Chapter 17

The Magician's Confession

Mishima stared at the now stilled image on his phone. It showed an image of a falling Shiho with a blurred patch of darkness only a little to her left. He didn't know what it meant but he thought it was a sign that someone, or something, had saved his teammate. Another pang of guilt struck his heart as the thought that, due to his cowardice, he may've caused her attempted suicide. He had seen both Suzui and Kamoshida walking towards the PE office on the second-floor last night but decided to keep out of sight in fear of becoming a target.

He thought about what he could do in order to repent for his inaction, only to have his thoughts lead back to the transfer student.

I could tell him… but what good would that do?

An announcement came over the PA system: Attention students: Due to today's unfortunate events, all remaining classes and club activities have been canceled. The staff request that all students return to their homes and await further instructions. Please: Go. Straight. Home.

That's been playing on loop for that last thirty minutes or so… someone will shut that off soon.

The school was a constant mix of rumors and gossip, making it difficult to not only tell what people were thinking but also hampered any way of figuring out what truly happened.

Though people say she jumped… without a body, it seems like we've all gone mad.

He looked down at his phone at the blurred image next to Suzui and wondered aloud, "Did someone save her… and if so, then who?"

"That is an excellent question, one that you should ponder on your way home." Kawakami said as she entered the classroom to retrieve her belongings. "We're looking into the matter, so go on home Mishima."

The plain boy let out a small squeak that reminded the slender woman of a mouse. After a moment, he regained a little of his composer as he back straightened. "Ma'am… ha-have they found Suzui yet…?"

Thinking for a moment, she shook her head, "No, we haven't found her yet. The police have been called and her parents have been notified."

"But no one saw her leave the school… she couldn't've gotten far, right?"

Kawakami shrugged, "Honestly, I don't know anymore."

"Teacher… this may sound weird… but… do you think someone was able to get to her, to save her I mean?"

She thought of the small, still warm, feather resting in her pocket and of the burning footprints along the side of the building. Strangely, her first thought was of Antrie, who was also still missing.

"I don't know" was her only response.

Mishima stepped closer with his phone held out to her, "This was taken as Suzui was falling, there's this weird dark spot that I can't seem to focus on and no one seems to know anything about it."

So, she did jump…

"How did you get this?" She asked.

"A few people managed to get photos as well as a few videos, but this is the only one that has this weird blur in it. Everything else either doesn't have her in it or the quality is too poor to make anything out."

He seems eager to prove his point, is there something else driving him?

"I see, I will pass this on to the police and see what they have to say… is there anything else?" She asked with her eyebrow raised.

That seemed startle the boy as he started to fidget under her "Teacher's Gaze". No one seems to last very long while she was interrogating them and almost always spit out whatever they were hiding, if anything at all.

"I… I… I think I know what caused her to… do it…" He stammered out.

"Oh really, well then… I'd like you to tell me everything you happen to know …if you don't mind that is…" she said with her eye's closed while wearing a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Holy shit… when did teacher get so scary…


The alleyway that Revland and his friends found themselves in was a welcomed refuge from the horrors of the castle. The main building of the school hung over them as what little energy they had left began to leave them. Revland slumped against the wall as he slowly fell to the ground, "Christ… I've never been so tired…"

"You've used too much energy. You must rest, give yourself a chance to recover." Arséne advised as glint of worry seem to flow in and around his head.

He sent thoughts of comfort inward to what he assumed was the frantic worry of an equally tired pixie. The feelings of worry began to dissipate, replaced with thoughts of gratitude as well as a warmth that he could only describe as love.

"Sound off… everyone here?" Revland asked in a groggy tone.

Ryuji raised a hand from where he was sitting with Shiho beside him, "Present…"

Ann stood up straight after catching her breath, "I'm here… I think…"

"I'm okay, thank you." Shiho spoke next.

An unexpected familiar voice came from the fifth member of their group, "A good leader always checks on the status of his team… you've really got a knack for this, don't you?"

"Morgana, where…?" was his only reply as a black and white cat hopped into view. It stared at Revland as if expecting a reply.

Ryuji was the only one to voice the question that they all had, "Is it just me… or did that cat just talk…?"

With complete seriousness, Revland looked to Ryuji, "Merrow?"

Thinking he finally lost it, he turned to Shiho. "Please tell me I'm not losing it…"

"How many times do I have to tell you; I AM NOT A CAT!" the creature, that clearly resembled a cat, protested.

"This isn't the time to be joking around!" Ryuji complained, ignoring Morgana's protest while glaring at a smirking Revland.

Revland chuckled weakly, "Always time for a little humor after a harrowing experience, wouldn't you say?"

"Not when I think I'm finally losing my mind!"

Revland maintained eye contact and specifically looked to his right then back. Ryuji understood as he finally noticed the familiar weight that was resting on his shoulder. Suzui was resting her head and seemed to be half asleep. Unconsciously, he wrapped an arm around her to bring her closer in order to remind himself that she was in fact there and not just his mind playing tricks on him.

Seeing his intent was noticed, he turned his attention to Morgana with a much more serious expression. "Why and how are you here… I thought you couldn't come back?"

"Never said I couldn't, looking at myself now… I probably shouldn't've." He said with a look of disappointment.

Ever intuitive, Revland figured that: If he thought he was human, then in the real world he would be… but now that he's here, he's what everyone sees he as.

"Just a simple house cat…" he said in whispered wonder.

