Of Phantoms and Thieves

Repair and Repent

There are times in life where people believe that they have come to the end. That the book is about to be drawn closed, and the silent whispers from other worldly spheres enters into the mind to tear the veil of reality. That was the very impression the woman laid upon the Phantom Thieves. She brought the mark of death, a raging storm hidden behind the calm before the tempest's wrath. The dark eyes stared at each of the thieves, judging, picking the victim. The storm would not pay for any damages done. As beautiful as it may be, it always leaves an ugly streak on what it touches. Whether it be alive or not, the tempest didn't care. What it touched was what it killed. There was no changing that.

"The Phantom Thieves..." she muttered.

Her voice was soft, smooth, and calm as she spoke. The clarity in her voice only added to the uncertainty and terror that the teens felt. This woman had a death glare, and yet she seemed so gentle and kind. A little too kind.

"If you'll excuse me, I'd like to be on my way. I don't want any trouble from a bunch of burglars."

She left and disappeared into the crowd, no longer visible. Akechi sighed and looked the group of friends over.

"I see that numbers have dwindled... How many times must we tell you before all of you are gone? To make a mistake means to go back and fix it. To swear to never make that same mistake again. To repair the damage that has been done. And to repent of your actions."

Akechi drew his sword and the mob of people surrounding the thieves disappeared. The lights went out and the doors locked, the only escape being the stairs leading to the balconies in the theater.

"Are you prepared for what is to come? We must prevent further action from being taken. You will not steal the treasure. You have come far enough."

The lion-like creature appeared once again, and the thieves found themselves trapped, with no option but to fight the terrible beast.

"That thing is a chimera," Futaba exclaimed. "It's weak to ice, so use that to your advantage!"

"Goemon!" Yusuke shouted, summoning his Persona.

He raised a hand and Goemon sent forth a large blast of ice. The chimera roared and fire spewed from its mouth, melting the ice and preventing the attack. Morgana summoned Zorro and the Persona launched a wind spell at the creature. The tail of the chimera came around, the head of a snake opening its maw. The spell hit the snake head but seemed to do little damage.

"Just what is this thing?!" Ann cried, gripping her whip.

The snake head hissed, acid splashing from its mouth. The Phantom Thieves jumped back to avoid damage.

"Fire and acid? That's not fair!" Morgana pouted.

"This tail is certainly causing trouble," Yusuke muttered. "What must we do about it?"

Haru hefted her axe. "Might I try?"

The other thieves stared at Haru as she smiled.

"Uh... sure, we won't stop you," Ann stated.

"Oh, well then..."

Haru fixed her hat, ran, and managed to leap over the pool of acid. The chimera whipped towards Haru as she screamed and ran at it. The other teens stood flabbergasted as Haru jumped and sliced off the chimera's tail, quicky escaping from the fire that followed in suit.

"Well, that's one way to deal with it..." Ann breathed. "Quick, Fox, try that attack again while I distract it."

Yusuke nodded. Ann jumped over the acid and whipped at the chimera's back legs, which were hooves. Ann wrapped her whip around one of the legs and pulled, attempting to knock the chimera off balance. Surprisingly enough, the hoof had better traction than Ann had thought. The chimera turned its head towards her and snapped, nearly biting her head.

On cue, another volley of ice was sent at the chimera. It turned just in time to be smacked in the face. It roared and reared back in pain, falling over.

"Now's our chance!" Morgana shouted.

The thieves came in at once, attacking the chimera. The thieves sliced and whipped the creature. It managed to stand and breathe fire once again, forcing the teens to back off.

"Here, guys, let's give you some protection!" Futaba exclaimed, using Necronomicon to buff up their defense.

"Mona, I need your help," Yusuke said.

"Me? What do you want me to do?" Morgana questioned.

"When I strike with ice, use your wind."

"Gotcha."

Haru and Ann worked on distracting the chimera, being as annoying as possible and hitting the chimera's legs to weaken it. Yusuke summoned Goemon and once again released a wave of ice upon the Shadow. Morgana followed up with a burst of wind, increasing the speed of the ice as it rushed toward the chimera. Ann and Haru got out of the way as the chimera was bombarded with ice, knocking it flat on the ground. Tired and exhausted, it laid on the smoking carpet.

The Phantom Thieves once again attacked in unison, stabbing and slashing, until the chimera gave in. Its body fell limp and it disintegrated.

"Ugh... that was... tiring..." Ann breathed.

"Agreed," Haru sighed.

"The way to the theater is clear," Futaba told them. "Nice work, guys!"

They took a moment to compose themselves before they made any moves.

"The treasure should be up ahead," Futaba continued. She gulped. "I really hope we don't have to see anything..."

Ann pushed the door open and they filed into the theater. The room was empty and silent. Past the many rows of seats stood the large stage, curtains open. In the center was the treasure, glowing brightly with no defined shape.

"Alright, we've got our route to the treasure," Morgana proclaimed. "Now all that's left is to send the calling card."

"I really hope this works," Haru murmured. "I wouldn't want anything bad to happen..."

"Guys, where's Fox?" Ann asked.

The Phantom Thieves looked around. Sure enough, Yusuke was nowhere to be seen.

"Fox? Fox!"

"Yes?"

Yusuke peeked out from behind a column.

"Jeez, don't scare us like that," Morgana scolded. "We thought something happened to you."

"No, I'm fine. Apologies. Although, I have been wondering where Ren's shadow could be."

"I've been wondering that too," Futaba said. "I don't sense him anywhere nearby."

"I wouldn't want to deal with him right now," Morgana told them. "But something has been bothering me."

"What is it, Mona-chan?" Haru questioned.

"What that cognition of Akechi said... It was saying some pretty weird stuff. 'To make a mistake means to go back and fix it. To swear to never make that same mistake again. To repair the damage that has been done. And to repent of your actions.' Does Ren think that the Phantom Thieves have done something wrong?"

"It appears that he links deaths as a result of the Phantom Thieves," Yusuke pointed out. "That could be true."

"So if we suddenly stop, he'll forgive us?" Haru inquired.

"Well, we can't stop now," Ann countered. "Not when we've come so far. His desires are really distorted. We have to free him."

The teens nodded in agreement, opening the Meta-Nav and returning to reality to prepare their former leader's "calling card."