Jia Precinct - 22/02 11:29 pm 51 EE

The streets were bustling. The Sunday sun glared down onto the streets, highlighting the plethora of potted plants that resided by buildings—an ease from the eyesore of the dirt paths. Clotheslines hung on the balconies as kids ran by in the street. Enticing scents wavered past as a street vendor waved people down toward his small stand where various types of candy lay. Spirits were high throughout the town as almost all of the repairs to the housing district had been quelled.

As the church bell chimed, masses of people began to shift their way towards it. Century walked through the quickly depleting streets, she kept adjusting the black tie that hung loosely around her neck. Werren walked beside her as he took out a cigarette and lit it, seizing the opportunity of fewer people around to enjoy the intoxicating aroma of smoke. Rina walked behind them with an umbrella which also acted as a shield from Werren's smoke that blew in her direction.

Century pulled on her tie even more as she groaned in annoyance.

"God how long do I have to wear this..."

Werren took a drag from his cigarette.

"Just until service is over. You disagreed with wearing one of Rina's dresses so deal with it."

"Not my fault dresses look horrible on me. But this tie... god how do you put up with this!"

Werren sighed.

"Stop fiddling with it then. And tuck in your shirt and roll down the bottom of your pant legs. Act professional."

"Wah wah wah! I'm not doing that, this stupid tie sucks, this stupid place sucks and this stupid service is... stupid! I don't even believe in god."

Century crossed her arms and kicked a rock.

"Just please don't whine like a baby once inside..."

As they reached the church, the bell rang again. The tall bell tower standing before them, constructed from a mix of beige and pink bricks with stained glass portraits decorating the windows. Century grabbed the golden door knob and swung it open.

Werren stopped by the entrance as he kept smoking.

"Can't smoke in there, I'll meet you guys inside soon."

Century rolled her eyes as she and Rina walked inside. Massive arches surrounded them coated with cream-colored paint. Bronze candelabra's evenly distributed on all sides of the arches with chandeliers swaying above. A clock stood at the furthest end of the room, behind the altar. As Century and Rina walked down the many isles, following the red carpet, they saw the only available spot. Right at the front. Century whispered an abundance of profanities beneath her breath as she sat down. Rina put her Umbrella away as Century could see her. Century was surprised by Rina's rather dignified fashion sense. She wore a white petticoat with a similar white bishop top. The most noticeable part was the low crimson heels and crimson socks that disguised her pale legs. She also wore red gloves and a white scarf. Her attire matched well with her pale skin and bleeding red hair and eyes.

Century kept staring at her for a few minutes, astonished that the grey sweatpants and tank top-wearing Rina could dress so beautifully. Rina saw Century staring and had a slight blush. Century's expression hardened as she scoffed and looked away, crossing her arms.

People all around her kept conversing as Century watched the large clock tick, the service wouldn't begin for a few more minutes. She threw her head back and groaned, already bored and ready to leave.

"I wonder if my father will be late again..."

A soft voice said beside Century.

She turned to the voice to see a boy in formal attire. He wore a plain white shirt and black pants and his fluffy black hair covered his eyes. He kept his hands together though and seemed nervous as he shuffled in his seat.

"Hey, how long does this shit go for?"

Century turned to the boy who shuddered as she spoke to him.

"Are... you speaking to me?"

The boy turned to her, his eyes were white and he had an apprehensive expression.

"Yep."

Century looked to the side wondering what was up with this kid.

"Um... well... the service starts at noon and runs until 2 pm, then until 8 pm there's a gathering in the park next to the church. Volunteers stay until 10 however to clean up."

The boy relaxed as he stared at Century's shoulder.

"Two hours... Werren's gotta be kidding..."

Century muttered.

"W-Werren...? You mean the hero?!"

The boy seemed excited as he leaned closer to Century.

Century was weirded out by how interested the boy was in Werren of all people.

"Yeah...? Is there another Werren in town?"

"Oh um..."

The boy leaned away and recomposed himself.

"No, but it's very rare Werren comes to the service. It's been years since he's come. I'm glad he's coming, the kids always adore him."

Century raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you a kid? You look 12..."

