This story is a work of fiction.

Any relation to persons, living or dead, as well as events, are purely coincidental.

The author owns none of the characters, or events, that take place here.

The world is not as it should be.

It's filled with distortion, and "ruin" will soon descend.

However...there are those who would challenge fate, in desire for change.

Since time immemorial...they were known as,

"Tricksters."

Persona 5: Hoshi to Bokura to

Seventh Heist: Great Escape

.

.

.

.

.

"I AM NOT A CAT DAMMIT! I AM THE GREAT MORGANA! REMEMBER IT!"

Akira cringed as he tapped his ear to make sure it was still in working order. The cat, Morgana it called itself, had quite the pair of lungs if it could yell in such a loud manner. It even took Makoto and Sakamoto by surprise, as they recoiled from its shout. "The eff is this?!" the blonde delinquent shouted. "First ending up in a damn castle completely out of nowhere, then this guy getting a costume change on top of summoning some demonic monster, knights actually demonic sons of bitches, and now a talking monster cat?! What's next?! Pigs flying?!"

"Hey!" Morgana growled. "I just told you! Actually, that's even more insulting, calling me a monster cat!"

"I-it's talking..." Makoto whispered, unsure whether to be amazed or downright terrified. "A-am I dreaming?"

"If we're dreaming," Akira quipped. "Then nearly being killed is pretty much a nightmare."

Morgana sighed, pressing a paw to its head as it shook its head. "Good grief," it groaned. "First human beings I can actually hold a conversation with, and they think I'm some kind of monster."

"S-sorry," Makoto got over her shock, and bowed her head. "It-it's just...we've, well, never seen anything like you." Sakamoto nodded strongly in agreement. "A-anyway, Morgana, was it? What...was that thing you just did?"

"You mean Zorro?" Morgana asked, earning a look of confusion among the three. "Its my Persona."

"Persowhatnow?"

Morgan gave the two a look, and then turned to Akira. The frizzy-haired teen grew a curious look as he folded his arms, cocking his head in a questioning manner. This seemed to make the cat-like creature realize that none of them knew what he was talking about, causing his already large cartoon eyes to widen. "W-wait, seriously?!" he gawked. "You have no idea what that power is?!" Akira gave a nod. Sakamoto and Makoto seemed to understand that the 'Persona' it was referring to was the being, Zorro, that was summoned earlier, as well as 'Arsene.' "Unbelievable..."

"L-look, as much as I want to know what it is you're talking about," Sakamoto growled, looking over his shoulder to see if any guards were coming. "We'd REALLY like to find an exit!"

Morgana perked up. "An exit?" he asked, earning a nod of confirmation. Then a sly grin formed on his face. "Well, then you all are in luck. I know a way out of here." This earned surprised yet relieved look on their faces. Morgana didn't bother to tell them if he was serious or not, as he turned around, and beckoned them to follow before he took off in a run, legs spinning in a white craze that vaguely resembled the way some cartoon characters ran.

Sakamoto sweat-dropped. "For real?" he questioned. "We're trusting our lives to a freaky thing."

"Well, he did save our lives," the student council president reasoned. "Nevertheless, we must trust him on this much." She turned to Akira. "Kurusu-kun, are you alright? What happened back there was..." She trailed off, looking at the ground while rubbing her arm nervously. She remembered how Kamoshida(?) looked at her with such a vile look in his eyes while about to execute Sakamoto and Akira. She had never felt so terrified in all of her life. She felt...helpless. Weak. The mere thought of such things angered her. It made her feel so damn useless, and she hated such a weak notion. Akira frowned in concern, noticing the look in her eyes. She then shook her head, banishing the thoughts immediately. "N-nevermind. Anyway, let's put our faith in Morgana for the time being."

The blonde delinquent still didn't looked convinced. Akira wasn't surprised, given everything that's happened recently. Regardless of however strange or bizarre the situation was...they had to place their faith in Morgana. With that in mind, they quickly followed him. In no time at all, they caught up to him while running up the spiral staircase they had entered from before they emerged out into the long hallway, which connected to the grand ballroom. "Hey, this is where we came from!" Sakamoto exclaimed, recognizing it immediately. "O-oi, Monamona! The exit's here?!"

