Chapter 5
The next morning, Catalina was keeping a very close eye on Cathy. And to both prevent Cathy getting lost and also look out for her after last night’s nightmare, Catalina rode the subway with Cathy that morning.
Cathy had her usual bag over one shoulder, but in her other hand, she held a blue thermos in hand, filled to the brim with coffee.
She couldn’t stop thinking. In the span of a few hours, she had had several visions. Visions that felt too real to be something else.
She pondered this the entire subway ride. During the ride, she had another vision, this one of a childhood. It wasn’t anything in particular, simply reading and playing before being called by a woman. Her mother perhaps?
Cathy was snapped out of the thoughts by a touch to her shoulder. She quickly looked over to see Catalina watching her with concern.
Cathy took a deep breath and gave Catalina a nod. “I’m fine.”
Catalina watched her closely for another second before also nodding. “Alright… this is our stop.”
The two carefully made their way from the subway to school. Upon reaching the steps, they found Anne waiting for them. The green teen noticeably brightened upon seeing Cathy, but frowned upon seeing Catalina.
The two seniors watched each other for a long moment. Cathy looked between them warily, the tense atmosphere causing her to rub at the uniform’s fabric on one arm out of nervousness.
Catalina spoke first. “I’m not going to stop her from being your friend.” She said coldly. “But if you do anything to hurt her, I will not hesitate to find you.”
Anne smirked widely. “Thanks for the warning, Aragon. Trust me, I’ll watch out for her.”
Catalina watched her for another second before giving a tense nod. Then she turned to Cathy, gaze softening. “You’re sure you will be alright?”
“I feel much better.” Cathy gave her a tiny smile. “Thank you, Catalina.”
Catalina gave her another nod before separating, making her way into the building.
“What was that about? Did something happen?” Anne asked immediately, worry taking over.
Cathy shook her head. “I just… had some weird dreams last night. I’m perfectly fine. I swear.”
Anne watched her for a moment. “Well… if you’re sure. I guess we should get to class.”
“Meet here?” Cathy asked simply. Anne nodded and the two made their way to class.
~~||~~||~~
Cathy had had several more visions across the last few hours and even through class. It felt like she was seeing someone else’s life… the scary part? It all felt so real.
There was a group of children. A king and another man (both were two of the four she recalled marrying in last night's dream) ranting angrily at her over her opinions and also for being so ‘weird’ yet again. The man she married last trying to be intimate with one of the children… and herself helping twice…
It felt like one last puzzle to the timeline of those visions was missing. But considering the visions she had been having, Cathy was sure it would be revealed soon.
The strange part? It was all linked together. It felt like Cathy was watching another life play out in front of her eyes. It was bizarre, throwing off her thoughts as she switched back and forth… and each one of those visions filled a gap in that other life.
It felt like she had two lives. And which one was the real one?
But something about the visions also felt… familiar. So Cathy made her way to the library after class and picked up a book. A book on the six Tudor queens of England.
With that accomplished and ready to read that night, Cathy made her way to meet Anne. On the way, she finished the last bit of coffee she had in a warm thermos.
It didn’t take long for Cathy to reach the front of the school. “I ran out of coffee…” she mumbled as she reached Anne, who had been leaning against the wall, fidgeting with energy.
Anne chuckled at Cathy. “You really didn’t get much sleep, huh? Guess you’re living up to you nickname, Somnolente!”
Cathy shrugged. “I already barely get any sleep. I only got some sleep last night because I was exhausted from the… incident.”
Anne nodded. “Yeah, I get that. Hey, why don’t we stop by the café before investigating? We can see if they’ll refill your thermos.”
Cathy rose an eyebrow. “And if they won’t?”
Anne chuckled mischievously. “Then we get two cups of coffee and refill it ourselves.”
Cathy beamed at the idea and they quickly made their way to the café.
With a refilled thermos in hand, the two returned to the school. By this point, there was almost no one around, if anyone at all.
“Alright! So we made our way from that alley… and came out in front of the school.” Anne was concentrating as she pointed out the alley the two had gone through. “Only to find the music hall… what were we talking about before? Mannox, right?”
“That’s right, I asked you about Mannox and you began ranting.” Cathy agreed, glancing at the alley.
Anne looked frustrated. “So what? We just… talked about him and ended up there?”
Cathy paused for a moment. Well, it was time to test Igor’s claim.
“I found a navigation app on my phone.” Cathy said, pulling the object out of her pocket. She remembered Igor’s words.
“A navigation app?”
“Yes. It randomly appeared and wouldn’t delete itself.” Cathy paused, debating whether or not she should tell Anne about the Velvet Room. She decided not to just yet. “It’s the only thing I could think of… but I waited to check it until you were here. I only know that it’s a navigation app.”
“Then what are we waiting for, open it!” Anne leaned eagerly over the phone with Cathy. She opened the glowing red and black app.
“Let’s check the search history…” Cathy said, tapping the tab. Sure enough, ‘Music Hall’ stared back at them. Cathy’s eyes flicked up to Anne. “Are you sure about this?”
Anne’s gaze hardened. “I’m sure. You?”
“Curiosity killed the cat.” Cathy quipped with a chuckle. Anne smirked back and Cathy pressed down on the search.
A mechanical female voice read back certain words. “Mannox… Cromwell Academy… Music Hall…”
And then, the world shifted.
~~||~~||~~
“It’s the music hall from yesterday!”
The next thing they noticed, after the very familiar giant Music Hall of course, was that Cathy’s clothes changed.
She was back in the outfit she had fought in. Right from the very moment they entered. This was the first time both of them actually had an opportunity to fully take in the costume.
