The pain was now gone.
Ren's eyes snapped open as he realized he was still alive. Or was he? The sight that greeted him was a familiar one. The prison cage cloaked in that notorious blue hue. For a moment he just laid there thinking about what had happened only moments before. If he was here, were the others as well? Yu was supposed to be here though. Justine and Caroline did say he would wind up here if he fought the Holy Grail right? So everything must be going according to plan. Sitting up Ren wondered what the next step of the plan was. To his right Caroline and Justine stood at his door like silent sentries, their bland expressions surprisingly bringing some small comfort.
"In the end, your rehabilitation was not carried through…" That was Igor's voice... but that Igor was an imposer. "It appears I have overestimated you."
"Perhaps…" Ren shook his head.
Slowly Ren got to his feet, the manacles around his wrists jingling with the effort. He was still very much a prisoner at the moment. His fate depended on the twins to keep their promise. The promise to free him and everyone else. Stepping up to the cell door, Caroline and Justine looked up at him. Ren glanced down at his wardens, but like every other experience he had with them, they remained stalwart. Igor chuckled from his place behind the desk.
"Humans are more apathetic and more foolish than I had thought them to be. The world will soon see its ruin…" Igor drummed his fingers on his desk, giving Ren an almost lazy look.
Ren gave the impostor an amused smirk of his own. "A ruin you wish to bring?"
"You have lost the game. You were meant to bring change to mankind as a Trickster, but it seems that was too much for you. So following the game's rules, the defeated must pay a price. Your life is forfeit." Igor got up from his chair and pointed at Ren. "I sentence you to be executed."
"If that is your judgment master…" Justine calmly said.
"God's decree is absolute." Igor proclaimed. "My experiment has come to naught… Everything is over. Grant that man a swift death."
"Very well then." Caroline nodded. "Let us prepare the guillotine."
The twins quickly moved to prepare the guillotine as the impostor moved to the side of the room. Igor's desk seemed to vanish as the familiar execution devices appeared in the desk's place. Once they were in place, both twins turned their attention to him. Moving towards his cell door in unison, they unlocked it and unshackled him from the bonds that held him.
"Inmate. Get ready, find your spirit of rebellion." Caroline whispered.
"We must drive the impostor off and make us whole again." Justine finished, her voice as low as her other-self.
With that, both girls grabbed Ren and forcefully dragged him from the cell. He knew they were trying to be intentionally rough as to not throw off the impostor. As he was dragged across the floor, Ren thought about Caroline's words. Find his spirit of rebellion? Ah yes, his other self! They wanted him to be Joker, not Ren. As Ren was unceremoniously dumped on the floor of the velvet room; he was thinking back to his time in the TV world and how Goro had shown him than how to control his rebellious spirit. Ren pulled at those feeling until he felt something break as if the chains that had been holding him no longer held any power.
"No!" Ren got to his feet before a blue flame engulfed him. "I have my own stay of execution" Joker proclaimed.
Caroline and Justine looked at each other before they both stepped back. A smirk appearing on their lips. They seemed to have this all planned out as Caroline raised her baton over her head and instantly a metal sound filled the air. Ren looked around him as three cell doors swung open. Dark shadows shifted forth and into the light. Yu Narukami, Aigis, and Goro Akechi appeared from the newly opened doors.
Joker felt a bit of relief sweep over him seeing Yu once again. Yu chuckled as he cracked his knuckles as if he had been waiting for this moment since the beginning. He seemed a bit off considering he was in his pajamas. The outfit wasn't surprisingly too far off from what Joker wore to bed. A loose shirt and a set of sweat pants.
Aigis seemed calm as she stepped out, her eyes however didn't speak to that calmness as they held an intensity to them. Goro stepped out of the cell in the same prison uniform he had been wearing. He looked passive for a second before a smirk appeared on his face as he reached up to his glasses. In a crackle of blue flame, Goro became Crow; and Crow looked more than willing to deliver some of that 'hell' he was talking about before they all faded.
Caroline pointed her baton at the impostor. "You claim this game is over, Impostor!"
Justine smirked. "But we have four wildcards."
A flash of surprise appeared upon the impostor's face before he gave a long hearty chuckle. "You are correct, this game isn't over. Whether the human world is left as is or destroyed and rebuilt, it's all sport to me." The impostor's voice seemed to change as he spoke.
