Heavy rain ceaselessly battered the windows of a large building. Within sat a young boy, mindlessly staring outside. His view was somewhat obscured by a mist, only the dim lights of some buildings further away making it through. It was a sombre but in many ways peaceful atmosphere. His vision focused, from the distant horizon to the glass pane just in front. A vague reflection appeared. It had black hair, dark almost to the point of seemingly absorbing the light around it. Had the sky been dimmer, it might have been barely noticeable.

Shaking his head out of his stupor, the young boy focused his eyes ahead. He was in a classroom, brightly lit by the yellow lights overhead. It created a warm enclosure, a sharp step away from the greyness just outside. Ahead, the teacher continued his rambling. The boy was normally a diligent student, but even he found it hard to focus in Economics. It was not examined, and the content was often common sense to anyone with half a head.

"Thus, the scarcity of elemental crystals, especially of higher tiers, has led to their high values." The teacher continued speaking. It was hard to tell if he was clueless, or was aware that half his students were asleep and just didn't care.

"Yo Alex. Are you busy tonight as well?" The words came from his left, opposite of the windows, where his only friend, Aquilo, sat. He had light blonde hair, which practically glowed under the classroom's light.

"Yes, sorry about that." Alex replied apologetically. Aquilo was much more of a social butterfly and had often tried to connect Alex with some of his other friends. Due to his circumstances, Alex had no choice but to constantly refuse. It was also partially due to the fact they had only started talking recently, despite years together in school previously.

"That sucks. All work and no play makes Alex a dull boy."

"I'll make up for it another day, I promise."

A loud cough interrupted their talk. Alex looked ahead. The class was about to end soon, as it approached 2pm.

"As you are well aware, the high school entrance exams are fast approaching." The teacher, Mr Evans, began. "Thus it is in your best interest to diligently study over the next 2 months. While your element is outside of your control, the practical and theoretical aspects are not. The last economics lesson will be next week, giving you ample time to focus your revision on the core subjects. I hope you spend it wisely. Dismissed."

Within moments, all the students were outside of the classroom. Alex walked alongside Aquilo until they stepped outside. On top of the building's entrance, the school's name 'Inops Court Middle School' was clearly written. The rain had weakened considerably now, but Alex still took out his umbrella. They lived in opposite directions and thus had to part early.

"I was thinking of holding a gaming session at my home, but it seems you can't make it." Aquilo began. Alex reluctantly nodded.

"It's fine, there is no pressure. I know you have much more important things to do." Aquilo laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "How are your test preparations going? You better not be slacking, this decides what high school we go to!"

Alex rolled his eyes.

"The one who should be worrying is you. I don't remember the last time I have seen you work."

Aquilo laughed nervously, his striking brown eyes darting around. The two friends joked around for a bit about their boring day. But Alex could not waste any more time and now had to leave.

"See you after the weekend then Alex." Aquilo realised this and waved.

He slowly started walking away, two figures awaiting him. He seemed to want to say something but then thought better of it.

"Yep, you too." Alex said. He turned around and began his journey to work.

***

Stepping outside of the school, a drastic change in scenery occurred. The relative flatness of the school's premise was replaced by towering buildings. Their design was sleek, full of sharp corners, and the surface was adorned by glass. On many of them, advertisements shone, trying to entice potential new customers. The latest phones, the newest elemental armour, strange and exotic beasts. All sorts of items were displayed.

Alex sighed, it was all outside of his budget. He started heading towards his city's nearest metro hub. Hover cars flew overhead, with a great diversity in makes, models and sizes. Pedestrians milled about, going to their destinations. The occasional person riding their companion beast would appear, and just as quickly disappear. A few trees dotted the landscape, but it was undoubtedly a city of concrete and steel.

The wet surface combined with the city's light created a bright scene despite the dark clouds overhead. Alex could feel the vibrancy, the energy of this place. His light blue eyes, reminiscent of sapphires, reflected the brightness of the city. It was to be expected of a metropolis with population approaching 10 million. After walking for some time, his target appeared. Approaching the metro's large entrance, he quickly stepped inside to avoid the merciless wind. It was not a good combination with the cold and wet rain.

Shaking the water off his umbrella, he attached it to the side of his bag and continued deeper inside. All sorts of shops adorned the metro's interior. Despite improvements in drone technology and online delivery, many people still preferred physical locations. Alex didn't take a second look and headed straight to the ticket barriers. He scanned his palm, and after hearing the approving beep, he proceeded ahead. A large number of escalators lead further inside into the underground. Upon navigating the endless maze that was the metro, Alex finally reached the right platform.

