AN: Who's ready for the start of the first original Confidant for this story!?

Chapter 9: Castle of Lust (Part 2)

April 22

Loona: Are we going back to the Palace soon? I've been itching to get back into the fight.

Ren: We'll be going in tomorrow. I want to get some more supplies before then.

Octavia: Going to the doctor then? I'll meet you in Yogen after school for that.

Ryuji: We should totally hang out at your place sometime, dude! I wanna know what kind of space you're living in…

Ren: You really don't.

Ann: Oh, is it messy?

Ren: Just not ready to invite people over yet.

Loona: Give him some space, guys. Trust me, if a guy doesn't want you in his room, then don't bother asking.

Collin: Speaking from experience?

Loona: More like dealing with Blitz all the time… Ugh, Student Council President is giving me glares across the room. Later.

"Is there another reason we're back here already?" Octavia asked. "I'm pretty sure we stocked up well enough on supplies last time…"

"I want to ask her about the "enhanced drug" we heard about the other day," Ren explained.

"Oh yeah, that thing! If she has something as powerful as that, then it'll surely come in handy in our infiltration!" Morgana exclaimed.

"You know, I could see about getting us enhancers from Hell… but then again, I don't think human bodies can handle that stuff. Might cause you to explode." Octavia noticed the concerned looks that Ren and Morgana gave her. "I'm kidding- for the most part. Though now I'm wondering about how my parents are handling my "situation" down there…"

"You can tell me about it whenever you feel ready to," Ren said with an understanding nod. Octavia gave him a grateful smile before the two entered the clinic, seeing the doctor behind the front desk again. 'Guess she works alone here…' Ren thought.

"What are you here for today?" the doctor, Tae Takemi, asked.

"Got any "special" medicine?" Ren asked.

That made Takemi look up in confusion before recognition came over her face. "Now I remember. You're that kid for Leblanc, and his cousin from the other day… Regular medicine won't do the trick?"

"I have my reasons," Ren said.

Takemi sighed. "Very well… Just head into the examination room for now." Ren and Octavia entered the room, with Takemi coming in shortly after, the doctor leaning up against the door and locking it, preventing the two from leaving. "That "medicine", huh? So… which conversation did you eavesdrop on to hear that?" Ren and Octavia squirmed in their seats. "It was obvious, actually. You call that hiding? Not that I care, of course. I was going to dispose of that medicine anyway. I got a little too carried away with it… But tell me; why would a couple of high school students like yourselves be so interested in that medicine?"

The two felt Takemi's gaze leer over them as the doctor continued. "It's very strange, indeed. Neither of you seem to be very athletic, so… What exactly are you up to?"

"It's… for exams!" Octavia blurted out.

Ren gave her a weird look, but Takemi seemed to take the bait. "Exams…? Oh, your entrance exams for college? So you're looking to improve your concentration and reduce fatigue? Hm, that's not the best idea. But if that's what you want to do…" The doctor unlocked the door and moved away from it. "The good luck with that. I have no obligation to help you with that. Why don't you have an energy drink or something?"

This time it was Ren that kept them in the conversation. "We really need that medicine," he insisted.

Takemi gave him a glare. "You're really annoying, you know that? The medicine is really expensive. And it's not something a high schooler can get his hands on. It costs almost as much as a car. Got it? So can you just go home?"

'Come on, there has to be some way we can get it…' Octavia thought. That was when Ren said something unexpected. "Can I work for it?" he asked.

"What, like part-time help?" Takemi questioned. "… Do you consider yourself someone with a good amount of stamina? I admit I have been looking for a young person around your age to help me out. But I haven't been able to find one, even after getting an ad in the paper… Are you up for it?"

Octavia pulled Ren to the side. "Ren, this sounds insane, and very questionable. I'm not going to let you be seduced by this woman- we have a job to do, remember?"

"Then you help me out with this like you already are," Ren whispered back. He turned back to Takemi and spoke, "What will I be doing here?"

"Do you want to do it or not?" Takemi glared. Ren just nodded, flustered under her gaze. "Okay, then. You'll be participating in clinical trials for my medicine."

"Wait, what?" Octavia questioned, though she was left unanswered as Takemi left for the other room. 'Okay, so she's not just using Ren for sex… You know, I should probably change my standards for when people ask for "help" up here. I know sex is a common transaction in Hell, but the human world works differently…' Takemi soon returned with a small cup filled with a red liquid that reminded Octavia of Blood Wine, her mother's favorite beverage. Supposedly it was a drink created by the first vampire as a way for other demons to enjoy the taste of blood without actually drinking it, but it was also notorious for being a highly alcoholic beverage favored by the rich. 'Now I'm wondering if Mom does have a drinking problem contributing to her shouting…' the owlet wondered.

"Here you go," Takemi said, handing the cup to Ren. The teen eyed the cup nervously. "…Worried about the side effects, huh? Well, you can relax. Rest assured, my autopsy is guaranteed to find out exactly what part of it killed you."

