(A/N: Wowzers... I'm speechless, guys... I couldn't believe how much love and support the first chapter had! That's why it's my pleasure to present to you the second chapter! Please enjoy! 😁😄)

*******

What the two boys were seeing was just... indescribable. How the hell there was a castle standing in front of them? Where was the school? One moment they were walking in the alleyway to head there, and the next, well... they were seeing that! Ren's dark grey eyes were widened fully beyond the glassy lenses of his black-framed glasses as he was scanning his surroundings in utter shock and disbelief. Normally, there'd be a logical explanation for every abnormal activity occurring but then again, what was normal exactly in what the two boys were witnessing that instant? And how'd anyone explain the weird purple hue the sky gave? The dark-haired rubbed his eyes after taking his glasses to make sure that it wasn't his mind playing any tricks on him, and yet nothing changed even after doing so. There wasn't anything odd in the curry he had that morning, after all.

"We didn't come the wrong way though..." The vulgar boy turned behind him, "Yeah, it should be right..."

"What's going on here?" Ren asked.

"Guess we'll just have to go and ask." The vulgar boy said before walking inside towards the castle.

"B-But..." Ren followed him.

Sweatdropping at the blondie's rash behavior, Ren placed a finger on his forehead after seeing that there was no point in arguing with him anymore, thus he found himself obligated to go with him. But what that they saw in the interior of that castle was nothing less confusing or weird from the exterior... for inside they looked around them with wide eyes while standing on a checkered floor, heavily resembling a chessboard. A huge statue made of pure gold stood proudly in the middle of the floor that resembled a man the two boys couldn't quite distinguish its features--two staircases from the left and right connected as a small balcony in the middle with a rather humongous door on that said balcony. A fancy chandelier made of pure crystal hung above their heads, minus the stone pillars that lined up in two parallel lines. That was a legitimate castle alright.

"Th-That's weird... where's the school...?" The vulgar boy looked around the main lobby.

"Did we make a wrong turn or something?" Ren asked.

"N-No! This has to be it! I mean, it... should be..."

"Well, apparently it's not."

"Out of service? Where'd we end up? The sign was for the school, right?" The vulgar boy pulled his phone out.

"Actually yeah. It was..."

"Right?! You saw it too!"

".........!"

The sound of metal clunking and dragging its way on the floor caused Ren's ears to perk up as he had an alerted expression on his face. He among everyone was able to recognize such a voice... since it was the same as the chains--but what approached them was an armored figure that carried a large sword and shield in hand.

"Geez, you freaked me out... who're you? You a student?" The vulgar boy asked.

"Seriously? A student?" Ren gave himself a facepalm at the guy's stupidity.

"Man, your costume's impressive... is that armor real?" The vulgar boy asked, "C'mon, don't just stand there. Say somethin'."

After that sentence, another armored figure approached next to the first one, surrounding the two teenagers tight to one another. Cold sweats rolled down their foreheads as their eyes widened in both shock and disbelief... what was going on exactly?

"...H-Hey, what's goin' on?" The vulgar boy freaked out.

"We're surrounded! That's what's going on!" Ren replied.

"...This shit's real."

Not giving Ren the chance to comment on that, one of the two armored figures approached the blonde-haired, causing him to take a few steps backward until his back bumped into Ren's.

"C-Calm down! Time out, man!"

Despite the blonde-haired boy nearly freaking out, the other figure began walking toward him as well, raising so many red flags.

"We gotta run!" The vulgar boy said.

".........!" Even though he wanted to, Ren's limbs felt stiff and wouldn't move.

"No...! I can't... move..."

"Stop standin' around and run!"

However, before the two could run away, two more of those armored figures approached them and trapped them into a tight circle for real that time.

"Ugh, what's with these guys?!" The vulgar boy groaned.

One of the armored figures tackled the vulgar boy down on the floor by hitting his back with its shield powerfully. Ren shut his eyes upon almost hearing the sound of the boy's bones cracking and shattering, panic rising through his chest.

"Hey!" Ren ran toward him.

"Oww... y-you're gonna break my bones, dammit! The hell you think you're-- Aagh!" The vulgar boy's words were cut off.

After that, one of the armored figures reached Ren from behind, delivering a strong hit on his head with its shield. He cried out from the pain as his body slowly fell unconscious to the floor, creating a loud thud while laying down completely moveless and vulnerable.

"Take them away!" A guard's voice ordered.

That was the last thing Ren could ever hear before his surroundings were swallowed by complete darkness... yes, he welcomed slumber with open arms.

*******

"Wake up!"

"Hey, dude, ya hear me? Wake up!"

Fluttering his dark grey eyes open, the raven-haired boy held his aching head in pain, feeling that his surroundings were hazy and unclear around him. There was the blurry image of blonde hair along with the numb feeling of something shaking him gently to snap out of it. Slowly, he sat on the wooden bed he was lying on, looking around him to see that he and the blonde boy were thrown in a cell... again, a scene he was no stranger to since the day of his arrest. Then, everything came back to him before he was knocked out--he remembered how the guard hit his head strongly with an iron shield, he remembered the pain he felt, he remembered how cold and hard the floor was.

"You all right? You scared the shit outta me..." The vulgar boy backed away after waking Ren up.

"I-I'm fine, you?" Ren asked.

"Yeah, more or less."

The raven-haired tried to stand up on his feet, only to feel the heaviness of his body, thus losing his balance and leaning on the wall next to him. His head throbbed again, but that time pain rushed through his bones and down to his spine and legs, causing the vulgar boy to try and reach out for him only for the former to brush it off with a weak smile of his to reassure he was fine.

