2/19

pancakeman: Doktor, are you available today?

turtlepower: Of course. What do you need?

pancakeman: I wanted to come visit you today. There's something I would like to borrow, if you have it.

turtlepower: Depends. What are you looking for, exactly?

pancakeman: A hidden camera.

turtlepower: I can totally do that. What's the occasion?

pancakeman: Official Day Breakers business.

turtlepower: Cool. I'll be here in my cave when you're ready.

pancakeman: Got it.

Later that day, once I was free, I made my way over to Nitori's cave. Diving beneath the river's rushing waters and swimming across and up, I popped up right in front of her door and knocked. I could have instead simply used the "back way" in via the Metaverse, but I wanted to give Nitori at least some extra warning that I was coming, since she wasn't used to having visitors. That, and I quite like the sensation and experience of swimming in the cold river and seeing the watery world beneath the surface without getting cold or wet.

It took a few moments before Nitori came to open the door. No longer was there a camera that popped out requesting I state my intentions, a sign Nitori was growing more used to visitors appearing at her door.

"Welcome, welcome," she said, holding a wrench and with grease marks smudged on her face. "I'm glad you made it alright; that river can be a bit dodgy sometimes, what with all the rocks and pebbles that get swept up and pushed down by the current, or the huge fish that inhabit the river."

"Trust me, I've dealt with worse," I replied.

Nitori shrugged. "I suppose so. But you realize you're a bit squishier here than in the Metaverse."

"I do," I nodded. "Still, all that running, jumping and fighting is great at keeping one in shape, bothi inside the cognitive world and out."

"Yeah, no kidding. I can barely keep up with you guys; kappa bodies are built for swimming, not running and jumping on land for long stretches, and I'm a slow flier in this world too, since kappa are not flying creatures. I only know a handful of other kappa that fly, and I really only learned to do it so I could participate in spell card duels."

"Everyone is the master of their own domain," I said to her. "You're great at swimming, you're a technological prodigy, and your support abilities are rivaled only by Futaba's; in fact, I daresay yours might be even stronger."

Nitori smiled. "Well, thanks. I'm glad you think that.

Inside her cave, it became obvious that she was at least making a token effort to be more receptive to guests, since she now had a small "living room" off to the side cobbled together from leftover machine parts, work benches, and fabricated chairs with cushions and blankets strapped onto them. She apologized for it not being the best, and promised to get actual lounge seats and a coffee table in at some point. "Like I said," she explained, "I'm not used to having guests for obvious reasons."

"Not even other kappa?" I asked.

Nitori shook her head. "Like I said, us kappa aren't exactly the most social creatures. And, I… well, I was also already something of a shut-in. I don't know why, I never had any trauma or anything. That's just the way I was. Then Marisa came into my life, and encouraged me to go out more. Then you came along asking for a boat, and from there I got caught up in your zany adventures." She chuckled. "I thought the Urban Legends were crazy, but the Metaverse? That's like the Urban Legends cranked up to twenty or something."

I thought for a moment, then said, "the Metaverse represents the cognition of the masses. Myths, urban legends, beliefs, all of them come alive there, and in Gensokyo, some of them manage to leak out into the real world."

"Heh. I feel like you know more about how Gensokyo works than I do, even though you've only been here less than two months."

"Then why don't we go out and visit places sometime, see the world outside of this cave?" I suggested.

Nitori blushed. "You mean… you're suggesting doing that thing human couples do? I think they call it 'dating?'"

I shook my head. "Well… no. Not every interaction between men and women has to be romantic. Friendships between them are very common. The Phantom Thieves are a group of friends with both boys and girls, and no romantic relations between any of them, at least that I know of, despite the cat trying to 'score' with one of the girls."

Nitori laughed. "The cat was trying to score with a girl?"

"Indeed," I smiled. "He kept calling her 'Lady Ann' and swooned over her. But I don't think she even noticed his advances, or if she did, simply passed it off as him being cute, since he was, well, a talking cat. In my honest opinion, though, I think he had better chemistry with Futaba."

Nitori laughed. "Why are we talking about the love lives of cats and their chemistry with humans?"

I laughed back. "I don't know."

What I also didn't know: why was I laughing while conversing with someone, and cracking jokes at the same time? Had I finally learned how to "loosen up?"

