I own nothing. Monika does.
The Phantom Thieves ran through the hallways at a furious pace, their motivation to see this infiltration through as furious as ever. In some areas the stone floor caved, making it all the more difficult to navigate the various hallways. But they persisted, backtracking, dodging, jumping, and running in the pyramid Palace.
This already tiresome activity was nothing compared to how they fought. The Phantom Thieves matched the merciless attitude of all their foes, always coming out victorious, gaining new prizes all the while.
After awhile of this constant pace, the Phantom Thieves came to a stop at a familiar statue, except the writing on the panel beside it was vastly different…
"'Any who attempts to steal this gem shall be cursed,'" Panther read aloud. "Uhhh…" The red clad thief made a sound of hesitation.
"I'm sure 'cursed,' is just a fun word for 'challenged,'" Valiant said with only slightly forced enthusiasm.
"Dude, we can't let this 'curse' shit get to us, right? C'mon, let's just take it," Skull insisted to Joker.
"Let's look around a bit more, first," Joker reasoned. "If this sets off a trap or something, we need to be extra sure there isn't anything in this area that we missed."
"Yeah, we really shouldn't right now. I mean, uhhh… not like I believe in curses or anything," Panther said.
The group continued down another hallway, and made quick work of a Shadow guarding a button. Upon pressing said button, a loud rumbling sound shook the area. The sound came from the area Futaba's Shadow had gone in, unsettling the group immensely. They silently, unanimously all agreed to pick up the pace and hurried back the way they had come.
Joker hastily snatched the gem from the statue. A horrid voice came from the dog-resembling stone monstrosity, announcing in a menacing tone, "A curse shall befall you…"
"Uhhh… I'm sure it's fine," Valiant waved off with a shrug. With that unnecessary comment, which only made the Phantom Thieves more paranoid, the pink haired thief rushed to catch up as they continued to another room.
Before long they figured out what the "curse" was. In a different hallway, an Indiana Jones style hallway trap awaited them. Multiple arrows shot from the right wall. They would have impaled Joker if not for his quick reflexes, which helped him to jump back. All it took was a brief search of the nearby hallways to find the pedestal that required the cursed gem.
After setting the glowing green stone in its proper holding place, the group returned to the arrow obstacle, which was now shut down, and easily walked over it. On the other side awaited yet another button, which the Phantom Thieves were happy to press. This caused a ballista to collapse yet another wall, letting the light from one of the contraptions in their view shine forth. The light hit yet another door, opening a way further for them to continue.
Satisfied with themselves, the Phantom Thieves continued forward with smirks on their faces. They were filled with adrenaline, ready for whatever the Palace would continue to throw at them.
As they climbed stairs, jumped onto higher floors, and ran down hallways, Valiant felt a shiver pass through her. Being in a Palace in the middle of a desert, she found this odd. However, she decided not to be distracted, knowing that if she considered it any further, she would only be jinxing herself and her teammates.
But still, she couldn't help but wonder…
In his rush to get back to his apartment, Goro Akechi slammed the door shut. Guilt hammered a constant beat inside his chest as he investigated the surrounding rooms. For a few minutes afterward, he paced around the large couch, waiting for fate to strike its cruel blow and reveal to him that Sayori was hiding in a closet somewhere, witnessing him acting far too suspicious for a supposedly innocent high school detective.
After his racing heart calmed down, Goro finally felt his legs collapse as he fell onto the couch. Good… She's not back yet. I have plenty of time…
Yeah, plenty of time to screw yourself over, maybe…
The detective gritted his teeth, doing his best to ignore the ever persistent voices in his head as he reviewed all of the facts that he had learned from Sae.
Futaba Sakura lives at Sojiro Sakura's house. And from what I've learned so far about everything I never bothered to learn before…
The detective shook his head of the self degrading thought. This wasn't about him… This was hardly even about Futaba Sakura. This was about Sayori, and her tendency to get into trouble because of her dangerously selfless and kind heart.
He had wrestled with his thoughts for hours on end. Even now, though he had the information he needed, Goro was still debating whether or not he should even be considering this dangerous decision.
You know Sayori can take care of herself…
He did know that, thank you very much. The detective had been going back and forth, similar arguments being exchanged, but in the end it continued to bug him. He did trust Sayori, but the thought of Mob Bosses taking pictures of her lead him down one dark path of thought after another, and soon his paranoia was too big to overcome.
"I'll just go in quickly to check on her. That way, just in case… I'll be there if something happens," Goro said aloud, knowing all the while that he must have finally lost it.
