Chapter 3

Reunited

Ren walked across the bridge, and passed under a brick archway that led into the inner courtyard of the castle. He made his way up to the entrance which consisted of a set of fifteen-foot tall dark wooden doors. A good part of each door was actually a window with a red glow shining from inside the castle.

With his current Personas, knowledge, and conditioning, Ren figured this would be much easier than last time. In fact, defeating Kamoshida's Palace wasn't so he could get stronger. But it was necessary for several reasons. If he could do it within the next few days, Shiho wouldn't be driven to her suicide attempt. At least, he hoped. He also needed to rescue Morgana who was trapped in the prison underneath the palace.

He pushed open one of the doors which groaned under its weight. Ren entered and found himself in the entrance hall. The floor was a black and white checkerboard pattern, and there was a large red circular rug in the center. Two white pillars stood in front of two staircases, one pointing left and one right, which met each other and continued up to the second floor. At the top of the staircase was a near floor-to-ceiling sized portrait of Kamoshida in golden metallic armor in a commanding pose. Ren made a note of the portrait since it was a hidden entrance and a shortcut to where he needed to go.

But that wasn't important just yet. He headed toward his left where he slipped through a door into the West Wing of the castle. He moved down the hall. He passed another hallway blocked with iron bars. The hall was lined with knight statues, and Ren knew the door at the end of it led into the room where Ann had awakened her persona, Carmen. But this time, there'd be no point in going in that room. He continued walking before coming to a door.

Beyond this door, Ren knew he would start to encounter guards, and he would have to start fighting again. He thought for a second of just using his Personas to walk right through them, but then thought better of it. He didn't want to tire himself out yet since he planned to make it all the way to the treasure room today.

I wonder if… he thought as he began patting himself down. He stopped and grinned before pulling out a knife and a pistol. They were the Misericorde and Cocytus, respectively. The last weapons he had obtained before facing Yaldabaoth. Then he noticed the device on his left arm. It was the grappling hook that Morgana would eventually give him. I bet this is Lavenza's work as well, he thought. He had to remember to thank her again the next time they met.

He took a breath. He had to be as quick as possible since he didn't want the alarm raised. That would just bring more shadows, and it would be more of a hassle in the long run. He held his pistol in his left hand, and his blade in his right. He turned to face the door, and let the breath out. If he remembered correctly, there were three shadows within. Then he began his assault.

Ren kicked open the door and immediately hid behind one of the many brick pillars within. He peered around the corner and noticed all three shadows, which were in the form of knights, were headed his way. They were lined up side by side. He jumped out and immediately threw his knife into the face of the right one. It staggered backwards, and Ren moved his pistol to his right hand. Simultaneously, he shot the center one in the head with his Cocytus and the left one in the head with his grappling hook. He yanked the left one down before retracting the grappling hook causing the guard to fall forward into the floor.

All three shadows were lying on the floor dead, and Ren chuckled to himself as he retrieved his blade. He hadn't even let them transform. That was much easier than the first time he went through this. He could get used to this feeling.

As he continued through the castle, he managed to strike down every shadow he came across. He managed to kill every single one before they transformed so his knife and pistol were all he needed. Thankfully he never ran out of ammo. This was due to the fact that when a shadow saw him, they immediately believed that he'd be entering the fight with ammo. He wasn't entirely sure why none of them ever thought "hey maybe the gun's empty". He also wasn't entirely sure if that would work, but he was glad he wouldn't have to find out.

He eventually reached the prison underneath the castle, or, as Kamoshida called it, his "Training Hall of Love". The hypocritical title disgusted Ren. As he continued through the dungeon, he passed what appeared to be members of the Shujin Volleyball team in different circumstances of unique tortue in different cells. Some were running on giant treadmills where, if they stopped, they'd be pulled back into a giant spiked roller. One player was hanging by his feet and getting pelted by volleyballs that were shot out of a cannon. And then there was a practice match happening where the players' opponents were spiking volleyballs at the players at extremely high velocity. Ren wanted to help them, but he knew these players weren't real. They were just what Kamoshida saw when he looked at the actual volleyball team.

He made his way past individual cells. Some were empty, some had a student within. Finally he came to the cell he was looking for since he entered. It was another small cell, and within was a cat. Well a cat-like creature. He was standing on his back legs. He had black fur everywhere save the ends of his limbs and tail, the bottom half of his head, and the inside of his ears which were all white. He had a dark mask that covered the upper part of his head except for his bright blue eyes, and his ears were poking out of the top. He also wore a yellow bandana around his neck and a black utility belt around his waist.

