What's got into you? Officer Greene wondered as he struggled to match pace with the Lieutenant, navigating their way towards the outer rings. There was so much Greene wished to discuss, especially after the exchange with Barbatos. Throughout the conversation, he sensed that another had taken place, something that had caused the Lieutenant to turn like this. Something had ignited within him, a contained rage that he channelled through his footsteps, prowling like some kind of predator looking for prey. Greene fumbled to put the vial Barbatos had given him inside his jacket pocket, thinking back to that conversation, to Barbatos himself.

  He seemed to hold great interest in me. He claims to know of our history.

  They continued to flicker between stalls, met by many hostile looks, mostly from Ethero Fiends, who bared their teeth. However, there was something else within them as the Lieutenant strode past them, oblivious to this.

  They're moving out of the way. They fear him, Greene realised, wondering why they would. What had the Lieutenant done to warrant such widespread avoidance? Still, the Lieutenant prowled as though he were the apex predator, his steps suggesting everyone else back off. Greene wondered if it was linked to the Lieutenant's past, to being Hateful. He had never asked what led him to join the DFA, or why he specialised in hunting his own kind.

  It's his dream, a part of Greene answered for him, remembering the first thing the Lieutenant had said to him once he revealed his true nature. Before then, he had thought the Lieutenant was human like the others. He hadn't possessed the trademark gold and silver hair of his race.

  "I dye it, Greene. I make myself appear human because then I can prove that there is no difference between us and humanity. That we can work together and ignore our differences. One day, I'll succeed. One day, I will save my race from its cursed destiny."

  Such thoughts rang hollow as he followed the Lieutenant now. That had been years ago. Their co-workers, the humans, continued to treat him and the Lieutenant like the outcasts they were. Still, the Lieutenant had maintained a hopeful outlook, even after Greene had questioned him.

  "What does it mean to pursue a dream, Greene? What is left if we stop? Hopelessness. Nihilism. Hatred. These things pervade my entire race. They always have. It is up to me to end it. I will save them, no matter the cost."

  Greene considered that as they reached the outer ring, heading towards a pocket of stalls that seemed to specialise in weapons that were rare among humans, including gigantic swords, axes, war hammers, armour and shields. The sight surprised Greene, and he fought not to grimace at the grisly tools.

  Who would need such things? he wondered. The humans and the Hateful have access to the Blessings, while even my kind has the Life Essence.

  The Lieutenant stopped, forcing Greene to return his attention to the task at hand. He focused on where the Lieutenant was looking, his own eyes widening in realisation.

  Hateful, he spotted, noticing the man standing amongst the stalls, wearing the customary look that all Hateful wore: black leather pants and jacket, with silver buckles and studs across the shoulders, and tall black boots. His silvery-golden hair shone against the light coming from behind, shimmering between both colours like an Illusionary trick. Greene then turned his gaze back to the Lieutenant, noting the hostile stance he had taken. His feet were more than shoulder-width apart, leaning forward, his face marred with tension. Greene noticed that one of his hands was shaking, contorted like a claw, while something faint swirled around him. Greene narrowed his eyes, trying to distinguish what it was. If hadn't been for the clear signs of movement, he figured he wouldn't have noticed. Yet, something was there, the faintest aura of violet and crimson swirling around him. He returned his gaze to the Hateful man, trying to figure out what Barbatos had said to provoke such a reaction.

  'Lieutenant?' he asked, annoyed at how small his voice sounded. If the Lieutenant had even heard it, he gave no sign, his focus intent upon the Hateful man, reflecting contempt and anger.

  'Lieutenant,' Greene said, more assertive this time. The aura of violet and crimson around the Lieutenant dissipated. The Hateful man turned his head in their direction, freezing in recognition of the Lieutenant. His expression turned into a scowl.

  'Newman,' he said, making no effort to disguise his own contempt. 'I should've known Barbatos would send you. How is the bastard anyway?'

  The Lieutenant didn't respond, his expression hardly shifting as he glared at the Hateful man. A few seconds passed in tense silence, before the Hateful man shone a contemptuous smile.

