Chapter 3: I am Thou, Thou art I
{R}
It was not the cold and office-like building of Shujin Academy they saw when he, Aki and the blond stranger arrived at their destination. Instead it was a medieval castle that towered over them. It was designed like a stereotyped one, but it was colored in reds and yellows instead of being all grey. The walls protecting the castle, which were large in itself, were dwarfed by the structure it guarded. And the only way inside was a gate that was open with a drawbridge leading into it.
"Did we take a wrong turn?" he said.
"No, I'm sure we didn't," the blond said. "And it says Shujin on the gate."
Ren turned to see that the wall that was supposed to surround Shujin Academy that he saw yesterday was, indeed, still there, plaque and all, looking tiny in comparison to the castle. But that begged the question: what happened? It couldn't be some weird trick of the eyes for all to see, not so soon and not at this scale. The only possible "explanation" would be that the school changed.
"What? So you're saying the building transformed?" his sister said.
"I don't know! But this is where it's supposed to be..."
If that was the case...
"Then clearly," he said, making his voice as dignified as possible while trying to hold back a smile. "There's only one solution."
"Eh?" the blond said, confused.
"But thou must."
As he thought, Aki laughed at his reference and the truth of it, after all they wouldn't be able to figure out what was wrong if they didn't go in. The laughter got worse when the young man gave him a flat stare and said,
"Not that I disagree but...for real?"
Ren just smiled, no doubt looking cheeky as hell.
"Right... Let's just go."
Ren chuckled and at that point Aki calmed down as well. But their merriment left them as they took their steps up the drawbridge, across the stone courtyard and into the castle building. The inside was as he expected. The foyer was large and lit with candles and chandeliers. There were red carpets wherever appropriate, such as the round one in the center of the room. There were doors to the side leading to hallways while in front of them were two stairs, opposite of each other, the landings leading to other parts of the second floor, with some kind of portrait hanging above it.
Their blond companion stood in the middle of it and looked around in confusion.
"That's weird... Where's the school?" he said.
"Maybe it disappeared and got replaced by this castle," Aki said, tone not meaning it.
The boy frowned. "Then what about the sign at the front?"
"Then the building got replaced and the aliens were too lazy to make sure it's inconspicuous."
"What the? Can you stop it with the weird ideas?"
"Well something strange is going on, the reason could be strange too," Ren said.
The blond second-year grumbled and took out his phone. His expression turned more disgruntled.
"Out of service?"
"Wait what?" Aki said and checked her phone. From the look on her face, it was true.
The blond put his own away. "Man, where'd we end up...?"
"Well I don't like it," his sister said as she did the same. "Something's really wrong if we can't get a signal in a city."
"But what could cause such a thing?" Ren said.
[I]Something supernatural,[/i] the part of him that read many stories told him.
He shook it off. There was no way. Those were just stories. This was reality. Which he returned to as their blond companion reminded him why Ren likened him to a punk at first as he said,
"I don't know! I wanna know!"
As if to answer his question, the sounds of clanking echoed behind them and they all turned towards it. For the second time, Ren stared, not believing his eyes while their punk acquaintance shouted in surprise.
Before him was an honest to goodness knight, armor, sword, shield and all.
What wasn't surprising though was Aki.
"Woah! Is that a real sword?!" she said and went right up to them. "Is that a basket-hilted sword? Nah, it looks more like a knightly sword... Is that a replica? It's a pretty good one. Unless that's real... Wait is it real?!"
That seemed to calm the blond down as he said,
"Uh, yeah, that costume's impressive." He sighed then he too closed the distanced with the knight. "But geez, you freaked me out. Who're you? Are you a student?"
All the while, Aki rambled and rambled. Ren, however, tensed, dread roiling his stomach and his instincts screaming.
"Come on, don't just stand there. Say something."
Ren's apprehension only grew as another identical knight came up. He strode over to his sister, who had been startled by the new knight, along with their acquiantance.
"H-Hey, what's goin' on?" the boy said.
"We need to get out," Ren said, loud enough for just them.
As if to prove his point, the two knights came closer.
"Damn it! Run!"
And they did. But they didn't get far. Even more knights came and surrounded them.
"Ugh, what's with these guys?!" the blond said.
The knights gave him no answer. Instead, one swung their shield at him. The clang made Ren wince. He thought of taking that opportunity to flee with his sister. But then quashed it. He hated that it even came to mind. Even more so as the teen screamed and complained. Ren wanted to help. They hadn't done anything to make them attack. They didn't even know what they did wrong, if they even did anything.
