Sovereign Megacity, White City, Chronos Hourglass Dome.
Sovereign Bank.
Grand Lobby.
Two weeks had passed since the Convergence forcefully dragged Earth into the brutal mechanics of Aetheria.
Outside the hexagonal dome of the Chronos Hourglass was an apocalyptic wasteland of ash and roaming nightmares. Inside, the pristine marble streets were alive with the bustling energy of five thousand refugees who were finally realizing they had a future.
Vahn Ryker stood in the grand lobby of the Sovereign Bank. He leaned casually against a polished quartz pillar and watched the organized chaos with a faint genuine smile.
He wore his standard black combat jacket. The fabric was completely repaired and heavily modified by the system data. He wasn't acting like a cold calculating machine today. The heavy robotic detachment that had defined his earlier survival tactics had melted away. He was now leaving behind a confident and remarkably human leader.
