AN: Persona 5 Tactica is a thing now, apparently! I'm only sticking to the main Persona 5 Royal story for this fanfic, but I just thought it was a cool announcement.

Chapter 29: Pyramid of Wrath (Part 1)

July 24

"Man, that assembly had me bored to tears," Ryuji sighed as the Phantom Thieves gathered in their new hideout: Ren's room in Leblanc.

Octavia raised an eyebrow as she saw Yusuke in his school uniform. "Did you have school as well, Yusuke?" she asked.

"I'm doing laundry, so these are the only clothes I had to wear," Yusuke explained.

"You really should buy a couple more outfits…" Ann mused.

"Come now, we didn't gather here to make small talk, now did we? Let's get to Alibaba's case," Makoto said.

"Well then, I'll start," Morgana said. "It looks like Futaba was listening in on Leblanc."

"But why would she want to listen in on the café?" Collin questioned.

"I have no idea," Morgana shook his head.

"It's just like Boss said… She's a tough nut to crack," Loona remarked. "Either way, we're gonna need her hacking skills to take down DHORKS… somehow. How is this going to help us again?"

"Because she could potentially get us information on their location, what weaknesses they have, that kind of thing," Octavia said. "Chances are they've found a way to block magical ways of tracking them, if they truly do have ways of exorcising demons, so technology is the way to go here. If we can get any of that information, then we can simply have my father deal with DHORKS for us."

"We'll have to trust in her skills for now, then," Yusuke said.

"Anyway, we found out Futaba has a Palace… but can someone who isn't evil have one?" Ann wondered.

"That doesn't matter. A Palace is the materialization of distorted cognitions brought about by strong desires… That's all. It just so happens that a lot of warped people turn out evil," Morgana explained.

"She's so young though… The pain she's gone through must be the cause of her distortion," Makoto said solemnly.

"Maybe that has something to do with why she calls herself Alibaba," Collin guessed.

"According to the chief's story, Futaba has auditory and visual hallucinations, right?" Loona recalled. "That might have something to do with her memories, if I had to guess."

"It is possible that those memories may have been warped by the distortions," Octavia nodded.

"Basically we just gotta steal her Treasure, right?" Ryuji asked.

"Well, yeah," Morgana replied.

"So do we all agree about taking on Futaba's Palace?" Ann asked.

"She's asked us to do so. I don't think that part is an issue," Makoto said. "If we heal Futaba's heart, it will not only help Boss, but she can then assist us with DHORKS."

"I agree," Yusuke nodded.

"I've been wondering about how Boss said "a lot happened" after Futaba's mom died too," Collin said.

"Hold on a second. Our investigation of her Palace may not go like anything we've done up to this point," Morgana warned.

"Why's that?" Ryuji asked.

"Having an individual ask you to steal their heart is an extremely irregular case. There's no telling what the Palace ruler's disposition will be like, or the distortion that'll be there," Morgana explained. "We may run into some unforeseen situations. Do you still want to go in?"

"Yeah, let's do it," Ren said confidently.

"All right. Let's just make sure we're cautious," Morgana nodded.

"Well, let's get cracking on those keywords, huh?" Loona asked, pulling out her phone and opening the Meta-Nav.

"The ones we have at the moment are "Futaba Sakura" and "Sojiro Sakura's house"," Makoto reminded the team.

"That just leaves us with what she sees the house as," Octavia said. "I guess that means we should go to Boss' house first… He's running the café right now, though, so let's make sure he doesn't suspect anything." The group left one at a time after that, with Ren and Octavia opting to go last.

"Important memories, huh… I'll be able to remember everything if I turn back into a human, right?" Morgana wondered.

"I don't know," Ren replied honestly.

"I would hope so," Octavia said.

"That has to be the case," Morgana said with conviction. "I… definitely want this mission to succeed. If we can retrieve Futaba's memories, then I'd bet we can get mine back too… In any case, it's not every day you stumble upon a hacker like her around. You really do have a gift, don't you?"

"Who knows? I'm just lucky," Ren shrugged.

"You sure live up to my expectations," Morgana smiled.

'I can feel Morgana's resolve…' Octavia thought. "I think now's the time for us to head out. Let's go." The trio headed out of Leblanc and gathered in front of Sojiro's house to determine the last keyword.

"She's a shut-in, so we just gotta figure out "what" she thinks her house is," Ryuji said. "If she can't get out, maybe a prison?" That didn't give a match.
"Perhaps a labyrinth with an unknown exit," Makoto suggested. No match was found.

