On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Four Hundred And Sixty-Five *Contains Status – Akio ?*

“A lot has changed in a short time.” I mused, pleased. While some gains, such as my Talisman Crafting skills and Alchemy had come from prior training, the majority of gains were forged in the crucible of battle, so even without the Favours obtained, it had been well worth it. Although… I never did need the Talismans I made with Daiyu. She’ll be disappointed, but hopefully relieved I never needed the insurance, my will being firm enough. Oh well, they’ll come in handy at some point, it’s not like they have a shelf life…

As I read out my stats, my sis looked envious, and Shiro shook her head wryly, remembering how boastful she’d been about her own stats. Arisu-san, who had heard some details about my abilities before, was rather taken aback at the broad range of abilities I possessed, only to match Shiro in shaking her head, deciding it hardly mattered, as we were tied together by bonds of alliance, and I knew Arisu-san would never betray us, as she was a friend of Shiro’s, and hated betrayal more than anything. I think she knows I won’t turn on her either.

One person was different though. Yu-mi was a little confused. “You said it wasn’t a game but you could see things in a game-like manner.” She spoke slowly, thinking hard. “But you have stats, levels, skills and classes. That’s exactly like a game…”

“It’s not really like that.” I explained again, using the trusted metaphor of a Piano Playing Skill, that Miyu had used to argue against me, what seemed ages ago now but was actually only months. “So it’s a bit like a snake eating its own tail. The Skills are showing I know how to perform the related actions, but also seem to empower me to perform better in the related field. How it works… I have no idea. But even though we can’t see them, everyone has the chance to gain such abilities, if they meet the prerequisites.”

“I see.” Yu-mi was a clever women, so she grasped the point. “That’s why you said having a way to see such things was a big advantage. But… and I’m sorry if it’s rude to ask this, but you told us the numbers, and have already said the consequences if we are careless, so… just what do the numbers mean? Fortitude, for example. That’s your toughness, right? But no matter how strong you are, the Republic Of Korea Army could still take you down, couldn’t it?”

“You think so?” It was Shiro who spoke up, grinning. “I’m not so sure. At least, not without some serious collateral damage. Shame we didn’t bring any guns with us, otherwise I’m sure Aki would be up for a demonstration…”

It was then that Park-ssi spoke up. “I… have one.” He pulled out a K5 pistol, which was one of the standard-issue firearms from the South Korean military. On seeing that, Yu-mi’s mouth dropped open.

“Hey dad, why do you have that? Civilians aren’t allowed guns in Korea.”

“I pulled some strings.” He admitted. “I wasn’t going to come to such a dangerous place unarmed, especially not bringing you, Yu-mi. Though it has been many years since I did my stint in the Army, I’m still confident I can hit a target if I have to.”

“Cool.” Shiro laughed cheerfully. “Seeing is believing, so they say.” She snatched the gun out of his hands, surprising him. “Is this loaded? Uh… I think so. I’m not really interested in guns. So, who wants a go? Hinata? Aiko?” she looked at Arisu-san then. “Or maybe you’d like to pop one in our playboy here?”

Arisu-san snorted. “Leave me out of your games, White. Besides, I already understand how this demonstration ends. Furthermore, pressure in an enclosed space such as this will surely only harm them. I would reconsider this foolish idea.” Likewise, Haru showed no interest. My sis stuck up her hand, bouncing up and down, and Shiro tossed her the gun.

“Ever since Las Vegas, I’ve wanted to shoot some more guns.” My sis declared, disengaging the safety expertly. “I guess my thing is ranged weapons. As for shooting my bro… there are times he pisses me off, like the conversation we’ve just had here. I mean, we’ve been over this. This isn’t a romantic comedy bro, misunderstandings are annoying. Sure, Hinata-chan and Shiro were bad, keeping things from you, but honestly… they were only thinking of you. So don’t be too harsh on them. Not that you could be. Big bro moonstone is a pushover…” She looked at Yu-mi then. “Seriously, if you can help my bro work through his feelings, I’ll be grateful. God knows we’ve all tried, and he’s much better than he was, but… ugh, well, you can see how he is!”

“Sure, I have a good idea.” Yu-mi said nervously. “You can leave that to me, but… are… you’re not really going to shoot him, are you?”

“Sure am.” My sis laughed at her tremulous question. “Come on, don’t you watch the news? Remember my bro lost an arm in London, but don’t you see him with two now?” She rapped her knuckles on my armour. “Hey, since you’re in armour it’s not much of a demonstration. So I’m going to have to headshot you, bro! But I think you might have to do some of those tricks you do with wind element. Thinking about it, Arisu-chan is right.” She pointed the gun directly at my face while I held in a sigh.

