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Morgana, Code Name Mona States: Unknown (Assumed Dead)Sakamoto Ryuji, Code Name Skull States: Unknown (Assumed Dead)Ann Takamaki, Code Name Panther States: Unknown (Assumed Dead)Yusuke Kitagawa, Code Name Fox States: Unknown (Assumed Dead)Futaba Sakura, Code Name Oracle States: Unknown (Assumed Dead)Haru Okumura, Code Name Noire States: Unknown (Assumed Dead) A white-haired girl, otherwise known as Makoto Niijima, the name given to her by her Master sat by her lonesome in the velvet room, awaiting the orders of said Master. A sigh escaped her mouth as she closed her journal, turning her eyes to the owner of the name missing from her list, the leader of the phantom thieves, the man who dared to rebel against her master. Ren Amamaiya, Code Name: Joker. Leader of the Phantom Thieves. Gracefully, the girl put the small book in her hands inside the bag hung on the side of the table, a couple of gifts she received upon taking on the mission she’d been tasked with.
"Watch over him, make sure that he never breaks free, and report to me in a year-long time."
She didn’t know why, or even who this Inmate was, all she knew was the information given to her by her Master the day she was born alongside her name, and while she was pleased to do anything for her Master, Makoto didn’t know how tiresome of a task this would end up to be. This “Ren” was given a chance to be rehabilitated to save the people of this world, the humankind of certain doom, but alas, he had failed, pushing that ordeal to her Master to deal wit. But that didn’t go unpunished, both the old attendant and this man were punished by her Master, leading to the old one being exiled from this room which is why her Master created her, to take over and unlike the older one, don’t disappoint him. But what was amusing, confusing even was the fact that her Master didn’t do the same to this human, instead, he imprisoned him, locking him away from his personas and from the ability to escape this room.
I wonder why he didn’t just kill him?
It wasn’t that she wanted him to die, after all, she was only alive now because her Master needed someone to watch him.
I wonder if this human is as special as Master made him to be?
From the knowledge given to her by her Master, this man used to be a fierce leader who managed to cut his way through countless shadows and even take down multiple palaces, tasks which her Master kindly prepared for him to test and strengthen him, but as she stood in front of the cell, all she could see was a broken man, a man that stayed in silence, barely moving for the last couple of weeks, she couldn’t help but wonder if her Master made a wron...
No, Master is wise, he wouldn’t make such a foolish mistake like this.
She shook her head vigorously, wiping away every voice from her head that was questioning her Master. However, once her eyes settled down, she was surprised by the pair of eyes that looked back at her. "Hey..." "......" Without even saying anything, the girl turned around and made her way back to her desk, leaving the boy behind her, his fists clenching to his clothes as he rested his head back down. She couldn’t help but turn her eyes slightly at him, the way he looked, the way he talked, the way he...Smiled, it was all...
Why do I feel something...Is wrong when I see him like this?
Her one and only...Other interaction with him was the day when she was born, that day he didn’t have this hollow look in his eyes, and he certainly wasn’t smiling. That day all that could be heard around the velvet room was his screams, screams and cries that went on for hours and hours until he collapsed, becoming silent for the next couple of weeks as he went to slumber. She took off the hat that resembled a police officer’s from her head, revealing the braided headband that matched the same color as the rest of her short hair, another generous gift from her Master, and rested it on the table, sighing as she returned to her journal. February the 14th... She didn’t know whether the fact that he was looking at her the entire day, something he started doing recently starting a couple of days ago, was something good or bad, but she was sure that it was starting to get on her nerves. "Can I HELP you?!" she practically shouted, something she didn’t know she was able to do before. "...Not really, I was just bored." The boy's reply made it even worse for her, she didn’t know why, this day especially, his eyes irritated her, and while that was the case for the majority of their time together, today was something different. She grabbed the hat from the side, sighing as she wore it before getting up to stand in front of the cell, her eyes towering over the Inmate who was sitting down in the middle of the cell, legs crossed and arms locked with a chain that connected to his neck, "Do I look like an amusement to you?" "...Want me to answer honestly?" "...Sometimes I truly wonder why Master kept you alive?!" A feeling that she suddenly felt in her chest, something she had never felt before stung her as the words left her mouth moments before her eyes fell on the weak smile on the Inmate’s face. "I also wonder why?" his smile got wider, now meeting her eyes "Maybe YOU could answer that for me!" "As if I’ll waste