"The Hell, lady!?" Octavia shouted.

"What, aren't you going to take it?" Takemi questioned. "The exit's right there if you want to leave." Ren stared intensely into the medicine. "Well? Go on."

Ren shrugged. "Bottoms up," he said before downing the entire thing in one go.

That made both Octavia and Takemi shocked. "I can't believe you actually drank it…" the doctor said. "Wow… Still doing okay, huh? Hm, not bad, for a high schooler. Uh…" Suddenly Ren clutched his head, falling out of his chair before passing out on the ground. "Welp, game over, I guess."

"You… You effing killed him!" Octavia shouted, her had extending out to her side, on the verge of summoning a fireball.

"Relax, this was supposed to happen," Takemi said, pulling Ren up onto the cot in the room. "Just sit in the chair and let me do my examination…"

Octavia could only watch as the back-alley doctor did her thing, examining the effects of the medicine on Ren and writing up notes on her computer. Hours passed, and soon enough Ren did regain consciousness. "Oh thank Sa- god, you're alright," Octavia said.

"Good evening," Takemi greeted him. "Do you remember anything from the moment you took the medicine until now? Hm, by the look in your eyes, I'd say you don't. You briefly woke from your coma, but you were completely dazed during the entire examination… You eventually lost consciousness, and fell back asleep." She scoffed. "Are you out of your mind? Only an idiot would have drank that."

"I am not outta my mind," Ren said. "It's for my exams."

Takemi rolled her eyes. "Fine. By the way, the reason you lost consciousness is because of the taste."

Octavia gave a flat, "What."

"It produces a foul smell when it mixes with gastric juices, similar to surstromming," Takemi explained. "Oh well. All that matter is thanks to you, I was able to get some good data. Okay, it's my turn to make good on my part of the deal. That's why I waited until you woke up. I don't want the general public to know about my original medicines. So, you two are strictly prohibited from disclosing what happens here to anyone… Understood?"

"Of course," the cousins answered at the same time.

"Then it's a deal," Takemi nodded. "As long as you come here for it, I'll give you the medicine at a good price whenever you want. I may even add additional selections, in time… I look forward to your continued patronage."

'Looks like we've made a deal with Takemi…' Octavia thought. It may have been her imagination, but the owlet felt a new bond forming between the three of them. 'A feeling of… Death? Ironic, for a doctor.'

Takemi turned back to her notes. "So… when can you come back for the next clinical trial?"

"Right… You said something about teenage test subjects being important in your field of work," Octavia remembered.

Takemi nodded. "I'll provide you the medicine for your entrance exams, and in exchange you're cousin will be my guinea pig…. I have to perfect this medicine."

"Shouldn't you help out as well for this?" Ren asked.

Octavia shook her head. "I have a "rare blood disorder" that will just skew the results," she lied. In reality, Octavia knew that her being a full Goetia would mean that any medical exams she got would bring up strange results if Takemi got her hands on even a drop of her blood. 'I can't risk my true nature getting out because of a blood test…' Octavia thought. "Good luck with this, Ren."

"If you're able to move now, you both can go home," Takemi said. "All right, take care."

"You'll call us when you're ready for the next clinical trial, right?" Octavia asked.

"Yes. If you're so instant on being here for his sake, then I'm sure my new guinea pig will inform you of the time," Takemi said. "And I'll put together some compensation by then, for all your efforts today. But you're not getting that in writing. Based on today's results, I think I can whip up some medicine for next time. Drop by when you're ready for it."

"Please go easy on me…" Ren said, Octavia finding his nervousness both understanding yet slightly amusing as well.

Takemi seemed to think the same thing, chuckling a bit. "We'll see. That's all up to you. You live pretty close, right? Yu might still feel some dizziness, so take it easy on your way home. I'm not in the mood to write up an autopsy. So take care of yourself."

When the two left, Octavia explained what had happened to Morgana. "Woah, that must have taken a lot of guts to drink in one go," the not-cat said. "I'm impressed, Joker."

"Guts or stupidity," Octavia sighed. "Hope that you don't ever go to Hell, Ren, because if you just did what you did back there where I'm from, you would have just drank cyanide or some shit."

"Noted," Ren nodded.

[***]

April 23

Location: East Building 3F

Back in the Palace to continue their infiltration, the gang swiftly exited the library wing, sneaking past powerful Shadows on their way. Coming to a barred door, Templar noticed a strange indention next to the lever. "Hey, this looks like where the medal we found last time could fit!" the cherub exclaimed.

"Then let's try it," Joker said. He inserted the medal and pulled the lever, a grin coming to his face as the lever lowered, allowing then to remove the bars in the way.

"Sweet! Looks like it worked!" Skull said.

"Now we can keep going!" Panther cheered.

"If it was barred off, then it must be important," Omen noted. "Let's continue onward."