“Well look at you!” Anne said, a little impressed. Cathy looked down at herself, also seemingly impressed.
“It looks like I won't change back and forth now…” Cathy observed, humming as she reached up to tug at the short, puffy sleeves curiously.
“Hey, you two came back!” A familiar voice whispered. Morgana was peeking around a corner, beckoning them to him.
“Morgana! Glad to see that you’re alright!” Anne gave him a welcoming grin. They made their way over to join him at the wall, windows hovering above them.
“Shh, stop making a commotion! But… I suppose I’m glad to see the two of you safe as well.” The cat conceded, crossing his arms. He then turned back to his point of noise level. “The shadows started acting up, so I came here wondering what it could be… but to think I would find you two… you really came back to the entrance even after barely managing to escape?”
“We have questions.” Cathy stated simply. “And we came back to get answers.”
“Yeah, like what is this place? Is it the school?” Anne continued to ask, looking eagerly for answers.
“So you came back out of curiosity… I suppose I can respect that.” Morgana nodded to himself before answering Anne’s question. “That’s right, this is the school.”
“But it’s a music hall…?” Cathy slowly pointed out, glancing up at the building.
“This music hall is the school!” Morgana continued. “But only to the music hall’s ruler.”
“A ruler? Why would a music hall have a ruler?” Anne squinted at Morgana, tilting her head.
“The guards call him the ‘great conductor.’ The two of you called him Mannox.” Morgana elaborated, glancing between the two humans. “This is how his distorted heart views the school.”
“Distorted… Heart?” Cathy whispered to herself. Anne looked just as confused.
They faintly understood the part that this was Mannox’s view of the school. But why was it a seperate, crazy world? And what was a distorted heart?
Before Morgana could explain further, a muffled scream rang out.
“Merde, what was that?!” Anne questioned, wide eyes looking up to the building. “A scream?!”
Morgana shook his head. “It must be the performers held captive here…” he said simply.
Another scream rang out, causing all three to wince.
“Are you talking about the people we saw captive yesterday?” Cathy asked quickly, looking towards Morgana. “The ones wearing our school uniform.”
“Tch, it’s most likely on Mannox’s orders. It’s like that everyday here. And with your escape yesterday? I’m sure he lost his temper.”
“That damn coward!” Anne growled, looking ready to lose her own temper. If who she thought was here… “Hey, Cat!”
Morgana scowled at that. “I am not a cat!”
“Yeah, okay, sorry! But can you take us to those voices?”
“You want me to take you to them?” Morgana raised an eyebrow.
“There’s someone… I need to see if she’s here or not.” Anne said, determination clear in her eyes. “And maybe you can help us understand this place as we go.”
Morgana pondered this for a moment before seeming to have an idea. “Alright, I can take you.” Morgana then shifted his attention to Cathy. “But only if she comes with us!”
“Then it’s a good thing I was planning to. I would like to know more, and I’m not letting Anne go in alone.” Cathy explained, nodding in agreement to Morgana’s deal.
“Then it’s settled, follow me!” Morgana gave them a sure nod.
“Thank you, Morgana.” Anne thanked, a relieved look crossing her face.
Morgana quickly led them over to the window they hopped out of before. “This can be our infiltration point. We’ll enter and exit through here.”
“I suppose barging in through the main entrance would bring the guards down on our heads.” Cathy hummed, noting the reason.
“Exactly, that’s a basic of Phantom Thievery!”
“Why are we supposed to know this phantom thief stuff?” Anne asked, blinking at him.
“You said you wanted to know more, so I’m going to teach you stuff as we go. Now come on!” And then, Morgana was vanishing through the window. Cathy and Anne glanced at each other, but both actually looked a little eager to learn the phantom thief parts. They swiftly followed after the cat.
They found their way into the entrance hall. For a moment, it shifted and they could see the entrance hall of the school before it quickly changed back to the music hall.
“That was the school…?” Cathy spoke up, remembering the time something similar happened yesterday.
“I told you earlier, this place is your school.” Morgana gave them a quick glance before turning to look down the nearby hall. “Listen, we need to keep moving, who knows when a shadow might show up. Down here!”
They soon came out in the long hallways from before. “If we get through the storage area, we’ll come out at the classes. Where he teaches the musicians.”
“Right, well, we’ll follow your lead!” Anne told him. “Oh shit, guards!”
The trio quickly hid behind a corner and they looked to see a guard pacing up and down the hall.
“Crap!” Morgana hissed. “I had a feeling guards would be around here…” he turned to the teens. “We won’t be able to avoid conflict from here on out…”
Cathy tensed and Anne let out a small hiss.
“We’ll be fine! I’ll just teach you the basics of battle right now, so remember all of this!” Morgana crosses his arms. “First things first, always try to ambush enemies from behind! If you rip off their mask, then you can temporarily break the control the Palace ruler has over them. That will catch the enemy off guard, giving us a chance to act first!”
“Got it. Tear of the masks and attack from behind.” Cathy repeated, already memorizing all of this information.
“Damn, wish I could help.” Anne muttered.
Cathy gently leaned over to put a hand on Anne’s shoulder. “At least you had the bravery to come back. Most people wouldn’t do such a thing.”
Anne gave her a smirk, spirits lifted. “Yeah, you’re right. Now go kick it’s ass!”
Morgana and Cathy gave her nods and quickly raced around the corner to defeat the shadow. That battle was swiftly won and the group continued down several hallways.
“How much further?!” Anne asked.
