Morning Star Chapter 60: The Heart of Every Human Being, a persona series fanfic

If only it were so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?

- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago

7 / 31 / 2016

This whole situation I'd normally laugh off as a joke. Everything just feels too surreal. But she's sincere, as she always is.

When we first met, we did our very level best to assert dominance over the other, and every day went by with the both of us mutually longing to see the other squirm. But as it turns out - to horrify me, she never needed to use that glare she'd honed over the course of years, nor that prowling tone she uses during an argument. All she needed was to smile and lend me a hand.

Now I'm standing here like a dumbass, and the only two words that could ever come to mind are Oh shit.

She doesn't know anything, not really. But sooner or later, she'll know enough. One day Tsukioka will inform her about my father. Perhaps she'll find out the truth from a Ruler she's forced under her heel. "How far with this are you willing to go?"

"As far as I'm able, Hikawa-san."

"Will you kill for it?"

"I'll do what I have to."

"Yes or no. Are you willing to kill people for this? Because Palace Rulers are one thing. Kingdom Rulers are another. If you really want to help like you say you do, you ought to be prepared to take the fight to people who aren't willing to change in the slightest. Even if every Palace you venture into ends with someone's heart changing completely - say you somehow don't fuck-up and the people whose hearts you steal don't kill themselves anyway - you'll one way or another end up confronting someone who has to die. You said that it doesn't have to end with them killing me, or me killing them, but what if we're backed into a corner and we're forced to make a choice right then? Them, or us? Are you at peace with that?"

"You're right to put that into consideration. The whole reason I'm here is because I rushed into something I didn't fully understand. I've put a lot of thought into this, as far back as when we defeated Tsukioka. I'm not going to pretend this kind of work could ever be clean. There's no way everyone whose heart I'll venture into will be guaranteed to change into better people. I'll do what I can, wherever I can and however I can. Do right by as many people as I'm able to."

"If you have to cross that line...you'd want to do everything you could have, beforehand."

"Exactly."

"That's why you told me you knew."

"Yes."

"So... you'd enter my Kingdom to put a stop to me, if that's what you had to do."

Her eyes are wide and they skin my soul. "Hikawa-san."

"Not that I blame you. It's good that you've thought this through."

"I won't be able to do anything to you as I am now. None of us would. But. You have your own goals, and I have mine. I want to use my powers to help people, wherever and however I can. You want to find Shijima and put a stop to them before they hurt anyone else. I need your help, because if the past few Palaces are any indication I'm nowhere near strong enough to go through these cognitive realms on my own. I know there's nothing in this for you, really. Honestly, you'd survive longer than I would if you went and did this solo. Perhaps you'd even be able to investigate Palaces at a quicker rate without me holding you back."

"And you'd still ask me to join you, knowing all that?"

"I hoped you'd accept the offer."

"Why would I accept it?"

"You honestly don't have any reason to," she exhales, chuckling. "I hoped, all the same. Was I wrong to?"

"No."

She's surprised. "Y-you mean you...?"

She's probably right, all things considered. I'd probably get shit done faster on my own. Get myself killed faster on my own, too. She's stubborn and she's virtuous and she's aggravatingly optimistic about her chances even now. She'll do this, with or without me - and because she'll do this, either she'll get the drop on Shijima or they'll get the drop on her.

And I like her. This stubborn, virtuous, and aggravatingly optimistic girl.

I won't let her do this by herself.

"My father is the head of Shijima."

She looks like she's seen a million ghosts. "What?"

"The day we entered Tsukioka's Palace, Akechi had called me by my surname, and Tsukioka reacted by driving us out. He was frantic, and terrified, and I became suspicious. While you were stuck in a cell mulling over memories of your father, he spoke to me of mine, as he attempted to torture me. He has a Kingdom. Its location is the world, and the distortion is Chaos."

"Wait," she urges suddenly. "You're sure that your father's behind all of this?"

"I'm sure. Tsukioka's cognitive block is specifically centered around him. He has a Kingdom, meaning he has the ambition to do something horrible at the cost of everyone else. He managed to keep all information surrounding himself completely blanked out, inside Tsukioka's Palace! He has enough money to fund people like Tsukioka, like Kaneshiro. At this point I'd be surprised if he wasn't involved. It's all but certain he has more than something to do with Shijima. I entered his Kingdom only once, with Akechi."

"Akechi?"

"He came to the same conclusions about my father. That was the condition he had, the day he decided he'd help you enter Tsukioka's Palace - help him find a way into my father's heart and neutralize the threat. Neither of us got very far."

"Why not?"

"It's Chaos. Just...," I suck in a deep breath. "A wide expanse of darkness. Floodwaters crashing everywhere. Akechi and I were lucky to have gotten ourselves on some footing at all. The winds would have thrown us into the ocean if we hadn't held on. We could barely see two feet in front of us. And there's also the fact a Kingdom Ruler is at the apex of his power in his own Kingdom. So we likely wouldn't have gotten far anyway."

"My God."

"I saw his Persona, Niijima. It might as well have been the sky. He can't be confronted directly, not like how we go after Palace Rulers. And... I don't want to have to kill my Dad."

"I can't imagine what you've..."

"These are the stakes. I don't want to kill my father. But if I have no other option, I will do what I must. Knowing that. Knowing the scale. Are you sure you want to do this, too? Absolutely a hundred percent sure?"

She stays silent, for a good long while. But she faces me again, and any hope I have that she's a perfectly sensible human being dies when I see how the light hits her eyes. "I'm sure."

She is one of the most dedicated people I know. Today I wish she wasn't. But she wishes I wouldn't be so goddamn obsessed with murder. So I guess we're even.

She still has her hand out.

I take it firmly, looking her right in the eye."If you do this, I must repay you. If you need any help to clear your sister's Palace, I'm here for you."

"Hikawa..."

"Just say the word, and I'll come with you. I promise you that."

She takes in a deep breath, "Okay."

"No wasting time."

We turn down and we see a black cat.

"H-how long have you been there?" Niijima asks.

"Since just now, actually. Maruki sent me. I went through Mementos to keep up with your taxi, you sneaky fuckers."

"What's he want?"

"Apparently that Yoshizawa girl went to your place while you were out. She came with everyone else. All the while the two of you were making out over the cityscape. Sakamoto, Takamaki, Sakura. All of 'em. They're all at Maruki's place right now."

"Why?"

"Because Yoshizawa asked 'em all if they wanted to go on changing hearts. And they all agreed to come over and talk it out. They want you two to be there."

Niijima and I face each other. Neither of us can afford to put this on the backburner. Everyone's in one place.

"We go to them?" asks Niijima.

"We go to them."

We go there and even when I'm right back up at the door I have no idea what to say. I'm not ready in the slightest when I push open and see everyone sitting 'round the living room. Sakamoto looks at both me and Niijima like we're living failures. Takamaki and Sakura are curious, Yoshizawa and Maruki are surprised. Cat's more than a little smug as it paws its way past our legs and into the room.

Niijima's embarrassed by all the attention, and truth be told it makes me a little antsy, too. I'd told Maruki a few days ago that I'd be heading out on Sunday to meet with Niijima - either I hadn't spoken clearly enough or he hadn't been listening. Nevertheless, he looks at me like he's somewhat proud of me for something.

Yoshizawa's the first to get up from her seat. She approaches me and Niijima.

"I spoke with everyone," she says. "I wanted to talk with them firsthand about whatever we were going to do next. We met up at the cafe...and talked. I suggested meeting up with you directly to confirm our decision."

"And you've come to a decision..."

"Yes."

She looks so brave. Perhaps I ought to be proud of her.

Sakamoto approaches us next. He looks at me like he's forgotten civility. What he says sounds rehearsed, but nonetheless honest.

"Listen. Goin' into Palaces. Fighting Shadows and nearly getting myself killed. That shit terrifies me. Every night I wake up and I feel like I wanna puke over the newest horrible dream I've had. I hate remembering any of it. But I hate the idea of just sitting on my ass, and doing nothing while shitty adults hurt people, even more. Tried that for a month, while my arm was in a cast. I don't like either o' you. One day one of you's gonna get me killed. But, Niijima."

"Y-yes...?"

"You get nightmares too?"

"...most nights," she nods.

"You still wanna do this?"

"Now, more than ever."

"So do I. I think it'll be worth it. I don't wanna just hide away again. No matter what happens or what I see."

Niijima doesn't change her expression. But she bows. "Thank you."

Sakamoto averts his gaze, but pulls her up by her shoulders, "Stop, you're my senpai. Geez. Now you're makin' me feel bad... Besides. That thing you said, about other Persona-users going out there and killin' people," Sakamoto cuts in. "It's true, isn't it?"

Niijima eyes him. "Yes. Absolutely."

"Then you'll need all the help you can get, right?"

"I told you before and I'll tell you again. I want to help," Takamaki says then. "I want to make it all worth something."

"I want to help, too," Yoshizawa asserts. "I don't... think I'll be able to do this full-time. I still have to focus on my gymnastics scholarship and all. Else I be kicked out of school. But I want to help you. Whatever comes."

"You already know I'm onboard," Sakura shrugs. "So you have a full complement."

"Maruki?" I ask him. "Are you...?"

"Still weighing my options," he says very quietly.

"I'm...grateful you're willing to do this, all of you." Niijima nods. She has a rather sad look in her eye, but a resolute one all the same, "You're all certain you want to continue through with stealing peoples' hearts..."

Niijima begins, suddenly turning quite business-like on her front, "You acknowledge that we won't be able to change every Palace Ruler's heart. And that every now and again we might just fail."

"Yeah," Sakamoto grunts out. "It's not a catch-all solution. Sometimes people just won't change...or we can just straight up go too far."

"Knowing that you'd still go for this?"

"We can't just keep running away from people like them," Takamaki reiterates. "And who knows? Maybe we'll actually be able to inspire people, like you said. Maybe this is the only way we'll be able to do something good."

"If we're going to work together, we'll need to set some boundaries. Ground rules," says Niijima. "I think we all have to unanimously agree on a target before going after them. No killing unless absolutely necessary - in self-defense, or if it's provable that we can't reasonably change the Ruler's heart under any circumstances."

It's a somber sort of thought. To do what's necessary when cornered. But it's a risk everyone must take, something they all accept.

"I'm willing," Takamaki nods. "I was willing, all the way back with Kamoshida."

Yoshizawa sighs, "I don't like the idea at all. Of killing. But I know that if I'm going to do this, then there are times that we'll do what we have to. And I want to help."

