Chapter VIII: Memory Echoes


Kushikatsu Shirotaya/Osaka (大阪市)/9:45 PM (JST)

Sometime after the Phantom Thieves and their allies cleaned up the Yokai and Lost outbreak, they reconvened at a local restaurant far away from the incidents. Having returned to their civilian disguises, they gathered at a round table.

A television inside the restaurant had the news reporting on the Yokai and Lost incidents near the local areas.

"Thus far, no reported casualties or civilian injuries, but there has been collateral damage to infrastructures. These monsters, similar to the ones that disrupted the Summer Olympics, were quickly dealt with by the Phantom Thieves. And according to eyewitnesses, there are new faces with the Thieves. Could they possibly be new members of these legendary vigilantes?" An anchorwoman reported on tonight's events.

"Did you hear that? We managed to stop those monsters with no human casualties," Haru relayed the news to her friends.

"Thank goodness for that," Makoto sighed with relief.

"Hell yeah! That's how we take care of business!" Ryuji boasted.

"You guys aren't going to believe this, but look at the Phan-Site. The forums have been lighting up since the monsters attacked the Olympics!" Futaba informed the Thieves as they pulled out their smartphones.

"You're right! Look at all the comments!" Ann was flabbergasted, shifting her finger across her screen while scanning the new posts and comments.

"I wonder if Mishima is still running the site?" Ryuji turned to Ren, who shrugged.

"I guess so," Ren replied.

"Ooh, this poster named Kamen-Rider-Stranger is some unknown Indonesian writer that thinks we did a great job. He's also a fan of Kamen Rider and Monster Hunter!" Futaba scanned the newest post.

"There's another one by a reporter named Mystic-Phantoms. He's also a translator for another website and is a fan of ours," Makoto informed them of another new post.

"This Mystic person appears to be helping with the Phan-Site forums," Haru added.

"Maybe he's helping Mishima out?" Ryuji asked Ren.

"I doubt it. Mishima seemed like the kind of guy who'd work on the site alone."

"By the way, did you hear the reporter mention new members? Are we new members?" Yumeko asked the Thieves.

"Unofficially, I'd say," Ren stated.

"That's good enough for me," Mary smiled ever so proudly.

Two waiters arrived, putting plates out full of Kushikatsu's refined Osakan signature dishes, consisting of deep-fried skewered meat like chicken, and vegetables. Some members hungrily stared over the exquisite food served right in front of them. They all raised their drinks, half of them drinking water and others drinking beer.

"Wow! I never tasted Kushikatsu before, but eating it is really good!" Futaba happily chowed down her food.

"See? I told ya it's good! Kushikatsu is the best!" Ryuji grinned while chowing down on some chicken.

"And, let us celebrate for preventing casualties and having these four as part of the Phantom Thief family," Yusuke said as he and the other Thieves glanced over to Sion, Yumeko, Mary, and Ryōta.

"Thank you for having us with you!" Yumeko giggled, lifting a glass of water. "And cheers to Sion!"

"CHEERS FOR SION!" The Phantom Thieves, Hifumi, Yumeko, Mary, and Ryōta happily declared while raising their glasses for the Revenant.

Astounded by his new companion's generosity, he smiled. Although he lost contact with his Revenant companions, he was beginning to feel at home being around these humans.

"Don't get too overwhelmed, Sion," Makoto reassured, smiling at him. "It's a tradition from our early days. When we've recruited new members, we have food celebrations. I was one of them."

"That's interesting to know," Sion replied, realizing the hostility they had for each other was no longer there. It was not long ago that same evening when she threatened to murder him.

Clapping her hands, Hifumi expressed. "And am I glad to see everyone here getting along, especially after what happened tonight."

"I know, and I'm sorry for that," Makoto apologetically said.

"You're forgiven," Sion remarked as he picked up and sniffed some darkened brown meat on a stick. The meat's cooked scent filled his nostrils, arousing his curiosity. "So, what kind of food is this? I've never had this where I'm from."

"It's beef," Hifumi answered. "It does look delicate. Go ahead and try it if you wish."

Nodding, Sion bit into it and chewed the beef. As he swallowed, he blinked and crunched more bits in his mouth. "Mmm, not bad?"

"Heh, I think he likes it," Ryuji grinned.

"Does our vampy have other tastes besides blood?" Futaba sneakily smirked.

"He likes pizza," Hifumi openly confessed.

"Well, then we should order pizza sometime while we're still here!" Ann suggested.

Biting into some vegetables, Makoto watched Sion openly converse with the others.

"He isn't too bad after all, Mako-chan. He's going to make a great asset for our team," Haru said, softly smiling from ear to ear.

"I'm starting to believe it," Makoto added, having resigned to accepting the Revenant into their fold.

"Say, would you guys like to see a photo of my high school classmates? Mary and Ryōta are even in it!" Yumeko announced, taking out her smartphone.

"Whoa, hold on! Who told you to show off any photo with me in it?!" Mary exclaimed, quickly trying to pry the smartphone away from the Compulsive Gambler's grasp, but it came to no avail.

Yumeko managed to push Mary's face and showed the high school group photo from Hyakkaou Private Academy. The photo showed Yumeko, Mary, and Ryōta together. It also showed photographs of other Hyakkaou students.

"These two with the silver white hair are the Momobami twins. The one with the mask is Ririka and the other maskless one is Kirari. Kirari was our former student council president," Ryōta specified for the Thieves, Hifumi, and Sion.

"Yes, and the girl with the long dark hair is Igarashi Sayaka. Hmm, I think she was Kirari's assistant if I recall correctly," Yumeko said.

"Yeah, she had it out for you for getting too close to Kirari," Mary added. "Anyway, the squirt with the orange rabbit Kigurumi and the lollipop is Yomozuki Runa. Over here the youthful guy with the white hair is Manyuda Kaede."

"What the hell happened to give him white hair?! Ya sure he's your age?!" Ryuji balked at Kaede's seemingly 'aged' appearance.

Mary shifted her eyes toward Yumeko. "Why don't you ask her? She made him that way."

Blinking thrice, Yumeko innocently replied. "Whatever do you mean, Mary? Do you imply that I gave him white hair?"

Ann nervously chuckled. "Oook, so anyway… who's the idol-looking girl?"

Yumeko answered. "That would be Yumemite Yumemi!"

"Whoa, the Yumemite Yumemi?!"

"Who is she, Ann?" Ren asked her.

"She was an upcoming idol star, who gained popularity from her time at Hyakkaou Private Academy. I kinda dig her music," Ann beamed.

"Over here we have Ikishima Midari," Mary pointed to a crazed-looking young woman with a white medical patch covering her left eye.

"Who is that again?" Yumeko asked Mary.

"Midari…"

"Who?" Yumeko asked again, darkening her tone, sending unsettling vibes to most of the other Phantom Thieves.

"Never mind," sighed Mary.

"I'm just kidding! I do remember her now!" ironically laughed the Compulsive Gambler.

"Over here is Nishinotōin Yuriko," Ryōta pointed to a young woman garbed in a white and red kimono, and her both eyes are notably closed.

"Is she blind?" Makoto asked the gamblers.

"Nah, she just keeps her eyes closed like that for no reason," Mary answered.

"And this is one of our friends, Sumeragi Itsuki!" Yumeko pointed to a girl with short orange hair. "But, that's not all. Over here is the entire Mombami Clan!" She presented them to a group of eleven students in similar red and black blazers and uniforms. "The girl in the wheelchair is Totobami Terano."

"She's a rival to Kirari," Mary said. "The flaky-looking girl with the brown skin and blonde hair is Terano's sister, Totobami Yumi."

"The little girl dressed as a Gothic Lolita is Mushibami Erimi," Ryōta said. "The tall girl with long hair is Inbami Miyo. The shorter girl next to her is Yobami Miri."

"And this creepy-looking girl is Warakubami Sumika! Don't let her look here fool you. She's a beautiful idol singer!" Yumeko said.

"I can't believe that's really Sumika," Haru was aghast. "I mean, wow, what a way to cover up your identity."

"She reminds me of those Japanese horror ghosts with the stringy black hair and the creepy vibes," Futaba pointed out.

"The girl with the St. Bernard is Kombabami Nozomi," Mary pointed to a girl with two low pigtails.

"The tall girl with the black gloves and light gray hair is Honebami Miroslava," Ryōta added. "The guy with the messy spiky hair is Obami Ibara. The kinder-looking guy with the short dark hair is Obami Rin."

"And last but not least, the beautiful-looking woman here with the short light brown hair is Batsubami Rei! She was one of many I had the pleasure to gamble with!" Yumeko pointed to the beautiful, androgynous-looking woman with a bright smile.

"Wow, an exquisite beauty she is," Yusuke said, admiring Rei's appearance.

"Heheh, of course, you'd say that, Inari," Futaba chuckled.

"That's a nice group of friends, you three have," Ann commented.

Mary shrugged. "I wouldn't exactly call them all friends or anything. Some are rivals."

"Did you play against all of these people, Yumeko?" Hifumi asked the Compulsive Gambler.

"Yes, most of them! I had so much fun gambling with the best of them!" Yumeko boasted, not even regretting nearly destroying the livelihoods of a few of these aforementioned students.

Hifumi modestly smiled. "I do not think I have the resolve to challenge any of these former classmates, nor would I want to risk my yen to do so."

"That's fine, Hifumi. You don't need to risk anything," Yumeko reassured her. "But, I'm not afraid of risk-taking."

Mary sardonically muttered. "Yeah, tell me about it."

"So, now that we've shown you people we knew from our school, why don't you tell us about yourselves, Phantom Thieves," Yumeko whispered, clasping her fingers together. Her red eyes staring straight into the Thieves' way. "What was life like growing up for you all?"

Ryuji shuddered. "Eh, so who wants to start?"

Sion nodded. "I'm interested to learn more about your friends, Hifumi."

Turning toward the Thieves, Hifumi took a deep breath. "I suppose there's no way out of this."

Poking his head out, Morgana encouraged the group. "Go ahead since we're all on the same page."

"Before you do explain your stories, why don't you show us through a Memory Echo?" Sion openly suggested, his terminology confused the Thieves and the Gamblers.

"A Memory-what?" Ann blinked.

"What's that?" Ryōta asked the Revenant.

