Chapter Twenty Four: The Fairy and the Fiend

The world that once was momentarily sunken in premature night slowly met the light once more. The Phantom Thieves stood before the false sun that was birthed from the depths, and observed the figure at the centre of it descending. Its silhouette was at first distorted by the smudge of unnatural, black flame. But soon enough, each of them saw the outline of its frame, the hint of its features, the intricacies to its bearings. It stood a meagre twenty metres away – one more copy of Akira. But this one was not like the horrors that preyed on them moments ago.

From the way the three-tailed black coat sat on his shoulders, to the gentle ruffling of the wind on his hair, this was a perfect replica. Its arms reached out to its sides, and each finger stretched with adept grace befitting of proficient hands. Even beneath the white mask, its factions highlighted the Joker's bold demeanour. When it came to physical design, the only differences were its eyes, whose sclerae were pitch black in contrast to bright, yellow pupils. And its skin looked both smooth and hard, as If masterfully carved out of pale, slightly pink marble.

Regardless of the uncanny resemblance, they all knew this being was nothing like Akira beneath the mask.

"Welcome to life, my dear Joker." The one who had been Susumu Kamiyama spoke. The voice of Nyarlathotep sounded like many, different voices speaking simultaneously; each variation expressed covetous claim to this final replica.

As way of response, 'Joker' sighed, and the world shuddered with a cold breeze that shook the grass and the Phantom Thieves' spines. It looked up at the ledge on the fortress and found his Master's baleful, though strangely affectionate regard.

"Not much of a speaker… It's a shame, but I'll live." Nyarlathotep grinned. "I live… I live. I live!" The Crawling Chaos started to cackle with sick glee.

"This thing doesn't look like the others…" Panther remarked, mystified and unaware.

"A fine observation, young lady. That is because this Joker, my Joker is not like the other aberrations. This is the promised one, the one incubated in the heart of the world I created, nurtured by your…" He turned to Akira, looking at him with an expression that clearly spelled repulsion. "… Joker. Or, I should say, the template built from the shadows in his heart."

"The shadows in Joker's heart?" Queen turned to Joker. She could not bring herself to ask what Nyarlathotep meant by that, but the briefest hint of a question she had in her eyes was quickly met by an answer in her boyfriend's. He was squinting in self-inquiring fashion, digging into his own psyche in search for an answer; yet there was enough distress in his eyes to hint at suspicion of a truth most horrifying.

"All other replicas… I suppose we could deem them Failures. Imperfections sprung out of the soil." The man of many faces spoke. "Unintended, unwished… but they may yet prove useful…"He smiled.

"Guys!?" Oracle's voice broke in. "I'm sensing another presence! It's powerful!"

Futaba's words went ignored in face of the next few seconds.

"Joker… Dear, dear Joker." Nyarlathotep declared. "My very own agent of massacre. I command that you set foot on this crowded soil… AND OBLITERATE YOUR BOTCHED SIBLINGS!"

His words still echoed by the time his Joker was on the ground, dashing towards the first of Akira's doppelgängers at a daunting speed, with clear, murderous intent. Sight took a while to catch up to sound, or perhaps it was the mere lasting impression in the Phantom Thief's ears, as the only thing left after the sickly crunch of bone and muscle torn apart were several chunks lying on the ground, incomplete remains of an Akira-shaped replica.

Two more were made short work of with similar brutality before the remaining doppelgängers started to fight back with their strange, flawed Personas. The legions of Shadows summoned into the shifting landscape joined the fray, lashing out at Nyarlathotep's Joker, perhaps instinctively regarding it as a target of priority over the Phantom Thieves.

But despite being massively outnumbered, 'Joker' steered the carnage to its despicable whim. At one turn, he eliminated Shadows at a frightening speed. At another, he focused on slaying his kin, waving off all magic attacks and riposting with death at the tip of its limbs. And all throughout, his Master delighted on the view from his leisurely spot, cackling, pressing a hand against his stomach, and pointing like deranged Caligula.