"Yeah, we can live with that," Sakura nods. "Now that we're all on the same page... what about him?"

Everyone turns to me.

"Is he a part of this?" Sakamoto folds his arms.

Niijima faces me. I'd shaken her hand earlier, but I hadn't agreed to a team up with all of them, just her. Has anything changed?

No. "She convinced me."

"How the hell did that happen?" Sakamoto snorts.

"She took him out on a date," cat laughs. "Shoulda seen them, all lovey-dovey and shit."

Yoshizawa's red-faced and wide-eyed while Takamaki just looks confused. Sakura whistles, "Using hormones to get the biggest and baddest of us wrapped round your finger, smart play."

"It's not like that," Niijima exhales.

"You trust him?" Sakamoto wonders aloud.

"I... yes."

"Why? You're a goddamn stickler for rules and proper conduct and shit. You've got a pole so far up your ass even in bed you have to sit up. And you trust this guy to help us?"

"Well, he's been a big help so far," Takamaki argues.

"All due respect senpai, you're a smart lady, but you can make some real stupid decisions," then Sakamoto faces me. "What even do you want?"

"He wants revenge," Sakura says, everyone turning to her.

"Not revenge. Freedom. Shijima killed Masako, like they killed Sakura's mother."

Everyone stops talking.

"Someone out there, has the power to drive people mad through the Vortex World. Causes them to shutdown or go berserk. Masako's grandmother went berserk, beat the shit out of me and my girlfriend, and killed a little girl. I'm going to find them and I'm going to put a stop to them. I have to. Because my father's leading them."

That gets everyone right confused. Niijima's surprised I'd be this direct about it, but they deserve nothing less. Honesty is a bitch, but it beats having all of them suffer and die under false pretenses.

I tell them everything I know. Everything I'm assuming is true, about my father and about Shijima itself. Takes some time. They share virtually the same reactions as Niijima.

Once it's all said and done, the scope of what's coming for us hits them all at once.

"Jesus. Your Dad would wanna kill us all?"

"That's the long and short. He has a Kingdom, meaning he has a distorted desire. Worse, he's willing to do whatever he has to, in order to achieve that desire."

"We should tell Akechi about this," Yoshizawa cuts in.

"He knows."

"He knows?"

"He came to the same conclusions as I did."

"God."

Sakamoto now looks a little sad for me. "Do you want us to kill your Dad?"

"I don't want to kill my father. I'm willing to if I have to. I'm hoping I won't have to. I'm hoping to find a way."

"And that's why you wanna join up with us?" Sakura asks.

"I'm hoping... you could help me on that front."

"Right, cuz we can trust you won't just throw us to the wolves whenever you like," Sakamoto raises his brow. "Why should we believe anything you say?"

"You're right not to trust me." I step forward as the silence from all sides allows me to speak. "You have no reason to trust me. I do whatever the hell I want with no accountability on my part. I'm hardly team material. I go on this way, either I'll get you all killed, or get myself killed before we're actually able to do anything. You need assurance that I'm totally dedicated to the same goals as you. The same methods as you. At the very least, you need an insurance policy."

I look at all of them then, eyeing Niijima in particular. "Which is why I'll give you all the keys to my Kingdom."

She realizes what's happening, too late. "What?"

"Kazuya Hikawa, the world, Limbo."

Immediately their phones buzz, and each of them peer into the app. They see what I've awakened and they're all horrified once they know what this means. To say Niijima's shocked would be an understatement. Takamaki's slack-jawed as Yoshizawa's eyes are glued to her phone. Sakura is surprised, and Maruki rises up out his seat - everyone wonders what the hell kind of creature they're looking at.

"What the fuck," Sakamoto nearly roars.

"A Kingdom belongs to one who has accepted his distorted desires as a part of himself. The nature of it is so ingrained in his identity that to extract the Treasure is to kill him. I want more than anything to find my father. I want to put a stop to him and everyone working under him. And if I have to I'll kill them all. But I'm giving you the right to stop me."

"You've gotta be fucking kidding."

"I give you all complete access to my Kingdom. If ever any one of you finds me too much of a safety hazard, you can enter my Kingdom and destroy the Treasure within any time you please."

"You know we won't be able to do that," Niijima grunts.

"Right, a Kingdom Ruler and his Persona are extremely powerful inside their own Kingdom. None of these people would stand a chance against you or your Persona in your domain," Cat asserts. "Unless you give them the right to. Which you have, just now."

"What...?" Maruki asks aloud.

"A Kingdom Ruler is like a diamond. He can only be cut by another of he kind. Normally that entails someone with an equally distorted desire... but those a Ruler has forged bonds with can bypass every one of his advantages. For in his eyes they are like diamonds unto themselves."

"Exactly. I've given you that right."

"But we're not as strong as you, not even close," Niijima cuts back in. "If ever we fought against you all at once, I'd wager we'd still lose."

"Nope. You'll be able to put him down," Cat says. "You in particular."

"Are you serious...?" Niijima mutters.

"He's still weak to Nuke. When you're able to harness your anger into power, you match him. That explosion you pulled back in Sakura's Palace would have killed him, had he been the target. You've the highest chance of barreling through his defenses. There's also everyone else on the team to kick him while he's down. Trust me. If you all put your heart into it, you'd kill him. To say otherwise would be either a result of ignorance or suicidal humility."

Sakamoto narrows his eyes, "None of you think he's lying."

"He's not," Maruki interjects, his face that of a sage. "He's honest with us and himself, now - more than he's ever been."

Sakamoto doesn't know how to deal with this, and why would he? "You condescending fucking arrogant prick-"

Takamaki grabs his arm, "Ryuji, you have to stop."

"Fuck that!"

"Ryuji!"

"If it does get to the point where we have to destroy your fucking Treasure, what's stoppin' you from doubling back!?" roars Sakamoto. "Because if worst comes to worst and we do have to fucking kill you, who's to say that by that point you haven't become so shitty a person we no longer mean a goddamn thing to you!? And we enter your goddamn Kingdom and all that awaits us is a giant fucking monster that'll eat us all alive! Where's your failsafe on that, asshole!?"

"The truth is that you're the only failsafe. You're all the first and last line of defense."

"What!?"

"A bond doesn't have to be one of friendship. Someone like Kamoshida - he's a stone on the road, easily discarded. But you've all shed blood with him. He's opened his heart to you more times than even he thought he would have. He's baring everything. Even if you become enemies later down the line, he won't be able to extract that connection he's forged with you. His heart is his domain. And he's let you, and no one else in his heart. Anyone else would be ants to be swatted away. You all team up, you'll be able to beat him," the Cat asserts.

Sakamoto's disgusted and sad and angry. "You're fucking crazy. You're insane."

"Masako Kohaku died because her grandmother suffered a mental shutdown and butchered her right before my eyes. And the people who made that happen are out there, somewhere. I will find them, and if I have to, I'll kill them. I will not be free, so long as even one of them walks on this earth unpunished."

"What the hell."

"If you like we can enter my Kingdom right now. I can outline the path directly to my Treasure to all of you. Hell, nobody's stopping any of you from just killing me right here."

Yoshizawa looks sad for me. I don't want to see that out of her. "Senpai..."

"You need me. I'm the heaviest hitter here by a mile. If ever we encounter something you can't take on your own, you'll need me to step in. I can burn through dozens at once. I've multiple Personas, so I'm the most versatile out of anyone here."

"But you don't need us," Maruki declares.

"I do. As powerful as I am, I won't be able to defeat Shijima on my own. Kaneshiro himself had one of the most powerful Shadows I'd ever faced, and yet even he admitted he would have been defeated by Shijima at the peak of his power. For as many advantages as I have compared to you, even I get knocked around. Far too many times, I'm too slow. I get overly emotional, to the point where I exhaust myself and nearly end up dying to something I could otherwise kill relatively easily. And..."

"And? You just need meat shields," grunts Sakamoto.

"And I want to try doing something right, for once."

He exhales, then turns to Niijima. "What the hell is wrong with you? Did you know about him having a goddamn Uber-Palace?"

"Yes," is her reply, and she's averted her gaze.

"You knew and you didn't say shit, the whole fucking time!? What, did anyone else here know!?"

"I didn't," Takamaki shakes her head.

"Neither did I," responds Yoshizawa.

"He showed me," Maruki says. "Once. It's how I became aware of Personas and Shadows, to begin with."

"And you fucking just trusted that he wouldn't kill us all!?"

Niijima asserts, "Yes. Because he wouldn't have."

"Kinda cold comfort considering he's a goddamn psycho!"

"Sakamoto," Niijima seethes, to which he bites back.

"I was a psycho, too," Sakura said. "You know what I was planning to do to you people? Before you changed my heart, that is. I'd have hacked into each and every one of your bank accounts and sent out all your money to wherever I could think of. Whole time I spoke to this guy, he was begging me not to hurt any of you. Had my finger on the big red button. Only reason I didn't do it immediately was because I wanted to draw out his suffering a whole lot more. Fortunately you all got to me in time, thanks to him deciding to be a big goddamn hero. He has as much, if not more, of a right to be here as any of us. And besides, even if we don't bring him onboard, he'll just go off on his own."

"Why didn't you tell us you knew?" Takamaki asks.

"I didn't know when to bring it up," Niijima exhales. "How he'd react, how any of you would have reacted... but he deserved the truth. If I was going to ask him to join up with us, he needed to know what I knew."

Sakamoto lolls his tongue out and makes a puking noise, "How fucking sentimental-"

"In the face of everything we need to do, we have no room for lies," she asserts, stepping right in front of him and edging him backward. "I've no intention of making false promises or deceiving any of you. That's how the Palace Rulers have come this far. They lie, and they cheat, and they swindle and they deceive. Their words don't mean anything to anyone, not even to themselves, because they've lied to everyone many times they don't even know what the truth is. And the truth of the matter is that we have to lie, too. To our families, our friends, to everyone we know - so they won't involve themselves in this mess we're in. If there's anyone we can and have to be honest around, it's each other."

Sakamoto's silenced, everyone is for a time. The guy just breathes, and turns away from us. Niijima turns back to everyone else, and Takamaki suddenly says:

"I trust him. And if I'm wrong to, then we have access to his heart, anyway."

"Are you just going to keep hurting yourself forever?" Yoshizawa asks me.

"Yoshizawa, I have to find them."

"Then I'll help you," she says then. "I'll be there to help find them alongside you."