A while later, I left her cave with the camera in tow. She followed me out to see me off.

"By the way," she said, "you never did say what the camera was for."

"Oh, right, I'm sorry. I have uncovered our next target with Aya's help. The camera is so that we can spy on her."

Nitori tilted her head. "You… found the next target, but didn't tell us? Shouldn't you call a meeting? That's big news, after all."

"I wasn't going to call a meeting until we have the final keyword." I took out my communicator. "But, I suppose you're right, in that I should let everyone know where the investigation stands."

"You should," Nitori affirmed. "In fact, do it right now."

"I am," I said.

pancakeman: Hello all. This is Crow. We have our next target.

seeingstars: Wow, already? It's only been a few weeks.

aburaage: I'm assuming Aya has something to do with it?

autumnsky: Ok wow rude, you just assume.

aburaage: I wasn't saying you were the target. Just that you know who it is.

autumnsky: Oh, ok. By the way, what's with the different names?

ghostmochi: We use different names in the Metaverse to avoid detection. We use them over this, too, just in case someone is intercepting these.

autumnsky: Then, should I have one too?

seeingstars: Well, I mean, you're not officially a member of the team yet, so we'll just call you by your screen name for now and we'll decide later.

autumnsky: How do I become a member?

turbogranny: I believe you have to awaken to a Persona first.

autumnsky: How do I do that?

seeingstars: If experience serves, shadow-whoever-the-hell-has-the-fortress has to make fun of you and almost kill you first, then your shadow shows up to tell you that you suck then dares you to overcome evil. Or something like that.

pancakeman: Shadow Megumu Iizunamaru, in this case.

autumnsky: That doesn't make any sense.

seeingstars: It'll make more sense when it happens.

aburaage: Megumu Iizunamaru. Can't say I'm familiar with her.

seeingstars: Probably because she's never caused an incident. That we know of.

autumnsky: She's one of the daitengu on the mountain, and Tenma's right hand woman.

aburaage: Oh ok. Can't believe I don't know her, then. I feel like Kanako or Sanae would bring her up at least occasionally if she's a big shot.

pancakeman: Regardless, we know she's the target. We just need to figure out her keyword.

autumsky: I'm figuring out her drinking schedule right now so that me and, er, Crow can go spy on her.

pancakeman: How is that coming along?

autumnsky: Still don't know. I've been trying to secretly tail her after work each day when I hand in my reports, but she's either been going straight home or reporting to Temna the past few days.

ghostmochi: Well just keep at it, I suppose. Let us know if we can assist you.

autumnsky: I should be fine, but thanks for offering.

pancakeman: Doktor is here with me. Bull, confirm you're receiving these messages.

godlygeneral: Sorry, I only just noticed that this was going off. She's out running errands for me. I'll let her know later.

pancakeman: Thank you. That's all that I have for today. I'll reach out again later once we've made more progress.

seeingstars: Alright, thanks.

turbogranny: Thank you.

ghostmochi has logged out

aburaage: I think somebody needs a lesson on manners.

seeingstars: Pot-hello-fricking-kettle.


2/20

Reisen came in the morning, while I was cleaning up after breakfast, delivering medicine as usual. Right before she left, she turned to me, then took me aside to discuss something.

"Master was wondering if you were available for another trial today. And then, um," she twiddled her fingers. "Me, Seiran and Ringo were going to go out for the night tonight. If you want, you could, ah, join us…"

I nodded. "Absolutely. I'll be over as soon as I'm done with my work."

"Thanks. I'll let them know as soon as I return."

Later that day, I arrived at Eientei, and saw the two guards, Seiran and Ringo, standing in front of the entrance as usual.

"Good afternoon, ladies," I said.

"Ah. Akechi-san. Welcome back." Seiran bowed. "I presume Master invited you again?"

"Indeed," I replied.

Ringo smiled. "I have to say though: that was one hell of a fight last week the two of you had. It kinda got my own blood pumping, and now I want to do a Spell Card Duel with you, too!"

I pulled out a deck of cards. "Well, I did come a little early. I wouldn't mind a quick spar before heading in."

"Then it's on!" She bounded forward, then up into the air. "Careful: I'm tougher than I look!"

"We'll just see about that," I smirked.

