For a moment, I took a deep breath and looked more clearly at my current situation. The golden field surrounding me was still active, glowing with a soft intensity, like a fragile barrier holding back the weight of an impending disaster.
The anomaly remained exactly where it was—still, with its arm stretched out in front, the hand frozen just a few inches from where I had been before activating the golden field.
Even without much mental effort, the situation was easy to understand: the exact moment I deactivated my golden field, that thing would probably slice through my body like a hot knife through butter, turning me into ground meat—or worse.
I know I won't feel pain, so honestly, I'm not afraid—or anything close to it. But for the sake of my own sanity, I think it's better to avoid getting to that point. I still have a spark of humanity left, and I don't want to lose it. No matter how small, it's what still makes me care about myself.
Interestingly, when you're sure you're not going to die, you start treating things that should clearly scare you as irrelevant. Situations that once seemed fatal lose their weight. But if I can, I want to avoid reaching that limit. I don't want to become someone completely indifferent to my own well-being.
In the end, no matter how hard I tried, no concrete solution came to mind. I forced myself to think of a strategy, anything that could work... but it was useless. The harsh truth was that my offensive powers were lacking. The more I thought about it, the more stupid I felt for not having absorbed more abilities earlier. It was a basic failure, almost unforgivable.
Still, it's not like I could just go around freely collecting powers. The organization was always watching, even if they didn't fully understand what I was doing—they certainly wouldn't look kindly on any behavior that strayed from protocol.
Every move was watched, analyzed. Acting without caution would mean drawing unnecessary attention... and that was something I absolutely did not need right now. I'm not even talking about Emily or Laura, but if the organization's bosses started seeing me as a threat, I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to put me on the elimination list.
I know this because I've heard Emily complain countless times about how those people upstairs simply don't understand anomalies—they keep giving absurd orders, completely disconnected from the reality we face on the ground. And honestly, ordering me eliminated would just be another meaningless order coming from people who've never gotten their hands dirty.
Anyway, with no other options or methods at hand, I turned to the only person present with me in that long, silent corridor of the facility.
(Need a hand here, Nyara?) I murmured, in a tone more exhausted than I intended, as if even my voice was dragged down by fatigue.
When I asked, Nyara—who had been distracted until then, her gaze lost at some undefined point in the distance—finally turned her attention to me. For a brief moment, she just blinked slowly, as if coming out of a trance, before tilting her head slightly to the side, her long hair slipping over her shoulder with the movement.
Her voice came next, calm and soft, but carrying genuine concern: "Do you need help, sister?"
(...) The moment I heard Nyara's words, my mouth moved as if to answer but then closed, silencing itself on its own. The words were on the tip of my tongue, dancing frantically inside me, ready to escape—but for some inexplicable reason, I simply couldn't say them.
A strange discomfort invaded me, an unsettling feeling eating away inside: (Why the hell do I feel like, by asking Nyara for help, I'm losing something?) It was as if, by reaching out, I was giving up something far more precious and invisible.
I didn't know exactly why, but deep down, I felt that if I asked Nyara for help, nothing would ever be the same again... At least that's how I saw it—a feeling that completely took over me. It was like, at that moment, the simple act of reaching out broke something inside me.
(... Forget it, I'll handle this alone. After all, it's just another anomaly, something strange, nothing worthy of my attention)
Nyara didn't seem to fully understand my actions but just nodded silently, as if confirming without questioning. Anyway, talking is always easier than acting... But seriously, why hasn't that guy shown up yet? Well... since he insists on not showing up, I'll just have to force him to appear myself.
With that firm thought, the shadows emanating from my golden field around me began to slowly expand. Their twisted, unnatural shapes flickered under my control, as if they were extensions of my own will. The next moment, another entity emerged from those shadows, its dark outline silhouetted against the faint glow of the field.
Body and features identical to mine, but completely shrouded by a dense, smoky mist, like it was made of living shadows. Instead of my bright golden eyes, his burned with a vibrant red, almost hypnotic—a color so intense it seemed to pulse in the dark, unique and unforgettable.
The first thing my Alter Ego did when he appeared was lock eyes with me, and I couldn't help but return the gaze. As our eyes met, I had the strange feeling he was huffing, like exhaling smoke thick with anger or challenge. But of course, that could only be my impression... right? Probably just that.
Anyway, I decided to ignore that for now and turned my focus back to the anomaly in front of me. The main point was that something needed to hold it in place while I struck its weak spot. But there was a problem I couldn't just overlook: the anomaly wasn't really in this dimension.
Even though I could see it clearly, it wasn't physically present in the direction I saw it, which made everything even more complicated. Containing its attack at the exact moment was almost impossible for me, whose reaction speed was only a little faster than that of an average human... I really should have trained this part more. But luckily, I wasn't alone in this.
(Your turn) I whispered to my Alter Ego, my words sliding like an almost inaudible whisper, echoing silently inside my mind.
He didn't answer my words. To be honest, he never answers. Instead, he simply dissolved into the air, like light, fleeting smoke, disappearing slowly along the cold floor. His shadows spread through the corridor, taking the form of a living stain that writhed and slithered along the worn walls and low ceiling, as if with a will of their own, swallowing the light around them.
