Archive of Our Own

The three of them walked into a rather large room that resembled a stadium, with Ren at the front. He gasped and looked around, as if surprised by the sudden change in scenery. Granted, it did make sense... they did just go from stark white to this large and darkly colored stadium.

“This place is huge...” He muttered, as if amazed. He had a look of childlike wonder in those usually sharp gray eyes of his, which was a nice contrast to the broken look from just a moment ago when that video had played. "I wonder what it's used for...?”

Just when he started to smile, however, he gasped sharply and pulled his hands to his head. He gripped tightly at his hair and growled as if he were upset. His breathing became rather audible, and both Sumire and Akechi rushed to his side.

“R- Joker-senpai?” Sumire knelt down beside him and touched his shoulder. She felt her eyebrows knit together in worry, and frowned. This had happened earlier... Was he okay?

“Joker, you seem to be in pain.” Came a statement from Akechi. He was also kneeling down beside Ren, but backed off for a moment to place a hand on his mask. He ripped it off in a quick, practiced motion, and Loki appeared behind him... along with a brighter, though fainter silhouette. He closed his eyes, and only when he shook his head, did both the silhouette and his Persona disappear, and his mask reappeared. “But you don't seem to be hurt.”

“I-” Ren winced again, but shook his head. “...I'm fine.”

“You don’t sound fine.” Akechi replied, as if just a bit annoyed. “So let me rephrase my words- Are you okay?”

Ren sighed in response, and slowly lifted his head. “...I’m just thinking about that video from earlier.”

Akechi glanced away for a moment, and he looked almost unsure. “The... one regarding-”

“Yes." Ren then stood up, shaking his head as if it were nothing at all. "But... we need to keep going. We won't find the Palace ruler like this.”

Without another word, he started walking ahead, as if he expected the other two to merely follow after him. Sumire released a gentle sigh, and turned to look at Akechi.

“...Will he be okay?”

In reply, Akechi sighed as well. “Only time will tell.”

Akechi went after Ren, which left Sumire to do the same. Ren was... weirdly quiet, and he walked instead of the usual run, as if he were thinking. And yes, while he was hard to read, his body language alone showed that he was thinking, and thinking hard about something. That video from earlier? Or perhaps something else?

It wasn't until they rounded a corner and a Shadow appeared in front of them that Ren reacted again, and he looked almost... angry?

“You are misguided.” The Shadow said, though clearly directed at Ren alone. “Do not search for pain. Only tragedy awaits you beyond here.”

Akechi scoffed at the words as if to dismiss the Shadow entirely. “A newcomer...”

Ren, on the other hand, clicked his tongue. “And here we go again, with the pain and tragedy.” He took a step forward, and scoffed. “Tell me who your Ruler is. And on top of that, tell me why you think you know me better than I do!”

In response, the Shadow only transformed into its true form, which made Ren groan in annoyance.

“Fine! Then I guess I’m forcing an answer out of you!”

Without any sudden warning, he ran forward with his knife in hand and swiped it at the Shadow, which the Shadow blocked with its arm. Before he got thrown, Ren hopped back to a safer distance and placed a hand on his mask. With just a second of hesitation, he pulled it off with minimal effort, and summoned Raoul.

“Phantom Show!”

At his call, Raoul sent out streams of purple toward the Shadows and... the attack missed? Since when did Ren’s attacks miss ?

Ren growled, and ripped off his mask again. “Maeigaon!”

Curse magic was thrown at the Shadows by Raoul, and yet... that attack also missed.

Ren’s mask returned to his face then, and his growling was suddenly rather audible. He put his knife back into his pocket and instead brought out his gun, which was when Akechi seemed to have enough.

“Yoshizawa-san.” Looking at him when he called her name, Sumire saw him now armed with his sword, and read his mind before he even spoke again. “Let’s go.”

Sumire took her rapier out of the holster on her side, giving it a swing or two before she ran after Akechi. Right... She could do this. No problem. They just needed to get Ren back in his right mind, and hope he would listen to them... which was frankly, easier said than done. But if anyone could do it, it was either or or Akechi.

“Joker! Stop rushing into things.” 

Both she and Akechi joined Ren’s side just as he shot a bullet at the pair of Shadows, which they ultimately dodged. Seriously... was Ren that blinded, that he was missing his every shot?

“I think you of all people should know that you must remain calm when fighting, Joker.” Akechi raised his sword to point at the Shadows, then hummed and lowered it. “At least, to an extent.”

“...Sorry.” 

“Don’t worry, Senpai.” Sumire leaned forward and smiled at him, “I get it.”

“Joker.” Akechi had his sword drawn back now, “Time your attacks with mine. Understand?”

Ren scoffed, though not in any means of offense. He was smirking, in fact. “Whatever you say, Crow.”

Sumire then took the opportunity to throw her mask off and twirl. She could feel herself smirking, and she pointed her rapier at the Shadows with a confident cry.

“Makougaon!”

At her call, wisps of gold swirled around the feet of the Shadows to encircle them, and then vanished once they hit their mark. Akechi sighed at the attempt as he summoned Loki.

“They’re resistant to Bless, Yoshizawa-san.”

“O-Oh...”

Before she knew it, Akechi leaned back and threw his mask off, practically cackling as he called out, “Megidolaon!”

From what Sumire could see, the attack of his did quite some damage. Not enough to finish them off, but enough to give them a nudge toward victory. 

“Wow, show-off.” Ren rolled his eyes in what Sumire could only assume was amusement, and then took off his mask. “Phantom Show!”

That time, the spell did work, and the Shadows were put to sleep. He then chuckled, and looked at Sumire.

“Give ‘em hell.”

She smiled at him, now glad to see him in such high spirits. He was so different from how he was outside the Palace, and yet... This side of him seemed only natural. At least he wasn’t so down like he was before, right?

“Roger that!”

She took off her mask again and twirled like always, and then laughed humorously. 

“Cendrillon! Vorpal Blade!”

Despite the Shadows being immune to physical attacks, the sleep spell made them easily vulnerable. Sumire watched as Cendrillon charged forward and struck the Shadows multiple times with her hands alone, and then disappeared when the Shadows were knocked down. The three of them rushed forward, guns drawn and ready to shoot, with just two of them awaiting the command from their leader.

“...Let’s go!”

“Dazzle me!”

Sumire did a backflip, then hopped up with her companions for an All-Out Attack. Just after they did a heinous amount of damage to the Shadows on multiple sides, she landed on the floor with a ribbon in her hand.

“A perfect ten!”

They returned from the battlefield at that moment, and Ren began panting heavily. He was glaring at the somehow still standing Shadow, as if daring it to challenge him again. 

“Such a fool, rejecting our lord’s mercy...” The Shadow practically taunted the boy, “In that case- witness it for yourself.”

It finally disappeared, which made Ren’s stance loosen just a bit. He sighed, shook his head, and looked down at the floor while shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Great... What now?”

Just from beyond the balcony peering into the stadium, a rather loud sobbing sound was heard, and Ren seemed to perk up. He turned and walked toward the edge with the other two just as a voice was heard.

“Y-Yes... He attacked that man- I- I saw the whole thing...”

When they reached the balcony again, a crying woman and a cop were seen standing against a dark background that resembled a house. 

“Hm. Were you the one who called us?”

“I- N-No.” The woman shook her head, “That- That was my neighbor... She must’ve heard the fight and-”

The woman broke into loud sobs again, and the officer sighed, but made no effort to comfort her.

“You’re free to go, ma’am.” He told her. “We need to take this boy in for questioning.”

The woman nodded and turned away, and her image vanished from view, as if she were unimportant and just faded into the background. The officer looked up from the notepad he was writing on, and when he caught sight of Ren, his expression turned bitter.

“Hey, you! You can’t be up there!”

Ren flinched back from the balcony in what looked like fear. Sumire looked at him with concern, and she figured Akechi would do the same, but... he was looking away, instead. Was he okay...?

“You’re coming to the station with us!” The officer started moving closer, and Ren made a small fearful sound, almost like a puppy whining for something. “Don’t think you can get away with this!”

Ren flinched back and raised his hands as if to shield himself, but just then, the image was gone. A bright flash, and the stadium was empty, as if it had never even existed. The only proof it was real was Ren’s fearful expression, and the way he was trembling. Just when Sumire reached out to comfort him, he gasped and brought his hand to his head again. He groaned just like before, but shook his head to try and shake it off.

“No, no, this-” He yelled suddenly, and his legs buckled under him. Sumire reached to catch him, as did Akechi, but he fought them, pushing and shoving them away until they let go. Once he was let go, he leaned against a nearby wall, and continued to shake his head, if not more violently than before. “Stop it! Just stop it already!”

A huff-like sound escaped Akechi, and for the first time since they’d entered the Palace... Sumire saw remorse in his eyes. “...Joker, is this-”

“I really hope this helped you understand.” Said a voice over a loudspeaker.

Akechi looked up then, appearing distracted but not quite distracted. “A man’s voice...?”

“If you keep pushing on like this, you’re going to find nothing but pain. Please, won’t you stop fighting this, and just return to the ‘current’ reality?”

“Nothing... but pain...” Ren mumbled to himself. He shook his head again and looked at the speakers beyond the balcony, still shaking his head. “I’m not leaving now.”

“Glad to see we’re in agreement.” Akechi muttered, before also looking up at the speakers. “We also refuse to do as you say. Now, why don’t you drop the ‘big voice behind the curtain’ act, and face us directly?”

“Whatever you’re doing to Senpai...” Sumire took a step forward, “We’re going to make you stop!”

“‘What I’m doing to him’...?” The voice sounded confused, but appeared to disregard that. “I’ll meet with you, as you wish. Just head on down, and I’ll meet you there.”

Akechi hummed, sounding curious. The bitter look was still in his eyes, but Sumire could assume that was just how he always looked... but he did still look bothered. He was hard to read too, but right now, he wasn’t as difficult. “Well, he agreed to that much more readily than I expected...” He cocked his head to the side. “Perhaps the Palace’s Ruler really will make his appearance...?”

“Right, but...” Sumire looked back at Ren, who was still breathing rather harshly. “Senpai... Are you okay?”

“...I’m fine.” Ren’s reply was slow, “Really. Just a headache.” He adjusted his gloves and turned down the hallway, not waiting for the other two before he started walking. “...Let's go, yeah?”

“Uh- Right!” Sumire enunciated her words with a small hop, and turned to follow after him- until she noticed Akechi, that was. She stopped and looked at him with a puzzled expression. “Akechi-san?”

“Hm...” The boy looked up from the floor to watch Ren. He looked away just as quickly, and shook his head. “This seems like it’s his fault...”

Sumire locked her hands behind her back and leaned forward. “Whose fault?”

“Hm?” Akechi looked up, and shook his head again. “Nothing of importance right now... just a theory I had.”

“Can I-”

“We should be following Joker, hm?” Akechi’s interruption was clearly not accidental, based on his smirk. “We don't want a repeat of earlier, now do we?”

“I... guess not? But-”

“Then, let us depart.”

Sumire sighed as Akechi strolled past her. What was going on? There was clearly something wrong with Ren... and now Akechi was acting distant- well, more distant than normal. He obviously knew something... so why wouldn’t he tell her? She was just as worried about Ren as he was, so-

“Yoshizawa-san?” Akechi was much closer than Sumire expected when she looked at him. She’d thought he’d be chasing after Ren, but nope. Here he was, standing a few feet away from her. “Don’t tell me there's something wrong with you, too?”

“Nope.” Sumire locked her hands together again, this time over her front rather than her back. “I’m all good.”

“Then?”

“...Oh!” She smiled apologetically when she realized what he meant, and bowed at him. “My bad.” When she came upright, she nodded. “Let's go.” 

Ren wasn't exactly waiting for them when they chased after him. He was walking slowly, much like before, yet he seemed almost distracted, like he wasn't fully there. It was so bad, in fact, that he nearly walked directly into a Shadow, and the alarm was sounded. 

“Joker!” Akechi called over the loud blaring, “Are you that daft?”

“I didn’t-”

Sumire rushed forward when the Shadow tried to swipe at Ren. She knocked him aside out of the Shadow’s reach, flipped, and landed on the Shadow’s backside. Before it could fall, she reached for its mask like she’d seen Ren do a few times, and ripped it off.

“Reveal to me your true form!”

She hopped off, kicking it in the process, and then quickly pulled out her gun to shoot at it before she landed. She pulled her rapier over her head in her usual stance, and then looked at Ren and Akechi.

“What’s up?”

