[ARC 2]

Steven is currently somewhere called 'Mask Island', searching for something. He groans, clearly annoyed. "Damn, where is this damn Gem? I've been searching for hours." He touches his communicator. "Graves, you sure it is here?"

From the other side of the line, Ashley sighs. "For the fifth time, Steven, yes. We detected Gem activity in there. It can't be any other thing."

Steven groans. "But it's frustrating. I didn't find anything yet."

Ashley huffs. "Then keep searching."

He slowly walks and sits against a pile of leaves. "If I don't find anything in thirty minutes I'll go back home."

As Steven leans against the leaves, something erupts from inside it, launching Steven away.

He quickly got up and look at the place he was. "The fuck?!"

The only thing that came was a gemstone floating in nothing, but it roars wildly.

Steven widens his eyes. "Graves, you see this?!"

The commander confirms. "Yes. This is weird. Seems to be an invisible Wild Gem. Be careful, we don't know what—"

Before she could finish, Steven quickly pulls his axe, infusing it with his energy before slashing the Wild Gem, poofing it rather easily.

He stares at the fallen gemstone in silence, incredulous of how easy it was. "... 2 hours of searching for this…" He shakes his head and bubbles the gem. He touches the top of the bubble, making it disappear from his hands. "One more, Graves. Sending right to the base."

Ashley sighs through the communicator. "Well, that was anticlimactic."

Steven stretches his arms with an exhausted groan. "Tell me about it. You'd think an invisible Gem would put up more of a fight."

"Maybe it was a defective one." Ashley's voice carries a hint of amusement. "Either way, good job. Head back to the transport platform and go home. You're done for today."

Steven confirms and turn off the comm. He quickly moves back to the platform and warp back to the city of Las Nevas, stretching as he arrives.

Steven stepped into his new home, a modest yet comfortable house that G.U.N had provided as an apology.

The walls were still mostly bare, but shelves were already filling up with traces of his past, photos of him and Fionna, frozen moments of joy and adventure. Some were from their missions together, others from more peaceful times, and others were from their fusion, Stionna.

The house felt new, unfamiliar, but at least these memories made it feel like his own.

He goes to his room, which is full of games, plushies and some books.

He walked past his bed and sat down on the floor, his back resting lightly against the mattress. His eyes locked onto the full-length mirror in front of him, his expression unreadable.

A long silence stretched between him and his reflection.

Then, his lips parted.

"... So… you're going to appear, or you chickened out?"

But only silence…

He grits his teeth and clenched his fists at the lack of response. "... I know you're there… You helped me back there, and I want to know why. Show up ."

The reflection in the mirror remains unchanged, just Steven staring at himself.

But then, the air around the glass wavers, distorting slightly. A faint, female chuckle echoes from nowhere.

Steven's eyes narrow. "There you are."

A pair of glowing gray eyes emerge from the shifting surface, staring directly into his own. The laughter grows clearer, carrying a strange mix of amusement and curiosity.

"You're more persistent than I expected. " The voice finally speaks, smooth yet distant, as if carried from another plane of existence. " Most would have brushed it off as a trick of the light or a hallucination."

Steven crosses his arms. "Yeah, well, I'm not most people. Who are you?"

The voice chuckles. "Oh, my dear boy, isn't that clear?"

Steven pauses and put his hand over the diamond on his forehead. "... So, how am I supposed to call you? 'Diamond in my head'?"

She laughs soundly again. "Almost. I prefer to be called… Black Diamond ."

The guy stares at Black Diamond's eyes in silence. "... Alright, Black Diamond … Why did you help me? Why did you never show up before?"

She sighs soundly and stares him in silence for a moment. "My dear boy… Would you interrupt one of those soccer matches in the middle of it for nothing? Because I wouldn't. But I would interrupt if the ball was launched in the direction of my face, I don't want to get hurt after all."

Steven scoffs. "So you're saying you only helped me because you were in danger too?"

Black Diamond's eyes gleam with amusement. "Clever boy. " She laughs soundly. " Oh boy, it's been five minutes and I do enjoy our little chats already."

Steven narrows his eyes. "Yeah, I'm thrilled." He says dryly. "So, what are you? A ghost? A spirit? Some kind of AI stuck in my head?"

