Before we begin, allow me to paint you the full picture. Another solemn day continues as the moon is set to rise once more over Orient City. the Beating Heart, thinking brain, and acidic underbelly in the country of Raux. A city quite advanced, even by a modern standard, and just as dangerous and corrupted, if not more. And of course this means the city is one of, if not the most popular and lived in cities of all time. 

Now picture this. night of Christmas Eve, somewhere, some nobody that lives in Orient City finally opens his eyes back up from his sleep, only keeping awake from the fear of being caught asleep on the job. Sitting up in the chair, he waits for the clock to spell the end of his shift, as no one else besides the working man is awake to work during the holiday. Finishing his last spreadsheet of the night and waving silent greetings to coworkers before heading up and getting another cup of coffee in the break room. 

As his shoulders hunch over the counter, his hands, accustomed to the keyboard and paper, ache more and more if he dares ball them into fists, his back and neck giving up on him already, legs barely being able to move, his spirit broken and in shambles. He is another corporate slave. Somewhere in this god forsaken sheep of a man lies some dimly lit fire that all humans have. But this fire, like many others around him, is bound to die too early. A fire so weak you couldn't warm up your hands using it. In its last fleeting moment of existence, it rings out to its creator, crying with its final sparks. One call, one SOS, in even the hopes it could be saved. 

Out of nowhere, the waste of space feels two timid taps on his shoulder, waking him. The insect turns and sees a woman he's never seen before who's just about his height, maybe more, maybe less. She's in a formal office dress, with glasses to finish. 

"Where's your boss? I got a uh… meeting with him" She asks in a casual tone, not even giving him the attention to look fully into his eyes as she scouts the offices. 

"My boss?" The failure turns his attention, unable to form words but is surely confused by this strange woman in front of him who's looking at him as he only stares back. "Yeah… your boss. You do work here, right?" "Yeah, yeah, I work here… I think." Hundreds of questions, feelings and thoughts go through him as grows conscious at the very moment. As if his eyes had been closed his entire life he couldn't remember anything before this point of time. It let him think freely, if just for a little. 

The woman only growing more confused by what's happening in front of her taps him on the shoulder again. "Your boss. Where? I know he's on this floor somewhere, but there's too many closed doors and I don't have the time nor the patience today." Simply pointing his finger to an office door across the room. "Sampson. Right as you leave the room he's all the way on the left." The curious boy replies in an excited voice, a small interaction changing his mood. "Thanks…" she awkwardly puts out as she walks in the direction she was pointed too. "Who are you?" rings out behind her as she's leaving him. "Ana." she says."You probably won't see me again, so don't bother to remember it." "Kaito." He blurts out. "My name is Kaito Vanin." "Kaito Vanin… You should leave this place." And with that, she leaves him behind with his thoughts and questions. Unknowingly having given him, and that little fire, another chance.

Glad that the end of her objective is near, Ana hurries over, only seeing more and more of the workers here in the same trance as the last, even waving her hand in front of them to gain their attention but they all show no reaction at all. "Yeah, this is definitely the place…" Ana attempts to peer through the office window but with its blinds closed and the light off, it gets her nowhere. She tries the door but it's locked tight. Grabbing a pin out of her hair, she looks around to see if anyone would see her. "Somehow, I doubt the "employees" are going to do anything about me." She aptly begins attempting to lockpick the door. 

The pins align and the door opens, letting Ana push open the door. Walking in, her hand holding on to the sheath of a dagger that's in her jacket sleeve. At first glance there's nothing out of the ordinary, not even a person sitting at the desk inside, prompting her to walk further in, but as she goes further in, she steps in a small pool of liquid on the floor of the room. The liquid is thicker than water and, upon inspection, covering nearly the entire floor. As a couple more drops coming from above hit the floor, Ana looks up but doesn't see a ceiling at all. She winces her eyes and looks further in and sees dozens and dozens of melting cocoons, making the goop that's dripping onto the floor. Nearly Vomiting at the sight, Ana's attacked from behind, as a cocoon had just opened. Her hand tightens on her blade as she slashes forward to attack the assailant. 

As Kaito paces around his desk thinking about what just transpired, a cold, lengthy hand grasps his shoulder gripping tightly, someone's head and neck looming gravely over. Looking up he sees his own boss, Sampson

"Employee 9310421, you've stopped working." He states with a deep stern voice. "Why is that?"

Trying to respond, the Kaito breathes out and attempts to speak but no sound comes out and all of his breath draws out of his mouth. He closes his mouth and breathes back in to try again but the same thing happens as he couldn't speak. It gets to a point where it's as if he's throwing up, but with nothing coming out of his mouth. Beginning to lose feeling in his legs, he falls down, and with whatever strength is left, he looks up and sees a horribly disfigured… thing, no… A disgusting MONSTER, where Sampson used to be. With eight eyes instead of two, and hairy mandibles covering where his mouth would be. Kaito throws himself to the floor in an attempt to get away and run, standing up and bolting off to the elevator, but not before he's stabbed deep in the leg. A long claw had ripped through him with ease, making a rough hole around the size of a tennis ball in his thigh through and back. His screams are loud and ring through the entire room for everyone to hear, all the while, whatever spider-like creature Sampson is now crawls and jumps over him. The grotesque abdomen rubs its spinnerets and begins producing its silk to begin wrapping its new victim. "Just what the hell are you!?"