"Beg pardon…?" Morgana said in a mildly irritated tone.

"Oh nothing." He said with a wave of his hand. He tried to stand with more than a little help from the wall next to him. He still leaned on it for support but was able to keep himself upright.

"You still haven't answered my question, why are you here?"

"To check on you of course." He said in a matter-of-fact tone, "You said you'd explain how an innocent ended up in that castle, I'm here to collect on that debt."

As Revland had said earlier, it wasn't a difficult story to tell but a long one. He explained how Kamoshida had nearly caused Shiho's suicide and how much of a gamble he played by using the Meta-app in a way he didn't think would work. He described his fall onto the castle and subsequent meeting with an unlikely pixie that he decided to name Liana Rose, all the way up to his reunion with Morgana as well as the others.

"Holy… I always knew he was messed up in the head… but never to this extent. I'm so sorry miss… no one should ever have to go through what you suffered." Morgana said finally.

Shiho nodded as she nuzzled into Ryuji's arm.

"That's great and all, but how are we going to get back at this son of a bitch." Ryuji said flatly.

Revland let out a sigh as he was thinking the exact same thing. As things stood, the school still thought Shiho was missing and that she was suicidal. Making any testimony that she gave questionable at best and inadmissible at worst. Before he could voice his concerns however, a chill ran down his spine as if someone had just walked over his grave. About fifty feet away was the very being they were discussing.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear…

He flattened his body against the wall opposite of him to track the man patrolling the now quiet street. Seeing the change in his friends demeaner, Ryuji also stood, most of his fatigue forgotten as he got to his feet.

"It's him, isn't it?" he whispered, hatred radiating from him.

Without taking his eyes off his target, he nodded. "Stay out of sight for now, we need a pla-"

Before he could finish, Ryuji stormed out of the ally and headed straight for Kamoshida.

"Kamoshida!" the boy yelled out in challenge.

Kamoshida, for his part, jumped at the sudden outburst but relaxed as he recognized the person calling out to him.

"Ah… Sakamoto… what do you want?" he drawled.

"You son of a bitch…."

"Pardon, what did-" Kamoshida said with a simi-shocked expression.

"What the FUCK DID YOU DO TO HER!"

"What-"

"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME!" He screamed as he placed a sizeable dent in the side of a newspaper dispenser.

Revland knew that now would be a good time to act. Pushing his fatigue down, he came from around the corner and approached from behind.

"Ryuji, that's enough…" he said calmly.

"Like hell it is! You know this piece of shit is guilty, he as much as admitted it to us!"

"There are things we need to discuss before taking action… we're on the back foot here…" he whispered.

"And what exactly have I admitted to?" Kamoshida asked, genuinely confused.

Before Revland could stop him, Ryuji continued.

"How about what you did to Shiho… it was… is, unforgivable…"

Realization dawned on Kamoshida, somehow the brats managed to figure him out… but there was a small problem with their story.

"That is an interesting theory… save for the fact that Ms. Suzui is currently missing and the prime suspect is… none other than your friend here…" he said, gesturing to Revland.

"You actually have proof or are you just talking out your ass?" Revland quipped.

"Cheeky brat… I don't need proof; all I need is your record."

"You think I don't know how to play your game… we've been down this road before… and I don't remember it working out well for you then either."

Kamoshida's face went to a shade of dark red, "The police have already been informed… your days are numbered."

"The testimony of the victim will clear me of all charges… wouldn't you agree." Revland stated calmly. "If said person comes forward and speaks out against her attacker… who knows what could happen…"

Ryuji stood silent as the two traded verbal blows with counter after counter in an attempt to keep the advantage.

He's thought this through… he was trying to tell me and I wasn't listening… there's something wrong with his plan and I fucked it up.

A stalemate had been reached with both Revland and Kamoshida refusing to back down.

"Fine… if you won't back down… from this moment forward, you and all your little friends are hereby expelled… I'll be speaking to the school board about your conduct since you arrived. A disrespectful piece of trash that doesn't work well with authority figures. The rest will fallow as soon as I tell them that your friends encouraged your behavior."

Revland remained silent to think of a response, "I will bring everything I have against you… we found your little play place… it's only a matter of time before the police realize who the true villain is… I also happen to know where your latest victim is… and I'll make sure she'll remain far from your reach."

"Oh yes, the testimony of a psychotic girl who's prone to suicidal tendencies. That'll hold up in court, I'm sure."

"You son of a-" Ryuji stepped forward.

"Ryuji, don't let him play you for a fool." Revland warned.

"Go ahead, why not attack me… I'm the one who took advantage of Ms. Suzui, so why not?" He mocked with a macabre grin.

"You mother FUCKER!"

Ryuji brought his arm back for a full swing but was caught by Revland before he could attack.

"Why are you stopping me, he deserves it!" he complained.

"Don't give him anything else to use against us… we'll talk about this later… but not here."

"But…"

"He won't get away with this, I promise you that… we'll deal with his majesty in due time…"

His voice was cool, with no heat. Ryuji had seen what happens when Revland gave into fury, but this was the first time he had seen him angry and it scared him.

"His majesty… you can't mean…" he whispered, putting things together.

Revland simply nodded in reply before turning his attention back to Kamoshida. "We'll be seeing you tomorrow bright and early… like good little students."

"Don't know why you'd even bother; you lives are mine for the taking… you can be certain of that." With a dismissive wave of his hand, he turned and walked away.

