Chapter 444 – From despair, hope is born [25]

(POV - Charlotte Whitmore)

Personally, Charlotte couldn't understand why her parents were so reluctant when it came to the anomaly that had apparently decided to call itself the [Angel of Death] . Well... to be honest, she still had to focus seriously and exercise almost superhuman self-control to keep herself from bursting out laughing every time she remembered the name.

And it wasn't her fault. Not at all. The name was just ridiculous. Of course, Charlotte knew this wasn't the time to laugh or crack jokes. With everyone so tense and worried, any slip-up on her part would only give them another excuse to look at her like she was some kind of weirdo.

Not that she really cared. From Charlotte's own perspective, she definitely wasn't a normal person. There were strange things about her, strange ways she thought and reacted, and she was fully aware of that. The funny thing was that, for some reason she couldn't quite explain, she felt a certain sense of pride in it.

Maybe it was because normality had always seemed painfully boring to her. Or maybe it was because being different allowed her to see the world from angles other people simply ignored. Whatever the reason, Charlotte had never put much effort into fitting in.

Even so, as she watched the serious expressions of the adults around her, she kept her face neutral and her lips firmly sealed. Her earlier compliment about the semi-transparent girl's appearance had been, for the most part, an attempt to ease some of the tension hanging over the room, tension her parents were clearly feeling.

Well, to be fair, she also wouldn't have been completely honest if she claimed she didn't think the horns looked elegant and the wings looked incredibly cool. In fact, part of her was genuinely fascinated by the anomaly's unusual appearance.

But her parents definitely didn't need to know that little detail. Still, her plan had worked. The stiffness in her parents' shoulders visibly eased, and the atmosphere no longer felt like a battlefield waiting to explode over a single poorly chosen comment.

The oppressive silence that had dominated the room had also loosened its grip, giving way to something a little less suffocating. Noticing that, Charlotte allowed a faint smile to tug at her lips. Maybe the situation was still far from resolved, but small victories were still victories. And right now, she was more than willing to take them.

Putting all those unimportant thoughts aside for the moment, Charlotte turned her attention back to the real issue, the same question that, so far, nobody seemed able to answer with any certainty: "So... an anomaly..." she began slowly, lightly furrowing her brow as she organized her thoughts: "Um... how exactly are we supposed to figure out whether I am one?"

Her voice broke the silence, immediately drawing everyone's attention. Her mother and father exchanged a brief glance. Both of them looked clearly uncomfortable with where the conversation was heading.

Charlotte noticed without difficulty. Letting out a small sigh, she reached out and took both of their hands, offering a sense of reassurance she didn't entirely feel herself but still wanted to convey.

The reaction was immediate. They squeezed her hands back as though they were afraid to let go. Charlotte gave them a small, reassuring smile before turning her attention back to Zentharys. Honestly, that was a strangely complicated name to pronounce.

Still, it was infinitely better than "Angel of Death" Seriously, that title was so over-the-top it bordered on absurd. She was definitely going to keep calling her by her actual name.

Without looking away from the woman's golden eyes for even a second, Charlotte continued: "Can I grow horns or wings or something?" she asked, tilting her head slightly: "Because honestly, that seems like a pretty quick way to confirm the situation"

She paused briefly: "I mean, if I wake up tomorrow with a pair of horns sticking out of my head, I think we can safely consider the matter settled" A faint grin appeared on her face: "And if wings show up too, even better. At least I'd get something cool out of all this mess"

Charlotte didn't notice any visible change in Zentharys's expression, or at least none obvious enough to be seen with the naked eye. Her face remained as impassive as a marble statue, completely devoid of surprise, uncertainty, or any other emotion.

So why the hell did Charlotte have the strange feeling that Zentharys was surprised by her words right now? She couldn't explain it. Ever since the beginning, for reasons she didn't understand herself, she'd been able to sense Zentharys's hidden emotions as though they were faint echoes brushing against her mind.

It wasn't clear or precise enough to be called mind-reading. But it was enough to give her impressions and feelings that completely contradicted the anomaly's expressionless mask. That strange perception led her to a rather curious conclusion. For someone with such an indifferent face and such a cold demeanor, Zentharys was ridiculously emotional on the inside.

Or maybe emotional wasn't quite the right word. Maybe she simply felt far more than she ever allowed herself to show. Either way, that wasn't important right now. Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, Charlotte focused on the conversation once more.