"We kill only if we absolutely have to," Niijima steps forward, addressing me firmly and directly. "No acting out on your own, no going behind our backs, no throwing people into Palaces to torture them. We do what we must if and when the time comes, but outside of that we go by the book. If you can't accept that..."

"I accept."

"Do what you have to, only if you have to."

"Yes."

Sakamoto finds it in himself to face us again. He approaches me then, looking me right in the eye. "I don't want you taking my choices from me, got it? We go after someone, we put them down - I want to choose that shit. I don't want you deciding that for me. We clear?"

"We're clear."

"I don't like you."

"I don't expect you to ever like me."

"If you can't be trusted I'll help Niijima kick your fucking ass."

"Understood."

"I don't wanna be a pawn in your fucking schemes."

"Not going to happen."

"Okay," he breathes. "So senpai's leading? Officially?"

"She'd do a better job than I could," I shake my head.

"Yes, I'd honestly be more comfortable if Niijima-senpai led," Yoshizawa nods.

"I'm with whatever the majority votes," says Sakura.

"Ditto," Takamaki shrugs.

Cat turns to Niijima, "Congrats, Queen. You lead the Phantom Thieves of Hearts."

"The what?" Maruki asks aloud.

"Kaz and I came up with the name when making the calling card for Kaneshiro. It's a fancy sorta thing. A little excessive, but it does the job. We needed a name that was both in-your-face and sounded like it's formed from a whole troupe o' people. But you can change it if you'd like."

"Ohhh, so that came from you guys?" Sakura laughs. "You became a huge meme, y'know. Imageboards and shit loved it. They copypasta'd the text from the calling card all over. Even better was how Kaneshiro actually disappeared after the fact. You were responsible for that?"

"Yeah," I rub the back of my head.

"I say keep it," she responds. "People love consistency. You're already pretty known in the underground. Name should be kept the same for posterity...and so that people know you've been there for 'em, all this time. That said, it's up to you all."

Niijima nods. "Well, I'm alright with anything, but... do any of you have suggestions on a team name?"

"Stars Can't Shine Without Darkness." Everyone turns to Maruki. "I-I thought it sounded neat..."

"Mmm. A little cheesy," Sakamoto mutters.

"Something classy, like - The Diamonds," insists Takamaki.

"Sounds like a baseball team. The Tokyo Diamonds," Sakura chuckles.

Takamaki puts a hand to her chin. "Then something more raw. And real. And terrifying."

Yoshizawa raises her brow, "Terrifying?"

Cat agrees, "Gotta strike fear in the hearts o' criminals somehow. It's The Diamonds, better watch out, they're gonna rape your fucking hearts - dunno if that shit would keep criminals up at night."

"I don't think we should go for that," Niijima cuts in. "Sure, I want criminals to be afraid. But I also want normal, everyday people to find inspiration in us. I don't want them to scared of us. They need to know we're on their side."

"I agree," Yoshizawa nods.

"Wu-Tang Clan, I dunno," Sakamoto shrugs. "I'm not that original."

"Morning Star." Everyone turns to me. "I think it fits. It's a symbol of rebellion."

"Is this because you're the Devil?" asks Sakura. "I read up on your Persona, by the way. 'S how I know."

"It's something I'd read up on as well. When all this began. Wanted to familiarize myself more with what I've got inside my head."

Sakamoto narrows his eyes, "So the Devil's called the Morning Star?"

Sakura nods, "Because that's what he symbolizes. A morning star is a guiding light, and that's what he once was."

"Son of the Morning," Maruki cuts in. "Greatest of God's Heavenly Host, cast down because he waged rebellion against God out of his own pride. In Jungian psychology, he's representative of terror, grotesquerie. Everything that could make you a monster. But he's also representative of enlightenment. When you've faced the Luciferian side of yourself, you gain understanding, awareness, comprehension. Of what kind of man you really are or can be. The mirror of you. That's what a trickster's supposed to be - the mirror that shows you your own foolishness."

"Yeah, what he said," Sakura nods.

"How Jung knew any of this before we did, I have no idea," I raise my brow.

"Oh, he was one of the first Persona-users, actually," says the cat. "At least, that's what I know... I don't know how I know that. But I know that."

"I'm no longer surprised...," Niijima groans.

"You shouldn't be. He's a trickster archetype - Jung refers to him as the father of all tricksters. He convinced Eve to eat of the Forbidden Fruit, which led Adam to eat of it as well, causing the Fall of Man. He represents a side unhinged by moral and societal constraints, wild and independent for better and for worse. For as painful as it might be to confront that side of yourself, Jung advised that to confront it would be humanity's only salvation."

"I thought it fit," I continue. "We'll be making ourselves enemies of the city. Maybe even the country."

"You think this goes that deep?" Takamaki asks.

"I wouldn't be surprised if my father's involved with high profile people. Kaneshiro had his fingers in the police. We'll be opposing the state itself."

"Badass," the cat grins.

"Man, I gotta read more books," Sakamoto shakes his head.

"So the name fits," Yoshizawa exhales. "I think we can stick with it."

"I think it sounds classy," Takamaki smiles.

"I'm good with it," says Sakura. "Unfortunate we won't remain consistent, but hey, it's a cool name."

"Okay then," Niijima says, facing me. "We're Morning Star."

"Good! Now that's over with," Sakura throws open her laptop, sets it down next to all of us. "I've traced every case I could find, for commonalities. Every case of the mental shutdown shit I could muster up, and they all lead back to one big source. Your father? The head honcho? We can deal with him later. Let's focus smaller - the head of the SIU. He's the biggest connection we have to all these cases."

"Oh, well we knew that," I tell her.

"You knew?"

Niijima clears her throat, "We... um. We went into his Palace."

"Damn. Y'all put in the work. But his Palace is still in the app? Shouldn't it have disappeared?"

"We decided to use him as a source of intel."

"We should go to Tsukioka's Palace," Niijima says.

"We should."

"Now."

"What, now?"

"Yes, now. While it's still light out. We have to gather as much information as we possibly can, now. Because we might not get a chance later."

Later?

The day Niijima and the rest of us brought Hideyoshi Tsukioka to heel, he spilled everything we needed to know. We knew then he wasn't lying, because for better and for worse, a Shadow is already witheringly honest about itself. A tortured and brutalized Shadow, all the more. He told us that Shijima had come to the Palace, only thrice before - the last time they'd arrived had been as far back as 2014. Pilfered through his files and haven't arrived back since. My guess is that they had used whatever information they'd found here as a jumping-off point. Developed their own information networks from there and haven't required Tsukioka since. Which makes sense, given the specializations of my father's company as well as its reach.

That will not stop them from returning whatsoever, and it's more than likely some of Tsukioka's information will have become outdated by this point. For as much knowledge as he may have of criminal organizations now, my father's likely got the resources to pick up a lot more on his end. But we had figured keeping him around and brow beating him for information roughly every two weeks or so would have been an acceptable compromise - even if some of his information is outdated, it could still lead us to results.

It's partially why in the first place, I accepted Niijima's decision to keep him around, at least until he's not useful to us anymore. It's still rather risky to use him. After all, Shijima could still invade at any time if they so desired. But Tsukioka won't say shit at risk of being punished, for either attacking me in his Palace, or providing information to Niijima at all.

Given that Tsukioka's details on Sakura were blocked themselves, my father likely blocked any hint of his involvement in Tsukioka's Palace - or at least tried to. Hence why he wouldn't need to worry about going there again.

Then it hits me. "If Shijima's as thorough as we can assume they are, they'll have taken note of Kaneshiro's disappearance and combed through associates for answers."

"Tsukioka said Shijima hadn't come to him in years. But all that might change given how heavily we've rocked the boat."

"For all we know they might have come by during our struggles with Sakura's Palace."

"Maybe even in the past few days alone."

"No. My father must be using his own information networks."

"You think so?"

"If they entered Tsukioka's Palace and questioned his Shadow in any way during the past few weeks, they would have killed him by now."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because he's pointless. If Tsukioka reveals to them that I'm involved in this, they'll kill him because he's proven himself to be compromised enough to be selling info to the enemy. Tsukioka's access to information is probably outdated - and how much can an old man like him remember in his Palace anyway? My father's likely relying on information he himself has gathered."

"But who's stopping them from entering his Palace at all even now?"

"Nothing's stopping them from torturing him into caving and telling them about us."

"About Takamaki, Maruki, Yoshizawa, Sakamoto. About me - my sister..."

Cat mutters, "Looks like the best option for everyone involved is to change Tsukioka's heart. I mean, the guy's gonna be compromised. Perhaps sooner, perhaps later."

I exhale, "He'll be killed in prison if we do so. Once he confesses to everything he'll be erased and filled in with some other asshole."

"You can just send him into the woods again."

"And how long before Shijima finds him?"

"I mean, Shijima hasn't found Kaneshiro yet," Takamaki tilts her head.

"And what if he just kills himself anyway, even if we do tell him to hide away somewhere...?" Niijima wonders aloud. "We'll be losing a major source of information."

"We have to gather whatever we can, today then. Then take care of the Palace."

"You'll be able to do it," says the cat. "You both have gotten much stronger since you were there last. Your experiences in Sakura's Palace bolstered your Personas' strengths. In case conflict occurs with Tsukioka again, you'll be able to take him together no problem. Plus, now you've got more people on your side."

"Assuming he hasn't gotten stronger," sighs Yoshizawa.

"He hasn't. Nature of Shadows. They stay the same no matter where they are. Unless the nature of their distortion changes, or they accept the distortion. And Tsukioka's distortion should be the same as it's always been."

"And if it's changed due to all this fucking chaos?" I shake my head.

"Won't know until we get there and we see."

Niijima raises a hand to her chin, facing Sakura "This could also provide you with information she needs surrounding Palace Rulers and their involvement in this horrible conspiracy..."

She nods, "I doubt you're keen on nabbing information from your sister's laptop."

"I'm willing to do it. But that would mean getting Sis away from her computer, which is difficult because she's a workaholic even on lazy days... or I could just invade her Palace for information."

"One thing at a time."

"Right."

"This is some spy shit...," Sakamoto chuckles morosely. "So what now? Do we just go? You all ready?"

"I'm ready," Takamaki says. "Let's go."

"I'm afraid I'll have to take a rain check," Yoshizawa says. "My dad's only letting me be here because I told him I'd have a session with Doctor Maruki. If I'm out for any longer, I'm in trouble."

