Chapter 5
Akira woke up feeling miserable, it was becoming a problem, and not one that he could blame on the stuffy attic of Café LeBlanc, nor on the Metaverse, though neither of those things helped in terms of his nightmares, except with the occasion of the strange prison that he was currently trapped in. Before either of the wardens could start banging on the metal bars that separated them from him, as they had done the other two times he had been in this situation, he quickly stood up and walked to the cell's iron door, staring out towards the desk in the distance, where the man from before lingered, bathed in blue light.
"Welcome back to the Velvet Room, Trickster." The man said pleasantly, as if Akira had willingly locked himself inside of a cell. The figure leaned forward, resting his elbows on the sturdy desk between them, yet another barrier.
Trickster? He wondered, confused as to why he'd be called that instead of the thief he'd been anticipating; though he did not miss as this place, this prison was finally given a title. The Velvet Room, it sounded like a business, and not a good one. Though the prison cells, all empty except for his from what he can tell, and the rude wardens spoke for the venue in volumes.
"I wanted to resume our previous conversation from the night before, and that is why I have summoned you." The man said without further preamble, "As I have said before, your rehabilitation determines if ruin can be stopped. Yet, it is not a task that can be accomplished by you alone."
The man across the room chuckled sinisterly, "But today, you have entered a partnership with someone who awoke to the same power, did you not?"
Akira nodded dutifully, thinking back on how Ryuji had saved both him and Morgana by awakening to his persona.
A grin, if Akira could call it that, spread across the man's face, "Excellent." He rumbled, "Involving yourself with others is an important foundation for your recovery. You have done well."
Akira was not the best at making friends, taking into account that they would have to learn sign language or wait for him to write every response, it was not exactly easy for him to simply involve himself with others, as the man had put it; yet, he can't help but yearning for those bonds, like the ones he shared with Morgana and Ryuji, where he would jump in front of them to save them. It was quite nice; though he doubted, for obvious reasons, that friendships were like that, or supposed to be. Once they took down Kamoshida's shadow, Ryuji wouldn't have a need for him to be around. The same thing could be said for Morgana as well, once the cat returned to its body, Akira doubted that his presence would be appreciated. Still, it seemed of vital importance that he at least tried, for the sake of avoiding ruin, whatever that entailed, and that he would probably go crazy with only Sakura-san to communicate with for the next year.
"With that said," The man continued, staring at him over his very large nose, "I am not advising you to form superficial relationships. It must not be of frivolity that these bonds are formed, but a ring of those who would, by morals or faith, lend you their strength. In other words, they are bonds with those who have been robbed of their places to belong."
That made more sense. Ryuji's leg had been broken, taking him away from the track team, and Morgana had been robbed of his true form, making him unable to return to the real world. Though that latter was just his conjecture, for all he knew Morgana could have been lying about having a true form outside of his cat body.
"Personas are the strength of heart…" One of the wardens, the softer sounding one, explained, sounding similar to Morgana's explanation of the heart. "The stronger the bonds around you, the more power your persona will gain."
"Indeed," The man interrupted, "You should use anyone, including myself and your wardens, or your ambitions will not come to fruition."
The man chuckled again, "Now, let us form a deal. In exchange for proving your worth thus far, I will lend you a fraction of my power."
Suddenly, a burst of elation flooded him, just like it had earlier that day with Sakamoto. Suddenly, a wealth of knowledge was thrust into his sense, ancient explanations of previous tricksters and a plethora of their abilities.
Tricksters, the man's voice rang in his head, they are those who have nurtured themselves through rehabilitation, who have avoided the ruin that was endangering the world around them. Their memories will, no doubt, prove useful to you.
His head began throbbing, confusion turning his logic into nothing but shattered glass on the floor of his mind. There were others. He realized idly, scratching at his aching head. Other tricksters, or thieves, or whatever they were called. Rarely did Akira feel he belonged somewhere, he could probably count those instances on his fingers, but having his brain filled with memories of those who had done what he had to do, who could relate to him in a way no others could, it was incredibly uplifting. A fraction of his loneliness dissipated with the knowledge that had been shared with him, knowing there were others whose footsteps he would follow; he wasn't a passenger to his own life! He could use these memories to guide him the right way, to avoid ruin, whatever that entailed. For the first time since he awakened to his power, he didn't feel… useless.
"I see something within you has changed, Trickster, now let us form a contract!" The man said, grinning wickedly at him, "I suppose it is time we divulge in the other's identities. Is that not human etiquette, Kurusu Akira?" A shiver traveled up his spine at the way the man said his name, though he couldn't explain it past the exhaustion and adrenaline that his brain was currently attempting to process.
"I am Igor." The man, Igor said, adjusting the sheet of cloth in the pocket of his suit quickly before flourishing out his arm towards the more passive warden, "This is Justine, and this," He continued, pointing towards the other warden, who was clapping a metal baton in her hand, "Is Caroline. They will serve as guides through your rehabilitation, in turn, I hope you will prove your worth to them."
"I look forward to working with you further, Trickster." Justine said primly, turning to look at him for the first time. Caroline said nothing in introduction at first, but eventually turned to him as Igor continued to stare at the small girl, "R-right… now get lost, inmate!"