“Shhh! Not too much further!” Morgana said, keeping his voice lowered. Anne huffed but nodded, keeping close to Cathy.
Suddenly, they could hear many footsteps coming down the hall. Morgana muttered something under his breath and quickly hopped over to a red door. “Let’s hide in here!”
They quickly raced into the room, closing the door behind them. Within was a table and chairs, instruments propped in the corner of the room.
“The shadows probably won’t come in here.” Morgana announced, hopping up onto the table.
“Really?” Cathy asked, her and Anne giving wary glances to the door.
“There’s a lack of distortion here, meaning the rulers control in this area is weak.” Morgana explained.
The room shifted again to reveal a classroom before turning back into the smaller room.
“A classroom?” Anne mumbled.
Morgana perked up. “Now do you get it? This place is another reality that the ruler’s heart projects.”
“So wait… then this is how Mannox perceives the world. How he sees the school?” Cathy spoke up, eyes filled with pure curiosity.
“Correct! One could say it’s a world in which one’s distorted desires have materialized!” Morgana continued explaining. “I call places like these, ‘Palaces!’ All of this is happening because he thinks the school is his own music hall, where he conducts the students, even through harsh punishments.”
“So this purely because he thinks like that and acts like that!” Anne asked, her eyes lighting up with understanding. So she really could find out the truth!
Then, Morgana’s gaze drifted over Cathy’s outfit. “Hmm… I guess you’re wondering about your outfit, huh?”
Cathy perked up now. “Ah, yes! Can you explain it?”
Morgana puffed up. “Of course I can! It’s also caused by this world. Anything distorts according to how a ruler pleases within his palace. I mean, a school turned into a music hall!” Morgana raised a paw. “In order to prevent such distortions within themselves, one must hold a powerful will of rebellion. Your appearance is a manifestation of that. It’s the image of rebellion you hold within. Although… I do admit yours is rather strange…”
Cathy tilted her head. “I rather like it…”
“So what about you?” Anne asked, finally taking a seat and looking straight at Morgana. “What are you anyways?”
Morgana bristled. “I’m a human! An honest-to-god human!”
“I hate to tell you this, buddy. But you look more like a cat to me…”
“That’s because… well, I’ve lost my true form…” Morgana paused, looking away from them. “I think…”
Cathy also took a seat, watching Morgana closely. “You think?”
“But I do know how to regain my true form. I snuck in here to start my investigation towards those means! I did… end up getting caught though…”
“Hey, no worries!” Anne tried to cheer him up. “We got you out, yeah? And now you can continue searching!”
“Yeah, and I’m gonna make Mannox pay too! I was tortured and crammed into a cage! Now come on, we should keep going! I’m counting on both of you, got it?”
“You’ve got it!”
“Agreed, let's work together.”
Cathy and Anne both gave him encouraging looks before they stood and followed him out the door.
“The classes are right over there!” Morgana pointed out the entrance that was further down the hall. But a bunch of guards were in front of their path.
“A group of guards are there.” Cathy pointed out, peeking around the corner.
“Let’s ambush ‘em!” Morgana declared in a whisper. Cathy nodded and with one swift motion, she was diving around the corner and up onto the lead shadow’s shoulders. It’s mask was torn off in a flash and Cathy was quickly flipping backwards to land by Morgana. Two shadows glared back at them.
From there, the battle didn’t take but a few minutes, Cathy destroying one with her gun and Morgana swiftly taking the other out with his magic.
“The magic is a good defense, and these weapons come in hand, as well.” Cathy said, looking over her revolver.
“Even a simple model gun would work here!” Morgana stated, almost proudly.
“Woah, really?!” It was Anne who asked, also looking at Cathy’s gun.
Morgana nodded. “This is a cognitive world! If the opponent sees it as real, then it becomes real. If the model looks realistic enough, then it has that effect!”
“I see… it's all based on perception and cognition…” Cathy nodded to herself. More and more of her answers were getting acknowledged, leaving her satisfied.
“This is getting a bit more understandable now!” Anne agreed.
“Ah, by the way, curly hair!” Morgana caught Cathy’s attention. “Would you mind guiding us in battle? I’ve seen you use some really good techniques and we need someone to coordinate us.”
Cathy thought for a moment. “Alright, I’ll do my best.”
Morgana and Anne both beamed at her.
They soon came upon another guard and Morgana stopped Cathy before she could rush behind it. “Let me show you another way, a hold-up and all-out-attack!”
They rushed the shadow, which quickly took the shape of a blue fairy. Cathy quickly knocked it down with a shot from her revolver.
“Good! Once an enemy is down we can initiate a hold up!” Cathy followed Morgana’s movements and the two were quickly in front of the shadow, guns trained on it. “We can ask for money, but for now, we do an all-out-attack!”
It turned out, they involved both of them rushing the shadow, hitting it with a flurry of attacks.
The teaching moment over, Morgana beamed proudly at Cathy. “You catch on quickly! Knock all of the enemies down, and you can hit them all at once with that attack!”
“Effective way to take them all out… that’s good.” Cathy nodded, happy with the new strategy.
“Hey, there it is!” Anne pointed behind them.
Sure enough, there was a large door with a sign telling them it was the classrooms.
They walked through and sure enough, there were several large rooms, just like the one they had seen before, with glass separating the thieves from the abuse.
There several different tortures happening, the most prominent being the beating. They also took notice of the girls being only barely dressed.
“Fucking shit! She better not be here…” Anne growled, watching a guard tower over a student. “It’s bad enough what he’s doing to these guys, but if he is hurting Chaton…”
“Chaton?” Cathy spoke up, staring just as hard at the abuse.