The reception of the spectacle in the rows beneath was vastly different. Even if Akira's replicas had nearly killed them earlier, to see them torn asunder thusly was not a pleasant experience for the Phantom Thieves. Some looked away, others shut their eyes. This moment was especially hard on Makoto, for even if these copies were disgustingly flawed, they still bared sufficient resemblance to the man she loved. It took painful little imagination to change the scene, and witness this Joker violently murdering Akira – her Akira – time and time again.

And even when she shut her eyes, nothing could save her from the sounds that hardly wore off memory. Her horror - and the others' - was such that it took a while for them to find their Leader's sight to undo this harrowing spell. For this reason, nobody noticed Akira's face as he beheld the bloody spectacle. He did not share their horror; his own mind at that moment was a more unforgiving torturer. At the end of this train of thought, he extrapolated that 'he' was 'killing himself'.

Part of him felt it was fitting.

"Wait!" Nyarlathotep regained his composure for a brief moment. "Those two! Take your time with those two!" He spat. "GO TO TOWN!"

The unholy laughter continued as 'Joker' prolonged his work on the last two of Akira's replicas – the ones who commanded Apollo and Artemis. It was by this moment that the Phantom Thieves summoned enough fortitude to seize the moment and make their escape. Though there was no chance to stick to the original plan, all eight were still divided by waves of Shadows that finally noticed them with hostile intent. They had no choice but to fight for their chance to get away.

The dark, sludge-like masses burst into varied forms, demons and spirits, most of which were familiar to them.

"Damn it!" Skull growled.

"It appears we've little choice but to fight." Fox cupped the hilt of his sword in preparation.

"Listen everyone!" Queen called. "The plan is still on! We'll need to clear a path through all these Shadows!"

"Roger!" Mona was the first to summon his Persona for this new fray. "I can see an emptier patch that way!"

"Alright. We'll need to keep it attack quickly and make a run for it as soon as we make up room." The team's lieutenant confirmed before turning to their Leader, who stayed uncharacteristically quiet when he would usually take the initiative. "Joker?"

He nodded in acknowledgement; no words from a voice Makoto desperately needed to hear at that moment. As Akira advanced to meet a pack of Archangels, she realised with alarm that there was one thing she had not accounted for: could he fight in his current state? His capabilities to summon a Persona were likely impaired, if his attempt at summoning Satanael was anything to go by. Even after the healing touch that undid the damage from a losing battle, he took a long time to wake back up. By this moment, she suspected that just being in this place drained Akira of his strength. Words of caution began forming in her throat, but not quickly enough to stop her boyfriend from launching his own offence.

"Arsene!" Joker called. Unbeknownst to Queen, he himself did not know if he had the necessary vigour for the present conflict. Nevertheless, his original Persona burst forth from the ether in powerful, infernal fashion with little problem. The Trickster decimated the unfortunate pack of Archangels with ease.

The potency of his attack was quite the fond sight for sore eyes. But the silence preceding it was not like him at all. Now was not the time to dwell, however. Their Leader had effectively sounded the war horn. It was time to stand their ground and give no quarter.

In face of familiar enemies, the Phantom Thieves' collective attack had no weakness or hesitation. All eight, working as one, constituted a relentless force, so mighty that the prospect of suffering such a crushing defeat earlier would seem unthinkable. But as the seconds drew on, the resistance they faced only increased.

The seconds turned to minutes, and the distance they covered was woefully little. Soon enough, two things became feasible. One, the clear patch Mona saw in the distance, their desperate bid for a haven in the midst of chaos, would likely be no more if the battle drew on for too long. Two, the number of Shadows that swarmed around them was not decreasing; there was no guessing when, but they would surely be overwhelmed unless there was a drastic change in the tide.

And there was also the glaring factor of Nyarlathotep's Joker. It could be surmised that this copy of Akira could also summon a Persona, or several. Yet, its own hands sufficed to destroy Akira's flawed replicas. What that meant in relation to the Phantom Thieves was a thought too frightening to entertain. It truly was Nyarlathotep's own, seemingly arbitrary cruelty what kept his Joker's attention away from them. But even the sickly show of violence was bound to run its length.

