*cough* *cough* you know writing with a cold just might be one of the most unpleasant experiences ever. You always feel like there's something at the back of your throat, you're coughing all the time, and reaching for another tissue. So yeah, that's been my past week or two… or more depending on whenever this comes out. (update: it was definitely more)

Got told by a friend last chapter was a bit too "tell don't show" with the exception of the end scene that I added in an update and generally had the exposition get a little unnatural. All right, let's see if I can do better…

"How many times have I told you?" Akira admonished the boy limping next to him on the snowy sidewalk. "Stop trying to walk! You'll just make everything worse."

"I know, I know," Ryuji relented, relying on the crutches given to him again. "I thought it'd have healed up already."

"I wonder why is hasn't," Akira shrugged with a slight smirk showing. "I mean, if I tried to use a broken limb—"

"Not this again."

"Hate hearing it, then stop doing it." Akira finished his reprimand,. It was his turn to babysit Ryuji, and it was going about as well as he expected.

"Hey, I don't give you shit about—"

"Watch it!" Akira yelled, kicking Ryuji's bad leg causing him to suppress a scream as hard as he could. When the blonde glared back at his, Akira titled his head and squinted slightly as if to remind them of where they were.

"Right… sorry," Ryuji apologized. Shaking his head the two continued until they saw a platoon of armed men standing by what seemed to be some sort of check point.

"Looks like a checkpoint." Akira said, looked around to glance at some of the cameras around the area. "Did you remember to bring your school pass?"

"Uh…"

Akira shook his head, "Shame, Ryuji—shame."

"Oh come on," he pouted. "How was I supposed to know they'd be setting up checkpoints?!"

"Maybe the fact they had one of their shipments robbed yesterday?" Akira pointed out. It was moments like this that reminded him why Ryuji was almost never allowed any input when it came to making plans—the guy was just not very bright.

"Ugh, whatever," Ryuji frowned, looking back. "Looks like we gotta go all the way back."

"Have fun with that." Akira said, walking away towards the checkpoint.

"Wait, what?!" Ryuji screamed at him to no avail, not even warranting a brief pause. "You can't just leave me like this!"

"Time to prove you don't need a babysitter!" Akira shouted back, briefly turning around and walked backwards long enough to wave goodbye.

Akira heard a few more yells and curses, but brushed them off as he approached one of the guards.

"Name and purpose?" The guard asked, his face obscured in his helmet and his voice put through a synthesizer to make them all sound alike.

"Akira Kurusu," he said, pulling out his school pass. "Just headin' to school."

"Says here you don't live around here," the guard noted. "What were you doing here?"

Akira looked back and saw Ryuji standing there, still glaring daggers into his back. "Well, I was supposed to make sure the blonde oaf over there didn't hurt his leg any more than he already did, but…"

"He forgot his pass?"

"Yup."

"They always do." The guard shook his head before standing to the side, "alright, you're free to go."

"Thanks, sir." Akira thanked, giving Ryuji one more little smirk before walking away and leaving the poor soul all by himself.

"Tch, dick." Ryuji cursed under his breath. Some friend he was, leaving him all alone like that. Granted, it's not like it would've changed much and he'd probably be late, but at least then he'd have someone to vouch for him!

"Excuse me," Ryuji nearly jumped when he heard a voice behind him, only being stopped when he put pressure on his leg again and felt it hurt all over again.

"Argh, dammit," Ryuji cursed, slowly turning himself around and he tried to suck up the pain as best as he could.

"You seem to be troubled," the boy in front of him said, "by any chance have you forgotten your school pass?"

"I…" Ryuji cringed, not wanting to admit it but not having a lot of choice. "Y-Yeah…"

"Hmm," the boy put his hand to his chin in thought, "let's see if I can convince them to let you through."

"Dude, there's no convincing these guys of anything." Ryuji objected, knowing full well the long list of failures pretty much everyone has with these people.

"Don't worry, I'm very persuasive." The boy replied, flashing a charming smile as he walked up to the checkpoint.