But then his skull rang. His neck snapped. And his face stung. Darkness began to knaw at him. But he heard another clang and the pain of his sister. Heat filled him. He forced himself to ignore the throbbing of his head to stand. They would pay. He would make sure of it. He had to—
Another clang. Another bash.
—protect Aki.
And the darkness swallowed everything.
(A)
Aki...
Please...
Aki...
Wake up.
Akira groaned and she was met with blurred greys and blacks. When she found it wasn't from grogginess and that a familiar weight from her face was gone, she realized she'd lost her glasses. But she didn't have to look for it as her brother said,
"Here."
And it was right before her. She took it and groaned as she sat up. Once she was sure they wouldn't fall off and that she could see, she said,
"Thanks."
"You're welcome," Ren said. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I've been hit on the head."
Ren huffed but had an amused smile. That didn't last long though as someone's screams echoed around them. Her brother flinched and it was then she noticed their punk tagalong grimaced. Akira frowned.
"What was that?" she said.
"We don't know."
"But whatever this shit is, it's real and we gotta get outta here fast," the blond said.
"Or we'll be the ones screaming next," Akira said. Or even worse in my case, she silently added.
But she knew Ren thought the same from how his face turned more emotionless.
"Unfortunately there's no way out," he said, sounding calm.
"Oh come on! We didn't look everywhere yet!" the blond said.
"I doubt there's a secret passage in this cell," she said.
"But...we gotta do somethin'! We can't just sit here and do nothin'!"
Akira groaned. "Hey, I wanna do something too. But unless we can pick that lock, there's not much we [i]can[/i] do."
Her brother nodded in agreement.
The blond punk slumped. "Ugh..."
But it was then that the clanking steps of metal boots sounded and some of the knights from earlier came to their cell.
"Be glad that your punishment has been decided upon," one of them said once in front of them. "Your charge is 'unlawful entry'. Thus you're sentenced to death. "
"What...?"
"Say what?!"
Snap.
"Death?! For unlawful entry?!" she said.
Akira crashed on the bars, the back of her mind faintly acknowledging the surprise of the punk and her brother's hand on her shoulder. That just made her rattle the metal and snarl.
"Unlawful entry my ass!" she said. "The door was wide open! With no guards! Why would it be like that unless it's public?!"
"This is my castle, not the public's. And no one's allowed to do as they please in my castle."
Her blood stopped thudding enough for her to notice that a man arrived...with a familiar square chin and floofy hair.
Except a red and white mantle covered his body and he wore a crown.
"What the...?" she said, all her rage replaced with confusion and questions.
She wasn't the only one.
Their punk acquaintance said, "Huh? Wait... Is that you, Kamoshida?"
"That's...Kamoshida...?" her brother said, voice filled with doubt.
Whoever that man really was, at the very least he knew the punk as he said,
"I thought it was some petty thief, but to think it'd be you, Sakamoto..." The "king" smirked. "Are you trying to disobey me again? It looks like you haven't learned your lesson at all, huh?"
Sakamoto, their acquaintance, grumbled.
The "king" then "graced" his attention on her and her brother.
"And you brought friends this time...because you can't do anything for yourself," he said.
His gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than on Ren. Akira didn't like that, and neither did her brother as she felt him step forward.
As she guessed, his smile twisted into a lecherous grin as he said, "Oh? Not only that, one of them is a girl. Hmm, not much of a looker though."
"This ain't funny, you asshole!" Sakamoto said.
Thankfully that got the pervert's gaze off of her. She hated she shivered and gripped the bars tighter.
"Is that how you speak to a king?" the strange Kamoshida said. "It seems you don't understand the position you're in at all. Not only did you sneak into my castle, you comitted the crime of insulting me—the king. The punishment for that is death."
Rage returned full force.
"Oh yeah? You deserve it, you piece of shit! What kind of a person kills someone over an insult!" She smiled with mockery. "Oh right. You're the king. Kings' egos are so bloated that anything'll pop 'em!"
Akira felt satisfied that the man looked absolutely pissed.
The "king" snarled. "I was thinking of sparing you and making you a part of my girls, but it looks like I'll have to do another execution," he said. "It's time for the execution! Take Sakomoto out first! We'll deal with the insolent girl later."
"S-Stop it..." Sakamoto said and Akira's heart twisted through the fires of her rage.
