Ace In The Hole

by eiranerys

Shido has barred the Shadow Operatives from action for two years. But when the Phantom Thieves appear, Mitsuru decides that they have to take action. Luckily, there's a certain former member Shido doesn't seem to be aware of: Ken Amada. But when Ken meets the Phantom Thieves in person, he can't help but agree with their goals. He can't help but befriend them. Phantom Thief!Ken AU.

52. Ch 51: Into The Depths

Important Note: Please check out Chapter 23 of Ace in the Hole, Enter Noir, the Phantom Thief. There have been changes made to that chapter in order to tie in better with Morgana's character arc.

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Chapter 51

Into The Depths

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Sunday, December 18th, 2016

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Group Chat: The Real Phantom Thieves of Hearts

Futaba: Election Day is upon us!

Makoto: Unfortunately, public opinion hasn't changed at all. Shido will most likely win in a landslide victory.

Yusuke: It seems his change of heart will be coming too late.

Anne: We'll just have to see what happens. We've done all we can.

Yusuke: That reminds me, the video of us declaring war against him never showed up on TV.

Ryuji: Seriously!?

Haru: I was wondering about that.

Futaba: The TV stations were probably pressured not to show it.

Makoto: Most likely. I don't think that's something Shido's influence alone could have accomplished. The true cause of this might exist elsewhere…

Ken: Yeah it's… unsettling. Shinjiro-san told me that a lot of Crossroad's regulars have been discussing the election and they keep talking about how Shido is their salvation

Ren: He's got them fooled… It's creepy how much faith they've got in him

Ryuji: I mean, all we can do now is wait for the change of heart, yeah? They'll realize how much he's fooled 'em then!

Futaba: Yep.

Haru: Let's wait for the election results as well.

Ren lowered his phone, letting out a sigh. He should be happy but… he couldn't shake off this weird feeling for whatever reason. He had slept horribly last night, and he even had a bad dream…

He couldn't remember it all, but the bottom line was that their efforts had been all for nothing.

"Ren?" Morgana asked.

Ren took in a shaky breath before giving him a weak smile. "Sorry, Morgana… It's just—it's nerve-racking."

Morgana sighed. "I don't blame you. And the voting is still going on... But try to keep yourself occupied until then. Keep your mind off of things."

Ren sighed to himself. He really wished it was that easy…

---

It was dark by the time Goro emerged into the real world. A frigid wind swept through the air, making Goro shiver. He hastened to find a lone alley.

He needed to get some food and drink and get back into the Metaverse.

He reached up and touched his hair. His hairstyle was part of what made him so easily identifiable. He had taken a rubber band from Sae-san's place for this purpose, in fact. He reached up, gathering his hair together and pulling it into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck.

Luckily his coat was a part of a school uniform so hopefully people wouldn't scrutinize him too closely.

He checked his wallet. There were a handful of one thousand-yen bills, but it wouldn't last him for long. He would have to dip into that secret bank account that he had made in case of emergencies soon.

He unlocked his phone to open up his Zoogle Maps app and his heart just about jumped into his throat as he saw what the date was.

It was Election Day. What happened to Shido?

He looked up Shido quickly in his web browser app and he could see some reports about Shido's confession. So… they had really done it.

It took some digging, but he managed to find a video of Shido's 'confession'.

He started out with his usual sucking up attitude, thanking people for their support. Goro scowled at it. Typical Shido…

That was when Shido's expression suddenly wavered. "But this is why… I cannot forgive myself!"

Goro stared. He knew this was the nature of changing hearts. But it was so jarring, coming from Shido's mouth.

"The reason why President Okumura passed away this past October… I'm the one responsible for it! I had himkilled! That's not all… I also manipulated the information that the Phantom Thieves were behind the series of incidents. The one who controlled the hearts of others and gave rise to the countless victims… is me. It was all for my own promotion… for my own selfish gain. I was so obsessed with power that I didn't care the cost. No price too high if I could attain my goal. I was so blind. I had convinced myself that I was the only one who could save Japan."

Goro slowly exhaled. The look on Shido's face was… earnest. He just… didn't know how to process this.

"I've even used people's lives as stepping stones in order to claim this country as my own ship. I am a true criminal that can be tried for any crime, and it still wouldn't be enough! I'm not sure what would be enough…" Shido trailed off before staring straight at the camera. "I will confess everything, I swear it! I just beg of you all to pass judgment on me. I want to atone for my sins. I know you had faith in me as someone who can help the country as a whole but the man you thought I was… doesn't exist. I'm a criminal, a crook who has used countless people to get what I want…"

A lump had formed in Goro's throat. He had spent so long hating this man. He still did but… watching him beg for forgiveness just made him feel hollow.

That was it? He couldn't help but feel utterly foolish about the goal he's been chasing for so long.

"So please! I beg of you… Punish me for all of my misdeeds. Pass judgment on me! I'm no savior, just a pathetic man who couldn't accept defeat. I only rose to my current position due to me engaging in truly horrible methods. If I could atone for all I've done with my life, I request that I be judged at once…"

But then the video suddenly cut out.

"That… That can't be it," Goro muttered out, a frown forming on his face.

A quick scour of the articles covering the election gave him nothing. Were Shido's men scrambling to cover the truth right now then?

It wasn't over then… He had to remain in hiding. Shido might have had a change of heart, but it seemed that Shido's toadies were scrambling to pick up the slack in their desperation to not be condemned.

It didn't involve him anymore. Not if Goro had anything to say anything about it. He was determined to wait this out.

Survival was the only thing that mattered.

---

"So, it's truly over now?"

On the other end, Amada just pressed his lips together.

"Well, there's still the case against Shido," Amada said carefully. "He needs to be tried for his crimes. Niijima-san said that she would build the case, so I think it's just a matter of time."

Mitsuru couldn't help but sigh to herself, albeit quietly. She understood the reasoning but… she wanted Shido to be punished now. Though she supposed… since she's been waiting for over two years for this man to get his comeuppance, she could afford to wait a little while longer.

"We also discussed it and I'll be going back to school tomorrow too," Amada said.

Mitsuru let out a thoughtful hum. "I'm glad to hear it. Your exams are coming up, no?"

Amada rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, it starts up on the nineteenth. I've been studying but I don't think I'll do as well as I usually do."

"I think you should have more faith in yourself, Amada," Mitsuru gently chided. "Just try to relax for now."

"I'm surprised that you know the meaning of 'relax'." Shinjiro suddenly appeared in view, smirking at Mitsuru.

Mitsuru glowered at him. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Can't deny it, huh?" Shinjiro snarked.

"Enough, you two," Amada spoke up, shooting Shinjiro an irate look. "It's been a long day, waiting for any news about Shido. Can you not fight for once?"

"My apologies, Amada," Mitsuru sighed out, immediately feeling guilty.

She fought the urge to make a barb at Shinjiro, but Amada did request that they dial back on their bickering. Shinjiro just crossed his arm over his chest, letting out a huff in response.

Amada just sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"It's fine. It's just been nerve-wrecking to wait for the news." He then smiled. "I'm glad though… It's almost over."

It's been nearly eight months since Minako had suggested sending Amada to Tokyo in order to investigate the Phantom Thieves and the then-unknown Shadow nest, but that almost felt like a lifetime ago. So much had happened since then.

"You've done a marvelous job though, Amada," Mitsuru said. "With this mission, I mean. I had always assumed that the intel you gathered us would be centered around the Phantom Thieves and yet… you've exceeded all expectations. You even helped take down Shido."

Amada's face went pink. "I didn't do much."

Oh, she doubted that. After all, it wasn't for Amada… who knew what they would've thought about the Phantom Thieves? Especially with how Shido framed the Phantom Thieves for Okumura's death…

As much it frustrated Mitsuru to be on the sidelines, she was glad to have an insider so that she was at least in the loop.

"You know too much modesty is a bad thing, right?" Shinjiro snarked.

Amada snapped to attention, glowering at Shinjiro. "Too much sarcasm is a bad thing too."

"You're one to talk, Ken."

"I'm nowhere near as bad as you, Shinjiro-san!"

Mitsuru sighed, resting her cheek into her palm as Shinjiro and Amada continued to squabble. Though she supposed it was nice in a way. A sense of normalcy, you could say. She then coughed, pointedly clearing her throat.

Amada smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Mitsuru-san."

"It's all right, Amada. But I was thinking… since Shido's arrest is eminent, it might be safe for us to return to Tokyo at long last."

But Amada frowned at that. "Hmm… shouldn't you play it safe until Shido's arrest is official, at least?"

Mitsuru raised an eyebrow. She couldn't help but feel a bit amused at that. Amada wouldn't have pushed back against her just a few months ago. But now… he was more vocal about his opinions.

Amada had truly changed over the past few months. She had thought that he had matured over the past few years with his healing from the trauma of his mother's death. But the last half-year had really pushed him beyond his boundaries and Amada had truly flourished.

She had to admit that she still couldn't help but think of the small, scarred child she had met over seven years ago. But she was forced to see now that he was now a young man who had grown in his own. The Phantom Thieves had truly helped him grow. It only occurred to her now that Amada would soon graduate from high school.

It was… a bittersweet feeling.

"Earth to Mitsuru?" Shinjiro suddenly spoke up, his voice dry.

Mitsuru snapped to attention. "Yes… I'm sorry, Shinjiro, Amada. I was just… thinking."

"And you're zoning out like that?" Shinjiro finished. "But it's fine. Is everything good on your end?"

Amada frowned. "You shouldn't push yourself so hard, Mitsuru-san."

Mitsuru sighed, running a hand through her hair. "For now. Though I will have to work to reinstate the Shadow Operatives in Tokyo soon enough."

"You could always have others help," Shinjiro reminded. "You're a leader, so delegate."

Mitsuru let out a chuckle. "That is true, I just… I can't help but get involved. But as for Amada's point, it is quite reasonable. Although I do hope that Shido's arrest will happen soon. Yamagishi mentioned wanting to have a New Year get-together, but I suppose you could at least come to Port Island for that."

"That sounds nice," Amada said.

"Sure would beat Tokyo's crazy crowds," Shinjiro grumbled out. "Do you even have any plans with the others, Ken?"

Mitsuru chuckled. She knew well enough that Shinjiro despised how packed Tokyo was; she had for years, since Shinjiro wasn't shy about vocalizing his opinion of Tokyo when he had first visited Yamagishi during her first year of university. He definitely preferred how Port Island was more of a suburban area. It was a bit amusing to know that Shinjiro put up with Tokyo because of Amada, however.

Amada shook his head. "We haven't talked about it."

"You can forget about seeing him during Christmas though," Shinjiro said. "He's being super secretive about what he's planned for Makoto and fretting if his gift for her is good enough—"

"Oh, shut up Shinjiro-san!" Amada practically growled at him, glaring daggers at Shinjiro. "I don't go poking my nose into what you have planned for Fuuka-san! And who are you—Minako-san?!"

This led to another round of bickering and this time Mitsuru couldn't stifle her laughter.

---

Monday, December 19th, 2016

---

It was weird, coming back to school after so long. Ren gave a tired yawn as he slowly trudged to the school gates. Morgana had to get him up today. He was so sleepy…

Ren stopped short, blinking at the sight in front of his eyes. For some reason… there was a small crowd forming.

"Amada-senpai, what happened?! You were gone for a month!"

"It must've been so serious!"

"Did you hear about Shido, though, Amada-kun?!"

Oh, that explained it. Though for obvious reasons, Ren couldn't help but think that he wouldn't get the same treatment as Ken. Ren craned his neck to see that Ken had a polite smile plastered on his face as he answered the questions thrown at him with some B.S. lie; but you could see that he was looking for a way to escape, with how his eyes would occasionally dart away from the girls.

"Uh… do you think we should save him?" Morgana piped up.

He looked down to see Morgana leaning halfway out of his schoolbag, his eyes filled with concern. Ren nodded before pushing his way through the crowd.

"Ken! It's good to see you!" Ren greeted him. "How was Port Island?"

He had to keep in mind that he supposedly hadn't seen Ken for a month. It was kinda weird to have to play into the façade like this, since it had been up to his friends to act like nothing was wrong.

Ken jumped at the sound of Ren's voice, but relief suddenly flooded his face.

"O-Oh, Ren! Port Island was fine…"

Ren then grabbed Ken by the arm.

"That's great! You gotta tell me more about it!" Ren said.

Without another word, he dragged Ken into the school building.

Once Ren released him, Ken's shoulders suddenly slumped with relief. "Thank goodness you showed up."

"That bad, huh? Must be so terrible to have girls fawn over you like that," Ren teased before pretending to think about it. "Then again… you probably only want a certain girl to fawn over you, huh?"

Ken sputtered. "Makoto doesn't fawn over me!"

"Who said anything about Makoto?" Ren asked innocently.

"Who else would it be you're implying?" Ken pointed out the obvious with annoyance, "I am dating only one girl."

"True, you don't strike me as the harem protagonist type."

Ken glowered at him, making Ren flash a grin at the older boy. Morgana just sighed and rolled his eyes.

"What are you up to now, Ren?"

Makoto was standing behind Ren, eyebrows raised at him.

"Makoto!" Ken smiled at her.

"I was wondering what was keeping you," Makoto said, taking Ken's hand and smiling at him.

"Ren just teasing Ken as usual," Morgana supplied with a roll of his eyes.

Makoto's expression grew unimpressed. "Somehow, I'm not surprised."

Ren sighed. "This is the last time I rescue you like that."

Makoto frowned. "Rescue?"

"Ken got mobbed by girls earlier," Morgana piped up.

Ken shot Morgana a dirty look, but the feline didn't bat an eye. Ken then let out a frustrated sigh.

"It never ends…" Ken grumbled.

"You know, a lot guys would love to be in your shoes," Ren couldn't help but tease.

