This chapter will include a scene of excessive violence, gore and physical abuse, near the end. This is the part where Ren and Ryuji see the prisoners of the palace, and the story will go into greater detail in depicting the abuse those prisoners endure. If you want to skip such scenes, stop reading around the " After coming this far, the boys were hesitant to see what the state of the prisoners was like, but at the same time Ryuji wasn't going to turn back after everything they had accomplished. Swallowing his fears, he was the first one to take a step forward, followed reluctantly by Ren. " or stop reading at the timeskip :
" <<<<<<<>>>>>>> "
which happens slightly before the mentioned scene. Again, if you don't want to read those scenes, stop reading at the mentioned point and pick up again from where I write my notes after the chapter concludes, or feel free to start with the next chapter instead.
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Ren stood with Ryuji outside the school, by then most students had already left the building. Nevertheless, they still felt the need to hide in an alleyway to do their experiment. Ren held up his phone before Ryuji and pressed on the red icon of the Metaverse Navigator. He was still very hesitant to try it, but Ryuji didn't wait for him, he snatched the phone from his hand with a curious smile on his face " so this is the app that caused all of this? " he asked, looking at the map on display and the sound wave display reverberating in response to his words. " 𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚎𝚝 " came the response from the phone, startling Ryuji and causing him to drop the phone on the ground. With a sigh, Ren picked it back up again, the screen was already cracked as it was, he didn't need to damage the phone any more than that.
" are you sure you want to do this? " Ren asked Ryuji one last time
" I... I am... " despite Ryuji's response, his voice cracked a bit, he sounded less certain than he wanted. He scratched his head and looked at the street between them and the school, before continuing " I... I tried telling myself over and over again that it was all just a dream, but I couldn't lie to myself... we both know it's real, right? Then there was what I saw in there... the tortured students, that bastard Kamoshida, there's no way it's all just a coincidence, is it? And if... it was real... then Kamoshida is torturing those students and nobody could tell him to his face to shove it! We... we're the only ones who know of that place, we're the only ones who can save them! "
" okay... here goes nothing... " Ren said, showing the app to Ryuji once again " it keeps reacting to our voices, maybe we have to say something specific to spawn that castle... what was it we talked about the day before yesterday? "
" hm... I dunno... it was the first time we met, I thought you were going to rat me out to Kamoshida, but then it turned out you didn't know him? "
" something more specific " Ren said, trying to recall their conversation " you mentioned his name... Suguru Kamoshida? "
" 𝙲𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 " the phone suddenly declared, startling both Ren and Ryuji. " it said something different! " Ryuji said, holding Ren by the shoulder and shaking him eagerly " you're on the right track!... probably... say something else! "
" hm... you called him a pervy teacher... " Ren's face suddenly lit up as he exclaimed " oh! And you said something about a castle "
" 𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚎𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚏𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚜. 𝚆𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚗𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗? "
" ooh boy! We're in! Tell'em yes, we want to transfer ! " Ryuji said, eagerly shaking Ren like a kid who had just received a new toy
" 𝚄𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚍. 𝙱𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚗𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 " the app indicated before Ren could say anything, seemingly reacting to Ryuji's voice instead. Within a few seconds, the world around them began to distort and ripple, like the surface of a trembling lake, which crescendoed into a spiral that completely engulfed them. Throughout this process, the two of them felt a strong headache and nausea, as if they were carsick, but the feeling quickly subsided the moment their vision cleared. Almost as soon as it happened, the two of them found themselves standing in front of that impossibly gigantic castle, below a spiral of dark clouds and red mist. " it can't be... " Ryuji muttered in disbelief " we're... we're really back...?"
Ren could not believe his eyes, the nightmarish castle from yesterday stood defiantly in front of him, any logical explanation he might have had for last night was vaporized in an instant. Ryuji was the first to rush in, marveling at the surreal sight before him, while Ren followed more reluctantly, his confusion was rampant. Last time, he walked into the alleyway only to see the castle, so he could have easily justified that as a weird nightmare he had because he overslept in the train. That was no longer the case, as he had witnessed the school transform into the castle instead, and looking at his phone, he could see an incomplete map of the castle, specifically the places he had explored last time, with a yellow marker on the screen outside the boundaries of the map. As he messed around with the app a little, he noticed an icon that read ' 𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗡 𝗧𝗢 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬 ' , but when he touched it, the app indicated " 𝙸𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚍 𝚙𝚜𝚢𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜. 𝙳𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢? ". Needless to say, the term ' psychological complications ' sent shivers down Ren's spine, and he quickly cancelled the prompt. In the end, what mattered was that the horrifying castle from yesterday was real, and along with it his PE teacher was the king torturing students within its dungeons and cisterns. More unsettling still was how strained his vision seemed for no reason, it was red around the edges as if his eyes were bloodshot, and his heart was pounding with anxiety.
