"That's the last of them."

The remnants of the last Shadow guarding the stairs drift lazily towards the ceiling. You and Hayate had waded into a horde of them on the way up, and although none of them posed much of a challenge, the effort is beginning to take its toll.

"How are you holding up?" you ask Hayate.

He's trying his best to hide the fatigue as well, but his breathing betrays him.

"…Just fine. Let's keep going."

At the top of the stairs, you find the gate open – sort of. Something has melted a significant hole through the bars, large enough for someone to pass through. Wordlessly, the two of you shimmy through.

The contrast between this floor and the rest of the Cloud is astonishing. A brief passage past the gate opens into a lavish, cavernous atrium of whorled marble and gold. The two of your wander past a massive fountain centerpiece sculpted in Shibutani's likeness, and between fastidiously trimmed hedges speckled with gold and silver flowers. Entrances to several chambers outlined in elaborate masonry await you against the far wall, each one bearing the name of a different Student Council committee. But the only one that means anything to you now is the largest one, situated in the center – the Disciplinary Committee chamber.

The doors are about three times your height, and must be at least a foot thick. Nevertheless, the sounds of grunts, shouting, and crackling magic filter through. However, they're soon drowned out by a barrage of announcements over the PA, one after another, a veritable laundry list of prohibitions:

"Attention! The use of open flames is now strictly prohib- Attention! The use of psychokinesis is now strictly pro- Attention! The use of nuclear energy is now strictly prohibited!"

"What the fuck is going on in there?" says Hayate, dumbfounded.

"He's hobbling their Personas," you answer, your eyes widening in realization. "Let's move!"

But before you can take another step, the world is violently pulled out from under you, and everything goes dark.

"…No…NO! Not you, too…"

You're lying down, that much you can tell. There's something soft under your head and back, but the rest of your body seems to be floating in space. It's so dark…

"Help…help me…what do I do…?"

This woman again…who is she? The pain in her voice is tearing your heart to shreds. You want desperately to reach out and embrace her, but your body is being held prisoner.

"Please, Tetsuo…forgive me…"

The engine turns over, and your eyes snap open.

"Where is she?" you cry. But there's no one there except Hayate.

"Who?" he asks, his voice low and full of genuine concern. "What's going on? Didn't this happen last time, too?"

For a moment, you can't answer, instead allowing that raw anguish – no, love, there was love as well - in the woman's voice linger in your mind. And then, you return to the present.

"I'll be fine, trust me. We need to hurry."

Hayate hoists you to your feet, and you both face the monstrous doors. Gathering your strength, the two of you ram the solid wood with all of your might. They give way surprisingly easily, sending you rolling head over heels into the chamber.

It's too late.

A limp body in a tattered raincoat hangs from the Dreamweaver's fist. He cocks his head in your direction, and tosses it at your feet. The figure rolls over with a groan and gingerly pulls a cracked pair of ski goggles from its eyes.

"Jidou?"

It's been a while, but there's no mistaking the face of the Yatabuya gangster with the tablet – that same tablet is a few feet away, snapped into several pieces. He's with Nightmare, too?

"What's going on? Are there only two of you?" he asks in a voice racked with pain.

"Ran into a few speedbumps. Is that gonna be a problem?" asks Hayate.

Jidou spits a gob of blood onto the floor. "Look what he did to us…how do you figure a couple of amateurs are gonna handle this?"

Your gaze drifts over to the bodies of the other members of Nightmare a few feet away. Their disguises have also been torn away – one of them you recognize as the girl Shibutani had called Jidou's twin sister. Judging from her clothes, she must have been the Persona user you met in Cloud Three. The girl in the wetsuit from Cloud One is sprawled next to her, her motorcycle helmet nowhere to be found. Her face is porcelain-pretty, with hair dyed a bright shade of blue, but you can't exactly place her the way you did the others.

At the far end of the room, Shibutani's massive body rests within its coffin-like prison.

"What, you want us to go home? Thought about it, but figured it wouldn't sit right. You oughta be grateful," Hayate answers.

"You jackasses," Jidou says. He then lowers his voice to a whisper. "If you wanna be useful, stall for me. There's medicine in Rin's bag. Just make sure he doesn't stop me."

"Now, now! Don't you think you've gone long enough without a proper greeting?" booms the Dreamweaver. Somehow, Shibutani's normally imposing figure has gotten even larger.

"Yeah, I think we're past that," you say. The corner of the Dreamweaver's eye gives a slight twitch.

"That wasn't a request," he replies, and snaps his fingers.

"Attention. Refusal to bow upon greeting the Commandant is now strictly prohibited."

