I calmly enjoyed my ice cream, while occasionally looking around. Of course, I didn't need to look directly to the sides; thanks to the unique way I see, I have a full perception of the environment around me, as if I were viewing everything from above, or in third person—call it whatever you want.
During the time I was carried in that bone-made chair, some thoughts naturally arose in my mind. The first one was the certainty that these people were part of some bizarre cult. I had no doubts about that. However, what intrigued me the most was how they treated me, as if I were some kind of celebrity.
Even when I stared at them, they just ignored me. If I kept my gaze on someone for too long, they simply handed me more ice cream... Not that I was letting them carry me around just because of the ice cream, of course, but I thought it would be better to stay there for a while longer. After all, I still didn't know who these people were or what they really wanted.
For some reason, this situation triggered some pretty strange thoughts in me. I mean, in a way, I had felt this before, but now I realize that my sense of danger seems almost nonexistent. It's like everything around me is unreal or just not my concern. Maybe the fact that I've become an anomaly caused some kind of internal disorder in me. Of course, that's just a theory; it's not like I can be sure of that.
Putting my thoughts aside, I started wondering how much longer we'd keep descending. Just to clarify, there are no stairs in this place, but it's noticeable that the tunnel becomes increasingly steep as we move forward, which made me sure we were going down. The only question was: where exactly were they taking me? My doubt was answered a few minutes later.
(... I have to admit, this is really impressive!) I thought, my eyes shining both with surprise and anticipation for what might be waiting on the other side.
I was referring to the enormous gate in front of me. After a long time descending through the cave tunnel, we arrived at an unexpected place: a gigantic solid stone gate, with an impressive design, stood before us.
I was referring to the enormous gate in front of me, positioned as the entrance to somewhere. We arrived there after quite a while descending through the cave tunnel. The first thing I noticed upon arriving was the imposing solid stone gate, with an impressive design. It was hard not to notice, given that it completely covered the entrance to the cave.
The gate had several patterns that, at first, I thought might be some kind of language. However, since I wasn't sure about that, I preferred to ignore them for now. Besides the patterns covering much of the structure, in the center of the gate, there was something that resembled a huge eye, with its pupil fixated on us, the ones standing at the entrance.
While I lost myself in thought, trying to understand what kind of place this was, one of the figures advanced. Slowly, their hand appeared from beneath the cloak. At first, I thought they were all men, but when I observed the muscle tone of the arm of the person approaching the door, I realized it was probably a woman.
The moment the woman's hand touched the door, the pupil of the eye gleamed, beginning to shine red, then shifted to orange, and continued through the rainbow colors: yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. The colors flowed in a clear and fluid sequence, neither too fast nor too slow. I briefly tilted my head, confused, but in the end, I realized there was nothing more to do but wait.
The next moment, with a loud crash, the gate began to open slowly. However, contrary to what I had imagined, where it would move up or down, the gate started to disintegrate completely. Although I didn't know exactly what was happening, one thing was clear: that gate had definitely not been built by humans.
After the gate disintegrated, we resumed movement. Or rather, they started moving the bone chair I was sitting on. Once we crossed the gate and entered the other side, I couldn't help but be surprised. Of course, none of this showed on my face, which remained as impassive as always, but inside, I was far from indifferent.
Compared to the cave, which felt raw and chaotic, the place we arrived at seemed to be, without a doubt, a meticulously planned work. Sturdy pillars supported the ceiling, the walls were lined with precisely arranged stones, and the floor, also well-crafted, reflected the perfection of the environment. Ahead, a staircase led up to a large pillar, displaying a purple symbol that glowed mysteriously.
The figures, unlike me, seemed indifferent. Not that I could see their faces to confirm, but from my perspective, that's how it seemed. They moved again, and soon after, we began climbing the stairs toward the pillar with the glowing purple symbol. The next moment, they placed my bone chair on the ground near the pillar, but still somewhat away.
Then, they began to kneel, raising their hands as if they were praying or doing something like that. At that moment, I had no idea what the hell was happening. It was as if I was surrounded by madmen... or better yet, weren't they actually fanatics of some bizarre cult? Why the hell did my situation seem so much worse than I had imagined?.
Were these people expecting me to perform some miracle or something? That's impossible. I'm not a god. I may not be human, but I'm definitely far from divine. I mean, isn't that what's expected of a god? Omnipotent and omnipresent beings? The most I can do is merge with the shadows and duplicate myself into a darker version of myself.
I got lost in my thoughts, but soon my attention was diverted, turning toward that person from earlier, the one who opened the door that brought us here. She walked among the figures with a posture that radiated authority, and her firm steps took her to the pillar.
