Anomaly

Chapter 370 – Worship of the true gods [16]

The priest’s sermon continued through the rest of the night. I’m not sure how long it actually lasted, maybe a few hours, because my sense of time slowly dissolved inside that stuffy church. The priest’s words echoed through the hall with a calm, hypnotic cadence, but I barely paid attention to the content of the sermon.

In truth, there was only one thing that really held my attention: what he was causing. The natural orders that man was quietly reversing. It was subtle, almost imperceptible to any ordinary person. The congregation remained still in their wooden chairs, listening with devotion while the priest slowly walked down the central aisle.

But I could feel it. Something was wrong, as if the invisible rules that keep the world in place were being bent, gently twisted by his words. I have to admit I had to restrain myself pretty hard. Especially when the priest lifted his gaze and offered a benevolent smile after noticing our group standing at the end of the aisle.

To everyone else, it was just a warm, welcoming gesture. To me, it felt like watching a predator showing its fangs behind a gentle smile. For a brief moment, I felt my muscles tense. My body practically begged me to move forward and lunge straight for his throat.

But I didn’t. If I gave in to that impulse, the reputation of anomalies, which isn’t exactly great to begin with, would sink even further. One impulsive act would be enough to confirm every fear and prejudice people already have about us.

And more importantly than that... I didn’t want to bring trouble to my little sisters. I don’t care if people hate me. But I wouldn’t want them to be treated like freaks because of me. I didn’t want anyone looking at them with fear or disgust. So I held myself back.

While the priest preached, his voice echoing through the wide interior of the church, my gaze wandered lazily around the room. It drifted across the tall stained-glass windows, whose exotic colors, deep reds, hypnotic blues, and soft golds, filtered the light into vibrant patches that spread across the floor.

Every now and then I also glanced toward the altar, where the priest delivered his sermon with solemn gestures, and the long pews aligned along the central aisle, filled with believers listening in respectful silence.

Even so, my main point of observation, the thing that captured my attention the most, were the stone statues that practically surrounded the interior of the church, standing in plain sight. They weren’t nearly as small as I had imagined at first.

On the contrary, they were large and imposing, positioned on pedestals that gave them even more presence. Each one had forms and garments carved with such striking detail that it was hard to simply ignore them. The folds of their stone robes looked almost real.

As I watched them, I realized I wasn’t the only one doing so. Several believers and devotees scattered across the pews cast discreet glances toward the statues. There was something different in their expressions, a quiet mixture of reverence and emotion.

Some kept their eyes fixed on them for long seconds, and on certain faces I could see a faint shimmer forming in their eyes, as if the mere sight of those figures was enough to make them want to cry.

I scoffed inwardly at the scene. I was fully aware of what was happening, after all, I used to be human once... or at the very least, I once carried human memories. That alone taught me more than enough about how humans work.

Because of that, I wasn’t exactly surprised to see them worshiping anomalies with such religious fervor. Human history is full of similar examples. In the end, there are humans capable of worshiping even the devil himself if they believe there’s something to gain from it.

Even so, I couldn’t help but find the sight... strange. There was something deeply unsettling about the way they surrendered themselves to it, heads slightly bowed, eyes shining with devotion, as if they were standing before something sacred.

However, there was another detail that caught my attention. More specifically, Emily and Laura. The two of them were also staring at the priest. But there wasn’t the same blind devotion I saw in the others. Instead, their faces carried a subtle mix of caution and suspicion.

Even so, they didn’t look away for even a second. I seriously doubt they believe all the nonsense coming out of that crazy priest’s mouth. But from the looks of it, one thing was certain: even though they were suspicious... they were definitely interested in what he had to say.

Anyway, I stayed silent throughout the entire sermon. At first, I tried to pay attention. But at some point I simply gave up. I started ignoring everything that crazy priest said, turning his voice into nothing more than an irritating buzz in the back of my mind, something like the persistent sound of a fly going back and forth around your ear.

Like I said... extremely irritating. Meanwhile, the hall remained submerged in a solemn quiet. The priest continued gesturing at the front, speaking with fervor, as if every word carried some divine weight that everyone should feel. To me, though, it had already become nothing more than noise.

After some time, his tone began to soften, and his pauses grew more frequent. Judging by the rhythm, the sermon finally seemed to be coming to an end. I took the opportunity to glance sideways, trying to disguise my curiosity. That’s when I noticed Emily and Laura.

Both of them were still completely absorbed in his words, their eyes attentive and their faces calm, as if nothing else existed around them. I raised an eyebrow at the sight.

An idea popped into my head almost instantly. I cast one last glance at Emily and Laura, making sure they were still far too absorbed to notice anything, before leaning back slightly and reaching out to my sisters mentally.