" holy shit! " Ryuji's sudden outburst interrupted his train of thoughts, he saw his impulsive friend looking at him in disbelief " dude! What happened to your clothes?! "
" my clothes? Huh... " Ren looked at his cuffs and torso, then he peered at his back. Realizing his school uniform had transformed into a black coat, he inspected his forehead only to finally realize there was a mask on his face the whole time, the idea that the mask was so infused with his face he didn't even know it was there made him uncomfortable, but he recognized that this was the outfit he had turned into when he summoned a Persona last time. As he inspected himself, he noticed Ryuji eyeing him with his mouth agape and eyes wide open, to which he grinned and said " what? You're jelly or something? "
" I'm... not... wait, why do you like it?! "
" well yeah, I look like a shonen protagonist, don't you think? " Ren said, striking a pose with his hands in his pocket
" hey! Be quiet, you two! " from behind a wooden box by the castle walls emerged the same strange creature from yesterday, the humanoid figure with the cartoonishly big head of a cat. Though his voice was a mere whisper, it was enough to attract their attention, and as they got closer to him, he immediately recoiled back " no, don't come closer, you idiots! You'll expose my hiding place ! "
" you're... the cat from yesterday... Margarita, was it? " Ryuji remarked curiously
" it's MORGANA! And I am NOT a cat! " he protested loudly and angrily. At first he was worried that his presence was exposed, but as he saw no monsters were attacking him, he let out a sigh of relief that he was safe, before he scolded the two of them again " you're lucky this place is apparently at the edge of the palace, if the shadows had noticed us, we would've been in serious trouble! "
" shadows... that's what you called the monsters last time, too... " Ryuji said skeptically " what do you know about this place? "
" let's make sense of this situation more calmly, okay? " Ren interrupted, stepping between rude cat and Ryuji before their tone could escalate, he asked again, this time more sternly " we came here because we had something to do, and since you know enough about this place, we thought you could help us out "
" to think you would come back after miraculously escaping, and only for idle curiosity... " Morgana groaned and rolled his eyes, but it was in that instant that his eyes met Ren's masked face, at which point he changed his mind and started explaining" first off, this palace is your school... or at least the way the ruler sees it, you called him... Kamoshida, was it? This is how his distorted heart views the school, his vision of it manifests as a castle and everything within it ". Morgana's explanation was interrupted with the agonizing wails of prisoners in the castle, he looked at a window behind him and remarked with a sad look in his eyes " looks like he's taking his anger on the prisoners... ugh... this is too much to bear... I figure he will only take it down a notch once the security level goes down... "
" ugh... none of this matters! " Ryuji said impatiently, the agonizing screams of the prisoners was making him more furious " we came here to rescue our classmates, they're trapped in there! You know where those voices are coming from, cat, don't you?! Take us there! "
" I just... there's so much wrong with you I don't know where to begin... why do I even waste my breath explaining things if you're just going to ignore me?! " Morgana sighed, his words were continuously provoking Ryuji, but then his eyes lit up as he thought of something " okay... telling you how this palace works obviously wouldn't make sense to your pea brain, how about I show you instead? "
" what do you mean?! "
" you want to see those prisoners, right? I'll take you there... " Morgana glanced at Ren " but if I'm gonna have to put up with your screeching, he must come along, too... well? Do we have a deal? "
" wh—why... ? Why do you want me to come along? " Ren asked reluctantly. Despite his best efforts to stay out of trouble, he found himself continuously getting dragged into the conflict
" I just want to get a closer look at your powers, though you're still novice, your Persona is especially strong " Morgana replied with a knowing smile " and I'm pretty sure he's going in alone if he has to, what do you think? "
" I... f—fine... but only this time, okay? " Ren said with an exasperated sigh
" sweet! Then let's get going, follow my lead! " Morgana said, hopping forward and leaving the boys behind to follow him
" hey... uh... man... " Ryuji whispered to Ren with a guilty face " sorry for dragging you into this... and... uh... thanks for sticking with me, I'll make it up to you, I promise "
With a nervous nod, Ren silently replied to Ryuji, and the two of them followed Morgana as he ran toward a corner amidst the castle. At first, the two of them were confused by the idea of going away from the castle's front gate, but Morgana explained with a condescending " not going through the main entrance is one of the basics of phantom thievery... the fact that you don't even know that much makes me second-guess my decision to guide you! ". Ryuji wished with every fiber of his heart to punt the annoying cat, but he had to restrain himself into following him. Ren was more curious about the terms Morgana used: 'phantom thievery', 'palace ruler', 'shadows' and 'distortion', they were all very specific terms. While he wasn't sure what each of them exactly, the way Morgana spoke about them made him seem like he was a resident of this alien world. Ren's thoughts were interrupted when the three of them found an open window, Ryuji recognized it as the window through which they had escaped.
Going into the castle, Ren and Ryuji felt the same oppressive sensation as they had when they walked through the castle for the first time. The checkerboard floor, the dim hallways lit by malevolent candles, the thick doors, the sharp crimson carpet, and the heroic portraits of the king, which made Ryuji feel sick in his stomach, they all served to make them detest this place more and more. However, Ren was more concerned with his vision, ever since he walked into the palace, he had been feeling a pulsing sensation in his head and his peripheral sight was reddened for some reason, in particular those feelings seemed to be at the worst within the castle. The pulsating sensation seemed less like it was from his head and more like the entire castle having a heartbeat, his sight would occasionally distort and tremble, but he couldn't think too much about that on his own, as Morgana was sneaking through the castle and demanding their immediate attention.
" look sharp, you two! Just because there are no shadows near the entrance of this palace, doesn't mean we can relax! " Morgana hissed at them " especially when the level of palace security is this high, the palace becomes exponentially more dangerous! "
" palace... security... ? " Ryuji clutched his temple and groaned " more abstract bullshit?! It doesn't matter, get a move on! "
" I didn't expect you to get it... least of all the ape with the yellow hair. Let's stop here while it's safe, I don't want you exploring this palace without at least knowing the basics " Morgana shrugged, nearly provoking Ryuji into choking him, but he then smiled at Ren and elaborated " but you... you have a Persona, right? You can see how high the security is, your vision is reddened and distorted and you can feel a pulsation from yourself and the palace, right? "
" I... how did you... how did you know... ? " Ren muttered in disbelief
" well, I came to this conclusion simply because we both use a Persona, and so we can both see the effect of the high security... " Morgana frowned at him and crossed his paws " you do know what a Persona is, right? "
" what a Persona is... yes... I think so... " Ren replied, much to Ryuji's disbelief " a mask the protects me from distortion... whatever that means... "
" yes! That's exactly what it means! " Morgana perked up " Personas are aspects of your mind manifesting as legendary beings to protect you in the metaverse where distortion is abound. They shield you from the distortion of this world, which can otherwise wrap your mind and damage your psyche beyond repair "
" damage my psyche? " though those words sent shivers down Ren's spine, but then he remembered how the navigator app warned him of potential psychological consequences, which only validated Morgana's warning
" wait! Does that mean I'm in danger?! " Ryuji suddenly exclaimed, realizing he had no Persona