The boy looks taken aback.

"I do?!"

He seems embarrassed as he looks away.

"N-no, I'm 16."

"Okay so still a kid."

Century leaned back.

"What?! How old are you...? You don't sound that much older than me."

"It's rude to ask a woman her age..."

Century's eyes twitch.

"Sorry!"

The boy slinked back as his face turned red.

Century sighed.

"Well, we still got 10 minutes..."

Century looked to the boy as he faced the front.

"What's your deal kid?"

He turned to Century confused.

"My... deal?"

"Yeah, like, what's with your eyes? They're all... clear and stuff. And you mentioned your dad."

"I'm blind."

Century turned to Rina with a worried look. She quickly turns back to the boy.

"That's really obvious, pfft like, I knew that. It was just a joke."

Century punched the boy's shoulder trying to play it cool.

"Okay... in regards to my father, he's the Archbishop. He's usually the one to do the services but recently he's gotten sick. It isn't too bad but he has trouble walking so he might be late."

The boy looks down at his hands.

"That sucks."

Century crosses her legs, uncaring for the boy's worry.

"Because of his sickness..."

Century rolls her eyes as the boy continues.

"A lot more pressure has been put on me to be the church figurehead. Couple that with being blind, I don't even know what people see in me when I can't envision my own worth. Sometimes I wish I had been born differently. None of it is my father's fault. He's the best dad I could ask for honestly but it's what he's leaving behind that troubles me..."

Century sat back in her seat with her mouth open. Her eyes lazily scanned around the room.

"That is... crazy..."

She had no enthusiasm in her voice and wanted to leave even more.

The boy then smiled.

"Sorry, I don't usually speak to people about that. For some reason I trust you. Maybe because you remind me of Werren."

Century snapped up and looked at him.

"Don't you compare me to that lowlife!"

The boy looked stunned but let out a soft giggle.

Century looked confused.

"What's so funny? That idiot Werren stinks! If I were anything like him I'd wanna die!"

"You're a funny one, even though I'm blind, Werren's presence is an easy one to recognize."

Century backed away and looked even more perplexed.

"His... presence...?"

A hand then grasped Century's shoulder from behind her. She turned around to see Werren looking down at her with a dark expression.

"Scooch."

His voice was low and commanding.

"I'm not scared of you oldie!"

Werren then picked Century up and tossed her out of her seat. She fell back and then proceeded to fall a flight of stairs. Each tumble bruises another part of her body. She soon hit the bottom, landing on her stomach. The wooden interior of the church had now changed to stone as she seemed to have fallen to the basement level of the church. Rina quickly ran down the stairs to check up on Century.

Rina picked Century up and looked worried.

"Gerrhnm?"

"I'll be fine, I've fallen from further honestly."

Century clutched her stomach as Rina helped her to her feet.

"Geez can he be any more of an ass."

Rina nodded in agreement.

"Where the hell even are we...?"

Century walked down the hall, lanterns hanging from the ceiling. As she kept walking she found a large door made from metal. Century went closer but heard a sudden, quiet movement to the left of her. Her attention was directed towards the sound.

"Uh, Rina, what was that?"

Century moved towards the source of the sound as Rina followed, shrugging her shoulders. Behind a few boxes, Century found another metal door, this door was regular-sized. It had an iron grate that Century could look through. Upon gazing inside it, it was just darkness.

"Weird... this place looks so old. Let's get out, this place is boring."

As Century went to leave she heard movement from the door's direction again. She looked towards it but it was quiet once more. She dismissed it and left with Rina. As they went back to the staircase Century soon stopped in her tracks. She and Rina looked forward and watched as a large deep green paw planted itself in the light. Soon another paw followed as a sizeable creature stepped into the light. It looked like a lion but it sported six legs, forest-green fur, and beady red eyes. It salivated greatly as it crept forward.

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Rina's eyes widened as stepped in front of Century.

"Rina?! What the hell is that thing?"

Century took a wide stance as she pulled her glove out from her pocket and put it on.