"It's close by," Morgana answered before growling. "And don't call me that! It's Morgana! Sheesh!"

Unfortunately, they had barely gotten ten steps into the ballroom before they found their apparent escape route blocked by several knights, all garbed in black armor. "Aw, crap!" Sakamoto wailed. "We got trouble!"

"You dare defy Lord Kamoshida, you fools?" one of the knights bellowed. "You won't leave this place alive!"

Like with the golden knight in the 'Training Hall of Love,' the knights' bodies began to spasm as black liquid poured out of the gaps in the armor before exploding out, forming into solid shapes. This time, however, they were not greeted by angels. Instead, three inhuman beings blocked their path. One appeared to be some sort of Jack-o-Lantern, bearing a pumpkin head with a mischievous grin carved into as a mouth, a dark blue cape covering its non-existent body, and a white glove holding a lit lantern. Atop its head was a simple blue hat. Beside it was a black horse with red, murderous eyes and a white mane, and sprouting from its head were twin green curved horns, ready to bash them in. The third looked quite perverse, being quite small with dark red skin and barely considered human. It had leathery wings keeping it afloat, its skin wrinkled and tight on the bones while a sharp pointed nose stretched out from its face, and eyes clouded with lust, albeit not to the extent of Kamoshida(?) from earlier. It also, disturbingly, had what Akira was hoping was not its genetalia sticking out from the only thing keeping its groin covered, looking to be more like a red blade with black stains.

"Hmph, talk about lame," Morgana huffed arrogantly, crossing his small arms before turning to Akira. "Hey, Frizzy Hair. You can fight too, right?" Akira gave a nod. Even now, he felt something - Arsene - calling out for him to be released and raise havoc. The cat-like being smirked before he turned back to their foes. With a spin, he rammed his paw into the ground, and yelled, "Zorro!"

Blue flames danced around Morgana, and powerful gusts of wind blew around him, nearly throwing Makoto and Sakamoto off their feet. Behind Morgana, the beefy cat-like warrior appeared behind him, tiny rapier in hand with a fierce glare to match. Akira held a hand over his face as the mask erupted into flames. He felt no heat, only a cool breeze blowing across his skin, and the euphoria from earlier coming to brace him again. He followed Morgana's example and allowed the one who reflected his heart's rebellious nature to surface. "Arsene!" Without further ado, the red-clad being formed behind him, a flaming grin at the ready and claws quivering, begging to cut into the creatures before them.

Morgana flicked his nose before folding his arms. "We will promptly shut them up!"

(cue: Persona 5 OST - Last Surprise)

Those six words spurred the monsters into action. The horse and pumpkin head charged at Zorro while the bizarre impish being flew right at Arsene, its long claws looking ready to tear into him. Neither Persona looked perturbed in the very least. Once the pumpkin head was within range, Zorro swung its saber, unleashing a gust of wind that swallowed the flying pumpkin in a shredding gale. The horned beast appeared to be unaffected by the winds, and continued to charge. Morgana smirked at its reckless advance, and mentally commanded his Persona to switch tactics. The outlaw raised its arm as its fist seemed to grow and expand, eventually transforming into an oversized boxing glove, much to the surprise of the onlookers. With a swift strike, the boxing glove shot forward and landed a critical blow on the Shadow's face, halting its charge and throwing it off its feet while its neck was snapped from the impact.

Its body crashed into the cut-up form of the pumpkin head, sending them to the ground. The horse-like being soon began to disintegrate, turning into the black and red muck the three were now accustomed to seeing.

Meanwhile, Arsene danced around the impish creature, avoiding its claws with ease. Akira noted that compared to the angel he fought before, this one was easier to deal with. However, it would make sense. The golden knights appeared to be far stronger, perhaps acting as generals of sorts while the black knights were standard soldiers. Regardless, he had Arsene evade another swipe before the demonic thief slammed its heel straight into its target, sending it crashing straight to the ground. Acting quickly, the writhing mass of black and red energy danced in its claws again before unleashing it, creating an unholy torrent that washed upon the downed enemy, breaking apart the ground. Dust and debris were kicked up as a result, as well as a small shockwave. Akira was forced to shield his eyes from both the dust and debris, though it lasted for only a few seconds before he saw the imp stagger back up into the air, bruised. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. It seemed to be a bit more endurable than he expected.

