Shadow Anomaly - Synopsis, possible Cover Image, and Chapters 1 and 2, first 4461 words

And here is another potential story on my Patreon. I'm currently planning on making whatever my next story to go to Royal Road be a male protagonist story. Since it's been a while since one of my male protag stories went to Royal Road.

This one is also not a LitRPG, although it is progression fantasy still.

I hope you enjoy it :)

I also realized I've never actually done a pure isekai story before where the MC is one of the only ones sent to another world. So this will be my first.

I've done reverse isekai where everyone on the planet is sent to other planets, but never just the MC or just the MC and a few others.

Here is the possible Royal Road temporary cover:

And here is the current synopsis(which also might change in the future):

ABA.

A term meaning ‘Anomaly, Beast, Alien’ in the modern world of Earth.

They are dangerous creatures that put the world itself at risk.

Some of them are in the form of regular beasts, just like animals. Just significantly stronger. While others are creatures originating from outside of the world that crashed on Earth.

But the most dangerous ones are the anomalies.

Entities whose very existence breaks the laws of reality and everything humanity has ever known.

Nothing can be thoroughly predicted when it comes to an anomaly.

As is shown when the experiments conducted on two different anomalies, ABA #1 and ABA #1431, both end up with very unpredictable results.

Leaving ABA #1431, an anomaly made up of crimson shadows now stuffed inside of a human body, stranded in a completely different universe.

One where humanity and various other alien races all across the universe fight against the Gates forming in space.

Now, how will ABA #1431, also known as Shadow, make his way through this new and unknown universe? Especially after being dropped inside of a Gate.

That story has yet to be told.

If you're interested, click here, or on the following link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13ebRr2wZy8kWm969J-Syp8F1TxOh_1uJN_n8ugYkSwI/edit?usp=sharing

Or you can read it here on the post as formatting isn't as big of an issue for a non-LitRPG story:

Chapter 1

A Maximum Security Anomaly Lab in the United States

Various devices all around the room beep at different intervals, filling the room with an uncomfortable atmosphere as Jackson stands behind a desk looking at the computer on it. Meanwhile over half a dozen other researchers can be seen sitting and standing around the room, each with clipboards in hand and lab coats on.

The room itself has two rows of desks with different lab equipment scattered across them and some computers, and the walls of the room have a faint crimson glow that gradually pulses in intensity on a regular interval. Further adding to the atmosphere the beeping devices give the room.

But all of the researchers are used to the room as they discuss amongst each about the preparations for the experiment.

“The results of the final check on the artificial body?” Jackson asks while glancing at one of the other researchers the moment a loud beeping sound echoes from a computer on the other side of the room.

“It returned normal,” Vidrid answers without taking his gaze from his computer. “The artificial body is ready for the experiment to begin.”

“Hmm,” Jackson hums while nodding his head and turning to face another researcher in the room as he asks, “And the pod?”

“All good!” the other researcher declares as the beeping in the room continues.

Jackson nods again while turning to look at the main screen shown at the front of the room. Where a detailed file of the core of the current project is displayed.

ABA #1431 – Shadow

Danger Rank: Catastrophic.

Danger Classification: Amorphous devourer.

Intelligence: High.

Danger Review: ABA #1431 is in the form of crimson shadows that devour the very souls of its targets. Once someone makes contact with ABA #1431’s body, the shadows will immediately begin devouring their soul. The exact pace of consumption varies depending on the willpower and physical strength of the target. Species of the target does not matter. Living or non-living status of the target does not matter so long as the target possesses a soul. ABA #1431 is believed to grow stronger the more souls it devours based on evidence of the shadows expanding in size with each meal. It is also capable of moving through both the air and shadows.

Containment Protocol: ABA #1431 is incapable of causing physical damage as it is entirely made of shadows. Therefore it requires an air-tight and light-proof containment cell to restrict it. It is especially important to keep any and all shadows out of sight of the anomaly as it is capable of emerging from them.

Extermination Requirements: Undiscovered.

“Show the screen,” Jackson eventually declares after a few seconds. And the moment the researchers hear the head researcher’s words, a couple of them being typing on their keyboards before the main screen changes to show live footage of the subject in its containment cell. Along with the connecting rooms beside it, which are used to bring objects into the cell.

The entire cell itself is made up of nine different connecting cells with air-tight doors between each. Allowing the researchers to place equipment into a room two rooms away from the anomaly before sealing off the room and opening the connecting door to move the equipment into the neighboring rooms. Further lowering the risk of any escape attempts by the anomaly.

