Chapter 5:
The Magician's Hat Trick
After trapping Kamoshida in his underground prison, Revland and Ryuji run down the length of the small river they notice while inside the cell.
"Think this'll leads to an exit?" Ryuji asked.
"Not unless you're really good swimmer, the current's too strong."
"Well come on, we can't stay here for long. I'm sure that bustard's found a way out by now."
"There's something I don't get, how can someone like him do that to us? He's a teacher for Christ's sake!"
"It's as he said, he's the king of the fucking castle and he also happens to be the volleyball couch."
"And that maters why?"
"You really don't know who he is do you?"
"Figured we already clarified that before being thrown in a cell."
With a small sigh Ryuji continued, "He was on the Olympic team for volleyball and received a gold medal, the school team is doing so well that they're on the track for nationals provided they win the next meet."
"So… he taking the team to nationals and earning the school prestige. Do I want to know what he meant by 'dealing with' the track team?"
"He just didn't like the team. His practices made it seem like it was a living hell, it was practically torture… I finally had enough and stood up to him, then he…" He cut off in mid-sentence.
Ryuji slowed his pace and Revland passed him, "Ryuji?" he asked looking back.
Ryuji thought back to that fateful day. He remembering how Kamoshida somehow found out about his alcoholic father and how he lashed out, getting his leg broken in the process. "It's nothing… really… it's fine. Come one the exit should be close by."
"Alright, If you say so…" Revland saw a look that reminded him a little bit of himself, the look of regret.
Seems like he's dealing with his own demons, except he didn't get to leave them behind… he had to stay and face them.
"It's not like you had much choice in the mater Sir Antrie."
Still feel guilty about it though.
"Look at this from a different point of view, say you weren't here right now. That young man over there would likely be dead. The young woman from the night before, could've been injured severely had you not intervened."
Revland thought a moment and realized that Arséne had a point.
You make a very compelling argument.
Continuing up stream, the pair stopped at a bridge that was raised up to bar passage. "God damn it, how do we lower this thing?" Ryuji cursed.
"A lever maybe?"
"Oh and why didn't I think of that, do you happen to see one?" Ryuji asked sarcastically.
"Stop being a smart ass, there has to be one somewhere!"
Looking around, they couldn't find anything that even came close to resembling a lever. There was the bridge, two pillars that looked like they belonged in the Greek section of a museum, chains leading in to the ground and a large bust of Kamoshida's head. "It's a long shot but maybe we can break these chains." Revland finally answered.
"Oh right, you have super powers now. Think you can do it?"
"About to find out." Revland took one of the chains in both hands and started to pull, trying to force one of the links to pull apart. After a few minutes of effort, Revland relented.
I don't understand, I was able to punch through a suit of armor… so why can't I break it?
"I believe you may be missing something sir Antrie."
And that would be?
"You are not properly dress for the occasion."
Beg pardon?
"Your attire Sir Antrie."
Revland looked at his school uniform and realized that he wasn't dressed in that weird outfit he had while he fought off the guards.
Okay, so I do I put it back on?
"I truly do not know… your abilities seem to be tied deeply to your emotion. However, they're scattered, frayed and to be quite honest, a mess. When you fought before, you had purpose. Your rage allowed me to lend you aid. But when it dwindled, so did my ability to assist."
And that means what exactly?
Arséne let out an irritated sigh, "Think of when you met the twins, they said that they would only start to assist you when your heart and mind were no longer at war with one another."
Revland thought of the twins and much to his surprise, he could recall them perfectly right down to the last detail.
"So when do I start your trials?" He asked.
"When we're good and ready inmate!" Caroline shouted.
"When your heart and mind are longer at war, then you will be able to see your true potential." Justine said coldly.
He didn't really understand what they meant but it seems like it's connected to what Arséne was trying to tell him.
How could my heart and mind be at war with the other, is it what I want vs what I desire?
"… Your heart is broken and needs mending… your thoughts are scattered and needs focus…"
So you're saying I'm broken...
