BAB3 -Chapter 31

# Chapter 31: Mining Tour

\

\

\

\

\

\

The next couple of days were fairly calm. Ezra joined Xay and his team each morning for conditioning with Rox.

“This is more fun than I thought it would be,” she said, ducking under a red crystal the size of a small hover car.

“Don’t let her hear you enjoying it,” Lexi grunted, backflipping past a massive flying red axe on one hand.

“Too late,” Rox called out, grinning menacingly.

They also kept up their aura arts drills, and Xay introduced them to the concept of killing intent, which he’d learned about from Grandmaster Wu.

Rox had heard of it, of course, but hadn’t mastered it—despite being more than intimidating through her presence alone. She eagerly joined the practice as well.

Their classes continued as usual. Dr. Saeed lectured on the second breakthrough, also known as the third awakening.

They occurred at Level 50, but Dr. Saeed emphasized how much harder it would be to gain levels after their first breakthroughs.

Xay could definitely attest to that. Clearing the entire Cosmos Academy dungeon had only earned his team five levels, and it would only grow more difficult.

Still, just thinking about reaching Level 50 lit a spark in him.

*I’d definitely be strong enough to leave the city and roam the Wilds freely*, he thought. *Maybe even cross the ocean someday.*

The next breakthrough was believed to occur at Level 100, but there were no known records of anyone reaching that high.

Xay guessed that Grandmaster Wu was in the high seventies or low eighties, though he couldn’t be certain.

Kimi’s grandfather was likely up there too, but Xay felt that Grandmaster Wu was stronger.

He could admit that his opinion might be biased, though—he’d experienced Grandmaster Wu’s power firsthand.

Their Monsters 101 class with Chad was as interesting as always.

He announced that their twice-delayed trip to visit the mana crystal operation just outside the city would finally happen in two weeks.

When Chad first mentioned it, Xay thought it might be his first time leaving the city.

Since then, he’d traveled beyond the gates, ventured into the Wilds, and lived on a mountain for a month and a half.

He couldn’t help but laugh at the thought. *Life comes at you fast.*

Their time in the GastroHub had grown noticeably quieter. Neither Dante nor Jasper had shown their faces since getting bested.

Reina still popped up from time to time, mostly buzzing around Vi, ignoring Tyra, and pretending the whole thing had never happened.

Gideon showed up every day, but went out of his way to avoid Xay, his table, and his friends.

Honestly, it was pretty funny to watch.

Peanut, Bev, Juniper, and Winnie were super thankful to be getting individual coaching.

Each of them promised to push harder, and none of them complained about the extra work.

That had surprised Xay—he’d been sure Winnie would grumble about more food at some point.

Xay and his group—including Ezra, more often than not—spent their weekends at the Quantium Penthouse.

At first, it had been a little awkward with Bethany around, especially for Lexi.

Bethany didn’t seem to know how to act around them, and Lexi still carried some guilt over everything Bethany had gone through.

But it was Valiant, Dragon, and Willow who ended up breaking the tension.

Dragon and Willow had been competing for Valiant’s attention when he accidentally bumped into Bethany—who just so happened to be carrying an open jug of water on her way back from the gym.

Said water dumped directly onto Lexi’s head, who was lounging on the couch.

Bethany froze, panicking with wide eyes.

~Sad Eye wash Pretty Loud,~ Dragon chirped approvingly. ~Fun.~

Valiant yipped in apparent agreement.

~I do not fault them for cleanliness,~ Willow added dryly, ~But their bathing ritual leaves much to be desired.~

That did it—Lexi cracked up, and she laughed. The rest of the room followed.

Bethany finally exhaled when Lexi flash-froze the water into tiny ice crystals and flicked them away with a casual wave of her hand.

The two ended up going shopping together later that day, and after that, everything between them felt a lot less weird.

Since Xay and Tyra had initiated their bond, Lexi and Kimi had started including her in their bedroom rotations.

Xay still wasn’t allowed to know the schedule—but he didn’t mind.

He was never disappointed by whoever showed up at his door.

After only a week of coaching, Juniper challenged Gideon for his placement. The fight had been far closer than when Xay faced him, but she won in the end.