" well, last time you two were in here, the palace security was low so you were fine " Morgana replied, looking at Ryuji with pity " with me and your friend being near you, our Personas are reducing the effect of the distortion, but if you walk into a palace with a high security without a Persona, two minutes is all it takes for you to start shouting at yourself and laughing at nothing "
" f—f—f—for real?! " Ryuji trembled at the thought of something like that happening to him
" but what is a palace security? " Ren asked warily
" oh, it's a term I came up with to describe the distortion mechanism of this world in general, and specifically palaces " Morgana replied, crossing his arms and raising his nose in the air as if he was proud of it " first off, you have to know more about the enemies you fight here. Shadows are like Personas, they are aspects of human psyche manifesting, but distorted into hostile and malevolent entities. Previously, they used to take a more abstract shape, but their appearance is more defined and they are stronger nowadays "
" so are those 'shadows' causing the distortion... ? "
" you're talking as if you understand what he says?! " Ryuji shouted in disbelief as he watched Ren converse with Morgana intently
" you're on the right track, but not quite there yet! " Morgana replied " in palaces, shadows gravitate and are influenced by the palace's ruler, in your case that's Kamoshida, right? Remember, how I said his distorted heart is what manifested this castle, this distortion also feeds the shadows and empower them, and in return they cultivate the source of the distortion in the man's heart and protect it. When the ruler of the palace feels threatened, the distortion in his heart rises, and with it the shadows grow stronger. You're probably going to see it in action soon, but shadows become so strong that even a potent Persona struggle to take down one of them, and they tend to strike in high numbers, too! "
" I... I see... so the source of all of this is Kamoshida..." Ren nodded, cupping his chin in his hands as he tried to wrap his mind around what Morgana had said
" also... about your vision... typically, Personas protect you from the distortion of the palace, but it's so high now that it can barely slip past your Persona's protection, you see it as muddled reddened vision and hear heartbeat in your head. And yes, that means staying in this environment can affect you psychologically in the long run. We can reduce the distortion either by waiting, which I was doing outside, or by taking down a few shadows "
" I... I see... that makes sense... "
" does it?! " Ryuji screamed in desperation " you two lost me like five hours ago! "
" well, if you don't have a Persona, it's a waste of my breath to explain it to you " Morgana shrugged and turned his back to an infuriated Ryuji " just stay close to us, and you won't have to worry about the passive effects of the distortion "
The three of them walked out into an open hallway, with stairs leading upward. Ren and Ryuji recognized the hall, it was the same place where they were captured by the guards. Their vision trembled and distorted as the hallway swam between the structure of the castle, and the entrance of their school, further proving the connection between the castle and Shujin Academy. Nevertheless, Ren and Ryuji followed Morgana into a corridor, their muffled footsteps against the red carpet being their only company. Morgana stopped abruptly at the turn of the corridor, before quickly jumping back behind the wall, Ren and Ryuji quickly hid behind the wall alongside him. " see that one? " he said, peering around the corner and prompting his followers to do the same, where they saw another soldier patrolling the hall. Though Ryuji could only see a regular solider, he could feel the air around it being heavy and suffocating, like walking through the desert in the peak of heat. Ren, on the other hand, could see red lights beaming from the soldier's eyes, as well as blood and black slime seeping from the hinges of the solider's joints " that's a shadow empowered by the high security of the palace, we'd better find another route ". Morgana said, he looked around for a second, before running back the way he came, signing his friends to follow him.
" so we can't fight them... and we can't sneak past them? " Ryuji asked nervously
" unlikely... they're exceptionally strong, and your friend can tell you how improved their eyesight is, it won't be easy to elude their pursuit if they catch us "
" he's right... I could see red light emitting from their eyes, like search lights "
" man... I wish I had one of those fancy Personas... then I wouldn't feel this left out... "
The three intruders were going back into the main hall, Morgana was thinking of taking the stairs to the upmost floor. However, just as they were about to emerge from the corridor, they saw three eruptions of darkness in the center of that hall from a distance. From the darkness, three more soldiers emerged, their eyes shining red beams as they glared around their vicinity. " who's there?! Show yourself! " one of the guards shouted, pointing at one side of the hallway. Morgana hid with his followers just barely in time before they were spotted, he peered around the corner to see the three soldiers approaching them. " they could see us from this far off? We were nowhere near them! " Ryuji looked back only to see the first soldier from earlier getting closer to them in his casual patrol " oh shit! Oh shit! They're gonna surround us! ". Morgana remained calm, he whipped out a slingshot and fired a pebble across the corridor, managing to hit the other end of the hall and distracting the three soldiers, before running deeper into the corridor " there's no time to explain, follow me! We only have a few minutes to take down this shadow before the others realize what's going on! ", prompting the others to chase after him.
Morgana tried to ambush the soldier, but then he saw that it was walking away, deeper into the hallway. Giving them just about enough distance to reach a door on the side, but the soldier was about to turn back and walk toward them, which meant Morgana had about a fraction of a second to decide if he wanted to face the shadow or escape. Ren didn't think about any other possibility, and quickly pulled at his mask to summon his Persona. " wait, you idiot! Don't do that! " Morgana screamed, but by then Ren had already torn the mask off of his face, blood gushed from his forehead and onto his neck as vibrant blue light enveloped him. Arsène emerged from the shining light, waving his wings proudly as he towered over the intruders and the shadow, before striking the soldier with them. The soldier collapsed into a pile of blood and slime, before emerging again as three white demons with a mischievous grin and a blue hat. Arsène whipped them with his chains, but one of them managed to jump in the air and toward Arsène, sending him flying across the hall with one punch.
" agh! My head! " Ren winced in pain, feeling a strong headache as his Persona was slammed against the wall, but before he could recover, the remaining demons bombarded him with volleys of icicles until he was down on his knees
" what the hell?! " Ryuji looked back and forth between Ren trying to stand up, and his Persona recoiling from the severe punch he had sustained " why are these guys so strong?! "
" I shall protect you, my other self " Arsène quickly stepped forward the moment he recovered, embracing Ren with his wings and sending volleys of dark bullets that struck the white demons surrounding them, before forcefully opening his wings and slamming the demons against the wall
" this is bad... we can't continue like this! " even though Morgana could see Ren's Persona regaining some advantage in the fight, he could also see more soldiers approaching them " it can't be helped, close your eyes, everyone! "
Morgana quickly tossed a small bomb in the center of the crowd, which erupted in a shining flash of light that blinded everyone momentarily, allowing him to sneak with the boys into a door by the side, escaping the dangerous shadows. The three of them found themselves standing before a set of old concrete stairs going downward, the same ones they had ascended last time to escape the castle dungeon, which at least meant they were on the right track. For a few seconds, they held their breath in anticipation that they might be followed by the soldiers, but it seemed like Morgana's flash bomb managed to throw the shadows off of their pursuit. " there goes my last flash bomb " Morgana sighed as he watched the two boys struggling to catch their breath, both from exhaustion and panic. Needless to say, that brush with death really rattled them, and Ryuji in particular was especially infuriated.
