"It's wrong Oska!" Da yelled and then proceeded to curse and rant in his native tongue. I didn't know it at all really.

"But it's what I can do, I can go after Nyx sooner than later," I responded in my dead tone as usual. I could feel the intensity of the situation rising.

"You are stealing, and for what? Vengeance?" Da was getting red in the face a rare but commonality when he was truly angry.

As Da and I went back and forth Ma and Erebus just watched one unsure of what to do, and the other unsure of what was going on.

"If Nyx does this to someone else unable to keep their shadow in line who kno-" I was cut off by my Father.

"Not your issue, not your fault! What if it is stronger this time, and kills you? Why one incident and you turn to a criminal? Why if your Grandfather-"

Grandpa was my most cherished lost loved one. I shared so many features with his mother, in his language he would call me a little mother. This was too much at one time, I would explode.

Unhinged and truly angry I would scream at my Da. "DO NOT BRING HIM INTO THIS. MY LIFE IS MY OWN!" I was shaking eager to continue this shouting match.

"YOUR LIFE IS PRECIOUS LITTLE GIRL, AND YOU WISH TO TOSS IT AWAY!" Da was getting cherry red. It was getting ugly.

Ma eventually stepped in and Erebus placed his hand-like appendages on me. This cut my mood down as I realized how close I was to my Da.

Ma yelled at Da in their language and she turned to me, "... And you go to your room, Oska Panna."

I obeyed but shouted nonetheless. "FINE!" and then I shadow-stepped into Erebus, exiting through a shadow in my closet ever-present. This just wasn't enough for me. I went to the door that I didn't use and opened it and slammed shut to get it across that I listened and I was here.

I was wound up, unlike my everyday mood which was similar to someone in shock. I felt tears of frustration well up in my eyes and I had little options for relief, so I ran back to that tower, all the way back up to that office. I accepted many more jobs from him. They were so much easier.

I had hit five different major companies in a week and this time with much less uproar. I had just exited a coffee shop for lunch and was ready to hit another, making it two on the same day.

It was a parent company to some of the biggest names in food. I probably had a belly full of their very product until a familiar voice cut me off.

"Hey Pink Eyes!" A man from up the street called out to me. He was the only one standing still in a bustling moving crowd of souls. It was the big fuck from the first job I had ever done. He had found me.

Logically I should have stepped into Erebus and exited the situation, but damn did I want a rematch.

As we stepped into an alley he began to loosen his collar, and put on gloves.

"What is it you want?" I asked in a monotone relaxed voice.

He chuckled lightly, "Isn't it obvious, I fucked you and your little black stain up easily, but you still made me look like shit."

He started rolling his neck and in between deep breaths, he continued, "I have a perfect record, and you are the first black mark on it now. I'm gonna find you every time and hopefully, today deal with you for good."

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I would stretch too for a little. I never really fought anyone but him so I wasn't sure of the formalities before a duel. "What do I call you?" I blinked.

"Tony," As I opened my eyes he was on me. Erebus tried to block him like last time, but he ducked it and punched me in the face sending me flying in the air. Erebus caught me in the air and set me down but was immediately hit with two strong punches causing him to detach from me.

"Wow I can fuck up a demon. Wonder what happens when you both go to sleep." Tony scoffed as he cracked his knuckles. Erebus fell into a series of various shadows that scattered the alley.

I stood up and charged him, Tony looked happy that I was but I rolled into the shadows, I shadow-stepped through his shadow emerging between his legs, and delivered an upper cut to Tony's groin. He winced and bent over but I felt his hand grip my arm.

"I wore a cup this time bitch." Tony snarled before gripping my face too pulling me from his own shadow and throwing me into a big blue dumpster.

I bent the metal frame of it with my face and rolled over looking at Tony about to finish me off before Erebus erupted from the shadows. Wrapping spawning tendrils from his face around parts of the brute before us. My eyes in Erebus' head glared daggers in him and shadows assaulted Tony, but the mother fucker was laughing.

He broke free from Erebus' attacks and despite bruising and bleeding Tony struck Erebus again. It sent Erebus back but he didn't stay down he rose. I thought in my head, if I was Erebus I would form a mouth of jagged teeth and bite this fucker in the arm. Erebus obeyed and this brought out the first sign of panic from Tony as he punched and punched at Erebus clamped on his right arm.

I got up again and dove into the shadow under the dumpster and emerged from another the distance in the shadow realm giving me enough momentum to give my tackle some power bringing the brute to the ground hard.

On the ground, Tony gave one last strike to Erebus and then struck me off of him. I held my face as everyone involved got back to their feet. Erebus is more a trunk of shadow on the ground.

"You two got some more fight in you this time." Tony chuckled as he spat. This was proving difficult for him but much more fun, I could see it on his face. Hear it in his tone. He felt alive. I was fighting for my life.

I charged at Tony again as Erebus pressed forward binding on Tony's hands I couldn't budge him. Though I looked down into Tony's shadow and started punching into it. My fist came out of Erebus' body in a braggage striking Tony's face with no way of defending himself, until he turned his head.

Tony's skull was hard, I yelped as I hit it. My fist didn't hurt it was more the feeling of a bone breaking in my hand that made me relent. A boot met my face and I fell back my head bouncing off the asphalt ground. Tony turned his whole body and began slamming Erebus into the brick building near us. I could sense Erebus weakening from this.

I ordered him to retreat to me. This made Tony run into the wall recklessly. Stunning him. Once he slithered from a shadow and reattached to me I down into another shadow. Back up from Tony's legs. With my and Erebus both lifting Tony high, we brought him down into a combined shadow-empowered super slam.

I brought my fist high, Erebus doing the same and we both did a powerful downward strike onto Tony's head. I expected blood, or a crack, or anything. All I heard was laughter.

I looked down at Tony's beaten bloody face and he was laughing. I stumbled back. I was spent. He had to be as well I swore.

He would sit up slowly. Erebus would cower his previous rage being replaced by fear. I would reach for my backup, fearing even a gun would be useless.

I couldn't tell what occurred. Maybe Tony could see I was going for my weapon finally. Maybe he was reaching for his first either way. We both spoke.

"Fuck You." We both said simultaneously.

As we both drew I flicked the hammer and pulled the trigger unleashing all six shots. Tony had a modern pistol of some kind. He was mag dumping at me but he fell first.

I slowly looked down to see if I was gonna die but I saw bits of shadow wrapping around me. It was Erebus. He absorbed the bullets and redirected them from shadows pointed at Tony.

I walked over and as the gunsmoke cleared I could see his body riddled with lead and crimson. It leaked out onto the pavement.

I could see my bullet holes in him but they wouldn't have been the kill shot. Mine were everywhere. His were more precise and thus he killed himself. His gun was a semi-automatic, a real step up from my own six-shooter. I stuck it into my waistband.

As I heard sirens. I shadow-stepped into Erebus like I should have 20 minutes ago.

I had killed a man in defense in a way but I didn't have to. I put myself there, I couldn't blame Nyx for this.

I figured I should pursue some explanation. Certainly, I am not some criminal like Da said I was. I might be.

As I limped into Cabatta's office I only had one demand for the man sitting at his desk as if waiting for my return. In truth, he was there because I skipped the second job I promised him.

"What do you want from all this?"

Cabatta stood there silent for a moment and then after an eternity of staring at me he spoke. "Why don't you nurse your wounds and come to me to visit my parents this time."

I was about to protest but he spoke before I could. "I'll tell you everything then."