His voice had wavered in fear.
Damn it. She made it worse, didn't she?
Akira had to let go and back away from the bars as the knights opened the door. Ren stood before her as they came in. Lucky for them, they ignored her and her brother and focused on Sakamoto. But that just made her worry worse. The teen had his fists clenched as he mumbled something. And the knights were serious.
Which was why she and Ren jumped when Sakamoto shouted.
He tackled a knight and the knight fell.
"I ain't down for this shit! Come on, we're outta here!"
The blond was going to attack once more. She and Ren crouched to run. But another knight came and punched Sakamoto's gut.
"Gah! Agh..."
Akira froze as the blond hit the wall. She should go, she should escape. But she wanted to help. She hated seeing him hurt. Her brother didn't hesitate. He grabbed the knight that punched Sakamoto before they could continue their assault.
But Sakamoto just said, "Just go! Get outta here! These guys are serious...!"
"Oh? Running away, are we?" the "king" said with a smug smile she wanted to punch off. "What heartless friends you are."
"Ugh... They ain't friends..." He looked straight at them, teeth gritted, and said, "Come on! Hurry up and go!"
"What's the matter? Too scared to run away?"
Akira knew they should run. She knew she should run. She knew. There was no point in all of them dying. There was no point in his sacrifice being in vain. But...seeing Sakamoto down like that...hurt and telling them to go... She wanted to help. She wanted to save him. And she knew her brother wanted to too.
"Hmph. Pathetic scum isn't worth my time. I'll focus on this one's execution."
The "man" did as he said and ignored her and Ren, picking up up the blond only to hit him again and again like he was a punching bag.
"Take this!"
One punch.
"Lowly scum!"
Another punch.
"Useless pest!"
And one more.
"Hmph. Where'd your energy from earlier go?"
Sakamoto fell flat on ground with a groan. He tried to move but it was slow and it was clear it was painful.
"A peasant like you isn't worth beating. I'll have you killed right now."
Screw it!
She shouted and ran with all her might. She aimed to tackle the stupid king. But instead of hitting flesh, she hit steel and screamed. It all happened too fast. All she knew next was that she was pushed onto the wall, arms were holding on her shoulders, and her brother shouted,
"STOP IT!"
"Hmm? Don't you dare tell me you don't know who I am," the king said. Akira heard steps before he continued. "That look in your eyes irritates me." A pause. "Hold him there. After the peasant and girl, it's his turn to die."
A laugh that got on her nerves so much it burned echoed the chamber. Her brother thrashed and choked under the the hold of knights pinning him. And Sakamoto started to still, resigned. Akira wanted to punch the owner's face so bad but... She tried pushing against the grip that held her but it didn't even budge. She knew it. She wasn't strong enough. There wasn't anything she could do. Nothing... Nothing at all...
But then...
No, there isn't, a gentle, feminine voice said. But if my voice can reach you, then there may be a possibility open to you to change that.
Akira gasped, her head and heart thudding.
What was...?
"Execute him!" the egotistic king said.
A knight before Sakamoto raised their sword. Akira's breath hitched. But then the squirming stopped...and her brother said, his voice as smooth and cold as steel,
"That's enough."
Kamoshida froze.
"What was that...?" he said as he turned to her brother. "You desire to be killed that much? Fine."
Kamoshida signalled the knights. They moved with speed and efficiency. One hit her brother's face, knocking off his glasses.
No...
That let the knights that held him to switch to putting their lances across his neck, still pinning him to the wall, for a clear path so his executioner's sword would be a clean cut. The knight raised their sword. Akira struggled once again, tears threatening to spill.
No!
And then it happened.
Her brother opened his eyes and a gust of wind pushed all three off and away from him, including the "king". And when Ren did, a mask appeared on his face. Akira nearly didn't believe it, but her brother noticed it and was feeling it...before he dug his fingers...
And ripped it with a scream.
Red.
There was red on his face.
And a murderous smile.
Akira watched in stupefication as the blood turned into flames and engulfed Ren. A small part of her mind worried he would be burned. But then the blue flames took shape and seperated from her brother. If her mouth hadn't been hanging before, she was sure it would be now.
Ren was magnificent.
He looked like a gentleman with his black high collared tailcoat, grey shirt and black pants. Behind him stood a fallen angel, also dressed like a gentleman but in the red of his blood and a deep black top hat. Even its voice sounded like both a fallen angel and a gentleman.
