Chapter 46: Conservatory of Neglect (Part 2)

October 17

Location: Conservatory of Neglect Main Dome

"Man, exams were brutal today…" Skull groaned as the Phantom Thieves returned to Paimon's Palace.

"Aren't you supposed to be studying for those?" Oracle questioned.

"I mean yeah, but then the latest chapter of my manga came out and I kinda lost track of time," Skull replied.

"It's like you're asking for Queen to beat a study session into you," Lycan shook her head. "Where's the next Will Seed at, Oracle?"

"It's over in the next dome. There's a lot of interference, though, so my scanners can't detect where exactly it is," the hacker replied. Sneaking though a corridor out of the main dome, the gang soon entered the next biome of the Palace, the Garden of the Arcane. Within this part was a rainforest downpouring with rain, so much so that you could barely see what was right in front of you. "That's why I can't detect anything in here. The rain is jamming my scan!"

"It must be enchanted rain if it cuts off your powers like that," Omen noted. "That is going to make it a lot harder to find where the Will Seed is, though…"

"Can't smell anything in the rain either. Sorry," Lycan apologized.

"Hm… Maybe I can help here," Templar said. The cherub flew forward and put his hands together, pushing them upwards as a small dome of light enveloped the team, lighting up the immediate area around them.

"Nice work, Templar!" Panther praised.

"Indeed. Now we don't have to worry about getting wet and can see… A useful spell for sure," Fox nodded.

"We still don't have a map though, so be careful," Oracle warned.

"Luckily the rain should obscure our footsteps, so Shadows won't hear us unless they actually see us," Mona noted.

"There's probably an irrigation system of some kind that's keeping this rain going. If we can turn it off, then maybe the darkness will lift as well," Noir suggested.

"Good idea. Let's put a stop to this rain and find the Will Seed," Joker nodded.

The Phantom Thieves dashed off into the dark, navigating around the area to find where they could turn off the water. This dome was set up almost like a jungle treehouse, with many ramps to climb and places between platforms that Joker could use his grappling hook to navigate. After subduing a few Shadows, the team soon arrived at a covered platform where a glowing rune was carved into the floor.

"Hm… This looks like the seal of House Paimon," Omen noted.

"Yeah, I recognize it from the Lesser Key of Solomon. Each of the 72 Goetia demons has a seal associated with them," Oracle confirmed. "It looks like this is part of the weather control system. There are probably other seals in the area that need to be activated to fully turn off the rain."

Joker nodded and touched the seal, jumping back as it gave off a stinging dark energy. The seal turned green before quickly switching back to red. "Uh, you have to turn it off, my guy," Lycan said.

"I can't… the magic used for it reverted as soon as I let go," Joker shook his head.

"So we need to hold down each of the seals to turn off the system… What a pain…" Queen sighed.

"We'll need to leave someone behind in order to make sure we can turn off the rain," Mona stated. "Any volunteers?"

"We should let Joker decide since he's the leader," Templar said.

Joker looked to his team. "In that case… Panther, Lycan, and Fox. You stay here to hold off the seal."

"Oh, I get it. Having three of us here will help in case any Shadows come by," Panther said. "You can count on us, Joker!"

"At least we can stay dry underneath this canopy," Lycan muttered.

The rest of the team departed further into the Garden of the Arcane, with Joker using his Personas to compensate for their lack of Fire, Ice, and Earth magic. Eventually they found the second seal, with Templar, Queen, and Skull staying behind this time.

"You know, aren't these seals used in demon summoning?" Templar asked.

"They can be, but they also act as a symbol of the Goetia's power," Omen explained. "Even demons that aren't part of the Goetia like Beelzebub have their own seals. It makes everything more official. Besides, humans have to do a lot to make a powerful demon like the Goetia obey their orders, if they can even get the summoning circle right in the first place."

"Probably not as easy as some movies make it out to be?" Skull guessed.

"Yes, though someone like my father can use humans on Earth to summon himself to the mortal plane if he doesn't have use of his book for some reason," Omen nodded. "Now then, let's go find that last seal!"

"We can do it, team!" Noir cheered.

Climbing up higher into the area, the remaining Phantom Thieves found the last of the seals on the highest platform in the area, and with Mona, Noir, and Omen holding the seal in place the spell was deactivated, though the rain didn't stop at first. "Huh? Did that not do anything?" Mona questioned.

"The spell is broken, but I think it's purpose is for something else…" Oracle hummed. "Wait, I'm picking up on a signal! Joker, I can guide you there, but you'll be on your own. Think you can handle it?"

"I've got some SP restoring items and healing supplies, I'll be good," Joker said with a grin before backflipping off the platform and using his grappling hook to repel down to the bottom of the dome.