Revland let out a breath and turned a cold stare towards Ryuji.

For Ryuji's part, he was already aware that he'd screwed the pouch by antagonizing Kamoshida, but he still wasn't over what had happened to Shiho.

Judging by his reactions… neither is he…

"We are so screwed…" Revland said with a sigh.

"Huh…?"

"There's very little we can do right now. He'll have the whole school against us in a matter of hours… you and the other's might be fine though."

"I don't understand."

"Mr. Antrie is under probation, any accusation against him with be considered legitimate until proven otherwise." Came a familiar voice from around the front entrance.

"Ms. Kawakami… how long have you been there?" Revland asked.

"Enough to know that Mr. Kamoshida will try to use your record against you. Which, by the way, I've found out who leaked it to the student body."

"Really, who?" he asked with a bit of an edge to his voice.

"For now, they'll remain anonymous. Just know that they wish to help, especially after what happened to Ms. Suzui. Speaking of, I got the impression that you know where she is?"

Revland looked to Ryuji before turning back to his teacher, "She over there with Ann, safe and relatively unharmed."

Letting out a breath that she didn't know she was holding, Kawakami looked to where Revland had motioned and saw two young women leaning on one another while a black and white tabby cat sat on a nearby trash can.

"She's safe… Thank God…"

"She wasn't when I found her, but I think she'll alright."

"You going to explain or am I just going to have to guess?"

"A lie would be more believable ma'am…" Revland admitted sheepishly.

She could see how exhausted the young man was, he didn't seem to have the strength to lie to her even if he wanted to.

"Alright, I'll leave it at that. I just have one question before I make my decision."

"Decision?"

"Were you the one responsible for saving Suzui?" She asked while holding Revland's gaze.

He hesitated, looked to Shiho's sleeping form then back to Kawakami; "Yes… I was…"

She nodded, "Then I'll help you in any way I can, I'll speak with the school board on your behalf."

Surprised, he couldn't stop himself from voicing the question that was in his mind.

"Wh-why?"

"You didn't lie, simple as that. I won't let that man ruin another child's future."

"What happened to not helping me if I got myself into trouble?" he asked with a halfhearted smirk.

She glared at him though it didn't share the intensity to match her mood. "Just don't forget that I'm sticking my neck out for you."

"Trust me, I won't… thanks Kawakami."

"Ms. Kawakami." She stated sternly.

"Right, sorry."


The group separated for the evening after the police were informed of Shiho's safety before being transported to the nearest hospital. Ann and Ryuji road with her in the ambulance, leaving Revland alone with Morgana.

"So, in reality, you 'are' a cat then…"

"Hey, I only look like this because I lost my real body. I'm human, same as you."

"Uh huh… I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you don't have a place to stay?"

Morgana went to answer but found he didn't have one. To punctuate Revland's point, his stomach growled.

"Going to go with no…"

"I just forgot okay!" He tried to explain.

Sure, whatever you say." He laughed, "Just give me a sec so I can make a call."

He pulled his phone from his pocket to find that there were three missed calls from Sojiro over the last half hour. Due to the time distortion, he found out that they lost about an hour compared to the four or so they spent inside the castle. Leaving the time of day to be early afternoon.

As he was figuring this out, his phone rang with Sojiro's number on the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?! I've been trying to get ahold of you for almost an hour."

Revland almost didn't make out the last part after nearly being deafened by the auditory bombardment.

Rubbing the inside of his ear with his pinky finger, "Would you believe me if I told you I was looking for a missing girl?"

"Yes, I would, still could've answered your damn phone… nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry…"

"Never mind that, are you alright, the police are looking for you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I managed to find the girl and reunite her with some friends… but I don't think it's over though."

"As long as you two are safe that's all that matters. You should hurry home, almost have batch of curry ready."

"Sounds great… however, there's… one more thing…"

"And that is?"

"I may have picked up a stray…"

"Nope, absolutely not."

"It doesn't have anywhere else to go. Come on, I can hear his stomach growling from here…"

Sojiro went silent as Revland decided to play a little dirty.

He leaned away from the phone for a second and whispered in Morgana's direction, "Hey, I need you to meow really loud for me and try make it sound as pathetic as possible."

"Do I look like I do tricks on command?" he replied in a somewhat disgusted tone.

"Aaaawww… damn it… fine, bring it here… we'll at least feed it."

Holy shit that worked…

"Thank you Sojiro, I'm heading that way."

On the way home, Revland decided to ask about Morgana's life and how he lost their original form.

"To be honest, I don't really know how… the last thing I remember is being locked up by that bastard of a king."

"You saying you have amnesia?"

"I guess?"

"Not to sound heartless, but what makes you so sure that you're human then?"

"It just feels right, you know? The thought feels natural like… it shouldn't be any other way."

On a guess, Revland voiced his next question; "Is your spirit of rebellion based on your desire to be human?"

"Perceptive one, isn't he amigo?" Zorro added.

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't…"

"Subtle…"

Sending his irritation inward, he posed a question of his own. "Speaking of, you fought well today. You had quite a bit more control than last time I saw you. What changed?"

Revland explained that over the course of the week, he made friends, battled the king in his own domain, offered aid to those in need and even met someone special. It was that person that gave him the strength to fully awaken his persona so he could battle the darkness within.

"Ooooh, Zorro was right then, you found your el más preciado."

