Chapter 178 - When logic escapes [19]

While these thoughts still ran through Emily's mind, her gaze remained fixed on the charts in front of her. However, unlike the nervousness from moments before, her expression was now visibly calmer, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. That's when Laura's voice echoed through the room, filled with an encouraging and relieved tone.

"Looks like things have finally settled down" Laura said, crossing her arms with a satisfied smile: "I told you the [Angel of Death] would handle it!" Her voice carried a mix of pride and relief, as if she had bet big and was now savoring the win.

Victor, who had been staring at the charts, sighed before sharing his thoughts without taking his eyes off the screen: "Setting Laura's daydreams aside..." he said with a hint of irony, trying to ease the tension with a casual remark: "what are we gonna do about the people who ended up caught right in the middle of all this mess?"

Hearing Victor, Laura immediately turned, ready to protest. Her eyes showed indignation, and her lips began to form the first word—but before she could say anything, Emily's voice cut through the air. Unlike before, she sounded much calmer and more composed, almost cold compared to the agitated tone from minutes ago.

"You don't need to worry about that" Emily said with a serenity bordering on indifference: "Anyway, this isn't the first time we've dealt with a case like this. We'll just use one of the available anomalies to erase everyone's memories involved. Although this time..." She paused briefly, as if mentally calculating the scale of the problem: "The exposure level is much higher. The fog doesn't seem to have spread as much as it could've... maybe it reached two or three cities at most. Still..." A faint ironic smile appeared at the corner of her mouth: "It's still something manageable"

Just as Emily's words were fading, an unexpected voice from behind cut through the moment and caught the attention of Emily, Laura, and Victor: "Fufu..." The three turned almost simultaneously, as if pulled by an invisible thread toward the source of that curious sound.

They all averted their gazes at the same time, landing on a figure with an angelic appearance looking down at them, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. Her presence seemed to distort the very air around her, as if the atmosphere suddenly grew heavier.

Her next words, spoken in a light, almost teasing tone, made the three exchange looks filled with confusion and an uneasy feeling hard to name but impossible to ignore: "I wonder... will things really be that easy this time?"

Laura and Victor shared another uneasy glance, their tense faces reflecting the discomfort the entity's words stirred. It was as if a silent warning hung between them—heavy and unsettling. Emily, for her part, also couldn't hide the unease she felt.

She wasn't exactly sure why — maybe the tone of the voice, maybe the choice of words — but there was something there, something that triggered a strange sense of alert. A part of her, almost instinctively, was sure this was just the beginning… that the real complications were yet to come.

With that thought still echoing in my mind, I turned my gaze back to the anomaly in front of me. Emily, who was also watching the scene with slightly furrowed brows, broke the silence with a question mixed with doubt and curiosity: "What exactly do you mean by that?" she asked, her tone hesitant but inquisitive.

The angelic-looking anomaly blinked its large glowing eyes slowly as Emily's words reached it. The two wings, delicately attached to its tailbone, moved with an ethereal grace as if responding to a breeze only it could feel.

For a moment, Emily almost forgot to breathe. Her chest hung suspended in the air as she stared, mesmerized, at the entity before her—a strange and unsettling beauty that seemed to defy the very rules of reality.

For some reason, there was something about the entity that reminded Emily of her mother. A strange feeling of familiarity and tenderness washed over her, as if she were slowly being enveloped by a gentle, protective warmth—an almost ethereal presence that seemed to caress her cheek with delicate, lingering touches, like a caress from a forgotten time.

Yet, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the feeling vanished, evaporating into the air like a memory slipping through one's fingers. Emily shook her head, pushing the thought away, and refocused on the anomaly before her. The creature, meanwhile, watched her with an amused smile, as if finding humor in her brief confusion.

"Fufu, who knows..." the anomaly murmured, a provocative smile slowly forming on its lips. Its eyes gleamed with a strange light, as if it found amusement in this moment—or rather, in the worries plaguing Emily. In an almost enigmatic tone, it continued: "As far as I know, chaos will never let stability bloom"

Emily raised an eyebrow at those words. Was it some kind of riddle? A challenge she was supposed to solve? Doubt lingered briefly in her mind as she tried to grasp the intention behind the message.

From Emily's perspective, both the so-called [Angel of Death] and the other two anomalies—"Life" and "Death"—were passive entities, strange but not acting with malice or intent to harm humans. Still, there was something in the tone of this anomaly that deeply unsettled her.

While lost in her thoughts, another voice echoed through the room—this time filled with a dark melancholy that starkly contrasted with the cheerful, almost angelic lightness of the previous one. The tone was slow, almost a whisper that sent chills down the spine: "Why are you making... such a fuss?"

When Emily looked up, she found the dark-looking anomaly fixing her with an intense, almost hypnotic gaze. In contrast, the angelic anomaly kept its signature smile—the suggestive grin that seemed to hide secrets and amusement at the same time.

