It took a while to get this done; I had to plot out what happens next and how. Glad to know this story has lots of fans. Also, I really appreciate any comments & reviews.

Secure the Triumph, Faithful General!

O'Brian leaned against the wall as the sun started rising over the horizon. The previous day had been… Intense for lack of a better word. He'd dragged himself to Vic's Clinic, got healed a bit, and headed home to sleep. He ignored calls from both Tanakas and just dozed off.

The fact he survived was only because David fought to make it so. Thinking back to it, David had every right to leave him to die. He could've killed him with his spear himself if he felt vengeful; or just walked away and let Katsuo or his minions do it. He didn't.

"Gonks like that are a rare sight in this city." Often the case, they die off while playing hero in a city that kills heroes. They didn't survive long, unless they played by the city's rules, or stopped being the hero. Whichever came first.

He glanced at the newest app he got, and knew what he had to do. He already agreed to meet him, he might as well get going. He had to settle matters with David; he owed him that much…

And he knew exactly where to go to do that.

_Meanwhile_

David pierced the third Crypt Dwelling Pyromaniac he could find. Those specific demons were basically prey to him; their weakness to Wind made cutting them down child's play. And the best part: Unlike his mad dash from Katsuo's Palace, he could enjoy these kills. He still had to avoid the stronger shadows but the weaker ones- Crypt-Dwelling Pyromaniac, Beguiling Girl and Apprentice in a Jug- were all fair game to him.

He'd already gone through another training session with Regalla that morning, still using his metaverse outfit and weapons. He did much better in terms of evading, but still lost. It was clear that Regalla was his better - mainly with weapons, raw power and just plain experience - but he still fought well. After that, he dove straight into Hell.

He did speak with Igor before heading into Avernus to hunt shadows, and the old man had apparently gifted him with something called the eyes of the soul. From what he could tell, they allowed him to see through Shadows to their true selves, and could also allow him to see through Metaverse Deception; whatever that meant, because Igor just said it would be useful in time.

He'd gotten the hang of fighting with the Spear, despite never training with it beforehand. Side effect of the Metaverse he supposed.

After spending an hour hunting, he took a break in a safe clearing in Avernus. Igor mentioned that there were often safe zones where Shadows didn't wander into. While going over his loot and spoils from hunts, he got a text from Lubbock, saying he wants to meet.

David… agreed. He wasn't sure what he was planning, but would deal with anything Lubbock sends at him as it came. With any luck, he'd be fast enough to escape if it's a trap.

He arrived at the destination - a bazaar in Kabuki - and waited. He bought some food - he had scratch from the Metaverse - and waited. A pat on the back caused him to turn around.

Lubbock was standing behind him, drinking some soda. "Hey."

David just crossed his arms. "What do you want?"

Lubbock just threw the soda away in a nearby trash can. "You probably found some software that lets you warp into the… metaverse right?" David nodded. "Well, going through my systems, I found something similar. 'Metaverse Navigator:' I think its function speaks for itself right."

David just stood with his hands in his pockets. He still wasn't sure what Lubbock was thinking. "What are you getting at?"

Lubbock went on. "That world you dragged us into, it works on metaphysical levels, reflecting the real world based on human perception. The Katsuo we met wasn't the same as the one we dealt to school, right…? So if assholes have hellish counterparts… I should have one as well."

David had to blink at that. 'He must have figured this out on his own.' "So… you want me to take you back to meet your shadow?"

"Noooo." Lubbock shook his head. "I want to take you back and watch me meet my shadow."

Lubbock activated the Nav, and walked. David followed; he honestly wanted to see what was gonna happen. He could tell that Lubbock's shadow would be nothing like Katsuo's. The latter was an unrepentant dick with an annoying ego, while the former was a laid back dude with a penchant for mischief.

They two left the city and entered the Ruined city of Avernus once again. When David entered the Metaverse, he appeared in the same armor he wore before.

They two walked in silence, neither having much to say. Lubbock didn't even comment on his outfit. Their silence was broken when a pack of Shadows stormed into their path. David grabs Lubbock and hides. Lubbock takes the hint and quiets down.

"What do we do now?" Lubbock whispered.

David raised an eyebrow. "You're asking me?"

Lubbock nodded. "You're the expert, or rather, know more than me."

David sighed, but agreed. He briefly explained how Shadows/Demons operate in the Metaverse and recommended they avoid combat. From there, Lubbock followed David.

