Chapter 39: Devil
Despite the small shopping spree they went on for the Dorm, the team didn't know quite how they would get back to the Dorm. At least, their version of the Dorm. They couldn't just leave the Mall and run into themselves in the past. Who knows what that would cause if they did! Which is why they took the option of going back through the door they used after the Temperance fight, only to find themselves not back at the arena as they thought, but back home at the Dorm.
"Now were back here!? What the hell?!" Junpei cries as everyone place their bags on the reception desk. "This is too much for me…"
"And me…" Yukari agrees, rubbing between her eyes. Metis follows in behind them as the doors close as she blinks in surprise at where they arrived.
"Oh wow! I didn't think that door would lead us here! I thought we would go back to the Desert of Doors. Still, this makes things easier if we want to get more things from the Mall. Maybe it was influenced by all of you wishing for easier supply trips."
"If it was then I'm thankful for it." Ken remarks as he flops onto the couch. "I need a break."
"We did push ourselves hard as we explored. I agree that a moment of rest is needed before we venture on." Mitsuru comments as she sits down at the coffee table. "Now that we have a means to supply ourselves, we do not need to rush as hard as before. Periodic moments of rest will do us all good." As the team spread out over the room, Junpei grabs a remote and turns on the TV, finding an action movie playing on the channel as he sits in to relax. Aigis, seeing the movie, sits next to him as well as Junpei lets out a whistle.
"Daaamn… These types of fights always have me on the edge of my seat. Don't see much use of it in actual combat though."
"Why is that?" Aigis asks. Junpei briefly jumps before calming himself, not realising that Aigis was next to him as he lets out a hum, rewinding the film to replay the fight scene again.
"It's just… why the heck would you guard and run from your opponent here? Makes zero sense."
"What makes zero sense?" Akihiko asks, sitting on the couch before seeing the fight screen on the screen. "Are you talking about that? It makes sense to me."
"How so, Akihiko?" Aigis asks, tilting her head at him. Akihiko smirks, folding his arms as he leans back in his chair.
"Yeah. I mean, his opponent is pretty much cornered right? Don't get why you'd back off after that when you could finish them off." Junpei remarks with visible confusion on his face.
"Well, as I said, I don't think it's such a bad tactic. It's obvious to me that the bad guy is trying to bait the hero into a trap." Akihiko replies with a grin. "He's letting himself lose on purpose, probably because he has a trap set up that could kill or badly injure the hero. That's why he backed off to get some distance before he triggered whatever trap was planned for him. What would you do here, Aigis? Would you still charge ahead?" Aigis blinks in surprise as she thinks to herself. Which if she was being honest wasn't that hard to do.
"I would do the same as the hero and back away while analysing the situation carefully." Aigis replies, nodding her head with confidence. Akihiko nods back at her with a grin while Junpei rubs the back of his head.
"Seriously you guys? The answer is obvious. Go in gun blazing!" Junpei remarks, thrusting a hand up into the air. "After all, the best defence is a good offence. You just gotta turn the tables on them and all that jazz."
"Junpei… you're going to get yourself killed one of these day if you keep doing that." Akihiko moans, shaking his head. "And what would Chidori do if you died?" Junpei face faults, looking away while rubbing his head. "What if you meet your match one day and none of us are there to bail you out? You've gotta be more realistic."
"Well, yeah… I know that. But it's just… that's how I am, y'know?" Junpei replies, letting out a sigh. "I know I'm too hot headed when in a fight to pause and think. And I can be easily distracted. That's why I focus on getting that one hit K.O. Sure, it's a heck of a power move, but it also keeps my foe off balance as well. I'm sure Ryuji would agree with me on that. Don't you agree, Aigis?" Aigis looks at Junpei, thinking over his comments, before nodding at him with a small smile.
"I agree. Full-frontal assaults can work in certain situations. Even if they can be more dangerous than stopping to think, they could also be what your foe would be least expecting you to do." Junpei gives her a wide smile, just as Aigis's vision suddenly goes dark as a card flies past her. She blinks in surprise, not expecting this to happen as Lavenza's voice echoes in her mind.
