Anomaly

Author: Rowen

Chapter 306 – The Primordial Fear [24]

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We continued our descent in complete silence, my black wings, still smoldering, holding us aloft as we drifted slowly into the depths. After the terrifying sight of the colossal eye we had witnessed minutes earlier, no one seemed to have the strength, courage, or even the will to speak.
I can’t read minds or emotions, but I’m almost certain that, at that moment, most of them felt profoundly stupid for having accepted this mission without the slightest idea of what truly awaited them.
Obviously, I’m not saying they don’t usually face life-or-death situations on other missions. It would be naïve of me to claim that.
Still, I’m not so innocent as to have missed a pattern over time: whenever I, or my sisters, are directly involved, missions inevitably escalate.
And when I say escalate, I mean it in the most literal sense possible. What once seemed dangerous becomes catastrophic; what was difficult turns downright impossible.
These are situations that go beyond any conceivable human limit, challenges no man, no matter how prepared, stubborn, or desperate, could ever resolve, no matter how hard he tried.
I tried to imagine how much longer we would keep descending. Honestly, I started to think this place didn’t even have a bottom. If I’m being truthful, I was already seriously inclined to believe we’d have to do something, anything, just to finally reach somewhere. Then, completely unexpectedly, my eyes caught sight of what looked like an opening several meters below.
When I got close enough, I realized it wasn’t a simple crack, but something far larger. It was like a ceiling stretching out in every possible direction. The place we had come from was, quite literally... well, a massive hole in the ceiling of something that could only be described as a vast underground cavern.
“Where the hell is this?” The question echoed through the comms, heavy with irritation and disbelief. It was the voice of one of the reaction team members: “The more I see, the less any of this makes sense... How the hell does something like an underground cavern exist inside a gigantic mouth we found drifting in the middle of the ocean?”
“Somehow...” another member of the reaction team hesitated for a moment, scanning the surroundings as if still trying to convince himself of his own conclusion: “I’m starting to think the idea that we ended up in another dimension isn’t all that stupid” he said, his voice slightly uneasy.
“Shit. I’m making damn sure to demand a bonus for all this crap when I get back” another one grumbled, his voice thick with irritation: “After that, I’m taking a real vacation somewhere warm with my wife and kids... preferably someplace very far away from the ocean”
Other members of the reaction team began voicing their thoughts as well, their voices overlapping in the endless darkness. For the most part, they complained about management and their own jobs, excessive shifts, poorly explained orders, badly calculated risks.
Honestly, though, it sounded less like real outrage and more like a coping mechanism: complaining so they wouldn’t have to face the fact that we were dozens of meters below sea level, slowly descending into an unknown place, swallowed by the mouth of a colossal maritime anomaly.
Ignoring all of that, I focused on my surroundings, forcing my eyes to pick up anything other than darkness. Still close to the colossal opening, I raised my hand and ran it along the ceiling above me.
The sensation was still strangely pliable, yielding slightly to the touch, but it didn’t feel like the same material as... well, the thing we had entered through.
Instead, it reminded me of freshly cut grass, soft, unpleasantly damp. It was a strange comparison, but at that moment, I felt genuinely grateful not to be touching something that felt like flesh.
My black wings beat once more, and my body slowly descended until my feet touched the ground. The moment they sank slightly into the damp grass, my dark, smoking wings dissipated, like shadows being pulled back in, returning into my body.
And no, you didn’t hear that wrong. For some inexplicable reason, there was a grassy floor inside a colossal aquatic anomaly, or at least, I hoped it was actually grass.
