Monday - After School

The four of them stood before the foreboding castle, once again underneath the entrance archways. Ann shivered slightly, clearly still uncomfortable in the strange catsuit the Shadow Realm had seen fit to clothe her in.

"This place is so creepy. What's with the red sky?"

Yu shrugged. "I'm unsure exactly why. Best not dwell on it- There are many unexplained oddities within the Shadow Realms."

"Yeah, I guess. Kurusu, what's our plan? Also, Ryuji… You can stop staring any time now."

The blonde boy jumped to attention, startled from his obvious gaze. "I wasn't- It wasn't… I was just, uh, thinkin' ya needed a codename, that's all!"

She crossed her arms, clearly unconvinced. "Uh huh. A codename?"

"Y-Yeah! Mr. Narukami, you were always sayin' how it's important to keep a secret identity and stuff, right? 'Cuz the shadows are listening?"

Yu sighed. "It would be slightly more believable if you didn't just forget to use my codename right now. Regardless, he's right. If we use real names within his cognition, they may stick into the real man's memory. It's for the best that we use simple codenames to refer to each other in the Shadow World. He's Joker, that idiot over there is Skull, and I'm Ace."

She nodded. "Okay, that makes sense. So what should I be?"

Sakamoto looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Well, ya, know, judging by your costume… Kurusu, whaddya think?"

The other boy also looked slightly bemused. "Maybe… Catgirl?"

Takamaki stamped her foot. "Wait! Is that what you're going to call me from now on? I'm so not okay with that!"

Sakamoto shrugged. "Then whaddya want to be called?"

She sighed. "Something better than just a little cat! How about… Panther?"

Sakamoto cocked his head. "Why that?"

"I dunno, because it sounds more… Ferocious? I want to try make something out of this dumb outfit" She looked over to Yu. "Do I really have to wear it?"

"Did you bring a change of clothes?"

"No?"

"Then you don't exactly have something to change into. If you want to wear something else, bring other clothes with you when entering the Castle, then change once you enter."

She shook her head. "Agh, never mind. There's more important things to worry about. Namely…" She gestured to the imposing castle ahead of them.

Sakamoto nodded. "Right! We gotta take down this bastard Kamoshida. Kur- Er, Joker, lead the way!"

The three students quickly walked around to their vent entry point. Yu followed behind, feeling nervous despite himself.

The first time going in as an organized group. I hope this goes well...

Half an hour later, Yu dodged back from trampling hooves, twisting to avoid the followup lance thrust from the rider. He panted for breath, stumbling back as the horseback knight came back around for another charge.

I should have known.

"Don't let them surround you!"

Further ahead of him in the long corridor, Sakamoto and Kurusu were both already engaged in combat with a second knight. The blonde looked back at him, scowling.

"Yeah, didn't think of that one, thanks! The hell are these guys even weak to?"

The long hallways had been such a perfect ambush point that he kicked himself for not seeing it earlier. The three mounted knights had manifested themselves from behind and charged the four of them down, locking them into the lethal combat they were now stuck in. Alongside him, Takamaki reached down to her hip and grasped the shiny chrome machine pistol that was holstered there.

"Let's try this!"

She pointed it in the general direction of the rampaging knight and squeezed the trigger, causing Yu to wince at the thunderous burst of gunfire that ricocheted down the hall. Most of the bullets missed their mark, but the ones that hit true simply bounced off its chrome armour and didn't slow the rampage at all. Yu allowed power to surge through him and grasped at his glasses, pulling them away with a burst of blue flame.

"Vergil, cleave!"

His skeletal persona came into being, already swinging its enormous cleaver blade. The knight did its best to dodge, but was knocked aside with the enormous force of the Persona's blow. The charge briefly stalled, Yu took the opportunity to rush forward with his own sword slash. Cutting into the flank of the horse, a spray of crimson mist spilled out as the shadow let out an inhuman screech.

"They're resistant to our guns! What's working?"

The four were forced back to back as the trio of knights stood blocking both sides of the hall. Sakamoto shrugged.

"Captin' Kidd ain't really hurtin' them."

Ann nodded. "And they just ignore Carmen's fire."

Yu's own wind attacks had been mostly shrugged off as well. It seemed the mounted knights lacked the same traditional weaknesses they had been abusing to wipe foes thus far. He looked over at Kurusu, who was staring at the knight ahead of him intensely.

