The morning light crept through the cracks in the boarded-up windows as Mike sat cross-legged on the couch, his eyes bloodshot from a restless night. He rubbed his temples in frustration. "I can't do it, man," he grumbled. "I've tried everything—drawing stuff to life, climbing the sky, turning things into bombs. Nothing works. Even my dreams are just me failing over and over again!"
Anon, who was lazily sprawled out on the armchair with a cup of coffee, chuckled. "That's normal, rookie. First time's always the hardest. It's not something you can brute force."
Mike glared at him. "Then how the hell did you do it? You make it sound like you just woke up one day and decided, 'Hey, I'm gonna walk on water now.'"
Anon smirked, setting his cup down. "Oh, it wasn't that simple. Let me tell you a little story." He leaned forward, his tone growing somber. "When I was six, my parents and I were on this big ship, headed to a new city. Calm seas, clear skies—everything was perfect. Then, out of nowhere, this massive eldritch beast rose from the depths and destroyed the ship."
Mike's eyes widened in alarm. "Wait, what? That actually happened?"
Anon nodded, his expression serious. "Yeah. We all got thrown into the water. I was just a kid—I didn't know how to swim. I remember sinking, water filling my lungs, the weight of the sea dragging me down. It was terrifying."
Mike leaned forward, his concern evident. "That's… awful. Did your parents—"
Anon suddenly grinned. "Oh, we all survived. Everyone made it out just fine."
Mike's face twisted into annoyance. "You—! Give me back my empathy!"
Anon laughed, waving a hand. "Alright, alright. But the experience left a mark on me. For years, I was terrified of water. Even puddles freaked me out. But I couldn't just let that fear win. So, I decided to face it head-on and trained in the art of water."
Mike raised an eyebrow. "You mean… swimming?"
Anon put a finger to his lips, shushing him. "Don't ruin the moment, man." He continued, "Eventually, I returned to the very spot where that ship went down. I brought a harpoon, determined to hunt that beast and get my revenge. But no matter what I did, nothing worked. My attacks just bounced off its hide. That's when he spoke to me—the King in Yellow."
Mike rolled his eyes. "Here we go…"
Anon ignored him. "The King offered me a blessing, a chance to become a Hunter. I accepted, of course. And with that, I began my journey. But the first time I truly unlocked my power? That's a different story."
Mike crossed his arms. "Yeah, could we maybe skip to that part? This is getting a bit long."
Anon sighed, looking mildly offended. "Fine. You want the abridged version? Here it is. It was a hot day, and my apartment's air conditioning was broken. I was dying from the heat, so I laid down on my concrete floor. It was so cool against my skin, I started imagining I was in a pool. And as I kept believing it, I started… swimming. Right there on the floor. That's when I realized I could turn the ground into water by sheer belief."
Mike blinked. "Wait. That's it? That's how you got your power? By pretending your floor was a pool?"
Anon nodded. "Yep."
Mike's face twisted in disbelief. "That's… ridiculously stupid."
Anon smirked. "Oh, it gets better. The floor wasn't as solid as I thought, and I ended up falling into the apartment below. Landed right in front of a woman changing her clothes. Let's just say I wasn't welcome in that building anymore."
Mike buried his face in his hands. "I can't believe this. You're the worst mentor ever."
Anon grinned. "And yet, here you are, learning from the best."
As the sun crept higher in the sky, Anon and Mike decided to head back to town, their supplies running low and the eerie tension of the countryside weighing heavily on them. As they walked, the same faint, unsettling sound that Anon had noticed before began to echo in the distance.
Anon suddenly stopped, his hand shooting out to grab Mike's shoulder. "Stop," he whispered.
Mike froze. "What the—"
"Shh," Anon cut him off, his voice a harsh whisper. He turned his head slightly, listening intently. Behind them, the sound of footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
Mike's eyes widened as he finally heard it too. Panic began to creep into his voice. "Someone's following us."
Anon's eyes bore into Mike, his expression deadly serious. "Follow my lead. Don't make any sudden moves."
They began walking again, but Anon's posture was tense, his movements deliberate. Without warning, Anon melted into the ground as if it were water, leaving Mike alone.
Mike's mouth fell open in shock. "What the—?" he hissed, before realizing he was now the sole focus of whoever—or whatever—was behind them.
The footsteps grew louder, closer. Panic overtook Mike, and he bolted, sprinting as fast as he could down the dirt path. The pursuer's steps quickened, the gap between them closing rapidly.