“What the...?” Rupert started, cutting himself off as he slowly turned his gaze around, his brow furrowed and disbelief written all over his face: “What kind of place did we get ourselves into?” he finished, letting out a sigh full of resignation. When he opened his eyes again, he lightly kicked the grass beneath his feet, feeling how soft and absurdly real it was, then raised an eyebrow in clear suspicion: “Also” he added with a nervous half-smile: “it’s seriously disturbing for there to be grass down here when, last I checked, we’re supposed to be inside a colossal aquatic anomaly”
“I think, so far, we’ve been pretty lucky” Victor remarked, his voice echoing through the space and drawing everyone’s attention. Feeling their eyes on him, he just shrugged and added in a casual, almost unconcerned tone: “I mean, we didn’t get smashed, sliced, eaten, blown up, or subjected to any other creative way you can imagine. And we’ve been here for about thirty seconds now... and nothing has jumped out of the dark to kill us yet”
As strange as it was to admit, Victor did have a point. Truth be told, we hadn’t even been attacked by anomaly after anomaly. Between one bout of chaos and the next, there had been brief pauses that allowed us to breathe, even if only for a moment.
The real problem is that when you spend so much time running for your life, it becomes almost impossible to notice how long it’s been since the last time you didn’t have to flee just to survive.
Some members of the reaction team seemed to agree with Victor’s words, at least to a certain extent. Others, however, wore expressions that made their skepticism clear.
I could understand both sides. After all, if what we’d been through so far couldn’t be called bad luck, I don’t know what else would qualify.
From my point of view, at least, nearly being crushed by gigantic tentacles or devoured by a spider that dripped corrosive saliva already counts as more than enough bad luck for a single day.
Still, even as I listened to their words, my mind remained completely focused on the sensation that had begun to surface the moment we landed.
It was still diffuse, hard to define or trace clearly, but it no longer felt like it had on the surface. Before, it spread chaotically, as if coming from every direction at once. Now, though, there was something different.
A subtle thread, almost instinctive, emerged from that confusion, a kind of silent sense I felt I could follow, even without fully understanding where it would lead me.
Without saying a single word, I began to move, advancing toward the direction where I could sense something amid the absolute darkness surrounding us.
My eyes cast a faint glow that tore through the darkness, illuminating only a few steps ahead, nowhere near enough to truly see what awaited us, but enough to guide our feet.
Victor, Rupert, and the members of the reaction team said nothing. In absolute silence, they followed me, weapons steady in their hands, automatically taking up strategic positions.
One covered the front, others kept constant watch on the flanks, while the rear stayed protected, ready to react to any unexpected movement. The only sounds were our measured footsteps and the soft metallic click of equipment, echoing steadily through the darkness.
I glanced back briefly, turning my head toward them before continuing forward. My feet sank slightly into the soft, still-damp grass, while a strange wind, far too cold for that moment, brushed against my skin, coming from no discernible direction.
Althea’s wings, attached at her tailbone, beat softly, keeping her suspended in the air with steady, effortless grace. Every movement was precise and delicate, almost calculated, making her look like a small doll floating in the void. The gentle ripple of feathers produced a faint whisper, nearly imperceptible.
Althea kept her eyes closed, lost in her own thoughts. And, inevitably, they led her back to her beloved older sister. She wasn’t exactly worried, at least, not consciously.
The truth was that she missed her... yes, she did. Still, it would be dishonest to deny that beneath that soft nostalgia lay a quiet unease, a silent concern that stubbornly refused to fade.
From Althea’s perspective, her sister was invincible. In fact, she was certain all the sisters shared that belief, and in that regard, Althea was no different. The difference was that Althea tended to be more logical than the others, analyzing situations with almost mathematical detachment.
While she didn’t believe her sister could run into trouble, at least as long as any conflict could be solved through sheer physical force, Althea couldn’t ignore the possibility of vulnerability when it came to psychological matters.
There was something about her older sister’s thought patterns that still felt strangely human: subtle hesitations, poorly concealed emotions, doubts that shouldn’t exist at all. Most likely, that was because she hadn’t fully recovered her memories yet.
For Althea, things had been different. Despite having inhabited a human body, her mind and soul remained intact, the same as those of the creator and caretaker of life, immune to the emotional limitations that still bound her sister.
Letting out a slow breath, Althea opened her eyes. In front of her was a white room with smooth, cold walls and several pieces of furniture scattered about in an improvised arrangement. A few narrow beds, wooden wardrobes, and some chairs filled every available corner, as if the space had been hastily adapted.