I am thou… thou art I…
Thou hadst acquired a new bond.
It shall be the guiding light along your winding path,
to lead you to the answer you desperately seek.
With the birth of the Magician Arcana,
I have been granted hope and resolution for a bright future.
Another one… is this the power that Minato, Minako, and Ren relied on? Aigis thinks to herself while looking at the Magician card. It already had five stars on it, which slightly puzzled her. She had been hanging out with everyone since last year, so why was it only at rank five? While she pondered this, Junpei stands up to head to the kitchen. Akihiko does the same, before looking at Aigis, folding his arms as he cracks a smile at her.
"By the way, you free at the moment? Ken has been asking me some questions, and we wanted to get your opinion on it."
"Sure, I am free at the moment." Aigis replies, standing up. Akihiko nods, motioning her to follow him as they head upstairs to find Ken looking over a book about martial arts. A strange thing for him to be going over, but Aigis wasn't going to comment as they sat down to help Ken with the book. It took them a while, but gradually Ken started to understand what the book was talking about, evident buy the large smile on his face.
"…I'm starting to get it now. This sure is helpful!" Ken remarks to both Aigis and Akihiko, the two of whom nod back with smiles on their faces. "I've never thought about why you'd do certain exercises or regimens… or anything like that, really."
"You should. It's important to know where your muscles are located and how they work together. Makoto would have told you the same thing if she was here." Akihiko clarifies with a grin as Ken nods back at him, before turning to Aigis.
"Thanks for demonstrating, Aigis. That made everything so much easier to understand."
"You've very welcome, Ken." Aigis replies, nodding her head at him. "It helps that I also learned something new as well. Considering how my body is mechanical in nature."
"Anyway, is there anything else that you're curious about? I'm all ears, so ask away, Ken." Akihiko tells him in good nature. Ken looks away, a question certainly on his mind, yet he didn't know whether he should ask it or not. Eventually, he bit the bullet and decided to ask.
"Well… yeah, kind of. But it's fine, really! It's not a big deal or anything…"
"Don't be afraid to ask questions. If there is anything you want to know, go ahead and ask." Akihiko replies, giving Ken the push he needed as he lets out a breath of air.
"It's… It's about what the book said at the end. The 'never give up no matter what' and 'press forward in the face of failure' bit. Isn't that more about developing mental fortitude than actually strength? Failing means not getting results, right?" Akihiko hums to himself, nodding at Ken as he agrees with him on that point. It was one that he himself sometimes forgot.
"You have a point there, Ken. But regular training improves more than just your physical strength, however. Do you know what I'm getting at, Aigis?" Aigis blinks at Akihiko, thinking through her memory banks until she arrived at her answer.
"It boosts your confidence. And in turn, boosts how far you are willing to push yourself until you find your limits." Aigis replies with Akihiko letting out a chuckle at her.
"Yeah, you got that right. And it's especially the confidence you gain after conquering a milestone in your training. And that confidence you build will see you through any future hardship yet to come. You'll believe that you can pull through, that there is nothing you can lose against after everything you've endured." Akihiko tells Ken as he lets out a sigh. "The real battle takes place before you enter the ring. If you want to make progress, then you have to keep committing to your training. That mean no shortcuts, no performance enhancers, just constant training every day, non-stop. Sometimes I forget that myself, but it's important to bring it back to the forefront and stick to your routine. Isn't that right, Aigis?"
"Yes." Aigis replies with a small smile, just as her world darkness as another Tarot card appears before her, alongside Lavenza's voice.
I am thou… thou art I…
Thou hadst acquired a new bond.
It shall be the guiding light along your winding path,
to lead you to the answer you desperately seek.
With the birth of the Emperor Arcana,
I have been granted hope and resolution for a bright future.
Another one… and also with five stars. Am I forming a bond with everyone? Aigis mentally asks herself as Minato and Minako call them downstairs. It was time for them to start work on the next door in the Abyss. But as they ventured downstairs, they saw that a door had appeared behind the Malebolge door, possible acting as a quick access to some place inside it. But it was the second glowing door that had their attention as another dark figure walked into it.
