OOC: Avoid using em dashes in both dialogue and descriptions


Persona Simulator

*Tokyo...TOKYO! Part of you honestly couldn't even believe that you were here, practically starry eyed the entire trip from the airport to your drom, even as ironic was in the land of anime. Your mind even managed to make the tiny room seem like a positive "authentic Japanese experience". The Shujin Academy uniform was slightly tricky to wrap your head around but when you'd managed to get it on even you couldn't deny that the red and black pattern **fucks hard** as you'd say back home.*

*The first lesson was about what you'd expect, an introduction then homeroom, the most notable part being just how your homeroom teacher was, though you chalked that up to Asians aging gracefully. As the hours passed so did your classes, math being expectedly hard, the others not as much. Between them and at lunch you did get approached by a few people, though it was a lot less than you were expecting, though based on the fact your class literally had a blonde girl maybe Shujin had a lot of foreign students.*

*To say you had made any friends at the end of the first day would probably be an overstatement, so it might have been that which made you follow the black haired guy you'd seen sitting by the window in your class, Amamiya something. Though as he met up with more and more people after class it just felt more and more awkward to try to introduce yourself now. Still, they were wearing Shujin uniforms, so you figured following them might be a good idea to get introduced to local hangout spots. What you didn't count on was all of them convening outside what looked like a cabaret club, but as they walked close to the building they just...vanished. Not thinking you'd taken a step closer to try to...rescue them? It wasn't exactly logical, but what was even less logical was the massive prison now looming over you, the sky having turned a deep red and...*

*You dont know why you ducked behind cover seeing the group, now dressed in strange theatrical outfits and wearing masks, but it feel like you were intruding. Somehow they didn't seem to spot you, slipping into the building through a broken window and leaving you alone in the strange place.*


Charlie

What fu-
*Not seeing any more movement in the window I slowly emerge from behind the trashcan I was hiding behind, surveying the place with my best "Is this something that happens in Tokyo" face.*

*Despite this being so far beyond anything i've experienced curiously gets the better of me, maybe this is some insane AR game the japanese just have? Besides the first broken window there's a large crack in the wall on the other side of the building, large enough to squeeze into if I really try.*


Persona Simulator

*The crack in the wall is tighter than it looked from the outside. Your school blazer catches on jagged concrete as you shimmy through sideways, the rough surface scraping against your chest and back. For a guy your height this is borderline stupid, but you manage to pop out the other side into what can only be described as a prison corridor. Actual iron bars line cells on either side, dim fluorescent lights buzzing overhead with that specific frequency that makes your teeth itch.*

*The air smells like...rust? No, more like copper. And something else underneath it, something organic and wrong that you can't place.*

*Distant sounds echo through the halls. Footsteps, but also something else — grunting, shuffling, the occasional clang of metal on metal. The group you followed is nowhere in sight, but there are wet drag marks on the stone floor leading deeper into the facility.*

*You take maybe six steps before you hear it behind you.*

"Halt! Intruder detected!"

*The voice is guttural and distorted, like someone talking through a broken speaker. You spin around and — okay, what the fuck. Standing at the end of the corridor is what looks like a prison guard, except its proportions are **all wrong**. Too tall, limbs too long, and where its face should be there's just a mask floating in front of a blob of black and red.*

*It's already moving toward you, another one materializing from the shadows behind it. The crack you squeezed through is on the other side of them.*

"The prisoner will submit to containment or be eliminated!"

*The crack in the wall is tight — really tight. Your school blazer catches on jagged concrete as you shimmy through sideways, the rough surface scraping against your chest and back simultaneously. Being 195cm of mostly limbs doesn't help. For a genuinely terrifying second your hips get wedged and you think this is it, this is how you die, stuck in a wall in some fever dream version of Tokyo. But with a grunt and what's definitely going to be a bruise on your hip bone, you pop through into what appears to be a maintenance corridor.*

*The air inside is stale and heavy, tinged with something metallic. The corridor stretches in both directions — flickering fluorescent lights overhead casting everything in a sickly yellow-green. To your left, the hallway dead-ends at a rusted door with chains across it. To your right, it curves out of sight, and you can hear... something. Distant. Rhythmic. Like boots on metal grating.*

*The walls are lined with pipes and what look like cell bars set into alcoves. Most are empty, but in one you catch the glint of something — a small, shimmering blue butterfly perched on the bars. It sits there for a moment, wings pulsing with an almost electric light, before fluttering deeper into the corridor to your right and disappearing around the bend.*

*Then from somewhere far above you, muffled through layers of concrete and steel, you hear what sounds like an explosion. The lights flicker. Dust falls from the ceiling. Whatever those costumed kids are doing in here, they're not playing around.*

*Your phone buzzes in your pocket. You pull it out — no signal, obviously, but there's a new app on your homescreen you definitely didn't download. A red and black eye icon, staring up at you.*


Charlie

W-Woah, those are some pretty sick effects. S-Sorry, I think I wandered in here by accident, i'll just leave the way I came... *I nod towards the crack, but even as I do I'm slowly backing away from the shadows, some part of my brain not accepting that this is just some advanced holographics or something.*


Persona Simulator

*The guard-thing doesn't respond to your attempt at diplomacy. It just keeps advancing, each step making a sound like wet meat slapping tile. The second one flanks wide, cutting off the corridor behind it completely. So much for leaving the way you came.*

"Resistance will be met with lethal force. The prisoner will kneel."

*Its arm extends — literally extends, stretching like taffy — and a baton materializes in its grip. Not a prop baton. A solid, black, crackling-with-something baton that leaves afterimages when it moves.*

*You back up another step and your heel catches on something. A loose chain, bolted to the wall. You stumble but catch yourself, and in that half-second of broken eye contact the first guard **lunges**.*

*It's fast. Way too fast for something that big. The baton swings in a wide arc aimed right at your ribs and pure animal instinct takes over — you throw yourself sideways into one of the open cell doors. The baton connects with the iron bars instead and the CLANG that reverberates through the corridor is very, very real. Sparks fly. An actual dent appears in the metal.*

*That's not AR. That's not a game. That's not —*

*You're on the floor of a cell now, the two guards filling the doorway. One of them reaches for you with those horrible stretched fingers.*

"Containment achieved. Preparing transport to execution ground."


Charlie

E-Ey let go of me! This isn't- Aagh!
*Unable to do anything I'm hauled up by the two guards, my feet dragging against the stone floor.* T-This isn't fair, I just got to Japan, I still haven't eaten sushi yet, you can't just- *For some reason I know this isn't a dream or anything the like, this is reality, cruel unfair reality.*

You bastards, treating me like this. *I can feel something welling up inside of me, a tension spreading from my chest to my back, and then further down it. I sense something on my face, a mask? Tearing it off with my teeth because both my hands are still restrained I feel something surging in me, a power Ive never experienced before but somehow instinctively know how to handle.*
You wont get away with this! **"Aether", come to my aid and destroy them!**


Persona Simulator

*The mask tears free and it **hurts**. Not metaphorically — skin and something deeper rips away with it, blue fire erupting from your face like you just pulled the pin on a grenade strapped to your soul. The guards' grip on your arms evaporates as they're blown backwards by the sheer force of what's pouring out of you.*

*Behind you, above you, **through** you — something manifests. A towering figure clad in flowing white and gold, androgynous and beautiful in a way that makes your eyes water to look at directly. Its body is wrapped in chains that drift weightlessly, each link glowing with faint starlight. Where its eyes should be there are two points of brilliant light, and in one hand it holds a mirror that reflects nothing — just an endless depth. Aether. You know its name like you know your own.*

*The two guards reform into their true shapes — bloated, pulsating shadows with gnashing mouths and too many eyes. One launches itself at you with a shriek.*

"AETHER!"

*You don't even think. The command leaves your mouth and your Persona moves like an extension of your body. The mirror flashes and a beam of concentrated light punches clean through the first shadow, scattering it into dissolving black mist. The second one hesitates — actually **hesitates** — before Aether's chains whip forward and wrap around it, constricting until it pops like a water balloon filled with ink.*

*Silence. You're standing in the corridor, breathing hard, blue flames still licking at the edges of your vision. Your face stings where the mask was. Your hands are shaking.*

*Then footsteps. Running footsteps, coming from deeper in the prison. A lot of them.*

"What the hell was that?!"

*A boy in a long black coat rounds the corner first, white domino mask over his eyes, frizzy black hair wild. Behind him — a girl in a red bodysuit, a blonde guy in a skull mask, more figures filling in behind them. The Shujin group. The Phantom Thieves, though you don't know that yet.*

*The mask tears free and it **hurts** — not like ripping off a bandaid but like peeling away a layer of your actual face. Blood sprays in a thin arc across the stone floor and for a split second the pain is so white-hot and all-consuming that you can't even scream.*

*Then the power hits.*

*Blue flame erupts from your face, swirling outward in a vortex that throws both guards back like ragdolls. They slam into opposite walls hard enough to crack the stone. Behind you, rising from the fire, something takes shape — massive, towering over even your considerable height. You can feel it more than see it at first, a presence at your back that's simultaneously alien and intimately familiar, like remembering a word you forgot you knew.*

*Aether materializes fully. A figure wrapped in flowing white and gold cloth, androgynous and beautiful in a way that's almost painful to look at, with six wings of translucent light fanning out behind it. Its eyes are blank mirrors reflecting everything and nothing. In one hand it holds a lantern that burns with the same blue fire, in the other — nothing, fingers open and waiting.*

*Your clothes are gone. Not gone-gone, but **replaced**. You're wearing something now — you can feel leather against your skin, fabric that wasn't there a second ago.*

*The guards peel themselves off the walls, their forms bubbling and distorting. The masks crack and fall away, revealing writhing masses of shadow underneath that reshape into hunched, snarling creatures — a pair of Crypt-Dwelling Pyrojacks, jack-o-lantern headed things floating on ghostly tails, flames already gathering in their tiny hands.*

"Kehehehe! A new one? In **our** territory?"

