When Mika awoke, she was in chains, soaked in water, frantically gasping. An older man and a boy stood before her in a cramped space surrounded by black bars. The boy threw the empty bucket at the wall and knelt, his eyes a vivacious blue; he had the cocky grin of a kid she'd often best at the arcade.
"Got us an aquaphobiac here, Ashe," he said to the older gentleman. "Smelly ass probably hates taking baths!"
"Fuck you," Mika spat. Where am I?"
"The holding cells at processing, dummy, can't recognize a cell when ya see one."
"Enough, Diver," Ashe approached. "You're being held under suspicion of collaborating with a known World Grimace."
"G-Grimace!? I—" Mika suddenly remembered Klaus' words. She then fell silent.
"Did you find anything useful in her memories?"
"Nah, this one here is a closed book," replied Diver. "Never seen such a mess of a subconscious. It's a tangled web in there."
Mika pulled on her chains, kicking at the air in a futile tantrum, "Let me outta here! I need to find Zoi!"
"The only thing you'll find after leavin' this cell is a one-way ticket to the Vanitas Chamber, all expenses paid. Let's get her up, Ashe."
"No, no, let go'ov me!" she kicked hard, knocking Diver onto the ground, busting his lip. He wiped the blood, reaching forth as particles of light spun around his hand.
"Now you're gonna get—!"
"Diver…!" a voice shouted. "...Stand down."
"L-Lower-1!" He immediately bowed, the light fading from his hand.
"What took you so long, Miriam? We've about wrapped up here," said Ashe.
She stood over Mika, her white hair falling like snow, glaring down at the imprisoned girl with sharp eyes. Her face felt familiar, but Mika couldn't recall where they had met; she was too preoccupied with Zoi's whereabouts to think. Miriam placed a circular device on the floor, and a hologram of Klaus appeared.
"What can you tell me about this man?"
"Don't know 'em. Where's Zoi?"
"The nostalgia at the scene of Zellington Park was thoroughly examined, and traces of a conversation were found—a conversation you had with this man, Klaus."
Mika said nothing.
"I may not be a dreamwalker, like Diver over there, but I promise you…" She drew closer to Mika—and a stream of gold flickered from her dark eyes. "...I will freeze your frame ten times over until you confess what you know."
Her presence was oppressive. It was like the crushing weight of a rushing torrent, pinning Mika against the wall, the chains digging into her back. Ashe placed his hand on Miriam's shoulder, calming the girl; her eyes were nearly golden but receded to black.
"Laurehli recommended you for Upper-3, Miriam," said Ashe. "Don't betray her respect by acting out of character."
"...Forgive me…" Miriam bowed to Mika.
"Who are you guys?"
"Ugh, for the love of Eros, how dumb are you!?" Said Diver. He turned around and pointed at the logo on his back. It was an inverted triangle, partially submerged, with the letter "R" emblazoned at the center in bold red font, matching the red accents on his white officer's coat. Miriam's coat was similar but with blue accents, while Ashe's was a longer black and white overcoat, adorned with medals and his designation: Upper-3.
"We're Repressors, you fool. We hunt deathlings that stray from the path of symmetry, threatening the cycle of life and death. These dissenters are marked as Grimace, i.e, YOU."
"Don't push fuckin' titles on me!" said Mika, pulling on her chains. "And I don't care about your lil'boy band of narcs—just take me to Zoi!"
"Hmph, Zoi Rinel…"
Her eyes followed Diver.
"...Yeah, I know the name. He was the one constant in that mess of a head of yours. He apparently… is the younger brother of Klaus, the absconder."
"Where is he?" asked Miriam.
"Likely the Purgatory Mass," Ashe noted. "So that lead is dead. Besides, we have far more pressing matters. Once M.O.T.H.E.R is restored in that sector, we'll immediately be dispatched to Cloud City. The Units stationed there have gone silent, and the reports received for the last sixteen years have been falsified."
"Sixteen years!? How does something that substantial go under the radar for that long?" questioned Diver.
"Influence," answered Miriam. "The kind only possible from above."
"Careful now, Miriam," said Ashe. "Accusing authority is the rhetoric of Grimace."
***
The Indiscernible murmuring resounded all around in a cacophony of the lost. Deathlings shambled about in the streets, speaking in daydreams, steeped in existential dread; the fate of those reawakened without purpose. Some bowed in devotion to Lea'natas, pleading to be saved, and with a gentle tap on the forehead, their cries were momentarily silenced. They were like a god of dreams offering sleep to the restless, the kind of miracles mentioned in the Symmetrist text Zoi witnessed before his very eyes.
"What did you do to them?"
"I offered them what their hearts desired, peace. This is the Lost Sector of First Dominia. Many of the poor souls here crave finality, but it shall never come." As they said this, a siren blared, and a wave of light passed through the streets, rolling over Zoi. He felt strangely invigorated.
