"Three seconds. I suggest you start running."

As soon as those words left his lips, a bright glow stretched vastly across the sky and brightly illuminated down below. The ethereal and polished blue hue mixed in with the monochromatic saturation of the city provided both an eerie and paranormal atmosphere.

Everyone's gaze, including yours, directed up above. Large blue holographic projections were scattered across the sky, each one showing a high angle of what was happening right this moment. In other words, they were like floating TV screens showing live footage of the SF trial.

The screen didn't only show the candidates where you were currently, but also from other points of the abandoned city as there were multiple buses that departed for the trial and each crashed at different points of the city. Honestly, even after finishing the game you still couldn't fathom how the TDD managed to create something so advanced. Eve sure is something.

Murmurs arose from the candidates as some looked at the screens in awe. You couldn't blame them. Even though you already witnessed the sight in-game, you were suppressing the temptation to let your inner Anomalous fan out at how cool the futuristic holographic screens looked.

Alright... Elias said to run, right?

Pushing your dominant foot back and the other foot forward whilst bending your legs, you exhaled slowly and wisps of smoke left your lips due to the frigid air. You looked straight ahead, mind and senses focused.

I'll be borrowing the wolf's strength for a bit.

A surge of power coursed through your legs and you pushed your feet off, wind hitting your face as you sprinted past Elias––not before making a fraction of a millisecond of eye contact with him––and headed straight towards the apparitions. With every stride of your leg, strength intoxicated your body and with every leap you took, you almost believed for a second you could reach up and touch the holographic screens high above the sky.

A collapsed building captured your attention and you made a quick stop, expertly shifted your direction, and ran towards it. Adrenaline wildy overflowed your body like a strong and uncontrollable current. It made parkouring your way up to the top of the building almost child's play.

The mist began to become more prominent, obscuring your vision and blurring your pathway up. Trusting your instincts, you jumped and were glad to find your hands latching onto the edge of the top of the building. And, with great strength, you pulled yourself up.

Alright, now you had a high view of the apparitions and the mist was hiding you from the cameras. It wasn't like they were omnipresent. There were blindspots and ways to hide from them just like any regular camera. You weren't overly cautious about hiding your ability, it was inevitable that it will be found out, but it was better to not reveal it too early on while you were still unsure of it yourself.

A nervous chuckle came from you when you were face to face with one of the apparition's. The mist that surrounded it only made it's grotesque features a lot more terrifying. And the fact that it was just staring at you with an unsettling grin did not help. It's size easily towered over you. You were basically a speck of dust compared to it.

However, the size difference can be a good thing. The trick to deal with the larger ones is to keep moving. Yes, their screams are incredibly painful and will literally render you imobile at this range, but it takes time for the apparition to take action. Consistent movement will impede them from screaming since they needed to lock onto you first in a fixated place.

"Okay, the next difficult thing," you mumbled. "Using my ability that I barely know the details of to deal with them."

Apparitions are a manifestation of one's self preservation, one's strong desire to live, so strong to where it transcends death and allows a second life an apparition. However, these apparitions weren't created quite like that. Long story short, they were forced to keep living even though they wanted to pass on.

So, exorcising them should end their pain, right? They wanted their suffering to end, right?

You assume your ability had something to do with understanding an apparition's story, to be able to empathize with them as if you were in their shoes. However, you weren't too confident with your take. You knew their story and you strung together the theories, but you couldn't make out the emotional connection as strongly as you hoped.

There's no time to dwell on this any longer.

You quickly summoned your pen and brought the book out. The tip of the pen glowed as you scribbled down the apparition's story. However, it didn't feel the same when you did it for the wolf. The writing process was rigid and difficult, you felt like you were battling with the pen to get words down, and each sentence held a vestige of doubt despite the certain knowledge you had regarding what happened to these apparitions.

The last line was finished off, the glowing sentence diming. Suddenly, a sharp pain struck your head, evoking a pained cry out of you and throwing you off balance. The words on the pages disappeared.

It... didn't work?

Concentration shattered, your momentum was interrupted and you lost the strength you borrowed from the wolf. The apparition was stretching its mouth wide open, aiming directly at you.

Ah, you're not going to be able to dodge this one.

Taking a step back, you hadn't realised that there was no more ground. You ended up falling off the building.

Well, shit.

Though you accounted for the potential for failure, you were still hopeful you could have some control over one of the biggest threats in the trial.

