On his part, Liam arrived home without letting the heavy conversation he had with Carrie slow him down for even a second. The moment he crossed the door, his expression grew even colder and more calculating. He walked straight to the living room, where his mother was resting on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling, trying to relax after the day.
Liam didn't give her time to react.
"I need you to buy a video camera for tomorrow," he said with a firmness that left no room for discussion.
His tone wasn't angry, but it carried a dry authority that weighed in the air like a sentence. His mother blinked, surprised, sitting up slightly. She wasn't used to Liam speaking to her that way… although in the last five years he had never been affectionate, she had never seen him show such determination in a request.
She looked at him, but the moment their eyes met, she felt something inside her shrink.That hard, distant, unreachable gaze.A gaze she herself had helped create through the way she treated him in the past.
Her breathing went shallow.
"Alright," she replied, lowering her head almost immediately. "Tomorrow after school I'll leave it on the table for you."
Inside, a sharp, painful thought flashed: I wish I could go back and not be the mother I was…But she knew it was too late. Liam's resentment toward her had become an immovable mountain.
Liam showed no emotion at her response; he simply nodded, as if it was the bare minimum he expected.
"Give me the remote. I'm going to watch TV."
It wasn't a request.It was an order.
He took a few steps and dropped onto the opposite couch, extending his hand without even looking at her, waiting.
His mother hesitated for a couple of seconds. She stared at him, surprised once again: Liam had never shown interest in television.
He was always alone. While other kids played outside or spent afternoons laughing with friends, Liam did none of that. He never played, never joined in, never acted his age.Instead, he spent his time doing things no ten-year-old normally would—reading advanced books, training his body with quiet determination, pushing himself in ways that felt far too mature for a child.
And because of that, he had never been the type to just sit down and watch TV. Not once. The idea simply didn't fit with the version of himself he had built over the years.
It unsettled her.
"Of course… yes…" she murmured, handing him the remote carefully, like giving something to someone irritable or unpredictable.
Liam took it without a word. Immediately, he began switching channels, passing quickly through several options until stopping on a news channel. He leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees, eyes fixed, serious, analytical.
His jaw was tense, as if each headline on the screen could contain something important.As if he were hunting for information.
He wasn't looking for entertainment.He was looking for answers.Clues.Data about other stories, events, or signs that could confirm how mixed this world really was.
Liam kept switching channels with a frown, listening to every word the presenters spoke. Across all news networks, there was a tense atmosphere, as if something in the world was about to break.
Finally, he paused on a channel where the anchor spoke with a professional yet nervous tone.
"In Raccoon City, the Umbrella Corporation has issued a new public announcement assuring that their biotechnological advances are completely safe for the population. The spokesperson stated that recent leaks online are 'malicious misinformation'."
On the screen appeared a propaganda video: smiling scientists in white coats, pristine laboratories, and the red-and-white Umbrella logo shining at the end.
Liam clicked his tongue, displeased.
He switched the channel.
"In other news, Howard Stark has presented a new prototype for clean energy. Although he did not reveal technical details, he assured that the project could revolutionize the energy industry in the coming years."
Liam raised an eyebrow slightly.
Umbrella. Stark Industries.The confirmation was becoming clearer: this world was full of pieces that shouldn't coexist.
He switched again.
"We now move to Japan, where authorities have reported a series of bodies found in Tokyo. The victims were… partially devoured."The presenter swallowed before continuing."The CCG — Commission of Counter Ghoul — has begun an urgent investigation after determining that the perpetrators may belong to a new unidentified Ghoul colony."
A chill crawled up Liam's neck.
"Additionally, the government has issued an alert regarding the appearance of an extremely dangerous Diclonius who escaped from a laboratory in the Kamakura region. Her code name is Lucy. Authorities urge civilians to avoid any visual contact and report suspicious movement."
Diclonius. Lucy.Elfen Lied and Tokyo Ghoul.One species genetically predisposed to kill humans… the other needing to eat them.
Liam tightened his grip on the remote.
It was too much.
