Disclaimer: Fate and Persona are owned by different companies, and I hold no ownership and all that jazz.
Also, I did rewrite part of the previous chapter, mostly the boss fight to add a bit more substance, if you don't want to reread it I'm going to mention a few things that occurred in the new segment later on in this chapter.
8/2
Hakuno didn't want to get up. Her bed was too nice and she had way overused her Magical Energy yesterday, but alas, she knew better than to stay in bed all day.
Hakuno sighed as she got up, picking up her cell phone from her table. The words that Ran Rū's Shadow spoke had stuck in her mind… plus the strange vine that broke into the Palace.
Something was gnawing at her deep in her mind that she just couldn't figure out. The only saving grace was that Futaba had a moment to read the vine before it merged with Ran Rū and could be prepared for it the next time it happened.
Next time…
Hakuno shook her head.
Things would be too easy if the Phantom Thieves stopped now… Hakuno's gut feeling of this all being a trap was still there. The only thing Hakuno could even think of that caused this would be the Moon Cell.
But.
The Moon Cell isn't in this reality to her knowledge, people landed on the Moon and didn't discover anything, and in her previous world the Moon Cell didn't even bother to hide from Humanity it announced itself loud and clear.
All in search of something.
Pondering on the Moon Cell wouldn't be a good thing to do, Akira had called a meeting the night before and so Hakuno pushed aside those thoughts as she got herself ready.
"First order of business." Akira spun to face them in Futaba's chair, Morgana's expression of exhaustion could only tell it was planned as the not-a-cat sat on his lap. "Inside each briefcase, there are your new weapons… well the new weapons for Hakuno and Ryuji. Everyone else got a new accessory."
Hakuno shrugged as she opened the not briefcase but cardboard box revealing a collapsed gnarled wooden staff, the wood felt real the top part of it had the appearance of a hammer with a strange symbol on it that vaguely looked to be a sun… "This is a model right?" A tiny stream of Magical Energy entered the staff and it felt far stronger than the previous ones she had been using.
Akira's face lit up with a smirk, "The twins?" Morgana glanced at Akira, whose smirk faded slightly, "Made it, so probably?" Morgana spoke, "Are we done with this bit?"
Akira's smirk faded as he sighed, "Yeah that's all I got."
"Did we really have to bring my chair all the way here for that?"
Makoto sighed, "Well that was something… To the topic on hand. That vine."
Futaba barely looked up from her computer, "I looked back over the data I collected, it was brief and something tried to keep me from analyzing it deeper I had to push Necronomicon to even get past its weird defence. But! From what I could see it was basically a clump of liquefied Shadows stuck into another one."
"Could it have been the Black Mask?" Yusuke spoke up, Hakuno doubted it personally, if the 'Black Mask' could control Shadows to that extent then…
"Nah no way, she mentioned someone else didn't she?" Ann offhandedly said as she focused on her 'match' with Ryuji.
"True… But we do know that they were there…We just don't have enough pieces of the puzzle yet…" Makoto's voice was calm but… something inside of it gnawed at Hakuno's chest.
"What we do know is that they seem to be working together, possibly. Mysterious Shadow controlling entity, the Black Mask, the Twins with their Master," Akira's face stiffened, "and… then there is us."
"The twins did not do that." Hakuno was surprised that she was the one who spoke, "They are…" Hakuno couldn't find the right word but… "just kids." Akira sighed but nodded.
"Those two are strong but kind… but I'm not sure about their Master… but at least I don't think he would have pulled that off." Hakuno nodded in relief.
"So… who snagged the treasure?" The video games game over sound echoed in the single room, "I mean someone had to right?" Hakuno herself wasn't too sure…
"I did," Futaba pointed out as she took out a single photograph, "It was an… ultrasound picture." She stood up from Akira's bed and placed it on the table.
"To think… a moment typically one of elation brought about such carnage."
"I believe we should be hearing about her change of heart soon, I'll ask someone I know to be on the lookout for it."
"I'll keep an eye on the Police Database in case they try and cover it up." Hakuno sighed hearing that from Futaba.
"Please don't do anything illegal Futaba…" Futaba's cackling covered Makoto's exasperated sigh.
"At the least, this should take some of the heat off us." Hakuno felt like pointing out, "We have most of the victims of the previous cases in one room, while… Ran Rū went after us the two times one wasn't seen by anyone other than us."
