Anomaly

Unfortunately, I can't exactly say my attempt to calm Charlotte down was much of a success. Technically, she went from having a full-blown hysterical meltdown to just... freaking out. But in practice, the difference was barely noticeable. I mean, she no longer looked like she was about to tear her own hair out from the stress, so I guess that counted as progress.

Even so, it didn't change the fact that Charlotte was still visibly on edge. Her shoulders remained stiff, her restless gaze kept darting from one side of the room to the other without settling anywhere for more than a second, and every passing moment seemed to pile even more weight onto her shoulders. Honestly, I couldn't blame her for feeling that way.

To put it bluntly, if Charlotte couldn't locate the epicenter of whatever disturbance was slowly erasing hope itself, the outcome was unlikely to be anything good. In fact, everything pointed toward the exact opposite.

The longer this phenomenon continued unchecked, the greater the chance that the situation would spiral completely out of control. So, yeah... Charlotte had more than enough reason to panic.

Anyway, the first thing Charlotte and I did after we "woke up", though, technically, I can't even say for sure whether we had actually been asleep, was look for Emily and Laura. It was the only logical decision. Saying we were completely screwed in a situation that was far beyond our control would have been an understatement.

Charlotte was still a complete rookie when it came to anomalies, supernatural powers, and everything else this new world involved. Expecting her to know what to do, or to have any answers, would've been completely unfair.

I was the older sister. Even though I was just as lost as she was, it was still my responsibility to guide her, protect her, and help her get through all of this. Sitting back and doing nothing wasn't going to solve a thing. If anything, it would only let the situation slip even further out of our hands.

That said... I really wished things weren't quite so complicated. It's not that I'm angry. I completely understand why my sisters can't simply show up and solve all of our problems.

I know there are limits, rules, and circumstances that go far beyond anything I can understand right now. Even so... that doesn't make any of this less frustrating. If anything, it only makes the feeling even more familiar. Just like always.

Setting my complaints aside, Charlotte and I were sitting in one of the conference rooms inside the massive facility, several floors above the area where my sisters and I usually spent most of our time. Since Laura was almost always stationed in that section, arranging a meeting wasn't difficult.

She led us to the room without hesitation and asked us to wait for Emily. Unfortunately, Emily was apparently tied up in a meeting with the High Council, which meant there wasn't much we could do except wait until she had a chance to see us. The minutes dragged by.

The room remained wrapped in an uncomfortable silence, broken only by the faint hum of the ventilation system and the occasional footsteps echoing through the hallway outside. Charlotte sat beside me, being as patient as she could manage, while I glanced toward the door every now and then, starting to wonder just how much longer we'd be waiting.

After about ten minutes had passed without any sign of Emily, Laura let out a quiet sigh before getting to her feet: "I'll go get her. It shouldn't take long" With that, Laura stepped out of the room, quietly closing the door behind her, leaving Charlotte and me alone in the silence.

"Hey... are you sure nothing's bothering you?" Charlotte's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. She tilted her head slightly, studying me with quiet concern: "You seem... weirdly irritated" I looked over at her and found her staring straight at me without looking away for even a second. Compared to how she'd been just a few minutes earlier, Charlotte looked considerably calmer now.

That was good news. It was nearly impossible to think straight while she was shouting, jumping to conclusions, and turning every little thing into an impending disaster. In the end, I simply nodded without bothering to explain myself. What actually caught my attention was something else entirely.

How did she figure out I was irritated? My face was practically expressionless most of the time. At least, I was sure it was. Yet Charlotte had somehow picked up on my mood almost immediately. I considered asking her how she'd noticed... but decided against it.

Charlotte, meanwhile, was clearly unconvinced by my silent response: "Hmm..." She narrowed her eyes slightly as she continued studying me: "You can pretend you're fine all you want, but your lips are a little tighter than usual... and your eyes are more narrowed, too"

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She paused for a moment, as if mentally comparing my expression to a memory, before leaning back in her chair. Then, deliberately, she tightened her lips ever so slightly and narrowed her eyes, recreating my expression with almost perfect accuracy: "That. Exactly that face"

For a moment, I had to admit the imitation was surprisingly accurate. Charlotte let out a small sigh and uncrossed her arms: "It's not like I don't get why you're feeling this way..." she said in a calmer voice, glancing up at the ceiling for a moment: "Actually... for some reason, I just can't picture myself getting along with Althea" She made a slight face before shrugging: "It's weird... it's like, instinctively, I already know our personalities just don't mix" Then she looked back at me, offering a humorless smile.

