Chapter: The Center of Gravity

Ren stood alone on the rooftop of Leblanc, the cool evening air brushing over his skin like the ghost of a thousand unspoken things.

Tokyo stretched beneath him in a haze of neon, but his focus wasn't on the city. It hadn't been for days now.

It was on them.

Makoto's worried gaze, sharp but softening.

Ann's lingering smile, lips parted like she was about to say something she didn't know how to.

Ryuji's nervous glances, the kind that used to come before a punchline, now replaced with something more vulnerable. More… feminine.

Yusuke, who had always been a mystery, now looked at him with a painter's hunger and something unspoken behind her eyes. Something that quivered whenever they touched, even briefly.

And Haru. Futaba. Even Morgana—whose change had been the most surreal. All of them were pulled into this quiet orbit around him, and Ren had no idea when the shift began… only that it was growing stronger.

He thought it was the dreams at first. But this was no longer confined to dreams.

Their touches lingered longer.

Their voices softened when they said his name.

Their gazes burned.

And worst—or best—of all?

He felt the pull too.

Not just attraction. It was something deeper. A divine tether, stretching between hearts and skin and soul. It wasn't lust alone. It was transformation. Unraveling and becoming.

He remembered the warmth of Ann's body against his, her breath catching in that dark moment of shared need. He remembered Makoto's hands gripping the edge of reason when she kissed him like it meant something more. The way Ryuji had laughed—shy, flustered, new—and still leaned close, craving something she hadn't yet dared to name.

He hadn't pursued them.

But they had come to him.

And the strangest part was… something inside him had always been waiting.

Something awakened.

Ren clenched his fist, staring out over the city as the wind rustled his hair.

"This isn't just me changing," he murmured. "They're changing too. All of us."

Was it a power?

A blessing?

A curse?

His Persona hadn't warned him. The Velvet Room had been silent. Even Lavenza—usually cryptic but present—had vanished into a whisper of blue mist.

But in their silence, something new had begun to grow.

Connections. Passion. Transformation. Not through battle… but through bond.

Ren's eyes closed. He could feel them now—each of them—like embers glowing in the dark, calling to him in different ways. Longing. Trust. Curiosity. Desire.

He would find the truth, yes.

But first, he needed to walk this path—step by step, bond by bond.

And he wouldn't walk it alone.