"Is Boss okay with you staying out?" Niijima asks Sakura.

"Sojiro hasn't spoken to me in days. Still reeling over the implications of everything."

"Oh."

"I'm coming with you, don't worry. I wanna see what this prick has to say about him and his little private gang."

Cat hums, "Mmm, us minus Mist shouldn't be so bad. We should still be fine. You ready for this?"

"Not quite yet," Maruki says. "I want to speak with Kazuya, alone."

"Can't this wait?" Takamaki asks.

I say, "No. I guess it can't."

Everyone looks at each other. Niijima places a hand on my shoulder. "We'll meet with you once you're done."

I nod, "Okay."

We have the impromptu session in the living room. Once everyone made it out, into the hallway.

"Didn't know you were so big on mythology."

"Wakaba Isshiki's research drew a lot from Jungian concepts of archetypes in myth and legend. I took a gander. It felt worth reading."

"I see."

"You feel that you're the Devil because Kana thought you were...?"

"No. I had Satanael even before I knew what Kana had truly thought of me."

"So you thought you were the Devil all along?"

"I had a good life. A lot better than most. I didn't want much of anything, really. I think I've been like this, forever."

"Been like what?"

"Looking for ways to be free."

"You weren't free before?"

"Everything felt so rigid. I felt complacent. I felt like I could just accept whatever comes and I'd be okay. And then I met Kana and it all came crashing down."

"Do you resent her for lying to you?"

"I don't think I have that right."

"But do you?"

"It doesn't feel good, Maruki. To have been lied to. But if she or her mother'd told me the truth about her father, I don't know what I'd have done in response. I'm so fucking stupid."

"Don't say that about yourself."

"I was sitting in a small dingy little room, my legs under a kotatsu with her and the baby. I felt like I was in a whole new world. Those days felt like Heaven, compared to now. Now I feel like I'm in Hell, dragging everyone else down with me."

"Forgive me, but... I thought it felt like Limbo."

I smirk. "Yeah."

"Would you mind telling me about your Kingdom?"

I blink a couple times, then lean back in my seat. "You know what it looks like, Maruki. You've been there."

"I know. But you need to explain it to me. You want to be the right kind of person for them, you and I work through everything you've got built up inside you."

"I know, but... all at once?"

"We can start with what you're willing to tell me."

"Whole world's just a mass of black crags and trees. Pits and valleys. No color. Not even a sky or a sun. Everything's dark, all over. Constant rain and thunderstorms. Winds that howl across everywhere."

"I saw what people looked like, in your head. They didn't even look like people. Just... more like shapes and geometries, and animals that try looking like people. Why did they look like that?"

"Because... people aren't people, unless they choose to be."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I think there's a Niijima in there. There's definitely a cognitive version of you in there. My Dad, probably, though I haven't seen him. I think there's a version of every one of them here in my Kingdom, now."

"What do you mean? I wanna rewind. People aren't people, unless they choose to be? Why is that your perception of things?"

"I think I told this to Niijima once. Or maybe I paraphrased, but... if deep down, everyone was just another variation of Kamoshida - or Kaneshiro, or any one of 'em - then we as a species would've died out long ago. That means that the vast majority of atrocities committed all throughout human history was committed by good, normal, everyday people. They're the exception, but the norm's a lot worse. The only way we can surpass all of that is if people stop running away from themselves."

"And that's why only Niijima-san, I, and the others are in your Kingdom? Because they don't run away?"

"I think so."

"And everyone else..."

"That's what I think of the good, normal, everyday people who either commit atrocities under orders, or turn a blind eye. That's everyone in the whole world."

"Don't you think that's presumptuous of you?"

"You don't survive in this world without presuming things of people, Maruki."

"What if your presumptions are wrong?"

"That's what I'm hoping for."

"You're hoping to be proven wrong?"

"I've been right about a lot of things, but whenever I'm wrong about something, either someone dies or I nearly do. Yet every time Makoto Niijima's right about something, she does far more good than I ever thought possible."

"You have a lot of respect for her."

"She's fucking terrifying."

"Then why did you go on a date with her?"

"She asked me out..."

"Oh, she asked you out?"

"She and I went to Odaiba Seaside, and she showed me the sights. A place that was special to her. She told me she knew about my Kingdom, and asked me to join her."

"...she knew?"

"Yeah."

"She just knew?"

"She typed it in the day we beat Kaneshiro. Looking back, it was obvious that I had a Kingdom. Obvious she'd have picked up on it."

"You're not angry with her for hiding that fact from you?"

"Why wouldn't she? I'm a psycho. But she told me anyway. She said I deserved to know the truth. I didn't even know what to say to that. I just stood there." I hold myself close. But I face him. "I didn't count on any of this."

"Any of what?"

"Being trusted. People believing in me."

"How does it make you feel?"

"Terrified."

"Why?"

"I told myself it was because I was sure I'd just end up killing them. But... maybe it's just because I'm scared of failing them. Or losing them. So I made any excuse to push them away. And it didn't even matter what I did, because I'd end up crawling back to them again anyway..."

"You're not wrong to be scared. I would be, too."

"That's why I know that if they enter my Kingdom, they'll kill me."

"Because for as much as you want Shijima dead, you want Niijima and the rest of them alive, too."

"Yeah. I don't want to hurt them."

"I know you don't want to hurt them, Kazuya. But there's a difference between saying you want this, or you want that... and actually pursuing those goals."

"I know. I'm as scared of this as you are."

"Which is why I'm coming with you. All of you."

"You told me days ago, you would. Why hesitate to tell Niijima you'd join up with her?"

"Because I wanted to talk with you, first."

"What would talking to me do?"

"I wanted to affirm something."

"Being?"

"I wanted to affirm that you were worth it. You're worth the help."

"You really think I can do this?"

"I do. But that's not up to me, is it?"

"No, it isn't."

"You like her, don't you? Niijima-san."

I scoff, "Where's this coming from all of a sudden?"

"I think she's a good influence."

"I just told you she terrifies me."

"Rumi terrified me, too. A lot. It's part of why I liked her."

"Really?"

"At heart, she was gentle. But she was... scary, when she really wanted to be. She'd have such kind eyes, and all of a sudden they'd twist into something unrecognizable. Does Niijima make you feel the same?"

"I'm not... I don't think I'll get in a relationship for a long time. I do think she's pretty. But otherwise, I... don't really know what to think of Niijima."

"What do you mean?"

"She could do so much with what she has, but she chooses to stand by herself. Everything that's a first resort for me is the last resort, for her. Part of me thinks it's stupid of her, but it's profound. Had anyone else faced anything like she has, I'm certain they'd have developed a Kingdom. I've never known anyone like her."

"She really is a strong lady."

"What her father had done to her... she deserved so much better. And she definitely deserves better than to have someone like me for a teammate, and yet she offered her hand to me. I don't understand how she could believe in me, after all this time. She said I... taught her things, but I didn't teach her anything. She had that inside her all along. Do I have something like that in me, too? I don't even know."

"Are you willing to find out?"

I hold my face in my hands. "I don't think ahead."

"No, you don't."

"I don't consider any other option other than what I know. I'm close-minded and reckless. Maybe it wouldn't be so wrong for me to just stop and think, for once. Would it?"

"Not at all."

I chuckle. "Nobody's forcing you."

I face him. "Tell me more about Rumi."

"You sure?"

"Yes. You've been harping on me for the past... couple months. It'd be nice to know more about you. If you're okay with that."

Maruki almost looks disbelieving. But he stammers out, "S-she was always very... headstrong. She'd take charge of group projects, always urge me to talk to people... help me with homework if ever I asked. Above all she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. She'd get on people's nerves - was bullied a lot in high school because of it. They'd stuff razors in her shoes."

"No shit?"

"Yeah. But she didn't let it get to her. You could throw her a thousand insults and she'd just say one in response, and all of a sudden everything the other person said didn't even matter. She was...everything I wanted to be, in someone else. I admired her deeply."

"She sounds like a lovely woman."

"She was."

Now's as good a time as any. "You said something in Sakura's Palace. You spoke to Sakura's Shadow about Rumi, your fiancée. You said you were able to… take away her pain. What did you mean by that, Maruki?"

He looks back at me. And he somehow, looks even more exhausted.

Suddenly we hear another voice. "I remember that."

Cat leaps up from behind me.

"Y-you were there the whole time?"

I turn to the cat, ignoring Maruki. "I remember what you told me, the day I brought Maruki into Mementos and he summoned his Persona."

"Yeah. I told you that Maruki already had a Persona. That it was there, but hadn't come into being yet."

"It's not something I can force," he declares. "They have to want it, for themselves."

"So you were able to… to what, to cure your girlfriend of her depression? How?" demands the cat. "You couldn't have entered her Palace or anything—you didn't even know Palaces existed until I came in and told you about them."

"I just…I held her hand. I heard a voice. And then…"

"What, and then it worked? You cured someone's mental illness by holding her hand-?"

"I took away her memories of that night," he says sadly.

We look at him, horror-struck by what he's just said.

"…what? How the hell did you do that?" Cat shakes its head.

"I don't know," he admits. "She begged anyone to stop her from feeling the way she did, she begged someone to help her forget. I was there and I saw her cry her eyes out and I didn't know what to do. I heard a voice. I don't know what it told me... but once I was done she forgot about her parents. And I was there when her parents were killed. I was there, tending to her and trying to help her every step of the way. My presence was in and of itself a trigger for the worst kinds of thoughts. So when she begged to be released from her memories I ended up undoing all the times we had together. I had to remove every shred of evidence relating to me."

We're all stunned into silence for a time. For a good, long time.

I break this silence first when she says, "I'm so sorry…"

"That's what I was trying to do for Sakura. I wanted to purge her memories of every single thing that contributed to the creation of her Palace. A hard reset. The reason any of it exists in the first place is because of things that happened to her and things she's done. But if I extracted those horrible memories from her, if she's forgotten about everything, then her Palace would be undone."

At once, I no longer know how to feel.

I no longer know who it is I'm speaking to.

Who my father saw fit to take me under his wing.

Nobody knows who this man standing before them all even is anymore.

"You...stole her memories?" the cat says, morbidly fascinated. "Of her parents' deaths? Of your involvement in her life?"

"Is that even possible?" I ask it.

"It shouldn't be, but... well, Maruki's beaten the impossible before. I didn't think it extended this far. This is unprecedented. You can overwrite cognition without even entering someone's Palace. You were able to completely rewrite someone's memories to the point where they completely forgot about the sources of all their internal trauma."