Unless you wanted to fall to your imminent death, you supposed you were going to have to summon the wolf pretty early on. As you were about to do so, a flash of yellow sparked through the mist in the corner of your eye. Before you knew it, someone rushed in to save you mid air.

And there was only one individual associated with pale yellow and was fast enough to reach you.

With a swift landing, Amias carefully let you down. Immediately after that, he turned you around and said something you couldn't make out due to your earplugs.

Might as well take them off. The earplugs were only there for the very beginning of the SF trial, they'll be useless from now on.

"(Y/n), (Y/n)! Are you okay?!"

From the furrow of his eyebrows to the sense of urgency in his usually soft spoken voice, Amias looked more panicked than you did.

You smiled. "I'm okay, thanks for the save."

The mist obscured your view, only allowing you to see distant silhouettes of AEI members and apparitions. But judging from the sound of shouts, screams, and buildings collapsing and being destroyed––it was safe to assume the SF trial had truly begun.

"(Y/n), please don't rush into danger like that," Amias said. "I was really worried."

Seeing him so compassionate made it all the more baffling that he ended up massacring everyone in the game's finale.

"I'm glad you're worried, but you should take care of yourself. Whatever happens to me happens."

He frowned. "But––"

You and Amias both jumped back when a building collapsed, splitting the two of you up. Dust and debri weighed the air and a large crack split the ground. Any later and you would've been crushed, you didn't need to die that way again. Faintly, you heard Amias's worried shouts. You shouted as loudly as you could that you were fine and that the two of you needed to go your separate ways.

With how much exorcising that was taking place, the mist began to clear up a little. Now you could see in detail what was going on.

A wide grin across his lips, Caleb's green eyes brightened with excitement as explosions blasted throughout the area––distorting the senses of the apparitions and rendering them unable to attack him. Sara and Elias were working closely with each other, swiftly exorcising the apparitions together without a worry about the screams. You lost sight of Finn and Cecil.

Some may say this trial was an advantage to the current SF members. But honestly? You thought otherwise. The memories this place was swarming with weren't exactly pleasant. And if they're not careful, these memories could lead to their downfall.

Especially for Caleb.

"Okay, let's pray I don't get lost."

With a destination in mind, you began sprinting whilst trying your best to be as unnoticeable as possible to the apparitions. As long as you kept moving, you'd be okay. Regular apparitions were most likely everywhere, but you weren't as prone to possession from them like before. They weren't a major issue.

However, one wrong move or stroke of bad luck and you were done for. The thought of it terrified you, honestly. Not because of death itself, but because you'd suffer a lot first. Being in such a dangerous situation with only yourself to rely on, yourself who did not originally come from this world, yourself who only recently strengthened their resolve. Yes, you had knowledge. But physical capabilities and exorcism skills were essentials you weren't naturally proficient in.

The more you thought about it, the more you realised how reliant on luck you were going to be during this trial.

There were two types of apparitions you should be wary of. The one at the start were called 'abnormal apparitions' whilst there was another kind called 'irregular apparitions'. These ones didn't destroy your eardrums like the former, however what made them dangerous was their means of possession. You had no confidence holding out against them. If you tried, you would actually descend into insanity.

Thankfully, after a few close calls, you reached the place you were hoping to find. No irregular or abnormal apparitions around, you took a second to catch your breath before cautiously walking onwards.

This was a place you know of not because the game directly mentioned it, but thanks to you vigorously piecing scattered bits of details and lore together during your time playing Anomalous.

A research facility. Well, was one. It was unrecognisable now. At this point in time it was nothing more than a building with more than half its structure turned into a scattered debris mess after half a century.

Half a century. That was how long ago the AEI was created. Before the AEI's establishment, the chairman led a research facility where they performed experiments on captured apparitions. Not only that, they also took in and sheltered some people. Who were they? Well, those outside of the city who were struggling to survive were taken in promising safety and shelter in exchange for participating in a few... tests. The younger the individual is, the easier they were to convince.

To spare the long story, the facility fell into ruins after a certain incident. All evidence were erased and the chairman was the sole survivor.

Well, at least that's what was directly told. If your theory making skills were on point, there should be other survivors. Though, not exactly human survivors. But not the abnormal and irregular apparitions either.

So, why did you come here?

Because this place might help you get one step closer to getting a crucial advantage that might help you get Anomalous to reach a good conclusion.

With a shaky exhale, you walked into the building.