"I am the pillager of twilight—Arsène!" he said, its voice smooth yet fierce.
"What the?!" Sakomoto said.
"I am the rebel's soul that resides within you," Arsène said to Ren. "If you so desire, I shall considering granting you the power to break through this crisis."
Steel was now his expression as Ren said, "Give me your power."
"Hmph. Very well."
And the two gentlemen turned together to face the cowering king who had backed up to the entrance.
"Who the hell are you?!" he said.
Neither spoke. Only glared steel.
"Tch! Guards!"
The knights stood. But then...
THUD
"Agh!"
A headache hammered her head as a voice rich in velvet spoke from within her.
See? There is something you can do, he said.
But all Akira could think was Make it stop.
Stop? Stop?! the velvet voice said, rage engulfing his words. [Did you not see what happened before you?! You too can use your rage! You too can rebel against this unjust fate! You too can gain power! Now...
"Start by killing that one!"
...are you going to let your brother do it alone?
"Hell no!"
And Akira tore off her mask.
Good...
There was the woosh of wind and her sight was filled with blue flames. On instinct, she stopped breathing. The hammering in her head stopped to be replaced with a laugh from the velvet voice.
Do not worry, my lady...I will not hurt you, he said from within her. And then, "After all, I am thou, thou art I."
Akira opened her eyes, not realizing she had closed them, and turned around. She gasped. Before her stood another man—no, a mannequin in a tuxedo, a red-and-black mantle flowing behind him, and a black mask that covered his entire face. So Akira could only see the glowing golden eyes on the half-happy, half-sad mask.
"I am the Opera Phantom," he said, pulling out a lasso with his red gloves. "And I shall perform your ode of wrath!"
She stared at the man before her. The second felt like eternity even though it was only a second. With everything that happened, she should be wondering about what he meant, or how he appeared, or the fact that chains and fire were still surrounding them. But after that second, Akira smiled with savagery.
"Ready Big Bro!?" she said and turned to him.
Ren mirrored her. "Ready."
Both of them faced Kamoshida as he said,
"Don't think just because there's two of you that you can escape! You'll learn the true strength of my men!"
To her brief surprise, the guards didn't just charge at them. Instead, they shook before they burst into black and red goop that soon solidified into something else. That something, in this case, being four pumpkin ghosts holding a lantern.
Ren made the first move.
"Change your animosity into power and unleash it!" the fallen angel behind him said.
His smirk turned vicious. "Ravage them!"
And Akira followed him.
"Show your strength!"
It was a dance of black and red as they fought the four pumpkins, alternating between commanding their companions to using their weapons. Try as the pumpkins might, it wasn't long before they were all gone, her brother plunging his dagger into the last, screaming ghost. Akira breathed in and out, her shoulders heaving and her lungs struggling. She briefly closed her eyes at a flash of light as Sakamoto said from behind her,
"What... What was that just now...?"
Ren opened his mouth to say something but saw his gloved hand and started checking himself out.
Wait, we both summoned something. Does that mean...
She followed suit and said,
"What the?!"
Her uniform was gone. Instead of that, she wore a white long sleeved tunic, a slight weight telling her it was hooded, grey pants and a mask. But most of all, somehow she was holding two daggers, one black and one white. But then—
"You little..."
The voice of Kamoshida made them remember he was still there with them. He walked right up to them, only to be pushed over by Sakamoto. The "king" screamed and something flew off of him.
"Ha! You like that you son of a b[i]i[/i]tch?!" Sakamoto said.
"The key!"
Sakamoto was startled but looked where Ren pointed.
"You mean this?!"
He grabbed it and they followed him out. The blond then turned and locked the door. He backed off just in time to be out of reach of the raging Kamoshida.
"Damn you!" he said.
They let out a collective sigh of relief, glad they were alive. But then Sakamoto turned wide eyed again.
"Hey! What was that just now?" he said. He looked them over again, like not too long ago. "And...your clothes...!"
As if that was some sort of cue, there was a flash of light and whoosh of flames that made Akira jump. When it faded, the weight over her lifted and she checked to see that, yes, her uniform and extra blazer returned. But that begged the question of how it returned.
However, Kamoshida reminded them once again that he was still there, banging and cursing on the cell door.
With that, the punk threw the key away into the waterway beside them and they had Ren lead them. Akira hoped they would find a way out fast, but considering there were bridges, waterways and how big it was from outside, she could easily imagine it being huge and thus not making it easy on them.
