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.


4/20 – Wednesday
After School
Kamoshida's Palace, Entrance

Ren realized, as the blue fire of his transformation faded from his gaze, that he hadn't actually taken the time to check in with Ann these past few days. As Skull and Mona stretched out, readying themselves for the infiltration, he moved over to join their newest Thief. "Sorry–" he began.

She seemingly noticed his presence before she heard his voice. "I'm sorry I haven't been in contact," Ann said. She pulled a her bag off her shoulder, opening it up to show an assortment of plastic-wrapped snacks and bottled drinks. "But I haven't been slacking, I won't be a burden on the team."

She was still so worried about that. Ren shook his head and put a hand on her shoulder. "You're a Phantom Thief," he said, "there's nothing you need to prove."

Ann didn't speak for a few seconds, eyes locked on her bag. "I don't want to be left behind."

"You won't be. We couldn't have gotten this far without you, we'd be idiots to leave you behind."

She chuckled, a smile gracing her lips. "Yeah, alright." Ann finally met his gaze, and Ren could see the fire burning in her blue eyes, that same nervous excitement he felt. "Let's go steal that bastard's heart."

"For Shiho, right?" Ren asked.

Ann paused for a moment. "Yeah," she said, her voice steady, turning her focus towards the castle, "but for me too."

The quiet plod of Mona's hindpaws on the cobblestones. "Lady Ann, Joker, are you two ready?"

She nodded. "I'm..." Ann paused. "Wait, I'm a Thief now. I should probably get a nickname too, right?"

Skull was a few steps behind Mona. "Uh, you've got a cat mask, so...Catgirl?"

Ren snorted.

"Why are you always so focused on the masks?" Mona asked, shaking his fuzzy little head. "Clearly, Lady Ann deserves a codename with more grace and elegance." He thought for a moment. "...Dancer?"

"She doesn't even dance," Skull protested. "You're just basing that off the costume!"

"Rose then!" Mona said.

"Still visual," Ren teased.

Ann rolled her eyes. "I'll pick it myself, thank you." She brought her hand up, brushing the cat ears of her mask. "La Pantera," she muttered, before speaking up: "Call me Panther."

La Pantera. The name sounded familiar to Ren, but he couldn't place it. "Welcome to the team, Panther," he said.

She laughed and punched his shoulder. "And here I thought I was already a Phantom Thief."

Mona nodded. "Now that Lady...now that Panther has her codename, we should find our way to a Safe Room to go over our infiltration plan."

"Can't we plan out here?" Skull asked.

Almost on cue, the sound of marching footsteps echoed across the bridge. Ren dove behind a nearby box, Skull scrambling to join him while Panther and Mona ducked farther across the open space to hide next to the Shujin sign. Ren glanced around the corner, watching the Shadow patrol as it moved from one side of the gate to the other, half a dozen armored knights marching in unison.

Mona turned to send a pointed glance his direction, and Ren heard Skull grumble out: "Point taken, you dumb cat."

The Thieves paused, waiting for the sound of the guard's armored feet to fade, then Mona gestured to the other three. Skull hurried past, and Ren had barely taken a step to follow when something tugged on his coattails. He glanced down, assuming his coat had gotten snagged, only to see a young girl in a blue uniform and an eyepatch over her left eye, staring at him with an empty expression. A very familiar young girl. Unmistakable, even.

"My master would like a word with you," Justine said in a monotone, gesturing behind herself. To a hazy azure outline, some sort of doorway superimposed onto reality.

Ren stared at the girl. He wasn't dreaming. Was he dreaming? No, definitely not. What in... "Sort of busy right now?" he said.

Her expression did not change, but her hand remained on his coat, one yellow eye frigid and stoic.

Okay. Sure. This was happening now. "Fine."


The moment Ren stepped through the ethereal door, his coat vanished, replaced with the loose-fitting monochrome clothes of a prisoner. He almost tripped as his foot caught on the chains now wrapped around them. Even though his expressionless Warden had been behind him when he entered, she now stood on the other side of the bars, next to her much more expressive sister.

"About time, inmate!" Caroline said with a sneer, smacking on the bars with her baton, a spark running across the metal.

She might have meant to intimidate him, but the sight of a child making such an effort wasn't frightening in the slightest. Ren instead turned his eyes towards their 'master,' the man with the long nose sitting calmly behind the desk in the middle of the prison. "So this is...like, a thing. Me coming here when I'm awake."

"Indeed," Igor said, lips moving but teeth still braced in a wide-mouth smile that didn't at all match his cold beady eyes. "As you continue with your rehabilitation, more of the Velvet Room's tools will be made accessible to you. In order to utilize them, Caroline and Justine will ensure that a door is always ready for you, both in reality and the Metaverse." His eyes seemed to narrow somewhat. "I hope you will make good use of such a gift."

The man's condescending tone sent a bolt of anger through Ren. "I didn't ask for this," he snapped.

Caroline was clearly about to snarl back some defensive reply when Igor chuckled, the deep sound filling the predominantly empty space. "Perhaps not," he said, "but your rehabilitation is nevertheless already in progress. I'm sure you have questions, but they will be explained in due time. Once you form bonds with others who share your aesthetics, once you discover your place in reality..." He laughed again. "Then, I will explain it all."

Aesthetics, huh? Ren couldn't claim to understand what Igor meant, but the odd man didn't seem to be discouraging him from his current path. But just to make sure... "You're not asking me to stop trying to steal Kamoshida's heart, are you?"

Caroline, no doubt disapproving of Ren's tone, glared at him.

Igor only smiled wider. "Quite the contrary. As you have discovered, your wielding of the Wild Card has granted you the power to wield multiple Personas."

Ren felt quite cold in the windless cell. Wild Card. Igor didn't seem aware of Oxymoron, but both had addressed him now with that term.