"Hm… Maybe an oasis?" Ann pitched. That didn't seem to work either.

"Nothing so far," Yusuke shook his head. "In that case, how about hell?" Nothing came from that answer.

"Tch, we don't have enough info to get in," Loona said with a frown. "If only we could ask her directly for the answer…"

Collin gasped. "Wait, but we can! Just give me a moment." The cherub turned into his real form before going invisible. "I might not like the idea of breaking and entering, but this is for the greater good."

"I can tell you where Futaba's room is. I figured out the location when I snuck in last night," Morgana said.

"Boss is at the café right now too, so we have time. Just be careful in here," Octavia said.

"Just look for the room with caution tape and a "Do not enter" sign on it," Morgana said.

Collin nodded before flying into the house, quickly finding the room Morgana had described. He tried to enter the room as well but found that there seemed to be a weird invisible force that blocked his ability to phase through the door. Cautiously he knocked on the door before saying, "Futaba, are you in there?" He didn't get an answer. "Futaba, my friends and I are sorry for scaring you yesterday. It was dark and we got spooked when you suddenly appeared." Still no answer. "You're listening, right, Alibaba?" Still with nothing to go on, the cherub flew back outside to join the others.

"Couldn't get in?" Octavia said.

"No. In fact, there's something in her room that's blocking my ability to get in," Collin explained.

"So, the hacker has an occult side to her it seems," Loona mused. Suddenly Ren's phone went off, with a message from Alibaba.

Alibaba: Why are you here?

"Hm… So, she'll react to that name, but not her true one," Collin mused. "Maybe she doesn't like us using her real name?"

"We don't have time to dally around. We need her keyword before dealing with Alibaba's identity," Morgana said.

"Hm, perhaps we should all just be in there to speak with her," Octavia said. She pulled out some chalk from her bag and went over to a nearby alleyway. "Collin, if you go back to where the door was, I'm sure I can open up a portal near your location for us to enter the house though."

"Didn't you need medical attention the last time you did this?" Loona pointed out.

"Don't worry, I've been working on my stamina in regards to casting spells. The short distance of the portal won't drain my magic like last time," Octavia assured the team. Collin gave a nod before going back in the house to Futaba's room. Soon afterwards, a portal opened on the wall opposite the door, with the Phantom Thieves stepped through. "There nothing to it." Octavia put a hand on the door, feeling the invisible force Collin had before. "Yes, there is something within the room itself that is blocking all magic from getting through, though I can't tell if it's demonic or holy in nature. We'd need her to open the door to get in."

Makoto approached the door before speaking. "Alibaba, we want to learn more about you. If we don't do so, we can't steal your heart. The reason why we came here is because we need the keyword to enter your Palace. That's why we want to talk with Futaba Sakura herself, and not Alibaba. You don't have to show yourself. Just answer some questions for us. Chat messages are fine."

Ren got another message after that.

Alibaba: OK.

"All right then…" Loona nodded. "Our leader, the dude that lives in Leblanc's attic, wants to speak with you." The hellhound looked to Ren. "She seems to really respond to you, Ren. Get the keyword out of her."

Alibaba: What do you want to hear?

Ren: How is living in this house?

Alibaba: It's painful…

Ren: Why don't you go out?

Alibaba: I can't leave this place. I'm going to die here.

"Wha… Die?" Collin gasped.

Alibaba: Is this going to continue?

Ren: Why do you think that?

Alibaba: Why? This place is my tomb.

"Tomb?" Loona repeated. "That's some morbid shit right there… Do you think that's it?" She typed in the word, the Meta-Nav flashing as she did so.

"Input accepted. Searching for route to destination," the Nav proclaimed.

"We got it…!" Morgana cheered.

Alibaba: Was that enough?

"Yes. It was plenty," Makoto said through the door. "You haven't forgotten our promise of helping us if we complete your request, right?"

Alibaba: I haven't. We made a deal.

"Well then, let's hurry up and go," Ryuji said, pressing the button to go. "And… click!"

"You idiot, don't activate it here!" Morgana exclaimed.

"The portal!" Octavia shouted, quickly closing it up as the team was dragged into the Metaverse.

[***]

Location: Desert of Wrath

As the distortion faded, the Phantom Thieves found themselves in a vast sea of sand, though only Mona was in his thief attire. "It's a desert…" Yusuke said.

