This story is a work of fiction.

Any relation to persons, living or dead, as well as events, are purely coincidental.

The author owns none of the characters, or events, that take place here.


The world is not as it should be.

It's filled with distortion, and "ruin" will soon descend.

However...there are those who would challenge fate, in desire for change.

Since time immemorial...they were known as,

"Tricksters."


Persona 5: Hoshi to Bokura to


Tenth Heist: Haunting Truth

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Traversing the castle had been slightly less easier than Akira had anticipated. The path had been the same, though he soon discovered why there weren't any guards. Their path was blocked by several black-armored soldiers bearing aqua-blue masks, prancing and patrolling about.

"Crap!" Ryuji panicked as they ducked behind nearby cover, fleeing into a nearby stack of crates. Crouching down to avoid being seen, the blonde delinquent slowly poked his head out, watching the soldiers. "The hell? I don't think there was this many before!"

"We must have pissed off Kamoshida something serious." Akira remarked. "It'll be a pain to get past them."

"No shit." Ryuji remarked, noting the numbers. As he looked around for a way they could maneuver around the Shadows, he noticed the many cells lining up the pathways. Some already had occupants, though their forms were hard to discern. Compared to the ones they first saw, these prisoners wore rags with shackles binding their wrists and ankles while some kind of iron mask was placed over their faces. The mere sight was enough to church his stomach the wrong way. "Jesus...the eff is Kamoshida doing in this castle?"

Makoto shook her head. "I have no idea." she said, unable to find an answer to his question. She then presented a more curious, and important one to the growing pile. "On the subject...are we sure that was even Kamoshida-sensei?"

"How do you mean?" Akira asked, looking over his shoulder. He then remembered his first encounter with the teacher in this bizarre place - the glowing yellow eyes, clouded with malice and lust, the plain-faced show of emotion without a shred of the man at school present. Though her question was strange, he knew what she was getting at. Something about the Kamoshida in this castle was...disturbing.

Ryuji seemed to realize this, too, as his eyebrows knitted together. "A-actually, now that you mention it..."

"INTRUDER!"

The three students' bodies froze, immediately put on alert as a black knight barreled his way in, distorted voice laced with panic. The others noticed this commotion and rallied to him. "What's the matter?" one of them asked. "What's happening?!"

"It's that damned intruder from before!" the newcomer informed urgently. "We found him in the main hall! He's heading this way!"

"What?!" another snarled. "Troublesome nuisance!" The knight then turned to his comrades. "Everyone, let's go! We'll cut him off at the entrance!"

With a chorus of cheers, the knights fled into one of the pathways, vanishing from sight. As Akira looked around, in case any knights stayed behind, he looked back to his friends. "We're good." he informed them, stepping out from their hiding place. Sighing in relief, Ryuji and Makoto also stepped out, looking at where the knights fled. "I guess we're not the only ones who came here."

"Could it be Morgana?" Makoto inquired, putting a hand on her chin. "He's the only person I can think of who might have a reason for being here. That, and he has the same power you do."

Ryuji scratched the back of his head. "I'm still confusing on that whole thing." he said, somewhat irritated by the lack of explanation. "What's this 'Persona' thing about anyway?" After a moment, he shook his head fiercely and then looked back at Akira. "Actually, you know what? Forget I asked. Come on. Let's find that 'Training Hall of Love' place we found before."

"Agreed." the Student Council President said in approval, pleased to see that the former athlete was taking her advice to heart. "Someone is giving us a distraction, so let's use it." The boys didn't argue, and instead ran down the now vacant paths. As they did, they looked at the cells, blanching at the depressing sights.

So horrible. Makoto thought, trying her best not to look. They made a sharp turn around the bend, coming close to the spiral staircase leading down to the next level. How could anyone do this...?

She couldn't comprehend it in the slightest. Before, when she was still a second-year, she had thought Suguru Kamoshida to be something of an upstanding individual, and believed what Kobayakawa envisioned - a star for Shujin to prosper. Under his guidance, the volleyball team was advancing, and soon they would be able to head to the nationals. It was to be expected, given that the man was a graduate of Shujin himself. However, after a while, unsavory rumors began to spread. Rumors that unnerved her. Thanks to those rumors, she also began to notice things that she hadn't before.

