Taking Hearts, Breaking Limits (Persona 5 Royal x Final Fantasy VII)

V

4/21 - Thursday - After School

"So... this 'Inmate'? What does he look like?" Cloud asked Justine before entering the castle-Palace-thing.

"He is the man in the black coat and white mask you saw earlier."

"That guy? But... he's a teenager. Why did Igor choose a teenager for that rehabilitation thing?"

"Don't question my master's choices."

Justine gave him a quick "good luck" before he ventured on. He took one last good look at the giant castle before going through the front entrance.

The entrance was just outright disgusting. Sure, it was pretty and all. Red carpet, checkered floor, fancy split-x staircase, chandeliers, golden things, et cetera. But it had such a grand vibe, as if the ruler of the place wanted to make sure that the people visiting were fully aware that this is a very beautiful castle.

What struck him so hard, however, was the portrait hung at the midpoint of the staircase. It was a portrait of a man in a golden knight's armor. And the man was...

"Kamoshida?" Cloud said out loud.

Cloud could almost gag at it. It was so ostentatious that it reminded him of Don Corneo.

Don't tell me... is he the ruler? he wondered. But it would make sense. According to Igor, the Metaverse was the collective unconscious. If this castle was the conscience of Kamoshida, then it would be plausible. He remembered something he said;

"I'm Mr. Kamoshida, PE teacher and coach of this school's prestigious volleyball team!"

The abuse, the harassments, everything. It would all make sense if...

"He thought he was the king of this school." he said to himself.

Cloud clenched his fists. He knew those type of people too well. People who wouldn't give a damn about others if they got hurt or killed as long as it benefited them. It reminded him of a scenario all too similar.

One night, Shinra had ordered to drop the plate of Sector 7 onto the slums below, killing thousands. He had never forgiven himself for letting that happen, and neither have his friends. If innocent students, like Haru and Makoto, would fall under the tyranny of this man, this school would be done for, and Cloud's sense of justice would not let that happen.

He doesn't really understand what 'stealing Kamoshida's Treasure' meant, but if those kids were gonna do something to him that would stop this, he wouldn't stop it. He decided that it wasn't his problem right now, and went back to the task at hand; find those said teenagers.

He scoured the first floor, but the only thing he could find was a vent leading outside and an entrance to a dungeon. He didn't bother to explore that place (for obvious reasons). He tried looking around the second floor, but the hallways were blocked by metal gates. He wanted to slice them open with his Fusion Sword, but he felt like that would attract way too much attention.

He went back down the staircase and had found something interesting. He took a closer look at the Kamoshida portrait (still ugly, by the way) and realized that it looked like it was pushed into the wall. He pushed it lightly and revealed a long, dark hallway.

Secret entrance? Cloud wondered. He was about to walk in, but was interrupted by a shout.

"Hey! Who are you?!" someone shouted. He turned around to see three knights standing behind him.