“It doesn’t hurt anymore... It feels like... everything is normal” she murmured, her voice trembling, choked by shock and emotion she could barely hold back.
For a mont, she stayed still, as if afraid that any movent might break that fragile mont of relief. A faint smile began to appear, shy, hesitant, making its way through the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes — not tears of pain, but of disbelief and hope.
In the next instant, she closed her eyes briefly, allowing herself to be enveloped by the warm, comforting sensation of healing, which spread slowly — but steadily — through her entire body, like an invisible balm flowing through every fiber of her being. The room remained engulfed in an almost suffocating silence.
Honestly, I couldn’t tell if it was the result of the collective astonishnt that had silenced everyone, or if the fear hanging in the air was simply too strong to allow any words. Probably a mix of both — surprise and fear dancing side by side in every gaze fixed on her.
Putting that aside, the woman’s husband also had a look of disbelief on his face. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, as if struggling to find words that made sense in light of what he had just witnessed. It was clear that his mind was still trying to process what he saw.
In the end, the only words he managed to stamr were simple but revealed completely his state of confusion and astonishnt: “H-How is this possible?”
An involuntary smile threatened to form on his face, even though he tried to hold back the emotion. His hands hovered in the air, hesitant, as if wanting to touch the woman’s belly at any cost, but sothing invisible seed to stop him — maybe the fear of breaking the magic of the mont, as if it were all just a fragile dream.
However, that fear vanished when she, with a gentle and tender gesture, took his hand and guided it to her belly. The mont his fingers touched that aningful curve, his eyes filled with a gleam — a mixture of surprise, love, and wonder.
At the sa ti, the man knelt before the woman, his eyes darting back and forth between her face — which looked at him with a tender smile — and her belly. With a surprised and emotional smile, he murmured, almost in disbelief: “I-it’s warm!”
In the end, both the little girl and I watched the situation unfold in silence. A little behind , Althea floated softly in the air, her ethereal wings beating lightly, almost like the whisper of the wind. Her gaze stayed fixed on the couple ahead, carrying a serene — almost indifferent — expression.
However, in the next mont, her words unexpectedly broke the silence and made turn my face toward her, frowning, genuinely confused by what I had just heard.
“By the way...” Althea started, catching my attention with a casual tone but a mischievous sparkle in her eyes: “Since I’m here, should I give her a child?”
For a mont, I thought Althea was just joking — or, as usual, being mischievous. But her face remained completely expressionless, serious in an almost unsettling way. There wasn’t a trace of irony or malice in her eyes. That’s when I realized: she wasn’t joking: (Can you do that?)
Althea blinked briefly, as if my question caught her by surprise. For a mont, she seed confused but then nodded with a slight smile on her lips: “Yes, of course. That’s easy for ”
Honestly, as soon as I asked the question, I realized how dumb it sounded — especially considering it was Althea. But it all happened so suddenly that, for a mont, my mind simply froze. I kept wondering why she would make such an offer out of nowhere, without any warning or context. In the end, even without fully understanding her intentions, I just declined.
While staring at Althea, who watched with a curious and silent gaze, I answered ntally, trying to explain as simply as possible: (If you gave that to them directly, it would lose its aning. For humans, creating life is only truly special when it’s born from the love between two people. It’s that bond, that mutual feeling, that gives aning to the act)
Upon hearing my words, Althea slightly furrowed her brow and took on a thoughtful expression. For a mont, her eyes seed to search for sothing between the lines of what I said. Then, with her head slightly tilted and a soft voice — almost ethereal, like a harp’s murmur in the wind — she asked with genuine curiosity: “What does that an?”
The mont I heard Althea’s words, I was suddenly confused. I turned to face her and found her eyes locked on mine — there was a mix of curiosity and slight confusion in them, as if she herself didn’t fully understand what she had just said. Hesitantly, I broke the silence with a question that seed simple but carried an unexpected weight: (You... know what love is, right?)
As soon as I asked, Althea raised an eyebrow — and her next words only deepened my confusion: “I’ve heard that term back when I lived as a human” she said thoughtfully: “But I never really understood what it truly ant. I think I loved my parents... and my grandmother too. But I’m not sure if that was the sa kind of love we’re talking about now” She looked away for a mont, as if searching mories for sothing that simply wasn’t there anymore.
I blinked for a mont, surprised by Althea’s words. It was deeply ironic — the being who was supposed to embody love, life, and creation itself seed unable to grasp the simplest and purest aning of love. A brief silence filled the room, only broken by the subtle echo of that contradiction.
In the end, I let out a sigh full of resignation and began to think about the best way to explain to Althea what “love” really ant. However, the answer, although complex, seed to be right in front of , clear and undeniable.
(Althea) I began, calling her na and fixing my gaze on Althea’s golden eyes, who watched with intense attention: (Why do you want to have a child with ?) I asked, my voice low, almost a whisper.