"In some ways yes… you have many honorable traits that make up who you are. Your desire to save your friend fanned the flames of your rage and pushed you to intervene. However, it wasn't out of hate that made you decide to act in the first place…"
As Revland was thinking, he thought he heard something coming from the end of the room. "What was that?" he whispered.
"I don't know… it sounded like someone talking."
Looking back at one another, the two boys slowly crept down the remainder of the hallway and found it to be line with cells that we similar to the one they were in. At the end of the lane, Revland could see something trying to wave them over.
"What is that… a paw?"
"Hey… you… frizzy hair, you gotta let me out of here." The creature whispered.
"Frizzy hair?" Ryuji repeated confused. The two boys looked at each other and then at the others hair.
"I think it was referring to me." Revland answered pulling at a lock of his hair subconsciously.
"Whoever! Come on, the lever is right there, please I've been in here for days." It said impatiently.
Revland thought the creature looked like a cat with a large head. His fur is primarily black, except on his hands, feet and tail which appear to be snow white. His black mask covers the top half of his face and the fur underneath also appeared to be white. The creature's had large blue eyes and his ears are black with white inner ears. He was also wearing a yellow scarf around its neck and a utility belt around the hips, with two golden buttons and two bags attached. Revland also noted that it had has pink paw pads which he found to be kind of cute.
"So… question… is it just me or is the giant cat thing talking?" Ryuji asked slack jawed.
"Hey, I am not a cat or a thing! My name is Morgana!" He practically screamed it at Ryuji.
"Okay… Morgana… how did you end up here?" Revland asked ever curious.
"Is there a way I can answer your questions after you open the door?"
"Not sure if I can talk to such an odd creature." Seeing a look of frustration in Morgana's eyes he continued, "Okay look, the last weird thing I saw tried to set me on fire and nearly killed Ryuji, how can I know that I can trust you?"
Morgana stared into Revland's eyes trying to put every ounce of effort into his "patented" kitty face. His irises became large as he started to sniffle a little, "Pl-please mister… I'm cold, I'm hurt and I've been alone for so long. I don't remember the last time I ate something. Can't you please let me out?"
Revland had a soft spot for cats. While he lived out in the country, it wasn't uncommon to go out to the barn and lay out some dishes for the stray cats that lived in the area. His parents always taught him that is was almost always a good idea to feed a stray barn cat just to keep the vermin at bay. But when Morgana put on the cute kitty act, he didn't buy it.
"Sorry little one, that's not enough to make me believe you. Matter of fact, it makes me trust you less. Last chance, why should I trust you?" Revland asked firmly.
Defeated, Morgana lowered his head, "Look I don't know why you should, but I know a way out that doesn't involve trying to snap a chain to cross the river. I can guide you, all you have to do is let me out. I'm a prisoner too you know."
Revland didn't have to think for very long before coming to a decision.
That answer at least had some more truth than the act he was trying to pull a minute ago.
"Alright, I'll let you out. But if I even think you're about to betray us, kitty goes back in the cage."
"I AM NOT A CAT!" Morgana screeched.
"Right sorry, my mistake. You look like one is all." Revland apologized rubbing the back of his neck.
"Seriously, you're letting it out?!" Ryuji asked surprised.
"We don't have a lot of options right now. You said it yourself, Kamoshida might have found a way out by now and we know that he's pissed off enough to come after us." Revland explained as he reached up and pulled the bolt that was holding the door shut, releasing Morgana. He let out a contented sigh and stretched that was very cat like, "Therrrre, freedom never felt so gooooood."
Ryuji, impatient to get moving. "Okay, Mona-Mona, you said you knew how to get us out of here."
"It's Morgana and yes I do, its back this way." Morgana said with a hint of irritation.
"Regardless we should get moving, the quicker the better. By the way, my name's Revland and that's Ryuji." Revland interrupted.
The three of them started down the way they had come and back to the draw bridge with the Kamoshida bust next to it.
