A/n: before we go any farther, I need to address something related to the story. Sorry, I like to put these at the end cause beginning ones are annoying, but this is kinda important. 

If you didn't notice this earlier, or dismissed it as my lazy writing, it might come into play later, or it might just be for comic relief. Haven't decided. But it's something to remember, at least.

In Arsene and Akechi's interactions, there were a few instances of physical contact that probably made little to no sense (since I never explained the ground rules.) In one, Akechi held out his hand and Arsene took it. He was a physical being then. In the previous chapter, Arsene hit him in the head with a wing. He was also physical. In Traitor's Shock, Akechi poked Arsene's wing to see if he was alive, and it went right through his feathers.

Why is that? Never fear, your author decided to tell you instead of letting you be confused the whole time, because it's going to come up more frequently after this.

So if the Persona initiates the contact, then the person they have physical contact with sees the Persona as a solid being. Doesn't make sense? Imagine it like this. You punch someone. You're both touching, but you initiated contact. Akechi, teh human initiated contact with Arsene, so he wasn't solid. It's sort of like a change in cognition, since Persona 5 Personas aren't actually corporeal. But when Arsene hit him in the face with his wings, he felt solid. Again, the cognition change. His mind, which had originally perceived Arsene as not solid, decided he was solid. Basically, first touch decides if the Persona is corporeal or incorporeal to that person for their interaction. The only exceptions are the Persona's masters (Otherwise, how could I make memes out of Ren and Arsene or Loki and Akechi?)

If you have any questions, put them in the comments. I'll clear it up as best I can. Sorry bout that oversight! Continue on!

---

6 days left; nighttime

To Goro Akechi,

It has been 116 days. There is a lot I could say, but so little time to do so. I've found a sort of other dimension which responds to me, at least on some level. Arsene's watchfulness gives me no opportunity to discover the extent of my power here, and I'm almost positive Arsene, Morgana, and most likely the rest of the Thieves will come to destroy my illusions. Arsene, as you know- you were as obsessed as me with legends and myths- is nearly impossible to fool, and coupled with the others, would be an absolute nightmare. I believe the best course of action to protect my illusion and Treasure (I have not become like the bastards we defeated, this place is only a temporary requirement, since I burned all traces of myself from my hometown) with the most redundant puzzles I can think of.

After seeing so many Palaces, I'm sure I can recreate my own so no one can take my Treasure. I need only six more days, and we'll be together again. Or at the very least, you'll be alive, and you'll be able to see the world without looking over your shoulder. Death promised me so.

Until we meet again, Goro,

Ren.

The Trickster sighed, carefully placing the gold-stained paper with the others. He folded his arms over the workbench and pushed away a pile of lockpicks. His plans were already drawn up, of course, which he'd done every time Arsene left. A redundant lock was his best bet, so he'd drawn up plans on his spare time, creating the most obnoxious puzzle he could think of. The last thing he was missing was...

"Wonder?" Trae's beautiful voice was as steady as always. He turned around to see her sitting cross-legged on the ground. She was staring around Leblanc's attic- his hideout, for the time being- with nothing short of awe on her face. "Where are we?"

Was his two Rulers.

She was the other facet of his plan. Ren couldn't allow Trae to become like the stone-cold adults in Jamestown, nor the cruel packs roaming the streets. No, Trae deserved better, and he was going to give her all the tools so she could take her future.

"We're in a different dimension," he told her. "Does that make sense?"

"Did you make it?" she asked.

Ren said, "I helped make it. It won't last long, though."

Trae nodded along with his words, but looked around with an almost nervous expression. "What am I doing here?"

"I brought you here," Ren said. "I want you to help me with something." He played the role of the older brother, the role Futaba liked so much.

Her pretty face brightened. "I wanna help you, Wonder!"

Perfect. She was willing, as he guessed she was. Besides the fact of Ren technically kidnapping her, the Hope Palace was beautiful and calming, a place he would give Trae complete control of. She deserved time to herself for now. Later, he'd teach her how to get out of Jamestown.

"Great." His smile, for once, was genuine. "I'm going to take you to a dimension connected to this one, alright? I'll have a key, and there will be a door for you to come back here whenever you want. You can make that world any way you want, but you have to promise me one thing."