"Do it," Jidou croaks.

You swallow your bile and bend only as far as you think you can get away with. Hayate does the same.

"Better. I don't mean to be overly insistent, but manners shouldn't be compromised. I can see why the rehabilitation didn't stick."

"Drop it. You know as well as we do that those classes aren't meant to rehabilitate anyone," you say.

The Dreamweaver adopts an unconvincing pout. "It seems you're displeased with my methods of keeping the peace. As a man of reason, I'd like the opportunity to hear your feedback," he says, spreading his hands out wide.

"It's hard to take you seriously when your answer to every little problem is to start making corpses. This rinky-dink demerit bullshit is some grade-A nonsense, too. You've got everyone toeing the line, but it sure isn't because they respect you," Hayate says.

To that, the Dreamweaver lets out a long, deep chuckle. "A ha ha ha! Of course that's how you would feel. You're upset because I lie. Because I'm a hypocrite. Because I use fear to my advantage. Does that about sum it up?"

You're not sure how to respond to such candor.

"Don't misunderstand me, humans. I harbor no delusions about who I am and what needs to be done. I've not spent much time in your world, but I believe that I have a deep understanding of how it works. Liars, murderers, criminals – they infest your society in droves.

"Yet, you look at those in power, those who make the rules you live by – why, they're those very same people. And you wonder why fools like Shibutani can't pin them down for even a second.

"No, if you want justice – true justice, where every last piece of human filth is judged fairly, you need to be as much of a manipulator as they are. To use every tool at your disposal to eliminate the enemies of society, without second chances. Make no mistake, humans. I am but a necessary evil. But I use my power for the sake for your security, not to serve some selfish desire."

"I-I don't…that…you can't have people living in fear and call that 'security'!" you say, struggling to articulate your disagreement.

"'Give them an inch, and they'll take a mile,' as you say. You want a world where transgressions are properly punished, then you must be prepared to be uncompromising. Or are you now saying that you were satisfied with the way things were run at Toshima?" the Dreamweaver retorts.

Composing yourself, you speak from the heart.

"I won't lie, if the world worked the way you want it to work, there probably would be a lot less trash out there. Maybe Shibutani doesn't have the power to change the way people act. But at the very least he's compassionate. And a hell of lot smarter than some Shadow that thinks that being the judge, jury, and executioner is any way to deliver justice. Things are going to get rough again once you're gone. But I'd much rather help Shibutani figure things out the hard way than rely on you to know anything about the difference between right and wrong."

The Dreamweaver sighs wearily.

"I see. I don't agree, but it appears that neither of us is about to convince the other. In that case-" He cracks his knuckles. "-we'll have to solve our differences in a more brutish manner."

The Dreamweaver pulls his hand across his face, revealing half of a crossed mask.

"Might makes right, Katsuji! Only the living get to enforce their will, after all! Gyeheheheh!"

The Dreamweaver snaps his fingers, and the PA system kicks on.

"Attention. The use of magic is now strictly prohibited."

"I'm not much for tricks, gentlemen. I'd rather see how you fare in a brawl!"

As the Dreamweaver begins striding towards you, Hayate leans in.

"What's the plan here?" he whispers

"Gotta do what Jidou says – keep him busy. But we can't just go on the defensive. He'll know something's up. We'll need to give this our best shot until Nightmare can join us."

"That's enough conspiring! Face me!"

A melon-sized fist barrels towards you, and you're only just able to dive out of the way. Motioning for Hayate to follow you, you vault over the long table in the middle of the room. You need to get his back turned so Jidou has an opportunity to move.

Instead of going around the table or over it, the Dreamweaver brings his elbow down on it, splitting it in half. He hefts both of the halves in each hand with ease, and flings them directly at you.

"Kay!" cries Hayate. Kay is only barely able to catch the pieces of furniture and fling them aside.

"Why are you running? I thought you wanted to settle this!" he shouts.

A nervous sweat begins to soak your brow. This Shadow's built like a dump truck, and probably feels like getting hit by one, too. Nevertheless, you need to try and match his strength, so Yaksini feels like the right call here.

"Yaksini! Come!"

The Dreamweaver winds up for another blow, and Yaksini throws up her swords to block. The Dreamweaver's arm hits the flat of the blades, sending Yaksini skidding backwards. The Shadow continues to drive his fist against her parry, with eyes wide and a toothy grin.

"Hayate! Now!" you shout, straining with all your might to keep the Dreamweaver from punching a hole in your strongest Persona.

"Got it!"

Kay flies in from the Dreamweaver's right, and grasps his thick skull with all four of its arms. He gives them a mighty twist, and with a sickening pop!, you're suddenly staring the back of Shibutani's head.

