Chapter Text
Ren frowned down at his phone. What the hell was he thinking? He knew he was going back home soon, so of course his mind kept wandering back to them… but why on earth did he keep wondering this?
He had waited until Morgana had gone off on one of his usual walks; he didn't really want to explain his line of thinking. After letting out a loud huff, he went for it and clicked on the Metanav icon.
'What's the worst that could happen?' He figured, telling himself that he was just overthinking things.
He took a breath and clicked on the microphone before quietly speaking.
"...Hinata and Yuri Amamiya."
He scoffed dismissively at his own stupidity.
"What the hell am I do-"
"Candidate Found."
Ren's eyes shot wide open at the navigator's words. Did… Did it just say what he thought it said…? He nervously glanced down at the screen.
It displayed the words: 'Candidate Found'.
Ren sat there, staring at the screen in disbelief. He had just randomly pondered the possibility… He didn't expect it to actually be true!
Curiosity got the better of him. He had to learn more.
"...Theatre?"
"No candidates found."
"Hospital?"
"No candidates found."
"School?"
"No candidates found."
"......Prison…?"
"No candidates found."
Ren's mind was swarming. His stomach was churning. Why the hell was he doing this? Why did he need to know so desperately?
The idea of this terrified him, but for some reason, he couldn't stop. He began thinking of his parents' interests. Could any of them have a connection to a potential palace?
"Garden?"
"No candidates found."
"Library?"
"No candidates found."
A shaky sigh left Ren's mouth.
He tapped his chin thoughtfully. They always enjoyed fairy tales… Maybe a type of scenery from one of their favourites?
"Forest?"
"No candidates found."
"Cottage?"
"No candidates found."
"Tower?"
"Candidate Found."
Ren gasped at his progress. Okay, so it was a tower… Now, where the hell would this tower be?
"The Amamiya Residence?"
"No candidates found."
'Of course… It can never be easy…' Ren huffed in irritation as that thought crossed his mind. He scowled as he tried his hardest to think of the place that would be the center of his parents' palace.
'I don't think it would be their workplaces…'
"Hey, Ren."
'I mean, I've never really heard them complain about their work, so it couldn't distort their desires…'
"Ren."
'It couldn't be the whole town, could it?'
"Uh, Ren?"
'Now that I think about it, Kaneshiro's palace covered all of Shibuya… So, it could be possible… Maybe?'
"Earth to Ren Amamiya!" Sojiro's gruff voice shouted up the stairs, causing Ren to flinch.
"Candidate Found."
"Huh?" Those words caused Ren to freeze.
It found the location? Where was it? He didn't know why but a strong wave of dread flooded over him.
He looked down at his phone for the details. And stopped breathing.
[Palace Owner(s): Yuri and Hinata Amamiya
Distortion: Tower
Location: Ren Amamiya's Location]
Ren began trembling as he stared at his phone's screen with terror all over his face. The location of his parents' palace was… wherever he was…?
He felt sick.
His stomach felt as if it was tied in knots.
He had an acidic taste in the back of his throat.
His body felt cold.
"Hey, I've been calling you." Sojiro muttered in annoyance as he entered the attic.
"H-Huh?" Ren gasped in shock, quickly exiting the Metanav and placing his phone down.
"The café's got a sudden rush of customers and I need your help to serve 'em all." Sojiro informed the teenager.
"O-Oh, right, yeah, I, um, I-I'll help." Ren stuttered, still quite rattled by his discovery.
Sojiro frowned worriedly.
"You okay, kid? You seem kinda jumpy…" The bearded man asked as he watched Ren carefully.
"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine, I just was, uh, lost in thought." Ren hurriedly thought up an excuse.
Sojiro's frown grew bigger.
"Were you thinking about that night in the interrogation room again?" He cautiously enquired, not wanting to upset Ren further.
Ren's eyes widened.
"Y-Yeah… But, really, I'm fine, no need to worry!" He went along with Sojiro's presumption, being unable to think of another excuse.
Ren sprung up from his bed, hoping that working in Leblanc for a while would clear his head. Sojiro stopped him as he tried to squeeze past him. Ren anxiously glanced up at him. Sojiro sighed quietly as he softly tousled Ren's hair.
