The internet worked horrifyingly fast.
By morning, Eve had become a conspiracy theory.
Again.
She sat cross-legged on the floor of her ruined apartment while staring at dozens of shaky cellphone videos playing across a stolen laptop Nyx had “liberated” from an electronics store overnight.
Eve called it theft.
Nyx called it tactical acquisition.
The videos were terrible quality.
Blurry black movement.
White eyes in darkness.
Screaming.
Gunfire.
At one point someone captured three full seconds of Eve clinging upside-down to the ceiling while black tendrils tore through the hallway.
The comments were worse.
BLACK SUIT SPIDER-MAN???
nah that thing ate somebody bro
average tuesday in new york honestly
definitely a mutant
OSCORP COVERUP AGAIN???
Eve buried her face in her hands.
“Oh my God.”
Nyx sounded pleased.
“We appear intimidating.”
“There are PEOPLE calling me a sewer demon.”
“A reasonable assessment.”
“That is NOT comforting.”
Another video loaded.
This one showed the aftermath outside the apartment building.
Police tape.
Destroyed windows.
One traumatized witness yelling:
“IT HAD TEETH EVERYWHERE!”
Nyx sounded thoughtful.
“I did not deploy maximum teeth.”
“That sentence should never exist.”
Eve closed the laptop with a groan.
The apartment was somehow even more depressing during daylight.
Bullet holes covered the walls.
The ceiling sagged ominously.
One corner still had black symbiote residue pulsing faintly like living tar.
And the smell of blood absolutely refused to leave.
The landlord had pounded on the door an hour earlier.
Eve pretended to be asleep.
Mostly because explaining “sorry my alien rage parasite fought paramilitary mercenaries in the kitchen” felt socially complicated.
Nyx stretched lazily beneath her skin.
“You require nutrients.”
“I require therapy.”
“Food is faster.”
Eve sighed deeply before standing.
Her body still hurt from the anti-symbiote weapon.
The electric discharge had burned through both her and Nyx simultaneously.
That alone terrified her.
Until now, part of Eve secretly believed they were invincible.
Fast healing.
Enhanced strength.
Living armor.
Comic-book nonsense.
But last night proved otherwise.
They could still die.
Nyx sensed the emotional shift immediately.
“You are afraid.”
“Yes.”
Silence lingered briefly.
Then surprisingly—
“So am I.”
Eve froze.
That answer felt…
important.
Nyx rarely admitted vulnerability.
Mostly because the symbiote usually communicated through sarcasm, murder suggestions, or possessive commentary about attractive women.
But fear?
That was new.
Eve sat slowly on the edge of the bed.
“You thought they’d kill us.”
“Yes.”
The honesty hit harder than expected.
Beneath all Nyx’s violence and arrogance—
there was fear too.
Fear of being captured again.
Experimented on.
Controlled.
Eve remembered the laboratory tanks.
The dead specimens floating inside glass.
Suddenly her anger shifted direction.
Not toward Nyx.
Toward whoever created this nightmare.
Nyx coiled slightly closer around her thoughts.
Warm.
Protective.
“We survived.”
“…Yeah.”
Together.
That word stayed unspoken.
But both of them felt it.
A loud crash outside interrupted the moment.
Followed immediately by distant screaming.
Eve blinked.
“…Please tell me New York isn’t under attack again.”
Nyx listened carefully.
“Multiple impacts.
West side.”
A second later—
a massive green figure flew across the distant skyline.
Eve watched through the broken window in complete silence.
“…Was that Hulk?”
“Yes.”
Another explosion echoed somewhere downtown.
Car alarms erupted instantly.
Nobody on the street even seemed surprised anymore.
A woman calmly continued walking her dog.
A taxi driver yelled at the sky.
Some guy bought pretzels.
Marvel civilians were fundamentally broken people.
Eve stared blankly at the chaos outside.
“I hate this universe.”
“You are adapting well.”
“I watched a giant green rage monster body-slam a helicopter before breakfast.”
“Yes.”
“That should NOT become normal.”
Nyx paused thoughtfully.
“…It was impressive.”
“You’re impossible.”
Eventually Eve forced herself to leave the apartment before the building physically collapsed around her.
The city air smelled like rain, gasoline, and burnt electricity.
New York somehow looked even more alive after surviving the night.
Like the city itself enjoyed chaos.
Eve kept her hood up while navigating crowded sidewalks.
Too many people recognized “The Black Ghost” already.
One teenager nearby whispered loudly:
“Yo I think that’s her.”
Eve immediately turned around.
Nope.
Absolutely not.
Fame was terrifying.
Nyx disagreed.
“Fear creates survival advantage.”
“Internet weirdos are not a survival advantage.”
“They appear weak.”
“That is NOT the point.”
Her stomach growled painfully.
Nyx reacted instantly.
“Hunger.”
“Yes, I noticed.”
“We should consume protein.”
“You say that like a supervillain.”
“We ARE technically supervillains.”
“We are unemployed.”
“Temporary distinction.”
Eve entered a small convenience store to buy food with what little cash remained.
The cashier barely looked awake enough to perceive reality.
Probably healthier that way in New York.
Eve grabbed instant noodles, chips, and bottled water.
Nyx disapproved immediately.
“These nutrients are inadequate.”
“We’re broke.”
“We could hunt.”
“We are NOT eating people.”
“You continue limiting efficiency.”
The cashier suddenly glanced up from his phone.
Then froze.
Recognition.
Oh no.
“…Wait.”
Eve internally screamed.
“Aren’t you that—”
She bolted instantly.
The cashier shouted behind her.
Someone pulled out a phone.
