(POV - Oliver Bennett)
Oliver watched the gentle movement of the water in the lake before him with apparent indifference. A faint corner of a smile lingered on his lips, almost imperceptible, as if reserved only for himself. The soft sound of approaching footsteps echoed beside him, but he didn’t look away.
Soon after, the subtle rustling of the grass and the slight dip of the ground gave away that someone had sat down nearby. Still, Oliver remained unshaken, his eyes fixed on the trembling reflection of the lake, as if nothing beyond that shimmering surface mattered.
“That’s a beautiful view” the person beside him said calmly, their eyes still fixed on the horizon.
At first, Oliver didn’t respond. He simply ignored the words, as if they held no weight or significance. The person sitting next to him also remained silent, sharing the same heavy quiet that hung between them.
Both kept their eyes on the lake, watching in silence as the water gently rippled, reflecting fragments of the sky’s light like tiny sparkling flecks. Time seemed to drag in that uncomfortable stillness, until finally, Oliver broke the silence.
His smile widened subtly, almost imperceptibly, and for a brief moment, his eyes closed as if carefully weighing every word before letting them escape. Then, in a soft yet confident voice, he said: “This world holds places with views even more extraordinary, as magnificent as this one. Humans have always been captivated by such scenes because, deep down, they’re searching for something that reflects the beauty they wish for themselves... or at least, that’s what I believe”
After Oliver’s words, the air sank into a heavy, almost suffocating silence. Only the sound of the wind cutting through the space and the distant murmur of cars and lost conversations broke the quiet, as if the outside world remained indifferent to the weight of their dialogue.
It was then, in a deep, steady voice, that the man next to Oliver spoke again, his gaze sharp and piercing: “An interesting worldview... So that’s the reason you want to destroy it?”
Hearing the words, Oliver couldn’t hold back a smile; a short, genuinely amused laugh slipped from his lips. His eyes scanned the landscape ahead, as if wanting to memorize every detail while reflecting on what had been said.
“Destroy the world?” he repeated, with a hint of irony. A corner of his mouth curled into a smile: “No... that has never been, and will never be, my goal. What I seek is something far more personal... and far less petty than that”
As he spoke, Oliver slowly turned his face toward the man beside him, his eyes carrying an almost enigmatic intensity.
“Graham...” he finally said, as if the name itself carried enough weight to settle any doubt.
Graham, sitting next to Oliver, didn’t respond immediately. He remained silent for a few moments, his narrow eyes fixed on his companion as if seeking something beyond words. Only then did his mouth move slowly, his voice firm, almost indifferent: “Honestly, your goal matters little to me. We only work together because, to a certain extent, our paths happen to align”
Oliver didn’t challenge Graham’s words — after all, they were pure truth. A faint smile formed on his lips as his eyes calmly returned to the view ahead. For a brief moment, he seemed lost in his own thoughts, as if something had just occurred to him. Then, raising an eyebrow casually, he said in a relaxed tone: “Ah! Almost forgot... the gift you asked for last time — did it end up being useful?”
Graham, keeping the same serious, indifferent expression, simply nodded in silence, confirming Oliver’s words. No further explanation was needed; he had achieved what he wanted.
After all, from the beginning, his true objective had never been to destroy the base or release anomalies into the world — those were just distractions, pieces of a larger game he played with calculated coldness.
“I managed to achieve exactly what I aimed for” Graham said, a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. His voice carried a tone of anticipation, as if on the verge of witnessing something grand: “With enough energy, it should manifest any moment now”
With that, the conversation ended. Oliver didn’t ask anything further, keeping his characteristic smile — that half-enigmatic expression that seemed to hide more than it revealed.
Graham, for his part, showed no desire to continue the discussion; his eyes drifted away, as if preferring silence over revealing too much.
Deep down, both knew that their alliance was nothing more than a convenient coincidence — a meeting of interests that, for now, moved in the same direction, but would never mean true trust between them.
Yet, as if something had just occurred to him, Oliver narrowed his eyes and asked in a wary tone: “And the others? Do they really agree with your plans? You seem to rush the process... even knowing that, in the end, the outcome is inevitable”
Graham cast an indifferent, almost bored glance before responding with remarkable disinterest: “What I do isn’t their concern. In the end, we’re pursuing the same goal. The method each of us uses matters little... as long as we reach the result”
Oliver simply smiled at Graham’s answer — an ironic, disdainful smile. Tilting his head slightly, he asked provocatively: “Even if all of you are the same person?” The words hung in the air like a sharp blade, unanswered.
***
(POV - Emily Parker)
Emily quietly sipped her coffee while flipping through some documents scattered across the table. The warm, comforting aroma of the drink mingled with the soft silence of the room, creating a rare atmosphere of calm.
She felt truly happy — it had been a long time since she had experienced such peace. No containment failures to deal with, no new anomalies appearing out of nowhere, no ominous premonitions looming over her mind. Just silence. Just peace.