They spent the next half hour sneaking around shadows. David could now see their auras; white meant they were weaker than him, but red & black meant they were stronger.

Eventually, the duo arrived at their destination; a building falling apart, with a clearing in the main lobby. Light filtered in from holes in the walls and roof. Lubbock saw his target, sighed, then moved in.

Down in the clearing, the ravaged but mostly intact remains of the building's lobby area, stood a Carbon copy of Lubbock, except with an ominous black aura.

"Well, well, well… it's about time." Lubbock's doppelganger said. He looked exactly like the normal Lubbock… except for the pitch black eyes with red irises and the menacing aura about him.

Lubbock just waved at him. He slid down the debris, until he was in the pit a few feet away from him "Yo."

Lubbock's shadow grinned. "Do you really think you can do anything to hurt me? I'm the truth you deny, the failures you hide away from."

Lubbock just tilted his head. "…Okay…"

"You always wanted to be the hero, but instead you're nothing more than a backstage nobody. A hopeless suck up who can't do anything on his own. First Katsuo, then his father. You'd do anything to survive, no matter who you sell out to do it." The shadow glanced at David as he said the last part.

"Uh huh…" Lubbock gestured for his shadow to go on. David just raised an eyebrow at how calm Lubbock was being; if it was him, he'd have thrown a punch by now.

The Shadow continued. "You're a coward who shies away from intimacy. You couldn't convince a girl to like you as a friend, let alone a lover, if your life depended on it. Your parents don't need or want you, not when they have your older brothers to rely on. "

Lubbock's response was curt and even. "Neat."

Now the shadow's eye started to twitch. It was getting annoyed with the lack of any real response. "Grk, That's It… What's with that pitiful reaction? Aren't you gonna say anything else!?"

Lubbock shrugged. "Painful as it is to say this… Katsuo got more of a reaction out of me than you, and you're supposed to be the deepest truths I hide away, made manifest to stand before me. Honestly… not impressed."

The shadow just reeled back at that in shock. "I wha- bu- What?"

"Yeaaah." Lubbock rubbed the back of his head. "You haven't said anything I didn't already think about, you're also not trying to kill me, so there's that." Lubbock walked forward until he was right in front of his shadow. The shadow flinched as Lubbock put a hand on his shoulder. The shadow looked unsure of what was going on. David had a similar confused look.

"Let's break it down then, for clarity." He then hung his arm around his shadow's shoulder, as if they were the best of friends. David just looked on, going from confused to amused due to the shadow's bewildered expression.

"I confess to being a suck up and coward, more so the latter than the former. I stayed out of conflicts by keeping my nose down. Sometimes that involved kowtowing to other Corpo brights from more prominent families. Never close anyone either. It's true that my folks rely on my brothers more than me, but that's by choice. Even then, I still help out when I can."

"As for relationships… Yeah I kinda suck at those right now. Had a deep crush that never went anywhere, and was attracted to others that I might pine after, but those went about the same. Never could ask a girl out to even hang out, even as friends. Hell, I never even flirted with a girl in the academy. Never felt comfortable doing it there. Hopefully that can change."

The shadow had enough and pushed Lubbock away. "You think that makes up for all your issues?"

Lubbock just waved him off with another shrug. "I got my issues, sure, plain as that. But those alone don't define me. My story ain't over till I'm dead, so I'll be whatever I want to be. Support, hero, confidant, rogue…" He glanced at David. "A friend. I'll see what role I fit, and stick with what works."

"Besides, the only person without issues is a dead person, and I very much enjoy being alive…" Lubbock extended a hand to his shadow. "Don't you?"

The shadow just looked between David and Lubbock before letting out a breath. He then smiled. "Yeah… I do." He took his hand.

The second he did, Lubbock was covered in azure flames along with his shadow.

When the flames died down, Lubbock's appearance had transformed. Instead of the white button down shirt he wore a gray shirt, with leather straps, across his shoulders and waists, each holstering dozens of daggers. Over that, he wore a long dark green coat with a fur hood. His gray school pants were replaced with black cargo pants, and his plain sneakers became black with red lace.

He now wore Silver clawed gauntlets, with each finger producing a razor thin wire.