I listened quietly, not that I had anything useful to add. Honestly, I had no clue how Charlotte and Althea's relationship actually worked. That said, even though Charlotte kept insisting the two of them couldn't stand each other... that wasn't really how it looked to me.

Sure, they fought. A lot, actually. Almost every conversation between them seemed destined to end with some kind of jab, argument, or exchange of insults. Even so, beneath all that hostility, there was something else.

In a strange, almost incomprehensible way, they both seemed to care about each other. Maybe neither of them would ever admit it out loud, but it was hard to ignore the little moments that slipped through whenever they thought no one was paying attention.

Whatever Charlotte made of my silence, she simply let out a long sigh before continuing her monologue, running a hand through her hair in obvious frustration: "By the way... why can't any of them help us?" she asked, throwing her hands up in disbelief: "I mean, the damn world could end at any second, and they're all acting like they couldn't care less. How can they be so calm?"

She waited a few seconds, as if she genuinely expected an answer. When I remained silent, her shoulders slumped in defeat, and all her irritation gave way to unmistakable exhaustion: "Seriously..." she muttered, slowly shaking her head. A bitter smile tugged at the corner of her lips: "What kind of messed-up family did I get myself involved with...?"

I took a deep breath at Charlotte's words, gathering my thoughts before finally answering: "They can't help us... even if they wanted to. Because of... certain events in the past, they're incapable of directly interfering with what happens. All they can do is watch" I paused briefly before looking back at her: "Your situation is a little different, though. You're acting as Selyra's intermediary, so I imagine that gives you a lot more freedom to act than the others have... although I doubt that freedom is absolute. There has to be some kind of limit"

Charlotte stayed silent for a few moments, her eyes fixed on me as she absorbed every word. She didn't look surprised, just thoughtful, as though she were comparing my conclusion with what she had already suspected herself.

After a few seconds, I continued: "Besides... the fact that your domain is having problems is probably part of it too. Technically, you're still able to act, as long as you stay within Selyra's jurisdiction. As long as your actions don't go beyond those boundaries... I imagine the restrictions won't stop you from intervening"

Charlotte kept staring at me for several more seconds, completely silent as she processed everything I'd just said. Her expression shifted between disbelief and resignation until, finally, she let out a quiet sigh: "That sounds... like it really sucks"

I couldn't help letting out an amused snort: "You have no idea. Half the problems I've dealt with would've been so much easier if my little sisters decided to help every once in a while"

I gave a small shrug, accepting the situation with the kind of resignation that had long since become second nature: "But anyway... what can I do? It's not like you can force primordial concepts to cooperate"

Charlotte sighed again, shaking her head before a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips: "Well... if it's any consolation, you won't be dealing with this alone. At least... not completely"

I immediately turned to her, raising an eyebrow: "You know what amazes me the most? The fact that you aren't completely freaking out. I mean... a few minutes ago you were practically on the verge of a breakdown"

Charlotte let out a quiet laugh through her nose, brief and humorless: "Oh, trust me, I'm still freaking out. A lot" She shrugged in a carefree gesture that was obviously more of a front than anything genuine: "But panicking isn't going to stop the world from ending, is it? So... what choice do I have besides moving forward?"

Despite the firmness in her voice, her eyes faltered for just a moment, betraying the anxiety she was trying so hard to hide. She took a deep breath and offered an awkward smile: "But just so we're perfectly clear..." She subtly pointed a thumb at herself: "I'm still freaking out like crazy on the inside. I'm just doing a surprisingly good job pretending I'm not"

Well... that explanation made a whole lot more sense than believing she'd somehow gotten over the possibility of the world ending and everything involving primordial concepts. In the end, I thought about saying something else, but before I could get a single word out, the door finally opened.

Laura walked in first, carrying herself with her usual calm composure, with Emily right behind her. Surprisingly, a third person followed them in, someone I hadn't seen in quite a while. Arthur. The moment he stepped through the doorway, his eyes automatically swept across the room, taking in every face.

His gaze lingered on me for a brief moment before shifting to Charlotte. As soon as he saw her, one eyebrow arched almost instinctively. He stayed quiet for a few seconds, as if trying to organize his thoughts, before finally letting out a weary sigh.

"Alright... I'm just going to skip the part where I ask why there's a kid here" He paused briefly, glancing between Charlotte and me: "And jump straight to the part where, considering the [Angel of Death] is here... I'm guessing she's one of your sisters"

The silence that followed lasted only a moment. Arthur brought a hand to his face, rubbing his forehead as he let out a short, almost disbelieving laugh: "When exactly did all of this start feeling... normal?"

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