Anomaly

Chapter 353 – The Primordial Fear [71]

According to Emily, most of the issues related to my little sister started to resolve themselves after my sphere absorbed much of the color, and the power, from Tenebrya’s sphere.

After that event, the cases of anomalies mysteriously appearing and wiping out entire families simply stopped. Emily admitted she had no idea what happened to the anomalies that had already materialized before I absorbed Tenebrya’s power.

Still, based on her theories and the limited data collected since then, she believed that without the source sustaining them, those entities had likely disappeared completely. Personally, I thought the theory made sense.

The anomalies were like bridges suspended over a void, while Tenebrya acted as their foundation. Without the structures supporting them, it was only natural that everything would collapse.

The rest of the conversation revolved around the bonus that all members sent on the mission would receive, something Rupert made sure to bring up again, a faint glimmer of anticipation in his eyes. I wasn’t sure of the exact amount, Emily merely nodded silently, tilting her head slightly before casting a sideways glance at Laura.

Laura responded with a subtle nod and immediately began working on something on her tablet. Seconds later, vibrant chimes echoed throughout the room. Victor, Rupert, Arthur, and all the other reaction team members who had taken part in the mission with me raised small devices, the same ones they had carried during the operation.

Personally, I didn’t remember seeing them use those at any point, so I had simply ignored them at the time, assuming they were irrelevant or some kind of secondary equipment. What followed was a collective explosion of happiness and excitement.

Laughter, exclamations, and excited murmurs filled the space as several of them raised their hands in celebration, as if they had just won the lottery.

Victor kept a more restrained reaction, watching from the side with a faint smile, while Arthur seemed distant. Rupert, on the other hand, wore a wide, genuinely satisfied grin, almost as if, in that moment, everything we had been through had finally been worth it.

Emily dismissed most of the staff shortly afterward. The scientists, dark circles under their eyes and expressions marked by accumulated exhaustion, slowly said their goodbyes to the mission members, offering handshakes and tired smiles while congratulating them on the success, especially the fact that no one had died despite the... situations we had ended up in.

Some of them still exchanged quiet comments among themselves, as if trying to process everything that had happened before finally leaving the room. The reaction team members did the same, thanking everyone for the support while it lasted, with small nods and respectful looks.

The atmosphere, once tense and chaotic, now felt suspended in a strange calm, like the silence after a storm. When the doors closed and footsteps faded down the hallway, only Emily, Laura, Rupert, Victor, Arthur, me, Tenebrya, and my other little sister, Althea, remained. The room, once filled with voices and movement, suddenly felt vast.

“So... I guess that’s it” Rupert commented as he carefully put away the device: “I’m out for now. The mission also included a month away from anomalies and almost dying... so I plan to spend that time with my family” He turned, his steady footsteps echoing softly across the floor. For a moment, he seemed to hesitate at the doorway, as if he wanted to add something, but changed his mind. Instead, he simply raised his hand and waved over his shoulder.

Victor sighed when he heard that, and it was clear he was just as exhausted as Rupert. His shoulders slumped slightly, and fatigue marked every line of his expression: “I’m going to see my sister and then...” He cut himself off, slowly rotating his arm as if testing his own endurance, his face tightening in a subtle grimace of pain and fatigue: “I’ll probably spend the first week of my vacation sleeping as much as I can”

A brief silence hung in the air before he turned away. Without adding anything else, he walked through the door with heavy steps, disappearing down the corridor as the distant sound of his footsteps gradually faded.

The last ones remaining in the room were Emily, Laura, and Arthur. Emily kept her gaze fixed on the door through which Victor had exited, watching it for a few seconds before finally looking away.

Beside her, Laura seemed completely absorbed in her tablet, fingers moving quickly across the screen as graphs and lines of data reflected in her glasses.

There was a curious, excited spark in her expression. Noticing Emily’s gaze on her, she casually looked up and held eye contact, raising one eyebrow slightly.

“Analyze the data everyone collected” Emily said in a slightly firm but controlled tone, crossing her arms as she spoke. She paused briefly before continuing: “We need to extract everything we can from that place. Maybe the records will help us better understand the dimensions... and how we might close them during a future anomalous dimensional invasion event”

The words left her mouth with an almost clinical coldness, sounding strangely routine, like a casual remark on a quiet Sunday morning rather than planning for something potentially catastrophic. Laura nodded unhurriedly.

When Laura’s eyes finally landed on me, her expression immediately lit up. An excited smile formed on her lips, bringing back the energetic Laura as always, the one who seemed to carry the sun itself inside her chest. However, the joy lasted only until her gaze wandered casually and landed on Tenebrya at my side, still holding tightly to my hand.

