(*3 pm in the afternoon*)
---------------------
"It's time to find my mother."
Sage left the apartment desperately seeking his mother, he wanted to get to the hospital as soon as possible so.
"Hey, Logia! I want to get to the hospital ASAP, can I create a teleportation skill?"
Sage asked Logia with an anxious tone, and Logia replied.
"Well, you needn't create one because I have already installed a teleportation function onto the system, all you have to do is think about the place you want to be teleported to and say the word 'Teleport'."
"Okay, I'll give it a try."
Sage thought of the hospital grounds and recited the word.
"Teleport!"
[*ping*]
[*Teleportation is activated*]
(*swish*)
The system instantly teleported Sage to the hospital, which was located next to numerous company buildings.
He stood still at the entrance, contemplating many possible incidents that could have happened to his mother.
"Oh, mom please be safe, please."
"Sigh! Sage, I believe your mother is going to be fine, besides we don't know anything until we see her for ourselves right?"
Logia attempted to reassure Sage about his mother, but Sage wasn't listing, he scurried into the hospital.
Sage searched the room his mother resided, but she wasn't there.
"Mom! mom! are you here? No one."
Sage sighed in relief, thinking that she was underground at the bunker with the rest of the civilians. He used his skill to search for them.
"Sensor!"
[*ping*]
[*Sensor is activated*]
"I found them! they are 3 meters underground and there are about 100 civilians in the bunker. It's not going to be easy finding her with all those people clustered together."
Sage hurried underground, he discovered stairs that led to the bunker. He reached the end, there he was faced with a lot of civilians.
People noticed him and began to murmur.
'So there were other survivors.'
'Does that mean everything is over now?'
'Maybe he is part of the rescue team that the government deployed.'
(*murmur*)
Sage did not pay attention to them, the first thing on his mind was his mother's safety. He started calling her out even though she could not answer back.
"Mom! Mom! can you hear me!!? does anyone know a patient that goes by the name Manda!?"
A woman stepped out after hearing Sage's call, the person was the nurse he met when he previously came to visit his mother.
"Young man, I remember you, you are the boy I met at the entrance of the hospital."
The nurse's eyes were covered in wrinkles, her hair was a mess, she looked like she was busy the whole time. Sage's expression turned to worry, he thought that if the nurse was in such a state, what would have become of his mother.
"Madam, where is my mother!? is she okay!?"
Sage asked with a voice engulfed with panic, the nurse looked hesitant to tell him about his mother at first but she decided to.
"Follow me."
The nurse directed Sage to the end of the bunker, she led him to where his mother resided but her bed was empty. Sage's face became so pale he started asking questions.
"Madam, why isn't my mother here!? is she okay!? what is going on!?"
The nurse replied with a hesitant voice.
"Well, you might not believe me but she just disappeared without a trace, it happened when I was caring for her during the incident. I turned my back away from her for a few seconds but, when I looked back at her she was already gone."
Sage was in disbelief, he pondered how a person who was holding to their last strand of life could ever move by themselves.
"Unless it was someone who moved her."
Sage suddenly thought of someone, his best friend Mark, he thought Maybe Mark came to the hospital to get his mother. But then he realised that Mark wouldn't have done so without notifying the nurse. But Sage still wanted to have hope that Mark was the one who took his mother.
"Thank you for the information, I'll be leaving."
Sage was about to exit the bunker when the nurse stopped him.
"Wai...Wait a minute, isn't it too dangerous out there? is it safe to go out right now?"
She asks Sage while she grabs onto his arm.
Sage sighed deeply, he had no intention of putting anyone in danger, so he offered her some advice.
"Look madam, it would be better and safer if you all could remain at this bunker."
The nurse's face brightened as she replied to Sage's advice. She asked him a question.
"Do you mean until the rescue team come to get us!?
Sage expression became puzzled, he had no clue of what the nurse was talking about.
"Wait, madam what do you mean? please elaborate."
"Oh, you don't know? there was news online saying that the government has deployed rescue teams across the country."
Sage never knew that the signal around the city was still intact. He took out his phone to see if he could get a connection. The last thing he had present on his phone screen were the messages from Mark.
!CHAT!|
Mark : ( Dude, are you seeing this? )
Mark : ( What's happening over there, where are you right now? )
Mark : ( Are you ok? what about your mother? )
Mark : ( Hey answer me !!! )
Sage tried to message him back.
!CHAT!|
Sage: ( Dude, I'm alright. )
Sage: ( Are you still alive? )
Sage : ( Where are you? )
But there was no reply until after a few
seconds.
!CHAT!|
Mark: (Sage is that you!?)
Mark: (Thank goodness you're safe.)
Mark: (I'm at a bunker under a company building, it's close to the arcade.)
Sage : (Alright I'll meet you there, wait for me.)
"Well madam, thank you for taking care of my mother for these past few years I am indebted to you."
Sage bowed and turned to leave the bunker. He marched forward to Mark's destination.
(*Halt*)
"Oh, wait a minute! I can use teleportation."
Sage thought of the arcade as his destination and recited the word.
"Teleport!"
[*ping*]
[*Teleportation activated*]
He was instantly teleported to the arcade's entrance. He stood there silently as a gust of wind blew by.