The VHC Headquarters swallowed us whole, its cavernous atrium opening up like the maw of some ancient leviathan.
I had seen palaces in my past life, been inside the most exclusive clubs Tokyo had to offer, but this—this was power made manifest in glass and stone.
The Apex Atrium soared above us, impossibly high. The ceiling was a living map of constellations marking every known S-Rank Gate on the planet, tiny pinpricks of light shifting and pulsing with data. Smart-glass walls formed a transparent barrier between the elite gathered here and the city sprawling below, the message clear: you rule over that world from this one.
"Smile," Luka muttered, nudging me with his massive elbow as another flash went off. "These pictures end up in databases."