Her eyes widened in excitement, most likely circling through possibilities. "What's that?" Trae eagerly asked.

"No matter what happens, you have to hold onto hope." Ren stood up and put his writing away. "You'll get out of this town. You'll see the world. Hold onto that hope, alright?" If she didn't, the foundation would probably shatter, despite the countermeasures he'd put up. 

Trae opened her mouth to agree, almost glowing with excitement, when a harsh bark of a laugh echoed from the corner.

There was the countermeasure.

Ren swiveled to find Reug sitting up in his cage in the corner with his teeth bared. The Alpha always had to put his snout in everything, didn't he? It was a fixation of Reug's to ruin Ren's life. Until last year, Ren was to be the next Alpha, but did the one thing he wasn't supposed to; be caught by the police. He was planning to be caught for something anyways, but the smug demeanor of Reug, like he'd actually earned his title, made him furious.

"What a lie," Reug scoffed. "You think the world's all rainbows and sunshine?" He rattled the bars of his cage. "Take a look. I'm locked away like some sort of beast and you're precious Wonder's got the key. What kinda world are you living in?"

"That cage suits you." Ren advanced, twirling Akira's silver knife in his hands. "It's where all the mangy mutts belong, right?"

"Jamestown is mine! You're just a nobody who thinks he's better than me! Stay where you belong, Omega.." He spat at his feet.

Omega.

Cold rage flooded through him. The last time he'd been called that was in the Metaverse, half a year ago. Arsene had blindfolded him, led him through the subterranean tracks and told him to find his way out. When Ren told him to go to hell, the Persona only laughed. While he was searching for a way out- some kind of exercise in noticing stuff, probably- Shadows managed to blindside him, and he'd ended up on his back, furious with himself. Ren distinctly remembered the Shadow saying "Omega." He couldn't remember much after that, but was fairly sure it involved hauling them back to the Velvet Room and bringing the twins new pets to play with. Which meant the electric chair.

Arsene had been furious he'd left the Metaverse, but it was worth it. If only he could do the same here, but no. Reug, despite everything about him, was useful.

Ren snarled like the Alpha he was raised to be. "I could kill you, cage or no."

"Prove it." Oh, his cocky attitude reminded him so much of the Wolf's lazy taunts. Ren's vision flared red, and he half expected Arsene to tell him to calm down. A good thief doesn't let his emotions get the better of him, Ren.

Even when he wasn't there, his Persona was still in his head.

"To the death," Reug added, reclining in his cage like it was a fine throne. He looked so much like the Trickster, having the typical Jamestown traits- ebony hair, moon-pale skin, bloodred lips. Only, he knew, the colors were washed out, almost like Reug was a corpse.

"Don't do it!" Trae cried. In unison, the two Alphas turned toward her, feeling the slightest bit of guilt. Even though this was only a play, and Ren the director, he felt bad for forcing his actor into this.

"There's no reason to kill him, Wonder," she said, more calm now. The nickname felt like a bucket of ice, a reminder of the line he was treading. He'd bet everything on this. He couldn't lose.

"I wasn't planning on it," Ren lied easily. True, Reug's death would be less than useful, but once the Palaces were gone, all bets were off. It would be an interesting test of strength, at least, to fight the false Alpha. "I have a job for him, too."

"Address me, not the girl," Reug snarled.

"Don't worry," Ren said, examining his silver knife, "The girl is infinitely more powerful than you." As his eyes widened in surprise or anger, he laughed softly. "She's got the whole town under her spell. Or haven't you noticed?"

Trae yelped. "You-"

"Of course," Ren purred. "You were under her spell, too. She's charming, I'll give Trae that, but I think you missed the part of her that matters." He tapped the side of his head. "Not that you had any brains to begin with."

Reug was stunned into silence, which made him and his grey-looking hair look absolutely pathetic.

"I'm sending you off to the Despair Palace," Ren snapped. "Do whatever you want there. When six days are over-" he tossed a heavy, iron key at him, which the Alpha caught in one hand- "That's your key to the real world."

"The real world?"

"You have complete control of the Despair Palace. Spawn Shadows, make statues of yourself, I don't care. But if you lose that key, you'll never see your pack again." He bared his own sharp teeth and imagined them at the false Alpha's throat. "In fact, I think the last thing you'll see is me. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Reug growled low and said something.

