The journey from Emi's modest apartment in the Asahi District to the gleaming spires of Veridian Hills was like traveling between different planets—a stark transition from the comfortable chaos she called home to the rarefied air of Valoria's elite.
She walked through the familiar streets of her neighborhood, waving enthusiastically to Mr. Tanaka sweeping outside his convenience store and dramatically dodging the usual group of kids playing Hunter versus Gate-spawn in the street. One little boy with a cardboard crown representing a Monster Core on his head growled ferociously as she passed, and she clutched her chest in mock terror, making him giggle with delight. The air hummed with life—smelling of sizzling yakisoba from the corner stand, industrial cleaner from the laundromat, and the faint metallic tang of Core-powered generators.
