A/N: For those who missed it, the last chapter got an edit that slightly changed the ending. Re-read it if you haven't already!

"... I told you. I'm a friend."

For a moment, Yu and the pair of kids stared each other down. Clearly disliking the pause, Sakamoto took a step forward, pointing accusingly at Yu.

"A friend? Yeah right. Then what's with the weird note in my bag? Didja send that?"

Honesty will buy me more goodwill than any deception.

Yu nodded. "I did. I'm sorry for the subterfuge, but I had to be sure you were actually capable of reaching this place."

Behind Sakamoto, the cloaked figure stepped forward. Yu stared at him, trying to place the oddly dressed guy. A little shorter than Sakamoto; Another student? Black curly hair was still visible, even if the mask hid his face. He recalled back to the day before, a second student who had been alongside Sakamoto. It was hard to compare the slouched, demure student from then to this confident rogue that stood before him, but it was the most likely comparison. The fact he was wearing such strange clothing was probably a confirmation that he was the Persona user, not Sakamoto.

Which means I'm an idiot.

The cloaked kid walked right up to him, meeting his gaze.

"'This Place'? Do you know what this castle is?"

It was phrased as a question, not an accusation. Perhaps they genuinely didn't know?

There's too much I don't know about them.

Yu took a step back from the kid. "How exactly did you two get in here?"

The blonde haired student shook his head violently. "Nu uh. You don't just go asking us all these questions after you put a freaking shady note in my bag. Who are you? For real this time!"

The truth is too complicated, but a lie will backfire in the long term.

Yu sighed. "I… Let's just say I'm an old hand at this sort of thing. Yes, I know what this place is. I understand how it works. I understand about Personas."

He carefully observed the look of recognition that passed over Sakamoto's face, who nudged his stoic companion next to him.

So they know about Personas. Makes sense, seeing as that other kid is wearing the sort of crazy clothes this place forces you into. Is he aware of the velvet room, then? Has Igor contacted him? I need to phrase this next part carefully.

"I am also aware you two somehow found your way in here yesterday. I want to know how, and why. Most people go their whole life never seeing a shadow world."

Sakamoto frowned. "A Shadow… World?"

"That's what I call these places. But that's off topic. Before I explain anything else, I need to know how the two of you got in here, along with some further details about what happened the last time you came in. If you tell me that, I'll answer some of your questions."

The two kids exchanged looks with each other, clearly thinking it over. Sakamoto grimaced.

"Whaddya think, Kurisu? Do we tell him?"

Both Yu and the cloaked student facepalmed simultaneously.

Is that the other kid's name? What a moron.

The older persona-user crossed his arms. "Okay, I'll tell you this one for free; Keep your names to yourself. You never know who's listening in."

Sakamoto paused for a second, before realisation flashed across his face. "Wha- Oh, shit. Crap, sorry man."

The cloaked student, or 'Kurisu' as he was apparently known, sighed deeply. "It's okay. Just be more careful".

"Yeah."

Tapping his companion on the shoulder, Kurisu took another step forward to once again stand right in front of Yu. He slid his hands back into his deep jacket pockets.

"Alright. We can talk."

Success!

Outwardly, Yu nodded. "Alright then. Start with how you got in here."

Wordlessly, the kid reached into his trenchcoat and pulled out a smartphone. As he powered it on, Yu could see the pulsing red icon of the Metaverse Navigator. He nodded, pulling out his own phone.

"The navigator. Let me guess; It just showed up on your phone one day."

The kid nodded back, expression hidden behind his mask.

I got that app from Igor. Overwhelming odds are that he got it from the old man too.

Yu powered his phone on, showing the identical red app in return. "Well, it's a curious phenomenon isn't it? It's like there's someone just giving it away to people. No matter how much you try, it can't be removed. Whoever's the one that sent it to us must be a real long-nosed character, huh?"

He stared directly into Kurisu's eyes, and caught a glimpse of recognition. The boy gave a small nod of understanding to him, but no verbal acknowledgement. That didn't surprise Yu. Back when Igor had pestered him for the entirety of the investigation of his youth, he had never told any of his friends about the strange velvet room. Only after the journey was complete had he spilled some details. There was something about the strange room between realities that made you want to keep it a secret; not that anyone would believe you if you told them. If Kurisu wanted to keep it quiet from Sakamoto, he could play along. But it confirmed things.

He's met Igor. Igor gave him the app. It's him. This time, for sure. This Kurisu kid had got to be the wild card.

He wished that more of his analysis had been spent on the dark haired kid. Most of his thought had been put onto Sakamoto, and so he knew barely anything about Kurisu. He was Sakamoto's friend, that was about all. Hopefully, there would be a chance to learn a little more now.

Sakamoto shuffled his feet, awkward at the sudden quiet. "I dunno what you're talking about, but we told you what you wanted. Now you've gotta answer our questions!"

Yu took a deep breath, nodding.

I promised you I'd help guide them, Igor. I'll do my best.

"Alright. Ask away."

"... And so that's what a Shadow Self is. It's not the real Kamoshida, but a distorted reflection of his deep subconsciousness. Does that make sense?"

Yu let out a deep breath, watching the two kids mull over his lecture. More than twenty minutes of back and forth later, he was exhausted with all the questions. What's a shadow world? What's cognition? How do you get a Persona? What is a Persona? Does the government know about this place? How did you find out about it?

Some answers, some ignorance, and a few lies. But that should be a good enough crash course for them to be satisfied, I hope.

In front of him, Sakamoto nodded from his crouched position. About halfway through his lecture, the kid had taken a seat on the cobbles. From the confused look in his eyes, Yu wondered how much had actually sunk in.

"Uh, yeah, I got a question. What woulda happened to us yesterday if, like, Kamoshida had actually… you know, killed us."

Yu shrugged. "Firstly, you would have died. Injury in this world is just as real as in reality. As to what would happen to your body, I'm unsure. In my time, your corpse would eventually be expelled back into the real world, discovered with no obvious wounds, a cold case that would be abandoned within two months. This place, however, may be different. It could be that your corpse stays in here forever, and the police assume you simply disappeared."

Sakamoto hung his head. "Shit. Then we got pretty lucky, huh?"

"From what little you've told me, yes, you were. Honestly, part of the reason I contacted you was to ensure you didn't try to go back into the castle. It's far too dangerous."

Kurisu tilted his head. "How exactly did you find out we came in here?"

An extradimensional dwarf told me, and the fact I'm spying on you at school. Neither of those sound good.

"... I know this isn't going to sound good, but for now you'll just have to trust that I have sources. We've just met. No offence, but I don't want to tell the two of you too much. If you go blabbing to other people, it'd put me in a bad spot."

Sakamoto scowled. "We wouldn't!"

"Sure, probably not on purpose. The same way you didn't mean to tell me Kurisu's name, right? Even a small slip up could have consequences for all of us. What I've told you today already puts me slightly at risk."

That seemed to shut the blonde up. Yu pushed himself off the door, gesturing to the large archway they had come in from.

Take things slowly. Introduce them to parts of the Shadow World one step at a time. I'm still not sure what Igor wants this Wild Card to do with his power, but I'm sure we can find out with time. For now, send them home.

"I think I've given you enough for today. You guys leave first. It should put you back to wherever you entered from. I'll leave later, so we don't have to run into each other in the real world. Eventually, I'll contact you again when it's a good time to meet up."

