Persona: The Phantom Masquerade.

(Trying something a little different with the Palace here using an idea that was cut from the main game; as always, feedback is always welcome lol. Also, while I was a little uncomfortable writing this, I am really happy with how it turned out. Anyways, enough rambling, enjoy.)

— — — 

"So, what can you tell us about the castle?" Shiho asked with curiosity as the group stealthily moved through.

"Palaces manifest from a person's deeply distorted perception of reality. This Kamoshida guy must see the school as his castle, so after enough time, this place was created." Morgana explained. "The only real way to destroy the castle is to steal the treasure, which is the physical form of the source of the distortion."

"What will happen to Kamoshida once we steal the treasure?" Ann asked with curiosity.

"With no treasure, there is no palace. No palace means that the distorted views of the person will go away. However, since only the distortion is taken away but not their actions, then that leaves the person to deal with the guilt of the actions they have taken. Most people would be unable to bear the weight of their crimes and would turn themselves in."

"For real?" Ryuji asked in disbelief before Ren interrupted.

"There is another option, is there not? The option to destroy his shadow. The version of him we can see inside the castle." He spoke as he thought back to the notes Makoto had given him. "Without his shadow, he would lose everything that makes him… Well, him. He'd practically become a vegetable, a blank canvas."

The suggestion hung heavily in the air, stirring a mix of emotions among the group. Shiho's expression darkened as she nodded her head.

"After everything he's done, after what he was planning for me... Doesn't he deserve that?" She said, causing the group to grow quiet.

"Shiho..." Ann's voice, soft with concern, broke the heavy silence, 

 "I mean, teaching him a lesson is one thing... but this? It's almost like killing him..." Ryuji said with hesitation.

Ren, however, viewed their dilemma through a different lens. He was trying to search for what would be the most interesting outcome for "The Play." If anything, he was more interested in the one who seemed to be behind it all, Principal Kobayakawa. However, after glancing at Shiho's expression, his expression also darkened to match hers.

"Let's leave that choice until later. For now, we should continue exploring the castle, and once we are about to confront him, we can talk about this." Ren said, stopping the brewing argument. "All we are doing is putting ourselves at risk by fighting here. Plus, there isn't even a guarantee that stealing the treasure won't do the same thing."

The group exchanged awkward glances with each other before continuing to head deeper into the castle.

— — —

Weaving through the castle halls, slowly but surely climbing their way through the stairways, the group continued their infiltration. As they navigated the labyrinthine passageways, Anubis suddenly stopped mid-air before raising their nose up to the roof. There was a scent that pulled at the edges of her consciousness, something foreign yet familiar. After taking a few deep breaths, Anubis spoke.

"Hmm… that's weird," she murmured with an edge of curiosity in her voice. The scent, elusive yet insistent, tugged at her, a whisper of power that beckoned beyond the realm of the visible.

"I never noticed this before when I was a pixie," she continued, her voice a blend of wonder and intrigue, "but I smell something in that direction." 

The group shared a look of mutual curiosity before Ren broke the silence.

"Any clue what it might be?"

"It's like Kamoshida's scent but not quite him. It's different, and it's strong," Anubis mused, her nose still in the air.

Hearing this, Morgana's eyes shot wide open.

"It must be a will seed! We need to get them. They are coalesced distortions of the Palace Rulers. If we gather enough of them, we can obtain a will crystal, and they are pretty useful tools."

"What do they do?" Shiho asked with curiosity.

"It depends from crystal to crystal, but since they are basically parts of the distortion, they can be used to emulate the powers of the Palace Ruler." Morgana said as a greedy look appeared in his eyes.

"How cool would it be to beat Kamoshida up with his own power?" Ryuji remarked as he let out an anticipating laugh.

Trusting Anubis's nose and Morgana's instincts, they took a detour. Leading the way with careful steps, Ren activated his third eye as he carefully examined his surroundings. The halls looked empty until a particular painting of Kamoshida, radiating an intense glow, caught his attention. Pushing the painting aside revealed a concealed pathway, its walls marred by significant cracks.

As they ventured closer to the source of the scent, even Morgana seemed to notice it. The destruction around them grew more pronounced. Eventually, they came upon a crumbled wall, revealing a scene of utter devastation as if an explosion had torn through the room. Amid the rubble, a faint, ethereal emerald glow caught their attention.

"What the eff happened here? This place looks worse than the rest of the castle." Ryuji exclaimed, his voice echoing off the shattered remnants of the room, disbelief painted across his face.

"There's something under the rubble!" Ann pointed out, her eyes locked on the mysterious light.

Working together, they cleared the rubble, uncovering the source of the glow—an ancient, battered skull emitting a haunting emerald light. Once the rubble had been lifted from the will seed, strange whispers began to echo through the room. All in the same voice, that of Kamoshida.

Ren's hand reached down to grab onto the will seed. As Ren's fingers brushed against the will seed, reality twisted with a cinematic flair. Suddenly, the dilapidated castle walls dissolved into monochrome, and they found themselves standing on a volleyball court. A setting all too painfully familiar to them.

Kamoshida's voice cut through the silence, sharp and condescending. 