I made it a point never to underestimate opponents, especially not after that fateful fight with the Phantom Thieves back on Shido's ship. Even so, I found it a little difficult to believe that a laid-back rabbit girl would put up much of a fight, at least until she started sending out curving waves of red bullets, forcing me to weave in and out and follow the curve carefully while aiming my shots. At some point, I got a hit in, prompting her to take out a stick of dango and bite it, activating a spell card which sent out tight, bursting waves of red, white and green bullets, the colors of the dango balls. I found them difficult to manage, so I thought about activating my own card as a counter, even though I had not yet been hit.

I of course knew now that my cards possessed elemental properties, but it was very difficult to guess what "element" her attacks possessed, since they were themed around dango. Playing it safe, I played the card of a Persona, Oni, which had no weaknesses, my only such card thus far. The attack itself took the form of an illusory fist firing out in front of me, followed by a burst of laser bullets firing out from behind it, plowing through waves of bullets before repeating seconds later with another fist and burst of bullets. However, more interesting than that was what happened immediately after I activated the card: a harmless, rippling wave radiated out from me, and when it passed through the opposing bullets it caused them to change form: the red bullets turned into fireballs, the white ones into bright orbs of light, and the green ones into flowing, turbulent airbursts. I found this intriguing: why had this not occurred before? Then I soon came up with a theory: perhaps in the absence of an obvious elemental theme, such as Seiran's 'Gun' attacks or most of Reimu's cards, my cards would actually assign elemental properties to individual bullets based on their appearance. The change also appeared to only be from my perspective, since Ringo didn't comment on what had just happened. I decided to be cheeky and use an otherwise "weak" card, featuring Hua Po, which shot out flame-shaped danmaku in a sun-like pattern, but I also intentionally ran into the red bullets, knowing that Hua Po repelled fire; sure enough, they all bounced away from me upon contact, and one of them made its way over to Ringo, hitting her and breaking the card.

Ringo then went back to firing curving waves of bullets while I retaliated in kind. Right after I struck her again, she reached out and grabbed another dango. That's when I got an idea: I fired more shots, not at her, but the dango, shooting it out of her hand right as she was about to bite into it and causing it to fall to me; I grabbed it and ate it myself.

Ringo was stunned. "You… my dango?" An intense aura flared up behind her. "You. Denied. My. Dango?!"

I looked down at Seiran, who was shaking her head. "You shouldn't have done that, bro. She gets her power from dango, and if you keep her from eating it, especially if you steal and eat it…"

Ringo then completely dropped her laid-back demeanor and went absolutely apeshit, angrily flinging the bullets from her next card haphazardly all over the place; while more chaotic, her lack of strategy also made her an easy target, and a decisive shot to the chest clinched the fight for me.

When we touched back down, Ringo angrily pointed at me, while I kept eating her dango. "Y-you cheater! You can't just steal my dango and eat it in front of me! Have you no honor?!"

"I was never told Spell Cards had a rule against eating your opponent's lunch," I said, in between bites.

"W-well, then, can you at least stop eating?"

"Why should I? It's delicious."

"Mm-hm, nothing beats rabbit-pounded dango," Seiran said.

"SHUT UP!" Ringo shouted. "Don't encourage him!"

Seiran giggled. "Oh, I don't know, I think it's entertaining to see you act like that, since you never get angry, after all." Ringo angrily grabbed her shoulders and shook her, all while Seiran continued grinning. I used the opportunity to slip inside.

"Ohoho, so not only did you defeat her, but you ate her dango in front of her?"

"Indeed," I said.

Eirin smiled. "Well, that wasn't very gentlemanly of you at all. But to be so willing to use such an underhanded tactic, knowing it would fluster your opponent enough to disrupt their concentration and allow a free shot…"

"A wise man once said 'a clean loss is still a loss, and a dirty win is still a win,'" I said.

"Indeed. Still, you're new to Spell Cards, and already playing with fire. The entire point of the Spell Card System is to even the playing field between its combatants. So don't be surprised if you fly too close to the sun and encounter an opponent who decides not to play by the rules, simply because you aren't."

"I'm not breaking any rules," I replied. "I just exploit loopholes in the rules. As a detective well-versed in the law, I am quite adept at finding loopholes."

Eirin chuckled. "An angry god or youkai probably isn't going to care. I suppose I'll have to make you an invincibility drug if you keep it up."

"I'll consider your offer," I said.

