(POV – Protagonist)
Throughout the entire conversation that took place in Sara's room, I remained beneath them — hidden within the shadowed world, a place where moving around felt as natural as breathing. Because of that, I heard every single word exchanged, every breath between sentences, every subtle shift in tone.
Honestly, even if Chronas tries to paint me as some kind of hero on a white horse, I just can't remember any of the events she mentioned. Still, it's not like I can dismiss her words as delusion or mistake — not when it comes to Chronas, a Conceptual Virtue.
While I watched them, the conversation went on. Chronas's voice sliced through the air — cold, drawn-out, and completely devoid of emotion, as if every word was nothing but a hollow formality: "Besides, brother... I can feel a fraction of my dear sister's power within you"
Chronas's words were clearly directed at Victor. The moment they echoed, the room fell into a heavy silence. I stayed quiet too — not because I wanted to, but because I simply didn't understand what she was trying to say. What exactly was Chronas hinting at?
Emily, Laura, and Victor himself seemed to share the same confusion. The three of them stared at her in silence, their faces puzzled, while Chronas sat calmly at the edge of the bed, her gaze serene, almost enigmatic — as if she were waiting for someone to finally grasp the hidden meaning behind her words.
"What exactly are you trying to imply by that?" Victor asked, narrowing his eyes.
I narrowed mine toward Chronas as well, waiting for her answer with the same heavy anticipation that filled the room. It didn't take long for her to speak, her tone carrying a calm, almost analytical weight: "It seems my dear sister transferred a fraction of her power to you"
She paused briefly, her eyes scanning Victor as if examining something unseen: "It's not enough to alter your human biology, nor to grant you any authority. Even so..." A faint smile curved her lips: "It must've been enough for you to feel something change, right?"
The moment Chronas's words echoed, a single thought flashed through my mind like lightning. Emily and Laura, who had also been listening in silence, turned toward Victor almost at the same time. For a brief instant, their expressions showed sheer bewilderment — but soon shifted into something calmer: understanding. It was clear that both had reached the same conclusion I had.
I can't remember the incident Chronas referred to, but it's undeniable that there's something different about Victor — something that sets him apart from everyone else. I'm talking about that strange extrasensory awareness of his.
At first, I thought he was just more attentive than others — someone with sharper instincts, maybe. But no... that's not all. His sensitivity goes far beyond normal. It's so intense, so precise, that it almost feels like an anomalous ability — something that transcends simple human perception.
Of course, Victor wasn't clueless. It only took him a few seconds to piece things together and reach the same conclusion Emily, Laura, and I had already arrived at. He ran a hand over the back of his neck, took a deep breath, and, in a nervous gesture, ruffled his own hair.
His lips moved slowly before his voice — thick with confusion and disbelief — broke the silence: "But... why would she do that? Why would she share her power with me?"
Personally, that's a question I'd been wondering about too. Was there really a specific reason I'd want to make Victor stronger? Honestly, I can't imagine myself doing something like that out of pure kindness — especially considering the version of me from the past, who seemed much more apathetic and indifferent than I am now.
"I don't know" Chronas replied after a short pause: "However, I know my dear sister well — well enough to say she wouldn't do something like that for just anyone. The authority of a Virtue, in its essence, is what defines them. To share that... is the same as sharing one's very life with another"
Victor's lips parted for a moment, but he quickly closed them again, as if any words he might've formed simply dissolved before leaving his mouth. Emily and Laura watched him quietly, their gazes heavy with unspoken concern.
Victor kept his eyes down for a few seconds, his expression unreadable — maybe reflecting, maybe just trying to escape the moment.
I had no idea what was going through his head. Without saying a single word, he turned, walked toward the door, and with a restrained motion, opened it. The faint sound of metal echoed through the room before he disappeared into the hallway.
My first instinct was to follow him, but I hesitated for a moment when I heard the voices behind me. Chronas, Emily, and Laura were speaking softly, almost in whispers.
"Is he... okay?" Chronas asked, tilting her head slightly, curiosity flickering in her expression.
"He'll be fine" Emily replied, shrugging with a light sigh.
"He's got a lot to process. I mean, it's not every day someone finds out they've got the powers of an anomaly inside them. Besides..." Laura crossed her arms, casting an exasperated look at Emily: "Maybe he's also trying to build up the courage to apologize to the [Angel of Death]"
My eyes blinked for a brief moment after hearing Emily and Laura's words. Without overthinking it, I slipped back into the shadowed world and silently glided toward the edge of the hallway. On the other side, through the darkness, I spotted Victor.
He was leaning against the wall beside "Sara's" door, his eyes lost on the ceiling. His expression was distant, weighed down by thought — as if he were battling something deep within himself.
Looking at Victor, who seemed lost in a tangle of thoughts, I decided to break the silence and speak to him. Honestly, even though he had really gotten on my nerves earlier, even I could tell that the way I was acting was ridiculously childish.
