The Lieutenant smelt the scene long before he arrived, his nose turning up in disgust the closer he got. It was a vile scent, filling the air with intoxicating fumes, making him feel as if he had just entered death. Even with the car windows closed, Lieutenant Newman could smell it. He decided to park his car near the pier in Rai. He hoped the strong winds coming in from the coast would keep the odour away. Upon opening his door and stepping out, he realised at once that it wouldn't. He focused his attention on the trail of thick smoke of greys, greens, and violets. The Lieutenant knew what he was about to stumble upon – a burnt-down Dreamhouse.

  So what has this got to do with you, Lucifer? he wondered, making his way towards the mismatched buildings that concealed the origin of the multi-coloured smoke. Dreamhouses were all over Exia, hidden in back alleys, which took some effort to navigate. At least in this case, the smoke served as a beacon, making the walk much shorter. As he strode, he examined everything the human Diana Skagen had said, considering Lucifer Armedeus, and why he had announced himself the way he had.

  You only appeared when she questioned the existence of the Divinity, he thought, entering a network of narrow passageways that would lead him towards the Dreamhouse.

  Was that because your mission depends on him existing? That he alone justifies your actions?

  There were always other motives, he knew, other drives that compelled suspects to act. More often than not, they were linked to their greatest fears.

  So what are you afraid of? the Lieutenant asked himself, wondering if he was referring to Lucifer, or himself. The answer didn't come.

  He came upon the final passageway that led to the scene, finding it already covered in blue DFA tape. The Lieutenant ducked underneath it and emerged onto an open square, the remains of the Dreamhouse within it. The husk continued to release intoxicating fumes into the air, causing him to turn up his nose, stirring memories that he didn't want to remember.

  No, not now. That night was a long time ago. I've changed. I'm a different man.

  The Lieutenant forced himself to return his focus on the mission at hand, turning his gaze towards the blue-skinned Titanius who stood a few feet away from the Dreamhouse. Greene was oblivious of his arrival, engrossed with a clipboard he was holding. His attire comprised human clothes, bearing the letters "DFA" across the back in gold print. It looked strange on the small being; Titaniuses rarely reached any taller than 5 feet 6. Still, the Lieutenant smiled at him.

  'It's burnt down, Greene,' he said, drawing the Titanius's glowing blue eyes towards him. Thankfully, he had changed before arriving. Having seen Diana's reaction to his bloody torn clothes, the Lieutenant had figured it wise not to attract anymore unwanted attention, especially from his fellow DFA Agents. He watched Greene turn and lower his clipboard, grinning in happiness at seeing him. He was probably the only being in Ethero who looked at him like that.

  'Ah, Lieutenant,' he said, his voice refined like most of his kind. 'I had come to the same conclusion.'

  'At least you're not studying that board in order to deduce that,' the Lieutenant said, stepping alongside him as they both turned towards what remained of the Dreamhouse. 'So, what have we got here?'

  'Depends if you believe the human who filed the report or not,' Greene said. 'By his account, one of the Hateful came here. Next thing he knew, the owner was killed, and the entire building was set ablaze. The call was made minutes afterwards, though, and we couldn't trace the source.'

  'Encrypted?' the Lieutenant asked. In the corner of his vision, he saw Greene nod.

  'So he didn't want us to find him and ask more questions,' the Lieutenant said, folding his arms. 'He feared being detained himself.'

  'I would come to the same conclusion,' Greene said. 'Our operations against drug trafficking have been increasing. The Captain wants the Dreamhouses shut down. Perhaps our Hateful friend is trying to help us?'

  'But where's the link?' the Lieutenant asked. 'Assuming that the report is true, does it tie in with what happened yesterday? Does it connect with Lucifer Armedeus?'

  'Perhaps these do?' Greene asked, reaching into his pocket and drawing out a small transparent bag. It was filled with black capsules. The Lieutenant recognised them at once, his expression darkening as he reached out to take them.

  'Beelzel pills,' he hissed, disdainful, as he turned them in his hand.

  'You obviously know what they do,' Greene said, his tone requesting further elaboration.

  'Hallucinogenic,' the Lieutenant said, 'Made with the purpose of giving the user the closest experience to Hateful Dreams.'

  'Oh,' Greene replied, awkward.

  The Lieutenant understood why. He continued before the moment festered something within him. 'They can only be bought in once place. If these are circulating, then we have a much bigger problem.'

  'What do you mean?'

  'I mean some humans know of "it",' the Lieutenant said.

  Greene frowned and opened his mouth to speak, no doubt to ask what he had meant by "it". However, they were interrupted by voices coming from behind. Without hesitating, the Lieutenant placed the bag of Beelzel pills in his suit pocket, knowing that Greene would notice this and interpret it as a signal not to mention them. In the small passageway, two more DFA Agents emerged, one of whom scowled at them.

  'Oh, grea…just fucking great,' the scowling DFA agent said. He was a Lieutenant like Newman, though he wore similar attire to Greene. His dark hair was receding, showing signs of balding. His build was that of a fat, middle-aged man. He was alongside a much younger human who was likely an academy graduate. He possessed slick styled black hair, was clean shaven, and walking with an air of arrogance Lieutenant Newman recognised in most human recruits. The sense of power was an intoxicating drug on its own, despite the substances wafting to the sky behind them. Both human Agents were glaring at them now, approaching with strides that showed a readiness to fight.

