Honestly... what the hell was Althea talking about? “True powers”? What was that supposed to mean? As far as I knew, my powers had always been exactly that — absorbing anomalous abilities and integrating them into myself, like they were part of my own being.

That’s how it worked, right? At least, that’s what I’d always believed. But now, after what she said, there was this nagging doubt hammering away in the back of my mind: maybe there’s something more I haven’t discovered yet? Some hidden layer I never noticed? Anyway, Victor didn’t seem to care about those details.

To him, the simple fact that I could absorb anomalies was more than enough. He was never the type to get caught up in technical explanations — if it works, great. And it worked. And that, apparently, was enough.

“In other words...” Victor started, his voice filled with a restrained, almost studied curiosity. His eyes narrowed slightly as he held his gaze, analyzing every reaction: “The anomaly down there... she’d be able to absorb it and control it, right?” he finished, now with a firmer, almost serious tone, as if he already knew the answer but needed to hear it out loud.

When they heard those words, Emily, Laura, and all the visitors lifted their heads almost at the same time, like they’d just been snapped out of a trance. Their faces, initially marked by surprise, quickly gave way to a tangible, almost childlike hope.

A silence full of expectation filled the room as all eyes turned to me — intense, fixed, as if I were the answer they’d been waiting for way too long. The light at the end of the tunnel. The salvation. A messiah.

I won’t lie... the way they looked at me was weird. Uncomfortable, even. I’d never felt that kind of attention before — raw, devoted, desperate. And for the first time, I realized the weight of being seen as someone’s last hope.

At the same time, a strange and totally out-of-place thought crossed my mind when I saw everyone’s reaction around me: (Is this how Jesus felt?)

Yeah... like he didn’t care at all about the looks around him. Althea, right behind me, let out a playful laugh — with that insolent tone so typical of hers — and answered without hesitation: “For dear sister? How do humans say it again?... Oh yeah” she said, putting a finger on her chin in an exaggerated fake thinking gesture: “it would be like taking candy from a baby” Her voice carried an almost theatrical excitement, like she found her own joke way too funny. And, of course, she did.

When Victor heard Althea’s words, he closed his eyes for a brief moment, as if deeply pondering something. His face stayed calm, but there was a weight there — a silent unease. My thoughts, on the other hand, were much simpler.

I mean... I really would be able to absorb the anomaly, right? And that would just make me stronger. One more power, another ability added to my body. What puzzled me was that they didn’t seem to care about that. They really didn’t see a problem with me getting stronger? The only explanation I could think of was unsettling: to them, I was harmless.

Or at least, not a real threat. Maybe they saw me like a curious animal in an open cage — capable of learning, growing, but with no intention to bite. Someone who, despite accumulating powers, showed no desire to destroy humanity... or anything like that.

Anyway, while I stayed lost in my own thoughts, Victor finally seemed to gather his ideas. With a calm, controlled voice, he said, almost like trying to bring order to chaos: “Alright, since that’s the case... I’ll take her to the anomaly so she can absorb it”

Saying that, Victor carefully brushed a lock of hair from his face, letting out a sigh filled with resignation and fatigue. His eyes showed a mix of worry and determination.

“Honestly” he continued: “even if she gains more powers, that’s the least of our worries compared to that thing down there that could blow up at any moment”

I slowly turned to Victor, and he looked back at me with that expression that seemed to be searching for something beyond the surface. There wasn’t a specific or clear thought about me in his gaze, but compared to before, something had changed.

At first, Victor looked at me like I was some incomprehensible monster, a strange, distant creature, hard to figure out or accept. I, on my part, didn’t care much — my emotions at that moment were cold, almost numb, like they’d been slowly anesthetized.

But now, as our eyes met, I noticed a subtle but meaningful difference. He still saw me as a monster, yes, but no longer as an incomprehensible, threatening entity. It was a monster that could be understood.

Anyway, when Victor’s words sank in, a quiet murmur began spreading among the visitors. At first hesitant, as if they didn’t dare believe what they heard, they stood still, caught between doubt and disbelief.

But little by little, like some invisible chain had been broken, the mood shifted. One by one, they started to stand slowly, their eyes shining with a flame that had seemed extinguished for a long time — a flame called hope.

“Are we... saved?” a middle-aged woman whispered, eyes watery and voice shaky, squeezing her son’s hand so hard it seemed like she wanted to hold him there forever, as if afraid he might disappear if she blinked. The boy looked at her, confused, not sure how to react, but feeling comfort in her firm hand.

Next to them, an older man brought his hands to his face, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Then, a nervous laugh slipped from his lips — a laugh that seemed to be the first real relief reaction in weeks.

“Seriously? This is real?” he asked, voice heavy with disbelief and hope, almost whispering to himself, his eyes shining with a mix of exhaustion and renewed faith.

Emily stayed silent for a few moments, like she was trying to organize her own thoughts. Her deep, attentive eyes stayed fixed on me, revealing a hard-to-read expression. There was something in her features — a subtle mix of relief and worry, like part of her wanted to reassure me while another feared what this could mean.