With that, he was cast into oblivion, his previous nightmares turned to nothing. Nothing turned into him being half conscious of the buzzing that was interrupting his nothingness, but he was able to ignore it until it went away. Unfortunately, a part of him knew his morning self too well, as the buzzing continued once again after a short break. He flailed like a child, begging the earth to give him more time to sleep, but found himself sitting up anyway, part of him knowing that he was on an incredibly short leash after his tardiness two days ago. Still, he didn't have to like it. Akira pushed the blanket off his body and worked himself into a standing position, knowing that it would be the best way to avoid falling back asleep. Finally, he lowered himself onto the wooden panels of the attic's ceilings and grabbed at his phone. Or, he was going to until he spotted something that made his hand pause in motion.
His body welled with anguish and embarrassment and relief.
On the floor, in a small pile, were the bottles of medicine that the doctor from last night had shoved into his arms, the ones that would help him be better. Akira was grateful, but there was a part of him that couldn't ignore the fact that someone knew; an adult that threatened him to help him, if he could call it help. He thought back to the doctor's orders, but couldn't find it in himself to open any of the concoctions. He didn't deserve them, he didn't ask for them, and more importantly, he didn't need them. Ignoring the pile of pills and creams, he finally grabbed his phone, previous apprehension melting into dim frustration, not at the doctor for trying to help, but just at adults in general.
Fortunately, he wasn't going to be late, regardless of pace, but that still didn't help the fact that he was completely drained of energy from exploring Kamoshida's heart in addition to what was supposed to be a relaxing escape.
His uniform was still a bundled mess from where he'd thrown it from when he had returned from the bathhouse, but it's not like the populate of Shujin expected him to be prim as they themselves were, nor did he think that they would see past his criminal record to notice whether or not he had actually put forth the effort to his appearance, not that he did, aside from the glasses that slid over his ears and nose comfortably. Dressing only took a minute, and washing his face and brushing his teeth look only double that, and grabbing his bag only took the time it took him to walk back up the stairs. Then he was ready for another day of his probation.
Sakura-san said nothing to him, nor offered him breakfast, a small mercy Akira thought, though the older man's silence could also be interpreted that Sakura-san knew that he'd left LeBlanc last night and was debating on calling the police; he hadn't taken into account that people might gossip about the scrawny scarred kid that cried at the bathhouse. He just hoped that none of them were regulars at LeBlanc, though, knowing his luck, that group of men, as well as the doctor who had cornered him, would all be craving LeBlanc's coffee at the same time as their scheduled gossip time. He flipped the sign to Café LeBlanc, trying, though not succeeding, not to worry about it further. The walk, as expected of Yongen at this point, was a quiet one, and the train was mostly empty once it arrived, though that changed very quickly once the deathtrap swept past the other stops on the line. His previous unease with the train system seemed to dwindled a bit, though he was still skeptical of the system altogether as rumors of accidents occurring across Tokyo became even more frequent, as well as a some sort of crime show, according to three girls who were giggling loudly over the cute star, Akechi, a couple of seats away.
The short walk from the station to Shujin was short, but also informative; apparently there was a sports rally at Shujin. The news did not settle well in his stomach as Kamoshida was frequently mentioned, and Akira made a conscious effort to ignore the loud conversation from the boys walking in front of him, fortunately, they were first years and continued ascending the building while he got to stop on the second floor.
Everyone stared at him as he walked in, and just as quickly as the room went silent, the noise picked back up again, whispers of his name trailing across the room and more than a dozen pair of wary eyes tracking his every movement as he made his way to his seat; it was the first time he really wished he didn't have the window seat, but probably not the last. The topic of conversation quickly shifted to his more sinister activities, all inflated for the sake of conversation, some of it making him cringe, though he knew better than to let his expression shift from anything but passive neutrality, lest any teachers deem him a threat to society, a genuine concern. The other comments though were much too ridiculous to even consider, or he hoped they seemed that way; he was fairly certain, only fairly, that he did not look or act a mass-murderer who was looking for a high-school victim as the reason he decided to return to high school. Again, he hoped his peers, could see the hyperbole for what it was. Though he was more curious as to how the student body even knew about his probation.
"Okay!" Kawakami's voice was enough to pull him from his thoughts, "As you all know, today is the volleyball rally." Akira had no knowledge of this, though volleyball was apparently Shujin's staple sport according to rumor, aside from track. "Head to the gymnasium once you have changed. Got it?" Her tone easily indicating what her face did not, especially to him, since he was the fast victim of the teacher's impartial gaze. He tried not to let it bother him, to suddenly be thrust into a world where he couldn't be trusted, to be treated like a naughty animal, an animal who had a white board! He avoided her stare, careful not to let anything slip into his blank expression as he nodded dutifully at his desk.
He was much more cautious about getting changed this time, and the added reputation of being a murderous criminal helped keep eyes off of him, once the girls were guided out of the classroom by Kawakami, Akira quickly gazed around the room, making sure that no adults or other students were looking at him. Which was, thankfully, the case; most of them were busy making small talk, exchanging rumors mostly, or talking about some of the girls that had just left in very unwholesome ways. Takamaki was a prominent point in each conversation he heard. Akira tried not to think of how weird it was to be listening to conversations about the girl that sat in front of him as he pulled of his shirt, careful not to make any exaggerated movement or being too slow that he'd draw attention; though he was rather quick in pulling on his Shujin track suit from under his desk, a bright red eyesore, very dissimilar to the red of his Metaverse outfit. When his head popped through the head hole of his t-shirt, he noticed that nobody was looking, whether that had to do with his reputation or the distraction presented in Takamaki and Kamoshida's secret relationship, he had no idea, nor did he put much thought into it. Changing into the track pants was much less frustrating or anxiety inducing, his legs not holding much evidence, aside from a few, less noticeable scars. Unless someone decided to misconstrue his leg hair for a dangerous weapon; and he wasn't wearing any embarrassing underwear, another small grace.
