The night before was anything but peaceful for Kiehra. Now that Three had made himself at home in her head, trying to sleep had become an exercise in futility. Though his presence was mostly light and barely noticeable, it also suddenly shifted to become heavy and suffocating at random times—like the spirit was alternating between resting and thrashing around just to spite her. The constant flickers of erratic power tugging on her from every possible angle certainly didn't make things easier.
Every time she closed her eyes, it was like Three was sitting on top of her, his misshapen figure observing her from beyond the edge of her consciousness with his usual amused detachment.
She hadn't even made it through the night without breaking something, much to her irritation. At some point, she'd rolled over in her sleep, only for the bedframe to shudder and sigh under her shifting weight, before shattering completely. The entire thing broke off from the camper wall and collapsed loudly beneath her. If she hadn't felt so damned sleepy, she might've even screamed at the suddenness of it all. Instead, she sat in the middle of the destruction, blinking at the broken pieces of her beloved bed, wondering how she was going to keep living her life like this.
"Might wanna be careful where you toss and turn," Three had commented, sounding absolutely delighted by what he was seeing. "Bringing down multiple buildings in your sleep will definitely draw some bad attention."
Kiehra had mumbled something incomprehensible and promptly laid her head on her pillow, resting comfortably in the wreck. But even as she drifted back into a restless doze, his presence lingered, looming like an incoming storm.
----
Now, as she dragged herself through the streets toward Phantom Sentry headquarters, Kiehra felt like she was on the verge of losing her mind completely. From the moment she woke up, the morning was a disaster. It was like Three had rendered her hands cursed.
Her first mishap occurred just outside her camper. While trying to steady herself by resting against a lamppost, she accidentally crushed the metal to dust with her grip, bending it inward and watching it crumple like foil between her fingers. She yanked her hand away and scurried further down the street before anyone else could notice. The second accident happened as she was tying her shoelaces—a task literally as simple as breathing. Instead, she snapped her shoelace with such force it turned into a miniature whip, cutting across her skin. She was unharmed, but her boots however, were decimated.
Three had been no help at all. "Your morning routine could become the next big thing if we keep going like this," he said dryly, his voice interrupting her thoughts. "Turn you into some kind of show. Start with bending the streetlamps and end with tearing the buildings asunder."
"Three I swear…" she muttered in exasperation as she continued down the street, pulling her coat tighter around herself.
Vivaria, the shimmering city where the Phantom Sentry had set up shop, loomed in the distance. Its intricately designed towns and towering skyline of beautiful structures of metal and glass cast long shadows over her own town of residence, Old Oasis. While an improvement from the hellhole that is Abyss, Old Oasis was still considered a messed up sector that was the textbook definition of ramshackle. Sometimes it felt like the dusty streets themselves wanted to swallow her whole.
By the time she reached the sleek glass structure of the Phantom Sentry HQ, her nerves were frazzled. The headquarters stood in stark contrast to the dilapidation of Old Oasis, while also remaining far superior to everything else in Vivaria. Clean, shining and orderly. Its towering walls sparkled in the light, a beacon of control and authority in a world as chaotic and enigmatic as Gehenna. Kiehra took a deep breath and stepped inside, hoping she wouldn't accidentally reduce the entire building to a heap of dust and debris.
The cool air of the building hit her as she stepped in, her boots echoing on the polished floors. The corridors stretched out in a maze of glass and steel, the building's entire architecture a perfect reflection of how orderly those in charge of the Phantom
Sentry were in their day-to-day operations.
But for Kiehra, each step felt like walking on the world's thinnest sheet of ice. Her senses were sharpened to an almost painful degree, the flow of energy beneath her skin constantly pulsing, as if she was a living, breathing time bomb. She had to keep herself calm, focused and most importantly, unnoticed. If there was anything to be pleased about, it was that she'd at least managed to make the ground stop cracking with each step.
As she rounded a corner, her heart sank, Lieutenant Vela stood just ahead. Out of all the people she could meet this morning, it just had to be him. Vela, with his tall, uptight posture and perpetually condescending gaze, was the one person Kiehra felt she hated in this entire world. Just thinking about their interaction with each other the day before made her feel irritated like never before.
Vela's piercing gaze locked onto her, and his lip curled into its usual sneer. "Ashbluff," he said, dragging out her name with a deliberate edge of contempt. "Do try not to cause any more spills today, alright? I know you people from that horrid Abyss have very limited skill sets, but let's not cause any more happy little accidents."
Kiehra's jaw clenched, her grip on the mop in her hand suddenly feeling like a lifeline. The energy raging inside of her surged, growing wilder with each second. She could feel the power building—in both her muscles and her soul—threatening to burst outward in a fierce torrent. Her heart pounded as a voice whispered in the back of her mind: Crush him. You can do it. With a light punch to his chest, you could end him right here. Show them ALL what you can do.