"I know that kinda stuff doesn't really go away… But, you're safe here, just remember that, okay?" He reassured Ren with a kind smile and an encouraging pat on his shoulder.
The raven haired boy stared at Sojiro with a stunned silence. He felt guilty for lying, but to hear Sojiro say that… It really did make him feel safe. It was comforting to know that he was there for him. If only… No. Ren shook his head to get rid of those thoughts.
"Thanks, Sojiro. That really means a lot." He replied, forcing a smile onto his face. He hoped that Sojiro could tell that he was being completely genuine with those words.
"Heh… No problem, kid. Now, c'mon, let's go feed these customers." Sojiro chuckled with a relieved smile before following the boy he couldn't help but think of as a son down the stairs.
Ren collapsed onto his bed with a tired huff. Sojiro wasn't kidding when he said there was a rush of customers… Ren didn't think it would ever end!
He yawned loudly as he glanced around for Morgana.
'That's weird… He's usually back by now…' Thought the teenager as he scanned the room for his cat friend. After a while, he picked up his phone and discovered some texts from Futaba.
[15:55PM
Futaba: Hypothesis - Morgana is cat. Cats love laser pointers. Therefore, Morgana will love laser pointers.
Futaba: Testing hypothesis now.
Futaba: TSJDTJJDFFJDFJSRJSJRS HYOPTHEISIS CORRECT
Futaba: HE'S GOIN CRAZYYYYYY]
Ren couldn't help but giggle as he imagined that sight.
[Ren: Pics or it didn't happen]
He was still giggling to himself as he closed the messaging app. Although, his laughter instantly stopped as soon as his eyes landed on the Metanav.
Oh, right… He had forgotten about that… A stressed sigh left his mouth as he began thinking about it again. He kept telling himself that he should just ignore it and act as if it never happened. But there was a part of him just screaming that he needed to know. He had to investigate, even if just once. But, what if…
Ren shook his head. All of these clashing thoughts were overwhelming. Would they all stop if he checked out?
He clicked on the Metanav.
It loaded up the palace information.
He groaned stressfully again. Surely, it wasn't a good idea to go into the metaverse by himself, but the idea of his friends knowing about his parents… It unsettled Ren. He was starting to get annoyed with his own indecisiveness.
Just one quick exploration.
That would be it. And then he could forget all of this crap. Ren took a deep breath to calm his nerves. And pressed the button.
"Beginning Navigation."
The scenery around Ren began to distort with the sensation that he had grown very accustomed to over the past year.
He couldn't help but gulp nervously as he stood up. He had no idea what was waiting for him. Although, it wasn't the scenery that caught his attention.
It was his outfit.
It didn't change.
Ren couldn't decide if that made sense or not. It made sense because he was their son; why would they see their own son as a threat? But, at the same time, shadows generally tended to have their guards up very high.
Now that he thought about it, he wouldn't be able to summon his persona if he didn't transform… But, it was just one quick look around. He wouldn't need to. As he pondered the potential meanings of this, he slowly walked over to the building.
The tower was incredibly tall. He couldn't even see the top of it, due to it being hidden in the clouds. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He felt as if his lungs were about to pop. He clutched his phone tightly in his sweaty hand.
"Ren?"
He flinched at the sudden mention of his name. That couldn't be good.
"Your highness?!"
"What is the prince doing out here?!"
Ren cautiously turned around to see three very large shadows dressed as castle guards charging straight towards him.
'Time to go.' He thought as he sped towards the exit, suddenly regretting his decision.
"Your highness! Get back here!"
"Would you like to return to the real world?" The robotic voice of the Metanav slowly asked.
"Yes! Hurry up! Hurry up!" Ren pleaded as he continued running, the shadows gradually catching up to him. As the surroundings began to distort again, Ren breathed a sigh of relief.
But he celebrated too early.
A shadow grabbed his leg, causing him to fall flat on his face. His glasses smashed on the impact, thankfully not injuring Ren at all…
And his phone flew out of his hand.
"No!" Ren screeched as he desperately fought against the three shadows, trying to reach his phone. He needed his phone to escape! He just needed to get to his phone!
It was too late. His phone went back to reality. Without him.