“Kat… my cousin… she’s one of his so called students…”
“So that’s why…” Morgana whispered, watching the two closely.
Anne looked half ready to slam the door open as one student was knocked to the ground, crying.
But another student, limping, walked past the door. And through the glass they could hear him speak. “Useless… leave us alone…”
“They want to stay here?!” If anything, Anne looked even more ready to kick the door down than she did before.
“We can’t take them with us.”
Anne was spinning on her heel to face Morgana.
“We can’t just leave them here.” It was Cathy who spoke.
“Listen,” Morgana hissed. “These are only humans in Kamoshida’s cognition. They aren’t real humans that have entered from reality. They aren’t like the two of you. They are different from the ones in reality, meaning there’s no point to saving them!”
“You mentioned that before!” Anne noticed. “About how they aren’t exactly real…”
“That’s right, you could say that these guys are extremely similar-looking dolls!”
“So he sees teaching students through punishment as effective… and he is the conductor controlling the performances…” Cathy huffed, finally looking away from the scene.
“Sounds right on point for that asshole...” Anne snickered rather painfully.
Morgana took a deep breath, cringing as he saw another hard blow occur. “This… this is still horrible. It all means he treats them like this in the real world too…”
“The bruises… I saw several students with some that they were trying to hide.” Cathy announced. “This is definitely still happening…”
Anne suddenly whipped out her phone. “If I take some pics, then maybe we can show the police!” But her phone wasn’t working. “Merde… it isn’t working… looks like that navigation app is the only thing that works.”
Morgana looked intrigued by that. “A navigation app?”
“It’s how we got here…” Anne told him. “Do you not have one?”
Morgana paused before shaking his head. “I don’t. But we should probably move. Standing around here will get us caught easily. You want to know if your cousin is here, yes? We’ll look around before heading back.”
Anne beamed at him. “Thank you!”
~~||~~||~~
They had searched around the so-called ‘classrooms’ for several minutes. Each time growing more and more frustrated and sickened by the situation the students were in.
But there was no sign of Katherine. So the group retreated for the day, Morgana leading the two humans back towards their infiltration point. Anne was clearly downtrodden and confused by the absence of her cousin. Cathy had to admit she was just as confused.
They made a shortcut and found their way onto the big center stage where Anne and Cathy had been first captured yesterday.
But when they were halfway across, something blocked their path.
Mannox stood there, guards by his side. He wore a wicked smirk as he observed them. “So you did come back… I knew you would.”
Anne was quickly taking grasp of the opportunity. “Wanna tell me what you do to my cousin, asshole?!”
Mannox tilted his head. “Hm, I don’t think I should. In fact, I think I should execute you before you even get to know.” Then, without even glancing to his guards, he gave one simple order. “Get them.”
The guards quickly took on their shadow forms, two large black horses with white manes and tails and large, curved back green horns.
“Yes, great conductor!” And then they charged.
Cathy was quickly blasting one back with a summon of Athena and use of a spell. Morgana quickly was summoning Zorro and repeating with the other charging shadow.
Then, both of them managed to leap out of the way when the shadows charged directly at them. Cathy managed to fire her revolver several times, finally causing one to dissipate.
But when that shadow fell, it seemed as if three took its place. The fighting went on for several more minutes, Cathy and Morgana becoming more and more exhausted as the seconds passed. Anne was watching, paralyzed with dawning horror of the situation.
There were too many shadows.
And in the worst moment, Cathy felt a familiar sickness she had felt last night. Her vision blurred as her stomach became pained and the feeling of sickness spread through her body.
She also had a vision. One final vision that filled the last gap. A vision of an arrest warrant. Held in shaking hands.
He was going to have her killed. Just like two of his earlier wives. He was going to kill her because of her opinion.
She quickly began striding down the hall, panicked. The guards would arrive any second. She had to speak with the king, her husband who signed the warrant.
She was going to survive. And if she had to play along with his desires, then so be it. And maybe… it was time to keep some opinions to herself.
The next thing Cathy knew, a shadow was slamming into her and pinning her down with it’s foot. She cried out in pain and scrambled to untrap herself, but the shadow pressed down harder, keeping her in place.
Cathy could only watch as Mannox made his way over to Anne. Anne had fallen backwards, staring wide eyed with horror as Morgana and Cathy were defeated.
“Well, well… looks like I finally caught you, damn thieves. Good riddance!” Mannox hauled Anne to her feet, hooking his fingers into Anne’s choker to hold her there. The choker pulled harshly against Anne’s neck as Mannox pulled her closer.
Anne choked as Mannox held her in place by the choker. She tried to pull back, the choker preventing her from doing so. The material rubbed harshly against her neck.
“Let… go!” Anne managed to rasp out.
“Now why would I do that?” Mannox tilted his head, and his grin widened. “This time, you and your fellow little thieves won’t escape.”
Anne pulled back harder in response. Glaring daggers at the man.
The choker snapped.
Anne and Mannox went falling away from each other, Mannox keeping on his feet while Anne hit the floor. She stared at the broken choker before her hands drifted up to her neck.
The choker had hidden a raised, red mark. A birthmark or a scar, Cathy couldn’t tell.
Mannox stared at the raised mark for a moment before laughing loudly. “History really is repeating itself!” Anne’s hands began to scratch at the mark, her breathing becoming staggered.
“History… repeating?” Cathy mumbled. History… yes, she was very curious about what Mannox meant by that. But something else also pressed in her mind, something she couldn’t exactly place. Her visions?
Mannox heard and spun around to face her. “Tell me, what did you know about your little friend here?” Mannox asked.
