Anomaly

(POV – Emily Parker)

Emily let out a soft sigh, her eyes fixed on the other side of the reinforced glass. Inside, two beings shared a moment of apparent calm, as if time flowed differently for them. One caught more attention: wrapped in a dark cloak that completely hid their body, they exuded a silent, enigmatic aura.

Atop their head, two curved horns, much like a ram’s, rose with an imposing presence, reinforcing a shadowy appearance that contrasted sharply with the room’s stillness. The artificial light subtly reflected off their silhouette, making their presence even more mysterious.

In contrast, the other entity had a much brighter appearance. Their hair, a radiant gold, shimmered as if reflecting sunlight itself. Hovering above their head, a golden halo floated gently, spinning almost imperceptibly.

Two feathered wings spread out from their lower back—one on each side—with white feathers that fluttered lightly, as if stirred by an invisible breeze. Though barely clothed, their body was draped in ethereal fabrics just enough to preserve modesty, wrapping delicately around essential parts like veils of light.

“They seem...” Laura began, her voice low and cautious, eyes following the subtle movements of the anomalies before them. Standing beside Emily, who remained silent but equally focused, she added: “Indifferent... as always”

Hearing Laura’s words, Emily nodded quietly, her gaze lingering a few more seconds on the two anomalies. There was something about them that unsettled her, but she didn’t show it. She took a deep breath and sighed almost imperceptibly before turning calmly. Then, she strode past Laura with firm, determined steps toward the door leading to the containment room where the anomalies were held.

“Let’s go” she said without looking back, her voice carrying a quiet weight.

The moment the door opened, Emily and Laura stepped into the containment room. The air was thick and still, as if the very atmosphere hesitated to move. Still, Emily sensed no threat from the two anomalies.

On the contrary—even knowing that, theoretically, those entities were among the most dangerous ever contained—there was something about them that made her believe they wouldn’t be hostile toward humans. It was a gut feeling hard to explain.

Yet, Emily hadn’t come to see the anomalies out of mere curiosity or to observe them up close. There was something more—both could be crucial pieces in a much larger puzzle. They might hold key clues about what was truly happening on the surface. After all, it was inexplicable how an unknown fog, carrying dozens of anomalies, had suddenly appeared, as if it had sprouted out of nowhere.

Emily figured she’d have to spend at least a few hours trying to persuade the two anomalies to cooperate. Naturally, she had a trump card—something that might sway them—but deep down, she doubted it would really work.

So, when she finally decided to play her ace, and to her surprise, both agreed to cooperate almost immediately, Emily was silent for a moment, unable to believe what she was hearing. It was as if reality had skipped a step—and that made her even more uneasy than she expected.

Watching the two anomalies before her, Emily furrowed her brow slightly, confused. Her eyes shifted between them, trying to figure out if this was some badly played joke or if they were really serious. Finally, she raised an eyebrow and murmured, her tone holding restrained disbelief: “...Are you... actually serious?”

Emily watched carefully as the two anomalies exchanged a brief, silent look, as if quietly assessing one another. Then, slowly, their gazes returned to Emily, and both nodded firmly and decisively in confirmation.

A mixture of surprise and curiosity washed over her—she never imagined it would be so easy to earn their cooperation. But what really impressed her was the unexpected way everything had unfolded.

“This is surprising... They seem strangely cooperative—not that I’m complaining, of course” Laura commented, shooting a curious glance at Emily, her tone filled with genuine surprise that exactly matched how they both felt at that moment.

Just mentioning the name [Angel of Death] seemed to carry enormous weight for both of them. Emily, for her part, was at a loss for words in that moment. For starters, most anomalies she usually dealt with lacked any real consciousness—and when they did have it, they were so malevolent they never cooperated, attacking at the slightest chance. In other words, Emily never expected to hold a conversation, much less such a complex dialogue, with those two anomalies.

Emily took a deep breath, letting the air fill her lungs for a brief moment. Though the situation had unfolded unexpectedly, it didn’t mean it was negative—quite the opposite.

A mix of anxiety and determination crossed her eyes as she made a clear decision in her mind. First, Emily decided to share everything happening on the surface with the two anomalies.

“Well, to start with... do you two have any sense, even a basic one, of what’s going on up there?” Emily asked, casting a sharp look from one face to the other.

The first to speak was the dark-looking anomaly—a figure wrapped in trembling shadows, as if darkness itself clothed them. Their voice echoed oddly in Emily’s ears: cold, distant, almost inhuman, but curiously serene: “I feel... many of them... on the surface” they murmured, as if the words were drawn from a deep well of supernatural perception.

Then, as if continuing the other’s words, the other anomaly spoke. Their voice was soft, almost ethereal, conveying a strangely comforting calm—though Emily couldn’t explain why it touched her so deeply.

There was a brief pause, as if the entity considered before speaking, and then their words came loaded with subtle curiosity: “Wasn’t that why the sister left?”

