Here it is! New chapter for all of you. Now, there are some things I need to say. First of all... Job is killing me :D (No surprise there, I just want to let you know that this was updated while I was working. Yeah, my job is that boring sometimes)
Second: There's another Fanfiction that I'll write and that I'm sure you'll love it too called "Persona High School". To be honest, I write it because it just came while I was watching Friends. I'll update that one on the weekend.
Third and the most important of all... You need to hear "Persona 5 OST - Will Power" at a certain part and you will know when that will be so I leave it to you to decide.
That's all, Enjoy it!
Chapter 34: The Upside Down Palace (Part 2)
Naoki's POV
We were surrounded... I was with the Phantom Thieves, surrounded by monsters known as Shadows. The Shadows were following orders from my Sister's Shadow. To be honest, all this seems like a really bad nightmare, one that I want to wake up. I don't want to be here in the first place, all I wanted is to live peacefully, but Misaki didn't let me... She went crazy and now it all comes to this, me helping the Phantom Thieves to change her heart. To think that this world is the only way to do that. All this didn't look real, but it felt too real to be a dream. The oppressive atmosphere, the smell of blood and death in the air, it was hard to ignore. The Shadows looked like actual zombies, but when they jump at us to attack they change into monsters. All of them were different in every way. Akira Kurusu place himself in front of the group and take his mask off, summoning his Persona "Arsene". A demon-looking Persona. Akira point at the Shadows in front of him and Arsene place his hand on the floor while spreading his wings. Darkness erupts from the ground and kills the Shadows in the front. Ryuji Sakamoto summons his Persona "Captain Kidd", a pirate, and kill the Shadows from behind. Makoto Niijima summons her Persona "Johanna", a motorcycle, and kill the Shadow from the sides. In the blink of an eye, all the enemies surrounding us had been destroyed without problems.
"... Woah..." That's all I could say.
"They weren't that tough" Said Ryuji.
"Tell me about it" Said Akira.
"We should get going now" I heard the cat talking, but when I look down I notice that it didn't look like the cat from before. He takes a more cartoonish form and I couldn't help but stare at him. He was a little cute. "Why are you staring at me?" The cat asks me.
"I-I'm surprised, that's all" I said. "You didn't tell me your name by the way"
"My name's Morgana. But in the Metaverse we use Codenames, so call me Mona when we are here" Morgana explain.
"Why do you use codenames?" I ask the obvious question I really need answers to.
"What happened in the Palace is unknown to the person in the real world, but it might've and unknown effect if we say our name. The Shadow might take action and subconsciously warn the person in the real world" Makoto explain. "Did you understand?"
"Yeah... It wasn't that complicated. I thought it would be harder to understand. But you and Dillinger make it easier to follow"
"So, your Persona told you about the Metaverse and what it is?" Ann asks and I nodded.
"Not all of it, only the principal concept. As for the app in my phone... He knows nothing about it" I explain. "Does any of you know who made this and why it appears on my phone?"
"No, we have the same questions actually" Said Ryuji.
"Let's get going. We should move quickly or the Shadows might surround us again" Said Akira and we enter the castle.
Kagura's POV
I open my eyes and found myself looking at the ceiling of my room. The memories are still fresh in my mind, what happened in the bathroom of Shujin Academy, Akira, and Morgana taking my to the Metaverse to heal me, arriving home and falling into my bed from exhaustion. I get up from the bed and felt better, I wasn't tired anymore which surprises me, I wasn't expecting to feel better. I look at the window and the sun was outside, I look at the clock on my desk, it was 4 o'clock. I stand up and get out of my room, I walk to the living room and found Yusuke sitting around the table drinking tea. He looks at me and gets up from the chair.
"Kagura" He said and walk toward me to give me a hug. I didn't stop him, I actually return him the hug. He was obviously worried about me. "How are you feeling? Do you need something? I did tea if you want" He bombard me with questions and I stop him.
"No, it's fine" I said with calm. "Did the others told you what happen?" I really wanted to know what they told him and if they were already in the Palace.
"Yes, they told me. Now they are in the Palace searching for the treasure"
"Good... Will they be alright though?" I ask and Yusuke didn't know what to say. He simply says what anyone would say in this kind of situation.
"They'll be fine. For the moment, you should rest" Yusuke look down at my left hand, the black wristband was hiding the scar. "... Are you going to hide that from your mother?" That question catches me off guard. I completely forgot about my mother.
"Well... The obvious answer would be yes... But she'll find out eventually. I can hide the scar in my wrist, but I can't hide this" I open my hand and show him the "X" in my hand. "She'll see it so I'll come up with a lie. It's not too hard to lie. I want to avoid telling her something unnecessary"
"Good... Still, do you want something? I can make you tea or even coffee" Yusuke insist and I shrug.