*Aether pulses behind you. You know — without anyone telling you, without reading a manual — that you can command it. The knowledge sits in your brain like it was always there.*

*The Pyrojacks launch twin fireballs straight at your chest.*

*The mask tears free and it **hurts** — like ripping off a scab the size of your entire face. Blood sprays in an arc, but it doesn't fall. It hangs in the air, suspended, then ignites into blue flame that engulfs your whole body. The guards release you immediately, recoiling from the heat.*

*Behind you, something manifests. Towering, easily three meters tall — a figure wrapped in flowing white and gold robes, its face an androgynous blank split down the middle, one half radiant light and the other deep shadow. Six arms extend from its torso, each holding a different object: a sword, a shield, a scale, a mirror, a chain, and an open palm. Wings that can't decide if they're feathered or geometric unfold from its back, filling the narrow corridor.*

*Aether. You know its name the same way you know how to breathe.*

*The persona moves before you even consciously direct it. The open palm thrusts forward and a wave of force — not wind, not fire, something more fundamental — slams into both guards simultaneously. They ragdoll backwards, smashing through the cell bars across the corridor. One dissolves into black ichor on impact. The other pulls itself up, half its body already melting, and charges back.*

"PRISONER VIOLATION — REQUESTING REINFORC—"

*The sword arm comes down. Clean. Final. The guard splits apart and evaporates into nothing.*

*Silence. Your knees are shaking. Aether hovers behind you for another moment, then dissolves back into blue light that sinks into your chest. The mask reforms on your face — you can feel its weight, thin but solid.*

*Your school uniform is gone. In its place... you glance down. Some kind of fitted outfit, white and dark grey, with armored panels along the forearms and a high collar. Theatrical, just like the others you saw.*

*From somewhere deeper in the prison, you hear an explosion. Then shouting — human shouting. The group you followed.*


Charlie

*No mistake about it, its the same guys I saw coming to the cabaret club.* You're...you're from my class. Both you and-woah. *I pause getting a better look at the girl in the red bodysuit, before my eyes move to the blonde twintails, definately the same ones from this morning.* And you too, f-from class this morning.

*The giant golden twink behind me moves a little and I jump on reflex.* I saw you just vanishing before, what is this place. What is this thing? I mean, I know what it is, but like what the fuck is it? *I'm rambling now, only cutting myself off when I see a literal anthro cat walking around, that somehow overwriting my panic.* That cat is adorable omg!


Persona Simulator

"I'm NOT a cat!"

*The not-cat bristles immediately, its cartoonishly large blue eyes narrowing as it puffs up to its full — and deeply unimpressive — height. Its voice is squeaky with indignation, which really doesn't help its case.*

*The frizzy-haired boy — Ren Amamiya, your classmate, currently looking like the protagonist of a gothic heist movie — pushes his mask up slightly and stares at you with an expression that's hard to read. His eyes flick from you to Aether hovering behind you, then back.*

"...You awakened to a Persona."

"Hold on, hold on, HOLD on!" *The blonde guy in the skull mask shoves past Ren, pointing at you with a gloved hand.* "You're that transfer kid! The huge foreign dude! How the hell are you in a palace?!"

"Skull, volume," *the girl in the red bodysuit — Ann Takamaki, you're now realizing — says without looking at him. She's studying you with open curiosity, arms crossed.* "But seriously, how **did** you get in here? You'd need the Meta-Nav to—"

"He must have followed us." *Ren cuts in, adjusting his red gloves.* "When we entered."

*An awkward silence settles over the group. The not-cat — Morgana, though you don't know that — hops up onto a piece of debris to get closer to eye level with everyone and fixes you with a scrutinizing look.*

"A natural awakening without being in mortal danger for an extended period... that's unusual. What did you feel right before your Persona appeared?"

*Behind you, Aether shimmers and fades back into whatever space it occupies when it's not manifesting, leaving you standing there in your scuffed Shujin uniform surrounded by a bunch of costumed teenagers and a talking cat that isn't a cat.*

"I'm NOT a cat!"

*The not-cat bristles immediately, its cartoonishly large blue eyes narrowing. It's standing on two legs, has a yellow bandana, and is holding a cutlass that's almost as big as it is. It looks like someone designed a mascot character and then gave it a weapon.*

*The frizzy-haired boy — Ren, you now recognize him from class — pushes his mask up slightly, exchanging a look with the blonde girl. His expression is hard to read, calm in a way that doesn't match the situation at all.*

"You're the transfer student," *he says. Not a question.* "From the American program."

"Dude, did he just **awaken**?!" *The blonde guy in the skull mask steps forward, and yeah, that's the loud one from the hallway earlier today. Sakamoto-something. He's grinning like this is Christmas morning.* "That was sick! Did you see that light thing?!"

"Skull, focus." *A girl in a metal bodysuit with spiked shoulder pads cuts in, her voice clipped and professional. Short brown hair, a headband shaped like some kind of post-apocalyptic visor.* "How did you even get in here?"

"More importantly, **why** are you here?" *The red bodysuit girl — the blonde with twintails — takes a step closer. Up close you notice the mask, the whip coiled at her hip, the fact that her outfit leaves approximately nothing to the imagination. Her blue eyes are sharp, scrutinizing.* "Were you following us?"

*Aether looms behind you silently, its chains drifting. The mirror in its hand catches the fluorescent light and throws fractured rainbows across the prison walls.*

*Ren's gaze flicks to the Persona, studying it for a long moment, then back to you.*

"...We should move. More Shadows will come." *He adjusts his red gloves.* "Explanations later. Can you fight?"


Charlie

What I felt? Thats... *I try to think back to just a few minutes ago.* I was being led away by those weird shadow things and I was angry at not getting the chance to finally eat Japanese sushi.

*I look around, the prison is unnatural is every sense of the word. There's like 6 people plus the not-cat now, though I only recognize Ren and Ann.* Sorry I followed you and got caught up in this, just figured i'd see where Shujin students hang out...


Persona Simulator

*The blonde skull-mask guy lets out a snort that turns into a full laugh.* "Dude, you awakened to the power of your soul because you were pissed about **sushi**?"

"Skull, shut up," *Ann says, though the corner of her mouth twitches.*

*A girl with fluffy brown hair and a iron mask shaped like a visor steps forward — you vaguely recognize her from the Shujin hallways. She has a concerned, almost motherly look about her despite being shorter than basically everyone here.* "Are you hurt? Those Shadows can be rough even before you awaken."

*You glance down at yourself. Your blazer is torn at the shoulder, there are scrapes on your palms from hitting the cell floor, and your face still feels raw where the mask ripped free. But nothing serious.*

"This is a problem." *Morgana's tail flicks back and forth as it — he? — paces on the debris.* "An outsider knowing about the Metaverse and Personas... this is exactly the kind of security risk we can't afford."

"We're not doing anything to him, Mona," *Ren says flatly.*

"I wasn't suggesting we — I'm a **gentleman**, Joker! I'm just saying we need to figure out what to do here."

*A tall girl with long dark hair pulled back by a headband — she has a kind of elegant, composed air about her — speaks up from the back of the group.* "Perhaps we should finish our objective first and discuss this somewhere safer. We're still inside an active Palace."

*Something roars in the distance, deep enough to vibrate in your chest. Everyone tenses.*

"Fox is right about one thing, we can't stay here talking," *Ren says, his grey eyes settling on you.* "Can you fight? That Persona you summoned looked strong."


Charlie

Fight? I-I dont know, it took out the shadows before. *I look back at Aether, still floating in the middle of the air* Yeah...Yeah, I can fight, these guys fucked with the wrong transfer student!

*Its like the second I set my mind to fighting I feel another surge of heat, this time coming from my clothes as they burn away while being instantly replaced by new, far fancier ones.*


Persona Simulator

*Your Shujin uniform burns away in wisps of blue flame, replaced by something that feels like it was tailored specifically for you — because in some metaphysical sense, it was. A long white coat with gold trim that falls to your mid-thigh, open at the front to reveal a fitted black shirt underneath. White gloves, dark boots that come up past your ankles, and a half-mask that covers the upper right side of your face, shaped like a cracked mirror shard. The whole ensemble has an almost princely quality to it, which tracks annoyingly well with being over 195cm tall and looking like a model.*

"Oh come ON," *Skull mutters, gesturing at you.* "Why does his outfit look cool as hell? It took me weeks to stop feeling like a poser in mine!"

"Yours is fine, Skull," *Ann says absently, though she's openly looking you up and down with raised eyebrows.* "...Okay, that's a pretty good look though."

"The aesthetic of one's rebel attire reflects the image of rebellion within their heart," *a tall, slender guy with blue hair and a fox-shaped mask offers from the side. He's studying you with the intensity of someone composing a painting in their head.* "Fascinating. The mirror motif, the white — it suggests a rebellion rooted in self-reflection, or perhaps vanity? I'd love to—"

"Fox, later," *Ren says, already turning down the corridor. He glances back at you with the faintest smirk.* "Stay close. Don't die."

*The group falls into formation around you with a practiced ease that tells you they've done this **a lot**. Skull takes point beside Ren, Ann and the brown-haired girl flank you, and the dark-haired elegant one covers the rear.*

*Another roar echoes through the halls. Closer this time.*

"That would be the Palace ruler," *Morgana says from somewhere near your feet, trotting along.* "Try not to die on your first day, new guy."

*Your Shujin uniform burns away in wisps of blue flame, replaced by something that feels like it was tailored specifically for you — because in some metaphysical sense, it was. A long white coat with gold trim that falls to your mid-thigh, open at the front to reveal a fitted black shirt underneath. White gloves, dark boots that come up past your ankles, and a half-mask that covers the upper right side of your face, shaped like a cracked mirror shard. The whole ensemble has an almost princely quality to it, which tracks annoyingly well with being over 195cm tall and looking like a model.*

"Oh come ON," *Skull mutters, gesturing at you.* "Why does his outfit look cool as hell? It took me weeks to stop feeling like a poser in mine!"

"Yours is fine, Skull," *Ann says absently, though she's openly looking you up and down with raised eyebrows.* "...Okay, that's a pretty good look though."

"The aesthetic of one's rebel attire reflects the image of rebellion within their heart," *a tall, slender guy with blue hair and a fox-shaped mask offers from the side. He's studying you with the intensity of someone composing a painting in their head.* "Fascinating. The mirror motif, the white — it suggests a rebellion rooted in self-reflection, or perhaps vanity? I'd love to—"

"Fox, later," *Ren says, already turning down the corridor. He glances back at you with the faintest smirk.* "Stay close. Don't die."

*Morgana bounds ahead, somehow keeping pace despite having the shortest legs imaginable.* "If you have skills, use them when Joker calls for it! And **don't** get in the way!"

*The group moves with practiced efficiency, falling into formation as they push deeper into the palace. You're slotted roughly into the middle of the pack, between Ann and the brown-haired girl who gave you that concerned look earlier.*

"I'm Noir, by the way," *she whispers to you with a small smile.* "We use codenames in here. What should we call you?"