So of course they had a few dead ends as they searched, forcing them to jump over both broken bridges and floating cages. They even had to go through a "tunnel" from one storage room to another. Sakamoto nearly got stuck there because of his bag. But from there, it seemed the dead ends would stop. Except the blond punk noticed some guards coming, so they were forced to find another way.
As they continued, they used a drawbridge and she heard Sakamoto say,
"Is that...a drawbridge? Dude...the hell is this place?"
"My bet? It's a dungeon. And I mean the castle kind," she said.
"H-Huh? A dungeon? Why'd you say that?"
Akira didn't know whether to be annoyed or let it pass considering the situation.
"We went in a castle," she said, settling on answering. "And castles usually have dungeons. Especially if it's where a king lives."
The punk was about to open his mouth, but then they had to hide again, this time her being the lookout while Sakamoto complained in frustration, thankfully not loud enough for the guards to hear. Thankfully, it wasn't long before they moved on and found some stairs, one that spiraled upwards. She didn't like the look of how high it was, which was only confirmed as they climbed and they all panted by the time they reached the top.
"Is this...the exit?" their tagalong said.
She doubted it.
"Come on, let's get the hell outta this place!"
The punk, re-energized, rushed through the door, she and Ren quick to follow him. As she thought, it just revealed even more waterways and bridges around them.
"Dude...you gotta be jokin'... This ain't the exit?! What the hell is this place?!"
Akira groaned. "It's...a castle... A...huge one... What'd...you...expect?"
"I-I don't know! I just wanna get outta here!"
"Then we keep moving," Ren said. Before they did though, her brother turned to her. "How are you feeling?"
Damn it. She held out her hand and took a few more deep breaths. When it didn't feel like her heart was going to explode, she said,
"Fine now."
Ren stared for a bit, probably not completely convinced, but knowing they were still in danger, nodded anyway. They set off with him at front, though now she noticed they went more at a jogging pace. Akira scoffed even with her ragged breaths, unsurprised her brother adjusted for her.
"Hey look..." Sakamoto said, slowing down to a stop.
Akira was about to snap at him for that, until she saw it.
It was a guy, about their age, stuck in a cage over a waterway.
"What the hell...?" she said.
She knew this was a dungeon. She had heard the screaming earlier. And yet... And yet... This just hit all the harder how close they were to death.
"We really did hear screamin'. So we ain't the only ones who got captured!" Sakamoto then noticed the prisoner's condition and said, "Is uh...is he okay?"
"What do you think?" she said in reflex.
But all she thought was that she wanted to help him out...yet she knew there wasn't anything she could do. Not even the voice within her from earlier objected.
"We...should go..." her brother said.
Akira saw Ren clenched his hand and set his jaw. She gave him a sympathetic smile. That relaxed as he returned it with a wry one. And it seemed the punk kid agreed with Ren as he said, his tone full of hesitation,
"Y-Yeah... We should..."
Ren started jogging again, with her and Sakamoto tailing him. But it wasn't long before they had to stop.
"Another dead end...?" Sakamoto said. "Damn it! How the hell're we suppos' to get outta here?!"
Akira panted, thankfully not as heavily as before, and nodded in agreement. They needed to find some map or else they were toast.
"...hey, you there," a voice said.
The three startled and looked to see if there were guards.
But then the voice, much louder and clearer, said, "Blondie! Frizzy Hair! Mask! Look over here!"
They looked and...
"What is this thing?!" Sakamoto said.
Well, it looked like a cat really. But she didn't feel like ribbing him for that since it looked like a chibi anthropomorphic cat dressed in black, and it was waving its white paws at them with a pitiful expression.
"You're not soldiers of this castle, right?" it said. "Get me out of here!" Then it pointed to a key not far for them but clear out of its reach. "Look, the key's right there!"
"We're trying to get the hell out of here!" Sakamoto said. "I mean, you obviously look like an enemy too!"
"It's locked up! Why would it be an enemy?" she said, incredulous.
"Exactly!" it said. "Now help me out!"
And then her brother said,
"...A cat?"
Akira snickered and calmed. Of course he did that.
"I am not a cat!" it said, glaring. "Say that again and I'll make you regret it!"
Akira had to hold back her laughter. This really wasn't the time for this. As if to prove the point, there was the sound of footsteps and voices meshing together to make a commotion.