"Alright, here it is, the way across." Morgana exclaimed.
The two boy's looked at one another confused, "We're a little lost, care to explain?" Revland said as he turned back to Morgana.
Morgana let out a sigh, "Amateurs…" Shook himself and began to explain.
"Alright, I'm going to teach you two a little bit about being a phantom thief. Now pay attention because this is the most basic of basics."
"Is it just me or does it seem like he's talking down to us?" Ryuji whispered to Revland.
"Well, he is a cat so… I guess it just comes with the territory." Revland replied.
"Hey! I told you I am not a cat and you two better be listening!" Morgana scolded.
"Busted…" the two boys said in unison.
"Alright, show us what you mean. It's obvious that we miss something that you caught. Please show us what the keen eyes of a master can do." Revland said.
A little flattery can take you a long way if you know where to place it. He thought.
"Glad to see that you both aren't total idiots." Morgana quipped.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ryuji asked with a note of irritation.
Morgana ignored him and walked over to the bust and pointed to the mouth, "The lever you were looking for was in plain sight the whole time."
Revland walked up, took hold of the lower jaw of the bust and pulled down till he heard a click. A moment later the bridge fell into place, allowing them further passage into the dungeon. "We would have never figured that out, who the hell uses his jaw line to hide a lever?"
"Someone who thinks way too much of himself." Ryuji added with distain in his voice.
Revland looked back at his friend with a question in his eyes that he had yet to voice. Ryuji looked up and met his gaze for a brief moment but didn't maintain eye contact for very long. "Come on, the way is open now so let's get out of here." Ryuji said and cross over to the other side without waiting for the others.
Revland and Morgana looked at each other thinking the same thing, Ryuji had a much longer history with Kamoshida than he's letting on. The two of them followed without another word.
The dungeon was much more elaborate than either of them could've ever imagined. At one point, the trio had to jump on cages hanging over the river, much to the chagrin of the current inhabitants. Once they made it to other side, they found that the gate was locked and rigged with an alarm of some kind. Luckily Morgana had just the thing to pick the lock but couldn't do anything with the alarm. With the go ahead from Revland, Morgana set to work and unlocked the door with little effort. A loud siren started to blare as one of the guards erupted from the floor to face the intruders. He was caught up in a gust of wind caused by a hulking figure of a man and thrown to the other side of the room with a loud crash. Dressed solely in black, the man wore a mask and cape that went to his knees and his weapon of choice was none other than his trusted rapier.
"Well done Zorro!" Morgana exclaimed, letting out his victory cry.
"Wait… You have one too?" Ryuji asked.
"Have one too? You mean you've seen a persona before?"
"A persona?" Revland asked.
"So that thing that was standing behind you in the cell, the one that looked like a demon. You have one of them…"
"Wow talk about luck, can you show me?"
Revland closed his eyes and concentrated. He focus his mind on Arséne and tried to will him into being. Just like with the chain, he couldn't get anything to happen.
Guess that's strike two?
"Do not lose faith in yourself Sir Antrie, you must first understand what it is you desire above all else. Nothing that is so easily obtained in the physical world but one that aches your very soul. What is it your heart yeans for?"
I… I… I don't know anymore…
"You speak with a heart that you fear will never be mended. But fear not young one, time is the healer of all wounds."
Revland spoke after a few moments, "Sorry, I'm trying but I don't think I understand what it is I'm trying to control."
Morgana became thoughtful and started to walk forward, "Well… to be honest… I don't know much about it either but I'll tell you what I do know."
"Anything will help at this point." Revland said as he followed.
"A persona is a manifestation of a person's own willpower. Think of it as a reflection of yourself and what you wish to be. It's also based on what you believe is the 'Spirit of Rebellion.' So the stronger your will, the stronger your persona. Make sense?"
"I guess, what is the Spirit of Rebellion?"
"Well that one's easier to explain, it's something that resides in everyone. It's a strong desire that only you have, to go against those that appose you and to protect those close to you."