Ren shook his head and turned his attention back to the Shadows in front of them. “Nothing...” He muttered, “I just... didn’t know you could also do that.”

“What do you-”

“Crow.” Ren turned and looked to his right, “Scan, please?”

Akechi sighed, but complied regardless. He summoned Loki and that faint silhouette behind him, and shut his eyes for a moment. “They’re strong, but they can't handle Curse attacks.” He announced as he put his Persona away. “You know what to do!”

“Right.”

Then, a simple Maeigaon and an All-Out Attack, and the battle was over in a flash. No one said anything when the battle was over, least of all Ren. Rather than check to make sure everyone was okay and still able to go like always, he just... turned and kept walking. There was a moment of hesitancy on Akechi’s part before he followed suit, and Sumire quietly trailed after them. The air between them all was... stiff. So stiff and tense, that Sumire was sure if she snapped her fingers, she could cast Ziodyne, despite not specializing in that kind of magic. 

The point was, whatever was bothering Ren was also bothering Akechi, and Sumire wanted nothing more than for them to not seem so bothered.

They descended a staircase that led into the heart of the stadium, and just a few feet in front of them stood a man clad in nothing but white. Sumire stared at him for a long while with her eyes narrowed. Did she... know this person?

“Is...” Ren's movements began to slow to a stop, “Is he the Palace’s...?”

“It’s been quite a while, hasn't it?” And just when Sumire started to think she recognized that voice... the man turned around to reveal...

“Dr. Maruki?” Ren looked rather taken aback, and he even stepped back a bit.

Maruki nodded, and sent a smile at them. “Glad to see you’re all doing well.” His smile fell just a bit, and his head tilted. “I pretty much figured you all would end up infiltrating this place.” His smile turned into a frown, and he started to look toward the floor. “...Truth be told, this isn’t how I was hoping we would meet again.”

“Wait.” Sumire felt herself take a step forward. “Dr. Maruki... You’re the Ruler of this Palace? Then, are you... doing something to Senpai?”

Maruki shook his head. “I’m not doing anything to him.”

Akechi scoffed. “Lies.”

Maruki’s frown only fell further. “But, might I ask... you said ‘Palace’?”

“A place where distorted desires manifest.” Akechi explained in his usual tone. “We’re asking if you’re the source of the desires here.”

“Ah, I see.” Maruki nodded slowly, then returned to a relaxed stance and smiled again. “Well, to use your own words: yes, I am this Palace’s Ruler. But in my case... it seems a tad different from the ones you've seen.”

“Hm.” Akechi placed a hand to his chin in his usual way, looking pretty close to the Detective Prince. “Then would we also be correct in believing you’re involved in the abnormalities outside the Palace as well?”

Much to everyone's surprise... Maruki nodded. “Yes, you would.” He kept smiling, and shifted his weight to his other side. “Do you like the reality I created for you?’

Akechi fell back a step in shock, and not even the visor on his helmet could hide how wide his eyes had become. “You... created it...?”

“That’s right.” Maruki nodded yet again, “I’ve gained the power to alter reality... to make it whatever the people wish for.”

“But that’s not reality, Dr. Maruki.” Sumire shook her head. “It’s fake.”

“Is that how you really feel, Yoshizawa-san?” Despite the question, Maruki’s expression remained fair and calm. “The old reality was cruel and unfair.” He looked at Ren then, and his smile softened. “I’m sure you can agree with me, Amamiya-kun.”

Ren leaned back in shock. “What do you-”

“As Yoshizawa-san mentioned, there’s clearly something going on with you, Amamiya-kun.” Maruki said. “But before you accuse me again... I’m not the one doing it. The truth is, Amamiya-kun, you suffer immense pain each and every time you tap into your forgotten memories.”

“My... memories...?” Ren looked blatantly confused, “What- What do you mean? What’s happening to me, Dr. Maruki?”

“...All right. I had honestly hoped that all those warnings I gave you would change your minds...” Maruki shook his head then, looking a bit remorseful. “But if it’s your true desire, then I want you to recall what you’ve forgotten.” He looked past Ren to look at Sumire and Akechi, then added, “And I want you two to know as well. Once you have, you’ll need to choose between the two realities: the merciless one, or the one I’ve formed.”

He then snapped his fingers, and the lights in the room dimmed, if not turned off entirely. Just as that happened, a screen above showed static, and then a countdown from three to one. The screen turned black for a moment, and when an image appeared on it, Ren gasped.

“Wait... That’s...”

On the screen, there was a dark street, along with the sound of footsteps. It was late, quite obviously, and quiet... mostly. The boy on the screen had his face downcast, so his black hair cast a shadow over his eyes, but despite that... he looked recognizable. 

It was Ren.

He was humming to himself, and mumbling something about needing to get home, and... something about his parents chewing him out for staying out so late? 

“I should get home...” He mumbled, as if trying to keep quiet so he didn’t wake anyone. “Mom and Dad won’t be too-”

“Get in the car.”

“Hnnng- Stop...!”

Ren lifted his head, exposing his silver eyes to the sickly pale street lights. His head tilted for just a few seconds, and he started walking a bit quicker... which made sense. Whatever was going on, it didn’t sound good.

He walked until he reached a corner, and stopped to peer around a mailbox. From what was visible, it looked like a woman and a man, the latter of which was trying to get the woman into the car... by forceful means. It didn’t look good.

And then, Ren started moving. He walked right up to the pair, practically fearless and stopped just a couple feet away. The man looked over, then rolled his eyes. 

“This ain’t a show.” His words were slurred, so it could easily be figured that he was drunk. “Get lost, kid!”

“You’re hurting that woman.”

The man scoffed, but didn’t respond. He looked back at the woman, and this time pulled on her hair. “Get in the car!”

When the woman cried out in pain, Ren let out a sigh. He moved forward and placed his hand on the man’s shoulder, and then tried to pull him away from the woman. He didn’t pull too hard, but the man stumbled either way, and he fell onto the edge of the sidewalk. Ren moved back a step in surprise, and began shaking his head.

“I didn’t m-”

“Damn brat!” The man yelled pretty loudly when he was back on his feet, and his forehead was bleeding from the impact of the fall. “I’ll sue!”

“What?” Ren only shook his head more, “I didn’t mean to-”

The image on the screen went dark, so Sumire turned to look at the other two. Ren’s eyes were wide, which she supposed she expected... But Akechi? He was looking right at the screen with his teeth bared in a silent growl, and his hands were clenched into very tight fists at his sides. Why... was he so upset?

Before she could ponder over that, the image on the screen flashed back on, but this time, showing a different scene.

Ren was sitting in what looked like a room in a police station, with his hands cuffed and resting on his lap. He had a fearful look in his eyes, and just when he opened his mouth, a pair of hands slammed down on the table, and he flinched.

“Akira! What the hell did you think you were doing!?”

Ren opened his mouth again, only to be interrupted by another voice.

“My son, going to prison?” The woman sighed rather heavily, “Oh dear goodness... This is why you don’t go sticking your nose into things that don’t involve you!”

Ren shook his head, and this time stood up from his chair. “I- I couldn’t just do nothing! That man was hurting that woman, and if she got in that car-”

“Are you talking back to me?”

The words alone made Ren stand down, and he sat back down in his hair. His head hung, and upon further inspection... tears were starting to well up in his eyes.

“I can’t believe this.” The man, most likely Ren’s father, said. He sounded exasperated. “Did you even stop and think about how this would affect us?”

“I-”

“You’re lucky you’re only going on probation.” He continued ranting, as if Ren hadn’t even tried to speak. “But you’ll be lucky if we ever look you in the eye again.” He scoffed, and backed off the table. “God, what a disappointment.”

Those words made Ren gasp, and the tears in his eyes started falling into his lap. He brought his arms up to wipe his eyes on his sleeves, but not even how heavy he was crying made any sympathy appear in his parents’ eyes. None at all. They just stared at him with harsh glares, as if they couldn’t believe he had the audacity to be crying like that in front of them.

The image on the screen started to fade, and Sumire turned her head away when she heard heavy and frantic breathing. She saw Ren stumbling in front of her and Akechi, but before she could move to help stabilize him... his clothes erupted into blue flames, and returned to normal, his will of rebellion gone. He started shaking his head, and soon enough, his glasses slipped off his face.

“I...”

Maruki sighed and pushed up his glasses. “...Seems you remembered.”

“I...” The boy was still shaking his head, “I remember now.” He said, despite how he was shaking his head. “I’m...”

“...Joker-senpai?” Sumire distantly felt herself take a step forward, but she stopped when she heard Ren gasp.

“Jo...ker...?” He fell back another step, and shook his head more insistently. “No... Joker’s the leader of the Phantom Thieves... That’s...” His voice cracked, “That’s not me.”

“Then... Ren-senpai?”

“I’m not ‘Ren’, either.” The boy mumbled, and he flinched like the words burnt him. “I’m... Akira Kurusu.”

Akechi sighed, now staring down at the floor. “R- Akira... You were arrested by Shido, right?”

“...Mhm.” Akira nodded, though the way it was barely noticeable hit Sumire’s heart somewhere deep. “Before I transferred here. I was walking home after staying out late, and... it happened a block away from my house, just like in the video. I was just trying to do the right thing and protect that woman, but... It backfired.” He sniffled and brought his hands up to his face. “And my parents didn’t understand...” His legs gave out under him, and he fell to his knees. “To them, I’m just a disappointment who can’t do anything right... and they want nothing to do with me!”

“I’ll take over from here.” Maruki said, “I wouldn’t want to hurt him any more, and... after all, I do play a part in this story.” He sighed, and messed with his gloves before continuing. “This is Akira Kurusu, not Ren Amamiya. He was arrested and put on probation after the supposed assault, and got transferred here. But for almost a year now, he’s been unaware of that, and has been living a whole new life. To him, he was Ren Amamiya, a boy who got transferred here because his parents thought it’d be good to attend Shujin Academy, despite how far it was. Of course, it was only his cognition of the situation and himself that had changed, so to everyone else, he was still Akira Kurusu, who was on probation. For some reason, though... There were a few rare exceptions to this. Did... something happen, to make you believe he was Ren?”

Sumire looked down, and sighed. “During one of our school’s events, the cleanup at the park... he explained it to me when we were introduced.” Her hands tightened into fists, “So... I thought it was true. I never had any doubt about it... because why would someone lie about something like that?”

“Well, I suppose that makes sense. Though, you were still clueless about the situation.” Akechi looked down at the sobbing Akira, and his expression softened before he looked away quickly. “It was impossible for me to not be aware of that, due to my... circumstances at the time.” He shook his head, “Yet when we were shown that video earlier, he explained that his parents simply transferred him here, and that his name was Ren , despite the video saying otherwise. Considering such an odd and untrue claim, I had genuinely suspected for a moment that he might somehow be the Palace Ruler...”

“Before I-” Akira paused to take a deep breath, “Before they threw me out here, I was given counseling from Dr. Maruki, since I’d be moving somewhere as large as Tokyo.” He lowered his hands to his lap, and then clenched his hands into fists. “That was when I told him that... I didn’t want to live like this. I said that, if the people that I thought loved me considered me a disappointment, then... I didn’t see any point in living as Akira.”

“...And that’s why you meddled with his cognition?” Akechi asked, though his tone was different from before. “So he could feel better?”

“That’s right.” Maruki nodded, then looked at Akira once more. “Limited as it was, I actually had the power at the time to actualize a different reality for him. Put yourselves in his shoes for a moment- Akira-san’s parents practically hated him for doing what was right, and then gaslit him into thinking he was in the wrong. Who would be able to deal with that kind of manipulation, both mental and emotional? If Akira-san can live a healthy, positive life by having that kind of trauma removed... then I believe that reality is what would make him happy.”

For a moment, it was silent, barring the soft humming from the screen as it shut off entirely. Then, Akechi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“...I’ve had enough of your high-and-mighty rationalization. You’re playing God to someone who, while he was suffering, was about to escape from that situation. All you really did was use him to try and make everyone acknowledge the validity of your research.”

“...So that’s how you see things, huh?” Maruki sighed, “That’s quite unfortunate. Of course I wanted society to acknowledge cognitive psience through my research... But that’s because my goal is to save everyone in the world like Kurusu-san by ending all suffering!”

Akechi opened his mouth to reply, but then growled and looked away.

“My work will convert the wishes of the people into reality. Even as we speak, my research is coming to fruition... No one will ever again have to suffer under the yoke of an unfair world.” Maruki was then quiet for a moment, and he tilted his head. “This... Palace, you called it? It’s a place where its Ruler’s desires take physical form, yes? I wish to utilize my research to save humanity- I suppose that would be the ‘desire’ I hold dearest.”

