Anomaly

Both Laura, Victor, Arthur, and I were lost in our thoughts, though it was obvious that their reasons were completely different from mine. Still keeping my eyes fixed on the wall in front of me, I briefly wondered what exactly that could be.

However, I quickly decided to push the question aside. Intelligence and deep analysis were never my strong suit in situations like this. Instead of overthinking, it would be much easier to test it out.

Anyway, Laura, Victor, and Arthur seemed busy discussing something among themselves, probably wouldn’t notice if I disappeared for a few seconds. With that thought in mind, I stood up, balancing on the tree branch.

The next moment, a simple thought crossed my mind: I wanted to reach the wall. As soon as the idea popped up, a purple mist began to gently emanate from my body.

The mist gathered around me, swirling slowly before starting to take shape. In an instant, it transformed into a completely black cloak, its edges seemingly burning with violet flames. The cloak wrapped around me entirely, and the next moment, I felt my feet lift off the ground. I was floating gently, which made me blink in confusion.

Honestly, I thought this thing could only glide, but well, it’s too late to question it now. What’s the logic here? How the hell does a cloak make me fly with no visible support? Of course, trying to apply logic to an anomalous ability is already absurd in itself.

I glanced briefly in Laura, Victor, and Arthur’s direction, but they were still deep in conversation. I didn’t know exactly what they were talking about, but judging by Laura’s anxious expression, they were probably discussing our current situation.

Deciding to leave that aside, I floated over to the nearest branch and continued moving from tree to tree. Once I reached the wall that seemed to define something, I stopped for a moment to observe it carefully.

I looked up but couldn’t see the top of the wall; it seemed to stretch endlessly upwards, with no defined end. Anyway, I had something to test, and that’s why I came here.

Without hesitation, I passed through the wall. On the other side, I took a quick glance around and honestly, nothing seemed to have changed. To be honest, I already expected this. After all, if we’re walking in circles, we’ve probably passed by one of these walls before.

The forest on the other side looked identical to the one I had seen before. Although I already had an idea of what might be happening, I decided to test my theory first. I continued floating smoothly between the tree branches and, within seconds, spotted Arthur, Victor, and Laura discussing our situation. Additionally, I noticed a tree near Victor with a marking. That’s when everything clicked, and I understood exactly what was happening.

(So, crossing these walls makes us return to the starting point? Honestly, even knowing this, I still can’t understand how it works. Is the wall some sort of teleportation portal or something?) I thought, tilting my head slightly to the side and blinking in confusion.

However, as quickly as those thoughts appeared, I dismissed them. It didn’t make sense to try and solve this mystery relying solely on my intelligence. It seemed more logical to use it to figure out a way to get us out of here.

But there was one problem: how could I explain to them that I figured out how to leave, considering I can’t speak? Fortunately, that doubt didn’t last long.

(Well, I guess I’ll just bother them in my usual sneaky way) I thought, shrugging.

With that thought, I gently jumped from the branch I was on. Despite being at a considerable height, my fall was incredibly light, almost as if the air itself was supporting me. Although I didn’t fully understand how my Alter Ego worked, I couldn’t deny that, so far, it was probably the most powerful anomalous ability I had.

As strange as Victor's idea might seem to an outside observer, Laura, who practically dealt with the anomaly on a daily basis, eventually agreed that it made some sense. After all, if she stopped to think about it, this wasn’t the first time the anomaly had shown signs of, in some way, trying to help them. However, this seemed to be the first time it was guiding them of its own accord rather than as a result of some coincidence.

***

(POV - Laura Cavendish)

Laura sighed once more, reflecting on her situation. What had started as a simple reconnaissance mission had led to the release of an extremely powerful anomaly, and now she found herself trapped in a forest that, apparently, kept them walking in circles. Not to mention, there were zombie deer and, who knows, more anomalous creatures lurking.

(Honestly, it can’t get worse than this, right?) Laura thought, another sigh escaping her lips.

