The True Duet

by asdf1asdf1

*WARNING* P5R Spoilers With the help of a taunting voice, Kasumi stops her younger sister Sumire from running into traffic, changing the course of their lives. Now both sisters must face their first year of high school together at Shujin academy. Feeling stunted in Kasumi's shadow, Sumire insists on doing this separately. Follow the girls as they change fate once more.

28. Chapter 28

Author's note:

Here is the second part of saving private Joker.

I am quite fond of a couple of these scenes here, I hope you like it.

Also... I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written for this story?

-asdf

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Chapter 28: Leaderless part 2

Tuesday June 31st, 20XX After school

"Yes, that is a map you will need."

Shadow Futaba's words were calm, but Violet thought she caught a faint tremble in them. With the entirety of the Phantom thieves glaring at her, even a reflection of a human would begin to worry.

"But how do we get in?" Skull growled at the shadow. "That door up there is solid as it can be. Where can we—"

"Good luck, thieves." Cutting Skull off, Shadow Futaba did her usual routine of rising slightly and fading into nothingness. Before she could curse, Violet heard the sound of a latch clicking. It was accompanied by the grinding of stone on stone, like two large doors slowly opening.

"Is something… happening?"

Fox's question was a fraction of a second too late. Before Violet could call a warning, the floor gave out. Separating into two halves, the seven of them were dumped into an abyss of darkness. Violet's attempted warning morphed into a scream.

Sheer terror ripped from her throat. From all theirs. Seven screams of certain death mixed into one final refrain of regret.

Within a few seconds, it cut off. Grunting from impact, Violet's legs shook but it wasn't as hard as it should have been. The ground was giving way to eat her.

Blinking, Violet's eyes adjusted. There was light from torches on walls in the massive chamber. She had fallen into a whirlpool of sand. The center falling into a dark chasm that Violet was sure they would not get out of.

Fear gripping her, she instantly began to swim for a nearby ledge. "Everybody, this way!"

"Come on! There's a way out over here!"

"I found a ledge!"

Oh no… Violet just barely had time for the thought as she grabbed the ledge she had found. Hand-by-hand, she used every fiber of her well-developed muscles to pull herself out of the vortex. The sand clung at her with an iron grip and refused to relinquish its prey. Slowly, oh so slowly, she emerged. Teeth clenched, nostrils flaring, Violet pulled herself unto solid stone.

All the effort that had gone into escape left her bone tired. Knees buckling, Violet placed a steadying hand on the nearby stone banister. Refusing to lay down, she whirled around and tried to find the others. Only Skull had come with her. Lowering a hand to him, Violet was able to get him out with another burst of manic energy. It was hard to tell in the dim light, but Violet thought that Queen and Noir had gone one way, Panther and Fox another, then Mona by himself.

"Tsk, we're all split up." Skull frowned. "Bloody idiots, should know to follow our leader in a crisis."

Violet was nodding but stopped as Skull's harsh words finally took meaning in her mind. "…You, you mean me?"

Skull gave her a sideways look and then shrugged. "Always seemed pretty clear to me. Joker never said for sure but… you were clearly the second-in-command."

Tilting his head, Skull blinked again and added an addendum.

"At least until Queen joined at least."

Queen… Violet tried not to scowl. "It seems you were the only one who thought that."

"Maybe…" Skull frowned. "I would not blame them though. I was so scared I'd have followed Kamoshida if I heard him yell that he had found a ledge."

Violet almost smiled at that. Yes, without Joker to override them, everyone had simply gone to the closest ledge. Everyone trying to fill in the gap he had left behind. Now, they were fragmented in an unknown palace, and from the aura in the air, they weren't alone.

"We move low and fast," Violet whispered, casting her voice low. "No fights until we find everyone."

For once, Skull nodded without comment. The typically brash man's eyes flickered around with uncertainty.

Violet realized she was doing the same. It was unnerving having so few people with her in a palace. Adventuring alone would be… Oh, Joker.

Heart aching, Violet took her first steps into the underground chamber of the pyramid. From the faint torchlight, Violet could see that it rose in tiers above her. The chamber forming a square around the pit of sand. Above it, where they had fallen from, only darkness.

"What is that?" Skull hissed, pointing at something.

Tracking his finger, Violet found an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus, the stone coffins of the pharaohs were mere ornaments here. Standing interspersed along walls, Violet could see three already.

Whispering back the answer, Violet tried to lead Skull along one of the edges of the lowest square. Back in the direction of Mona, she hoped. The lone cat would be the most vulnerable.

Only a few steps into their journey, Violet led them into a sarcophagus facing them against a stone wall that they could not bypass. Eyes flicking up, however, Violet thought she saw a way to continue.

"Follow me." Grabbing the stone head, she hoisted her body up. A small ache from the exertion of the day slowed her arms, but she still had enough strength to fight.

As she alighted on the second level, Violet's eyes bulged. Only a scant few metres away, a shadow in the form of a dog was pacing. All it had to do was look to the right and Violet would be in its gaze. Mercifully, it continued on, never glancing to the side. However, its path was short, and it quickly turned around and walked past her once more.

Turning around, Violet pressed a finger against her lips for Skull and then advanced to the far side. Clambering down a sarcophagus this time, Violet landed silently on the balls of her feet.

It had only been a few minutes in the palace proper with shadows lurking, but Violet already felt as nervous as she ever had in one. The aura of power that emanated from these shadows. After the sins of the one's they had cleansed, there should be no way that Futaba's distortion could match up. Yet not only did it match the power of those before her, it exceeded them all. Even Kaneshiro's confidence in his money had not been this powerful.

Futaba believed in very soul that she would die; the palace was here to guarantee that it would happen. It was Violet's job to foil that.

Advancing a few steps, Violet turned back to look for Skull. A few moments later the boy fell off the ledge and landed hard on the stone floor panting.

"Stupid dog almost saw me," the boy growled. "Did you see the bloody thing? I could feel its power!"

Violet did her best to act as a leader. "It does not matter how strong it is, we are getting Joker back and changing Futaba's heart."

"Well of course we are." Skull answered back, affronted. "Like hell I'll let some stupid shadow stop us."

Doing her best to avoid giving Skull a pointed stare, Violet continued around the corner, hoping the ledge would extend and they could find more people. However, Violet stumbled across a treasure chest. Behind it, solid wall they could not scale.

"Shit," Skull cursed. "May as well take the treasure though."

"…Yes." Doing just that, Violet opened the lid and extracted the items within. Violet did not have Joker's ability of being able to tell instantly about everything they found, but these she was sure about. The items were a pair of healing items. They may need them soon.

"So, where to now?"

Violet shifted considering Skull's question. "I'm afraid… We need to take that dog out."

"You got it," Skull gave her a big thumbs-up. "I'll crack its skull before it even notices me."

Violet just nodded and let Skull lead the way. I don't know how to do this… Violet sharply felt the absence of not just Joker, but Mona as well, even Queen. The three of them managed most of the strategy.

Going against such a powerful foe, Violet hoped that the two of them would be enough. Watching at the bottom of the sarcophagus, Violet waited just long enough for Skull to get to his feet and dart forward. On his heels, Violet pulled herself up with one swift motion.

"Gragh!" Barking, the dog snapped at Skull as his cudgel sank into its masked face. Dissolving, the shadow reformed into two figures.

"W-Whoa…"

Violet knew exactly what Ryuji's gasp was about. The two shadows had the upperbody of a beautiful woman. Skin fairer than her own, their long black hair ran over their naked torsos. When they shifted, their hair did as well, nipples always on the verge of peeking out.

That feminine upperbody flowed and merged into scales and no legs. The thick snake lowerbody coiled and supported the upper. Altogether, the woman stood taller than any person Violet knew, over two metres.

"Skull!" Violet yelled at him, trying to urge the man into action.

"O-Oh right!" Voice wobbling, Skull finally raised his weapon to attack. Even as he moved slowly forward, it was too late.

The two snake women blew him a kiss. Violet could feel the magical energy surrounding Skull. Weapon raised, Skull stopped right in front the monsters and then crumpled to his knees.

"S-Skull!?"

Slowly, the boy got to his feet. Within perfect striking distance of the shadows, he turned around. Head raising slowly, Violet took a step back at his expression. Skull's eyes were drooped, almost asleep. In contrast to them, his cheeks were glowing red beneath his mask, a blissful smile spreading his cheeks.

"Skull…?" Without noticing it, Violet realized that she held her rapier up, assuming a fighting stance.

"Grug!" Emitting some strangled sound halfway between a growl and a word, Skull lunged forward and swung hard at Violet.

"Huh?" Mind blank, Violet's body reacted for her. Swiping the side of Skull's cudgel, Violet side-stepped the opposite direction and felt the weapon disrupt the air beside her. As it did, her rapier lashed out, stabbing Skull in the chest, knocking him backwards.

"Ah! Oh no, are you okay!?" Of course, there was no reply to her question. "He's brainwashed…"

Swallowing loudly, Sumire watched the two snakewomen which had mischievous smiles. They were borderline laughing, confident in their victory.

Joker needs us… Sorry, Skull.

"Come, Jeanne!" Ripping off her mask, Violet crushed it in her hands and felt as her latent power materialized. The lady of combat wielding a sword and the fleur-de-lys banner slammed it against the stone floor drenching Violet's body with sanctifying light.

Even as the power coursed through her, Violet knew that she had left herself open. Not fighting physically, the snakes opened their mouths and emitted a jet of poison gas. Unable to dodge it, Violet felt the fantasy substance infect her. It would continue to sap energy from her every second.

Not addressing the poison, Violet had a bigger issue right now. Thankfully, Skull was not using Captain Kidd, either because he wouldn't, or couldn't. Still, the large boy had so much strength in his swings that Violet had no chance against a straight-on attack.

