to keep humanity's hopes alive. A world full of distortions where the Phantom Thieves gained praise from humans who had given up the will to think for themselves was not the way to go.

But Lavenza wasn't worried, even as she watched Joker straighten out his posture in preparation to give his response. It was difficult to read his gaze even past his mask, but she had high hopes for him. Her master had entrusted him with his wishes, after all. She knew that no matter what this false god would offer him, the Trickster would stand his ground and-

"Very well…"

"…?!"

The moment Joker's agreement left his mouth Lavenza turned her head towards him with wide eyes, her shock and horror at the situation being clearly present. Had she heard him, right? Did the Trickster really just do what she thought he'd done?

Her horrified gaze remained locked on Joker even when she heard Yaldabaoth's delighted and dark chuckle at his response, his words further driving the imaginary knife of betrayal into her chest.

"Our contract has been sealed then."

Joker nodded in agreement.

"It's a good deal."

Feeling her legs beginning to tremble underneath her, Lavenza finally managed to pry her gaze away and look down at the Velvet Room's large, circular rug in disbelief. She couldn't believe this was happening. It felt like nothing but a dream, but she knew better than to wish for such a fantasy to be true right now.

"… A pact between a false god and a human we placed our hopes on. Even we could not have predicted this. You have even undone my master's wish… You are a Trickster after all…"

Lavenza couldn't bring herself to look Joker's way to see his reaction to her words of disappointment, but based on his silence by the time Yaldabaoth chuckled for a second time out of amusement and closed his eyes, it was clear to her he couldn't bring himself to respond. Was he showing quick remorse for his decision, she wondered? Or was he just choosing to ignore her entirely?

"You truly are a child of man… It seems you couldn't win against your own desires. There is no need to be ashamed. I shall grant you that wish…"

Lavenza finally raised her gaze to Yaldabaoth as he started to laugh and lowered his head, her eyes once again wandering towards Joker stood to her left. He didn't glance her way at all, keeping his gaze focused on the false god he had just sold humanity's wishes and hopes to. Everything had been going so well up until now with his rehabilitation. So what could have gone wrong?

'Something isn't right…'

Tightening her grip around the large book 'Le Grimoire' clutched in her arms, Lavenza's scowl deepened as she finally turned her body around to face Joker fully.

'But I cannot let this go on any longer. I must intervene, for my master's sake. The Trickster has betrayed him, but that doesn't mean I should give up. I will not forsake humanity.'

"… I cannot allow this."

Joker turned to Lavenza with a surprised blink the moment she spoke up in a quiet tone, only for his eyes to widen when she raised the volume of her voice to yell in anger.

"I cannot stand by and watch my master's work be unravelled anymore! Regardless of your decision, as the sole attendant of the Velvet Room, it is my duty to continue my master's wishes. If I have to I will fight against you, Trickster."

"Hm… I foresaw this becoming an issue."

Lavenza briefly side-glanced Yaldabaoth when she heard him speak, witnessing him staring at her once more with his glowing yellow eyes for a few seconds before he tilted his head back.

"I spared your life during our first encounter because of your usefulness to me as a mere pawn loyal to my bidding. However, since you have proven yourself to now be an obstacle…"

Lavenza's eyes widened at the sight of the black and red swirls beginning to intensify in size, number, and speed, all three of which formed a small tornado of red and black around the false god that completely concealed him from view.

"… YOU SHALL PERISH!"

Lavenza cried out in alarm and brought Le Grimoire up in front of her face when a sudden strong gust blew her way and whipped at her platinum locks and skirt of her blue dress, encasing the Velvet Room in nothing but darkness that removed both Joker and Yaldabaoth from view.

Once the gust died down Lavenza lowered the book away from her face and spread her feet apart in a defensive stance, raising her shoulders and glancing around out of caution in preparation for Yaldabaoth to strike. She recalled him pulling the same trick during their first encounter, when he had succeeded in imprisoning her real master. She wasn't going to fall for the same trick again.

… Or so she thought.

Running footsteps charging towards her from behind had Lavenza acting quickly and turning around in preparation to counter them. But the attacker was faster. Before Lavenza was able to even raise a hand out in front of her, she let out a pained gasp at the surge of pain spreading throughout her abdomen, feeling Le Grimoire slip from her grip and fall towards the floor close to her feet and land with a loud thump that echoed around her. The sight of the black sleeve and red glove that held the knife which had been pushed into her caused Lavenza's pained gaze to slowly raise, her teary yellow eyes locking with the emotionless grey ones of Joker standing before her.

He had voluntarily undone the last act of kindness towards one fighting for the hopes and wishes of humanity, and that was the last straw for her. Her will to fight was gone.

