(Author's Note)
Hey guys! And... Yeah, I'm very late on this update. I meant to have this out WAY earlier, but with finals kicking my ass and then the Christmas rush of relatives visiting and everything... Ugh. Point is, it's here. Sorry about the wait.
Getting this chapter written out has been a bit of a pain. Mainly because trying to get this to feel... right, I guess, has been challenging, for one reason or another. So if this chapter feels... a bit weird pacing wise, I apologize for that.
SO, with all that said and out of the way, onto Reviews!
To MEleeSmasher: We'll certainly be finding out soon enough.
To Pheonix Champion: Can we go for a sixth!?
To MasterDarkElf: Romance will... probably be happening. I ain't saying anything else at this point though.
To HiIExist: I really don't want to fall into that pit-trap. I want Ren's actions to have wide spreading concequences, but I know that there are some areas that will likely be more "But Ren's just there" than others as we get further through the story. I know the Pre-Timeskip stuff will especially come close in spots, but that's mainly due to the fact of how they need to be structured. Once we get past said time-skip... Well, then things can get a bit more open.
To NaoBea: As much as I adore the Gatekeeper, he probably won't be playing much if any of a role in this story, though I like the speculations.
To LordAnimeMangaGame: If we're talking the game's story specifically? Yeah, most likely not. IF we're talking it's mechanics? Well, that's already come and gone now, so...
Alright, with all that done, thank you all so much for reviewing. They really help me keep on track and keep my motivation up (And also help put a fire under my ass to help me realize I need to get back to work on things). If you have time, I really do ask you leave a review.
Also, stay tuned until the end for the first... Chapter? Omake? Thing. First thing for the "Third Option" bits I had in mind. They aren't gonna be long, but what is there will be funny to look at. (Feel free to leave a review for an idea of a "Third Option" choice I could explore if you want!)
Now, with all that said, let's get on with the show!
(Play Beneath The Mask-Instrumental - Persona 5)
"It's time." Ren said, stepping away from his shelves of coffee beans as he glanced down at his phone screen.
[Day 11 of the Harpstring Moon, 1180]
The teen turned around and looked at the other occupant of the café. Lysithea took in a nervous breath, lightly holding the cup of coffee that had been given to her. "Is it usually this…?"
"Tense?" Ren asked, getting a nod from the girl. The thief slipped his phone out of sight and shrugged, leaning against the counter lightly. "Sometimes. Usually not for a Mementos target, but this our first real heist of sorts here in Fódlan."
"What was your first heist like?" Lysithea asked, raising an eyebrow.
"In retrospect? The execution was horrendous." Ren replied with a chuckle. "It was just the four of us, and Skull had cobbled together the first rendition of the Calling Card the night of. We arrived at school to find dozens of copies plastered for everyone to see."
"At the time, people played it off as a prank. Some thought it was us who had done it as well, since we were known to be in bad standing with our would be target." Ren continued, smiling lightly. "But all we really were worried about was changing his heart. If we didn't, Skull and I would've been expelled, and my life would've been over."
Ren narrowed his eyes. "But that's not even counting the other people who'd still be under Kamoshida's twisted thumb. We were worried, yes, but our desire to set things right outmatched that worry." The thief closed his eyes and smiled. "The life we lead is one that is going to have moments like this, one where one of our lives may hinge on things going according to plan. Every Palace Ruler we went up against was like that."
"But this guy? He's nothing close to what Morgana and I have dealt with. Fighting that cognition in Monica's jail was probably a harder fight than today's." Ren shrugged. "I won't tell you to stop worrying, but trust in your teammates. It pays to have faith, you know."
"...Right!" Lysithea nodded, lifting her cup to take another sip before she was interrupted by a knock at the front door.
"It's open!" Ren called out, looking over at the front door as it opened.
"Ah, good morning to-" Seteth paused as the door closed behind him, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked around the café. "Music? How…?"
"Over here." Ren said, directing Seteth's attention over to the counter. "I've been working on something in my spare time. It's called a record player. It's a bit mechanically intensive, so I can't really get into it right now, but it plays music that's been recorded on a disc."
"Is that right?" Seteth asked, eyes wide. "This… This is astonishing, Professor."
"It's unfortunately one of a kind, I only was able to find the materials for one and to actually record the music… it's not really feasible here." Ren said with a sad smile.
"Be that as it may, it is something I would like to take a closer look at later." Seteth noted. The advisor turned to look over at Lysithea and blinked, seemingly remembering what he had come in for. "But that's not what we are here for today."
"Good morning, Instructor." Lysithea said, nodding at the advisor.
"Ms. Ordelia." Seteth responded in kind, reaching into the satchel at his side to pull out a light stack of paperwork. "This is everything that needs signing today. Most of it is information Ms. Ordelia will need to read through, however."
"I see." Ren replied, moving over to the coffee machine. "The house blend, Seteth? Or something else on my menu?"
"House, please." Seteth replied with a small smile. "What do I owe you?'
"On the house, what with you helping us with this." Ren replied with a nod as he got started on the advisor's coffee.
"I must say, your café certainly looks complete now." Seteth noted, taking in the atmosphere. "You've done a lot in the short time you've been here."
"I had some help, but the layout was pretty much perfect from the get-go." Ren noted with a shrug.
"And I just sign here?" Lysithea asked, motioning to a spot on the paper in front of her.
"Yes, that's right." Seteth said, before turning to Ren. "Could you spare a-"
"Pens are right here." Ren said, motioning to the cup filled with various pens on the counter near Lysithea.
"Pen?" Seteth raised an eyebrow and picked up one of the pens from the cup, as did Lysithea who quickly pulled the cap off to start signing.
"Feel free to keep it if you want." Ren shrugged. "Pull the cap off and drag it across the paper to write. Here, have some paper and try it out."
Seteth grabbed the offered paper and did just so, following Lysithea's example by removing the pen cap and putting pen to paper. The advisor's eyes widened, but otherwise the man didn't respond as he started to write a few lines of text across the page.
