Eavesdropping on other people’s conversations, especially in secret, was, at the very least, questionable. Still, when she remembered who the two figures talking actually were, the guilt faded almost as quickly as it had appeared, like smoke carried off by the wind.
Even so, it didn’t fully erase the feeling. No matter how much she tried to justify herself, listening in from the shadows left Emily with a persistent tightness in her chest, the sense that what she was doing was wrong... though admittedly, only just a little.
“I... I understand that” the apparition murmured, her voice low and trembling, echoing with exhaustion. Her words came out slightly drawn out.
“And that’s exactly why you need to hurry” said the angelic anomaly, her voice calm and serene: “Don’t worry... didn’t I say I would help you, dear?” she continued, tilting her head slightly, the gesture laden with genuine affection: “Trust me. I intend to keep my word. After all, a mother always wants what’s best for her children”
The tone was gentle and comforting, yet deeply unsettling. To Emily’s ears, it sounded maternal, disturbingly similar to the way her own mother used to speak to her, stirring a sharp mix of nostalgia and discomfort.
“Thank you, Mom, for... everything” said the apparition, her ethereal voice wavering for a moment before steadying, filled with a deep, heartfelt gratitude.
“Fufufu... there’s no need to thank me for that, silly. I’m having quite a bit of fun with all of this myself, you know?” the angelic anomaly replied, her delight evident not only in her light tone, but also in the mischievous sparkle dancing in her eyes.
After a brief pause, her smile narrowed, taking on a mysterious edge: “You’d better go now. I have other matters to attend to” she added, her voice still soft, with a faintly maternal touch.
After that, Emily heard nothing else. For a moment, she considered leaving, the last thing she wanted was to get caught snooping. Her heart raced, pounding in her chest, her stomach twisting into a tight knot as she pivoted on her heels, ready to disappear before she was discovered.
However, just before she could take her first step, the anomaly’s voice echoed through the space once more, low, yet clear enough to make Emily swallow hard: “You can come out now, dear. Spying is rude, you know?”
Emily blinked a few times, momentarily confused. For a split second, she wondered if those words weren’t meant for her... but logically, there was no other possibility. Emily was the only person there, unless the anomaly was speaking to some invisible figure, which seemed unlikely, even given the absurdity of the situation. Yes, there was no doubt about it. She was talking to Emily.
Letting out a sigh, Emily slowly rose from her crouched position and began walking toward the voice, her steps cautious. As she rounded the corner, she was startled by the sight of the angelic anomaly floating just inches from her face.
Emily’s heart leapt violently in her chest. Instinctively, she stepped back, her body reacting before her mind could catch up, while a sharp, unmistakably feminine scream threatened to burst from her throat.
“Oh my God!...” Emily cut herself off, clutching her chest as she tried to catch her breath and calm her racing heart. After a few seconds, she lifted her gaze, still breathing hard, and finished in a tone that was half nervous, half exasperated: “I swear, one of these days you’re going to give me a heart attack if you keep doing that”
The anomaly smiled, clearly amused. As always, her body hovered a few inches above the ground, a sight as familiar as it was strange. Emily, for her part, was certain she would take a photo the exact moment she ever saw the anomaly’s feet actually touching the floor. Even if it were only by a few inches, it would be an incredibly rare event, almost impossible, absolutely worth documenting.
“Hehehe...” the anomaly giggled, muffling her soft laughter as she brought a hand to her mouth. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes shining with innocent amusement: “Sorry, I really can’t help it. Your expressions are just too good”
For a brief moment, Emily felt a genuine urge to strangle the anomaly. Her fingers tensed, curling slightly, but she only took a deep breath, slowly letting the air out as she forced herself to calm down.
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“By the way...” Emily began, lifting her gaze and drawing the anomaly’s attention back to her: “Why was that apparition calling you Mom? That was...”
She paused, brow faintly furrowed, searching for a word that could capture the lingering strangeness still echoing in her chest. In the end, she gave up, merely shrugging with a half-disbelieving smile: “Bizarre”
The anomaly drifted smoothly through the air, spinning once before stopping right in front of Emily, arms crossed with theatrical firmness. Her cheeks puffed out in an intentionally cute gesture, as if she were waiting for a reaction.
Naturally, Emily would never admit out loud what she thought about it. Feed an ego that already seemed to scrape the sky? Definitely not.
