Benefactor

POV: Naga

The pistol cracked like thunder.

Before thought could become fear, the floor itself split. Shadows had coiled upward, black serpents ripping from the ground. One had whipped into the bullet’s path with a shriek of warped metal, the slug collapsing in its jaws. Another had slid across the floor, rearing behind Specter’s chair and pressing against his throat with the weight of a blade.

The room convulsed with silence.

Then Shelby screamed. A raw, panicked sound had torn through the air. “What the heck is that?!” She stumbled back, chair legs screeching against the floor, hands raised as if she could ward it off. Her golden eyes had been wide, locked on the writhing shadows. “That’s not… No, that’s not real!”

Her reaction was a given. I'd assumed humans wouldn't be used to seeing supernatural abilities, but in this situation I didn't have much of a choice. It was either that or have my brains splattered across the back wall.

Even Specter had cracked, albeit only for a moment. His hand had trembled, pistol dipping toward the desk. His eyes had widened, pupils blown as his breath stuttered once before he pulled it back.

A single word slipped from him, too soft, too unguarded.

“Impossible.”

The serpents had hissed soundlessly, scales of darkness slithering over the floorboards. The lamp above had flickered, shadows lengthening and bending, like the whole room had been pulled into their orbit.

Inside, my chest had heaved. So it was still with me. My divine blessing. Even in this brittle flesh, the shadows obeyed me.

Specter’s throat brushed the tendril. He hadn’t flinched. Instead, the tremor had left his hand as quickly as it had come, composure snapping back into place. His lips had curled into a sharp, humorless laugh.

“Well,” he said, voice steady again, “that explains a few things.”

Shelby had rounded on him, her voice breaking into anger. “Explains? You SHOT him! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Specter had lowered the pistol to the desk and let it rest there. “Instinct.” The word was blunt, without apology.

“Instinct?!” she spat. “That’s your excuse? And then you fire a bullet at someone’s head!” Her words had collapsed into a bitter laugh. “Jesus Christ, you’re insane.”

Specter hadn’t looked at her. His gaze had remained fixed on me, on the shadows still writhing like snakes at his feet. Besides, after I had deflected the bullet, I could tell right away he had been aiming to just barely miss me.

“You are no lunatic, my friend,” he said softly.

“Try me again if you’re unsure.” I narrowed my eyes. “I’m looking for an angel named Haneul, can you help me or not?” Straight to the point.

The tendril tightened at his throat. He had leaned into it slightly, testing its edge, as if daring me to finish the motion.

“Very interesting,” he murmured. “The ground itself rises for you. Serpents born from the shadows on the floor.” His smile sharpened. “Not a trick. Not sleight of hand. And now the mention of angels.”

Shelby had shaken her head violently. “You’re both fucking insane.” She had cut herself off, pressing back into the wall, staring at the shadows like they’d crawl up her legs next. “This isn’t happening...”

Her words had hung, but the serpents hadn’t vanished. They had hissed, restless, until I had drawn a breath and willed them back. One by one, they had slithered down, sinking into the wood, the darkness flattening back into natural shadow.

The room exhaled.

Specter adjusted his suit jacket, smoothed his collar, and leaned back into his chair as if the interruption had been a mild inconvenience. “Relax. I’ve already gone out of my way to make your time here easier.”

I tilted my head, suspicion tightening my jaw. “What do you mean?”

He had gestured toward the frozen screen behind him, still showing my mysterious arrival in Los Angeles. “That footage has already been erased. Every copy, every backup, every camera that caught you. The city forgets when I tell it to.”

Shelby blinked, still pale. “You can just erase things like that?”

Specter smirked. “It’s what I'm good for. So you don’t need to worry about being found, whatever you are.” He looked at me.

The words coiled around me worse than any chain.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I was never convinced of the supernatural until now but,” Specter said simply. He leaned forward, steepling his fingers. “About a year ago, three others came to me. Foreigners, Japanese. They said they were looking for something called Malice. Told me it was an organization dealing in some sort of weaponized angel blood.”

The words hit like stones. Was that the scent I’d picked up? Haneul’s blood? But what was it doing here? Questions flooded my mind.

Shelby stared at him. “Angel blood? I’ve only heard rumors, but people actually come in here and, what, ask for fairy dust?”

Specter chuckled, turning his head back to me. “I didn’t buy it myself at first. But one of them carried himself with the same look you have. They were looking for a friend who they claim is being experimented on, like a lab rat.”

My voice was low. “Their names?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Makoto, Aki and Haru.”