At first Cathy was silent, but a harder press from the shadow forced her to speak up. “I know… that she had a fight with Catalina…”
Mannox grinned evilly. “Ah, so she told you about her little spat with Aragon! But I bet she never told you about her little cheating adventures!”
“Cheating?” Morgana whispered to himself.
“That's right! Little miss Boleyn here didn’t have enough with one boyfriend… she went and cheated with three different guys just because she got bored!”
“Lies! It was a lie!” Anne shook her head quickly. “That never happened! He made it all up!”
“Then tell me why the whole school knows about it?” Mannox tilted his head. “Why else would they all have outcast you? Why did those guys you cheated with move?” An evil glint passed through Mannox’s eye. “Y’know… if you really wanted a fun time, you could have just come to me… that’s what your cousin did.”
There was silence. Anne slowly looked up at Mannox. “What?”
“She tried to say no, but I knew she was just playing hard to get! Why else has she shown up for all of my private lessons? All of them have. Although… Howard is the only one pretty enough for me to be fully intimate with.” Mannox snickered. “She’s given up on her little game now and obeys me. Isn’t that right, Katherine?”
“Yes, Mr. Mannox!”
And from behind Mannox walked out Katherine Howard.
She wore only a bikini, pink like her hair. Bruises still covered her skin. She hardly gave anyone else in the room a glance, walking over and hugging Mannox’s arm.
“Hello, Katherine, did you enjoy your lessons today?”
“Yes, sir! They were so enlightening!”
Anne stared, wide eyed and pale, at Kat. She scrambled to her feet, only barely managing to keep that newfound footing. “Ch… Chaton?”
Kat ignored her, looking adoringly at Mannox instead, resting her chin on his shoulder. Mannox looked very pleased at the attention and gave Anne a very smug look.
Cathy felt her own horror grow as well. This couldn’t be the truth… was it a cognition? Morgana’s voice confirmed that.
“It’s a cognition! It’s not the real one!” Morgana managed to yowl. Anne blinked and actually looked a little relieved at that.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts and glared straight at Mannox. She took a deep breath and felt rage bubble in her chest. Rage that couldn’t be contained any longer.
“Newsflash asshole! She’s forced to come to your so called ‘lessons!’ You pushed yourself onto her when she tried to say no! And when she couldn’t get out or tell anyone, you just hurt her more! I hoped I was wrong… but I was right… but now that I know?” Anne jabbed a finger at Mannox, pure fury in her eyes. “I’LL NEVER LET YOU HURT HER AGAIN!”
Suddenly, Anne pitched forward. She stumbled but managed to keep on her feet, hands going up grasp at her head as a pain hit her.
“So… you’ve finally realized the truth…”
Anne collapsed to her knees, sweat dripping down her face as the pain intensified.
“You’ve been pushed around, outcast for something you never did. Your father has tried calling the shots ever since your mother died…”
Anne growled, her fist slamming into the floor, leaving behind both a hole in the wooden flooring and blood smeared across her knuckles.
“And now you have discovered that your cousin has been dealt the same hand. Your step-grandmother and this fool in front of you pulling her strings like a puppet.”
Anne managed to stagger to her feet, gaze trained on the floor. Fury and pain was in her eyes.
“Why not cut both yours and her strings? I believe your cousin’s rapist would be a wonderful start.” The word rapist was spat with the same venom Anne wished would destroy Mannox where he stood.
“You want revenge do you not? You want to avenge those who have been hurt. You want to avenge your cousin. And you want to avenge yourself. With my power, you can achieve that wish.”
Anne Boleyn has had enough. Her father tried to control her life, the life that was ruined by one stuck up asshole who decided rumors was the best way to end an already forced relationship. She was done listening to others. She was going to take back her life and rescue Kat’s.
And Mannox was going to pay dearly for everything he had done.
“Grant me your power!” Anne declared. Her eyes suddenly became a bright golden and the voice chuckled happily.
“I am thou… thou art I! Together, we shall inflict retribution against those who have wronged the innocent!”
A mask appeared over Anne’s face now. It was a green domino mask, a pattern of black vines and thorns traced over it.
“Her persona!” Morgana was grinning. Cathy didn’t say a word, watching with rapt attention.
And then, Anne ripped off the mask with a roar of both rage and pain.
Anne was now decked out in a green dress, black squares scattered throughout the costume. A new choker was covering the red line around her neck. A large black belt of sorts was around her stomach, separating the skirt and top that were the same colors. Black sleeves extended from her wrist to her elbows, spikes now adorned the bands around her hair buns, and she wore heeled boots. At her side was a holster for a dagger and a pack filled with throwing knives and shurikens ready to be thrown.
Behind her was her Persona.
Large black feathered wings stretched out behind her. A figure of a griffin and a sword rested on her hip. A dagger and scale were in her hands, the dagger being flipped in the air. Her eyes were a bright light, like Athena’s.
“I am Nemesis! Goddess of revenge!” The Persona announced, she glanced down at Anne. “Are you ready to take hold of your vengeance?”
“Yes.” Anne replied, an eager look on her face as she glanced from shadow to shadow until her gaze rested on Shadow Mannox and the Cognitive Kat. Her eyes narrowed and her arm was quickly pulled back and throwing something, all in a blur.
A throwing knife hit Cognitive Kat in the chest, causing her to dissolve. Nemesis laughed joyfully at the sight. The shadows backed up at the new threat and Mannox scowled. Morgana and Cathy took the opportunity to escape and quickly reach Anne’s side, where they all stared the shadows down.
