CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains mentions of sexual and physical abuse and attempted suicide. While not graphic, this content still may be difficult or upsetting to read, so please take breaks or skip sections as needed. Stay safe.


4/15 – Friday
Afternoon
Shujin Academy

Ren slowly, meticulously, fed a few coins into the courtyard vending machine. "Sojiro said the next big school meeting is in three weeks. The second of May, I think."

"Dude," Ryuji said, giving him an incredulous look out of the corner of his eye. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Kamoshida won't do anything before then," Ren continued. "I'm betting he doesn't know what Shiho told me, exactly, but considering what just happened...he'd be an idiot to make a scene. He doesn't have anything over us without outing himself as an abuser, and Kobayakawa worships the ground he walks on." The vending machine released its bounty with a resonant ka-chunk , and Ren bent down to retrieve the drink. "He'll find some way to get me expelled then. You too, probably. But until then, the next sixteen days, I'm betting he'll leave us alone." He popped the tab and took a five second long swig. Seventeen days until expulsion, and he'd never felt as lucid before in his life.

"That's a big bet to make on just a hunch," Morgana said from the nearby table. Ren shrugged.

"Ren, bro," Ryuji said, still half-gawking at him. "How the fuck are you this calm?"

"I'm not calm," Ren said, his voice completely serene. "I'm weighing my options."

"Weighing your–" Ryuji spluttered. "What options!?"

"Whether breaking his Shadow's leg would be appropriate payback, or in bad taste." Ren's fingers curled around the can, denting the metal. "Whether Arsene will listen if I tell him to burn that fake king's tongue out." His knuckles burned from his earlier blow to the locker. "And if it's worth having his blood on my conscience just because of how nice it would feel to beat him to death with his Treasure."

A solid second of silence. Ren took another sip.

"Holy shit," Ryuji muttered. "I mean, shit, I don't disagree, but...you're kinda scaring me right now, man."

Ren burped.

Neither of the two boys said anything for a long few seconds. Then both of them burst out laughing, each doubled over, tears streaming down their faces. It was stupid. It was so fucking stupid. Ren still felt a second from screaming, but he laughed his goddamn heart out. What else was he supposed to say?

"Shit's fucked," Ryuji hiccuped, wiping at his face with both hands. "F-U-C-K-E-D. Shit is just plain fucked."

"It's fucked," Ren agreed. "And we're going to fix it."

"Changing his heart won't change what he's done," Morgana said, quietly. "You...know that, right?"

"Yeah, course we do." Ryuji plopped down onto the nearby bench. "But it'll stop him from hurting more people." His hands curled into fists against his knees for a second, then relaxed. "If...I mean, I'm just trying to...if I'd ever done anything even close to hurting someone bad enough that they'd consider doing what Shiho did...shit, man, I'd invent time travel and go back and stab myself or something." He shook his head. "But Kamoshida's not going to stop. Why the fuck would he? Not like anyone's going to stop letting him get away with shit." He punched his open hand, breaking into a strained grin. "So, we've just gotta act like the troublemakers we are, right?"

"Raise some hell," Ren agreed.

"What do you have in mind?" A cold, half-steady voice that made both Ren and Ryuji jump in unison. Ren pivoted to face the voice, to face...Ann. Her makeup was unkempt, mascara staining her cheeks. She'd been crying. Bloodshot blue eyes that still burned with some unshakable fury. "You're going to do something, aren't you? You're going to deal with him?"

"So what if we are?" Ryuji said, his own tone dropping to match hers. "What, are you going to tattle on us or something?"

Ann opened her mouth to retort, but whatever she'd wanted to say never made it past her lips. A shudder across her breath. "After what he did to us," she said, her voice wavering but holding. "Do you think I'd ever want to stop you?"

Ryuji frowned and turned away. He didn't say another word.

Ren took a breath in. "Is Shiho okay?"

Ann winced. "She's...at the hospital right now. In surgery. I...I don't know. She's...she's alive still, right now. It's...she's alive."

Okay. Good news, at least. But...okay, fuck it. If Ann wanted to kill him for this, he'd gladly accept that. At least they'd be getting somewhere. Ren turned towards Ryuji. "Ann didn't say anything about what Kamoshida put her through because he was holding Shiho hostage."

Ryuji's eyes widened. "He... what!? "

"If she said anything, or made a scene, he'd abuse her friend," Ren continued. "She wasn't staying quiet for her own sake, she was staying quiet for Shiho's."

"H...how do you know that?" Ann said, her voice overflowing with confusion and hurt.

"Shiho told me," Ren said. "I ran into her yesterday. She didn't tell me about...what she was planning, but she told me about everything else." He pursed his lips. Ann deserved to know. She needed to know the rest of it. But...he'd promised. If for no other reason, even if it hadn't been a betrayal, he'd given Shiho his word. It wasn't his truth to tell. But he hadn't promised anything about what Mishima had told him. "Someone saw me and her talking, and told Kamoshida. And he..." Ren trailed off.

"I'll kill him," Ann said. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and she was smiling, and her expression was imperceptible. "I'll fucking kill him. I don't even care anymore." She shuddered out a breath. "Because he did this to her, didn't he?"

Ren silently nodded.

"I'll kill him," Ann repeated. "I'll kill him. I'll..." Her lip quivered. She closed her eyes tight, wavered in place. Silence.

"Or you could help us," Ren said. "You're right, we're planning something. A way to take Kamoshida down without anyone else finding out."

"Ren," Ryuji said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, I'm not gonna veto or nothing. If you say she can come, she can come. But...I mean, the three of us can fight in that place, but she..."

"I know," Ren said. "But she deserves to see that place. If anyone does, it's her." He threw a glance towards Morgana. "Kamoshida still thinks Ann will do what he says, too. Maybe...if she comes with, would the Shadows think she's a cognition?"

"Hm." Morgana hummed a thought. His tail flicked back and forth. "I don't know for sure. But..." He nodded firmly. "It's worth a shot!"

