Ace was asleep in the empty office of Atlaan Police Department #34 while the rest of his comrades were attempting to fight off sleep.
It had been a long few hours.
The once clean police station was now littered with papers, plastic, glass, and dirt. The windows at the front entrance had been blown in by the bombs, making the front lobby cold and uncomfortable. A soldier sat at the desk, drinking instant coffee while keeping an eye on the vulnerable entrance. Soldiers, police officers, and their Defense Program counterparts had commandeered the police station as a makeshift base simply because the electricity was still running and the roof was still standing.
Levi was drinking the same instant coffee from the break room with intense disgust and sheer desperation. His hair was messy; he took a sink shower and was wearing someone else's boots, a pair of jeans, and an old shirt that said I Survived The Dome! Fenton was also a victim of the debris. Chunks of it were in his hair, along with Hurio's blue blood. He was washing his hair out in the break room sink when Levi took his chance.
"I need to talk to you about something important," Levi said.
"I know," Fenton replied.
"You do?"
"Yes. Psychic."
"Oh. Anyway, yeah, so you're gonna take the job, right?"
"I know what we're gonna talk about; I just don't wanna talk about it," Fenton clarified.
He turned the sink on higher, trying to get the chunks of sidewalk out. He wasn't sure if the blue blood was out all the way because the soap in the break room was sadly the same color. Levi waited for him to give him some answer, but Fenton never did. He continued to wash his hair in the sink, ignoring Levi as he awkwardly drank his black coffee. When he was finally done washing his hair, Fenton wrung his hair out in the sink and sighed.
"I feel like I don't have a choice in this. I don't want your job," Fenton said.
"Oh. Well, I'm nominating you anyway."
Levi took a sip, and Fenton rummaged around in the cabinets for paper towels, but could only find a soft, orange rag. He prayed it was clean while he used it to dry his hair.
"Why are you nominating me? There are much better people out there for the job! Is it because of Ace," Fenton asked.
"I'm nominating you because you deserve it."
Fenton waited for the feeling he got when someone was lying. His nose would feel like a sneeze was coming, but it never came. Sometimes the back of his head, or the top of his head, would tingle, and he knew the other person was lying.
But this time, the feeling never came.
And suddenly, Fenton was more open to the conversation because he could not remember a time when Leviathan Slater was ever this open with him.
Fenton looked at Levi up and down, almost accusatorily, and gave him a chance.
"Tell me more," Fenton said.
"I can't be in charge anymore, for... obvious reasons," Levi explained. "I don't want someone who doesn't have our history, doesn't understand our dynamics, to come into our group and tell us what to do."
Fenton nodded along, following what he was saying. It was a little territorial but also true. He would rather listen to Levi than a stranger who suddenly became their leader.
"I considered Sasha. He's crazy smart, but his ability limits his communication skills. I even considered Oz, but he seems too nice. Then I remembered you. You know how to work with people," Levi said.
"I do," Fenton asked.
"Fenton. You know so many secrets about people in your daily life, and you don't say anything. Ever. Do you understand what kind of power that is," Levi said.
"I'm not you, I'm not using it for money or-"
"That's my point. I want you to do this because you deserve it."
Fenton clutched the dirty rag and inspected it as if it had something to add to the conversation. He was stalling, trying to find a reason as to why he should say no. He couldn't come up with one and instead quietly thanked Levi for the opportunity.
"What's going to happen if you aren't in charge," Fenton asked.
"That's not my problem. I'm not in charge, so it's above my pay grade," Levi said with a smirk.
"Hah. Very funny."
Levi left the break room feeling some relief, but he knew it wasn't long-lasting. It was only a matter of time until another wave of attacks came. He regretted drinking coffee and wanted to sleep, to hide and forget the terror surrounding them. He wandered through the checkered halls until he found the office where Ace was sleeping in. He placed his hand on the doorknob to join him, but instead, the door opened to Harmonia and Ace leaving. Ace was wearing only a pair of shorts and some neon flip-flops that were a size too small he got from the station's lost and found.
"Oh," Harmonia shrieked.
"What's going on," Levi asked.
"Nothing. I just need to borrow him for an hour. Okay?"
Levi didn't trust her. He knew she was up to something, and he knew that having Fenton being in charge would keep her in check. But Fenton didn't have a celestial, and Levi worried that if he ever had to defend everyone from Harmonia, he'd be unable to.
"Stop making a fuss and move. I'll bring him back in an hour, okay," Harmonia promised.
Levi moved to the side, and Harmonia took a half-asleep Ace with her by the wrist to the interrogation room.
On their way to the interrogation room, they passed Fenton. Harmonia gave him her signature smile. Lips curved upward, her eyes with a twinkle, and just a bit of her teeth showing, never all.
Fenton stared back at her with a dull look in his eyes.
She had not a single speck of dirt on her.