"Yeah, well, I'm not like them," Ken huffed out.

Makoto watched in amusement, even as she shook her head.

"Come on, let's head to the classroom," she suggested.

"So Ken needs an escort now huh?" Ren mused.

Ken glared at him for the crack, but Ren just held up his hands, unabashed.

"Just calling it how it is."

Ken looked like he wanted to retort but Ren perked up at the sound of Anne's voice.

"Ren!"

He spun around, catching Anne in his arms. She giggled, beaming at him.

"I missed you so much!" she said, for the sake of the people looking in.

"Missed you too," Ren said with a warm smile.

Ken and Makoto took the opportunity to slip away but Ren didn't mind. Even though Anne had visited him a lot during the past month, he had really missed this.

Ren had to agree with Ken though, he wouldn't want to be like most guys who wish for girls fawning after him either. He had eyes for no one but Anne.

The two locked hands and walked down the hall together. Things were starting to be normal again and Ren couldn't be more grateful.

---

Wednesday, December 21st, 2022

---

"When are you coming back, Big Bro?"

"Come on, Nanako, don't pressure him. College exams are no joke!"

Yu laughed as his cousin turned to his uncle with a pout on her face.

"I was just asking!" she said.

"It's okay, Uncle," Yu said, raising a hand; he then offered his uncle and cousin a small smile. "I'm looking forward to coming back to Inaba. But it does give me some more time to bring back some more snacks…"

Nanako's eyes lit up at that. "Really, Big Bro?"

"Yep, I picked up the nama yatsuhashi you like so much, Nanako. Consider it an additional late birthday present."

He had started with bringing Nanako some snacks from Tokyo that you couldn't find in Inaba, like Tokyo bananas. When he started at Kyoto University, he had continued the tradition but with Kyoto snacks.

"It's not like you sent her an entire care package for her actual birthday," Uncle muttered under his breath, but he couldn't stop the smile from tugging at his lips.

"You're the best, Big Bro!" Nanako cheered, her brown eyes shining. "I can't wait for you and Big Sis to come back!"

"Not to mention Yosuke, Chie, Naoto… But I'm planning to get there in the afternoon on the twenty-third." Yu said with a chuckle.

"Oh, I can't wait!" Nanako practically bounced in her seat. "What about Big Sis?"

"Rise said that she's working until midday on the twenty-third, so she's planning on coming in the morning after." Yu answered.

Rise sounded tired but happy with her work. He was so proud of his girlfriend. Her graduation to a full-fledged singer had launched her into further popularity—but that made her pretty busy.

"Oh, how's your book coming along, Big Bro?" Nanako asked.

Yu smiled. He was currently writing a mystery novel—he realized he couldn't keep away from mysteries after the huge mystery he had been entangled in. He had considered going into police work, but he ultimately decided that it wasn't for him. Besides, it would allow him to travel with Rise during her tours. Now that they could finally be open about their relationship, Yu was just glad that they could show it to the entire world.

Yu smiled at his little cousin. "It's coming along, Nanako. I think it'll be ready to be sent to publishers soon."

"That's great, Yu!" Uncle said with a smile.

Nanako opened her mouth to say something but then her eyes went round; she then let out a little squeak before clasping her hands to her face.

"Oh no! It's already five?! Miwa-chan is going to kill me! I'm late for our study group!"

Nanako darted off the screen for several seconds before popping back into view. A schoolbag was hanging off her shoulder.

"Bye Big Bro! Bye Dad! Love you! See you soon!"

Without another word she zipped away. A moment later, Yu heard her open the door and then slam it close.

"That girl…" Uncle shook his head, but a fond smile tugged at his lips. "She's growing up too fast."

Yu just laughed. He was always happy to talk to Nanako though. He missed everyone so much, but he couldn't deny that his little cousin held a special part of his heart. A part of him still saw her as the sweet little seven-year-old, though.

"Soon you'll be beating the boys away with a stick," Yu said with a teasing smile.

Uncle snorted at that, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll counting on you for help to deal with that."

Well… only someone very special deserved Nanako. He would be glad to aid Uncle in that.

"Of course." Yu readily agreed, before tilting his head. "But enough about that… how are you, Uncle?"

Uncle sighed, shaking his head. "Same old, same old. Things around Inaba have been a little slow. The other day, I had to chase off some hooligans who thought they could parkour into Junes for… what—I've got no clue."

Yu couldn't help but laugh at the mental image. The weird thing was… he could easily see Ren pulling that. The younger Wild Card crossed Yu's mind from time to time.

He hoped that his words stayed in Ren's mind. He didn't need to 'measure up'. He had been certainly startled when he met Minako-san, but they had been evenly matched in the TV world. Yu had barely managed to eke out a win from the female Wild Card.

"The older guys though…" Uncle was speaking again, making Yu straighten up. "They've been so focused on the election. They keep saying that Shido should stay in power, though. Even though he confessed to really awful crimes…"

Yu blinked, his hands curling around his kneecaps.

"Something's not right about that…" Yu thought, his brows furrowing together.

He straightened up, forcing himself to not tense up. Uncle had continued to talk.

"There's a lot of fuss about his confession. They're claiming that Shido's not feeling well but something's up." Uncle frowned at that before scratching at the back of his head. "I can't imagine what exactly is going on, though."

The calling card still burned in the back of Yu's mind. That had been… something. Rather brazen of the Phantom Thieves to pull that trick, gloating that they had backed Shido into a corner.

At least they did it with style.

"They keep going on and on about how Shido's the only one who can save this country. I have to wonder where they got that idea."

Yu could only shrug before forcing a smile on his face. He didn't want Uncle to pick up on his discomfort.

"Who knows, Uncle?"

Something was going on… but what exactly? Yu had a gut feeling that there was more to this strange behavior but… what could he do about this?

---

Friday, December 23rd, 2016

---

"The Phan-Site traffic is completely dead?!"

"Not so loud, Ryuji," Ken scolded.

Ryuji smiled sheepishly before mumbling out an apology. Ren glanced around for a moment to see if they were looking at their group. Weirdly enough… everyone was just walking by, completely ignoring Ryuji's outburst. Ren shook his head before looking back to his friends.

Ken sighed, before leaning against the railing and looking at Ren. "I'll admit that it's a bit weird but I'm not sure if it's as big of a deal as Mishima-san is saying."

Makoto's expression suddenly grew troubled. "But if the public isn't kicking up a fuss, does that mean Shido will still become Prime Minister?"

"But you heard Shido's public confession. He doesn't want to be prime minister," Anne pointed out.

Makoto's expression darkened and one hand clenched into a fist. "But his 'friends' do."

"That's just bullshit!" Ryuji protested before a scowl formed on his face. "With everything he confessed, he should be fired!"

Yusuke's gaze traveled past the railing before he stiffened. "Everyone… look at the monitor."

Ren followed Yusuke's line of sight, sucking in a breath at the news.

"They've announced the poor health of their leader, Masayoshi Shido. As such, the special Diet session was postponed, along with Shido's inauguration as prime minister."

"P-Postponed?" Makoto parroted.

"Hang on…" Anne's eyes narrowed before clenching her hands into fists. "Why are they suddenly claiming 'poor health'?"

Makoto said. "This isn't what Sis said… Did she lie to me…?"

"M-Mako-chan…" Haru said.

"I think Niijima-san said that to not to worry you." Ken's voice turned soothing before he placed a hand on Makoto's still balled up fist.

He ran his thumb over Makoto's hand several times and slowly the tension eased from Makoto's shoulders. But she still looked troubled.

Makoto bit her lip for a second before closing her eyes. "Doesn't she see that makes me worry more…?"

Before anyone else could speak, a conversation suddenly caught their attention.

"So Shido-san's having health issues?"

Ren turned his head to see a couple businessmen discussing Shido.

The second businessman nodded. "I heard he had barely slept during the election. I don't blame him."

His companion rubbed his chin for a moment. "He's not going to step down now, is he? Will this country be fine without Shido?"

Were people really saying this?! It took all of Ren's willpower to not storm up to him and repeat the truth about Shido. Anne reached out, touching his balled-up fist.

Ren forced himself to take a deep breath. He didn't want Anne—or any of his friends, for that matter—to worry about him.

Yusuke stared after the two businessmen, his lips forming a deep frown.

"How can they still believe in him?" He kept his voice low, but disdain still crept into Yusuke's voice.

Anne sighed, pulling out her phone. She was quiet as she scrolled through her feed, only for her to gasp. Her phone suddenly slipped from her fingers.

"Anne, what's wrong?" Ren asked.

Anne had turned as white as a sheet. She let go of Ren's hand, now pressing it against her mouth. She slowly lowered it. She looked at them with her eyes wide.

"The Phantom Thieves… they're being treated like they never existed!" she blurted out.

"What?!" Ryuji sputtered out.

He then whipped out his phone. Everyone else pulled out their phones to verify what Anne had said. Anne quickly bent down to retrieve her phone.

"Goodness…" Morgana uttered, leaning out to look at Ryuji's phone.

Haru began to read aloud. "There is no link among the 'change of heart' incidents, only coincidental psychiatric disorders. The Phantom Thieves only used those rumors to their advantage…"

Yusuke frowned. "This is preposterous. Who would believe such things?"

Futaba's forehead wrinkled as she stared down at her phone screen. "But the person saying this is a famous researcher. And even the ministry is saying that's how they determine the situation too…"

"So that's their game?" Ken muttered out, his mouth forming a grim line.

Ren asked. "But how could the public believe this so easily? There are forums, articles, even videos about this crap… This doesn't make any sense!"

Ren had to fight to keep the panic from seeping into his voice. He couldn't help but shake a little. What the hell… Stealing Shido's heart was supposed to fix things! If anything, things had worsened.

Had everything they had done up till now been meaningless?

Haru just sighed. "Ren-kun…"

To make things worse, there were more people walking by, lightheartedly discussing Shido. One of them talking about Shido being their savior just made Ren sick.

Morgana looked up at them. "It's as if the people in reality have become distorted… What's happening here worries me. But the only thing we can do right now is wait and see what happens—"

Makoto pulled out her phone. "I'm messaging Sis about this. We need the whole story… now."

But then Ken's phone went off. He blinked before pursing his lips together. His expression grew pensive before he finally took the call.

"Shinjiro-san? Is something the matter?"

"What's going on?" Ryuji hissed at Ken, but Anne quickly shushed him.

Ken was quiet as he listened to what Shinjiro-san was saying, but Ren noticed that Ken was clenching his jaw and his fingers were tightening around his phone. Whatever Shinjiro-san was saying… it wasn't good news.

"I see… I'll tell everyone." Ken slightly nodded. "I'll see you soon… Bye."

Ken looked at Ryuji. "We need to go to Leblanc. Shinjiro-san says it's urgent."

When they entered Leblanc, the atmosphere was tense. Morgana poked his head out from Ren's bag, staring at Sae first. The prosecutor had her lips pursed tightly, a look of regret on her face.

"Sis?" Makoto spoke hesitantly. "What's wrong?"

Sae sighed, pressing a hand against her face. "There's… no easy way to say this. But Shido's men are throwing up barriers left and right. They're claiming that Shido needs a psychiatric evaluation. They've been wary of me ever since the fallout after your escape from assassination, what with my 'change of heart' and all. They don't want me anywhere near this case."

"So… you're saying that the case against Shido is in danger," Yusuke said, his face growing pale.

"That's ridiculous!" Haru's face became furious, and her hands clenched into fists. "We know he doesn't need a psychiatric evaluation!"

Sojiro sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "His lackeys must've pressured the others around him. It means there's far more people who'd be in trouble if the truth came out than we imagined."

"It's always something," Shinjiro said bitterly.

Ken's eyes lingered on his guardian for a moment but remained silent. But the tightening of his lips told Morgana everything.

"So after everything he's still going to be prime minister?" Ren spat out.

Ken muttered. "Except he'll be just a puppet. Like how the shoguns used to hold the real power in history and the emperors were just figureheads."

"And that means Shido's men will be after us, to get rid of their biggest problem."

Ren's entire frame grew tense at his statement. Anne gave him a concerned look, reaching out to squeeze his arm.

"Isn't there anything we can do? I mean, there has to be something!" Desperation seeped into her voice; Anne's voice cracked at the last word, belying her fear.

Morgana's mind was racing. Anne was right, there had to be something. But what?

"Sis said that the assembly for a case may be possible if the general public wants Shido accountable…" Makoto suddenly spoke up, rubbing her chin as she thought; then she let out a deep sigh. "But even that chance has been destroyed with the manipulation of the mass media. They made it clear that the argument itself was 'occult', even claiming that it never happened."

The general public. That's when it clicked in Morgana's mind.

That was it! That could be the key to fixing this! They could go into Mementos. But… they'd probably have to steal the Treasure or whatever they found there. They would most likely destroy Mementos in order to fix the mess they had found themselves in.

It would make it impossible to pursue any more criminals with their usual methods.

Would his friends even agree to that?

And… they would find out the truth about him…

Despite his friends' reassurances, Morgana couldn't help but feel afraid. What was waiting for them within the depths of Mementos?

What if… he was truly a monster?

"Occult?" Shinjiro repeated, snapping Morgana out of his thoughts. "What do you mean?"

Ken winced. "There are claims that the changes of heart are nothing but a hoax. But there's more than that—people are still thinking that Shido is their savior."

"It's freaky," Futaba mumbled out.

"But beyond that, it's almost like the mass population suddenly has a common sentiment," Ken continued. "People have been talking about what good Shido would do constantly. Though people suddenly treating the Phantom Thieves like a hoax is what really bothers me. It's like a sudden switch was turned on."

Futaba looked up suddenly; she had been fiddling with her phone just a little earlier.