"Name and purpose?"

"Goro Akechi, just performing my usual duties as a student," the boy introduced himself, handing the man his pass. "By any chance can you let my blonde friend through?"

"You know I can't."

"Surely you can let just one minor hiccup slide?" Goro asked, smiling as he scratched the back of his head. "I'll put in a good word for you…"

The guard sighed, "I suppose one kid with a limp won't cause too much trouble," he relented. "But let him know this is a one-time thing, and he should be grateful for how lucky he is."

"Thank you," Akechi thanked the man before returning to Ryuji, "you can go now."

"Wait, really?" Ryuji blinked, "you're screwing with me, right?"

"Not at all," Akechi denied, "they did say to tell you it was a one- time thing however."

"Aw, sweet!" Ryuji cheered, moving as fast as his crutches could take him.

Akechi chuckled to himself, "happy to help."

Akira tugged at the collar of his uniform. He'd recently gotten his school uniform replaced, giving him another reminder of just how uncomfortable the thing was for the first few days. Where do they even make these things?

"I can't believe you just ditched him!" Akira heard a giggling voice next to him.

"Hmm?" Akira turned and saw no one there.

"Down here…"

Akira looked down and saw a familiar black cat sitting in front of him.

"Mona," Akira groaned, briefly pinching the bridge of his nose before pushing his glasses back up. "What have I told you about sneaking out?"

"You know I can't just stay cooped up inside all day," Mona defended himself. "I just end up getting stir-crazy."

Akira took quick glances around the area, noting the cameras and the angle their positioned in. He was going to have to choose his words carefully.

"You know you can't just wander around, little guy." He said, kneeling down to pet the feline.

"Hey, what're you—" Mona followed Akira eyes towards the nearest camera. Luckily, only persona users could hear him speak actual words, while the rest only heard innocent meows.

"Now, you get going back home now." Akira ordered, standing up again. "And be careful, you never know when someone might eat you."

"Yeah, yeah…" Mona grumbled, walking away and muttering to himself. "Sorry Morgana, I promise I'll make you some tuna latter. Thanks Joker, your friendship means everything to me."

"Sorry, kitty," Akira thought, walking towards the school gates, joining in the long line of students to get inside. He should probably make that cat a treat one of these days.

One after another, student after student was let into the school and eventually, it was Akira's turn to face another one of the city's guards.

"You know the drill," the guard said.

"Yes, sir," Akira nodded, placing his bag aside for another guard who immediate opened it and searched for anything out of the ordinary while showing the other his school pass.

"Is… Is this…" The guard put his hands out of the bag and looked at his hands, "… is this fur?"

"… I have a cat." Akira said meekly. Oh, that little vermin was going to get it later. "There's no rule against having a cat."

The guards looked at each other for a moment before asking, "Where did you get a cat?"

"I found it."

The searcher looked back at his partner who simply shrugged in response, not seeing any reason to press the matter any further.

"Whatever," the searcher said, zipping up the bag and handing it back to the student, "Get out of here."

"Yes sir," Akira nodded, heading inside while the guards stopped the next student.

As soon as he stepped inside, Akira was greeted to the warm air that came from the building's heaters, contrasting with the eternal cold that plagued the outside for over a decade.

Yet, it felt like it was so much colder inside. There weren't any ornaments or decorations hanging one the walls. After all, to Yaldabaoth's eyes and his enforcers, there was no need to waste resources on pointless luxuries.

Everyone did their best to keep their voices low. Too loud, and they'd risk causing a disturbance and any repercussions that came with it. Some were minor things like getting tracked and/or forced to do a little of work, and others were more… unpleasant.

Keeping his head low, Akira shuffled his way through the crowds of people and made it to class. Inside was what one would typically expect: some more students, some desks for each, and a big one for the teacher who was currently out at the moment.