As Lavenza's eyes drooped and she saw her consciousness slowly start to slip away, only one word was able to leave her lips in the tone of someone who had finally lost the will of rebellion as her body swayed from side to side, eventually falling forward as the darkness fully engulfed her vision and the tears in her eyes streamed down her cheeks.

"… Why…?"

Unknown date of unknown month, 20XX [After School]

"… On to other news. The police have officially withdrawn the arrest warrant on the Phantom Thieves… As well as apologised for those who led the investigation, citing they were inadequate for the task. Due to a drastic change in policy, it is speculated that they had a change of heart as well…"

With his hands buried in the pockets of his jeans, Ren Amamiya stood in silence at the front of the crowd gathered at Shibuya Crossing before the news being broadcast to them on the screen above him. However, despite his gaze being focused on the screen, he had no interest in the news being shown to him. In fact, he was keeping his focus on the comments he could hear around him from the lingering citizens.

"So the police were in the wrong after all," Ren heard one businessman remark with disappointment from somewhere close behind him. "They're the ones who must have been doing shady stuff."

"There's no way the Phantom Thieves could be evil…" Another young businesswoman said to Ren's right.

The young teenager was tempted to smirk at the comments he was hearing, but chose to remain quiet and continue looking at the screen so he didn't draw attention to himself. Not that he expected anyone to notice.

"The actions of the Phantom Thieves show no signs of stopping. Change of heart police reports have already surpassed one hundred cases."

"Only a hundred?" A male student exclaimed out of surprise from somewhere to Ren's left. "I thought it would've been double that already."

"Yeah, I know whatcha mean," replied someone who Ren assumed was probably the male student's friend. "We see news on them every day."

"Meanwhile, there are reports that the rate of crimes and suicides are declining-"

"Will things be all right? Our child's going to be born soon…"

Ren finally dared to turn his eyes away from the screen on the front of the building and side-glanced a young couple just in front of him, his gaze fixed on the pregnant woman who had spoken as she stared down towards her belly. Her husband turned his head away from the screen to give his wife a reassuring smile.

"It just means that more cases are being exposed thanks to the Phantom Thieves. Don't worry. I'm sure they'll do something about all that."

With the news having switched to a different story, Ren finally turned away and reached a hand out of his pocket to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a finger. A cocky smirk briefly appeared on his face as he did so.

'All according to plan.'

Returning his hand to his pocket seconds after his brief show of emotion faded, Ren started his walk away from the crowd and in the direction of Central Street.

'And now… to tend to some unfinished business…'

From the moment Caroline found herself able to blink her lone yellow left eye open she immediately regretted it, feeling her body stiffen from a sudden, throbbing pain throughout and coldness attacking her in one go. Hissing and closing her eye again, the platinum blonde girl rolled over onto her side and wrapped her arms across her chest, her teeth gritting as a coping mechanism. She didn't have time to properly take in her current surroundings or gather her thoughts, but she swore she could feel a slight chill in the air that not even her warden uniform could have shielded her from.

'G-Gr-! This pain-! Where did it come from-?'

Pausing her thoughts after a sharp intake of breath through her teeth, Caroline forced her left eye open to stare ahead at her surroundings as the faint sounds of chatter and footsteps reached her ears, deciding to at least try to get her bearings to get the answers she needed. She was struggling to recall what had happened beforehand, her mind currently nothing but a haze since she'd managed to awaken.

'I can't remember much, but I'm sure I was in the Velvet Room with the Inmate. He and his confidants were erased from the humans' cognition after failing to complete his rehabilitation. The master ordered his execution, and-'

However, her recollection was soon interrupted as her eye widened in shock at the familiar alleyway she found herself being met with shrouded in the orangey-purple glow the sky had taken under the setting sun, one which she'd found herself frequenting often whenever the Inmate was wandering around this specific area in the real world; 'Central Street' in 'Shibuya', if she recalled correctly.

'Huh?!'

Acting on instinct, the malicious warden pushed herself up into a sitting position and turned her gaze in the direction of the street to her right, only to hiss again when the movement prompted sharp pains to shoot through her limbs.

"Tch!"

Caroline reached a gloved hand to her head and hunched over to cope with the pain, her eye briefly closing for the second time as she dwelled in her thoughts once more and wrapped her other arm around her middle. She could feel a throbbing pain pulsing through her skull, one which was strong enough to distract her from her trembling body.

'What's going on? How did I get here?'

Caroline's grip tightened on the top of her head when she realised she couldn't feel her hat, causing her to blink in surprise and glance around at the ground closest to her out of panic.

'My hat! Where is it-?!'

It wasn't long before she found her gaze locking with the back of a familiar looking blue hat in front of her feet, her mouth morphing into a small triumphant despite the pain she felt.

"Aha!"