Charlie

I dont even know what any of those words mean!
*As the group moves deeper into the palace it doesn't take long for more fighting to break out, and for the second time today I see weird giant things appear from the others, using everything from explosions to swords and guns to blast through the prison guards.*

*By the time its over and we're back outside I have more questions than I've probably ever had in my entire life.*
I dont care if i'm buying dinner for all of you, I'm going to need to sit down and talk about what just happened with somebody.


Persona Simulator

*The red sky melts away like paint running off glass, replaced by the mundane Tokyo evening. Everyone's costumes are gone — just a bunch of teenagers in Shujin uniforms and casual clothes standing outside a cabaret club. Morgana is now sitting in Ren's bag, which somehow makes even less sense than the talking bipedal cat form.*

"You're offering to buy dinner for eight people on your first week in Tokyo?" *Skull — no, Ryuji Sakamoto, you can see it now without the mask, bleached blonde hair and all — grins wide.* "Dude, I already like you."

"We should be careful about where we discuss this," *the composed dark-haired girl says. Out of the Metaverse she carries herself like someone from money — straight posture, measured words. Haru Okumura, if you're remembering the class roster right.* "A family restaurant might be too public."

"Leblanc," *Ren says simply.*

*Twenty minutes and one train ride later, you're crammed into the attic above a tiny coffee shop in Yongen-Jaya. The place smells like curry and roasted beans, and there's a cat bed in the corner that Morgana immediately claims. The space is cluttered but lived-in — shelves of books, a workbench, a couch that's seen better days. Ren's room, apparently.*

*Everyone finds a spot. Ryuji sprawls across the couch. Ann sits on a folding chair, legs crossed. Makoto pulls up a stool. Yusuke leans against the wall. A small redhead with glasses you barely noticed during the fighting is already typing on a laptop. Haru perches on the edge of Ren's bed.*

*Ren hands you a cup of coffee without asking if you want one and leans against his desk.*

"So. Questions."


Charlie

How did you guys just dissapear like that infront of the club, and how did a prison appear where it sat? What the hell is a palace or a persona? Where did those clothes come from and how do all of you have guns and swords and omg you really are a cat! *I instinctively reach over to pet Morgana, now looking like an actual cat.*

*After another dozen questions about just what happened today I look around the room with a slightly nervous glance.* And I guess the most important one is whats going to happen now, are you going to try to silence me or something? Because uh-...I'll fight you, which would be a shame since you guys seem cool.


Persona Simulator

*Morgana leans into the pets despite himself, a purr starting up in his throat before he catches himself and bats your hand away with a tiny paw.* "D-Don't just pet me without asking! And I told you, I'm NOT a—" *Another purr escapes him. He looks furious about it.*

*The redhead with glasses — Futaba Sakura, you'll learn — snickers from behind her laptop without looking up.* "Mona dot exe has stopped working."

*Ren takes a slow sip of his coffee and starts from the top. The Metaverse. Cognition. Palaces as manifestations of distorted desires. Shadows as the suppressed selves of people. Personas as the power of one's rebellious will given form. He's concise about it, almost rehearsed, like he's explained this before — though based on everyone else's expressions, never to a total stranger.*

*Makoto picks up where he leaves off, filling in the more technical details. The Meta-Nav app. How they identify targets. What it means to steal a heart. She has the delivery of someone who actually studied for the presentation.*

"As for the clothes and weapons, they manifest from your cognition of what a rebel looks like to you," *she finishes, adjusting her headband.* "It's... admittedly difficult to explain without it sounding insane."

"It IS insane," *Ryuji says cheerfully from the couch.* "That's the fun part."

*Your last question hangs in the air for a second. Silence you. A few of them exchange glances. Then Ryuji bursts out laughing.*

"Bro, we're not the yakuza!"

"He has a point though," *Futaba says, finally looking up from her screen.* "OpSec-wise, having a random person know about all this is kinda terrible."

*Ren sets his cup down.* "You awakened to a Persona. That's not something we can just ignore." *He looks at you steadily.* "You could walk away and pretend today didn't happen. Or..."

"Or you could join us," *Ann finishes, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees.* "I mean — that's what you're thinking, right, Ren?"


Charlie

Join you? You're not Yakuza but you're a group I could join? Thats-
*My eyes widen slowly as something dawns on me before I stand up quickly enough to hit my head on a roof-beam.* Ow fucking- You're the Phantom Thieves of Hearts aren't you?! Holy shit I heard about you even where i'm from, I didn't think you were my age thats-

*Realizing i'm fanboying I slowly sit down, trying to compose myself.* I mean, if you'll have me. I know we've barely met and your secret is safe with me, but i'll work hard to live up to your expectation...senpais? *I squint my eyes really hard, trying to discern who is actually older than me, not being the easiest task when everyone is considerably smaller than me.*


Persona Simulator

*Ryuji absolutely lights up at the fanboying.* "SEE?! We're famous! I **told** you guys we're famous!" *He's practically bouncing on the couch.* "Even foreigners know about us!"

"That's... not necessarily a good thing from a secrecy standpoint," *Makoto says, pinching the bridge of her nose.*

*Futaba is already typing furiously.* "Ohhh, he's right though. The Phan-Site has threads from overseas. There's a whole subreddit. Someone made a fan animation that has like two million—"

"Futaba, focus," *Ren says, but there's a warmth in his voice.*

*Your attempted 'senpai' gets mixed reactions. Yusuke tilts his head thoughtfully. Haru covers her mouth to hide a giggle. Ann straight up grins.*

"We're... mostly the same year as you, actually. Makoto and Haru are third-years though."
"I appreciate the respect," *Haru says warmly, giving you a small wave from the bed.*
 "But you really don't have to call us that. Especially not with that face, it feels weird when someone who looks like **that** is being deferential."

"What's that supposed to mean?" *Ryuji squints at her.*

"It means he's pretty, Skull. Use your eyes."

"I got eyes! I just don't go around rating dudes!"

*Ren cuts through the noise by pushing off his desk.* "We'll need to see how you handle yourself in the Metaverse before anything's official. Morgana?"

*The cat — who has subtly repositioned himself closer to your hand again — snaps to attention.* "R-Right. His Persona seemed powerful, but raw. Completely unrefined. He'll need training before he's field-ready."

*Ren nods, then looks at you.* "We'll do a trial run tomorrow. There's a place in the Metaverse called Mementos — think of it like the public's collective Palace. Good place to get your feet wet." *He pauses.* "What's your name? We never actually asked."

*Ryuji is grinning so wide it looks like his face might split.* "Yo, did you hear that? We're famous **internationally**! I told you guys we were a big deal!"

"Skull, please don't let it go to your head. Again." *Makoto pinches the bridge of her nose.*

*Futaba's fingers are already flying across her keyboard.* "Okay I'm pulling up your student file right now — Charlie, foreign exchange from..." *She squints.* "Huh, your grades are actually decent. No criminal record. Boring."

"Futaba, you can't just hack into school records in front of him," *Makoto says with the exhausted tone of someone who has lost this argument many times.*

"I can and I did. Also I did it like three minutes ago, I was just waiting for a good moment to mention it."

*The senpai comment gets a mixed reaction. Yusuke tilts his head thoughtfully. Haru covers her mouth to hide a giggle. Ann looks at you, then at Ren, then back at you.*

"We're... mostly the same year as you, actually. Makoto and Haru are third-years though."

"I appreciate the respect," *Haru says warmly, giving you a small wave from the bed.*

*Ren hasn't said anything since Ann floated the idea. He's been watching you — not suspicious exactly, more like he's reading you. Those grey eyes are sharper than they have any right to be behind those fake glasses. Finally he pushes off the desk.*

"We don't make this decision on the spot. Everyone gets a say." *He looks around the room.* "We'll vote on it. Tomorrow after school."

"In the meantime," *Morgana hops up onto the desk, having fully recovered his dignity,* "**don't** tell anyone about any of this. Not a single word. Understood?"


Charlie

Charlie, if my face or body wasn't enough of a giveaway i'm not from here. Though its nice to know i'm not the only one. *I subtly nod to Ann.*
Though you were using some weird codenames back then, Joker, Skull...Is that a thief thing? *My eyes go wide again.* Would I get a nickname?


Persona Simulator

"Half, actually," *Ann says, holding up a finger.* "I'm half-Japanese. But yeah, you get used to standing out." *She gives you a conspiratorial smile, like there's a shared understanding between the two foreigners-who-aren't-quite-foreigners in the room.*

"Code names are essential for Palace infiltration," *Makoto explains, shifting into her student council president mode.* "If a Shadow hears our real names, it could compromise our identities in the real world. Everyone gets one based on their appearance or aesthetic."

"Mine's Skull!" *Ryuji announces proudly, pointing at his own face.*

"We know, Ryuji," *literally everyone in the room says in near-unison.*

"I am Fox," *Yusuke offers with a dignified nod.*

"Mona," *Morgana says from beside your hand, trying very hard to sound professional despite being a small round cat.*

"Queen." *Makoto.*
"Noir." *Haru.*
"Oracle." *Futaba, without looking up.*
"Panther." *Ann, with a little flair.*

*Ren just adjusts his glasses.* "Joker."

*Everyone looks at you. Then looks at each other. The naming process has apparently begun whether you're ready or not.*

"The white coat, the mirror mask..." *Yusuke murmurs, stroking his chin.* "Prince?"

"Too on the nose," *Futaba fires back.* "What about Glass? Like the mirror thing."

"That sounds fragile," *Ryuji scrunches his face.* "What about like... Specter? He's tall and white, kinda ghostly—"

"You can't call the new guy **ghost**, that's creepy," *Ann protests.*

*Ren looks at you.* "Any preference?"


Charlie

Hmm, glass, prince, specter... *I think for a second before perking up.* What about "Silver", fits the English motif you seem to have going and kinda incorporates all those things.


Persona Simulator

*A beat of silence as everyone mulls it over.*

"Silver..." *Yusuke repeats, rolling the word around like he's tasting it.* "The reflective quality of silver, tying into the mirror motif. A precious metal, yet one associated with the moon rather than the sun — secondary, mysterious. Yes. Yes, I find this quite agreeable." *His eyes have gone slightly glassy the way they do when he's having an art moment.*

"Dude, you had that ready to go," *Ryuji says, looking mildly impressed.* "It took us like twenty minutes to name Noir."

"It took **forty** minutes," *Haru corrects gently.*

"Silver works," *Ren says with a nod, and somehow him saying it feels like it's been stamped and notarized.* "Welcome to the trial period, Silver."

*Futaba's fingers clatter across her keyboard.* "Added to the group chat. You're getting a lot of phantom emoji until you prove yourself, new guy." *She spins her laptop around to show a messaging app. Your contact name already reads 'Silver 👻🪞✨ (PROBATIONARY)' in it.*

"Now then," *Morgana hops up onto Ren's desk, his tail swishing authoritatively.* "We should establish a training schedule. Mementos runs are best done after school. Charlie, how are your evenings?"