Just as Mike felt the presence bearing down on him, Anon erupted from the ground behind him, his arms locking around the pursuer's neck in a chokehold. "Fancy seeing you here, Mary."
Mike skidded to a stop, turning to see Anon pinning someone down—a young woman dressed in a tattered waitress uniform. Recognition flashed in Mike's eyes, followed by frustration. "Wait a second! That's the waitress from the diner!"
Anon smirked. "You're welcome, by the way. Great bait."
Mike's frustration boiled over. "You used me as bait?! What the hell, man?! You didn't even warn me before you dove into the ground or whatever!"
Anon laughed, letting go of Mary. "Relax. You did great. And hey, you agreed to work for me, remember?"
Mike glared at him. "Yeah, but you could've said something!"
Anon shrugged, unapologetic. "My bad. Sorry, rookie." He turned to Mary, his tone shifting. "Now, care to explain why you were tailing us?"
Mary brushed herself off, shooting a glare at Anon. "I wasn't tailing you. I was making sure you weren't something else."
Anon raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Mary sighed. "I'm a Hunter too. I've been stuck in this cursed town for a year now. No matter what I do, I can't find a way to escape."
Anon's face darkened, his tone turning dry and unimpressed. "A year, huh? And you still haven't figured out how to deal with the eldritch beings here? Sounds like someone's slacking."
Mary shot him a sharp look. "I've killed almost every cultist in this town. I've fought off eldritch minions every single day. But there's something wrong here—something bigger. The town keeps spawning more of those things. It's like the place is alive, feeding off the chaos."
Anon crossed his arms, clearly unimpressed. "So, what you're saying is, you've been running around in circles."
Mary glared. "It's not that simple, Anon. This place isn't normal. Even for a Hunter, this is beyond anything I've seen before."
Mike, still catching his breath, stepped forward. "So… you've been fighting this whole time? Alone?"
Mary nodded, the exhaustion evident in her eyes. "Yeah. And if you're here, it means you're stuck too."
Anon smirked. "Oh, don't worry, Mary. We're not here to stay. Unlike you, I don't do dead ends." He cracked his knuckles. "Let's figure out what's really going on in this town and put an end to it."
Mary gave him a skeptical look. "Big words. You better be able to back them up."
Anon grinned. "Oh, I can. But first, how about we find a place to grab a bite? I'm starving."
Mike groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."
As the trio made their way back into town, they approached the local restaurant where Mary had been working—or at least pretending to work. The once-cozy diner now had an eerie emptiness to it, with overturned chairs and flickering lights adding to its unsettling atmosphere.
Mary pushed the door open and gestured for them to sit. "Make yourselves comfortable. Not like we've got any customers left."
Anon plopped down in a booth, stretching his legs out like he owned the place. "Alright, waitress, I'll have a steak—medium rare—throw in a burger, a soda, and a glass of water. Oh, and some fries. Don't skimp on the ketchup."
Mary stared at him, her expression a mix of disbelief and annoyance. "Seriously?"
Mike, catching on to Anon's teasing, awkwardly joined in. "Uh… I'll just have a burger, some salad, and… water's fine, I guess."
Mary folded her arms and glared at them both. "You do realize I'm not actually a waitress anymore, right?"
Anon grinned. "Details, details. Look, you're the one who brought us here. Might as well keep the illusion alive, right?"
Mary rolled her eyes and stormed off toward the kitchen. "Unbelievable," she muttered.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Mike leaned across the table, his voice hushed. "Are you sure this is a good idea? What if she poisons our food or something?"
Anon leaned back in his seat, completely unbothered. "If she does, then at least I'll die with a full stomach. That's better than starving to death out there."
Mike frowned. "That's not exactly comforting, you know."
Anon shrugged. "Relax. If she wanted us dead, she had plenty of chances before now. Besides, I doubt she's got the energy to cook and plot murder at the same time."
Minutes later, Mary returned with two plates, slamming them down on the table with a little more force than necessary. "Your steak and burger, sir. And here's your salad and burger, sir." Her tone dripped with sarcasm.
Anon dug in immediately, cutting into his steak with a grin. "See? Service with a smile."
Mary shot him a death glare. "Enjoy it. It's probably the last meal you'll get if you keep pushing your luck."
Mike hesitated, poking at his salad nervously. "This is fine, right? Like, you didn't… you know…"
Mary sighed, exasperated. "If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't waste good food doing it."
