AN: First chapter with Ren as the narrator. Not sure how often I'll do this, but probably not much. I'm trying to stick with either Sae or Takemi, but that's kind of impossible with some things.

"So...your sister's really got a Persona, huh?" Ryuji grabbed the last chicken skewer off the group platter and chewed on it thoughtfully. The group of seven teens (and one black and white cat) filled the cheap karaoke room they'd rented for an hour of privacy. Ann queued up a playlist of loud pop songs and let it blare over the speakers as an extra precaution, though Ren wasn't worried. After months of plotting, he learned that most people minded their business and ignored their surroundings as long as you weren't being too suspicious. Keep your head down and your hands in your pockets and you were invisible in the big city. The host downstairs sent up their drinks and snacks minutes ago, but he estimated they'd probably be left alone for the rest of their allowed time.

"I thought they were just for rebels like us. Adults are...you know…" Ryuji scratched the back of his head. "They like having rules. I mean, some of them are cool, but they're tied down by responsibilities and stuff like that." Makoto shifted in her seat, and Ren caught her eye. Right, the details surrounding the situation were pretty personal to her. He squeezed her hand under the table, a small reminder that she didn't have to stay quiet. No one was going to judge her for getting emotional after witnessing the casino firsthand. Her back was a little less rigid, and he took that as a good sign.

"Do you think Boss could have one?" Ann asked.

"Sojiro has that age debuff handicapping his stats already," Futaba said. "There's no way he could keep up with all his cracking joints." Ryuji grinned.

"Yeah, I can't imagine him doing half of what we do. The other world was pretty rough on us. I always felt like taking a nap after we left it." His smile fell. "So... how'd you guys even get to the Metaverse anyway? The app's been gone since we kicked the Holy Grail's ass."

"The barrier between the Metaverse and the physical world is extremely thin now, like I just explained," Morgana said. He winced as a piece of chicken nearly hit him. "Can you eat with your mouth closed?"

"Um, is this something that we should be trying to fix, Mona?" Haru held out a piece of leftover fish, and the cat reluctantly walked over to take it from her. She beamed.

"Not that specifically, but I want to know what makes them bleed into each other and how to stop it, if a method exists. So far, we know that Shadows can force the shift...if they're really tough." Morgana sat down next to Haru. Makoto placed her hand on her chin.

"Sis recreated her Palace in a more limited manner, and the rest of our apartment complex was unaffected."

"Yeah, it was more of a...cognitive bubble. A Meta-pocket," Morgana added. "Inside the area was controlled by the Shadow, but everything outside seemed normal."

"Maybe without Yaldabaoth, the Metaverse is more resistant to distortions. Large Palaces aren't as sustainable anymore, but I think the "attacks" being reported are actually people witnessing and being hurt by distorted Shadows," she said. "They're not hallucinating, they're just caught between the two worlds and don't understand what they're seeing."

"I hate how that explanation is more comforting to me than a normal gang assaulting people." Ann said, setting down a glass of soda. "Sorry, I just...thought we were done with secret identities and fighting monsters, but I still want to help. How do we stop these Shadows from attacking?" Yusuke flipped through the laminated menu as he thought.

"Would it not be more insightful if we figured out how to cross between the worlds ourselves first?" he suggested. "The problem could be more obvious on the other side of the metaphorical wall."
"Inari's got a good point, but we still don't have the password to get in. We gotta find the back door on our own this time." Futaba sat on the leather couch with her legs crossed, reading something on her phone. Her laptop was stored in a bag for the moment. "So...if people keep accidentally making Meta-pockets, can't we just make an opening by force? Shouldn't be that hard."

"But we'd need our Personas to match the power of a Shadow, and we can't use them until we're already in the Metaverse." Morgana's tail twitched as he paced on the tabletop. "And I don't know where the Velvet Room is anymore, or I'd ask for help."

"...Are you sure?" Ren asked. The rest of the team turned to him, and he had to take a moment to gather his thoughts. Even months later, they still treated him like a leader, even if he didn't feel like one anymore. He adjusted his glasses and prepared to steer them in some sort of direction. "Are you sure we can't use our Personas? I haven't tried since December. Has anyone else?" Their only responses were confused looks and mumbling. "Alright, then that's one option on the table. We should test it."

