Yu, Shiho, and Akechi left the Safe Room, and were now waiting for Morgana to join them. They were expecting her arrival in the form of her coming out of the new Safe Room, but instead, they heard screaming from outside. Then a CRASH.

"Carmen?" Akechi asked as the three head out to the courtyard, only to see that Morgana was under someone. Someone they recognized.

"Hifumi?" Yu asked as the girls got up.

"What…" Hifumi started groggily.

Hifumi looked around, taking in her surroundings.

"Where… WHERE THE HELL AM I?!" She screamed, crawling backwards.

"Hifumi… calm down. We're not going to hurt you." Yu started.

"What did you do to me?! Let me out!" Hifumi yelled.

"Hifumi, calm down!" Yu yelled, taking off his mask.

"You remember me, don't you? Yu Narukami, Ryuji Sakamoto's friend?" Yu asked, putting up his hands in the most non-threateningly way possible.

"Narukami… I think I remember you. But I do know Ryuji." Hifumi answered, now starting to calm down.

"Alright. Everyone remove your masks." Yu ordered, and the others obeyed.

"Hold on… I know you people. You're the ones who came to my school!" Hifumi yelled, pointing an accusing finger at them.

"Yes we are. We are the Phantom Team." Yu explained.

"You're… the Phantom Team? Wait… then that would mean… this place… it wouldn't have anything to do with stealing my mother's heart, would it?" Hifumi asked, making the others take a step back in shock.

"How… how do you know about that?" Akechi asked.

"Ryuji said that he put my mother's name on a site that you four run. And if you saw the name, there was a chance that you'd take their heart. I didn't think it would actually happen. Did you all seriously think mother's abuse to me was that bad?" Hifumi explained.

"Actually, and this will probably come off as asshole-ish, but we aren't doing it just for you." Yu replied.

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm sorry to say this Hifumi-san, but your mother is a terrible person."

Hifumi scowled at the insult.

"Don't slander her! It's true that she might not listen to me in everything, but she's a good person! She raised me, cared for me, provided for me, all at her own expense!" Hifumi argued.

"I'm not surprised you don't believe it. Follow us. We'll show you the truth." Yu said, beckoning to Hifumi to follow them.

They walked from the courtyard and into the warehouse storing all of the paintings. Hifumi stared in awe at how many there were.

"Take a look. Every single one of these are people your mother has hurt." Shiho informed as Hifumi started looking through the scrolls. It took a few dozen minutes, and Hifumi even went to the very top of the building. With each tale she read, some more color left her face, with each painting, her expression became more and more mortified. When she was done, she came back down and shook her head at the others.

"This… this is a lie, or nightmare. This can't be real!" She screamed.

"This world is called the Metaverse, an alternate reality formed by human cognition. This place specifically is called a Palace, and it's a place where one can see someone as they truly are. What you're looking at Hifumi, is your mother's heart laid bare." Yu explained.

"No. No, no, no. This can't be real, this is all a lie!" Hifumi screamed again, this time on the verge of unleashing tears.

"There's one scroll you haven't read. This one." Shiho said, tossing the scroll next to the wedding picture at the shogi player. Hifumi took the scroll and read it. Roughly halfway through, she let go, and the paper fell to the floor.

"Aunt Ami…" Hifumi whispered.

"What?" Yu asked.

"I… knew Ami Ito. When I was in middle school, I met her and she said she'd like to be my friend, in order to 'make up for a terrible mistake' she did. She'd always sneak into the house to give me presents on my birthdays and Christmas. She would always be there to help me if I was struggling, whether it be with my studies, making friends, or anything else. I confided in her when I knew I couldn't do the same with my parents. She gave me my first shogi board and… when I told mother who I got it from, the next day… a police officer came and told us she was dead; hit by a drunk driver…"

Hifumi couldn't hold back any longer. She collapsed to her knees and began to sob. As her wails echoed throughout the whole Palace, Yu came close and wrapped his arms around her in a side hug. He knew all too well what she was going through. The denial that someone you knew so intimately was able to do something you never thought they could, then the full realization of reality, and finally the sorrow of that knowledge would threaten to break you. He knew. He had been there.

"At… at least… she still cares about me." Hifumi sniffled, desperate to find some kind of positive of this whole revelation.

"Ah, there you are." A feminine voice called, but the sound was distorted and twisted.

Hifumi and the others looked to the source, and saw standing at the entrance was a woman accompanied by four Shadows and dressed like a geisha, but the major difference was that instead of a tight bun, she wore her hair in a loose braid flung over her shoulder, with her kimono showing off ample cleavage. Yu, Akechi, Shiho, and Morgana all got on guard immediately once they noticed another distinct feature; her eyes were a sickly yellow.