" you stupid effin cat! " he said, holding Morgana by the ears and shaking him violently, before setting him on the ground again forcefully " weren't we supposed to take that thing down, why did you back out at the last second?! My friend could have died in there! "
" ugh! You two are insufferable, I don't why I even put up with you! " Morgana replied with equal anger " if you think I'm holding you two morons back, why don't you explore this castle yourselves?! "
" let's... let's try to calm down, okay? " Ren intervened, thinking he had to diffuse the tension before Morgana abandons them, he could not imagine himself taking the lead in such a place.
" listen to me, frizzy hair! Summoning your Persona should be the absolute last resort, understand?! " Morgana said, turning his anger to Ren instead, waving his finger against him while he shouted " to begin with, you can already tell how exhausting it is to repeatedly summon them, you probably have about one or two more attempts before your body collapses from exhaustion, make them count! "
" you... you're right, I'm sorry... "
" also, all this rubbish about me changing the plan—of course, I would change the plan, amateurs! " Morgana ranted, stomping his foot on the cobblestone furiously " being a phantom thief means always thinking on your feet and quick decision making! Maybe we decide to do something, but if I see the circumstances allow for a better result by doing something else, chances are I won't have the chance to get your stupid approval, or did you honestly think a shadow on high security will stand there, eyes beaming red light, and wait for us to reevaluate the plan?! The veterans make the right decision on the spot, the mugs shut up and follow along without complaining, understand?! " he concluded, making a point of glaring at Ryuji at the tail of his tantrum to emphasize his point.
"... ugh... fine... " Ryuji grumbled while kicking a spec of dust on the side, the idea that a tiny humanoid creature with a swollen cat head was lecturing him really got on his nerves
" good... now follow me... and try not be a thorn in my side for five minutes " Morgana huffed as he took the stairs down
The three intruders ran through the decrepit dungeon, the hallways around them devolving from cobble-laden into muddly and murky walkways amidst the sewage of the castle, and the deeper they snuck into the dungeon, the louder and more despairing the screams were. Ren was gradually feeling more reluctant to continue, but he couldn't back out when he could see Ryuji's fists trembling with anger as the sound of the prisoner grew louder, they were his classmates, after all.. There were many more shadows, soldiers of thick clacking armor and blank faces for masks, patrolling the hallways of the dungeon, with alarming red light shining from their eyes. This time the boys knew not to rush into battle headlong without thinking, they simply followed Morgana's instructions as they slipped past the shadows. However, Morgana was exceptionally fast, he was able to zip from corner to corner so quickly he would momentarily vanish from their sight. " could you slow down for us to keep up?! " Ryuji hissed at the humanoid cat, to which he only sighed and shook his head. The boys eventually arrived at a muddy path by gushing stream of the palace sewers, they hid behind one of the metallic gates as they saw a shadow patrolling the path ahead of them, muttering " hm...the nerve of those prisoners... his majesty should just kill them already... ". Morgana squinted his big eyes at the path, he looked to the side at the gushing stream with rusty cages and chains hanging above it, then at the path through which they came, but there was no way around that specific shadow.
" looks like we're going to have to fight now... " Morgana muttered as his paws tightened around his scimitar
" are you absolutely sure this time?! " Ryuji whispered, though frustration was evident in his voice
" we can't be sure, either way... if you explore this place, you have to be ready for any surprises " Ren was the one to respond, recalling what Morgana had taught him
" exactly! That's why a phantom thief needs to be adaptive! For all your shortcomings, you're a quick learner, frizzy" Morgana looked back at Ren with pride, he continued in a more stern tone as he explained " now listen... shadows are extremely powerful and resilient, more so because of the high security. However, if you have the chance to strike from behind, aim for the head and rip off their faces. That will expose their true form and stun them, allowing you to take the advantage in the fight "
" rip their faces... off... ? " Ren said, looking at his hands in the red gloves, they trembled at the mere thought of doing something so extreme
" besides recklessly summoning your Persona, your mistakes from last time also involve attacking a shadow without exposing its form " Morgana said as he turned to gaze at the shadow from behind the corner " I'll show you how it's done, pay attention in case you need to perform this yourself "
" r—right... I'm ready... " Ren said, tightening his grip around his dagger
" sneak up on them from behind and take them down, got it! " Ryuji nodded eagerly
" uh... no, you are going to stand back and watch, you don't have a Persona... " Morgana concluded with one last warning " incidentally, the security level is high, so keep an eye on your shoulders in case a shadow materializes out of thin air "
Morgana slid from behind the metallic gate to a wooden box by the wall, to a wooden beam that supported the roof, to a patch of bushes by the fierce stream. With each opportunity he zipped from one place to another, too fast for the boys to keep track of him with their eyes, it was as if he was fadin in and out of the shadows, and each time he appeared he was closer and closer to the armored soldier, until he suddenly emerged on top of the shadow's soldier, with his scimitar wrapped around his the shadow's neck, he screamed " show me your true form! " before he decapitated the soldier. Blood and slime erupted from the soldier's neck like a geyser, before its entire body collapsed into a puddle of blood, emerging again as three fairies. Ren immediately realized that this was their chance to strike, so he immediately joined Morgana on the front, leaving Ryuji to stand behind and watch. " wh—what do you want?! " the fairies said as they fluttered frantically, confused and scared so much they were bumping into each other.
" Zorro! " Morgana wasted no time, immediately summoning his Persona and conjuring a fierce storm that knocked the fairies against the wall and each other.
Ren was hesitant to join the fight, even though he was already in the front, he could only grip his dagger with trembling hands and eye the shadows as they helplessly flailed left and right as Morgana's powerful Persona hammered them against the walls. Though it seemed like he was in control of the fight, he gritted his fangs and teeth as he glared at the shadows " they're so resilient... looks like they're not going to go down that easily ". Despite Morgana's sharp winds literally cutting wounds in the flesh of the fairies, they were still very much alive. Ren was contemplating what he could do in that situation, when he heard a startling explosive sound behind him, he looked back just in time to see three eruptions of blood taking form as imps with mischievous grin gazing at him, the blade emerging from their groin was covered in rusty-looking blood. Morgana was also startled by their presence, which gave one of the fairies enough room to breath and strike Morgana with a pillar of lightning, Morgana screamed in pain as he felt his muscles convulsing and his fur standing on end, his Persona immediately stopped attacking and shielded him from the fairies, which only inspired the fairies to bombard him with combined explosive sparks, which eventually caused his Persona to disappear. Ren wanted to fight the fairies off Morgana, but he wasn't in a better position to begin with as the imps surrounded him, each thrusting their blades toward him, impaling him in the arm and shoulder as he tried to shield himself from them.
