(POV - Emily Parker)
As long as she could remember — or, more accurately, since she started working as a scientist studying anomalies — Emily had always been afraid of them. And the deeper she delved into her research, the more that fear grew.
However, Emily's fear was more like an irrational phobia, akin to the kind of fear someone might feel toward something specific without any logical explanation. In other words, it was as if Emily had a true phobia of anomalies.
But even though Emily was afraid of anomalies, her fear was outweighed by a much greater fear: the possibility of a large-scale invasion. Up until now, all anomalies had been contained one way or another, but tragically, these operations often resulted in the loss of many soldiers' lives.
All of this was caused by just a single anomaly. If one could wreak such destruction, what would happen if there was an entire army of them? Sure, Emily acknowledged that, most of the time, anomalies were hostile toward each other. Still, there was one thing they were even more hostile toward: humans.
No matter the circumstances, any new anomaly that appeared would always attack humans within its reach. Even those with intelligence refused to explain the reasons behind their actions.
It seemed, in some way, that all anomalies shared an irrational hatred of humans. Of course, Emily was specifically referring to anomalies that had the power to physically harm people.
Even anomalies that, theoretically, didn't have the power to hurt humans often showed, in practice, a devastating potential depending on how their abilities were used.
However, as with everything in life, there were exceptions: some anomalies, for reasons unknown, showed clemency toward humans or even protected them in an irrational way, with no apparent explanation. Though rare and few, these exceptions proved that such behavior was possible.
Lost in thought, Emily's eyes naturally drifted to the side of her desk, where two picture frames sat. In the first, a family of four flashed radiant smiles, radiating happiness.
A faint smile appeared on the corner of Emily's lips as she admired the photo, but soon her eyes turned to the frame next to it. This one only showed two figures: two girls. It was a photo of herself and her sister.
Emily's breathing grew gradually uneven as memories of the events she most wanted to forget rushed into her mind. A mistake of hers had cost her younger sister's life, a young woman whose brilliance even surpassed Emily's own.
"Boss, it's me. Can I come in?"
Emily's thoughts were interrupted as Laura's voice echoed from the other side of the door. She stared at the frame for a few more seconds before turning it face down, allowing her breathing to slowly return to normal.
"… Laura, you can come in"
Shortly after Emily's response, the sound of the door opening broke the silence, and Laura entered the room, wearing her usual white lab coat with her hair tied back in a ponytail. As she approached Emily's desk, Laura noticed the frame turned face down but decided not to comment. Emily, in turn, noticed Laura's gesture of understanding and silently thanked her for not bringing up the topic, which was, for Emily, extremely delicate.
She had already come to terms with her sister's death. More than anyone, Emily knew that the dead don't come back to life. After all, she was a scientist studying phenomena generally classified as anomalies or inexplicable events, and even those entities could be destroyed. None of them were exempt from such a cruel fate.
Emily firmly believed that any anomaly could be eliminated, as long as the right methods were employed. No, on the contrary, she was fully convinced of this. Because if it weren't true, the alternative would be simply too terrifying to contemplate.
"So, what would you like to discuss?"
Emily decided to push her thoughts aside and focus on the present. Laura, for her part, was the type of person who knew how to separate personal from professional matters, which helped her think more clearly and forget the events of the past. At least, that had been working for Emily so far, and she hoped it would continue.
"As for Director Graham, he's on his way..."
A brief silence lingered in the air after Laura's words. Emily's fingers tapped lightly on the desk, producing a rhythmic and discreet sound with each tap. Laura kept her eyes fixed on Emily, waiting attentively for her next instructions.
"Alright... Follow the plan. Take him to the new containment room for the [Angel of Death]. I'll be waiting for him there"
Laura simply nodded to her boss's words. Although she carried many concerns, deep down, she knew Emily well enough to understand that nothing was done without careful analysis. This solid trust in Emily made her believe that her decisions were always well-founded.
Moments later, Emily and Laura parted ways. While Laura went to meet Graham, Emily walked calmly through the long hallways. The current facility was far more complex, filled with branching paths that outnumbered those of the old structure. Keeping a steady pace, Emily made her way toward the new containment room for the anomaly.
Emily maintained her steady pace for several minutes, progressing deeper into the facility, until her steps led her to an elevator. Once inside, she pressed the button for the second deepest floor. As the elevator descended, the sounds from the lower levels grew increasingly clear and unsettling.
As one of the organization's main bases, the number of anomalies contained was naturally high. Even more notable were those classified as extremely dangerous, surpassing the Obscurium category and reaching Aetheris classification.
These anomalies, known for their containment difficulty, were responsible for frequent security breaches. However, thanks to the widely studied and rigorously implemented containment methods, incidents with casualties had become rare.
