Yu took out his phone and looked at the time. About 45 minutes had passed, so Makoto would still be finishing up Student Council. He decided to shoot her a text.

Yu: Finished tour with Akechi. Going to wander around for a bit. See you at the apartment.'

He started to walk away from the school, and his phone buzzed and he saw a text in reply.

Makoto: Please don't do anything reckless, and text me if you get lost. Remember to be back by nine. I'll see you later.'

Yu put his phone away. He wondered what would happen now, especially given his explosion at his teammates. Were they really his teammates? No. He had only known them for a few days, they could barely be called acquaintances, so he didn't care what happened to them. Yu felt his stomach churn at that thought, but he didn't know why. It was true. He then felt a sudden jolt, like he had touched a doorknob and been struck by static electricity.

Is Izanagi… fighting me?

Why not ask me yourself? I am right here.

Yu turned around, then to his left and right, but found no one there.

Right here.

Yu looked in front of him and saw himself, but his eyes were a sickeningly yellow, his face was caked with dried blood, and his mouth was contorted into an unnatural grin. Before Yu had the time to say, or think anything, the mirror image was engulfed in a column of electricity, and when the dust settled, hovered the imposing figure of Japan's original god. The only thing he was missing was his naginata.

You don't have to speak in order for me to hear you. Do not worry, no one, not even other Persona users, can either see or hear me, so long as we walk the real world.

Was that jolt just now you? Yu thought as he continued walking.

Yes. You were trying to repress your true self, and I wanted to remind you of your contract. Izanagi replied as he hovered behind his user.

Which one? The one with you, or the one with the Velvet Room?

The one that told me you were worth saving. And you are dangerously close to violating its terms.

I meant what I told Akechi. I'm not dying, especially for a man who can't be bothered to fight his own battles.

Except he did fight. He knew he didn't have a Persona, yet he still chose to follow you into the lion's den. He still chose to fight alongside you and help when he could.

And now he has a Persona. He can fight Kobayakawa. Without me.

Except he's been fighting for two years now, without results. He needs us, and we both know it. You simply refuse to admit it, because your recent brush with death has led you to falter.

Deciding that you don't want to die isn't faltering.

Yes it is. You'd rather live as a slave than take the risk that comes with freedom?

At least I'd be alive. I'm sure dad and Nanako would appreciate that fact.

True, Dojima especially would be devastated if you died. But your father goes to work with a gun on his hip and a badge on his chest, knowing full well that this day could be his last. Why? Because he wants to help people. That's who Dojima Narukami is.

I'm not my father.

No. But you are your father's son, and you have his compassion for your fellow man. That's why you helped the woman that night. That's why you joined Akechi and Morgana. That's why you vowed to never forget how good freedom feels, because freedom lets you do what your father does.

Yu was silent for a moment and stopped to get his bearings. He had walked all the way from Shujin to a train station, and he boarded one to Sibuya. Finding an open seat and taking it, Izanagi took a seat across from him, and put his hand to his chin, awaiting Yu's reply. Grey eyes met soft yellow orbs, both daring the other to back off.

That was then. Now, I'm smart enough to know the price of being a good Samaritan.

But will Akechi? He has proven that he will try to fight Kobayakawa and win, even if it kills him. Are you fine letting someone you could have saved die because you were too concerned with your own well-being?

Yu broke the staring contest as the train stopped and he got off.

True, I don't want Akechi to die, but… I'm willing to sacrifice him if it means keeping my family from falling apart because of my death.

Yellow lightning surged across Izanagi's body, as if he was ready to attack. Yu felt his skin prickle, his feet refused to move, and his blood ran cold. Izanagi's next words were quiet, but seemed to silence every other sound as they went through the air.

Now who's no different than Kobayakawa?

Yu had to pause right then and there. Those words cut through him deeper than the spear had. But he knew Izanagi was right. He first called upon his Persona because he didn't want Akechi to die, and now here he was, ready to sacrifice the same man, just for his own survival.