Sakamoto looked up at him, frowning. "That's it? You're just gonna send us away, after going through all the trouble of bringing us here?"

"I've told you everything I'm comfortable with, for now. If you want to know more, I can give it to you later. Go home. Keep up with school. Stay out of this place until I contact you."

That sent the blonde jumping back to his feet, anger clear on his face. "Hey, don't go treating us like a couple of kids! We didn't just come here for you, ya know!"

That set Yu on edge. "Then why are you here?"

"We're here for that Castle! There's-"

Sakamoto was cut off by Kurisu laying a hand on his shoulder and shaking his head. The pair fell silent, staring Yu down. Clearly, they weren't going to tell him anything more.

They've got their own plans? They want to go into the castle?

Yu crossed his arms. "Hey, listen. I'm not trying to treat you like kids. I'm trying to keep the two of you alive. Weren't you listening? If you go in there, there's no guarantee you come back out. Sakamoto, you don't even have a Persona. You're a sitting duck for all the Shadows."

The student looked down at the ground. "I can't just ignore it! That bastard-"

Once again, Kurisu jabbed his friend in the side to shut him up. The cloaked figure took a step forward past Yu, towards the large double doors.

"You leave first. We don't need your help."

Yu thought back to the literal army of shadowy knights that lay within the castle. Its vast halls, nearly completely unexplored. How he had almost met his end, just a few days before.

If those kids go in there alone, they're dead for sure.

His promise to Igor echoed around in his head. He would hardly be much of a guide if he let them forge ahead alone, would he?

But going alongside them is far too much of a risk. Hell, to summon a Persona here you've got to take off the mask! It's practically telling them who I am. Then they go back to the real world, Sakamoto blabs to all his friends, and everything falls apart.

Behind him, the pair were busy pushing and pulling on the pair of double doors, which were securely fastened in place.

"Maybe there's another way in? Let's check that spot we escaped outta last time."

They stepped away from the door, walking around the edge of the giant castle wall. Yu stood frozen in place, caught in the stasis of his decision.

Damn it, Igor.

He turned to face the departing duo. "Wait."

They turned back to face him, Sakamoto scowling at him.

"Whaddya want? You're not changing our minds."

Yu sighed. "Clearly. I guess I'll just have to come along for the ride, then."

"Huh?"

"You heard me. There's one thing you had right; I didn't go through all the work of bringing the two of you here for nothing. If you'll have me, I intend to help. At the very least, to make sure nothing bad happens to the two of you."

Sakamoto continued making a face. "Yeah? I already said we don't need you. Right, Kurisu?"

The masked student paused for a moment in apparent contemplation, before shaking his head. "No. If he wants to come and help, we should let him."

"Huh?!"

"The last time we went in there, we nearly died. I hate to admit it, but if we're serious about getting evidence from that place, we need someone who knows what they're doing."

Sakamoto groaned, leaning back. "Ughhh. I… I guess, if you say so" He spun back to face Yu. "Alright, you can come. But I ain't gonna have you bossing us around. We're here for our own reasons, so you just stay back and answer questions, got it?"

Yu held up his hands. "Fully understood. Am I allowed to ask exactly what is so worth risking your life for?"

Kurisu continued to walk around the outer wall of the castle, Sakamoto joining him after a moment. Yu followed behind, waiting for an answer. Eventually, Sakamoto looked back at him.

"We're looking for evidence that Kamoshida's a piece of shit."

What?

"Care to elaborate?"

"It's what I said. Kamoshida's been abusing his power in the school for years. He… He's done all kinds of shit. When we were in here last time, I saw some students all tied up in cells. I'm here to get them out, an' then use it as proof to get rid of that bastard."

Yu carefully thought over what had just been said. Students? Likely, those were cognitions. He already had a theory about the general form that this Shadow World had taken, and if there were students in 'cages', as the kid was putting it, those likely also played into it. As for the other stuff… it was hard to immediately say. The existence of a shadow, and the size of the palace, might correlate to Kamoshida having issues in real life. But then again, it could also be the case that the teacher was relatively normal, the castle a distortion of his true thoughts, and this was just a typical teenage opinion that all adults were against them.

For now, just follow along and make sure they don't do anything stupid. I can reserve judgement for when I know more.

"Very well. What's your plan?"

They came around a corner, a mossy patch of wall that was dimly lit beneath the crimson sky. There, barely visible, was a small hole in the wall that Yu assumed to be a ventilation shaft of some kind. Kurisu pointed up to it.

"It's still open from last time. That's probably our way in."

Yu cocked his head. "Last time?"

"This is how we escaped the last time we came in. I think it should be relatively safe."

Yu peered at the small gap. There was no way to tell what exactly was on the other side of it. He strode forward, gauging how high of a jump it would be.

"I'll go first then."

Before they could complain, he leaped up and got a handhold on the outer edge, clambering up and into the small hole.

"Hey, wait!"

He heard Sakamoto try to jump up behind him, failing the first jump with a grunt of pain and a few curses. Yu ignored him, crawling forward towards the light at the end of the passage. It sloped down slightly, before suddenly dropping away to an opening. Peering out, Yu saw that it opened up into a medium sized, dimly lit storage room filled with stacked tables and chairs. Something about the room looked familiar, but Yu put it out of his mind. He looked back, seeing that Sakamoto and Kurisu had made it up and were approaching behind.

"This room looks clear. Come down, stay quiet."

He edged forwards and swung his feet out of he hole, pushing out and then landing in a crouch. His knees protested, making him wince slightly. It was something he had to keep track of now, that his body was starting to accumulate aches and pains. Ignoring it, he scurried forward to the single door that led out of the room. It was slightly ajar, allowing him to gently pull it open further and peek out into the corridor beyond.

"Ouaaaagh!"

Yu snapped back around, seeing Sakamoto lying in a heap on the ground, apparently having failed the dismount from the passage. The kid was muttering and cursing under his breath, rubbing at his knee.

"Quiet! You want to bring every shadow in the castle right to us?!"

The kid grunted, struggling to his feet. "Shit. I'm sorry."

Yu sighed as Kurisu landed in a catlike crouch beside his friend, seemingly totally at ease moving around in the sleek overcoat that the castle had put him into. Turning away from the duo, he resumed leering out into the corridor. Left, then right, then left again. There was no trace of any knights, nor the telltale clanking echoes of their footfalls. Cautiously, he stepped through the door. Still nothing.

"I think this immediate area might be relatively empty. If we're quiet, we could be able to avoid conflict entirely. Do you know where you're going to look?"

Kurisu nodded as he helped Sakamoto to his feet. "The dungeons, right?"

The blonde nodded, dusting himself off. "Yeah. That's where we saw all those cages before."

Yu withdrew The Blade from his coat, feeling more comfortable with it in hand. "Do you know how to get back there?"

Kurisu strode out the door and past him down the corridor. "Follow my lead."

"If you say so."

Sakamoto echoed his confirmation. "Yeah, lead the way man."

The cloaked student began a careful march down the corridor. His footfalls were fast, yet didn't leave much of an echo with their careful placement. The kid was a natural, it seemed. Yu followed, Sakamoto close behind. After a brief moment, they came around a corner and into a familiar room.

Sakamoto crossed his arms. "We came through this way when we went in the front, right?"

