The Anomaly Beyond The System

Afterwards, Kanna quietly continued her explanation, her voice as flat as ever.

According to the information she had gathered, Damien had discovered a dungeon—or more accurately...

He had discovered information about one several years ago.

This had happened years after Lucian had run away.

That single discovery completely changed the course of his life.

The moment he learned that the supernatural truly existed...

Like countless others, he began pursuing that power, not simply for strength, but more accurately for the influence he had always desired.

Using the vast wealth and connections he had already accumulated, Damien gradually gained access to the newly emerged awakened world.

There was also his new wife, Evelyn...

The one who had supported his ambitions as they invested their money together and established connections with those who already possessed knowledge about dungeons and mana.

Eventually, they gained access to those dungeons, allowing them to obtain the strength that lay within.

Then, when the world began collapsing with even more dungeons appearing and the descent of the apocalypse...

He founded a guild of his own.

"Hale Cross Guild...?" Lucian repeated the name with a hint of disbelief.

"That’s the name?"

Kanna gave a silent nod.

’Isn’t that just the surnames of both of them put together?’ he thought, slightly amused and intrigued by what his so-called father had managed to build during all this time.

After learning a little more about Damien’s current position, Lucian gradually lost interest in the topic.

He would rather see it firsthand than simply hear about it.

However...

Something else had clearly caught his attention.

Kanna, the emotionless maid standing before him, seemed to know a bit too much about his past.

It was clear to him that she had thoroughly investigated nearly every aspect of his entire childhood, though he didn’t know the reason behind it.

The realisation didn’t make him feel any anger toward her, since he couldn’t bring himself to care whether someone knew how miserable his life had been before—especially not when it was a cute maid like her.

Lucian blinked, surprised by his own thoughts.

Shaking his head...

He picked up his phone and checked the time once again before entering the bathroom.

Seeing that, Kanna left his room and headed toward Seraphina’s, intending to tell her a few more things she had asked about—since she had been stuck in Lucian’s room to keep his killing intent in check while he was unconscious.

Inside the bathroom...

Lucian’s eyes landed on the mirror above the sink, immediately pausing as he noticed the bright crimson eyes staring back at him, a stark contrast to the black eyes he had before.

For a single brief moment...

His reflection suddenly distorted, and the figure standing before him was no longer his own.

Instead, a small child quietly stood on the other side of the mirror.

A little boy—thin, bruised, and wearing clothes that looked far too large for his size, as though he had never cared about his appearance even once.

His hair was messy and unkempt, and his cute face carried a strange, eerie stillness.

Those lifeless, indifferent eyes and the expression that didn’t belong on a child...

With those same empty eyes, the boy kept staring forward...

Directly at Lucian.

But then...

Lucian blinked, and the illusion instantly disappeared.

His reflection returned to normal.

The same crimson-eyed young man once again stood before the mirror.

Lucian’s breathing unknowingly grew heavier, but then he slowly closed his eyes and exhaled, shaking his head as he tried to pull himself out of those memories.

They were memories.

A past that had already ended.

Not his present, nor something that would determine his future.

Lucian kept repeating those words to himself over and over like a mantra, gradually settling his thoughts and easing the tightness around his chest.

Removing his clothes, he looked down at his body.

There wasn’t even a single scar left on it, unlike the faint, almost imperceptible marks he had carried when he had still been human.

Then...

’At least I got this back.’ Lucian thought, looking down at his own weapon, feeling a strange sense of happiness since, throughout those memories as a child, he had nothing—at least nothing he could’ve been proud of.

But that was back then, when he was a child...

And right now...

"He—"

[...Are you done admiring it?]

Akasha’s voice suddenly echoed inside his head as she sensed his thoughts through their connection, her voice carrying a mixture of amusement and disbelief.

She genuinely couldn’t believe he was thinking about this at a time like this...

Though, at the very least, he wasn’t drowning in those memories anymore.

Lucian almost flinched at her voice before awkwardly coughing into his fist.

"You pervert, I’m trying to take a bath," he muttered, a trace of embarrassment appearing on his face.

[Huh? How am I a pervert? You’re the one thinking about your dick!] she complained, feeling as though he was the one in the wrong.

She was simply the victim here, nothing else!

Lucian raised a brow.

"But you can see what I’m seeing... right?"

Lucian asked as he walked over and reached for the shower.

Cold water cascaded down his body, sending a faint chill through him.

’What happened? Went silent?’

Even after a few seconds passed, Akasha didn’t say anything.

Seeing this, a faint smirk appeared on his lips.

"See? Pervert?"

[T-That’s beside the point!]

She tried to retort, but Lucian simply chuckled before ignoring her words.

After a few minutes, he stepped out, put on his clothes, and left the bathroom.

But then...

He suddenly stopped, remembering his crimson eyes.

Briefly glancing around the room, his eyes landed on the small table beside the bed.

He picked up the black sunglasses resting on it.

Wearing them to hide his bright, crimson eyes, he finally stepped out, closing the door behind him before knocking on Seraphina’s room.

The door slowly opened, revealing Kanna, who had answered it.

Though briefly surprised, as he hadn’t expected her to be there, Lucian stepped inside.

"Mom, we need to—"

Before he could even finish speaking, Lucian suddenly stopped, and his eyes instantly widened as they landed on her.

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