The next area was the Annex of the East Building, which turned out to be a large church-like room, with a gaudy statue of Kamoshida where the altar would be. "This place is huge… yet there are no guards? That seems suspicious…" Mona said.

"But the Treasure's up ahead, right? We don't got a choice but to keep going," Skull pointed out.

"I guess that's true…" Mona hummed. "But we need to make sure we're ready for whatever might be ahead. What do you think, Joker? Should we continue onward?"

"Let's go," Joker nodded, taking the lead as they entered the room. As they walked into the room proper, the cognition shifted slightly, showing where they were in relation to the real world.

"Wait, was that… the gym?" Panther questioned.

Lycan snarled at the statue. "I get it… The gyn's some kind of holy place for him. He's a god there."

"I can't believe he can think like that…" Templar said in disgust. "Especially after what he did to Shiho… He defiles the Lord's holy place and turns into one for his own worship. It's… it's disgusting!"

"God, that bastard makes me so freaking sick!" Skull cursed. "Just you wait, Kamoshida!"

"I see… So you're the ones who tampered with the library," said a mysterious voice. "It seems my time waiting here has paid off…" Appearing before them was another guard captain. "Just as that bitch said, this place is a holy ground for our great King Kamoshida. It is preposterous for miscreants like yourself to come waltzing in like this!" Taking his true form, Templar gasped as the Shadow transformed into Heavenly Punisher.

"No way… an Archangel!?" the cherub exclaimed.

"Damn, I knew that Shadows take familiar forms, but to fight one in the guise of an angel is surreal," Omen said.

"You will play for foolishly defying King Kamoshida… with your lives!" Heavenly Punisher shouted.

"I knew this would happen! Well, we don't have a choice," Mona shook his head. "Let's take it down!" The Phantom Thieves all lined up for battle, the Heavenly Punisher making the first move by charging up. "Look! He's trying to do something! It's important to guard if you think you're in danger!"

"Be ready for a big hit!" Omen agreed. The team all kept their guard up, with the princess being the first to face Heavenly Punisher's Cleave. "Damnit, that still hurts!"

"Hit him while he's open!" Lycan called, using a Magna spell to hit the Heavenly Punisher, only for the Shadow to laugh. "Seriously, he resisted that!?"

"Let me try!" Templar said, his Persona casting Aqua to no effect. "No way, he just nullified my spell!"

"I'm guessing that magic won't be of use, then," Omen said. "Let's just use guns and regular attacks to wear him down!" The Phantom Thieves did just that, attacking when there was and opening and guarding whenever Heavenly Punisher charged up for another Cleave attack. Eventually the Shadow did fall, but Omen still sighed afterwards from fatigue. "Didn't think we'd face a Shadow that tough so early on in our infiltration today… I'll stick to the back for now while I rest up."

"Take five, princess. We'll hand this," Lycan nodded.

Mona nodded. "It looks like Kamoshida is making a concerted effort to stop us now. Joker, I've helped you all learn a few different things so far, but there's no more time for lessons. I'll compile some info you'll need to know for battle, so be sure to take a look later."

'Where did he get paper in a place like this?' Omen wondered as Mona handed a pamphlet to Joker, who pocketed it to read later. They didn't have time to rest as more Shadow's suddenly surrounded them.

"Crap… More of 'em…" Skull cursed.

"What should we do? Head back?" Panther asked.

Mona shook his head. "No, the Treasure is definitely up ahead, and there has to be a path to it somewhere. See anything that could help us zip up there? Keep your eyes sharp!" Looking towards the Kamoshida statue, Joker aimed his grappling hook and swung up to the rafters above, the rest of the gang following behind him to escape the swarm of Shadows. Mone let out a sigh of relief. "That was close. Good going, Joker! That was some expert grappling. And now we can investigate this area! Let's get to it."

The Phantom Thieves found a few treasure chests to loot on their way around the area before exiting into a narrow hallway. As they passed by another corridor, Skull noticed something odd at the end. "The hell is that?" he asked aloud.

Looking further, it seemed to be a strange door on an opposite balcony to them. "Looks like we might've found something! Let's check it out, Joker!" Mona suggested.

"There's vines and shit growing over that door over there," Lycan noted. "It smells different from other parts of this castle as well. Definitely fishy."

"Looks like no one has been over there in a long time," Templar observed.

"I wonder what's over there…" Panther said. "Should we take a closer look?"

"There's one of those hook-things on the other side," Omen pointed out. "I bet Joker can grapple us over there."

"Hey, if we only have on grappling hook, how are we all grappling at the same time as Joker?" Lycan asked. "It's like one moment we're on the ground, and the next BOOM! We're all on the other side of the pit."

"It feels to me like what happened when Raoul, Joker's father, used his teleportation skill on myself and Mom," Omen noted. "I'm guessing that us going along with Joker's grapple is part of his latent Goetia magic, if I had to guess."