" get... get away from me! " Ren tried to fend them off with his dagger, but he could only fight back one at a time while he was surrounded by three. Behind the hoard of demons he could see the fairies homing around the defeated cat " no! Morgana! "
" hehehehe... you lot have a nerve, alright, sneaking in his majesty's palace... " the demons grinned as they gazed mischievously at Ren " when we bring your corpses to him, his majesty will surely promote us, maybe he'll even let us have our way with one or two of his harem! "
" what... what did you say... ? " Ren said as he backed away from the demons until his back was against the wall. At this point, he looked around desperately while racking his mind for a solution, thinking to himself a phantom thief needs to be adaptive. Unfortunately, the demons were closing in on him, giving him no time to think the situation through, so he gripped his mask and tugged at it forcefully. His body winced in pain as he felt the skin of his forehead peel off and warm blood gushing down his jawbone and neck, he gritted his teeth through the pain as he felt the light envelope him, for a second he could taste the rusty blood going in his mouth, but immediately after that he felt a surge of power towering over him, and up there he could see his trusted Persona standing between him and the demons " Arsène ! Protect me! "
" away with you, wretched devils! " Arsène declared as he pushed the shadows back with his wings
" okay... okay, think... your Persona isn't going to be enough for this! ' Ren frantically tried to use this opportunity to think of what he could do in that situation, for he could see that Arsène's strong strike only pushed the imps back and did little injury them, same as how Morgana's Persona failed to take the fairies down. He could only see the roof supported by wooden beams, destroying them would probably trap himself and Morgana as well so that was out of the question. The wooden crates scattered here and there didn't inspire any ideas in him either. He was running out of time as the imps impaled Arsène's wins and arms with their blades, even as he tried to fight back. It was in this situation that Ren's eyes landed on the furious sewer stream behind the demons, and the cages hanging from them. " Arsène! Imprison the shadows inside those cages! Hurry! "
" hmph... very well " despite Arsène's wounds, the powerful Persona waved the chains from his handcuffs at the imps, ensnaring them in the cold metal, before hurling them into the cages with such force that the doors of the cages were forcefully closed with them. " allow me to sink them into the stream, my other self! " he said as he winded his wings back
" yes! That's exactly what I want! " Ren nodded eagerly, his confidence returning to him as Arsène struck the cages with volleys of dark bullets, causing them to fall into the sewers and be drifted away. With his hands folded, he fiercely commanded Arsène " protect my friend! "
" that I shall ! " Arsène said, enveloping Morgana into his wings to protect him from the fairies. As soon as they had to stop casting lightning at the defenseless feline, Arsène chained them before trapping them in other cages above the water
" okay... that was... eventful... " Ren perspired as he watched the fairies struggle to escape, two of them fired lightning spells, but they accidentally struck the cage, causing a blast that knocked them and the cage down into the stream, leaving one last fairy to tremble and whimper in fear. He stood defiantly before it, with Arsène above him " you've lost, stop struggling already! "
" p—please spare me! " she sobbed, looking tearfully at Ren and his Persona " I... I don't wanna die! I'll do anything... just don't kill me! "
" anything... then... then... " Ren was taken aback by the desperate pleas of the fairy, he contemplated what he could ask of her, before his eyes suddenly lit up as he exclaimed fiercely " tell me where Kamoshida has imprisoned the students! "
" that... that would be deeper within the dungeon... " the fairy pointed further down the muddy path " you'll reach a set of stairways leading downward, you'll find his majesty's most despised prisoners... "
" hm... I see... " Ren said as he gazed at the direction the fairy was pointing, he could hear the wails and pleas from deeper within
" but... but why would you want to rescue them? They want to be tortured... they like to be subjected to his majesty's judgment... ! "
" they like it?! What do you mean by that?! " Ren was both startled and infuriated by what the fairy was saying, but before he could protest it, Morgana intervened in the conversation, saying " she's telling the truth... the prisoners want to be tortured, I know it sounds absurd, which is why I escorted you here so you could see it for yourself "
" y—yes... I'm telling the truth... please let me go... "
" or we could sink you into the raging stream ! " Arsène said, brandishing his claws before the quivering fairy, but Ren stopped him, saying " stop, Arsène, that is enough! ", at which point he relented and said " as you say, I await your next call, my other self " before disappearing
" you... you're not gonna kill that thing? " Ryuji, who had been waiting in hiding, decided it was a good time to emerge and approach his friends
" the security level is high, we can't stay here for too long " Ren said, looking at Morgana for confirmation
" that... that is true, but... " despite Ren thinking he was following Morgana's instructions, the curious feline seemed more reluctant to spare the fairy
" w—wait! I... I think I remember something... ! " the fairy suddenly exclaimed, the boys watched as a blue light enveloped her " I... I wasn't always a servant for this king... I was... I was a fragment of human soul... "
" what do you mean? "
" my name is Pixie... I was separated from the human mind and distorted by the metaverse, please allow me to return to where I belong! Let me follow you, valiant human "
Before the boys could wrap their minds around what was going on, the fairy transformed into a shining beam of light, that bolted from the cage straight toward Ren, piercing directly into his mask. However, he felt no pain from that, only a sudden flash of light like a camera. Though he didn't understand what had just happened, he could see the look of disbelief in Ryuji's and even on Morgana's eyes. There was so much he didn't understand, but at the same time they didn't have the time to speak their questions nor concerns, as they could hear shadows making their way to their location to investigate the commotion, so they quickly decided to escape the vicinity of the battlefield, making their way deeper in the dungeon to where Pixie specified. The deeper they walked into the dungeon, the louder and more gut-wrenching the screams became, and the more aggressive the shadows were.