"Grug!" That same noise, the same attack. Not parrying it, Violet stepped back once, then twice. Her heel finding the ledge, she was forced to stop. There was no room to either side or back.

Now! On barely bent knees, Violet jumped straight up. A heroic leap, far beyond her physical capabilities in the real world, Violet vaulted Skull. The boy's glazed eyes taking on an expression of surprise as the target of his attack disappeared.

"Graa!" With another strange cry, Skull's body fell over the ledge. Landing face first on the stone floor below with a hard crunch, Skull did not spring back up.

Hoping he wasn't too badly injured, Violet dashed at the surprised looking Snakewomen. "You'll pay for this!"

"AHH!" Human throats releasing a genuine scream of pain curdled Violet's stomach.

Even as she hated the sound, Violet did not stop her blade. A hurricane of slashes tore into the delicate human skin. The feminine gazes were too real, too humane.

As the snakewomen collapsed against the wall, Violet paused, her storm of vengeance expiring. She knew she had to finish them. The poison still ate at her body. Every second she delayed, more of her vitality drained away.

Lifting her blade once more, Violet moved to finish the shadows. As she did, the female faces changed expression. Terror slipping into rage, they lifted a hand, and spoke the same word, calling forth synchronous death. "Agilao!"

Eyes widening, Violet was too close to dodge the fire that formed in their palms. The dual attack… Is this it?

"Gah!" Letting out a cry, Violet felt a force hit her from behind, collapsing hard to the side, she was out of the path of fire. Instead, a large dark shape swirled in their midst, Skull.

"Raaa!" Releasing an angry cry, Skull brought down his weapon once, and then twice. The fire hurricane swirled a little longer around his body, revealing a terrifying silhouette.

Gulping, Violet crawled slightly further away from the panting figure. The raw anger in his eyes… It looked like a violent storm, and Violet would not want to face it with an army at her back.

"FUCK!" Skull's scream tore from his throat. Punching the wall, the boy's shoulders continued to heave.

Even as he turned to face her, Violet did not know what to say. So much had happened in the last minute. She was not even sure which part upset the boy the most. Belatedly, she realized that the poison was gone. The magic powering it must have faded with its origin's demise.

"I-I…" Skull ran a hand through his hair. "This place is so fucked up. Playing with my bloody mind, these naked fucking snake women really screwing with me like that? Jesus bloody christ, shitty whores deserved that."

"Umm…" Can you stop swearing? Violet could not speak the words. It usually did not bother her, but the endless torrent put her on edge. Violet's limited experience with men was not aiding her in this situation.

"Stupid bitches…" Skull kicked at where the bodies would have been. As he did however, the anger seemed to leave him somewhat. Taking a glance at her, Skull scratched his head, a guilty look blossoming. "Uhh, s-sorry about that. The sudden breasts surprised me so much I walked right into their attack."

"Y-Yes, I must imagine encountering a naked woman suddenly must be startling…" Violet was proud of those words. They sounded much better than the alternatives that flitted through her mind. Neither think with the head on your neck nor get your head out of the gutter, would not have been productive.

"Yeah…" Skull shivered again. "I could hear them in my mind… Whispering instructions, telling me what to do. To… To kill you."

"It's not your fault." Violet tried to speak strongly, but the prospect terrified her. No wonder Skull had been so unhinged after. "Let's go. Joker still needs us. Here, take one."

Distributing one of the bottles to Skull, Violet drank her own. Instantly, some energy returned to her cold limbs. Even as she stretched though, she still ached. The damage and not been fully recovered, and glancing over at Skull's body, neither was his.

"Tsk," the boy smashed the empty bottle, the glass shards sparkling briefly before disappearing. "Can't believe how useless I was. Not only did I not help, I was a nuisance. Bloody monsters in my head…"

"Stop it!" Violet yelled. Grabbing the taller boy by the shoulders, Violet pulled him around so that they were facing each other. "I need you. You saved me from the fire. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and let's get moving!"

"…Yes, ma'am," Skull ducked his head. Violet barely caught his words mumbled into the floor. "I was right to follow you."

Violet did not think she was meant to hear that last part. A slight thrill going through her body, Violet followed the path before her. No matter what got in her way, she would defeat it. Somehow, no matter the obstacles, she would reunite the party and rescue Joker.

---

Tuesday June 31st, 20XX Evening

"Ah, you must be Futaba." Akechi's bright, sunny voice penetrated the dim hallway and room beyond. All he could see was one eye staring out at him through a crack in the door. That lone mauve eye held so many emotions, Akechi did not think he even caught them all. One moment, the girl looked moments away from tears, the next, suspicion so strong, Akechi wondered what she knew.

"Y-Yes," the girl answered reluctantly. From the way Sojiro beamed beside him, Akechi thought that even this must be unusual for the girl.

I remember Shido mentioning no loose ends regarding Wakaba, but what did he do to this girl?

Keeping his detective smile in place, Akechi stuck out his hand towards the door crack. "I'm Akechi Goro. It's a pleasure."

"…"

"…" Forced to lower his hand, Akechi cleared his throat. "A-Anyway, I am here regarding the disappearance of a boy named Amamiya Ren. Do you have information regarding where he may have gone?"

"Eerk!" That eye opening in shock was as good as a confession.

Keeping his face calm, Akechi waited for an explanation. There was no way this timid girl had done something physically to harm him.

"F-Futaba?" Sojiro was shocked. "You know where Ren went?"

"…" As Akechi watched, tears began to well up in that singular eye. An eye that was already puffy from previous crying, Akechi just noticed. "I-I didn't mean to! It isn't my fault!"

"What did you do?" Akechi asked, holding up a hand to stop the shocked Father from speaking.

"I didn't ask him to… I don't want them caring for me… Why? Why wouldn't they just leave me to die? It would have been so much easier that way…"

Leave me to die? Shido had been right, this girl was not a loose thread, she had been taken care of in brutal fashion.

"Futaba!" Sojiro yelled, unable to hold his silence, "what are you talking about!? Why would you say that!?"

Turning from the girl, Akechi put a hand on her guardian's chest to stop him from reaching out to her. "It is time for you to leave I think. She likely won't say more in front of you."

"B-But I need to be here for her!"

Akechi raised a questioning eyebrow. He put all of his experience and skill at manipulation into it. His questioning eyes probing Sojiro, making the man re-evaluate. After half a dozen seconds, pain filled the older man's face, and his shoulders sank. He had come to the conclusion Akechi wanted.

"Heh, what am I saying… I wasn't there when she needed me. I'll… be in the kitchen."

So easy.

Keeping a smirk from his face, Akechi knelt beside the partially opened door. Without Futaba right behind it, it had opened slightly further. She was on the ground, cradling her head, bright orange hair astray, tears dripping unto the carpet.

"Ren has gone to help you?" Akechi asked quietly.

Even his low-pitched voice made the girl's shoulders shake. With a whimper, she nodded, not looking at Akechi. "He… He left last night."

Somewhere here… or a palace? Akechi wished he could check the girl in the metanav, it would clarify the entire situation. "Can you tell me where he went?"

Futaba's head shook frantically. "He… they all will… perish in my tomb. My mother is not gentle to thieves…"

The sparse, random clauses sounded half-insane. Fantasies of a delusional, injured mind. Yet, Akechi picked a few bits of knowledge from it. The phantom thieves had entered this girl's palace. Ren had either perished there or been separated. He was missing too much context to piece anymore together, not that he assumed much of it could be trusted based on this girl's behaviour.

Now, what to do… Tapping a hand to his chin, Akechi was confident he could find the words to her palace with little effort. But should I?

Left with his thoughts and two distraught humans, Akechi began to formulate a plan. He needed to weave the threads here such that they came together to execute his master plan.

You will die when I want, and no earlier, Masayoshi Shido. Cursing the man that gave birth to him, Akechi's gentle smile never faded on his face. A permanent mask lay there that no one had ever seen beneath.

---

Tuesday June 31st, 20XX Evening

"Dance, Carmen!"

"Come, Goemon!"

"Zorro, show your might!"

A storm of fire, ice, and wind ripped apart the snake warrior, their spear and shield useless against the barrage.

Panting, Panther leaned against the wall and wiped the sweat from her forehead. It was their second fight already. The shadows in this place were mercilessly strong. Every fight required copious use of their personas to fend them off.

The arrival of Mona had been a lifesaver. The cat jumping off a ledge suddenly and starting into a tirade about how nobody had followed him, and that he had found the closest ledge. That was already more than twenty minutes ago.

"Where could the others be?" Fox mused. "Surely we should have found the others by now."

"Let's just… continue moving," Panther offered. "If we can find the way out, so can everyone else."

"Good thinking, Panther!" Mona agreed. "We should find them in no time!"

I hope so… Panther pursued her lips together as she stalked toward the next ledge above them. This would be the fourth layer and appeared to be the final. The scale of the pyramid was mind-boggling, but after this they would be on the ground-floor and… finally back where we started.

"This… is not going to be over soon, is it?" Fox mused. "Joker has spent well over a full day here at this point."

"He's tough," Mona assured them, but his voice was less certain than it had been.

After experiencing the power of the pyramid firsthand, Panther knew she wouldn't last an hour in here by herself. The first shadow she encountered may not be fatal, but the second one would be.

Slowly climbing up to the next level, Panther tried to suppress a groan. There was a humanoid shadow stalking back and forth, on the look-out for interlopers. "Shadow," she growled down to the others.

"…Let us take it out," Fox decided. "Our attack shall be swift and decisive."

"That's probably best," Mona agreed. "The more we take out, the less the others have to deal with."

"Yeah… Alright! Three, two, one…" Bursting out of their hiding place at the pre-destined time, Panther swung her whip hard at the guard.

The shadow just had time to turn its head as the tip of the whip caught it in its face. "ARGH!" Growling, the outside melted away, revealing its true form. What was left behind was…

"A monkey!?" Panther said, surprise causing her to squeak loudly.