"They're catchin' up already...!" Sakamoto said. He then pulled out his phone. "Shit, there's still no service. Isn't there any way to contact someone outside?"
"If this is a castle, probably not," Akira said.
While Ren said, "Maybe a flare?"
"Argh! How the hell do we get out?!"
The not-cat then said, "Hey you three! You want to know where the exit is? Let me out and I'll take you there."
"You know?" he said, suspicious.
"Of course I do!" it said, offended. "You don't want to get caught and executed, right?
Her brother was quiet for a second. Then, he said, "Can you really help us?"
"Of course I can. I'm a phantom thief after all."
Akira stared in surprise, and so did Ren. It was a phantom thief?
"This thing sounds like it's all talk..." their blond companion said.
Well, she would have to agree since it got caught but still...it had said it was a phantom thief.
The cat thief glared at him. "If you guys think you can get out on your own, then be my guest!"
Despite the warning, Sakamoto looked hesitant. "What do we do...?"
They all snapped their heads as commotion happened nearby, the guards clearly getting closer.
So Ren said, "We'll let you out."
"But...what if it's messin' with us?" Sakamoto said.
It was quick to point out though, "If you don't hurry, they'll catch you."
Ren stared at Sakamoto, and she joined him in his efforts, as he was the only thing delaying them. The punk looked unsure, but with each passing second, resignation appeared on his face until finally he said,
"F-Fine..."
With that, Ren unlocked the door and Sakamoto opened it for the not-cat, letting it out.
"Ahhh..." it said as it smiled and stretched...like a cat. "Freedom tastes so great."
"Now where's the exit, you monster cat?!"
It looked like a vein popped as it said to Sakamoto, "Don't call me a cat! I am Morgana!"
Morgana? Wait? So was it a girl? But it also sounded like a little boy...
"Shuddup and hurry it up! You wanna be locked up again?!"
Akira shook her head, reminding herserlf that, again, this wasn't the time for stuff like that. Though Sakamoto's outburst did cool down Morgana's own.
"A-All right... Sheesh..." it said. "Follow me, and stay quiet!"
And off it went, rushing past the punk blond. And if Akira didn't know any better, its legs turned into a cartoon white-and-black blur. It didn't take long to catch up to it. When she found they were at the bridge they just passed, Akira felt like smacking her forehead.
"What're you doin?" Sakamoto said.
Morgana looked annoyed. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm lowering the bridge."
"What? Lowerin' it? But there ain't no lever."
"That's 'cause the lever's disguised," Akira said.
Her brother nodded before he reached out and pulled down the jaw. Sakamoto jumped as the bridge rumbled down and connected the two sides.
"Wha... How were we supposed to know to do that?!" he said.
All Ren just said was, "Spy movies."
Akira snickered, Sakamoto looked embarrased and Morgana looked impressed.
And then the phantom thief said, "I figured you two would pick up on things faster than Blondie from your looks."
"Hey!"
But before the boy could say more, Morgana then said, "Come on, let's get going!"
And he started off, Ren quick to follow. Akira did the same, not wanting to get left behind, but despite the fact that Sakamoto noticed last, he caught up with her brother and Morgana pretty quick. However, as soon as they left the bridge...
...a guard popped up from a door they hadn't seen from their distance.
"Ahhh! Shit shit! It's them!" Sakamoto said, trying to stop but he fell as his left leg gave out.
She would've asked if he was okay, but a flash of blue made her blink and all of a sudden, the weight of her white tunic and double daggers from earlier came back, along with the gentleman getup and single dagger for her brother. And then Morgana jumped forward.
"Tch. You amateur. Stay still!" it said then turned to her and her brother. "Hey you two! You can fight, right? Let's go!"
Before either of them could reply, it then faced the guard as it burst into goop. Then it said,
"Come! Zorro!"
Just like with them before, a flash of white and blue made her shield her eyes for a moment but when it passed, she saw a ridiculously buff and wide chested man with an equally ridiculous long mustache floating behind the not-cat. Its attire was black with intricate white lines and a long flowing cape. And, to top off the comical sizes, it held a tiny rapier in its hand.
"Y-You got one of those things too?!"
The phantom thief huffed, ignoring him as it said, "We will promptly shut them up! Now fight like your life depends on it!"
At that moment, the goop solidified to the two of those pumpkin ghosts earlier and...two pink devils, both with something very long between his legs. It looked lecherously at her. She snarled, ignoring her spine shiver, and struck at him. Thankfully his ogling distracted him enough for her to hit. As she did, her brother attacked the perverted demon as well. However, thanks to that, the pumpkin ghosts had plenty of time attack with their flames. Akira flinched then retreated with her brother.