"We will assist you in nurturing that potential," continued Igor. Untangling his fingers, the man snapped. The sound was like a gunshot, impossibly resonant, knocking all the strength out of Ren's legs. It dragged a gasp out of him as he fell, gripping the bars, trying and failing to stay upright. A blue flame across his vision, and he looked up to see the snap had pulled more than the breath from his lungs. A black-winged demon with long black horns and a top hat, eyes and grin of flame, his taloned hand outstretched.

"I am Arsene," he said, an unneeded reminder, "the other you that exists within. Though I may disappear at this moment, I shall always be at your side." Arsene paused, the flame behind his eyes flickering curiously. "You must not look back." His voice was lower now, strange, lacking its previous gravitas. "We may meet again, or we may not, but you need not beg forgiveness for the choice your heart has made. I see through you, Trickster."

The boy was eclipsed with the sudden feeling of impending grief, some all-encompassing panic gripped his heart in an iron vice. Ren wanted to say something, to reach out and grab the demon's hand, beg him not to go. But his teeth clattered against each other, tongue stiff in his mouth, he could neither move nor speak.

Arsene laughed. "Steel yourself, boy. Your fate is yet to reach its apex. You may leave behind who you once were, but that memory is never gone from you. So remember me, Trickster. And do well by my guidance." He laughed again, a bellowing chuckle that echoed in Ren's ears even as it was muffled by the executioner's shroud, even as he watched his soul strapped into that infernal guillotine, even as the blade cut the sound off entirely.


Fusion. Melding two Personas together into something greater than the sum of their parts. Executing his past selves in order to create a new being. Inheriting strength and taking a new form.

The rest of Igor's instructions washed over Ren like an oozing tide, seeping into his mind even as it whirred against emptiness, focused more on Arsene's parting words than any of the man's 'gifts.' There was something there, something important he couldn't quite put his finger on, a lingering hint or allusion, something, something...

Skkkth. The scratch of pen against paper dragged across his nerves. Ren's gaze snapped towards the emotionless sister, Justine in the process of taking some sort of notes on her clipboard.

"Hey, inmate, pay attention!" snapped Caroline from the other side of the cell.

"What are you doing?" Ren asked.

Justine glanced up at him, then back down at the paper. "I'm registering your new Persona in this compendium. If, in the future, you feel the need to call on your discarded selves, I can return them to your possession."

It took a few moments before Ren could fully process what she was saying. "So, I can get back the Personas I've executed?"

"For a fee," Justine said, with a sly smile.

Huh. So now not only were they not dreams, but they wanted money from him? "Fine," he said, "could you call back Arsene now?"

"You want that weakling again?" Caroline grumbled from nearby.

Justine nodded. "Certainly." She finished jotting down her registration, then flipped back to the first page of the compendium. The platinum-haired girl paused, then began flipping through pages, her yellow eye darting across each in turn. "Um."

Caroline stomped over to her sister and snatched the clipboard. "Give me that!" She began flipping through the pages herself, squinting down at the paper. "Oh. Um."

"What?" Ren said, his heart beginning to quicken.

"He's...not in the Compendium," Justine said, softly.

"Did you forget to register him?" Caroline asked, her voice hushed. She sounded afraid, and the glance over her shoulder at Igor confirmed Ren's suspicion.

Justine shook her head. "I didn't need to, the inmate's awakening should have burned that Persona into the first page on its own, I saw..." Her hand flew up to her eyepatch, some inexplicable expression crossing her face. "No, wait, you...?" Justine turned to Caroline, perplexed.

Caroline stared back, equally lost for words. "I don't..."

The sisters looked on the verge of tears, like two children who knew they'd done something wrong without understanding exactly what. "It's okay," he said, forcing a kind lilt past the knot in his throat, "I don't need Arsene right now. This...uh, Agathion?" He brought a hand to his chest, feeling the Persona pulse out an affirmation to his call, a little song against the inside of his chest. "Agathion has Arsene within them. They're a part of me now, so he is too."

Caroline stared at him, then nodded slowly, still not quite composed. "Okay," she said, quietly.

Justine turned her attention back to the compendium. "Maybe the pages got mixed up?" On the verge of desperation, searching for some way to ease her own panic.

"Maybe," Ren said. "You can take a look and let me know. I wouldn't worry too hard, I was just curious is all." He forced a smile.

Justine nodded, flipping through pages, silent, all attention seeming to be turned towards the clipboard. Caroline, on the other hand, was visibly more relieved. "Yeah," she said, "who needs that dumb bird anyhow?" She cleared her throat and sent a very exaggerated glare towards Ren. "Now get going inmate! You've got work to do."


Skull dropped into a chair with a loud exhale, legs off one side and one heel tapping arhythmically against the floor. "I didn't think there'd be so many Shadows around," he grumbled, "it took us forever to get this far." They'd found another quiet room, apparently ignored by the guards patrolling in the hallways outside.

"They must have beefed up security since the last time we were here." Panther hopped up on the table next to him. "Besides, we're barely been going for a half hour, don't tell me you're tapping out already."

Skull snorted. "Oh, get real, like I'd call it quits so soon. I'm just bored sneaking around these small fry, I've been itching to get my hands on that fake king all week." He turned his attention to Ren, who was currently peeking through a crack in the safe room door. "Yo, Joker, get your butt in here, you're gonna give me anxiety."

"Sorry," he said, closing the door quietly and joining his friends at the Safe Room table. Moments later, he started in place. "Wait, where's Mona?"

"Right here," came their leader's voice from the other side of the room. The not-a-cat was currently in the process of scaling a large bookshelf against one of the walls, pulling books out and then shoving them back in again.

"What are you up to?" Panther asked.

