Anomaly

I definitely couldn't say I was happy with the way things had unfolded to get us to this point. I mean, our goal from the start had been to avoid drawing attention, let alone end up surrounded by a bunch of weirdos with creepy expressions and thoughts that were very clearly less than pleasant toward us.

Was this karma? Had I done something wrong before my transition into a human and, later, into an anomaly? I mean, that last state could technically be considered a regression, since apparently I'd been an anomaly to begin with... But that wasn't really relevant right now.

The fact was, I should have been outraged at this point. Or, at the very least, pretty pissed off. Things always seemed to spiral into something ridiculous whenever I was involved, as if the universe took some kind of personal pleasure in turning simple situations into increasingly bigger problems. And why me? Me, of all people, the probably most peaceful and kind anomaly in existence?

I looked around for a moment, taking in all the decidedly unfriendly expressions surrounding us, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. None of this made the slightest bit of sense. I hadn't provoked anyone. I hadn't destroyed anything. I hadn't threatened anyone. As far as I knew, I'd been perfectly reasonable.

So why, exactly, did it feel like I'd just stumbled into the middle of a revolution? Maybe the universe really did have something against me. Because, honestly, if this wasn't karma, I really didn't want to know what was.

Anyway, as much as I wanted to completely deny the possibility, however tiny, absurdly tiny, that everything had somehow gone wrong because of me, there was one undeniable truth I couldn't ignore: This crowd surrounding us definitely wasn't happy about our presence.

Victor, Rupert, Arthur, and Charlotte noticed it at the same time. All four of them took a few steps back, moving closer to me almost instinctively. Charlotte came to stand at my side, while the other three positioned themselves slightly ahead of us, still maintaining a ready stance.

None of them said a word. There was no need to. Then the crowd reacted. Everyone moved at once. First, one foot. Then the other. Step after step, dozens of people advanced toward us in perfect synchronization. There was no urgency in their movements, but there wasn't the slightest hint of hesitation either.

It was almost like watching a single entity slowly approach us, with each individual serving as nothing more than a small part of something far larger. And the most disturbing part was that none of their expressions changed. There was no obvious anger. No fear. No curiosity. Not even outrage. Nothing. Their faces remained completely still, devoid of any emotion I could interpret.

Naturally, Rupert was the first to react once he noticed them getting closer. His hand immediately went for his weapon, drawing it in one quick motion. He didn't fire. Instead, he raised it and kept his aim unsteady, shifting from one person to another as the group continued advancing without slowing down: “Ah... shit!” Rupert blurted out, his voice thick with anxiety: “This is not good! They're not stopping, guys!”

None of the people in front seemed to even notice the weapon pointed at them. They simply kept walking, their steps firm and their expressions eerily blank, as though Rupert and the others weren't even there: “Hey!” Rupert raised his voice, trying to sound threatening: “I'm talking to you! Stop right there!”

Nothing. Not a response. Not a glance. Not even a moment's hesitation. Rupert swallowed hard and took a few steps back, keeping his weapon trained on the crowd as his eyes darted rapidly from person to person: “Damn... what the hell is wrong with these people?” he muttered before briefly glancing at the others: “Did they turn into zombies or something?”

His attempt at intimidation had been completely useless. And although Rupert was clearly nervous, he wasn't stupid enough to start firing indiscriminately into a crowd. In fact, by this point, they had probably all reached the same conclusion.

These people weren't acting normally. There was no anger on their faces. No fear. Not even confusion. It was as if their wills had simply been erased, leaving behind nothing but this silent, determined march. Some kind of trance. Or worse... Mind control.

“We're not getting through them the normal way” Victor commented, his eyes quickly scanning the crowd ahead of us. He seemed to be searching for any opening, any gap between the people that could potentially serve as an escape route. After a few seconds, however, he merely clicked his tongue in frustration.

“And to make matters worse, our weapons are practically useless here” He paused briefly, casting another look over the crowd: “We're dealing with controlled humans, not anomalies. If we start attacking them indiscriminately, we're going to end up hurting innocent people”

Victor's expression grew even more serious as he assessed the situation: “So we can't fight them the way we normally would” Finally, he turned toward me, keeping his voice low enough that only we could hear: “You said there's something underneath us, right?”

