Anomaly

The next course of action I needed to take was already clear in my mind. Even after destroying all the windy tentacles of the anomaly, I knew it wouldn’t last long.
It would be naïve to believe that this anomaly didn’t have some kind of regeneration, or some anomalous ability capable of recreating the appendages I had just torn apart.
In fact, the way the colossal airborne anomaly thrashed right afterward made it obvious: it was especially furious at me for destroying its tentacles.
Of course, my plan was still to get out of sight. However, moving forward without even a clear direction... honestly, that would be complicated. The sensation of Tenebrya’s presence remained illogical—there wasn’t a single, definite point to follow.
To me, it felt like she was coming from every direction at once. Irony of fate: the devices Emily and Laura carry back at the base would probably be far more useful right now than my own senses, which were completely disoriented.
Now, the only remaining issue was the communicators. I already had a reasonable suspicion as to why they weren’t working. Although it isn’t an absolute rule, almost every anomaly emits some level of electromagnetic pulse through the body—sometimes constant, sometimes intermittent.
To be honest, that detail came to mind thanks to one of the countless files I found in the facility during one of my many “explorations” in the past. Back then, it seemed like nothing more than a technical curiosity... but now it made an uncomfortably clear kind of sense.
As far as I could determine, there wasn’t any solid logical explanation for why that happened. The only concrete information was that at least 95% of anomalies manifest this type of standard embedded anomalous power—a nearly universal trait, though still poorly understood.
By the way, my sisters and I fall outside that 95%. We don’t have anything that remotely resembles this kind of anomalous ability. If we did, the devices would’ve been disabled in previous missions, leaving obvious traces or operational failures—which never happened.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the devices are just ordinary market-grade communicators. They’re special equipment, designed from the ground up to withstand the electromagnetic pulses anomalies naturally emit.
Even so, despite all that engineering focused on resistance, some anomalies occasionally have emission levels that exceed—by a lot—the maximum capacity the communicators can handle. In those cases, malfunctions, heavy interference, or even total burnout of the devices aren’t uncommon.
The final conclusion was that, one way or another, we would need to get in contact with Emily and Laura if we truly wanted to find Tenebrya. With that confirmation hammering in my mind, I let my thoughts return to Victor, Arthur, and Rupert.
(As far as we know, those anomalies are what’s messing with our comms, right? If I can get us far enough away, we might be able to reconnect with the base) My voice echoed directly inside the minds of Rupert, Victor, and Arthur.
The three of them listened carefully. Rupert and Arthur exchanged a quick glance, their eyebrows slightly raised, but there was understanding in their eyes—they seemed to realize where I was going with my suggestion.
Arthur, on the other hand, kept a more focused, almost analytical expression. After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke: “You... you’re right. I have no idea how far the electromagnetic pulse from this anomaly can reach. But from what I know, the stronger the anomaly is, the smaller its area of effect tends to be” Arthur explained, his voice low, as if he were organizing his thoughts while speaking.
I nodded and began preparing to take off as fast as possible. Before I could launch myself into the air, however, Rupert’s voice echoed behind me: “Hold on a second!” he called out, drawing my attention—and everyone else’s: “Just... please fly at a speed that won’t make it feel like my face is about to peel off from the wind”
Victor and Arthur exchanged a look for a couple of seconds before turning to me and nodding, clearly agreeing with Rupert. For a moment, I simply blinked, processing everything, then nodded slowly as an uncomfortable thought slithered through my mind: (... Seriously? Was it really that bad?)
I genuinely didn’t know. From my perspective, I had been flying relatively slowly, so... Either way, it was better to stay focused on the goal.
Shoving my scattered thoughts aside, I beat my angelic wings once—dark, smoky, and heavy like living shadows—and shot into the sky. I climbed straight upward before making a wide arc, flying as far away as possible from both the airborne anomaly and the aquatic one.
The small wings attached to my tailbone also moved instinctively, mimicking the motion of the main pair, as if they wanted to help with the boost.
I flew at a still-fast pace, but considerably slower than before, just as Victor, Arthur, and Rupert had asked. I figured this time would be fine... after all, I had reduced my speed, even if only a little.
Inside the command room, where countless screens displayed constantly updated graphs and data, Emily stood slightly away from the center of activity. The frantic sound of keyboards echoed nonstop, creating an almost suffocating rhythm that filled the entire space.
A few hours had already passed since the communication was abruptly cut off, with no sign whatsoever from the team that had been sent out. Even so, Emily didn’t feel particularly worried about their safety— not with the Angel of Death present at the scene.