"Uh… gesundheit…?"

"Sorry, it's Spanish. Rough translation is 'one who is precious'."

"You know Spanish?"

"Not technically no, but Zorro does."

"Kind of reminds me of myself in a way."

"How so?"

"I seem to know or am able do things that I couldn't do before. Take my magic for example, not only do I know how a certain spells functions but also the intricate working of some the more complex spells. For example: the one I used on Shiho, I've never used healing magic before, but I knew of the side effects and how it affected her."

Morgana seemed lost in thought, he'd never put much thought into how he was able to do the things he could.

"Arséne and I have a theory: we believe that our contract that linked us to one another allows us to share certain abilities as well as each other's memories. For me, it's as if I can move in ways I never could before including quicker reaction speeds. While Arséne can sing though claiming to be tone deaf." Revland continued as if giving a lecture.

"You've put a lot of thought into this haven't you?"

"Too much as happened to not be at least curious about it."

Morgana went silent, thinking about how different this human was from all the others he's met so far.

Methodical and cunning while maintaining a clear head when faced with the possibility of danger… he's changed since the last time I've seen him.

"Tell me about this girl… what's her name?"

"Futaba." he said with a small smile.

"That's a cute name, is she nice?"

"Well, I think so. She's had it rough but seems to be doing alright now."

"Is she… well you know… like you, like us?"

Morgana didn't fail to notice that Revland hesitated before answering. Revland, for his part, was trying to think if he should classify the "Pharaoh" as a persona user if she's already in control of a portion of the metaverse. Which sparked a question he didn't mean to voice, "Could a palace ruler also be a barer of a persona…?"

"A ruler… she has a palace?"

Whoops…

"How-"

"Before you say anything, know that she isn't hostile toward me or anyone else… personally, I don't know why she has one, but I aim to find out. I was going to visit today though I think it might have to wait for another day…" he said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Hmm, a non-aggressive palace ruler… think I may have to see that for myself."

"Great, we'll go together. Word of warning: she's not a fan of strangers and will defend herself if threatened."

Morgana gave Revland a worried look, "I thought you said she wasn't hostile?"

"She wasn't… up until I pulled a knife on her and called her a monster…"

"What the fu-"

"To be fair, it was right after the fight with the Bicorn and her eyes were just like Kamoshida's."

"For the love of…" He was at a loss for words, how could anyone screw up so badly. "Please tell me you didn't hurt the shadow…"

"Christ no, how could I… it took me a minute, but I realized that her and Futaba are one in the same. It's slow going, but I'm learning."

Morgana let out a sigh of relief, "Good, you know what would happen if something were to happen to her."

Revland nodded, "She told me as much herself. I won't let that happen… already started helping with that."

"In what way?" He asked nervously.

"I seem to have influenced the palace in some way. After I fought some of her shadows, the palace looked to have repaired itself."

"The palace repaired itself… care to elaborate."

Revland explained how he found himself in Futaba's temple and how they met. He described the state of the place and the attitude of the other shadows towards their supposed ruler to which Morgana found odd. He also explained that since then, he'd been having weird visons anytime he thought about Futaba. Even now he could see her sitting in her room, looking nervous.

Revland turned down the alley where the café sat as Morgana voice his concern. "Could it be that you somehow became linked to her mind?"

"Think so, some kind of Nero-link."

"Wait, how do you already know about that?"

"Research." He stated flatly, leaving out the part that Igor had already explained it to him, which wasn't a complete lie.

"Okay then… how did you form the link?"

"During the fight, I left my coat with its ruler… it became a part of her and thus, the connection was made."

"That simple?"

"From what I know, yes… however, I don't know if it's permeant or not."

Revland opened the door to the café after a quick word of warning to Morgana to hide in his bag. After letting Sojiro know he was back, he made his way to the attic to release morgana from his temporary prison.

"Gah! You don't need to be so rough with me!" He complained.

"Keep quiet, there customers downstairs." Revland scolded in a hushed whisper.

Ignoring the remark, Morgana looked around the room before sneezing.

"Seriously, this is where you live?"

"It's a work in progress." He defended.

Being so focused on his unapologetic guest, Revland failed to notice the sound of footsteps coming from behind him.

"So, is this him… or her…?" Sojiro asked in gruff voice.

"OF CORSE I'M A GUY YOU DOLT!" Morgana proclaimed.

"Damn… this one has a bit of a mouth, doesn't it?" Sojiro remarked with a small smile.

"Think he's upset that you couldn't tell he was a guy." Revland chuckled.

"Hey! Stop laughing at me this instant!" Morgana demanded as his tail stood straight up.

The adorable outburst caused the pair to laugh even more, forcing Morgana to admit defeat.

"I haven't laughed like that in years, does he have a name?" Sojiro managed to ask.

"His name in Morgana." Revland told him, only to see that Sojiro looked a little disappointed.

"What's wrong, does he smell?"

"Hey!" Morgana said indignantly, eyes narrowing on Revland.

"No, it isn't that… was kind of hoping I'd get to name him…"

"Tell you what; the next stray I find, I'll come to you first."

Sojiro nodded at the sentiment, "I don't think that'll be necessary, but thank you."

Leaving to go get some food for Morgana, Sojiro advised the pair that they should keep the cat out of sight while the store is open. After returning with a hardy meal fit for a starving feline, he asked Revland to keep an eye on the shop while he left to check on Futaba. Revland agreed and stepped downstairs while Morgana ate his dinner.