Master’s time asking useless questions." her eyes flinched as she saw the look on his face, unlike the smiles and the hollow eyes he’d been giving her for a while now, his eyes showed a new look, a look that stirred a new feeling from within her, a feeling she couldn’t possibly understand or put into words. "Then why don’t you free me." he got up from the ground, smiling widely as he reached his hands to the cold door of his cell "I’ll go ask him mys..." Before his question could even leave his mouth, the chain around him was suddenly grabbed before he was met with the cold feeling of the iron bars on his face, he slowly opened his eyes only to be met with the piercing yellow eyes of the white-haired girl "Do NOT take me for a fool, unlike you, I am faithful to Master." With that, his body was pushed back, making him land on the hard, cold concrete of his cell with a bitter smile on his face. "This has been nothing but a waste of time." her glare shot the smile away from his face "You are truly just like Master told, nothing but a useless Inmate." "...Uslees..." "What was that?" her body turned around at the sound of his whispers, however, instead of answering her question, the boy smiled, now returning to the same sitting position he was in moments ago "What’s your name?" "Huh?!" abrupt his action may be, she never knew he was an idiot "What’s the point of you knowing?" "...Isn’t it boring to just keep calling you “You” all the time? You know my name don’t you? So it’s only fair I know yours." She took her time, studying every movement of his, including the shifting of his eyes, yet she found nothing, nor did she feel any ill intention from him, no sign of him trying to escape or any tricks he may be playing. "...Makoto." her body now turned, giving the cold shoulder to the Inmate, now smiling widely "Makoto Niijima, the name Master graciously bestowed on me." "I see...Well met, Makoto Niijima." Her legs stopped for a moment, her head turned to look back at the cell only to see the Inmate had laid back on his bed.
Why does my name sound different when he says it? Is that a human thing?
The 14 of March... He’s been awfully quiet for the day.
One thing Makoto learned after watching The Inmate for the last couple of months is that he’s...Very picky when it comes to his mood. After his first month here, he’s been acting like he's very used to this place, which shouldn’t come as a surprise since her Master told her about the year he’s spent in this room, however, what was surprising to her was that, after said month, The Inamte seems to behave differently depending on the day and the time. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays he stays quiet for most of the day, only speaking for a couple of minutes before going to bed. Fridays, Sundays, and Saturdays he keeps blabbering on about nothing in particular almost the entire day, leaving the place silent only the moment he falls asleep. On Mondays however, on that singular day, he mixes things up, speaking only during the first, and the last part of that day.
Truthfully speaking, Makoto didn’t know if any of these things she was writing at the moment were of any use, they all seemed like useless information that she’d discard the day he’s gone. Her hand returned to her journal, beginning to write again.
On the 23rd of every month, he says nothing despite the day being whatever it is, all he does on that day is stare at me with that smug look on his face, is this day special? Or is he doing this to throw me off? I still don’t know, I’ll find an answer soon though.
"You've been quiet today." the notebook was shut and placed safely in the bag, letting her free to get up and make her way to the cell, surprising the boy with her voice "Is this one of your...Unusual days?" "Unusual days?" the boy turned his head from the wall to meet her eyes. "That’s right, days where you do the opposing thing you’d do normally." "...." he couldn't help but smile as he sat up on the bed, letting the chains dangle down "Not really, I’m just returning the gift you gave me last month." "Gift?!" her head tilted to the side, the attendant couldn’t help but be confused "I don’t remember giving you anything." she got closer to the cell, now meeting the eyes of the boy closely "Are you perhaps trying to play me so that I release you?" It was the question she always wondered, after all, the only reason this person would waste his time and effort trying to talk to her is to try to find a way out. Suddenly, and for the first time in her life, Makoto’s ears were filled with the Inmate’s laughs. "What’s funny?" her irritated voice made the boy try his best to hold back the laughter "...S-Sorr...Pfff...." After a minute or so of the laughs filling the place, the annoyed girl, staring in anger at the boy suddenly opened the door, surprising the boy who was unawares by the sudden hand grabbing the chain around his neck, pulling him down from the bed. Ren, now on the ground yet still smiling, turned his eyes up to look straight into Makoto Niijima’s eyes, her knee dug into his chest "I ask again, what’s funny?" Only once she saw the look on his face did she realize what she’s done, just like how she thought, The Inmate managed to to drive her crazy enough to disobey her Master’s wishes.
