“You said they aren’t innocent…” I repeated. She was fixated on the Halloways being treacherous, and I wanted to know why.

“Why ask me? Didn’t your file mention that he was a crook?”

“Well, so are you. But I’d like to hear your definition of the word.”

“My mother worked as a maid at the Halloway Estate. She did so for years. Underpaid, but loyal. Never complained for a penny more than what she’s worth. One night, there was a party with the host, the big man himself. Mother said there were a bunch of men and women in masks. They were dressed in glitter and gold, but the smell coming off of them had the aftertaste of something wicked. She is a very religious woman, and she could tell when something’s off in the naturally pure balance of things. And she swore something was toxic about that party. They gambled, they smoked their cigars, and they drank late into the night. Mother said she caught glimpses of things she couldn’t understand. She didn’t give me any details because she couldn’t describe it. The walls were dark in some of those rooms, and she said something would scare her away whenever she got too curious. Not wanting to lose her job, she stopped snooping around and went back to her tasks that evening. Until the next morning, she found someone wandering the halls.

She wasn’t a guest. She was wearing civilian clothing, a girl no older than you. She had lots of blood on her collar, her knees rashed, her eyes bloodshot. She was lost in a daze. Her dress was torn, and her whereabouts unknown to her. When mother tried to help her, the woman just stared right through her with hollow eyes before dropping at her feet, unconscious. My mom cried for help, and Mr. Halloway came down the hall. And with a condescending smile, he said, “You’re relieved of your duties indefinitely, Mrs. Fushiro.”

I tightened my face, drawn to her story.

“Ever since that night, nothing has been the same. My mom kept talking insanely, saying that monsters were out to get her. She couldn’t sleep, she couldn’t eat, and she was slowly losing her mind. Every day was a living nightmare trying to reel her back to reality. Do you know how terrifying it was for a nine year old, thinking that there were monsters underneath her bed? In the closet?! Outside of her home at night?! The crazier she talked, the crazier she became. Until the authorities took her from me…. They said she was too unwell to raise me. My aunt and uncle took custody of me, and they brought my mother to a nuthouse. I visit her every day, and yet… she still doesn’t even remember my name…” she whispered, trying to cling to her voice. “So excuse me if I don’t sympathize with the offspring of the devil….” Her tone went heavy again, the mystery girl drawing her blade at me. “My vengeance has nothing to do with you! So stay out of my way!”

“Look, I’m sorry that you had to go through hell. I can tell you’ve been through it. I don’t know what it feels like losing a mother. But I can sympathize. Mine means so much to me. I couldn’t bear the thought of something devastating happening to her. It’d mentally and physically break me. So, I get it. I really do. But, Bridget has nothing to do with her father’s business. I heard her during our ride, she thinks her father sells diamonds for a living. I can tell that girl is clueless to the dirty bullshit her father is involved with.”

“Oh, I know she isn’t involved. But ignorance makes little difference.”

“I don’t get it. I’d think someone like you would understand. Your mother was innocent in all of this. And so is Bridget. Why does she have to suffer?”

“Because I want her to feel the pain I felt!” she screamed. “She’s going to give me what I want! The names of everyone at that stupid party! One of them has an answer for the curse they placed on my mom! And I’m going to find it! And after she gives me all of the names, I’m going to make her suffer for her father’s crimes!”

“You might not be a monster, but right now, you sure as hell sound like one….”

“You can’t even begin to understand my pain!”

“And your associates do? That big guy behind the wheel was talking about cash. That doesn’t sound like what you’re after.”

“So I linked up with like-minded people. They have a score to settle with Halloway, and so do I. If I get a cut of the profit, so be it. A bonus to my vendetta, one that I intend on satisfying.”

I squared my eyes on her. “I am not going to let you hurt an innocent girl.”

“You have no choice. Last chance to stand down.”

I ignited my flames, a flame ball burning in each hand. “I wish it didn’t have to come to this, but….”

“Save me your apologies, corporate lackey!” The masked girl lunged at me. I barely had time to dive out of the way, feeling the breeze of the blade sweep past me. Rolling back to my feet, I flung one of the fireballs at her, but she dodged it. The flames erupted along the forest line as she came at me again. I realized her strikes were becoming more precise. I managed to evade her attacks, but only just barely. This girl was skilled, fueled by years of resentment and pain. But there was something else about her that made a light flicker in my head. From her first strike to her last, she was getting stronger… faster….

It felt like the longer she fought, the closer she got to actually landing her hits on me.

Worse yet, her attacks began to burn.

I missed evading that last slash against my arm. When I stepped back, I saw a bright red line along my skin. It was something she hadn’t been able to pull off a few minutes ago. Whatever she had was eating away at my physical invulnerability, and pain began registering up my muscles.

“Having fun yet?” she taunted as she circled me. This masked vendetta girl must have had some type of adaptability meta….

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She came at me again, and I crouched down and slammed the ground with my fist. A burst of flames erupted in a ring of fire, spreading outward and catching my opponent. Unfortunately, she had an answer for it, the girl taking her blade against the ground and sweeping my flames like a broom to a dust bunny. She flung that flame tail in the air like it was nothing, confirming my suspicions.

She’d avoided my flames before, now she was taking them head on.

When she closed in on me, I grabbed her blade and it was hot to the touch. It also managed to cut slightly into my skin. With her dagger, she twirled around and aimed under my rib. I managed to twist away, feeling the blade slice through my shirt and leave a burning gash along my side. I stumbled back, clutching my wound as warmth spread down my hip. The girl stalked toward me, energized as I gave her a false sense of security, my opponent thinking I was caught off guard. And then, I lashed out with a square punch into her face.

I’d pulled back my strength, not wanting to kill her. After all, she wasn’t a monster. My job was to hunt and kill shadow walkers, and since she didn’t fall under that category, my only purpose here was to detain her.