He continued muttering to himself, pondering over what remained of the keywords he needed. It was frighteningly easy to put himself in the shoes of the person whose mother he had killed. After all, the more he thought about it, the girl had become a shut in after the death of someone as close as her mother, and the detective could easily form the puzzle pieces as to why. Afterall, the cover-up had made it so that Futaba blamed herself…
The detective crushed his bottom lip beneath his teeth, rolling that sickening thought around his head, for the first time pausing to seriously consider it.
Just stay out of it… You've done enough already, haven't you? How many times had people said those words to him in the past? It was truly pathetic that even his own inner thoughts were berating him just as so many others had.
Too late… he thought to himself, barely aware of the smugness welling up inside as he finally entered the final keyword.
It was a good thing he thought to bring his bicycle with him, and plenty of water…
Goro Akechi knew this as he looked at the hot desert sun, not looking forward to the long journey ahead as he followed tire tracks, which had been nearly blown away by the desert winds.
At least he had his thoughts to accompany him, which continued to bend and twist in his head, reminding him of how despicable he was.
But Goro Akechi already knew he was horrible. He had accepted it as part of him. The only reason he didn't obey these thoughts that ranged from simply going back to the real world, all the way to waiting in the suffocating desert for death to come, was that he had found another side of himself, which wasn't the black and white(as well as red and blue) sides that he was aware of.
Goro Akechi found that he wanted to explore these things…
Did Goro wear his sweater vest today? I hope not, with how hot it's been lately, Valiant thought idly to herself as she trailed behind the rest of the team. There was a bright golden light shining down a hallway to their right. Currently, Joker was busy unlocking a nearby treasure chest, but they would be heading down that hallway soon enough.
Valiant idly looked around while he did so, politely accepting one of the small tokens that Joker got from the chest. After a few seconds of making sure everyone was situated and ready to continue, they were travelling into the golden light of the nearby hallway.
Emerging on the other side, they found another of the golden machines, with the glowing orb resting on top, light shining onto it, being redirected away from a dim screen. A small golden panel of controls was at the machines base, and the Phantom Thieves quickly walked up to look at it.
Joker merely had to tap the panel once, and the screen to light up, revealing a puzzle comprised of a mixed up picture. From what Valiant could see, Shadow Futaba, and what appeared to be owls dressed up in suits, were the main stars.
"Odd," Fox observed. "The design seems to be scrambled somehow."
"Maybe it's kinda like a puzzle?" Panther guessed, walking up to stand beside Joker and take a closer look at the controls. "Joker, can you change the picture?"
Joker could indeed do that, and spent the next few minutes switching the panels around, until eventually a coherent image was formed. It depicted the owl-men reading a paper aloud to a younger looking Shadow Futaba, who sat crying in her throne with a bird behind her.
The Phantom Thieves looked at this together, guessing what it might mean. However, before this could go on for too long, voices coming from the picture answered it for them.
"'I should never have had Futaba…'"
"'She was always such a bother…'"
The voice was that of an adult male, reading those horrid sentences as if they were fact.
The voices were like spiky fuzz in the Phantom Thieves' ears.
"It seems you caused your mother a great deal of trouble, Futaba-chan," The picture continued to speak. "She must have had some kind of maternity neurosis…"
With those final words, the giant orb's light was redirected onto the picture, causing it to fade away and for the light to shine on a far off door.
Instead of their usual happiness at having progressed, the Phantom Thieves stared silently at the distant door, each lost in their own thoughts.
That sounded… too wrong to be true, Sayori thought to herself, thoughts from before being brought to the forefront of her mind. Even if it was true… that note… didn't sound real…" The pink haired girl brought a hand to her temple, trying to both cure the furious headache that was forming, and hide the tears welling in her eyes.
Most would look at Sayori in that moment and think she was relating herself to Futaba… They would think that she was putting herself in the poor girl's shoes and sympathize with her.
But this was a stark contrast, as thoughts of four people crashed violently through her thoughts like an out of control train. Those smiling faces that all needed her…
And she had left.
Sayori's blurry vision finally came into focus as the Phantom Thieves finally found words to say.
"What was that?" Ann questioned in shock, her blue eyes wide.
"Based on its contents, it sounded almost like a suicide note…" Makoto murmured, trying and failing to sound like her normal, completely objective self.
"Could that be what Futaba remembers of her mother's suicide?" Yusuke asked, looking down at his feet with a slightly defeated look.