Although the classification of the [Angel of Death] remained Obscurium, Emily decided to transfer it to the lower levels of the facility. Of all the anomalies she had studied, this one was among the most mysterious and incomprehensible. Emily couldn't even begin to imagine what was going through its mind. Of course, this wasn't exactly a surprise, as anomalies usually acted unpredictably.
However, there was a significant difference: most anomalies seemed driven by a clear instinct to attack or kill humans at the first opportunity. The [Angel of Death], on the other hand, exhibited completely different behavior. Its motivation, if it existed, remained an enigma Emily had yet to unravel.
When the elevator door opened, Emily walked a few more meters, passing guards and scientists along the way. Her steps halted in front of a door at the end of the hall, where the name "Angel of Death" was engraved on the metal, imposing and indelible. With a swift motion, she placed her fingerprint on the machine beside the door. The system recognized her identity, and the door slid open, allowing Emily to enter.
Inside, the room was equipped with several computers, and a massive glass wall covered much of the space. There were no other scientists or anyone else present at that moment.
This was largely because the anomaly in question was the tamest one in the entire facility. Moreover, despite being under surveillance, there was something peculiar about it: whenever anyone tried to observe it, somehow, it managed to escape and hide somewhere, making any monitoring efforts ineffective.
At first, this caused some chaos, but over time—and probably because of the anomaly's peculiar appearance—the scientists and guards got used to it. Of course, many still feared it, even knowing it posed no danger. After all, an anomaly, no matter how tame, always carried the weight of its unpredictable nature.
However, anyone observing from where Emily stood would see only a small girl sitting, engrossed in her video game. Emily remembered the first time she witnessed this odd and even amusing scene. The initial test used a tool designed to measure brainwaves or detect thought patterns. To determine if the anomaly had its own consciousness, they decided to use a simple game as an experiment.
The results, however, exceeded all expectations. Not only did the anomaly show signs of having its own consciousness, but it also revealed preferences and tastes, among other traits. Emily came up with the idea to use the game as a means of communication, even introducing a word game to facilitate dialogue.
But, as always, everything the anomaly wrote was translated into an indecipherable language. In the end, the anomaly kept the device and the video game to entertain itself, which significantly reduced its escape attempts. Still, from time to time, it managed to slip away.
Lost in thought, Emily took a few seconds to notice the movement behind her. When something landed on her shoulder, she jumped back quickly, her breath becoming shallow. However, once she identified the source, she closed her eyes and let out a relieved sigh.
"Victor... don't do that, you nearly scared me to death!"
Victor raised an eyebrow, not understanding Emily's state. He then glanced briefly into the containment room of the "Angel of Death" through the glass. There it was, as usual, with that peculiar device on its head while playing the video game. The first time he saw this, Victor simply chose not to question it. After all, it wasn't part of his duties.
"Graham will be here in a few minutes. I just came to let you know that we're all set. Once you give the signal, we'll spring into action!"
Emily's face grew serious as she heard Victor's words. She nodded in silence, keeping a sharp eye on him as he left the room. Now alone, with only her thoughts for company, Emily let out a soft sigh. From what she could tell, things were about to get pretty hectic soon.
***
(POV – Protagonist)
When I realized that the meeting between Emily and Graham was going to happen right outside my room, I was genuinely surprised. I mean, this actually works out for me. I can just pretend to be lounging around in my room while keeping an eye on their movements... or more precisely, while whatever that is keeps an eye on their movements.
My gaze naturally drifted to a particular corner of my room. There, a being that looked eerily like me—except for its completely dark skin and the smoke constantly escaping from its body—was sitting on my bed, swinging its feet back and forth like a child. Seriously, this childlike scene was making me feel ridiculously embarrassed, especially considering how much it resembled me.
The being noticed my gaze and turned its head toward me. We stared at each other for a moment, but when it tilted its head, looking confused, I decided to simply ignore it. This thing had appeared ever since I absorbed the colors of that giant humanoid octopus near the lake.
That day, I didn't pay much attention to it since we had to rush back. However, when it came out of my body again, I could no longer ignore it. I mean, it seemed to have a life of its own. I honestly didn't know how it worked, but one thing was certain.
With that thought in mind, I glanced over at a specific corner of the room, where a table was positioned. On it, some snacks were resting, and I had this simple urge to eat them. The moment that thought crossed my mind, I looked back at the being that resembled me, still sitting on the bed. Almost immediately, the being seemed to sense something, and its gaze shifted toward the table with the snacks.
The being's body began releasing more smoke, and in the next instant, a thick, smoky tentacle extended from its back, slithering toward the snacks. Wrapping around one of them, the tentacle brought it to where I was and gently placed it beside me. I stared at the snack for a moment, then turned my gaze back to my exact replica, still sitting on the bed.
We stared at each other again, but this time, both of us tilted our heads, as if in sync. I didn't have to think too long to understand: we were both confused. The only thing I could gather about the being so far was that it seemed strangely connected to me. Even without me speaking, just feeling or wanting something, the being simply did it, as if it were second nature to it.