"Hold on," he muttered, stretching to one side to tug on a particularly thick tome. Rather than pop out like the rest, the book tilted over and made an odd clicking noise. Then, the entire bookshelf started to move, its entire left half smoothly shifting to one side. A sudden breeze hit the Thieves in the face as they were greeted by the appearance of a dark hallway behind the bookshelf.

"Yooo for real?!" Skull said, before coughing on the musty air. "This place has secret passages and shit too?"

"In a manner of speaking," Mona said, hopping from the shelf to the table, a satisfied look on his face. "These Safe Rooms are areas in the Palace where Kamoshida's cognition is weaker. He might know their real life counterparts exist, but he doesn't actually acknowledge them, so his subconscious fills in the gaps. Since he doesn't care about them, the fabric of the Metaverse is weaker here, and it's easy to poke a hole in that fabric." He gestured to the passageway. "If we follow this, we can get back to the entrance without having to fight any Shadows. And any other Safe Rooms should have the same sorts of backdoors. As long as we open that door, we can travel between the Safe Rooms freely."

Panther let out a long whistle. "That's awesome."

Ren smiled, patting Mona on the head. "Good work, Mona."

The not-a-cat swatted at his hand with a smile.


"Three enemies," Morgana said, eyes flickering across their foes. The Thieves were back to back, two equine Shadows advancing from either side, a giggling Pixie watching the scene from just out of reach. "Joker, take them down!"

Ren raised a hand to his mask. "Agathion!" Azure danced across his gaze. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as his Persona let loose a voltaic torrent in all directions. A dualfold cry rang out, both Bicorns crumpling in unison.

"Mona, that's our cue!" Skull rushed towards one Shadow, bracing the crimson pole on one shoulder like a bat, then bringing it down with all his strength. The horse-monster barely gave any resistance, instantly popping into a shower of black dust. Mona similarly brought his blade down on the other Shadow; another resounding pop.

"Uh oh," said the Pixie, the smirk wiped off its tiny face. It whirled in midair to make a break for the nearest door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Panther didn't wait for an answer. She snapped the edge of her blade towards the Shadow, the weapon bursting out into a long segmented whip. Its sharp tip shot straight through the Pixie, who gave a little surprised squawk before vanishing into its own cloud of dark residue. "Whoops." Panther retracted her whip, looking sheepishly at her teammates. "I didn't mean to kill it."

Skull practically doubled over laughing. "The hell are you looking so apologetic for? That was awesome!"

Panther smiled. "Yeah. Yeah! We're awesome!" She threw up a hand for a high-five that Skull gladly reciprocated.

Mona tugged on Ren's coat, pointing farther into the room. "Joker, look, it's a treasure chest."

Ren nodded, moving away from his celebrating teammates to pop open the chest. Or, try. "Oh," he said, tugging on the lid, "this one's locked."

Mona chuckled. "Looks like it's time for another crash course in Phantom Thievery." He struck a pose, pointing dramatically at the chest. "We're going to pick that lock!"

Ren paused, waiting for continued instructions that never came. "With what, exactly?" he asked.

"With a lock pick, duh." Mona rolled his eyes, smiling. Then, realizing, his smile vanished. "Uh oh."

"I don't suppose–" Ren started, before Mona let out a long yowl.

"I knew I forgot something!" He held his head in his tiny paws. "We were so busy working on that weird blueprint the other day that I totally forgot to have you make any lockpicks!"

The blueprint. Ren blinked, then reached for his bag, fishing the odd cylinder out. He ran his thumb across one of the tiny levers, watching little metal pieces extend and shift across the other end. His eyes traveled from the device to the locked chest, then back to the device. Carefully, he pressed the end of the device against the lock. He had to turn it slightly to get the metal pieces inside, but it fit snug against the lock. Then, Ren began fiddling, pulling on the aluminum pistons, flicking the switches, listening to the inside of the lock click.

"How are we ever supposed to get to the Treasure without..." Mona trailed off as he noticed Ren's current focus. "What...what are you doing?"

"Picking the lock," Ren said plainly, rotating the cylinder. The entire lock rotated with it, and the lid of the chest popped open. He glanced over his shoulder at the feline, whose mouth was hanging open.

"It's a lockpick?!" Mona asked, incredulous.

"I guess," Ren said, pulling the device out and flicking one of the levers again. The picks on the end retreated back into the cylinder and he stowed the device in his bag.

The feline shook his head. "Of all the blueprints they could have given us...it's a lockpick."

"Expecting something more impressive?" Ren asked with a little chuckle. "You got pretty spoiled with the cool sword."

Mona stared down at his blue-metal blade, and smiled. "Yeah, I guess so. Well, if it's good enough for you, Joker, it's good enough for me."


Behind Kamoshida's heavily-patrolled throne room, up a flight of stairs and past two frighteningly resilient Shadow guards, the Thieves finally made it to the Palace's vault. A stache of gold and silver, rubies and diamonds, ornate jewelry and weapons and paintings. Every single one of them, fake. There was something satisfying about it, seeing Kamoshida's entire false wealth, everything that gave him power here, was nothing more than plastic kitsch and prop displays. Still playing at authority, even here.

And in the center of it all, hovering atop a five-foot pile of 'golden' coins, was a shimmering, shifting orb of light.

"So, this is...Kamoshida's Treasure?" Panther asked. "All his guilt, all the awful things he's done. They look like this?"

"It's pretty," Skull said, and he sounded more spiteful than begrudging. He reached out, smacking at the orb, but his hand passed right through it. "How are we supposed to get this thing out? Some kinda...net, or–"

"Lesson four of Phantom Thievery!" Mona declared, paws on his hips. "A Palace's Treasure fuels and constructs and runs the place. It's the battery that makes this castle operational. Take it out, and the whole Palace collapses." He gestured to the orb. "This is formed from every part of Kamoshida he doesn't want to look at, remember? Just like the Safe Rooms, he keeps it on the edge of his cognition. That orb is a placeholder. The Palace knows there's supposed to be a Treasure here, but if Kamoshida doesn't think about it, then it won't emerge."

