Even though Arsene had once been human, he was still unacquainted with fear. Fear, he knew, was a human trait that made the affected person look at something or someone differently. An occurence of this would be Ren at school. He feared school as much as Arsene feared... well, he couldn't remember the last time he'd been afraid.

Yet his master was making him remember just why he hated being scared.

Ren, put the lighter back!

Arsene did everything he could to get his attention, doing his best to tear away the barrier Ren had so cooly slammed between their minds. It barely elicited a reaction from his master, and Arsene's frustration grew. That was an emotion he understood perfectly, as he was treated to it day after day. Ren!

His master, the source of most of the aforementioned frustration, didn't hesitate in the slightest. He zipped up the backpack, having placed everything of importance- Ren's fatal flaw- in there, and slung it over his shoulder. Although Arsene's limited view didn't show it, Ren's nerves sensed papers in his right hand and the glossy surface of the lighter in the left. It was the latter Arsene was afraid of. It certainly hadn't been there the night before, although most of that night he was unable to recall. What worried him most was the potential of the little black lighter.

The biggest issue was what Ren had been thinking just before Akira tore his life apart. The witch will burn.

It didn't take a detective to understand what was about to happen. Arsene fought to get Ren's attention before he did something he'd regret. They were thieves, yes, but they'd always gone out of their way to not become murderers. Arsene could recall several instances from his past life when killing the person next to him would've been oh so easy. Yet he never did, and he expected the same of his master.

Clearly, that had been a mistake.

Ren ghosted inside Akira's room, a luxurious thing made more for comfort than function. He sensed Ren's mood spike violently as he spotted the woman sleeping soundly- alone for once. Ren delicately slipped past the bed and to the door, which he silently lashed shut with the beautiful leather whip he'd retrieved earlier. Then he scattered the papers in his hand across the floor, and Arsene finally got a glimpse of them as Ren glanced down at them. He recognized them as the ones that used to be on his floor.

Ren, that's enough! He screamed soundlessly, doing the mental equivalent of throwing his arms against the barrier. Leave her be!

It seemed the last comment got through, because his master stopped short. The barrier lifted, to his eternal relief. "How can you say that?" he whispered, his voice edged with a low growl. "She-"

I know what she did! Arsene felt his own emotions rise in response. But you're taking this too far!

He smelled ash and blood a second before the luxurious pink room warped. Shibuya's crossroads, where all the streets and subways met, twisted in front of him and suddenly settled. This, Arsene realized with a jolt, was where both he and Ren died.

"Maybe she left the stove on for too long," Ren suggested smoothly, ignoring him. He was an entirely different person now. "And maybe the roof collapsed on top of her." He slipped out the window, which was still present despite the illusions disguising it. "What's it to you?"

I can't let you do this.

"You can't really stop me," Ren said.

He was absolutely right, and they both knew it. Arsene could only watch in a mixture of despair and horror as Ren flicked the lighter open and threw it into Akira's room. He made quick work of the window, pinning the screen shut with a knife. With his strength, it sank to the hilt.

Ren's ears picked up the lower roars of the Wolf, and Arsene wondered at that. He was mostly sure that Ren hadn't been in there at all. Yet the consistent slams and vicious snarls suggested he, too, was trapped.

Why, he wondered, had Ren done it? Akira's death, he could understand. If he were someone else, perhaps a certain black-masked traitor, he would even encourage it. Only, the Wolf had taught Ren the skills that let him survive in the Metaverse. Ren respected him, and that alone should've made Okami Amamiya safe.

Except... That day in the backyard, when Ren had completely lost control.

Arson, was it?

What a terrifying master he had.

A second later, the window burst open, a hundred sparkling daggers aimed outwards. Fire poured out behind it. Arsene and his master instinctively dropped to the ground, his wings spread protectively over them. His claws dug furrows in the concrete, the dirt underneath dimly illuminated by the full moon.

Ren groaned, making to stand up, but Arsene was faster. In a rustle of feathers and chains, his master was on his back, pinned with one clawed hand at his throat. He growled in warning, his voice lower than he remembered. Perhaps he'd become more like Ren that he'd initially thought.

His master blinked slowly. "Arsene?"