And inside of one of the other cells right now, the researchers find a human body lying inside of a high-tech pod. With various vacuums built into the sides of the pod meant to draw the shadows into the pod.

The body lying down in the pod can’t be fully seen by the researchers through the cameras except for the face. With the body being an artificial human body made exactly like a regular human male.

All as an attempt made by the researchers to exterminate the anomaly. By trapping the shadows inside of an artificial human body.

Then killing the body after brainwashing it in case killing it does not work.

“Remember to be careful,” Jackson states as his eyes narrow. “Now begin the experiment.”

Just seconds later, the pod with the body is rolled into the room adjacent to the shadow, and the door to the room is sealed tight. Then the door between the room the pod is in and the room the shadow is in rises up into the ceiling.

Releasing the anomaly into the room as the amorphous crimson shadows begin to move at a much faster pace all through the room before slowly spreading to fill both rooms.

“Now activating the special vacuum…” one of the other researchers states before the vacuums on the pod begin pulling in air at a slow pace at first. Then the pace begins to rapidly speed up until all of the air in the two combined rooms is drawn into the pod.

But despite the suction force, the shadows don’t get drawn into the pod. Instead, they stay close to the edges of the room to avoid the pod entirely.

“Releasing the bait,” one of the other researchers declares before various small animals are released from the sides of the pod. Instantly making the shadows in the rooms tremble out of hunger. Since they have been starving the anomaly for weeks in preparation for this experiment.

Even with the food though, the shadows don’t move towards the pod. They merely tremble in place as if having difficulty deciding if the danger or the food is more important.

“Now expel,” Jackson states as he narrows his eyes at the screen. And the moment he gives the order, vents begin to open on the side doors of the room that begin to push out incredibly powerful winds into the room.

Pushing the anomaly closer towards the pod that is located at the back of the room next to the only wall that is not a door. Which is only possible thanks to the anomaly’s guard being down through its fight with hunger.

And when it gets close enough, the vacuums finally begin to draw the anomaly into the pod.

They’ve done various experiments before to seal the shadows in a vacuum, but the vacuum never manages to seal it. It manages to draw the shadows into the vacuum, but the shadows always manage to escape through emerging from the shadows around the vacuum after a few minutes of being trapped.

So the first part of what follows the shadows beginning to be drawn into the pod is something they’ve seen before.

The crimson shadows outside of the pod follow the rest of the crimson shadows at a rapid pace as if dragged along with it, entering the pod without much pull-back now that the process has begun. But what happens after is completely different as the crimson shadows are carefully injected into the specially made artificial body before it can try escaping and while it’s devouring the bait around the pod. Making the body itself begin convulsing inside of the pod.

“Make sure to take note of every step in the process,” Jackson shouts, feeling his heart begin racing as the experiment truly begins in earnest. And all the researchers in the lab start taking notes on everything they see in the experiment.

How the body inside the pod convulses, how the crimson shadows can be seen running through the veins of the body even through the glass, all the metrics of the body including its pulse, brain waves, and the like.

Everything.

Jackson focuses on the screen with the body’s metrics as well, not just leaving it to the other researchers. And what he finds makes his heart race even faster.

Because the body is beginning to show signs of brain activity.

It’s just small spikes every now and then, but the spikes of brain activity become more and more frequent the further the crimson shadows spread throughout the body.

“And keep the brainwashing device on standby in case the experiment succeeds!” Jackson adds without taking his gaze from the screen. But as if to mock his overconfident words, the body begins to convulse less and less as the crimson shadows finally slow down in their spreading.

His eyes widen before a look of despair covers his face at the sight of the crimson shadows even beginning to leave the body.

“No!” Jackson shouts, his voice echoing through the lab as he slams his fists on the counter. “We were so close!”

They prepared a soulless body just for the anomaly from scratch and spent billions of dollars to make it identical to a living body. All in an attempt to get rid of one of the greatest threats to humankind amongst the anomalies, beasts, and aliens.

One of the most dangerous ABAs.

And yet, now it ends like this?

Just a near success?

But before he can say anything else, the entire underground facility begins to shake as a bright orange and purple pulse moves through the room. And then through ABA #1431’s room as well. Only for another pulse to pass through both rooms. And another after that.

Jackson’s eyes widen even further before he shouts, “Pull up the screen for ABA #1’s room right now!”