Eve sprinted through the crowd while Nyx laughed directly inside her brain.
“This city recognizes us rapidly.”
“I’m becoming cryptid-famous!”
“You sound distressed.”
“I AM DISTRESSED.”
She ducked into an alley breathlessly.
Then immediately stopped.
Because someone else stood there already.
Maya.
Leaning casually against the brick wall while sipping iced coffee.
Amber eyes locked onto Eve instantly.
“…You know,” Maya said slowly, “running from convenience stores usually looks suspicious.”
Eve nearly died from embarrassment.
Again.
“How do you keep appearing everywhere?!”
“I live here.”
“Right.
Forgot New York belongs to you.”
Nyx immediately became alert.
“She approached silently.”
“She’s a mutant, not Batman.”
“She could still be dangerous.”
Eve tried ignoring the sudden warmth flooding her chest.
Maya looked unfairly good today.
Dark oversized hoodie.
Ripped jeans.
Silver rings across her fingers.
The kind of exhausted beauty that made Eve’s brain stop functioning.
Nyx noticed immediately.
“Heart rate elevated.”
“I KNOW.”
Maya tilted her head slightly.
“You okay?”
“Define okay.”
“You really do talk like somebody in a sitcom.”
“That’s trauma.”
“Fair.”
For a moment they simply stood there listening to distant traffic and rainwater dripping from fire escapes overhead.
Then Maya’s expression shifted slightly.
More serious.
“I saw the news.”
Eve stiffened immediately.
Danger.
Nyx tensed beneath her skin.
“Careful.”
Maya crossed her arms.
“That thing in Chinatown.”
“…Yeah.”
“That was you.”
Not a question.
A statement.
Eve’s pulse spiked hard.
People passed near the alley entrance.
Too close.
Too exposed.
Nyx whispered sharply:
“She knows.”
“No kidding.”
Maya watched her carefully.
Not fearful.
Not aggressive.
Just waiting.
Eve swallowed slowly.
“…You should probably run.”
Maya blinked once.
“What?”
“I’m serious.”
Black veins flickered faintly beneath Eve’s neck.
Instinctive.
Agitated.
“I don’t really have control over my life right now.”
Maya stared at the moving darkness beneath Eve’s skin.
Then quietly asked:
“Is it hurting you?”
Eve froze.
That wasn’t the reaction she expected.
No disgust.
No panic.
Concern.
Nyx noticed too.
“…Unexpected response.”
Eve looked away briefly.
“It’s complicated.”
“I guessed.”
Silence settled again.
Maya finally pushed herself away from the wall.
“Well.”
She took another sip of coffee casually.
“I’m not exactly normal either.”
Purple energy flickered briefly around her fingertips.
Tiny glowing threads spiraled through the air before vanishing.
Eve stared.
Pretty.
Dangerous.
Absolutely her type.
Nyx sounded annoyed.
“You are staring again.”
“She literally has glowing powers.”
“You continue focusing on aesthetic traits.”
“I’m a lesbian, Nyx.
That’s how this works.”
“That remains biologically alarming.”
Maya smirked faintly.
“You gonna tell me your name this time?”
“…Eve.”
“Cool.”
No visible reaction.
No “holy shit monster girl.”
No fear.
Just acceptance.
Eve genuinely didn’t know how to process that.
“So,” Maya continued, “you’re either: A) a mutant, B) cursed, C) possessed, or D) all of the above.”
Eve considered it carefully.
“…Honestly?
Probably D.”
That earned a laugh.
God.
That laugh was becoming dangerous to her emotional stability.
Nyx seemed to agree.
“She destabilizes you.”
“You destabilize me.”
“I do so intentionally.”
“THAT’S WORSE.”
Maya narrowed her eyes slightly.
“…You definitely aren’t alone in there.”
Complete silence.
Eve’s soul left her body.
Nyx became intensely alert.
“She noticed.”
“How did she notice?!”
“You speak aloud constantly.”
Maya sighed.
“You keep responding half a second too late.”
“…Oops.”
Surprisingly—
Maya didn’t step away.
Instead she leaned closer slightly.
Curious.
Interested.
“You got another voice in your head?”
Nyx spoke immediately.
“She is perceptive.
Dangerous.”
“She hasn’t attacked us.”
“Yet.”
Eve hesitated.
Every survival instinct screamed not to trust anyone.
But Maya already suspected enough to become a problem if she turned hostile.
And somehow…
Eve didn’t think she would.
“…Her name is Nyx,” Eve admitted quietly.
Maya blinked.
“Her?”
Nyx immediately sounded smug.
“She adapts quickly.”
Eve rubbed her face tiredly.
“Yes.
Her.”
Maya stared for several long seconds.
Then:
“That is either deeply horrifying or kinda adorable.”
Eve nearly choked.
Nyx seemed delighted.
“I approve of this human.”
“That’s the fastest you’ve ever liked someone.”
“She called us adorable.”
Maya looked between Eve’s expressions carefully.
“…Can she hear me?”
“Yes.”
“Can SHE talk?”
Before Eve could answer—
black biomass slowly crawled across her shoulder.
Then formed a smooth feminine face beside her neck.
White eyes opened lazily.
Maya froze instantly.
Nyx smiled.
It was not a comforting smile.
“Hello.”
Silence.
A car alarm echoed somewhere nearby.
Rain tapped softly against metal fire escapes overhead.
Maya stared directly at the symbiote face emerging from Eve’s body.
Then calmly said:
“…Okay.
That’s hot and terrifying.”
Eve stopped functioning.
Nyx looked deeply pleased.
“I like her immensely.”