Behind him, a warrior general appeared, one with the head of an Eagle, his eyes pulsing with cursed power. He stood in Byzantine Segmented armor of bronze, with red leather in between. He held a decorated spear in his right hand and a sword in his left. From his back sprouted bird wings, the feathers matching his avian head.

David looked over O'Brian's new attire. "Nice threads. Now… how do you feel?"

O'Brian just adjusted his goggles. "Like I was a puppet on strings… but now they've been cut… and I'm set free." he then extended his hand towards a nearby boulder. From each of his fingers extended a thin silver wire that shot out to wrap around a boulder, then he pulled. The boulder was sliced up into pieces.

"Hahahaha, HAHAHA…" Lubbock slashed his wires around, slicing up some other debris around him. "This is Awesome! IF this is what you felt back then, no wonder you kicked Tanaka's ass. This is Great! This is beyond epic! This is-"

David caught his attention with an abrupt cough, causing Lubbock to calm down. He then stopped laughing, getting serious. "Look about yesterday with the Tanakas… I just, er wanna say-"

David held up a hand, causing O'Brian to quiet down. David had already made up his mind. "Look... you did what you had to. Neither of the Tanakas would have left you alone otherwise. It was messy, but you did the best you could... And you were honest when it mattered." Lubbock didn't have to mention the deal he made with Tanaka Senior, but he did, all to try and save him. It didn't work, but it had to count for something.

David extended his hand. "Let's call it even and start over. Names David, a gonk with issues, a debt to pay and a score to settle with a certain Corpo brat."

Once again, Lubbock took his hand. "Lubbock O'Brian, a gonk with free time, finesse, and skills that can help settle scores, especially if said score relates to anyone whose last name ends in Tanaka."

David then felt… something in the air. Time slowed briefly and he heard Regalla's voice in the air once more. Unlike the last time with Lubbock, the message was crystal clear.

'I am Thou… Thou art I… Thou hast established a new Bond.'

'Let your soul be lifted up to your destination, making a Heaven of any Hell you know.'

'Now rise up, Empowered with the Magician Arcana. May your bonds lead you to your Salvation.'

"Um…" This time, O'Brian seemed to be looking around in shock. "What was that?"

David blinked. "You heard her too?" That hadn't happened with Victor or Roman.

O'Brian just raised an eyebrow. "Heard who? I just felt… er, something. Not sure what."

David shook his head. "I'll explain another time. For now…" he turned his attention to the white palace. From atop the building he could see it as a white blot farther away. 'Payback time.'

He turned to his new partner in crime and grinned. "Wanna go rob Katsuo's Palace?"

O'Brian just grinned at that. "And profit at his expense? Hell yeah!" Their issues resolved, the two former saka students made their way. They had a wannabe emperor to steal from.

_Elsewhere_

Lucy blew out another drag of her smoke. She was overlooking the ocean from a spot in Little China. She could make out the damn Saka Waterfront from her spot. Anything made by Saka earned her ire.

She'd done a bit of kleping on the rails, picked some shards off a few Corpos and already cashed them in. decent pocket change. It was… quiet, not much to think about. Eject shards, swipe, rinse and repeat. Barely worth thinking about, unlike that time.

'When David was eager to impress me.' She'd done it to keep his attention. She escorted him to Doc Borg as a show of trust. She brought him to her place to keep him there until Maine arrived… All so Maine could get back the piece that David stole. He didn't know that his mom sold it to Maine, but Maine didn't care that much. But did she care?

She cut her pondering and made a call. Maine may not have wanted her to track David, but she could still keep an eye out.

Lucy: [ Anything? ]

Kiwi: [ I found the other student's name and info. Sent it to Maine so he can find the brat from the boy. Now we just hope he settles his shit and calms the fuck down. ]

Lucy: [ And Maine still doesn't want any help from me? ]

Kiwi: [ Nope. You could scroll the net, though I got it covered. Either way, I think Maine's still blaming you for the brat leaving. ]

Lucy groaned at that, and flicked her finished Cigarette into the bay. 'Damn Maine and his paranoia. So much for trust among the crew.' Didn't matter if she enjoyed her time with David, she'd still helped Maine by keeping David around. It wasn't her fault he literally disappeared into thin air. 'More like a flesh of blue flames, but still.'

Her stomach sunk at the thought. Maine was obsessed with the Sandevistan, and probably would have flatlined David to get it. She'd pretended not to care when Maine and the others arrived at her place and threatened to kill David for the Spinal implant.