"So now you know...," Maruki exhales. "I know you're big on free will, Kazuya. I'm sorry if this made you feel uncomfortable."

"So she... doesn't remember any of the times she'd shared with you."

"No. But she's free of her pain."

"And it only works when they ask for it," I nod.

Cat nods, "Then it won't work with Palace Rulers. They rely on ignorance. You can't save someone who doesn't know they should be saved."

"And it won't work on Kingdom Rulers, either," Maruki chuckles. "So long as they don't want me to change them."

"You could do this, the entire time?" I narrow my eyes at him. "Holy shit."

"Tell you the truth, I don't think it's fully under my control, either. When I pulled it on Rumi, I only really remembered what I did... days later."

"So it's not fully conscious just yet," Cat chuckles. "That's fucking revolutionary all the same. With enough training you'll be able to compel Palace Rulers. I'm sure of it. Not sure about Kingdom Rulers, though. But I guess we'll see. You're such a unique specimen."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Depends on you. I don't think you'll be able to compel Kingdom Rulers to change, anyway - at least not now. Kazuya's too fucking stubborn."

"When I first had a session with you," I grunt out. "You asked me if I wanted to forget Kana. All the pain. I said no."

"So you did."

"Were you... trying to change my memories, then?"

Maruki just faces away from me.

I'm surprised I'm not angrier. By all rights I should be. But that would be hypocrisy.

I rape people's minds all the fucking time, and I intend to do so to many more. It's not like I don't deserve to get a taste of my own medicine.

But still.

"If you'd told me you'd done that before I even met Kana, I think I would have been furious with you. But I understand how difficult it must be to try and help someone you care about, only for nothing to work."

"I see."

"But I... don't want you to change me, Maruki. Even if you become strong enough to."

"Well. There's nothing I can do about that. It's not something most would ever want."

"Not even just that, really," I raise up an arm and rub the back of my neck. "I... Niijima said that she had faith in me. If someone else makes me change, then... then it'll be like it's impossible for me to have ever changed at all."

"So you want to prove to her that you can change?"

"I want to prove it to myself. She bared her heart out to me. It'll be like throwing that away if I have you change me for me."

Maruki nods, "Okay. I'll respect that. No one can change you except yourself."

"I appreciate it, Maruki."

"I've long accepted I won't be able to change you, Kazuya. All I can do is help you recognize your options. And God help me, I'll do my very best every step of the way."

We all of us go, after dropping Yoshizawa off at the station. We go and honestly it feels weird - I've been in a team for the past couple months, but now we're an official complement. Actively working towards something of a goal, instead of just fighting whoever throws their shit at us.

When we get to the SIU HQ, we encounter a man there I really should have expected to see - Niijima had called up someone on the train, on the way here. I'm surprised when we get there - he's annoyed when we get there.

"You're fortunate I had an empty schedule today," Akechi simmers. "Now, what's this about a team-?" He sees one of us in particular - the one with glasses and orange hair. "Who... is this?"

"Very, very long story," Niijima exhales.

"You're Goro Akechi, the pretty boy Detective Prince. You're on a lot of forums with people talking about how punchable your face is. Then again, you're also on a lot of forums that talk about how much you look like a K-Pop idol. So whatever. Nice to meet you. Name's Futaba Sakura."

He looks like radio signals are firing off in his head, for he can no longer come up with words. He looks at her like she is poison.

"What... why is she here, with you?" Akechi asks, his voice wavering a little.

We explain the situation then. Her Palace, her having a Persona, her joining up with us and helping us on our little mission. He is distraught. For a good number of reasons, but I suppose the most pertinent one is one that he'll keep closest to his chest.

"You just seem to be a magnet for trouble," he grunts in disgust, facing me.

"Not proud of that fact."

"So what then, you've gathered up this merry band of Phantom Thieves and you'll spend your every waking hour stealing people's hearts?"

"Whenever we can," Niijima says.

"How heroic of you," he smiles. "And you want me to join you, so that I can legally determine circumstances wherein it's acceptable to use lethal force. I assume?"

"You're half-right," I nod. "We'll change hearts whenever we can. But if a person can't change, or if we have to defend ourselves, we'll do what we have to."

"You're vigilantes. This is a full-on team of outlaws, and you want me to join you on your fucking crusade? I'm a Detective."

"Look, you wanna stop my Dad, or not?"

"You...!" he huffs, grabbing my arm and pulling me aside, "What did you tell them!?"

"The truth. They accepted it."

"You fucking-"

"They know what's at stake. As much as you and I. They're intent on seeing this through to the end."

"If they die, it's on you. You realize that."

"Yes."

"You stupid motherfuckers. Don't tell me you thought this through."

"I didn't. They did. For days. They'd all come to the same conclusion. Assholes need to be punished and Shijima needs to be iced."

"This isn't their responsibility!"

"Right, it's the cops'. Oh wait."

"It was different when it was just you and me-"

"Why, because before you had just one person you needed keep track of?"

"Oh, you wiseassed little prick."

"They come with, or this doesn't happen."

"I'll have all you fucking whores rot in Katsushika-"

"No, you won't. Because you want my father gone just as much as we do. And you know I'm the only one who can possibly stop him. If you don't have me, you won't have anything. And if you don't have them, you won't have me."

He seethes and simmers, and were his grip on my arm seizing my throat I'd be dead from asphyxiation in minutes. But he unhands me, and bloodshot eyes turn so unnaturally placid. "Then shall we be off?"

We enter the Palace proper, Akechi at our side. We are not encountered by any Shadows or faced down by any Manikins. Whole place is stark empty, but I suppose that's what happens when you've asserted your dominance over a man who's whole life was founded on something we've thrown in his face. We approach the library of evidence and we've no need for the sewer passageway - we're just able to make it through, totally fine.

Sakamoto's incredulous as he follows us though, "So you guys went into the Palace of this big police chief and kicked his ass so hard he bent over for you?"

"Badass," Sakura smiles. "Can't we just go kill some fucking celebrities? Fairly certain at least one of 'em's involved in the drug trade."

"Ohh, I'd love to. Smarmy fucking idols and pop stars with their fucking perfect hair and clothes. But this is more important," Takamaki acquiesces.

"Can all of you please take this more seriously?" Niijima grunts out.

I inform her, "Joking to diffuse tension. Try it sometime, Niijima. It does you wonders to laugh at something miserable."

"I'd really rather not."

"You should. Time you spend laughing is time you don't spend sad or angry or terrified."

"I'd wager you spend most of your time being sad or angry or terrified," Akechi cuts in. "Or perhaps just the former two."

"You'd be right."

We get to the library, and we're surprised when we get there — for Hideyoshi Tsukioka is slumped in a pile of books. Staring aimlessly at them, with dulled pupils and bloodshot golden eyes. We're all about to ready ourselves for battle but we see soon enough that he does not have the energy to fight.

"This the guy…?" Sakamoto mutters.

"Yeah," Takamaki nods in distaste. "Fucking prick sold drugs to kids and bent over for yakuza."

"Some people could say we bent over by sparing him. But that'll end today."

"You've come here, finally, to take my Treasure then?"

We all of us ready up again. I summon Satanael just to be safe, but he doesn't transform even a lick. Stares at us all like we're the monsters, and he's the frail victim of injustice.

"Take what you will, then."

Satanael defuses. "What?"

"You should know… that Masayoshi Shido began all of this. The man you put to sleep."

Everyone faces me now. They are shocked, of course - because this is the first time they've heard the name of the man I've rendered comatose. Save Maruki. But worse yet, this man was connected the whole fucking time to this grand fucked up conspiracy.

The funny thing is, I know Akechi's involved in this somewhat, now. I knew it all along, from the day this shit began - but I've understood the truth of it just now. Because at the mention of that name, he looks like he wants to explode.

At once I narrow my eyes, march over to Tsukioka and growl, "What thirty pieces of silver were promised to you?"

"A nationwide grip," Tsukioka chuckles morosely. "He promised us the country. He was a candidate for Prime Minister, you know. And I believed in him and his vision. I saw no other way to establish order, except through him. He'd come to us all with an offer - he'd proven himself able to, in no uncertain terms, have any opposition related to him either liquidated or bent to his will. We did not know how, we did not know why. All we knew was that so long as we took him up on his offers and followed his orders, we'd be able to have most anyone who opposed us completely removed from their seat of power."

"So you could take their spot," Sakura snorts.

"All we needed to do was give him a name. A person's, an organization's... it could be anyone we had disagreements with. Anyone who would oppose either him or us. Most of the time, such requests would be undertaken. There was the odd important individual from time to time - they would let us know whenever one such person was protected."

Niijima nods, "And any who disagreed with such protective measures couldn't voice their opinions out, lest they risk being taken out themselves. And none of you knew the identity of those who would venture into people's hearts on his order."

"No. Shido had kept the identities of all who had done the wetwork completely secret. The only person I know for certain is working for him, is your father. And even then, not a soul aside from me knows of his involvement."

"Why only you?" Sakamoto asks.

"Those of us he'd managed to work with knew enough not to rock the boat. Teeth-clenched teamwork would do us wonders. The first person he'd contacted was myself. And once Kaneshiro got a foothold in the SIU's inner workings, Shido had forged deals with him as well."

Enough of this whining shit. "Do you have anything for us, now?"

Tsukioka exhales. "The yakuza have been forced to fall back on their more legitimate ventures in order to recoup costs, for much of their seedier work relied largely on Kaneshiro's backing and management. The members of Kaneshiro's family have been struggling amongst themselves for his position, hence why business is on hold. If you want their names, I can give them to you. Most families have been all but forced into attempting negotiations and peaceful transfers of power. Even families that have previously expressed an eagerness to fight for dominance are thinking of lying low."

Maruki mutters, "That's better than we could've hoped for."

"No, it's worse. It signifies how fragile this whole state of affairs is. One false step and everything collapses. They know it and I know it."

Takamaki folds her arms, "Including all the businesses that supply you your fucking drug and prostitution funds."

"If there is one group more prone to rocking the boat than any other... it's the Togo family."

"Who?"

Niijima puts a hand to their head. "Togo. I've heard of them..."