"You just keep getting cooler every day, man," Skull grinned.

Grappling over to the door, Joker cut through the vines and opened up the doors. "This rooms seems different from everywhere else we've seen so far…" Panther said.

"Yeah, and there's something super-suspicious over there…" Skull said, pointing to a weird plant in the middle of the room.

Mona jumped in recognition. "That's… C'mon, follow me!" The gang all went over to gather around the strange plant.

"Yuck, what is that?" Lycan asked, holding her nose at the smell.

"Just what I thought…" Mona grinned. "A "Will Seed.""

"You know what this is?" Omen asked.

"Palaces are locations that grew distorted from their original forms due to their rulers' cognition," Mona explained. "When such distortions coalesce into form, this is the result- I call it a "Will Seed.""

"Distortions… coalesce… into Will Seeds…" Templar repeated.

Mona sighed. "Should I try explaining that again?"

"Just forget it! That's a Will Seed. Moving on…" Skull grunted.

"So, what do we do with it?" Panther asked.

"We take it," Mona replied. "It may not be as prized as a Treasure, but it's still quite the rare find. Making it ours will only do us good… I think."

"Is it… really okay for us to take it?" Templar questioned.

"It better not curse us or activate a trap, because that would fucking suck," Lycan said.

"Eh, I'll give it a try anyway," Joker said.

"If anything bad happens, I'll use my magic to nullify your negative status!" Templar said, his Persona having recently learned the Refresh skill.

Joker picked up the Will Seed and pocketed it for later. "Nice! The Will Seed ours!" Mona cheered."

"I guess… nothing happened?" Skull said.

"There are more of these around here somewhere," Mona stated. "As far as I can tell, there are two of them left."

"How can you tell?" Skull questioned. "Can you smell 'em or something?"

"If he can't, then I definitely can," Lycan said. "Like tracking down a target back home. I'll lead you to the right place. Better let the hound do it than the cat."

"I am not a cat!" Mona chided.

"We should get moving," Joker said, leaving the room.

"I just seem like a cat…" Mona sighed.

Omen picked up the not-cat and smiled. "I know you aren't a cat, Mona. Don't let their words get to you."

"Thanks, Omen," Mona nodded. The gang moved onto the next area, climbing down the stairs and facing a powerful Shadow to gain access to a locked chest. Mona had taught Joker how to make infiltration tools before the heist began, so with one of his newly made lockpicks the leader of the Phantom Thieves obtained a new whip for Panther. Inside of the chest was also an odd bangle of some kind.

"Hey, that looks like a holy armament!" Templar said. "It's a special charm us angels attach to weapons to give them different effects. That one has the Hebrew letters for "Fire" on it, so it must cause burn damage when attacking!"

"Then you can have it, Templar," Joker said, the cherub adding the armament to his spear, giving a sound of amazement as the weapon glowed red with an inner flame.

"Cool weapon and all that, but let's get going," Lycan said. Heading up the stairs, the gang found themselves on the roof of the castle. "Hey, take a look at that!" the hellhound said, pointing up at the tower ahead.

"Oh! That matches up with that map. There's no doubt that's the tower we're headed for," Mona nodded.

"So, the Treasure's up there?" Panther asked.

"Hell yeah, we did it!" Skull cheered. "So… where's the entrance?" As he said that, Shadows appeared in the courtyard ahead. "Ugh, not again…"

"It doesn't surprise me that the closer we get to the Treasure, the most security we'll have to face," Omen said. "But I think there might be more than one way to get through. Joker, let's go!"

Looking around, Joker noticed a small gazebo in the middle of the courtyard. Waiting for the guards to turn their backs, the Phantom Thief grappled to the roof of the gazebo before noticing another, further off grapple point closer to the castle. With another grapple Joker stylishly flipped up to the tower, all in one swing. "That was awesome, dude!" Skull complimented.

"He really is good at this stuff, isn't he?" Panther nodded.

The gang climbed up the tower, entering in through the nearest window. Lycan smelled something off, though, and climbed up on some boxes near a vent. "Hey, I got one of the Will Seeds on my radar. This way!" she said. They followed the hellhound through the vent, coming out next to another window with a treasure chest to loot. "It's still nearby…" Lycan said. She looked up and pointed to a higher ledge. "Up there! Think you can grapple us up, Joker?"

The leader gave a nod and did just that, ascending the tower quickly before coming to a window with a Will Seed door inside. The Phantom Thieves entered and plundered the Will Seed for themselves, only one more remaining to be found. Heading back down to where they started this detour, the gang entered the tower proper to find it covered in a purple haze with shifting floors.

"Wh-What's going on!?" Panther exclaimed.

"The distortion is getting stronger… The Treasure has got to be nearby!" Mona exclaimed. The gang explored the tower, not taking long before they came across a strange occurrence. "Looks like a hidden room. Let's check it out!"

