Honestly, even now—already out of that... whatever it was, be it another dimension, a parallel reality, or whatever name people might slap on it—I still found myself wondering what the hell had just happened.
I mean, it's not like it was my first time in a place like that; something similar had happened before, when I absorbed the powers of that anomaly capable of slipping into and moving through shadows as if they were secret passageways between worlds.
Of course, even I can understand that different anomalies have their own unique traits, even when they seem to have the same level of power. Anyway, back to the present situation: after we got rid of that anomaly, we returned to the metallic corridors typical of the facility. According to Victor, the next one was further ahead.
So, both Althea and I stayed quiet, just walking down the hallway. By the way—though this isn't exactly relevant—Althea seemed to have really enjoyed carrying me earlier. Well, aside from the fact that her breathing had grown heavier while she did it, nothing out of the ordinary happened.
Still, we walked for only a few minutes, but it felt like the stretch went on much longer. At first, I thought it was just a long, monotonous hallway, with nothing ahead but more hallways—a labyrinth-like structure with no apparent purpose.
However, according to Victor, the anomaly's containment already began right here, in the hallway itself. He didn't go into much detail, only saying that this passage was part of the containment cell—like the first barrier keeping the anomaly, whatever it was, sealed away from the rest of the world.
At another time, I found myself frozen, my large golden eyes fixed on the massive "Door" guarding the anomaly's containment chamber. Contrary to what I'd imagined at first, it wasn't a simple metal door—it loomed before me with the presence of an industrial warehouse gate, taking up almost the entire wall.
"Wow... now that's a door" Althea remarked beside me, tilting her chin up to take in the massive structure. Her eyes shone with curiosity as she traced every carved contour in the metal.
The structure looked absurdly reinforced, as if it had been forged to withstand forces beyond comprehension. Even without absolute certainty, it gave me the impression it could endure the impact of a nuclear blast without flinching.
Honestly, inside, I was genuinely surprised. I never imagined something like this would exist here in this facility. Until now, I'd always assumed the most dangerous anomaly here was me.
Of course, I can't deny I'm relieved they didn't lock me down here. Even I would feel a little hurt if they treated me like a ticking nuclear bomb—though, admittedly, the comparison wouldn't exactly be wrong.
Victor, oblivious to my thoughts, walked up to the control panel mounted on the wall to the right of the door. His steps were firm, almost automatic, as if he knew exactly what to do. But seconds later, his expression tightened into a scowl, and a heavy sigh slipped out—weighted with resignation, like someone who'd been expecting the worst but still wished to be wrong.
Noticing this, I stepped up beside him and, in a soft, innocent tone, asked: (What happened?)
Victor flinched slightly when my thoughts reached him, as if a faint electric current had passed across his face. Then, in the blink of an eye—like a magician's trick—the scowl vanished completely, gone so quickly it was as if it had never existed.
A moment later, Victor gave me a brief look, his lips parting as if he were about to say something... but in the end, he stayed silent. I frowned slightly, tilting my head in confusion, trying to figure out that sudden withdrawal—it was as if his earlier reaction had never happened. Then, breaking the silence, Victor said firmly: "I can't access the panel to open the cell. We're going to have to find another way in"
I blinked slowly at Victor's words, letting them echo in my mind for a moment before turning my gaze back to the massive warehouse door in front of us—its reinforced metal worn by years of use, yet still standing firm like a fortress wall.
Yeah... forcing our way in probably wasn't a great idea. Not only did I lack the strength for something like that, but I also didn't want to risk damaging the facility itself; some problems call for brains, not brute force.
Besides, it wasn't like I'd have to smash through the "Door" or awkwardly force my way in. Luckily—or maybe by some twist of fate—I had just the right method for this kind of situation.
With that in mind, I projected my thoughts directly to Victor and Althea, my voice firm in their minds: You two, hold onto me... and don't let go, no matter what.
As soon as my thoughts reached them, I noticed very different reactions. Victor turned his head slightly, giving me a sidelong glance filled with curiosity.
Althea, on the other hand, didn't waste a second in obeying. If anything, she seemed to take it as some sort of reward: "Yes! Dearest sister! I promise I'll never let go. I'll stick to you forever!" she exclaimed, her pupils shifting into tiny, beating hearts as if reflecting the depth of her devotion.
That reaction sent an almost imperceptible shiver down my spine. For some reason, I felt oddly in danger. If it were anyone else, I might not have cared, but with Althea... well, that was different. With her, there was always that unsettling sense that, yes, she really would do something like that: (... you don't have to stick to me all the time or anything. Just until we're through the door...)
Completely ignoring my words, Althea clung to my arm like it was treasure, rubbing her face against it with a satisfied expression, a thin string of drool slipping from the corner of her mouth. A muffled giggle escaped her: "Heheh... my dear sister's skin is so smooth... so perfect..." she murmured, eyes half-closed, almost in a trance: "Heheh... I think I really should go ahead with my plan to sneak up on her while she's sleeping..."