"So even my own friends have something to do with my persona's strength?"
"You interact with your friends almost every day don't you, why wouldn't they help shape who you are."
"Well when you put it that way, then yeah it makes a lot more sense."
"So now that you know that, you think you can manifest it?"
After a moment of thought, Revland concluded that it would be almost impossible for him to manifest Arséne. Arséne was trying to tell him the answer but he wasn't wanting to face the truth that it would implicate. His friends from his old school pretty much abandoned him after he was arrested saying that he was a disgrace to the school and their team. Yumi was the last link to his sanity but she ended up leaving him right when he needed her most. It was no wonder he didn't have the strength to summon Arséne, there wasn't any willpower left for him to do much more than communicate with him.
Seeing that Revland's face had grown somber, Morgana looked to Ryuji to see if he knew what the problem was. Revland looked back to Morgana and, for the first time since leaving home, spoke with his heart. "I won't be able to show you Arséne… because… right now… I don't have any friends or anyone that is willing to carry that title… I don't have anyone close to my heart… not anymore… if it's willpower that judges the strength of a persona, the connection with others… then mine is about as weak as I am now." He said with a sad smile.
Morgana stared at Revland, meeting his eyes for a moment to judge his character. He saw that there was indeed great pain within the young man but he was a persona user, that much he was certain. He knew the name of his persona and from the fact that the blonde saw it in action made it much more believable.
"It's alright, your body might not be ready for all the power your persona can offer." Morgana said with a comforting smile. "So come on, we have a little more ground to cover before we make it back to ground level."
It didn't take much longer for the trio to find the stairs that would take them back to the surface. With Morgana's help and guidance, the journey went that much smoother. Hiding from patrols and sneaking past an unobservant guard or two. "There, the staircase is just on the other side of the river." Morgana said excitedly.
Ryuji bent over and started to breathe heavily. Revland came over to check on him. "Great… I'm fine… just give me a minute…"
"We don't have a minute, I can sense the shadows and they're closing in on our position." Morgana stated hurriedly.
As he spoke, another trimer told him that they were already too late. "Oh crap! I'm sorry, I know you said you didn't have the strength to fight, but I think you may have to."
Four more guards sprouted from the floor and surrounded the trio. Ryuji let out a scream and fell to the ground has he started to crawl his way backward. Revland froze as he stared at the guards, just as before he felt the warmth come from within his chest as it started to expand.
No… I am not dying here today, not when we're so close!
Once more, blue azure flame covered Revland from head to toe. His clothes changed as he felt the strength from before begin to return.
"… Please… Be careful… Sir… Antrie…"
Morgana stepped to Revland's side, "Nice Suit, you have a plan?!"
Revland didn't respond, his focus was on the task at hand: Survive. "These two are mine, you get the others."
"Wouldn't it be better to take them out as a team?"
"Divide and Conquer, think you can handle it?"
"Alright fine, let me show you what I'm made of!" Morgana leaped at the nearest shadow as he summoned a pirate's fat bearded cutlass. He clashed blades with the first guard and used the momentum of its swing to fly right at the second guard to impale his blade through the helmet.
Revland stared at the two guards and crouched in a ready position. The first charged him, giving Revland the opportunity to step behind him and slip his knife under its arm to drive it into its armpit, bringing the guard to its knees. Revland pulled the blade out and buried it in the guard's neck, finishing it off. Revland was so focused on his kill that he forgot that the guard was still alive. He only had a second to react as the second guard took a step forward to swing at Revland's unprotected back. His instincts took over as he flung himself over the first guard's shoulders when the second missed Revland and decapitated his comrade. Seeing the first guard dissolve, Revland started to twirl his knife as he felt the same rush of power while he was in the cell, causing him to smile.
"Now, how about we have some fun!" Revland Shouted as he rushed forward. He knew that the armor would slow the guard's movements enough to allow him to do exactly what he wanted to do. He focused on his hatred, his rage, lifting his left hand that was already glowing with a dark red energy, aiming it at the remaining guard. "Eiha!"