"It's another space where I'm able to view your vestige," Sion said.

"And a vestige is what exactly?" Ryuji queried.

"It's like a piece of your memory. I'm able to look into your past, but I've only used this with other Revenants. I've never done so with humans. So, I'm not sure if it can work." As he said this, Hifumi patted his shoulders.

"You can go ahead and try. We have our permission to look into our memories," Hifumi consented.

"Wait, our? Hold on a second!" Makoto tried to speak out, but Sion closed his eyes as the entire restaurant space fizzled out, changing into an endless space resembling a cathedral maze. The Memory Echo had an ethereal and haunting atmosphere, contrasting the harsh conditions that Mementos exhibited. She and the others found themselves completely removed from the Osakan restaurant as if they've been placed in another realm.

"Whoa!" Mary exclaimed, hearing her voice echoing.

"Holy shit, what is this place?!" Ryuji freaked out, almost jumping out of his seat.

"This place looks like something straight out of an anime Dark Souls," Futaba meticulously scanned their new and unknown surroundings.

"It's kinda spooky," Haru commented, shivering while leaning close to Makoto.

"It's going to be ok," Makoto calmly assured Haru.

"Are we still not in the restaurant?" Yusuke asked, scanning their new surroundings.

"It's ok, everyone. We're still in the restaurant as far as everyone else is concerned," Sion reassured them. "I've united our minds together so we can share each other's memories." Taking a deep breath, Sion smiled. "Is this what you wanted, Yumeko?"

"I wasn't expecting this, but sure. Whatever works!" Yumeko nodded.

"We're all here to listen. Tell us how you first formed," Hifumi said.

"Who wants to go first?" Morgana glanced over to each Phantom Thief.

"It's only right if I go first," Ren volunteered, calmly grinning.

"You guys are in for a long story," Mona said.

As Ren spoke, a still image visual depicting his first arrival at Yongen-Jaya is shown for everyone.

"It all started four years ago when I was at my home town around nightfall that I heard noises from two people. I saw a drunken man sexually harassing a woman." Ren explained the beginning of the story. "Refusing to let this abuse stand, I punched that man to save that woman. But, I learned that the drunkard was a well-known politician. His name was Masayoshi Shido, and he framed me. As a result, I was put on a year's probation and was expelled from my old school."

"You mean, this is that Shido who ruined your life?" Hifumi asked, taken aback toward Ren's troubled situation with an infamous figure on the news.

"Yeah. I had to move to Shibuya to start my one year probation at Shujin Academy, the only high school that would accept me despite my criminal record. On that first day, I stayed with Sakura Sojiro at LeBlanc. I had to sleep in a bedroom in the attic. It sucked at first, but I made it my place." Ren explained to Sion, Hifumi, and the gamblers. "While I was asleep, I had a dream meeting a figure named Igor, alongside his two assistants: Justine & Caroline. Igor talked to me deeply about my destiny and rehabilitation."

"So, becoming a vigilante was your destiny?" Sion asked.

"More or less. On my way to the first day of school, and waiting for the rain to stop, I met and was smitten by a blonde-haired girl, Takamaki Ann." Ren smiled at his now girlfriend sitting next to him. A new visual showed Ren meeting Ann on that fateful raining day.

"Hehehe. I think when I smiled at him, I felt we were destined for great things," Ann lightly chuckled and blushed, recalling she once took out a petal from Ren's hair while waiting in the rain. Then, her mood shifted to a bit gloomy. "And that's when I remembered I left to hitch a ride with Kamoshida." Just the mere mention of that name soured Ren, Ann, and Ryuji's moods.

Sensing a dire vibe from the three, Hifumi cautiously queried. "Do you mean that gym teacher on the news who openly admitted to being a sexual predator?"

"Yeah! I'll never forget that bastard's shit grinning face!" Ryuji harshly interjected. The next visual displayed a past sequence of Ren and Ryuji entering Shadow Kamoshida's Palace. "Anywho, I first met my buddy at Shujin. On his first day, we were heading out for school. Then all of a sudden, we were in some castle realm and got caught. Then, we met this Shadow that looked like that bastard Kamoshida." He turned over to Ren and smiled. "That's where my bud here unlocked his Persona and helped us escape."

The visual immediately showed Ren summoning Arsène. A veil of blue fire enveloped Ren, turning him into Joker. Then, another scene displayed Ren and Ryuji breaking Mona loose from his cell.

Ryuji added with a grin. "Then, we met this cat here!"

Grumbling with irritation, Morgana retorted. "Hey, I'm not a cat, monkey!" He then addressed Hifumi, Sion, and the gamblers politely. "Sorry about that. Anyway, I joined them out of gratitude and helped show them the ropes about thievery, the laws of the Metaverse, and dealing with enemy Shadows, either by fighting or negotiating with them to join as Personas. I also depended on them to find out about my existence."

"What are these Shadows?" Yumeko asked.

"They're otherly worldly entities in the Metaverse based on many mythological and religious figures," the cat clarified. "The realms we often infiltrated are called Palaces. These Palaces are formed by the distorted desires of corrupted figures' hearts." As he said this, a visual of Shadow Kamoshida's Palace appeared.

"This is quite interesting. Unlocking these powers brought some untapped potential out of you," Sion addressed the Thieves.

"Yeah. As we pressed forth, we explored more of Kamoshida both within his realm and the real world. Soon after, Ryuji even unlocked his Persona," Ren stated as the next screen showed Ryuji becoming a Phantom Thief with Captain Kidd behind him.

"Yeah, now that takes me back! I sure kicked ass!" Ryuji enthusiastically grinned, recalling his finest moment.

"Then, that's when I got involved in the mix. After what Kamoshida did to my friend Shiho, who attempted to commit suicide back then," Ann gnashed her teeth, seething from the past moments. A visual showed Ann tending a Shiho being stretchered into an ambulance and another showing Ann's awakening into Panther while summoning Carmen. "I'll never forget that day. Not only was it one of the darkest days of my life, but that anger allowed me to release my Persona to help my friends and avenge Shiho. Thank god she's ok."

"It was then we called ourselves The Phantom Thieves of Hearts," Morgana explained. "Even though we hated him, if not for Kamoshida, we wouldn't have met and become the founding members. To get the suspects to commit their sins, we have to steal their Treasure, which is the core of their hearts' desires. After securing the Treasure, we send a Calling Card to alert them. That's when we fought our first target."

White light poured out of a wall from Ren, Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana's vestiges, revealing a cinematic sequence of their encounters with Shadow Kamoshida.


Kamoshida's Palace (The Castle of Lust)/Flashback

Standing on the opposite side of the Throne Room, Shadow Kamoshida, with Cognitive Ann by his side, facing the Founding Phantom Thieves: Joker, Skull, Panther, and Mona.

Shadow Kamoshida arrogantly boasted. "Drop the attitude, you mediocre peasant! There's no wrong in using my gifts for my gain!" A sneer formed on his face. "I'm a cut above all other humans!"

"Above…? You mean beneath. You're a goddamn demon obsessed with your sick desires!" Panther angrily yelled.

The Memory Echo showed the next sequence: Shadow Kamoshida transforming into his demon form Asmodeus. The Thieves summoned their Personas to fight their first major opposition. Arsène appeared next to Joker. Carmen appeared next to Panther. Captain Kidd formed behind Skull. Mona summoned Zorro. During the heated battle, Shadow Kamoshida summoned Cognitive Mishima and much to Panther's horror a Cognitive Shiho. After an intense battle, up to Mona eventually stealing Shadow Kamoshida's crown, the Phantom Thieves defeated the grotesque king.

Cornered with his Treasure, Shadow Kamoshida was scared out of his wits. He cowered like a cowardly rat bastard he was. An incensed Panther amassed fireballs from her Persona.

"I bet everyone told you the same," Panther snarled. "But you… YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM THEM!"

A fireball is about to hit Shadow Kamoshida, but it only hit the side of a wall. As much as Panther wanted to kill the sick gymnastic freak show that ruined her life and what he did to Shiho, she opted to spare him so he can confess his crimes. In her view, this would be an effective way to defeat him. Shadow Kamoshida eventually gave his Treasure to the Phantom Thieves. With that, his Shadow returned to his real self.


Memory Echo/Present

"After we dealt with Kamoshitda, we decided to continue the Phantom Thieves gig to change the hearts of more rotten adults," Ryuji mentioned their goal.

"Our next target was Madarame Ichiryusai, and that is when I was involved," Yusuke interjected.

"Yes, I do remember Madarame. I was shocked when I found out he plagiarized artwork from his own students," Hifumi stated.

"It was indeed reprehensible." Yusuke agreed with his former classmate. "I was shocked to learn about my former sensei's true self." The Memory Echo displayed Yusuke's memories, showing a visual of Yusuke's first interactions with Ren's group and finding the Sayuri painting stashed away. " That's when I unlocked my Persona and assisted my new friends. I also recalled the painting of my mother's memory."

Another white light flashed throughout the Memory Echo, revealing Yusuke's vestige, which showed their battles with Shadow Madarame.


Madarame's Palace (The Museum of Vanity)/Flashback

The Phantom Thieves alongside Fox faced off against the Shadow of Madarame Ichiryusai.

"You aren't some rotten artist…! You're a despicable fiend who wears the skin of an artist!" Fox declared, severing his ties from the Shadow of his foster father. His Persona, Goemon, materialized for Fox to avenge his mother.

In a second encounter, the Thieves engaged Shadow Madarame's demon form, Azazel, in a heated artistic battle. In an artistic twist, Shadow Madarame summoned four multi-colored clones of himself to contend with the Phantom Thieves. The clones each utilized different elements; the red one used fire magic, the blue one used ice magic, the green clone used wind power, and the yellow clone used lightning magic.

Eventually, the Thieves defeated the corrupted artist's Shadow and his clones. They also claimed his Treasure, the real painting of Sayuri.

As Madarame's Palace crumbled, the defeated Palace ruler pleaded.

"Hey, Yusuke. What should I do?"

"...Put an end to all this and use your own artwork for once," Fox sternly answered while holding the Saiyuri portrait.

As Fox departed the Palace, Shadow Madarame cried out pleading.

"No, wait! Please! Yusuke! Yusukeee!"