"Anything else we should be aware of with this?" Ren asked, tilting his head towards the documents Lysithea was signing as he watched the coffee brew.
"You may make an announcement to your class that they will have a new student joining them, but it's not required." Seteth replied, putting the cap back onto the pen as he looked down at the page before him. "Lysithea will simply have to adjust to the change in classes, and in the case where a student has graded assignments for a specific class, you'll have to sort out how that will fit into your curriculum."
"Lucky that we don't have anything like that to worry about yet then." Ren noted with a smile.
"Quite." Lysithea responded, before turning a page around and sliding it towards the thief. "Sensei, it just needs your signature here."
"Right, let me just sign this…" Ren said, grabbing a spare pen as he quickly signed off on the transfer.
"And that should be everything. Welcome to the Black Eagles, Lysithea. As you know, you'll be expected to join the class for their monthly missions instead of the Golden Deer's." Seteth started, picking up the stack of paperwork before slipping it away into his bag. "Now, with all the paperwork out of the way-"
The advisor was interrupted as the door to the café suddenly opened, revealing a guard on the other side. "Excuse me! There's something that requires your attention, Seteth."
"What's wrong?" Seteth asked, turning to look at the guard.
Lysithea shot Ren a look. The thief didn't respond, as he simply grabbed the mug originally intended for Seteth's coffee and placed it aside in favor of grabbing a travel cup.
"There's a commotion in the marketplace." The guard said. "The nature of it is… We felt it would be good for you to take a look at it."
"I'll be right there." Seteth said, standing up from his stool.
Ren idly poured Seteth's coffee into the paper cup before placing the lid atop it. He turned to Lysithea with a nod before glancing over at Seteth. "Seteth, I'm coming with you."
"I don't think that's entirely necessary, Professor." Seteth said, turning to look at the thief.
"Maybe, but it doesn't hurt." Ren replied with a shrug as he picked up the paper cup and walked around the counter. "Lysithea, are you coming with us?"
At the nod from Lysithea, Seteth merely sighed before turning back to the guard. "Show us."
"Come with me." The guard said, turning around as he led the group to the marketplace.
(Stop Music)
"You're in a good mood today." Hilda said, glancing over at Claude.
"I have a good feeling, that's all." Claude replied with a smirk.
"Know something I don't?"
"Not at all. At least, I don't think so." Claude shrugged. "Why? You think I have something up my sleeve?"
"Do you ever not? I've heard you try and work out how to replicate the ease of which Sensei hides a knife up his. I wouldn't be surprised if you worked that out." Hilda shrugged, before blinking. "Wait, is that why we're going to the marketplace? To buy you a knife?"
"Yes, obviously that's what we're doing." Claude replied with an eyeroll.
"I know sarcasm, Claude." Hilda shook her head with a smirk.
"Hey, do you see that?" Claude blinked at the question, raising his head a bit to see further ahead as a few merchants were animatedly talking to each other.
"What's that about?" He asked aloud, picking up his pace with Hilda in tow.
"Woah…!" Hilda breathed out, looking out at the marketplace. People were beginning to fill in more and more, the entrance starting to get crowded with the number looking to see what the commotion was about.
"Hey, look over here." Claude said, walking over to one of the stalls.
Slapped against the stall was a red card, in fact, there were multiple. Claude turned around to look at the market proper, eyes widening at the sheer number of cards that seemingly coated the marketplace.
"Take your heart?" Hilda asked, looking at the one in front of the two. The phrase was emblazoned under an emblem of a mask, drawn flames licking the edges of the emblem.
"What is the meaning of this!?"
"Oh, this has to be good." Claude said to Hilda, turning around to watch the man of the hour walk straight to the heart of the commotion.
"S-sir! I, I don't…!"
"I have been gone for an hour! How is it that in the time I've been away, the place got to such a state!?" Louis asked, almost yelling at the vendor closest to him. The man growled, turning to look at cards strewn about. "And what even are these!?"
The man ripped one of the cards off the stall and looked down at it. Letters stretched across the card, seemingly cut out of pages of various books before being redrawn perfectly back onto the card.
Sir Louis Vangaur,
The Twisted Monarch of Ego.
You have committed crimes against the workers and customers of the marketplace, casting them out or worse on a whim.
Your actions, your crimes and betrayal of both the place you were trusted to lead, as well as the very church that harbors you and your misdeeds have brought us to today.
Your sins are yours, but you will not sweep them under the rug like everything else.
We have decided, you will confess your crimes with your own mouth. We will take all your distorted desires without fail.
From, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts
"W-what!? What kind of joke is this!?" Louis roared, throwing the card to the side. "Who did this!? I want answers!"
"Sir, they just appeared…!" Another merchant said uneasily.
"What good are any of you!? You can spot a customer a mile off but can't see the dastard that disgraced the market like this!?" Louis swerved over and leaned an inch away from the merchant's face with a sneer.
"I think there's bigger problems right now-"
"Like what!? Please, elaborate!" Louise yelled, spittle shattering against the merchant's face.
"Look around you…"
Louis froze, eyes wide as he turned to look at the crowd that had formed with the commotion. Calling Cards were pulled off of stalls and looked over, eyes wide at the information being presented.
"T-this is-!?" Louis began, but was silenced by the sound of heavy footsteps as a group of knights parted through the crowd. "The knights! Excellent, I need your help with apprehending the scoundrel behind this!"
"Sorry, but that's not our jurisdiction right now. You are." A voice said, sending a shiver down the man's spine as a woman with blonde hair walked to the front of the knights.
"C-Catherine!?" Louis stammered, a pit forming in his stomach.
"Louis Vangaur, you are being brought in on suspected crimes against the monastery." Catherine said, narrowing her eyes at the man.
"This is absurd! I have done no wrong!" Louise shouted, eyes narrowed.
"These seem to paint a much different picture." Catherine noted, pulling off one of the Calling Cards. "And if you have done so, then there should be no issue, right?"
"I-!"