He was absolutely distraught.

It was even more impressive considering she hadn’t gone through her second awakening yet.

With Juniper now ranked fifth and Winnie still holding sixth, they had officially met Vice Headmistress Blake’s requirement for continued training.

Peanut and Bev made massive strides, too. Peanut challenged and defeated the number fifty in the second-year class, and Bev followed up by beating the forty-fifth.

They still had a long way to go—but they had time, and they were determined.

Xay was proud to see it. He’d been one of the loudest voices in the crowd during all three fights.

Before Xay knew it, it was already time for their mining tour.

***

\

~Feed me!~ Dragon shouted in Xay’s head, dive bombing into his chest to wake him.

But Xay was already up. He teleported to the side, and she bounced off the bed.

~Gotta be quicker than that,~ he laughed as she chased after him.

They teleported around each other a few times before finally heading to the shower.

On the way to the bathroom, Xay tapped the hanging glass display that held his original Onyx and Ivory Orbs.

Kimi had gotten him the display case after the orbs were nearly destroyed during his battle with the Latch Stalker.

In the shower, Dragon floated in his orbit while the water splashed off her.

~Hmm. Warm. Clean. Shiny.~ Dragon muttered to herself while rotating mid-air.

Xay snorted as he finished washing off.

She’d really taken to the crystal adornment on her horn—constantly checking herself in the mirror and making sure that side of her was always facing Willow.

Her scales were a black metallic crystal, while her horns and claws had more of a purplish hue.

The adornment itself was clear and multifaceted, creating a brilliant glimmer similar to the iridescence of her white butterfly wings.

It matched her perfectly and amplified what was already there—Xay could see why she loved it so much.

After their shower, he pulled on sturdy black jeans, a long white hoodie with a single diagonal black stripe across the front, and a pair of gray-and-black high-tops.

Xay pulled a white hoodie with silver lining onto Dragon before they headed to the kitchen.

Lexi was sipping her morning coffee, Kimi had a cup of hot tea in her hands, and Tyra was watering her plants.

Their conjoined apartments in the tower officially had more plants than furniture now.

Lexi wore distressed, low-rise jeans with an ashen gray tank top that clung beautifully to her heavy bust.

Kimi had on high-ankle, coral pink jeans that seemed painted to her sculpted legs. She paired them with a fitted black top.

Tyra wore white leather pants that contoured tightly to her thick thighs and emphasized her natural thigh gap. She also had on a cross-strapped, sleeveless white shirt.

Xay glanced around for a second and basked in the glory of all three of these beautiful women being his.

Willow looked down on everyone from her perch on one of the ceiling beams, forever wearing her circlet crown.

“Good morning, everyone,” Xay said, stopping to give each of his ladies a kiss as Dragon flew to the kitchen island.

“Are you terrified to visit the vile and dangerous mana crystal mines today?” Lexi teased, sliding a plate of freshly made breakfast Xay’s way.

“Ha, ha,” he said sarcastically. “It wasn’t the mines I was afraid of. It was being trapped as a miner. But after meeting a few in the rift.. that doesn’t even sound so bad anymore.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Kimi asked. “Will you be hanging up your Jetnir Orbs and dedicating yourself to mining now?”

Xay clutched his orbs to his chest, shielding them from her destructive words. “I would never.”

Lexi and Tyra burst out laughing.

“I’ve never heard you hiss before,” Lexi wheezed.

“I did not hiss,” Xay complained.

“Definitely a hiss,” Tyra giggled.

~Hiss!~ Dragon added while burying her snout in a plate of steak and eggs.

~How unbecoming,~ Willow chuckled as well, swooping down to sit on Tyra’s head.

Xay scowled, and Kimi rubbed his leg with a smile.

“I was only teasing,” she said softly. “But I’m happy to see how much you enjoy them.”

Xay grinned and kissed her cheek. She was right. He loved his orbs. They never left his orbit.

He loved all his birthday gifts, actually. He wore most of them every day, while the Concord Flower stayed safely tucked away in his dimensional storage when he wasn’t meditating with it.