"Yeah, we see that," Loona said bluntly. "Wait, what the- our clothes are still the same?"

"Futaba herself is asking us to steal her heart. It'd be odd if she saw us as a threat," Mona pointed out. "If she doesn't see us as an enemy, then your clothes don't change. That's how it works. But more importantly, I told you to be cautious, Ryuji! Why'd you activate it like that!?"

"Is that why we ended up in a desert? Where's the tomb?" Ryuji wondered. "It's so damn hot here."

"Try saying that to someone with wool…" Collin panted, the Metaverse forcing him and the two demons to take on their true forms, meaning they were even worse off than the humans.

"Even though we entered right in front of her room, we didn't end up inside it," Ann pointed out.

"She must really want to keep people away from her," Makoto guessed.

"I see…" Ann replied.

"What bleak feeling this place has… It's the complete opposite of Kaneshiro's bank," Octavia mused.

"Let's hurt up and get going. Where's' the Palace?" Loona asked, trying to fan herself from the heat.

"Is it that way?" Mona asked, pointing to a shining light in the distance.

"When in doubt, go to the shining beacon in the endless ocean of sand," Octavia said. "A tomb in the desert… I see. Like the Pharaohs of the Ancient Egyptians. Let's make our way there."

"Isn't that kinda far?" Ann asked.

"Are we gonna walk!?" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Of course not! My paws will get burned!" Mona said. He ran forward and transformed into the Mona Bus.

"I've been waiting for this," Yusuke said in relief.

"I'll make sure to put the AC on full blast!" Mona promised.

"You're so considerate!" Ann praised.

"Hehe, r-right…" If he wasn't a car at the moment, Mona would surely be blushing.

"All right! Let's roll!" Ryuji cheered.

Everyone got into the Mona Bus, driving though the desert. Despite the AC, it was still a long drive to the pyramid, meaning they were all stuck in a stuffy van for a good hour or two. Loona and Makoto were up front, while the boys took the middle seats, leaving Octavia and Ann to occupy the backseats.

"It's stuffy…" Ann groaned.

"Better than opening up the windows to get blasted by the desert heat," Octavia replied, having stripped herself of her usual beanie and jacket.

"Ugh, this sucks…" Loona panted, leaning back from the steering wheel. Her fur was not doing her any favors in this heat, making her even more sweaty that she would be on a summer day. "Ann, didn't you brink some of that mineral water? Pass it up here!"

"I drank it already…" Ann replied, pulling on the top of her shirt to cool off.

"How are the guys…?" Makoto asked.

Loona looked back to find the boys staring at her sweating form. Collin looked like he desperately wasn't staring, but the huge blush in his face told the whole story. "Oh, so that's how you like it? Then take this!" the hellhound exclaimed, pulling the lever on the seat to slam the boys around.

"Loona, cut that out!" Octavia shouted, pushing herself against the wall as the boys got tossed around the back cabin.

"At least it wasn't me this time…" Ann sighed.

"That'll teach you creep on me, morons," Loona growled as she adjusted the seat back to its proper position.

'I regret… everything…' Collin thought as he has somehow ended up upside down in his seat. 'Stupid brain making me feel these things I don't want to feel…'

Ren shook his head, before gasping and leaning over the seat to look out the window. "Look, up ahead!" he pointed out.

"Is that it?" Yusuke asked.

"There we go," Makoto nodded as the pyramid finally was in sight once more. The gang hit full throttle as they approached the Pyramid Entrance. Mona transformed back to normal after everyone had gotten out, making them slaves to the dry desert air once more.

"It's so hot…" Octavia groaned.

"The AC didn't work at all! What the fuck was that lukewarm air about!?" Loona growled.

"That was the best I could do, so quick your yapping!" Mona snapped back.

"For real, you are so half-assed!" Ryuji shouted, jumping into the fray.

"What was that!? You wanna fight, punk!?" Mona challenged.

"Geez, shut up! It's hot, so don't make me more irritated!" Ann exclaimed.

"To think her Palace would be a pyramid…" Makoto mused, looking up at the entrance.

"Hey, a pyramid's a tomb, right?" Ryuji asked.

"Yes. It's a pharaoh's tomb," Yusuke elaborated.

"That's how it's mostly known, true enough. There are some humans in the past that tried to use them as a way to bring back the dead as well," Octavia added. "I've always wanted to visit the ones on Earth, actually. Mummies and the process of mummification were what got me into taxidermy in the first place."

