The Anomaly Beyond The System

Chapter 92: Bloodied and wounded

Lucian’s hand dragged slowly over the door of his house, his fingers trembling faintly, as if each nerve inside his body had been stretched a bit too far, strained past its limit, before he finally pushed it open with a soft click.

He moved inside, lingering at the threshold for a long moment, and with a sluggish motion, he turned back and pulled it shut, making sure the door was locked—despite his fading awareness—ensuring it had closed properly.

Only then did he begin to move again.

His steps were slow, and each step felt heavier than the last, like walking into a thick puddle of wet mud.

His legs trembled faintly beneath his own weight, his calves screaming in protest, dragging himself forward until he finally reached the gym, as he stood in front of the bunker door.

The entire house was completely silent.

There were no distant sounds, except for the loud, pounding thuds of his heartbeat ringing violently in his ears, drowning out everything else.

For a moment… he just stood there.

His body swayed faintly, his vision blurring at the edges as darkness crept in, forcing him to blink repeatedly just to stay aware.

His head throbbed with a deep, dull ache, pulsing along with his heartbeat, growing heavier and sharper.

It felt like his skull was about to split apart.

He could barely keep himself conscious.

Lucian’s bloodied hand lifted slowly, almost reluctantly, hovering over the cold metal lock, as he hesitated for a long moment.

His hand remained there, unmoving, like his body had forgotten what it was supposed to do next.

Then—

Finally, he unlocked the latch before pulling the metal door open, straining his muscles that barely responded to his commands.

His body felt like it was made of lead, every movement slower and heavier than usual, making it incredibly difficult… and also painful to move.

A loud, sharp metal scraping sound echoed through the quiet as he opened the door.

“Ha… ha…”

His breathing was ragged, broken, with each inhale and exhale shallow and strained.

His chest heaved violently, his ribs aching with every movement. His posture was slouched, and his shoulders slumped.

Yet, he dragged himself as he kept moving.

Slowly, he stepped forward, crossing the metal gate, not even bothering to lock it properly—since his mind didn’t even register that—as he descended.

His right hand dragged along the wall for support, forcing himself not to fall over from the dizziness.

His other, left arm hung limply by his side, swaying faintly with each step he took.

His steps were uneven and irregular, echoing in the narrow stairway.

“B–brother…?”

Lucian’s gaze flickered, his unfocused eyes shifting faintly downward, as he heard Lia’s voice, or more like an echo—coming from within the basement.

“Ha…”

His lips parted slightly, but he didn’t say anything, only slowly walking downwards.

Meanwhile, below—

Lia flinched the moment she heard the metallic sound of the basement door opening, her entire body tensing instinctively as the noise echoed through the basement.

Her eyes snapped upward toward the staircase.

Beside her, Seraphina froze as well.

Neither of them had slept.

Not even for a minute.

The entire night had stretched endlessly, each passing minute dragging on painfully, the weight of worry and fear gripping their hearts, refusing to fade away.

The moment Lucian had left, Seraphina had told Lia to rest.

To lie down, to try and sleep.

But she herself didn’t—neither of them could.

How could they?

How could they close their eyes when Lucian was out there, alone, fighting monsters, with his life on the line?

And they were here.

Safe and helpless.

The thought alone—that something wrong might’ve happened to him—was enough to make it impossible to breathe, with a heavy weight pressing down in their chests.

There was no way they could sleep in peace.

So instead of resting…

They spent the time trying—again and again—to use their affinities. Trying to grasp something, anything that would make them feel less useless, less powerless in the face of everything that was happening.

Even that had been exhausting.

Seraphina could feel something… but the process was slow—too slow, and with the tension inside her mind, it had become even more difficult to focus on anything else other than her son’s safety.

But now—

Both Lia and Seraphina stood near the base of the stairs, instinctively keeping a safe distance from the entrance, in case… by any chance, it was not Lucian, and someone—or something else.

Something that had found its way inside.

The air itself felt heavy and filled with a tense expectation.

Seraphina’s cold, icy-blue eyes remained fixed on the dark opening above, her expression betraying none of the fear she was feeling within.

