Anomaly

Minutes after he left, the man returned aboard an armored vehicle. However, the strangest thing was the way he moved—he glided effortlessly, even over water. As far as I knew, regular vehicles didn’t perform that well underwater. Maybe it was a special model, designed for this kind of terrain… or something even more unusual.

As my thoughts scattered, the vehicle’s door burst open with a sharp click, and the man stepped out. He was now wearing a peculiar cloak that seemed to float strangely around him, and he held a weapon so bizarre that it looked more like an artifact from another world.

I blinked rapidly, trying to process what I was seeing, bewildered by his unusual attire, but he didn’t seem to notice my reaction. Without so much as a glance in my direction, he walked toward the back of the vehicle with firm steps, vanishing into the shadows.

At that moment, I felt a subtle pressure on my hand. I turned toward the source and found Emily staring at me with a grave expression. Without a word, she crouched down to my level and, with a gentle gesture, placed one hand on my head, stroking it softly. Her skin was warm, and for some reason, her delicate touch brought an unexpected sense of comfort—like, for a brief moment, the world around me had settled.

“[Angel of Death], you need to listen to every word he says, got it? But act on your own the moment you realize the situation is getting out of their control” Emily said, her face serious, her tone heavy as if her words carried a weight I couldn’t afford to ignore.

I stared at Emily, blinking slowly, trying to process the moment. In the end, I chose to nod in acknowledgment, though I wasn’t sure she fully understood. Still, she seemed more at ease after my response. From her perspective, it probably wasn’t much different from my usual habits—like tilting my head or blinking in an almost mechanical way.

After that, Emily took something out of her pocket and carefully placed it in my ear. It was some kind of communicator. Even though I couldn’t speak, it was clear I could still listen. Emily likely wasn’t sure if I fully understood her words, but by now, she knew I could grasp the essence of what she said, even if I didn’t catch every detail.

The next moment, as he approached the back of the vehicle, the man opened the door, revealing an interior compartment where several individuals were seated.

The instant the door swung open, their eyes locked onto me, and at the same time, I noticed their hands tightening around their weapons—as if a wave of unease had washed over them.

It was obvious they were tense, maybe even afraid of me. But it wasn’t like I had the ability to change that.

My distraction ended when the man stepped closer. He looked at me, then at the back of the vehicle, making it clear he wanted me to get inside.

However, probably assuming that, besides being unable to speak, I also didn’t understand human language, he seemed unsure how to communicate his intentions—uncertain of how to signal what he expected me to do.

In situations like this, the best approach was to act quickly. We were wasting precious time, and we couldn’t afford that anymore. With that thought, I let go of Emily’s hand and, in the next moment, walked toward the back of the truck.

My steps were slow but steady, each one carefully placed. As I approached, I noticed a subtle shift in the reaction force inside the vehicle. It was minor, but my keen eyes didn’t miss it.

I began to step inside, my gaze briefly scanning the surroundings. Intriguingly, the place had a futuristic feel. Blue lights glowed along the sides, though I had no idea what purpose they served—if they even had one.

While I took in the vehicle’s interior absentmindedly, the guards inside never took their eyes off me. Their stares held a mix of fear and curiosity, but in a way, it seemed like curiosity was starting to outweigh fear.

A moment later, the door shut behind me, plunging the space into darkness. My golden eyes immediately illuminated everything in front of me, serving as makeshift headlights in the dim surroundings.

In short, the guards stared at me in pure shock. From their perspective, it made sense—seeing someone’s eyes glow like phosphorescent lanterns had to be a bizarre and one-of-a-kind experience.

Either way, the spectacle of my eyes lasted only a few seconds before the entire space lit up. Bright blue lights flickered on from within the vehicle.

The illumination was noticeable, but the surprises didn’t end there. I was caught off guard when, suddenly, parts of the vehicle’s interior turned transparent, revealing what had previously been hidden.

I could clearly see outside. I glanced back one last time, where Laura and Emily stood. I didn’t know if they could see me, but both of them waved. Emily looked worried, while Laura, despite the grim situation, had a relatively more upbeat expression.

At that moment, the vehicle started moving. I walked over to one of the seats and sat down, feeling the weight of tension in the air. The guards’ eyes remained locked on me, unrelenting. This was shaping up to be an uncomfortable ride.

As the vehicle rolled forward, my gaze stayed fixed outside. What I could make out was that the base we had been in sat practically in the middle of a desert. In the distance, a road stretched out, and I assumed it led to the nearest city. But honestly, I had no idea where we were on the planet.