Rina showed her fangs as the beast growled. The growl rumbled through the hall. Rina's crimson hair soon began to fade out as, from her roots, her hair turned white. Only a quarter of her hair turned white as her limbs stretched and she became slightly taller. The beast saw Rina's challenge and pounced on her. Rina swiftly swung her leg and hit the beast to the wall. The beast winced in pain before sprouting bug-like pincers from its neck. Rina grabbed one of the pincers as she ripped it off with her bare hands. She then sank her teeth into it and tried to suck out any blood but her feral expression changed to confusion when no blood came out of the creature.

The beast then used its other pincer to impale Rina through the stomach. Rina looked down, irritated. She tore the pincer out of her but no blood came out of Rina. Rina bit her arm and the hole quickly closed up. The beast had returned to its feet and lunged at Rina. Rina grabbed it by the neck and clamped her hand down. The beast groaned as Rina ripped its jugular out. The beast fell to the floor and twitched.

"Save some for me next time."

Century looked down at the dead beast.

"What the hell kind of animal is this...? And why would a church have it."

Rina crouched down and ripped open the beast's head, exposing its brain. Century gagged and turned away. Its insides were all gooey, with clumps of flesh still pulsing. Rina ripped its mushy brain out and inspected it. She took a quick sniff but didn't smell anything. Despite the creature being mutilated, its corpse didn't smell at all.

"Nasty. What is it?"

Century went up to Rina who looked at the corpse.

"Asqueroso..."

Rina spoke softly. Century looked surprised, even though Century had only known Rina for a couple of days this was the first time Rina had spoken. Most of the time Rina spoke in grunts or groans.

"A... what?"

Century didn't understand what Rina said.

"She said disgusting."

Werren stepped forward.

"That, Century, is what we call a Necrostrand, or a Strand Beast."

Werren kneels.

"To be honest I was expecting you two to be rummaging through whatever's down here, not fighting one of these things..."

"A Necrostrand? Mind explaining, the thing nearly ripped Rina in half."

Century looked at the quickly rotting corpse.

Werren stood up.

"Come with me."

Werren, Rina, and Century left the basement. When they reached the main interior of the church they saw the service in session. On the altar, Archbishop Blues stood as a piano played calming music. Werren led Rina and Century to a small meeting room at the back of the church, away from the people of the town. Century took a seat as Werren lit a cigarette.

"Okay, Century, I think it's about time I explain the reason why this town even exists. Are you aware of the Haab'?"

Werren sat across from Century as Rina stood beside her.

"Haab'? I feel like I've heard it before..."

Century put her hand to her chin.

"Julie mentioned it during our last fight, right before she vanished."

"So what the hell is it?"

"Time. To be more exact it's a piece of this Era."

"That doesn't help. Do you like being vague?"

"Just wait a second. It's a lot to unpack. First I should explain the Eras. As I'm sure you are aware we are in the proclaimed Evil Era. To be more precise we are in the 51st year of the Evil Era. An Era lasts up to a maximum of 52 years before a new Era must begin. The previous Era was the same, it was known as the Comedy Era. An Era of laughter and enjoyment. It lasted until the end of the 52nd year, that's when the Villains won and created the Evil Era."

"Oh, I'm very much aware of that time, when the heroes lost and were ridiculed. I wish I could have seen it!"

Century snickered as Werren rolled his eyes.

"Anyway... the next Era is determined by parts of an ancient clock known as the Tzolk'in. Think of the Haab' like pieces of a puzzle, once all are collected, the next Era will be decided by whoever placed the final piece. It's how the Villains brought upon the Evil Era."

Werren takes a long drag from his cigarette, his forehead tensing for a second.

"That isn't all the Haab is used for however, when a Haab' is touched by a Strand user for the first time in an Era, that Haab' will create a bond with the user and form what's known as a Precinct. Precincts are a Haab's territory, they create a strong field around the Haab' to ward off the Necrostrand. Another feature of this ward is that the more Haab' a Strand user has bonded with dictates the radius of the ward."

Werren stares out of a window, gazing at the town.

"The Jia Precinct for example was home to 2 Haab. I owned one and the church owns one. The church and I came to a mutual agreement to share our Haab'. My Haab' protected the housing district and the churches Haab' protected the market district. Now that one is gone it means the Necrostrand can enter the town."