"Oh?" Ren pretended to lean in. "What was that?"

"Nothing," he ground out.

Ren snapped his fingers, and Reug vanished with a violent curse. He turned to the little girl, who was gaping up at him from the bed. She squeaked as she noticed his attention and hid behind a pillow.

"Trae," he sighed, "You're not scared, are you?" That kind of reaction would be unfair. Ren hadn't even hurt Reug, much less killed him. 

She whimpered, peeking out from behind the pillow. Not scared. Maybe embarrassed? "Are you... are you mad at me?"

He shook his head, eyes sparkling in amusement. That was what Trae was worried about."Not in the slightest. I'm very impressed. No one would suspect a child of blinding the entire town."

Trae had been doing it since she was little. Ren had been there for every step of it; her careful construction of that cheerful demeanor, the slight cracks in all the right places, and the way she'd spread her influence. When her father had died, Ren had been the first one there for her, and Trae had begged him to take her away. 

I won't, Ren had told her. You have to be strong to leave Jamestown.

This was his fault. He would have to teach her to let go of her mask, the same way he learned to let go of Joker.

Trae's pretty face flushed red. "I thought it would make leaving easier," she mumbled. "I didn't know how to make people think of me right. But then I met Akira." At her name, Ren carefully arranged his face into polite interest, even though he was seething. His mother dared to go near the light of Jamestown? It was too bad she was dead; he would've killed her again.

"And what did she say?"

"She didn't say anything," Trae said. "I saw her kill a man. The man told her that she was his life, and Akira just shook her head and laughed. She had a pretty laugh." Trae giggled softly, the sound making his cheeks flush. "See? I just pretended for a little, and it worked." She smiled. "She looked at me and smiled, then walked away. Even bad people are good in some ways, right?"

"That was... really profound, actually," Ren said. Goro would have loved this girl, and Arsene would have forced him to adopt Trae. He sighed inwardly. The last thing Ren needed was another ghost following him around, although technically Arsene was already a ghost. He already had one spirit who was the most beautiful thing he'd laid eyes on, and answered to the name Goro Akechi.

On cue, a dark brown head popped up from the stairs. Wine-red eyes met his storm-grey ones, and Ren felt a smile spread over his face. "Goro," he sighed, pretending to be annoyed, "We're busy."

"Then take some time," Goro Akechi retorted, striding across the attic to pat Ren on the head. He leaned into the touch. "You're a thief, aren't you?"

"Working on your puns, I see," he laughed.

"Don't tell the guest that," he pouted. "I have a reputation, you know."

Trae gasped, her face coloring. She curled up on the bed, pulling the sheets over her. Ren was almost sure he could see her blushing face from under the blankets. "You can't have Goro," he told the embarrassed lump on his bed. "He's mine. But if you're nice, he'll say hello."

"Do I look like a dog to you?" Goro demanded. His voice softened as little Trae peeked her head out of the blankets. "But if you give me that pillow there, maybe I'll play nice." He turned away, pretending his face wasn't as flushed as the girl's. "Just this once."

"Aww~" Ren teased. "You get Soft Goro. You're so lucky, he's never nice to me."

Trae's voice shook. "Mister Goro, you're not..."

"Not what?" he said, easily catching the pillow before lobbing it at Ren's face.

"Not real," she said, her innocent-little-girl facade dropping like a stone. Trae sat up, her eyes narrowing at him. "I met someone who looked like you yesterday. He saved me and left, so you can't be real."

It was Ren's turn to stare open-mouthed at her. Had she been in the illusions before? How many times? Was there an entrance he didn't know about? Death hadn't been specific.

Goro was the first to reply. "She's far cleverer than you," he acknowledged. "Yes, I'm a Shadow of Ren's Palace. I'm made from his thoughts of me. And because of that," he grinned wickedly, and Ren felt himself shiver, "I know everything about him. He thinks highly of you."

Trae lit up like a firework. "Really?"

"So do I," Goro confessed, giving him a sideways look Ren couldn't decipher. "You seem like a good person."

"I am!" She bounced up and down on the bed. "I help Ren lots! I'll do my best to protect the key!"