"Fine. I have a little wind element to spare." A green glow flickered faintly around me as I made to swallow the pressure wave, dispersing it, muting the noise and damage.

“Wait a minute, this isn’t funny!” Yu-mi squealed, suddenly frightened, but her father merely looked on impassively, too old and wise to misinterpret our actions.

“Bang!” With that word my sis fired off a couple of rounds in semi-automatic mode. One struck me in the forehead, the other on my cheek. I felt a brief sting of impact, as the bullets deformed and bounced off. One ricocheted off towards Yu-mi so I snatched it out of the air, shocking her. As she gaped, my sis flourished the gun. “This was kind of fun. Anyone else want a go? No? Oh well…” she pressed the gun into Yu-mi’s trembling hand, before pointing it at me. “…see? No problem. Shame we don’t have anything higher calibre, but it’s not like we can use that in a helicopter. I don’t fancy skydiving without a parachute. But it’s a little more convincing if you do it yourself, to see there’s no tricks.”

“Wait, I can’t…” she panicked, but I merely smiled, rubbing my forehead. It was certainly a lot quieter when contained by wind element.

“It takes more than bullets to hurt me now. Maybe a missile. A nuke, certainly. But bullets? My League is probably too high for that.”

“League?” Yu-mi asked, swallowing as she held up the gun, the barrel shaking, her aim unsteady.

“That’s basically the strength of one’s existence. The most important of all the Statistics.” Shiro pointed out. “And Aki’s is stupid high, I’m still not sure how. Must be all those Classes, Tan says. Plus he’s been Conquering a fair bit. So don’t worry.”

Yu-mi squeezed shut her eyes, but my sis patted her on the shoulder. “No point unless you’re looking. I get it. Violence is frightening. My bro is a bit of a worrier, as you’ve seen. At first he tried to keep everything a secret to protect us… but not knowing doesn’t protect anyone. Just like not asking Eri for her real feelings lets my idiot bro imagine the worst. He was out on a date…” she narrated the story of our trip to Inuyama and when I came back injured and they had to pretend they didn’t see. Yeah I’ve no idea how I thought they wouldn’t notice. Yae did as well… “…so yes, violence, fighting… it's not a good thing. But we saved lives, didn’t we? Including your cousin. Haru-chan’s new friend too.” She mentioned the brave yet tormented Kim Eui. “We have it on very good authority that the world is in trouble.” She glanced at Shiro, who held Tan within. “This is just one mess out of many. So… at least if you do this, you’ll know that there are those strong enough to protect you and those you care about willing to stand up to those who’ll do evil.”

As my sis squeezed Yu-mi’s hand, keeping the gun pointed at me, Yu-mi opened her eyes. She looked at me, unsure, but as I nodded, she clenched her teeth, and squeezed the trigger. Her aim was lousy, but at this range it was impossible to miss. Again I gathered the bullets that bounced off me, but in a moment it was over, and Yu-mi, panting heavily despite having only pulled a trigger, looked at me, concerned.

“I’m fine, see?” I grinned. “So does this explain enough?”

Yu-mi took a deep breath, and handed the empty gun back to her father. “It looks like you wasted your time, dad. Even if you had a gun, if something went wrong we’d be screwed. It’s obvious, otherwise why would the police and the Army have failed to save everyone?”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” My sis encouraged her. “I’m not bulletproof, far from it, though yeah, I’m not likely to die from a few shots unless you get me in the eye. Not every Chosen is my bro’s or Shiro’s level.”

“Hey, I’m no monster like Aki, though I’d say I’m not too worried by a little pistol like that now. It’d still hurt and bruise my skin though, I bet. So no thanks!” She crossed her arms in the negative. “I don’t want to ruin my beauty! Besides, Haru has the true immunity.”

“I think we’re getting off the point.” I halted that conversation. “Yu-mi, Park-ssi, basically you can assume that over time, while the numbers of Chosen will reduce, their average strengths will rise, and it’ll become increasingly difficult for modern society to supress them. Which is necessary, as when the chaos starts, if we are too weak, then Earth as we know it is probably screwed. But we… we’re ahead of the curve. So we want to make sure what we want to protect is safe. So far, that’s Japan and Britain. But…”

“…but you’re not particularly patriotic, or have hatred towards other countries and races.” Yu-mi said, understanding. “It’s just where your friends and family live, and a culture you’ve long grown up in. So…” She screwed up her brow, thinking. “The answer is easy. I want to join Adamant. Please.” She said to Hinata. “I’m asking you too, Akio.” She stopped calling me with awkward honorifics. “Because whatever the reasons they had making it, this is your organisation.”