Later that night, Morgana finally spoke as Revland caught up on his schoolwork.

"Say… you sure you don't mind me crashing here with you?" Morgana asked.

"Not at all… provided you can tolerate the mess that's slowing being cleaned up."

Looking around the dusty room, he noticed a cluttered book self with a bunch of random topics and a desk with stuff piled nearly to the ceiling on it.

"Well… if you clean off that desk over there, I can show you how to make some tools of the trade."

Revland paused to look up at Morgana, "What kind of tools are we talking about here?"

"You know, thieves' tools. Lock picks, smoke bombs, flash powder, the works." He said cleaning himself as he was listing the number of items.

Intrigued, Revland closed his book and stood. "Just need to clean up this mess first…"

It took him about an hour, but he managed to clear the desk of all debris. He even found a tool set that he could hang on some pegs that were already installed on the upper self.

"Great, shall we get started?" Morgana asked as he stretched out his back.

Instructing Revland to sit, Morgana rummaged in the trash can and came back with a few bits of flimsy metal and a scrap of paper. He showed Revland how he could form grooved notches on the metal so that it would catch some of the pins in a lock. Much to his surprise, Revland was already making several and had already completed one for inspection.

"Okay… why the hell do you know how to do this?"

"Arséne was a master art thief, picking locks came naturally to him. He also says that though these are crude, they'll work for now. We'll have to keep an eye out for better materials. Better tools would hurt either…" Revland stated in a monotoned voice, engrossed in busy work.

Turns out, Morgana only had to mention the idea for Revland to come up with a recipe to create it.

"Think that's all I can do for tonight, how'd I do?" Revland asked expectantly.

"Better than I could've imagined, shouldn't be a lock you can't crack with these." Morgana said while nudging one of the picks around the table.

Looking up to Revland, morgana noticed that he was smiling. "Hey Revland… I'd like to make a deal with you."

"A deal?" Revland asked confused.

"Yeah… I don't want you to think I want to stay her for free. I want this to be a give and take kind of relationship."

Revland nodded and motioned for him to continue.

"By letting me stay here, I'll teach you or help you create new and improved tools to help us take on palaces. What do you say?" He finished with is paw out to shake.

Revland thought for a moment, then took Morgana's paw lightly in his hand as power rushed to his core. His heart beating faster as the days fatigue began to fade.

Magician…

Revland stared down at his hand in wonder. "Say Morgana… how would you like to take a trip and visit the temple tomorrow?" He smiled as a plan began to form.


"So, what your saying is that I'm up shits creek without a paddle." Revland said into his phone.

"I'm saying that we need more time to get this off the ground." Hasegawa stated impatiently.

After getting up and around that morning, Revland decided to keep Officer Hasegawa in the loop of what all had happened in an attempt to stay ahead of Kamoshida. Unfortunately, he still needed time to collect enough evidence in order to build a case so he could start the investigation.

"I don't think I have to tell you that your statement of innocence isn't enough to postpone an arrest. Even Ms. Suzui's testimony would be called into question." Hasegawa explained.

"I was afraid of that… is there anything I can do?" Revland asked.

"Allow us to do our part… try not to antagonize him any further. I'm sure it's already occurred to him that he could just call the police on you again."

"He's tried that once already and it was found to be unwarranted. If they thought I actually kidnapped her, they would've taken me in when they found us."

"But they still need to investigate it because you're on probation. Eventually, something will stick and there's only so much we can do on our end."

Pacing in a wide circle in the abandoned warehouse, he stared up to the rafters in a small fit of frustration.

"We have the kit in lockup… we also have testimony from Ms. Suzui which is what saved you from an immediate arrest." His voice had an edge of irritation that Revland didn't fail to notice, "I understand that you're staring down the barrel here, but we still-need-more-time." Hasegawa finished.

Revland thanked him for all he's done so far and asked to be kept in the loop before hanging up. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he let out a long, low sigh as he thought through his backup plan before giving voice to the group of people sitting on random objects they found.

The day started like any other, they met up at the station and filled Makoto in on what happened. Minus the whole reality bending parts. The choice to exclude Makoto was Revland's idea, mainly to keep her out of what he had in mind though it still made him feel bad after she had placed her trust in him. After a brief encounter with a smug Kamoshida, they reported to class for the day. Revland had sent the address to Ann and Ryuji of the warehouse where they had found the hidden dungeon that he suspected belonged to their current adversary, asking them to meet him there after school to discuss what happened.

"Take it the police won't be much help?" Ryuji asked.

"They'll do what they can…" Revland sighed.

"What about Shiho, I thought she'd be able to clear you?" it was Ann's turn to ask.

"She's the reason I'm not already behind bars… but it's not enough to put Kamoshida away, they're still building a case."

"What do you mean they're still building a case; they have all the evidence they need for that right?" Ryuji asked indignantly.

"Let go over said evidence shall we…" Revland responded calmly. "First: we have the witness testimony of you, Ann and myself claiming that Kamoshida is the culprit. We have firsthand experience of his malice and that he nearly assaulted Ann… but where did that happen?"

Ryuji thought for a moment as it dawned on him, "In… inside the castle…" he answered reluctantly.

"Where, to the rest of the world, doesn't exist. Second: there's Shiho herself. While her testimony would keep me out trouble for now, it's still being called into question. The fact that multiple people, including you, saw her jump; it makes her testimony that Kamoshida raped her questionable at best."