Akira made sure not to be the first one out, nor the last, and while he made a conscious effort to remain somewhere in the middle, no student wanted to be near him, and he ended up in a small line of himself, the boys in front and behind him keeping a safe arm's length away. It ruined the normal high school student aura he had been attempting to give off, especially to the faculty that happened to sweep by their line with a glare at their deformed formation. Akira pretended not to notice anything out of the ordinary as he shuffled forward along with every other second year until they were finally in enveloped in the raw heat of Shujin's gym.
The gym was much less orderly than Kawakami's impression had made on him. There was also a lot of screaming and cheering, with Kamoshida's voice residing somewhere in the center of it. Akira, against his better judgement, slunk off towards the side of the gym, where nobody was squatting. It wasn't any less blistering in the corner than where he had been earlier, but at least there was nobody around to avoid being near him. The secluded corner, while not offering any cooling to his rapidly warming body, did provide him with a decent enough view of the sight he had been trying to avoid.
Currently, Kamoshida's giant jaw was bouncing up and down as he rattled off names and positions, presumably of players that were about to participate in this rally he was supposed to have known about. His name was, fortunately, not called upon, nor did any name he recognized, and Akira allowed himself to get swept away in the sight of Kamoshida's stature, his identical resemblance to his shadow, minus the cape and underwear. The being had been fast enough to dodge bullets from Sakamoto's persona, and had a small legion of guards to protect him, very dissimilar to the five other faculty members on his side of the court, cheering him on as he served the ball over the net with, Akira admitted, impressive speed and power, though his landing from where he had jumped left the man staggering a small bit.
A weakness? He considered, trying to peer more closely at his enemy's legs, not even wondering when he had started to consider the real Kamoshida his enemy instead of just the being inside of his heart. Kamoshida's legs, much like his shadow, held a thick coat of fur, making it difficult to see the skin underneath it.
"Pretty exciting, huh?" The sudden question was enough to make him jump, sending his heart into overdrive, but when he looked up at the looming figure that had somehow managed to sneak up on him, he only found Sakamoto slouching like a delinquent, but a friendly delinquent, aside from the quick glare he sent towards the volleyball court before flopping down gracelessly next to Akira, causing a rumble of gossip to emit, seemingly from nowhere. His name, in tandem with Sakamoto's, quickly spread across the room, and stares that had previously been trained on Kamoshida were now on the two of them. He quickly began studying his shoes, pretending the stares of his peers didn't make the walls feel like they were closing in around him. Sakamoto seemed to notice, how could he not, but didn't appear fazed, just maintained his simple, bored expression as he gazed around the blazing gymnasium.
"Ain't you hot?" Sakamoto asked, indicating he wasn't pressing for an answer to his last question. He shook his head in denial, adjusting the sleeves on his tracksuit until they were past his wrists and covering his knuckles. The blond shrugged, stretching languidly, seeming unbothered that Akira wasn't the standards for a conversationalist; though, if Kamoshida's shadow was any indicator, Ryuji, much like himself, didn't really have any else to chat with either, which was good for him, at least. Which wasn't to say that he did feel a little guilty at plummeting what was left of Sakamoto's reputation.
Silently, their gazes drifted towards the other side of the gym, where Kamoshida was preening under the spotlight and praise of both student and faculty on his volleyball abilities. Sakamoto, unlike Akira himself, was able to voice his disdain for the teacher vocally; muttering expletives towards the older man in rapid succession.
Kamoshida, as if he had heard Sakamoto's trash talk, mimicked by Akira's thoughts, only to a lesser degree, decided to prove with undisputable finality that he was, in fact, a terrible human being. Akira watched, awestruck, as the faculty member winded his arm back and slung it forward twice as fast, sending the ball in front of him whipping through the air with an audible whistle, only to slam directly into a kid's face. The kid, predictably, fell down, propelled by the blast of Kamoshida's attack. The teacher's face twisted into grim satisfaction, the kind that his shadow had on his face every time they had crossed paths, but as quickly as the expression was adopted, it was changed, in a similar way as he, himself, switched personas. It was memorizing. It was sickening. Beside him, Ryuji growled like feral beast, but remained seated as a group of faculty members surrounding the struck student, who was still prone on the floor.
"Sorry about that!" Kamoshida's voice rang out in acted worry, "Someone take him to the nurse's office!" Ordered as if the man, the same one who had caused the incident, could not easily do so himself with his broad shoulders and arms powerful enough to force someone into unconsciousness with only a volleyball.
Kamoshida was proving himself to be quite the adversary. He just hoped, between the three of them, that his shadow would be easier to handle.
Akira watched, astounded, as two students, with bruises similar to the ones now visible and blossoming on the victim's face, drug the unconscious boy away only to have his attentions forced back onto his target, his enemy, as Kamoshida stood from the floor, a twisted smile grappling for control of his lips, "Alright! Let's resume the match!" He cheered, as if his strength had not just injured a student. Nobody objected.
By the time the rally was over, Akira was nearly regretful that he hadn't been picked to play, he was practically bristling in agitation, watching Kamoshida prance around under the praise of both student and teacher. It was, simply put, infuriating. He was glad, however, that the attention had been saddled on Kamoshida alone, none of the hundreds of people packed in the gym had noticed him, which allowed both him and Sakamoto to make a quick escape just before the last game had ended. This had allowed him to change out of his clothes without the worry of an audience, as well as avoid the traffic that would no doubt occur after the rally had ended.
