Memento Mori

They finally reached the final area of the palace.

It was a second stage. This one bigger than the other. While the first one was brighter and with more gold, this one seemed to be more grand and made for the rich. The stage had velvet curtains and rich wooden flooring, there were rows upon rows of seating too, much more than the first stage, for many people.

The conductor’s stand wasn’t on the stage, directly in front of the performers. Instead, there was a path connecting the stage to a circular platform that was placed in the middle of the seats. In the middle of the attention.

The conductor’s stand was just as bright and garish as everything else that seemed to represent Mannox and his self-importance. But the stand wasn’t the important part.

Above the stand was a glowing mist. It shined and sparkled, but wasn’t an actual object. It was simply a shroud.

“Where’s the treasure?” It was Hound who asked, studying the mist. “Surely it isn’t that cloud…”

Mona shook his head. “No, that’s it!”

“Tu rigoles!” Ghost looked very confused. “We can’t steal that!”

Mona scoffed. “Of course we can’t! There’s something else we need to do first!”

“Something else?” Survivor asked, her gaze still trained on the mist.

“That’s right, we need a calling card.” Mona explained with a nod.

“... Perhaps we should leave the palace before you explain? We could be interrupted.” Survivor explained, glancing back to the exit.

Mona nodded. “Right. But before we leave, we still should make a plan to steal it.”

And as if on cue, two guards came walking under them. Their voices drifted up to the thieves.

“Did you hear about the performance tomorrow?” One of the guard’s seemed rather excited.

“Yes! The great conductor always directs his performers so beautifully!” The second guard seemed gleeful. “And it’s always a pleasure to see him put the disobedient performers in their place!”

Next to them, Ghost let out a small snarl. “Directs my ass! Son abus…”

Hound was gently reaching a hand over to Ghost's shoulder, keeping the other queen steady both physically and emotionally.

“A performance, hmm?” Mona seemed very intrigued by the shadow's words. “Perhaps we can plan around that…”

“They do lights out at some points…” Survivor was quickly racking her brain for what she knew about music performances. “Maybe we can get down and get the treasure…” Survivor had quickly formed a plan after that. A rather simple one. “Alright, I know how we can do it.”

“Alright then, let’s head out for the day! Tomorrow, we can end this!” Hound was the one who declared. “Wir haben es geschafft.”

It didn’t take long for them to be standing in front of the school again. The sun was steadily going down, showing that it was late afternoon.

Of course, no one was around due to how late in the evening it was. And the thieves should head home too, but they had to talk about something first.

“Alles klar dann! We have our route to the treasure. You mentioned it shows up with a ‘calling card?’” Anna spoke up, glancing to the cat.

“That’s right, we need to send Mannox a calling card!” Morgana nodded, beginning to pace slightly.

“And that makes the treasure an actual object?” Anne asked curiously.

“The palace ruler needs to know that we’re coming for it. That’s the only way it will appear.” Mona stopped his pacing. “It’s all about cognition. It should last for only a day too…”

“So we need to send a calling card for the treasure and steal the treasure on the same day. Got it.” Anna’s mouth then twisted into a concerned frown. “Wouldn’t that be evidence? They could figure us out.”

Mona shook his head, giving them all a proud grin. “Not if we’re careful. And I’m confident this team will be just fine!”

“Alright then.” Cathy agreed as all of the thieves relaxed. “Now, let's decide who does what.”

They eventually decided on what everyone was doing. Anne would draw a logo (she insisted) and make the actual card. Cathy would write the message along with final preparations with Morgana, who would also oversee everything to make sure no one could get caught.. Anna would deliver the cards to the school, getting there before anyone else could.

Tomorrow they would finally end Mannox’s abuse.

~~||~~||~~

The next morning, the thieves all headed to school like usual. Catalina and Kat accompanied them, but stopped outside for a moment, leaving the three thieves to step inside.

Students were whispering when the queens all reached the entrance hall of the school. They murmured, surprise and confusion littering their voices and expressions.

And it was easy to see the source.

Pasted on lockers, the walls, and especially the announcements board were red calling cards. Some were of the ‘logo’ Anne had drafted last night, a black mask with flames flying out of one eye and a top hat.

And others had words.

