In case you guys didn't see it, the NSFW non-canon side story, 'One More Night' is not UNRESTRICTED. Just look up 'Kenjichan251' on AO3 and check my works page!

Ch. 96 - Shift

It had been a while since Ren had visited the Thieves Den. Soft, smooth music still played from unseen speakers throughout the area as his footsteps clacked against the tile below. The Roman railings were still there, austere and regal, contrasting sharply with the clinical light blue of the Chaldea's facility walls that lined the room. In terms of design and architecture, the room hadn't changed all that much. No, the changes were both more subtle yet obvious.

He stopped by one of the walls. The askew TVs that lined this section mostly played static but occasionally played scenes of his past adventures – their escape from Futaba's Palace as the pyramid collapsed underneath them and Maruki's Persona transforming into Adam Kadmon after integrating the doctor's treasure. However, now there were scenes from Chaldea mixed in: holding Mash's hand amidst the flames of the Command Room. Racing through the frozen hellscape that was the Jeanne doppelganger's Palace. Facing down two hundred URE automatons while Leonidas watched impassively.

Ren watched with mild curiosity before casually walking on. Things had certainly changed as of late.

Walking through the Den's halls had always been an interesting, if surreal experience. It felt both familiar yet completely foreign at the same time. Maybe it was the different surroundings? Or he was viewing things from a different perspective, both literally and figuratively? No matter the case though, it felt… well, 'home' wasn't the right word for it. It felt like a part of him, much like anything else - and one couldn't exactly call their arm a 'home'.

For now, it was just him in the Den. He had thought that perhaps Mash would visit but so far, she hadn't shown up. He couldn't blame her – entering his Den was a considerable display of his trust and she was more than aware of the responsibility that entailed. He wasn't about to push her. She could make the call for herself. And if she did, he'd give her the grand tour. Maybe he'd even make her some coffee here with the LeBlanc exhibit. As much as he liked Chaldea's state-of-the-art machines, his brews didn't quite have that same… 'homey' feel that LeBlanc had.

Or maybe he was just homesick. Either way.

Turning, he began walking down the suspended glass steps towards the exhibits. Many of them still reflected his time in Tokyo – a model of the Velvet Room, the LeBlanc exhibit, Shido's lion, and the Adam Kadmon looming over everything from the ceiling. The Mash exhibit was the only one that reflected his time at Chaldea so far. It still stood, resolute and strong, bearing the Shielder's determined expression as she charged at her foes. That wasn't an image that would fade anytime soon.

Walking past, he stopped at the Shido exhibit, frowning in distaste as he once more picked out the details of the people that made up his golden lion. As he stared, it vanished and became a new exhibit: A demon pillar, large though not to scale, with Lev Lainur standing in front of it. The mage's expression bore a mad grin and his arms were spread as if he were some sort of maniac. While the malice from the exhibit was evident, Ren couldn't help but feel they looked a bit silly as well when taken out of context.

Ren crossed his arms as he pondered the exhibit. Lev Lainur had declared himself Flauros. In the France singularity, there was another demon pillar that called itself Orobas. Was Lev the mastermind behind everything so far? While he had no definitive proof one way or another, his instincts told him he wasn't. For someone as arrogant and bold as Lev taking a shape similar to his peers and calling himself 'one of' as opposed to 'THE demon pillar'… No. No way would he be the one behind everything.

Still, while correlation didn't lead to causation, the fact that there were two demon pillars and they both named themselves after the demons from the Ars Goetia couldn't be a coincidence. Maybe one more just to make sure, but so far, it seemed like that was the case. That being said, he never researched incredibly deeply into the Ars Goetia. He would have to delve into Chaldea's libraries and archives. They probably had something he could use.