Althea, hearing my question, didn’t hesitate for a mont. A wide smile, almost ear to ear, lit up her face, while her eyes shone with affection. With a firm voice full of care, she answered imdiately: “Of course, my dear sister. Because I love you, always!”
After Althea’s words, I fixed my gaze on her carefully, searching for any sign of hesitation or doubt, but she seed completely calm. Without showing any surprise, she gently tilted her head to the side, watching with serene curiosity.
For a brief mont, an unexpected thought hit — a revelation I hadn’t considered before. Honestly, I don’t know why I never thought of it before, or rather, why I never looked at the situation from that perspective. Althea really did love humans.
It wasn’t a matter of ignorance or misunderstanding; she was fully aware of that love. It was sothing genuine, deep, that transcended any doubt or ambiguity. Yet, even when I gave a clear example of what love was, Althea still couldn’t fully grasp the connection.
In the end, there was only one reason for this: although Althea loved humans, that love wasn’t the sa kind she felt for us, her sisters — especially for . The affection Althea had for humans was more like the bond between an owner and their pets.
After all, Althea was immortal; she existed long before everything we know was created. From a non-human perspective, it would be simply impossible for her to love equally all the billions of humans scattered around the world.
Anyway, even though that thought hit suddenly, I didn’t have ti to reflect. In the next mont, a voice covered in static echoed through the room, coming from the device Emily carried with her. Despite the noise, it was possible to distinguish the ssage clearly: “Emily? Can you hear ?... Damn, why does this crap have to fail right now...”
Emily blinked briefly, as if waking from a trance, but her attention remained intensely fixed on . Only then, with a slight startle, she answered the voice that echoed clearly — undoubtedly Victor’s: “Victor? Is that you? I’m listening, yes!”
A few tense seconds passed before the static-distorted voice echoed again over the communicator: “Connected! Thank God... Are you okay? Laura’s with you, right?”
Victor’s concern was obvious, almost palpable. Hearing him, Emily answered without hesitation: “We’re all fine” she said firmly: “Laura and I, and the visitors too. When everything started, we were right in front of the [Angel of Death] containnt room, and it was with her help that we survived. By the way, the anomaly was completely neutralized”
A brief silence echoed on the other side as soon as my na was ntioned. It was as if ti stopped for a mont. Emily raised an eyebrow, visibly confused, then insisted with a slightly uneasy tone: “Victor? Are you still there?”
In the next mont, with a noticeably more resigned tone, Victor’s voice echoed through the room: “I’m fine... Anyway, what are we going to do with the suspect we found in the bathroom?”
He paused briefly, took a deep breath before continuing: “Honestly, this is beyond my capabilities — and Rupert’s too. In the end, we’re just guards...”
Hearing Victor’s words, Emily took on a thoughtful expression. It was clear the conversation was being followed by everyone around — the visitors, though silent, watched with attentive and curious eyes the unfolding situation.
After a few monts of silence and a contained sigh, Emily finally broke the mood: “I need you to bring him to ...” she said, her voice calm but full of intent: “More precisely, take him to the Angel of Death’s containnt room” As she spoke, she slowly turned her gaze toward , her eyes steady, as if weighing every word and decision.
Emily watched silently for a few seconds, as if pondering sothing. Then, she sighed softly, as if giving up an internal resistance, and her voice echoed again — this ti addressed directly to : “[Angel of Death], we need your help once again. If my suspicions are right, it’s very likely that several anomalies have escaped... and are, right now, wandering the hallways or — worse — teleporting around the place. Sending guards now would only result in more deaths. We need to contain this with minimal losses possible. That’s why I want you to help Victor and Rupert with the suspect in the bathroom. Bring him back alive, if possible”
While watching Emily, I just nodded silently. Then, I prepared to use my ability to swim through shadows — through it, I could teleport to Victor and Rupert in seconds. I already visualized the destination and began channeling the necessary energy.
But, the mont I tried to activate it, sothing went wrong. A sudden interference crossed my power, like a strange frequency colliding directly with my essence. It was an uncomfortable, almost painful sensation — as if sothing or soone was trying to tear from my own domain.
My connection with the shadows was destabilized, as if being distorted, pushed away from . Imdiately, I knew who was responsible. The culprit’s identity left no room for doubt.
In the next mont, my eyes instinctively turned to the ground — more specifically, to the shadow I cast. I frowned and forced my vision, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. I caught glimpses of curious looks around , but it didn’t matter anymore.
All my attention was focused on sothing far more disturbing: two red eyes, intense and vibrant, staring back at from the depths of my own shadow. They didn’t belong to so mysterious being — they belonged to him, the only being I would ever fail to ignore. My Alter Ego.
As I watched him, a subtle and almost imperceptible thought slid through my mind, forming a simple question: (Now... why are you interfering?) I asked ntally, raising an eyebrow with curiosity.
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