Seeing the anger behind Ryuji's eyes, he decided to explain further. "Let me explain, say you were told that the person you are about to question is psychologically disturbed. Would you believe anything they said?"

"Shiho isn't like that." Ryuji protested but Ann nodded in unfortunate understanding.

"We know that… but, to everyone else, they'll only see a girl who tried to kill herself." Ann answered in a low whispered.

Ryuji turned on Ann, "Only because that son of a bitch did that to her!"

"And what proof do we have to state that fact?" Revland questioned.

"She was covered in bruises… when she…"

Ryuji didn't fail to notice that, when they found her and Revland in the castle, she looked almost normal.

"That brings us to the third piece of evidence that no longer exists: Shiho's injuries are no longer apparent. Meaning, we can no longer prove that she was ever harmed in the first place." Revland continued.

Realization dawned on Ann as he finished, "We can't prove he's responsible for any of it… can we?"

Revland shook his head as Ryuji was ready to explode.

"You mean he's going to get away with it?!"

Ryuji stared at Revland who wore smirk at the question. "That brings me to what I have planned. Problem is, I… don't really know how to go about it."

All his frustration was replaced with confusion with a hint of curiosity.

"Morgana, what happens to a person when the core of their world is removed?" Revland asked.

"How do you know about the Treasure?"

"Treasure, is that what the core is called?"

"How can you know so much yet so little…?"

"Just answer the question CAT!" Ryuji interrupted impatiently.

"Hey, I told you not to call me that you blonde ape!" Morgana retorted.

Revland rubbed his face in a small fit of frustration, "ENOUGH!"

Silence fell on the warehouse as all eyes were on Revland. "To answer your question: I know that a palace can be destroyed in one of two ways. Either we kill him, or we remove the core. I want to know what happens to him if we succussed in removing it and the dangers it poses to the bearer of a palace."

Morgana was at a loss for words at his sudden outburst. He shook himself in a very feline manner before scratching behind his ear. "Well… if we manage to steal his treasure, it'll be like we are stealing his desire itself. I can only imagine what that would do to the human psyche.

Ryuji looked between the two of them completely confused.

Seeing his confusion, Revland explained what a palace really was and what it represents. "A palace is the physical manifestation of one's own desire. Not too unlike our personas in a way, they also react to our desires, but are more sinister nature. From what I know, the palace is what its ruler sees a particular place and normally has complete control over their domain. Everything inside a palace is what the person in question views that specific individual. Ann and Shiho were sexy princesses that fawned over him. Where you, Ryuji, were nothing more than a half dead prisoner beaten to within an inch of his life."

The explanation did more to confuse the poor boy as he could feel his brain begin to short circuit. Ann, on the other hand, seemed to understand.

"I see… what are our personas then… if they're like palaces, then are we any better than Kamoshida?"

Morgana jumped down from his box and hopped into Ann's lap, "A persona is the manifestation of desire true, but it's nothing like a palace rules. Our desires haven't been corrupted and remains pure; the persona's wish is to help us achieve those desires."

"Doesn't that mean that they can still be corrupted?" Ryuji asked with rare insight.

"A persona user can't become a palace ruler if that's what your worried about, but I understand the question." Morgana responded.

"I think your persona would intervene if it thought you were about to stray down a dark path. Arséne has already given me a few warnings on a few occasions." Revland offered with a small smile.

Both Ann and Ryuji thought inwardly to find reissuance that both Carmen and Captain Kidd would back them on any move they decided to make.

"I ask again, what happens to a person when the root of their desire is removed?" Revland continued in a far more serious tone.

Morgana thought on how to word his answer, "As I already said, it'd would be like we're taking his desire away. Doing that could cause irreparable harm to the palace ruler in reality. So, before we continue, you should all agree on taking this action against Kamoshida… seeing that you may kill him in the process."

Revland looked to both Ann and Ryuji, "What do you think…?"

Ryuji seemed torn, same for Ann. He shook his head before answering, "That bastard has it coming… why shouldn't we kill him…?"

Revland replied in a calm, calculated tone that harbored no room for debate. "Say we do kill him… no doubt he deserves everything he has coming… but, if he does buy the farm… who will clear Shiho's name…? Our names…? He can't talk if he's dead Ryuji…"

"I'm with Revland on this one." Ann agreed though she still seems hesitant.

Ryuji stared down at the floor with his hands clenched into fist. Revland stepped up next to him and place a hand on his shoulder, "We'll make sure he never does this to anyone else… ever again… understand me?"

Ryuji nodded.

"Are you with us?"

He looked up into Revland's cool grey eyes, "I'm with you… all the way to hell if need be."


The group separated for the day, promising to meet in the same place before heading to the palace to begin their training. While walking home, Morgana poked his head out of Revland's bag to pose a question that had been bugging him.

"Say, I've been meaning to ask, how do you know so much about palaces if you've only been to the castle?"

Revland had already decided on going to the temple today and was planning on bringing Morgana along. He explained that Futaba's shadow had explained palaces to him during his visit but never said how it affected the person in question, only that the palace disappeared.

"And we're heading there now?" Morgana asked.

"Now's a good a time as any, besides I need the practice and she'd be able to help… with minimal chance of injury…" Revland said as the memory of glowing green pillars sped towards him from multiple directions.

