Hope

The voices are deafening.

They scream so loudly, even I can barely hear them. It somehow echoes sharply through the ugly cacophony, reverberating in my eardrums. The voices of the human soul like me, it seems, and I'm not sure if it's a blessing or a curse. They're really loud. But it isn't their desired future, as I expected.

Instead, I hear their lost hopes.

I only catch bits and pieces, but for the briefest moment, they almost sound sad. Then they go back to being overwhelmingly loud, demanding life or death or just blood. I can't even move my paws to cover my ears- this is torture!

Arsene's eyes are wide open. He thrashes in his chains. The ghosts really hate him- they howl even louder than they were around me. I hear screams of traitor, and maybe he's yelling back, but I can't tell.

Trae's ears are covered, her being the only one free. She's looking around the room, clearly debating her next move. The ghosts can't seem to affect her. They swirl around her like a maelstrom, they scream like banshees, but she remains untouched. She holds the Hope and Despair Palace keys in her hands. Did Ren know about the Fates and their role in this the entire time?

We're going to have words later.

Loki's still unconscious. Doesn't bode well for Akechi, he's back to having no Personas. Clearly, fighting the Fates without a full arsenal of Almighty spells is suicide. On the bright side, none of the humans seem to hear the souls but Ren. Of course, Ren. He summoned a demon lord to his side, and he was born in Jamestown. Surely he's not entirely human.

Lady Lavenza catches my attention last, though I should have noted her first. Her jaw is clenched so tightly I can almost hear her bones creaking. The ghosts avoid her like the plague, but she looks deathly pale. I spot a strand of wind swirling daringly close, then Lachesis gives it a menacing look. It scatters like... well, the wind.

Lavenza smiles at her.

They plainly care about each other... but why does she care for someone that would kill Igor? I briefly consider Stockholm Syndrome, then dismiss it. Technically, they are holding her captive, but the Fates were her first Personas. Suppose they'd been threatening her all this time, while Igor was in the Velvet Room. Igor was a being of unknown power. The Fates wouldn't have dared threaten him then. Perhaps Kronos forced their hand when he made a move on Shibuya. Or perhaps Yaldabaoth had, bringing Ren out of Jamestown.

It doesn't matter, I decide.

I doubt that, Zorro mutters, but I choose to ignore him.

A flurry of movement to my right. Lady Lavenza's eyes are still closed, and the Fates are struggling to orchestrate calm in the room- interesting. Even they cannot control the Sea of Souls. Trae lunges across the room, and the ghosts scatter around her. She jumps a few times, trying to reach Arsene's chains.

He looks down at her, dazed, and shakes his head. He nods towards me and says something I can't hear. Then he points with his chin at our buffoon and the gremlin. The wind blows even louder.

A hand lands on my shoulder. "Morgana," Trae growls. Her voice cuts clearly through the sound, and suddenly it's quiet for us. My ears settle back into their regular position. I sigh in relief. It's almost like having a bubble around us. Her expression is deadly serious. She looks all grown up- actually, she's probably older than most of us in human years.

"You are the incarnation of human hope," Trae says. "Arsene does not think Fate will hold you so easily."

Shows what he knows. Arsene might believe that, but these chains feel as sturdy as they come. They don't have locks on them.

Trae reads my expression, and a hint of her old smile appears. "Morgana, do you remember what Lavenza said about the script?" She smiled even brighter. "I know little of the outside world, but I do know scripts and books and writing. Do you know what figurative language is?"

Ren's class talked a lot about it, and Lady Ann used a lot of it in her English essays. Other than that, not very much.

"Figurativ- oh, we have no time for this. It means that those chains- you know they're the Fates' threads, right? They represent Fate binding you. Do you get it?"

I'm not sure I understand all of it, but something's nagging at the back of my mind. The Moirai are clearly keeping their attention on Arsene, because he's "escaped?" twice. I'm not as clear on their powers as he seems to be... but I think I get it.

"Break thy chains of captivity," I mumble. Ren said that a few times last year, and usually it was just before gaining a ton of powerful Personas.

Trae nods, seeing I'm on the right track. "I'll explain everything, should we win this. I must free the others myself, and I have no idea when these-" she opens her hands to present the keys, "will be stolen."

"Couldn't you just free me now?" I demand. It might be callous of me, but I blame my form. It prefers to be apathetic and lazy.

