BAB3- Chapter 11

# Chapter 11: Journey’s Beginning

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The next day came faster than Xay had anticipated.

It had officially been a week since the Aero Cup, and he was about to leave the City of New Meridian for the very first time.

They’d be back in just under two months, but still, he found himself slightly anxious.

It wasn’t the fact that they’d be traveling through the Wilds either.

He was actually a little excited to see it.

Xay knew that the further you ventured from society, the worse the Wilds became.

But they weren’t actually traveling all that far, so there wasn’t much to be concerned about.

It was more the fear of the unknown—of leaving what was familiar behind.

It wasn’t strong enough to stop him or anything, just a quiet feeling lingering in the background.

Dragon smacking her wet tongue across his cheek snapped him out of his thoughts.

Snorting, he lightly flung her through the air with *Psychokinesis*.

She spread her white butterfly wings, caught herself midair, then quickly darted right back at him.

He moved his Jetnir Orbs into her path, making her dodge with razor-sharp turns.

The two kept playing in his room while everyone else finished getting ready.

Xay was supposed to be packing as well, but there wasn’t much to actually do.

Most of his clothes were always stored in his dimensional storage. The auto-inventory system was just too convenient not to use.

And after receiving the dragon fang grill from Lexi, his storage capacity was larger than ever.

It was now split across three distinct nodes: his nose ring, A1-X Key Ring, and the new grill.

If he ever lost one, his total space would shrink, but none of his stored items would disappear.

After a bit, he and Dragon headed out to the kitchen where he found Kimi enjoying her morning tea.

She was always so neat and organized—she’d been fully packed since even before the dungeon dive.

Xay, Kimi, and Dragon enjoyed a full breakfast made by the kitchen, while Lexi and Tyra buzzed around like overclocked drones.

They were worried they’d forget something and kept double and triple-checking everything.

Tyra packed up her literal jungle of plants, while Lexi stashed full rooms of furniture—and several sealed buckets of clean water.

Xay watched on in amusement as Kimi leaned her head on his shoulder, whispering little jokes in his ear.

“—it seems she wishes to build a fully furnished clubhouse.”

“I heard that!” Lexi shouted from across the room, storing a coffee table for reasons known only to her.

Once Lexi and Tyra finally calmed down, the group locked up the apartment and headed down to meet up with Rox, Shifu Wu, and Ezra.

Everyone was dressed in light, sporty travel gear—but Ezra also wore a big floppy sun hat that made Xay smile.

“Hey everyone!” Ezra greeted them warmly. “Thank you for letting me join. I can’t tell you how excited I am.”

“Of course,” Shifu Wu replied just as kindly. “There’s more than enough space for everyone on the mountain.”

Xay and Rox summoned their A1-Xs, while Lexi called forth her Auralis.

They’d decided to fly in formation, with Xay and Rox flanking the Auralis to protect it during the trip.

Though still top-of-the-line, the Auralis was slower than the A1-X and lacked the new weapon and barrier modules.

It wasn’t completely without protection, though—its frame was reinforced and built to endure harsh conditions.

“You riding with me in Ronda?” Rox asked Shifu Wu.

Xay burst out laughing. “You named it Ronda?”

Rox narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. “And what’s wrong with the name Ronda?”

Xay quickly composed himself, grinning. “Nothing, nothing. Just—Rowdy Roxana in Red Ronda.”

The gravity around Xay spiked dramatically. Both he and his weighted bands grew heavier.

Xay pumped his Grit stat with mana and pressed against the air with *Psychokinesis*.

He wasn’t crushed to the ground, but he couldn’t move either. What he could do was laugh—and he did, loudly.

“Can you two stop flirting?” Lexi asked, rolling her eyes. “We’re going to be late.”

“Flirting?” Rox repeated far too quickly, but finally eased up on the gravity pressure.

“Late?” Xay countered, scoffing. “Who was it that packed the whole apartment last minute?”

Lexi didn’t dignify him with a response—she just smiled and climbed into her Little Blue.