"Nothing in life is guaranteed besides death and taxes, Mr. Vanin. The cycle of nature eats the weak and it continues to the next, or as I believe humans say… It's just business, nothing personal."

Kaito reaches down an in attempt to free himself but his hands are grabbed and pinned to the floor and the web tightens around his ankles and shins. "No…" he thinks to himself. "No way in hell this is how I die, what even is this! This has got to be a dream or something! There's gotta be something I can do. Something, ANYTHING!"

Running footsteps are heard from a distance but close in quickly. A slam is heard on a nearby desk then a deep stab, followed by the screams of pain from the spider creature. The monster jumps across the room in view of the attacker and Kaito. Baffled, he sees the woman from earlier, Ana.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" "Just stay here, Kaito. In fact, didn't I already tell you to leave earlier?" Kaito opens his mouth to respond but realizes she's only correct. "Exactly." She flips her grip on her dagger and and cuts him loose in one clean slash. "Go. Run!" Following her directions, he limps away and hides himself under and between desks. 

"You've escaped us for too long. It's about time you've been dealt with, of you and your hold on these people." Sampson uses his multiple legs and claws and stab and hold up desks and attack, slamming them down and throwing them at Ana. Ana barely dodges these attacks and runs under, stabbing then pulling the dagger down the bottom of the body. Almost cutting all the way to the abdomen, Sampson slams his body down on her stopping her in her tracks, letting his leg slide reach under and grab Ana by the leg. Ana pulls herself up the leg and slices the claw holding her up. 

Kaito is watching this from a distance as he hides out of sight, but he's only mesmerized by this fight. Before, seeing that creature so up close filled him to the brim with fear, with him thinking he was fully going to die. But now his eyes follow Ana's every step, every decision she makes and Kaito follows, watching her intently. 

The battle is still only at a stalemate between our fighters. The spider missing a leg and some eyes with deep cuts all over its body, then Ana with broken bones all over, namely her rib cage and legs, these injuries nearly toppling the two. But between these two, only one has nothing to lose in life and isn't afraid to sacrifice themself for this victory. 

Ana turns the blade on herself, aiming it towards her stomach. Her breathing is heavy as her palms sweat, and her hands shake. She closes her eyes in hopes that'll help but even just the tip of the blade keeps her from committing. Kaito is appalled by what he's seeing. "Just what is she thinking!? You've got him on the ropes and you're gonna give up and kill yourself? Like hell you will!" Kaito rushes over just before she go through and grabs the dagger from her hand turning immediately over to the Spider with Ana behind him. "YOU!? You can see him? Wait, why are you still here!?" "I'm not just going to leave you with this guy, and I'll be damned if you killed yourself" Ana collapses on the wall behind her wincing in pain. "You idiot, I had this under control. I had a pla-" Kaito grabs and dives to the floor with Ana as a spiders claw narrowly misses them. "Just let me deal with this." Kaito stands and limps over in front of Sampson. "Fine! You wanna get yourself killed, be my guest!" He hears behind him as he steps back in front of the monster. 

The spider retracts its leg from behind Kaito and inspects it, seeing no blood. "I missed" remarks the spider. "It won't happen again, I'll assure you.. Ahhh… Mr. Vanin. The knight in shining armor, come to save the day." I suppose I be gorging myself today with two bodys. It's a Christmas miracle." Kaitos grips on the dagger tightens as he positions him and in a battle stance, ready to react. 

In quick succession the spider flings a desk over towards Kaito, forcing him to dodge, but he quickly charges towards him, his speed noticeably slower then Ana's. Regardless, he jumps up and stabs the side of an already scarred abdomen, but is thrown and crushed against a wall as Sampson slams his body. Kaito stabs again and again into his side attempting to open a deep hole into. Sampson continues flailing around his body, attempting to throw off Kaito, but flinging him around only drags the knife across his body only hurting Sampson more and more. As he collapses onto the floor from blood loss, Kaito crawls up to the head and raises the blade up, but that dagger was gone and in his hand was a sword of bright light, the dagger inside, making its handle. One stab into his neck clean through, ends up cutting his head off and onto the floor. Kaito stands triumphantly on the body, bruised and bleeding just like Ana before, before eventually falling off and onto the floor, the sword of light disappearing in his hands. 

Ana crawls over and kneels above him.

 "Kaito, what was that? Answer me!

"I-"

Before long digital beeping could be heard nearby. Kaito looks at his watch and turns off its alarm. "Would you look at that… It's 12:00… Merry Christmas." Kaitos head falls back as he's knocked out and asleep from his wounds.

"Merry Christmas indeed. One hell of a gift to get."

Ana picks the dagger up from Kaitos hand, his grip still tight on handle. She inspects the blade and turns the tip towards her stomach again. Like before her hands tremble and begin to sweat, before putting it down and into its hilt. "That shouldn't happen again. I need to commit. If I had just done it Maybe…" Her eyes look down again at Kaitos, then his injuries. Slowly she pulls the dagger and holds the sharp side against her palm and cuts only deep enough for a little blood to flow. She holds her hand over his thigh and eventually the exit and entrance wounds are covered by blood and aren't bleeding anymore.

"We'll find out what to do with you eventually. Whoever you are, Kaito Vanin."