Male members of the volleyball team having injuries too severe to be caused by practice.

Female members suddenly becoming reclusive and hesitant compared to their usual selves, especially in the presence of their coach.

There was also the incident regarding the track team as well. From what she learned, the training had suddenly become much more harsh, and a rumor regarding Ryuji's family situation somehow spread, leading to an unprovoked attack on Kamoshida that resulted in self-defense. Self-defense that ended with his leg being broken, and ending his track career.

Why she hadn't noticed any of this before, she didn't know. It didn't change the fact that all of this happened when she was supposed to be looking out for the student body as her position as Student Council President. She felt...useless.

She hated feeling useless.

Eventually, they reached the end of the road. The entrance to the staircase leading downward was in sight. The problem was a steel gate barring the way. Ryuji tried to push it open, only to meet resistance. "Dammit!" he swore as he tried once more, only to fail. "Locked!" He turned back to the ground, a scowl on his face. "We're gonna have to find another way!"

"That, or we try finding a key." Akira suggested before frowning. "Then again...knowing our luck, we'll probably be-"

"There you bastards are!" The three teens whirled around, seeing a knight emerge from a nearby passageway. Its burning red eyes bore deeply into them as familiar black and red fluid began to seep from the openings in its body, and its form trembling. Its body then exploded, and the black and red goop formed into a new shape.

Strangely, in spite of possessing a male voice, the figure that formed from the gunk was female. It lacked any feet visible to them, wearing a bright red dress with a white cap, invoking the image of some sort of maid. Its skin was light green, and flowing down past the shoulders was hair of a much darker shade. Even stranger still was, in spite of the killing intent the Shadow radiated, it bore a gentle smile.

"Thieves who have come to take Lord Kamoshida's Treasure shall not be allowed to leave this place alive!" the Shadow announced as it brought its hands close together. A flicker of sparks danced in between its palms before it sparked into a ball of flame, as big as a softball, before sending it flying at the teens.

Ryuji's eyes widened in panic. "OH, SHIT!" he cried before he shielded Makoto from the oncoming blast. Akira scowled as his mask erupted into blue flames, a hand over his face. As the ball of flame reached him, it suddenly exploded, engulfing the three in an inferno. The Shadow's gentle smile turned cruel, but then faded as the plume of smoke and flames were blown away, courtesy of a demonic red figure with a flaming grin and black wings.

"Take her down, Arsene!" Akira shouted.

The Persona of the Fool Arcana obeyed its master's command, shooting forward with a claw outstretched. Quickly, the Shadow danced away and leaving it to impale the wall. Brick and concrete shattered with ease, obliterated by the sharp claws. Arsene was quick to zero in on its target and shuttled forward, flapping its wings and taking to the air, black and red energy dancing in its claws. It then dragged the empowered claws through the wall as it charged at the Shadow, who gathered another ball of flames. Once within range, Arsene let the cursed power of Eiha loose, allowing it to rip a path through the wall in its pursuit and forming into a demonic head hellbent on consuming the lovely being. The Shadow launched the fireball at it, creating a giant blast of flames and smoke.

A shockwave passed through, nearly sending Ryuji and Makoto the ground. Akira, however, stood his ground as his gray eyes, steely and fierce - a total contrast to how he usually was as the calm and quiet-mannered transfer student the students had seen him as in spite of the harsh rumor mill running around. He felt something pulsate through his being, almost like a resonance of some kind with the Persona. Soon, this pulse grew stronger. With a sudden gust of wind from within the cloud of smoke, Arsene blew it away, revealing him perfectly fine.

The Shadow scowled as it floated back, evading a kick that would have severed its head from its shoulders before it gathered another fireball in its grasp. Unlike last time, however, it directed the sphere of flames upwards, sending it straight up to the ceiling. As a result of the blast, rocks of debris came falling down. Immediately, Arsene backed away, lest it be crushed by the giant pieces of rock. It gathered the black and red energy in its hands again, though it soon found the process halted when the Shadow revealed something else in its bag of tricks. Spreading its arms out, tiny balls of flame danced around it, six in all and forming into a circle. As soon as it slammed its hands togethers, the tiny fireballs launched themselves at Arsene.