"Any ideas, Joker?"

In response the boy grasped at his mask, blue fire spilling down his arm. Pulling it away with a flash of light, it wasn't the normal crimson cloaked gentleman persona that emerged. Rather, it was a short, rotund figure with pale white skin and a pointed blue cap on its head. With the proportions of a teddy bear, it had a wide cartoonish smile on its face. Yu would recognize that Persona anywhere. Kurusu pointed at the two knights blocking the way ahead of them.

"Jack Frost, show them winter!"

"Hee Ho!"

The squat persona clapped its hands, and the temperature of the hall immediately dropped. Ice rushed down the hall ahead of them in a wave, coating the carpet and walls in frost. It fell upon the two knights, whose steeds reared back at the sudden cold. The struggle was in vain, however, as the ice swiftly covered over their whole bodies and left them frozen in place as icicle statues. Yu grinned, watching as the young wild card turned and pointed at the remaining knight behind them.

"Ace, Skull, take that one out. Panther, with me! Let's shatter this ambush apart!"

Yu and Sakamoto turned on the solo knight as the other two members of their party descended on the frozen ones. Now alone, it backed up slightly, still suffering from the wounds Yu had inflicted a moment ago. He let blue fire surge again, feeling Vergil spring to life behind him.

"These ones aren't invulnerable to wind or lightning, just resistant. We can overwhelm him."

Sakamoto grinned. "Now you're talkin'! Come on, Captain' Kidd!"

Yu pointed his sword at the knight. "Garu!"

A wall of pressure rushed down the hallway ahead of them. The knight was trying to back away, only to be nearly knocked fully off their horse by the full pressure of it. They tried to steady themselves, only for a crash of thunder to rip through the air. Sakamoto's persona fired its arm cannon, a beam of brilliant crackling lighting tearing straight into the Knight's armour. It froze up in paralysis, the horse dissolving into crimson mist and sending its rider tumbling to the floor. Yu sprinted up to it, raising his sword up before stabbing it right into the visor slit of the knight. It wasn't even able to spasm, lightning still cracking over its armour as it too dissolved into mist. Sakamoto let out a whoop.

"Hell yeah!"

Yu turned, catching sight of Joker and Panther making quick work of the frozen knights. Yu had summoned another Persona, this one a dark-maned horse with glowing crimson eyes and a pair of fearsome curled horns. It trampled straight into its target, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Meanwhile, Takamaki simply called forth her own elegantly dressed Persona and let the hall erupt into heat. The knight's armour exploded at the sudden shifts in temperature it had been put through leaving nothing but the familiar crimson mist that quickly faded. The four of them once again stood alone in the silent hallway. Sakamoto walked over and clapped Kurusu on the shoulder.

"Wow! The hell was that?!"

The boy smiled slightly. "The wildcard" He nodded to Yu. "Thanks, Ace. Your advice was helpful."

Yu shrugged. "The credit's to you, kid. When did you get the chance to do that?"

"Just before we entered the palace. I… Had a shot of inspiration."

Meaning he had a chance to visit the velvet room and talk to Igor.

"Well, glad you did. With that bufu skill, we can cover all basic elemental weaknesses within our group. It's going to be a lot easier to take out Shadows now."

Ann pouted. "Kinda annoying how those things were immune to everything I was doing."

"That's how it goes. Each shadow has specific weaknesses and immunities. You'd do well to remember them- Wasting time attacking into immunities can get you killed."

Sakamoto scowled. "Agh. I'm terrible at rememberin' stuff."

"Then get good at following directions. I'll do my best to keep these sorts of things recorded, but ultimately it's down to Joker to direct us."

Ann nodded. "Yeah, I get it now. If this wild card thing lets you have all those different Personas, you're able to see the big picture with strategy and stuff. I'll trust you to lead, Joker."

Sakamoto grinned. "Same here, bro."

The black coated persona user nodded. "I'll do my best. Now, let's move on."

Yu let the three kids go ahead of him again, fighting to keep a smile off his face. It was a familiar joy, watching them figure out weaknesses, vulnerabilities, team strategies, learning to trust each other. Just like him, back in the day. Maybe, just maybe...

This might just work.

"Aghh! I don't get it!"

