CONTENT WARNING: Launguage, and somewhat violent

A white sparkle of light formed, it kindled as small clusters of light began to accumulate to a centerpoint. It grew bigger and bigger until it stopped. An essence was formed. It wandered in the darkness that was the void for an essence. The cluster moved around relentlessly, like as if it was looking for something, but to no avail.

The space around it began to distort, a dim light began to appear around it. The darkness became a midnight blue, scarce white dots appeared above it, and building formed below it. A moon was visible above, it was a night in a city setting. The essence floated across the horizons of the city, with lights flashing, the cars speeding through roads, and buildings never ending throughout view. The essence felt a strange presence, like as if it was attracted toward it like a magnet. It would lower itself between buildings until it spotted the cause of the attraction. It was a familiar face that it had seen before. It was Charlie. But it felt different, not the same. It didn't possess an essence that it aggravated it, but neutral. He seemed battered and bruised like as if he got himself into a fight. He carried a plastic bag, it was torn and had beat up fruits in it. On his other hand, there was a red line marked on his fingers, indicating that he had another one, but likely was snatched away with struggle. The essence followed him, like to spectate his next actions.

The Charlie would occasionally rub his left shoulder, as if it ached or hurt. Eventually, he would make a turn on another alleyway, but that's when he's confronted by a gang in front of him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that from behind he was also blocked. "Give us your goods," one said almost politely to avoid any violence. "I don't have anything worth value. You can see I barely have anything good for myself." He looked down at his plastic bag of beat up fruits.

"He said to give us your shit," another said aggressively and cockily with a smile. Charlie gave a neutral face to the situation as he sighed. He pulled the pouches from his pockets outwards to show that he had nothing in his pants, he took out his wallet and displayed a lack of cash, and any sort of cards.

"There. Nothing, like I said. If you want the fruit then take it I guess."

The first man sighs as he reluctantly picked up the bag of fruits. "Good enough I suppose."

"No way! Look at the coat he's got! It's leather with fur! That's GOT to be worth way more." The second said sternly. He turned to look at Charlie as he slowly approached him to grip his coat. Charlie didn't take his approach and intent lightly as he grabbed his wrist. "Don't get any ideas."

"HA, so there is value to this thing!"

"It has no value in money, it's probably shit in a market. But it's rich in emotional value."

The man gave a disgusted look as he pulled back and pulled out a gun in Charlie's face. Charlie would be stunned at first glance but recollected himself to what was in front of him. Before he could grab the gun away from him, all the people around him pulled out their guns as well. The first man with the bag approached to the second and placed his hand on the other's shoulder. "It's not worth the bullet, Terreben." The man then turned to look at him, "Fuck that! This fucker thinks he's all that by being calm and poised! I'm gonna wipe his face against the pavement when I'm done with him." Terreben said with intent of pulling the trigger. Charlie then made his move as he grabbed his wrist to point upwards as Terreben shot. Charlie then suckered punched him in the stomach, knocking him against a wall where he slid down against it onto the ground.

Charlie was heavily breathing after pulling that stunt, he then looked up and around to the first man. He had his arm out to not have anyone shoot at Charlie for it. He looked down at Terreben who was gasping for air as his hands couldn't grasp his pistol properly. "I told you it wasn't worth the bullet."

Terreben clenched his teeth as he slowly got back up to stare up at Charlie. He then presented his gun back into his face, but before Charlie had the chance to react, Terreben's gun was shot away from his hands by the first man.

"FUCK WAS THAT FOR KYOFU?!"

"You should've understood to stand down."

"Why you fucking-!"

Terreben tried to swing at Kyofu, but a grunt behind him shot Terreben from behind in the shoulder as Terreben then dropped onto the ground, grasping his wound to prevent the bleeding. "The... fuck..."

Kyofu then kneeled down at Terreben's level, "We'll have a talk with cheif when we get back. I doubt she'll be thrilled that you didn't listen to my instruction." Terreben then grunted in pain as Kyofu turned his attention to Charlie. But before he could say anything, a voice that loomed above echoed before them. "I don't think that talk is necessary for Terreben." A female voice resonated in the night sky. She hopped down to the ground as she rested her hand up onto Kyofu. "He's demoted to grunt status." Terreben then growled at her, "Demoted...? You've got to be shitting me..."

"I told you that if you defy instructions and wanted to figure the consequences, you'd have to fuck around and find out." Terreben then grunted in pain again as she dropped the topic before focusing on Charlie.

Charlie, clearly confused and frozen from the situation stood in silence as he spectated the events before him.

"You look pretty beat up for someone who didn't get hit during that fight."

"I was already mugged a block down."

"So that explains the lack of anything of value."

"Not like as if I had anything to begin besides a debit card and coupons."

"At least the coupons would've been worthwhile."

"I doubt it, 5% off doesn't sound enticing."

"Guess not."

"Yeah."

She smirked at the back and forth conversation about coupons. She found it endearing to how tame Charlie was to the entire ordeal. "Y'know what, I like you. How about you join my team here. You wouldnt have to deal with solo strays here and there and hell you'd live a better life than you are right now." She said with clear intent of having Charlie join her party. But Charlie frowned as his brows burrowed and shook his head no. "I'd rather not be apart of a group where I'd be told to do things and not have my own free will," Charlie said sternly. "If it's benefits, don't worry, you'd be able to live however you want as long as-" "No."

She paused. There was a moment of silence, only staring between everyone present. She aimed her gun at Charlie, and before he could blink, she shot him in the chest, hitting a lung. Charlie dropped onto the ground on his back, struggling to breathe which each gasp weaker than the last. The gal approached him as she kneeled before Charlie, overshadowing him underneath the alleyway light as she pressed the gun against his forehead. "Welp, I asked and you declined. I wouldn't bother ask a second time, so your own loss." Charlie's vision began to slowly blur as his breathing grew weaker and weaker. "Since you didn't want to comply and join us, leaving you to do whatever after seeing us isn't an option. So for us to ensure that you wouldn't go spilling information or anything to any authority. I can't have you ruining anything..." She said almost quietly, only for him to hear. She then smirked as she then said, "Tell whoever you see in heaven that Charlotte sent you." A gunshot was then heard.