Caroline reached out the hand formerly on her head towards the front of the hat without hesitation, turning it around and bringing it to her lap for the moment.

"At least that's one mystery solved- Huh?!"

The malicious girl cut herself off mid-sentence and cried out in surprise at the letters she saw printed on the front of the hat, which read as 'O-Y-O-O'.

'This isn't mine! That's Justine's hat!'

The moment Caroline spoke her twin's name, though, she ended up reaching both of her gloved hands to either side of her head and gasping in pain at the sudden sharpness she felt, which was quickly followed by the sound of voices she immediately recognised as hers and Justine's.

'Hey, we'll give you your last job. Be thankful and obey!'

'You must fuse us together, with your own hands.'

'It's time you returned the favour for us assisting with your growth. Do it with care!'

'Now, fuse us!'

When the voices stopped, Caroline grunted and leaned forward, steadying herself and staying upright with her other hand pressed against the ground as she breathed heavily, attempting to pull herself together.

'I remember. Justine and I… We were once one, and were torn apart by malicious intent. We asked the Inmate to fuse us, and-'

"Justine…!" Caroline interrupted herself with a shocked yell upon realising she hadn't seen her anywhere since waking up, prompting her to raise her head and turn it frantically in search of her fellow twin warden within the alleyway.

'We must have been separated again! That's why I'm…!'

Grabbing Justine's hat again, Caroline pushed herself onto her feet as fast as she could, oblivious to the fact that the pain in her body had started to ease. However, she soon discovered that she was unsteady on her feet regardless, and ended up stumbling forward a few steps until she flinched when her right side hit the opposite wall. But she didn't dwell on her obstacle for long, soon straightening out her back to lean away from the brick wall. She had to find Justine. That was her main priority.

'If Justine's hat was next to me, then she should be close by.'

"… Justine!" Caroline called out to her fellow warden as she staggered further into the alleyway one slow step at a time, pressing her empty hand against the wall to help steady herself as she moved along.

She didn't need to worry about how loud her voice carried. Only the Inmate could see her and Justine in the real world, after all.

"Justine!" Caroline yelled again when she had yet to be met with a response from the addressed, scowling as she started to slow her pace down upon closing in towards the corner of the wall. "If you're here, say something!"

Caroline had just paused at the corner of the wall where the alleyway continued towards the right when she heard a quiet groan coming from that direction, the familiar and pained voice that followed it being the prompt to turn her head towards it.

"Over here…"

Caroline soon found her lone left eye staring into the lone matching right one that belonged to Justine, prompting her to gape at the sight of the hat-less warden lying sprawled on her front at the other end of the alleyway, with her black clipboard lying face down just before her along with her missing hat.

"Justine!"

Caroline was soon forcing her legs to run as she moved towards Justine, ignoring the remnants of pain still lingering through gritted teeth. By the time the malicious girl slowed down to a stop at her side, Justine had already managed to lift herself into a sitting position despite how much Caroline could see her arms visibly shaking from the strain, prompting her to drop onto her knees and huff as she tried to catch her breath.

"Are you okay?"

Justine didn't answer at first, instead choosing to reach out for Caroline's hat and her clipboard and grab each with both hands. She was acting like the pain didn't bother her in the slightest, but Caroline knew better than to underestimate Justine's lack of display when it came to emotion.

"Just about." Holding out Caroline's hat towards her, Justine tilted her head to the side. "Were you worried? Because you sounded it."

Caroline scowled as she felt the heat rise to her cheeks, grabbing her hat and snatching it away from the quiet warden's grip without hesitation. The pain in her body was slowly subsiding, so moving around didn't feel as much of a chore as it had been before.

"S-Shut up! I-I was worried about you lying down on the job! We're not supposed to disappoint our master, after all!"

Justine allowed a faint smile of amusement to show at this, straightening out her head once more to shake it in dismay.

"Of course."

Justine's smile faded as she watched Caroline pull her hat down over her head (being mindful of her twin hair buns as she did so) with one hand and raise her nose to the air with a loud 'Hmph!', reaching out to grab her own hat from the malicious warden's lap. Her eye briefly crossed with her clipboard in her own lap, prompting it to droop in dismay at the sight of the dirtied paper clipped at the front. Some of what was formerly written upon them was no longer salvageable, not that it mattered anymore.

"But it seems we have been separated by a false god once more. That would explain the pain and our current presence in the real world…"

With her eye widening in surprise at the words she heard, Caroline turned her gaze to Justine as the other warden placed her hat on her head and twisted the front of it from side-to-side a couple of times to adjust it properly. Waiting until she was finished, Caroline leaned forward without warning and reached out both hands to grip at Justine's shoulders, causing the latter's body to stiffen from surprise at how uncomfortably close Caroline's face was now to her own; just within nose distance of each other.