Eventually, they arrived at a set of stairs leading downward at the end of a marble corridor, but at the same time the path was obstructed by three soldiers. " I found no intruders on my end ! Keep searching, we had casualties near the entrance of the dungeon, and we even have witnesses in the castle hallways! " . Morgana quickly realized they were about to turn to face them, as did Ren and Ryuji. The boys were contemplating if they must fight, worrying that standing against three soldiers would probably mean fighting 6 or even 9 shadows. However, Morgana quickly signaled to them to follow him, as he made his way to a wall on the left, from which they could hear a soft ringing sound. As Morgana reached the solid wall of bricks, it began to melt and tremble like a troubled lake, morphing into a wooden gate instead. With no time to ask any questions, the boys walked into that gate, finding themselves in a decrepit room. Inside, the room seemed unremarkable at first, with one tattered wooden table and a few wooden boxes scattered here and there. However, as they stood in that room, their sight began to distort and tremble. It swam between the grim sight of the prison to the mundane scene of a regular classroom and then back to the dark murky room they were actually standing in.
" this place is gonna eff me up! What is going on this time?! " Ryuji shouted while clutching his temples in frustration
" keep it down, Ryuji! The shadows are just outside the room, they're gonna hear you! "
" no, no let your crazy friend scream all he wants " Morgana said with an unusually relaxed tone as he hopped on the table and sat at its edge, he elaborated to the confused boys " this place is called a safe room, it's a region in the palace where the distortion is at its minimal. Not even the palace master, the king, can make it here, so we can talk and relax all we want. A good opportunity for me to explain some of the palace's intricacies to you and answer your questions "
" great! I have A FEW THINGS I want to discuss, actually! " Ryuji said, practically spitting the words with frustration in the face of the unimpressed cat " first off, what the hell did you mean the prisoners want to be tortured?! Nobody would want to be Kamoshida's bitch if they could help it! Secondly, what was going on with Ren's powers?! I don't understand any of this shit! "
" regarding your first point, again, this whole palace is a manifestation of how the ruler sees the real world, and I imagine that also includes the prisoners. If he thinks they want to be tortured, then they do " Morgana stopped halfway through his explanation as he saw the dumbfounded look on the face of the boys, to which he could only sigh and say " but you can't begin to understand how palaces work, so it's better to just show you the prisoners and you can speak to them yourself. Now regarding frizzy's powers, I must say even I'm impressed... there's so much great about you, I don't know where to begin! "
" that's... that's not true... you're exaggerating... " Ren said, rubbing the back of his neck. He wasn't being bashful, he truly felt that he wasn't deserving such a praise, as while Morgana thought he had everything in control, the reality was that Ren was in over his head ever since he decided to return to the castle
" don't undermine your own potential, you have the makings of a great phantom thief! " Morgana insisted " I don't even know where to begin with you! You and your Persona are in flawless harmony, and that clever plan of hurling the shadows into those cages! Oh, but nothing compares to how you interrogated that fairy, and then you actually managed to clear its distortion and transform it into a Persona! I've never seen anything like this, you might just be the person I've been searching for this whole time! "
" wow... for real... ? " Ryuji looked at Ren in awe, he had seen how efficient and swift he was in that fight, the way that fairy transformed into a shining ray of light that fused itself with Ren's mask, it was all so surreal and amazing. He wrapped his arm around Ren's neck and said proudly " damn, dude! You gotta tell me how you do all that cool shit! "
" ahaha... I... I don't know... " Ren only managed a dry laugh as he admitted " I... I'm finding this out for the first time just like you two... "
" well, take it from someone who's been in this longer than you, frizzy, you have the makings of a phantom thief master! In fact, I can see you surpassing me in a few battles! Just follow your instinct and don't hesitate, and you'll be ripping the heads of shadows and cleansing their distortion from every direction! " Morgana concluded, thrusting a thumbsup with his paw
I... I don't know if I want to get used to this... Ren contemplated while gazing at the tattered legs of the table on which Morgana stood
" more importantly, we should get a move on already " Morgana said, hopping off the table onto the cobble ground " the shadows should have given up the pursuit by now, but stay on your guard "
" actually... I think this might help " Ryuji said, taking out a pistol from his pocket " it's not exactly real, but I think it can scare off the shadows in case you didn't want to summon that demonic wizard with the top hat "
" you mean Arsène... " Ren dejectedly took the gun from Ryuji's hand and inspected it. It looked remarkably realistic, but it was decidedly a toy " it's not even loaded with any bullets... not even fake ones. How is that supposed to scare off anything? "
" I... eheh... I guess you're right... " Ryuji said, taking the gun back from Ren and tugging it in his pocket. He scratched his head and the back of his neck, before he awkwardly continued " I just... I watched that cat ramble on about your powers, but all I could see in your eyes is nervousness... I feel like I... dragged you into this mess. I don't think apologizing over and over again is gonna cut it, I wish I had one of those fancy things you summon... but all I have is a toy gun! "
" Ryuji... " Ren smiled as he watched his friend kick around a thin layer of dirt as he seemed lost in his own thoughts. He also knew that simply telling him ' it's okay ' wouldn't be enough, so instead he said " let's rescue your classmates for now, then I'll have you treat me to a bowl of ramen, okay? "
" ahaha! Really, that's your standard?! " Ryuji erupted in laughter at Ren's response, but he also answered " okay, you're on! A bowl of ramen on me, I'll take you to the best restaurant I know! "
" hey, are you two goobers done talking?! " Morgana, who had been eyeing the corridor behind the safe room, urged them with a stern hiss " the coast is clear! Let's get a move on! "
The three intruders slipped out of the safe room and took the stairs downward, Morgana zipping through the shadows while the two boys followed behind him. Though they were nervous at first, Ren felt calmer when he left the safe room, as the redness in his periphery was mostly gone and the pulsating sensation in his head that had hounded him since he stepped into the castle was gone. " it's because we managed to defeat so many shadows so the distortion, and with it the palace security, dropped " Morgana explained while peering around a corner to see what awaited them, he turned to Ren and Ryuji and said " with some luck, the rest of this wouldn't be as hard as when we started, just make sure you don't get spotted, that would only raise the security level! " . With this thought hanging over their heads, they followed the direction the fairy had told them before.
