Prepare for thy cliffhanger

Shin was sitting down on the Mementos' floor. Near him, the very familiar Shadow was floating quietly.

"So, wanna be my Persona?" he asked.

The Shadow was silent for several seconds before replying.

"I refuse."

Shin smiled and shook his head, as if he was expecting this outcome already.

"That's a shame. Do you mind telling me why?" he asked.

"My job is to kill you if you stayed in Mementos for long enough."

"I don't see how that would stop you. Besides, who made you do that?" asked Shin.

"Master tasked me with this. I can't go against master."

"Hm? It seems Yaldabaoth really doesn't like me." muttered Shin.

"No, master is not Lord Yaldabaoth. Master is master." said the Shadow, shaking its head.

"Then who is this 'master' of yours?"

"I don't know. I never met master. I can only hear master's voice occasionally."

"I see. I suppose you couldn't take me to your master, could you?"

" I don't know where master is. However, you're too weak at the moment." said the Shadow.

"I'm fighting with you on the daily with minimum assistance from Fay. How much stronger do I need to be?" asked Shin with a frown.

"A lot more. You'd need the power to face the world on your own, at the very least. Even then, that might prove insufficient. Master's power isn't to be taken lightly."

"Tch. What a pain." he said with a grimace.

"You may say that, but your face is smiling." deadpanned Morgana, who has been listening to their conversation the whole time.

"Is it, now? I didn't know."

The cat sighed.

"Don't get yourself killed. Not before helping me out with my mission, at least."

"Alright, I get it."

-INTERMISSION-

"Where have you been, man? You went straight home for the past few days. Did anything happen? asked Ryuji, during a rare moment when he and Shin hanged out.

"Nah, just busy with some stuff. Don't worry. I kept up with my training." replied Shin,

"Speaking of training, I know a place where we can practice, since going to the school during free days feels... off. And, uh..."

"That stuff with Nakaoka? You shouldn't worry too much about it." said the black-haired teen.

"I know, but still. I thought about what he said back then. How they were all putting up with Kamoshida, and how I screwed it up..." said the blonde

"Well, take it the other way. If you weren't an outcast, we wouldn't have met, and maybe that stuff with the Meta-Nav wouldn't have happened either." said Shin, encouragingly.

"Yeah, that's right. For real, it's been a shit ton of fun to hang out with you guys."

"So, what were you saying about that place for training?"

"Oh, it's..."

-INTERMISSION-

In a dimly lit bar, a black-haired man was sitting on a stool, sipping quietly from his drink. The barman, who had been waiting for the man to say something, finally decided he couldn't take the awkward silence and asked.

"What do you need from me?"

The man didn't bother to look at the barman, instead looking at his now empty glass.

"Refill, old man."

The barman's eyebrows twitched from annoyance.

"I'm not even that old yet..." he muttered.

The black-haired man paid him no mind, however, and checked the wristwatch on his left hand.

"Here." said the barman, placing the filled glass on the counter.

"Tell me, old man. What do you know about Masayoshi Shido?" asked the man.

The barman turned his back to the black-haired man, focusing on wiping some glasses.

"That's some dangerous territory you're wandering into. What business do you have with him?"

"I have my... reasons."

"..."

"Very well. I won't tell you to stop digging for information. But don't say I didn't warn you."

The barman checked the door to the bar, looking around for anyone who might be near. He closed the shutters afterwards.

"I can't tell you much about him, you know. He's very mysterious. The general public calls him a promising politician, since the ones that are currently in power look useless, what with all the recent cases of mental breakdowns and whatnot."

The barman suddenly leaned towards the black-haired man and said.

"There are some rumours going around that he might be the one behind the breakdowns. Most of the government officials who had died like that were somehow related to Shido, and not in a good way."

"I see... Any particular weaknesses?" asked the man.

"None that I remember. Actually... Wait a second."

The barman took something from behind the counter.

"This" he pointed at the folder in his hands. "might provide you with some extra info."

He handed the folder to the black-haired man, who opened it and looked through the files.

"What is this?"

"Apparently, some guy thought it'd be a good idea to get a sample of DNA from Shido and compare it with several famous people. None of the attempts were valid, except..."

"This kid?"

"Yeah. It's possible that Shido had an affair with someone which ended in a pregnancy. Besides the DNA test, there's no proof, so it's not certain." said the barman.

"This is enough." said the man, closing the folder and placing it into his bag.

The man nodded towards the barman, and waved his hand as he left. Outside of the bar, however, his face suddenly turned dead serious as he planned how to 'accidentally' come across his target.

'Goro Akechi...'

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This chapter's additional info is on... the Hierophant Arcana!

The Hierophant is a symbol of education, authority, conservatism, obedience to rules and relationship with the divine. The definition of a "hierophant" is a person who interprets sacred mysteries or esoteric principles, and the term was originally used to name ancient Greek priests who did so. This Arcana's original name, however, is the Pope, the male counterpart of the Popess (Priestess in the series).

Gameplay-wise, the Personas of the Hierophant Arcana have no weaknesses, but no particular strengths as well. Hierophant mythological figures tend to mirror Priestess figures, being male priests, gods of wisdom or divine beings.

Characters of the Hierophant Arcana are often older than the protagonist, and are typically quite wise and logical. The most common connection between Hierophant characters, however, is their association (and obsession) with the past.

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Confidants:

Igor (The Fool) - Rank 2

Morgana (The Magician) - Rank 2

Sojiro Sakura (The Hierophant) - Rank 2

Ann Takamaki (The Lovers) - Rank 3

Ryuji Sakamoto (The Chariot) - Rank 4

Tae Takemi (The Death) - Rank 3

Shiho Suzui (The Hope) - Rank 3