"Ahh, look at how intelligent it looks sitting there! Truly, an amazing specimen," Fox mused.

"Watch out you idiots!" Mona yelled.

Before the two surprised thieves could dodge however, a wave of destructive power poured forth from the monkey reading a book with an Egyptian eye painted on the cover.

"AHH!" Screaming, Panther held her arms in front of her, trying to stop the brilliant blue energy from destroying her. The same power that Queen utilized, it scoured her body with pain.

Immediately, Mona was there. "Zorro!" A wave of healing light flashed over Panther and Fox, repairing the damage dealt by the powerful monkey.

"Die, monkey!" Growling, Panther called forth Carmen, her persona sending forth strong fire and scorching the monkey right back.

Even the powerful magic barely got a flinch. The creature apparently unconcerned with the damage it had received.

"I'll finish it, Goemon!" Rushing forward, Fox and persona unleashed a flurry of slashes. The Katana became a blur as cut after cut tore into the monkey's body and book.

As Fox backed off panting, his own lifeforce empowering the attack, the monkey sat straight, only anger in its eyes. Their combined might had failed to take off half of its vitality.

"Gragh!" Growling with primate might, the monkey unleashed another wave of that bright nuclear energy.

Repressing her scream this time, Panther still grunted. It hurt. After leaving the metaverse, the pain experienced seemed muted. When here though, it was as real as anything she had experienced in her life.

"Zorro!" With another healing spell, Mona reversed the damage done.

They would win this battle of attrition, but they were paying for it. Oh, they were paying for it.

"Carmen! Goemon!" Unleashing another round of magic, the monkey finally began to look injured. Panther could not tell if it would survive another combined attack or not. If it did… Panther did not want to contemplate that. They needed to end this fight.

"Gragh! Zorro!" Like clockwork, the attack and then healing resounded in waves. Not all was equal, however. Mona was now panting from the mental energy required to output the healing light every turn. At the same time, Fox was still clenching his teeth in pain. The stamina he was putting into his attacks was not getting healed by Mona. Fox weakened every turn.

Urgh… I hate this! What do I do? What!? Panther had no idea. She could heal Fox instead of hitting the stupid monkey. But if they both attacked, they may be able to kill the monkey, still absorbed in its stupid book.

Joker, where are you!? Unable to make up her mind, or come up with a strategy, Panther called forth Carmen who scorched the monkey once more. The shadow's panting became heavier as it struggled to cling unto life.

Fox as well was hesitating, unsure if he would be able to do it by himself. Left leaderless, each person had to come to their own decisions. Panther had no idea what Fox would do, until he simply crossed his blade over his body defensively with a resigned look.

Unrelenting, the monkey unleashed a third wave. This time, it was not blue, but pure white. Unresistable power that killed all with impunity. Gritting her teeth, Panther hated getting hit like this. There was nothing she could do to stop it though. The pain bit at her body, eroding her mind with fear.

"Zorro!" Again, their wounds were healed on the surface, but the trauma beneath remained.

"Carmen!" Crying out for a final time, Panther's eyes burned with rage. They reflected the light of her fire as it burned the monkey to ashes, the pages of its book floating through the air before they too were incinerated.

As its screams vanished, all that was left behind was silence and Panther's pants. "These shadows… they're so strong."

The boys nodded, both of them struggling. Even without taking any of the damage himself, Mona was struggling to walk straight. The cat was swiftly running out of his ability to use his persona.

"Let's… Let's take a quick break." Panther suggested. "This looks like an exit so…"

"So the others should meet us here," Fox agreed with a tired nod. Slumping to the ground, he met Panther's eyes wearily. "I never realized how much Joker did—does—for us. All the little decisions that he takes care of adds up."

"His navigation…" Morgana grunted shaking his head at the complicated ledges of ups and downs.

"Oh Joker…" Collapsing to the ground as well, Panther held her head in her hands. That was all she could do now. They had screwed up fight after fight and were now hobbling along. Left with nothing else, Panther prayed for their leader's safety.

---

Tuesday June 31st, 20XX Evening

"Shit!" A rare curse passing her lips, Queen crossed her arms in front of her. The spear of the warrior snakes thudded against her guard, driving her back a step. "Noir, I need help!"

"Sorry, just a minute more!"

Noir's response worried Queen. It was tight and tense with strain. Queen did not have even a second to look over and check her, she was too busy with the two Snakemen facing her down.

Stuck in a one-on-two, Queen had yet to find a moment to counterattack. She was stuck guarding against blows and then healing herself. After running into three shadows, Queen had left some stupid-looking money for Noir to handle.

That decision was coming back to bite Queen as she struggled to fend off the two shadows. Where was Noir? Surely just the one shadow would not be hard in an isolated encounter.

"Yargh!" Growing frustrated, Queen lashed out, fist catching the snakeman's shield square on, pushing it to the side. Her follow-up uppercut catching its exposed chin.

The brief flush of excitement was cancelled by a spear thrust into her side. The cold stone weapon freezing her midsection. Grunting as she was blown off her feet from the force of the blow, Queen rolled back to her feet, one hand pressed to her side. Wincing from the pain, she finally caught sight of Noir. The fellow girl was panting, a tense stand-off with the monkey reaching its final stage.

Noir seemed to be moving slower, her motions magically impaired. That impairment was likely the only thing keeping the monkey capable of dodging Haru's psychic attacks. Queen grit her teeth at the stupid thing.

The sound of air whistling around a speeding object reminded her that she was struggling in her own fight. Throwing her arms up in a guard, Queen's eye bulged with pain as she flexed her injured side.

Ting! Stone on metal rang out clearly. Ting! The second spear hit her gauntlets.

"Damn it… Damn it…" Swearing Queen knew what she had to do. "Johanna!"

Calling upon her persona, Queen was suddenly astride a motorbike-like beast that she summoned from the sea of souls. It's dark-blue colouring blurring as it shot forward between the snakemen. Their stabs were slightly too slow to catch Queen as she flew between them, racing to help Noir.

"GO!" Yelling, she stamped her left leg onto the ground, halting Johanna as she bootlegged ninety degrees, stopping on a dime. From Queen, using Johanna's powers, healing light poured out, rejuvenating herself as well as Haru.

"Thanks Queen!" With stamina returned, Haru was now in a position where trading blows with the monkey would lead to her victory.

Too stupid to realize that, the reading monkey yelled with a primate scream and unleashed a wave of blue energy over the two of them.

Queen barely grunted. The familiar attack was easy to shrug off. She did not know how these resistances worked, but the double-edged swords were a nightmare to keep track of – for everyone except Joker. Noir however screamed hoarsely as the blue energy struck a weak point that her persona could not guard against.

Next second, it felt like two hammers thudded into her back as the Naga caught up and stabbed her with their spears. Collapsing to her knees, Queen closed her eyes. Come on Noir!

"Milady, destroy them!" Noir's voice had a dangerous edge to it. Not just the threat of violence, but an eagerness to see it.

Shivering, Queen glanced up to Noir's ecstatic face. Her psychic attack had hit all three of the shadows, bringing down the monkey who moaned with its head between its hands.

Unrelenting, Noir summoned forth another wave of energy. The monkey's mind fully collapsed this time, screaming in pain until its body dissolved into nothingness.

The Naga wavered, but stayed upright. They were hurt, weapons held loosely in their hands, yet their eyes gleamed anger as they turned on Noir.

She had no room or time to dodge as the twin spear thrust caught her cleanly. One to her stomach, the second to her chest. "Gah!" Crying out in pain, she was blown backwards, crashing hard against the unrelenting stone floor.

"Don't you touch her…" Standing up, Queen prepared herself to fight once more. With the monkey gone, the two of them could handle these spear idiots. Hands raised; Queen waited for the fight to come to her. Surely she was still a match even now that she had been injured.

"Die." Queen only caught a glimpse of something white before a rapier emerged from the chest of the left Naga. Spluttering, it dissolved into shadows.

Its companion whirled, startled by the entrance of another person. However, Queen saw that it turned the wrong direction. When it faced Violet, Skull ran up from behind and delivered a two-handed overhead blow form his cudgel. The gnarled steel crushing the snake-like head with a sickening crunching noise.

"Yes, finally!" Noir cheered, staggering to her feet. "It's so good to see the two of you!" Naturally, Noir pulled their two saviors into a right hug.

"Thanks…" Queen added on. Shifting awkwardly, Queen was unsure what to say at that moment. Before she could come up with anything, Violet had taken charge.

"Heal yourselves and let's go. Joker is still above us."

This fight proved my inadequacy… I had to be saved. "Very well." Bringing forth Johanna again, healing light settled over them. Assuming a position just behind Violet's left shoulder, Queen followed the younger girl through a door, hopefully on a path back to the surface.

---

Tuesday June 31st, 20XX Evening

"…Sumire is late today. Do you know what she is up to, Kasumi?" Shinichi asked as he tapped his empty plate with chopsticks.

His expression was not quite worried, Kasumi thought, but it was trending in that direction. "Oh, just some issues with that boyfriend of hers, I'm sure she'll be back before long."

"Hmm, I hope she knows what she doing in that regard…" Shinichi muttered. "Making up after a fight can lead to… unpredictable circumstances."

What are you implying, Father!? Narrowing her eyes, Kasumi opened her mouth to talk, but her mother spoke first. "Please trust your daughter a little, Shin. She's a big girl now."

"She's not even sixteen," Shinichi disagreed. Sighing, he waved a hand. "Ah, whatever. Her life, her mistakes, right?"

"Why are you so certain it's a mistake?" Kasumi asked her father. Pointing her chopsticks at him, she glared slightly. "He's a nice enough boy, although even the brightest isn't much to brag about."

"Oof," Shinichi fake winced, a hand to his heart as Kasumi's mom giggled. "Well, it is as you say. I cannot claim that she is making a mistake. Either way, I hope she returns home soon. It is a school night."

