"Fuck, I hate this."

Gene Collins dropped his bottle of burn wine on the floor. Its bottom shattered and spread little glass pieces all across the floor of his apartment. He paid little attention to it. Shards of glass in his feet hardly seemed like the most pertinent thing at the moment.

It had only started with a glass. Seemingly innocent enough. Then one glass turned into two. Two turned into four. Eventually, four turned into a whole night. And a whole night eventually became his whole life. He hadn't even realized how deep he had dug himself down until his wife left the divorce filings in the living room and had disappeared without a trace.

His daughter was going to leave him too now. She was going to leave soon anyway with her now being grown up, and he didn't exactly blame her. Looking around his apartment, it was hardly any place for anyone to live. Grey, stained carpet floors, musty furniture that was either uncomfortable or broken, green wallpaper that had begun to furl. Even so, he had hoped that she would stay at least a few more months with him.

No.

No, he didn't deserve that.

He didn't deserve anything, except for one thing.

It was that sword. That goddamn sword, he thought. He made his way over to the fridge to get another bottle, narrowly missing the largest pieces of glass on the ground. Taking another bottle out, he looked over to the far corner of his living room just beside the television set.

A black sword and shield with red and gold trim leaned against the wall. However, he knew it was much more than that. It was a shiny Aegislash and its name was Hexcalibur.

Suddenly, the Aegislash leaned forward, coming off the wall. Its gold eye on the hilt stared into Gene's own.

"They're coming soon, you know they are," said Hexcalibur in a voice only Gene could hear.

He broke eye contact with it and opened the bottle in his hand. It had been just an ordinary night for him. Going to the bar, getting shitfaced, and then being thrown out.

It was routine and he had expected it to go the same. He was angry at the world, though there was little he could do to fight it. But as he was walking back, he heard the sword's voice. It was beckoning, nearly begging for him to draw closer. In the drunken state he was in, there wasn't much of him present to reason out what he should have done.

When he had found Hexcalibur in an alley, it was dormant and showed no signs of being anything other than a sword. But when he reached out to grab its hilt, black vines shot out and wrapped themselves around him and then…

Power. He felt power.

It was a high that nothing could match. He felt like his body was in a permanent state of prime. It was something that any amount of alcohol would fail to do. But there was something more that Hexcalibur had done to him.

In exchange for feeling like he was above everyone else, there was now something above him: Hexcalibur. It was the master and he was the puppet.

It had started off small, though not innocuous. Hexcalibur instructed him to follow a man. It was a man Gene didn't know, but he followed him regardless. It didn't feel like Hexcalibur's command initially, just an urge to do so. He stalked the man endlessly, following him to and from his home, taking note of every small detail and eavesdropping on any conversations he had. Why did Hexcalibur want this information? He never found out.

When he swung Hexcalibur and killed that man, he knew nothing would be the same.

It didn't stop at just one though. Hexcalibur had collected a lot of information from the man. Details on hideouts, exchange locations, even the names of other men. And every man's name that Hexcalibur remembered, he hunted down. And every time, there was a massacre. Blood everywhere, limbs flying, voices silenced. He knew this wasn't just an urge anymore. This was puppetry.

The only common theme between every person they hunted down was their association with criminal organizations. Even then, Gene couldn't figure out why Hexcalibur held such a grudge. Was this justice? Had all these men slighted Arceus and were getting their divine punishment from this Aegislash who had chosen him?

No, he had decided. This was not any kind of justice. Not this mindless killing of anyone that came close to the target. This was a demon sword, and he was just the vessel for it.

After his latest slaughter, he had enough. With all his strength, he had ripped the sword off him. The high of power left him completely, but freedom never felt as good as it did in that moment. He had tossed Hexcalibur in the corner where it remained. He didn't dare try to pick it up to move lest he lose his freedom again, potentially permanently.

Arceus, damn it. Why the fuck did I even get myself into this.

Hexcalibur gone, he had nothing to stop him from going back to drinking. And he let himself be very liberal with how much alcohol got into his body. It had felt nostalgic in the worst possible way. One glass, then two, then four then…

Driving home.

Driving into a man.

Driving away.

He hadn't seen him at all. His eyes were open for all but a second, and that's all it took. And now? Now the police were coming. Coming to put him away for life. No doubt they would figure out he was behind all the murders too. Everything that Hexcalibur made him do was catching up to him. The world had gotten back at him again. Yet, even then, it didn't fill him with nearly as much fear as he thought it would. Why?

Because he deserved that.

Suddenly, there was a knock at his door. Before they said anything, he already knew who it was.

"Mr. Collins! This is the Zuheimer Police Department, we'd like to have a word with you."

