The Anomaly Beyond The System

Chapter 186: Don’t you raise your voice before me

"Baaa...! Baahh...!"

Aiden’s cheerful voice filled the spacious hallway of the mansion as he clumsily crawled across the polished floor.

His tiny palms repeatedly slapped against the smooth marble, followed by his knees, producing a series of soft tapping sounds as he moved toward her.

Toward Seraphina, who sat on the floor a short distance away, watching him with a calm, serene expression.

Her long black hair rested loosely over one shoulder, while the afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a natural glow across the room and her features.

"Not baaa...

Say... mama," she spoke softly, stretching her hand toward him, encouraging the little body crawling as quickly as it could manage.

"Baaa...!"

Aiden answered with exactly the same sound while laughing softly. His movements became faster as his little knees hurried across the floor.

"Mama."

Despite her repeating those words, Aiden stubbornly responded with the same sounds again, completely oblivious to what she was trying to teach him.

Before long, he finally reached her.

Without wasting another second, Seraphina leaned forward and gently scooped him into her embrace.

By now...

It had been one year and almost six months since Lucian had been pulled into—and become trapped inside—this memory, even though he was the one who had used the Memory Fragment.

Well... he didn’t know it back then!

He no longer knew how much time had passed in the real world, and he was becoming worried about whether he would return to the exact same day he had gone unconscious.

Although Akasha had reassured him countless times, the sheer amount of time he had spent inside these memories still made him nervous.

If it weren’t for those two months of doing nothing other than training until he actually died at the hands of Valentina—if it weren’t for that, then he might’ve genuinely gone insane and lost his mind to the monotonous life of an infant.

Yet... despite the repetitive routine...

Several things had changed over the past year.

His hearing had finally developed completely, and he could now understand every conversation around him without difficulty.

Likewise...

He—or rather, his infant body—had also begun speaking simple words, though they were completely incomprehensible to the adults... and to him as well.

Lucian himself still possessed no real control over whatever came out of his mouth, or over whatever his body did.

Still... progress had been made, similarly to how he had made progress after his paralysis.

Most importantly, three months earlier...

He had finally begun crawling.

Lucian honestly didn’t know whether he should’ve been happy or concerned about the time it had taken him just to crawl...

It was far longer than it should have been.

He could instinctively tell that something wasn’t right with his body...

Its ability to learn anything physical was unnaturally slow, almost as if his brain struggled to coordinate with his own body. Simple actions that other children naturally acquired took him months of repetition.

Naturally, Seraphina had gradually noticed, causing her to grow particularly worried about her son’s development.

She had even invited several doctors to examine him over the past few months.

Yes, almost every one of them said that everything was fine with his body, while a few suggested it might simply be delayed motor development.

But after seeing her worried expression, they reassured her that there was no real cause for alarm.

Although she accepted their explanations, she never stopped worrying or watching Aiden’s progress every day.

There was also a caretaker with them named Emma, who was a maid and worked as one of the mansion’s servants.

She frequently stayed with them throughout the day and sometimes took care of Aiden whenever Seraphina needed to rest.

Everything else was going well...

At least, that was what Lucian wished he could say.

Unfortunately...

Nothing was fine. Not even close.

Damien—his father—had changed even more.

He had started becoming aggressive during this time and would shout at Seraphina while he was trapped inside his crib, unable to hear properly or do anything.

He had even started returning home later and later each night, sometimes not until the following morning.

And day by day, as he watched his mother grow increasingly weary around the man...

He himself was starting to grow frustrated.

He wanted to do something.

Anything.

But all he could do was laugh like an idiot while trapped inside this child’s body. Every smile his infant body made almost felt like it was mocking her suffering.

[You are disrespecting your mother’s efforts.]

Akasha’s voice chimed in his head, making him frown inwardly.

[She is doing everything to keep you healthy and help you grow strong. And all you are looking at... is your father’s behaviour.]

For several long seconds, Lucian said nothing.

Meanwhile, Seraphina patiently resumed the little game she had been trying for months, attempting to make her baby say her name.

"Mama," she said, gently poking her child’s cute little nose with her finger.

In return—

"Baaa...!" Aiden lightly patted her finger with his small hand.

Seraphina couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh, slowly shaking her head with a smile.

But then—

"Maaa.... Maa...!" A tiny yet high-pitched voice escaped Aiden’s lips, clumsy and difficult to utter.

Seraphina completely froze.

For several seconds, she simply stared at the little body before her, almost as though she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

"W-What...?"

"Aa... mama..."

Silence followed.

Seraphina remained completely motionless.

The child instinctively reached forward and lightly patted her chest—perhaps after noticing that she had gone still, or perhaps it was simply an unconscious reaction.

The small touch finally pulled her back to reality, and almost immediately...

Her vision grew blurry, and slowly, tears filled her eyes before unknowingly rolling down her cheeks.

"Maa... baa..."

A few warm droplets landed on his tiny cheeks, causing Seraphina to hurriedly wipe them from his face before wiping her own.