"And if he does, it will?" Ren asked.

"Precisely!" Mona chuckled. "Now that our infiltration route is complete, we can return to the Palace and sneak all the way back here through the Safe Rooms. Then, we'll be able to steal Kamoshida's Treasure from here before he ever notices it's gone."

"Cool." Skull leaned against a nearby wall. "How do we do that? Make it...appear." He made a 'poof' motion with his hands.

"Lesson five." Mona's eyes almost gleamed. "A calling card. Signature of any proper Phantom Thief. We let our target know the jig is up, and that we're going to steal their distorted desires." He giggled excitedly. "For us, it pulls double duty! Not only will it make Kamoshida's Treasure appear, but he'll spread out his guards to stop us from infiltrating the castle."

"But we've already infiltrated," Ren finished. "So we'll slip right past them."

Mona nodded so vigorously that Ren was momentarily worried he'd topple over. "That doesn't mean it's not dangerous though! Security will be a lot higher after we send the card, and the Treasure will only stay manifested for about a day. We need to steal the Treasure that day, or else we lose our shot. If nothing happens after the first threat, his psyche won't buy into any further threats."

"Does he have to know it's us?" Panther asked, her voice artificially steady.

"He doesn't," Mona said. "Just that some Phantom Thieves are going to make him confess to his crimes."

She nodded. "Alright." And her gaze went to Skull. "Hey. Um." Panther pursed her lips. "It's one of us two, right? One of us should write the calling card."

Skull blinked at her. "I mean, yeah. But it's you, duh."

Panther shook her head. "It's not. It can't be."

Two seconds of silence followed before Skull finally spluttered out "wait, woah woah woah, hold up." He stared at her. "But...dude, Ann, he...I mean, compared to the shit he put me through, he–"

"Don't," she said. One word, sharp as a razor, and it shut him up immediately. "Don't tell me that putting you in the hospital for a month was insignificant. Don't tell me that turning the whole team against you and making you a public pariah doesn't matter." Her expression softened. "It matters. It matters a lot. And...besides, I mean, I..." Panther winced out a tiny, awkward laugh. "I couldn't write something like that. Even if it's just vague language, even if no one but him knows what it means, I still...I'd probably just scream at a piece of paper until my voice gave out. Ryuji, Skull. I think...it has to be you."

Skull was silent once more, letting the words settle. And he reached up and pushed his mask up onto his forehead so he could wipe at his eyes. "I'll do my fucking best," he said, voice shaking. "I'll make you proud, okay? I'll...fuck, Ann. I'll do my best."

She just smiled. "That's plenty. That's more than enough."


4/21 – Thursday
Noon
Shujin Academy, Rooftop

"Suguru Kamoshida," Ann read aloud. "You utter lustful bastard. You have violated the trust granted to the staff of this school, and abused students who could not fight back. Your habits of harassment, battery and assault have been an open secret at Shujin long enough. Tomorrow, we will steal your desires and make you confess your sins. Signed, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts." She glanced up towards Ryuji, who was standing expectantly nearby, waiting for her to finish. "Dude."

"Is it okay?" he asked, almost wincing out the words.

"Are you kidding?" She raised the bright red card, waggling it back and forth. "It's perfect."

Ryuji let out the world's longest sigh of relief, breaking into a wobbling grin. Ren craned his head a little over the table to get a better glimpse of the card. "Is that supposed to be Arsene?" he asked, pointing to a somewhat messy drawing of a grinning face and a top hat adorning the card's reverse side.

"Yeah, kinda," Ryuji said, still grinning. "I mean, we didn't really decide on a logo, and I was up pretty late doing all the final touches so I was just like...you know, fuck it, you're the first one of us to get your Persona and all. We started with Arsene, only made sense."

"I had my Persona way before Ren!" Morgana protested. "Besides, that doesn't look anything like Arsene! Where are his horns?"

"I'd like to see you try!" Ryuji fired back.

"You put up a bunch of cards earlier, right?" Ann asked, turning it over in her hands. "I saw security taking them down this morning. Do they all look like this?"

Ryuji nodded, sparing a momentary scowl towards Morgana before turning his attention to her. "Those were all like thick paper, but it's the same design. That's the only one that's actually, like, on a postcard."

"How'd you manage so many?" Ren asked.

"I broke into the teachers' lounge this morning and used their photocopier," Ryuji said with a shrug.

A pin could have dropped in the silence that followed that statement.

"Ryuji," Ann said, her voice somewhat choked by what was most likely laughter. "When you say you broke into the teacher's lounge–"

"I stuck my student ID in the door and shimmied the lock, nothing's actually broken," Ryuji quickly added. "I, uh...looked up a tutorial on YouTube. It was in English, but I got the gist. Also the lock there fucking sucks."

"That's amazing," Ren said, barely able to keep himself from laughing. "And...that should cover our tracks, right? Even if they figure out where the cards got printed, that won't tell them that it was any of us."

"It was a good plan," Morgana said, grumbling out the words, clearly not enjoying having to admit as much. "And now, we're all set. The only thing left to do..."

"Tomorrow," Ann said. Her voice was steady. Fire danced behind her blue irises. "We'll take his heart."


4/21 – Thursday
Evening
Cafe Leblanc

The calling card was sent. Tomorrow, they'd be in the Palace. The only thing between the Phantom Thieves and Kamoshida's treasure were a few dozen hours, and Ren couldn't wait.

"Oh, just in time," Sojiro said, the moment Ren walked through the door to the Cafe. He had his cell in one hand and a small notepad in the other. "Could you keep an eye on the Cafe while I run a quick errand?"

"I'm, uh," Ren stuttered, not quite sure how to reply, "okay?"