Meanwhile, I kept my golden field active for a few more seconds, an unyielding barrier around me. The anomaly remained still—or rather, was unable to move. Even if my strikes didn't directly affect it, the same didn't apply to my golden field.
Considering it was truly static, this meant my golden energy affected it simultaneously in both dimensions where the anomaly existed. With a suppressed sigh, I deactivated my golden field. The very instant its energy dissipated into the air, something changed—the environment seemed to vibrate, as if space itself reacted to the break in protection.
The anomaly's hand shot toward me like a spear made of pure distortion, cutting the air with almost impossible speed. The time between the gesture and the attack was less than a thought. But I wasn't there anymore. As soon as the field's glow went out, the shadows around me stirred and, like silent hands, pulled me to the side, swallowing me in a fluid, stealthy motion.
My body slid through the corridor as if swallowed by an invisible river, flowing effortlessly through the shadows until reappearing a few meters ahead. There, I was immediately enveloped by the black claws of my Alter Ego, which emerged from the floor like wild, twisted roots, forming a kind of instinctive shelter.
They rose around me with silent ferocity, as if wanting to protect me from imminent danger. Then my Alter Ego looked back at me—his gaze was the same as before, deep and enigmatic, carrying something human eyes could never reflect.
Those red eyes seemed to glow with an unsettling satisfaction, as if feeding off the chaos around. Maybe he was silently judging me for coming so close to death. Or maybe he was just having fun with the destruction, the fear, my exposed weakness. Honestly, I wouldn't doubt it was both—judgment and amusement, intertwined in a single cruel, piercing look.
(Don't look at me like that, I was just testing her reflexes) I lied without the slightest hesitation, my voice firm and controlled. The indifferent look I gave served as a perfect mask, adding an air of seriousness that almost made my excuse seem plausible—almost. If anyone there suspected the truth, my expression would give nothing away.
Yeah, after hearing my words, my Alter Ego huffed... no, seriously, he really huffed. I swear. This time, I heard it clearly. A low, guttural sound, full of frustration—and maybe even disdain. The anomaly, visibly irritated by the failed attack, began to vibrate subtly, almost imperceptibly at first.
But soon its form became unstable, as if struggling to maintain coherence. Ethereal cracks started to open in the space around its body, cutting the air like invisible blades. It was as if the very fabric of reality was tearing around it. Or maybe... maybe reality itself was rejecting its existence in that place, like it shouldn't, or couldn't, be there.
(Alright, new approach...) I murmured to myself in an almost inaudible tone, more like an attempt to organize my own thoughts than an intention to be heard by anyone.
I raised my hand, and my Alter Ego's shadows stretched out once again, sliding through the environment like a thick, conscious liquid. Only this time, they didn't just crawl or writhe on the floor—they started to shape themselves, taking defined forms.
Black chains emerged from the darkness, thick as ancient tree trunks, twisted as if forged from the very essence of the abyss. They sprouted from the floor and shot out from the walls with contained violence, spinning in the air like predators ready to strike.
In an instant, they lunged toward the anomaly like hungry snakes seeking flesh. The air seemed to tremble under the sudden pressure, as if reality itself had shrunk away from it. The anomaly reacted—but not like something alive would.
There was no shock or hesitation. It simply... bent the space before it. There's no other way to describe it: the fabric of the world distorted, curved at an impossible angle. And then, the chains disappeared. They simply ceased to exist before they could touch it.
(... Okay, I admit I wasn't expecting that) I murmured, slightly frowning, genuinely surprised.
It was then that my Alter Ego did something completely unexpected. Without hesitation, he stepped into the fold. It wasn't just the shadows that disappeared, but he himself—his body distorted almost surrealistically, as if dissolving and merging with the space warped by the anomaly.
It was like that strange phenomenon was an invisible river, and he simply dove in willingly, sliding with an unsettling naturalness. At the same moment, the anomaly froze, as if suddenly paralyzed.
Its undulating form deformed slightly, like something was eating away at its essence from within, a silent interference weakening it. Sensing the opening, I didn't hesitate—I moved quickly, seizing the chance. My feet slammed on the ground hard, echoing through the air like a muffled thunder.
At the last moment, I focused my vision—everything became crystal clear. I didn't just see the anomaly, but also its weak spot: a pulsing, iridescent heart, with colors so vibrant they stood out like an impossible flame. From my position, it seemed to glow with its own hypnotic light.
I approached carefully, my fist clenched again, firm as a rock. When I was close enough, I struck. My fist pierced the anomaly's chest with surgical precision, driving into the heart I had identified. For a moment, everything was silent, as if time had frozen.
Then, the world around me began to shake, a deep vibration making the ground pulse beneath my feet. Behind it, my Alter Ego emerged from the shadows—half his face dissolved into black smoke fading into the air, but with a sadistic, cruel smile that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. His red eyes locked on mine, burning with an almost supernatural intensity, and he nodded, clearly satisfied with the outcome.