Moving down another flight of levitating stairs with ease, he stopped by another exhibit: The Velvet Room. Well, as much as he could fit anyway: The carpet, Igor's desk, and chair. Still, its simplicity more than exemplified its atmosphere of mystique, intrigue… and hidden power. How many times had he seen Igor – or rather, Yaldabaoth – sit across from that desk while he was in his cell, his wide eyes always staring at him without blinking? How often had he pondered the man's intentions while doing his best to hide his distaste at Yaldabaoth's barely veiled condescension? Thinking back on those times sent shudders up his spine.

The exhibit vanished and took on another form, this was far more familiar: A dark, non-descript room, with no decorations or features. Not even stains of any sort. In the middle was a single metallic table with a chair on two of its sides, facing each other. One wall bore window with reflective glass. A security camera perched in a high corner, its lens forever focusing on whatever occupants there might be.

Ren could only smile bitterly. A table and a few chairs. Yet everything about it was so different from the Velvet Room it was almost amusing.

As he stepped into the exhibit, he could feel old memories and sensations return: The sharp, cold steel of handcuffs against his wrists. The pain from being punched and kicked around by the investigators. His mind completely muddled by the truth serum they injected into him – or whatever that drug was, anyway. And of course, sitting in front of Sae Nijima, trying to tell his whole story the best he could in two hours so they could enact one of the riskiest gambits they had taken thus far.

Staring at the chair, he wondered if things would feel different since it was in the Thieves Den. He placed his hand on it – and stopped. Without even sitting in it, he could feel the icy claw of terror grip his heart. Taking a deep breath, his hand fell away from the chair. He could hear his heartbeat within his ears, as loud as a drum. After all this time, he was still terrified of that room and everything within it. He had come so very, very close to dying then. If even one thing had gone wrong…

Then he blinked. Suddenly, the exhibit had changed. It was now the Chaldea Command Center right after the bombs had gone off. Corpses and body parts were strewn across the carnage as the red glare of the alarms were barely visible among the leaping flames. At the center of it all was Mash, bleeding from a wound on the head and trapped in rubble with her eyes closed. The switch caught Ren off guard. He hadn't willed the exhibit to change-

He blinked again. Now he was in the first village in France again. And this time, it wasn't an exhibit – he was right in the middle of the village without the Den in sight. The buildings around him had been destroyed with dragon fire and monstrous forces. And he was surrounded by corpses. Some burnt until only their bones remained. Others ripped to shreds or bent in misshapen ways. They were all relatively fresh, as if the destruction had happened only a short time ago. Then a corpse twitched and slowly began to rise-

Another blink. The chill from the doppelganger's frozen hellscape of a Palace cut into his bones. His mind reeled as he tried to catch up with what the hell was happening. The streets were lined with her victims, frozen on crucifixes. There was a horrible roar. As he turned, he could see the cognitive Satan, maw slavering and bloody, crawling toward him at a horrifyingly fast pace-

Blink.

Whatever was happening, he couldn't control it. Fear was starting to rise in his mind as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. URE soldiers, eyeless and unyielding, marching upon him in uncountable numbers. Exhaustion clung onto his weakened limbs, slowing his mind. He had only so much energy left. Behind them all, he could feel again the stare of the Spartan king bearing down on him, reading his every move-

Blink.

He stumbled from the disorientation. Massalia again. The city was in flames as yet another shower of arrows dispatched even more Romans, felling them like wheat in front of a scythe. His circuits burned as he kept healing as many soldiers as he could before casting ice spells to douse the fires. But there were so many wounded, so many dead. The fires were spreading. People were yelling at him for help yet no matter how fast he tried to run, no matter where he went, he-

Blink.

A darkened living room. Two soldiers standing silently nearby, their eyes glowing purple as they stared ahead without purpose. His hands soaked in blood as they covered the fallen man's slashed throat, trying to stem the bleeding. The healing spell had been cast. The wound had quickly started to close… then it stopped. The man had stopped breathing, his eyes now dull and glassy. He was gone. He could only collapse against a chair in exhaustion and raise his blood-soaked hand. If only he had been just a split second faster, he-

"You've got a lot of interesting memories, mister."