Anon smirked between bites. "Told you. Now eat up. We've got work to do after this."
Mary sat down across from them, watching as they ate. "You're awfully calm for someone stuck in this nightmare."
Anon winked at her. "Calm's just another word for 'experienced.'"
Mike muttered under his breath. "Or crazy."
Mary couldn't help but crack a small smile despite herself. "You two are something else."
Anon raised his glass of soda in a mock toast. "To teamwork. And to not dying horribly."
Mary shook her head, but there was a faint glimmer of amusement in her eyes as she reached for her own drink. Mike just sighed, resigned to his fate as the odd new member of this bizarre trio.
As they continued eating, the door to the restaurant suddenly slammed open, a bloodied man staggering in. His clothes were torn, and he looked like he'd been mauled. His eyes darted around in panic as he screamed, "You've got to help me! There are monsters chasing me!"
Anon barely looked up from his steak, raising a brow at the man. "Monsters, huh? You mean like the ones you see in the mirror?"
The man didn't seem to hear him, trembling as he pointed to the window. Mike and Mary turned their heads, and their faces went pale. Outside, the street was enveloped in a nightmarish fog, shadows slithering and twisting like living things. Grotesque, eldritch creatures loomed just beyond the glass, their forms an amalgamation of horror: limbs bending the wrong way, mouths where they shouldn't be, and eyes that seemed to pierce the soul.
The atmosphere thickened with a suffocating sense of dread as distant screams and maddening laughter echoed from nowhere and everywhere at once.
"Well," Anon said casually, setting his fork down. "Good thing we've already eaten. Wouldn't want to fight on an empty stomach."
The bloodied man turned to him, his face a mix of terror and confusion. "What are you talking about? They're going to kill us!"
Anon gestured toward his stomach, ignoring the man's panic. "Yeah, but can you, like, tell them to wait a bit? My food's still processing. Would hate to waste a perfectly good meal by puking it up."
The man blinked, utterly baffled. "What?!"
"My bad," Anon said with a shrug. Then, without warning, he stood, grabbed the man by the head, and hurled him through the front door with alarming ease.
Mike jumped to his feet, his chair clattering to the ground. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Mary's hand instinctively went to her weapon, her expression uneasy. "Anon, was that really necessary?"
The man's body hit the ground outside with a sickening thud, skidding to a stop at the feet of the encroaching monsters. But instead of tearing him apart, the creatures hesitated, their forms shifting and pulsating unnaturally.
Then, as if a veil had been lifted, the man's appearance began to change. His bloodied human facade melted away like wax, revealing an eldritch horror beneath—a creature eerily similar to the one Anon had killed at Mike's house. It grinned with too many teeth, its face splitting open in a grotesque mimicry of a smile.
"Called it," Anon said, crossing his arms. "Same trick, different face."
Mike's shock turned to anger. "You could've warned us! I thought you just killed an innocent guy!"
Anon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because random innocent people just happen to stumble in here while bleeding all over the place, right as the town turns into a Lovecraftian hellscape, also dont worry im the servent of The King in Yellow all the member of King can see memory and Sins of others, and that things is sinned bit too much."
Mary frowned, gripping her weapon tighter. "He has a point, but... next time, maybe don't throw someone out without explaining first."
The creature outside let out a bone-chilling screech, its form twisting and contorting as the other monsters rallied around it.
Mike gulped, picking up a nearby chair as a makeshift weapon. "You've got to be kidding me."
The restaurant's walls creaked as the creatures pressed closer, their shadowy forms clawing at the windows. Anon turned to Mike and Mary, his grin widening. "Well, let's see if your training's paid off, rookie."
Mike groaned. "I really hate you sometimes, And I DON'T REALLY LEARN ANYTHING ABOUT SELF DEFENDS!."
As the eldritch creatures pressed against the restaurant's walls, Anon gave a casual salute and said, "Don't wait up." With that, he dropped into the floor, his body liquefying like water and seeping into the cracks. The monsters outside hesitated for a brief moment, sensing something was amiss, but it was too late.
From below, tendrils of liquid surged up, wrapping around the legs of the nearest creature. It screeched and flailed, but Anon's watery form dragged it down into the ground, where it dissolved into a dark mist. One by one, Anon's attacks struck with precision, drowning each eldritch beast in his wake.