"Well, alright." Eirin looked at the notes I gave her regarding last week's trial. "So, I notice that your dream record after drinking the Butterfly Dream prototype revolves around a man named 'Ren Amamiya,' and that this dream takes place in a bar or club which you two used to frequent."

I nodded. "Yes. Ren was a friend of mine Outside."

"I see." Eirin took down some notes of her own. "As I said, the Butterfly Dream Pill is designed to grant its user pleasant dreams with no exceptions. Ren must have been very near and dear to you if consuming it would summon a dream in which he appeared."

I nodded. "Yes. We were very close friends." Of course, the truth about why he had a profound effect on my psyche was something I had to keep secret from her, and everyone else.

Eirin looked back up at me. "I'm not an expert oneriologist; you'll have to talk to Doremy if you want an accurate insight into your dreams, but it's obvious to me that you wish to be reunited with him someday, even if your conscious mind wants to stay in Gensokyo simply because you want to continue your life here and make new friends. That, I completely understand. Most of us experience a yearning for something we lost and can never have again at some point."

"I suppose so," I nodded. "It would be interesting if the circumstances of such a reunion with him, or his friends, saw them coming to Gensokyo themselves."

Eirin smiled. "Unlikely, but if you ever meet Yukari, knowing her I'm sure she could arrange something to that effect."

"People keep mentioning her, but I have yet to see her, supposedly because she's hibernating. Do you perhaps know when she will wake up?"

Eirin shook her head. "Honestly, I have no clue. It's impossible to know whether she's awake or not, as she appears when you don't want her to, and fails to appear when you do. She is often said to be the 'most youkai-like youkai' because of her strange behavior and even stranger way of thinking. All I can tell you is that Ran will surely inform her of your appearance, and she'll appear before you one day when you least expect it."

A person who could appear anytime, anywhere. I thought Aya was a problem before, but Yukari could pop up anywhere in an instant, particularly when we didn't want anyone else around, such as Day Breaker meetings. I had to hope that she, at least, wasn't omniscient as well.

I nodded. "Then, I'll make sure to be ready for it."

Eirin chuckled. "You won't."

Reisen told me that she and the others would be out front once I was done with Eirin. The halls of Eientei were labyrinthine and easy to lose oneself in, so Eirin assigned Tewi to guide me out to the exit.

"So Master told me that you're going out with Reisen and the other two," she said, looking up at me and giving me a cat-smile. "You lucky guy, you, going out with three pretty girls."

I shook my head, and chuckled. "I'm not a Cassanova. I treat everyone as equals."

"I'm not buying it," Tewi said. "Y'know, my power is manipulating people's luck. I can grant people incredible luck, or cause fate to turn against them in the worst ways possible. Who's to say I wasn't the one responsible for arranging your outing with them today?"

I looked down at her. She was so diminutive that even Nitori slightly edged her out in height. "Is that because you are a rabbit? As in, the lucky rabbit's foot?"

"Fufu, perhaps." We arrived at the door, with the other three standing outside. "I wish you a good time with them. And who knows, maybe good luck will come to bless you when you least expect it."

"I hope so as well." Tewi saw me out, and I joined the others for a night out.

We were approaching the Village gates, and only then did I notice something strange.

"Where are your ears?" I asked.

They turned to me, and Reisen answered, "oh, right. That's my ability. I can manipulate wavelengths. Among other things, I can make things invisible, such as our rabbit ears. People won't be able to tell we aren't humans unless they happen to reach over our heads and touch them."

"I see," I nodded. "There are so many people here with strange powers."

"Right. We're headed for a sushi restaurant. Do you like sushi?" Seiran asked.

"As long as it isn't conveyor belt," I chuckled.

Unsurprisingly, there were no conveyor belts to be seen; this restaurant rolled sushi rolls the old-fashioned way. Without access to the quality, prime fatty fish of the Outside, there was a noticeable difference in taste and texture. But, at least it wasn't conveyor belt sushi.

"So, how does it compare to Outside sushi?" Ringo asked.

"It's far better than budget sushi, for sure, but nothing compared to the upscale restaurants of Ginza. They're very expensive, but serve the highest quality fish available from all over the world."

Reisen sighed. "Yeah, here we really only have access to whatever's in the river or the lake. Sumireko has told me about the stuff Outside places are able to sell, like salmon, flounder, and fatty tuna."