"The one and only," he announced, spreading his wings around them. The illusion certainly wouldn't protect them from the flames, and he kept an eye on it. The last thing he needed were his escape routes cut off, and fire certainly could do that. "I warned you."

"You did," Ren gasped. Arsene loosened his grip, but summoned Eiga warningly in his other hand. "But you don't understand."

"I've only ever heard someone say that when they've done something bad," Arsene said, bringing his masked face closer to Ren's. Strange, he thought. There was no guilt in his eyes, not that he could see. He wondered just what would make his master so determined that setting his own home aflame would be inconsequential.

Ren shook his head as best he could with Arsene so close. "I don't think I can say. But it'll affect the rest of my life."

He felt the flames singe his wings and drew them closer, hissing sharply. "Ren, what is it? What is so important that you would kill for?"

"My future?" he said in a voice that suggested Arsene was being stupid. Oh, Ren knew he absolutely despised that voice. When he leveled a cool look at him- the mask rendered it ineffective, but Arsene made his point- Ren huffed. "It doesn't matter without this. It'll be over in six days, alright?"

"I won't let you kill again," Arsene warned. The fire, glowing brightly in comparison to the full moon, cast harsh shadows across his master's face. He looked older, and Arsene was reminded that he was only a child by human standards. He'd survived so much already. Fate loved messing with the pair of them, didn't it?

"I'll be gone at midnight," Ren said, ignoring him. "Just to warn you, you probably won't be able to talk or find me for the next six days."

Flames licked his back, and Arsene gasped. In an adrenaline-fueled moment, he launched himself away from the fire, doing his best to keep the sparks from spreading. It took him a second to realize that he'd left Ren behind.

The thought was pushed out of his mind as he spotted a blue-edged shape hovering at the edge of the flames. Zorro. He tucked his wings in and freefall to the broken concrete, catching himself at the very last second. Zorro whipped around, halfway through a Magaru spell before realizing it was only Arsene.

Although only, Arsene thought, was a bit offensive.

"What happened?" the Persona demanded, hopping down from a bit of rubble. "I come back and the entire place is on fire."

Arsene pushed his irritation to the back of his mind. "As you said, it went up in flames." He sensed a sharp emotion pulse behind him and threw his wings out. Eiha formed in his left hand, and he backstepped to see who it was.

Akechi spat out a mouthful of glowing feathers. "Thanks for that," he growled. "Now make like a phantom and disappear."

"Zorro." He trained his gaze on Akechi. "What's he doing here?"

The person in question smiled innocently, but his wine-red eyes narrowed. "Why, I'm assisting Morgana with this Palace," he said lightly.

His suspicion went sky-high, but before he could say so, the nearest wall caved in, followed by the roof. The Wolf hurtled through the window. Sparks fluttered through his hair and ash mingled with his charred, flaking skin. He slowed to a halt, snarling and baring sharpened fangs at them.

Akechi's eyes widened a fraction before he set his jaw and slipped the Detective Prince charm off. Arsene sensed his emotions flatline as he prowled forward and grabbed the other man's throat in a brutal grip.

"You," he growled. "The Wolf, right?"

"Careful where you put that hand," the predator hissed. "You just might lose it."

Akechi ignored the threat. "I was told to find you. Do you have something for me?"

"You're Goro Akechi." He turned his electric copper gaze on Arsene, who summoned Maeigaon threateningly. "And you... you're the cub's Persona. You stopped him from killing me." He grinned suddenly, flashing his canines. "Did Ren get rid of you?"

Arsene closed his fist, extinguishing the spell and grabbing his chin with the other hand. His finely sharpened claws dug into his rough skin. "Say another word about Ren," he said, knowing perfectly well that the Wolf couldn't hear him, "And I'll make certain you regret it."

He had the nerve to laugh.

Akechi spared a look at him. "How does this joker know about the Metaverse?" When Arsene only shrugged- he'd been given very little information, all of which he preferred to keep to himself- the traitor turned back to Okami. "You're Ren's father, aren't you?"

Okami wrinkled his nose, sending Akechi into a rage. In a second he'd shifted his grip, one arm around him, the left holding a gun to his head. "It takes very little to tear a human ear off," he growled. "You're just like every other man I've killed." He tightened his grip. "I suggest you start talking."