"Yeah, I'm sure she will." Kasumi smiled slightly. I can't cover much longer Sumi… Staring at her phone, she waited for a message, a sign. Something that told her she was alive. As it stood, it was going to be a long night.

Playing with her own, half-touched food, Kasumi's mind cast back through the day. Watching the too-determined Sumire with cautious eyes, meeting with Akechi, coming home. She still did not know what had happened with Ren or why Sumire hadn't updated her.

"So, what about you Kas? You've been talking with that detective quite often, haven't you? Been slacking off on your training to hang out?"

"Of course not!" Kasumi snapped back. Unbidden, her cheeks coloured. "Geez, all I care about is winning this upcoming tournament."

"Which I'm sure you will," her mother soothed, "but you can focus on something besides gymnastics if you want…"

Tensing, Kasumi felt her heart had stopped beating. "Where is this coming from?"

Her parents looked at each other, exchanging knowing glances. Kasumi got the sinking suspicion that they had talked about her behind her back recently.

"Well," her mother began again, slowly, "it has just been that recently… you don't seem as happy as you used to be. There is no shame in chasing something else if you don't—"

Standing up swiftly, Kasumi's chair clattered to the ground, cutting her mother off. "I will win Olympic gold. I will win the world circuit!"

Again, awkward silence as her parents shared another long moment of silent conversation. Clenching her hands, Kasumi felt the chopsticks still held there creak as they threatened to break.

"Why would you even ask me that!? You know how much time I've put into this! Why would I ever abandon all of my efforts!?"

"Easy, easy," Shinichi spoke softly, making soothing gestures. "Your Mother and I are worried about you, that's all."

"Me?" Kasumi bristled. "I am your oldest daughter. Your competent daughter. You have never once worried about me before! I don't need pity! I don't need anyone! I… I…"

Cutting herself, off, Kasumi clasped a hand over her mouth horrified. Jerkily, she forced her back down into a deep bow.

"My apologies, I should not have said that." Kasumi had joked with her parents before, but this was blatant disrespect. She was sure that any other parents would punish her for such a display. As it was, she thought the knot of disgust in her stomach was punishment enough.

"Oh, Kas." Her mother stood up from her chair and moved around the table to reach Kasumi. Gently, she lifted Kasumi back up, then drew her into a tight hug. "Remember, you are never alone."

I know. The words choked in Kasumi's throat. Returning the hug twice as tightly, Kasumi had not realized exactly how much she had needed to hear those words. Shoulders shaking, Kasumi broke slowly. One sniffle, and then a second signalled the breaking of the walls on her heart.

Without a warning, the sniffles became full on sobs. Body shaking violently, only her mother's protective arms stopped Kasumi from drifting away like an oasis island in an ocean. Suddenly, her father was there as well. His hand warm on her back, as he stroked up and down, further consoling her.

Kasumi did not need to speak. She did not need to voice her worries, her fears, her realization from the past few days. There was no point to speaking them now, for in the arms of her parents they flowed away. Even if no one else needed her, if no one else understood her, or wanted her around, they did. To them, she would always be precious, whether she was a gold medallist or an office worker that took on too much overtime.

Standing there for Kasumi did not know how long, her injured soul slowly healed. She was by no means perfect again, but as long as Sumire returned home, she would survive.

---

Tuesday June 31st, 20XX Evening

Taking one slow step, Violet waited a moment before taking another. The palace was eerily quiet. Like the pyramid was held in some sort of status, nothing seemed to change. No raindrops or leaking water dripped on the floor; no wind coursed through the narrow hallways. Only the occasional sounds of the thieves' movements or the footsteps of a shadow broke the utter silence.

"We should be almost out now…" Violet whispered back to the three people following her. That number was highly concerning, they were three short. But after arriving at the top of the four-level square, they found an exit and none of the others. Assuming they had already gotten out as there was no sign of them, Violet had them into a network of hallways.

One quick victory later, over those snakes with spears, Violet thought they were almost out. She could see a ramp leading higher, and thought that bands of sunlight were peaking down from it.

The problem was the burly shadow at the base of the ramp. It was not standing such that it blocked the path up and out, but between two pillars to the left. It was possible they did not have to fight it in order to escape. If it guarded anything, Violet was worried it was guarding a path deeper into the pyramid. If that was the case, they needed to defeat it either way.

"We should go back," Skull whispered. "Ann and the others aren't past here. They have to be behind us."

"Where though?" Violet frowned. "From our vantage point we should have been able to see them."

"Unless there is another exit from the central square," Queen offered a horrifying alternative.

"…" Time ticked by too fast in the eery ambivalence of the silent pyramid. Violet could feel death lurking on her neck, breathing in her ear. As certain as night was coming, so was Joker's death. There was no time left, she could only choose one. Joker or Panther, Mona, and Fox?

"Are we going back?" Noir asked uncertainly.

"…That enemy up ahead." Violet spoke suddenly. "Only about four people can fight it at once anyway."

"Your point?" Queen spoke tersely, her head swiveling back and forth as if expecting an ambush.

"We kill it." Violet said quickly so no one would stop her. "After that, we split up. I'll go after Joker, and I'd appreciate some company. The others return and try to find the other three."

"…" None of them replied as they stared at each other. The incredibly risky plan had so many problems Violet did not even want to start counting them.

"I'll help you take that thing down," Skull said, "but then I'm going back for Ann… and the others."

The noticeable pause almost brought a smile to Violet's lips. She wondered if Skull even realized what he was saying. Still, she had no time to help him work out his emotions at this time.

"I'll go with him," Queen added on.

"Then I'll come with you to save Joker," Noir finished with a resolute nod.

Looking around the circle, Violet could not stop herself from asking. "Aren't any of you going to complain about how stupid my plan is?"

"Is there time to argue?" Queen asked tightly. "How many hours have we wasted already? I shudder to think about what will happen if my sister returns home and I am not there yet…"

There were no phones here to check the time with. They did not know if time flowed the same inside as outside, but it seemed similar enough. With the omen of death getting continually stronger, Violet stopped arguing.

"Let's go." Walking confidently up to the pillars that the shadow stood between, Violet took one longing glance up the stairs to where freedom awaited. From here, it was clear that there was a difference in the amount of light. Bright sunlight refracted in the room, highlighting the exit.

Ignoring it, she took a confident step toward the burly shadow that waited for them. Rapier bared, she pointed it at the beast. "Show yourself."

It obeyed with an evil chuckle. The form of the guard dissolving into black energy that reformed into a coffin. Bleached white, Egyptian markings were carved into the front. From the bottom, black corruption spread, interspersed with red veins that climbed up the outside.

"GRAVE ROBBERS!" A deep echoing voice bounced through the enclosed chamber. Violet felt like it was being projected straight into her mind. "YOUR BODIES SHALL ROT HERE FOREVER!"

"Shut up!" Skull spat at it, the only one of the four still moving fearlessly. "I'm going to splinter you, you stupid box."

"Let's go!" Queen roared, leading the charge forward. Leaping into the air, she punched the coffin and then was past it, Noir was next, her massive scythe slashing mercilessly through the wood. Even as the sentient coffin writhed, Skull was there to finish the three-part beatdown. His cudgel bashing it back against the wall.

Waiting and watching so she could react to its attack, Violet's eyes bulged. The coffin's surface was smooth and unblemished. It rose again into the center of the room, appearing as if nothing had happened to it.

Creak. An ominous noise split the room. A pale black mist began to leak from the crack where the door had just opened. Following it were pale white fingers. Standing dazed, none of them could move as they stared in horror as the rest of the pale hand emerged.

All the fingers curled in except the pointer finger. Pointing straight at Skull, the boy stumbled a step back in fear. That achieved nothing however as a sharp blast of power emanated from that finger.

The beam enveloped and corrupted Skull. Violet just caught a glimpse of his terrified eyes before his body convulsed and shrank. In an instant, the boy's stocky body was gone, replaced with a mouse.

Squeak! The sharp panicked sound summed up perfectly how Violet felt. If the coffin did that to all of them, they would die as terrified rodents, unable to save anyone.

"cOmE!" With a distorted call, the coffin shook somewhat, and more black energy pooled into the space beside it. In only a few moments, the dark energy congealed into the form of a snake woman. The same long black hair and flawless pale skin that Violet remembered.

Squeak! If anything, Skull's rat noises sounded even more terrified now.

"Jeanne, slaughter them!" Beams of white light consumed the forms of the shadows, for a moment hiding them from view. A moment later, it disappeared, the two targets only a little worse for wear.

"We need a weakness!" Queen yelled.

"I don't know them!" Violet snapped back, eyeing down the snake woman that glared at her. Holding out a hand, a brief flicker of fire was all the warning Violet had before a solid column of red flames tore toward her. Throwing herself athletically to the side, Violet felt a brief flash of heat before she was clear of the attack.

"Milady! Johanna!"

Free to attack, Noir and Queen called forth their personas, magical attacks pouring forth. First the psychic lances dug into the two foes. Next, Queen's nuclear attack scoured them. The snake woman screamed as Queen's attack scored a direct hit, falling to the ground and writhing in pain.

The coffin still stood however, its body an impassable object that they could not cow.

"DiE!" Extending its hand from the coffin once more, Violet had no escape as a blast of black energy arced towards her. Even before it landed, she could recognize it as the energy she could not defend against.

The scream was almost primed before the pain came. Sound cut off as her throat gave out. Knees colliding against the stone, Violet's body wavered pitifully. Thoughts blurring, she could do nothing as Noir and Queen returned to the center, attacking again. The snake woman struggling to rise was blasted back to the floor from another merciless attack by Queen.

Her power flickered as Violet watched, back heaving from pants. Queen was running out of the mental energy required to call upon her persona. As soon as that was gone, they would be destroyed easily.