"Hey," Morgana shouted. "You gotta help me get out of here." Ren smiled as he crouched down closer to eye level.

"And I will," Ren replied.

"Oh," Morgana said, surprised. "I thought there'd be more of an argument. Well then what are you waiting for?"

"I'd like to make a deal before I let you out," Ren answered.

Morgana folded his arms and looked at Ren suspiciously, "What kind of deal?"

"The kind where I tell you who you are and where you came from as long as you help me."

If Morgana was surprised before, he was absolutely dumbfounded now. He just stared at Ren, his mouth agape.

"How…how did you…?"

"I'll explain everything later. Will you help me get the treasure and bring down this Palace?"

"Yes," Morgana answered a bit loudly, probably due to his excitement of getting answers. "Morgana reporting for duty." He did a fake salute. Ren opened the cell and Morgana hopped out. He was eager to get started.

"Alright, let's go," Morgana said as he began walking.

"Wait," Ren said, which caused Morgana to turn in annoyance.

"What? I thought you wanted to get to the treasure?"

"I do, but aren't you accepting this a little too quickly?"

"If it means I finally get answers then it doesn't matter."

"True. By the way, my name is Kurusu Ren. But don't you think we should have code names while in the Palaces? We are thieves after all."

"That's a great idea! I'll call you Joker since you kind of seem like a wild card." Ren couldn't help but smile. It was practically the same reason as last time.

"Then I'll call you Mona," he replied.

"Are you sure?" Morgana asked.

"Completely," Ren said, still smiling. Morgana just shrugged and turned to start walking again with Ren following.

The duo made their way back to the entrance hall where Ren walked up the stairs to the portrait. He placed his hand against it and pushed. It began to revolve, the side he pushed moving inward while the other side moved outward. Within was a hallway that ended in two wooden platforms next to each other. He glanced at Morgana who looked half-shocked and half-gleeful.

They stepped on to the right wooden platform, and Ren pulled a lever. The platform began to rise up until they found themselves in a small room. In front of them was a door which Ren knew led into the tower. They were only a few floors beneath the treasure room.

"On the other side of that door there will be guards," Ren explained to Morgana.

"Seriously, how do you know all this?" Morgana asked.

"I said that I'll explain everything later, and I will. For now, just listen to me."

"Ugh fine," Morgana groaned impatiently.

"Two of them will each be carrying a stone eye. We'll need those for later. I don't feel like fighting all of them, so I'll use my third eye ability to figure out who has it. Then I want you to pickpocket them. Do you think you can do that?"

"What's your 'third eye ability'?"

"Basically I focus intently and objects of interest stand out to me. It's a little difficult to describe unless you experience it yourself. But do you think you can take the eyes without being seen?"

"You can count on me. I am, after all, a master thief."

Ren slowly opened the door and peered outside. Sure enough there were shadows patrolling the circular room. The room itself though was almost a maze of basically stalagmites formed from the floor. He knew this was due to the close proximity of the treasure since that's where the cognition was the strongest, but also wildest. As he stared, one guard seemed to stand out. It seemed stronger than the others so Ren assumed that that was probably the right Shadow. He only saw one though. He figured whoever was carrying the other eye was probably on the floor above him.

He pointed out the guard to Morgana who nodded his understanding. Morgana then slipped out, and silently began moving from hiding place to hiding place, staying within the shadows. He got closer and closer until he reached the Shadow he was aiming for. The Shadow currently had its back to Morgana. Then the small thief made his move. If Ren hadn't been watching the entire time, he would not have noticed it. The cat was quick, shooting out of his hiding place, snatching the eye, and moving into another spot. The Shadow didn't even flinch.

Morgana made his way back to Ren and showed Ren the eye. Ren praised Morgana who just smiled widely at his own success. Now on to the next one, Ren thought. The two slipped from shadow to shadow all the way to a staircase along one side of the wall. They made their way up and hid again.

There were more Shadow guards up here, and the same process played out. Ren focused, pointed out the guard, and Morgana went and quickly yet quietly retrieved the eye. They now had both eyes and the two made their way up to the next level of the tower.