Ren blinked. Suddenly, he was back in the Thieves Den. He was standing inside the interrogation room exhibit once more. Did he just space out? That did happen every so often whenever he was here, but it was never that vivid-

Then he felt a gentle, small hand rest on his head. It was a warm, comforting gesture - and one he completely didn't expect. "They looked like pretty painful memories, though. Are you doing okay?"

That voice and touch brought him to his senses. "I've… been better," Ren honestly admitted with a rueful smile as he simply accepted the gesture. It warmed as he turned toward the source. "Still, it's been a while, hasn't it, Jose?"

Jose grinned as he hopped down from the interrogation room table. His yellow eyes gleamed with cheer as he waved, his little hand poking out of the large grey jacket he always wore. "It has been!" he agreed happily. "But I'm happy to see you again! I was starting to get concerned when I didn't see any sign of memories or humanity no matter which way I turned!"

The Phantom Thief grinned as he reached over and patted the boy's head, messing with the boy's grey hair. "Same here," he agreed. "But how'd you find me anyway? I'm pretty far from Tokyo if you couldn't tell."

The boy chuckled as his hair was ruffled. "It wasn't easy," he replied. "One day, the roads I was driving were lit up by memories and humanity's cognitions like always and then poof! They were all gone! I thought maybe I made a wrong turn or something so I kept driving, occasionally adjusting cognitions and other things a bit to see if I could find any sign, but nope, nothing. It was dark hallway after dark hallway until finally, I saw a bright light at the end of one of them. I decided to go check it out and found myself here!"

He pointed to the floor above and, indeed, Ren saw the familiar sight of Jose's car parked near the entrance, still overflowing with stuff in the back. "Well, all I can say is, good job for finding me," Ren congratulated with a warm smile. "You've come a pretty long way."

Jose grinned as he puffed himself up a bit. "Yeah, I did a pretty good job, didn't I?" he commented happily. "But anyway, mister, do you know what's been happening? I dunno why almost all of humanity's cognitions or memories have disappeared. Even the area around here barely has anything."

Ren's smile faded a bit. "You don't know, huh?" he mused. "It's going to be a very long story so we might as well get comfortable. I know just the place at least." He glanced down at the LeBlanc exhibit as he spoke. "Out of curiosity," he added. "Have you tried coffee before?"

The grey-haired boy blinked and shook his head. "No, I haven't," he answered earnestly. "But it seems humanity has the widespread belief that they practically run on it, like gasoline with cars. Is that the case? But then, why do they need to eat or drink other stuff then? Do they just like to?"

The Phantom Thief couldn't help but chuckle at Jose's innocent inquiries, feeling his heart lighten from what had happened earlier. "You'd certainly get along with a few people I know," he remarked with a grin as he began leading the boy toward the exhibit.

Some time later, Ren and Jose were at the LeBlanc exhibit. The former was leaning behind the counter, steaming mug in hand as the latter sat on one of the chairs, legs swinging happily as he sampled the new beverage. "This is a unique flavor, mister," he commented. "Not nearly as sweet as many of humanity's memories – in fact, it's pretty bitter. But there's a lot of other neat tastes to it underneath. I can see why everyone loves coffee so much."

The Phantom Thief grinned. "It's one of the reasons why it's popular," he replied. "Though I think people value its property to keep them awake for long periods of time or wake them up in the morning more."

Jose looked up, head tilting in curiosity. "Isn't that supposed to be unhealthy for humans?" he asked innocently.

"A lot of things humans like aren't healthy for them," Ren answered with a wry smile. "But I suppose that's what makes them… well, human, after all."

The grey-haired boy simply blinked several times. "Huh," he mused. "Even after all this time, humanity still leaves me confused."

That got a chuckle from Ren. "You and me both," he agreed.

After, Ren recounted his journey so far in Chaldea. From the bombing in the Command Center, to the France singularity, summoning various Servants, and their most recent escapades in the Roman singularity. Throughout the tale, Jose simply sat, listening quietly and occasionally sipping his coffee. At times, he looked fit to bursting with questions, but he reined in his curiosity and simply let Ren continue.