"W-who are you?" Hifumi whimpered out.

"That's your mother's Shadow. Her true self that she keeps hidden from everyone else." Morgana answered.

"Correct peasant. You stand in the presence of Mitsuyo Togo, shogun of the fortress that you've been rampaging through. And apparently, that wasn't enough, if your kidnapping of my daughter is any indication." Shadow Mitsuyo growled.

"Hey, we didn't kidnap anybody! She followed us here!" Morgana replied.

"M-mother…" Hifumi said hoarsely as tears still flowed from her eyes.

"Yes child?"

"I've… read all these scrolls. They said that you did terrible things to innocent people. That you blackmailed, framed, murdered, extorted, and so much more, just to secure your control and power. That you constantly hurt people just to send a message and intimidate others. That you steal what doesn't belong to you simply because someone else has it. Tell me this isn't true! Tell me that this is all some twisted dream, and that this isn't what you're really like! Tell me that the woman who married father did so out of love, and not because she was jealous of the happiness her friend would get! Tell me…"

Hifumi swallowed hard. Her next words croaked from her lips.

"Tell me you didn't kill Ami Ito. Please." She begged.

Mitsuyo let out a cackling laugh. It was cruel, unhinged, and disturbing as she gripped her stomach from all the wheezing and outbursts of giggling. After a few minutes of laughing at her daughter's plea, she straightened her back and stared right at Hifumi.

"Oh child. Why on Earth should I? It's the simple truth; they had something I wanted, so I took it from them." She said with a mocking grin.

"But… but why?"

"Because they didn't deserve it, and I did. Plain and simple." Shadow Mitsuyo scowled, her once mocking smile giving way to a threatening scowl.

"What did Aunt Ami do to deserve death?!" Hifumi asked as fresh tears flowed down her cheeks.

"Oh, me and that bitch go way back. Or used to, I should say. It all began in high school, when we first met Kaito. Right from the start, I wanted him. He was from a wealthy family, had honor, was handsome, and stupid enough to be easily manipulated. But, he just had to fall in love with Ami. I tried so many times to break them up, but they were so determined to see it through to the end. Ami didn't deserve what Kaito could give her, but I did. I deserved the happiness, I deserved the potential for something greater. So, I waited until they were engaged, and made sure Ami got caught being screwed by some horny bastard, and Kaito broke off the wedding."

Mitsuyo smiled sadistically.

"In the end, I got what I wanted; a means to build an empire, and it certainly helped that all it took to pacify Kaito was one tussle in bed on our honeymoon. As for that bitch Ami, I made sure that she was spared. After all, without her, I doubt I could've gotten my means to an empire at all. After I obtained the resources I needed via Kaito, I was introduced to a whole new circle of society. I saw what they had; money, power, fame, success, recognition. And I wanted it all. None of them deserved any of it, but I certainly did. I had to claw my way to where I am, with blood, sweat, and tears."

"No you didn't!" Shiho yelled.

"What did you say, peasant?" Mitsuyo growled.

"You didn't sacrifice, you schemed! You stole what others had simply because you didn't have it!" Akechi barked back.

"SILENCE! Who are you to judge me, worm?! Look around you! This building is a monument to all that I have achieved! Someone of my accomplishments deserves happiness, recognition, and power. Especially when compared to thieves like you, who have nothing worth having."

"We have purpose." Morgana said.

"We have skill." Akechi added.

"We have spirit." Shiho included.

"We have each other." Yu finished.

"And those won't save you from me. Besides, what good are those things, if you don't pass them on." Mitsuyo countered as she stared at Hifumi.

"Me?" The girl asked, still recovering from everything she's borne witness to.

"Yes. Not going to lie, when I discovered I was pregnant with you, I strongly considered abortion, but then I realized; for all my talents, skills, and resources, I would eventually grow old and die. So I kept you around, as a way of making sure that I would have a successor. But then you told me that Ami befriended you, and had been seeing you for some time. When you told me that, I knew she was grooming you to be her vessel of revenge, so I had to end her before her plans bore fruit."

Hifumi could only look on in utter horror as she remained on her knees. Her irises shrank, her jaw dropped, and Yu could picture her mind snapping like a twig.

"Which is good. Now, if only you'd give up that stupid board game, I could finally finish molding you into what I deserve. Now, come here child." Mitsuyo ordered.

Yu and the others looked at the shogi player, completely broken by the unending onslaught of ugly truth. Her eyes had been ripped open to show the monster she had so vehemently defended. And now, that monster was asking her daughter to stand by her side and remain shackled to a path that would break her.