"Umm… there's more. It's a storm of criticism online too. People are saying to catch the remnants and execute them…"

"So we either don't exist or we're criminals of the highest caliber." Ren suddenly sighed. "I dunno which I prefer."

"I mean I kinda prefer the former, I'd rather not be hunt down like some kind of rabid animal that needs to be put down," Futaba mumbled.

Ryuji suddenly let out a growl of frustration, slamming his fist on the table. The force made several people flinch. "Everyone's being tricked so easily! Why the hell did we risk our goddamn lives over?!"

Yusuke grimaced. "If Shido isn't judged by the law, everything we've done will be treated as if it never happened."

Makoto sighed. "Moving the entire country however they wish by controlling people's cognition. This is no different than being inside a Palace. Wait… is such a thing even possible?"

Sae's gaze just lowered to the ground, her hand clenching around the strap of her handbag.

"I'm so sorry. I know that you were depending on me to build up the case against Shido. At this rate, it won't end with just Shido's innocence. This trend will continue spiraling down. There's even the possibility that crimes using the Metaverse will advance onto a national scale."

Morgana swallowed hard as he watched panic blossom over everyone's faces.

"Shit…" Ren uttered.

"But how?! They don't even have Akechi to help them anymore! That punk disappeared! No one knows where he is!" Ryuji exclaimed.

Sae sighed, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm not sure, but the public's reaction isn't normal. I don't have proof but I feel the Metaverse is somehow involved. But that's not what I'm here to tell you. We're in danger because we know the truth. It's only a matter of time before we're apprehended. It wouldn't be odd if they were to charge in now."

Ryuji scowled. "This makes no effin' sense… what proof do they have?!"

Sae hung her head. "There's nothing more I can do with my resources. That's why… I want to ask for your help. I wondered if there was any way you could do something one last time. I know that I'm in no position to ask this of you. I know that I promised that I would step up, since you've fought so hard but I—"

"It's not your fault, Sis," Makoto spoke up. "It's been taken out of your hands…"

Anne nodded vigorously, her pigtails bouncing slightly. "Yeah! And that doesn't matter to us!"

She then frowned.

"Question is… what are we gonna do? Should we change the hearts of all Shido's followers?"

Ken shook his head, his mouth a grim line. "Too little time. We would need to go into the Palaces of every single one of them and you know how much time we have to spend in just one."

"Besides that, there's too little information to go off on," Futaba sighed before she glared. "Those bastards… I wouldn't be surprised if they somehow used my mom's research for this."

"Oh Futaba…" Makoto said sadly.

"I wouldn't be surprised to be honest, Shido's palace exploded around us before it was supposed to and his shadow just evaporated unnaturally right before that. There is no telling what they learned from your mom's research." Ren nodded.

Shinjiro narrowed his eyes and said in disgust, "And who knows how many former Kirijo Group scientists Shido had employed with him. There is no telling what they figured out what to accomplish with her research. Akechi was probably just a tip of the iceburg of what Shido had at his disposal."

Yusuke cleared his throat.

"I'm afraid Ken is right, we can only target individuals…" Yusuke's voice trailed off before his expression grew troubled. "Are we no match against the national power?"

His friends' faces fell at that. But it was Ren's expression that got to Morgana. It was so bleak and hopeless. This was Ren's fears coming true.

He couldn't stay silent any longer.

"Mementos."

"Wait, you think that Shido's followers wouldn't have Palaces yet?" Ken asked. "They're just Mementos targets?"

Morgana shook his head. "No, it wouldn't be like the targets we went after Mementos. Remember, Mementos is the Palace of the general public. It's the source of all distortions and is maintained by the people's 'collective unconsciousness'."

"Wait so we go change the hearts of everyone in Mementos? That's insane!" Ryuji exclaimed.

Morgana was quick to correct him. "No, that isn't what I meant, remember Mementos is a Palace. Even if it belongs to the collective, a Palace is still a Palace, you know what that means, right?"

"Wait, you think there's a Treasure in Mementos?" Makoto gasped out. "And if we go after that—"

Sae and Sojiro stayed quiet, but Shinjiro's face grew skeptical. But Morgana had to press forward. This was the only way to save his friends, he needed to say it all before he lost the courage.

Morgana nodded before jumping onto the table. "Yep. The collapse of Mementos should affect the public as a whole. The state of society would change too. If everyone's hearts grow to hold Shido responsible for his actions, things might start going our way."

"Wait a minute, didn't you say that your way was always blocked off in Mementos?" Shinjiro demanded. "This might not even work."

Ken said, "Some chance is better than no chance. Ryoji-san said that we wouldn't be able to defeat Nyx, but we still did. Minato-san sealed Nyx away and saved everyone."

Sae's expression grew confused as Ken referenced Ryoji Mochizuki and Nyx, but Shinjiro was more focused on Ken. Makoto whispered something to Sae; maybe she was promising to clarify later, when they were alone.

"But—" Shinjiro then cut himself off, letting out a huff. "Just… continue."

"It's certainly a bold plan," Yusuke said.

"What exactly is the plan?" Sae asked, her expression baffled. "I wish I could understand the cat…"

Sojiro shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "That would be nice, huh?"

As Ren began to explain to Sae and Sojiro, Morgana took a deep breath to steel himself and then waited til after Ren was done.

"But if we're gonna do this, there's one thing you all need to realize," Morgana said.

He slowly exhaled, bracing himself for everyone's reactions. He knew that even with the stress, Ren loved being a Phantom Thief. It made him feel free. And he knew that the others felt similarly.

Morgana began to explain, "To begin with, why does something like the human cognition exist as another, substantial world? The reason for that is most likely sleeping within Mementos. We'll be… destroying that, you know."

Ryuji just blinked owlishly at Morgana. "I don't see where you're goin' with this."

Morgana groaned. The others were similarly confused. He guessed he had to spell it out…

"The human cognition will lose substance, so you can't sneak into people's Palaces anymore!" Morgana then drew a deep breath. "L-Look, I know that you guys love being Phantom Thieves. I love being one. S-So, I get it if you're unsure about giving this up. On top of that, we can't change the hearts of other criminals who pop up by stealing their Treasures.

"Oh..." Makoto said faintly.

"So, we would have to discard this way of life," Haru said; Morgana couldn't help but feel nervous at her neutral expression.

He anxiously looked at his friends. They were murmuring amongst themselves, which didn't help his nerves.

"I mean… we have to do this!" Anne suddenly spoke up; her eyes were burning with conviction as she clenched one hand into a fist. "I mean, we're the group who's reforming society, right? It'd be wrong if we turned our backs just because this would mean that this is our last mission, right?"

Ken nodded. "Normal life isn't so bad."

"Oh yeah, you didn't use your powers for four years… Was it weird trying to be normal again?" Ryuji asked.

"Well… I have to admit it was a bit of a rough transition," Ken admitted. "Mitsuru-san especially pushed for it. She felt bad about what happened, so she insisted that I try to live like a normal kid. For a while, I felt that I was just… playing a role. I spent a long time wanting to get involved in the Shadow Operatives' work again because I thought that was all there was for me."

Shinjiro turned his head, looking at Ken. He pressed his lips together but remained silent.

"But I was forced to come to the realization that even though I couldn't go back to being an innocent kid, it didn't mean that I should focus on when I was a Persona-user. I'm more than just a Persona-user and being a Phantom Thief isn't what make up all of you. Besides that, you still carry your experiences with you regardless."

That was true… It's been nearly seven years ago since Tartarus disappeared, but it was obvious that Ken's time in SEES had left a mark on him.

"So… count me in, Morgana," Ken said.

Ren nodded. "Let's do it. We'll search Mementos from top to bottom, even if we have to go through all fifty floors. We won't let Shido and his men worm out of this. They're gonna face the music, like it or not."

"Yeah, we've come this far! It'd be cowardly to stop now!" But then Ryuji groaned. "Ugh… going through all of Mementos… That'll be fun."

Shinjiro snorted. "Try dealing with nearly three hundred floors."

"Shinjiro-san, you weren't even there for most of the exploration," Ken pointed out.

"Point still stands," he stubbornly maintained, earning an eye-roll from Ken. "Minato and Minako were slavedrivers and would make us explore fifteen to twenty floors every time."

Morgana said. "I think it should be at the bottom of Mementos anyhow. But… what do the rest of you think?"

"I have no objections," Yusuke announced, his jaw set. "It would be cowardly and spitting on what I promised when I awakened to my Persona."

Haru nodded. "Yes! Looking away would be just selfish."

"I won't avert my eyes from the truth any longer. If this is what it takes to stop Shido and his cronies, then I'll do this and more," Makoto proclaimed.

Futaba's expression was steely. "I'm game. I want these greedy jerks to rot in jail for all the crap they're pulling! Whatever it takes!"

Ryuji smacked his fist into his palm. "I'm ready. Let's finish this. These rotten adults ain't gonna get away with this shit!"

Anne's hands clenched into fists. "Let's get rid of the general public's distortions!"

"So… there are no objections?" Morgana asked.

"It seems that you're quite confident in your plan," Sae remarked.

"It's not a matter of confidence," Makoto said. "But… we have to try. It's sink or swim at this point."

Ryuji exclaimed, "This is gonna be our last job. Gotta go out with a bang at least!"

Haru giggled before turning to Sae. "Once we accomplish our duty, we entrust the world to respectful adults. That is our condition for this."

Sae chuckled. "It's a deal. Though, I must admit that it certainly is a heavy condition. But I accept."

She then pressed a hand against her chest.

"I swear to make Masayoshi Shido stand and be tried in the court of law. Besides… my pride won't allow me to be continually saved by you all without doing anything in return."

"We'll be counting on you, Sis," Makoto said.

"Besides that, I'm sure Mitsuru would love to lend a hand," Shinjiro's voice turned dry. "She's been dying to make Shido deal with his actions' consequences for the longest time."

Ken sighed. "You just want to see her execute Shido."

"Don't you?" Shinjiro retorted.

Ken tilted his head, pretending to think. "Well… it certainly would be a spectacle."

"I think Kirijo's allowed," Sojiro said, cracking a grin. "Shido's gotten away with a lot of crap after all."

He then sighed.

"I just wish… Wakaba hadn't been caught in the crossfire," he said, his voice tinged with quiet regret.

"Sojiro…" Futaba trailed off; her voice grew somber as she looked sadly at her adoptive father.

Ren coughed after a moment of silence.

"Um… I just want to say that it's been a wild ride with you guys. But I wouldn't trade it for the world."

His eyes went to each and every one of the Phantom Thieves.

"When I first came to Tokyo, I was bitter and honestly a little angry. I just wanted to do good, help a woman who was in danger only for it to backfire so bad on me. My entire hometown… turned its back against me. I felt so alone. But then I met Ryuji, Morgana, and everyone else. You showed me what's worth fighting for." Ren's expression then hardened. "So… let's do this. Let's change this country! For good this time!"

"YEAH!"

---

Ren was exhausted as he finally crawled into bed. His head was swimming with all of the realizations that happened today. It honestly pissed him off to think that Shido's cronies were trying so desperately to wriggle their way out.

"Tomorrow's Christmas Eve, huh…" Morgana suddenly said, his eyes glazed. He then looked up at Ren. "Sorry I ruined this for you and Lady Anne…"

Ren just gave him a pat. "It's not a big deal, Morgana. Anne and I will have other Christmas Eves. But… we have to deal with that now if we're to have a future."

"Right…" Morgana sighed. "Well, in that case, the only present I want tomorrow is for the plan to succeed."

"That would be nice," Ren said.

Morgana then looked around in the room, letting out a wistful little sigh.

"We've had so many talks in this room, you know…"

Ren quirked an eyebrow. "You planning on moving out soon?"

"N-No, it's not like that," Morgana denied, shaking his head. "It just… kinda hit me. This really is a nice and comfy little room. I'm surprised that you're hitting the hay already. Normally I have to nag at you to go to bed."

"Well, today's been exhausting," Ren said. "After everything… I thought it'd be over. But…"

"Ren…"

"But we'll be dealing with it, once and for all. For real, this time," Ren said.

Morgana nodded. "That's a good way to look at it. Well… good night."

"Night, Morgana."

Ren then laid down. He was about half asleep when he heard Morgana speak.

"Um… Ren?"

Ren cracked an eye open at Morgana and the feline looked down, suddenly sheepish.

"Actually, never mind. You must be tired…" he mumbled out.

Ren let out a yawn. He may be tired, but he'd make time for Morgana. "What's wrong?"

Morgana sighed. "I was just thinking, you're amazing. There's definitely something special about you. You dodge everything the enemies throw at you like it's your destiny. At first, I just thought you were going to be a useful tool for me… but now this is where I belong."

"We told you that months ago," Ren reminded him. "You belong with us because you're our friend."

"Ha… right," Morgana mused. "But still, aren't you moving out soon?"

"I'll… work it out with my parents," Ren hedged out.

He'd deal with his parents, for Morgana's sake. He didn't want to leave Morgana behind. Though he wasn't looking forward to the spring… He'd have to move away.

He let his eyes drift over. He still remembered being so unimpressed with what Sojiro was offering him. But Morgana was right, he had made the room cozy. The decorations helped, of course. And… the company did its part.

"Do you think… we'll still be close, even after everything's all said and done?" Morgana asked. "I mean… us. As the Phantom Thieves."

"I don't see why not. I mean, Ken's still close with the other members of SEES, and it's been seven years," Ren pointed out. "Look, Morgana… you're stuck with me. No matter what. Okay?"

Morgana huffed. "Really? Even if…"

"Even if…?"

"It's… nothing, Ren." Morgana shuffled on the bed for a moment, before curling up in a ball. "I guess… I'm just catastrophizing in my head. You're right… I do belong here…"

Ren stifled a yawn. "I'm glad. Good night, Morgana."