"He's really getting cocky about this…" Omen sighed.

"I know. I taught him well," Mona grinned.

Down with Joker, he followed Oracle's instructions and dashed through the rain, avoiding fights when he could and eventually coming to a rock in the center of the garden. "This is it, the place that the seals are connected too. But what exactly is this for…?" Oracle wondered.

Joker hummed to himself and used his Third Eye to see that he could interact with the rock. Putting his hand on the rock, it suddenly started to glow as his hand sunk into it, leading to Joker stumbling into a secret room that the rock was hiding. "Woah! Did not expect that! This must be the real control room of this dome," Oracle exclaimed. "Try looking around for some way to turn off this rain!"

Snooping around the area, Joker noticed a valve on the far end of the room. Turning said valve led to the rain finally letting up outside, sunlight flooding into the jungle area as a fine fog coated the ground. "That's it! I can finally get a proper scan of the map in here!" Oracle cheered. "Everyone, Joker has found a secret room! Come down here and meet us; I'll lead the way!"

The Phantom Thieves regrouped in the secret room, Environment Control Station, where Lycan's nose started twitching. "Oh yeah, I can smell it… the Will Seed is in here," the hellhound said.

"I can sense it too…" Mona nodded, hopping onto one of the chairs in the room. "I think there's a false wall somewhere in here. We just need to figure out which of these buttons controls it."

"Hm… Some of these buttons don't seem to correlate to irrigation systems," Haru noted. "Let's see… "Form Regulation", "Transference of Power", "Cognitive Syphoning"…"

"Wait, what was that last one?" Oracle asked, coming over to look at the buttons.

"Something about all the cognitive junk we have to deal with? What more nonsense is there to know?" Skull groaned.

"The control panel looks ancient, as if it hasn't been used in a long time," Fox observed.

"Yet another thing King Paimon has left neglected," Templar shook his head.

"Let's just see what these do…" Oracle said, pressing the "Form Regulation" button.

"As per the rules of the Solomon Initiative, all houses of the Ars Goetia will have their demonic forms regulated," Paimon's voice said as an old screen lit up on the wall. "We must appear as a defined unit, one that can stand just as strong as the Deadly Sins. To honor the first of those lost in the… incident, it has been decided that the Goetia from this day forth will take the form of avian demons."

"Uh, what was that?" Panther asked.

"It sounded like a recording of one of Paimon's orders, from back when the Ars Goetia were fully forming into their modern houses," Omen replied. "Is he implying that the families all had different forms before whatever the Solomon Initiative was?"

"That would explain why their depictions are different in the Lesser Key of Solomon versus what you've described the Goetia as," Oracle pointed out. "Other than the fact that some of them are spiritual descendants of the originals like your dad is."

"But to suppress your true nature to fit in and rule over others… That sounds a lot like the corrupt systems that we're fighting against now," Queen said with a frown.

"Just all the more reasons to take this guy down," Skull said seriously.

Oracle pressed the "Transference of Power" button next. "To make sure the reincarnation spell of the Solomon Initiative works, all Goetia magic will be regulated into the grimoires of each house, only to be passed down once a worthy successor is born. To make sure we don't have a repeat of the… incident and to offset any unforeseen deaths, each house will be required to have a precautionary heir to pass the grimoire down in case of an untimely death."

"That sounds like the whole reason I was born. To take over Dad's position if he ever dies," Omen said.

"Not a lot new learned there," Mona shook his head.

"He keeps mentioning this "incident" that happened to bring about all of this… I wonder what that was?" Templar questioned.

Oracle finally pressed the "Cognitive Syphoning" button. An image of Paimon appeared in the screen, this one looking younger than his current self but also a lot more tired as well. "As the final part of the Solomon Initiative, we will use the power of the Collective Unconscious to seal away demon kind's cognitions from both Heaven and Earth. Our researchers have dubbed our efforts as "Mortis", and with it we will hopefully never have to deal with another… incident again." Paimon looked to the camera with a solemn expression. "As a failsafe I have elected to put myself at the center of this maelstrom as we bring the spell to fruition… It is the least I can do to make up for failing you, Stolas."

As the video cut off, the gang looked at the screen in shock. "So Paimon is the reason that Mortis exists?" Templar gasped.

"It sounds like whatever the incident was must have had something to do with cognition," Oracle guessed.

"Then mental shutdowns might have been involved, and it sounds like Stolas- one of my ancestors, not my dad- must have been a victim of it," Omen added. "It's weird hearing Paimon sound remorseful… What happened during that incident that caused him to change and degrade to the point where he is today?"

"He said something about putting himself in the center of the Mortis project… If I had to guess, this Treasure being kept in the middle of a giant tree is a stand-it for his soul keeping Mortis separate from the rest of Mementos… I think," Mona said.