Hifumi stood up, looked her mother square in the eyes, and said

"No."

Mitsuyo pulled her head back, as if she was struck.

"Excuse me, what did you-"

"Shut up, mother ." Hifumi ordered, the last word dripping with burning contempt.

"To think, before you arrived, I was defending you. To think, when everyone was telling me how evil you were, I told them, and myself, that you loved me and father. To think, there was a time when I would've obeyed you simply because I thought I owed you anything ."

Hifumi took one step forward, and the ground cracked under its power.

"But no more! Now, I finally acknowledge that you see me the same way as you see everyone else; a stepping stone for your own selfish gain! You wanted to mold me into what you deserve ? Well congratulations, you're going to have it; I will be a means to destroy your empire, and make all of your so-called 'sacrifices' worth nothing!"

Just then, there was a sudden THUMP that resonated in the air. The Phantom Team smiled, knowing what came next.

Music: Awakening+ Willpower

"You have finally accepted what everyone has been telling you. That the one you've so loyally obeyed cares nothing for you, or your desires." A spectral voice asked.

Hifumi let out a scream as she grabbed her head. Her eyes glowed an unhealthy yellow as the voice continued.

"Tell me, are you prepared to strike out on your own? Are you prepared to bleed for your ambitions?"

"I am."

"If that is true, then you must regain your drive for victory and conquer all who oppose you, starting with the woman that stifles your talent for her own gain!"

"If that's what it takes, then I ask you… no, I order you to help me."

"As. You. Wish. Let our contract be… an official declaration of war!"

Suddenly, Hifumi felt something cover her nose and mouth. Tugging at it, she noticed it was a mask made out of wood, and was bright orange in color.

"I am thou. Thou art I."

She grabbed the edges, and began to pull, and just like those before her, she ignored the blood that spilled from the torn flesh on her nose and mouth.

"The time has come to reclaim your dreams! May all enemies of the Hifumi Togo cower in fear, for her fire has been rekindled! And may all of her allies rejoice, for she will reward their loyalty! And may those who betray her pray to God for mercy, for they will get none from her."

Hifumi tore off her orange mask and a blue fire erupted from the ground, consuming her.

"The world will hear her name… and TREMBLE!"

As the azure fires were gradually snuffed out, Hifumi's modern clothes were replaced by more traditional ones. Whereas before she had a dress with blue, orange, and white diamonds in a checkered pattern, she now wore the outfit of a ninja that was wrapped snugly around her figure, with an orange rope belt that was dotted with shogi pieces attached. On her shoulders were two steel pauldrons that fit comfortably, while wrapped around the sides of both her thighs were single pouches, and on her hands were fingerless gloves with an orange ribbon around her middle fingers. Covering her mouth was an orange oni mask, and her eyes were alight with burning contempt for the creature that gave birth to her.

"Fu Hao!Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war!" Hifumi ordered.

Sitting behind the shogi player was her Persona, sitting on a miniature siege tower. She sported short hair and a scar running across the bridge of her nose. She wore a fine silk robe with only a steel pauldron with a dragon engraved as armor, and on her back was two blue banners, each having a gold star proudly on display. Strangely enough, the robe she wore had no sleeves, which revealed tattoos of the words "King General" on her left arm. On her hands, she wore fingerless gloves that had orange ribbons tied around her wrists, and her hands held two items; in her right was a shogi board, and in her left was an opened book, both of which were presented to Hifumi like prizes.

"That… was unexpected. G-guards! Kill the intruders! Leave my kin alive, but feel free to be a little rough with her!' Mitsuyo ordered, right before turning and fleeing.

"As you wish, Shogun." was their united reply as they all exploded into tar, merging into a single being that grew so large the warehouse was destroyed trying to contain it. Once the form became recognizable, the Team's legs froze with fear.

"I-is that…" Akechi started.

"A dragon? Yes. Yes it is." Yu said, his limbs going limp at the sight.

The dragon reared its head and unleashed a massive burst of fire from its mouth. The four Tricksters scattered, each narrowly avoiding the blaze. Yu summoned Izanagi to attack, only to have the lightning bounce back and paralyzed him from the shock. Akechi attacked with holy magic, only to have it absorbed, and most likely give it strength.

"Oh great, this is the 'Trial by Combat' on steroids." Shiho complained as she fired her gun.

"Hold on, you guys are hitting the wrong places." Hifumi informed.

"Come again?!" Akechi asked loudly.

"This massive creature has several strengths and weaknesses, each located in different areas." Hifumi replied as she read the book in front of her.

"Then which area is weak to fire?" Shiho asked.

"Let's see…"

Hifumi turned a page on her book, then turned to Shiho.

