Work Directive
Work Date: 2███-11-12
Work Title: Interview with a New Anomalous Entity
Supervisor: Responsible Researcher, Oliver Smith
Task Leader: Senior Researcher, Arthur Wilson
An unknown anomalous entity has been secured from Abnormal Phenomena 4891.
Investigate the abilities of this anomalous entity and confirm if communication is possible.
—
Wheeew…
As he walked down the long, futuristic hallway, Arthur, a researcher from the Abnormal Phenomena Research Department, sighed heavily.
“… Huh.”
He was feeling quite tense, and understandably so: he was about to face a new anomalous entity—the very one that had originated from Abnormal Phenomena 4891, known as the “Abandoned Souls Armory,” a terrifying place known to most affiliated with the Management Office.
Reports of missing personnel, mysterious beings, and incomprehensible manuals spread dread throughout the facility.
Although accustomed to challenges, facing an entity from such a place required a considerable amount of courage.
‘Well… it shouldn’t be too dangerous, right?’
One comforting fact was that the Management Office didn’t operate on sheer chaos. While frequent accidents occurred, they had rigorous safety procedures in place. Knowing that truly hazardous entities wouldn’t be assigned for a junior researcher to interview eased his nerves somewhat.
Yeah, why should he be so nervous? They likely had plans in place for any risks, and his job was merely to investigate according to the manual.
Perhaps the entity would be just as adorable as the girl his senior researcher had previously dealt with.
Of course, he had no intention of getting attached like his senior did.
Clank, clank…
His steps finally halted before the massive door, which began to creak open under the mechanical sound of numerous complex locks. After what felt like forever, the door opened with a weighty rumble, revealing…
“…—”
In the corner of the room, despite the lights illuminating it, an overwhelming darkness remained. He saw something with only a head staring back at him.
gulp
As the door swung open fully, a tense silence settled in the room.
Arthur wiped his face with his hand, took a deep breath, and decided to face whatever was inside.
‘…Should I run?’
As the thought crossed his mind, he exhaled again, reluctantly stepping into the room.
—
Approximately five minutes into Arthur’s entry into the isolation room, an unsettling silence lingered.
The reason? A grotesque entity with just a head was glaring menacingly at him, hardly anyone can casually greet it like an old neighbor with a chipper, “Oh, hey there!”
Drip…
His eyes darted to the corner of the room where the thing still watched him with empty eyes.
But he couldn’t just stay quiet any longer.
Summoning his courage, he managed to stammer out, “Um, hello there.”
The head, which had remained silent until then, finally reacted.
It started moving closer, and Arthur nearly screamed but held back just in time. As it approached, he wiped the sweat from his brow and mustered his nerves to speak again.
“Uh, I’d like to ask you a few questions… Do you understand what I’m saying?”
It stood tall in the air, yet no response came, not even a simple nod.
Arthur assumed the entity couldn’t comprehend him and attempted a gesture to check if it could communicate that way.
Creek…
A chilling sound interrupted his thoughts, freezing him in place.
Creek-reeeeek…
“—?!?”
The eerie noise filled the isolation room. It came from the invisible physical barrier between Arthur and the head.
Seeing the normally impenetrable wall being scraped away by something sharp made him jump back in horror.
“I-I need backup! There’s a breach in isolation room 817-C—”
Zzzrmmmm
The door began to open slowly, the wait feeling agonizingly long.
It seemed unlikely he’d escape before the barrier broke, but he stretched out his hand to press the emergency alert button.
Right before he could press it…
“…?”
He noticed the horrifying scraping sound had stopped and looked over his shoulder.
‘…What’s going on?’
His gaze fell to the center of the room.
There it was, still floating in the air, and then he realized something strange from the barrier’s shape that had been gouged out.
“A circle…?”
Pulling his hand back from the button, he cautiously approached the center of the room.
He was tempted by curiosity and anxiousness to see if there was any connection with what he’d just observed.
“Um… did you draw that as a sign that you understand…?”
“—”
Creek-reeeeeek!
“Ah, wait! I got it! Just stop!”
Arthur yelled, covering his ears again, the scraping noise ceased.
Then the head stared back at him, as if puzzled by his reaction.
“…Just use the paper and pen on the desk to let me know what you want to say.”
He pointed at the desk where several sheets and writing utensils were placed.
The head turned its gaze to his finger, intrigued, and then the pen began to levitate.
With a flourish, it started drawing on the paper.
“…!”
After a few moments of strange scribbling, its eyes widened as if it had discovered something exciting.
Papers and pens swiveled in the air, resembling a kid having the time of their life with new toys.
“Hey?!”
The head drifted back toward the corner of the room, the writing utensils dancing noisily.
Arthur called out cautiously, but the head was lost in concentration, completely ignoring him.
“Um, could we have a little chat first…?”
His voice echoed aimlessly in the stillness of the isolation room.
