Anomaly

Clearly, there was something missing in Nekra — fundamental things, like the concept of refusing something just because you didn’t like it. From what it seemed, Nekra didn’t understand the meaning of rejection, even when something was unpleasant to her. No matter how much she hated it, she would still do it as long as she had been assigned to do so.

At this point, one question remained: who exactly was the "she" Nekra occasionally referred to? Although I had some guesses, I couldn’t say I trusted them. The problem was that all my assumptions had obvious flaws, and those that seemed coherent, even from my point of view, sounded far too absurd to be true.

As absurd as they were, even those thoughts made some sense in a way. They explained a lot of things, including one fact I witnessed with my own eyes: Nekra killed the giant mutant fish without even moving.

Or rather, it seemed less like a murder and more like the creature simply gave up on living, surrendering itself to an eternal sleep willingly. Honestly, what kind of power was that? Could it be one of Nekra’s abilities? I had no idea what to think.

The reaction team members, who stayed at a distance, watched everything with perplexed expressions, clearly disturbed by the fact that Nekra had appeared out of nowhere, without any warning.

And to make matters worse, she had eliminated the huge mutant fish without even trying. If this scene didn’t haunt anyone’s nightmares, they’d better be locked up, because she was definitely not human — she was an anomaly.

To me, Nekra was like a cute little sister — or at least, that’s how I had been seeing her lately. But to think she possessed such immense power... it was hard to process. Of course, it wasn’t like I’d forgotten that, not long ago, Nekra had been dangerously close to causing a mass extinction on Earth.

It’s strange to think that what Nekra did to the mutant fish was something carried out while her powers were properly sealed. That alone seemed unbelievable. Also, knowing that there are six more virtues besides Nekra makes me reflect on how dangerous this world really is for someone who’s just an ordinary human.

If I hadn’t become an anomaly, I probably wouldn’t stand a chance of surviving. Honestly, being just a victim in this chaos, without even understanding what was going on, must be terrifying.

But putting my ramblings aside, what should I do now? I don’t think Nekra should be here. Although taking her with me would make the mission a lot easier, my pride just wouldn’t allow it. To me, Nekra is like a cute little sister — or at least that’s how I keep seeing her.

Of course, we’re not really siblings, we don’t share any blood ties or anything like that, but still, the idea has rooted itself in my mind. Anyway, taking her with me simply isn’t an option.

However, it wasn’t like I could just leave her here. Besides, I felt like sending her back without warning would be rude, especially considering she came here to help me.

Honestly, why am I complicating myself so much over this? Still, it wasn’t like I didn’t have a way to convince Nekra to go back on her own, and peacefully.

(...Nekra... can you go back to the place where we played with the dolls, can’t you?) I asked, watching as she briefly looked up and tilted her head innocently.

With a confused expression, Nekra’s voice echoed in my mind, tinged with a melancholic tone: (I can’t... go with... the white?... Nekra... wants to stay... together...)

The moment I heard Nekra’s words in my mind, a sense of confusion and division took over me. For some reason, something inside me urged me to accept her request, a feeling I didn’t even know I still had.

I’d say it was my emotional feelings at play, but the truth was that it confused me. Anyway, my logical side told me I shouldn’t agree. The simple idea of two anomalies, both considered dangerous by the organization, being out at the same time could get us into serious trouble.

How about this? If you wait for me patiently, I promise I’ll give you more ice cream than I normally do, I said, and upon hearing that, Nekra seemed visibly happier.

I won’t lie, the proposal sounds a bit absurd, but to me, it would be like giving gold to Nekra, if it were in human terms. I really didn’t know why I liked ice cream so much, but somehow, I just loved it.

I couldn’t control myself when I was near it, as if it were irresistible. I mean, ice cream is naturally delicious, sweet, and with a texture that wins anyone over. But, as much as I tried to understand, I had no idea why I had become so obsessed with it.

Putting that aside, I looked back at Nekra. As always, her face remained impassive, but for some reason, I could tell she seemed pleased with my proposal: (Okay... Nekra will... do as the white says...)

I slowly blinked my eyes, allowing the feeling of distance to settle as I separated from Nekra. In the next instant, the cloak surrounding her expanded, enveloping her completely, like a shadow stretching to swallow her. In the blink of an eye, she seemed to be sucked into the dark fabric, disappearing completely, as if being pulled by an invisible force.

As I watched, a doubt crossed my mind: from what I could tell, not all of Nekra’s powers had been stored inside me. I had no clear idea of what exactly I had absorbed. However, one thing seemed certain: Nekra still appeared to have most of her abilities.

In the end, I remained where I was, trying to process everything that had happened. The situation had unfolded so suddenly that it still felt surreal to me. I mean, Nekra had just appeared out of nowhere and eliminated the giant fish that had been chasing us since we arrived in the city.