When they arrived at the interrogation room, Oz was already there. He was wearing a pair of unwashed green shorts and a red tank with a hole near the bottom. His head was on the cool, metal table. Poor Oz's head was pounding from the lack of food in him, and the jabbering of his prisoner wasn't making it any better. Nero was still wearing the same large white faux fur coat, now soaked in blood.
He was yelling about how he had a right to a lawyer.
When Harmonia walked into the room with Ace, Nero had a new target.
"It's you. The Witch Bitch," Nero said.
"No one can forget this beauty," Harmonia declared.
"Whose skin are you wearing?! Answer me," Nero screamed.
Oz slammed his hand on the table in annoyance.
"Please don't get him riled up, Harmonia. Please. I have no idea how he's absolutely fine. He won't tell us anything important; he refuses to eat, sleep, or even drink water."
"Sleep is for the weak. I know you pigs will take my DNA the moment I eat something," Nero screamed.
Oz covered his face with his hands and tried not to cry. Harmonia rolled her eyes and pointed at an empty seat. Ace made his way over to it and almost missed when he sat down.
"So you all might be wondering why I've brought you here today," Harmonia announced.
"No. Where is my lawyer," Nero replied.
Harmonia ignored him.
"I know none of you trust me, and I'm here to change that. That's why I got all the Ionadians in one room together," Harmonia said.
Oz sat upright and pointed at himself.
"Who? Me?"
"Yes, you," Harmonia shouted.
"Born on Earth. Raised on Earth. I am not Ionadian," Oz insisted.
Harmonia took two steps over, lifted up his bangs, and showed his curved ears.
"You deny things that my eyes see. Tell me, kinsman, why?"
Oz flicked her hand away in embarrassment, and Harmonia turned to look at Ace.
"I know what you think of me. I know what you all think of me. And it's ok. I deserve it. I caused all of this. All the problems we're in."
It was silent for a few seconds until Nero broke it.
He laughed.
He laughed so hard he farted a little, and then his face went red in embarrassment, but he couldn't stop laughing.
"Witch Bitch thinks she's the main character!"
"I can't believe I'm agreeing with this psycho, but he's right, Harmonia. How could you have caused this war," Ace asked.
"I didn't just cause this war. I caused you. Every astral. I made this mess. I am the first astral. I am Prima."
Everyone stared at her, no longer suspicious, but with pity.
"They have, uh, services or whatever," Nero said. "They told me that when they arrested me. Do you want their number?"
"No! I don't need mental hel,p you annoying twink!"
"Well fu— oh. You think I'm a t w i n k~?"
Nero was now taking the opportunity to again ask for a lawyer, louder and louder, his voice echoing out of the room and down the halls. He continued until Ace stood up and smacked him on the back of the head. It didn't hurt, but it worked enough to silence him.
"Harmonia, why would I ever believe you're some magical lady? She's like, uhhh.... the Empire's version of Cinderella, right," Ace asked.
"Basically," Oz confirmed. "If you're really her, then why would you even be here? Shouldn't you be on Ionadis living with like...animals in a forest or something?"
"I came here to stop the evil that is currently invading us! I came here to help fulfill the prophecy!"
More looks of pity came from the three of them.
"How can I make you believe me," she begged.
Nero groaned and shifted in his seat as he had to give her some credit.
"I know she's not a regular person, for sure. In my home, in Rex, there is a painting of this woman. This painting is old. Her face, it has not changed. Maybe her lies have," Nero said.
"I know I age gracefully, thanks," Harmonia gushed. "But seriously, I am her! I came to Earth to find Ace and the other nine pieces! I think he's one of them."
Harmonia pointed at Nero, and he hissed.
"Don't you point at me, you Witch Bitch! Keep that thing away from me!"
The declaration of pieces made Oz sit up and pay more attention. He had seen Ace become reborn, and then he had seen his doppelganger fail to hurt him— even though they should have left at least one mark on each other. They both possessed a Celestial, and the sword even recognized Ace.
He thought that maybe, just maybe, Harmonia wasn't lying.
"I need you to come home with me, Ace," Harmonia said.
"Yeah, we all want to go back to Earth. We can make it through this. The stress is getting to you and—"
"No! Not here! The Eighth realm, Ionadis. We aren't meant for this place."
"I disagree. Other than the bombs in the sky right now, I kind of like my life," Oz said.
Harmonia shook her head no, vigorously, her cascading locs shimmering along with her. She held up her hand as if he had said something blasphemous and corrected him.
"We are not meant to be here. The balance is wrong. We are not meant to look like this."
"What are you talking about," Oz asked.
"She's right. We shouldn't look like this. This place is fucking ugly," Nero said.
Oz looked around in confusion at what they could be talking about.
"You've never been to another realm, Oz. I didn't look like this when I came here. Casey is from the sixth. We both looked different. But then, after a while, you eat the food. You stay. One day you wake up...and you just look different. It's scary."
Oz looked at Ace for some kind of confirmation that it was a lie, but Ace instead nodded along with her.
"I don't think any Ionadian should be here," Harmonia said. "Especially the ones outside. We're all going home when this is over. And I'm ending this, once and for all."