A figure that looked decidedly like Skull.
"Now a dark figure of Skull as well? Are we going to find dark figures of everyone down here?" Yukari asks as they approach the door.
"It's possible." Shinjiro remarks. "We might even see more of their memories as well. This is going to be a pain in the ass though…" With those wise words of encouragement, Aigis opens the door to the next area. Where they once more began their descent into the Abyss of Time.
Just like in Malebolge, all the Shadows in Cocytus bore the same mask as each other. Each one emblazoned with the number XV. It was no surprise for them to guess what would possibly be waiting for them as they reached the fifteenth floor of Cocytus.
"I'm picking up a large reading ahead of us." Fuuka calls out to everyone as they reach the portal. "I think an Arcana Shadow is waiting for us."
"It must be the Devil, then." Minako replies, taking out the Devil Tarot card. "Looks like we're facing off against the remaining Shadows…"
"Can you figure out what it's weak against from here?" Mitsuru asks gently. Fuuka closes her eyes, letting Juno reach out towards the foe only to get nothing but static in return.
"No… I can only sense it's presence. I can't make anything else out." Fuuka replies, shaking her head with a dejected look.
"Don't worry about it. Whatever happens, we'll overcome it together." Minato tells her, giving her a one arm hug as Aigis approaches the portal. With a silent nod of determination, Aigis steps onto it, finding herself being teleported to a familiar arena where they faced the Temperance. Along with another door waiting for them. But she wasn't alone as two figures stood between her and the door, just as everyone else joined her on the platform.
They were both humanoid in design, one male and one female, yet they were wearing nothing except for chains that ran over them leaving very little to the imagination. Their bodies were a deep grey with splotched of red over them as horns grew from their heads as they looked at the team with a primal look in their eyes. Impulsive with a hint of violence as they looked at the team with feral glee. The male one lacked hair while the female had long black hair in a wild and untamed style.
But it was the figure behind them that also had the team's eyes. While the two humanoids were around their height, the figure behind them was around double their height with a thin body that was showing its skeleton and large bat-like wings, hands, and feet that ended in sharp claws and wearing nothing but broken chains that hung from its neck, waist, and wrists. As for its head, it was wearing a large ram-like skull with a broken horn and blood dripping down from its eyes. But there was something else resting on that giant skull that covered up where the noes would be.
It was Skull's mask.
"This thing has Skulls mask!" Junpei cries out as Koromaru barks at the Shadow Arcana. The two humanoids grab large clubs at the feet as they stomp towards the team while the Devil Arcana stays behind. Casting Matarukaja on the two humanoids as they rush forward at them. Slamming their clubs down as they try to flatten Akihiko and Minako, the two of whom managed to swerve out of the way as Metis attacks one of them with Bufudyne. Yet, his attack does nothing as the female humanoid attacks her.
"My attack did nothing!?" Metis shouts, ducking under the swing. Just as Fuuka lets out a gasp of shock.
"This is bad! The Male Slave and Female Slave are immune to everything except Slash! And as long as they are up, the Devil Arcana is immune to everything!"
"Goemon! Vorpal Blade!" Aigis calls out as Goemon appears by her side, with the face of Yusuke under his visage. Slashing at both of the Devil Slaves and knocking them to the ground, yet the team was unable to press their advantage as the Devil Arcana boosted their defence before hitting them with Makajamaon. Managing to make some of them forgetful as the the Devil Slaves stood back up. The Male Slave lashing out with an Agidyne while the Female Slave attacked with Bufudyne. Forcing the S.E.E.S team back before Minato and Minako counter with their Slash Specialist Personas. Only for the two Devil Slaves to suddenly lash out with their clubs, making the very ground beneath them tremble as the Devil boosts their agility this time before lowering the team's defence.
