Chapter 69: Ambitions and Visions
Maruki adjusted his hat in the rear-view mirror. Being a taxi driver in Tokyo wasn't his ideal profession, but after everything that happened with the Phantom Thieves, he needed something to do that didn't involve cognitive psience for a while. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a man waving him down, Maruki pulling over to let him and his companion in.
The first man was a tall one in a red suit, having to take off his hat to sit in the back of the cab. His red eyes had a playfulness to them that reminded Maruki of someone he knew. The other passenger was a young man with blue hair wearing black clothes with a white jacket thrown over his shoulders like a cape. His calm blue eyes showed little emotion as he pulled off his headphones to rest them around his next.
"So, where are you two gentleman heading to?" Maruki asked.
"We're just seeing the sights, Dr. Maruki," the red-eyed man replied.
Maruki gasped. "How do you know who I am?"
"A little bird told us all about your powers, doctor," the blue-eyed man said. "Do not be afraid, though. We don't intend to bring you any harm."
"In fact, we are here to give you a proposition," the red-eyed man added. "But first, introductions are in order: I am Duke Raoul of the Ars Goetia, demonic watcher of the Collective Unconscious. My compatriot here is Kazuya Minegishi, better known as Abel, angelic watcher of the Collective Unconscious."
"A demon and an angel get into a taxi cab… sounds like the start of a bad joke," Maruki chuckled. "So, what do watchers of the Collective Unconscious want with me? Did Octavia want you to check in on me?"
"Partially, yes. We are also interested in if you would like to continue your research into cognitive pscience," Abel said. "From what we could gather about your actualization, there are benefits to the process… if we cut back on the mind control, of course. Trust me, Heaven doesn't need more of a bad reputation than it already gets at times."
"At least we demons don't need to worry about that," Raoul laughed.
"You two… want to fund my research?" Maruki said in shock.
Raoul nodded. "Yes, and even better, it will be entirely independent, meaning the government can't come in and try to use your research for evil like Shido did. A certain hacker that goes by Alibaba may even help out in your research once she finishes high school in a few years."
Maruki put his head down, a hand going to his mouth as tears came to his eyes. "This is… all too much. Why are you giving me this chance when the Phantom Thieves already proved me wrong…?"
"Because, Maruki, their philosophy also preaches second chances. You are not a bad person, just one that strayed from the path. We would like to give you that second chance," Abel explained. "We even already have an ideal candidate lined up to help in your studies."
"You do?" Maruki questioned.
"Indeed. It's a rather curious case as well," Raoul nodded. "I'm sure you noticed that all of the actualization you caused was erased after your Treasure was stolen by the Phantom Thieves. Well, that goes for all of the times you used your powers, subconsciously or not. You'd have to build up a lot more willpower before using such a power again, what with the Collective Unconscious being unavailable to mortals once more."
Maruki thought about what those words meant and gasped. "R-R-Rumi!?" he exclaimed, now crying freely.
"She's been waiting an awfully long time to see you again, Dr. Maruki. I think it's time that both of you face the truth once more and start healing for a better tomorrow," Abel said with a somber smile.
Maruki was silent for a few minutes, going over all that this deal would entail for his future. A spark was ignited in his heart, and with a smile he took off his hat and turned to the duo in the back seat. "So then, gentlemen… When do we get started?"
[***]
"I can't believe it- this is a big moment for you, Shin!" a bubbly voice said, flitting around the room excitedly.
The Angel of Death rolled his eyes as the congregation filled the room. It had taken time as well as a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but this was to be the inaugural trial of the Purgatory system of judgement. With this new system in place, human souls that were neither overly good nor overly evil in life would have their entire lives weighed before them to determine which afterlife they would go to. Compromises had to be made to get to this point, such as the realm of Purgatory not being a permanent realm for the indeterminant souls, but at least it was a neutral ground for both angels and demons to reside in.
"Please calm down, miss… whoever you are," Shin said.
"I take in she's a bit too excited for this?" Octavia guess, chuckling as she arrived on the scene. Her attire had changed a bit in the passage of time, now wearing her hair in a ponytail with a crown hairpin holding it in place and her pink star shirt replaced by a galaxy blue one instead.
"Truth be told, I have no idea who this woman is," Shin whispered. "She's just one of the backers of this project that helped me get the archangels on board with it."
