(Author's Note)
Hey guys! A little over a month for this one, yeah? Not the worst turn around it's been...
All things said, sorry about the wait. My last term started back up last month and it's been... a bit hectic with everything that's going on. I've got a decent enough grip on things now though, so I at least feel confident it'll be roughly the same amount of time before the next chapter's done.
With all that said, let's get onto reviews!
To Pheonix Champion: I highly doubt it'll be happening again, what with the time I AM uploading this, but... Well, let's see if we can go for seven.
To HiIExist: I have some plans in place for more Persona Characters specifically, but many of them won't come into play until later on in the story. We're still relatively early on all things considered.
To Doot76: Ask, an ye shall receive... With a fair bit of plot progression, since I gotta do something for that.
To NaoBea: Oh god there's a ship name for it now...
To SpicyArbiter: Don't worry, I aint' going anywhere anytime soon!
Alright, with all that out of the way, thank you all for leaving a review! They really help with the motivation. If you have the time, please leave a review! I love the pseudo back and forth we have through 'em.
Before I let you guys get to the story, I got two things to note. The first is a question to you all, as I want your opinion.
Once we're done with the next portion of the story, would you rather I keep things at the pace that things have been at so far, or should I try and pick things up. I ask this mainly because this story has been in the works for... God, over 2 years now!? And I'm still relatively early on in the story of three houses. I would likely still have pockets of the story that slow down the pacing to what we have now, but the current thought would be to start introducing time skips between the months as necessary. I'll probably use such a time-skip once we get to the end of the Harpstring Moon, and see how it feels/works then, but for now I'd like your opinion on this.
The second thing is this: PERSONA 3 RELOAD IS OUT LET'S GO! (Don't have the game myself just yet, likely getting it this upcoming friday. Never really played the original game, so aside from some minor notes I remember here and there from just... existing on the internet, I'll be going in blind.)
Alright, now we're actually done. Enjoy the chapter everyone!
(Play Aria of the Soul)
Waking up in the Velvet Room was never an experience Ren would call familiar. Each time he was pulled in, it would usually be a new sensation that greeted him, or some variation of a previous one. Back in Tokyo, the sound of rattling chains was a very common one, usually overplayed on top of some other thing, like the weight of his restraints or the hardness of the bed.
As the thief awoke once more, eyes staring clearly up at the ceiling as he sat up from his position on one of the side couches, it was to the sound of the train. The mechanical chug of its engines and pistons became almost a white noise that one of the room's residents had somehow found a way to incorporate into the ever present music as percussion. Which of them had done so wasn't clear, nor important.
"You've done well." Igor said, drawing the thief's attention towards the two residents of the Velvet Room. "Your first public target, and a successful one. Your team has much to be proud of."
"You say that…" Ren said slowly, a hint of hesitancy in his voice as he looked at the subdued expressions on the pair's faces. "But you don't look happy about it."
"Do not mistake this for displeasure, Trickster." Lavenza replied softly with a light smile. "You have been, and always will be, left unjudged by us here. Our goal is merely your growth. How you go about it is all up to you in the end."
"And with your current actions, we have no doubt that whispers of your 'phantom thieves' will spread out across Fódlan." Igor continued with a nod. "You have truly accomplished every goal you set out for, and that is nothing short of praiseworthy."
Ren merely sighed and raised an eyebrow at the long nosed master of the Velvet Room. "But…?"
"Trickster… Out of everyone in Fódlan, it would not be wrong to say that you are one of, if not the most distorted individual within it." Lavenza stated, earning a raised eyebrow from the thief. "That is simply a result of your origins. However, that means by the standards of this world, your thoughts and beliefs are not the standard, and many will not see things the way you do."
"What that truly means is not yet something I believe you've grasped, but in time, you will. When you do, I look forward to how you adapt." Igor nodded. "This world is no friend of change, and your actions have ripped the proverbial rug out beneath it. You have your work cut out for you, now that you've left everyone scrambling."
A wave of exhaustion washed over the thief as the horn of the train rang out. Ren narrowed his eyes and sighed. "I take it that's all for now?"
"For now. After all, do you not have your next mission to worry about?" Igor asked as the teen drifted off back to sleep.
[Day 12 of the Harpstring Moon, 1180]
"-ey! Ren, wake up!"
"Morgana…? What's-?" Ren blinked open his eyes before wincing as a series of loud bangs reverberated from downstairs. "Who is that?"
"The knights! I think, at least. One of the three is wearing their colors." Morgana said, immediately snapping the Professor awake. "Go open the door and see them. I don't think they are here to arrest us, Seteth is with them."
"Got it. Just… make sure we have nothing incriminating here to be found." Ren said, getting off of his bed as he made his way toward the stairs.
"Will do. Good luck." Morgana said with a nod as the thief walked down into the café.