All they could hope to do was escape before that happened. This meant fighting harder, meeting their limits and somehow push past them. It was then that instinct of self-preservation took over, and every angle to every thought ended in 'do or die'.

Joker knew his friends were not falling like before. He could feel them, he could feel their fight. But he could not see or hear them. Everything to the outer reception of his senses was a smudge from which he could discern nothing. Inside, pain and exhaustion strained every muscle and nerve inward, as if his core were being crumpled into a bloody lump, pulling every limb into its messy centre.

And still he fought like his and their lives depended on it. Because they did.

His friends, each shared the same experience, with the small variations pertaining to their individual ways to war. The situation also demanded them to brave out of their comfort zone. Even their navigator had to somehow weaponise means fashioned for support, transforming abilities that would improve her peers' performance into raw gravitational force.

But even these extraordinary efforts were starting to prove fruitless. Nobody wished to think of the failure that glared at them with cruel glee. Instead of that, one member of the Phantom Thieves in particular caught something in the corner of her eye, something that stood out from the leaping dirt, the sand and the broken pieces of Shadows flying about.

Queen saw a blue butterfly crossing her line of sight, fading out as soon as it appeared.

It was only a second, but the trace it left in her would long outlive the moment itself. The light it gave off barely illuminated beyond a radius of three centimetres; it radiated no warmth, but she still felt a cool breeze grazing her skin, even beneath her Queenly bearings. And for as long as the butterfly was there, she thought old, familiar smells and sounds were summoned all into that one second, mingling with one another until the boundaries of sense were undone.

A moment, in itself uncanny amidst the strange, which left her unprepared for a strike against the side of her head.

"Makoto!" Akira's voice fell distant on her ears. There was no pain. For that matter, there was not much of an injury. Still, she was knocked down and unable to stand back from the weight of an Oni's foot against her ribcage.

She looked at the shape of the Shadow took, into its eyes, and somehow they seemed different to her now. It was as if there was something hidden beneath this brutish form, a mind, a will pulsing behind the monster's eyes, a mind – intending to harm her, but a mind all the same.

The strange moment was cut short by Joker pouncing the demon off of her. The young man's face betrayed his own physical state. Still, he pulled her back on her feet with seemingly no effort. This brought Makoto fully to the present. And so began an assault in tandem at the hands of the team's leaders. Together, they vanquished the Oni that had knocked Queen down, and a score further for good measure. Even if their efforts met severe adversity, fighting together was a peculiar, unspoken joy, one that could at least keep their spirits up.

"Did… did you hear that?" Queen asked Joker.

Astonished, he turned to her, wondering if she meant the same thing he believed he heard just an instant ago. It was not a sound he perceived with his ears. Joker heard her call inside of his head.

"Did it happen to sound like someone we know?"

"I think it sounded like Lavenza…"

Their eyes met in the middle of battle. No words were wasted on wondering how. All they knew is they needed to reach her; for if they heard correctly, it must mean she was in this world as well. Had Lavenza somehow found a way into this world, she may also find a way out of it.

No more than conjecture; alas, a better means than what they had. Joker and Queen nodded to each other as they sealed the plan.

"Everyone!" Joker called out loud. "Disengage, and follow us!"

"Huh?" Mona perked his ears.

"Where're we headed?" Skull grunted as he threw a small battalion of puny forest spirits off of his shoulders.

"Somewhere safer." Queen answered. "Please, trust us on this."

"A hunch, would that be?" Noir's voice rang tainted with venomous anger. "Fine by me!" With those words, she had Astarte clear the immediate vicinity of the direction the team's leaders pointed towards.

"Let's go!" Joker gave the command. And so, the Phantom Thieves began their hasty exodus.

In less than a minute, the distance cleared by Astarte's artillery was filled once more with Shadows. Joker and Queen could still hear Lavenza's calling, but they would not risk it fading at their delay. They could not afford to waste any more time or energy fighting off the Shadows.