‘To Henry Mannox, the sinner of lust who has titled himself a great conductor. You have been plaguing the school for too long, portraying yourself as a gentle and kind teacher. But we know the truth. You have abused students, oppressed them as you forced them to play your twisted music. You have even forced your desires onto them, forcing them to please you sexually. We shall steal your distorted desires so that you may confess to your sins! From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.’

Anna and Anne both flicked their gazes over to Cathy. “You really are a writer!” Anne was the one who spoke with a chuckle.

“Well, I wasn’t the only one who did the work. Morgana helped me, you drew the logo, and Anna put all of this up.” Cathy said almost sheepishly.

“Hey, speaking of the logo, why a top hat? Wouldn’t a crown have been cool?” Anna asked Anne, looking at the crowd of students.

“Oh yeah, I definitely almost put a crown! But Morgana isn’t a queen and wouldn’t that kind of give us away…? Since we’re the queens and all.” Anne explained, she had pulled one of the cards off the wall and was fidgeting with it.

“Agh, I wanna see!” Morgana spoke up.

“We’ll make sure to take one for you Morgana.” Cathy said with a small laugh.

Just then, Catalina and Kat walked up. The two had fallen behind and were just now reaching the thieves, catching sight of the cards.

“What is all of this…?” Catalina asked, looking at one of the cards on the lockers. “Phantom Thieves of Hearts…?”

“Yeah!” Anne eagerly jumped in, a certain glint in her eyes. “They’re exposing Mannox’s abuse!”

“Abuse?” Catalina looked a little in shock and her brows furrowed in both concern and dawning horror as she read over the card. “What… is all of it true? How did I never notice…”

Kat was staring almost blankly at the cards. “I… Is this true? That they’re going to make him confess…?”

The three thieves gave Kat hopeful smiles. “I don’t see why it isn’t. We’ll just have to wait and see.” Cathy told the pink clad teen.

A stray tear made its way down Kat’s cheek. “I want this to be true. I want him to be stopped.”

That was when the realization hit Catalina. “He’s hurt you… you’re one of the victims described in the card.”

Kat shakily nodded and sank into Anna and Anne’s embrace as they both carefully hugged her and kept her between them, away from prying eyes.

The group stood there for a moment, the three (four) thieves all rather protective. Kat’s once dull gaze had turned hopeful and she was recovering from her small episode. Catalina was rereading the card, a conflicted look on her gaze that was quickly turning into a sickly look mixed with a cold fury.

Across the crowd, Cathy noticed Joan with three other girls. She wore the same hopeful stare that Kat did. She also shot glances towards the thieves every so often.

“What is going on here?!”

Everyone’s voices hushed and everyone’s heads jolted to stare at the source of the voice. Mannox had made his way to the crowd and grabbed a card off a nearby locker. His usually fake kindness had been completely thrown aside for pure rage. Some of his students were in the crowd and flinched back at the sight, including Kat and Joan.

He stared blankly at the card for another moment before turning back to the gathered students. He quickly switched the rage to a calm look. “Now, now everyone… This is just some sort of prank! Please get to your classes!”

As the students began to disperse, Mannox made eye contact with the thieves and was quickly storming over.

“Catalina, get Kat to her class.” Cathy said to her godsister. She didn’t seem very bothered by the storming Mannox.

For a moment, it seemed Catalina was going to protest, but then she noticed the fear on Kat’s face, and how a certain glaze had entered her eyes.

“Do not do anything stupid.” That was an order as Catalina carefully took hold of Kat’s hand, making sure the other girl could see her do it. It didn’t stop Kat’s flinch, but she didn’t panic either. “Let’s get to class, alright?”

Kat was swiftly removed from the scene, allowing the thieves to face off against Mannox, who had finally reached them.

“Did you do this?!” Mannox practically snarled. No one was in the area, allowing him to drop his act.

“We don’t know what you’re talking about, sir.” Anna was the one who spoke, standing protectively next to the other two queens.

“Don’t lie to me you little shits!” Mannox hissed out, eyes narrowing. “You’re the only ones who would dare do this!”

“Mr. Mannox, you’re expelling us anyways, why would we cause more trouble for ourselves?” It was Cathy who asked, tilting her head almost in a challenge.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to pull… but in a few days, you’re out of here.” Mannox replied after a moment.

No one responded to his words.

Instead, Anne stepped forward, a glare on her face. “I believe this is yours.” She practically shoved the calling card in her hand towards Mannox.

Mannox’s face seemed to twist further into a scowl and he was swiftly snatching it from her hand. And it was that moment where the world shifted again.