Sure enough, they were back in the enormous lobby room. Giant marble pillars, elaborate red velvet draping from the ceiling, and of course the enormous gaudy painting of 'King Kamoshida' that dominated the wall above the stairs. As Yu took in the room, for a brief moment it seemed to warble. No longer was he standing in the ornate castle lobby, but instead in the ordinary, muted white entrance hall of Shujin Academy. As quickly as the distortion appeared, it vanished and he was back in the red and gold of the castle.

Sakamoto gasped. "What the… I was sein' double or something just now! Was that Shujin?"

Yu nodded, connecting the dots in his mind. "Of a sort. As I said, this place is a distortion born from Kamoshida's mind. The castle IS the school, viewed through the lens of Kamoshida's deep cognition. Occasionally, that veil drops."

"So that bastard sees Shujin as his personal castle, huh?"

"It's one possible interpretation. Regardless, we don't have time to linger. A shadow knight could emerge at any time. Kurisu, which way?"

Kurisu pointed to a side door on the other side of the hall. "That's where we came from last time. It leads down into the dungeons."

"Lead the way."

The group hurried across the wide hall, their quiet footfalls still echoing through the chamber. Yu thought back to the huge collection of guards that had ambushed him in here before, and wondered what exactly had happened to them. Where were they? Had they been pulled to a different part of the castle? What exactly was so important to be guarding that this front entrance would be left totally unoccupied? He pushed the thought out of his mind as they began to descend a narrow spiral staircase, going deeper and deeper. As they did, he looked back to Sakamoto.

"As a reminder, if you don't have a Persona everything that hits you in here is going to hurt like the real thing. If we get into any fights, you should stay back behind us."

The kid looked slightly dejected. "Yeah… Yeah. I got it."

Ahead, Kurisu reached the bottom of the staircase and tiptoed through the stone archway that led forward. Yu followed, beginning to hear the curious sound of flowing water. Coming out into a larger room, he spied the source. The room was an extremely long, cavernous hall that for some reason had an entire miniature river flowing through the middle of it. Perhaps this was the source of the large moat outside? Either side of the river had a narrow cobbled pathway that allowed you to travel along either edge. Kurisu took a few steps forward, before suddenly diving back to the archway for cover and laying a hand in front of Yu to prevent him from moving ahead.

"What?"

Wordlessly, Kurisu pointed far ahead on the path. Peering at his gesture, Yu suddenly caught sight of a familiar armoured form. It was a shadow knight, quietly moving up and down the pathway. It's clanking footfalls obscured by the gushing of the river, its dark armour blended in well to the dim torch sconces that lit the room. Yu cursed quietly under his breath. It was too good to assume they wouldn't meet any resistance, but it was still something he would have preferred to avoid.

"Are you sure there's no other way around?"

Kurisu shook his head. "Not that I'm aware. Wandering around looking for one sounds just as risky."

Yu nodded in agreement. "Then it will have to be a fight. Kids, this is the last chance we have to pull back."

Sakamoto shook his head. "Hell no! We didn't come this far to turn back now."

Kurisu nodded in silent agreement. Yu sighed, crouching down low.

These kids are going to be the death of me.

"Alright then. I'll teach you one of the most important parts of surviving in a Shadow World; Always get the ambush on your enemy. You got a weapon, Kurisu?"

The student reached into his coat and withdrew a small, elegant knife. Yu knew better than to ask where he had gotten it from, recalling how Youske had likewise managed to acquire weapons back in their youth.

"That'll do. Here's the plan. You and I sneak up behind him. I'll let you take the surprise attack. Stab into it from behind, then I'll launch an attack from my Persona. The two of us together should be able to take it out before it has a chance to fight back."

Kurisu nodded. "Got it. I'll lead. Ryuji, you should stay here."

Ryuji? A first name. More information they're carelessly dropping.

'Ryuji' sighed deeply before nodding. "Yeah. That makes sense."

With that affirmation, Akira crept out from the cover of the archway and began a swift yet silent dash for a nearby collection of barrels that occupied some of the path. Peering ahead, Yu could see there was a variety of options for cover that could get them to their target. Stacked boxes, wooden support pillars, carved statues of King Kamoshida. The question was, would Kurisu be able to find the path?

It's a learning experience. This isn't how I wanted to teach them, but I suppose a trial by fire is how it's going to be. If things go south, we have an exit route.

Up ahead, the Shadow Knight was mindlessly wandering up and down the path. Each time its back became turned, Kurisu dashed forward to another piece of cover, expertly timing his movement in sync with the knight's distraction. Yu kept pace one step behind him, observing the kid's actions. It was unusual for a supposed high school student to have this level of dexterity and precision. Was this a part of his 'role' in the shadow worlds? His clothes made him look like a dexterous gentleman thief type. Belief led to reality here. Perhaps it was filling in the skill gap? Ahead of him, Kurisu pressed himself against one of the support pillars, right behind the shadow knight. Wordlessly, he held up three fingers to Yu. Then two. Then one.

Go time.

The cloaked student dashed out from his cover and leaped right at the knight. Before it had a chance to respond he jabbed his knife right into the chink in its armour, making it cry out in pain with a spasm. Before it could turn, Yu dashed forth from his cover and put a hand up to the heavy glasses that covered his face.

Neither of them are looking. The flames should obscure my face anyway.

Pulling them free, he felt power surge alongside the familiar blue flames.

"Come forth, Vergil!"

His newfound persona burst into being beside him, already swinging its large blade in an overhead cleave. Yu stabbed out with the Blade of Totsuka into the Shadow's rear knee, piercing it with a burst of crimson that sent it stumbling onto all fours. Completely exposed, Vergil's blade cleaved right into its neck, slicing it clean off with a single stroke. The knight burst into crimson mist, quickly fading away. Beside him, Kurisu tucked his knife away.

"Is that your Persona?"

Yu hastily replaced his glasses, allowing vergil to fade. "Yes."

That seemed to be all the kid wanted to know. Sakamoto jogged up behind them.

"Woah! That was crazy. You guys took that thing out instantly!"

Yu nodded. "Remember this. If you get the drop on an enemy, chances are they go down before they get a chance to fight back. But the same can be said for you- whatever happens, don't let them be the ones to spring an ambush."

He looked around the large passage. "Where to next?"

Kurisu was already moving, crossing a wooden bridge at the end of the passage that linked to the other side of the river.

"The dungeon cages are just up ahead."

Yu followed, noticing that the bridge had chains and winches making it capable of being raised or lowered. Completing the crossing and ducking down a short hallway, they entered into a large room lined on one side entirely with prison bars. Beyond them were tiny cells, filled with all manner of ancient looking torture devices.

"Is this the place?"

Behind him, Sakamoto growled. "Yeah, but… Why ain't anyone here?"

Sure enough, the cells were completely empty. Yu spun a slow circle, taking in the room. The other wall had a few closed oaken doors that led god knows where, and at the far side of the room another narrow corridor sloped down to also god knows where. There was no indication that there had ever been prisoners in this room, let alone where they had been moved to.

Sakamoto looked up, pointing at the corridor further down. "Oh yeah, there were more of them further in too…"

With that he took off, running towards the corridor.

"Don't rush ahead!"

Sakamoto only slightly slowed his step, still approaching the corridor and peering down it.