Maybe it was his tired state, but… he could've sworn that Morgana looked at him sadly for a moment. Everything slowly faded to black… only for him to be surrounded by the deep midnight blue of the Velvet Room.

---

"Your one last mission, huh?" Akihiko-san mused.

Ken sighed before giving a nod. "Morgana believes once we steal the Treasure of the general public, the Metaverse will cease to exist."

After they had left for the night, Ken called everyone back in Port Island. This was pretty big news, after all.

Mitsuru-san seemed deep in thought, however, with her pensive expression and how she had her arms folded across her chest.

"Um… Mitsuru-san?" he said tentatively.

"I'm fine, Amada…" Mitsuru-san said before giving him a reassuring smile. "I was just thinking. It's a lot to take in, after all."

She then exhaled.

"So… this will be the end of the Phantom Thieves," she stated.

Ken just shrugged. "We can't exactly ignore this though. There's something not right about how people are acting about Shido."

He'd be lying if he said he wouldn't miss it, but he meant what he said back there.

"Are people on Port Island talking about Shido as well?"

Yukari-san pulled a face. "I took Kaito and Miyuki to play at the shrine today. Some of the parents were talking about Shido, saying that their children would have better lives with Shido in charge."

Yukari-san was finally settling back in Port Island, having taken care of her shows and final obligations with her agency, so she had moved the twins in the house that she had bought.

Junpei-san pulled a face at that. "Sheesh, they know that Shido is supposed to be prime minister for just four years, right?"

"And it certainly would not!" Akihiko-san hissed out before thumping his fist against the table.

"It'll be dealt with soon enough, so settle down all of you," Mitsuru-san interrupted. Then she looked to Ken. "That being said… how are your supplies? You should restock everything."

Shinjiro-san huffed before rolling his eyes. "Mitsuru, haven't you done enough? I think Amamiya has hardly made a dent in the supplies you sent."

Mitsuru-san flushed at that. "Well I just wanted Amamiya to have enough medicine!"

"He was so annoyed about the protein shakes," Ken mumbled to himself.

But then several chuckles came from the other end, so it was obvious that he wasn't quiet enough.

"Hey, it worked well enough for Aki, right?" Minako-san joked, winking at her husband.

Ken just grimaced to himself. Imagining Ren with Akihiko-san's body was a little… wrong. He just couldn't imagine Ren as super muscular or being some athlete boxer junkie. He knew that Ren worked out with Ryuji on occasion, but he still had a wiry, lithe form.

Akihiko-san rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well I could always give Ren tips if he wanted—"

"I'll… pass it along, Akihiko-san," Ken said, trying to ignore Junpei-san and Minako-san's laughter.

"Is something wrong, Fuuka?" Shinjiro-san suddenly asked.

It was only when Shinjiro-san spoke up about it that Ken realized that she was fidgeting, nervously twisting her engagement ring. She had been quiet this entire time too…

"O-Oh it's just…" she trailed off before hugging herself. Fuuka-san then bit her lip before imploring, "Just… be careful, Ken-kun. You don't know what you'll find down there. To steal the distortions of the general public—it won't be easy."

"I'll be careful, Fuuka-san," Ken promised.

Junpei-san suddenly grinned. "I mean, there's a wedding to plan, yeah? You can't miss that! You'll be a groomsman for sure!"

Shinjiro-san snorted. "Yeah, Ken will be… but who says you'll be a groomsman, huh, Iori?"

Junpei-san gasped. "That's cold, Shinjiro-senpai! Just cold!"

"Shinji, be nice!" Fuuka-san chided.

"Just… promise that you'll come back to us, Ken-kun," Minako-san said, unusually serious. "Whatever's down in Mementos—it won't go down in a fight so easily."

Ken gave her a tired smile. "I promise, Minako-san."

"You should rest up, though," Yukari-san said, a concerned frown on her face. "You probably have a long day of fighting ahead of you."

Ken sighed, rubbing at his face. It was to be expected. He had really thought that it'd be over once Shido confessed…

Aigis-san let out a little hum. "Though I wish that we could provide you assistance, Ken-san… You've fought so long and been burdened with this."

"It's not all bad," Ken said. "I appreciate the sentiment, Aigis-san, but I think we'll be okay."

Something flickered across Mitsuru-san's face before she pursed her lips together in deep thought. But then Ken's attention was drawn by Junpei-san.

"Are you going into Mementos too, Shinjiro-senpai?" Junpei-san asked.

Shinjiro-san frowned. "Well… I thought about it, but it's something Ken and the others have resolved to do. I think they should be allowed to see this through. They should be fine."

"That's fair," Yukari-san acknowledged.

"Well… good night," Fuuka-san said. "Good luck tomorrow, Ken-kun."

"You've got this, Ken!" Junpei-san gave him a thumbs up.

Ken just smiled slightly. "Thank you, everyone."

After a chorus of goodbyes, Ken got up from his seat. It seemed that the others wanted to talk to Shinjiro-san some more, but Ken didn't mind. He was ready to go to bed.

As he opened his bedroom door, Koromaru darted inside. He jumped on Ken's bed with a bark.

"Hey, boy." Ken smiled at the shiba inu for a moment.

Ken nudged the door shut before unbuttoning his blazer.

Koromaru may be getting older but Ken couldn't help but marvel over his energy. But even still… Koromaru's days on the battlefield were over.

He still remembered Mitsuru-san asking him if he was interested in taking Koromaru on the mission. But he said no, for two reasons. One–he didn't want to be unfair to Fuuka-san and leave her completely alone; though he supposed that point was a little moot now. Two–he also didn't want Koromaru to overexert himself.

But Ken did appreciate the nights Koromaru slept in his bed. He still had the occasional nightmare and Koromaru always seemed to sense just exactly how to comfort him.

"It's going to be over soon… for good, this time," Ken sighed. "And you… we'll… be able to go back to Port Island."

Ken couldn't help but falter at the last part. The truth was, he wasn't sure about that. Port Island did have a university, the University of Iwatodai, and it had a decent reputation, despite being around for a little over a decade.

But Ken wasn't sure if he wanted to attend there. And there was Makoto and his friends…

Ken shook his head, pushing it out of his head. He would have plenty of time to worry about that… after tomorrow.

But he had to get some rest. He would need it for tomorrow…

---

Saturday, December 24th, 2016

---

It had been gnawing at the back of Mitsuru's mind all night. She didn't really want to wait until Amada could tell them the news.

It always… bothered her that she had to be mostly hands-off with this Shadow incident. She understood why but it didn't mean that she had to like it. And while she was glad to be able to send Akihiko and Satonaka to Tokyo during the plan to fool Shido and Akechi, she couldn't help but regret that they hadn't been able to do more.

Maybe then, Amada wouldn't have—

"No, I mustn't focus on that!" Mitsuru chided herself.

But with Shido's conspiracy scrambling to cover their tracks, she couldn't help but think this was the best time to actually go to Tokyo with them so distracted.

She turned to face her friends, gathered in the room. They were conversing amongst themselves; little Kiyomi was in Yamagishi's arms while the twins had been whisked away by Yoshino to be entertained by a Destiny movie. It was one of the recent ones, Chilled, she believed. But she couldn't help but notice that Akihiko was sneaking looks at her.

Akihiko then spoke up. "What's with the sudden meeting, Mitsuru?"

The conversations suddenly died down and Yamagishi bent down to put Kiyomi in the baby carrier that Minako and Akihiko had brought with them.

Mitsuru took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves.

"Are you truly content with waiting for news from Amada?" she asked.

Her friends started to quietly murmur amongst themselves, but unsurprisingly, it was Minako who stepped forward.

"No. I'm not," she said bluntly. "There's something fishy about this whole thing. The talk about Shido—it's fanatic."

"Do you think it's like the Nyx cult?" Iori asked.

Mitsuru shook her head. "No, not exactly. If you recall… the Nyx cult was directly manipulated by Takaya and Jin. They convinced the public that Nyx was their savior."

"But the fanaticism is the same," Yukari commented. "And there was that innate desire calling for Nyx and why Erebus even manifested… I think both Mitsuru-senpai and Junpei have points in this."

"Yukari agreeing with Junpei? Call the presses!" Minako said with a teasing smile.

"But is that not why Ken-san and the Phantom Thieves will be descending Mementos today?" Aigis tilted her head. "But I do understand your concern, Mitsuru-san. If the Phantom Thieves, they'll…"

She trailed off, unwilling to finish it. This quickly made everyone grow somber. The Phantom Thieves all had bright futures… And on top of that, the abuse of the Shadow nest would keep escalating… Nobody would be safe then.

Akihiko cleared his throat. "Well personally, I'd love to help."

But then he looked towards Kiyomi, still fast asleep in her baby carrier.

"But… we do have to think about Kiyo now," he said. "We can't just run off."

Minako nodded. "I'm with Aki. This is important but…"

She trailed off at the last part, looking down to the floor with a frown. Mitsuru could sympathize, even though she wasn't a mother yet. She could see just how torn Minako was about this.

"Wellllll… you could always just strap her to your chest, Senpai," Iori said with a grin.

"Huh, I didn't think about that," Akihiko mused, rubbing his chin.

"Stupeeeeei…" Yukari growled before swatting at Iori's head. "Will you cut it out with the dumb jokes?!"

"But can't you imagine it, Yuka-tan?" Iori asked enthusiastically. "Akihiko-senpai charging into battle with a baby to his chest? I bet if we filmed it, we'd make a killer!"

Yukari's lip twitched before she huffed. "While I can imagine it, do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Besides that, I can't leave the twins behind either…"

Kikuno stepped forward. "I would be honored to look after your children if you wish to join Lady Mitsuru and everyone else."

Yukari, Akihiko, and Minako looked surprised about that.

"It is better to join together in larger numbers," Kikuno-san said with a shrug.

"My thanks, Kikuno," Mitsuru said.

She intended on leaving Labrys in charge though. While the extra manpower—especially with how powerful Labrys was, would be greatly appreciated—something made Mitsuru hesitate about leaving Port Island with nobody she trusted in charge. And she can ask Iori if Yoshino can stay behind and watch the twins with Kikuno; those two are a handful anyway.

"So… what exactly are we going to do?" Yamagishi asked.

This made Mitsuru pause. It was true that Shinjiro had a point. They had a right to confront whatever dwelled within the depths of Mementos, when the Phantom Thieves were the ones being targeted.

But at the same time, she didn't want the Phantom Thieves to run into trouble when they could've aided them…

"Let us be the auxiliary support squad in this scenario," Mitsuru said simply. "With the high stakes, I'm just not comfortable in letting the Phantom Thieves stand alone with no back-up. But at the same time, Shinjiro has a point in that it's their fight."

"So we might not even bash some heads in?" Iori asked.

Yukari scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Since when are you the bloodthirsty one?"

"And even so, that does pose an advantage," Aigis stated; her eyes turned to Mitsuru. "Such as being able to question Shido sooner, yes?"

"Damn that bastard…" Minako hissed out. She clenched one hand into a fist as a fire lit up in her eyes. "He's gonna pay for all the bullshit he's put us through!"

"Down, girl," Yukari grumbled, waggling a finger at Minako.

Minako just playfully snapped at Yukari before baring her teeth, making Yukari squeak.

"Haha, you deserved it, Yuka-tan!" Junpei snickered.

Yukari growled out, "Oh shut it, Stupei!"

"Come on, settle down," Yamagishi chided. "But um… Senpai, have you worked out how exactly we'll make it to Tokyo? We can't exactly take public transportation."

Especially given that they would be bringing their weapons. Mitsuru had a few ideas in mind.

"I must confess, I don't think it's feasible to take a jet. We might have complications when we try to land in the airport…" Mitsuru admitted. "But I did consider that we could take a jet to a nearby city and then drive the rest of the way."

"I'm not sure how many cities near Tokyo would have a large enough airport, Mitsuru," Akihiko said.

Iori just cracked a grin. "Too bad the Kirijo Group hasn't cracked the code for teleportation, huh?"

Mitsuru chuckled. "I'm afraid we're a ways from that, Iori."

"But back to what we were discussing… it would be just impractical to drive, given the distance between Tokyo and Port Island," Aigis said, looking thoughtful. "My calculations are that it would take approximately seven hours. Might I suggest a compromise? We can take a non-descript helicopter. I would be pleased to pilot it for us."

"How long would that take us?" Yamagishi inquired, frowning.

"A plane would be able to take us there in a little over than an hour," Aigis reported. "And a helicopter's speed is about a third of a plane. So I estimate about three hours by helicopter."

Hmm… this was hardly than ideal. But Mitsuru would rather come at a delayed time instead of anxiously waiting for the results.

"Well, better late than never!" Minako infused her voice with cheer. "How about we gather at the helicopter pad in an hour or so? I mean we do need to gather up everything and eat lunch. Can't fight Shadows on an empty stomach."

Mitsuru nodded. "That sounds good, Minako."

Yukari sighed. "I better go say goodbye to the twins, then."

Iori nodded. "I should do the same with Chidorita."

Mitsuru frowned, feeling guilty. It was Iori's first Christmas celebration after he married Yoshino, and the twins have been all but glued to Yukari's side. But now…

"Hey now, don't get all glum!" Iori exclaimed, startling Mitsuru out of her thoughts. "Chidorita will understand. There's no need for you to get all sad 'bout this, Senpai! It's not like you have a gun to my head, sheesh."

Mitsuru started at that.

"I hate to admit it, but Junpei's right," Yukari said, pointedly ignoring Iori's indignant response. "I get that it's not ideal, but we should be there to support Ken-kun, if anything."

Mitsuru just bowed her head. "I'm sorry. It's just hard to remind myself to ask you all of this…"

"That's why we're here for you, Mitsuru." Akihiko gave her an encouraging smile. "We've got your back, no matter what."