They eventually came to an opening which had a bridge stretched over a long drop. Ren knew that there were several swinging blades waiting to drop if he tried crossing it right now. But that's why he gathered the eyes. Next to the entrance was a smiling bust of Kamoshida's head wearing a crown, but missing its eyes. He took the eyes and inserted them. He then grabbed the bottom jaw and lowered it. The mouth was now open, and the trap disarmed.

They made their way over the bridge and through the door on the other side. To his left, Ren saw a staircase leading up the throne room floor. He and Morgana climbed the stairs, dispatching the one guard that stood in their way. When they got to the throne room doors, Ren wasn't surprised that it was open. After all, in this timeline, Kamoshida never captured him and Ryuji. The coach never imprisoned them. He never encountered the Phantom Thieves, and so had no reason to keep these doors shut with guards on the other side.

Ren waltzed right into the empty throne room. It was a large room, two floors tall. It was open in the middle with a balcony running around the room as the second floor. Holding the balcony up were six pillars, three on either side, in the shapes of buxom female athlete bodies from the neck down to the tops of their legs. A red carpet stretched from the doorway to the raised dais in the center of the room. On said dais sat a red satin chair. This was the throne which Ren found interesting since it wasn't nearly as grandiose as the rest of the Palace. Beyond the throne was a staircase leading up to the second floor and a door.

Ren ignored Morgana's gawking at the throne room and made his way to the door. He pushed it open to reveal a very small hallway that ended in two huge wooden doors. He then proceeded down the hallway and opened one of them to reveal the treasure room.

The room was piled with what appeared to be gold bars and coins. Buckets and crates were overflowing with them. But what Ren was focused on was the center of the room. There was a shifting gray and white sort of hazy cloud there. Ren knew this would be where the treasure would appear as soon as Kamoshida realized it was in danger. And to make him realize it, Ren had to send a Calling Card to the Kamoshida in reality. He had to show the cruel coach that his crimes were known, and that the Phantom thieves would steal his desires and force him to confess his sins. Morgana moved up next to him.

"So now that we found the treasure," Morgana began.

"We have to send the Calling Card," Ren finished. "But right now, we have to leave."

They made their way back through the castle and out the front. Ren glanced at the doorway to the Velvet Room, but kept going. They crossed the drawbridge and made their way back to the real world without any trouble.

When they entered the real world, Ren was back in his school uniform. He glanced down and saw that Morgana was now an actual cat. The mask and the utility belt were gone, and the bandana had turned into a yellow collar. His fur color remained the same, and now he was on all fours. They found themselves in an alley.

"Alright," Ren said. "A few things before we temporarily part ways."

"Part ways?" Morgana asked worriedly.

"I still have to go to school. Don't worry, I'll explain everything when I get back to Leblanc. Oh right, you don't know what that is."

Ren explained where he was currently staying and how to get there. He told Morgana to wait for him there, and that he'd be back after school. Morgana, while not terribly pleased, still conceded, and ran off. Ren then exited the alley and headed to school.

He glanced at his phone for the time. He realized that he would arrive at the same time as the last timeline. It was almost uncanny. Still though, he was late, and he'd have to come up with some excuse. The trains were late? No, it's still been too much time. I got lost? Not likely. I rescued a cat from a castle run by the Volleyball Coach? ...Probably wouldn't work.

Before he knew it, he was already at the school. He knew he wouldn't be able to just slip into the class without being noticed so he decided to stay until the current period was over. Then he headed for the faculty office. As he walked, he could feel the stares and hear the whispers of the other students. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to be the center of rumors. He wished that the feeling had stayed almost forgotten.

He managed to get to the faculty office and opened the door. He saw his homeroom teacher, Sadayo Kawakami, sitting at her desk. She was leaning over it, working on something with an apathetic look on her face. Ren walked up to the side of her desk, and she looked up at him in surprise which quickly turned into irritation.

"Where have you been?" she asked with a scowl.

"I…got lost," Ren had given up on finding a good excuse.

"True it's the first day you've come here alone, but you could've asked for directions," she sighed. "Well anyway, if you do this again, I'll have to report you. Come on, you still need to introduce yourself to the class."

She stood up and Ren followed her out of the faculty office. As they made their way to the classroom, the rumors continued to circulate in the halls as they walked. Ren tried to ignore them as best they could. The rumors will die down when Kamoshida confesses, he thought. They found themselves at the door to room 2D.

