Anomaly

In the end, I couldn't tell whether Arthur's words were actually true or just the product of an overactive imagination. Honestly, they sounded even more absurd than the fact that I, a former human and an "Apparent", had suddenly turned into an anomaly and woken up in the middle of an anomalous forest, surrounded by grotesque dogs with gaping mouths split open across their abdomens.

Even so, as unbelievable as everything he said seemed at first, I simply couldn't dismiss it. There was something about his words that refused to leave my mind, like a puzzle piece that fit together far better than I wanted to admit.

The truth was that I myself was living proof that the impossible could exist. I did things that defied every law of logic I had ever known, wielded powers that should never have existed, and lived alongside phenomena that mocked any rational explanation.

So... would living entities that had existed long before what we now call the universe was even born really be that far-fetched? And if I took that line of thinking one step further... wouldn't Existence itself, the one who, as far as I could tell, had created both me and my sisters, belong in that very same category? Maybe even above it.

Before anything else existed, she already did. At least, that's what I've managed to piece together from the fragments of memory that surfaced in my mind and the vague answers my little sisters always gave whenever I tried to bring up the subject. The one who created us existed before the universe itself, before time, before space... before everything.

She simply was, long before the very concept of existence had taken shape. Even so, I still have absolutely no idea why she chose to create the universe, or, more specifically, why she created me and my sisters.

Maybe she simply needed someone to oversee certain aspects of reality on her behalf, sharing responsibilities that even a being like her had no desire to shoulder alone. Looking at it that way, the idea almost sounded plausible. At the very least, I couldn't come up with a more convincing explanation.

I mean, a being with such absolute power, capable of creating, altering, reshaping, and erasing all of existence with nothing more than a single thought, what reason would she have to create other beings who, while still inferior to her, possessed authority comparable to hers over specific aspects of reality?

If she were truly omnipotent, there would have been no need to share that burden. She could have done everything herself, whenever she wanted, without the slightest effort. That's why the only conclusion I can reach is that our existence was never born out of necessity, but out of choice.

Maybe she truly wanted to share the burden of governing reality... or maybe there was a far greater purpose behind it all, something still beyond my understanding. No matter how much I racked my brain searching for another answer, I always ended up arriving at the same conclusion. Honestly, I couldn't believe she'd created us for any other reason.

Anyway, my conversation with Arthur had been enlightening in more ways than one... but at the same time, it had raised even greater concerns. Above all else, there was no longer any doubt that we were dealing with something incredibly serious, something whose true nature no one seemed to understand. Naturally, that included me.

In truth, even recovering my memories probably wouldn't change much. If whatever was causing all these disturbances and waves of depression outside had really existed since before creation itself, just as Arthur theorized, then it was hard to believe that even my former self would have known anything about it.

I simply couldn't imagine any plausible reason why I would possess that kind of knowledge. Even before losing my memories, I was probably nothing more than an insignificant piece standing before an existence that ancient. That said, it wasn't as though we could simply ignore everything and go on living as if nothing were happening.

As much as I wanted to believe that was an option, reality was far crueler. With every new piece of information, it became increasingly obvious that something was moving in the shadows, influencing the world in its own way. Pretending otherwise would only ensure that we became its victims once that problem finally came knocking at our door.

At last, after we had laid all our cards on the table, Arthur finally turned his attention toward Charlotte. The girl remained silent, simply trying to process the overwhelming flood of information that had been dumped on her.

Despite everything she'd just learned, her expression carried an almost painful sense of boredom, as though her mind had already grown tired of trying to keep up with a conversation that somehow became more absurd with every passing minute.

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"So..." Arthur began, quietly clearing his throat to draw everyone's attention. His eyes settled on Charlotte: "Who's the kid?" he asked, pointing at her with a calm yet unmistakably direct gesture.

A moment later, he raised a hand to his face and absentmindedly adjusted his monocle, studying her once again through its lens as though expecting to spot something he had somehow overlooked.

After a few seconds of silence, he frowned slightly: "Unless my monocle decided to stop working today of all days... which, honestly, I find highly unlikely..." he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. His gaze briefly shifted toward me: "After all, it still insists on identifying the [Angel of Death] as the most dangerous and terrifying thing I've ever had the pleasure of encountering."