Yu sighed, turning to face Kurisu. "It seems this isn't going to work out. We should leave, before any guards find us. I know that this is important to the two of you, but it's genuinely incredibly dangerous. Especially with him around" He gestured to Sakamoto.

Kurisu stood silent, seemingly mulling things over. Before he could answer, Sakamoto let out a yelp and jumped away from the corridor.

"Crap, I hear footsteps comin'! Lots of 'em!"

Yu immediately jumped into action. Run? If the footsteps were already audible, that might be too late. Guards could already be coming in from the path they had just ventured down as well. That left another option-

Hide.

Yu tested one of the large oaken doors, feeling it rattle uselessly. Locked. Slightly panicking, he moved along to the next one. This one shifted, the door opening up to a room beyond.

"Quick, both of you. In here."

The students didn't have to be asked twice, rushing into the room beyond. Yu joined them before shutting the door, spinning around to observe where they had put themselves into. It was small, a collection of crates stacked in one corner with a large oaken table taking up most of the space. The room felt… Familiar, in some ways. A feeling of security, safety. Where had he felt this before?

It's just like those strange butterflies…

Back in Inaba, when in the depths of various shadow worlds, there had occasionally been places of reprieve. They had always been accompanied by strange blue butterflies. He had never fully understood it, but while in those places the Shadows never attacked, and it had been a brief moment to recover before resuming their journey. This small room felt similar. It lacked the oppressive pressure of the rest of the castle.

"I think they won't follow us here."

Beside him, Ryuji leaned heavily against the wall, gasping and panting for breath. "How can you tell?"

"It's hard to explain. This area feels less… Distorted, I suppose is the right word. Even in the depths of someone's cognition, there are places the mind doesn't see. Blind spots. I don't think the Shadows can get in here."

Yu put his ear to the door, able to hear large amounts of clanking footsteps in the room beyond. Muffled voices, none that he could clearly make out. All he could do was hope they wouldn't check this spot, but he felt strangely confident in his assumption. He stepped away, turning to face the two kids.

"We should stay here until they leave. Take a minute to rest, you two. When they're gone, we can make a break for it back to the entrance and get out of here."

Sakamoto frowned. "What? We're gonna give up now, just 'cuz they've been moved? No way, right Akira?"

The cloaked student seemed deep in thought. Yu resumed putting his ear to the door, trying to listen for their movements. Suddenly, the voices became more clear. Had they moved closer to the door? Yu listened in with a dry mouth.

"Hmm, I thought I overheard something. I guess it was nothing."

"Why would there be? We already moved the slaves to the training hall."

"True. I suppose they'll be screaming in pain by now. We should get back to guarding that."

The footsteps slowly started to move away, leaving only silence. Yu stepped back from the door. Sakamoto crossed his arms, clearly anxious.

"Well? What's goin' on?"

"They're moving away."

I could just not tell them the rest. Get them out of here while we have a chance.

But that would not be true to your oath, would it?

Yu sighed. "And… They mentioned something about 'slaves' being moved to a 'training room'. I assume that's further down the corridor they came from."

Sakamoto pumped his fist. "Yeah, see! They're still here. We just gotta go a little further, that's all."

"It should be Kurisu's decision. He's the other Persona user here. You should know that I'm personally against it, but since I know the two of you don't particularly care what I think, I'll follow your lead."

Sakamoto turned to face his friend. "Come on, Akira. We're so close to bringin' this bastard down. Once we get evidence, there's no way he's gonna be able to stay in the school."

Yu shook his head. "I understand you really don't like Kamoshida, but don't let your emotions cloud your judgement. It's your lives at stake here."

Kurisu looked up at him, his eyes resolute behind the mask. "We go forward."

Yu sighed as Sakamoto let out a cheer. He opened the door a crack, able to see that the room beyond was now empty. Stepping out, he spun a slow circle to confirm it.

"If you two insist. The room looks clear, at least. We… Might be able to go forward. Keep to the shadows" He glared at Sakamoto "Keep your voice low."

The blonde made a motion of zipping his mouth shut, which Yu had absolutely zero confidence in. Kurisu walked past him, falling in a stealthy prowl as he approached the sloping corridor. The youth gestured for the two of them to follow.

"There's no point in waiting. Ryuji, if things get bad, we run. Promise me that."

"Yeah, for sure."

That's reassuring, at least.

Yu fell into step behind Kurisu, Sakamoto right behind him. The passage went down, even deeper than they already were. How far could they go? The structure of this castle barely made any sense. The passage twisted and turned, spiraling around deeper and deeper. Eventually, after nearly a minute of walking, it straightened out again into a direct corridor. Kurisu peeked around the corner, then quickly pulled back. He turned to face Yu, his voice barely a whisper.

"There's a door, but it's guarded by two of them. They're looking straight down the passage."

In other words, no chance of a sneak attack. Which meant it would have to be a straight fight, the exact sort that Yu didn't want to take. Unless…

"Alright. It's time for lesson number two. All shadows have a weakness. Your Persona, what kind of moves can it bring out?"

Kurisu seemed to consider it for a moment. "Darkness. Something called 'Eiha'."

That didn't sound like anything Yu had heard before. Dark? Naoto had used a few moves similar to that, which swung wildly between useless and obscenely powerful. Eiha wasn't what she had called it either. The supposed 'moves' a Persona could use would come to you in the moment, their names already inscribed into memory like you'd always known them. He still hadn't even seen what Kurisu's Persona looked like, so he couldn't rely on it to expose a weakness. He cast his mind back to his fight a few days ago in the lobby, and how wind attacks had effortlessly dispatched the knights. Perhaps…?

"Alright, never mind. I'll use my Persona, hopefully what I'm using makes them vulnerable. It should knock them down. When they're both prone, the two of us rush in for an all out attack."

Chie had coined the name. Piling up on a group of stunned Shadows and beating the absolute crap out of them. Hopefully it still worked here.

"Meanwhile, Sakamoto, you stay here. Both of you understand?"

They both nodded. Similar to his signal before, Yu held up three fingers. Then two. Then one.

"Go."

Yu and Kurisu dashed out from their cover, coming face to face with the two grey armoured knights. As soon as they came into view, weapons were raised.

"Intruders! Stop, in the name of King Kamoshida!"

They didn't stop. Yu reached up and pulled away his glasses, Vergil surging to life beside him. He didn't know why, but his new Persona seemed more adept in wind skills than his old lightning attacks. Feeling blue flames surge over his body, he shouted his command.

"Garu!"

The tunnel filled with a surging wind, torch sconces flickering in the current. A wave of pressure surged towards the knights, knocking into them with an impact that sent them both tumbling to the ground.

"Now!"

The two Persona users fell upon the fallen shadows, weapons drawn. Struggling on the ground, the two knights had no chance of fighting back. Yu slashed over and over again with the blade, cutting into the chinks in their armour with precise strokes. Kurisu went straight for their strange blue face masks, stabbing into it with his dagger. A mere few seconds after the fight had begun, both of the shadows were fading into crimson mist. Yu stood up straight, tucking The Blade back into his jacket and pushing his glasses back over his face.

"Nice work. It seems like these basic knights are weak to wind. If you keep track of what's vulnerable to what, you can secure dominating victory even in a straight fight."

Kurisu kicked his foot to wave away the lingering mist. "So it's all about making sure they never get a chance to fight back?"

