Anomaly

Author: Rowen

Chapter 314 – The Primordial Fear [32]

Previous ChapterNext Chapter
Have you ever had to make a choice? One of those with no real way out, only the obligation to pick the lesser evil. A cruel choice, where both options feel wrong.
Imagine having to decide between jumping into a terrifyingly dark canyon, so deep the darkness seems to swallow any sense of a bottom... or being stabbed by a lunatic wielding a knife, someone who, disturbingly, looks like a twisted version of yourself, a shattered reflection of a life once lived.
Yeah. The problem is, this isn’t a hypothetical exercise. I’m being forced to make that choice right now. At this very moment. There was nowhere left to retreat.
The canyon behind us, deep and silent, somehow felt less inviting than the knife-wielding man in front of us. But the real issue wasn’t just facing him. It was the fact that I couldn’t hurt him.
Not directly. Because, in case you’ve forgotten, any damage I inflict on him inevitably comes back to me. And just to jog your memory, having your head explode into a million pieces and then watching it be reconstructed fragment by fragment isn’t exactly something you forget easily.
It’s a deeply unpleasant experience, visually and physically. Even without pain, the sensation of every piece reconnecting, locking back into place, is... disturbing. Strange on a level that’s hard to put into words. If I can avoid it, I’d rather not go through that again. Just thinking about it sends an involuntary shiver down my spine.
Meanwhile, with every step the knife-wielding man took, the tension thickened among our ranks. Everyone wanted to shoot, fingers itching on the trigger, but they seemed oddly divided, casting sideways glances at me as if waiting for permission, or confirmation.
Personally, I felt a bit sentimental seeing how seriously they were taking the situation. I mean, they know I don’t feel pain, at least not physically. It doesn’t really affect me. And I’m not mentally affected either... still, watching the whole process is unpleasant.
I tried to calmly assess our options, searching for another possible path. Maybe there was an alternative I hadn’t considered yet. I could simply grab them and fly over the canyon, but that plan had a problem: I couldn’t see the other side.
We could spend hours, days, maybe even weeks crossing that rocky expanse, trapped in an exhausting, uncertain flight with no guarantee of success. And on top of that, the feeling lingered, Tenebrya was still down there.
I could feel her. Like a constant weight on my chest, a presence that refused to be ignored. That made any attempt to go around the canyon completely pointless. My real objective wasn’t beyond it... it was at the bottom of the canyon.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have as much time to think as I would’ve liked. Footsteps echoed behind me, and when I turned my attention back to the human holding the knife, he was already running.
Far too fast by human standards, though, to my senses, he was still absurdly slow. From anyone else’s perspective, he’d be on us in about five seconds.
For me, though, everything unfolded like warped slow motion: each stride stretched through time, the sound of friction against the ground dragged on, and I had the strange sensation of having nearly two full minutes before he got close enough to reach us.
Of course, I still hadn’t fully decided what to do with him, but I knew I couldn’t let him get as close as he intended. My arms were engulfed in a thick black mist, smoldering like embers choked by darkness. I leaned forward, feeling the weight of the decision, and touched the ground with the tips of my fingers in a gesture so subtle it was almost imperceptible.
Slithering along my hand, the mist seeped into the ground like a living, ravenous creature. Seconds later, the earth trembled slightly, and a shadowy wall burst up between us, rising just inches from where the man with the knife would have reached my body. The impact of his charge was absorbed by the barrier, and the air around us seemed to shudder from the sudden release of force.
Some members of the anomaly response team nearly lost their footing from the abrupt turn of events, ending up just inches away from a fatal plunge into the seemingly bottomless canyon.
The armed human lunged at me, his blade scraping and slamming against my shield with a dry, metallic clang. Still, it was clear he wouldn’t be able to break through, no matter how hard he tried. At least for now, we were safe.
“Nice” Victor said beside me, stepping forward to the front of my wall of mist and tapping its surface lightly, as if testing its solidity: “You thought up a countermeasure fast. I almost shot him on reflex”
However, when Victor touched the surface of the wall, contrary to what he expected, his hand passed straight through it without meeting any resistance. The shock of the unexpected made him recoil instantly, taking a few steps back as a look of confusion spread across his face.
Sensing his hesitation and deciding to clear up his doubts, I sent my words straight into his mind: “This wall exists only to keep him from coming after us. It doesn’t stop us from crossing to the other side”
Victor turned toward me as soon as he heard my words. There was something in his expression that hinted at mild resentment, barely contained. His lips parted, then pressed together again, repeating the motion a few times, as if he were rehearsing an answer that never quite formed. In the end, he just sighed, a low sound, heavy with resignation.