"I learned to lockpick from books, Morgana, and you have paws. Surely this will be faster." Trae's smile becomes more wary, and she glances at where the Fates are scrambling for order. "Ren may have defeated Time, but the clock ticks on. Hurry, Morgana."

She vanishes back into the ghost-wind.

Now how am I supposed to undo a metaphor, when I barely understand what that is?!

---

Treasure

Trae had never picked a lock before.

She'd read about it, of course. Everything she knew was from reading and watching and listening, but lockpicking was infinitely more difficult than she'd expected. Using one hand for it? It took her a long time, but Arsene had stalled for her. She owed him.

But, Trae thought, there was more than a factor of luck that had helped her. Probably the fact she didn't even believe in Fate. No way three random beings, chosen out of billions and billions of souls, could control the world and everything in it. She just had to get everyone else to believe it.

Which was why she stopped in front of Ryuji instead of Futaba.

"Hold still," she told him. The keys weren't exactly keys, they were lockpicks, and no one else could see the locks. If she had to guess, it was because all of them believed Fate controlled them. That every move they made, Fate had predetermined, and their choices were nothing but the maneuvering of puppet strings.

"Trae," Ryuji started, "How'd ya- there's no lock there!"

"Not to you," she muttered. Trae really should've abused her power when she had it- her Personas wouldn't even scratch the Fates, if Loki's demonstration was anything to go by.

"What's that s'pposed to mean?"

Clink. She growled a curse and restarted with the iron (and de-rusted) pick. The winds were dying down. She didn't have time for this! "Ryuji, these chains represent the threads of Fate tying you down."

"Like... a metaphor?" Ryuji frowned. "What's this gotta do with-"

"You're a Phantom Thief, aren't you?" she snapped. "Surely you've dealt with this before- oppression, corruption, judgement? I know Ren did! I saw that prison in my dreams, and he killed parts of himself over and over to be free!"

His brow scrunched, and it occurred to her that he didn't see what the chains had to do with the Moirai. In all fairness, she wasn't explaining it too well.

"Trae." Ryuji spoke slowly, like he was speaking to Trae the nine-year old and not Trae the awesome Treasure. "These are chains. They might represent something, but they're still solid chains. There aren't any locks."

"It's a metaphor, because the Fates are holding you hostage, you poophead!" Surely that was more straightforward, right?

"You're tryna get me t' believe Fate's not real, yea?"

Yes!

Then he shook his head. "Trae, how d'you ignore what's right in front of your eyes? A Phantom Thief keeps his eyes open for truth."

"How about all truths?" she retorted. Trae felt eyes burning into her spine. Oh, no... "It's a... oh, what did you call it? A change in cognition? Look at this a different way! What if these are as thin as paper? What if you can break these? Surely Fate can't hold you- you've deviated from it before." It was dirty, but she didn't hesitate to deliver the killing blow. "Do you think they intended you and your Ma to escape?"

His brown eyes widened.

Click.

Shit.

"Trae," he snarled. She braced for him to yell, to hit like her own Ma did, but his voice dropped with the wind. When Ryuji spoke again, he was calm. "You're doin' it wrong."

It was her turn to be surprised. "What?"

"No," he said, exasperated. "You're pickin' the lock wrong. How didja even get yours open?"

"You can-"

The not-so-subtle clank of metal echoed through the room. Echoed. The dead silence stuck a chord in her chest, and she shoved the keys in Ryuji's hand and whipped around, just barely ducking Atropos's swing. The Unturnable swiveled around on one foot and pointed her broadsword with one hand at her.

"Clotho, recapture her."

"Don't you fucking dare." The assassin's voice echoed from somewhere above her.

There was a bang, a horrified cry, then a gasp of pain. Akechi screamed something unintelligible and Atropos lowered her handgun. A shift of chains from somewhere in front of her, and Arsene cursed quietly. "When did you..." There was more rustling and a bit more cursing. That was his gun, wasn't it?

Her ace in the hole was weaponless, and the Moirai had essentially set off a bomb.

"I'll kill you!" the assassin screamed. "You damn tyrants, I'll kill you all myself!" Trae saw red flares sparking off his chains, reaching for the keyholes and recoiling. A dark stain started to spread on his left arm. His dominant arm.

Movement behind her.