It didn’t need sunlight or water to stay healthy—just pure mana. Xay was happy to top it off every few days.

After eating, the ladies grabbed their jackets, and all of them prepared to head out.

Their entire Monsters 101 class was going on the trip, along with a few staff members and upperclassmen.

Rox was coming, too, and Ezra had been invited because of her healing abilities in case of an emergency.

The academy had arranged transportation, but Lexi and Xay were taking their own hovercraft. Ezra, Juniper, and Winnie were hitching a ride with them as well.

Xay and his ladies took the elevator to the parking deck, and he did a near double take when he saw Lexi’s Little Blue.

It looked like Lexi had taken some inspiration from Rox’s Ronda—darkening the blue of her Auralis and adding reflective flecks to the paint.

Xay summoned his A1-X Comet and gave it a quick inspection. It had been matte black for a while now, and he figured it was time for an update.

He glanced at Dragon flipping lazily around his orbit and grinned.

With a few gestures, Xay tapped into the Chameleon Wrap settings and shifted the base color of his hover bike to a glossy, iridescent black.

He left the glass canopy, vents, and propulsion disks matte black for contrast.

As he stepped around the frame, the new color scheme curved and bent in glittering colors, reminding him of an oil-slicked black pearl.

Nodding to himself, he added a few iridescent sparkles to the light trail, intending to match Dragon’s wings.

“It’s quite beautiful,” Ezra said, announcing herself from behind him.

She wore a long, fitted button-down black shirtdress with white tights underneath.

Xay smiled. “Thanks. Dragon was my inspiration.”

~Smart.~ Dragon added smugly.

Xay rolled his eyes, finally noticing that Lexi, Tyra, Willow, Juniper, and Winnie were already in the Auralis, while Ezra and Kimi were waiting for him.

Rox had left early with the other staff members and would meet them all there.

“Sorry about that,” Xay said, sliding back the glass canopy. “Hop in.”

They did just that. Ezra climbed into the back, while Kimi slipped into the middle seat between her and Xay.

Once the canopy closed, they lifted into the air and headed toward the city boundary.

“Comfortable?” Xay asked Kimi as she hugged his waist.

“Very,” she replied smoothly. “Though I’d like to try my hand at manual piloting again at some point.”

Xay grimaced just thinking about how much of a disaster it had been the last time. She’d spent more time upside down than right side up.

The guys at Solaris had even started placing bets on how many seconds it would take her to crash.

“Ah, sure,” Xay said, trying not to let any fear slip through their bond. “We can go back to Solaris HQ soon.”

“Are you giving lessons?” Ezra asked. “I wouldn’t mind learning something new myself.”

“Ah, it was mostly just Dex giving instructions..” Xay said with a shrug. “But I wouldn’t be against trying. I’ve never really been a teacher before.”

“I’m sure you’d do great,” Kimi said, kissing his cheek.

Their route through the city was different from the one they took when they left for the mountains.

The mana crystal mining operation was located just beyond the Industrial District, with strictly guarded entrances and exits.

Xay and Lexi had to stop several times at various checkpoints.

Fortunately, they were both on the guest list, and after some routine verifications, they made it through without much trouble.

Roughly twenty minutes past the city’s mana barrier, the two hovercraft neared a vast, enclosed stretch of land.

Nearly fifty square miles of locked-down terrain, it was protected by a mana barrier of its own.

Chad, Rox, and the other staff members stood waiting in a flat, open field near an even more elaborate checkpoint.

The wind tugged at their hair and jackets as the hovercraft angled downward.

“Namaste, everyone!” Chad greeted them as they disembarked. “You’re just ahead of the main transport. We’ll head inside once they arrive.”

Xay and his group returned the greeting, then moved over to wait by Rox.

“Morning, Sunshine..” she said, her voice flatter than Xay had ever heard it.

“What’s wrong?” he asked quickly.

Rox glanced around, her green eyes flashing before she shook her head. “Something about today feels off.”

“What do you mean?” Xay stepped closer, lowering his voice.

She studied him for a moment, her eyes glowing brightly once more. “It’s my Innate Talent,” she said quietly. “Fortune Sight.”