Anne gave Cathy a glance and a smirk. “Guess I got to return the favor, huh?”
Cathy chuckled. “It seems so.”
Morgana smirked, hopping in front of them to stare at the shadow. “Lets strike them down!”
Most of the guards were quickly guiding Mannox away, leaving only one. An elite guard, clearly higher rank than the other guards.
The elite guard let out a roar as he became a knight perched on the back of a blood red horse. “I shall stop you here, Thieves! For our great conductor!”
Anne gave him an evil smirk. “Sorry, pal! But I have a score to settle with your so-called, ‘great conductor!’ He hurt my cousin… and I’m gonna make his ass pay!”
The shadow growled. “You shall not get the chance!”
“Eiha!” Anne cried out. Nemesis raised the scale and dagger into the air. Shadows converged on the knight, striking him viciously. Both knight and horse were crumbled and dazed.
“Looks like it’s weak to your curse skills, Anne!” Morgana then pointed a paw at the knight. “It's time for an all out attack!”
The green thieves quickly converged on their target, launching attack after attack before leaping backwards.
“Don’t lose your head!” Anne tittered as she watched the shadow skid backwards
“The great conductor… shall not fall!” The knight roared, his stead rearing back. But before he could do anything else, Cathy pulled out her revolver and Morgana summoned Zorro.
A gust of wind sent the shadow falling backwards and two shots of the gun sent both knight and horse to the ground. One final blast of shadows from Anne and the shadow faded away.
Anne looked around for Mannox, looking very ready to race after him. But with one step she had fallen to one knee. “I’m going to get him… when I can go after him… he’s fucked!”
“When you can.” Cathy repeated in agreement. “For now we need to go.”
Anne paused before nodding her assent.
“Come on, we can just go out the front this time, the guards are all occupied with protecting Mannox this time.” Morgana told them, hopping off the stage and heading to the doors.
They easily made it back to the entrance. Where both humans looked to Morgana.
“I summoned a Persona too! That was awesome!” Anne reached up to touch her mask. “Nemesis, huh? And this costume looks amazing!”
“It's to prevent you from being affected by distortions, remember? Your appearance reflects your inner self. The rebel that slumbers within.”
“So… our rebels within, are theatre costumes?” Cathy spoke up, raising an eyebrow.
Morgana huffed. “Well I couldn’t tell you the reason behind that… I don’t know.”
“Wait wait! What about the Mannox in the real world? Wouldn’t he try to come after us there?” Anne suddenly realized, looking panicked.
“Good question!” Morgana approved, ears twitching. “But you can relax. The Mannox in reality can’t possibly know about what’s going on here. A shadow is the true self that is suppressed. The side of one’s personality that they don’t want to see or accept.”
“It’s true that he didn’t remember trying to kill us.” Cathy agreed with a hum.
“Well, I definitely understand a lot more than before! Thanks, Morgana. It’s complicated but you sure did your best to explain!” Anne chirped, giving Morgana a happy grin.
Morgana puffed up with pride. “Of course I could explain it! I’m a master at this stuff after all!”
“Well, you definitely helped. Thank you for guiding us as well.” Cathy also thanked, reaching down to shake Morgana’s paw.
“Ah, that’s right.” Morgana turned a bit more serious. “I guided you as promised, so now, it’s time for you to cooperate with me.”
Cathy and Anne both blinked, wide eyed.
Morgana groaned. “Why else do you think I was super nice about teaching everything?”
“Wait a second, you need to explain more.” Cathy said, holding up a hand.
“I originally came for an investigation, yes? I need to find a way to remove the distortion to regain my true form!” Morgana began to explain. “That’s why we need to go deep into Mementos and—!”
“Woah, woah! Morgana, you never even mentioned a deal! You just started helping us!” Anne exclaimed, looking very surprised.
“Of course I told you!”
“No, you didn’t!”
“So what?! Are you not gonna repay my hospitality?! I helped you find those students and also your cousin, y’know!”
“Wha—?! You little shit, you’re trying to guilt trip us!”
“No, I’m not! This was a fair and square deal!”
“Guys!” Cathy finally interjected, pulling her hands away from her ears. She had been covering them through the argument. “Morgana. You never mentioned your side of the deal. But Anne, we did help him…”
“You’re part of my master plan! I need your help!” Morgana admitted, looking up at Cathy.
“Okay, okay. How about this? You give us a bit of time to think about it. It’s only fair since you never even told us your side.” Anne suggested, giving the cat a pointed look.
Morgana growled but nodded. “Fine, I suppose that works.”
Both teens looked relieved. “Thank you again, Morgana.” Cathy nodded her head before making her way out from the Palace, Anne behind her.
There was a long pause from the cat. And then, “Wait a second… what if they never come back?!”
With that, Morgana was quickly rushing out of the palace behind them.
~~||~~||~~
After leaving the palace, the two teenagers head to a restaurant. A smaller place, and there were some people around but not too many.
They had ordered drinks and Anne began telling Cathy the whole story.
“Yeah… it was the same guy.” Anne was tense, staring at her drink. “He was the one going around cheating, not me! And when I confronted him about it— he just— agh!”
Anne was scowling now, knuckles clenched white. Cathy watched her, flinching slightly at the loud anger, but she was far more concerned than scared.
“So he made up a lie that you were the one cheating…” Cathy finished.
“And everyone believed him! I just… it was a lie, okay?!” Anne looked about ready to smash something, her fingers fidgeting against the table.
“I trust you… he really spread those rumors?” Cathy asked cautiously.