The stairs spiraling downward lead them into a dimly lit segment of the dungeon, with torches and lanterns placed very sparingly either in the middle of very long walkways or in the far corners. The place seemed to grow dimmer with each step they took, yet the loud bloody scream got louder and more painful still. It was hard not feel hesitant walking into that darkness, hearing the screams of the prisoners within, but the two boys pressed on, mostly because Morgana seemed unfazed by the haunting ambience. He was zipping between the shadows even faster than usual, or it could because the dark place made his sneaking even more difficult to trace even for Ren and Ryuji, they were going to follow him with no hesitation whatsoever, or they would lose him in the dim corridor and be stranded there on their own. However, Morgana's rush eventually came to an end when he stopped around the corner and peered at three soldiers conversing with each other. The corridor was a tight squeeze, there was no way to slip past them.
" hey... how are you holding up, frizzy? " Morgana turned to ask Ren " you've already summoned your Persona twice, do you think you can force it out again? "
" I... I think so... " Ren nodded hesitantly " but... I wonder if that would be enough, the shadows are so strong that even Arsène can't take them down "
" no, that was because their distortion empowered them, you can tell that the security level dropped, right? " Morgana smiled confidently " with some precision and luck, we can eliminate them with little trouble "
" okay, let's do it " Ren nodded, his grip tightening around his dagger
" actually, how about you lead the ambush this time? " Morgana said with a knowing smile " I've already got the jump on those shadows a few times already, should be a breeze for you to replicate my actions, right? "
" ooh! You mean how you went ' I'll reveal your true form ' on their asses? " Ryuji whispered eagerly
" me? I... I can't do that! " Ren exclaimed " besides, there are three shadows there, not just one! There's no—! "
" what?! Who's there?! " before Ren could finish his protest, his sudden loud response proved to be his undoing as the shadows heard him
" tsch... change of plans, let's rumble! " Morgana quickly brandishes his scimitar and turned to face the guards
Within seconds, the intruders found themselves faced with the three guards. Morgana managed to slip past two of them and run between the legs of the third, before he hopped off the wall behind him and onto his back, slitting his throat and exclaiming " show me your true form! " , leaving it to collapse into a pile of slime and blood. Ren was flanked between the two remaining guards, he tried to parry one of them with his dagger, but the other one impaled his shoulder with his sword. With a scream of pain, his hands dropped the dagger, leaving the other guard to strike him down. " get the hell away from him! " Ryuji, panicked, brandished his gun and pointed at the soldiers. Morgana was faced with two imps, but he could also see the boys pushed into the corner. Thinking quickly, Morgana summoned Zorro, leaving him to envelope the two imps in a fierce storm, while he ran across the wall to reach Ren and Ryuji. The blond boy was pointing his gun at the soldiers with trembling hands, for a second it seemed the soldiers were intimidated by his toy gun, thinking it was real. However, they quickly smartened up and raised their shield before him as they approached him. Panicked, Ryuji's hands pressed the trigger, only for the gun to recoil forcefully with a startling bang, the bullet ricocheting off the shield, it got wedged into the wall.
" what the hell?! " Ryuji shouted, in his panic he dropped the gun on the floor
" I'll reveal your true form! " Morgana shouted fiercely as he hopped from one soldier to another, skinning the face of one while beheading the other, and leaving them to collapse in a pile of blood. As the shadows transformed before him, he frantically looked back at Ren who was back on his feet again " are you alright, frizzy?! "
" I... I'm okay, sorry... " Ren nodded shakily, his trembling hand reaching for the mask that covered his face
" okay, look sharp, it's about to get intense! " Morgana turned to face the shadows before him, who had transformed already.
Morgana's Persona, Zorro, had already vanquished the two imps, but the intruders were now faced with two pumpkin-headed demons and one fairy. Morgana didn't call his Persona again, instead he brandished a slingshot and fired at the demons several smoke bombs that befuddled their concentration, before he rushed in with his scimitar toward one of them, delivering and upward slash with a quick jump, before he descended upon him with a downward slice like a crescent, cutting the demon in half. The other demon tried to attack Morgana with explosive fire balls from his lantern, but the smoke bombs from earlier made his dazed shots miss repeatedly, and just when it was about to finally strike the sword swinging feline, his pumpkin temple was blasted by a powerful shot from Ryuji's gun, much to Morgana's disbelief. " ha! Take that, pumpkin brain! " Ryuji declared proudly, reveling in the look of shock in Morgana's eyes. Meanwhile, Ren nervously tugged at his mask and pulled at it, enduring the searing pain of the mask peeling off of his forehead and the burning hot blood going down his face, he was enveloped in a warm light that heralded the descent of his Persona. However, he was surprised when he saw none other than the fairy from earlier appearing before him, and no sign of Arsène anywhere.
" oh my, you're badly hurt, allow me to heal you " the fairy said as she casted twinkling stars at Ren that closed his wounds and halted the bleeding, she winked at him playfully " you look shocked, did you forget me? I'm Pixie, I'm part of your identity, silly! ", before she turned to face the demons " alright who's ready for some beatdown!".
