["So what if you made a weird journal in your edgy phase? Is it good for anything?"]
["I don't know… is that obscene body of yours good for anything?"]
["It was good enough to attract a poor, resentful virgin boy."]
["I… can't argue with that logic."]
["What? You really didn't do it with your girlfriend? Three years and nothing? What's wrong with you?"]
["SISTEEEEEEEEEEEEER!"]
"WOOF."
["I'm serious, brother, that's a world record for bad luck."]
["I refuse to be remembered as 'the guy who never did it'!"]
["Too late."]
"Oi."
["More importantly, I've already confirmed the information with the cases that appeared on the news,"] —I said, changing the subject—. ["I can't be sure for all of them, but the ones that have been discovered… They roughly match what I have on record. The creatures appearing now are the same as those described in myths and legends."]
["And animes too?"]
["Anime is based on mythology. It's not the same thing."]
["I get it. You're already so disturbed by everything that's happening that you believe a bound fanfic can serve as a practical guide. Don't worry, I'll take care of you even if you're a little crazy, at least as long as you have food."]
["Yeah, but… isn't that book you made basically a bound fanfic?"]
["NO!"] —I retorted, slamming the table—. ["It's serious research. I compiled historical sources, folklore, manga comparisons, all substantiated. And yes, I filled in the gaps with a couple of animes and internet forums… But with discernment."]
["…Let's assume what you wrote is real. What good is it?"]
["Kukuku. We're all otakus here. Whoever has never said 'status' hoping to see their stats pop up, raise your hand."]
The brat blushed violently and covered her face with her hands. The older sister coughed, her gaze fixed on a non-existent point on the wall.
["Kakaka, case closed."] – Their pain, their shame, it all nourishes the rat kid.
Finally, my delicious dinner.
["In anime, the 'analyze' skill exists. It may have been reduced to a comedic device, but don't be mistaken. The reason humanity dominated the world with an iron fist was precisely thanks to our ability to accumulate, store, and distribute information. Anime protagonists have magic."]
I speak slowly, but with meaning.
["We have books."]
I emphasized the notebook on the table. Its pages were filled with notes, clumsy diagrams, and symbols underlined with a fluorescent marker.
The girls look back and forth between the book and me, as if trying to process my point. Finally, they swallow hard with serious expressions.
Obviously, they don't fully trust it. That's how it should be, because nothing is 100% accurate, not even the research of nerds remains unchanged forever.
But the hope is there. The possibility that there's at least one light in this shitty tunnel we've been given, called the apocalypse.
["By the way, our friend from last night is in here. Take a look."]
..................…..
JOURNAL ENTRY NO: 120
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Alba Ambulatis
REGIONAL ALIASES:
Germany: Der Stille Wächter (The Silent Guardian)
Latin America: El Parpadeante (The Blinker)
European Folklore: The Immovable Underworld Guardian
NICKNAME (ASTRAD): Albinos with Lag
📊 THREAT ASSESSMENT
CLASSIFICATION: ANOMALY
An entity that defies known physics, biology, or logic. Erratic and unpredictable behavior. Extremely dangerous due to its incomprehensible nature. Fleeing does not guarantee survival. Confrontation is the last resort.
DANGER LEVEL: RED (Extreme)
Their extremely high physical resistance makes them nearly immune to conventional damage, and their 'blinking' hunting method nullifies positioning tactics. Facing them is, basically, playing hide-and-seek with a killer who teleports and doesn't care about walls. The official recommendation is total evasion, preferably while crying silently so you don't make a sound.
AGGRESSIVENESS LEVEL: RELENTLESS (Active Hunter)
It doesn't stop, doesn't negotiate, doesn't get tired. Once it locks onto you as a target, the chase only ends when you or your sanity have ceased to exist. Its hostility is an 8/10, which means it's not here to make friends.
🧬 COMBAT FILE (TL;DR)
TYPE: Spectral Humanoid
AFFINITY: Darkness / Wind.
🎯 PRIMARY WEAKNESSES: • Intense light and fire (exact effect unknown) • Becomes momentarily immobile between displacements
📌 KEY STRENGTHS: • Instantaneous short-range displacement • Extreme physical resistance (absorbs impacts) • Absolute stealth (doesn't walk, just appears)
📚 ORIGINS AND COMPARATIVE MYTHOLOGY
European Demonology: Ancient texts associate them with the "immovable guardians" who watch over the gates of the underworld, entities that do not move but annihilate those who get too close.
Modern Pop Culture: Often confused with variants of Slender Man due to their featureless humanoid appearance and psychological stalking method.