Noir, still searching for a weakness barraged her opponents with a hail of gun fire from Milady. Round after round firing, they poured mercilessly into the shadows.

"N-No way!" Noir cried, surprise tinging her voice.

Violet could see why, the bullets had little effect. In fact, Violet did not think the coffin even felt them.

With shaky knees, Violet got to her feet. Getting hit was not like exercise. She did not think that she could ever get used to the sharp visceral pain of an injury, unlike the comforting soreness of a hard day of work.

As she did, the coffin opened again, the hand creeping out again. Watching it with terror, Violet's fears abated as it did not point at her again, but the hand clenched into a tight fist.

As a wave of power emerged from it, the fear returned. All she could do was uselessly throw an arm in front of her face as it assaulted her. The power felt somehow holy in a way Violet could not explain. Not that it was anything like the divine light that she utilized, more like it could not be resisted. Like everything was equal under its almighty power.

Even Skull let out a pained squeak as the attack abused his small gray rat form. Unfortunately, Violet could not do anything to aid him, and could only hope that that effect would end soon.

Not letting the pain incapacitate her, Violet dashed through the attack and leapt into the air. Coming down, she used her momentum to drive her blade completely through the chest of the fallen snake woman.

The continuing problem was the coffin, or perhaps more accurately, the thing inside of it. It needed to have a weakness, it had to. What if we can't exploit it though?

"Johanna!" With the snakewoman out of the picture, Queen cast a healing light over all of them that Violet was grateful for. The two attacks had left her feeling woozy. Head clearing rapidly, Violet had time to reorient herself as Noir pulled out her scythe.

The massive slash of the blade barely missed Violet as it tore into the coffin, for all the difference it made. Shadows did not restore stamina without healing magic, but the location of the attack frequently did not make a difference except with rare exceptions.

"FoOlS!" The coffin's voice rang out again with another wave of almighty power.

It was powerful, but they endured. Violet almost appreciated the raw simplicity of the attack. Far better than a brainwashed Skull attacking her.

"GRaaaRgh!" With a pissed off yell, a Skull – no longer in rat form – rushed toward the coffin. "DIE BASTARD!"

The cudgel hit, again and again against the surface. The combination eliciting an odd gurgling sound that may have been pain. With a final baseball-esque swing, the coffin was knocked the ground.

Its vulnerable state was something they all recognized instantly. "GO!" Violet commanded them. Her voice was mirrored by everyone else yelling the same message with different words.

Streaking forward half a step clear of Queen and Skull, Violet slashed the exposed base before vaulting over it. Legs spread open in the air, her rapier struck again, three more times in a triangle, marring the carved diagram on the coffin's surface. Landing with knees tucked she pivoted and slashed again. Jumping back, Violet only primed herself long enough to launch forward once more.

She could sense the other three, each one beating on the fallen foe as intensely as she was. Skull and Queen crossed, their attacks landing heavily, and Violet was there in the gap left behind. Noir passed opposite her, scythe carving parallel her rapier.

"EnOuGh!" Again, that wave of almighty power scorched them. Stumbling backwards, Violet bent at the waist panting. It hurt. It hurt so much. Not the sharp pain of a cut, but a dull throbbing like a bruise that wasn't healing.

Groaning, Violet pushed herself straight again. Taking a glance at her companions, she was the first upright once more. Noir and Queen followed more slowly, leaving only Skull who was on one knee, unable to rise. Violet could not empathize with the struggle of being turned into a rat and being attacked in that form. She did not have Joker's preternatural ability of knowing exactly how much stamina and mind one had remaining, but had the feeling Skull was on the verge of passing out. He needed healing.

Thankfully, their devasting attack had surely… Eyes bulging, Violet gaped in horror at the coffin that had floated back upright. Not as pristine as the moment it had first emerged, the shadow still seemed composed. Well over half of its stamina remaining to it. The all-out assault had barely scratched it.

"N-No way…" Noir moaned, despair thick in her voice.

Queen gulped and took a step forward, raising her fists. "Get out of here, I'll fend it off so you can flee!"

"Not on your life." Skull growled rising. The bravado was shown false instantly as he took one step and stumbled back to his knee.

"YoU lOOked better aS A RaT!" The coffin mocked Skull, the finger emerging once more. It curled into a fist, the one finger extending with languid assurance. It knew now that they had no attacks that could truly threaten it.

"Ha, I should have expected as much." Violet's eyes widened at the unexpected voice. "Zorro, show your might!"

"WHAT!?" This time, Violet was sure the emotion had been fear that coloured the shadow's terrifying voice. From Mona's persona, a hurricane of wind shot out, wrapping it in swift winds that cut and twisted. "NOOO!"

Rotating on one of its bottom corners, the coffin crashed hard against the floor again. Dust rising in a cloud from the impact, Violet wanted to dash forward once more. To begin tearing it apart. Thankfully, she restrained herself, calling out a more logical order.

"Magic! Bombard it with magic!"

A host of calls permeated the air. Personas bursting forth, and with them, magic of all kinds. Psychic blasts, nuclear rays, lightning that it absorbed, more wind, Violet's own purifying light, and most surprising fire and ice from Panther and Fox who burst into view as well.

"Heh, don't cast anymore of that lightning," Mona berated Skull lightly, taking up a position in front of the kneeling boy as a bodyguard.

"Shut up," Skull said without heat.

Violet could only spare the pair a quick look before focussing on the still rising coffin. Unlike before, the damage was definite and serious. No longer did jest or cool indifference emanate from the shadow. Instead, it silently clenched a hand that emerged for a mere second. Two pools of shadows coalesced into a pair of the snake women.

Skull's growl was covered by Panther's words. "I'll heal him, you all finish this!" With strong arms, Panther dragged Skull back and out of the room, his protests cut-off by a look from Panther.

Biting a lip to restrain a smile, Violet focused back on the snake women and the coffin. The three new enemies ready to kill them all. "Queen, Mona, if you would."

"I… I don't think I can." Queen replied with a grim scowl. A tightness in her eyes conveyed how hard she was struggling to continue fighting.

She's out of mind… but if we can't knock those snakes down…

"I can do this," stepping forward elegantly, Fox seemed to flow. Even Kasumi struggled to display as much grace as the boy possessed in the metaverse. There simply was no other word to describe his motions except beautiful. "Goemon!"

The persona wielded its sword, not as a weapon, but as a conduit, spraying an arc of ice at the three enemy shadows before vanishing. The recently born snakes barely had time to scream in fear before the blizzard consumed them.

Shivering from the blow, the snakes thrashed on the ground, arms hugging their naked torsos as they struggled to endure the blistering cold that left them vulnerable.

"Now Mona!" Following on her shout, the cat followed up on Fox's example by dousing their opponents in a storm. Wind tearing at the snake women almost reduced them to darkness. The coffin again moaned as it fell back to the hard stones.

"We finish this!" Violet instructed. "Don't relent until they are nothingness!"

Obeying her own orders, Violet ripped her mask from her face, the pain an afterthought, and instructed holy, cleansing light to remove the filth from her sight. A second, and then a third time it fell. Not even a wave of almighty power from the coffin slowed her assault. By the time she released a fourth attack, nothing remained of their foe.

Releasing a pent-up breath, Violet collapsed to her knees and then feel down on her backside. Cool against her exposed upper thighs, Violet barely felt the rush of accomplishment that she sought after. The only person still on their feet now was Panther, the girl leaning over Skull to heal him. After a short exchange, he too rose.

They were likely the only people who could still call their personas. I wasted too much… The thought was humbling. The guardian needed to die, and Violet had fumbled her way through it.

Thank you, Mona…" Noir said, breaking the silence. "Your arrival saved us. You too, Fox and Panther. This fight required all of us."

"Not a problem…" Fox answered in an equally tired voice, suggesting it was anything but.

Fear blossoming fresh in her bosom, Violet hated what she knew she had to do. Rising to her feet unsteadily, she surveyed the room. "We need to press on. Joker is somewhere through that passage, and he needs us."

Queen shook her head. "We need rest. Even the thought of calling forth Johanna again makes me nauseous. Just an hour… or two."

Violet expected this and shook her head sadly. "Stay here if you must, but I will be moving on, alone if I have to—"

"Don't be silly!" Panther cut her off, voice harsh. "You can barely stand up either."

"Joker is dying," Violet spoke with a certainty. The growing dread was reaching a crescendo. It was not like Violet suddenly knew what it referred to, she had always known the meaning, but with it pressing imminently upon her, Violet no longer cared if they thought she was insane. She did not guess, she knew.

"…What do you mean?" Fox eventually asked, rising from the floor.

"I… I can tell." Violet admitted. "Since entering earlier… I know that he is in danger and trying desperately to flee. We need to hurry."

"How could you possibly know?" Queen asked. "That does not make sense. Why would you be able to sense him?"

The question was rhetorical, but Mona answered anyway. "The metaverse obeys its own rules. It is created by cognition and feelings. Perhaps strong emotion can…"

Violet struggled not to blush as the cat trailed off. The words practically damning her. She had no idea if Mona's guess was correct, but the others nodded as if it solved everything.

Even Queen relented. "I think we have been disabused of any notion that we can continue this without Joker. There is an exit just up that ramp beyond the pillars. If you can't continue on, leave."

Everyone nodded at the condition, but nobody left. Personas or not, they would move forward. Half falling over from exhaustion, they would continue. As one, they turned to Violet, awaiting her lead.

Struggling to not cry from the trust they showed in her, Violet gripped the uniform above her chest in a tight fist. Throat swollen from those emotions, she only nodded once, accepting the responsibility before dashing for the hallway deeper into the pyramid.

---

Tuesday June 31st, 20XX Evening

"Jack Frost!" Calling forth the persona that no longer packed the punch Joker remembered, the ice was still strong enough to leave the shadow writhing on the ground in pain.

