Anomaly

Chapter 375 – Worship of the true gods [21]

(POV – Laura Cavendish)

Laura didn’t quite know what to think about the priest. At least for now, all she had were surface-level impressions, fragments of things she’d heard here and there... and that was never enough. Even so, at first glance, he seemed like a good person. Calm, kind, with a comforting and compassionate presence.

But Laura refused to fall for such a shallow illusion. Despite her initial impression, she remained wary. She believed there was probably a good reason why the [Angel of Death] distrusted him. And that alone was enough to keep her on guard.

Deep down, Laura was convinced he had to be hiding something. After all, the [Angel of Death] didn’t make mistakes. It was a just anomaly, relentless in its own code: helping the good and punishing the wicked, without hesitation, without apparent exceptions. Laura trusted that judgment more than she trusted any appearance or anything the priest might say.

Then there were his actions. Donations to orphanages, charity work, altruistic gestures... it all looked good on the surface. But Laura wasn’t so easily fooled. She, Emily, and even Victor did the same, and that didn’t make them good people. Good deeds didn’t erase intent. In the end, anyone could argue it was nothing more than an attempt to ease one’s own conscience.

With that in mind, Laura watched the priest, her eyes narrowing slightly as if trying to see past his words. Her lips remained pressed together, firm, while a subtle hint of suspicion crept across her face. Her fingers tensed almost imperceptibly at her side, betraying the faint tension she felt.

In the next instant, however, her expression faltered, her suspicion giving way to something more unstable, harder to define. It became disbelief, mixed with surprise, as a voice echoed through the room, filling the space with a distinct presence. Laura frowned slightly.

She couldn’t say she recognized the voice... but she also couldn’t say, with complete certainty, that she had never heard it before. There was something about it that stirred a strange sense of familiarity. It was odd. Somehow, Laura could associate that feeling with someone specific.

Someone who, with just a few words, could provoke such an intense mix of emotions, unease, curiosity... and something deeper. With that thought still fresh in her mind, her gaze, as if pulled by an invisible thread, shifted away from the priest and fixed on the figure standing near him. The person wore thick, simple clothing that seemed too heavy for the weather. They were of average height, with features that suggested the early stages of adolescence.

“Priest... why do you worship anomalies?” The question came unexpectedly, soft, innocent. Laura lifted her gaze and immediately recognized the figure: the [Angel of Death]. Still, something felt... off. Why was she speaking so childishly? It was like listening to a little kid. Laura blinked, surprised, but not bothered. On the contrary... in a way, it was kind of cute.

And that alone made everything even stranger. As far as Laura knew, the [Angel of Death] hated that kind of behavior. Acting sweet or naïve didn’t fit her nature. While Laura was still trying to process the scene, unaware of the quiet confusion running through her own thoughts, the entity continued in the same soft, curious voice: “The adults told me anomalies are dangerous... and that I should stay away from them”

There was a brief pause. Her eyes, deep, ancient, contrasted with the simplicity of her words: “They kill people... and make them suffer” The way she said it carried no judgment. No fear. Just... a statement of fact.

Laura found it a bit surprising that this was how the [Angel of Death] viewed anomalies. Even so, she couldn’t say it was wrong, far from it. In many ways, that perspective made sense... but it was still strange to imagine an anomaly holding such a harsh view of others of its kind.

It was like watching a flame refuse to burn, or a beast choosing to protect instead of hunt. Even so, that detail didn’t affect Laura’s perception in the slightest. To her, the [Angel of Death] was, above all else, a defender of humanity. Someone who walked between two worlds, punishing malicious anomalies and, in some way, balancing an invisible scale that few even realized existed.

And above all... she was cute. To Laura, there was no debate. In this chaotic world, where rules were fragile and logic didn’t always prevail, there was one absolute, unquestionable truth: Cuteness trumped everything. Cuteness was justice. And therefore, the [Angel of Death]... was justice incarnate.

“Ahaha...” Completely unaware of the storm of thoughts swirling in Laura’s mind, the priest let out a light, easy laugh as a genuine smile formed on his lips: “Those adults aren’t entirely wrong” he added calmly. His hand rose to his chin, fingers brushing his skin in a thoughtful gesture.