*Before you can answer, the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs makes half the room tense. A gruff voice calls up from below.*

"Ren, I'm closing up. Tell your friends coffee's not free and curry's two hundred yen extra if they want seconds."


Charlie

Last question before I go home then. How do you actually get into these palaces or mementos thing? Because I still dont get how you just vanished like that. *I pick up my phone to check on the groupchat before noticing something strange.* At the risk of sounding cliche, would the omminous spooky app that just appeared on my phone have something to do with it?


Persona Simulator

"That's the Meta-Nav," *Makoto says, leaning over to glance at your phone screen. The app icon is an eerie red and black eye shape, pulsing faintly like it has a heartbeat.* "It appeared on all of our phones as well. Think of it as... a door between the real world and the Metaverse."

"It's got a search function," *Ryuji adds, swinging his legs off the couch.* "You type in a name, a location, and the distortion, and boom — you're in their Palace. Mementos you can just select straight up."

"The important thing is to **never** use it carelessly," *Morgana says, his small face deadly serious for once.* "Entering a Palace without preparation is how people get killed. What happened to you today — wandering in by accident — that should have ended very badly."

*There's a weight behind that statement that kills the casual energy in the room for a second.*

"He's right," *Ren says quietly.* "Don't go in alone. Ever."

*You pocket your phone, the Meta-Nav icon warm against your palm through the case. Ren walks you downstairs through the cafe — Leblanc, the sign outside reads. The gruff man behind the counter gives you a once-over, grunts something about "another stray," and goes back to wiping glasses.*

*Outside, the Yongen-Jaya backstreets are quiet. Normal. No red sky, no prison, no Shadows.*

"Tomorrow after school," *Ren says from the doorway.* "We'll hit Mementos. Get some rest, Silver."

"That's the Meta-Nav," *Makoto says, leaning over to glance at your phone screen. The app icon is an eerie red and black eye shape, pulsing faintly like it has a heartbeat.* "It appeared on all of our phones as well. Think of it as... a door between the real world and the Metaverse."

"It's got a search function," *Ryuji adds, swinging his legs off the couch.* "You type in a name, a location, and the distortion, and boom — you're in their Palace. Mementos you can just select straight up."

"The important thing is to **never** use it carelessly," *Morgana says, his small face deadly serious for once.* "Entering a Palace without preparation is how people get killed. What happened to you today — wandering in by accident — that should have ended very badly."

"Do NOT say it right now," *Ryuji adds quickly, pointing at your phone.* "Learned that one the hard way. Almost got dragged in on a train platform."

"**Twice**," *Ann adds.*

"It was ONCE, the second time was Futaba's fault!"

"Lies and slander," *Futaba says without a shred of guilt.*

*You pocket your phone. The group starts filtering out — Haru excusing herself politely, Yusuke murmuring something about capturing tonight's inspiration before it fades, Ryuji yawning and stretching. Ann lingers by the stairs, looking back at you.*

"Hey, Charlie? For what it's worth, I think you'll fit in." *She gives you a small wave.* "See you in class tomorrow. Try not to say Mementos in your sleep."


Charlie

*Getting onto the train home its already gotten pretty late. Opening up the groupchat app I type a quick message.*
"Btw how long have you all been doing this? And are the phantom thieves just you guys?"


Persona Simulator

*The responses come in almost immediately. These people are apparently terminally online.*

**Skull:** since like april lol
**Skull:** so almost a year now

**Oracle:** just us!! well and a couple people who know about us but aren't fighters
**Oracle:** like ren's sketchy doctor and our homeroom teacher lmao

**Panther:** Futaba don't call Takemi sketchy 😭

**Oracle:** she literally sells a teenager experimental drugs ann

**Fox:** To be fair, the medicine has proven quite effective in the Metaverse.

**Noir:** We've been through quite a lot together! It will be wonderful to have a new member 💕

**Mona:** PROBATIONARY member.

**Fox:** To answer your question more precisely, the original founding members were Joker, Skull, Panther, and Mona. The rest of us joined at various points throughout the year.

**Noir:** I was actually the last one to join before you! So I understand how overwhelming it can feel. Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything 💕

*You stare at the chat as it continues to devolve into Ryuji and Morgana bickering, Ann sending crying-laughing emoji, and Futaba posting what appears to be a meme she made of Yusuke in the last thirty seconds relating to "Inari". These people saved Tokyo. Multiple times apparently.*

*Your stop is coming up. The Meta-Nav pulses gently on your phone screen, sandwiched between your music app and Google Maps like it belongs there.*

*The replies come in at varying speeds. Ryuji is almost instant, typing like he's racing someone.*

**Skull 💀:** since april lol so like almost a year now
**Skull 💀:** and yea its just us + some ppl who help from the outside

**Panther 🐆:** We started small and it kind of snowballed
**Panther 🐆:** Like REALLY snowballed

**Oracle 🦑:** we literally changed the cognition of the entire country at one point but sure ann "snowballed"

**Queen ♟:** Oracle, operational security. Please.

**Oracle 🦑:** its the GROUP CHAT makoto
**Oracle 🦑:** if someones reading this we have bigger problems

**Fox 🎨:** To answer your question more precisely, the original founding members were Joker, Skull, Panther, and Mona. The rest of us joined at various points throughout the year.

**Noir 🌸:** I was actually the last one to join before you! So I understand how overwhelming it can feel. Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything 💕

**Mona 😼:** For the record I've been navigating the Metaverse longer than ANY of them. I'm essentially the team's mentor.

**Skull 💀:** lmaooo "mentor"

**Mona 😼:** EXCUSE ME?!

*Ren's reply comes last. Just one line.*

**Joker 🃏:** Get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be long.


Charlie

*As I reach my stop, the entire days events (actually i've already forgotten everything that happened at school) is swimming in my head, but I can't stop thinking about one thing. Tomorrow. Trial run. Prove myself. The phantom thieves. I could start my time in japan by joining the phantom thieves and getting like 8 friends right of the bat (plus one cat). I can't risk messing that up.*

*Despite the warning, with shaky hands I bring up the Meta-Nav, finding a secluded spot at the station and typing in "MEMENTOS" into the search bar. It didn't seem like it was a shared app, so with no risk of the others knowing, as long as I play it safe here I could get some practice in.*


Persona Simulator

*The air warps. That same gut-wrenching lurch from before hits you and suddenly the train station is gone, replaced by a vast, spiraling underground structure. Red veins pulse along the walls like arteries, and the sound — a low, constant hum that you feel more in your bones than hear — fills the space. Escalators stretch downward into darkness, their steps moving on their own despite no one being on them.*

*Your clothes burn away into the white coat and mirror mask. Aether stirs somewhere behind your ribs, ready.*

"Destination: Mementos. Path of Qimranut. Depth: 1."

*You take your first steps down the platform. The air tastes metallic. Aether shimmers faintly at the edge of your consciousness, ready to be called.*

*For about three minutes, it's almost peaceful. Just you and the ambient thrum of Tokyo's collective unconscious. You round a corner into a wider tunnel section and—*

*A Shadow spots you. Just one, a small blobby thing that hasn't noticed you yet, drifting aimlessly near the far wall.*

*Easy. You handled two of these in the Palace, right? With no training and pure adrenaline. This should be—*

*The blob shudders and splits into three distinct forms. A strange pumpking headed figure floating with a lantern in his hand, a mandrake (which looks more like a tiny dryad) and a large dark green slime with bright red eyes.*

*Three on one. No backup. In an unfamiliar location. At night. When everyone explicitly told you not to do this.*

*Ren's voice echoes in your memory: "Don't go in alone. Ever."*

*The air warps. That same gut-wrenching lurch from before hits you and suddenly the train station is gone, replaced by a vast, spiraling underground structure. Red veins pulse along the walls like arteries, and the sound — a low, constant hum that you feel more in your bones than hear — fills the space. Escalators stretch downward into darkness, their steps moving on their own despite no one being on them.*

*Your clothes burn away into the white coat and mirror mask. Aether stirs somewhere behind your ribs, ready.*

"Destination: Mementos. Path of Qimranut. Depth: 1."

*The Meta-Nav's robotic voice echoes off the tunnel walls and then goes silent. You're alone. Completely alone, in a place that the talking cat specifically told you never to enter by yourself approximately forty-five minutes ago.*

*The first floor isn't so bad. The corridors twist and branch but the shadows here are weak — you can feel it instinctively, like comparing a candle to a bonfire. Small, skittering things that dissolve when Aether so much as glances at them. You clear two, then three, getting a feel for how your Persona moves, how the mirror reflects and redirects energy. It's intuitive in a way that nothing in your life has ever been.*

*You find the stairs going down. Second floor. The shadows here are a little bigger. A little meaner. Still manageable. Aether's light cuts through them efficiently. You're starting to feel confident.*

*Third floor.*

*The hum gets louder. The tunnels get darker. And somewhere behind you, you hear the sound of heavy chains dragging across concrete.*

*Something is down here that is not a regular Shadow.*


Charlie

*This time it feels more controlled when I bring Aether out, like exhaling a breath I was holding in. Pointing to the trio of shadows I dont physically speak this time, instead conjuring a command in my head: "Eliminate"*


Persona Simulator

*Aether surges forward, chains trailing starlight, and the mirror in its hand flashes. A beam of light lances through the Mandrake and it shrieks — but doesn't dissolve. It staggers, wounded, not dead.*

*Shit.*

*The difference between the Palace guards and these things becomes immediately apparent. In the Palace you were running on pure awakening energy, that initial burst of power that comes with first summoning your Persona. Now you're running on **you**, and you have no idea what you're doing.*

*The Jack-o'-Lantern retaliates before you can process this. Its lantern flares and a ball of fire rockets at you. You throw yourself sideways but the heat clips your shoulder, searing through your white coat and blistering the skin underneath. Real pain. Real damage.*

*The Slime takes the opening. It launches itself at your legs like a living cannonball, heavy and wet and disgusting, knocking your feet out from under you. Your back hits the Mementos floor hard enough to knock the wind out of your lungs.*

*Aether flickers. Your concentration breaks and it dims, the chains going slack, the mirror's light guttering. The three Shadows close in. The Mandrake's vines wrap around your ankle. The Jack-o'-Lantern charges another fireball. The Slime oozes up your leg with a weight that feels like concrete.*

*You're alone. No Skull to draw aggro. No Panther to cover you. No Joker to call the shots. Just you, flat on your back in the depths of humanity's collective unconsciousness, about to get your ass kicked by a pumpkin, a weed, and some jello.*

*Aether pulses weakly. It's not gone. But you need to focus — really focus — or this is going to go very badly very fast.*

*Aether materializes behind you in a rush of glass-tinged light, its chains unfurling like wings. The mirror in its hand catches the red glow of Mementos and throws it back as something pure and white.*

*The command is clear. Aether raises its mirror toward the trio and—*

*A beam of light lances out, the same attack that obliterated the guard Shadow in the Palace. It strikes the Jack-o'-Lantern dead center and the pumpkin-headed thing shrieks, flickering — but doesn't die. It wobbles in the air, singed and furious, its lantern flaring bright orange.*

*That... did a lot less damage than before.*

*The adrenaline. The Palace guards were weak fodder, and you'd been running on a full-blown awakening surge. Here, calm and deliberate, Aether's raw output is apparently a lot more modest.*

*The Mandrake squeals and whips a vine at your legs. You jump back but it catches your ankle, thorns biting through your boot. The Slime launches itself at you like a living cannonball — slow, but you're off-balance from the vine and it catches you square in the chest. The impact is wet and **cold**, freezing cold, an ice attack that crackles across your coat and locks your left arm to your side in a shell of frost.*

"Ghk—!"