"But that's a fuckin' sick thing to do to a kid if that's really how it all went down." Ryuji said, a sizeable lump in his throat. Nobody had the heart to call out the unusual use of the F-word. It was warranted, afterall…
Sayori was finding it hard to breathe, the barest wisps of a memory welling up inside of her. She struggled desperately. Whether she struggled to force the memory down or bring it up was unknown. All she knew was that she was struggling… and that with every passing second of it, guilt was filling her insides like tar.
Morgana nudged her gently, reminding her that they had to keep moving.
She nodded numbly, and the Phantom Thieves were off, finding a nearby safe room shortly after. Sayori was incredibly thankful, as it offered her a chance to fully gather her thoughts.
Why… do I feel this way? Sayori stared down at the stone surface of the table in the safe room, feeling slightly sick to her stomach. Her mind went back to the images she had seen the other day, an uncomfortable sense of wrongness wriggling inside of her as she reviewed Wakaba Isshiki's note in her head over and over.
Thought after thought swarmed in her head, the once mostly peaceful controlled chaos of her mind now nothing but anarchy. That one unremembered memory teased this mess, knowing Sayori was completely incapable of bringing that memory to the surface.
Though the more she thought about it… the few puzzle pieces that formed in her head gave her a suspicion.
Why is it that I'm so insistent that the suicide note doesn't sound right?
The other Phantom Thieves noticed the girl's troubled expression, but out of respect, they let her keep these thoughts to herself for now… After what most of them had seen in her mind, it was best to let Sayori sort this particular thought out for herself.
It wasn't until they were just leaving that one more piece connected itself in Sayori puzzle. One more unexplainable memory was brought to the surface… And despite how unreal it seemed…
It felt right.
Valiant closed the door to the safe room behind her, quietly repeating the words of the long forgotten poem to herself over and over again. Despite the obvious implications of the sorrowful verses, a bonfire was being built…
Valiant gripped her mask tightly, running ahead to stand beside Queen and Fox near the front of the group.
I assume the ruler of this Palace is too busy with the Phantom Thieves right now…
It had taken a painful amount of time for Goro to cross the boiling desert. Thankfully, it seemed that since the sun was in Metaverse, it didn't have the effect of burning him too badly… Though he was still panting like a mangy dog by the time he managed to climb the pyramid steps and slam open the door.
He found the main hall that he had entered through completely empty, and seemingly air conditioned. Goro sighed in relief as he leaned against the wall, finally feeling the cogs and wheels in his head turning once more.
I think I hid my bike well enough, though at this point I can't be bothered to go back out there and check… The detective pondered quietly to himself, stepping slightly further into the Palace. It was only when his feet teetered on the edge of a large pit, which had been in plain view from the moment that he looked up, that his clothes finally changed.
He was relieved to find that he was in his white, princely costume. He probably would have turned around immediately and gone back to the real world, if he had had to wear the black monstrosity that was his other costume… Especially since he had already suffered enough in that stupid sweater vest.
With the small relief of his brighter costume now realized, Goro quickly began his own exploration of the Palace. The Phantom Thieves could be anywhere, so to avoid detection, he stayed close to the walls, and avoided any Shadow he came across. He couldn't cause a ruckus, especially not when his main goal was to go in and out without disrupting anything.
That was one disadvantage of his princely outfit… It was too bright and noticeable… Despite the fact that right now he wanted to hide himself more than anything.
He was just waiting for the ruler of this Palace, Futaba Sakura, to pop out of nowhere and condemn him for all that he had done, or to unleash hellfire on him in whatever way her poor, suffering head could imagine. He would deserve all of it, for causing this Palace to manifest in the first place.
No… Despite everything I've done, it wasn't me that made Futaba Sakura think this way…
As if that were any consolation… He was still the one who had caused the entire incident that had lead to this Palace.
He couldn't let himself think right now, only act. He would act… Play a part… Pretend… And reach his goal.
With his determination once again set in place, Akechi quickly resumed scaling the large staircase. Doors that must have once blocked access to the higher sections were now wide open. It was obviously recent, judging by the dust that was still settling on the ground.
The Phantom Thieves have been busy…
Judging by the hallways that were near each of these doorways, it would hopefully be much easier to find the group and check on them. He could just stay hidden by one of the closed doors and wait for it to open, and then shortly after, the thieves should arrive.
But that defeats the entire purpose, because there isn't that much danger on the staircase itself. I wanted to be here in case Sayori needed help after all…
With that knowledge in mind, Goro nodded to himself, having figured out his course of action. He took a considerate look around the hallways, before turning down one, doing his best to hide himself.
Too bad it was the opposite way he needed to go.
"Valiant! Calm down!"