"I suppose that's a workable plan," Makoto said. "They're meant to be a part of us, so logically, we should still have them." He could tell that she was already constructing an outline for a plan. Makoto always managed to shape their various ideas into a feasible strategy. That was just how the Phantom Thieves functioned. She only needed to be pushed the right way to get her mind started on the current task. "Where would we conduct our test? It has to be secluded from the public or we'll risk exposure."

"I'd say we could go back to my place, but we might run into the housekeeper…" Ann perked up. "Maybe the park?"

"That's way too open, people are gonna see us through the trees!" Ryuji said. "...The school roof's definitely off limits though."

"The shop!" Haru said, startling Morgana. "I bought the lot in Shinjuku that we were looking at last week. We could meet up there, if that sounds acceptable."

One train ride later, they all stood outside of a closed cafe building a few blocks down the street from the station . The walls were white and stripped of any decoration, and all the furniture had been removed except for the built-in counters and seating. Haru pulled out a set of keys to unlock the glass door.

"It's not scheduled for renovation yet, so there shouldn't be anyone inside. We'll have some privacy here." She ignored the first light switch as she led them in. Having a light on might make someone want to investigate or assume there was a robbery, now that he thought about it.

"What a spacious shop…though it could use some color," Yusuke said. His mind was already off in his own world, picking out colors.

"I'd love for you to paint them once I select a theme! Maybe a mural…?" Morgana wriggled out of Ren's bag and jumped to the floor.

"Is there a backroom somewhere? We need less windows." Ren picked a door to check first, revealing an even darker area filled with sealed cardboard boxes.

"That's the storage space," Haru said. "Would it be big enough?"

"We can work with it." Morgana darted off into the room, inspecting it as Ren caught up. His former guide seemed to have an idea in mind now. A few seconds later, his hand found the lightswitch. It wasn't a terribly big room, but they could all squeeze in among the clutter if necessary. Not much room to maneuver, though...

"We should probably leave a few people behind, just in case something goes awry," Makoto suggested. "And to watch the front entrance."

"I think I'll stay behind, then." Haru stepped off to the side, letting Ryuji and Ann slip into the room. "If someone interrupts us, I can show proof that we're allowed to be here."

"I will stay as well," Yosuke said. "As protection." Makoto sighed.

"I'll wait here too. It'll be easier to keep people away with at least three of us around." And Haru being found alone with just Yusuke might draw even more attention if the wrong person caught them. Ren still remembered the assumptions people made when he spent time with her.

"Alright, Skull and Panther can come with us!" Morgana called from the other room. "Try navigating for us, Oracle. Joker, I think I'll need your help breaking in."

The Phantom Thieves watched Ren as he stood still, his eyes shut in concentration. They opened, and the entire room came into sharper focus. Unimportant objects darkened while everything else glowed to better catch his attention. That was normal. The odd fractures that seemed to be suspended in the air were not though.

"You were right, there's cracks everywhere, Morgana. And..." His gaze skimmed over the group. "I can see your Personas too." He usually couldn't do that unless they were being called on, but they were very present now, though translucent in form. A little more distracting than simple tarot cards.

"Your Third Eye can scout out Metaverse connections. I wasn't sure if you still possessed it, but that means we've got a chance."

"So what do we do from here?" Ryuji asked.

"We tear a door open!" Morgana grinned, and Ren took a moment to steady himself before making his attempt. It was one thing to suggest he could use his Persona, but there wasn't a mask to tear off here. He just had to wing it. It was best to start with one he was familiar with. The one most aligned with his consciousness. The other Personas could be figured out later.

"Arsene!" Something in his voice shifted as he spoke the name. Arsene said that he could always return to his side. Ren grasped the right connection in the back of his mind and tugged on it. Blue flames ignited the air around him as invisible chains rattled. A deeper, echoing laugh filled the storeroom. A somewhat large presence settled behind Ren, and his Third Eye closed from the strain. Arsene wasn't visible, but everyone could hear and feel him as his wings beat. Ren pointed in a specific direction, and the unseen creature lunged. Sharp, black fingernails ripped through reality itself, creating a jagged, crimson rift about six feet tall. Arsene's existence became more solid as he continued to tear, expanding the rift by prying it open further until it turned into a messy, but functional hole. The light that filtered out of it revealed his entire body, and Ren stood beside him to examine their effort. His clothing shifted into Joker's outfit as soon as he was close enough for the other world's light to touch him.