The story wasn't short. Even when the Phantom Thief tried to abridge it so he wasn't talking forever, he still talked for a long while. He wasn't sure how time moved either in the Velvet Room or in the Thieves Den but as far as he was aware, no time seemed to pass no matter how long he was here. Maybe because it all moved at the speed of thought?

When he finally finished, the boy simply looked down into his empty mug, pensive. "You've made a lot of memories, huh, mister?" he mused. "Humanity is intriguing – they always think of themselves as weak, yet time and time again I see them demonstrate feats of incredible strength and endurance, whether its physical, mental, or emotional. In fact, I think you exemplify that most of all out of everyone I've met so far. Good job!"

Ren chuckled. "It's been a long road with a lot of bumps," he admitted. "But I wouldn't trade it out for anything. How have the memories been tasting for you recently?"

Jose blinked, then looked up in contemplation. "Hm, they've tasted pretty sweet still," he recalled. "They sometimes have these… tinges to them? Sometimes sour, sometimes bitter. Honestly, it's almost never the same whenever I take a drink. I honestly can't get enough of them! I'm a bit sad that there's so few left now, but from what you've told me, it really can't be helped."

As he finished, he turned to look over at the exhibits and stared at them contemplatively. The Phantom Thief followed his gaze. He had given Jose a tour of the Thieves Den before – after all, this wasn't his first time visiting. "Something on your mind?" he asked.

The boy tilted his head slightly. "I don't know, mister," he murmured. "But it feels… different here now. More solid. I was thinking, maybe, that I could try the memories from here."

The suggestion caused Ren to blink in surprise. He hadn't even considered such a concept in the past times Jose had visited. "Huh…" he mused. "That's possible? I thought it would normally have to be clusters of memories. That's what we always collected for you back in Mementos anyway." He still remembered gathering all sorts of memories – which appeared as flowers – for Jose back in Tokyo. It made for a nice break in monotony after going through the countless gloomy corridors of the collective unconsciousness.

Jose shook his head. "Even small memories can work," he replied. "I just usually don't because there's often bigger flowers for me to collect and sample. Oh, and in case you're wondering, mister, it doesn't harm the individual at all. It's more me just having a sample of it and trying it out. Nothing gets taken or lost at all, so you don't have to worry about that!"

Ren could only chuckle at that. "I honestly wasn't worried, but that's good to know," he reassured the boy. He knew and trusted Jose well enough that the boy would never suggest such a thing if it would actually harm him. "Sorry for being a poor host, but I'll have to create a menu of what you'd like to sample. Just give me a bit to quickly write one up…"

He turned around to begin and to his surprise, sitting on the shelf behind him, was a menu. Wrapped in black leather with red highlights, the front was emblazoned with a small symbol: A white mask – his own. Slowly opening it, he looked at the contents. The pages were bordered with black, white, and gold vines, with each corner the vines forming once more into the shape of his mask. No, not his mask. His Command Seals. In flourishing cursive were brief descriptions or names of specific memories, each with a small description of the taste underneath.

False Arrest

An electrifying jolt with a cold, bitter aftertaste. Ideal for waking up.

1st Day in Tokyo

Tinged in the many flavors of the city, with an overcast note of surprisingly refreshing bitterness.

Sojiro

Bitter, but with an undercurrent of sweet and sour.

"Hey Jose," Ren called out. "Was this menu behind me this entire time?"

Jose blinked in surprise and shook his head. "It appeared after you mentioned you wanted one, mister," he answered. "It definitely wasn't there before."

Ren frowned slightly in thought as he passed it over to Jose. While the boy eagerly looked over the menu, he pondered. While the Thieves Den had always been responsive to his wishes, he usually had to put some thought into it. Having something like that simply appear because he wanted it wasn't something he expected. He looked back up at the Den. As Jose said, now that he was paying attention, it felt… more solid. More responsive. Almost like it was a living being itself.