"Wait. Twice?" Yusuke's voice cut as swift as his blade, "While I do remember after the delectable sushi I do not recall another incident."
Ah.
"She came after me after we took her Treasure, the change of heart happened partway through her … attack."
"You did get hurt and did a weird thing with your blood." Morgana's voice spoke the words she chose to exclude leading Hakuno to nod.
"Bodily fluids contain Magical Energy… at least they merge?" Hakuno tilted her head as she thought back to the information Rin and Rani had explained to her, "It's not a perfect one for one but can be used in an emergency. She did get my arm… But I've already taken care of it." The knife wound was small and overall didn't hurt too much.
Makoto's ruby eyes stared a hole into Hakuno, "And none of you decided to mention anything until now?"
YOU WIN! Hakuno was saved by the loud announcement from the blonde's games.
"Ha! You lose!"
"Damn it!"
"So when are we going to the beach?" Ann's question sliced through the tension in the room.
Beach?
"Duh, it's Summer, of course, we are going to the beach." Ann only paused for a split second."Right?"
8/3
Hakunon-Makoto
Hakunon: Are you busy? I have a few ideas for your Mystic Code.
Makoto: Interesting… I can make time this afternoon, I'll meet you at the station.
Hakunon: Sure.
Hakuno sighed as the Azure flames covered her, the familiar and unfamiliar thief outfit still confused her, a pulse of Magical Energy and she could summon it, but as soon as it formed it didn't care about her Magical Energy.
The only time she remembers it fading was when her Command Seal was used, although whenever Avenger gets summoned her annoyingly large mask disappears like with everyone else's sans Morgana.
Akira had taken the twins somewhere as she couldn't feel their presence today. Hakuno remembers hearing how they wanted to go to the Art Museum…
Hakuno looked down onto her Regalia the only Will Seed item that had actual effects in the real world. Her memories. Although she knew that it only held a small fragment of her time in the Lunar Sea.
Hakuno traced her finger on the side of the twisted Subway, the railroad station seemed angrier than normal but Hakuno couldn't think of why exactly. The reds seemed more vibrant and the howling of winds seemed to twist and turn louder than ever before. Perhaps the rainstorm had something to do with it?
Hakuno felt and heard Queen arrive ever since she unlocked everyone's circuits she could pick them from a crowd as easily as breathing. The woosh of flames against the pitter-pattering rain also helped.
Queen's crimson eyes scanned Mementos before softening as Hakuno had already pulled up one of the many chairs littered in the station.
Hakuno had a few ideas of what would help Makoto the most, both in real life and in the Metaverse, an item that in the real world would be a last resort but in the Metaverse would fit her self-chosen role with ease.
"A shield?" Hakuno admittedly wasn't the best artist, not even close to someone on the level of Yusuke, but her role as the group's Advisor would put her in harm's way with her Nuclear magic.
"Yes, and depending on the mode it's set to I was thinking of incorporating a repelling burst of magical energy." Makoto scanned the designs with scrutiny before sighing.
"I think, it's a great idea but having a shield strapped on my arm would be hard to get used to." Hakuno nodded, it would completely change how she fights…
"What if it was made purely out of your Magical Energy?" Hakuno flipped through to one she nearly discarded in favor of ones that used less Energy, "It would be a Projection Mystic Code that would create a shield depending on when you need it, as Projections are typically weaker it would break after a hit or two but would serve its purpose."
An echoing laughter mixed with the howls of Mementos caused Hakuno to glance down the station, the opening abyss teeming with possible Shadows, none ever came from the depths no matter the amount of times she had stayed in the the insane station.
"Ugh… I wish we didn't have to come here." Hakuno shared the sentiment, "But I do think it would be a good idea, I have a shorter reach than all of you with physical attacks, and if I can explode the shields when I have defensive boosts on then…" Queen's mumbling gave Hakuno the moment to fish out what she thought would be a good idea to use.
An opal, an astrolabe, and a shard of silver. The shard was barely the size of her pinky finger but the amount of Magical Energy it could store was almost as large as her Regalia.
Hakuno added charging her Regalia full of Magical Energy on her to-do list… "Would you mind removing your glove?" Queen snapped out of her musing.
"Ah yes… of course." Her tekko was removed as well as the glove on her right hand, the pale white glove held a trace of her Magical Energy Hakuno nodded.
