#🧩 ⊱ ᴍᴀᴢᴇ ᴏғ ʟɪғᴇ ⊱ VERSE — PQ.

[heavenslapse-a]

@heartsaligned — akechi follows akira who follows a ghost 🔦

     The saccharine smile rarely left Goro’s lips. It grew daunting to always remain in character for so long with no reprieve. More and more people joined them as they wandered through the labyrinths, mazes inside movies. But here, that number had starkly dwindled to five. After their party had entered the new labyrinth the way back and been firmly shut, unwilling to allow anyone else through or for them to ESCAPE.

     Dust and grime collected in the dim foyer. The lobby appeared to have been vacant for quite some time. The towering Torii arched before the stairwell; the top closed off by a gateway barring any entry further in. They’d need to find a way around, which wouldn’t be too difficult. Being with three members of the Inaba team and Akira was much less grating on his nerves than the entire flock of lost sheep waiting for them and probably worried for their precious leader and fellow team members—Goro excluded. The thieves tolerated his presence, that much was obvious. However, in a matter of days, none of it would matter anymore. They’d all be rid of each other and Goro would no longer have to entertain the idiocy of the Phantom Thieves.

      Like the other labyrinths their wardrobe had changed, outfits that were more VINTAGE compared to their modern attire the other maze’s provided. Yukiko was marveling at the the grim atmosphere, while Yu and Yosuke’s anxiety was apparent in the nervous way they glanced about. Yu’s posture was stiff and rigid, tense, and his sharp gaze was laced with a wildness found in skittish animals. And then there was Akira...

      The flashlight lay forgotten on the ground, the light rolling over the worn and dirty carpet to illuminate the fragile remains of newspaper clippings and photographs so old the pictures had long faded away. It didn’t take a genius to know SOMETHING was wrong. Goro knelt to pick up the fallen flashlight, holding it deftly between his fingers. That perfect smile slipped over his lips, his voice cheerful and light despite their bleak surroundings.

      ❝Don’t tell me this place has rattled you as well?❞