"Heh, amateur," Morgana chuckled beside him. His Persona, Zorro, gathered more wind around its tiny saber. "Let me show you how its done!"

Once the power it built up was at its apex, the feline decided to end this. With a mental command, the Outlaw swung its sword, releasing the miniature tempest that it had been accumulating onto the imp. The perverted Demon wailed in agony as the sharp winds tore it asunder.

In seconds, it was ripped to shreds, and its now liquefied remains splattering against the floor. Akira was amazed, marveling at the excellent display of power. Absent-minded, he wondered if he could somehow perform such a feat as well. Noticing the horned beast getting back up to its feet and letting out a whine of anger, he decided to try and replicate what Morgana did. "Arsene!" he shouted. His Persona responded, and took flight, gathering the power into its claws and allowed it to build. Unlike before, he was trying to refine it and control it instead of simply let it run wild when it reached its maximum power. Surprisingly, the horned beast had burst into a charge, galloping and taking a mighty leap into the air. It rammed its horns into Arsene.

"Gah!" Once more, Akira felt the damage taken by Arsene transfer over to him. He gasped in pain, feeling something heavy crushing into his chests. Arsene was slammed against the wall, pinned by the horned beast and continued to apply pressure, as if trying to crush it. Arsene struggled while maintaining its gathering of power. Eventually, it decided to take matters into its own hands by grabbing its horns. With a grunt, it grabbed tightly, and proceeded to pull. With impressive strength, one horn was torn from its head. The result was a small spray of black and red gunk as the beast finally backed off, screaming in pain before Arsene proceeded to slam its now detached horn into its eyes.

The Beast whinnied as sharp pain manifested in its face. Using this moment of distraction, Akira decided it was time to unleash his power. Arsene brought his fingers together into a knife hand before jabbing into the Shadow's throat. From there, it released the gathered mass of dark energy, attacking it from the inside out. The resulting expansion of power practically ripped it apart, leaving nothing behind. A demonic visage was left in the wake as the energy that was released practically destroyed everything that used to be the demon. As it dissipated, Arsene vanished in a burst of blue flames, returning to the white mask that cloaked the upper half of his face.

"Not bad," Morgana praised. The other two students of Shujin carefully approached, seeing that the danger had passed. "That Persona is pretty strong."

Akira would have felt a bit proud at that, were it not for the aching pain in his chest. It seemed his thoughts from earlier were confirmed now. Any damage Arsene takes is returned to him. How annoying. He turned to Sakamoto and Makoto, and to his relief, found them unharmed. "You two okay?"

"For the most part," Sakamoto answered with a huff. "This stuff is effin' freaky...oi, Monamona!"

Morgana growled, taking offense to the name. "It's MORGANA."

"Whatever! Is the exit close by?"

"Just up ahead!"

Without anything further, the group made haste, moving into another corridor just opposite of the one they came from. Unlike this one, which led to a spiraling staircase, they found two doors. Sakamoto, in a mad frenzy of hope, burst ahead and tried to open one of the doors, but to his displeasure, it wouldn't open. "The heck?!" he growled. "It ain't opening!"

"...Sakamoto-kun?" Makoto called, earning his attention. The two were by the door to the left side, which was now open with Morgana casually strolling in, his steps in a hop. "I believe the exit is this way." The boy's cheeks flushed pink. Akira had to restrain himself from laughing at the blonde's honest mistake, though he shared his sentiments. He wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible. Soon they stepped inside, revealing a rather lavish room with a number of bookcases, all lined with various tomes. On the tables were a few books left open, along with a couple of trinkets such as candles, a globe of the world, and such. Curious, Akira gave a quick look at one of the books, only to instantly turn his gaze away. 'Definitely Kamoshida's castle,' he thought, cheeks flushed just from reading one sentence of the book.