"Man, I didn't understand any of that…" Skull shook his head.

"What I think Mona is trying to say is that the roots of Paimon's Palace may go deeper than just the Palace itself," Oracle spoke. "Remember how we thought that Stella might have a Palace, but she only had a Shadow in Mortis?"

"And it was only after we confronted her Shadow that a Palace started to form," Queen recalled.

"Well, I think that by putting himself in the middle of the project when Mortis was formed, Paimon tired his soul directly into its formation," Oracle speculated. "That way only one Palace could truly form, that being his own."

"So the reason Mom didn't have a Palace at first is because Paimon's Treasure is acting as a stopgap between the process of a distorted desire forming a Palace around it," Omen added. "And when we confronted her Shadow directly in Mortis, it "broke" her connection to the seal, allowing for a Palace to start forming."

"And since we're the only ones that know about Mortis besides Paimon, it makes sense that something like this has never happened before," Queen said.

"To summarize for everyone here: Paimon's made a system where only he can have a Palace, leaving every other demon in Hell to perpetually stew in their distorted desires," Mona said.

The Phantom Thieves were all taken aback by that revelation. "Wow, just… wow. That's a lot to take in," Panther shook her head. "Would that cause a lot of trouble if we steal Paimon's Treasure, then? I mean, not being able to form a Palace is a good thing, right?"

Omen shook her head. "No. Paimon may think this process is for the greater good, but it's just allowing for Hell to fall further into depravity. Demon souls don't have an outlet for their Shadows, their true selves, to grow change. They just build up their vices until they're consumed by them. This is another sign of Paimon's neglect, not allowing demons to naturally grow and change like all living beings can."

"This whole system is literally forcing an entire population to act on their worst instincts, and only those cut off from it due to their potential, like Omen and Lycan, or are high-enough ranking like the Deadly Sins, can act against this restriction," Templar added.

"And remember, people can change their own Cognitions for the better, like what happened with Mishima's Shadow," Joker recalled. "This stifling of Shadows in Mortis may cause some more pain in Hell, but it will also free many others to open their hearts and be true to themselves."

"Well said, leader," Mona grinned. "We still need to find out what that incident was, though, and how it relates to Stolas."

"We've seen what happens whenever a demon has a change of heart… I can't imagine a full-on mental shutdown would be prettier," Lycan shuttered.

Eventually the team found another button in the room that opened up a false wall, revealing the second Will Seed behind it. They grabbed it and left the Garden of the Arcane to find the last Will Seed and free the Treasure trapped behind them.

[***]

Location: Garden of Ruin

After going through the main dome again, the Phantom Thieves arrived at the final path they hadn't taken yet. "You know, I just realized that we didn't have to pick up a map when we entered this Palace like we did with the others," Fox pointed out.

"I think obtaining this demon disguise might have awoken some of my latent demon powers," Oracle guessed. "I have noticed that my map skills are a lot better here than in Okumura's Palace or in Mementos. Heh, maybe my demon dad is a direction specialist!"

'Considering it's probably Wepwawet, the Opener of Ways, that might just be the case…' Omen thought. The group soon arrived in the Garden of Ruin, which in contrast to the previous three areas looked to be the one most touched by Paimon himself. The entire garden looked like an old Middle Eastern temple, though time had eroded it away into ruins where the plants could grow freely in the shimmering sun above.

"I feel a sense of sorrow coming from this place," Templar noted.

"This is the Garden of Ruin. Whatever skeletons he has in his closet are probably here," Lycan guessed.

"Then we'll be able to find out what the incident was, right?" Skull asked.

"Most likely," Joker nodded.

The terrain around the ruins was fun for the Phantom Thieves to climb around, giving them multiple options to ambush Shadows from unique angles. "I'm detecting that the final Will Seed is at in the innermost part of the ruins. We'll have to pass through three rooms to get to it, however," Oracle warned.

"Then we best be on guard for powerful Shadows," Queen nodded.

Moving to where Oracle indicated, the Phantom Thieves entered the first room to find it filled with trophies of all things. "So this guy just has a trophy room?" Panther questioned. "This reminds me too much of Kamoshida…"

"Curious. These all have different names on them other than Paimon himself," Fox noted, reading off some of the names. "Do you recognize any of these, Omen?"

"Vaguely… The sound like names that are on my family tree," Omen replied.

The gang thought about that for a moment, before Lycan groaned and ran a hand down her face. "Oh my fucking god, they're trophy wives. That's so, so fucking lame of a pun that not even Dad would make, and he loves stupid shit like this!"

"These are all so dusty and unkempt… I'm guessing he doesn't keep his wives around for long, does he?" Noir asked.

