Chapter 12: [11] Two Hundred Meters
The shuttle slowed with a soft pneumatic hiss as it reached the Midtown Heights station. Xavier rose from his seat, swinging his duffel over his shoulder.
The doors parted. Xavier stepped onto the platform and breathed deep. The air carried traces of ozone from the crystal-powered vehicles, mixed with salt from the Pacific. Cleaner than the smog-choked cities he'd known before.
"Fuck it," he muttered. "Hello, new world."
The memory merge had left him disoriented, like waking up drunk in a stranger's bed. Bits of a life he'd never lived nestled alongside the blood-soaked memories of his actual past. He wished Calypso had mentioned this particular detail during their little arrangement.
"D-rank student coming through," he said to no one, flashing a smile at a group of maintenance workers who stepped aside.
Crystal-powered advertising displays tracked his movement, shifting their content as he passed.
"New to Nexus? Visit Crystal Gardens for authentic Awakened cuisine!"
"Struggling with Essentia control? Tanaka's Training Center offers D-rank starter packages!"
Xavier ignored them, focusing on the residential tower ahead. According to his implanted memories, Apartment 1103 waited on the eleventh floor. Small but private, with a decent view of Island One.
A group of three women approached from the opposite direction. Their conversation halted as they noticed him, eyes widening slightly. The tallest one, sporting blue-streaked hair, whispered something to her companions. They giggled, cheeks flushing pink. One of them, a petite blonde, met his gaze for a heartbeat before looking away.
Xavier gave them a lazy half-smile as they passed. Some things never changed across realities—his looks remained a useful tool, just as they had been in his previous life. Good to know.