Without an ounce of pity, even at the human features contorted in a rictus of pain, Joker darted forward, knife and gun flying into his hands. Slamming the knife against the throat, Joker put the gun against the shadow's temple. It was still an effort to keep his gaze on the face.

"Make an offer, and there is a chance I let you leave." Joker hissed harshly. The items he had scrounged up from the individual shadows he had managed to isolate were keeping Joker alive on the verge of death. He hid it well, but a stiff breeze would steal his consciousness from him.

"Oh my, a cute little thing like you wouldn't do that to me!"

Joker growled, he could feel the shadow's snake tail rubbing against his leg. "Give it to me!"

Bad, stupid mistake. He needed to be using Yoshida's lessons. Lead them to a decision and have them think it was their idea. That was the whole point of letting them offer him something. The shadow would not start with their most valuable possession. Deny it once, force it relent that it had more.

"I'm afraid all I have is my body. That seems to be what you want the way you oogle me so. I must warn you however… I prefer my men… submissive."

Vision blurring, Joker thought he imaged fangs peeking out of the beautiful woman's smile. But as he blinked and shook his head to clear it, there was nothing there.

"That's not good enough. I need something substantial."

"Substantial?" The shadow raised a teasing eyebrow. "I think they are quite large enough, don't you?"

Joker's neck almost bent. Only the thought of Violet standing at his shoulder kept his eyes on the shadows. Somehow, as the desire to look faded, Joker knew that sight would have been last if he had caved.

This shadow is dangerous, I need to dispose of it.

Perhaps sensing his changing mood, the shadow raised its hand pleading, "Wait! I was being serious. I am not bound here! I… I remember now."

"…Then join me." Joker decided a heartbeat after he heard the all-too-familiar words.

"I am thou… Thou art I. My name is Lamia, I am the flames of vengeance…"

Mask forming, Joker returned it to his face and rose. Not what he was hoping for, but better than nothing. Looking around the cramped hallways, he still felt no hope. Only inertia kept his feet moving. A desire to continue living.

"I cannot die here…" Taking another step forward, Joker moved once more like a shadow of death. Either he would find his own, or he would find his salvation. There was no in-between. Not anymore.

"No way forward and no way out…" The thought almost forced a laugh from his throat. "The gem to go on, and it waits behind…"

This time, Joker did laugh, a rusty sound that spoke of an unsound mind. He had to return, return to the duel he had fled from. The ruler of the scales waited there. Waited for him. Joker knew the next time they met, the result would be decisive. Had to be. Back to the hallway. Back to safety. Back was the way forward.

---

Tuesday June 31st, 20XX Evening

The stench of shadows – that was the only word Violet could find to describe it – hung thick in the air. It felt like the entire pyramid was waiting, waiting for them. Shadows prowled, heads darting back and forth frantically, as if to see them around every corner.

They all stand on maximum alert…

Peering out from her hiding space by a rough worn wall of sandstone, Violet peered into the central square where three shadows gathered. Two were the dog-formed ones, their senses high enough that even Joker struggled to sneak up on them. The last was humanoid but looked strong as it stood guard over a passageway. With the central pillar of stone blocking most of her view of it, Violet struggled to determine what was beyond it.

That was where they had to go, Violet was sure, if they wanted to find Joker. After surveying the section available to them more than one time, and comparing it to their map, she was certain that getting past those shadows was the only way to proceed.

"Well?" Queen asked tightly. The girl looked like she wanted to start swearing and screaming. Violet sympathized. She had drawn on her personas power far fewer times than Queen had and felt like someone was hammering a nail into her head.

"We need to get past the shadow but—"

"The barricade stands," Queen answered dully.

Both of them shivered as they glanced at the inconspicuous ground that separated the space between them and the next room. Getting over the hole that Futaba almost dropped them into was hard enough. Now, the very ground shot up a wall of spears whenever they tried to enter. There was no trap mechanism or click of warning, it simply happened.

Violet thought she could do it. If she started at a sprint and jumped early… Depending on how long they took to recognize her… So many ifs and only one chance. Even a success left her trapped with three angry shadows and no back-up.

"I'm scared," Queen said suddenly.

"Hmm?" Violet turned frowning. "About Joker? He lives for now."

"Kind of, but not wholly," Queen continued. "I was talking to Mona and Fox about the lay-out of the pyramid, the great central hallway, that light up there."

Violet frowned, not understanding. Keeping her voice pitched low to avoid the shadow's ears, she responded. "So? We can ask the person who thought of it all after we rescue Joker."

Queen stopped Violet from leaving with an arm on her shoulder. "That chamber we found opened the front gate, we exited the pyramid and confirmed it for ourselves. When Joker flung himself through a doorway to avoid that rock, how far back was he?"

"I… I don't understand." Violet answered unhappily. Her mind was filled solely with rescuing Joker and the necessary information to do that. The shadows that lurked here, their weaknesses, the layout of the palace. She was the only one who did things. She had pushed the button to fire the ballista letting the light shine against that first door. She was the one who stole the lights form the Anubis statues to rotate the reflector. Of course she had no time to think about where Joker was, only that he was still deeper.

"That light!" Queen spoke urgently now, pointing at a reflector at the top of the large central stone pillar they could not reach, "is the same one we released from that room, the one that opened the previous two doors. For anyone trapped in that hallway with a previous door closed…"

Violet groaned now, "it can only be opened from the outside inwards. Joker was probably in the hallway section we opened but—"

"But left it trying to escape," Queen finished somberly. "Only he fled deeper into the palace."

It was unfair, too unfair. Of course Joker refused to believe there was no exit. He had grown impatient waiting for rescue and sought escape, all because she had been too slow.

"He… He could be anywhere now…" Violet said moaning. Collapsing to her knees, she cradled her head dejectedly. Even without a watch, of time of any sort, Violet could feel the passage of time weigh at her. Time ticked on uncaring for her other responsibilities, the secrets she tried to keep.

"No, I don't think so," Queen smiled. "That light we sent in here only a short while ago is key to opening the next door. If this chamber goes nowhere which seems likely, then Joker is close by. Solve this puzzle, we find him."

Solve this puzzle, we find him. Violet's mind grabbed onto the words like a log in a storm. Holding to it desperately to stay afloat, Violet nodded. "Then let's head down the rest of the hallway and back over to those shadows. Hopefully we can find an answer there."

"Agreed."

Heading back to the rest of the thieves, they glanced up from where they rested crouched against the wall. To a person, they frowned to see them return so soon. So many fights, so much pain.

Swallowing, Violet knew she had not ordered them to come. Every one of them was here to rescue the leader they all adored. But with leading transferred to her shoulders, she felt it so much more keenly. She had not understood how much pressure Joker was under. Violet wished she could handle it half as well.

"There may be a way to disable the spikes further in. If we can disable them…" Taking a deep breath, Violet forced the words out. "We should find Joker."

Thankfully, no one asked the question that Violet dared. That if they did not find Joker, then he was even deeper in this gigantic maze of a palace.

Leading them down the hallway, Violet turned a corner and ascended a set of stairs. Peering around another corner, Violet observed the circular room with a stone support filling the center. The path to her left was shattered, there was no getting past it. However, there was also a shadow walking up and down that side.

No way around it, Violet signalled them to hide and then darted across when its back was turned. Advancing along the worn-stone column, Violet peered over to where the shadow was just emerging on the opposite side. It still had not seen her but had its guard up. Also, there was a hole here as well. Even if it was easily crossable, the gap would make it harder to ambush.

While she analyzed her possibilities, the others had caught up, the shadow hidden from view as it repeated its route.

"Stay close behind me," Violet whispered. "We won't have long."

Violet was not watching but felt their nods of agreement. So many fights had sapped their energy. Violet's body felt like puddy. Even the thought of calling Jeanne made her want to hurl.

Blinking away the head pain, Violet waited for her moment. Like the moves in a routine, each one had to be timed exactly. The prop thrown with the exact strength, so it landed in your hand at the microsecond desired.

This was no harder.

No, it was easier. Far easier.

As the shadow ducked back behind the pillar, Violet was a silent blur. Her outfit reflecting the faint light until she looked like a shooting star to those following behind. With all the force of a meteorite, Violet jumped on the shadow from behind and ripped off its mask.

Even as she fell backwards to the ground, a shocked feeling ran through her body. I did it. I copied Joker. Landing, she rolled backwards and stood up to face the shadow, the others swarming around her.

The shadows were slow to coalesce. A stunned pain was etched on their faces from the forceful reveal. Three enemies emerged from the lone sentry. Two were the stolid snakemen that they fought often. Once easily disposed of by Mona's wind, those spears had caught more than one of them with a powerful attack. Floating between them was a creature with a lion's head on an eagle's body. Why it was blue Violet did not know, but she almost glad to see it.

Whipping out her antique pistol, she aimed it mercilessly at the bird. The weighty trigger required real force to pull. The wooden surface feeling real beneath her gloved hands.

With a loud bang, the Lion-bird cried out as it collapsed to the ground. For good measure, Violet fired a second shot as well.

"Skull!" Calling on the boy, Violet jumped back and let him pass.

Roaring with energy, he fell on one of the spearmen with all the ferocity of a storm. As if he rode in on a one, captain of the seas, and dolled out judgement to those who lived in fear on the coast.

In an instant, the image was gone as Skull's attack finished. The snakeman, Naga, had withstood it without collapsing. Quickly, too quickly, the shadows were regrouping, getting ready to met out a counter-punch Violet would not enjoy.

"Go, Fox, Queen!" The four of them were the physically strongest of the phantom thieves. Mona, Panther, and Noir all had incredibly strong persona abilities. Without those though, they became the weakest of them. A fact that could be seen to clearly bother the three who could only stand around.

"Tsss!" Releasing a snakey hiss, the Naga fell back before the barrage but remained upright. Their attack had failed to break the lines and end the fight before it started.

