Chapter 9: Oddity

  A faint light illumihe room where rad ractig. He sat in a meditative posture, in sync with the world of the unknown. His body felt light as feathers, as if detached and floating in some higher dimension. Before him, a glow vibrated silently with energy fluctuations—his Brahman maing itself clearly.

  My body o act as a field that make these fluctuations happehought.

  There are many theories regarding Brahman maion, but generally nobody has agreed on any singur theory. Still, it's widely accepted that the thinking body as a field ma Brahman more easily.

  rad tried to trate on giving his Brahman shape, but it remained like water without a tainer. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't tain it. He began p more energy into it. As the Brahmaed, his room bzed with bright light, but rad felt his energy draining rapidly.

  No, this isn't right. Remember what Anira said: Practice effiot scale.

  As rad calmed his output, a strange halluation struck him—aaring directly at him.

  What the—

  His Brahman dispersed instantly as his eyes snapped open. A voice called from outside.

  "Brother, are you there?"

  A female voice? Did something happen to my sisters? Wait, let me calm down first.

  rad surveyed his room for potential dangers. Just to be sure, let me use my senses.

  He sighed. Good, there's nothing. I don't know what that weird image was. It looked like an eye.

  When he opened his door, Cra stood there with teary eyes.

  What happened while I was inside?

  "Cra? What's the matter?"

  "Brother, sorry I'm being a bother, but believe me, I saw something i."

  The kit? Isn't that where I saw that Oddity st time? Wait, it's impossible. An Oddity 't cross Anira's barrier.

  rad's face grew serious, his thoughts rag to determihe course of a.

  Is it possible the Oddity is much stronger and broke through Anira's barrier? That would be terrifying.

  "I know you don't believe me, but..." Cra shifted awkwardly, desperate in fag her brother for the first time.

  rad pced his hand on Cra's head and said with a warm smile, hiding their terrifying situation, "I believe you, Cra. You're my precious sister—why wouldn't I believe you?"

  Cra's eyes felt some guilt. She wao hug her brother but held back. For the first time, she felt someone besides Leona was reliable—and it was her than a man, her most hated person, her brother.

  "rad, should we cheside the kit?" Cra asked.

  rad thought deeply. Without Anira, it's too dangerous. One misstep and we'll meet an unfortue. Better to leave it alone for now. We haven't been hurt, which means it won't harm us for now. I remember Anira told me Oddities usually don't have logical thinking—they a instinct.

  "Cra, if I ask you not to go to the kit, will you listen to my request?"

  Cra paused before replying, "Yes, I will listen."

  "Good girl. Why did you want to go to the kit?"

  "I wao drink some water."

  "Oh, I have two bottles in my room. Let me get one for you."

  "Ah, rad......I stay with you until Leona es back?" Cra asked, tugging slightly at his sleeve.

  She's stubborn but a very good girl at heart.

  "Sure, e in."

  At 9:00 PM, Leona and Isalde returned.

  "Wele back," rad said, walking toward the door to receive his sisters.

  "Cra fell asleep in my room. I think she was tired from her studies."

  Hearing those words, Leona and Isalde exged gnces. Isalde smiled at rad and asked, ", did something happen while we were away?"

  "Nothing serious. She was just a little afraid, so I let her stay in my room."

  "Yes, she gets afraid easily," Leona said while removing her shoes.

  "Should we wake her for dinner?"

  "I'll do it," Leona replied.

  rad gazed toward the kit, lost in thought. After Cra fell asleep, I used my sensing ability to deteomalies. I found nothing, but I'm just a beginner. Still, there should have been something. Maybe the Oddity left? But why so suddenly?

  After some small talk, the Valor family sat at their respective seats and had a pleasant family dinner, unaware of something—or someog them silently.

  When the clock struck midnight and every woman in the Valor household slept, a lone young man walked the hallway, his sharp eyes focused on the distant er of the kit.

  "Anira."