"Just introduce yourself, and don't say or try anything unnecessary," Sadayo ordered. Ren nodded his agreement, and Sadayo opened the door. They both headed inside. Sadayo stepped behind the small desk at the front of the room, and Ren stood to the left of it facing the class. He quickly glanced over at Ann who, for a second, stared in shock before turning her head toward the window. He was not as prepared for that as he thought he was and tried to push down the feeling of hurt. His gaze quickly returned to the rest of the class.

"He's super late", "he looks normal", "careful you don't look him in the eye". These were all whispered before Sadayo could say anything. At least Ren thought they were trying to whisper, but he could easily hear them.

"Settle down," Sadayo began. "I'd like to introduce a transfer student: Kurusu Ren. Today, we…had him attend from the afternoon on since he wasn't feeling well." Ren mentally facepalmed. Why didn't I think of just saying I felt unwell? This was even the same excuse Sadayo told the class last time, and he completely forgot.

"All right, please address the class," the homeroom teacher continued.

"I'm Kurusu Ren," was all he said.

"He seems quiet, but I bet he'll get you if you make him mad," a voice seemingly "whispered" once again.

"He was arrested for assault after all," another voice responded.

"Uh…anyway," Sadayo said. "Why don't you sit…over there?" She pointed at the empty chair behind Ann. Ren already knew where he'd be sitting, but unlike last time, Ann didn't say anything as he passed her. He even stole a quick glance toward her which might have been a mistake as he heard whispering the second he did it. He sat down and placed his bag on the shelf under the desk.

When the school day was over, Ann seemed like she couldn't leave fast enough. Ren even tried calling out to her as she left her desk, but she muttered something that sounded like an apology and quickly left the class. He just wanted to apologize for lying. This might be for the best though, he thought. After all, the less he was in her or any of the others' lives, the lower the risk.

He left the school, and made his way back to Yongen. As he approached the cafe, he noticed Morgana curled up on a wall next to it. When he got up to him, Morgana uncurled and stretched.

"That took much longer than I thought," Morgana grumbled.

"Yeah," Ren simply said.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"I'll leave the window open upstairs. You can make your way in through there."

"Uh…okay."

Ren didn't realize that the depression he was feeling was evident on his face, but he quickly fixed it to his normal expression. He walked into the cafe and was immediately met by Sojiro.

"The school called and said you were extremely late," he said angrily. "What's your excuse?"

"I got lost."

"Then ask for directions. That school was gracious enough to invite you after you committed a crime. Most schools wouldn't do that. Is this how you show gratitude?"

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"It better not. You have one more chance." Sojiro headed behind the bar as Ren headed up the stairs. He couldn't wait until he was on Sojiro's good side. When he got upstairs, he opened one of the windows and Morgana hopped inside.

"You have to be quiet," Ren whispered. "The boss is downstairs and not in a good mood. If he hears a cat right now inside the restaurant, I'm not sure what he'll do."

"I am not a cat," Morgana responded idignitately. "But I see your point. I'll try to keep it low. Now I expect you to hold up your end of the bargain."

"I know," Ren answered. He didn't know how much he was going to say, but ultimately decided on everything. He told Morgana about the past timeline, the other thieves, all of their battles in the other palaces, and even the failed final battle. He also told Morgana what Morgana was: a creation by Igor to help the thieves stop Yaldabaoth.

"I…I wasn't human," Morgana said after Ren had finished.

"I'm sorry, but no," Ren replied. "But you are still an extremely valuable member of both that and this team. And you're still my friend. Which is why I still need your help. Will you help me knowing what you know now?"

"Well," Morgana seemed to think for a few seconds. "I guess it is technically my job to look after you. And we did make a deal. Besides, you'd definitely fail without a master thief such as I. But do you plan on having the others join us again? We would have more numbers. More likely to win."

"I can't do that," Ren said. "I can't take that risk. Which is why I need to get much, much stronger. Hopefully taking on everything again with just you will do that. Oh, and one other thing."

"What?"

"When we face Yaldabaoth again, I need you to stay out of it. That way, you don't risk being killed…again."

"Technically I haven't been killed. But…if that's what you want, I'll do it. Besides, you may change your mind between now and then. Now onto more pressing things: the Calling Card. Do you have any idea of what you wanna do?"

Ren smirked, "I think I have a great idea."