Chapter 88: Chapter 88: System's Sadness

Lena noticed they were short on food for tomorrow's breakfast.

As she approached the door, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of Elio and the day's tasks, the sudden sound of knocking jolted her from her reverie. It wasn't the gentle tap of a neighbor or her son's rhythmic knock. This was different: loud, insistent, almost threatening in its urgency.

She glanced towards the kitchen, where the younger children were still cleaning up after dinner.

The knocking came for the third time, so powerful it seemed to shake the very foundations of their door. Lena's heart raced, but her hand remained steady as she reached for the doorknob.

♢♢♢♢

Lena opened the door to find two figures: a young man she vaguely recognized as Varick, the spoiled boy who used to bully her Elio at school, and an older man she didn't know.

Varick, with his usual arrogant bearing, seemed to be in the middle of a complaint directed at Ivan.