Janae finally reached the Reclamation Center. It was less a center and more a sprawling slum built from shipping containers and scrap metal lean-tos.
The air hung heavy with the smell of sweat, cheap alcohol, and burning fuel. People shuffled through the makeshift streets, their faces etched with the same desperation she'd seen in Jed's eyes.
She pulled her collar up, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, and walked into the chaotic settlement.
A memory surfaced. Today was the original Janae's twentieth birthday. According to Imperium law, her personal citizen account would be activated today.
The original girl had clung to the hope of receiving an adulthood stipend from the Bennett family. A final, desperate wish.
Janae found a public information terminal. With a sliver of hope she didn't know she had, she logged in using the original's credentials.
A line of cold, hard text appeared on the screen.
Account Balance: 0 Credits.
No stipend. Not even the basic citizen's welfare payment. The Bennett family had been thorough. They had erased her completely.
Janae looked at the zero and let out a dry, humorless laugh. She should have known better than to expect anything from anyone.
She logged out, severing the last thread of connection to her past.
Hope was a luxury she couldn't afford. Self-reliance was the only way. Her gaze shifted to the vast junkyards surrounding the Center. They were dangerous, but they were also full of opportunity.
She needed money. Resources.
Ignoring the stench, she walked into the scrap fields and began her search, her expert eyes scanning for anything of value.
For hours, she dug through twisted metal and discarded machinery, her hands becoming scratched and raw.
Just as exhaustion was about to claim her, she spotted an unusual green glimmer beneath the charred remains of a ship's engine.
Her heart skipped a beat. She carefully moved the heavy debris, digging out three fist-sized crystals that pulsed with a soft, green light.
The moment she saw them, her breath caught in her throat. She knew what they were.
In her world, they were called Life Source Crystals, treasures containing the purest form of life energy. A single one could revitalize a dying planet.
She couldn't believe it. Her hands trembled as she picked one up, feeling the immense, pure power humming within.
Here, they might be called Energon Crystals, but their essence was the same. This was the key to restoring her strength.
A wave of pure joy washed over her. She almost laughed out loud but forced herself to stay quiet.
She quickly wrapped the crystals in a rag and hid them inside her shirt, her heart pounding against her ribs.
With these, she could do more than just grow plants on this wasteland. She could rebuild her entire dimension.
Calming herself, she knew she couldn't reveal her treasure. She gathered a few other pieces of valuable-looking scrap as a cover for her find and headed back.
She found a recycling shop and sold the ordinary scrap for a handful of credits.
It was enough to rent the cheapest available dwelling-a derelict capsule pod-and buy a few days' worth of water and nutrient solution.
As she passed through the trading hall, she couldn't help noticing: there was no green anywhere. Not a single potted plant, not even a dried leaf on display. The absence struck her as strange, but she filed it away for later.
Once inside the relative safety of the pod, she took out the crystals again, her mind racing with plans.
Direct absorption was wasteful. She needed tools to refine and catalyze their power.
She stepped out of the pod and looked at the mountains of junk with new eyes.
To others, this was a graveyard of trash. To her, it was a storeroom of raw materials for building the alchemical equipment she needed.
She wasn't just going to survive. She was going to use this trash to rebuild her power.