"Reviving the dead, hm?" Yusuke held onto those words. "It's beautiful nonetheless… It's beautifully conformed to the golden ratio…"

"Hey, guys, can we go in already?" Collin asked, burning up from the heat. "I feel like I'm going to melt…" The gang trekked up the stairs to the pyramid, finding a large door at the top of the stairway.

"Futaba's Palace… So this how she thinks of that house," Makoto said.

"Who knows what may await us within… What is your call, Joker? Shall we head inside?" Yusuke asked.

"Let's go," Ren replied.

"Okay. We'll find out more about Futaba's secrets in here, right?" Loona said. "And hopefully it'll be cooler in there as well… Let's get in there already!" She flung open the doors, bringing the Phantom Thieves into the Great Corridor of the pyramid. "Holy shit, it feels so nice to have cool air!" Loona said dramatically. "Is this place air conditioned or something!?"

"It may be because Futaba's room in reality has AC pumping through it. Either way, this is a relief…" Octavia nodded.

"Huh, our clothes still haven't changed even now. This has never happened to us before," Collin pointed out.

"It is refreshing that she doesn't see us as a threat… but we are completely surrounded by walls," Yusuke said.

"I guess this is a tomb… It's probably not made to be easy to get into. Anyway, let's explore," Mona said. Going further into the tomb, the gang jumped across some pillars before coming to a large flight of stairs.

"These stairs go pretty far," Ann noted.

"There's way too goddamn many…" Ryuji sighed.

"Don't ask for too much. You should be happy we're not being attacked as we ascend," Mona chided. "More importantly, I can totally sense the Treasure ahead. We're getting pretty close now!"

"These stairs seem to be heading into the heart of the pyramid," Octavia guessed. "I wonder if that's where the Treasure waits…"

"Welp, time to keep climbing then. Let's go," Loona nodded.

"Man, no enemies at all? This will be a piece of cake!" Ryuji said with a grin as they climbed.

"That's probably because she invited us in, or perhaps even because she's not a criminal," Octavia guessed.

"Either way, that's good enough for me," Ryuji said.

"We are still in a pyramid. It could be filled with traps. Be careful," Makoto warned.

"So this is the mystique of a bygone era… To see it in person is amazing," Yusuke said.

"Well, this is still a Palace… Ask me sometime after all ordeal is done and I can have my father take us anywhere you'd like to see, Yusuke," Octavia offered. As they neared the top of the stairs, someone appeared to block their way.

"Hm? There's someone here!" Mona exclaimed.

"What…? Futaba?" Octavia said in confusion as she looked at the figure, before shaking her head. "No, you must be her Shadow. Guess this being a pyramid, it would make sense that she is the pharaoh of this tomb…"

"She's so much younger than I thought she would be," Collin noted.

"Yeah. Even with my night vision, I barely caught sight of her the other day," Loona nodded.

"So you're Futaba Sakura…" Makoto greeted the Shadow. The pharaoh didn't reply.

Ryuji stepped forward while asking, "Hey, where's the Treasure?"

"It's doubtful that you wouldn't know where it is," Octavia pointed out.

"Hey, say something," Ryuji demanded, waving a hand in her face when the Shadow didn't respond.

"Don't be like that!" Ann chided him. She stepped froward as well. "I'm sorry, Futaba-chan. It's okay, there's no need to be scared. So, can you tell us where your most treasured possession is?"

"This is going nowhere," Yusuke sighed as the Shadow continued to be slient.

"Let's just leave her," Ryuji said, turning away.

"Will you guys shut up for a bit!?" Ann seethed.

"Those who plunder my tomb. Why have you come?" Shadow Futaba spoke up.

"She talked… but…" Loona felt wary around the Shadow. "Didn't you ask us to steal your Treasure?"

"If you believe you can steal it, then try as you might," the pharaoh offered.

"That's rather defiant-sounding," Mona pointed out.

"Perhaps this is that "tsundere" thing where someone is harsh or sweet depending on the mood," Yusuke speculated.

"Considering the state that my Palace is in… There is no way that you can steal it," the Shadow stated. Suddenly, voices condemning a child started ringing in the air.

"What the… What are these voices?" Loona wondered aloud. For some reason, the words reminded her of... the past… Shadow Futaba suddenly fell to her knees, clutching her head. "Wait, did that voice just say "murderer"?"

"This is horrible…" Ann said.

