Today is my birthday and I'm expecting my family to surprise me, this kind of thing happen every celebration and I'm used to it, the best part of this surprise taking is even tho I fake ring surprised, the happy faces they make is priceless, the gift I always cherish.

I should head home now...

I was already home, just infront of the door, excited to see what kind of surprise is behind this door.

It was very silent and for some unfound reason my heart started to race fast and my chest felt tighter, I was anxious.

I opened the door, the house was very dark and there was a strong rusty smell of blood circulating in the air.

I flicked the switch on and sees my family members lying dead on the floor, laying on their own blood,I was horrified, but then I remembered that it's my birthday and started thinking that this is probably another surprise gimmick.

Guys really, get up now, I was really surprised.

I laughed it off and waited for them to stand, a small liquid then dropped from above, I wiped the liquid with my hand and saw that it was red, I brought it closer for a sniff and found out that it was real blood.

I looked up to see an unidentified creature, standing right above me, it was crying red, and those red tears was blood.

What... What's that!?

The creature looked like me despite its blackness, he looked like a shadow that came to life, my shadow.

The shadow pointed at my lifeless family members, my mom, dad, and my little brother.

All the strength in me left my body, I was down on my knees and started to mourn my family members and screamed until my vocal cords snapped.

Despite the pain, my shout still remains, the screams started to get destructive that my own ears started to bled.

I dugged my fingers to the floorboard and my clear tears turned red to black.

My appearance slowly started to change, from my hair and skin color draining and turning pale white like a ceramic doll, unknown black tattoo that moves around my body and my eyes turning crystal purple.

As the color on me drained, the red blood that pooled the floor started to turn black and slowly turning my dead family black.

The black blood slowly floats in the air along with my family that turned into shadows just like the shadow that was me on the ceiling.

They were weeping red and slowly turned ash and vanished... I can't even burry them.

The house was cold and empty, the only thing you could only be able to hear would be my breathing, a cold mist that covered the house, cob webs and dust everywhere.

The house looked like it's been abandoned for many years... It's only been a year though and plus I'm not supposed to be seen here.

I should clean up...

I started cleaning the house, I turned on all the lights, opened every doors and window.

I first cleaned my untouched room and took some of my useful stuff, completely getting ready to survive, I then next went to my parents room to see it very messy.

There was a suitcase with clothes and necessities, the bed layered with clothes, and the cabinets open, were they packing?

A thought came to mind, the surprise might have been a trip to New Zealand haha, I then saw a letter under the lamp shade.

The letter consisted of

Honey if u ever found this letter that probably meant that we finally left, don't find us because we are horrible.

We're actually not your real parents, your parents was nothing, that's all I can say about them.

I hope u won't hate us but we really do love you, remember the time you turned 17?, there was 10 people who attended.

Each of them can reveal a part of your pass, behind this letter is a picture of them. Goodluck, we love you.

Before I could even looked at the back of the note, a hand grabbed my shoulder and dragged me down the stairs.

A shadow!

The shadow has a glowing eyes of yellow which means his power, yellow means tier three.

It's day so his abilities are reduced to tier two.

The battle started and techniques were unleashed, basic martial arts and self defense, but as time grows and the sun started to set I have known that the shadow was actually stalling time.

The shadow imitated me, my attacks were countered and blocked, and I know that I should end it fast as he is getting stronger.

I tackled the shadow to the ground, gripping him real tight in a lock, the shadows from my body started to grab the shadow, it was getting consumed.

Shadows aren't the only ones who get stronger once the sun sets, I also grow stronger every shadow I consume and everytime the sun sets.

My appearance when it's day is similar to the normal people, black hair and black eyes, thow I have to wear a turtleneck and jacket to hide the moving tattoos in my body but that's okay.

In nighttime, the colors in my body drains and turns to white, my eyes changes into a crystal purple, and my abilities gets even stronger to the point that it scares me.

After consuming the tier three shadow, I began to put on my attire that is similar to Machiavell, I put on my plain black mask and started to head out.

I traveled through the roofs of buildings and houses, using my abilities to not die when I do parkour, my speed increases to ten times a normal man can.

I spotted a tier four shadow attacking a child, the shadow had a green glowing eyes, even though my target is the shadow, my eyes can't help but fix on the child he is preying on.

He looks like my brother ...

I rush in action, oblivious of thee reaction, the tier4 shadowwho noticed my presence springed into action, counter attacking my advances, the shadow was strong as the clock has strikes twelve midnight already.

Every twelve midnight to 3 in the morning, all shadows will be in their best and fights efficiently, with their mirroring and mimics, plus with their inhumane abilities, it was a hard fight, I had no choice but to use some of my ability

A shadow scark like tentacles came out of me as part of my clothes, my attire which was made of shadow itself, it helps me use it as it's best and manipulate it's movement which helps me catch shadows.

The tentacle shadow helped me bind the tier 4 shadow and pin him to the wall, the tentacles spread on its body slowly curling the tier 4 shadow into a ball, but with its last struggle and last resort, the shadow screams in a sharp vocal snapping shout.

My heightened senses, especially my hearing was harmed in the process, my ears bled blackness and the bind loosens which made the tier 4 shadow escapes the tentacle.

More shadows arrived in the perimeter, from the lowest1 to the higher level 5 shadows emerged, it's gonna be an intense fight and I need to use many of my abilities but... I need to knock the boy.

I run towards the boy and hit the back of its neck while the tier 5 shadow hits my head, the boy got knocked out but so is my mask, the mask fell off my face revealing my color drained face and my glowing purple eyes.

The boy is already knocked which means that there will be no witnesses.

The boy is asleep, I can now play.

And just like that, I turned towards the shadows who came by, all of them seemed terrified and starts scrambling away but I don't let that happen.

Smoke slowly falls down my clothes slowly covering the ground with black smoke, binding tentacles then came out of the smoke and cathed all the 24 shadows who came to hunt me, some are pinned to the wall, slammed to the ground, and teared apart.

My pale snowy build loomed over the tier 4 shadow who called over his friends, my hand, "devour" and with a single command the green glow on his face fade and he turns into smoke and consumed.

The other shadows starts struggling and crawling attempting to escape their perish but all of them failed miserably and got consumed by me, after consuming each of those shadow and my abilities back to me, my eyes darted towards the unconscious boy who was sleeping under the broken light post.

I carried the boy back to my house and put him to my deceased brother's bed, he fitted perfectly, as my hands leave the boys body I noticed the heat radiating from him, he was very hot.

This kid is burning with fever, what ever..

I used my limited supply of medecines and tended to the boy, guilty of his fever that getting exposed of my shadow caused him, the boy's small frame was a little smaller than my brother but despite the differences, he still has the same happiness that only my brother can bring me.

I stayed up all night tending to him with a little dissatisfaction of not being able to use the young night to hunt more shadows and get stronger.