On a whim, he decided to try something. Raising his hand, in his mind's eye, he imagined the Den widening as he moved his hand. He began moving it slightly to the side-

And the Den with a booming grind began to widen precisely as he wished.

Jose spun around at the sound to stare while Ren's mouth almost dropped. It was just an experiment, but he hadn't expected it to actually happen. Taking a breath, he slowly moved his hand again, and it continued widening as he wanted it. He then pointed at a platform an exhibit stood on and slowly lowered his finger – and at his will, it lowered as well. The stairs also adjusted to the new positioning as well. The Phantom Thief could only drop his hand, nonplussed. "Huh," was the only thing he could say.

The boy turned back to Ren, his eyes sparkling. "Wow, mister! That's so cool!" he cried. "Your control over your cognitions is really impressive! I've never seen you do that before!"

"Yeah, me neither," Ren admitted with an astonished chuckle. "Must've been everything I went through recently." He long figured out that strengthening personas required a good amount of work – fighting, bonds, and even things like trauma. It seemed his time in Chaldea was only a continuation of that – well, no. At the rate it was going, it felt more like was it being turbo charged. He definitely didn't see this amount of progress when he was back in Tokyo.

It reassured him – and hardened his resolve. There was much he had to do still.

"One second, mister!"

The words brought Ren out of his contemplation as Jose hopped off his seat and ran up the stairs. He watched with curiosity as Jose raced back to his car. A second later, he heard the sound of the boy's car turning on, then skidding tires as he raced over the railing into a freefall. Raising an eyebrow, Ren pointed at some stairs that were in the way and simply directed them aside, letting him land unimpeded on the ground level.

Once that was done, Jose turned off his car and then dove into the back through his collection. "Where was it, where was it," the boy mused to himself as the Phantom Thief looked over. "Ah, there it is!" He popped back out, holding a small plastic bag. Running back, he slid it over to Ren. "Here you go!" he announced cheerfully as he opened the menu again.

Blinking, Ren read the colorful bag. "Gummy worms?" he asked.

"Yeah!" Jose confirmed. "You looked like you were deep in thought. I hear sugar is good for fueling one's brain, so I thought that might help! I hope you like it!"

That caused Ren to laugh a bit. If sugar had that direct a correlation with one's brain, then Ann with her penchant for cakes and sweets would be a genius. "Thanks, Jose," he said gratefully as he reached over to pat the boy on the head. Jose simply giggled in response as he continued reading the menu.

In the meantime, the Phantom Thief opened the bag, took a worm and popped it in his mouth. Sour, sweet, with a bit of crystalized sugar coating his tongue. It had been a while since he had these, hadn't it? Come to think of it, he never had any while he was in Tokyo. That meant he would've had them when he was back home. Or, well, what used to be his home. That certainly felt like an eternity ago at this point. It had certainly felt weird to be back there. It was his hometown but it felt completely foreign to him at the same time. His house, his room, even his bed – in his mind he knew they were his, but he never felt anything more than a guest at most.

His eyes roved again to look around the LeBlanc exhibit – and he smiled to himself. Well, at least that was one mystery he didn't have to go very far to solve.

"Ooh, can I try this one?"

Ren glanced over once more at Jose as he pointed at something on the menu. "This one, called 'the Awakening'," he chirped. "It looks really interesting! Can I get this one, please?"

The Phantom Thief immediately knew which memory he was talking about: His Persona awakening. With a grin, he nodded. "Coming right up," he replied. Somehow, he already knew what to do. Holding out his hand, a tiny bag of coffee beans appeared in his grip. Every step, from grinding to preparing to brewing, all felt like he had done this countless number of times before.

In the end, he had a shot glass filled with a dark liquid as heatless blue flames licked up the sides. Sticking a small straw in it, he placed it in front of Jose. "One 'Awakening'," he declared.