Akechi even said that if he knew what would happen, he wouldn't have wanted to return to the Metaverse. Can he really be faulted for events beyond his control?

Yu shook his head. He really didn't want to talk about this anymore, and he knew that if he kept arguing, he would lose. Izanagi was his inner self after all. He needed a distraction, something to get his mind off of this. As if God answered his silent prayers, Yu spotted a bob of blonde hair cascading lazily in pigtails and light azure eyes in the massive crowd. Ann. And she was talking on the phone with someone.

Izanagi, since you're in the real world, can you do anything while you're here?

I can't alter how you affect the world, but I can alter how the world affects you.

To show what he meant, Izanagi flew over to where Ann was and Yu felt strange. His vision began to blur, and sounds started to mess into one giant blob that could not be ignored. Among the cacophony of noise, Yu could pick out Ann's voice among it.

"I've been trying sir, but-" Ann pleaded.

A voice interrupted, and Yu couldn't make out the words, or who it belonged to.

Close your eyes and focus.

Yu did as Izanagi suggested and focused while having his eyes shut. He was now looking and hearing through the eyes and ears of his Persona. To the outside world, he probably looked like someone had just closed his eyes to think. If he did this again, it would have to be sitting down so he didn't draw suspicion. Izanagi's eyesight was smaller than normal, but he could hear Ann just fine. And he recognized Kobayakawa's voice all too easily.

"And? What's your point?"

"The point is that I can't do it. Now that he's been warned to probably treat me like the spawn of Satan, I'll never get close to him."

"If he can't get close to you, then perhaps he will get close to your friend."

"Shiho clobbered him with a volleyball. I'm pretty sure he wants nothing to do with her."

"Then you will have to pick up the slack. Use your body, like you always do. You've just the right about of foreign and familiar parts to appeal to any man."

"WHAT?!"

"You heard me. Summer uniforms will be allowed soon enough. I advise you get something… fetching. And should he want to do something… fun, you are to do it."

"Oh, so I'm just supposed to kiss his ass and lick his balls?!"

"If that's what it takes. I don't need to remind you what happens should you fail. The next time I call you, I expect results, not excuses."

With that, Kobayakawa hung up. Ann had water starting to leak out of the corners of her eyes, and all Yu could think about was how Kobayakawa saw her; a prisoner he whipped whenever he needed something done. Yu couldn't let this go. So he started to walk to her without realizing. When he did and stopped himself, he was already standing behind her.

Izanagi, what did you do?

Nothing. You walked of your own accord.

Yu took in a deep breath. He was here now, so he might as well give it a shot. He cleared his mouth loud enough for Ann to hear him, and the blonde turned around and eyes widened in horror at who it was.

"I heard the whole thing." He said calmly, and Ann looked downcast, her eyes staring at the pavement.

"So you did, huh? Shiho told me she warned you about my deal with Kobayakawa."

"Yea. I want to talk about that."

Ann let out a laugh, but it was cold and bitter. She looked at Yu and started to walk away, gesturing him to follow her with her hand.

"Come on, let's talk in private." She said.

Yu followed her down a single street that was lined with an arcade, a bookstore and a diner on the left side, while on the right was a DVD store and a fast food restaurant called 'Big Bang Burger' and at the end of the street was a movie theater. Ann walked into the Big Bang Burger and found them an empty booth. Once the two were seated, Ann looked and Yu and Yu looked at Ann. Awkward silence filled the air before Ann started.

"So, if you're here to take advantage of the fact that I'm supposed to do anything to get on your good side, what do want me to do?" She questioned, fiddling with a napkin.

"Be honest with me. If it wasn't for your deal with Kobayakawa, would you be talking to me right now?"