Morgana, for his part, simply shook his head in amazement. He couldn't understand what drove this young man to keep pushing forward but he did suspect that it might be because of Futaba, though he couldn't guess why.

The trip home was uneventful as Revland turned the corner to the Sakura residence.

Revland pulled out his phone to open the Meta-App and saw that he had several unread notifications. Some were from Ryuji asking where the warehouse was, another was from Sojiro asking him where he was that was time stamped from yesterday. There was even one from Futaba that he somehow failed to notice.

Must've been so distracted… I didn't even notice…

He opened his text to see what she said and had to do a double take.

No… she didn't say that… Right?

He looked back down at his phone to see the words; I can't even say hi to a guy I like.

Did she send this by mistake… or did she mean to send it…?

He lowered his phone as he stared at Futaba's bedroom window. He looked back to his phone with a silly grin on his face.

He sent a reply: Don't worry, I don't know how to say hi to girl I like either. Maybe we can learn together…

He opened the Meta-App and pressed the button to transport him to the temple.


The temple was as Revland remembered, tall and made of sandstone though some of the cracks seemed to have disappeared from what he remembered. He looked down and saw that he was already wearing his Thieves attire. He also saw that Morgana had changed back to when they first met.

"You feel better?" He asked.

"Always feels great to be back on my own two paws." He said while stretching.

Revland gestured to the entrance to the temple as he started climbing the stairs. As before, the temple seemed to welcome him while being warry of the stranger. This time, he sent the mental image with the label of "Friend" in a hope that it would allow the palace to relax.

The interior of the temple was brightly lit with ambient light while a bridge that wasn't there before, had formed from the same type of sandstone the temple was made from.

"That's strange… that wasn't there before…" he muttered.

The noticeable absence of falling sand led Revland to believe that the temple was being repaired, caused him to let out a small sigh of relief and wonder.

"Welcome Morgana, to the Pharoah's temple." Revland said with arms raised in amazement.

Morgana looked around with fleeting glances in all directions. He saw a tube laying on the ground a few feet away and pointed to it.

"What's that over there, on the floor?"

Revland looked and recognized it as the same map tube the bandit Yuji was carrying the last time he was here. Approaching carefully, he bent down and retrieved the tube and turned back to Morgana.

"Think this is a map of the place, one of the shadows was carrying it last time I was here."

"A shadow?"

"Yep, said he was going to pilfer the coffers of the late Pharoah… and do something worse to her daughter…" He explained with disgust clear in his features.

"And…what happened to this shadow…?" Morgana asked cautiously.

"I ripped him apart." Revland stated flatly.

"Oh…"

"What?"

"You should probably know that… he isn't really gone… he's a part of her psyche and always will be. If anything, you managed to suppress the memory but not erased it…"

Revland scratched the back of his head in thought, "Should've known it wouldn't be that easy…"

"Anyway, open it up. Let's have look at what we're dealing with here."

He popped the top of the tube and unfurled the papers within, they looked ancient and seemed brittle to the touch.

"Looks like there's several levels to this place… four plus the peak of the temple were the Pharoah's resting place must be… there also appears to be a crypt as well…" Morgana explained.

While shifting though the pages, Revland notice three bold red circles on the parchment. "What are these here?"

Morgana looked at the locations, shook his head and shrugged. "Beats me, maybe these are locations of particular items that bandit was interested in?"

Revland scratched his chin in thought, there was one in the crypt, one in somewhere on the third floor and another near the Pharaoh's resting place.

"If it's something Yuji wanted… then it would probably be a good idea to track these down first… what'd you say, up for a bit of exploring?"

Morgana stood and stared up at Revland. "Sure, but first things first."

Revland rolled up the map and placed it back in its protective case, "And that is?"

"Actually, it's two things. First: you still got that handgun you got from Ryuji?"

Feeling his pockets, he felt the weight of the small firearm and pulled it out carefully. He knew just by the black star on the grip that it was a Norinco type 54 handgun. Ejecting the magazine, he saw that there was enough for up eight rounds or nine if you count the one in the chamber. Seeing that it was empty, he drew the slide back to check the chamber, also empty. The gun was clear. Deciding to tinker further, he started to remove the slide and tilted his head in confusion.

"Well… that weird…" he whispered.

"What is?" Morgana asked.

Revland looked up and back again at the hammer of the firearm before scratching his head.

"I fired this thing right…?

"I think so… you shot that angel thing in the face, didn't you?"

"I thought so… but if this thing is built right… it shouldn't've gone off… in its current state, it's unusable."

"You sure?" Morgana asked incredulously.

Give me some credit… feline nature I suppose.

He held up the hammer and pointed to spot that looked to be snipped off, "Positive, no firing pin…"

Morgana thought for a moment, "I have an idea… put it back together and point it at the sand over there."

Doing as instructed, he pieced the weapon back together and slammed the magazine home before pulling the slide back. He pointed the empty weapon towards the sand and pulled the trigger with a small click.

"No pin, no bullets, no boom." He said some irritation.

"Okay… now, believe that it will go off the next time you pull the trigger."

"You really trying to tell me all I have to do is, 'I think I can, I think I can'?" Revland asked with more than a hint of annoyance.

"Just do it… trust me, it should work… I think…"

"You think?!"

"Just try it."

Revland sighed, aimed the gun at the sand mound and pulled the trigger. He was greeted a loud bang and a torrent of sand. He stared down at the gun in amazement then to Morgana, "Let me guess… you think it may have something to do with cognition?"