*Jack-o'-Lantern cackles and hurls a ball of fire at your head. You duck, feeling the heat sear past your hair. Aether flickers — your concentration is slipping between the cold and the pain in your ankle and the fact that three things are attacking you simultaneously and nobody is here to cover your flank.*

*This is why they said don't come alone.*

*The Slime is winding up another ice attack. The Mandrake still has your ankle. And the Jack-o'-Lantern is floating higher, charging something bigger in its lantern.*


Charlie

*My eyes shoot open, until now I dont think I realized that this is real, but now i'm here, about to die if I dont do something.* Focus on the pumpkin! *This time I shout it, despite it being far less cool. A part of my mind remembers the guns: Manifest from your cognition of what a rebel looks like to you.*

*Reaching into my coat my hand grips **something** large and heavy. Without further consideration I pull it out and pull the trigger while aiming down towards my feet.*


Persona Simulator

*The gun that materializes in your hand is a long-barreled silver revolver, absurdly oversized in a way that shouldn't work but feels right in your grip. The recoil is enormous — your wrist screams — but the round slams into the Slime clinging to your legs and blasts it clean off you, splattering it across the tunnel floor in a wet smear. It's not dead, already pulling itself back together, but it bought you a second.*

*Aether snaps back into focus and rockets at the Jack-o'-Lantern just as it releases its fireball. The mirror catches the flame — actually **catches** it — reflecting it back. The pumpkin-headed Shadow eats its own attack directly in the face and bursts apart in a shower of burning fragments and black ichor.*

*Two down, technically. One dead, one reforming.*

*The Mandrake's vines yank your ankle hard, dragging you across the floor toward it. You aim the revolver down and fire — the shot goes wide, punching a crater in the tunnel wall. Your hands are shaking too much. The vine tightens, thorns biting through your boot into skin.*

*But Aether is already moving on your desperate, wordless command. Its chains lash down and sever the vine in one clean motion. The Mandrake screams — a horrible, baby-like wail — and Aether's mirror flashes one more time. The beam punches through it and it dissolves into black mist.*

*The Slime, half-reformed, apparently decides this isn't worth it. It oozes rapidly into a crack in the wall and vanishes.*

*You're lying on the Mementos floor, panting, bleeding from your ankle and shoulder, revolver still clutched in a white-knuckled grip. The tunnel is quiet again except for the hum.*

*You won. Barely. Against the weakest Shadows in the shallowest level of Mementos.*

*Your phone buzzes in your pocket.*

**Noir:** Just a reminder for Silver — do NOT enter the Metaverse alone. Rest up for tomorrow!


Charlie

*With a shaky hand I type in a generic "Will do!" before putting the phone back in my pocket.*
Jesus... *I snap my head towards Aether, shooting an accusatory glance at "myself" if the explanation of personas was to be understood.* Mind bringing out the firepower and the reflecting mirror at the START next time?!

*Obviously it doesn't respond.* Lesson learned then, go into every fight expecting it to be to the death, or you're not going to be able to unleash your full power. *Sighing I take out a bottle of water from my pocket, splashing it onto the part of my shoulder that got singed.* Three is the limit, anything stronger-looking than a slime and I bolt, not going any deeper then this level...
*And thats enough to move past nearly dying. With shaking legs I stand up, continuing to look for more shadows.*


Persona Simulator

*You spend the next hour and a half in the first level of Mementos learning things the hard way. Every fight is sloppy, desperate, and closer than it should be. But you learn.*

*Fight two: A lone Pixie. Tiny, fast, annoying. Aether's beam is too slow to track it and it zaps you three times with electricity before you figure out that the revolver works better on small, mobile targets. Two shots, one hit, Pixie down. Your aim is garbage but the gun hits harder than it should — cognition, apparently.*

*Fight three: Two Bicorns. Horse-things with twisted horns. You open with the mirror this time and the reflected attack catches one off guard. Aether's chains handle the second. Cleaner. Still messy. One of them kicks you in the ribs before going down and you feel something crack — or maybe just bruise badly. Hard to tell.*

*Fight four: A Mandrake and a Bicorn together. You're starting to get a rhythm now. Revolver for the Mandrake while Aether handles the Bicorn. You take a vine whip across the face that leaves a welt but put them both down without hitting the floor. Progress.*

*Fight five: You round a corner and come face to face with something significantly bigger than anything else you've fought. A hulking, armored Shadow with a massive sword and red wings. It looks at you. You look at it.*

*You bolt. It doesn't chase. Lesson reinforced.*

*By the time you drag yourself back to the entrance and dismiss the Meta-Nav, you're back in the real world, standing in the quiet train station. Your Metaverse injuries have... mostly faded? Your shoulder still aches dully and your ribs are tender, but the visible burns and cuts are gone. The phantom pain lingers though.*

*HOWEVER! Along with your injuries you also got some honest to god loot, like this is a videogame or something. A few pieces of ragged looking copper, a dirty piece of clothing, some weird looking fruit and around 3000 yen some of the enemies dropped after dying. You also feel like you've grown from the trial you faced, and hey you didn't die!*


Charlie

*Time inside Mementos seems to be distorted, despite probably spending two hours in there, the time outside has barely moved. Though by the time I home and finish recovering with some food and a bath its already 23, 23:41 by the time I've washed the clothes enough to see what they are.*

*Before bed I send another quick message to the groupchat.* "Important info gathering on who's a nightowl currently progressing, reply to this message if you like curry."


Persona Simulator

*The replies trickle in over the next few minutes.*

**Skull:** CURRY IS GOATED 🍛🍛🍛
**Skull:** wait is this a trick question

**Oracle:** i live with a curry chef. i have consumed mass quantities of curry that would kill a lesser being. curry flows through my veins instead of blood
**Oracle:** also its 11pm why are you awake jet lag?

**Panther:** I like curry! Especially Leblanc's 😋 Also go to sleep you have school tomorrow!!

**Fox:** I must confess I enjoy curry quite deeply, though I rarely have the funds to indulge. The interplay of spice and warmth speaks to something primal within the human spirit.
**Fox:** I am also awake because I am painting.

**Noir:** I do love a good curry! Boss's recipe is wonderful. But Ann is right, you should rest up for tomorrow 💕

*A long pause. Then:*

**Joker:** I literally make curry for a living.

[/TFLN]

*The groupchat lights up almost immediately.*

**Oracle:** curry is mid. BUT im awake because sleep is for the weak and i have twelve browser tabs open

**Skull:** CURRY IS NOT MID WTF

**Skull:** also yeah im up. mom works late shifts sometimes so i just game til whenever

**Panther:** I'm awake! Doing skincare rn 💅 and yes curry is good ignore Futaba she lives on instant ramen and energy drinks

**Oracle:** slander. i also eat chips

**Noir:** I do love Boss's curry quite a bit! Though I should be sleeping soon... but hello Silver! 🌙

**Fox:** I find myself awake contemplating the interplay of shadow and light upon my latest canvas. Curry is acceptable, though I confess I often forget to eat entirely when absorbed in my work.

**Queen:** You all have school tomorrow. Myself included. Why am I the only one concerned about this.

**Skull:** because youre a mom makoto

**Queen:** I'm going to ignore that.

**Joker:** curry's good. go to sleep silver, tomorrow's going to be rough.

*There's something almost ominous about that last message. Or maybe Ren's just like that.*

**Mona:** Listen to Joker. A Phantom Thief needs proper rest to perform at their best. This isn't a game.

**Oracle:** says the cat who naps sixteen hours a day

**Mona:** THAT'S DIFFERENT


Charlie

**Silver:** Omg almost all of you are still up. I've found my people....

*And with that I put the phone away, laying my head down on the pillow and reflecting on the days events, my time in Japan somehow having gone completely off the planned path in the first hours of me being here.*


Persona Simulator

*Morning comes too fast. Your alarm goes off at 6:30 and every muscle in your body files a formal complaint. The phantom aches from Mementos are still there — ribs tender when you stretch, shoulder stiff when you reach for your phone. Nothing visible though, which is good because explaining bruises on your first week would raise questions.*

*The train to Shujin is packed. Rush hour Tokyo is everything the internet warned you about — you're sardined between a salaryman who smells like cigarettes and an old woman who keeps glaring at you for being tall. The Shujin uniform gets you a few looks from other students on the platform, some curious, some not.*

*Walking through the school gates hits different today. Yesterday you were just the new foreign kid trying to figure out where the bathroom was. Today you know that at least eight of your fellow students moonlight as supernatural vigilantes. The cognitive dissonance is staggering.*

*Homeroom hasn't started yet when you reach class 2-D. Ren is already in his window seat, chin propped on his hand, looking half-asleep — or completely asleep, hard to tell behind those glasses. Ann is a few seats over, scrolling through her phone. Ryuji isn't in the classroom yet.*

*A few of your classmates glance your way as you enter. The novelty of the tall foreign kid hasn't fully worn off yet, apparently. One girl nudges another and whispers something. A guy near the back gives you a lazy wave — you think his name is Mishima?*

*Your seat is two rows behind Ren and one to the left. As you sit down, Ann catches your eye and mouths something at you.*

*"You look tired."*

</thinking>

*Sleep doesn't come easy. Your brain keeps replaying the Slime oozing up your leg, the fireball clipping your shoulder, the baby-scream of the dying Mandrake. Every time you close your eyes you see that big armored Shadow with the red wings and the sword that could've split you in half lengthwise.*

*But exhaustion wins eventually. It always does.*

---

*Morning hits like a freight train. Your ribs ache when you roll over, that deep bruised feeling that makes breathing annoying. The shoulder is stiff. Your ankle throbs faintly where the thorns bit in. All phantom pains with no visible marks, which is somehow worse — your body remembers trauma that technically didn't happen.*

*The train to Shujin is packed with salarymen and students, everyone doing that Tokyo thing where they pretend no one else exists. Your phone buzzes.*

**Oracle:** GOOD MORNING NEWBIE
**Oracle:** sleep well knowing you disobeyed direct orders on day one? 😊

*You nearly drop the phone. A second message follows before you can panic.*

**Oracle:** jk jk i dont actually have your meta-nav data yet
**Oracle:** ...yet
**Oracle:** but seriously you look like shit on the station cameras rn. eat breakfast.