"The Devil is focusing on buffing the Slaves! Take them out to remove its invulnerability!" Fuuka calls out to the team as they move back to their feet. Ducking under a Vorpal Blade from the Male while the Female attempts to hit them with a God's Hand. The two slaves loosing themselves in the frill of the fight, yet forgetting about the Twins as they succeed in summoning their Slash Personas to the field.
"Vorpal Blade!" They both cry out, knocking the two Slaves back off their feet as Aigis hits them with another Vorpal Blade. The attack managing to take them out and give the team a much-needed reprieve as all eyes turn to the Devil while it attacks them with Sexy Dance. Managing to Charm Yukari, Akihiko, Mitsuru, and Ken while the Twins, Shinjiro, Junpei, Koromaru, Aigis, and Metis attack the Devil.
"Fuuka! What's weak to!?" Minako calls back as she takes a moment to cure every one of the Charm debuff.
"The Devil is weak to Light and Bless, but immune to Dark and Curse!" Fuuka calls out as the twins nod at each other. Summoning their light specialists to the field, they blast the Devil Arcana with light as everyone else attacks the Devil from all sides. Aigis looks as the Devil feebly swipes at them with its right hand, the chains rattling along the ground as she switches her Persona around, landing on one that would deal the most damage.
"Necronomicon! Kougaon!" At Aigis's call, Necronomicon forms above her. The gargoyle statue atop her now sporting Futaba's face as she tilts upwards and fires a beam of light from the spheres under her. It was strange how Necronomicon could now help them in battle, but Aigis wasn't going to complain as the Devil Arcana cried out in pain under her attack. Until it slams it's left hand into the ground. Summoning the two Slaves back to the field as they throw themselves at the team from behind.
No sooner do they return, the barrier around the Devil reforms, blocking Shinjiro and Junpei's attacks as they are thrown backwards while Koromaru throws himself at the Male Slave's head. Yukari fires an arrow at the Female Slave before having to duck away from a blast of Ziodyne as the Devil boosts them both with Heat Riser. It was clearly not holding back any more, even as it did nothing but support as the two Slaves started lashing out with more wild abandonment. Not even caring about where they swung as they both hit each other several times. But all it did was boost their attack as they slam their clubs into the ground, sending out a shockwave until they did something none of them expected.
They grabbed the chains that hung around them and tossed them as the team. The Male manages to ensnare Yukari while the Female grabbed Junpei before they were dragged over to them.
"Hey! Let me go!" Yukari shouted as she was forcibly dragged over to one of them. Junpei struggled to fight out of the chain, but it seemed to only grow tighter as the two of them found themselves before the mobs. Before anyone could help, the two Slaves blast the captured members with Brain Jack, turning them against everyone as their eyes go red. Yukari heals the two slaves as Junpei attacks them with Maragidyne as the two Slaves attempt to ensnare more of the members with their chains.
"What the hell is this shit!?" Shinjiro asks, ducking under a chain only for it to grab Akihiko and drag him over to the Female. "Are they brainwashing us now!?"
"It's Brain Jack! Futaba warned me about this spell before!" Fuuka calls out in alarm as Minako is caught and dragged over. "And it's a version that can't be dispelled unless we beat those things!"
"Then allow me…" Minato calmly remarks, watching as Akihiko and his sister are hit by the Brain jack. "If they think we'll let them do this without fighting back, then they are sorely mistake! Justice!" Those not hit by Brain Jack look at Minato in confusion as he glows red, firing his Evoker at his head and summoning Power and Archangel to his side. The two Personas look at each other, sharing a nod as they cross their weapons and send out a beam of light into the sky. Conjuring down countless arrows of light that rain down on the two Slaves. Wiping them out in a single attack while also servery damaging the Devil Arcana as those hit by Brain Jack are freed from its influence. As Aigis stares down the Devil, she feels a swell of power emanating inside her as voices ring out in her mind.
That asshole! Thinkin' he can do whatever he wants while sitting down, huh!?
Then why don't we teach that bastard a lesson!?