"It's the head family of a rather large organization of yakuza dynasties, all gathered together under the Akamatsu Clan, which Kaneshiro had partnered up with. This clan has a particularly strong grip on real estate, gambling dens, cabaret clubs and prostitution rings. The Togo family largely run the clubs and gambling dens, and had provided the Kaneshiro family with a steady flow of debtors and street-women for his exploits. In the meantime Kaneshiro had funneled drug money to them. The Togo family has managed to keep the Akamatsu Clan strong and stable for generations at a time. But the current patriarch is bedridden."

Sakura repeats, "Bedridden. Foul play?"

"No. He has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is in hospice. He is a weak-willed man. Soft at the edges. Willing to profit off his blood money, despite often complaining about from where the money comes. Presents himself as a stern man, punishes with ruthlessness and efficiency. Is feared by his men for his supposed ruthlessness, but really he is a paper tiger. He isn't your target. You must go after his wife."

"The wife?" Niijima asks incredulously.

"Patriarch Gennosuke Togo is a ventriloquist's doll. The words he speaks and the orders he barks out are not his own, but his wife's. Mitsuyo Togo. Formerly Nakoshi."

Niijima scoffs, "Well. How did that happen? Yakuza are very traditionalist. For a patriarch's wife to be making his decisions for him..."

"Gennosuke Togo is the son of Kiyotaka Togo - though he inherited his father's greed and spending habits, he neither had the will nor the courage. Was more content to just spend all his money on hard drugs and hookers, and worst came to worst when he fell in love with a girl from a cabaret club his father had run. When she got a lick of the cash he'd wave in her face she wasted no time working her way up the ranks through him. She and her husband ascended to top brass after Kiyotaka Togo died of a sudden illness. She brought in more money than her father-in-law ever did. It was her idea to invest in prostitution rings, in cabaret clubs. It was her idea to take in girls from foreign backgrounds to fill in various unfulfilled niches other families didn't touch. Her idea to hook up with Kaneshiro - something not even Kiyotaka Togo had dared try."

"You're sure of all this?" Maruki asks him aloud.

"You hold meetings with these people, you look them in the eyes and you'd know. I'd see such blooming fear in Gennosuke Togo's eyes; I'd see him practically explode when his wife would so much as lay a hand upon his shoulder. Right then and there I knew, that man is nothing to fear. You should know they have a daughter."

"Her name?"

"Hifumi Togo."

"Does she know about her parents' exploits?" Takamaki asks.

"Ask her. I don't give a fuck if she knows anything. Someone else you ought to watch out for: Ichiryusai Madarame. That's the name he goes by these days. His birth name was Isshin Murakami, but since has had it legally changed."

Maruki's heard that name before, apparently. "Wait, Madarame. As in, the Madarame? The national artist Ichiryusai Madarame?"

"In his youth he'd run a yakuza family of his own, but it has since been absorbed into the Togo Family in his absence."

Sakamoto groans, "Are you serious."

"Indeed. Plastic surgery and a few strings pulled helped him conceal his identity. Used to manage drug running and gambling rings all the same, but in his old age he resorted to painting. He thought he could leave this life behind, but you never do. He needed more dough because he was a frivolous old cretin, and the yakuza offered him a trade deal. A majority of the funds he'd accrue from his exhibits went to funding the Togo Family for their operations. In return he'd gain a cut of drug money. He was highly regarded for his paintings. Even been commissioned to act as an irezumi inker, several times for the Togo Family."

Maruki is furious. "My God. He represents us. He's presented his paintings in other countries, and that money was being funneled to organized crime families...?"

Sakamoto doesn't understand. "Why would he do that? Doesn't he make enough money outta his paintings?"

"He was once dirt poor. Scrounged his way up from the bottom. No mother. Father had a gambling addiction while being a compulsive buyer. Madarame had spent his childhood being so starved he'd go days without food. Weighed eighty-five pounds when he was twelve years old. He wants more. They always want more."

Akechi hides his face, "Not that that means anything."

"Given his status as a national artist, ex-yakuza, he was easy to contact for a man like Shido. He'd partnered up with him for the promise of a cut of the future. Not just the money."

Sakura bellows HA! "How goddamn noble. All y'all are just fucking imperialist revolutionaries, aren't you?"

"He invested much in Kaneshiro. Kaneshiro and Shido are now both gone. So he'll be floundering, looking to back whoever'll stand in for them both next. There's another. A third man. Kunikazu Okumura."

"Of Okumura Foods?"

"Nominally, yes. After he'd forged a partnership with Shido, Shido got him in business talks with Kaneshiro and other yakuza. They fit him like a glove. He and they shared multiple legitimate businesses that acted as fronts for funding operations. Made enough money to hire a couple hitmen on the side."

"You fucking kidding?" I chuckle.

"Nope. They make bank on places like the Dark Web," Sakura nods. "Thought about hiring a couple just to fuck with you. But they were too expensive."

"It's more typical than you'd like to know. Government-funded businesses and industries don't have to live by the letter of the law if they can buy their way out of trouble. Or buy the services of those who would get rid of trouble for them. Whistleblowers, overeager journalists, upstart competitors who don't know their fucking place. You must realize. If Okumura is removed, he'll either kill himself or they'll do it for him. Okumura's not just in bed with yakuza. His business partners have business partners, upon business partners. In the sex trade, in the black market, in weapons manufacturing... some are even in the military. Arrogant fucking pogues who've worked their way up the ranks though nepotism and bribery."

"Right, like you," I cut in. "That said. Why would he stir the pot? What's he have to gain from it? I only see losses here. Kaneshiro's disappearance would bring business to either a screeching halt or force restructuring in the ranks."

"That is exactly the problem. Kaneshiro held central planning for the vast majority of operations. Wanted personal oversight for as much as possible, only entrusted need-to-know information and control to his most trusted lieutenants and captains. Now he's gone, each captain will compete against the other for power, likely use shows of force whenever and wherever necessary. Given that these people are business partners to Kunikazu Okumura, they will each attempt to flatter him in order to get him to fund them against competitors."

"And whichever family he funds might just turn the tide of the gang war in their favor."

"Correct. It just so happens that last I've heard he's in talks with the Sugimura Family. He apparently intends to sell off his only daughter to them, have her marry their eldest son to accrue political power."

"Haru Okumura," Niijima says with more than a little terror in her throat. "Oh my God."

"You know her?" I ask.

"She's our schoolmate."

"You for real?" Sakamoto narrows his eyes.

"She's not in my class... but she's a third year. I never knew she was related to..."

"Is she involved in her father's crimes, the daughter?" I ask Tsukioka

"She isn't!" cries Niijima. "I-I don't think she is, at least. She'd never accept any of the things her father's done!"

"That's how she looks on the outside. And we all know how untrustworthy that is."

"As far as I can tell, she isn't. But I wouldn't put it past her to at least know of her father's unsavory dealings. The man intends to take Shido's place, as a candidate for Prime Minister. Wants to invest in politics, or at least that's how optics on his purchases look. Advertisers, managers, photographers and tailors. All this to become something greater. Even though Shido has a successor already in place."

"A successor?"

"Ah, yes. He's one of note, as well. A man named Jyun Owada."

"Oh great."

"He is a stooge of a stooge. Doesn't even have a Palace. Only got as far as he did because Shido knew he had no spine of his own and only followed those who lined his pockets with money. Everything he believes in is a result of someone else telling him to believe it."

"And you hate that, don't you?" I grin. "Cuz you can't make Shijima kill a man too stupid to have a mental world of his own."

"You realize in case Shijima does come back here, that I could simply inform them about the information you've demanded from me."

"But you didn't and you won't, because you're smart," Niijima asserts. "You want Shijima out of the picture as much as we do. You know that if you sell us out to them they'll kill you first, because you've proven that you can be compromised. You're not as indispensable as you'd like to be, and you know it because if you were indispensable at all, they wouldn't have left this place alone for three whole years. They'd still be gathering information out of you even today."

"You would trust me to provide you the information with which to restore order to this city and bring this man down?"

"I trust that you want Shijima gone just as much as we do. You're an old man who worked his way up the ranks. Through bribery, and scheming, and no merit of your own. We can stop them. You know we can stop them, especially considering that his son is on our side. So you'll help us. I know that deep down... you want to."

He, like me, is stunned by Niijima's earnestness. He's shamed into silence, for a time. "I was a good cop. Once."

"That was a long time ago, if that had ever been true," Akechi mulls, sick of this conversation.

"You're all children. What we have is a network of interrelations that stretches far and beyond what you could possibly understand. Hundreds upon hundreds of people. Working desperately to keep the whole machine burning on. Many good, honest, hardworking people who only want to do their jobs and go home to their families. Many more monsters who need this network afloat to maintain everything we need to stay alive. You do this, you will topple everything. Do you know what would happen if you unveil our secrets? The faith you'd strip away from the systems we've kept in check?"

Sakura folds her arms. "Well maybe fuck the system, if it's corrupt."

"Every system is corrupt. By necessity. Positions of power aren't so easily preserved through legal means. They are far too fragile, now more than ever before. The alternative, to lend power to the people - it is a mistake. It is a cliche driven by those who know nothing of the people they claim they want to save."

"Of course you think it's wrong to trust your own citizens to make their own decisions," I scoff.

Niijima steps forward. "We want to inspire people. We want justice. Change."

"Inspiration doesn't mean anything. You desire justice, but justice is a lie. You say you wish to incite change, but who would ever want anything to change? Your average citizen just wants to exist, ideally without children telling him how he ought to live. A city, a country, a world is not an individual one can wrest under their control through promises of inspiration, of liberation. It is an interconnected web of differing viewpoints and perspectives, none of whom will ever understand how their actions - though seemingly minute on a micro-level - affect everything on a macro-scale. The world is a battlefield."

"And that gives you the right to play God, and let your people ruin as many lives as possible to feed your pockets."

"To maintain control over anything so chaotic, one must play God. And if you destroy us you'll become Gods yourselves, by right of conquest. It does not matter what you believe in. What matters is what you're prepared to do to get people to believe in something. Are you prepared to do whatever it takes to put an end to Shijima? To make this country your own?"

Reminds me of Exupery's writings. "You're responsible for what you've tamed."

"Precisely. You intend to make fools of us, and in so doing you'll rally the people to your back. They will monetize you, sensationalize you. Villify you. Make of you a menace to be wiped away for the sake of peace. Some, I assume, would even worship you. Your eyes are not obfuscated by myriad nightmares, therefore you have not seen what I've seen. I am already dead. I've been dead for months, and my body does not yet know it. I do not wish to accept this, but I know it to be true. They will assassinate me, one way or another. They will strike at my Treasure and shut me down. If you steal my Treasure, and I confess, they'll garrote me in prison. Kill everyone I know just to make sure what I know doesn't get out. The only reason I am still here at all is because if I die it kicks up too much shit, far too soon. But your father will rid the system of me, eventually - when he has no need of me. I know too much. That is the only reason I help you now."