During the two battles that the Phantom Thieves engaged in after looking at the hieroglyph, this was the only piece of advice anyone could offer the girl. However, this only had the opposite of the intended effect, making the pink haired girl's attitude in battle only become worse.
Normally, the Phantom Thieves would encourage each other to hold on to the feelings they experienced during a fight. It was their own special way of encouraging one another to not lose sight of their goal, or to hold onto that feeling that they were fighting for what they believed in.
But Valiant's attitude, even in the worst of situations, had never gotten so vicious. Usually, she would be completely focused on keeping her friends safe and unharmed during battle, rarely attacking the enemies directly.
Yet, as they faced off against the Shadows surrounding them, Valiant was throwing caution to the wind, lashing out at whatever beast that got close to her. And it wasn't righteous fury, or the rage they were used to seeing on eachothers' faces when they fought.
Fox tore through the last remaining Shadow in one swift strike, ending their battle. A second later, he joined the rest of the crowding Phantom Thieves, who were looking at Valiant with tangible concern. Even though she had been defeating Shadow after Shadow only moments before, the pink haired thief now seemed like her usual gentle self.
But instead of hyper and unnaturally sweet, she seemed unnaturally calm. There was a blank smile on her face, and if the Phantom Thieves hadn't noticed the tears trailing down her face, they wouldn't have pried.
"Maybe it's best that we find a safe room and call it quits for the day," Queen suggested, only for Valiant to vehemently object.
"No! I want to keep going! I… I made a promise to you guys, right?" Valiant cried out, before taking a moment to steady her breath.
"Well, calm down then," Joker said sympathetically. "We'll keep going, but only if we can manage as well as we have been."
Valiant nodded in agreement, before taking a spot at the back of the group. She tried to breathe, but her racing heart made it difficult. There was just so much for her to think about…
In two out of three of the Palaces I've been too… This has happened. I feel so awful. Why do I feel so small and weak!?
There had been a select few number of times she had felt this way since coming here, and she couldn't help but but feel an immense sorrow at the knowledge that it was happening again.
It's so unfair… Why couldn't we just change the heart of some jerk involved with Medjed… At least then I wouldn't feel so helpless.
It truly was unfair. In the time she had spent in Tokyo, she had come to learn that she could take most of the blows that others threw at her. Kamoshida had leered at her, and she had felt awful about it. But the moment he had shown up at school with a changed heart, those feelings had dissipated. She had been scared of Kaneshiro, knowing he had the power to ruin herself and her friends. But when she found out how pathetic he was on the inside, she couldn't even bring herself to really pity him.
Valiant could handle blows from people like that… But lately it seemed that all she could feel was hurt, and it wasn't caused by the rotten adults who tried to drag them down.
The red rope tied around her neck, and the knowledge that the ones she cared about were suffering so much, and there was so very little she could do to help them… all of it was like a punch to the gut.
Sayori was okay… her days were so much better than before. But it still hurt her more than anything to see those she cared about going through so much.
Akira, Ann, Ryuji, Morgana, Yusuke, Makoto… Futaba, and Goro. I want to help you guys, but it won't help me feel any better… I know that now. I'll still feel horrible, but most of you guys will want to make me feel better, won't you?
The pink haired girl focused on these things as they continued turning corners. The end of this Palace would be something to look forward too. She could spend the rest of her summer vacation, however short it may now be, enjoying the company of her friends.
It was a comforting thought, that helped Valiant continue running for a few more minutes. She might have been able to continue for longer, but they met up with the Palace ruler before that could come to pass.
"You're late. What took so long?" Shadow Futaba questioned the thieves, before abruptly turning a corner and leaving.
Skull was rather irritated by this. He released a short growl, muttering, "That's it! I've had it up to here with her!"
Everyone was in a tired sense of agreement. While none of them could be angry, they were all a bit impatient at this point, feeling as if they were being teased at this point.
All of them began to hurry after Futaba, only to stop as the ground trembled and shook. Yet another large boulder began hurtling towards the Phantom Thieves, who had to run away from it in a hurried panic.
After a solid half hour of wandering around endless halls with no sign of another person around, Goro finally gave up on the hallway he was in and began to retrace his steps. Aside from different Shadows, there was no other being to interact with, and the detective was quickly growing bored. He was considering looking for a safe room of his own, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of his head to hold off on that for now.
Once he was back on the massive staircase, Goro looked around for any sign of the Phantom Thieves. Strangely enough, although he found no sign of them being near him, the detective was only put more on edge. He took a closer look at dark corners of the Palace, never moving from his spot, yet doing his best to observe his surroundings.