"Looks like this ain't no dream... ugh, what's goin' on?!" The vulgar boy looked around him.

Unable to control his rage anymore, the blonde-haired ran toward the cell door before banging it with all of his might. He needed answers, and he needed them now!

"Let us outta here! I know there's someone out there!"

"That's not going to get us out of here, you know." Ren spoke coolly.

"Dammit, where are we?! Is this some kinda TV set...?" The vulgar boy asked angrily.

What made the two of them almost jump from their spots was the sound of loud screams cutting right through their ears, thus sending shivers down their spines. It seemed like the owner of it was experiencing an unbearable pain that no one can even imagine at all... and to make matters worse, those screams seemed really close to where the teens were. The voice pierced through the boys' ears, making their eyes wide in horror as Ren could feel his skin growing pale and his heart about to leap out of his chest. He cleared his throat nervously as a cold sweat rolled down his face because he was truly scared of what was going on there. What in the world was going on in that godforsaken place?

"Th-The hell was that just now...?" The vulgar boy asked shockingly while reaching the bars of the cell's door.

Yet, more screams could be heard which were louder and crueler than those before them.

"Whoa... whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa... you're shittin' me, right...?"

"Hm? You hear that?" Ren asked.

With that said, a troop of armored guards approached the cell as one of them, standing right outside of the cell's door. Ren's hands gripped tighter through the bars at the scene of their arrival, his hands began shaking ever so slightly out of fear from what could happen to them next. Would they torture them? Kill them? He tried to conceal his trembling limbs by grabbing his wrist tightly while shutting his eyes close, mentally chanting to himself for it to stop.

"Be glad that your punishment has been decided upon. Your charge is 'unlawful entry'. Thus, you will be sentenced to death."

"Say what?!" The vulgar boy shouted.

"No one's allowed to do as they please in my castle." A familiar voice spoke as yet another figure approached the boys.

"Huh? Wait... is that you, Kamoshida?" The vulgar boy gasped.

"Kamoshida?" Ren questioned while looking at the blondie.

Recalling where he heard that name or saw that face before, he remembered that he was the same jersey-wearing teacher from Shujin whom he spotted in the car with the platinum blonde-haired girl, but something about his appearance was... off and wrong on so many levels. His eyes were golden and he wore a gold crown, red heart printed cape, and pink underwear, leaving his torso and hairy legs exposed.

"I thought it was some petty thief, but to think it'd be you, Sakamoto. Are you trying to disobey me again? It looks like you haven't learned your lesson at all, huh? And you brought a friend this time... because you can't do anything for yourself." Kamoshida smirked darkly.

"This ain't funny, you asshole!" The vulgar boy named 'Sakamoto' growled.

"........!" Ren slightly widened his eyes.

"Is that how you speak to a king? It seems you don't understand the position you're in at all. Not only did you sneak into my castle, but you also committed the crime of insulting me--the king. The punishment for that is death. I wonder how your little friend Hayashi will react to your death as well."

"Leave Mikki out of this, you son of a bitch!"

"Mikki...?" Ren mumbled.

"It's time for an execution! Take him out!" Kamoshida ordered.

"S-Stop it...!" Sakamoto backed away while the guards unlocked the door and walked into the cell.

"...Goddamit...!" Sakamoto wheezed.

Ren backed a few steps back in a desperate attempt to remain calm, but in reality, he was scared to bones since his wide eyes were darting left and right--his pale skin tone spoke otherwise too. A cold sweat rolled down his face and could feel his legs shivering quietly... it was the first time in his life he felt so scared like that.

"Hragh!" Sakamoto ran forward, hitting one of the guards and knocking it down, "I ain't down for this shit! C'mon, we're outta here!"

"Look out!" Ren warned.

Before Sakamoto could even blink his eye, one of the guards smacked him powerfully with its shield directly on his abdomen, thus knocking him down on the cold, hard floor once more.

"Nnngh... owww..." Sakamoto hissed in pain while kneeling down.

"Hey!" Ren tried to reach him, but only to get blocked by two guards.

"Just go! Get outta here...! These guys are serious!"

"Oh? Running away, are we? What a heartless friend you are." Kamoshida smirked slyly at the raven-haired.

"He ain't a friend..." Sakamoto coughed, "C'mon! Hurry up and go!"

"........!" Ren's expression grew in horror.

"Why? Why can't I move?! I have to help him, or else...!"

"What's the matter? Too scared to run away? Hmph, pathetic scum isn't worth my time... I'll focus on this one's execution..." Kamoshida smiled devilishly.

"No...! Stop!"

"Take this!" Kamoshida grinned before punching Sakamoto in the face, "Lowly scum! Useless pest!" He kept punching Sakamoto non-stop until he fell to the ground.

"Stop...!" Ren widened his eyes.

"...Hmph. Where'd your energy from earlier go?" Kamoshida spat on the boy's face before one of the guards grabbed him by his head and threw him aside.

"No... I can't let it be like that again... I won't let it be the same!"

"A peasant like you isn't worth beating. I'll have you killed right now."

"Stop it!" Ren shouted.

"Hm...?" Kamoshida turned at him, "What...? Don't you dare tell me you don't know who I am."

Kamoshida leaned close at Ren's face who was glaring at him deadly; the latter's eyes had an intense and fiery gaze in them as if he was staring deep into that monster's soul. He had enough from seeing Sakamoto getting beaten up and wasn't going to sit there and allow the same scenario as before to take place in front of his eyes... no, not anymore!

"That look in your eyes irritates me!" Komashida kicked Ren towards the wall.

