Anomaly

A few days after the incident with the book-shaped anomaly in the city, I spent the rest of the time quietly in my room, accompanied by Nekra. Keeping the promise I made last time, every time we had ice cream, I shared much more with her than before.

I won’t lie, seeing my ice cream disappear quickly makes me feel strangely melancholic, as if something is slipping away from me. Each spoonful she takes, I feel this curious sense of emptiness, as if I’m giving up something precious.

Of course, I try not to show this in front of Nekra. I feel that, even for myself, it would be incredibly childish to be sad just because I’m eating less ice cream than before.

Sometimes, I catch myself feeling like my mind works like that of a child, overreacting to small things. But deep down, I prefer to believe that this is just an impression of mine.

Anyway, something interesting happened: apparently, the success of the mission, especially because I was involved, made the higher-ups start to see real potential in the special classes.

I found out, by the way, that Rupert had a lot of influence in the decision, since he was the human leader — or something like that — present during the mission. Plus, the other team members seemed to have a favorable opinion of me, which undoubtedly helped solidify my position.

Speaking of which, since the mission, I haven’t seen Rupert or any other member of the team from that day. Well, I guess they’re on standby for new missions or something like that. Besides, it’s not like anomalies receive visitors often, and, honestly, I can’t think of any reason that would make them do something like that.

Of course, I don’t exactly know what this means or what impact this could have on my future, but I guess from now on, it should make them reconsider the use of special anomalies in missions or something like that.

Anyway, that’s everything that happened until recently... and by the way, for some time now, I’ve been feeling a strange weight on my head, like something is pressing on me.

(... Nekra, what are you doing?) I whispered mentally to Nekra, who, for some reason, seemed completely fascinated by my ram’s horns.

(You and I... we’re so alike...) Nekra replied mentally, her voice filled with a strange admiration, as if she were discovering something deeply significant in this.

In the end, I could only let out an exasperated sigh and let Nekra continue whatever it was she was doing with my horns. By the way, I never really stopped to question this, but... why did I get horns when I absorbed Nekra’s powers — or rather, part of them? There was no clear explanation, and the only answer I got from Nekra was a confused look and a simple "it’s always been like that" But what exactly has always been like that? I really don’t get it.

By the way, this doesn’t exactly relate to the situation we’re in right now, but there’s something I’ve noticed about Nekra recently. And, honestly, I don’t know why I didn’t notice it before. I mean, it was so clear, so obvious, but for some reason – maybe because I didn’t really want to admit it or face it – I just didn’t see it.

Even though she has organs, something I don’t have, for some reason Nekra’s organs don’t function. The biggest proof of this is right in front of me, at this very moment. With my head resting on Nekra’s chest, where her heart should be, I don’t hear anything. No sound, no beating.

It’s as if, inside, she’s completely hollow. However, the truth is that Nekra does have a heart, just like any other organ. The only difference is that, in her chest, Nekra’s heart simply doesn’t beat.

Nekra didn’t seem to notice much difference, but recently she noticed something peculiar: just like her, humans — like Laura and Emily, for example — also have hearts that beat incessantly. At first, this seemed strange to her, something that made her stop for a moment and reflect.

However, that was it. No doubts, no persistent curiosity. She didn’t give it much thought, and as a result, I decided not to delve into it either. Anyway, I can’t help but wonder what else the future holds for us, what other unexpected situations may arise.

I’ve been thinking a lot about conceptual virtues, but to be honest, it’s been less than a month and a half since Nekra arrived. It would be absurd for another virtue to appear so suddenly... right? Still, no matter how much I try to convince myself of this, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m just postponing the inevitable.

***

(POV - Laura Cavendish)

"So, why exactly did you want to see me?" Laura asked, fixing her gaze on the man in front of her. Arthur Hensley observed her for a moment, his expression unreadable, before any response escaped his lips.

"Hmm... I don’t think you need to be so cautious with me" Arthur remarked in a casual tone, a faint smile on his lips: "You know I’m not someone you need to distrust"

"You can’t blame me. The first time we met, the world almost ended. I can’t say I had a good first impression of you, you know?" Laura replied, keeping her gaze fixed and suspicious on Arthur. He, in turn, just shrugged, indifferent.

Currently, the two were in Laura’s office when, suddenly, she received an email. This time, there was an identified sender, but even if there hadn’t been, Laura was sure she could guess it was Arthur.

However, as the exchange of messages progressed, the conversation took a more personal turn than she would’ve liked. After all, it involved her precious little anomaly.

"Let’s get straight to the point. What exactly do you want with the [Angel of Death]?" Laura asked, her voice firm and devoid of any hesitation, as if there was no room for deviation or evasive answers.