"Honestly? Probably, but for very different reasons. I consider myself a good judge of character, so, when I see you, I don't see a violent delinquent that does drugs, was a part of the Yakuza, or whatever those idiots say about you. And I know Ryuji would try to make friends with you, and so would Shiho. Ryuji because he's a delinquent ever since Kobayakawa forced his family to move to that rotten motel, so he knows what it's like to be judged by people who won't bother trying to get to know you, and Shiho because she's one of the nicest girls on planet Earth."

Ann let herself smile as she talked, and it was genuine and warming.

"How did the three of you meet?" Yu asked, enjoying the sight of her smile.

"Back in elementary school. Back then, I was ostracized because of my looks by the other girls, and once puberty hit, the boys would only talk to me because they thought foreign girls were easy. But one day, in art class, Shiho walked up to me. Do you know what she said?"

"Your painting is as awful as your acting?"

Ann let her lips slightly part, and her eyes narrowed, creating a look of 'Did you just?'.

"No. She just said 'your painting sucks.'. And come on, my acting isn't bad."

"Yes it is. What about Ryuji?"

"Ryuji once saw me getting picked on at school because of my hair color, and got the girls to leave me alone. The next day, he came in with dyed yellow hair. He got in so much trouble for it, and when I asked him about it, you want to know what he said?"

"What'd he say?"

"He told me 'I did it so you wouldn't feel so left out.'. I introduced him to Shiho, and the three of us have been side-by-side through most of elementary. But, eventually, Ryuji started to drift from us once he started doing track."

"Wow. First time I met him, he was extremely vulgar."

Ann's eyes narrowed, and her smile vanished, replaced by a scowl.

"You can thank Kobayakawa for that. Hell, pretty much every student with half a soul has had their lives strangled by that glutton. And not just students. Every faculty member except for Ushimaru has been strong armed into doing what he says. And the cops can't do anything without evidence."

"Akechi told me the story. Said that mistakes caused the first team to fall apart, and then those members caused the second team to crash and burn."

"Yea, I was there. Don't get me wrong, I want him gone just as much as the next guy, but nothing is more important to me than Shiho's safety."

"You and her must pretty close."

"Yea. I guess it's because we've both been pariahs and only had to rely on each other for comfort."

"I sense a story behind that."

"Well, my parents are fashion designers. Because of what they do, they're almost never around in the house. All I have is a maid called Amy to take care of me. But I know they love me, they always visit when they can, and when they do, they always want to do nothing but spread time with me. But, those times are few and far in between, and they're getting even less frequent."

"What about Shiho?"

"She has it even worse than me. Her parents are doctors, some of the best in the business. We're talking called in to operate overseas good. Because of that, they have the heavy burden of expectations placed on them. And since they always meet the high expectations that's placed on them, whenever Shiho doesn't perform flawlessly in… well, anything, they yell at her, or if it's been a bad day, hit her. I was once in her house when she showed them her exam grades. She was 9th in the top ten, but since she wasn't top of the class, her mom called her a runt, and her dad told her she was a disgrace to the Suzui name."

Ann started to cry, crumpling a napkin as she broke down.

"Everyone treats her like shit, and she doesn't deserve any of it! All she gets are slaps from people who are supposed to raise her, even though she does nothing but her best?! Why is it that no matter what she does, no matter how kind and patient she is, everyone around her treats her like she's a disease?! She's the only reason I keep going to that hellhole of a school!" Ann screamed, the tears refusing to stop pouring.

It took a few minutes, but Yu sat through her outburst patiently. Once the tears could no longer come, she looked at Yu with red eyes. She sniffled and he offered a napkin, which she took, voicing her gratitude as she used it.

"Sounds like you have quite the history at Shujin." Yu finally spoke

"That's putting it mildly. But you wanna know something crazy? If I could go back to when I was with Akechi's team, I would invite Shiho to join us, just so we could take Kobayakawa down together. Even if we would fail again."

"You would risk it?"

"Getting rid of Kobayakawa is worth any risk, minus Shiho. But I've droned on enough about my problems. I'll be going now."