  A figure emerged from the young man's shadow. In the darkness, her feminiures could only be described as otherworldly, anding darkness itself with her mere presence. Her crimson eyes pierced through any night, her snow-white skin outshining pure winter, her corset dress blending with shadows in timeless mystique. As Anira emerged, she parted her crimson lips and responded.

  "Yes, my lord."

  rad studied his partner, who wore a deep blue, almost bck corset dress with matg gloves.

  Another new dress? Is there a shopping mall inside my shadow? Not that I care, but if you ever marry, your husband will suffer greatly.

  rad quipped. Anira gave him a knowing look.

  Did she just read my mind or something ?

  "My lord, this will be dangerous. Please stay close to me."

  rad nodded and expined Cra's i.

  "It's really odd..." Anira furrowed her brow in thought before speg, "My lord, my barrier prevents Oddities from entering from outside, but one could exist within if it was here to begin with."

  rad's eyes sharpened. Very iing. I hadn't sidered that.

  Though intelligent, rad cked experien supernatural matters.

  "Anira, you have a point, but I have one problem. Why couldn't we se whe up the barrier, or when I visited the kit? Besides that creepy feeling, I didn't notiything strange."

  Anira frow this puzzle. "My lord, as I've stated, the supernatural world is extremely plicated, even at the lower levels. We must fight the unknown without additional information. That's how Essentarii usually fight. Only powerful anizations have the luxury of gathering intelligence beforehand, and even that's sidered risky and expensive."

  rad scratched his head. Why is this world set to hard difficulty?

  "Anira, ons affect Oddities?"

  "Normal ons work, but it depends on the Oddities strength. Usually, Essentarii use ons augmented with their own power, specially made for them. Essentarii at tiers 6-5 typically have artifacts to assist them."

  "Artifacts?" rad asked curiously.

  "Yes, my lord. In this world, artifacts exist but are few in number—sidered national treasures. Nations owning even one are deemed powerful. They're scard hard to acquire, but some reportedly hold power to destroy entire worlds or even sy gods."

  Terrifying... How scary are these things?

  Anira bli rad with her beautiful crimsohen squinted as if sidering something.

  "Anira, what's wrong?" rad noticed his partner's unusual behavior.

  "My lord, would you hold a on for this mission? My priority is proteg you, so after careful sideration, I think it best if you take this."

  "What are you—" rad's question cut short as Anira's ethereal voice pierced the night's silence.

  "Mist Sword." A sword materialized before rad, dark as a starless night with a crimson hilt. A silver of dense mist hung from it—the fi katana imaginable.

  Ability: Mist sword Yoru

  rad's eyes twitched slightly. More than anything, he felt awe at such powers, though he'd grown somewhat used to Anira's mysterious ways.

  "What is this?" he asked, excitement creeping into his voice.

  "An artifact. The Mist Sword Yoru. I don't know its in, but I 't die while it exists. Only pletely erasing me from existeh overwhelming power or breaking this sword would kill me."

  rad stared in shock. "Why tell me such vital information?"

  Anira tilted her head, fused. "My lord, my life has been yours since we met."

  "..." rad fell silent, an unnamed feeling stirring in his heart.

  Do you trust me that much? Don't you know such trust be dangerous?

  After a deep breath, rad asked, "How do you know this sword holds your life?"

  "I feel it, my lord. It's a ey Brahman uands. It's the same thing I felt with you, as if—"

  Tuck!

  Anira didn't finish. A small sound echoed from the kit. rad gripped the floating sword. It felt her light nor heavy—as if it could slice through anything effortlessly.

  They ehe kit. Darkness filled the space, all lights extinguished. Clouds drifted across the sky, occasionally veiling the moon. Dim moonlight provided their only illumination. rad's tension showed in his sweat while Anira remained expressionless.

  The kit stood empty save for scattered dishes and mysterious water droplets breaking the silence. A neer y discarded on the floor.

  I don't remember the kit being this messy. Isalde always tidies up after meals.

  A cold breeze brushed past rad as he stood beside Anira Veil.

  Something's wrong. I don't know what.

  rad turo ask Anira something but found her space empty.

