Anomaly

With my visibility limited by the thick cloud of dust kicked up by my own attack, I stood right in the middle of it all, staring at the result before my eyes with genuine interest and fascination. A massive hole, roughly the size of a large car, had been blasted into the asphalt by the impact.

Cracks spread outward from the crater like an irregular web, while small chunks of concrete continued to slowly roll down its edges. The dust hanging in the air made everything somewhat hazy, but even so, it was impossible not to see the sheer extent of the damage I had just caused.

Naturally, I was already fully aware of my physical strength. It wasn't exactly anything new to me. Back when my physical attributes were still far below their current level, I had already been capable of punching a hole straight through the trunk of a tree with a single punch without even suffering any significant consequences afterward.

At the time, that had already seemed like an absurd display of strength. Now, though? I could basically punch my way through a steel wall without having to put in much effort. Thinking about it, that was actually a little frightening. I had never really had a reason to deliberately use such an overwhelming amount of force.

In most situations, simply relying on my anomalous abilities was far more practical, efficient, and, most importantly, less destructive. After all, it wasn't exactly convenient to turn everything around me into rubble just because I happened to be strong enough to do so.

Still... Looking at the crater in the asphalt, large enough to accommodate an entire car, and knowing that I had created it with a single strike, I couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction deep inside. It was strange. I knew I was strong. I had known that for quite some time.

But seeing the consequences of my own strength with my own eyes was something else entirely. For a few seconds, I simply stood there, staring down at the hole as a faint smile appeared on my face. It was hard not to feel at least a little impressed with yourself when faced with something like this.

Anyway, putting my rather impressive accomplishment aside, even by my own standards, the hole created by my attack wasn't merely wide, with dimensions roughly comparable to those of a large car. It was also considerably deep. That was mainly because of my anomalous ability, [Thermonuclear Pulse].

Although this was still an ability I hadn't had much practice with, considering I rarely had any real reason to use something so ridiculously destructive, using it to dig downward hadn't been nearly as complicated as it might have seemed.

The path was relatively clear, and I didn't have to worry about too many obstacles or structures getting in the way. In fact, all I had to do was direct the pulse downward and control its intensity as I continued blasting my way through the ground. Still, looking at the enormous hole in front of me, I couldn't help but think that maybe I'd gone a little overboard.

Well... Nothing particularly outside the norm for me. Considering I had dug deep enough to reach the underground, it would actually be surprising if we didn't end up finding our escaped anomaly. Or whatever the hell this thing actually was. I paused for a moment, staring into the darkness stretching across the bottom of the opening.

It hadn't somehow reached the Earth's crust, right?... Right? Because, honestly, that seemed way too ridiculous. Even considering that we were talking about an anomaly. In the end, I shook my head, pushing those thoughts aside before they could occupy too much of my attention.

The cloud of dust kicked up by my attack was already beginning to slowly dissipate, gradually revealing the surrounding area and improving visibility. Naturally, everyone was still completely paralyzed by the effects of my field. Everyone except Charlotte.

She was the first one to start moving. Still squinting slightly because of the dust, she lowered her hands from her face and blinked several times, trying to recover her vision. Then, almost instinctively, she looked down. And froze. A massive hole, large enough to easily accommodate a car, had appeared in the ground as a result of my attack.

Charlotte's eyes widened: "Good grief..." The exclamation escaped her lips, carrying a genuine mixture of surprise and awe. For several seconds, she simply stared at the destruction, apparently trying to process just how enormous the hole actually was.

Then she realized something. Or rather... She realized where we were: "... Huh?" Her gaze slowly traveled upward. We were about six feet above the hole. Completely motionless. In midair: "Oh my God!" Charlotte's reaction was immediate: "AAAAAH!"

She began flailing in the air, her arms and legs moving wildly for a little over two seconds: "I'm falling! I'm falling?!" Charlotte continued thrashing around for another moment before finally realizing that, despite all her frantic movements, her body wasn't descending even an inch.

She stopped. Blink. Then she slowly looked down. That's when she noticed the reason. A sort of dark rope extended from a small black cloud attached to my hand and wrapped around her waist, keeping her firmly tethered to me. Charlotte remained silent for several seconds, staring at the rope.

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Once she realized there was no immediate danger, Charlotte finally relaxed a little and wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. Then she slowly turned toward me. That's when our eyes met. The expression on her face was, without exaggeration, anything but friendly.

The moment I noticed it, I quickly turned my head in the opposite direction, pretending to be intensely focused on absolutely nothing happening around us. What? You'd be surprised by how terrifying Charlotte could be when she was genuinely pissed off.

I'd already experienced that firsthand when I tried being a little more... idle and lazy than I should have. And honestly, her screaming could be surprisingly more terrifying than any anomaly I'd ever faced.