It was like she carried the weight of a silent doubt, not knowing exactly how to feel about the news: I was about to gain a power strong enough to rival that monstrous entity, even capable of restarting the Earth. Still, something in her eyes said that despite the fear and uncertainty, she knew there was no other way out.

Laura, on the other hand, smiled with an almost childish relief, like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled, still watery, as she murmured almost to herself: “I knew it...” gripping Emily’s arm tightly, like she needed to make sure this was real: “I knew the [Angel of Death] would save us!”

That collective reaction was... strangely uncomfortable. It was like suddenly everyone had bet their fate on a single, unstable domino piece — and that piece, scarily, was me. I felt the invisible weight of those fixed stares, a silent pressure squeezing my chest.

I’ve never really been a fan of carrying other people’s expectations; it makes me feel like I’m sinking under responsibilities I never asked for, responsibilities that suffocate me. And honestly, if I could choose, I’d rather never have them.

Victor, noticing the subtle but tangible shift in the atmosphere around us, held his gaze for a moment. Then, with a simple, resolute nod, he stepped back, silently making space — not for me, but for Althea.

She, as usual, wore a mischievous smile on her lips, as if savoring every second of that growing tension, clearly enjoying how things were unfolding.

“Hehe, see that?” Althea said, crossing her arms with a fake modest smile that barely hid her satisfaction. Her eyes shone with that mix of fun and teasing.

“You were all there, running around like scared cockroaches, desperate, while the solution was right in front of you all along. Harmless, quiet, with that look like she has no idea what’s going on around...” She let out a soft giggle, as if she was keeping a secret only for herself, leaving an irresistible taunt hanging in the air.

(Hey) I complained, my voice lacking energy, accompanied by an annoyed look I shot at Althea, who floated calmly by my side like this was the most natural thing in the world: (I’m still here) I added, trying to hide how bothered her calm attitude made me.

“Hehe, you’re incredibly cute when you’re mad too, dear sister” she replied, her mocking smile widening like she was hiding some funny secret. Althea tilted her head slightly, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

“Just one more of your charms” she murmured, and then her pupils turned into tiny, pulsing hearts, sending out a warm, almost hypnotic glow. A cold shiver ran down my spine, like that seemingly innocent gesture carried a silent, unavoidable power.

Honestly, whenever Althea acted like that, a shiver ran down my spine — it was uncomfortable... or rather, scary. Since she showed up, I barely manage to close my eyes at night. Not that I technically need to sleep, but that’s beside the point.

The thing is, every time I think about resting, I get the feeling that if I give in for a second, the next day she’ll be sitting right next to me, with a radiant smile, waking me up to ask what name I want for our kid.

(... yeah, just thinking about that is terrifying enough. In a weird way, it’s exactly the kind of thing Althea would do) I thought, while a shiver ran down my spine and my body trembled lightly, like my own intuition was trying to warn me.

With that strange thought still echoing in my mind, I moved forward without looking back, heading toward the door that led to the hallway outside my room. Victor came right behind me, completely silent — his steps almost inaudible, as if he was lost in his own thoughts too. Yeah, Althea was with me too, floating lightly in the air like the ground was never meant for her.

Her white, delicate wings flapped softly in rhythm, spreading an almost imperceptible breeze carrying a sweet scent impossible to identify. Her silhouette shimmered like a creature out of a dream — angelic, serene, and dangerously enigmatic.

(So...) I hesitated and turned to Althea, who was watching me with those big, innocent eyes, like the world around just didn’t matter. Her look was curious but there was also a hint of mischief, like she knew something I didn’t.

(Why are you even coming?) I asked, raising an eyebrow, trying to keep my tone neutral but not hiding my surprise entirely.

Althea tilted her head slightly, as if my words were an incomprehensible riddle. Her eyes shone with an almost childish sweetness, and then her answer came — soft, serene, like expressing a will bigger than herself, something inevitable and universal.

“What do you mean, dear sister?” she said, with a gentle smile curving her lips: “Of course I’m coming. I want to see you in action... I’m sure it’s going to be an amazing scene. I need to keep it in my memory, like a treasure” Her eyes seemed distant for a moment, as if she was already reliving a memory that hadn’t even happened yet.

Honestly, Althea could be pretty scary sometimes. Didn’t she find her own behavior at least a little weird? Apparently not — she didn’t seem to care at all, like that strangeness was just natural for her.

Before I could even come up with any answer to that absurdly calm and disconcerting reaction from Althea, something totally unexpected happened.

I felt a gentle tug on the hem of my clothes. Instinctively, I looked down, still a bit distracted, and came face to face with a little girl with huge eyes, shining like stars, and a big smile lighting up her whole face. She looked at me with the kind of confidence and joy that only real brave little kids can show.

“Hey, big sis!” she said, with that sweet, energetic voice, like it was the most natural thing in the world to call someone she already considered special like that.