The last time I escaped the base and made my way to the village where I met Nekra, I got there surprisingly fast. I don’t fully understand how that ability works, but it seems that when I’m in the shadow world, my speed increases dramatically—far beyond what it would be if I were moving in the normal world.

As I found myself distracted, staring outside, a quiet conversation was taking place among the guards around me. They probably thought I wasn’t listening, since outwardly, I seemed completely oblivious. However, my hearing was far sharper than I had ever imagined, and every word they spoke reached my ears with perfect clarity.

“Was it really a good idea to bring an anomaly along with us? What if it suddenly decides to attack? And from what I saw in its files, its powers are pretty much unknown” one of the guards murmured, his voice low and tense.

I didn’t need to turn around to know who was speaking. Even though my eyes were fixed on the outside, I could still perceive everything happening inside the vehicle. I knew exactly who had said it, yet I chose to stay silent. The truth was, I was starting to get bored with the whole situation.

Well, I won’t deny that I had the same thought. Besides, I couldn’t speak, and even if I could, I had no reason to reveal to them what my powers actually did.

I trusted Emily and Laura, no doubt about that, but the organization… that was a different story. I saw no reason to share anything about myself with them.

“I really don’t get what goes through the minds of the higher-ups. They want to do their research, and in the end, we’re the ones who end up paying the price. Sure, this job pays enough to make up for the risks, but that doesn’t change the fact that it sucks” another guard muttered in response.

“Even though the reports don’t say much about its abilities, at least they confirm it’s safe. Since its capture, apparently, it hasn’t attacked any humans. I guess that should count as a good sign. Either way, I just don’t want to end up watching my back all the time” he added.

Sometimes, I wondered what these people really thought of me. The way they spoke made it sound like they saw me as a stray dog—always lurking, just waiting for the right moment to turn on them.

I don’t know why, but that thought irritated me, like a silent insult. And the worst part? I could hear every single word, and they weren’t even trying to hide it.

They kept talking among themselves, clearly ignoring me. Then again, I was technically ignoring them too, and I doubted they’d be the ones to start a conversation with an anomaly like me. Either way, I figured that if this mission went smoothly, Emily would gain more credibility with the higher-ups. That alone made it worth ensuring that everyone made it out alive.

As I lost myself in thought, we gradually left the desert region behind. At some point, we had entered a main road that seemed to lead straight into the city. The first thing I noticed as we got closer was that the water levels were significantly higher than they had been at the base.

And then, right in front of me, I saw the proof. As we entered the city, something was floating in the thick, oppressive mist, emerging from the dark, muddy waters of a canal.

A body. Partially submerged, it belonged to a teenage girl who looked like she was on the verge of adulthood. Her long, wet hair drifted in the water like writhing tendrils, slowly moving with the current. Her face was pale, distorted by death, and her empty eyes stared into the distance, as if waiting for something.

The vehicle slowed down automatically as we passed her, and I could hear the soldiers’ ragged breathing. No one said a word. It was as if, in that moment, the air itself had frozen. They were seeing exactly what I was seeing—the lost soul of a dying city.

She probably didn’t know how to swim. In fact, I suspected a lot of people were dying the same way, without even knowing how to fight against the water.

As time passed, I became more aware of how much heavier the rain was getting, and the wind was turning increasingly merciless.

While it wasn’t strong enough yet to lift the vehicle, it wouldn’t surprise me if, at some point, that actually happened. Nature itself seemed to be preparing for something far more destructive.

“How the hell did things get this bad in just a few hours?” one of the guards muttered, eyes locked on the outside world, his expression one of pure disbelief.

No doubt, the others were thinking the same thing. Honestly, even I hadn’t expected things to be this bad.

As we got closer to the city, the reality of it all became painfully clear—the situation was deteriorating fast.

The vehicle pushed forward through the water without hesitation, and it was only after we entered the city that I realized something I hadn’t noticed before: the vehicle seemed to be floating on the water, as if it had some kind of technology that allowed it to do so. The discovery surprised me, but at the same time, it made perfect sense given the growing catastrophe.

The buildings around us became taller and more imposing as we made our way toward the city center, where the park was located. Based on what I had heard from the team during the ride, that was where the abnormal readings had started. Of course, we had no clue what was causing them.

In the middle of all this chaos, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Still, I had a feeling I could be useful here. After all, my eyes were special—maybe they could see something no one else could.