Anomaly

Later on, we headed down to the lower levels of the facility, where my little sisters and I usually stayed. Naturally, Charlotte came with us this time. That said, neither my little sisters nor I bothered with the elevator. The only ones who took it were Charlotte, her parents, Emily, Laura, and Victor.

Rupert practically excused himself from the farewell altogether, saying he was heading home now that everything finally seemed to be under control. Victor, on the other hand, had clearly stayed behind for an entirely different reason. He was only here to squeeze in a few more minutes with Chronas before leaving.

As for my little sisters and me... taking the elevator never even crossed our minds. My little sisters simply teleported to the lower floors in brief flashes of light, vanishing as though they'd never been standing beside us in the first place.

As for me, I relied on the method that had long since become second nature. I took a step forward and slipped into the world of shadows, allowing my body to be swallowed by the silent darkness before literally swimming through it until I reached the lower levels.

It was definitely a much less... conventional way to travel. Charlotte, Emily, Victor, Laura, and Charlotte's parents arrived a few minutes later. As soon as the elevator doors opened, they stepped out in silence, each wearing a different expression.

Charlotte, meanwhile, didn't seem particularly bothered. Or at least, that was the impression she gave. Somehow, she'd simply accepted the current situation and moved on without showing the slightest resistance. Her parents, however, were another story.

Although they also seemed to have accepted reality, it was impossible not to notice the weight written across their faces. Their shoulders hung slightly lower than before, and their eyes remained fixed on the floor, as though they were still trying to process everything that had happened.

Accepting it was one thing, but saying they were comfortable, or happy, with how things had turned out would have been a massive stretch. It would probably take a long time... if it ever happened at all. Meanwhile, my little sisters were scattered throughout the lobby, each occupied with something of her own.

Eryanis and Nyara were quietly chatting with one another, while most of the others simply waited in silence. Althea, though... Well, Althea was exactly the same as always. She never wasted a single opportunity to cling to me, and unfortunately, this time was no different.

The moment she saw me, she casually walked over and practically rubbed herself against my arm as though it were the most comfortable place in the world, completely ignoring the very concept of personal space. Nekra, meanwhile, kept her distance.

Not that this was particularly unusual for her. Except when we're alone. In those moments, she reveals a surprisingly... needy side. I'd even go so far as to say that, when it's just the two of us, Nekra can be just as attached to me as Althea is. She simply shows it in a much quieter, subtler way.

Chronas, meanwhile, remained by my side as always. His posture was flawless, and not the slightest change ever crossed his expression, as though no emotion in existence could disturb his unwavering composure. Nyara kept to her usual shy self, quietly standing beside Eryanis as though her mere presence was enough to make her feel safe.

Finally, our youngest little sister, Tenebrya, was holding my hand. Her eyes remained fixed on Charlotte, unable to hide her curiosity as she carefully followed every one of Charlotte's movements. I was almost certain Tenebrya had sensed Charlotte's true presence.

Even so, when I saw her tilt her head ever so slightly, as though trying to make sense of what her instincts were telling her, I figured she'd only realized that there was something... strange about Charlotte. Something she couldn't quite explain, yet instinctively recognized as different from everyone else.

Anyway, setting my observations and assumptions aside, Charlotte was the first to step forward. She walked over with her usual indifferent expression, as though nothing around her could possibly disturb her calm.

Her eyes silently swept across all of us, passing over me and my sisters before finally settling on Tenebrya, who was still staring back at her.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued: "Why is there smoke covering her head?" she asked bluntly, pointing at Tenebrya without making the slightest attempt to hide her curiosity.

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Behind her, her parents seemed to notice the oddity as well. They exchanged a brief glance before turning their attention back to Tenebrya, remaining silent as though waiting for someone to explain.

Emily, Victor, Rupert, and Laura, however, reacted very differently. Since they were already well aware of Tenebrya's abilities, and of the unsettling effect her true face had on people, the sight of that dark mist concealing her features seemed to leave them visibly relieved.

"Her name is Tenebrya. Well... she's still very young. She's only a few thousand years old" I said, gently patting her little head. The moment my fingers brushed against her soft, smoky mist, Tenebrya closed both of her bright little eyes in obvious contentment.

Her tiny face became completely hidden beneath the dark haze surrounding her... Though, to be honest, it hardly made any difference, considering her face had already been concealed by that dense smoke in the first place.

