At the Belgiumine Municipal Hospital in patient’s 0798 room, an elderly woman with uncountable wrinkles and patched skin was lying in bed sleeping soundly. Her breathing was slow, almost hoarse.
A nurse was in her room checking on the elderly woman’s condition. After finishing her daily check-up; seeing that her patient’s vitals were stable, she exited the room and went to file a daily report.
Seconds after the nurse exited the room, the elderly woman opened one of her eyes abruptly and looked around. Confirming that the nurse had indeed left the room, she spoke in a hushed voice. “You can come out now.”
Angelina Julie crawled out from underneath the bed and dusted herself off. “Gosh, every time I come here it reeks more and more. Are you turning into a bag of meat, old hag?” Angelina smiled wryly.
“You disrespectful little runt! Want me to take my old bones and clobber some manners into you?” The elderly woman glared at her granddaughter. “You’re getting feistier every time I lay eyes on you.”
“Well, I took off of you granny so don’t complain.” Replied Angelina Julie.
“Hmph!” The elderly woman grunted coldly and avert her eyes from Angelina. After a moment in silence, the two of them burst out in hush laughter.
“You seem to be doing well grandma. Better not go senile on me anytime soon.” Said Angelina jokingly.
“I still have a lot of years under my belt. I’m not going to cross over to the other side until I see my grandchildren grow up and give me great-grands.” The elderly woman took Angelina’s hand into her loving embrace.
“You’re too greedy for your age granny. I’m not planning to give birth to any baby until I reach half of your age.”
Her granny was startled by her statement. “What?! By that time I will be turning in my grave. You can’t wait that long!”
“Why? Wasn’t you the one who said that you wouldn’t croak until you get great-grandchildren? Hehe.” asked Angelina smilingly.
The old lady sighed. “I give up. You’re getting slyer than I used to be. By the way, A.J, why do every time you come to visit, you sneak into my room like a thief? You do know that this hospital has a front door right?”
“Hm?” Angelina smiled again before answering. “Of course I am aware.”
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“Then why do you...?”
Angelina cut into her grandmother’s speech. “For personal reasons that I don’t wish to disclose to a nosy hag like yourself.” She hopped onto the bed alongside her granny. “Grandma I have some wonderful news. I may be able to go search for father sooner than expected.”
“Huh?” The elderly lady wasn’t happy to hear her granddaughter's speech. She knew for a very long time that her granddaughter was trying her hardest to search for her father who had gone missing and was aware of the burden of danger that came with it. Being a pro-Tomb Rider had a lot of risks, her father was one and he ended up missing. No one knew if he was still alive or dead.
The elderly woman was extremely worried about her granddaughter’s safety but she knew how much her father meant to the young lass and that no matter how much she dissuaded her from continuing on her own path, she wouldn’t budge. So she slapped on a fake mask of glee and decided to encourage her granddaughter instead of discouraging her.
“I'm glad that you’re finally making progress my child but always remember to be very careful. A Ghoul Graveyard is infinitely more dangerous than a Ghoul Stadium. Ghoul Stadiums were built to train potential Tomb Riders to undertake the journey of a Ghoul Graveyard. So if you know in yourself that you are not ready for the journey, please don’t rush into things prematurely. Continue to train yourself and evolve your Motor. Once you’ve become a Pro Tomb Rider Then you can set out.”
The grandmother’s lecture left an impacting impression on Angelina, she didn’t know much about Ghoul Graveyards other than that they were extremely dangerous and supernatural. Only two types of Tomb Riders were allowed inside of a Ghoul Graveyard by the general rule, these were: Pro Tomb Riders and High-Class Tomb Riders.
Of course with some connections and leeway, even Mid-Class Tomb Riders would be allowed to enter a Ghoul Graveyard under the guidance of a professional watcher. There were 4 boundaries which separated Tomb Riders: Lower-Sub-Class, Middle-Sub-Class, Higher-Sub-Class and Professional-Sub-Class.
Currently, Angelina was a Lower-Sub-Class Tomb Rider on her way to becoming a Middle-Sub-Class. If she were to get impatient and enter a Ghoul Graveyard with her current abilities, she would undoubtedly die a horrifying death.
Reflecting over what her grandmother said, Angelina took a deep breath; closed her eyes for a second then exhaled. She hopped off the bed and slowly walked over to the opened window. Glancing over her shoulders, looking at her granny she said solemnly:
“Thanks for your advice and caring words grandma. I promise that I will bring him back.”
Perceiving her grandchild's resolution from a rear angle, reminded the old woman of her son. He would often speak the same. She wiped a tear away which was dripping from her droopy eyes, moreover, she smiled. “Baby girl, you remind me so much of your father. When you get back, tell that little rascal that I want to see him and say hi to Maria for me.”
“I will give Maria your greetings but it will be a while before you see Brad again because he went on a trip with some of his friends. Okay, see ya.” Angelina Julie didn’t wait around for a response, she jumped out of the hospital window and disappeared from her grandmother’s impaired vision.
The woman glanced out the window and spoke softly. “Son... For that child's sake, you better still be alive or else...”