"Hey, the hell is this?" Ryuji wondered. Shadow Futaba suddenly started floating in the air.

"That's right. I did it," the pharaoh said.

"What?" Collin gasped.

"I am the one who killed my mother,"the Shadow said. The pyramid suddenly shook, followed by a shriek.

"What was that!?" Ann exclaimed.

"My mother exists here," Shadow Futaba explained. "I will remain here. I will do so until I die."

In a flash of blue flames, the Phantom Thieves all suddenly gained their thief attire. "Our clothes…!?" Queen gasped.

"She sees us as a threat now… What's going on!?" Fox said.

"Damnit! What the hell?" Skull cursed as the pyramid shook again.

"This is bad- I'm having a hard time getting a grasp of our situation," Queen said. "We should regroup and-" There was a big shake.

"What now!?" Omen groaned. I giant boulder suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs, which then rolled right towards them.

"Oh crap! Run, run, run!" Mona shouted as they all escaped back down to the bottom of the stairs.

"I hate this! I hate this!" Lycan shouted, the thieves dodging off to the side to let the boulder roll pass. After that, a door sealed off the way back to the stairs.

"We're safe… That was too close," Templar sighed, catching his breath.

"Now what!?" Panther asked.

"Even if we wanted to ask Futaba what's going on, the door ahead is shut off now. We need to think about what to do next," Omen said.

"I think our best option is retreating for now," Mona said. "This won't be as simple as we expected. Why don't we prepare a little more, then come back?"

"My thoughts… exactly…" Joker nodded, still catching his own breath from the boulder encounter.

"True. Then let's retreat for now and return to the Palace another day," Queen said.

[***]

"The date that DHORKS has set for the alleged cleanse is 8/21. That day is fast approaching," the TV reporter said on the news that night. "The Phantom Thieves, whom they singled out, have not made any notable actions at this time. Will DHORKS carry out their supposed acts of exposing a hidden truth in our society?"

"In order to stop them, we need to help Futaba Sakura before the 21st," Makoto stated. "Our deadline is about two days prior, so the 19th."

"Good thing we have this place as our new hideout. More convenient for everyone, and safe from DHORKS agents out in the main city," Octavia said.

"We must take care not to be discovered by Boss as well," Yusuke noted.

"There's no telling what may happen inside that pyramid," Morgana warned. "We all need to be cautious so that place doesn't become our graveyard."

"Man, this is gonna be one crazy summer vacation," Ryuji grinned. "We're dealing with international conspiracy hunters and looking for a Treasure in a Pyramid."

"How can you be enjoying this? We have to deal with not only crazy nutjobs in suits, but also going through some Indiana Jones temple bullshit!" Loona growled. "Not to mention all of our asses being boned if we mess this up!"

"I know that!" Ryuji defended himself.

"That reminds me, I should beat you guys to a pulp for perving on me in the Mona Car earlier," the hellhound recalled.

"It wasn't even that great a view…" Ryuji muttered.

"Oh, you're so fucking dead now!" Loona shouted, lunging at the blonde. Octavia had to use a spell to hold the hellhound back, but just barely.

"Come on, the other guys were looking too!" Ryuji pleaded.

"And they'll get what's coming to them as well!" Loona seethed.

"The pyramid's golden ratio was truly a sight to behold," Yusuke said off-handedly.

"I don't think that's what he's talking about…" Collin sighed nervously. 'Still, Loona does have a certain air about her… Gah, what is wrong with me!?'

"I wasn't staring!" Morgana said.

"That's because you were a car the whole time," Octavia rolled her eyes. She said more quietly, "And if you were, it would a certain "Lady" that you'd be looking at…"

"Will we be all right like this?" Makoto sighed at the group's antics.

Ryuji: Well that sucked.

Loona: Be glad that Via paid me off with some good food, or all of your asses would be grass by now.

Collin: Sorry…

Loona: That goes double for you, Lambchop!

Ann: Anyways, is doing this really going to help us do something about DHORKS?

Yusuke: Do they truly intend to follow through on their threat? It'd be a shame if our efforts were a waste.

Alibaba: DHORKS will definitely make a move.

Octavia: Alibaba!

Alibaba: I'm checking in on your progress. How much longer will it take?

Makoto: Your heart is more problematic than we had anticipated.

Ryuji: Hey, Alibaba! Can you really do something about DHORKS?

Alibaba: Of course.

Yusuke: Unfortunately, we have next to no evidence to support that.