Inside the room was an elevator, which took the gang all the way down into a hidden chamber. "Where did we just end up?" Omen questioned as they went about exploring this hidden room. At the end of the hallway was a strange portrait of King Kamoshida.

"What the heck…? This is disgusting…" Panther said.

"Either way… it's kind of strange that this would be our dead end," Mona said.

"If this is anything like those castles in cartoons, then I bet there'll be a passage or something behind it," Omen speculated. The princess was correct in her assumption as the painting spun around, revealing a secret passage back to the main entrance hall of the castle! "Looks like watching those old cartoons with Dad did pay off."

"Hey, look! There used to be tons of soldiers wandering around, but I don't see any of 'em now…" Skull noted.

"We're also up on the balcony instead of on the floor," Templar said. "Let's see if we missed anything since we were last here."

Indeed, there were some new rooms to look through, including one with a strange switch. Joker pulled the lever, causing some gears above to start spinning. "I see. I bet there's another area can get to now!" Mona said. "I did see another elevator next to the one we used before. Let's go check it out!"

Heading back through the painting passage, Mona led the team to the other elevator he saw earlier. They activated it and went further down into the castle, which seemed to lead underneath the dungeons. Lycan started sniffing around. "Hey, I think this is where the last Will Seed is!" she said.

"Sweet! Let's make it ours, then," Skull nodded. This one wasn't going to be easily stolen, however, as a guard captain blocked the way. The Phantom Thieves approached the Shadow, which took up a battle stance as they did so.

"There you are! You're not taking another step!" the guard said.

"I guess we'll just have to step on you first!" Panther boasted. "Let's do thi-" The Shadow turned into its true form, which was that off a… well… very phallic image, let's put it like that. Panther let out a scream at the sight of it.

"It's coming!" Mona exclaimed as the Thorn King of Desire began its assault.

"Phrasing!" Templar shouted.

"I did not have dick monster on my list of things to fight," Omen sighed.

Lycan tried a Magna skill, only for the Shadow to shrug the attack off. "Seriously!? Why does everything in this fucking place block my magic!? I just got this shit and I can't even use it!" As the hellhound cursed up a storm, the Torn King of Desire turned its attention to her. "Hey, why is it looking at me like that?"

"It's giving Panther and I the same stare," Omen shuttered.

"Great, so it's a dick monster and a pervert. Lovely!" Lycan growled.

"Ladies, take defensive action! We'll handle this guy!" Mona said, stepping in front of Ann. As it turned out, the Torn King of Desire was only interested in attacking the girls of the team, leaving the guys to figure out what to do to defeat it. It resisted their magic like the Heavenly Punisher had and did the same to their guns, to physical attacks were the way to go.

"If Blitz was here, he'd make a joke about beating it off or something," Lycan said. The hellhound growled and pulled out her chain sickle, spinning it around. "Hey dickhead! Why don't you taste some of this!?" Lycan unleashed a brutal combo of chain swings on the Torn King of Desire before blasting it three times with her gun, knocking it down.

"A critical hit! Let's finish this, guys!" Mona called, prompting an All-Out Attack.

Lycan took the lead here, ending the battle by landing with a roll into a sitting position, looking a bit bored as she pulled out her phone and flipped of their enemy. "Not worth my time!" she said as the Shadow exploded.

With the battle over the path to the Will Seed as clear. "I am so down with this place…" Ann shuttered.

"I will definitely need a long, cold shower tonight to feel clean after getting leered at by an actual dick monster…" Omen nodded in agreement.

"We're all almost through here- Just hang in there, Panther and Omen," Mona encouraged.

Entering the room, Joker grabbed the last Will Seed, jumping back in surprise as the three items came out and fused into something new! "Whoa, what the hell was that!?" Skull exclaimed. "It got all… I don't even know how to describe it…"

"Mona never did tell us what Will Seeds actually do," Omen pointed out.

Mona seemed equally shocked. "So that's what happens… I never expected this-" He shook his head. "I mean, I never expected anything less than that to happen!"

"So you had no clue either," Joker sighed.

"Oh, who cares about the details!?" Mona shouted. "What really matters is the power I'm sensing from it. Maybe it could give us an upper hand somehow in the future?"

"Wait, we're just… taking it?" Templar questioned. "I'm not totally sure that's a great idea…"

"A phantom thief makes use of any available took to accomplish a mission," Mona explained. "Who know what we'll find next? If we find ourselves in a situation where this could be useful, let's see what it can do!"

With the Will Seeds collected and fused into a new item (it apparently gave them a strong healing spell when worn, so it was decided that Omen would hold onto it for now), the Phantom Thieves headed back up into the tower to finish their infiltration. As they climbed the tower and fought off more Shadows, Templar looked distressed after one particular battle. "Why was that Angel in bondage gear? No one in Heaven would ever dress like that!"

