About 8 months ago, just before the battle against Yaldaboth...

Elizabeth's POV

This is beyond frustrating. Every plan I have ever come up with ends the same, the fall. And that would make his sacrifice pointless...

Maybe it's just impossible. Maybe he just doesn't get to live... no. I won't let that happen.

"He will live again! I swear it."

"Such resolve is commendable... and foolish, sister."

My older and younger sisters: Margret and Lavenza.

Me: "Are you here to mock?"

Margret: "No, I'm here to help."

Me: "You? You are here to help me? When I told you about my plans you said it was immature and stupid... why the sudden change of heart?"

Margret: "I stand by my statement, but I guess I'm a little bit stupider now too."

Lavenza: "I as well. When my beloved trickster finally fused me back together with his own hands, I realised how much I cherished him, and so, if my Trickster was ever in the same position as your Yuki Kun, I would probably do the same thing as you."

Margret: "As would I, I cannot lie to myself anymore, I am like you in many ways sister, and I would have it no other way."

That's... nice.

Me: "Thank you sisters... I do not know what to say."

Margret: "It is the least we can do, now what is your plan?"

Me: "I only have one plan that has a chance, I would have to replace him as the great seal."

Lavenza: "Assuming that we would EVER let you do something as crazy as that, why haven't you done that?"

Me: "Because the free second it would take is more than enough for Erebus to get to Nyx, and it has learned from past experience, and it is more angry than ever... if Erebus gets to Nyx again, there will be no stopping the fall."

Lavenza: "I see... wait. you said a second is all it needs, what if it didn't exist for that second?"

Me: "Defeating it first won't work, it still would come back too fast."

Lavenza: "No you don't understand, I have just sent my Trickster and the Phantom Thieves off to fight the God of control, if they are successful, the world will reset for a second, during that time...

Me: "We would be able to free Makoto's Soul! And replace it with mine!"

Margret: "In theory yes, but there's a problem, have you ever considered the possibility that you aren't strong enough to hold back Erebus?"

Me: "That's preposterous. Even my beloved Makoto Yuki isn't that strong, that's like saying Narukami Kun is stronger than you."

Margret: "They have both bested us before, but even if we never used our true power you are forgetting something, that seal is someone's life force, plus the power of the Universe arcana. Not even we wield that power, it's possible you are strong enough, but it's possible you are not."

No. I have to be. It's the only way!

Me: "I have to-"

Margret: "We would never allow that anyway sister, but fear not, I believe I have a solution."

A solution?

Me: "What is it?"

Margret: "Right now the beast isn't attacking correct?"

Me: "Correct, it's stopped for the past few months... it's simply given up on trying for 6 years to break the seal, it knows it just can't. So it lies in waiting... constantly watching for the slightest change."

Like humans it tries to accept what it cannot change.

Margret: "What if there was no seal, but the beast just believes it's still there?"

Me: "You mean an illusion? Tried that, there's no magic strong enough to deceive all of humanity."

Margret: "Yes there is, it's just... we need help to get it and it's incredibly risky... the Fog. It was literally designed to do just that, deceive all of humanity."

The Fog? That's crazy! And genius.

Lavenza: "But we aren't Izanami..."

Margret: "No, but I know someone who is, but I'm sure you know, if this goes wrong not only could Erebus be free to initiate the fall, the Fog will return, it's a very high risk, high return gamble."

Lavenza: "My Trickster and the Phantom Thieves approach the God of control's dwelling, if we are going to do this, it's now or never."

Me: "Before I met him, I never would've considered such a crazy move. But I guess, as humans say, love makes you do crazy things... let's do it."

Present day.

Makoto Yuki's POV

What?

They did all that just to bring me back?

Yu: "So that's why the Fog is back, it WAS you Marie."

Marie: "Yeah, Margret asked me to help her and her sisters, and I felt like I owed her, plus... I thought about what you would you in this situation Yu."

Yu: "It's... a difficult choice to say the least. Like when I lost Nanako, if I thought there was any chance she could come back I probably would've taken it. You have good friends Yuki kun."

That's... an understatement.

Ren: "Wow, I'm shocked, but I think your fellow S.E.E.S members will have something to say after their brains stop trying to explode."

Mitsuru: "I... wha- ho- he is correct."

They should be in my head. I can't believe this is real.

Aigis walks to Elizabeth and hugs her.

Aigis: "Thank you. So much."

Elizabeth just nods and smiles.

Makoto: "If that's why he's alive, then what was Oizys all about? And why didn't you tell us?"

Elizabeth: "Oizys is humanity's regrets given form, she was jealous and angry that Makoto, Yuki had returned, so she took it out on all of us. All of you were linked to the answer, so she came for you, that's the one thing we didn't expect."

Lavenza: "As for why we didn't tell you, we were too weak. Which leads me to the last part of the story."

There's more? But my soul must've been free and Erebus is under the illusion. What could be left? Unless it wasn't successful?

Margret: "We successfully put Erebus under the illusion and freed Makoto Yuki's soul, rest assured, but that didn't make him alive again, his body had been dead for 6 years. If we put his soul inside a rotting corpse, it's just a dead husk with a soul inside. We needed to revive his dead body."

Revive the dead? No wonder Oizys was angry with me.

Elizabeth: "I was prepared to just let your soul rest in peace in the afterlife, because as strong as we are, we cannot revive the dead, but a glimmer of hope arrived with your councillor."

Ren: "Dr Maruki? What?"

Ren told me about him, he tried to overwrite reality with one where nothing suffers, but he didn't even know about me.

Lavenza: "Correct, but as you know, his reality only overwrites our own, it cannot merge with it. But as I had spent the most time with the God of control, I seemed to be able to borrow a fraction of his power from Maruki, reviving Yuki Kun, but to make this change permanent, all of us needed to put our strength together to revive him for good. It was risky and not guaranteed, and it could never be repeated."

Margret: "So when Oizys put her plan into motion, we were too weak to warn you, the most we could get out were attempted sentences or encouragement to do things you wouldn't normally do."

That must be why I heard Elizabeth's voice when I put my hand in the TV, and why Sojiro told Ren to come.

Me: "You did all that for me? But wh-"

Aigis puts a finger to my lips.

Aigis: "Shhh. Don't ask."

Okay? I'm just in shock right now.

This place is starting to rumble.

Mona: "The Palace is collapsing! We have to get out of here!"

He's right, the walls are beginning to crumble all around us.

Mona turns into a car, (to most people here's surprise) and we drive straight into the exit TV.

As we leave the TV world I hear Elizabeth's voice in my head.

"It wasn't always easy Makoto, but you being able to live your life again made it all worth it... Live."

Elizabeth...

We're in the real world.

I'm still just trying to process everything that just happened...

Yeah it's gonna take a while.

Before I have a chance to say anything, I'm pulled in for a giant group hug with my team.

Junpei: "I was trying to hold it back until I was sure, but you're really alive!"

Yukari: "Its not a dream! You've really returned!"

Mitsuru: "I was hoping you wouldn't disappear again once it was all over."

Akihiko: "You're really back, we missed you."

Amada: "I'm not crying okay, I'm not."

Koromaru: "Woof!"

Aigis: "Welcome home."

I'm crying again! I can't help it. I think we all are.

This is such a gift... that I don't deserve.

It's... really warm, and everyone else is joining now.

Aigis: "So what are you going to do now Makoto?"

Me: "Live."