Ren walked over to the front door as another series of knocks slammed against the door. "They seem especially insistent this morning…" The thief muttered to himself before opening the door.
The thief squinted for a moment as the light hit his eyes, taking a second to adjust before looking at his sudden visitors. "Seteth, and…" The thief paused, looking at the knight on Seteth's right as he tried to put a name to her face. "Catherine, right?"
"That's right. I see I made a good impression." The knight said with a smirk.
"And… I don't think we've been introduced yet." Ren said, turning to look at the other individual on Seteth's left.
"Shamir." The woman said, nodding at the teen. She wasn't wearing the colors of the Knights of Seiros, but a quick glance from the thief showed that the quiver hanging from her waist and the armor she was wearing weren't for show.
"May we come in? There are some important matters we need to discuss." Seteth asked.
"Sure. You want me to get some coffee brewing?" Ren asked, pointing a thumb over his shoulder.
"Yes, please." Seteth said, taking the offer as if it were gospel.
"Take a seat and I'll get started." Ren said, turning around as he made his way behind the counter. The thief carefully ignored the stares from Catherine and the almost intense appraisal from Shamir as he started brewing a pot, thankful he could keep his hands busy with the task so they didn't fidget in some way. "So. Anything I can help with? You… Don't look great, Seteth. Same can be said for you as well, Catherine. You want some coffee? I'll have enough for everyone here."
Catherine opened her mouth to speak, but was quickly cut off as Shamir cut in. "Coffee sounds great."
"Heh, well, I suppose I'm out voted." Catherine said with a shrug.
"Alright then." Ren continued, turning around to grab four mugs. "So, what's this meeting about exactly? As I said earlier, you're not looking great, Seteth."
The advisor sighed with a nod as the thief placed the four mugs down in front of the group. "Yes, I suppose that's what an all nighter like this will do to you."
"An all nighter? What for?" Ren asked, before glancing to the side. "Wait, is this about the commotion in the marketplace yesterday?"
"It extends from that, yes." Seteth said as Ren started pouring coffee into the advisor's cup. "Thank you."
"No problem. You…" Ren trailed off, watching as the advisor took a deep sip from the mug. "Look like you needed it…"
The thief turned and poured our coffee into three more cups, before sliding over both a small bowl of sugar cubes and a saucer of milk over to Catherine. The knight gave him a nod of thanks as she began altering her drink. Ren glanced over to Shamir, who took a light sip of the coffee and nodded, eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Hm…"
"Hm?" Ren parroted with a raised eyebrow.
"It's good." Shamir said, taking another sip of her drink.
"Let's… move on." Seteth began with a sigh. "We're here to talk to you today because… we believe you to be in danger."
"...I'm sorry?" Ren blinked, freezing in place as the words registered. The teen placed his coffee down and locked eyes with Seteth. "What does that mean?"
"Louis Vangaur, the man from the market yesterday, confessed to us that he had hired someone to assassinate you the day before his arrest." Seteth said to the teen.
"Oh… That would explain the knocks…" Ren said slowly.
"Catherine was likely about to cave your door in if you hadn't opened it when you did." Shamir noted with a shrug. "The information from his confession was finally looked over just a few hours ago, and things have been in such a mess since that we hadn't had time to send anyone out to check on you until now."
"Well I appreciate the concern, but- Wait, what do you mean things have been a mess?" Ren asked, looking over at Shamir.
The knight glanced over at Seteth with a raised eyebrow, leading the Advisor to take another sip of his coffee before sighing. "You are a member of the faculty, so it's likely best if you were made aware of this. Last night, while two guards were finalizing their report on Louis Vangaur's testimony, an incident occurred." Seteth began with a shake of his head. "Louis' cell was found to have been broken into the next morning, the guards stationed there lying dead, and the man himself sharing their fate."
"What?" Ren's face paled, a feeling of unease dropping into his stomach. "He was assassinated?"
"It would seem. We had only gone through a small interrogation before we had stopped for the night, but when news of the assassination spread, that information was put aside while we locked things down. We still don't know who was behind the attack." Seteth replied, his facial features scrunched up like he had bitten something sour. "That is why we're here, to bring you up to speed. The Monastery is going into high alert for the time being, and guards will be patrolling the areas at night for added security. And with a threat of a possible assassination attempt on you, Catherine and Shamir will be coordinating a squad of knights to watch around the café during the night."
"And what of the students?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow.
"They will be left uninformed of the full events of what happened, but will be told of the added security." Seteth said, looking down at his coffee. "We would prefer it if you left it that way."
"And Byleth. Have you told her about what happened?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The blade breaker said he would fill her in, if I remember right." Catherine noted, taking a sip of her coffee.
"I see." Ren said with a nod. "Is that everything then, Seteth?"