The group was in good hands. What was actually driving her to the brink of madness was something else entirely. Something that had nothing to do with the mission... but that gnawed at her a little more with every passing minute.
“Ugh, boo-ring! Sitting around doing nothing is unbearable. We should be out there too, where all the fun’s happening!” complained a voice behind Emily, dripping with sarcasm and obvious boredom.
Emily didn’t answer. She didn’t even turn around; she just kept walking as if nothing had been said. She wanted to pretend she hadn’t heard anything, wanted to ignore it completely, but every word that reached her ears made it harder to maintain the façade.
Ironically, despite her years of service in the organization, Emily still had a somewhat fragile mind when it came to anything unrelated to anomalies— a cruel twist of fate, considering no human mind could ever manipulate or break hers.
Still lost in her own thoughts, Emily flinched slightly when she felt something land on her shoulder. The gesture caught her off guard, but she recovered quickly, putting on a neutral expression before turning her head.
“Heeeey! Will you just stop ignoring me already?” the voice at her side complained, full of impatience: “I am seriously dying of boredom here, you know? I need some entertainment—anything!”
Emily kept ignoring the voice. She moved forward without hesitation, leaving the presence behind without even sparing it a glance. Her steady steps led her to Laura. As soon as she approached, Laura—who had already noticed her coming—spoke first: “We still haven’t managed to reestablish the connection. We picked up some static noise, but it doesn’t seem like they can hear us”
Laura’s expression grew more serious, her brow slightly furrowed as she processed the situation. After a brief moment, she asked: “How should we proceed? Should we send more personnel after them?”
Emily took a deep breath as she thought everything through, mentally reorganizing every detail of the situation. After a few seconds of tense silence, she finally reached a conclusion. Her lips began to move, ready to speak, but just before a single word could escape, a voice burst out behind her, pulling her right out of her thoughts.
“We need to go! I can’t stand being here anymore!” the voice complained, even closer this time.
Emily turned just enough to see the figure approaching her. A girl at the tail end of her teenage years, right on the edge of adulthood, stepped in front of her with her arms crossed impatiently.
“I know you can see me, Emily. Stop ignoring me” she said, leaning in to stare at her up close: “Do you think it’s fun being ignored by your own sister?”
The simple mention of the word “sister” made Emily’s expression twist. Her eyes, previously fixed on nothing, finally shifted toward the girl who floated a few inches above the ground.
Noticing she had finally captured Emily’s attention, the girl gave a crooked—almost teasing—smile and raised a challenging eyebrow.
“Oh! You’re actually looking at me now?” she said with mock surprise: “After leaving me talking to myself for hours, you really are cruel to your own sister, aren’t you, Emily?”
Still scowling, Emily muttered through clenched teeth: “You are not my sister”
“...” Laura noticed Emily’s expression change suddenly; the whispered words slipping from her lips made her even more confused. Without understanding what was happening, she watched Emily with a mix of confusion and curiosity.
The teenager let out a short laugh when she heard Emily’s words: “Fufufu, is that really what you think?” she teased, twirling around Emily with light hops—her feet never touching the floor.
“I have the memories, the appearance, the tastes... I’m the whole package. Besides, I’m only here because of you, so isn’t it kinda harsh to talk to me like that?” she asked, tilting her head with a wavering smile.
At the end, her expression softened, a faint melancholic glow in her eyes: “I missed you, you know?”
Emily’s expression faltered for a brief moment before she closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, right between her eyes: (Remember, Emily... she’s not your sister. She’s just an anomaly— a shadow shaped by your subconscious, nothing more and nothing less. Your sister is gone. You need to accept that... or you’re going to lose your mind for good)
Emily inhaled deeply, holding the air for a moment before returning to her usual tactic: pretending the anomaly in front of her simply didn’t exist. It was far too irritating—she had the voice, the appearance, and, ironically, even the same insufferably teasing personality as her sister.
Even if she didn’t want to admit it, Emily had to acknowledge one thing: the sister was the full package. Annoying, persistent... but carrying that familiar warmth and peculiar charm that Emily, despite everything, genuinely adored.
Seeing Emily’s defensive posture, the girl just let out a small, amused smirk: “Here we go again...” she muttered, sounding almost playful: “But for how long?”
She paused briefly, studying Emily as if waiting for a reaction, her smile widening just a little—full of challenge: “How long do you think you can keep ignoring me?” she finished, tilting her head slightly.