He took a large drink out of his burn wine and put it back inside the fridge. I deserve this, he thought. He walked to the door and placed his hand on the knob.

"Once you open that door, your life will be over," said Hexcalibur.

Gene didn't dare look back at the sword. This is what Hexcalibur wanted. He had given everything that Hexcalibur wanted for nearly three months ever since he chanced upon it. But that would all stop today.

He opened the door and saw two police officers dressed in their uniforms. Both were men and had that typical, semi-genial expression on their faces that feigned friendliness. Although he desperately tried to not think about it more, seeing the police stand before him made Hexcalibur's words ring through his head again. His life really was about to be over.

"Hello, Mr. Collins. I'm Officer Graham," said the officer on the left. Officer Graham gestured to his partner, "And this is Officer Rogers. If you don't mind, could we come inside for a moment?"

"Yeah, sure," Gene said, stepping out of the way.

The pair of officers came inside the apartment, looking around the interior as they stopped by the kitchen counter. They weren't showing it, but Gene could tell they were just as disgusted at his apartment as he was.

"This could all be fixed, Gene," Hexcalibur said.

Gene shot the sword a glare and then looked back at the officers. Only he could hear Hexcalibur's voice but it gave him stress whenever there were others near him.

"Well, Mr. Collins. We'd like to talk to you about an incident that happened yesterday night," said Officer Rogers.

Gene tensed and forced himself to breathe in, "Uhh.. of course, yes. What happened?"

Officer Graham stepped forward, "Yesterday night, Henry Floyd was crossing the street when a car struck him. The car stayed for a moment before driving off. Mr. Floyd was brought to hospital but unfortunately he died of his injuries."

He tensed again, "Oh… Arceus. That's horrible."

"You're running out of time," said Hexcalibur.

Gene could feel his hands shaking. He quickly stuffed them in his pockets to stop the officers from noticing. He cleared his throat, "So why are you here?"

"An eyewitness of the incident managed to take a picture of the license plate before the car took off. And it seems that the license plate matches to your car," Officer Graham said. His expression became serious, "Can you tell us where you were yesterday night?"

"I was…" He spoke before his thoughts could catch up to him. Why? Why was it so hard for him to just tell them what happened?

"You don't want to go," Hexcalibur said.

Gene couldn't help but look back at the Aegislash.

"You don't want to go, Gene. If you wanted to go, you would have turned yourself in. If you wanted to go, you would have simply told these officers what happened."

"Mr. Collins?" said Officer Rogers.

"What you want is to get even," Hexcalibur said, leaning forward, "You want to get even with the world. And the world deserves that, Gene."

"Yes," he muttered, admitting to himself. He started walking to Hexcalibur.

"Mr. Collins!" Officer Rogers said again.

Hexcalibur was leaning more now, its grip pointing directly at Gene. "The world has done you so wrong. It has toyed with and broken you."

Gene felt a hand on his shoulder but shrugged it off. His only focus was on the sword.

"Your wife is gone. Your job is gone. Your daughter is going to leave. And what do you have after that? A grave that will be dug with alcohol. And these officers? The world is trying to finish the job early, Gene. They don't want you to get even."

"They don't," Gene repeated, nearly inaudible. He hadn't realized how close he had gotten to Hexcalibur. Nor had he realized that one of his hands was out of his pockets, mere inches away from touching the hilt.

He stopped himself. This is what Hexcalibur wanted. It wanted to take him over again. But it was also right; he really didn't want to go. He did want to get even. Though still, he hesitated with bringing his hand forward. There had to be something else he could do to get out of this. There must be.

He heard one of the officers draw something out of its holster.

"Gene Collins. I need you to bring your hand away from the sword now ," Officer Graham demanded.

His hands began shaking again as he internally cursed at himself. There was no other way now. Nothing he could do except this. Even if he were to give himself in now, there was little he could do to get himself out of it. Trying to grab a sword when asked if you were the perpetrator of a crime presented a guilty verdict as well as a jury did.

"It's okay, Gene." Hexcalibur was looking at him. Its eye showed sympathy. "You don't have to worry anymore. I will solve your problems."

"Y-you will?" The shakiness in his voice made him realize he was crying.

"Yes, of course. I will solve your problems and you will get even, Gene. This world will come to regret how it has treated you. All you need to do is touch my hilt. Do it, and all will be right."

"Mr. Collins! Away from the sword now!" Officer Rogers said.

"Your wife will no longer be a problem. Your drinking will no longer be a problem. These officers will no longer be a problem. You will be rid of them. You will be free. And of your problems? They will leave you. And they will BURN. IN. HELL."

He grabbed the hilt.