(I’m going out for a bit) I informed them quietly in my mind, noticing the subtle looks directed at me even though neither of them had moved their heads even a centimeter away from the priest at the front. Before leaving completely, I added in a calm but firm tone: (Behave yourselves. I’ll be back in a few minutes)

With that said, I let my body slowly sink into the shadowy world. The sensation was always the same. Then I began swimming through the darkness, moving carefully as the gloom slid around me like a thick sea. I didn’t really have a specific goal in mind.

Honestly, I just wanted to check whether the priest was hiding anything behind the church. It was more curiosity than suspicion... or at least that’s what I tried to tell myself. Even so, I couldn’t help being surprised when I found something. A passage.

It opened discreetly behind the church structure, as if it had been designed not to be noticed. The opening led to some kind of hidden room. Driven by curiosity, I followed it. When I finally emerged from the shadows inside the room, my feet touched the floor in absolute silence. The darkness withdrew around me as I slowly stood up.

Then I looked around. My eyes swept across every corner of the room, analyzing every detail, the furniture, the scattered objects, the marks on the walls, anything that might reveal the purpose of the place.

My gaze lingered on everything, absorbing every small piece of information. And in the end, as I stood completely still in the center of the room, I felt my eyes twitch. Only two words managed to form in my mind.

(What the hell is all this?) I questioned inwardly.

On the outside, my face remained completely impassive, cold, neutral, as if nothing unusual was happening. Not a single muscle moved. Inside, however, it was a completely different story.

My thoughts spun in a chaotic storm, as if dozens of questions were being thrown against each other without stopping. It was practically an existential crisis unfolding inside my head.

***

(POV - Emily Parker)

Emily sat in a relaxed posture, one arm lazily draped over the armrest of the chair. Her fingers lightly tapped against the polished wood, more out of habit than restlessness. At no point did her eyes leave the priest speaking at the front.

Up until now, Emily didn’t really know what to think about the priest. His religion was, without a doubt, quite bizarre and... at the very least, questionable. Worshiping anomalies definitely wasn’t something you saw every day, and certainly not something that inspired immediate trust.

Still, putting that aside, the man seemed like a friendly priest at first glance. His voice was calm, his smile appeared sincere, and his posture didn’t give off anything remotely threatening. That was exactly what left Emily confused.

She didn’t fully understand why the [Angel of Death] seemed so hostile toward what he was doing. Sure, Emily could admit that worshiping anomalies was suspicious, not to mention disturbingly strange, but did that really justify that much contempt? That much hatred?

Emily tilted her head slightly while continuing to observe the priest, her eyes narrowing a little in thought. Deep down, she had the uncomfortable feeling that there was something more going on here. Something hidden between the lines of this entire situation.

Eventually, some time passed while the priest continued preaching. His voice echoed through the interior of the church, steady and filled with fervor, as his words spread across the silent hall. At a certain point, a brief break was announced. Almost immediately, the reverent silence broke.

The people around began talking among themselves in animated murmurs. Some discussed the words of the sermon, others repeated certain passages with exaggerated admiration. There were even those speaking with almost blind conviction, claiming that the priest was destined to become a savior, someone sent to guide everyone.

Emily overheard some of those comments and couldn’t help thinking that it all sounded like a bunch of nonsense. As the murmurs filled the room, Emily kept her gaze sharp. She watched the priest slowly step away from the pulpit. With calm strides, he walked toward a discreet door at the side of the altar, a door that seemed to lead to the back of the church.

When he reached it, he opened it without hurry, cast one last glance toward the hall, or at least that’s what it seemed like, and then stepped through. Moments later, the door closed softly behind him, and the priest disappeared into the back of the church.

Emily let out a silent, almost imperceptible sigh. She had to admit... all of this had been more intense than she expected. When she turned her attention back to where the anomalies were gathered, Emily began counting them, one by one.

Her eyes slowly moved from figure to figure. One... two... three... She frowned slightly. Emily counted again. One... two... three... Her head tilted to the side in clear confusion, a small crease forming between her eyebrows. Her eyes remained fixed on an empty spot among the anomalies, the exact place where the [Angel of Death] should have been.

Still staring at the empty space, Emily opened her mouth, hesitating for a moment before speaking: “Where...”

Her voice came out low at first, but it was enough to draw the attention of Laura and the anomalies nearby. Several heads turned in her direction: “Where is the [Angel of Death]?”

The question hung in the air for a brief moment. The only answer Emily received was a chorus of confused blinks from the anomalies, and from Laura, who looked just as perplexed as she did.