Once the last bell of the day finally rang, signaling they were all free to go, regardless of their state of dress, Akira made sure to be the first one out of the classroom, not even attempting to appear that he wasn't in a rush, because he was. Just as quickly, he dug into his pockets and pulled out his cell phone to text Ryuji.
"Meet by the gate, please." He tapped out, but was unable to send the message as both he and his phone were sent in opposite directions, though both sharing the floor as their final destination.
At first, he was too stunned to think, let alone to react at suddenly being thrown to the floor, but soon enough, after righting his glasses, he was able to not only see the scene he had created, but also react. Quickly, Akira clambered to his feet, ignoring the jitteriness and the weakness in them. The person who had bumped into him, or he into her, performed the same set of actions, rubbing at their head, presumably where his face had collided with hers.
Unable to speak, he ducked his head lowly, embarrassed for not having noticed someone blocking his path, only to notice there were now papers on the ground that hadn't been here the last time he had raced through this hall. The deduction was easy enough to decipher, and all the more embarrassing. He lowered himself to the floor and quickly began stacking the papers he'd presumably knocked out of this stranger's hands. Fortunately, they all seemed to be copies of the same text, and he was able to just mindlessly stack them until they were back into the shape they had been before he had decided to run down the halls.
Now… to keep the girl quiet… He thought, both darkly and with slight amusement, hoping that this incident wouldn't be further embellished or result in his expulsion. Yet, when he looked up, finally facing the girl he had become a hazard for, her expression hadn't held what he had been expecting, fear of the transfer student, pain at being tipped over, or annoyance at having her papers spread across the floor. Instead, the girl tilted her head to the side, looking both sheepish and terrified.
"S-sorry!" The girl uttered where Akira himself could not. "I wasn't watching where I was going…" She concluded more softly. Akira, naturally, said nothing and instead extended his hands, where the girl's papers were stacked once again. She removed her gaze from his face and lowered it to his extended hands, and Akira watched as one of her eyes bulged out slightly in an unidentifiable emotion, the other was sealed shut with thick purple skin.
"Oh!" She gasped out, "I… bumped into you, but you- uh, thank you, I mean!" She said quickly, bowing in additional thanks. He shook his head, attempting not to be rude, it was really his fault, and he just couldn't dispute it while he was still holding her items. "I was just… in the way, right? S-sorry" She mumbled out. Again, he shook his head, though now he was just a bit confused, it had obviously been his fault and yet this girl was apologizing.
"I haven't seen you around before, now that I think of it." She said after a long moment of still not taking her papers back. Akira kept his face painfully blank in an attempt to rob his face of any betraying expressions. "You must be the transfer student everyone is talking about?" She inquired, though it sounded like more of a hesitant statement. The quiver in his tone was painfully apparent, even while the space around them were quickly enveloped in noise as the other second years made their escape from the building.
Akira nodded, knowing it would be nearly pointless for him to deny it. The girl stared at him with her one good eye for another long, long moment, time he could have been using to chase down Kamoshida within his palace, but was instead staring at the floor of Shujin Academy while a person he had knocked over was staring at him.
"T-thank you again, a-and just, um, don't let those rumors get to you, okay?" Finally taking her papers, and also handing over his phone, something he hadn't noticed she picked up until just now. He inclined his head politely, no room to bow as he should for something so genuine, and sweet. It was refreshing, not feeling like complete garbage once the people around him knew who he was.
Akira was finally able to send his message to Sakamoto, who responded in affirmation before Akira was even at the bottom of the staircase. When Akira made it to the gates of Shujin Academy, however, there was another blonde waiting for him.
"Can I talk to you for a sec?" Takamaki asked, tone implying that she would, in fact, be talking to him whether he agreed or not. Instead of testing this theory, and wasting even more time, he simply nodded.
"I heard what happened with Suzui, in the hallway just now," His blood ran cold then, thinking back to that Kamoshida's hidden room. That had been Suzui? That meek girl that he knocked over in the hallway? It seemed unlikely, surely he would have recognized her! Bile swam just behind his tongue, begging to be ejected. "She seemed to think you were a good guy, but there's something with you, ya know?" She asked seriously, twirling her hair as she considered him, seeming unaware at the near panic-attack she had just given him. "And you saved me from Kamoshida just yesterday…" She tacked on, as if there were any relevance in her two statements; "And the other day, when that teacher covered for you about being late…"
She stepped forward, blocking the sun from reaching his face by standing over him, "…And there's this weird rumor going around about you, too." Takamaki finally said, finger still twisting her blonde hair like a gear in an overcomplicated machine.
Akira had no response but to take a step back, creating some distance between them and cutting off the weird stare that Takamaki insisted on piercing him with.
"Whaddya want with him?" The voice of the blond he had been expecting rang out more suddenly than he'd been anticipating and Akira couldn't suppress a flinch before his frame twisted to affix his gaze upon Ryuji. Hesitantly, he raised his hand in greeting, only for it to be ignored while the two glared at each other.
"I could say the same for you! You're not even in our class." She responded, suspicion ringing out like a church bell, as she turned around to face the newcomer. Akira took the time to slip a little further back, a little closer to Sakamoto and the school gates.
Akira watched as his teammate frowned, sulkily, "We… just so happened to get to know each other, s'all."
Takamaki crossed her arms, folding pale skin over the burgundy of her school tracksuit, "What do you plan on doing to Kamoshida-sensei?" She asked Sakamoto bluntly, causing even Akira to wince.