"And I thought I'd lost my shit," Ann said, giggling between her tears. "Are you really talking to a cat?"

"He's not a cat," Ren said. "Uh, I mean, not really. It's complicated."

"Whatever." Ann shrugged. "Honestly, right now, I don't even care. You could tell me to go ride a broom and I'd probably try it." She took a breath in. "If I can help bring that scumbag down without hurting anyone else? I'm up for anything." Her unsteady gaze locked on Ren. "Okay. Amamiya. What's this plan of yours?"


4/15 – Friday
After School
Shujin Academy, School Gate

"Every part of this is insane," Ann said. "To be clear, I'm not backing out, I just..." She massaged her temples. "Like, every part. There isn't a single thing you've said in the last hour that isn't absolutely batshit."

Ryuji leaned against the alley wall. "We know," he replied, clearly with as much patience as he could muster – which apparently wasn't a lot.

Morgana poked his head out of Ren's bag; a temporary arrangement to sneak him out of the school, he'd put up a real fuss about it. "I know it's a lot to get used to–" he said, softly.

"She can't understand you yet," Ren reminded him. Morgana batted him in the side of the head.

"I have...too many questions," Ann said. "But...I don't think we have time for that, right?" She lowered her hand, taking a deep breath. "Shiho's fighting with all she's got. I've got to do my best too."

Ren's heart ached in his chest, but Ryuji seemed unaffected by the statement. "Damn right." He pushed off the wall, pulled his phone out of his pocket, and paused. "Uh. Was I holding your phone or your hand or something on Tuesday when we began the navigation thing?"

It took Ren a few seconds to catch his meaning. "Oh. No, I don't think so. And you were a couple feet away from me on Monday."

"Got it." Ryuji tapped his phone's screen. "Boop it is, then."

And reality pitched to the left.


The Palace was already on high alert when they made it inside; Kamoshida's lingering paranoia, no doubt. Morgana managed to weave them past a couple guard patrols, onto a nearby barrel, and up through a nearby window into a side study off one of the hallways stretching out of the main hall.

"We need to be careful," Morgana said, after closing the door to the hallway. "The Shadows are restless, and you two are already in your Phantom Thief outfits." He nodded to Ren and Ryuji. "Kamoshida's cognition sees you as an enemy, so his guards won't hesitate to attack."

"Like he didn't already," Ryuji grumbled.

"And you can protect Lady Ann," Morgana continued, gesturing to Ryuji. "She doesn't have a Persona, and you're still a newbie. Better the more experienced Persona-users handle the hard lifting. Just don't do anything stupid." Ryuji thankfully chose not to exacerbate things with a response, though he did flip Morgana the bird as soon as he turned away.

Ann giggled. "Lady Ann. You know, Morgana, you're a real gentleman, for a cat. Or...uh...a little...guy."

"I do my best," Morgana purred, before turning to Ren. "You and I will take point. I'll be counting on you, Joker."

Joker. The phrase 'Wild Card' flickered across Ren's mind and sent a shiver up his spine. The two fit together way too well to be just a coincidence. Did Morgana know about the parcels? Hm. No, not likely, it wouldn't make sense for him to tip his hand so obviously. Or, uh, paw. If Oxymoron really could see the future, she probably addressed that letter in reference to the nickname, not the other way around.

"What kinda weird nickname is that?" Ryuji asked.

"It's a code name, duh." Morgana rolled his eyes with haughty pride. "We're Phantom Thieves, remember? What kind of mysterious masked gentleman goes around yelling his real name?" When that got no response, he continued hastily: "besides, it'll help shift some of Kamoshida's paranoia off of you. He'll still think you're up to something, a little bit, but it'll make him less sure. I think."

Hm. Joker. Ren adjusted his crimson gloves. "That's fine by me."

"Dude basically called you a clown, and you're cool with it?" Ryuji scoffed.

"It's because he's our trump card!" Morgana said, hackles immediately raised.

"I'm picking my own nickname," Ryuji continued. And then he paused. "Uh. But...I'm cool with suggestions."

"Buccaneer?" Ren offered.

"Bonehead?" Ann chimed in.

"Big stupid monkey," Morgana grumbled.

"Ew, no, ugh, those all suck." Ryuji scoffed, reaching up to run a hand back through his hair, palm bumping against his mask. He froze. Reached down, ran his gloved fingers across the mask. "Skull. Yeah, fuck yeah. Call me Skull."

"I still like mine better," Morgana said, before hopping over to the door.

"Shouldn't we give you a codename too?" Ren asked.

Morgana gave a full body shrug. "Sure, I guess so." He hummed at nothing. "Mona. That's good enough." He scrambled up, opened the door, and then glanced over at Ren. "Come on, Joker. Let's get going."

Ren's hand went to the skull-hilt knife sheathed at his belt. "Right behind you."


"Joker, it's all you!" Mona went low, ducking under a blade of sharp green wind from their foremost foe, the only Shadow remaining after they'd eviscerated its two allies.

Ren spun around the blade, yanking the pistol from his belt and taking aim at the flitting faerie between them and a sizable treasure chest. He pulled the trigger, and a crack of cognitive gunfire followed. The fae wailed, and dropped, landing in a heap on the ground. Ren shoved off the floor, pushing himself forward, closing the distance, already lining up the next shot in his mind–

"Woah!" Mona scrambled in front of him, paws up, making Ren skid to a halt. "Hold on, hold on."

"Uh," Ren said.

"What's the fucking holdup?" Skull called from the hallway behind them. "Chop chop, cat!"

Mona's eye twitched, but he didn't take the bait. "Lesson... three ...of being a Phantom Thief," he said, his voice slightly strained from some barely stifled frustration. "Shadows might be monsters, but they can still be reasoned with." He scooted out of the way. "Go ahead and threaten her."

" Uh ," Ren said.