The giant Shadow drops to its knees and crumples over backwards. Hayate stares wide-eyed at his own hands, then back to you, laughing softly. You know better, though.

"Hey. Stay focused! We're not done yet!"

The words are barely out of your mouth before the Dreamweaver begins stumbling back to its feet. It wrenches its head back around, and your dismay, it looks positively thrilled. Hayate is significantly less so. Your eyes drift towards the other end of the room, where Jidou is silently rummaging though One's small, leather satchel.

"Gyeheheh! Hee hee hee hee! Ahh, I suppose I deserved that! I was simply so consumed with the idea of pulping that arrogant face of yours! Not to worry, I'll not neglect you again," he says, pointing to Hayate.

The Dreamweaver breaks into a run, and closes the distance between it and Hayate with startling swiftness.

"Shit!" Hayate cries, and Kay throws up a barrier of ice between them. The Dreamweaver bursts right though as if it were a pane of glass, but halts inches from Hayate's face. Its golden pupils shrink even smaller, and the corners of its mouth stretch into a deranged grin.

"That's a Violation."

Thick golden chains speed past you and shackle Hayate's limbs together, sending him crashing to the floor. A gasp escapes his lips as the air evacuates his lungs, and Kay vanishes. The Dreamweaver lets out a booming roar, and the air in the chamber suddenly becomes oppressively, physically heavy.

"Time for some punishment!"

A blinding light envelops the Dreamweaver's body, and it pulls back a fist that blazes like an exploding star.

[Master, allow me! I can take it!]

Principality springs forth from your soul to replace Yaksini, and puts itself in the path of the Dreamweaver's mammoth fist. You brace for a bone-shattering impact, but the blow glances right off of Principality's slender form and the Shadow topples over.

The chains slide off of Hayate, and you rush over to help him back up.

"Listen, if I do that again, just let me die, okay? Can't believe I almost let someone else get wasted saving my ass today," Hayate gasps.

"Yeah, I can't do that, but we definitely need to be more careful. More than that, we need a better plan. Trying to take him in close quarters is just going to get us torn apart."

You take another glance towards Jidou. He's pushing something down the others' throats. It's unclear what exactly it's meant to do, but he's going to need more time.

"You don't have a ch-choice, Tetsuo!" The sound of Nisekao's voice in your ear makes you jump. "Somehow, you've got to beat him at his own game! I don't think he'll let you escape another one of those punishments!"

"I know! I'm trying to think…" you reply, frantically wracking your brain for an answer.

[That's enough. I can't remain silent any longer and let you misuse power of my caliber,] comes Yaksini's voice from within your mind. [This enemy is a crude warrior. Allow me to turn his movements against him instead of hiding behind my skirt.]

[You got it.]

The Dreamweaver fixes you with a poisonous glare as it gets back up. Cracking its knuckles, it says, "How dare you. The rules in my world are steadfast and absolute! I won't stand for this!"

The Dreamweaver pulls both of its fists out wide, intending to crush your skull between them, and you see your chance.

"Yaksini! Now!"

[Finally!]

Yaksini uses the hilts of her swords to turn the Dreamweaver's fists aside, and runs her blades along the length of the Dreamweaver's chest. A spray of black miasma jettisons into the air, and the Dreamweaver howls, clutching at the wounds staining its pristine white uniform. Hayate lets out a cheer.

"Ghh…" it seethes, sucking lungfuls of air in between tightly clenched teeth. "It seems…fighting those reprobates beforehand…took more out of me than I thought."

It snaps its fingers.

"Attention. Close quarters combat is now strictly prohibited. The amendment prohibiting the use of magic has now been stricken."

"Holy crap, you got him to back down! Now we can get to work!" exclaims Hayate.

"My thoughts exactly."

With a flick of its wrists, several shrine tags slide out between the Dreamweaver's knuckles – the same ones the Enforcer had used against Koharu.

"I did say that I had little love for tricks like this, but my tolerance for your insubordination has run out. I'll grant you a humane execution – just sit still, and you won't feel much."

Another flick of the wrists, and the tags come hurtling at you like shurikens, their inscriptions burning with holy light. Acting on instinct, you recall Yaksini and summon Launcelot. He cuts through the tags with an arc of wind magic, and Kay shreds the rest with a flurry of icicles. Yet as soon as you dispatch the deadly magic, several more tags appear in the enemy's clenched fists.

You and Hayate tear around the chamber, destroying as many of the tags as you're able to while ducking the ones your Personas miss. The effort, on top of all the energy you'd spent fighting the Enforcer, is fighting you with every step. The two of you dive behind one of the discarded halves of the council table, wincing at the sizzle and hiss of the tags as they adhere to the other side.