Is that the rumor she mentioned? This could end up being disastrous if Takamaki was as honest as she was, apparently, observant.
"Huh!?" Ryuji squeaked out, shrill as a mouse before his entire demeanor changed, the surprised lines of his face morphing into something more sinister, more serious. "…I see. I getcha." The blond ground out forcibly, the tone completely at odds with his relaxed posture, "You're all buddy-buddy with Kamoshida after all!" He accused.
Akira… Akira had a hard time believing Sakamoto's words. From what he had seen, and been a part of, Takamaki wanted as far away from Kamoshida as either of them, enough so that the girl would force other students, Akira doubted he was the only one, into following up on her mediocre acting. Not to mention she didn't even remember his name.
He could feel the girl's temper flair up like a physical presence, and he scooted back a step or two, edging towards the gap in the school gates that Sakamoto and Takamaki weren't crowding.
"This has nothing to do with you, Sakamoto." Takamaki snipped, making Akira question for the first time just how these two knew each other.
"If you found out what he was doin' behind your back, you'd dump him right away." Sakamoto replied, all but growling the words at the girl.
The girl took a step back, opening a gap in the blocked entrance that allowed several awkward students to slip past without interrupting the dispute that was going on, Akira was, unfortunately, not among them. Instead, he decided to wait patiently for Sakamoto to try and convince Takamaki about her supposed relationship with Kamoshida. Which, even for a rumor, made him sick to his stomach; especially in conjunction with his recent recollections about Suzui.
"Behind my back?" She finally asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Sakamoto sighed, shooting him a look, one that Akira, in his rather limited knowledge, couldn't decipher. "You wouldn't get it." The blond told her.
Takamaki rolled her hair over her shoulder as if physically dusting off Ryuji's words, "Anyway, people are already talking about you two. I don't know what you're trying to pull, but nobody is going to help you." The girl faltered slightly, "I'm… warning you, just in case. That's all." With that Takamaki walked away, leaving Akira thoroughly confused. He barely knew the girl, yet she had singled them out to warn them.
It seemed rather fishy.
"Why's she gotta be so aggressive all the time?" Sakamoto muttered, watching the blonde walk back towards the building with a sour look on his face. Ryuji's wording did not escape him and he quirked a brow in his companion's direction.
Ryuji casually, in a manner that he performed most of his actions, at least to Akira's experience, raised an arm and waved his hand as if clearing a foul scent from the area.
"You wanted to go back to that castle, right? That's why you texted me." Akira nodded mutely, feeling a bit guilty for dragging the blond into this, even if Ryuji did have his own persona now.
"Let's go then." Sakamoto replied, rolling one of shoulders as he pushed himself away from the school gate. "Let's take 'em down!" He cheered, adopting a cocky grin; Akira couldn't agree more, people like Kamoshida, ones who abused their power, deserved this. Even if what Morgana had told them had been wrong, it was better than not trying, right? And, as much as Akira hated to admit it, the older man had much more power and influence than he, himself, could account for. So going to the police, or even the principal, was a useless endeavor. Still, he couldn't think of a backup plan in case trying to change Kamoshida's heart didn't work out. Putting all of his eggs in one basket was pretty risky, not to mention the danger of the Metaverse itself.
Still, they activated the Metaverse Navigator and were whisked into the blackened realm of Kamoshida's heart and were instantly swathed in their alternate outfits, the sensation sending a menacing trickle down Akira's spine.
They navigated through the elaborate hallways of Kamoshida's castle, mostly keeping in the shadows and avoiding combat until they could finally meet up with Morgana. Even with the lack of magic and ringing steel, Akira's heart was beating loudly in his ears. The threat of being caught at any moment was, in some manner, exhilarating. Though that feeling quickly dissolved in his stomach once they passed the library they'd discovered only yesterday. It might as well have been eons ago. The doors to the room were, fortunately, closed and Akira wasn't ready to set foot inside of that space again. Instead, they traveled past it and into unknown territory. A left turn delivered a rather abrupt change in scenery, instead of another hallway, cramped with gaudy instruments and paintings of Kamoshida, Akira found himself, along with Sakamoto, upon a rather large, open room. It was, like the rest of the castle, dressed in marble, but with pews upon pews taking up most of the space, with all of them facing an infinitely large statue with an exact likeness to Kamoshida's shadow.
It was, naturally, disturbing to both of them, with Akira frowning at the giant waste of stone and Ryuji sending a scowl in the things direction. In the blink of an eye, however, the entire layout of the room disappeared, replaced with the gym they'd spent the afternoon in. Suddenly, the implications were clear.
"In the gym… he views himself as a god." Sakamoto voiced in such a way that Akira didn't have to look towards the blond to identify his disgust. "That bastard makes me sick!"
Akira couldn't help but sympathize.
"I see." A voice emanated from somewhere, sounding nothing like Sakamoto or Morgana, or even Kamoshida, "So you're the ones who tampered with the library?"
A hearty chuckle filtered through the air, "It seems my time waiting here has paid off…"
Akira's skin prickles, and a compulsory sense has him jumping out of the way just as a giant spear crashes through the marble where he'd just been standing. Ryuji, shocked, stumbles backwards into one the pews.
"Wh-what the hell!" The blond screeches, scrambling backwards until they're standing side by side.
"It is as you say, this place is a holy ground for our great king, Kamoshida." The figure says, removing its spear from the ground with a quick jerk only to aim it in their direction, "It is preposterous for miscreants as yourselves to just come waltzing in here!"
