December 24th, inside the Velvet Room
„I shall grant you an opportunity to make a deal with me." – said a long nosed man, floating in the air before them, by the name of Igor. But he wasn't the real one.
„What is this deal?" – a teenage boy asked clad in black clothes befitting of a thief.
„Should you wish it, I shall return the world to its prior state – one rampant with distorted masses."
„Revert the world? Could he be telling the truth…?" – the boy mused, wondering about what the fake Igor said.
„You forcefully dragged him into the Metaverse and imposed an ordeal on him he did not deserve… Yet you still intend on toying with him?!" – asked a blonde girl in blue clothes, by the name of Lavenza. Her voice was shaking with rage.
„The Phantom Thieves will be praised and gain fame. The world will escape ruin as well." – the God of Control, Yaldabaoth, posing as Igor, master of the Velvet Room continued.
„…What say you?" – he asked, with a sickening smile on his face.
„If I agree to this, the ruined city will return to normal. However, the people will remain trapped, abandoning their ability to think for themselves… Is that really how the world should be?" – he asked himself this question, deep in thought.
„Very well." – the boy said, confidently. Lavenza was shocked, and deeply disappointed in the Trickster next to him.
„Our contract has been sealed then." – said Yaldabaoth, chuckling.
„It's a good deal." – said the boy, now with a sinister smile on his face.
„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 said, losing all hope she had for the human.
„You truly are a child of man... It seems you could not win against your own desires." – Yaldabaoth said, seemingly happy that the Fool would not reach his destiny, He had the chance after all, but it seems like worldly desires are stronger.
„Ah, yes… these so called desires… well, I am a teen after all, with lots of energy inside of me… my charm is already through the roof, so I should be able to enjoy my new life pretty well… maybe I will even stay in Tokyo." – thought the boy, getting filled with excitement.
„There is no need to be ashamed. I shall grant you that wish." – said the false god, knowing what the boy was thinking about. He started laughing as he slowly faded out from the Velvet Room.
Shibuya Square
„…On to the other news. The police have officially withdrawn the arrest warrant on the Phantom Thieves… As well as apologized for those who have led the investigation, citing they were inadequate for the task.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." – said the news reporter.
„So the police were in the wrong after all. They are the ones who must've been doing shady stuff."
„There's no way the Phantom Thieves could be evil."
„The actions of the Phantom Thieves show no signs of stopping. Change of heart police reports have already surpassed one hundred cases." – the newscaster continued.
„Only a hundred? I thought it would've been double that already."
„Yeah, I know what you mean. 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…" – said a female pedestrian, seemingly pregnant.
„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." – the woman's husband said, trying to calm her nerves.
With the news report over, people started going home from the square. A dark haired boy, wearing glasses can be seen standing among the crowd. His face seems to express no emotions. He turns around and adjusts his glasses. A sinister smile adorns his face. It seems like he is doing his job quite well… and people are praising him. His plan will begin soon enough.
„Where are the other Phantom Thieves…?" – he wondered, but not because of compassion. He lost all that from listening to other peoples' problems, never able to express his own worries, or fears. He has grown tired of being the one everyone could vent their problems to, but he himself had no one like that. That's why he accepted the deal. He knew the god was fake, and he was suspicious of the man he has come to known as Igor. Ruin, rehabilitation, Trickster… All of these words he was constantly saying, but never explaining their meanings. He didn't want to fight for something he didn't know, he didn't want to fight for his so-called friends, who only appreciated him because he solved their problems all alone… He was just a teenage boy. A teenage boy with the power of changing the world if he wanted. Amamiya Ren has had enough, and he finally gave into his distorted desires… Something was changing inside the Metaverse. But he was worried. His old teammates were gone. They went missing from their cells inside the Velvet Room, without a clue left behind. He didn't know where they might be hiding, but he did know that he needs to start looking for them. Well, not out of compassion, but to fulfill his perverted desires on the girls of the group. He decided he will kill the males of the group, because their mind wasn't weak enough to turn them into slaves. Nobody else was going to look for them, he knew, because the collective's conscious never acknowledged them.
And they knew that too...