Despite there being an absent teacher, the room was even quieter than the hallway. Everyone was just sitting at their desk, waiting for instructions to come. The only thing that could be heard coming from the room was the sounds of footsteps as Akira moved to his seat, and the sound of the occasional sigh. No talking, no whispering, not even something as minor as foot-tapping—nothing but complete silence.

After waiting for some time in the taciturn room, the door opened to reveal their instructor who promptly took stood at the head of the class.

"Good morning," the teacher greeted everyone.

"Morning, sir," everyone replied, almost in unison. This teacher had only been here for a few weeks after their last one 'left,' but their greetings and everyone else's were always the same, with the only variation being between sir or madam.

"I'm sure all of you have heard by now about the robbery that took place the other day," the teacher continued, his eyes watching everyone like a hawk, looking for any sign a student may be zoning out or distracting themselves or each other. Most would call this paranoia, but some would argue this was an act of self-preservation—teaching was a stressful job, and keeping it was like walking on thin ice.

"Now, we want to assure you that Ambassador Shido will be working hard with the authorities to bring those responsible to justice." He assured, and Akira briefly wondered if he was going off of a script.

Come to think of it, there was something he always wondered…

"Yes? You in the glasses," the teacher said, pointing to Akira who had his hand raised.

Lowering his hand, Akira asked, "Sir, I've always wondered, why is he called 'Ambassador' Shido? I know the ultimate authority is Lord Yaldabaoth, but... I don't know, isn't there any title more fitting?"

"Perhaps," the teacher shrugged for a moment, "but know that Shido himself accepted the title of Ambassador, saying he merely wanted to show that he was nothing but a humble servant of our Lord, and a representation of humanity rather than its human ruler."

"A distinction without difference," Akira thought to himself. His authority was second only to Yaldabaoth himself, and no one dared to oppose him. Still, clinging onto the humble-sounding title of an ambassador, while proudly claiming himself to be a representation of humanity. Humble-sounding, yet egocentric—Akira had to hand it to him; that was a nice move.

"Thank you, sir," Akira nodded, and the teacher resumed giving his false promises and reassurances. This wasn't the first time him and the gang had stolen from the government, but it was the most high-profile one.

Crap, he was going to have to hope Mona doesn't go through his things and conveniently find an unused Garu gem. Using his powers was stupid, and now he was just going to have to hope that his rash behavior didn't come back to bite them.

The day continued much like this. It was spent less on the promises, and more on the measures that the government would take to find and apprehend the thieves and their collaborators. It was useful information that would likely prove beneficial in the future, and definitely explained why checkpoints were being set up in more civilian areas whereas they'd mostly been in important places before.

Of course, they also took the time to explain what they should do if they spotted the thieves or suspects. Tell an officer of your suspicions and their names, and it'd all go into one big record book. Of course, they'd be compensated with some rations cards and maybe even given a little rank up in society, adding just enough to the deal to make it something just about anyone would. Neighbor? Friend? All of that pales when it comes to yourself and your family themselves. Just one sacrifice, and you, your children, and then theirs can finally live comfortably as long as they did as they were told.

It was a sickening system, but it was efficient. Normally, this system would be abused and many have tried. Of course, giving information but being wrong or misinformed was one thing, but what they did to blatant liars… it was more than enough to deter even the bravest and greediest of men nowadays.

Lunch could not have come soon enough.

Everyone lined up and given the same mundane meals, with a few concessions made. Most of it was a form of rice and on good days you'd get some meat thrown in. Sojiro said that in his day that there were diets like vegetarianism and veganism that'd heavily restrict their diet; what a weird time that must've been.

Getting his meal, Akira sat at the empty table on the side that'd allow him to face towards the entrance. It was a good way to see who comes in and out, and allowed him to get a view of the entire room… look a certain cripple hobbling his way towards him.

"Well, if it isn't the traitor himself." Ryuji grumbled, sitting down putting his crutches against the table.

Akira shrugged, shoving a handful of rice into his mouth before swallowing, "Not like me tagging along would've done anything."

