Well, this is a fic I posted on AO3 and forgot to post on fanfic, so here it is.

The premise behind this one is me thinking "Fuck, what if P5 Joker was in P5R? What if the P5R Joker was Female?" and that's why we're here. I finished P5R and was like I need more.

Of course also need sprinkle that little dash of hurt and comfort.


How long had it been now?

It felt like hours had passed since Joker was the last one standing, the leader of the Phantoms Thieves of Heart standing against Yaldabaoth, the God of Control.

What was the point?

Akira didn't need to look behind him to know that he was the only one. The personae within his mind writhed and screamed in anguish; the bonds that created them had dulled and brittle over the course of the Phantom Thieves' final fight.

Mother Harlot and her seven-headed beast howled in silent indignant wrath, poisonous breath roiling and seeking to choke the one who felled Noir.

Ongyo-Ki was akin to the center of a hurricane, a calm before the storm. Akira's heart clenched in his chest with familial anguish. Sweet innocent Oracle.

Cybele, diety of the natural elements cried out in despair, flowers wishing to bloom over a body still warm. Queen's chest lay still.

The ancient one-eyed god, Odin the Furious stared up imperiously at the thing that dared call itself a god. Fox fell clutching Usumidori, a warrior's death. Akira bit back the tears stinging his eyes. It was still death, no matter the type.

The ultimate personae of the Lovers and the Chariot, Ishtar and Chi-You were unlike the others. They raged and warred within the depths of Joker's mind, the fruits of his bonds with the two who'd been with him since everything began. Now they were the only remaining proof of his bonds to Panther and Skull.

The two fell protecting each other to the very end, but even so, they were the first to die protecting the rest of the team from Yaldabaoth's rays of control.

Futsunushi, the god of swords simmered and boiled with an almost all-consuming rage. Joker could feel beneath his mask as it tried to force its way to the surface, begging to be brought out, to engage against the one who felled Mona.

Mona…

The guide of the Velvet Room and the heritor of humanity's last hopes. Joker's closest confidant, Mona had lived with him ever since he had decided to stay with him.

And now the heritor of hope had fallen.

The tears didn't stop this time. They fell as Joker fought desperately to choke back his sobs.

And so too had everything else fallen.

Akira could feel it within his bones, in the very depths of the sea of souls. The wind carried its song to him up in the pinnacles of the heavens itself.

Unrelenting.

Unceasing.

Silence.

They'd failed.

He'd failed.

Even as he continued to fight, Metatron, the ultimate persona of the Justice arcana and proof of Joker's bond with Akechi stood on steel wings and mask before him. For a single moment, Joker could hear the silence all the way up from where he fought in a desperate anguished battle.

How long had the silence been there? Interrupted by the last despairing and futile actions of the Phantom Thieves leader?

How long had it been since Mementos fused with reality? Since he'd felt the last soul below disappear into the public unconsciousness, never to be brought back?

Too long.

IT IS FUTILE

YOU HAVE LOST

Joker looked up with unshed eyes to the one who'd been called by the public unconsciousness desires, the Holy Grail. Yaldabaoth.

THERE IS NO LONGER A POINT TO THIS

THE ONES WHOM'S BONDS YOU'VE FORGED NO LONGER EXIST

Joker grit his teeth.

He knew.

He knew dammit!

He'd felt the rest of his bonds dull and crack as everyone else disappeared.

Kohryuu.

Lakshmi.

Attis.

Alice.

Beelzebub.

Mada.

Lucifer.

Sandalphon.

Asura-Ou.

Satan.

Each one of them had howled in defiance, in futile rebellion as each bond dulled until only one-side of their bond remained. Joker's heart clenched as more and more of those he cared about were purged from the face of reality. Until he was alone again.

Only two of his bonds remained.

Even in Joker's darkest hour Vishnu and Zaou-Gongen refused the coming fate. So long as their master lived, they would fight.

And so would Joker.

He may have failed to avert Ruin but he would not fail the bonds he'd forged. He would not compromise his ideals, the ideals of everyone he'd cared about, even till the very end. He wouldn't fail them.

If it meant making a deal with the devil himself he'd make sure this God died. Even if it killed him he'd ensure that everything the Phantom Thieves and everyone else had suffered would not end in nothing.

Yaldabaoth looked down at the one who's rehabilitation he'd once watched over. He was the administrator who'd guided mankind towards proper development.