Okami leveled a cold, icy glare at him. "You haven't said what you want to know."

Arsene might've left them to it, but when the traitor snarled, "About the Palaces," his ears pricked up. Perhaps he could learn something more about it.

"The Palaces?" he scoffed. "You mean to tell me you haven't figured it out yourself?" When Akechi pressed the gun against his ear, Okami sighed. "The cub rules the Palaces."

"What about the girl?" Akechi demanded.

"What girl?"

His wine-red eyes shifted over to Arsene, who felt his own eyes widen. Trae. How did Akechi know about Trae, and why would he be asking about her? The traitor cared for no one but himself. Then again, Arsene realized, people had said the same about him in his previous life.

"The one with the green eyes."

"The weakling?"

Akechi's teeth clenched. "That's the one." The words were laced with poison. "She found her way into one Palace." At this, Arsene dug his claws into his wrist to stop himself from throwing Eigaon. Trae had been in the Palace? If Akechi cared enough to ask about her, she was likely still alive. Akechi had saved her the previous night while he was asleep. Some gentleman Arsene was.

"Oh, she's involved somehow," he said offhandedly. Even Morgana's teeth snapped down at the insolent tone. "She always is."

Akechi lazily turned his head back to Arsene. "Anything else you want from him?" At his silence, he smirked, satisfied. "Now..." He tilted his head, considering his prey. And Okami Amamiya certainly was prey. Even a predator such as him was no match for Goro Akechi. "How should I get rid of you?"

"Fire?" the Wolf suggested, sarcasm practically dripping from the words. "Perhaps you can summon that Persona of yours to do it."

Oh, he knew. He knew about Loki and about Akechi, far more than he was letting on. He had guts of steel for daring to say such things to the one who put a gun to his head. If he wasn't so cruel to Ren, he would almost respect him.

With a snarl, Akechi threw him backwards. "You have six seconds to run."

Arsene tracked him as he took off in the opposite direction. The Wolf wasn't a coward, but he wasn't fool enough to stay there with a demon-thief and a predator. Running was his best and only decision.

It wasn't his fault he'd forgotten Akechi's most lethal weapon.

Red mist gathered around his hands with the dry rasp of sand. Akechi's eyes narrowed as he targeted the rapidly fading Wolf. The mist, Arsene noticed, wove around and around the other strands like snakes, and were surprisingly interesting to look at. With the shifting strands and scales curling in and out each other, it created a strange pattern from dark red to white. He felt himself being drawn in. How interesting...

"Arsene," Akechi snapped. With a start, he realized he was swaying in place. Hypnotizing. Understood. "Back it up."

"You're forcing another mental breakdown?" Arsene asked, shaking off the lingering spots in his vision.

"I'll target you if you don't haul ass."

He didn't exactly look in control of that power, given the way he was clenching his jaw, so Arsene did what he said and backed up quickly. He had no idea what the effects of attacking a Persona with that kind of power would do and had little reason or want to find out.

The blast of energy took him by surprise and Arsene flapped a few meters in the air. From that height, he saw it strike Okami and knock him to the ground. It devoured him hungrily, the many tendrils slashing at him like teeth. Wherever it touched the Wolf, red spread under his skin. He screamed, dragging himself farther away, but the mist eagerly pursued him, crawling over him until Okami was the same, shifting red as the mist.

"Enough," he heard Akechi snarl.

The mist began to shift faster.

"I said..." His voice rose to a roar. "Enough!"

It vanished and the thrashing man went limp. The Wolf's mind stilled, and as he freefell to see what else occurred, he noticed the once-tan skin was corpselike. Fitting, he decided, seeing the altogether drained-looking body. He'd be dead soon, if he wasn't at the moment.

"Overkill?" Arsene cracked, alighting beside Akechi.

"You want to say that again?" he said threateningly, but his hands shook. Remnants of the mist- that, Arsene thought, would make for a good movie title- flickered around his fingers like electricity. Akechi gave him a look that was half angry, half tired, then turned to Morgana and Zorro. "Now what were you saying about attraction?"

"Ren likes you, obviously," Morgana meowed, pacing circles on four paws. He wasn't the cat-monster-thing yet, he noticed. "Which means we can use that to our advantage."

His eyes narrowed. "How?"