Century looked so confused at all the new information she had just received.

"Summarize, I'm not a nerd and all this speech is frying my head."

Century kicked her feet up on the table.

Werren sighed and put out his cigarette.

"Ugh, fine. Eras are decided by objects known as Haab'. Strand users can form special bonds with Haab' to create a protective ward to deter Necrostrand from attacking them."

"So then what actually are the Necrostrand? They look like monsters from old horror movies."

"Necrostrands are Strand user's natural predator. I am unclear on a lot of their history but they've existed as long as humans have and hunt Strand users down. The one you encountered seemed like a fully grown one but... I'm unsure. Their bodies rot away too fast to figure anything out."

"So why don't you put a Haab' here then so they don't attack?"

"There is. That's the problem. I can't give you the location of the churches Haab but the church is in its radius. That beast shouldn't have been here. The fact that it is could mean something is wrong with the Haab'."

Century thinks for a bit.

"So, if one were to collect the a bunch of Haab' they would not only have the largest radius of protection but also the ability to decide on the next Era...?"

Werren nodded. Century's grin widened, an idea popping into her head.

"Interesting. So where's the churches Haab'?"

"Like I'd tell you."

Werren looked annoyed.

Century snarled and crossed her arms.

"Fine."

"Listen, this is serious. I gave up my Haab' to the SHS so if we lose another the whole town will be in danger. Plus your goal is to kill me, not take the Haab'. So if you try and take the Haab' I won't hesitate to put you down."

Werren gave Century an intimidating glare.

All three then left the meeting room as Werren spoke to the Archbishop.

"I do apologize, everyone, the service will be cut short today. Urgent matters have arisen. Please feel free to enjoy food and refreshments soon. Thank you all and bless the clock."

The Archbishop waved as he left.

People began to flood out and to the park. Century went to leave with the crowd when someone bumped into her. She turned around to see the boy.

"You? What do you want?"

"Oh, it's you! I'm lucky to have run into you. I never got your name."

"Hm? Why do you care?"

"Well, we are friends aren't we?"

Century looked surprised but her mind wandered back to the Haab'.

"Friends is a bold claim. We barely know each other."

The boy looked deep in thought.

"Listen, you're the Archbishop's son, right?"

The boy nodded.

"Then how about this, you tell me where the Haab' is and I'll be your friend. How does that sound?"

The boy looked worried.

"I can't do that..."

"So you know where it is?"

"Well... I um..."

"Don't worry, I'm good friends with Werren the hero, we have a love-hate dynamic so although it may seem like we hate each other we still love each other. You can trust me."

Century smiled devilishly.

The boy relaxed.

"Hm. Okay, but I won't tell you. You have to follow me."

"Fine by me. Let's meet later tonight then, here at the church."

"Alright. If you don't mind me asking... why do you want to see it?"

"Werren wants to check on it so he's sending me to do it."

"Well, it does protect the town so sure!"

"Thank you, friend."

"Oh, just call me Eliowen."

The boy smiles.

"Just call me... Petra..."

"Nice to meet you Petra!"

Century and the boy parted ways as her truly evil plan was coming together.

Meanwhile...

Werren and the Archbishop were both in the meeting room.

The Archbishop looked troubled.

"A Necrostrand this close to the Haab'... perhaps my health is affecting my bond with the Haab'."

Werren looks concerned for his friend.

"How are you going? I know you've been under a lot of stress lately. I'm sorry to burden you with more."

"Your concern eases my heart Werren. Do not worry, I will suffice for the time being. The more important thing is keeping the town safe."

The archbishop breathes heavily as Werren pushes his worry aside.

"Of course. I'll investigate the Necrostrand and the Haab' soon. Speaking on the matter, I believe my idea of handing over my Haab' to the SHS was a success."

The archbishop looks at Werren, surprised.

"You're idea? You never told me the full reason why you gave it over. The SHS possess 8 Haab' already, handing it over is a dangerous play."

"I handed it over because those 8 Haab' are the exact things I want. Don't worry, I left a little gift with my Haab'..."