A further fifteen minutes of careful prowling through empty halls later, they had come into a much larger room. Most of it was gated off by large iron bars that encircled a table in the centre of the room that was covered in papers and books. Various pillars that the bars connected had strange pull-chain switches built into them, but pulling them seemed to have no effect. After five minutes of attempting to force open the bars and trying to understand the various switches, Sakamoto was already at wits end.

"What's the point of a room like this? I don't understand. Why set shit up this way?"

Yu yanked on one of the chains, listening to the click-clack of mechanical gears behind it. There was clearly a pattern here. He turned to face the frustrated boy.

"Everything in this place is metaphorical. There are things that you want to forget, right? Bad memories and the like. That's what this place is likely to represent; A jail of information locked away where he doesn't want anyone to get it."

The blonde looked confused. "Meta-what-ical?"

Yu scoffed. "Never mind. Point is, whatever's inside is important, and this room HAS to have a sensible solution. It may be things he doesn't want to remember, but the mind never locks away things entirely. There's always a solution to get to it."

He yanked on another chain. This one clanked back with a different sound, and all at once the various mechanisms around the room let out a loud click, and reset back to their unpulled position. Yu snapped his fingers.

"I think I see it. They need to be pulled in a specific order. I just got it wrong- it reset."

Takamaki nodded. "Hm, makes sense. Question is, what's the order?"

Kurusu walked up beside Yu, staring at the mechanical pull chain intently. He crouched down to the ground, inspecting the dirtied cobblestones this room was floored with. Standing back up, he walked around the central cage to the first of the five chains and pulled upon it.

"I think I can see it."

He walked clockwise, skipping past one switch to pull on the next in line. Then further along to the final switch in the rotation, pulling it down with confidence. After a brief mechanical rattle, the iron bars abruptly retracted into the floor. Yu shook his head in disbelief.

"How'd you guess that?"

Kurusu gestured to the floor. "The footprints."

Footprints? I don't see any-

Looking closer, he saw with shock that there was the faint imprint of hard boot prints on the cobbles. They formed a barely detectable path from one chain to the next, highlighting the combination. Sakamoto let out a low whistle.

"Damn, Joker. You've got some good eyes!"

Yu nodded. "I didn't even see those. Nice job. Puzzles like that aren't uncommon in the Shadow Worlds, so it's a good thing you're more perceptive than me."

Kurusu rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sure you'd have seen it eventually, Ace. Let's see what he was hiding."

Ann nodded. "Yeah."

The four of them approached the centre table that had been guarded by the iron bars. They set to work thoroughly searching it, flipping open the various books and checking each of the scattered papers. Yu winced in disgust. It was mostly a bunch of 'pickup artistry' books written by the kind of people that knew exactly how to prey upon those desperate enough to need such literature. It made sense- The kind of information Kamoshida likely treasured, but didn't want anyone to know he read. The papers were the listed names of various students, marked with either a cross or a tick. Yu didn't even want to consider what they meant. Ann, he noted, looked especially uncomfortable, taking a step away from the table.

"This is disgusting. What was the point here?"

Yu sighed. "Sorry. I thought there would be useful information, but it's mostly just… more of what we already knew."

Kurusu pulled a much larger paper free from underneath the rest, shaking his head. "Maybe not. Have a look at this."

He rolled the paper out flat. A floor plan, Yu noted. It laid out the various corridors they had crept through earlier, as well as a large amount further up. Most interestingly, there was a large room on it highlighted in bright red.

"This is a map. And look, right here. This place has been singled out. It must be important somehow- It might even be this 'vault' we've been searching for."

Takamaki winced. "That's a pretty long way away."

Sakamoto nodded. "Yeah. Guess we better pick up the pace, huh Joker?"

Yu shook his head. "I disagree. We've gone deep enough for today- It would be wise to turn back for now."

Sakamoto narrowed his eyes. "Don't that just waste all our time so far? I reckon we can go deeper."

"No. Look here- There's a whole maze of additional passages we didn't spot on the way in. With this map, getting back to this point would take only a few minutes. The progress we've made today is already excelled. We gain nothing from pushing too far."

"But… Egh. Joker, whaddya think?"

Ann skipped back and forth on the balls of her feet. "Don't feel held up by me. I can keep going.