Jose's eyes practically glittered with excitement. Eagerly, he took the straw in his mouth and sipped – and his expression brightened even further. "Wow!" he cried. "It's a bit bitter and even spicy, but it's extremely bold, with a sweetness that just hits then lingers! This is delicious!" He focused on drinking it after, this time taking slower sips so he could savor it further.

That about summed up how he felt about his first awakening. It wasn't a memory that would leave him anytime soon. "Glad you like it," he replied with a smile as he popped another gummy worm into his mouth. For a while, they stayed there in silence, simply enjoying their own individual treats and each other's company.

Jose finished the last bit with a satisfied sigh. "That was really good!" he said with a bright grin. "Your memories taste so much different from everyone else's! But then, that's probably to be expected since you have such unique ones. Thank you so much!"

Ren smiled kindly as he took the shot glass back, which vanished in his hand. "Good to know they're that unique," he responded in kind. He wasn't too surprised – his life experiences so far had been far removed from most people. Being falsely arrested, exiled, becoming a persona user and a Phantom Thief, the things he had seen, the people he met… and that wasn't even getting into everything in Chaldea. It wasn't an exaggeration to say he went through experiences that most people would never have in five lifetimes.

Meanwhile, Jose hopped off the chair once more and ran back to his car, once more diving into his collection. The Phantom Thief watched in curiosity as he popped another gummy worm in his mouth, wondering what he was grabbing this time. The boy eventually found what he was looking for, running back to Ren. "Here you go!" he said, placing a tiny gourd on the counter – one he recognized very well: A soma.

The Phantom Thief blinked in surprise. "You know you don't have to pay me, right?" he asked with a grin, nevertheless picking it up and bouncing it casually in his hand.

Jose shook his head. "Nope!" he refused. "A fair trade for both of us is how it should be done. These memories are valuable, so I'm gonna pay properly for them!"

Ren could only chuckle and shake his head, knowing a fruitless argument when he saw one. "I'll open up a tab for you, then," he accepted. He eyed the soma with mild curiosity. "We're not fighting in the Metaverse though, so I'm not sure how much effect this will have on me and Servants," he mused. "And honestly, I'm not even sure I can bring it with me – it's not like I can take stuff out of the Den." At the very least, he certainly hadn't tried before. However, with the amount of changes the Den had undergone, even he was left a bit clueless. He would have to ask Igor, but in the meantime, perhaps…

"Hey Lavenza," he called out seemingly to thin air. "Mind if I chat with you for a sec?"

The boy blinked in surprise at Ren's sudden question. Before he ask about it, however, a presence had made itself known: A glowing cell door made of blue light appeared nearby. It swung open, and Lavenza stepped out. "Good evening, my Trickster," she greeted with a gentle smile. "I believe you have summoned me." Turning to Jose, she curtsied. "Good day, Jose. I trust you have been keeping well?"

Jose blinked and jumped off the chair before bowing back to her in turn. "As well as I could, Lavenza," he replied earnestly. "I've been keeping up with my studies as best I can, though I'll be staying here for the time being. I hope that's not a problem?"

Lavenza's smile widened as she shook her head. "My master was quite happy you had found yourself here, in fact," she replied. "We hope you will be able to continue assisting the Trickster while continuing your studies."

The boy grinned happily. "That's the plan," he remarked cheerfully.

"You two know each other?" Ren asked. He wasn't too surprised – after all, they both had grey hair and yellow eyes, as well as a certain ethereal air about them. However, Jose never mentioned the Velvet Room, nor did either Igor or Lavenza in turn ask about the boy. In turn, he never asked – he figured either they didn't think it was necessary he knew of their relation or there was some other factor at play. It didn't really matter - neither had given him reason to distrust them either way.

The girl smiled enigmatically. "In a sense," she answered. Ren nodded in turn. That was probably all he was getting out of her in terms of an explanation. "But I believe you had a matter you wished to discuss?"

Ren nodded quietly. "Before we start, though," he said. "Do you want some coffee? I can make you a cup while you're here."