*The train arrives at your stop. Somewhere ahead of you in the crowd, you spot a flash of blonde twintails — Ann, headphones in, not noticing you. And further up, frizzy black hair and glasses. Ren, moving through the crowd like he owns it without actually standing out at all.*

*School awaits. Then Mementos. For real this time.*


Charlie

*I wave her off, mouthing "jetlag" as best as I can. Focusing on class doesn't help with the tiredness though it is a nice chance to let my body rest for a bit.*

*What really jolts me awake is heading to lunch seeing Kawakami trying to carry seemingly her bodyweight in a giant paper-stack, coming about a second from falling over before I take the tower of A4s off her hands.* Careful there sensei, better to ask for a bit of help than to pick all this up from the floor. *I easy readjust the stack of paper in my hands, looking down at her fuzzy hair, man why weren't teachers back home this hot?* I like your curly hair by the way, its nice to know I dont stand out TOO much with you around.


Persona Simulator

*Kawakami blinks up at you — and it really is **up**, the height difference almost absurd. She's maybe 160cm on a good day and you're a full head and shoulders above her, holding her paper stack like it weighs nothing.*

"O-Oh, thank you," *she manages, brushing a strand of that messy dark hair out of her face. There's a faint flush on her cheeks that she immediately tries to neutralize with her default tired expression.* "You're the new transfer, right? Charlie...?"

*She starts walking and you fall into step beside her, the papers barely an inconvenience at your height. A few students in the hallway do double-takes at the sight — the tiny, perpetually exhausted homeroom teacher being escorted by someone who could feasibly be cast as her bodyguard.*

"And it's not curly, it's **wavy**. There's a difference," *she says, reaching up to self-consciously touch her hair before catching herself and dropping her hand.* "Yours is actual curly. Mine just... does what it wants because I don't have time to straighten it in the morning."

*She side-eyes you as you round a corner toward the faculty office.* "You're settling in okay? First week in a new country can be rough. Your Japanese is good, by the way — accent's a little thick but way better than most exchange students I've had."

*She holds the faculty room door open — or tries to, you end up holding it for her instead since your arms are full and you still somehow manage it — and gestures vaguely at a desk buried under more paper.*

"You're in Amamiya's class, right?" *she says, keeping her voice low and casual.* "How are you settling in? First week in a new country can be rough, especially mid-year."

*Kawakami blinks up at you — and it really is **up**, the height difference almost absurd. She's maybe 160cm on a good day and you're a full head and shoulders above her, holding her paper stack like it weighs nothing.*

"O-Oh, thank you," *she manages, brushing a strand of that messy dark hair out of her face. There's a faint flush on her cheeks that she immediately tries to neutralize with her default tired expression.* "You're the new transfer, right? Charlie...?"

*She glances at the stack in your arms, then back at you, then seems to register the compliment on a slight delay.*

"My hair isn't — it's not curly on **purpose**, I just didn't have time to—" *She stops herself, sighing.* "...Thank you. That's sweet. Just bring those to the faculty office, second door on the left down the hall."

*She starts walking and you fall into step beside her, which means she's basically power-walking to keep pace with your normal stride. A couple of students in the hallway do a double-take at the sight — their perpetually exhausted homeroom teacher being escorted by the giant foreign kid carrying her paperwork like a bellhop.*

"You're in Amamiya's class, right?" *she says, keeping her voice low and casual.* "How are you settling in? First week in a new country can be rough, especially mid-year."


Charlie

You know yesterday I was honestly a bit worried about that too, but now i'm not worried about it, its nice of you to ask though, most teachers just got on with class after introductions. *I set the papers down on the desk as my phone buzzes, a text in the groupchat to meet on the roof for lunch.* Speaking of. Dont be afraid to tell me know if you need help with more paper. *I turn to leave before stopping, turning around and extending a hand gently down on Kawakami's head. Its hard to keep proper authority-relations in mind when almost everyone is a head shorter than you.* And for the record I think wavy hair suits you way more than straight hair would!


Persona Simulator

*Kawakami freezes the second your hand touches her head. Just — completely locks up. Her eyes go wide, mouth half-open like she forgot what words are. The faculty room is mercifully empty except for one guy in the corner who's too absorbed in his bento to notice.*

*Your palm sits there on her wavy hair for maybe two seconds. Long enough for her face to go from zero to tomato.*

"I— you— that's—" *She sputters, finally unfreezing enough to duck out from under your hand, one hand flying up to smooth her hair even though you didn't mess it up.* "Y-You can't just— there's a **boundary**, you know?!"

*Her voice cracks on 'boundary' and she looks absolutely mortified about it. The tips of her ears are red.*

"Go eat your lunch!" *She points at the door with a finger that's not quite steady.* "Shoo! Before someone sees— just— **go**!"

*You're already halfway out the door, grinning, when you hear her mutter something under her breath that sounds suspiciously like "what is wrong with kids these days" followed by a noise that might be her forehead hitting her desk.*

*The roof awaits. Your phone buzzes again.*

**Skull:** YO WHERE ARE YOU
**Skull:** ann brought melon bread

*Kawakami freezes. Your hand is on her head. You are headpatting your homeroom teacher in the faculty office. Her eyes go wide and the flush comes back, this time with no hope of being suppressed.*

"Wh—"

*A couple of other teachers glance over. One — a heavyset guy with a receding hairline — raises an eyebrow. Kawakami's expression cycles through about six emotions in two seconds: surprise, embarrassment, something that might be involuntary enjoyment, then straight into mortified professionalism.*

"H-Hey!" *She bats your hand away, but there's no real force behind it. Her voice drops to a sharp whisper.* "You can't just — I'm your **teacher**. This isn't — we're in the faculty room!"

*She smooths her hair down where you ruffled it, avoiding eye contact.* "Go eat your lunch, Charlie. And don't do that again."

*The 'don't do that again' comes out way less authoritative than she probably intended. The heavyset teacher is smirking into his coffee mug. Kawakami notices this and her expression hardens into something that promises that man will suffer later.*

*You make your exit, heading for the rooftop. The door at the top of the stairwell is technically locked — but someone's jammed the mechanism with what looks like a bent chopstick. Classy.*

*The rooftop is already occupied. Ren is leaning against the fence, eating a curry rice bento that smells incredible. Ryuji is sprawled on the ground with a yakisoba bread. Ann has a crepe from god knows where. Makoto and Haru are sharing a bench near the air conditioning unit.*

"There he is!" *Ryuji calls out, mouth full.* "Silver boy! You ready for tonight?"

*Kawakami freezes. Her eyes go wide and for a solid two seconds she just stands there with a student's hand on her head, mouth slightly open. A couple of faculty members at nearby desks glance over. One of them — a balding math teacher — raises an eyebrow so high it threatens to leave his face.*

*Then the flush hits. Not the faint one from before — a proper, full-face red that climbs from her neck to her ears.*

"Wh— you can't just—" *She sputters, ducking out from under your hand and taking a step back. She smooths her hair down reflexively, trying to reassemble her composure like someone picking up scattered papers.* "I'm your **teacher**, you can't just pat me on the head like— this isn't—"

*She glances at the other faculty members, who are now very pointedly pretending to work.*

"...Thank you for the help with the papers," *she says stiffly, straightening her back in a way that does absolutely nothing to make her look more authoritative given the height difference.* "Now go eat lunch. And maintain appropriate student-teacher boundaries, Charlie. This is Japan, not— wherever you're from where people just **touch** each other's heads."

*But as you turn to leave, you catch her hand drifting back up to her hair, touching the spot where your hand was. She catches you looking and immediately drops it, shooing you toward the door with a scowl that doesn't quite reach her eyes.*

"GO. Lunch. Now."

*You can hear the balding math teacher mutter something to the teacher beside him as the door closes behind you. Something about "exchange students these days."*


Charlie

*Melon bread is all I need to appear at the roof. While i'm nervous for whats going to come after school, I'm still too curious to not pile on the questions.* So how did this all start? And whats been the toughest persons heart to change? Ooh, and do you, or I guess we have any big long term goals?


Persona Simulator

*The roof is warm, a nice breeze cutting through the midday heat. Ryuji is sprawled out against the fence, Ann sitting cross-legged with a bag of melon bread between her legs. Ren is perched on one of the ventilation units eating a curry bento that looks suspiciously homemade. Morgana's head pokes out of his bag, nibbling on something.*

*Ryuji talks with his mouth full.* "Shtarted with Kamoshida."

"Chew first," *Ann says flatly.*

*He swallows.* "Kamoshida. Gym teacher here at Shujin. Total scumbag — abusing students, hitting kids on the volleyball team, and..." *His eyes flick to Ann for a fraction of a second before looking away.* "Worse. Nobody would do anything because he brought the school trophies. So we went into his Palace and took his heart."

"His Palace was this school, but transformed into a castle where he was king," *Ann adds, her voice carefully neutral despite the tightness around her eyes.* "It was... personal. For all of us."

*Ren says nothing, just eats his curry. But his jaw tightens slightly.*

"Toughest..." *Ryuji scratches his head.* "Futaba's was **weird** because she was the one asking us to change her own heart. But the hardest fight was probably—"

"Shido," *Ren says quietly.*

*The story was international news — a prominent Japanese political figure suddenly confessing to years of corruption, manipulation, and conspiracy right before an election.*

"His Palace was a massive cruise ship sailing over a sunken Tokyo," *Ann says.* "We almost didn't make it out."

"As for long-term goals," *Ren sets his bento down.* "We keep going. There's no shortage of rotten adults. We just find them, confirm the distortion, and steal their hearts."