And when Mankind proved its foolishness?

It was the administrator's duty to purge them.

Now there was only one more being in the annals of Mankind's history to purge.

MY CONTROL IS THE ULTIMATE TRUTH OF THIS WORLD

"...I don't care."

HMM?

"I said, "I don't care!" Joker roared, the personae beneath his mask roiling in agitation. "I don't care about what you say! I'll take back this world from you!"

HMPH…. EVEN NOW YOU FIGHT

THERE IS NO ONE LEFT FOR YOU TO FIGHT FOR

IT IS FUTILE

"And?" Joker retorted coldly. "This is Mankind's world... I may be alone, but I'll never leave this world in your hands! The world where my bonds were made!" Joker yelled out before breathing heavily, the wounds accumulating on his own body drawing out his fatigue.

THE PRECIOUS BONDS YOU HAVE FORGED ARE BROKEN

GONE AND PURGED FROM MANKIND'S HISTORY

YOU ARE ALONE

The undeniable truth hit Joker like a truck once more but even in the face of that truth, he would not back down. "They may be gone, but the bonds that I've made… they'll never disappear!" Joker growled, his mask glowing blue with flames.

Your journey is coming to an end…

Joker let out a grim smile as a voice resounded in the depths of his soul. A voice that had once said they'd convene once more at the end.

Are you ready? The time is now…

"I'm ready…"

Then call me forth.

From the depths of your soul,

I stayed and now I return.

Forged anew in the Sea of Souls,

stoked by the flames of your bonds I am reborn.

In your final hour,

I shall answer to your call once more…

Red gloved hands reached up to grasp at the mask that hid his identity, a mask that was a symbol of his rebellion.

No longer.

There was no use in hiding.

He'd face the coming ruin and he would rebel. He would face the end looking forward.

CALL MY NAME!

"Heed my call, Satanael!" Joker roared as he tore off his mask, the last remnants of his power coalescing behind him.

Behind him formed a being reminiscent of an archangel, but far deadlier. With six titanic black wings and immense size comparable to Yaldabaoth himself floated the form of Satan before he'd fallen from lofty heights of Heaven. A halo of demon wings spun atop its head akin to a crown, and a mockery to the angel wings that spun above the God of Control.

The second son of God.

The rebel of Heaven.

The last rebelling hope of Mankind against the control of a god that sought to purge the final remnants.

SO… YOU STILL FIGHT…

FOOL…!

THIS IS WHY MAN MUST BE PURGED!

Rays of Control burst forth from Yaldabaoth's chest, swirling and writhing through the air like dark tendrils of death seeking to kill Joker. In the span of a singular moment, they struck.

And did nothing.

They failed to even reach Joker, titanic wings shielding him as they simply disappeared as if they'd never existed.

…!

IMPOSSIBLE!

Joker could feel it in the air. Even in the public subconscious, where mankind had since joined, there would always be seeds of rebellion. No matter how tight the god's grasp on the world, there would always be those that slipped through.

Even with those he cared about gone, Joker could feel the power of those bonds he'd create and strengthened surge within his soul. He could feel as the final vestiges of Mankind's hope float in the air like little motes of light.

He held out his hands, willing… hoping… for those long gone to help him one final time. He watched as the vestigial light of mankind coalesced and strengthen him. Wounds that would surely have ended him healed and the fatigue that plagued his weary mind disappeared.

Joker stood tall with Satanael behind him. But even now… he wanted to make sure- no… needed to ensure that this facsimile of a god was eradicated for all those that were lost, for those who could no longer be saved. Grasping his mask once more, he felt as the personae within humanity's sea of souls writhed and begged to be let free, to destroy the one who'd seek their destruction.

Who was he to deny them.

"Aargh!" Joker snarled as he tore off his mask once more, blood spilling profusely to the floor of heaven.

With each drop of blood spawned a persona. From the weakest of them such as Jack Frost or Pixie to the ultimate persona of the Arcana. All of them he'd strengthen to their pinnacle. With the help of Justine and Caroline he'd completed the compendium, the proof that he'd successfully reached humanities Sea of Souls.

Now, the residents from the Sea of Souls stood united against an enemy so foul it had succeeded in wiping out humanity till one remained.

They would ensure it would fall before the one perished.

H-HOW?!

YOU SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HANDLE THAT MUCH POWER!