"Oh yeah, then how do you know what bondage gear is?" Lycan questioned. "Although, I was wondering why the Succubus and Incubus look different from how they should look myself…"

"What do they really look like?" Panther asked.

"Well, first of all, there's not really a difference in Succubus or Incubus, other than their presenting gender," Lycan explained. "They mostly look human, other than having neon pink skin with horns and a tail. Some of them have wings as well."

"This is the cognitive world, so that could be the reason for these differences," Mona speculated.

"I was thinking the same thing," Omen nodded. "If this world is made of the Collective Unconscious, then the Shadows take the form that humans imagine we have rather than what we truly look like. For instance, I bet a Hellhound Shadow would look like a flaming dog rather than a dog-like person."

"Ugh, this'll get confusing, won't it?" Lycan sighed.

"Let's just move on and not think about it. The Treasure is close," Joker said. Reaching the top of the tower, the gang was soon stopped by a bridge with swinging blades on it, Joker barely managing to step back out of the way.

"Whoa, that was close!" Panther exclaimed. "Wait… What is this…?"

"It's a classic security measure," Mona explained. "My tail might be in danger if we try to force our way through…"

"Same for mine, Omen's, and Templar's," Lycan said. "So, what are we going to do now if we can't get through? The other path is blocked."

"What about this statue?" Templar said, pointing to a nearby bust of Kamoshida. "Maybe it was something to do with the blades?"

"Oh yeah, like the one down in the dungeon!" Skull said. "Try pulling it, Joker." The leader did so, but it had no effect.

"I didn't think it would be that easy," Mona sighed. "We'll probably need some kind of key for it…"

"We gotta look for a key again? What a pain in the ass…" Lycan scoffed.

"Where would we find a key, though? We basically explored all the rooms on the way up here and didn't find any," Omen pointed out. "What do you think, Joker?"

"An enemy as a key," Joker speculated.

Mona hummed. "That probably would be the most likely scenario…"

"One of the Shadows has it?" Templar questioned. "But there are too many to go through all of them, even if we split up!"

"The key is for this tower, so it would have to be one of the Shadows around here," Mona said. "On top of that, it would have to be a relatively high-ranking one."

"Then we just need to look for Shadows like that and kick their asses for the key!" Lycan said, pounding her fists together. Heading back down the tower, the Phantom Thieves noticed that a new guard had joined the ranks, that of a golden soldier. Attacking that enemy, an Eligor, Skull and Joker exploited its weakness to Zio while Panther put it to sleep with her Dormina skill. It wasn't long before they picked up the Randy Right Eye from its body.

"Is that… an eye?" Omen asked.

"Oh, I just figured it out!" Mona said, eyes shining. "This must be how we stop those scythes!"

"Oh yeah… the statue was lacking eyeballs, wasn't it?" Templar remembered.

"How much grosser can he get?" Panther gagged.

"So this is gonna stop those things, huh?" Skull asked.

"We'll, we'll need one more," Mona pointed out. "Another guard captain probably has it. Let's try checking the other floors!"

Going down another floor, the gang witness as not one but three golden soldiers were on patrol. "Great, I can't smell a difference between them," Lycan growled. "How are were going to know which one has the key-eyeball-thing?"

"I think Joker might have a way of knowing," Mona said. "I'd think you of all people would have the skills to figure out which one is real."

"You're Third Eye," Omen said. "It can see important or hidden things, so maybe it could detect the key!"

"Let's try it," Joker nodded. Following the guards into the other room, Joker pointed up to one on a higher ledge. "There. That one is glowing a different color from the others." Climbing up there, the gang ambushed the guard, another Eligor, and swiftly defeated it, gaining the Lustful Left Eye as their second and final key.

"Sweet, we got both of that bastard's eyes! Let's go stop those swinging things!" Skull cheered. Climbing back up to where the blade trap was, Joker inserted the eyes and pulled the lever, causing the swinging blades to retract. "All right! We can get across!" Skull said.

Crossing the bridge, the Phantom Thieves climbed one final staircase to the top of the tower, where a large, locked door blocked their way. Climbing up some nearby statues to a window, it turned out that the locked room was in fact the Throne Room for King Kamoshida. "He's got a lot of soldiers down there…" Templar noted.

"How have you not captured the intruders!?" Shadow Kamoshida shouted in anger.

"I apologize, my liege!" one of the soldiers said.

"I bet he'd never imagine we're in the same room as him," Mona sniggered. "Come on, let's keep moving…" Sneaking behind the throne on the upper walkway, the team entered the backroom where Mona sensed the Treasure.

"This sturdy-looking door's pretty promising," Skull grinned. "Let's head inside!" The Phantom Thieves entered to find that this was the Treasure Room of the castle. "Whoa, what is this place!? Holy shit!"

"There's nothing holy about poop," Templar sighed, getting a laugh out of Lycan. "But yes, this is a lot of gold. The Treasure must be in here!"