Memory Echo/Present

"My turn, huh? Well, during that time, I was originally spying on Ren's group to confirm if they were the Phantom Thieves. Let's just say we had a bad start," Makoto regrettably admitted.

"So you were originally not a valuable ally at first?" Hifumi tried to make sense of Makoto's side.

"Yes, I admit it. I thought I would have been useful, despite being used by the school's principal. On top of that, I blackmailed them into finding a link to the mafia's leader, Kaneshiro Junya," Makoto plainly stated. "However I acted recklessly, and then I awakened my Persona to redeem myself for my friends." A visual behind her showed Makoto spying on the Thieves, being captured by Kaneshiro's cronies and being talked down to by Shadow Kaneshiro.

"I get it now. I'm starting to understand you better," Sion said.

"I appreciate that," Makoto replied to the Revenant. "Any way about Kaneshiro-"

"Oooooh, I wanna gamble with him!" Yumeko interrupted, anxiously smiling as she fiddled with her fingers.

"Seriously? Now isn't the time for that!" Mary chastised the Compulsive Gambler.

"Knock it off," Makoto scolded Yumeko, who pouted. Before she continued, a visual showed Makoto liberating herself from her chains of restraint, allowing her to become Queen. Sion, Hifumi, and the gamblers marveled at Queen riding her motorcycle Persona Johanna. "Anyway, we explored his Palace based on how he viewed money while blackmailing, and we put a stop to his nefarious deeds."

Another white light flashed throughout the room, unveiling Makoto's vestige leading to her battle against Shadow Kaneshiro.


Kaneshiro's Palace (The Bank of Gluttony)/Flashback

Now with Queen by their side, the Thieves confronted the Shadow of Kaneshiro Junya near his vault.

As Shadow Kaneshiro transformed into the humanoid fly form Baal, he quickly controlled his giant Piggytron machine to flatten his enemies.

"Gyahahahahaha! Yeh ready to die?! It ain't a pig, yo! This is my Palace's swine-model defensive mechanoid, Piggytron!"

The fight continued. Queen rode Johanna while gracefully evading Piggytron's bullet barrage. After dealing with the Piggytron, the Thieves fought off Shadow Kaneshiro's two fly guards. After defeating his guards, the vigilantes defeated the crude crime lord. Queen fulfilled her revenge.


Memory Echo/Present

"With all these heists that happened, this grabbed more than the attention of the public. The police finally started to take notice," Morgana stated.

"Feh, yeah, and who could forget that pain in the ass junior detective Akechi Goro. He went against us," Ryuji recalled the aforementioned.

Recalling seeing Akechi on the news and talk shows, Hifumi mulled silently.

"I remember that guy. He was all over the news, but later he vanished," Ryōta pointed out.

"That's the weird part. No one knows how or why he vanished," Mary said.

"Don't worry. You haven't heard the last of him based on our encounters," Ren said.

"Wow, what can I say? It's my turn then," Futaba spoke up, almost hesitant to shed light on her tragic past. With some encouragement from her friends, she sighed. "Right, it was summer vacation when the Medjed incident happened. You see, before I joined the Thieves, I lived locked away as a shut-in. Can't say it didn't have its advantages, because I got to hide my face from the rest of the world. So, during that summer, I contacted the Phantom Thieves requesting to steal my own heart." As she described this, a vivid image of herself sitting locked inside her room was shown to everyone and another of her meeting the Phantom Thieves.

"Then, you were their fourth target?" Sion asked her.

'Yeah, you see it was complicated at first. I'm Sojiro's adopted daughter, and I recall the day my mother died from a murder incident," Futaba went on as a visual showed her mother throwing herself into traffic in a fit of maternal psychosis. Seeing this horrifying image caused the girl to fold her arms around her legs. "Her co-workers blamed me. I was called a curse. So, I became a hikikomori, shutting myself in a tomb of guilt." Another visual displayed her encased in an Egyptian tomb. Then, Shadow Futaba emerged from the tomb, golden eyes glowing with life. "That's when my new friends arrived in my Palace, fought the Cognition of my mother, even allowing me to step in to help."

Another white light enveloped the Memory Echo, revealing Futaba's battle with her mother's Cognition.


Futaba's Palace (The Pyramid of Wrath)/Flashback

At the summit of the pyramid, the Phantom Thieves endured a difficult battle against the giant Cognition of Isshiki Wakaba, who has the body of a Sphinx and the head of the woman. Attempting their ranged weapons, the Thieves' efforts to bring down the enraged beast fell short. Mona was at a loss of what to do.

That is until Futaba entered her own Palace, and after interacting with her Shadow self she came to terms with her depression and anxiety. The revelation of the suicide note helped resolve Futaba's insecurities, allowing her Persona to awaken.

Futaba's Shadow then transformed into the Persona, Necronomicon. Overcome with the desire to help her friends, Futaba became Oracle and piloted her new Persona.

"This is my heart's world, right? Hacking into my distortion should be no problem for me!" Oracle announced, tapping into a console inside the cockpit of her Persona.

Quickly turning the tide of the battle, Oracle conjured a ballista, allowing the Phantom Thieves to bring down the Cognitive Wakaba. The Thieves then delivered a melee beatdown and decisively stopped the beast. After this, the real spirit of Futaba's mother appeared before her daughter, bidding a heartfelt farewell.

"Um, I… I love you, mom…" Oracle muttered, letting out her deepest and genuine feelings.

"I love you too, Futaba." Wakaba smiled. "Now, you should get going."

With that said, Wakaba's spirit disappeared into the afterlife.


Memory Echo/Present

"And with that, I became the Phantom Thieves' hacker! A pretty cool trade if I do say so!" Futaba smiled.

Suddenly, Morgana audibly grumbled knowing what was to come next. It was an incident marred by his self-loathing and arrogance.

"What's the matter, Morgana?" Hifumi asked.

After a brief moment of silence, Morgana answered Hifumi. "Well, I didn't take too well to Futaba's role in the team and I lashed out on the group's popularity terms. Then, I got into a fight with Ryuji, causing me to leave the team."

"Yeah, I remember that," Ryuji groaned about the incident.

"This is when I got involved with their next case and I became their next member," Haru spoke up. "Upon meeting Morgana, I became a Phantom Thief in an attempt to look into my father's Palace." The Memory Echo visually presented still images of Haru meeting Morgana, becoming the beauty Thief Noir, and meeting the Phantom Thieves.

"You mean Okumura Kunikazu?" Hifumi asked Haru, remembering the Okumura Foods figurehead, who ultimately became the Thieves' fifth target.

"Yes," Haru nodded. "I wanted to change my father's heart because he lost sight of his mistreatment of his workers. He also wanted to escape from a potentially unhealthy marriage. Because of my kindness, I had Morgana and my new friends help me reconcile and steal my father's Treasure while stealing his heart."

Another white flash of light enveloped the entire room, displaying a cinematic scene of Noir leading the Phantom Thieves toward a showdown with Shadow Okumura.


Okumura's Palace (The Space Station of Greed)/Flashback

Arriving inside the UFO, the Phantom Thieves, along with their newest recruit Noir, confronted the Shadow of Okumura Kunikazu, known as Mammon. Upon trapping them, Noir and Morgana escaped his trap. Mona saved the day and redeemed himself for his fathers, slingshotting the remote from Shadow Okumura's hand.

"Whoa, it hit! Way to go, me!" Mona cried out.

Using the remote, Morgans saved his friends.

"Wowza! You're so cool, Mona!" Oracle happily exclaimed while patting Mona's back head.

"Yeah, you stole the show, man!" Skull lightly smacked the cat with a grin.

With thirty minutes to spare, the Phantom Thieves fended off Shadow Okumura's robot drones. As if the drones weren't enough, Shadow Okumura summoned a Cognitive Haru robot, which undoubtedly dismayed Noir. With the aid of her Persona, Milady, Noir, and the Thieves engaged the most powerful entity from Shadow Okumura's rankings: a large black drone. After enduring the executive drone and even the Cognitive Haru robot, the Thieves destroyed it following some difficulty and stopped Shadow Okumura on time.

"In the end, I am just one more in a lineage of failures…" Shadow Okumura regretfully muttered as he sat in defeat. "This may be the end of Okumura Foods… Forgive me, Haru…"

"Father…" Noir sadly muttered.


Memory Echo/Present

"We thought everything was supposed to be fine. We even celebrated at Tokyo Disneyland," Haru recalled. "But, during my father's confession on a live broadcast, he suddenly collapsed with black ooze seeping from his eyes and mouth. Just like that, he died. I took it especially hard." Her face contorted with anguish, prompting Makoto to comfort her.

"I'm sorry," Sion shut his eyes.

"Yes, likewise," Yumeko conveyed sadness, showing a side that her friends aren't usually used to seeing.

Hifumi recalled on live television, which horrified her as well.

Ren went on. "Following Okumura's passing, the media linked the mental shutdowns of previous victims with people whose hearts we've changed. The public turned against us. Things went completely sour for us." The Memory Echo displayed still images of the public's diminishing support for the Thieves. Then, the faces of a young man in a dress suit and a woman with long hair appeared. "That's when the junior detective, Akechi Goro, approached us and figured out our identities."

"And we figured him out when he gave away pancakes as a clue," Ryuji said.

Makoto nodded. "Akechi wanted to join us and venture into my sister's Palace." She pointed to the light gray-haired woman. "That woman you see is my sister Niijima Sae, a public prosecutor for the Tokyo District Special Investigation Department. We went through a great ordeal to neutralize her Shadow and free my sister's way of justice."

Another white veil of light enveloped the room, revealing Akechi briefly joining the Phantom Thieves and later encountering Shadow Sae.


Niijima's Palace (The Casino of Envy)/Flashback

Accompanied by their newest ally, Akechi Goro/Crow and his Persona as Robin Hood, the Phantom Thieves ventured into Niijima Sae's Palace, which is a grand casino based on hedonistic envy. After a long exploration and playing incredibly difficult games to the point they exploited the Palace ruler's cheating strategies, they planned to wait the day to send the Calling Card with the right timing.

And it ultimately paid off, leading to the Thieves and Crow to face Shadow Sae in a game of casino roulette.

"Let's play this fair and square!" Shadow Sae goaded her enemies.