Darkness flew from Revland's hand as it hit the guard, the force of the spell threw it to the nearby wall.
He looked down at his hand in confusion. Hmmm, last time I blew a hole clean through it, what's the difference?
The guard shook off the dust and began to rise. "How interesting, it seems you're quite the challenge. Perhaps I actually need put some effort into dealing with you." The guard bent backwards as blood gushed from its abdomen, in its place was a large black horse with a white mane, red eyes and two horns curved back. "Now! Face me with all of your being!"
The bicorn was much faster than the armored guard that Revland was facing earlier. Before he could react, it was on him. Lifting one large hove to stomp down. Revland stumbled backwards several steps to avoid the blow but before he can regain his balance the bicorn charged with its head low, Slamming into his chest as it reared its head to throw Revland to the ground.
Revland felt more than heard something crack as he landed. Pain began to take over his senses as another surge of blue flame returned his school uniform. Revland struggled to breathe, his first attempt ended as he began to cough up blood, confirming his fear that not only were his ribs broken but had also punctured his lungs. His second had a little more success, he started to take shallower breathes which allowed him to at least look up at the bicorn as it walked towards him.
"Such a disappointment, you gave my lord so much trouble but it seems you were nothing more than a nuisance after all."
Revland didn't know that a horse could smirk the way this one did but it was unsettling all the same. Didn't think this would be the way it would end… damn it… Revland tried to stand so he could at least die on his feet. As he tried to moved, his vision flashed white and his chest screamed out in protest. He relented and tried to relax his muscles as much as he could to alleviate some of the pain. Slowly, his vision started to clear as he saw the bicorn standing over him.
"It truly is such a pity, I honestly wish for you to get stronger so that you may challenge me again… under different circumstances, perhaps mercy would be in order. Unfortunately… I must follow my orders, for trespassing on the king's holy ground, for assaulting the king's royal guard and for assaulting the king himself… you are sentenced to death… to be carried out… immediately." The bicorn looked almost mournful as it looked down at Revland, so much so that he believed that the creature didn't wish this upon him. All he could do was watch as the creature lifted one of its large hooves and held it over his head.
"Any final words?" it asked.
Revland didn't have the energy to speak. Even if he did, the pain of his broken ribs would prevent him from saying nothing more than a few syllables. He wasn't much of a coward however; he would look the creature right in the eye until the very end.
Morgana didn't have much of an issue with the guards. Before he was caught, he was able to fend off at most three guards at a time mostly because He and Zorro understood one another fairly well. Morgana knew what he desired above all else and Zorro didn't know how they would accomplish that task but he would help him none the less. With the last guard defeated, morgana turned to see how frizzy hair was doing.
"His name is Revland amigo…" Zorro added, reading Morgana's thoughts.
Oh… well it'll stick eventually.
"Speaking of, you may want to go to his aid. He's suffered a severe wound to his chest and it would seem that he's coughed up quite a bit of blood as well."
"Wait what?!" Morgana shouted, turning to find Revland on the ground with one of the bicorn's hooves hovering above his head.
"Damn it, I have to hurry!" He summoned his cutlass and started to rush over, only after a few steps he realized he wouldn't make it in time.
Time to do something reckless!
"Sometimes you worry me…"
Morgana extended his sword arm and jumped into the air as he shouted, "Garu!" A gust of wind caught his footing and propelled him toward the bicorn as he began to spin. The bicorn heard the spell and turned to find a spinning fur ball with a very sharp looking sword flying only a few inches away. Sparks rained over Revland as Morgana connected on the beast's horns. Ricocheting off, Morgana reached into one of the pouches on his belt and pulled out a small handful of little black and white marbles and threw them at the bicorn's feet. Upon hitting the ground, the marbles released a bright flash as well as a loud bang that sounded more like firecrackers. The bicorn reared up on its hind legs and shuffled away from Revland. Morgana landed in front of the beast and severed one of its back legs causing it to fall to the ground. Rolling out of the way, Morgana jumped into the air and fell towards the beast, diving his blade into its neck. With a final sigh, the bicorn laid its head back on the floor and started to dissolve.