The female angel flew up to Octavia and gasped. "Oh. My. Goodness! You must be Octavia, daughter of Stolas Goetia, right? I love the new policies your uncle is putting in place for make Hell a better place for everyone!"
"Uh, yeah, he's sure doing that…" Octavia said, backing up a bit from the angel that was getting in her face. "If you want to talk more about the new reforms in Hell, though, I would suggest talking to Princess Charlie-"
"She's here!?" the angel exclaimed, flying off and practically tackling the clown-faced Princess of Hell off her feet, much to the annoyance of the former-exorcist standing next to her.
"Well, that gets her off our backs," Shin said, letting out a sigh of relief.
"I think that angel will get along well with Charlie. They have the same energy at least," Octavia nodded. "…So, being completely honest here, I'm still surprised that our Purgatory project got this far."
"I'll admit, there were a couple of angels that opposed it, but once I got the four archangels on my side, the detractors quickly backed off," Shin said.
"And what about Adam? I'm surprised he didn't try to kill the project where it stood- literally," Octavia said.
Shin laughed. "Let's just say that Keenie helped to "accidentally" leak the full extent of the exterminations to all of Heaven in such a way that no one is going to give that asshole any sort of authority ever again. Serves him right if you ask me…" He turned towards the door as the room went quiet, for the first human soul to be judged in Purgatory system had just arrived on the scene. "And the man of the hour has arrived."
The human soul took the form of a crow demon, his clothing that of a Japanese detective and his beak and face a bright red color like that of Tengu mask. He looked over at Octavia and Shin, gave a smirk and a nod, before turning to stare up at the judge of the trial. "I'll be honest, I did not expect to see an Old God facilitating this trial. When I was found by those Angels of Death in Hell, I thought this whole thing was to be a big charade."
The judge hummed, tapping his gavel to the table as he stood up. He was a large white wolf with Egyptian markings on his body, a staff sitting off to his side. "Normally it would be my brother that is the one to judge souls, but for the first trail of this nature is what thought best to have a special judge fill in as well. With the permission of both Heaven and Hell, I, Wepwawet, call the trial of Goro Akechi to begin. Are both sides prepared?"
"The defense is ready, your honor," a young angel said.
"The prosecutor is also ready, your honor," a young Goetia demon said.
"Then let us all recount Mr. Akechi's life before the arguments are made," Wepwawet nodded.
"So, do you think Akechi is going to make it into Heaven? He did pull a big heroic sacrifice at the end," Shin asked.
Octavia shrugged. "Even if he doesn't, Uncle Raoul is looking to take him under his wing as an apprentice. And Akechi will be helping us out with other things as well…"
[***]
Marquis Andrealphus was a demon of great ambition, though his endeavors to gain more power had recently become quite… frustrating, to say the least. First his biggest human backer in the art forgery department suddenly gained a moral conscious and got himself arrested. "Useless old man…" Andrealphus muttered to himself as he drank his tea in the café.
Second was the entire fiasco surrounding King Paimon and how the upstart Duke Raoul was now in charge of the Ars Goetia. Suddenly the glorious avian demons of the Ars Goetia were flaunting about in garish other forms, and barely any of them seemed to care like he did! Andrealphus was thankful that some of the Goetia were still willing to work with him to restore order the circus their nobility was turning into.
Third… his sister wasn't returning his calls anymore. Stella had gone silent on him months ago, and she was a key part in Andrealphus' rise to power. She was supposed to get rid of that fool Prince Stolas so he could take his grimoire and position, but something had happened and now the two were divorced. The worst part though was that Raoul was holding onto his sister at his mansion, meaning Andrealphus couldn't even lay a finger on her if he wanted to.
Luckily for him, today he had managed to convince Stella to meet with him at this café, and soon enough the swan demon sauntered into the establishment. Her hair was fancier than usual, curling at bit at the tips and showing more of its natural pink color than before. Her dress was different as well, more flowing and less tight around her body, though her natural curves still showed through all the same. "Andre…" she said coolly.
"Ah, there's my little snow vixen…" Andrealphus said, taking Stella's hand and kissing in. She instantly recoiled from his touch as if it was a fire. "I was wondering when you would finally contact me again, dear sister."
"Not that I wanted to talk to you again…" Stella muttered. She coughed and pulled out a small card from her bag, placing it on the table in front of Andrealphus. "I just came here to give you this and to inform you that as of today, I will no longer be working with you on any of your schemes, brother."