Instead of showing any nervousness, Arthur calmly brought the cup of tea to his lips, savoring the hot liquid with ease. His deliberate and carefree gesture only fueled Laura's impatience, who observed each of his movements with increasing frustration. Noticing her unease, Arthur let a subtle smile escape, as though he found the situation amusing.

"Let’s calm down first. In a conversation, the one who lets impatience take over is usually the one who loses the argument. But don’t worry" Arthur said, flashing a small smile: "I have a good reason for being here today, and I bet both you and your boss will want to hear what I have to say"

Laura raised an eyebrow at Arthur’s words. To her, the news he was about to share didn’t seem important enough to really make her stop and think, especially since it directly involved the [Angel of Death].

However, for some inexplicable reason, a strange feeling began to grow within her—a subtle unease, as if she was being led, step by step, exactly where Arthur wanted her to go.

"Alright, let’s hear it. What do you have for me?" Laura asked, letting out a tired sigh, as if already anticipating a complicated answer.

At that moment, a tense, deep silence took over the room, as if time itself had slowed down. Laura lifted her gaze, locking eyes with Arthur across from her. The only thing she could focus on was the strange calm in his expression, a serenity that bordered on absolute confidence.

It was as though he knew, with unsettling certainty, that he would achieve his goals. Reluctantly, Laura didn’t want to admit it, but the truth was beginning to sneak into her mind: perhaps, indeed, there was a legitimate reason for him to need the [Angel of Death].

As she got lost in her own thoughts, Arthur’s voice sliced through the silence, causing Laura to flinch slightly at his words. He spoke with a mix of enthusiasm and seriousness: "I’ve been diving deep into conceptual virtues lately, and with the arrival of Death, I’ve finally located another virtue, more or less"

Laura couldn’t hide her surprise. Although she had been prepared for any type of conversation, she had to admit this was one she hadn’t expected. In truth, it wasn’t like the organization hadn’t been investigating virtues since the discovery of death.

However, so far, their research hadn’t yielded anything concrete—just vague, almost mythological stories that could be classified as local legends or something of the sort, without any real basis.

"Are you serious?" Laura asked, her eyes wide with surprise: "Or rather, how exactly did you manage that?" She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, her voice mixed with disbelief and curiosity.

"Of course, I wouldn’t lie about this. Well, as for the method... let’s just say that similar energies have a curious way of attracting each other" Arthur replied, flashing an enigmatic smile, as if he was holding a secret only he understood.

Laura had to admit: this news was undoubtedly something that Emily... no, something the entire organization should know. Since the moment death was discovered, it had been classified as a Nihilum-class anomaly.

In other words, it was an anomaly with enough power to annihilate human life. For this reason, it was of utmost importance for the organization to gather all possible information that could lead to the location of other virtues, so they could be contained properly and safely.

"So, you know where the portal to this new virtue is?" Laura asked, her gaze fixed on Arthur, seeking answers: "I assume the method to summon it is the same as with Death, right? Through the [Angel of Death], like last time?" She added, her expression curious but filled with doubt.

The moment she asked, Laura felt Arthur’s gaze on her for a brief second, as if he was assessing something in her expression. In the next moment, he placed his cup down on the table with a soft clink and let out a subtle sigh—almost imperceptible, but enough to leave Laura intrigued and confused.

Arthur looked directly at Laura and, with a sigh, commented: "As you mentioned, I was able to locate the portal. However, when I arrived, it was already open. Judging by the complete destruction I found there, it seems this happened quite some time ago"

Hearing Arthur’s words, Laura felt a sudden shiver run down her body, as if her strength was being drained by an invisible weight. She understood what he was saying, but her mind refused to accept it. For a moment, she thought she was hearing things because, if what he was saying was really true, it could only mean one thing.

"So... you’re trying to tell me..." Laura began, but was cut off by Arthur, who, with an urgent tone, interrupted her before she could finish the sentence.

"She's out there, probably been there longer than I’d like to imagine, much longer than my mind can process. But the truth is, I have no idea where she could be now. That’s why I’ll need the [Angel of Death]’s help. You mentioned she felt Death’s presence before, right? I have some clues that might guide us to the new virtue, but honestly, I don’t think I can find it without her intervention" Arthur said, his voice dragging as if the weight of his words was heavier than he could bear, as he slumped in his chair with a heavy sigh.

In the end, after hearing Arthur’s words, one single thought took over Laura’s mind, like a weight too impossible to ignore: (We’re screwed)

Of course, while the fact that nothing had really happened yet was a relief, Anomalies were unpredictable. In an instant, what seemed like a friendly anomaly could turn hostile, and the opposite was just as possible.

To be honest, this sudden change happened more often than Laura liked to remember. The instability of these entities made any moment of calm an illusion, a breath before the storm.