"You're getting it. Surprise attacks, weaknesses…. Anything you can do to get an advantage. Battles in here can turn around on a dime- You let them get a single move ahead of you and it can all spiral into catastrophe.

Sakamoto stepped forward, pointing ahead. "Yeah, whatever. Look! Pretty sure that's what we came here for."

The doors ahead were much more ornate, a deep brown oak reinforced with steel framing. A cloth banner hung over the top, inscribed with red ink in the official font style that Yu recognized from Shujin's many signs. He read off of it aloud.

"'Kamoshida's Training Hall of Love'. If those shadows before are to be believed, this is where they're keeping your 'slaves'. Take it slow, it's likely there's more knights inside."

Kurisu led the way, striding up to the large set of doors and slowly pushing them open. They were well oiled, not even a single creak. The fact that this area was labelled so obviously implied that it was important to Kamoshida. It was starting to be more and more undeniable to Yu that something was up with the apparently normal high school P.E teacher. Even if this was all exaggerated and distorted, seeing slave pens and having such aggressive shadows wasn't a good sign. Still, this would be the deciding evidence one way or another. Kurisu turned around and nodded to them.

"I'll lead. Stay behind me, both of you."

Yu nodded to Kurisu's command. It was good the kid was willing to take the lead. Slowly, the trio advanced into the hall beyond. It travelled a long distance off to the right, quite wide and well lit. One side of the hall was lined entirely with iron bars that allowed viewing into rooms beyond. It reminded Yu of a viewing gantry, the sort you might have in an aquarium to look down on all the tanks of fish. Searching up and down, he couldn't make out any knights. But he could certainly hear something out of the ordinary- Moans, groans and screams of pain, all echoing out from the viewing rooms. Cautiously, the three of them made their way into the long hall and towards the first of the barred windows.

"Take care" Yu whispered.

They approached, getting close to the bars and peering down into the room beyond. It was a volleyball court, exactly like the ones that Shujin had, a net strung up halfway across. There were students gathered on the court, in Shujin PE uniform, looking remarkably lifelike from this distance. Those must be the 'slaves', all set to play a game of volleyball. Except instead of any kind of practice, they were being forced up against the net by a squad of Shadow Knights, being ruthlessly beaten with wooden sticks. With each strike, they let out a disturbingly lifelike scream. Yu felt a visceral reaction within him, an immediate desire to go down there and put a stop to it.

They're not real. They're just cognitions.

He calmed his nerves, stepping away from the bars so as to not attract the attention of the Knights below. Next to him, however, Sakamoto was not as keen to keep silent.

"Dammit! This is bullshit!"

Yu grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him away from the bars with a hiss.

"For the last time, keep quiet!"

Sakamoto had rage in his eyes. "How can you ask me to keep quiet?! This is beyond messed up" He pulled free from Narukami's grasp, fiddling with the bars. "How do I open this?"

Yu looked down at the knights below. They hadn't reacted, seemingly fully occupied with their task. He sighed as Sakamoto fruitlessly pushed and pulled on the bars. There likely wasn't a way in or out. This wasn't real- It was a show, a distortion to reflect something deep within Kamoshida. Something deeply disturbing, from the looks of things. Before he could start trying to explain that, a figure came into view in the window.

"Stop it…"

It was a kid, also dressed in PE uniform. One of his eyes was bandaged over, his other slightly blackened. It seemed he had crawled onto the small ledge next to the viewing window to escape the beating below. He refused eye contact, seemingly trying not to be seen.

"Leave us alone… It's useless…"

Sakamoto paused his struggles, looking confused. "Huh?"

The cognition student let out a groan. "If we stay obedient, we won't be executed like you guys. We should just stay silent and bear it."

"You're tellin' me you wanna stay in a place like this?"

The student looked down, not saying anything further.

"Look, you just stay put. I'll get you outta here!"

Yu decided he had had enough. Stepping forward, he once again pulled the blonde away from the bars, more forcefully this time.

"Sakamoto, listen to me. I don't care if you came here to try and save them. That's not going to work."

"We can't just leave 'em here!"

"Did none of my lectures before sink in? They're not real. They're cognition, fake. Figments of Kamoshida's imagination. You can't take them out of this castle, because outside of this castle they don't exist.

The kid looked back at the trapped students. "But… They look so real. I know some of these guys."

"They're as real as those shadows we fought before. They might look familiar, but it's just a representation of how Kamoshida sees someone from reality."

He released the youth, who didn't resume his attempts at breaking open the bars. He stared at his feet, a quiet rage brimming.

"Heh. So that's how he sees us, huh? The school's his castle, and the students are all his slaves. It's so on point it makes me laugh."

Yu shrugged. "It… It is concerning. I don't wish to make any assumptions without knowing fact, but there is a real chance that the way he's treating his slaves in here reflects how he treats people in the real world."

That caught Sakamoto's attention. "Wait… Like I said before, I know these guys. They're members of the volleyball team, the one Kamoshida coaches for. You're tellin' me they might be goin' through similar shit in reality?"

Yu tilted his head. "It's a possibility. Don't rush to assumptions."

The blonde looked over at Kurisu. "You're new, so you might not've heard them, but there's rumours Kamoshida uses physical punishment. They're just rumours, but… If this is true, isn't this somethin' we should report to the police?"

Yu tensed up at the mention of the police. Curiously, he noticed a similar reaction in Kurisu. Bad blood there, perhaps? The elder Persona user shook his head.

"I would advise against it. What are you going to tell them? As I said, most people don't know about the Shadow Worlds. You start explaining stuff about a giant castle and cognition slaves, they're going to think you're either crazy or pranking them. Trust me, they won't like either."

Sakamoto reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. "Oh yeah? I show 'em pictures, they're sure to believe me" He fiddled with the device for a moment, before cursing. "What the hell? The camera's not working. I can use the navigation app, but the rest of it's a no-go?"

Next to him, Kurisu likewise checked his phone. After a moment of tinkering, he shook his head.

"Mine's not working either.

That's that then.

Yu clasped his hands together. "In that case, our time here is at an end. We can't afford to stand around any longer. If we're getting out, it's got to be now."

Sakamoto shook his head. "Hang on a sec!" He approached the bars again, staring intently at the gruesome scene below. "There's no other way. I'll just memorise their faces before goin' home."

Yu sighed, tapping his foot impatiently. The mention of police had put him on edge. Were these kids honestly stupid enough to try take this Persona stuff to the authorities? It was a damn good thing he hadn't told them his name then.

"Very well. If you wish to waste your time and get arrested when you try to present this 'evidence', be my guest. Make it swift."

It's not that I don't care. It's that I recognize it's beyond our power to change.

From the evidence in here, it was clear Kamoshida was corrupt in some way. Maybe it was actual physical abuse, maybe it was something less, either way it was obvious the teacher wasn't above board. But so what? What could two students and a janitor do to call him out? He hadn't heard a single bad thing about Kamoshida the whole time he'd been at Shujin. As far as he was aware, the volleyball team was the pride of the school, and a source of a lot of good publicity. Even if there was a bit of foul play with Kamoshida, Yu had no doubt it was all being kept quiet. Speaking out against him was a fool's game.

We all know what happens to fools that try to rock the boat, don't we? They end up unemployed for eight years begging for pity from their friends. Not making that mistake twice.

Sakamoto stepped away from the bars, apparently satisfied.