After a brief moment of silence, Zentharys finally responded. Her voice remained as calm and controlled as ever, but Charlotte caught a subtle note of confusion behind her words, not through her tone, which barely changed at all, but through the emotions she sensed coming from her.

“No...” Zentharys cut herself off for a moment, her brow faintly furrowing as if she were reconsidering her answer. For the first time since the conversation had begun, she looked genuinely unsure: “To be honest... I’m not really sure”

She let out a small sigh and shrugged: “My sisters tend to do pretty strange things, so feel free to surprise me. I wouldn’t even be the least bit shocked if horns, a tail, or even a pair of wings suddenly grew out of your back”

A faint spark of amusement flickered in her eyes as she watched my reaction: “Honestly, considering who we’re talking about, that wouldn’t even crack the top five weirdest things I’ve ever seen”

Without giving anyone a chance to respond, she raised a hand again, her tone shifting into something calmer: “But we don’t have to figure it out that way” A subtle smile touched her lips: “I have a much simpler way to confirm your identity”

Then Zentharys casually snapped her fingers. The sharp sound echoed through the space, followed by a faint ripple that spread through the air like rings across the surface of a lake.

She spoke again, her voice carrying a natural authority that seemed to cut through reality itself: “Althea, Nekra, Chronas, Nyara, Eryanis, Tenebrya, I need your help with a small matter” She paused briefly before adding: “Also, Eryanis... do with Tenebrya what we’ve been practicing over the past few weeks. We have some human visitors”

Charlotte blinked repeatedly, trying to make sense of what was happening and, more importantly, what all those strings of words meant. Names? If so, they were definitely unusual ones. In fact, they were the strangest names she had ever heard in her life. Before she could think further, the air around them began to distort.

It started subtly, like heat warping the air above a scorching road. Then the distortion grew stronger. Charlotte’s parents noticed it immediately. Her mother instinctively reached out an arm, while her father moved closer to Charlotte on the other side, both of them scanning their surroundings with growing caution.

The atmosphere had shifted. A strange pressure filled the space, something impossible to properly describe, yet impossible to ignore: “What is that...?” her mother muttered, her voice tense.

“I have no idea. Stay close to her” her father replied, not taking his eyes off the rippling air.

And then it happened. Small bursts of light emerged from the distorted space. Each spark shimmered like a newborn star, slowly expanding into silent flames of pure energy. One. Two. Three. More and more appeared, scattering across the area and bathing everything in a soft, otherworldly glow.

From those luminous flames, figures began to take shape. Their outlines were vaguely feminine, but that was where any similarity ended. There were no clearly defined faces, no clothing, no human traits that could truly classify them as women. They were something else entirely, something beyond normal concepts of form.

Their bodies looked like condensed light, their edges constantly shifting as if reality itself couldn’t quite decide what they were. Charlotte’s eyes widened. The scene looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, or maybe fantasy. No, even better than that. Much better.

She stared, completely captivated: “Wow...” Charlotte whispered.

For a few seconds, she just watched. Then a slow smile spread across her face: “That’s really cool” Her tone was filled with genuine admiration.

Naturally, her parents shot her another horrified look. Apparently, she hadn’t said that nearly as quietly as she thought. Charlotte quickly looked away, pretending not to notice, trying her best to appear innocent.

After the light display faded, the figures began to solidify further. First came hazy silhouettes, then defined outlines, and finally complete bodies. Just as Charlotte had suspected, they all looked female, but that was where the similarity ended.

Each one was completely distinct from the others. None of them were human. One had elegant horns curling like a natural crown. Another bore magnificent wings, their feathers shimmering in colors that defied description. Others had unusual eyes, strange pupils, or features Charlotte didn’t even have words for.

It was like looking at creatures pulled straight from legends or dreams. Charlotte blinked slowly, taking in every detail. Then something else caught her attention. All of them shared something with Zentharys. Some had similar eyes. Another had horns like hers. One bore comparable wings, while other traits were so subtle they only became noticeable after careful observation.

Charlotte tilted her head slightly: “Hmm...” Her eyes briefly drifted to Zentharys before returning to the newcomers.

Would that happen to her too? The thought came almost automatically. Not that Charlotte was complaining, in fact, it was quite the opposite. As she had already thought before, the idea of having horns or wings was honestly pretty incredible.

She imagined herself with a pair of majestic wings growing from her back and felt a faint spark of excitement in her chest. Yeah. The more she thought about it, the cooler it sounded.

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