Revland watched in amazement as Morgana finished. He let out a breath and immediately remembered why that was a bad idea. It's going to be difficult explaining this to the school, let alone Sojiro…
"… You are alive… take that as a blessing…"
What happened to me?
"You lost control of your power… it was fueled by your rage… your hatred… you made a carless mistake and it nearly cost you your life."
Right… emotions… now that I think about it, you did say something about that didn't you…
Revland heard the sound of someone approaching and looked up. Morgana had a worried look on his face and Ryuji had gone pale.
"Oh… fuck… that… that looks bad…" Ryuji said his face turning green.
Must not have seen this much blood before…
Morgana thought the same thing, "First time seeing blood?"
"No… first time seeing someone nearly getting killed twice in one day…"
"How are you feeling, where does it hurt?" Morgana directed at Revland.
"If I'm being honest… everything…" Revland managed to get out before he started coughing.
"Alright, give me a second… Hey blondy, come over and help me roll him onto his back."
"His name is Ryuji… could it kill you to learn another person's name."
"Y-yeah…" He stammered as he came to Morgana's side.
It wasn't difficult to move Revland but not painless. The whole process nearly had him black out from the pain. "Okay, I need to see what I'm doing and I don't want to rip his clothes. I need you to be gentle and unbutton his shirt."
"What?! Why?!" His voice going up an octave.
"Because I'm trying to heal 'him', not his clothing."
"I told you removing clothing isn't necessary to heal another person…"
Yeah, but he doesn't know that. I just want to see if I can get him to hurl before this is over.
"What has this young man done to you to make you dislike him so?"
I don't 'dislike' him, just teasing him a bit.
"By making him puke?"
Well… no?
"Not very chivalrous amigo…"
Damn it…
"Forget what I said, I can do it through his clothes." Morgana loomed over Revland's chest, it wasn't difficult to determine where he was hit since there was two small blood stains bleeding through his coat. With some focus he brought to mind what Revland looked like before the fight. Tall for a human but well built, moved with grace and has a heart… oh and fizzy hair. He noted with a chuckle. He kept that picture of him clearly in his mind's eye as he lifted both his paws in the air and uttered one word, "Dia…"
A pale blue light spread over Revland's body as he felt his ribs begin to knit back into place. The light was warm as it soothed the pain, until his ribs popped back into place. It was a quick pain, nothing like having them broken but it was like having all of his joints pop in to place at the same time. He let out a quick scream and sat up breathing heavily. "Ow… wait… it doesn't hurt to breathe anymore." He took a careful breath and was relieve to find that it didn't hurt as much. He felt his chest and flinched at the touch.
"Be careful, you're not fully healed but you should be able walk now." Morgana tried to explain.
"Wait… you healed me?" Revland asked dumbfounded as he unbuttoned his shirt. He found that the blood was gone and instead of a caved in chest, it was nothing more than a large bruise that was beginning to darken.
"Yep, it's one of my specialties."
"Well… I don't know what to say… Thank you Morgana…" Revland marveled at he wound. If it was left unattended, it could have been much worse. It could have killed him.
Morgana felt funny, it was the first time that someone had thanked him so sincerely. He saw the look of wonder in Revland's eyes and heard the honesty in his voice as he meant every word.
"Y-y-your Welcome…" He said, suddenly embarrassed.
"Alright, the way is clear. We need to get going before more decide to show up..." Ryuji stopped as he looked into the cell opposite of where he stood. He recognized who it was and rushed over.
"Hey, where are you going?" Morgana asked.
"Ryuji! Wait!" Revland yelled after him.
Ryuji grabbed the bars of the cell and looked in to see the poor soul that was chained up in the back. The boy was beaten bloody, his wrists were secured to the wall by an iron bar. His feet barely touched the ground. What got his attention was that the person in the cell was wearing the uniform that belonged to the decommissioned track team.
