(POV - Laura Cavendish)
"It's not that I'm doubting your words; after all, technically, we've known each other for less than two hours... but are you sure the anomaly is really in there?" Laura asked, casting a skeptical glance as she fixed her eyes on the entrance of the cave in front of her.
Laura's initial plan was simply to observe the village discreetly, looking for signs of anything unusual. However, everything changed when she discovered the presence of the anomaly known as [Angel of Death]. Its mere presence in the area was enough for Laura to be certain that something was happening in the village — and it undoubtedly involved an anomaly.
Laura had two reasons to believe this. The first was that the [Angel of Death] had never shown any aggression toward humans in all the tests conducted. Even in experiments involving extreme heat and cold, the anomaly remained indifferent, showing no signs of hostility.
Of course, this could also suggest that the creature simply couldn't tell whether it was being treated well or badly. Additionally, Laura chose to consider Graham's case an isolated exception, deciding not to judge the anomaly as malevolent based solely on that specific incident.
In any case, considering the anomaly was harmless to humans, the only reason Laura could imagine for it suddenly appearing in the village was that some potentially dangerous anomaly was hidden there. So, she decided to ally with Arthur... although no matter how she looked at him, she still found him completely suspicious.
"I understand the reason for your question, but you don’t need to worry. I have no reason to lie. Besides, I’ve been investigating this village for a while, and I’m sure the locals are hiding something related to the anomaly inside that cave" Arthur replied.
In the end, Laura couldn’t confirm or deny Arthur’s words, as she didn’t have any information about what was happening herself. Determined, she entered the cave, with Victor and Arthur following her. Laura glanced around quickly, but as they descended, all she found was darkness. There were no lamps or torches on the walls, and the path ahead remained completely obscure.
(This seems like some sort of underground structure... Doesn’t seem like it was built by the villagers. So, was this here before the village was founded?) Laura thought as she calmly analyzed her surroundings with the little visibility available at that moment.
At least, from Laura’s point of view, her reasoning made sense. As far as she remembered, there were no precious metals or any other valuable items in the mountains, which made it unnecessary for the villagers to dig a tunnel. This left only one option: the tunnel had to have existed before the village was even built.
Laura, Arthur, and Victor continued down the tunnel. The further they went, the stranger they felt, especially Laura. For some reason, she kept feeling chills, which were becoming so intense that she just wanted to scratch them like some kind of itch. However, deep down, she knew that wasn’t the case. That’s when an idea occurred to her.
(This... is probably caused by some anomaly!) Laura thought, narrowing her eyes in an attempt to see what was at the end of the tunnel.
Still focused, Laura stopped when she noticed a cane in front of her. Her gaze automatically turned to its owner, who wore a serious expression as he stared into the void. But all Laura could see ahead of her was pure darkness.
“Why did we stop?” Laura asked, raising an eyebrow, clearly puzzled.
Victor, who had been silent up to that point, finally spoke: “I think... I heard something up ahead”
Laura, even more confused, replied: “Really? I didn’t hear anything. Are you sure you’re not hearing things?”
“No” Arthur interrupted, drawing Laura’s attention: “I see something up ahead... I think it’s some kind of hall, or something like that”
When she heard that, Laura couldn’t understand, as it seemed completely nonsensical. After all, why would there be a hall inside a cave in an isolated village? However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that, given the strangeness of the situation from the start, things could become even more surreal as they descended further into the cave.
Still lost in her thoughts, Laura didn’t notice when Arthur tapped his cane on the ground, causing shadows to appear and envelop the small group. She watched cautiously as the darkness surrounded them, forming a circle around her, Arthur, and Victor.
Arthur calmly watched the shadow enveloping the trio before it disappeared and then spoke in a calm voice: “Let’s keep moving. We’re probably near the end”
Laura found no reason to disagree with Arthur’s words; in fact, she was also curious about what might be happening deep within the cave. As the trio continued down, they soon reached a large hall. Laura looked around, but all she saw were towering pillars, which seemed to support the immense structure of the cave.
A little further ahead, a large rise appeared, with steps leading up to the top. Although Laura didn’t know what awaited at the top, one thing was certain: the vibrant purple light emanating from that point, constantly charged with a sense of oppression, was by no means a natural phenomenon.
“What the hell is that purple light at the top?” Victor commented, clearly uncomfortable. His gaze narrowed as he cautiously surveyed the surroundings.
“We’ll find out soon. Follow me and avoid sudden movements. Although this cane hides us, it doesn’t affect sound, so they’ll be able to hear us if we talk too loudly” Arthur explained.
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Laura and Victor nodded in confirmation as they observed the surroundings. Slowly, the three began climbing the steps leading upward. Laura, always attentive to detail, carefully analyzed the environment and quickly came to a conclusion. This place had undoubtedly not been built recently.
Based on her calculations, she believed the construction was very, very old. However, this theory seemed contradictory given the perfection of the place. If someone had told her the place had just been built, Laura would have believed it without hesitation.
Laura's idea might have seemed impossible, but that only made sense if anomalies were excluded from the equation. As far as she knew, the place itself could be an anomaly. Of course, Laura hoped this hypothesis was nothing more than a product of her imagination. However, even while considering that possibility, another question lingered in Laura's mind at that moment.