Omen shook her head. "I've never even met any of Paimon's wives before, not even my grandmother. I doubt any of these women are alive today, either dying in childbirth or to Paimon's own hands."

"This is sickening to say the least. I'll be happy when we knock this king out of his throne," Queen said firmly.

Moving into the next room, the Phantom Thieves found it was mostly barren with the exception of a lone book sitting on a pedestal in the center of the room. "This is… The Lesser key of Solomon…" Oracle recognized.

"That book you mentioned with all of the Goetia houses in it?" Lycan recalled.

Oracle nodded. "But it looks like this is the original copy of it, or at least Paimon's cognition of it."

"Should we look inside? It might be a trap," Queen said.

"There's nothing else in this room. Let's just take a peak…" Joker said, opening up the book. As soon as he touched it, the walls of the room fell away like magic as sand whipped up around them, quickly settling down to reveal that they were in a new place: a much cleaner, nicer version of the ruins they were just in.

"Did we just get transported into the past?" Panther gasped.

"For real!?" Skull explained.

Omen hummed and put a hand to the wall, watching as it distorted into sand around the area she touched. "No, this is merely an illusion, a projection of the past made by magic."

"Look, I can see some people talking over there," Templar said, pointing over to the other side of the room.

The group looked to see two figures standing there, one was a tall, feminine-looking man in regal attire while the other was an owl with long stilt legs and a crown on his head. "The owl must be Stolas- the original one. And the other guy… I think that might be Paimon," Omen said.

"They fit the descriptions in the book at least," Oracle nodded.

"So, our master has passed on. Good riddance I say," past Paimon huffed. "He kept us in that ring for so long that I was just waiting for him to kick the bucket. Good luck to his son trying to rule this country, but you know how humans are."

"I thought Solomon was nice. He at least let me study the stars and my special stones, not to mention tend his garden," past Stolas said.

"Stolas, I know that you have a fondness for humans, but they are still beneath us and easily corruptible. Don't forget that," Paimon rolled his eyes. "Now then, what was it you wanted to actually talk to me about? If I wanted to hear someone whine about Solomon, I'd go talk to Asmodeus."

"It was the last prophecy I read for the king, actually," Stolas said, looking a bit nervous. "I looked into the future of his kingdom, of the world, and I saw something there that I never thought I'd see again. Something from before our Fall."

Paimon perked up. "Well then, out with it! Is it something that we can prevent, or something that will only affect humans, in which case I don't care."

Stolas shook his head. "No, this will affect every realm it touches: Heaven, Hell, Earth… no one will be safe unless the Trickster can break his chains and save us, for only he has the power the mightiest of the Fallen possess."

"Wait… is he talking about you, Joker!?" Mona exclaimed.

"I don't believe it… Stolas saw a vision of the ordeal we're living through..." Templar gasped.

"Stop with the vague words Stolas and tell me the name of our enemy," Paimon demanded.

"The enemy is… is…" Stolas suddenly started coughing, covering his beak with a wing and pulling it back to see black sludge was now pouring from his mouth. "No… I've seen too much, how can it-" His eyes started bulging as Stolas went into seizures, falling to the floor as every pore of his body started leaking the black sludge.

"Stolas? Stolas!" Paimon shouted, trying to snap the owl out of it. "Who did this to you? What did you see!?"

Stolas kept leaking sludge as voice not his own came out of his mouth. "He saw too much, King Paimon, and now he pays for his sins…"the voice said.

"Shit… That was the same voice we heard when Akechi lost his Wild Card," Lycan cursed. "Sounds like this really is the same monster we're dealing with now that got to Stolas."

"It induced a mental shutdown in him just from a vision of the future… how horrible," Fox shuttered.

As Stolas died, Paimon started crying over his body, begging for his friend to get up and not die here on the day that they were finally free from Solomon's control. Once Stolas' heart stopped beating, his soul left his body, floating away and landing in the ring that Paimon was holding. As this happened another demon, this one an anthropomorphic lion riding a black horse, rode up to Paimon in distress.

"King Paimon, there was a sudden attack on our people! Other members of the Ars Goetia suddenly fell to a black sickness and are…" his voice cut out as he saw the dead body of Stolas before him. "No, not Stolas. I know how close you were, Paimon…"

"It… It is fine…" Paimon said stiffly, his voice starting to hiccup as he fell into hysterics. "His soul is not lost, for I still have Solomon's "parting gift" right here… King Vine, call for the others to return to Hell at once and bring me the bodies of those that have fallen." As Vine left, Paimon looked his ring with manic grin. "I understand now, Stolas. We let ourselves be held by Solomon for too long and I could do nothing to help you here against this threat. I won't let this happen again. I will bring you back to life- e-even raise you as my own. Yes, that's it! We must make the Goetia strong enough that something like this doesn't happen again. Our family will lay down its roots and be the strongest that Hell has ever seen, and I will have you at my side again, dear prince…"

The sands whipped up again, breaking the illusion as the Phantom Thieves returned to the room they started in. "Okay… I think I'm going to be sick having to watch a mental shutdown happen again…" Panther said, looking green in the face.