In a light, teasing tone, it replied, almost in a whisper: "Well, it's way more fun this way, hehe"

***

(POV – Protagonist)

Still atop the building, my eyes slowly scanned the streets below. In the distance, the dense fog that had swallowed the entire city moments before was beginning to clear, gradually revealing a chaotic scene. On the ground, bodies of monsters—grotesque and varied creatures—lay scattered, their twisted silhouettes contrasting with the cold concrete of the street.

Slowly, the first "brave ones" began to emerge from the shadows, cautiously stepping forward to assess the situation. Most were men, wearing worn clothes and faces marked by tension, but here and there, a few women appeared as well, equally determined, forming small groups that exchanged worried glances as they advanced.

Still keeping my eyes fixed on the people down below, I let out a held-back sigh before silently telling Arthur and Nyara in my mind: Wait for me here, I'll be right back.

Although Nyara looked a little sad at my words, she just nodded quietly, with a look that mixed understanding and a hint of melancholy. Arthur, on the other hand, didn't show any particular reaction.

His eyes stayed fixed on the horizon, lost in the thin mist still hanging over the distant landscape, as if trying to find answers behind that gray veil. There was something restless in his expression — like a storm of thoughts was swirling in his mind. Noticing this, I decided to just ignore it, respecting his silence.

The next moment, my body seemed to melt into emptiness, like I was being pulled into a silent abyss. Soon I found myself immersed in total darkness — a dense, familiar blackness that wrapped around me like a silent cloak. That known feeling filled me completely as my eyes tried to adjust, wandering through the nothingness.

But I didn't stay there long. With a simple snap of my fingers, the shadows around me started to coil around my body like invisible, cold tentacles. And in the blink of an eye, a deep black veil vanished before my eyes. When the darkness cleared, I was there, suddenly reappearing inside a modest kitchen — the kind you find in a typical diner.

My eyes quickly scanned the room, alert to every shadow and corner. That's when I heard voices ahead of me. I was at the back of the place, and a thick wall separated me from what was happening on the other side — impossible to see beyond it, at least for now.

I still haven't figured out if I have any power that lets me see through walls or something like that... For some reason, I feel like if I did, I could use it to do some shady stuff, but it's probably just my overactive imagination playing tricks.

Anyway, I moved my feet toward the door. As soon as my fingers touched the handle, I turned it firmly, and the door slowly opened. In front of me, the inside of the place revealed itself: a huge glass window gave a clear view inside the diner.

Tables were arranged neatly throughout the room, and a few people were quietly chatting, occasionally glancing outside, as if watching the busy street beyond. In the corner of the room, a little girl sat alone at a table, gently swinging her feet back and forth, entertained.

She held a cup with a colorful straw, sipping small sips of a cold drink, while her curious eyes seemed lost in some distant thought. The sunlight filtered through the window, illuminating her delicate hair, giving it an almost golden shine.

I watched, for a moment, the adults chatting animatedly in front of me, their voices muffled by the distant city noise. Then, I slowly turned my gaze toward the little girl — the same one I had seen when I arrived that gray afternoon, when we took shelter in the small burger joint nearby.

Honestly, there wasn't a clear reason that pushed me to come back here. If I had to point to one, it was just that strange feeling that I needed to say goodbye to her. To be completely honest with myself, after this moment, it was very likely she'd never see me again; or worse, that she wouldn't even remember my face.

As those thoughts unfolded in my mind, the little girl finally seemed to notice me. Her big, curious eyes naturally turned toward me, maybe sensing, without fully understanding, that someone was watching her.

Her small, innocent eyes blinked softly, as if processing that silent presence. A sudden, fleeting sparkle crossed her gaze — a mix of surprise and mischief.

The next moment, a sweet, spontaneous smile lit up her face, and she ran toward me. Her light steps barely made a sound, going unnoticed by the adults around, completely absorbed in their own conversations.

The instant she reached me, the little girl wrapped me in a tight hug. Her thin, delicate arms wrapped around my waist with the urgency and tenderness of a baby koala, clutching me like I was her refuge.

I blinked a few times, surprised by the spontaneity of the gesture, before lowering my gaze to meet her eyes shining with pure happiness. A smile brightened her innocent face, reflecting contagious joy.

But almost in the blink of an eye, she pulled away and started circling me, her curious, lively eyes scanning my body from head to toe, as if discovering a new world.

"Sis... you really grew up, huh? When did you turn into an adult?" the little girl asked, her eyes sparkling with intense curiosity, like she'd just discovered a new, fascinating toy. Her innocent smile was full of admiration and surprise, and she was bouncing lightly with excitement.

Well, from her point of view, the idea that I simply grew up all of a sudden didn't seem much different from becoming an adult overnight. But in my case, what really happened was something much stranger — my body changed abruptly after I "absorbed" Nyara's powers. Now, my basic appearance is that of a teenager between 15 and 16 years old, although I'm a bit shorter than usual for that age.