(After all, what did the residents use this place for? I can’t imagine they’d throw kids’ parties or anything like that down here)
***
(POV – Protagonist)
Honestly, the fault was mine for not paying attention initially, as I was too distracted with the ice cream. Or rather, I convinced myself that place was a meeting or party hall. But this was clearly impossible and completely out of context.
Who, in their right mind, would build a party hall inside an underground cave? In the end, I only understood what that place really was, but by the time I realized it, there was no way to change anything.
By the way, why the hell did it take me so long to figure it out? There were figures wearing strange clothes, a crazy person talking about divinities and things like that. I mean, it was obvious from the start: instead of being a meeting or party hall, the place was, in fact, a temple.
Knowing that, honestly, didn’t help me understand why on earth I was standing in front of a purple symbol while several people, dressed in strange outfits, knelt around me. I mean, they couldn’t seriously think I was some kind of messiah... right? Sometimes, life just seemed to go out of its way to be weird. Besides, the more I think about it, the less sure I am that I’m wrong.
Also, maybe it’s just me, but ever since my eye started burning, I feel like the symbol has been glowing much brighter than before. Since I can see myself from a third-person perspective, I notice my eyes are radiating an intense rainbow-colored glow. Oddly, I don’t feel any pain, just a slight sensation, almost like a warning that something’s happening to them.
Lost in thought, I shifted my gaze to my Alter Ego. He was in a dark part of the room, and since his body was made of smoke, it was nearly impossible to see him. Still, he seemed as confused as I was. Actually, it wasn’t really confusion, but more like the impression of someone who had fulfilled their mission and was now waiting for something. Of course, I had no idea what that "something" he was waiting for could be.
In the end, all I could do was stand in front of the symbol, watching it glow brighter and brighter. I took a moment to look around, but the figures didn’t seem to find it strange that nothing had happened yet. As I studied their faces, I noticed a reaction, but instead of confusion, there was something different: it looked like surprise. Their eyes were fixed, not exactly on me, but on something... something right in front of me.
Just like them, I also fixed my eyes on the same spot. When I realized what was happening, I couldn’t help but react: I blinked and briefly tilted my head to the side. The symbol, which had once glowed with a vibrant, intense purple, began to emit a different kind of light. Instead of purple, it now radiated the colors of the rainbow, forming a kind of selection wheel, though purple remained clearly the dominant color within that wheel.
"Ohhh!!! It's finally here! Hehe, it's happening! Haha, the moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived! Ahahaha, come on, we must greet the return of our one true God and Savior!"
I quickly glanced at the woman who had spoken those words. She was the same one who had called me “their messiah” or something like that. Even though her face was still hidden, her actions made it clear that she was in ecstasy over whatever was happening.
But seriously, what the hell is going on here? Although I wasn't sure, the fact that she was completely out of her mind and in ecstasy about what was happening could only mean that something good for them, but totally bad for me, was about to happen.
By the way, my Alter Ego, tucked away in the corner, didn’t seem as surprised as I was. His expression, on the contrary, was monotone, as if this wasn’t the first time he had witnessed something like this. This thing was a part of me, right? Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my Alter Ego, for some reason, knew a lot more about me and what was happening than I did.
***
(POV - Laura Cavendish)
Laura couldn’t find the words to describe what was in front of her. After they climbed the stairs, she, Victor, and Arthur hid near a spot where something seemed to be happening. The three of them positioned themselves behind a pillar, carefully watching every movement of the situation.
However, Laura couldn’t fully comprehend what was happening before her. There was a purple symbol, constantly emitting a sinister feeling. Even though she didn’t fully understand what it was, Laura almost unbearably felt that something was inside the circle — or more precisely, on the other side of it. She’d never seen anything like it before, but no matter what angle she observed from, the symbol looked like a door, connecting her to something unknown.
“What the hell is going on here?” Victor asked, unable to believe what he was witnessing.
While listening to Victor’s murmurs, Laura explained, at least what she knew so far: “I could be wrong, but this symbol is probably some kind of portal”
Victor gulped when he heard Laura’s words: “If this is a portal... what is it connected to?”
Laura stayed silent, unsure of what to think. Of course, it wasn’t the first time she’d come across something like this. Anomalies tied to objects that distorted space and connected to other realities weren’t that rare. However, this was the first time Laura felt such an intimidating aura coming from the other side.
Arthur, who had been silent until then, spoke calmly while observing the situation: “Alright, this is definitely a portal. But for now, we’re safe. This thing probably needs a key. If that wasn’t the case, whatever was on the other side would have come out long ago”
Laura raised an eyebrow upon hearing the man. How the hell did he know that? Although she had the impression that he knew much more than he was letting on, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hiding crucial details about the situation. Turning to Arthur, ready to force him to speak, Laura completely lost her train of thought when she noticed something in front of the symbol. Of course, Victor and Arthur, who were present, also noticed.
“[Angel of Death?] What the hell is she doing down here?”
Arthur narrowed his eyes for a moment before a completely different expression from what he usually wore appeared on his face: “Shit, this is definitely not good” he murmured.
Laura, lost in her own thoughts, turned her gaze to Arthur and asked with a curious expression: “What do you mean by that?”
“Remember when I said this was a portal and that it probably needed a key to open? Well... I think they’ve found the key they needed” Arthur said, his face growing more serious and grim.