Trains arrived often and were seldom late. Thus even if you missed your train, it was usually not a big deal. That said, Alex couldn't afford to delay. He had to get to work as soon as possible, as there were severe punishments for latecomers. He would have walked the entire way if he could, and saved on the metro's ticket cost, but this restriction on his time didn't allow such a foolish endeavour. It cost a trivial 200 Aes per ride for his specific route, but it was enough to cause heartache every time for Alex. That was 2 meals worth of food for his entire family! Not to mention it was the discounted price for minors. Regardless of his misgivings, he had no choice.

A train pulled off alongside the platform, almost completely silent. Some people came out, and then Alex along with others went inside. At this time, there often weren't many passengers, to which Alex was grateful. Moments later, the doors shut and the train started to accelerate. Thanks to advances in gravitational magic, Alex hardly felt a thing. Otherwise, with how quickly the train accelerated to its top speed, he would have been flung back. Soon enough, it was travelling at nearly 50 metres per second. At that sort of speed, even if your journey was from the city's centre to its outer perimeter, it would take no longer than some minutes. Alas, there were quite a few stops along the way.

Maximising his time, Alex entered a bathroom. He proceeded to change out of his uniform, a navy blue blazer and tie atop the usual clothes. He changed into simple, rugged clothing, suitable for his job. Soon enough, the train arrived at the final stop where it terminated. Alex got off, between the endless bodies, and then worked his way through the maze again. After stepping out of the metro, he took a massive breath. The rain had now stopped. And before him was a sight that never ceased to amaze. A massive 100 metres tall wall covered a major part of his view, lights blinking endlessly along its surface. 'The Wall of Inops'. Almost like a metal beast, it slumbered around the city, waiting for the day when it would wake up to perform its task.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

'Best hope that it would never have to do that.' Alex thought.

If you looked closely enough, you could see a light blue shimmer following the wall along and then rising into the air towards the city's centre. It was aptly named 'The Dome' by the citizens of the city. It compensated for the wall's weakness by covering both the air and the underground, although it was not quite as sturdy.

Alex walked towards the wall, only a few blocks away from the metro's exit. There lay one of the city's 8 entrances, or in Alex's case an exit.

Armed guards surrounded the area, checking every person lined up to leave. There was a separate area for people in vehicles. Almost all of the sentries were certainly mages.

'Mages. People who have condensed their magic to at least the 2nd tier.' Alex thought, recalling what he learnt in school.

However, even without that, you would have to be out of touch with reality to not know what mages were. The boy joined the queue and was next to one of the guards after a bit.

"Your reason for leaving?" Mr Murphy asked. Having left the city so many times through the western entrance, Alex was bound to eventually know a lot of the guards here. Similarly, Mr Murphy was used to seeing Alex, a no small part played by how unique he was. For someone so young, only 12 years of age, leaving alone was not very common. As one would hopefully expect. Mr Murphy checking was really no more than a formality.

"Mining work, as always." Alex replied. Mr Murphy nodded.

"Of course, your palm please." No sooner had the man finished speaking, Alex's hand was up and scanned. People were not allowed to arbitrarily leave without the proper clearance, especially when young. After confirming, Murphy allowed the boy through.

"Stay safe Alex." The man spoke. He hesitated a bit but then decided to add. "Your life is worth more than this job. Consider something safer within the city."

The young boy was surprised by these words but promptly nodded.

"I know. Thanks Mr Murphy." He continued forward, through the wall's exit. The wall was over 10 metres thick, and he was on the other side within moments. The soldiers on there let him through without a second question. The dome, which was just slightly ahead of the wall, had a hole open which he quickly stepped through. It closed behind him.

***

A vast green expanse was before him. The sky was starting to clear up, the sun's rays shining through. The area surrounding the city was quite flat, with the occasional few hills. It was sparsely populated by trees and a few meandering rivers. Just a few kilometres away, to the city's west, you could spot the Inops Mountains. They were not very big, all things considered, but it was this place that was the destination of Alex's travels. In his immediate surroundings were many people and vehicles for many different purposes.

"Hey Alex, over here." A mature figure in his fifties called out. Alex immediately locked on and headed towards the voice. Upon seeing its owner, a big smile bloomed on his face.