In the first round, the Thieves played the roulette wheel, which spun in favor of Shadow Sae. However, the Thieves managed to figure out the Shadow's cheating strategies. Furious over being exposed, Shadow Sae transformed into the demonic knight form of Leviathan.

"Cheating?! Unfair?! SILENCE! This is MY world!" Shadow Sae roared at her enemies through her ghastly helmet.

"This… is my sister's true nature?! No…" Queen fearfully muttered.

The second round went off with an intense start.

Amid the battle, Joker summoned a large purple dragon with wings and spines aligned across its back. Spines also made up parts of its face, limbs, and tail. Seth's small yellow eyes faced Shadow Sae and blasted her with Agidyne. Then, by Joker's beckoning, he, the Thieves, and even Akechi joined together, unleashing an All-Out Attack to overwhelm Shadow Sae.

After a hard battle, the Thieves subdued Sae's raging Shadow. Collapsing to her knees, Shadow Sae's Leviathan form dissolved, returning her to her standard Shadow form.

"Makoto…?" Shadow Sae muttered to her.

"I don't think it's wrong to bring light to evils which can't be judged by the law. That's all the Phantom Thieves have been trying to do too," Queen reassured her sister's Shadow.

After consoling the Shadow, the Palace's guards pursued the Thieves. Joker took the offer and distracted the Shadows while his teammates escaped safely.

After an established chase, Amamiya Ren was ultimately captured by the police and brought forth to Sae's interrogation.


Memory Echo/Present

"Now I understand. I remembered I contacted you on the phone to see if you were ok!" Hifumi recounted trying to reach out to Ren.

"Yeah, it wasn't an easy process," Ren replied, caressing his forehead. "I was beaten down and drugged, which then led directly into a long and trying interrogation with Sae." As he recalled the events, the Memory Echo showed a still image of Ren and Sae inside the interrogation room. "And no offense, Makoto, but your sister was and still is a scary woman."

Makoto proudly smiled. "That's my sis for you."

"I've recounted everything that happened up to that point. As I started to remember, I convinced Makoto's sister to take my phone. After she left, Akechi arrived and…" The memory Echo showed exactly what he was going to describe. A bullet from Akechi's gun went through Ren's head point blank.

Speechless, Hifumi, Sion, and the gamblers were shocked to see what happened.

"Akechi shot me in the head. Or, so he thought." A cunning grin formed on his face like a Joker.

There was a moment of silence for a bit.

"What happened next?" Mary asked.

"It turned out our leader was alive and well," Makoto explained. "We never stole my sister's treasure. We knew from the start that Akechi plotted to turn on us. So we made a Cognitive Shadow of Ren and the interrogation room since the Palace is connected to the police station. After which, Ren managed to escape with my sister's help and we regrouped." A visual then showed the real Ren hiding out while the Cognition vanished inside the interrogation room.

"In other words, we played Akechi like a tool!" Ryuji grinned.

Hearing this, Sion openly smirked. "I can't believe you pulled off such a successful gamble. That had to be difficult to pull off convincingly." He turned toward Ren. "Amamiya, you pulled off the impossible."

"Well, I'm sure you did impossible feats in your world, too," Ren replied to Sion. "After we learned the truth about all these Palaces, the hearts we stole, and the mental shutdowns, we linked them all to one source: the Conspiracy led by Masayoshi Shido." The Memory Echo displayed Masayoshi Shido campaigning for his election.

"Now the puzzle pieces are coming together," Hifumi realized, knowing from the past news of Shido rallying his followers to make the country a better place. But in truth, Shido was a baneful manipulator with his own self interests.

"It came full circle when it was revealed to be Shido. He's the same man who sued me and had me put on a year long probation. With hindsight being 20/20, if it weren't for my reckless actions, I never would've met you all and kickstarted the Phantom Thieves. There wouldn't be anyone to save society," Ren acknowledged his destiny. "From there, we entered the final Palace to stop Akechi and Shido's goals."

Another white light spread all over the space, unveiling the Thieves' encounters with Akechi and Shido.


Shido's Palace (The Cruise of Pride)/Flashback

Upon entering the final Palace, the Phantom Thieves found themselves on a large boat. The Thieves carried out their heist, exploring maze-like obstacles and even briefly being turned into mice. They faced off and defeated the Shadows of Shido's five cronies, trying to entice them to open the assembly hall.

After defeating Shido's five cohorts, the Thieves faced the traitorous Akechi Goro. When it was revealed Akechi is Shido's son and that he wanted revenge on the politician for abandonment and abuse, these truths broke Akechi. A battle quickly escalated between the Thieves against the traitor and his two berserker Shadow minions.

After beating them in the first skirmish, Akechi manically cackled and pulled off his red mask. "Now, I'm going to show you my real ability! Come! Loki!" Tearing off his Robin Hood facade, he unveiled his true self: a black-armored knight. He then summoned his real Persona, which was based on the Norse trickster. The God of Mischief Loki.

"Justice?! Righteous?! Keep that shit to yourselves!" Akechi yelled insanely. "You're going down… I'll destroy you… Now! Let's see you drop dead one at a time, in front of your precious friends! DIIIIIIIE!" He screamed frantically, his mind fractured and his demeanor conveying depravity.

Another difficult battle occurred. The Thieves fought hard against the single black mask figure with Loki's powers. After a lengthy battle, it ultimately came down to Joker and Akechi.

"I'll do it," Joker insisted.

"It's all garbage! Justice, friends!" Akechi angrily retorted as his Persona blasted Joker, who absorbed the attack. "What's the difference between you Phantom Thieves and me?! We both remove society's trash! You're in my way!"

When Joker sent Arsène to attack Loki, Akechi and Joker clashed blades head-on.

"Stop it! Don't look at me like that! How could I be inferior to you?!" Angrily hissed Akechi, knocking Joker's mask off. "Why is trash like you more special than me?!"

As Arsène defeated Loki, Akechi fell in defeat, sinking his head.

"You're so lucky. Lucky to be surrounded… by teammates who acknowledge you…" Akechi sadly muttered to Joker. "As for me, people will find out that my past deductions were just a charade. My fame and trust will vanish. In the end… I couldn't be special…"

"Dude, you're more than special…" Skull muttered, showing a rare level of respect despite his differences with Akechi.

"It pains me to admit… but your wit and strength far exceed ours. We only defeated you by teaming up…" Queen admitted, comparing herself to him. "I was honestly… envious of your natural ability."

After this, a Cognitive Akechi appeared to taunt and execute the real Akechi. The real Akechi stayed behind to sacrifice himself, allowing the Phantom Thieves to escape the Palace.

Having broadcasted their final Calling Card toward Shido all over Tokyo, they declared their leader, Joker, was alive and vowed to steal Shido's heart.

This ultimately led to the final war against Masayoshi Shido in Shadow Shido's assembly hall.

Upon meeting the Shadow of the corrupted politician, the Thieves prepared to bring down his entire operation.

"Sacrifices are inevitable in the path of reform. The ignorant masses only care about their happiness. I am merely granting that for them. That is the social reform that only I, as the one chosen by God, can enact!" Shadow Shido openly boasted. "That is why I must reestablish this mighty country. One that does not waiver. One that others bow to."

"A cruel person like you has no right to stand leading the citizens of this country. You're nothing but a criminal who rose above others by climbing a staircase of sin!" Queen glared at Shadow Shido.

"You say it's for the country, but I bet it's all for yourself!" Panther growled and yelled. "Nobody would wish for something like that!"

"Mighty, my ass! That's just a crooked country made by a crook!" Skull yelled.

"We cannot let you do this. You are a disgrace to Japan!" Fox glared. "Hence, we will take your deranged heart."

Shadow Shido simply nodded in disappointment and dismissed the Thieves' retorts. "It seems the ignorant masses are doomed to remain as such. I thought you were smarter than that. This is unfortunate. I have no choice but to eliminate you all."

And so, the epic battle escalated as Shadow Shido donned a warlord-like general uniform, referring to himself as Samael, while riding on a giant golden lion made out of human statues. The lion changed shape, gaining feathery wings, to form a pyramid akin to the Eye of Providence. After vanquishing the golden lion, Shadow Shido stepped forth to personally fight the Thieves. Shadow Shido recognized Joker as the same teenager that stopped his real self, which got Ren a year's probation.

Shadow Shido arrogantly chuckled at Joker. "I see… So it truly is you. Haha… What an interesting turn of fate."

Shadow Shido then disrobed his general shirt uniform, revealing a burly muscular body. Preparing for war, he dropped into an intense fighting stance.

"I shall win this game!" Shadow Shido declared.

Another difficult battle occurred as the Thieves battled his base and 'Samael' forms. However, the battle didn't just stop there.

Determined to defeat Joker on his own, Shadow Shido demanded the Phantom Thief face him in a duel. Accepting his duel, Joker summoned his various Personas to contend with Shadow Shido's raw power.

Joker first summoned Yoshitsune, a pale-faced, red-eyed samurai warrior donning red armor and white body garb with golden embellished orbs on various parts of its armor. Upon sending Yoshitsune in, Joker ordered a multiple sword slash attack.

Before Shadow Shido even knew what hit him, Yoshitsune swiftly appeared behind the large man and unleashed a flurry of lightning fast strikes, knocking Shadow Shido halfway across the assembly hall.

Joker then summoned Alice, a small blonde-haired girl in a black dress.

Charging toward Alice, Shadow Shido laughed off Joker's Persona choice. "What's with this pitiful Persona?!" Going for a hand swipe, his hand narrowly missed Alice, who hopped up and out of his reach. He heard a sinister giggle and whipped around, seeing Alice's unassuming face contort with a devilish grin.

As Alice spun her body around, he unleashed a dome full of wind, which collided with Shadow Shido and pushed him far back.

The large man reacted furiously from being beaten senseless. Enlarging his burly frame, his muscles enlarged with a magenta aura seamlessly radiating off his veiny body.

Rushing fearlessly against Shadow Shido, the large man threw a powerful right hand. Expecting his fist to run through Joker's slender frame, an immense force stopped Shadow Shido's punch. Taken aback, Shadow Shadow saw a large blue insect with a pair of fly wings, a yellow headpiece, a necklace consisting of human skulls, and holding a staff with a human skull on it. Beelzebub's red fly-like eyes intently glared down Shadow Shido.