 "You're all just a bunch of weaklings! When I was training for the Olympics, I went through much worse. If you want to make something of yourselves, you need to toughen up." The sight of students sprawled on the floor, writhing in agony, brought a grim reality to his words.

"The source of the distortion…" Ren whispered, witnessing the scenery morph once more before his eyes.

The scene shifted to Kamoshida, sitting anxiously before the principal, his leg bouncing nervously. 

"Ah, Kamoshida, don't worry over the complaints," the principal assured with a dismissive wave.

"An athlete of your caliber knows what's best. If they can't see it, then that just goes to show that they aren't worth wasting school resources on. There are plenty of other students who would jump at the opportunity of being taught directly by you. Leave any problems to me; I'll take care of them."

As quickly as it had appeared, the illusion shattered, returning them to the eerie halls of the castle.

"That... everyone saw that, right?" Ann's voice quivered slightly, her gaze darting around as if to confirm the reality around them.

A silent agreement passed between them, their nods heavy with understanding. However, the expression of one of them had changed quite drastically.

Shiho's anger was palpable; her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles whitened. Yet, after a moment of seething fury, she inhaled deeply, her resolve hardening.

"Morgana, you mentioned there are more seeds out there, right? How do we find them?" she asked, her voice steady, masking the storm of emotions beneath.

Morgana, sensing the gravity in her tone, responded promptly.

"Now that we've secured one of the seeds, it'll lead us to the others. All of them are connected. Just hand it over to me, and I'll guide us to the rest."

Guided by Morgana, the group ascended deeper into the castle's enigmatic depths, eventually coming upon an opulent yet unsettling garden. This space was adorned with countless statues of Kamoshida, each capturing a significant moment of his life, creating a surreal homage to his ego. The garden was awash with flowers in meticulous arrays, each blooming in pristine condition as if vying for attention.

However, at the garden's heart, a stark contrast emerged. A circle of vegetation lay withered, its foliage turned to a lifeless brown as if the very essence of life had been drained from it. Here, amidst the decay, another skull-like seed pulsed with a haunting crimson light.

Shiho, driven by a mix of resolve and anger, stepped forward and seized the seed with determination. As her fingers touched it, reality once again shifted to grayscale, transporting them back to the familiar yet oppressive atmosphere of the volleyball court.

This vision revealed Kamoshida with the girls' volleyball team. After a brief pause, he approached one of the players. With one swift movement, Kamoshida grabbed onto her body The girl's initial yelp of surprise morphed into silent submission, paralyzed by fear and the imbalance of power.

"Your form is all wrong. Stand like this," Kamoshida instructed, his hands almost carelessly exploring the girl's body.

The scene shifted abruptly, transporting them to Kamoshida's office. He sat, a bundle of nerves, compulsively clicking his pen. The arrival of someone at the door momentarily stilled him. Yet, as he recognized the girl he had previously manhandled, his anxiety transformed into a predatory grin. Every trace of nervousness vanished into thin air as if her presence was all the confirmation he needed.

"Ah, it seems you truly do care about your position on the team. Like I have been telling you these past few days, you are falling behind the rest of the team." He began, his voice now dripping with a manipulative confidence. "Since I care so much for my students, I am going to come up with a special training just for you. Now, for the special training I proposed, I'll need to 'evaluate' you more closely."

The vivid images before them blurred into a haunting vision, one that showed Shiho ensnared by the same vile manipulation they had just witnessed. But as Kamoshida awaited her in his office with a disquieting casualness, the scene around them fizzled into static, abruptly snapping back to the reality of the garden.

Silence engulfed them, a heavy cloak of disbelief and discomfort. The revelation they had just been privy to left them at a loss for words, each member grappling with the rawness of the moment. Shiho, overcome with a tumultuous mix of anger and pain, trembled violently. Tears of frustration brimmed in her eyes as she let out a cry of anguish, her fist colliding with the pillar supporting the seed, her knuckles bleeding from the force.

Ren stepped forward, his expression solemn, and wrapped Shiho in a comforting embrace, offering gentle reassurance with each pat on her back. Moved by his gesture, the others rallied around her, their own emotions surfacing. Ann, tears streaming down her face, clung to Shiho, sharing in her sorrow.

"Shiho... you get to decide how this ends. Whatever you choose, I'll make it happen." Ren said with a reassuringly calm tone. 

It was strange. He had only known Kamoshida for two days. Up until this point, the most he thought about him was that he was sloppy. If you had asked him about it a few minutes ago, he would have honestly said he didn't care about what happened to him, that he just wanted to get this over with to move on to the more interesting thing in his mind.

But seeing the state of the girl he was holding in his arms, his initial indifference had transformed into a seething anger, fueled by the pain Shiho. The group's solidarity, in this moment of shared vulnerability, forged a deeper connection among them, uniting them with a singular purpose.

In the quiet of their resolve, unnoticed by the group, a mystical blue butterfly lingered momentarily, a silent witness to their bond. Then, as subtly as it had appeared, it fluttered away.

~Confidants~

Ren Amamiya/???????? (The Jester) Rank 2

Shiho Suzui (The Tower) Rank 2 — Rank 3

Morgana (The Magician) Rank 1

Ann Takamaki (The Lovers) Rank 1

Ryuji Sakamoto (The Chariot) Rank 1