CHAPTER 8: Refining My Hani

"Ok," Instructor Bush clapped her hands. "That's all for today, dismissed."

I looked up at the sky and realized it was almost fully dark.

'What time is it?' I turned my hand and glanced at the screen of my XOC, as I looked, the time changed from six fifty-nine to seven.

"Right on time." I mumbled. "It's like nothing is ever late here in Freestone, everything starts and ends when it's meant to."

I hurriedly walked off the field while in my mind I was bemoaning Freestone's stupid rules, especially the one that restricts students from using any strength or speed above normal human standards except in combat oriented classes.

The moment both feet left the training field, I accelerated and began running.

Freestone was a large academy that spanned hundreds of kilometers, but what made the landscape different from other academies, and one of the most noteworthy traits of Freestone was the fact that there were huge land masses that floated in the sky. 

Almost nothing in Freestone is done on the ground, basically all the infrastructure of the academy is located on islands that float in the sky. All the classrooms, training fields, research facilities, and administrative buildings were on islands in the sky.

Freestone is a land of floating islands, some as big as small cities. Each island has a name that begins with FI, short for floating island, followed by a number. For example the island I'm currently on is FI37, which is where most of the classes take place. But having the academy located on floating islands poses a challenge: how do we travel between them?

The academy solved this problem by inventing a vehicle that could carry people across the sky. It took them decades of research and millions of leclerc to build the first prototype, and another year to make it ready for use. They called it a train.

The train has a head where the controls and runes are, and carriages where the passengers sit. It runs on tracks that connect the islands, with runes that make it float above them. The train made transportation faster and easier than ever before. Other academies and kingdoms tried to copy the design, but none of them could match the quality of the original train

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'I'm going to make it on time today,' I thought in determination as I increased my acceleration to 7m/s and weaved between students who were walking down the path. 'Today I'm going to be comfortable on the ride to the dorms.'

Soon I saw my destination in front of me, a long rectangular shaped train station that was wide open at the two ends.

My heart sank as I saw the crowd of students who were entering the building.

'How am I still late?' I thought in frustration. 'I left the moment the class ended.'

I again glanced at my XOC.

'Seven fifteen.' I sighed then entered the building. 

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Immediately I entered the building I was assaulted by a loud cacophony of voices.

Ignoring the sounds, I walked over to a panel next to the entrance and held my XOC next to it.

*BEEP*

Immediately the screen of my XOC changed and now displayed ticket prices.

I was about to purchase a standard ticket, but I paused and decided to check if there were still any tickets for the VIP section.

To my surprise there was one more remaining.

I hurriedly brought my finger forward and was about to buy it when I stopped and hesitated.

'Do I really need this? I'll soon need all the money I can get my hands on.'

I hesitated for a few more seconds before looking back and seeing that the VIP ticket was gone, someone had just bought it.

I sighed and bought a regular ticket.

'It is probably for the best. In a few days I'll probably be looking back on this moment fondly when I finally get my hands on….that.'

I stood around on the crowded platform waiting for the train to arrive, until at exactly five thirty on the dot the train pulled into the station.

I moved along with the flow of the crowd and eventually squeezed inside the train.

I looked around for a seat but saw that all of them were occupied.

'Maybe I should have gotten that VIP ticket after all.' I then sighed and grabbed a handle that was next to the wall. 'What a sausage fest.'

The doors then closed and the train pulled out of the station.

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*BEEP*

*SWISH*

With a beep the doors of the train opened and the passengers disembarked onto the platform.

Alex stepped off the train and slowly stretched his body.

"Ahhh," Sighing, I stretched my body. After stretching my legs, I walked off the platform and left the station.

Stepping out into the cool night air, I took a deep breath And began to walk down a wide path, while calmly admiring the healthy looking bushes on either side of the path. 

After a few minutes of following the path I came upon a one story building.

The building was neither too big nor too small, it was just enough for a person to be comfortable living in.

Soon after I saw another building just like that….then another, soon I could see that same style of building wherever I looked.

I then turned and walked up to one of the buildings. 

'No.367, home sweet home.'

When I reached the door I put my XOC against a panel next to the door.

*BEEP*

The door then opened and I walked in. Inside was the living room, I kicked off my shoes before glancing briefly around the room, and seeing nothing out of place I touched my XOC on a panel thereby locking the door, and kept walking deeper into the house.

To the left was a door that led to the kitchen and to the right there were two doors, one led to the bedroom and the other to a small study/meditation room.

I moved to the study and opened the door. Inside was a study desk and a swivel chair which faced the door with a bookcase that ran along the back wall of the study, and to the left was a meditation mat. 

'Let me just get this over with.'

Although I was tired I sat down on the meditation mat, and crossing my legs I closed my eyes.

I slowly began to refine my Hani using the refining technique that I was given when I entered the academy.

I observed the Hani in my body and slowly removed the impurities.

Hani refining is very dangerous because as was mentioned before, Hani is the life force of a person, so if anything goes wrong while refining it could lead to death.

After a few hours I merged all the refined Hani with my Hani core.

'Hah, done.' I got off the mat, walked up to the chair and sank into it. Almost as soon as I sat on the chair I realized that all the impurities that I had removed were on my body.

After refining Hani all the impurities that are removed will leave the body through the skin pores as a black colored discharge, the discharge is stick and has a bad smell.

I was tired and didn't have the energy to get to so I just ignored the stickiness and foul smell and continued to rest on the chair.

I stayed like that for a few minutes before glancing at my XOC.

"One thirty, I guess I refined all night."

I stared up at the ceiling for a few seconds before jumping to my feet and walking out of the room.

'I'm not tired anymore.' I walked over to where I had left my shoes, and after putting them on, touched my XOC on the panel and left the house.

'Guess I'll go for a walk.'