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I nodded: “Then do whatever you have to do” he said without hesitation: “Whatever's down there is probably our best shot” Victor turned his attention back to the crowd, subtly tightening his grip on his weapon: “Just don't take too long”

Arthur, who had remained silent until then, finally decided to speak. He adjusted the monocle over one eye and narrowed his gaze as he once again analyzed our surroundings, as though trying to confirm something he'd been observing ever since we'd arrived: “I can detect an unknown energy pattern beneath us thanks to my monocle” he said, keeping his voice low and thoughtful: “Actually, that energy has been spilling throughout the entire residential area ever since we arrived. Maybe even across a considerable portion of the city”

He paused briefly, furrowing his brow: “But my monocle isn't exactly precise when it comes to pinpointing the source of this kind of energy” Arthur then turned his gaze toward me, raising one eyebrow slightly: “Not nearly as precise as the eyes of our friendly neighborhood anomaly here”

After saying that, he shifted his attention back to the ground beneath our feet. For several seconds, he remained silent, as if trying to see through the layers of concrete and earth separating us from the source: “Whatever's down there...” he murmured before finally continuing: “it's quite possible that it's what's causing this abnormal state in these people” Arthur's expression became even more serious: “And considering the intensity of the energy I'm detecting, I'd say we're not dealing with a particularly simple crisis”

I watched the crowd surrounding us for a few seconds, trying to ignore the increasingly intense stares gathering around us. Then I turned back toward Victor and gave him a slight nod. He understood immediately.

Victor returned the wave before turning his attention back to the crowd, keeping a close eye out for any sudden movements. I, on the other hand, decided to ignore all of that completely and focused my entire attention on the ground.

Okay... I had a few ways of doing this. There were the more destructive options, which would probably be quick and efficient, but could also cause a considerable amount of damage. Then there were the slower alternatives, which were much safer and easier to control. The question was: which one should I choose?

The thought crossed my mind as my eyes swept over the asphalt, searching for the best place to start. I was still weighing my options when a shrill voice suddenly rang out from somewhere in the crowd: “The Guardian!” an elderly woman shouted.

I raised my head slightly. She was a frail-looking woman, her face marked by deep wrinkles and her gray hair tied back haphazardly. Despite her age, there was an almost frightening intensity in her eyes. She pointed directly at me, her trembling arm outstretched as if she had just recognized the person responsible for some terrible tragedy: “He found us!” she continued, her voice growing louder with every word: “Stop him!”

Then it was as if a stampede had begun. Actually... it wasn't just as if one had begun. It really had. The entire crowd seemed to lose whatever little caution they still had, and suddenly they picked up the pace, turning their hurried walk into a chaotic run straight toward us.

People shoved one another, tripped over each other's feet, and reached out with their hands as they charged forward, like a pack of vultures that had just spotted a free meal.

The sudden change happened so quickly that all of us froze for a moment: “What the fuck...?” Rupert took a step back, his eyes wide, while Victor immediately raised his guard on pure instinct.

Charlotte also retreated, practically pressing herself against my side, and even Arthur, who could normally keep his head in almost any situation, seemed to lose whatever composure he had left.

Naturally, the crowd's exaggerated reaction made all four of them retreat even farther, drawing closer to me as though, at that moment, my presence was the only thing standing between them and that raging mass of people.

Rupert was the first to find his voice again. He turned toward me, clearly trying to maintain his composure, though the urgency in his tone gave him away: “Whatever the hell you're thinking of doing... do it now!” He swallowed hard and cast a quick glance over his shoulder at the crowd, which was getting closer by the second: “Because I really don't think we have much time left”

Hearing Rupert's words and, naturally, understanding the situation, I simply shrugged: (Then let's go with the quick way) The moment the thought crossed my mind, a completely golden field expanded from my body, with me at its epicenter. The expansion was instantaneous.

In the blink of an eye, the field had swallowed everything around us, enveloping the crowd, the houses, and even the air itself. Inside that space, everything seemed to have stopped. Or perhaps my perception had simply accelerated to an absurd degree. It was hard to tell. Sound had become almost nonexistent. People remained frozen in the middle of their movements, and even tiny particles of dust seemed suspended in the air.

It was as if the entire world had been turned into a photograph. Charlotte looked around, her eyes slowly traveling across the frozen scenery: “Wow...” she murmured, clearly impressed. She took a few more steps, looking from one side to the other: “This is so cool”

Within this field, only two people could move freely: Charlotte and me... Or, at least, that's what I thought: “I-Impossible!” The voice suddenly emerged from somewhere within the crowd. At first, I thought I had imagined it. I turned my head toward the sound, genuinely surprised. Among all the people frozen in place, a single figure was still capable of speaking.

It was the elderly woman who had incited the crowd moments earlier. She couldn't truly move. Her body remained almost completely motionless, trapped by the field's effects, but her lips were still moving, and her voice, though trembling and broken, managed to pierce the silence.

“You... you shouldn't have this power yet...!” I frowned slightly. She can still talk? That alone was unexpected. But, honestly, her words were even more intriguing.

The old woman stared at me with wide eyes. There was fear in them, but it wasn't just fear. There was recognition. Anger. And above all, a kind of almost desperate disbelief: “Y-You bastard...” she spat, forcing out each word as though even speaking required an enormous amount of effort: “You knew!”

Her eyes narrowed: “You always knew!” For a moment, her expression twisted with hatred: “Even now... even after all of this... you still dare stand in our way?!” She struggled to breathe before finally shouting, her voice echoing through the golden, silent world: “Guardian!”

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