The Anomaly Beyond The System

Chapter 97: Lia’s frustration

Knowing about her affinity meant nothing if she couldn’t reach it herself—if she couldn’t touch the invisible thread that Seraphina seemed to have grasped.

There wasn’t anything she could do to feel it, to truly sense it, aside from continuing her arduous, exhausting struggle, without even having the smallest hint or assurance that her efforts would ever bear any fruit.

And during that long, frustrating time, something else had been happening too—something she couldn’t understand, something she didn’t know how to name.

Every time she absorbed the cores, every single time she pulled the mana into her body, she felt thirstier than before.

It didn’t feel like ordinary thirst, but something deeper than that.

Her throat would grow dry and parched within moments, leaving an aching dryness that no amount of water seemed to fully soothe.

She had drunk water multiple times—far more than she normally would—gulping it down desperately, like someone who had been parched and had finally found an oasis after days, yet even that didn’t completely satisfy the gnawing hunger she was feeling.

It only worked temporarily, and the sensation always returned.

And to fill the hunger by eating?

Just thinking about it made her reject the thought for reasons she didn’t understand.

It was subtle at first, so she simply ignored it, even though she could faintly feel it steadily growing as the hours slowly went by.

She didn’t know why it was happening, and she hadn’t told Lucian or Seraphina anything about it.

She didn’t want them, especially him, to think that she was making excuses.

She didn’t want him to feel that she was weak, that she wasn’t even capable of doing simple things.

Lia’s teeth pressed lightly against her lower lip, biting down.

Her fingers curled, clenched tightly until her knuckles turned pale.

Watching Seraphina and seeing her progress—

The frustration within her began to rise again, like waves that slowly began to swell during the night, building up in silence.

Lucian didn’t notice it.

His attention was elsewhere, completely drawn to the magical sight unfolding before him.

His gaze remained entirely fixed on Seraphina’s hand, focused on the thin, fragile frost layer that had formed over her skin.

He didn’t even blink, completely fascinated by the sight of ice forming out of thin air.

Even Lia felt a surge of excitement, but her emotions were overrun by the heavier, darker weight of her own frustration.

Because she couldn’t do it.

No matter how much she tried.

No matter how much she focused.

Seraphina’s breathing began to change, turning uneven.

Her eyes were still closed, still deeply immersed in concentration.

She felt her focus slowly slipping away, and also—

The mana inside her body—already low and limited—was depleting rapidly.

Lucian, who had been watching the mana flowing from her body, could clearly see the flow of mana moving through her body, being concentrated into her palms.

His brows knit together faintly.

Because it wasn’t smooth.

It was a mess.

The flow was way too uneven.

The mana was erratically flowing from her body, with barely half of it gathered in her hand, into the thin, delicate layer of ice.

The rest was wasted, scattered, and lost.

But it wasn’t her fault, not even a little.

Seraphina was doing this for the first time—this was her first attempt at using something that had only awakened within her, something entirely foreign, something she had never experienced before.

Expecting perfection from that would’ve been absurd.

It was like asking a newborn to solve math problems on the first day they were born, which was completely, undeniably impossible.

After a few seconds, the ice layer on her hand began to crack, and it fell apart into thin particles like shattered glass, dropping to the floor and turning into water droplets.

Seraphina opened her eyes, her breathing heavy as she looked at the remains of her power.

The cold lingered for a few seconds, then faded away, returning the temperature to normal.

Her breasts rose and fell with each breath as she stared at her hand—the remnants of what she had just created slowly disappearing before her eyes.

“Ha… ha…”

Each breath came out strained as a faint dizziness washed over her, caused by the depletion of mana in her body.

“Are you okay?” Lucian asked, his voice steady but laced with quiet concern as he stepped closer, his gaze shifting from her hand to her face.

Seraphina raised her head before nodding slowly.

“I’m fine,” she muttered in a soft, low voice.

Her gaze drifted to her hand again for a brief, lingering moment—her pale fingers curling slightly, trying to hold onto the fading cold sensation—before she looked up at him.