The name had hung in the air, heavy, certain.

Something deep inside me tightened, restless.

Specter watched me carefully. “They wanted my help to find where this company operates from, where their friend is being kept. They believed it was here, in this city.”

Shelby nodded, but her voice had wavered. “Angel blood is said to give enhanced abilities to humans who ingest it, at least that’s what I’ve heard.”

So her occult research wasn't entirely useless after all.

“Apparently so,” Specter added smoothly. “And then you walk in. You speak of angels and tear shadows out of the floor.”

The silence built again, pressing against my ears.

“It seems you're all circling the same fire,” Specter said softly. “This Malice company. Angels. Blood. And now I get to ask the question.” He leaned closer, his eyes unreadable. “How do you plan to compensate me for my help?”

Haneul’s face burned in my mind, her blue eyes, the tremor in her voice, and the kiss that tore Eden apart.

I met his gaze with a sharp glare. “I’ll owe you one.”

Specter tilted his head, almost baffled by my daringness. “Fine. I’d rather not have my throat sliced by your little magic trick anyway.” Though the look in his gaze told me he wouldn’t quite let it end there.

“Thank you, Mr. Specter.”

Shelby groaned, dragging a hand down her face. “What is with this city?”

Then Specter jotted something down on a piece of paper, folding it before tossing it straight to my hand. His lips had curved, slow and sharp. “This address. You’ll find the people I spoke of here.”

Shelby didn't wait for him to dismiss us. She twisted the door knob behind her, pulling me back into the narrow corridor. The throb of bass had returned, muffled but insistent, a heartbeat pressing against the walls. She didn't speak a word until we were out on the street.

“What the hell was that?” she demanded, her voice breaking into the night. The neon of the nightclub had painted her hair redder than fire. “You, shadows out of the ground like some… some horror movie, and he just…he just laughs?!”

I kept walking, silent.

She stomped to catch up. “You didn’t think to tell me you have magic? You could’ve killed him, Naga! Or he could’ve killed you!”

I stopped at the curb, watching cars scream past in rivers of light. “It’s not magic, it’s called a divine blessing.”

Angels possessed gifts that summoned light, burned demons, and healed wounds. Divine blessings were a higher form of gifts granted only to the strongest of angels.

Mine was the serpent’s shadow, shadows that moved as snakes. Before I was banished, they were much stronger. Now, bound in human flesh, they were slower, hungrier, and fewer in number.

“That’s not—” She cut herself off, throwing her hands in the air. “Ugh. Forget it. Fine. But if we’re really chasing this supposed angel of yours, we need to talk about what he said.”

Her golden eyes had cut to me, sharp and unblinking. “Did those names ring any bells to you?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Well, they rang Specter’s. And if they're looking for the same thing you are, then guess what; we don’t have the luxury of ignoring them.”

I wondered why she was so invested in helping me. I was just a stranger she bumped onto in the street. Humans were confusing, no matter the era.

The crosswalk signal changed, and she had marched forward without waiting. I followed, the city’s lights pressing in around me, taller and brighter than any star the Garden had ever allowed.

Little Tokyo glimmered like a shard of another world set into Los Angeles. A small part of the city designed to resemble the country called Japan. That was where Mr. Specter sent us. Lanterns swung over crowded streets, their glow warm against the sharp neon.

I slowed, drinking it in. Shelby noticed, and softened just enough to let me. “Feels different here, huh?”

“It feels…” I paused, searching. “…older.”

“Yeah, well, don’t get too sentimental. We’re not here for fun.”

She led me down a narrower street, past shuttered shops and buzzing stalls. The noise had thinned and there were fewer people.

At last she stopped in front of a modest restaurant, the kind you’d miss if you weren’t looking. Its windows glowed faintly, and the smell of broth drifted into the alley.

“This is the place,” she said, lowering her voice. “Specter’s note said we’ll find them here.”

I studied the building. It looked small and fragile. But I could feel it. I could smell something moving inside, more alive than the small chatter of customers leaving after closing time.

“Three of them,” I murmured.

Shelby nodded. “Yeah. And if they’re anything like you, I’m already regretting this.”

I stepped forward, hand brushing the door. The wood was warm, thrumming faintly, as if the whole building held its breath.

I wasn’t sure yet if this angel blood business had anything to do with Haneul. But in this modern world that had long forgotten the divine, it was the only clue I had to go off of.

I felt the serpents stir in my chest again, restless, hungry. And for the first time since the Garden fell away, I realized the world was already moving toward something inevitable.