The student stood still in contemplation for a few moments. "... Are you sure, Mr Narukami?"

Yu sighed. "Yes, I'm sure. Trust me, I'm not just making suggestions to be a buzzkill."

After another few seconds of thinking, Kurusu shook his head. "Sorry, Skull. I think we should pull back for now. We've made great progress so far. I don't want to take unnecessary risks."

Sakamoto sighed. "Geez... Really? Ugh, I get it. Alright, let's go."

Takamaki stretched out. "Kinda feels a bit of a waste, but sure."

Yu nodded. "Remember, we still have plenty of time. Playing this slowly is the correct way to go. For now, let's take these back passages to get back out to the entrance."

As the three students filed out, Yu slowly followed after them. Hopefully, he thought, they'd learn the value of pacing themselves.

Monday - Evening

SAKAMOTO: When are we gonna go in next?

KURUSU: When are we all free?

TAKAMAKI: I've got to visit Shiho tomorrow, so not then.

SAKAMOTO: Go in just the 3 of us then?

TOBI: I strongly advise against that.

SAKAMOTO: Figures.

TAKAMAKI: Uh, he's right. You guys better not be going in without me.

KURUSU: I agree. Day after tomorrow?

TAKAMAKI: I'll make it free.

SAKAMOTO: That works.

TOBI: See you all then. Spend tomorrow getting rest.

Tuesday - Schooltime

Yu stifled a yawn, impaling an empty chip packet and dropping it into his trash sack. Despite his advice, he had spent nearly all of the night before planning in a fresh notebook. Copying out the map they had found, marking key points of interest, plotting a route they could take through the newly revealed back rooms, the weaknesses and immunities of the various kinds of Shadow Knights that barred their way. By the time he next looked up, the rising sun had been peeking through his curtains. He was paying for it now, having been assigned to lunchtime cleanup duty and barely being able to keep his eyes open.

Always such a bad teacher.

He sighed, moving further around the courtyard and trying to avoid the clusters of students. Just get through the day, he could catch up on sleep with an afternoon nap. Coming around to the side of the building, he hefted his trash bag up to deposit it in a nearby dumpster.

"Hey there."

Yu was dragged from his musing by a familiar student calling out to him. He looked to the side, immediately recognizing the blonde twintails of Ann Takamaki. She was sitting on a bench up against the school building, a lunch box sat on the wood next to her, filled with various instant foods. She waved.

"Hard at work, huh? Still can't believe you were here all this time."

Looking over his shoulder to ensure there was nobody else present, he turned back and nodded.

"It's good to see you well, Takamaki. Regardless, we probably shouldn't talk while under school hours."

She shrugged. "Eh, it's fine. Nobody comes around here."

Yu sighed, walking over to the dumpster and lugging the blacksack into it. She was correct on that count, at least. This side of the building was constantly in shadow, scattered with trash that didn't quite get to the dumpster, and didn't exactly smell the best. Which made him wonder why Ann was sitting there on her own.

"I would've thought you'd be with your friends."

Ann laughed slightly. "Yeah, normally. It's just… After all that's happened, it's kinda made me realise a few things. People are saying all this stuff about me, about Shiho, and my friends… A bunch of nasty rumours. But they aren't standing up for either of us. Makes me wonder, were they ever my friends, you know?"

Yu paused, leaning back against the dumpster. "I know how that can feel. Still, if they weren't your real friends then you don't have to worry about their opinions. It's best to stick to true companions in hard times. How's Shiho doing?"

Takamaki took a bite of a bread bun, nodding. "She was awake, last time I saw her. I'm going to visit her after school, keep her company for the day" She looked down guiltily. "Sorry for making the rest of you skip a day in the castle."

Yu shrugged. "There's no issue, Takamaki. I was going to recommend we all take a break today anyway, so there's no holdup."

"Yeah, but… Ugh, I don't know. Is spending all this time visiting her selfish? Wouldn't it be better to spend more time in the castle? And then there's school, and homework, and dealing with friends, and it's all a bunch of time I'm wasting not fixing the problem. I keep feeling like I should be doing more."

Yu shook his head. "Taking care of her in the real world is just as important as fighting for her in the shadow world. All of that, on top of balancing school and family? You're already doing a hell of a lot more than most kids can handle. Trust me, back when me and my friends were your age, we weren't doing it half as well as you kids are doing."