"Noir, are you okay?" Templar asked, comforting his shaken friend.

"I'm fine, I just… didn't expect to see that," Noir answered.

"Now we know that whatever threat is behind this ordeal has the power to inflict mental shutdowns on those that actively seek it out with magic," Queen said. "That explains why Raoul needs the Phantom Thieves to take on the ordeal instead of using his own powers. The human factor may give us the edge here."

"While they're different people, I could see some of my dad in his past incarnation," Omen said. "It looks like the ring that Paimon had was able to preserve his soul, and I'm guessing it did the same for the other Goetia that were affected by the mental shutdowns as well. The ring doesn't exactly give them true immortality, but it does allow for the spirit of the Goetia to live on and reincarnate."

"King Solomon was known to have a ring that could supposedly trap demons. It might be the same one Paimon had, hence it being a "parting gift," Fox guessed.

"He must have been really close to Stolas to become that shaken up about losing him," Oracle said.

"It sounded like he saw Stolas almost as a son… Seeing your child die in front of you like that would be a traumatizing experience," Templar nodded.

"But now he's neglecting his own kids for the sake of maintaining a powerful family image, so how does that make sense?" Skull questioned.

"Remember that we're in a Palace made of distorted desires, meaning that Paimon has lost focus from what he really wants," Omen reminded him. "Paimon wanted Stolas back, but now it's become an obsession to make him exactly like the original Stolas, but clearly each incarnation hasn't been perfect enough for him, for his image, so he discards each one hoping that he'll finally get it right one day."

"It's kinda sad when you say it like that. Grief can make people do horrible things if left unchecked," Panther said.

"Then if we change is heart, he'll realize how misguided he's been and repent for controlling so many lives, enforcing strict rules on the other Goetia," Mona said.

"Paimon's neglected his true vision for so long that the houses have become stagnant. Once we take his Treasure, it'll start a revolution and a new age for politics in Hell… hopefully," Joker said.

"Sounds like all that training with Yoshida will start paying off for me soon," Omen chuckled. "But we've done all we can here. Let's go to the final room and get the last Will Seed."

Moving into the next room, the Phantom Thieves could see a door covered in vines, the place where the Will Seed was hiding. Before they could approach the door, a Shadow dropped down from the ceiling, a figure with the body of a spider and three heads: a human, a cat, and a frog. "Halt, vile thieves! By the order of King Paimon, I will not let you breach his last defense!"

"That's Bael, the first of the Ars Goetia," Oracle recognized.

"He must be from the ugly side of the family tree, huh Omen?" Lycan joked.

"No one has seen Bael in centuries… now I know why," Omen replied. "Phantom Thieves, this is our last obstacle before securing the path to the Treasure. Let's do this thing!"

The gang all squared up as the fight began, with Templar setting up a magic barrier on the team. "Best to be safe in case he pulls out a powerful spell," the cherub said.

"And here's a boost to hit hard!" Lycan added, casting a spell to increase physical damage. Skull and Fox rushed in with their physical attacks, while Omen and Panther used their respective magic types to deal damage.

Bael roared and cast Mudoon at Joker, but the trickster switched his Persona in time to nullify the instant death skill. "Wild Hunt!" Joker called, changing his Persona and attacking with a multi-hit physical spell.

"Face the rath of the Goetia!" Bael called, opening his human mouth and spewing out bugs that swarmed the Phantom Thieves.

"Eek! They're all over me!" Queen screamed.

"Guys, stay calm! Those bugs are going to keep attacking you if you don't do something about them!" Oracle said.

"I don't think a cure spell will get rid of them. We just have to endure until they stop swarming us!" Templar replied.

"I better not be dealing with fleas after this…" Lycan growled.

The gang went back on the offensive, though now their physical attacks were severely weakened by the bugs slowing them down. Bael used more instant death magic and some lightning attacks, but Mona and Templar made sure to keep the team healthy as they focused on using magic.

"Charge, Johanna!" Queen called, casting a nuclear spell that caused a burn on Bael.

"I'll follow that up!" Mona said, using a powerful wind spell that knocked the Shadow down.

"This is it! Time for some brutality!" Oracle cheered as the Phantom Thieves rushed their enemy down with an All-Out Attack. Once the smoke cleared the Shadow had fallen, leaving the final Will Seed there's for the taking.