But I can’t back down, if I do he’ll have a chance to escape.
A quite yet sudden chuckle grabbed her attention, making her return her attention to the boy "The fact that you think I need to trick you to escape!" "You seem to suggest that you possess the ability to escape whenever you desire." She let go of his chain, standing up and towering over him "But you have to remember that as long as I live and breathe, you will never, EVER, come close to harm Master." her eyes shooting him a glare before shutting the door behind her. "...You seem to admire him so much." his quiet, yet filled with rage tone stopped her in her tracks "Of course I do." she turned around, now meeting the boy’s eyes that showed her a new emotion, one that she’s feeling from him for the first time "After all, I’m only alive like this because of him." A chuckle escaped him "And is that all?" he asked, now slowly making his way back to his bed. "Isn’t it enough?" she asked, now turning her body around to her desk "Unlike you, I know how to be grateful to the person I owe my life to." "But is staying here since the day you were...Born living?"
I know he’s trying to sway me, I know, and I’m truly sorry Master, but...
"What do you mean by here?" "I mean here, in this velvet room." he replied, smiling widely as he wandered his eyes around "This place is a prison for me yes, but not for you, so have you ever wondered why you’re forced to stay here with someone like me?"
There is...Another place out of the velvet room? Wait, the human world! How did I even forget about it?
"You speak of your world?! "Yes." he replied, letting out a small, bittersweet smile "My World."
"You should be well aware of how this room works, are you not?" "This room exists between dreams and reality." she continued, now slowly making her way back to the cell "That means that neither of us can feel the time effect on our bodies, no matter how long one stays here, they’ll never age or die of hunger, what use your world..." "But our minds are sure as hell are feeling the effect of time." her eyes flinched at his comment "Sooner or later your mind will give up, I’ve seen it before, you’d want to leave and explore the world outside for yourself." "...You mean like the last attendant?!" "Yes." a ray of hope in his voice was heard even by him, forcing him to get up and grab hold of the cold bars of his cell "Just like Lavenza you’d see the truth once you open your eyes to the world around..." His words were by the electricity flowing through the cell’s door, forcing him to back away. "Do not bring that traitor's name up again." His eyes were turned up, now deprived of hope as he saw the baton leaving her hand "Else you will face consequences." 23rd of April...
Why not leave this room, at least for a day, did you never wonder what the human world looks like?
Is staying here all your life called living?
Sooner or later your mind will give up and...
Her hands scraped over the empty paper of her journal. For the last two weeks, ever since that day when the Inmate mentioned it, Makoto couldn’t get the voices...HIS voice out of her mind, no matter how much she waited in the silent empty room by her lonesome, or how many times she kept distracting herself from those voices. Makoto’s mind was fully occupied by Ren Amamiya’s voice, leading her to question her...
NO, you are loyal to Master!
"You seem to be bored!" the voice which she hadn’t heard for a couple of weeks now, other than inside of her head finally spoke, grabbing her attention. "I hardly have enough time to deal with you." "Oh really?!" the mocking tune forced her to turn her eyes to the side only for the grinning Inmate to send her furious. She quickly threw the notebook into the bag with the botan quickly showing up in... "Wanna play a game?" her entire body froze up for a moment, her eyes wandered to the human who quickly jumped down from his bed to sit in the middle of that cold cell. "A game?!" "That’s right." he replied, making her let go of the baton as she made her way closer to the cell "If I win you’ll do something I ask of you, and if I lose I will do something you ask of me."
This is obviously a trick, why would I...
The cold wind of the empty room hit her face, her eyes wandered around to the dark covering the entire outside area, leaving nothing under the light but her own desk and the Inmate’s cell. "What exactly do you wish me to..." "Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to do anything outrageous like letting me go, however, I ask you the same."
