Akira only caught sight of the floor an split second before he hit it. Battle-honed reflexes kicked in just in time, and he rolled into the fall, catching himself neatly and standing. The next thing to hit him was the total...silence. There was no movement, no sound of breathing or footsteps, or even birds, bugs, or wind. It sounded like, like...
The inside of a tomb.
"Joker! Leader!"
"You idiot!"
Voices flooded down, along with light, as Prometheus slowly sank into the pit. Movement atop the Persona revealed the rest of his team, all shouting a variety of insults and acclamations of relief at him.
Makoto was the first to leap off the top. Moving quickly, Akira caught her as she hit the ground and stabilised her. Before he could wholly recover, she'd bopped him hard on the shoulder.
"That was a...foolish thing to do, Joker."
He smirked at her. "Like you're one to talk."
"He's right, Queen. You're really not," Ann said, giggling as she slid to the floor. Her tone sobered. "But really, Joker, don't you ever do that again."
"Shit man, you gave us a heart attack. Don't do that again."
Haru laughed. "You know it's bad when Skull scolds you."
Akira tolerated the scolding for a moment longer, before sending them a meaningful look and striding away. They fell into step behind him, protests dying off as they walked slowly into the darkness.
"Let me go on ahead. We'll light the way," Futaba said, floating on ahead and illuminating the path ahead with Prometheus' glow.
She had only made it a few metres when they all stopped dead. The path ahead was blocked by a young man, leaning casually against the wall. "What—? There's no reading at all!" Futaba said, alarm clear in her voice.
"Stay back," Akira ordered, stepping ahead of his navigator protectively.
As he approached, the young man cracked one eye, then moved to face them. There was nothing particularly strange about his movements, but every instinct Akira had was screaming that the young man was dangerous. He kept one hand on his blade's hilt.
"Welcome. I didn't think anyone would actually be stupid enough to come here."
"Who are you?" Akira asked, holding up a hand to warn his friends back.
"I could ask you the same thing." The stranger appeared to be at ease, at least insofar as Akira could tell in the dull lighting. As he stepped closer, Akira took a moment to fully appraise him.
He was dressed somewhat eccentrically, in a black cloak covering what appeared to be a school uniform, and adorned with an oversized, yellow scarf. His brown hair was slicked back, and he seemed to be of average height. His gaze, however, was unnatural. Akira wasn't sure why, exactly, but it was.
"Joker," he finally offered.
"...well, Joker. It's nice to meet you. I'm called Ryoji. And how about the rest of your friends?"
Akira relaxed his posture slightly, but remained ready to react at a moment's notice. Ryoji didn't seem overly hostile, but something still felt wrong. He wasn't a shadow, or even a persona user...or even alive, if Futaba's sensors were to be relied upon. Perhaps that in and of itself was enough for his discomfort.
"Guys," he said, waving them forward.
As the approached, he gestured to each in turn. "Queen, Mona, Panther, Skull, Oracle, Fox, and Noir. Guys, this is—"
"Ryoji. It's great to meet you all," the young man, Ryoji, said charmingly, bowing to Ann politely.
"So, uh, Ryoji-san...what is this place?" Yusuke asked, stepping up beside Akira.
Ryoji turned his attention from Ann. For an instant, his gaze landed on Akira's—and then it hit him, what was wrong about it. His eyes were a normal blue. But they were...empty. Flat. Like endless pits.
Akira shivered.
"Where are my manners? Welcome to Tartarus, Phantom Thieves of Hearts." They hadn't introduced themselves as such, had they? "And if you insist on exploring in here, I will have to kill you."
The alarm on his friends' faces was mirrored on his own. Akira recovered first, expression hardening at the blatant threat. "Kill us?"
"Don't mistake me; I have no desire to harm any of you. However, as a guardian of this place, I cannot permit you to wander around unchecked. I strongly suggest you turn around and leave the way you came in."
"Hey, we can't do that!" Morgana yelled, storming over. "There's a Treasure in here, and if we don't take it...!"
"Just forget about it," Ryoji said, shrugging. "This isn't necessary to pursue your goals. Leave and forget about it, please. I don't want to harm any of you."
"Well, that seems like a pretty easy problem to solve: don't," Ryuji grumbled.
"If only it were that simple," Ryoji said, giving them a sad smile. "Just please, take my advice and leave. You won't win this one."
"You listen here!" Ryuji snapped, taking a step forward. "We—"
"Just heed my advice. If you come further, I will kill you all," Ryoji said, turning and beginning to walk away. "I have nothing more to tell you."
Within moments, he'd disappeared into the darkness. When Ryuji stalked after him, he returned moments later shaking his head. "Dammit. I can't track him in this darkness."
As if on cue, the metaphorical lights switched on. Oh, they weren't real lights, but they did the job of illuminating the place effectively. Judging by the gasps of several of his team, Akira thought perhaps the darkness had been better.
Glowing, orange veins provided a murky illumination, showing clearly the mottled red and black marble of the walls. It also brought to light the plethora of bones and skulls encased in the walls. Cracks in the stone leaked a red liquid that Akira didn't think too hard about.
"...this definitely...feels like Mementos," Ann muttered bleakly.
"Indeed it does," Haru said, walking over to her side. "But I suppose we have to keep going."
"That's right," Akira said firmly, motioning them to follow him. "Keep Ryoji's warning in mind, but there's no option but to press on. Mona?"
"I can definitely smell the Treasure, now. It's pretty far away, though."