Joker put a hand out, effortlessly holding back Shadow Shido's mighty punch. "Is that all you've got?!" Shadow Shido's eyes and mouth gaped in disbelief. "Checkmate!" The Phantom Thief declared. "You're not even in my league!"

Amassing red energy through its staff, Beelzebub unleashed a beam that blasted away Shadow Shido. With enough willpower and resolve, Joker brought Shadow Shido down. Having been defeated, Shadow Shido regressed to his normal state.

Realizing he had won, Joker smiled knowing he'd beaten the man responsible for his year's probation.

Soon after, not one to accept defeat so easily, the real Shido attempted to commit suicide, which would've destroyed his Palace and killed the Thieves from within. Luckily, the Phantom Thieves made it out alive in time and stole the Treasure as well. As a result, Shido's heart changed.


Memory Echo/Present

"Alright, so you guys won!" Ryōta exclaimed until he noted the Thieve's indifferent looks. "Um, so did you?"

"Tell us what happened next!" Yumeko begged.

Sion furrowed his brows. "Something tells me that not everything was resolved."

"We thought it was over, but it was just the beginning of a new conflict," Ren confirmed Sion's suspicions. "Yes, we defeated Shido and stole his heart. We thought our reputations would've been restored when Shido confessed his crimes. The thing is… the masses didn't believe the truth of Shido's wrongdoings." The Memory Echo then displayed the Thieves standing outside Shibuya as a rain of blood fell and demonic structures slowly overtook Tokyo's infrastructure. Outside of the Thieves, the masses didn't notice any strange occurrence. "On December 24th, 2016, we faced the true final mission."

"Mementos, the collective realm of all the people's hearts," Morgana revealed. "That is when we Phantom Thieves explored the depths to search the truth about my origins. In the end, we encountered the public's treasure, which was shaped like the mythical Holy Grail." The Memory Echo showed a giant Holy Grail cup as Morgana fittingly described. "We couldn't defeat it, and as a result, we faded out of existence."

The next visual showed the Thieves being physically erased.

"As my friends vanished, I was transported to the Velvet Room," Ren recalled as the Memory Echo showed still images of Ren, garbed in his prisoner's clothing, meeting Igor, Justine, and Caroline. Suddenly, the two wardens' glowed with white light as they were seemingly pulled toward each other, merging into a single entity. "It turns out that Justine and Caroline merged to become their true self Lavenza. But that wasn't the biggest shock. It was then I found out the Igor that I've interacted with turned out to be a malevolent god. He was the Holy Grail itself. He was known as Yaldabaoth."

Everyone watched the still image of Igor transform into Yaldabaoth's true form. Sion, Hifumi, and the gamblers were at a loss over what had transpired.

"I can't believe this," Hifumi gasped.

"He set up a game to manipulate humanity, claiming the only way out of ruin is for him to bring forth some kind of salvation and assume control of our reality and remove those with chaos in their hearts. He offered me to restore the world to the way it was, but with the price that the masses would not be able to think for themselves."

"And you didn't?" Sion asked.

"That's right. There's no way I'd accept his terms. So, that bastard left and the real Igor returned." Ren then turned toward Morgana. "The real Igor said he created Mona to help guide humanity's future." As he said this, the cat smiled and nodded. "Once I found my friends, we reassembled as the Phantom Thieves and headed off for the final showdown against Yaldabaoth."

"Yes, now I'm starting to understand," Hifumi recalled being aware of Mementos' effects on the real world. This was due to being one of Ren's Confidants. She along with the other Confidants witnessed that fateful battle.

A white flash of light enveloped the room as the Memory Echo revealed the Phantom Thieves and their now evolved Ultimate Personas face the God of Control.


Shibuya, Tokyo (渋谷区, 東京)/Qliphoth World/Flashback

After racing through the path and defeating the god's four archangels, the Phantom Thieves finally confronted the God of Control Yaldabaoth. The Thieves summoned their Ultimate Personas.

Mercurius appeared beside Mona.

Hecate materialized next to Panther.

Seiten Taisei appeared next to Skull.

Anat appeared beside Queen.

Kamu Susano-o materialized next to Fox.

Oracle entered Prometheus.

Noir called forth Astarte.

"I am the administrator born of the collective human unconscious. I am the god of control, Yaldabaoth." The deity declared in a metallic godly voice, which resounded throughout Tokyo. "The administrator must guide mankind toward proper development. And now that the foolishness of man has been proven, the administrator must purge them. The foolish masses merely spread indolent thoughts and force the progress of society backward. If left to humanity, the world would slowly meet its demise. Rehabilitation is impossible now. I am the entity that governs this world. Its future depends wholly on my leadership. Those who dare defy this natural order shall be met with punishment raining down from the heavens."

Mona turned towards Joker. "We're fighting against a god who's not holding anything back, right? I'm so glad I was able to be a part of your team."

"Yeah. Let's win this," Joker agreed to Mona and his friends.

"We'll take it all back…! Our future…! And this world!" Mona declared as he and Thieves faced Yaldabaoth.

As the final battle started, Yaldabaoth used the powers of all the Seven Deadly Sins to instill deadly effects on his opposition. The Thieves fought off the god's power.

"The abyss of the unconscious yearns for ultimate ruin…" Yaldabaoth announced. "You have no means of escape, humans. Punishment shall strike you all… As you pass through the gates of destruction… My control is the absolute truth of this world."

Yaldabaoth then charged up and unleashed his Rays of Control, critically injuring the Phantom Thieves. However, the Phantom Thieves slowly recovered and glared defiantly at the malevolent god.

"If you're a god, you should be guiding humans to your ideals! You're destroying them because you can't do that, aren't you? So that you can flaunt your own existence!" Mona rebuked Yaldabaoth. "That's why you were observing us! You had to! The reaction of the 'masses' worried you!"

"What drivel…" Yaldabaoth scoffed as he cast divine thunder, severely injuring the Phantom Thieves. "Humans are naught but clumps of desire. Logic dictates that a world filled with them will decline."

As hope seemed lost, Mishima rallied all of Tokyo's civilians to send their lights, giving the Phantom Thieves their full one hundred percent. With enough hope accumulated from the masses, it allowed unshackled Arsène's chains, transforming the entity into Ren's Ultimate Persona, Satanael.

The rebellious demon lord towered over the mechanical god of control. Yaldabaoth unleashed Rays of Control once again at the Thieves, but it did not affect them.

"Impossible!" Yaldabaoth bellowed in disbelief.

"Pillage him, Satanael!" Joker exclaimed while his Persona materialized behind him. He then pointed toward the God of Control's direction. "Begone!"

With that said, Satanael fired a Sinful Shell through Yaldabaoth's head, instantly executing the god. As the malevolent god fell, a new dawn commenced. Tokyo's citizens were allowed to make their own choices.

"What power… It surpasses my own… a god born from the wish of the masses… So this… is the true Trickster…! Damn that Igor… It seems he wasn't spouting nonsense…"

Yaldabaoth's last words are spoken before the god faded away, reverting to a non-sapient grail. The conflict was over.


Memory Echo/Present

"Ok, you guys won the day and celebrated, right?" Yumeko said.

"Wait, but what about Akechi Goro? What happened to him?" Mary queried about the ace detective's whereabouts.

"That's right. I only remember Ren being called to testify against Shido and serving some time in juvenile detention, but Akechi was never found," Hifumi said.

Ren addressed their concerns. "Well, this may be hard for you to believe, but that wasn't the end of our story." He faced Hifumi and the gamblers. "None of you would've realized this, but after new years, our reality was being altered by one individual and his Persona."

"Hold on, you guys faced another Persona user after the Yaldabaoth conflict?" Sion asked.

"More like two, but I'll let Ren explain it," Ann said.

"It all started during the start of my time at Shujin. Going back to the Kamoshida situation, I met this very kind-hearted girl named Yoshizawa Kasumi. Since I was her senior, she always called me 'senpai' and we would talk every chance we bumped into each other, which was not too often." Once again, the Memory Echo showed a still image of Ren talking with a petite girl wearing a ponytail. She had a kind smile, giving Sion, Hifumi, and the gamblers a good impression of the girl Ren described.

"After Kamoshida left, a therapist was hired by the school board to speak with students who've faced mental trauma. Most who were abused by Kamoshida were required to see him. That included Ann, Ryuji, and I." The Memory Echo painted a perfect image of what Ren described, a gentleman garbed in a lab coat, wearing glasses and unkempt hair. More still images showed the man speaking with Ren, Ryuji, and Ann.

Hifumi interjected. "Who was this therapist if I may ask?"

"His name was Maruki Takuto, who seemed like a clumsy oaf based on first impressions. After each of us talked to him and addressed our problems, we came to know him better. He especially took a keen interest in me and often asked me to volunteer with his research."

Hearing this, Ryuji reflected and chuckled on his interactions with the therapist. "Heh, that guy loved treating us like little kids. He liked giving us candy, treats, and shit."

"So, why did he take an interest in you, Ren?" Sion asked him.

"Because he saw himself through me. Kasumi also went to see him. Believe it or not, these two knew each other before Maruki came to our school."

"Was she a long time patient of his?" Ryōta queried.

"Yeah, but it gets more complicated. During the rest of the school year, we went to see him. Then, his term with Shujin ended on November 18. He asked me to see him off that day. According to him, he amassed enough data for a project. So, that was the last time I saw him until the new year," Ren went on as the Memory Echo showed still images of the Phantom Thieves meeting Kasumi for the New Year celebration. "It was the best way to start the new year. Since you brought up Akechi, I did see him again. He appeared to me with Sae after we defeated Yaldabaoth. Akechi volunteered to go testify against Shido and serve jail time in my place."

With a befuddled look on her face, Hifumi surmised. "Wait, but how do I not remember this? He would've appeared on television since Shido's confession was a big news story. Unless there was some cognition meddling at play here?"

Makoto nodded. "That's exactly what it was."

"Going back to Kasumi. Before Dr. Maruki left, Kasumi and I fell into a mysterious Palace. It was located at a construction site in Odaiba. There, we protected her from a strange Shadow that Kasumi claimed sounded like her sister. It was then Kasumi tapped into the Metaverse and unlocked her Persona."

The room became engulfed by the white light again, revealing Kasumi in her Metaverse outfit and fighting alongside Joker.