"This isn't working," gasps Hayate. "He's not even giving us a chance to fight back. Nightmare needs to hurry the hell up."

You want to peek around the edge of the table, but the continued slapping of the tags against your makeshift barrier advises you otherwise.

"Maybe we could send our Personas to attack? Might give us a bit of an opening."

"N-No! Remember what happened to Koharu? If one of those hits your Persona, you'll go down, too!" Nisekao says.

[Master. Must I hold your hand once more? The brute has disallowed traditional combat, hasn't he? All I require is a single opportunity – I will make him forget his place, and turn the tide of war to your advantage,] says Yaksini.

"Could you at least give me a quick distraction? I've got one last idea," you tell Hayate.

He nods. "Then I'm gonna make a run for it. You just need an opening, right?"

"Uh-huh."

He lets out a short breath. "Okay then. I trust you. Here goes!"

Hayate sprints out from behind the table, and the Dreamweaver's eyes snap to him.

"Yaksini, do it!"

Yaksini begins spinning her blades about and gyrating her hips in a twisting sort of dance. The effect is startling. The Dreamweaver lurches forward as though it had been punched in the gut, and immediately fixates on your Persona. Its breathing becomes short, and its shoulders heave with barely contained rage.

"You! YOU! I won't be mocked in my own halls! I'll tear you limb from limb!"

The Dreamweaver lurches towards Yaksini, and clamps one giant mitt over her face, lifting her off the floor. It begins to squeeze, and the pressure inside your own head is so great, you feel as though your brains are about to start leaking from your ears. A white fog encroaches upon the edges of your vision, and a faint ringing pierces your hearing. Were…were you wrong?

But suddenly, the pressure vanishes, the fog recedes, and you regain control of your senses. Thick gold chains have wound their way around the Dreamweaver's body, and it's thrashing madly against them.

"Attention. You have been found in violation of the Student Code of Conduct – close quarters combat has been strictly prohibited."

"Stop! STOP! This is my world! I am the law! I! CANNOT! BE PUNISHED!" the Dreamweaver shrieks.

Then, an incredible sensation spreads throughout your entire body. A shining aura envelops you, and every last atom of your being feels like it's brimming with unlimited power. Your gamble paid off – it's time to deliver some punishment.

You put every last bit of your strength into this one final blow, and deliver a hook right to the Dreamweaver's frothing face.

In an instant, the world is erased.

Then, the light fades, and the scene before you resolves itself.

Your body is entangled in golden chains, and the Dreamweaver stands over you, a white-hot ball of power and fury.

"Tut. Tut," it hisses, ragged, sinister and triumphant. "Amendment 57.1a. I. Cannot. Be punished. That's a Violation."

"Tetsuo!"

You hear Hayate and Nisekao's cries, but there's nothing they can do. The Dreamweaver has already swung its fist, and all that's left to do is brace.

"Galahad!"

Moments before the punch collides with your face, a glassy, transparent barrier materializes in front of you. The Dreamweaver slams into it with full force. In a split second, the barrier draws all the light from the Shadow's body into itself.

"What the-"

And then it explodes.

A torrent of photons bathes the room in radiance, taking the outline of the Dreamweaver to pieces. This time, when the light fades, you're finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Shibutani's Shadow kneels in the middle of the floor, all recognizable features having been seared off of its body save for its mask. All that's left is a charred, blackened husk.

"Hayate!" You locate him a short distance away, transfixed by the state of your foe. "That barrier, what was that?"

"Them," he says, pointing past you.

The three members of Nightmare are back on their feet, their expressions haggard and exhausted. One's Persona, Galahad, hovers beside her. She pushes a few locks of curly white hair out of her eyes and gives you a friendly wink.

"Hope you don't mind me stealing the glory, but I thought the opportunity was too funny to pass up," she says.

"No, no. It's…uh…it's cool," you say.

Jidou strides past you to examine the Dreamweaver's body.

"Pretty impressive work, nevertheless, amateurs. Maybe we oughta start giving you more credit. However…" He kicks the Dreamweaver in torso. "We're not done here, are we?"

To your amazement and horror, a croaking voice escapes the Dreamweaver's lips.

"…I'm not interested in talking with you. Katsuji…he's the only one of you worth my time…"

Jidou rolls his eyes and turns to you. "Go on ahead. See what he has to say. I suppose you deserve the opportunity, anyways. Just make sure to finish the job so we can get out of here," he says, and walks over to rejoin the other members of his team.