Andrealphus laughed. "Oh, sister, you amuse me with your slow-minded comments!" Stella made the peacock squawk as she tossed a fireball at his head, Andrealphus ducking as the projectile left a scorch mark on the wall behind him. "Y-You've never had that kind of magic more…" he stuttered.
"I'm not some stupid doll you can boss around anymore more, Andre. After today I'll be taking my rightful portion of the family inheritance that you've kept all to yourself all these years, and there's nothing you can do to stop me," Stella said.
Andrealphus glared. "This is an outrage! As if you can do anything against me! I'm a Marquis, and you're just a nobody that's hanging on to a Duke like a lost puppy."
"It's you that is lost, brother. I only hope that you see how lost you really are after you read that card," Stella said before turning and leaving. "Oh, and Andre? Come after me and my family again… and I'll make sure you never have the chance to make that mistake again."
Andrealphus swore he saw his sister in a different light right then, her form flickering to that of a goddess in Greek robes with eyes that burned with golden fire. He shook his head as Stella stepped out of the café, his attention turning to the card she had left before him. The peacock picked it up, finding it was marked with the face of an owl that read "Redeem Your Heart" underneath it. Turning the card over he found a message written on it.
"To Marquis Andrealphus Goetia: You have committed many great sins against society, be it your funding of art forgery to the continued exploitation and racism against the lower class. On top of that, we know about your lustful and incestuous desires towards your sister, Stella Goetia, and will expose it along with your conspiracy against the just reformation of the Goetia family. Well will seize your Treasure and take your heart by the end of the day. From: The Phantom Thieves of Souls."
Andrealphus' eyes went wide, his ears open as he heard the mutterings of the other guests in the café around him.
"Isn't that one of those calling cards I've heard about on the news…?"
"Oh yeah! Those Phantom Thief guys. I thought they were just in the human world, but apparently, they started doing business in Hell as well."
"I heard that's why King Paimon changed. Even caught a rumor that they did some changes in Heaven as well."
"That's crazy talk! They only go after demons, especially those Overlord types. I even heard they can use their powers to break soul-binding contracts."
"Is that why the Radio Demon lost some of his power a few weeks ago? I was wondering about that myself…"
"Wait, that's what happened to that guy!? I was wondering why he went radio silent for a bit- pun not intented."
Andrealphus snarled and crumpled up the calling card. In a flash his inner Shadow appeared, a cruel despot of a man with icy armor, a cognitive version of Stella held on a chained collar like a slave by his side. "If the Phantom Thieves want to take my Treasure, then so be it! They'll all be at my knees before they even get close to it!"
[***]
Stella: I gave him the calling card. The rest is up to you.
On a rooftop in Hell, a figure in a plague mask smirked as they read the message. In a flash they whipped out a golden key, turning it in midair and summoning a blue door before them. Jumping through the door they did a flip before landing safely on the ground, finding themselves standing in an oppressive world of ice with a castle looming in the near distance.
"This is Omen, calling in to check with the team. Sign off for me."
With a superhero landing a hellhound stomped in the head of a Shadow, smirking as she whipped out her flintlock and shot the head of another one. "Lycan here, ready to kick some ass!"
Right behind her, a cherub loaded his crossbows and took out two more Shadows that surrounded them. "Templar is with her. Ready for action, Omen!"
From a sniping position, a person in a black mask smirked before expertly taking out a powerful Shadow guard, giving the team a way into the Palace. "Crow here, making sure our operation goes smoothly."
Behind Omen a Shadow appeared but was quickly cut down by a scythe owned by a wolf wearing a blindfold. "Scythe is right by your side, my lady. How are the newbies doing?"
"Knight is waiting at the front gates for the assault, team," came a smooth voice that belonged to a hellhound wearing red knight armor with a slitted visor-like mask over his face. He hefted his oversized broadsword off his shoulders and shouted "Bors!" which summoned a knightly figure to appear and bust open the doors.
Following Knight's attack rushed in a small figure with blue hair wearing a mouse onesie, her face covered by a paint respirator mask. She spun around jumped into the air, calling out "Oswald!" as a rabbit figure appeared underneath her to give the girl extra height by spinning its ears like a fan. In a flash she pulled out a paintball gun and fired at the incoming Shadows, covering them in paint before they exploded. "Rudie is here, and the entryway is open for us to get in there, leader!"
