Persona 5 - The Jester's Point Of View

Scene 117

"But you know what? I feel awfully generous today. So have at it. Kill them ."

"Wait... Kill them?"

"Yes, kill them. You have until you all leave the Palace. And to make it even easier, I will assist you in any way I can. No one will know that they are gone. All you have to do is to dispose of them right here, right now. Should be easy for you, shouldn't it?"

Anyone would have taken it as a sick joke. No way this could be serious in some way... It was too hard to believe. Originally Crow had only agreed because of one thing. And that was to shut it up. He figured that it would let the conversation go at that point, never to speak of it ever again. However, what was first seen as nothing but yet another morbid remark in hindsight would actually turn out to be true... Literal. There was no other way around this.

It had all happened so fast. So sudden. It was one lucky coincidence after the other. The amount of Shadows had increased which at first seemed like no big deal. However, it had gotten so terrible eventually that there were enough to surround the party. And they did as time went on. Though, oddly enough, the Shadows did basically ignore two of them – Swan and Crow. Both of them were kept away from the swarm of Shadows. Even O had been surrounded by Shadows which he couldn't just tear through. And this resulted in this short moment... A very short moment... The perfect opportunity.

Crow couldn't believe it. His hands were shaking, his eyes wide, nearly plopping out from his mask. They were within reach, occupied with their concern. So much so that they didn't even turn to him. Did they even notice him? Who was to say. He wasn't so sure. But they were there, all vulnerable. No one was there to help them and the noises made it impossible for them to overhear any screams. It was way too easy. All he had to do was to lift up the gun he had been carrying with himself here in this Palace, point it at them and pull the trigger. He could always claim that it was a Shadow's doing and no one could probably protest as they saw nothing.

It made his hands tremble, a little sweaty perhaps. He noticed how he swallowed, said swallow echoing in his ears for a second. It was just... Too good to be true. A little too optimal. His head was spinning and he could hear a voice echoing in his head: " Do it. Shoot them. " It was not his own voice but the entity's and it was chanting right in his head. He could just do it, a freebie. Everything would be resolved and could continue as intended. They would be out of the picture for good.

"And... You won't do a thing?" He asked, as if just wanting to assure himself here. He will not face any repercussions from this? The entity will do nothing but watch? Honestly, he was maybe just trying to convince himself here. But... This easy? Such a moment? What if it was a trick to get rid of him? But... In a way...

"Of course not. I'll sit still and watch. If their play comes to an end here, then so be it." The being responded, so calmly. Did it even care about playing with someone's life like this? Then again, who was he to say anything about that? He had taken the lives of many. He was no better in that regard. What would one more do? It would be pointless. One more to the pile. So if it saw Swan as disposable he had no right to judge that. If they met their end here no one would care... If these words do hold up then he had nothing to lose... It would only benefit him. He only had one shot. Now or never.

Crow forced his hand to go down, right to the belt with the gun attached. He pulled it up, one finger placed right onto the trigger, and he slowly lifted it up to take aim. He could decide where to go with the fatal shot. The head? Or maybe the chest was the safer choice due to the heart? If it stopped beating in an instant then maybe... He was pondering. Though this pondering only lasted for very few seconds.

Because just as these thoughts had crossed his mind he stopped right then and there. The image flashed into his mind. If he pulled the trigger he would see them collapsing and bleeding out on the ground, their gaze lifeless. No one to save them, just lying there on the cold floor. He could see it vividly in his head and it was slowly getting to him. Usually such a sight would not faze him. He didn't see it directly but he had seen some lifeless Shadows already. He has seen the aftermath of his actions. This shouldn't faze him. It shouldn't. It clearly shouldn't! But...