The moment he sees the screen appear next to the screen showing ABA #1431’s room, he feels a wave of pure terror fill him. Because ABA #1 – also known as the nebula – is currently letting out orange and purple pulses of energy in repeated pulses.

Energy that is setting off the time and space fluctuation alarms inside of the lab.

“Contact the lab running ABA #1’s experiment right now!” Jackson shouts, his anger flooding the room at an interruption to his own extremely important experiment.

Only for his anger to come to a sudden halt when one of the researchers shouts in return, “Look at ABA #1431!!! It’s merging with the body!!”

Jackson’s attention instantly returns to ABA #1431’s screen as the screen itself shows the crimson shadows, which had begun to leave the body, being forcefully injected further into the body and merged with the cells of the body every time the pulse passes through it. All the way until the body and the anomaly merge fully and the artificial body’s eyes open wide to reveal black and crimson pupils that send a chill down Jackson’s spine.

“Quickly! Prepare the brainwashing device!!!” Jackson shouts as his heart feels like it’ll beat right out of his chest.

But as the researchers rush preparing the device, the pulses become more frequent. And they all begin to notice something strange.

Every time the pulses pass through their bodies, they see themselves growing more and more transparent. Which makes the researchers stop in their tracks before they finish preparing the brainwashing device.

Jackson looks down at himself in confusion before focusing on ABA #1.

The very first anomaly suddenly begins to shine the purple and orange light in a constant stream instead of just pulses. And when it does, everyone in the fiftieth through sixtieth underground floors of the facility finds themselves being completely blinded by the light.

But not before someone accidentally hits the button on the brainwashing device without finishing implementing commands into it. Leaving nothing but the basic knowledge setting turned on as the device injects basic knowledge into the anomaly’s new body.

Then, when the light finally fades again, and security from other floors arrives, they find all the floors completely empty.

Not a single ABA or human in sight.

Including ABA #1 and ABA #1431.

The only thing they can find are signs of space-time manipulation on the floors.

Leading to an emergency being called all the way up to the government’s top brass.

But no attempts to find them ever succeed.

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ABA #1431

The first sensation I ever feel beyond hunger and food comes suddenly. Immediately after I fail to get out of the thing trying to trap me.

As for what that sensation is?

I… don’t actually know.

Strange things that look just slightly different despite still being things. But I don’t know the word for them exactly.

They look like the things I usually only vaguely sense given a new form. One far more detailed than my vague presence detection could ever give me.

That’s not the only thing though. I also hear sounds a lot more clearly than before.

It’s as if everything until now was muffled. But now I’m hearing everything clearly.

And the moment these sensations come to me is the moment I find myself trapped inside some sort of shell. One of the very same shells that I’ve often found hosting food.

But the sensations around me change almost as quickly as they appeared. Every other sensation vanishes the moment the strange pulsing thing turns into a constant thing that makes me feel another sensation I’ve never felt before.

And I really don’t like the new sensation.

That new sensation doesn’t last long either. Because the strange constant thing fades, leaving me in a completely different location, with the unpleasant sensation vanishing with the strange constant thing.

I can tell it’s a completely different location both through my vague awareness of my surroundings, that I still seem to have even in this shell, and through the strange visuals this shell seems to be giving me.

Instead of the place I have been for months now, I now find myself in a strange location filled with some sort of energy.

The energy isn’t something I’ve ever sensed in my entire life before. And the location is one of those holes in the ground I saw before I was captured.

A cave.

The shell I’m in moves slightly as the sensations I’m seeing around me vanish and reappear at the vague sense of confusion I feel at the word.

What’s a cave?

Words fill my mind as if put there against my will.

A natural formation in the world located in the ground.

And that’s not all. Information for a lot of the things I’ve been feeling fill me one after another.

The sensations I’ve been seeing? They’re lights, objects, and the world around me.

The other sensation I felt that I didn’t like?

It’s pain. An indicator that your body has been harmed.

And even the shell I’m in.

A human.

Human…

It’s a strange word.

I feel more pain as I lower my… head? As I lower my head and lift my… arms… to grab my head. And at the same time, more and more information begins to flood my mind.

Details about so many things I never knew until now simply because I didn’t have the capacity to know them.

I grit my teeth from the pain while also feeling my vocabulary expanding to automatically fill in some of these details.