“Yeah… and that’s just another reason everyone hates me…” Anne said, one hand coming up to scratch at the line around her neck, which was hidden by another choker, while her other hand swirled the straw in her drink.
Cathy was quickly moving. She sat next to Anne now, gently pulling Anne’s hand away from her neck. “Well, I know the truth now. And the rest of them… they don’t know that truth. You’re a good person, Anne.”
“Hey… the same goes to you.” Anne grinned back, relaxing slightly at Cathy’s words. “I’ve heard the rumors they’re already spreading about you. I know the truth, those guys don’t.”
Both of them relaxed into a comfortable silence for the moment. They both knew the truth. And for them, that was enough.
“I can’t believe I was right…” Anne breathes out after a moment. “I suspected but I just…”
“You hoped it wasn’t true…” Cathy continued where Anne couldn’t. Anne nodded silently and Cathy carefully reached over to tug Anne into a hug.
They ignored every other person in the restaurant, focusing on each other and their thoughts as both of them calmed down from the day’s realizations. They learned of abuse and rape. All by one man who thought he deserved the right to do it. Eventually they pulled back, but kept close together. They had known each other for two days, but such an experience had forged a strong bond. And both of them embraced it.
“We will find a way to stop Mannox. This world or the Palace, we will stop him.” Cathy declared, gaze steady on the table but voice filled with determination.
“Hell yeah we will!” Anne grinned, still a little teary eyed, but cheered up by the notion. “So, do you think we should go back to the Palace tomorrow?”
“Let’s try asking some students about Mannox, tomorrow. Maybe we can learn more about the reality side of things…” Cathy suggested, already planning. They had seen the abuse in the Metaverse, now they needed to see some of it in reality.
“Sounds good to me! Now, do you think we could get some cake before heading home?”
“Sure, I have some money from the Palace.”
“What? How, when?”
“... I took it off the shadows.”
~~||~~||~~
While the duo had been having their adventure, two girls sat at a bench outside the school. One was Katherine Howard, in the same attire Cathy had seen her in yesterday. Next to her was the girl in red who had handed Cathy her textbook.
“So, our final queen arrived.” The girl in red spoke up.
“You have class with her, right Anna?” Katherine, or Kat, asked.
“Yeah, and she definitely doesn’t seem to deserve the rumors.” Anna sighed, shaking her head. “She was rather shy and hardly said a word. Didn’t even introduce herself.”
“Wait, did she wear a blue hoodie?” Kat asked curiously.
“Yeah, she did.” Anna glanced at Kat.
“I saw her on my way to school! She seemed nice…” Kat bit her lip before glancing at Anna. “Maybe we should befriend her?”
Anna chuckled. “Actually, your cousin already did that.”
Kat blinked in surprise. “Really?”
Anna sighed, a sad smile crossing her face. “Yeah… I guess befriending someone who doesn't know the rumors would be a bit easier…”
“I still wish that never happened… Annie’s been so… sad and angry ever since.” Kat then allowed a small smile to trace her lips. “I’m just glad that she has someone who can be there now.”
“And what about you? You’ve always been there for her.” Anna asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.
“Well, yeah. I’m her cousin, I’ve been by her side for years.” Kat laughed a little nervously. “I mean someone who isn’t related. Yeah, I’ll always be there for her, but now she has another person she can go to, and yesterday when she got home… she seemed so much happier.”
Anna hummed her agreement, understanding Kat’s words. The two lapsed into a comfortable silence.
“Hey… are you doing okay?” Anna finally asked gently. She reached over to put a hand on Kat’s shoulder. She frowned as the girl flinched before leaning into the touch. “You seem more… tired recently…”
“Yeah, I’m fine… I’ve just been getting more work lately…” Kat gave Anna a nervous smile.
Anna seemed to notice the anxiety. “Well, wait until you reach junior year! You’re just a sophomore right now, so you haven’t seen the worst of it.” She teased, grinning at Kat.
Kat let out a small laugh. “That’s what the teachers say too!” They both laughed, easing out from the tense atmosphere.
But then, Kat noticed the time. It was time for her lessons with Mannox… the man held private lessons for several students, Kat included, signed up by her step-grandmother.
Something in Kat’s expression seemed to dim. “I have to go to music class…”
Anna smiled gently, but there was another emotion in her eyes as she looked over the bruises she could see. “That’s fine, Kätzchen! Go be smart, okay?”
Kat nodded, almost numbly. She gave Anna a shaky smile. “I’ll see you later…”
With that, Kat got up and shakily walked off. Anna watched her go, a frown on her face.
~~||~~||~~
Before going to bed, Cathy poured over the history book.
So she was right, her visions matched up with Catherine Parr, the queen’s, life. Only, Cathy was feeling every emotion and seeing things not talked about and also differently form the history book.
But why was Cathy seeing her namesake’s life? She felt like the answer was right there, on the edge of her mind, and it was all too frustrating. She supposed it was a question to sleep on. She was already tired and could only half think due to everything that happened while exploring the palace.
Maybe, she could figure it all out after some rest.
So she finally convinced herself to leave it be for the night, there was a lot to do tomorrow anyways. She put down the notebook that she had been writing clues in (six people named after queens, Anne’s neck mark, the visions, Igor stating she was ‘remembering.’ It all felt so linked and like she should know the answer exactly, but yet it wasn’t quite clicking. Cathy had hit her desk at one point out of frustration) and curled up under her covers, drifting off.
“Welcome to the Velvet Room.” Igor greeted as Cathy awoke. She stumbled from the prison bed and made her way over to the cell door. “I thought we should resume our conversation from last night. We did get cut off, after all. That is why I summoned you here. So, are you becoming accustomed to this place?”