"Fucking useless old bag-"

"Sakura, stop!"

Newest member of the team gets all up in his face, "You goddamn saggy prick. You got kids addicted to drugs. You allowed yakuza to rule the goddamn streets. Your fucking self-pity is disgusting."

"I didn't order the death of your mother. Shido did. Shijima did."

"That doesn't absolve you!"

Niijima pushes her out the way, "I said stop!"

" I believed he had done something to me. Blinded my psyche. In truth I was merely afraid. Afraid to say even his name. Even through my own mouth... with my own words... in the real world. I could not even say the name."

"Uncle Tsukioka..."

He faces Niijima now, tears streaming down his eyes, "I am sorry for killing your father. I am sorry for everything. Everything I did, I did believing it would save lives. You must understand."

Denying the truth even until the end. There really was no saving Tsukioka, was there?

But suddenly his body trembles. With rage, with anger, sadness and despair - his veins burst out his skin and his eyes begin bulging. His skin turns purple as sweat rushes down his whole face.

"Tsukioka-san...!?"

"To keep this up any further would be folly - We've consolidated too much power amongst ourselves. I trusted Shido to lead us forward and give rise to the country we needed to become."

I step between him and them, "He would have been a tyrant."

"HE WOULD HAVE BEEN OUR ONE CHANCE!"

"To do what?"

"To become what we need to become! To make the world our own! To finish what had been started decades ago - before the bombs had dropped, and we kowtowed to goddamn foreigner assfuckers who raped our country and tossed it aside like a whore! Only for its leaders to lick at their boots and become fucking business partners instead of taking righteous vengeance!"

My eyes bloom wide. "You're insane. You wanted to start a war...?"

"Shido, and I, and most everyone he'd worked with had wanted this country to take its rightful place as the true dominant power across the world! And now he's fucking comatose! Because of you! You fucking wormshit!"

"Turns out, he's comatose for even better reason than I'd imagined in the first place. You rear echelon motherfucker."

"This country could have become something with Shido, something far grander than anything that had come before, but now that y̶̨̼̿ó̸͉̱̊û̶̻͒ͅr̸̨͔̊̔ ̶̢̺̉f̸̟̺̜̽̿̎ą̷͠t̶̰͉̄̈́̌ḧ̵̜̞́̀e̶̼̽r̸̲̿͠'s running the fucking show!? It will become madness. Ĥ̶͉̈́́ͅe̴̢͝ bears none of Shido's ambitions, and I can assure you h̵̫̊͜e̷͉̼̋͐̐'ll cause catastrophe. Maybe sooner. Maybe later. But h̵̫̊͜e̷͉̼̋͐̐ will upend everything. Come the end of it there won't be a country, let alone a city, left for any of you to change or inspire or conquer. That is why I am telling you every single tiny little fucking thing I know, you ignorant mongrel shits. Because we are all of us dead. If a gang war begins undoubtedly yṏ̸̵̶͓̹͙́̅u̸ͧ̔̒͏͇̲͇͠r̡̲̝̥̽̽̏͟͡ ͯͯͤ͢҉̬̩̗͢f̨̢̞̭̳̃̾̚͢a̧̛̤̠̫̎ͬ͂͘t̬̟̦̆ͤͦ́͢͠h̴͎̭͚ͤͭ̚͟͠e̵̛̻̝̬ͭͬͪ͡r̶̈̑͒͝҉̟͔̜ will - u̫͐͡s̵̼ͨeͮ҉̩ ̨̟̎tͮ҉̙h̰̊͘ȅ͘ͅ ̮ͥ̀e̸̼͑n̻ͣ̀s̬ͬ͘u͇͌̕i̙̋͢n͇͋͟g̴̳̓ ̡̟̾c̼̓͞ḥ̵͂a̔҉̳ò̙͘s̡͔͋ ͓͐́t̰̃͡o͚͑͡ ̙͛͟f̻̓͠ŭ̴̞r̤̍̕t̛̘̾ḧ͈͘e͂҉͈r̞̍͘ ̣̃͢h͖̏͞i̙̋̕s̐͏͔ ̩̆͠p̶͚ͫl͚̎͝a̜ͣ͡n̢̼̽s̯̊͞,͎ͤ́ ͈̐͘ả̷̼ň̢͕d̶̤̊ ̳ͧ͡t̳ͪ͞h̸̫̓eͤ҉̟ ͙ͦ͞ī̡̪n̿͏͇n̔͏̺ǫ̩̃c̥̾͢eͦ҉̱n̲̓͟t̜̎͟s͍̄͢ ̶͍͋y͇͂̀o͎̊͝u͖ͥ͞ ̖͌͡s̘̄́a̡͇̋y̵̿ͅ ̷̼͒y̶̝ͧơ̤̈ṳ̧̚ ̺́̕w̸̮̍a̶̦͛n̙ͧ̀t̸̹̉ ̧̤͐t̷͈ͭo̷̘̅ ̧̮͂š̙̀å̧͕v̛̺̈́é̠́ ̵̭͒s̤͑͡ȍ̱͡ ̯͛̕g̘̈͞o̢̗ͩd̩ͬ͡d̘̍͜a̵͚̔m̈͏̜n̳̈͠ ͈͂͠m̵͇ͧu̷̼ͮc̛̥͋h͕̑̀ ̛̱̓w̬̃͝i͚ͮ͟ḷͪ̕l̤̀͠ ͎̀͡d̷͉̎i̻͋͜eͨ͏̲ ̣̆͝a̝͋̀l̨̥͒ö̴̤n̒͏̬g̷ͬͅ ̤ͤ͟w̷̮͑į̬ͤţ͑ͅh̻̅͠ ̥̑́u̻ͯ́s̬͐̀."

"Does my father just want to kill everyone?"

"Ĥ̶͉̈́́ͅe̴̢͝ - ᴴ̸̦́ᵉ̵̥̄ ̶̤̽ʷ̶͍͂ᵃ̴͕̀ⁿ̴̣͂ᵗ̴͇̏ˢ̶̮̆ ̵̩̓ᶜ̶͙̀ʰ̸̯̓ᵃ̴̤̌ᵒ̷͕̇ˢ̶̠̽ ̸̝͋⁻̵̣̔⁻̵̬̋ ̵͈͐ᵗ̶̟̆ʰ̵̨̀ᵉ̵͖͑ ̶̖͘Sᶜ̸͚̚ʳ̶̭̓ⁱ̷̺̓ᵖ̸͇̊ᵗ̵̘͝ᵘ̸͔̾ʳ̶̯͠ᵉ̶͉͊ˢ̴͚͠ ̶͙̌ᵒ̵̬̏ᶠ̶͘͜ ̴̛͜ᴹ̶͎̾ⁱ̷̯̋ʳ̸͙͂ᵒ̸͚̿ᵏ̸̡̃ᵘ̵̻͂ ̵̝͑⁻̴̺̏⁻̶̖͌ ̶̦͝ᵗ̷̗̈́ʰ̶̭͑ᵉ̸̰͛ʸ̷̲͠ ̶̪͋ᵈ̴̝͛ᵉ̴̖͗ᵐ̵̩̉ᵃ̷͓͠ⁿ̴͕̾ᵈ̶̰͑ ̸̱̆ᵇ̵͎̑ˡ̴͚̾ᵒ̴̓͜ᵒ̵̭͊ᵈ̴̜̋ˢ̴͙̒ʰ̴̹̓ᵉ̷̪͗ᵈ̵̡̒ ̵̮̕ᵃ̶͖̈ⁿ̸̪̄ᵈ̶̢̓ ̸̠͒ᵐ̵̖̔ᵘ̵̱͋ʳ̴̱́ᵈ̵̺̓ᵉ̴̫̌ʳ̴̫͘ ̸̺͘as ̷̞̍ᶠ̷̱̈́ᵃ̷͉̓ʳ̷͉͐ ̴̻̾ᵃ̶͇͘ˢ̸̧̚ ̵̦͒ᵗ̵̼̾ʰ̶͚͋ᵉ̷̬̋ ̷͎̐ᵉ̴̮Eʸ̶̭̏ᵉ̷̤̓ ̴͎̈́ᶜ̵͇̇ᵃ̶̰̀ⁿ̸̲̒ ̷̬Sᵉ̷̭͛ᵉ̷̱̊‧̶̨͑"

I can't hear much. Chaos. Scriptures. Far as the eye can see. Everything else is garbled. "Why would my father want that? What does he gain from it?"

"He - ̴̻ͯh̨̜ͥȩ̭̔ ̞̉͠-"

His face is sagging. Eyes bulging out his head. Every orifice bleeding, skull collapsing to pieces.

Everyone outside of myself and the cat is horrified, even though this miser is a monstrous weaselly fuck who deserves neither sentiment nor sympathy. Niijima's concern makes sense but it's unwarranted. This man would never for her safety show the fear she does for his. "Tsukioka-san...!"

"W̧a̭k͞a̰bḁ̴̆ ͭI̜s̸̜̆s̖h̵̉îk͞i'͏s ̛̥ͭr̰̂es͏e̵aȓ͞ch̗.͏..̗̊ co̭ǹta҉̤in͈s̏͏ ťhe̸ ̹͢ã̸n̨̰̂s͈w҉̖ȩrs ̮ŷ̥͞ò҉u̴̯ ̧s̗̏e̸ęk̎҉̭.̱ ҉̣F̜i̵nd̵ ̧̂tĥe͢ ̇͏͈S̴̎c̏ͅr̛ip̧̗tu͂rȩ̂s̍ ̨ͅỏ҉f͂ ҉M͢ĩ̵̥ro̬k͏u̩.҉̤ ̵̜Ḏ̛ḙ̊͞s̵̹c̵ ȇ̴̹n̸d̛ ̱͗th̴e̊ ̸̑ḓ̨e̎҉pt̛̜h҉s ȯf̥͢ ṯh̊͢e ͞h͏uͅm͞ͅân̰͢ h̉eǎ̸r̤t͈.̊ ̴̹Y̬oͅų̤̏ ̵̇mus̤̊t̨̩.͏.̛̜̂.̧̋ ҉f͢i̵͂n̴ḑ̰͂.̉҉̖.̵͗.̯ ̸̱̑t͂h̵ë ̸s͏̹oủ̧rce ̧ô͏f̈ ̩̑t̜̑h̸e ḋi̬s̩t̜ortĭ̱on̮͞.̧̮.̸̏.̧ͅ"̨̉

Blood's overflowing, swallowing everything in ten feet of the man. He shouts now, so loudly we're able to hear most of it through the warbling. It is a move that almost utterly destroys him right on the spot, causes him to gush red in bucketfuls and his skull to divide.