"No way… how did they get here? Hey! Nakaoka, can you hear me?! Come on answer me!" Ryuji was becoming frantic.
Revland was able to stand with a little help from Morgana. It was at the point that he realized that Morgana only came up to his knees. He pushed back the thought and walked over to Ryuji.
"Ryuji, calm down."
"Calm down?! You want me to calm down after seeing what that bastard… that mother fucker… did to them?! How do you expect me to calm down?!"
"Ryuji… They're not real." Morgana interjected.
"What do you mean not real?" Ryuji asked face still flushed.
"It's as I said, the person in that cell isn't the real one. It's what Kamoshida sees him as, a poor beaten prisoner that is no longer worth his time."
A quick search of the area and they found other members of the former track team including the old couch. Revland looked into the final cell and confirmed a suspicion that he had when Ryuji found Nakaoka.
"Hey… Ryuji… you may want to look at this one… you too Morgana."
Both approached the cell and Ryuji stopped when he saw a boy with black hair secured to the wall in a way similar to the others before. He was beaten like the others but he seemed to be much worse, cuts ran up and down the boy's chest as blood pooled his feet. His right leg was broken at an odd angle and it seemed like the boy was trying to say something but didn't have the breath or voice to say anything. Revland focused his hearing to see if he can determine what he was trying to say. It didn't take much effort, he could hear that it was mostly weeping mixed with a plea for someone, anyone, to help him. Looking into the cell again, he confirmed that he was looking at a near perfect copy of Ryuji.
Ryuji just stared at his double, he skin going pale and his hands clenched so tightly that he almost enough drew blood. "So… this is what he did to you… No wonder you hate him so much…" Revland concluded.
"More than you can possibly imagine…" He said with a low voice.
Revland hesitated a moment, placing a hand on Ryuji's shoulder. He felt him tense up but he saw that Ryuji was beginning to relax. Ryuji felt his anger slip away unable to explain what just happened. He turned to Revland and noticed that he was smiling at him.
He trying to comfort me even though he's injured. Ryuji thought.
It was similar to when they were in the cell, Revland fought the guards and had Kamoshida at his mercy. He remembered that Revland calmly told him to grab the keys and lock the door behind them. To Ryuji, he seemed to radiate calm and when he stood with you, it felt like he could do just about anything.
"Almost like a captain at sea… wouldn't you agree?"
Ryuji shock off the thought and nodded. "Thanks man… sorry, I… lost it for a minute."
Revland looked back into the cell, "You have every reason to be angry Ryuji… you don't have to apologize."
"As I said, these people are just the ruler's cognition of the original. If that's supposed to be you, then I can only imagine what he did to you in reality." Morgana continued.
"You'll have plenty of time to explain that last part to me when we get back to the entrance." Revland encouraged.
All three agreed and made their way up the stairs to the main hall. Unlike the last time, the main hall was deserted and all signs of the conflict that happened earlier were gone. Quietly, they made their way to the front door and found that it been barred with a heavy looking wooden beam wrapped with iron bands.
"Damn it… how are we going to get out of here?" Ryuji whispered.
"Kings and other paranoid types in the fairytales typically had other ways out of their castle." Revland offered.
"That's very intuitive, I'll make a phantom thief out of you yet." Morgana perked up and started looking around the hall. The way up stairs in currently block by bars so that way's out.
Revland pointed to a door on the left wall, almost opposite from the one they just came out of. "Hey, what about that door?"
"Worth a try, I'll take anything at this point" Ryuji replied.
They crept to the door and found it to be unlocked. Morgana cracked the door open to take a peak and gave the all clear for the others to follow. It was another hallway but it only had two doors, one was close and to the left, the other was at the end of the hall to the right. They tried the first one and found that it too was unlocked. The trio slipped inside and closed the door, "Okay… now I think we're trapped…" Ryuji stated.
