South First District, the Dark Night Sparks Block.
In the night's streets, a youth in a black shirt was running raggedly, searching for narrow alleys to hide while anxiously looking around for any pursuers that might appear.
"Huff, huff—," leaning against a wall, his chest heaving, his back already drenched in sweat.
"They didn't follow me?" he murmured softly to himself, then raised his head to look at the narrow patch of sky within the alley.
Neon lights and billboards adorned hovering boats that slowly drifted in the sky, serving both as entertainment venues and conspicuous advertising slots, reportedly costing tens of millions of Federation Coins for ad space each year.
"Damn the capitalists and the rich!"
He punched the wall, then once again staggered forward, walking through the obscure alley filled with stains and trash.
——————
Edith Academy, Combat Practice Room.