"This is the last one… and this is the Crystal of Neglect," Omen said as the seeds combined.

"You can use this, Omen. Feels right for you have this charm," Joker said, passing the crystal over to his cousin.

"It casts Heat Riser at the start of battle. Talk about one powerful charm," Mona grinned. "But with the last Will Seed in our hands, it's time to secure our route to the Treasure!"

With that the gang traveled back to the main dome of the Palace, watching as the vines that surrounded the main tree in the middle of the room withered and disappeared, leaving the hole containing the Treasure wide open. "Oh yeah, this'll be easy! Joker can just zip up there and nab it for us!" Skull grinned.

"All that's left to do now is send the calling card," Templar said. "Who's going to do it this time?"

"Oh, I was thinking we should let Prince Stolas send the card," Noir suggested. "This is his father we're going after, and he's been a great help to you all from what you've told me. I think it's only right that he be the one to help write and deliver the calling card."

"I can agree with that, Noir. We just have to make sure that it's ready by the twenty-first, so we have time to come in here and steal the Treasure," Mona said.

"Luckily exams will be over by then so we can return to meeting after school to actually send the calling card," Queen said. "That'll be up to you, Joker."

As the gang turned to leave, they were suddenly stopped by Shadow Paimon, the Palace Ruler appearing before them. "So you are the thieves that have sullied my gardens…" he said, glaring down at them. "And you have uprooted the defenses of my Treasure in the process… No matter now, what's done is done. I'd like to see you try and steal what I hold closest but be warned… the realm of Mortis is mine and mine alone to control."

The Shadow disappeared after that, leaving the Phantom Thieves alone again. "Well, that was ominous," Lycan muttered.

"Paimon knows quite a bit about Mortis. It's safe to assume this will be our toughest challenge yet," Fox mused.

"Then we'll be extra prepared to face him," Joker said. "We have our route secured, so let's head out for the night, team."

[***]

October 18

Loona: Yo Ren, let's meet up in the underground. I have some stuff I want to talk to you about.

Ren: I'll see you there.

Loona: Good. See ya soon.

Loona grinned as Ren appeared, the leader of the Phantom Thieves holding up a few yen. "Nice to see that my thieving techniques are helping you out," the hellhound said.

"I learned from the best," Ren nodded.

Loona chuckled. "I called you here because I wanted to tell you about how life's going. IMP is doing well, even if they have to keep Japan off their job listings for a while, and Aunt Barbie is actually getting cleaned from her drug abuse thanks to some magic from Stolas and Dad practically forcing her to go through with it for real this time. Luckily, I think her job as the new secretary at the company will keep her in good money so she won't have to get back into that stuff any time soon."

"And how are Vortex and Bee?" Ren asked.

"They're doing good as well," Loona nodded. "Bee's still out of her powers so she's been crashing at Tex's place, and she's taking not being the life of the party pretty well all things considered. If you could I'd totally take you to one of her hound parties after all of this ordeal stuff is done… I also wanted to say thanks for getting me to actually talk about this shit, dude. Seriously, you're probably the fastest person to ever break down my walls and keep it that way."

"Must be my natural charm," Joker quipped.

"More like natural dorkiness," Loona laughed. "Still, for the first time ever I feel like things are going to be okay. No more getting sent back to the pound, and sure I still have to deal with dumbasses, but I can manage that. It feels like I can finally say… I have a home now."

'I feel the bonds with Loona have been strengthened within her heart…' Ren thought.

I am thou, thou art I…

Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath.

Thy bond shall be the wings of rebellion

And break the yoke of thy heart.

Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret

Of the Twilight, granting thee infinite power…

Loona closed her eyes, feeling the power within her heart shift and change. Madame Queen soon transformed, turning into an anthropomorphic coyote with Native American markings covering its fur. "With this power, I'll push back against it all and break through to the top!" Loona exclaimed.

"The name's Coyote, pup. Let's have some fun and maybe help these humans if we feel like it, got it?" her new Persona said.

"Sounds like you just gained a new power," Joker said.

Loona nodded. "Yeah, and now I'm ready to keep even more ass than before! So how about it, Ren: want to see if you can beat my record at the batting cages?"

"You're on," Ren smiled, the two enjoying the rest of the night together. Loona's heart was stronger than ever, and with Coyote by her side she was sure to never lose sight of the bonds that made her stronger ever again.

[***]

October 19

Collin: Ren, do you think you could make time to meet with me? I wanted to talk about an idea that I had.

Ren: I have time.

Collin: Okay then! Meet me at the shrine when you're ready.

When Ren arrived at the shrine, he found Collin there alongside Keenie and the fox that lived there. Collin waved as the half-Goetia approached, encouraging Ren to sit on the bench with the two cherubs. "I'm glad you could make it, Ren. I really wanted to hear your thoughts on the idea that I had."