My golden eyes fixed on the symbol carved into the pillar, which shone brightly in a shade of purple. Not for an instant did I look away. I couldn't understand why I felt this way; maybe there was no specific reason. Still, as I stared at the symbol, one thought kept coming to mind: it strangely felt familiar in some way.
***
(POV - Laura Cavendish)
Laura sighed with relief as she realized that both she and Victor had gone unnoticed by the figure. However, this didn't mean their troubles were over — quite the opposite. The presence of the mysterious figure in the center of the village, once completely deserted, made it clear that the problems were just beginning. Still, Laura knew there were more urgent priorities to address at that moment.
Turning her face, Laura fixed her gaze on the mysterious man who had suddenly appeared to prevent them from being seen. His appearance, though simple, radiated an aura of competence. He didn't seem either old or young, likely in his early forties. His neatly groomed short beard added an air of elegance to his face.
In addition, two other striking features caught her attention: the elegant cane the man carried and the monocle, which, from what Laura had observed so far, didn't seem to be for vision correction. No matter how she looked at the situation — the man was highly suspicious.
Therefore, when looking at him, her expression conveyed far more distrust than gratitude. Not that she wasn't thankful, but the situation was just too strange. If he wasn't a resident of the village, there was no reason for him to be here.
"Who are you? No matter how I look at it, you definitely don't seem to be one of the villagers. And how did you manage to get so close without us noticing?" Laura asked, instinctively taking a step back, distancing herself from the man.
Victor, standing next to Laura, didn't react as quickly, but his finger was clearly poised, ready to pull the trigger of his weapon if necessary. Still, he decided that, at least for now, since the man didn't seem to have hostile intentions, it was wiser to gather information.
"Well, I can't say I imagined a more peaceful encounter when I sent you that email this morning" the man replied, brushing dirt off his clothes. His gaze casually rested on Victor, who had his finger on the weapon's trigger.
Upon hearing the man's words, Laura's eyes widened in surprise and suspicion, and she immediately asked: "Wait, so you were the one who sent the email I got this morning?"
"Hehe, to be honest, I thought my email would be dismissed as a prank. I never imagined someone would actually be sent here, much less the renowned researcher Laura Cavendish... But honestly, help is never too much. Plus, having a more logical perspective on things can be quite useful. I can't say understanding anomalies is exactly my forte" the man replied, a sly smile forming on his lips.
Victor had many questions for the man but chose to ask the one that most intrigued him at that moment: "Sorry to interrupt the fan-celebrity reunion, but you still haven't answered our question. How did you manage to get so close without us noticing? I don't mean to brag, but I have excellent hearing"
"As for that, the method I used is quite simple... hmm, I think it's better to show than explain" the man replied, lightly raising his cane and gently tapping its thin end against the ground.
The moment the man's cane touched the ground, Laura and Victor's eyes widened in surprise as they saw shadows emerge from the ground and begin to surround him. In the next instant, when the shadows dissipated, the man had simply vanished from where they had been. Laura and Victor looked around attentively but couldn't find any trace of him.
Moments later, Laura and Victor were again surprised to see the man reappear in the same way he had disappeared. Shadows suddenly emerged, enveloping the air around him. The scene was strangely silent, making everything even more unsettling. When the shadows dissipated, the man appeared again, a mysterious smile forming at the corner of his mouth.
"Well, as you saw, I can move quietly with the help of this little guy here" the man remarked, tapping his cane lightly with his finger.
"An anomaly!" Laura commented, her face showing surprise.
Victor, standing next to Laura, wasn't much different. To him, the scene was almost as bizarre as seeing the anomaly known as [Angel of Death] playing video games. His finger pressed more firmly against the trigger. Victor had always trusted his instincts — that was how he had survived up to now. While he didn't believe the man was necessarily dangerous, that didn't mean he couldn't put them in risky situations. Plus, the man was extremely suspicious.
"Where did you get that anomaly? Anomalies are under the jurisdiction of the organization; they're not toys for civilians to use as they please," Laura said, her tone and gaze accusatory as she stared at the mysterious man in front of her.
The man smiled softly at Laura's words and then turned his gaze back to the center of the village, where the figure had initially appeared.
"I imagine you have many questions" he said. "But I think someone as flexible as you must've realized our situation isn't exactly favorable for long conversations right now. If my guess is right, we're about to witness something never before seen in history. We don't need to be enemies. In fact, I saved you both because I believe we're going to need each other's help. So, what do you say?"
Laura felt she could think of several ways to force the man into a confession, but had to admit he was right. Creating confusion at that moment would only make things worse. Besides, the way he spoke intensely sparked her curiosity. Her scientific instincts were on alert, signaling that something big, possibly related to anomalies, was about to happen.