The Registration Center stood in the Inner Ring like a monument to bureaucracy.
Kai had been here once before, three years ago, when he'd first awakened his E-rank Shard. Back then, the building had seemed imposing, made of steel and glass with clean white walls. Now, after everything he'd seen in the Wilds, it just looked plain and empty.
He walked through the main entrance, past the security checkpoint where guards scanned his temporary medical clearance badge.
The lobby was packed with people, mostly young, mostly nervous. Newly Awakened, waiting for their first official scan.
Kai found the queue for re-scanning and joined the line.
"First time?" the guy in front of him asked. He was maybe nineteen, with acne scars and hands that wouldn't stop shaking.
"Second," Kai said. "Got a new Shard."
The guy's eyes widened. "Seriously? That's rare. What rank?"
"Don't know yet. That's why I'm here."