He doesn’t seem confident, weird, does he really only wish to play?!
"Very well, what is this game?" "One question from each side, whoever refuses to answer or answers wrong is the loser, however, if the other side can’t answer as well, then both of us lose." "And what happens in that case?!"
Not that would ever happen.
"If both of us lose or both of us win, I will count you as the winner."
He’s stacking the deck against himself? Why?
"So...You’re playing?" Again, she tried to study his movement, this time more thoroughly, but just like last time nothing seemed to be off. She snapped her fingers, letting a chair appear suddenly behind on which she rested "Very well, but just to be clear, once I win this game..." Why did she stop? She obviously was about to question his silence until the end of time, or at least until she asked him otherwise, but once she to that last part, the words wouldn't leave her mouth.
What if I’m all alone then?!
"It’s alright." his calm voice shocked her, taking her off her mind to stare at him "You can decide if you win." "That’s “when” I win." her smug look just put a smile on Ren’s face "Fine, when you win. You can start."
I can ask anything, right?! Should I ask him about himself? Or should I try to get more information about the rest of his group? No, that would be useless, I already know everything there is to know about them.
No, my question should be something I truly want to...
"Why did you and the last attendant betray Master?!" It was just on the tip of her tongue, something she always wondered, why did these people whom her Master gave so much to decide to leave his side and fight against him? "Didn’t he fight for the sake of your world?" "Aren’t those two different questions?" Her arms crossed as she rested her back onto the chair "Per the rules you sat, if you refuse to answer then I shall count this as my win." "....." a smile followed by a small chuckle was quickly wiped as he stared back into her eyes, her yellow sharp eyes that hid behind them... "Wouldn’t you fight someone who wishes to take control of everything in this entire world?" his hand clenched, letting the chain echo through the room "Everything and everyone you love?" "You were the ones forcing him to act that way. Had you done your part of this fight, Master wouldn’t have to carry out your burdens." "But we did." he glared down to the chains around him "Down to every single thing we had, we fought tooth and nail just for another day of freedom." "...And that is what it means to be human." her eyes flinched, forcing her to stare right back into his "That's what it means to take control of your own fate, unbound yourself from the chains, uncontrolled by anyone and everyone." A moment of silence took over the place, broken only by Makoto "Hmpf Ironic wouldn’t you say?" her eyes focusing on the chain around him "Is this the price of your so-called freedom?" "...If anything." he replied with a smile, confusing the white-haired girl "This is nothing but a small price I have to pay for the things I want." "The things you want?" His finger raised into the air, waving at the girl in front of him "You’re not allowed to ask any more questions." "...Hmpf Fine, then answer the second part of my question and I’ll answer your question." "...I think the most accurate thing to say about Lavenza is that she’s unfortunate for having to deal with me." "I assume you mean you were the one who dragged her down with you." "...Something like that." "And would that also be the case for the rest of the thieves?" "........." "I’ll take that as a Yes." her hands fell to her side, she got up from the chair which was gone now before making her way closer to the cell "It’s your turn now, you’re not allowed to back away." "...Alright then." she was taken aback by him getting up and making his way to stand face-to-face with her.
He has a lot of guts, I’ll give him that.
"How many members are there of the phantom thieves." "Is that...Really your question?!" not only did she wonder that, but she was also wondering why the hell he smiled like an idiot once he saw the surprised look on her face "I’ll allow you to change..." "Can I count this as my victory?!" Her eyes shot him a glare, making him smile as she got closer to his face "Six, with you they become seven."
Did I give him too much credit? He turned out to be nothing but an idiot, or did he just want me to win so that he’d get on my good side?
"......Can I get a pen and paper?" "Huh?!" "A pen and paper, I saw you writing over that desk, can you please spare me a single piece of paper and a pen?!" This...Is out of the blue "Why?!" "Didn’t we agree that we’re allowed to ask one question only?" "But I won, per your own rules." she couldn’t understand what was going on, he didn’t either try to deny her answer, which in truth she half-heartedly expected him to do, or even try to negotiate another round, instead he...ASKS ME TO GIVE HIM SOME OF MY TOOLS?!
