He didn't know where he was (but did it make a difference at all?). The only thing he knew was that it wasn't real (it wasn't unreal, either). It looked like a memory of the past (or a prediction of the future). That young man was seeing the start of everything (or, rather, the end of something that should begin again). He was looking at two different narratives that were about to collide for an ultimatum.
He felt like he was inside a dark room, looking through a door crack, trying to take a glimpse of sunlight. That memory (or future) was so eccentric that his mind barely could register well. That scene in front of him was something that came out of paintings, movies, or any other form of fanciful storytelling.
After insisting for too long, the door to that chaotic world opened. Now, his field of vision wasn't resumed to a single crack in the door. He could see, feel, and touch everything.
'That's a battle,' was the first thing that went through his mind once he realized what was happening.
Indeed, what he said was true. It was a battle (a war, actually) between hell and heavens.
Luminous and pure beings were coming out from the skies, holding shiny golden swords and wearing celestial blue armor. Some were flying with beautiful feathered wings, others riding different exotic animals.
On the other hand, there were hateful and prideful beings coming out of the earth and invading that world, flying with their skeletal black wings or riding their terrifying animals. They were wearing armor as well, but its material seemed darker than charcoal. Halberd and spears were their weapons. If the other beings were the personification of light, they were the personification of darkness.
Their encounter was inevitable at some point, and that carnage was so horrible that the man standing there and watching everything couldn't say anymore who was the evil or the good beings. For him, they were cruel the same.
'Why am I here?' he asked himself, but to no avail, since nobody knew how to answer it.
The power of those warriors made out of darkness and light was escalating until it got to apocalyptical proportions. The world was nothing for them anymore besides a mere battlefield. The weed that got destroyed in the way didn't matter at all.
Nonetheless, what frightened the man was that the "weed" for those beings wasn't the plants at all, but the other insignificant and weaker beings below them: those beings had many names across the dimensions. Weed was one of them. But the most common was... humans.
In the battle between hell and heavens, those who didn't even comprehend it fully would suffer the consequences... Tragic...
****
"Tragic, huh?" the man asked himself after opening his eyes. He felt a wave of electricity travel across his body, waking him up from his dream.
He was the type of person who would wake up already on alert. He didn't get dizzy after waking up at all. After opening his eyes, his mind began to work on wondering about that dream as if he was thinking about it for a good while.
'Why did I dream about something like this? Am I watching too many movies? But... I haven't watched a single movie in, what? Three months? Well, since that strange case started and shook the department... When was it?'
He felt a hot sensation in his neck, which made him turn around immediately from the chair that he was sitting on top. Thanks to it, he made the person nearly drop all the coffee inside the cup that they were holding.
"Ah! Frankly... you don't know how to act like a normal person at times like this, huh? You need to stop being a weirdo, Tobey."
Tobey rubbed his neck, sighing.
"Weirdo? Me? I don't need to hear it from someone like you. We both know who is the weirdo here...", he said as he took the cup of coffee that she was offering to him. "Also, whom the hell rubs a cup of hot coffee on someone's neck as a way to offer it, Beca!?"
"I was just trying to wake you up! Frankly... you don't know how to be considerate with a cute girl like me!" Beca said, pretending to be offended.
'Wait, is she really pretending or...? Agh! You know what? I barely woke up, but I don't have the patience to deal with her already...'
He looked at her from head to toe. Although she was a bit crazy, Beca was a treat for the eyes. She had curly dark-brown hair, styled in a short cut. Her eyes were round and had a beautiful gleam inside them even though the color of her pupils was dark, the same as her hair. She had a small body, not much athletic since she needed to stay stuck inside a room for hours straight, but she was far from being out of shape.
Beca wore glasses as well, which was something charming in Tobey's opinion. Her clothes were always the same blazer and white shirt, with any pants that suited it.
Noticing that Tobey was looking so intently at her, she blushed a little bit, smiling awkwardly. In order to hide her embarrassment, she took little sips of her coffee, even though it was very hot.