Ren's eyes widened when he realised what this meant. He was trapped in the palace. Amidst his panic, he formulated a plan:
He could find a safe room and hopefully contact Futaba through the weak distortions with Necronomicon.
With that in mind, he struggled with all his might to free himself from the shadows' grip.
"Really, your highness…" One of them tutted with an exasperated shake of its head.
"How on earth did you get out here?" Another asked, tightening it's hold on the feisty boy.
"You know how the king and queen feel about you leaving your tower." The third shadow reprimanded him as it called over reinforcements.
Ren's breath hitched in his throat at that last statement.
'Your tower'?
Then that meant-
A dread filled grimace appeared on Ren's face as he began struggling even harder, clawing and kicking at the shadows as hard as he could.
"No! Let me go! Get off me!" He screamed, ignoring the stinging in his throat.
"Arsene!" He called out desperately.
But his persona didn't appear.
"Come now, your highness! There's no need to act so childish!" Grunted one of the shadows.
"He's just scared because he's outside. Once he's back in his room, safe and sound, he'll be fine." One of the reinforcements stated nonchalantly as it helped the others drag Ren into the castle.
Frightened tears filled Ren's eyes as he stretched his hand out towards the entrance of the palace.
"Somebody! Anybody! Please! Help!" He screamed one last plea despite knowing that no one would hear it as the castle door slammed shut behind them.
"Saaaaalutations, Ren! You think you can ignore me without repercussions?!" Announced Futaba as she stormed into the attic, holding Morgana above her head like a trophy. She froze when she saw the empty room.
"...Oh."
"Where is he?" Asked Morgana as he hopped onto the nearby desk.
"Hey, Sojiro? Did Ren go out somewhere?" Futaba called down the café.
"I haven't seen him come down, but he might've come down when I wasn't looking." The bearded man replied. Futaba hummed thoughtfully as she looked across the room, noticing Ren's phone on the floor.
A grin spread across her face.
"Hellloooooo…." She snickered as she picked it up. Well, messing with his phone would be a fun way to pass the time, right?
The first sight that greeted her after unlocking the phone was a large number of missed texts.
[Missed Texts from Futaba
16:21PM
Futaba sent an image
Futaba: Here you go, naysayer
Futaba: Photographic evidence
16:30PM
Futaba: Hey
16:45PM
Futaba: I sent you Mona pics, respond bitch
16:57PM
Futaba: The consequences for ignoring me shall be immense, Joker…
Missed Texts from Ann
16:31PM
Ann: Was that social studies homework due in next Friday or the Friday after?
Missed Texts from Ryuji
17:05PM
Ryuji: Dude, you gotta read the new chapter of Moonlight Blade!!!!!
Ryuji: Holy shit, it was insane!!!!
Missed Texts from Goro
16:15PM
Goro: Hey Ren, you left some of your textbooks at mine, do you wanna come pick them or should I drop them off at Leblanc?
16:30PM
Goro: Hello? Ren?
Goro: Did your phone not give you the notifications again?
16:48PM
Goro: Ren, I need an answer, pretty sure I remember you saying that you had homework for some of these subjects
17:00PM
Goro: Ren, are you alright?
Goro: You don't usually take this long to respond.
Goro: Not to mention, I know you always have your phone on you.
17:18PM
Goro: Have I done something to offend you?
17:30PM
Goro: Have you been having nightmares about that again…?
17:44PM
Goro: Ren, if I've upset you, please tell me. I need to know what I can do to make things better.
18:00PM
Goro: I know I'm not going to be able to fix what happened
Goro: Just…
Goro: Please send me a simple message, let me know you're okay
Goro: I'm getting a little worried…]
Reading through the texts made a worried lump form in Futaba's throat.
"Something doesn't seem right…" She muttered as she stared at Goro's texts, growing more frantic as time passed.
"Yeah… Ren only ever goes to the bathhouse without his phone and he's never there for longer than an hour…" Morgana added with a frown.
Futaba hummed to herself as she exited the messenger app. However, her next discovery made her heart pound.
Ren, for some reason, had the Metanav open.
"What… the hell is this?" She asked as she stared at the information on the screen. 'Amamiya'?
"I've got a really bad feeling about this…" Muttered Morgana.
