On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Four Hundred And Forty-Nine

On hearing my words, Colonel Song narrowed his eyes. He then looked around, concerned, but he realised that my quiet words were echoing oddly, so he dared to speak, and my wind element muffled his sound by creating a small layer of vacuum to mute the vibrations. “What do you mean? Dark aether?”

“Dark is just my interpretation. The aether itself is just aether, but...” I realised I was being pedantic and that the Colonel wasn’t well-versed in the terminology us Chosen used. “…basically, there’s a magical influence on some ordinary soldiers. So logically it must be traces from the school, right?”

“What should we do?” he said, troubled. “If our plans have leaked…”

“Assume they have.” I warned. “Look, staying in that school is a dead end. Sure, there’s one reason it’s probably important…” Their Territories. But the military can eventually win when they throw caution and public opinion away, which becomes ever more likely as the number of surviving students drops. So protecting the Territory won’t be worth dying for. Best to deconstruct the Anchor and start again elsewhere. They’ll still have a number of benefits they’ve accrued. “…but that’s just speculation. But it could actually be a good thing. If we learn more about how their powers work we can be more assured of victory. So… send two of them off on errands, and we’ll take control of the third here.”

He nodded, and after telling the two soldiers showing strange aether clinging to their bodies, he called over the third, a young nervous sowi, equivalent to a second lieutenant. He was my age, which made it a bit odd me calling him young, but his youthful face and diffident demeanour definitely made him seem younger than he was. “First Lieutenant, I need someone to accompany us and handle a little job. You’ll do.”

“Oh, yes sir!” he saluted, and soon we were all ushered into a more private side room in the base. It was cramped, especially with all of the Chosen inside as well, who followed, a little puzzled, and as the door shut, I asked my sis to restrain him.

“Sure thing, bro.” she said, and there were some gasps as a golden version of Eri appeared, grabbing the soldier. As the pale-faced man looked startled, the Korean Chosen seemed surprised, except for Violet-noona, who narrowed her eyes. “Hey, not bad. Summoning type, huh? It looks strong. Though out here it can’t show its true strength, I’d say?” Her fingers idly stroked her scorpion sleeve tattoo as she spoke.

“Yeah, it kicks more ass in the Boundary.” My sis declared proudly. “Anyway, what’s going on, bro? Why are we grabbing this guy?”

“Because he’s under some sort of mind control, I’d imagine.” I said, and Choi Ji-ho frowned.

“How would you know? And the military aren’t idiots. Anyone who made it back from previous failures has been quarantined, right?”

“That’s correct.” The Colonel agreed. “I was going to speak of this next, but we know the transmission method of one of the dangerous abilities. It seems that the berserk rage that turns people into mindless killing machines is spread by a fluid, seemingly blood. But the other method remains unknown.”

“I see. And how have you recovered your intelligence? Not all from UAV’s?” I asked, and the man nodded.

“Small-scale drones armed with various cameras. Sometimes IR is helpful, and we’ve even used penetrating radar to identify hotspots.” He paused. “The First Lieutenant here is part of the drone control corps. You think…?”

“Yeah. It might not be blood, but there was something on the drones, and it looks like it’s spread to our boy here.” As the soldier tried to protest, my sis had her Golden Sister tighten its grip, and he grimaced in pain, silenced. “I’m not sure what it can do, but if I had to guess…”

“Heads-up of when to cut and run?” Violet-noona predicted. “Makes sense. I mean, sure, if the place is being run by kids, can’t expect perfect strategy, but the little brats that go here are smart kids at least. And it doesn’t take a genius to work out there’s a limit to how long this shithole in the middle of nowhere can endure, especially with supplies having been cut for a long time.”

“Bora-noona, please speak more gently.” Her younger brother warned, and she snorted, unimpressed.

“The issue here is that if the mind control can spread remotely, it increases the danger.” Shiro pointed out. “So what’s the play, Aki?”

“Don’t just ignore me!” Choi Ji-ho complained. “I want to know how you know this. It’s a bit suspicious.”