"What's all this commotion about?" Seteth asked as he walked up next to Catherine with Ren and Lysithea trailing a step behind.
"Read this." Catherine said, handing the Calling Card to Seteth. "It's caused enough of a commotion we need to bring him in for questioning."
"...I see." Seteth said, eyes narrowing as he finished reading the card.
Louis' face was getting progressively more pale, before his eyes flicked over and landed on Ren. Color returned swiftly, his face turning an angry red. "You!"
"Hm?" Ren blinked, looking over at the man as he stomped over to the teen.
"You're responsible, aren't you! I'll see your head removed for this-!" Louis began, arm reared back as if to strike out before a fist slammed into his gut, forcing him back.
"Ow…" Lysithea shook her hand, having taken a step forward to deliver the punch. "Remind me to never do that again."
"Yeah…" Ren slowly nodded, looking down at his student.
"Ms. Ordelia, care to explain yourself?" Seteth asked calmly, his voice carrying over the rapidly quieting crowd.
"I felt threatened." Lysithea replied. "Besides, he looked like he was about to attack."
"I suppose he did." Seteth nodded, glaring at Louis as the man tried to get a handle of his breathing. "Besides, he is factually incorrect anyways."
"W-what?" Louis wheezed out, looking up at Seteth with pinprick tears forming in his eyes.
"When did the cards appear?" Seteth asked, turning to Catherine.
"Apparently they appeared out of nowhere roughly 10 minutes ago." The knight responded.
"I have been discussing matters with Professor Amamiya for the past 15 minutes at minimum. I can say for certain he had no part in this." Seteth said.
"Professor?" Catherine glanced over at the thief and paused, a skewed expression forming on her face. "Hm…?"
Ren merely looked back to Louis and activated his third eye. The man ignited in red fumes, his eyes glowing a vibrant gold. Ren closed his eyes and let out a breath, letting his third eye deactivate.
"Louis Vangaur, I would implore you to come quietly." Seteth said, motioning for some of the knights to grab the man. "If you truly are innocent, then you'll be back to work without issue."
Louis merely went slack, allowing himself to be dragged away by the knights. Seteth let out a long sigh. "Well, I'm glad we finished our business earlier Professor, because I believe I have a lot of paperwork to look over soon…"
"I suppose so. That said, you might want this." Ren said, handing the advisor the travel cup. "I did promise you coffee."
"Many thanks for this. I'd suggest keeping your head down and away from this for now." Seteth said, getting a nod from the teen.
"Sounds like a good idea." Ren replied, before turning to look at Catherine, who was still looking at him. "Um?"
"I can't figure it out…" She muttered, before shaking her head. "You must be one of the new professors. I'm Catherine."
"Ren Amamiya." Ren said as Seteth walked off. He gave a quick glance his way as he left before looking back at the knight. "It's nice to meet you?"
"Might I ask what you mean by that?" Lysithea asked, looking over at Catherine.
"Oh, it's nothing important." Catherine said, looking over at Lysithea. "He just has this look about him."
"A look?" Ren asked, crossing his arms.
"It reminds me of other Crest bearers… but I can't figure out which one." Catherine replied with a shrug. "That's gonna bug me for a while."
"...Right." Ren merely nodded, fighting the urge to nervously swallow.
"I should get going, I'm as involved with this as Seteth is. Nice to meet you, Professor. I suppose I'll be seeing you out in the field at some point." Catherine said, turning around to follow the knights escorting Louis away.
The two thieves watched silently as the knight walked off. "...I have a bad feeling about her." Lysithea noted.
"You're not alone there. Come on, let's head back to the café." Ren said, turning around to catch sight of Claude in the crowd. Claude nodded subtly to the thief, getting an equally subtle nod in return as the thief moved through the crowd.
"Okay, let me be the first to say-" Claude stopped, the door to the café swinging shut behind him as he stared at the sight before him. "...That you look ridiculous."
"Well excuse me for wanting to make the disguise believable…" Morgana said, standing in a water basin, thoroughly drenched. Ren grabbed a nearby towel and started to dry the cat off with a slight smile on his face.
"And did you! That was amazing, Morgana." Claude said, taking a seat on one of the barstools as he looked over at Lysithea. "And good job earlier. I didn't know you could punch someone like that."
"That feels very backhanded…" Lysithea deadpanned as Ren finished drying Morgana off.
"You weren't followed?" Ren asked, looking at Claude.
"I made sure to separate naturally from Hilda before making my daring escape. No one should have seen me." Claude nodded.
"Good. Lysithea and I have alibis, you have yours. We should be more than ready to take care of this." Ren noted, pulling out his phone. "If anyone has something to say, now is the time."
Ren took one last look over his team before smirking. "Alright then. Phantom Thieves, it's showtime!"
[Beginning Navigation]
(Play Mementos - Upper Layer)
"Well… This is different." Rokuó said, letting out a low breath as the ambiance of Mementos washed over the thieves.
"It is. I'm surprised, a calling card never caused something like this to happen to Mementos before…" Mona noted, crossing his arms.
"It doesn't feel like a Palace Ruler though." Joker replied. "Mementos isn't on high alert, this just feels… charged."
"Maybe it's the fact this is the first one here in Fódlan?" Mana suggested, placing a hand to her chin. "The news clearly spread out amongst those at Garreg Mach already."
"If that's the case, then it's more accurate to say we have people excited." Rokuó smirked. "Which means we can't just leave them waiting in suspense, right leader?"
"Just a second first. I want to stop by the Velvet Room. We might need some additional help…" Joker said, turning away from the group as he walked off to the side.
"Well, while he's busy with that, I think now's a good time to go over how this will go with you two." Mona began. "First, expect resistance. If this is anything like Lysithea's shadow, we might end up having to deal with a boundary that could possibly bend to the shadow's will."
"Hopefully not." Rokuó grimaced, glancing over at Mana. "Your shadow was not fun."
Mana rolled her eyes. "I'm well aware."
"Second. We can NOT kill him. If he dies, then he'll undergo a mental shutdown. That can't happen."