A disquieted silence stilled the area. The fractured walls and ceilings felt like hollowed out eyes staring at you, observing your every move. The brief incidence of wind that slipped into the building whispered eerily and the subtle cold felt like hands brushing against your skin despite your thick jacket.

Every accidental noise you made due to the debris on the ground felt like it'd trigger something to emerge from the shadows and attack you, and the deeper you delved into the building, the more darkness consumed your vision and the more the feeling of apprehension grew in your body. Sometimes you'd spot broken beds and wardrobes in random places. That gave off the feeling of a prison pretending to be a comfortable home.

It was safe to say that you were pretty spooked.

Knowing that there were no cameras here, you summoned your book and flipped to a blank page.

Okay. Let's get it right this time. Imagine yourself in their shoes and truly understand how they feel. You might not know the full story, but you know enough of this world to get a good sense of it.

Apprehension? Betrayal? Panic?

No, no. None of those.

"..."

"..."

...I think I get it.

The words strung your hands along, the sentences writing themselves out. The edge of your palm felt like it was gliding across ice with how smoothly your hands wrote across the pages. Because the information you knew was scattered bits of lore, it was your job to stitch this information into a short narrative that correctly encapsulated the emotions and details.

When you approached the end of the sentence, the dimly lit area suddenly became pitch black. Before you even had the chance to be confused, you dropped your book and pen and your hands shot to your throat as your airway was restrained, crippling your ability to breathe properly.

You winced and let out a choked gasp. I... don't think this is a possession. It hurts, but I can hold out for a bit.

You were about to take action, but were left surprised at how short the struggle was. After barely a few seconds, the pain subsided and you gasped for air.

Carefully, you stood up and tried walking. With every step you took, you felt like you were making no progress, as if you were just wandering in an infinite space with no sense of closure. You resummoned the book and flipped it to the very start and felt your way through the pages. Thankfully, you remembered the page number the wolf's lore was on and didn't need light to find it. When you reached the page, you tore it off and the paper illuminated brightly in your hand––a mix of silver and pale blue hue––and manifested into the wolf.

Thanks to him, there was more light in the area. Though, there wasn't much you could see aside from a small radius.

"Mochi! How are you holding up?"

Mochi happily greeted you with a bark and you patted his head. Then, with one quick hand gesture, you commanded him to sniff out any apparitions in the area. Specifically, the perpetrator for the sudden darkness. With an excited nod, Mochi sniffed the ground and ran off.

A few seconds passed and you heard giggles echo around you. They sounded like they belonged to children.

"Huh? She's not dead yet?"

"What? There are so many ghosts around! How did she not get possessed?"

"Wait! Wait! I see something coming at us!"

"Is that a––"

You distantly heard someone getting tackled to the ground. As soon as that happened, the darkness around you cleared up and you sighed in relief.

Mochi dutifully rushed back to you, panting and eagerly waiting for your praise. You smiled and patted his head again. What a huge ball of adorable fluff.

"A ghost working with a human? Wow~"

"A big dog! So fluffy! I want to pet him!"

"He just ran into me! Why didn't you guys help me up?!"

"Oh, sorry."

"Hmph!"

Children? Okay, you did not expect that.

You awkwardly cleared your throat. "Uh... hi?"

"Is she talking to us?"

"I want to pet the dog! Let's go! Let's go!"

"Idiot! You're getting lured into her trap––hey!"

Emerging through one of the walls, a small girl excitedly ran up to you. Short and messy ash blonde hair with shattered ends, ivory skin, and a cheerful grin––what caught your attention most were her eyes. Light brown pupils that had an antique clockwork pattern. The clock hands were frozen at half past twelve.

She ran straight into Mochi with a joyful squeal, snapping you out of your small trance. Mochi licked her and she giggled.

"Big sister, is the dog a he or she?"

Big sister?

"He." You found out Mochi's gender with a simple game of 'bark when I say the correct gender'.

"Okay! What's his name?"

"Mochi. The original owner named him that. It's a long story, but we recently began working together."

"Mochi! That's so cute––"

"This is why I can't ever trust you! You always run off without me!"

Another kid emerged from the wall. He looked like a splitting image of the girl aside from the shorter hair and more boyish features. Were they twins?

He threw his arms up with a frustrated huff. "Great! Now we don't look scary anymore!"

You chuckled nervously. Oh no, don't worry. I am still kinda afraid I'll get choked out again.

The girl frowned. "But... big fluffy dog."

