Hoping to wrap up Kamoshida's palace soon. I know it's taken forever but the end of the first volume is around the corner! Please enjoy! I don't want to over promise and underdeliver so I'll try my best! Creating is hard!
-Raoul
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Ren held his breath, pushed open the door, and entered the room.
It wasn't a large room. No, it was actually quite cramped, especially as the team piled in.
"I don't like the atmosphere here," Ann revealed.
"Me either, man. It gives me the creeps," Ryuji agreed as he looked around the room.
It was filled with a light grey mist, never dispersing but floating stagnantly through the air. The walls were covered in vines and plant growth. There wasn't really a smell. At least, not to everyone else. Ren and Morgana were suffering from an indescribable putrid scent.
In the middle of the room was a pedestal with a creepy skull-like object floating a few inches above it.
Ren approached the pedestal.
"Mona, do you know what this thing is?" Ren asked in discomfort. "Incubus just said it was a useful thing."
"This... this is a Will Seed!" Morgana suddenly exclaimed.
???
"Will Seeds are coalesced distortions of the Palace ruler," he continued in excitement.
"Which means?" Shiho asked for clarification. "It looks like a snapdragon seed."
"Well... basically these seeds are distortions that could technically have become a treasure. But it didn't. I think," Morgana sounded unsure. "BUT!"
The team paused to look at him as Ren continued his inspection of the strange object.
"I know there are two others here. If Incubus said it would be useful..."
"Let's just take it," Ryuji said as he reached over to grab it.
"WAIT!" the girls shouted as they pulled him away.
"You don't know what that thing will do to you! It's Kamoshida's distortion!" Shiho chided.
"Plus Ren got that info from the perverted Shadow!" Ann added swiftly.
'Rude. I am a Persona now,' Incubus scoffed. 'Anyway yeah, go ahead and pick it up, Trickster. Just don't let any of us touch it yet.'
'Why?'
'A representation of your psyche should not interact with such a thing until it has been cleansed,' Arsene said in disgust, breaking his silence.
'I really don't want to touch that thing either, hee-ho!'
'Thing gross! No like!' Agathion called out as Ren lifted the seed from its pedestal and inspected it.
"It doesn't seem like it's anything special..." Ren muttered. "Mona, take a look."
"Why?!" the girls cried out.
"Huh?" Ren blinked.
"We just told Skull not to touch it. We look away for three seconds, and?!"
"I'm fine though?"
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"
While Ryuji was giggling at the misfortune of his friend, Morgana was carefully observing and sensing the Will Seed that Ren had handed him.
"This thing is strong..." he muttered.
Ren's attention cut from apologizing to the girls to say,
"Remember where that thing gets its power, Mona."
"Yeah..." Morgana muttered as his ears flattened.
---
The team shook off their unease and continued their way through the Palace. Ren and Ryuji were in high spirits from the amount of "random encounters." Those encounters, however, were not random at all. The two would see a guard and almost immediately jump onto its back and pull off their masks to begin a fight. Ryuji was upset at the beginning because these Shadows weren't dropping nearly as much money as before. Ren, however, was glad to obtain the cooperation of more Personas. He felt his soul and mind expand every time a new one joined him. Now the team consisted of Arsene, Pixie, Silky, Pyro-Jack, Agathion, Incubus, Mandrake, and Berith.
'Mon ami. Do not try to take any more new Personas,' Arsene advised. 'You cannot take much more right now.'
'Yeah, yeah! I can head back to the sea of souls if you need me to!' Pixie offered.
'I would like to stay and maintain cleanliness,' Silky gently announced. 'I'm also the only one who can use Bufu right now.'
'You can fuse me and Agathion, ho!' Pyro-Jack said as Ren felt the two bounce around in the back of his head.
'Eh, I guess I can go back. I'd rather not though. You got some problems with accepting your lust, huh?' Incubus said.
…
'What?!' Incubus said, offended. 'I am thou! You all know it too!'
'My Trickster is not a pervert!' Silky boomed in anger.
'Guys, stop. I'm getting a headache,' Ren mentally groaned.
'I'm just saying that lust isn't bad. It's lust in excess that leads to results like me. Lust itself is just desire. What do you want, Trickster? Not what you think would make others comfortable.'
Ren didn't respond and went back to maintaining the team's efficiency.
'Tch.'
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