"Yes. I did not want to deliver this news, but it had to be done." Seteth said with a nod. "I admit, I am not looking forward to today's paperwork…"
"Yeah, I can-" Ren began, before the front door to Leblanc Nouveau swung open with a slam. Catherine and Shamir both surged to a stand, weapons ready to be drawn. Ren, meanwhile, merely sighed and smiled. "Byleth. Good morning. Could you be a bit more careful with my door next time?"
"Sorry." Byleth said, stepping inside the café, Jeralt walking in behind her.
"I think that's our cue to leave then." Seteth began, standing up from his seat.
"Before that, let me get you three refills in some travel cups. You have a long day, right?" Ren shrugged, reaching over and grabbing three paper cups and lids from beneath the counter.
"You are a goddess sent, Ren…" Seteth said with a sigh.
"I try." The thief replied with a shrug.
"We're clear." Morgana said as he made his way to the main floor of the café. The cat paused as he looked up at Ren and Byleth. "What did I miss?"
"Ren-"
"Byleth, no." The teen cut in, his tone of voice indicating he had repeated this same answer a few times now.
"You're marked." Byleth said, eyes narrowed. "You know what that means."
"He's what!? Leader, you're what!?" Morgana exclaimed, head whipping back over to Ren with wide eyes.
"I do. What I also know is that I don't need you to babysit me 24/7 because of it. I already have the knights doing that with their new patrol routes." Ren replied with a sigh.
"It would minimize risk."
"Would it though?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow. "You're not staying here Byleth, we were given separate dorms for a reason."
"You know…" Jeralt began from his position on one of the barstools.
"Oi, don't you start." Ren said, turning to give the man a look.
"What are you worried about? Her peeping on you? We both know Byleth isn't one for that." Jeralt replied with a smile.
"Isn't it normally the other way around?" Morgana asked, tilting his head lightly.
"You know, wouldn't it normally be the reverse one would be worried about?" Ren noted, parroting Morgana's question for the two who couldn't hear him.
The Blade Breaker fixed the thief a deadpanned look as an answer.
"...Yeah, that was a stupid question."
"In all seriousness, you can at least endure it until things die down." Jeralt continued. "What's worse? A knife in the back, or Byelth keeping watch on said back?"
"...I'm not winning this, am I?" Ren sighed, his words more a statement than a question.
"Good, you're learning." Jeralt said with a nod.
Byleth nodded and stood up, making her way up towards the next floor, leaving Ren behind with Jeralt. "I'm gonna make sure she doesn't touch anything she shouldn't…" Morgana said before running up after the mercenary.
"...What happened with Louis?" Ren asked.
"I thought Seteth filled you in already, seeing as he was here when we arrived." Jeralt noted.
"Yes, but he didn't go into too much detail. He was being interrogated. What did they find?" Ren asked, crossing his arms. "I can understand if it's nothing I would need to worry about, but the man put a hit out on me. I need to know if there's anything else."
Jeralt sighed, before nodding slowly. "This doesn't leave us, but from what I've been told, he would've been charged for a lot of crimes. Chief among them being treachery against both Garreg Mach and the Officer's Academy."
"The Officer's Academy?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He apparently had a hand in the attack that led those three to us in Remire." Jeralt said, crossing his arms. "He likely was responsible for leaking the information to the bandits, but we don't know specifically how."
"I see…" Ren nodded, burrowing his eyebrows.
"Also… It hasn't fully been looked over by the knights, but I have a hunch." Jeralt continued, leaning forward slightly. "I was looking over his paper trail, and I found something interesting. Do you still have the map I lent you?"
"Yeah. You need me to get it?" Ren asked.
"No, but perhaps give it another look afterward. Louis apparently had two deliveries to a location within Count Rowe's territory. The most recent was around a month and a half ago. Small package, nothing big." Jeralt began, before narrowing his eyes. "The other was dated as the same day one Monica von Ochs went missing. And from what I could tell by the paperwork, it was a big shipment."
Ren's eyes narrowed. "So, you think… What, exactly? He had something to do with Monica's disappearance?"
"Maybe. But unlike other shipments, both were lacking in details. But then again, I'm not the one between us who can confirm that."
"I… What?" Ren asked slowly, mustering up as much Guts as he could in that moment to stop himself from outwardly showing any tells.
"It would make sense. Just another reason atop the many that would have Louis hire a hit on you for. If you somehow found out he had something to do with Monica, then he would want you silenced." Jeralt continued, placing a hand to his chin. "But then again, this is merely speculation, and baseless conjecture at that. Merely speaking hypothetically."
"...And hypothetically, if all that turned out to be true?" Ren asked.