"That's fine. How is everyone doing?"
"Better than after that last fight, but damn I could go for some food," Ryuji said.
The others agreed to various degrees—even Akira felt the same, though he refrained from voicing it. They needed to be able to rely on their leader, so him complaining wouldn't help anyone.
"Well, let's press on, then. I promise, we'll have a feast at Leblanc after we're done here."
"That sounds wonderful," Makoto said, falling in at his side. Morgana and Yusuke fell in behind, also, then the rest of the group took up the vanguard. With Futaba hovering overhead, they proceeded.
The first door they found also invited their first shadows. The combat proved more difficult than any before it had been, and his already tired and hungry team were forced to further exert their limited energy supply. There was no choice, however, so on they went.
After another hour of walking and fighting, Ann groaned from the back, "Come on, Mona! Can't you turn into a car or something? Anything beats walking."
"I think can. There's enough space. Joker?"
Akira considered the request. This place was far more like Mementos than a palace, despite not having had any hint of a ruler. There was a security feature, though, and the shadows here acted like guards and called warnings. That made the idea of driving around more dangerous than beneficial...
One look at his exhausted team decided for him. "Front and back lines, full switch. Mona, drive the back line for now. We'll switch it up occasionally. Give you all a chance to rest."
"Joker? What about you?" Makoto asked quietly, stepping up to his side.
"Don't worry about me; I can keep going. You guys just get some rest."
"Joker..."
"Go on, Queen. That's an order."
She sent him a look that promised words later, but she went. Anything, so long as they were safe.
Nodding to his new front line, he led the way onwards. Unlike previous palaces, they had come across no traps yet, and the decor was surprisingly...stark. Empty hallways patrolled by shadows, and massive, stone doors with unfamiliar symbols on them.
With each new room, Akira waited for the gimmick, but it never came. No traps. No tricks. Just empty hallways and emptier rooms. The barrenness of it all weighed on Akira in a way that surprised even him. Who, exactly, was the ruler of this place? Was it Ryoji? If so, why hadn't he challenged them further at the start?
...and why wasn't he a Shadow? His eyes had been starkly blue, not golden. If he were a Shadow, it should have been obvious. So was he a simple cognition, brought to life by the palace's ruler? That seemed the most obvious answer, but somehow it didn't sit right with Akira, though he couldn't put his finger on why, exactly.
They would just have to continue on until they found him again...and then be ready for anything, because as much as Akira didn't want to hurt Ryoji, he wouldn't risk his team, or all of society, on trying not to fight him. If Ryoji came for them, they would give it their all.
"Guys? I sense a safe room ahead. We should take a break."
Futaba's words sent a stab of relief through him. Waving the others to follow Futaba, they arrive at the door. After shoving it open, Akira stopped dead.
In stark contrast to the rest of the palace, the safe room was nicely furnished, with a comfortable rug, and oversized armchairs and sofas arranged around a coffee table. A TV played static in the corner, also, casting the room in a dull, blue glow. The walls in here were standard, wooden panelling, and painted on top of that. In a far cry from the rest of the place, this room was almost painfully normal.
With various sounds of relief, his group scattered onto the furniture, dropping down with relieved sighs. Only Akira remained standing, eyeing the room with a critical gaze. How was it so different...?
"Joker?"
At Makoto's voice, Akira smiled tiredly and dropped next to her on the love seat. "It's good to finally find a place to take a break. We've done three floors already."
"Indeed it is. You above us all. Don't push yourself too hard, okay?"
In a rare display of public affection, Akira caught her hand and tugged it behind the folds of his coat, effectively hiding their clasped hands from view. "I'll try, but I have a bad feeling about this one."
"You mean about how we know nothing about this place?"
He nodded. "Ryoji's warning aside, we don't even have a clue who the ruler is."
"No, we don't. I take it you don't think it's Ryoji, either."
That wasn't a question, but he shook his head anyway. "No. Strange thing is...I don't think he's a cognition, either. He seemed too...real."
"I agree. He had too much agency for someone's dreamed-up version of a person."
"Not only that, but doesn't Oracle's inability to sense him worry you, too?"
Makoto nodded. "She's never been able to not-sense palace life before. Do you think he's another persona user, like us? Perhaps who learned to conceal his presence?"
Akira pondered her question. It was plausible. If so, the idea was worrisome. To have the ability to completely hide from Futaba, even in plain sight...Ryoji's power had to be way beyond theirs. He chose his next words carefully.
"I think...if that's the case, we need to be careful."
"Agreed. We'll push forward with more caution. He could be anywhere."
"Hey guys, whatcha talkin' about?" Futaba's head appeared behind the seat back as she awkwardly dropped her laptop right on their clasped hands. Draping herself over the back in a way that could not be comfortable, their navigator began furiously typing. "Ryoji, right?"
"Uh, yes," Makoto said, awkwardly releasing Akira's hand and pulling back to give Futaba space.
"I've been trying to get a read on the guy, but it's a no-go—literally! I can't get a scan on him anywhere in here. I'd say it's like he dropped out of existence, but since he never had a reading, that wouldn't make much sense."
"I can still smell the Treasure, though, and it's definitely getting closer! I'd say we're about a quarter of the way there," Morgana supplied, hopping up onto the coffee table in front of them.
"Well then, we can't waste too much time here. We should get going."
"All righty!" Futaba yelled, standing and striding directly for the doors. "C'mon, slowpokes!"
With a sigh, Akira followed.