Anomaly

(POV - Emily Parker)

In a dimly lit room, Emily fixed her gaze on the large screen in front of her, where multiple squares displayed obscured, nearly indistinct faces. Her expression was serious, marked by a sense of concern, as the conversation unfolded among the participants on the screen. The tension in the air seemed to grow with every word exchanged, reflecting on Emily’s face as she remained absorbed in the discussion.

"Director of General Management, what guarantees do we have that the anomaly classified as [Angel of Death] is truly on our side? For all we know, it could very well have been the main cause of the recent incident involving the sudden appearance of a black hole in the sky"

As always, Emily felt a wave of frustration as her words were ignored or dismissed. She had long lost count of how many times she had tried—unsuccessfully—to explain to those idiots in front of her that the anomaly posed no threat to humans.

To her, this shouldn’t even be up for debate, yet she seemed doomed to repeat the same explanation over and over again, with no one actually listening.

The people behind the screen, despite holding most of the power within the organization, had never faced an anomaly firsthand. All they had were reports, videos, and other documents about the phenomena.

But how could they truly understand what was happening without experiencing it directly? Emily couldn’t make sense of it, but she knew there wasn’t much she could do. Her frustration grew, but her position was limited by the vast gap between theory and the reality she dealt with every day.

She knew she wouldn’t be able to convince them with words alone; without concrete proof, she had no choice but to step back. However, her chance at salvation came moments later when one of the shadowy figures on the giant monitor took center stage, cutting through the tension in the room.

"Well, why not give Emily a chance? Personally, I think we should try. After all, isn’t that why we created the special class? To use anomalies to fight other anomalies? If we let fear paralyze us, we’ll never achieve that goal. Besides, I trust Emily’s judgment. If she says it’s safe, I see no reason to doubt her"

Emily blinked briefly, her eyes adjusting, before looking up toward the robotic voice coming from the giant monitor. One square immediately caught her attention—a clearly feminine figure standing out among the others, the only woman in a sea of male forms.

At that moment, all voices went silent. But it wasn’t the end of the conversation—this was just how they chose to deliberate among themselves, in a way Emily couldn’t hear. After all, they were the ones who made the decisions, and as an employee, she wasn’t supposed to know how they reached them.

Yet, Emily couldn’t tear her gaze away from the only voice that had supported her, a fact that left her strangely unsettled. She knew this wasn’t normal, but she couldn’t quite understand why she was reacting this way.

Emily had never been close to the higher-ups. If she was being honest, she wasn’t particularly fond of them. That’s why she was so surprised when one of them—the most enigmatic of all, the only woman among them—chose to help her.

Laura couldn’t understand the reason behind this gesture, but regardless, she felt a genuine sense of gratitude. In a situation like this, any help, no matter where it came from, was welcome.

"Director of General Management, after deliberation, we have decided to approve your request" one of the figures on the monitor stated: "However, you should be aware that any mistakes made will directly impact how we perceive you. More than anyone, you should know that in our field, mistakes are not tolerated"

Emily simply nodded, confirming without words. In truth, she hadn’t even expected approval. This wasn’t the first time she had raised this specific issue, and the only difference compared to her previous attempts was that now, she wasn’t as uncertain about her goals.

Strangely enough, there was something comforting about the presence of the [Angel of Death], something she didn’t feel with other anomalies—especially when it came to how they seemed to interact with humans.

As the meeting concluded, the monitors shut off one by one until only one remained. Emily tilted her head, puzzled, as she observed the screen before her.

On the display, a shadowed, distinctly feminine figure seemed to be staring at her with an intrigued expression. The enigmatic look on the figure’s face piqued Emily’s curiosity, making the atmosphere feel even heavier with mystery.

"Thank you for trusting me. I promise to deliver satisfactory results on this mission" Emily said, offering a slight bow of respect.

Even though Emily didn’t know who was on the other side of the screen, there was no denying that this figure had given her support and assistance. At the very least, she felt she should express her gratitude properly. However, the figure’s next words left her completely stunned, making any attempt at gratitude even more difficult.

"Fufu, there’s no need to thank me. You’ve already proven yourself enough for me to trust you. And besides... perhaps you haven’t realized it yet, but you are far more essential than you think—more than you can imagine right now"

Emily didn’t know how to respond to the woman’s words. In fact, she didn’t even understand what she was talking about. Was she referring to Emily’s influence? However, no matter how Emily tried to interpret it, it seemed clear that the conversation was touching on something entirely different. Unfortunately, she had no idea what it could be. Her confusion only deepened as tension clouded her thoughts.

In the end, with no idea how to reply, Emily gave a slight nod and, with a serious expression, said: "I appreciate your words. I promise I won’t disappoint you"

A brief but heavy laugh echoed before the monitor turned off, following the same fate as the others. Emily was left alone in the room, now bathed in partial darkness, lost in her own thoughts. With a quiet sigh, she straightened herself up, adjusting her posture. Her firm, purposeful steps led her toward the containment room of the anomaly known as [Angel of Death].