"Alright... Do whatever you want" I sit down in the chair and Yusuke hurry to the kitchen to bring me tea. Shortly after that, we both found ourselves drinking tea in silence. Sitting right in front of each other. Yusuke couldn't take his eyes off me and I couldn't take my eyes off my reflection on the tea. I was thinking about what happens today and how it might affect us. First of all, I've never faced someone like her. Someone that could take action so fast and so unpredictable, it makes me wonder what her Palace is like and how hard it could get... Also, what she told me before she left... She knows, just like Kamoshida. How did she know that? Is she messing with me? Is she pretending to now? but what if she actually knows, if she opens her mouth then... What they'll think of me? They'll think I'm nothing more than a-
"Kagura?" Yusuke talks to me and I look up. As soon as I look at him my train of thought stopped and was replaced by worry. "What are you think?"
"N-Nothing... I'm just a little worried about the others" I lied. "I want to go to the Palace and help them"
"If you are feeling better tomorrow we'll take you there. Still, there's nothing to worry about. I'm sure they are doing alright"
Akira's POV
We open the door of the castle and found ourselves with the most bizarre and incredible sight we have ever seen. From the outside, it looked like a castle, but from the inside is actually a dungeon with two hallways on our sides and in front of us we saw a red void with hallways, rooms, and objects floating in the air. We were on the entrance and we were already surrounded by a strong distortion. So strong that I would dare to say that it makes my head and eyes hurt. The floor was made of black stone, just like the walls and there were torches lighting the hallways. We all turn to Naoki.
"... What?" He asks.
"Are you seriously asking that?" Ann ask. "This place is screwed up!"
"W-What? Don't tell me you are blaming me for this? Misaki is the crazy one here!"
"This place is Upside Down, man!" Said Ryuji. "Where do we go now? I don't see a frickin' map! We need to know where are we going to reach the treasure!"
"C-C-Calm down" Said Naoki and point at the hallway on our left. "The last time I come I walk over there. That's where the statues are... So I recommend going to the opposite way"
"Those Statues... Are they Shadows?" Morgana asks. "You know, those monsters wearing masks" Naoki look at Morgana and sigh.
"No, they don't have any mask on. I don't know what they are, but they are scary" Said Naoki. "The last time it was also my first time here. Most of the time I walk aimlessly through the hallways until I found an exit"
"Hey, how it actually happen?" Ann asks Naoki. "I mean... How did you awaken your Persona?"
"... I'll... rather not talk about that" Naoki look down. "It hurt a lot and to be honest, Dillinger didn't make it easier. He keeps yelling at me until I finally accept him. He reminds me of a bully of some kind. I'll tell you when we get out of here. Now we should keep going
"Alright then... So we are going to the right?" Ryuji ask
"Yes" Naoki point at the hallways on the right. "Be careful where you step... Seriously" We follow Naoki's advice and watch our steps. The hallway at the right leads us to a huge room that looked like a torture chamber with blood covering the walls and skeletons laying on the ground. We look at the room both surprised and terrified. We could hear a voice from far away, outside the room. It was Misaki.
"Are they hiding?" She asks. "Are they playing Hide and Seek? Or... Are they waiting for me to kill them...?" Misaki chuckle. "This is going to be so fun... I can't wait for them to fail. I can't wait for them to die here and go missing in the other world. No one will ever know what happened to them, but I'll know... Me and my other version will know... I can't wait to see the outcome of this!"
"She really wants us dead, huh?" Makoto asks. "We need to find a map, if we don't know where are we heading then we'll get lost. Naoki, any idea?"
"Not really... I'm her twin brother, not her brain. I don't know what she's thinking most of the time. If I were to know what is she thinking then... Hm?" Naoki stares at the wall. There was an old picture of a woman, her face was torn apart. Naoki walks toward the picture and touches it. "I remember this picture..." He turns to look at us and then at the floor. We all look down too. The floor in this room was made of wood, I didn't notice it at first.
"What is it?" Ann asks.
"... My sister sees this dungeon as the house we live, right?" Naoki asks and Morgana answers his question.
"That should be the case, why?"
"If that's true, then... We are in the kitchen" Naoki said and point at the picture. "That's my mother's picture. Shortly after she and Dad passed away, Misaki tore it apart and left it in the kitchen" He then points at the torture devices and the skeletons. "Those things might be the cookware and the skeleton the trash or what was left of the food... I think... But if that's correct, then that means we might don't need a map at all. I can guide you"
"For real?" Ryuji smile.