Maruki's Palace (Laboratory of Sorrow)/Flashback

Standing off against the mysterious Shadow, Kasumi, in her Metaverse outfit, summoned her Persona, Cendrillon, to help Joker. After making short work of the Shadow, they returned to their world.

Trying to take everything that occurred, Kasumi asked Ren a bunch of questions. If that wasn't enough, Morgana speaking to her shocked her. The two decided to keep this incident to themselves. Morgana even offered Kasumi a place with the Phantom Thieves, but she initially turned it down but promised to keep Ren's secret safe.


Memory Echo/Present

"Once we entered the new year, strange things happened. The first was Akechi suddenly out of prison, which I even questioned. Then, other out of place events happened before my eyes." He shifted over to Morgana. "One day, I wake up and Morgana is seemingly a human being. I thought, 'hey, you got your wish to become human again', but then I saw several people who by all accounts should've been deceased. The biggest takeaways were Futaba's mother, Haru's father, and Makoto's father not just walking around, but being alive again."

Morgana sighed. "It's hard to believe, but when Ren told me this, I didn't want to believe it."

Futaba nodded. "It sounded like it was too good to be true."

Makoto folded her arms. "Reviving the ones we loved for his fantasized world is wrong."

Haru shook her head. "I do wish father was alive so we could've made amends."

Ann asserted. "And as much as I'd like for Shiho to come back, she left for good reasons. It just wasn't the right time for her to come back to Shujin and be reminded of the anguish she already suffered."

"What do you mean by him, Makoto?" Yumeko asked before realizing it. "Wait, does this have anything to do with that doctor?"

"Good guess, but yes the one who altered our reality was Dr. Maruki," Ren stated as a Memory Echo showed a cinematic scene depicting Joker, Akechi, and Kasumi confronting Maruki inside his Palace. The therapist's outward appearance changed, as his hair was more groomed than before and in a full white doctor garb. "Akechi came to me to verify everything wrong. I verified this after I asked each of my friends. For a time, it seemed like us Thieves were being divided. Akechi said the source of this sudden reality altering came from a Palace. It was the same one Kasumi and I entered a few months prior. With his and Kasumi's help, we infiltrated Maruki's Palace and found him. Maruki revealed that his Persona, Azathoth, which manifested from Adam Kadmon, to resurrect the dead instead of just conjuring cognitive versions of them."

Sion furrowed his brows. "All those deceased people were real?"

"That's what Maruki said. He went far and beyond by altering our entire reality. He linked his Palace directly with Mementos and the real world after we beat Yaldabaoth. Maruki's goal was to end humanity's suffering by granting us eternal happiness." The Memory Echo then showed Kasumi looking up at a big screen being shown her memories and of another girl that resembled her.

Hifumi observed Kasumi breaking down with tears. "Who is she looking at that's making her cry?"

Ren shut his eyes and deeply sighed. "That girl is her sister… Kasumi." As he said this, Sion, Hifumi, and the gamblers turned and faced Ren with bewilderment.

"Come again?" Ryōta asked, just as confused as his friends.

"So, her sister is also Kasumi?! Wow, their parents aren't good with naming their kids," Yumeko said.

Mary groaned. "I doubt that's seriously it, you idiot."

"So, what's the story with Kasumi and her sister?" Sion asked the Phantom Thief leader.

"The Kasumi we've interacted with that whole time was not 'Kasumi'. It's been her younger sister Yoshizawa Sumire. The real Kasumi died after saving Sumire from getting hit by a car. Taking the fall for her sister, Kasumi tragically passed away."

"Oh dear, that's horrible," Hifumi said with sadness in her voice. "How is it she's been able to impersonate her late-sister this whole time?"

"Faced with guilt over her sister's passing, Sumire was inspired to live in Kasumi's place, even going as far as becoming a gymnast in Kasumi's memory. She didn't just want to live her sister's life, she wanted to be Kasumi. So much so, she used Kasumi's image to mask her real insecure self. Maruki took advantage of this. He manipulated and turned Kasumi against us." The Memory Echo showed still images of Joker and Akechi fighting to save Sumire, but her Persona, now evolved into the Ultimate Persona Vanadis.

"But, we all came to his rescue after breaking free from Maruki's reality," Morgana stated.

"Yeah, you thought we were gonna leave ya to fight alone, buddy?" Ryuji grinned at Ren.

"As much as we want our loved ones back, we knew Maruki's reality was wrong," Yusuke said.

"And so we went in and made a grand entrance in grand hero fashion, saving our leader!" Futaba exclaimed.

"Once we stood united, we vowed to not accept Maruki's reality," Makoto affirmed.

"Soon after this, we saved Sumire, who finally accepted who she is and truly awakened. From there, she officially joined our party," Ren stated.

Sion frowned. "So, another madman that wanted to use humanity for his own means? That almost sounds like someone I know."

The Phantom Thief leader clarified. "There's always the other side of this story. We learned Maruki did this because he had a tragic past linked to his former love, who fell into a catatonic depression after her family was murdered. Trying to save his ex-lover, he manifested Adam Kadmon and forged a contract to save the woman from her depression. He used this power to further his research, which shattered his dream of building a cognitive psience research lab. Shido was involved in this decision, yet again destroying someone else's life. Vowing to make the world a better place, he continued to use Adam Kadmon. Then, he met Sumire and used his power on her to make her think she's Kasumi. Though by Sumire's admission, she consented to this procedure. When he came to our school, all those visits helped him assess our Metaverse abilities. He knew from the start he had Personas. Before we headed into battle, our Persona hit their peak and evolved into their Third-tier levels. With our Persona maxed out, we marched right into Maruki's Palace and faced him for the final battle."

Another white flash shrouded the entire space, revealing the Phantom Thieves, along with Akechi and Sumire, faced Maruki.


Maruki's Palace (Laboratory of Sorrow)/Flashback

Having broken into his Palace's stronghold, the Phantom Thieves along with their Third-tier Personas fought Maruki and his Persona Azathoth. Joker and Raoul fought Azathoth head-on. After a hard fought battle, the Thieves left only for Maruki's Persona to evolve into Adam Kadmon, a primordial being with immeasurable power.

Another pressing battle ensued. It seemed the Thieves wouldn't be able to topple Maruki's seemingly invincible Persona, but the Thieves, standing united, pushed back Adam Kadmon's glowing fist of destruction, giving Joker time to scale the behemoth and fire a bullet through its head. As the golden behemoth collapsed, the Thieves escaped leaving Maruki to mull over his defeat.

As Mona transformed into a cat helicopter, he and the Thieves departed, but Maruki seized them. Joker opted to let go and confronted Maruki alone.

"Sorry to cut your flight so short. This place is done for…" Maruki sadly scanned his dream reality collapsing on itself. "Along with the entire reality I dreamed of...:" He dropped his golden staff and faced Joker with guilt. "I… have lost. Even if I were to try that fight over, I'm sure I'd only lose again. So, I know this going to sound pretty stupid. I've been holding this all in for so long, just hiding it from myself… so please…" He pleaded. "Help me kill every last one of my regrets. You're the only one I can ask to help me, Ren."

Ren nodded. "Very well."

Dropping out of his golden suit, Maruki readied a fighting stance. Joker did the same. Suddenly, Joker's mask glowed and faded away.

"The disappearance of my Palace - of the entire Metaverse - is drawing near. Seems like neither of us can summon our Personas anymore. Let's begin." Clenching his right hand, Maruki stormed up and punched Joker's face. "I gave up everything! EVERYTHING! So why?!"

Joker punched him back.

"Why… why Rumi?!" Maruki punched Joker again, who returned the favor with a harder punch. "A reality where… no one suffers…" He backhanded Joker, who then socked him a good one. He then walked forward and stumbled. He screamed with frustration and collapsed. Raising a hand, he touched the air as snowflakes rained on him. He finally resigned. "I'm done. I get it now. All thanks to you."

The ground started to shake and the glass bridge crumbled under Maruki. As the glass platform shattered and gave way, Maruki fell seemingly to his death, but Joker quickly snatched his hand and saved him.

"I said I'm done. Please let go of my hand," Maruki weakly pleaded, gazing pitifully at Joker, who refused to let go.

"I won't let it end like this," muttered Joker.

Maruki smiled. "Your eyes are as bright and honest as ever… you keep your head up, no matter what… I must have always been… afraid… afraid you and I wouldn't wish for the same reality."

The lights from the Mona-copter returned to pick Joker up, distracting Joker and Maruki.

"So bright…"


Memory Echo/Present

"After saving Maruki, reality was reset to normal. I ended up going to juvenile detention after making my testimony against Shido. Akechi, who was supposed to be in my place, vanished without a trace. Along with him, everyone who was revived in the altered reality vanished. Sumire no longer has Kasumi's mask overlayed over her mental state. After serving my time, I reunited with my friends. Even that sentence was short lived. On March 20, 2017, I departed and returned home." Ren finished his story as the Memory Echo showed the Phantom Thief leader leaving with his friends, riding a taxi with Maruki, and later catching his train ride.

"Wow, what an incredible story. Now, I understand you better than I initially did," Hifumi genuinely smiled. "Nice of you to apply my strategies into your decision making and battle skills, Ren."

Yumeko chuckled. "Yes, gee, that was a long story. I just wish I was there to see it all happen!"

Mary turned to Yumeko. "I don't think so. You leading us against all they went through? Hell no."

Makoto folded her arms. "Since we told our story, perhaps you'd like to share yours with us, Sion?"

"Yes, we'd like to learn about your world," Yusuke faced the Revenant.

"I'm sure there's a lot to tell," Ann smiled.

Taking a deep breath, Sion chuckled. "Well, my story isn't anywhere near as long as yours, but I'll do my best."

Hifumi encouraged the Revenant. "Take your time, Sion. We have all day."

Using the Memory Echo to create a visual aid, Sion visually presented the group with still images of a ruined city in a post-apocalyptic world. Surrounding the ruined city is a thick red mist, encompassing the outer perimeters and keeping whatever was outside the city away from it. There was a ravaged cityscape, infrastructure ruins, and a desolate, arid landscape. The next images showed Sion awakening and meeting a pale-skinned woman with beautiful golden eyes.

"I came from the society of Vein," Sion started. "In my dimension, or at least where I came from, humanity had been reduced to a handful. We, Revenants, are the ones at the top of the hierarchy. We survive by drinking blood, whether by drinking humans or by feeding off Blood Beads. Blood Beads were artificially created to help sustain our hunger."