Werren smirked.

SHS Surface Headquarters - 22/02 1:33 pm 51EE

Julie walked into a large room. The only light in the room came from the door behind her, as she traversed the darkness she soon stopped. She looked up to face four large pillars that were illuminated by spotlights. The pillars surrounded her as figures stepped forward and took their place standing on the pillar. They were covered in darkness and their differences could not be seen. The only one that captured Julie's attention was the tallest pillar. The figure had a large silhouette but Julie knew exactly who it was.

From the shadows behind the pillar, four people stepped forward. By the first pillar stood Assistant Terrintul. A man dressed like a butler. By the second pillar stood Assistant Tare. A woman whose hair was made from an odd purple slime. By the third pillar stood Assistant Casper. A ghostly man who floated above the ground. Finally, by the fourth pillar stood Assistant Cinna. A girl covered in scars. As Julie faced the 4 pillars she calmed herself.

"Lords of the night. I come bearing the Haab' belonging to Werren the Shape."

As Julie spoke nervously, Assistant Cinna's head perked up at the mention of Werren.

One of the Lords spoke with a bellowing rumble.

"We are aware Ms Annoying. The Seeing have eyes everywhere. We watched the encounter with great interest."

Another Lord spoke up, their voice a lot more softer.

"We saw how you easily managed to take the Haab'. The Doing commends you. You showed a graceful stride towards the greater interest of the SHS."

Another one of the Lords spoke, their voice robotic and unnatural.

"We saw how you asserted your utter dominance to the defecting Spectator. The Speaking were impressed. It was quite the show!"

Finally, the last Lord spoke. Julie looked excited. Their voice was gravelly and deep.

"We saw how you demonstrated how to properly embarrass the SHS."

Julie's expression turned to worry.

"Century... What an odd girl. So weak yet somehow the reason that Ignition, the Initiates, and the Covenant now LAUGH at the SHS. When you went on this mission, did you think that we were watching? Did you also think that our enemy would be watching? We have just under 2 years before the new Era will be chosen. If all of our operations are to continue like this we will have no pawns in the final fight."

Julie hunched over. Her jaw trembling.

"You failed Julie. The Lords do not recognize you. Toss the Haab' to the wild. We will claim victory with power. Leave our sights."

Julie reached her hand out.

"P-please... Lord Nuclear I... I..."

As Julie uttered the Lord's name the assistants's eyes widened. Julie regretted her words as the Lords turned to her once more.

"You dare utter my name..."

The Lord leaped from the Pillar and landed in front of Julie. They were almost three times her height. It looked down on her, green goo seeping from its eyes as it stared down at Julie.

"..."

A silence filled the room. Julie looked down to see the Lord's hand grabbing her stomach. She began to feel pain. She grabbed onto the Lord as it began to seep its toxic waste onto her. Julie began to shriek as her flesh melted. She couldn't pull away, her lower body began to assimilate to goo. She stared into the bleeding eyes of the Lord.

"Do not use a Lord's name in vain."

Julie fell to the ground, writhing in a pile of her melted flesh.

"P...please..."

The Lord turned away.

"Tare. Clean her up. Prepare her brain for transfer."

The room fell dark once more.

SHS Undercity Headquarters - 3:23 pm 51EE

Hiro walked down the pristine white hallways. Not another soul in sight. As he passed a window he saw out to the city, the vibrant neon lights keeping the perpetually darkened city bright. As he kept walking he entered a room to see a man sitting at Julie's desk. The man had blonde hair and bright green eyes. He wore a plain blue shirt with a white tie.

"Oh, my bad. I thought this was-"

Hiro went to leave.

"Julie's office? Don't worry, it's not hers anymore. She got... promoted."

The man smiled.

"Please, take a seat."

Hiro felt unnerved but if Julie was gone it could be beneficial. As Hiro sat down the man offered his hand.

"Carleton."

The man kept his eerie smile.

"Hiro."

Hiro shook his hand.

Back at the Jia Precinct, Werren smirked knowing his infiltration had begun. Century's rise to villainy clicked into place as all sights were now on the objects of the new Era!