Although this had ruffled my pride a bit, I couldn’t help but think that if I had known Nekra could defeat him so easily, maybe I should’ve called her earlier... though, to be honest, I had no idea how to do that anyway.

Speaking of which, after Nekra left, the reaction team members started to approach, their faces full of confusion. Well, I can’t blame them; they must be just as lost as I am. After all, Nekra appeared out of nowhere and, in the blink of an eye, took down the giant fish that had been chasing us.

“Even for someone like me, who’s seen it all in this job... this is probably one of the first times I’ve been saved by an anomaly. Somehow, that’s strange” one of the reaction team members commented as they came closer.

The others seemed to share the same uncertainty or, more precisely, didn’t know how they should react to this.

Being saved by an anomaly was probably not something that happened often... honestly, I doubt it’s ever been a real possibility for them.

And, honestly, I can’t blame them—considering that 99% of the anomalies we encounter want to kill us, this situation was anything but common.

Besides, at least up until now, all the anomalies I’ve encountered seemed, for lack of a better word, relatively primitive. I’m not sure that’s the right word, but what I mean is they acted instinctively, almost as if there was no reasoning or emotion behind their movements.

That makes everything even more unsettling because it leads us to believe that the primordial instinct of anomalies is to attack and eliminate humans. And, to my surprise, Nekra was the first anomaly I saw demonstrating the ability to think. However, from what I’ve heard from Emily and Laura, these anomalies, though rare, aren’t as uncommon as I thought.

While I and the reaction team members stood there, still a bit distracted, watching the giant fish now motionless, the leader’s firm voice echoed through the area: “Let’s keep moving. We’re close to the objective now. The faster we solve this, the sooner we can get out of here”

With that, following the leader’s orders, we moved deeper into the park... though I wasn’t sure that phrase made sense. After all, it was just a park. Still, compared to the rest of the city, it seemed oddly intact.

The storm continued to rage—heavy rain and increasingly strong winds—but somehow, the park remained indifferent, as if it were separate from the chaos surrounding it.

“This is strange... It’s like this place isn’t being affected, unlike the rest of the city. Maybe some kind of temporal dissonance?” one of the reaction team members remarked, watching the surroundings carefully.

I had no idea what the hell they were talking about. From my perspective, at least, it seemed obvious that this place wasn’t being affected simply because the anomaly responsible for everything was concentrated at the center of the park.

Of course, everything around us looked abnormal, especially the trees scattered throughout the park. For some inexplicable reason, they were still standing, despite the strong wind violently shaking them.

However, compared to what was going on outside, inside the park the atmosphere was relatively calmer, almost as if a strange barrier of tranquility surrounded it. In the end, I decided to stop overthinking it.

Thinking about this kind of thing was never my strong suit. Before becoming an anomaly, I was probably the type of person who always stood out for their failing grades in school.

Anyway, we kept walking for a while longer until we finally reached the center. I had no idea what to expect when we got there—maybe some kind of floating orb? Something grand and chaotic? Ultimately, my thoughts were simple. But considering I was... a simple anomaly myself, it didn’t matter.

I can’t say I wasn’t surprised—in fact, I was completely stunned by what I saw when we arrived at the center of the park. Or rather, what should’ve been the center, because, to my utter bewilderment, it simply didn’t exist anymore. Where it should have been, there was now a massive waterfall... but upside down.

The water wasn’t falling; it was rising, defying any logic. I know that doesn’t make any sense, but it’s exactly what I’m witnessing: a waterfall flowing upward, as if gravity had been reversed. And, at the top, at the most improbable point, rested a floating island, suspended in the air like a fragment torn from reality itself.

While the leader lightly pressed his ear, probably explaining the situation to Emily, I activated my eyes, focusing intently on what was happening in front of me. The sight was undoubtedly breathtaking, but something told me this wasn’t an anomaly.

The waterfall, although fascinating, didn’t display the characteristic colors I’d normally associate with one. There was nothing connecting it to the pattern of distortions I was used to seeing in anomalies.

So, in other words, the fact that there was a waterfall where the water flows upward instead of downward, in a strangely natural way, is something that, although it makes no sense, I can’t simply ignore. This is the reality I’m in, and, unfortunately, I can’t deny its existence.

In the end, denying it wouldn’t change anything. But, honestly, how is this supposed to work? Does this place have reversed gravity or something? At least, as far as I know, scientifically, that should be impossible.

And, just like me, all the reaction team members were there, frozen, watching the scene with expressions of confusion, not knowing what to say or how to explain what was happening in front of us.

However, while everyone, including myself, watched the scene in front of us with some admiration, one question lingered in my mind: (So... has anyone actually stopped to think about how we're going to get up there?)