Meanwhile, Mary donned an executioner mask she pulled from her belongings. As soon as she placed it on her face, her form shimmered and vanished into the shadows. She moved like a ghost, slicing and striking the creatures with ruthless efficiency, leaving behind a trail of dismembered limbs and eerie silence.
Mike, still holding the chair, stared at the chaos unfolding around him. "Well, I guess this is it. I'm gonna die," he muttered, gripping the chair tightly. When one of the monsters lunged at him, he swung it with all his might, expecting it to do nothing.
To his shock, the impact sent the creature flying back with a guttural roar, its body crumpling like paper as it disintegrated. Mike froze, staring at the chair in disbelief. "Wait... what?!"
Another monster lunged at him, and Mike swung again, this time smashing the chair over its head. The creature screeched and writhed before collapsing into a heap. Mike's shock turned into a mix of panic and adrenaline as he began fighting his way through the onslaught, the chair somehow becoming a weapon of immense destruction.
Mary, observing from her invisible vantage point, stopped mid-strike as she saw Mike tearing through the creatures. Her eyes widened beneath her mask. How is he doing that? she thought. No ordinary contract could grant that much power. Who... or what... did he make a deal with?
As the fight wore on, the eldritch horde began to dwindle. Half of them lay dead, their twisted forms dissolving into mist. Mary and Anon regrouped near Mike, who was panting but still standing, the remnants of his chair splintered in his hands.
Anon reformed from a puddle nearby, brushing off his jacket. "Not bad, rookie. Looks like you're getting the hang of this."
Mike glared at him. "The hang of this? You threw me into this mess without warning!"
Mary, still eyeing Mike suspiciously, interrupted. "Mike... who did you make your contract with?"
Mike wiped some sweat from his brow. "Uh, Anon, obviously. Who else?"
Mary shook her head, disbelief written all over her face. "There's no way. Just a basic contract with him wouldn't give you this much Blessing. This is... something else entirely."
Mike frowned, confused. "What are you talking about? He made me sign the paper, I bled on it, and now I can smash these things with a chair. End of story."
Mary didn't look convinced. She glanced at Anon, who smirked but said nothing, his expression cryptic.
There's more to this kid than he knows, Mary thought, gripping her weapon tightly. And I'm going to figure out what.
Anon clapped his hands together, breaking the tension. "Alright, gang, let's wrap this up. The rest of these ugly things are mine." He turned to the remaining creatures, cracking his knuckles.
As he dove back into the ground, Mary shot one last glance at Mike, her mind racing with questions.
As Anon finished off the last of the monsters, he stretched his arms and cracked his neck, the eldritch mist around the restaurant beginning to dissipate. He sighed contentedly. "Huh... somehow, I feel young again after all this. Probably because I don't smoke anymore."
Mary raised an eyebrow, lowering her mask. "What are you mumbling about now?"
Anon glanced at her with a sheepish grin. "Nothing. Just thinking aloud."
Mike leaned against the counter, his energy drained. "So... are we good now? Can we maybe not get attacked for five minutes?"
Anon ignored the question and stared out the window, his expression shifting to something more serious. "Nope, we're not good. Not yet. This town isn't just crawling with these things—it is one of them. We need to figure out how to kill it."
Mary folded her arms, clearly unimpressed. "You're not the first person to try. I've been here for a year, Anon. I've scoured every corner, including the sewers. There's nothing left to find."
Anon smirked, brushing off her skepticism. "Not for me. I'm... good at finding things. A bit."
Mary gave him a doubtful look. "You mean lucky?"
"Call it whatever you want," Anon replied, shrugging. "Point is, I'm going deep diving through this whole town. If there's a way to kill it, I'll find it."
Mike perked up slightly, his exhaustion giving way to curiosity. "Wait, you're just gonna leave us here? What if more of those things show up?"
Anon waved him off. "You'll be fine. Mary's got your back, and you've got... whatever that chair thing was. Besides, the restaurant seems like the safest spot for now. Stick together, and don't die."
Before either of them could argue, Anon's body began to ripple, his form liquefying again. Mary groaned in frustration. "You really don't plan these things out, do you?"
Anon grinned as his face melted into the floor. "Planning's overrated. Be back soon—don't burn the place down." With that, he vanished, leaving behind a faint shimmer where he had stood.
Deep Dive into the Town
Anon reemerged in the middle of a deserted street, his liquid form pooling into a solid state. The town was eerily silent, the air thick with a suffocating dread. He scanned the area, his instincts on high alert.