The first two were dodged with little effort. Arsene cocked its head to the side and letting it explode against the wall on the opposite path to the three teens before slashing at the second with its heels. The third, however, exploded on its wing, causing blue flames to burn at the exact spot. The fourth struck Arsene in the shoulder, and the fifth and sixth dead center in the chest. In each spot, blue flames burned, as if to represent the damage - damage Akira received as well. He let out a cry of pain, feeling a sensation akin to a firecracker exploding against exposed skin. The intensity behind the pain left him to fall to his knees, grasping his chest as he felt his chest ache in pain. His breath became labored, and his eyes clouded. He could vaguely hear the sound of his friends calling out to him in concern.

Sadly, the Shadow gave him no time to rest as it created a fireball in its hands, and sent it straight at Arsene. It exploded straight into its chest, causing even greater flames to burn on its body. The force of the explosion also sent it smacking straight against the steel bars apart of the gate, causing it to shudder. Akira let out another cry of pain as he was swept off his feet, finding his back striking harshly against the bars. Spit flew out of his mouth from the impact, chest screaming in pain. Unlike before, it felt he was just struck with a giant red-hot hammer right in the center of his chest. His mind was beginning to feel cloudy as well. Arsene, sluggish, tried to pry itself off the bars before it found a pair of slender hands wrap around its neck.

"Au-!" Akira gasped, his hands suddenly going to his throat. He felt something wrapping around his neck. Something cold, vile... It was binding his windpipes. He couldn't breathe. He was starting to feel the loss of oxygen rushing through his body. His lungs hammered in his body, begging to try and give him sustenance, but the unseen hands around his neck wouldn't allow it. "Agh-!"

"Kurusu-kun?!" Makoto cried, rushing to his side and grabbing his shoulders. "Kurusu-kun, what's wrong?!"

Ryuji stared at his friend in horror, watching as his face was starting to grow blue. W-what the hell's going on here?! he thought, too shocked to understand what was happening. Why's he freaking out all of a sudden?! And why is he looking like he's being stran...gled...?! His brown eyes widened in realization, looking at the winged form of Arsene as it struggled to pry the hands of the Shadow off of its neck as its form was beginning to become engulfed in azure flames, flames that were beginning to dim in color. It came to him right then.

Any damage that winged thing suffered...Akira also felt?!

Son of a bitch! he cried in anger, gritting his teeth as he looked around for something - ANYTHING! - to use. He wasn't going to let this happen. He wasn't about to let Akira die from something like this dammit! He soon found a large piece of rock, remnants from the ceiling from the earlier explosion, and grabbed it. "Hey, you green bitch!" he shouted at the Shadow, earning its attention as it craned its head at him. He then threw the rock at it, striking it in the forehead. It recoiled from the blunt attack, letting out a small pained cry. Black fluid began to leak from its forehead as it looked back at him through closed eyes, a snarl forming on its lips.

"Filthy wretch!" it snarled as it released one hand from its grasp on Arsene's neck, aiming its palm at Ryuji. Makoto's eyes widened in panic and horror as flames began to form in her palm. Ryuji, however, stood his ground and leveled a glare at it. The gesture was clear. He was practically begging it to shoot one at him. Taunting it even! The Shadow felt infuriated, rage bubbling in its chest as it readied an Agi, ready to reduce this pathetic whelp to cinders.

However, in that one moment of distraction, as Akira felt his connection with his Persona grow dimmer, he scowled heavily, biting the inside of his cheek. Blood leaked through the broken, tender skin. Pain registered in his mind, piercing through the growing haze. In that one moment, Arsene's dim body sprung to life as its flaming eyes and mouth burned even darker with karmic retribution in mind. It grabbed the hand on its neck, claws piercing into the skin while its other hand suddenly latched itself to its face. The action took the Shadow off guard, though it soon found itself screaming in pain as one of the Persona's sharp digits suddenly impale itself through its eye socket. A cry of pain ripped from its throat as it tried to remove the hand. With both hands now occupied with trying to remove Arsene's hand from its being, Akira found himself regaining his breath. Panting, a surge of rage formed in his heart.

Suddenly, his eyes burned crimson red as he found himself screaming. "Arsene!"