Sojiro let out a long, relieved sigh. "Good, good. Just make sure nothing bad happens for," he glanced down at the notepad, "ten minutes or so. Greet any customers who come in, and don't cause any trouble."

Ren looked at the empty booths. Customers, right. "Got it."

The owner hurried past, shucking his apron and thrusting the garment into Ren's arms. He paused at the door. "Uh, thanks kid. When I get back, I'll make it up to you."

Whatever that meant. Ren nodded, turning as the front bell rang at Sojiro's departure. He plopped his bag down behind the counter, unzipping it so Morgana could wander around if he wished. He'd barely stood back up again when the bell rang again. Sojiro having forgotten something, no doubt. "I thought you said ten minutes," Ren teased.

"Sorry?" replied a much higher voice than Ren had expected. He turned to see a young man with short, silver hair standing at the door with an amused expression. He was dressed in some sort of school uniform – not Shujin, but he was clearly a student – with a white undershirt and unbuttoned black jacket with a popped collar.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Ren said. "I thought you were someone else."

The young man laughed. "It's not often I'm mistaken for other people," he said, "I usually tend to blend into a crowd." He stared at Ren, expectantly.

"Oh, uh, come in?" Ren beckoned clumsily towards the booths. "Feel free to seat yourself."

"Thank you," the young man said. Rather than take a booth, he hopped up one of the counterside stools. "One cup of coffee please. Splash of milk."

"I..." Ren took a breath, trying not to stumble over his own words. "I'm sorry, the owner's running a quick errand, he can make some more coffee when he returns. It shouldn't be long."

The young man raised an eyebrow. "You've got a full pot right there." He motioned to the end of the counter.

"Oh." Ren didn't know what else to say, so he walked over and picked up the pot, before realizing that he still needed a cup, and put the pot back down. The young man, thankfully, had pulled out his cell phone and was currently occupied with that, rather than watch Ren stumble his way around such a simple task. He gingerly placed the full cup in front of the young man. "There you go."

The silver-haired young man nodded, "thank you," and took a sip. He hummed a note of what Ren hoped was approval, smiling at the boy. "My compliments to the barista."

Ren had to swallow the urge to apologize again. "I'll pass it on to him."

The young man laughed and took another sip. "I meant you," he said. "It's very good coffee, but you're handling yourself well. It's your first night on the job, right?"

Technically, it wasn't even that, but Ren nodded. "That obvious?"

"If you want my advice: take a deep breath," the young man said with a chuckle, "and take your time. No use rushing things." He seemed to think on his own words for a moment. "You seem distracted. Something on your mind?"

Ren stared at the young man. Distracted, right, as if the silver-haired weirdo bouncing between topics was one to talk. "I've got a lot on my mind," he replied.

"It's alright, you don't have to tell me," the young man said. "You just remind me of a friend of mine. He's been going through..." He hummed into another sip. "Not really a breakup. He's fallen out with a friend of his, they don't talk much anymore and he's afraid they won't ever see each other again."

Arsense's laughter rang across Ren's mind. "Yeah, I think I can relate to that."

"I thought you might," he said. "Might not mean much, but it could help to remember who's still in your corner. Grief is natural, but you can't let it isolate you. And if you really need them back in your life, just call them."

"It'd be nice if it were that simple," Ren mumbled.

The young man shrugged. "Sometimes it is. Never know until you try." He was quiet for a little while, focusing on the coffee, drinking it in painfully slow sips.

"You're a student, right?" Ren asked, desperate to fill the silence.

"Not really," he replied, "I graduated a while ago. But the uniform still fits me well, so I keep wearing it." He'd probably gotten that question fairly often, considering Ren didn't even need to mention the uniform for him to address it. "Your uniform's from nearby, right? Shujin?"

Ren nodded.

"My little sister wants to go there when she's older," he said, a new warm note in his tone. "If you're still there when she is, maybe I'll introduce you."

"Are you local then?" Ren asked. He wasn't exactly eager to see the strange young man again, but something about him peaked Ren's curiosity.

"Sort of." The young man took a long, last sip of his coffee and then stood. "I'm staying with a friend in Shibuya for the next few months. I might end up moving there myself, but it's too early to tell." He rummaged around in his pocket, pulling out a small handful of coins that he began counting out onto the counter. Didn't he have a wallet?

"I might see you around then," Ren said.

"Narukami," the man said, putting the rest of the coins back in his pocket and reaching a hand out to Ren. "Call me Yu."

"Ren Amamiya," Ren replied, and shook it.

"Fools like us have to stick together, you know," Yu said, and winked.

Ren just stared back at him.

"What an odd fellow," Morgana mused from behind the counter.


4/22 – Friday
After School
Kamoshida's Palace, Throne Room

"We're at the stairs now," Mona said. He hopped up on the banister, motioning the other Thieves to continue.

"I won't push," Ren said from behind the enormous crown, both hands under its edge, "you two just walk it down and I'll follow."

"Keep your end up, Joker," Panther said. She leaned around the crown to nod at Skull, who grasped the other end. "You ready?"

"Why is this thing so goddamn heavy?" Skull grumbled. He adjusted his grip, taking a hesitant step down the stairs. "Okay, ready."

The trio began to slowly descend the staircase, transporting Kamoshida's Treasure like a piece of furniture.

"Watch the throne," Mona said as the Thieves reached the bottom of the stairs.

The edge of the crown clanked against the royal chair.

"I said watch it!" Mona yowled, little arms flailing at nothing, anxiously watching the Thieves.

"Can't see," Ren wheezed. He hefted the crown as steady as he could, a dull ache pulsing through his arms.

Skull swore under his breath, adjusting his grip on the Treasure to shove out at the chair with one foot. He'd probably expected it to be heavier and sturdier than it was, as the throne flew across the room with a deafening clatter, spinning across the ground with a shower of splinters.