"Ngh..." Ren struggled to lift his face up.

"Hold him there... after the peasant, it's his turn to die."

"No!" Ren tried reaching him, but two guards pinned him to the wall.

"Poor Hayashi. I can hear her crying over the news of your death already." Kamoshida grinned darkly while slowly walking toward the blondie.

"No... I don't wanna die!" Sakamoto pleaded in despair.

"Hahaha!"

"I must save him..."

"I must save him!"

"If I don't do anything, he'll die..."

"I can't let him die!"

With those thoughts in Ren's mind, a faint light caught his attention which caused him to lift his face up to spot a blue butterfly roaming around him, leaving a trail of sparkles as it flew.

"This is truly an unjust game... your chances of winning are almost none. But if my voice is reaching you, there may be yet a possibility open to you..."

With that, it vanished as fast as it appeared.

"What's the matter...? Are you simply going to watch?" A mysterious voice rang inside Ren's head.

"Are you forsaking him to save yourself?"

"Death awaits him if you do nothing."

"Was your previous decision a mistake then?"

"No, it wasn't..."

A guard lifted Sakamoto by his neck ready to draw its sword on him to instantly kill him, while the raven-haired started struggling from the two guards' grip.

"Very well...I have heeded your resolve."

"Aagh...!" Ren screamed loudly as a sharp and unbearable pain attacked his head, sweat began rolling down his face.

"Vow to me."

"I am thou, thou art I..."

"Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice!"

"Aaah...!"

"Call upon my name, and release thy rage!"

"AAAAAHHHH!"

"Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!"

After the last sentence, Ren lifted his face to show his deep dark grey eyes that were flaming with anger, rage, and rebellion as if he turned into a completely different person and threw the old one away.

"Execute him!" Kamoshida commanded while pointing at Sakamoto.

"That's enough!" Ren shouted.

"What was that...?"

Kamoshida had a surprised look on his face due to that sudden and unexpected call while looking back at the raven-haired as the guard let go of Sakamoto's neck in the process, allowing him to fall on the ground.

"You desire to be killed that much...? Fine!" Kamoshida pointed his head at the boy.

The guard who was standing on Ren's left his face with its shield, thus knocking his glasses down with a powerful and mighty punch on his face, causing his face to turn sideways as it hit the wall behind him. Ren got pinned again on the wall, lowering his face down half passed out from the strong impact of the hit and onto the brick wall as well. Sakamoto tried to stand up on his feet again to help that new kid in any way since he was going to get killed, but fell down on the floor... he was too goddamn weak to do anything. Kamoshida pointed at the raven-haired in a sign of executing him as a third guard drew its sword up, joy and arousal filled the man since he was about to get rid of one hell of an annoying piece of trash forever.

".......!" Suddenly Ren opened his eyes fully.

A massively strong wave of wind blew up, knocking the guard who was about to kill him backward and causing him to roll on the ground a few times. Kamoshida opened his eyes again after the wind settled down with a cold sweat rolling on his face with eyes that were slightly upon... just what happened now? What the hell did that kid do? As an answer, lifted his face before he ran his fingers on it to sense a black and white birdlike domino mask on his face, much to his shock and confusion.

He grabbed the anonymous mask by his two hands, struggling to remove it from his face but instead, it got ripped off entirely, thus causing dark and crimson blood to drip all over his face with a soul-crushing scream. The dark-haired boy stared at them with his blood-stained face while grinning widely and his now-golden eyes, he felt so damn good at that moment and was felt with excitement and anger.

"Come, Arsène!" Ren called loudly.

Blue flames engulfed his face completely that took the form of a demonic face as an eerie laugh burst out loudly. The flames covered Ren's face completely, causing Kamoshida to shriek and run away in fear, but soon the blue flames vanished from his body who was smiling darkly--the flames were connected to him with metallic chains before turning to an elegant-looking demonic figure that donned a very tall top hat, a long-horned mask for its face as it appeared to not have a head, a cropped red eighteenth-century-esque suit worn open with the collar popped, stitched heart designs on the shoulders, a white ruffle tie, and a black, tailed corset running down its torso. Large, black, feathery wings flapped from the small of its back and had claws, red coverings on its legs resembling pants, and boots with blade-like heels. The boy's clothes were also entirely changed from his standard Shujin uniform to a black ankle-length tailcoat, a high-necked waistcoat with gold accents, black jogger-style pants, brown-black winkle-pickers, and a pair of red gloves.

Ren lifted his arms, which caused the demonic figure to flap its wings, creating another strong wave of wind that blew all the guards away and Kamoshida crawling away cowardly once again.

"Wh-What the...?!" Sakamoto gasped in shock and disbelief.

"I am the pillager of twilight--'Arsène'!" The figure spoke while floating behind Ren's back.

"What the...?" Sakamoto trailed.

"I am the rebel's soul that resides within you. If you so desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis."

"Give me..." Ren trailed before screaming, "...your power!"

"Hmph, very well..."

"Who the hell are you...?! Guards! Start by killing that one!" Kamoshida ordered his guards before they went berserk and transformed into demonic monsters.

"You'll learn the true strength of my men!" Kamoshida grinned psychopathically.

"I'll get back what I lost!" Ren shouted these words.

With that said, Arsène flapped his wings, causing a strong blue and fiery wind to blow off that turned all the guards into a reddish-black aura while vanishing in the air. Kamoshida yelped while closing his eyes as a chain of silver keys fell from him onto the ground, Ren looking at him with the widest and darkest grin ever on his face as his eyes showed no sign of kindness anymore.

