(POV - Emily Parker)
Even though it wasn't the first time Emily had witnessed something like this, she was still amazed. Even after years of studying and analyzing anomalies, she could count on one hand the times she'd seen an anomaly using its power this close up. After all, in normal situations, all the scientists would have been dead after an experiment like this.
Despite the reinforced glass, which could withstand the pressure of a bomb, neither Emily nor the scientists felt completely safe behind it. Anomalies, after all, were precisely that: entities that defied every logical notion they held.
"Fascinating. She may not seem faster than the [Skull Wolf], but whenever she's about to be caught, she suddenly vanishes and reappears somewhere else. Could that be a second anomalous power, or is it somehow connected to her eyes?"
For a moment, Emily forgot she wasn't alone. She cast a discreet glance at Graham, but as always, his expression made it hard to tell what he was thinking.
"Chief Researcher Emily, I don't recall reading about this in the reports you sent to headquarters. While there was mention of abnormal speed at certain moments, it was nothing as specific as what I'm seeing now"
Translating what Emily heard from Graham, his words sounded more like: "Why haven't I received updated reports on this? Are you withholding information from headquarters? You know that's a serious violation, right?" Emily frowned as she listened to Graham, interpreting his words for herself.
"At the time we submitted the reports, we didn't have detailed information about its anomalous powers. In fact, they remain a complete mystery. Since we couldn't clearly observe what its other ability was, we chose to classify it as super speed. However, seeing this firsthand, I'm reconsidering what this power might really be that it's using to escape the [Skull Wolf]"
Graham turned toward Emily with a curious look, a gesture that left her extremely uncomfortable, sending a shiver through her entire body.
"Interesting. What are your thoughts on this, Chief Researcher Emily?"
Once again, a question emerged that made Emily feel she should avoid answering at all costs. However, even if she decided to lie at that moment, the truth would have to be revealed in the report. Strange things happened to scientists who concealed information; those who were taken often returned completely different from how they had been before.
Of course, the usual Emily would tell the truth since she had no reason to lie. However, she felt compelled to help the little anomaly. Although she'd already done mental contamination tests without finding anything, she had come to accept that her true desire was to aid the little anomaly.
Considering the possibility of partially revealing what she knew, Emily briefly opened her mouth, but her eyes widened at the same time. She wasn't the only one; everyone in the room wore similar expressions. The reason for their surprise was simple: the little anomaly had defeated the [Skull Wolf] in a highly unusual and unexpected way.
***
(POV – Protagonist)
I'd been running around the room for several minutes now. Every time the wolf got close enough to reach me, I activated my power, and while it was frozen in midair, I kept moving. Curiously, even after so much running, I didn't feel tired at all—a clear sign that I was definitely not human.
Even though, in theory, I could keep running from it forever thanks to my power, using it was starting to wear me out. While it still wasn't enough to make me stop, I could feel the gap between me and the wolf starting to close.
Although it was a good strategy, it wasn't a permanent solution—I'd probably end up getting caught sooner or later. So I took advantage of a moment when the wolf was frozen to try to spot a weak point. All I found, however, was a small, rainbow-colored glimmer. If that was it, it would still be manageable.
But the glimmer moved across the wolf's body. My first thought when I saw it was that this world was completely insane. Seriously, what was that supposed to be? Was that spot supposed to be its weak point? Did it have some kind of "heart" that shifted around its body? How did something like that even work? Even the shadow I fought last time didn't have such a weird weak point.
I mean, once you realize that the shadow is actually controlled by a main body, it's easier to accept. But how am I supposed to accept a weak point that moves around inside an elephant-sized wolf with a body coated in bones? Was this fight just a little unbalanced in my favor, or was that just my impression?.
Still, I didn't have time to keep pondering these questions. It was clear from how long I'd been running that it was unlikely anyone was coming to help. However, this chase hadn't been for nothing; during this time, I'd thought up a few ways to deal with the wolf. Most of them involved escaping, but I'd also considered a few strategies to defeat it.
In the end, I decided to go with the option I felt had the lowest chance of failure. After all, I really didn't want to get bitten or, worse, eaten. Even if my body could regenerate, would it happen inside the monster's stomach? Although, if I were still alive in there, I'd probably give it a bad case of indigestion.
My arms were still stretched out in front of me as my body charged across the room at high speed. Ahead of me, all I saw was a wall, but in that specific spot, a shadow was cast—right beneath the glass where the scientists were watching us. The shadow cast was Emily's.
Although I hesitated to reveal more of my powers, in the end, did it really matter? Or rather, why did I even care about them finding out? With these thoughts, I ran as fast as my body could handle and threw myself into Emily's shadow, which expanded abnormally at my command, now large enough for the wolf to enter as well.