"... Do you really think so?"

"I'm saying it, aren't I? You're doing everything you can and more, Takamaki. Don't be afraid to take the time you need."

Ann nodded. "Yeah… Yeah, you're right. She cocked her head, looking over at him. "You know, this is a real different side of you."

"Hm?"

"Well, no offence, when I first saw you it was a little scary. You were all intimidating and grouchy and stuff. But now you're giving pep talks. Who knew."

Yu scoffed. "I am not grouchy."

The bell rang out across the courtyard, making Yu stand to attention. Ann fixed the lid back onto her lunchbox, standing as well.

"Thanks, Mr Narukami. For staying and talking."

Yu tipped his cap. "No problem, Takamaki. See you tomorrow."

As she disappeared around the corner, Yu let out a deep sigh.

I hope I'm not giving out bad advice.

Wednesday- After School

Yu coughed, feeling stifled in the heavy crimson air. They were back in the castle, having used various back passages highlighted on their new map to make the return journey simple. Following the map further towards the strange highlighted area, they had entered a room unlike any other so far. It was a library, every wall of the rectangular space filled from floor to ceiling with racks of books. Red velvet lined the floor, muting their footsteps as the four of them slowly entered. It was dimly lit by a single overhead chandelier, casting the corners into shadow. Aside from the way they had come in, there were no other exits. Yu looked back down at the map.

"This room is strange. According to the map, there's supposed to be an exit directly ahead of us."

Looking at the far wall, however, there was simply another wall to wall shelf. Sakamoto snapped his finger.

"Oh, so this has gotta be another puzzle, right? A… A metaphor, right?"

Yu sighed. "Sure. A library could represent any number of things. Unlike the other room, it's not sealed up. The knowledge here is things he keeps on the forefront of his mind, readily available. Categorised. But there's a secret in here; Some other way forward. We need to find it."

Takamaki groaned. "Well, there's a lot of stuff to look at. We should split it. I'll take this wall, you guys take the other three."

They all nodded in confirmation, splitting off to the four sides of the room. Yu went left, approaching the centre of the giant shelf and grabbing out a book at random. Flipping through the pages, he immediately took the gist of it. A timetable, scheduling various practice sessions and coaching hours for the various teams he doubtless managed. Nothing immediately jumped out. He grabbed another, leafing through. This seemed to be a list of Kamoshida's performance appraisals. Year after year, all glowing reviews written by the principal himself. Yu went to the next, this one simply filled with various exaggerated portraits of Kamoshida making various poses. The next, an endless set of grocery lists. After that, a book filled cover to cover with poetry espousing the virtues of 'King Kamoshida'. Yu sighed, turning away from the wall.

"This side's useless. They're all just about him."

Kurusu, who had taken the side they had entered from, turned and nodded.

"This one's not much use either. It's all just general facts and knowledge, the sort of thing anyone would know."

Damn. Was this place a dead end?

"Uh, guys?"

The two wild cards turned to face Takamaki, who was looking down at a book in her hands with a horrified expression on her face. She turned the book around so they could see the title.

Ann Takamaki, the Charming Doll.

"... What the heck is this?! Is this about me?"

She took a brief look inside the book, only to immediately slam it shut with a visible cringe. Yu approached the wall, taking stock of the various titles engraved into the books. With grim realisation, he recognized the pattern.

"It's not just you."

The books were all titled with female names. Looking up and down the rows, he caught sight of a familiar one.

Shiho Suzui, the Silent Doll

Ann followed his gaze, staring at the book in horror.

"It's… It's all of them. These are all kids at school" She looked over at him. "Ace, what the hell does all this mean?!"

Yu looked at the sheer size of the wall, thinking back to the books he had read just before. Seven years of performance reviews. Seven years Kamoshida had been in the school. Seven years of students he had had access to. All of them collected and collated, stored as proud memories within the teacher's twisted cognition. The enormity of what the wall represented made Yu's head spin.

"... It means what it looks like, I assume. Like trophies, all stored up in this vault."

Takamaki growled in anger. Blue fire erupted around her mask, the shadow of her persona coming to life behind her.

"That BASTARD! How many people…"

Crimson flames began to dance in the air around her. Yu quickly reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Takamaki, be calm. Burning this place down isn't going to solve anything. Save that anger for later, when we corner his shadow self. Then, we can make him pay."