Tenebrya’s small white eyes watched Laura with a clear mix of curiosity and shyness, as if she were assessing someone she wanted to get to know but didn’t quite know how to approach. She was visibly cautious, her fingers lightly tightening around mine as if searching for reassurance. Laura... well, the same couldn’t be said about her.

She froze in place, her smile vanishing like a flame snuffed out by the wind. The color drained from her skin within seconds, turning her pale enough to rival someone who had just seen a ghost, and honestly, I would’ve believed her without hesitation if she told me that was exactly what had happened.

Laura shifted her gaze toward any point in the room that wasn’t even remotely close to Tenebrya and hurried away, her steps quick and uneven, as if she had just witnessed something deeply unsettling, something macabre and disturbing. The sound of her footsteps faded into the distance, leaving behind an odd silence.

In the end, only Althea, Tenebrya, Emily, Laura, and I remained in the room. Ah, of course... there was also the apparition, who at some point had silently approached and taken position beside Emily.

She wore a faint mischievous smile, one that softened whenever her eyes fell on Emily, revealing an unexpected tenderness. There was something strangely familiar about that expression, it reminded me of the way my sisters used to look at me, with a blend of genuine familial affection.

Emily let out a low, tired sigh, her gaze slowly drifting until it settled on the apparition beside her, a gesture that made me blink in momentary surprise. She... could see her too?

Moments later, Emily’s voice broke the silence: “So, how much time do we still have?” she asked, her eyes clearly fixed on Althea.

I found myself silently wondering what Emily meant and turned toward Althea in search of some explanation. As usual, she seemed calm and somewhat detached from the conversation. Only when her name was mentioned did she shift her attention, slowly turning toward Emily, her eyes blinking with gentle curiosity.

She tilted her head slightly before asking in a serene tone: “What exactly are you referring to, dear?”

Emily’s gaze wavered for a moment, her pupils trembling as she struggled to maintain composure. Still, without saying anything else, she slowly raised her hand and pointed to her side, exactly where the apparition hovered: “How long do we have before she disappears?”

Arthur, beside me, raised an eyebrow at the situation, clearly confused, probably because he couldn’t see the apparition. He adjusted his binoculars carefully, tilting his head slightly as he tried to align the focus toward where Emily was pointing.

For a few seconds, he remained silent, observing with heightened attention. Then his eyes widened slightly, a spark of surprise crossing his expression: “I didn’t realize we had another guest” he commented.

Emily gave a small shrug: “Apparently... it’s my sister who died a long time ago. At least, as far as I know, she managed to come back thanks to the new anomaly we discovered” she said, keeping her gaze fixed in Tenebrya’s direction: “I’m not sure why she came, but...”

Her words trailed off before she could finish. Emily slowly crossed her arms, looking away briefly as she gathered her thoughts: “If it really is her... I want to say a few things... a lot of things. I just don’t know if I’ll have enough time. I don’t want her to disappear while I’m talking to her” Her expression hardened for a brief moment.

I blinked, genuinely surprised by the information. My gaze turned almost instinctively toward the one who had now become the center of attention. As if sensing my observation, she turned her face toward me and, realizing I was staring, smiled again, a warm, mischievous smile, and waved back at me.

“Hello, auntie! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. By the way... our family is kind of complicated, isn’t it?” she said, letting out a sweet, carefree little laugh. I stayed silent for a moment, still trying to process that... Also, why did she call me auntie?

Naturally, I turned toward Althea, searching for some explanation. She listened to the entire conversation with a calm, faintly amused smile. When she noticed my attention, she simply shrugged, unconcerned.

“What?” she said in a playful tone: “I already mentioned that I’m the mother of creation. Naturally, humans are my children. When they die, their forms return to their spectral states, which are then gathered by sister Nekra” Her voice remained gentle, but there was undeniable authority behind her words. For a moment, her fingers lightly tapped the air.

Then Althea’s expression changed. A trace of genuine irritation crossed her face, hardening her eyes: “On the other hand... if, for some reason, that doesn’t happen...” she paused briefly: “Well, I’d rather not talk about the possible outcome that might fall upon my beautiful children”

She let out a soft sigh, regaining some of her previous lightness: “That said, since they are my children, they end up having many aunts... after all, we are all sisters, dear sister”

My gaze slowly shifted between Emily, who let out a quiet huff while briefly turning her face away, and her apparent “sister” who continued watching me with shameless amusement written all over her face... it seemed there was far more going on than I had initially imagined.