It wasn’t too long before Akechi scoffed. “...What total nonsense.”

“You could very well be right.” Maruki said. He didn’t appear angry in the slightest about the words, which was the complete opposite from Akechi. “Still, entirely serious about changing our imperfect reality. Just as he was saved by becoming Ren, I’ll save every other person in the world currently suffering. In fact, it’s my responsibility to do so... You can see how this world’s bestowed the duty upon me.”

“You... You’re abusing this power, Dr. Maruki.” Sumire finally managed to keep her voice steady as she spoke, “And even if you do go through with this... What happens to the ‘old’ reality?”

“I don’t know for certain- it’ll most likely be treated as if it never existed.” Maruki went back to smiling like before, “The cruel reality will cease to be, and the reality I generate will be the sole world recognized by society.”

“And you assume we’ll buy into your brainwashing and just live in the palm of your hand?” Akechi rolled his eyes. “Honestly? That sounds absolutely revolting.”

“...All right, so that’s your answer, Akechi-kun.” Maruki simply nodded, “How about the others?” He looked down at Akira then. “Kurusu-kun, allow me to ask you yet again... Which reality is it that you wish to inhabit?

Akira lifted his face from his hands, blinking a few times. “...What?”

“If you so desire, you can return to your life as Akira... But if you’d rather continue your life as Ren, I can grant that wish for you as well.”

“Dr. Maruki...” Akira’s voice was soft, nearly inaudible. “I...”

“Believe in yourself, Senpai!” Sumire’s tone came out similar to that of a beg, “You have friends that are waiting for you, and-”

“Those friends are waiting for Ren, not Akira.” Akira replied, now moving his hand through his hair to try and soothe himself. “I’m sorry... I- I can’t go back to being him...” He stood up slowly and started tugging at his sleeves. “I can’t be a disappointment to my parents again...”

“...Please don’t judge him.” Maruki spoke a bit softer, “This is just evidence of how painful life is for him. You three sensed doubts forming in the reality I manifested- that’s what brought you here. But please, remember this as well: Yoshizawa-san, Akechi-kun, you two aren’t excluded from the people that I wish to save.” He took a step forward, particularly in Sumire's direction. “Come now, Yoshizawa-san…Won’t you accept my reality for your own happiness?”

“...I’m sorry, Dr. Maruki.” Sumire shook her head, “I can’t. My own happiness is waiting for me somewhere out there, and I want to find it on my own.”

“...No deal so far, huh?”

Just then, the lights in the stadium came on- lights so bright that Sumire wasn’t even sure they had been on before. She gasped and raised her hand to shield her eyes, and just distantly, she could see Maruki standing there with a Shadow beside him. That Shadow flexed its fingers until they were all in alignment, and then thrust its arm forward. It extended like a tentacle straight toward them, but the light made it too bright to see where it was headed. A scream from beside her made her turn her head, and she saw the arm (she refused to call it a “tentacle” now) wrapping around Akira and lifting him up off the ground. Just as her eyes adjusted, Akira was pulled through the air.

“Akira!” Akechi growled, and sent a glare at Maruki through the blinding light. “Just what do you think you’re doing with him?”

Akira landed unconscious in Maruki’s arms, and the man shook his head. “I won’t harm him. It’s in his best interest that you turn back. You’ve made clear that you reject the reality he desires. The reality where he lives as Ren Amamiya...”

Sumire lowered her hand, despite the light still being bright, and shook her head. “But this isn’t reality, Dr. Maruki!”

“It saddens me when you speak that way... Don’t you understand?” He looked down at Akira in his arms, “You deny his wishes when you say such things.”

“‘His wishes’, huh?” Akechi shook his head. “Now tell me why I don’t believe that.”

Maruki only sighed in response to Akechi, and turned to look at both him and Sumire. “This isn’t just for him- I’m doing all of this for yourselves as well. I honestly do want to come to terms with you. We should talk. Think about it: you both have dreams, no? I have the power to make them come true. My reality can become just the way you like.”

“I thought I told you I’d find happiness myself.” Sumire said in reply, though her voice was quaking. “Which includes finding out what my dreams are, and pursuing them.”

Akechi turned his head away and looked down. “...Total waste of my time.”

“A shame... But I understand.”

“Well then,” Akechi looked back, a certain fire in his eyes. “We just have to resort to force, now don’t we?”

“Violence... is not my thing.” Maruki turned and looked at his side as a spotlight shined on the Shadow beside him. It started walking toward him, with its body contorting in all kinds of ways. A blue substance dripped from the eye holes on its mask, and its body began to change color. It erupted into red and black flames, and then took on its true form.

“I agree, though.” Maruki continued to say, “It seems we’re out of options here.”

The tentacles on the Shadow twisted together, momentarily looking like Bless magic, before they thrust apart and expelled a large gust of wind that made both Sumire and Akechi have to shield their eyes. That wasn’t enough, though- The wind was so strong that it knocked them back a few steps, and each of them landed in a kneeling position. Both of them looked up as a light fell off the stadium wall, and the wind finally seized. 

When they both regained their footing, Akechi was quick to take the initiative. “Time to fight,” He said, now looking at Sumire. “Are you ready?”

“Uh- Yes!” She replied through heavy breaths, and much to her dislike, her uncertainty made it into her tone. “Ready whenever!”

“Hm. Try to keep up.” Akechi said, which she nodded to. “Oh, and, try not to embarrass me.”

“Uh- Okay?”

“Stubborn imbeciles.” The Shadow sounded as if it were rolling its eyes, “Rejecting our lord...”

“...Disgusting.” Akechi’s hands shook as he spoke, though definitely not out of fear. “We’re not here to listen to your bullshit!”

“Then you will kneel!” The Shadow yelled, which was the only warning they had before the ground suddenly erupted beneath them. Sumire herself got knocked off balance for a moment, whereas Akechi merely scoffed.

“Didn’t even feel that.” He threw his mask off after that, and summoned Loki. “Debilitate!”

Colorful orbs danced around the Warped Abyss, before encircling it where the heart on a person would be, and the Shadow flinched.

“Yoshizawa-san!” Akechi called to the girl on the floor, “Get up before it strikes again!”

“O-Oh, right!” She hopped up to her feet, and twirled as she summoned Cendrillon. “Kougaon!”

The familiar wisps of Bless magic encircled the Shadow, and while it didn’t seem to do a lot of damage, it definitely did some. Sumire had enough time to recover before the Shadow cast Megidolaon again and caused the ground to erupt- though this time she was ready for it. She hopped up just when the explosion would’ve caught her, and jumped to a safe distance.

When she jumped back, she wasn’t exactly expecting the Shadow to do another attack after that, and things that resembled purple cartoon ghosts leapt at Akechi and struck him dead in his heart.

“Oh, yeah!?” Akechi was quick to summon Loki again, this time shouting, “Laevateinn!”

Rather than Loki staying behind Akechi, the Persona moved past him and swung his blade at the Warped Abyss. It hit rather hard, too. When it vanished, Sumire took the initiative that time, rather than be reminded to attack.

“Vorpal Blade!”

Like before, Cendrillon rushed forward and struck the Shadow from all sides all at once- it resembled an All-Out Attack, now that Sumire was thinking about it-, and then returned to Sumire the moment when her mask reappeared.

“Hm. Not bad.” Akechi’s praise, though probably genuine, sounded like a remark. “From what I can see, we’ve got it pretty good so far... just keep it up. Got it?”

“Understood!”

Again, the Shadow cast Megidolaon, and though it seemed the Debilitate had worn off, both Sumire and Akechi jumped away to dodge the attack. When they returned to their regular positions, Akechi scanned the Shadow, and then looked at Sumire.

“Do we have anything that can boost my strength?”

“Uhh...” Sumire put her rapier back in its holster and opened the bag full of their items- Normally, Ren- Akira- would have it on him, but he was... out of commission at the time, so she had gained it instead. She pulled a vial out of the bag that had liquid of a blue color on it, and flipped it over to read the label. “This one says... something about... ‘concentration’?”

“That’ll do.” Akechi nodded, “Throw it at me.”

Now, Sumire thought the whole... throwing things at your teammates thing was rather weird, but she threw the vial at Akechi anyway. Rather than hit him, it erupted once it came near him, and the blue liquid transformed into energy that spiraled around him. He laughed, then summoned Loki once more.

“Megidolaon!”

This time, the ground erupted underneath the Shadow, and then swallowed it whole. It threw it back up when it started to automatically repair, and frankly, with how violent the attack was, Sumire would’ve thought the Shadow would’ve been dead. But it wasn’t. No, it was somehow still standing, if just barely.

“No...” The Shadow muttered, “Such pathetic attempts won’t be enough!”

Then, its weird tentacles moved about again, and a green heart with multiple lines appeared in front of it. Sumire didn’t even need Akechi’s scan to know what it was, since she could use the spell too.

Diarahan.

Akechi scoffed from where he was keeled over, and shook his head in disbelief. “This freak just won’t go down.”

Then, the Shadow attacked again. A large red orb, resembling that of an eye, appeared in front of them. Two purple ones appeared on each side, and once they were all manifested, they shot out lasers in a line that struck both Sumire and Akechi with a heinous amount of pain. Sumire flinched and cried out in pain, and soon enough found herself clutching her stomach. Okay... This really wasn’t looking too good... 

“Accept his mercy... Give yourselves over to him!”

“Would you just quit running your mouth already?” Akechi sounded- and looked- so annoyed that he didn’t even look as exhausted as he should. “Yoshizawa-san! I’m going to shut that thing up! Give me a hand!”

“Roger!”

Just then, something in the bag of items started glowing. Sumire reached in and grabbed it, and when she pulled it out, she hummed. It was a green-blue star, with the inside looking almost like planet earth. It had a strong glow, and something about it seemed... Well, it was indescribable, really. She felt like she could somehow trust it, so she held it up high... and the glow spread out. It spread over her, Akechi, and the Shadow, and the area changed entirely.

It looked like a type of game show, equipped with one of those wheels to spin. Sumire herself was sitting in a chair just to the right of Akechi (from the camera view, it was the right), who then cleared his throat and stood up. 

With a rather exaggerated gesture to the side at a darkened chair, he said, “Let’s introduce our guest star today...”

Sumire stood up and hopped over to where the lights were, and flicked one of the switches to spotlight the seat... which had the Warped Abyss seated in wait. She giggled, then moved over to the giant wheel that was behind them, and gave it a spin.

“Congrats! You win...”

The wheel stopped on a symbol with a red skull and crossbones beneath it. She frowned, then looked back at the Shadow. 

“Whoops! Guess you’ve activated Sudden Death!”

She hopped back just when the wheel started to shift, and without warning, it fell and crashed on the Shadow. The Warped Abyss’ tentacles tried to move against the wheel, as if to drag itself out from under it, and then a gun was shoved in its face.

“The show’s over.”

Akechi shot off his gun (which didn’t even look like his normal laser gun) directly in the Shadow’s face, and it turned to nothing but ash. Sumire grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back over to the camera, where she forced him to wave. She placed a hand on the top of the camera, then let go of Akechi’s wrist to also wave at the camera.

“Tune in next time!”

Just then, the area returned to normal, and they were back at the stadium in Maruki’s Palace. Sumire lowered the star to look at it again, only to find that it wasn’t glowing anymore. She placed it back in the bag, and looked to check on Akechi.

“Heh, not bad for an improvised technique.” 

Sumire smiled, and nodded. “I think so, too.”

Now that they weren’t faced down by such a fierce opponent, Sumire and Akechi returned to their usual stances, though Sumire admittedly was still in pain. Hopefully, the pain would go away?

“Shall we continue this?” Akechi asked through heavy breaths. “I’m fairly certain any further ‘negotiating’ is pointless.”

“...That seems to be the case, unfortunately.” Maruki sighed then, but he didn’t sound exactly remorseful. “But first, I have an idea. Rather than explain it with words, I’d like you to actually see it with your own eyes.” He looked down at the sleeping Akira in his arms, then spoke again. “I know his friends are already enjoying it...”

“Hand him over, Dr. Maruki.” Sumire reached forward as she spoke, “Let us help him.”

“...That, I cannot do.” Maruki shook his head, “As I said before, he wishes to live in the reality where he is Ren. There’s no way I can hand him over to you with matters as they currently are.”