The figure sheds its skin suddenly, revealing gleaming armor and vermillion wings, "You will pay for foolishly defying King Kamoshida!" The thing spouted before launching itself at Ryuji.
Akira wouldn't be fast enough. The figure's wings allowed it much faster speed than he, even with the additional speed his cognition provided, could manage. Ryuji, once again, was too stunned to be able to defend himself.
It seemed, once again, that this would be their end.
Until, that is, another voice rang out, defiant and strong-hearted.
"Zorro!" Within an instant, a gale penetrated through the thick fabric of his coat, and managed to send the creature spiraling across the room, its wings smashing into the stony form of Kamoshida.
The armor-encased shadow staggered upon hitting the solid surface, but managed to recover nevertheless, and instead of watching, Ryuji surged forward, calling forth his persona in a fit of lighting, sending blinding sparks through the room in a deadly beam.
Still, the monster failed to falter, and swept itself forward, sending the wicked curve of its spear towards Akira in a frantic arc. With the differences in their speed, even with the thing riddled in scorch marks, Akira still couldn't dodge the attack, forcing him to tank the brunt of the impact with his curled arm, the only thing protecting his head from being impaled.
The spear was yanked backwards, tugging the new hole in his arm with it, sending a massive splash of crimson across the floor of Kamoshida's monastery. Akira was glad, one of very few instances, that his vocal range was as limited as it was. For the sound that he would have made at feeling the tendons and ligaments within him being torn apart so simply, would have been a devastating one. Instead, his throat constricted, blocking the passage of oxygen into his lungs, at the same time his teeth clenched into a painful vice that made his jaw pulse in pain.
"Akira!" Ryuji screeched, though the noise was deafened by the sounding blood splashing out of his arm.
He couldn't even it feel it. His arm, that is.
How lucky… He realized grimly, observing the massive straight-through hole in his forearm once he jumped back, lining himself up with Morgana, further away from the shadow.
"Zorro!" Morgana yelled out once more, only instead of a rush of piercing wind, the persona appeared in front of him flicked his sword and disappeared once again. Akira watched, dumbfounded, as the see through hole in his arm began filling with flesh once again. The sensation was too disturbing for him to describe, and instead of forcing his distressed brain to do so, he gazed in the direction of their adversary and lifted his healing arm to force one of his personas into being.
With a rush of adrenaline, a flame burst forth from an extension of himself, enveloping the entire room in a sheet of flames.
Snap.
And another.
Snap.
And another.
The monster had been dead for several minutes before he finished purifying the room. It had only been the action of Ryuji grabbing onto him that he was able to stop his addled brain from continuing, and he was left kneeling on the floor, panting at wasting so much energy.
"Let me check out your arm, dude." The blond said, tugging at his limp wrist as he began unraveling a roll of bandage from his pocket. He did not have the energy to fight back, and let the sleeve of his jacket be pushed forward, revealing the intact, albeit scarred, expanse of his forearm. Both of them stared at his skin in morbid fascination.
"Uh…" Ryuji eventually said, twisting his wrist around until the other side of his arm was within his line of sight, it too was equally scarred, yet healthy looking, minus the sprinkling of charcoal, but that was everywhere now, thanks to him.
"I thought he hit you here, I mean, you were bleeding a lot a second ago…"
"I healed it, of course!" The cat yowled, walking over to the two of them and crossing his appendages over his puffed out chest.
"You healed it? His arm?" Sakamoto questioned skeptically, despite the evidence that was, quite literally, in front of them.
Akira flexed his fingers, feeling, for the first time since he started his assault on Kamoshida's minion, the stretch of his muscles as he moved them. It all felt normal, like his arm hadn't just been stabbed through moments ago. A sickly sensation washed over him at that, how easily wounds were both created and mended within the Metaverse, so unlike the real world. The volleyball rally had been a prime example, with that kid's face morphing into an explosion of purple from a ball, but unable to be healed instantly like his arm.
Cognition, he realized, is a dangerous thing…
"Of course!" Morgana said again, "My persona, much like myself, knows a lot of useful things!" With that, the cat laughed smugly, before reaching forward, and running an appendage over Akira's exposed arm.
Akira shuddered.
Morgana's fur was incredibly soft, very similar to a real cat.
"Didn't realize those things could be so tough." Ryuji mumbled, filling the silence while dropping Akira's arm.
"Indeed," Morgana replied, crossing his appendages, once again, over his chest, "It seems that Kamoshida is making a concerted effort into stopping us now…"
Ryuji said nothing in return, not even when the two of them stood and Morgana began following them, completing their trifecta once more.
"I gotta admit though," Breaking the silence once more, "That fire thing was pretty cool!" The blond chirped as they surrounded the body of the beast they had just killed. It, unlike the other shadows in Kamoshida's castle, wasn't swallowed up by the floor, nor did it turn to nothing, even after it had been burnt alive a dozen times. Aside from its continued presence, another thing drew Akira's attention away from the cause he had caused, something gleaming within the blackened remains of the beast. Slowly, he bent down, mindful of the sharp edges of the shadow's charred armor, and removed the shining object from its grasp.
"What is it, Akira?" Ryuji asked, scooting closer so he could look at Akira's find as he spread out his crimson glove to reveal two small coins. "M-money!" His excitement was nearly palpable, the grin sequestering the revealed part of his face was just the cherry on top.
"It's only six-hundred Yen though." The blond pointed out, all excitement, even that of receiving free, well, nearly free, money completely withered.
"Isn't that a lot, though?" Morgana asked, navy eyes fixated on the coins in Akira's hands with a fascinated look; leaving him to wonder just how much Morgana knew about the human world, something he would predictably know if he was actually a human.