Mitsuru just nodded before bowing her head once more.

"Thank you, everyone."

---

Christmas Eve having fallen on a Saturday made the usual rush to get out of class even more hectic. But Ken had been in a half-daze the last couple hours so the bell going off made him just about fall out of his seat.

Since Saturdays were half-days, it was half past noon. Ken noticed a few couples talking enthusiastically about their plans, like going to an ice skating rink or hurrying to get their reservations for a late lunch. Ken felt a twinge of sadness that he and Makoto wouldn't be able to enjoy themselves like that, but there would be other Christmas Eves where they could celebrate like that.

But they wouldn't have a future if they didn't deal with whatever was waiting for them in Mementos. He just hoped that they would be able to defeat the source of all of this.

No, he had to be more positive about this. They had made the resolve to destroy Mementos, for the sake of everyone. They had to do this.

"Ken? Are you ready to go?"

Ken snapped to attention to see Makoto looking at him. Ken let out a short breath.

"Yeah, sorry… I kinda zoned out there, didn't I?" As he spoke, he began to pack away his things.

"It's okay," Makoto reassured him, giving him a soft smile. "The both of us… have had a lot on our minds."

Ken finished packing his belongings and he stood up. Makoto reached out to take his hand.

"Are you ready? For… you know," Makoto said.

Ken just gave a weary smile. "As ready as I can be, I guess."

Destroying Mementos… the concept was a little surreal to him. Whatever awaited them within the depths of Mementos, it had to be as powerful as Nyx.

Makoto just squeezed his hand. "We'll be fine. It's just another threat. We'll deal with it, like we always do."

Ken smiled. "You're right, Makoto. It's just a little… overwhelming, I guess. I was talking to everyone last night over video call and… I guess, Mitsuru-san got worried. She rounded up everyone to come to Tokyo, in order to act as a back-up, just in case…"

He let out a tired sigh.

"So many people are depending on us to win…"

He understood why Mitsuru-san was doing this, but it was fraying at his nerves.

Makoto just smiled encouragingly at him. "And we will, don't worry."

She then hesitated, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear with her free hand. Then her smile turned shy.

"And… I was thinking, we should do something together tomorrow, just the two of us. I know Christmas Day isn't as romantic as Christmas Eve but… I thought it'd be nice to make up for it. I don't really care what we do… I just want to spend time with you."

Ken just squeezed Makoto's hand. "It's a date. But let's get going, so we can take down whatever's behind all of this…"

They had to win. Their futures depended on it…

---

It took longer than Ren would've liked to reach the bottom of Mementos. But they finally made it and stepped out of the Mona-bus. Morgana transformed to his usual form, and they walked towards the barrier.

The message on the phone said that the door to the depth of Mementos was now open. Ren couldn't help but feel a little nervous about what they'd face inside…

Ren took a deep breath. No, he couldn't have doubts about this. He shook his head. He had to remain alert.

This area they found themselves in almost looked like a subway area. But… there was something rather unnerving about the place.

"Is it me or do those… things look like… ribs?" Ken looked uncomfortable.

Futaba said slowly, "It looks like a… fossil."

Besides that, the floor looked shot with blood veins. Ren swallowed down the bile rising up in his throat.

"Let's move forward," he urged but then Yusuke interrupted him.

"Hang on… Look at the side, everyone. It's the train running down to Mementos."

Ren blinked. "So it is."

Yusuke gazed at the subway, a frown on his face. "So this is where that crowd of people was trying to reach…?"

"People are walking in and out of there, so the other side of the wall must be…" Makoto gasped. "Wait! It's not a wall, but a giant door…?"

Ryuji frowned at that, watching the people. But then he shook his head, turning back to them.

"Guess that means the Treasure's not here. C'mon, let's stay focused, guys," Ryuji said.

But as they approached the far end, the wall loomed over him. Ren couldn't help but feel worried that they would be barricaded.

"How are we supposed to get past?" Ryuji grumbled as they walked up to it.

But once they stopped right in front of it, the wall slid away. This revealed an opening, red light streaming from the other side. Ren felt uncomfortable, looking at it though. This place had an unpleasant feeling… like every bone in his body was screaming turn back.

"It opened right away," Morgana noted. "This must be the inner depths that the app was talking about. We should be careful."

As Morgana was talking, he couldn't help but notice that Futaba was investigating the door. There was a small frown on her face. Whatever she had determined—it was clear that Futaba didn't like it.

"Careful is right," Futaba said. "These people, those railroads only go one way."

"What do you mean, Oracle?" Anne asked.

"There is only one way in for the trains, no way out. I… don't like this."

Ren didn't like this either. Luckily they were a bit prepared thanks to Mitsuru-san's… extremely generous gifts.

He had always played things carefully when it came to dungeon exploration. He didn't want to underprepare when their work was dangerous. They should be okay but… he still couldn't help but wonder if it was enough.

Makoto frowned. "It's as though whatever lies within has been locked away…"

Haru blinked, taking a step back. "Wait a minute, so you're saying that the people going in there are choosing a life of imprisonment…?"

"A one-way ticket, so to speak," Ken muttered.

Yusuke grimaced. "I have never felt such eeriness before… What is this place…?"

That's what Ren would like to know. But… there was no turning back. He just had to hope that their strength would be enough to be able to steal the Treasure.

That was when Ren noticed the door to the Velvet room at the entrance, and to his surprise, both Caroline and Justine were waiting by it.

"You continue to be a puzzle, Inmate," Justine said, apathetic as always.

Caroline then huffed next to her. "Yeah, what gives? There is no point! This was already explained to you!"

Justine nodded. "Ruin is nigh. That can't be help—"

"Even so, I have to try!" Ren cut her off.

They both gave him a hard frown.

"So, even when everyone is against you...?" Caroline started.

Justine added. "And there is no hope…?"

"You still insist on fighting?" both asked in unison.

He simply nodded. They both looked up at him in shock, then at each other. The twins then held hands and Caroline waved her baton.

Suddenly Ren felt a surge of energy that he depleted on the way down when fighting shadows. Some of his small cuts were completely healed too. He looked at them both, his obvious question written all over his face.

Caroline glared and then looked away. "Look… just… just don't die Inmate!"

"Good luck, Inmate." Justine nodded with an impassive expression.

He smiled and gave them both a thumbs up. That was when he felt Ryuji's hand on his shoulder.

"Bro you okay? You were just standing there zoning out again and… whoa? Hang on, Ace… that bruise on your cheek is gone! Wait, I feel a lot better too? But I didn't see anyone heal us? Ace? Mona? Queen? Panther?"

Morgana, Makoto, Anne and Ken all shook their heads in confusion and began to inspect themselves too. Ken placed his hand on his cheek in surprise, the bruise he got from one of the tougher shadows on the way down, had completely vanished.

"That's so bizarre! I feel refreshed all of a sudden?" Anne tilted her head.

Ren looked back at the twins, they gave him an almost pitying look. But then both of them actually smiled, and opened the door to the Velvet Room.

"Should you need any more fusions, we can still assist you," Justine said in her monotone.

The two then left and the door shut behind them. Ren couldn't help but smile, as he quietly whispered a thanks that no one could hear.

He then cleared his throat. "Don't worry about it, we got some help is all. Let's not waste it."

Everyone looked at him puzzled and obviously wanted an explanation, but he doubted now was the time to finally explain the Velvet Room to them.

Morgana's expression became determined however. "Come on, let's go. There's no turning back now, we'll unravel the mysteries of the depths!"

"Mona-chan…?" Haru asked but Morgana just shook his head.

"Joker?" Morgana prompted but Ren just pressed his lips together.

Morgana was really acting weird last night. Ren couldn't help but feel that Morgana was hiding something. It almost reminded him of Morgana's behavior when his insecurities had reached a boiling point. Morgana was holding something close to his chest. But the question was… what exactly was it?

"Why are you looking at me like that? We need to get moving. I'm fine Joker, let's go."

"Mona-chan…" Haru repeated but this time her voice was sad. "What aren't you telling us?"

Ren pressed his lips together. He needed to press forward.

---

There was something about this place… that gnawed at Morgana. There was something familiar about it, but the harder Morgana tried to recall, the more elusive it became. It was aggravating.

"Mona-chan? You're being awfully quiet…"

Morgana startled before looking up at Haru. He bowed his head. "Sorry, Noir. I'm just… on edge, I guess. We don't know what we'll find here…"

Haru looked to him solemnly. They were allowed to discuss this, as Ren deliberated over who was going to be on the active team.

"It's okay," Haru reassured. "I know it can be frightening, but it won't matter… because we're facing it together."

But what if… his fears were true. What if he was truly a monster? Would his friends cower away from him? He couldn't bear the thought of that. But at the same time, they needed to discover the truth… in order to get to the bottom of this.

The public's behavior… it wasn't natural.

Ren announced, "Let's go with Fox, Queen, and Skull with me for now."

Ren proceeded to lead the way, only for them to enter an area where cells filled with people were lined up against the walls.

"What the…?" Ren uttered.

Futaba stopped and stared for a moment. "Are those… chains on them? Is this a prison?"

"But who are they?" Ryuji asked.

Makoto frowned, surveying the area. "Technically speaking, I would say it's someone's Shadow…"

"Shh… listen," Haru said in a hushed voice. "They're saying something…"

"C'mon, don't be out there. Come in," one coaxed them.

"Wait, they're telling us to join them in the jail?!" Ken said, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"If anythin', we should tell them to get out!" Ryuji grumbled.

Not that it would work. Morgana was about to remind Ryuji about cognitions when a woman in the crowd spoke up.

"Don't open the cells, okay? I have no intention of leaving this place!"

"The hell…?" Ren said. "They want to be imprisoned?"

"They feel… safe in there." Yusuke's voice was faint, only for his eyes to harden. "What're you saying? You're being kept in a prison."

Morgana frowned, staring at them. "They… remind me of the slaves in Kamoshida's castle."

Ren and Ryuji both shuddered.

"It is true… they just accept their fates in this Palace," Ren muttered.

An older man suddenly spoke up. "That's right… this place is the best in the end."

"That's not true! You're literally locked up inside!" Anne snapped. "How can that be a good thing?!"

"In the depths within is a system that grants desires…" the man said cryptically.

Anne blinked, looking taken aback. "A system that grants… desires?"

Ryuji stared, wide-eyed. "Something like that exists…? Here!?"

Makoto sighed. "It's no use. You can't reason with these people. It's been… ingrained in them, somehow."

"The best way to help… is to defeat whatever's down here… right?" Ken said uncertainly.

Yusuke nodded. "I believe so. They're truly 'distorted', just like the scenery here…"

"You're so naïve. You end up searching for stuff or being troubled because you're outside the prison. There are things you don't need to know to live on."

"So the best way to live is to just blindly accept the rhetoric you're fed, no questions asked. Got it," Ren said flatly.

Another prisoner nodded. "He's right. Things like the details on the system, the locked 'Quarantine Cell'…"

The word quarantine was like dumping a bucket of ice-cold water. Why did that sound familiar? He vaguely registered the old man explaining that the quarantine was for some kind of dangerous crook.

He stared down at the ground. Why… Why did that bring out such a reaction out of him? Why couldn't he remember?! What was wrong with him?

"Remember… Come on, remember!" Morgana berated himself.

It was so tantalizingly close, but Morgana couldn't grasp why this place was so important.

"Mona?" Futaba asked softly.

"Is everything okay?" Ren asked.

But then pounding footsteps suddenly grabbed their attention.

"Why are you out and about?! Where are your constraints?"

"Oh dammit all," Ryuji muttered as a couple Shadows came into view.

The Shadow snapped, "Removing your restraints is not allowed. Outsiders… must be eliminated!"

"Let's do this," Ren said.

Ren and the active team jumped into action. They traded a couple blows but Ren using Norn's Magarula spell downed the Shadows with ease—letting them go in for the kill.

Yusuke sighed. "That was careless of us. We should have expected a prison has guards."

"Well hindsight is 20/20. Let's just keep that in mind for the future," Ken noted.

"Wait a sec…" Ryuji suddenly said. "I just realized… This is everyone's Palace, right? Not like Kamoshida's castle… Who's keepin' these people here…?"

"Oh hmm… that's a good point, Skull," Makoto said.

Morgana let his eyes drift away. The quarantine… was that the key? The key to his memories…?

"Mona-chan, what's wrong?" Haru asked.

"I think… I remember. A little, at least. I've seen this place before…"

Anne frowned. "How is that possible? Before today, we weren't able to access this place."

Morgana sighed. "Sorry… It's just a sense I'm getting. But still, it feels like I'm really close to remembering something important…"

Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck, surveying the area for a second before speaking. "Y'know, comin' in here was what you wanted from the beginning. We just gotta keep movin' on!"

Yusuke let out a little hum. "On top of that, I'm curious to know who the ruler of this place is."

"The mysteries just keep building up." Ken sighed.

Morgana nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

Haru looked back to the shadows in the jail cells. "Wait, what about these people…?"

Makoto sighed heavily. "We'll have to leave them be. They'll be taken care of if we erase Mementos."

Futaba nodded. "Yeah! Let's get going!"

Even as he followed his friends, Morgana could only feel a pit forming in his stomach… What was this sense of dread he was feeling…?

---

Things only became more and more troubling the further they pressed forward.

"They're so… nihilistic. It sorta reminds me of the Cult of Nyx. They're just waiting for… oblivion," Ken muttered out as they entered a new area.

Just moments ago, Morgana had transformed into his bus form to carry everyone further in. They needed to resolve this, and quickly.

"And the way they just accept poor treatment like that…" Yusuke could only shudder.

"We'll just have to change their hearts," Ren said after a moment. "Come on, guys."

