A (Vincent De Lan, shortened to Vinz) is a 19-20-year-old guy of a slender but strong build hailing from the Netherlands. He's a brunet with a disheveled and untidy hairstyle. He typically sports a perpetually unzipped, worn-out dark gray hoodie, a baggy monochromatic t-shirt, and very loose dark-colored sweatpants. Throughout the story, he's seen wearing scuffed and yellowed sneakers with numerous creases and dents. In various realities/chapters, he may also wear glasses, shorts, or a cap. After the anomaly begins and the temperature drops sharply, he dons a tattered cloak with a hat and a worn-out puffer jacket.
The young man decides to head to the settlement with his last savings after learning of his expulsion from Cologne University due to chronic truancy. Initially, he had a tendency towards a carefree lifestyle, alcoholism, and drug use, justifying it as a means of coping with constant life failures. He is sharp-witted and known for his sense of humor, allowing him to fit into almost any company. When faced with serious questions and complaints directed at him, A prefers to brush them off, thus concealing his lack of self-confidence, which is quickly noticed by B.
Recalling the tortures in the settlement, A was initially skeptical of the reappearance of D. However, after D's sacrifice for the group's safety, A began to view him as a hero and martyr, realizing how circumstances can profoundly change people. At first, A had a biased attitude towards the copy of C, blaming her not only for C's death, with whom he had a romance, but also for all subsequent problems. Eventually, the young man becomes convinced that the copy of C was just as much a victim of circumstances as all the others in the settlement. By returning her glasses, which were found among the remains of the charred C, A acknowledges her as the same C with whom he had a romance.
B (Eva Fry) is a 18-19-year-old beautiful and intelligent girl with a pleasant personality from Germany, who prefers to act cautiously and thoughtfully. B has long dark-blue hair and is usually dressed in tight shorts or a skirt, a short brightly colored turtleneck, and sneakers (likely Vans).
B is a contactee - a person capable of interacting with angels, thanks to the unique structure of her brain, which manifests as a peculiar form of madness. Even in school, B saw strange, surreal nightmares in which she saw distorted images of her loved ones. Over the years, these nightmares triggered chronic anxiety in B, which she managed to cope with through diligent studying and the support of her best friend named C. In many ways, it was thanks to her friendship with C that B managed to suppress her anxiety and maintain her sanity. After enrolling in the first year at the University of Berlin, B began to experience nightmares again, in which she was pursued by a mysterious shadow. In search of a way to combat her worsening anxiety, B decided to travel to the settlement alone. Her plans for solitude were disrupted when A mistakenly moved into the same house, initially irritating her. Due to constant, numerous visions of the near future and the pursuing figures in those visions, B commits suicide, leading to an anomaly due to the unresolved angelic outcome. Eventually, thanks to the efforts of A and C, B realizes her ultimate purpose - to stop the endless suffering of her friends and all newcomers to the settlement at any cost. After going back in time to the moment of her arrival in the settlement, B kills her deranged copy, sustaining a serious injury, and sets a massive fire that attracts public attention. Disrupting the circle's plans, she loses consciousness due to extensive blood loss, and her further fate remains unclear.
C (Dominika Amiga) is a 18-19-year-old girl from Spain with burgundy hair and a bob haircut. She wears large round glasses and is typically dressed in tight shorts, a long-sleeved shirt, golf shirts, and large New Balance sneakers. The initial copy of C appeared in a cloak with circle symbolism and ripped tights, but later she changed into a sweater with a collar, tight ripped jeans over the ripped tights, still wearing large sneakers and large round glasses with cracked lenses.