Trae whipped around and unsheathed her butcher's knife, but Clotho was so much faster. Her hand landed on her wrist and fire exploded inside her skin. She screamed and yanked her arm away fast and tried to run. Clotho laughed cruelly and suddenly she was in front of her, the woman's dark hair swaying hypnoticall and she was burning up-

Trae found herself on the ground. The brunette was scowling. Her hands glowed with gold light. It was blinding, so she closed her eyes and curled up. Lingering heat flamed under her skin, trailing where books said arteries were supposed to be. She'd been modeled after humans.

"It will not work," Clotho said in mild surprise. Her golden, ringed eyes shifted sideways, where Atropos raised an eyebrow. It will not work...? Trae's head felt as if it were filled with water. She shook it a few times, hoping it wouldn't pop, and blinked up at Clotho. "That has... never happened before."

"Trae, please," Lavenza begged. "Give up. We shall create a path for you- you may go free and see the world, if you wish it."

She glared past Clotho. Trae didn't trust her. Mama said that if something seemed good, it was probably fake... but did Lavenza really have a reason to fake it?

Yes. She was allied with the Fates, even if it wasn't by choice. "And what will happen to them?"

"So long as you are free, does it matter?" Lachesis asked.

No it didn't, and she would leave most of them behind if she could. Trae was the embodiment of Jamestown- the cruelty, brute strength, and trickery- but she had learned to be as human as her books told her. Tales of bravery and kindness and heroic feats were as much a part of her as Jamestown was. Even if she didn't owe Arsene anymore, she did care about him. Him and the assassin and the Thieves who were so nice to her, even though she was little and- when she was faking it- useless.

Other than that one time Noir suggested they sacrifice her, of course... but that was just pressure!

Trae cared for all of them, she realized, and she would not leave them behind.

"Yes," she said.

"What?" Clotho snarled. "You dare deny such a generous offer?"

They would never understand, would they? They hadn't read about and lived among humans for a century! They didn't know how to care for anyone other than themselves.

Well, Trae amended.

Maybe one of them did.

---

Fate

The threads refused to touch her.

They circled the Treasure girl like the ghosts did, but they did not bind her like they did before. Clotho looked astonished, while Atropos seemed resigned, as if she had decided to just kill her. They would come to those decisions, being so much like Caroline and Justine.

Lachesis shook her head. Trae was an anomaly, one worthy of high respect. To come as far as she had was an impressive feat. It would be interesting to see how it played out, if only to see if Arsene's claim was correct.

Tyrants, he called them. Yet they only controlled Fate because control was order. Without order, there was chaos- terrible, infinite chaos. Was that not why human governments were formed? The Moirai kept everyone in line.

Of course, every being in this room had thrown off Fate at least once, making them all dangerous. And like any government, to keep control, they had to silence dissenters.

Lavenza stiffened under her arms. Her yellow eyes were wide... more astonished than afraid, she supposed. She saw something in the world's threads- one that hadn't yet been broken.

"Down," she whispered. Lavenza's eyes snapped back in focus and lasered onto the bleeding Shapeshifter. His hands sparked with red energy.

"Atropos, restrain Trae and get down!" Lachesis cried. She grabbed Lavenza, who was still staring blankly ahead, and dove under the desk. A second later, heat washed over them and the sound of clinking chains echoed through the air. Not a moment later, an explosion washed over the Velvet Room. She sensed the desk begin to splinter and slide a few inches.

What was the Shapeshifter's ability called? Call of Chaos?

The Velvet Room attendant blinked as the energy pulse faded. She looked around."Oh. Thank you." She sat up, but the room shook with the force of another explosion, and Lavenza fell back down with a squeak. "I believe the Shapeshifter's free. After his little tantrum, I assume Ren will be freed next. And-" Lavenza blinked.

"Lavenza?" Lachesis prompted.

"I no longer sense Morgana or Ryuji Sakamoto."

Lachesis thought back to the Treasure girl, the first free. She had escaped her chains just before the Human Souls began to scream, clutching two... keys...

Aha.

"Atropos," she cursed. "She should not have injured the Shapeshifter." Anger was his greatest strength and weakness, according to what they knew about him. He would blow the place to dust if he could, and whether or not he believed in Fate, he would still do it.

As they continued to free themselves from Fate (thank you, Treasure girl) surely their cognitions would begin to change. They would realize it was possible to escape, and it was always easier when there was a precedent. Then-

This time, Lachesis felt the threads unravel.

"Arsene is free. Ren will certainly be next." She dared peek her head out of the desk. Caution did not come easily to her, but she had seen the things their Shapeshifter did with Call of Chaos. For the time being, though, he seemed to have calmed down. Lachesis glanced back at her friend.