"You don't abandon your best friend like that!" Ryuji protested, loud enough to earn a couple stares which did wonders to quickly quiet him down.

"But Mona's just fine," Akira followed up without missing a beat.

Ryuji blinked before letting out a weak, "Dude…"

"Sorry, I'm a cat-person," Akira chuckled with a half-smirk. Thank god that cat wasn't here; he didn't need anyone feeding that big ego of his.

"You traitor…" Ryuji muttered, only earning a shrug in response.

"Where's your tray anyway?" Akira asked, knowing Ryuji wasn't going to be carrying anything by himself for a while unless it was strapped to his shoulder.

"Makoto said she'd get it for me," he answered, putting a hand on his leg and gently rubbed it, "ugh, I can't wait to get out of this cast."

"You'd probably have been out if—"

"Don't say it," Ryuji growled. He'd been berated the past few weeks by everyone; he didn't need to hear the same thing all over again.

"As long as you're aware," Akira said, taking another mouthful of rice. It tasted like cardboard, and whatever that brown sauce they were using barely made the stuff tolerable, but it was better than starving.

Akira looked up back at the kitchen and eyed on of the students helpers. She was pretty far in the back, and pretty easy to miss unless someone pointed it out to you. The distance between them was too big to get a completely accurate idea of what was going on, but he could still see the little bits of rice being shoved into what looked to be a plastic bag.

"What're you looking at?" Ryuji asked, turning his gaze.

"Kitchen," Akira specified.

"Kitchen?" he repeated, focusing his attention there. "Oh…"

The girl had her bag maybe about half-full now, and seemed to be looking around one more time before concealing it somewhere they wouldn't make out at this distance. But there was one thing that the girl didn't account for, however. During Akira's time as a helper himself, he noticed that in the corner there was a well-placed and hidden mirror that only the staff was supposed to know about, and any that found didn't dare let anyone else know.

After pilfering what she could, the girl quickly left, going through the double doors in the back that were beyond Akira's view. What he did see, however, was a member of the staff putting their things down and following the girl out.

"Stupid," Akira lamented, shaking his head.

"Can't believe that she—" Ryuji paused the moment he noticed Akira's glare, re-structuring his sentence, "I mean, I know she's desperate, but who'd steal from the school?"

"No idea," Akira answered, relieved that Ryuji wasn't completely hopeless. He didn't even want to think about what was about to happen to the girl—beating? Expulsion? Farm? The list was endless.

"What're you two all mopey for?" The two turned their heads to see the girls had finally joined them.

"Nothing much," Ryuji replied, Makoto setting the second tray she was holding in front of him before sitting down between him and Ann.

"Just another thief getting caught," Akira explained.

Haru let out a weak, "Oh," as she sat next to her leader. "I imagine their fate will be most unpleasant."

"It happens," the raven-haired boy shook his head. People will do anything when they're desperate enough, even when they know it's foolhardy.

Akira shoved the last bit of his rice into his mouth before pushing the tray away from him. That thing was probably cleaner now than when he got it, and it'd likely be the same for all the others too.

"Whaddya think Yusuke is doing with Futaba?" Akira mused. Unlike the rest, those two weren't in the official school system, which was technically legal, although that disqualified them from almost everything sponsored by 'Ambassador' Shido and by extension, Yaldabaoth.

"Probably yellin' about something again," Ryuji groaned, trying to push the resurfacing memories of the two first meeting each other to the back of his head.

"Oh, yeah, how was Yusuke's little lesson?" Ann asked, giggling as she pictured the glorious image in her mind. "The art of the selfie, huh?"

"Ugh," Ryuji grunted, gritting his teeth and doing his best to forget what those countless hours with Yusuke was like.

"Actually, how'd you get here?" Akira raised an eyebrow. "You weren't late, so… how'd you get your pass in time?"

"O-Oh, I… uh…" Ryuji sat straight and fumbled between his words.

"You did get your pass…. Right?" ooh, it looked like Queen wasn't happy either.