"Okay, we're here," Morgana announced, turning to the group. However, the humans were skeptical as they looked around, finding no such exit point in place. However, Akira's gaze shifted up, finding what Morgana had intended to show them. The feline-like creature smirked. "Oooh, not bad, rookie~"

Sakamoto followed his gaze, and his eyes widened. "The vent?" he asked, surprised. "S-seriously? What is this, some kind of re-enactment of a phantom thief's escape?" he questioned, though for some reason, Akira found that statement to be on the nose. The two boys shared a look before they shrugged, using one of the nearby ladders placed on the bookcase to allow access to the top of the shelf and heading up on top, proceeding to carefully remove the bolts on the vent. Meanwhile, as they did so, Makoto looked at Morgana and smiled, crouching down to give him a slight scratch. "Thank you so much, Morgana. We're in your doubt."

"Meeeeoooow~" Morgana purred, momentarily forgetting his earlier proclimation of not being a cat due to the wonderful way the red-eyed girl scratched. To his slight disappointment she pulled away, but soon realized his blunder and gathered himself. "R-right...you're welcome," he said before turning serious. "But you better get out of here quick. The Shadows are probably already looking for you guys since you started causing a ruckus."

"Shadows?" Makoto inquired. "Is that what those monsters are called?"

"Yep. They're what guards this place."

"It's open!" Akira called as he undid the last bolt on the vent, allowing him and Sakamoto to remove it and gently set it against the wall, leaning against the entrance. Makoto nodded, and gave her thanks to Morgana once again before she made her way up. With a bow, he gave a slight grin. "Ladies first," he joked, though Makoto flashed him a small smile and entered the vent. Sakamoto went next, slipping through the opening. Before he entered last, Akira gave Morgana another look. "Next time, don't get caught," he said playfully before slipping into the vent.

"What cheek!" Morgana bristled, ticked off that the boy had the guts to tell him that. Soon after, though, he grinned. The power of his Persona...it was far different from Zorro's own power. Something about it felt unusual...as if its power was shifting constantly. Though Morgana had never encountered another Persona-user as of lately, he could still tell that power was special. "Hm," he murmured thoughtfully, crossing his paws. "That frizzy-hair might be useful." He then unfolded his paws and turned around, exiting the room before giving a quick look for any guards coming by. "Alright, back to hunting that Treasure! It has to be around here somewhere!"

TakeYourTime

"What in the holy hell is this?"

Akira found himself agreeing with Sakamoto's exclamation. When they entered the outside area, which more or less looked like the entrance to a castle, they got further in before noticing that the entrance to the place was more or less accessible by a drawbridge with thick cobblestone walls circling around them. Wooden beams and crates with piles of rope sat on either side of the open space, though what shook the three teens was that when they looked at what they assumed was the entrance to the ballroom was the front of a golden, magnificent castle, standing tall and proud with various banners with slogans regarding victory and prestige strewn about on the walls. The sky above them was dark, as if threatening to rain any second.

"We were really inside a damn castle," Sakamoto gawked, looking at the two in utter astonishment. "We were brought to a castle thanks to a damn phone app?"

Makoto could offer nothing. Even she found herself at a loss for words. At first she thought it must have been a recreational area of some sorts, though as they progressed through it, she was quickly growing more and more disturbed. Seeing this in front of her face solidified that they had somehow been through out of their school and into a death trap...but how? It was impossible to enter a space like this! It was also against common sense for a phone application to send them here in the first place! She turned to Akira, who also seemed stun. "Kurusu-kun?" she called, earning the boy's attention when a thought crossed her mind. "If that app on your phone brought us here...could it send us back, do you think?"

"Worth a try."

He took out his cell, which was still overtaken by that creepy eye before tapping it. As soon as it did, the screen glitched out, showing a notification.

[WOULD YOU LIKE TO RETURN TO THE REAL WORLD?]

"Real world?" Akira frowned, earning confusion from the two. Was this world fake somehow? Regardless, if it was going to let them go back, who was he to judge anything? Without further ado, he tapped 'yes'. When he did, the screen glitched out once again, covered in red and black static before an electronic voice rung out once again.

[Now returning to the real world,] the electronic voice said gratefully. [Thank you for your hard work.]