Silently and with a face that showed no emotion, Ren returned to sit down on the ground "Can I please get a pen and a paper?" "FINE."
If this turns out to be a waste of Master’s precious gift, I’ll skin him alive.
Reluctantly, Makoto handed both of the items to him, watching in silence as he began writing with a smile widening on his face. "Here." the paper which she gave him moments ago was returned, but this time there was..."A map?" "Good, then I don’t have to explain anything." "What is the meaning of this?!" "You lost, so now I want you to go to a place called Leblanc and bring me a cup of a newly made cup of Jamaican Blue." "L-Lost? Jamaican Blue?!" her eyes shot, now throwing the paper to land right next to his cell "What are you even talking about, I answered correctly." "No you didn’t." the boy replied, taking the paper from the ground "Otherwise I wouldn’t have made the request." "YOU’RE LYING." Finally, after five long months, Ren managed to see a glimpse, a quick and a slight peak at “Makoto Niijima” "Why would I answer your question if I intended to lie." "That’s the reason you gave me such a ridiculous condition for winning, you never intended to play fair." "I did play fair." his voice stopped her furious accusation "And I answered honestly, and I have no doubt you did the same, it just so happened that Your answer was incorrect." "But that’s impossible, I memorized every single member of that team, their personas, their names, and even their abilities, how could I answer incorrectly." her hands were the ones grabbing the cell’s bars, rightly "Answer me why was my answer wrong?!" Her anger would only explode further the moment she felt the paper being placed over her hat followed by the boy turning around, smiling as he made his way back to his bed "I’m not forced to answer any more questions, but." a girning face turned to look at her "If you wanna back down from the challenge, it’s your call."
I can’t back away and he knows it, that would bring dishonor to Master’s name who went above and beyond to save everyone, I will not let anyone ridicule him.
"FINE." her voice echoed through the room, making the boy turn around only to smile once he saw the blue door opening behind her "But know this, I will get you back for this." "...I also included a map for the train station." his words only made the girl want to turn around and skin him "Also remember, only ONE cup, no more than that and you’re not allowed to order anything for you." "Worry not." she grabbed the handle of the door "I wouldn’t want to drink anything you’d drink." "........Please work."
This should be the place.
The moment she stood in front of the cafe which she had been guided to, Makoto crushed the paper in her hand, throwing it before stopping on it as she made her way inside.
At least it looks half-decent.
"C’mon you idiot, we can’t be stuck on the same subject all day." "Shuddup, I can study by myself fine." "Yeah, and I can get a full mark in the math class....sigh Ryuji, please take this..."
Do all humans have no decency to be a little bit quiet in public?
"Hello there." the voice from her right grabbed her attention, her eyes turned to see the middle-aged man, suddenly appearing behind the counter "How can I help you?" "H-Help?!" No, I don’t need any help, I just need to get the coffee..."C-Coffee..." Why the hell are my words not coming out, C’mon Makoto, you trained and studied for this.
"Hmm...Coffee? Oh, I see, which type?" "Err...J-Jamaican Blue." "Oh, that’s an unusual one, people don’t order it that much." the man smiled, now turning to face the kitchen "It would take some time to prepare, but don’t worry, I will make it worth the wait."
Great, not only did he waste my time, but now I have to wait for his coffee to be done...Hmm?
"We should’ve invited Haru, at least she would’ve understood some of this jibberish." "We can’t, she has her own exams to focus on, plus the entrance exams are coming soon for her, we can’t waste..."
Entrance...Exams?!
Unbeknownst to Makoto, she was taken aback by both of these two suddenly staring at her "Can we help you?" "Huh?!" She only realized that in the mere moments she overheard their conversation, her legs had already carried her to stand near their booth, giving her full view of the books laid on the table.
Think think think, I can’t let these mere humans...
"Err...I-I just so happen that I am knowledgeable about...These books." her eyes half closed as she turned to the two of them "I-I think I could be useful if you want me to t-teach you." "Wait, you’re a high school student?" the girl sitting down exclaimed, now suddenly surprising Makoto as she saw her jump from her seat "My name is Ann, this is Ryuji." "Sub..." "Um...M-Makoto." "Nice to meet you." She was suddenly sat down right between the two of them "I know this might be sudden, but could we bother you to teach us, exams are coming up, and I’m pretty sure both of us would flunk them if we don’t get any help." "O-Of course." her eyes quickly turned to the book.