You kneel down gingerly beside the remains of the Dreamweaver. Despite the state of your enemy, its sheer determination to cling to life almost demands your respect.

"You…I see now…you and I…we're the same, aren't we…"

"No. I'm not going through this again with you. We're putting things back the way they should be."

"Oh. Is that what you thought I meant? Hmm…anyhow. I wonder what you think will change now? Will the murderers and thieves in power simply bend to your will?"

"I don't expect them to. I told you before, I…I don't feel like everything you stand for is wrong. Our world…could use more control. More good people, with the power to bring about change. Accepting your power would have been easy, but I don't think I could have lived with what that meant."

"So you'll turn you back on them? The weak? The suffering?"

"No. That's not it at all. We'll just…have to do it the hard way. We'll support the weak and the suffering. And find a way to let the people who abuse their power know that they're not welcome to do what they want."

The Dreamweaver lets out a hideous, rasping chuckle.

"Then you'll die. The age of Shadow is inevitable. The fools in power in your world have already accepted this. They will overwhelm you…and they will kill you for your naïve idealism."

"Wait. Do you know who's giving the Shadows this power?"

You think the Dreamweaver is attempting to grin, but it's difficult to be sure.

"Heh heh heh…do I? That is one thing I refuse to divulge. If you want it, you'll have to earn it. But know this – that one…the one who bends Shadows to their will…they understand the world as I do. They know people in powerful places…and they will use these connections to crush you at every turn. If you would fight back…start there."

"Thank you. But why tell me anything?"

"Because…in the end, your might was superior. You've proven that your justice is true."

And with that, the Dreamweaver falls apart, chunks of its scorched form dissolving into acrid black smoke until only its mask remains.

The mask…deep within, this is what you were truly waiting for. These visions, what lies beyond…the desire to understand consumes you, and you sweep it into your hands.

A room. White.

A bed. White.

A figure. Dressed in white.

A voice.

Resolved. Recognizable.

Shibutani's, coming from your lips.

"This…in the end, the blame lies with me. I could have saved you. Why? Why must I be so powerless?"

And that's all. The mask refuses to share anything more, and dissolves into the air before you. It was so much closer this time…you could almost see the figure in the bed.

"Hey, are you all right?" Hayate is regarding you quizzically, and you realize that your hand is outstretched, reaching for something that isn't there. You quickly withdraw it, and stand back up.

"Mmhmm. How about Shibutani?"

Hayate points to the back of the room, where Nightmare has gathered around Shibutani's shadowy prison. The shape of the coffin is beginning to dissolve. Jidou notices you coming towards them.

"Did it have anything worthwhile to say?"

"I think so. But if it's all the same to you, I'd rather discuss it later. You all go to our school, right?"

Jidou heaves a frustrated sigh, running his fingers through his bristly hair. "So we do." The blue-haired girl in the wetsuit smacks him in the back of the head.

"Oh, for Chrissake, Gin. Give it a rest. What else do they have to prove?"

Gin shoots her a disapproving glare. "You could stand to be a little more cautious. We don't exactly know who we're dealing with, here."

Hayate pipes up. "Uh, well, I'm Hayate Hirada, and this is Tetsuo Katsuji. And then there are a couple others downstairs…"

"I know who you are," Gin replies, his tone heavy with exasperation.

Suddenly, One is behind you, wrapping her arms around your shoulders. Your pulse quickens.

"I wouldn't mind him. Brother dearest is just feeling a bit uptight after a near-death experience, is all."

"Quit screwing around, Rin. Look, Shibutani's about to wake up," snaps Gin, and Rin disengages, peering at Shibutani curiously.

The coffin vanishes completely, and the trappings of Cloud Four fall away. You're left in the Student Council room, and the hands on the clock indicate that lunch is almost over. Shibutani attempts to stand up, but stumbles, clutching his temple. You and Hayate rush over and help him lay down on the table. Nightmare, however, heads for the door.

"Tomorrow. Meet us at the annex after classes. Just for the record, I still don't think it's a good idea, but shit's about to hit the fan now, and we've run out of other options. We'll either work together, or die separately. See you then."

Gin turns on his heel and leaves, followed by the blue-haired girl. Rin waves and flashes you a goofy smile before wandering after them.

"Katsuji." Shibutani sits up. "My word…I've done something incredibly foolish-"

"Later, senpai. We're taking you to the nurse's office so you can get some rest," you say.

Shibutani opens his mouth to argue, but you hold your hand up.

"No. If you really feel like you owe us something, then do this. Hayate, find Mariko and Koharu. She'll need to be taken to the nurse, too."

He nods, and takes off.

"Now, come on, senpai. It's been a long day already."