Her brother looked at Mochi. He looked like he wanted to pet him but was trying his hardest to refrain from doing so. "That's a wolf."

"Oh."

"You two––great. Plan A and B failed."

Another kid came into view. However, instead of phasing through the walls, he emerged from the shadows.

The girl tilted her head. "What was plan B?"

The boy shrugged. "I don't know. But I bet it would have failed anyway."

You looked at the boy. What was it with these kids and having really cool eyes? His irises were black, but his pupils were silver and diamond shaped, the shade matching his white hair that had hints of black on the tips.

The diamond eyed boy glared at you, but said no words.

"Hi... kid. Can I help you?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Don't call me kid! I'm supposed to be at least over 50!"

The girl laughed. "But we were asleep for 50 years! Wait, does that still mean we're adults anyway?" Her lips pursed in thought. "I hope not. That means we'll be like those grown ups with white coats?"

Her brother had an unpleasant look. "Yuck. I say that we're still kids."

"And since we're ghosts, we'll be kids forever," the boy with diamond eyes said. "Anyways, let's get out of here."

Your eyes widened. "Oh, word of advice. Don't head south."

The ash blonde twins looked at you as the hands of the clock in their eyes made a full 360. That was kind of terrifying, but mostly cool.

They both asked in unison, "Why?"

"It's... boring there?"

The boy with diamond eyes looked at you doubtfully. "Liar. Plus, why do we need to listen to you?"

"Respect your elders?"

He stuck out his tongue. "No! You're just an old woman."

You gasped. "I'm in my early twenties, mind you."

The twins agreed with their friend and both said, "Yeah! Why do we need to listen to you?"

"I'll let you pet Mochi?"

The girl's eyes lit up. "Okay! I won't go south!"

Her brother looked utterly betrayed.

The diamond eyed boy rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I'm still not listening to you."

A dramatic sigh left your lips. "You're just too afraid to go up north since there's more action. A pity, I thought you were braver than that."

He shot you an annoyed look. "I am brave!"

"No you're not."

"Yes I am!"

"Nuh-uh."

You were being so incredibly petty. It was hilarious.

The boy let out a groan of frustration. "Fine! We're heading north! And I'm going to prove that I'm brave!"

You smiled. "Good luck!"

"You're supposed to be mad!"

"I am incredibly furious. Gosh darn, I could break a stick or something."

He looked like he was on the verge of screaming. Though, instead of doing that, he grabbed the twins and dragged them out of the building. You cheerfully waved goodbye to the three of them before they disappeared from your sight.

You let out a sigh. So, the survivors were children, huh? Not totally out of the question, but not what you expected. You were honestly still a little baffled at what just happened.

At least you stopped them from going south. That was where a lot of the game's plot was going to occur. Them being wrapped up in it will hinder a lot of your plans. You didn't doubt their ability to survive. If your inference is correct, then their abilities as apparitions wouldn't be anything to underestimate. In fact, they might even be able to hold their ground against an SF member.

Man, am I glad to spend hours looking at minuscule details in the game. Seeing what you crafted as a theory to actually be correct was not only cool, but very fulfilling as a fan of the game.

Now, the hard part. Somehow getting them on your side.

Interrupting your thoughts, you heard distant shouts of people. You quickly dismissed Mochi and he morphed back into the page that was torn off before.

You stepped out of the building and saw a group of exorcists. Among them, you saw a very familiar face. Lyle. Ah, shoot. This was his offense team. You did not have the energy to deal with them.

Okay, plan A. Sneak away from them.

As soon as you tried to execute that plan, you saw an abnormal apparition headed your way.

Okay, plan A failed.

Immediately, you made a run for it in the opposite direction. Being discreet about it wasn't a priority, so you weren't surprised when Lyle saw you. You had to stop running when another abnormal apparition blocked your path. Seeing the hollowed out eyes, disturbingly sharp teeth, and groquest details up close was not a pleasant sight. The apparition's mouth stretched and you immediately ran right past it. It stopped to slowly turn around.

Collapsed buildings blocked your path and you had nowhere to run. You were about to borrow Mochi's strength again to get past the buildings, but Lyle appeared right in front of you, catching you a little off guard.

His red eyes faintly illuminated as a pattern that resembled a sniper's scope appeared in them. With a snap of his fingers, large bullets appeared beside him and shot the apparition, exorcising it. With a stern command, he ordered his group to take care of the rest of the apparitions.