In that moment, the world around them became distorted once more. Black and red ripples danced along the surface of the castle, and even into the skies above them, yet none of the teenagers were even so much as touched by it. The castle walls and the giant castle itself were also beginning to warp and twist with the unusual phenomenon, changing into a more familiar shape. When the ripples ceased, vanishing without a trace, the three were left startled, as the surroundings were eerily familiar. "Y-you gotta be shittin' me," Sakamoto said as he looked around, ignoring the curious and odd stares the passing students gave him before looking at the gate. "That's where the drawbridge was...don't tell me...!" He ran over, passing by the gate, and looked at the nameplate.

"It can't be..." Makoto whispered. "You mean...that place...?"

Akira stood at the gate entrance, and looked at Shujin Academy. The sky above, the surroundings, even where the academy sat...it was all in the same setting as the castle before them, though rather than a bleak and dreary sky above, it was light orange, signifying the end of the day approaching. The fact hit them like a speeding truck, leaving them utterly floored and in disbelief while he looked back at his phone, glaring at the red eye which just seemed to stare back at him.

'We never even left the school...we were still here. That castle...was the school.'

.

.

.

.

.

After Akira finished recounting the experience, Sae gave him an incredulous look. He didn't blame her in the least, though he felt a bit more better. His head was still in a haze, and his body still ached from the bruising those bastards gave him, but somehow, he was beginning to push through the fog in his mind. "An app that threw you into a castle?" his guardian and probation officer questioned skeptically. "A talking cat? Monsters?"

"I didn't believe it at first," he said drowsily. "It should be impossible." Suddenly, a searing pain entered his head, causing him to wince and hold his head. "Nngh..."

"Are you alright?" Sae asked worriedly. As much as she needed a good idea as to how the Phantom Thieves began, and more importantly, how they were capable of stealing the hearts of others, she had developed a good relationship with him enough to worry about his well-being. Thankfully, Akira nodded, shaking his head to wear off the pain. He didn't seem to be lying, and his eyes remained trained on her the whole time. Even still, the story was ludicrous...though the way he told it was...

"Do you want me to go on?" he asked. Sae paused in her thinking. Though it sounded crazy, she knew Akira wouldn't lie. With that in mind, she gave a nod. "After we got out of there, we were confused. We knew there was no way a castle could be the school, or that an app could do that...we were going to leave it alone." There was a tense pause there at the end, as he clenched his hands. "We should have...but then it happened."

Sae didn't even need to ask. She already knew what he was about to say. Especially as a cold look formed in those hazy eyes.

"We couldn't leave Kamoshida alone...after what happened to Suzui-san."

TO BE CONTINUED...

Persona Compendium:

Pyro Jack - Magician: [A drunkard who tricked the Devil out of taking him to Hell. When refused entry to Heaven, he was forced to wander the earth with only an ember as a light.]

Bicorn - Hermit: [An evil creature with two curving horns. It represents impurity, unlike the Unicorn. Said to be derived from Re'em in the Bible. Another legend says that it feeds off of disloyal husbands.]

Incubus - Devil: [A male demon of European lore in medieval times. They visit sleeping women and have sexual intercourse with them; the resulting children become witches and wizards.]

A/N: Dear god in heaven, I am SO SORRY for this late update! I got distracted, had school work to focus on, graduation stuff, working on other stories, writing new ones and...yeah, sorry about that.

Anyway, first off, I'd like to apologize for last chapter's blunder. In it, Morgana actually called himself a cat, but instantly became pissed when he was called a cat. That was an error on my part. It was twelve AM, I was tired...yeah, sorry about that.

Secondly, regarding how the chapter ended, before you go raising a stick, there's a lot of ways you can take how Akira said this. While I am deviating from canon a bit in some areas, I'm certainly not deviating from certain scenes such as Ryuji wanting to head back into the Palace and investigating the abuse and whatnot.

Third, I want your guys' opinions. Should I add in the DLC Personas? There are a few events in the story where I am contemplating having Akira summon a few of them, but I want your guys opinion on the matter first.

Lastly, big thanks go to Daemon of Wrath for helping me with the fight scene. Couldn't have done it without you, pa!

Alright, that's it for now! Later losers, and I'll see you in the next heist!