Fully turning to face me, he asked, “Okay... so we’re just a few inches away from a psycho with a knife... is this it?” His tone was tense, but controlled. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced toward the canyon behind us, as if silently gauging how deep a single misstep might send us.
Personally, all I wanted was to tell him to just jump and get it over with. But in the same way I can feel Tenebrya down there, pulsing like a silent call, I can also feel the danger waiting for us. Down there is dangerous, very dangerous, at least for humans.
Somehow, I’d manage in that place. I carry this constant sense that no matter what stands in front of me, I’ll still be able to find a way out, to force a path through. But for the humans with me, there is no second chance. For them, a single mistake is enough. One slip, one wrong step... and they’re dead.
Lost in scattered thoughts, I walked toward the canyon. Victor, at my side, let out a resigned sigh and followed in silence. We were only a few meters from our destination when, suddenly, I stopped, or rather, my body froze completely, as if something invisible had locked my muscles in place.
Victor noticed my abrupt halt and shot me a confused look, full of unspoken questions. I said nothing. Without uttering a single word, I slowly turned my arm, pointed at it, and stared.
There was a cut on my arm, thin, fresh. A cut I was absolutely certain hadn’t been there just seconds ago. Still trying to understand how that was possible, I felt Victor’s gaze settle on me. He’d noticed it too and, with a slight frown, asked: “Did you hurt yourself?”
I thought about answering Victor. I even opened my mouth, but something stopped me. I felt as if something were moving beneath my gelatinous skin, sliding slowly, like a living blade searching for space. It was sharp and elongated, cold inside, and every inch it advanced sent a strange shiver through my body.
The cut, which had been small and superficial, began to widen on its own, tearing itself open, growing deeper and broader until it completely severed my arm. There was no blood, only a horrific pressure, as if my own skin were being split open from the inside out.
Then the thing began cutting vertically, opening the limb into long, uneven slits, peeling layers apart as though my skin were some kind of living leather, still aware, still sensitive. On the outside, my face remained stoic, rigid as stone. Inside, panic took over: (Jesus... what the hell is this?)
For a brief second, I genuinely believed I was possessed. It was the only explanation that made sense in that moment. But the rising murmurs, almost whispers spoken directly into my mind, and the constant, wet, disturbing sound of something slowly being torn apart led me to a different conclusion.
Victor and I exchanged a silent look for a few seconds, long enough to confirm, without words, that we were thinking the same thing. Then we both turned at the same time toward the wall I’d created moments earlier, in the exact direction where the knife-wielding man should have been.
The moment he appeared in front of us, Victor’s eyes widened almost instinctively, and a curse slipped from his mouth before he could stop it, thick with shock and rage: “You piece of shit!”
Victor’s outburst was justified, especially considering the man was cutting himself with the knife. Each movement produced a wet, unsettling sound, as if the blade were tearing through reality itself along with flesh.
He didn’t scream in pain or make a single sound. The silence made it even worse. Still, his expression said everything: his face was completely pale, his eyes wide and filled with horror, making it painfully clear what he was feeling inside.
Even so, he didn’t hesitate for a single moment. He kept tearing and tearing, dissecting and dissecting, with an almost unnatural determination, while every motion, every cut, was perfectly mirrored on my own body.
Victor turned to me, his brows slightly drawn together and his jaw tight, as if he already knew the answer. His eyes searched my face for a moment before he asked in a low, worried voice: “Are we screwed?”
I considered his words, but in the end, the faint ripple that ran through the wall was answer enough. I simply nodded in silence. The small, almost indifferent gesture made Victor’s expression darken even further, as if he’d grasped the weight of what hadn’t been said: (We’re safe for now... but all it takes is a lapse. If I lose focus, for example, if he tears his own head off, the connection to my powers will break for a few seconds. Probably long enough for him to get in here)
Victor stayed silent for a moment. His gaze hardened slightly, he understood immediately where I was going with this. Beside us, Rupert stepped forward, his weapon still firmly aimed at the man with the knife, fingers tense on the trigger.
“I have no damn idea what the hell is going on” he said without taking his eyes off the target: “but that messed-up scene definitely means something... and it’s something I’m not even a little interested in finding out how it ends”
He tilted his head toward the canyon, as if that alone were answer enough: “So” he concluded with a short sigh: “are we jumping into the canyon or not?”
Previous ChapterNext Chapter

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]
We use cookies

We use cookies to ensure you get the best browsing experience on our website. By clicking "Accept Cookies", you agree that we can store cookies on your device in accordance with our Terms and Privacy.