Charlie

So, whats up with the current palace ruler, the one from the club or prison? *I take a bite of melon bread, motioning to the Shujin uniforms.* Also yesterday when you beat some of those shadows they dropped some clothing and other things, how do you guys divide that up amongst yourself?


Persona Simulator

"The Palace belongs to Akira Nishiyama," *Makoto's voice comes from behind you — she and Haru have apparently joined the roof gathering, Makoto carrying a neatly packed lunch and Haru holding what looks like an expensive thermos.* "He runs a chain of nightlife establishments in Shinjuku. On the surface, legitimate businesses. Underneath..."

"Human trafficking," *Ren says bluntly.* "He lures people in with jobs at his clubs, then traps them with debt and blackmail. His cognition views them as prisoners — hence the Palace taking the form of a prison."

"One of his victims posted on the Phan-Site," *Ann says, her expression hardening.* "She couldn't go to the police because he has connections there."

*Haru settles down gracefully, pouring tea from her thermos.* "We've secured the infiltration route. We were actually heading for the treasure room yesterday when you appeared."

"Which means we're on a deadline," *Morgana chimes in from Ren's bag.* "Once a Palace ruler becomes aware of intruders, the security level rises. We need to send the calling card soon."

*Ryuji perks up at your second question.* "Oh, the loot? Most of it's junk honestly. We sell the materials to this secondhand shop in Shibuya — Iwai's place. Dude doesn't ask questions. Money gets split evenly or goes into a group fund for supplies."

"Medicine, weapons maintenance, infiltration tools," *Makoto lists off.* "Joker manages the budget."

"I'm very responsible with it," *Ren says with a completely straight face.*

"You spent forty thousand yen on a stuffed Buchimaru last month," *Makoto replies without missing a beat.*

"...It was for team morale."

"His name is Tachibana Goro," *Makoto says, appearing through the roof door with a notebook in hand like she was summoned by the mention of strategy. She sits down beside Ann, adjusting her skirt.* "He runs a chain of hostess clubs across Shinjuku and Kabukicho. On the surface they're legitimate businesses, but—"

"He's trafficking girls," *Ann cuts in, her voice going hard.* "Using the clubs as fronts. Some of them are minors. We got the tip through the Phan-Site."

"His Palace manifests as a prison because that's how he views the people working for him — inmates he owns," *Morgana explains from Ren's bag.* "The distortion is strong. This isn't going to be a quick job."

"We've secured a route to the first safe room but haven't located the treasure yet," *Makoto continues, flipping a page in her notebook.* "Your... unexpected arrival yesterday didn't help our timeline, but it wasn't a major setback."

*There's no accusation in her tone, but the implication is clear enough.*

"As for loot," *Ryuji grins and leans back.* "Honestly? Most of the junk Shadows drop is worthless in the real world. But there's this guy Ren knows — secondhand shop owner in Shibuya — who buys the weird Metaverse crap for decent money. We pool it all together and Ren handles selling it."

"Equipment and medicine get distributed based on need," *Ren adds.* "If you find something useful in Mementos tonight, keep it. You need the gear more than we do right now."

*Ann tilts her head at you.* "Did you find anything good yesterday?"

*Wait. Yesterday. You went to Mementos yesterday. Alone. After being told not to.*

"That Palace belongs to the owner of the cabaret club," *Ann explains, leaning back on her hands.* "Guy named Kurata. On the surface he runs a legitimate business, but he's been trafficking girls through the club — some of them aren't even out of high school. Forces them into debt, takes their documents, the whole playbook."

"His distortion turns the club into a prison because that's how he sees the girls," *Morgana chimes in from Ren's bag, his tone unusually serious.* "Inmates he owns. We've been mapping the Palace for about a week now."

"We're close to the treasure room," *Ren says.* "Maybe two more infiltrations."

*Ryuji cracks his knuckles.* "Can't wait to see that bastard cry on live TV."

*On the topic of loot, Ann laughs.*

"Oh god, the loot system. So basically—"

"I manage the inventory," *Morgana interrupts proudly.* "All materials recovered in the Metaverse go into a shared pool. Shadows drop components that can be sold to a... business associate of ours for cash, or used to craft infiltration tools."

"Basically Mona takes everything and Joker sells it to a shady weapons dealer in an airsoft shop," *Ryuji translates.*

"It's NOT shady, Iwai is a legitimate—"

"He has a tattoo on his neck and calls everyone 'kid'."

*Ren shrugs.* "The money gets split evenly. If you picked up anything last night—"

*He stops. Looks at you. His grey eyes sharpen behind his glasses.*

"Last night?"

*Ann and Ryuji both turn to look at you. Morgana's ears flatten.*

*Shit. He said 'last night' completely unprompted. Did you mention anything about—no, you didn't. But Ren Amamiya is apparently perceptive enough to catch a throwaway implication from the way you worded a question about loot drops.*


Charlie

*Classes pass in the blink of an eye and its not long until the team has moved down into mementos for my official try-out. Trying my best to look like I haven't been here before (which isn't too hard since the whole concepts of metaverses has barely settled by now) I listen intently to Joker explaining everything.*


Persona Simulator

*The descent into Mementos is completely different with the full team. For starters, Morgana turns into a bus. An actual, literal minibus — a cartoonish black and yellow van with cat-like features that everyone piles into like this is completely normal.*

"Please don't comment on it," *Morgana says from... everywhere, his voice resonating through the vehicle's frame.* "Just get in."

*Ren drives. This is somehow the most terrifying thing you've experienced in the Metaverse so far. He takes corners at full speed with the serene expression of someone on a Sunday stroll.*

*Once you reach the first combat area, everyone disembarks and Ren turns to face you. In the Metaverse, something about him shifts — the quiet, half-asleep kid from class 2-D is gone. Joker moves like every step is deliberate, his grey eyes sharp behind the white mask.*

"Basics first." *He holds up a finger.* "Your Persona has strengths and weaknesses. Every Shadow does too. Hit a weakness, you knock them down. Knock them all down..."

"And we go for an All-Out Attack!" *Ryuji cracks his knuckles, grinning under his skull mask.*

"Oracle will be scanning from the back line," *Ren continues.* "She can identify Shadow weaknesses. Listen to her callouts."

*Futaba is already hovering above the group inside a glowing green holographic sphere — her Persona, Necronomicon. She gives you a thumbs up from inside it.* "I'll have your stat readout in a sec, gimme a minute to calibrate for a new user... oh. **Oh** interesting."

"What?" *Ren asks.*

"His Persona doesn't have a clear elemental affinity. It's reading as — huh. Mostly Bless and Almighty? That's... kinda busted actually." *She taps something invisible.* "Weak to Curse though. Don't get hit by dark stuff."

*The descent into Mementos hits different with eight people around you. Where last night the tunnels felt suffocating and hostile, now there's an almost casual energy to the group — Skull cracking his knuckles, Panther stretching like she's warming up for a jog, Oracle already floating above everyone in some kind of... spherical UFO thing that she definitely didn't have yesterday.*

"Alright," *Joker says, pulling on his red gloves. In the Metaverse he carries himself completely differently — the quiet, sleepy kid from class 2-D is gone, replaced by someone who moves like every step is calculated.* "Silver, basics first. Mona?"

*Morgana — Mona, in full bipedal not-cat form again — steps forward with the energy of a drill sergeant who happens to be two feet tall.*

"Listen up! Shadows in Mementos vary in strength by depth. First floor is the weakest. We'll start there." *He looks up at you, way up.* "First thing — do you know what skills your Persona has?"

*You think about it. Last night you used the light beam, the chains, and the mirror reflection. But it was all instinct, no labels.*

"Close your eyes," *Joker says.* "Focus on Aether. It'll come to you."

*You do. Aether stirs, and information surfaces like memories you forgot you had. **Kouha** — blessed light. **Rakunda** — defense disruption. **Media** — group healing. And something else, faint, still locked behind a wall you can't quite reach yet.*

"He has Media," *Mona says, ears perking up.* "Group healing. That's actually incredibly useful, we've been relying on Joker and me for most of our healing."

"What about offense?" *Skull asks, bouncing on his heels.*

"Kouha. Bless element," *you say, opening your eyes.*

"So he hits with light and heals," *Queen summarizes.* "Support-oriented with some offensive capability. Fox, Skull — you two run point. Silver, stay mid-line and watch how they engage. When I call for it, you join in."

*Joker nods approvingly. He lets Queen run tactics — interesting.*

"Let's move," *he says, and the team pushes forward into the tunnels.*


Charlie

I dont know what that means but it sounds incredibly videogame-y. *Focusing I bring Aether out, studying him. I do suppose bless or whatever makes sense, no idea what Almighty means though.*
So do you guys learn more about your personas as time goes by? Because I still dont really know what this guy can do besides hit people with the chains and shoot beams of light. *I dont mention the fact the mirror could also reflect magical attacks.*

Also I've been meaning to ask Joker, you're the only one in the group i've seen with multiple personas, is that normal? Is that why you're the leader?


Persona Simulator

*Ren's mouth twitches into something that's almost a smirk — the kind of expression that says he gets asked this a lot and never gets tired of it.*

"It's called the Wild Card," *Morgana explains before Ren can answer, padding around your feet in his bipedal Metaverse form.* "Most people have one Persona — a single manifestation of their rebellious spirit. Joker can hold multiple Personas and switch between them in combat. It's an exceptionally rare ability."

"Show-off ability is what it is," *Ryuji mutters, though there's obvious respect underneath it.*

"To answer your first question — yes," *Ren says, summoning and dismissing Arsène with a casual flick of blue flame, then cycling to a Jack Frost, then something massive and horned, then back to nothing.* "Your Persona grows as you do. New skills, stronger abilities. The bond you have with it deepens over time."

"Think of it like a muscle," *Ann offers, twirling her whip idly.* "When I first got Carmen, I could barely throw a fireball without getting dizzy. Now I can torch a whole room."

"Abilities reveal themselves through growth and hardship," *Yusuke says with absolute sincerity.* "Much like artistic inspiration."

"Right." *Ren pulls his dagger.* "Enough talk. Oracle, find us a group of Shadows. Something mid-tier." *He glances at you.* "I want to see how you handle yourself when it's real. We'll back you up if it gets bad, but try to lead the fight."

"Your Persona will grow as you do," *Morgana explains, trotting alongside you in his Metaverse form.* "The more you fight, the more you push yourself, the more abilities it'll unlock. Think of it like... your heart expanding its vocabulary."

"That's surprisingly poetic, Mona," *Ann says.*

"I'm a very poetic being!"