’It’s not that I’m overlooking her efforts.’

Lucian finally spoke, silently watching Seraphina’s reaction with a soft inward smile that he couldn’t physically show.

’I just don’t want things to happen that will... that are definitely going to happen.’

Because unlike Seraphina—or merely the figure from his memory before him—or anyone else...

He knew the future from this point onward, and he already knew what these small moments of happiness would eventually become.

He knew exactly what price Seraphina was going to pay one day.

[...]

This time...

Even Akasha remained silent, since she really had nothing to say.

"Emma! Emma...!"

Seraphina suddenly called out in a loud voice, barely able to contain the excitement in her trembling words.

Within seconds, Emma—the maid of the house—hurriedly rushed into the hallway.

"What happened, Miss? Is there a problem?" she immediately asked while wiping her hands with a small cloth, seemingly having been working in the kitchen before rushing over.

However, the instant Emma saw Seraphina’s tear-stained face, she froze.

"Miss...?"

"He called me Mama."

For a brief second, Emma looked a bit confused. Then, her eyes widened as realisation dawned upon her.

Immediately, she hurried over before lowering herself beside Seraphina.

"Aiden, say Mama..." Seraphina softly called, her voice trembling with excitement.

The little body had already become distracted by something else nearby, and only after hearing her voice did he slowly turn his tiny head toward her.

"Mama."

Seraphina whispered once more.

"Maaa... baaah..."

Her expression froze again before she tried encouraging him to say her name more clearly.

Only after ten more tries did he finally call her properly, making Emma cover her mouth.

Her eyes widened with genuine surprise before she congratulated Seraphina with a bright smile.

After all...

She knew better than anyone how worried Seraphina had become, especially considering Aiden had already fallen behind compared to other children his age.

...

Time continued moving forward.

More than two years had already passed since first entering this endless memory.

"Dear... try once again," Seraphina softly encouraged as she stood a short distance away, patiently watching the little body crawling toward her.

Each time Aiden almost reached her...

She stepped backwards, or walked to the other side, making him continue moving toward her again and again.

"Aiden...

Try standing."

Yes.

By now...

It had been almost two years and eight months—and his fourth birthday wasn’t very far away.

And yet...

He still hadn’t been able to walk.

’Akasha, is there something seriously wrong with my body?’

Lucian quietly asked in his mind as he watched himself crawling toward his mother on his tiny hands and feet.

"Mama..." the child happily muttered while hurrying toward her, trying to catch up.

Every now and then, he instinctively tried to stand.

His knees and hands slightly lifted as his body tried to stand on its own, trembling under its own weight.

But every time he almost looked like he might actually do it...

His balance gave way, his legs buckled, and his palms immediately hit the floor once again.

Each attempt caused Seraphina’s heart to tighten, and she hurried toward him to see if he had sustained any injuries.

’She’s really cute when she gets worried like that,’ Lucian thought inwardly as his palms once again lifted for a brief moment, making Seraphina’s eyes sparkle.

But once again...

His feet trembled slightly, and his hands fell back down, making her hopeful expression quietly fade once more.

Just then...

Another sound—the sound of footsteps—echoed throughout the spacious hallway, and from the footsteps alone, Lucian didn’t even need to look to know who it was.

Seraphina’s gentle expression gradually disappeared, replaced by a quiet, emotionless one as she slowly turned toward Damien, who had walked into the hall.

His neutral eyes briefly settled on Seraphina before shifting toward the little boy crawling across the floor.

Instinctively, Aiden changed direction and happily crawled toward him.

Just as he was about to reach him, Damien calmly took several steps backwards, creating distance between them.

"Tch... still can’t walk."

He coldly clicked his tongue and stepped back.

Seraphina narrowed her eyes and stepped forward, gently picking Aiden up from the floor.

Rather than responding to Damien...

She quietly brushed away the dust clinging to her son’s clothes and gently wiped his tiny nose, making the little boy giggle.

"Won’t say a word now, huh? As expected of a—"

Before he could even finish his sentence—

"Shut up!"

Seraphina’s voice suddenly rang throughout the entire hallway, loud and sharp enough that even Lucian instinctively froze.

Her icy blue eyes stared directly into Damien’s, filled with a fury he had never witnessed before.

"I told you.

Don’t speak those vulgarities...

BEFORE. MY. SON."

Her voice grew colder and colder, like a sharp blade cutting through the silence.

For one brief moment...

Damien remained completely still. The hallway fell deathly silent.

Then—

SLAP—!!!

The sharp sound echoed violently throughout the mansion.

Damien’s hand struck across Seraphina’s cheek, carrying enough force to snap her head to the side.

"Don’t you raise your voice before me," his furious voice came out coldly as he looked down at her without the slightest hint of regret.

Without another word...

He simply turned around and stepped out of the hallway, leaving through the front entrance.

Leaving behind complete silence.

Seraphina remained standing exactly where she was, frozen and completely motionless, along with the utterly stunned Lucian trapped inside his body.

"Mammma..."