(Cyrus POV)

When I reached the entrance of the astral gate, I noticed that many miners were exiting the astral realm. That's odd; it's a little early for the miners to be finishing their day already, I thought to myself. The miners appeared to be in bad shape. Their very essence seemed off. They no longer looked like the cheerful people who greeted me with warm smiles. Instead, they wore defeated expressions, as if they had lost everything that mattered to them.

I didn't cause a scene and stayed back, waiting to see if my father and Adam would come out of the gate next so I could ask for one of the cosmic batteries. As I waited, everyone except my father and Adam emerged from the gate. Didn't he say he'd be at the mines? I questioned myself, wondering if I had misheard him while eating.

Tired of waiting, I entered the astral realm through the gate. Since I had increased my cosmic energy capacity, I could remain in the realm using this method for a bit longer. However, I still had to monitor the drain it caused to my core, in addition to the side effects of my black hole core. I sprinted across the soft, cloud-like surface toward the mines. Upon reaching the crystalline mountain structures, I realized I had used about a quarter of my reserves.

The mine entrance felt like a desolate, abandoned town. The absence of people in the area was unsettling. All I could sense was a chaotic flow of cosmic energy emanating from the cave where people usually worked. Part of me knew I shouldn't venture deeper into the cave, but I felt drawn to the flow. Remembering my father's earlier warning, I suspected this erratic energy came from an astral behemoth. But the miners didn't look like they'd been in a battle—there were no injuries that suggested an encounter with an astral behemoth. Yet they still seemed in bad shape, I muttered, my words echoing through the cave.

As I ventured deeper, two things became apparent: my father and Adam were nowhere to be found, and my cosmic energy reserves were nearly half depleted. My mind and intuition were at odds. I knew I should turn back to avoid compromising my core, but the pull of the erratic cosmic energy was stronger. After walking another 100 meters through the winding cavern, I reached the source.

Mining equipment lay scattered as if the miners had abandoned it without a second thought. Oddly, all the tools still contained their cosmic batteries, which was uncharacteristic of the diligent miners. Why would everyone leave so hastily, abandoning their most important resource? I wondered. I guess this means I get a free chance to absorb one, I said, pulling a cosmic battery from a drill.

As soon as I removed the core, a surge of energy erupted from the battery, wild and chaotic, as though it were a trapped animal fighting for freedom. The sensation overloaded my senses. Is this the erratic flow I was sensing? No, it couldn't be, I said, tossing the battery to the ground. That cube radiates as much energy as twenty embryonic-stage astral behemoths, I muttered, my voice echoing off the cave walls.

I now understood why Dox said the success rate would be low. The energy was too immense to control or absorb at once. My core couldn't properly assimilate it. But could I absorb just a portion? Would that work? I asked myself, knowing it was a greedy thought. I need to get stronger. I can't keep dragging my dad down with worries about my safety.

Determined, I lifted the glowing cosmic battery, bracing myself for the chaotic energy. It made sense why astral behemoths craved these things—it was like them: powerful, volatile, and dominating. As I began the absorption process, I treated it as a battle of wills. Through the metaphysical extension of my core, I asserted my will. The battery resisted fiercely, almost as if it had a consciousness fighting for its right to live.

With every ounce of focus and intent, I managed to draw a small percentage of energy from the battery. It became clear that I couldn't process or refine a larger amount of raw cosmic energy without overwhelming my core. The energy I absorbed was insufficient to expand my celestial core, merely replenishing my reserves above the fifty percent mark. I realized that to increase my core's volume, it had to be full, forcing its boundaries to expand when another cosmic body was absorbed.

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That explains why my core only doubled in size from the aurora moths—they didn't have substantial cosmic energy. Most of it replenished my reserves, with only a small amount left to push my core's growth, I thought. Doing this here is a waste of time. I'm losing cosmic energy faster than I can absorb it. Maybe I could sneak one of these batteries out.

With a plan in mind, I searched for the containers used to transport batteries. These concealed their energy signatures, making them perfect for smuggling. It didn't take long to find one amidst the scattered equipment. I placed the battery into a tattered bag I found and hurried to make my way out the cave.

As I exited the cave, I began hearing noises that hadn't been there when I first entered. Not wanting to be seen, I climbed a nearby opaque crystalline structure connected above the cave and waited to see who or what had broken the silence.

Moments later, I spotted the miners along with my father and Adam descending the hill toward the cave. My father wore a stern yet weary expression—the look he had when making tough decisions as a leader of our country. Adam, on the other hand, appeared unnervingly calm. As I adjusted my position for a better view, my foot dislodged some debris, sending it tumbling to the ground.

My father's head tilted slightly toward the noise, and he activated his infrared vision. Though I couldn't see him clearly, I knew he had spotted me with golden-orange light emanating from his eyes pointed in my direction. Realizing I was caught, I began to move from behind the structure. My father gave off a small burst of cosmic energy in a familiar three-burst pattern—a signal only he and I understood. He subtly made a gesture with his hand for me to stay hidden before turning his attention back to the miners.

"Everyone gather" Adam began, while my father's gaze shifted downward signaling whatever was about to come wasn't positive. "Ezra and I have gathered you to share important news."

"What is it, Adam?" one of the miners asked.

"Our production of celestium will have to halt until we address your illnesses," Adam replied. " If you haven't figured it out yet, the batteries are the reason you're falling ill."

"Adam, stop sugarcoating it," my father interjected. "Be honest for once."

Adam hesitated before continuing. "Fine. The batteries are killing you. They emit radiation that gradually destroys your cores. The symptoms worsen the longer you're exposed."

"But Adam, you can heal us, right? So, it really doesn't matter?" another miner asked.

"My healing only works on physical injuries, not cores," Adam said, his tone somber.

"How long have you known this, Adam?" One of the older miners asked.

"I just found out today," Adam replied, but my father grimaced, knowing it was a lie.

"Adam, stop. Do the right thing for once," my father urged.

"Alright, fine," Adam snapped. "I've known all along. If I told you, you'd have refused to work in the mines, and we'd still be in poverty. I've changed our lives! Be grateful that your hard work will benefit your families for generations to come!"

"Adam heal the injuries of these people and let them live out whatever they have left of their lives." My father pleaded with his hysterical friend. I saw a smirk pop up on Adam's face before he responded. Sensing something was off I clenched the bag in my hands, praying for a peaceful resolution.

I was wrong though; next Adam took something out his pocket. It was a small dark obsidian ball. In one fast swift motion Adam pressed a button that flattened the sphere. Adam threw it behind my father, with my father noticing just a second later. “Don't even try Ezra,” Adam said as the flat ball started to glow and unfold circling my father generating a force field. “You thought I didn't have precautions for you. I know you are out of my league. You are two full stages ahead of me, I'm not stupid.”

“What did you do” my father shouted.

“Oh, this little thing, it's something I picked up from the twilight obsidian guild. Nothing can escape this force field, and any use of cosmic energy to break it will just be repelled back at you. Have fun sitting in there watching me kill these people. I don't intend on my secret getting out." Adam said as his back started to glow an emerald, green color.

“You remember my fate constellation the tree of life right, well I hid the other aspect of it from you in school." Adam said as roots and vines started to grow in the area capturing every miner. “This power can also kill,” he said as blood and loud frantic shrieks started to fill the astral realm. “I'm going to blame this on you Ezra and destroy the astral gate with no one to say otherwise.” Instantly my father let out three cosmic bursts of energy, pretending to break out of the trap. Wasting no time, I imbued all the cosmic energy I had into my legs and sprinted out of the astral realm.