"Uncle Sam!" He quickly jogged over. Leaning against a large hover van, Uncle Sam gave the vibe of an experienced elder who had seen all that life had to offer. It was thanks to Uncle Sam that Alex had this current job, despite the old man's reluctance.

"Alex, my boy, how was school today?" The older man spoke first. Alex was soon next to him, firmly shaking his hand.

"You know how it always is, quite boring Uncle." The boy replied.

"Of course, of course. Still insisting on working in the mine, huh?"

"Yes." Alex was blunt and to the point, as he couldn't show Uncle Sam any hesitation. He knew if he did, Uncle Sam would pester him to quit and offer his own money to Alex. It would be a lie to say Alex didn't want to accept this, but he didn't want to owe Uncle Sam more than he already did. Not to mention, knowing the old man's own situation, he would be racked with guilt.

"Honestly." Uncle Sam sighed. It pained him to see someone so young work so tirelessly. These should be the years Alex enjoyed his life the most. Yet fate was wretched and confined him to this hopeless circumstance. When Alex was younger, Uncle Sam looked after him and his siblings, and he let Alex do the occasional chore to feel like he was contributing. Just over a year ago, the boy started to insist he earn his share properly and get a proper job. Uncle Sam, being of poor origin and working in the mines, only had one option to offer. He didn't have the connections for anything else. He still somewhat regretted offering Alex the choice.

"It's okay, Uncle. I choose this." Alex said, somewhat guessing what Uncle Sam was thinking of. Not that it made the old man feel much better. It was quite difficult to get the mining company to agree. It wasn't such a rare situation for children to accompany their parents to learn their craft, including mining. However, they didn't earn any wages, and mostly just watched. Even if they worked, it would be limited to a couple of hours. For Alex, Uncle Sam had fought for a contract nearing that of a full fledged miner, with looser working hours on account of his education.

Standing in silence, the duo watched some people unloading crystals from Uncle Sam's van. Once completed, they stepped away.

"Well, get in the van then." Uncle Sam patted Alex's back and jumped inside his vehicle. Alex went to the other side and joined him.

"Kara, start." After the old man's words, the van slowly started to lift up, orient itself towards the mountains and take off.

A few people watched on the ground, before continuing about their day. The vast majority of monsters around Inops had been cleared, and the particular route to the mine was especially so. Thus, neither Alex nor Uncle Sam were afraid.

Alex looked over. Uncle Sam had taken good care of himself, but the years were still getting to him. He had brown hair, but the edges were somewhat greying. Life expectancy was close to 100 years, so Alex wasn't overly concerned about Uncle Sam's health.

Looking out of the window, he stared at the green fields flying by. It was a stark contrast to within the city, almost devoid of human interference. If you forgot about the decimation of the monster population. The city authorities did not permit any private construction outside of the walls, citing people's safety.

Wanting to relieve the silent atmosphere, Uncle Sam started to sing.

"Heave ho, down we go. To the depths, where the shadows grow."

"Pickaxe swing and lantern's glow. In the mine, where the echoes flow." Alex joined in. It was a popular song, sung sort of like a shanty, among dwarves and dated to a long time ago. Although mining was hardly like that anymore, it stuck and gained popularity among miners of all species, including humans. With the trip's short distance, the duo arrived at the mine's entrance in no time. It was at the base of the Inops mountains and wasn't particularly grand. A few transport vehicles were parked just outside, with people loading some elemental crystals on board. Two guards helmed the entrance, but they hardly seemed to be paying attention.

Sam parked his van, inside which Alex also left his school bag, and they walked up to the guards together.

"Identification please." One of the guards said. He scanned Alex and Sam's hands before letting them through. The pair travelled into the mountain, where there was a crowd of people milling about. Together they walked over to the equipment borrowing section. Alex borrowed a hard hat, equipped with a light crystal. Despite being quite small and a 1st tier crystal, it was still relatively rare and expensive. Thus, the workers were not allowed to keep it with them outside of work. And due to regulation standards, Alex could not bring in his own equipment. Not that he could afford to.

Alex also picked up a scanner and a mini drill. Explosives were used to clear out large areas, and humans would go after them for the finer details. It was strenuous work but also required lots of fine motor skills. There were talks of robots that could do this work much more effectively than any human could, but for now, they maintained their jobs.

"Geared up Alex?" Sam approached after getting suited up himself.

"Yep, ready as ever." Alex was somewhat hopeful. Maybe today he could get a good haul. After asking a senior employee which sector of the mine they were assigned to, they headed into the depths.