They could see the faint outlines of the music hall around them. Mannox had taken on the looks of his shadow self.

“You want to take my treasure?” Shadow Mannox huffed, an arrogant smirk on his face. “You’ll never get to it! Enjoy the show, thieves…”

And just like that, things went back to normal.

“Get to your classes! The three of you are gonna be expelled anyways… I don’t have the patience for you.” Reality’s Mannox snapped before he spun on his heel and stalked away, ripping cards off lockers and moving to speak with Principal Cromwell, who had just arrived.

“After school, his treasure will be ours.” Morgana told all three from the bag.

They all nodded and quickly made their way to their classes. They never noticed a familiar shy blonde with a computer in hand watching them all the while. School went by in a blur of anticipation, anxiety, and energy. After school, they gathered at that familiar bench in front of the school.

As they stood in a circle, Cathy let her gaze drift over each of her three fellow thieves. They all shared the same determination as she did. It was time to end Mannox’s reign as the so-called great conductor. When Cathy spoke, it was Survivor who declared the words.

“It’s showtime.”

~~||~~||~~

The performance was in full swing. Mannox was conducting on his own special platform the thieves and seen before. His usually open robe was now closed, another show of him hiding what he was doing. Whenever one of the students on stage messed up, a guard came onto the stage and dragged them off. Mannox seemed both exasperated and amused by the sight. A cheering crowd was in the seats, enjoying the performance.

The treasure had appeared and was laying on Mannox’s stand when not in use. It was a golden conductor’s baton, used to conduct the injured and panicking students on stage.

Finally, the lights dimmed to black. That was when the thieves made their move.

A rope was lowered from the rafters and attached to the end was Morgana. The other three thieves were above, Ghost and Hound pulling the rope as Survivor kept watch through the darkness, ready to intervene if anything went wrong.

Mona, who was now holding the baton and being pulled up, purred and his eyes seemed to shine as he held the treasure close. “Treasure~!”

Ghost shared a glance with the others. “Did we break the cat?” She was met with shrugs.

“Maybe he just likes shiny things.” Hound replied in a whisper.

But then, things went downhill.

Something hit the rope and it snapped. Mona let out a yowl of surprise as he plunged to the ground. The baton went rolling across the platform as the lights suddenly flashed back on.

Mannox stood on the walkway connecting the platform to the stage, his robe still hiding his body like during the performance. He let out a laugh as he reached down to pick up the baton. Kat’s cognition had reappeared, even after Ghost destroyed it, and now the cognition was tucked under Mannox’s arm. The bruises and bikini seemed to catch more attention than before.

“There you all are.” Mannox hummed as he twirled the baton in his hand, watching the thieves that had jumped down next to their fallen member. The four glared back defiantly. “I knew you would all show up! And I was right!”

“We’re right here.” Survivor announced, her staff already held in her hand. “And we’ll be taking that treasure.”

Mannox snorted, a cocky grin on his face. “You think I would let you take this? It’s the core of this world, proof that I am the great conductor! I’ll never let you get your hands on it!”

Ghost pointed her dagger at Mannox. “And what makes you think that’ll stop us? We’re going to stop your abuse, Lâche!”

“Ha!” Mannox gave them a wide smirk. “It wasn’t abuse… they wanted it.”

“Wanted it—?!” Hound snapped.

“You think they wanted that kind of pain?!” Survivor questioned.

“If they didn’t, then why did no one ever report me?” Mannox barked out a laugh. “I’m sure Cromwell knows and the same thing happened in that past life! No one ratted me out there!”

“Past life—!” Survivor was the first one to break out of her shock. “You remember?”

The corner of Mannox’s lips twisted further upwards. “Of course I remember! This little bitch right here almost had me executed!” Mannox grabbed Cognitive Katherine roughly by the shoulders and pulled her in front of him to fully face the others, but her lovesick stare wasn’t deterred as Mannox smirked at the thieves from over her shoulder. “Even after I showed her just how much I wanted her! But I talked my way out of it… and now, I can have again, without those other damned fools trying to steal her from me.”

“I’m all yours now Mister Mannox…” The cognition practically purred.

