As she moved down the corridor, the chaos inside Base 17 became increasingly evident. Mutilated and shredded bodies were scattered across every corner, and the red of blood stained the walls and floor, making the already claustrophobic space even more suffocating. Emily, in her assessment, knew it would be surprising to find anyone alive in this place, given the deplorable state of the base.
"You know... I'm not sure whether I should be more shocked by this scene or by the fact that it no longer surprises me"
"Huh... doesn't that mean you've gotten used to this job, Victor?"
"... Hearing that, especially from you, certainly doesn't put me at ease!"
Emily listened for a moment to Victor and Laura's musings before turning her attention back to the long corridor ahead. She didn't quite know what to make of the situation. Everything had happened so quickly and so methodically that it was hard not to suspect that someone had planned all of it.
Although a specific person came to mind, Emily thought through various angles and concluded that it would be impossible for Graham to have orchestrated all this. More likely, he somehow knew this would happen at that exact moment and had intentionally directed them to Base 17.
Just as these thoughts crossed Emily's mind, the ground began to tremble. She squinted, focusing to understand what was happening. Her eyes quickly turned to Laura and Victor, who were staring back at her with equally alarmed expressions, mirroring the same mix of apprehension and confusion.
"What's happening now? I don't remember any reports indicating the possibility of earthquakes in this area"
As Victor had pointed out, the area around Base 17, especially near the lake, had never recorded any kind of earthquake since its discovery. The region was considered anomalous due to the presence of the lake, and if a tremor were to occur, it would be impossible not to assume it had some direct connection to the mysterious black lake.
"The reports never mentioned earthquakes because there's never been one until now. This, for sure, isn't a regular tremor"
Emily said, a hint of unease in her voice. Seconds after Emily's words, the tremor stopped, pulling relieved sighs from everyone. However, it was impossible to feel truly at ease, especially considering where they were. The black lake, in itself, was one of the most enigmatic anomalies ever discovered by the organization. Its depths remained an unfathomable mystery, and even the area around it had acquired anomalous properties due to the influence of the lake itself.
Emily's mind began to race, trying to understand the situation as quickly as possible. After a quick analysis, she reached a single conclusion: whatever was in the lake, something had triggered it, making it aggressive. Of course, this didn't mean that the creature hadn't been hostile before, as the tentacles were probably already coming from it.
"Chief, look! It looks like some of the guards are still alive!"
Laura shouted, pulling Emily out of her thoughts. Looking in the direction Laura was pointing, Emily saw a guard lying against the wall. She realized the guard was still alive, and despite some cuts, his wounds appeared relatively superficial. To her surprise, it wasn't just one guard; others who had been responsible for the base's security seemed to be alive as well. Besides the cuts, they all appeared to be in good shape.
"I guess they all had the same luck we did. The tentacles probably retreated when they were about to be killed... I'd call this the luckiest thing I've ever seen, if I didn't know that in this job, luck is something that simply doesn't exist"
Victor remarked. Emily had no choice but to agree with Victor's words. After all, anomalies capable of manipulating probabilities, like luck, weren't uncommon in facilities around the world. Even so, she, Laura, and Victor focused on helping the surviving guards get up, administering makeshift first aid.
They tore strips from the fallen guards' clothes to create temporary bandages. As they worked, another tremor shook the structure, this time much more intense than the last. There was no denying it: something significant was happening outside Base 17.
"The best we can do now is get out of here as fast as possible. I've got a bad feeling that this whole place could collapse at any moment"
Emily said, her voice reflecting Victor's thoughts. Without a word, they all stood up. The weakened guards leaned on each other as they slowly made their way toward the exit.
However, as soon as they crossed the door, a disturbing and surreal sight unfolded before them. The scene was so overwhelming that a primal instinct surged through their bodies: that thing could not escape. If it did, the world would surely descend into unimaginable chaos.
Emily's legs began to shake, and her eyes widened as sweat poured relentlessly down her forehead. Her breath became ragged and uneven. To her, it felt as if the very essence of horror had taken on a physical form and descended into the world, consuming everything around it with an overwhelming presence.
***
(POV – Protagonist)
The creature continued to ascend at a terrifying speed. I couldn't tell if it was swimming toward the surface or simply flying up to it. Its size was so colossal that my field of vision barely captured a fraction of its head, making it impossible to see the rest of its body. In the end, I remained lying on its head, patiently awaiting the end of this strange ride.
Slowly, I realized we were approaching the surface. With a deafening crash, the creature broke through the water, rising beneath a sky tinged with an intense red. Dozens, maybe thousands, of black, steaming tentacles shot into the air, as if celebrating in unison the sweet, long-awaited freedom.
Honestly, no matter how I looked at it, the scene felt like something straight out of an apocalypse. Despite the difficulty, since the creature kept moving, I managed to stay on my feet. I briefly blinked my golden eyes while scanning the surroundings, then, as I turned, I tilted my head slightly upon noticing six tentacle-like wings protruding from the entity's back.