“No it isn’t.” I sighed, letting my Eye shine freely now, the amber glow illuminating me. “I said I was strong and fast. I can also strengthen my eye and see things others can’t.” I gave a reasonable explanation, while omitting just what I could do. “And while it would be expected to see aether in such quantities within you all, being as you’re supposedly powerful Chosen, in an ordinary soldier? Very suspicious.” I used his own words to make my point.

“No, I’m not… I don’t know what you mean! Please release me!” The soldier managed, and my sis had the statue she controlled cover his mouth now.

Then Lee Jong-su spoke, and Choi Ji-ho translated it to English, a touch bitterly. “He wants to know just what you plan to do about this? How can we turn it to our benefit?”

I nodded to the man approvingly. “Simple. We can analyse it and hopefully work out a way to counter it. In addition…” I looked at Haru. “I don’t want to put a burden on you, so if this is out of line, just tell me to piss off, all right?”

“I think I know what you are going to ask, Akio-kun.” Haru looked at me with her earnest brown eyes. “And I can do it. Letting the memories flow through, without touching my mind… my skills have improved a lot. They had to, to keep up.” She looked at my sis, smiling warmly. “Otherwise even the newcomers will overtake me. But…” she said seriously, looking at the Korean Chosen. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for women. It’s a bit… intense.” She bit her lip, and I knew that Haru wasn’t as composed as she appeared. Which makes sense. Haru has tried to hard to be strong, and I’m very proud of her, but it’s not something you can get over easily.

“What?” Violet-noona scoffed. “You think because we’re women, we’re weak? Maybe before, guys had the advantage. But when it comes to Hunters, we girls can kick as much ass or more than the guys.”

“You think I don’t know that? Most of my team are girls, and most of them have defeated men just fine. But this… look, Haru can heal the mind, but she who can heal, can also harm. You’re all taking mind control far too lightly, so while I investigate the traces of power on our soldier here, I thought it’d be good to let you experience a mental attack. But… for a girl, it’s traumatic. The worst thing a girl can endure.”

“Oh.” She shut her mouth, before apologising. “Sorry. I thought you were looking down on me. I guess… if you’re anything like our playboy Lee Jong-su, you care about girls. I get it. But…” As my words were translated, the aforementioned Guild Leader was talking to his three girls, and after a brief and heated discussion, the girls decided to sit it out, as did Suk-ja, the youngest from the Inevitable Victory Guild. But Violet-noona was undeterred. “If it’s just the mental image of it, I can take it. I’m no shrinking Violet!” She made a cheeky pun. “Not like I’m actually getting fucked, is it?”

“Bora-noona, you’ll never find a man with that attitude!” her brother said, scandalised. “Sorry.” He apologised to Haru and the other girls with me. “She’s a good person, just… she’s not very comfortable adhering to propriety. She’s always been a rebel.”

“I’ll not apologise for being me!” she warned. “So… how bad was it?” she asked sympathetically, and Haru shuddered, despite herself.

“You’ll see. Now, gather together so my light can touch you.”

Shiro, my sis and Ginneka stepped back behind me, and Choi Ji-ho noticed. “Hey, what gives? Your girls so tough they don’t need to endure? Not practising what you preach?”

While he’s right it’s a bit hypocritical… “For Shiro, a hundred percent, yes. She’s in no danger of being affected by anyone else’s mind powers. For my sister and Karen-chan…” I gave the name for Ginneka matching her current appearance. “…they’ll be waiting here at camp, so shouldn’t come into contact with any issues. Besides, there’s no way I’m letting my precious sister endure such a filthy ordeal. We’ll train in other ways.”

“Aww, bro…” she blushed happily.

“If any of you aren’t going in but are remaining at the base, then step out. But if you believe you can easily win this fight, then prove it and handle this.” As the other girls of the Guilds gathered behind us, I turned my attention to our captive. “I’m busy.”

Colonel Song looked at me with sharp eyes. “He’s still a soldier of the Republic of Korea Army. I hope you’ll bear that in mind and treat him with… respect?” He trailed off as the Korean Chosen were bathed in Haru’s Mind Sharing Light, several of them starting to scream and convulse, though I noticed that Violet-noona merely squeezed shut her eyes, sweat springing from her brow as she trembled, skin pale.