"Wait, how much do you remember?!"

Justine blinked in confusion at the question and the sudden desperation in Caroline's voice, having no idea what she was going on about.

"Huh?"

"You remembered the Inmate fusing us, right?!" Caroline continued, lightly shaking the other platinum blonde haired girl back and forth three times as she did so. "Do you remember anything else?!"

"…"

Justine lowered her gaze and turned her head away slightly towards the wall on her left, furrowing her brow out of thought.

"Only a name…"

Caroline frowned.

"A name? What name?"

Justine hesitated for a moment, staying silent as she dared to raise her gaze to Caroline's once more and furrow her brow further. Caroline wasn't able to wait for her to say it, however, prompting her to tighten her grip on Justine's shoulders and shake her three more times.

"Justine. Answer me. What name do you remember?"

"… Yaldabaoth."

"…?!"

Caroline raised both brows and let Justine go, leaning back a little with a confused blink.

"Yaldabaoth? What are you- Ah!"

Caroline cried out in agony when she felt the same sharp pain from before attack her head after mentioning the name, prompting both of her hands to move and grip at the sides of her forehead. With her own eye widening out of concern, Justine leaned in close to the other warden just as the latter heard two voices speaking in her head; one deep yet distorted, and the other young and curious.

'I shall grant you an opportunity to make a deal with me.'

'… What do you mean?'

'Should you wish it, I shall return the world to its prior state – one rampant with distorted masses.'

"Caroline…?"

"… Master… and the Inmate…?" Caroline mumbled, having failed to hear Justine address her. "No- That first voice… isn't the master. It's… Ugh! Why is this happening again…?!"

As Justine slowly raised a gloved hand and started to reach out for Caroline closest shoulder upon hearing her mumbles, her movement suddenly stopped when the latter hunched forward and grunted in pain again.

'Did she say 'Master' and 'Inmate'? Is she remembering something?'

A new voice had entered Caroline's head now just before the voice she had mistook for her master's followed suit, one which sounded younger and more feminine; one which she recognised.

'You forcefully dragged him into the Metaverse and imposed an ordeal he did not deserve… Yet you still intend on toying with him?!'

'The Phantom Thieves will be praised and gain fame. The world will escape ruin as well. … What say you?'

"Caroline," the single braided warden attempted to get Caroline's attention again when she saw the latter's body tremble and heard her panting from the strain of the recollection, pushing past her hesitation and reaching her hand out the rest of the way to place on a firm grip on her one shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"I-I remember," Caroline stuttered as the voices in her head started to fade away, causing Justine to blink in surprise as she paused to briefly catch her breath.

"Remember what?"

"I… We exposed the one who stole our master's name. And he and the Inmate…"

Caroline's eye widened in horror upon realising something, her head raising to stare at Justine as she stared back with a confused blink.

"… What's the matter, Caroline?"

"He and the Inmate…" Caroline repeated, pausing briefly to find the right words to say. "… made a pact."

Justine's expression was soon mirroring Caroline's the moment the words left her mouth, causing her to let out a shocked gasp and pull her hand away. Now that Caroline mentioned it, she recalled Yaldabaoth mentioning of an ideal world as an offer to the Inmate shortly after they had fused and exposed him for his treachery. They had suspected he was just toying with the Inmate, but…

"A pact with a false god?! Then that means…"

Shaking her head repeatedly in disbelief, Justine placed a hand close to her mouth and locked her gaze with her dirtied clipboard. The words left a terrible taste on her tongue. They didn't sound true or right at all. She remembered the deal Yaldabaoth had put forth, but not the Inmate's answer. Everything before the contract offer was still a blur to her, right up until she and Caroline had awoken as separate halves in this alleyway.

"No! That can't be true! The Inmate wouldn't forsake humanity…" Justine paused to glance at a horrified Caroline once more, her brow furrowing. "… would he?"

Caroline was inclined to agree, and yet she couldn't deny what she'd just heard. It was as vivid as the voice of hers and Justine's former self when they had started regaining their memories the first time during the Inmate's rehabilitation. There were still gaps here and there between that moment and this situation in her memory, of course, but she was sure the conversation between the three of them had occurred. And yet…

'Why can't I remember what the Inmate said…?'

After a moment of staring the quiet warden down, Caroline scowled and balled her hands into fists, hitting them hard off her lap and causing Justine to lean back in surprise.

"H-He wouldn't! That has to be why we're here! The Inmate must have refused that false god's offer and he attacked us out of anger!"

Justine was silent as she watched Caroline get to her feet and unclench her fists so she could brush her hands against the front of her shorts. Her body wasn't hurting anymore, so she felt recovered enough to move around without difficulty on her feet again.

"We need to return to the Velvet Room at once and speak with the Inmate."

