As I watched the two men approach the lake, I was sure they were looking for me. I'm not some sort of detective capable of solving mysteries just by analysis or anything like that, so you might be wondering how I know this for sure, right? The answer is pretty simple: I heard them say it just a few seconds ago.
At first, I thought they were talking about something else, since they kept referring to the person they were looking for as "our god" or "our deity" — those crazy cultist things. Honestly, as much as I've turned into something you definitely wouldn't call human, I haven't lost my mind to the point of imagining myself as a god.
Isn't a god supposed to be omnipresent and omnipotent? All I am is something that resembles a human with the ability to copy abilities. Honestly, I still don't fully understand what this power really is, but one thing's for sure: I'm no god. In fact, I'm far from the image you'd have of one. The biggest proof of that? My body looks more like gelatin.
Anyway, no matter how I analyze the situation, these guys clearly don't seem like they want to hurt me. In fact, they seem to revere me. But, unfortunately for them, I have no intention of going along with it. I mean, I can see many downsides to being idolized. If they started asking me for miracles, for example, I'd be in trouble. After all, I'm not a real god, and my charade probably wouldn't last long.
"She clearly isn't near this stupid lake... So why did we even come here, anyway? She could be anywhere!"
one of the men, the younger one, spoke, interrupting my thoughts. Somehow, it seemed like both of them believed in me. Saying that, for some reason, made the situation feel stranger than it really was. Anyway, both believed in the image they'd created of me, but since he was younger, I felt like he didn't have the same fervor as the older man.
"Our leader mentioned that our god has a curious nature, showing a tendency to explore containment breach situations. That's why it's certain she'd come to the lake if Base 17 were to be invaded — and that's exactly what's happening right now"
I was momentarily speechless at the man's words. Could I really be that easy to read? Honestly, I doubt that's really the case. After all, I don't even make expressions. And who exactly is their leader? Surely, he isn't part of the organization that tries to contain anomalies while keeping them hidden from the world. Besides, they definitely gave off a vibe of crazy cultists.
I watched with curiosity as the two men moved toward the opposite shore of the lake. Although they were far from me at that moment, there was something that told me being seen by them could cause problems. So, I stayed hidden, concealed on one of the tree branches.
Realizing I was alone again, I descended from the tree using the same method I had employed to climb it. I opened a portal and leaped through it, swimming to the bottom, where I opened another portal to emerge on the other side. Now, back at the lake's edge, I faced the task of neutralizing that thing. However, no matter how hard I tried, it didn't matter how I looked at it — the colored lines marking the weak point extended toward the dark water of the lake.
(... I'm not going to have my foot pulled by something and be dragged to the bottom of the lake as soon as I enter, right?)
If you asked me if I wanted to enter, my answer would definitely be no. The water's dark, almost impossible to see the bottom, and those grotesque tentacles coming from it? What exactly is down there? Besides, isn't the lake itself an anomaly? If I go into that water, wouldn't that be like entering a living being? Of course, that is if it's possible to consider the lake as a living being.
I pushed my thoughts aside and approached the lake. When my face neared the water, I noticed my reflection didn't form. The water, dark and impenetrable, hid everything below the surface. Besides not seeing my reflection, it was impossible to make out what was submerged — anything could emerge from the depths at any moment.
Anyway, that's just a rambling of mine. In the end, I'd end up entering that water anyway. And, to be honest, I'm not as scared as I think I should be in this situation. Even though this isn't the first time something like this has happened, it still feels strange to think that the last time I was afraid of something seems like a distant and blurry memory.
I've already accepted that I'm far from human, but I believe the realization is still sinking in little by little. If you ask me if I regret it, the answer is definitely no. In fact, to be honest, I realize I have more advantages than disadvantages from becoming what I am.
As I got lost in thought again, now in front of the lake, I heard footsteps followed by voices. I didn't need to think too much to conclude that the two crazy cultists were nearby. I took one last look at the lake before, without hesitation, jumping into the water.
You can call me an idiot, but I jumped with my eyes closed. Also, for some reason, I was holding my breath — which, thinking about it, was completely unnecessary since I wasn't even breathing to begin with. Back to my "aquatic exploration" I opened my eyes a few seconds after diving. As I had expected, I couldn't see a thing.
That water didn't really seem like... water. If I had to describe it better, I'd say its consistency was more like mud. Furthermore, something strange caught my attention: I didn't feel the slightest sensation of being wet. There wasn't even the typical resistance you feel while swimming. The absolute darkness around me made me even more disoriented, with no idea of what I should be looking for.
Or better yet, what exactly I should be looking for. However, I wasn't completely directionless. I could still see the line going down to the bottom of the lake. Curiously, the absolute darkness around me made it stand out even more, glowing brightly in rainbow-colored tones.