"Alright, creepy town. Show me what you're hiding," he muttered, heading toward the nearest manhole cover. With a quick pull, he slipped into the darkness below.
The sewers were damp and reeked of decay, but Anon pressed on, his body moving fluidly through the tunnels. He let his mind wander as he searched, piecing together the puzzle.
"The town's alive, sure, but what's keeping it that way? A core? A heart? Maybe something buried deep beneath all this..."
As he dove deeper, the tunnels began to change. The walls pulsed faintly, like veins pumping blood, and the water grew thicker, almost gelatinous. The further he went, the more the sewers felt less like a structure and more like the inside of a living organism.
Anon stopped at a massive chamber where the walls seemed to breathe. In the center was a pulsing mass of black and red flesh, tendrils extending into the darkness.
"Well, would you look at that?" Anon muttered, a grin spreading across his face. "Found the heart."
The mass seemed to sense his presence, quivering and emitting an otherworldly hum. Anon cracked his knuckles. "Alright, let's see what makes you tick."
With that, he prepared to dismantle the heart of the eldritch town, knowing full well that whatever came next would push him to his limits.
Back at the restaurant, the air was heavy with silence after Anon's departure. Mike and Mary sat across from each other, neither particularly keen on breaking the stillness, but the tension in the air was undeniable. Mike leaned back in his chair, exhausted from the fight and the strange events that had unfolded.
Finally, Mike broke the silence. "So... what do you believe in, Mary?"
Mary looked at him with a raised eyebrow. She didn't respond right away, her gaze flicking to the mask resting on the table in front of her. It was a worn, intricate piece, like a blend of an executioner's and a ceremonial mask. After a pause, she spoke.
"Mask No Seek," she said, her voice flat. "Whenever I wear something that covers my face, whether it's a mask or a large hat, I believe that no one will ever truly see me. I believe that people have a hard time noticing me when I'm hidden behind something, so they don't bother to look. It's a defense mechanism, in a way. I've been hiding my true self for so long, it just... became a part of me."
Mike blinked, processing her words. "So, you just... believe that people can't see you when you wear that?"
Mary nodded. "It's not just a trick. It's a belief, and when you believe something hard enough, it becomes reality. For me, at least."
Mike fell silent for a moment, unsure of how to respond. Her belief was rooted in her experience—something that allowed her to feel less vulnerable in a world full of chaos.
After a long pause, Mary leaned forward, her eyes studying Mike closely. "And what about you, Mike? What do you believe in?"
Mike hesitated. He had been trying all night, testing various ideas, but he couldn't quite find something to latch onto. "I... I don't have it yet. No belief that strong, I guess." He chuckled nervously, the weight of everything pressing on his shoulders. "I'm still working on it."
Mary's expression softened, but she didn't push the issue further. Instead, she asked another question, her voice tinged with curiosity. "Is it really true that Anon is the one you made the contract with?"
Mike felt a strange weight settle in his chest at the mention of Anon. Despite everything that had happened, he still found it hard to fully grasp the situation. "Yeah... it's true."
Mary's disbelief was almost palpable. "That's... impossible," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head. "But I'll take your word for it—for now, at least. Anon doesn't strike me as someone who would just make a contract with someone unless they were already..." She trailed off, her voice low.
Mike didn't know what to say to that. Anon's ability, his power—whatever it was—had defied every expectation. But as the events of the past few days unfolded, Mike was starting to believe that there was much more to Anon than he could even comprehend.
"I still don't get it, but I guess if Anon really did that for you, then you're not just some average guy either," Mary muttered, taking another glance at the mask in front of her, as though the weight of their conversation had made her feel somewhat exposed.
Mike looked at her, still processing the strangeness of it all. "Yeah, I guess I'm not... but I'm not sure I'm ready for this power, or whatever this is." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I've been trying to figure out what I believe in, but it's harder than I thought."
Mary looked at him seriously. "Don't worry. You'll find it. But until then, stick with Anon. He seems to know what he's doing... even if he's kind of a wildcard."
Mike nodded, glancing over at the empty space where Anon had been just moments ago. Despite the chaos, the weirdness, and the horror of everything, Mike couldn't shake the feeling that somehow, they were all headed toward something much bigger than they could possibly understand.
"So... do you believe in Anon?" Mike asked, almost more to himself than to her.
Mary didn't answer immediately. She stared at her mask for a long while before finally meeting Mike's eyes. "For now, I do. Because if I don't, then we're all screwed."