"Then I think you have a ground to stand on to have your house sent out to Count Rowe's territory for this month's mission." Jeralt replied, crossing his arms. "The knights have yet to find sign of the bandits, so a possible rescue mission might be easily ordered."
"...How much trust do you have in the Church, Jeralt?" Ren asked after a moment.
"Less than I used to." Jeralt replied. "But I do trust you. I said so earlier kid, the world needs someone like you here to shake things up."
"...I have reason to believe that the bandits are held up in a fortress In Count Rowe's territory. And… Monica von Ochs is most likely being held there against her will." Ren said to the man, a determined look in his eyes. "I just couldn't figure out where, which is why-"
"You asked if I had a map." Jeralt nodded. "That was about when I had my suspicions. Don't worry. I won't say anything about your knowing of this information. Many wouldn't believe you anyways."
"True enough… What's the plan from here then if that's the case?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Let me inform Lady Rhea. Considering events, I'll do my best to emphasize discretion. No one should know about the change of plans until you and your house are sent out. Assuming all goes to plan, at least." Jeralt said.
"...Thanks, Jeralt." Ren said.
"Don't mention it. You may not have been for long, but you're one of us mercenaries. I have your back." Jeralt replied with a smile, placing a hand on his hip.
As the wave of relief washed through Ren, the familiar feeling of time slowing to a halt followed suit. Chains rattled and shot out, before snapping away from the Hierophant card as it appeared before the thief.
{Rank Up!}
[The Hierophant Arcana has increased to Rank 3!]
[You will now earn a Stat increase in a randomly chosen stat from Arcana Boost when fusing a Persona of the Hierophant Arcana!]
As time returned to its natural flow, Jeralt glanced to the side towards the stairs. "You should probably go check in with Byleth. I have to go and inform the Archbishop."
"Right…" Ren nodded, watching as the Mercenary walked out of the café. The thief let out a sigh as he moved towards the stairs, climbing to the top to find Byleth standing next to his bed with her arms crossed.
"Good, you're done. Now help me move this."
"Man, she really tore into our space…" Morgana said to Ren as the two walked out of Leblanc Nouveau.
"Yeah. Let's see, we moved the bed so it wasn't directly next to the window, swapping it with the couch. The window itself now has blinds put up in front of it, and that was after I convinced her not to just board it up." Ren let out a sigh as he finished. "Thankfully the crafting desk was at least left alone."
"But it does mean the time we can use it for thief tools is cut shorter with her nearby. If we'll need any, be sure to find a time when she's out to get some done." Morgana said.
"Well, enough about that, we have a class to get to." Ren said, walking into the courtyard of the Officer's Academy. The thief slowed to a stop as he caught sight of the figure standing in front of the double doors. "You know, I think everyone else is inside by now."
"Oh, good morning, Sensei." Lysithea said, turning to look at the thief. "Suppose it's.. just nerves."
"It's fine. Just means I can introduce you properly, unlike Sylvain who decided to forgo that." Ren replied as he walked over. "Byleth should be joining us in a minute."
"I see… Have you…?" Lysithea asked, her words coming out as a whisper near the end.
Ren glanced over his shoulder at Morgana, prompting his partner to speak for him. "Louis Vanguar has undergone a change of heart. Unfortunately, we received news he had been murdered last night."
"He was what!?" Lysithea hissed.
"Shh…" Ren glanced over his shoulder before looking back at Lysithea. "There's a bit of information I can't go over, but when I have a free moment I'll try to do just that."
"Byleth just rounded the corner." Morgana pointed out, looking to the side.
Ren gave Lysithea a pointed look before looking towards Byleth as she walked up next to him. "Alright, we're all ready today?"
Byleth nodded, walking past without a word as she opened the doors to the Black Eagle house.
Ren looked at Lysithea and shrugged, following after Byleth with a smile. "Morning everyone!"
Monday was starting to get routine, at least it felt as such. They didn't have the training grounds booked today, that was being used by the Blue Lions, so the Black Eagles had instead moved back to a familiar spot.
"Well, it's clear no one has used this since our exercise earlier…" Ren muttered, looking over at one of the two buildings they had used in the house's game of capture the flag. The thief glanced to the side over to where the students had begun practicing with their weapons. "Well, I don't think any of them mind that fact."
"Ren." Byleth said, walking over to the teen. "How are they doing?"
"No visible improvements, but I can say they're drilling all this into their muscle memory." Ren replied, glancing at the swordswoman. "That said, today is the day for personalized tutoring. So, any ideas?"
"Not entirely, but… There is one person who wishes to speak with you." Byleth noted, glancing to the side.
Ren paused before activating his Third Eye, revealing Sothis, who was slowly sliding a hand down her face. "Really? Couldn't you be any more subtle?"
"We should really work out a code phrase, yeah." Ren replied with a shrug, keeping his voice low.
