Shrouded Seascape

Ilov's expression remained unchanging as he listened to his subordinate's report within the putrid cave.

"The Intelligence Analysis Team has reconstructed the general sequence of events using the clues that we have gathered so far. It all started with the 549-1s launching a surprise attack on this mountain using their array of aircraft.

"After reducing the number of enemies, 549 sent an army of its instances to attack 452's habitat. Judging from the specific nature of their injuries, both sides wanted a quick resolution to avoid drawing our attention.

"Based on the autopsy done on the corpses of 549-1 instances, the force that had split the entire mountain into two came from 452's side. The cross-section was analyzed, and it was deduced that the entire process took less than a second.

"As for why 452 had perished and became a pile of rotting meat, the Intelligence Analysis Team speculates that it might be a backlash of what 452 had done. 452 must have realized that victory was nowhere in sight, so it made an extreme sacrifice to drag 549 down with them."

"No," Ilov said, shaking his head vigorously. "That night wasn't 452 and 549's first encounter with each other. They are definitely aware of each other's capabilities. In addition, 549 wasn't even here; why would they make such an extreme sacrifice against mere 549-1s?

"Our records also show that 452's special abilities are all in the mental domain. Even if 452 had some trump card, it couldn't possibly be strong enough to split an entire mountain into two."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Ilov had dealt with 452 many times before. Strictly speaking, 452 was not a particularly powerful Anomaly. The IMF hadn't been able to contain them, as they were unusually good at escaping.

452 was an Anomaly with no physical form, and it also lived within one's consciousness. In other words, a single 452 instance was enough for 452 to gather enough people to parasitize.

"Yes, sir!" his subordinate replied and turned around to leave.

"Wait," Ilov called out and asked, "How are things with the witnesses?"

"It will take time. There are many of them, and they've become mentally unstable. I presume they must have developed PTSD upon getting caught in the crossfire between 452 and 549. The medical team has yet to obtain any valuable intelligence from them."

"How long do we have to wait? Have we already submitted an application for the authorization to use a Controllable Anomaly to examine the witnesses? We're in a pinch here, and we need those Anomalies as soon as possible. Why is HQ not responding at all?"

"We applied long ago, but HQ's response is the same as last time—you're not the only one in a pinch, and the others need the Controllable Anomalies more than you."

What could Ilov say to that? He could only wave his hand dismissively and let his subordinate leave. Of course, Ilov himself had to stay to manage and lead the IMF staffers here.

The cave remained bustling throughout the day, and work never stopped even as the elevated spotlights were turned on to provide light for the night.

Ilov stood by the foul lake, staring at the huge water pumps at work. The lake water mixed with rotting meat paste was being siphoned into water tanks. Soon, they would be flown away for examination.

To figure out exactly what had happened here, Ilov had decided to pack up the entire lake.

Ilov stayed by the lake until 3 a.m. when he finally decided to catch some sleep. He believed that the rest of the night would remain uneventful, so he went back to his car and wrapped himself up in his coat before lying down in the car.

It took no time for the disciplined and trained Ilov to fall asleep. At first, everything was normal, and he rapidly recovered his energy in his sleep, but then something changed—Ilov was dreaming.

"Where am I?" Ilov muttered in a daze. He suddenly found himself in an extremely dark forest covered with gray mist that made visibility practically zero.

After a moment's hesitation, Ilov lifted his feet and walked forward. The forest was surrounded by knee-deep and ice-cold seawater. The water was so cold that it made his feet tremble.

Soon, Ilov was shivering. When he could no longer feel his own warmth, his emotions spiraled down uncontrollably—sadness, despair, fear, and more negative emotions began to pervade his mind as he trudged through the cold seawater.

Despite the cold and his tumultuous emotions, Ilov couldn't stop moving at all. After an unknown amount of time, Ilov saw the outline of something between the tree branches up ahead.

Gritting his teeth, Ilov pushed aside the branches in front of him, and he saw it.

He saw a towering tree that seemed to be made out of flesh and blood. At that moment, Ilov was engulfed by its power which was as boundless and as vast as the starry skies. Before such power, he was nothing; mankind was nothing.

The next second, negative emotions that were so overwhelming that they seemed almost palpable came crashing down on Ilov like a tidal wave. Just as Ilov was about to be engulfed by the tidal wave, he was shaken awake.

"Leader, there's new information at the field hospital!" a brown-haired young man exclaimed excitedly as he shook his superior awake.

Ilov was stunned. When he recalled his dream, his pupils constricted to needle points.

"Are the others sleeping? Where are they? Have they reported any nightmares?" Ilove questioned.

The experienced Ilov immediately became wary, realizing the possibility that perhaps his earlier dream was an oneirohazard[1], which had to be addressed as soon as possible.

Seeing his superior's tense face, the young man dared not delay and quickly rushed out of the tent to lead Ilov toward the tent where an IMF staffer on night watch was staying.

When Ilov came out of the tent, his nervousness transformed into confusion. Strange, the others didn't have that kind of nightmare. Was it just me?

Ilov dared not jump to conclusions when it came to a potential oneirohazard, and he planned to sleep somewhere else next time.

"Why did you wake me up again?" Ilov asked, looking down at his watch to find that it was only 5 A.M. In other words, he had only been asleep for two hours.

"They found some new clues at the field hospital, and they want you to come over and see it for yourself," the brown-haired young man replied.

"Let's go, then," Ilov replied.

The two soon reached the field hospital in the rear. Every ward was surrounded by thick curtains, and the hospital was also busy treating and interrogating the traumatized tourists.

A military doctor led Ilov to a certain ward housing a freckled young woman curled up on the hospital bed.

The freckled young woman looked haggard. Her eyes were sunken, and her hair was messy; she was a shadow of her former cheerful self. She had become quite timid, and her gaze darted around the ward, clearly avoiding the gazes of the newcomers.

"Her name is Olivia, and she's an art student from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She's one of the tourists who got caught up in this incident," the military doctor introduced the patient's information.

"Get to the point—what clues does she have to offer for us?"

The military doctor said nothing. Instead, he took out a pile of scattered lego blocks from the drawer and brought them to her. The military stood before Olivia, who was shrinking back in fear, and gently said in Greek, "Olivia, επαναλάβετεπριν."[2]

1. An anomalous hazard that occurs in dreams. ☜

2. Olivia, repeat what you did before. ☜