Ren smiled at her. "Thank you, Trae. You're a lifesaver." After this was all over, he would tell her that she had, quite literally, saved someone's life. She vanished in a flash.

"I can't believe you'd play her for a fool," Goro hissed, his cheerful mask melting away. He snarled at him. "She should have the freedom you and I never did. Why the hell would you do that?"

"It's one week," Ren sighed, suddenly feeling more tired than he had in days. He slumped onto the bed. "What's one week in the grand scheme of things?"

Goro growled, aggressively pacing the room. "The girl is innocent! She's only a bystander. You took away her choice in the matter, Joker." He spat the name like a curse. "We live and die like any other thing, but what makes our lives worth living is the freedom." To his surprise, Goro's eyes shone with restrained tears. "I never had it; you never had it; why deprive an innocent girl of her own choices?"

"The real you is dead," Ren said. "Thanatos is willing to give you a second chance. I've taken away a week of her freedom for years of your own life. No strings attached. The trade is more than fair."

He shot to his feet, his face flushed with anger. "Well, maybe she deserves that week more than I deserve my own life!"

Ren was stunned into silence. He was confident his views of Goro Akechi created a mostly accurate clone, but to see this from him? His heart ached.

Goro recovered seconds later. "My apologies," he said, smiling with all the poisonous charm of the second Detective Prince. "I-" 

He growled, the sugar-sweet expression melting off, replaced with frustration. He sighed and sat down gracelessly at his workbench, pushing aside lockpicks and various other contraptions. "I'm so tired of this," he said. "The damned Prince won't go away." Goro put his head on the desk and laughed. "I want to live again, and I think that the only way is to forget. What a coward I am," he added angrily. He slammed his fist against the desk, and a voice practically dripping with sarcasm, added, "Us Wildcards don't get a break, do we?"

"Do you think it'll end?"

There was a muffled laugh, and he knew Goro's answer. "Fate's not kind to people like us, Ren. Don't bother asking it for forgiveness." His head thumped against the wood.

"But-"

He snored loudly.

"Goro!" Ren protested. "Stop it!"

If possible, the Wildcard snored even louder.

"I can make you stop, you know."

He made an annoyed sound that went along the lines of 'no one controls me, you bastard.' Ren eventually, after a solid ten seconds of attempting to make Goro shut up and realizing it wouldn't work, decided it didn't matter.

After calling Futaba and putting her in charge of organizing defenses (with specific instructions to send both Ryuji and Morgana to the park) Ren realized that he wasn't able to sleep. Of course. During his visits, Thanatos had explained that his conscious mind was required to keep the world running. The Palace would keep his energy up, he'd said, but he wouldn't be well for a few days after the Palaces were destroyed.

When had Thanatos appeared to him, again?

Of course; just after Arsene had flown off for the first time. Hadn't it been... two days ago? Day 114.

Once his Persona had vanished, Ren sat upright, laughing to himself. As tired as he may be, he'd made a habit to be conscious by midnight for a few hours of peace. It was necessary, especially the past year, so he could have his sanity back.

For now, Ren wanted to know why his room looked like Leblanc's attic.

He crossed on silent feet, avoiding the squeaky boards, and sat on the windowsill next to where the stairs should've been. The roof just under him looked vaguely transparent. Ren made a note not to step there, but took his eyes off the roof and lifted them to the skyline.

It looked a lot like Shibuya, but a warped version of it. He could tell by the skyscrapers, which were practically invisible from the real Yongen-Jaya. But of course, he reminded himself, this most likely wasn't real. And Ren wasn't the one who'd created this, meaning there was something else at work here. Most likely some being with otherworldly powers. Again.

"That was rather fast."

Ren hopped down from the window, casually turning around. "I'm guessing you're not here to kill me."

The man standing in the middle of the attic shook his head. Gold hair spilled out of his hood and his dark eyes stared right through him. "Correct." He was startlingly beautiful, even with the cloak hiding most of his features, but Ren slipped past that and fixed his gaze on the scythe strapped to his back.

A deity with a scythe- the mark of death. The first name in his mind was;

"Thanatos." The name slipped out as he remembered a conversation with Ryuji, Goro and Futaba. They'd been talking about Avengers; Endgame, and Ryuji brought up Thanos. While Goro agreed with his ideals, Futaba made a face and said it was twisted. She'd pointed out the origins of Thanos's name, which was, of course... 