***Fortune Sight** - Glean fortunate, auspicious, and favorable prospects.*

Xay gasped—not at what the talent was, but at the fact that she’d finally told him.

He’d been asking for months, and now she just dropped it offhand like it was nothing.

“Fortune Sight, huh?” he repeated, then burst out laughing. “As much as you complain about ‘fuzzy woo-woo’ abilities—”

A sudden, heavy weight slammed into him as gravity around his body multiplied. He dropped to one knee, still laughing.

Rox sighed. “Are you done?”

Xay held up a finger. “Almost.”

He got the last of his chuckles out and stood. “Okay, I’m done. I’m super serious now,” he said with a grin.

Rox rolled her eyes. “Anyway. My Innate Talent lets me see things that are fortunate. They glow in my vision.”

Xay’s brows pulled higher. “So.. you can see the future? But only if it’s good?”

“No. I can just identify lucky people and objects. I don’t know how, what, or when the fortune will come—just that it will. The brighter the glow, the larger the fortune.”

“Wait,” Lexi cut in. “Is that why you call Xay ‘Sunshine’? He glows to you?”

“Like the sun,” Rox said somewhat shyly. “It’s how I found you all at Club Koi the night you awakened.”

Xay took a moment to process that, then quickly shook it off. “Okay, so lucky things glow. What does that have to do with today feeling off?”

Rox glanced around again before meeting his eyes. “Nothing’s glowing here.”

“Does that mean bad luck?” Kimi asked.

“Not necessarily,” Rox said, shaking her head. “I can’t tell bad luck from no luck. But.. since I first awakened, I’ve never been in a place where absolutely nothing glows—not even faintly.”

“That does sound disconcerting,” Ezra said with a frown.

While they talked, the main transport arrived, and the rest of the students got off.

After taking a minute to corral everyone, Chad raised a hand to get their attention. “All right, now that everyone’s here, let’s head in.”

He turned and led the way toward the security gate. Xay, Rox, and the rest of the group followed close behind.

Xay still found the idea of no fortune surrounding them unsettling—but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

At the gate, they were met by a short man holding a small holo tablet.

“Greetings. My name is Melvin, and I’ll be your guide,” he said. “Please, step through security.”

The process was straightforward: a few scans and an identity check.

Apparently, security had been tightened after that breach a few months ago—when Piper Laurent somehow got free.

After passing through the gates, Melvin led everyone up to a maglev train waiting in the connected station.

Beyond the windows, Xay got a clearer look at the layout. The mining operation was essentially a small, industrious city of its own.

Utilitarian mana crystal refinement factories, housing towers, and public works buildings stretched across the landscape, separated by rolling hills and tightly monitored security checkpoints.

The security inside was just as strict as it had been on the way in.

As the train began to move, Melvin spoke up. “New Meridian’s Mana Crystal Operation boasts four subterranean dungeons and twenty active rifts. They’re each managed by dedicated teams to ensure stability, crystal quality, and miner safety—”

He kept talking, but Xay found his attention drifting to the terrain outside. From above, the entire site seemed split into two distinct halves.

When Xay spotted a massive building made of dark stone surrounded by scorched ground on the far left, he understood why.

One side housed voluntary workers—miners who chose to be here. The other was for prisoners.

Melvin went on to explain that each dungeon had a facility built directly over it to manage operations and reduce risk.

The rifts, on the other hand, were mostly sectioned off by powerful warding glyphs. Only the highest-ranked rifts had dedicated buildings surrounding them.

After only a few moments of Melvin speaking, the train came to a stop, and everyone filed out to get a closer look at one of the rift sites.

As they descended, Xay noticed a massive shadow crawling across the ground.

He looked up—and froze.

The moon hung above them, far larger than he’d ever seen it. And it was still growing.

Around him, students, staff, and even miners began looking up in silent alarm.

Then the sky darkened.

A chill swept through the air as a dark red hue began to bleed across the face of the moon.

Xay’s eyes widened. He turned to find Rox already staring back at him.

“Blood Moon,” Juniper whispered.

But no one needed the words.

Everyone there already knew.

It was going to be an unfortunate day after all.