" oh! You're a Pixie! " the remaining lone fairy clapped her hands in joy " very well, then let me empower you, my other self! "
" wait, what ?! " Ren was startled by the fairy's sudden exclamation, and before he could understand it, the fairy transformed into a beam of light that pierced his mask, it felt as if he was getting more awake afterwards. However, the shear absurdity of the situation left him clutching his forehead as he contemplated " what's even going on with this... I don't understand... "
" dude! Dude! Check this out! " Ryuji was immediately in Ren's face, giving him no time to think about anything " this gun is actually for real! I... I don't even know how that's possible, I bought it from a Tokyo Marui store, are they actually selling real guns amidst the model ones?! How cool is that! "
" um... what ? " Ren could barely get a word in before Ryuji aimed at the wall to show him, and fired a shot. The loud explosion from the tip of the gun, the recoil on Ryuji's shoulder and the powerful impact the bullet caused as it pierced the wall. It was difficult to see in the dark, so Ryuji couldn't tell what Ren thought of it, but Ren was more troubled and scared than excited, he only muttered " it... it's a real gun... why is it a real gun? "
" I don't know, but it's awesome, isn't it?! "
" that gun isn't real... I think it's because that's how the ruler sees it " Morgana interjected, he scratched his chin with his left paw as he contemplated " I guess the gun looks so realistic, the palace ruler doesn't doubt that it's a real gun, so it becomes a real gun "
" what? How does that work? You mean Kamoshida is scared of this? " Ryuji looked at Morgana with a puzzled expression, but he quickly shrugged it off as he continued " well, not that I care! What's important is that I have a gun and I can fight back with it! No longer will I have to hide from those shadows! "
" honestly... you two are full of surprises... " Morgana said as he hopped toward the invisibly shellshocked Ren " had it not been for blondie here, I wouldn't have thought that realistic-looking toy guns can be real! And what about you, frizzy, you tamed a new Persona and learned to use it already! You two are quick learners, alright "
" I... I don't know how I did it... " Ren replied weakly
" don't think too much about it, you looked cool either way! " Ryuji said, wrapping his arm around Ren's shoulder to cheer him up
" that's all well and good, but don't let your guard slip... " Morgana's tone grew more stern " we're getting closer to the depths of the dungeon, chances are that's where the prisoners are being tortured! Let's go! "
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
The screams of pain and despair grew louder with each step they took into the dungeon, cries of pain and pleas for mercy wrenched Ren and Ryuji's hearts and guts as their minds conjured nightmares about what the prisoners had to endure. Eventually, Morgana turned around a corner to a dim corridor, lined with prison cells and torture chambers. From the sound of prisoners they could tell this was where they were held captive. " we're here... if you want to speak with the prisoners, be my guest " Morgana said, stepping aside to allow the boys to walk ahead, adding with a foreboding voice " just don't draw the attention of the guards, okay? " . After coming this far, the boys were hesitant to see what the state of the prisoners was like, but at the same time Ryuji wasn't going to turn back after everything they had accomplished. Swallowing his fears, he was the first one to take a step forward, followed reluctantly by Ren.
Inside the prison cells, the boys bore witness to horror they could never have imagined in their wildest nightmares. Students forced to practice or work, being tortured by the shadows in horrid ways. Some student were bound to the volleyball net, being whipped by whips ridden with bloody thorns, which dug and dragged through their flesh, leaving trails of blood onto the floor. Others were forced to do squats on burning grills, while heaps of burning coal was placed on their backs. Some were forced to perform pull-ups while their necks were tied to slabs of concrete, which meant that they had to keep their muscles constricted all the time or the shear weight of the concrete would snap their necks and kill them on the spot! " what the hell is this?! What kind of torture is this?!! " Ryuji screamed, furiously clutching the bars of the prison, even as Morgana tried to get him to keep his voice down.
Suddenly, powerful cannon explosions reached them from deeper still within the dungeon. Like watching a train-wreck, the boys ran to the source of the explosion before Morgana could stop them. There, they found prison cells in which prisoners were hanging from their legs, completely ensnared in thorn-ridden ropes, while being fired at by cannons, each shot struck them either in the chest, waist, or even the groin, with such force that caused them to swing back and forth like a pendulum. " my... my spine... " one student whimpered, another sobbed " my... chest... hurts... " while blood gushed from his mouth. A sudden bloody scream reached their ears, behind them were other prisoners under even more hellish torture. Ren looked back to see prisoners running across extremely fast treadmills, trying to escape buzzsaws mounted on the far edge of the treadmill, he could feel his heart racing just by watching them run as fast as they could, with guards standing on the side whipping them to get them to keep moving.
Then... it happened...
One whip from a guard caused a prisoner to trip, and he slid helplessly toward the buzzsaw, screaming in despair as he looked back at his impending doom, he could only shield himself with his arm as the treadmill brought him to his horrid demise too quickly for him to say any prayers. Ren's heart sank as he saw that terror unfold, he quickly turned his gaze away from the cell, but he couldn't prevent himself from hearing the sound of the saw or the prisoner's cries, nor could he pretend he didn't know what had befallen him. " this... this isn't real... " he whimpered " someone make this stop... get my out of here... " . By his side stood Morgana and Ryuji, both shocked by what they had witnessed into silence, their minds buckling as they tried to process what they were witnessing. From the mounting disbelief and horror, Ryuji could feel anger rising within him, his heart raced and his fists trembled. A growl escaped him like a beast, as he watched the night fatal abuse forced onto the helpless prisoners.
" to think this is how he sees the world around him... " Morgana shook his head in disbelief " I didn't think a ruler of a palace can be so corrupt... "
" screw him... screw that asshole Kamoshida! " Ryuji furiously punched the prison bars with his fist " those prisoners... their faces, I recognize them, they're my classmates ! "
" they're... students in Shujin? " Ren cried as he looked up at Ryuji with horror " students in Shujin are getting tortured and killed here, and the principal says nothing about it?! "
" they're not just students, some of them used to be my friends! To think he's doing such a thing to them... " Ryuji gritted his teeth before proclaiming " I'm gonna kill him! I'll beat him until he can't breathe anymore! "
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
This is probably the first time I've ever used disclaimers in this way, I mean there were other instances where sensitive scenes came into view in my previous works (Persona is an M series, after all), but this is the most descriptive it's been, and the first time I formatted the warning this way. Honestly, I contemplated toning it down, I thought about posting an announcement asking for a beta reader, but in the end I decided to go through with what I had written...
Firstly, I specifically tagged this story as mature, and placed a disclaimer upfront that there will be scenes of violence and gore, among other things. It is the standard I set for this story, and I don't want to shy away from it now. Secondly, I wanted to try this format for disclaimers, the whole putting it in the beginning of the story and instructing my readers on how to avoid the triggering scene if they want to. I wanted to give it a try here because I'm gonna need to use it very soon, those who played the game know what I'm talking about. I even received a comment asking me about that specific scene from the game.
Do you like the format of this disclaimer? Do you think it interferes with the story? Do you think specifying the paragraph is enough, or is the unique 'timeskip' necessary? I figured specifying the paragraph alone wouldn't be enough if the chapter is long, readers might forget which paragraph it is, but do let me know what you think.
I'd also like to hear your opinion on the battle depictions, specifically the rules of Personas, shadows, the security level and all that. It's obviously different from Persona 3 and 4, considering some of the most powerful villains in my previous story Persona 3 RES used the Persona 5 summoning way, I hope it's clear that shadows in this story are a threat worthy of the powers established before.
Okay, I'll stop nagging now. Thank you for reading, I hope this wasn't too traumatizing for you. Let me know how I can improve on the format, and stay safe.