"How did your kind come into existence? You appear human, so did you evolve from humanity?" Haru asked him.

"In a way, we did, but not naturally," Sion then pointed to his chest. "Revenants were once humans. We were fighting battles against the Lost and a greater enemy called the Queen. As a means to better combat these monsters, researchers experimented on life forms called BOR Parasites, which were implanted into human corpses. Over time, these parasites replaced the human hearts and revived the deceased. Those who were revived became Revenants. Once one becomes Revenant, they become physically stronger and can regenerate to insane degrees, but it came with a cost. To survive, we have to drink blood. With humanity scarce as is, Blood Beads were created to substitute for the short blood supply."

Ryuji blinked. "Wait, so you're like the walking dead?"

The Revenant gave a faint smile. "Well, when you put it that way, yeah we are."

"But you have vampire-like characteristics," Makoto pointed out.

"Ouch, I can't imagine having any kind of bug inside my body, let alone replacing my heart?" Ann shuddered. "Doesn't it hurt?"

"I can still feel it move inside me, but no it doesn't hurt," Sion casually patted his own chest.

"What happens if a Revenant doesn't feed?" Mary asked him.

"They become a Lost. But, thankfully I still have some Blood Beads on me."

Hifumi then confessed. "And I'm letting him drink my blood."

Makoto turned to her. "Yes, but you shouldn't overdo it."

The Revenant spoke up. "I warned her already, but she insisted I do it."

"What else is there to know?" Ren asked the Revenant.

"Yeah, what about this red mist?" Morgana eyed the thick, red clouds surrounding the ruined city perimeters.

"That's the Gaol of the Mists. Not long after the Queen died, this city became surrounded by the red mist that you see. Those who try to penetrate it were met with excruciating pain, and nothing outside came in."

"What's outside the mist that needed to be kept out?" Yumeko queried.

"The 'horror's as they call them. They're great beasts with imaginable power," Sion stated as the Memory Echo showed a large black-bodied beast with a white mane and golden spikes jutting out from its backside.

"Holy hell! That thing looks like an Aragami!" Futaba shrieked at the sight of the horror.

"Ara-gami?" Sion blinked.

The hacker waved him off. "It's a God Eater reference, don't mind me!"

"I feel sorry for anyone that has to fight those things," a horrified Ann muttered.

"So, tell me. Does humanity exist elsewhere?" Yusuke queried.

"Outside the Gaol of the Mists, humanity is a lot more common than where I lived. I'm very sure humanity had a share of gruesome battles with the horrors. When we learned of these survivors, my colleagues and I ventured to the outside world to help humanity fight the horrors. On our way, Lost attacked us and then a portal opened up behind me, sending me… well… here." As he faced Hifumi, a faint smile formed on his face.

"And then I found you."

Sion nodded and resumed his story. "Us Revenants were created to fight abominations like the Queen and the horrors."

"And what about this Queen?" asked Haru.

"It's the entity Revenants fought that cost the lives of many, but in the end, the Revenants defeated the Queen and to prevent a needless resurrection her body was divided into parts called Relics." As Sion elaborated, the Memory Echo showed faceless Revenants passing glowing objects to others of their own kind. "A small group of Revenants that were compatible with the Relics. These chosen few had the Relics incorporated into their bodies. These chosen Revenants were called Successors."

"Where were these Successors placed? Because I'm sure having segments of this entity might be dangerous to their well beings," Yusuke addressed his concerns.

"They were placed in isolation and the Successors used their powers to forge crypts."

"Who was that pale-skinned woman we just saw earlier?" Haru asked.

"That is Io, the first Revenant I met after my memory loss."

"She's beautiful," Ann glamorized her.

"Wait, Io. The same Io whose amber Blood Bead I absorbed?" Hifumi recalled taking in Io's life essence when the Yokai and Lost first attacked them.

Sion answered Hifumi. "That's right. Right now you contain her life force and power."

"Of course that would explain why Hifumi can fight with us," Makoto said.

"Io wouldn't be the only Revenant I'd befriend during my journey to restore my memories. I met other Revenants, the very same people I'd befriend. They'd also accompanied me on our adventures." As Sion went on, the Memory Echo unveiled still images of three other Revenants, the same individuals he traveled with and got separated from. The group noted a tall red-haired man, a short blonde-haired woman with papakha hat, and a moderate built young man with short dark brown hair. "Here are my friends. The tall one is Shinonome Yakumo. The woman is Mia Karnstein. And the young man is Louis Amamiya."

Upon hearing this, Ren was startled that someone from Sion's dimension shares his surname. However, he logically considered this being a mere coincidence.

"Whoa, dude. They have someone named Amamiya in their group!" Ryuji reeled with excitement over this startling revelation.

"He was the leader of our unit just like you're the leader of the Phantom Thieves, Ren," the Revenant half-chuckled. "But, I doubt you and him have a familial connection. I don't get the sense you're his ancestor."

Ren casually responded. "I figured that'd be the case. It's just a mere coincidence we share the same surname."

"True, there's plenty of folks here who share similar surnames, but they're no way related," Hifumi verified this notion.

"So, which of these three did you and Io meet first?" Morgana asked the Revenant.

"We happened upon Louis after he saved us when a Revenant named Oliver Collins frenzied and turned into a Lost. After that, he took us to his home and there he introduced us to other Revenants, each one as kind-hearted and willing to lend a helping hand to their own kind." More still images materialized on the walls of their surroundings. Another still image showed an orange-haired young woman with a mask, a large dark brown-skinned man, and a woman with short blonde hair with a hat. The Memory Echo then switched over to Louis introducing Sion and Io to Yakumo. "Then, we met Yakumo, who didn't exactly trust me at first. After seeing me in action and helping Louis out, our bond grew."

"They seem like good people," Ann noted, seeing more still images of Sion and Io interacting with these kind Revenants.

"They are. Of course, we did run into a pair that seemed hostile," Sion said as the Memory Echo showed a man and a woman, both with silverish white hair. "These two are Jack Rutherford and Eva Roux. We'd run into these two a few times. Ultimately, my memories started returning and I seemed to have known Jack. I did eventually recall my memories of him. We knew each other since we fought together to stop the Queen, who had taken possession of a woman named Cruz Silva." The Memory Echo showed Sion and Jack facing a woman with long white hair and uncharacteristic blue eyes. "I remember killing her and she passed her Blood Code onto me. I ultimately inherited her abilities. After taking in some of the Queen's power, Jack and a man named Gregorio Silva initially viewed me as a possible threat." The Memory Echo showed Jack blasting Sion off a cliff, sending him plunging presumably to his demise. A large man with white hair and a beard watched this play out. "But, I survived that fall and was later recovered by Io."

"What's a Blood Code?" Mary queried.

"They're a diverse set of skills and powers. Each Revenant has their own unique Blood Code. Since I took a portion of the Queen's power from that woman, I was spared from frenzying out and becoming a Lost. That's because I have a Void-Type, being able to acquire any Blood Code as I choose." As Sion continued his story, still images of Mia and a little boy appeared. "Ultimately we met Mia, who attacked us thinking we were going to hurt her and her little brother Nicola. After some misunderstanding and another run-in with Jack, Mia started trusting us. We became good friends after we helped her find her brother."

Yusuke added with intrigue. "It's astounding to learn about the culture and lore of your people, Sion. Tell me though, how long has the conflict with the Queen and the Lost lasted?"

"A long time. I can't specify how long it went."

"What about the small group of Revenants who took in the relics? Who were they?" Hifumi asked the Revenant.

"Remember when I mentioned those Successors? Well, here's the ones we met along our journey," Sion said as the Memory Echo unveiled four individuals: Eva, Nicola, a woman with short brown hair, another woman with back-length light brown hair, and another young woman with neck-length dark brown hair. He pointed toward the short dark brown-haired woman. "This is Louis's older sister, Karen Amamiya, and she served as a medic treating Revenants and during the conflicts. After being implanted with a piece of the Queen, she became the Successor of the Heart and she was responsible for producing the Blood Beads."

"And these two?" Makoto pointed to the other two unnamed women.

"The one with the longer hair is Aurora Valentino. She was one of the researchers of Operation Q.U.E.E.N., and became the Successor of the Ribcage," he explained as a still image of a large wolf-like creature materialized over Aurora.

"And what's that giant wolf?" Ann inquired.

"Once a Successor is incorporated with a relic of the Queen, some took on new forms to help cope with their frenzying. We've had to fight these Successors to extract their vestiges and help them regain their lost memories," Sion stated, shifting over to the next Successor. "The little boy I mentioned earlier is Nicola, Mia's younger brother. He became the Successor of the Breath." As the Memory Echo displayed Nicola, a giant armored being with antlers materialized over him.

"Whoa, he looks like that giant suit of armor from that one anime with the alchemists!" Ryōta exclaimed.

Futaba scoffed. "You mean Fullmetal Alchemist?"

"Yeah, that's the one," the male gambler modestly chortled over his short-sighted response.

"Anyway, we helped Mia fight and restore her brother's memories. She almost stayed behind to protect him, but Nicola, that brave little soul, encouraged her to go with us. And she did and we couldn't have been happier to let her run with us," Sion then shifted over toward the dark brown-haired woman. "This is Emily Su, a dear friend of Yakumo. When given a choice between herself and another comrade, she sacrificed herself to become the Successor of the Claw." A large, fierce black cat humanoid with sharp red claws materialized over Emily.

"Yikes, I wouldn't want to get her mad," Ryuji gawked at the sight of the Successor of the Claw.

"She was fierce, but we subdued her and helped her regain her memories. It was nice to see Yakumo and Emily rekindle their bond," Sion smiled as a still image of Eva appeared. "And you know Eva already. She became the Successor of the Throat after Jack extracted a relic from another Revenant. So, she was a more recent Successor than the others. Unlike the others who stayed behind in their crypts after we restored their memories, Eva joined us on our journey."

"Successors, vestiges, relics, Blood Codes, Blood Beads… wow, this is a lot to take in," Makoto muttered.

"I could say the same with your Personas, Palaces, Shadows, Mementos, Metaverse, and all that other stuff, Mako-kins," Sion half-chuckled.

