"My God..." Arthur murmured, stopping beside me. His eyes, wide open, were fixed on what we had once called the Sun. Now, however, it was nothing more than a fragmented, unrecognizable sight, its distorted shape marked by visible cracks spreading like fissures in glass on the verge of shattering.
As Arthur scanned the surroundings, his expression grew darker. And, to be honest, I couldn't blame him for it.
My eyes, however, instinctively drifted to the children playing in the yard of the house across the street — perhaps a reflection of some lingering humanity within me.
But the reality was far crueler: all around us, unconscious bodies covered the ground, a silent reminder of the gravity of our situation.
Their bodies, just like those of the two children, were cracking, fragmenting with each passing second, as if something inside them desperately fought to break free. The dry sound of the fissures opening echoed in the air, intensifying the sense of something about to collapse.
I had no idea what was happening — it was a chaotic, inexplicable scene. Yet one thing seemed certain: the little girl transformed into an anomaly didn't appear to have caused this. On the contrary, her body remained still, her expression serene, as though she were simply sleeping amidst the chaos.
But even in the midst of all this confusion, a strange, unfamiliar feeling began to rise within me with increasing intensity. I knew what was happening, or at least, I should have known, because something inside me told me that was what I was feeling.
In a way, it was as if my mind, once fragmented and scattered, was slowly starting to piece together something important. It just needed a push, a nudge, for it to finally bring together everything that needed to be unified — or at least, that's how I felt.
As I sank into my thoughts, Arthur, beside me, broke the silence. His expression was grim, his gaze lost in the scene before us. In a low, tense voice, he murmured: "The situation is much worse than I imagined... If it weren't for you, we'd probably already have turned into... something else"
Arthur spoke, turning to look at me naturally as he said those words. But honestly, if I had to be honest, I hadn't done anything wrong. I mean, my Alter Ego might even be considered an extension of my powers, though I prefer to treat it as a version of myself. After all, technically, and indeed, that's exactly what it is.
In the end, the one who really did something was him. Most of the time, he acts alone, and this time was no different. I mean, I may have panicked for a moment, especially when the little girl suddenly ejected an anomaly from her back, and at that moment, I asked for help, not in words, but deep in my mind. But in the end, the one who really took charge was my Alter Ego, not me.
In the end, a soft, almost imperceptible sigh escaped my lips, something that, I admit, surprised me. I didn't exactly know what made me sigh; it seemed to be an involuntary gesture.
However, there was one thing I could clearly perceive: for some reason, I felt guilty for everything that was happening. There was no concrete justification for this guilt, but still, it consumed me, as if, somehow, I was responsible for everything happening around me.
Pushing that disturbing feeling aside, I refocused my attention on the sun hanging above us. The cracks on its surface were becoming more evident, while the gaps, as if they had a life of their own, continued to emit an intense light, as radiant as the sun itself.
My eyes, once golden and soft, now gleamed with a vibrant hue, reflecting a blend of colors that changed constantly, as if they were part of the very phenomenon. Just like my eyes, the world around me also seemed to shift, taking on a strange and unfamiliar shape, as though everything was distorting as I watched.
Looking at the sun, I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, surprised. Contrary to what I had imagined, it hadn't turned into an anomaly.
Normally, that would be the logical sequence, given the cracks marking its surface. However, it was precisely these cracks that stood out, glowing in rainbow colors, as though the sun's light itself was being shaped by them.
Both the cracks and the radiant golden light emanating from them shone with a unique intensity, making the sun seem even more mysterious.
But that wasn't all. Around us, small, snowflake-like bits were falling slowly, shimmering in a multitude of colors that changed like a rainbow illuminated by soft light.
No matter where I looked, there were flakes floating around me, dancing in the air. With a gentle gesture, I raised my hand in an attempt to catch one.
However, as soon as the flake touched my skin, it slid gently around me, as if an invisible barrier surrounded my body, gently pushing it away with a peculiar lightness. The same happened with all the other flakes, which moved fluidly, always avoiding direct contact.
I was confused and looked at Arthur, observing him closely. One of the flakes was approaching his body, slowly floating toward him. However, just before touching his skin, a golden light briefly appeared, illuminating the surroundings with a bright glow.
Unexpectedly, the flake was diverted, passing around Arthur as if an invisible force had redirected it. I blinked, stunned, not understanding what had just happened. To make sure I wasn't imagining things, I turned my gaze to the children across the street.
But unlike Arthur and me, the flakes floating above them didn't divert. Instead, they fixed on their bodies, as though absorbing their essence. The moment this happened, a small crack appeared in each of their skins, as if something inside them had broken.
Looking around, I noticed a car stopped by the side of the road, with a man and a woman inside, both unconscious. Their faces were marked by cracks on their cheeks, as though an invisible impact had hit them.