"Anything else?" Mana asked.
"We won't know what form he'll take, so be prepared for anything. If you're weak to something, don't keep it to yourselves. Joker and I will get you back up." Mona replied with a firm nod.
"And what happens if one of you gets knocked down?" Rokuó asked.
"Keep the shadows off us until we can recover." Joker said, walking back over to the thieves. "That said, unless the shadow gets a lucky shot off on me, I should be fine."
"Oh, finally remembered to wear it?" Mona asked.
"Wear what?" Mana asked, raising an eyebrow.
Joker undid the top button of his shirt and reached inside, pulling out a necklace for the others to see. "This."
"Is that… a skull?" Rokuó asked, looking down at the ornament hanging at the end of the chain.
Joker smiled, glancing down at the various splotches of what seemed like paint that covered the skull. "This is an accessory created from a Palace Ruler's Will Seeds. This one specifically negates a Persona's weaknesses to specific elements. It doesn't make them fully immune, but for someone like me who will rapidly switch out what Persona I'm using at a given moment mid combat, it's been a life saver more times than I care to remember."
"You're throwing a lot of concepts out at us right now." Rokuó deadpanned.
"The short of it is this. I have no weaknesses right now. I'm not invincible, but I won't be easy to take down." Joker said with a shrug.
"You ready to go? Personas locked in?" Mona asked, looking up at Joker.
"Yeah." The thief nodded, adjusting his gloves. "I think we're ready for whatever's coming our way."
"Well, then what are we waiting for?" Rokuó asked, arms motioning to the stairway heading deeper into Mementos. "If you would kindly lead the way, Leader."
Joker chuckled, walking past the deer with a smirk. "Alright. Phantom Thieves, let's move!"
"I don't think I'll ever get tired of this." A voice echoed in Joker's head as the thief vaulted over a railing.
"Query? Acrobatics or thievery?" Asked another, more robotic voice.
"Both! Truly, a wondrous experience this Mementos is!"
"At least they argue less than Sprite and Panser." Angel noted. "It's good to have some comradery here."
"Doesn't mean I don't miss the barbs of those two…" Succubus replied. "Mook and Golem are a bit… dull by comparison."
"I'm still surprised his name is actually Mook." Angel said.
"He is what he is." Arsene added, laughter rumbling lightly. "And I don't think he minds the title."
"See? The big man gets me!"
'As much as I enjoy the running commentary,' Joker began, throwing his grapple hook out as he and the rest of the thieves swung across a pit in the continuously winding hallway. 'I need to focus on this right now.'
"You heard the Boss, everyone. Let's shut up for a bit. Let 'em think." Mook said with a laugh.
"Joker! He's close!" Mona said as the thieves landed on the other side of the pit.
"How close?" Joker asked, looking at his partner.
"Well-"
The thieves ran around the next corner and slowed to a stop, staring at the swirling red and black portal floating at the end of the hall. "...I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that… that's it?" Rokuó asked, pointing at the portal.
"Looks the same, so I imagine that's a yes." Joker replied, glancing to the side where another corridor branched off. "And it doesn't roadblock us from searching further into Mementos."
"So, we're actually doing this?" Mana asked, looking up at the portal.
"We didn't encounter any opposition on our way here, so we should still be in top shape." Mona said, looking back at the thieves. "Everyone ready?"
"Ready as ever." Rokuó replied, walking ahead towards the portal.
"We can't just stop at this anyways." Mana nodded, following after the deer.
"Well, you heard them." Joker said with a smirk, turning towards the portal. "Shall we?"
"Yeah." Mona said, matching the Teen's smirk with one of his own. "Let's show Fódlan what's coming."
(Stop Music)
"Woah…! That feels weird…" Mana shuddered as the thieves walked out of the portal.
"It does take some getting used to." Mona replied with a nod.
"Hey, there he is." Rokuó said, eyes narrowing on the Shadow standing at the center of the room. "His backs turned."
"Don't try and capitalize on that. He likely knows we're here already." Joker said, holding a hand out in front of Rokuó. The thief glanced back over to the Shadow and slowly walked towards it. "So let's make it official."
(Play Blood of Villain - Persona 5)
"Hm-!?" The Shadow's head snapped to the side, side-eying Joker with a panicked look on his face. "Wait… No, you can't be him. Whatever it is, I don't have time for this."
"Louis Vanguar." Joker said as the rest of the thieves walked up next to him. "What do you mean by that? Are you expecting someone else?"
"Of course not! I have done nothing wrong! I will continue to do nothing wrong. Surely the Death Knight knows this!" The Shadow rambled, cursing to itself.
"The Death Knight?" Mana asked, tilting her head to the side. "Who's that supposed to be?"
"It doesn't matter who! Those damn… Pranksters think they can ruin me!? It's all their fault! That blasted… calling card!" Louis' Shadow roared, throwing his arm to the side. "I've spent years working my way up, and if it comes crumbling down on some stupid prank, there will be hell to pay!"
"Hate to break it to you, but that wasn't a prank." Rokuó said. "You would think for someone as paranoid as him he'd figure this out by now."
"What exactly is that supposed to-" The thieves watched as the glowing pupils of the Shadow shrank. "No…"
"Louis Vanguar, we're the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. And we've come to take yours!" Joker announced, eyes burning at the Shadow before them.
(Play Keeper of Lust - Persona 5)
"Impossible! I won't let you!" The Shadow roared, his form rippling with energy before bursting outwards.
"Here it comes!" Mona shouted as the thieves summoned their weapons to their hands.
The Shadow burst forth, as if rupturing a layer of fake skin to reveal the butterfly beneath, as fine silk cloth fit for a noble draped against the floor. Two butterfly wings stretched out behind the Shadow as it hovered above the ground, its face lifted to stare back at the thieves, revealing the almost melted quality half of its face had.
"Ugh-! That's revolting!" Mana exclaimed, grimacing at the sight.
