Ryan’s day began as mundanely as any other. The hum of the substation echoed softly in the background as he and a handful of scientists busied themselves with their assigned tasks. His current focus remained on the planet they were monitoring. Primer, as it was named, showed no signs of progressing beyond the early stages of the third phase of Infinitum chaos. Despite the lack of dramatic changes, the data they collected was invaluable. The gradual buildup of anomalies across the planet provided insights into the timeline and intricacies of chaos progression, offering a wealth of knowledge for analysis.

However, Ryan’s mind was only half on his work. Most of his thoughts drifted toward the ongoing experiments involving the Erebus Anomaly. Over the past weeks, multiple crews of scientists had been dispatched to study the chaos directly, with every single one vanishing into the unknown. Their fates remained a mystery—disintegration, displacement, or something entirely beyond comprehension. The failures were mounting, and while the data was inconclusive, it wasn’t outright useless.

Keira had been vigilant, though. She maintained a close watch on Ryan, suspecting his growing interest in joining the experiments. She knew his restless nature all too well and feared he might volunteer for one of the crews. Although Ryan assured her and the rest of the Frontier team stationed on Ureka10 that he wouldn’t do anything rash, Keira’s instincts told her otherwise.

Today marked yet another dispatch of a team of brave scientists to a stage-four anomaly. The atmosphere in the substation was tense as the crew prepared for yet another uncertain mission. Ryan sat quietly in the observation deck, monitoring his assigned planet, while the murmurs of anticipation filled the air.

Keira, meanwhile, attempted to focus on her tasks while keeping tabs on Ryan from main station. His name hadn’t appeared on the roster for the day’s mission, giving her some relief. Nonetheless, a nagging feeling persisted, gnawing at the back of her mind. Despite her confidence in Ryan’s assurances, her instincts urged her to double-check.

When her initial attempts to contact him failed, Keira grew uneasy. She tried reaching him directly on the station comms, only to be met with silence. Increasingly anxious, she contacted the station spokesperson, who hesitated before admitting the truth: Ryan had boarded the ship for today’s mission, but he had specifically requested that his name be omitted from the roster.

Keira’s heart sank. Her worst fears had come true. Ryan had gone behind her back and joined the expedition to the stage-four anomaly. The spokesperson’s next words only added to her frustration.

“I can’t stop it,” the spokesperson said with a note of finality. “The ship is already en route, and the mission protocol is beyond my control.”

Keira clenched her fists in frustration. She immediately contacted the Frontier crew on Ureka10, her voice trembling as she relayed what had happened.

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“Ryan’s on the ship,” she said, her words rushed. “He’s gone into the anomaly.”

The response from Ureka10 was equally frantic. The crew scrambled to gather information and attempted to reach out to the higher-ups in organization, but the bureaucratic layers of the Type-4 civilization were slow to respond which was beyond words. Keira, feeling powerless, could only hope Ryan knew what he was doing.

Aboard the ship, Ryan sat quietly in his assigned seat, his mind focused and determined. The other scientists, some visibly tense and others attempting to mask their fear with feigned confidence, made no effort to interact with him. They were all aware of the gravity of their mission.

As the ship neared the outer boundary of the Lugias system, the Erebus Anomaly came into view—a swirling, chaotic mass that seemed alive in its complexity. Ryan’s heart raced as he gazed at the phenomenon through the observation window. Despite the danger, he felt an undeniable pull toward the anomaly.

He knew Keira and the rest of the Frontier crew would be furious with him for this decision, but he had made up his mind. The repeated failures of the experiments hadn’t deterred him; they had only fueled his determination to uncover the truth.

“This isn’t just about me,” Ryan thought. “If there’s even a chance of understanding this chaos, of finding a way back to our universe, I have to take it.”

The ship’s automated systems guided it closer to the anomaly, the air inside growing tense with anticipation. Every scientist onboard was glued to their monitors, analyzing real-time data as the ship approached the edge of the anomaly’s reach.

Ryan could feel the weight of the moment bearing down on him. The eerie silence in the cabin was broken only by the hum of the ship’s systems and the occasional murmur from the crew. They all knew the risks, but none of them had any illusions about the outcome.

As the ship crossed the threshold of the anomaly, the familiar sequence of events began to unfold. The instruments flickered, the data streams became erratic, and a strange energy enveloped the vessel. Within moments, the ship and its crew disappeared, leaving behind nothing but an empty patch of space.

Back at the substation, the staff monitored the mission’s progress in stunned silence. The ship’s signal had vanished just as it had with every previous expedition. The scientists scrambled to analyze the data, but the results were the same as before—no trace of the ship or its crew remained.

Keira, now fully aware of Ryan’s fate, felt a mix of anger, fear, and helplessness. She paced, her mind racing with thoughts of what to do next.

As the hours passed, Keira’s frustration grew. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Ryan had acted recklessly, but she also couldn’t deny the courage it took for him to make such a decision.

Somewhere within the chaos, Ryan found himself enveloped in an otherworldly void. The sensation was just like before —weightless yet oppressive, silent yet deafening.

He couldn’t see or hear anything around him, but he felt an overwhelming presence, as if the chaos itself was aware of his existence. His thoughts raced as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

“Is this what happened to the others?” he wondered. “Am I trapped here, or is this something else entirely?”

Despite the uncertainty, Ryan’s resolve remained unshaken. He knew he had taken a monumental risk, but he also believed it was a risk worth taking. Somewhere within the chaos, he hoped to find answers—not just for himself, but for everyone affected by the Infinitum anomaly.