Great, another thing to waste my time.
"WOAH...Finally finished this hell." The blond boy sitting next to her suddenly shouted "All thanks to you, Makoto." "sigh And here I thought I’d have to repeat a year." "While I don’t know much of those “exams” of yours, the knowledge I provided shall be of great help for you two." "Alright." A smile made its way onto her face, only for the sudden realization to hit her.
Why in the world do I feel like this?!
It wasn’t...A bad feeling, no, far from it in fact, she...Enjoyed it? Why the hell did she feel a sense of accomplishment from helping these two random humans? "I’ve been meaning to ask for a while, but..." she was brought back to reality by the boy next to her "Are you a cosplayer or something." "RYUJI..." "A...Cosplayer?" her head was tilted to the side, making the girl shouting moments ago now turn to face "Err...You...Don’t know what is a cosplayer?" "No way, just look at the way she dresses." the boy's comment earned him a smack on the back of his head "Stop being rude." "Is...Is there something wrong about the way I dress?" her eyes went down to her clothes The Inmate never said anything about my clothes, do they look...
"No no, not at all, they’re cute, that’s all." Ann was quick to reassure her, however, she confused her even more "Cute?" "Err...Huh?" "What does it mean, that word." something in her chest stung, she didn’t know why, but a random voice deep down in her mind spoke. "You’re cute."
...Who in the world was that?! And why does it sound familiar?!
"Err...Well, it means...Ryuji help me out here." "What do you mean help you out." the boy turned his face to the girl, still confused "How come you don’t even know the meaning of this word when you know all those hellish words." his hands pointing at the book on the table "Are you some kind of honor student or something?" "Honer...." a pain came out of nowhere, suddenly striking her head. "Ryuji you jerk." a pair of arms rested on Makoto’s back, a pair that was quickly slapped away as another voice spoke, this time followed by the same voice from earlier. "It must’ve been boring to babysit the uptight Miss President."
"Not at all, it was an honor of mine."
"The hell you calling me a jerk for?" "YOU, ARE, A, JERK." the two next to her began talking, slightly taking her mind off the voices. "But I didn’t say anything wrong." his eyes now looked down, meeting up with Makoto’s "The moment we finish studying she turns into a robot, I mean, that’s literally the definition of honor stu..." Her hands slammed the table, stopping the boy from continuing. "Err...Please don’t take it to..." Before Ann could finish her words, Makoto quickly pushed her out of her way, dashing to the door. "Wait, aren’t you taking this with you?" she was stopped in her tracks by the voice of the elder man, making her turn his eyes to the cup in his hand.
I can’t fail this, The Inmate wouldn’t...
"I hope you like it, I made it especially for you, Queen."
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD."
Her shout surprised not only the man behind the counter but also the two she taught minutes ago. Her eyes focused on the cup, quickly taking it out before running back to safety, the place she was born in, the place that she belonged to.
Master, please help me.