YOUR REHABILITATION WAS NOT COMPLETE!

Like bloodhounds, his persona rounded on Yaldabaoth, the fear in its voice almost tangible in the face of the Trickster's persona.

Joker looked up at the God of Control with thinly concealed contempt. "I have lost everything… what more is my life if it means taking yours?" he asked in grim resolve.

"Eradicate him…"

The command was whispered but in the silence of the world, the words were like a gunshot.

The personae descended upon the God of Control.

Angels, Metatron leading the fray with Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, Sandalphon and many other angels of heaven following behind fell upon Yaldabaoth.

Demons like Incubus and Succubus, Satan and Lucifer and other denizens of hell rose up in defiance to a being that thought itself God.

Other Pantheons joined. Pantheons ranging from those that had fallen in ages past to those that still lived. From the well-known to the obscure. Odin, Ishtar, Futsunushi, Thor, Scathach, and many others united in mankind's final battle.

No…

Joker's final battle.

Mankind was gone and nothing he did would change that… but he'd make sure Yaldabaoth would never see the light of day. He'd take back this broken world.

Joker raised his pistol, the Tyrant Pistol, forged from the power of Lucifer. Behind him, he felt as Satanael did the same with a rifle of its own, filled with the power of Primal Sin.

NO!

THIS CANNOT BE!

Even with its almighty power, Yaldabaoth struggled to contend against the ceaseless tide of Persona that resided within the Sea of Souls. Angels descended, Demons rose, and gods, humans and monsters alike struck. When one would fall it would come back and continue the fight.

A single thought was all it took.

This being would die.

"Begone" Joker whispered as he pulled the trigger.

*Bang*

A bullet spiralled from Satanael's rifle, shooting clean through Yaldabaoth's pyramid-like head leaving cracks in its wake.

For one single moment… the world stood still.

WHAT POWER…

IT SURPASSES MINE OWN…

A GOD BORN FROM THE WISHES OF THE MASSES…

Behind Yaldabaoth, rays of light peeked through the clouds.

SO… THIS… IS THE STRENGTH OF THE TRUEST TRICKSTER…

DAMN THAT IGOR… IT SEEMS HE WASN'T SPOUTING NONSENSE…

Yaldabaoth uttered as its body faded into flakes of light, disappearing into the sky.

Joker stood there as the Persona he'd called forth returned to the Sea of Souls. Not to mankind's Sea of Souls, but to his own. With Yaldabaoth gone, Mementos disappeared with it and so too had the subconscious will of humanity. There was no longer a humanity to return to.

For a moment Akira Kurusu, leader of the Phantom Thieves and last survivor of a world fallen to ruin took in the sunrise. Below him, Tokyo stood silent and desolate.

Akira Kurusu, He Who Will Save The Souls Of Humanity, on the morning of Christmas Eve died alone atop the heavens bathed in the sunrise of a world fallen to ruin. A sunrise mankind would never see.


Akira's eyes slowly eased open, taking in a familiar velvet blue. The feeling of a familiar mattress beneath him. He sat up on the bed but didn't stand. Instead, he leaned against the wall, his head resting against the velvet blue of the prison interior.

An ugly feeling reared its head in his chest, a scream building in his throat.

"DAMMIT!" Akira roared in anguish and pain, the feelings he'd bottled up in his final hours flooding forth. He was brought low as he stumbled from the prison bed to his knees, guilt and heart-wrenching shame gnawing away at his heart.

Idly he could feel a small figure hug his side while a hand stroked his hair. Desperately, painfully, he grasped Lavenza in a tight hug, almost suffocating.

"Please… please don't leave me…" Akira sobbed as held Lavenza tighter.

"You've done well Trickster," Lavenza whispered as she returned the hug with a short hesitance. As a ruler of power, she was unaccustomed to human emotions, but in this instance where her Trickster was hurting, she would do her best.

Minutes trickled to hours before Akira's sobs died down and he released Lavenza.

He looked over at the only other occupant aside from himself and Lavenza. A familiar old man with a large hooked nose and a lanky body stared back, the form eerily reminiscent of the one the God of Control once used. But now it was returned to its rightful owner.

Igor.

Igor's usually smiling face was gone replaced with a grim but sad one. "You've done exceptionally well Trickster. In a game where the chances of you winning were zero, you still won," Igor's high-pitched voice congratulated Akira, but the three knew it was a hollow victory.