C is energetic, intelligent, and very kind, always striving to help others, sometimes at her own expense. In her early childhood, C moved to Germany with her parents, where she befriended B during her school years, and a strong friendship developed between them. C made every effort to support B, knowing about her psychological problems. After B unexpectedly left for the settlement without explanation, their relationship became extremely tense. Afterward, under the pseudonym DORAdude008, C spent a lot of time on internet forums, researching the past settlement and local rumors. Sensing that something was wrong, C followed her friend to the settlement, where she discovered B dead. After meeting A, she, along with everyone else, ended up in the anomaly. While trying to survive, C became increasingly close to A, and a romance blossomed between them. Soon after the sudden death of C at the hands of the ashy beings, her exact copy appeared in the settlement, donning a circle cloak and adopting all the qualities of the deceased C: kindness, compassion, and curiosity. Despite this, A blamed C's death on her copy. He refused to return C's glasses, which she picked up from the remains of her copy, believing the girl unworthy of wearing the belongings of the C he knew. However, during their final meeting, he refused to take the glasses from the girl, recognizing her as the same C he had a romance with. After spending time among the cult, C acquired skills in using Jacob's Ladder, a device she used in an attempt to lead the others out of the settlement. In the end, almost the entire group died or disappeared without a trace during numerous transitions in an attempt to escape from the cult. She blamed herself for all the deaths, vowing to end the cycle of endless suffering even at the cost of her own life, by finding a way back to the past where B was still alive. Eventually, C was shot by cultists, giving A a chance to complete the transition to the past.
D (Mr. D, real name unknown) - a muscular man around 35-40 years old with long black hair, typically dressed in a motorcycle jacket or coat with jeans and wearing massive boots. He is in excellent physical shape and possesses advanced hand-to-hand combat skills. He is armed with a Glock 17 pistol and an HK SL8 rifle.
Every time he meets newcomers in the settlement, he introduces himself under different names, claiming to be searching for his missing loved ones in the settlement. When questioned about his past and pursued goals, D exhibits symptoms of schizophrenia and other psychological disorders. In the anomaly, driven by his false memories and a thirst for revenge against the cult for the alleged abduction of his loved ones, D actively opposes the circle, making its complete destruction his primary goal. The others in the anomaly prefer to address the man as Mr. D, without asking for his real name. It is later revealed that D is a biological copy of a person who went missing without a trace after making the first recorded transition in history. Copies of D are implanted with false memories of their past to arouse less suspicion among newcomers to the settlement. The primary goal of D's clones is to prepare the settlement for further research by the circle, transmitting all necessary data to them. Numerous tattoos are applied to the bodies of D's clones, used to restore lost memories due to constant transitions.
E (Josephina Barus) - a young blogger (approximately 18-20 years old) and a resident of Germany. E has dark pink hair styled in two pigtails. She usually wears a bright short turtleneck, a black skirt with white stockings, and black Balenciaga track sneakers. She prefers to carry a miniature camera with her at all times. She is better known online under the pseudonym GoodArtAss.
On her channel, E produced videos investigating various criminal and mysterious incidents. After the mass disappearance of newcomers in the settlement, E records the first part of her sensational investigation. After gaining long-awaited popularity, E is willing to do anything to maintain and increase it. She seduces a married officer who arrested her for illegal entry into the settlement and blackmails him for classified investigation materials she wanted to publish in the second part of her investigation. E also orchestrates B's escape from a closed mental health complex in exchange for an exclusive interview and new details for the next part of her investigation. However, E's selfish actions always lead to her own death and the deaths of those she uses for her purposes. An administrator, a young man whose real name is not disclosed but known under the nickname oMAYgood19_84, assists E in her endeavors. The administrator carries out almost any task assigned by E, remaining in her shadow.