However, as soon as that thought crossed Laura’s mind, she felt something brushing against her lab coat from behind. It was just a light push, but given the extreme stress she had been under since they arrived in the village — with everything going wrong at every step — the fear that had been building up inside her finally exploded.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaa! Oh my god, something’s behind me!” Laura screamed, using all her lungs, which immediately grabbed Arthur and Victor’s attention.

But, contrary to what Laura had imagined — with Arthur already ready to draw his weapon — both just stared at her, raising their eyebrows in doubt. Their reaction made Laura calm down a bit; after all, if they didn’t seem alarmed, there was probably nothing dangerous behind her, right? With that thought, Laura turned around. Her golden eyes, shining like candles, were staring at her. It was the little anomaly, tilting its head slightly to the side, visibly confused.

When Laura saw who had tugged on her coat, she finally felt relieved. Her heart was still racing, but, out of all the times, this had been the most intense. She truly believed this time she wouldn’t survive.

Laura wondered if the little anomaly had any idea how much it had scared her, but, as much as she looked, it didn’t seem to be the case. While the anomaly stared at her, Laura wondered what was going on. It was rare for the creature to take the initiative to interact.

And, while she got lost in these thoughts, the anomaly tugged on her lab coat, as if trying to guide her. Laura was confused; she couldn’t understand why the little anomaly, who had seemed indifferent until now, was acting this way.

Laura glanced briefly at Arthur and Victor, but both seemed as confused as she was. Well, being the scientist specialized in anomaly studies, it was theoretically her responsibility to uncover everything about these beings. Still, Laura was able to interpret, to some extent, what the anomaly was trying to communicate.

With this thought, Laura turned to Arthur and Victor, who were watching the situation with intrigued looks, and explained: “I think it wants us to follow it. Though, to be honest, I have no idea why”

Arthur and Victor exchanged a brief, confused glance before Victor turned his attention back to the surroundings. Beyond the oppressive darkness, the faint mist continued to limit any attempt at visibility. Adding to that, the unexpected reappearance of the marking Victor had made earlier could only mean one thing: something was manipulating the environment around them.

Either they were completely lost, or something was deliberately disorienting them. Victor decided to bet on the second hypothesis. He had full confidence in his excellent sense of direction and sharp senses, abilities that had always kept him oriented even in the most adverse situations.

If they had been walking in circles, he would have certainly noticed. However, since that wasn’t the case, the most plausible explanation was that the forest—or whatever it had become—was interfering with their senses, intentionally weakening them.

With these thoughts in mind, Victor turned his gaze back to the [Angel of Death]. As bizarre as it was, he began to consider a possible reason why the anomaly was behaving this way: “Could it be... that it found a way to escape this forest?”

***

(POV – Protagonist)

As usual, I simply held onto Laura's lab coat and started pulling it, which was enough to catch her attention. Shortly after, Laura, Arthur, and Victor began speculating about the reason for my unusual behavior.

I won’t deny it, it’s true that I rarely act like this. In any case, I eventually started guiding Laura, who was right behind me, while Victor and Arthur followed closely.

When I activated my eyes, the environment around me transformed. I could now clearly see the barriers marking the limit where we always returned to the starting point. I followed these barriers carefully, making sure not to cross them.

I don’t know what the scene looked like from their perspective, but they kept walking in circles. At one point, the three of them started wondering why, so far, the only anomalies they had encountered were the deer.

In reality, I had been eliminating all anomalies before they even had a chance to approach us. Of course, it wasn’t something I did directly; it was my Alter Ego that handled it.

Besides the zombie deer, there were several other creatures lurking around—bears, wolves, and even birds turned into zombies. Honestly, would any ordinary human survive in a situation like this?.

It’s simply impossible to see anything in this fog, and the fact that something could emerge from it at any moment only makes things worse. I’d rather not even imagine what would happen to the three of them if I wasn’t here.