Alibaba: Your work will be rewarded. I promise. Besides… You have no other option, do you?

Octavia: I suppose that's true…

Loona: Can you do stuff like, I dunno, take down a server? Show us.

Makoto: Hey! Don't start any trouble.

Alibaba: That's all it would take to convince you? All right. I ask that you take care of this quickly. Until then.

Ann: What! Are you ditching us again?

Makoto: This is troubling, but… we need to do what we can at the moment.

Yusuke: I have concern for Futaba herself during all this.

Ryuji: Man, why'd this have to be during summer vacation?

Collin: We don't have any other choice. Ren, we'll leave it to you to call us together, as always.

[***]

July 25

Loona: Yo, Ren. Come by the apartment if you're free. I wanna talk about stuff with you.

Ren: I'll swing by.

Loona: See ya.

"Ugh, all these DHORKS agents being around is seriously bugging me," Loona growled. "If it wouldn't cause any trouble, I totally beat them all up."

"You did mention that you had a history with them," Ren recalled. "What's that story about?"

"Basically, IMP were out on a mission like usual, but Blitz and Moxxie got caught by two DHORKS agents and dragged off to their base," Loona explained. "Millie and I had to bust in and break them out, but Stolas ended up appearing when we all got cornered to bail us out from that situation. That was about… six months ago, maybe? I dunno, it's hard to track time in Hell compared to up here on Earth."

"It must have been tough, having to face an entire organization with just the two of you," Ren mused.

"Blitz trusted me to get the job done," Loona said. "When he told me to close the portal after he got captured, his tone was… different. He didn't use swears or innuendos, which meant that he was serious for once. For as much shit as I give him for coddling me and treating me like a little kid, in that moment… I felt like he trusted me to save him."

"As a good parent should," Ren nodded.

"Heh, I guess…" Loona shrugged. "Blitz is actually part of what I wanted to talk to you about today. I got a call yesterday about what's going on back in Hell, and I thought you'd like to know that Barbie is doing well. She's taken over my job as secretary at IMP since I'm up here."

"Good for her," Ren said with a smile.

"I don't think Blitz is looking to let her go like he did last time," Loona guessed. "It gives him someone else to leech off of for affection than trying to grab onto me all the time, though, so it's a plus."

"You know he's just looking out for you, right?" Ren said.

"And he also knows that I can handle things myself, especially after the DHORKS incident," Loona stated. "I was the one that could use the grimoire to open portals, and the one that dealt with all the shitty customers that rang up our phoneline. If he just trusted me more to do things, instead of just acting like I'm a kid…"

Ren gave a hum. "I think you're pretty lucky, Loona."

"What?" the hellhound raised an eyebrow.

"You have someone that gives you a roof to live under, and a stable job that you don't have a fear of losing. I don't know Blitz that well, but from the way he reacted when we told him about his sister, I can tell he's someone that's experienced a lot of heartbreak in his life," Ren explained. "He might not have the best ways of showing it, but he probably keeps you close because he doesn't want to lose you as well."

Loona didn't say anything, just staring at the wall for a few minutes. She idly tugged at her spiked collar before replying, "I guess that's one way of looking at it. He could do with being a lot less touchy-feely, though. If I want a hug, I'll make it known, got it?"

"But you do look fluffy…" Ren chuckled.

"Shut up…" Loona playfully pushed the boy away but smiled just the same. Her walls were slowly coming down in Ren's presence, and inside her own heart, Loona felt like someday… she might just be able to trust someone fully again.

[***]

Octavia: Ren, I think it's time we continue our magic training. Care to meet me in Harajuku for our lesson?

Ren: I'll be there.

Octavia: Great! See you soon.

"So then, what are you teaching me today?" Ren asked. The two were currently sitting on a rooftop in the Harajuku district, far from the eyes of the humans down below.

"I'm going to teach you how to do this," Octavia said, snapping her fingers and igniting a pink flame on her pointer finger. "A basic conjuration skill. Every Goetia demon can learn this one, no matter how much innate magic they have."

"So, I'll be able to throw fireballs from my hands," Ren mused, putting his hands together at his side before thrusting them forward.

Octavia giggled. "Not like that, you dork. Just a simple spark of magic. It doesn't even have to be a flame. My Uncle Andre has innate ice magic, so he uses it to create ice cubes. I'm more aligned to astral magic, so I can conjure up a flame of star-fire." She nodded before continuing. "Now then, to do this right you just have to focus on your inner core where you draw magic from. Just think of the feeling you get whenever you slip into the shadows, and push that feeling outwards through your fingers."