"Hey, what is this?" Panther asked, pointing to a nebulous blob hanging over the hoard. "It's… floating in the air."

Mona laughed. "That's the Treasure. We finally found it!"

"That cloudy thing is the Treasure?" Omen questioned.

"Just hold on a second," Mona said. "I was planning on telling you more once we made it this far. Simply finding the Treasure isn't enough. We'll need to make it materialize before we can steal it."

The other Phantom Thieves shared confused looks. "What do you mean?" Lycan asked.

"Desires have no physical forms by nature," Mona explained. "Hence, we'll first need to make the real person aware that that their desires are in fact a Treasure. Once they're conscious that their desires might be stolen, the Treasure will finally show itself."

"But how do we do that?' Panther asked.

"We warn them. Tell then, "We're going to steal your heart,"" Mona explained.

Skull grinned. "So we're gonna send a calling card!? That's totally what a phantom thief would do!"

"Once we do that, the Treasure will appear for certain!" Mona nodded. "…I think!"

"We should really make sure you're one-hundred percent certain before making these statements," Omen sighed. "Either way, it'll be worth taking the chance."

"Our infiltration route is secure," Mona nodded. "All that's left now is to pump out a calling card in reality, then come back to take the Treasure!"

"This is it, huh?" Omen asked, looking to Joker.

"We won't lose," he affirmed.

"Damn right!" Lycan and Skull said at the same time.

"Once we send out that calling card, there will be no turning back," Mona warned. "Just let me know when you're ready. We'll head back to the hideout and send out that calling card!" With that the gang left the Palace for the day, heading home to decide when to send the calling card another day.

Ryuji: You back home yet? I'm pooped… It hit me like a goddamn ton of bricks right when I sat down…

Ann: Well, I guess we did walk pretty far in.

Collin: I'm glad that we found the Treasure today! Even if it's not formed yet…

Ryuji: So Kamoshida'll turn into a good guy if we steal that, huh…

Octavia: Either way, it's up to Ren to decide when we send the calling card. He is the leader, after all.

Loona: You're almost like the co-leader, Octavia, considering that you got your Persona second out of all of us.

Ren: Morgana wants to say that he got his Persona before all of us.

Loona: Whatever.

Octavia: Morgana can be second-in-command for both of us, Ren.

Ann: Call us over to the hideout when you're ready.

Ren: Nice work, guys.

Collin: See ya!

[***]

That night, Octavia had a dream, one that was both vivid but abstract at the same time. She rolled in her bed as she dreamed of a night club bathed in blue light, not unlike the mysterious door she'd seen Ren step through outside the Palace. Sitting on a lounge couch underneath a large disco ball was-

"Hello again, Octavia," greeted Philemon.

"Philemon," the princess gave a small bow. "What is this place? It's different from where we last met."

"This is Club Velvet, a special venue for Persona users to visit in their dreams," Philemon explained. "I would like to congratulate you on fully awakening to Mulan, and to extend that praise to your friends as well."

"Uh… thanks…" Octavia replied. "So, why did you call me to this "Club Velvet" or whatever?"

"I would like you to help the Wild Card in expanding his skills," Philemon said. "I'm sure that you have certain knowledge that he will find useful, such as your skills with taxidermy?"

"Yeah, like making dead bodies into statues will be useful as a phantom thief," Octavia rolled her eyes.

"I was more referring to your skills in craftsmanship," Philemon clarified. "After all, it was those skills that helped you be where you are now."

"Right… faking my death with… that thing…" Octavia recalled. "So what, you want me to teach Ren to build stuff?"

"That is part of it, yes," Philemon nodded. "I saw how you obtained all the Will Seeds inside the Palace today. Those accessories are powerful, but merely picking them up within Palaces will only get you so far. I'm sure you know where I'm going with this?"

Octavia nodded. "I think I do. I'll talk to him about it tomorrow."

"Excellent," Philemon said. "Oh, and one last thing…" The world started to brighten up as Octavia drifted away from the world of sleep. "The doorway may only be open to the Wild Card, but the Aeon does not always abide by the rules set in place by a god…"

[***]

April 24

Octavia: Ren, can we meet up today, alone? I want talk about us and our family. Meet me near the vending machines outside of school after classes.

Ren: I'll be there.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Ren asked, approaching Octavia.

The princess took out her earbuds and gave her full attention to her cousin. "I know we've been focused on stopping Kamoshida, but we really haven't gotten to know each other very well. All I know about you is that you're my mortal cousin from an uncle I've never met until a month ago, and all you know about me is that I'm a princess of royalty from Hell. We've lived entirely different lives, quite literally I might add."

"True. I'm sure that Hell has a different structure to everything compared to Earth," Morgana nodded.

"From what Dad has told me, the closest equivalent in this realm would be LA in America," Octavia said. When she didn't get a reaction from either of them, she sighed. "That was a joke… I think. This is my first time in the human real, and even here I feel like I don't fit in…"

"Don't you have Loona as your friend?" Ren asked.