"Sh-Should we get everyone together…?" Futaba enquired, starting to grow anxious as she considered all of the possibilities.
"Yeah… I think he might need our help…" Morgana agreed.
Futaba nodded stiffly, pulling out her own phone and opening the Thieves' group chat.
[Phantom Thieves
18:30PM
Oracle: Guys, we have an emergency.
Oracle: Can you meet us in Leblanc?]
"Your Majesties! We found the young prince outside the castle and brought him back to you!" The shadows announced as they dragged the panicked Ren into the throne room.
"Ren?!" A woman's voice exclaimed as the Queen rushed over to the teenager.
She had pale skin that clashed with her glowing gold eyes. Her long, silky raven hair pulled back into a bun had a silver crown perched on top. She gracefully lifted her rose gold ballgown above her ankles as she jogged over to her son.
"What on earth were you thinking?! Going outside?! You were told to stay in your tower where it's safe!" She screeched frantically as she grabbed onto his shoulders and shook him.
Ren's heart pounded as memories came flooding back.
"What happened to your cheek?!" A man's voice barked as the King ran over and inspected the graze on Ren's cheek.
His chestnut haired was pushed back by his large golden crown. His pure white suit was covered by a large scarlet cape.
"U-Uh… Well, Your Majesty… His Highness tried to run away from us so we did have to use a little force and-" The shadow began to nervously explain what happened.
"So. You're telling me that you damaged my son?" The King demanded as he glared daggers into the trembling shadow.
He slowly stepped towards them.
"I-I apologise, Your Majesty! We d-did try to bring him back unharmed, but he lost his footing!" The shadow stammered as the King walked menacingly towards them.
"So, you're trying to pin the blame onto my son?" The King growled, grabbing the shadow by the face.
"I-I'm sorry, Sir! Pl-Please! I won't-"
The shadow was silenced as the King crushed it's head with his bare hands, splattering it's blood all over his white clothes.
Ren watched in horror as the gruesome scene unfolded in front of him. This was his father's heart?
His mother pulled his face towards her.
"Now, now… No need to cry over that filth. Don't worry… You're safe now…" She cooed with a soothing voice that terrified Ren.
"N-No… No, let me go! I don't wanna be here! Let me out!" Ren protested, as he struggled against the Shadow's grasp on his wrists. He had to get out! He had to contact someone!
"Sweetheart."
Ren froze at the sound of his mother's stern voice.
Not that word…
He could feel his entire body shivering as his mother cupped his cheeks and forced him to look at her. He couldn't see any emotion in her golden eyes, just crazed obsession.
His breathing slowly started to grow erratic.
"I know that you wouldn't make mummy cry… The outside world is dangerous. You are going to stay in your tower where no one will ever hurt you. Now… You're going to be a good little boy and do as mummy says… aren't you?" She stated, every single syllable striking more and more fear into Ren.
His eyes grew dull as he realised that struggling would be pointless.
"... Yes, mother…" He conceded defeat.
His mother smiled contentedly as she pulled Ren into a hug.
"That's it… You're such a good boy, sweetheart…" She whispered into his ear, stroking his hair possessively.
It felt as if a fog had descended over Ren's mind. He couldn't think.
"But, still… You know better than to disobey us in the first place. And where on earth did you get those scruffy clothes? Those disgusting 'friends' of yours?! We are getting you changed this instant, young man!" The King chastised his dazed son as he and his shadow bodyguards dragged him out of the throne room.
"So, what exactly did you need us for? Sounded pretty serious…" Asked Ryuji as the thieves piled into Leblanc's attic.
"Where's Ren-senpai?" Sumire enquired as she glanced around, searching for the Thieves' leader.
"That's what this meeting is about." Morgana informed them with a stern scowl.
"What do you mean?" Goro anxiously asked as his eyes fell on Ren's phone in Futaba's hand.
"Has something happened?" Makoto added, sensing the tense atmosphere from Morgana and Futaba.
The orange haired girl displayed the Metanav information to the group.
"Yuri and Hinata Amamiya…?" Read Yusuke with a concerned frown.
"What the hell is this?" Ann asked as she tried to make sense of this information.