Lavenza blinked in surprise, then her face softened into a grateful smile. "That would be ideal, my Trickster. I thank you."

The Phantom Thief nodded in response and glanced over to Jose. "You want more as well?"

The boy grinned broadly. "Please and thank you, mister!" he chirped.

As Ren began making their coffee, Lavenza noticed the small, partially eaten bag of gummy worms. "What is this?" she asked.

The Phantom Thief looked over. "Oh, those are some gummy worms that Jose gave me," he replied. "Feel free to grab some if you want – they're pretty good."

Lavenza smiled. "Then I shall partake," she said. "Thank you, my Trickster." Carefully reaching into the bag, she eyed the candy with no small amount of curiosity. "Fascinating," she mused. "Modern humans are not starved for variety on foodstuffs, many of them considerably more appealing, but they choose to model them off worms instead. Do either of you know perhaps why that is?"

"Childhood appeal, I guess?" Ren suggested as he began brewing. "A lot of kids – boys in particular – think that insects are either cool or gross, and eating them either to impress or freak out the other kids. I'm guessing whoever made those candies wanted to try capitalizing on that urge. Considering how popular they are nowadays, it seems to have worked."

Jose blinked in surprise as Lavenza popped the worm into her mouth – and her eyes sparkled at the sweetness of the candy. "Kids eat insects as a form of… social communication?" he questioned. "That's… hm. That's certainly an aspect I haven't heard of before. I had thought children were perhaps easier to understand because of their comparatively fewer experiences, but it seems not. Out of curiosity, mister, have you ever eaten bugs before?"

Lavenza immediately looked over to Ren with interest as the Phantom Thief chuckled. "I don't think I remember that far back, unfortunately," he answered easily with a grin. "But who knows – I might've been a pretty weird kid back then." Then again, he had tried stranger things before, like that elephant dung coffee he once had with Haru. As much as he liked coffee, even that was a bit much for him.

He once joked about Kopi Luwak coffee with Morgana. That was the first time the catlike being threatened to claw his face. Ren never made the joke again – though the memory still made him laugh.

A few minutes later, both of the children (or child-looking anyway) had steaming mugs in their hands, carefully and happily sipping at their beverages. "So Lavenza," Ren began, catching the Attendant's attention as he held up a soma. "The Thieves Den has changed recently. It feels more… solid. Do you think I can use this outside of the Metaverse?"

Lavenza blinked at the question. "I believe this question is better suited for Jose than I," she replied.

As the boy glanced over in question, the Attendant handed it over to him. Jose stared hard at it, focusing. The tiny gourd glowed with a pale blue light for a moment, then faded away. "Okay, that should to it," he said cheerfully, handing it back to Ren. "You should be able to use it in reality now!"

Ren grinned in response. "Thanks, Jose," he said. "This will be incredibly useful." He turned the soma in his hand, pondering it. "Out of curiosity, Jose, what'd you do to it?" he asked.

Jose nodded. "As you're aware, items taken from reality into the Metaverse take on different effects due to cognition," Jose replied. "Like for example, when someone drinks water, it feels cool and refreshing, right? That cognition is applied to the water and given special properties in turn. Same with medicines or band-aids – cognition gives them a 'healing' trait so-"

"They heal," Ren finished for him. "Though in reality they're not nearly as effective. I'm guessing you're basically reversing the process, then?"

The grey-haired boy grinned. "Just about," he confirmed. "I basically overwrite the law of 'reality' on an object and grant the law of 'cognition' instead! The larger or more complicated something is, the harder it is to do. But thankfully, mister, the items you typically want aren't too difficult for me, so I can easily apply it. Hope that helps!"

The Phantom Thief nodded with a smile. "It certainly does, Jose," he replied. "Thank you so much." With that, he turned the tiny gourd of soma in his hand. "So how do I take it out, then?" he asked, looking between the two child-like beings. "Do I just wake up with it?"