  She zipped around the room at impossible speed—no, more accurately, she moved instantaneously. Light mist trailed her movements, creating the effect of a silent, miniature smoke bomb.

  Ability: Mist Teleportation

  After several seds, she stopped. Her gaze fixed on a closet normally kept closed, used for st old items.

  "My lord, I sehing supernatural here, but we should iigate everything..."

  "Alright... let's open this closet." rad gripped his sword tightly.

  As the door creaked open, cold air flooded the room. Distant clouds now pletely obscured the moon. In such absolute darkness, without lights, rad felt a chill race down his spi what the small door revealed.

  A bride in her wedding dress crouched inside, skin dry as autumn leaves, as if she haden in years. She stretched nearly twice their height, her body unnaturally elongated.

  "Is... is this an Oddity?"

  "No, my lord, just a dead body. Actually..." Anira paused before turning to rad, "It died just a minute ago.”

  "Just a minute ago? You mean all this time it was alive in our house?"

  Certain thoughts sent chills through rad. His heart thumped with audible force, his legs trembling slightly from fag such a creepy situation for the first time in his life. Bravery mas through a and experience—rad had experience from his past life, but this was something he'd never dealt with, something unknown, something beyond human uanding. A single word lingered in his mind:

  Oddity.

  "My lord, I think there are multiple possible reasons for this, but..." Anira broke the unusual sileh her unwavering voice, "we should focus on finding and eliminating the Oddity as quickly as possible before night ends."

  rad found himself amazed by Anira's ued posure, as if she'd seen worse and faced tless such situations in her life.

  She really is a blessing. Without her, I would have lost my mind.

  "Okay, let's do it," rad said with a anding voice, trolling his inner fear.

  "My lord, this is an excellent opportunity to gain experiend apply what you've learned about Brahman. Every Essentarii has a unique fighting style with their own strengths and weaknesses. I'll protect you when necessary, but please proceed as if I'm not here."

  You're really taking your teag role seriously, Sensei Anira.

  rad's mouth twitched slightly, imagining an i image of Anira in a teacher's outfit.

  "Okay," he replied.

  After this, Anira fell silent.

  So we're starting. What's my fighting style? I prefer to win with almost 100% certainty. I usually don't like ued situations, but Brahman itself is uable. In that case, I'd rather be the uable one instead of the danger I'm fag. My first rule as a tier 0 Essentarii is 'uability.'

  But uability cause quick demise. I know my sed rule—I've already impleme in this world. It's a variant of never letting yuard down. My sed rule is 'caution.'

  Uability and Caution.

  "Let me try to sense if there's anything unusual," rad said, activating his Brahman sensing.

  "Seems like there's nothing here."

  rad sidered cirg the house to s the whole area slowly, but turo Anira instead. "Anira, 't we dispose of this body? I don't want to involve my sisters."

  "Yes, my lord."

  Anira grabbed the body and teleported somewhere unknowurning within seds.

  So fast, rad thought.

  The duo then circled outside the house in the cold, silent night. Only moonlight illumihe darkness, though it pyed hide-and-seek with the clouds at intervals.

  rad stantly used his seo deteything supernatural in the area, but his efforts proved futile.

  He stopped to sider his step. Anira, who had been walking behind him, also halted.

  For some unknown reason, rad's eyes swept across the neighb houses. Most stood at a distance, as there weren't many nearby, but one faced their house directly—home to the newlywed couple who had just moved in. For one reason or another, rad had never met them.

  Newlywed...

  Bride...

  The dress...

  Something clicked in his mind. There was that corpse in our house, wearing a bridal dress. Where's the groom for that bride? The newlywed couple... I heard my sister mention it during dinner... She didn't like the husband, and said he was somewhat impatient with his wife.

  Maybe it's a murder, but this feels like more than just a crime. Wait, what was it Anira told me about Oddities?

  rad tried to recall the lessons: "Something that is against the natural order or corruption of Brahman."

  He g Anira, who stood beside him emotionless. A cold breeze passed through both of them as some is broke the night's sile some distaheir gaze fell on the single house without any source of light and a garden which was as silent as the night itself.