"Aim for the wings! That part's the most vulnerable to fire, and absorbs wind damage!"

Shiho did as told, and Boudica launched a massive barrage of flame, resulting in the dragon screeching in agony as its wings seemed to melt, then fade to ash. Shiho smiled, and the Shadow spun around, using its tail to counter attack. The tail managed to hit both Yu, which knocked him out of his paralysis and Shiho, but Morgana and Akechi dodged.

"The tail is weak to curse magic!" Hifumi called out.

"Succubus!" Yu yelled, taking off his mask and summoning the female demon.

The Persona twirled around, and a sudden burst of magic tore the tail like a guillotine, and the dragon breathed fire at the one responsible. Shiho sent in Boudica, the Persona absorbing all of the fire easily.

"This fight has dragged on long enough. Hifumi, what's the head weak to?" Yu asked.

"It doesn't have a weakness, but the neck seems to be vulnerable to physical attacks!" Hifumi yelled as the Dragon charged.

Akechi summoned Robin Hood, who jumped into the air. With the wings gone, he had a clear line of sight, and with the tail gone, there was no chance it could knock him away. The Persona let loose a single arrow, and it cut through the neck like hot butter. As the head rolled, and the body turned to ash shortly after, the whole Team let out a sigh of relief and turned to Hifumi.

"Thanks for the help. That battle would've been so much worse if it wasn't for you." Yu stated.

"Yes, thank you Hifumi." Akechi added.

"Yea, thanks. Hey, how'd you know what that thing's weaknesses were?" Morgana asked.

"Oh, well, I read the book." Hifumi answered, showing the others pages in Fu Hao's book. On those pages were pictures and writing of all the Phantom Team members, from strengths, weaknesses, and even how powerful they were in certain areas, like defense, magic, and so on.

"That's… strange. Carmen, do you know of any Personas that can do this?" Yu asked.

"I do now." Morgana replied with a smug grin.

"Can we not be a smartass?"

"We aren't being a smartass. She is." Hifumi pointed out.

"Oh, I like her." Shiho replied.

"To answer your question Seeker; every Persona is unique, and modeled after their owner. It's possible that if someone isn't the kind of person to get their hands dirty, or is more comfortable away from the action, then their Persona will reflect that."

"I see. Hifumi is a Shogi player after all, so it makes sense that she prefers strategy."

"Well regardless, the ability to determine the strengths and weaknesses will be an invaluable asset to the Team. Welco-" Akechi started.

"Woah woah, woah." Hifumi interrupted, holding up her hands.

"I have no idea what's going on, nor do I know any of you aside from your names." she reminded.

"She's right. Plus, chances are, her mom's looking for her." Morgana added.

"Oh yea, you're gonna have to explain how you, oh, what were the words? Oh yea. Not bring anyone into the Metaverse. " Yu imitated with his best Morgana voice.

Morgana couldn't do anything but offer a meek smile.

"In any event, we have what we came for. It's getting late in the real world, so we should head home." Akechi pointed out, earning a nod of agreement from everyone as they turned to leave.

As soon as the five were out of the Palace, Hifumi's phone went off.

"It's mother." She stated numbly.

"Take it. We can talk afterwards." Yu replied.

Hifumi accepted the call.

"Hello?"

"Hifumi! Oh thank god you picked up! I was so worried about you!" Mitsuyo cried.

"I'm fine mother."

"I'll believe it when I see it. Where are you? I saw you chase after the person that was in our house."

"Yes. I lost him. I don't know what he stole."

"That doesn't matter. What does matter is that you're safe. Come back to the house, the police will be here soon."

Hifumi hung up and turned to the group.

"Now what?"

"First thing's first; we need to head back to our respective homes. Let's exchange numbers." Yu answered.

"Afterwards, we'll answer any questions you may have about what all that just was." He continued as they exchanged numbers.

"Alright. You'll shoot me a text?"

Yu: Already did.

"Very well. I look forward to… whatever's going to happen." Hifumi informed as they went their separate ways.

Yu walked in the living room and heard the rustle of paper. Turning to the source, he saw Sae sitting in a leather chair secluded in the corner with a newspaper in her hand. She folded it up and placed it on a nearby table, then crossed her arms and stared at Yu.

"You're back late. And you didn't shoot me a text."

"The trains stopped running." The boy replied hastily, making a break for his room.

"Stop right there." Sae ordered, not letting him off the hook that easily. Yu turned around to face his prison warden.

"Where were you?" She asked.

"With Akechi and other friends."

Sae gave him her trademark glare. She clearly did not believe it. Her next words sent a shiver down Yu's spine.

"Let me see your diary."