"I won… huh?" Akira looked at Igor, before looking down and clenching a red-gloved fist. "So why do I feel like I didn't win at all…"

Igor and Lavenza looked at each other, an unconveyed message being sent between them. "Trickster… no… Akira," Lavenza caught Joker's attention. "You were not meant to win this game. There was no foreseeable way for you to win. This world was fated to ruin."

Akira didn't know what to feel. He should've felt anger or even indignant at least but all he felt was empty.

"So… it was all for nothing huh?" Akira muttered to himself.

"Not entirely."

Akira looked at Lavenza and Igor.

"Ahem, if I may?" Igor coughed politely as he took over the conversation, "This world was headed for ruin. No matter the outcome Mankind was destined to die."

Akira just looked at him.

"But it did not. You still remain, even when you were fated to lose you pulled this world from the very brink of ruin," Igor said.

Akira shot up to his feet, hope splayed across his face. "Does that mean you can-?"

He was cut off as Igor raised a gloved hand, the hope washed from Akira's face as he looked at their sombre expressions.

Igor shook his head "You pulled this world from the very brink, yes… but it shall stay at the brink. You are the only one left of Mankind, this world cannot be brought back."

Akira slumped against the wall, the anguish resurging at those words. Memories of his failures cycling through his mind-

A hand snaked its way into his own and squeezed comfortingly. Akira looked down at Lavenza who gave him a small smile.

"This world may have fallen to ruin, but there are other worlds out there that can still be averted from the path of ruin," Lavenza explained.

"You'd have me go to those worlds and what? Have me save them?" Akira asked sardonically, "I couldn't even save my own! Everyone's dead!"

Lavenza didn't flinch at the Trickster's words, able to feel the grief within him.

"Your world was rigged from the very beginning to lose, your death an assurance but you broke through that. In worlds that aren't rigged so heavily…" Igor spoke up.

"And why would I save those worlds?" Akira breathed out as his energy left him. "As far as I know, those worlds have nothing to do with me."

Lavenza squeezed his hand.

"In these worlds, the Phantom Thieves have yet to fall."

Akira froze.

"…What?" he whispered quietly, barely above a breath.

"These worlds have yet to be set upon the path of ruin, the one you call the Phantom Thieves have yet to be formed. The path to ruin has yet to begin. You can avert their demise. If you so choose to accept of course," Igor explained.

Akira desperately wanted to agree, just the thought of seeing them again made his heart burst.

But reality was a cruel mistress.

"They won't be my friends though… they're not my Ryuji, my Ann, my Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru… Morgana…" Akira swallowed heavily.

"No… they wouldn't…" Lavenza agreed sadly, "But would you leave them to their fate?"

No…

He would never be able to do that.

"But what about my world? I can't just leave it behind… I'm the last of my worlds mankind…" Akira murmured, heart racing but his mind being pushed all over the place.

"You wouldn't have to leave it behind," Igor said almost smugly, but the nature of their conversation prevented anything other than a quiet seriousness. "As you know this place is beyond time and space, mind and matter. There are many things that are within my domain of power. I once forged the being known as Morgana from the dregs of human hope at my weakest. At my strongest?"

Igor held up a gloved hand almost as if he were clutching something small within the tips of his fingers.

Akira felt the world go sideways before right-side up. When he looked back at Igor he was holding a shining clear crystal pendant. A pendant that called out to Akira.

Igor allowed it to float freely in his palm. "I'm afraid I don't have the power to bring your world back from ruin… no one does. I can at least reforge your world into this, to bring with you. A reminder of what you fought for, and should you so choose, fight for. I'm sorry I cannot do more for those that once lived there, they have passed."

He let it float in the air for a scant moment before it made its way to Akira who let go of Lavenza and made to cradle the pendant. A reminder of the world he'd failed to save but also…

…also, a reminder of the bonds he'd shared.

He grasped it in his hands, even beneath his gloves he could feel the cold of the world bereft of mankind. Between his very fingers was the world in which mankind had fallen but at the same time was the world he'd forever cherish.

He clutched for a moment longer before slipping it over his head, allowing the pendant to rest on his chest, it's cold seeping through the clothes of his Phantom Thief uniform, a constant reminder.

"…Thank you, Igor," Akira acknowledged Igor before setting a hand on Lavenza's hair ruffling it.

Lavenza leaned into it.