Personally, Althea felt the place was already starting to feel cramped, not just for her, but for her sisters as well. There were many of them, and the space had clearly never been designed to house so many “Anomalies” as the humans insisted on calling them.
At the very least, the human women, Emily and Laura, already seemed aware of this and appeared to be preparing something to help them, especially now that yet another sister was on her way.
When her thoughts returned once more to Tenebrya, Althea’s expression grew slightly more serious. She was tired of waiting for news and decided she would see for herself how things were really going. And, if necessary, she would find a way to help.
Just because she couldn’t interfere directly didn’t mean she was forbidden from guiding events or offering subtle advice. After all, her older sister had never specified that part, and Althea knew perfectly well how to work between the lines.
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Chapter List

Chapter 1 – First Contact [1]
Chapter 2 – First Contact [2]
Chapter 3 – First Contact [3]
Announcement!
Chapter 4 – First Contact [4]
Chapter 5 – First Contact [5]
Chapter 6 – First Contact [6]
Chapter 7 – Outbreak [1]
Chapter 8 – Outbreak [2]
Chapter 9 – Outbreak [3]
Chapter 10 – Outbreak [4]
Chapter 11 – Outbreak [5]
Chapter 12 – Outbreak [6]
Chapter 13 – Adaptation period [1]
Chapter 14 – Adaptation period [2]
Chapter 15 – Adaptation period [3]
Chapter 16 – Adaptation period [4]
Chapter 17 – Adaptation period [5]
Chapter 18 – Threat from the shadows [1]
Chapter 19 – Threat from the shadows [2]
Chapter 20 – Threat from the shadows [3]
Chapter 21 – Threat from the shadows [4]
Chapter 22 – Threat from the shadows [5]
Chapter 23 – Threat from the shadows [6]
Chapter 24 – Threat from the shadows [7]
Chapter 25 – The director’s visit [1]
Chapter 26 – The director’s visit [2]
Chapter 27 – The director’s visit [3]
Chapter 28 – The director’s visit [4]
Chapter 29 – The director’s visit [5]
Chapter 30 – The director’s visit [6]
Chapter 31 – Conducting experiments [1]
Chapter 32 – Conducting experiments [2]
Chapter 33 – Conducting experiments [3]
Chapter 34 – Conducting experiments [4]
Chapter 35 – Conducting experiments [5]
Story recommendation: the new chapter of Anomaly will normally be released at 7pm.
Chapter 36 – Conducting experiments [6]
Chapter 37 – Conducting experiments [7]
Story recommendation: I’m reposting because, last time, the author’s story hadn’t been approved yet.
Chapter 38 – Conducting experiments [8]
Chapter 39 – Conducting experiments [9]
Chapter 40 – Conducting experiments [10]
Chapter 41 – Black Lake [1]
Chapter 42 – Black Lake [2]
Chapter 43 – Black Lake [3]
Chapter 44 – Black Lake [4]
Chapter 45 – Black Lake [5]
Chapter 46 – Black Lake [6]
Chapter 47 – Black Lake [7]
Chapter 48 – Black Lake [8]
Chapter 49 – Black Lake [9]
Chapter 50 – Black Lake [10]
Chapter 51 – Black Lake [11]
Creation of the Discord server
Chapter 52 – Black Lake [12]
Chapter 53 – Black Lake [13]
Chapter 54 – Black Lake [14]