Speaking of which, Arthur—the man I met recently—barely exchanged words with me, but I could tell he was curious from the looks he threw my way every now and then.

Honestly, Arthur’s stares didn’t bother me one bit. I mean, I’m used to being treated like an object of study. Right now, my “new normal” is being constantly watched and analyzed by several people.

Speaking of studies, I remembered an occasion when one of the scientists tried to poke me with a needle. He probably wanted to take a blood sample from me.

Needless to say, before he even touched the needle to me, my Alter Ego suddenly appeared, plunging the room into complete darkness. The next instant, the scientist was on the floor, desperately apologizing.

It was probably after that incident that the scientists gave up on using methods that involved hurting me. In short, my Alter Ego was a good “boy”—at least until someone tried to harm me in any way.

I kept guiding the three of them through the maze while my Alter Ego dealt with the threats around us. At one point, the paths of the maze began to align, becoming straighter. Instinctively, I looked up, but I still couldn’t see the top of the seemingly endless walls.

Even with my extraordinary vision, which didn’t rely on the use of my eyes, escaping this place would be impossible—after all, without being able to see the walls, I wouldn’t be able to find the exit.

The most likely outcome would be me wandering endlessly through the forest until those monsters surrounded me, and, well, my end would be anything but peaceful... Of course, that's assuming that in this situation, I wasn't an anomaly, but just a human.

While I was lost in my thoughts, Laura, who was walking right behind me, glanced around with a wary look. After a few moments of observation, she remarked: "Maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t the mist seem to be thinning out? I think I can see what’s ahead more clearly now"

Hearing Laura's words, everyone stopped for a moment, their gazes shifting around. I followed suit, letting my eyes return to their natural state—golden and glowing like candles. As Laura had noticed, although it was still dark and a bit foggy from the mist that surrounded the forest, the atmosphere felt less suffocating compared to before. Additionally, visibility had improved significantly, as it was now possible to see more clearly.

At that moment, I let go of Laura’s lab coat and took a few steps forward, observing the surroundings more carefully. By the way, Laura let out a sigh of disappointment when I released her lab coat, but I chose to ignore it.

We walked a little further through the misty forest until, finally, at some point, we spotted the village in the distance. In short, we had managed to get out of that maze. With her voice brimming with happiness, Laura pointed toward the village ahead: "Look! There’s the village! We're finally safe!"@@novelbin@@

Honestly, I was impressed by how quickly Laura managed to relax as soon as she spotted the village. She barely seemed like the same person who, just moments ago, was practically resigned to a tragic fate she had imagined in her mind. Well, I’m glad she’s feeling better… I guess.

Anyway, as Laura mentioned, the village was only a few meters away, and we finally managed to get out of that maze by maneuvering around the walls. However, just before we reached the entrance, my steps suddenly stopped. Something made me feel like someone was staring at me, and the sensation of that gaze... was strangely familiar, as if I had felt it before.

"My doubts disappeared when a feminine voice echoed in my mind. The broken tone and the peculiar timbre immediately told me who the voice belonged to: (Hmm... I knew you could do it... you always can... just as I thought... white... is the most fun... to play with... the others... weren't as cool... as white)

The voice that echoed directly in my mind made my body freeze in place. I blinked, confused, and slowly turned my head in the direction where the voice seemed to come from. My reaction didn’t go unnoticed by Laura, Victor, and Arthur, who gave me visibly puzzled looks.

I ignored them for the moment, focusing my attention on a branch of one of the trees near the entrance to the village. Instinctively, the three of them also turned their gaze to the same spot.

Seated comfortably on the branch, the same anomaly we had encountered in the cave watched us intently. Just like before, a subtle smirk graced its lips. Its feet swayed gently, while an amused glint lit up its face. In a way, the scene felt frozen in time, as though I were standing before a vivid and unsettling painting, capturing that exact moment with eerie perfection.