As the cab came to a stop outside the hospital, Alister took a moment to gather himself before the driver turned around with a friendly smile.
“That’ll be 50 Union credits,” the driver said, glancing back at Alister.
With a nod, Alister reached into his pocket and pulled out a sleek card. He held it close to a sensor on the door, and the mechanism beeped in response. After a brief moment, the door unlocked, allowing him to exit the cab.
As he stepped out, the driver called out, “Hey, aren’t you that Dragon Lord kid everyone’s been talking about?”
Alister felt a rush of heat rise to his cheeks and awkwardly shrugged. “I guess so.”
The driver beamed, clearly excited. “My son and daughter really look up to you! They think you’re so cool. When can they see your dragons in action again?”
Alister let out a forced laugh, feeling a touch of pride and embarrassment. “Soon, I guess.” “Sounds nice, well, you take care now.”
The driver’s car then zoomed off into the distance.
Just as he turned to head into the hospital, a notification pinged in his mind.
[+14 Prestige Points]
Alister paused, a smile creeping onto his face. So that was how it worked-gaining points for simply being recognized. It felt good, but he knew he had a long way to go before he could secure the Omnipotent Elixir.
As Alister slowly stepped towards the hospital, he paused, looking up at the towering building with a frown on his face. A touch of guilt came over him as he remembered something important.
“Her treat…” he muttered under his breath. He had promised to always bring her something, hadn’t he? Macarons-her favorite treat. But in all the excitement, celebrating with everyone after their recent victory, he had completely forgotten.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I can’t show up empty-handed,” he said to himself, shaking his head. “The shop is just a few blocks away. It won’t take too long.”
Deciding to make a quick trip, Alister turned to start walking when a sudden voice pierced the air.
“Is that the Dragon Lord?!”
Alister froze, a cold shiver running down his spine. He turned slowly to see a woman pointing directly at him, eyes wide with excitement.
Before he could respond, other women nearby turned their heads.
“Where?” one of them asked.
The first woman, almost giddy, pointed again. “Over there! That’s him!”
Alister felt his stomach knot, his discomfort growing by the second. He mumbled to himself,
“I don’t know why, but I’m starting to feel a bit uneasy…”
The pointing woman’s excitement was contagious. As if on cue, the others also began yelling out his nickname.
“Dragon Lord! It’s him!” they screamed, their voices growing louder.
In a panic, Alister glanced around. People walking by were now staring, curious about the commotion.
Many began murmuring amongst themselves, wondering if it was really him. Some started pulling out their phones, ready to snap pictures or record videos.
Alister clenched his fists, trying to keep his cool, but inside he was screaming. This was not the attention he needed right now. Just as he was about to take a step back, he noticed the
women charging toward him, excitement in their eyes.
“Oh no,” he whispered.
As the crowd charged towards him, Alister felt a surge of adrenaline. His instincts kicked in, and before anyone could reach him, his body began to slowly vanish from sight. The excited shouts and cheers turned into confused murmurs as people came to a sudden halt, looking around frantically.
“Where did he go?”
“He was just here!”
“I swear I saw him a second ago.”
“How did he disappear?”
Unbeknownst to the crowd, the doors of the hospital quietly opened, and an invisible figure slipped through. Inside, Alister sighed in relief as he stepped into the hospital’s quiet halls, his camouflage slowly undoing itself. His body reappeared in fragments, until he stood fully visible once again.
[Ding!]
[ +70 Prestige Points]
He let out a long breath. “I never knew stuff like this could be so terrifying…”
He mumbled to himself, shaking his head. “I was popular back at the academy, but not to the point where people wanted to chase me down for pictures.”
“Seems my plan to get macarons backfired.”
“Unfortunately I’ll sadly be visiting, empty-handed…”
As he walked towards the reception desk, the soft sounds of hospital activities and the voices
of the people there seemed to calm him down. When he reached the receptionist, he greeted her with a polite nod.
“Good evening, I’m here to see my sister,” he said.
The receptionist’s eyes widened as she recognized him, and her mouth opened to shout, “Dragon L-”
Before she could finish, Alister swiftly placed a finger over her lips. “Shhh, calm down,” he whispered with a small smile. “I just want to see my sister, and I don’t want to be seen. Can we keep it quiet?”
The receptionist blinked, taken by surprise for a moment, but then nodded quickly. “O-of course,” she stammered, barely able to contain her excitement.
But then the nurse gave Alister a puzzled look. “Why are you visiting the hospital today?” Alister raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean?”
The nurse blinked, her expression softening as she seemed to realize he didn’t know. “Oh… you didn’t hear? Your sister’s been transferred.”
For a moment, there was a pause… frёeωebɳovel.com
Out of nowhere, the color drained from Alister’s face. “What?” His voice came out strained, shock creeping in. “Transferred? Where do you mean?”
She hesitated, glancing nervously at her clipboard. “I mean, she was-”
But Alister didn’t wait for her to finish. His heart skipped a beat, panic rising in his chest. He bolted from the reception, rushing down the hall, ignoring the receptionist calling after him. “Wait! Alister!” the receptionist’s voice echoed, but it was no use.
His mind raced as fast as his feet, thoughts spiraling out of control. He gritted his teeth in
anger.
‘The head doctor… could she be the one who transferred her?’
His fists clenched at his sides as he ran. ‘She should know Miyu’s condition is unstable. Moving her around when she’s not healthy is reckless… diabolical!’
‘If anything happens to her I’ll…’
Alister’s shoulder crashed into a nurse as he rounded a corner, and she spun, almost dropping
the tray she was holding.
“Hey! Watch it!” she shouted, glaring at him, but he didn’t stop.
Another doctor sidestepped to avoid him and yelled, “This is a hospital, not a track field!
Show some respect!”
But Alister barely heard them. He was focused, his thoughts consumed by the fear of what had happened to Miyu. He had to check if she was really gone. Had to know what they’d done. Arriving at the elevator, his eyes darted to the panel, but the arrow indicated it was in use and not stopping anytime soon. He felt frustrated. He glanced around quickly, spotting the stairs. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward them, throwing the door open and racing up two steps
at a time.
Alister reached the floor where Miyu’s room was usually located. His breath was still normal, but his heart was pounding. He forced himself to slow down. He needed to stay calm- rushing in blindly wouldn’t help. As he approached her door, his hand hovered over the
handle, hesitating for a moment.
‘What if she’s really gone?’
Steeling himself, he slowly slid the door open. The room was cloaked in darkness, with only
the soft silver light of the moon filtering through the window, casting its soft glow across the bed. His heart skipped a beat as his eyes looked around the familiar space.
And then he saw it.
The bed.
Empty.
Miyu wasn’t there.
Alister’s eyes widened in shock.
“No…”
His pulse quickened again, panic and frustration swirling together. He gritted his teeth, rage
simmering beneath the surface.
‘So she really moved her!’
Just as he was about to storm out and confront the head doctor, a voice cut through the silence
from the far corner of the room.
“I knew you’d show up here.”