Ann shoved his hand away, twisting around.

"I know! I get it!"

The temperature of the room lowered back down to normal. Ann angrily kicked at the shelf, dislodging a few books. Kurusu looked over at her, worry clear on his face even behind the mask.

"Ann-"

She cut him off. "I get it. Look, let's just find the way out of here and get moving."

Yu decided to leave her be, wandering over the final wall. Sakamoto was leaning against it looking over at Ann, also clearly concerned. He held a book in his hand, the title visible on the spine.

Ryuji Sakamoto, the Vulgar Ape

Scanning over at the wall, he saw it filled with similarly titled books. These ones, all male. Categorised and validated, all the various boys in his teams that Kamoshida had ruthlessly abused to achieve maximum results in the sporting world. He nodded to Sakamoto.

"Good book?"

The blonde shook his head. "Hell nah. It's just fulla all this bullshit 'bout me. Says that I'm 'An illiterate ape who dared to stand against him'. Like, the hell does he get off?!"

Yu turned a slow circle, taking in all the details.

"I understand this place is frustrating, but we need to focus on what's important. This library is his memoirs. One wall is about him; His accomplishments, his accolades. The other two, his victims, divided in the ways he values them. The map we got says there should be an exit on that wall. Where is it?"

He pointed to the wall opposite to the one they had come in. Despite laying it all out, Yu didn't feel any closer to uncovering that route. If there was a clue hidden in a specific book, it would take ages to find it. He sighed, leaning against the wall next to Sakamoto.

Where indeed?

His attention fell onto Kurusu, who was crouched down on the velvet floor, examining the bottom of the far shelf. The boy placed a red gloved hand upon it, seemingly feeling for something, before suddenly jumping back to his feet.

"There's scratch marks under the carpet. This wall is some kind of mechanism; It opens up. I think I see it…"

He stalked along the left hand walls, running his hand down the spines of various books until he stopped at one in particular.

"This one's different."

He pulled at it, but rather than lift off the shelf it instead moved on a hinge, a loud mechanical click sounding out through the room. Yu ran over to the wall, examining it more closely. It wasn't a book at all, simply a lever hidden amongst all the other volumes. He shook his head in disbelief.

"I don't believe it. What was the difference?"

Kurusu had already moved along to the next wall, scanning it closely.

"All these other books are pristine, brand new. That one was creased, crinkled. It stood out."

Yu looked back at the hidden lever book. Sure enough, it was slightly more worn out than the others that surrounded it. Reading along the spine, the title also stood out slightly. The King Book. Still, it was a set of details Yu had completely glossed over.

The kid's good.

Kurusu stopped his scan across the middle shelf, reaching up to the top row and pulling on another book. The same as the first one, it pulled back like a lever and let out a loud click. This one was titled The Queen Book. Sakamoto let out a low whistle.

"Geez, Joker. The hell do you even notice this stuff?"

Kurusu was already on the final wall. This one he lingered on for only a moment before crouching down and pulling at a book on the second to lowest row. This one, The Slave Book. With another loud click, the entire room rumbled slightly. The far bookshelf started to shift, the centre opening out like a set of doors, scraping along the carpet with a shrill screech. Beyond it, a dark hallway continued onwards. Sakamoto pumped his fist.

"Hell yeah! Damn, I thought we'd be stuck in this room forever."

Ann was already striding down the dark passage.

"Good. I'm ready to hit something."

The rest of them hurriedly followed after her, both out of not wishing to be left behind but also not wishing to let her go on alone.

They continued in silence for a few minutes, only broken by Yu giving new directions from the map. It was close now, the red X marked room on the map. Up a set of twisting stairs, across a narrow gantry that crossed past the main hall, into a door hidden behind a painting, and they were there. A large oaken double door stood before them, hanging on ornate golden hinges. Tentatively, Kurusu reached out and put a hand on them.

"There could be anything in here. Are we ready?"

Takamaki nodded. "Damn right I am."

Yu and Sakamoto also nodded their assent. As carefully as he could, the young wild card then proceeded to push open the doors. Apparently well oiled, the hinges made barely a sound as Kurusu opened the door far enough to slip through, before peeking his head into the room beyond. He simply observed for a moment, before pulling back and pushing the door open the rest of the way.