"If the rest of the Palace resembles the house in some way or another then at least we can know where are we going... If it resembles my house then that treasure should be in..." In that moment a group of Shadows (Six of them) surrounded us. The looked like zombies wearing red masks and black medieval armor. The Take us by surprise and attack without warning. Naoki was outside of the group and the Shadows ignore him. "Guys!" He yells.
"Don't worry, we got this!" Said Ryuji and summon Captain Kidd and use electricity on them. The Shadows were completely immune to them and knocked down Ryuji without any difficulty.
"Skull!" Ann yell. More Shadow run through the hallway and reach the room. I summon Jack Frost and use Mabufu on them, they were also immune to it.
"The hell?" I said. "Panther, Queen, Mona, find the Shadow's weakness. Naoki get out of there!" I yell, but Naoki didn't move. He was looking at the Shadows ignoring him. Why were they ignoring him like that? They were treating him like he was no worth of attack at all. Ann, Makoto and Morgana attack at the Shadows, but all of them were immune to magic attack and even physical attacks. We were surrounded now. The room filled with Shadows, so much that it looked like we were on a stage and the Shadows were the public. One by one, the Shadows exploit our weakness, I was the last one standing thanks to my Wild Card ability, but I won't last that long. I look at Naoki, he was at the other side of the room, watching, frozen in place.
"Dammit!" Ryuji yell. "What are we going to do now!? All these Shadows are immune to any attack we throw at them Why!?"
"Because I want them to be" Misaki magically appear between us and Naoki. She smiles at us and takes out a sword from under her skirt. "It wasn't hard to find you. If you spend more than a minute in one room I'll find you. You know why?" Misaki asks and she really wants us to answer. She waits for us to answer her question and I was the one that answers.
"Because you are the ruler of the Palace" I said.
"That's not the only reason... Because this Palace is my Playground, my dollhouse... My own world where I'm in absolute control over everything!" Misaki snaps her fingers and the walls of the room disintegrated. We saw the red void surrounding us and all the rooms floating in the infinite void fly toward us and attach themselves to the room. "This Palace is in my control. I can change the rooms whenever the hell I want. That's why you'll never find the Treasure, you'll never succeed, even if by a miracle you defeat my Shadows. You'll die here and I'll throw your bodies to the monster that rule over the core of the Metaverse!"
"Shut the hell up!" Ryuji yells at her. "We are not dying here. We'll defeat your puppets and steal that rotten heart of yours!"
"You are too loud for my liking. Maybe I should just kill one of you just for dramatic effect" Misaki raise her sword and we saw Naoki running toward her. The Shadows turn to him and grab him by the arms and push his head against the ground. "Useless like always little brother," She said and turn to look at Naoki right in the eyes. Her glowing yellow eyes stare at his clear brown eyes. "That outfit doesn't suit you. It'll be better if you simply wear an inmate clothes. Because you are my prisoner and I will never let you escape from me. I'll give you a choice. Go back to your room and stay there for the rest of your life as my ragdoll or... Rebel against me. If you choose the last one, then I'll kill you here and now"
"Ugh... I'm..." Naoki wanted to talk, but he was lacking the courage. I could see it, everyone could see it. Naoki was afraid of his own sister. I stand up and do what I did with Ryuji before... Give him the courage to stand up. He might've awakened his Persona, but he was still lacking the courage to stand against the evil.
"Dillinger is... useless. Like myself" Those words echoed in my head. That was the problem. Naoki awakens his power, but he was afraid to use it, to let it out, to stand for himself and take action. He was afraid to fully accept the reality in front of him. It looks alien to him and I don't blame him, but now it wasn't the time to be afraid, now it was the time to stand up and fight.
"Naoki!" I yell and both Naoki and Misaki look at me. "You are afraid, I know that. You are afraid to rebel, but there's nothing to be afraid of! It's nothing wrong, it's true that it's a tough path, but as long you do what you want, as long you break the chains of oppression there's nothing to be afraid of. You shouldn't be afraid of your sister, you are both equal and if she can't see that then she just like the rest of those rotten adults we change their hearts!" I point at Misaki and for the first time, I saw her angry. She stares at me.
"... THE... FUCK... ARE YOU... DOING!?" She yells at me. "DON'T GET IN MY WAY. THIS IS BETWEEN MY TWIN BROTHER AND I. I WILL RIP YOUR EYES AND TONGUE OUT IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP! EVERY SINGLE OF YOU SHOULD JUST SIT BACK AND SHUT THE FUCK UP! HE'S MINE, HE HAS NO RIGHTS! YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT EQUALITY!? DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH! THAT'S BULLSHIT! SOMETHING LIKE THAT DON'T EXIST IN THIS WORLD, I AM THE ABSOLUTE RULER HERE, PERFECT IN EVERY WAY!"