"Hey, I got an idea!" Skull's eyes lit beneath the mask. He stopped running only for a moment to summon Seiten Taisei. "Hop on!"

The young athlete was the first to jump aboard the cloud on which the monkey rogue surfed the heavens. Panther, and Fox climbed aboard next. Oracle put Skull's idea into practice and beamed Noir and Mona up into Prometheus' compact spherical dome. Joker and Queen were the last to hop aboard Seiten Taisei, clinging to its right shoulder. And away they flew towards some unknown destination only they could sense.

Their airborne advance was not as agile as they would have liked. It could hardly be, given how Seiten Taisei had to carry five passengers in a means designed for one. And it was no stretch of the imagination that Oracle, Mona and Noir were squished together inside of Prometheus. Still, the dangers they had to stave off was greatly decreased. The winged Shadows were not as many, and whichever managed to get near was repelled with relative ease. Soon, these too grew in number, and began their aerial chase.

"Alright. Um, you guys can tell us where we're going anytime." Panther said.

"Just… a little further." Joker could still hear Lavenza's voice in his head. They continued to cover ground, and they saw that the Shadows now dominated everything in the extension of land that remained whole. The landscape was a grim confirmation about the futility of their original plan. At one point or another, all eight would have been overcome in the mayhem. And so would Lavenza. "There." He pointed.

He did not see her with his eyes, but he knew she was there, decimating Shadows with the Personas in her compendium. Akira remembered Lavenza's test back in the day, when she was divided into two aspects of her personality, united then by a desire to test his mettle. Besting them was more than a challenge. Lavenza's power could probably be greater now that she was whole, but even she may not endure indefinitely.

From the corner of his eye, he spied Makoto. She too was focused on the same direction, as if knowing the precise spot, long before the girl in blue came into view. She was engaged in dire combat against scores of Shadows. It seemed as if she was reaching her limits. They needed to rescue her quickly. Prometheus' abilities, while precise, were not quick. There was only one alternative to assure their getaway.

"Yo! Is that…" Ryuji lifted his mask to get a better view.

"Yeah." Akira climbed down from Seiten Taisei's shoulder, landing next to Yusuke. "We need to get a little lower." Carefully, he made his way to the edge of the cloud, and poised himself ready to snatch Lavenza with them. They needed to be careful so as not to fly her by. Should this fail, a second attempt would have them turn around and face the flying Shadows in pursuit. "A little more…"

"Shit, be careful." His best friend concentrated to control the flight in its very minute details.

Joker's upper half hung from the edge of the cloud, with his arm stretched as far as it could to the ground. Lavenza was still about twenty metres away, but it did not seem like he could reach her. He edged a little further out. Yusuke and Ann gripped one leg to anchor him as he hung almost to the point of falling over. While Ryuji managed flight control, Makoto stood vigilant for any incoming threat. And sure enough, it proved a sound decision, as Shadows began to climb aboard. The team's lieutenant risked spreading herself thin as she struck each one down. She did not once entertain the notion of failing.

The close overview of the ground was a blur of countless forms populating the area, all familiar to Joker, who had at one point or another wielded each as a Persona. One of them stood out from the others. It was Bugs, a favourite of Caroline and Justine's. This was his cue to reach out for the blue.

It happened in a fraction of a second. His fingers closed into a fist and his arm pulled upwards as Seiten Taisei regained altitude. If Joker momentarily felt like his hand caught only air, it was because the girl weighed hardly a thing. Exhaustion made her look limp, almost lifeless. Joker held her for fear that the wind resistance would blow her away. In another time, in another form, she had been his jailor and tormenter. When time came to show where her loyalty lay, she heeded her instincts and picked him over her false Master. Hence she became something of a little sister to Akira, quite like Futaba. But for all her might, she seemed now even frailer than Futaba before her awakening.

"I knew I'd find you…" She uttered weakly.

Akira said nothing. He wore shame on his face, feeling responsible, as if he himself had pulled her into this twisted world as well. Makoto kneeled at their side, looking at Lavenza with deep concern. She carefully brushed a lock of hair away from the girl's face to reveal a red gash. It did not look deep.