Kimi, Tyra, Willow, and Ezra joined her, while Shifu Wu settled into Ronda with Rox.

Shaking his head, Xay and Dragon hopped into his A1-X, and the group quickly took off.

Their first stop was the Quantium Penthouse to pick up Amy, Valiant, and the twins.

Amy hadn’t asked for time off or anything, but Aunt Gwen wasn’t about to say no when Xay asked if she could come.

They would’ve felt bad leaving her behind. It was already going to be strange enough not seeing Peanut, Bev, Winnie, and Juniper every day.

But Xay expected them to be much stronger by the time his group returned.

While he and Rox were at Solaris the day before, he’d asked Lexi to bring Peanut the alchemical ingredients they got as loot from the dungeon.

He also sent the instructions to prioritize crafting mana channel-enhancing elixirs for themselves before making a pill stash.

The elixirs had been invaluable to his team and Xay wanted to make sure his friends could have them too.

Sasha, Sophia, Amy, and Valiant were all packed and ready to go by the time the others arrived.

The sight made Xay chuckle.

Two white-haired cat girls, a pink-haired bunny girl, and a golden ocelot standing by the side of the road—it sounded like the setup for either a terrible joke or a fantastic indie film.

Amy waved excitedly as the three hovercraft lowered to a landing, Valiant standing regally at her side.

“Greetings, Savior,” Sasha and Sophia intoned in unison, their tails wrapping around their waists.

“What’s up, ladies,” he replied with a casual salute. “Welcome to the Wilds Express. Please keep your hands, feet, and Dream Totems inside the ride at all times.”

The slight breeze grew remarkably loud in the silence that followed.

Xay looked around slowly. “Really? Nothing?”

No one made eye contact with him. Dragon nudged his arm, shaking her head.

“Whatever. It’s cool,” Xay grumbled, turning back around.

Several snickers broke out behind him—but instantly ceased whenever he looked back.

They did a bit of shuffling around before leaving—Amy, Valiant, and the twins joined Lexi in the Auralis, while Tyra and Willow switched over to ride with Xay.

“I don’t mind a little less leg room,” Tyra said, a light blush coloring her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around Xay’s waist.

“Yeah, I’m sure that’s the reason,” Lexi’s amused voice crackled over the comms link.

Xay had zoned out for a moment.

It was the first time Tyra had sat directly behind him in his A1-X—her arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

It felt.. nice.

She always smelled amazing too—like airy flowers, sweet fruit, and morning dew all colliding in a gentle breeze.

With everyone settled, the three hovercraft finally made their way toward the city’s edge.

The world beyond the city slowly came into view, nature stretching wide on the horizon.

The mana barrier itself was completely clear—nearly invisible with a light shimmer that defined its unmistakable presence.

It extended upward from a twenty-foot security wall that housed the gates that controlled entry and exit from New Meridian.

It wasn’t illegal to enter or leave, but the border guards registered all new entrants with the government and gave detailed warnings about the dangers of the Wilds to anyone heading out.

After a brief wait in the exit line, they were cleared through an opening in the barrier.

Within moments, they were on the other side—finally out of the city and officially in the Wilds.

Xay slid his glass canopy back to take in the world around them, and Tyra let out a series of high-pitched, joyful noises.

He completely understood.

The air felt different—crisper, richer, and literally buzzing with ambient mana. It smelled of grass, fresh soil, and distant rain.

No monsters roamed this close to the city. Instead, construction crews dotted the nearby landscape, working to push the city’s edge farther outward.

Towering scaffolds rose around them, and massive drones hovered lazily over development sites, reinforcing structures and placing pylons.

Even still, the land ahead felt vast and untamed—nature standing just outside the city’s grasp.

“This is..” Xay didn’t have the correct words to express himself.

Tyra laughed from behind him. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

Xay closed his glass canopy and the three hovercraft shot forward.

Though the Auralis was slower than the A1-X, it could still cruise comfortably at just below the speed of sound.

Traveling at full speed, they could’ve reached their destination in under an hour.

But no one was in a rush.

