The Anomaly Beyond The System

Aiden’s expression froze, and his feet came to a halt the moment he looked before him.

"How long is he going to take just to take a leak...?" the guard standing beside the open entrance muttered to himself as he gazed at the sunset with tired eyes.

But then—

Hearing the hurried footsteps, the guard slowly lowered his gaze.

Aiden’s eyes widened.

Almost instantly, he darted into the bushes beside the path, hurriedly curling himself inside the dense shrubbery to hide, instinctively holding his breath.

’He saw me.’ Lucian thought grimly before clicking his tongue inwardly.

’But wait... as much as I remember, I got out of here without much trouble.’

The guard quietly looked toward the spot where he had heard the footsteps.

His gaze remained fixed there for a long while.

Eventually, he simply turned around and lazily walked toward the gate, leaning against one of the pillars before closing his eyes—as though he were taking a nap while standing.

After a few seconds passed...

Aiden cautiously peeked through the leaves, and seeing the man simply standing barely a meter away from the gate with his head tilted downward—

Nervousness immediately filled little Aiden’s heart.

For one brief moment, he almost considered returning inside, but remembering that his mother was still somewhere outside...

’Mom...’

Rustle~ Rustle~

Very slowly, he lowered himself even further before beginning to crawl toward the gates, his knees dragging across the grass while his palms pressed against the soft soil.

Eventually, he reached the edge of the bushes.

Peeking out once more, he saw the guard still unmoving, standing in the exact same position.

He had even turned his head slightly away, as though his attention had drifted elsewhere.

Gathering every ounce of courage he had, Aiden continued crawling out of the bushes, and before he knew it, he had almost reached the gate.

Lucian, watching the scene unfold, frowned inwardly.

By now...

He had begun to somewhat understand what was truly happening.

But innocent Aiden, completely unaware of how much noise he was making despite trying so hard to stay quiet, slowly—

Almost holding his breath—

Stepped past the gate.

And the very instant both of his feet landed outside—

He almost felt his heart leap out of his chest.

A victorious excitement rushed through his little body, accompanied by an overwhelming surge of longing to finally see his mother again.

’Mom, I’m coming...!’

Without even realising it...

His pace immediately quickened, and he began running as fast as his little legs could carry him.

The loud pounding inside his chest echoed through his ears.

And this time... it wasn’t born from terror.

’...Thank you.’

As soon as Aiden ran off, his loud, hurried footsteps echoing through the quiet street...

The middle-aged guard slowly opened his eyes, lowering his crossed arms before leaning away from the pillar.

His head turned slightly behind him, looking past the gates at the small silhouette of the child running farther and farther away, finally escaping the cruel fate that had bound him.

Just then—

"Hey, what happened?"

The guard turned his head, only to see his partner walking back toward the entrance.

"Nothing... anyways, you took your time. Now let me get some rest."

"What? I just went to the restroom for a bit."

"So it’s your job now."

Ignoring the complaints, the man glanced behind him one last time before quietly letting out a soft sigh.

’Kid... I don’t know what’ll happen to you now... but at least... be free.’

Even he honestly didn’t know whether he had made the right decision.

If Damien discovered what he had done, he would undoubtedly lose his job, perhaps even worse.

But after watching and hearing how much the child had suffered for so many years...

He simply couldn’t bring himself to stop him.

Anything...

Anything had to be better than letting that child continue living like that.

Even if the outside world proved cruel, it still couldn’t possibly be crueler than the prison he had just escaped from.

...

"Yaaayyy!"

Aiden’s joyful voice echoed through the evening streets as he ran along the footpath with a bright, carefree smile stretching across his face.

Even though his legs burned from running so much, he didn’t stop.

His heart felt unbelievably light, filled with a newfound sense of freedom.

People passed by all around him.

Some looked at him strangely.

Others simply giggled at the excited little boy sprinting down the street.

Aiden was currently wearing nothing more than a slightly oversized T-shirt that reached below his knees, with only his underwear underneath.

He hadn’t exactly lived a life where clothes were something he thought about, nor did he understand why people kept looking at him.

To him...

Simply standing beneath the open sky and breathing the fresh evening air was enough to make him forget everything else.

But after happily running for a while, his footsteps slowly came to a halt.

"Right! Mom...!!"

Almost immediately, the excitement in his eyes turned into determination, and he slowly began walking while his gaze wandered from one person to another.

Of course, he didn’t remember her face very well anymore.

But he was sure he could recognise her... probably.

No! He would!

No matter what...!

[You really are far too innocent if you think you’ll find her that easily.] Akasha let out a quiet sigh, though she didn’t sound amused, only saddened.

Especially after witnessing everything that child had endured over the years.

For a brief moment...

Even she couldn’t understand how Aiden was still capable of smiling like that.

Though both she and Lucian already knew the answer.

It wasn’t that he had forgotten everything.

It was simply the overwhelming excitement of finally seeing the outside world after being imprisoned for so long.

A happiness that would fade away just as quickly as it had appeared.

Several minutes quietly passed.

Aiden wandered from one street to another, trying to find anyone who resembled his mother, yet he still wasn’t able to find her.

The sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon, and the night sky now stretched above his head.

His pace gradually slowed.

The excitement inside his eyes slowly dimmed.

His shoulders drooped as he continued searching for her, glancing at every woman who passed by.

"Mom..." His quiet voice almost disappeared beneath the sounds of the passing traffic.

For a brief moment, despair filled his small heart once again.

But then—

HONK—!

A loud car horn suddenly echoed through the street.

Aiden instinctively turned toward the sound.

And the very next second—

His eyes immediately widened.

"Mom?" A faint mumble escaped his lips as he saw a woman walking on the opposite side of the road.

She had long black hair, almost reaching down to her waist.

"Mom... mom...?!"

His voice grew louder as his feet moved on their own.

He immediately dashed toward her with every bit of strength he had left.

"MOOOMMMM—!!!!"

His desperate cry echoed throughout the street.

Almost everyone nearby instinctively turned toward him.

Even the woman, along with several others, looked in his direction.

Aiden wanted nothing more than to reach her. To hug her.

T-To tell her how much he had missed her. To ask her why she had left him behind.

To... to beg her never to leave him again. Ever.

But...

Before he could even see her face clearly—

HONK—!!!

HONK—!!!

KRAAAAAASSSHHH—!!!

A deafening crash exploded throughout the street.

For a brief instant...

Everything froze.

Aiden’s vision violently distorted.

The world spun uncontrollably around him.

And before he could even understand what had happened—

His small body was violently thrown before crashing heavily onto the cold road.

Pain flooded every inch of him. A pain unlike anything he had ever felt before.

Then...

Silence.

Darkness swallowed his consciousness whole.

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