Mike gave a tired smile, his resolve hardening just a bit. "I guess that's the only belief we really need, huh?"
Mary smirked. "Yeah, well... if you're sticking with that guy, you'd better start believing in him harder than ever."
As they sat there in the dim light of the restaurant, a strange camaraderie began to form between them. Neither of them fully understood what was happening, but one thing was clear: with Anon's power and their own growing beliefs, they just might have a chance to survive whatever horrors awaited them next.
The air inside the restaurant grew still once more, as Mike and Mary exchanged a look, still processing the strangeness of their conversation. The weight of everything that had just happened was heavy, and they were both trying to make sense of it all. But before they could continue, the atmosphere shifted.
A sudden ripple of movement, like water flowing through the air, caused both of them to freeze. Mike's eyes widened as he spun around, and Mary's breath hitched in her throat. Standing there, right where they were, was Anon.
The shock of seeing him appear out of nowhere sent a cold shiver down their spines. It wasn't just that he had reappeared; it was the fact that they hadn't heard a thing, hadn't seen him coming. It was as if he had materialized from nothing.
"W-what the hell?!" Mike stammered, his heart racing as he took a step back, trying to process how Anon had returned so suddenly.
Anon merely looked at him with his usual indifferent expression, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "There's a hidden path in the sewers, covered by a thick wall. But I know the way."
Mike and Mary exchanged a glance, both confused but intrigued by the statement. "A hidden path?" Mary asked, her voice tinged with skepticism.
Anon nodded. "No need to worry about finding it. I'll take you there."
Before either of them could react or ask more questions, Anon did something that left them both speechless.
Without warning, he reached out, grabbing both of them by the hands in one smooth motion. In the blink of an eye, they were submerged.
The shock of the cold water was instant. Both Mike and Mary gasped as they found themselves submerged in an eerie, liquid darkness. Their instincts told them to panic, but the strangest thing happened—neither of them needed to breathe. They weren't suffocating.
Mike's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Mary, whose expression mirrored his own confusion. "What... what is this?" he whispered. "How are we breathing? We're underwater!"
Mary, equally in shock, had no answers. She stared down at the water, which rippled as if it were alive, yet it felt like they were in some twisted, surreal version of the ocean's depths. But then, as they looked further down into the abyss, their horror intensified.
What lay beneath them wasn't a simple body of water. It was an empty, consuming void. A pure, endless abyss. A swirling chasm of pure darkness. The deeper they looked, the more it felt like the darkness was pulling them in, like a vast, hungry emptiness that would swallow them whole if they let their guard down.
Mike's chest tightened, a cold sweat breaking out across his forehead. His heart raced in panic as his eyes darted to Anon, who appeared unaffected by the chaos around them.
Mary, too, couldn't look away from the haunting blackness below them. It was beyond unsettling. It was as if they were being pulled into something ancient, something that defied reality itself. "Anon... what the hell is this?" she asked, her voice shaky.
Anon gave a nonchalant shrug, as though the situation wasn't all that unusual. "Oh, by the way, my belief is called Abysmal."
The words were strange and unsettling, as if they carried some deep, unspoken meaning. But before either Mike or Mary could ask further, Anon tightened his grip on their hands and launched them forward, propelling them like torpedoes through the water.
The speed with which they shot through the liquid darkness left them breathless, but still, they were able to breathe. Their surroundings blurred as they were dragged through the emptiness, faster and faster, the blackness closing in all around them.
Despite the surreal terror of the experience, they couldn't deny the power and precision with which Anon moved. He seemed completely at home in the water, completely in control of their descent through the nothingness. It was like he was navigating through the void itself, a creature born of it, his every movement flawless and instinctual.
The world around them began to shift. The vastness of the abyss seemed to give way to something more solid, more real. And just when it felt like they couldn't go any deeper, a sudden jolt threw them forward, and they were thrust out of the water, onto solid ground.
Mike and Mary stumbled as they found themselves in an unfamiliar, dark underground cavern. The air was thick with a strange, oppressive silence. Anon stood before them, his expression unchanged, though his eyes gleamed with an unsettling intensity.
"Welcome to the hidden depths," Anon said, his voice calm, almost casual. "This is where the real answers lie. Now, let's get to work."
Mike and Mary stood there, speechless, their minds reeling from what they had just experienced. The dark void they had just passed through—Anon's power, his belief—was something they could barely begin to comprehend. But one thing was certain: whatever lay ahead, it would be like nothing they had ever encountered before.