"And Pop is watching the navigation with Black Venus to make sure we get through this safely," a voice called from above. Pop floated inside of her Persona, which took the form of a woman in a magnificent dancer's outfit covered in music notes, which contrasted with Pop's own modern street dancer aesthetic, her mask taking the form of an LED face mask that relayed her emotions through emoticons.
"You ready for this, Omen? We just need the go-ahead from you," Scythe said.
When she started her journey, Octavia had been a lost teenager with parental issues, and now she was leading her own team, following in the footsteps of the cousin she never knew that changed her life for the better. They had made some progress with the Purgatory project, but she knew more could be done… and that was when the Velvet Key called to her, and the Collective Unconscious reawakened their powers once more. After all, though the human world was safe for now, that didn't mean the society of the afterlife didn't need changes of heart as well.
Loona, Collin, Akechi, and Shin were already on board to help, and soon they had picked up Vortex and Bee for the team as well, along with a human soul named Luca that Akechi apparently knew who was familiar with how the Collective Unconscious worked. How they all became a new team of Phantom Thieves was a story for another time, but Octavia was glad that she had so many friends she could depend on… and if they were lucky, their numbers would only grow in the future.
With a brandishing of the Staff of Souls, Omen grinned as she pointed her weapon forward, the team gathering behind her as they posed dramatically. "Phantom Thieves of Souls… It's Showtime!"
Author's Note
I hope you all enjoyed this special epilogue! I wanted this story to end on an "the adventure continues" note, as with all Persona games the ending of the story is just the start of a new day in the character's lives. All of the scenes that happen in this chapter take place after all of the Persona 5 spin-offs, at most a year after the end of Royal.
First we see Maruki making a deal with Raoul to continue his research, as well as the reveal of who Raoul's angelic counterpart is, that being Abel. Abel's design is based on the protagonist of "Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor", specifically the Law route ending. "Devil Survivor" isn't canon to the Persona series, but I wanted to shout-out one of my favorite SMT games here at the end. I also wanted to give Maruki a second chance to see Rumi again, so Raoul and Abel will be able to help the doctor with his revitalized and revised dream.
Next we see the first Purgatory trial thanks to the efforts of Octavia and Shin, with Wepwawet (Futaba and Loona's bio-dad) acting as the judge for Akechi's trial. We also get a quick cameo by Emily from "Harbin Hotel" and mentions of Charlie and Adam. Thanks to the actions of Shin and Keenie, Adam has been discredited to such a degree that Exterminations are to be a thing of the past, meaning that the plot of Hazbin in this alternate universe will be very different.
After that we get my big reveal and pay-off to Octavia getting her own Velvet Key: our favorite princess has found a way to regain access to the Collective Unconscious and is using it to make her own Phantom Thieves team to help out troubled souls in Hell and Heaven. Their first target is Andrealphus, the one Hellverse villain I had appear that didn't get any payoff after his cameo in the Madarame arc. We get to see Stella stand up and break away from her creepy brother, and with a calling card the Phantom Thieves of Souls can get to work. There's also a brief mention of the Phantom Thieves being able to break soul-binding contracts with their powers, which I think would be a cool mechanic of this team got their own game.
Of course we see Omen, Lycan, Templar, Crow, and Scythe all kicking butt in Andre's Palace, but we get to meet three new members as well. First is Knight aka Vortex, the hellhound doing his best Guts from "Berserk" impression and having the Knight of the Round Table Bors as his Persona.
Second is Rudie aka Luca from the "Repaint Your Heart" DLC from Persona 5 Tactica. Luca was a fun character in that game to have at your side, so bringing her in as part of Octavia's team and using the same paint gun abilities as her sister did makes sense to me. Luca's codename comes from how the street kids in "Jet Set Radio" are called Rudies (fitting for her street art theme) and her Persona is Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the predecessor to Mickey Mouse (whom could reasonably appear as a Persona now since both characters are public domain).
Finally is Pop aka Bee, who's fully retired from being the Sin of Gluttony to instead become the navigator for this team of Phantom Thieves. Her Persona is Black Venus, based on the real-life dancer, singer, and actress Josephine Baker who was not only the first black woman to start in a major motion picture but also acted as a spy for the French resistance during World War 2.
I want to thank everyone that's left a review, comment, likes, and favorites on this story. It's been a wild ride all the way through, and you all made it worth the journey. Remember to always be true to yourself and never be afraid to stand up for what is right, Phantom Thieves! This is The Dragon Saver, signing off!