Chapter 335: Dearly Missed Mother (1)

Outside the wide windows, the city slipped by beneath the night. Convenience stores glowed at street corners, apartment buildings stood packed close together, and vending machines flashed between stretches of road.

Now and then, the bus passed beneath an elevated railway, just as a train thundered overhead and disappeared into the darkness.

Ruvian sat near the middle of the bus beside the window, while Morvayne occupied the seat beside him.

Her dark grey eyes kept moving from one thing to another with an interest she was clearly trying, and failing, to hide.

She watched the doors open and close on their own, stared at the glowing display above the driver, and even leaned slightly forward whenever the vehicle smoothly began moving again without a single horse, beast, or trace of mana pulling it.

More than once, Ruvian caught her looking toward the floor as though she were trying to figure out exactly what kind of power was hidden beneath it.

Seeing that, Ruvian simply shook his head while holding his chuckle.

He could almost guess what sort of questions formed inside her head.

Sure enough, they came out.

By the time the bus had crossed several more streets, Ruvian had already explained traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, bicycles, taxis, convenience stores, and many more.

The questions never seemed to stop!

Though, Ruvian answered most of them as best as he could.

Several minutes later, the bus finally slowed to a stop.

Ruvian glanced at the glowing display near the front before standing up, with Morvayne following right behind him. The doors opened with a soft hiss, and the two stepped onto the pavement.

The bus pulled away a few seconds later, leaving them beneath the dim light of the bus stop. The street was quieter here, with only a few cars passing from time to time.

Morvayne looked around.

"Is this where your mother is?" she asked, sounding slightly confused.

Ruvian shook his head.

"No."

He raised one hand and pointed across the street.

Morvayne followed his finger.

A massive hospital stood beyond the road, its many windows still glowing despite the late hour. An ambulance was parked near the entrance, while several people in medical uniforms moved through the glass doors.

"That place," Ruvian said quietly. "That’s where she worked."

’She should still be here.’

If he remembered this night correctly, his mother’s shift had not ended yet.

She should still be somewhere inside, finishing her remaining work before leaving for the preparations in Yokohama.

*****

Should he really be doing this?

That question had echoed through his mind more times than he could count.

Honestly, never in a million lifetimes had he imagined that he would ever be given another chance to see his mother again.

The possibility had only occurred to him after Morvayne chose to walk through his memories.

And yet, deep down...

Part of him still felt like this was something he should not be doing, as though he were reaching toward a moment that had already been laid to rest.

But even so...

How could he possibly turn away when, for the first time in so many years, he had been given the chance to see her again?

"Are you going in or not, Child?"

Morvayne’s voice finally pulled him out of his thoughts.

Ruvian blinked before looking toward her.

"Haa... I know, I know, don’t push me."

He took a quiet breath and entered.

The hospital doors slid open as Ruvian approached, and he stepped inside.

The lobby was brightly lit despite the late hour. A faint smell of disinfectant hung in the air, mixed with the quiet sounds of footsteps and distant voices.

A pair of nurses hurried past him as he crossed the lobby. There were still a few people sitting near the waiting area, while doctors continued moving in and out of the corridors ahead.

Ruvian barely paid them any attention.

He passed the reception desk and headed straight for the elevators near the center of the building.

Luckily, he still remembered exactly where he needed to go.

His mother had worked under the hospital’s [Awakened Emergency Response Department].

It was a special division responsible for treating Awakened, handling ability-related injuries, and preparing medical teams whenever Gates or Breakouts occurred nearby.

Ruvian stopped before one of the elevators and pressed the button.

A few seconds later, the doors opened. He stepped inside with Morvayne before pressing the button for the ninth floor.

[9F: Awakened Emergency Response Department]

The doors slid shut.

Ruvian watched the numbers above the doors change one after another as it began climbing upward.

His fingers slowly tightened inside his pockets.

’My heart is pumping so loud...’

Then, just as the number above the doors changed to [3F], the lift suddenly slowed.

[3F: Advanced Recovery Ward]

A soft chime rang through the enclosed space before the elevator came to a stop. The doors began sliding open, revealing another brightly lit corridor beyond.

And then Ruvian heard it.

A woman’s voice.

"—No, keep his energy circulation under observation for another hour."

Ruvian’s entire body went still.

The voice came from just outside the elevator, calm and professional.

"—Yes, yes... his resonance levels are still unstable after the backlash, so don’t discharge him yet. If his core starts fluctuating again, call the night healer immediately."

The elevator doors opened wider.

A woman stepped inside while holding her phone against one ear.

Ruvian stopped breathing, his eyes widened.

She had long brown hair that fell past her shoulders, with the ends curling slightly inward. Her dark brown eyes looked tired beneath the bright hospital lights.

She wore a white doctor’s coat over dark blue medical scrubs.

A hospital identification card hung from her chest, while one arm carried a thin stack of patient files and a tablet pressed against her side.

A half-finished cup of coffee rested carefully between her fingers.

Without looking up from her conversation, the woman reached toward the elevator panel.

Her finger pressed [9F].

The button was already glowing.

She paused for half a second before pulling her hand away.

Ruvian remained frozen beside her.

Morvayne did as well.

’Hmm?’

Her eyes moved from the woman to Ruvian, and the moment she saw his expression, she understood without needing to ask.

The elevator doors slid shut.

"—Yes, exactly," the woman continued, resting her back lightly against the wall. "And make sure the ATLV suppressants aren’t given together with the recovery stimulants."

She closed her eyes briefly and rubbed her forehead with two fingers.

"No, haha, I know~"

A tired sigh escaped her.

"I’ll check the reports once I get upstairs."

There was another short pause.

"Alright. Thank you."

She lowered the phone.

The call had finally ended.

For several seconds, silence settled inside the elevator. Well, it was not as though Ruvian could actually strike up a conversation with her in the first place.

The woman released another weary breath before resting the back of her head lightly against the wall.

"God... what a day." she muttered.

Ruvian heard every word.

But none of them truly registered.

His stomach twisted, his legs suddenly felt heavier than they should have.

Slowly, almost as though his neck had gone stiff, he turned his head.

His eyes lingered on her face, almost afraid to look away.

She looked more tired than he remembered, with faint lines beneath her eyes. Yet the curve of her nose was still the same, and so was that tiny mole beneath her left eye.

He had forgotten she even had it.

Ruvian’s pupils trembled slightly.

There was no doubt about it — the beautiful woman standing beside him in the elevator...

She was none other than his mother.

His—

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[Chapter 335: Dearly Missed Mother (1)]