***

(POV – Protagonist)

My first reaction when the door opened and the trio walked in was simply to stare at them. Partly because there wasn’t much else I could do, but also because I was curious about the new member. No matter how I looked at him, he definitely didn’t seem like a scientist.

Judging by his clothes, he looked like he was part of the response team. That explained why I had never seen him before — I rarely cross paths with members of that team. I mean, if I ever did, I don’t think we’d exactly be on friendly terms.

Anyway, I tilted my head involuntarily as I tried to figure out what had brought them to my room. I certainly didn’t believe it was just because they missed me... Well, in Laura’s case, it did seem like that. She was watching me with gleaming eyes, clearly eager to interact, as if she could hardly wait to get closer.

However, it didn’t seem to be the case with Emily and the man beside her. By the way, this wasn’t really important, but in one corner of the room, my Alter Ego was pushing Nekra, who was gently swinging on a swing made of black mist. My Alter Ego was helping to give her more momentum, increasing the speed. Lately, he and Nekra had been interacting like this, which, to be honest, still struck me as a strange sight.

Nekra and my Alter Ego seemed to get along in an oddly good way, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t find an explanation for it. Of course, I had considered the possibility that my Alter Ego and Nekra might have met before, but after all, my Alter Ego is me, right? That makes the idea impossible.

I don’t remember ever meeting Nekra before, but still, the way my Alter Ego behaves so friendly with her makes me wonder if that certainty is really true.

I cast a brief glance at my Alter Ego and Nekra before seeing Emily start walking toward me slowly. I was still sitting on the bed, so I stayed there, watching her as she approached.

When she got close, Emily knelt in front of me. To my surprise, she placed her hand on my head and began to gently stroke it. I won’t lie, the sensation was unexpectedly pleasant.

"Haaa... it's hard to find the right words at times like this, especially not knowing if you really understand me" Emily said in a low voice, letting out a short laugh: "Besides... the idea that I might be talking to myself is kind of embarrassing"

I blinked briefly as Emily continued stroking my head, and I noticed that it seemed to make her a little happier, as she let out a small laugh. She then continued speaking: "[Angel of Death]... I'm not sure if you understand exactly what I'm saying, but I don’t think you're incapable of picking up on the atmosphere. So, I'll talk based on that premise"

I focused all my attention on Emily, wanting to make it clear that I was listening to her words seriously. She probably noticed my gesture, as she gave me a soft smile, but within seconds, her expression completely changed, taking on a darker tone: "We need help" she said, her voice tense: "We need your help. If the rain keeps going like this, it's likely that in just a few hours, the city will be completely submerged"

The tone Emily used when she said this was entirely serious. To be honest, I knew a bit about the situation, but I never imagined it was this severe. I mean, it had been raining heavily, and I even saw some cars being carried away by the wind, but I never thought the situation was catastrophic enough for Emily to feel the need to ask an anomaly for help.

While I understood what she was saying, I just couldn’t find an appropriate response. All I could do was something vague, like nodding in confirmation or denial.

Well, at least that was how it was a few days ago. During the time I spent with Nekra, it wasn’t like I was just playing around and eating ice cream... although I probably spent 90% of my time doing that, the other 10% I dedicated to something else.

I quickly gathered my thoughts, and in the next moment, a single word appeared in my mind: (Help...)

Emily’s eyes widened for a brief moment before she fully focused her attention on me, her expression marked by surprise and disbelief. I tilted my head slightly and blinked, and, to my surprise, Emily did the same, as if it was an instinctive reaction.

Perhaps realizing that something was off, Laura asked, her voice filled with confusion: "Is everything okay, boss?"

Emily didn’t answer right away; she continued staring at me for a moment, as if pondering something I didn’t understand, before finally speaking: "Didn’t you hear something just now? Like a voice speaking directly in your head?"

I noticed that both Laura and the man exchanged confused looks. I didn’t blame them, after all, there was no reason for them to have heard it. My wave of thoughts was directed solely at Emily.

As you may have guessed, I learned to communicate telepathically during the time I spent with Nekra. It was incredibly challenging, and just thinking about it gives me a headache. The difficulty was immense, but in the end, I succeeded.

Maybe because I learned this anomalous ability on my own, it was still extremely weak. Besides only being able to send my thoughts to one person at a time, all I’m capable of transmitting are my feelings.

In other words, it’s as if my communication is primitive, almost rudimentary, as if I’m trying to express myself in a still raw and incomplete way.

Honestly, I think this is better than nothing. Also, it’s not like I’ll be stuck in this primitive form of communication forever. As my ability evolves, it’s likely that I’ll be able to express myself with much more eloquence and frequency in the future... or at least, that’s what I hope.