Anomaly

Chapter 358 – Worship of the true gods [4]

“Hah...” The sigh slipped heavily past the lips of the woman in the lab coat. Faint dark circles marked the skin beneath her eyes, evidence of sleepless nights and reheated coffee. With her other hand, she rubbed her shoulder in slow circles, trying to ease the tension knotted stubbornly beneath her skin.

“I’m still buried in work...” she muttered, adjusting her glasses at the tip of her nose while flipping through a clipboard crammed with reports: “There are too many Luminis-class anomalies that might need review. Some of the recent tests showed signs... slightly concerning anomalous properties”

She paused briefly, her eyes scanning a chart filled with numbers highlighted in red: “Emily wants everything finalized by the end of the night” A trace of irritation mixed with exhaustion in her voice: “The new tests start early tomorrow morning, and if there’s any inconsistency in the data, it’s going to fall on me”

“Good luck with that” replied the woman sitting across from her. She was also wearing a white lab coat, now slightly wrinkled, as if she had spent far too many hours hunched over the table. The dark circles under her eyes were even deeper than the first woman’s, purplish shadows that betrayed long nights without sleep.

In one hand, she held a plastic cup of energy drink, already halfway gone. Her fingers tapped lightly against the side of it as she took small sips every few seconds, as if the liquid were the only thing keeping her awake.

“After the recent case involving that new Virtue, my workload doubled” she said, her voice carrying exhaustion edged with irritation: “There are way too many files to sort and organize... it just never seems to end”

She let out a long, heavy sigh that seemed to drain her from the inside. Her free hand rose to her temple, massaging it slowly: “I can’t wait for the rotation. I know we’re short-staffed in logistics, but I’m a scientist... not a desk clerk”

Nearby, seated at the same table, was a man wearing the standard Reaction Team uniform, dark fabric reinforced at the shoulders, a discreet emblem stitched over the chest, sleeves rolled up to mid-forearm, revealing pale scars from old injuries.

He rested one elbow on the table, relaxed. A faint smile curved his lips as he broke the silence: “Well, this was a good chat”

His chair scraped softly against the floor as he stood, the dry sound blending into the low hum of the room. His eyes lingered briefly on the fruit energy drink left on the table. The liquid still fizzed faintly, beads of condensation sliding down the can.

He tilted his head as if considering, then shrugged and picked up the drink: “I’ve gotta go” he added, already half-turning toward the exit: “I don’t feel like getting chewed out for being late”

He stepped away from the table, pushing the chair back a few inches. The two women watched him for a moment. Then the one who had mentioned the files earlier stood as well. Her movements were firm, though exhaustion showed through.

She lifted her wrist, staring at her watch as if the ticking hands were personally responsible for her fatigue. Gradually, her expression tightened into a faint frown.

“I guess that’s my cue” she said with a sigh: “I at least want to make sure I sleep tonight... even if it’s just for a few minutes”

The last sentence came out in a slightly darker, resigned tone. Without waiting for a response, she walked away, her soft footsteps fading down the hallway. The last woman followed suit, pushing back her chair, standing, and heading for the exit without hesitation.

The location was the facility’s cafeteria, spacious, high-ceilinged, lit by rows of lights reflecting off the impeccably polished floor. The steady aroma of freshly prepared food lingered in the air, blending spices, grilled meat, and baking bread.

As far as I know, they had every kind of dish imaginable there. And trust me, I’ve eaten in that place enough times to say this: you can literally find anything. From thick, steaming stews to surprisingly delicate desserts, for a military facility, anyway.

Meanwhile, I watched the entire exchange from within the shadowed world. The space they occupied felt like a sealed box, a fragment cut away from reality.

I saw them from above, as if the ceiling simply didn’t exist for me. Small. Confined. Unaware that I was watching. There wasn’t any particular reason for me to be there. I was just bored. So I decided to wander around, something I do from time to time. Walk without direction. Cross corridors. Observe people.

Most members of the organization have grown used to my disappearances. At first, they questioned it. Tried to track me down. Now, they just ignore it. To them, my vanishing acts have become part of the routine.

(Still...) I murmured inwardly, letting an internal sigh slip out with the thought. With mild indifference, I turned my head over my shoulder in a slow, lazy motion, just enough to glance at the figures occupying the space behind me: (Care to remind me why you’re here again?)

Behind me, within my shadowed world, stood my sisters. All of them. Nekra, with her cold, watchful eyes. Althea, serene in posture but with a mischievous glint hidden deep in her gaze. Nyara, restless like a flame that never dies. Eryanis, silent and sharp as a blade. Chronas.

And finally, Tenebrya... the most innocent and curious of them all. Why were they following me? I have no idea. They walked behind me without saying a word. The only thing I do know is that the scientists must be panicking right now.