Chapter 55 – Black Lake [15]
Chapter 56 – Black Lake [16]
Chapter 57 – Black Lake [17]
Chapter 58 – Black Lake [18]
Chapter 59 – The call [1]
Chapter 60 – The call [2]
Chapter 61 – The call [3]
Chapter 62 – The call [4]
Chapter 63 – The call [5]
Chapter 64 – The call [6]
Chapter 65 – The call [7]
Chapter 66 – The call [8]
Chapter 67 – The call [9]
Chapter 68 – The call [10]
Chapter 69 – The call [11]
Chapter 70 – The call [12]
Quick update
Chapter 71 – The call [13]
Chapter 72 – The call [14]
Chapter 73 – The call [15]
Chapter 74 – The call [16]
Chapter 75 – The call [17]
Chapter 76 – The call [18]
Chapter 77 – The call [19]
Chapter 78 – The call [20]
Chapter 79 – The call [21]
Chapter 80 – The call [22]
Chapter 81 – The call [23]
Chapter 82 – The call [24]
Chapter 83 – The call [25]
Chapter 84 – The call [26]
Chapter 85 – Storm [1]
Chapter 86 – Storm [2]
Chapter 87 – Storm [3]
Chapter 88 – Storm [4]
Chapter 89 – Storm [5]
Chapter 90 – Storm [6]
Chapter 91 – Storm [7]
Chapter 92 – Storm [8]
Chapter 93 – Storm [9]
Chapter 94 – Storm [10]
Chapter 95 – Storm [11]
Chapter 96 – Storm [12]
Chapter 97 – Storm [13]
Chapter 98 – Storm [14]
Chapter 99 – Storm [15]
Chapter 100 – Storm [16]
Chapter 101 – Storm [17]
Chapter 102 – Storm [18]
Chapter 103 – Storm [19]
Chapter 104 – Interludio – A little chat
Chapter 105 – Something called Life [1]
Chapter 106 – Something called Life [2]
Chapter 107 – Something called Life [3]
Chapter 108 – Something called Life [4]
Chapter 109 – Something called Life [5]
Chapter 110 – Something called Life [6]
Chapter 111 – Something called Life [7]
Chapter 112 – Something called Life [8]
Chapter 113 – Something called Life [9]
Chapter 114 – Something called Life [10]
Chapter 115 – Something called Life [11]
Chapter 116 – Something called Life [12]
Chapter 117 – Something called Life [13]
Chapter 118 – Something called Life [14]
Anomaly
Chapter 119 – Something called Life [15]
Chapter 120 – Something called Life [16]
Chapter 121 – Something called Life [17]
Chapter 122 – Something called Life [18]
Chapter 123 – Something called Life [19]
Chapter 124 – Something called Life [20]
Chapter 125 – Something called Life [21]
Chapter 126 – Something called Life [22]
Chapter 127 – Something called Life [23]
Chapter 128 – Something called Life [24]
Chapter 129 – Something called Life [25]
Chapter 130 – Something called Life [26]
Chapter 131 – Something called Life [27]
Chapter 132 – Something called Life [28]
Chapter 133 – Something called Life [29]
Chapter 134 – Something called Life [30]
Chapter 135 – interlude – Hidden intentions
Chapter 136 – Inside the mist [1]
Chapter 137 – Inside the mist [2]
Chapter 138 – Inside the mist [3]
Chapter 139 – Inside the mist [4]
Chapter 140 – Inside the mist [5]
Chapter 141 – Inside the mist [6]
Chapter 142 – Inside the mist [7]
Chapter 143 – Inside the mist [8]
Chapter 144 – Inside the mist [9]
Chapter 145 – Inside the mist [10]
Chapter 146 – Inside the mist [11]
Chapter 147 – Inside the mist [12]
Chapter 148 – Inside the mist [13]
SPECIAL PROMOTION ON PATREON!