Until I hear a clacking sound from behind me. Making me turn around to find some sort of creature staring at me. One over two meters tall and letting off a good amount of that strange energy I sense filling the place.

Okay, if the shell I’m in is a human, then what’s this thing?

The thing in question lets out a loud screech and begins charging at me.

I guess it isn’t going to tell me.

Chapter 2

ABA #1431

I try to lift my shadows, but once again, all I end up doing is raising my human body a bit. Giving the strange creature the time it needs to reach me before the thing swings its scythe-like arm right into my shell’s arm.

Making me feel that ‘pain’ sensation again.

But at the same time, I find a beneficial result coming out of the clash as my real body begins to spill forth a little bit from the wound. And when my crimson shadows make contact with the strange creature’s scythe, it begins to scream in pain.

I don’t care about its pain though. I’m too focused on snacking on the food inside of its shell.

Food of which that strange information calls a soul.

The creature, which the information in my head says looks like a mix of some sort of purple alien and a green praying mantis, rapidly backs away to get clear from my shadows. But that won’t help it as I begin to spread my shadows out to lock the creature down.

Only to find my shadows stopping the moment they get about a foot away from my shell.

What?

I blink – which is apparently the term for the action I did earlier when the sensations vanished and reappeared – before the mantis alien charges forwards again. Only for its mouth – or mouths technically – filled with rows of razor sharp teeth to come clamping down on my shoulder. Making more of my real body come out of the shell.

And when my crimson shadows touch the mantis alien again, the creature screeches in pain once more.

This time I don’t let it get away when it tries to flee though. I wrap my shell’s arms around the mantis to hug it and keep it in place. Even as it swings its scythe-like limbs around and bites me over and over again.

All it manages in doing that is hasten its own consumption as more of my crimson shadows leave my shell.

Until they completely cover the mantis alien thing and I finish my meal. Leaving the creature collapsing on top of me.

I push it to the side while feeling immense pain all over my shell. Which is currently riddled with holes that are spewing out crimson shadows all over the place.

The pain is incredibly unpleasant and I wish it would go away. But this shell doesn’t seem to work like that.

What’s worse is that the shell is starting to spew out more and more crimson shadows the longer I go with the holes in the shell.

For a brief moment, I consider just causing more holes in the shell to force more of my real body out of this shell. But my thoughts instantly go against that when I feel the area a foot around my shell filling up with crimson shadows.

At which point the shadows start spilling out of that range. With me losing all sensation and control over the shadows that leave the range.

No… will I perish if this shell is destroyed completely?!

It’s not certain, but I don’t want to test that possibility. So I begin pulling my crimson shadows back into my shell again with all the strength I have. And when I manage to get it all back inside, I see the holes in my shell gradually beginning to close up. Implying that I can only heal when my shadows aren’t passing through the holes.

Although the holes in the strange cloth over my shell are still there even when the smaller holes completely vanish in my shell.

I stand still, completely unmoving for several minutes as the holes gradually close up. All the way until every hole is gone. Then I awkwardly wobble to my feet and try to move forwards.

Only to collapse to the ground.

Then I try again.

And collapse again.

This process repeats itself over and over again as I get used to this shell until I finally manage to move a bit more comfortably in the direction of the mantis alien thing’s corpse that I dropped to the side.

When I reach the thing’s dead shell, I drop to the ground next to it and reach out to touch the thing. Just to experience what this sense of touch is on something with a shell.

And at the same time, I reach my other hand out to touch the rocky ground of the cave.

Before I can experience this for very long though, I find another one of these mantis alien things entering the cave I’m in. So I push myself up to my feet to get ready for my next meal.

Because I can tell just by instinct that these things are good food for my growth.

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Space Gate Ship #41982

“Is this everyone?” the team leader for the Gate exploration asks with his eyes narrowed at the group in front of him. “If not, it doesn’t matter. Prepare for ID checks. We’ll enter the Gate after everyone is verified.”

Team Leader Vexal feels more than a little irritated as he looks at the various fresh faces in front of him. Many of whom are E or D rank vanguards.

From his experience, Gate explorations full of E and D rank vanguards rarely end well. Especially when the Gate in question is D rank.

Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t have much of a choice. Since this is an outer rim Gate located on the edges of a largely barren galaxy.

So there aren’t many vanguard here.

Most vanguard – people who hunt and fight in the Gates – purposefully target areas they can get profit in after all. And this galaxy is not one of those.