"Okay, I've got them. Let's go check the other windows."

Yu hurried forward, up to the next window. This one was a similar size to the previous room, but was instead completely occupied by a giant treadmill. Several students were running on the fast moving belt, sweating up a storm. Hanging from a rope ahead of them, just out of reach, was a large bottle of water.

"W-water…" One of them croaked out.

Sakamoto audibly growled. "Not givin' athletes water… That piece of shit. I'll remember all these guys. He's gonna pay!"

Even Kurisu was showing visible discomfort now, pulling his friend along to the next and final viewing window. Looking down into it, there was only a single student in the room. They were tied up and hanging from the ceiling while an automated serve machine fired volleyball after volleyball right into his face. Yu frowned, trying to decipher exactly what this was supposed to represent. Next to him, Sakamoto seemed just as confused.

"The hell…? This ain't training at all. It's just violence!"

Yu sighed. "We can discuss it when we're outside. Come on."

Sakamoto nodded. "Yeah, I got it! He's the team captain, I'd recognize him anywhere. Alright, that's everyone. Let's go."

Finally.

Yu cringed at the intrusive thought. What the kid was trying to do was noble, if a little misguided. If Yu thought it were at all possible that actions taken in here could affect the real world, he'd be right there alongside the blonde. But he had eight years of cold reality to back up the fact that authority doesn't like it when people try to change things.

"Alright, that's good. Now, let's hurry back the way we came. Sprint!"

Neither of them needed telling twice. The trio broke into a run, dashing back down the hallway of horrors, out the ornate wooden doors, back up the twisting path, into the empty dungeons. Mercifully, there didn't appear to be any further guards along the path. Yu held out a hand.

"Let's take things slower from here. We mi-"

"ATTENTION ALL SUBJECTS OF KAMOSHIDA!"

Yu nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden, booming voice. It came from all directions, its source unknown.

"THE WATCH POST NEAR THE TRAINING HALL HAS CEASED REPORTING. CHANCES OF INTRUDER ACTIVITY ARE EXTREMELY HIGH. ALL PERSONNEL, INCREASE SECURITY MEASURES!"

Yu cursed under his breath.

"On second thoughts, we keep running."

They resumed their dash, sprinting back to the curling spiral staircase and taking the steps three at a time. Yu clenched the Blade of Totsuka tightly, considering what it meant that an announcement had just rung out. It implied a level of intense, organised security that was completely different from anything he had seen in a Shadow World before. Watch Posts? Personnel? Security Measures? Those terms were odd. They implied something was being guarded. What was Kamoshida's cognition trying to protect? Yu pushed the thoughts from his mind as they crested the top of the stairs, bursting out into the entrance hall once again. He skidded to a stop, his mouth going dry at the sight before him.

"Ugh. You knaves again?"

It was Shadow Kamoshida, still dressed in the bizarre combination of underpants and royal robes. A large squad of Shadow Knights stood behind him, and another one of the Golden armoured variety alongside him. 'King Kamoshida' laughed, pointing at them accusingly.

"To think you'd make the same mistake again. You're hopeless!"

Yu's mind was racing a mile a minute. Ways out? Where was their exit point? Looking to the front door, he saw that a second squad of knights was holding it down. What about that ventilation shaft? Peering ahead, he could see that the door to that storage room was unguarded. If they could get past the squad in front of them, there could be a chance. But how could he explain that to the two students without tipping off Kamoshida?

Next to him, Sakamoto snarled. "The school ain't your castle! Those 'slaves' you've got downstairs? I memorised their faces real good. You're goin' down!"

Kamoshida seemed unbothered by the threat. "It seems it's true when they say 'barking dogs seldom bite'. To make such idle threats… How far the star runner of the track team has fallen."

The blonde clenched his fists. "The hell are you gettin' at!?"

"I speak of the 'track traitor' who acted in violence, ending his teammates' dreams. Oh, I can only imagine the pain of the others who were dragged under with your… selfish act."

Sakamoto visibly flinched away at that. Next to him, Kurisu looked over curiously.

"Track Traitor?"

Kamoshida cocked his head. "What a surprise. You're accompanying him without knowing anything at all?"

Seeing that Kamoshida seemed willing to monologue, Yu began to slowly edge to the right, putting himself at a better angle to sprint for the storage room. He gently nudged Sakamoto as he did so to try to signal him, but the student was completely absorbed in staring Kamoshida down. For his part, the shadow just laughed again.

"He betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes, yet he still carries on as carefree as ever."

"That's not true!"

Kamoshida laughed, pointing at Kurisu. "You've come along with this fool, and now you're going to end up dead. How pitiable. And as for you…" He pointed straight at Yu, who froze up. "You should have learned from your last failure. All who dare intrude on my domain will end up crushed at my feet. Guards, kill them all. Don't sully my castle with garbage."

Kamoshida turned away from them. It was seemingly the signal, all the knights rushing forward. Yu didn't waste a moment.

"Run for the storage room! Now!"

He broke into a sprint, ducking to the right in an attempt to dodge the knights rushing at him. It was a success, juking just out of their rushing sword, making a break for the storage room. The knights were fast, but slow to turn. They could make it. He looked over his shoulder to check how the kids were doing.

"Shit!"

It was Sakamoto, having somehow fallen to one knee, clutching it in pain. The guards had moved into a circle around him, brandishing swords. Kurisu had seemingly stopped to help his friend, holding a dagger out at them. Yu cursed, spinning on his heel to face the ambush.

You've got to be kidding me. After everything… After all that, they're just going to get caught?! I… I need to get out of here!

There had to be at least ten guards surrounding the two, rapidly closing the circle. The Golden Guard stepped into the circle, a giant mace hefted overhead. There wasn't any time to consider.

We can't leave them behind.

Yu dashed forward, pulling his glasses free and allowing power to surge forth.

"VERGIL!"

It appeared alongside him, dashing forward in lockstep.

"GARU!"

Once again the winds surged forth, a wave of pressure pushing ahead of him. The knights ahead didn't have time to turn, knocked forward onto their faces with a clang of metal. Yu stepped over one of them, leaping forward with blade in hand. The golden guard turned to acknowledge his presence, Yu stepping between Sakamoto and its weapon.

"Come on, get up. We're going to have to fight our way out."

Next to him, Kurisu put a hand on his mask. Pulling it away, blue flames surged off his black coat.

"ARSENE!"

A lithe figure sprang to life beside him. Humanoid, long thin legs and arms. It was wearing a suit, or rather it was the suit. A crimson gentleman's outfit brought to life, with a sharp shadowy suggestion of a body inhabiting it. An outrageously tall tophat sat atop a red smile, wings of black feathers splayed out from its back. The Persona twisted in the air, gesturing towards one of the knights. Dark fumes gathered around it, then suddenly sharpened into knives of shadow that pierced into the joints. The knight seized up, spasming, before dissolving into crimson. It seemed that Kurisu's Persona was more than capable of fighting.

The cloaked student pointed his knife forward. "Ryuji, get behind me!"

Yu and Kurisu stood facing opposite directions, Sakamoto standing helplessly between them. The issue wasn't quality, but the sheer quantity of guards that surrounded them. Yu sent Vergil forward with another blast of wind, knocking the knights back slightly. Several of them, however, held up their bulky shields, blocking the galeforce winds before they could be thrown away. More knights started to press into the circle, closing tighter and tighter around them. Kurisu stabbed his knife into a guard, only for it to be left stuck in the thick armour. Yu sent his Persona cleaving down onto the golden guard, only for its blade to simply bounce off its gleaming armour.