“Are you sure?” My sis asked, curious. “You were listening when Hinata-chan said just what Adamant is all about.”

“Yes, I heard. But don’t worry, I won’t tell what I know to the other members.” She assured us. “I won’t spoil your efforts. As for the loyalty and obedience… Akio already turned me down, and if he changed his mind, I’d have to relent anyway. He saved my cousin, and will heal his mental scars too, won’t you?” As I nodded, she smiled. “Besides, I’m not going to say I love my country deeply, but… I’m Korean, my dad’s Korean, my family and friends are… I like what we have. You’ll see soon.” She smiled at me in a style reminiscent of Hinata, rather sly and amused. “So I want you all to like Korea too, despite where you come from. Because I don’t want it to disappear. And what better way than showing my… our value? Dad will definitely succeed in helping you get that hotel back, and he’ll show the others who hate Japan they might need to change their minds.”

“That’s a bold move.” I said, scratching my chin as I considered it. “I mean, we’re based in Tokyo, you know?”

“I can commute. I don’t need to be there every day, right?” she shrugged. “But of course if called, I’ll drop everything. What do you think, Hinata?”

Hinata eyed Yu-mi, before nodding. “I think you’re not as stupid as you thought. Though anyone that turns down Akio has no taste in men.” She giggled then. “Since you’re going to make up for my horrible mistakes and fix Akio’s guilt over Eri, I’ll respect you, and give you an officer rank. You can be in charge of our South Korean division, with power over recruitment. In exchange…” Hinata looked at me then. “…sorry Akio, your work is never done, but we can’t have a member of Adamant who isn’t able to access the Boundary. Besides, I’m curious about that Class you received. Shaper Of Flesh And Spirit. I imagine it ties in nicely.”

“I would think so.” My Eye flared as I checked the details. It wasn’t entirely clear, another Class that had some question marks blocking out useful information, but what was revealed was illuminating.

“What do you mean?” Yu-mi asked, a bit worried, and her father seemed unnerved too.

“It’s fine.” Haru assured her. “Akio-kun is able to perform a special sort of magical surgery, and it opens up mystical abilities in ordinary people. Not like we have, of course, but certainly special.”

“The downside is, it’s not exactly pleasant.” My sis laughed bitterly, remembering. “Though my bro’s probably got better at toning down the pain, and at least you don’t have to strip now…”

Shaper Of Flesh And Spirit is a Class gained when the ability to manipulate, modify and repair both Material and Astral bodies reach a level where one can potentially touch the Higher ????????? ??????? , and it allows one to partially perceive and understand the likely effects of performing Chirurgery or Healing upon Material or Astral bodies, and allows finer control and manipulation of the physical and spiritual constituents of those bodies, as well as ???????? ???????? ????????? ?????????. Precision increases significantly, and as this Class grows, ability to control Ether, Aether, Adherence and ???????? increases, and the ability to integrate these also improves.

“Strip? My heart isn’t ready…” Yu-mi flushed, before she realised she wouldn’t have to and let out a breath. Before she could relax though, Tan took control of Shiro for a moment and spoke scornfully.

“I would hardly relax, woman. Akio here has a wandering eye, and no clothing can bar his vision. Should he wish to see any woman unclothed, he can do it as he pleases.”

“Tan, you know I only looked at Shiro to try and find a way to Heal her…” I protested, but it was Shiro who answered.

“She’s said her piece, Aki. Don’t mind her, she’s been in a bit of a strange mood recently. Not that I don’t get it. But don’t worry, if Aki turned you down, he’s hardly going to want to sneak a peek, right?” She teased Yu-mi.

“That’s right.” she breathed. “But somehow I’m offended. Anyway, I’m ready.” Having made up her mind, she managed a smile. “But be gentle.”

“Why does everyone say stuff that can be misunderstood?” My sis complained, as we took some jackets for a bed and laid down Yu-mi.