"We're not really sure why Ren had this info… But, we think Ren might have gotten himself stuck in this Palace." Futaba explained.
A nervous silence fell over the group. No one knew how to react.
"We need to save him!" Ryuji eventually shrieked, jumping up to his feet urgently.
"Well, obviously!" Ann huffed.
"But, who exactly are these Yuri and Hinata?" Sumire asked, worried that they were jumping into the unknown.
"We looked them up; they're Ren parents." Morgana informed the group.
"Wh-Why would Ren's parents have a Palace?" Makoto pondered with a stressed frown.
"Now that I think about it… Ren's never spoken about his parents… at all…" Haru realised as she thought back.
"C'mon, guys! The hell're we waiting for?! Ren's stuck in there, right?! We gotta get him outta there!" Ryuji yelled, typing the Palace info into his own Metanav.
"But, it's the late evening and we've all been busy today… We won't have the energy to infiltrate the Palace and search for him. It would be far more practical to rest up tonight and infiltrate tomorrow." Yusuke reminded him, pulling him back down onto his seat.
"And there's another issue… The Palace's location is wherever Ren is, correct? But Ren is stuck in the Palace, so how the hell do we get in there?" Goro pointed out.
"Oh crap, that's right…" Ann muttered as she anxiously twirled her hair around her finger.
"It's fine, I already talked about that with Mona." Futaba spoke up to soothe everyone's nerves.
"Since Ren entered the Palace from the attic, he's still technically here. So, the attic counts as Ren's location. We can enter the Palace from here." The black cat explained.
The group nodded thoughtfully.
"That's a relief…" Murmured Haru, placing her hand on her chest.
"If that's the case, I think we should research his parents tonight. We'll need to know more about them if we want the infiltration to be successful." Makoto suggested.
"I agree, I'll see if I can find anything in the database." Goro added.
"I'll check social media." Ryuji offered.
"And I'll scour through the internet and Ren's phone, see if I can find anything juicy." Futaba puffed as she picked Ren's phone back up and slipped it into her pocket.
"Sooooo…. Meeting adjourned?"
"Yeah, meet up here at noon tomorrow."
"There, that's much better, Ren." Hinata's Shadow chuckled as he patted Ren's head.
Ren had been forced into a pristine, pure white prince outfit. The jacket was so tight it was suffocating, gold and scarlet buttons and tassels adorned the front. The white trousers blended with the ebony knee high boots. And Ren's hair had been combed back, exposing his forehead. The shadows helped Ren up the countless stairs as the raven haired teen's vision was blurred without his glasses.
How the hell was he supposed to get out of this? Why did he have to make such a stupid decision? If he had just ignored his discovery, he would still be in the real world, safe and happy! He was so stupid!
"Don't worry, Ren… Daddy's right here. We'll always keep you safe and sound." The King assured him with a 'loving' smile.
Ren hated how the Shadows spoke to him like he was still a young child; it made him feel sick.
"Now, you've had a long day… Get some rest, okay?" The shadow continued as the guards opened up the large doors at the top of the tower.
Ren's chest pounded as he was gently shoved into the room. An acidic taste flooded his mouth as he recognised the interior. It was a lot fancier, but this was clearly his room back home. The layout, the furniture, the decorations, the curtains… It was identical to his bedroom.
A cold sweat dripped down his chin as he took in his surroundings.
"Night night, Son. Sleep well." The King softly called out as he exited the room, signalling the guard's to shut the door behind him.
"Wait!" Screamed Ren as he rushed back over to the door. However, the sound of the lock clicking filled his ears. He desperately tugged on the doors, but to no avail. They wouldn't budge an inch.
"No… No, no, no, no! Please no! Let me out! I'm begging! I can't stay in here! Dad, please don't lock me in again! I can't-!" Ren begged as anxious tears began spilling down his face.
He looked around the room for any other means of escape. His eyes immediately fell upon the window. He ran over and looked outside. All he could see was clouds. Just how high up was this tower?! Even if he could get the window open, he'd just fall to his death! It was hopeless! He couldn't escape at all!
His knees gave out from underneath him as he accepted the cruel reality of his situation. He pulled his knees to his chest and curled up like a lost, scared child.
"Somebody… Please… Let me out…"