Now, in a way, the being's body was visible. However, instead of having a defined shape—except for its head—the rest of its body was made up of the same smoky, billowing mist forming its tentacles. My first thought was that the being had no physical body, but that theory was quickly dismissed when the entity placed its arms on the ground.
The smoky mist spread at the contact, but the weight of its arms touching the earth was unmistakable. In short, although I couldn't see clearly, it was evident that the creature, in some way, had a body.
The next moment, a deep, guttural sound filled the air, vibrating as if echoing from the depths of the ocean. It wasn't a sound that could be recognized as something made by earthly creatures, but rather a mix of distorted frequencies and patterns that defied human logic. It was a chaotic blend of high-pitched noises, muffled screams, and reverberations, sounding erratic and deeply unsettling.
Honestly, I don't even know if it's possible to fairly describe its voice, but that wasn't even the worst part of the situation. Almost as if responding to the being's roar, the sky began to be consumed by a thick, dark fog. Within seconds, the environment was plunged into total darkness, but not absolute darkness—it was as if night had suddenly fallen, with a heavy shadow that still allowed sight, but in a distorted and unsettling way.
The being was definitely trying to do something, but honestly, why should I wait to see what it would do? No, my body wasn't paralyzed or anything like that. While the being continued to plunge the environment into darkness, I activated my eyes and followed the faint line moving toward its forehead. With swift movements, I traced its surface, going directly toward the T-shaped weak spot.
When I reached the spot, I was surprised. I hadn't noticed it when I was at the bottom of the lake, but now I could clearly see that the thing had a T-shaped mark on its forehead. In fact, it didn't seem like a wound, but more like a kind of mark. However, I honestly didn't know if it was something it had been born with or if it had been caused by something. Either way, this detail didn't interest me much at the moment.
Once again, I found myself at an impasse. I didn't have any kind of offensive ability, and if someone asked me, I would answer with conviction that my attack power was practically null. However, that didn't mean I couldn't try to hurt the being. As I stared at the T-shaped mark on its forehead, I raised my fist. With all the strength I could gather at that moment, I struck directly at it.
The instant my punch landed, I blinked in confusion as I noticed a golden sphere gently spinning above my head. Also, part of the color seemed to have been drawn into the sphere the moment my punch hit the creature. It squirmed intensely; I'm not sure if it was from pain, but considering I hit directly at its weak spot, it was very likely that it hurt—a lot.
Some of the tentacles forming the being's wings trembled, and soon others started to appear, multiplying from the smoky mist. These new tentacles surrounded me, with their tips transforming into spiral mouths filled with rows of teeth.
I blinked briefly, averting my gaze to the T-shaped weak spot just below me, before raising my face again to face the tentacles around me. My next move was to raise my fist once more. For a moment, I got the impression that the tentacles were shaking. Cold? Were they feeling cold or something like that?.
***
(POV - Emily Parker)
"What the hell is that thing? Has it been at Base 17 this whole time?"
Victor's words reflected exactly what everyone on site was feeling at that moment. No one could believe what their eyes were witnessing, even with the terrifying scene unfolding before them. As they watched, paralyzed with horror, the colossal being seemed to rise until it touched the top of the world.
Then, a deep, disturbing scream echoed. Emily felt a sharp throb in her head, her legs gave way, and an intense confusion took over her, a whirlwind of sensations she couldn't quite explain.
Suddenly, Emily found herself in the vast universe, lost in the immense cosmos. She was tiny, insignificant before the grandness surrounding her. Her tear-filled eyes gazed at the surreal scene, while an overwhelming sense of smallness enveloped her.
Then, as if being pulled out of herself, she felt her body fall into an endless abyss. The descent seemed never-ending, until a deep sound reverberated through the air, breaking the trance and bringing Emily back to reality.
The sound resembled glass shattering, echoing in an unsettling way. Emily looked around and realized that everyone had their eyes wide open, fixed on the sky. Unable to contain her curiosity, she also lifted her gaze. What she saw made her legs give way, and she collapsed to the ground.
Small tears slid down her face. Emily wasn't alone—others were crying too. It wasn't out of fear or terror, but because the sight before them was indescribably beautiful.
It was as if reality itself had torn apart. The creature had no defined features—only its face was vaguely visible, but it appeared distorted, as if pressed against an elastic surface hiding its true form.
Its outline was all that could be discerned. However, just as it appeared, it vanished in an instant. Emily, Laura, Victor, and the guards present blinked in confusion, trying to process what had just happened.
"Lady Angel!"
The confusion lingered until Laura spoke. Her words drew everyone's attention to where she was looking. Above the creature's head, the anomaly, newly dubbed the [Angel of Death], was relentlessly striking the being's head. Normally, no one would expect something so small to face such a colossal entity, but Emily, instinctively, felt that if it were her, this could actually happen.