For the first time in months, Emily could breathe deeply without feeling the crushing weight of responsibility on her shoulders. A slight smile formed on her lips as the warmth of the coffee slid down her throat, soothing not just her body, but also her weary soul.
Even with dozens of files piled up on her desk—enough to keep her up for a few nights—Emily still felt oddly happy.
After all, who wouldn’t feel relieved when their biggest worries simply cease to exist? Deep down, she knew those papers represented nothing more than work. And work was easy to deal with.
What she truly wanted in that moment was simple: to sip her still-steaming coffee, organize the documents calmly, and, in the end, allow herself to relax without a trace of guilt.
“Haaa...” Emily sighed, letting out a long, satisfied breath as a faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Her half-closed eyes radiated a rare, almost forgotten peace, and for a moment, all the tension in her shoulders seemed to melt away.
“How long has it been since I last managed to drink coffee like this, in silence, with no rush?” she murmured, gently swirling the cup in her hands as if to stretch the moment: “Lately, it’s felt like the world just collapses every three days... it’s been so long since I’ve allowed myself to truly relax”
With that, Emily leaned back further in her chair, letting her back sink slowly into its soft, welcoming cushion. In her mind, nothing could disturb the sense of peace and quiet that enveloped her like a delicate cloak.
Yet, in that very silence, a sudden unease pierced through her. Emily’s neck broke out in sweat, a cold trickle running down her skin. Her arms tingled, as if an invisible presence were watching her from the shadows, and a chilling sense of foreboding gripped her chest.
The instant that ominous feeling took hold, the door burst open with a sudden crash. The sound echoed through the room, sending a shiver down her spine she couldn’t explain. The next moment, Laura’s words confirmed her worst fears: “Boss! We’ve got a problem! You need to see this!”
Faced with Laura’s animated voice, Emily simply closed her eyes, as if wanting to hide from the world for just a moment. A single tear traced a warm, silent line down her cheek.
(Damn!) was the only thought that echoed in her mind, squeezing her heart with a mix of frustration and helplessness.
A few minutes later, Emily found herself in a large room, lit only by the cold glow of dozens of monitors. The computers were connected to an intricate camera system, each camera positioned with surgical precision at strategic points throughout the facility.
Next to her were Laura, Victor, and Rupert, all silent, as if waiting for something to happen. But Emily’s eyes were fixed on a specific screen—the one showing the outside of the warehouse. The grainy, shaky footage revealed every detail of the surrounding area.
Emily, staring at the live feed with disbelief, froze for a few seconds, as if her mind had locked up at what she saw. Only then, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to regain clarity, did she lift her eyes to Victor. Her voice carried disbelief and tension: “What the hell is happening? How could an anomaly just appear out of nowhere, right on our doorstep, with no warning, no sign, without us even detecting it? This makes absolutely no sense!”
Even faced with Emily’s question, Victor didn’t know what to say immediately. The truth was, the anomaly had simply appeared—no warning, no apparent logic—materializing in an instant. There were no signs of its approach, no trace of where it came from or how it had settled there. It was as if, on an inexplicable whim, the world had decided to insert it into the scene out of nowhere.
The room sank into an almost suffocating silence. Laura, her eyes also fixed on the screen, raised an eyebrow in hesitation before breaking the quiet. Her voice was low, but heavy: “Should we call the [Angel of Death]?”
The room fell into a dense silence after Laura’s words. Everyone understood why she mentioned that particular anomaly, and just staring at the screen made the reason painfully obvious.
Emily, who had been carefully considering the best course of action, suddenly noticed something unsettling. On the feed, the anomaly outside raised its gaze, as if sensing something.
Its eyes locked onto the camera, but disturbingly, Emily felt certain it was looking at her—not the machine, not the room, but her personally. The sensation of being watched ran through her skin like a cold shiver, erasing the distance that should have existed between them.
The next instant, as Emily, Victor, Laura, Rupert, and a few other anomaly response team members watched the live feed, the creature on the screen began to move its lips.
Emily knew, with absolute certainty, that no sound should be coming out—the cameras were set to capture video only, no audio. Still, as those lips moved slowly and disturbingly precisely, everyone in the room felt a shiver run down their spines.
Then, as if logic itself had been torn apart from within, there was sound: the muffled echo of an impossible voice filled their minds, leaving no one able to hide their shock.
The reason for their astonishment? The anomaly’s voice. They heard it with crystal clarity, as if each syllable were whispered directly into their minds. There was no echo, no distance; it was as if their very consciousness was invaded. And indeed, it was: (How much longer are you going to keep me waiting out here, humans? I’m starting to get bored...)
A simple word, empty of apparent meaning, escaped like a whisper. The voice carried a proud tone, yet also sounded sulky, almost childish—a disquieting contrast that only heightened the strangeness of the situation.
Yet, for a reason no one could understand, the instant Emily, Laura, Victor, Rupert, and even the anomaly response agents heard that voice echo in their minds, their bodies began to move on their own, like puppets on invisible strings, unable to resist.