"I won't lose, I cannot lose! Louis Vangaur will triumph this day!" The Shadow shouted in kind, raising its left arm up into the air. "Men! Deal with them!"
Louis' Shadow snapped his fingers with a flash of red. Energy erupted in front of the Shadow as three Satyrs manifested at his call.
"Backup!? That's not fair!" Rokuó narrowed his eyes and reached up for his mask. "But then again, neither are we! Robin!"
"At your command!" The tactician announced, tome fluttering open in his off hand as he materialized behind the deer.
"Zio!" Rokuó shouted, throwing his arm out in front of him.
"Time to tip the scales!" Robin proclaimed, throwing its arm out as electricity shot out from his tome.
Lightning struck the Satyr in the center, almost latching onto its spear like a lightning rod as the electric charge surged through the Shadow. The Satyr let out a garbled scream as its body turned yellow and began to spark.
"It's shocked, nice one Rokuó!" Mona shouted.
"Mona!" Joker shouted, reaching up to his mask.
"Got it!" Mona replied, pulling out his slingshot. The cat pulled back and fired, slamming his projectile into the shocked enemy, knocking it to the floor. "It's down!"
"Pass the baton and follow up!" Joker replied, his mask flashing blue as he rotated through Personas.
"Mana!" Mona said, leaping up and high fiving the witch.
"Come, Nyx!" Mana shouted, ripping her mask off as her Persona floated to life behind her. "Burn them to ash!"
Nyx threw her arm out, sending out a blast of fire that slammed into another Satyr. The Shadow ignited, flames licking across its skin. Mana blinked, the energy from the Baton Pass fading with her cast. "I think I burned it!"
"Nicely done, Mana!" Mona replied, before shooting a glance at Joker. "Joker!"
"On it!" Joker shouted, ripping his mask off. "Golem!"
"Combat: Initialized!" The lumbering mass of rock that formed behind the thief stated.
"Terra!" Joker shouted, throwing his arm out forwards at the Saytr still standing fully.
"Target acquired." The Golem said, before rearing its arm back as it threw a punch. The Boulder that may as well have been the construct's fist flew out, slamming into the Shadow and knocking it flat on its back. "Weakness, identified."
"Mona!" Joker yelled, holding his hand up for the cat as the thief passed the baton, his Persona returning back to his mask.
"Let's knock it down! Mercurius!" Mona shouted, summoning his Persona. "Garu!"
Winds surged around the burned Satyr, sending the Spearman to the ground in a roar of pain. "He's knocked down!"
"Pass the baton to Rokuó!" Joker said, eyeing their Target. "Rokuó, try hitting Louis' Shadow with some lightning!"
"Can do!" Rokuó said, ripping his mask away to summon Robin once more. "Zio!"
The tactician's book flew open and lightning surged, slamming into the Shadow's chest. Louis' Shadow let out a scream as its body dropped out of the air. "Got him!"
"Joker!"
"All Out Attack!" Joker shouted, charging in with the other thieves as they rushed down the Shadows.
Mana swung her staff through one of the Satyr's as the dust settled, revealing Louis' Shadow as the only survivor of their attack. "He's still up!"
"What!? You killed my men!" Louis' Shadow shouted, raising his arm up once more. "You think that will be enough!? To me!"
"He's gonna summon more!?" Rokuó exclaimed as the Shadow snapped.
Three more bursts of energy sprang up, each summoning a different Shadow. "Now, feel my wrath!" Louis' Shadow cried out, throwing his arm out towards the thieves.
"We're dealing with a Sprite, an Ooze and a Succubus!" Mona exclaimed. "Target their weaknesses!"
"Bufu!" The Sprite called out, hurtling a large spear of ice at Mona.
"Woah!" Mona cried out, narrowly avoiding the attack.
"Mona, blow that Ooze away!" Joker shouted, reaching up to his mask. "Come, Angel!"
The winged Persona erupted behind the thief as he ripped away his mask. "Kouha!" The Persona shouted, spreading its arms out wide as an orb of light flew at the Succubus.
"Eiha!" The Succubus shouted, throwing its arm up and launching an orb of curse energy at the orb of bless energy. The curse orb slammed against the bless orb, but was quickly engulfed as the orb of light broke past and slammed into the Succubus' chest. "W-wha-!?"
The Succubus collapsed against the ground with a thud, its breath knocked out of it. Joker turned to Mona and raised his hand, high fiving his partner as the cat summoned his Persona. "My turn!" Mona said, his Persona floating behind him. "Mercurius, Garu!"
The Ooze slowly turned to look at the cat, before its body was wracked by a gale of wind, losing form as it dropped down into a puddle. Mona nodded with a smirk, before turning to Mana. "Mana, I'm passing the baton!"
The witch high fived the cat and narrowed her eyes at the Sprite still airborne. "Let's knock it down." Mana said as she pulled out one of her throwing knives and threw it at the Shadow. The Sprite dropped to the ground, its eyes dazed as the knife slammed hilt first into its forehead.
"A for Result, C for execution." Rokuó idly noted from the side, Robin floating patiently behind him for orders.
"Is now the time!?" Mana asked, glaring at the deer.
"It is not! Mana, it's down! Pass the baton and follow up!" Mona shouted.
"Mana, pass it to Rokuó!" Joker commanded, locking eyes with Louis' Shadow. "Rokuó, knock it down again!"
"Don't waste this." Mana said, high fiving Rokuó.
"So little faith. Allow me to rectify that!" Rokuó said, throwing his arm out at Louis' Shadow. "Bring him down!"
"Zio!" Robin shouted as he threw his arm out at Louis' Shadow and fired a bolt of lightning. The lightning danced across Louis' form, knocking the Shadow to the floor.
"That's all of them!" Rokuó shouted. "Let's take them down!"
"You heard him!" Joker said with a smirk, rushing in with the other thieves for one more all out attack.
As the dust settled, all that was left was Louis' Shadow, who once again rose up, a look of fury across his half melted face. "You… Imputent, Arrogant, Contemptuous Reprobates!"