"Figures," Panther laughed, "even his throne is fake crap."

Ren was mid-step, glad to finally be nearing the end of the awful stairs, when his foot lost all traction with the ground. He only felt the edge of a stair pressing into not-quite-the-right-part of his foot, and his shoe slipped, and Ren was horizontal. A single surprised yelp, dragged out of him as he slid completely underneath the crown, each stair smacking into his back as he went.

"Ow," Ren said, staring up at the bright chandelier overhead. He craned his head up, trying to glance in the direction of his friends, finding himself instead face to face with a familiar boy, two tired dark eyes staring at him from underneath a mess of short black hair. "...Mishima?"

"Joker, watch out!" Mona's voice echoed through the hollow room.

A glint of light on steel. Ren moved on instinct, throwing himself to one side as the Cognitive Mishima jammed a spear into the spot he'd been lying just a moment before. The Phantom Thief rolled into a low crouch, stumbling up to his feet, eyes locked on the surprising assailant. Mishima tugged on the spear, trying to wrench it from the floor, his back hunched and every motion seeming like a battle against exhaustion. The boy might have been trying to kill Ren, but he looked on the verge of collapsing. But then, Mishima wasn't alone. Ren spotted another cognitive student, a boy he didn't know by name, hefting a flail and stumbling towards him from behind one of the pillars. The sound of grinding from behind him sent Ren's gaze over his own shoulder, confirming the sight of four volleyball players pushing on either side of the enormous throne room doors, forcing them closed. The Phantom Thieves were trapped.

"Joker!" Skull looked about to take a step to help, but he couldn't fight while still lifting the crown. He glanced at Panther, who seemed similarly torn.

"Keep holding onto the Treasure!" Mona commanded. The feline scrambled towards Ren on all fours, holding his blue sword in his mouth.

"Mona and I can handle them," Ren said. He pulled out the silver blade and his pistol, brandishing both as Mona reached him. "Head for the door."

Panther grimaced, but nodded, and the two Thieves started a wide arc around their enemies. Thankfully, the Cognitive students seemed hellbent on murdering Ren and Mona.

Ren's hand flew to his mask, Agathion's name on the tip of his tongue, but his command stalled in his throat. Those tired, cold eyes stared into him. He knew they were only Cognitions, but...

"Joker, move!" Mona threw out a wide slash, driving the Cognitions back. Despite his seeming insistence towards violence, the not-a-cat made each strike with the flat of his blade, attacks meant to dissuade rather than cause harm.

Ren grit his teeth, slamming his knife back into its sheath, aiming his firearm now with both hands. A Cognition advanced towards him, broadsword swung up and overhead, a pendulum of death propelled more by gravity than strength. Ren pulled the trigger. Bang. The shot echoed through the hall and the Cognition dropped to the ground, wailing, clutching at his leg. Ren forced his eyes away, not letting himself look at the damage wrought, taking aim once again with shaking hands. The Cognitions, still encircling him and Mona, seemed more hesitant now.

"Damnit!" came Skull's voice from beyond the circle, then the sound of a dull thud. "The door's too heavy, we can't get it open!"

"Mona," Ren said, "we need an escape route." He fired another shot into a Cognition's hand, slightly widening the circle around them as the faux foe fell.

"I'm trying!" Mona yelped, diving out of the way of a flail.

"Hold." The deafening command froze the Cognitions in their tracks. Weapons still raised, tired eyes still boring a hole into Ren, but their stilted attacks ceased. Steps on the staircase caught the Thieves' gaze, attention drawn right to the King as he descended, a picturesque figure of overcompensated ego. "You idiots really thought I'd leave my Treasure unattended?" Kamoshida said. "Like I'd be that stupid."

"Wouldn't put it past you," Ren grumbled.

"Slaves!" The King snapped his fingers. From outside the circle, a commotion.

"Hey!" Panther's protest fell on unwilling ears, and Ren spotted the Crown being lugged away from his allies.

"Brave man, hiding behind so many servants," Mona said, tone low, his hackles raised. "Too scared to face us on your own?"

It was an obvious bait, but Kamoshida seemed to take it, scoffing at the feline. "Slaves, clear away. Leave this to your King." The Cognitions obeyed, slinking back, dragging their wounded out to the sides, forming a bulwark against the open balcony. Ren could see Kamoshida now, standing at the bottom of the stairs. Two other Cognitions approached, lugging the crown on their backs. Kamoshida reached out, barely touching the Treasure with his fingertips, and the crown hummed in response. The metal warped and shifted, shrinking until the golden gaudy thing fit in the King's hand. He placed it on his head, grinning.

Footsteps from behind Ren, his allies joining him in the center of the room. "You know," Skull said, cracking his knuckles, "I was sort of hoping you'd show up to try and stop us. That means I get to plant my fist right in that smug face!"

King Kamoshida snorted. "You're a vulgar little pest, aren't you? I was still considering making you my slaves after all this, but my castle doesn't need your disobedient sort."

"Don't worry," Panther replied, "this hunk of rock won't be around much longer anyway. We're going to take that crown, and your whole kingdom's going to crumble!"

"You still don't get it, do you?" Kamoshida shook his head, chuckling. "This crown? It's the core of this world. And I'm wearing it! That makes me king! King of the whole fucking world!"

Ren felt something wash over him. It was almost like breathing in the tide, his throat starting to burn, something off tickling the edge of his perception. Some sort of distortion. He found his gaze drawn upwards, above the King's head, squinting into the inexplicably flickering light of the chandelier. There was something there.

"Keep on telling yourself that, you freak." The cock of a shotgun, then the thunderous sound of Skull firing it. There was a flash of impact, sparks against thin air, and Kamoshida snarled out an expletive, shaking off his left hand where the shell definitely hadn't hit him.