"Wait, I want to ask you something."

"Look, if it's about the deal with-"

"How well does the volleyball team perform?"

Ann pulled her head back, caught off-guard.

"Um… what? Where did this come from?"

"I've seen Shiho in action. And the season's starting soon, so, I want to know, how well does the team perform?"

"Ever since Shiho joined? They always win, but that doesn't make her popular on account of hanging around me."

Yu let his mind get to work on thinking. The one and only reason she was bothering to talk to him was for Shiho's sake. But what he saw at the rally told him that Shiho was the star of the team. And a good team would only boost Shujin's reputation.

"Would Kobayakawa risk potentially damaging Shujin's volleyball reputation just to keep me under control?"

"That's… a good question. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't risk Shujin's reputation for any reason. Why?"

"Because if that's true, then that means he isn't willing to let Shiho get hurt, then he has no leverage over you, and you aren't obligated to do what he says." Yu pointed out.

"A-Are you sure? What if you're wrong?"

"You said you consider yourself a good judge of character. What does it tell you about him?"

Ann was silent for a moment, holding her hand up to her chin. Then she let a coy grin slowly take shape. She looked Yu straight in the eyes and hers seemed to sparkle.

"No. He wouldn't dare risk Shujin's volleyball rep. Especially for a new student."

"Then I guess we're done here." Yu said, checking the time.

"I think so too."

The two students got up and left the restaurant. Yu decided to head home, especially because of how late it was, content that Izanagi was silent. Ann whipped out her phone and scrolled to the number she had saved as 'Eggman' and typed a text.

'You can kiss his ass and lick his balls yourself if you want to know him so badly.' After hitting 'Send', the two students went on their merry way, both smiling at what had come of their talk.

But neither knew Shiho was still at Shujin.

Akechi and Morgana were left wild-eyed and dumbstruck at how quickly and viciously Yu's attitude changed. When they started, he had the determination like that of a warrior hardened by a thousand wars, and he certainly fit well into the leader role, taking down Shadows with complete ease. But one screw-up, one stroke of bad luck, and he had abandoned them like they were food wrappers. Akechi felt the sting from the punch Yu gave still on his face. Was it a mistake to bring him into this? Was Akechi wrong to ask someone he met only days ago to help him? Akechi thought about what Yu said. He was used to words such as that, and they almost always came from strangers or Kobayakawa himself, so Akechi brushed it off as rhetoric designed to make him lose control. But to hear it from a comrade was something else. Was he really no different than Kobayakawa? True, he continued to fight, even knowing what had happened to those who helped him, but he told himself that he'd avenge them, that their sacrifices wouldn't be in vain, and yet…

"Hey, we should probably leave. It'll be a matter of time before Shadows come looking." Morgana suggested, her voice sounding just as tired as she looked. But there was something else in it. Hopelessness.

"Aren't you going to leave and wait for us to come back?"

"What do you mean 'Us' evil-eye? Our leader just quit, and I don't think he's coming back. Plus, I only left to gather intel. Now that we know how to infiltrate the Palace, even though now we probably never will, I don't have any reason to stay here, especially since I've exhausted my mental power and can't summon Lady Trieu."

"Don't you have a master? Igor I think his name was?"

"Yes, but I can't enter the Velvet Room at will. My existence is tied to the Metaverse. Which means if I want to get out, I need a way to exit it just like you and Seeker."

"Oh no. I had forgotten that Naruka- Seeker was the only one with the… app?" Akechi pondered as he pulled out his phone and saw an app he didn't remember installing. An app in the shape of a black and red eye with a star for an iris.

"What is it evil-eye?"

"I seem to have the same app Seeker does."

"Really? Think he transferred it to you?"

"Can he do that?"

"I dunno. Not even Master Igor told me much about how the Meta-Nav works."

"I see. In any event, we need to consider how to steal the Treasure." Akechi remarked as they neared the entrance and returned to the real world.