“I know. I’m here to save who I can. So I’ll start now.” My Eye flared, and I gathered aether. “Looks like it’s almost a parasite…” I mused. “Not that it’s alive, but the aether making up the technique seems to be tapping the sacral chakra, as well as the physical body. Water, huh?” There was one issue though, and that was my Eye, which should have provided me information on the technique, was struggling, the words garbled, filled with question marks, and I didn’t believe that my Eye wasn’t able to at least glean the name. There’s something strange going on, no question about it…

“What’s the verdict, Aki?” Shiro asked.

“There’s something affecting information-gathering powers around here, that’s for sure. But I don’t need detailed information to perform Chirurgery, I can see enough…” As I did the delicate work of separating the aether from the man, the first of those facing Haru’s light were able to overcome it. That was Choi Ji-ho, showing some talent despite his arrogance, and surprisingly, next was Violet-noona, followed by her brother Kang Da.

“Bora-noona, are you all right?” The pale-faced and trembling boy said. “That… that was awful for me. For you…”

“Yeah, no kidding little brother. That was… vile.” She took a long, shuddering breath, before looking at Haru with pity. “You… I’m confused. Those are your memories, right? So you died?”

“I did.” Haru nodded. “I was tormented and died. But thanks to a miracle I’m back. I may be dead, but I’m living life as best I can. That should be a lesson to you.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” Violet-noona’s tone firmed up, along with her resolve. “You’re right. Wise words, girl. I think I like you. You’re tougher than you look.”

“Hardly. But… I’ve had good help.” As they conversed, I removed the remains of the aether afflicting the soldier. Holding it in the air, shimmering with energy to my sight, it did indeed resemble a clear liquid. Is it just water? I conjured a drop of Spirit Water, and the waters burst into sizzling steam, the curse, for it seemed to be similar, burning away. Okay, that’s reassuring. I think my chances of being affected just went way down. Though I still won’t be arrogant.

I began to explain as the soldier slumped in the grasp of the golden statue. But then suddenly a wide-eyed Lee Jong-su was in my face, spitting out angry words. Haru tried to speak back to his rapid, rage-filled exhortations with her own Korean, only to give up quickly.

“Sorry Akio-kun. My Korean is terrible. I get that he’s angry with what he’s experienced, but…”

“It’s not that.” Violet-noona scoffed. She put a hand on his shoulder and spoke to him rapidly. He spat back, and she sighed, before speaking to us in English. “He’s pissed off that you let a woman go through that, Akio-oppa. Say what you like about the old pervert, he’s still pretty chivalrous. None of the girls he’s with seem dissatisfied, so he has to be an okay guy.”

“That’s not fair. Tell him this. I was killed before Akio-kun ever met me. And he avenged me, and better…. helped me to avenge myself, gain some closure, and grow past my pain. It’s still a work in progress but…” Haru’s eyes narrowed, and her gaze made him step back, as Violet-noona translated. “I will not let you take that tone with Akio-kun. He’s my saviour, and the saviour of many.”

“That’s right.” Shiro added. “If you disparage Aki for not saving girls, you’ve got no brain, and I’ll be more than happy to teach you a lesson.”

On hearing the explanation, Lee Jong-su apologised to me and to Haru, which I could respect. One of his women, the strangely ageless girl with the bow, Eunbi, came over, and with Violet-noona’s help, she apologised on his behalf. “I am sorry for him. But Jong-su is a man who loves deeply. Too deeply, sometimes.” Her pale cheeks flushed a little, and I found it cute. “I understand your intentions as well. Seeing them struggle…” not everyone had broken free of Haru’s power yet. “…you are showing us our weaknesses, to make us reconsider. But… Jong-su… we won’t let him go alone.”

Lee Jong-su seemed troubled, his tone urgent. The other two girls joined in, looking shocked at his explanation, and they fell into an argument. Eventually he conceded with a bitter nod, and asked Violet-noona to tell me his words. “I asked them to stay behind, as you did for your sister. Our preparation has indeed been inadequate. I am confident we can resist the mind control or berserk curse. But it will take time, and in battle a moment of hesitation can be fatal. But… they refused. They don’t want me to go alone, fight alone. So…” he nodded to me and Shiro. “…we’ll watch your back, if you watch ours.”