Lucy: [ We'll See if Maine can catch David again. ]

Kiwi: [ Riiight… What's your take on the kid? ]

She had to pause at that. What was he to her? Aside from a headache for the crew she was a part of, that is. She was just trying to keep him occupied. Although… Was it all just to get Maine's Chrome… or was there more to it for her? She rolled around the question in her head, but she already knew the answer.

'I… enjoyed it. From klepping corpos, to escaping on the freeway, to talking at my place and showing him around the Moon… I enjoyed every minute of it… until the end when Maine interrupted us. I showed him the Moon Brain Dance… because I thought he'd enjoy it with me. He did.' she'd never shared that BD with anyone, not even Kiwi whom she was closest to. But seeing David down she brought him there, with the hopes of cheering him up. She didn't have to, but she did.

She wasn't sure what to make of it. Rather… She knew what she might think of him, but wasn't sure what to do with that. She'd never felt that way before.

Lucy: [ He stole Maine's Sandy and pissed off Maine. Nuff said. ]

Kiwi: [ I really doubt that's all you think of him… but good answer. ]

Lucy huffed. Of course Kiwi would approve that kind of response; it's the kind of bland answer that the older netrunner would give in her situation.

Kiwi: [ Whatever the case, I suggest you steer clear of him and Maine until this whole mess is sorted out. Maine will chill once he gets his chrome. Best for you to keep out of trouble till then. ]

Her sort-of mentor hung up the call, leaving Lucy to stew in her own thoughts.

She knew that Kiwi had a point, David's situation , and getting involved would only cause her more problems. But on the other hand… if David did settle his affairs with Maine, then maybe they could…

Lucy slapped her cheeks, clearing her head. She then took off, heading for the city. Right now, her best bet was looking around the city until she, hopefully, spotted him. If David was still walking around wearing his mother's jacket, she wouldn't miss him.

One way or another, she'd face David again.

Here, Lucy does some retrospection and admits to liking David. that will be addressed later on, once David settles things in the first Palace.

I'm basing the metaverse on what I know from the Persona 5 and 4 games, especially in regards to Shadows and Awakenings. One of the comments I read mentioned in depth the origins of Demons used in the Megami Tensei series, mainly based on Greek Daimons, which was really cool. I might touch on that at some point later on. Either way, I'll use the terms interchangeably, mainly to avoid word repetition.

I used canon Shadows from P5, and some Personas as well. The Burning-Breath Horse Demon is an actual Persona; I just gave it a different name and made it a Shadow.

As for Personas, here's the newest one…

Belisarius [Magician Arcana] Lvl: 3

Summary: A Byzantine general under the command of Justinian in the 6th century AD. He gained glory for his bravery in battle and his tactical mind, claiming a Triumph, an honor not seen since the early Roman Republic. he reconquered Rome, reclaiming it from the Goths twice, but had to relinquish the city to return to Constantinople to defend his homeland and king. His study of past Roman generals - Scipio, Caesar, and Marcus Aurelius - gave him the means to soar high and join them in history.

Strength-3 Agility-7 Endurance-4 Magic-4 Luck-2

Melee(- -) Fire(- -) Electric(- -) Wind(- -) Frost(Res)

Ranged(- -) Nuclear(Wk) Psychic(- -) Radiant(- -) Curse(Nul)

Skills

Eiha(Cu) = Light Curse attack against one target. 20 % chance of curse attack harming one other target in range.

Dream Needle(Sle) = Ranged light attack, 70 % chance of causing target to fall unconscious.

Poison Needle(Pos) = Ranged light attack, 70 % chance of causing target to be poisoned, dealing damage overtime.

Assassin's Step(Pa) = Double the user's speed when avoiding attack. If below 50 % health, speed is tripled instead.

When I went over ideas for characters to be personas, I went over some historical figures and found Belisarius. Seemed ideal for Lubbock, or my version of him anyways. Mostly in capacity as a reliable ally and well versed in tactics and strategies.

Taking a character from one setting to another is gonna lead to dissonance between my version and the original; All I can do is make him feel as close to the original as possible. He's not the same, but I think he's still cool… and not just because I'm writing it. TOTALLY not biased at all…

(Warning! Author is Biased towards his writing, but that's okay, because he admits it after denying it! Enjoy reading this work as much as he enjoys writing it.)