"The monthly benevolence of our heavenly government, do you feel cared for, Mr.Rinel?"
"I feel… something? Where are we going?"
"Why, known other than Processing, of course. Where our local bureaucrats are hard at work thoroughly rejecting millions upon millions of requests for sanctioned access to Phenoma."
"Phe-noma?"
"The corporeal plane, you're dwelling of origin."
A gargantuan domed structure with multiple tunnels came into view. The sheer number of individuals pouring in and out of the complex was dizzying; it would be easier to count raindrops in a storm. One man draped a decomposing corpse over his shoulder, and no one reacted, as if it were an everyday parcel. Zoi had only been awake for about an hour. He was standing in line behind a man carrying a corpse, next to a stranger resembling god, surrounded by a dark city, beneath a color-shifting sky. His grip on reality was slipping, and Lea'natas could see it.
"Hey…"
Their hand squeezed his shoulder.
"...Why don't you rest a while longer?"
"Huh?"
He flicked Zoi on the forehead.
"Next you wake, I promise, you'll see your friend again."
His eyes were forcibly shut, sending him deep into his subconscious, maybe even further. But there were no dreams of Klaus this time, no hospital or even Cloud City. Just the sounds of water.
"Hey."
His eyes opened to a dark void, choking on a metal collar. It was tight; he couldn't breathe, but he also would not suffocate; this was his subconscious after all, and death was already an acquaintance. With this factor in mind, he calmed himself, and things became more vivid. The collar was attached to a chain, but it was too dark to see where it lead. He grabbed onto the chain, pulling himself to the other end, his feet becoming colder with each step.
"I wouldn't if I were you," a voice said. Or did he say it? The thought did occur to him that this was a bad idea; perhaps in one's subconscious thoughts manifest audibly.
"No, I said it was a bad idea. You only thought it. But you thought it, because I said it."
Zoi stumbled in the dark, tripping on the chain in a frightened panic.
"W-Who are—?"
"—Who am I?" They interjected. "I'm you. But I'm also me. We are you, you are me."
"N-No! I'm me, just me—YOU DON'T EXIST—!" The chain yanked him forward. The breathlessness returned with vengeance, but whose? The talons that dragged him further into the darkness were they not his own? The wrathful pull came to a stop—his head hanging over a void; the rattling chains of another echoed from the opposite side. Zoi calmed his breathing, his vision cleared—and so did the upside-down figure across from him.
"Y-You're… me?"
"No. You had it right the first time… I'm me."
He was plunged into the void.
***
Inside the main atrium at Processing, the Repressors, along with Mika, skipped the lengthy line and pushed the prisoner in front of the face scanner.
"You got one more time to push me!" she barked.
"Or what!?" Diver shouted back. "Accimilating you would be a waste of thought, so just shut up and keep your eyes still!!!"
The monitor displayed her information, and Mika looked away the entire time.
"Interesting," said Ashe, rubbing his chin.
"So w-what, she's wearing some kind of special cadaver or something?"
"No," Miriam stepped forward. "Her Phantasm Frame. She altered it completely…"
The three of them collectively gazed at her.
"Who are you—?"
"Greetings, Repressors and company."
"The Dominus?" said Ashe.
Diver immediately composed himself and bowed, forcing Mika to as well, "G-Greeting! Your excellency!"
"Ah, Ms. Golbez," Lea'natas addressed Miriam. "I have not seen you since Laurehli's passing. I hope all is well."
"Indeed, your lordship," she bowed. "May I ask what brings you down to Processing?"
"Retrieving a friend of a friend," they looked over at Mika. "And I see she is in your possession. Might I borrow her for a spell?
"W-WHAT? No. You don't have to dirty yourself with her, my lord." Diver interjected. " We were just about to escort her to—"
"The Vanitas Chamber, I take it? That won't be necessary. At least for now. You are to finish any further tasks here and redirect yourselves to Cloud City. Ms. Rezz…"
Mika jumped.
"...Would you like to see Mr.Rinel?"
She pushed Diver to the side, "Zoi!? You know where he is?"
"Yes, back at my tower. I had my G.A. escort him after he was processed."
"Fuck yeah, let's go—!"
"Hold on a second," Ashe pulled her chains. "Forgive me, but why is The Dominus concerning themself with such trifling individuals. What's so special about that Zoi kid that has you running around for him like some lowly ID?"
Amidst the luminous glints in Lea'natas' eyes was a wistful passion, "he's really kind."
But to Miriam and Ashe, those eyes held only suspicious intrigue.
"Very well. She is free to go," Miriam said, removing the chains. "But I want to see him as well."
Diver stepped forward, "Well, in that case—hey, what's the deal, Ashe! Let owa me!"
"C'mon, rookie, we're headed to Cloud City. We'll see ya there, Miriam."
Ashe dragged the boy down the long hallway as Lea'natas held their hands out to Mika and Miriam. "Shall we?"