Friend.

What a strange, human word. Perhaps she was too human for her own good. She blamed her friend.

"If we are to win, we must stop Ren from being freed." Are you ready, was what she meant. Lavenza had refused to reinstate Ren as the Trickster for a reason, possibly for this reason. She had denied him protection against Kronos, yet he'd still come out on top. But Lachesis was more human than that- she wouldn't blindly assume something about a person and decide it was fact. Lavenza had been saved by Ren. She owed him, did she not? The Treasure girl had changed because she owed Arsene. Surely Lavenza would feel conflicted.

Lavenza smiled at her, soft and reassuring. "Of course." She slipped into a language full of edges, one that seemed more natural to her. "I trust you."

Lachesis tucked the moment away before it could sting her eyes. "Atropos has Trae pinned. The Sea of Souls is stirring again. You must stop Ren from freeing himself, and I shall do the rest."

She nodded. "And the verdict of the ghosts?"

"Rather unhelpful, to be honest."

"Let us begin, then."

Lavenza dashed out from the desk's cover, Lachesis following with Psy spells upon her lips. Her golden eyes swept the now-wrecked train cabin. The wooden chairs littered the floor, most in splinters and barely recognizable. The walls bulged outwards, seeming to barely contain the Shapeshifter's wrath.

The Shapeshifter himself stood in the middle of the room, his wound having since been healed. He was locked in combat with her brunette sister, flashes of red and gold sparking around them like fireworks. It was nearly too fast to see. Lachesis admired the Shapeshifter's foolhardiness- no one could face Clotho and escape unscathed.

Lavenza's boots stopped with a barely audible skff. That was her only warning, and she threw a Psiodine in front of them on instinct. Lachesis drew her half-blades and drew her friend behind her. There was a barely audible hiss, and a Eigaeon was thrown back at them.

Arsene.

A quick headcount of the freed Thieves. Morgana had healed the Shapeshifter and was likely still near him. Trae was being pinned by Atropos, and judging by how pale she was, at least one Persona had been summoned and defeated. Perhaps both. Arsene was in front of her, glowering in his human form. Ryuji Sakamoto was nowhere to be seen. And Ren would be freed next.

"Lachesis," Arsene said, as casually as ever. His eyes narrowed.

"Arsene." He was unarmed, she consoled herself. Thank goodness he was unarmed. He had the gall to shoot not one, but two gods in the face, and she rather liked her own. Fortunately, she was female. He might not kill her.

Lavenza tapped lightly at the base of her hand. Go now?

She squeezed the attendant's hand once. Yes.

"If you back down now, I will not harm you."

"Are you about to take a harmless girl hostage?" she chided, her blades beginning to spark purple. "One your master saved?"

Arsene didn't dare to look away. His crystalline eyes narrowed. "Are you about to take my master hostage?" he growled. His hands clenched. No spells, then. He wasn't going to run the risk of them being reflected. "One your master saved?"

Lavenza had melted into the shadows, only visible by her glimmering eyes. She was shifting along the cracked walls, the wind whistling through and disguising her footsteps. Good.

Lachesis knew Arsene was following her eyes, and the instant they left her face, she struck. Psiodyne again, and as he sidestepped, she brought her blade down. It would be fast enough to cut any human open- but he wasn't human, she chided, and he grabbed her wrist and shifted just enough for it to whistle past him. He plucked the blade out of her hand, examining it almost casually.

"What a nice gift," Arsene said. "Pray tell, which unfortunate soul did you steal this from?"

Anger flared in her chest, in her nonexistent heart. "I'll-" She paused. Considered. "Psio." It was a weak spell. He countered it immediately with an Eiga.

"If I were a fool," he said, "I would call you the weakest of the three."

Arsene was watching her carefully. Do not react. She was a goddess, he a simple Persona. She would not react. Even if his comment pleased and infuriated her in equal measures. There was a reason Atropos favored him so, she thought, forcing her hands loose.

Of course he noticed that little movement. "How human you are," he mused.

"I have no need for human qualities." Lachesis reminded herself that lying to a liar was a waste of breath.

His eyes shifted again, towards where she knew Lavenza was. "Human enough to care," he said, and Lachesis had a feeling Arsene was being genuine. Astonishingly genuine. They were enemies, and he dared to say such kind words?