"It is done," Arsene said, before making his retreat. Joker blinked as his mask reformed.

"I knew it!" Morgana ran over to the new entry point. "This should be big enough for us to get through." His ears flattened. "...I just hope that it closes when we're done."

"Wait, you didn't think about how to seal it until just now?" Makoto shook her head. "What if we just permanently damaged something?"

"Eh, we'll figure it out later. And if Shadows come out, you'll be here to take 'em down. Let's go already!" Ryuji cracked his knuckles and joined them, his own clothing changing as his skull mask fell into place.

"Fine...And you're sure that we won't be stuck in there?" Ann asked, regaining her red leather outfit and panther mask.

"It sounds pretty simple to me. If Joker ripped his way in, he can rip out of there too." Futaba had already taken a seat in front of the portal with her laptop. A pair of heavy goggles rested over her eyes, and she was dressed in her black and green bodysuit. Prometheus formed above her, the darkened metal sphere glowing with multicolored lights. It pulled Oracle into it with a series of mechanical arms, and then sealed shut, a nearly impenetrable fortress.

"Everything's working in here!" Her voice projected in their heads, like they were all using radio headsets. "Just gotta see if we can reach you from the other side."

As Makoto, Haru, and Yusuke left to guard the front entrance, the forward team entered the rift one at a time. They walked out to...the same room as before, except it was silent. Quiet enough to make Ren uncomfortable. Everything was dyed in an unnaturally red glow, and the shadows were pitch black. The atmosphere itself felt heavier. This was definitely not a safe room.

"Did we... do this right?" Ann asked, her voice echoing too much for the size of the room.

"It feels right." Morgana looked as he always did in Palaces and Mementos.

"But this ain't a subway, it's just...the backroom." Ryuji frowned, tightening his grip on the shotgun he carried. "Why's Mementos all different?"

"There's no god controlling it," Ren said. As calm as he sounded, he couldn't help but be excited. No Yaldabaoth here to manipulate everything and feed off the warped desires of humans. This was the true collective consciousness. "Let's look around."

"I can still hear you!" Futaba chimed in. Prometheus hovered in the room, but they hadn't seen Futaba enter behind them.

"How'd you get here?" Ann tapped on the sphere to confirm that it was real.

"Huh? Dunno what you're talking about. I didn't move."

"Personas act as a connection between the worlds, so they're visible even if they're not summoned here." Morgana tilted his head. "Or at least that's what I'm guessing. This is the kind of stuff we're trying to figure out."

In the main area of the renovated cafe, everything still looked the same as it had in the physical world. Yet the red light persisted, and the constant noise of the Shinjuku district no longer filtered in through the windows.

"You know, it's weird there's no Shadows around-Woah!" Ryuji almost walked into Ann as the rest of the team froze at the sight before them. "What the hell…?" Three mire Personas crowded around a cafe booth. Anat stood with her arms crossed, her horns a couple of feet shy of scraping the ceiling. Astarte hovered close by, and the two appeared to be talking, though it was difficult to understand what they were saying. It was like trying to decipher another language, the words slipping in one ear and out the other. Kamu Susano-o perched on top of the table with ease despite his bulk and platform sandals, silent as he stared out the large front windows.

"Strange, but...I don't think they'll hurt us. If they even realize we're here, that is," Morgana said. "They're tamed." Ren took that as a sign to test his luck and cut through the lobby first. If anyone could handle the risk of being caught, it was him. Ann bit her lip to keep quiet, and Ryuji's whole body tensed.

He was successful until Anat paused and turned to look at him. Ren stopped and locked eyes with Makoto's Persona without thinking.

"Joker, don't make this a challenge…" Morgana hissed. Ren ignored him, letting the tension leave his body. He breathed in and out in a steady fashion. He'd been there when Anat had "evolved" from Johanna not long after he began dating Makoto. Surely she wouldn't see him as a threat. Or did that not matter to Personas? Was their time apart over the summer enough to affect that connection? They stared at one another for a long, uncomfortable moment, and then it gave him a small nod.

"Please be careful of wandering too far." Anat's voice was clear as she warned Ren. A familiar, yet deeper sound than he expected. Kamu Susano-o said something in what could have been a thousand year old Japanese dialect, and Astarte laughed. Anat huffed and revved her engine in response. It was alright, then. That relieved him more than he expected it too. Ren motioned from the rest of the group to follow him out.