"What..." Sakamoto trailed shockingly.

Arsène vanished into blue flames around Ren's face and turned back into the black and white birdlike domino mask he once ripped from his face.

"Hm?" Ren looked at himself in a questioning matter, noticing the change in his clothes.

"What was that just now...?" Sakamoto trailed.

"You little...!" Kamoshida groaned angrily while walking towards the raven-haired.

"Aagh!" Kamoshida screamed while being pushed on the ground by Sakamoto.

"You like that, you son of a bitch?!"

"The key! Lock the cell!" Ren called.

"Y-You mean this?!" Sakamoto looked at the chain of silver keys laying on the ground.

Grabbing the keys, both the boys hurriedly ran out of the cell before the blonde-haired locked the cell from the outside, the two sighing in relief in the process.

"Okay, it's locked!" Sakamoto stated.

"Damn you!" Kamoshida yelled.

"Hey...! What was that just now?! And... your clothes...!"

"That power..." Ren mumbled to himself while staring at his gloved palm.

After that, a wave of blue flames covered Ren's body completely and vanished after a few seconds to reveal his normal self once more.

"Whoa, it went back to normal...?!" Sakamoto gasped.

"What in the...?"

"Waaaaah!" Sakamoto yelped at the sound of Kamoshida hitting the cell.

"You bastards!" Kamoshida screamed.

"God, this is effin' nuts! Anyways, let's scram! You lead the way!"

"Let's go!"

"Hrah...!" Sakamoto threw the keys away before following the raven-haired.

"Goddamn thieves...! After them! Don't let them escape!" Kamoshida ordered loudly.

The two boys started running away in the depths of the underground prison they were put in that looked like an endless maze of crossroads. They jumped across broken bridges to avoid falling into the water that's running beneath them and hid whenever they beard troops looking for them. Yet, many teenagers have held prisoners in cages and cells screaming for help. They found long stairs that lead upwards and took it, only to find themselves still in prison.

Running towards the end of the path they were on which had a bridge lifted upwards, they came across a dead end.

"Another dead end...?" Ren stopped his tracks.

"Dammit! How the hell're we supposed to get outta here?!"

"...Hey, you there. Blondie! Frizzy Hair! Look over here!" An unknown voice called.

Both of the boys turned to the source of the voice to see a black cat with blue eyes and a white muzzle, paws, and tail tip and wore a yellow collar.

"What is this thing?!" Sakamoto gasped.

"You're not soldiers of this castle, right? Get me out of here! Look, the key's right there!" The strange creature spoke.

"We're trying to get the hell out of here...! I mean, you obviously look like an enemy too!"

"Seriously...?" Ren trailed while sweatdropping.

"I'm locked up here, so how can I be your enemy?! Help me out!"

"...A cat?" Ren asked.

"I am NOT a cat! Say that again and I'll make you regret it!" The strange creature said.

Then, all of them got alerted upon hearing the voice of troops approaching... those bastards sure did find them rather quickly. Ugh, can that nightmare get any worse than it already was?!

"They're catchin' up already...!" Sakamoto looked at his phone, "Shit, there's still no service. Ain't there any way to contact someone outside?! How the hell do we get out...?!"

"Hey, you two! Do you want to know where the exit is? Let me out and I'll take you there. You don't want to get caught and executed, right?" The strange creature offered his help.

"This thing sounds like it's all talk..." Sakamoto trailed.

"If you guys think you can get out on your own, then be my guest!"

"Whadda we do...? Are you seriously not messin' with us?!"

"If you don't hurry, they'll catch you."

"All right." Ren walked to where the keys were hanging next to the cell's door.

"Aren't you agreeing a little too easily? What is that?!" Sakamoto gasped.

"Ahhhh... freedom tastes so great!" The strange creature hopped out of the cell while stretching his arms.

"It's soft... and alive." Suddenly, Ren rubbed its head and face.

"K-Knock it off! If you touch me there..." The strange creature freaked out comically before purring.

"L-Let me touch the monster cat, too!" Sakamoto said, a little flustered and jealous.

"Don't call me a cat! I am Morgana!"

"Shuddup and hurry it up! You wanna be locked up again?!" Sakamoto threatened.

"A-All right, sheesh! Follow me and stay quiet!" Morgana said before running away and followed by the two.

********

-------Meanwhile: Shujin Academy------

Ms. Kawakami sat in the faculty office doing paperwork before she looked at the clock hanging on the wall worriedly, a frown was planted on her lips as she watched the hour hands ticking. Panic began rising in her chest as she bit her thumb the more she thought about how Ren still didn't show up to school until now. What was happening? Did something occur to the boy? Did he get sick all of a sudden? If that was the case, then Sojiro would've called and informed the faculty. Had he gotten into an accident on his way? She couldn't rule out that possibility since a lot of them made the headlines recently... then again, she would've immediately known from the news online. Was it a normal accident then. She shook her head to dismiss all of those negative thoughts of her mind as she adjusted herself on the chair while massaging her temples.

"...It's the fourth period already. Sakura-San said that Amamiya-Kun left the house this morning. Should I contact the police...? No, that'll just be more of a hassle..." Ms. Kawakami talked to herself before looking down, "What did I do to deserve this...?"

*******

------The Castle------

All the three ran back toward the bridge in the underground dungeon with Morgana telling Ren to lower the jaw of Kamoshida's statue that stood next to it before running across it to the other side safely. A sudden wave of relief overwhelmed the two boys while following the monster cat that led the way ahead--they were truly going to escape from that place! They were going to return back and away from all that madness! So many crazy and unbelievable things happened to them from the moment they set foot into the castle, but it finally was going to be over!