Akechi growled at the statement, and his hands turned to fists. “Then we’ll take him by force-”

“I know you have some attachment to him, Akechi-kun, but stop and think for a moment.” Maruki tilted his head, “If we were to hash it out over him, then he might easily get hurt in the process. That could only damage him more, and I wouldn’t want that.” He looked down at Akira again, and sighed. “I already told you that I wouldn’t harm him, and I’ll swear by it. Don’t worry about him.” He looked back up, “Go, look at the reality I’ve created for you all and his friends. Once you’ve seen the results, I know you’ll realize which future is best.”

“You think we’ll just obey your orders?” Akechi huffed through his nose, “Especially when you’ve got Joker?”

“I apologize, but you two really are going through with this- even if it’s by force.”

Just then, another blinding light covered the stadium, and it was again followed by Sumire covering her eyes. She wasn’t sure if Akechi was doing the same, though... But with how angry he was... 

When the light died down, it showed an entirely empty stadium- except for herself and Akechi.

“We’ll meet again one week from today: January 9th.” Maruki’s voice came over the loudspeaker again, “I genuinely pray your answer changes by then.”

Akechi made a sound that, if Sumire was being blunt and honest, reminded her of a dog barking. “He got away...” He looked at Sumire then, blinked at her, and then looked down at himself, and sighed. “We shouldn’t chase him too far, especially in our current states.” He shook his head, and placed his hand on his hip. “What say we head back for now?”

“I... guess that’s our only option...”

Upon exiting the Palace, Sumire was adjusting the bow in her hair as a means to keep herself busy, which was exactly when she saw Akechi kick and knock over some metal trash can. Upon further inspection, it looked rather heavy as well, so... yikes.

“I can’t believe this!” Akechi yelled out suddenly, which earned him the attention of many passersby, but he didn’t seem to care if he noticed. “Joker, of all people! How did I not see this before?”

Sumire sighed, and walked closer. “Akechi-san, you can’t blame yourself for this.”

“I have every right to.” Akechi mumbled in reply, though he seemed calmer than before, so... mission success? “I knew that he got arrested, and I was on friendly terms with him up until last December-”

“What happened last Decem-”

“Forget it.” Akechi waved his hand dismissively. “But nevertheless, I should’ve known something was off.”

“Akechi-san.” Sumire dared to reach up and touch his shoulder, “How were you supposed to know that he wasn’t who he says he is?”

“A lot of people I know are like that, actually.”

“Okay, but then how were you supposed to know that his memories had been altered? Have you ever asked him about why he was here up until now?”

“Well-”

“Yes or no.”

“...Yes.” Akechi huffed, “But he ignored me, or found some way to diverge the topic. He never gave me the answer that he had simply been moved here to attend Shujin, according to his fake memories.”

“See?” Sumire found herself smiling, “How were you supposed to know, then?”

“I do detective work for a living.” Akechi said, though he rolled his eyes immediately after. “I get paid to notice the small details, but all I could get out of Akira was that he’s the leader of the Phantom Thieves.” He shook his head, then reached down to adjust the cuffs on his sleeves. “But I suppose mulling over that is going to get us nowhere.”

“Exactly!”

“What does truly bother me, though, is that Palace Ruler.” Akechi turned his head to look up at the faint Palace, then sighed. “He happens to be warping the very fabric of reality while ranting about making everyone’s dreams come true.” He scoffed, “What incomprehensible motives... I can’t even begin to wrap my head around such intentions.” He lowered his arm to his side, then added, “At any rate, we need to figure out our next steps.”

“I’d say we should focus on trying to rescue Senpai.”

Though Akechi nodded, his words disagreed. “As much as I hate to admit it, don’t you think it’d basically be suicide to try and save him in our current state?”

“I... Guess you’re right.”

“We need intel above any other.” Akechi said, and Sumire found herself nodding slowly. “If we’re going to stand up to him, we have to know more than nothing.”

“Should we go our separate ways then?” Sumire asked with a small blink. “At least until the date he gave us? What was it again...”

“January 9th, exactly one week from today.” Akechi sighed again, and Sumire wondered if that was just a habit of his. “I hate that we have to do what he says, but Maruki told us we have to wait until that day. So, let’s meet up here next week.”

“Right-”

“Though.” Akechi cut her off in the middle of her statement, “That brings me to something else. There’s someplace I’d like to go before we part ways.. Would you mind accompanying me there?”

“Uhh... I suppose not?”

“It shouldn’t take us too long, if you’re worried about that.”

Sumire smiled, and shook her head. “I don’t really mind. I don’t have to be home for a while, anyhow.”

“Then, let’s go.” Akechi’s expression shifted quickly, and he looked Sumire straight in the eye. “And, take your hand off me.”

“Oh!” Sumire smiled apologetically, and let her hand slide off his shoulder. “My apologies.”

—

Sumire wasn’t exactly expecting to be taken to Yongen-Jaya, much less Leblanc cafe. 

He was quiet the whole way there, as if he refused to acknowledge her, or he was busy thinking about what they’d just seen inside the Palace. She figured it had to be the second, though, since he’d paid for her train fare. But the silence had made for a rather awkward train ride, with a quiet Akechi that had a look that made Sumire wonder if he was trying to burn a hole through the floor of the train car, and a rather awkward feeling Sumire who tried to distract herself with mindless games on her phone.

When they finally arrived at the cafe, Akechi opened the door and stepped aside for her, which was... weird? It just felt... odd, since this was the same person that found amusement in torturing Shadows and who also demanded she take her hand off him. It just... didn’t feel right. It felt right for the Akechi that the public knew, that being the Detective Prince, but for this Akechi? It was... odd.

She still accepted the invitation regardless because it would seem rude for her to do otherwise, especially toward someone who basically was her senpai. She bowed at him to thank him for the gesture, then stepped inside the weirdly (but not too weird) empty cafe. Behind the bar was a man that Sumire knew as Sojiro Sakura, Akira’s guardian. Beside him was a boy that she didn’t know, with very dark blue hair and eyes that were a very bright shade of blue. They almost looked like they were glowing.

“Come on, Chief, I told you,” The boy was chuckling as he fiddled with the apron he had on, “I’m no good at this!”

“Well, you’re not gonna get any better if you don’t get at it.” Sojiro replied, sounding nearly as amused as the boy. “It’s not that hard, I promise.”

Sumire leaned over to Akechi, trying to be quiet as she asked, “Who’s that?”

“The elder Sakura and Morgana.” Akechi whispered back, not even looking at her as he did.

“The cat!?”

Apparently her reply had been too loud, since it made both Sojiro and Morgana look over. They both glanced at each other, blinked, and then Sojiro made a not-so-subtle gesture at the pair by the door. Morgana blinked again, then nodded and looked back over with a smile.

“Greetings!” He gave a two-fingered salute, “How can we help you?”

Akechi smiled, so brightly and cheerful that it made Sumire have to double check to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. “Hello. Might I inquire where Ren Amamiya is?”

“Ren?” Morgana looked taken aback, and shared a glance with Sojiro. “He’s not here. Said he had something to tell his parents, but that it was so urgent that whatever it was, it couldn’t be said over the phone. So, he’s been out in Inaba since yesterday- which is a shame, since he basically missed our New Year’s celebration.” His smile became brighter, “But if you have anything you wanna tell him, you can give it to me, and I’ll be sure to pass it to him when he comes back.” His smile started to fade, and he chuckled. “Though, I can’t promise it’ll be exactly what you said.”

“Ah- No need.” Akechi shook his head. “I just wanted to wish him a Happy New Year since I couldn’t do that yesterday... but I think I’ll wait on that. After all, a message like that is surely better coming from the person directly, no matter how late it may seem.”

“...Alright.”

Akechi smiled yet again, and nodded. “Well then, we’ll be on our way.”

And just like that, Sumire was metaphorically dragged out of the cafe. She didn’t even have to say anything! When they got outside, though, she decided to turn around and face her companion.

“Umm... What was that about?”

“I was merely just checking to see what had changed regarding everything, now that Akira is stuck in the Palace.” Akechi said, and then he sighed right after. “It truly is remarkable how quickly Maruki is able to shift reality to his liking...”

Sumire hummed her way into a sigh, and nodded slowly. “It’s scary, that’s what it is.”

“And nothing short of it, either.” Akechi looked her in the eye again when she lifted her head, but this time, his expression was fair. “That’s why we must rescue Akira. We’ll need all the backup we can get if we want to take down Maruki.”

“...What about his friends?” Sumire asked. “I know Morgana-senpai was a Phantom Thief, at least. What about everyone else?”

“They... were Phantom Thieves, yes.” Akechi then tilted his head, “But I’m not sure whether or not they’d exactly be of much help to us. After all, I’m sure they’re enjoying their fair share of whatever perfect world Maruki has concocted for them.”

“What if we can break them out of it? If Akira was able to remember the true reality, then maybe they can do the same!”

“...Perhaps.” Akechi nodded slowly, the gears in his head so obviously turning. “But neither of us know them very well. My knowledge of them goes as far as what I had to learn about them for... an investigation.”

“Send me that, then.” Sumire replied, “We’re all on break right now, so it might be easier for me to find them than it is for you, since you have work.”

Akechi continued to nod, “I suppose that would make sense.” He paused and placed a hand to his chin, “Though, I happen to have connections to Niijima as well, so I could also speak with her if you need me to.”

“If I need you to.”

Akechi nodded a final time, and lowered his arms to his sides. “Then I believe we’re done here for now?”

Sumire nodded. “I think so, too. I’ll keep in touch, though.”

“As expected.” Akechi reached into his pocket and brought out his phone, but then paused and looked back at Sumire. “You still have my number, correct?”

“Uh- Yes!” Sumire nodded again, “I should, at least.”

“All right.” Akechi gave a small nod to that, and put his phone away. “I’ll give you that information on the Phantom Thieves later tonight.”

“Gotcha.” Sumire then also reached into her pocket, “But before you go, Akechi-san.” She grabbed out a pair of glasses and handed them to him. “I think you should have these.”

Akechi raised an eyebrow. “Akira’s glasses?”

“You’re much closer to him than I am.” Sumire said, “So I think you should hold onto them for him.”

“As much as I would like to...” Akechi grabbed Sumire by her hand and placed the glasses firmly in her palm. “Something is telling me that you should keep them.”

“But-”

“I’m not taking them. They'll just remind me much more of what happened, so... I can’t.”

“...All right.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

The two then parted ways, with Akechi heading toward the train station. He offered to pay for her train fare again, but she shook her head and denied the request- she still had things to do in Yongen-Jaya, after all. So, she waited a few minutes to not arouse suspicion, and then walked right into Leblanc.

“He- Oh.” Morgana's head tilted to the side. “You’re that girl that was with Akechi.”

“Right, I am.”

“Did you... wanna buy something?”

Sumire shook her head. “More like I needed to speak with you.”

Morgana blinked. “With... me?”

“It’s about A- Ren.” Sumire replied with her usual gentle smile. “Is there anywhere we can speak privately?”

“Er...” Morgana's fingers stopped tapping the counter, and he leaned to look at the stairs. “I suppose we could use Ren’s room...”

“Wonderful.”

Morgana released a sigh as he turned to look at Sojiro. “Can I go speak with Yoshizawa? It won't take that long.”

Sojiro sighed as well, but waved his hand dismissively. “Yeah, sure. Just don't take too long.”

Morgana's response was only a nod, followed by him moving around the counter. He gave Sumire a single look, then nodded at the staircase and started moving without waiting for her. Though she thought that was confusing, Sumire followed along anyway. What was weird, though, was how empty the loft of the café was, given how Akira was in there not even a few hours ago... But maybe it was some effect of Maruki changing reality?

“So.” Morgana went and sat down on the futon, notably looking quite relaxed. “What’s up?”

“Um.” Sumire began tugging at the sleeve of her overcoat. She.. didn't think she'd be getting this far. She wasn't so good at this, but... if there was anyone she trusted to help Akira, it was his cat. Even if that cat was a human. “You’re Ren's brother... right?”

“...More or less? Why?” Morgana chuckled a bit awkwardly, and the way he tilted his head showed he didn't understand why that was being asked.

“You must miss him, now that he’s so far away.” Sumire noted, now deciding to lock her hands together. “I remember you two were practically glued to each other.”

“...Yeah.” Morgana smiled and looked up at the roof. “We were. Though that wasn’t always the case.”

“Really?”

Sumire’s question was genuine- she hadn’t ever heard of Akira and Morgana being not as close as they currently were, but the question she asked also fitted the situation, she felt.

“Yeah.” Morgana nodded, and despite the topic, his reminiscent smile still remained. “I kinda just saw him as someone that would be useful to me.” His expression started to fall, “Though he did get me out of that cage in the Palace, so-” He paused rather abruptly, and blinked a few times. “W-Wait... Sorry- What was I...?”