"Zentharys" The mere fact that she said my name like that was enough to make me straighten up slightly: "How many times have I told you to think about the people around you before you go doing something like this?" Charlotte crossed her arms, slightly furrowing her brow as she stared at me: "This is scary as hell for most humans, you know?" She pointed toward the enormous crater in the ground with her chin: "It's not exactly normal for someone to be able to punch a hole this big into the ground with nothing but their fists!"

"..." I remained silent. Not because I didn't have an answer. I simply didn't have an answer that could possibly save me from this situation.

Faced with those completely random words, I merely blinked several times, staring at Charlotte with an expression of pure confusion: "But you're not even..." My sentence died the instant Charlotte narrowed her eyes at me. It wasn't a particularly aggressive look. In fact, it was almost subtle.

But for some reason, every survival instinct inside me started screaming that continuing that sentence would be a terrible idea. I swallowed hard: “... Actually, it’s nothing” Charlotte continued staring at me for a few seconds, clearly waiting for me to finish what I had started. I, on the other hand, had already made up my mind.

It was better not to find out how far her patience extended. So, with the dignity of someone who was definitely not running away from a threat, I simply started backing away.

Yes. Running away was the correct term. Facing an angry Charlotte head-on was simply insane. And considering how much I still valued my own life, I figured it would be an excellent idea not to test her limits. I still had a healthy appreciation for being alive, after all.

Anyway, having Charlotte staring at me like that was already starting to scare me. So, obviously not because I was trying to escape her intense gaze, but simply because it was something I genuinely wanted to do, I snapped my fingers. The very next moment, I dispelled the effect of my golden field, releasing Victor, Rupert, and Arthur.

The three of them immediately returned to their normal speed: “AAAAAH!” Their screams erupted simultaneously, and it took them a few moments to realize that absolutely nothing was happening. Or rather... nothing besides us.

Little by little, their screams died down until they turned into an awkward silence. Rupert blinked several times, looking around with a completely bewildered expression: “... Huh?”

Victor remained motionless, his muscles still tense, while Arthur looked equally confused, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of danger. That was when Rupert muttered, quietly enough that, theoretically, only he should have been able to hear it: “What the hell...?” Thanks to my enhanced hearing, however, I heard him perfectly.

His gaze slowly lowered, as if only now realizing that there was something strange beneath our feet. His eyes widened. The confused expression vanished. And then came the realization: “What the hell!?” This time, his voice came out much louder and more indignant, immediately drawing Victor and Arthur's attention toward him.

Finally, I brought the three of them closer to me, moving Victor, Rupert, and Arthur toward where Charlotte was. Naturally, I did all of this without touching the ground even once, continuing to hover gently in the air thanks to the wings on my back. My Alter Ego, as always, saving my ass... in more ways than one: (Hmph...) I slightly furrowed my brow. Was that just my imagination? I could have sworn someone had just scoffed.

I glanced to either side, looking for any suspicious reaction, but no one seemed to have done anything. Nah... it must have been my imagination. Putting that aside, I turned my attention back to Victor, Rupert, and Arthur. The three of them still looked a little dazed by the sudden change in circumstances, so I decided to explain what was going on before they started asking too many questions.

“I had to stop time...” I began, pausing briefly before correcting myself: “Actually, I’m still keeping everything frozen. It’s just that, while I was doing that, I ended up opening a crater based on what Charlotte said earlier”

I discreetly pointed toward the enormous hole I had opened in the ground: “They seemed pretty agitated when they realized I had figured out where they were. They kept saying things like I had found the place and stuff like that...” I continued, narrowing my eyes slightly as I tried to organize the information: “So, considering their reaction, I think there really is something down there”

Victor followed the movement of my hand and looked at the crater. Rupert did the same, while Arthur remained silent for a few seconds, clearly trying to make sense of the situation. Victor, Rupert, and Arthur simply blinked at the same time, as if their brains needed a few extra seconds to process what they had just witnessed.

Expressions of disbelief adorned their faces, and all three of them slightly parted their lips, clearly on the verge of saying something. In the end, however, none of them seemed able to find the right words. The three of them merely let out nearly synchronized sighs, although Arthur, in particular, had a strange glint of amusement in his eyes.

Judging by the way the corners of his lips twitched, he seemed to be holding back laughter over something that, apparently, only he found funny... I had absolutely no idea what was going through his head. Anyway, ignoring that little oddity, at least for the moment, I began slowly guiding us downward, descending toward the enormous crater I had opened in the ground.

The air gently swept around us as we descended, and my attention became completely focused on the enormous hole below us. Now it was time to find out exactly what was hiding beneath this residential area.

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