"See, he gets it." Sothis remarked, before turning to the teen. "Alright, onto you. I want to try something out since we're away from prying eyes."
Ren raised an eyebrow and looked towards the students. "Better them than the guards." Sothis said. "Your ability to… circumvent my Divine Pulse, I want to see just how far that goes."
"How so?" Ren asked.
"I want to see if you can tap into it." Sothis replied. "I don't expect you to actually activate one, but if you can pause time for a moment, then it will show there's something there."
"How would I even do that?"
"Well… It just… has a feeling to it." Sothis explained, her brow narrowing as she placed a hand to her chin. "Admittedly it's partially instinctual, but… It's like a string. A long string. It's there, and you just know it's there. Actually grabbing it is another matter, and once you have, manipulating it is even more difficult."
"So I have to find a string? Great, that'll be super easy then…" Ren muttered with a sigh before closing his eyes. 'Like reaching out for a Persona, I guess…'
With that thought in mind, the thief reached out into his mind, toward his Personas in his sea of souls. He could feel them all, each slotting in neatly into his mental landscape. Angel, Succubus, Mook, Satyr, Risen, Golem. All of them felt Connected, right.
And then he came to Arsene.
Arsene. His other self. His true self, at its core. The base of what made him the thief he was. But it was just the base, not the true form. That had been what had saved the day, when he was able to rip free Arsene's chains and destroy that God of Control.
'The chains…' Ren paused, reaching deeper in for said chains.
'Trickster…' Arsene's voice rang out as the thief mentally grabbed onto one of the chains. It was cautious, and warning.
'It… leads somewhere…' Ren thought, as the chain in his mental hand seemed to stretch deeper into his unconsciousness. He pulled on the chain, moving deeper in.
'Trickster, wait.'
Ren's head became empty, as he continued diving deeper. The voice of Arsene grew quieter, and after an unknown amount of time, something new peered back from the void.
Two eyes stared back at the thief from the darkness, glowing like twin beacons. Ren pulled himself closer once more, but felt something block his way, much like a pane of glass on the side of a building.
The eyes flashes as he was forced to stop, and an uncountable amount of other pairs did as well, all of them staring at the thief, just out of reach. Waiting, prepared.
"Ren!"
The thief felt his consciousness get ripped backwards, pulling his out of the deep pits of his unconscious as he was thrust back into physicality. The teen crumpled to the ground, nose profusely bleeding as a sharp ache burned through his skull.
"Ren!"
"Sensei!?
"Why didn't you stop him!?"
"I tried, but he wasn't listening."
"Joker!? Hey, say something!"
"Well, I for one think that ghostly friend of his should've been a bit more specific…"
"Mook, I doubt she had any way of knowing. And considering her nature, I doubt it was in any way malevolent."
"Hypothesis of Angel, Noted."
"Ren, can you hear me?"
The thief's head was a blur of sounds and shapes. He let out an involuntary groan as he grabbed the side of his head. He forced his eyes open and looked at the woman that was crouched next to him. "I…"
"Professor, let me tend to him. If he gets worse, I'll bring him to Manuela's office."
"Very well, do as you see fit. Everyone else, head back to work."
Ren felt his eyes shut as his consciousness slipped, sending him into darkness.
(Play No More What Ifs - Instrumental)
"Hey, he's waking up!"
"Negative."
"I meant in here."
Ren let out a grunt, reaching a hand up to his forehead as he sat up. "What…? What happened?"
"You didn't listen is what happened." A voice replied, getting the thief's attention as he looked to his left, finding Mook standing next to him. "And now, here you are."
"Here being?" Ren asked.
"Somewhere familiar, Trickster."
Ren glanced to the side, finding Arsene standing behind the counter of Leblanc, the one from Tokyo. "Arsene?"
"Welcome to the Thieves Den. Or I suppose, welcome back." Arsene noted, placing a cup of coffee down in front of Golem. The thief's eyes widened as he turned around, taking in the familiar sights of the Thieves Den, including the hole in the wall that had seemingly been upgraded from simply being boarded up to now having a fresh patch of unpainted plaster filling the gap.
Golem looked down at the cup before looking back up at Arsene with a tilt of its head. "Yeah, uh, can he even drink that?" Mook asked, looking at the cup and then back at Golem.
"Query Noted, Analyzing… Results: Inconclusive." Golem replied, picking up the cup before dumping the liquid overtop of its own form. The Golem paused in place, before placing the cup on the counter, now dripping coffee. "Update: Negative."
"Then why even ask for a drink…?" Mook muttered to the side as Ren pushed himself to a stand.
"What was that earlier?" Ren asked, looking at Arsene in favor of Mook and Golem. "I thought I saw… Him, for a moment."