“Are you okay, Morgana-senpai?”

“I... don’t know.” He stood up and shook his head. “Sorry, um... could you go? I... need to be alone right now...”

“Sure.” Sumire smiled again, “Of course.”

“Thanks...”

She left right after that, which Morgana seemed to be glad for. She got a weird look from Sojiro on her way out, but beyond that, there was no actual conversation. She went home quietly, texted Akechi that she might’ve had a breakthrough in talking to Morgana, and then he called her to ask what she had said to Morgana, which basically meant she recited the conversation word for word over the phone. It was... weird, but it apparently gave Akechi some useful insight, whatever that meant. Akechi ended their call by saying he’d pass the information on the Phantom Thieves over to her soon, he was just taking his time to sort through the information and decide what was useful and what wasn’t.

Against all odds, the rest of the night went... pretty normally. Sumire shared dinner with her parents, they had a moment of silence in Kasumi’s room, and then she spent a few hours going over the crazy long paragraphs Akechi had sent her regarding Akira’s friends. She said goodnight to Kasumi before actually going to sleep, though... She fell asleep much quicker than she expected. Initially, she thought that all the things thrown at her would’ve made her restless, and she would spend another night talking to Kasumi until she passed out, but... nope. She fell asleep almost immediately. 

When she fell asleep, she was almost immediately met with a feeling of falling, but not in the scary way. It was like... a gentle fall? Or a trust fall, where you know something will catch you, and it scares you, but you do it anyway. Whatever it was, she felt like she could trust it... so she did.

Her eyes “opened” (in the way someone’s eyes open when you’re dreaming) to see a weird looking ceiling, and something compelled her to sit up. The first thing she noticed was that her clothes had changed to resemble some kind of prison garb, and the tightness of the room suddenly made sense.

She was in a prison cell.

She could feel her hair draping her shoulders, which was nice, since this place was cold. It was so weirdly chilly... so she was glad to have some kind of coverage aside from the rather thin striped clothes. This was a weird dream already.

She turned her attention toward the cell bars and pulled herself to her feet. Something wanted her to move forward, but something else didn’t want to. But if there was anything she’d learned since awakening Cendrillon, it was that taking uncomfortable actions was part of the job. So, she started walking toward the bars that acted as a door, and only then did she notice a few things.

First of all, there was music playing. Like actual music playing. Someone singing vocals and some kind of instrument behind it doing the beat.

Second, the cell block she was in was round. And all the other cells seemed empty.

Third, there was an old looking man sitting at a desk. He was staring right at her, and despite how frankly creepy he looked, Sumire felt she could trust him.

And last but not least, there was a young girl standing beside that desk, and she had a book in her hands.

All in all, this was one weird dream.

And then, the man spoke.

“Welcome to the Velvet Room.” He said, in a voice that was so weirdly calming, “My name is Igor, and we are delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a contract may enter... Though you are but a different case. Now, then... why don’t you introduce yourself?”

“Sumire Yoshizawa.”

Her name just sort of... slipped out. Not like she hadn’t meant to say it, but it just came out, and she couldn’t control it.

“I see.” Igor nodded, “We have important matters to discuss with you, but I shall let my assistant take over.”

The girl beside him nodded, and took a few steps forward. She bowed, then stated, “I am Lavenza.” She sent Sumire a warm smile, “I’m sure you must be confused.”

“...Kind of?”

Lavenza chuckled. “That is to be expected. This is no ordinary dream. As my master said, we have important matters to discuss with you.”

Sumire tilted her head. “What kind of matters?”

“The matter of the being you call Maruki.” Lavenza replied, which was... weird. She had said this wasn’t a normal dream, sure, but to name a real person like that? “His plans to overwrite the world with his cognition are a threat to humanity, and we require help to stop him. That is where you come in, Trickster.”

Sumire blinked and placed her hands on the bars. “I’m sorry... ‘Trickster’?”

“Indeed.” Lavenza nodded, “Truth be told, we have already come to choose a Trickster to rise against fate... but now that Trickster is in danger, so we must instead turn to someone else.”

“...Who is this other Trickster?”

Lavenza smiled again. “You once knew him as Ren Amamiya, but his true name is Akira Kurusu. He was the Trickster that rose against another, much larger fate than this. But seeing as the state of the Velvet Room has become a prison once more... He and everyone he has formed bonds with have become Prisoners of Fate again.”

“I... see.” Sumire nodded slowly. This was a lot to comprehend. “But what can I do?”

“As of this very moment, you remain the sole person to hold rebellion and free will within you. Thus, we are able to summon you and speak with you.”

“But what about Akechi? He’s free, too. Couldn’t you ask him instead?”

Lavenza’s smile fell, and she shook her head. “Goro Akechi is in a much more complex situation, and we cannot reach him. So, you are the sole person we can turn to.” 

“I see.” Sumire felt her expression fall as well. “So... you want me to save Sen- Akira?”

“Yes.” Lavenza nodded again, “But beyond that, since his will of rebellion is gone, we need you to stand up and take his place, should it not return. We have no idea what might happen to him, so we must prepare for every circumstance possible.”

“...What would ‘taking his place’ mean?”

“Someone like you, who has nothing to tie you down, bears the potential we need.” Lavenza opened her book, and for a second, Sumire thought she was about to drop it- but she seemed to be stronger than she expected. The book opened to a seemingly empty page, with a projection of a tarot card. “Someone whose heart is free has the potential of a Wild Card- a Persona-user that can wield and use more than one Persona.”

Sumire blinked. “And you want me to... become a ‘Wild Card’?”

“You already were one, given your heart has no boundaries set.” Lavenza shut the book, “You just never realized you had that potential, and thus you set a barrier upon yourself. But now that barrier is broken, and you can realize your true potential.” She paused then, and looked at Igor. “May it be possible that we could transfer the Trickster’s bonds and awakened Arcana unto our guest?”

“It may very well be possible.” Igor nodded, “His Persona compendium has not been erased, after all.”

“Oh...!” Lavenza looked down at her book, and then smiled. “Of course.” She looked back at Sumire then, and her head tilted. “I will transfer the awakened Arcana to you now.”

Just when Sumire was about to ask what that meant, her mind went blank, and then blinding colors filled her vision. She groaned and stumbled back as her mind raced through multiple things. So many Arcana, like what fortune tellers used to read fortunes. All of them had “ranks”, and all of those “ranks” were at rank 10- so they were at the highest they could reach, and therefore, the bonds could not become any stronger than they already were.

“Are you alright?”

Sumire nodded and lifted her head. “I’m fine.”

Her mind slowed down, and her thoughts returned to normal... though she could still feel the Arcana twitching in the back of her mind. Akira... had to deal with this? She briefly wondered if she had an Arcana as well, and what it could be-

Faith, Rank 5– Sumire Yoshizawa

But then... it changed.

Faith, Rank 5– Ren Amamiya

“You now bear the same bonds as the Trickster before you.” Lavenza’s voice was a bit softer, as if she suspected that Sumire wasn’t yet really done recovering yet.

Sumire blinked at Lavenza, and then saw a tarot card appear over her head.

Strength, Rank MAX– Lavenza

She looked at Igor, and saw one above him as well- though more faint.

Fool, Rank MAX– Prison Master

“Strength...” She mumbled, “And Fool...”

“It seems you can see the Arcana as well.” Lavenza noted, “An impressive result, indeed.”

“Is... that good?”

“It is excellent.” Lavenza reopened the book, which Sumire could now see was labeled ‘Persona Compendium’. “If you like, you may choose to take other Personas with you on your journey.”

Sumire tilted her head. “Other Personas?”

“The Personas that the previous Trickster has collected and registered here.” As Lavenza spoke, projections of different figures appeared above the book’s pages like the tarot card had done before. “Currently, it is nearly entirely filled out, but I shall extend it to fit your Persona as well.”

“...Would I have to give up Cendrillon to take them?”

“No.” Lavenza shook her head, “As of right now, you are able to hold 11 more Personas in your heart- And you can gather more as you traverse through the Palace of Sorrow.”

“‘Palace of Sorrow’...?”

“The Palace of Maruki.”

“Oh.” Sumire giggled at herself. Right, of course. “Right.”

“But, I believe that is all we can say as of right now.” Igor’s chilly, yet calm voice rang out against the walls of the prison. “You may return to your resting place as of now, and should you need us, we will find you.”

Behind Sumire, there was an odd sound. She turned back to look, and she saw a glowing blue door in place of where the back wall of the cell normally would be. She moved toward it, figuring it was her way out of the room, and placed her hand through the glow. It felt... familiar. She looked back at Igor and Lavenza... then waved at them.

And then, she returned to sleep.

—

January 9th came faster than Sumire would’ve initially expected. That week was also rather busy, and she found that between visits to the Velvet Room, as well as frequent check-ins with Akechi and visiting all the Phantom Thieves, she was quite exhausted. She started going to bed earlier than usual, and whenever she had gymnastics, it meant that Akechi was left to check in on the Phantom Thieves that day. Thankfully, their schedules hadn’t lined up in the way that they were both busy on the same day, so with some insane amount of luck, they made it through the week in what felt like only two days to Sumire.

“Greetings.” Akechi said to her when she arrived in Odaiba. “I’m going to guess that despite all our efforts and how you came here alone... the Phantom Thieves won’t be of any use to us.”

“I... checked in on them before I came here.” Sumire said, though her voice was rather soft. “Just a simple text message, but... none of them responded.”

“If either of us were Akira, I’m sure we’d be able to get through to them.” Akechi’s reply was more like a grumble, followed by a sigh. “Well, there’s no point in griping about it out here.” He looked Sumire straight in the eye, and his sharp gaze almost made her flinch. “Are you ready? As I mentioned yesterday, it’s quite likely that we’ll have to confront Maruki physically.”

“I’m prepared for anything.” Sumire nodded along with her reply, “I’ve spent this entire morning preparing for this.”

“Hm. You’re quite adept at this, Yoshizawa-san.”

“Thank you, Akechi-san.”

Sumire’s words were met by only a nod. Akechi took out his phone, and then opened the Metaverse Navigator- And then, their mission began.

They headed through the front of the Palace and into the area just before the Safe Room, where they were met by a voice telling them to go to the auditorium, and it even told them which direction to go. Though that journey wasn’t very long, to Sumire, it was a bit mentally taxing, since she’d never before had the ability to change what Persona she was using during their fights with Shadows, so it was a new experience. Akechi also got a bit irritated, since he didn’t exactly know Sumire had become a Wild Card, so he had to take a moment to get a full scan of Sumire to be able to tell what Personas she had on her.

And then, they finally made their way into the auditorium. Upon entry, the lights turned on, and given how bright they were, Sumire had to cover her eyes. Yeah... she’d really prefer it if this could stop happening.

At the head of the room, directly in front of them, stood Maruki and a chair that resembled a throne. And in that throne, was a sleeping Akira.

As usual, Maruki smiled at them both. “Thank you for coming.”

“Dr. Maruki...” Sumire took a step forward, “Is something wrong with Akira-senpai?”

“He’s only sleeping.” Maruki told her, which was followed by him looking down at the sleeping boy beside him. “I’ve never had any intention of hurting him. Once his inner turmoil begins to settle, I’ll have him remember his life as he wishes to live it.”

“The life that he wishes for, huh?” Akechi’s tone sounded almost like he was mocking him, “Call it what you like- you’re merely brainwashing people for your own satisfaction.”

“I’m wholly aware that some will interpret my acts that way...” Maruki replied with a sigh, “But if that self-satisfaction leads to the happiness of thousands of others, don’t you agree that outcome is for the best?” His expression turned curious then, “If I’m not mistaken, you two went and checked in on Amamiya-kun’s friends this past week. This reality is the one that they wished for... Did any of them seem troubled by that fact?”

“Well-”

“So what about it?” Akechi rather sharply interrupted Sumire’s chance at speaking, “You can hardly speak on their behalf.”

“Still, though. To them, and everyone else, this reality is the ‘true’ reality- all you have to do is recognize it as such.” Maruki’s smile returned, “Once you do, you’ll be just as happy as they are. Didn’t you see it for yourselves? Amamiya-kun and his friends don’t just want to live these lives- they want you to choose this reality for yourselves and live happily too.”

Sumire felt herself frown, and her stance began to loosen. This reality... Everyone did seem happy... but... 

“Please, I want you to understand...” Maruki’s tone now started to sound a bit pleading, “For their sake, as well as yours...”

Actually... did they want to stay in this reality...?