"Ohhh, what's the matter psycho girl? Did we touch a never?" Ryuji stands up. "You don't like that we get between you and your little brother? Too bad, we're not lettin' you rule over his life or ours. We'll beat you and steal your treasure!"
"If you think you are perfect, then you are more distorted than we thought you might be" Said Morgana.
"You should treat your family like that, it's just wrong," Said Ann.
"Sibling rivalry is normal, but this isn't. You are proclaiming your ownership over a human being that has the same human right as you... No, you at this point you don't deserve to have human rights if you treat people like tools and has no problem with killing because you feel like it!" Makoto yell.
"You think that your words wound me... That's stupidity taken to the next level! I'll kill you know before you turn into a pain in the ass!" Misaki yell and Naoki free himself from the Shadows and grab Misaki's left hand, the hand where she had the sword. He looks at her right in the eyes. "What the fuck are you doing, Naoki!?"
"I'm not... I'm not..."
"Hmm...?"
"I'm not your slave anymore, Misaki!" Naoki yell and an unknown force throw her against the wall. Misaki hit her head against the wall and the whole room, I even would dare to say that the whole Palace, shake. We all saw Naoki grabbing his mask and we all hear a voice.
"Are you finally accepting the reality as it is? You are going to completely accept me for what I am? Are you standing up for yourself?" The voice that was coming from Naoki said. He raises his head and we saw his eyes turning yellow. "Are you going to steal back your future!?"
"Yes! I will do it! I'm tired of this. I want this suffering to end. I will get back my future, my freedom... I will bring back my sister from her own spiral of madness that she created! So lend me your power, all of it!" Naoki yell.
"Very well! Call upon my name, Boy!" The voice yell and Naoki grab his mask with both hands and rip it out with all his strength.
"Give them hell... Dillinger!" He yells and a giant blue flame appear behind Naoki. From the flame, we saw the silhouette of a really slender man. From the flames, two gun barrels came out and shoot at Misaki. She raises her hands and the bullets heading to her head disintegrate. The Persona came out of the flames. It was a really slender man wearing a black suit, a dark red scarf was around his neck and move like it had life on its own, a really long white cape was coming out of his shoulders and his whole head was covered in white bandages stained with blood. The bandages weren't covering his mouth, showing a creepy smile full of sharp teeth resembling the ones of a great white shark. Dillinger had two really old rusty pistols in his hands.
Dillinger shoots at the Shadows surrounding us and inflicts fear on them, not to mention that they all were knocked down. He then proceeds to shoot multiple bullets to the ceiling, breaking it apart and a rain of bullets fall over every single Shadow. None of the bullets hit us or Naoki at all. The Shadows disappears and Misaki saw in anger how her minions were killed that easily. Naoki turns to Misaki and a scythe appears in his hand. Shadow came out of the wall and jump at him, Naoki swings his scythe and behead them without effort. The Shadows that were beheaded turn into Genbus and Naoki order Dillinger to attack them.
"Dillinger, Megidola!" Dillinger shot at them and kill them without blinking. Dillinger disappears and Naoki falls to his knees. We run toward him and check on him. "I'm okay," He said. "Just tired" Naoki look at her sister's Shadow. "It's your turn now, Misaki" He said and Misaki's anger turns into a smile. "Why are you smiling?"
"... You are strong, Naoki. I like that... But only one of us will win... And that will be me" Misaki walk slowly to the exit and snap her finger. "In the meantime..." The whole room shakes and broke apart, separating us all. The room breaks into pieces and we end up in different rooms, separate from each other. "Let's see if you all can find the way back... Good Luck, Phantom Thieves..."
Misaki was staring at the picture of her mother in the kitchen, her face was torn apart. She looks at it with a little of melancholy in her face. She touches the picture and out of nowhere, she felt a sudden pain coming from her head. She grabs her head and fall to her knees while closing her eyes, the pain got intense by the second until it suddenly stopped. She stands up while her leg shake. She stares at the picture of her mother and smiles at it. The reflection of the glass showed her eyes turning yellow.
"Are they... Trying to steal it already?" She asks. "Is that so...? Then I should do something about it... I won't go down... without a fight"
When I was thinking about Dillinger I thought of him as a Persona with Darkness abilities and Almighty (Megido skills), as for his Arcana I'll leave that in the dark for a couple of chapters more. You can guess if you want, I won't give you the answer though. Anyway, what do you think?