As the Lion-bird picked itself up, the fight started for real. Wind and spears tore at them. Violet felt more of her precious energy vanish in a swirl of cutting air. The pain rearing up, so important, yet inconsequential.

"Grrr…" Growling, Violet threw herself into the fight. Mind going blank, she stabbed and slashed, and thrusted. One moment her blade was high cutting into the eagle wing, next she was twirling across the ground, Blade thrusting into an exposed snake tail. Spears and claws and fangs snapped at her but found no purchase. They could not touch her.

How could they?

Each movement was planned out, pre-ordained by the choreography in her head. A dance of death where each action determined the fate of her next. Violet knew the lunging spear would miss because she had cut the muscle on the Naga's arm. A spasm causing it to drift left when its companions expected it to hit. Into the space made, Violet was already attacking again.

"Ahh…" Gasping, Violet felt the song fall away from her. There was nothing left, no melody, no steps, no routine. Only pain filled her. Body seizing, she collapsed to the stone floor. "Hrngh…"

"Idiot girl."

Violet knew it was Queen talking, but no more than that. The hot iron burning her nerves prevented more than that. Even Joker's smile and the thought of rescuing him blurred.

"We need her. Heal her! I don't care if you pass out from it!"

Violet wished they would be quiet. Just like Kasumi, she never knew when to shut up either. Always so preachy. Always right. "Kas… Wait for me…"

Stretching out a hand, Violet felt her sister envelop her hand with both of hers. It helped soothed the pain consuming her. The knotted muscles continually spasming.

"GAH!" Shouting, Violet suddenly shot straight up. Holding a hand to her head, she felt woozy. Still in immense pain, but not enough to cripple her. "W-What happened…?"

As she asked the question, Violet knew it was not the most important one. How long had passed? Had they found the answer to getting past those spikes?

"Calm down," Queen ordered. "It was less than a minute."

"Good, we need to—" Violet's words got cut-off as she tried to rise. Queen's gauntleted hand had grabbed the front of her outfit and pulled Violet's face so that their masks were touching.

"Stop trying to do everything."

"W-What?"

"We could have handled those fools normally." Queen continued, unabashed and unrelenting. "We don't need you killing yourself trying to achieve everything by yourself. That thing you did takes much from you, too much."

"Violet…"

Turning to face Panther, Violet almost looked away from the pain in the beautiful girl's blue eyes.

"Do you not trust us? We can fight as well! You aren't alone."

"…I know," Violet groaned, standing herself straight up. After a moment, Queen released her hold and Violet almost fell again. "I… I have one fight left in me. Please everyone… let's save Joker."

"Oh, and Violet," Queen smiled with a sweetness that almost had her sprinting away, "you aren't fighting again until we find Joker."

I know. Violet nodded and acceded the lead to Fox. The tall boy was the one in the best condition. Not good, but the best. Left to follow along in the back, Violet had few decisions to make. By the time she had advanced through the next hallway and came across the giant chasm with the spaced pedestals they needed to jump, Fox was halfway across the first set.

It was a wonder how easily they crossed the space. Shadows placed here would be impossible to avoid, impossible to ambush, and almost impossible to fight. Palaces had these odd things, events and locations no sane human would design.

"Another hallway…" Fox commented as they came to rest on solid stone again.

"Dude, another gem!" Skull answered back, pain leaving his voice for once. Like a child in a candy shop, Skull ran over to the statue of Anubis. As before, it held a glowing gem in its right hand.

As Skull went to pluck it out, Panther stopped him with a growl. "Can't you read!? Any who disturbs the stone from its resting place shall be cursed. Do you want to be cursed? I don't!"

"W-Well… Come on! It is clearly an empty threat."

Still, they turned to Violet. It was her decision, again. Glancing once at the pedestal, Violet turned for the hallway. "Things are peaceful right now. If shadows ambush us as soon as we pick that up, I want that hallway explored first."

According to the map, it should lead almost back to where they had entered the chamber from the main hallway. Based on the distance they climbed, the hallway should overlook that room they could not enter.

"Logical," Queen agreed and most of the rest nodded. Only Skull and Mona gave the stone a final resentful stare before following into the hallway.

As with the rest of the chamber, there was nothing of note. Only a few vases capped by dog-headed designs and golden sarcophagi. All of which Violet ignored in favour of finding the end of the tunnel. As soon as she made the last turn, she gasped and dashed to the end, or tried to.

After three strides, her legs turned to jelly and Violet crashed to the floor. Ignoring the fresh wave of dulling pain, Violet crawled to the button that stood there proudly. "This must be it…"

"Yes…" Queen echoed, leaning over to examine it. The button was very much like the only other one of its kind they had found. The first button had fired a giant ballista that knocked a hole in a wall. Again, the button was a massive orange oval. Like a gemstone, it was inlaid on a pedestal of gold, with no inscription detailing its function.

"They really should try labeling," Noir sniffed.

"Heh, the fun is in not knowing!" Skull declared before pushing it.

"Men!" Panther and Queen snapped, but neither could undo the push that had already gone off. Staggering back to her feet, Violet stared down at the chamber below. The place they could not get past until now.

"I can feel it…" Violet muttered. "The trap is turned off, we can enter, we can—"

Her words died suddenly. Taking one step forward, Violet felt her heart in her throat. Total dread warring with sudden hope.

"…Joker."

Her half-audible word caused the thieves to turn and stare. Stare at where another hallway exited into that chamber. Standing there was Joker, looking more dead than alive as three shadows encircled him.

Without another word, Violet's feet flew along the hallway. She had to make it time, she had to. This time, her legs did not give out on her.

---

Tuesday June 31st, 20XX Evening

Joker did not understand—did not care really—about the difference he sensed as he opened the door to his death. Like something had changed in the air. Not to something new, but a return to what it had been when he had first entered.

As he had expected, the guards had returned. The ones that had caused him so much trouble. The dogs snapping were not what Joker glared at, they were mere nuisances compared to the shadow that glowed red with energy.

Slowly, as if mocking him, their false appearances melted to reveal the true shadows beneath. Fragments of the sea of souls. Maybe if I… No, Joker knew instinctively they would not join him. The imperious dog god at least was too powerful. It would not work.

Flanking him to either side was a trio of shadows. One was a floating Anzu flanked by a pair of Thoth—a brutal fight on its own. The other side was a Lamia escorted by two sandmen. Easier, but even it could cause issues. The six together was suicidal. When the ruler of scales was included, one could only describe the encounter as impossible. Even if Joker was in top-form, fresh after a long sleep, they could kill him with a concentrated storm of magical attacks.

Not caring, Joker flashed them an insane smile. Creating by hours of shivering in terror. Hours spent lying in pain in the dark. Dagger and gun in hand, Joker waltzed forward.

Before any of his seven confident enemies could react, Joker dove forward, gun firing wildly at the airborne opponent. Even as it fell with a pained cry, Joker had already moved on. His dagger dug into one of the monkeys, Thoth.

A gamble.

The thought rolled briefly across Joker's mind, but never stuck. It did not really matter at this point.

"Gragh!" Thoth shrieked; its book raised defensively as Joker's knife tore open its stomach. As Joker passed, the monkey fell over. Joker's attack had taken it in a weak spot, stealing large amounts of the shadow's energy.

From one Thoth, Joker lunged at the next, betting on his luck holding. Like the first, the second book-wielding monkey was too slow to respond. Slipping under its guard, Joker struck home for a second time. Two times in a row he managed to hit the vulnerable spot and sent a third shadow reeling to the ground.

"Hahaha," laughing to himself, Joker sent a deranged grin at the still standing shadows. Even that implacable, domineering Ruler of the Scales floated backwards slightly. Dashing toward all four of them, Joker screamed again. "LAMIA!"

Utilizing his new persona's power, Fire burst from Joker, consuming the other four. The Ruler of Scales and other Lamia were practically not affected. The two Sandmen however writhed on the ground, burning.

Another chance created another moment of life that Joker had bought for himself. Even as he darted toward the Lamia, Joker felt his head splitting open. The large and powerful fire attack had been too strong, too much.

Unable to recover in time, Joker's thrust was not precise. The vulnerable sternum, between the two female breasts was Joker's target. Due to slowing down, Joker's attack was caught on the Lamia's right arm. Even though he viciously tore into the appendage, he had not done the requisite damage required to knock it to the ground.

Charge stopped, Joker stood vulnerable as the seven shadows turned their angry eyes to him. Five of them rose to their feet, the other two prepared to attack.

Not knowing if he would survive, Joker could do nothing but attempt a dodge. Abandoning grace, Joker hurled himself behind the pillar. Fire and darkness clawed at his body.

After landing and rolling, Joker realized his persona saved him. Lamia made him immune to the curse attacks that the Ruler of the Scales had tried to kill him with.

Feeling a small gust of wind on his back, Joker reflexively turned his head. Did he have time to flee? Could he run from this fight? So close. He was so close to safety. That opportunity was lost as the Anzu appeared from the far side of the pillar. Directly in front of Joker, it unleashed a blast of wind at Joker.

Even as the air gusted around him, Joker felt all the air in his lungs getting expelled. All that air, and he couldn't breathe. Laying against the rock wall in pain, small noises gushing from his throat, Joker's sight blurred from the pain. Forms of shadows blurring together, Joker could no longer move at all.

Even with no strength left in his body, Joker tried to tighten his hand on his dagger. I can't die… I can't… I…

Boom! A column of light filled Joker's fading sight. Blurred and blinded, he could also barely sort out the sounds. A woman screaming fury. Then half a dozen voices at least. Each one yelling about something.

Head slamming once more into rock, Joker jerked. Someone was shaking his shoulders. Eyes flickering open, Joker slammed them shut again. Too bright.

Squinting, he thought he saw a face in the middle of that light. A gorgeous maiden haloed in light. Joker wondered what story he found himself in the middle of. Either way, he thought he should say something appropriate.

