A/N: Persona 5 is property and copyright of Atlus, I don't own anything. With that out of the way, this story will contain a lot of OOC moments for characters, so please be aware. Is it technically an AU? Probably. Regardless, I hope you enjoy and please leave reviews if you want.

The Twenty-Fourth of December. Stood face-to-face with a false god. This is how it began. How the Phantom Thieves of Hearts came to rule over Tokyo.

Joker. the leader of the Thieves, stood opposing a god. The god who had created Mementos, and forced him into a situation beyond his control. It had offered him a deal, to revert the world back to its previous state where the Thieves could continue changing the hearts of the masses. The masses would have no free will, but what price was that for the Thieves to be relied upon forever?

"...What say you?" The God of Control asked Joker. He thought about it, if that's how the world should really be. Tokyo would be returned to normal. No...merging with Mementos, no otherworld structures emerging from the ground.

Joker made up his mind, with the Velvet Room attendant standing next to him hoping he would make the right choice.

"Very well..." Joker replied, as the God of Control gave a chuckle. The attendant looked on in shock.

"Our contract has been sealed then."

"It's a good deal." Joker nodded his agreement. Before saying something the false god did not expect, "On one condition. The other Thieves. You release them too." Joker gave a slim smile, "I didn't get this far on my own."

Dark energy swirled around the God of Control, as he laughed once more, "I shall grant you your wish."

The others watched as Joker walked down the corridor next to their cells, where they had been trapped. They didn't know what he was doing, but had to trust that he was doing what was best for humanity.

Joker woke up in his bed, in his room above Leblanc. He went downstairs to see that the cafe was exactly how it should be. Futaba was sitting at one of the tables doing something on her phone, seemingly unaware of the world around her, with Morgana perched next to her. Just as Joker was used to her doing. He smiled at her as he made his way out for the day.

He made his way to where the news was being shown on a much larger screen. Crowds were forming around it as it spoke of the Phantom Thieves' efforts, lower crime rates, and reformations. He turned his back to them, a dark smirk on his face as he adjusted his glasses.

The Phantom Thieves had changed slightly since Joker's deal with the God of Control, Yaldabaoth. It was as if they represented the complete opposites of their true selves. The wish had come with consequence, and they were still playing his game. If the Trickster had gotten so far with his friends, how would he fair when they were less likely to actually work with him?

The arcana which had formed his bonds were now reversed, after his own allegiances had changed. Battles with allies became teamwork held together by threads as the team fought for leadership. Even Joker himself started fighting with reckless abandon, knowing that they were fated to succeed.

Their personalities had changed too, fitting the twisted arcana they now represented in Joker's eyes. For instance, Futaba - whom the Thieves had helped to get her used to the world outside her room, had become closed off again. She was still their navigator, but didn't say much except for the information they requested from her in battle. She didn't try to protect, or use skills to assist them. But what were they expecting from the Reversed Hermit?

Mementos still existed too, but had become larger, the floors were bigger, and had multiplied tenfold. Shadows swarmed in the darkness as the people of Tokyo became more and more apathetic. Targets still showed up, people whom the Phantom Thieves' fans had helpfully requested on the Phan-Site. Mostly petty requests, but some were more serious. No palaces had shown up yet though. Much to the culminating boredom shared by some of the Thieves.

The rest of Joker's confidants didn't seem to have changed at all. Maybe that was for the better. They had provided him with skills and abilities that were needed for the Thieves to work to the best they could be, if they no longer gave him those skills, Yaldabaoth would off them for failure faster than they could speak.

Regardless, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts were a name that Tokyo was taken with, and yet...feared. A fear that they would be the next to have a change of heart, dealt by the tyrannical justice of the Phantom Thieves.