For a split second, the idea was tempting. She felt her fingers twitch.
Three's voice suddenly tore through the dangerous thoughts like a knife. "Easy now Kiehra. You really want to throw a punch? We're not trying to collapse the entire building, and half of Vivaria are we? Just breathe."
She inhaled sharply, forcing her muscles to relax before she crushed the mop handle to bits, "Of course, Lieutenant," she muttered, barely able to keep her voice steady.
Vela smiled faintly, not satisfied with her tame response, but brushing past her. Just as he did, the mop slipped from her hand, rolling right to his foot.
"Oh fuck me…" Kiehra whispered, bending down to grab it. Her fingers brushed against the wood—when a ripple of energy suddenly surged through her, invisible but undeniable. The glass wall beside her vibrated, a faint spider web of cracks splintering outward till they covered the entire wall. The air around them suddenly became oppressive, heavy with the weight of something that nobody could quite understand. The atmosphere was suffocating under the pressure of her power.
Vela felt like he was suddenly enveloped by an overwhelming sense of dread…like he was looking at an avatar of death. He froze, eyes widening in shock and color draining from his place. His breath hitched, and he stumbled back, crashing into the wall in his effort to escape from the unseen force of Kiehra's might.
"What the…?" His voice was barely audible, trembling with fear.
Kiehra's heart raced. She quickly picked up the mop and stood straight, willing the energy back inside herself while praying that the cracks in the glass weren't as noticeable as they felt to her. She could still feel the ancient, destructive power simmering beneath her skin, struggling to break free at the slightest provocation. The sight of Vela so terrified by her…it was amazing.
Vela blinked, his confusion morphing into prideful denial. "Get back to work Ashbluff!" he snapped, voice unsteady as he tried to regain his usual air of calm control. Without another word, he hurried off, casting one last nervous glance over his shoulder.
Kiehra let out a sigh of relief once he was gone. "That was close…"
"Too close if you ask me." Three agreed, though he sounded giddy like he'd just finished laughing up a storm. "Next time, try not to spook the guy to death. Also work on your not-collapsing-buildings skills."
"Go to hell, No.33."
---
As the day wore on, Kiehra made sure to stick to the shadows of the massive headquarters, avoiding people as much as she could. Despite how hard she tried to stay under the radar though, the feeling that she was being watched clung to her. She finally figured out why.
Payday, one of her fellow janitors, had been watching her keenly throughout the day. Payday was only a couple of years older than Kiehra, and despite being in the Phantom Sentry for nearly three years, she was somehow still a Class 1 janitor—the rank shared with those who had just joined the organization. Despite her eccentricities, she had pretty much settled comfortably into her role as the ditzy, airheaded weirdo everyone overlooked. Today however, she was different. Payday wasn't just meandering through her duties like usual. Her gaze was unnaturally focused.
During their final break, Payday sidled up to Kiehra in the supply room, her battered flask in hand. She leaned against the shelf with her usual absentminded smile, though she had an inquisitive look in her eyes.
"Heya there Kiehra. Everything alright kiddo?" she asked, sounding concerned, though there was an undertone of suspicion in her words.
Kiehra smiled, clearly forcing it but not wanting to push Payday away completely. As irritating as this job was, the older woman was a decent person when her head wasn't in the clouds.
"Yeah, just more tired than usual. Didn't get much sleep last night." Kiehra could have sworn she heard Three cackling.
Payday's multicolored eyebrows rose, though her wide smile didn't falter. "Long day eh? So Vela got scared shitless by your sleep deprivation? Huh. Didn't think he ever got scared."
Kiehra froze. "I—" She stammered, trying to come up with an excuse. Unfortunately for her, she'd always been a bad liar. "He was just being a drama queen. You know he gets with us on the lower levels."
Payday took a slow sip of whatever was in that flask of hers, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Uh-huh uh-huh, dramatic. Whatever. Something's going on with ya though, and it's kiiiiinda big if you hadn't noticed." She set down the flask and crossed her arms. "Just get a bit more control over it yeah? Those higher floor Sentry guys really don't like people with secrets."
Kiehra's pulse quickened. "I told ya it's nothing Payday," she lied, forcing another nervous smile.
Payday gave her one last look, her cheerfulness replaced by something…something else. The woman didn't push further, looking away quickly. "Just be careful yeah?" she said softly, before walking out the supply room.
As Payday left, Kiehra's hands shook. It had barely been twenty-four hours, and a complete ditz like her figured something was wrong. She had to get control of this power—and soon.