Ren could not help but reflect on how much has happened the past year. The incident with Shido, his introduction into the Metaverse, his unlocking of his Persona, assembling the Phantom Thieves… And now he stood here in the Velvet Room, in front of its real master. In his heightened state of alertness, he noted how Igor referred to where they were as the Velvet Room rather than his. Just the word choice alone showed how the real Igor was different from the impostor in mannerisms alone. Igor presented himself as a custodian, having a soft and gentle tone, yet afflicted with a mysterious sense of mysticism, alluding to the supernatural atmosphere. The false one, bluntly speaking, acted like he owned the place, having a belligerent and detached tone.
Had the switch occurred after Ren met the real Igor, Ren would've noticed it right away, even without the different voice the impostor maintained.
Even now he could see it. Igor noticed Ren's hesitation and decided to fuse the twins himself. They exploded in twin bursts of blue lights and azure butterflies, uniting into one formally dressed young lady there.
"Greetings, Trickster. My name is Lavenza. Thank you for helping to restore me to my true form," she said as she gave a curtsy over to Ren. More than the sign of respect, the pure smile of gratitude on her face said more than any words could on the matter. Ren couldn't help but smile back at her.
"I admit I am more than a little confused, but I am guessing you are the real Igor and the fake tried to trick me before leaving me," Ren proposed as he saw Igor return to his chair.
"Correct. Your triumph over his temptations shows your conviction that you may be able to stop him. Your preemptive attack on him left him unable to achieve his full power as he intended, but I suspect that it was but a setback. It will only be a matter of time before he will fully assert his power over the physical world," Lavenza explained to him.
"Where are my friends? Are they here?" Ren asked. With everything calming down, he began focusing more on what was needed, and that was making sure they were okay.
"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter…" Igor cryptically said before facing a door that led out further into the area.
"They are all here. When you attempted to escape using the Metaverse App before the false god could finish fusing Mementos with the real world, it forced you and the others here… they are all here. Likely all of your would've been tormented here before he would've destroyed you." Lavenza noted to him.
"Now go forth… and liberate everyone here and then, we will tell you everything," Igor announced. Ren smiled before he went off.
He explored the greater aspect of the prison, noting that the corridors were stretched and kept everyone far away from each other, likely so they couldn't hear the other well here. Beyond the varying directions, a long staircase was in front, leading to a door exiting out.
First things first…
He needed to rescue his friends…
"Ryuji!"
"Joker? Damn it, man! I was worried!" Ryuji cried out as he got up and saw him. Joker noted that he too was in a prison. He also noted Ryuji was in his civilian attire, unlike the prison garb he was in when here.
"Glad you're alive… where are we? One second we were going into the underground and the next… I was in here. Couldn't see or hear the others so I was getting worried sick," Ryuji admitted, looking a little more relaxed.
"I'll discuss it later. Right now, let's get going," Ren told him. Ryuji smiled and nodded before pausing, causing Ren in turn to look.
"I gotta be honest with you, man. I'm a little worried. I mean, I thought we had that thing beat… then it just blasted us off like we were all of Shinjuku was all effed up and we were the only ones who noticed. Like… was nobody noticing?" Ryuji asked, banging against the cell door, stress evident on his face.
"Or maybe they didn't wanna see it. That thing was born from the hearts of the people here. What does that mean?" he added before sighing in furious confusion.
"Looking back… it all started because of how pissed off I was. Pissed at all the shitty adults and I just kept doing it… continuing my defiance…"
"That's fine."
Ren's words broke through the silence as he looked at his best friend with confidence. A look that began forming on Ryuji's face as well.
"You're right… we started this so no one suffered like we did or anyone else we knew suffered. Even back then, when they thought we were doing wrong, that wasn't gonna stop you and it ain't gonna stop me," Ryuji confirmed, fists clenching. "We ain't going down now. Not on the home stretch. Time to make it to the finishing line together," Ryuji announced, a confident grin appeared.
Through the bars, they fist-bumped.
The gate disappeared in a burst of blue fire, Ryuji's attire changing to that of the tough garb of Skull.
"Got me out of jail again…" Ryuji chuckled before facing Ren, taking a moment to lift up his mask. "Thanks, man. Y'know, it's kinda embarrassin' to say this, but I'm really glad I met you," he said.
"Same to you," Ren admitted as he lifted his own mask, exchanging a smile of confident, reinforced as they lowered their masks back on.
"That creepy-ass cup acts like it's some kind of god. I ain't gonna feel better til we smash it out," Skull noted before looking around. "I tried calling out for the others. If you're here, the others are too and they'd probably be stuck here as well. I think it's best you go and talk one by one to them," he noted.
"Head back to the main room. The people will tell us everything," Joker told him, with Skull heading to the center of the Velvet Room.
