Anomaly

Chapter 406 – Worship of the true gods [52]

(POV – Protagonist)

After making sure that most of the humans in the areas near the field’s expansion were, at least for now, out of danger, I started heading back to the church.

The expansion created by that lunatic priest was moving forward like a tide, swallowing everything in its path with cruel slowness. I vaguely remembered where the church was located, and considering I was traveling by leaping across rooftops and buildings, getting lost was hardly a concern.

From that height, my vision easily covered entire city blocks, allowing me to map out an efficient route back to the church. The wind sliced across my face with every jump, and each landing sent tiny cracks spidering beneath my feet before I launched myself forward again.

That said, this “privileged view” came with a price: a clear perspective of the absolute chaos consuming the city. The scene below looked like something straight out of an apocalyptic nightmare. Desperate car horns blared from every direction, creating a disorganized and thoroughly irritating symphony.

Endless lines of cars clogged entire avenues, many of them abandoned in a hurry with doors left open and headlights still on. Thick columns of smoke rose from multiple points on the horizon, some dark and dense enough to stain the sky in shades of gray.

And then there was the field. Wherever that abomination advanced, the city seemed to slowly die. From a distance, all that could be seen was an endless trail of destruction stretching across the horizon, shattered streets, storefronts reduced to rubble, and clouds of dust hanging heavily in the air. Wherever that force had passed, only ruin remained.

That said, back to my thrilling, or, well, not exactly thrilling, reunion with my little sisters. I didn’t have many guesses as to where they could be. Actually, now that I thought about it, there was only one remotely logical place: the church.

Considering everything that had happened, it seemed like the most obvious refuge. It was also the first place that came to mind after I confirmed that the humans near the epicenter of the priest’s destruction were safe.

After quickly scanning the surrounding area and making sure no one was in immediate danger, I left without wasting any more time. It didn’t take long to get there. When your legs are strong enough to launch your body from one point to another, long-distance travel stops being much of an issue.

The wind cut across my face as I moved at high speed, the scenery around me blurring from the sheer pace of my movements. Under normal circumstances, reaching the church would probably have taken a while. For me, though, it only took a few minutes.

The only issue I somehow failed to consider while jumping between buildings and making my way toward the residential area where the church was located was something painfully obvious in hindsight: Maybe it would’ve been smarter to use the front door instead of trying to land directly on top of the church.

My brilliant decision reached its natural conclusion the moment I made one final leap, launching myself into the air with what may have been slightly excessive confidence. For a few seconds, everything seemed under control, the wind against my face, the city stretched out below me, and that brief sensation of freedom.

Almost. The problem came when I noticed one inconvenient detail: I hadn’t actually figured out how I was supposed to slow my fall. A small spoiler for what happened next: when you plummet from a high place with nothing to grab onto, while also having a body durable enough to survive the impact, there’s only one logically possible outcome.

Collision. Inevitable, direct, and not even remotely graceful. The impact was brutal enough to partially drive my body into the structure, accompanied by a dry boom that echoed through the silent street as if a small meteor had just slammed into the place. At least, for me, it wasn’t particularly painful.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the church roof. The tiles gave out under my weight instantly, shattering in every direction as a cloud of dust and wooden debris exploded around me. By the time I finally stopped sliding, I found myself lying in the middle of a freshly made hole, surrounded by cracked beams and broken roof tiles.

I stared at the sky through the destruction I had personally caused for a few seconds: “... Yeah, using the front door definitely would’ve been less dramatic”

Still covered in a thick layer of dust and concrete fragments, I pushed myself up amidst the destruction that, to be fair, had been completely accidental. My less-than-subtle landing inside the church had created a miniature war zone around me: what was probably once a chair and a table lay completely destroyed, pieces of wood scattered everywhere, and cracks spreading across the floor.

Grimacing, I shoved aside chunks of debris pinned against my arms and shoulders, sending small stones rolling across the ground as I freed myself from the wreckage. Around me, dense gray smoke still lingered in the air, making it hard to see and carrying the unpleasant smell of dust, scorched wood, and broken stone.

I scanned the room once, then twice, trying to spot my sisters, or at least Emily and Laura, through the mess. Instead, all I could make out were indistinct silhouettes and warped shadows distorted by the smoke.

Letting out a quiet sigh, I glanced down at my own body and started brushing the remaining dirt off my clothes and skin, patting dust from my shoulders and running my fingers through my hair to shake loose the excess debris.

Only then did I take a few cautious steps forward, trying to get my bearings in the middle of this improvised chaos. That was when I came to an abrupt halt. Standing in front of me was a man I had never seen before.

His presence clashed so hard with the ruined surroundings that it felt almost absurd. He carried himself with a refined, elegant air, like someone who belonged in a noble ballroom rather than inside the partially demolished remains of a church.