Charlotte watched the scene curiously, a faint smile forming on her lips: "You see, our “powers” aren't exactly... powers" I continued, turning my attention back to her: "They're what we are. They're part of our very existence, part of what defines us"

I paused briefly, choosing my words before continuing: "We don't have to consciously activate them for them to work. All we have to do is wish for something to happen... and it happens. That's simply how we exist"

I turned fully toward Charlotte. She seemed genuinely captivated by the explanation, listening carefully to every word. I smiled faintly: "And that includes you, too"

Charlotte gave a slow nod, though her gaze remained fixed on Tenebrya. The curiosity on her face was impossible to miss as she watched the little girl with her head shrouded in dark mist: "So... is the smoke covering her head basically a side effect of not being able to control her own powers?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

I shook my head: "Not exactly. Let's just say... the side effect is a little more serious than you're imagining" Charlotte frowned, clearly intrigued by the vague answer. She opened her mouth as if she were about to ask another question, but instead just stared at me for a few moments.

I gave a small shrug before continuing: "See... our little Tenebrya has an exceptional affinity for fear. Actually, all of her powers revolve around it. Everything she does is connected to fear in one way or another"

Charlotte remained silent for a second, letting the information sink in. Then a spark of understanding flickered in her eyes: "I get it... so she just has fear-based powers?"

That was when Eryanis, who had been silently observing the conversation up until then, finally decided to speak: "That's a rather simplistic way of looking at it" Her voice was calm, yet carried an unwavering certainty.

Charlotte immediately turned toward her. Eryanis maintained her confident, almost amused smile, as though Charlotte's reaction was exactly what she'd expected. For a few moments, Charlotte simply looked her up and down, one eyebrow slightly raised as she studied her unusual demeanor, far too refined to seem casual, yet far too relaxed to come across as an assertion of authority.

Without losing her smile, Eryanis continued: "Tenebrya doesn't control fear... nor does she create it" She paused briefly, allowing those words to settle before continuing: "She is fear"

The smile on her lips softened ever so slightly: "What you humans know as fear only exists because Tenebrya exists. It's not an ability she possesses, nor a power she chooses to wield. The very concept you call “fear” was born from her. She doesn't manipulate fear... she is the very meaning of the word your species eventually came up with to describe that feeling"

I simply nodded at Eryanis's explanation before adding in a calm tone: "The reason Tenebrya has to keep that smoke around her head is because, without it, any human who looked at her would see their greatest fear come to life right in front of them. She's still not very good at controlling that part of herself"

Charlotte blinked several times, clearly trying to process everything she'd just heard. Her expression quickly twisted into a mixture of curiosity and sympathy: "Wow... that... kind of sucks" She said it without thinking twice, completely unfiltered.

A moment later, her gaze drifted between me and my sisters, studying each of us with renewed interest, as if trying to guess what each of us was capable of: "So each of you can do different things..."

She fell silent for a brief moment, lost in thought. But only for a second. An excited grin soon spread across her face: "That's so cool!"

She quickly raised both hands, correcting herself before anyone could get the wrong idea: "I mean... not the part where you scare people to death just by showing your face. That's still terrifying. But everything else? It sounds awesome!"

Leaning forward slightly, Charlotte no longer bothered hiding her excitement: "So... what can you all do? I've seen a bunch of anomalies on TV, and some of them could do completely insane stuff. Some contaminated entire areas, others moved so fast nobody could keep up with them, some would just disappear in one place and reappear somewhere else... and there were even some that looked like monsters straight out of a horror movie"

She let out a small laugh, clearly fascinated by the idea: "I think it'd be pretty awesome to be able to do something like that"

Honestly, that was a pretty simplistic way of looking at things. But hey, if that was enough to make her interested in us, who was I to complain? That said, aside from the crazy priest who had almost managed to wipe out the entire city, I'd genuinely never met anyone else who looked at the idea of having anomalous powers and thought: "Wow... that's awesome!" It honestly made me wonder if Charlotte was missing a few screws.

Still, all it took was one absentminded glance around, more specifically, at my little sisters, for that concern to disappear almost immediately. Then again... I really wasn't in any position to judge. After all, since when had anyone in my family come off the assembly line with all their screws tightened?

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