Meanwhile, Lia, on the other hand, couldn’t hide it. Her fear was raw, visible.

“Brother…?” she called again, more quietly this time, her voice soft and fragile—laced with uncertainty because of the lack of response.

Her gaze quivered faintly.

Her fingers curled tightly into fists, nails digging into her palms as her eyes remained locked at the opening of the stairway nervously, focusing on the faint sounds of footsteps coming from above.

Then—

A silhouette appeared, slowly, unsteadily limping down the stairway.

Both of their breaths hitched the moment they saw it, as if someone had knocked the air out of their lungs.

Their bodies froze.

Time seemed to pause—stretching into something heavy. The sight before them was unbearable.

Lucian’s head lifted slightly as he looked at both of them.

For a brief, fragile moment, he didn’t move. Just stood there, blinking slowly at the faint outlines of the two women frozen at a small distance.

Then he let out a small, exhausted sigh of relief, seeing both of them standing there, safe and unharmed.

Then—

THUD!

His body collapsed on the floor without any resistance, hitting the ground with a sharp, dull sound that faintly echoed through the basement.

The sound was enough to snap them out of their shock.

“Lucian!”

Seraphina moved instantly, rushing forward.

The moment she reached him, she dropped onto her knees beside him. Her hands reached out immediately as she turned his body over.

Her breath hitched the moment she saw her son’s current state.

Everything shattered.

The composure she had held so tightly crumbled in an instant.

Her cold, icy-blue eyes widened, turning glassy, unfocused and filled with horror.

Her chest tightened painfully—as if her heart were being crushed under an unbearable weight.

The thick, metallic scent of blood hit her sharply, assaulting her senses and making her nose wrinkle at the sudden intensity.

But she didn’t pull away.

Lucian’s entire body was covered in blood, drenched, almost soaking in it.

It clung to his clothes, to his skin, and even on his face, and dark, almost blackened patches had dried and were in place.

Lucian’s chest rose and fell violently, his breathing heavy and uneven.

His mouth was slightly parted as he breathed in and out, dragging air into his lungs, each breath shallow and trembling with an exhaustion far beyond what a person could endure.

“Dear…” Seraphina called softly, her voice trembling and broken, as her fingers brushed on his bloodied cheek, tapping lightly, gently once and twice.

“Lu–Lucian… Lucian…”

Her voice cracked further with each call, desperation creeping through despite her attempt to hold herself together.

After a few taps—each time her fingers trembling even more—Lucian’s eyelids finally flickered.

His eyelashes trembled faintly before he slowly opened his eyes.

His blurred vision struggled to focus as he looked at the dark, indistinct silhouette of the woman before him, her voice faint and distantly reaching his ears.

After a few seconds, his eyes regained a sliver of clarity.

The moment he saw the jet black hair, and those icy blue eyes—eyes that he had seen from his childhood—his lips parted weakly.

“M…Mom…” he mumbled in a low voice, his words barely more than a fragile whisper.

Seraphina exhaled shakily, releasing the breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding this entire time.

A few steps away—

Lia stood frozen in her spot, her body going completely still.

Her eyes lowered slowly, almost mechanically, as she watched Seraphina rush towards Lucian, grabbing his bloodied body as she shook him awake.

But Lia…

Her eyes weren’t truly on that.

Not really.

They were locked onto something else entirely.

On the dark, crimson, glistening, blood—staining and covered over his body, most of it still wet, dripping and leaking onto the floor.

Unconsciously, Lia’s breathing grew heavier, deeper, louder.

Her heartbeat quickened, and her vision blurred, drowning everything else as her eyes slowly began to lose their clarity.

Her brown irises shifted, darkening—brightening, until they turned blood red.

At the same time, the ring on her finger let out a faint, brittle sound.

Crack.

A thin fracture spread across its surface, like glass beginning to crack under more pressure than it could endure.

But the change lasted only for a moment.

Lia blinked once, and her eyes turned to normal, back to their original brown.

The strange feeling she had felt vanished as if it had never existed at all.

“What…?” Lia mumbled, her voice laced with confusion, feeling something strange.

It felt like something had happened, something she didn’t understand.