The visible fury of the thieves rose. Anne and Anna both looked ready to sprint for the shadow, their hands already grasping their masks as a low growl exited Anna’s throat and Anne’s eyes were slitted with fury. Cathy’s face had become blank, but if one looked closely, they would see the platform under her slowly beginning to melt, Athena’s nuclear magic making an appearance. Her magic wasn’t the only one making an appearance, the room’s temperature had noticeably lowered and if you looked close enough, you could see the non-living type of shadows twisting and trembling in agitation.

Mona didn’t look away from the shadow and cognition in front of them, a scowl firmly in place. “It must be because this shadow reflects the true self… he was reincarnated like you three, and only his subconsciousness remembers.”

“Whatever the case.” The blade of Hound’s axe hit the ground with a threatening crack. “She didn’t want it. Then or now. You just want her for her looks and you stole everything from her!”

Ghost jumped in with her own glare. “We’re going to help her steal that life back. Starting with taking that treasure!”

There was a moment of silence before a dark chuckle escaped Shadow Mannox’s lips. He leaned forward to whisper into Katherine’s ears from where he held her in front of him. His hands rubbed up and down her bare arms and waist greedily. “Go join the others, my sweet. We have a show to perform.”

Cognitive Kat’s eyes grew in excitement and she was quickly heading back to stand backstage where the other students all gathered.

Then, Mannox changed, moving back to stand on the actual stage. Just like the guards, he shifted and became a burst of shadows before forming into something far more monstrous.

He was as tall as the stage, sitting down as he was too large to safely stand. He wasn’t skinny, rather large in fact. His skin had become almost scale like and was a deep green. His eyes were slitted like an animal’s and a bright, piercing red. The robe had vanished, replaced by a black overcoat that still did nothing to cover his body, his lower half being shielded by only his underwear. He wore white gloves on his hands and the golden baton had grown larger, resting Mannox’s right hand. A long tongue reached to the floor, dripping saliva.

He landed on the stage and he gave them all a twisted grin. He twirled the large baton in his right hand. The students had cleared everything out of his way and now stood backstage but with instruments in hand.

Then, Shadow Mannox spoke, his voice coming out distorted. “IT’S TIME FOR MY GRAND PERFORMANCE, HAHA! I’LL SHOW YOU BRATS WHY I’M THE GREAT CONDUCTOR!”

The thieves stood on the platform reserved for Mannox, glaring back defiantly at the shadow. The crowd around them cheered for Mannox to win.

“So he becomes a monster too, huh?” Ghost huffed, readying her dagger and making sure her choker was secure. “Doesn’t matter, we’ll take him down just like the rest of them!”

“It’s time to end this.” Survivor agreed, none of them moving their gazes from Mannox.

Music began playing and Mannox began to wave the baton as he called out, “get them you idiots! Or do you want to end up like those back in the classrooms?”

For a moment, the thieves paused in clear confusion.

“Watch out!” Hound cried as she leapt in front of Survivor, blocking off an attacking cognitive student with her axe before blasting it with an ice skill and sending a second one sprawling with a shot from her rifle.

More of Mannox’s students approached them and the crowd’s cheers picked up. That’s what he meant…

“So you’re hiding behind your students now?!” Ghost called out, a throwing knife destroying a cognition followed by another being slashed by her dagger.

“Hiding?! Ha! They are my weapons! They obey me! Be it in music or battle!” Mannox’s distorted voice declared.

Survivor cringed as she swiftly destroyed the cognition she recognized to be Joan. The battle continued for several more minutes, the thieves countering the many cognitive students with both their magic and weapons.

Mannox growled before pointing his baton at the thieves. “Katherine, destroy them!”

The last cognitive student for them to face was Katherine, who held a lute in hand. There was a struggle for a moment, the cognition having access to physical skills that clearly showed as she launched several strings of attacks at them.

Mona was quickly blasting her backwards with a cry of, “Garu!”

The wind skill sent the pink haired cognition falling backwards but she remained standing. The attack allowed Hound to call her own skill that attacked Katherine with ice and finally sent the shadow to the ground.

“Tarukaja!” Survivor called and that skill was raising Ghost’s attack power, allowing her to easily sweep forward and slash at Katherine for more damage.

“She’s weak to ice and physical skills!” Mona notified them as he slashed her with his scimitar.

The thieves quickly followed that lead. They all cringed as they struck the cognition down. Survivor had summoned Eligor to use cleave, Ghost following suit with Nemesis’s own use of cleave. And then, Hound finally followed up with bufu.