Whipping her hair back, the policewoman scoffed. "Don't get cute with me, vamp boy."

Morgana sighed. "Easy you two."

"All in all, the Successors held the pieces of the Queen to prevent her revival and thankfully that remained the case," Sion stated. Another Memory Echo showed Eva stumbling into the Revenants' quarters. "Eva showed up and told us to find Jack. The reason being? He was pursuing a madman named Juzo Mido."

More still images appeared for all to see, including the end of the fight with the Successor of the Claw. Afterward, Yakumo and Emily bonded after the latter's memories became restored.

"Out of all of us, Yakumo had bad blood with Mido. It all started when Mido adopted orphans so he could conduct horrific experiments on them, turning them into his twisted test subjects. Sadly, Emily was one of his test subjects after implanting her with a relic and turning her into a Successor," Sion said with contempt in his tone.

"This Mido sounds like a mad scientist," Ren said.

"He was more than just that. On top of being the leading researcher, Mido was an ambitious monster in pursuit of evolution over survival. He envisioned Revenants to be the next evolutionary step for humanity. He was also dead set on killing Gregorio and removing the Gaol of the Mist. Although he had a great scientific mind, he didn't care about the betterment of humanity. He saw us Revenants as pawns to achieve his goals," Sion went on describing the malevolent individual. A cinematic scene of a large armored man with a glowing right red eye played out for all to see. "Juzo Mido was more like a dark lord in the making."

Ann shuddered. "He looks creepy."

Yumeko bit her bottom lip. "Yeah, he sure looks scary, doesn't he?"

Hifumi concurred. "Indeed, I can't argue."

Morgana scoffed. "Feh, we faced scarier beings than this guy. Right, Ren?" The Phantom Thief leader acknowledged him with a slight nod.

Ryuji growled. "I hope you guys kicked his ass."

"We did, but it wasn't an easy battle. Before his demise, he did briefly bring down the Gaol of the Mist and infused relics with Gregorio, transforming him into the Skull King. Unfortunately for Mido, the red mist returned, barely keeping out a horror from entering our domain. After we defeated Mido, we rushed to meet Gregorio. However, it was too late. He had already frenzied before we reached him." Another still image showed the Skull King, who the Revenants fought against and defeated. Then, the Skull King underwent another transformation. "Just when it looked like we stopped Gregorio's frenzied state, the monstrosity transformed into a massive beast with an enlarged suction-like mouth, extra pairs of limbs, large wing-like extensions from its back, and long crest-like head. "This is the Virgin Born."

The very sight of this creature rattled the group, putting them at unease.

"That thing looks like a white Xenomorph Queen!" Futaba felt compelled to compare the Skull King's evolved form to the aforementioned movie monster from a well known sci-fi horror franchise.

"Count on you to blurt out a pop culture reference," Yusuke muttered.

"So, what happened next after you defeated this thing?" Makoto asked him.

As he shifted over to Hifumi, Sion explained. "After we stopped the Virgin Born, I had the choice to take the Queen's relic, but Io had the agency to intervene and absorb the Queen's Brain. We tried talking her out of it, but she did it was her responsibility to do so. You see, I didn't get into this, but do you want to know Io's origins?"

Hifumi nodded. "I do since I carry her essence in me. I want to learn about her sacrifice." The Memory Echo showed still images of Io walking past the Revenants and absorbing the Queen's Relic.

Sighing, the Revenant explained with sadness. "Well, you see Io is the embodiment of the Queen's power. She can touch vestiges without side effects. She along with other entities like her were artificially created to be Attendants, who protect the Successors. In the end, Io absorbed all the relics and turned herself into the Weeping Tree, a physical tree of life that will shield the world of Vein and keep me from falling into a deep sleep. Had Io not done so, I would have been asleep for a long time in Gregorio's place."

The Memory Echo then showed Io vanish. In her place was a large pale tree with red beads hanging like fruit. "Io's Weeping Tree has also produced fresh Blood Beads, but the core of her spirit produced the amber Blood Bead. I vowed to protect it, but we know what happened, but listen to me, Hifumi. I don't begrudge you for inheriting Io's power. If Io's essence willfully chose you to contain and utilize her powers, then there had to be a good reason."

Hifumi glanced over her body and sensed Io's essence coursing through her. Adorning her face is a soft smile. "She entrusts me to protect her power. Then, I won't let her sacrifice be in vain."

"What happened to Gregorio? Did he die?" Haru asked about the fate of this Revenant.

"No, he recovered. Soon after, he worked to reestablish the provisional government following the aftermath of our battles. Each of the Successors I mentioned turned back to normal. Thanks to Io's sacrifice, we earned our happy ending, but I'm even happier knowing Io lives on through you, Hifumi."

"Then, I won't let you or her down," the Shogi player openly vowed to him.

"Before I arrived here, my friends and I left behind the world of Vein. We went to find and help the humans against the horrors. Well, as you know, we were ultimately ambushed by some Lost and a portal brought me here, but that's pretty much the end of my story."

Everyone was silent but they were immersed with his backstory. Not even Futaba could offer a witty remark.

"It's incredible you remember all this, y'know since you didn't have all of your memories before," Mary stated.

"Believe me, I've regained a lot of my memories. I only want to find out who or what brought me here and for what purpose," the Revenant replied.

"Don't worry. We'll get to the bottom of it, Sion. Whoever is bringing these monsters into our world will answer to us," Ren promised him.

"And we will bring whoever it is to justice," Morgana nodded.

"But, what I don't get is this individual or whatever came from Sion's world. I can't be Mido since he's dead," Makoto speculated on the perpetrator's identity.

Hifumi said. "Listen, Sion. It can't be long until this individual reveals his or her presence to us."

Leaning his face to his hands, the Revenant sighed. "I hope so."

As the Memory Echo dissipated, the group returned to the restaurant setting. Then, Nekomata appeared before them.

The sagely Yokai cat chimed in, chuckling amusedly. "I see you've learned each other's backstories. Most excellent. Now we can proceed with tomorrow's arrangements at Sankō Shrine, Phantom Thieves and friends. Also to my Guardian Spirit wielders, you three will have two honored guests who will be intrigued to see you."

Clasping her hands, Yumeko gleamed joyously. "Really?! Are they other Guardian Spirit wielders like us?"

"Heheh, you'll see tomorrow."

Ryōta speculated. "Gee, who would they be?"

Mary added with interest. "We'll find out tomorrow."

"Also to you, young Sion. Don't feel discouraged. With time, we will unveil the identity behind this individual behind the Yokai and Lost incursions, as well as learning why you were brought to this world."

The Revenant vaguely smiled. "Thank you, Nekomata."

"Also, young Amamiya Ren, Igor of the Velvet Room wishes to see you tomorrow."

Upon realizing this, Ren rubbed his chin. Morgana turned up to him in question.

"What do you think he wants, Ren?"

"There's only one way to know. Another stop inside the Velvet Room."


Chapter Soundtrack

Persona 5 OST - Alright- The protagonists celebrating in a restaurant.
Code Vein OST - Memory of the Lost - Entering the Memory Echo. Sion tells his backstory to the Phantom Thieves in the Memory Echo concerning the beginning with his friends and first events of restoring bloodsprings and finding the source.
Persona 5 OST - Blooming Villain- The flashback battles against Shadow Kamoshida and Shadow Madarame.
Persona 5 OST - Keeper of Lust- The flashback battles against Shadow Kaneshiro, Cognitive Sphinx, and Shadow Okumura.
Sawano Hiroyuki - Tears Of The Dragon - Team Medical Dragon 3 OST - The flashback battles against Shadow Sae and Akechi.
Persona 5 OST - Rivers In the Desert - The flashback battle against Shadow Shido.
Persona 5 OST - Jaldabaoth- The flashback battle against Yaldabaoth.
Persona 5 OST - Our Beginning - The flashback of Satanael killing Yaldabaoth.
Persona 5 Royal OST - Gentle Madman- In the present, the Thieves discuss the third semester events leading to the flashbacks.
Persona 5 The Royal OST - Throw Away Your Mask- The flashback of the third semester and the final battle against Maruki.
Code Vein OST - Requiem -Peace & Light- - Sion tells his backstory to the Phantom Thieves in the Memory Echo concerning the Successors.
Code Vein OST - Colossus - Sion tells his backstory to the Phantom Thieves in the Memory Echo concerning Juzo Mido.
Code Vein OST - King of the Shingai - Sion tells his backstory to the Phantom Thieves in the Memory Echo concerning Io's origins and the confrontation with the Skull King/the Virgin Born.
Amber Journey (Instrumental Alt.) - Code Vein - Sion tells his backstory to the Phantom Thieves in the Memory Echo concerning Io becoming the Weeping Tree and the ending.
Persona 5 OST - Sunset Bridge- After the experience discussing each other's backstories.


A/N: After a big brawl against Lost and Yokai, our group gets some R&R while dining and hanging at a local place. Then, the Thieves and Sion are shown each other's backstories through the Memory Echoes used in Code Vein. Yumeko and her friends briefly show off pictures of their classmates (the other cast members in Kakegurui/XX).

With the Memory Echoes, this chapter also served to recap the Phantom Thieves' stories and relationships, including the Royal and Scramble events by showing rather than just telling. Albeit, Royal gets more attention here since I am using Sumire while Scramble characters yet have to show up. This also serves to better comprehend the Code Vein lore as it pertains to Sion (the 'Unnamed Protagonist'). The CV lore also shows the Thieves and the readers the other Revenants that Sion already knows and has encountered. Hifumi also learns about Io and her role in Sion's life. Haha, leave ti Futaba to toss in movie, anime, and video game references during storytime.

Specifically for Joker vs. Akechi and Shadow Shido, I based their scenes from Persona 5: The Animation - Dark Sun OVA. Right down to the exact Personas that Joker used to fight those two.

By the way, this should confirm that God Eater is not an official part of the Akane no Mai continuity, despite CV being part of the GE franchise and the confirmed existence of the Aragami (the horrors) in CV. GE is a just video game franchise in this story.

Now that the Thieves and Gamblers get a better understanding of their Revenant friend, the story can move forward to some intel gathering from certain spirits and a beak-nosed man inside a room full of velvet. And of course some more R&R in between.

That's all that's needed to be said, Leave a comment and review!