Anomaly

While Laura, Emily, and the unknown man were still trying to process the situation, I reached out and took Emily’s hand before getting up from the bed. She seemed surprised for a moment, but her expression quickly changed, as if she understood my intention. Or at least, that’s what I hoped.

(Nekra, I’m going out for a bit. I’ll be back soon) I transmitted my message telepathically, and the next second, Nekra turned her gaze toward me, picking up my words without needing further explanation.

(Can... I go too?... I want to stay... with the... white) Nekra replied, her voice hesitant but carrying a sincere tone. With an innocent look, she tilted her head slightly to the side, as if waiting for an answer.

Honestly, having Nekra by my side would be comforting. I mean, she’s a Conceptual Virtue, definitely far more powerful than I am. However, there are two reasons why I can’t take her with me, at least for now. First, Nekra is an anomaly classified as Nihilum Class.

Normally, this type of anomaly should be under absolute confinement, with all its movements and actions completely restricted. And second, for some reason, Nekra is unable to access most of her powers, making her less useful than she could be in a situation like this.

To be honest, aside from making dolls move in some way, Nekra isn’t much different from an ordinary ten-year-old child. In other words, taking her with me would be way too risky.

By the way, I tried asking Nekra why her powers were like this, but she only said it was because of me. Obviously, I have no idea what she meant. I mean, when we held hands in the village a few days ago, the same thing happened as always when I absorb powers.

However, since then, I haven’t felt any changes in me—nothing that indicates an increase in strength or any other kind of alteration. In other words, aside from the physical transformation, I haven’t gotten any stronger or anything like that.

(You don’t have your powers. I’m going to a dangerous place, so stay here and wait for me)

As soon as my words reached her ears, Nekra’s cheeks puffed up in protest—so cute that I almost ran over to hug her.

I’m not exactly sure why, but lately, I feel like I’ve grown extraordinarily close to Nekra. There’s something about her presence that sparks a protective feeling in me, like an older brother looking after his little sister.

(When I get back, I’ll play with you as much as you want. But for now, just wait here for me, okay?)

After my words, Nekra’s pout quickly turned into a smile, and with a confirming nod, she went back to playing with her dolls. My Alter Ego, which had manifested earlier, returned inside me right after Emily, Laura, and the strange man entered my room.

After that, guided by Emily, we left my room and started walking through the facility’s hallways. As we moved forward, some scientists and guards appeared, and without exception, they all looked visibly uncomfortable seeing me pass by.

Well, although the atmosphere was tense, it was a relief compared to how things were at first—when everyone seemed so terrified that they might faint at any moment. The fear was still there, but in a more controlled way, like my mere presence was enough to paralyze them.

As I got lost in my thoughts, the man—whose identity I still didn’t know—made a comment to Emily, who was still holding my hand: “Ma’am, are you sure this is safe? Taking an anomaly on a mission?”

I could understand why he thought that way—most people probably shared the same opinion. Even though I was friendly, there was one undeniable fact: I was an anomaly.

And beyond that, they had no idea about the extent of my powers, let alone my goals—if I even had any. In short, I was as enigmatic to them as the depths of the ocean, something impenetrable and full of mysteries.

As I was lost in thought, I felt a gaze on me. Turning my head, I noticed Emily watching me. Her expression was thoughtful, but that moment of reflection lasted only a second. With a faint smile at the corner of her lips, she answered the man’s question: “Don’t worry, Angel of Death is reliable, and that’s what I believe... Well, you and your team will be spending the most time with her. Soon enough, you’ll see it for yourself”

Hearing Emily’s words, the man was momentarily pensive before nodding in acknowledgment. However, he didn’t seem fully convinced—his eyes still held a noticeable caution.

Well, I could always prove that I was someone they could trust, and that would probably help Emily and Laura in some way. After all, making it seem like they had some kind of bond with an anomaly could be a useful advantage.

“Haaa... but, now that I think about it, it’d be nice if she stopped running away all the time. It always gets me in trouble with the higher-ups” Emily remarked, shaking her head.

(Sorry, Emily, but that’s something I definitely won’t give up on... I just get bored) I thought, silently apologizing for the trouble I’d surely cause her in the future.

After walking for a few minutes, we arrived in front of an elevator. I knew this area well, so I was aware that the elevators were used to move between floors. It might sound strange, but this place has underground levels. We were currently on Level 3, and the facility had a total of five levels.

I’m not exactly sure what’s on Level 5. I mean, I’ve been down there before, and to be honest, I even got scolded by Emily and Laura—both of them telling me to stay away from that place at all costs because it’s extremely dangerous.