Ryuji snorted, "Guess money is money, right?" He stretched out, excitement returning once again, giving Akira the impression that he really didn't know anything about Sakamoto, or his apparent mood swings.
Akira pocketed the money, feeling perplexed, beyond the scope of his companion.
Why did I lose control like that? He wondered, following Morgana and, subsequently, Ryuji through the territory the guard had been barring them from, completely on autopilot.
Even with the adrenaline, with his life being on the line, he had near perfect clarity when he'd awakened to his persona, as well as the other moments when all seemed lost. It seemed strange, still, that he'd lose himself in a battle where the odds were, seemingly, in their favor. His actions, simply put, were inexplicable, even to him. He'd never conjured magic that powerful before in any of their previous battles. Not that he wasn't grateful for the barrier to be blasted into nothing but charred remains, but something about it, about him, left him concerned. He knew, as all things in the Metaverse were, that it had something to do with his cognition; a part of his own repressed cognition, perhaps? That seemed more likely, the entire castle they were currently exploring was an entire construct around repressed thoughts and feelings.
He didn't have any more time to consider the past before the present caught up to him.
A large breeze caught in his coat, whisking the ends until they were flapping heavily in the wind. Akira gazed out, actually seeing what he was looking at for the first time in a long time. Somehow, they had made it outside, the red glow and darkened sky a dead giveaway. The wind that was brushing against his face was not one created by Morgana's persona, or any of the shadows, but a byproduct of elevation, however, they hadn't even reached the peak of Kamoshida's castle, that end was towering in front of them, just across the heavily guarded terrace Morgana and Ryuji were scoping out, the two whispering back and forth while Akira stood there, staring like an idiot at the monolith before them. Kamoshida's cognition was quite impressive, he had to admit, forming not only an entire castle, but a giant tower spiking out of it as well. Something told him that he wouldn't be finding a princess at the top though, only a twisted man with a lot to lose.
"Joker!" Morgana whispered, his shrill voice cutting across the wind to penetrate his ears. "Lead the way!"
Akira stared back at the cat, blinking dumbly.
What.
"What the hell?" Ryuji whispered too loudly, drawing the attention of a nearby shadow.
Carefully, the three of them slipped back towards the door.
"Did I say something?" Morgana inquired once the guard couldn't locate them.
"Uh, yeah!" Sakamoto pressed, annoyed, "Why did ya call him that for, you stupid monster-cat… thing." He finished lamely.
Nevertheless, Morgana bristled under the insult, "I am not a cat!" He yowled, furious, but unable cause harm or berate the blond lest more shadow show up on the already crowded roof.
"Besides, it's his codename!" The cat refuted, lowering his voice and pointedly glaring at Ryuji.
…What.
"Codename?" Sakamoto's confused was etched into the visible lines on his face.
"Of course!" Morgana replied, making it sound incredibly obvious despite the fact that it was, very much so, not obvious. "If we use our real names inside the palace, who knows what the real Kamoshida will remember."
"I thought you said he wouldn't remember anything!" Ryuji accused, crouching down to his knees just so he could shove a gloved finger into Morgana's chest.
"W-well," The cat replied, hissing his words out as Ryuji continued to jab at his sternum, "It's better safe than sorry, right?" He clarified uncertainly. Leaving Akira, and Ryuji judging by the blond's face, skeptical whether Morgana was telling the truth or just being a hindrance.
"Fair enough… I guess; but why's he Joker then?"
"Well," Morgana began, a smug expression twisting his feline lips in a way Akira didn't quite like, "He is our trump card! Just look at how many personas he can use."
"Th-that's your reason?" Ryuji questioned, skeptical.
"What other reason should there be? It's just a codename…" The cat retorted, his fluffy tail puffing up as if Ryuji's presence was sending static across his fur.
"What about me, then?" A smile crackled across Ryuji's lips, seeming suddenly into the act of giving codenames.
"Uh-" Morgana declared, staring between them with his giant pupils, "Skull?" The cat drew out, unsure.
Ryuji's smile, somehow, grew wider, "I like it!" He cackled cheerfully.
"I suppose I'll be needing one, too, even if Kamoshida doesn't know me in the real world." Morgana considered, tapping his chin with the end of his paw.
"How about Monamona…" The blond jeered, causing the cat to growl.
"Don't be stupid, Skull… then again, I guess your Skull doesn't have a brain in it!"
Akira tuned them out, thinking back to his own codename.
Joker… Was it mere irony that his codename was after the most useless card in a deck, or was it by design? Morgana, or apparently Monamona—shortened to Mona, didn't seem like the spiteful sort, and even seemed to be quite fond of him. At least, more fond of him than, Sakamoto. Which, he supposed, that it wasn't that hard of a decision when the blond took every opportunity to point out that Morgana was, in fact, a monster cat.
At least it's not as cringe as Ace or something. All in all, Joker wasn't that bad.
Still, that left a question unanswered, why he, the one who physically could not give orders, at least in a way that neither of his companions could understand.
Unfortunately, his question would have to wait until later, as, in that moment, one of the guards that had been patrolling the roof, finally noticed how much noise they were making and had finally found them.
In a panic, Joker set the collection of shadows ablaze, ignoring their cries for help from the nearby guards. It seemed, if anything, the guards scattered across the rooftops were ignoring their fellow shadow in favor of not running into the three of them. Which made Akira's job as their impromptu leader an easy one.