"Well, he sounds mad!" Rokuó noted with a laugh.
"KILL THEM! GUARDS! MEN! TAKE THEIR HEADS!" The Shadow roared, arm raised up once more to snap.
"Again!?" Mana shouted as the Shadow snapped.
A beat of inaction spread out amongst the group as nothing happened. Louis' Shadow froze, before furiously continuing to snap his fingers. "Guards! Men! Where are they!"
"They aren't coming!" Mana said, eyes wide. "His cognition must recognize that his lackeys' loyalty doesn't last when put against a threat to their immediate wellbeing!"
"Doesn't help that the guards aren't doing him any favors right now out in reality either!" Joker replied as his eyes narrowed.
"Which means he's done making someone else fight for him." Rokuó noted.
"Bah! Forget those dastards! I am more than enough to deal with you!" The Shadow yelled before throwing its arm out towards the group. "You will pay for your insolence!"
"Shit, guard!" Joker shouted, throwing his arms out in front of him at the last second.
The Shadow launched out a wave of energy that slammed against the thieves. Mana let out a shout of pain as she collapsed to the floor. "Mana!" Rokuó shouted, grunting lightly from the mental strain of the attack.
"He has Psi attacks!" Mana shouted.
"Rokuò, help Mana!" Joker shouted, rushing in towards the shadow. The thief gripped Paradise Lost and jumped, launching himself towards the Shadow as he swung. His blade sliced through the front of the Shadow before the thief flipped midair and kicked out, slamming his feet into the Shadow's chest to springboard himself back to the other thieves.
"How dare you!" The Shadow exclaimed, swinging his arm out at the retreating thief, missing by a hair.
"Quite easily, thank you!" Joker replied, flipping back upright as he summoned Daredevil to his hand. "Care for a review!?"
The thief squeezed the trigger multiple times before landing, each bolt zipping through the air and piercing through the Shadow's wings.
"Agh-!?" The Shadow hacked out as he fell out of the sky, slamming onto the stone brickwork of Mementos.
"He's down!" Rokuó shouted, helping Mana to a stand.
"Mana, you alright?" Joker asked, keeping his gun trained on the downed shadow.
"Yeah, I'm okay!" The witch replied, shaking her head as the thieves looked at the Shadow. "But he sure as hell won't be."
"Joker, on your mark!" Mona said, body tense and ready to charge.
"Let's go!" Joker shouted, rushing ahead at the Shadow with his Thieves in tow. The thieves became a blur of color, attacking the Shadow without relent. Joker gripped Paradise Lost and swung upward, the momentum lifting him off the ground as his sword cut through the Shadow's chest.
The thief flipped over the Shadow, landing smoothly in a crouch before rising to a stand. Joker pulled his gloves tight, before smirking as the Shadow began to erupt behind him. "Show's over!"
Joker let his arms fall back to his sides as the other thieves walked up over to him. The teen turned and nodded to them, before looking at the writhing shape of Louis' Shadow as it slowly began to change.
(Stop Music)
"I… I've lost…" The words slipped out of the Shadow's mouth as its form shifted back to normal. "How could I have…"
"Looks like we did it… Now what?" Rokuó asked, looking over at Joker with a raised eyebrow.
"Now… We talk to him." Joker said, walking towards the Shadow. The thief came to a stop and looked down at the Shadow.
"I don't understand… I had everything. How could I let it all slip away…" The Shadow said, head tilted down towards the floor.
"You lost yourself in it." Joker said, earning a surprised look in reply from the Shadow. "You took for granted the power you had and twisted it against others without a care for them. That was why. Don't you feel compassion for the people you've hurt? Because you should."
The Shadow stayed silent as it stared at the floor, earning a sigh from the teen as the other thieves walked over. "Well?" Mana began. "Do you have anything to say to that?"
"...I've done terrible things, yes. Things I cannot undo. But-!"
"But nothing! You chose willingly to continue being the man you've become. And frankly, it sickens me." Mana said, cutting the Shadow off.
"There's just one thing I don't get." Rokuó said, tilting his head to the side. "Why do all this? So you could live up to your family name? So you could feel what it was like to be king? Why?"
"Hah… You think Vangaur is my real name? I have no family. I took Vangaur on as a name because you can't be anything without a lineage. I built myself up from nothing, and steadfastly defended my claims with my newfound Vanguard."
"Vangaur… Vanguard… Oh, that's terrible…" Mona stated with a sigh.
"I took without care and hurt others with just as much. And after everything is said and done, now I have nothing." The Shadow stated with a sigh.
"That's wrong. You have your life." Joker replied, before narrowing his eyes. "Louis Vangaur, return to your real self in reality. Make amends, and be better."
"Heh… My life, huh? Wouldn't that be nice…?" The Shadow said, a wistful smile on his face before he vanished, leaving behind a small orb of light where he once sat.
"Is that…?" Mana asked, looking at the orb.
"Yeah. Not a full fledged treasure, just the bud of what could've been." Joker noted, reaching out and grabbing the orb. He turned back to look at the others and nodded. "Alright… Phantom Thieves, we're done here!"
"Lady Rhea, I have urgent news!"
"We can finish this conversation later then." Seteth said, glancing to the side as Catherine walked into the audience chamber.
"Speak, Dame Catherine." Rhea said, motioning to the swordswoman.
"It's Louis Vangaur. He's… He's admitted to it." Catherine said, looking at the archbishop.
"Admitted to what, exactly?" Rhea asked as her eyebrow rose slightly.
"All of it. He confessed to his crimes." Catherine said as a small bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face. "He's… It's like he changed, or-"
"He had a change of heart…" Seteth finished with a concerned look on his face.
"A change of heart… Is that not what was written on those calling cards you were telling me about just now?" Rhea asked as she looked to her advisor.