"Yeah, wish we had their sushi," Seiran sighed. "That's one of the few things I miss about the Lunar Capital: the food. My meager soldier wages weren't able to let me have high-class food all that often, but on occasions where I was at banquets, oh my god. The food was nothing short of exquisite, fit for a king and far above the palette of a mere rabbit soldier such as myself."

"I know, right?" Ringo said. "But at least we can still make moon rabbit dango!"

"I came to Earth long enough ago that I forgot how to make moon dango," Reisen said. "I really am an Earth Rabbit now, aren't I? Being an Earth Rabbit was the only way I was able to stand up against Junko."

"We're all Earth Rabbits now," Seiran said to her. "Earth rabbits don't fight, we just have fun and drink!"

I sipped some sake before asking, "who were your adversaries on the Moon? Was there another civilization up there that you butted heads with?"

The girls were silent.

"Er, well," Reisen twiddled her fingers. "That's a kinda complicated-"

The door to the restaurant opened, and I could see Miko, whom I hadn't seen in a while, walk in, alongside a shorter girl with white hair and a white-and-blue dress.

"Ah, Miko-sama!" said the owner.

"No need to be formal," Miko replied. "I'm just here to eat." She looked across the establishment, and saw me, seated with the other three. "I'll take the open seat next to that gentleman."

"Right this way!" A server guided her and the other girl over to where we were, and Miko sat beside me. "Hello again, Akechi. I didn't expect to meet you in this place."

"Well, I quite enjoy sushi," I said, "as long as it isn't conveyor belt."

The other girl looked over at us. "Miko-dono, it would appeareth that Akechi-san hath brought his entourage along to dine."

The three girls all blushed and shouted, "WE'RE NOT AN ENTOURAGE!"

"I'm sorry," I asked, "who are you?"

The girl got up, put her hand to her chest and bombastically proclaimed, "Thy name is Mononobe no Futo, devoted follower of Miko-dono and member of the famed Mononobe clan! Thy devotion to Taoism is rivaled only by Miko-dono herself! Thy hath heard of thou, an Outsider who hath adapted to life in Gensokyo with impeccable zeal, a detective of unparalleled talent and a charmer of wo-"

Miko put her hand on Futo's shoulder.

"That'll do, Futo. That'll do."

Futo slowly sat back down, and sipped a glass of water.

Miko turned back to me. "I must apologize. Futo is a kind girl at heart, but when she gets 'wound up,' she tends to go on tangents."

"I can easily tell," I said.

Miko then looked over to Reisen. "Ah. Miss Inaba. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Reisen jolted her head over. "Oh! Uh, hi. We were just, ah, out here with Goro having a night out."

"I can see that," Miko smiled. "I trust Eirin is treating you well?"

"Uh… I… guess you could say that," Reisen said, uncertain.

"You are?" Seiran asked.

"I am Toyosatomimi no Miko, the head of Senkai here in Gensokyo and an ally of humans. You are the two rabbits who deserted the Moon when the Lunarians attempted to invade? Apologies for the late salutation, but I welcome you here to Gensokyo. If there is anything you might require, please feel free to come to me personally."

Futo grabbed onto her. "But Miko-sono! Those three are wretched rabbit youkai! Thou cannot possibly wish goodwill upon such vile-"

"I'm going to send you home if you keep doing that," Miko said. "Now please: behave yourself. As I keep saying: if you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing at all."

Futo sat back down, taking a dish of sake and sipping it.

"She seems rather high-maintenance," Seiran commented.

"I only do this to ensure she gets experience speaking with others in public," Miko said.

Reisen, Seiran and Ringo went home some time later, and Miko sent Futo home as well. When I asked why she didn't also go home, she took me aside, saying she wanted to discuss things with me.

"So, it's been a while since we last talked, Akechi," she said. "I trust you have been doing well?"

"Indeed," I said, looking at her - looking up at her, a rare occasion given my height, especially with women. Miko was almost as tall as Byakuren was, but without the same womanly figure; if not for her obviously feminine voice and manner of dress (which, even then, seemed like an adapted version of a prince's apparel), one could mistake her as a man. Perhaps not surprising, if her claim of being Prince Shotoku was true, and she was most widely remembered as being a man. "I have been doing very well."