The Attendant nodded. "I believe your cognitions have grown strong enough that you shall be able to manifest it in reality," she replied. "Simply hold it in your thoughts and you shall awaken with it in your grasp."

The Phantom Thief nodded slowly as he looked over the soma once more. Something this small he should be able to bring out into reality, but now he had to wonder what else he could bring out. Something as large as one of the exhibits was a bit daunting for him, so maybe not yet. But as he stared at the soma, he could only ponder further.

"What are you thinking about, mister?" Jose asked out of curiosity.

Ren blinked. "Oh, um…" He held up the soma. "I honestly never thought I could manifest stuff from the Den – or the Thieves Den – into reality," he admitted. "I guess for a long while, I kept the Metaverse and reality as kind of two separate things. Admittedly that's been getting a bit… mixed ever since I started using my personas as magecraft, but for the most part it's still separate. But now I can take things out of the Thieves Den – and use them with full effectiveness too. It's… hm, a change."

Lavenza smiled. "You are close to a threshold that few persona users have ever reached," she murmured. "The realm of cognition and reality are separated by boundaries that personas users can breach. Most simply bring objects from reality – which are fully realized – through that boundary, and cognition strengthens them. However, as you have grown stronger, as you have grown more, you can more easily traverse this boundary. Eventually, those borders will be meaningless to you."

The Phantom Thief blinked in surprise. "So, wait," he said slowly. "Are you saying that, for example, I will be able to summon my Phantom Thief outfit and my personas in reality now?"

The Attendant's smile widened. "This potential can come in many forms," she answered simply. "But there is no doubt your experiences in Chaldea will most likely prove incredibly fruitful. Know that I believe you are capable of much and more, my Trickster."

"And I'll be here to help you too, mister!" Jose chirped. "Just let me know what you need in exchange for your memories, and I'll do the best I can!"

Ren could only smile gratefully at them both. Enigmatic answers are what he expected, but it was encouraging nevertheless. "You guys are absolutely amazing," he said warmly, reaching over to pat both of their heads. "Thank you so much. Both of you. I'll be counting on you guys."

Both Jose and Lavenza giggled and smiled up at him. A new threshold, huh?

Sounds like he had even more to do now.

Ren slowly woke up to the darkness of his room. He could feel the ever-familiar warm weight of Morgana on him as the catlike being slept in his cat form. He had once lightly broached the subject of him having his own room – after all, there were plenty of spares in Chaldea – but he wouldn't hear any of it. 'You're kidding, right?' he had spouted indignantly. 'Where you go, Joker, I go. You're not getting rid of me that easily!' And that had been that. Truth be told, he had been glad Morgana refused to. He certainly felt less comfortable without his constant presence watching his back.

He slowly clenched his hands – and felt something hard and round in one of them. Shifting the object from his palm to the tips of his fingers, he felt it out, then slowly brought out his hand to view it under the dim light of the panel. No doubt about it: It was the soma he had received from Jose in the Den. As he turned it over in his hand, he had to wonder about the possibilities of the Thieves Den now. Aside from Jose and his ability to make things effective in the real world, what else could it now do? He had only just scratched the surface of it – could he now use it for something a lot more? He would have to experiment with it.

A smile creased his face as he immediately began brainstorming ideas. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he couldn't help but feel elated at the prospect. He felt like a kid who was gifted the biggest playset ever. He couldn't wait to see what more he could do with it.

"What'd you got there, Ren?"

The Phantom Thief blinked at Morgana's sleepy voice, seeing the silhouette of his head pop up. "I got a soma we could use on the field," he whispered back. "Go back to bed."

Morgana blinked then yawned. "A s-s-soma?" he murmured. "Alright. Let me know when you get some fatty tuna or something…" He put his head back down and his eyes closed – then he immediately shot up, all thoughts of sleep forgotten. "Wait, you said you got a soma?" he exclaimed. "That you can use in real life?! Wha- how?!" Ren gave a quiet chuckle. Looks like he had one heck of a story to tell Morgana now.

The day was only just getting started.

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