Throughout her career, Emily could count on one hand the number of times she had truly tried to engage in face-to-face conversation with an anomaly. And even in those rare moments, she almost always found herself behind highly reinforced glass, with dozens of agents strategically positioned around her — each one ready to act at the slightest sign of hostile movement.
This time, however, the situation was different. The anomaly wasn't confined to a secure room, monitored by cameras or separated by containment barriers. It was right there, in front of Emily, face-to-face.
The experience was terrifying — seeing something so unusual and potentially dangerous up close stirred her deepest instincts. Yet, her curiosity took the lead. Her scientist's sharp senses kicked in, pushing the fear to the back burner. Emily wanted to understand it.
She wanted to talk to the anomaly, find out what it was, how it came to be, where it came from... Her thirst for answers had gone beyond any limits she had imagined. It was as if a long-dormant part of herself had awakened, hungry for knowledge.
As countless thoughts intertwined in Emily's mind, her eyes fixed on the small anomaly in front of her. On a superficial glance, the creature could easily pass as human — its form, proportions, and features resembled those of an ordinary child. However, a closer look revealed something deeply wrong with its appearance.
Certain elements simply didn't belong to the human condition. One was impossible to ignore: a pair of elegant white wings, extending from the anomaly's lower back, moving gracefully and autonomously as if they obeyed their own will. No human — at least, no normal human — could sport something like that.
Moreover, humans definitely didn't have a floating halo above their head — at least, not that she knew of. This detail alone would've been enough to spark anyone's interest, but for Emily, it only fueled her curiosity even further about the anomaly before her.
The being held the cup with both hands and sipped the hot chocolate she had prepared, as if the moment was completely natural. Emily watched in silence, analyzing every gesture, every nuance of its serene expression.
Though she had spoken to other anomalies before, this situation felt different. For the first time, she actually expected a response. And that made everything even more delicate. She took a deep breath, gathering courage, as she thought about how to begin the conversation.
Generally, anomalies always carry some kind of peculiarity. Those that can speak — and most of them have a relatively docile behavior — unfortunately communicate more through grunts and inarticulate sounds than by having an actual conversation.
In other words, it's almost impossible to understand them. In fact, it seems they don't even have full awareness of what they're trying to say. As for the rest, they're so aggressive that the mere idea of dialogue becomes unthinkable.
Emily tried to imagine several ways to start the conversation, but all of them sounded too artificial — cold, rehearsed, almost robotic. None seemed natural. In the end, she concluded that the best thing would be to simply be herself and let curiosity guide the dialogue. Ask questions, share stories... that might be the most effective way to build trust between the two.
With that thought in mind, Emily took a deep breath and turned her gaze back to the anomaly in front of her. The moment her eyes landed on the creature, a chill ran down her spine. Her body reacted before she could even control it — a slight, involuntary tremor swept over her, as if her instinct recognized something her reason was still trying to understand.
Golden eyes, intense as burning embers, stared at her in silence. Emily didn't know why — she couldn't even begin to imagine why — but something in those eyes stirred a strange, familiar, and unsettling feeling in her. It was something she hadn't felt in so long that she had forgotten what it was... until now. It was the same feeling that overwhelmed her when her mother caught her doing something wrong.
As Emily tried to understand the strange sensation that was taking over her body, the being in front of her observed her silently. Its penetrating gaze seemed to see beyond the surface, as if reading her soul. Then, with an almost imperceptible movement, it gently moved its lips.
Its words echoed shortly after, in a soft and serene voice that seemed to resonate directly in her mind: "Humm... are you afraid, child?"
Emily didn't know why, but upon hearing the anomaly's words, she felt her mind open almost suddenly — as if the fog surrounding her just dissipated. The strange sensation still lingered, true, but it had changed in nature.
Before, it had been like the stern gaze of a mother catching her child in a mistake; now, it felt like the comforting warmth of a compliment, like a mother's proud smile upon seeing her child succeed. It was still strange, hard to comprehend, but strangely... comforting.
Emily sighed quietly before meeting the anomaly's gaze again. Her eyes hesitated for a moment, as if seeking courage in her own words, until she finally broke the silence: "I'm sorry for earlier. It's just... you're a bit intense to look at so closely"
Upon hearing Emily's words, the being let out a short, soft laugh that, to Emily's surprise, sounded almost cute. Before she could reflect on that, its voice echoed once more, filling the room with a strange sense of calm and peace: "Humans have a limited amount of information they can process and store. Our forms, when observed for too long, can cause disturbances... Well, you'll probably be fine, since I'm blocking your perception of what you can see and understand about me" the being said, its voice carrying a nearly supernatural tranquility.
Emily raised an eyebrow at the anomaly's cryptic words. From her perspective, everything was perfectly visible, or at least the exterior form of the being in front of her.
It was strange, but undeniably peculiar — it resembled that of a little girl, a delicate, almost innocent figure. However, despite the apparent vulnerability of that form, Emily knew there was something much deeper behind that appearance.