Mona rolled his eyes. "Just do it! She'll give us some cool items or money or something if you do. It's not like you actually have to do anything bad, just scare her a little."

Ren blinked. "O...kay." Mona cleared the way, and he took the last handful of steps until he was roughly two feet away from the Shadow. "Hey. You."

The little thing glared up at him from her crumpled heap on the floor. "What do you want?" she snapped, her voice high and thin.

"Uh," Ren said. "I mean, me and my friend kicked your ass, and now I'm holding a gun on you." He gestured with the pistol. "So...pay up or I'll shoot."

The Shadow stared at him. "Um, what are you asking me for, exactly?"

Ren blinked. "What do you have on you?"

"Nothing," the faerie said. "I'm broke."

"You're... what!?" Mona spluttered.

"You heard me!" The Shadow huffed and crossed her arms. "King Kamoshida doesn't pay me. So, I don't have any money on me."

"Huh." Mona said. A couple seconds passed in confused silence. "Okay, you can shoot her now."

The faerie flinched. "Eep."

Ren blinked at the Shadow, who was rigid and still, clearly waiting for the next shot. Hm. Something...didn't feel right about this. "Why are you here, then?"

The Shadow paused its shivering. Turned, threw him a confused glance. "Huh?"

"If Kamoshida doesn't pay you, you've got another reason for being here," Ren replied. "So...what is it? Can't be his winning personality."

The faerie blinked. "Why are you here?" she fired back.

"To steal his Treasure and change his heart," Ren said.

"You're a thief!" The faerie grinned, clearly satisfied. "And I'm a guard. Guards catch thieves."

"Why?"

"It's just what they do–"

"No, why are you a guard?"

The Shadow blinked again. "I don't know," she said. "What does it matter?"

"Because a minute ago, you were trying to kill us," Ren said.

"Um," she said. "I...was ordered to do that. I'm a guard."

" Why are you a guard?"

"I don't know! I just am, okay? Sometimes people just...are things, you know?"

Ren sighed. "That's stupid. Don't be an idiot. Everyone's got a reason for being who they are." He tucked his pistol back in his belt. "So...go be whoever the hell you are somewhere else."

Both Mona and the Shadow stared at him. "Joker," Mona said, somewhat strained. "Why are you letting her escape? Lesson zero, remember? Don't let Shadows raise the alarm."

He shrugged. "It doesn't feel right. She's not even supposed to be here, she's just...going through the motions. She's not our enemy."

"I was trying to kill you until a minute ago," the Shadow added.

"Yeah, and you failed," Ren said. "So fuck off before I change my mind."

Her little yellow eyes sparked momentarily furious. "Oh, I failed , did I?"

Ren gestured to his belt. "I still have a gun, and you're still not resistant to bullets. I'd say that's a failure on your part."

The Shadow snorted out a laugh. "Oh, okay, okay, I see how it is." She rose up to her full foot-tall height, brushing herself off and then glaring at him. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, buster."

Ren blinked. "I'm sorry, do you want me to shoot you?"

"Nope. I want a job." The faerie grinned. "You're way more interesting than King Kamoshida. So...how about it? Tell me your name, and I'll work for you instead."

His name? Why his...hm... "Ren Amamiya," he said.

"Ren Amamiya," she sounded out. "Nice name. Pick it yourself?"

"Uh," he said. "My first name, yeah, kinda."

"That'll do." The little Shadow grinned up at him. "I'm Pixie. I look forward to working with you, Ren." She cleared her throat. "I am thou. Thou art I."

"What is she–" Mona began.

"From now on, I'll live within you." A faint glow shimmered in the air around her, Pixie's body starting to distort, a heat shimmer passing over her. "So don't hesitate to make use of me, okay?" She smiled, and tilted her head, and that glow ignited into a gleaming azure flame that leapt across the distance.

Ren recoiled, throwing up a hand, and the fire washed over him, warming his mask and seeping into the skin of his face. It felt almost like an embrace. And both light and flame faded, Ren lowering his hand in turn.

The Shadow was gone. Nothing but golden dust, hanging in the air.

"What was that?" Ann asked. Ren turned to see her and Skull making their way into the room. "Is that something all of you can do?"

"What, eat Shadows?" Skull shook his head. "I fucking hope not."

"I've never seen anyone do that before!" Mona exclaimed, gawking up at Ren. "Did you know you could do that?"

Ren shook his head. "No, I just...it just..." He reached up and traced his mask with his fingertips. It still felt warm, even through his gloves. "Pixie?"

Ren's mask shattered.

Before he could even process that, something small hit him on top of the head. "Hey! Don't call me unless it's important, you got that?" Ren slowly turned to face the voice, the Shadow, the... Persona? It was definitely Pixie, but this time, her form was far more ethereal, letting off a faint blue glow, flickers of azure flame.

"Got it," he said. "Sorry."

"Good." With a little huff, the faerie vanished just as abruptly as before, Ren's mask forming once again on his face.

He turned to face his allies. Not one of them said a word for a long few seconds.

"You can turn Shadows...into Personas," Mona said, finally.

"Apparently?" Ren replied.

Mona took a deep, long breath in. "Yes! " he shouted, with enough joy and volume to make all three of them jump and probably alert the entire Palace at once. "I knew you were special, I knew it I knew it," he pumped his little paws up and down, giggling between every word, "I was so right to make you my protege." He scrambled in a circle in place and then bolted towards the door. "Come on! I want to see what else you can do!"


"Pixie!" As soon as the name left his lips, Ren's mask shattered. "Drop them."

"With pleasure," the sprite said, her voice eclipsed in a smile as she cracked her fingers. Pixie poised back, and then thrust a palm forward, letting loose a storm of volts across the assembled guard. Two twin-horned stallions crumpled, struggling at nothing, growling out vile curses.

"Skull, you're up." Ren backpedaled, his mask forming again. A flash of blond hair in his periphery, and his ally held out a yellow-gloved hand. Ren stared down at it. Did he want the gun, or-

"Dude," Skull said, giving him a look. "Tag me in."