"I-I uh… might've slipped by…" Akira slammed his head onto the table, while the rest of them either facepalmed or gasped.

"How are you going to get home, Ryuji?" Haru asked. Getting here was hard enough as is, but getting out of here without a pass? You'd need the Devil's luck for that.

"Eh, it's no big deal," Ryuji shrugged the matter off with a laugh. "I'll just get a new one from the office, or at least a temporary—"

"They're not giving those out anymore." Makoto cut in.

"W-What now?"

"Too many suspected forgeries," Makoto clarified. "Currently, the passes are being redesigned and any of old ones not in use was to be immediately recalled."

"I-I… uh…" It was at this moment, that Ryuji Sakomoto had realized…

… he had fucked up.

"I'm sure they'll just detain you for a few hours until your mom picks up," Ann assured him in the nicest way possible that he was likely going to have to be sitting in either a cell or a guarded room for his entire day now.

"M-Mona! He can—"

"Stay away from my cat." Akira ordered immediately. That little ego-centric furball was annoying, but he was his annoying little furball.

"Come on! You guys gotta—"

"I think lunch is almost over," Akira said, standing out of his chair and outstretching his arms. Suddenly, a thought came to his head, "Oh right, hey, Makoto," he called his senior who turned her head and gave him her attention, "that date happening tonight or what?"

"Date?" Ann repeated and was immediately met with Akira's scrunched up face. Her eyes widened as she caught on, "Oh, I forgot you guys were doing that!"

"I suppose it's best to get it done as soon as possible," Makoto answered, understanding what her leader meant behind his words. "I'll go over the last few details with Futaba and then we'll go from there."

"As you, m'lady," Akira smirked, doing an overtly-exaggerated bow. They say playing with fire is a good way to get yourself burned, but who cares when it's this fun?

"Akira…" his voice came out in a low, drawn out whispered that instantly made his face pale. "Are you sure you want to keep doing that?" There wasn't a frown, she was just… smiling… just smiling with her eyes completely focused on him. He couldn't tell if those red orbs were giving him a lifeless glare, or if they were hiding some sort of ice-hold tranquil fury beneath.

"I-I'll be going now!" Akira squeaked out, almost sounding like his voice cracked as he walked away as fast as he could without breaking out into a full-blown sprint.

He still had a lot to live for…

He wasn't dying today…

… probably.

"How's he doin'," Akira spoke the earpiece in his ear, leaning his back into the wall of nearby building.

"It's going about as well as you predicted," Futaba responded, the sound of keys being typed on her keyboard being loud enough to hear from the other end. "Don't worry. Our favorite blond idiot should be home soon."

"Good," Akira let out a relieved sigh. He didn't think they'd do anything too harsh to Ryuji, but he liked to have confirmation.

"Are you still keeping an eye on the schedules?" Makoto asked, speaking into a similar earpiece scraped together by the same girl.

"Of course," Futaba answered immediately, making a few clicks on her end.

Suddenly, enough voice chimed in, "Besides, even if you're caught, you could just pretend to be a couple!"

It wasn't exactly unknown for such occurrences to happen at times, whether it'd be here in the lesser-off areas or even in some of the loyalist zones. No matter where they are or where they're from, kids will be kids. It was a good thing that the guards were human, at least.

"Thanks for the suggestion, Ann," Akira sighed, pushing a bad memory to the back of his head. Ann always fancied herself being a good actress, but… maybe she could fool a child—or at least, a gullible one?

Akira put his hands over his mouth and exhaled before quickly rubbing them together, hoping the friction would help warm up his cold hands. He was beginning to miss the gloves his Phantom Thief outfit has.

Makoto didn't seem to be fairing much better. No matter how many layers one put on, the cold always finds a way to get to everyone. Then again, what could you expect with the planet being frozen for almost twenty years?

The walk wasn't long, but the cold was making this insufferable. Maybe a little light conversation would help take their minds off it?