Letting out a small sigh of dismay, Justine followed suit and reached one hand to grab her clipboard and the other to place flat against the wall to her left for support, bringing herself to her feet just as Caroline turned around and started moving towards the other end of the alleyway.

"It seems like the only option we have at the moment-"

"What the-?! Where is it?!"

Justine glanced at Caroline at hearing her interruption to see her suddenly sprinting the rest of the way down the alleyway, watching as she came to a stop just in front of the brick wall where the dark blue and transparent door leading to the Velvet Room should have been. However, Justine blinked in shock upon noticing there was no sign of said door, only Caroline waving her arms out in front of her in attempt to try to feel around for it as if it had turned invisible for some reason.

"It's usually right here! Why isn't it here?!"

Securing her clipboard within the crook of her right arm whilst keeping her hand's current grip on it, Justine was soon jogging to catch up to Caroline, slowing down to a stop when she was only a small distance away to get a closer look at the situation. She was silent as she continued to observe Caroline flailing her arms about for a little longer before she eventually relented and dropped her arms to her sides, slumping her shoulders in dismay.

"I'm getting sick of this already! Everything is going wrong and we don't even know why!"

"…"

Unsure of how to respond, Justine said nothing and turned her gaze to the entrance of the alleyway, switching her focus to the bustling crowds of people walking from left to right and right to left with their hands in the pockets of the coats shielding them from the cold. The longer she stared at them, the more she started to suspect that something wasn't right. She had failed to notice this whilst being hidden away behind the wall, but she could see now that the surroundings in Central Street appeared to be 'normal'… which caused her to furrow her brow in thought.

"… Caroline," Justine started, keeping her gaze locked on the people walking by as Caroline stood up straight and turned to glance at her back. "The Inmate and his confidants… were erased from the humans' cognitions when Mementos was fused with the real world, were they not?"

Raising a brow out of confusion Caroline followed Justine's gaze to the crowded Central Street, briefly hesitating to respond due to failing to understand what her fellow warden was insinuating by her enquiry.

"… Yeah. That's what I remember." She briefly paused to focus her gaze on Justine again, her brow yet to lower. "Why?"

Justine glanced at Caroline with her usual calm expression on her face, but Caroline wasn't fooled. She could see the concern lingering in her lone right eye.

"Everything is normal."

Caroline gave a shrug of her shoulders.

"So?"

Justine's frown deepened.

"This isn't right. When Mementos was fused with the real world, the surroundings were altered. But now…"

Caroline's lone eye widened out of realisation, prompting her to stare at the people through the rain still going about their day as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened to them. Now that Justine mentioned it… why was everything normal?

"W-Well…" Caroline's voice shook as she tried to come up with another 'logical explanation' for this strange turn of events, turning her gaze to Justine with a frown of her own. "M-Maybe the Inmate finally did his job right and just didn't tell us! We did turn to him for help for a reason, didn't we? If everything is normal, then- then that must mean he saved humanity! Just like he was supposed to!"

Justine stared at Caroline a little longer before she lowered her head to glance at her feet, her eye drooping. She knew Caroline was only making excuses because she wanted to deny the possibility of the Inmate betraying them just as much as she did. But it was hard for her to ignore.

"… But what if the Inmate didn't save humanity? What if he did make a pact with-"

Caroline was quick to reach for her shock baton strapped to the belt of her shorts and yank it free without a second thought as Justine started talking, only to swing it towards the wall as hard as she could and cause a thud loud enough to interrupt her and force her to raise her head.

"Would you stop questioning everything, Justine?!"

When Justine stared at her with a shocked blink, Caroline deepened her scowl and moved her baton so that it was pointing straight at her in an accusation-like manner.

"Our master entrusted the fate of the humans to the Inmate and it's our job to help him with that goal! You should know better than to question our master's judgement!"

Justine gaped at Caroline's words and annoyed tone, causing her to falter as she became lost for words. Caroline often acted demeaning towards her, but there were times where she did cross the line.

Tightening the grip of her fingers on her clipboard Justine lowered her head again, but this time she did so out of shame. The reaction from the quiet warden prompted Caroline's brow to relax out of guilt, forcing her to stay silent and lower her baton upon realising that maybe she'd been a little harsh with her words. She shouldn't have taken her anger out on Justine like that.

"…"

Letting out an annoyed huff, Caroline slowly started walking forward to approach Justine whilst moving her baton to her belt to attach it again and put it away. Upon pausing in front of the other, Caroline placed a hand to Justine's closest shoulder with a firm grip to grab her attention, waiting until the latter chose to lift her head before speaking up.

"… Would it help ease your mind if we spoke with the Inmate about this?"

Justine blinked in surprise at Caroline's suggestion, being momentarily taken off guard by it.