Cognitive Kat crumpled for a moment before trying to hit them with one last physical attack. Survivor took the hit but simply used a medicine as they converged for an all out attack.

The thieves felt rather pained to have struck Kat down… but they all knew it was a cognition. Created by the monster they were about to destroy.

Now, they had defeated all of Mannox’s students. The thieves stepped up to the stage from the platform, lookign at Shadow Mannox. The large monster let out a low growl as he also realized that the thieves won.

“For fucks sake! I’ll just do it myself!” Mannox finally snapped. “Bring me my instruments!”

“That doesn’t sound good at all…” Mona hissed.

“Definitely not.” Hound replied as four instruments were rolled out. A violin, a drum, a harp, and a flute. They were all giant in size, about as large as Mannox. The crowd behind the thieves cheered at the sight and they began to chant Mannox’s name.

With a wave of Mannox’s baton, the instruments were floating in the air and playing music. The thieves watched the instruments warily.

And they were right to do so.

Mona yowled as he ducked a blast of fire coming from the flute. Hound let out a grunt as she pulled both herself and Ghost away from the wind that the harp launched. Survivor swept to the side of a blast of lightning from the drum before ducking the ice that the violin summoned.

The group quickly reconvened and Ghost quickly called out, “Eiha!” Causing a blast of shadows to hit the violin. The other thieves followed suit, hitting each instrument with different skills.

The instruments resisted some magic and were weak to others. The violin seemed weak to fire, the harp to electricity, the drum to fire, and the flute to ice.

That was how Survivor noticed the solution. She had been keeping careful track of what was weak to what. Mannox laughed at all of them while continuing to guide the instruments with the baton.

“It looks like each instrument is weak to a different skill!” Survivor told the others quickly.

“Tell us which ones to hit with what! We’ll follow your lead, Survivor!” Mona told their ‘leader.’ Hound and Ghost nodded their agreement, all three having clear determination in their eyes.

After that realization, it was quick for the thieves to destroy each instrument with well placed skills that each instrument was weak to. But that was when they ran into another problem.

Mannox has many replacements. Almost never ending.

“Gah! Bring me new ones!” Shadow Mannox roared with frustration, his free giant green arm waving widely.

The instruments kept getting replaced. The thieves kept getting injured and they were running out of both supplies and magic.

“Merde!” Anne spat as a blast of ice hit her directly.

Survivor was scrambling for a strategy. She was flicking her gaze rapidly over Mannox, the rushing students, and the floating instruments.

Survivor quickly realized the solution and cursed under her breath. How did she not notice sooner?! Perhaps the constant attacks threw her off…

“We have to get the baton away from him!” Survivor notified the others, ducking under and shouting over a blast of wind. “That’s what he's controlling the instruments with!”

“But how do we do that?!” Hound asked, dodging another strike of the drum’s lightning.

Survivor was quickly surveying the scene again. There was a ladder in the back of the stage leading up to the rafters behind Mannox. If someone could sneak past the students and Mannox to get up there…

Cathy was quickly looking at Ghost. They needed Morgana on the ground for healing. “Ghost! I have a plan!”

Upon hearing the plan, Ghost nodded, a familiar smirk appearing on her face. “I can do that for sure! But will all of you be alright distracting him?”

“We’ll have to be. It’s the only way.” Survivor responded.

“Kopf hoch!” Hound was quickly tackling both of them out of the way of a blast of ice. Mona also appeared next to them.

“What’s the plan?” Mona asked quickly.

“Mona, Hound! The three of us need to distract him!” Survivor quickly gave the order. The two didn’t ask anymore questions, moving forward to face Mannox instead. Survivor and Ghost shared one last nod before Ghost was quickly rushing off.

“You’re all still defying me?!” Mannox growled. “Then I suppose I’ll have to perform an encore!”

The crowd cheered upon hearing that and Survivor inhaled sharply at the amount of loud noises. But she wasn’t going to let them lose, she focused everything she had onto the battle.

Mannox’s attacks seemed to become stronger, more vicious. Survivor was quickly casting Sukukaja, a technical skill that raised everyone’s speed. Hound and Mona began dodging with their further enhanced agility (the small amount of greater speed granted by the Metaverse only being raised by the skill), firing their guns and using spells whenever possible. But Survivor began to use more and more spells, draining her energy but keeping Mannox’s attention focused on the threat at hand. Persona after persona used spell after spell, Athena and her nuclear skills being the most prominent appearance.