Revland looked around the room. It was a small reading library with shelves lining the wall and a table big enough for two people to share comfortably in the middle of the room. Continuing his search, he knew that Morgana didn't bring them all the way here just to betray them. If that was his intention, then he wouldn't have saved him from the bicorn let alone heal him. He closed his eyes and let his thoughts drift. He heard Ryuji accused Morgana of leading them to a dead end on purpose and blocked it out. He felt the ends of his hair move, so… there's air flow in here… that means it must be coming from somewhere.
He opened his eyes and pointed at the vent that was located just above one of the book cases. "Think like a thief… that vent should lead outside right?"
"Uh huh, but that wasn't only one of the reasons I brought you here." Morgana admitted.
Revland turned back to Morgana, "Well the escape route was one, so what's the other?"
"Does this room feel different to you, to either of you?"
Revland looked around to see what he meant. However, the only thing that came to mind was how he would've liked to show Yumi this little reading nook. At the thought of her, Revland shook his head to rid his mind of the memory. With another glance around the room he saw the vision of the library start to shift and look like a classroom.
"Did I just see a classroom?"
"So I wasn't seeing things… that actually happened?" Ryuji asked rubbing one of his temples.
"You both noticed, good. This is what I like to call a 'safe room.' The effects of this world are weak here and I've never seen a shadow able to enter one." Morgana explained.
"Wait, what's a shadow?" Ryuji asked.
"I think he's referring to the guards… aren't you…" Revland concluded.
"Yep, those guards are what I call shadows. Mainly because they're based on emotions that the human heart would rather be kept hidden."
"Make sense."
"But for now I think it would be a good idea for you two to get out of here."
"Wait, what about you?"
"I'll be fine, I just need to keep my head down while I investigate this castle."
"And if you get caught again?" Revland asked with a smirk.
"Hey, remember who you're talking to. Now go on and get out of here while there's still time."
Ryuji was the first to climb up the bookcase and leaned down to help Revland up. His bruised chest only hurt if he stretched out to far. He turned back and saw that morgana was sitting on the table looking up at the two of them. For a split second he thought he saw someone else sitting at the table with him. She was tall, he could tell from a distance, with long black hair and dark blue eyes. It was the one person that he thought he would never see again. She stared up at Revland, meeting his eyes. He felt his heart skip a beat as he couldn't believe what his eyes.
Why are you here…? You shouldn't be here… Yumi…
"Calm yourself, it's merely an illusion." Arséne bellowed.
Revland shook himself before looking back to see if he was still dreaming. When he did, he found that Morgana was sitting there alone but now looked confused.
Revland waved at him, "You stay out of trouble alright and be careful."
Morgana waved to the both of them as Ryuji pried off the vent cover and threw it to the floor with a loud clang. Looking back at Revland, he nodded before crawling through. A moment later and Morgana found himself alone once more. He let out a long sigh, this little adventure of his had been a lot more exciting than he originally anticipated.
"You're sad to see them go."
It wasn't a question but more of a statement of fact.
"Yeah, it was my first real interaction with humans that weren't hell bent on killing me."
"So that presence behind us, did you know it was there."
"I felt it… but I didn't want to let it know that we knew it was there. I also think it was what Revland was staring at, it was if he just saw a ghost. Did you happen to get a good look at it?"
"Alas amigo, I did not. I did however catch a glimpse of a retreating tail if that helps."
"A tail… anything else?"
"Nothing else of note, sorry."
"No-no, you did more than I could have asked for. Thanks Zorro."
"Anytime Amigo."
Author's note:
Sorry for the delay on this chapter. With the holidays going on and my only down time was when I was at work. It made this chapter a little more difficult to finish. I originally had this chapter broken into three parts like the other before, allowing me to focus other characters and events. But there was a lot I wanted to cover in the first third and it kind of became its own chapter as I kept adding to it. Never the less, a happy holidays to everyone that actually want to read this thing. Let us see what 2022 has in store for us.
(A week later)
Oh Betty White died… Huh…