Strangely enough, his posture immediately reminded me of Eryanis, not just because of his immaculate appearance, but because of the calm, analytical expression on his face. Even the way he observed the entire situation felt disturbingly familiar. As if someone crashing through the ceiling of a church, leaving a crater in the floor, and crawling out of the rubble like absolutely nothing had happened was... perfectly normal.

Naturally, my first and most obvious reaction was the question that had been sitting on the tip of my tongue from the moment I noticed this complete stranger: “Who are you?” Not exactly subtle, if you ask me, but honestly, subtlety was the least of my concerns right now.

At my direct question, the man blinked once, as though momentarily caught off guard by my complete lack of formality, before a faint smile curved at the corner of his lips. It was an oddly familiar smile. Not nearly as intense as Eryanis’s, nor did it carry that same suffocating aura she had, but still... there was something about him that made Eryanis immediately come to mind.

“Oh! My humblest apologies, my lady. How terribly rude of me not to introduce myself before the sister of my graceful mistress” His voice was smooth, layered with exaggerated politeness.

Before I could even react, he casually lowered himself in front of me with absurd ease and reached for my hand, gently wrapping his fingers around mine with irritatingly refined delicacy. A second later, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against the back of my hand.

That damp touch was enough to make my expression falter. For one brief moment, I felt a very real and almost irresistible urge to punch this guy square in the face. My fingers even twitched on reflex. Still, I forced myself to suppress the impulse after remembering my current situation.

At the moment, my body didn’t exactly have a clearly defined gender, even though it looked absurdly close to that of a woman. Taking that into consideration, I decided to spare him. After all... as much as I disliked the situation, this definitely wasn’t the first time someone had done something like this.

“My name is Daniel” the man continued, whose identity I had now finally learned. His tone was calm and reverent: “I am a member of the Cult of Eyes, responsible for maintaining the Order, my lady”

Blinking once wasn’t enough. I blinked twice, slowly processing those ridiculous words as the smoke around me began to dissipate in thin spirals, gradually revealing the scene that had been hidden until now. My gaze swept across the crowd gathered around us, tense, silent faces, as though no one dared interrupt the moment.

But among all of them, one figure in particular caught my attention. It was a woman with the exhausted look of someone who had long since forgotten what peaceful sleep felt like. Her blonde hair, slightly darkened with age or neglect, fell messily over her shoulders, contrasting with delicate purple streaks dyed into the ends.

Her pale skin and delicate features, though worn down by fatigue, reminded me a lot of Nekra, enough to leave me with a faint sense of unease. Tucking that information away for later, I shifted my attention back to Daniel, staring at him with my usual indifferent expression.

“So you’re one of those lunatics who call themselves servants of my little sisters?” I asked, slightly raising an eyebrow.

For a brief moment, silence hung in the air. Then Daniel let out a short, amused nasal chuckle. I figured it was because I had said the word “lunatics” so naturally. Not that I was trying to be funny or provocative, that was honestly the most accurate description I could come up with at the moment.

Still, I didn’t care much about his reaction. There were more important things to deal with. Completely ignoring any further response, I turned my attention toward my sisters, who were all watching the scene unfold with noticeably different expressions. Despite their different reactions, though, they all had one thing in common. They looked genuinely happy to see me back.

“So... which one of you is going to give me a quick explanation, one my brain can actually process, about what the hell is going on and, more importantly, what exactly that creepy pillar in the middle of the city is? In exchange, I’m offering one hug and a full day of exclusive head pats and hair pets, personally provided by yours truly” My words immediately caught everyone’s attention. A few heads turned in my direction, and for a brief moment, the entire area fell silent.

Emily, in particular, simply let out an irritated huff and crossed her arms over her chest, looking away as if she could already predict exactly how this was about to end: “Good luck with that” she muttered, her voice dripping with sarcasm and irritation.

Unfortunately for Emily, and for what seemed to be her desperate hope that my sisters possessed at least a shred of dignity, their reaction was immediate. To absolutely no surprise whatsoever, my sisters showed interest in the offer the very second I finished speaking.

Their eyes practically lit up, and all of them rushed toward me like a pack of tiny puppies starved for attention, completely sold by nothing more than the simple promise of affection. Honestly... maybe I should be a little more concerned about how easily they were swayed by something as ridiculously simple as hugs and head pats.

Beside me, Emily slowly dragged a hand down her face in a tired facepalm, rubbing her forehead like someone who had just lost the last remaining scraps of faith in humanity.

“Why was I expecting anything different?” she muttered to herself, her voice low and heavy with resignation, wearing such a thoroughly defeated expression that it was almost funny.