"Oh," Ren said. "Right." He felt his face heat up as he slapped Skull's hand.

" Now we're talking." Skull punched his open palm a few times, smirking wide enough to be legally considered a grin. "Come on, Captain Kidd." He pulled his mask free. "Time for some pain!"

Another blast of lightning, sending arcs across the walls. The final pair of Shadows dropped.

"Now's your shot!" Mona said, from farther back. "Go all-out!"

A name flit to Ren's tongue. He felt his mask shift across his face, as if it was physically attempting to remove itself. An impatient heart beating alongside his own. He couldn't help but smile. "Permission granted," he mumbled. "Ravage them, Arsene." Ren's mask shattered.

A roar of bloodlust and fury as his demon's talons tore their foes apart, each blow another bounty taken, another victory rended. Another Shadow, obliterated.

Something twisted in Ren's chest. Tugged at his grin. Made him feel just a little bit sick. "That's enough." And Arsene pulled back. A little hiss of what might have been irritation, and then a dark, hollow laugh as the Persona faded back into his mask again.

The hallway was empty, threat-wise. Nothing but the two of them, and their two allies a little ways back.

"That guy's still as scary as ever," Skull noted. "I kinda thought that little weirdo would replace him or something."

"Not a bad instinct," Mona said, scrambling up to join them. "Most people only have one Persona; that's their innermost rebel, their true other self. They can't hold another, because they can't ever have another." He tapped his own chest with a paw. "I'm not two people. So, I don't get two Personas."

Ren didn't exactly enjoy the phrasing. "So that means I'm...what, two people at once?"

Mona shook his head. "I don't think so. Pixie didn't come from you, she's a wild Shadow." He rubbed his chin. "She wasn't born in your heart. She's just...renting!" He shrugged. "Or, something like that. I'm betting you could kick her out if you really wanted to."

Ren just nodded. Answering a question he hadn't asked, but it was good to know. "Gotcha. I'm a landlord." He curled up his nose. "Gross."

"Would you like it better if she was freeloading?" Skull asked. "Squatters in your ribcage or something."

Ren snorted out a laugh. "Honestly? Yeah, I kind of would." Hm. Something was missing. Someone was missing. He threw a glance across the wide, empty room. That telltale blonde ponytail was over near one of the doors, fingers around the handle, staring at the sign above it.

'Honeymoon Hall.'

Ren felt a shudder trace his spine. That sort of name, anywhere else, might have had plausible deniability. But here? In his heart? There could be little other implication. "Ann, hey." He scooted past Skull and Mona, jogging to her side. "You...are you okay?"

"Do you really wanna ask me that?" she said. Her voice was empty. Not cold, devoid.

"Right," Ren said, biting back a wince. Focus. Find the right words to say. "You don't need to go in there. If anyone knows how bad things are around him, it's you. And we trust you. There's nothing you need to prove."

Silence. "You're sweet," Ann said. "You are, you're a good friend." She pushed open the door. "But you're wrong."

Ren's breath fell away before he could ask for elaboration. As Ann stepped through the doorway, he felt his own feet moving on instinct, following her inside.

The Honeymoon Hall was a puppet theater. Or the most vile bordello. Or a nightmare. Girls in Shujin athletic uniform, slumped against walls or floors, draped over beds. It was a catalog of haphazard furniture, with dolls of Shujin's students scattered around. Wires trailing off their backs, out of their wrists, around their ankles. A few of the nearest dolls shifted as Ren and Ann entered, raising their hollow eyes and empty smiles to look their way. Uncanny, but unthreatening.

And against the farthest wall, positioned elegantly on a plush couch, hands in her lap and a mocking tiara on her head, was Ann. Hollow, empty eyes. Motionless. A cognitive facsimile of the girl standing less than a foot away from him.

Ren tore his gaze away. He swallowed hard, shoving down the acrid bile threatening to rise into his throat. This was...sickening.

"She's not here," Ann said. The real Ann. "Shiho's not here."

"Of course she isn't." A disgustingly familiar voice. Ren whirled to face it, to face the man leering at them from across the room, his eyes narrow and furious. King Kamoshida. The bastard Shadow himself. "Why would she be?" A little, stomach-churning chuckle. "She took a tumble off the ramparts earlier." Tilting his head back and forth. "And you know that old rhyme. All the king's horses and all the king's men-"

The gun was in Ren's hand before he thought to grab it. And he pulled the trigger.

The shot went wide and wild, the false bullet ricocheting off a nearby bed stand, sparking as it slammed into the wall.

"Joker? What's going on!?" Mona's voice from behind them. A scramble of footsteps.

"Holy shit." Skull. Ren didn't turn to face them. They could take in the implication on their own time. He grabbed his left wrist with his right hand, trying to steady his shaking grip, then winced. Even through the glove, his fingers still brushed against...

He pulled away. One hand grip it is. "Run," he said, his own voice sounding hoarse. "I'll..." What would he even do? What could he do?

"Takamaki, Takamaki," the Shadow said, shaking his head. "Won't you tell Amamiya he's wasting his time?" He grinned with his teeth, as predatory as Ren knew him to be. "You should know better than most. When the king says jump?" He snapped his fingers. "You say..."

"How high?" A dozen voices in unison. Dolls jolting off of their idle position. A cognitive human bulwark, swarming the distance between Ren and the Shadow, blocking his shot.

"We're surrounded!" Mona yelped. Out of Ren's periphery, he could see other dolls start to shift as well, moving slowly towards them. An obedient swarm, and they were right in the middle of it.

"I don't know how you slipped out of here," Kamoshida continued. "But I'll make sure you remember your place." He laughed again. "And now that Suzui isn't around to get in the way? I've got no reason to hold back from having my fun."