Even though no alarm has sounded, I can perfectly imagine the scene. They’re probably tearing their hair out at this very moment, trying to understand how, and why, six anomalies left their rooms... all at once.

Me leaving my room is one thing. I’ve never done anything wrong, and it’s something I do fairly often. To them, I’m the “stable” experiment. The predictable one. The controllable one. However... I can’t say the same about my sisters. The first to break the silence was Althea.

She was the closest to me, close enough that I could catch the faint scent of her perfume, and she hummed softly, a light, carefree melody drifting through the shadows. An upbeat, teasing lilt colored her voice when she finally spoke.

“Well, I just wanted to hang out with my dear sister for a bit... you’ve been so busy lately” As she said it, Althea lifted both hands out to the sides in a theatrical display of mock innocence, wrists loose and fingers delicately splayed. She tilted her head slightly, swaying it in a slow rhythm while a playful smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

Eryanis gave a small shrug, as if the very idea was too insignificant to deserve consideration. Then she crossed her arms over her flat chest, chin raised and gaze fixed straight ahead, firm and unshaken.

“I’m not asking humans for permission to go out” she declared, her voice sharp and commanding, carrying a conviction that left no room for argument.

Tenebrya didn’t say a single word. She simply looked around with fascinated interest. Even so, her emotions were transparent, spilling through the faint arch of her brows and the curious sparkle shining in her eyes.

To her, this was nothing more than a simple outing between sisters. A quiet, ordinary moment. Reality, however, was a little different... Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to contradict her, not when she was looking at me with those wide, innocent eyes.

Nekra, on the other hand... I didn’t have much to say about her. Aside from Althea, she was the only one who stayed practically glued to me, her small fingers always clutching the fabric of my clothes. She looked curious, her attentive eyes following everything around us, but there was something else mixed in there too... something close to loneliness.

I’ll admit part of that is my fault. With everything that’s been happening, I barely have time to breathe, let alone truly be present for any of them. I pushed those thoughts away before they could take deeper root and, in a simple gesture, smoothed Nekra’s hair.

Her strands were soft beneath my fingers. She lifted her face to look at me for a brief moment, as if making sure the affection was really meant for her. Then she relaxed. Her shoulders lost some of their tension, and she leaned lightly against me, quietly enjoying the touch. It wasn’t much, a small gesture, but in that moment, it felt like at least that was something I could give.

Nyara, meanwhile, remained the most reserved. She didn’t try to approach or interrupt; she stayed in her own space, observing. Her reactions were subtle, a slight raise of an eyebrow, an almost imperceptible shift in posture.

That’s just how she is. She was raised that way, shaped to observe before acting, to listen before speaking. And honestly, there isn’t much I can argue against in that.

We continued watching the members of the organization in the cafeteria until, little by little, the everyday murmur of conversation dissolved into the air. Chairs scraped harshly against the floor, trays clattered as they were stacked, and one by one, they stood to return to their respective posts.

When the hall finally began to empty, I moved through the world of shadows. The transition was smooth, like wading through shallow water. My sisters followed without hesitation. Eryanis and Althea kept needling each other with sharp remarks and seemingly trivial observations.

Their voices were low but laced with childish competitiveness, trading barbs back and forth. In a strange way, it was comforting.

Nekra still had her delicate fingers curled into the fabric of my clothes. But there was a subtle change in her. Her shoulders were less tense, and the shadow around her felt steadier, warmer. She looked noticeably happier... if that even makes sense.

Nyara simply observed, wrapped in the shyness that had always clung to her like a second skin. Her eyes took everything in silently. Tenebrya, on the other hand, radiated happiness. She was convinced this was a family outing. And in a way, maybe it was. At least, that’s how she chose to see our wanderings through the shadowed world.

We kept swimming through the darkness until we reached another “Box.” It seemed to be Emily’s office, both of them were there, speaking in low voices. Emily’s computer was on.

A video was playing. The image showed the inside of something that looked like a church: long, opaque stained-glass windows filtering in pale light, and people kneeling in orderly rows. Statues stood around the hall. I couldn’t quite make out what they were meant to represent.

Their faces had no defined features, they were smooth and unfinished, as if the sculptor had given up before carving their expressions. Even so, there was something about them that suggested youth. The forms were delicate, small, with contours resembling female figures caught somewhere between childhood and adolescence.

At the center stood the figure of a man with a strangely benevolent smile, one of those smiles that’s just a little too wide, a little too serene, as though it carried a silent promise of salvation.

His arms were stretched out to the sides, palms facing forward in a sacred pose, as if embracing the entire world in an act of mercy. The light fell on him conveniently, sketching a pale halo around his silhouette, reinforcing that image of a redeemer.

I can’t say exactly why, but that scene hooked me immediately. It intrigued me. But more than anything, it stirred something deep and inexplicable inside me, an irritation I couldn’t explain.