"Don't aim for the Shadow!" Mona said. "It's not his real form!"

At the feline's words, Kamoshida laughed. "You think you're worthy to see the true form of a monarch? Very well...I'll show you. I'll show you all, what a demon like me is capable of!" A curtain raised across reality and the Shadow dropped into the ground, flattening like a sheet of paper, a black stain against the red-carpeted stairs. Ren watched, unable to move as a massive heat shimmer shifted, a distortion woven into the air. The light caught on something golden, flickering across Ren's eyes.

"What's–" Panther could barely speak, her words more of a gasp than a sentence.

Another glint, light from the chandelier, partly obscured. "The crown," Ren said. As soon as he said it, he saw the enormous hunk of gold and red fabric, between the two enormous curved horns on the king's head. Kamoshida's Shadow was not only far bigger than before, he no longer looked human, his skin a disgusting shade of bright pink, crown resting on a brow easily fifteen feet up from the floor. His four disproportionate arms took up far too much space, making the enormous throne room look cramped. One hand held a massive fork, another an equally sized knife, the third a baton and in his fourth was a cup of wine.

"That's the power of the Treasure," said Mona. "Distorted desires strong enough to make an entire Palace, channeled through a single Shadow. He's turned himself into a real demon."

"Phantom Thieves!" bellowed the Demon King. "Your time in my world is finished! I'll execute every last one of you myself! You'll be an excellent example, to show my slaves..." Light flickered against his face, some sort of strange glow, stalling his massive tongue in his mouth. He squinted at it, then roared in pain when it erupted into an open flame.

"What an idiot," Panther said, her voice shaky, not from fear but from fury. Carmen floated behind her, two more fireballs already forming in the Persona's hands. "I wasn't sure I'd be able to use my power against another person, even one as disgusting as him. But against a monster like that?" She laughed. "I couldn't hold back if I wanted to."

Ren turned from Panther to Skull, then Mona, both who returned his gaze. He realized with a start that the Thieves were waiting on his command, for whatever reason. Ren found himself smiling. "Let's run wild."


Keeping Kamoshida distracted was proving to be a harder task than it had seemed when Mona had suggested it. All they needed to do was keep his attention away from the upper balcony, so Skull could get in position and then snatch the crown right off that Shadow's brow. Easy. Except for the fact that oversized creep was currently attempting to murder them. Ren felt exhaustion stiffening his bones, the gritty taste of Takemi's medicine starting to form a thick coating on his tongue. He forced himself back to his feet, staring down Kamoshida. "Agathion!" His mask shattered, and a burst of acrid energy forced the Demon King to guard himself.

"You little–" Kamoshida couldn't even get the words out.

"Carmen!" A clarion of flame, pounding away at the enormous creature, each fireball a new note.

"Zorro!" The final fireball paused in midair, then exploded with indescribable force as Mona force-fed the flames into an engorged vortex.

Ren tried not to breathe in the stench of burning hair as he raised his pistol.

"Slaves!" Bang. Ren's bullet clattering off of demonic flesh. "Prepare the kill shot!"

"That..." Mona panted, "doesn't sound good."

"No way." Panther's exclamation drew Ren's gaze to the side, and his own heart caught in his throat. "Shiho?"

The black-haired girl, another Cognition, slowly wheeled out an enormous volleyball, nearly a foot bigger than she was. Shiho's foot caught on the carpet, and she stumbled, but kept on pushing. The Cognitions swarmed around her, raising the ball above their heads, blocking the girl from sight.

"You bastard," Panther said, and heat radiated off her like a furnace, "you bastard!" This time, her attack was closer to a flamethrower, a constant wave of fire shooting across the room.

"Mona, back her up!" Ren shouted over the deafening roar of Panther's flames. He raised a hand to his mask, running his fingers across it, an unspoken thanks to Agathion as he asked another soul within him for its assistance. "Kelpie!"

The feline followed suit. "Zorro!"

Once more, Carmen's fire exploded outwards, wrapping Kamoshida in its cruel embrace, scorching the demon's skin with the combined power of flame and wind. Maybe, that could have done it. But none of the Thieves had strength enough to keep the attack going for long. Ren dropped to his knees, mask returning to his face, his vision starting to blur at the edges. He was at his limit. And judging from Panther and Mona's labored breath from behind him, they weren't faring much better. He chanced a glance towards the banister Skull had been scaling. Ren couldn't see him, which probably meant the boy had managed to reach his destination. They just had to survive long enough to make that count for something.

"Is that all you can do?" Kamoshida asked. He laughed, deep and ugly. "Why don't I show you what true power looks like?"

Ren shoved a hand into his bag, grabbing blindly at one of the soft drinks and popping the tab. Still gasping for air, he put the lip against his mouth and upended the can. Ren coughed and spluttered his way through, more of the drink running down his chin than into his throat, but it was enough. He threw the can to the side as Kamoshida rose to his feet.

The Cognitions collectively bounced the volleyball up, once, twice, then launched it. The Demon King jumped along with it, swinging at the ball, smashing it towards the Thieves. "Gold Metal Spike!"

Ren didn't dare blink. "Saki Mitama!" The Persona, like a golden teardrop, flared into existence between him and the rapidly approaching projectile. It hummed, spinning in midair, a shimmering blurred barrier. The volleyball slammed into Saki Mitama, shuddering, still brimming with energy. "Come on, come on." Ren grit his teeth, bracing himself against the floor. Persona and projectile ground against each other. He tasted metal. He tasted blood. "Come on!" With one last push, the volleyball bounced off, thudding against the floor and rolling to the side. Ren could barely see, his gaze fully blurring over. He could hardly feel the impact of his knees against the floor, hardly feel the pain that now sparked his entire nervous system.

"Pathetic." But he could hear Kamoshida, unfortunately, all too well. "You're all so weak."