"You believe that its real and it becomes real, wouldn't be surprised if-"

"They're rounds in the magazine… with one in the chamber…" he finished for him. "Now all I need a holster… hmm?"

As soon as he gave voice to the idea, a tendril of blue flame wrapped around his chest and over his shoulder before solidifying into a holster under his left arm. "Okay, now that's cool…" he said as he holstered the weapon, he also saw space for two additional magazines if he ever found more.

"Alright, what's the second thing?" he asked while straightening his coat to hide the gun.

"The second is something no phantom thief should ever go without: a code name."

"A code name?"

"Well, it doesn't really matter much here since you and the ruler already know each other but from now one, especially in Kamoshida's case, you should go a code name while inside a palace. I don't know and don't want to find out what happens if we just say our names all willy nillly in the presence of a ruler. It may draw unwanted attention to us in reality or make things that much more difficult in the palace." Morgana explained.

"That makes sense I guess… have any idea what ours should be?"

Morgana paused, just now realizing that they were missing the two new additions to their group. "We'll have to hold off on that for now… better to do that when everyone's present."

"Okay then…" Revland muttered in thought.

"Well, shall we get going?"

Snapping back from his thoughts, Revland nodded as he climbed the steps to the first landing. The light here was dimmer than the landing below and he noticed that the shadows seem darker the further up he looked.

Looks like I still have some work to do…

"Agreed, but nothing worth gaining is never without its risks." Arséne responded.

Seeing a door to each side, he noticed one shimmered like the doors in the castle and examined it. Confirming his suspicions, the safe room was a cognition of a closet that he recognized being on the first floor of Sojiro's house.

Strange… I would've thought that, since she lived here, the safe rooms would be nearly nonexistent.

On a whim, he knelt to touch the floor and gently sent his thoughts into it. As he did, the torches on the wall flared to life with blue iridescent flames and illuminated the room.

Satisfied, he turned back to morgana to find Futaba standing by the other door with a distant look in her eyes. Relaxing, he stepped up next to her as she turned to look at him.

"Did you find my gift…?" She asked in a monotoned voice.

"Gift… oh, you mean the map? I did, thank you." He said with a smile.

With her second display of emotion the Revland had seen, she stared down at the floor while fidgeting with her fingers as if she was nervous.

"So, this is the palace ruler?" Morgana asked.

Futaba turned to the newcomer as the lights in the temple seem to flicker.

"Easy…" Revland placated, "He's a friend, he knows a few things about the Meta-verse and thinks he can help…"

Her eye flicked to him, then back to Morgana. Her body became transparent as Revland heard a loud click reverberate around them.

"What was that?" Morgana asked, "You heard that, right?"

Revland remembered a scene from the "Mummy" movie when a character named "Benny" inadvertently set off a trap right before he was about to escape. He closed his eyes slowly as dread was ran up and down his spine, warning him of the oncoming danger. Looking down, he could already see the crease where the sand had already fallen through the now obvious trap door.

"Futaba… wait… hold on…" he whispered in a barely audible tone.

As if from a daze, her physical form rematerialized as she looked towards Revland as the floor fell away for him and Morgana.

"OH SHIIIIIT!" He yelled.

The last thing Revland saw of Futaba was the look of instant regret as her hand shot out, nearly missing his own.


Only Two weeks late… better than two months like last time.

Hey everyone, how's it going?

It's me again, back with another addition of "Skip this part of the chapter to get to the next".

So only have a few things this time round, Makoto, Shiho and final Futaba.

First off, Makoto. I choose to exclude her temporarily due to the lack of her involvement in the first half of the story. When it comes to the metaverse, I think she'd try to enter because everyone else is putting themselves in danger. There's also the risk of killing a teacher that would cause her to intervene. Come to think of it, she may have a scene in the next chapter with Revland and the others as they start to infiltrate the castle.

Second, Shiho's case against Kamoshida. I've been thinking on this for a minute and found a few ways that the system would fail if a case was ever filed against ye ol' tall, dark and ugly. I pretty much gave him the advantage by having Revland heal her wounds and just ran with it. As I said before, I wanted all possible avenues to be blocked with presented with a last resort.

Third, Futaba. We take a quick trip to the temple to set up a few more things before the climatic fight. Mainly to solidify the relationship between her and Revland as well as set up an important object of note. Spoiler warning: this item with effect Revland in different ways and only shows up in the Royal version of the game.

Lastly, confirmations. At this time, there are no plans to make Shiho a Phantom Thief. I played around with the idea in the beginning and even did some research into what others have done with her as a character. If I had gone forward with the idea, I would've felt like I was stealing someone else's idea and that didn't sit well with me. I liked the idea of her being a confidant and the fact the I shifted gears in the middle of the set up between Ryuji and Ann.

Revland will remain faithful to one love interest in this story, much like my original playthrough… I got curious one day and decided to look up what happens to the protagonist if he decided to date all the female cast and… he paid for it… dearly… so, sorry… no polygamy.

That just about wraps it up for this chapter, thank you to those who favorited and followed. I've got a list since the site no longer allows me to sort via date but rest assured, I see you and appreciate it. Especially those of you who review, Chimchar and Temoral King and a few others to name a few.

I also want to thank all of you for kind words after my friend's passing, I'm sure he's happy knowing that some others are thinking of him.

JWS (7/17/23)