"Lets… Electric Flame Dance!" Aigis calls out, glowing a scarlet red as Captain Kidd and Carmen form at her side. Both of them baring the faces of Ryuji and Ann as Carmen starts dancing on the field. Her two puppets dancing in a circle while kicking up a wall of flames as Captain Kidd flies around. Trailing behind lighting as the two energies mix with each other before Carmen and Captain Kidd speed towards the Devil. Dancing around it and encasing it in the wall of flames and lighting as the two Personas channel energy in their hands. Before they suddenly unleash them, capturing the Devil Arcana in a massive explosion that left it limping on the spot as it tries to resummon its Slaves. Only for Metis to come in and slam her foot onto its face, followed closely by her hammer and a Brave Blade from Psyche. And that proved to be too much for it as it crumpled away into black dust. Leaving behind Skull's mask with large pieces broken off it along the top and bottom.
"That was… not fun." Mitsuru comments, rubbing her head as they all gather around the broken mask.
"For real… that Brain Jack was not expected at all." Junpei adds, letting out a shake. "Reminds me of that story the Thieves told us when they went to change someone's heart."
"Let's… not remind ourselves of that." Minako comments as she shivers. "Just remembering about that story makes me feel unwell."
"But why did the Devil Arcana have Ryuji's mask?" Ken asks as all eyes go to it. "And… why is it damaged like this, just like Ren's?" No one had an answer for that as Junpei leaned down to grab it. Only for a flash of light to blind them as they found themselves in a grand staircase inside a castle with a giant portrait of Kamoshida in golden kingly armour before them. And making them all feel disgusted on the inside.
"Urgh… not what I wanted to see." Yukari comments as they all glance at each other. "Are we experiencing another memory?"
"Rgh… You piece of—!" Mona's strangled cry caused all of them to turn around, where they saw Shadow Kamoshida stepping on Mona while Ren lay on the floor next to him. Three silver guards and one golden knight stood over them while Ryuji was kneeling on the ground with a helpless look in his eyes.
"What's going on now?" Akihiko asks as Koromaru lets out a bark, rushing over to Mona only to phase through Shadow Kamoshida.
"We can't do anything again? This sucks!" Junpei yells in annoyance as they stand around doing the only thing they can. Watch.
"I bet you simply came here on a whim and ended up like this. Isn't that right?" Shadow Kamoshida gloats as he casts a gaze at Ryuji. "What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly… How dare you raise your hand at me. Though it was only temporarily, have you forgotten my kindness in supervising the track team during practice?"
"It wasn't no practice! It's just physical abuse! You just didn't like our team!" Ryuji screams, slamming his hands onto the floor as tears threaten to fly from his eyes.
"It was nothing but an eyesore! The only one who needs to achieve results is me!" Shadow Kamoshida bites back, rubbing his foot into Mona's back. Joker tries to stand up, but the golden knight forces him back down with his foot.
"He attacked the track team just because he didn't like them?" Shinjiro asks, hands balling into fists. "Remind me again why everyone thinks of him as an Olympian?"
"We don't." Akihiko growls, wishing that he could just beat up this sick man here and now.
"That coach who got fired was hopeless too… Had he not opposed me with that sound argument, I would've settled it with only breaking his star's leg."
"What?" Ryuji quietly asks as he looks up with shock in his eyes. A shock that filled the spectral team's eyes, as well as Shadow Kamoshida chuckled to himself.
"Do you need me to deal with your other leg too? The school will call it self-defence anyway!" Ryuji crumples to the ground, a form that none of the members of S.E.E.S could ever imagine him taking after interacting with him last year. It was like looking at a completely different person. "Once these two are dealt with, you're next. Or would you rather I kill you first and get it over and done with, you vermin? Hahahaha…!"
"Don't let him win!" Joker's voice calls out, even as the guard presses his foot into his back. "You are stronger than this, Ryuji! Stand up for yourself! Are you just going to let this asshole ruin your life even more!?"
"You're delirious!" Shadow Kamoshida shouts, failing to notice Ryuji slowly looking up at him. "What can HE possibly do!? He has nothing on him that he can threaten me with! NOTHING!"