Joker went over to try finding the next person he could. It was quite an expansive area and the thick walls meant they probably couldn't hear each other, thus isolating them all from each other. No doubt everyone's worried about each other.
"Joker?" he heard a familiar cry ring out. He turned to see those familiar golden locks and blue eyes.
It was Ann.
"Glad to see you," Joker told her with a smile as he went to her, seeing she was all right. Like Ryuji, she too was in her civilian wear when they entered rather than her Phantom Thief garb. He got a feeling it would be like that with the others.
"Thank goodness you're safe," she said with a small smile though the concern in her eyes was notable. "Guess this isn't a dream then… Shibuya turned into some sort of nightmare," Ann reflected, shivering slightly. "When everything began going to hell, I was scared. I thought we were gonna die. I just had that feeling that something terrible was about to happen before you led us to the underground and used the MetaApp," she lamented.
"I was scared too," Joker admitted to her.
"I kept thinking… we were doing all of this for other people, but was that enough?" Ann recalled, looking downcast.
"It was for Shiho," Joker reminded her, how it was her that led to ensure this wold not happen to anyone else.
"You're right… I couldn't forget how I felt that day. How angry I was, even at myself. And I don't wanna be that person who didn't care. It was just like back with Makoto after we helped Yusuke. I don't want anyone to feel like I did. I don't want anyone to suffer like Shiho or Mishima-kun did. I'm doing this for them… for me. I'm gonna keep moving forward," Ann said as she stood up, blue flames enveloping her.
She was back in her red leather uniform as the door opened. Joker highfived Panther. "You helped me remember what's important," Panther responded, a cattish grin forming. "It'd be a disgrace if we let such a massive Treasure get away," she said before hearing a voice.
"Heeyy!" Skull ran to them. "Sorry, was a bit worried and wanted to make sure you were okay," he said to Joker before facing Panther. "Guess, we're not the only ones stuck in here like this, huh," Panther commented. "Yeah, I told Joker it'd probably be best if he talked to everyone one by one," Skull answered, looking relieved to see Panther all right. The two old friends smiled at the other. Joke went off to find the others.
Joker wasn't surprised to see Yusuke there in his normal clothes. Given what Ann said, it'd be no surprise that their sudden failure, Shibuya warping in front of their eyes and the sudden feeling of dread that compelled them to try and escape would shake them up.
"Joker, it is you! It appears you are safe as I suspected," Yusuke commented on, looking rather melancholic, leaning on the cushioned walls. "Do you know where we are?" he asked, turning to see his leader.
"We're outside of the Velvet Room, somewhere safe," Joker explained. "I see… though how odd you say that given I am in a cell right now. Of course, given how the masses of Tokyo were chained, I am unsure of what to say. We are in horrid circumstances, far more dire than we have faced in our months together thus far. All we can do as the Phantom Thieves is change the hearts of others," he expressed before looking up.
Joker remained quiet, knowing that Yusuke had more to say on the subject matter.
"But the outside world has become a madhouse of nightmares. Do we really have the power to change such a massive ordeal?" he asked Joker. "The people yearned for enslavement to that malevolent chalice and defended it, with the very people who's hearts we stolen among them. Were we risking our lives for a result no one wanted?"
Joker couldn't help but smile a bit, recalling how familiar this was to him. "And why were you fighting?" he asked him.
"I fought… because of Madarame. I did not want to face the truth of his horrid actions and lived in denital… until all of you showed up," Yusuke responded, the same memory coming to him. "No matter how I tried to push you away, you continued to impose yourselves on me, for my safety and well-being as well as those of my former fellow pupils. I will forever treasure what you did for me," he recalled, a similar smile coming onto his face before his eyes lit up.
"I am an artist. Art exists to communicate to the masses, with often the masterpieces showing radical and shocking truths they may otherwise look away. And I will look away no longer. And in much how art can expose people to frightful realizations regardless if they want, we need to save those who may not want to be saved. I will not permit people to suffer in the chains of their own making like I have!" he proclaimed.
Fox walked with his usual steely confidence as his outfit changed to reflect his rebellion.
"Allow me to thank you, Joker. By your side, the greatest ideas come to light and I grow further still," he said with a more optimistic tone. "Skull and Panther are in the middle of the room. Everyone else is likely still in here," Joker explained, with Fox nodding. "That menace has sought to isolate us from each other in further attempts of despair no doubt. Very well, I shall leave it in your capable hands to help our friends escape," he said as he ran off.
As Joker crossed through the jail, he couldn't help but stare at the large staircase, unable to shake off a certain feeling about that.
There was something… odd on seeking president Makoto there over in her cell. Out of everyone in the group, she was perhaps the least expected to have been the one to join the Phantom Thieves. Yet here she was with them…
"Joker! What a relief that you're safe!" Makoto exclaimed as she saw him walk up to her jail door. He nodded at her, getting the feeling she needed to voice some stuff. "Your plan, it looks like it worked… we survived what was going to happen to us," she noted before she looked at him and then down at herself.