But when her head flew back at me and she slammed her forehead into mine, I realized just how crazy she was.

She followed by slamming the blunt end of her dagger against my chest, and a flash of light exploded. One second my feet were on the ground, and the next, I was being tossed across the field. My back struck a tree before I slid down, the feeling along my back now worse than pressure. It was a hint of pain, and I was starting to piece out the puzzle to her mysterious meta ability.

“Not so confident now, are you?” she taunted.

I straightened up, clenching my jaw against the pain. “I get it now… your weapons… they are absorbing my meta.”

“More like tapping into your life force extension and mimicking your gift upon contact.” She smirked. “The latter is better. The same way Rachi’s bullets steal extensions, my blades do the same thing when they touch you, but more efficiently.”

“Omo wasn’t gifted!” I seethed. “That short stack killed him!”

“I can’t control who she ends up slaying.”

“But his death is on your hands! You’re hanging out with a murderer! You swear all you’re after is revenge, but you don’t care about the blood trail of innocents you leave behind! Omo had no extension to feed off of! She ended up killing an innocent man, and for what?!”

She scoffed.

“If you can’t see how you’re just like those fucking monsters, than you’re delusional as shit.”

Her face twisted. “Quit comparing me to those flesh eaters, you pawn!” Her blade went up in flames, a hot roaring fire sparking with energy akin to my own. I couldn’t lie–her meta was OP. She struck the ground my way, and it fissured, the crevice blowing out pillars of heat and smoke. She was trailing her new found flames everywhere I went, following me through every corner of the grove. I braced myself as she charged another round, her flaming blade poised to strike. At the last second, I rolled out of the way, barely avoiding the slash. The heat from the flames was eating at my skin, but I was enticing her to continue this onslaught so she could tucker her stamina out.

“I’m nothing like them!” she shouted, whirling around for another attack. “Don’t you dare say I’m a monster!”

Her rage made her strikes wild and unfocused. I continued to dodge and evade, watching for an opening. Her anger was making her sloppy.

Hayashi was right–emotions contributed to meta exhaustion. And right now, this girl didn’t have a grip on hers. The trigger words poured out of my lips a second time, her next wave of heat hotter than the last. I was sweating big time, but my plan was working, her movement sluggish now, enough for me to find another opening. As she overextended on a wide swing, I took my chance and sweep kicked her.

My shoe stepped on her wrist holding her sword after she dropped to the ground, her dagger lost the moment she collided. She was panting and tired, having been reckless with her powers.

“Out of stamina? Or just about, I’d imagine.” I kicked her sword away, and she got on her knees, a crack on her mask giving away. When it fell off, I noticed that she had a black cloth over her eyes, and there was a long vertical scar running down her left cheek….

“So, what are you going to do now? Kill me?”

“I don’t hunt humans.”

“Your righteousness will get you nowhere.”

“I will call local authorities, and we’ll let the justice system handle you.”

“Or, you can take matters into your own hands,” she provoked. “Don’t be a pussy about it, and don’t you dare look at me like I’m some nut case, either. I might be blind, but I can see perfectly fine….”

“Shit, you’re so stubborn…” I hissed, scratching at the back of my head conflicted. “Things were a lot easier when they were black and white. Good and bad, monster and human, no in betweens.”

“Don’t tell me you’re considering letting me walk?” she whispered, her eyes growing on me. “I can sense the aura coming from you… it’s… different.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

“A taste of dark and light, but… not entirely balanced….”

“Hey, quit talking all of that metaphorical crap, you’re starting to sound like my mentor.”

She paused, the mystery woman straightening her back and giving me an odd looming stare before she asked, “What… are you?” And then thump–she went down, a large log slamming against the back of her head.

“That’ll teach you to try and stab me!” Reina said as she glared down at the unconscious girl. After that, she looked up to me and smiled. “Home run!”

“Reina?”

“Honestly, Nero, I can’t pick up after your mess all of the time. You’re a big boy now. You have to learn how to tidy up on your own.”

I smirked. “Well, someone’s feeling themselves today. Actually, I’m surprised you didn’t just slice her head off.”

“If she were a shadow walker, she would have transformed already, I’m sure.”

“I’m glad you made that deduction.”

“Bridget made it to her jet safely. Naomi took care of the other two beforehand and alerted the officials.”

“Was she the one who sent you to search for me down here?”

“Yes. She is on the side of the road as we speak. But, what will we do with Ersi?”

“Ersi?”

“That’s her name. According to goon number one and goon number two. Rachi and Bull-Nickle.”

I chuckled, Reina looked back at me cluelessly. My face went straight. “Wait, that’s his real name?”

She shrugged. “That’s what the girl called him. Which, by the way, has the worst sailor mouth I’ve heard for a child her age.”

“She has to be the youngest talent I’ve seen in person. Sucks that she’s in the crime business. We will let the authorities handle Ersi, too.”

“Were you really going to let her walk, Nero?” Reina asked me seriously.

“Why would you ask me that?”

“I saw that look on your face. You weren’t sure you were doing the right thing.”

“No, I wasn’t going to let her walk,” I said. “But I did want to help her. She’s just lost and hurting. She needs to be steered in the right direction. Ersi disclosed some info to me that I think Hayashi would want to investigate further. So let’s head back to headquarters.”

After I took the weapons, we walked uphill, and I noticed Naomi slowly cruising into focus. The engine to her new motorcycle purred as she made a stop and pushed up her visor to ask me straight, “Where’s the other one?”

“Down the hill.”

“Hayashi is requesting we pull back.”

“Then we will wait here until they pick her up.”

“They should be here in a few seconds.”

“And then, we will find a ride to our rendezvous point.”