A flash of heat washed over Ren's back. He blinked. Before he even had time to process that, there was a hand on his arm, pushing him gently out of the way. Ann stepped past him, almost flowing through the air. Even her touch felt warm. "Get in the way?" she asked. Her voice was steady as a hearth and deadly as a blade.

Kamoshida's Shadow flicked a hand dismissively. "I'm a man of my word, I'll have you know. Your little friend wanted to save you the trouble of servitude." He shook his head, snickering to himself. "As if she could ever bear that. Suzui was always such a frail little girl."

Ren could feel the pistol's plastic grip splinter and crack under his white-knuckle grasp.

"Frail?" Ann said. "No, you're wrong." She reached up and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Shiho might be an idiot, she might be stubborn. She might be an asshole for making me watch her try to..." Her hands shook by her sides, curling into fists. "But she's the strongest person I've ever met. And if you say one more bad thing about her?" Ann tilted her head, flashing a plastic smile. "I'll kill you."

Kamoshida blinked. The doll tide stilled. Confused. Maybe...afraid. "I..." the Shadow began. "You have no right–"

"Shut your fucking mouth," Ann said, and Kamoshida's jaw snapped shut immediately. A little laugh escaped her. "Fuck, you're pathetic. A coward, hiding behind the girls you beat and abuse." She threw a glance across the room. "They're not even real. Do you honestly think Hoshiyo would protect you?" Nodding to one of the girls. "Ryoko? Yutori? Chikaze?"

"They're...my slaves," Kamoshida replied. He sounded so pathetic. So small, so meek.

"They're your students," Ann said. "And you're a perverted scumbag." She took a step forward, and the dolls recoiled. Scrambling over each other to peel away from her cold and steady wrath. "You're a pathetic little man, who makes up a castle so he can play about being king, so he can pretend ," a spark drifted out from her lips as she spat the word, "that the girls he assaults are fine with it. So he doesn't have to think about the damage." She jerked a head toward her cognitive double, still sitting still on that couch. "I'm betting that thing doesn't have to cover up her scars with makeup every morning." She sneered. "You wouldn't dream up damaged goods."

Ann shook her head. "I'm sick of this. Sick of pretending that I can just...be in the same school as you, and act like nothing happened. Like I don't still get nightmares of you. Like you're not still trying to get in my pants, after everything you did to me. To all of us." A flicker between her lips, like the girl had swallowed an ember, like all that vehement rage had lit a bonfire inside her throat. "I'm sick of keeping my mouth shut. Sick of making excuses. And most of all, Kamoshida?" Ann cracked her neck, heat rolling off of her, sending shimmering distortion through the air. "I'm sick of watching you treat my best friend like you own her. I'd rather burn us both alive than let you ever look at Shiho with those disgusting fucking eyes ever again!

My, my. It's taken far too long.

Ann sucked in a breath. She stumbled right, one hand out on the wall for balance, strained gasps leaving her.

"It's happening again." Mona whispered. "She's..."

Who will avenge your darling if not you? Will you bow to such a vile whim once more?

"Never," Ann spat. "I'd rather...die." She dug her fingers into the wall, nails cracking. Gaze locked on the target of her fury. "I'll kill him...before I let him...control me again."

As it should be. Forgiveness was never an option. Such is the scream of your other self.

Ann's hair caught. Sparks dancing across her pale locks, ashes drifting down her cheeks like tears.

I am thou, thou art I. Let your anger rise, my dear. Let it ignite.

Ann pushed away from the wall. Wavering. Not falling. Standing on her own two feet.

There we are, dearest! You shan't constrain yourself further, don't let me catch you slacking.

"Wouldn't...dream of it," she said, words strained, teeth grit.

Then speak my name, oh tenthmost muse.

The fire coalesced. Spinning and dancing across Ann's brow. Red. A mask, with two feline ears poking up out of the top.

My strength is yours. Love free, my darling. And dance until your heart stops beating!

Ann grabbed her mask. "I hear you." Not a wince. Not a cry. She pulled it free, her own blood splashing against her palms, two syllables leaving her lips in a furious scream. "Carmen!"

And azure flames exploded outwards, the shockwave sending Ren reeling backwards directly into Skull. The doll cognitions nearest to Ann were vaporized , some of the nearby furniture cracking and warping from the heat.

"Joker!" Ann's voice. Ren's gaze shot upwards, finding the figure in the ongoing tempest of flames tearing through the room. The pair of figures.

An ethereal woman with a black mask and matching hair in spiral pigtails, a beautiful dress the color and texture of a rose. Carmen. A Persona, sweeping her fingers through the flame, directing and conducting it. Towering above the girl. Towering above Ann.

Ann, who no longer wore her sports jacket and Shujin uniform. Ann, in a short red dress, black tights, red boots, pink gloves and a high-collar maroon jacket; a rose pattern running down both sleeves and the sides of her tights. Ann, who had one hand on her hip, on a green belt – wrapped multiple times around her waist – that looked almost thorned. Ann, who had a little ornamental tail clipped onto the back of her belt, fluttering in the igneous gale.

She smiled, and jerked her head towards the flame, towards Kamoshida, towards the guards that were currently flowing into the room like an armored tide. "Come on. Don't leave me hanging."

Despite everything, Ren found himself grinning. "Wouldn't dream of it." He extracted himself from Skull's grasp and drew the silver knife from its sheath. "Skull, Mona? You guys good to fight?"

"After that!?" Skull spluttered. "You fucking kidding?" He cracked his knuckles. "Couldn't stop me."

"A gentleman would never abandon a lady to fight on her own!" Mona drew his own sword. "We're with you, Lady Ann!"

"Thanks, guys," she said, a little softness flickering across her expression. Then she turned back to her target, the flames parting long enough to give her a clear view of Kamoshida. The Shadow was once again in the process of fleeing, squeezing past his own knights towards the far entrance. "Suguru Kamoshida." He flinched at the sound of his own name. "You stole everything from Shiho. From my best friend."