She snapped her fingers with her free hand, as if Lachesis were summoning a spell. His crystalline eyes flashed up, his body on guard. She struck with her free hand, simultaneously activating the Psy spell in her blades.

Arsene cried out, dropping the blade. Her second one grazed him, cutting deeper than she'd expected. He jumped back. He glared at her, pressing a hand against his shoulder, and a second later he was in his normal form, wings and claws out.

She could kill him. Lachesis's blood hummed at the thought. He was weaker than usual, and even at full strength, she could rip him limb from limb. Dare she do it?

But Atropos was the stone-cold killer, and Clotho delighted in fights and toying with her prey. Lachesis was the Allotter, the giver. It was not her job to kill.

So she ducked his swipe, cast Foul Breath and Psycho Force at the same time. Fear flashed under his mask- Lachesis could tell by the way his shoulders tensed- and he hurriedly, almost panicky, dealt with the Psy spell. Kronos's torture methods seemed to have left a mark. Lachesis was gone by the time he looked up, absorbed in the shadows.

Now where was Lavenza?

A flash of blond hair to her left, near Yusuke Kitagawa, another of the ghost's favorites. She tilted her head, brushing auburn hair out of the way. No, that was not Lavenza. Too tall. Brown eyes. Bad leg. Most definitely Ryuji Sakamoto.

And he had the Treasure girl's keys.

"Magarudyne." Perhaps it was a bit over the top, but it slammed into both Ryuji and Yusuke. Ryuji made a choked sound and staggered, clutching his chest. His Persona's weakness wasn't doing him any favors, and he was too incapacitated to do a thing. She swooped in and slipped the keys out of his palm, then melted back into the shadows.

Now there would be far less escapes. Excellent. She slipped them into her pocket and swept the room once again. Trae was struggling, but Atropos was holding her still. She seemed annoyed, her ice spells protecting most of the room from the Shapeshifter and Clotho.

The Shapshifter was deadly fast, and the Call of Chaos made him almost a match for the Moirai. The distorted air around them and the char marks on the ground said enough. It was a wonder the Velvet Room was still holding together within the Sea of Souls. Sweat dripped off the Shapeshifters face, and both seemed to be out of breath. There was a wild smile on her sister's face, though, which certainly didn't bode well for him.

"Loki!" he heard him roar. "I don't have time for this!" There was an edge to his voice that bordered on hysteric. "Loki!"

Loki was still limp, swaying with his chains. Clank. Clank. Clank. It was almost as if they were mocking the Shapeshifter, and he wasn't taking it well. He screamed something, and another pulse of red burst across the room, bright as the sun. Lachesis huffed and turned away, darting back towards Lavenza.

She halted yet again. Lavenza was halfway through an argument with her master's creation. (The Moirai had bluffed. They were in no way powerful enough to cut Igor's thread, and Lavenza knew it.) Morgana's wide blue eyes seemed hurt, and Lavenza looked sad and guilty. Ren was watching silently as they went back and forth, gears in his head turning. Lachesis needed to dissolve the argument quickly-

Danger.

She whipped around and caught Arsene's sleeve. The Persona glared openly at her, back in his human form. Seemed he preferred it for sneaking- for everything but fighting, actually. Atropos kept tabs on him until he vanished a century ago.

He ripped his arm away, sidestepping closer to her. His fingers brushed the base of her neck. She forced herself to relax, though she knew they could change to claws at a moment's notice. Lachesis held the power here, not Arsene, though his mannerisms said otherwise.

"Stay away from him," the demon-thief warned. His crystal eyes bored into hers. "You touch him, you even try to manipulate him, I will cut you down where you stand."

She scoffed. Who was the god and who was the Persona here? "I don't suppose you have an army at your disposal, do you?"

A hint of a smile. "No, but I have these." To her complete and utter surprise, he produced two half-blades, sparking purple. They snapped and popped harmlessly off Arsene's red sleeves- he must have hidden them up his sleeves! Lachesis was sure she'd carried both away from him. How had he taken them?

She sensed red-gold eyes bore into her, and looked up to meet Ren's. The former Trickster. He had been denied the Velvet Room's protection, courtesy of Lavenza, and was very nearly killed by Kronos. A pity he wasn't, she thought to herself.

"Arsene," he breathed. His voice was lower than she remembered, though she'd heard him speak many times. It occurred to her that while all these Thieves had fought two gods, Ren and Arsene had taken the brunt of it.