The Settlement (Nezemesh) - located near a river and surrounded by forests in northwest Czechia, near the border with Germany, it has preserved its historical architecture to this day. The settlement was presumably founded by an influential figure from the Czech Protestant nobility. After the suppression of the Bohemian Revolt and defeat in the Thirty Years' War, the settlement came under the control of an order called the Circle of Angelic Consciousness. During World War II, the settlement was known to have Nazi presence conducting research on the unique brain structure of the locals. In the 1960s, due to unexplained outbreaks of madness among the residents, the authorities constructed a psychiatric hospital in the nearby woods, where many locals disappeared without a trace. In the 1980s, the hospital was closed due to unethical experiments conducted on patients. Several years later, the settlement, devoid of any indigenous residents, was sold to a company belonging to the Circle of Angelic Consciousness, for restoration into a tourist area intended for 220 people. It is also known that underground catacombs run beneath the settlement, extending throughout its perimeter. Hidden entrances and exits to the catacombs are located at various ends and streets of the settlement, as well as in the nearby psychiatric hospital. These catacombs were presumably constructed by the local nobility in the 16th century to provide a safe means of leaving the settlement in case of capture or siege, although the exact age, authorship, and purpose of their construction remain unknown. Today, the catacombs are actively used by the circle to move quickly and discreetly throughout the settlement's perimeter. In subsequent years, several incidents of mass disappearances of newcomers in the settlement were recorded, which were hushed up by the local authorities and the media. Despite the settlement's history, it continues to attract a high demand among tourists from all over Europe, offering them exceptionally low rental rates. To this day, the settlement serves as a platform for the circle to study the influence of the angels' departure on newcomers.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Arrivals in the Settlement - there were 220 people from all over Europe, mainly from Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Austria, of different ages, genders, and social statuses. After the outbreak of mass murders, the number of arrivals decreased to approximately 110 people. During the chaos in the settlement, several dozen more people died due to the actions of Group D. By the time the cult group arrived in the settlement, there were about 80 people left. In subsequent attempts to hide from the cult, another 73 people either died or disappeared without a trace. In the end, there was no one left alive among all the arrivals from the original reality.
Circle of Exodus (also known as the Cult of Exodus or simply the Circle) - this is a global organization that includes a network of numerous world corporations. Members of the cult are armed with P90, FAMAS, and Steyr AUG firearms. They use long straight forged swords and sickles as cold weapons. They travel in vehicles branded with the cult's symbols, mainly Toyota Land Cruiser 200. Ordinary sect members, regardless of gender, wear cloaks made of durable material with distinctive cult symbols, concealing their faces under hoods and tight masks without openings. Curators wear chainmail masks without openings and are armed with high-caliber pistols (Colt M1911 with optical sights). Clones of D are also hidden under the masks of the curators, and they have been instilled with false pasts for special purposes. The cult's symbolism resembles Germanic runes from northern Europe, and it is applied to all their belongings, including clothing, weapons, vehicles, equipment, etc.
Many prominent businessmen and politicians are members of the cult, which helps the organization lobby for its interests worldwide. The Circle of Exodus, as an organization, has existed for over 400 years, since the late Renaissance. According to legend, the cult was founded by followers of Matteo Iacovo, a physicist-theoretician from Eastern Europe whose works were rejected by the scientific community of his time and considered pseudoscience. After Matteo's death, his followers established the Order of Angelic Consciousness and, through new research, improved the capabilities of the Jacob's Scheme. The order began to embrace the philosophy that human sacrifices are acceptable and inevitable in the pursuit of knowledge and the common good. Gradually, the order gained more supporters, expanding its influence across Europe. In modern times, the cult continues its cruel research on tourists arriving in the settlement, studying their behavior in various conditions and the effects on their sanity during the Exodus process, using their finances and connections to cover up their crimes. Managing numerous corporations, the sect possesses the most advanced technologies in medicine, energy, etc. The exact hierarchy of the Circle and their numbers remain unknown. However, given the prevalence of their ideas among elites worldwide, there could be tens of thousands of people within the sect. Higher positions in the Circle are held by certain curators who directly supervise the cult's group during research. The cult's goals are not entirely clear to this day. Declassified archives reveal that the Circle venerates angels as higher beings, awaiting their arrival in our reality. With the help of the contact sect, they intend to obtain coordinates from the angels for Jacob's Scheme, leading to a new utopian reality where all of humanity has reached its peak of development, overcoming all global problems. To achieve their goals, the Circle is willing to commit almost any mass crimes, justifying them with the price for the greater common good. With the discovery of B, the cult gains the ability to move locally between realities within the settlement using Jacob's Scheme, increasing the likelihood of encountering angels.