Ann reached out a hand. The flame danced around her arm, swirling across her open palm. A flaming handle tucked itself into her grip. "Now it's your turn." She snapped it to the side, and the lingering fire burst out into a long red whip. "I will rob you of everything!"

King Kamoshida took one long, terrified look at Ann, and then bolted. Turning tail, stumbling and sprinting out the nearest door. Fleeing from the fire that had dedicated itself to burn his Honeymoon Hall to the ground.


4/15 – Friday
Evening
Shibuya Station

Ryuji had left Ren and Ann empty-handed, but now returned with three soft drink bottles clutched precariously between his hands. One red, one blue, one yellow. He offered them awkwardly to Ann. "You want first pick?"

She gave the drinks a long, empty stare. "Whichever isn't carbonated." Ann sounded physically exhausted, and Ren didn't blame her. He could still remember the dull ache threading through his bones after his own Persona had manifested for the first time.

"They..." Ryuji glanced down at the bottles. "Kinda... all are?"

Ann let out a second-long sigh, and reached over to pluck the blue bottle from his grasp. When Ryuji offered the remaining two to Ren, he replied with a shrug and a smile. "You can pick for me."

"People-pleaser," Ann teased, as Ryuji handed over the red bottle and unscrewed the yellow for himself.

"Guilty," Ren mumbled back, before taking a swig of the drink. Sugar wasn't a cure-all, but it definitely helped take the edge off of...all of what he'd seen today. The longest day in the known universe. "Ann. You're going back in with us, right? Next time we go to the Palace."

She took a long sip herself, downing at least a third of the bottle before catching a breath. "If you told me I couldn't," she said, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. "I'd find my own way in there myself."

"You probably could, now," Ryuji said. "Guessing you've got that whole contagious app thing too."

"Of course you're coming," Morgana chimed in, wriggling his head out from inside Ren's bag. "You've got a Persona too." He bumped his skull against Ren's, before nodding to the two others. "Me, Ren, you and Ryuji. We're all Thieves now. Stealing desires, taking treasure, changing hearts. That's our modus operandi."

"You make it sound so fun," Ann mumbled, offering a little smile. "I can't say I got a good first impression. But..." She hummed a thought to herself. "I'm pretty focused on Kamoshida right now. But afterwards...I mean, when we've taken him down. Are there other Palaces, other people we could help?"

"Mhm!" Morgana wiggled with excitement, almost purring out the words. "There's dozens and dozens of Palaces across Tokyo, and even more Shadows outside of them. We can help tons of people."

"Like some kind of superhero team," Ryuji added, his own exaltation starting to leak into his voice. "Phantom Thieves of Hearts, kicking ass and taking names. Helping anyone who needs it."

Ren laughed. "It's kind of a long title. Maybe we should have a short version too?"

"Like...just 'Phantoms?'" Ann offered.

"That's perfect!" Morgana squirmed farther out of the bag, extending his paw towards Ryuji and Ann. "From tonight onwards, all four of us are Phantoms. And our first mission: change Suguru Kamoshida's heart and expose his crimes."

Ryuji and Ann extended their own hands, and Ren scooted down to help Morgana reach, before awkwardly adding his own hand to the pile.

"I look forward to working with you, Ren," Ann said. "You too, Morgana."

"Likewise," he replied.

"Ditto!" Morgana chirped.

Ryuji let out a frustrated little sigh, and Ren quickly chimed in. "Great to work with you, Ryuji."

The blond gave him an odd look and then snorted. "Yeah man, great to work with you too." He pulled away from the four-hand pile, shoving his back into his pockets. "And, uh, you too Ann. Sorry about...yeah." He pursed his lips and turned to go.

"Ryuji," Ann said, stopping him in his tracks. "Thanks. For standing up to him." She offered a little smile. "I'm sorry too. I blamed you for making things worse, but Kamoshida should be responsible for his own behavior. However he treated us, it wasn't your fault." She pulled her hand back as well, extending it towards Ryuji in a loose fist. "Friends again?"

He stared at her for a long few seconds. Then pulled a hand out of his pocket, and bumped his knuckles against hers. "Course we are," he grumbled, a smile still making its way onto his face. "I mean, I still don't forgive myself for being such a stubborn dick about, like...you not saying anything." His gaze wandered towards the far platform, sheepish and awkward. "I was just lonely, I guess. Sucked being the only guy who actually wanted to say shit was fucked up when it was. It's dumb to blame you and Shiho for it though."

Ryuji took a careful, unsteady breath. "Even if you guys hadn't gone through all that, it'd still be dumb. None of us were ever gonna get listened to, not if the teachers and parents and shit didn't believe us from go. And no one did. That's not on you." His gaze flicked back towards Ann. "I've got a hell of a lot to apologize to Shiho for, after this. If that's cool with you. But right now...gotta make things right first."

Ann let the statement linger in the relative silence of the post-bustle station, the lingering echoes of rush hour. "I think she'd love that," she said, finally. Her voice was choked, and strained. And happy. "And...thank you. Again, thank you." Ann wiped at her eyes, catching her breath. "I...fuck, ugh. I've cried enough today, I'm sick of blubbering."

Ren couldn't help but laugh, just a little. "Yeah. After we get through this, no more tears needed. We can just be happy it's over." We. He hadn't even thought about it, but the word had leapt to his tongue unbidden. Not you, not you both, we. And neither of the two of them looked like they wanted to protest it.

"Yeah," Ann said. She gave a smile of her own. "I'll hold you to that, Ren."


4/15 – Friday
Evening
Cafe Leblanc

Sojiro stared for a long few seconds at the black feline creature Ren was holding by the torso, Morgana awkwardly slouching in his grasp and pouting up a storm about it. "No collar," he noted. "Are you sure he's not feral?"

Ren shook his head. "He was in a box, and he's...already been spayed and stuff." And he desperately prayed Sojiro wouldn't double check that claim. "I'm gonna get him his shots this weekend. Uh, I mean, if it's...okay, if he stays." The more typical phrase would be 'keep him' but even putting on a performance like this, it still felt weird to say about anyone as cognisant as Morgana.