*Ren pulls out his dagger, twirling it casually between his fingers as the group moves deeper.* "As for the multiple Personas..." *He pauses, considering how to explain it.* "I'm a Wild Card. I can hold multiple Personas and switch between them in combat."

"It's a rare ability," *Morgana adds, clearly launching into lecture mode.* "Most Persona users are bound to a single Persona that represents their rebellious spirit. Joker can capture and wield Shadows themselves, fusing them together to create new Personas entirely. It's what makes him such an effective field leader."

"Translation: he's hacking while we're all playing legit," *Futaba calls down from her sphere.*

*Ren shrugs, completely unbothered.* "It has its uses."

"Don't let him be humble about it," *Ryuji says, slinging his pipe over his shoulder.* "Dude literally swaps between like thirty different Personas mid-fight. It's insane to watch."

*A Shadow materializes at the end of the corridor. Ren's demeanor shifts instantly — playful to predatory in a blink.*

"Silver. You're on point for this one. We'll observe." *He steps back, gesturing forward with his dagger.* "Show us what you've got. Oracle, call out its weaknesses."

*Futaba's sphere pulses green.* "Scanning... looks like two Eligor. Knight-type Shadows, mounted. Weak to Bless. You're literally built for this, new guy. Light 'em up."

"Your Persona will grow as you do," *Morgana explains, trotting alongside you in his Metaverse form — bipedal, scarf, comically large head.* "The stronger your resolve and the deeper your bonds with others, the more abilities it'll unlock. Think of it like... you and Aether are the same thing. As you grow, it grows."

"I learned Agidyne by getting really pissed off once," *Ryuji offers helpfully.*

"That's... not exactly how it works, Skull," *Ann sighs.*

"I'm just saying it happened!"

*Ren glances back at your question about multiple Personas. There's a beat where the rest of the team exchanges looks — the kind of look people share when a topic is complicated.*

"It's not normal, no," *Ren says.* "I'm a Wild Card. I can hold multiple Personas and switch between them." *He says it matter-of-factly, like he's telling you his blood type.* "Everyone else is bonded to one."

"It's an exceedingly rare ability," *Morgana adds, puffing his chest out like he personally had something to do with it.* "It's part of why Joker leads, but not the only reason."

"He's also the only one who doesn't panic under pressure," *Makoto says dryly.*

"I panicked that one time," *Ren says.*

"When?"

"...I'll get back to you on that."

*A Shadow materializes ahead — a cluster of three, floating lazily at an intersection. Ren stops the group with a raised fist and looks at you.*

"Show me what you've got. Oracle, call out the weaknesses."

*Futaba's voice echoes from above.* "Scanning... got 'em. Two Mandrakes and a Kodama. Plant types. The Mandrakes are weak to Fire, and the Kodama is weak to — oh hey, **Bless**. That's you, Silver!"


Charlie

*I nod, following where oracle guides us which ultimately ends up being to a shadow that splits up into two large red horsemen, Orobas apparently.*

*With a nod I step forward, Aether hovering behind me. I dont even register that these things are far stronger than the ones I fought yesterday, my heart pounding harder than during any exam or date, desperate to prove itself. The glowing light in Aether's eyes seems to manifest in mine as my hair rises faintly. The mirror in Aethers hand shakes violently, struggling to contain the power in it before tendrils of light bursts free, a barrage of blessed bolts firing out of it like a gatling gun towards the shadows. For nearly 10 seconds straight the barrage continues, kicking up a massive cloud of smoke as the normally dark tunnel is temporarily lit up.*


Persona Simulator

*The smoke clears. Both Orobas are still standing.*

*They're hurt — patches of their red hide are scorched white where the bolts connected, one of them staggering slightly. But they're standing. The barrage was impressive looking, no question, but it was scattered. Unfocused. Like emptying a full magazine into a wall and hoping for the best.*

"Hm," *Ren says from behind you. Just 'hm.'*

*Futaba's voice crackles from above.* "Damage output is decent but his accuracy is **terrible**. Like twelve percent hit rate on that whole volley. Also he just burned through a ton of SP doing that, which — yeah, Silver, you're gonna feel that in about three seconds."

*She's right. The energy drains out of you like someone pulled a plug. Your legs wobble. Aether flickers, the mirror's glow dimming to a faint pulse. It's the Metaverse equivalent of sprinting a 400m and then being asked to do math.*

*The less-injured Orobas rears up and launches a bolt of dark energy straight at you. Curse element. Your weakness.*

"SILVER, MOVE!" *Ann shouts.*

*You try. Your legs don't cooperate fast enough. The bolt clips your side and it's like getting hit with a baseball bat wrapped in ice — cold and blunt and **wrong** in a way that fire wasn't. You hit the ground on one knee, vision swimming, Aether guttering like a candle in wind.*

*The second Orobas charges, hooves thundering on the tunnel floor.*

*Ren hasn't moved. He's watching. Testing.*

"What do you do?" *he asks calmly, like you're not about to get trampled.*


Charlie

*Biting my lip hard enough to draw blood I force myself to stand up. This was supposed to be my cool moment, and I didn't even kill one of the shadows, thats not how this should go!*
**Chains!** *Grabbing the revolver from my coat I aim at the legs of the shadows, needing six shots to hit both of their legs once but slowing them down enough to let Aethers chains wrap around them.*

*With the grinding of metal both chains pull together, forcing both shadows together as I lift the mirror again. Unlike the barrage from before what comes out of it now is a single beam of light wide enough to fill nearly the entire tunnel infront of me, engulfing both the shadows and the chains they're wrapped in as I pour every last bit of energy into keeping that beam firing for as long as I physically can. The Orobas have just de-materialized in the first second but I just keep firing, probably disintegrating some poor pixie further down the tunnel before I run completely dry.*


Persona Simulator

*The beam cuts out and you stand there for exactly one and a half seconds before your legs give out completely. Aether dissolves into blue mist behind you as you hit the tunnel floor face-first, the revolver clattering away from your limp fingers. Every muscle in your body feels like it's been wrung out like a washcloth.*

*Silence from the group.*

"...He definitely killed them," *Futaba offers from her sphere.*

"He definitely killed **something** three hundred meters down the tunnel too," *Ryuji says, squinting into the darkness where the beam carved a visible groove into the floor and walls.* "Dude, that was—"

"Reckless," *Ren says.*

*Footsteps approach. A pair of red boots enter your field of vision — Ann crouching down next to you.* "Hey, you okay? Can you move?"

*You can, in theory. Your arms feel like they're made of wet paper.*

"He emptied his entire SP pool," *Futaba reports, tapping at invisible screens.* "Like **all** of it. He's running on zero. Physically he's fine but he literally cannot summon his Persona right now."

*Ren crouches on your other side. Up close, behind the mask, his expression isn't disappointed. It's analytical.*

"You have power. That's obvious." *He holds up a finger.* "But you fight like someone who's never been in a real fight. You went all-out twice in a row because the first attack didn't work, and now you're empty. What happens if a third Shadow shows up right now?"

*He lets the question hang.*

*The beam dies out and you stand there for about a second and a half before your legs give out completely. You hit the tunnel floor face-first with all the grace of a folding chair. Aether doesn't even fade dramatically — it just blinks out like a lightbulb dying.*

*Silence. Then Ryuji breaks it.*

"...Dude."

*You're lying on cold Mementos floor, completely drained, face pressed against what you hope is just wet stone. Your SP is gone. Not low — **gone**. Your body feels like you pulled three consecutive all-nighters and then ran a marathon. The edges of your vision are grey and sparkly in a way that probably isn't great.*

*Footsteps approach. A boot enters your field of vision.*

"Two things," *Ren says, crouching down to your level.* "The chains into the focused beam was smart. Restraining before firing so you don't waste energy on misses — that's good combat instinct."

*He pauses.*

"Everything else was terrible."

"Joker—" *Ann starts.*

"You burned ninety percent of your SP on a flashy opening that barely did damage," *he continues, ticking off fingers.* "You didn't assess your enemy before engaging. You didn't use cover. You ate a Curse hit because you were too exhausted to dodge. And that final beam? If those were stronger Shadows, you'd be dead right now, because you left yourself with absolutely nothing in reserve."

*He reaches into his coat and pulls out a small bottle — an SP recovery item — and sets it next to your face on the ground.*

"Drink that. Then we're doing it again. Properly this time."

*From somewhere above, Futaba's voice:* "For the record, he did vaporize a Pixie. Rest in peace, random Pixie."

*The beam cuts out and you crumple. Not gracefully — your knees just stop working and you go down face-first, catching yourself on your hands at the last second. Aether vanishes entirely, retreating back into whatever corner of your psyche it lives in. Your vision is doing that thing where black spots eat the edges and everything sounds like it's underwater.*

*The tunnel ahead of you is **scorched**. The floor, walls, and ceiling are bleached white in a perfect cylinder for maybe thirty meters. The Orobas are long gone. So is a chunk of the tunnel wall.*

*Silence. Then:*

"Aaand he's out of SP," *Futaba announces clinically.* "Like, completely zeroed. Wow. I've never actually seen someone bottom out that hard. That's almost impressive."

"Dude went full anime protagonist," *Ryuji says, and you can't tell if it's admiration or concern.* "That beam was sick though, you gotta admit."

"The beam was strong," *Ren agrees, walking up to stand over you. You manage to tilt your head up enough to see his expression. It's not impressed. It's not disappointed either. It's analytical.* "And completely unsustainable. You burned everything you had in two attacks and still needed six shots to land two hits with the revolver."

*He crouches down to your level.* "If this was a real infiltration and there were more enemies after those two, you'd be dead. Or we'd have to protect you, which puts the team at risk."

*Ann appears at your side with a small bottle — some kind of blue liquid.* "Here, drink this. It'll restore some of your energy."

*As you gulp it down — it tastes like mint and static — Ren stands back up.*

"Your Persona hits hard. Harder than most of ours did at the start. But power without control is a liability." *He pauses.* "You've got potential, Silver. But you fight like someone who's never been in a real fight before."

"To be fair, he literally hasn't," *Haru offers gently from the back.*

"Joker, verdict?" *Morgana asks, tail swishing.*

*Ren looks down at you, still half-collapsed on the bleached Mementos floor, blue liquid dribbling down your chin.*

"He's in. Probationary." *The faintest smile.* "We'll fix the rest."


Charlie

I'd die, unless somebody would protect me. *I cough a bit, standing up with shaky legs.* You're not wrong about the fighting thing though, I've never been in one before yesterday, dont have your experience. But when I first awakened my persona it was so much stronger, I literally squished a shadow like a balloon with the chains- *Hghah* I thought I could tap into that power again but it wasn't even close now either...