Anomaly

The next few days served as an adjustment period for Charlotte. Just as I had promised her parents, I kept a close eye on her and stepped in whenever the situation called for it. Thankfully, nothing serious happened that forced me to take any drastic measures.

For the most part, the only real issues came down to the occasional argument between Charlotte and Althea. Every now and then, in the middle of one of their fights, Charlotte would, for lack of a better word, "become" Selyra. Her posture shifted ever so slightly, her voice took on a colder edge, and her replies became noticeably sharper.

Even so, thankfully, their arguments never escalated beyond teasing and trading barbs. Honestly, it would've been a huge pain if they had decided that throwing punches was the most effective way to settle a disagreement.

That said, neither of them seems to have any intention of letting things go that far. The chemistry between Charlotte and Althea is... strange, to say the least, but somehow it works.

They argue almost constantly, pick at each other over the smallest things, and rarely let an opportunity to fire back slip by. Beneath all that constant bickering, though, there's genuine concern. In their own way, they both look out for each other, even if neither of them would ever admit it out loud.

That aside, Charlotte's adjustment hasn't been the only thing keeping everyone busy. The entire week has been incredibly hectic. Nearly everyone at the facility has been working together, gathering information, running tests, and debating theories in an attempt to figure out what side effects Charlotte's supposed "Awakening" might bring.

Even so, Emily's frequent, unmistakably audible sighs say more than any report ever could. The exhausted look on her face makes it painfully obvious that the results so far have fallen well short of her expectations. Naturally, both Emily and Laura asked for my help as well.

The two of them believe Charlotte may be going through something similar to what they witnessed during my final battle against the priest. Back then, they saw a display of power that went beyond anything humanly possible, and ever since, they've considered the possibility that Charlotte might be awakening a similar kind of power.

The problem is, no matter how many different angles I examine the situation from, I simply can't reach the same conclusion. No matter how many times I observe Charlotte, she seems like nothing more than an ordinary human being... at least on the surface.

There's nothing extraordinary about her presence, and her body certainly shows no sign of some hidden power waiting to emerge. The only exception is when she starts acting like Selyra. Aside from those sudden personality shifts, Charlotte is, without question, just an ordinary human.

As for Charlotte's parents, they've started visiting the facility on a regular basis to check on her progress. Emily gave them unrestricted access, so they stop by practically every day to see their daughter and spend time with her. Naturally, neither of them is comfortable with everything that's been happening.

To be honest, right now Charlotte isn't much different from a lab rat, constantly being observed, analyzed, and tested. Oddly enough, though, she doesn't seem bothered by any of it. If anything, Charlotte actually seems to find some of the experiments genuinely entertaining, approaching everything with the same curiosity she shows toward anything new.

The same definitely can't be said for her parents, however. Every new test seems to make them even more anxious, and it's not hard to understand why. Watching your own daughter constantly being studied as part of an experiment is far from something that's easy to accept. Honestly, I can't blame them for feeling that way.

Before anything else, moving on, it was only two days ago that Charlotte demonstrated the use of her Authority for the very first time... although she still insists on calling it nothing more than a power.

In short, in its current state, anyone who stays close to Charlotte becomes much more susceptible to feeling... hope? Honestly, I'm still not sure that's the best way to describe the phenomenon.

The only thing we've been able to confirm so far is that everyone relaxes when they're around her, as though the weight of their problems is eased simply by her presence. Tension fades, worries seem to lose some of their grip, and for a few brief moments, everything becomes a little easier to bear.

It's vaguely similar to the effect my voice can have on people, but on a scale, and with a naturalness, that simply can't be compared. At the moment, this Authority manifests through Charlotte entirely passively, without her having to make any conscious effort to activate it.

It's similar to what happens with Tenebrya: her very existence continuously overflows into the world around her simply because she exists. Charlotte seems to be starting down that same path. Naturally, this isn't even a drop in the ocean compared to the true extent of Charlotte's power.

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All of our Authorities are ancient, primordial forces essential to keeping everything exactly where, and as, it has always needed to be. None of our powers is more important than another; each one upholds a fundamental part of existence. Because of that, I'm certain Charlotte has far more up her sleeve than I can even begin to imagine.

Not that my memories are any help in situations like this. Honestly, I can't remember a single thing related to Charlotte... or rather, Selyra. I have no idea what our relationship used to be, how we treated each other, or even what we went through together. Even so, for some reason, I can't bring myself to believe it was anything bad.