"I don't think we can evil-eye. Yu's talents would be a massive help later down the line. There's no way we'll be able to successfully steal the Treasure without him." Morgana replied dejectedly as she leaned against a wall in the alley.

"I refuse to give up, especially now that- GAH!" Akechi yelped after he turned to Morgana.

"What? Is there something wrong?" She asked innocently.

"Y-yes, there's something wrong! You're completely naked!" Akechi pointed out, averting his eyes and trying to block out the sight with his hands.

Morgana looked down. Akechi was right, aside from her bright yellow scarf and a belt that had a golden 'V' strapped around her waist, she was as naked as a newborn. The fact that Akechi seemed to be embarrassed for her confused the woman to no end.

"Why are you looking away? Don't humans take pride in their appearance?"

"Y-yes! But… it's considered indecent to go running around nude!"

"Why? Don't human males want to see females like this?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips and flashing a smile, eliciting a blush from Akechi.

"That's not the point!"

"That's not a no." Morgana teased.

"Y-you know what? Here, take this." Akechi said, taking off his pea coat and handing it to Morgana.

"Why should I wear this? It's itchy." Morgana whined as she grabbed and felt it.

"Just do it. Please." Akechi begged.

Morgana let out a groan, but did as Akechi said. It was about two sizes too big for her, so it came down below the waist, and the sleeves were too long for her. She let out a growl of annoyance as the fabric pulled and scraped against her bare skin.

"Wait here, I'll be back with some clothes. My place isn't that far." Akechi said, breaking into a light jog down the alley.

Akechi had returned about 15 minutes later with a pair of jeans, shoes, and a white shirt with a yellow cat paw on it, all in a neatly folded in a pile. Morgana took off Akechi's coat and tossed on the ground in front of the teen, who had turned away to give her privacy. After a few minutes, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw a fully dressed Morgana, but the clothes were the wrong size. Again. Only this time, instead of being too big, they were too small, with the jeans hugging her figure and the shirt leaving her navel area exposed. But she was decent enough to walk around in public, which was good enough for Akechi.

"Thanks for this. I think I'll keep it!" Morgana beamed, adjusting her jeans.

"Please, be my guest. It's too small for me anyway. We can get you new clothes later. Right now, I should let Makoto-san know that I'm heading home." Akechi said, shooting Makoto a text and turning back to Morgana.

"As for you, how come you came out of the Metaverse completely naked?"

"Well, since I wasn't made in the waking world and sent straight into the Metaverse, I always had my 'Metaverse outfit' that only takes form in there. But I think I understand why you humans cover your bodies. These are very comfortable, like I'm wrapped in a cloud."

"If you were made in the Metaverse, then that means you won't have a place to stay. You can stay with me in my apartment for the time being." Akechi suggested as he picked up his coat.

"That's a good idea. By the way, I don't remember what your real name was evil-eye."

"Goro Akechi." Akechi answered with a small bow.

"Alright Goro, lead the way." Morgana replied, mimicking the gesture.

"Please, call me Akechi. I like it more than Goro."

"Alright. What's your home like?"

"It's not much, but there should be enough for the two of us." Akechi informed as the two left.

Akechi and Morgana had arrived at his home; a shaggy little apartment room that had a kitchen, living room, and bedroom. Scattered all over the walls were sticky notes in circles that had red strings attached to them and a picture. For some sticky note circles the picture was crossed out with a red 'X', while for others, the pictures were clearly visible. Most were mugshots, but some were from street cameras. On the table in the living room a briefcase was wide open, and inside was…

"Why do you have Yu's photo in here?" Morgana asked, picking up the file inside.

"When Sae-san introduced me to her ward, my curiosity was peaked, and as such, I did some research. Imagine my surprise when I found out he had a criminal record."

Morgana dropped the file, a gasp escaping her as she covered her lips.