Team Leader Vexal lightly shakes his head with a sigh, deciding that he’ll just have to hope that the E ranks will manage to complete their tasks before they die. At least then he’ll be able to claim rewards for those very tasks.

It takes several minutes before all of the vanguard have their IDs checked and verified. At which point Team Leader Vexal steps up to the front of the ship’s hangar, where they’re all gathered, and puts his arms behind his back. Just taking in all the vanguard.

Everyone in the hangar they’re at is wearing basic vanguard equipment.

Propulsion jets attached to different parts of their bodies to allow for movement out in space, armor that is clearly from E or D rank monsters, and weapons and shields of all kinds to protect themselves and fight with.

Since all vanguard are awakened by the energy in the air, they don’t have to worry about being crushed by the pressure of space anymore. And they can breathe in the energy in space instead of needing oxygen. So no vanguard requires a spacesuit like a regular human or alien might.

And Team Leader Vexal, being the C rank vanguard that he is, is wearing far higher quality equipment than any of them. Which he takes great pride in.

“All vanguard have been verified,” Vexal shouts, his voice echoing throughout the hangar as the ship staff for the Gate Ship – one of many Gate Ships meant to bring vanguard out to the dangerous Gates – begin preparing to open the hangar. “The head count is a total of thirty vanguard for this exploration with seventeen E ranks, nine D ranks, and four C ranks including myself. Loot allocation will go through the Vanguard Association based on the final survival rate of the Gate exploration and the information you bring back for the future Gate raid team to use.”

Vexal looks around the hangar at all the vanguard, many of whom look nervous about the upcoming exploration. With most of those being the E ranks. Then he focuses on the staff as the last one leaves the hangar with a thumbs up. Informing Vexal that the team can head out for the exploration.

So Vexal focuses on the vanguard again as he raises a fist into the air and declares, “I officially announce this Gate exploration’s start!”

And with those words, the hangar force field behind him turns off, and Vexal jumps out of the hangar and uses the propulsion of the jets on his armor to push him towards the massive portal of green and red energy in space.

The Gate.

One of millions if not billions that have been opening up all across space for as long as society can remember, bringing with them monsters into the universe if they aren’t cleared quickly enough.

And the target of vanguard.

Those who have awakened to the energy in the universe and answered the call to explore and clear these Gates for the protection of the universe as a whole.

Even if most of the vanguard simply clear the Gates for the energy they contain.

Which is far more energy than the space outside of the Gates have. Enough that it drastically increases the speed of their energy gathering while inside of a Gate. With the exact amount varying depending on the Gate’s rank.

And their total energy is one of the most important parts of a vanguard’s power in the universe.

If it weren’t for that, along with the expensive materials found in the Gates, most vanguard would never risk their lives fighting in them.

Vexal and the twenty-nine vanguard behind him fly through space directly into the Gate. Following which he finds himself and the others all appearing in some sort of large cave.

His eyes narrow a little before he begins moving slowly forwards, only to find some sort of creature leaving a tunnel into the cavern they’re all in.

Gasps and fear run through some of the E rank vanguard, but most of them show determination. Which is a good sign for Vexal.

Still. Vexal keeps his vigilance even as he raises his hand and shoots out a beam of energy from his armored palm that blasts straight into the monster. Knocking it off its feet and slamming it into a wall while drilling a deep hole into its shoulder. Then another three vanguard behind him do the same, finishing the creature off even as it lets out a loud screech.

“Watch out,” Vexal warns the others. “That screech could well be a warning cry for the others to notify them of our presence. So keep your guard up.”

Vexal walks up to the dead monster as the vanguard behind him give confirmation that they’ve heard him. Then he starts to inspect the monster.

The creature is a large insect-like creature with the general form of a mantis, including its scythe-like arms. But unlike a mantis, this creature has a wide head with a mouth that’s shaped more like a raula, whose mouth opens wider than it should and is in a triangular shape. With another mouth inside of it, and a pyramid-shaped head.

It has a strong carapace that Vexal finds difficult to dent when he knocks his knuckles against it, but seems weak to energy attacks.

After studying the creature a little more, he stands up and turns toward the tunnel. Where he hears movement coming from.

“More monsters inbound,” Vexal declares, making the other vanguard tense up.

And just as he expected, a horde of over a dozen more monsters like the first one come charging down the tunnel into the cavern they’re in.

Time to get started.

Chapter 3 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/138389334

Chapter 4 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/138445477