Arsene took in a breath, letting it out slowly as if to calm his nerves. "Trickster, as Igor and Lavenza have said before, you are not alone. What you saw were what this world has locked up, the ones who do not fit nicely with the cognition of this world." The Persona leaned forward, as if to stress his next words. "That was the full might of your sea of souls that you bore witness to. Your Personas from Tokyo never vanished. They're merely waiting, biding their time under the surface for when you are able to bring them forth. As we can see today, you are not there yet."
"Which explains earlier. But why am I here then?" Ren asked.
"You almost gave yourself a mental shutdown, Trickster." Another voice spoke up, as Angel floated up next to the thief. "You're lucky you were pushed back before it got worse. As it stands, we're keeping you here so you don't suffer any psychological injuries from your stunt."
"OH…"
"Oh. OH, he says. Man almost put himself into a coma and all he can say is that?" Mook asked incredulously.
"Thankfully you're fine, but do not go trying that again." Angel ordered.
"G-got it…" Ren replied before pailing. "Oh god, Morgana is going to kill me over this…"
"Eh, either you or Sothis." Mook replied.
"False. Sothis has no Physical Form." Golem said.
"Not if she's linked to Byleth like we are."
"Unproven Theory. Mona would not risk it."
"With all that said, your actions have changed things." Arsene said, catching the thief's eye. "You have, for better or worse, created a link between your unconscious mind and your old sea of souls. In theory, you might be able to call upon them. However, as we've seen from attempting that today, I believe it would be highly dangerous, if not foolish to attempt a summon."
"Yeah. I think I agree there…" Ren nodded, crossing his arms.
"However. In a life or death scenario, it is a preferable option in comparison to the alternative." Arsene continued, before looking up at the ceiling. "I think we should be free to send you back now."
"Alright. Thanks for the heads up. And, you know, not letting me get stuck with a multitude of brain damage…" Ren said, getting a nod from Arsene. "So… how do I leave then?"
Mook shrugged. "Dunno, I think you just sorta-"
(Stop Music)
"-Waking up!"
Ren groaned, wincing at the brightness of the sun even through closed eyelids. Forcing his eyes open he looked up, catching sight of Linhardt crouched next to him. "Linhardt? What-Uh, what happened?"
"You collapsed suddenly. You've been out for almost the entirety of morning classes today. If you hadn't woken up when you did, I was going to bring you back to the monastery." Linhardt noted, slowly helping the thief to a sitting position. "How do you feel?"
"I feel like what I imagine being hungover feels like if I'm being honest…" Ren noted.
"Well that's good. I was worried it'd be worse." Linhardt said with a sigh.
It was at this point Byleth walked up next to the teen, crouching down to get eye level with him. "Ren. How are you feeling?"
"Been better. How much time is left with class?" Ren asked, moving to stand up.
"Hey, no quick movements." Linhardt said, placing a hand on the thief's shoulder to keep him sitting. "Give your body at least a minute to acclimate before standing…"
"We're wrapping up now. When Linhardt thinks you're fine to move, head back to the Monastery, I can finish up with the others here." Byleth said.
"You sure?"
"You don't have afternoon classes, I do." Byleth noted. "If you need rest, you should take it."
"...Alright. I think I'm alright to stand now Linhardt." Ren said, looking at the green haired teen.
"Let me help you at least." He said, using himself as a crutch to help the thief to a stand.
"I'll leave things with you then Byleth." Ren said, earning a nod as a reply as the swordswoman walked away.
The thief rolled his shoulder, letting his weight shift between his feet before giving a nod to Linhardt. "I think I'm good from here. Thanks again, Linhardt."
"Let's just try to avoid another case like that for now then." Linhardt said with a nod, before walking after Byleth.
"...You still here Morgana?" Ren asked aloud after a moment, glancing away from Linhardt's back.
"Had to wait for them to leave, but of course." Morgana said, hopping down from a nearby tree branch. "What the hell was that!? Were you trying to give me a heart attack?"
"Sorry… I was… Trying something I won't be attempting again…" Ren said, reaching up to play with his bangs.
"Well… Good then." Morgana replied, jumping onto Ren's shoulder before slipping into the teen's bag. "Come on. We have some time to kill right? We should do something productive with that time."
"Right. Lets do that..." Ren said as he walked away.
Ren closed the door to Leblanc Nouveau behind him, checking the sign to make sure it was flipped to closed before walking over towards the stairs. "Alright. We have some free time now…"
"So, what happened exactly?" Morgana asked, hopping out of Ren's bag.
"A lot. Do you want the long or short story?" Ren asked, walking up the stairs.
"Long. Not like we don't have time." Morgana replied.
"Well… Sothis wanted to know if I could do more than just… exist in tandem with her Divine Pulses." Ren began, pressing his lips together at the new arrangement of his room he was still getting used to. "She mentioned activating the power was like pulling on a string, and it was primarily internal."