"Ren," he said evenly. There was a beat of silence. No doubt they were communicating with each other.

Perhaps a Psy spell could stop them. Or, since Ren was still chained- no, Arsene was quick to notice, and it really didn't seem... well, fair. Especially not fair to Lavenza, who felt she owed Ren, but Ren was too oblivious. Of course, he was the Fool.

Dizziness, though... that could work. Humans relied on their eyes quite a lot, and their brain became muddled when their eyesight was. Her Ailment spells were irritatingly weak- it was Lavenza's specialty, to compliment Lachesis's Brainwashing spells.

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure," said Arsene.

But what if she aimed for Arsene? Ren might become frantic, enough time for her to recast Foul Breath and Dazzler, stunning both of them. Foul Breath was still in effect for Arsene, lowering his resistance to ailment spells and effects. She could certainly do it... but would it be like shooting the Shapeshifter? Would he break free because of it?

Double or nothing, she decided. She was Lavenza's other half, and while they were both exceedingly careful, she was a gambler in her nonexistent heart.

Double or nothing. Double or nothing.

"This is a terrible idea."

"The best kind."

"Dazzler," she breathed.

An explosion of light, not sound, burst into life in front of them. The flashbang spell- at least, Clotho preferred to call it that- left her blinking spots out of her eyes, but her target had fallen backwards in his haste to get away. He assumed Lachesis had used a Psy spell afterwards, hadn't he?

Ah, despite everything, he was still so human.

Arsene staggered to his feet, swaying like a man drunk. He reached up and touched his eyelid, as if to reassure himself they were still there.

One down.

"Arsene!" Ren threw himself against his bonds with such force that the wood began to splinter. The chains groaned. He faced Lachesis, eyes burning with hatred.

"Ren, that is enough!" Lavenza cried. "You will throw us into the Sea of Souls! If you care for Goro and Arsene, you will stop now!"

He hesitated, just long enough for Lachesis to cast Dazzler again. He had his eyes closed, but the flashbang was bright enough to sear them anyways. Ren made a sound halfway between a snarl and a scream, yanking on his manacles. "LAVENZA!"

It astonished Lachesis that he was furious with Lavenza. She, after all, was the one who cast the spell.

"Cap'n Kidd!"

Lachesis sensed the lightning and activated one of her two Null abilities. The spell shattered harmlessly around her. Ryuji barked a command and a barrage of lightning spells turned her world white and gold. The blinding display irritated her.

"Magarudyne," Lachesis snapped to the lights. She heard a grunt of pain and sensed a flare through Fate's threads. Ren was injured- she'd missed Ryuji.

Then the lightning faded, and Lachesis realized she hadn't been the target, after all.

Ryuji stood next to Lavenza. He didn't touch her, but it was a clear threat regardless. A single move, and lightning would shatter the windows. Lavenza surely wouldn't survive the Sea of Souls on her own. "Don't touch our Leader," Ryuji growled.

"I would not do that if I were you," she said.

"Lachesis!" Lavenza shrieked. She pointed, and the auburn-haired woman turned.

Too late. She sensed the threads unraveling, heard the chains clank against the floor.

Ren was freed.

---

Nameless

Loki.

I awaken with a start. A headache pulses through my skull, distorting everything. My body feels strained, as if it's been run under a press. My arms and legs are bound, and my energy reserves feel near-drained.

Loki.

Goro Akechi.

I blink a few times. My vision refocuses, and I find my master dueling one of the Moirai. He looks weak. His strikes are slower than I remember, the fire wreathing him sluggish. His eyes glow with the Call of Chaos and the red pulses around him barely throw off heat.

Loki, wake up right the fuck now! His sharp voice spears my thoughts, sending a wave of pain through me. I instinctively shapeshift, slipping out of my bonds and becoming something with claws and teeth. A mountain lion, it appears.

I am here.

Fantastic, he seethes. Start casting! Akechi lets out a sharp gasp and jumps back. Clotho grins, her teeth showing, and presses her advantage. Blood soaks his left arm. He hastily switches his sword. Her own broadsword slams against his, and his arms tremble with effort.

"Megidolaon," I hiss, and pounce.

I take her by surprise. The spell hits her blade, sending it flying, and I sink my fangs into her leg. Clotho shrieks, "Makougan!" and a wave of pain roils over my fur. I feel it blistering and know pain will follow in seconds. My mountain cat skin becomes a small bird with an iron beak. I fly away, cast another Megidolaon, and dive at her back.