"Yes… Then… Is it true? That these Phantom Thieves of Hearts actually stole that man's desires?" Seteth asked aloud with a furrowed brow. "Lady Rhea, regarding this incident… I feel it would be prudent to keep this information as quiet as possible. If people suddenly knew there was a… group of thieves able to steal hearts-"
"Unfortunately, I think it's too late for that." Catherine noted with a sigh. "I overheard one of the guards talking about it with some students. That led me back to Louis' cell to confirm the news myself. By now, I imagine the news has spread throughout the Monastery now…"
"Catherine is likely correct. Besides, I imagine many would jump to conclusions that these thieves were still responsible if we did charge Louis guilty without disclosing his apparent change of heart." Rhea replied. "Catherine. For now, I want you to learn as much as you can from him. We can decide a more suitable punishment for him come morning."
"At your leave, then." Catherine said with a bow before turning and walking out of the audience chamber.
"...Speak, Seteth." Rhea said after a moment, glancing back to her advisor.
"I don't believe I need to explain to you the dangers this new group could be." Seteth said. "But I will ask. What do you plan to do about them?"
"...For now, leave them be. Once is happenstance. Twice is a coincidence." Rhea began, turning around to look at the stained glass window behind her. "But past that? That may very well be enemy action."
"You wish to wait?" Seteth asked.
"Yes. I want to see how this group and their actions play out. For now, at least." Rhea replied.
"Very well…" Seteth nodded. "I believe I should be going as well then."
As Seteth left the audience chamber, Rhea took in a breath and looked up slightly in thought. 'The Phantom Thieves… Most interesting.'
[You Have Returned To The Real World. Welcome Back.]
"Ow…" Claude groaned, rubbing the back of his neck as he leaned against the counter.
"What are you groaning about? I don't remember you getting hit." Lysithea said, raising an eyebrow at her former house leader.
"Doesn't change the fact I feel exhausted and sore." Claude remarked.
"Hey, what's with all the snark? Come on, guys! You did it, your first change of heart!" Morgana said with a smile.
"We really did… And we're sure he's actually changed?" Lysithea asked, looking over at Ren.
"I'm sure. Worse comes to worse and the knights try to keep it silent, I'll just ask Jeralt." Ren said with a shrug. "He'll fill me in."
"Still… it doesn't really feel like it will." Claude noted with a light smile. "Don't get me wrong, the metaverse is a real thing, and clearly has connections to our subconscious selves… but outright changing it like this is… Still slightly hard to believe."
"He was like that as well with his first target. I knew it'd be fine." Morgana replied with a smirk.
"You had a vague feeling, that's not the same." Ren remarked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well… What do we do now then?" Lysithea asked.
"As a personal suggestion, go get some sleep. Remember, your Personas take a lot out of you." Ren said, looking over at the two thieves with a smile on his face.
"Yeah… that sounds like a good idea." Claude nodded, pushing himself to a stand. "We'll see how things turned out tomorrow once it's had time to get around."
"I'll pass. I don't have time to go take a nap right…" Lysithea trailed off as her eyes locked onto Ren's deadpan expression. The professor's eyebrow rose, almost as if to ask a question, before Lysithea's face grew slightly red. "Right… I… I actually DO have time for… that."
"Hey, she's learning!" Claude noted with a smile.
"Excuse me!?"
"Well, those two still seem pretty awake to me…" Morgana deadpanned with a smile.
"Yep…" Ren replied with a chuckle.
"How dull." A voice rang out through the hallway in front of Louis' cell. The Prisoner within shot upright, eyes frantic as they locked onto the piercing gaze of the masked individual on the other side, a skull mask as black as shadow adorned on their face.
"Y-You're the-!" Louis Vangaur began, eyes wide with fear. "Th-The Death Knight!?"
"I am here for you." The Death Knight said, not breaking eye contact with the merchant.
"I… about my transactions? Please, I want no part in those anymore." The man said. "That last one even, about the Academy's new professor. Leave him be! He's nothing!"
"Professor Amamiya is no longer your concern." The Death Knight said. "And I do not believe you realize the position you're in."
Louis glanced down and paled, the corpses of the two guards that were once stationed outside his cell now lying dead on the floor. "You will share their fate."
"W-wait, please! I can't die yet! I haven't… I haven't even had a chance to chan-!"
A spray of red coated the side wall of the cell as Louis' body dropped to the floor. Followed soon after by his decapitated head. The Death Knight looked down at the body and nodded, turning around and walking off. "Ren Amamiya. Next… It's your turn. Let us see what you are TRULY made of this time…"
Third Option - Chapter 1: You are my dad!
"Jeralt." Byleth said suddenly, as Ren turned around to see the Mercenary in question running towards them on his horse. The horse pulled to a stop, as the man quickly looked over everyone for a moment before nodding. Ren took notice of the man's eyes, wide open in what he presumed was surprise.
For a moment, he thought that the man was surprised about his sudden use of magic, but as Jeralt's gaze turned to face Byleth, he got the impression that his knowledge of magic wasn't what had him like this. "Hey… Did you just…?" Jeralt began before pausing as the sound of armored soldiers charging into the field cut the group off. Ren blinked, looking to the side as a man in white, red and gold full plate ran onto the battlefield, with numerous soldiers in similarly designed armor following behind him.
"The Knights of Seiros are here! We'll cut you down for terrorizing our students." The man in full plate said, his hair billowing lightly in the morning wind as he hefted his battle axe slightly before his eyes widened at the sight of the retreating bandits. "Hey, the thieves are running away! Go after them!"
'Students?' Ren thought to himself as he inconspicuously looked over his shoulder at the three behind him, taking a moment to take in the look on their faces. The one in blue seemed relieved, the yellow bowman smiled lightly as he looked out, and the white haired female let out a long sigh, multiple emotions buried under her breath. 'If that's the case, those uniforms make a lot more sense now…'
"The students seem to be unharmed." The voice from a moment ago said a few feet ahead of him, grabbing Ren's attention back to the front as the armored man walked over to the six of them. "And… who's this?"