Jacob's Scheme is a schematic representation of X and Y coordinates overlaid on a local map of an area. The scheme is named after its creator, the physicist-theorist Matteo Jacob. According to legend, Matteo created the scheme based on descriptions from his daughter's dreams. Using the scheme, the scientist was able to mathematically predict events in the near future and prove the existence of parallel realities. After the scientist's death, his followers began to refine the scheme, realizing its boundless potential. The scheme and the markings on it appear completely incomprehensible to the uninitiated, and the mechanisms of its use are only partially understood. Any action with the scheme is carried out on local terrain using coordinates calculated from multiple variables: the area of the designated location, time of day, the user's location on the scheme, and more. Depending on the specified coordinates, the scheme can indicate a path to a parallel reality with similar or alternative events, either in the past or the future. The full range of the scheme's capabilities and its possible applications is still not entirely clear, but its potential is sufficient to irreversibly alter reality. Understanding how to use the scheme for a specific task is learned solely through practical experience, despite all the risks of not returning to the original reality when venturing along certain coordinates.
The Bleak Ones are phantom-like entities that appear as shadows with human outlines and bright, cold blue eyes that glow. Presumably, the Bleak Ones are composed of a dark matter with immense density that absorbs all light. The Bleak Ones function like an immune system, destroying foreign objects that enter a specific reality, thereby restoring the natural course of events in that reality. The Bleak Ones move with incredible speed, instantly appearing anywhere from a distance. Predicting the behavior of the Bleak Ones is difficult; they may simply observe their potential target from afar or immediately attack. Judging by their perfectly coordinated actions, the Bleak Ones are thought to be controlled by some form of collective consciousness. When they reach their target, a Bleak One grabs the victim's neck with an inescapable grip, and by staring intensely into the victim's eyes, incinerates them with blue flames. Each of those who arrive in the settlement periodically sees the Bleak Ones in the form of their friends, family members, or acquaintances. According to one theory, this tactic instills fear in potential targets, causing them to reveal themselves. The Bleak Ones also use the images of their past victims and people who got lost among realities during transitions. According to one theory, the Bleak Ones have been responsible for the phenomenon of the uncanny valley in human history for a long time, possessing human-like characteristics and posing a threat to humanity. In his writings, Matteo Jacob speculated that the Bleak Ones have existed since the emergence of time in the universe.
Angels are humanoid beings that exist outside of space and time. Angels are organic embodiments of higher matter and can influence any other matter at all levels, altering reality around them. Despite having limbs similar to humans, angels move exclusively through levitation. Angels have bodies distinguishable by primary male and female characteristics, made up of ribbed plates and smooth, silvery flesh, fused together by incomprehensible mechanisms. All human-like angels lack a mouth, with their mouths covered by ribbed plates. It appears that angels communicate with each other and others through telepathy. Female angels have long metallic nails and heels fused with their feet, as well as semi-exposed ribbed busts made up of ribbed plates and smooth silvery flesh fused through some mechanisms.
Periodically, angels materialize in one of the realities, moving in response to a signal sent by the mind of the contact. This process is called the Exodus and lasts for about two weeks. The Exodus is accompanied by a sudden local drop in temperature and gradually increasing snowfall, regardless of the climate and weather in the vicinity of its beginning. The time and place of each Exodus depend on the presence of the contact there and are calculated in advance by the cult. The reasons and goals of the angelic Exoduses remain unknown. Everyone in the area where the Exodus begins starts to contact angels in their dreams and visions, seeing distorted images of events and people significant to them. As angels materialize in the human reality and the Exodus concludes, this effect intensifies, inevitably leading to irreversible loss of sanity and the complete annihilation of all signs of identity, as the essence of angels can only be comprehended by the contact. As they approach their target, angels fracture reality, transporting themselves and others into a space resembling their ribbed corridors, where time comes to a complete standstill for everyone except the angels and the contact. Thanks to the contact, new data has been discovered, confirming the theory of the materialization of Boltzmann brains in the form of angels, who have realized their existence beyond time and space. The appearance of angels and their ribbed space is inspired by the works of H. R. Giger and Zdzisław Beksiński.