Anomaly

I was still perplexed by the situation. To be honest, I thought the chances of actually finding the anomaly were close to zero at this point. I mean, considering everything, I figured it would already be on the other side of the planet or, at the very least, somewhere far away. I can’t think of any reason why it would still choose to stay here.

However, that wasn’t the case. On the contrary, instead of disappearing, she stayed near the village and, more than that, she seemed to be waiting specifically for me. The only problem is that I have no idea why. Strangely enough, she seems to know me, but I have absolutely no memory of her.

I was getting seriously confused, and I imagined the other three were too. Since I could easily see from a higher perspective, I clearly noticed Laura, Victor, and Arthur's reactions. They seemed just as lost as I was, their gazes shifting between me and the new anomaly. I kept wondering if they were trying to figure out what kind of connection there was between us... But honestly, that's a mystery to me too.

Anyway, it was clear they were expecting some kind of interaction or development between the two of us. Seriously, what do they think is going to happen? I mean, this is literally the first time I've seen this anomaly! Even if we talk, I doubt I can keep a conversation going for long, especially considering how weird this anomaly is.

Ignoring the fact that I’m practically forcing every single one of my neurons to work here, the anomaly's voice echoed softly in my mind once again: (You... also... had fun?... I hope... you did...)

However, her words sounded strangely peculiar. I casually turned my gaze toward the anomaly. Despite the playful smile still on her face, I honestly couldn’t feel any malice emanating from her.@@novelbin@@

Not that I had any special ability to confirm that, but compared to the other anomalies I’ve encountered, I think my experience is enough to tell when one of them is trying to kill me.

If we look at the situation calmly, since it appeared, this particular anomaly hasn’t caused any direct harm to anyone. It’s true that there’s a massive black hole in the sky, probably responsible for turning things into anomalies.

However, as Arthur mentioned earlier: what if this wasn’t intentional? If her mere presence causes these effects involuntarily, then technically, she can’t be held responsible for what’s happening.

Taking all this into account, why not try a casual conversation with her? I mean, she clearly seems to know me and, for some unknown reason, seems to like me quite a bit. Even though I still have no idea what’s really going on, I decided to use this to my advantage.

If I can avoid a fight with her, that’s exactly what I’ll do. Curiously, this thought has been with me ever since I entered the labyrinth with Laura, Arthur, and Victor, even though I didn’t exactly know why.

Anyway, with my decision made, I decided to casually speak to the anomaly still sitting on the tree branch: (... I had fun... I guess...)

I started by answering the anomaly’s question without lying. Strangely, I really did have fun with all of it. It felt like being part of an adventure full of monsters, where I was the main character or something like that.

In short, even in that bizarre and frightening situation for the others, I ended up having fun. I know, it’s weird. I can’t really claim that my mindset is fully human anymore. I probably never had a very normal mindset to begin with. So, I guess it doesn’t really matter.

Turning my attention back to the anomaly, I noticed that, upon hearing my words, a wide smile appeared on her face. However, even that gesture couldn’t fully erase the melancholic expression that seemed to be part of her essence.

In a way, it was like that was her true nature. Still, considering we seemed to be on good terms, I pointed to the black hole in the sky and spoke to her through my mind.

(Can you make that thing in the sky disappear? And what about the living beings... wait, do you even know what humans are?) I asked, tilting my head to the side, clearly confused.

The anomaly responded to my gesture with a nod and then answered my question: (I... know... Eve taught me...)

"Eve?" I honestly had no idea who she could be referring to, but that didn't change the fact that, since she knew, it would be much easier to explain the situation to her.

(I see. If that's the case, it makes it easier to explain. These three behind me, as well as all the local animals, seem to be negatively affected by this. You put that thing in the sky, didn't you?) I asked, tilting my head slightly to the side and blinking my eyes.

The anomaly listened to my words, her feet gently swaying as she watched me. The next moment, her gaze turned to the spot I pointed to, the black hole in the sky. She stared at it for a few seconds, tilting her head slightly to the side, before turning back to look directly at me. Her response to my question echoed softly in my mind.

(I feel... my power... in that... but... it’s strange... I didn’t do it... this dimension... is too weak... unable to bear... my existence... my powers... act on their own...) the anomaly replied, her expression returning to indifference.

I blinked, confused, after hearing the anomaly’s explanation. It’s not that I doubted her, because from my point of view, she didn’t seem to be lying—actually, I couldn’t see any reason for her to do so.

Laura, Arthur, and Victor were still behind me, equally confused, not understanding what was going on, but it seemed they had begun to think I was talking to the anomaly.

As I got lost in my thoughts, the anomaly spoke again, her voice resonating in my mind: (This dimension... is bright... there’s no... darkness... I like... it here...)

I heard her words and tilted my head to the side, still confused. I don’t need to say that I had no idea what she was talking about. As I reflected on this, I heard footsteps behind me. The soft sound of grass being crushed echoed from the labyrinth we had come from.

I turned my gaze and saw that Laura, Victor, and Arthur did the same. The footsteps grew louder, and as they got closer, they became heavier. The next moment, a figure emerged from the mist. It was enormous, probably three times my size.