They started out slow, choosing to enjoy more of the beautiful scenery passing beneath them.

Rolling hills and wild growth stretched as far as the eye could see.

Xay spotted wooded areas sheltering mana beasts—bears, foxes, deer, and all kinds of animals he’d rarely, if ever, see in the city.

They flew over thick vines and verdant grasses that blanketed crumbling stone roads and remnants of a world that existed even before the Awakened System.

It was a little humbling to see just how vast the world was beyond everything Xay knew.

They had picked up the pace to around two hundred miles an hour when they spotted their first monsters.

Two large, tiger-like creatures were in full pursuit of a herd of mana beast buffalo.

They had large, red canines that hung out of their mouths, and their heavy black fur was marred only by jagged red stripes across their bodies.

**Razortooth (D-Rank) Lv 18**: *A heavily muscled feline-like predator with oversized, scythe-like fangs and bone-plated limbs.*

“Rox, you thinking what I’m thinking?” Xay asked over the comms.

She didn’t respond—her Ronda had already peeled off from the group, clearly eager to test out her mana busters.

“Wait for me!” Xay shouted, accelerating to catch up.

Lexi sighed and shook her head. She commanded the Auralis to stop and hover in place. She and the others just watched and waited for their return.

Xay’s Hardlight Display shifted to a 3D rendering of the immediate vicinity as he activated the weapon module.

“Left!” Rox called out, staking her claim just before opening fire.

Eight red bursts of mana erupted in rapid succession—four from each blaster head. They struck the Razortooth squarely, slamming it into the ground and carving a deep furrow.

Xay locked onto the other and fired. Eight black bursts launched forward, smashing into the second monster and cratering it on impact.

The buffalo escaped safely as Xay and Rox hovered closer to the downed monsters. They were disoriented, but still alive.

Without hesitation, both opened fire—black and red mana blasts raining down in quick bursts, pounding the beasts into the dust.

They were dead within seconds.

Honestly, it felt a little anticlimactic.

As they turned to head back, Xay fired a quick volley at Rox.

The blasts dissipated harmlessly against her black mana barrier.

“Oops,” he said with a smirk. “My finger slipped.”

“Ahhh,” Tyra interjected nervously. “Is it really the best idea to taunt her?”

Xay laughed. “I’ll apologize right now if Willow tells me to.”

Willow didn’t get the chance to properly ignore him—because Rox had already returned fire.

Her red blasts slammed into his white mana barrier and scattered across it in rays of light.

That marked the start of an intense, utterly idiotic, and insanely fun aerial dogfight.

Tyra clung tighter to Xay, laughing and screaming as he banked, rolled, and weaved through the air to dodge Rox’s relentless fire.

It felt like she was on a roller coaster—except Xay was the ride. And that made it so much better.

Dragon hovered easily in Xay’s orbit, totally unfazed by the sharp turns like she was a living gyroscope.

Willow, on the other hand, dug her talons into the backseat to anchor herself, far less amused than everyone else.

Fortunately, the upholstery was self-healing.

After nearly depleting each other’s mana barriers, Shifu Wu’s voice cut through the comms.

“If you two are quite done—there’s a place nearby where I often stop to rest.”

Rox fired one final red blast at Xay before veering back toward the Auralis. “Let’s check it out.”

Xay laughed and followed after her. A rest wasn’t a bad idea, and their barriers could recharge in the meantime.

Several flight minutes later, the group crested the top of a narrow ridge and touched down.

What lay beyond stole the breath from even the most seasoned among them.

The Wilds opened up in truth—an untamed sprawl of wilderness stretching far past the horizon.

Below, towering trees with trunks wider than city buildings rose high into the air, their canopies forming a living ceiling of shifting greens.

Beneath them, thick undergrowth tangled with sprawling vines, moss-covered ruins, and massive roots that coiled across the forest floor.

A rushing river carved a glowing path through the land, its waters glimmering with ambient mana.

Herds of wild mana beasts moved in the distance, and beyond them, giant monsters protected their territories.