"I don't see anyone here."

The four of them stepped into the open space. The ceiling of the room towered high above them, arches supporting it that were connected to giant pillars that towered along the sides of the hall. The far side of the room was dominated by a gigantic marble statue of King Kamoshida, arms raised in exaltation of himself, haloed by an ornate stained glass window on the wall behind it. Wooden pews sat in neat rows along the floor, illuminated only by dim candle glow and the eerie light that came through the tinted windows. It resembled a church. For a moment as Yu walked into the room, the entire area flickered. For just a second, he was staring at the familiar space of the Shujin Academy main gymnasium. Next to him, Ann shook her head in confusion.

"Was that… The gym?"

Yu nodded. "It's likely this room is his cognition of the school gymnasium."

Sakamoto scowled. "I get it. The gym's some kinda holy place for him. Thinks he's god here, huh?"

The blonde stepped forward and unleashed a kick into the closest wooden pew, knocking it over onto the floor with a loud echoing crash. Yu winced at the noise, shaking his head in disbelief.

"We are attempting stealth, aren't we…?"

Ryuji ignored him, knocking over another pew with a grunt. Yu sighed and stepped further forward into the room, turning a slow circle to take it all in. What was so important here that was marked on the map, and hidden behind so many layers of protection? It didn't initially appear that there were any other ways out of the giant chapel. So wha-

"How dare you defile the holy grounds with your filth!"

Yu spun back around the other way, drawing his blade at the sudden voice. Where were they? Who was speaking? The other three were likewise on alert, trying to spot the source of the voice. Upon not seeing anything, he looked up above him with a sinking feeling. From up in the rafters of the giant room, a pair of beady red eyes stared down.

"It is you… The traitors who dare stand against King Kamoshida's reign!"

The eyes came into the light, revealing the full body of the creature. It was an angelic creature, a suit of shining chrome armour with golden metallic wings allowing it to elegantly float through the air. A gigantic iron spear was clasped in on hand, while a round shield was in the other. It floated up above them, staring down with a cast-iron face sculpted to resemble that of a dragon's.

"To think… You would even trample this deep into his utmost sanctum…"

Sakamoto recovered his wits, brandishing his steel bat.

"Why don't ya come down here and I'll show you just how much we friggin' dare!"

Ann nodded. "There's nothing holy about this place. I'll burn it all down!"

Yu wasn't so sure. There was something strange about the shadow. It was different from the others, radiating an aura of power that put him ill at ease.

"Careful. It's more powerful than the other shadows we've fought so far."

The shadow pointed its spear forward. Behind them, the doors slammed closed with a loud thump, shutting them in.

"The opportunity for repentance has passed. In King Kamoshida's name, I shall smite thee!"

There was no space for any further discussion as it rushed towards them in a plunging dive, spear glinting in the golden light. Yu raised his blade, hoping they weren't about to make a gigantic mistake.

"... Ace…"

"... Help… Wall…"

"... Naruka…"

"YU!"

Yu's eyes snapped open with a jolt, then immediately wrenched closed in pain as he tried to move his arm. He sucked in air, counting to three while the pain subsided before opening his eyes again and trying to take stock of the situation. He was propped up against the wall, three extremely nervous looking students crouched in front of him. Upon seeing him open his eyes their faces all lit up. Kurusu immediately ran over to the other side of the room, rummaging through a large bag. Takamaki shuffled closer to him.

"You're okay!"

Yu swallowed down some blood before nodding slowly. "Apparently. What happened?"

Sakamoto shook his head. "That was crazy. It just… It was so fast! Couldn't even see it move. One second I was firin' shots with Captain Kidd, the next second you were shovin' me to the ground. Thing woulda got me if ya hadn't knocked me away. But… It hit you instead."

Yu searched around the room. The last thing he recalled was having just started the fight against the strange angelic shadow.

"Is it dead?"

Ann nodded. "Yeah. As you went down, your Persona managed to catch it with a big slash. Gave me and Joker the chance to break open a chink in the armor with fire and ice attacks."

Sakamoto cut in. "And then… POW! Joker landed a gunshot right into the chink! Shoulda seen it. Thing went right down."

Yu chuckled darkly. "Maybe next time, if I manage it."