Ren nodded, closing his eyes as he concentrated. 'Feel for my inner magic…' he thought. Reaching out to the power within, Ren swore he could hear Arsene's laugh in his ear as he tugged at his magic. Octavia gave a gasp, and when Ren opened his eyes, he found that between his fingertips now rested a swirling spark of red and black magic.

"Amazing… you did it on your first try!" Octavia complimented. "It took me ages to get my own spell down."

"It looks like the Curse skills that my Personas can use," Ren noted. He snapped his fingers, sending the magic flying across the roof before hitting the ground, exploding into a swirl of red magic. "Even has the same effect as well."

"I guess that makes sense. Your demon skills so far have tied into what you can do in the Metaverse. It would stand to reason that your innate magic type is the same as your initial Persona as well," Octavia nodded. "Still, this was a good lesson, Ren. I'm sure your father would be proud if he were here."

"As would your dad. You make a good teacher, and he taught you well," Ren said.

Octavia pushed a lock of her hair back into place. "Actually, while my dad did teach me a lot of what I know about magic, it was Mom that helped me unlock my innate magic. She's aligned to fire, while my dad is aligned to special magic. I'm sort of an in-between the two of them, but it was Mom's conviction pushing me to perfect the technique that helped me to find what sort of magic I had."

"Hm… You don't usually talk about your mom that much," Ren noted.

"It's not that I try to avoid talking about her. I've always just been closer to my dad," Octavia shrugged. "He's more open to me, but the rare times that I get those moments with Mom… I try to hold onto them just as tightly."

Ren couldn't help but notice a twinge of sadness in the way Octavia said that. 'We're almost the opposite… I'm closer to my mother, and she's closer to her father,' he thought. 'She's always had both present in her life, however… I can tell she cares deeply about both of them…'

For now, he put those thoughts to the side. The cousins spent the rest of the night practicing Ren's new magic skill before going home.

Confidant Rank Up

Confidant: Loona Nyx

Arcana: Twilight

Rank 5 Description: Loona opened up to you a bit more about her relationship with Blitz. She wants more independence, but also seems to want companionship.

Rank 5 Ability: Arcana Burst- gain additional EXP when fusing Persona of the Twilight arcana.

Confidant Rank Up

Confidant: Octavia Goetia

Arcana: Aeon

Rank 5 Description: Octavia helped you to unlock your inner magic. She also spoke to you a bit about her parents as well.

Rank 5 Ability: Arcana Burst- gain additional EXP when fusing Persona of the Aeon arcana.

Author's Note

Some smaller changes to the story in this chapter, mostly with the angel and demons using their abilities to further the plot, but it does set up a bigger change for Futaba in particular, that being giving her an occult angle to her character. She's still the team's hacker, but since I'm already making the Collective Unconscious more mystical with Duke Raoul overseeing it, it makes sense that Futaba's part in knowledge on the Metaverse would lean into the occult a bit as well. You'll see where that goes as this arc goes on.

I think this is the second time I've given one of the "Ann get's perved on scenes" to Loona. Our hellhound girl is a lot more physical in her reactions to what Ryuji gets the boys into, and Collin continues to have his crisis of finding demon girls attractive. And Ryuji proving once again why he's single. I've been hard on Ryuji in this story, but most of that comes from him just being an easy character to rile up (and partially my own bias towards just liking Morgana more).

The Pyramid of Wrath, one of the best Palaces in the game! If you haven't read my other Helluva Boss stories then you should know that I'm a big Egyptian Mythology guy, this this arc is really going to let me geek out in that aspect. Octavia's own interest in the pyramids tying back to taxidermy also makes sense. Giving her a friendship with Yusuke due to both of them liking art is also one of the unexpected but welcome things I've come to enjoy with this chapter.

At the end her, both of our demon girls get another Confidant rank. Loona is slowly opening up to Ren about her feelings, and soon she might just be able to give him her full backstory on why she simultaneously wants to have companion but is so fiercely independent. Octavia on the other hand helped Ren unlock his inner magic, which takes the form of his side special from "Super Smash Brothers Ultimate". Also we get a bit more insight on Stella and her relationship with Octavia. Ren is taking note of Octavia's complex feelings with both of her parents, which may become important if Belladonna's song from last chapter is any indication.