To be honest, what I found down there was, at most, a few curious things. For example, a room containing nothing but a single chair. In another, a table with a book on top.

I activated my eyes as a precaution, not expecting anything unusual, but I was surprised to realize that those seemingly trivial objects were, in fact, anomalies.

Simple objects, like a chair and a book, were anomalies, but the most disturbing part was the fact that they were on Level 5—where only the most dangerous anomalies were supposed to be found. Honestly, that doesn't make any sense.

However, I can't say for sure what they actually do to determine whether they're dangerous or not. Unfortunately, my eyes don’t have that kind of analytical capability.

As soon as we stepped into the elevator, Emily pressed the button for the surface, and it began to ascend slowly. As we moved upward at a steady pace, I glanced to the side. My eyes settled, for a brief moment, on the man beside me. He still had a serious expression, his gaze fixed on the panel in front of him, not wavering for even a second.

Now that we were rising, the sounds of the storm became increasingly intense. Before, deep underground, we could barely hear anything. But as the elevator continued to climb, the roar of the wind became impossible to ignore. The threatening noise made it feel like, at any moment, something could come crashing toward us.

We ascended in near-deafening silence inside the elevator. I couldn't speak to everyone at once, and, to be honest, using telepathy caused a certain mental discomfort. It wasn’t painful, but the sensation was unsettling—like my mind was being pulled in a strange way. Because of that, I decided that, at least for now, I would only resort to telepathy when absolutely necessary.

When the elevator finally reached the top floor, the doors opened, revealing the unknown before us. Guided by Emily, we walked through a long hallway until we reached a spacious area that looked more like a warehouse.

It was my first time in this place—I rarely came this high up, and even when I did, I never got this close to the facility. In other words, I had no idea where we were. Normally, I moved through the darkness, relying only on my anomalous ability to guide me.

Regardless, I was deeply surprised to realize we were beneath a warehouse. Was that really safe? Any anomaly could destroy this place if it wanted to, right? Even with all these doubts, Laura, Emily, and the man kept walking without hesitation, and I, still lost in thought, simply followed them.

When we reached the warehouse entrance, Emily placed her hand on a device next to the door. After the words "Permission Granted" appeared on the screen, the door slowly slid open. As it did, the sounds outside grew louder, and by the time the door was fully open, I couldn’t help but feel a wave of shock. What I saw was far worse than I had imagined.

The moment the door opened, water surged into the room with force, like an unpredictable wave, pushing Laura, Emily, and the man back a few steps. The sound of the water, almost like a roar, echoed off the walls, and I saw Emily’s expression darken—a heavy shadow settling over her face.

If I were human, I think my reaction would have been the same, but I wasn’t sure I could bear the weight of that feeling. It was as if something even worse was about to happen.

Outside, the scene was completely different from what I had expected. What stretched before me was a vast desert, surrounded by multiple barriers that marked the boundaries of the area. The sight had a futuristic feel, yet at the same time, it looked like something that could exist in the present day. It was a strange mix, but somehow, fascinating.

"This isn’t good. It's getting worse much faster than expected" Emily said, her voice tense as she kept a firm grip on my hand.

I had to agree with Emily. The way things were unfolding, in just a few hours, there might be enough water to flood the entire city... or rather, was there even a city nearby? No matter how much I looked, all I could see was the desert stretching out around us.

Where the hell was the base I lived in now? I remembered that the old one had been in a canned meat factory, or something like that. But this one… unlike the other, it looked like it was built inside a military facility in the middle of the desert.

As I got lost in thought, the man spoke again, his voice deep and firm: "I think we need to speed things up. I’ll gather my team and get the vehicles ready"

With those words, the man took off running toward the warehouse exit, heading somewhere I couldn’t quite make out. I stood still next to Emily and Laura, watching him go. Only then did I turn my gaze to the sky. The clouds that day looked especially dark and menacing, as if something was about to happen.

I glanced outside again, where only the darkness of the storm clouds and the howling winds echoed around us.

The warehouse continued to flood, but given how advanced this place seemed, they probably had some kind of drainage system. Still, I doubted it would be enough if the storm completely overtook the area.

Honestly, I had no idea when the rain had started. The others were probably just as clueless. At first, everyone—including me—thought it was just an ordinary rainstorm.

Of course, I realized sooner than the others that something was off, that the rain was actually an anomalous phenomenon. But even then, I never imagined things would escalate to the point where an entire city could be submerged in just a few hours.