"Where the hell were you, Seth? You didn’t answer your phone at all. I was worried that something could’ve happened to you!"
Kyle was the first one to approach Seth.
Phone in hand, he flipped it over to show his phone log. There were over thirty phone calls in the past hour alone.
Staring at it, Seth paused.
"....."
He didn’t say anything, his dark eyes staring at the screen before he nodded in acknowledgment.
"....I’m fine."
His response was rather lukewarm.
This made Kyle frown, realizing that something was a little off with Seth. From his demeanor to the way he carried himself... It didn’t quite seem like Seth was okay.
He was just about to ask about it when, all of a sudden, several other voices cut in at once.
"Squad Leader!"
"...Squad Leader! Where have you been!?"
"Are you done with your game? I couldn’t get in contact with you."
The members of Seth’s squad closed in around him from all sides, bombarding him with questions before he could even process what was happening. Seth stood in the center, silent and unmoving, while their voices overlapped in a frantic chirp around him.
Kyle could only stare at the scene with a frown, feeling that there was still something off with Seth.
Thankfully for Seth, the Section Chief spoke a moment later.
"For those who have been called, please follow me. I will escort you personally to the designated gate. All Team Leaders are required to attend as well. Except for Team Leader Soran, who will remain here to oversee the Guild."
"Ah...?"
Leaning against one of the white pillars of the room, Soran looked at the Section Chief with a baffled look, taking out the toothpick from her mouth and flicking it towards a nearby member.
"Ow!"
"What do you mean except me?"
"I’m sure you understand this better than anyone. You’ve only just come back from the hospital after your treatment. You’re in no condition to participate in the gate. No matter how sharp your mind is, your body won’t be able to keep up, and you’ll only become a burden because of your current state. You have to stay here."
"But—"
"No."
"Tsk."
The exchange ended with the Team Leader clicking her tongue.
Everyone looked at her with sympathy. By now, everyone knew the Team Leader’s circumstances. No one doubted her talent, not even for a moment. Among everyone present, she was likely the most gifted member the Guild had ever produced. If not for her injury, her name would’ve probably risen to the top of the world rankings by now.
Due to her injury, she was unable to use her nodes.
She also had to travel often to the Central Island in order to treat the fractures in her node. The process was slow, bringing her out of the Guilds for weeks to months. For this reason, it was impossible for her to participate in the raid.
Soran understood this as well, and as such, she could only click her tongue to show her displeasure while mumbling, ’I should’ve delayed the treatment for another month. Fucking... idiot.’
The Section Chief ignored her mumbles and urged everyone to follow him.
"Let’s go. We don’t have much time. The situation is turning more and more serious with each passing minute."
He turned around and left a moment later.
Seth, Kyle, Zoey, and everyone else who had been called followed the Section Chief out of the Department.
The air grew tense as they moved, all eyes falling on them.
In that moment, everyone memorized the faces of those who were leaving.
Because—
This could very well be the last moment they saw them.
***
What was it like to be an anomaly?
Seth had been asking himself this question from the moment he found out about the past of the Conductor and how humans could turn into anomalies.
Were all anomalies humans...? Or was there more to it?
Did anomalies feel emotions? What did they see? Were they just programmed to complete their last wishes?
These had been questions that Seth had continuously asked himself in the past.
However, despite asking the Conductor, he received no answers.
The same was for Mirelle.
Nobody could give him an answer.
It was almost as if they didn’t know how to answer.
But now...?
Seth had finally caught a glimpse of the answers.
Cold.
That’s how he’d describe how he felt.
Numb.
That’s how he’d describe his state of mind.
Isolated.
That’s how he’d describe his existence.
He was both there and yet not. He didn’t feel any connection with the world, and as the cold pressed on, he realized that the world before his eyes was very different.
It was dark.
Pure dark.
However, amidst the darkness, he felt speckles of light scattered in all directions.
He also felt the power he had never felt in the past.
A power so strong that it threatened to consume him at every single second.
No...
It was already consuming him.
"....."
Raising his hand, Seth reached for the speckles of light. He didn’t know what he was doing, but it was almost as if his inner instincts had taken over.
From the moment he raised his hand and reached for the speckles of light, the pieces faded from his view. A faint throb reached his mind a moment later as something stirred within his chest.
Seth didn’t know what was happening, but he was in no state to care.
He continued to look around, reaching for more and more speckles. Each time he locked onto one, it would fade from his vision.
They were all similar to some extent, with some being brighter than others.
Those became a lot harder for him to consume.
The pain that came with the absorption was even greater.
However—
"...."
Seth didn’t care.
He just consumed each speckle.
His instincts had completely taken over, and all he could see was the darkness around him.
He didn’t even know he was still standing on the same spot he had been in the past, his eyes closed.
Mirelle, the Conductor, Mr. Jingles, the Realmwalker, and the vessel for Dantalion were all staring at him.
Nobody moved.
Nobody dared to move.
But this was only for a moment.
Realizing that this was the perfect opportunity for him to take over, Dantalion took a step forward.
His lips cracked into a smile.
This was the perfect change for him.
So long as he—
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
The surroundings shook fiercely.
Mirelle, Mr.Jingles, the Conductor, and the Realmwalker all faded from sight a moment later, leaving Dantalion alone.
His feet came to a pause.
Cra Crack!
His face changed once more, turning into that of a young child.
He didn’t look particularly fazed by what was happening.
In the end—
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
He could only watch as the surroundings around him started to crumble.
The vessel shook its head, the smile cracking on its face.
"I knew it... You are indeed the perfect Vessel. It would be such a waste for you to ruin such a good body. Let me take over inst—"
Seth’s eyes opened, revealing a pair of inky dark eyes that seemed to consume the very light from the surroundings.
As he quietly scanned the surroundings, his face turned paler.
Blood started to leak out from every orifice.
His Cognitive Shard pulsed with even greater intensity, growing increasingly out of control. The power emitted from his body grew as a result.
Dantalion’s expression changed.
"What are you doing?"
There were subtle hints of panic in his voice.
Not out of fear, but something else...
"What are you trying to do?"
Anxiousness.
"The body is going to shred completely if you—"
Dantalion couldn’t afford to lose this body. It was the perfect body for him. If he lost the body, then it would make it impossible for him to ascend.
But it was too late.
Before Dantalion could get his words out, Seth raised his hand.
The moment he did, a black fog appeared.
It consumed his entire body.
"No!"
Not even a moment later, the surroundings changed completely, turning into a massive office.
Click! Click! Click!
The repetitive sound of keys echoed a moment later.
At that moment, the surroundings warped as a gate appeared.
People began to enter a moment later.