"You're in your Phantom Thief attire… while I'm still in the clothes I was in back in Shibuya… does this mean… the fire of rebellion is no longer with me?" she asked, more to herself than to him. A melancholic look appeared on her features.
"That may not be wrong… we have to fight that Grail thing again, don't we? Even after a calculated strike like we did, it seemed like it didn't work. And that was at presumably its weakest. I fear that it has grown stronger now and I can't seem to find the route to success," she lamented to him.
"I look back on what my father and sister had to face… it is not just about the criminals, but society itself. And yet we still have to try and overcome that to win. I don't know what to do," Makoto confessed to him.
"We're here for you," Joker told her, seeing the realization dawn on Makoto.
He saw a faint smile come to her lips.
"You're right… I was so used to trying to resolve matters by myself or helping others that I try not to rely on other people, especially during critical times. But, things are different. I don't know if there is a straightforward answer. If there isn't one, I'll make one with my own two hands," Makoto began saying, clenching her fists. Joker smiled as he saw Makoto's iron will emerge.
"Before all of you arrived, I just did what everyone else told me to do. But not anymore. Like what happened back when I first unlocked my Persona, I'm not gonna lose heart ever again! Even if I have to fight the whole world," Makoto proclaimed. At her shout, blue flames enveloped her and the jail door shattered.
Queen stepped out. "Thank you. My resolve was shaken, but it's better now. You saved me from my bondage and I want to do the save with everyone else," she said before she smiled. "Having teammates you can trust is a great feeling," she noted.
"Our friends are waiting for us," Joker told her with his own smile. It was a slight difference of words, but that carried different weights. Queen paused for a moment before relaxing.
"You're right. We can't let our last big job end in failure. And I'm glad our friends are okay," she noted, a more sheepish smile appeared. Joker recalled how she expressed her lack of connection to her peers growing up and how it led to her opening up more. For someone who tried looking over everyone, it must've been odd relying on others… but now she could.
He wondered perhaps that is also why Sae-san was the way she was. "There are others still here. I'll go and help them," Joker told her. "Right. I suppose the others need help too. We'll be waiting, Joker," Queen said before she ran off.
Out of everyone here, Joker would admit he is the most concerned about is Futaba. She quickly became the younger sister of everyone when they got to know her. She suffered arguably the most out of all of them regarding the whole ordeal that led to them being Phantom Thieves.
She made a lot of progress in acclimatizing to the outside world with everyone's help. From Dr. Takemi looking over, to Mishima helping out with everyday talking and so on.
She had grown stronger, but Joker still worried. These were his friends after all and the events of the past couple hours or so did not go according to plan.
He went over and arrived and saw Futaba there, huddled up and her arms wrapped around her knees.
"Joker. I'm relieved. Looks like we're both still alive," Futaba noted as she looked up. Joker smiled and nodded at her. She looked to be handling it, if still in minor shock. "What happened in Shibuya? And where are we?" she asked him.
"We're in the Velvet Room, somewhere safe," Joker clarified to her. "Velvet Room… that sounds pretty kickass," he heard note, causing him to smile a little more that her spirit was still there before she sighed.
"I always knew the real world could be a scary place. It's why I stayed indoors all the time… that sorta pain can't get to you, least not easily. I mean, who am I tell people what to do? I used to be a shut-in," Futubaba murmured before sighing. "I just wanna go home."
But before Joker could say anything, he heard Futaba's tone change.
"But… I can't do that now. It'd hurt too much," she said, surprising him a little.
"I changed… I wasn't the same person I was. I can't … I can't just let people suffer like this. It's why it'd be too painful to head back," Futaba explained herself to him. Joker smiled, seeing how Futaba had come since then.
"Even if they're strangers, it doesn't matter. It all seems like too much," she said before he interrupted.
"You know what to do," Joker told her, giving her the little push she needed.
"You're right. I was ready with all my heart from the start. No more running away. Like with my mom's death. I don't wanna run away anymore. I don't wanna be in the dark anymore. I misunderstood my mom's death and I was lied to about it. But not anymore. I wanna see and grasp the truth. Maybe that's why my Persona is a bit different. I'm follow you with my own feet. I wanna be the one to help people, like you all did for me," Futaba said, her words growing more confident and determined with each one.
Blue flames enveloped her and the cage door opened. Oracle stepped out, her mischievous grin on her face colored with gratitude.
"You're so strong, Joker. You saved me again. I'm so happy I can't even put it in my own words," Oracle responded with a hint of glee before becoming more serious.