Sojiro considered that for a few more seconds. "You'll take care of him, then? If I have to clean up any cat pee in the Cafe, I'll call a shelter myself." Ren nodded. "Alright, fine by me." He adjusted himself on the stool. "Have you picked a name for the little guy yet?"

Holy shit. Two for two on stupidly easy conversations with the man that never should have gone as smoothly as they did. "Morgana," he said.

"Oh," Sojiro said. Did he not like it? He sounded disappointed, maybe... oh . He'd wanted to name the new cat himself. Sojiro fluffed up his newspaper, raising it and returning to reading it. "I've got some leftover tuna in the fridge." Morgana's ears perked up immediately. "You can feed that to him, if you like. I'll be expecting you to buy cat food from here on out, though."

"Got it," Ren said. "Thank you."

Sojiro waved him along, and Ren let Morgana scramble back onto his shoulders before heading to the fridge. So far, so good. Now came the really hard part.

Morgana cleaned a chunk of tuna off his paw, gazing lackadaisical at Ren from atop the boy's bed, which he'd commandeered for his own seat. "Let me make something clear," he said, with a firmer tone than his slowly blinking eyes and idle tail would suggest. "I won't just be a layabout here. I'm a Phantom Thief, and your mentor."

"Right," Ren said, choosing not to correct the fact that he'd never agreed to the latter.

"So I'll be teaching you everything I know," Morgana continued. "And I expect you to put in the work to learn too."

"Right," Ren repeated.

"Good!" Morgana plopped down on his haunches on the bed. "I've got confidence in you, Ren. You're a quick learner, and a good fighter. You'll make a great Phantom yet."

Ren just nodded, letting the praise wash over him. "Morgana. Could I ask for your help with something?"

The not-a-cat tilted his head. "What sort of something?"

He couldn't trust Oxymoron. Not after what happened to Shiho, not after their frank fucking negligance. Igor was similarly untrustworthy, more due to his general suspiciousness and condescension than anything else. Caroline and Justine were...children. He wasn't going to confide anything in them. Which only left his new teammates.

Ren wanted more than anything to trust Ann and Ryuji with this, but...he was still an outsider. They'd known each other since middle school, and he'd just helped them extinguish the only bridge left burning between them. He was just some guy they'd met a couple days ago. A former felon. A nobody. Even if they believed he wasn't in cahoots with this Oxymoron person, or just some raving lunatic, Ren was currently being dragged back and forth between the whims of two radically different benefactors. He was the active subject of manipulation. If they took him at his word, he'd still be painting himself into an ongoing liability.

Morgana on the other hand, knew a whole lot more about this Metaverse place than Ren did, possibly more than he'd already let on. He was similarly an outsider, and was possibly the only person who could help Ren tip the scales against the two... entities who had wagered themselves on controlling him.

And he had a trustworthy face. A very cute, fluffy, trustworthy face.

"I think," he began. "That I might be getting gifts from someone who knows the future."


The open contents of the 4/11 parcel sat on the floor between Ren and Morgana, and the remainder of the parcels were arranged off to the side. Ren had even pulled down the cash envelope, just in case.

Morgana took a long, fascinated look at the yellow bandana that perfectly matched his own. "They're all time-stamped," he said.

"Yep," Ren said.

"And that note called you a Wild Card," he continued. "Which is...Jokers are used as wildcards in games sometimes, right?"

Ren nodded.

"But I just came up with that name today," Morgana said. "The letter talks about all the stuff you will do." He sat back on his haunches, blinking off towards nothing. "They know the future. Whoever Oxymoron is, whatever they are, they know what's going to happen next."

"Which means they knew what was going to happen today," Ren said. Morgana stiffened immediately, his gaze flicking towards him. "And they did nothing. They said nothing." His fingers curled against the wooden floor. "Not even a warning. Just a stupid...letter opener, and a stick, and a watch, and some...what, hush money?" Ren tried his best to swallow his anger, but it kept burning in his throat.

Morgana hummed a little anxious noise before turning towards the assembled items. "I don't think it's a letter opener," he offered. "It smells like cognition. I think...it might be a sword?"

Ren stared blankly at him. "It's a foot long. How is it a sword?"

"Most items from the Metaverse will change shape when you take them back into reality," Morgana said. "If we took one of the swords off the knights in there and tried to bring it back, it'd probably turn into a wooden replica or something. Cognitive mass is a lot lighter than real object mass, because the Metaverse can...fill in the blanks. I think."

"Okay," Ren said, slowly, trying to accept the explanation at face value despite Morgana's lack of apparent confidence. "I guess that makes sense." He nodded to the blue metal...sword. "And you're saying that will grow into a real sword in the Palace."

"Probably," Morgana said. "It's a cognitive object. Same with that staff." He nodded to the red wooden stick. "Maybe they're meant to be weapons for us."

Ren blinked. Weapons. "Yeah," he said. "Probably, actually." He reached into his nearby bag and pulled out the knife he'd stored there. "I got this knife when Arsene formed for the first time."

Morgana blinked at the dagger. "You were using a different one in the Palace."

"I found that one in my bag. And later that day, I found the parcels there too, in a little side pocket."

"Woah." Morgana stared at the knife, the gears clearly turning in his little head. "Do you think Oxymoron knew you'd run into me and Ryuji?"

The sword, and the staff. Morgana already used a sword, and Ren could totally imagine Ryuji swinging around a staff like that. "Probably," he mumbled. As bitter as he was to admit it, their gift had arrived at the perfect time, even if Ren himself hadn't been smart enough to realize that. But...so what? They hadn't lifted a finger to help Shiho. He wasn't going to be grateful for some arbitrary good timing when she was fighting to stay alive because of their ineptitude.