“Well, it’s time.” Maruki’s expression fell into a neutral one, “For the sake of Amamiya-kun, and for your friends... I ask you to give me your answer.”

Almost unwillingly, when Sumire blinked, she could see things differently. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the card of the Justice Arcana over Akechi’s head, and then saw a tarot card over Maruki’s as well. Though it was a bit hard to see, her mind read it clear all the same.

Councillor, Rank MAX– Takuto Maruki

But that wasn’t it. Something else rang in her mind.

While upright, the Councillor Arcana is a tarot card that denotes diplomacy, possibilities of choice, creativity, skills to persuade, vitality and power over mental illness. On the other hand, while reversed it can represent indecisiveness, insecurity, lack of originality, sickness or exploitation of the innocent.

Sumire’s eyes went a bit wide. A... description of the Arcana? Since when did... 

It made her thoughts turn to Lavenza and Igor. Two otherworldly beings from an equally otherworldly room that wanted so desperately to save the world from ruin. They needed to protect the world from that fate so badly, that they even called upon someone like herself to act as a Wild Card in the place of someone who couldn’t, and they were so desperately hoping she could rise against the threat of Maruki. They needed her.

She thought of Akira Kurusu, who was seated in the chair beside Maruki. He had issues of his own, but before he remembered that, he was the leader of the Phantom Thieves. He was the Trickster, who rose against a fate just as dangerous as this one, if not more dangerous. He needed to return to that, and be the leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts again. They needed their leader to bring them back so they could steal one more heart.

She thought of Akechi, too. A person with the same powers as that of herself and Akira... Someone who was strong despite whatever had happened to him, and someone who refused to bend to Maruki’s will. She was sure that if she agreed to Maruki’s deal, that Akechi would fight back on his own, but... she didn’t want that. She wanted to fight alongside him.

Everything, every bond she now held with people she either knew or didn’t know, everything was screaming at her to not agree with Maruki. 

“...I can’t accept this reality, Dr. Maruki.”

“Huh?”

Akechi was smirking as he spoke, and something about seeing that smirk gave Sumire strength. It made her feel like her decision was the right one. “Negotiations seem to have broken down.”

“...I see.” Maruki appeared to sigh rather heavily, “It seems we still haven’t reached an understanding...”

“N-No...”

The mumble came from Akira, of all people, and he started to stand. He wobbled, but soon enough caught his balance, and turned his head to look at Akechi, and then Sumire. The look in his eyes looked... broken, and it struck Sumire’s heart dead in the center.

“You can’t be serious... right?” Akira’s words were accompanied by loud and harsh breathing, “I’m begging you... Sumire, Akechi... Please let me keep living as Ren!”

“I’m sorry, but we can’t do that.” Sumire shook her head, and felt her resolve strengthen. “You can’t keep living like that, Senpai.”

“But why!?” Akira’s voice raised to a shout, and though it was just for a moment, it made Sumire flinch. “This pain is just too much, I- I can’t... Why can’t I just leave it all behind me!? Akira’s a disappointment to his parents... I can’t be that! I refuse to live that kind of life!”

Rather suddenly, Akira’s clothes erupted into blue flames again. His outfit of rebellion was back, but before that information could be processed, he ran and jumped, doing a rather Joker-like type of extravagant twirl before he landed in front of both Akechi and Sumire. His breathing was heavy, and his eyes were wide and rattling with desperation.

“Please... Do not try to stop me...” He grabbed his knife and pointed it at both of them with shaking hands. “If you do, then...!”

Sumire shook her head, and admittedly found herself taking a few steps back. “You can’t be serious- Don’t do this, Senpai!”

Akechi then sighed, shaking his head all the while. “You always were a stubborn one, Akira...” He looked at Sumire, and placed his hand on his hip. “I doubt that any words will get through to him, even if you were to try. It doesn’t seem like we have a choice in the matter, here.”

“...Right.” Sumire found herself nodding, “As much as I don’t want to...”

But being a pseudo-Phantom Thief meant taking uncomfortable actions, and she knew that. But... that didn’t change the fact that she didn’t want to fight Akira.

“...As much as I wish I could help you, restraint isn’t a practice of mine.” Akechi shook his head again, and placed a hand on his mask. “I’d hate to hurt him, so... I’ll leave this task to you.”

“W-Wait, but-”

“I’m sure that with your repertoire of Personas, you can figure out some way to not harm him too badly.”

“Will- Will you still navigate me!?”

To that, Akechi sighed with something that sounded a lot like annoyance. “I’ll see what I can do.”

And with that, Akechi simply just... walked away. So, Sumire looked back at Akira, who was still shaking. It... hurt, to see him like this.

“Just back down...” Akira was muttering softly, though his pleas still made it to Sumire’s ears. “Don’t make me do this...”

“I’m sorry, Senpai...”

“I can’t go back to being a disappointment to everyone around me!”

And those words were the only warning Sumire had before Akira threw off his mask. Raoul manifested behind him, and he closed his eyes.

“Concentrate.”

Just like when Sumire had thrown that vial at Akechi while fighting the Warped Abyss, blue energy formed around  Akira, spiraling around him until it reflected in his eyes. 

“His magic strength is higher.”

Sumire initially flinched when Akechi spoke in her ear, but then nodded slowly. “Okay... what should I do?”

“Well, I know for a fact that you and Cendrillon are weak to Curse magic, which is what Akira and Raoul specialize in. So, I’d suggest try using a Persona that’s immune to Curse so you don’t get knocked down... Or block.”

“Uh- Roger.” 

Sumire closed her eyes and opened up the back of her mind, where she got a glimpse at her Personas. One that was immune to Curse... Maybe Alice? Sure, that Persona repelled Curse magic, and Raoul and Akira most likely blocked it... but it was better than nothing. 

So, she grabbed her mask and twirled around, keeping her focus on the Persona she wanted available.

“Alice!”

And just like that, Cendrillon vanished into the back of her mind, and Alice appeared at the forefront. Granted, it was still a bit weird to put herself back with the rest of the Personas she’d taken from the Compendium, but... it was still weird.

Sumire waited for her mask to reappear, and then immediately threw it off again.

“Concentrate!”

And then, just like Akira, blue energy spiraled around her, and she could feel her mind focus more easily.

“Eigaon!”

Red and black streams appeared under Sumire, and she braced herself for impact... which never came. Instead, the attack was thrown back at Akira, and it never touched him. He scoffed, and closed his eyes, which Sumire took as an opportunity. 

“Cendrillon!”

She summoned her true Persona again, and then placed a hand on her ear.

“Crow, is the concentration still in effect?”

“It lasts until you use another spell.”

“Sooo... yes?”

Akechi sighed. “Yes, it is.”

She smirked. “Perfect.”

So then, she threw her mask off again, and called out, “Kougaon!”

But, Akira wasn’t knocked down. It did quite a lot of damage, but it didn’t knock him down.

“What...?”

“Ugh! He has no weakness.”

“Wait, what?”

“I’m not sure what it is, but he isn’t weak to Bless right now. You did a number on him, though, so just keep at it, and you’ll be able to weaken him.”

“Uh- Got it. I... think.”

Then, Sumire’s attention was pulled forward by Akira taking off his mask yet again, and he took a deep breath.

“Phantom Show!”

The purple streams of a sleep spell were then thrown at Sumire, and she couldn’t help but gasp. She panicked and swiped her rapier at the air as if to hit something, and the spell erupted into purple mist in front of her. She stepped back and covered her nose so she didn’t inhale it, then shook her head.

“Yoshitsune!”

After summoning the Persona, Sumire had to pause and take a few deep breaths. Okay... swapping Personas that much was starting to tire her out. But she had to keep going.

“Hassou Tobi!”

She stepped back and caught her breath while Yoshitsune’s blades struck Akira eight times... and then made him keel over. Had she gone too far...?

“No...” Akira fell to his knees with a groan, now clutching his stomach. “Damn it...!”

Akechi sighed and averted his gaze, before saying, “...Looks like you lost.”

“...Why?”

“Senpai, you need to stop.” Sumire straightened herself out as she spoke, now finally not feeling dizzy. She wasn’t used to this yet, so she could feel she needed a break. “Please...”

“Sumire...” Akira was breathing heavily again, and he turned his head away. He was quiet for a few moments, save for his breathing, and then slowly shook his head. “No. I- I can’t. I can’t go back to being Akira.” He started to pull himself to his feet, which appeared to gain Akechi’s attention. “You saw it all for yourself. I can’t do anything right... So why don’t you understand that I don’t want to be that person anymore!?” When he lifted his head, the look in his eyes was so intense, it really could burn a hole through the floor of a train car. “Please... just let me live as Ren...”

“Amamiya-kun...”

Maruki’s voice, along with the footsteps, made all three of them turn and look. He was walking down the staircase, toward Akira specifically.

“I can give you strength...” He said, “So you don’t have to suffer...”

Akira sighed and hung his head. “Doctor...”

“Tell me: if you want your pain to end... and desire to live as Ren...” The ground started to rumble the more he went on, “I’ll actualize it!”

The ground under Maruki’s feet grew darker, and weird tentacle-like things appeared all around him and Akira. Some of them twisted around Akira’s legs and arms and grabbed him tightly when he tried to get free, and then, they pulled him up rather high above the ground. As if it couldn’t get worse, electricity started zapping at him, and he screamed from what was most definitely pain. Before either Sumire or Akechi could react (beyond Akechi’s rather loud and painful sounding gasp), the zapping stopped... but only when Akira looked to be unconscious. His mask vanished, and then Raoul manifested, only he was... more red? He lifted his head to reveal rather intense eyes, and Sumire couldn’t hold back a shiver.

Akechi gasped again, though a bit more quiet this time. “Did he-?” 

“Sadly, he has lost sight of himself... He’s in pain. Now, be his guide...” Maruki lifted his head, and pushed up his glasses. He seemed... way too casual about the whole situation. “And together... escape from the nightmare!”

Sumire gritted her teeth. “Dr. Maruki-”

“No... I can’t...” Raoul’s voice echoed throughout the room, somehow coming from everywhere and nowhere. “I don’t want to walk that path ever again...”

“What the hell...” Akechi trailed off into a growl, “This so-called ‘kindness’ of his disgusts me.” He looked at Sumire then, “Let’s do this, and let’s do this quick.”

“Got it.”

“I refuse to walk that path again! I’m happy like this... This is where I belong!”

Maruki looked up at Akira, then Raoul, and started to smile. “I’ll rescue you... The only way I know how!”

He snapped his fingers, and two smaller Shadows appeared on either side of Raoul. Akechi sighed at the sight, then quickly summoned his Persona.

After a moment, he clicked his tongue, and Loki vanished. “It’s gone totally berserk... We need to stop his Persona!”

“That’s mine now!”

Raoul extended his arm, then threw it down, and the Shadow on his right side turned into energy, and that energy flowed into him. A gasp came from Sumire’s left, as well as the sound of Akechi falling back a step.

“It ate the smaller one!?” He huffed, “What a pain... We’ll have to beat it before it heals itself again...”

“Got it!” Sumire wasted no time in ripping her mask off. “Charge up!”

Akechi chuckled. “You seem more fired up than before, Yoshizawa.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I guess gaining new Personas did a good few numbers on you.” Akechi then ripped his mask off, shouting, “Debilitate!”

Multicolored orbs surrounded Raoul, and he flinched, but that didn’t seem to do any damage. He made a noise like a sigh, then raised his arm. Without any sort of call out, he cast Maeigaon, which hit Sumire, but didn’t do enough damage to really hurt her. Akechi blocked the attack altogether, so he seemed fine.

Sumire threw her mask to the side, swinging her rapier as she called out, “Hassou Tobi!”

This sort of thing went on for what felt like a long time, at least to Sumire. Whenever they got close to finishing off Raoul, he would absorb the Shadows at his side, and Maruki would replenish those Shadows. It was... nothing short of infuriating.

“Dammit, there’s no end to this!” Even Akechi seemed like he was at the end of his rope... or maybe he already had been. “Just what the hell is this thing!?”

Sumire, through her panting, turned and looked up at him. “Can you find us an escape route...?”

A quiet moment went by as Akechi summoned Loki again, concentrated, and sadly, shook his head. “I can’t find anything, sadly.”

“I refuse to return!” Raoul only kept shouting at them more and more as the fight went on, “I will never go back to being such a disappointment walking on a broken path!”

“You can’t tell what it is?” Maruki sounded almost disbelieving, “It’s his refusal to accept the truth...”