"So that's why you collapsed like that?" Morgana asked, walking over to the workbench that thankfully hadn't been moved much.
"Sort of. I tried following that particularly vague piece of advice, but because of our experience with internal phenomenon-"
"Personas."
"Let me be dramatic about this."
"Maybe finish your story first so I can decide whether or not I need to find a way to hurt a ghost."
"Alright, alright." Ren smiled, taking a seat. "Well, I looked at my Personas to start. And while I did that, I found something. A chain."
Ren paused, blinking lightly. "...I can still feel it actually."
"Trickster…" Arsene said, a distinct warning in his tone.
'I ain't touching that, I know.' Ren thought before continuing aloud. "Anyways, the chain leads deeper into my unconscious. I followed it deeper until I found… well, them."
"Them?"
"My Persona's from Tokyo." Ren said, getting a wide eyed look from the cat. "All of them, not just those I had equipped during our final battle. It felt like the entirety of the compendium just… waiting. But it was too much. They didn't… click, for lack of a better term."
"Hence your collapse…"
"Yeah… The chain is still there, but it's been agreed upon to not reach for it unless it's life or death. No telling if it'll do more harm than good…"
"Well, at least you're not dead." Morgana noted.
"Yeah. At least now I know what it's like to almost have a mental shutdown, so…"
"JOKER!?"
"Smooth, Trickster…" Succubus' voice rang in the thief's head as Morgana screeched.
"I know, I know! It was a terrible idea and I won't entertain it again!" Ren said, trying to placate his partner. "Sorry for worrying you."
"Well, you can clearly still put your foot in your mouth, so clearly it didn't mess your head up too much." Morgana said with a huff.
"Hey…!"
"Anyways, let's move onto something less… Stressful of a conversation." Morgana said. "We have all this time to work on things, so what's the plan?"
"There's no telling what we'll need come our next outing, and unfortunately, the time we CAN make anything of that variety is now gonna be under some scrutiny from Byleth." Ren said with a sigh. "Admittedly, probably not a lot, but anything that we can't make a better excuse for is going to raise some eyebrows."
"So then we're gonna do some crafting?" Morgana asked.
"Yep. After that… I dunno, maybe some fishing? We do have a free period." Ren noted with a shrug. "To be honest, if we could, I'd like to go back to Monica's Jail. But after the earlier stunt…"
"Probably best to do some resting?" Morgana asked.
"Yeah. Besides, I just want to check in on her Shadow. Not like we'll be going anywhere dangerous, there's a straight shot from the safe room to where she is." Ren replied.
"Fair enough. So, what's the first on our list?"
"I'm thinking… Anything that'll only really work in the metaverse. Goho-M, Stealthanol, that kind of thing."
"Fair enough. Let's get to work then!"
"...Nothing's biting, huh?" Morgana noted, lying down on the dock next to the teen.
"...Yep." Ren replied, idly holding the fishing rod as he stared out ahead.
"...Well, this is still pretty nice."
"Here, here."
Ren glanced up from his seat at the counter as the front door opened, the bell ringing slightly. "You're back, I see." Ren noted, looking over at Byleth as the Mercenary walked into the café. "How was your class?"
"They seemed to be taking it seriously." Byleth noted, taking a seat next to the teen. "I went over how hiring processes and general communication with mercenaries should be handled."
"So, with respect but not stuck up?"
"If you wish to boil it down to that."
"Well, that's good hear." Ren said with a nod.
Byleth glanced to the side before she looked back at Ren. "I want to apologize."
Ren blinked. "Why?"
Byleth's eyebrows furrowed slightly in response. "For what happened during training earlier today."
"Hey, that wasn't your fault." Ren said, placing a hand on Byleth's shoulder. The thief activated his third eye and looked over to where Sothis was hovering off to the side. "It was neither of your faults."
"You tried attempting a Divine Pulse and look what happened? How is it not my fault for suggesting it?" Sothis asked.
"It's mine. I subconsciously knew I wasn't ready for… whatever I tried doing, and it backfired." Ren said, crossing his arms. "If anything, I should be apologizing for the scare."
"...Fine then, if you want to be that way, we'll split the blame."
"Um, no, we're not. You're not at fault here!"
"Ugh, you are just… insufferable!" Sothis said, throwing her arms up into the air before vanishing.
Ren blinked, letting his third eye deactivate. "Huh, I didn't know she could do that…"
Byleth shrugged lightly, the corners of her mouth lifting a slight amount at the internal dialogue Sothis was continuing to have with her.
Ren sighed, before blinking as reality slowed to a stop, the rattling of chains growing louder before reaching a peak as they snapped free.
{Rank Up!}
[The Aeon Arcana has increased to Rank 2!]
