"Welcome to Alleva district. Please ensure that you depart with your luggage, and kindly enjoy your stay in our district."
"Welcome to Alleva district. Please ensure that you depart with your luggage, and kindly enjoy your stay in our district."
In the light-rail train station, the announcer's soft yet pleasing voice sounded over and over again, and despite how many times it repeated the same words, there was no sense of irritation from the listeners whatsoever.
Lucas stepped out of the light-rail train and glanced around the place.
'Sure enough, it can't compare.'
This was the very first time Lucas had left Baylands City for a different district, with the trip to the Wasteland Base station not counting.
Compared to the districts of Baylands City, Alleva district was of a lower standard. The air was less pure, and the stellar energy concentration was lower. Even if he couldn't use it yet, Lucas could sense the differences in concentration levels. He could also sense the life energies of the people around, as long as they were weaker than he was, thanks to his sensitive soul.
Lucas could see that compared to their counterparts, they were less healthier.
This was understandable as an old research paper had found out that stellar energy could affect one's health. However, this didn't mean that more stellar energy in the air was good, as the health-improvement effect was only limited to a certain concentration level for average hyumans.
Although Alleva district sounded like a backwater, it was much more advanced than any place Lucas had been on Earth. To be exact, the city Lucas currently was.
"Sunrise City, the capital of Alleva district." A voice interrupted Lucas' thoughts.
He glanced to the side and saw a man with a blue moustache, which would have been strange on Earth, but was common here.
"Don't mind me. I couldn't help myself seeing a fellow human." The man smiled. His smile seemed to carry some sort of relief and comfort, with a hint of sadness.
Lucas was slightly surprised and then paid more attention to the man. He felt something different about him. Although the latter wasn't a true human as he was, the man was different from the hyumans Lucas had met and seen.
'So this is a human.' Lucas thought as he stared at the man.
In this world, pure humans were extinct. There was no such thing as a true human, and Lucas was the only one in existence. Everyone was a hyuman. However, hyumankin inherited certain traits from humanity, and one of them was the deadly sin of pride; or to be more apt, the disgusting desire for superiority complex.
In the human era, skin colour differentiation was a situation more or less brought about due to the environment one lived in. Dark skinned people came about due to living in a region where they were exposed to too much sunlight and UV rays —particularly regions closer to the equator. Although vital to the production of Vitamin D, UV rays were dangerous in excess amounts.
And so, the body had increased their melanin concentration to protect them, to be specific, eumelanin.
When humans moved to regions with lesser UV concentration, the body adapted in an attempt to effectively absorb more UV rays, and dropped its eumelanin production but not pheomelanin. Eumelanin was the melanin that resulted in a dark skin tone whereas pheomelanin was for lighter skin tones. The drop in one with the increase in the other, resulted in a different skin shade or colour.
In summary, the difference in skin colour was a result of the human body reacting to various environments, but humanity had thought differently. Even after the truth was found out, it didn't matter.
Why? Because of the innate nature to be better, to hold pride over another; the desire to stand above themselves. No one wanted to be equal, and so the concept of races came about.
The same situation repeated itself with hyumankin, but it wasn't due to skin colour. Rather, they found a more 'solid' basis for segregation, and that was the mDNA concentration. The segregation was no longer on skin colour, but who was of the advanced species and who was of the lesser.
Stellar energy was everything in modern society, and not being able to use it was termed as a defect, a deficiency or even a terminal illness. Of the hyumans who had this 'sickness', they became tagged 'humans', as they were seen to be no different from the preceding, archaic and incompetent species.
"We humans should stick together, don't you think so?" The man said with a smile on his face.
"Here's my contact info. If you need any help, just let me know." The man smiled and handed Lucas a card.
At first, Lucas wanted to reject the card as he knew nothing about the stranger, except that he was a 'human'. But when recalled that he was new here and knew nothing about the city or district, Lucas decided to accept the card.
Business cards weren't as common in this world since everything could be done and projected through a communicator. But that didn't mean that it was out of use.
"Do you know any good spots in town? I'm new here." Lucas asked the man.
"Oh, sure. That's easy." The man smiled.
"Check out, Virginia's Motel on Gale block. It's a nice and comfy spot with a cheap price tag for a night. You don't need to worry about yourself as well since the owner treats us humans just as well. For your meals, I would suggest Don's Cafeteria. They make the best burgers, meatballs, stuffed cabbages, you name it. Rumour has it, his recipe is based on dishes from the Human race's era."
However, Lucas wasn't paying attention to the latter part of his words, but focused on just one.
"I don't need to worry about myself...?"
Lucas was confused about that line.
"You don't know?" The man was shocked. He then face-palmed as he let out a sigh.
"Oh wait, I forgot you're new here. But still, it's insane that you came to the district without knowing.
"Alleva district is a district full of vim and vigour. You could find anything you want and get it done here, so long as you can afford it. There are many things to do and places to see, like the old Grey zone line, so it's a tourist spot as well. However, it also has another side to it; one easily recognised by Alleva's other name."
The man carefully glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then he leaned in and whispered to Lucas.
"The Abode Of Crime."