"C-criminal?! B-but… he's a Trickster! And a Wild Card! T-they aren't supposed to be-"

"Look at the file. If you can read it carefully, you can pick up a few things. First off, the victim's name is struck out. Normally, I wouldn't find this odd; there have been many victims that want to stay out of public light, but the piece of evidence that damned Narukami-san was this."

Akechi pointed at a paragraph in the file.

"A testimony by a woman who also wanted to remain anonymous. According to her, she was returning home from a normal day at work, when she saw Narukami-san attacked the man of his own volition, struck first without warning or threats. So, that begs the question; if she was simply at the right place at the right time to witness this assault, why didn't she record it? Doing so would only help her."

"Maybe she was too surprised to record it."

"No. We live in an age where any time something out of the ordinary happens, people record it on their phones and post it for all on the internet to see. Plus, she's the one who supposedly called the cops, so the battery wasn't dead. There's also the fact that there wasn't any check-ups on the victim to see the extent of the damage. No hospital stays, nothing. She also refused to go into any details of the assault. When most people see an attack, they can remember it, even if the rush of adrenaline can muddy the details. This should have set off alarm bells in court, but neither the judge nor the jury seemed to care. Finally, there's the fact that Narukami-san's lawyer was a law school dropout and had a history of drinking. What does this tell you?" Akechi asked, laying out all the facts.

"W-well… um… it means that… uhhhh…." Morgana dronned, having no clue what to say next. Akechi took that as his cue to answer his own question.

"The incompetence of the lawyer, the witness's shakey testimony, the victim's anonymity, and the lax judge and jury all scream of a rigged trial, one where Yu Narukami was set up to take the fall for a crime he didn't commit. My hypothesis? Narukami-san found the woman being harassed by the so-called 'victim' and moved to intervene. A brief struggle occured, one where the 'victim' was injured. Judging by how there were no recent hospital admissions, the injury must have been minor, and as a result of Narukami-san's actions, the 'victim' was enraged and decided to sue Narukami-san. Given how the 'victim' was able to single-handedly decide the court case and bypass procedure, I'd say Narukami-san crossed paths with a very wealthy, influential, and powerful politician."

"You sound like you know who that politician is."

"I have a guess as to his identity, but I need more proof, or else I will go on a wild goose chase. The final nail in the coffin to prove that Narukami-san was innocent, for me at least, was when we first entered Kobayakawa's Palace by accident. We were in the middle of being arrested and Narukami-san was starting to despair. I told him we'd be alright on the basis that we did nothing wrong, and Narukami-san said that it didn't save him last time."

"Wow. I'm impressed. You were able to figure all that out just by reading his file and one line from him?"

"I wouldn't be regarded as the Detective Prince if I wasn't good at my job."

"Yea, I guess so. Speaking of jobs, congrats on awakening your Persona!"

"Thank you. Though, I wish it was under better circumstances."

"I know. With Yu leaving us, we are essentially crippled."

"We can't give up."

"I know, but without our Wild Card, it'll be like trying to run a marathon while waist-high in mud. But still, he had a point. Your speech to Kobayakawa made it seems like you didn't care at all about who gets hurt in your fight with Kobayakawa, only satisfying what you think qualifies as 'justice'."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come across that way. In truth, I feel immeasurable guilt over what happened to everyone that helped me and Makoto-san. When Kobayakawa took down the first team, I wanted to give up, to make sure Kobayakawa didn't hurt anyone else to get to me."

"I sense an important 'but' coming in."

"But I had a… rival. Akira Kurusu was his name. He told me that I wasn't the one that broke Futaba's mother, I wasn't the one who put Mishima in a coma, I wasn't the one who blackmailed Kawakami. But I was the one who chose to fight against Kamoshida, and win. Because of that, he said, I gave the students hope. And if I gave up now, so would everyone else. He told me to keep fighting, to avenge the victims if nothing else. After that talk, I assembled a second team with Makoto-san, and the rest, is history."