“Yes, the prison aspect still throws me off. But I would say I’m becoming used to it.” Cathy answered with ease.
Igor chuckled. “I’m glad to hear it, then. Your rehabilitation determines if ruin can be stopped. Yet, such a feat cannot be done by you alone. Today, it seems you entered a partnership with someone of the same power, yes?”
“You mean Anne.” Cathy said. It wasn’t a question.
Igor nodded his agreement. “Involving yourself with others is an important foundation for recovery. You’ve done very well. Although, I do not advise the formation of superficial relationships. It cannot be a frivolity, but rather a ring of those who would lend you their strength through morals and faith.”
“So… you want me to forge close bonds. But not simple ones?” Cathy asked, watching Igor closely.
“Yes. In other words, they are bonds with those who have been robbed of their places to belong.” Igor tilted his head, watching Cathy just as closely. “The expansion of that ring will help you mature as well.”
Now, Justine spoke up. “Personas are the strength of the heart. The stronger the bonds with others, the more power your Persona can gain.”
“There are countless people in your city who have talents a weakling like you wouldn’t have!” Caroline huffed. Cathy could admit that Caroline’s words hurt. “You better get them on your side, then we’ll change that into power! We call them Confidants!”
“Confidants…” Cathy looked intrigued. She had never been good with friendships. And perhaps it meant she could help people. Igor did say ‘those who have been robbed of their places to belong.’
“Perhaps, even I could be one of these people. You must forge as many bonds for your ambitions to come to fruition.” Igor chuckled as Cathy carefully nodded. “It seems we have a deal then.”
Caroline was then glaring at Cathy. “Alright, the conversation is over! Get lost, Inmate!”
Cathy obeyed, even though she hardly had a choice, the Velvet Room fading to black.
~~||~~||~~
A bright light pierced her eyes. There was loud, excited cheering and laughing.
Two men were on either side of her, her arms right in their grip. Her hands were bound, the rope burned as she tried to fidget anxiously.
But why was she so nervous?
She was guided up the wooden steps of a scaffolding. Forced to stare back at a giant crowd all gathered around. The noise pierced her ears.
Couldn’t they all just shut up?
The large crowd booed her, laughed at her. What is happening?
There was a man standing there ominously, a sword on his hip. She was pulled to stand where all could see her. She heard herself saying words and they registered faintly in her ears.
Above everyone else, there sat a group that was noticeably richer than the others.
An older man was sneering at her, eyes dark. A man dressed in robes for a king stared right back at her, gaze emotionless. A blonde sat next to him, she was trying to keep her own emotionless mask, but the lady couldn’t hide the dawning horror as she took in the scene.
She felt herself being pressed to her knees, a blindfold wrapped firmly around her head, blocking her vision.
A shaky smile was drawn across her lips. Why was she smiling? Why did it feel so fake…?
She could hear metal sliding on metal. Her heart beat increased and she could hear everything. The crowd, her heart, her breathing. She began to sway, unable to do anything else.
And then… she lost her head.
Anne Boleyn woke with a scream. It felt like her neck was on fire, like she had actually lost her head. That taunting joke she had made to the shadow happened to her instead.
Her hands shot up to the raised mark and she began scratching furiously. She felt herself spiraling further and further as the dream replayed in her head.
It felt like she actually lost her head…
Hands gently grabbed her own and pulled them away from Anne’s neck. She let out a whine, wanting the burning feeling to stop.
A voice began murmuring gently into her ear. Anne recognized the voice. Kat.
She let herself go slack against Kat, the younger cousin pulling Anne close to her body. Kat was taller, allowing her to pull Anne fully onto her lap and tuck the green clad teen’s face into the crook of her neck. Kat began carefully rocking the both of them.
It took several long minutes for Anne to calm down fully. Kat kept Anne’s hands away from the already scratched neck.
“Are you okay?” Kat asked in a whisper. In the few times she had seen Anne in a state like this, she had quickly learned that Anne did not do well with loud noises when already overwhelmed by emotions or another feeling.
“Think so.” Anne managed to rasp out. “Beheaded… felt real.”
“Maybe… you’ve been thinking too much about your namesake?” Kat offered cautiously.
Anne thought for a second. That was probably not the case… but for Kat’s peace of mind, she slowly nodded.
“Father? Agnes?” Anne asked, pulling back to glance Kat in the eye.
Kat shook her head. “Both are out…”
Anne did not want to be interrogated by her family. If Agnes or her father were home, question after question would be launched until it inevitably became a screaming match. Anne didn’t want to risk it. Kat would become anxious at the yelling, and Anne also remembered the two times her father had slapped her over whatever they had been fighting about.
She would rather not experience any of that stress at the moment. Not after it felt like she literally lost her head.
After a second of silence, Kat adjusted so they were laying together under the green sheets. Both were pressed close together, secure in each other’s presence.
Anne couldn’t help but notice the fresh bruise along Kat’s arm and collarbone. She let out a low growl at the sight, but Kat clearly thought it was related to the nightmare.
“Sleep, Annie. I’ll be here.”
Anne laid there, pressed protectively against Kat. They were protecting each other. Anne was protecting Kat from Mannox and Kat was protecting Anne from whatever terror hit her cousin.
Anne would always protect Kat, the shy girl she first met those years ago when her and her father moved in with the pink loving girl and her step-grandmother. And Anne knew Kat would protect her in return.
Eventually, Anne’s breathing evened out and she fell into dreams. This time, she dreamed of a beautiful little girl...