Ren tried to speak in a calm manner, but Morgana could see the tenseness in his shoulders. Yusuke followed closely with a sigh, but Ken was surveying the area with a grim eye. It was only when Makoto touched his arm with a concerned frown that he followed the rest of the group.

They stepped into another circular room, also filled with cages. They immediately tensed up.

But Anne suddenly gasped, pressing a hand to her mouth.

"Y-You're…" She pointed with a shaking finger.

"Kamoshida!" Ryuji hissed out.

"What is he doing h—" Ren started, but Yusuke cut him off.

"S-Sen—" Yusuke broke off with a sigh. "No… Madarame."

"Kaneshiro too," Makoto said grimly.

"Are all of the Palace rulers here…?" Ken questioned.

"Yeah, what about Okumura?" Futaba asked.

Haru bowed her head. "Father isn't around here…"

"Oh right…" Futaba cringed back, a guilty frown appearing on her face. "Sorry Noir."

"It's okay, don't worry Oracle," Haru reassured.

Morgana couldn't help but feel bad though… Haru had taken her father's death so badly. The night he had slept in her bed, there had been one point where Haru had hugged him tightly while she wept over her loss. Morgana had never told anyone about that, not even Ren, but the way Haru mourned her father was seared in Morgana's mind.

But Haru seemed determined to move on.

"And besides… look over there."

Ren immediately tensed. "Shido…"

"So they ended up imprisoned here as well…" Ken commented.

Ryuji interjected. "But that doesn't make any sense! They had a change of heart due to us stealing their Treasures! The hell's going on?!"

"Was that really what was going on though…?" Ken questioned. "Something's not right…"

Kamoshida suddenly spoke, his eyes on Anne again. "Mm, your bod's as great as always. Come a little closer…"

"Shut up, you creep!" Anne growled out, glaring daggers at him.

Kamoshida let out a gusty sigh. "I'm just joking, sheesh. I don't want any more trouble."

"Trouble?" Makoto repeated.

Kamoshida said, "I finally get to live without having to think for myself now."

"It's just like the others…" Morgana thought with a frown.

Madarame nodded. "I mistakenly thought myself to be talented… but now I think I'm a fool for wanting too much."

"Madarame, you…" Yusuke uttered, only to trail off with a frown.

The others started to shift uncomfortably at their words, and their unease just grew as Kaneshiro spoke.

"It's no wonder that people who can't take a hint get yelled at… I'm done actin' like a big shot. Who cares if I'm stupid? It's not like you get punished for bein' dumb. Nobody needs to strive to be more than they really are."

"Why are they so… different?" Ken asked. "Based on what you've mentioned what they were like in the past."

Yusuke shook his head. "They were nothing like this before."

"I don't think it's because of a change of heart either…" Makoto mused, resting a hand under her chin.

Morgana sucked in a breath as a horrible thought suddenly struck him. "Wait… have they chosen a life of captivity after they lost their distorted desires!?"

"But… why?" Ren asked.

Morgana sighed. He wished he knew.

Shido suddenly spoke once more, looking to Haru. "Unfortunately, Okumura isn't here with us. Nothing can be done for the dead, unfortunately."

"You little–" Ryuji began but stopped when Haru held up a hand.

Haru narrowed her eyes at Shido.

"Yes, I know," she said stiffly. "Thank you for the details. Now if you don't mind, what in the world is this place?"

"It's supposed to be called the Prison of Regression," Shido said with a shrug.

"Regression…?" Futaba questioned.

Shido just stared blankly at them. "More importantly, does this look like captivity to you? Why, it's the exact opposite. The utmost freedom is available to anyone who desires it here. This is the freedom to not make decisions. The release from having to think for yourself."

"That's not freedom," Ken immediately objected with a scowl. "You're being brainwashed!"

He was right, of course. Morgana couldn't help but feel uneasy, though. Why did the former Palace rulers change so drastically since they had change of hearts? This is a far cry from the men who begged to repent for their crimes.

Shido sighed. "You're being naive… much like the fools who cannot stay put in this place. In other words, they are escaped convicts…"

"People who have rebelled, you mean?" Ren asked.

Shido just nodded. "Of course, I'm talking about our past selves. Such people are segregated from this peaceful world and locked away in their own Palace."

Everyone started to murmur amongst themselves.

"So that's the truth of the Palace rulers?" Yusuke asked, horrified.

Kamoshida just cracked a smile. "I really gotta thank you for changing my heart. I got to come back here, after all."

"That's not why we…!" Anne cut herself off. "W-What have we done?"

"We sent them back here, when we stole their Treasures?" Ryuji mumbled to himself.

Yusuke just shook his head. "I don't understand… just what have we been doing by using the cognitive world…?"

"Stop."

They looked to Ren. Ren let out a sigh, mussing up his hair. He then squared his shoulders, looking straight at them.

"We didn't think that this would happen."

"I mean, yeah! We wouldn't have done it otherwise!" Ryuji interjected.

"We… did that to them…" Makoto said softly, gesturing to the former Palace rulers.

"Yeah, and the people we've met are resigned to their being here. They view it as their salvation," Ren argued. "It's not normal, guys. To think that thinking for yourself is a shackle. To think that they deserve to be belittled or whatever crap. There's more to this place, guys. We don't have the full picture. Are you honestly saying you wouldn't try to stop them after what they did to us? To the rest of their victims?! They had to be stopped. We can't give up just because we've seen something unnerving. We can't lose heart!"

Ren continued to impress him again and again. Even now he refused to give up…

Everyone was quiet, digesting Ren's words. But then Haru nodded, placing a hand over her heart.

"You're right, Joker. I guess… we just lost sight of our purpose."

Ryuji nodded. "Yeah! Now's not the time to be confused about this kind of shit… We gotta hurry before Shido's men abuse this place even more."

"There is something bothering me, though…" Makoto said. "Just who is the ruler of this Palace?"

Shido just raised an eyebrow. "What an odd question to ask. It should be obvious: every member of the general public."

"It is true that Mona said that Mementos was the Palace of the public," Ken said. "But even so… everyone…?"

Shido just let out a weary sigh, shaking his head. "Haven't you learned anything in school? The collective ruler of a democratic society is its people."

"Even now he's an ass," Ren muttered under his breath.

Ryuji scowled at Shido, clenching his hands into fists. "D-Don't lie outta your ass like that! I mean, there was a guard here earlier! That means someone's gotta be lookin' out for you guys, right?"

Shido let out a thoughtful hum, rubbing his chin. "You may be right. We are the ones 'looking out' upon everyone else."

For some reason, Shido's words… struck a chord in Morgana. This place really was so familiar… But Morgana couldn't put a finger on what it was exactly.

He remembered seeing the prisoners but…

Then it suddenly hit him, like a bolt of lightning.

"That's right!" he gasped.

"Mona?" Ren asked.

Morgana turned to him. "I do remember this place…"

"You're remembering more?" Futaba asked eagerly.

Morgana nodded. "I saw the humans in here… and realized I looked different from them for some reason… I think… that's why I wanted to become human."

Makoto frowned. "Is that why you thought you would regain your true form if we destroyed Mementos?"

Morgana winced. It wasn't Makoto's intention but he… couldn't help but think of his fears about his true form. Just… what was he?

But he realized his friends were looking at him, so Morgana bowed his head. He could feel his ears droop slightly. "Sorry… I'm still missing a lot of my memories… But I know I started randomly checking a bunch of Palaces… then my next memory is about that bastard Kamoshida."

"What are you doing here?!"

They cringed at the voice. Anne just groaned.

"Guards again?! And there are more this time!"

"We should've expected that this would happen," Ken lamented.

Morgana scowled. "Dammit… we got careless!"

Makoto gestured towards the exit. "Let's run!"

---

The area seemed to stretch on and on. Ren ended up switching out the active team, to let Makoto, Yusuke, and Ryuji rest.

But as they entered another room, Haru suddenly gasped.

"Guys… look. Doesn't that cell seem… different than the others?" she asked.

She stepped closer to the cell in question. The cell had a steel door, unlike the others.

"Is that the quarantine cell we heard about earlier?" Makoto speculated.

"Supposedly, the most sinful, most dangerous inmate is held within…" Yusuke noted. "I have to wonder what they were like…"

"But based on what the Palace rulers said…" Ken said. "Couldn't it be possible that they're just dangerous in the eyes of this Palace's ruler?"

"The Palace rulers did say they were foolish to break away from this mindset," Ren noted.

Ken might have a good point.

But Morgana was staring at the cell, his eyes widening.

"This… This place smells familiar for some reason…" Morgana breathed out.

Haru frowned. "Mona-chan…?"

Morgana gasped. Had he–had he finally remembered?

"There's no mistake. I'm sure of it! This is it… I was born here."

Haru parroted, "Born…? Inside the prison?"

Anne stared at Morgana with wide eyes. "Wait, then are you the dangerous inmate!?"

Morgana just shook his head. "No… the inmate wasn't me. But I remember now–someone created me here. To guide all of you…"

"Guide us to where?" Ken asked.

"And who is this someone?" Haru tilted her head. "They must be pretty powerful to create you."

Morgana clutched at his head. "Ngh… I can't remember! Damn it! I'm so close… but my memory is too foggy…"

Ren assured. "Don't beat yourself up, Mona. Your memories are slowly coming back. It's okay."

"But, what if it's the key to everything?" Morgana asked, clenching his paws to fists. "I wish I could remember already!"

"Come on, Joker's right. We're learning more about this place thanks to you!" Anne said.

"Noir's right, though… just who created Mona?" Yusuke asked.

"Don't pressure him, Fox!" Anne huffed out. "It'll come."

Ryuji then coughed, looking to the cell. "Y'know, hearin' all this just makes me wanna know what's inside."

"Uh, Skull, I don't think that's a good idea…" Makoto trailed off.

But then they heard shouts. Before Ren knew it, they were surrounded.

"Crap, we're surrounded! We've gotta win this, guys!" Futaba said.

Two of the Shadows were Nebiros… Ren pointed to Mona.

"Mona, switch out! Ace, you're in!"

"Astarte, come!" Haru cried out.

Astarte appeared before Haru. Bullets exploded from the pink skull, nailing the red dragon Shadow.

Ken summoned Tyr, flinging a Makougaon spell at all three Shadows. The light spell knocked the Nebiros Shadows flat on their faces. Just as Ken passed the baton to Ren, Futaba charged their attack power.

"Odin!" Ren shouted.

Odin was one of his newest fusions. Odin thrust his spear, electricity sparking from the tip as he struck at the red Shadow.

Electricity crackled as the Shadow struggled to move.

"Nice, Joker!" Futaba crowed out. "You've shocked him good!"

Yusuke followed up with a physical attack, landing a critical hit.

"Joker, let's punish them!" Yusuke exclaimed.

Ren nodded. "Let's do this!"

They lunged as one. The Shadows didn't stand a chance and they disintegrated to ash.

"What a pain in the ass…" Ryuji grumbled.

Makoto sighed. "This place seemed to be on high alert now. We should be careful as we continue forward."

Yusuke crossed his arms over his chest, gazing at the quarantine cell. "Given how important this cell appears to be, the depths of Mementos must be near. Mona's memories may return if we continue on…"

"Yeah…" Morgana didn't sound happy about this, though.

Ren glanced over to Haru, who was looking at Morgana with worry.

"So, we're finally gettin' close to the public's Treasure, huh?" Ryuji asked.

Morgana nodded. "Yeah, I think so. But… now that I think about it, it makes sense that Mementos would connect to some place like underneath Shibuya. Everyone crams themselves into packed underground boxes day after day without any complaints… From my standpoint, those are the true inmates of Mementos. It's no surprise the places are connected."

Anne winced. "I never thought of it like that…"

"It's true that society often pushes certain roles and expectations on people," Ken sighed.

"But we broke free of that," Ren said. "We can't stop here. Not when we're so close!"

"Joker's right… Let's go!" Haru exclaimed.

---

"The hell is this?"

They were standing at the top of a 'staircase', one that resembled a spine. It twisted around some kind of building.

Makoto watched with trepidation. "It's so big… I can't believe there's such a giant thing all the way down here…"

Haru asked, "Is everyone's Treasure inside?"

Morgana nodded. "Yeah… that should be the case."

"But this bizarrely ominous air about it… It could be likened to a temple of sorts…" Yusuke noted.

Yusuke was right though. Unlike with Palaces, where you can feel no change in the atmosphere, there was this… pressure pushing down on them.

"Th-There's no point freakin' out now!" Despite Ryuji's boisterous interjection, his voice shook slightly. "C'mon, let's go!"

"Skull's right. It's do or die. We can do this," Ren said.

He scanned his friends' faces. He wouldn't have expected this, not in his wildest dreams. And yet… here they were.

Ren took a deep breath and took the lead.

They finally made it to the bottom and they found themselves in a weird room. It was circular, with areas that glowed an eerie shade of red.

"This is it… right? We're at the very bottom," Futaba said.

"I can't believe we made it…" Anne sighed.

"We're not done yet," Morgana said. "Come on, let's go, Joker."

They jumped down and they paused to take in their surroundings.

"Are those prison cells?" Yusuke asked.

Ren looked up, stopping to stare. Holy shit… Yusuke was right.

"There's so many of them…" Ren couldn't help but feel troubled at that implication.

How many people had given in to this sentiment, that they deserved to be chained down like this? Tokyo alone had millions of people. What about the people who lived outside of Tokyo?

"This is beyond unnerving…" he thought to himself.

"But… what's this thing in the middle?" Futaba asked.

It was… weird. It was made of some kind of metal but it was a dull, almost sooty gray. It looked… almost like a cup. Maybe it was a cup for a giant.

"Whatever it is… it looks disgustingly grand," Anne commented.

Yusuke noted. "There are no other rooms. This is it… the depth of Mementos."