Until finally, Ghost reached the point she needed. She was ready to strike. It was also that exact moment that Mannox realized something was wrong. He paused in his magic, allowing the three below to finally catch their breath.

“Wait a second… the green one’s missing!”

And it was right when Mannox realized that that Ghost leapt forward from her perch, slamming into the baton.

The large baton went sprawling out of Mannox’s hand. The shadow screeched and his tongue waved wildly as he tried to catch the baton. The instruments collapsed to the ground. The baton shrunk back to normal size and both it and Ghost went rolling across the ground.

The green thief let out a grunt at the impact, but seemed mostly okay as she slowly picked herself up.

Mannox was still crying out, arms flailing in the air as he searched for the baton. “MY TREASURE! MY PRECIOUS TREASURE!”

“NOW!” Survivor practically roared out.

All four of the thieves were springing into action. They launched whatever attack they could at Mannox before finally launching into an all out attack. After the long battle, that was what finally ended it.

Mannox let out a final roar of pain before bursting into shadows just like the others. The thieves didn’t notice him turning back to his normal shadow appearance.

The crowd fell deathly silent and for a moment, the thieves all seemed stunned that they pulled it off. Then, the four broke into cheers.

“We did it!”

“Nous avons gagné!”

“Das bekommt er dafür, dass er sie verletzt hat!”

“It was all with teamwork. Now, let’s grab the treasure and go. Maybe we can go celebrate somewhere if it isn’t too late.” With one last, proud look to the other thieves, Survivor moved to step towards the treasure. She was clearly exhausted, even more so than the others. Her magic and energy was completely drained and she was ready to either be with her friends or simply go home and, for once without Morgana using force, sleep.

But before the thieves could make any other move, Shadow Mannox was sweeping past them. He grabbed the baton and was quickly sprinting up the path, towards the platform holding his conductor’s stand.

But he didn’t make it far. Ghost was quickly giving chase. And as the shadow’s feet hit the platform, Ghost slammed into him with a cry of rage. The baton went spinning across the floor.

Both of them went sprawling to the floor, Mannox on his back and Ghost towering above him. Mannox let out a cry and tried to escape but Ghost simply pinned him down harder, pulling out her dagger.

“Did you think I would just let you get away with hurting her?!” Ghost snarled, her dagger pressed against Mannox’s throat.

Hound and Mona were about to move forward to stop Ghost, but Survivor stepped in front of them (Hound had to steady her as Survivor stumbled slightly), arms spread. She gave them a small shake of her head before turning back to the scene.

All Mannox could do with the threat to his life was whimper. “Please… don’t…”

“Don’t what?” Ghost hissed, her eyes darkening. “Hurt you? You hurt my cousin, my sister. You hurt her in that past life and you hurt her here. How young was she last time, huh?! You don’t need to answer, I know exactly how old she was.” Tears of anger and frustration were rolling down Ghost’s cheeks from under her mask and her hand pressed down on Mannox’s shoulder clenched and twitched angrily at the fabric. Her voice was filled with fury. “SHE WAS THIRTEEN YOU MOTHERFUCKER! SHE WAS THIRTEEN IN THAT LIFE AND SHE’S SIXTEEN IN THIS LIFE. AND BOTH TIMES YOU’VE HURT HER! DESTROYED HER! YEAH, I KNOW THE STORY, THE HISTORY! YOU TOOK HER INNOCENCE AT THIRTEEN AND YOU’RE PART OF THE REASON SHE DIED SO DAMN YOUNG! AND YOU REPEATED IT IN THIS LIFE! WHY WON’T YOU LET HER BE HAPPY?!”

“I…” Mannox was trembling, eyes wide. There was no good explanation. But still, he tried. “Those parents expected me to make their kids perfect because I had been the perfect conductor before becoming a teacher! In both lives they wanted that! I was under just as much pressure! I wanted a reward. And Katherine… she was so, so lovely. I wanted her…”

If anything, that only made Ghost angrier. “You think that’s a fucking excuse?! Reward?! You just wanted her for her looks, you and I both know it! You wanted a trophy, something to play with! You’re his true self! YOU KNOW IT BETTER THAN I DO! YOU JUST USED HER FOR YOURSELF!”