"Ugh… Why him?" Jeralt said with a long sigh and a shake of the head. The Phantom Thief turned to look at Jeralt as the man clambered down from his mount as he walked towards the armored man with a look of resignation on his face. The three students standing behind Ren and Byleth took a step back, giving some space for the Mercenaries and the Knights.
"Captain Jeralt!? It is you! Goodness, it's been ages." The man said as he looked up at Jeralt, placing an armored hand against his side as he looked at the man with a bright smile. "Don't you recognize me? It's Alois! Your old right-hand man! Well, that's how I always thought of myself anyway."
"It must have been 20 years ago that you went missing without a trace." Alois continued on. Ren's eyes widened as he turned to look at Jeralt, whose face seemed stuck doing an impression of Byleth's stone face as he looked at the man in front of him. "I always knew you were still alive!"
Jeralt let out a sigh, placing a hand against his head. "You haven't changed a bit, Alois. Just as loud as ever." Jeralt said, removing his hand as he looked back at Alois. "And drop that 'Captain' nonsense. I'm not your captain anymore."
Jeralt rested his hand against his hip, an action that Ren looked at before looking over at the armored man ahead of him, noticing the similarities between the two men. "These days I'm just a wandering mercenary. One who has work to do. Good-bye, old friend." Jeralt said, giving a curt nod as he turned away from Alois.
"Right… Good-bye, Captain." Alois said with a nod, before his eyes widened in shock as Jeralt's words finally clicked in the man's head. "Wait! That isn't how this ends. I insist that you return to the monastery with me!"
"Garreg Mach Monastery…" Jeralt said with a far off look in his eyes before he closed his eyes and lowered his head to the side. "I suppose this was inevitable."
"And how about you two? Are you the Captain's children?" Alois asked.
Ren blinked at the question, and while there was the correct answer he probably SHOULD give, he was also just out of a life or death battle on top of a pseudo reawakening.
So while Byleth stated herself to be a bandit, to the uproarious laughter of Alois, the thief came to a simple decision that he probably should've made when he wasn't running off 5 hours of sleep and adrenaline.
"Great sense of humor, this one. Clearly cut from the same cloth as the captain." Alois said, before he turned to look at Ren. "I assume the same for you?"
"He's my dad." Ren replied, getting an exasperated look from Jeralt that went unnoticed by everyone else.
"Is that right? Well, I can't say I see much of a resemblance upon further inspection, but you certainly have his skill!" Alois replied with a nod.
"Alois-" Jeralt began, clearly attempting to clear up the mess before it spiraled out of control.
"He's new." Byleth said with a shrug. "We found him defending a town from bandits."
"Right." Jeralt said with a nod, believing the situation was resolved.
Unfortunately for him, he had a daughter named Byleth Eisner, who did not have any sense of social concepts that would make said situation any less complicated. "I was unaware I had a brother until that point, so I've been catching up with my apparent blood relative." Byleth continued, earning a loud facepalm from Jeralt.
"Well, it's good to meet the two of you!" Alois replied with a smile and nod, not looking at the exasperated look Jeralt was now giving Ren.
Ren was also looking at Jeralt with a deeply apologetic expression, clearly not expecting things to have spiraled so far out of control as they did. The mercenary let out a sigh and shook his head. "This is going to be a nightmare…" Jeralt muttered under his breath as Alois' laughed boisterously. "As if going back to the Monastery wasn't enough of one…"
"Have you no intention of changing your mind, Rhea?" Seteth began, facing the Archbishop's back. "Appointing these strangers- Children, no less! As professors of this esteemed academy is-"
"Seteth." Rhea began, turning around to face the man. "I have made my decision."
The woman shook her head lightly, allowing a light smile to fall on her face as she glanced patiently at her advisor. "I know worrying comes naturally to you, but there is truly no need. Those 'Strangers' are Jeralt's flesh and blood, after all."
"I can't say that's all too comforting." Seteth said, his brow furrowing as he crossed his arms. "How trustworthy is this Jeralt character? Is he not the man who went missing 21 years ago after the great fire?"
Seteth's eyes narrowed as he looked over at the door next to him. "And please don't tell me you believe them about this… Ren Amamiya? He clearly is not native, there's a distinct accent, even if it is small. He looks nothing like Jeralt, of whom looks very tired of the notion himself. For goddesses' sake Rhea, his family name isn't even the same as Jeralt's. Do we really think it best we trust him as well, especially with what you've suggested?" He asked, returning his gaze to Rhea. "I would like to remind you that Flayn is now here with us. I beg of you… Please consider whether this is an unnecessary risk."
"Jeralt and his kin have my trust, please let that be enough." Rhea said. "And you cannot tell me that his children do not act as siblings do."
"I… I don't like this, but as you clearly do not plan to listen, then I'll go along with this farce." Seteth said, earning a small smile from Rhea.
"More importantly, I have received a report from Shamir. I am increasingly concerned about a matter regarding our suspicious individual." Rhea said. "We cannot ignore those who harbor ill will towards the church, especially if they're frequenting Garreg Mach."
"Yes, that matter is of great importance as well. I shall continue my investigation." Seteth said. "Rhea… For now, I will have faith that you are placing your trust with the utmost care. I pray… that nothing occurs to shake that trust."
"That is all I ask of you, Seteth." Rhea said, nodding briefly at Seteth as he moved out of the room, granting her sight of the backs of Byleth and Ren as the two began to make their way out of the main audience hall. Her eyes narrowed in thought as she watched the foreigner's back, before a pleased smile formed on her face. "...Ren Amamiya… Well, I suppose this means I have two now."
Ren paused, looking around the monastery grounds confused. "...Why did I just feel a chill?"
"Brother." Byleth began, getting the teen's attention. "We're heading to our lodgings, remember?"
"I… Yeah." Ren nodded weakly. "You know I was joking earlier, right?"
"You were?" Byleth blinked, looking at him.
"It's a bit late for that now…" Jeralt sighed, falling in step with the two of them.. "Hate to say it, but it looks like damage control is no longer an option. Come on, you kids need to eat."
Ren huffed with a bemused smile. "Yes, Dad…"