Or that was what they thought...

"A-Aah! Shit... shit, it's them!"

Sakamoto cried out while falling on the ground as Ren's clothes changed to that weird attire again along with the mask. When they were making their way onto the bridge and away from everything, a troupe of guards spawned out of nowhere and appeared before them, thus blocking their way from proceeding any further.

"Tch... you amateur! Stay still!" Morgana jumped forward, "Hey, you! You could fight, right?! Let's go! Come...! Zorro!"

With that said, a wave of blue flames surrounded the black cat and took the shape of an armored figure, wearing a black cloak, a belt around its waist with a large Z clip in the middle, and long leather black boots. The figure carried a sword in hand, creating a Z slash in the air.

"Y-You got one of those things too?" Sakamoto yelped as one of the monsters went berserk.

"Hmph, we will promptly shut them up!"

"Don't mind if I do." Ren smirked while adjusting his red gloves.

"Damn Shadows... they've taken up intercept positions! It means they're holding nothing back and serious to kill us! I'll back you up, so fight like your life depends on it! Let's go!"

"Go down!" Ren cast a curse spell.

"Hmph, I knew you were an amateur. This is how you fight Let's go, Zorro!"

Morgana cast a wind spell, finishing the first monster, then Ren struck the foe with his knives and ended the other one, thus clearing the path ahead of them.

"Not bad. Your Persona's pretty powerful." Morgana told the raven-haired.

"Thanks, you're pretty good yourself."

"Persona...? Y'mean that thing that came outta you guys all dramatic-like?" Sakamoto trailed.

"Yes. You saw Frizzy Hair here ripped off his mask when he summoned it, right? Well, everybody wears a mask deep within their heart. By removing that..."

At that moment Ren's clothes went back to his usual uniform.

"This again...?" Ren asked himself.

"Huh...? He turned back to normal..." Sakamoto said.

"Hm, it looks like you don't have full control over your power yet. The transformation shouldn't normally dissolve like that. After all--"

"Rrgh, that's enough! This crap doesn't make any sense!"

"Can't you just sit still and listen for once, Blondie?!"

"Don't call me Blondie! My name's Ryuji..."

"Sigh..." Ren sighed while shaking his head hopelessly.

"Actually, there's no time for me to lecture you! You wanna escape this place in one piece, right? Let's go! Come on, we should hurry. It's not much further to the exit." Morgana stated before running away.

Guiding the way for the two teens and hiding in the shadows away from the enemies, it didn't take long for Morgana to finally navigate them through a safe route that was empty from all those monsters. And finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the cat pointed for them to follow him to a room in the depths of the castle that was filled with closed lockers lined up in every corner.

"We're here!" Morgana exclaimed.

"Finally! We're saved...!" Ryuji said before rushing to the door, "Nnh...?! ...It's not openin'! D'you trick us, you jerk?!"

"Don't jump to conclusions! Over here!" Morgana said before running to the left.

"H-Hey, wait!" Ren ran behind him.

"Where are we supposed to get out from here?! There aren't even any windows!" Ryuji asked angrily.

"Ugh, amateur..." Morgana mumbled, "This is the most basic of basics."

"A ventilation shaft, right?" Ren spoke.

"That's right! As I thought, you're a natural at this. It leads all the way outside."

"I see..." Ryuji trailed, "Then we just gotta get that metallic mesh off!"

"Pretty much, yeah." Ren nodded.

"And a one, and a--" Ryuji counted while jumping up to take the mesh off.

"Be careful, or else you'll---" Ren's words were cut off.

"Whoa...!" Ryuji lost his balance and fell on the floor powerfully.

"...fall."

"Oww... crap! The enemy didn't hear us, did they?" Ryuji whispered after he got up.

"I'm pretty sure the whole country of Japan heard that." Ren mocked.

"Seriously, we're finally gettin' outta here...!" Ryuji said happily.

"You should wait on celebrating until you actually get out. Now, get going." Morgana urged them.

"But... what about you?" Ren asked the cat.

"There's something that I still have to do. We're going our separate ways."

"Thanks. Thanks a lot."

"Heh. You've got manners. Be careful on your way."

After exchanging goodbye with that one iconic yet annoying cat, both Ryuji and Ren jumped on top of the lockers and crawled inside the shaft to get outside that godforsaken place once and for all.

"These two seem useful... especially the Frizzy Haired one, if my judgment's right..." Morgana mumbled to himself.

*******

------The Real World------

The two boys returned safely and in one piece to the streets of the city, but unexpectedly both of them fell on the ground beneath them harshly on their faces in the alleyway they took earlier that morning. Pain rushed through their bodies as they tried to get up on their knees, both of them rubbed their aching heads while grunting under their breaths as they walked out of the alley, and looking around them, they noticed that they weren't in the castle anymore.

"Ow!" Ren growled.

"Did we make it...?" Ryuji asked.

"Hold on..." Ren pulled out his phone.

"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back." A navigation voice said.

"Huh? Returned...?" Ryuji dumbfounded, "...Does that mean we got away?"

"I wonder..." Ren looked at his phone.

"I dunno what to think anymore..." Ryuji trailed, "What was all that anyway...? That castle, and Kamoshida, and that weird cat! The hell's goin' on?!"

"What's with the yelling? Are you students of Shujin? Cutting classes, are we?" An aggressive officer reached the two.

"Huh? No! We were tryin' to get to school, and we ended up at this weird castle!"

"Idiot..." Ren facepalmed himself.

"...What? Hand over your bag. You better not be doing any drugs."