Emily simply nodded at both their words, adding nothing. They seemed to have some notion of what was happening... though she herself was still confused. The dark anomaly had mentioned “They” — but exactly who was she referring to? Was she talking about the other anomalies? That was the most logical assumption, and Emily wanted to believe it.

However, there was something in the tone that made her doubt. Even if it seemed to refer to the anomalies, it didn’t sound so straightforward. At least, not the way Emily understood what it meant to be an anomaly. There was an implicit tone, almost as if “They” was something beyond... or something different.

“You’re right” Emily began, nodding in agreement with the two anomalies’ words: “A dense fog suddenly appeared up there and... anomalies started emerging from it. They attack anything that moves, almost instinctively. It’s like some kind of ecosystem formed overnight in that place. We have no idea what caused it, much less how to stop it. That’s why... we sent your sister. For some reason, those anomalies out there seem not to attack her — or at least, not immediately upon seeing her”

Emily sighed as she finished her words, her voice carrying restrained exhaustion. Her eyes turned to the anomalies before her. Both blinked slowly, as if processing the information, then glanced at each other briefly — a silent look filled with mutual understanding.

In perfect synchrony, they answered in voices that sounded almost like an echo: “It’s definitely Nyara”

Emily blinked, confused, hearing the name suddenly arise in the conversation. She had no idea who — or what — could be behind that identity. Still, the fact that both anomalies pronounced the name at the same time, so synchronized and instinctively, made it clear: it wasn’t someone ordinary.

***

(POV – Protagonist)

Facing the black hole floating right ahead, a simple — and somewhat desperate — thought crossed my mind: (This thing isn’t going to, out of nowhere, start sucking everything around, is it? They say entering a black hole is an indescribably horrible experience… And considering my body is soft like jelly, I imagine it would be ten times worse for me than for a regular human. I’d probably turn into anomalous mush before even crossing the event horizon)

No matter how much I watched, it definitely didn’t behave like a regular black hole. There was something deeply wrong — or maybe extraordinary. When my eyes started glowing with rainbow colors and I looked back at it, the confirmation came immediately: the black hole was emitting intense light in multiple colors, like a cosmic prism boiling. In other words, I wasn’t facing an ordinary astronomical phenomenon... this was clearly something anomalous.

However, besides confirming that, I had no idea what I should do next. I mean, for starters, the reason we came here was precisely because we were following that light — after all, it was the only clue we had since all that fog took over the place.

By the way, Emily and Laura seemed to have gone off for something, because I haven’t heard either of their voices for quite a while now. Meanwhile, Victor and Rupert chatted occasionally, but it seemed more like a dialogue between them than a real attempt to talk to me or Arthur, who was by my side, alert but silent.

Anyway, when I finally reached the black hole, a knot of confusion formed in my mind about how to proceed. Arthur remained still, apparently focused, analyzing every detail of the situation with silent seriousness.

I, for my part, just stood beside him, absorbing the weight of the moment. For a moment, I looked away, taken by a strange feeling — the discomfort of knowing someone was watching me. My eyes slowly moved toward a nearby elevation.

At the top of a pole near the black hole, I fixed my gaze on the piercing red eyes of my Alter Ego. As always, I had no idea what he was thinking, nor why that cutting silence, that fixed and enigmatic stare that seemed to pierce my soul.

We stared at each other for a few seconds, the silence between us heavy with subtle tension. Then, suddenly, he slowly raised his hand and pointed with his extended finger. I followed the gesture with my eyes and realized he was indicating the black hole in front of us.

Honestly, I couldn’t understand what he expected me to do. My eyes shifted a few times between him and the dark abyss, a mixture of curiosity and confusion taking over me. After a few seconds, I forced my attention to fix solely on the black hole.

I stared at it for several minutes, not exactly knowing why I was doing that. There was something — a faint, almost imperceptible sensation — that seemed to be fitting into my mind while my eyes remained fixed on that black hole.

The swirling dark sphere, still yet restless at the same time, captured my attention in a strange, almost hypnotic way. For a moment, a silly and unexpected thought invaded my mind: that black hole seemed, somehow, rebellious.

Without saying a word, I started walking. Arthur noticed my strange movement but remained silent, just following me. His eyes slowly alternated between me and the black hole in front of us, as if trying to decipher something unspoken. It seemed like he wanted to say something, to convey something important, but the weight of the moment kept him quiet.

I became aware of the dense silence as I approached, feeling a growing pressure in the air. The more I advanced, the more a strange sensation awakened inside my mind — something seemed to “click” like a lost piece finally finding its place.

It was a strange feeling, a vague impression that I should remember something — or maybe someone. A face came to my mind, but its features were blurry, like distant shadows; the shape, mannerisms, hair and eye color — everything seemed completely unknown to me.

At that moment, a disturbing clarity hit me: there was something, hidden amid all this confusion, that reminded me of my past — a past I had forgotten. A fragment of it, lost and elusive, rested somewhere dark in my memory, waiting to be rediscovered.