"So, we're fighting against something that calls itself a god huh? Remember how I used to be able unable to leave my room? Now we're gonna beat a god! And I even did a jail break, all by myself," Oracle shouted triumphantly.
"The others are waiting over there. We were all kept apart so we couldn't hear the others," Joker explained to her. "Sounds like a classic villain move. But everyone's here then. Someone must've saved us," she mumbled to herself though her relieved expression, he did not miss.
Then was the fair lady of the Phantom Thieves, Haru. While her introduction to the Thieves was the most unorthodox, she still provided an invaluable role and support to everyone. Joke admitted that her smile was among his favorite sights.
He went across once more.
Once they rescued Haru, that would be everyone except Morgana, who was probably somewhere here… and Akechi. Joker shook his head a bit at the absence of the Detective.
Before long, he saw Haru there, looking anxious.
"Joker, thank goodness you are unharmed," she exclaimed, though the concern still in her eyes. "Worried?" he asked her.
"I am remembering that dreadful site the city has been transforming into. I am worried about the citizenry. More worrying was the lack of awareness of what has happened. It was as if we were the only ones who could see what transpired," Haru explained, getting it off of her chest.
"I was afraid, Joker. That we could've potentially perished. I felt some ominous fate hanging over us before you escorted us to here. And yet… part of me was not afraid. I did everything I could and perhaps if I met Father in the afterlife, I could have apologized…" she continued, Joker letting her vent. Kunikazu Okumura's fate was still a grim point for the team. Yes he may have committed terrible acts, but his death was still quite cruel. The fact it was one of their own, if not in a… proper state of mind, bittered it worse.
"I feel as if I still have no control over my life, despite everything that has happened, how appropriate these walls represent," she commented. "You have control over it," Joker told her with the same kind smile.
Haru saw that smile, that smile of hope, encouragement and determination… and she began returning it. "I'm sorry. I almost began losing my way again. It is when times are bleakest we must show our way the most. I betrayed my father for my ideals and now, I will turn against the concerns of the past, for a better future," she proclaimed. The flames danced across her as she stepped out the door.
"Thank you, Joker. Before meeting all of you, I saw the Phantom Thieves as bringers of justice, and when I finally met you, you truly are the wonderful person I thought you'd be. Secretly, I've longed for a situation like this," Noir pointed out, Joker unable to resist smiling. His female friends have all confessed some form of non-platonic feelings for him, but he turned them down gently. He was close to them and while he had gotten to know them, he felt he was not yet ready for a relationship. He knew he would be happy with any one of the ladies, but he still needed to find himself some more. They eventually did recover, though Haru struggling not to tear did feel like an emotional kick to the balls.
"The others are waiting for us," Joker told her with a smile. She went off though Joker took one final look around to find Morgana… even though he couldn't find him, he suspected someone was still here…
Eventually, they all found their way to the main center of the Velvet Room. The sight of all of them being well brought smiles on their faces, expressions of relief of each other's well being and their reunion.
"My name is Igor, I am the master of the Velvet Room," Igor introduced himself to the confused and mystified Phantom Thieves.
"Velvet Room?" Noir wondered out loud. "It's where I would go to when I would sleep sometimes. Where I could create stronger Personas and items… this place is special," Joker explained briefly. Seeing the real Igor, he could feel the room's oppressive atmosphere having dissipated. There was a mysterious yet comforting and reassuring presence here, it felt natural.
"I am Lavenza, a resident of this place as well," Lavenza explained. "She is one of my Confidants. That grail, it split her into two different people to try and use her," Joker clarified. The others were trying to catch on as best they could, but taking in the totality of the wondrous and occult nature of the place… it was a bit much.
"In fact, he sealed Igor away and pretended to be him, trying to set me up for a fall," Joker added. "Yes, but before he was, my master used the last of his power to create someone to help guide humanity," Lavenza noted.
"He made me. He made me to help the Trickster, to help Joker," a familiar voice said. Everyone turned around to see their missing member, Morgana.
"Dude, so good to see you," Skull noted in relief at seeing the cat. "I remember everything now. When this was about to be taken over, my master gathered the bits of hope for freedom, from the people of Tokyo… and used it to make me," Morgana explained to them all.
That was everyone… right?
Yet, why did he feel…
"Wait," Joker said as he turned to the stairs.
He began running, the others looking surprised before they followed him through.
They saw Joker approaching the stairs… but instead he went to the side.
The stairs were one massive lonely all, until the end.
"Is that…?" Skull began saying with the others gasping. When they reached the back at the stairs at its base, it stopped to reveal it being a jailcell, just like theirs, though larger and gloomier looking. Farther away from the others and yet closer to the door than that of the others, likely in some gesture of mockery.
Joker stepped in front of everyone to look into the jail cell, even taking off his mask.
There, slumped in the darkness, more alone than ever before… was Goro Akechi.