I nodded. I don’t know what powers they have, so I can’t know whether it’s wise, but… I briefly explained my regrets with Eri in Kyoto while the remaining people and non-humans broke free of Haru’s Light. Everyone understood, and it was Choi Ji-ho who spoke for all. “It seems you’ve been through more than the rumours say. Look, we get it. You’ve got experience. Probably more than us. No, definitely, I’d say. But we’re not weak. We’re Korea’s pride, and we can’t let someone else solve all our problems. Besides… if we run from risk, we’ll never grow, and next time… if you or someone like you isn’t around, won’t we be worse off? So… let’s work together. Tell us what you learned, and we’ll go over the information again, right Colonel?”

The Colonel nodded. “Yes, I’ll prepare the material.” He looked at the sleeping soldier. “Will… will he recover unharmed? And can the same be said for any survivors? We have good men, good soldiers, still trapped in that school.”

“I don’t know. I think I can help, but bear in mind, the soldiers here are only slightly contaminated. I imagine they can probably only carry out one role. Probably to alert their new master to danger, if I had to guess. There’s a lot of military equipment lost in the school, right? It wouldn’t be hard to establish contact. They’ll know we’re coming and be ready. But I have established a counter.” I frowned, showing an illusion of pondering something. “I’m going to the kitchen to get some things. Shiro, you’re in charge, all right? I’d appreciate it if the Chosen here would share the basics of their abilities so we can plan to support each other better.”

“Got it, Aki. Aiko and I will handle it.” She smirked knowingly. “Take your time…”

As I left, I reached the kitchen, where my contacts were. On seeing me, the Greek man, who I had been told was called Constantine Nikolaou, rushed over, excited. He’s rather handsome. I glanced to see a woman who surely was his sister from the video, who was washing dishes. She’s pretty too. Very different to Japanese women. Looking furtively around, nobody was paying attention, so she came over with him.

“Whoa, it’s Akio, the hero of Britain in the flesh!” Constantine grabbed my hand and shook it enthusiastically, bemusing me. His sister muttered something in Greek, before using some rusty English.

“Do excuse my brother, he’s not all there.” She kicked him in the leg, annoyed. “So, you are the one we are waiting for? Thank the Holy Virgin for that, I can’t wait to get out of here!”

“Hése mas, sister! Not in front of…” he paused as she looked at him coldly.

“I told you not to swear at me, you useless layabout! Who paid for the trip here, probably losing her job over it…”

“Uh, we’re getting paid by our client now, so…” he began, but she shouted over him, so I held up a hand, while using wind to prevent the sounds from escaping.

“If we can calm down?” I asked, and let a little Majesty and Charm shine. That shut them up, and there was a faint blush on the woman’s olive cheeks.

“Yes, we should…” she muttered. After a moment, Constantine agreed.

“I just got excited. I’m meeting a legend!” he gushed, and it was enough to make me feel embarrassed. His sister obviously agreed too, as her flush deepened. “Can I get an interview? It’s for my website! I was one of the first to find out the truth. No-one listened, that’s the way it always is, but I knew I was onto something…”

“Sure, sure.” I said, just to shut him up. “But time’s a commodity we don’t have a lot of right now. Tell me what you know.”

“All right.” Constantine lowered his voice, but he still spoke in a rapid, excited manner, making his English a little hard to decipher. “Here’s the thing. The situation in the school is strange indeed…”

********

That was helpful information, but not crucial. Still, the student roster was a boon, as well as the footage they had gathered. Having seen the roster, and combined with the footage, it was clear the one that caused people to go berserk was a boy called Jun-seo, and he had a sister as well at the school, Cho-hee. With that in mind, it was possible she was a Chosen too. There’s no proof of course, and she might not still be alive, she hasn’t appeared on any footage from the drones or UAV’s. The military were of course tasked with saving as many lives as possible, considering that many children from powerful and wealthy families attended, but other than that, there was a focus on containment. The Nikolaou twins had been able to use drones supplied by Park Do-yun to scope out other areas of interest, not just the contested Academy campus, and while drones were often destroyed by the forces within, they had saved their footage.

“So, everyone ready?” I asked, having done my errand. I had created as much Spirit Water as I could, and while that wasn’t much, there was enough to give everyone a small amount. Handing over little glass vials, which I had made from glasses in that kitchen, Constantine cooing over my performance eagerly recording footage, I explained.

