Hello, Raoul here. Hope you enjoy today's chapter. I needed to get my mind off of the fact that my country decided to go to war today. And ya know, the politicians from all over the world that are eating babies and stuff.
Sigh.
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"Shiho?! …Shiho, answer me!" Ann begged.
Shiho didn't respond.
She stepped forward slowly, eyes locked on the Shadow trapped within the golden barrier.
"I get it," she whispered.
The Shadow tilted her head. "Do you now? Then tell me."
"You… are me," Shiho said quietly. "Like you said. The parts I don't want anyone to see."
The Shadow's smile deepened and opened its mouth to speak.
"But you aren't all of me," Shiho continued. "You're what I'm afraid people see when they look at me. So I bury you. I pretend you're not there. Because if I admit you might be real… then I have to accept that I let it happen."
As silence reigned through Mementos, a scoff was heard.
"Tch, So what now? Everything's fixed?"
"No," Shiho said, voice steadying. "Nothing is fixed. I'm still scared. I'm still angry. I still don't know what to do."
"But I'm done pretending I don't feel it. I just need to keep moving forward."
The Shadow stared at her.
Then — slowly — the sneer softened into something almost… understanding.
"I see," she murmured.
Her form dissolved.
She collapsed into light and fragments of gold.
She then transformed into a tarot card identical to the one that had bound her moments before, yet without an arcana listed.
The barrier flickered.
The two cards hovered, circling one another before merging.
A blinding flash of yellow.
Followed by blue flames erupting outward.
"Shiho!!" Ann and Ryuji shouted as they rushed forward.
"Wait!" Morgana and Ren called out at the same time.
The flames engulfed Shiho completely.
Luckily, they did not burn.
The fire condensed into a mask — elegant, white, reminiscent of Phantom of the Opera — before settling against her face.
The flames died.
Shiho stood there tall and still.
She wore a black leotard reinforced with plated armor along her shins, thighs, and forearms. Fur-lined boots anchored her stance. A dark coat flowed behind her, open at the front, metal catching the red glow of the pulsing walls.
In her hand rested a spear nearly as tall as she was, its blade wicked and precise.
"Stand with me… Scáthach," she whispered.
Behind her, a woman clad in Celtic war armor materialized, bearing a crimson spear etched with endless flowing runes that shimmered and flowed like tadpoles, emitting an aura of bloodthirstiest.
"I am thou. Thou art I," the spirit intoned. "Let the wisdom of the primordial runes guide thee."
Then she faded, merging into Shiho's form.
Shiho turned.
A small grin tugged at her lips — not manic. Not triumphant. Just… lighter.
She raised a hand in a peace sign.
Ann and Ryuji stared in stunned silence.
Morgana's jaw nearly hit the ground.
"That… wasn't rebellion," he breathed. "That was acceptance…"
Ren stepped forward just as Shiho's knees gave out. He caught her before she hit the ground.
"Good job," he gently whispered.
In his mind, Arsène thought, hidden from his otherself.
'A seeker of truth… how curious.'
Ann launched herself forward, nearly knocking Ren aside as she wrapped Shiho in a tearful embrace.
Ren allowed himself a faint chuckle before stepping away.
His eyes drifted toward the spinning yellow tarot card hovering at chest height nearby.
He approached it carefully.
The card flared — yellow and blue flames dancing across its surface — he lifted its hand to receive it when it rose higher and moved forward before dissolving into light.
It merged with his mask.
And for a moment, Ren felt something shift, and he heard a sharp crack of thunder, along with the hiss of snake, followed by Arsene's signature chuckle before absolute silence.
'Arsene?' he mentally asked
He didn't respond but Ren could tell that he was smirking like something important just happened. In the end, he moved on with a resigned sigh.
Ryuji, who had been uncharacteristically silent the entire time, looked at Shiho and then Ren, before removing his mask and looking at it, placing it back on his face, he whined,
"What the eff man! She didn't have to tear her mask off her face?! That hurt like hell!"
Dumbfounded silence took over for a few seconds before he continued.
"Cat! What is going on? She didn't rebel against shit!" Ryuji demanded.
"I don't know either!!" Morgana said as he hopped around flailing his arms in distress. "That wasn't the will of rebellion!"
"Maybe we should research the psychological explanation of the Shadow Self later," Ren wondered aloud.
"I want to bring Shiho home!" Ann cut in, as she was shaking. "I can't take any more today. And she looks like she is going to pass out!"
"Yeah, yeah," Ryuji sighed. "Let's get out of here."
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Timeskip.
Leblanc.
Ren sat on his bed, slouched forward, head in his hands.
"I need a break," he muttered.
Morgana watched him carefully.
"What a day, huh?"
"Yeah." Ren exhaled. "I have no idea what's going on in my life right now. But I get the feeling it can't be avoided. And things like this always get worse before they get better… at least in anime."
"You gotta remember this is real, Ren. Not an anime."
"Morgana, we went into the mind of a pervert and the collective unconscious and fought demons. If this isn't an anime, it's a video game," Ren deadpanned.
"…Fair point."
Silence lingered.
"Hey, Ren," Morgana said more quietly. "Do you think… maybe you and the others could help me recover my memories? I'll make it worth your time."
"Huh?"
"I'll teach you stealth. Infiltration. How to make tools that'll make this easier."
Ren leaned back slightly.
"I would've helped regardless," he said. "You have a deal. The others will too — but you should ask them yourself."
The world froze.
A gentle female voice echoed in his mind.
"I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast established a new bond. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity. With the birth of the Magician Persona, thou hast obtained—"
The voice cut abruptly.
Another presence boomed through his thoughts.
The sound was speech — he knew it was speech — but the words were incomprehensible. The harder he tried to understand, the sharper the pain behind his eyes.
Thunder cracked once more.
Another hiss of a snake.
Then the gentle voice returned.
"—newfound power."
"Ren?"
Time resumed.
"You spaced out," Morgana said. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Ren replied, though his tone lacked conviction. "Just tired."
"Let's sleep," he added. "We can look into the Shadow Self tomorrow. I learned enough on the train to know where to start."
"Okay…" Morgana muttered, curling up.
Ren lay on his side, eyes drifting toward the deck of red tarot cards on the windowsill. He could feel an overwhelming desire, almost a need to draw a card.
Half an hour later, unable to resist, he sat up quietly.
"Oh, Lady Ann…" Morgana murmured in his sleep as Ren glanced at him
Ren reached for the deck and he drew the top card...
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