Anomaly

The remainder of the trip to the entrance of the base, a facility built amidst the vast, barren expanse of the desert, passed in complete silence. The only sounds inside the vehicle were the steady rumble of the engine and the faint creaking of the suspension as it rolled across the uneven terrain. Outside, the horizon seemed endless, a stretch of sand and weather-worn rock disappearing into the distance.

Victor couldn't really blame the girl's parents for the silence. After reading the files related to the [Angel of Death] and her sisters, the tension inside the car had risen several levels. It was the kind of information that could leave anyone speechless.

The truth was that it still felt absurd to believe that an anomaly could have been responsible for the creation of all life on Earth. A kind of universal mother. Even forming that thought in his mind felt strange.

A few months ago, Victor would have thought the world had completely lost its mind if someone had told him something like that. Back then, he would have dismissed it as some ridiculous conspiracy theory or the delusion of scientists who had spent far too much time studying anomalous phenomena.

And, to be honest, even after witnessing a fraction of what that anomaly was capable of, even after seeing events with his own eyes that challenged everything he thought he knew about reality, Victor had remained skeptical for a long time.

After all, accepting the existence of beings capable of manipulating the laws of nature was difficult enough. Accepting that one of them might be connected to the origin of all life on the planet was something else entirely.

And it wasn't just her. Every other anomaly was equally absurd when it came to the sheer scale of their abilities. Powers such as Death, Time, Chaos, Order, and Fear were concepts so vast and abstract that they defied conventional logic altogether.

Simply hearing about beings capable of controlling forces of that magnitude sounded like something ripped straight from an impossible fantasy. That was precisely why Victor could understand the girl's parents' bewilderment. Discovering that entities existed which could manipulate the fundamental concepts of reality itself was not something a person simply accepted overnight.

Truthfully, Victor himself had spent a long time viewing all of this with stubborn skepticism. There was always a part of him searching for simpler, more rational explanations. Yet the more he observed those beings standing before him in the flesh... or whatever they were truly made of, the harder it became to maintain any doubt.

It only took witnessing a small demonstration of their power for disbelief to begin crumbling away. They didn't need to reveal the full extent of their abilities. A mere fraction was enough to challenge everything Victor believed possible. Faced with evidence that was as undeniable as it was absurd, he found himself left with fewer and fewer options other than accepting reality.

With that in mind, Victor wasn't surprised in the slightest by Charlotte's mother's reaction a few minutes earlier, right after she and her husband had finished reading the files regarding the [Angel of Death], her sisters, and the concepts each of them governed. The woman remained silent for several seconds, her eyes fixed on the pages as though she expected the words to somehow change before her.

Her fingers tightened around the papers, slightly crumpling the edges as she struggled to process everything she had just read: "I... I can't believe this..." Her voice echoed through the interior of the car.

The tone still carried the firmness of someone accustomed to maintaining control, but there was something else beneath it. Confusion. Disbelief. Maybe even fear. It was as though that rigid composure was holding back emotions that threatened to spill over at any moment through sheer force of will alone. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

She slowly shook her head: "No. This doesn't make any sense... My little girl can't be anything like one of those... things" The final word came out laced with involuntary disgust, as if she were referring to monstrous creatures or abominations that should never have existed.

Victor's expression hardened immediately. His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly as an unpleasant feeling settled in his chest. Charlotte wasn't the only one included in that group. Victor's little sister was as well. And the way the woman had said "things" made it abundantly clear that there wasn't a shred of respect or empathy behind the term.

Unaware of it, Charlotte's mother continued speaking, growing increasingly convinced of her own conclusions: "I've known my daughter since she was a baby. I've been by her side every single day of her life" Her voice gained strength with every word: "I'm absolutely certain I would've noticed something if she were even remotely similar to any of those... abominations"

She gestured sharply toward the documents: "Death, Time, Chaos, Order... it's ridiculous. These entities control concepts that shouldn't even be within anyone's reach. There is absolutely no possibility that Charlotte has any connection to any of this"

The woman crossed her arms, as though ending the discussion before it had even begun: "No. This has to be some kind of mistake. A misunderstanding, incorrect information, something like that" Her gaze remained firm, almost defiant: "My little girl would never be like those things" And judging by the conviction written across her face, it was obvious that she genuinely believed every word she had just spoken.

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Victor raised his eyes toward the rearview mirror mounted above the windshield, looking directly at the woman seated in the back. She was visibly unraveling. Her breathing was uneven, her hands tightly clenched, and her eyes filled with a mixture of fear, outrage, and disbelief. Victor's fingers tightened around the steering wheel more than he intended as his eyes slowly narrowed. Up until that point, he had been holding himself back.

And honestly, while he hated hearing a complete stranger refer to his sister as an abomination, that wasn't even the main issue. What truly concerned him was the way Charlotte's mother was reacting. There was panic in her words. And panic had a tendency to make people do stupid things.