'Easy to lure. Silly girl,' Tobey thought, nearly letting out a malicious smile.
Beca sat in a chair next to his, a bit clumsily. She retracted her legs as much as possible, putting her knees close to the chest. It was a strange position to sit in, but she seemed comfortable like that, and Tobey was used to her strange way of acting.
"Were you thinking about the case?" she asked, in a nearly inaudible whisper. Beca didn't seem willing to talk about work right during their sacred break, but asked it for some reason, anyway.
Tobey was tempted in mentioning his dream, but he didn't want to give her reasons to mock him, so he nodded his head in response to her question.
"Yes. This case is making everyone go crazy, after all. The entire city is constantly charging us to find the culprits. The environment on the streets got very strange, nobody wants to go out anymore, we barely see kids playing. All the adults appear just in busy hours of the day, so they won't walk alone in the streets... There are a lot of reasons why we are being so pressured," Tobey took a long sip of his coffee, sighing afterward and curving his body on the balcony of the cafeteria of the department (AKA heaven like other officials called it since it was the only place where they could rest in peace).
"Yes... there is a ruckus over this case. Probably, it is the worst one that ever appeared in the city before. All regions are being affected directly, which is frightening. We are working nearly 150 hours per week for two weeks by now. Alan, Scott, Matt, and Priscilla all went to the hospital due to stress, lack of sleep, and exhaustion. However, the marshal won't let us have more hours off. Especially you," she ranted. talking quickly as she gestured strangely with her hands, nearly dropping coffee on the balcony.
Tobey glanced at her.
'Is she drunk with caffeine? Really?'
"What do you mean?" he asked, not voicing out his thoughts.
"I bet that he wants you to work until your balls fall to the ground... the marshal..."
'What? Balls?'
"What are you talking about?"
She rolled her eyes, leaning her cheek on the table and licking a bit of the coffee that spat there.
"You know," she said in a funny voice with her tongue stuck out, "the marshal trusts you, but he puts a lot of responsibility in your shoulders. In these two weeks, you just left the department once. You worked for 60 hours straight before passing out, then worked 36 more after you woke up without going to the hospital. And I bet that you are only having coffee as a meal as of late..."
'W-Well... I can't deny the first point... nor the second... Let alone the coffee thing. Anyway...'
"I don't care about what happens to my body as long as I can solve this case once and for all," Tobey stated, finishing his coffee in seconds, then taking some more. "After all, the city is mine as well. I live here since I was a kid, you know? If something is happening out there under the covers, I must discover what it is. It's not a matter of principles or morale, it's my job as well."
She also took another round of coffee, feeling that the bit she took wasn't enough to give her the energy she needed to stay awake for ten hours more.
"You say like the job is the only thing you have. I bet that going out would be good for you. You know, to wash your mind a little bit. I know very well how it is to have a messed-up mind..."
Tobey didn't know the meaning behind her words, but he took it as a prank, particularly the last part.
"Well, the job IS the only thing I have... The feelings I have when I am here aren't something I can find somewhere else... Well, my job and... and you," he placed his hand over hers casually, making her blush slightly.
She took the initiative to approach him more.
'Hmm, I got her. Good move, indeed...'
He was ready to have a brief moment of pleasure when someone entered the cafeteria... Well, entered was a light word; Actually, the person burst inside there.
Instinctively, Tobey moved his right hand from Beca's, holding the pistol that was hidden in his waist. His left hand held a nearby knife that was on top of the balcony.
When he realized who it was, he let go of his gun, though he kept holding the knife for some reason.
"Tobey!" his boss shouted his name, looking him straight at his eyes.
"Marshal..." he nodded his head, greeting him.
"Cut off the greetings, throw this cup of coffee away, and follow me!"
"W-Why?" Tobey asked as the boss took him by the hand.
"Something is happening right now involving Case-37 and I want you beside me to take part in this event! Hurry!"