"The big one's resistant!"

Kurisu snapped his fingers, and his Persona once again summoned the curling darkness, twisting around the Golden Guard like a snake. It seemed uncaring, simply rearing forth its mace even as it was pierced over and over again. Yu raised his blade, barely stopping the mace blow as he was forced onto a knee. Scurrying back, he felt something slash into him from behind. Vergil warbled, taking the hit for him. They were surrounded, and it was impossible to defend against them all.

"Bro! Watch out!"

Kurisu turned too late to Sakamoto's warning, two guards rushing him from behind with a united shield wall. He was knocked to the ground, the shadows quickly rushing over and pinning him to the ground. Yu swung his blade in a wild arc, briefly forcing back a few knights trying to surround him, only for them to push forth with renewed vigour. Vergil barraged them with winds to knock them down, but the strain was beginning to wear on him. It had been so long since those days past… He was rusty. Every ability used drained his stamina more and more. So much so, that as the Golden Guard brought down its mace again, he was too slow in blocking it.

"UGHH!"

Yu hit the marbled floor, the impact dissipating Vergil entirely and knocking his hat off his head. He gasped in air, desperately trying to get back to his feet, only for heavy metal boots to push down on his back. Now he was choking, barely able to breathe under the pressure. Struggling to lift his head, he saw Sakamoto fall to his knees, looking in horror at the two trapped Persona users.

"Kamoshida, you bastard! Don't you dare hurt them!"

Though he couldn't see from his position, Yu guessed Kamoshida was right behind his prone form. The 'King' let out a booming laugh.

"Big words from a small boy. I bet you simply came here on a whim, isn't that right? Now you've ended up like this."

There were tears in the boy's eyes. "No…"

Kamoshida snarled. "What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so easily. What right did any of you have to raise your hand against me?"

Yu felt a bare foot press down on his head, knocking it against the floor again. He grunted, vision going slightly blurry. His blade was just out of reach…

"Have you forgotten? Though it was only temporary, I used to be in charge of the track team. I supervised your practice, after your old coach quit! Where's the gratitude?"

"Wasn't no practice- it was physical abuse! You just didn't like our team!"

Kamoshida scoffed. "It was nothing but an eyesore! The only one who deserves to achieve results is me. That coach was pathetic, too. If he hadn't opposed me so much, I might've settled for just breaking his star's leg."

Sakamoto's face went dark. "What…?"

"You heard what I said. Do you need me to deal with your other leg too? The school will call it self defence anyway!"

"Dammit! You can't get away with it twice!"

Yu blinked, trying to clear his vision. Forcing his head up, he could see Sakamoto was fully down on the ground, apparently having given up. Kamoshida forced him down again, laughing.

"Watch me. Watch these two die because they were stupid enough to follow you. Once they're dealt with, you're next!"

Yu grunted. "Sakamoto! Snap out of it!"

Kurisu was still likewise struggling. "Don't let him win!"

There was silence for a moment. The knight holding him down shifted, probably lifting a weapon. Yu felt his life shrink away, fully aware that this might be his last moments.

Why did I come in here again? Why did I risk the scraps I'd built up for two random kids?

Kamoshida sighed. "You're so boring! Dispose of them both."

"YOU'RE WRONG!"

The hall went silent. Twisting his head, Yu could see Sakamoto had struggled to his feet.

"Everything important to me, you stole. It wasn't my fault at all! Boring? Pathetic? That's what you are, you bastard! All you think about is using people. You're the real scumbag, Kamoshida!"

Above him, Kamoshida sighed. "Guards, what are you doing? Silence him!"

Knights began to move towards Sakamoto, who simply pointed an accusing finger at King Kamoshida, righteous fury blazing from his eyes.

"I'm sick of you! Stop looking down on me with that stupid smile on your face!"

Something changed. A current in the air, hair standing on end. A trickle of blue flame licked off the end of Sakamoto's sleeve, who suddenly clutched at his head in pain. He collapsed back to his knees as the pressure around him swelled, knocking away the knights who had been advancing on him. He shouted, then screamed in pain, clutching at his skull while blue flame started to erupt off him in earnest.

Is he…

Sakamoto suddenly jumped bolt upright, something strange covering his face. A mask, shaped into a grinning skull. The blonde clutched at it, desperately scraping, before pulling it away with a spray of blood. A wave of blue fire burst forth from him, washing over the group. It didn't hurt Yu, but the Shadow holding him down was knocked off his back. He took in a deep breath of air before rolling to the side, quickly grabbing his blade and setting his hat back on his head. Ahead, the awakened user was looking down at his flame-wreathed hands in wonder.

"Right on! Wassup, Persona?"

Sakamoto was changed. No longer dressed in his sloppy uniform, he was decked out like someone out of an old gang movie. Vibrant yellow gloves, thick black leather jacket, metal bracing over his body. Like some kind of punk gangster. Behind him, wreathed in flame, stood a skeletal humanoid. Dressed like a Pirate, holding a cutlass in hand, it floated in the air atop a miniature model ship.

He's a Persona user.

Yu dashed forward, standing alongside the blonde. Kurisu likewise joined them, having broken free of his own holdings. Sakamoto cracked his knuckles.

"Now that I got this power, it's time for payback…" He grinned widely. "Dunno how this works, but bring it!"

King Kamoshida looked shocked. The violent awakening had taken out most of the guards in the room, leaving just the giant golden guard standing between him and the trio. He started backing away, gesturing towards them.

"Kill them! Get every guard in the caste here! Get my general up from the vault! I want them dead! Dead, you hear me?!"

Sakamoto looked over at Yu. "Yo, how's this work? How do I, like, use powers and stuff?"

Yu grunted, trying to hold himself upright. "It's different for each person. Do what feels natural. Whatever comes to your mind, shout it out and trust it'll happen."

"Just wing it, huh? Now you're speakin' my language!"

He pointed ahead at the golden guard. Behind him, his Persona aimed the cannon that made up its left arm as well.

"Captain Kidd! Blast 'em away!"

The Persona paused for a moment, before firing its cannon. Rather than gunpowder, however, crackling lightning erupted out, booming like thunder. It arced onto the golden guard, flowing over its armour and putting it into convulsions. The mace fell from its twitching hand, hitting the floor with a bang.

"Again!"

A second volley of crackling lightning, accompanied by another ear splitting thunderclap. The Golden Guard collapsed backwards, dissolving into red mist. Vulnerable to Zio skills, Yu noted. Sakamoto pumped his fist, pointing aggressively at King Kamoshida.

"Even if you apologise now, I ain't forgivin' you. You're gonna pay, Kamoshida!"

Rather than looking concerned, the shadow simply shrugged. "Are you really that naive? Do you really think THAT was all I had? It seems you don't understand…"

He held out his hands. From the staircase above, multitudes of shadow knights emerged, pouring out from every entrance to the hall. There had to be at least twenty of them. Yu took a step back, grasping Sakamoto by the shoulder.

"We have to leave, now."

The kid shook his head, blue fire still rolling off him. "We're not gonna do anything and just run? Hell no! That bastard's mine!"