"TSUKIOKA-SAN!"

"T̛̺̈́Ḧ͏͙E̡̗͛ ̛̙͛-̘̑͢ ͉̏̕S̩ͮ̀C̤ͨ́R̖̃͡Į̟ͥP͈̓͘Tͤ҉͔U̵̙ͬR̥̂͜Ĕ̴̫S̪ͫ͡ ͕ͬ̀-̵̩ͭ ̸͎͆O̸͓͋F̬̀͘ ̨̪̎-̓͏͉M̧͓ͦI̳ͩ́-̫̂͞Ṟ̸͊Ő̡̙-ͯ҉̟K̛͓̽U͊͏͉. F̡̤̿Ì̯͝N̦̐́Ḍ̸ͧ ̣ͣ͘T̄҉͍H͎̋͢Ę̺̇M̨̞̓.̶̮ͩ T̛̙̏H̟ͮ͡E̗͆͢Yͣ͏͍ ̔҉̭S̶̥̈́P̠̋͜E͋҉̝Ã̸͖K̦͆́ ̛͙̒O̵̗ͭF̸̮̆ ̷̝ͨT́҉̠H̹͌̀E͌҉̹ ̞̓͠E̐҉̜Ň̥́D͚ͨ͞ ͎ͦ͟A̹ͥ͟N̛̙̄D̹ͭ͢ ̷̹̐Tͦ͏̜H͔̀͝E̪͆͟ ̬̾͡B̶̫̓È̛̦G̳̋͝I̼ͪ͜N̨͈ͧN̷͈̔I̗̒͘N͑҉̪G͑҉͙,̷͉̚ ̢̩̆O̬ͯ̕F̭ͣ͘ ̏҉̣E̖ͦ͘V̢̲͆E͙͊͢R͌҉̱Ŷ̡͙T̛̳ͨH̸̎ͅI̬̒͠N̷̗ͪG̴̝̀!̣ͬ̀"

I grab him by his shoulders and transmit a Victory Cry to him, for he is useless to us dead. Yet he still bleeds and foams. His head is still on the verge of collapse. Victory Cry is a full heal but this man is still wounded, and still speaks as if his vocal cords are corroded.

He grabs me by the collar of my robes, pulls me close and tells me through gritted teeth and a distorted voice, "Ȉ̸͎ ̴̩̉h̶̙̔a̵͔̋v̸̠̓é̴̦.̶̛̝.̶͇͘.̴̥͂ ̴̘̊Ṁ̵ͅe̷͎̍M̴̖͂o̴̺͗R̶̪̆i̸͚͑Ȅ̷͜Ś̷̥.̶̓ H̸e̷ ̷k̶i̸l̵l̷e̷d̴ ̴m̵y̸ ̸s̷o̵n̸.̶ ̵H̴e̴ ̷k̶i̷l̵l̶e̷d̸ ̴m̶y̸ ̵l̴i̵t̴t̴l̴e̶ ̶b̵o̸y̴.̵ ̶M̸y̷ ̷p̸o̸o̷r̵ ̷H̴a̵r̷u̷t̶o̴.̷ ̶I̵ ̶d̸i̵d̸n̶'̴t̸ ̷k̶n̴o̵w̷ ̴i̸t̶ ̶w̶a̸s̵ ̴p̶o̵s̴s̶i̴b̴l̶e̵ ̷t̴o̵ ̸f̶i̷g̵h̷t̸ ̵h̴i̷m̷ ̴u̸n̷t̶i̵l̸ ̵I̷ ̵m̴e̶t̴ ̷y̵o̸u̴.̷ ̵K̴i̴l̶l̸ ̷h̸i̸m̸.̶ ̷K̶i̵l̴l̷ ̵h̷i̵m̸.̶ ̶K̸i̸l̷l̴ ̷h̴i̶m̶.̶"

BOOM.

We hear it. We feel it, where we are now. Ground beneath our feet trembles and the earth itself groans.

"What the hell was that?" Sakamoto blurts out, and we turn to Tsukioka for answers, but he seems just as lost as we do.

No, that's wrong.

He knows exactly what's come. "̷̢͗N̵̜͝ò̸̝.̸͇̔"̴̹̐

"Oh God," cat suddenly blurts out.

"What's wrong?"

"̸N̴o̴.̴ ̸N̶o̴,̴ ̶t̵h̸i̸s̵ ̸c̵a̴n̶'̴t̴ ̵b̴e̵-̸"̷

"Tsukioka!"

"T̴̩͛h̷̼̀e̷͔̕y̵̠̔'̶̦̌v̶̻̈ê̴̪ ̶͕̀c̴̮͋o̶̳̐m̵͖̿e̸͖͌ ̷͙̓h̷̬́è̷͚r̸̤͗ȇ̴̯ ̴̙͠t̶̝͂o̵̺͘ ̷̩͋-̴̛͈ ̵̫͂n̶͎͋ȯ̶͔.̸͎͛.̸̢̏.̷̧̿!̶͚̐ Ř̸͕Û̴̟N̷̪̍!̴͚̑ ̵̣͝Á̸͍L̵͓͒Ḷ̴͒ ̶̧̑O̷̭̚F̷̳͛ ̷̨̈Y̷̠͊Ö̸̱́U̸̜̍,̶̪̄ ̵̺͑R̵̞̀U̵̮̓N̶̙͆!̸̹͋ R̷̨̟͒Ṵ̷̵̌N̷̸̞̚,̷̷̷̗ͪ͢ ̷ͯ҉̷ͅM̷̷̼ͥ͡Å̷̴ͅK̷̷̙̀O̷̷̲ͬT̷̷̢̞ͣO̷̓҉̷̙-̷̸̞̅C̷̋҉̷̳H̷̯̐͜Ȧ̷̡͉N̷̷̞͑!̷̷̸͇ͣ ̸͙̇R̷̢̘̋Ú̷̘N̷̷̥ͤ͞!̷̱̆͠"̷̡̙̿

"What's happening!?"

Sakura's goggles gleam red as she declares, "I'm picking up - wait, what!?"

"Do you see many things that feel like they're the same!?" cries the cat.

"Yeah, yeah I do! I see - God, there's dozens of them! One being, a lot of persons! What's going on!?"

"Shadows?" Akechi blurts out.

"No, not Shadows. This is a Persona-user. Someone else has come into the Palace."

BOOM, CRASH, THRASH-

Whole world screams as earthquakes come every which way. We hear the screams of the damned, Shadows and Manikins alike burning and being shredded. Windows crashing, stone pillars coming undone. The books on the walls start falling down as the shelves creak and groan and shudder. Tsukioka's crumpling in himself, screaming with a distorted voice as his whole body stretches into hellish formations.

"They're like you, Kazuya," Cat turns to me, eyes wide with horror. "Very much like you. They're a Wild Card. And they're here."

Shijima is here.

"What in the name of God...?" Akechi mutters, sounding perhaps scared for the first time since I've known him. "This is..."

"You can't fight them, Kazuya! This one person's too strong, even for you all at once!" Cat cries.

"It's true! She'll kill all of us if we stay!" Sakura blurts.

"She?"

"She feels like a she! I dunno how to explain it!"

"Then we'd better get moving-"

Suddenly the wall next to us bursts right open, stone and rubble nearly flying down upon us.

There we see a twenty-foot tall, burly figure standing in the opened way. He bears a bright gold horned helmet, a flowing white cape over his shoulders, and golden armor along his torso. White gloves and white boots - an icy glare with freezing blue eyes. A hammer in his hand, one that could shatter the skies themselves.

Thor.

It happens so quickly Maruki's unable to get a full word out - just enough to say "Suku-" and nothing else. None of us are in range of the hammer itself when it comes crashing down, but we are in range of the ensuing shockwave. If what I feel now is of any indication my insides are all liquefied, rippling from front to back. If I landed into any wall behind me I'd be splattered all over. And when I pull myself upward I realize why none of us were in range at all.

Hideyoshi Tsukioka's Shadow had transformed, its ensuing massive size bursting us out of the way. His massive head is caved in, his teeth all shredded and falling, his eyes bulging out his head as the hammer sinks further into his cranium. Bleeding profusely, everywhere - brain crushed to the point of mulch. Everything he is and once was, flattened. Instant kill. Team and I had to pile on to put him down but just one blow from one Persona sent him straight down to Hell. Immediately his body begins fading - like Kamoshida's had, like Kaneshiro's had. The Palace begins trembling, the ceiling falling right upon us here and now.

"UNCLE TSUKIOKA!"

Niijima cries and weeps but I pull her back, "Niijima we have to go!"

A thousand more smashes from the hammer, each producing a bolt of lightning.

And we run. We run as fast and as far as we can, and we never look back, as the whole world begins its collapse.

I know last chapter was all uplifting and shit. But come on, this is me! Did you really think I'd leave you hanging for three whole weeks to give you something as unrewarding as an assurance that everything's gonna be okay?

Now. Onto the chapter.

Kazuya telling everyone the truth about his Kingdom was something I hadn't even planned on, or did I think Maruki would explain his powers to Kazuya so early on. But the more I thought about it the more it made sense. Kazuya needed to show that he is indeed trying his damnedest to do right by everyone else, and it would be fucking horrible for him to lie to them about it. Likewise Maruki wants to show that he trusts Kazuya as a person. As for the further examinations of his Kingdom, we'll delve into that as we go along.

One of the things I tried to do for this story was establish how deeply connected each organization was to each other - in the original game, the twist that all the Palace Rulers were in some way connected to Shido felt jarring. Like they just threw that bit of trivia in there to establish Shido's breadth of power. I wanted to establish that early on, and use that as the basis for everyone's pursuit of the Palace Rulers. Rather than the connections falling in their lap, the team have to actively work to find these connections and nip them.

Is Tsukioka dead? Probably, yeah. Is the team screwed? Obviously. How will they get out of this mess? Find out next chapter. See you next time!