The Pawn.

(My goal is still at least one every other day, but hey, if I am able to write an extra chap, I will lol. Since I am two chaps ahead on the Rimuru story I decided to go ahead an post today.)

— — —

The strange woman, Elizabeth, was looking at Ren with a bright, enigmatic smile. Her golden eyes analyzed him as if she was searching for something. Her facial expressions seemed to be changing as if she was having a conversation with herself, and after a few moments, she nodded to herself in approval.

"Ah, how rude of me. I didn't give you a chance to introduce yourself, Fool. May I ask, what is your name?"

Ren stared at the strange woman for a few seconds before answering.

"Ren Amamiya. Nice to meet you, Elizabeth. I've always been curious about the sisters of the twins."

Elizabeth tilted her head with some confusion as she asked.

"The twins? Sweet Lavenza and Geneva weren't twins. Though they do look similar... could it be that I accidentally skipped a Fool?" She mused to herself before asking, "What do your attendants look like?"

"Caroline and Justine. Caroline is a bit of a tsundere, while Justine is more soft-spoken but nice. They kind of look like kids, to be honest, and they have eyepatches covering one of their eyes," Ren explained.

Elizabeth's eyes widened slightly.

"No, those certainly aren't either of the sisters I know. Though they do sound sweet, I truly wish I were allowed to meet them. However, it seems Igor is no longer permitting me to return. Perhaps I will ask Margaret if she has any luck, as long as she isn't too busy with her Fool to visit her sisters." Elizabeth giggled, as if she had just told a joke only she understood.

Realizing this might be a long conversation, Ren offered her some food, which she accepted with a smile. As they sat down, Elizabeth continued, still smiling.

"I apologize for the sudden question, but could you explain to me everything that has happened since you gained access to the Velvet Room? I have been locked out for some time, so I haven't been able to gather as much information as I used to."

Since she was the sister of the twins and a former Velvet Room assistant, Ren figured that she was trustworthy enough. As he looked at her, he couldn't quite read what was on her mind, but he didn't feel that she was trying to hurt him.

So he began to explain everything since he first got to Shujin. He talked about Kamoshida, Kaneshiro, Futaba, Madarame, all of his confidants, and even about himself, though he skipped the major personal details. There was something about the way she just smiled and nodded her head that made him feel at ease about opening up.

After taking a sip of her drink, Elizabeth went silent for a moment, contemplating his words. 

"Could I see the scalpel that my Master gave you? I am truly intrigued." Her smile widened, filled with a curious intensity.

Calling forth the scalpel, Ren placed it on the table. Elizabeth instantly picked it up, focusing intently on the small blade.

"An item that is meant to turn the user into a Velvet Room attendant. I have never heard of such a thing before." She seemed completely absorbed by the scalpel, her finger tracing around the golden wing-like handle.

She went quiet for a few minutes, deep in thought as she stared at the blade. Finally, she returned it to Ren.

"First of all, I would like to apologize. I hope you will accept it," Elizabeth said with her usual smile.

Ren raised an eyebrow, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"What is it?" He asked, earning a shake of her head.

"I guess it is to be expected. In that case, I will apologize again." Elizabeth shook her head slightly. After a moment, she cleared her throat, her expression becoming more serious. "I am really hungry. Could I get some more of your curry?"

Ren looked at her skeptically, but no matter how much he tried to analyze her, she remained an enigma. From the way she talked to the way she moved, she was truly strange. Even the twins weren't as peculiar, despite their quirks.

After staring at Elizabeth's smiling face for a few seconds, Ren nodded and went to get more food. By the time he returned, she was back to her usual self, eagerly grabbing her chopsticks and digging in.

After a few bites, she let out a satisfied smile and spoke up.

"So far, you have done great with your mission. I can tell by the videos you played that you are trying to change the collective unconscious. You should continue to do as you have. The more hearts you change and the more you appear on the billboards, the better."

Ren couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in suspicion. She was acting too weird, from suddenly asking for food to congratulating him. He wanted to be polite, given her connection to the Velvet Room, but there was only so much he could take.

"Tell me. What do you want?" he asked seriously.

Elizabeth froze for a moment thinking to herself before nodding and answering.

"I want to become your new Velvet Room attendant. Now, to be clear, I do not wish to replace my two sisters. I just want to offer you some help out here in the real world. You have a battle ahead of you, and it is going to be the hardest battle you will ever fight," Elizabeth spoke, her face showing not a hint of dishonesty.

"So… you are here to help me?" Ren asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Exactly. I understand what is happening now more than ever. Now that I have laid my eyes on you, Fool, I can see that you are exactly the one I have been looking for. I want you to become strong enough to rival a god, so I will teach you personally."

"A god?" Ren repeated, surprise flickering across his face. He had gotten a hint about it from Igor before, but hearing it from a Velvet Room attendant made it more real.

Elizabeth leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with hope and excitement. 

"What do you say, Fool? Will you accept my guidance? I promise you that with my help, you will be able to reach heights other Fools have only dreamed of." She said, laughing to herself as if she had just told another joke to herself, though even with her laughter, she seemed genuine.

Ren glanced at the floating Moon Arcana card above her head. There was something about her passion that made him believe in her words. He had decided long ago to let himself be guided by his confidants, following on the Fool's Journey.

The moon was a card of uncertainty, confusion, secrets, illusion, and intuition. It was a card that represented not letting your imagination get the better of yourself and lead you to the wrong conclusion. In fact, he could clearly see just how Elizabeth represented The Moon by just how hard she was to read.

It wasn't necessarily a bad card, it was more to act as a warning towards letting your imagination run wild and tricking yourself into acting, only to realize that you had been wrong all along.