He switched channels again.
"Several cities across the country report recent homicides committed with violent and nearly identical patterns. Authorities have not ruled out the possibility of copycats, but criminal experts say the methods… are too precise to be coincidence."
Liam felt a knot form in his stomach.They weren't saying names, but he already had suspects.He knew exactly which serial killers worked like that.
His lips twisted.This world is a powder keg…
Changing the channel once more, he landed on a radio show broadcast on TV: a group of men arguing heatedly.
"I'm telling you it's not an urban legend," one insisted. "The footprints recorded on the coast DO NOT belong to any known marine species.""Oh please," another mocked, "Godzilla? Seriously? That's fiction.""Yeah? Then what kind of animal leaves marks the size of a school bus?"
Liam didn't even know what to feel anymore.
He let his head fall back against the couch and exhaled slowly.
When the news cycle ended and the nighttime reruns began, he lowered the remote and turned off the TV.
The screen went black.And with it, his fleeting hope that this world was normal.
Liam stayed silent for a long moment.
The world was sick. Mixed. Corrupted.Filled with monsters from different universes… and he, a ten-year-old boy, had a system allow he face them. Although he is beginning to feel that the system is too weak compared to everything else out there.
At least now he was sure of one thing:He couldn't waste any more time. He had to grow stronger. Fast.
But there was a problem—an obstacle as obvious as it was frustrating.
His body was only ten years old. At that age, he couldn't go around hunting supernatural entities to strengthen himself with the system.
Liam clenched his jaw, frustration swirling in his chest. His small hands curled into fists, knuckles tight and pale.
For now, he had only one option: wait. Wait a few more years, grow, harden his body, gain the minimum strength needed to have any real chance in a fight against beings of that caliber.
The thought churned his stomach.
He could use Carrie… yes. But he had no certainty when her powers would awaken. He had suspicions, but nothing concrete to trigger them early, and the other method was even harder. Besides, he had only just begun his plan to free her from that house. He wanted to protect her, not drag her into danger too soon.
Liam let out a long breath, his chest filling and emptying slowly, like he was deflating. He stared at his hands—still small, trembling slightly from the mix of frustration and determination.
He had no choice.He had to wait.He had to prepare.He had to use this time wisely.
Besides… he doubted those were the only stories that existed in this world. They were simply the most visible, the ones humans could ignore or rationalize. With time, he would surely learn of many more.
The idea sent a shiver down his spine like an electric current.
With one movement, Liam stood from the couch. He didn't even look at his mother, who watched him with a tight, unreadable expression. He walked past her as if she were air, without a single word or glance.
His steps echoed firmly as he walked out into the garden.The cold hit his skin, but it didn't stop him.It woke him up.Ready to continue his training.
The next day when Liam returned from school, he headed straight home with a firm, almost impatient stride. As soon as he entered, he grabbed the video camera his mother had bought the day before. He lifted it, checked its weight, tested the buttons, and then stored it carefully. Without wasting a second, he headed toward Carrie's house.
There was confidence in every one of his movements—a cold certainty born from his previous life. He had often needed to act without being seen to survive. Compared to that, recording what he needed here felt almost easy.
When he reached the window on the first floor of Carrie's house, his expression hardened. He leaned closer, sharpening his hearing. His breathing became soft, controlled. He listened for almost a minute, completely still… nothing.
Only when he was sure, he raised his gaze and peeked inside.
And then he saw her.
Carrie was climbing out of another window, clumsy but determined, pushing the frame open with trembling hands and carefully lowering herself to the ground. Her breathing was fast, her legs shaking, fear and desperation written in her eyes—but she still chose to escape.
A wide, proud smile spread across Liam's face.
"Well done…" he whispered, a praise she couldn't hear.
He waited a few more minutes, counting silently. Four. Five.
And then the screaming started.
Carrie's mother shouted her name with a mix of desperation and fury, hysterical upon realizing that—for the first time—her daughter had disobeyed her. Furniture slammed, footsteps thundered, curses filled the air. The exact chaos Liam had predicted.