"If my dad has his way, the two of us would be step-sisters…" Octavia chuckled, before looking disgusted. "I'd rather not get into it, but let's just say that whatever you people on Earth know about Prince Stolas of the Ars Goetia is probably made-up nonsense. But to answer your question: no, we aren't friends. I didn't even know she existed until… that guy brought her up to join me as my bodyguard."

"Well, if you are a princess, it makes sense that you'd need protection," Morgana said.

"From what? Everyone in Hell right now thinks I'm dead, so they won't be looking for me up here," Octavia said. She sighed and looked away. "Sorry about that. Family drama makes me heated. I get that from my mom… Anyway, what I really wanted to talk to you about is getting to know each other better. You just recently found out that you're half Goetia, so you need to know what that really means. I can help you with that."

"Oh, is Ren going to get special powers in the real world!?" Morgana exclaimed.

Octavia nodded, holding up a finger to produce a small flame. "I have pyrokinetic abilities, though in the Palace all demon magic doesn't work- that's why I have to rely on my Persona to cast spells. Have you noticed anything unusual happening to you, Ren?"

"Well, after learning about my Third Eye skill, I realized I can use it here in the real world as well," Ren said. "Also, I've felt more athletic recently with all the running around in the Palace we've been doing."

"Hm… Perhaps your demon side is making your Phantom Thief skills bleed over into the real world," Morgana suggested.

"Could be the case," Octavia nodded. "I just want you to be prepared for what's to come and knowing about your Goetia ancestry will help with that. So, do we have a deal?"

"Only if you let me teach you how to be a teenager," Ren said. "You've been a royal all your life, so let me show you how to just act like a normal kid."

"I don't think either of us count as "normal", Mr. Permanent-Record," Octavia chuckled. "But sure, learning about what being a teen is all about would be nice. All I really have is the clothes and music." The two shook hands, their Goetia magic sparking slightly as pink and blue embers flashed between their palms. "Also, I'd like to talk to you sometime about that door…"

"What door?" Morgana asked.

'Right, no one else but us can see it,' Octavia remembered. "It's a secret Goetia thing, Morgana. You don't have to worry about it." That seemed to satisfy the not-cat. "I'll give you a call when I want to hang out next time. I need to come up with ideas for what I want to do for "normal teenage things" first."

"I'll be waiting," Ren replied. The two departed from there, with Ren looking at his phone and seeing that Ryuji wanted to meet up. "I'll be doing some training with Ryuji, Morgana. You can go do your own thing in the meantime."

"You got it, Ren!" the not-cat nodded, heading off to explore the area while the Wild Card built up his Chariot Confidant.

[***]

I am thou, thou art I.

Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion that breakth thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Aeon Persona,

I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…

New Confidant Forged

Confidant: Octavia Goetia

Arcana: Aeon

Profile: A Goetia princess and your cousin on your father's side. She came to the human realm to aid you in your quest to avoid ruin.

Rank 1 Description: You made a deal with Octavia to learn more about your Goetia heritage. In return, you will teach her about how to be a teenager.

Rank 1 Ability: Arcana Burst- gain additional EXP when fusing Persona of the Aeon arcana.

Author's Note

The Palace Infiltration is now complete! It was fun getting to explain the Will Seeds, as they're going to give Loona something to do as the Phantom Thieves investigate the Palaces. On a similar note, I gave my own head cannon as to how your party members follow Joker whenever he uses the grappling hook. I mean, they have to get up there somehow, despite only Joker having one...

The Will Seed Guardian was a blast to write as well. It's basically just the Helluva Boss characters making dick jokes, but you have to admit that some of the Shadow designs get pretty weird in this game. Also discussions of how Shadows differ from the "real" demons in Helluva Boss will be a reoccurring topic throughout this story. I also touched on Collin getting his first weapon upgrade, and for the new characters their weapon upgrades will be more like mods to their weapons rather than new weapons entirely. Also I'd like to take this moment to explain how each of the HB character's guns work if they were playable:

Octavia: Her staff can fire bolts of magic. These magic blasts can hit through Resist Gun, Null Gun, and Repel Gun, but are incapable of inflicting critical hits and on the weaker side.

Loona: Her gun does average damage and has low accuracy, but has a higher-than-average chance to instantly down an enemy with a critical hit

Collin: His crossbows always attack twice, one for each hand.

Finally, after a brief appearance of Philemon, Octavia and Ren start their Aeon Confidant. I want the two cousins to form a bond of friendship and brotherhood, so them trading knowledge on Hell and the human realm seems like a good choice. We'll get into what Confidant Ability Octavia grants next time her Confidant ranks up. For now I want to leave you with a question: how do you think Sae's interrogation question for Joker on Octavia would go down?

Next Time: The Phantom Thieves send the calling card to steal Kamoshida's heart!