It took Joker a second before he realized the impostor's voice had switched to that of the Holy Grail. As Joker realized this fact, the impostor became cloaked in dark energy; rising off his feet. It was clear the impostor did not need to hide anymore. It made sense now that his game of deception was over. As he revealed his true self; an explosion of automatic gunfire rang across the room from Aigis. However, the bullets appeared to do nothing to the impostor as they passed through him lodging into the walls of the prison cells behind him.
"This body is nothing more than an illusion, your attacks won't reach me here." The impostor said passively as if it didn't matter to him one way or the other.
"Who are you?!" Aigis demanded.
"Me? If I were to put it into words that you can comprehend, I am the Holy Grail that grants wishes. Then again it may be more accurate to say that I am a god who responds to desire and holds dominion over man. I hoped to see a righteous thief vanquish evil would spur mankind to change their own indolent hearts. Granted a hero cannot be without a proper villain." The Holy Grail explained as it turned towards Crow. "I must admit I found it rather intriguing that you both now stand here against me."
"So you where the one behind Loki..." Crow sneered.
"Correct. You were cast to be an antagonist from the beginning. I designed you quite well I believed and you did much to further the game. But alas in the end; you need to be deemed a failure." The Holy Grail proclaimed.
Crow let out a small chuckle. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"Despite all of your efforts, the results are as you know. The masses have made it so none of it has transpired. Humans should be met with ruin. You all brought forth that answer. But to be frank, I believe it may be worth re-evaluating this particular situation. A bunch of humans have reached my true form and have seen through my true identity. You all have seen me for the god that I am. Something that cannot be done by mere foolish commoners. I can't say I was ever truly bored. Perhaps observing one of you a while longer may prove amusing. I shall grant everyone here one last final opportunity to make a deal with me." The Holy Grail offered.
Joker looked back towards the others. Crow gave an audible scoff. Not more than a minute ago he had been told he was deemed a failure and that he had been used since the beginning. If anyone was an example of to not take any deal this so-called 'god' made; Crow was the shining example of that. Even if this deity promised Joker the world, the answer would still be a hard no. Yu nor Aigis looked particularly swayed. Slipping his hands into his pockets Ren gave the Holy Grail a passive look.
"Doesn't matter what you have to offer. My reply is 'No'." Crow turned away from the Grail.
"Oh? Are you so sure? You do not know what I have to offer. Should you wish it, I shall return the world to its prior state. One rampant with distorted masses." The Holy Grail tempted.
"Sorry, I missed a bit, what's going on with the world?" Yu asked looking toward the other wildcards.
"He's done something to the world. It's distorted and wrong but no one seems to realize it. It's as if the dark hour has come and no one cares. The masses wish for a world where they don't need to think for themselves and have given into sloth, entrapping themselves within their own cage of ignorance." Aigis explained before looking at the Holy Grail. "This world you wish to make isn't the world he gave his life to save. In his stead, I cannot accept a deal like this, just as he didn't accept a deal from Death."
"Ah, so we hit critical ruin. Got it. Sorry, whatever the hell you think you are. No deal from me. I've dealt with enough 'gods' in my life to know taking any deal from any of you is stupid." Yu retorted as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his pajama pants.
"That is fine. Trickster… What say you?" The Holy Grail turned its attention to Joker. "The Phantom Thieves will be praised and gain fame. The world will escape ruin as well."
The offer was tempting. They could continue their work with the help of the Holy Grail. The world would escape Ruin, granted, was it? A world where people didn't think for themselves did seem like a world that had already come to ruin.
"I refuse!" Joker proclaimed.
"Nice inmate!" Caroline smirked.
The Holy Grail shook its head. "Such irredeemable foolishness you all have on display. Do you choose death for yourselves? Very well, I do not need for any of you…" With that, the Holy Grail disappeared.
Joker felt a slight bit of anxiousness once the impostor was gone. He had wanted to finish the fight here, but that wasn't going to happen. They'd probably need to take the fight to the Holy Grail again, but first Joker needed to figure out where everyone else was. Surely they couldn't be far right? He didn't want to step on the field of battle without them. There was a bright flash that caused Joker to bring his arm up. A familiar desk stood in the wake of the light and behind it a familiar long-nosed man, but it wasn't just him. A tall woman with a serious look on her face dressed in blue was to his left. To the familiar man's right was a quiet-looking man also dressed in blue carrying a large book. Joker didn't know what to make of all this, but the twins seemed to.