"Why would you think that?!"

"Are you his friend?" A timid officer asked the raven-haired.

"F-Friend...?!" Ren stuttered, "Something like that."

"Then you should go to school. Take him with you." The timid officer said calmly.

"Like I'm tryin' to say...! I don't know what's goin' on either!"

"We passed by Shujin on our way here. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it. If you spout any more nonsense, I'll contact your school. Is that what you want?!" The aggressive officer threatened.

"C'mon, say somethin'!" Ryuji whispered to the raven-haired.

"Let's just get going."

"Uh, that's not what I meant..."

"See ya." Ren waved before walking away.

"W-Wait a sec! Is that guy for real...?" Ryuji widened his eyes, "...Fine, I'm goin'!"

*******

-------Meanwhile------

"A Minister of Transport announcing his resignation... things are going as planned..."

A bald and old man who wore a pair of glasses and a formal suit chuckled to himself darkly after he read the latest news article online. His lips curved upward as the sliest smirk was planted on his features, a true sign of satisfaction and accomplishment--it was as if he just succeeded in performing whatever scheme he had on his mind. Pure evil and malice dripped from every inch of his face and he didn't even bother himself to hide them at all but on the contrary, he seemed proud of them.

"Sae Niijima... that reminds me..." He sighed deeply, "...Better to leave it be for now."

*******

------Shujin's Gate------

At the school's gate, both of the boys gasped in shock to see that Shujin returned to its old and normal self instead of that humongous castle. They rubbed their eyes as they glanced at one another and back into the school building once more to make sure that they weren't imaging things again, except they didn't. The true and genuine Shujin Academy stood right before their eyes, thus there was no way of mistaking it at all... it wasn't a mere illusion or optical game by any kind.

"Is this for real...? I'm sure we came the same way... what's goin' on here...?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you. We received a call from the police." A counselor walked out of the school's entrance, talking in a deadly tone.

"That damn cop snitched on us after all!" Ryuji groaned under his breath.

"It's rare not to see you alone. Where were you roaming around until this time?"

"Uhh... a ca-- a castle?"

"So, you have no intention of giving an honest answer?"

"What's this about a 'castle'?" A familiar voice asked.

It was none other than Kamoshida who walked into the scene, seemingly looking like a normal human being once more--the same appearance Ren saw that morning.

"Kamoshida?!" Ryuji gasped.

"You seem so carefree, Sakamoto. Quite a difference from when you did morning practice for the track team." Kamoshida said casually.

"Shuddup! It's your fault that--"

"How dare you speak that way to Mr. Kamoshida!" The counselor scolded the blondie violently, "...There's not much leeway left for you, you know?"

"He's the one who provoked me!"

"Provoked you...?" Ren asked.

"Do you really want to be expelled?! In any case, you'll have to explain yourself! Follow me!"

"What? This is bullshit!"

"Come now, I should have been more considerate, too. Let's just say that we were both to blame." Kamoshida told the counselor.

"Well, if you say so..." The counselor trailed before looking back at Ryuji, "Still, you're coming with me. It's undeniable that you're extremely late."

"Fine..."

"By the way... you're that new transfer student, correct? Ren Amamiya..." Kamoshida asked the raven-haired.

".........."

The counselor walked into the school building, followed by Ryuji who was walking the stairs up while muttering some incomprehensible curses under his breath. He paused mid-way to glare at Kamoshida deadly before he walked into the building, hoping that he wouldn't put that new kid in his mind as his next victim.

"...Have we met somewhere?" Kamoshida asked.

"This morning. I saw a girl in your car."

"That's right... I remember now." Kamoshida recalled, "...Well, I'll overlook this just for today. I'm sure you've heard from the principal, but cause any trouble and you'll be expelled. Understand?"

"Can you overlook more maybe?"

"Is that supposed to be a joke? I'm not laughing."

"Figures..."

"At any rate, hurry up and go to the faculty office. I'm sure Ms. Kawakami's tired of waiting. Good luck trying to enjoy your new school life." Kamoshida said before walking into the building.

"Yeah... new school life..." Ren mumbled quietly before sighing deeply.

The raven-haired walked into the school's building to make his way toward the stairs to the second floor to head to the faculty office. And all the way, Ren never stopped hearing gossips and murmurs among the students who were glancing at him while whispering to one another, causing him to knit his eyebrows in suspicion for their odd behavior. Some of them were even walking away as if they were terrified of him for one reason or another... was something going on in that school? Finally, when he reached the faculty office, he saw his teacher Ms. Kawakami sitting at a table which caused guilt to rise in his chest since he knew that he must've made her worried sick about him; and that was inexcusable.

"Unbelievable... being over half a day late on your first day...? Can you explain yourself?" Ms. Kawakami had a genuinely worried look in her eyes.

"Well, the truth is... I got lost."

"How could you be lost for this long? It's almost lunchtime. Well, it's probably true that you're not used to the area yet... but you're still way too late. Will you pull yourself together? You were given a fair warning yesterday. More importantly... I heard that you were caught along with that Sakamoto-Kun?"

"Wait, 'that' Sakamoto...?"

"Don't get involved with him, okay? He's nothing but trouble. He wasn't like that when he was devoting his time to track and field though..."

"........."

"...Anyway. Break's almost over. Classes will end after the fifth period today because of the subway accident. I'll have you introduce yourself when class resumes. Follow me." The teacher got up from the chair and exited the office, "By the way, when you introduce yourself... be serious about it even if you're lying to the class, okay? Do NOT say anything unnecessary."

"Yes, ma'am..."

