(POV - Arthur Hensley)
The only thing Arthur could do in that moment was remain completely silent, his eyes fixed on the cocoon in front of him. He didn't know all the details of what had happened, but one thing was certain: something had occurred there, and the [Angel of Death], somehow, had intervened to stop it.
His memory was a blur from the moment he passed out, fragments slipping beyond his reach, but he still clearly remembered the moments leading up to his blackout.
The little girl suddenly began to transform right before Arthur's eyes, her form shifting until it became an anomaly. There was something hypnotic about the scene, something that kept him from looking away.
For him, it was like watching a butterfly emerge from its cocoon — a sublime, disturbing, and beautiful birth all at once.
A burning heat surged through his body, as though each of his organs were on fire, consumed by an overwhelming sensation. Then, without warning, his consciousness faded, and he passed out.
The events that followed were a whirlwind of shadows and indistinct blurs. He had a vague sense of still being conscious, but it was as if his mind were trapped in a void, unable to form thoughts or react.
Then, in the next moment, when he finally regained consciousness, he found himself facing a massive cocoon, black as the darkness itself, hanging enigmatically in the air. A brief glance was all it took for Arthur to understand, without needing much thought, the essence of what had happened.
Moreover, even if for just a brief moment while observing the anomaly, Arthur remembered what virtue he was facing. Though the information was scarce, he still felt that he understood enough to have a clear sense of the magnitude of the danger before him.
(Althea, the conceptual virtue that personifies life...) Arthur's thought echoed in his mind as an ironic smile formed on his lips.
Somehow, Arthur found himself entangled with one of the main virtues: Death. Now, facing the personification of the Virtue of Life, he couldn't help but get lost in a sea of ironic thoughts. How everything seemed to intertwine in an inexplicable, almost cruel way.
Although he already knew the name of the virtue he was encountering, Arthur couldn't believe that knowledge would be of any use. After all, regardless of everything that had happened, it was clear that time had run out.
In the end, Arthur let out a deep sigh of resignation, as if he had finally accepted the inevitable. With an almost automatic gesture, he adjusted the monocle on his face, his fingers delicately touching the lens as his eyes fixed on the direction of the cocoon.
The next moment, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes, revealing his total disbelief. It was impossible not to be taken aback. The cocoon, despite its simple and even ordinary appearance at first glance, had far more sinister effects than he could have imagined.
It was as if time within the cocoon had come to a complete standstill, immersed in absolute suspension. Everything there seemed frozen, in a state of paralysis that defied logic.
In fact, the interior of the cocoon behaved much like a black hole, where, at its core, a singularity had formed, absorbing everything around it.
This phenomenon only piqued Arthur's curiosity further, and with almost instinctive movement, he directed his gaze toward the being responsible for creating something so uncommon and fascinating.
As always, as soon as his monocle adjusted over the small anomalous point beside him, something peculiar happened. Out of nowhere, a massive text, formed by red, blood-pulsing letters, appeared at the center of the scene.
The message was simple but carried immense weight. Though the words were direct, Arthur had no doubt that it was more than enough to understand the warning conveyed by his monocle. He knew he didn't need anything more to grasp the gravity of the Anomaly.
"Death" A simple word, no matter the angle or the way it was read, its meaning was clear and easily understood.
However, Arthur couldn't shake the feeling that no other word could better describe the small anomalous being beside him.
The anomaly, with its silent presence, seemed to carry an invisible weight with it, something that, though not visible to the eyes, insinuated itself in the air around it, making the term even more precise.
***
(POV - Emily Parker)
Emily paused for a moment, her mind drifting away from the current of thoughts as she reflected deeply. For a second, she almost believed her eyes were playing tricks on her. Maybe the sleepless nights, with no rest, were finally beginning to take their toll, affecting her more than she had realized.
Her eyes slid gently over the computer screen, as if trying to somehow convince herself that what she had seen earlier was just a temporary mistake. However, to her frustration, the more she stared, the more she became convinced that what she had seen was, in fact, real.
"Just like that? Seriously, what the hell happened?" Emily whispered to herself, her eyes fixed on the flickering graphs on the screen, a growing sense of confusion swelling in her chest.
The graphs showed a sudden and unusual spike, rising abnormally for a brief period before returning to the usual pattern.
In other words, there was an anomalous fluctuation that lasted only a few seconds, disappearing without leaving a trace, as if nothing had occurred. The transition was silent and imperceptible, with no visible sign of disturbance.
The first suspect Emily considered for this occurrence was the [Angel of Death]. After all, it was the only anomaly to have disappeared recently and, therefore, could have caused some sort of anomalous disturbance outside the facility.
However, this definitely didn't seem to align with her usual behavior. Even by the unpredictable standards of anomalies, [Angel of Death] had always been notably silent, making any attempt to predict her actions nearly impossible.