"That's good to hear," Miko smiled. "And your investigation into Byakuren?"

"It went flawlessly, thanks to your help," I bowed.

"Oh, I only spoke with you one night, I couldn't have been of that much help," she said. "But, I do appreciate that I could offer you some insight."

"Indeed," I said, nodding. "We managed to put an end to the abuses we were investigating."

Miko closed her eyes, and looked down. "About that… I feel as though something strange has happened."

"...hm?"

"Yes. I happened upon her the other day, and we got into our usual argument about our stances, our religions, and of course our personal squabbles, with me accusing her of hypocrisy, as usual, due to her using Buddhism for her own gain. Usually, she just tries to brush it off. However, this time, not only did she immediately own up to her faults, she also laid out, in detail, how she was working to overcome them, then turned my words back onto me questioning how I was using my power and status to assist humans as I say I do. This time, I… I couldn't give her a good answer."

"Is that so?" I asked.

"It is so," she affirmed. "She wasn't even 'smug' about it; she challenged me to re-evaluate my own stance and opinions, and start acting like the leader which I claim to be, before leaving with her acolytes. She seemed like a completely different person, and I wasn't prepared for it. So I listened to her desires, just to see if she actually had had a sudden change of heart or if she was simply acting. What I found was unexpected: like you, her desires now seem unusually close to the surface, and it seemed as though she is now far more confident of herself and has nothing to hide, although without the myriad assortment of hearts which you possess. And it wasn't just her: I have variously crossed paths with Reimu, Marisa and Youmu during my Village outings, and all of them also have hard to ignore desires right there in the open, drowning out other hearts around them. And I know they all have one thing in common: they are now all friends with you." She looked at me. "You must be capable of doing something which affects people's desires, and perhaps changes their personality. You possess those strange qualities yourself, and can somehow impart them into others. My question is, how, exactly?"

I stepped back as she stared at me. Here I was again, in a situation where someone with the ability to sniff out my "secret" could blow our group's cover. On the other hand, she had already assisted us in finding one Fortress, and she could help us find others. I realized that she would, in time, inevitably find out about us, so I reckoned if I struck a deal with her now, that could lessen the damage later.

And, who knows, maybe she will experience my "strange qualities" firsthand, eventually.

"I suppose that, as a detective, I am good at finding corruption wherever it rears its head. Out there, though, I could simply hand them over to police and more experienced investigators, who would then compel the criminal to reform their ways. Here, though, I have to do that work myself. I'm sure you will find I have a very compelling will which challenges someone to overcome their weaknesses; I was not known as the Charismatic Ace Detective for no reason, after all."

"Heh, well, I suppose so," Miko said. "Of course, you are speaking to a 'crown prince,' one who is thoroughly familiar with inspiring and leading the fearful masses myself. But, I suppose our talents wouldn't manifest in the same way, nor do our motivations precisely align. I worked to spread Taoism, you work to bring justice to the world no matter the risks you face."

"Indeed," I nodded. "If we combine our talents, I'm sure we could bring even more peace and justice to Gensokyo."

"You know that I have already offered my aid, wherever you need it," Miko said.

"Yes, but what I'm proposing here is more of a deal, a confidant if you will. Your ability to read hearts can expose the corrupt and wicked whom I target, and would be an asset to our investigations. Of course, I don't expect you to offer your talents for free; if there is something I can do for you in return, then just tell me what it is."

Miko thought for a moment. "Hmm… a deal in which I offer my abilities in return for something else… you're quite the tenacious one, Akechi." She looked back at me. "Usually, I don't simply offer my heart-reading to others, but I can tell you're very different, and have strong potential. After all, you're the only one I've met who can stump even my ability to read many hearts at once due to the sheer number you possess within you. Still, I can also tell there is much for you to learn, especially if you are to work to enact justice wherever you go. Therefore, I can instill you with my knowledge and teaching and in return I can help you find targets. Is that a fair deal?"

Teachings from a Taoist hermit… I realized that they may simply be lectures, but I also realized she was also offering wisdom, and also an additional chance for me to avert a fiery fate, on top of her distorted heart-sniffing abilities. So, I knew it would be best to accept her offer.

"I accept your offer," I said, offering my hand.

Miko smiled, then shook my hand. "I look forward to speaking with you again, many times to come."

I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Emperor Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…