With the danger of combat removed, it was simple enough to cross the moonlit terrace and end up at the other end. Unfortunately, the door to the tower was locked, though Akira supposed he should have expected as much, considering how many guards were currently strutting between the stone tiles of Kamoshida's castle.
Still, they had to continue, and idea of scaling the nearby ledges came him quickly enough, resulting in a smug compliment from Morgana, the cat not even bothering to conceal his presence once he'd noticed that the guards had little to no interest in pursuing them. With the guards posing as little danger, the only thing they had to worry about was falling off, and due to his newfound agility, something Akira chalked up to nothing more than enhancements through cognition, the risk of plummeting was minimal as he was able to safely traverse across the stony topography of Kamoshida's castle, all the way to the highest window they could reach without climbing straight up, something that would be impossible without a rope of some sort.
The atmosphere within the tower was an immediate and drastic shift from what was outside of it. Additionally, the decorating seemed to change drastically as well, switching out smooth marble flooring for platforms of shifting tiles that swam up and down without assistance. It was completely at odds from what they had seen so far. Additionally, similar to what lie outside of the castle, the candles seem to glow a reddish brown, casting the entire room in low, rusty light.
"The distortion is much worse here…" Morgana muttered, "The treasure must be nearby, then…"
"Treasure?" Sakamoto asked, causing the cat to flinch violently, as if only just realizing he had been speaking out loud.
"R-right… I suppose I should tell you about that." Morgana tittered, raising a paw to scratch at the back of his giant head bashfully.
Akira moved further into the shadows of the room, and beckoned his two allies closer, while there weren't any guards in the room, he wouldn't be surprised if something like what happened on the terrace occurred again.
Once they were seated, with Morgana perched on the edge of one of the floating platforms, now taller than them once both him and Ryuji were off their feet.
"Remember how I said that we would have to destroy Kamoshida's shadow if you wanted to change his heart." Akira nodded, changing the coach's heart had been his entire inspiration for returning to his place, aside from the dreams he'd had. Beside him, Sakamoto also nodded, quiet for once as he watched the cat skeptically.
"Well, that's not the entire process," He cleared out his throat before continuing, "When a person gets distorted desires, it manifests within the Metaverse, physically. However, the desire itself is the reason why this place exists, so, we have to steal Kamoshida's actual distorted desire, the treasure, out of the metaverse. Does… that make sense?"
Like thieves… The way Morgana used the words treasure and steal made him think back to what Igor had said, what the memories of other tricksters informed him of. To steal Kamoshida's sickness from his heart, could he just do that? According to Morgana, yes; according to his own moral boundaries, probably not. It seemed wrong, to just allow Kamoshida to change. Change came with time, not with thievery.
"You seem conflicted, Joker." Monamona noted, leaping off the levitating platform so they were eyelevel.
Akira shrugged, but dug out his phone for the first time since they arrived.
Kamoshida will be a good person after we steal his desires, won't he?
Morgana nodded.
Would he forget what he did, to Suzui and the others? Even typing her name made guilty shivers travel up his arms.
The cat faltered, "…I didn't want to say anything until we found the treasure but, there is a chance that Kamoshida won't remember anything, if we steal his desires."
Audibly, Sakamoto gulped, "What do you mean anything?" He snapped.
Morgana's blue eyes crinkled in awkwardness, "We're stealing, or planning to steal, his desires, all of them. Desire to eat, to sleep, to love; he'd become a shell of a person, and… if someone didn't take care of him, he could die."
"S-so we'd be killin him?" The blond screeched, his words reverberating around the empty room.
Morgana winced, his ears folding down over his large head in the biggest sign of emotion that Akira had seen from him yet.
"It's possible, that when we steal his treasure all of his desires disappear, if the distortion surrounding his distortions in strong enough…"
Akira studied the ground, trying to accept this. Kamoshida's castle was the only example of manifested desires, and the castle looked quite expansive due to distortion, it seemed quite likely that if they stole Kamoshida's treasure, the man would die.
"I-it's better than doing nothing, right?" Morgana insisted. "Joker?"
Akira looked up finally, and his thoughts must have made their way onto his face, as Morgana's expression only worsened.
Assuming he doesn't die, would he remember? He wanted an answer before he made any conclusions. Turning Kamoshida into a good person suddenly would look suspicious, especially with the apparent rumors floating around about him and Sakamoto doing something to Kamoshida.
"He'd remember all of the crimes he committed, yes, and in the absence of his distorted desires, he'd be compelled to confess them."
Good. Akira, grim as it was, wanted Kamoshida to suffer for what he had done. Those pictures of that girl, bruised so much that Akira couldn't even recognize her when they were face to face was enough to cement his conviction.
He turned to Sakamoto, and studied the final piece of their team, the one who had been hurt the most by Kamoshida out of all of them. He'd leave the final decision to Ryuji, even if it meant that they abandoned the palace and forgot it, along with Morgana, ever existed.
Skull sat for a long moment, the thoughtful deliberation in his brown eyes, heavy accentuated by the steeliness of the mask covering his face, made a pit drop in Akira's stomach. He really hoped that his companion wouldn't force them to abandon the progress that they had made, even if Kamoshida ended up dead. Things at Shujin couldn't continue as they were, even Akira, who hadn't even been there for an entire week, could see that.
Kamoshida was a cancer upon the school.
"Alright." Sakamoto said eventually, filling him with relief. "We just gotta steal the treasure thing, and beat him up?"
Morgana nodded, but judging from the twitching of his ears, Akira had a feeling things would be as simple as Sakamoto summed them up.
