The Hospital

Richard Gray feels more than a little irritated as he runs up the stairs of the Grand Phoenix Hospital. The greatest hospital on the planet. One that only caters to the wealthiest and most influential people within the world. Because it hasn’t even been a minute since he returned to Val, and he’s already been given an order by his boss to head straight towards the girl’s room.

He understands perfectly well why he was given this order. After all, he knows that she may very well be the new Successor of Chaos he saw on the forums, and that she may have woken up from her coma.

But that doesn’t change the fact that the entire hospital is filled with monsters on over a dozen floors of the building. And he really needs to handle that situation as quickly as possible.

Damnit, if those two had only realized sooner what the hell they were doing to the girl…

Richard’s fist tightens as he runs, the man clenching it without even realizing. But his thoughts are snapped back to the present when he finally gets near the hospital room in question, passing through the luxurious hallway barren of monsters due to the security on this floor, only to hear the sound of a window shattering. Then an alarm follows after, with the light above the hospital room turning red to signal a break-in.

His eyes narrow and he rushes the last steps to the door before grabbing the handle, using his biosignature through his hand’s prints on the handle to unlock it. And without hesitation, he swings the door open, slamming it into the wall and finds the window of the room shattered.

But what he was expecting to see isn’t what he finds.

He was prepared for the worst coming into the room. Expecting to find some sort of new monster inside attacking the young miss. Or maybe finding one entering through the window. Or even the young miss being knocked out the window.

What he wasn’t expecting nor prepared to see was the young miss – who also looks younger than she was the last time he saw her here by at least a few years, with some changes to her appearance – flying out the shattered window using her own wings.

Wings she didn’t used to have.

“Young Miss! Where are you going?!” Richard shouts, his voice echoing out through the heavy rain.

The young miss glances over her shoulder at Richard without turning around or pausing in the beat of her wings, and the glowing crimson light he sees reflecting off of the raindrops around her face along with her usual apathetic gaze sends a shiver down Richard’s spine. But what’s much worse to him is the lack of any sort of recognition in her gaze.

As if she doesn’t recognize him.

Despite that, Richard can’t help but shout, “Young Miss! Come back!” while running to the edge of the room and stopping right at the shattered window.

But the young miss doesn’t say anything in response. She just faces away from him again and keeps flying away, soon leaving his sight within the rain.

Richard grits his teeth and clenches his fist, unsure of how to take this. Since the girl was always withdrawn. And she grew more and more withdrawn and apathetic as the years passed.

He was one of the few people who knew the truth about her other than her family. The truth that she has no ability.

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Everyone else believed she was just as talented as the rest of her family. Just that her family was hiding her ability.

Richard still remembers the parties she was ordered to attend by her parents where she would be surrounded by people all the time. People trying to curry favor with her. Trying to sniff out what sort of ability she may have. And talking up her family.

The man stares out the shattered window, uncaring of the rain pouring into the room and soaking him to the bone as he feels more conflicted than he has in years.

He’s overjoyed that she’s finally woken up, and by the looks of it, gotten an ability at last.

But… does she remember me?

The lack of any recognition in her gaze bothers him more than he thought it would.

After several seconds, he finally raises his arm to his face and turns on his terminal. A device powered by his mana that acts as an improved smartphone. And even when he calls her, he doesn’t take his eyes away from the rain.

The call is answered immediately, followed by the voice of his boss asking, “So? Is she there?”

He waits a second before answering slowly, “She was. But she’s gone now.”

Silence fills the call with the only noise being that of the rain.

“Explain,” the voice comes back after nearly five seconds pass.

----------------------------------------

Ashley

I wonder who that guy was? He seemed to know me. Seemed like he might’ve even cared.

Maybe.

He also called me ‘Young Miss’.

I fly in silence for a few seconds at that thought.

Well, whatever. Doesn’t matter.

I shield my eyes from the rain with my arm as I fly through the air in the direction of the large park that Chaos had pointed me to before. And as I fly, I look down at all of the fighting going on in the streets and the buildings.

Most of the fighting seems to be handled rather well at this point, with enforcers coming in from all over dealing with the problem. What with this not being all that much different from their normal job before this whole System thing anyways. Dealing with ability using criminals. Albeit with these ‘criminals’ being monsters instead of people.

Before long I’m sure society will reform itself. Maybe not even a week later.

The enforcers will bring everything back under control and the real battle will begin.

A battle over control of the Gates. What with those being the main source of monsters needed to level up.

And I couldn’t care less about all that.

I just want a place to call my own. One safe from outsiders.

So I fly as fast as I can towards the park in question. And when I get within sight of the park, I find a massive spire made out of stone and metal shooting out of the center of the park. Meanwhile there are dozens upon dozens of monsters roaming around the park itself, with more than a few enforcers and civilians as well.

Fortunately for me, the rain makes it so that no one notices me. With the exception of a couple enforcers, both of whom return their focus to the monsters they’re fighting against, and the civilians they’re protecting rather than pay any attention to me.

Probably identified me and found that I was human or something.

Anyways, I completely ignore all of the monsters and people fighting down there as I fly straight into a balcony of the large tower. Of the Spire.

And the moment my feet make contact with the Spire, I feel a strange sensation of welcoming coming from it. One that almost makes the corners of my mouth twitch upwards.

Almost.

Because it feels warm.

I proceed to walk through the interior of the Spire, which is rather basic and mostly made of stone and metal. All silver in color. And as I walk, I make sure to pull my hair over my shoulder, down my chest, and wring it out. Now that I’m indoors again.

Eventually I find a set of stairs, briefly pondering over why I don’t see any people in the Spire itself. Even though there were quite the number of people gathered at its base.

Maybe people without a System Star can’t get inside?

Either way, I go up one set of stairs after another until I eventually find myself at the very top of the Spire. And what I find there is some sort of large dome over the top of the Spire made up of a silver energy. One that is completely see-through, but also blocks all of the rain from entering the Spire.

What catches my attention the most, though, isn’t the dome barrier.

It’s the little podium with a meter-tall crystal floating above it that does.

I just barely purse my lips for a second before walking over to the crystal and stopping, crossing my arms in front of it.

This is probably the thing that lays claim to the Spire.

My thoughts are paused when I hear footsteps coming from the stairs, making me glance at them. And right when I see someone wearing a high ranking enforcer uniform entering my sight in a rush, I reach forwards and touch the crystal.

Making a wave of notifications appear in my vision as the person in question vanishes as if kicked out of the Spire.

Ignoring them, I focus on the notifications.