In an instant, the Aegislash's shadowy tendrils shot out and wrapped themselves around Gene's arm. He screamed as hot pain rushed through his arm and into his torso, spreading across his entire body at an incredibly fast speed. The shield of the Aegislash moved along his arm and fixated itself on his back. The pain subsided and was replaced with pure ecstasy.

Power.

He turned to the officers, a smile embedded on his face. Their expressions were a mix of fear and confusion. Officer Graham had his stun gun drawn and as Gene took one step forward, he fired it.

Without any input from him, Hexcalibur's shield quickly moved off his back and set itself on his chest. The stun gun's pins merely bounced off of the hard metal.

Officer Graham's eyes widened, "What the he–" That was all he could say before he was bisected at the waist.

Blood splattered the ceiling and floor, painting the apartment red. Officer Rogers looked on in fear and utter disbelief as his partner dropped to the floor in two.

"Die," Gene said, swinging the sword at the remaining officer.

Arms. Legs. Head.

Officer Rogers joined his partner on the floor in pieces. Their blood flowed and pooled at Gene's feet. He had made his choice. And now there was one less problem he had to deal with.

"Let us go, Gene. Let us solve all of your problems," Hexcalibur said.

Gene stepped over the officers' bodies and out of his apartment.

Ace cut the packaging tape off the box and opened its flaps so Octavia could continue unpacking her things. Her eyes lit up as she saw her clothes neatly folded inside.

"About time, I was beginning to think they had forgotten," she said, taking out a stack of shirts. It was the third box they had opened. The first two were full of toiletries and books.

She walked through the entrance of her tent and set the clothes on the white cot inside. It had caught her by surprise with how well she had slept last night, even considering the cot was not nearly as comfortable as her bed back at home. Still, when she had woken up this morning, it felt like the best sleep she had in years.

She walked outside and made two more trips from the clothes box. The box was now empty and her cot held on all of her clothes. Though she tried to ignore it, she couldn't help but realize that she felt the smallest bit tired after her trips.

I suppose it has been a while since Ace and I worked out together, she thought. She sorted through her shirts and pulled out a gray technical shirt. Doing the same with her pants, she pulled out a pair of black shorts. She changed into them and stepped outside of the tent.

Ace was waiting for her and the moment he saw the clothes she was in he began jumping up, raising his knives in the air.

"Well then, Soldier. I hope you're ready to do some exercise. Can't go about missing days, can we?" she said, smiling at him.

He shook his head and saluted at her. His eagerness was apparent; It seemed he wanted to exercise as much as she did.

"Alright! So what's the first thing we do when we work out?"

Ace responded by stretching his right arm over his left side.

"That's right, we stretch." She leaned down and patted him on the side of his helmet.

After doing a few sets of basic stretching, they moved on to their workout. It was a regimen they had developed for a long time and one that both her and Ace could do. Squats, lunges and push-ups were the most prominent exercises.

Their largest barrier was Ace's knives which were not typically friendly to any equipment he would use. Nor would they be friendly to the floor when he did push-ups. Octavia had to buy a metal sheet so there would be no damage to her home's floor. Thankfully, the floor of the training room was hard enough for Ace to do push-ups without making any indents.

As their sets continued, Octavia allowed her thoughts to wander. It was beginning to dawn on her that this would be her life now. She would be in the SDA for the foreseeable future. And she wasn't sure what scared her more: The fact that this was to be her life, or the fact that she didn't mind it nearly as much as she should have.

She felt rather content about her arrangements, despite how odd they were. Her colleagues were, to put it to a word, interesting. She wasn't ecstatic about having to interact with other people, though she accepted the inevitability of it.

Besides, all of her colleagues, at least so far, weren't bad people. Miles seemed to be the angriest person in the world, yet he didn't seem that way at heart. 80 had actually been a great person to work with, even if her energy did get her carried away at times.

She still didn't know much about Miyu, though he appeared kind enough. And then Rusty, who definitely came across as the most professional of all of them. He was the responsible boss type and Octavia could appreciate that.

Though, they seemed to be a bit undermanned. Including her, they only had five detectives. In addition, she was nearly untrained and had only the smallest amount of experience. She assumed that the rest of them were fairly experienced in the field, 80 had been a prime example of that, but she wasn't certain.

They finished their workout. Octavia felt completely refreshed and she imagined Ace felt the same. She stood, sweat dripping off her forehead, and put her hands on her hips.

"Alright, Soldier. I'm going to towel off, and then maybe we can find some water fun. How about that?" she said.

Ace chirped at her words and raised his knives in the air.

She smiled at his antics and walked back to the tent. Inside, she picked up a gray towel that had been unpacked earlier with the toiletries and did a rough job drying herself off. Grabbing another towel, she walked back outside and spotted the changing room off to the left side. Ace closely followed behind her as she made her way over.