After all, Selyra seems to have a rather personal hostility toward Althea, mostly because she's always clinging to me. That doesn't seem like the kind of reaction someone would have toward a mere acquaintance... I honestly hope we don't end up with another Althea. One is already more than enough to turn my life into constant chaos. Two would probably be enough to wipe out whatever little peace I still have left.

But setting that aside, the point I'm trying to make is that Charlotte herself didn't seem particularly surprised when Emily told her everything we'd discovered so far about her powers: "So... making people feel happier and... more hopeful?" Emily asked, still sounding a little uncertain as she tried to sum everything up in just a few words.

Charlotte remained silent for a brief moment. She blinked slowly, not out of doubt, but understanding, as though an important piece had finally clicked into place in her mind.

The faint look of confusion she'd been wearing for a while simply faded away: "I think that actually makes sense..." she replied with a quiet sigh: "It actually explains a few things I've never really been able to understand"

At that moment, we were gathered inside Charlotte's cabin. She'd been spending most of the past few days here, gradually getting everything organized, and the difference was remarkable. The place was almost unrecognizable compared to the first time I'd walked in.

Back then, the cabin had felt empty, impersonal, almost unfinished, as if it were still waiting for someone to truly make it feel like home. Now, it was completely different. The walls were covered with posters, a few drawings and little decorations filled the shelves, and even the furniture had been rearranged.

New colors brought warmth to the room, creating a far cozier atmosphere. Every little detail seemed to reflect Charlotte's personality so perfectly that the place practically screamed "Charlotte" the moment anyone stepped inside.

Emily and Laura were with us, listening closely to the conversation, though every now and then they exchanged subtle glances. Victor and Rupert, on the other hand, didn't seem particularly interested in taking part in the discussion.

Emily, who had been carefully watching Charlotte's reaction, frowned. The response simply didn't make any sense to her: "It does?" she asked, the confusion obvious in her voice. Tilting her head slightly, she looked straight at Charlotte: "What do you mean, 'it makes sense'? What's that supposed to mean?"

Laura seemed just as puzzled by Charlotte's choice of words. Her gaze shifted back and forth between Charlotte and Emily, quietly waiting for an explanation.

Charlotte, however, answered as naturally as if it had been obvious from the very beginning: "Exactly what I said. It makes perfect sense to me" She gave a small shrug, her calm demeanor standing in sharp contrast to the disbelief written across the other two's faces.

"Ever since I was a kid, I've always felt like almost everything around me was... artificially hopeful, if that even makes any sense" She let out a quiet sigh before absentmindedly rubbing her chin as she gathered her thoughts: "I always thought it was just incredible luck, you know? Like I somehow always happened to be in the right place at the right time whenever someone needed help"

Charlotte paused for a moment. A small, understanding smile gradually spread across her face: "But apparently, it was actually the other way around. I was in the right place at the right time because... I was supposed to be"

She closed her eyes for a brief moment, sinking into old memories that suddenly seemed to carry an entirely different meaning: "That also explains why I've always been so sensitive to other people's despair... and loneliness. And why I've never been able to just ignore someone who's suffering"

Her voice softened, becoming almost contemplative: "It was like there was something inside me pushing me in that direction... like helping people wasn't just a choice, but a mission that had always been carved into the very depths of my soul"

Emily and Laura remained silent for several moments, doing their best to process Charlotte's words. Their expressions made it obvious they were trying to fit this new information together with everything they already knew, but neither of them seemed able to reach a satisfying conclusion.

Taking advantage of the brief silence, I was the one who spoke next, naturally drawing all three of their attention: "That... actually makes a lot of sense" Once their eyes turned toward me, I gathered my thoughts before continuing.

Most of what I was about to say was only a theory, but it seemed like the most plausible explanation: "Charlotte, as a Virtue, has her own Domain. It's a universal force she governs and has to watch over constantly. I think that, even without knowing who, or even what, she really was, she still instinctively knew she had to do something. We're naturally influenced by our Domains, so it seems obvious to me that Charlotte would be able to sense whenever something within hers was out of balance"

Emily nodded slowly, as though the theory had finally connected a few missing pieces in her mind. Charlotte did the same, although her expression remained curious, a strange blend of understanding and confusion, like someone who recognized those words on an almost instinctive level but still couldn't fully comprehend them.

Even so, it raised an even bigger question. If my theory was right... what exactly had Charlotte been sensing? And more importantly... what did it actually mean? Unfortunately, I didn't have the slightest idea.

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