Although her behavior was somewhat enigmatic, the idea that she might be behind something so disruptive seemed unlikely.
In the end, Emily let out a deep sigh, allowing her body to sink into the chair with a weight that felt heavier than physical. Her mind was a whirlwind, a chaotic mix of thoughts crashing into each other nonstop.
It wasn't that she didn't have a sense of what was really happening, but the truth was something she preferred not to face. After all, wasn't she the one who had so vehemently denied Arthur's words? It was as if karma, in its ironic and relentless form, had finally shown up.
Of course, Emily knew perfectly well that, had it been up to her, Arthur's request would have been readily accepted, though with a few conditions and reservations. However, she was fully aware that it would be extremely hard for the Upper Echelon to swallow.
The harsh reality was this: if it were possible, they wouldn't hesitate to destroy any anomalies that couldn't be exploited. That's how they operated, or at least intended to, since almost all anomalies had some characteristic that made them nearly immortal, rendering them an impossible challenge to fully eliminate.
Emily gently spun in her chair, the movement flowing smoothly, until, in the next instant, her eyes narrowed with focus. She halted the spin and, without hesitation, brought her hand closer to the phone.
However, before her fingers could touch it, something unusual caught her attention: a small crack in her hand. Though subtle, it was visible enough to attract Emily's watchful gaze.
With a slight raise of her eyebrow, she observed, fascinated, a faint golden light emanating from the crack's crevices. A single thought crossed her mind at that moment, a thought she couldn't shake.
(What the hell is that?)
***
(POV – Protagonist)
Although I wasn't exactly sure what was happening, one thing became clear: something unusual began to occur as soon as the little girl revealed her true anomalous form. An inexplicable power seemed to take over the environment, as if the reality around us was about to distort.
My Alter Ego, sensing the gravity of the situation, acted quickly, creating some sort of energy cocoon. With that, it managed to trap the anomaly, preventing the events from escalating further.
Still, I couldn't understand why our connection had been interrupted. Had that not happened, even without words, I would have still been able to understand what was going on, simply through the feelings my Alter Ego transmitted.
After all, we were the same essence, connected in a way that transcended verbal communication. Even in silence, I would somehow feel what was happening to them, as if their emotions were mine too.
However, unfortunately, what remained at that moment was just a dark cocoon, a structure created by my Alter Ego, where the little girl, now in her anomalous form, was enclosed. Although the environment was oppressive and tense, at least initially, it seemed we wouldn't be in immediate danger — at least not for now.
So, I turned my gaze to another point. Near the cocoon, lying on the couch, was the little girl who had once seemed to be the host for the anomaly.
I watched closely as her chest rose and fell with her breath, and at least that indicated she was still alive. In other words, she wasn't dead.
I approached her cautiously, taking care with each step, my golden eyes blinking softly as I watched her in silence.
My mind was still trying to process what had happened. Had the anomaly just left the little girl? Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon? I wasn't sure, but that's exactly what it seemed like.
While I was lost in thought, staring at the little girl, I felt a hand gently resting on my head.
When I turned, Arthur was beside me, his eyes equally fixed on the little girl. He sighed before speaking, his tone full of discouragement: "Honestly, I don't even know what's going on anymore... the name of this virtue... no, it doesn't even matter now. I doubt it'll make any difference at this point"
He began muttering quietly, completely oblivious to my presence, as if I wasn't there. Anyway, despite everything, the only detail that stood out was that strange, ominous black cocoon occupying the center of the room.
Other than that, at first glance, it seemed like nothing around us had changed. Or at least, that's the superficial impression I had. The truth, however, was that if anything had truly changed, I'd probably be the last to notice.
Except for a few very specific moments, I don't possess any sort of superhuman or anomalous senses — or whatever you want to call it. In fact, my senses are pretty ordinary, not much different from those of a human.
Of course, it's not something I take pride in, but what can I do? So, my next step was to walk over to the house's door. Arthur still seemed absorbed in his own thoughts, and thus didn't notice my movement.
The moment my hands brushed the doorknob and I turned it, something astounding happened. In the sky, the sun shone with its usual intensity, but there was something strange about it.
Unlike a regular sun, what hung above us was riddled with deep cracks, as though its surface were about to shatter.
Each of these fissures pulsed with a light as bright as the sun itself, and its radiance stood out, visible even to the naked eye, creating a surreal and unsettling spectacle.
Furthermore, I slowly turned my head, my eyes scanning the house. On the other side, in the same room where the two children had been playing moments before, I saw that both were lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious.
Their bodies, much like Arthur's just before, seemed to be fragmenting, cracking as if something were forcing them to break apart. I stood still, observing the scene, unsure how to react. That sight, though different, reminded me vividly of what happened in the village where I met Nekra.
For some reason, I couldn't stop thinking about how the situations were intertwining, as if the cycle was repeating itself. In other words, I knew that a new end of the world was about to unfold before my eyes.