I feel very uncomfortable… the detective thought, huffing in irritation. He had no evidence of it, but he couldn't help but feel an invisible pressure burning into his back.
It was entirely possible that he was just too paranoid about getting into a fight with a Shadow, but that seemed entirely illogical to him. After much debate, Goro finally turned all the way around-
Only to be faced with absolutely nothing.
Strange, I thought that the Palace ruler had finally caught up to me… Goro thought with a small sigh.
He began to slowly pace around, thinking that maybe it would be better to cause a ruckus, hide, and see if the Phantom Thieves came in good shape, before taking his leave.
He was broken out of his thoughts when the floor beneath his shoe suddenly felt different. It was still hard, but the area under his heel suddenly felt a bit slippery.
Goro glanced down, noticing for the first time that there was a small piece of paper stuck to his shoe. I'm sure there wasn't anything there before… How?
He picked it up, hastily reading the words neatly written on the piece of notebook paper.
Dearest Ace Detective,
I see that you are getting impatient. I can understand that. For all of my attempts at avoiding interfering, time is beginning to run short. Do you feel it yet, Detective? If a path towards this "rehabilitation" that I keep hearing over and over through these whispered conversations is not met soon, the four of us can't stay here.
I've given her all the motivation I can, but we are still running out of time. You especially, are running out of time. Enjoy your time with her now, Detective. With the way things are turning out, soon you won't be able to enjoy it, even when she is right by your side.
Your job isn't to save her, just to pick up the pieces left behind after a tragedy of my own design. Keep them safe, until everything is where it should be.
The suspicions from before were starting to confirm themselves. Goro slipped the note into his pocket, intent on taking a closer look at it later. However, for now he knew he was right about one thing. There was something in Sayori's Palace that was still out there.
In his haste to move on from that area, the detective didn't notice the writing on the back of the note. The messy ink of different, yet all too familiar handwriting, faded from gray to the color of ash. Only the small percent sign that marked the title was now legible.
The Phantom Thieves managed to jump to the side, narrowly missing the large boulder as it rolled past them. They decided that the best course of action would be to avoid the large pathways that a boulder could fit down, and instead went through a vent.
Conveniently, they found themselves in a room that appeared to be the back of the boulder trap. The group quickly began to survey the place, easily finding a button and the seemingly blank slab beside it.
"There's nothing visible on the slab…" Queen pointed out. "What do you think we should do?"
The obvious solution was to press the button. However, nothing happened when they first tried it. So instead the Phantom Thieves went to another side of the room, kicking a wooden board into place so they could bridge a large gap. They soon found themselves in another room, with another slab, similarly blank.
Upon closer inspection, Joker was able to make purple text appear on the surface.
"You seem to have the magic touch, Joker," Valiant commented. "What's it say?"
"The devices controlling the murals seemed to react in a similar fashion," Queen said, ignoring Valiant's comment.
Panther was quick to point out the code contained in the slab's text. With nowhere else to go, the room being a dead end, the Phantom Thieves went back to the room they had originally found themselves in. Upon entering, the room shook, and the coffins sitting in the middle projected large glowing orbs above them.
Valiant resisted the urge to say something stupid, but it was nearly impossible with the obvious joke she could say. Thankfully, Joker said it for her as they headed down to get a closer look.
"They look like blueprints for the Death Star," he said offhandedly, before he set to work applying the code to the obvious puzzle in front of them. He directed his teammates to different coffins, telling them whether or not to press a button.
Finally, they had the puzzle figured out. With the last panel in the puzzle now pressed, the slab from before was now lit. Pressing the button caused a small door down the hall to be unlocked. The Thieves passed through it, immediately getting into a fight with a nearby Shadow.
There were tremors coming from somewhere in the Palace, and if he could sanction a guess, Goro would say that was close to where the Phantom Thieves were.
So he headed in the direction the tremors had come from, being mindful to stay hidden. He hadn't run into any danger, but he made sure not to let his mind wander too far. It was a hard thing to do, as he couldn't help but feel like he should be remembering something as he looked looked up and around at the stone walls of the Palace.
Goro was far too focused on his original goal of checking on the Phantom Thieves, and then getting out of this Palace he didn't have any right to be in, that he paid almost no heed to the insistent feeling inside that something about this place bothered him. He still had to get back to the apartment with enough time to investigate the clues he had already found, anyway.
Just as he thought he was finally getting close to the group, he was nearly knocked off of his feet. What felt like an earthquake was shaking the entire Palace to its foundation, and for a moment he wondered if the Pyramid was collapsing.