Lavenza's eyes moved over to Makoto. Her expression changed instantly.

"Could it be… You too?" She blinked. For all the uncanny things the girl in blue had experienced, she seemed well and truly surprised.

"W-what do you mean?" The team's lieutenant caught her lover's eyes and attention out of the corner of the eye. His lips were slightly parted, as if he anticipated Lavenza's words to echo his thoughts.

"You have the po-" Lavenza began, but her voice was immediately drowned out by a gargantuan booming sound. The Phantom Thieves and Lavenza all turned towards the source, towards Nyarlathotep's nightmarish abode. The building was growing larger, impossibly stable considering its strange proportions. Thick columns of stone reached past the clouds, twisting upwards like lashing tentacles. The fortress that once provided respite was now a cathedral of unspeakable horrors.

The sombre lord stood tall on a high ledge in the building, arms crossed behind his back in calm, demeaning fashion. Through the great distance, his eyes found each of the Thieves' as well as their hearts; and though neither saw the same face as the rest, all shared the same conclusion about him. He was an evil that must not be allowed to thrive.

Finally, his Joker soared to his Master's side, having completed his sickly drawn-out task, with indiscernible remains of the final two replicas in his hands. In his eyes, there was profound hatred towards the individual who provided his design. To Akira, it was like looking into a mirror, but the resemblance was not merely bound to the physical properties. The sombre king in his still mutating castle had his knight, and he too had to be struck down.

But vanquishing these enemies was beyond their capabilities. To face them now, in their current state was to invite grim death upon them. Neither Nyarlathotep nor his Joker made an effort to pursue them as the Phantom Thieves and Lavenza flew away. In their eyes, these nine were little more than insects whose demise was set in stone, regardless of the means; time was inconsequential.

Nyarlathotep grinned with perverse delight. In his maddeningly long existence, he knew there was ever one constant to the chaos that is humanity: hubris. The Phantom Thieves would not flee forever. They would inevitably follow their impulse to assert their importance and attempt to make a stand. When that time comes, this world would look very different than the shifting landscape. Perhaps even their own world would be thusly altered.

"Hey, uh… Not that you guys will like to hear this, but…" Ryuji breathed heavily through his words. "I'm getting kinda tired. Dunno how long can Seiten Taisei take us."

"Ditto." Futaba said. "And it's hella stuffy in here."

"This is bad." Akira summarised. He turned to Lavenza, who was still cradled in Makoto's arms. "Lavenza… you found a way into this world, do you happen to know a way out?"

"I do… But we probably need to land." The girl in blue seemed to have regained some of her strength. "Anywhere should do."

"Anywhere, huh?" Ann remarked. "That looks a bit difficult."

There was no stable ground anywhere in sight. Whatever terrain stayed whole still was crowded with Shadows. Everybody observed as far as they could in search for a way to clear this last hurdle.

"Hey, over there!" Morgana hopped and pointed, making Prometheus stagger in flight. "That looks kinda steady."

The feline signalled towards a small patch of land that warped slowly.

"That looks quite small." Makoto could not help sounding somewhat insecure where she found the spot. "Can we make it?"

"I see no other choice." Akira said. "Ryuji, you up for it?"

"Sure, why not?" The young athlete sounded worn down. "Give me some good vibes, everyone."

"I shall pray to your success as vigorously as I can." Yusuke nodded, his voice shaky from motion sickness.

"Do your best, Ryuji-kun!" Haru's words of encouragement were the last thing anyone said before the shared silence of tense uncertainty.

Prometheus hovered only a few centimetres above Seiten Taisei's shoulders, following the latter's agile lead. The ground looked ever closer by the second, and so did the Shadows, whose collective turmoil made the air thick with unease. Every instant to come was a risk that a foe may bring them down into the chaos, and the menace of winged pursuers did not relent entirely. As Ryuji became more spent, his Persona lost speed and altitude; at times, it felt slightly less tangible, as if he could disappear at any given moment. But nobody dared voice their fears, not even Futaba, who was on the verge of hurling from heaping anxiety.