After several seconds of silence, he finally spoke: "Ma'am, I can understand how you're feeling right now. Believe me..." His voice was low, firm, and cold: "I didn't exactly accept the fact that my sister was an anomaly all that easily either"

Victor glanced at the road for a moment before looking back at her through the mirror: "Even so, it'd be best if you toned down that attitude" The woman looked ready to respond, but he continued before she could interrupt: "The anomalies you read about in those files may be friendly toward humans, but that doesn't mean they're patient with everything people say to them" Victor's gaze hardened slightly: "We're talking about beings capable of things most people can't even begin to comprehend. Provoking them for no reason doesn't strike me as a particularly smart decision"

Victor released a quiet sigh through his nose: "I understand fear. I understand confusion. But there's a world of difference between being scared and openly insulting something that could wipe you out on a whim" The interior of the car fell into a heavy silence for several moments while Victor kept his eyes on the road: "So please..." he added in a more controlled tone, though no less serious: "Think carefully before you speak. This isn't just a matter of manners. It's a matter of common sense and your own safety"

Victoria, Charlotte's mother, parted her lips, ready to argue against Victor's words. The tension written across her face made it clear she had plenty to say, but before a single word could escape, she felt her husband's firm hand close around hers.

Beside her, Richard gave a subtle but meaningful shake of his head. The look he sent his wife was enough to make her swallow her words and remain silent, though her expression still carried a clear sense of unease and discomfort.

Charlotte, on the other hand, remained strangely quiet. Ever since she had been given access to the files, she hadn't shown anything close to the reaction Victor had expected. There had been no shock, no denial, not even a flood of questions.

In fact, her calmness was almost unsettling. It was as if the possibility of being an anomaly didn't truly affect her, or perhaps as if she had already accepted that idea long before any official confirmation. freёwebnoѵel.com

Silence settled over the vehicle for the next several minutes, broken only by the steady hum of the engine and the faint sound of tires rolling across the pavement. From the driver's seat, Victor occasionally glanced at the passengers' reflections in the rearview mirror, trying to figure out what was going through each of their minds.

Eventually, the car reached the perimeter of the base. After passing through a security checkpoint, where armed guards quickly verified the vehicle's credentials before allowing it through, Victor continued along the internal roads without slowing down much. A few minutes later, he parked near the central section of the facility.

At first glance, the place looked like a completely ordinary military base. Military vehicles were scattered throughout the complex, while uniformed soldiers hurried or jogged between different sectors. In the distance, orders could be heard being shouted and engines droned continuously.

Reinforced warehouses, administrative buildings, and fenced-off areas made up the landscape, accompanied by countless red signs displaying warnings such as "Restricted Access", "Authorized Personnel Only" and "Maximum Security Area" To any outside observer, the site appeared to be nothing more than another heavily secured military installation.

Charlotte looked around with genuine interest. Her parents, however, were far from sharing her composure. Victoria and Richard stayed close to their daughter, watching every movement around them. Whenever a member of the base walked by carrying a weapon or wearing tactical armor and equipment, their bodies instinctively tensed.

Their eyes followed each figure until they disappeared from sight, as though they expected a threat to emerge at any moment. Their tension was so obvious that they resembled a pair of ferrets protecting their kit in unfamiliar territory, ready to react to the slightest sign of danger. Charlotte, meanwhile, seemed completely unaffected by the intimidating atmosphere of the place.

After spending a few moments watching the activity around her, she tilted her head slightly and commented: "It's more normal than I expected" Her words drew Rupert's attention.

Charlotte shrugged before continuing, taking another look around the base: "I mean... considering you deal with anomalies and all that, I expected something different" She gestured vaguely with one hand: "More hidden, maybe. More... disguised"

Rupert raised an eyebrow: "Disguised?"

"Yeah" Charlotte nodded: "You know, secret entrances, underground hallways full of blast doors, agents wearing sunglasses all the time... that kind of thing"

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Rupert's mouth: "So you were expecting some kind of mix between a military bunker and a conspiracy theory?"

"Basically" Charlotte replied without hesitation, earning an amused sigh from him.

She looked around again for a moment before adding: "But it feels almost... ordinary. If I didn't know what goes on here, I'd think it was just another government facility that's a little over the top"

"That's exactly the point" Rupert replied as they continued walking: "The less attention a place attracts, the better it serves its purpose"

Charlotte let out a thoughtful hum, absorbing the answer while her eyes continued to wander across every detail of the base. Rupert gave an amused snort at her apparent indifference, shaking his head as a wry smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"What? Did you really think we'd keep a massive facility full of anomalies right here on the surface for everyone to see?" he asked, raising an eyebrow: "This isn't a zoo"

He continued walking at an unhurried pace, his hands tucked into his coat pockets: "Naturally, they're kept in secure locations. Very secure locations, actually. Places that are difficult to access, with more layers of protection than you could probably count"

The sound of footsteps echoed for several more moments before Rupert and Victor came to a stop. Richard, Victoria, and Charlotte did the same as they arrived in front of an enormous metal warehouse. The structure loomed silently before them.

Rupert glanced at the girl, and his smile took on an almost teasing edge: "Sorry to disappoint you, kid, but if you want to see the really interesting stuff..." He jerked a thumb toward the interior of the warehouse: "We're gonna have to go down"