After a few moments of hesitation, he focused on the small transparent string connecting the two of them before nodding his head.

"I agree."

Elizabeth's expression brightened instantly. She stood up, preparing to leave.

"Good. I must go prepare, Ren. However, a word of wisdom before I go. If you are going to continue using that scalpel, you better deepen your bonds with your Social Links. You'll need them."

Ren frowned, stopping her with a question.

"Wait, what does that mean?" 

Every time he had used the scalpel, he felt something was off, almost as if he was losing a part of himself. And now, a Velvet Room attendant was warning him about it.

"Do not misunderstand me, Ren. There are certainly benefits to using His gift. In fact, I would almost recommend it. The strength it will give you is undeniable. It is not turning you into a Velvet Room assistant but something stronger, more like Him. However, as your attendant, I must warn you that all power has its price. Do not let freedom become the price you pay. Next time you go to the Velvet Room, send Him my regards."

With that, Elizabeth gave a final enigmatic smile and vanished, leaving Ren alone with his thoughts and the cryptic warning.

As she left, Ren couldn't get the strange feeling off from his chest, so he closed his eyes and focused as he called forth the twins. As he opened his eyes, he saw the familiar blue door resting in the middle of his room, and after a moment to take a deep breath he stepped in.

— — —

"Trickster."

The words were immediate. Even before he could take in the familiar piano melody, Ren heard Igor's deep, resonant voice.

Opening his eyes, he saw Igor seated in the audience, legs crossed, with a broad smile on his face. What caught his eye was the small ethereal butterfly sitting on the chair next to him, fluttering its wings slowly.

"Igor," Ren acknowledged, looking at the master of the Velvet Room. "I'm sure you know why I'm here."

Igor chuckled deeply, his smile widening. 

"Of course I do. I am always watching the show, Trickster. I must say, a truly surprising addition to the cast. I was expecting the boy Mishima to be your Moon, but it seems fate has a funny way of playing tricks on all of us. It makes me ever curious about who your Devil and Sun might be."

Ren's gaze didn't waver. 

"Elizabeth said to send you her regards."

Hearing him, Igor burst out laughing, his deep voice echoing in the Velvet Room unlike ever before. It seemed like all of this was a massive joke to him, as if he was the only one who could see how ironic everything was.

"Trickster, my goal is to guide you on the right path. The path towards the salvation of humanity. That is the absolute truth. I never told you that the power I offered came without a price. I explicitly told you that it would turn you into a being like us, did I not?"

Ren frowned, remembering the conversation with Igor. He couldn't deny that it was the truth.

"Trickster, you yourself do not yet grasp the full extent of a Fool's power. The power they obtain once they achieve The World. As the one who has guided you since your awakening in this world, I must warn you: do not place your trust in others so easily. The Moon is an Arcana that embodies secrets and illusions; do not let yourself be misled." Igor advised, his smile ever present as he stared at Ren.

Ren felt a chill run down his spine as he heard the words. Instinctively, he activated his Third Eye skill, focusing on Igor. Yet, despite his efforts, all he could see was the smiling man before him. He remembered the first time he tried this; it had given him a splitting headache. He could see a small blur on the man's face. Now, he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

He wasn't sure what to believe. He wanted to trust Igor, but he had already held some doubts in his heart. At the same time, Elizabeth had been practically unreadable during their entire interaction, making her equally suspicious.

Igor watched his struggle with amusement, his chuckle filling the air once again.

"As a sign of trust, I will not ask you to believe in me blindly, Trickster. Go on then, and deepen your bond with The Moon. Once you do, you will see the truth as I do. You are nothing but a pawn… A pawn the Moon wants to use."

Then, after closing his eyes and thinking for a moment, he burst out laughing once again.

"I see… The Justice, The Hanged Man, The Death, The Temperance, The Devil, The Star, The Moon, The Judgement, The Councillor." With each Arcana he listed, his laughter grew louder, a chilling echo that filled the Velvet Room.

"It seems the majority of your confidants see you as a pawn, Trickster," Igor said, his chuckle still resonating across the Theater. "The bonds you placed your trust in are nothing more than puppeteers, whether they know it or not."

The air in the Velvet Room grew heavier, and Ren felt as if he was being crushed simply by standing in front of Igor. He struggled to maintain his composure, the weight of Igor's words pressing down on him.

And in the blink of an eye, it all vanished. The pressure, the music, the Velvet Room. It was just him and Igor.

"Trickster, I am the only one you can trust. Remember that. From the first day until now, I am the only one who has been on your side, the only one who knows the real you."

-

Before he could continue, a small ethereal butterfly flew in between them. As it did, the Velvet Room returned to normal. Igor's frustrated look flashed for a moment before his usual smile reappeared.

"Go on then, Trickster. It seems our time together is up. I won't be able to guide you for some time, but remember my words." As he finished speaking, Igor snapped his fingers, and the next thing Ren knew, he was staring at the ceiling of his room, with a curious Morgana watching him.

"Are you okay? You were standing in a daze, and then you suddenly fell down," Morgana asked, jumping down to meet Ren.

"I… don't know?" Ren replied, still in a daze. This morning he had been the happiest he had ever been, and now... Now he didn't know what to think.

"Wanna talk about it?" Morgana asked, his tail moving gently from side to side.

"I don't know…" Ren said, still trying to gather his thoughts.

~Confidants~

Igor (The Fool) Rank 7

(I'm curious to see if anyone caught the little detail I slipped into Elizabeth and Ren's conversation. Also, let me know what you thought of the chapter. I'm not going to lie; I went unhinged there at the end. Fun stuff.)