Internet Forums (Pre-Apocalypse): Conspiracy theories described them as "reality glitches" or "universe texture bugs," NPCs that broke out of the code and now hunt players.
Most Likely Real Origin: Insufficient data. They could be Matrix glitches, bored ghosts, or mannequins with a really bad attitude. In any case, don't ask them for directions.
📝 DETAILED ANALYSIS
PHYSICAL AND SENSORIAL DESCRIPTION:
They are completely white humanoid creatures, devoid of any facial or distinctive bodily features. Their appearance is similar to that of a smooth, clean mannequin, which contrasts grotesquely with their lethality. They make no sound when moving, as they do not walk or run; they simply disappear from one point and reappear in another, closer to their target. Their presence is not associated with any particular smell, only a sense of impending doom.
BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY:
They primarily inhabit dark, enclosed places like tunnels, damp caves, or ruins. Their hunting method is a subject of debate: one theory posits that they move at a speed imperceptible to the human eye, while another suggests they teleport. A third theory claims they are living traps that wait motionlessly for prey to approach. The way they eliminate their victims is a mystery with multiple contradictory accounts: some witnesses speak of instant disappearances, others of brutal dismemberment, and the strangest mention victims who explode from internal pressure. Their method of feeding is unknown, as they have no visible mouth.
☣️ PROTOCOLS
RECOMMENDED ENCOUNTER PROTOCOL:
DO: Maintain constant visual contact (if possible, in a group). Use broad, constant light sources like flares or bonfires to deter them. Take advantage of the brief moment of paralysis after they materialize to attack or reposition.
DON'T: Blink. Turn your back. Assume you're safe just because you can't see it. Enter tunnels or enclosed spaces without a powerful light source.
FIELD REPORT:
Sighting Report - Berlin, 1995: An urban exploration team reported the presence of multiple white, immobile figures inside an abandoned subway tunnel. One team member, D. Weber, moved forward to investigate. Witnesses claim that in the span of a blink, D. Weber had vanished. No remains, blood, or signs of a struggle were found. The body was never recovered.
🎤 ASTRAD'S NOTES (THE ONLY SHIT THAT MATTERS):
"Alba Ambulatis"… oh, wow, sounds like summoning a demon with a Master's in Fine Arts. But what we really have is the flea market version of Slender Man: no suit, no damn manners, and all the elegance of a white carnival doll that teleports with stolen Wi-Fi lag.
"Blinkers"? For God's sake. They're broken NPCs. Literally, they appear like slides in a presentation: one second they're far away, the next they're breathing down your neck. It's like a cheap video game bug, with the difference that this glitch will actually rip your head off.
And the no-mouth thing? HA! Of course they eat meat, they just make it disappear like they're putting it in an invisible inventory. Or maybe they inhale protein through their armpits, or who knows, maybe they shit bones out of their ears. Nothing would surprise me.
How they kill you is pure folklore: they one-shot you, you explode like a satanic piñata, they suck out your soul and upload it to the cloud. A buffet of theories worthy of a conspiracy forum.
In short: yes, they're deadly. But if I go down fighting these albinos with lag, let my epitaph read: "The system has detected a critical error. User deleted." At least I'd die with some style.
.........…..
[…]
The younger sister shuddered as she finished reading.
["So… I'm never, and I mean NEVER, going out at night."]
["Seconded,"] —the older one added.
["Finally, some common sense."]
["But if they're weak to light… wouldn't it be enough to turn on all the lamps in the house?"]
["They certainly avoid artificial lighting. But I don't trust that the light actually harms them. The one from last night got close to a streetlight without any problems."]
["Well, at least it's a deterrent, right?"]
["Yeah. It's a beacon,"] —my voice turned icy—. ["A beacon for them, and for everything else that hunts in the dark. Turning on the lights isn't a defense; it's a fucking dinner invitation. And we're the main course."]
The sisters fell silent. Zeus whimpered and crawled under the table.
["Alright, meeting adjourned. Official protocol: no night excursions, no unnecessary lights, no noise."]
That night, the silence in the house was so thick you could hear the wood creak with every breath. The girls refused to let go of me. Zeus hid under my bed again, growling at the darkness.
Just as I was about to close my eyes, the hallway lightbulb flickered twice and died. Absolute silence. So deep I could hear the frightened beat in my own ears.
And then, an almost imperceptible sound broke the calm.
A sigh.
Slow, wet, right against the windowpane. As if someone had pressed their mouth to the glass to tell us, without words, that they knew we were there.