“How did it go…?” she asked softly, her eyes resting on her son with a quiet expectation.

Lucian smiled.

“It was good. You were able to create a thin layer of ice on your hand.”

Seraphina’s expression didn’t change, but her eyes sparkled slightly in accomplishment, hearing her son’s praise.

Lucian tilted his head slightly, his expression turning thoughtful.

“But… I feel like you were trying to do something else.”

Seraphina blinked faintly, surprised at the realisation that he had noticed what she intended to do.

The temperature in the room had started to stabilise.

She nodded her head.

“I wanted to create something…” she said hesitantly.

Her gaze lowered briefly to her hand again, as she let out a small sigh.

“…if it is possible.”

Lia, who had been silently watching everything unfold without uttering a single word, looked at her for a long moment.

Her eyes held a faint sparkle after seeing the power she had used, but beneath that—

She wanted to do the same, at least something similar—to create something, anything with her own affinity, the same way Seraphina had just done.

While Lia was lost in her own self-depressive world, Lucian asked Seraphina about her affinity—how she used it, and how she physically manifested it.

Even though he didn’t possess an affinity himself, even though he couldn’t do what she had just done—

That didn’t stop him from asking.

If anything, it only seemed to deepen his fascination.

It was almost like a childlike amazement after looking at something fantastical, something far beyond his own understanding.

Seraphina noticed it, and a gentle smile formed on her lips.

She didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she thought for a while, wondering how to put it into words.

“I… I tried to focus on the cold feeling inside me,” she said softly, hesitantly.

Her expression turned thoughtful as she began explaining, recalling the sensation.

Lia’s eyes brightened as she instantly shifted her focus to Seraphina’s words.

Her body leaned slightly closer, and her attention sharpened further, desperately hoping to find a way to finally access her affinity.

“At first, it was difficult…” Seraphina continued introspectively, trying to retrace her own steps.

“But I remember the feeling right after I awakened. The coldness seeping from my body. It was like… bathing in winter.”

It was an odd comparison, but it felt natural to her.

“Then… it wasn’t that difficult.”

“The feeling came naturally as I focused on it. It was somewhat instinctual.”

She tried to explain further after that, to make it clearer.

But—

Her words didn’t reach Lia the way she had hoped.

Because the way Seraphina used her affinity somewhat relied on her talent, and also on another very important thing—

Instinct.

Seraphina could easily feel the connection to her own affinity within her body, laying dormant after she awakened—and all she needed to do was guide it.

But in the case of Lia—

It wasn’t like that.

Not even close.

Lia’s face lowered as she bit her lips, feeling a bit dejected.

Because for her, it wasn’t about guiding something that was already there.

It was about finding it.

And that was the very problem.

It was like searching for a pin in a vast, endless field of grass.

No matter how much she focused, it was as if something was in her way, like something unseen was quietly blocking her path.

Stopping her from reaching whatever lay beyond it.

Her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

Lucian’s gaze finally shifted toward her, noticing that she had gone silent for such a long time.

Lia and silence were two opposite things, so this felt strange.

She hadn’t even said anything about the powers his mother had used.

Looking at her current expression, he paused.

Slowly, it clicked, and he let out a quiet sigh, understanding what she was thinking.

He stroked her head lightly, making her raise her head.

“Take your time, Lia,” he said gently.

“There’s no need to hurry.”

Lia blinked, but… she didn’t say anything.

Seraphina watched them silently from where she sat.

The reason she had tried to explain everything so elaborately was mainly because she wanted to help Lia.

But it seemed it hadn’t worked the way she hoped.

Lia nodded after a long moment, humming softly in acceptance.

Even if she wasn’t fully convinced.

Seeing the slight dejection present in her eyes, Lucian wanted to say more.

But after a brief thought, he decided it was better to let her be.

Because words weren’t what she needed.

And if she ever needed his help, then he would be there for her.

Without any hesitation.

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