The changing room was large and done up with white and blue tiles. Stalls were assigned to one side, consisting of showers and toilets alike, while the other side was lined with sinks.

Octavia opened the first stall door to reveal a shower. She held the door open for Ace who gleefully stepped inside, excited for the water fun. With a quick turn of the shower valve, cold water began dripping down onto Ace, just how he liked it.

He jumped up and down in the water, splashing it against Octavia's legs and making her giggle. He spread his arms out and basked in the flow of water, his eyes closing in contentedness. Ever since she had gotten him, he had an inexplicable fascination for water. No matter the occasion, he had always jumped at the opportunity to have some fun in the water.

After a good amount of time, Octavia turned the water off, much to Ace's displeasure.

"Don't worry, Soldier, I'm sure we'll have more fun in the water soon enough," she said, giving his helmet a little rub.

She grabbed the towel and dried him off, cautiously working around the blades on his chest, head, and hands. She was glad he was here with her. While she felt satisfied with her current situation, it would have been the complete opposite if Ace wasn't with her. She wasn't sure how things would go without him and forced herself not to think about what would happen if he wasn't there.

With both of them dry, they walked back out into the training area. Immediately, they saw Miles who was walking towards the tent, hands stuffed in his pockets. His head perked up at the sound of the door opening and turned towards the pair.

"Good, you're up. I wasn't looking forward to having to wake you," he said. "No, me and Ace usually get up pretty early. We just got done doing a workout."

Miles nodded, "Well, in any case, come with me. Rusty has called us for a mandatory meeting."

Rusty perked up as Miles and Octavia stepped into the meeting room. He nodded towards them and they sat down in their chairs. Miles in his usual spot, close to the door. Octavia looked around and took the free spot between 80 and Miyu.

The room was small and had a simple layout. A round wooden table surrounded by five office chairs. Behind them was a whiteboard that contained the erased remnants of some notes of the last case they had brought to the room.

Seeing everyone was settled, Rusty spoke up, "Thank you for all coming on such short notice. I don't like doing it this way but I have my orders. Unfortunately, they are of the urgent variety."

"What's the issue?" asked Miyu.

Rusty brought up the report in his hands to his face. He began listing details off, "This morning, two officers were sent to question and potentially detain a certain Mr. Gene Collins. They found themselves inside his apartment where he proceeded to cut one in two and fully dismember and decapitate the other."

A shudder ran through the room. Miles and Miyu were shocked at the information and shook their heads. 80 covered her mouth and looked away from Rusty. Octavia only stared back at him, though he could easily see how horrified her eyes were.

Rusty continued, "Eyewitnesses from his apartment complex describe him as having orange hair, blue eyes, white skin and a beer belly. He stands at about five-foot-nine and weighs approximately 210 pounds. He also appears to be in possession of an Aegislash, which we can presume was the weapon he used against the officers."

"An Aegislash, sir?" Miles asked, leaning forward.

"Yes, a shiny Aegislash appears to have bound itself to Mr. Collins. It's unclear whether or not it is influencing him." He grimaced as he looked over the photos that were attached by a paperclip.

"Why were the cops sent there to question him?" Octavia said. Rusty was silently pleased that the new girl wasn't afraid to give input.

"He was alleged to have committed a hit-and-run the night prior. Witnesses recorded his license plate, passed the information to the cops and before long, they were at his door."

"So, he must have felt cornered."

Miyu pinched his chin. "That seems likely. Though I fear that Mr. Collins probably did more than just this double homicide with that Aegislash."

"He did," 80 said, "Can you show me the pics of the scene, boss man?" Rusty handed the report over. She took the photos from the paperclip and went through them methodically, taking at least five seconds to review each photo of the chaos and gore that had occurred. "There's little doubt in my mind about it. This is the Beast!"

"It appears so," Rusty said, taking back the report. "The style of dismemberment is a common theme with your case. If Gene Collins really is 'the beast' then it is important that we act quickly. We cannot let him remain out there."

"If the Aegislash is his weapon, we'll need to get it away from him," Miyu said, "Speaking of, how is he holding it without getting his life force sucked away?"

Miles leaned back in his chair, "I've heard reports of an Aegislash that takes the life force of those that it has cut down, rather than the one who holds it. I can't be certain if it's the same one though, the last reported case was thirty years ago."

Rusty nodded, "Whatever the case may be, we'll need more information before we can proceed. I'm assigning everyone on this case for the time being. Miles and 80, I want you two to investigate Gene Collins's apartment. Miyu and Octavia, I want you to check the reports that Miles mentioned, they should be in our archives. That should serve as an introduction to our archives for Octavia. Is everything clear?"

"Yes sir!" everyone replied.

Thanks to aikotters and MinusBomb for the follows! :)