"Is that what we've been waiting for?" Keenie asked. "If you wanted Ren to hear it, then I'm just as curious as to what you came up with, Collin."

"I want to expand my goals and not just help humans but demons as well," Collin said to the surprise of his friends. "My time with the Phantom Thieves and working with Octavia, Loona, Prince Stolas, and even meeting IMP again… it's changed how I see the people of Hell. Sure most of them revel in their sinful ways, but others have kind natures at heart and I've seen those that have the capacity for good in their hearts. I've heard that the Princess of Hell wants to build bridges between our two realms, and I want to be the hand on the other side that reaches to meet hers."

"You know you're going to get a lot of push-back on that idea," Keenie pointed out.

"I know, but I'm sure that Prince Stolas and Princess Octavia will support me, and with the power of my Persona I'm sure we can find a way to help those living in sin to open their hearts to change more easily," Collin replied. "If you're willing, of course. I'm not about to just brainwash people to be nice no matter how horrible they are. Only those that want to make the change but feel like they can't let go of their vices will I use my powers to help then open their hearts."

"Like what we did with Futaba," Ren said.

Collin smiled. "Exactly like that! We helped her come to terms with the guilt she felt about her mother, proving that the power to steal hearts can be used for more than just making the wicked repent for their sins. It can ease pain and bring out the good nature in those that want to change for the better."

"I still think it'll be hard to achieve that dream… but you have my support, Collin," Keenie said with a smile.

'I can feel the resolve in Collin's heart shining brighter than ever…' Ren thought.

I am thou, thou art I…

Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath.

Thy bond shall be the wings of rebellion

And break the yoke of thy heart.

Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret

Of the Sirius, granting thee infinite power…

Collin closed his eyes as his Persona changed form. Zaphnath-Paaneah transformed into the form of a small sprite-like figure wearing Shakespearian age clothing made out of leaves, a flower crown placed in its curly hair. "Is this… my true resolve?" Collin gasped.

"The name's Puck: that's P-U-C-K and don't you forget it! If you give me your hand we'll be friends and together we shall restore amends!" the new Persona said, giving a bow to Collin.

"Your power is on a new level, Collin. Good job," Ren complimented.

"I wonder if I'll ever get a Persona…" Keenie hummed. The fox next to her gave a yip before dropping a prayer tile on her hand. "Well if we're done here I'm going to work on making more prayers come true here. Apparently working at shrines runs in the family of this little guy here."

"I can help with some of these if you'd like," Collin offered.

"I'd love the help, but you gotta get the approval of this guy first," Keenie chuckled as the fox tackled Collin and started licking his face.

"H-Hey, stop that! I-I-It tickles!" Collin laughed at the fox's antics. The others soon joined in the laughter and Ren left the two cherubs to do what they did best: bring miracles to those that gave their prayers.

[***]

October 20

Octavia: Ren, I think it's time for your final lesson. Meet me at my apartment whenever you're ready.

Ren: I'll be there.

Octavia: I'll hold you to it.

Setting down her book, Octavia sat back and gave a satisfied sigh. "That's it, the last of the spells on my book. I've taught you all I can about demon magic. So, how do you feel?"

"Pretty good. You've been a great teacher," Ren complimented.

"I have learned from the best… Dad's a good teacher whenever he's got his head in the game," Octavia chuckled. "You know, I never thought that any of this would happen to me, what with being in the human world and the Metaverse and everything else. Looking back on it, sure are there some things I would want to do better, but I don't have any regrets about becoming a Phantom Thief. My life has been overall better ever since the day we met, Ren."

"How are your parents doing?" Ren asked.

"Better than before, that's for sure. Uncle Raoul called me the other day and told me that Mom and Dad had a conversation on the phone where they didn't yell at each other at all. It's a miracle, let me tell you," Octavia shook her head. "Once this ordeal is done, I'm going to return home and play my part in all this. I'm going to become the best mage I can with Dad and learn how to be the best socialite with Mom, but do all of it my own way. Then when the time comes, I'll start a new era in the Goetia, one that actually helps its people instead of just looking down on them from our high towers."

"You sound really determined about this," Ren noted.

"Being co-leader with you made me realize that if I want the world to change, I have to put that change out into the world," Octavia said with resolve. "I'm done hanging back and wishing that things were different… I'm going to reach out into the stars and make those wishes a reality."

'I sense a newfound devotion within Octavia…' Ren thought.

I am thou, thou art I…

Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath.

Thy bond shall be the wings of rebellion

And break the yoke of thy heart.

Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret

Of the Twilight, granting thee infinite power…

Octavia closed her eyes as she felt a familiar power with her swell and transform. The form of Hua fell away, replaced by a beautiful woman in black Egyptian attire with vulture wings for arms and a basket balance on her head. "I've finally unlocked a new power within myself…!" Octavia said with a smile.

"I am Nephthys, and with my power at your side we will continue to serve those that call the night their home. Let us be off, my other self," the Persona said.

"I'm proud of you, Octavia," Ren said.

"Now I want to see if you'll ever get an awakening of a Persona," Octavia said with a laugh. "So, tomorrow is the day we send the calling card. Are you ready?"

"Tell you dad to have the card and we'll send it out as soon as possible," Ren nodded. The Phantom Thieves were going to steal Paimon's Treasure soon, and with the new powers of three awakened teammates, they were more than ready for the challenge.

Confidant Rank Up

Confidant: Loona Nyx

Arcana: Twilight

Rank 10 Description: Loona has fully opened her heart and accepts IMP and the Phantom Thieves as her true family, moving on from her past in the pound.

Rank 10 Ability: Second Awakening- Transforms Persona into a mythological trickster

Confidant Rank Up

Confidant: Collin Pastor

Arcana: Sirius

Rank 10 Description: Collin came up with the idea to use his powers to improve the lives of both humans and demons so all realms can hopefully achieve peace one day.

Rank 10 Ability: Second Awakening- Transforms Persona into a mythological trickster

Confidant Rank Up

Confidant: Octavia Goetia

Arcana: Aeon

Rank 10 Description: Octavia taught Ren all she knows about magic and resolves to use her own growth to bring about change within the Goetia family

Rank 10 Ability: Second Awakening- Transforms Persona into a mythological trickster

New Compendium Entry

Name: Coyote

Arcana: Twilight

Background: A creator spirit in many Native American stories that takes the form of a coyote. He is feared as he is helpful, sometimes being an ill omen and sometimes aiding humanity with his tricks.

New Compendium Entry

Name: Puck

Arcana: Sirius

Background: A nature sprite in English lore also known as "Robin Goodfellow." He's mischievous in nature and served King Oberon in the Shakespeare play "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

New Compendium Entry

Name: Nephthys

Arcana: Aeon

Background: The Egyptian goddess of mourning and funerary rites, as well as twin sister of Isis. She is known for the seduction of Osiris in order to birth her son Anubis, but also for her aid in bringing Osiris back form the dead after his murder at that hands of her husband, Set.

Author's Note

Designing Paimon's Palace was an interesting experience, since I needed to come up with what the environment inside the Palace would look like as well as what kind of puzzles the player would have to solve as if this was a video game. For the Garden of Arcane I thought it'd be a cool challenge to have to go through the entire area without use of the map (like one of the floor options in Mementos) but the heavy rain also muffles footsteps, giving the Phantom Thieves a hidden stealth advantage.

We also get a lot of backstory for Paimon's actions, namely why he's so controlling over the Goetia families and how that stems from his trauma of losing the original Prince Stolas. This referenced the original tale of the Ars Goetia and their connection to King Solomon, as well as showing that the entity the Phantom Thieves are against in the present has been setting up events to raise to power for a long time now. Paimon is a character that acts mostly out of fear, not wanting to have the incident of the past happen again, but he's become so determined to make the Goetia perfect that he's lost sight of his original goal and neglects the one demon he cares about, that being Stolas and by extension his entire family.

This also goes into the nature of Mortis and how Paimon helped to create Hell's Metaverse as a way to protect the collective unconscious of his people for mental shutdowns, though the Phantom Thieves' power can bypass this defense. It shows another way that Paimon's attempts to protect his people turned into selfishness and neglect, thinking only he can protect the Goetia when his actions are actually hurting those around him. Hopefully his change of heart will start to fix the broken system that he brought about.

We also get the final Confidant ranks for all three of our Helluva Boss Phantom Thieves! I wanted to bring their arcs to a close here during the Paimon arc to show how far they've all come: Loona is accepting of her found family, Collin wants to help all living beings in need, even demons, and Octavia is resolved to become the best princess she can be but do it in her own way.

As for the second awakening Personas, I chose Trickster gods that I think fit the character of each of them: Loona gets Coyote of Native American myth because both are canines and I want to see more Native American myths represented in Persona/SMT as a whole. Collin gets Puck, both being small spirits that serve a higher power, and he's a character that deserves an updated appearance in SMT. Finally Octavia gets Nephthys, who isn't a trickster goddess but her most famous story is about tricking someone, plus her role as goddess of funerary rites gives a connection to Octavia's plague doctor outfit (and I just really like Egpytain mythology and wanted to give her one, okay?).

Next time will be the taking of Paimon's Treasure, so stay tuned!