"Speak with the Inmate?"

Caroline nodded.

"If the real world is normal again, then the Inmate should be here, too. We can find out what really happened from him."

Justine frowned at this suggestion, clearly sceptical regarding the matter.

"But how can we find him? He could be anywhere."

Caroline gave a wide yet triumphant looking smile and placed one hand to her hip, using the other to hold up an index finger.

"Heh! I've watched the Inmate wander around in the real world enough times to know what he does and where he goes!" She paused to close her eye for further emphasis on her reassurance. "Just leave it to me! I'll find out where he is in no time! Any objections?"

Justine raised a brow and said nothing as she listened to Caroline make her case, but after a moment of staring at her fellow warden in silence the single-braided girl sighed in defeat. There was no stopping Caroline now. When she had her mind set on something, she was too stubborn to have it changed.

"… No."

With her smile morphing into a grin, Caroline turn around to face the entrance to the alleyway, raising a hand to point in that direction.

"Good! Now, let's go find that inmate so I can give him a piece of my mind!"

Justine shook her head in dismay the moment Caroline started her jog towards the moving crowds of people ahead of them, deciding to walk slowly after her as she got a little bit of distance away from her.

'I have a bad feeling about this… But it looks like I'll have to go along with Caroline's idea for now.'

However, Justine soon paused when she saw a sudden flash of dark blue light from the corner of her eye, prompting her to quickly turn her head around and glance behind her with a curious blink. Her mouth fell open with shock upon sighting the Velvet Room's transparent blue glowing door having appeared open where it normally would in this area, but she was still quick to react by calling for Caroline before she got too far away.

"Wait, Caroline! The door!"

Caroline planted her feet down on the ground to force herself to stop just as she'd gotten a short distance away from the alleyway's entrance at Justine's shout, causing her to turn around and look back towards the other warden with a confused blink of her own.

"What was that, Justine-?"

A loud gasp cut Caroline off the moment her own gaze locked with the door that she was sure hadn't been there when she'd checked not too long ago, her eye widening. After a few seconds, though, Caroline scowled and moved forward to jog her way back into the alleyway just as Justine dared to take the necessary steps she needed to get close enough to observe the door for herself.

By the time Caroline was at her side, the quiet girl was turning to glance at her fellow warden the moment the former chose to speak again.

"It reappeared?! But…"

Justine could understand Caroline's confusion, her brow furrowing into a frown of her own as she faced the door once more. The two had control over the Velvet Room's doors at all times, being able to open and close them whenever the Inmate needed access. The doors always remained around whenever they were present in the real world or the Metaverse, and always disappeared whenever they returned to the Velvet Room. So for it to suddenly reappear when it had previously been absent whilst they were in the real world…

"Something's wrong," Justine muttered, her frown deepening out of worry as Caroline glanced her way with a raised brow.

"What's wrong?"

The hand holding her clipboard started to tremble as Justine briefly lowered her gaze to the floor. At this point, all she had was mere speculation, but…

"Justine."

Justine flinched in surprise when Caroline addressed her in an annoyed tone and grabbed her by the shoulders, allowing the latter to turn her around to face her without lifting her gaze.

"If you know something, then say it! Don't hold back on me!"

Justine dared to look into the scowling face of Caroline after a few more seconds of hesitation, waiting a few seconds longer before she forced herself to speak.

"This is just speculation… but I have a feeling that- Ah…!"

"Ow!"

Before Justine had the chance to finish her response, she cried out in surprise at feeling something roughly shove her in the back of her shoulder and force her to lose her balance, with the same happening to Caroline as she lost her grip on Justine. The twin wardens were unable to react as they found themselves falling forward through the door to the Velvet Room together, with Justine feeling her clipboard slip from under her arm and out of her hand.

The transition from the real world to the Velvet Room was too fast for either warden to properly process, so the next thing the pair knew they were both grunting as they landed face-first against cold and hard brick flooring, with the sound of rattling chains echoing just in front of them. The two didn't need to look at their surroundings to know where they were. They wouldn't have ended up anywhere else through that door, after all.

Caroline was the first of the twins to recover from the tumble, lifting her head from the ground and giving it a quick shake to bring herself to her senses.

"Ugh… What just- … Ah?!"

Caroline cried out with shock when her eye widened at the sight of the green shackles now around her wrists, prompting a loud and horrified gasp to follow suit.

'W-When did this happen?!'

She turned this gaze towards Justine on her right when she heard chains rattle a second time, only to find the quiet warden gasping as she stared ahead at her own shackles around her wrists.

"It's as I feared…" Justine said in a frightened tone, her gaze lifting to stare past the bars of the cell she'd originally suspected they'd landed in. "Someone else has gained control of the Velvet Room."