Chapter 149 – Inside the mist [14]
Chapter 150 – Inside the mist [15]
Chapter 151 – Inside the mist [16]
Chapter 152 – Inside the mist [17]
Chapter 153 – Inside the mist [18]
Chapter 154 – Inside the mist [19]
Chapter 155 – Inside the mist [20]
Chapter 156 – Inside the mist [21]
Chapter 157 – Inside the mist [22]
Chapter 158 – Inside the mist [23]
Chapter 159 – Inside the mist [24]
Chapter 160 – When logic escapes [1]
Chapter 161 – When logic escapes [2]
Chapter 162 – When logic escapes [3]
Chapter 163 – When logic escapes [4]
Chapter 164 – When logic escapes [5]
Chapter 165 – When logic escapes [6]
Chapter 166 – When logic escapes [7]
Chapter 167 – When logic escapes [8]
Chapter 168 – When logic escapes [9]
Chapter 169 – When logic escapes [10]
Chapter 170 – When logic escapes [11]
Chapter 171 – When logic escapes [12]
Chapter 172 – When logic escapes [13]
Chapter 173 – When logic escapes [14]
Chapter 174 – When logic escapes [15]
Chapter 175 – When logic escapes [16]
Chapter 176 – When logic escapes [17]
Chapter 177 – When logic escapes [18]
Chapter 178 – When logic escapes [19]
Chapter 179 – When logic escapes [20]
Chapter 180 – When logic escapes [21]
Chapter 181 – The Burden of Remembering [1]
Chapter 182 – The Burden of Remembering [2]
Chapter 183 – The Burden of Remembering [3]
Chapter 184 – The Burden of Remembering [4]
Chapter 185 – The Burden of Remembering [5]
Chapter 186 – The Burden of Remembering [6]
Chapter 187 – The Burden of Remembering [7]
Chapter 188 – The Burden of Remembering [8]
Chapter 189 – The Burden of Remembering [9]
Chapter 190 – The Burden of Remembering [10]
Chapter 191 – The Burden of Remembering [11]
Chapter 192 – The Burden of Remembering [12]
Chapter 193 – The Burden of Remembering [13]
Chapter 194 – The Burden of Remembering [14]
Chapter 195 – The Burden of Remembering [15]
Chapter 196 – The Burden of Remembering [16]
Chapter 197 – The Burden of Remembering [17]
Chapter 198 – The Burden of Remembering [18]
Chapter 199 – The Burden of Remembering [19]
Chapter 200 – The Burden of Remembering [20]
Chapter 201 – The Burden of Remembering [21]
Chapter 202 – The Burden of Remembering [22]
Chapter 203 – The Burden of Remembering [23]
Chapter 204 – The Burden of Remembering [24]
Chapter 205 – The Burden of Remembering [25]
Chapter 206 – The Burden of Remembering [26]
Chapter 207 – The Burden of Remembering [27]
Chapter 208 – The Burden of Remembering [28]
Chapter 209 – The Burden of Remembering [29]
Chapter 210 – The Burden of Remembering [30]
Chapter 211 – The Burden of Remembering [31]
Chapter 212 – The Burden of Remembering [32]
Chapter 213 – The Burden of Remembering [33]
Chapter 214 – The Burden of Remembering [34]
Chapter 215 – The Burden of Remembering [35]
Chapter 216 – The Burden of Remembering [36]
Chapter 217 – The Burden of Remembering [37]
Chapter 218 – The Burden of Remembering [38]
Chapter 219 – The entity of pride [1]
Chapter 220 – The entity of pride [2]
Chapter 221 – The entity of pride [3]
Chapter 222 – The entity of pride [4]
Chapter 223 – The entity of pride [5]
Chapter 224 – The entity of pride [6]
Chapter 225 – The entity of pride [7]
Chapter 226 – The entity of pride [8]
Chapter 227 – The entity of pride [9]
Chapter 228 – The entity of pride [10]
Chapter 229 – The entity of pride [11]
Chapter 230 – The entity of pride [12]
Chapter 231 – The entity of pride [13]
Chapter 232 – The entity of pride [14]
Chapter 233 – The entity of pride [15]
Chapter 234 – The entity of pride [16]
Chapter 235 – The entity of pride [17]