With that, I began to follow the line, swimming toward the bottom—assuming, of course, that this lake had a bottom. As I descended, I noticed something strange: the consistency of the dark water seemed to change. Now, it resembled some kind of gelatin. The further I went into the depths, the harder the water seemed to become, as if it was turning into something solid.
I kept swimming until I finally reached something I could call a bottom. However, the strangest thing was that, despite constantly swimming downward, it felt like I hadn't gone down as much as I should have in a normal situation, as if I were at sea. Instead of actually going deeper, I had this strange sense that the space around me was expanding, creating the illusion that the place was much deeper than it really was.
(How much longer do I need to swim? My arms and legs are starting to hurt)
Ironically, even though I had lost the ability to feel physical pain, I still seemed capable of experiencing that typical discomfort from overexertion. But, to be honest, it felt more like a psychological pain than something truly physical.
When I jumped into the dark lake, I imagined I'd eventually reach a bottom or perhaps be transported to another dimension. What never crossed my mind was the possibility that this thing might simply not have a bottom. As I mentioned, if it does have a bottom, it's unreachable, since the lake seems to expand continuously as I descend. In short, reaching the bottom is impossible.
Realizing that I would never reach the bottom didn't make my situation any better—in fact, it made it worse. Here I am, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded only by darkness, with a single glowing line clearly guiding me somewhere. But beyond that, my mind was filled with questions. Actually, they were already there even before I jumped into this lake.
First of all, is the lake and whatever is inside it the same anomaly? I know this might sound crazy, but I can't shake the feeling that the "thing" and the tentacles are somehow connected. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say the tentacles emerging from the lake come from something that resides in the depths of this darkness.
As I stayed still, with my legs crossed, observing the environment thoughtfully and blinking my golden eyes in the dark, I noticed something. The line I was following suddenly seemed to move. I looked closer, trying to convince myself it was just my imagination, but it wasn't. The line moved again, this time drifting away significantly from my observation point.
I blinked my eyes, confused, trying to understand what was happening. However, the line came back to my side. I looked at it, still not comprehending, when suddenly it started to circle around me. I watched, curious, until something behind me started to writhe, something I only noticed while distracted by the line in front of me.
Slowly, I turned to face the writhing thing behind me. It was one of those tentacles that had invaded Base 17, but there was something different about it compared to what I saw back then. Like the lake, the tentacle was completely black and constantly emitted something resembling dense black smoke.
I blinked my eyes, incredulous, staring at the lone tentacle, but this sight lasted only a few seconds. Another one appeared right after, and then, one by one, tentacles started emerging from the depths. However, to my surprise, that wasn't even the worst part.
Above the tentacles, two glowing circles, shining in a deep blue hue, appeared. I couldn't quite make out exactly what was in front of me, but it was clear that it was some kind of monster. I was sure of it, because those two glowing dots were, in fact, the eyes of whatever this thing was.
At the center of the two glowing circles, its weak spot gleamed in rainbow-colored hues, forming a "T." However, realizing that its vulnerability was exposed didn't make my situation any better. First of all, I had no idea what this thing was. Secondly, its size was beyond my ability to comprehend.
Or was this lake really that big? There was no doubt it was expanding, but now wasn't the time to get lost in speculation. The creature stared at me with its round, glowing eyes while I, in turn, blinked my golden eyes in response.
The tentacles, looking like smoky shadows, began to move—several of them, maybe hundreds. It was impossible to count. Slowly, they all started to circle around me. The creature remained above me, watching, but I noticed that its eyes were a bit more narrowed than before. Still, how exactly could it see me? This place was completely dark. The only explanation I could think of was that somehow, it could see my eyes, even in this absolute darkness.
Its eyes remained fixed on me as the tentacles surrounded me completely. At that moment, I blinked my eyes one last time before feeling my body start to be covered by some kind of bone armor. This was the power I absorbed from that monster, the skull wolf, the last time. The bone spread, forming a protective armor around my entire body.
Almost immediately, the creature in front of me closed its tentacles around me. I felt the impact as it tried to crush me, but that was it. To me, it seemed clear that it wouldn't be able to hurt me. The creature itself seemed to realize this and started to slowly retract its tentacles. I looked around as they moved away slowly before raising my head, also slowly, to stare directly at it.
My eyes, now shining brightly in multiple colors, focused on the spot where I imagined its forehead was. There, its weak point shone like a lit beacon, in rainbow colors. For some reason, the creature seemed to flinch for a moment when it realized my eyes were locked on it—more precisely, on its vulnerable spot. However, even knowing where its weak point was, my situation was still far from favorable for one simple reason.
(This is when I really hate not having acquired any kind of anomalous attack power)