[You will now earn a Stat increase in a randomly chosen stat from Arcana Boost when fusing a Persona of the Aeon Arcana!]
Ren sat frozen to his seat as he stared blankly ahead of him. 'Sothis is my Aeon!?'
[Day 13 of the Harpstring Moon]
(Play Life Goes On)
Ren hummed along with the music from his record player, pouring coffee into a travel cup. "You're looking better than yesterday." Morgana noted, looking over at the teen.
"I did have a decent enough sleep." Ren replied, looking over at Morgana. "How was yours?"
"Fine. Still getting used to Byleth's presence." Mona said, getting a nod from the teen. "So, unless I'm mistaken, we have the day to ourselves. Are you still thinking of heading into Monica's Jail?"
"Maybe later in the day. For now, I want to use the time wandering the monastery." Ren said as footsteps coming from the stairs alerted the two thieves to Byleth's arrival. "Morning."
"Morning." Byleth said, already dressed for the day. The professor glanced down at the counter and the travel cup. "What's this?"
"Coffee. It's a travel cup, here." The thief said, sliding it over to Byleth. "Figured you'd want the pick-me-up during classes today."
"I appreciate it." Byleth said, grabbing it with her off hand. "Will you be alright on your own?"
"I'll be fine, Byleth. I can take care of myself well enough, especially when it'll be daylight out." Ren replied with a light smile, before glancing at Morgana. "Besides, I won't be totally alone. He can go run and grab someone if something even DOES come up."
"I suppose so." Byleth said with a nod, before turning to walk out of the café. "I'll be back when I finish up classes today."
"See you then." Ren said as the mercenary walked out of the café. "...Okay, she's gone."
"Great, now shall we-"
The door to the café swung open a few seconds later, revealing Claude and Lysithea, both walking in before locking the door behind them. "Hey, hope you don't mind the early showing?" Claude asked, giving a lazy salute to the thief.
"Well… We do need to go over what's happened…" Ren said after a moment with a nod, motioning them towards a booth.
"And that's about everything." Morgana said.
"So he really is dead, huh?" Claude said, arms crossed. "And we're sure we weren't responsible?"
"We didn't cause a mental shutdown." Ren said, shaking his head. "I've seen what one of those looks like, and trust me, it isn't pretty, nor does it match what I was told happened."
"You've… seen what a mental shutdown looks like?" Lysithea asked, raising an eyebrow.
"...We had a target once. We had successfully performed the change of heart too, but we weren't prepared nor expecting someone else to swoop in and cause a mental shutdown." Ren said, letting out a sigh. "We didn't realize we had been played until we saw the confession go wrong."
"This was markedly different. For one, we know that the guards stationed to watch him were also killed. If this was a mental shutdown, what would the need be?" Morgana asked.
"Rhetorical question, there would be none." Lysithea replied.
"Which means someone called a hit inside the Monastery." Claude said with a sigh. "Well, and here I thought the bandits finding out where the training camp was located was as terrifying as that kind of thing would get."
"We're pretty sure Louis was silenced, which unfortunately would've meant that we'd be without any leads." Ren said, watching as the disappointed faced of his teammates slowly lifted as realization spread across their faces. The thief smirked. "Jeralt is a freaking miracle worker, let me tell you."
"He did some deep digging in some of Louis' documents, and added to what questions the knights were able to get from Louis before his death, he found something huge." Morgana said, an equally vicious smile on his face. "Louis had been a part of two shipments. Both seemingly innocuous without context, but with?"
"Both shipments lead to a location in Count Rowe's territory. And comparing that location to Jeralt's old map, we've found that it's likely the same place Monica is being held up in." Ren said, grin so wide it almost hurt. "And since Jeralt was the one to find this out, he's the one who'll be going to the Archbishop about this. Which means our hands will be clean of any involvement. Jeralt is almost certain he can get our monthly mission changed to going after the castle, with the thought that the bandits might be hiding out there as well."
"Really!?" Lysithea asked, eyes wide. Ren merely nodded, earning a whistle from Claude.
"Gotta say, Sensei, not bad. Not bad at all!" Claude said with a smile that was a touch wider than his normally worn ones.
"For right now, lay low. Don't try to draw attention to yourselves. Ren's being extra careful, what with the possible threat on his life." Morgana said, glancing at the teen in question.
"Speaking of laying low, you guys are going to be late if you don't get moving." Ren noted glancing over at the front door.
"Right. Thanks for filling us in, Ren." Lysithea said with a smile, standing up and heading to the door with Claude.
"Don't go dropping dead on us, you hear?" Claude turned to give Ren a look over his shoulder. Ren nodded in reply, getting a lazy smile from Claude as the two students left the café.
"Okay… Now, we go explore." Ren said, standing up from his seat.
"Let's get going then!"