“Ask yourself that, young Oshiro-san.” Arisu-san said, and as the women bantered, and Park-ssi looked on, I tuned them out, concentrating on Yu-mi and her rather ordinary body. I see. That’s interesting. Even the perfectly integrated Eight Moons Chakra Network, which seemed a miracle, wasn’t perfect. It was integrated with the Material body flawlessly, yes, but there was something else present, that I could vaguely see a shadow of, an absence. Just like Yu-mi contained a tiny amount of aether, like all living beings, just a far cry from even the weakest spiritual beings, she also contained this, whatever it was. I don’t know what it is, but I know what I think it is…

Time seemed to slow down as I used all my Split Thoughts at once to contemplate several matters, and to run a number of simulations. Whether it was the Class was too low-level, or whether the mysterious component was out of scope of what I could understand, I couldn’t work out how to integrate with it, I only knew that it was something that could and likely should be. Checking my mysterious new skills, I understood, at least a little.

Crude ???????? Manipulation is a Skill to slightly manipulate the energy and ??????? of the ???????? and Higher ???????? ????, unleashing significant power and ?????????. However your control is shockingly rudimentary, and will likely cause significant damage to the ???????? if used carelessly.

Crude ???????? Crafting is a Skill which allows creation, modification, enhancement and combination of items, abilities and ????????? using the energy of ????????, creating ???????? which have a tangible, living presence in the ????????? ????????? ??????. However, your handling and understanding of ???????? is crude and insufficient, so any created ???????? Crafts will likely not endure, their ???????? scattering to ???????? ???????.

“All done.” I said, the groaning Yu-mi suddenly looking confused. She had cried out a bit, but it hadn’t hurt too much.

“That wasn’t nice, but it was no worse than a trip to the dentist, just… everywhere.” She said stoutly. “I’m all right, dad. But I feel strange. Huh…” she blinked. “It’s like I’m full of energy!”

“All right.” Hinata said seriously. “We’ll send you a uniform, so I’ll need your three sizes. Or you call tell Akio if you prefer.” She giggled. “But the most important thing is we have to teach you how to enter the Boundary, and you have to swear not to enter by yourself. It’s very dangerous!”

“Dangerous?” she swallowed.

“It’s a whole different world, where magical creatures live, intelligent races from myth, and more. Of course there’s danger. But if you are in a friendly Territory it’s fine.” Hinata continued, lecturing her. As she listened, I decided to check a few last things, hoping comparison would help.

Adherence Crafting is a Skill to create, modify, enhance and create items and miraculous trinkets and effects that have a lasting effect on the Material, Astral ??? ???????? ?????, in a similar manner to Ether Crafting, though instead of being fuelled by Ether and Aether, it consumes Adherence. Greater effects can be achieved, though the ??????? of the Adherence involved will have a great influence on the outcome, and improper ??????? of Adherence will cause such Crafts to degrade over time and fail.

There’s definitely more to it, and I know who will know. “Tan, can you answer me a question?” I asked, and as one of Shiro’s eyes turned a brilliant crimson, she spoke lazily.

“That depends on what it is. I would hardly wish to be too helpful to my rival, despite your earnest pleading.”

“Yeah, it’s about the mysterious third component of Favours. Even now I can slightly manipulate it, I don’t understand or even really see it so well. And when you mentioned it before, I couldn’t quite grasp it.”

“Of course. It is not something easily understood at all. As I told you before, even I am only tangentially aware of it. My father, he knows more than I, of course, for he can create and transfer Divine Favours. But even he is but scratching the surface.” She paused. “Allow me to offer an analogy, fresh from the mind of the princess. You hardly need to know how a computer works to utilise it to do many things. And even should you know how to build a computer, as the princess intimates you do in her thoughts…”

“Of course I can. It was part of my time at university, plus most of us hobbyists could put together a decent PC if given the components, oh…” I realised what she was getting at, and Tan spoke triumphantly.

“…indeed. Even though you can build a computer, can you manufacture the chips, the circuit boards, the fans, the wires, all the parts that make a computer a computer? Perhaps you might be able to fix some broken parts, a bit of solder here, straightening a bent pin there, but even if you understand how such things are made, and can use the parts, you do not create it yourself.”

“I see. So I’m an idiot barely able to switch on a computer, and perhaps see a bootup menu, not knowing what it means but able to hit enter a few times until it boots, but a wrong press here or there could completely brick it. You… know a little more, maybe you can open a word processor, or a spreadsheet, but you still are only using it. Your father…”

“Yes, you could say he can toy with a number of programs, and assemble parts in a fashion he understands, to create something usable. But even my noble father has his limits.”

“Yeah, let’s face it. Divine Favours sort of act like items, Tan.” Shiro talked out loud for our benefit. “But they are definitely different, and have unusual properties. I mean, Aki could whip us up a hundred items and we’d be able to use them all, but Favours are… more integrated, I guess? Deeper?”