"Death." He raised an eyebrow, not entirely afraid of an end by that scythe. "You made the Shibuya world."

"You catch on quickly," he congratulated. "I created it, and yes, I am what you would call a god. However," he added hastily as Ren tensed and produced three throwing knives, "I propose a deal."

Ren frowned and relaxed slightly. "You're a god, and historically, one who most likely doesn't have a human's best interests at heart." He slipped his knives back up his sleeves. If Death wasn't there to collect, he actually wanted to make a deal. But, Ren knew, deals with gods usually turned out badly. "Why should I care?"

A touch of impatience. "If you would listen, you might find out for yourself, human." When Ren stayed silent, Thanatos continued. He glared at the telltale Joker smirk Ren just knew was on his face. "You are to hold three worlds for one week without them crumbling. I have taken the liberty of creating outlines for you to fill in; Hope, Despair, and Wish."

Ren took a moment to work everything out. Three Palaces, most likely connected to each other. "How much of the Palaces can I control?"

"All of it. However, real matter- that is to say, matter from your reality- cannot be controlled. You would have to construct an illusion over them, which will stem from the power of your own memories."

That was a bit confusing, but Ren simplified it. It meant that he had a new power that could warp what people saw. How interesting. It couldn't warp matter, only cover it, then. Sounded reasonable enough.

"Of course, your mind will be the only thing holding them together, so I'd suggest you only use it in extreme situations." Thanatos shrugged, smooth, coffee-toned skin catching the light. "Now, immaterial things, or the three worlds, can be directly controlled by their Ruler without any strain. You may shape or destroy things as you wish, excepting the foundation. That," he said firmly, "was how the entire Palace was created. Trifle with that, and our deal will be void."

Right. Don't mess with the base.

"And what do I get out of it?" Ren asked. "Why should I care about this?"

"Because if you do, I'll set Goro Akechi free."

His world stopped.

Taking his hesitation as a refusal, Thanatos said, "Before you refuse, is there anything I should clear up-"

"Swear you can bring him back." Ren felt warmth on his cheeks and would've been disgusted by his tears any other time. Except now... here was his chance. He could save Goro, and even if he hated the Trickster for it, Goro would be free. "Swear it."

"I swear I will bring him to you when you've held the Palaces for a week."

Fair enough. "Arsene's always around."

A slight smirk marred Thanatos's face, turning it ugly. Ren didn't mind it so much. "Allow me to assist with that."

Ren didn't know what Thanatos was planning, and felt a twinge of guilt for subjecting his Persona to a god. But Ren would do anything to bring Goro Akechi back, and Arsene already knew that. His Persona would forgive him one day. If he failed, Ren didn't think he'd be able to forgive himself.

"What do you get out of it?" he asked suspiciously.

Thanatos shrugged lazily, sitting down on the bed. "Being a god is far more boring than you'd imagine." He extended his hand and tilted his head inquisitively. Ren was reminded why he and the god of love were so easily confused. "Do we have a deal?"

Maybe he was selling his soul to the devil, maybe he was damning himself, but as long as he won the game, Goro Akechi would live. Ren bowed with grace that benefited the Trickster. He let his smile widen and reveal his violent fangs, then took his hand. He was ice-cold, but definitely corporeal. A Shadow.

That would definitely make his week more interesting.

"We have a deal."

---

Aight! I'm very sorry about that a/n at the beginning. To clear up that last paragraph of the chapter, Shadows can attack both humans and Personas, which was why the Mega-thingies were successfully able to hit Arsene. 

Thank you so much for choosing my fanfic to read! I'm so glad you guys have given me so much support. Thanks to you guys, if you search up "Shuake" on here, I'm the first result!!! It's not going to last, but I'll take the honor gladly. Thank you so much!

AGain, if there's something you think I can improve on, grammar or anything like that, please put it in the comments and I'll fix it. I want this to be as best it can be before I find a review shop. Thank you to all my readers, again, and your continued support is honestly why I haven't stopped this story halfway through like I always do.

(Also, guess what! One of the best Shuake writers on Wattpad, acuphoria, voted on the first few chapters!!! I'm so freaking happy!!!!)

Words: 3540

Robin out!