Finally, the patch of stable land came into view, smaller than initially apparent. It became clear then that this spot would not remained uncompromised for long.

"Guys… I think we're in for a crash landing." Ann felt Ryuji's strength leaving his muscles as she held to his arm.

"Everyone. Brace yourselves!" Makoto yelled, preparing for the crude landing about to occur.

Everything blurred into chaos on the twenty seconds after Seiten Taisei vanished. Though the pain of a hasty landing was an indication of success, there was still the matter of making a way out of this world. It was this purpose and Makoto's own instincts to protect which had her become a shield for Lavenza as they fell to the ground. The young woman was certain something broke when she stopped rolling, but she did not fully comprehend the ache in her ankle when other necessities took priority.

Dazed, she quickly looked around her to make sure everyone made it. To her relief, everybody was accounted for. It was upon finding Akira last that she became aware of her own injuries. Despite being close to liberation from this place, his expression was completely mirthless, absent. There was something written on his face, a thing unfamiliar that made her want to be at his side to comfort and heal. Her left leg gave way as soon as she started to get up, and she felt furious at not being able to reach him as soon as she saw him, or reach anyone else at all.

Suddenly, he noticed her, and his expression returned to normal. He hurried her way, but Haru reached her first.

"Are you hurt?" The young woman asked, looking only slightly better.

"M-maybe. It'll be alright." Makoto got up with Haru's aid, the latter helping her walk towards Akira and Lavenza. The rest joined them soon after.

"That was fun. Let's not do it ever again." Futaba groaned.

"I do not mean to hasten. But I do not think this place will hold for long." Yusuke said.

"Lavenza… if there's something you can do, please get on it." Akira called to the small figure behind him. His eyes, full of shame and worry, were fixed on Makoto.

"Don't worry about me." She reassured him. "Please, look out for the others. They need you."

Akira nodded. He did not wish to leave her side, but knew she was correct. Despite the very special affection Akira and Makoto shared, all meant the world to him. He swiftly gathered them all and led them to Lavenza, who was occupied finding an exit from this place. Her palm was spread wide – a close aura of blue light radiating on the outline of each finger. Small beads of sweat slid down her forehead as she funnelled all of her concentration into making a gate. The process itself was no different to how she found a way in, but finding a way out turned out to be far more difficult. Her focus on this colossus of a task was such that she held her breath without noticing it.

She started to feel faint. But then, the light stirred a ripple in the air, followed by another, and another. A black hole was then borne out of thin air, with no sight of a thing on the other end.

Lavenza gasped loudly. "It is done." She struggled to catch her breath.

"Are you sure? It doesn't look very inviting." Ann peeked out over Ryuji's shoulder.

"I am positive. This will lead back into your world. It will be a long walk, but we will be safe from harm." Lavenza spoke with certainty.

"Works for me." Akira said dryly. "Lavenza, please lead the way. Makoto, Haru. Follow her. Don't rush it."

"Come along, Mako-chan. Easy does it." Haru and Makoto walked slowly into the darkness, while Akira motioned their friends to follow. The two lovers' fingers brushed as they passed each other. Makoto felt an urge to grab his hand before going into the path Lavenza opened.

One by one, the Phantom Thieves walked into the darkness. Akira being the last one to make his way. But before heading down the path, he paid one last look behind, at the world that housed their torments. Far into the distance, Nyarlathotep and his Joker possessed cruel dominion, and Akira himself – though unwilling – had apparently provided the raw matter.

The template that created this final, sinister double. If Nyarlathotep spoke true, it was made out of Akira's own Shadows. He suspected knowing what that meant, but it was no certain knowledge.

There was something else. From this nebulous, intuitive awareness and suspicion, he sensed that there was another region in the landscape that was uncompromised, whole. He could not see it from where he stood, but he felt a pull towards that site.

Finally, he joined the rest of his friends in the dark path, as the gate closed behind him. They were safe now.