  'So it's like that, is it?' he said, regarding the Lieutenant. 'By the way, what do they call you these days? Is it still Newman, or have you decided to use your real name?'

  Real name? Greene wondered, regarding the Lieutenant in confusion. The question drew a knowing smile from the Lieutenant, prompting him to step forward.

  'My name is irrelevant,' he said, his voice layered with ice. 'And yes, Barbatos sent me in your direction. He claims you might know something about our friend in common, Lucifer Armedeus.'

  'He ain't been here,' the Hateful man said, shrugging in dismissal. 'Not as far as I'm aware, anyway.'

  'Oh c'mon, Imperi,' the Lieutenant said, 'You must know something.'

  'No more than you,' Imperi retorted, holding out his arms by his side. The Lieutenant stopped and took in the gesture, before returning it with a look. Greene couldn't help but feel that here too there was another conversation taking place within this one. He also noticed many beings were now watching the interaction, crowding around in what seemed like eager anticipation.

  'You know I'm gonna need more than that,' the Lieutenant said.

  Imperi bristled. 'I have nothin' for you, traitor.'

  Silence emerged between them. Despite the eeriness of it, what caught Greene's attention was the way the Lieutenant's expression had shifted. The way his jaw had tightened, his brow had furrowed, and his eyes sparked with hatred. Though he didn't understand how the Lieutenant was a "traitor", clearly the word had struck a nerve.

  I need to do something before it's too late, Greene thought. He stepped forward, placing himself between the Lieutenant and Imperi, raising a hand towards his fellow DFA agent's shoulder.

  'Lieutenant. There are too many eyes here. You're not acting like yourself.'

  'Oh, he's acting like himself, Titanius,' Imperi countered. 'This is the true Lieutenant, the one who betrayed our race and now hunts us down like a human pet.'

  Feeling something resembling the human emotion of panic, Greene turned to the Lieutenant, noticing how his expression had intensified.

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  'He's baiting you,' Greene said, yet the Lieutenant said nothing, acting as though he didn't exist.

  'That ain't going to work, Titanius,' Imperi said, causing Greene to turn cold within. 'You don't get it, do ya? He hasn't told you why he hunts down our kind – the true reason, anyway. Sure, he's probably told ya about his dream, about how he thinks he's the one who's going to save us. But ask yourself this: What kind of man who seeks to save his race ends up hunting and killing them? I bet he hasn't even told you his real name, what he used to be, and how far he's fallen.'

  'Imperi,' the Lieutenant drawled, as he pushed Greene aside, his face a mask that Greene could not read. Though, he didn't doubt what was boiling beneath the surface, finding himself drawing close to what humans would describe as fear.

  'That's enough.'

  'Why? Because you don't want him to know the truth?'

  'No,' the Lieutenant said, almost whispering. He then held out his right arm, allowing it to form into a long, curved blade. It was his favourite weapon. Layers of black muscle formed between it and the Lieutenant's arm, tearing into the sleeve. The Lieutenant regarded Imperi ominously, raising the blade towards him.

  'Because you're about five words away from me ripping you apart.'

  'Is that so?' Imperi said, challenging. By the time Greene turned to look at him, he too had tapped into a Blessing, his body growing with thick muscle that stretched his Hateful attire. 'I'm ready.'

  'No! That isn't why we're here!' Greene spoke up, remaining between Imperi and the Lieutenant. 'We're here for Lucifer!'

  'I know nothin' about him,' Imperi said, forcing Greene to ignore the urge to face him. 'Except that he actually cares about our kind, unlike the fool standing before you.'

  'He's the deluded fool,' the Lieutenant growled, maintaining his Transformative Blessing. A sense of powerlessness washed over Greene: if the two fought, he couldn't stop them. The Lieutenant's expression suggested that he was aware of that too, glaring at Greene. He felt the silent warning.

  Move away.

  Greene surprised himself by remaining between them, keeping his arms extended to ward off the Lieutenant, trying to steel his own resolve.

  'Maybe so,' Imperi then said, sounding thoughtful, 'but at least he uses his real name, Megidra.'

  'Megidra?' Greene stammered, frowning as he glanced between both men. 'That's your name?'