Goro Akechi drives her back all of three steps before more weapons reform in her hands. Two needle-thin daggers, iron from hilt to tip, block his sword and nearly stabs through his eye. Goro Akechi recoils, and it takes a chunk of his hair instead.

Turn into something else, dammit!

To make a point, I become human and turn my skin to stone. My fists gain mass, becoming heavy and clublike. I dash at Clotho faster than four hundred pounds of rock should be able to and just barely miss her head. She's incredibly fast, and when she lashes out at me, I'm too slow. Her knives slice through my skin like it's butter. My nerves sting. I shift into a snake and back up, hoping my master will use any advantage.

He seems oddly sensible, considering Call of Chaos is in effect. Perhaps...

Call of Chaos again, I tell him.

Did Kronos mess with your head again? Goro snaps. He yelps, and the ring of metal on metal pulses through our heads. I graciously ignore the undignified sound, and he ignores me for a moment. Help, he demands.

Call of Chaos.

You want this bitch to go crazy? You got a death wish?

Not her. I project a mental image of the splintered walls.

Silence on his end. I will poison sacs into my jaws, make my teeth hollow. Bones become strong with metal alloys and my heart is carefully shrouded in defenses. My body swells into a two-hundred fifty pound polar bear, and I barrel into her.

Clotho easily stops me, though she has to turn to do it. Her hand presses against my nose, nails drawing blood. "Weak," she sneers. "Humans called you a god?"

That, as she well knows, cuts deep. I remind myself I am a god, not for brute strength, but for strength of mind. I have power... just none that she can see at the moment.

Chains snap somewhere in the room, and a cry of triumph from a demon-thief. Goro Akechi's hands pulse red. His knuckles split open. Mist pours out instead of blood, and his teeth clench. He glances over his shoulder, his expression strained. Who was that?

Clotho somehow knows what he's thinking, and laughs openly. Lightning ripples through my body, locking my muscles in place. Her nails tighten even further. "That happens to be Ren, Shapeshifter," she snickers.

Little bitch. The paralysis wears off, and I tear open my jaws and close them around her hand. She screams as the poison pumps into her- paralysis, too. I want her to suffer.

Clotho knows that my master has a weak spot named Ren Amamiya. She also knows he's building the spell, and it's strong enough to rip him apart.

But I know him better.

It's too late to turn back, he tells me. His face is expressionless, his red eyes as dead as the day I first met him.

My tongue fails me. I simply say, I know.

A half-smile flickers across his face. For what it's worth, Goro Akechi tells me, and he sounds sad. I've finally accepted you as a part of me.

My chest aches where a heart should be. I shift back into my Persona form and extend my hand to him, the only thanks I can offer him. Clotho watches, her eyes wide. She feels fear. She knows.

We release the Call of Chaos, and the Velvet Room bursts apart, throwing us headfirst into the Sea of Souls.

---

Finally done!

Words: 5933

Thanks, guys... I was relying on you guys so I could ruin your hopes and dreams, but this works well enough. Now the Thieves are stuck in the Sea of Souls, thanks to Akechi and Loki. All bets are off on who survives. It depends on who the Sea likes ,and who can hold their identity together like Arsene did.

I don't have much to say, except that many deaths will occur next chapter.

I was going to add Kronos's POV, but I realized it didn't make sense. Yes, he died, and he would have been returned to the sea of souls, and he was. Thing is, he didn't hold his identity too well, cuz he's so arrogant, and he became part of the single mind thing, like the greater consciousness is.

Man, these chapters take awhile! I've been playing Splatoon a lot, but I think I can have the next chapter out in a week and a half, if I focus.

Note: no one in the chapter is strictly human. Reason I didn't use Arsene, lol, and they all belonged to the Sea of SOuls at one point, so they can all hear them.

As for how Morgana escaped, it's like, you believe fate can't hold you. Like how Arsene got to the Velvet Room and got Fate to admit stuff, which wasn't part of "the script." As more people escape, it sets a precedent, which is easier to follow than doing it first. Fun, right??? It took me ages to figure this stuff out lol. 

And yes, it's a metaphor. i think. Look, I'm in ninth grade- I can't be expected to know this! NO THIS ISNT A FOURTH GRADE STANDARD SHUT UP

Happy belated Valentines Day!

Happy belated Singles Awareness Day!

Robin out!