Were you feeling confused as to why Lyle saved you? Not really. You had an idea of what's going to happen next and were currently brainstorming several ideas on how you were going to handle the aftermath of everything.

Hah... at least I was saved.

A sharp bump on your shoulder caught your attention. You looked over to see a girl with dark red hair scoffing at you.

"Had fun leeching off us?"

You didn't have a chance to respond before an irregular apparition went straight towards you. Lyle was close by, but he simply glanced at your way and made no moves to save you.

The irregular apparition's lips stretched into a disturbingly wide smile and you felt a force knock you off your feet and slamming you against the wall. You coughed violently, but no blood came out. You managed to borrow Mochi's power just in time, but it still hurt.

You peeled yourself off the wall and staggered a little and you glanced over to the group of exorcists.

The girl with red hair looked at you before she laughed loudly. "Hah! She's still standing!"

Her comment catalysed the rest of the team to join in on the mockery.

"Maybe she is good for something!"

"Go support member! Put on a show for us!"

You desperately wished the apparition would just attack them, but once it locked on a target, it won't let go of it. You were basically an animal in a cage, fighting for survival in front of an audience. That pissed you off. To them, this trial, a trial where some were fighting for survival, was a good source of entertainment.

And Lyle was just letting it all happen. You locked eyes with him and he mouthed.

"You said your life was of no concern of mine."

Your eyes widened before you bitterly chuckled. "Hypocrite––"

The irregular apparition slammed you against the wall again. Even it was mocking you, having the time of its life throwing you around like a ragged doll. Any moment now it would try to possess you and knowing the horrifying consequences of that, you forced yourself to stand up.

Your mind was spinning in pain as you desperately tried thinking up a plan. Whenever your mind cleared up a little and you had a train of thought going, you were thrown against either a wall or the ground.

This isn't working... At this rate, you'll really die.

You coughed, wiping the blood off your lips before collapsing against the wall.

With an annoyed click of his tongue, Lyle rushed to exorcise the apparition before it got to you.

"Alright, everyone fuck off. Leave me alone with her."

His team wanted to protest, but one sharp glare from Lyle made them leave without questions. He loomed over you and you weakly sat up.

"How the hell do you expect to survive this trial?" He scoffed. "I was surprised to see that you've made it this far, but guess it was only because of luck."

You coughed. "Why... did you save me several times, then? Letting the apparitions kill me would be easier."

"To make sure of something."

Body growing weaker and exhausted, you forced yourself to remain conscious. You needed to buy more time so you kept asking questions you knew the answer to. "Of what?"

"Crushing any confidence that you have any chances to survive will ensure you don't come back as a damned apparition. Consider this as an act of mercy."

"Well, I am still determined to live." You laughed weakly. "Maybe I'll come back to haunt you? Maybe being an apparition isn't so bad haha..."

Lyle's expression darkened and a red mark glowed on your arm. A bullet shot right at it, causing you to cry out in pain as you gripped onto your arm and fell to your knees. God, it hurts. No blood was drawn, but it felt like your entire arm was on fire.

Then, another target appeared on your abdominal. You let out a staggered gasp as you violently hacked out blood, tears pooling in the corners of your eyes.

Almost there. Almost there. Hold out for a little longer.

Lyle's eyes remained fixated on you. Seeing your weakened state momentarily fractured his cold and merciless demeanour. There was a sense of resolve in his actions despite some inklings of doubt. He believed what he was doing was right.

You didn't understand his entire story unlike some other characters. However, you did believe that his actions weren't to intentionally be malicious, but something as a result from a past experience. After all, the ideologies and values in the world of Anomalous are different from the world you were from. So, even if he's attacking you, you couldn't find it in yourself to truly hate him. You wanted to know the reasons behind his actions and make your judgement from there.

"Lyle, you're prolonging this..." Your next words weren't genuinely your thoughts, but were spoken in hopes of provoking a reaction. "I'm already suffering enough, you know. Doing something like this... it's pretty cruel."

Lyle's eyes widened for a fraction of a second and he panicked for a moment and accidentally shot your other arm. Again, you cried out in pain and he averted his eyes away from you, hands clenched and eyes glaring at the ground. Slowly, he turned to meet you. He took in a deep breath and marked a target on your forehead.

"If you're so eager to die, then I'll finish this now."







A/n: Goddamit, Lyle

This chapter was a lil information heavy so I apologise for that. But I def had fun writing the action scenes hehe