Caroline followed suit and glared up at the bright green chains pulled across the bars of the cell door for a few seconds before switching it to the desk and chair placed in the middle of the room, just outside of the cells. It was currently empty, with no sign of their real master or the fake one seated behind it.

"Someone's replaced us?! That's ridiculous! Who could possibly-?!"

"On your feet, Inmates."

The moment the familiar voice interrupted Caroline, both her and Justine gaped in horror and turned their heads towards the right side of the area outside of the cell in the direction of the approaching footsteps. It only took a few seconds before a certain Phantom Thief dressed in his trademark black tailcoat, black waistcoat, black trousers, red gloves, and silver and black eye mask entered the twins' view-line, confirming his identity as he stopped in front of the cell they were locked away in. An amused smirk was on his face as he made eye contact with the speechless twin wardens looking up at him from the floor, holding Caroline's shock baton down at his side in his right hand.

"Inmate…" Justine started out of disbelief before trailing off, just about managing to frown despite her shock at his apparent betrayal.

Joker's smirk widened slightly at Justine's response.

"That's warden to you."

Caroline scowled and let out a low growl to express her annoyance.

"This isn't funny, Inmate!" Caroline paused mid-rant to get to her feet and start to move forward. "You've got some explaining to do-!"

The malicious warden was forced to stop at feeling something heavy tugging at her right ankle and hearing the rattling of chains behind her, glancing back and gaping at the sight of the ball and chain that was apparently attached to her. Her eyes then turned to Justine to see if she'd received the same treatment as the latter kept her gaze on Joker, sighting a similar ball and chain locked around her left ankle.

"Is that any way to speak to the new attendant of the Velvet Room?" Joker replied in a mocking tone, prompting Caroline to turn her horrified gaze to him once more as he placed his empty hand to his hip and raised the baton so it pointed over his right shoulder.

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me. Or don't you remember who really split the two of you in half the second time?"

Justine's eyes widened at this revelation, finally giving her the prompt to at least push herself up from the floor and into a kneeling position. Caroline's expression remained unchanged as Joker turned his body away slightly to glance towards the middle of the Velvet Room.

"You should have seen the hurtful look on your face. Lavenza must have felt so betrayed and useless… that she just gave up."

Justine was speechless for a moment as she listened to Joker's explanation, briefly falling into thought as she felt the last of her missing memory of the events beforehand finally creep back to her.

'I remember now. Up until the moment the Inmate separated us, we were prepared to continue to fight. But our hope ran out at the last second. As such, we must have relinquished our control of the Velvet Room… Just like when a Persona user loses the will of rebellion.'

"… No…" Caroline mumbled as Joker's smirk faded away into a frown, finally managing to bring herself to speak again despite her shock. "You did forsake humanity. Why would you…?"

"Because I'm sick of playing the hero for ungrateful people!"

Justine and Caroline blinked in horror at the sudden raise in volume and show of anger in Joker's voice, with the pair flinching when he clenched his empty hand into a fist and swung it at the wall just to the right of the bars.

"Do you know how frustrating it's been trying to be a good person and constantly having terrible people walking all over you?! The man who ruined my life was being hailed as a hero, despite everything he's done! And what do the Phantom Thieves get in return for trying to bring an evil man to justice?! Their existence erased!"

Justine and Caroline briefly side-glanced each other as Joker huffed in annoyance and shook his head, his shaking fist remaining pressed against the wall.

"It's unfair and unjust. Those rotten adults don't deserve the luxury to think for themselves. So it makes sense that I should take it away from the ungrateful and save them from ruin by changing the hearts of any who oppose me, as my master offered."

"Master?" Justine repeated, her brow furrowing in confusion as she tried to grasp the current situation. "Don't tell me…"

'So, even the Trickster has fallen victim to the distortion of his desires…'

Joker ignored her remarks, righting his posture and focusing his gaze between the twin wardens on the other side of the bars.

"You should be thankful." Joker paused to shrug his shoulders. "I was going to let my master erase you. But why should I pass up an opportunity to get my revenge?"

"Revenge?" Caroline questioned, raising a brow and balling her hands into fists as they dangled in front of her. "Revenge for what?! We've done nothing but help you, you ungrateful swine!"

Joker's eyes drooped as he turned them towards the baton still pointed over his shoulder.

"Sometimes. But most of that consisted of insults and electrocution, especially from you."

Caroline raised her right hand to point an accusing finger Joker's way, her left eye narrowing as her shackles rattled around.

"You're just being petty!"

"And you clearly need anger management. Perhaps experiencing your own medicine will teach you to calm down."

Joker allowed a smile of amusement to appear as Caroline gritted her teeth and loosened her fists in attempt to suppress her anger. She was clearly close to breaking point.