"I never would've expected this…" Ken mumbled out.

Haru cleared her throat. "In that case, is the Treasure of Mementos somewhere in here?"

"It should be," Ren said. "I think… it's this."

He gestured to the metallic object.

Morgana gave a slow nod. "I think you're right, Joker… I've never been here, but I can sense it. It smells like a Treasure."

"This thing?" Ken looked at it up and down. "It's huge. The Treasures before weren't nearly as big…"

Yeah Ren wasn't expecting it to be this big… The biggest Treasure before was Kamoshida's, with how it took all of them to carry it out. But maybe it was so big since it belonged to the general public?

Morgana narrowed his eyes. "I'm positive. If we can get rid of it…"

Morgana suddenly paused, his eyes growing sad. Ren frowned. There was Morgana's weird behavior again… He wished he knew what was on Morgana's mind.

"If we get rid of it…" Ren prompted.

Morgana snapped out of his reverie. "Then the public will come to their senses!"

Yusuke frowned. "But something that large will be impossible to carry out of here."

Ryuji scratched the back of his neck. "We just gotta make it disappear, right? If we can't move it, then we'll just hafta destroy it!"

Morgana nodded. "Yeah… that should work."

Anne swallowed before looking up at the Treasure. "Once we do that, the entire Metaverse is going to disappear, right? This is finally it…"

But suddenly a low humming buzzed through the air. They all tensed up.

Futaba sighed. "I guess it's no surprise we've been discovered. That thing isn't going to let itself get destroyed."

"Should've known it wouldn't be that easy…" Ken grumbled under his breath.

Ren glanced around. The cells… Whoever were inside, they were moving and murmuring. Just what was this…? Ren was starting to get creeped out.

"Even the inmates are starting to liven up. How eerie… are they planning something?" Yusuke questioned.

Ryuji cleared his throat. "That must mean this thing's gotta be the Treasure. They saved us the trouble of checkin'!"

Makoto sucked in a breath. "Hold on. Something's off. Remember, Shido said the masses are allowing themselves to be held captive here… Could they truly be operating this gigantic system that eliminates intruders on its own? The prison guards and soldiers were very organized too…"

"So… you're saying that despite their claims, someone else truly rules this place?" Yusuke asked hesitantly.

"That does make sense now that you mention it…" Haru said, chewing her bottom lip thoughtfully.

But then deep, ominous laughter suddenly erupted to life. The loud sound startled Futaba, and she grabbed Makoto's arm to steady herself.

"What was that?!" Anne cried out.

"Got no time to worry about that! We gotta deal with the Treasure!" Ryuji said.

Morgana said, "We can't lose! Not here! At your lead, Joker!"

Ren nodded, steeling himself.

"Let's do it! Let's go all out!"

And so, they opened fire. Ren summoned Siegfried, charging up his power. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Anne doing the same but with Concentrate. Ryuji followed up with a Matarukaja spell.

Ken and Haru unleashed gun attacks within seconds of each other. This created twin dents within the Treasure. Yusuke then followed up with a physical attack, Susano-o Kamu slicing at the Treasure. Yusuke's attack actually broke off a piece.

"Come, Anat!" Makoto cried out.

The Treasure rattled violently as the nuclear spell hit its mark. Anne and Morgana unleashed a fire and wind spell respectively, the flames growing even brighter as Mercurius's gale wrapped around it.

Ryuji managed to get in another blow before the Treasure summoned a ray of light, striking right at Haru. She gasped, dropping to one knee, and clasping a hand to where it struck her.

"Noir!" Futaba exclaimed.

"Ace, heal her!" Ren ordered. "How's it looking, Oracle?"

"You're really chipping away at it! Keep it up!"

As Ken focused on healing her, Ren summoned Siegfried. Gashes appeared on the Treasure as Siegfried struck.

But that's when an anguished cry made Ren pause.

"Stop itttt!"

"Don't touch the Holy Grail!"

"Holy Grail…?" Futaba repeated.

That's when the wires connected to this 'Holy Grail' glowed blood red. It seemed to pulse for a moment. The dents they managed to put in were smoothed out. The gashes Siegfried created disappeared.

"What was that?!" Futaba gasped out.

"Are they healing the Treasure?!" Ken asked.

Ren gritted his teeth. They could try to launch a full-frontal assault… Futaba did say that they landed hefty damage before the inmates seemed to heal the Treasure. Maybe if they were quick enough…

But then more voices cried out.

"What are they doing to our Holy Grail?"

"That's right! The Holy Grail will never perish!"

"Dammit… this is never gonna end!" Ryuji cursed.

Yusuke winced before his hand fell to grip the hilt of his katana. "It seems hopeless if there are this many inmates supporting it!"

"You fools…"

Ren frowned. That voice…

It made his skin crawl. And yet… something about the timbre of this weird voice… it nagged at Ren.

"Human, yet wishing to eradicate the desires of humanity…"

Ren scowled. This shit again… he was sick of people—or cups for that matter—trying to decide how he felt. Lumping in all people like this really was pissing him off.

"Who's that?!" Anne exclaimed.

"The Treasure… is talking…?" Makoto asked.

"I am revered as the granter of dreams of all who behold me… a being known as the Holy Grail."

"The Holy Grail…?" Haru murmured.

The Treasure continued, "The Prison of Regression is representative of the collective desires of humanity. They wish to be chained down, surrender their cognition, and neglect the world around them… These feebleminded commonfolk will make your 'social reform' all for naught. The shared heart of the masses has fallen into an excess of indolence and transformed into a prison."

"I don't believe that bullshit," Ren spat out.

His friends all thought to give in to what society demanded of them, and they broke free. There were probably countless more, who tried to accept what they were being dealt with. They just weren't told otherwise, that's another way.

And this Treasure was feeding this toxic mentality. To just accept things and keep your head down.

That was what Ren was told to do when he arrived in Tokyo.

To hell with that.

"You may not agree with me… but listen to the voices of the masses. They believe in me and what I grant them."

Ren winced as the inmates began to murmur praises of the Holy Grail once again. Ren's stomach churned.

"They're worshiping the damn thing!" Ryuji said in disbelief.

The Holy Grail intoned, "Thus… the only suitable end for them is to perish within the prison they wished for themselves."

A purple light began to glow from the Holy Grail.

"Dammit, here it comes!" Morgana said.

"Let's deal with it, once and for all, then!" Ken looked up at the Holy Grail with a glare.

"Hell yeah!" Ryuji whooped.

The ray of light struck at Yusuke this time. A pained cry escaped Yusuke as he staggered back from the force. Without a command from Ren, Morgana ran over to heal Yusuke.

"Damn that thing… let's break it for sure, this time!" Futaba growled out from within Prometheus.

Makoto summoned Anat to cast a Marakukaja spell to help them deal with the Holy Grail's attack this time. And Ryuji buffed up their attack once more.

"Super move! Ultra Charge!" Futaba cried out.

Power flooded Ren's veins, fueling his determination. He ripped off his mask, summoning once more.

"Adrasteia!" Ren shouted.

Adrasteia appeared with a flash. A flowing white Grecian robe with gold embellishments was draped over her figure. A flowing white blindfold covered her eyes and her dark hair swayed. In one hand she held a justice scale.

She raised the scale and energy began to coalesce. The energy exploded in an Almighty spell, the aftershocks making the Holy Grail shake.

"Dance, Hecate!" Anne cried out.

The flames Hecate produced made a part of the Treasure glow bright red. Kamu Susano-o and Seiten Taisei then struck at the area that Hecate had heated up. Their dual attack managed to break off a piece, like before.

But it didn't matter how much they piled up on the Holy Grail. Those damn inmates kept crying out to stop hurting their precious Holy Grail and their cries just strengthened the Holy Grail.

And their prayers seemed to alter the Holy Grail, first turning its faded, almost rusted form to become brassy and then to a gleaming gold.

"This is cheating!" Futaba cried out. "This is an impossible hack to overcome!"

But that's when the inmates began to chant.

"Get out. Get out. GET OUT!"

"If this is really how people feel, there's no way we'll be able to steal their hearts…" Morgana's breath hitched. "We've come here for nothing… I'm sorry…"

"This is horrible…" Haru breathed out.

Ken scanned the area. "Is there really nothing we can do? Oracle… it really doesn't have any weakness?"

Futaba sighed before bowing her head. "I couldn't find any weak spots at all…"

"Ha… you really are foolish. You imbeciles became intoxicated by an undesired 'justice'. This is the will of children who have fallen to sloth. My shine is proof that they desire my existence. As long as humanity yearns for me, I shall never perish…

Makoto stared up in horror. "Is this really what everyone wants…? To stop thinking and be guided by the Holy Grail?"

Ren shook his head. "We can't accept that! Don't let it fool you. It's just forcing its ideals on everyone. It's drunk on power."

Makoto nodded. "Yes… it's so frustrating it makes me want to cry. But I… I will never agree! I won't go back to the person I was, someone who just swallowed what I was told and listened without thinking for myself!"

"Queen…" Ken murmured.

Morgana shook his head. "The humans I look up to aren't like that! No matter how painful reality is, it's all over if you don't try to change how things are! I'm not the only one who believes that. Everyone here agrees… we don't want to turn back into the people we used to be! That's why we risked our lives coming here!"

"Mona-chan…" Haru nodded, steely determination entering her eyes as she clenched a single fist. "I completely agree! I will never go back to who I was! There's no turning back!"

"Well said, Noir!" Anne said.

"Humanity already wishes for its distortions to be actualized. I am merely the being that will ultimately grant those wishes. Now, it is time I refrain from my place in this world and begin to encroach upon reality itself."

Then the Holy Grail began to glow an intense blue.

"Encroach? What's it going to do?" Makoto breathed out.

Anne squeaked. "Hey, this doesn't look good!"

Futaba winced. "I've got a bad feeling about this…"

"Mona, what should we do?" Ren asked.

He felt helpless. The Holy Grail was going to do something, but Ren was at a loss on what to do.

"I don't know who you are…" Morgana glared up at him. "But you can't go and decide this for everyone."

"Yeah! Who died and made you king?!" Ryuji barked out.

Ken exclaimed. "Humans aren't all stupid like you say they are! We're not blind sheep!"

"Hmph. Indolent, foolish humans… You shall offer your hearts to me."

The Holy Grail glowed even brighter before a blast of light slammed right into them. Ren fell back, intense pain completely enveloping him. Ren wanted to just curl up in a ball and die… He could hear his friends screaming in anguish from the blast.

"Now the time for the fusion has come…" intoned the Holy Grail.

"Fusion with what?" Ken asked.

"No time for that!" Yusuke cried out. "The ground—"

Ren looked to the ground. It was growing translucent; wait, no, it was—

"It's disappearing!" Haru exclaimed.

"Oh hell no!" Ryuji cried out.

"Guys, run!" Ren shouted.

Who knew what would happen if the ground dropped under them—

But it was too late.

Everything grew too bright and suddenly Ren was falling.

---

Ren hit the ground with a groan.

"Ow…" Anne groaned out.

"Are you okay?" Ren asked.

"Yeah, I am… but what about everyone else?"

Ken sat up, rubbing the back of his head with a grimace. "Relatively…"

"Of course we are! But dammit, I'm so pissed!" Ryuji growled out.

"I mean, we kinda got hit with a laser…" Ken pointed out.

Futaba suddenly gasped. "Our clothes are back to normal!"

"Seriously, what the hell happened?" Ren asked.

Haru frowned. "We're in Shibuya…?"

"But how did we make it back?" Yusuke asked.

That was a good question. They were in Mementos and suddenly… they weren't. And what was that Holy Grail talking about with a fusion? None of this was making sense! Ren was starting to get a headache, trying to connect the dots.

"We didn't make it back ourselves, though…" Morgana said. "We must have been driven out by the Holy Grail."

"It's that powerful?" Ren asked.

"Did we lose?" Makoto asked.

"We just have to go back!" Ryuji said adamantly. "We'll beat him this time!"

That was when it started to rain. But… it was red. Makoto suddenly recoiled.

"I-Is this… blood?!"

"Water turning into blood," Ken muttered, his face suddenly growing pale. "J-Just like—"

But suddenly darkness pooled at Haru's feet. Yusuke quickly grasped her by the wrist, pulling her against him. Haru stumbled against him but steadied herself quickly, resting her hands against Yusuke's chest.

A bone-like structure suddenly jutted out from the ground where Haru had once stood. If Yusuke had hesitated a moment…

"Haru, are you hurt?" Yusuke asked urgently.

"N-No, thanks to you, Yusuke-kun…" Haru stuttered out, staring at the spot where she had been standing with wide eyes.

She then realized that her current position with Yusuke was rather intimate, so she hastily backed away with a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Ah, look guys!" Anne suddenly blurted out.

Bone-like structures were filling the city. Ren couldn't help but stare in horror. This was the price of their loss?!

"Mementos in Shibuya," Makoto said faintly. She was now clutching at Ken's hand for reassurance. "Wait… is this what he meant by 'fusion'?!"

"To think this would happen…" Morgana muttered out.

"You have got to be shitting me." Ryuji's hands were trembling.

"This is just…" Ken muttered out. "Isn't there anything we can do…?"

Ren immediately thought of trying to find the Holy Grail again. He was about to suggest that when a conversation caught his attention.

"Man, what great weather. Wanna go for a drive tomorrow?"

Great weather?! What the hell was he talking about?

He heard a businessman discuss some meeting, a teenager talk about a smartphone's release… meaningless mundane things. But then…

"What were the Phantom Thieves all about anyway?" a woman asked her male companion.

He laughed at that. "Oh man, hearing that brings back memories! I feel so dumb for even believing they existed."

It was like the stuff Futaba had found online…

The woman chuckled. "It was fun news, though. Well, I doubt anyone believes they're around anymore."

