Chapter Text
“That can’t be correct,” Mitsuru exclaimed. “Earlier, you told us all of them were Shadows.” She stared at Oracle in disbelief at what she had told the team after regrouping. It wasn’t possible. There was no way Akihiko and Iori would behave in such a manner, not to mention those Personas they were using weren’t theirs.
Oracle looked down, twirling her fingers in a nervous matter. “Those were the readings I was getting at first, but then…”
“Panther managed to break through to him for a little while,” Joker explained.
Violet held her fist to her chest. “We saw Ryuji-senpai’s real persona, and he started to remember us, but then that other Persona took back control, and he wasn’t himself anymore.”
“I think that Persona is somehow manipulating his mind,” Oracle said. She balled up her fists, leaning forward slightly with determination. “That’s why I misread them as Shadows instead of themselves.”
“Could that be the reason all four retreated?” Aigis asked.
Mitsuru gave the question some thought. She rested her hand on her hip. “It would explain why they would retreat when on the verge of victory. But how did those Personas get control over them in the first place?”
“That certainly is a good question,” Shirogane said. The detective had her hand wrapped around her chin. “And why attach themselves to Yosuke-senpai and the others? Were they the first ones those Shadows came across, or is it for another reason?”
“So, do we just beat the Shadows out of him?” Kanji punched his fist into his hand. The former delinquent may have been talking tough, but he was barely on his feet. All of them were in bad shape after encountering their former friends.
“I don’t think it will be that easy, Kanji,” Narukami said. “Yosuke’s become strong enough to fight our entire team by himself. Even with Adachi and Marie’s help, we were defeated.”
“We fared no better, I’m afraid to say,” Mitsuru said. She felt utterly useless in that fight. As the leader of the Shadow Operatives and one who had fought since she was a child, she shouldn’t have been overwhelmed so easily, even at Akihiko’s hands.
The thought of her long-time rival and friend behaving in such a cruel manner with her unable to do anything… No, scratch that, she hadn’t even tried to break through. She hadn’t questioned Oracle’s readings, and as a result, she had lost any opportunity to help her friends who were clearly in need.
“Hey, there’s still something I’m not understanding about this whole situation,” Marie spoke up. “If Yosuke is only being controlled by a shadow, why did he speak like you guys did something to him personally?”
“Junpei sounded the same way,” Ken said. “He acted like Yukari-san was some monster who ruined his life.”
Koromaru barked in agreement.
“Ryuji acted as if he had never met any of us,” Fox said.
“Could the Shadows have something against us?” Noir asked.
“Or maybe it’s a prank,” Amagi suggested.
“I doubt that, Yukiko-senpai,” Shirogane said.
“Maybe they're using it to confuse us,” Mona offered.
Others also offered their opinions, but Mitsuru felt they were still missing something. She thought about what they currently knew. They, along with a number of non-Persona-users, had all ended up here against their will. Five castles appeared after they had found a safe zone, one of which was a floating castle. Their missing allies were being controlled by powerful Shadows who fooled their scanners into believing they were Shadows instead of people. Akihiko, Iori, and the rest saw them as their enemies and had become strong enough to defeat all of them.
Mitsuru tucked a stray hair behind her ear. There were still parts to the puzzle missing. Where were they? What were the castles for? Who controlled their allies and why? And why did she feel so weak, given her years of experience? Or perhaps she only felt weak because of how strong Akihiko and Iori had become.
“For the time being, we should retreat ourselves,” Mitsuru said. She crossed her arms under her chest, gesturing with one hand. “We need time to rest and recover. The simple fact is none of us are in any shape to pursue them at the moment.
Both Narukami and Joker backed up her suggestion.
*
Things did not become any simpler once they had arrived back at their base. Not only did they have to explain the appearance of three new Persona users, one of whom was a convicted murderer, but they also had to explain that Ryuji and the other missing Persona-users were being controlled by the enemy. For their remaining waking hours, the group healed and ate to recover from their first long day in this strange new world they were all in.
Ann couldn't find it in her to sleep as the boys slept in the restaurant and the girls in the upstairs apartment. Worry and fear had gripped her heart from the day’s events. She leaned against the door frame outside their base, staring at the house across from her. There was nothing special about the empty house; she simply didn’t know where else to look. She certainly didn’t want to look at any of the castles at the moment.