"Hmph. I knew you were amateurs. This is how you fight!" Morgana said.
There was a shink and a green and white tornado burst from under one of the pumpkin ghosts, knocking its vegetable head off as it screamed. With that lantern maniac down, the not-cat called upon Zoro again and another tornado hit the other ghost. After that, it rushed and slashed at the first with its sword. Akira wondered what it meant with its earlier sentence, but then she screamed, kicked right in the face. Her vision was blurred but she could hear her brother shout,
"Ravage them!"
Followed by screams. Akira shook her head, thankful that her vision cleared, and saw that the pumpkin ghosts were gone and only one pink demon remained. That disturbing monster though slashed at Ren with its claws, making him scream.
She gritted.
"Phantom! Annihilate them!"
The mannequin florished a white laser at the attacker and it screeched. Akira smiled as it fell to the ground and melted.
"That's what you get, you son of a bitch," she said.
"Thanks," Ren said as he rubbed his face.
Akira turned to him, frowning. "You all right, Big Bro?"
Her brother nodded.
"Not bad. Your Personas are pretty powerful," it said and they faced it. "But remember: strike the enemy's weakness to knock them down then use that opening to strike again. It's the most basic of basics!"
"Weakness?" Ren said, curiosity in his eyes.
Sakamoto though said, "Persona...? You mean that thing that comes outta you guys all dramatic-like?"
"Yes," Morgana said, not being snippy to her surprise. "You saw how they ripped off their masks when they summoned them, right? Well everyone wears a mask deep within their heart. By removing that..."
This time, when the blue and white light flashed, she wasn't surprised her and her brother's uniform returned.
"Huh? They turned back to normal..."
"Hmm. It looks like you don't have full control over your power yet.
The transformation shouldn't normally dissolve like that. After all—"
Sakamoto, however, just said, "Ergh, that's enough! This crap doesn't make any sense."
Akira definitely saw a vein pop as Morgana said, "Can't you sit still and listen for once, Blondie?!
"Don't call me Blondie! My name's Ryuji."
Before either of them could go further, Ren said, his tone sharp,
"Stop it. We need to go."
The not-cat blinked, like it only just remembered what they were doing, and shook its head.
"Ugh, you're right, there's no time for me to lecture! Let's go! It's not much farther to the exit."
Akira sighed in relief. That was good. She wasn't sure how much she could take it. Unfortunately, not too long after they passed through the dungeon halls, Sakamoto said,
"Hold on a sec!"
They stopped and turned just as the punk went up to one of the occupied cells.
"I feel like I've seen what this dude's wearin'..."
Akira gritted her teeth but it was Ren who spoke.
"We need to go," he said, Akira easily able to pick out the regret in it.
"Hold on, damn it! I'm tryin' to remember!"
"Well then make it quick!" Akira said with a stomp.
"Ugh! Damn it! That just makes it worse!" The blond shook his head. "I can't remember a damn thing!"
"We need to go," Ren said, his face now showing his regret.
Akira couldn't stop her own frown either.
"But...who are these guys?" Sakamoto said, looking back at the prisoner.
"Do you really think you have time to worry about other people right now?!" Morgana said. "Besides, they're—"
"There!"
The drawbridge that had been up lowered itself while the door raised, revealing a guard coming their way.
Morgana grumbled. "You should've listened to me!"
"Well, no choice now, right Big Bro?" she said and the weight of her hooded tunic returned.
Ren nodded with a hum and said, "Let's fight."
That made his own battle attire activate.
Their not-cat turned to them surprised for a moment, before it smiled and said, "I'm glad you stick to your guns."
The knight burst into other beings like before, this time into three fairies in a purple leotard. At this point, she and Ren knew they could take a few hits while they threw their own and the fight was done before long, especially since they seemed to particularly hate Arsène's shadows. Akira thought that, maybe, they could get out easy now. But with her lungs struggling, sweat dribbling down her forehead and their battle suits disappearing again, she reminded herself that, despite their chances, they couldn't fight enemies forever.
Especially her.
Thankfully Morgana spoke and her thoughts moved away from that trail.
"All right!" it said. "Let's get away before more show up!"
But Sakamoto said, "Hold on! We can't just leave these guys here!"