"Aren't you the Detective Prince?" He twisted the knife in the wound, a dangerous thing with repercussions Morgana probably wasn't prepared for. "You'd just have to charm him like you charm other girls."

"But... why would he be attracted to me, of all people?" He sounded genuinely confused.

"Because it's true love," Morgana said, tone a bit too blunt for Akechi's liking.

"It's misplaced hope," Arsene muttered under his breath. Unfortunately, Akechi had the ears of a predator as much as the power of one. He whipped around with a shortsword clenched in his hand. Part of him wondered where he was hiding the veritable arsenal and how he could steal it.

"Would you like to repeat that?" he demanded.

"Aww," the feline purred. "Akechi cares!"

White lights caught his attention, and Arsene hurriedly pointed it out. Blissfully, that ended the discussion for the time being.

"Cars don't come this way," Morgana meowed. He was right. Arsene had been in Jamestown for a little over a week, and the only car he'd seen was Akira's. Most likely a good thing, he understood. Ren would have to walk out of Jamestown, and there was only one exit.

"Oh," said Akechi. "That must be the ambulance." He smiled innocently. "They certainly got here fast." Arsene must not have hid his surprise well, because his smile turned into something of a smirk. "How am I to investigate the town when there's no distractions?"

That was for him to decide. After all, Arsene already knew everything about the Palaces. He'd pieced it together with the information- however little- Akechi had given him, coupled with anything Ren had let slip. For now, that was unimportant, given there were actually two sets of lights coming their way. One was surely this... ambulance... Akechi had called, likely a sort of medical vehicle, but the other was a truck of some kind. Battered, but functional. From his aerial view, he discovered it was vaguely glowing with the kind of glow only Personas gave off.

The other Thieves had arrived. Which certainly left a few questions as to how they'd learned what was happening, but at that point, Arsene was more relieved than suspicious.

"Who was it?" Morgana asked.

"The Thieves," Arsene said.

"The band of Merry Thieves," Akechi translated. He pasted a smile onto his face at Morgana's yowl of anger. "It seems it's time for me to make another deal."

The truck screeched to a halt next to them, Five Personas jumped down from the roof and the Thieves poured out the door, none wearing the Phantom Thief gear he was accustomed to seeing.

"Panther, you suck at driving," Skull groaned as Johanna did a barrel roll before transforming back into a human. "Why couldn't Queen drive?"

Necronomicon appeared out of thin air, dropping her master on the ground before vanishing again. That explained the missing Thief.

"She's still out," Oracle said. "And Panther wasn't that bad."

"Actually, I believe-"

"Shut it, Inari."

Noir interrupted, stepping gently out of the truck with a limp Queen over one shoulder. "Morgana!" she exclaimed. Her soft voice put Arsene on edge, mainly because he'd known Milady by reputation before they both became Personas.

She set Queen on the ground and raced over to the cat. "Did you miss us?"

"Of course!" he purred as she petted him. "But how'd you-"

Her eyes snapped to Akechi, and Noir froze. Very slowly, she set Morgana back on the smooth concrete- the Shibuya illusion was still in full effect- and unsheathed an enormous double-bladed axe. "Is it a Shadow?" she asked slowly.

Arsene took a few steps back.

Milady swept forward. "I'd like to know that too, Arsene."

The other Personas glanced curiously at him. Akechi was a subject of interest among everyone, being as mysterious as he was. Milady was particularly invested in the subject, her master being one of his victims and all. "He's real."

Arsene waited while Akechi dealt with the Thieves and brokered a second deal; he wouldn't kill them and would share his knowledge of the area in exchange for their assistance in destroying the Palace.

"It's a fair deal," Queen put in, now fully awake. She frowned at him, smoothing her skirt. "How can we be sure you'll keep your side of the bargain?"

"Our interests align for the time being," Akechi said. "It would only harm me if I decided to remove a few players."

"You think this is a game?" Panther demanded.

Akechi's polite smile dropped like a stone, replaced by a look colder than steel. "Believe me," he growled. "This is anything but a game."

Fox tilted his head. "You speak of it lightly, for such a serious person." Said the one who spoke more formally than the uptight nobles Arsene met in his previous life. "Yet you seem almost desperate. I'm inclined to believe this is a game of sorts." Fox was smarter than he let on, Arsene knew. Perhaps lacking in common sense, but very smart. "Tell me, what did you bet?"