He looked back at Charlotte, his curiosity now impossible to hide: "But this girl... to me, she looks like nothing more than an ordinary human. No signs of corruption, no visible anomaly... absolutely nothing"

Arthur paused for a moment before raising an eyebrow: "So tell me... unless the two of you have suddenly decided to start kidnapping children for reasons beyond my understanding, I'm assuming she's some kind of very unusual anomaly..."

Charlotte, who had spent most of the conversation completely absorbed in staring at the ceiling, finally snapped back to reality when she realized the discussion had shifted toward her. She blinked a few times, as if waking from a daydream, then turned her gaze toward Arthur, who was still watching her with an almost clinical curiosity.

She simply shrugged before answering, a faint sarcastic smile tugging at the corner of her lips: "One point for Sherlock Holmes..." she remarked casually, making no effort to hide the sarcasm: "For stating the obvious, considering the situation"

Arthur met the jab with a raised eyebrow, showing neither haste nor irritation. If anything, it was quite the opposite. A subtle smile spread across his face, as though he found her comment more amusing than insulting.

He let out a quiet chuckle through his nose before replying: "What can I say? In this line of work, sometimes the least obvious things turn out to be the most obvious... and the most obvious ones end up being the least obvious"

He paused briefly, folding his arms while keeping his eyes fixed on Charlotte: "If you try to understand what I do using perfectly ordinary logic, you'll end up driving yourself crazy. After a while, you learn that the impossible is usually the first place worth looking for answers" The faint smile never left his face, carrying a quiet confidence, almost as though he was speaking from personal experience.

Charlotte arched an eyebrow at his response. A teasing, slightly amused smirk appeared on her lips as she crossed her arms: "So you're saying you're not normal?"

Arthur let out another quiet snort of amusement before shrugging: "Who knows?" he replied casually: "Honestly, after everything I've seen, it's hard to say my mind is still a hundred percent sane. When you spend too much time surrounded by impossible things, you get used to them... one way or another" He paused, and his smile lost a bit of its lightheartedness: "Though, if I'm being honest, it doesn't always happen in the healthiest way"

Charlotte studied him for a moment before giving a slow nod: "... Yeah. Fair enough"

She turned her gaze toward the horizon for a moment, as if recalling a distant memory: "When anomalies first became public, it took me a long time to believe they were real. I spent weeks convinced it was all just CGI, AI, or some ridiculous internet stunt" A small laugh escaped her: "It all seemed way too unbelievable to be true. Like one of those crazy conspiracy theories that suddenly pops up out of nowhere and disappears a few days later"

Arthur tilted his head, amused: "So what changed your mind?"

Charlotte let out a short sigh: "Seeing one up close"

The silence that followed lasted only a second, but it was enough to erase the lighthearted mood from the conversation: "After that" she continued, meeting his eyes again: "believing wasn't the hard part anymore"

Arthur let out a quiet laugh devoid of humor: "It never is. Believing is never the problem. The real problem is going on with your life as if the world is still the same after you find out it isn't"

Emily and Laura remained silent, not wanting to interrupt the conversation. I, on the other hand, couldn't help wondering how Arthur and Charlotte managed to act so naturally, considering that something was very likely threatening the entire planet at that very moment. Maybe I'd just been under too much stress lately.

Even so, it wasn't exactly a bad thing seeing Charlotte and Arthur getting along. Or at least, according to whatever peculiar definition the two of them had of "getting along". It was actually a little ironic when I thought about it.

Charlotte seemed much more like the kind of person who would click with Rupert... Then again, on second thought, that was probably a terrible example. Rupert and Charlotte spent more time trying to get under each other's skin than actually having a civilized conversation.

Every time they crossed paths, they inevitably ended up trading barbs, sarcastic remarks, or competing to see who could annoy the other more. In a strange way, that was its own kind of chemistry... Even if it was an incredibly chaotic one. I let out a quiet sigh and pushed those thoughts aside.

My expression grew more serious as I watched the scene unfolding before me. Charlotte and Arthur kept talking in a surprisingly relaxed atmosphere, occasionally exchanging comments that drew small smiles from each other. Emily and Laura simply watched the interaction in silence, amusement shining in their eyes, clearly curious to see just how far this unusual conversation would go.

For a brief moment, that atmosphere almost made me forget everything. Almost. Because beneath that fleeting sense of peace, reality remained exactly the same. Something had crossed over to this side, and I still had no idea what it was, or how dangerous it truly was. I slowly clenched my fists. I made myself a promise. I would find that thing... And I would put an end to it, no matter what it took.

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