In a world where reality is not as stable as it seems, there exist four beings known as the Original Anomalies—entities that defy the natural laws of time, space, and existence itself. Each one has carved out a hidden sanctuary, an off-grid community where those who don’t belong in the structured world of humanity can find refuge. These places exist on the fringes of perception, accessible only to those who understand the anomalies’ nature.

1. ECHO (The Resonance)

• Nature of the Anomaly: Echo is not a person, but a presence—an entity that exists across multiple timelines simultaneously. Those who encounter Echo often hear whispers of their own pasts and futures, layering over reality like a ghostly chorus. Echo is both a guide and a warning, forever reliving fractured moments of time.

• Off-Grid Community: The Reverie

Hidden deep in a mist-covered valley where time bends in unnatural loops, The Reverie is a sanctuary for lost souls—people who have slipped through cracks in time or who no longer age. Within its shifting borders, time resets every seven days, erasing all memory of the past week for outsiders. But for those who are part of the community, they remember everything, living in an eternal cycle they have learned to navigate.

2. VESPER (The Hollow One)

• Nature of the Anomaly: Vesper is a being who exists in the spaces between—neither fully alive nor truly dead. Their body flickers like a candle flame in the dark, constantly on the verge of dissolving into nothingness. People who linger near Vesper too long find their own sense of identity unraveling, their reflections distorting, their voices echoing back as if spoken by someone else.

• Off-Grid Community: The Hollow Refuge

Built beneath an abandoned city swallowed by the earth, The Hollow Refuge is a place where those who have been forgotten or erased from existence gather. There are no mirrors in the refuge, no written records—only memory and oral storytelling. It is said that once you enter, the world above forgets you ever existed, making it the perfect haven for those who wish to disappear.

3. KAIROS (The Unbound)

• Nature of the Anomaly: Kairos is the embodiment of probability and chaos—wherever they go, reality fractures in unpredictable ways. Sometimes it’s small—a flipped coin landing on its edge—but other times, entire landscapes shift, rewriting history itself. Kairos is neither benevolent nor malevolent; they are simply an agent of change, their presence altering the fate of all who cross their path.

• Off-Grid Community: The Paradox Market

The Paradox Market is a city that moves. One day, it appears in the heart of a dense jungle; the next, it exists beneath the ocean, encased in an air bubble. Traders and wanderers from every possible timeline gather here, exchanging goods that have never existed, bartering with memories instead of currency. No one stays in the Paradox Market for long—unless they lose themselves to its ever-shifting nature.

4. LUX (The Veilkeeper)

• Nature of the Anomaly: Lux is the guardian of the unseen, the protector of what exists just beyond human perception. They are the reason people feel watched in an empty room, the shadow that moves when nothing else does. Lux ensures the balance between the known and the unknown, keeping the hidden world from collapsing into the visible one.

• Off-Grid Community: The Gloam

A settlement that exists in perpetual twilight, The Gloam is neither day nor night, neither fully real nor completely imaginary. It is a haven for those who have touched the edges of the unknown—artists who see too much, dreamers who slip between worlds in their sleep. Within The Gloam, reality is fluid; doors lead to places that don’t exist, and every resident carries a secret they can never speak aloud.

The Truth About the Original Anomalies

Some say the Original Anomalies were never human to begin with. Others claim they were the first beings to break free from reality’s constraints, each one embodying an aspect of the unknown. Whatever they are, they have shaped the hidden corners of the world, offering sanctuary to those who no longer fit within the rigid rules of ordinary life.

But to seek them out is to risk losing yourself. Because once you step into their world, reality is never quite the same again

Beliefs Surrounding the Four Original Anomalies

Throughout history, the Original Anomalies have been perceived in many ways—deities, omens, curses, or forces beyond human understanding. Different cultures, secret societies, and those who have encountered them have formed their own interpretations of what they truly are. Here are some of the prevailing beliefs surrounding each anomaly.

1. ECHO – The Resonance

“The past speaks, the future answers, and the present listens.”

Belief #1: The Echoes of the Divine (The Reverents)

• Some believe Echo is a messenger of fate, a being that records all of time simultaneously. Those who follow this belief, known as Reverents, think Echo does not control time but merely reveals the paths that already exist. They dedicate their lives to deciphering the whispers they hear, believing every repeated word holds a prophecy.