The sound of something spelling on the ground forced Ren to turn around his head, shocked to see Makoto, heavy breaths leaving her mouth as sweat ran down her face. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD." "I am happy to help any time." "I’ll do anything for you." "I like..." "MAKOTO." the same voice she heard in her head was now calling for her, shocking her and forcing her to turn her eyes up only for them to fall on a concerned Inmate staring at her "ARE YOU OKAY?" "Don’t tire yourself, I’ll always be there for you." Ren watched in terror as the hat on her head was thrown away, revealing a raffled hair "PLEASE I BEG OF YOU, LEAVE ME ALONE." "PLEASE JUST..." her hands were now full of her hair, pulling as hard as she could to try to remove the voice. "Makoto, calm down." the voice once again spoke, this time not from her head, her eyes slowly opened only for her to see the disturbed face of the Inmate, watching closely as he placed his hands over hers, stopping her from harming herself "What happ..." "LEAVE ME ALONE." the sudden explosion around her blew him away, making him now land in the middle of the dark room. "IT’S YOU, YOUR VOICE IS THE ONE THAT KEEPS PLAYING IN MY HEAD." the light suddenly was turned on, letting him see the girl standing across from him, now holding the same journal she used to write in. Without giving him a chance to say anything, she opened her notebook, burning away one of the pages to allow one of the personas she was studying to show up "MAKE IT STOP." The fire burned brighter, surrounding him. Her eyes met his, deep down, her heart itched her the moment her eyes fell on him. "Do you really love teasing me this much?" "I’m sorry, but I can’t get through the day if I don’t see you smiling at least once." "GET AWAY FROM ME." another page was burned, letting another persona show up, this time freezing the fire around him. "I was born for that role." No matter how much she tried to shut it, the voice kept on talking, all the while its owner, the one who stood in front of her stayed silent. "STOP IT." her cry was followed by another page leaving her journal, now letting a humongous persona show up, her eyes turned up as she felt the cold running down her body as the one she called punched through the ice, sending the Inmate crashing through it, cuts all over him. "N-No..." The book in her hand was now on the ground, thrown as the girl grabbed a hold of her head, trying her best to shut away the voices. "C’mon, we’re nothing without you." "I mean, he does look handsome, I guess." "He came here without anyone by his side, so I’m glad he found someone like you to be there for him." "I want you to understand that whatever my shadow said is not true, I am proud of the little sister I’ve been blessed with." "Please...Just make it stop." tears ran down her face as the voice began to get louder "I don’t wanna hear it anymore." "Makoto." a pair of warm hands landed on her shoulders, taking her mind off for a second "Please listen to me." "Who are you?" her question made the Inma...Ren pushed her shoulders back, allowing him to now meet her eyes "Why is it that every time I hear your voice my body screams at me, it is as if I’m not..." "You already know who I am." his warm voice cut her off, letting her see the pained look on his face "Then who the hell am I? Even Master ignored my cries for help, has he abanded me just like..." "He was never by your side to begin with." "LAIR." she pushed him away, quickly making her way back up "He gave me this life, he even gave me these." she raised the book from the ground "To defend myself, he even..." "You were never given anything, all he did was take away from who you are." he moved closer to her, shattering away the chains around his arms before wrapping them around her "I’m sorry, because of me you had to go through all of this." "What are you..." "This place is nothing but a torture chamber, designed specifically for me." "In-In...Ren?" for whatever reason, she couldn't bring herself to not call him by his name. "The day we lost to him he imprisoned me here as a punishment for defying him." she could feel the pain in his voice, something she never experienced during her stay with him all these months "And put you to make sure I never escape." Her hands slowly wrapped around him, she didn’t know why, but her entire soul shouted for her to comfort him as the sound of his tears filled her ears "I’m sorry." "Why me then? What is it that stopped you from escaping if..." "Because if I do so you'll be the one to die, he knew whom my heart was given to and used it to make sure I never get out of this place." "Y-Your...Heart?" "Yes, the one whom I gave my heart to, the woman I fell in love with, the cute, elegant, beautiful, charming, uptight president of Shujin’s students' council, the prideful younger sister of Sae Niijima." his eyes were now in full view of hers "Makoto Niijima." He closed his eyes, slowly placing his head on her forehead "Please, wake up and return to me." Her hands clenched as she could feel something showing up on her face, she pushed him away, softly, afraid to hurt him anymore. "I’m...Not...." "Don’t run...Open your eyes to the truth, and let us go and take our world from him." "You have finally returned to your senses." her hands slowly moved closer, creeping around the mask on her eyes "Makoto Niijima." For almost a year, he’d been stuck in this place, and for almost five months, he’d been imprisoned here, and for the first time during his stay in this room, he couldn’t help but smile as he watched the blue flames burn around Makoto "Welcome back, Queen." "Where is Joker?" "Beat me, he still didn't leave that place." "It’s been a while now, should we go check on..." "Worry not, he’s about to come out." the door behind them all opened as soon as Lavenza talked, and to their surprise, they watched as Ren, smiling, carried Makoto in his arms and placed her on the ground in front of them. "What the hell is going on, what happened to her?" "A lot." he replied, getting back to his feet "And I’ll explain later, but for now." his eyes turned to the giant figure towering in the sky "There is a year-long score to settle."