Slim fingers made arcs in the empty air amid the darkness. Runes lit up, and a massive magic circle took shape.

"Why are you still using runes? Have you not bothered to learn and covert your spells to vlast using etchings instead?" Keemo asked teasingly.

"Leave me alone. I've been doing it all this time, but this spell is complicated. I can't convert it without help. I wanted to approach Xasha, but he was busy at the time, and this was a minor issue... ok done." Bloom clasped her hands together. The magic circle rose above the descending crowd, then a ball of light several thousand meters in diameter came out.

Bloom cast her support spell, white sun. The massive ball of light shined brightly and illuminated the entire basin. From the jagged rock walls to the barren ground below, everything came into view.

"Thank you, Bloom. That was some quick thinking. Alright, the plan is simple. We will explore a bit and scope out any danger or treasures, of course." The group chuckled. "We will quickly set up a few magic towers as we move forward. It will be a camp and a refuge for us to return to if something goes wrong or if something separates us. We have no communication with each other or with those above. We will rely lovely on our perception and signals, especially if we meet an enemy. Your perception training will come in most handy, but I know none of you will disappoint. Now stay calm, stay sharp, and don't do anything reckless."

"Yes, Lord Xasha." the crowd roared in unison.

Dust kicked up as the bikes lowered to the ground. Xasha dismounted and stood on the ground, feeling his boots sinking into the loose sand.

"What is this place, a desert?" Mocha, who was a member of Ari's trike team, spoke up. She was a young thing with short pink hair and dimpled cheeks, but she looked adorable, especially with her slim figure and short stature.

Xasha half knelt and took a handful of the sand into his palm. He rubbed his figures together, feeling the texture. "I'm not sure. It's dust, not sand. Is there such a thing as a desert filled with dust? Plus, there is Imperium in this dust."

"Imperium? Is it like mana clay?" Libia asked with interest.

"No," Xasha said as he tasted the dust on his fingertip. The Imperium is from the skeletons of some powerful Fantasma. Also from plants and..." Xasha scrunched his forehead in confusion. "The sea? It's salty, like the sea."

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"Ryan, see if you can manipulate this sand." Xasha instructed.

"I can't. I don't think this is sand at all. Even then, I should be able to manipulate it l, even a little bit." Ryan seemed confused.

His confusion was contagious, as everyone now had concerned looks on their faces.

"Xasha, what could have ground up skeletons into dust like this?" Lisa asked. She already had her bow in hand and an arrow loosely notched.

"If we explore this place, I'm sure we'll find out," Xasha's face lit up with excitement.

Seeing his expression, everyone else gave each other nervous glances. The youngers on Ari's and Alexi's strike team felt the air turning weird but couldn't tell why. But the others knew what that expression on Xasha's face meant, and it never leads to anything good.

" I'm sure we'll find something interesting in this place. We will head north to the center of this region. Leave instructions for the others to cover the other directions and begin setting everything up to turn this place into our first outpost."

Everyone smiled and nodded on the surface, but underneath, their hearts were beating heavily. Whatever was powerful enough to turn those skeletons into dust was not something they wanted to face in battle.

"How are you all feeling?" Ari turned and asked everyone.

"Like my veins could burst at any moment. But also like I'm drinking a thousand mana potions per second. I feel powerful. Once I get used to the rush, I'll be unstoppable with all this energy," Shay said good-naturedly. She was the runt of the group and its newest member.

Ari was drawn to her because she was Afinityless. Which was a condition where she had no elemental affinity to speak of. However, her talents made her even more special.

She could change the size and weight of anything she touched. Even a mountain could become as light as a feather in her hands. Which was even more unique. It is only light to her. To anyone else, it would be just as heavy, maybe heavier, if she decided. She can also make it light for everyone or permanently, but that takes more energy.

Another interesting aspect, like Ari, she was a master martial artist. The two of them trained together and became great friends over the years.

Xasha had asked Mylyn about her condition and she chuckled. She told him that vlast was not the only source of power in this vast world. She told him of the Mung people, who used their willpower as a source of strength. They trained their bodies used swords as weapons.

Their sword rays were powerful as any vlast, and they stood on top of the cultivation world. Xasha immediately became intrigued by her. He wanted to see how far she could go, and he wanted to experience this other source of power for himself. He got some training techniques from Mylyn and passed them to Ari and Shay.

"Let's stay at this camp for a few more hours. Meditate and have your body adjust. Keep working on permanently activating your breathing techniques, and you will be fine. Also, drink moon potions periodically to cleanse your body. The impurity of this place is very intense, and I'm unsure if our bodysuits are enough to keep it at bay long term." Xasha instructed.