"Why isn't anyone noticing how abnormal this all is…?" Yusuke asked.

Makoto grimaced. "It's probably because they don't feel that it's odd…"

But then Futaba began to sway.

"Futaba…?" Ken asked.

Futaba suddenly grasped at her head before stumbling and falling. Ryuji made a beeline for her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he demanded.

"M-My head… it feels so…" Futaba clutched at her head before feebly saying, "I feel dizzy…"

Ren swallowed hard as he was hit with a wave of vertigo. The area spun around him for a moment and his vision began to blur.

Everyone seemed to be experiencing the same thing.

"Is this… the Holy Grail's doing?" Makoto said with a wince.

"That son of a bitch… What the hell did he do to us?!" Ryuji hissed out. "What's this creepy ass shit about?!"

He raised his hand, balled into a fist before punching the ground.

Ryuji suddenly let out a scream. He held up his hand, but it was… disintegrating.

"My hand… it's—"

"Ryuji?" Anne tried to reach out to their friend, only to cry out in shock.

She fell to the ground.

"Anne?!" Ren dropped to help her up, only to recoil back.

Ren just stared in horror. His girlfriend's leg was disappearing.

And slowly, one by one, they fell to their knees. Ren could feel the energy sapping from him. What the hell was going on? What did the Holy Grail do to them?

Makoto had raised her slowly dissolving hand, staring in horror. "This can't be real…"

"What's happening to us…?" Yusuke asked, his voice cracking at the last part.

"No… no!" Haru sobbed out.

At the sight of Haru's tears, Yusuke's entire form stiffened.

"Our bodies… they're disappearing!" Haru choked out.

"Don't tell me…" Morgana croaked out, only to be interrupted by ominous laughter.

Ren gritted his teeth. He should've known…

"Indeed, this isn't my doing."

It wasn't? Then whose was it?

"You imbeciles are about to be wiped from people's cognition."

"That damn voice!" Ryuji growled out.

He was gloating, his last victory against them. Was there really nothing they could do?!

"Mementos and reality have become one. Thus, those who have disappeared from cognition cannot exist anywhere."

What the hell?! Was this the Holy Grail's plan all along? Was this… it? They had failed to stop the Holy Grail and they would pay the ultimate price?

"Disappear, my ass! Seriously what the hell—" Ryuji cut himself with a primal scream before disappearing.

"Ryuji!" Ren yelled as he felt the breath was sucked out of him.

They were going to die, and Ren was absolutely terrified.

"Is this really it?" Yusuke gasped out, clutching at his chest. "Agh!"

Yusuke disintegrated into ash.

Despair started to flood Ren's chest, so much that Ren felt that he'd choke on it. No… this couldn't be happening!

Futaba was sobbing. She crawled over to Ken, clinging as tightly as she could onto him. "No… no! This can't be real! I'm s-scared! I want S—"

She disappeared right from Ken's arms. Ken pressed his hand to his mouth, too horrified to speak. Makoto just looked at Morgana, tears in her eyes.

"M-Morgana, where did we go wro—"

Before she could finish, she too was wiped from existence.

"Makoto!" Ken reached out to Makoto, only to lower his hand.

His expression was pure agony as Ken stared at where Makoto once was. He then lowered his head, his shoulders shaking.

Haru could only let out terrified sobs, curling into herself before she too disappeared.

"R-Ren…" Anne whispered. A single tear trickled down her cheek. "I just want to say one last time… I love y—"

But she was cut off as she disintegrated as well. Ren could only stare. He wanted to scream, yell, for that bloody cup to bring her and his other friends back… but his voice was gone.

He couldn't even cry.

It was only Ren, Morgana, and Ken left. Ken just looked at his disintegrating hand with a resigned look. Ren realized with a jolt that Ken didn't seem frightened of his impending death. No… the emotion reflected in Ken's eyes was regret.

"Shinjiro-san… everyone… I'm sorry," Ken choked out, his eyes growing glassy. "I couldn't fulfill my promise… It's up to you now. Please… save this world. You're our last hope."

He let out a mirthless laugh.

"Mom… I'll see you sooner than expected. Sorry… I didn't want it to end like this."

Like the rest of his friends, Ken disappeared as well. As Ken faded away, the last light from Morgana's eyes died.

"This is my fault," he sobbed out. "I brought you to Mementos… I doomed you all!"

"It's not your fault, Morgana." Ren tried to drag himself closer to Morgana, to reach out to his friend.

But it wasn't like Morgana heard him.

"I didn't mean to! I thought this would fix everything! I didn't mean to lead you to your doom!" His breath hitched before sadly looking to Ren. "I-I'm so sorry, Ren… the mission is a failure…"

He choked on the last part before his body went completely slack. He seemed to give up as he disappeared from the world as well.

"NO!" Ren screamed out.

He felt hollow. His friends were gone. Ren rolled onto his back, staring up at the reddened sky.

He had just—

He had wanted to save this world.

Ren's vision was slowly darkening as he reached up, helplessly.

There would be nobody to help him.

Not this time.

---

"How long has it been since Amada and the others went to Mementos?"

Shinji just gave Mitsuru-senpai an annoyed look. "It's been four hours. Trust me, this is nothing. Ken's been in the Metaverse for nearly eight hours in the past."

"Sheesh, when you put it like that…" Akihiko-senpai just winced.

"I'm surprised that Ken-kun hasn't passed out from exhaustion." Yukari gave a shudder. "I mean, we only were in Tartarus for an hour at most."

"Always felt like we could be there for hours though," Junpei commented.

It was nerve-racking, waiting for news. Fuuka couldn't help but fidget, hardly registering her friends' conversation. It was almost like awaiting news for the plan against Akechi and then for Ken's rescue…

To distract herself, Fuuka looked out the window. Outside… It was raining. No surprise, given the time of the year.

Fuuka paused, squinting. That was odd… there was something different about this rain.

She stood up, to investigate.

"Fuuka-san? Is something the matter?" Aigis asked.

Fuuka just opened the window, a gale rushing inside. A shriek welled up from Fuuka's throat as she realized what was wrong.

The rain… was red.

She staggered backwards and she felt Shinji's hands on her shoulders, steadying her.

"Fuuka, are you okay?" he asked.

Fuuka just nodded, but she couldn't find her voice. She felt… too shaken up.

"Hang on, is that blood?!" Minako cried out.

"I-I don't know…" Fuuka stammered out.

Then Minako's expression hardened. "Let's go outside to investigate."

They hurried outside, forgoing their weapons. They would stick out like sore thumbs if they took the weapons along.

And… it was even worse. Bone-like structures were jutted out from the ground, making Tokyo look like some kind of post-apocalyptic area. Fuuka could feel her knees growing weak.

"W-What's going on…?" Akihiko-senpai breathed out.

"Bones… Ken mentioned that parts of Mementos had railroad tracks like bones…" Shinji muttered out. "The hell happened down there? That idiot better not have gotten into any trouble, or I swear—"

"Yamagishi!"

Fuuka jumped at the force of Mitsuru-senpai's voice. "Y-Yes?"

"Get into contact with Amada," Mitsuru-senpai said. "I need to talk to him. You were able to speak with us when you broke Hi-no-Kagutsuchi's control over Labrys, so you should be able to seek him out from here."

"O-Out here?" Aigis asked. "Shouldn't we practice more caution, Mitsuru-san?"

"We need answers, and we need them now," Mitsuru said. "I'm afraid that if we dawdle…"

She trailed off, unwilling to finish. That sealed Fuuka's decision.

"I understand, Mitsuru-senpai," Fuuka said quietly.

She pressed both hands against her chest as she concentrated. She had to focus!

"Juno!" she called out before her Persona appeared in a flash, encasing her in the glass orb that made up the bottom half of Juno's body.

Fuuka felt her face scrunch up as she focused on casting out her senses through the area. It was quiet as she scanned. She could hear murmuring from a couple of her friends but then Minako hushed them to be quiet, so Fuuka could focus.

But… she wasn't sensing anything. Her senses were getting scrambled. She could sense… Shadows?

She pushed away the familiar sensations of her friends' Personas, casting out her senses to hopefully find Ken. But… she wasn't sensing him. This was odd…

No, it must be because she was working with an entirely different Shadow nest! She couldn't even find any new Persona-users! She had clasped her hands together in front of her, but they started to tremble. Sweat began to bead on her forehead.

"Fuuka! Fuuka!" Shinji's voice called out to her. "What's wrong?!"

His voice seemed to draw her out and she dismissed Juno. Once she was out in the open, Shinji moved closer to her and gently pulled her to her feet.

"I… I can't sense any other Persona-users," she blurted out, "I can't sense him or his friends!"

Panic was welling up inside Fuuka and her chest was growing so tight… images of Ken lying on the ground, dead, suddenly flooded her mind.

Fuuka pressed a hand against her mouth, choking back a sob. Shinji put an arm around her and Fuuka had to stifle the urge to bury her face into his chest. She had to remain calm…

Junpei interjected quickly, "Maybe if we go into Mementos? That might be why Fuuka can't find anyone! Shinjiro-senpai and Akihiko-senpai went inside, didn't they? They should have access to that app now!"

He looked to her desperately. They didn't want to imagine the alternative. That Ken was dead…

"Calm down, everyone," Mitsuru-senpai advised. "Let us investigate further."

Minako took the lead, weaving her way throughout the crowd.

"Makoto! Makoto, please… where did you go?"

Fuuka clutched at Shinji's hand as he stiffened. His grasp on her hand tightened as he pulled her towards the source of the voice.

"Niijima!" Shinji shouted.

Sae Niijima jumped at the sound of Shinji's voice.

"Aragaki?! And…"

"No time for introductions," Shinji said brusquely; he ignored the irritated look on Niijima-san's face before demanding, "Did something happen to Makoto? What about the others?"

"I…" Niijima-san's expression faltered. "I don't know."

"What do you mean 'you don't know'?!" Junpei exclaimed.

"I don't know! The sky is raining blood, bones are coming out of the ground! Then I spotted everyone standing together. They looked like they were in pain! Then some people shoved me aside because they were in a hurry…"

Fuuka winced. That was certainly something she did not miss about Tokyo.

"But when I finally had my bearings again, they were gone! I don't know where they went! Makoto's not answering her texts!" Niijima-san's voice cracked. "H-Has something bad happened to them?"

"There has to be some kind of clue… right?" Yukari asked desperately.

"Yes, let us search—" Aigis began.

But then a sudden crunch grabbed Fuuka's attention. Minako looked down, stepping backwards one step. Then she bent down, only to gasp.

"Mina?" Akihiko-senpai's voice grew concerned.

Minako bowed her head, her head clenching around something she had picked up. Then she silently stood up before reluctantly meeting their gaze.

"Guys…" she breathed out, rising to her feet once more.

The sight of it made Fuuka's blood run cold. Resting in Minako's palm was a Shadow Operative's pin.

"That's…" Aigis stared, her voice suddenly stuttering. "T-This is Ken-san's, is it not?"

"Something is really wrong…" Minako whispered, her eyes wide with fear. "Ken-kun wouldn't drop this willy-nilly."

Fuuka's legs grew weak before she finally fell to the ground.

"No, no, no, no, no…" she began to mentally panic.

"Fuuka!" Shinji's voice grew concerned and she could feel her fiancé's hand resting on her shoulder.

"Ken-kun, no…" she moaned out. "You promised… You promised that you'd be okay! You promised that you would come back to us!"

Shinji just silently pulled her into his arms. Fuuka buried her face in the crook of his shoulder. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't allow them to fall.

Why hadn't they come the day before?! They would've been able to save Ken… right?

She looked up to see that Yukari had gone completely ashen. "Ken-kun, no… Please! You're okay, aren't you?! You can't be…"

She trailed off at the last part, tears leaking from her eyes.

Junpei blurted out. "T-This has to be a joke, right? Not everything that's happened… This is a sick joke!"

"Iori must be right," Mitsuru-senpai said desperately. "Akihiko, Shinjiro—pull up the app. We need to head into Mementos."

Fuuka gripped at Shinji's coat. They could only pray that was the reason why she couldn't sense Ken…

"The destination you've selected is unavailable."

"Unavailable…?!" Akihiko-senpai gasped. "Has the gate closed then?"

The last bit of hope Fuuka had just shriveled up. Ken… he was really out of their reach?!

After everything he had endured, he had… no!

"Ken-san…" Aigis whispered, lowering her head.

Yukari and Minako were both quietly sobbing now. Akihiko-senpai had his arm around Minako's shoulders. His own shoulders were shaking horribly too.

Fuuka could feel Shinji trembling. She hesitantly looked up to her fiancé's face. His expression had gone horribly blank.

"I should've gone with them. Dammit…" His voice cracked at the last part.

Koromaru could only whimper.

All the fight seemed to have drained out of Junpei. He was trying to comfort Aigis—who had completely shut down—but the look on his face told Fuuka that he didn't believe any of the comforting words he spoke.

"Then Makoto… she's…" Niijima-san croaked out.

Minako just sadly nodded. Niijima-san just clasped a hand to her mouth and tears began to swim in her eyes.

"Amada… I'm so sorry…" Mitsuru-senpai whispered. "After all you endured… We should've protected you and the others. Please, forgive us…"

Her voice broke at that. Seeing Mitsuru-senpai's despair and guilt on her face…

It broke the dam.

Fuuka just clung to Shinji and began to sob.

---

Apologies for the delay! Things got a little crazy. I got a full-time job and... I caught covid. But the latter at least gave me motivation to write for this chapter and it's finally here! A late birthday gift for Ken haha.

Many thanks to my wonderful beta as always. Her additions really added to the chapter!

But we're gearing up for the climax for P5! I'm really excited to cover the finale of P5!