She was content to keep those thoughts safely tucked away, confined to her own mind. After all, as far as she knew, the Virtues had never shown the ability to read minds... or at least, they’d never shown any real interest in doing so.
“Geez... how many times have I told you to stop calling her a ghost?” The anomaly’s voice was firm, but heavy with exhaustion: “She might not show it, but she gets genuinely hurt, you know? And more than that... she really cares about you”
The words yanked Emily out of her reverie like a sudden pull back to reality. She blinked once, coming back to herself, then slowly lifted her gaze. Her eyes settled on the anomaly, alert and faintly surprised, one eyebrow arching in a mix of confusion and discomfort.
“She? Why would she be worried?” Emily shook her head, as if trying to chase the thought away before it could take root. She straightened her posture and let out a quiet sigh: “But putting that aside... why are you telling me this now?” she asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. She crossed her arms over her chest, a defensive, guarded gesture: “You usually prefer to act all mysterious”
The anomaly smiled, and a light, almost cute laugh slipped from her lips once more: “Why do you think?” she teased, spinning lazily in the air with carefree ease. Her golden eyes gleamed as they fixed on Emily, sharp and full of mischief: “Besides... I don’t want to hear that from someone who likes snooping around in other people’s business, sweetheart”
Emily’s eyebrow twitched for a brief, almost imperceptible moment. She let out a sigh, heavy with resignation, before lifting her gaze again, a blend of fatigue and mild irritation in her expression: “Can you stop with the “sweetheart” thing?”
“Fufufu...” The anomaly smiled, clearly amused by Emily’s words. There was a playful glint in her eyes: “I have no intention of stopping. What’s wrong with calling my beautiful daughter “sweetheart”?” She then turned fully toward Emily, tilting her head slightly, her mischievous smile stretching with provocative intimacy: “Besides... I know you like it”
Emily couldn’t argue back. She merely raised a finger to her temple, a restrained, defensive gesture. Technically, though she would never admit it out loud, the anomaly was right about that particular point.
There was something about it that deeply irritated her... precisely because it was true. Emily truly hated that part of herself: the part that, against reason and pride, enjoyed being treated like a “precious little girl” by the anomaly.
***
(POV – Protagonist)
We were still parked in the garden. Rupert, Victor, and Arthur kept their distance, almost as if some unspoken agreement prevented them from even glancing in my little sister’s direction.
Tenebrya, on the other hand, was... well, what exactly was she doing? Watching butterflies, I think, slowly spinning among the flowers, following their erratic flight with a kind of hypnotized focus.
The men Victor had spread throughout the garden still hadn’t returned. Personally, that was starting to bother me. I hadn’t even fully explored this place myself, which, by the way, felt strangely far larger than one would expect at first glance.
Even with my “Eyes” capable of seeing across great distances, I couldn’t spot any of them. The garden simply stretched on in every direction, and the more I tried to map it out in my head, the more it seemed to grow.
I truly hated places with anomalous properties like this. They were always the worst, and, unfortunately for me, also the most common. They seemed to come as part of a standard starter package for any anomalous location: subtle distortions in the air, strange rules no one properly explained, and that constant sense that something was off. Naturally, that didn’t make the so-called “starter pack” any less deeply irritating.
“They’re taking too long” Rupert’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. There was a clear note of concern in it. He paced back and forth, his feet thudding rhythmically against the garden’s grassy ground, a gesture that betrayed his anxiety. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the space ahead: “I get the feeling they’ve been gone for hours already”
“Should we go look for them?” Arthur asked, rising with slight effort as he leaned on his cane. The dry sound of wood striking the ground echoed softly through the area as his sharp gaze swept the surroundings.
“If we do that, the chances of us getting lost the same way they did are much higher than the chances of magically finding them while wandering the garden” Victor argued, shaking his head before letting out a frustrated sigh: “No. It’s a terrible strategic choice to split up when we don’t even know where we are or what this place’s layout looks like”
Arthur nodded in silence, as though he understood Victor’s point. Rupert, on the other hand, released a long, resigned sigh and rubbed his face. Still, that didn’t seem to discourage him in the slightest from wanting to head into the garden to look for the others. That said, I could say with some confidence that it was a terrible idea.
The garden was vast and far too confusing, so intricate that I had the uncomfortable feeling even I would end up lost if I tried searching without any sense of direction. And if we left now and the other team returned in the meantime, deciding to take random paths in search of us... well, the outcome would hardly be promising.
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