"Think nothing of its Trickster," Igor shook his head. "I take it this means you accept?" he asked curiously.

"I do." Akira looked at the master of the Velvet Room with a determined gaze. "If I can prevent what happened from happening again… I'll do it. I- I don't think I could live with myself if I didn't accept… I'd be forsaking everything we stood for…"

"I could not say it better myself," Igor nodded. "Something you need to understand before you depart is that as I have said before, the Velvet Room is a place between space and time. It stands at the centre of all realities… but it also follows the flow of time of each reality."

Akira stood there in confusion.

Lavenza leaned away from where she'd leaned into Akira's hand. "What my master wishes to express is that as residents of the Velvet Room, we are the same Lavenza and Igor within each reality, however, from where one world which may have a slower flow of time, we would have the memories of that according time period. The opposite is also true."

"So… if you were to send me to a reality which was in the past, you'd only have knowledge from that time and not of the future? But if you sent me to the future you'd have knowledge from up till that period?" Akira asked, trying to wrap his head around what they were saying.

"That is indeed correct," Lavenza agreed happily, "You catch on quickly Trickster."

"The reality we'll be sending you too is one that has yet to be placed on the path of ruin, meaning that we shall have no knowledge of your actions as we shall not be within the Velvet Room," Igor spoke, almost insinuatingly.

It hit Akira.

"Yaldabaoth…" Akira murmured before looking at Lavenza "… Justine and Caroline."

"Yes, that will indeed be the case." Igor nodded.

"Wouldn't I be able to fight Yaldabaoth before that?" Akira questioned, "He'll be weaker than he was in my world, won't he?"

"While that would be the case, there are some things that must stay constant throughout each reality. Each reality is intrinsically entangled with one another, connected at these constant points within reality." Igor shook his head.

"The God of Control can only be felled by the Trickster of their own reality, to do otherwise would unravel the fabric of reality," Igor explained.

"…"

"Fret not, we shall supply you with the constants of the reality you'll be sent to," Igor noticed Akira's silence. and answered the unasked question. "Lavenza, if you would do the honours?"

"Of course," Lavenza bowed to her master before walking towards Akira and proffering a familiar small notebook.

Akira accepted it and was surprised by what it was. It was the same notebook Sojiro had once given to him at the beginning of his probation.

A sharp pain pierced his heart. Gathering himself for a moment he shook it off.

No one would die this time.

"This shall be your personal compendium. As you will be unable to utilize the Velvet Room without catching the attention of the malevolent being, we have decided that this would be the best course of action should you need the aid of your Persona," Lavenza instructed with a gentle smile.

"Of course, you would normally be unable to fuse Persona without the use of a guillotine, as such it is fortuitous you have already completed the compendium," Lavenza nodded.

"You will be able to summon Persona along with itemizing them," Igor spoke up. "Additionally, we've seen fit that the funds and equipment from your previous escapades as Trickster shall carry along with you."

"Thank you… truly…" Akira grasped the notebook before placing it in his back pocket. He took a deep breath before kneeling down to Lavenza and opened his arms.

Lavenza gave him one last hug.

He gave Igor a look, a determined gaze within his eyes. Igor merely smiled.

"I'm ready…" Akira nodded.

"Understood," Lavenza's eyes crinkled as she looked at him. "The reality you being sent to is near identical to your own with some variations, the most noticeable being the Trickster of that reality."

Akira gave her a quizzical look.

"The Trickster of this reality is a variation of yourself, however, as a female. Other variations within this world shall have little hold in your ability to avert the coming ruin," Lavenza said.

Igor clapped his hands together, "With that said and done. I wish you luck on your journey Truest of Tricksters, I long for the day when we shall meet again."

Lavenza gave a fleeting smile. "The feeling is the same for myself."

That was all the warning Akira received. In a flash of blue light, he was gone.

"The Trickster… he has endured much…" Igor mused as the two stayed in silence. "He has endured much but he is close to breaking. I truly hope we've done the best we can."

Lavenza agreed. "He deserves better than what fate has given him."


*knock knock*

"Room Service!" a voice shouted from somewhere.

Akira's eyes snapped open as he shot up, unfortunately, it seemed he'd been trapped by some manner of- oh… it was just some bedsheets.

It all suddenly came rushing back to him.