“This is Spirit Water. It’s good against curses and the like. If you get contaminated, snap the top and either drink it or splash it on the affected area. Or you can give it to a colleague. It might not break the effect, but I suspect it will at least weaken it.”

“I see. Yeah, it did look like you did something when you were interrogating that soldier.” Violet-noona was first to take it. “Insurance is good.”

Yes, that it is. Now I have Spirit Water in addition to the talismans, as well as my battle gear… “So, how are we splitting our forces?” I asked. “Who’s hitting the Boundary and who is storming the Academy here?” I’ll have my sis use the less-travelled way that our informants discovered to send her Golden Warriors… while everyone else is a distraction she can start bringing people out. It doesn’t matter if the warriors get destroyed, she can resummon them later… I used a burst of wind to hide a message to my sister, so nobody else could hear. She looked surprised, and then summoned three more Golden Sisters, which surprised everyone.

“Don’t mind me, I’m just prepping up.” Sis threw open one of our cases, to reveal wireless cameras and a high-powered laptop. “I could use some people to help me with this though… I’ll go ask.” With that she left, and I knew she’d be back with Constantine and his sister in a while.

“The Boundary? You mean the spirit world?” Choi Ji-ho asked, and I nodded. “The hostages aren’t there. We’ll settle things here. It’s not like they can hide in it. We’ll find their sleeping bodies no matter where they lurk here.” He pointed out in response, a little irritated.

“True, I suppose. Though it might be easier handling the perpetrators by taking down their Territory. It’ll wound them, if not outright defeat them. But…” I mused.

“Ideally we would take them alive.” The Colonel said. “Even if they are dangerous. Though if it comes down to your life over theirs, you have permission for lethal force.”

“No way we wouldn’t. We’re Hunters, not martyrs. But killing kids doesn’t sit right with me. So we’ll do our best, right little bro.” Violet-noona grabbed her brother, ruffling his hair, which pissed him off. “But the kid might be a big-shot’s pride and joy. No need to incite future trouble.”

“In fact… we know the identity of one, right?” I shared the footage I had been given on my phone.

“Where did you get that?” the Colonel asked, perturbed.

“From my client. He wanted me to be prepared as possible. And yes, I know what you’re going to ask, and don’t worry about it. His other agents will be gone after today, as we finish it here and now. Otherwise the situation will be untenable.” It’s understandable they are concerned about leaks. But the Nikolaou twins aren’t the problem here, it’s… “So, what of the Chosen that were lost before?”

“There’s three we know survived.” The Colonel sighed. “We have one who can control the wind, another who can strike with great accuracy at a distance with some sort of near invisible projectiles, and lastly, one with the ability to make all those around him weak and apathetic, losing the will to fight.”

“Great, more mental powers. Hmm, with those… well, the sniper would be useless in close confines like a school building, though on the approach…”

“Exactly. There are also an unknown number of police and soldiers left, though their ammunition must be running low.” He continued, and my sis then re-entered, followed by Constantine and his sister.

“Hey, I found some people to operate the cameras while I concentrate on doing my part.” Sis declared cheerfully. On seeing all the Chosen up close, Constantine brightened, though his sister, Sophia, looked grim. The Colonel glowered at them, clearly having worked out who was the agent placed in his camp.

“Don’t sweat it. Like you said, Colonel, there are a lot of influential parents looking out for their children. Consider my help an apology.” I smoothed things over. “So… I guess nobody fancies the Boundary?”

“Oh, the other world that lies alongside ours?” Constantine said happily.

“Yes but there’s no time for chat. You want your scoop, right? Well, share what you know with everyone, and help my sister set up the cameras on her army.” Though I’ve told them to keep their discovered entrance a secret.

Pooling information, we had a slightly better understanding of the situation. There were two groups, one led by the student Jun-Seo, but there was one glaring discrepancy, and I wasn’t the only one to notice. “So, Aki, you saw it too, right?” Shiro pointed out. “This guy gets his blood on you, and you go berserk, fighting until your body breaks down and you die, and sometimes even the blood of the victim can spread it, from what we’ve learned, right?”