The Persona felt the newfound surge of strength in its other self, and its flaming grin turned wicked. It dug its claws in deeper into the Shadow's flesh, seeping further into the skin before dragging it out, creating a massive scar on the otherwise beautiful face the being sported. Black and red fluids spewed out of its now mangled face, clutching the mug as it screamed out of pain and grief. With opportunity now present, it suddenly lunged forward reared back a claw, the same writhing mass of black and red energy gathering before lacing around the sharp tips of its claws. It then swung its hand, ripping straight through the Shadow's chest and reducing it to a mess of gore. The goo that made up its being spewed out like a geyser before it fell limp, falling into the stream of water. Moments later, the stream became tinted with black and red.

With the opposition disposed of, Arsene's form flickered into azure flames before disappearing. The white mask then returned on Akira's features. Exhaustion hit him like a freight train as he found himself slumping against the balls that held him. "Kurusu-kun!" Makoto cried as she wrapped an arm around his torso, preventing him from falling to the floor in a heap. Her face was marred with panic and fear. After seeing that vicious display earlier, and how he was seemingly suffering, she had more than every right to be worried over his wellbeing. "A-are you okay?!"

"Y-yeah." he wheezed, hacking up a lung as his lungs went back to work, trying to function properly after nearly suffocating. "I-I'm fine." He winced in pain, however, feeling the full effects of the damage Arsene suffered. It seems his thoughts from the previous day when he encountered the Shadows was correct after all. Any damage his Persona takes, he feels as well. His hand went to his throat, recalling how the Shadow tried to strangle the life out of it earlier, and him in turn. If this was what the battles ahead of him were like...he was not looking forward to it. "J-just...just give me a second."

Ryuji let out a sigh of relief, running a hand through his short blonde hair. He could feel his knees shaking from the killing intent that damned Shadow as radiating earlier. His mind was now processing what he had just attempted, and found himself stunned. He knew he was an idiot, but he didn't think he was THAT idiotic. Even still, he couldn't let Akira get himself killed. "Thank god you're okay, man." he said, moving over to help Akira as well. He slung one of his arms over his shoulder, hoisting him up. "Crap, you scared the shit out of us back there."

"S-sorry..."

Makoto sniffled, wiping away what she felt was the onset of a tear forming if the wet feeling brushing up against her eye was any indication. "You should be."

"Aw, look at what you did." the former athlete chuckled softly, trying his best to lighten up the mood. "You've gone and made Makoto-senpai cry!"

Akira let out a pained laugh, wincing from how his ribs seemed to disagree with it. "Sorry...I'll apologize properly when we get out of here." he promised. "First things first...let's get to those prisoners."

"H-how?" Makoto asked. "The door's still locked. And all of that commotion just now is bound to attract more guards!"

The boys knew she was right. With all the noise that was practically being blared out like a stereo on full blast, there was no way a guard didn't hear that. Akira debated whether or not he should call on Arsene again, but he felt too damned exhausted. The fog in his mind was still making it difficult to think. As the group pondered their options, Ryuji noticed something glimmering out of the corner of his head. "Hey." he called, earning their attention. "The hell's that?" Makoto looked at what he saw. There was something shining, no doubt a reflection of something, stuck against one of the bars. Gently letting Ryuji handle the weight of the frizzy-haired teen, she walked over to the edge of the aquaduct and bent down, grabbing the object.

Her eyes widened, however, when she held it up in her hand to examine it. "A key...?"

"Seriously?!" Ryuji gawked, completely shocked. What were the odds of finding it so close to them? "Wait, was it from that monster from earlier?!"

"If so," Akira grunted. "Then let's hurry. We can't stay here for long."

Nobody was willing to put that to the test. Makoto quickly inserted the key into the lock on the gate. A loud 'click' could be heard, and the gate swung open. "Yes!" Ryuji cheered. "Moving on!" Quickly, they made their way over to the staircase, descending downward.

TakeYourTime

In spite of Makoto's protests, Akira had found some strength returning to him. He insisted that he was capable of walking on his own now, however much his body protested in retaliation with pain shooting through his body. Even so, he powered on, unwilling to allow himself to let the two worry about him further. Makoto shot him a worried glance every now and then, no doubt aware of that he was not in good shape yet, but she seemed to have given up trying to convince him otherwise.