He knew from past experiences that Palaces collapsed when something happened to the ruler, and for a moment he panicked, thinking that this was happening. However, before he could even think of abandoning his self assigned mission, he noticed that it was peculiar that the structure of the pyramid was still intact.
So something else is going on? What could it be? With no other option but to find out, Goro began heading in the direction where the tremors were strongest, worried about what he might possibly find.
"Do something, Joker!"
Joker began to button mash the panel that he had just pushed, in a panic as it did nothing to stop the many boulders from rolling down the corridor. No doubt every Shadow in the Palace felt the tremendous shaking as every single giant stone ball that was in the trap tumbled out. With nothing else but panic running through his head, Joker gave one mighty kick to the machine.
Perhaps the button had been stuck, or maybe the machine had finally run out of ammo, but after that kick, the machine finally stopped. The thieves stood there, stunned, for a few moments, looking over the wall at the corridor now filled with large green glowing boulders.
"Did it… stop?" Mona finally asked.
"Nobody should press that button again," Valiant said breathlessly, worn out from her worry and panic. Everyone else nodded in agreement.
"Is this what the slab could have meant by 'form a path?'" Queen asked curiously.
Joker began leading the way, going back towards the vent they had crawled into the room with. The small space now had a large rock wedged into, making it unusable.
"It'll be impossible to pass through this way. We'll have to find another path."
Joker noticed a ledge right above them, and quickly latched onto it, before pulling himself up and onto it. The other Phantom Thieves followed suit, finding the convenient path laid out for them. The long row of boulders served as platforms that they could easily travel across.
It's like we're following the yellow brick road to Emerald City, Valiant thought with a rather goofy grin. Though in this case, we're following the green boulder road, which hopefully leads to the treasure…
After a bit of this boulder jumping, the Phantom Thieves quickly jumped down, finally able to travel normally again. The small hallway they found themselves in lead to yet another glowing-orb machine, with yet another brightly lit golden hallway beside it. The group quickly went down this hall, finding a room with yet another screen and mechanism inside it, just like before.
As Joker began looking at the panel at the base of the machine, Valiant and the others looked at the slowly assembling mural, wondering and worrying about what this one might reveal. This one showed a rather gruesome sight. A woman was jumping into the path of an incoming black car, with a crying Shadow Futaba watching.
"Could this be the moment Futaba's mother committed suicide?" Panther asked, a look of sorrow in her eyes as she frowned in contemplation. She suddenly looked up as more voices seemed to come from the horrifying picture. Everyone listened carefully.
"F-Futaba…" A young woman's voice moaned. "Y-You… are…"
The voice was cut off as the glowing beam on the machine reflected on it, causing the picture to fade away, the beam hitting yet another lock on the door.
Valiant bit her lip, her thoughts going back once more to the images she had seen before entering this Palace for the first time. How Futaba had looked in the one she had just seen…
I don't ever want to hurt anyone like that… But what if I already have?
The Phantom Thieves were also discussing the picture, nobody noticing the look of frustration making itself apparent on the pink haired girl's face.
Why am I remembering these things now of all times? Why is everything falling apart?
Once again, the Phantom Thieves were ready to move on. This time, an extra air of grief and sympathy was carried with them.
Why does Futaba have to go through this pain, too?
After finding another safe room and regaining their energy for a short time, the Phantom Thieves continued on their way. As of now, there was a certain waning energy among them. They were almost too exhausted to continue at this point. It was becoming clear that before long, they would be calling it quits for the day.
For now, however, the Phantom Thieves continued, finding in their next set of obstacles a piece of artwork that immediately caught Fox's eye.
"What wonderful form," He said, awestruck by the two statues that sat guarding the entrance. "Seeing such divine sculptures in person is exceedingly rare."
"What movie or story are you thinking of now, Valiant?" Mona asked, smirking as the pink haired girl blushed in embarrassment.
"The Neverending Story," she replied sheepishly. "Though I'm not nervous for this group, at all. We are very confident in ourselves after all."
"Dude, how could you tell she was thinking about that stuff?" Skull asked the cat creature curiously.
"She always smiles to herself and squints. Even an idiot like you should be able to notice that," Mona replied cheekily, causing Skull to growl in frustration.
"Anyway, now isn't the time for us to be letting our guard down. I can sense a lot of Shadows up ahead," Mona continued, walking up to stand beside Joker.
The group began running in between the two statues, which did indeed not vaporize them, as they confidently took out a Shadow almost immediately. They quickly entered a new area after defeating it.
They ran through the halls and climbed onto many different levels of floors, defeating their enemies with relative ease. A couple of times, they switched places in battle, some of the thieves beginning to tire after the constant strain.