"You're right…" Ryuji replies, earning everyone's gaze. But it wasn't the shocked and depressed look that they expected to see. But one filled with a burning anger that sent a shiver of fear down Shadow Kamoshida's spine. "Everything that was important was taken by him… I'll never get them back…!" He balls his hands into fists, snarling at Kamoshida with a deep rage. "You keep calling me a vermin, right? Well, you're wrong, asshole." He forces himself to stand, rage crossing his face. "That's what you are. All you think about is using people… You're the real scumbag, Kamoshida! SO STOP LOOKIN' DOWN ON ME WITH THAT STUPID SMILE ON YOUR FACE!"
"You tell him Ryuji!" Junpei shouts, even though he can't hear or see them. No one could blame him either. After all, they wanted to say the same things to Kamoshida's Shadow as well. And it appeared that they weren't alone.
Well, you made me wait quite a while.
A pulse rings out from Ryuji as he grasps his head in pain. His eyes dilate to small pinpricks as they glow yellow. The pain was so intense that Ryuji fell to his knees, crying out in agony, while Kamoshida just watched in amusement. But to everyone else, they knew what was coming.
You seek power, yes? Then let us form a pact. Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc…? The 'other you' who exists within desires it thus…
I am thou… thou art I…
There is no turning back. The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!
With one last cry, Ryuji glares up at Kamoshida as his mask forms on his face in a blaze of blue. Yet, Shadow Kamoshida had either forgotten about Ren's awakening or did not care what was happening in the slightest as his guards moved to execute Joker and Mona. This proved to be a fatal error as Ryuji forced himself to stand and, with a furious tug of his mask, ripped it off and engulfed himself in the azure flames. Knocking Shadow Kamoshida and his guards back.
As the azure fires faded, Ryuji was left slouched over, breathing deeply as his Thief attire manifested over him. While behind him, Captain Kidd flew hauntingly as he glared directly at Shadow Kamoshida. When Ryuji looked back up, he was sporting his trademark shark grin with narrow eyes. Looking exactly like the Ryuji they all remembered him as.
"Right on… Wassup, Persona? This effin' rocks!" Ryuji shouts with a grin as the spectral S.E.E.S team can't help but shake their heads at him in amusement, apart from Metis. "Now that I got this power, it's time for payback… Yo, I'm ready. Bring it!" At he says that, Mona and Joker push themselves up to stand by his side. All three of them glared at Shadow Kamoshida mixed with rebellious smirks as the guards around him transformed into an Eligor and two Bicorns. But the soon-to-be Phantom Thieves were not intimidated in the least as Ryuji points his hand forward.
"Blast them away, Captain Kidd!" And just like with the memory with Ren, the vision ends with the team finding themselves back at the arena. With Ryuji's mask in Junpei's hands, once more in pristine condition.
"Was that another one of your friends?" Metis asks, looking at the mask in Junpei's hands.
"Yeah… Ryuji. Might have looked like a thug but had a heart of gold under him. And fiercely loyal to his bro, Ren." Junpei replies, placing the mask on his belt. "Hell, the two of them thought of each other as brothers."
"All of the Thieves thought of themselves as a family. That's just how strong of a bond they all had." Minato replies before glancing at the door. "Still, I wonder what's beyond that door?"
"Why don't we find out?" Minako asks, walking over and opening it as a flash of light fills their eyes. But when it passed away, they found themselves in Iwatodai near the station that led to the Dorm. And one other thing that made them go cold with sweat.
"It's the Dark Hour!" Fuuka cries out before noticing that they are all transparent. "Wait… is this another memory?"
"A memory of what?" Aigis asks until an explosion echoes nearby. All eyes glance over where they see three figures facing off against a giant Shadow in the middle of the street. A tall skinny looking man with a scythe on one hand and a bag on a stick in the other, while a bare to the bone dog snapped at his heels. And facing off against it, were a Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Shinjiro from two years ago.