Past it all, anchoring the world in quiet majesty, stood the mountains—a titanic, forested range that pierced the clouds.

“That’s where we’re heading,” Shifu Wu said with pride in her tone. “My home.”

The sound of her voice snapped Xay out of his reverie—he hadn’t even noticed her approach his A1-X.

Everyone else had already exited the other hovercraft, and Lexi was smugly pulling a table and chairs from her dimensional storage.

“If anyone’s interested, I’ve prepared a light lunch,” Ezra announced, retrieving a large picnic basket.

Setting it on Lexi’s table, she began pulling out neatly wrapped sandwiches, each marked with a different colored sticker, along with containers of diced fruit.

“This one’s turkey, that’s chicken, roast beef, egg salad, tuna..” Ezra explained, pointing each out as she went.

Xay crept over with a grin and used *Psychokinesis* to float the roast beef sandwich toward himself.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Xay grinned. “The academy residence kitchens make a pretty decent sando.”

“Pardon?” Ezra asked, tilting her head in confusion.

“The sandwich,” Xay clarified. “It’s from the automated kitchen, right?”

Ezra shook her head. “No, I made them myself.”

Xay paused for a second, then quickly unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite.

“It’s good..” he said, his voice rising in surprise.

“Thank you?” Ezra replied, still a little confused.

“No, like—” Xay looked around.

Everyone else was already chewing, their eyes half-closed in satisfaction.

“It’s actually good,” he repeated, more emphatically this time. “And you made this? By yourself? You can cook?”

Ezra giggled. “I wouldn’t exactly call making sandwiches ‘cooking,’ but yes, I know my way around a kitchen.”

The haunting image of him, Lexi, Kimi, and Tyra attempting to make pasta briefly flickered through Xay’s mind—before being quickly washed away by Ezra’s warmth.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Lexi cut him off.

“Marry me!” she shouted, making Ezra laugh. “Marry me and feed me every day.”

After everyone ate, Willow and Dragon chased Valiant around playfully as Amy and the twins watched on with amused expressions.

Lexi, Kimi, Tyra, and Ezra chatted amongst themselves, while Rox and Shifu Wu stood near the edge of the ridge.

Xay hovered slightly above it all, lost in thought as his Jetnir Orbs drifted slowly around him.

Back in the city, they’d been taught to fear the Wilds as children and told never to venture out because of just how dangerous it was.

But being here now felt more natural than anything he’d ever experienced in the city.

He supposed it wasn’t a bad lesson for most people, though.

The deeper Wilds held monsters, dungeons, towers, and probably other unfathomable dangers—things regular people had no way of surviving.

But if he were strong enough, Xay could explore and see more of the world. His whole team could, he would keep them all safe.

For the first time in his life, the City of New Meridian felt small.

Tyra floated up beside him, lazily riding a gust of wind. “You feel it, don’t you?” she asked softly. “The complete freedom nature gives.”

“I think I do,” he said, turning to her beautiful face. “It’s like I was a hamster in a cage—a large, very nice cage, but a cage all the same.”

Tyra smiled and reached out a hand. “C’mon. They sent me to get you. We’re heading out.”

Xay took her hand but didn’t descend. “How about we travel the rest of the way by a more natural method?”

Tyra tilted her head, puzzled.

As the others piled into Rox’s Ronda and Lexi’s Little Blue, Xay stored his A1-X and summoned Dragon to his side.

Sensing his intent, Dragon rapidly grew to thirty feet in length.

“Let’s feel the wind on our faces,” Xay said, stepping onto Dragon’s back with a giggling Tyra.

Willow ignored them and curled up in Kimi’s lap in the Auralis—though she didn’t look unhappy.

A red A1-X Comet, a blue Auralis, and a black butterfly dragon surged forward across the Wilds.

Xay and Tyra threw their arms up, laughing with exhilaration as Dragon sliced through the sky.

Her top speed currently maxed out around two hundred sixty miles per hour, which meant the rest of the flight to the mountains would take just under an hour.

And for every minute of that flight, the three of them were nothing but absolutely free.