Black Diamond hums thoughtfully. "Hmm… None of the above. I am you, and yet, I am not. A fragment, a shadow, a whisper of something greater… But more importantly, I am here, and I am watching."

Steven clenches his fists. "Yeah, well, I don't like being watched."

Her laughter echoes softly. "Too bad, dear boy. You're stuck with me."

Steven glares at the mirror. "And if I want you gone?"

Black Diamond's glowing eyes curve slightly, like she's smiling. "Well, you could get rid of me, just remove this big black diamond in your head that replaces your brain."

Steven scowls, his fingers instinctively tightening around the edges of his forehead gemstone. "Tch. Figures. You're one of those annoying types."

Black Diamond hums in amusement. "And yet, here we are, conversing like old friends. And you know what's better? We ARE old friends. We know each other since your birth. How delightful."

Steven's expression darkens, his fingers twitching slightly as he processes Black Diamond's words. "Since my birth?" He echoes, skepticism lacing his tone. "You're telling me you've been here this whole time, just… lurking?"

Black Diamond chuckles, the sound smooth and knowing. "Yes, always watching. Of course, there were the boring parts like watch you brush your teeth, but it's mostly fun to watch, and every day, my little show, aka your life, is getting more and more interesting. I've always been a part of you, waiting, listening, watching … And now, it seems we finally have a moment to chat."

Steven's glare hardens. "So you were with me my whole life and only showed up that time because you felt scared and now because I discovered you?"

She looks up and back at him. "Yeah, pretty much."

Steven stares at her. As he was about to ask any further, his phone ring. He picks it up and see it's Colonel Andrew. He looks at her and sighs. "We'll talk later."

Steven gets up and picks up the call. "Andrew, what is it?"

From the other line of the call, Andrew answers slightly anxious. "Steven, come to the base as soon as possible."

Steven sighs and rubs his forehead, the pressure of the situation beginning to settle in. "What's going on, Andrew?"

Andrew's voice crackles through the phone, tense but controlled. "Just come over already, I'll explain when you arrive."

Steven sighs and hang out the call. He goes outside and get on his motorcycle and start driving.

Soon, he warps to the G.U.N HQ and hop off the motorbike.

He quickly arrives at a conference room with several high-rank agents and goes to talk with Andrew. "Heya, Colonel, have you seen Finn?"

Andrew looks at him. "Fionna is at the training sector training her aim."

Steven grins. "Hehe, she finally decided to use guns then?"

"No, she chose a tactic bow. I must say, she's doing very well. But that's not why I called you here." The colonel moves to show something on a screen.

It reveals a green giant hand on the space.

Steven steps back. "The fuck is that?"

Andrew groans. "We don't know. We only got images because of our telescopes, but we definitely can't reach it to discover any further. We believe it is some kind of spaceship because of the size and the appearance. It appeared a few days ago and got closer rather quickly. In a few days it will arrive in Earth."

Steven stares at the image of the massive green hand, a mix of confusion and concern crossing his face. "A spaceship, huh? That thing looks like it's got some serious size to it."

Andrew nods, his expression serious. "Exactly. We don't know what it is, where it came from, or who's behind it. We just know it's coming fast, and it's too large to ignore. We need to be ready."

Steven taps his fingers on his leg, thinking. "Do you have any intel on its origin? Who's on board? Any chance it's hostile?"

Andrew shakes his head. "We don't have any solid answers yet. Our sensors can't get close enough, and there's no communication coming from it. We're playing it by ear."

Steven takes a deep breath. "Alright, I'll be ready. Let me know if you need any help prepping. But if it's as bad as it looks, we might need backup."

Andrew gives a sharp nod. "We'll keep you in the loop, Steven. For now, I need you on standby. Anything you hear, anything you see, report it immediately."

Steven stands up, his thoughts racing. "Got it." He heads out of the room, his mind already planning ahead for the strange hand in space. As he exits the base, Black Diamond's voice cuts through his thoughts.

"I told you your life was getting more interesting." She murmurs, her tone amused.

Steven clenches his jaw, trying to ignore her presence. "Yeah, I noticed."

[TO BE CONTINUED]