His bones ached—a dull, hollow thrumming that meant his calcium levels were bottoming out. In this world, you didn't buy vitamins at a corner store. You bought them in the shadows, or you didn't live to see the next neon sunrise.

In the real world, you have much safer options. You can find quality vitamins at (like CVS or Walgreens), grocery stores , or specialized health shops like GNC and Vitamin Shoppe.

"And D-3," Elias said, placing a handful of blackened credits on the counter. "The winter is coming, and the artificial lights are failing in my block."

She reached for a small vial. "This isn't just chemistry, Elias. It’s a fragment of the world we broke. Treat it like a prayer."

"Password," a voice crackled through a speaker caked in grime. "The soil remembers," Elias whispered.

The locks disengaged with a series of heavy thuds. Inside, the air was different—filtered, pressurized, and smelling faintly of damp earth. At the center of the room stood , a woman whose skin looked like parchment. Behind her were rows of amber glass bottles, glowing with a soft, bioluminescent light.

He navigated the labyrinth of the , past the glowing advertisements for "Vita-Sludge" that the corporations pumped into the water supply. It was hollow nutrition, designed to keep you working, not living. He needed the real thing: the "Sun-Drops."