He clutched at his head, barely aware as whoever was at the door didn't enter and instead moved on, the sound of trolley wheels rattling as they moved. It felt like a hand was grasping at his heart, clutching at it within its grasp, emotions warring in the heart and in the mind. Heat, unbearable heat surrounding his chest, pressing downwards, hard to breathe! Help-

Cold

A cold washed over him, Akira gasped for air as his chest eased up, idly he looked down a noticed the pendant forged from his ruined world seemed to give off a light luminescent shine.

He could feel a sensation of a hand on his shoulder but when he tried to look over his shoulder, there was no one there. Looking back down he saw the shine emanating from the pendant fade, and with it the sensation on his shoulder.

Akira collapsed to the floor, his back against the bed frame of the mattress he'd been on and for several moments took in the sheer fact he was alive and he was in a world where the Phantom Thieves had yet to DIE!

He scrambled to his feet and looked around frantically, out of the corner of his eyes he spotted it on the opposite side of the mattress.

His phone.

He lunged over the bed, flopping onto the mattress as his hand grasped onto the phone. Bringing it towards his face he looked at the date.

Three years before the end of the world.

He remembered he'd died on Christmas Eve, almost a year since he'd begun his probation. That meant he had three years before this world began its path to Ruin and the Trickster of this world joined the game.

At this moment, it actually hit Akira what he was doing. He was in another world trying to save it, what was he thinking he couldn't even save his own-

Cold

Before the sensation was like a hand on his shoulder but now it felt like the comforting sensation of a hug, cold but familiar. Looking down he saw that the pendant was once again shining

We believe in you

The words filled his mind. He finally understood why this sensation felt so familiar. This was the feeling he got when Sojiro accepted him into his family, to be the son he never had and to be the brother Futaba deserved.

He could feel tears trace their ways down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Akira whispered as his throat burned, eyes closed as he leaned into the sensation, phantom arms closing around him while a phantom body joined his side.

We forgive you

It felt like hours before the phantom sensation faded away, the light from his pendant dulling once more.

Wiping his face Akira looked up to the ceiling.

The pain that rooted itself deep in his heart eased the slightest bit, but to Akira, it felt like the world had been lifted from his shoulders.

"I won't fail… not this time. I promise."

There was no response, but Akira would stand by that promise. He would avert this world's Ruin, he would make sure of it.

Standing up he looked around for a moment and found a briefcase and a suitcase sitting at the base of his bed, leaning down he clicked open briefcase and found it filled to the brim with stacks of yen.

Memories of when he and the rest of the Phantom Thieves had spent time during flu season to kill the Reaper or go around brainwashing shadows. They'd done it so many times they'd each wracked up a sizable amount of funds. It always amazed Akira how even with such a veritable nest egg, Yusuke would somehow spend it all on art supplies.

A small smile came to his face as he remembered how they'd all wait for the Reaper and allow it to die with the fear condition. Oracle would always complain after a couple of hours but considering everyone got a cut of the rewards, she was more than happy to sit in Prometheus for a couple of hours and get millions of yen for doing nothing.

Looking down Ren counted what was probably the cumulative total of everyone's savings. "I'll put this to good use guys…" Akira whispered as he closed the briefcase with a click and moved on to the suitcase.

Opening it he found it filled with things that would have most definitely gotten him arrested had a police officer chosen to come in at that moment.

Realistic foam knives, air-soft guns, medicines of dubious legality he'd gotten from Tae, several sets of clothes and other assorted equipment such as lockpicks and smoke bombs to name a few. Idly Akira ran a finger over a black kogatana but recoiled as it sliced open his finger.

"Wha-?"

He watched as it morphed into a large demonic-looking dagger, closer to a short sword than anything. In the back of his mind, he felt Satanael disappear. He hesitantly moved his hand forward before grasping onto the dagger. It felt real.

He looked over at the other weapons in the suitcase, running his hands along them, he could immediately tell something alarming.

They were all real.

Hastily he placed the demonic dagger, 'Paradise Lost' his mind supplied and shut the suitcase closed. He took a shuddering breath as he remembered the probationary book that Lavenza had given him.

Reaching into his back pocket he took it out and opened it. Within the first section was the probationary log he'd once filled out. He ran a finger over them before flipping to the second section.

In large red marker at the top of the very first page of the second section were the words "Constant Events".

The very first one caused Akira's heart to plummet.

Death of Wakaba Isshiki and confiscation of research