“However, I don’t worship anomalies themselves...” he continued, his voice now lower, yet firm: “I worship the true gods. The fact that the gods I believe in are labeled as “anomalies” is simply... a human reflection”

He paused briefly, his eyes drifting for a moment: “We have this need to name everything we don’t understand. That’s just who we are” Finally, he gave a small, casual shrug, simple and unassuming, seemingly indifferent to the label.

By the way, that was something Laura could understand, up to a point. The label “Anomaly” hadn’t come out of nowhere, it was a direct result of humanity’s inability to explain what defied all established logic.

The entities captured and studied by the organization possessed abilities that outright ignored, or distorted, any previously known laws, as if the rules of the world were nothing more than fragile suggestions in their presence.

No matter how hard Laura tried to rationalize it, she could never find the right words to define them. “Beings” felt insufficient. “Entities” still fell short.

In the end, all she could do was accept them as something truly incomprehensible, existences that escaped even language itself. That said, Laura’s first impression of the priest remained unchanged. He was still a suspicious weirdo.

***

(POV – Protagonist)

Hearing his voice and observing him up close, I inevitably reached a few conclusions. The first, and most important, was that the priest didn’t actually seem like a bad person, not like I had initially judged him to be.

Naturally, I was still irritated by what he was doing, and what it might lead to, but I wasn’t blind enough to ignore that something was deeply wrong with the situation. In fact, the more I watched, the stronger that feeling became.

This priest didn’t even fully understand what he was doing. It wasn’t like he was acting completely unconsciously, there was intent behind his actions, but it was undeniable that he lacked any real sense of the depth of the ground he was treading on.

My thoughts always circled back to the same conclusion: this priest was being manipulated. No doubt about it. Whoever was behind this was using the faith he placed in me and my sisters as a tool, twisting it to serve their own selfish purposes.

It wasn’t like I was completely in the dark. I had suspicions, names that surfaced in my mind... But why would they do this? What was the real objective behind it all? So far, my best guess was that they wanted to awaken my sisters, bring them back.

It was a strange, contradictory feeling. I constantly sensed that something was being plotted behind the scenes... and yet, at the same time, I felt grateful. Because in the end, my sisters were all I had. The only anchors left from my fractured past.

“Is something wrong, child?” My lack of reaction to the priest’s earlier words seemed to confuse him: “You’re a rather strange kid...” he added with a slight smirk, as if he wasn’t quite sure what to make of me.

His tone wasn’t reproachful, just genuinely curious: “Most children wouldn’t be interested in conversations this complicated... but you...” he paused briefly, tilting his head slightly: “you seem, and act, like an adult”

The words lingered in the air. He fell silent for a few seconds, as if weighing whether he should continue. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter, tinged with subtle melancholy: “But I guess I can’t blame you...” His gaze drifted for a moment, losing focus: “In this strange world we live in nowadays... I think most kids are being forced to grow up far too fast”

I raised my eyes just enough to observe him more closely, still seated in that simple wooden chair... and noticed something unexpected. His expression seemed genuinely concerned. Well... now I definitely had very mixed feelings about this priest. But setting all that aside, in the midst of my swirling thoughts, a sharp “Oh!” suddenly echoed through the room, cutting through the silence.

As if pulled by the same invisible thread, we all turned toward the source of the voice. When my eyes finally found it, I saw Althea. She was still wearing her thick clothes, but now more of her was visible. Her beautiful golden hair, shining like strands bathed in sunlight, fell gently over her shoulders, swaying softly with each small movement. Her flower crown was fully on display, delicate, almost ethereal.

Althea looked surprised too, perhaps even more than the rest of us. Her eyes were slightly widened, her body frozen for a moment, as if trying to process what had just happened.

On the floor, right beside her feet, lay the cap she had been wearing earlier. Next to it, a photograph stood out, one that clearly showed Althea. And not just one, several pictures of her were scattered across the room.

Nearby, Tenebrya remained completely unfazed by the weight of the situation, wearing a calm, innocent expression. Needless to say, the priest’s eyes were wide open in shock. His gaze darted frantically between Althea and the many photos of her spread across the room.

“Oops... looks like I’ve been found out, hehe...” Althea murmured, letting out a light giggle as she looked away.

Honestly, I didn’t have much to say about this situation. I mean... maybe there was still a chance to play it off, since her halo hadn’t appeared yet?