"Dude, you push your luck way too far sometimes…" Ryuji said. "I don't wanna get nuked by accident."

"Leave it to Joker to flirt to get out of trouble," Ann teased. "But then again, a lot of girls like the bold, reckless types."

No cars, bicycles, or other vehicles filled the streets. Even the crowds of people from earlier were absent. Instead, featureless dark gray lumps floated a few inches off the ground. A sea of ghost-like creatures that blended together in packs. Upon closer look, a humanoid face could be seen on each one, but other than that, they kept ti a basic shape. The entire city was under a red sun, and while some buildings were off kilter or had minor "errors' like missing windows or floating bricks, it was close to how the real world looked. And unlike the tight, narrow subway tunnels from before, this Mementos stretched on in every direction.

"Well...I don't think we can explore this in a single afternoon," Ren declared, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"It's so big! Mementos really has merged with the physical world. It's like a distorted copy!" Morgana watched as the shades moved around the Phantom Thieves, uninterested in a conflict. "These things are people's Shadows. Yaldabaoth must've been feeding them more power than they normally had, because they're so weak now. Or maybe they get stronger when hostile."

"It probably takes a lot of passion to try and kick someone's ass." Ryuji scratched the back of his head. "I don't see any demons though. Nothing like the news reports."

"Oh, there's some really tough bosses out here," Futaba chimed in. She sounded distracted. "They're farther away, but I'm picking up on super strong Shadows. At least I think they're Shadows. I bet if you made a ton of noise, they'd come and check you out."

"Can you tell what kind of Shadows they are?" Ann asked.

"Uh….no. Sorry, there's just"- Futaba paused. "The more I focus on navigating, the more stuff I pick up on. It's so crowded here! Everything's just turning into noise." Ren turned back to the cafe.

"We should try a different method, then. I don't want you to overwhelm yourself keeping us safe."

"No, I can do it! I just need some time to adjust. Me and Prometheus can work around it." Futaba sounded so sure of herself, and Ren hated not encouraging her. One more try wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Alright, we'll come back tomorrow and pick a better spot. Somewhere quieter."

They re-entered the cafe and slipped into the back room. The tear in between worlds was still open, and Ren summoned Arsene to close it when they all passed through. His Persona called on a weak curse spell, using the dark flames to seal the tear shut like a welder's torch. "Hm. Not too hard to repair." Their clothes reverted to normal, and Prometheus melted out of existence. Ren adjusted his glasses and tucked his hands in his pockets. Morgana hopped into his bag, sticking his head out as they headed for the lobby.

"Well...It's good we have one more Persona-user, because it's going to take forever to explore Mementos now," Morgana said.

"Hey, so we're really going to...add more people to the group?" Ann couldn't quite make eye contact. Futaba slipped out behind them before Ryuji shut the door, a frown on his face.

"Yeah, I mean I get that it's more backup, but it's still kinda weird. We should vote, right? What kind of stuff can she even do? The rest of us didn't get to see it."

"Fine, then we'll all watch her Persona in action first," Morgana insisted. "We find some weak Shadows and see if she can fight them alone. Maybe we'll make an obstacle course too. Like...like a Phantom Thieves exam."

"Oh, you're back," Yusuke said from the occupied booth. Makoto immediately stood up, as if she'd been particularly anxious for a good sign. She probably was.

"Did anything happen?" she asked, looking at Ren. He shook his head.

"Morgana wants to test your sister in Mementos."

"Excuse me?" That wasn't a good tone. If Morgana wasn't covered in fur, he'd have turned white.

"Not by herself, I promise! We'd be there to watch and make sure nothing goes wrong, of course. We need to see if she'll be helpful to our new mission." Haru tilted her head while Makoto thought it over.

"Oh, do we have a clearer objective now, Mona?"

"We still need to find the cause of what's making demons come out of Mementos, which means we have to explore it more thoroughly. Maybe there's a really strong Shadow agitating things."

"Hey guys," Futaba said. She was back on her laptop, her eyes laser focused on the screen. "About those strong signals I was trying to read. I'm comparing them to other notes I've been keeping and...I think they're Personas. Not the ones Ren makes, but like ours."