Morgana gave him an odd look; the tension was probably clear on his face. "Maybe the next parcel has something for Ann then?" the not-a-cat said. "It's scheduled for tonight."

Ren nodded. "Yeah. Maybe." He reached over and snatched the 4/15 parcel, yanking open the tab and upending it.

Another note. A knife, or dagger, with a segmented blade and a rose carving on the handle. And a gaudy cover ripped off of a magazine, the text of which had all been redacted, but the young woman posing with a masquerade mask and a wide smile?

"That's Ann!" Morgana said, his little eyes wide. "Why is she on the cover of a magazine?"

"Shiho said she's a part-time model," Ren replied. "But getting a cover shot is probably a big deal." Was she more successful than Shiho had let on? Or...was this from an issue that hadn't been published yet?

"That knife smells cognitive too," Morgana said, nodding towards the segmented blade.

Ren picked it up, turning it around in his hand. "It feels a little too loose to be a knife. Like there might be some moving parts in there." He fiddled with the rose carving. Hm. It was loose too, like he could press down on it and-

The blade of the knife sprung outwards and bounced off the nearby couch, making Ren and Morgana jump in unison. Spring-loaded; the blade now separated into its constituent segments, all connected by a flexible-looking wire.

"What is that?" Morgana asked.

"A whip," Ren said, the word leaving his mouth before it had entered his brain. "For Ann. Right." He pressed down on the carving again, and the spring retracted, dragging the parts back together. Within a second, it had reconnected into a simple segmented knife again. An impressive, probably dangerous toy, but if Morgana was right, it would probably be a lot deadlier in the Palace. He carefully, delicately placed the knife down, and turned his attention to the letter.

Joker,

You've figured some of this out by now, haven't you? Guessing you have, you're a smart guy. And if so, you're probably pretty pissed at us. If you're anything like the Joker I know, you're probably boiling over with all that righteous fury. Good. Anger will do you a hell of a lot of good. But still, make sure you don't do anything stupid. There's too much riding on this for you to blow it on petty rebellion.

So, let's talk this out. Use that big brain for once.

1: If you knew this was coming, how would you have saved Shiho Suzui?

2: Considering the date of your arrival in Tokyo, when would you have saved Shiho Suzui?

3: What information would you have needed to know in order to save her?

4: At what point in time would you have needed to know that information?

5: Did smothering the blue glass bird stop it from shattering?

Deep breath. You can connect the dots from there.

I'm not asking you to give up on saving her. I'm not asking you to give up on saving anyone. But if you spend your time aching about their pain, the hurt they feel from scars made before you even met them, then you're wasting your efforts. Save them, but stop digging around in their wounds. Be a shoulder, be an ear, help them heal. Make things right and tear down anyone who would threaten that recovery.

And do as you have been cast to do. Wreak some havoc in that bastard's heart.

Sincerely,
The Final Fool

Anachronism

"First Oxymoron, now Anachronism," Morgana mumbled, perching on Ren's shoulder to read the note with him. "Do you know what all of that means? Like, the stuff about the blue glass bird?"

Ren let the words flow across his brain. And he leaned back, let gravity pull him down onto the wooden floor, Morgana springing from his shoulder with a surprised yelp. "I made a mistake." His back flat against the attic floor, staring up at the rafters. "When I was a kid. About a bird statue." Ren could still feel it. The sharp shards of glass poking through makeshift cloth wrapping.

"Hrm," Morgana said. He plodded over to poke his head into Ren's field of view. "But what does it mean? "

Ren took a long breath in. "Even if I'd been up there on off that roof with her, I couldn't have saved her. Not in any way that matters." He shifted his left hand, turning it until the palm was flat against the floorboards. Until the raised line of skin across his wrist was no longer facing the light. "You don't...do that sort of thing spontaneously. You think it through. And I'm...just some outsider. She didn't know me more than by reputation. And if I hadn't talked with her yesterday..." He let the implication linger. "If I couldn't stop Kamoshida from hurting her, it wouldn't have helped. Maybe it would have just made things worse."

Morgana was silent. Maybe thinking through the words. Maybe just letting Ren get it all out of his system.

"The Metaverse Navigator showed up on my phone a week ago, with a bunch of weird cryptic prophetic dreams," Ren continued. "And I thought my phone had a virus. I thought I was just having weird nightmares again." He couldn't help but laugh. This was awful. He felt like crying, and all he could do was snicker to himself. "Ann believed all this insane shit because she didn't have a choice. Ryuji and I believed it because we saw it. But even after I got Arsene...do you think you and I could have changed Kamoshida's heart on our own in four days?"

He closed his eyes, forcing breath where none wanted to be. "I couldn't have gotten here any sooner. I wouldn't have believed any of this stuff until Arsene opened my eyes. You were stuck in the dungeon until I freed you. We couldn't change his heart without at least Ryuji, if not Ann too. Shiho would never have listened to me. And I don't have any power over Kamoshida. I couldn't have saved her. There...there wasn't anything I could have done."

Silence.

And a slow, steady weight made its way up his torso and onto his chest. "You can still do something now." Ren opened his eyes. Morgana was sitting on top of him, staring down, his feline gaze firm. "Lady Shiho isn't gone. She's still fighting to stay alive, and Lady Ann is fighting too. She was closer to Shiho than anyone, and she couldn't save her either." Morgana let out an odd sigh, like the words were physically difficult for him to say, but kept going. "But she's doing everything she can to save her now . To make sure that, when Lady Shiho wakes up, that she can wake up safe. And, so no one else has to get hurt like that again." His little kitty face shifted into something that was almost a smile, eyes half-closed and ears forward. "How about you?"

As if he had to ask. Despite all the guilt and lingering tension, despite all the fury and anger and pain, Ren found himself smiling back. "What do you think?"

Morgana giggled. "Alright. Any ideas on our next move?"

"Yep," Ren said. "We wreak havoc."


Credit to Hurricanesunny on Tumblr for inspiring Ann's thief outfit from this point onward.