No matter the angle of view, it was clearly a bear. However, it was missing one of its arms, and its body was covered in wounds. There was blood dripping from one of its eyes, and the bear was breathing strangely. It was a harrowing and difficult sight to endure.

"My God!" Victor exclaimed, staring at the bear with an incredulous look on his face.

Needless to say, Laura and Arthur were just as shocked as I was. Honestly, I couldn’t blame them. A bear, by itself, would already be an intimidating sight, but imagine a bear looking ten times more grotesque and repulsive. Now add to that dark-red liquid dripping from its wounds, and you have the image of a zombie bear, utterly horrifying.

Ironically, I was the closest to the bear. From a higher perspective, the scene looked like a child standing before an adult over three meters tall. Of course, the difference was that this "adult" was covered in fur all over and had claws sharp enough to split a person in half with ease.

I watched the bear, my head fully tilted back to face it. In a way, it felt like a giant standing in front of me. I blinked, pondering what to do, but before I could take any action, a female voice echoed from behind the creature, breaking the silence unexpectedly.

"My God! I think I got so distracted admiring my lady's beauty that I didn’t even notice this filthy thing getting closer" said the voice. Despite the harsh words, the tone was surprisingly cheerful.

Instinctively, my eyes turned toward the voice, but with a giant bear blocking my view, I couldn’t see anything beyond it. However, unexpectedly, just after the voice echoed, the massive animal's legs gave way. In a heavy and abrupt movement, its colossal body crashed to the ground.

(Hold up, it’s falling right on top of me!) was the thought that shot through my mind as I stood frozen, watching the bear slowly collapse in my direction.

Before the bear could touch me, a black mist erupted from my body, and soon, tendrils emerged around me, slithering out of the fog like hungry snakes. They wrapped around the bear’s massive form and, with immense strength, hurled it to the side.

I blinked, watching as the animal’s body violently collided with a tree. No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem like it had the strength to get up again.

(What the hell just happened here? The bear just dropped?) I thought, blinking in total confusion.

Putting aside the fact that the bear just fell dead, I turned my gaze back to where the voice had come from. There stood a woman with blonde hair streaked with purple and bright blue eyes, wearing a calm smile. I tilted my head slightly, bewildered.

I remembered her… or rather, a very different version of her. The last time I saw her, her gaze was completely empty, devoid of any sign of life. If someone had told me she was a walking corpse back then, I would have believed it without hesitation.

Unlike the last time I saw her, she now wore a radiant expression of ecstasy, a dramatic change, to say the least. If before her presence conveyed a sense of helplessness and nearly palpable sadness, now she radiated a comforting energy, like the arrival of summer on a sunny day. Does that make sense? Anyway, that’s exactly how I felt when I saw her again.

Victor, unaware of my thoughts, didn’t hesitate to voice his concerns out loud, his face showing indignation: "You, and that crazy woman we saw in the village..."

Once again, Victor’s nicknames for the woman sounded more like insults disguised as affection... Not that he was good at giving nicknames, after all, he was the one who called me [Angel of Death], which, honestly, I still find extremely embarrassing for some reason. Anyway, I couldn’t deny it: this woman was completely crazy.

Of course, it’s not like they knew what I was thinking. The woman, still smiling, looked at me. I, on the other hand, blinked in confusion. She then said: "We meet again. Forgive my rude behavior last time. Since my knowledge is limited to the crumbs I have in my “Gospel of Eyes” I had no idea you were someone so important to my goddess"

After those words, which I had no idea how to interpret, the woman knelt. I watched her, still confused, not knowing if she would get back up. Victor, Arthur, and Laura also looked on, equally puzzled. Meanwhile, the anomaly, sitting on a tree branch, watched everything with a playful expression on its face.

While I got lost in thoughts about what was happening, Arthur, with a thoughtful look and his hand resting on his chin, commented: "So, my theory that the personification of death knows that anomaly was right... but I still can’t understand why. From what I know, the [Conceptual Virtues] rarely meet. In fact, when it happens, balance can be broken, and because of that, the primordial existence separated them, placing them in their own realms"

Arthur seemed to have a basic understanding of what was going on. Of course, I can’t even begin to tell you that I had no idea what he was talking about. Up until that point, I understood only the fundamental concepts, like the fact that this anomaly was something whose origin no one really knew for sure: whether it was created by humans or if the concept itself emerged because it always existed.

While I was lost in thoughts, the woman kneeling in front of me seemed not at all pleased with what Arthur had said: "You dare call that desolate, lightless place a “realm”? That place where no light existed?"

Everyone reacted with surprise upon hearing the woman's words. Of course, we didn't know whether she was telling the truth or not, but there was no reason to doubt her words either. Unaware of our thoughts, she continued: "You have no idea how lonely and sad my lady was in that place. How dare you speak such things in front of her? I would love to tear you apart for defiling my lady's true thoughts, but she would be upset if I did that. However, if I hear those words again, I promise you will pay dearly for them"

Honestly, I didn’t expect that sudden outburst. Sure, I still didn’t know what was going on, but if we consider the woman’s words... had the anomaly been living in complete darkness until now? Just thinking about it, any animosity I still felt toward her quickly vanished.