Soon, they returned to the 'Training Hall of Love.' Glancing at each other, nodding, they pushed open the doors, entering the room. Unlike before, there were less people being tortured. It didn't make the sight any easier to look at, however. It was hard to watch as students were left trapped in cages, being severely bruised and beaten in horrific ways.

"Okay!" Ryuji said hotly as he looked at Makoto and Akira. "We just gotta bust these guys out of here! After that, we can expose Kamoshida for all of this bullshit!"

Akira gave a nod. He then went over to one of the cages, looking for an unlocking mechanism or a lock of some kind. If need be, he would smash it open with Arsene. Makoto and Ryuji went over to one of the other cages, also looking for a way to pop them open. In the middle of his search, Akira noticed that one of the trapped students was staring at him bizarrely. Strangely, the boy seemed familiar to Akira, though he couldn't quite place it.

"What are you doing? the student asked as he limped over, cradling a bruised arm. "Who...are you?"

"A friend." the masked boy promised. "I'm here to get you out of here."

The boy's eyes widened in surprise, but soon it faded into forlorn as a bitter smile touched his lips, turning away. "Sorry, but...it won't work." Akira was taken aback by the defeated expression on the boy's face. Soon, however, he remembered why this boy looked so familiar. He was the student he ran into in the hallway on his first day at Shujin when he asked for direction to the Student Council room. "We can't leave this place. Even if we did...the King would just punish us even harder."

"But you can expose him." Akira persisted. "You all can."

"We can't defy the king." the defeated boy continued on, shaking his head. "It's impossible." Saying his piece, he returned to his place at the back of the room, slumping down in a heap.

Akira frowned, pulling away from the cage. He didn't understand...what was going on? Surely, these people must have thought about escaping before. Why was it so hard to believe? As he studied their features, he suddenly noticed something...bizarre about them. Leaning closer, he fuddled his brow, straining his eyes as he studied their faces. Their eyes seemed to be incredibly hollow and lifeless. Moreso than the typical dead-to-the-world look. Their skin was pale as if they hadn't been out in the sun for so long, their bodies incredibly thin as if malnourished.

But...that didn't make any sense. How could that be? When he saw the boy in the hall yesterday, he didn't even look the least bit deprived of food or sunlight. With the exception of the bruises, he seemed to be perfectly healthy.

Then, suddenly, as if responding to some sort of doubt in his heart, a pulse echoed through his being. A clarity washed over him, the sense of wrongness in the world around him fading for the just the tiniest moment. In it, Akira's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. He took a shaky step back, moving away from the cage.

It can't be... A-are they...?

"Looks like you realized it." a familiar boyish voice announced. Turning his head, he found Morgana standing behind him, large blue eyes staring up at him with a knowing look while his arms were crossed over his chest. "I saw you guys running here. Doesn't take a genius to know why you came back to the one place where that Kamoshida bastard would tighten security."

So he and Makoto were correct. It was Morgana who provided them with the means of escape. Even still, it did little to lessen the feeling of dread in his heart as he turned back to the lifeless...doll-like prisoners, trapped behind the bars that would forever prevent him from reaching them.

"Morgana...are these people?"

"I'm afraid so." Morgana said, speaking the words that caused his heart to sink. "These people...aren't real."

TO BE CONTINUED...


Persona Compendium:

Silky - Priestess: [A house faerie of England and Scotland. She carries out household chores while everyone sleeps and is a welcome spirit. It is said you can hear her silk skirts rustle as she works. However, she will kill anyone who tries to cause harm to the family she protects.]


A/N: Okay...be honest. Are you people pissed about me not updating this story frequently? Is that why I didn't get as many reviews last time? I mean, don't get me wrong, favorites and follows are a clear indicator that I'm doing something right, but reviews have a greater impact since people tell me their thoughts about what I'm writing.

I promise I'll update more, so please, review to your hearts content! Reviews keep me going like any other author! If you do, I promise I'll update more frequently! I swear! So please!

PLEASE?!

Wow...what a pathetic guy, am I right? Anyway, lack of reviews aside, we're getting close to the awakenings of Makoto and Ryuji, as well as a special surprise for a few people! Hopefully, though, this sack of shit can update quicker!

Welp, that's pretty much it. What a lame author's note.

Later, losers, and we'll see you guys next heist.