“I cannot speak of this further… largely because I confess to my ignorance. There is one thing in common that every being who can pass down Divine Favours has in common. I will not speak of it, but perhaps you can derive it from what you know. But when it comes to expertise…” she snorted bitterly. “… go prostrate in front of the Throne, and ask he who calls himself the Only God, the One True God. For I suspect that being is the one who understands what you seek the most, and is closest to unravelling the layers of mystery above us. Though there are others who search, who seek to understand, to cultivate truth. But such a path is a long one, and would require... suffice to say, many will seek knowledge and few will ever grasp it.”

“I see. That was helpful.” I thanked Tan, who again said as much with what she glossed over as what she actually said. I think I’m starting to see vague hints, just like I can slightly perceive the subtle hidden element within the Favours. If I experiment… I was now determined to take the risk and try and break apart Morana’s Favour too. Losing it would be a blow, but even in failure, I might learn something, and failure wasn’t guaranteed…

“Is this the sort of thing Adamant does?” Yu-mi asked, and my sis grinned broadly.

“Training is the most important thing we do!” she insisted. “Not fawning on my bro, despite what Shiro, Shaeula and Hinata-chan want. After all, being strong means you can choose your own destiny. Nothing is sadder than being left behind when those you care about are risking their lives. Do your best, so that you don’t look back in regret one day, wishing you had power, Yu-mi.”

“I see. Yeah, dad knows that pain well, right? You couldn’t help auntie, or my cousin.”

“Yes. And South Korea has suffered for lack of power. Uh…maybe it is time for me to let that go…” Park-ssi said, troubled.

“You don’t have to forgive. Japan has done some terrible things in the past. Britain too. But every country, every people, has their own sins.” I pointed out. That reminds me… the Kamuy… I wonder what happened to them. Are they all gone, driven out by the Kami? There’s just so much to look into. I do definitely need more trustworthy, loyal hands, Hinata wasn’t wrong… “But… I’ll create a world where the strong shelter the weak, and we solve our issues with fairness. And you’ll help us do that.” I insisted.

“I have no choice. I’ve taken something that can’t be bought, right?” Yu-mi agreed.

“We’ll be landing shortly.” The pilot called, and I realised time was passing. Nodding to Yu-mi, I quickly double-checked my final abilities.

Master Of Many Crafts is a Class gained when one has learned at least five different Crafting Skills, and it increases Precision, Fortune and the success rate of creating items and materials. It also offers slight benefits to manipulating fundamental energies such as Aether, and ???????? ???????? such as Elemental essences when using them to create.

Alchemy is a Skill specialising in creating potions, powders, chemicals and ointments that have mystical and magical effects. It also dabbles with metallurgy and healing, and the arts of transmuting one material into another. Infusing Aether and Elemental essences into Materials becomes slightly easier.

“Sadly I never did get a chance to test Boiling Blood Resonance Link properly.” I sighed, as the helicopter was coming in to land.

“You should save your strength.” Hinata advised me. “Because you’ve got a lot to do now.”

“Haven’t you learned your lesson yet, Hinata?” Yu-mi said, feeling a bit like a teasing yet supportive older sister to her for a moment. “Don’t just decide things, tell Akio what you want and why.”

“All right. You’re right. I’m getting carried away again. It’s a bad habit of mine. I’m not as headstrong as Mayumi, or as stubborn as Sakura. I’m not!” She took a deep breath as the helicopter landed. “Look, just like Park-ssi and his fellows aren’t fans of Japan and the Japanese, a lot of Japanese feel the same towards our neighbouring countries. And we’ve already had issues with the talk show you and Arisugawa-san did, where they attacked you over healing the rich.”

“Such idiocy. They are finished.” Arisu-san promised. “They betrayed my trust, so I shall not sit idle.”

“Scary.” Hinata shuddered, half amused and half actually intimidated. “Anyway, this operation is a secret, but we know secrets always leak. So if you now help with the rescue and healing of Korean citizens ahead of our own… it won’t look good. So I’ve brought over a number of people, carefully selected, for Healing. That way, even if news gets out, we’ve acted beforehand, so we look more sincere. Besides… I know you like to help people. But you must be tired, so I’m sorry.”

“You see, this is the sort of surprise I don’t mind.” I rubbed her head reassuringly. “Nobody could complain at this, and your logic makes sense. Yeah, I’m still exhausted, and have many demands on my strength, but… I’ll make it work.” With those words I stretched, yawning. All right. In theory, the hard part is over. Now it’s the clean-up, and all the politics that comes with it…