"...You think that's him?" A sharp-eared female student asked her friend after they crossed paths with them.

"Huh? The one in the rumors...?" A short-haired female student questioned.

*******

-------Class 2-D------

Inside the class, Ren stood next to his teacher in front of the whole class that never stopped murmuring and chattering among each other at his sudden and late presence. He tried his best to relax his stiff body and act naturally despite the noises all the students were making, yet all the smacks he got from the armored guards in that castle were still catching up to him even then. But he had no choice but to ignore the pain and give the friendliest and most approachable aura he could.

"Being super late on his first day? He really is insane..."

"He looks normal though..."

"But he might slug us if we look him in the eye..."

"Settle down." Ms. Kawakami spoke up, "...Well, I'd like to introduce a transfer student: Ren Amamiya. Today, we... had him attend from the afternoon on since he wasn't feeling well. All right, please say something to the class."

"I'm Ren Amamiya. Nice to meet you all, and I hope that I'll spend a fun year with you."

The raven-haired said calmly while pulling a soft smile on his lips, but something about his smile was not right... It wasn't a true and an honest smile at all.

It was a guarded and cautious smile.

"He seems quiet... but I bet when he loses it..."

"I mean, he was arrested for assault, right...?"

"........!" Ren widened his eyes at the last statement.

How did they--

"...Uhh, so..." Ms. Kawakami trailed, "Your seat will be... hmm... over there. The one that's open. Sorry, but can the people nearby share your textbooks with him for today?"

"This sucks..."

"........." A well-behaved student groaned under his breath.

He had spiky blue-tinted black hair and a relatively average face filled with multiple injuries and a bandage, wearing Shujin Academy's standard winter uniform with the shirt untucked, the suspenders off his shoulders, and without the blazer. He also had white tennis shoes with green accents.

While Ren was walking to his assigned empty seat, he kept hearing the class murmuring and whispering about him, yet he decided to just shrug it off. How in the world did they know about his criminal record? No soul was supposed to know besides very few from the faculty, so how did the word spread out?! A cold sweat rolled down his eyes at those thoughts as he darted his eyes left and right... he felt like he was prey in the lion's den awaiting to get fed on. He stopped his tracks when he saw the same platinum blonde-haired girl with the big pigtails who he saw earlier that day near the station that morning in Kamoshida's car.

"...Lies." The flashy female student looked outside the window, "You were at the station."

"Nice to meet you, Takamaki-San." Ren placed his bag down.

"...Did you catch that? Do those two know each other?"

"Does that mean he hit on her before transferring here?"

"That means she's cheating on him with Mr. Kamoshida."

"Then again, this is Takamaki-San we're talking about..."

"For real. That side of the room is totally awful."

"Lame." A girl's voice came from behind Ren.

"Hm?" Ren turned behind him.

He widened his eyes upon seeing the same short dark brown-haired girl with the oval glasses who was staring at the platinum blonde-haired deadly from beneath her umbrella looking at the window. She seemed to notice Ren staring at her and thus, she wore an irritated and disgusted expression on her face, changing her demeanor in a matter of mere seconds only.

"What are you staring at, you freak?" The mean girl clicked her tongue.

"S-Sorry." Nervously, Ren turned his back forward.

"Oh. My. God. I can't believe he pissed her off on his first day."

"I bet he's going to be her next victim."

"He has just dug his own grave..."

"Oh, right! The volleyball rally's in two days... everyone's just changed classes, so make sure you use that time to get to know each other. Well then, let's get the class started. Who's on duty today?" Ms. Kawakami announced.

"Everyone, please rise..." The well-behaved student said.

*******

------Time Skip: After Class-------

After classes were finally over, students started walking out of their classes to head home, or to hang out with their friends. Many thoughts ran through the boy's head about the events of that weird and hellish morning; the appearance of that castle, the power he awakened, that cat Morgana, all those monsters they faced, and Kamoshida who was beating them to death back then. It seemed like wherever Ren went, troubles were always going after him in one way or another, and now there was that! The exposure of his record to the school apparently. While Ren was exiting his classroom, he paused at the spot upon seeing his vision shifting between the school's hallways and the castle's... his body felt weak and could collapse all of a sudden.

"Wha...?!" Ren asked himself weakly as he held his head.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Ms. Kawakami asked after exiting the classroom.

"Is this... a school?"

"Are you sure you're okay? Also... it seems like people are already talking about you, but I'm not the one who told them. I can't even catch a break... why do I have to deal with this?"

"Don't ask me..." Ren mumbled to himself angrily while placing his hands in his pockets.

"You should head straight home without stopping by anywhere. Sakura-San sounded pretty angry. Oh, and about Sakamoto-Kun. Don't get involved--"

Ms. Kawakami's words were cut off and left hanging in the air with Ryuji approaching them, his timing was way too perfect as well.

"Speak of the devil..." Mrs. Kawakami mumbled, "What do you want? I heard the police caught you cutting classes today."

"Ugh... It was nothin'." Ryuji groaned.

"And you haven't dyed your hair back to black either..."

"Sorry 'bout that." Ryuji mumbled angrily before walking away, stopping near Ren's ear, "...I'll be waitin' on the rooftop."

"I'll be there." Ren whispered back before Ryuji walked away.

"See? That's why I don't want you getting involved. Understood?" Ms. Kawakami sighed before walking away.

And just when Red attempted to walk away, his ears perked up at the sound of footsteps approaching his direction. Thus, he looked up to see the principal and Kamoshida walking together, catching him off-guard as they stood not too far away from him.

