The moment I felt something soft and warm touch my forehead, my eyes closed on their own, as if my body reacted before I could even think. That unexpected touch made time seem to slow down. Each second dragged by, heavy and silent, while I stayed completely still, my eyes tightly shut, waiting for some kind of reaction — any sign, any movement.
The subtle warmth seemed to pulse against my skin, inviting me to relax, but the seconds dragged on slowly, stretching as if time itself had forgotten to move forward, and nothing happened. A heavy silence hung around me, almost tangible, broken only by the steady rhythm of my own breathing.
I didn't feel anything strange in my body, except for the soft, warm sensation still burning against my forehead. If I had a heart, it would've been racing, beating out of control, echoing through every nerve in my body. The seconds crept by like hours, turning into endless minutes of absolute silence, with nothing happening.
Cautiously, I cracked open just one eye — enough to try and make sense of what was happening. At first, everything seemed wrapped in a soft, wavering glow, as if the air itself were trembling. Then my eyes caught sight of that strange figure: an unstable silhouette, made up of a kaleidoscopic mosaic of colors that blended and drifted apart in an almost organic rhythm, pulsing under the diffused light as if it were breathing.
Its hand still hovered in the air, and what I assumed to be its finger touched my forehead, spreading a curiously soft and warm feeling at the point of contact. I stood there, staring at the mosaic being, unable to look away, while it seemed to be measuring something in me with a mix of doubt and quiet focus.
The more I thought about the situation, the more absurd it seemed. Seriously, what kind of situation was that? No matter how I looked at it, she really didn't seem like she was trying to kill me. As crazy as that sounds, it ended up being the most logical conclusion I could come to. Her actions, though brutal, didn't carry any real intent to kill.
Given the strength this anomaly had shown so far, I was certain that if she wanted to, she could've killed me easily from the very start. And yet, instead, I was simply thrown aside — as if I were a nuisance, not a threat.
In the end, no matter how many angles I tried to analyze the situation from, I always came to the same conclusion—the same one I'd reached a few minutes earlier: for some reason, the mosaic entity simply didn't seem to want to kill me. Its movements, the way it approached and observed me, radiated curiosity... not hostility.
And yet, if it didn't want to kill us, then what the hell was its real intention? I tried to come up with a few theories, but none of them made sense—the more I tried to understand it, the more this anomaly became an enigma.
Completely unaware of my thoughts, the mosaic entity kept its finger pressed against my forehead. Slowly, it slid downward—soft yet firm—tracing across my face. It brushed the corner of my eyes, touched my lips with an almost painful gentleness, and finally rested on my cheeks.
I blinked, trying to process what was happening, but my mind was clouded with confusion. I couldn't grasp the true purpose behind the anomaly's actions. My gaze locked onto the mosaic being, watching every movement as it withdrew its hand from my cheek and raised it slowly, as if measuring something invisible in the air.
A sharp snap echoed through the room, slicing the silence in an instant. The moment the sound reverberated, a light dizziness washed over me. It lasted only a second—subtle enough not to make me lose balance—and just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, leaving behind only a fleeting sense of strangeness.
For a moment, I stood completely still, unable to react as my mind struggled—vainly—to make sense of the chaos of thoughts crashing into one another. When I finally managed to turn my gaze toward the source of all that confusion, I found her simply watching me — her head slightly tilted, in a gesture that somehow carried a strange sense of innocence.
Still dazed, I decided to save my questions for later; after all, trying to understand the intentions of an anomaly that barely had a face seemed, at best, a waste of time. Seemingly oblivious to my thoughts, the anomaly tilted its head from side to side in an unsettling, almost hypnotic motion. Then, without a word, it began to walk away—its steps so light they barely made a sound—while I stood there, unable to look away.
I watched closely as the mosaic anomaly moved toward me, its shimmering fragments shifting in patterns that defied any understandable logic. It passed right through me without the slightest hesitation, leaving behind a faint trail of distorted light that rippled through the air like heat rising from asphalt.
It continued straight toward the dome of shadows raised by my Alter Ego, and I remained still, completely silent, following its every movement with a curious gaze. I didn't try to stop it — something inside me told me there was no reason to. Somehow, I just knew it carried no hostile intent toward me, Victor, Emily, or Laura.
I blinked, confused. Why was I suddenly so sure that the anomaly wasn't hostile? The doubt flashed through me for a moment, but no answer came. It was as if something deep inside me simply knew—an instinctive certainty, without explanation.
(What... no, who exactly are you?) I whispered, my voice trembling with confusion as my eyes stayed fixed on the mosaic anomaly.
The entity stopped abruptly, as if something had interrupted it. Then it slowly turned its body back toward me. Though it had no "face" I could feel—in some strange, discomforting way—that its invisible eyes were fixed on me.
For a moment, I waited for it to say something... or at least make a move. But against all my expectations, the anomaly simply turned away again and continued its silent walk toward the dome.
When it reached it, the entity stopped just a few inches from the dark surface. Then, it raised what seemed to be its arm—a structure made of gleaming fragments, like a living mosaic—and extended its hand toward the black dome. When its fingers touched it, nothing happened.
No reaction, no sound—just silent contact. I stood right behind it, only a few steps away, watching every motion, every tiny gesture, still trying to understand what exactly this anomaly was attempting to do.