"Is that the Fool Arcana? Then this is…" Mitsuru remarks until the team watches past Akihiko jump into the air. Throwing a punch as past Shinjiro leaps in after him. Cleaving his axe at the Fool while past Mitsuru jabs her rapier at the dog. The Fool Arcana does nothing in return, standing ominously as the three surround it.
"We've got it on the ropes! One more good attack should finish it off!" Past Akihiko shouts with a smirk as past Shinjiro smirks back.
"Then let me at it!" He shouts, rushing forward as the dog leaps in front of him. "Out of the way!" He cries, slamming his axe into it and sending it flying up. But as he did so, the Fool made its move as it swung its scythe at him. Glowing in a red aura as it slices into past Shinjiro's chest and send him back. Past Akihiko goes to check on him while past Mitsuru attacks the fool with a Bufula.
"You alright, Shinji?" Past Akihiko asks in concern. Past Shinjiro nods, hopping back to his feet as he dusts his arms.
"I'm good. Bastard got a lucky hit, but I'm fine." Past Akihiko nods in agreement as he charges back into the fray. Past Shinjiro was about to join him, but his stops as he feels a burning pules rage inside him. His eyes go wide as he lays a hand on his chest, grunting in pain as he falls to his knees.
"What's happening?" Yukari asks as Shinjiro closes his eyes in regret while Ken looks at him with a knowing look.
"Castor is going berserk…" Shinjiro replies with regret as past Shinjiro lets out a pained cry of agony. Catching past Akihiko and past Mitsuru's attention as Castor forms of his own volition. But instead of the peaceful blue, he was glowing a deep and dark red as past Shinjiro collapse to the ground. Then, Castor races forward, slamming itself into the Fool and knocking it of balance towards a nearby house. A house that Ken recognised as Castor charged up a blast of energy in its gun arm and fired it at the Fool. Knocking it down right onto the house as a boys cry erupts from the building. Sending a cold dagger through everyone's hearts as the Fool got back up. With a crushed coffin right underneath it.
"No…" Minako whispers as Castor continues his unrelenting assault into the Fool as past Akihiko and Past Mitsuru look on in shock. And through the ruined house, the team could see past Ken watching in horror as Castor tore apart the Fool, finishing it off for good and leaving behind the Fool tarot card that vanished seconds later. Past Ken then faints as past Akihiko and past Mitsuru then work to calm down Castor as past Shinjiro looks up from where he lay. Seeing the crushed coffin left behind in the carnage, he closes his eyes in pain.
"What have I done…?" He asks himself, tears falling from his eyes as the vision suddenly changes to that of a police station, with two officers speaking to each other with Ken behind them at a desk. His eyes displayed a haunted look.
"Well, Sergeant? What do you think?" One of the officers asks as the other shakes his head.
"Eh, you can go. Just another one of them freak accidents." Everyone watching felt themselves wince in pain as the officer sat across from Ken. Folding his arms as he gave him a sympathetic look. "Hey, kid. Sorry I took so long. It says here you name is… Ken Amada. Is that right?" Ken nods silently as the officer rubs the back of his head. "Sorry about what happened to your mom. A sudden collapse of the house right as you were having tea, and she gave her life to save you from the wreckage? I can't blame you for being silent. Anyway, I gotta take your statement, since you're a witness and all."
"If I told you what happened… would you believe me?" Ken asks despondently like he knows that he wouldn't be believed.
"Of course, I would! Helping people out is our job." The officer replies, but transparent Ken shakes his head at that. He knew that he wouldn't believe him.
"My mom was… murdered." Past Ken tells the officer, shocking him. "Around midnight, when I got up to use the bathroom… I heard voices outside the door. I looked, and I saw this teenager holding his head and yelling before he collapsed to the floor."
"Hold on, you're saying he did it!? But the whole house collapsed!" The police officer replies, shaking his head in disbelief.
"There was this shining, horse-like monster glowing a deep red that came out of him to attack another giant monster that fell on our house! It roared! And just like that, my mom and my house were—!"