"How's your sister, anyway?" he asked, putting up his hood and forcing his hands into his sleeves. "Actually, how are you even out here this late?"

"She doesn't know I'm here," Makoto answered, "her job kinda eats up all her time." Even in a world as twisted as this, there are so-called 'trials' complete with prosecutors and judges and juries to make it all seem fair. But ask anyone, and they'll hesitate to mention any trial where the defendant was deemed not guilty.

"So overtime then?" he nodded while biting his lip. As much as it sucks for her, it was good that her job ensured her sister didn't know anything for now. He didn't know if having a prosecutor connected to the Phantom Thieves would be useful, but it was better safe than sorry.

"That's how it goes," she shrugged, not very bothered by the neglect anymore. "But to answer your original question, she's fine."

"Still calling you worthless?" He raised an eyebrow, remembering what first led to her joining his little band of misfits. Everyone had their own reason; from being sick of being exploited and wanting to find the truth behind your mother's death to almost being killed yourself by someone dear to you and genuinely wanting to help other.

"I told you, that was a one-time thing and only happened because she was stressed out," Makoto shot back, earning him a glare. Jeez, sisterhood really must be important—or maybe he should start using more tact.

"Sorry," he apologized, not wanting to provoke a stronger reaction. "It was just a cruel thing to say. I guess that's how family is sometimes."

Her glare suddenly softened into a soft gaze, "Do you want to talk—"

"We're here," Akira said, stopping in his tracks and turned to face a seemingly ordinary building. Of course, that's what they always wanted you to think.

Akira rolled up his sleeve and looked at his watch, "and right on time too," just a few more seconds.

"Get ready," Futaba said through the coms, "we're about to go silent in five…"

Four…

Three…

Two…

One…

And suddenly, the world began to shift around them.

The streetlights that illuminated the area suddenly went dark and the faint sounds of vehicles driven by the patrolling enforcers were instantly silenced.

The moonlight began a somewhat brighter while gaining an eerie green tint that only served to emphasize the shadows the buildings and such casts.

It wasn't as abundant as it used to be, but if one looked at the walls, they could still see some red ichor seemingly bleeding from the walls before falling to mix in with the snow. The only reason it wasn't as plentiful was because most of the ichor tended to freeze before it even made it that far, causing more than a few accidents if they weren't careful with their footing.

But of course, this was old news to them.

Barely giving the new changes a glance, Akira instantly switched to his Phantom Thief outfit with Queen doing the same. Even if it was just them, shadows were just too damn active around this time for them to be dressed in their civilian clothes.

"Ready?" He asked, gripping the door with his hand and receiving a nod in return. Turning the knob, Joker found it to be unlocked and entered unimpeded, and surrounded by coffins.

It was weird how most people—even Yaldabaoth's men—just became coffins around this time. The only real exception to this just seemed to be persona-users, while Shadows were just given complete free reign.

That said, it certainly made certain operations a lot easier when done during "Magic Hour" as they called it for now.

"Beginning search," Queen announced, scanning the area. Despite there being what were most likely squatters, there was likely some sort of hidden room or the likes where the enforcers like to store some of their things.

"Come to think of it, how many of them were actually squatters?" Joker found himself wondering. How many were real, and how many were just wearing a mask? Sometimes people find their own means to provide for themselves from cultivating rare plants or finding something called 'mushrooms' (he'd never actually seen those before in his life, but he heard they were edible), but they're soon met with a gun to their face and a life-sentence to one of the farms.

He couldn't help but feel unsettled the more he thought about it. Not many were around, but enough were that one could notice what he did during his last outing. Everyone thinks he just used a Garu gem to knock the truck down, but instead he got reckless and used his power.

If anyone noticed, then…

It was one thing to be deemed a small group of thieves and anarchist. Being a persona-user is a quick way to earn the full wrath of either Yaldabaoth himself, or even the 'Black Knight' that there are a bunch of rumors about.

"Joker!" he heard his codenamed called, snapping him out of his daze.

