The Anomaly Beyond The System

"Huh?"

A confused mumble escaped Lucian’s lips as he stood frozen near the doorway, his eyes fixed on the unfamiliar figure standing inside the room.

Dressed entirely in black, wearing a fitted outfit that hugged her body while still retaining an elegant appearance...

A dark hooded cloak rested over her shoulders.

A black mask completely concealed the person’s face.

But despite that, rather than becoming wary of the unknown figure...

"Mom...? What are you wearing?" Lucian muttered, his voice laced with disbelief.

He had seen her for years.

He had analysed her walking style, the way she carried herself, even the way she moved—down to the absolute minutest detail, like a maniacal artist who knew every proportion of his own sketch.

Well...

There really hadn’t been anything else to do inside those monotone memories.

So this had become the only thing he could do during the time she was there...

Watch Seraphina.

Hearing him, the masked figure flinched slightly before slowly, with somewhat awkward movements, removing the pitch-black mask from her face, revealing Seraphina’s pale complexion and her familiar, beautiful features.

Seeing her son staring at her with widened eyes, she unconsciously scratched her cheek, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious.

"...Does it look bad?" she couldn’t help but ask in a quiet voice.

Judging by his reaction, she couldn’t help but think that it did.

Her eyes instinctively shifted toward Kanna.

The maid, however, didn’t say a single word.

Without even attempting to reassure her, her body silently dissolved into darkness before retreating into Lucian’s shadow, leaving the two of them alone.

Seraphina’s lips twitched slightly at the sight before she looked back at her son, who was still looking her up and down, making her feel even more awkward.

Lucian blinked, staring at the black attire that suited her surprisingly well. The design resembled that of an assassin’s outfit, yet still accentuated her figure without appearing excessive.

The darkness of the fabric shimmered faintly beneath the morning light, making her pale features stand out even more.

After staring at her for a long moment, Lucian finally muttered,

"You look... cool!" His voice unconsciously rose as his eyes lit up with wonder, staring at her outfit that made her look like some famous assassin.

Hearing his words, Seraphina blinked, surprised by the sudden excitement in his voice.

Then, slowly, a small smile appeared on her face as she scratched her cheek once again.

’Thank goodness he didn’t call me some weird cosplayer.’

Lucian, who had been surprised by her sudden change of clothes, tilted his head before asking where she had gotten them.

"Kanna brought them for me at my request."

Lucian gave a small nod. He was now sitting on the bed alongside Seraphina, who sat opposite him, her fingers absentmindedly twirling the mask in her hand.

"...Why? I mean, I thought you preferred simpler clothes."

"It’s because of the registration," Seraphina answered honestly.

But seeing the confused frown on her son’s face, she continued.

"Kanna told me that..." She paused midway through the sentence, almost as if something was stopping her from speaking further.

A sudden tightness spread through her chest, making it difficult to breathe for a brief moment.

Several long seconds passed before she finally gathered herself.

"She said that... he has a guild of his own, so I thought..."

She couldn’t even finish her sentence.

Even though she didn’t say who ’he’ was, Lucian immediately understood.

Of course...

Who else could it possibly be other than his dear father?

"...So you thought that you needed to hide yourself before he even gets a hint about you."

Seraphina went completely still.

Silent.

Then, she slowly lowered her head.

Her lack of response was more than enough of a confirmation.

"...Sigh..."

Seraphina’s body shivered slightly as she heard the sigh that escaped from him.

For some reason, it sounded almost disappointed...

Perhaps directed at her.

She didn’t know.

But it made her heart tighten.

This was the only solution she could think of.

The moment she had learned that her ex-husband might one day find out about her, she wanted both herself and her son to stay as far away from him as possible.

She didn’t want there to be even the slightest chance of him ever finding them.

Especially... her son.

Yes, Lucian had grown unimaginably stronger, perhaps even at a monstrous rate compared to everyone else.

But still...

’He’s still just a kid,’ she thought.

That was the very reason behind her current actions.

She simply wanted to protect him...

From that man.

Suddenly...

She felt his hand gently reaching toward hers before resting atop it, causing her to slowly raise her head.

"Mom... you aren’t alone anymore, so don’t carry all of the burden by yourself."

His crimson eyes looked into hers, his expression softening as he gently tightened his grip around her hand.

"And I know... I know I failed you before..." His voice came out quiet, filled with unmistakable guilt, something that both surprised and confused her.

Failed... her?

What was he talking about?

When had he ever failed her?

If anyone had failed someone...

Wasn’t it her?

She had been unable to protect him, unable to give him the childhood he deserved.

He had suffered through everything simply because he had stayed by her side, even though...

Even though he wasn’t even her c—

’...’

Before she could ask what he meant, Lucian continued.

"But now... you don’t have to fear that man anymore."

For a brief moment, Seraphina felt an inexplicable chill run down her spine as she saw something eerie within him.

Perhaps... it was his expression?

"I’m sure he’ll have to pay for everything one day," Lucian said quietly.

His voice was gentle, but something within his crimson eyes made her instinctively look away.

She didn’t know why.

She simply couldn’t continue looking into them.

Something about those eyes... felt frightening, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint why...

Or rather, she simply didn’t want to acknowledge it.

"Just don—"

"What kind of mask is that?"

Before she could even finish warning him not to do anything reckless, Lucian’s attention instantly shifted toward the black mask resting on her lap.

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