“Yeah, so that begs the question, how the hell does he have any forces left at all? There’s a piece we’re missing. Besides, the zombie-like mind control seems more potent an ability, but it isn’t simple either. The soldiers here seem to have come into contact with it at range, and act perfectly normally apart from that. We have to be very careful. But I think the Boundary might give us some insight. I’ll check it out…”

“Skipping the main battle, huh? I’m surprised.” Violet-noona said, and I merely laughed.

“Nope, let’s just say I can do both.” I pulled on my brigandine over my clothes. Shiro was doing likewise, and also retrieving a number of weapons, including strange guns which piqued the Colonel’s interest, being a military man. At his questioning expression, Shiro grinned.

“It’s a fine product that Aki’s Mortal Engineers put together.” She hefted the grenade-launcher lookalike, and put a bag of ammunition over one shoulder. “Don’t worry, it’s mostly harmless. Just consider it a backup plan.”

Constantine was muttering about a new scoop, but I was more interested in everyone else’s reactions. After a few moments thought, Violet-noona sighed. “Three, four, five… you go with Akio-oppa. Maybe a swift victory would be in all our interests. Little bro, you too…”

“Me?” he complained. “But someone needs to look after you!” he complained. “Otherwise you’ll just rampage again!”

“It’s fine. In an emergency…” she grinned cheekily, flourishing her tattooed arm. “In an emergency I can call them back. It’s a bit like his little sis here and her cute golden toys. Hey, keep an eye on my bro, all right? A sister worries, you get it? Besides, he’s not entirely useless. He can show his powers best in the spirit world anyway. My little bro…” she ruffled his hair again. “…is a glass cannon. But cannon is the best way of putting it.”

“Direct damage, huh? All right. I’ll look after him.” He can take down the barrier of the Territories, hopefully, so I can do my thing. As for the non-humans, I’ll have to see how they stack up against my Fae…

“In that case, how about we stick together?” Violet-noona said to Shiro. “I want to see if your boasts are true.”

“Sure. But we have one kid we have to save. We gave our word. So bear that in mind.” We pointed him out to everyone on the student roster the military had.

“I’ll run support.” My sis declared, sticking to our plan. “If you need help, call and I’ll send my Golden Sisters your way.”

It was decided. The frontal assault would be done by the Inevitable Victory, supported by Lee Jong-su and his harem, though I had grave misgivings about that, worrying they might not be up to the task of assaulting the main school buildings. Then through the side entrance, where supplies were usually delivered, Shiro would join Violet-noona and those of her group that weren’t accompanying me and her brother to the Boundary. They would search the boys’ dormitory. I was then going to engage the girls’ dormitories alone, breaking off from the main group when they headed towards the school. Well, not exactly alone. Thanks to the hidden path discovered by Constantine and Sophia, my sis will be able to get her Golden Sister Army through the back way, a surprise attack with no risk to us.

“So, the plan is set. The army will be standing by in case of disaster.” The Colonel said, looking at the arrows we had drawn on the map along one wall. “We can’t afford to feed this disaster anymore. As for the hostages…”

“Getting them out is going to be tough. But Haru here will help calm and treat those we rescue. I think knocking them out and securing them is the best plan. We can call for extraction from the soldiers here, right Colonel? Though under no circumstances should the army do anything but go in and grab them, and quickly withdraw. Although…”

“Yes, there’s still the risk of contamination. But we can provide some support. Since they likely know we are coming, we can bombard the area with teargas and smoke bombs. That will force their hand. It won’t stop them for long, but…”

As we continued to thrash out the final details, everyone equipping armour, communicators and more, Choi Ji-ho frowned. “I still don’t understand how you can attack the spirit world while accompanying us. If you are just boasting…”

“Then I’ll be found out rather quickly, won’t I?” I scoffed. “Look, just concentrate on your own role, Hunter. And I’ll do mine. This isn’t my first time, you know.” In principle, the battles should be far easier than taking on Mary Stuart. But there are the hostages, as well as… Exchanging glances with Ginneka, she nodded, purring to herself. If anyone tries to take advantage of the chaos to make a move on the Chosen here… let’s just say Ginneka, my sis and Haru aren’t easy prey. Not at all…