Though curiosity consumed her, she knew she shouldn't get lost in trivial matters. The anomaly's words, still echoing in her mind, made her think that there was something more important to be discovered, something that required truly relevant questions. Emily couldn't waste time on distractions, even though it was difficult to ignore the urge to learn more about the anomaly in front of her.
With this thought in mind, Emily turned her gaze to a small button on top of her desk. It was the device that, when pressed, would transmit the entire conversation in real time to the upper echelons of the organization.
She paused for a moment before speaking, offering a soft smile, trying to ease the situation: "Is it okay if our conversation is shared with a few more people? Don't worry, it'll still just be you and me here, like always."
The anomaly, hearing Emily's words, simply nodded with a slight movement of its head, as if understanding the significance of the moment. Emily blinked gently, her eyes closing for a brief second, before pressing the button.
Nothing immediately changed in the room, but the cameras positioned in the corners were now active, their indicator lights blinking softly. They began to stream live to a separate screen, with the footage restricted to a single server, accessible only to the organization.
After pressing the button, Emily focused her gaze on the anomaly before her, her eyes sharp and slightly narrowed, as if trying to decipher what stood before her. Her mind was filled with questions, and she gestured silently, formulating the words in her thoughts.
A few seconds passed before, finally, she spoke, breaking the silence with a calm but firm voice: "What do you think about us introducing ourselves? We humans usually start a conversation by saying our names, it's how we identify each other. I'm Emily"
Emily waited attentively, her eyes fixed on the being in front of her. As she watched it, small details began to stand out in her mind. The being somehow resembled the traditional image of an angel—at least, as depicted in most common beliefs.
Its wings, delicate and imposing, were positioned unusually, emerging from its lower back, while a shimmering halo floated gently above its head, emitting an ethereal glow. The contrast between the celestial appearance and the mysterious atmosphere surrounding it made the figure even more enigmatic.
Additionally, the presence of the anomaly seemed almost… divine. Emily wasn't sure if that was the exact word to describe it, but it was the feeling that filled her chest—a mix of reverence and bewilderment.
Momentarily lost in her thoughts, she hardly noticed when the being's voice echoed in front of her, breaking the silence with an enigmatic softness: "Hmm... I'm called Althea"
Upon hearing those words, Emily's first thought was that the name sounded sweet and delicate. Something that could easily fit a small and harmless being.
But soon, a doubt crept into her mind: Did this name carry any kind of meaning behind it? Or was it possible that the anomaly had somehow chosen that name for itself? Or perhaps it had been given to it by someone? Emily knew that, usually, anomalies didn't have names.
Most of the time, they didn't even seem to be aware of what they were, moving about without a clear identity, as if they were forces of nature without a face or a story of their own.
Organizing her thoughts, Emily took a deep breath and refocused on the anomaly in front of her: "I see..." she murmured, as if the words needed more reflection. Then, with a soft smile, she added: "Althea, that's a lovely name" She observed the anomaly for a moment, contemplating the meaning the name might carry.
Emily studied the anomaly's expression closely, but it didn't seem to react at all. If she had to define what she was seeing, she would say the creature appeared completely indifferent. As if it didn't care about anything around it, an impassive and distant presence.
But honestly, it was hard to understand what these entities truly were, or even how they thought. The emptiness in their eyes seemed to reflect a separate universe, and that only made everything even more enigmatic.
"So, Althea... could you tell me a little about yourself?" Emily asked, her eyes locked on the anomaly with a mixture of curiosity and caution, as if waiting for the answer to reveal something she still didn't comprehend.
In the next moment, the words of the anomaly faded into the air as it turned its gaze toward Emily. Its golden eyes, intense and penetrating, fixed on her, and Emily swallowed hard once again. It was always a challenge to try and decipher what that being was thinking, even when faced with such intensity.
Its eyes seemed to pierce her soul, but the expression it reflected gave no clues. Absolute indifference was all Emily could see, a contrast so sharp it almost seemed cruel, especially when compared to the look full of emotions she shared with the [Angel of Death].
After Emily's words, the being blinked its golden eyes softly, which seemed to shine even brighter, as if reflecting deeply on the question. A few seconds later, its voice echoed, soft and enigmatic: "Hmm... It's a bit hard to talk about myself with words that you, humans, can understand... However, during the time I lived and was created as a human, I read about a being who could describe us, at least to some extent"
Listening closely to the anomaly's words, Emily narrowed her eyes, the sparkle of curiosity intensifying. Her heart raced with a mix of fascination and caution, as if something important was about to be revealed: "Which being are you referring to?" she asked, her voice firm but with a hint of expectation.
After saying these words, Emily focused on the anomaly. She wasn't sure exactly why, but a growing anxiety took over her, as if something significant was about to happen.
Suddenly, her eyes caught a golden gleam sliding through the surface of the anomaly's eyes—a peculiar shine, which seemed even more intense despite its naturally golden eyes. This small detail didn't go unnoticed by Emily.
Just a few seconds later, the anomaly's lips parted slowly, and its response came, laden with an almost enigmatic tone: "God"