A blast of gold light knocked them all back, and Arsene grunted as his back slammed against the wall, pinning his wings and wrapping the chains around his chest. Some sort of Nuclear spell, he guessed, most likely Mafreila. He threw himself into the air, pushing the sharp pain in his shoulderblade away and summoning Eigaon. The Personas around him summoned various spells, placing a cloaked figure in direct line of fire.

It wasn't human, that Arsene was sure of. There were too many irregularities, from the length of its arms to its seven foot stature. It was like someone had created a humanlike figure without being one themselves. No human could directly use Nuclear spells, even if they had a Nuclear Persona. Besides, it hovered a foot off the ground and he'd seen no human that could directly affect a Persona, Shadow or no.

Haru shot to her feet, shoving Akechi off her. "Persona!" Milady shone brighter as she reappeared at her side. She swung her axe menacingly and glared at it. The other Thieves summoned their Personas to their side only Arsene remained without his master.

Akechi spared a glance at him and pointed to the ground.

He glared back mutely, crossing his arms. When hell freezes over.

He returned the look with a obscene gesture. 

Arsene sighed to himself and flew until he was right over Akechi, then tucked in his wings and freefell. He heard the others' startled yells and Zorro dove out of the way. To his surprise, Akechi stayed in place, wearing that oh-so-irritating smirk on his face. He didn't even move when Arsene threw his wings out and stopped a hair's breadth from him.

How frustrating.

"Everyone," Akechi sighed, giving a pointed look to Arsene, who resisted the urge to wrap his chains around the traitor's scrawny neck, "This is Kronos. He's helpful. Sometimes."

The Personas reacted immediately, drawing weapons and spells with lightning speed. Arsene, like the others, knew the legends behind Kronos and was inclined to believe them. He was paranoid, and paranoia created monsters out of everyone- especially immortal beings. Kronos had certainly been a monster when he was cut up and had become one far before that.

"Don't worry, he'll probably be useful," Akechi said plainly. None of them relaxed, and he huffed a laugh, his breath clouding in front of him. "Or he'll kill us all. Don't worry about it."

"Is everyone here now?"

Arsene flinched at the voice projected directly into his mind. He'd expected something rough sounding, but it almost sounded like he was singing. Of course; he was from Greece. Arsene had never directly heard the language, but the accent itself was familiar from the sheer amount of Personas from that region.

"Yes, oh great and majestic cannibal," Arsene said, bowing low. There were a couple snickers in the direction of Captain Kidd and Zorro, but confusion among the humans and cat. They couldn't hear him, and if they didn't understand, perhaps he hadn't been sarcastic enough.

Arsene ducked the blast of Freila thrown at him and kept going. He wasn't going to stop until he learned something or was incinerated. "I'm sure you're waiting on us because we're quite important." He looked up with the same patronizing smile that nobles gave him before he robbed them blind. "But please do, wait a few more hours before telling us anything."

Arsene lazily stretched out his wings and risked a glance at Akechi, who was grinning wickedly. "It's kind of you to get me a new servant. He's got quite a mouth on him, though."

"That's enough!"

Arsene tsked. "Now, now, that's not how you address your master."

"Do you know who I am?" Kronos sounded genuinely confused. "You are a mere thief. I am Kronos, lord of Time and father of the gods! I can see the threads of time, invisible to scrawny beings like you! I am-"

"Extremely chatty for a servant?" Arsene yawned, examining his pristine claws. "Yes, I suppose you are. You may call me M. Lupin, or just Master." Oh, he was walking on thin ice now, taunting such a powerful being, but what else was he to do with this once-in-a-lifetime chance? Who else had made Kronos angry and lived? "I'm not particularly picky."

Another Nuclear spell was quickly evaded.

"Go on, Kronos," he cooed. "Tell us what's happening with the illusions."

He could almost hear his teeth grinding, and Arsene laughed silently. What an introduction! And to a primeval god, of all things! Ren would never believe it.

"Are you insane?" Carmen hissed.