Hakuno's Magical Energy lit up, the familiar blue lines snaked around her skin as the Astrolabe and Silver drank the energy. Her main goal was to use the silver to bind the opal onto the astrolabe where it would act as a storage while the Astrolabe would be engraved with the Projection of a shield.
Hakuno's mind focused, the diagram of a shield flew into her mind, something small yet strong. A shield designed to shatter and to be created again and again every shattering. To live forever after its death.
While projection was overly strange to her she brought forth all that she knew about the Magecraft as the Astrolabe's face melted as small mystic circles etched its way into the stone as the Silver filled the gaps.
Makoto's pen moved as she watched Magus, her eyes may be closed and her mask lit up with blue flames but the younger girl's expression remained one of pure determination.
Makoto had never seen anything like it before.
Sure, coming to the Metaverse was surprising, and seeing Magus's Persona use what she calls a Noble Phantasm was amazing but this sight.
It was truly breathtaking.
Makoto made a note that the trance that Hakuno was in reminded her of Yusuke, perhaps it had to do with their total devotion to what they do?
Makoto chose to file it away for later.
Ever since that… day awakening their 'circuits' Makoto could feel more in detail the strange things that Magus could do. It was almost as if she smelled like the Metaverse, constantly shifting in perspective, an otherworldly scent not native to Earth.
The two rings on her hands, the tattoo that glistened crimson, all of it she could just tell. It was harder to point out in the Metaverse but in reality? A world not fused with the cognitions of humanity?
She stuck out like a sore thumb.
She chose to make a note of it and ask the other Thieves later.
The one thing she could tell though, was that the amount of Magical Energy she could handle was far above anything that the others like her could handle. As she says their 'Circuits' were more akin to her Magical Items but just the raw energy she could bring out made her feel small.
Magus did concern her.
The young girl was very laissez-faire in regard to her life, she was stubborn as a mule and loyal to her friends… as long as it made sense to her. That mixed with the fact that frankly.
At any moment Magus could bring about an amount more firepower than all of them together couldn't even muster. In the real world, and Metaverse.
Makoto wasn't afraid of the young mage but… she was worried about her. Hakuno's method of going with the flow and willingness to protect her friends constantly came as a danger to her own life. First with apparently joining the Phantom Thieves without a Persona, then Futaba's Palace, and then with Ran Rū.
Makoto just wished that Hakuno could rely on them a bit more. And hopefully… Akira's plans would come to fruition.
Something about the Twins and Confidants?
Hakuno felt exhausted as the Mystic Code was finally formed. The opal fused with the Astrolabe perfectly, as did the silver into Queen's glove, it looked slightly unnatural but it sat underneath where she would place her Tekko, so that should offer some protection.
And it could come off the glove without much difficulty for the chance they would need to be wary of something in the real world again.
"Try it out…" Hakuno pulled out her bottled water as Queen fitted the glove back on, the gemstone shined in the crimson light. Hakuno watched as a flex of Magical Energy came from Makoto as a single flower petal came forth in crimson flames.
Huh… not the appearance she was intending…
"It's light." Hakuno nodded at Queen's words as she tapp-
"Ouch." It wasn't heat that came off the petal but Hakuno couldn't place how exactly it felt. "Should we test it?"
Hakuno nodded bringing out her new staff as Queen raised her shield.
The Staff came down with a crack as the Shield held firm. Another thwap and the Shield held firm, not a sign of damage on the petal as it flickered in its strange Flaming Petal state.
"Magus… perhaps try a Skill or a Spell?"
Hakuno sighed, "Eiha" Cursed flames covered Queen for only a second as the Shield echoed a crack.
"Hmm… One more Hakuno, perhaps a bit stronger?" Hakuno nodded as Avenger's flame appeared again this time as Eiga as the Shield shattered. "We will have to do some more testing hopefully your still ready?"
The shield was sturdy, strong enough to stop two Medium attacks if it was at full health, although with Makoto's weaker circuits, she wouldn't be able to charge it at a fast rate as long as she gauges which strike to block against she would be fine.
Probably.
Makoto planned to do some more testing with Akira to see if it would help her with her Psychokinesis weakness.
Hakuno sighed as she decided to pick up some food from Big Bang Burger. Spotting a movement of fuzzy black hair Hakuno paused as Akira was devouring an overly large burger almost the size of her entire torso.
Hakuno chose to ignore that as she ordered her takeout and went home.
Author's Note: A bit of this a bit of that hopefully people enjoy this chapter. See ya next time.