She spoke in a low voice, almost as if she didn't want to be heard—but every word reached me clearly. Yeah... hearing that, only one thought crossed my mind: (... Okay, I'll just pretend I didn't hear that... though... she wouldn't actually do anything while I'm asleep... right? Just to be safe, I think I'll have the Alter Ego keep an eye on her for a while.
A moment later, I felt Victor's light touch on my shoulder, while Althea kept rubbing her face against my arm like it was instinct. Before us, the enormous door loomed, imposing and silent.
I kept my expression neutral but let the surface of my body ripple ever so slightly, like an invisible breeze had passed through me. It was the signal—subtle and deliberate—that I was activating the anomalous ability I'd recently acquired.
The sound of the hallway vanished completely. Light, vibrations, even the familiar pull of gravity—all of it seemed to retreat from me, as if I'd been carefully erased from an old photograph. This wasn't just invisibility; it was pure and total absence, an existence suspended in nothingness—like while part of me still belonged to that plane, another part had already slipped somewhere else, silent and untouchable.
I could still feel Victor and Althea holding onto me, but their presences seemed to blur and fade, becoming vague, almost unreal—like we were suspended in the invisible gap between one blink of the world and the next. The massive metal door no longer felt like a "barrier"—it had lost its weight, its shape, its resistance.
A cold shiver traced along my now strangely viscous skin as we passed through its thickness. For a brief moment, the structure around us bent and rippled like heated glass before sealing shut behind us.
And then, we were on the other side. In the blink of an eye, reality surged back over us like a sudden tide—sound returned to our ears, light spilled in waves, and the air carried a sharp metallic scent that burned the nose. Althea was still clinging to my arm, that dreamy smile still on her lips, as if nothing had happened.
Victor, beside me, let out a short sigh before his voice drifted softly: "I don't think I'll ever get used to that feeling" he murmured, his low tone nearly lost in the air. His eyes were fixed on his own hands, opening and closing them slowly.
Ignoring his words, I turned my attention to our surroundings. We were inside a square room—cold, silent, as if even the air was frozen still. The bare white walls gave off a strange sense of abandonment, and there was no sign of life anywhere. Yet, right in the center of the room stood a small altar made entirely of black stone, as if carved from a single block of obsidian.
Hovering above it was a sphere about three inches in diameter, rotating almost imperceptibly. Its surface looked like black marble, but with delicate golden veins flowing in continuous motion, like strands of light trapped in stone.
I stared at the strange floating object for a few moments, intrigued by its silent presence, until my "Eyes" began to glow in every color of the rainbow. At that exact moment, the object shifted into a new palette—a swirl of colors that blended and danced, radiating an intense light that nearly blinded me.
Then, in the blink of an eye, everything returned to normal. I took a deep breath, still dazed, and turned to Victor, who stood beside me, watchful: (That's it?)
Victor kept his gaze fixed on the sphere for a few seconds, as if trying to unravel its nature, before finally giving me a silent nod of confirmation. With that, I didn't hesitate any longer. Slowly, I stepped toward the sphere, feeling the pressure of the energy it gave off—the same energy I'd been sensing for a while now.
Seconds later, the sphere seemed to notice me. The reaction was subtle, but undeniable—the golden veins running across its surface pulsed with slightly more intensity than before, giving off an almost hypnotic glow. I studied every tiny flicker of light, then cautiously extended my hand toward it.
Nothing extraordinary happened. Within seconds, my fingertips brushed lightly against the anomaly's smooth, cold surface. I kept my eyes locked on it, driven by quiet curiosity. Then, a faint thought crossed my mind, almost like a whisper: (... that's it? Weird, I thought there'd be some resistance... maybe a reaction, something)
It was an idle, almost careless thought. But as if it had read my mind, the anomaly reacted. There was no visible change, but I felt—no, my entire body knew—something had happened. A wave of dense, pulsing energy burst from it, washing through me like a silent shock.
In seconds, my arm—still touching its surface—disintegrated as if made of dust, scattering into the air in barely visible particles. Outwardly, I kept the same cold, impassive look. Inwardly, though, a rush of surprise and disbelief consumed me.
Of course, I didn't feel any pain at all. In fact, almost immediately after my arm dissolved, it began to reform, stitching itself back together until there wasn't a single scratch left. I looked at my fingers, flexing them a few times, feeling the strange firmness of freshly regenerated flesh. Only then did I turn my focus back to the anomaly—and this time, I stared at it with sharper intent.
For some reason, I felt provoked. Though it couldn't speak, the anomaly somehow radiated a nearly tangible sense of challenge, as if daring me to touch it again. There was something in its silence that shouted louder than words. That lit a stubborn spark in my chest: (Alright, you weird little anomaly... let's see if you can erase me before I manage to absorb you)
Childish? Maybe. But hey... I don't feel pain. And my emotions aren't exactly like a human's—trying to fit into their standards is strange enough on its own. And frankly, I refuse to be humiliated in front of Althea. As her older brother, I have an image to maintain... and a certain pride I'm not about to give up.