Velvet Room – The Fourth Flame
The Velvet Room trembled.
Ren stood with Sae, Tae, and now Makoto—all three flickering with faint resonance. Their bonds had grown complex, interwoven with truths and power.
Lavenza's voice was serene, yet laced with awe. "You've crossed the threshold of ordinary fusion… A Fourth Flame stirs."
Between them, the air rippled. Chains fell away from the guillotines. And in their place rose a smooth obsidian circle—a fusion altar.
"When three souls align in justice, in healing, and in blood—""—a divine link can be forged," Lavenza whispered, eyes shimmering.
Makoto, bearing her reborn Persona Justitia Ignis, stepped forward and linked fingers with Sae and Tae. For a breathless moment, the flames of their hearts twisted together.
A divine apparition appeared above them—Verdicta, a radiant three-faced goddess, one face law, one flame, and one fury.
This is not a power you command, the goddess intoned.This is a trial you live.
And then she was gone. But the spark remained.
A Mirror Unseen – Veluria's Game
Back in Tokyo, the air shimmered with silver. Shadows flitted at the edges of alleys. The moon was pale, too pale.
Ren sensed her before she arrived.
Veluria, clad in obsidian mirror glass, walked calmly through the alleys of Yongen-Jaya. Her form shimmered—one moment an elegant woman, the next a blur of past regrets.
She spoke directly to Sae.
"You shine with conviction now. But I wonder… what happens when your reflection turns on you?"
With a sweep of her hand, she conjured an illusion of Sae's former self—cold, ambitious, and power-hungry. The persona of her prosecutor days.
"You once bent truth for the greater good," Veluria whispered. "Would you do it again… for him?"Her eyes flicked toward Ren.
Sae didn't flinch. "I don't need mirrors. I am the scale now."
Veluria smiled—sad, intrigued. "Then let's see how true that balance is."
The mirror goddess faded, but left a thin shard of silver behind. A key. An invitation. Another descent was coming.
Leblanc – Return of the Guardian
That night, the team gathered at Leblanc. It was a full house—Makoto, Ann, Haru, Ryuji, Yusuke, Futaba, Tae… and now Sae.
Ren had just poured the last cup of coffee when the door opened again.
Everyone turned.
Standing in the doorway, with faint silver glimmer in his dark eyes, was—
Sojiro Sakura.
But… younger. Maybe twenty-five. Black coat, stylish cut. The usual stubble gone. And more than that—his presence radiated power.
Futaba nearly dropped her mug. "DAD?!"
Sojiro scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Don't call me that in public."
He stepped inside, the bell chiming behind him like a judge's gavel.
"Veluria came to me too. Said it was my turn to stop standing in the doorway."
His aura was unmistakable now: a new Phantom Thief. No code name yet. No mask revealed. But something ancient curled behind his eyes.
Makoto stared, stunned. "You… gained a Persona?"
He smirked. "Guess you all rubbed off on me."
Ren stepped forward, offering his hand.
"Welcome to the family."