Akechi made that dog barking noise again, which Sumire tried to guess was another version of growling to him. “We can’t afford to waste time on this shit! We’re supposed to be rescuing Joker!”

Sumire could only nod, and she blinked a few times. Spots were starting to appear on her gaze, and she felt ever so sluggish... she really wasn’t sure if she could keep going without passing out. How... did Akira do this? It was exhausting... But he was probably more conditioned to it than she was.

“Here it comes!”

Sumire lifted her head and then gasped when she noticed how Raoul was charging up for an attack. No, no, no- They couldn’t survive this...! What were they supposed to do now?

“I don’t think so!”

That voice... Distantly, Sumire felt like she knew it, but everything was too out of focus for her to figure out why. What she did know, however, was that a figure ran between her and Akechi, and completely took the hit for them. The lights darkened during those few seconds, but when they returned to normal, the figure was-

“Dammit, Skull.” A boyish voice chided from behind, “I told you not to rush in by yourself like that!”

“Eh.” A girl’s voice came in reply, “At least it seemed to work out in our favor.”

Sumire turned around... and much to her surprise, she was met by the masked faces of the Phantom Thieves. She felt herself smile as she recognized the bonds they shared- or, well, the bonds they formed with Akira-, and her fatigue started to fall away. Was... that how Akira did this? Being constantly fueled by the strengths of his bonds, forever being given energy by those that placed their trust in him, and who he trusted an equal amount?

“I... knew you guys would come...”

Yusuke hummed at that. “Yes, well, our apologies for making you wait so long.”

Haru took a step forward suddenly, and raised a hand to point at Raoul. “Wait, is that...?”

Ann followed her point, and her eyes also went wide. “Akechi-kun and Dr. Maruki!?”

“So you’re surprised by me, and not Yoshizawa...” Akechi rolled his eyes, now standing with his arms crossed and his weight leaning to one side.

“Joker’s trapped by-” Morgana stopped and hopped in surprise, “Wait, why’s his Persona doing this!? What in the world is going on here!?”

“It’s... hard to explain.” Sumire said in reply. “But-”

“So much of this shit makes no sense.” Came a mumble from Ryuji, “But we’ll cover it later! We gotta stop him first- right?”

“...Right.” Sumire smiled again, and nodded at him. “Me and A- Crow have been doing as much as we can, but I’m glad we have some help now.”

“All right!” Morgana hopped forward, now armed with his sword. “Let’s get in formation! Yoshizawa, can we trust you to lead and give us orders?”

“Yes.” Sumire's reply came without hesitation. “I won’t let you down.”

“The rest of us will handle backup.” Makoto placed a hand on her hip and smiled. “If you need us, just give a call.”

“Roger!”

“Okay, guys.” Futaba's voice rang out in Sumire's ear, and distantly, she thought she saw her Persona activate some kind of cloaking spell. “Leave the navigation to me. Let’s push ‘em back!”

“Unbelievable...” Maruki's eyes were pretty wide in what Sumire could only assume was shock, “Why did they come here?”

“Fox! Those Shadows are weak to Ice! Give 'em hell~!”

“Kamu Susano-o!” Yusuke threw off his mask, then yelled, “Mabufudyne!”

At Yusuke’s call, his Persona made ice form around the Shadows and Raoul; that ice then shattered almost immediately, and the two Shadows were knocked down. Yusuke smirked as his mask reappeared on his face, and then he ran over to Sumire.

“Yoshizawa!”

He held his hand up, and somehow, she found herself knowing exactly what to do. She leapt up to high-five him just before he rounded back to Akechi's left, and when she twirled around to take off her mask... she felt some more energy fueling through her. She took a deep breath, contemplated the situation, and decided her next action. 

“Cendrillon!”

“W-Wait a second...” Futaba’s voice came back suddenly, and was accompanied by a few distant beeping sounds. “Yoshizawa, your stats and abilities just completely changed...! Did you change Personas?”

“Yes.” Sumire nodded, though she was unsure if Futaba could see it. “Is... that a problem?”

“N-No, it’s quite helpful, actually, but-” Futaba paused for a moment, “Do you have the same power as Joker?”

“Not initially, she doesn’t.” Akechi’s voice came in through the same way, “She didn't have it before, so my guess is she somehow obtained it during the week.”

“Wha-!?” Futaba sounded like she'd jumped back, “Crow, you can navigate?”

“Not as well as you can, but yes. My other Persona has some of those abilities.”

“I... Okay.” Futaba sighed, “Lots of information to process, but we won't rescue Joker this way!”

And with that, Sumire turned her attention back to the battle. Her mask had reappeared since the start of that little conversation, so she simply ripped it off again.

“Vorpal Blade!”

With her pretty high strength, along with the energy boost from Yusuke, Sumire could tell that she did quite a heinous amount of damage. It didn't take down Raoul, but it got rid of the Shadows beside him.

“Nice job, Yoshizawa! That's two down!”

“Hup!” Morgana spun around and waved his paw. He tossed something that went over Sumire’s head and erupted into a pink flame when it came near Akechi. It looked like a Charge effect.

Akechi’s eyes, even from behind the visor of his mask, managed to look more intense, and he started laughing maniacally. Without hesitating, he ripped his mask off, and shouted, “Laevateinn!”

Once the attack hit, Futaba gasped. “Whoa, Crow! That was... awesome!” She chuckled, and that was followed by a few more tapping sounds. “You’re already pretty close to taking it down, so, just keep it up!”

Raoul appeared to recover from the attack rather quickly. He shook it off rather quickly, and then pulled himself back up. He raised his arm, and with a simple flick of the wrist, the ground darkened beneath everyone's feet. Sumire felt herself twitch, then braced for impact.

The Maeigaon hit everyone but Akechi, and luckily for Sumire, she didn't get knocked down. She did have to take a moment to recover from the initial shock, then closed her eyes. Akechi appeared to be low on energy, even if he would probably argue against that. But... she could leave that to Morgana, she thought. He seemed to specialize in healing, from what very little she could see of his abilities. So...

“Alice!” This time, by the time she'd finished twirling, her mask had reappeared. “Concentrate.”

Yusuke then took his katana out of the scabbard and swung it a few times at Raoul; it didn't do as much damage as it probably should’ve, but it still appeared to work, at least a bit. Then, Morgana waved his sword around to cast Mediarahan to bring everyone's energy back up, and Akechi used another Debilitate on Raoul. Unfortunately, that didn't exactly work, since Raoul cast Concentrate on himself immediately after, but... there wasn't any issue there. Sumire smirked confidently and pulled her mask off one last time to whisper a single word.

“Megidolaon.”

Just as she’d seen it plenty of times before, with the Warped Abyss and Akechi, the ground started to rumble. It started to rumble so bad that, in fact, even Maruki looked shocked. Cracks started to form through the ground, much slower than any other time Sumire had seen the attack. Despite how slow the explosion was to start off, Maruki still had barely any time to back up before the ground erupted beneath Raoul, and with that... The Persona was finished.

Raoul was groaning. “I... can hear it. The promises of life... whispering to me... Now, my wish can’t be...”

The Persona faded, and Akira’s mask returned to him. The tentacles holding him started to recede, and he was lowered to the ground... though he looked unconscious. His outfit of rebellion faded again in another blue flash, and he started to tumble to the ground.

“Joker!”

Almost immediately at Makoto’s call, Akechi rushed forward and caught Akira in his lap before he hit the floor. His expression was rather unreadable to Sumire, but the way he was holding him seemed almost... protective?

“You’ve all...” Maruki’s voice made everyone (except for Akechi) look up, “I can’t believe you’ve thrown away your happiness just to come here and... And how? It’s impossible...”

Ann’s head began to tilt to the side, albeit slowly, “You’re... you’re Dr. Maruki... right?”

“...That’s right.” Maruki nodded slowly, “But more importantly, why are-”

“Dude...” Ryuji turned his head to one side, and his foot even started tapping. “What the hell’s Doc doin’ inside a Palace!?”

Akechi sighed, not looking up from Akira as he replied with, “He’s ruling this Palace, is what he’s doing.”

“Wha-!”

“Not only that, he’s the one who’s generated this whole distorted reality-” Akechi looked up that time, with a smirk on his face and a look of annoyance in his eyes. “Isn’t that right, Maruki-san?”

Maruki appeared to falter suddenly, but his voice remained firm. “...All of this was done for your own joy.”

“Our joy?” Yusuke asked.

“That’s right.” Maruki nodded, “I only wanted to grant your wishes... Each and every one...”

“Wait, you what?” The loud exclamation from Ryuji was followed by a ‘shhh’ from Akechi, though he seemed to ignore it. “Whaddya mean!? We never wished for anything like th-”

“Is that really true?” Maruki asked suddenly.

“Huh?”

Maruki opened his mouth to reply, but at the last second, shook his head. “...No, never mind.” He sighed, “So you all intend to deny the reality I’ve created for you... If you want to fight me... then so be it. If you plan on changing my heart, that’s fine too. But before that- I think there’s still room for discussion here. Also, I believe taking care of your friend is more important than settling this issue right now.”

A soft, barely audible growl came from Akechi before he asked, “Planning to run again?”

“We can get back to fighting, if that’s what you really want...” Maruki pushed his glasses up his nose before continuing, “But I think you’re rather exhausted at the moment.

Akechi’s only reply was a long and heavy sigh, which was followed by a small groan from Akira. He immediately looked back down, but still didn’t say anything.

“Joker!”

Just when Haru and the rest of the Phantom Thieves rushed forward, a light flashed in front of them, and... Maruki was nowhere to be seen.

“...There’s still time.” Maruki spoke over a loudspeaker again, “...February 3rd. I’ll hear your final decision on the 3rd. If your views still can’t align with mine by then, we’ll have no other choice but a physical altercation. As much as I would loathe that, I still can’t give up what I’ve started... What I swore I’d do... on the day I lost everything that mattered to me!”

A quiet moment passed before Futaba spoke. “...I’ve lost his reading.”

“I want to pursue him,” Makoto said with a rather regretful expression, “But I doubt that’s even possible right now.”

“Let’s get outta here.” Ryuji turned his attention to Akira, “Joker’s gotta rest, anyway.”

Everyone gave a unanimous nod, and no one argued when Akechi took up the role of carrying Akira out of the Palace. Of course, with how quiet he was, Sumire would’ve thought he would’ve argued against anyone else taking him. Everyone gave him confused looks and silently conversed over it, but other than that... the trip out of the Palace was rather silent.

Only when they were outside the Palace did anyone speak. 

Yusuke admittedly sighed, still staring at the Palace. “I’m still just as shocked as I was when we first came here...” He paused and took out his phone, only tearing his gaze away from the Palace to look down at it. “The Navigator’s returned to our devices... A Palace is visible in our own reality...”

“Um,” The small comment came from Ann, “Does this mean reality’s broken right now, or something? Something to do with Dr. Maruki, anyway?’

“Hey.” The word was accompanied by paws against Sumire’s leg. “Yoshizawa, how much do you and Akechi already know about this stuff?”

“Quite a lot, actually.” The reply came from Akechi, who only looked away from Akira in his arms to glance at Sumire. “I’ll need your help explaining it all, though.”

“Oh! Right.” Sumire smiled, locked her hands together in front of her, and then looked at everyone else. “So, what happened was...”

After explaining everything, Futaba was the first to speak. “So, Dr. Maruki...”

“He altered our reality,” Haru’s mumbling extended Futaba’s words... sort of. “To make our dreams come true?”

Yusuke shook his head. “This is all too much for me to handle at once.”

“Onto another topic, though-” Ryuji turned a rather defensive look onto Akechi, “What’re you doing here, acting all precious with our leader on top of that?”

“There’s no reason to be defensive.” Akechi’s expression was rather fair as he spoke, although he did roll his eyes. “Had I wished to kill you all, I would’ve simply done so already.”

“Akechi isn’t the enemy here.” Sumire added, “He’s helping. Without him, I don’t think I would’ve even made it this far...”

“So you’re not here to fight us?” Makoto asked.

“I’ve already put our feud behind me. Not only that..” Akechi made a nod at Sumire, as well as looked back down at Akira. “Since Yoshizawa-san and I both refuse to accept reality as Maruki sees fit to make it, we currently have the same goal.” He hummed, “And your leader most likely won’t reason with those ideals either, so I think it stands to reason that I’m not your enemy.”

“...Isn’t that just another way to say you’re using them?”

Akechi didn’t exactly answer Morgana’s question, though. “What about the rest of you? Considering how you were all living your ideal lives in that other reality until you decided to come here... Maruki seems to be telling the truth about taking your happiness into consideration. While his heart is distorted, he is quite different from the adults whose hearts you’ve changed so far.” He paused to readjust Akira in his arms, “Now that you know his intentions, I’m most interested in learning whether you still plan on fighting him or not.”