"Don't look so mad. You should be grateful I know mercy." Joker's amused smile widened. "Cry tears of joy, Inmate."

"You disrespectful prisoner!" Caroline yelled upon finally losing her temper, moving forward towards the bars despite feeling her right ankle dragging against the weight of the ball attempting to suppress the speed of her walk. "First you mock my poses, and now my lines?! You've clearly forgotten your place!"

Joker's smile faded as he watched Caroline stop just in front of the cell door and reach out both gloved hands to grip tightly at the bars, her lone yellow eye alight with anger. Justine, on the other hand, showed no reaction to the current situation, instead watching the current scenario unfold as if awaiting to see his reaction. She had never seen Caroline so angry before, and was quite surprised that the Trickster had succeeded in striking a nerve within her.

"Now, stop messing around and let us out of this cell this instant!"

Silence briefly fell around the area as Joker stared at Caroline's fuming face and stance, momentarily switching to Justine as she stayed quiet in her disbelief and watched what was happening without a word. He could tell that there was something on Justine's mind, and he suspected it was in relation to the real reason why he'd chosen to separate them and not exterminate them like Yaldabaoth had originally wanted. But he didn't have time to be wasting on that.

After a moment or two had passed, though, Joker pressed his thumb against the button on the baton and raised it away from his shoulder, swinging it towards the bars without warning and causing a loud clang as they made contact. Caroline cried out in shock and stumbled backwards away from the door as sparks of electricity alighted and flashed in front of her face, prompting Justine to flinch and watch with a quiet gasp as Caroline's hands recoiled to her chest when she dropped to the floor on her knees beside her.

Justine turned to Caroline with a shocked blink as she watched the malicious warden's face grow pale with fright at Joker's actions. She had never seen her so scared before. But then again, it was probably the first time Caroline had had her own baton activated right in front of her face.

"No. Here is what's going to happen," Joker started in a strict tone, frowning and bringing the baton back to his side as he leaned down a little to get closer to the girls' level. "You two are going to stay in there quietly and behave. And if you go out of line, I'm going to inflict the same punishments and treatment you inflicted on me." Joker paused to narrow his eyes behind his mask, as if goading the twin wardens to try to defy him at this point. "Have any objections?"

Justine and Caroline briefly locked their terrified gazes when the question was asked, neither of them daring to say another word back to him. There was still so much confusion surrounding the current situation at hand, but there was no point in either of them attempting to step out of line. He wouldn't bother giving them their answers now.

When the twin wardens dared to face Joker once more, the latter smiled in triumph at their continued silence, prompting him to stand up straight and tilt his head to the side.

"Good. Well then…" Pointing the baton towards the empty desk behind him, Joker's smile widened. "… allow me to re-welcome you to the Velvet Room, Inmates. Let's begin your rehabilitation."

A/N: So, in regards to some of the decisions I made...

Attendants/Control of the Velvet Room: I did my best to research into this, but all I managed to find out was that the Velvet Room's design was altered per game and solely focused on how Persona fusing methods differed and not how it generally works in terms of control. I'm not familiar with how the control over the Velvet Room works, but I figured that since Yaldabaoth found a way to relinquish its control from Igor, there was a chance the same could happen with Ren and Lavenza. I based this idea on the Phantom Thieves' losing their personas at the start of the True Ending path, where their lost faith and doubts in their original goals and humanity ultimately suppress their rebellious will temporarily. It seemed logical that the same could apply to Lavenza in regards to the Velvet Room, allowing Ren to gain control with help from Yaldabaoth (since the latter could have easily done it, being a technical 'god'). I will also add that this applies to their abilities as well (hence why they didn't try to escape from the cell that way).

'Ren Amamiya' instead of 'Akira Kurusu': Yes, I chose to use 'Ren' instead of 'Akira'. Apologies to those who prefer the manga name and don't like it, but I'm not familiar with the manga. Since I'm used to hearing 'Ren' because I'm more familiar with the anime, that's why I've chosen to use this form of address. To each their own, after all.

Ren's Motives: In regards to Ren's reasons for turning against humanity and becoming distorted, it made sense to me that he might have chosen to agree to Yaldabaoth's terms because he was just sick and tired of having crappy people walk all over him and ruin his life. Because up until that point in the game, Ren ultimately suffered a lot for the sake of other people, which got worse the higher the risks became. Even in the anime, he seemed like the type of person who would bottle up his real feelings to avoid burdening others or getting into worse situations, which would probably lead to them building up to a point where he probably couldn't take it anymore when humanity turned on him and his friends and acted ungrateful for their efforts to create a better society. A similar thing appeared to happen to some of the antagonists whose hearts were changed, such as Kaneshiro (who viewed selflessness as a weakness), so it seemed possible for Ren to become distorted in his desire to reform society of horrible people.