"What is it?" Joker asked, walking to his teammate who was hunched over a particular spot on the floor.

"Look here," she said, pointing to markings on the floor, but there was no bookshelf or any furniture or the sort.

"I wonder…" Akira mused before knocking onto the adjacent wall.

"Hollow, good," Joker thought before pushing on the wall to the left of the marks with a moderate amount of force, causing it to slightly open like a door.

Slipping their fingers through the small gap created, Queen and Joker pulled on the hidden door forcing it open to reveal a smash stash of locked crates.

"There we go," Akira smirked, reaching into his coat to pullout a lockpick that he and Mona had made all the way back when they were just a duo.

"Remember, don't take too much," Queen warned. A few lost bullets or gems here or there could easily be a mistake caused by transportation, miscount, etc. Losing too much would get everyone's attention.

"I know, I know," he opened one of the boxes, revealing a bunch of rounds that he couldn't identify even if he tried.

"Uh… you're the closest one here to a weapons expert," He said, sliding the box to her. "You take the bullets, I'll handle the gems."

"On it," she complied, searching through her share.

They had less than an hour, but something told him that this was going to be a long night.

He always hated full moons.

Even before the world went to hell, he always hated them. He could never explain why at the time, but there was always something that struck him as creepy when he was a kid. Maybe it was something about the way it glowed or maybe it was the ambience that it caused.

But now, now it served to mark a night where the torture starts all over again.

There weren't any people around, he made sure of that. He was far away from the urban areas Yaldabaoth likes and whatever constituted as civilization around this part of the world.

No, it was just him alone in this tiny abandoned home with his belt in his mouth, fighting the urge to scream as the creature clawed at the doors to its cage. The animal had been held captive for almost twenty years now, and it wanted to be free.

His body was soaked with sweat, almost like he'd been suffering from a fever. He'd tossed the blue hoodie and black shirt he normally wore somewhere around here, but that'd just leave him soaked in the cold.

He couldn't control the trembling in his fingers, both caused either from the pain or the sensation that his skin had been set on fire after being exposed to the elements for so long. Maybe it was the lighting, but he could swear his fingers were turning blue too.

He tried standing up, but he only crashed back into the floor. His legs felt like that of a patient who had just woken up from a coma—weak and stiff, almost like they were jelly.

A cough forced it way out of his throat, forcing him to spit out the belt. Looking at the floor, he can see a small amount of light being reflected from his eyes that gained some sort of luminescence whenever he used his powers or that thing got too irritated.

He's forced to suppress a scream as the creature began ramming the gates, using all his strength to wear down what was locking him inside. It wanted freedom, but its freedom would ensure the next few nights would be everyone's last.

Biting his lip so hard that he drew a few droplets of blood, he slowly forced himself back on his feet, leaning on the walls for support in case he lost his balance again.

Better—this was better than what it used to be like. It was just pain now, which was a good trade-off.

Stumbling into what might've been a proper bedroom all those years ago, he collapsed back into the floor again, albeit this time due to him being too exhausted to make it to the makeshift bed he had been previously.

Turning his head, he saw his reflection in an old long-shattered mirror. A few scars from injuries from his early days before he could heal wounds effectively, his ghostly pale pallor, his brightly lit blue eyes, and his unkempt dark blue hair that he had let grow slightly longer than back when he was a teenager, complete with a long fringe that was currently stuck to his forehead from the sweat.

When this old hour his knew very well finally ended, he couldn't stop his consciousness from fading—his body too exhausted and in need to prepare itself for the next full moon.

There on the cold floor of an old, dusty, abandoned home, he heard a loud shriek echo in his ears as Death's imprisonment continued, much to its indignation.

Shit, this took a long time to get out. Hell, the only reason that little bit at the end there was added was because I wanted to leave you guys with something for waiting so long.

Ugh, you know what sucks about the beginnings? It's getting everything started. I already know WHAT I want to do, but getting there is… challenging. Ah well, we'll just have to get there... eventually.