"Master! Brother, Sister!" Justine called.
Slowly the man that looked like the impostor started to move, as both Caroline and Justine ran to his side. The woman had a sad look reflected in her eyes as she looked towards Caroline and Justine. Yu took a step towards the desk and there was an ease to the sudden smile on his face. By the way, everyone was treating this newcomer it seemed safe to say this was Igor. The real one.
"Lavenza. Look what has happened to you. You! Fuse them, only you can use this room for that!" The woman's tone was sharp as her golden eyes burned into Joker.
"Introductions can wait. Please return Lavenza to her true form." Igor asked.
"Fuse?!" Joker asked before his eyes found their way to the guillotine that still stood in the middle of the room.
"Yes, you must fuse us with your own hands." Justine clarified as she turned towards the guillotine.
"It's time you returned the favor for us assisting you in your rehabilitation. Do it with care!" Caroline demanded as she too turned towards the guillotine.
"Do it, Joker. This needs to happen." Yu called as if to ease any lingering doubts Joker might have.
Joker nodded before he stepped up to the machine of execution. Despite having been in his cell while Caroline and Justine had done most of the fusion for him, he was aware of how the process worked. It was a bit gruesome, to say the least. It would appear this needed to happen and while it wasn't something he wanted to do, it was now something he was going to do.
Flipping a switch, the blades of the guillotine started to raise as Justine and Caroline took their places under the blades. The rest of the occupants of the room fell silent as they all watched the process. Once the blades reached the top and both twins were in place; Joker flipped the switch down. The blades quickly fell and Joker could only watch as both twins burst into several butterflies. For a second Joker feared he had done something wrong before both energies began to mix into the middle of the room, revealing a new person.
Lavenza shared a few common things with the twins. Her height, her hair color, her two golden eyes, and an affinity for the color blue. But the similarities stopped there. Something about the way Lavenza held herself seemed to indicate Joker was dealing with a much different person. He wasn't sure if he liked that. The twins were… different, but they had been growing on him. They did care for him. Even if they never really showed it. This new person… Who knows how much of the twin's memory remained with her now that she was whole.
"My name as you already know is Lavenza. It's a pleasure to meet you and now I can finally see clearly, thanks to you. You have my gratitude Trickster." Lavenza bowed to him.
"Oh my. It's been quite a while since I've seen some of your faces." Igor swept his vision over Aigis and Yu before returning to Joker. "Welcome to the Velvet Room. My name is Igor. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I shall let the others introduce themselves."
"I am Margaret, Yu's attendant. You must forgive me, for it was I who put into motion the plan that captured Yu. All so I could save Lavenza and my master." Margaret bowed low.
"And I am Theodore, you must forgive me as well for I assisted my sister in Yu's abduction." Theodore also bowed deeply.
Joker raised his hand up in an appeasing motion. "I think there are other people you should apologize to before me."
"Speaking of my abduction. How long have I been out of the action?" Yu asked looking around at the others.
"About two and a half days," Crow answered.
"Not bad. Igor do you have a plan to take out another crazed god again?" Yu stared at Igor.
"Indeed." Igor nodded
"We may be able to save this world headed towards certain Ruin. While the power of four wildcards may be enough, there are others you have shared bonds with that will help you fight." Lavenza explained. "You must release your teammates whom you've shared your convictions with."
"Everyone is here… Somewhere…" Aigis said her eyes staring off distantly.
Igor gave a light chuckle. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is vast yet small."
"They have not necessarily expired yet. Just as you all were trapped here. They should be confined somewhere as well. They are trapped within their cells of regression, you must convince them to break free themselves. If you cannot do that, then, unfortunately, you will not be able to save them. Use the bonds you have formed with them to free their hearts." Lavenza explained before she motioned them all off with a wave of her hand.
"You guys go." Crow stepped up to Igor's desk. "I wish to speak with Igor."
Igor's smile began to widen if that was possible before he cast his gaze towards Crow. Joker turned and headed toward the open jail door. Yu and Aigis shadowed him as they all left Crow to talk to the long-nosed man. Beyond the door was a hall that came to a four-way intersection. The left and right were long halls of jails cells and up head appeared to be a staircase going up. Joker turned and looked at the other two.
