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Back in 2013, the US government sliced off a chunk of NYC and handed it over to the superpowered bunch, forming this place called "TOWER" It's just ready for superhumans—no regular folks allowed.
Then, in 2014, other countries started copying the US move. Similar mini-cities popped up in those countries too, but only in the wealthy ones.
Fast forward to 2023, when World War III explodes. Nuclear weapons turned the air into a slow poison, choking everyone. Those sliced-off cities were safe havens. They had these unbreakable shields that kept the nastiness out. So, all the survivors got ushered into these government-guarded cities.
Our story takes place in "TOWER"

The Guardians of "TOWER"

It's been who-knows-how-many years, and back then, Alicia was just 7 years old.

She's standing on a trash heap, trying to find something edible.

Flies and mice are everywhere, drawn by the smell.

"Hey, Alicia! I found something!" A girl wearing dirty and ill-fitting clothes, looking exactly like the other boys, runs over from the other side, holding two pieces of bread she snatched from a mouse.

"Oh, I found something too," Alicia says, holding a pack of instant noodles. The noodles are intact, but the flavoring packet is missing.

Alicia carefully climbs down from the trash heap, but ends up rolling down by accident. May tries to hold back her laughter, but it's too hard, so she reluctantly takes a punch from Alicia on her head.

Alicia glares at May with a completely flushed face, warning her to forget about it.

But sorry, that rolling-down motion was just too hilarious; she's not going to forget it.

The evening breeze casually sweeps by, not leaving behind some warmth for the girls, so Alicia and May decide to make a fire to warm up their hands a bit.

"People nowadays really should waste less food so we don't have to go hungry for three days to find something to eat," Alicia says, biting into her bread.

"Do adults these days promote that kind of thing?" May says while chewing.

"Yeah, they do, and they completely forget there are places even worse off than the slums."

"Hmph, they should promote environmentalism instead! Why are plastic bags and bottles here?"

"Um... aren't those bottles that aren't empty yet?"

"Ugh, I'll go find a pot to boil them." Alicia finishes her bread and gets ready to stand up.

"I already got one!" May pulls out a pan from behind, completely burnt and misshapen.

"Great, let's go! Hurry up and pour!" Alicia excitedly sits back down, takes the pot filled with water, and puts it on the fire. "This thing is still perfectly usable, why throw it away?"

"Why would you feel sorry for a pan?" Alicia is a bit bewildered.

May instinctively stands up, ready to grab her little knife behind her.

There's a glasses boy, who looks to be around their age. His face is so skinny it doesn't match his build at all, yet he still looks strong. He's eating a baguette, but she notices there's only one piece left, and it looks pretty tough to chew, which is why he's pacing back and forth in frustration.

Alicia and May burst into laughter because of the boy in front of them, and the boy also notices them.

"What are you laughing at?" The boy is a bit flustered by their laughter, and his face turns slightly red.

"We have water here, maybe pouring it on the bread will make it easier to eat," May signals vigorously, seeming to want to call him over.

"Come on, we won't eat your glasses," Alicia teases.

"I'm Jackson. Nice to meet you both."

Life's Simple Joys