"I see. You should tell Yu that. I'm sure he'll change his mind once he hears that it was just a misunderstanding."

"I agree. But at a later time. It's late enough for dinner, I can warm up some ramen for us. There is also the matter of school tomorrow. You'll need to find a way to entertain yourself."

"Can't I just come with you?"

"No. There are rules, procedures that we'll have to go through if we want you enrolled, and you don't have any of the proper qualifications to do so. You need parents, or at least a legal guardian, funding, and other things."

"Awwwww, really?"

"I'm afraid so. And I don't have the kind of pull to get Ushimaru to make an exemption."

"That sucks."

"Indeed. But it is what it is. I'll get to work on the ramen. Make yourself comfortable." Akechi said as he undid his tie and unbuttoned his top button. After a few moments, the two were happily eating in silence. Once that was over, Akechi went to sleep at Morgana's insistence.

Yu laid down on his bed, trying to fight off sleep as much as he could. When he had gotten back, Makoto was already cooking dinner, and once they ate, the two finished their homework and went to bed, Yu refusing to go into details about his 'tour' with Akechi. He knew he would likely be summoned to the Velvet Room, and there he would have to face the music. Looking at his alarm clock and finding it was 11:30, he knew he'd need his beauty sleep if he wanted to get through school. And no one could stave off sleep forever. With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes.

When he woke, he saw that he was back in his cell, and his wardens seemed to burrow holes into him with their respective single eyes. He expected them to be furious, to yell at him, but instead they simply looked disappointed. Even Igor's trademark cheshire grin had seemed to grow dimmer.

"Well well well. I didn't think you'd give up after a minor inconvenience." Caroline chastised, but there was no bite in her words, only sorrow.

"You call almost being killed a minor inconvenience?"

"Compared to what will happen in the future? Absolutely." Justine replied, her monotone voice even more robotic now.

"I must say, I never thought I would be disappointed by a guest, but there is a first for everything." Igor said, shaking his head.

"Easy for you all to say. All you do is sit here and watch. You weren't there when I was arrested, you weren't there when I imprisoned in that Nation, you weren't there when I was almost killed!" Yu retorted, getting up from the bed.

"True, but that's because we have rules that prevent us from directly interfering with fate more than we already are. The sole reason you are even allowed access here is because you agreed to a contract." Igor explained, his voice as soothing and disturbing as before.

"A contract I want out on."

"Are you sure? The contract clearly states that if the world is to survive, you must seek the truth."

"What truth?"

"The truth behind what really brought you here."

Yu had a confused look, but Igor continued on, ignoring it.

"However, if you wish to render our contract null and void, you may do so. If you do, you may never return to the Velvet Room, the Metaverse Navigator will most likely vanish from your phone, never to show itself again, and you will be free to live your life as you see fit. But know this; if you choose this path, you will forfeit the Personas you have collected, and Izanagi. None will heed you should you call, and your fellow Tricksters; Goro Akechi and Morgana, will attempt to continue your battle, regardless of your decision. Maybe they will succeed, maybe they will fail. It all depends on your choice. If you nullify our contract, you will forever be trapped in the prison of your heart."

Yu looked down at the floor. He was right back at square one, a trapped, helpless person in an unfair world. Igor spoke once more.

"I do not expect you to make your decision right at this moment. Once you have decided, call upon your Persona. He will ask you a question, one that you have answered already. Should your answer change, your contract with both him and me will be rendered null and void. But, should your answer remain the same, then you will have regained your resolve to fight against ruin. Until then, you must think about your decision; will you walk the path of freedom, or the path of security?"

The bell began to ring, signaling that Yu's time was up.

"Farewell inmate. Good luck." Caroline wished quietly.

"I hope this is not the last we meet, inmate." Justine added just as softly.

Before he passed out, he heard two final words from the long nosed man.

"Choose wisely."