When I got closer, I noticed something even stranger: snowflakes passing through the car, as if it simply didn't exist there.
It was as if the snowflakes weren't metaphysical in nature, which, to be honest, made no sense, since when they touched humans, they clearly showed physical behavior.
For a moment, my eyes wandered around, briefly stopping on the people lying on the ground, their bodies broken and distorted in ways I couldn't comprehend. The sight was devastating.
I really didn't know what to do, how I could stop this. I mean, the one responsible for all this chaos was right there, calm, sleeping in a cocoon that, to my frustration, I had no idea how to open.
Arthur approached me, his eyes quickly scanning the inside of the car. I tried to imagine what was going through his mind at that moment. His lips moved slowly, and with a contained sigh, he finally spoke.
His words echoed in the silence, carrying a strange calm: "Considering how the sun has changed, I have a feeling this is happening all over the world. But I think I'm okay, being close to you"
Arthur said, his gaze turning to me. I, in turn, just shrugged, not really knowing how to react. The truth is, I wasn't completely sure that's what was really happening. I mean, maybe he was, somehow, benefiting from the situation, but I couldn't say that for sure.
However, for a brief moment, as I reflected more deeply on Arthur's words, a sinister feeling took over me. If this was happening in multiple parts of the world, it was probably affecting Emily and Laura too.
For some reason, the image of the two of them lying there, their bodies breaking apart, caused me immense discomfort. But somehow, something inside me seemed to simply swallow that feeling, as if trying to suppress it. In the end, only the bitter sensation of discomfort remained, persistent and unsettling.
Shaking my head from side to side, I put on a serious expression. I knew that, most likely, I would be the only one capable of solving this situation. After all, I was the only one who could see things that others couldn't.
I focused my vision around me, paying attention to every detail. It was as if my eyes had a heightened, almost supernatural perception, making me a spectator of what was happening. With this ability, nothing could escape my watchful gaze.
It was at that exact moment that I noticed something. Well, "noticed" might be the more accurate word, since I wasn't really seeing it, but rather observing it.
Although these two expressions may sound similar, they have different meanings. Anyway, the point is that my eyes were able to detect a cluster of snowflakes coming from the center of the city.
Or rather, it seemed like they originated from the top of a building, but with so many others around, I couldn't quite tell what was there. And, curiously, I don't know if it was just a coincidence, but that building seemed to be the tallest in the entire city.
With my eyes back to normal, I took a step toward Arthur. My hands, slightly trembling from tension, grabbed the edge of his coat firmly, forcing him to look at me.
The next moment, I pointed one of my fingers precisely at the building where the snowflakes were gathering. Arthur, still confused, followed my gesture with his eyes, but it was clear that, to him, there was nothing to see.
From his perspective, the place was empty, with no signs of what was happening. Feeling the urgency of the situation, I transmitted my words mentally, like an invisible nudge.
(The snowflakes up there... we need... to get there) I sent mentally, my gaze fixed on Arthur.
His eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, he looked away, shifting between the enormous building in the city center and my expression. The next second, a heavy sigh escaped his lips, breaking the silence: "Snowflakes? I can't see anything... I don't know what's going on, but it seems like you found something that might help us solve this"
I simply nodded at his words, and the next moment, I began walking, leading Arthur to his car. Honestly, there was no more practical option to get there.
I couldn't use my shadow-walking ability, since the sun made any visible shadows impossible to use. In other words, we had the option to walk or take a car to get there.
In the end, the most obvious choice was the car. As soon as Arthur and I got in the vehicle, he started driving toward the building I had pointed out.
As we drove along the road, the scenes began to intensify. Cars were stopped in the middle of the road, people were passed out, and even some accidents were becoming more and more visible. With each mile, the scene seemed to get worse.
It wasn't hard to imagine that many of the drivers had passed out while driving at high speed, and, well... the result wasn't a pleasant sight. The wreckage and bodies scattered along the road were a clear reminder of how the situation had spiraled out of control.
In the end, as we got closer, all I could do was hope that Emily, Laura... and, of course, Victor were safe. Like it or not, they were the only people I could truly say, without hesitation, that I cared about.
I didn't see myself as someone capable of committing something like serial murders, or anything like that. If there were people in need, and I had the chance to help, I would probably do it without a second thought.
However, helping someone just because I can and genuinely caring for people I barely know are two very different things.
In the end, I decided to direct my gaze forward, fixing my eyes on the top of the building ahead, where the snowflakes seemed to slowly accumulate, covering everything around with a silent layer.
Deep down, I knew, no matter how much my eyes were fixed on the destruction taking shape around me, there was nothing I could do to stop it. In a way, my affiliation and the powers I possessed seemed more tied to destruction than to any form of salvation or hope.