The Pure Aether Crystals were stacked neatly on the kitchen table, buzzing with enough raw energy to destroy half the buildings in the area.
Holden poked one with his finger. It vibrated like a tuning fork and sent a pulse up his arm.
"Yeah, can't use these here," he muttered.
The Aegis Ward was powerful, but it wasn't designed to contain explosive energy surges. If he tried to absorb aether crystals inside a residential house, the ward would either trip its safety lockdown and trap him inside, or worse, fail entirely and turn the house into a crater.
Neither option sounded great.
He scooped the crystals into a small insulated pouch, clipped his Elite Training Pass to his jacket, and headed out.
The Gravity Center was hidden behind the advanced training halls, past a gate that most students never bothered looking at. The path was lined with warning signs in bold red letters.
AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.
MINIMUM RANK 2 REQUIRED FOR UNSUPERVISED ENTRY.