"Ohhh, a monster, was it?" The officer replies, rubbing his head as he lets out a weak laugh. "C'mon now, there's no way that actually happened. Sorry, I shouldn't laugh. It's just, sometimes, after a traumatic incident like this, people can—"
"I'm not lying! I really did see it, I did! It's the truth!" Ken shouts, shaking his head as tears threaten to spill from his eyes.
"Look, kid… It was all an accident, plain and simple. A drunk driver crashed his car into your house." The officer replies, stunning Ken as his eyes go wide with shock. "We've already found the car and what's left of the driver. Now, all we need is an account of the accident. I know you might think it's a lie… but it's true." The police officer stands up, walking over to Ken as he pats his shoulders with a sympathetic gaze. "Listen, I'm sorry for your loss, but… I have to go. I hope things get better for you." With that, he leaves as Ken watches him go. A building fury glows in his eyes as he slams a foot down on the ground in anger.
"Liar! You said you would believe me!" Ken shouts, shaking his head. "Adults can't be trusted. So I'll find him myself…" With that, their vision is engulfed with light once more, and the team returns to the platform that once held the Devil Arcana.
"The door's gone!" Metis remarks in surprise, blinking at the empty space. "Before, it opened up to a new area, but this time it's gone."
"Never mind that! What we saw was…" Fuuka starts before all eyes turn to Ken and Shinjiro. The two of them gazed at where the door once stood.
"That sure brings back memories." Ken remarks, shaking his head. "All I though back then was finding my Mom's murderer, but in the end, I was chasing after the wrong thing." He looks up at Shinjiro, seeing the older man not meeting his gaze. "Seeing it from your angle really does show how you never wanted that to happen. And how much of an idiot I was fixating on you."
"I never saw it coming." Shinjiro admits hands in his pockets. "The Fool was being so passive, we just forgot any sense of caution. And we paid for it." He shakes his head, leaning back on his feet. "That night was the night that sent everything into motion for us. Both good and bad."
"Hey, Metis! What was all that about!?" Akihiko shouts, grabbing her attention.
"I think I just figured it out. We can witness past events that not everyone was present for in the first place. I mean, it's kinda obvious after seeing those masks, but it's still amazing to see." Metis remarks as the team sweat drops at her.
"That's not what he meant. He was asking why we even saw that in the first place." Minato clarifies while shaking his head.
"How would I know? This is your past, and it's their future." Metis remarks, surprising the team at how she just said that the Thieves are from the future. None of them had told her about that, didn't they? "This is just my speculation, but I think those doors and masks reflect the minds of those who pass through. That's why we were able to find a place to acquire supplies and return to the Dorm directly. Right now, you all wish to eradicate the Abyss of Time as soon as possible and make it out alive, correct? If so, then what may seem behind these doors might look irrelevant, but they could all hold a more profound meaning."
"She has a point." Shinjiro remarks, grabbing everyone's attention. "Seeing that again has got me thinking. Back then, I was so focused on the foes before me that I forgot about those around me. I let myself get caught up in the fray all so I could find a place to belong. But now… I don't need to do anything like that." He looks back at everyone with a smile on his face. "I can't erase what I did in the past, but I can carry it with me into the future."
"We should never forget the past, but we can't let it bind ourselves either." Minako agrees as she, Minato, and Aigis all see the Eclipse and Fool cards reach rank four. "Even if it's hard, we all need to keep moving forward." While the team nod at her in agreement, Aigis spots a new Tarot card forming over Shinjiro as she blinks in surprise. Even as Lavenza's voice echoes in her ears.
I am thou… thou art I…
Thou hadst acquired a new bond.
It shall be the guiding light along your winding path,
to lead you to the answer you desperately seek.
With the birth of the Hierophant Arcana,
I have been granted hope and resolution for a bright future.
Another one already? And also at rank five? Aigis asks herself as the team makes their way back to the Dorm. Even as Aigis continues to think to herself. Why was I chosen as a Wild Card? Why was I given your Personas, Ren? Just… what is there for me to learn? What are you trying to tell me?
Why did you all sacrifice yourselves that day? And why did you not tell us the truth?