"Hrgh! You really don't get it do you? Argh, there's no time to explain."
Wait, explain?
"Look, I'm going," Morgana said. "If you don't want to follow, be my guest."
Then it rushed off, this time Akira was sure his legs turned into a white and black blur. But even though the phantom thief was right... She looked at the cell that held the boy, not that much older than them, if at all, flat on the floor with bruises all over. She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. Akira opened her mouth and was about to say they should at least try...until she met Ren's eyes.
There was no other way to describe it. He was at war with himself. He couldn't decide whether to do the same as she thought...or get her to safety since they nearly died.
Akira felt the fire extinguish in her veins. She hated that she was the cause of his inner conflict. So she said,
"Come on... We should go." She glanced at the other cells. "'sides, we don't have a key for them."
The only consolation she had was that the blond just as hesitant as them to leave, looking back and forth between her, her brother and the prisoners.
But still, he said, "Damn it, fine! I'm coming."
Ren nodded and, as before, led the way. Thankfully for them, Morgana waited just a little bit and they caught up with it. When they did, it said,
"The entrance hall is right above here. The exit's close... Keep it up!"
Akira felt relief at that, her steps becoming rushed and lighter.
"We're here!" Morgana said after they ran from one side of the entrance hall to the other.
"Finally! We're saved!" Sakamoto said. "Wait, why aren't we passin' the front door?"
And Ren said, "We escaped. It's probably locked."
"Oh... So is this it then?"
He went for the door on the right but that turned out to be locked.
"Hrgh! It's not openin'!" Sakamoto glared at the not-cat. "D'ya trick us, you jerk?!"
"Don't jump to conclusions!" the phantom thief said as it went through the door on their left. "Over here!"
She and her brother walked after him, Sakamoto saying "H-Hey! Wait up!" as he caught up with them. The room they found themselves in seemed to be some sort of unused storage space, with empty shelves and vaults around them. And the grate covering a ventilation shaft.
Their blond companion looked around and said, "Where are we supposed to get out from here?! There aren't even any windows!"
All Akira could do was stare, her lungs still pumping a mile a minute. Did he really not see the ventilation shaft?
Morgana agreed with her as it said, "Ugh, amatuer... This is the most basic of basics."
"What? It somethin' to do with spy movies too?" the punk said.
"Yes," Ren said.
And Akira pointed as she said, "See that? It's the ventilation shaft."
It seemed he really hadn't seen it as he looked surprised.
"Exactly," Morgana said. "You should be able to go through it one by one."
"I see... Then we just gotta get that metal mesh off!" Sakamoto said.
Before any of them could do anything, the punk ran straight at and up the shelf before colliding with the grate. Akira flinched at the loud crash. And then again when there was a grunt and a thud.
"You okay?" Ren said, worried.
While she said, "You didn't have to do that. We could've just unscrewed it or somethin'."
"Ugh... I'm fine. It was faster, ain't it?" the blond said. "Agh... Crap... The enemy didn't hear us, did they?"
Akira froze but then went back at the door to peek through. She sighed in relief when she saw nothing but extravagance and stone.
"Coast's clear," she said.
Her brother's posture relaxed just a bit and Sakamoto said,
"Phew... We're finally gettin' outta here!"
But then Morgana said, "I would wait to celebrate until you actually get out."
Which, well, was true.
"But...what about you?"
"There's something that I still need to do," Morgana said. "We're going our seperate ways here."
"Thank you," Ren said.
And she said, "Thanks. Don't get caught again, you hear?"
Morgana humphed but still smiled as it said, "Heh, I could say the same to you. Be careful, okay?"
They nodded about the same time and started to climb up to the shaft. Of course, she was the last as she had trouble but beyond that, they had no problems crawling through the cramped space. Well, except that she needed both help to get down when they found themselves in the courtyard. And before she knew it, they left, a brief wave of nausea passed her, and her brother's phone said,
"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back."
Author's Notes: Akira's initial Persona is called Opera Phantom, better known as "The Phantom of the Opera". It took a really long time to decide on who it'd be for several reasons, and some of the ones I had in mind are still tempting, but in the end, I decided on Phantom of the Opera because, originally, Akira was just going to be another Persona user, despite being the "female protagonist", also for several reasons, the biggest being a certain mastermind's plan. But that actually ended up also being the reason why I changed my mind and make her a Wild Card as well, and, well, along with the various twin AUs of the P3 protagonists where both of them are Wild Cards.