Still, they found themselves going far. If only for a bit longer, they would continue.
Alright… I'm going back.
The young detective was getting rather tired of this. Clearly, the Phantom Thieves had improved since he had last had the pleasure of seeing them. Even when they weren't avoiding him on purpose, never once did he actually catch a glimpse of them.
It was disheartening, but at least he knew Sayori was alright. Every now and then, he'd hear some distant rumble. This was a clear sign that the Phantom Thieves were up to their mischief. So for now, Goro would let them be.
He sighed, before heading for the front entrance. At the very least, his efforts had been far from fruitless. The note in his pocket was proof enough of that.
The detective was about to open the large set of front doors, and step out into the blazing heat, when he heard a small quiet hum of curiosity behind him. Goro whipped around, panicking as he was now in the middle of experiencing a moment he had dreaded during this entire excursion.
Shadow Futaba quietly inspected him, a confused frown on her face. Goro had to remind himself over and over again that he was not in his black masked costume, so he was at least safe from this Shadow knowing of him.
But by the judging eyes she levelled at him, he hardly thought that it mattered.
This is an almost enlightening experience, staring into the eyes of the distorted desires that you are responsible for creating… But it's also… rather frightening… The detective backed away until he felt his gloved hand firmly grasp a handle on one of the doors. Hopefully he would just be able to quietly slip out and-
"I know you…"
Was even Futaba Sakura troubled by his constant annoying interviews? No… He was wearing a mask, and the Shadow shouldn't be able to recognize him… So how?
"I don't know how I know you, but I get the feeling that I crossed paths with someone similar to you long ago… You look female."
Did this Shadow really come up to him just to tell him that he looked like a girl? Goro scoffed, before turning away from the Shadow and slipping out the door.
She seems like a frustrating Shadow to deal with. I feel sorry for Sayori… The detective pointedly ignored the tight feeling in his chest. Sayori would be just fine…
He had worried for her all that day, but even as he thought those words, he knew there was something strange that still didn't sit well with him.
I'm going to regret this decision later, but perhaps I should take one more look around, the next time the Phantom Thieves come to this Palace. By then, they'll probably be ready to make the whole thing collapse..
Goro wiped the sweat off his forehead, knowing he was going to need a shower the second he was home. He found his bike, grabbed hold of the handles, and quickly went back to the real world.
Before long, the Phantom Thieves found yet another pedestal that required a gem. In another room, they found a coffin that opened to reveal a button. Upon pressing it, the coffin, as well as the wall behind it, slid away to reveal a secret room with the gem they needed. Joker grabbed it and they hurried to place it on the pedestal.
A glowing green pathway materialized near the floors below, bridging a deep abyss, and giving the team access to previously blocked off rooms. They tore through the Shadows blocking their way, and hurried to the next areas that awaited them.
Once again, the team came across Shadow Futaba waiting for them. She had a distracted look on her face, but everyone still remained on the side of caution.
"It'd suck if we had to go through hell again 'cause we walked up to her without thinkin' first," Skull said quietly. Turning to Joker, the blond continued. "So… what's your call? You wanna keep goin'?"
Joker nodded, and the group silently trailed after him, approaching Shadow Futaba as gently as carefully as possible.
"You're late. I thought all of you had died," the Shadow spoke.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Valiant muttered, her own statement going unheard as Skull spoke up.
"We almost did die thanks to you! I mean, do you really wanna help us? Make up your goddamn mind," The blond boy shouted angrily. Nobody could really blame him. They were all cranky and tired at this point.
"...I'm not sure. There's not much left at this point though," Shadow Futaba replied calmly. With that, she faded away without another word.
Everyone let out a collective groan, too tired to even complain anymore. It wasn't like they had the time to, anyway. A large coffin Shadow appeared in front of them, discouraging them with its mere large size alone.
"Brace yourselves!" Joker warned. "This will be a hard one!"
The team did as they were told, brandishing their weapons and getting into battle stances. Their hands were on their masks, ready to rip them away and unleash their personas.
"WHO DARES INTRUDE UPON THE PEACE OF THIS HOLY GROUND?" The shadow boomed. "THIS IS THE PHARAOH'S TOMB. NONE MAY DISTURB HER SLUMBER."
The Shadow attacked, unleashing a maelstrom of vicious attacks on the thieves. Valiant was unlucky enough to be in this particular battle, doing her best to take the brunt of the strikes against her friends. She was doing pretty well, though already she could feel her energy draining.