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  'Lieutenant Dest,' Lieutenant Newman said, crossing his hands behind his back as his expression darkened. Lieutenant Dest regarded him with a sneer, as though he were worse than the smell that hung in the air between them.

  'Hello, Lieutenant Dest,' Greene said alongside him, far more kindly than the man deserved, stepping between the two lieutenants and smiling. 'I appreciate your presence here. Lieutenant Newman and I have secured everything we could. We just need a clean-up squad to go over this place and—'

  'You'll hand over your evidence to me,' Lieutenant Dest interrupted, his voice tense. 'I didn't give you permission to go over my scene.'

  'I wasn't aware that I needed your permission,' Greene answered, speaking in a way Lieutenant Newman and he knew Dest would despise. The human's face reddened in rage, and he took another step towards Greene.

  You lay one hand on him, Lieutenant Newman thought, considering shifting his arm into his favoured arm blade. Please, just give me a reason…

  Its presence grew stronger within, stirring as it filled him with the desire to kill, the desire to enact forbidden temptations.

  Newman, he warned himself, recognising the path his mind was about to wander. Remember your dream…

  'Now, you listen here, you dumb machine,' Lieutenant Dest hissed, stepping right up to Greene, who remained unperturbed, 'just because your kind never sleeps or eats, it doesn't mean that you're better than us. Your kind exists to serve us, nothing more, so don't you dare try to be clever with me. This is my scene, and you will hand over your evidence to me. Then, you can fuck off, you bastard Titanius.'

  Lieutenant Dest stopped himself then, glaring at Greene, who remained calm despite the insults. Had that been directed at him, Lieutenant Newman knew he would've done something. Indeed, it was Greene's lack of a reaction that kept him still. Inside, his instincts battled against his logic. The presence within wanted to act, wanted to shred the human apart, wanted him to tap into his Blessings. However, Lieutenant Newman didn't move, his gaze now fixed on Greene, who took in a deep breath before answering.

  'I'm sorry, but I'm not aware of any orders from the Captain,' he said. 'However, if you wish to work alongside us, I'd be more than happy to collaborate.'

  Lieutenant Dest appeared baffled, squeezing his fists. Lieutenant Newman readied himself to act as Lieutenant Dest leaned towards Greene. 'If you think I'd ever work with a Titanius, or a fake, you are gravely mistaken.'

  'Dest,' Lieutenant Newman said in response, his lips curling into a smile that contained all of his own rage. 'Please, call me a fake again…'

  The Lieutenant tapped into his Blessing as a Transformative then, turning his left hand into a small blade that he held towards Lieutenant Dest's throat. The human Lieutenant snapped from his anger then, realising he was a few seconds away from death. His partner stepped away from him, horrified at what was taking place.

  'I assume that we have resolved our misunderstanding?' Lieutenant Newman said, feeling his desire to take the next step.

  Do it, a voice said inside of him, a voice that Lieutenant Newman knew wasn't his own, filling him with hatred. Kill them…

  No, Lieutenant Newman answered, his smile fading as he reasserted control over himself. I will succeed in my dream.

  He forced himself to take a step back, relinquishing his power, before he took in a deep breath. He glanced at Greene.

  'Let's go,' he said, saying nothing more while moving to leave the scene.

  The Lieutenant and Greene entered his car a few minutes later. Lieutenant Newman exhaled as he rested his head back against the seat, feeling Greene's gaze on him.

  'I wasn't going to do it,' he said, aware of how close he had been.

  'Dest will report that back to the Captain,' Greene said, his tone emotionless as usual. 'That won't help our cause.'

  'Neither will allowing them to think they can treat us like that,' Lieutenant Newman said, despite knowing the truth in Greene's words. 'It doesn't matter now. It's done. We need to figure out what we're doing next. Though I'm surprised you found the Beelzel pills back there, I'm not sure if they link to Lucifer. It also doesn't explain why he would go to a Dreamhouse. The move seems random, as though he thought of it on the fly.'

  'Perhaps he did,' Greene said, 'But you said that they give the user Hateful Dreams. Perhaps that's the link. Maybe he has an issue with humans making a mockery of something that your kind suffers.'

  'More likely,' Lieutenant Newman agreed, opening his eyes and folding his arms. 'Still, it's a faint link. I'm more concerned over the possibility of humans discovering "it". That will cause a lot more problems later down the road.'

  'You mentioned that before,' Greene said. 'What is "it"?'

  'A place that doesn't exist. Well, at least to humans it shouldn't.'

  'Do you think Lucifer knows about it?'

  'I'm not sure,' the Lieutenant admitted, 'but at least it's something; a direction we can go in.'

  He turned to look at Greene, who was staring towards the three towers. They both knew they could solve the case faster if they visited them. Indeed, the Titanius's face almost seemed to suggest it.

  'I can't go there, Greene,' the Lieutenant said. 'You know why.'

  'Yes,' Greene said, adding nothing else before Lieutenant Newman sat up and reached forward to switch on the ignition. He had not expected this investigation to take this turn. He had not expected to go to The Place That Doesn't Exist.