Belief #2: The Curse of the Forgotten (The Severed)

• Others fear Echo as a cosmic mistake, an error in the design of reality. These believers, called The Severed, think that Echo represents a fate worse than death—being stuck in a loop of memories, unable to move forward or backward. They believe that anyone who listens too closely to Echo will eventually be erased from history, existing only as a lingering voice in the past.

Belief #3: The Architects of Reality (The Fractured Scholars)

• A more radical belief is that Echo is proof that time is artificial. The Fractured Scholars theorize that time is a construct designed to keep humans from understanding the full shape of existence. Echo is their proof that all moments exist at once, and by understanding Echo’s nature, they can learn to break free from linear time.

2. VESPER – The Hollow One

“To be seen is to exist. To be forgotten is to fade.”

Belief #1: The Shadow Between Worlds (The Liminal Order)

• Some believe that Vesper is not of this world at all, but a being caught between life and death, existence and non-existence. The Liminal Order believes that Vesper holds the key to transcending human mortality—not through death, but by stepping into the space between realities, where one can exist indefinitely, unseen and untouched by time.

Belief #2: The Empty Vessel (The Devourers of the Self)

• A darker belief suggests that Vesper is a living void, a thing that feeds on identity. The Devourers believe that those who spend too much time near Vesper begin to lose their sense of self, their memories slipping away until they become hollow echoes of who they once were. Some cults dedicated to this idea intentionally seek Vesper out, hoping to shed their human limitations and become something… different.

Belief #3: The Guardian of the Lost (The Unnamed)

• Among the forgotten and outcasts of society, Vesper is seen as a protector. The Unnamed believe Vesper watches over those who have been erased—people who have no records, no past, no place in the world. To them, Vesper is a guide, leading the lost to the Hollow Refuge, where they can exist in peace, unseen by a world that discarded them.

3. KAIROS – The Unbound

“Chance is an illusion. All things break when the time is right.”

Belief #1: The Living Chaos (The Gamblers of Fate)

• Some see Kairos as the ultimate trickster—a force of pure chance that can bless or curse without rhyme or reason. The Gamblers of Fate dedicate their lives to randomness, believing that by surrendering to chaos, they align themselves with Kairos’ will. They let dice, coin flips, and unpredictability rule their lives, convinced that resisting fate is futile.

Belief #2: The Fractured God (The Keepers of the Paradox)

• Others believe Kairos is not a singular entity, but a fractured god—a being shattered across infinite realities. The Keepers of the Paradox study the anomalies caused by Kairos, believing that if they can piece together the pattern of its appearances, they may be able to glimpse the true nature of reality itself.

Belief #3: The Cosmic Error (The Engineers of Order)

• A group known as The Engineers of Order believes that Kairos is a flaw in the design of the universe—a force that must be controlled or destroyed. They see every unpredictable event, every reality shift, as proof that the world is unstable. They seek to track Kairos, using complex rituals and equations to contain its influence before it unravels everything.

4. LUX – The Veilkeeper

“Some things are not meant to be seen.”

Belief #1: The Keeper of Secrets (The Veiled Ones)

• Some believe Lux is a guardian that protects the world from things beyond human understanding. The Veiled Ones think that Lux keeps the balance between the seen and unseen, ensuring that certain truths remain hidden. To them, seeing too much is a curse, and those who pry into the unknown risk attracting Lux’s attention—a fate no one survives.

Belief #2: The False Light (The Seekers of the Gloam)

• Others believe that Lux is not a protector but a deceiver, a being that hides knowledge that humanity was meant to have. The Seekers of the Gloam dedicate their lives to uncovering what lies beyond Lux’s veil, convinced that the world they live in is only a shadow of a much greater, hidden truth.

Belief #3: The Last Witness (The Silent Monks of the Edge)

• The most mysterious belief is held by the Silent Monks of the Edge, a sect that believes Lux is the last survivor of a forgotten world. They claim that Lux was once human but saw something no one was meant to see—something that erased everything but them. The Silent Monks dedicate themselves to meditating on the unknown, believing that if they remain perfectly still and silent, Lux will one day reveal the truth to them.

Conclusion: The Truth of the Anomalies

No single belief can fully explain the Original Anomalies. Perhaps they are all true at once, or perhaps reality itself bends in response to the expectations of those who observe it. Whatever the case, those who seek out these entities must tread carefully—for to understand an anomaly is to risk becoming one yourself.