"Thank you… my savior…" Voice too weak to say more, Joker let his knife fall to the stone fall so that he could reach out. His fingers touched something before falling limply back to the floor.

As his hand hit the ground, his consciousness fled, leaving only darkness.

---

Tuesday June 31st, 20XX Evening

Thank you… My saviour. As Joker's hand tracked her cheek softly, Violet's face became the colour of her hair. "H-He was delusional. He did not know what he was saying, yes, that's it."

Unsteadily, Violet staggered away from the boy that had passed out. Somehow, the angry forms of seven shadows were easier to face than Joker at this moment. She could feel her heart trying to burst out of her chest. The rush of emotion had her seeing spots.

Or those spots could have been from the final mind she had extracted to distract the shadows. Thinking about it again brought back a searing headache that threatened to debilitate her.

Holding one hand to her head, Violet glanced up and down the line. Seven shadows, seven of them. Somehow, Joker had done significant damage to five of them. That damage was likely meaningless though. Just the two monkeys were likely enough to defeat them all. Yet, even with the threat that their almighty attacks possessed, Violet's eyes kept drifting back to the dog-headed man floating in the air, a set of scales balanced in its right hand. It emanated an aura of power that Violet could not ignore.

Also, she recognized it. The black fur and penetrating eyes were the same from the statues that held the glowing orbs. Anubis, Queen had named it, God of the underworld. The Egyptian deity weighted the hearts of the dead on those scales.

For now, as it locked gazes with Violet, the scales were in balance. It was not reacting one way or another. Time, time to kill the others.

"Everyone!" Violet started.

"ARGH!"

"DIE!"

With a mix of roars, yells, and deadly calm, they all dashed forward. Violet had no chance to make a different plan. Six one-vs-one melees erupted around her. Each one looked randomly chosen.

Mona and Fox were fighting a sandman each, Panther had the Anzu. Skull growled as he forced the Lamia further back. That left Queen and Noir trying to deal with the Thoths. None of them squared up with the massive floating god.

Swallowing, Violet took a nervous step toward the shadow that had been left to her. Explosions of noise, magic, and screams of pain split the chamber. As Violet approached though, it felt like it was all occurring outside of a bubble that contained her and this shadow.

As Violet and the shadow locked gazes, the scale suddenly tipped. A smile split its face, sharp canines signifying her imminent death.

Don't try to win, just buy time.

Even as she told herself that, it was driven from her mind by a circle of darkness appearing beneath her feet. In less than a second, Violet hurled herself to the side. Tendrils of darkness snapped at her legs, trying to drown her in a puddle of black energy.

Shivering, Violet knew that she would not rise if she was trapped by the attack. Distracted, she did not have time to move as another circle surrounded her. This time, cards of white light formed a barrier she could not cross.

Lifting an arm to shield her eyes, Violet felt the bright light heat her body. A light that was oh so familiar. In a few moments, it was gone. Blinking away the spots, Violet glared at the confused looking shadow. Its ultimate technique had scored a direct hit and did nothing.

Thank you, Jeanne!

Darting forward, Violet's rapier thrust into the shadow. A second and third strike tore into the inky blackness of its skin and fur. As her strikes ended, Violet could not even tell if she had done damage. It looked as haughty as ever, a true god, floating without a care.

A small smirk.

That's all it took for Violet to throw herself away. Shoulder landing roughly against the stone floor, all grace gone. A wave of dark energy passed only a few inches above her head. Small tendrils caressing her body, trying to tear her apart.

Stumbling back to her feet, Violet was just in time to throw herself away from a second attack. Once again the circle of dark energy ate at her. Arms weak, head pounding, Violet roughly pushed herself to her feet. She was completely on the backfoot. Luck was keeping her alive at this point.

Violet desperately wanted to know how the other fights were going. The Sandman shadows were the weakest and should be defeated. That should spiral into the Anzu and Lamia being taken down. But what about the Thoth shadows? The stupid monkeys were incredibly powerful. Unable to spare even a glance, Violet sized up the Anubis. Its scales were still tilted to one side, but were slowly coming back into the balance.

If I can dodge one more… Eyes bulging, Violet had no chance against the lightning quick bullet of dark energy. It struck her hard in the stomach, the elemental affinity exploiting her weakness.

"Hrnghh…" Groaning, Violet collapsed to her knees. Staring up at the god, Violet awaited her judgement. She waited… and waited. The scales hung in the balance. As fighting raged around them, they stared at each other, neither moving, neither making a sound. It was an absurd situation. I can't be this lucky…

Unable to help herself, Violet looked around. It was going about how she expected it to. The Sandman shadows had already disappeared, Skull was in the process of killing the Lamia. The Anzu was disappearing. Four shadows dead, three left. But to her right Noir was on the ground not moving. Queen stood over her as the Thoth shadows closed in, injured but not down.

I need to help them! Glancing once more at the Anubis just floating there, the scales wobbling slightly but not becoming unbalanced. Hoping they would stay that way, Violet dashed away.

The Thoth nearest to her was preparing to throw another ball of that almighty energy. Queen could not dodge without letting it hit Noir. Her face was a grim mask that expected defeat.

Blade flashing even faster than the Thoth's attack. Taking it by the head with her blade, the Thoth fell screaming, its attack going wide. Jumping on it, Violet tried to the pin the shadow to the floor with her blade.

Its companion turned angrily to attack her. Before the nuclear attack could go off, Queen was there tackling it to the floor. A rough melee breaking out as they tried to stay alive.

"Get Joker and get out!" Violet screamed; her blade unable to penetrate the leather-bound book. Little-by-little, her sword was getting pushed back. Arms screaming with pain, Violet's body was on the verge of collapse. She had no strength left.

The monkey's eyes, so filled with rage, began to shimmer with a blue light. Glaring at it, Violet recognized her end. The nuclear energy would kill her without leaving even a scratch on the resistant monkey.

Oh please, get Joker out alive. Closing her eyes, Violet sent her fervent wish to the rest of the thieves. If it was just her life in exchange for his it would be worth it. Everything would be fine if they could just get him out.

In the moments before her end, Violet saw a hundred moments flash through her mind. The first confusing moment of a boy walking through a school on a weekend before the new year started. His gentle smile as he leaned over her and told her that he would help Kasumi for her. Helping her hit her baseball. Helping her, always helping her.

Kasumi could have saved him.

Saved him.

Saved.

Saved.

Saved.

…

…Saviour.

My saviour.

Pushing down on her blade, Violet backflipped off the monkey. A ray of blue light illuminated her face but did not even touch the strands of her scarlet bangs. Landing on her feet, Violet dashed forward.

Saviour.

One slash, sidestep the other's attack. Twirl, slash at the knee, backstep. Each movement planned. Precise, in time, exact.

Finishing the three-part combo, Violet left the reeling Thoth alone. It was not going to kill from where it lay on the ground thrashing in pain. The second Thoth had thrown Queen from its body. She landed hard beside where Noir was getting helped away by Skull.

Kasumi could do this.

My saviour.

But Kasumi was not here. Joker had called her, Sumire, Violet, his saviour. She planned on making good on that.

Don!

Violet was not watching, but she felt the moment it happened. The scales had tipped. She would get no help. Everyone was exhausted. From now on, it was a three-on-one.

As the circle of black death was generated beneath her feet, Violet was already stepping forward out of it. By the time it sought to trap her, Violet was stabbing at the Thoth that had thrown Queen. With a bestial howl, it raised its book, unleashing spheres of almighty energy in her direction.

Parting one with her blade, Violet twirled between the others. Compared to the pressure of having to arrive at the exact right space before a thrown prop descended, it was easy, trivial even. Rapier twirling like a baton, the book was blown from Thoth's hand.

As the shadow's eyes were widening, Violet thrust her rapier through its mouth and out in one clean thrust. Transferring the momentum from the retraction to her body, Violet fell backwards, the attack from the first Thoth that was just recovering passing over her. Hands touching the ground, Violet flipped over. When she landed right side up again, her gun was in her hands; bullets flying towards Anubis.

For all the damage it did, she may as well have been using a water gun. That thought merely flickered on the outside of Violet's mind. One could not have extraneous thoughts during a routine. She was one with the music, the routine.

Attacks of blue, white, and black coursed past her body. On the edge of touching her, but never scoring a direct blow. Arms trembling with the effort of a final routine, Violet's face ran slick with sweat. Her headache's pounding making the rhythm harder to find.

First one way, and then another. One slash, a thrust, a backflip. Absolute perfection. That was all she needed to finish successfully, perfection.

Absorbed in her dance, Violet did not notice when her whirling slash took the life of one Thoth. Mild confusion as the second dissolved and did not rise. All emotion faded quickly, however. The pattern of the dance changed, but one did not stop for any reason.

From the floor came the zones of death, reaching for her. Jumping over those, Violet twirled past rays of dark energy and deflected the odd streak of brilliant white. Dancing, always dancing with the god of death. Dancing with her heart on the scales. Dancing as she saw Kasumi dance. Dancing as she always wanted to dance.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" An alien voice roared. No human throat could produce such a noise. Violet frowned, it did not go well with the music, the rhythm changed, but she adjusted. "THIS POWER IS… IT IS…"

Side-stepping a final ray of dark energy that dissolved a few hairs from her ponytail, Violet parted the scales with a vertical slash. The two equal halves crashed to the ground with a sonorous wail. The God that judged jerked harshly. Body seizing, it began to lose its rigidity and started flowing as mounds formed and bulged beneath its skin. Sightless eyes seeing nothing, it dissolved into dark energy that dripped viscously onto the ground for a moment before disappearing.

"Ahh…" Stumbling one step, Violet spread her arms wide as her dance finally finished. Kasumi wouldn't have stumbled… That one thought finally pierced her mind before rushing darkness and pain seized her mind. Eyes rolling back into her head, Violet collapsed to the ground as if boneless.