“...What do you mean?” Yusuke asked.

“I’m up against someone with the power to distort reality as we know it.” Akechi replied simply, “The more allies on my side, the better. If we all share the same goal, shouldn’t we join forces and improve our odds?”

A groan came out of Akira then, which was followed by him blinking a few times. He shifted a bit in Akechi’s arms, and the older boy hummed.

“Well, glad to see you’re awake.”

“R- Akira!” Morgana suddenly bounced at Akechi’s leg, “Are you all right?”

“I...”

Akechi’s expression grew soft... though just for a moment. “Can you stand?”

“What...?” Akira blinked a few more times, looked around a bit, then nodded slowly. “Yeah, I can...”

Akechi simply nodded without any follow up questions, and dipped his arms down to place Akira’s feet on the ground. Though Akira’s legs seemed to wobble a bit, he still managed to walk between Akechi and Sumire.

“...I’m sorry that I caused you all so much trouble.” He spoke softly, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’m supposed to be Joker, your leader, and yet... You all had to fight me...”

“No, no!” Ann shook her head, “You don’t need to apologize!”

“But-”

“Look, dude.” Ryuji paused to rub the back of his neck, “You’re fine. Got it?”

Though he sighed, Akira nodded all the same. “...Mhm.”

“We should probably go our separate ways for now, and discuss it at a better time.” Makoto said, and she sent a reassuring smile to Akira.

“Yeah.” Ryuji nodded, “Tomorrow, we can-” He paused, and then sighed. “Oh yeah, third semester’s startin’ up tomorrow, right?”

Ann hummed. “I guess we’re going back to school, huh? We still don’t have any idea what we want to do from here on out, though...”

“We’ve got time.” Morgana told her, “Maruki said he’ll wait until February 3rd before..” He trailed off, and shook his head. “Let’s really think it over before making our decision.”

“Oh!” Sumire turned to face Akira with a smile, and took his glasses out of her pocket. “Here you go, Senpai.”

“...Thanks.” Akira smiled at her, but didn’t put the glasses on. He hooked them onto his coat, then looked down at Morgana and smiled just barely. “We should get home.”

“Right!” Futaba bounced forward, which made Akira flinch. “You probably need rest.”

“...Yeah.”

“Allow me to accompany you.” Akechi said suddenly. When the statement earned him looks from all around, he simply looked at Akira and said, “I’d like to make sure you’re okay before I leave.”

“You really don’t have-”

Akira smiled just a bit more and nodded. He interrupted Futaba’s rebuttal by uttering, “Sure.”

So, everyone went their separate ways, though Sumire got a text from Futaba explaining that Akechi didn’t ever really leave Leblanc until late, and even then, his excuse was because he had school in the morning, so he couldn’t be staying out too late. It made Sumire laugh a bit, and the situation felt a bit lighter than before. That night, though it was unreasonably tense, it felt more “normal” than the entire week had been. 

Returning to school the next day had been weird after everything that happened, but honestly? Sumire was glad to have a bit of normality back in her life after everything that went down the previous day. Akira had approached her and told her that, before anything else, he needed to take some time to himself to think about everything regarding himself. Morgana had come in and added that he and Futaba would keep an eye on him in case of anything happening, but that they should meet up at Leblanc that afternoon to discuss some things. 

Then Sumire’s phone went off in the middle of the conversation with Lavenza on the other end. Surprisingly, everyone else knew who she was, and then there had to be a whole other conversation on how they knew about the Velvet Room and something about a “God of Control” that wanted to do something with the masses- it was a lot of information, and Sumire had to take a long time to process it. So then, Lavenza agreed to meet with them all at Shujin, so they had to sneak Akechi, Futaba, and Yusuke in during lunchtime.

Then, something about Maruki becoming the next “God of Control”?

But they all agreed to go into the Palace and change Maruki’s heart, and the conversation ended there. But, by Morgana and Futaba’s requests, Sumire went and stopped by Leblanc that evening to have a conversation with Akira regarding those plans. Apparently Futaba and Morgana had already filled him in on everything about the plan, but what he hadn’t told them was that he’d been eavesdropping on their conversation with Lavenza in the nurse’s office earlier that day.

The rest of the conversation followed Akira talking about himself, what he’d been thinking about, and how he was running from the truth. In the end, he swore he’d stop running, but he was still unsure about everything else. He was the Phantom Thieves’ leader, he was Joker, and he admitted that, but he expressed how he was still thinking about whether or not he could lead the Phantom Thieves on this final operation. So, he told Sumire that he trusted she would take on that role, and she found herself readily agreeing.

—

Akira Kurusu.

That was who he was, and he’d come to terms with that... mostly. 

Ren Amamiya.

His false identity and life. The life that was bestowed upon him by Maruki, as a means to change his past and fix everything that had broken him.

Joker.

The true leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. The person who’d lead his team through heist after heist to reform society, and the person who sought to take down Masayoshi Shido to fix everything, to avenge Akechi, and who led the Phantom Thieves one last time to face their final enemy. 

In the end... all of those names belonged to him. He wasn’t just one of those people, he was all of them. Ren may have been false, but he was and still is a part of Akira. Joker was there too, standing alongside Raoul and fighting on the side of justice.

He wasn’t a Wild Card anymore, and he knew that. According to Lavenza, he had been reduced to a normal Persona-user due to everything Maruki had put him through... but that was fine.

He didn’t need all those fancy abilities to be the leader of the Phantom Thieves. All he really needed were his bonds, and while those technically weren’t with him either, the memories of them were. He may not have the Arcana, but he had memories of bonds, so wasn’t that enough?

He stared at the elevator leading into Maruki’s Palace as these thoughts ran through his head. Something, be it Igor or Lavenza, or even his memories of the bonds he had with everyone... something was telling him that his friends were on their way. 

He just needed to believe in them.

“Oh! It’s...”

Recognizing Morgana’s voice, Akira turned around, and was faced by his friends. He smiled at each of them, but didn’t choose to wave.

“...Hello, everyone.”

“Senpai?” Sumire walked forward with a confused expression on her face. She seemed serious about taking on the role of leader. “Is something wrong? Why are you here?”

“You’re going to fight Dr. Maruki.” He stated the words as fact, because they were, just that. There was no doubt about that in his mind. “Can I come?”

There was that little bit of Joker peeking through, the embodiment of his will of rebellion, alongside Raoul.

“What are you saying, Senpai?”

“I’m saying-” Akira grabbed his glasses and took them off his coat, deciding to be a bit exaggerated about opening them. After all, he was Joker. The moment he put them on, his clothes flashed blue, and Joker’s outfit reappeared on him. “I’ve decided to lead you all on this final heist. I’m done running away. I want to live life as Akira again.”

Sumire smiled warmly, and nodded. “As the temporary leader, I say you’ll do just fine for the job.” She stepped to the side, “And I think your team has something to tell you, Joker-senpai.”

“Hm?”

A collective “Welcome back, Joker!” was shouted at him in typical imperfect Phantom Thief unison, and he couldn’t help but smile at them.

“Now then, Joker,” Morgana stepped forward with that typical smile of his, “What’s the plan?”

“First order of business,” Akira pointed a finger at Sumire, “Yoshizawa needs a code name.”

Sumire blinked. “...I do?”

“Yes, you do.” Akira nodded at her, “You can’t use your real name inside the Palace. It’s not how we roll around here, and as our newest member, we need something to call you.”

“Oh, um...” Sumire started tugging at the sleeves of her jacket, “Did you... have any ideas?”

“Violet.” He replied nearly immediately.

“Why Violet...?”

“Because. One of the meanings of the color is noble, and you’re one of the most noble people I’ve met.” Akira allowed himself a playful smile before he added, “And... it’s what your name means in English.”

Sumire giggled then. “I see. Clever as always, Senpai.”

Akira’s smile grew soft, and he patted her head. “So, as the leader of the Phantom Thieves, it's my duty to say... Welcome to the team, Violet.”

Sumire giggled again, and she smiled rather brightly. “Thank you, Joker-senpai.”

“Now!” Akira turned to the rest of the team, “It’s showtime.”

Leading the team through the Palace wasn’t as hard as he’d initially thought. Thanks to Futaba showing him the map of the Palace so far, he knew where to go next. So, they headed in the direction of the auditorium with almost no effort at all. It was... weird. There were no Shadows. At all. According to Futaba, though, they were there- just gathered somewhere else, which was why they’d set off to inspect it.

So, here they were, running in a beeline for the auditorium. They charged up the staircase, trying to be as quiet as a group of tired teens were, when they got an announcement from Futaba.

“Above us!”

Akira slowed himself down, and let the rest of his team continue on ahead of him. Being the leader meant taking uncomfortable actions, especially when it came to their safety. So he pulled back, let himself truly trust himself for the first time, and shut his eyes. He could feel multiple presences all around him, and when he reopened his eyes... he saw that his Third Eye was active. Despite not having the power of Arcana behind him anymore, he could see the tarot cards above the heads of every one of his teammates. 

Even himself. 

He looked up, where he caught sight of a tarot card with a black outline.

Faith, Rank 5– Ren Amamiya/Akira Kurusu

He smiled at the sight. So... he and Sumire had swapped Arcana? Looking at her only further proved that theory, since she had the card of the World Arcana above her head.

He closed his Third Eye, and the presence he felt around him were Shadows, though they were disguised under Maruki’s influence. But still Shadows all the same.

He also caught sight of Morgana hopping up and down. “Joker!” 

Akira brought his hand up to his mask and ripped it off. “Raoul!”

But... that chill that always overcame him whenever he unleashed his other self wasn’t there. He didn’t feel the rush of wind, or hear the sound of Raoul’s mechanical wings flapping. The only sound he heard was his mask hitting the ground.

“...What?” 

Ironically, he asked that question just as his mask reappeared on his face.

“No...” Morgana’s voice was softer than before, “His Persona’s-”

“Damn it.” Akechi sounded irritated, and he placed a hand on his mask. He sighed, shook his head, then lowered his hand. “Hang on-”

“Stop!” Joker’s commanding voice came out in that instance, and much to Akira’s surprise... Akechi actually listened to him. “Just... stop.” He lowered his hand to his side then, and took a deep breath. “I get it. But sometimes, you need to let people save themselves. I know that lesson well by now.” He closed his eyes, and distantly, he felt his hands clench into fists. “Being a Phantom Thief is all about standing up against people telling you to be quiet... It’s about finding a voice and letting yourself be heard. And yet... I did the exact opposite. I fell under everything everyone was trying to tell me, and hid behind a mask that I didn’t even know I was wearing. I can’t believe I forgot the meaning of rebellion...” He chuckled. “How am I supposed to lead you all if I can’t even understand what being a Phantom Thief means?”

He brought his hands to the sides of his mask, and pulled. The mask didn’t budge at first, but that was okay. Persevering through things was also an aspect of a rebel, and perseverance was something he never lost when he was Ren. He might have forgotten, but he never lost it. As he pulled and pulled, and forced the mask to come off... he realized how much it reminded him of the first time he’d done it. The first time Joker had been revealed. Ren had struggled to take off his mask, too, and Akira remembered it well.

The mask finally gave way after a moment of tugging, and though his face burnt and stung in everywhere possible... he welcomed it. Pain was just a reminder that he was alive, right?

He dropped the mask to the floor and watched it vanish. Yeah... he had never felt more alive. He lifted his hand up and faced the roof, and called to Raoul once more.

“Raoul, come to me!” He took a step forward, “If you don’t answer my call... How else am I supposed to be the leader they need me to be!?”

“My, my...” Raoul’s voice echoed through his mind once more. “It seems you’ve found the strength to stand on your own feet again. No more standing on the sidelines and watching... We will take back our life!”

Akira closed his eyes for just a second, and when he reopened them... He saw, clearly with his Third Eye... Raoul, with the faint silhouette of Arsène in his shadow. Somehow, he was smiling.

“Thou art no longer chained to Hell, yes...? Thou hast regained thy own free will and reopened thine eyes to seek forth the path in front of thy...”

Akira closed his Third Eye in time to see Raoul physically manifest in front of him with blue fire, and he smiled at him.

“I am thou, and thou art I! Are you prepared to unleash Hell upon anyone who dares cross your path?”

Akira’s smile evolved into a smirk, and he whirled around as the Shadows revealed their true forms. They were ready for battle? Well, so was he.

“Let’s do this!”