Arsene ignored her- a bad move, one which he'd suffer for later- and smirked at Kronos. "You came here to give us a piece to your puzzle, right?" He gestured to his audience, whose curiosity spiked. "Well, don't let me stop you," he almost purred. "Go on, spill. Almighty One."

"Boy," Kronos said, turning to Akechi, "keep this mangy beast under control, or I'll do it myself."

"By all means," Akechi all but sang. Oh, he understood the game. They were all needed, but it was a matter of who was needed more. As Arsene was still breathing, his life was placed above Kronos's pride, as was the traitor's.

Although any pain he might feel, Arsene realized as he tugged on his chains, making the Persona stumble backward, certainly wasn't. "I'll grant you information," he said. "If this one," he gave Arsene's chains a yank. He closed his hand, cutting off the Eigaon spell forming, "will keep silent."

Arsene gave him a cheerful okay sign.

"First," Kronos said, "We happen to be in Joker's Palace. That one-" he gestured carelessly at Akechi, whose jaw was clenched tightly, "knows where the exit is. The other two- the Despair and the Hope Palaces-"

Oracle snickered. "Daganronpa fans, salute!"

"Shall I continue, or shall I incinerate the lot of you?"

"A body has been discovered!" she cracked, ignoring him.

Kronos summoned Freila. Necronomicon swooped down and picked the struggling hermit up, quite likely saving her life.

"As I was saying, the Despair Palace is only accessible if the ruler currently sees the world that particular way, and if the infiltrator feels... well, despair. Conversely, the Hope Palace is accessible by only those under eighteen and can only be accessed if the children see the world as such."

Simple enough, only Arsene was a hundred forty-five years old. He sincerely hoped that Personas were exceptions.

"The Palace rulers will be real humans- if there's a difference," he huffed. "Personas are only capable of manifesting at night."

That would hamper their progress a bit, but the Thieves were used to working on a deadline.

Queen was the first to ask a legitimate question. "We defeated Yaldabaoth," she said. "How has the Metaverse reformed?"

"Most likely some other god's interference," Kronos said indifferently.

"Ain't you a god too?" Skull pointed out.

"Don't be stupid," Morgana scolded, although Arsene found that perfectly reasonable. "If he's even bothering to help us, he's on our side."

"As Joker's Palace is in a different type of Metaverse, he himself is the Shadow, not this one." Arsene felt insulted and would've said so, but information about Ren's Palace was more valuable than his pride. "His Palace reflects his greatest wish."

His greatest wish was... Shibuya? Arsene frowned to himself, working through the equation. Perhaps something in the city, or- since the Metaverse was symbolic to the point of being obnoxious- it was simply Ren wishing to leave the isolated Jamestown.

"So it's not actually a Palace." Morgana sighed. "That's good."

No, it was most definitely a Palace, Arsene knew, but the ground rules were different. This would rely more heavily on the humans than the Personas, which certainly gave Ren an advantage.

Kronos ignored him. "The Wildcard resides there for the time being. He has no way of leaving until his Palace is destroyed. It will be torn down in six days, unless you humans can find the Treasure first."

"So why can't we just wait it out?" Skull demanded. Arsene would have agreed a day ago, but seeing the merciless way Ren had killed his own parents, wanted Ren away from the Metaverse as soon as possible.

"Oh, did I not mention?" Kronos examined his claws. "If the Palace is destroyed in any other way than taking the Treasure or convincing the Ruler, the Ruler dies."

"Oh, hell no!" Skull yelled. "We don't even got weapons!"

"Ah, Skull..." Haru slung her axe across her shoulder, as if the head wasn't bigger than Morgana.

"I believe you have the information required," Kronos said. "Goodbye, pitiful humans."

He vanished in a flash of gold, and the Thieves looked at each other. Akechi, ignoring them, threw his jacket on the ground with a clang that reverberated in Arsene's hollow bones. The Persona felt the corners of his mouth tilt up at the veritable arsenal of weapons. "Suit up," Akechi snarled at the others. "We've got a goddamn Palace to destroy."

---

This took me nearly a week, I'm very sorry about that. It didn't sound right, i guess.

Ayyways, thank you for reading! If there's some way I can improve, please comment, etc, you guys know the drill by now.

Okay, so this was 4600 words. it took me FOREVER. Im sorry about the slow update.

Thank you for choosing my book to read!

Robin out!