The shadows dimly lit red eyes laid transfixed on Ren after saying his name. The rest of the Phantom Thieves were doing the same, looking at their friend frozen. Ren stood silently, his body still but his pupils shrank behind his mask as he tried to work out the situation.

"You...know this guy?" Ryuji finally asked, Ren realised he had been staring into space and not trying to recognise the distorted shadow of this man, Shinji. He wore a different expression than he had seen during his battle. It wasn't of smugness, desire, anger...it was...inquisitive, like it was a genuine question. But why would he ask if he knew, more importantly how did he know? Ren's mind raced, he was positive he never knew the man, was his identity known to others?

"...no, never met him" Ren replied quietly. The shadow refused to dissipate like all the other Mementos targets, he simply sat there waiting for a response. He decided to take a gamble and answered:

"Yes, I'm Ren Amamiya."

A small smile creeped along the shadows face before exploding into balck smoke and smudge, though rather than disappear into the air as they all expected, it all began to hurdle towards Ren, who caught off guard, was soon enveloped in the black mass. The last thing he saw was Makato looking down for some reason, and the last thing he heard was the rest of his friends calling out for him until nothing but rushing darkness consumed every one of his senses. His head began to emit a sharp pain, making it difficult for him to stand. He tried to cry out, but no sound left his lips. He struggled to keep consciousness, but his skills kept him awake where other people would have fallen.

"Who are you?" he called out weakly, but determined. A familiar voice rang back in his ear…

"I am thou, thou art I"

The small twister of shadows surrounding Ren then began to cease, fading away into nothingness as his friends saw Ren limply standing before them. As it all cleared, he turned back to his team, his eyes barely open. He went to take a step towards them, but his footing was weak and he started to fall forward.

"I got you buddy" Ryuji leaped forwards and caught Ren before he fell, taking his arm on his shoulders, Ren got to his feet.

"What on earth was that?" Yusuke asked, not really expecting a coherent answer.

"I...I don't know" Ren answered honestly, a small sensation of relief filled him up as he answered, though he wasn't sure why.

"That can wait!" Ryuji yelled "We gotta get this guy outta here."

"Agreed" Makato confirmed, "Morgana?"

Morgana nodded back certainly, and transformed into his car form, as Haru took Ren's other arm and with Ryuji, carried him inside the car. Ren slouched back against the backseat as the Phantom Thieves piled in, all rushing to get Ren to safety,

As Ren slipped in and out of consciousness, they quickly made their way out of Mementos, and they found themselves back in the familiar attic of LeBlanc. Ryuji and Yusuke carefully laid Ren down on his bed where his body had all but given up on him. The team all surrounded his bed with concerned and confused looks.

"Ren, how do you feel?" Ann asked, her voice stuttering slightly, she was clearly holding back tears.

"I...don't know" Ren responded quietly, he was surprised he made any noise at all.

"Yo...dunno about you guys, but does this mean people know his identity?" Ryuji asked.

"I don't understand how, but it might be a possibility" Haru said, pondering the situation.

"If that's the case, he isn't safe here, back in the real world either I mean" said Yusuke.

"Should we hide him somewhere?" Ann asked, she looked across to Makato, expecting a solution. However she stood behind everyone else, seemingly lost in thought. She looked up and noticed Ann's pleading eyes which snapped her back into the situation.

"No, I don't think that will be necessary" Makato stated "Shinji had been on the run, isolated for quite some time...if he knew his identity and wanted to do something, that would have happened some time ago, I believe he is safe here" Makatos words made sense, but her tone was uncertain. Ann turned back to Ren, who had fallen asleep at some point during this conversation.

"We should let him rest, and decide our course of action once he has recovered." Makato continued. The rest of the thieves looked uneasy, but accepting of this plan.

"I'll be here to make sure he's okay." Morgana said as he jumped onto the bed by his side. "I can't message you guys, but I'll call the group chat if something happens, just make sure to be ready if that happens."

"Got it." nodded Futuba. After some uncertain glances between the team, they slowly followed Makato, who was making her way downstairs swiftly. Moan watched as they all left, and turned back to Ren, slowly pulling up against him. Ryuji, who was last to leave, heard Morgana quietly mutter to Ren.

"Just...please be alright."

Ryuji made his way downstairs, to see his friends had taken up a booth in Cafe LeBlanc, waiting for something. He looked around and asked.

"Hey, where's Chief at?"

"He just popped out to get some smokes, he said." Answered Futaba, who was also quietly sobbing. She must have been holding it around Ren.

"I guess while we're here, we should discuss this evening's events and our future actions." Yusuke proposed, standing by the counter of the cafe.

"Seriously, what happened back there, why did that asshole shadow act like that?"

"More importantly, how did he know our leader's identity?"

"He looked so exhausted, what happened to him?"

"Makato…?"

The team turned to Makato, who had her head down and remained silent. Everyone soon noticed she was silently crying, he tears softly splashing onto the table of the booth.

"Makato?! What's wrong?" Ann rushed to Makoto's side and put her arm around her as she began to sob too. The two looked at each other with desperate looks, both wanting to stop the others tears. Makato took a deep breath, and attempted to dry her eyes with her sleeve. She looked at the team, her mouth opening a few times, but no words forming. This was the first time any of them had seen her struggle to speak so much. Eventually she just slowly took out her phone and placed it on the table. Her fingers slowly slid across the screen of the phone and pressed dowm on the metaverse app. As it opened, she sat there for a while, everyone in confused silence.

"Ren Amamiya." she said hesitantly.

…

"Candidate found." The metaverse responded, a slight slow indicating a successful passphrase into someones palace had been entered.

"WHAAAT?"

"How is this possible?"

"I don't understand…"

"You gotta be shittin' me"

Makato looked up at the team, her tears reforming at the confirmation of what this meant.

"When he said his name back in Mementos. I had the app open and saw it respond." she explained. "...and shadows are attracted to those with distorted desires, it's just a theory but I think it was the shadows that formed to Shinji that knew Ren, not Shinji himself."

"That's bullshit!" Ryuji exclaimed, banging his fist loudly against the wall.

"Ryuji please…" Ann pleaded, she knew from their last text conversation how difficult it must be for him to hear this, and what Makato was getting at. All the Phantom Thieves were reaching the same conclusion, but none wanted to say or accept it.

"...that parts a theory at least..." Makato eventually continued. "But there is one thing we now know is fact…"

Makato furrowed her eyebrows, showing the difficulty of her next statement.

"Ren has a Palace."

The group fell silent, with nothing but the slow boiling of the curry behind the counter making and noise. So silent in fact that Ren, who was sitting quietly at the top of the stairs, unbeknown to all his friends, heard the same.