She heard the bell sound from the door opening. She looked over to find Ren by her side. He gazed at her with that look that said, ‘couldn’t sleep.’ Ann couldn’t help blushing and lowering her gaze to the ground. Her leader knew her so well. “Yeah, I have a lot on my mind.”
Ren waited patiently for her to speak again.
Ann took a breath, trying to gather her thoughts. “I can’t stop thinking about Ryuji, you know. He was right in front of us, and we couldn’t do anything to help him. Urgh, why did that idiot have to let that Shadow take him over anyway?”
“Yeah, why didn’t he fight harder?”
Ann could tell the guy was being sarcastic, but it made her laugh. “I know, right? Ryuji is usually so stubborn no one can get him to do anything unless it’s you, Ren.” The lightness she felt for that single moment passed, and the dread of the situation entered her heart once more. “He remembered me, and yet…”
Ann’s heart sank. She tried to fight back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. “I was powerless. He needed me, and I was so useless.”
Ren rested his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and saw the determined look inside his gaze. They told her ‘she was wrong.’ “We would have never discovered the truth if it weren't for you. We’ll save Ryuji. The Phantom Thieves will never leave a friend behind.”
Ann hugged Ren, unable to hold herself back. She was so thankful that he was their leader. Ren hugged her back. “Let’s get some sleep.”
Ann nodded. “Ok.”
*
Akihiko closed the door to his bed chamber. The room was grand, fit for a king. Akihiko didn’t need to feel like a king; he was a knight. His duty was to protect the realm and get rid of the pests who threatened it.
The head knight put his hand under his chin, falling deep into thought. The Persona-users they had fought today were a strange bunch. They kept asking about the real versions of the Shadow Knights, but they were the real Akihiko, Junpei, Yosuke, and Ryuji. He wondered if it was some sort of tactic to try and confuse them.
Another thing that bothered him was that stunning redhead woman. Though he never paid that much attention to girls due to his training, he couldn’t deny the woman’s beauty. But what really struck him were her eyes. She was far weaker than him, yet her determined gaze unnerved him as if he had been on the wrong end of angering her before. Could he have known her before and forgotten?
“Aki.”
Akihiko’s heart stopped at the sound of the voice. His eyes shimmered. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. “Shinji?”
“Aki,…hear…me.”
The white-haired man looked around the room. “Shinji, is that you? Where are you?”
“I’m right…you. My soul was brought here, but I don’t have a body.”
“Who brought you here?” Akihiko’s heart raced.
“Your queen. She said…”
“Said what?”
“She needs more power to give me a body. She needs those people dead. They’re weakening her.”
“Weakening…” So his queen was already working on keeping her word, but those pests were stopping her. Akihiko glared. That red-haired woman and her friends would die so Shinji and Miki could live.
*
Ryuji had completely explored his brand new castle, and man, was it a huge step up from the crappy apartment that he shared with his mom. The thing was one of those cool brick castles you would find in Europe. And the Shadows, who acted as his staff, told him it was inspired by French architecture. Not that that meant anything to him. The point was he had his own freakin’ castle.
The blond knight walked up to his throne, which was super cool. It was like he was a king or something. He plopped down, enjoying the cozy feel of it all. “So sweet!” He laughed. He then rested his cheek in his hand, quickly falling into boredom. “But what the hell am I supposed to do until I get orders to kill those guys?”
The right door to his throne room opened up. A drop-dead gorgeous blond stepped into the room. He knew that girl—it was Ann Tamaki—but she wasn’t dressed normally. She looked like a princess with her hair down. Then there were her eyes. They were golden. Ann wore a sweet little grin. “I have a few ideas, Sir Ryuji.”
Ryuji started to stand up. “Uh, Ann? What are you doing here?"
The happy girl lifted the skirt of her dress and ran up to him. Getting a closer look at her dress, the sides were cut out, showing some of her skin, and she had a low neckline, which gave him a good look at her cleavage. “I’m here to be your girlfriend, Sir Ryuji. As ordered by Her Majesty, I was created just for you.”
Ryuji tilted his head in confusion. “You mean you’re not the real Ann?”
“Nope,” she sang with delight. She wrapped her arms around Ryuji’s neck, jumping into his lap. She ran one finger down his throat. “I was made to fulfill your every need and desire. The Beauty to Your Beast.”
A black collar appeared around Ryuji’s neck with a chain attached. The chain was wrapped around Shadow Ann’s gloved hand. Ryuji felt his primal urges rising inside of him. He was a beast who would destroy everything he was ordered to.