“You… you’re right…”

Ghost seemed to choke on her tears at the almost silent admission. She let out a scream of rage that shook everyone, not just Mannox. She brought the dagger back behind her head and stabbed it down towards Mannox. The shadow let out a scream, awaiting his second death.

But it never came. He shakily opened his eyes and glanced to his right. The dagger was buried into the wood of the stage. Ghost was still above him. She shakily clambered to her feet and swayed slightly as she backed away from Mannox.

“Get the fuck back to your true self.” Her voice was a whisper, but sparked just as much terror as he screaming did. “Confess what you did.” Her head came up to give Mannox one last, terrifying glare. “And pray to whatever the hell you worship that you never see me again.”

The shadow scrambled to his knees. “Yes, of course… you can take the treasure… I… what did I do…” And with that final realization, he faded away in a flash of golden sparks.

Survivor walked over. She gently picked up the baton before walking to Ghost. The green queen was struggling to calm herself, one hand tugging at her choker like before.

“You did the right thing…” It was Hound who spoke from where she was with Mona.

Mona nodded. “You could have killed him… yet you didn’t…”

“I told you before… I don’t want to be on his level.” Ghost took a deep breath, tapping her foot rapidly as her face twisted into a scowl. “But more importantly… I want him to confess. I want the world to see what that bastard has truly done.”

Survivor carefully held out a hand, relaxing when Ghost took it and stopped tugging at her choker. “And now he will…”

Hound opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, there was a loud crash and the very floor beneath them began shaking.

“What’s happening?!” Hound changed her focus.

“The palace is collapsing! We have to get out of here!” Mona alerted them, quickly making his way towards the exit.

The queens followed suit, paling as they realized exactly what danger they were in. The group made their way through the winding halls, Survivor keeping her grip on the baton the entire time.

“Merde!” Ghost called out as she ducked around another piece of falling rubble.

Survivor was clearly lagging behind a bit, having used more energy in the battle than the others. So Hound backed up and swooped Survivor up into her arms.

“I’ve got you, Bücherwurm!” Hound called over the crashing.

“We’re almost there!” Survivor called in return. The thieves noticed a clear and open window at the end of the hall. Survivor was the one who gave the order. “The window!”

Mona, who was back into his reality form and perched on Ghost’s shoulder, nodded. “It’s the quickest path!”

“Dessus!!” Ghost called and she was the first to reach the window. She braced herself before crashing through it, creating a path for the other duo.

The group landed in a heap on the ground, now back in reality by their familiar meeting point. Luckily, that window had been on the first floor. They stayed that way for a few minutes, catching their breath after everything that just happened. And then, one by one, they slowly sat up in a circle.

“Woah… the treasure changed.” Anne noticed, the tears on her cheeks having dried.

Sure enough, the treasure had changed, becoming a sparkling and brand new violin accompanied by a bow. For a moment, the thieves simply stared in awe.

“Why did it change?” Anna asked, glancing away from the fancy violin.

Morgana nodded to himself, reaching up to run a paw over the violin’s surface. “Perhaps this is what caused the distortion to happen. You said he used to be a conductor in this life, yes?”

“Yep. He was a conductor before becoming a teacher here. That’s probably why Cromwell protected him. Because he was well known and boosted the school’s reputation.” Anne explained, glaring over at the school.

Cathy still looked as if she would fall asleep sitting up and Anna was quickly pulling the girl over so her head could rest on her shoulder. Cathy hummed in appreciation at the gesture and sunk into Anna’s embrace, Anne and Morgana moving closer to them as well.

“Whatever the case, we should probably find a way to get rid of it. There’s no way any of us can explain the sudden appearance of such an expensive looking violin.” It was Anna who told the others, continuing the conversation.

“Maybe we can sell it to Untouchables.” Cathy suggested, slowly running a hand over the bow.

“The gun shop?” Anne raised an eyebrow.

Cathy shrugged in response with a tiny yawn. “Maybe they take other items. And I need to get you a new dagger anyways.”

Anna laughed. “I guess you did leave it behind, huh?”

Anne scowled playfully. “That was my favorite dagger so far, too!”

Morgana snorted with a smirk. “Then you shouldn’t have planted it into the stage!”

The thieves chuckled for another moment as the realization hit and their adrenaline lowered.

The group all shared tired and proud smiles as they realized exactly what they accomplished. Morgana spoke up, proudly looking at each queen.

“Queens, our mission was a success!”