I'm going to get knocked flat soon if we don't end this, she thought grimly. Or worse. I'll get turned into a mouse again! She violently shuddered at the thought, before backing away into a relaxed position as Skull struck the coffin, and the two serpentine women beside it. The attack didn't help much, but it was enough to show he was trying to apologize for apparently causing the attack.
Joker went next, easily taking out the two lesser Shadows with an attack from one of his personas. Mona healed them as best as he could, and it swung right back to Valiant. She swiftly removed her mask, raising what she hoped was enough of a shield against the attacker, and sent a powerful spell to damage the coffin.
This relay went on for far too long. Eventually, Joker was able to knock the coffin flat, and the group performed an All Out Attack. It was sloppier than usual, the thieves lacking the energy to put their usual amount of flair into it, but it got the job done.
With that battle, most of the Phantom Thieves were dead on their feet. They retreated to their most recent safe room, and made plans to meet. Despite their lack of energy, they were all excited by Shadow Futaba's words.
Tomorrow, they decided, they would finish securing their route.
Nobody slept peacefully that night…
Akira Kurusu laid in his bed, staring at the attic ceiling. A million thoughts were running through his head, making him incredibly restless. However, Morgana was laying on top of him, and he didn't have the heart to disturb the cat. Akira resisted the urge to toss and turn, wondering silently if he would be taking a visit to the Velvet Room anytime soon. He could definitely use some guidance right about now, even if he didn't really trust the room's big-nosed, bug-eyed master.
For now, he could only close his eyes and hope he would be able to make the right decisions in his friends' next expedition into the unknown.
Ann was currently trying to fall asleep, but the pressure of a million worries weighed down on her shoulders. She would have to visit Shiho soon, she decided. A visit to one of her closest friends might clear her muddy thoughts.
Why was it that everyone she cared about went through so much pain, to the point where they felt that being alive was just a burden? It wasn't fair, but Ann knew that just as she had done before, she would stop another of her friends from sliding too far down the slippery slope.
Ryuji was doing his best to sleep peacefully. However, it was bugging him, how much he had messed up today. Was he really that insensitive? He always tried his best to be polite and gentle with people like his mom and Sayori… They definitely needed that after all. Maybe Futaba just needed some extra attention to detail… He was finally able to feel himself drifting off, silently promising to do better tomorrow.
Yusuke was barely able to keep himself laying down in his bed, springing up every two seconds to pick up his sketchpad. Everything he had seen in that Palace… He didn't want to forget any of it. The things he had learned in there, it wouldn't be right if they were forgotten. The murals and hieroglyphs, especially. If there ever came a time, Yusuke thought they would serve as a good reminder to Futaba Sakura, after they changed her heart, that she shouldn't allow herself down such a horrendous path ever again.
He was honestly too tired to think straight at this point. Eventually, he would end up falling asleep simply because he didn't have the energy to keep himself awake.
Makoto was stalling. She definitely did want to go to sleep, but she found it was preferable to stay up studying, her own stress about tomorrow making her want to do anything besides sleeping. After awhile, she glanced at the clock beside her bed and sighed. It was going to be a long night and long day ahead of her…
Goro Akechi tossed and turned on his bed, fears and doubts creeping into his head, just as they did almost every night. He never had peaceful nights of rest anymore. Those had stopped the moment he had been granted his powers. There had been a couple nights in the past few months where Sayori would turn that generalization right on its heel, but the idea of making that a permanent thing was laughable. Besides, he had to continue to go over the things he had learned, as the answer was on the tip of his tongue. He had to be as prepared as possible.
Sayori laid on the couch, glancing every so often at Goro's bedroom door, which was closed tightly for once. After everything that had happened that day, this made the pit in her stomach sink even deeper. She felt a lot more alone than usual. Everything was feeling wrong now. She could only hope things would go back to being mostly the same after Futaba's Palace was done…
Except for the part where she flickered out of existence. That part could stay far away from her.
Futaba was exhausted, yet the constant nightmares that she experienced by real sound and real sight were keeping her awake on this particular night. Despite how much progress the Phantom Thieves claimed they were making, these illusions she was suffering seemed worse than ever. Even as she burrowed under the covers of her new bed set, she knew there would be no sleeping for her tonight…
I'm in love with the idea that Akechi goes around Mementos with his bike, since he doesn't have Morgana to drive him around. I don't have all that much to say about this chapter, because lately I've been rethinking how exactly I want this story to go. It's given me a lot to look forward to, in a rather roundabout way. Please leave a review on this or on the Tumblr I still have set up. I always appreciate even the smallest feedback on my work, so even if you just want to say something small, please do.