Sid activated his loot vision out of habit, scanning the ground for anything useful, but no light flickered. Nothing valuable. Nothing left.
"Oh damn right, the old man probably cleared this place out years ago."
Meanwhile, Evelise had already stepped ahead, walking slowly toward the center of the plaza. The air seemed calmer there, almost reverent. She looked around with a faint, bittersweet smile.
"It's still beautiful. Even after everything."
Sid followed, his gaze flicking between the broken signs and the faint mosaic patterns beneath their feet.
"You said this was the heart of the nexus, right?"
"Yes. This is where people used to gather — locals, travelers, families, everyone. It was the city's brightest place. The heart that connected all lives."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"But it wasn't that way for me."
"What do you mean?"
Evelise stopped in the very center, her hands curling into fists.