Next to him, Kurisu shook his head. "We can't die here. If we do, who's going to help the kids in the real world?"

Thank god that one has a solid head on his shoulders.

As the guards advanced, Sakamoto growled. "Agh. Fine" He looked back at Kamoshida. "Don't think we're done! We'll expose who you are, no matter what. Just you wait!"

Behind the oncoming horde of shadows, the King laughed. "I was just beginning to get bored torturing the ones in here. Come at me whenever you want, if you don't care about your life!"

Yu had heard enough. He grabbed Sakamoto's shoulder and dragged him into a run, making a mad dash for the storage room. He slammed open the door, waiting for the two kids to come through before slamming it shut again. Thinking fast, he pulled one of the many chairs in front of it, hoping it would stop them at least a little big. With a sigh of relief, he saw that the ventilation passage was still clear. Remembering the kid's earlier struggle, he paused and kneeled down, holding his hand out as a foothold.

"Sakamoto, you get through first."

The blonde didn't complain, springing off of Yu's hands and up into the passage. Kurisu nimbly clambered up after him, not needing the assistance. Yu grasped the edge and pulled himself up, briefly looking back. The door was being slammed repeatedly, no doubt about to smash open. Yu sped himself through the tunnel, scraping his elbows and knees as he crawled along. Behind him, there were a lot of shouts and yells, but no pursuit. The shadows were too big for any hope of getting through the gap, if they could even reason enough to realise that was where they had escaped through.

Small mercies.

Yu came to the exit, swinging his legs out before jumping down, landing with a wince. They were back outside, the crimson lit sky looming over them. He didn't pause, pointing to the archway and drawbridge beyond.

"We need to get clear. I don't think they can chase us outside of the outer walls."

He led the way, desperately trying to put as much distance between himself and the castle as possible. For the second time in the week, he had nearly died. His heart was thundering like a jackhammer at how close he had come to death. The freak odds that Sakamoto had happened to be a Persona user as well… That was all that had gotten them out of that scenario. They came under the archway, thundering across the drawbridge with heavy footfalls. Crossing over the swirling moat, Sakamoto came to a halt, gasping and panting.

"We… We made it!"

He doubled over, gasping in air and rubbing at his knee. Yu simply sat down on the ground, hanging down his head. The shock of everything that had just happened washed over him, making his hand shake slightly. Seemingly unaffected, Sakamoto laughed aloud.

"Didja see that, Akira? POW! Havin' a Persona sure is pretty cool, right? I dunno about these clothes, though. How do they look?"

Kurisu smiled slightly, a tired look in his eyes. "You look pretty cool, Ryuji. Honestly, I'm just glad we all made it out."

"Yeah. Man, that was too close. Still, we got what we needed. We'll find those kids tomorrow, an' we'll have 'em say how Kamoshida's abusin' them and shit. He's goin' down!''

His friend nodded, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Yeah. I'm sure at least one volleyball team member will be willing to talk."

Yu sighed, deeply. He got to his feet, pain and frustration overwhelming him. Wishing that they hadn't just gone and done what they'd done. It slipped out before he meant to say it.

"If you're smart, you won't try that."

"Huh? Whaddya mean? We've got great evidence he's a piece of shit!"

Yu couldn't stop himself, a sudden outpouring of words.

"What do you think is going to happen, Ryuji? That you're going to go to school tomorrow, take Kamoshida down, be the hero? Let me assure you, that's not going to happen. The kids won't testify. Or if they do, then the school won't listen. Or if they do, it'll be covered up. Or if it isn't, the worst that happens is he gets quietly fired. Trust me, Shujin's too high profile to allow a scandal of this size to actually occur. You should let it go while you've got the chance."

Sakamoto frowned, his skull mask accenting the expression. "What the hell, man? Where's all this comin' from? Weren't you right there alongside us? You saw what he's up to! We can't just let that go."

"Yeah? I was right there alongside you as we almost got killed three times. We got lucky, because the rules here are different. Here, you beat up a few monsters and yell a magic word, your problems disappear. Let me assure you, it doesn't work that way in the real world. You fail there, you're done for life."

Kurisu looked at him strangely. "What's your problem?"

Yu knew he was being irrational, allowing exhaustion to deprive him of better manners. But everything happening around him was just like eight years ago, in slow motion replay. These kids were going to run their life off the rails if they actually tried to pursue this.

"My problem is that you're still not listening to me!. Sure, Kamoshida's a bit of a bastard. A large amount of bastard, to be fair. Let me assure you, he's small fry in the grand scheme of things. You don't like how things are? Too bad. The world's unfair. You don't get to change things, actually. If you try, it's just going to go horrible for you. The sooner you get to grips with that, the better."

He felt sick just saying the words aloud. Like something had died within him to just admit it. But it felt viciously vindicating as well, to finally confess to someone else what he had always known deep down.

Samamto growled. "Yeah? Well just 'cuz you give up, it don't mean we won't try. Right, Kurisu?"

The cloaked student nodded. "I'm not letting this go. Even if it costs me."

Yu clenched his fist. "You don't know the cost you're risking. The word of a few students? It's worth less than nothing. Trust me on that."

Sakamoto scoffed. "Trust you? You won't even tell us your name!

Kurisu glared at him with cold eyes. "Don't assume to know us. We appreciate your help, and everything you've taught us. If you don't want to take this any further, that's okay. We'll take it from here."

It's not that I don't want to…

Did we not promise to seek the truth?

I already know the truth! The truth is that they're going to ruin their lives if they try to take this investigation forward to authorities.

…

Yu looked up at the two youths. "You kids are still young. You've still got a chance. It's an amazing gift you've been granted… I still don't know why, or for what reason, you gained Personas. But don't throw it away trying to change what can't be changed."

Sakamoto shrugged. "It's cuz we got Personas that we have a chance to take this bastard down! Don't worry, we'll be careful and stuff."

Kurisu reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. "We should leave."

The blonde nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, whoever you are, but we're not gonna give up. Things are gonna change! Just you wait and see."

Kurisu pressed a button on his phone, and the two of them faded away into red mist. Yu let out a heavy sigh, lying down on the cold cobbles. That had been his chance to stand alongside them. Once, a long time ago, he would have jumped at the chance. But the encounter in the castle had reminded him just how dangerous the Shadow Worlds were. Kamoshida's was more deadly than perhaps even Adachi's had been, all those years ago. And of course, the Wild Card he'd been looking for had turned out to be someone completely different. Take it slow? Train them up one step at a time? They'd thrown themselves right into the lion's mouth and challenged it to a duel.

Damn it Igor. Why these kids?

But there was nothing for it. It was a doomed cause. All he could do was hope that they didn't get too burned trying to chase it. He couldn't afford to get any closer to them now, lest they accidently drop his name when Kamoshida doubtless got them into hot water for trying to chase him down. That was that.

I'm sorry. I just can't risk it.

Yu pressed down the exit button on his phone, feeling himself slip through the void before landing with a heavy thud on the dirty bathroom floor. He grunted, picking himself up as quickly as he could. He was back in the school, back in his janitor's overalls. Back in reality.

No matter how far you go, it always catches up in the end.

A/N: Hooooo boy, this chapter. It took me forever to write, and just kept getting bigger and bigger. I assure you, other chapters won't be this long, or take as long to come out. Thanks for reading.