"Skull," Panther whispered, from somewhere behind Ren, "hurry up."

"And now you're all going to die." Kamoshida laughed. One arm up, a knife hanging in midair.

A quiet cry in the dark. Flashing red and blue lights. No. No, not yet. Not yet!

"Arsene!" A bolt of pain shot through Ren's body, from his feet up his spine like lightning from hell, setting his nerves aflame and bursting past his lips to carve a nightmare into reality. He saw the world splinter, saw the reflection of his own frenzied yellow eyes against the shards of existence, saw a jagged crack in something very precious. Such a little fissure, and yet from that scar he heard the echos of infinity, the millennium choir, like a bell slowly chiming back and forth. Ren felt dark fingers pull the corners of his mouth into a hungry grin, salivating at the luxurious bounty to be taken.

Trickster.

A stern voice, unfamiliar. A flash of blue and the schism in the precious thing was gone. The chime faded from Ren's ears and the threads pulling his soul snapped in unison. Reality, such as it was, crashed back into him and his own codename flickered back across his lips. The throne room. Kamoshida, his treasured Treasure. Mona and Panther, staring ahead, at his side but their eyes locked on the blue flame. The flame. Ren saw that dark shape imposed into existence – scored by his own hands, his call answered – and he recognized it instantly.

Two black wings unfolded, feathered at their base but otherwise leathery and thin, not unlike a bat's. For a moment, Ren thought the color of those boots and that long-sleeved vest was a trick of the light; no, the familiar crimson of those garments had faded into nothing, each a stark white against that formal black shirt. Only his mask retained that hue, those eyes and that grin still shining with an otherworldly red light. His horns seemed different, no longer as thin or long as they were. Instead, they had curled forward into a thick spiral, like a ram's horns, farther away from that tall black top hat.

"I am thou, thou art I," bellowed the nightmare of azure flame. "I am the pillager of twilight, plunged into the abyss. I am the tyrant's bane, the dagger from shadows, the swift hand tipping the scales. My hunger is eternal, insatiable, irrevocable. I am Arsene Dusk!" He turned to Kamoshida, the motion sending a shockwave through the air that nearly sent the Phantom Thieves flying, Ren gritting his teeth and bracing himself against the force of his own Persona. "I see you have procured an excellent bounty for me, Thief. Glorious!" Arsene raised a clawed hand, opening it. A spark flickered in his palm and then roared into a furious blood-red inferno. The dark flame lasted but a moment before coalescing, solidifying into a long black cane. "Ready yourself, Asmodeus, for I will cut out your heart."

"How dare you upstage me in my own throne room!" Kamoshida shrieked, slamming an enormous fist into the wall. "Slaves! Another kill shot!" He rose, his underlings rolling out another gigantic volleyball.

"He's about to attack again!" Mona yelled into the wind.

"Ah, good," Arsene said, facing the Shadow head-on, "you've accepted my challenge, I see. Well then, demon scum, give it your best shot!" He pivoted, cane resting in his left hand, right hand outstretched.

"Is he going to catch it?" Panther said, Ren only barely hearing her over his own heart pounding in his ears.

The demon leapt into the air, hitting the ball square at the peak of its arc, sending it flying towards the Thieves and Arsene. "Gold Medal Spike!"

For a moment, Ren's heart stopped as the sphere hurtled towards him. "What a pathetic display," said Arsene. He pulled his right hand back, claws outstretched, and swept it across the air. "Nullify." A shimmer across reality, torchlight glinting across glass, and the volleyball burst like a balloon hitting a tack.

"Joker," came Mona's quiet voice from behind him, "I didn't know your Persona was this strong."

"Neither did I," Ren replied.

"How," Kamoshida said, his disgusting tongue hanging out of his open mouth, "how did you stop my kill shot?"

"With ease." Arsene shook his hand off, as if loosing himself of a bit of dust or a cobweb. "Allow me to demonstrate for you," he placed one hand on his cane, "true power."

Movement out of the corner of Ren's eye, he saw Skull vanish behind the banister, no doubt ready to jump. "Wait!" he yelled, and he felt his gut lurch as if something anchored there had pulled taught.

Arsene turned to face him, deep red flame flickering inside that hollow head. It was like staring off the edge of the cliff, facing down something unfathomable, playing chicken with gravity. Two words flashed across his mind: certain death. But it was long enough.

"Kamoshidaaaaaaaa!" The elongated battle scream of one Ryuji Sakamoto, vaulting across the banister and hurtling towards the back of the Demon King's head. Kamoshida turned, unable to act fast enough to stop Skull from smashing into the crown with all the force he could muster. Both Thief and Treasure tumbled off Kamoshida's head, the former clutching onto the latter as it clattered to the ground, right into the waiting arms of Panther and Mona.

"No!" Kamoshida shrieked, grabbing at his scalp, fingers closing around nothing.

"If you're quite done holding me back," Arsene Dusk said, "I have a bounty to rend." He turned from Ren to Kamoshida, and the single motion felt like it tore Ren's spine out of his body. He could barely stand, his heart thudding behind his eyes, as he watched his Persona place one hand on his cane once again. "Vorpal Blade." Ren saw only the shine of steel catching the light, then Arsene slid the hidden sword back into the cane. In that instant, Kamoshida's form was splintered. Black blood burst out of him from a hundred cuts, he barely had the breath left to wail before his entire body was shredded. The Demon King stayed upright for but a second, before falling backwards, collapsing onto the staircase. His massive form started to fade, warping and melting into so much black powder, drifting away on the wind, until only the pathetic body of a man remained

Ren stared up at Arsene Dusk, and the nightmare thief began to laugh. That haunting laughter stayed even as the Persona vanished, back into the blue fire that had summoned it. Back to the depths of Ren's heart. Back to the abyss.