But he didn't feel the need to record it. His expression turned cold and calculating.
"Not worth it," he muttered as he packed the camera away. "There'll be worse situations. Much better evidence. This is only the beginning."
He slipped the camera inside his backpack with quick, efficient movements—like someone who had done this dozens of times. Then he quietly walked away before the woman could check the windows or notice him.
Now he had one objective: reach the base before Carrie.
The path to the burned-down cantina was narrow, swallowed by weeds and twisted trees. Most people would find the place terrifying—charred walls, broken windows, the smell of damp wood and abandonment.
To Liam, it was home base.
A perfect hideout where no one ever came, where he could think, train, hide things… and now, wait for Carrie.
He quickened his pace until he was almost running.
"She needs to feel like I was waiting for her," he murmured, hopping over a fallen log. That will help her not to lose the courage to run away every day, knowing that someone will always be waiting for her.
When he arrived, he pushed the half-broken door. It opened with a long, protesting creak. The interior was dark, lit only by sunbeams filtering through holes in the roof. But Liam knew the ruin by heart—where to step without noise, where to sit without the floor collapsing.
He walked straight to his makeshift table of old planks and crates. He placed the camera on top, deliberately: he wanted Carrie to see it as soon as she walked in, to understand that he was prepared and everything was under his control.
He sat down, exhaled deeply, and—for the first time since leaving home—relaxed his shoulders. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, imagining Carrie running through the streets, looking back nervously, feeling fear and freedom all at once. Like a bird testing its wings for the first time.
A faint smile curved his lips.
"Today will be a big step for you, Carrie… and for me."
Silence filled the burned cantina. Only the wind whispered through the cracks.
Then he heard it.
Small footsteps. Rushed. Nervous.That trembling rhythm he knew so well.
Carrie.
Her shadow appeared first, stretching across the uneven floor before she stepped inside. She was panting, cheeks flushed, hair a bit messy from running, hands trembling with adrenaline and excitement.
But her eyes… her eyes were shining like never before.
"L-Liam…" she said with a shaky voice full of emotion. "Did you… wait for me?"
He lifted his head calmly, as if he hadn't been tracking every step she took.
And he smiled.
"I was waiting for you."
Carrie lowered her gaze, pressing her hands to her chest, embarrassed but happy.
Liam continued:
"Yes. I wasn't lying when I said I'd wait for you here every day."
She swallowed hard, nerves and determination mixed in her expression.
"Then… do we start?"
Liam stood up slowly.
"Yes. Today is the first day. For now we'll focus on physical training. We'll start with the basics."He gave her a quick, evaluating glance."We'll skip running. You obviously ran a lot to get here. So we'll do strength exercises."
Carrie nodded, lips pressed together, nervous but committed.
"First, push-ups on your knees. You're a beginner, so we'll start easy," Liam explained as he knelt down to show her the correct form.
Carrie tried to imitate him. At first she was clumsy—elbows crooked, back arched, hands poorly placed. Liam stepped closer, correcting every mistake with patience.
"Like this… good. Keep your back straight. Breathe."
After a few minutes, Carrie managed a decent posture. Liam nodded, proud of the effort she put into every repetition.
During the next hours, he guided her through basic exercises, encouraging her, teaching her not to give up. And she responded better than he expected.
When they finally finished, Carrie dropped to the floor, panting, face red but smiling widely—exhausted and happy.
"That's all for today," Liam said, crossing his arms. "If you come tomorrow, we'll continue. This… is the beginning of a better life for you."
Carrie lowered her head—but this time from emotion, not shame. That sentence lit something inside her.
"Yes!" she answered with more strength than he had imagined.
With that determination, she stood and walked the same path she used to arrive, moving fast, gathering courage to face the punishment that undoubtedly awaited her… and also to escape again tomorrow.
Liam watched her go, arms crossed, waiting a moment to make sure no one followed her.
Then he picked up his backpack and left as well—this time heading toward Carrie's house.
Now he was ready to record solid evidence.