However, before I could leave that dark world behind, Victor's voice echoed through the long, silent underground corridor of the hospital. The sound reverberated against the cold, damp walls, breaking the suffocating silence — and in that moment, only I could hear his words: "I'm... I'm sorry. Really. I shouldn't have said what I said. I was angry—too blind to see that you were trying to help us... to protect us. I know it's easy to say that now, and maybe it doesn't even matter anymore, but I regret what I did. I swear I do. And, as strange as it may sound, I don't see you as the freak who ruined my life anymore. Not now. Not anymore"
I heard Victor's words and, for a moment, I thought about replying. But what was I supposed to say? Show anger, maybe? Honestly, I didn't see the point. The anger I'd felt before now seemed distant, almost extinguished.
Call it anomalous awareness if you want, but ever since I became an anomaly, feeling anger had become rare—ephemeral, like a flame that fades before it can even warm the air. Even when it does appear, it lasts only for a fleeting moment... then vanishes, leaving behind the usual emptiness.
Without getting an answer, Victor glanced around, his eyes restless, as if searching for something—or someone—in the void. But nothing appeared.
No sound, no sign—only the heavy silence filling every corner of that corridor. A melancholy expression crossed his face before he slowly turned toward the door.
His fingers touched the cold handle, and in that exact moment, I began to emerge from the world of shadows. My body materialized little by little, taking shape in the narrow, suffocating hallway beneath the hospital, as if the darkness itself were returning me to reality.
Victor turned, and our eyes met. For a brief moment, we stayed that way—frozen, locked in each other's gaze. Silence, tension, and something undefined hung in the air. Then he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck in a hesitant gesture before turning back to me, waiting for my response.
(It's fine... you had your reasons. After all, she was your sister) I sighed, letting the words escape in a calm, almost resigned tone: (But that doesn't change what I did)
My voice sounded cold, stripped of remorse, while my expression remained still—a distant reflection of the thoughts I shared.
Victor listened in silence for a few seconds before slowly shaking his head: "Even if you say it's fine... it's not" His voice was steady: "Even if you really did "create" my sister, that doesn't change the fact that you brought my family a kind of happiness that can't be replaced"
A faint, almost sorrowful smile tugged at the corner of his lips: "Besides" he went on: "you said it yourself, didn't you? That "Sara" didn't disappear... she just regained the rest of her memories. For me, that's enough"
***
(POV – Sara/Chronas)
The moment the door closed, Chronas turned her gaze toward Emily and Laura, who still stood before her. Humans. Evolved beings, descendants of ancestors shaped by "Her" ages ago. Chronas observed them in silence for a moment—fragile creatures, yet strangely persistent. Chronas had never paid much attention to humans; she simply saw no reason to.
And yet, now Chronas had a human brother. She herself had once lived as one, and those memories had never been erased. They were still there—vivid, pulsing as if they had happened only yesterday.
She remembered it all: the smiling faces, the warm voices, the laughter echoing through the house at dusk. Every moment with her human family was etched into her soul. Chronas had truly loved them—and silently, she missed every second she had spent by their side.
Still, as the authority who commands, shapes, transforms, and observes time, Chronas knew she had a role she could not ignore. Until now, that duty had been carried out by her beloved sister—but her sister's method was merely a patch, a fragile fix for something that demanded far more. Containing the flow of time wasn't a task just anyone could handle; only someone truly bound to the very essence of time itself could do it.
Even her dear sister couldn't sustain it for long. But Chronas could—her true essence resided within the flow of time itself. Inside it, there was no danger, only familiarity. It wasn't a hostile place—it was home. The "Womb" that "She" had used to give birth to Chronas, the point of origin where time and existence intertwined to create what she was.
That was exactly why Chronas knew she couldn't stay beside Victor or his human family for long—not like before. Not now. Even from afar, she could feel it clearly—the flow of time was growing increasingly unstable, increasingly dangerous.
Time was calling to her, whispering her name, summoning its daughter back to her true place. And Chronas would have to answer—not by choice, but by necessity. Because time always reclaims what belongs to it.
At that moment, while that thought still echoed in her mind, the metallic door of the chamber creaked open once more. Chronas turned her gaze toward the entrance and saw her "brother" accompanied by her beloved sister, step inside.
It took only a moment for her to sense the tension lingering between them—still there, yes, but softer now than it had been just minutes before.
"See? I told you they'd end up making up" Laura said, a wry smile curling at the corner of her lips. Her tone sounded light, almost casual, but there was a hint of teasing in her voice. As she spoke, she shot a direct — and slightly amused — glance at Victor.
Chronas watched his "brother" shrug. There was something different about his posture — lighter, less tense than before — as if an invisible weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Victor's voice echoed with a calm tone: "I think so... At least, I don't think we're on bad terms anymore" A subtle, almost imperceptible smile formed at the corner of his lips.
Too small for anyone else to notice — but not for Chronas, who caught the gesture. Still, she didn't give it much thought; her mind was preoccupied with other things. Deep down, she had already seen everything she needed to. She knew her "brother" would be fine, even without her around — after all, her dear sister would be there too, making sure he wouldn't have to walk alone.