Kurusu returned, holding a package of foil wrapped Recov-R pills. Popping one out, he held it out to Yu. Grabbing with his non-injured hand, the elder persona-user quickly swallowed it down. Waiting for the effects to kick in, he looked over the three students.

"That should do me. How are the rest of you?"

Takamaki shook her head. "I'm fine."

Sakamoto shrugged. "Nothin' bruised but my pride. Thanks, Ace. I woulda been a goner if ya hadn't saved me. You… You sure you're alright?"

Yu struggled to his feet, feeling the drug taking effect. The large cut on his arm sealed itself, the throbbing ache from his head injury subsided, even his torn clothes stitching themselves back together.

"I said, I'm fine. That's why we prepared with all this gear, remember? Injuries don't work the same way here as they do in the real world" Yu nodded to Kurusu. "Good job, Joker. And the rest of you too. That was a tough foe."

Takamaki let out a shaky laugh. "Yeah. After you went down… I really thought we were screwed."

Yu brushed the dirt off his shoulder. "Well, nice work keeping it together. Just because one of us goes down, doesn't mean the fight is over. Next time, pop a Revivadrin into anyone who gets knocked unconscious. Saves you having to wait for me to wake up naturally."

Sakamoto rubbed the back of his head. "Sooo… Ya ain't mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

Kurusu looked down. "Because we nearly got you killed there?"

Yu shrugged. "But you didn't. Is there room for improvement? Sure. Next time, don't go taunting the Shadows. Remember to use medicine cures more often. Make sure you don't get blindsided. But I didn't join you all thinking you'd be pros right away. As long as you learn from this to do better next time."

He made eye contact with each of the kids in turn, who nodded their assent. Feeling the last niggle of pain fade away, he strode across the chapel. It had been heavily damaged during the fight, most of the pews having been badly burned and several of the windows shattered. Light streamed in from outside. That was interesting. It implied they were back on ground level.

"Alright, I think we can at least see what all the trouble was for. What's the way forward?"

Kurusu pointed to the far side of the room, behind the Kamoshida statue. "After that shadow fell, a door opened up back behind there."

Yu nodded. "Well then. Lead the way, Joker."

Hesitantly, the black cloaked wild card made his way across the ruined chapel. Yu gestured for the other two to follow. He watched them go, smiling slightly.

They managed that fight on their own. They're learning

He hurried to catch up, stepping around the giant Kamoshida statue to see a large stone door that had opened up. Crimson light streamed in from outside, revealing they were back out in the open air. Walking out, he immediately had to put a hand down on his hat to stop it blowing away in the sudden wind. They were atop a large wall, ridged paraphets on each side dropping off to the ground far, far below. The wall continued in a wide arc either side, assumedly around the entire perimeter of the castle. Right in front of them, however, was a wide arched bridge that led to the inner ring of the castle. That wasn't what caught their attention the most, however.

"That… is a big tower."

Dominating the entire skyline, towering all the way up into the crimson clouds, was a great stone tower. It was right at the centre of the castle, all other walls and defences seemingly in place to protect that one tower. The bridge ahead of them led right to it, a large oaken door at the far side offering entrance to the foreboding spire. Yu looked all the way up, trying to see the top.

"I think we've found our vault. If there's a place to confront Shadow Kamoshida, it's going to be in there."

Takamaki grimaced. "All the way at the top? That's a long climb."

Sakamoto shrugged. "I'm not lettin' a few stairs stop me. Lemme at it!"

Yu opened his mouth to protest, only for Kurusu to step in front of Sakamoto and shake his head.

"No. We've come far enough for today. We're all exhausted, it's time to head back for now."

Sakamoto hesitated. But then, rather than complain, he simply nodded.

"Alright. If ya say so, Joker" The blonde turned to Yu. "Alright, what's the way outta here Ace?"

All three looked at him expectantly. Yu couldn't help but grin widely, impressed at their newfound intuition on when it was time to fall back. Takamaki cocked her head.

"What's so funny?"

He shook his head. "Oh, nothing. Follow me."

As he led them back down the twisting halls, he couldn't wipe the smile off his face.

It's not just a hope any more, Igor. They're really getting this.

…

Maybe you didn't make a mistake after all, huh?

Work is now available on Ao3 under the same name if you wish to read it there.