"Should we split up?" Joker tentatively questioned.
"I think we should follow you. This is your story Joker, we are just here to help you." Yu explained.
"Yu-san is the number three Shadow operative. I concede command to him and if he wants to follow you that will become my directive." Aigis confirmed.
"Left it is then." Joker decided.
The hallway was flanked by several jail cells lined with what appeared to be blue fabric. The color was the same as the hue of the rest of the velvet room. Honestly, these cells looked far more welcoming than the one Joker had been trapped in whenever he came here. Looks like his allies got the premium cells, lucky them. The first cell they came across was empty, the second was not.
Yusuke Kitagawa leaned against the decor of his cell. His arms grasped in front of him as his eyes stared down at the floor. He wore his school uniform, probably because he was pulled out of class that afternoon by Futaba activating his phone. Joker could only think this would probably be a theme for most of his friends. As Joker stepped up to the cage, Yusuke glanced at him. There was a sorrow behind his gaze that made Joker realize that it might not be an easy task to free all of them. Aigis and Yu took a step back as if allowing him a private moment with his artistic friend.
"Joker… As I expected, you appear to be safe… However, where exactly are we..?" Yusuke questioned his eyes traveling the length of his cell.
"Outside of the velvet room." Joker casually answered back
"Velvet… room…? I'm not sure I understand. At first, I was surprised to see the masses chained in a prison yet here I am as well… Considering the state of the real world. It's hard to say that we were even remotely helpful… This situation… Can we truly handle such horrid circumstances? All the Phantom Thieves can do is change the hearts of others. However, the world outside has become a veritable hell. Nothing within our power can fix that..." Yusuke's eyes fell back to the ground as he shook his head.
"Are you giving up then?" Joker kept his words strong as if challenging Yusuke.
"… I'm merely acknowledging how powerless I am. The people of this world desired their enslavement…" Yusuke's voice seemed desperate. "That isn't all… They screamed at us for attacking the Holy Grail, defended it. Even the criminals whose hearts we changed became meek followers of the Holy Grail because of us! Were we truly that foolish risking our lives for a result nobody desired…?"
"Yusuke, is this the world you want to paint?" Joker suddenly asked.
Yusuke's eyes snapped towards Joker. "Huh? What do you mean by that? Of course not, this is a world of misery and helplessness. It's dismal to behold."
"Your power lies not with just Fox, but your art can move people. We have a battle ahead of us. I don't know if we can win, but I want to fight. I want to bring back a beautiful world, but I'll need help." Joker reached out. "This cage is only as powerful as you believe it to be."
"I see…" Yusuke pushed off the wall and got to his feet. "Just as art is meant to break boundaries, people should be saved even if they frown upon it. I won't allow it to fall into some drab color scheme, I'll show the world true beauty!"
A flash of flames and Fox stood where Yusuke had been. The next second the door to the cage disappeared and allowed Fox to step out. Joker felt a rush of relief wash over him, he had used his bond with Yusuke to pull the man out of his slump and he had responded by freeing himself from the prison that held him.
"Allow me to thank you, Joker." Fox started.
"Thank me by being ready to fight. A lot is going on right now, but I should be able to explain shortly." Joker cut in.
"Yes. We cannot afford to leave reality in the hellish state it's currently in. I will make use of my role as an artist and paint over the distortions of society. Well then, time to go and see this through. I'll witness with my own two eyes that this world isn't bound by some Holy Grail." Fox proclaimed loudly before he looked at Joker. "Where are the others? I see you have found Yu-san and Aigis-san, what about everyone else."
"They are all still trapped in cells like you were up until a moment ago," Aigis explained.
"Then go I shall not keep you, rescue everyone. I know your words might reach them." Fox nodded.
"Let's go," Joker called to Yu and Aigis before he went to find more of their allies.
Cat finally no longer sick. She is finally healthy and I can focus back on editing. Quick question I don't have Ann, Haru, or Ryuji release from their cell written out because honestly, when I tried it seemed to follow to close to the game. Do you guys want these ones written out or do you just want to read the new ones I have planned for the rest of the crew? Futaba's and Makoto's are different because of the flow of the story so there are those two if you want them.