  'My Hateful name,' the Lieutenant corrected. 'I choose not to go by that name anymore.'

  'Because he despises being one of us,' Imperi said. 'Because he used to be our leader. He's so ashamed of being Hateful that he calls himself by that disgusting human name.'

  'That's enough, Imperi! I will not warn you again!' the Lieutenant snapped.

  Imperi smiled at this. 'What difference does it make? One of us is about to die anyway.'

  'No! It doesn't have to be this way!' Greene protested. 'That's not what we do!'

  'You've been deceived, Titanius,' Imperi said. 'Ask yourself, out of the Hateful you've helped him find, how many have actually been detained? How many times has our race died while he's hunted them?'

  Greene considered that for a moment, his expression darkening as he regarded the Lieutenant, thinking about how many Hateful killed themselves before the Lieutenant could take them in.

  'You know I'm telling the truth,' Imperi said, speaking to Greene, sounding calm despite the threat facing him. 'Why do you think he wants Lucifer? Do you really think that he has any intention of detaining him, or could it be something else? Perhaps Lucifer's a threat? Never has our kind taken the stance he has; to stand before humanity and say that we won't take their shit anymore. No one has ever stood with the true intention of saving our race. That fool in front of you, he doesn't give a shit about us. He even fucking despises humans, too, but he cannot see that yet. One day, he will. One day, he'll break. And when that happens, many people are going to die…'

  He paused then.

  'Because he hates everyone, and everything about this accursed world. Deep down, behind all the lies and delusion, he knows it.'

  Haunted by Imperi's words, Greene turned to the Lieutenant, watching as he allowed his Transformative Blessing to fade away, returning his arm back to normal. He then stepped past Greene towards Imperi.

  'One day, you'll understand,' he said. 'One day, you'll all appreciate the sacrifice I made to save our kind. But let me tell you this, Imperi. I'm willing to bear all of this. I'm willing to bear all your hate. I'm even willing to bear the fact that my kind regards me as a traitor. Because I will save our race, and I will hunt down Lucifer Armedeus and tear him apart, limb from limb. I will show him and every single one of you that he is nothing, that I am the one who shall liberate us from this purgatory.'

  Imperi smiled then, as though the Lieutenant's words amused him. He stepped closer to the Lieutenant a final time, leaning towards his ear. 'You deluded fool. Your entire existence is nothing more than a Hateful Dream.'

  'No,' the Lieutenant replied. 'My existence is nothing more than a Hateful Nightmare.'

  In a blink of a second, the Lieutenant shifted his arms into bladed claws, stabbing them into Imperi's gut as everyone gasped in horror, including Imperi. The Lieutenant ripped his claws outward, tearing Imperi into bloody pieces as he fell. Screams erupted from the crowd as they turned and scattered. Meanwhile, Officer Greene remained as he stared with his jaw agape, stunned.

  Why? Why did you do that? he thought, as the Lieutenant turned towards him, covered in blood. The torn mess that had been Imperi dropped to the floor behind him, creating a pool of blood beneath the Lieutenant.

  'Change is carved in blood, Greene,' the Lieutenant said softly, appearing as though the kill had relieved him. 'He was simply another sacrifice.'

  'But why did you do that?' Greene asked, unable to mask his horror, noticing a few Ethero Fiends hovering over Imperi's steaming corpse, while the Lieutenant reverted his arms back to normal.

  'What are they—' he initially said, but silenced himself when it became obvious, his eyes widening as he looked at the Lieutenant.

  'No. We're not going to let them—'

  'Yes, we are,' the Lieutenant replied, glancing towards the Fiends as they almost seemed to wait for his permission.

  'He's all yours,' the Lieutenant then said, and the Ethero Fiends rushed towards the corpse like a shoal of piranhas. The feeding frenzy that followed was perhaps the most horrifying thing Greene had ever seen. Once it was over, he turned towards the Lieutenant, who regarded him. In that look, Greene could sense something had changed.

  'Come. There's something I want to show you. I realise now how urgent our situation is. If we're going to catch Lucifer, we're gonna need help. Barbatos was right: it's time I unleashed our experiment.'