Chapter 236 – The entity of pride [18]
Chapter 237 – The entity of pride [19]
Chapter 238 – The entity of pride [20]
Chapter 239 – The entity of pride [21]
Chapter 240 – The entity of pride [22]
Chapter 241 – The entity of pride [23]
Chapter 242 – The entity of pride [24]
Chapter 243 – The entity of pride [25]
Chapter 244 – Timeless State [1]
Chapter 245 – Timeless State [2]
Chapter 246 – Timeless State [3]
Chapter 247 – Timeless State [4]
Chapter 248 – Timeless State [5]
Chapter 249 – Timeless State [6]
Chapter 250 – Timeless State [7]
Chapter 251 – Timeless State [8]
Chapter 252 – Timeless State [9]
Chapter 253 – Timeless State [10]
Chapter 254 – Timeless State [11]
Chapter 255 – Timeless State [12]
Chapter 256 – Timeless State [13]
Chapter 257 – Timeless State [14]
Chapter 258 – Timeless State [15]
Chapter 259 – Timeless State [16]
Chapter 260 – Timeless State [17]
Chapter 261 – Timeless State [18]
Chapter 262 – Timeless State [19]
Chapter 263 – Timeless State [20]
Chapter 264 – Timeless State [21]
Chapter 265 – Timeless State [22]
Chapter 266 – Timeless State [23]
Chapter 267 – Timeless State [24]
Chapter 268 – Timeless State [25]
Chapter 269 – Timeless State [26]
Chapter 270 – Timeless State [27]
Chapter 271 – Timeless State [28]
Chapter 272 – Timeless State [29]
Chapter 273 – Timeless State [30]
Chapter 274 – Timeless State [31]
Chapter 275 – Timeless State [32]
Chapter 276 – Timeless State [33]
Chapter 277 – Timeless State [34]
Chapter 278 – Timeless State [35]
Chapter 279 – Timeless State [36]
Chapter 280 – Timeless State [37]
Chapter 281 – Timeless State [38]
Chapter 282 – Timeless State [39]
Chapter 283 – The Primordial Fear [1]
Chapter 284 – The Primordial Fear [2]
Chapter 285 – The Primordial Fear [3]
Special Christmas/New Year’s promotion on Patreon.
Chapter 286 – The Primordial Fear [4]
Chapter 287 – The Primordial Fear [5]
Chapter 288 – The Primordial Fear [6]
Chapter 289 – The Primordial Fear [7]
Chapter 290 – The Primordial Fear [8]
Chapter 291 – The Primordial Fear [9]
Chapter 292 – The Primordial Fear [10]
Chapter 293 – The Primordial Fear [11]
Chapter 294 – The Primordial Fear [12]
Chapter 295 – The Primordial Fear [13]
Chapter 296 – The Primordial Fear [14]
Chapter 297 – The Primordial Fear [15]
Chapter 298 – The Primordial Fear [16]
Chapter 299 – The Primordial Fear [17]
Chapter 300 – The Primordial Fear [18]
Chapter 301 – The Primordial Fear [19]
Chapter 302 – The Primordial Fear [20]
Chapter 303 – The Primordial Fear [21]
Chapter 304 – The Primordial Fear [22]
Chapter 305 – The Primordial Fear [23]
Chapter 306 – The Primordial Fear [24]
Chapter 307 – The Primordial Fear [25]
Chapter 308 – The Primordial Fear [26]
Chapter 309 – The Primordial Fear [27]
Chapter 310 – The Primordial Fear [28]
Chapter 311 – The Primordial Fear [29]
Chapter 312 – The Primordial Fear [30]
Chapter 313 – The Primordial Fear [31]
Chapter 314 – The Primordial Fear [32]
Chapter 315 – The Primordial Fear [33]
Chapter 316 – The Primordial Fear [34]
Chapter 317 – The Primordial Fear [35]
Chapter 318 – The Primordial Fear [36]
Chapter 319 – The Primordial Fear [37]
Chapter 320 – The Primordial Fear [38]
Chapter 321 – The Primordial Fear [39]
Chapter 322 – The Primordial Fear [40]
Chapter 323 – The Primordial Fear [41]
Chapter 324 – The Primordial Fear [42]
Chapter 325 – The Primordial Fear [43]
Chapter 326 – The Primordial Fear [44]
Chapter 327 – The Primordial Fear [45]
Chapter 328 – The Primordial Fear [46]
Chapter 329 – The Primordial Fear [47]
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