"Why did you allow a student like him to transfer here? He's already started associating with Sakamoto. A student with a criminal record, and the culprit of an assault case. At this rate, it'd be pointless how much I contribute to the school." Kamoshida stated.

"Now, don't be like that... this school counts on you, Kamoshida-Kun. You are our star. Still, a steady build-up is necessary behind such brilliance as well." Principal Kobayakawa rebutted.

"...Your troubles never seem to end, do they, Principal Kobayakawa? All right, I understand. I'll continue to do my best to answer your expectations of me." Kamoshida grinned as the two men walked away.

"This is hopeless..." Ren sighed deeply before taking the stairs up to the rooftop.

The raven-haired walked up to the rooftop where he found Ryuji sitting on a chair and resting his leg on an old desk, seemingly waiting for him while eating a showa-style fried dough. When he saw Ren walking in, he quickly adjusted himself on the desk before splitting it in half and offering it for him, catching Ren somehow off-guard. Throughout the entire day, everyone was cautious of Ren due to his past being leaked out somehow so Ryuji was the first who ever did anything kind to him; well, he did save his life back at the castle, after all.

"Thanks."

"...There you are. Sorry for callin' you up like this."

"No, it's fine."

"I bet Kawakami already told you stuff like 'don't get involved with him', huh?"

"She said you're trouble."

"Heh, we're pretty much in the same boat." Ryuji chuckled, "I heard you got a criminal record. Everyone's talkin' about it. No wonder you were so gutsy."

"I don't think that's the case though..."

"...What was all that happened? You know, how we almost got killed at a castle... it wasn't a dream... right? You remember it too, yeah?"

"Kamoshida." Ren nodded.

"Well, just 'cause we both remember it doesn't mean much though..." Ryuji trailed, "I mean, even if it was a dream, you saved me from Kamoshida. So yeah... thanks!"

"You're welcome."

"But man, that Kamoshida we saw there... you prolly don't know about it, but there are some rumors about him."

"Rumors?"

"Yeah, the ripped mophead. That asshole who was all full of himself at the castle. No one says anything against him 'cause he's some medalist who took the volleyball team to nationals. The way Kamoshida was king of that castle felt crazy real 'cause of that..."

"I see..." Ren nodded slowly.

"...I wonder if we can go back to that castle again..." Ryuji thought out loudly, "Ugh, forget it. Must've all been a dream! It has to be!"

"........."

"Sorry to drag you out here like this. That's all I had to say. I feel like we're gonna get along just fine as 'troublemakers.'"

"Eh? But--"

"I'll come to talk if I see you around. Don't ignore me, all right? Seeya." Ryuji gave Ren a small wave before leaving the rooftop.

Ren was left all alone behind as he tilted his head comically because, well... that sure was one interesting encounter with that boy. In the end, Ren chuckled to himself before eating that half of the fried dough Ryuji gave to him--it was dry but better than anything. He was quite hungry since he didn't have anything besides curry for breakfast, thus he had it in pure bliss while exiting the roof... and for that, he was truly grateful for Ryuji.

*******

------Evening: Leblanc------

Reaching his hand toward the doorknob, Ren halted his hand upon realization striking him at that one specific moment--the school must've told Sojiro about him being awfully late on his first day. He had absolutely no idea what to expect the moment he'd open that door, would Sojiro yell at him? Give him a lecture? Threaten him again? Even so, Ren had wronged even though it was out of his hand, so he had to face the consequences of his actions like any normal person would do. Plus, he escaped death that day so what would be the worst thing that could happen? And yet, his suspicions were proved to be true since he was met with Sojiro's angry face the moment he opened the door and set foot into the café who was tapping his finger on the counter, apparently waiting for him to come back.

"Hey, I got an interesting call from your school today. It's your first day and you're already showing up hours late?"

"I'm sorry about that..." Ren stopped his tracks.

"And here I thought you got up and left on time this morning. Look, just behave yourself. Your life's forfeit if anything happens. You understand the meanings of probation, right?"

"I know." Ren replied. The light on his glasses' lenses was hiding his eyes.

"Okay then."

Pi

Pi

Pi

The man's phone rang.

"Hey, what's up?" Sojiro answered the call, "...Yeah, I just closed up shop. I'll be there in half an hour." He looked at Ren, "Hey, what're you standing around for? Go hurry on up to bed."

"...No, I just hired a part-timer." Sojiro looked at the boy again, "Don't forget to lock the door and turn all the lights off, okay?" Then he continued the call, "...Yup. I'm leaving now. I told you, he's a part-timer."

With slow steps, Ren walked up to the attic where his new room became, placing his bag down on the table near the stairs. He was tired, very and unimaginably tired... every nonsensical thing that happened that day was catching up to him, making him feel weaker more and more. None of that made any sense at all, not the castle, the monsters, his new powers, Kamoshida, the leaking of his record, not a goddamn thing at all! The lenses of his glasses shone with light, thus covering his grey eyes and concealing them completely, an unreadable expression made its way on his features as he stood still in his place.

"Kamoshida... a castle... and..."

An image of Arsène flashed in his mind.

"Looks like this year won't be so bad after all. A big castle, having that power, and fighting monsters..."

He was so intrigued at that moment.

"What else are you hiding for me, Tokyo...?" Ren's lips curved into a smirk.

*******

Word count: 8741 words

A/N: And, I've decided to end the chapter right here!

Man, I'm so proud and excited about the direction the story is going in.

You might be wondering... where are the OCs?!

Don't you worry? I assure you that they'll make their wrecking debuts very soon. 😆😉

I just hope that you liked this chapter, and wait patiently for the upcoming one.

Published on: Sun/May 3/2020