Then, suddenly, it raised its hand once more—and a sharp snap cut through the air. In the same instant, the black dome dissolved completely, vanishing as if it had never existed. Victor, Emily, and Laura—who had been trapped inside just seconds ago—blinked in confusion.
"What just happened?" Victor asked, breaking the heavy silence that filled the air.
Laura slightly parted her lips, about to say something, but the moment her eyes turned forward, her body froze. The air caught in her throat as she instinctively took a step back. "Hih!" The sound escaped her lips in a nervous, almost inaudible reflex.
Emily and Victor, who until then had only been trying to make sense of what was happening, finally seemed to realize that something was watching them. The moment their eyes met the mosaic-like entity was marked by a heavy silence — dense, almost suffocating.
Their reactions, of course, were exactly what I expected: Victor instinctively stepped in front of Emily and Laura, his body taking on a protective stance. With a swift motion, he pulled from beneath his cloak an unusual-looking weapon — a metallic artifact covered in glowing lines that pulsed as if alive.
The entity made of mosaics watched Victor's movement carefully, tilting its head in a slow, curious manner before turning toward me. Its face remained hidden, unreadable, and yet — even without uttering a single word — I could clearly understand what it intended.
A chill ran down my spine, and instinctively, I turned my gaze away from that anomaly. My eyes locked on Victor's, trying to project my thoughts as clearly as possible: (Victor, wait...)
"What's there to look forward to? I've been waiting for this moment — dreaming about it for months" Victor said, his voice low but charged with intensity as he kept the gun trained on the mosaic anomaly. His eyes, hard and piercing, reflected a mix of restrained fury and calculating coldness.
Victor cut through the air with his voice — sharp, almost cold: "We finally found the anomaly that put Sara in that state. We need to take it out. Here. Now"
He paused briefly, his fingers tightening on the trigger just enough to reveal his impatience: "Do you really expect me to just stand here and do nothing?"
I understood Victor's reasoning, but getting aggressive wouldn't help — it would probably make things worse. No matter how hard we tried, it was obvious none of us could even hurt that anomaly, much less defeat it.
(Even if you shoot, nothing's going to change — and you, of all people, should know that) I sent my thoughts to Victor, trying somehow to dissuade him.
"You think I don't know that...?" Victor snapped back, his voice trembling with anger and despair. His hand shook slightly, as if fighting the urge to act: "Then what do you want me to do? Just let it go?!" He took a deep breath, eyes glistening but firm: "I don't care if I die... as long as it means I can somehow bring Sara back"
Unfortunately, my words didn't seem to have any effect on him. He was determined — as if he had come to the park already prepared for this kind of situation.
For a moment, I didn't know what to do. My gaze flickered between Victor, who still had his weapon trained on the mosaic creature, and the creature itself, which continued to stare directly at me.
There was something deeply unsettling about its fragmented gaze, as if each shard reflected a different thought, yet somehow all converged on me. Its intentions, increasingly clear, kept seeping into my mind.
(Are you an idiot?) I shot back, unable to hold back the irritation boiling inside me: (With Laura and Emily here, do you really think you're the only one who'll die?)
My tone grew sharper as my words gained strength: (I was literally teleported into space, Victor. I had to throw myself back to Earth like a damn meteor! When I hit the ground, my body turned into a twisted heap of flesh, and I'm still here — alive enough to stop you from doing something stupid again. You really think I'm going to let you die — and take Laura and Emily with you?)
Victor blinked, confused, as if trying to make sense of what I'd just said — and honestly, I couldn't blame him. His eyes stayed on me, tense, filled with uncertainty. Still, I held his gaze, letting my thoughts flow straight into his mind like a firm, silent whisper: (Leave this to me... I promise I'll save your sister. Just... trust me. Just this once)
Victor kept his eyes on me for several long seconds — long enough to make me uneasy. I had no idea what was running through his mind, or how likely it was that he'd actually trust me.
In the end, no matter how harmless I tried to seem, I was still — and would always be — an anomaly. Something he could never truly ignore... and something I couldn't change, no matter how much I wanted to.
But against all my expectations, not a single angry word came from his lips. All Victor did was close his eyes and take a deep breath — a heavy sigh filled with something I couldn't quite read. Then, he simply put the weapon away.
His gaze remained locked on the mosaic entity — hard, wary — but at least he no longer looked ready to attack it. I couldn't deny that this was a good outcome. On the other hand, there was something unsettling about the way the creature's fragments shifted — as if, somehow, it was pleased with how things had turned out.
Finally, I let out a quiet sigh of relief. Yeah... even though Emily and Laura didn't fully understand what had just happened — after all, my thoughts had only been sent to Victor — both of them seemed content to just watch in silence. In the end, I turned my gaze back to the mosaic being before us.
Sensing my stare, the mosaic being slowly turned toward me. Its shimmering fragments moved like living plates, reflecting light in hypnotic patterns, while its eyes — if they could even be called that — locked onto mine.
Honestly, I had no idea what I was supposed to do next. I didn't even know if that entity could speak — or if it would understand me if I tried to address it. That's what I hoped to find out.
But before I could say anything, a voice echoed through the air. Its tone wasn't exactly male or female — it was something in between, something that slipped between the notes of what I recognized as human: "This outcome... good!"