On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Three Hundred And Eighty-Two

The atmosphere had turned a little heavy after our talk, but Hinata, determined to make the best of things, was still clinging to my arm, chattering away happily about everything that had happened while I was away in London. Soon, we reached the site of the new Ring Gate, where Miyu and Sakura-san were to dance, and everyone fell into silence at the sight in front of us. Uh, Okay…

“Useless. Why will yooou not work?” Hyacinth was fuming, her hair twisting and writhing like vines. The tall ring of red and orange mushrooms beside her, the tips glistening with faint purple spots, were shimmering with ruby energies from the geysers on the hill, but that was all, there was no transportation happening. As Hyacinth stamped her foot, the ground rippled, spiky fungal growths tearing free, rapidly growing, and dying before our eyes.

As Sakura-san and Mayumi-san flinched back, their bodyguards taking a defensive position in front of them, I laughed nervously. “Don’t mind Hyacinth, she’s just… passionate about her work?” I said, trying to excuse her. “She certainly wouldn’t hurt you.”

“That is right.” Motoko agreed. “I believe the pressure of this role is driving her beyond her tolerance. It is a task of the greatest importance, right?”

“That’s correct.” Miyu said, smiling a little, again impressing me with how much she had strengthened her will over the last month or so. “She doesn’t want to let you down.”

“I’d rather have her on my side than not.” Natsumi agreed. “Hey Hyacinth, calm down!” she called. “It’ll be fine, we’re here!”

Hyacinth cocked her head, turning, and on seeing us she stopped her furious capering, her silver-violet eyes glowing. Smoothing her maid-style Brigandine, she coughed, her face twisting into a smile. “Sooorry you had to see that, mistress Natsumi. And the other mistresses and Akiooo too. It is simply sooo frustrating. It makes me angry! Stupid mushrooooooms should do as I bid them! Akio needs the Gate to open!”

“I want the Gate open too.” Hinata giggled. “Visiting London would be exciting. But you shouldn’t be too angry. Haste makes waste. Besides… you’re scaring them.”

“I’m not scared.” Mayumi-san said imperiously, though the faint red in her face belied that. “I was just surprised is all. That’s right, isn’t it Sakura-san?”

“Come with me.” Miyu took Sakura-san’s hand before she could answer, and they headed for a flat space that had been cleared, the ground now layered with polished boards. “You’ll feel better when you dance. Besides, hasn’t our teacher praised your progress recently?”

I see. The transformation of the Territory is really progressing, isn’t it? It wasn’t just the stage for dancing, but proper training grounds for the troops as well as a duelling arena had been constructed. Of course, most projects were on hold as the café on Asha’s Tree was being deconstructed, in preparation for later, numerous ratkin, weaselkin and kobolds, as well as goblins and others taking down the wooden structures. Speaking of Asha, I saw her watching Hyacinth, and seeing us she came over, smiling at us.

“Akio, you have returned. Will you be wishing for refreshments?”

“That would be great. Can you get the girls something to settle their mood a little? So… Hyacinth is struggling?”

Asha brought out a series of cups and filled them with fragrant juices. As the girls took them with pleasure, I waited for her answer. Asha and Hyacinth exchanged looks, Hyacinth looking a little downcast, before Asha shrugged. “I do not feel it is fair to blame Hyacinth. I am a Dryad, I understand the growth of nature. Though…” she leaned in to confess, her breath hot on my cheek. “… I am not fond of fungi and mushrooms.” She shuddered cutely, and I instinctively stroked her hair reassuringly. Her yellow eyes narrowed in pleasure, and beside me Shiro snorted.

“Smooth play there, Asha.” For a moment her eyes flared red, and Tan yawned.

“I see. Yes, I understand the problem. Spatial element is far from my specialty, I am of the thirsty flames, but you do not reach my level of power without some understanding of the higher elements.”

“So, care to share a solution?” I asked, and Tan shook Shiro’s head, fiery hair cascading.

“I can not. However, I do believe that with the tools at your disposal you can fix it yourselves. I merely wished to savour the taste of this drink. I will be resting now. I have nearly finished integrating the Favour I took from that fool Daizen. I must continue.”

As Shiro’s eyes and hair returned to normal, Mayumi-san snorted. “I still can’t get used to that. Goddesses and Yokai, Faeries and kami. It’s exciting though.”

“It sure is.” Hinata agreed. “Tan’s not terribly helpful though, is she?”

“I don’t know.” I mused. “I think she gave us a hint. Tools at our disposal. Speaking of… where’s Ixitt with the Lantern?” I asked Hyacinth, and she pouted.

“He is making sooomething he says will help. He also returned to the Material toooooo ask a question of someone he thinks might knooow an answer.” She looked at the Ring Gate. “I dooo not know why it will not work. They are all the same mushrooms, it doooes not make sense to me.”

Asking someone huh? I wonder who… “All right. Tools at our disposal?” I frowned, thinking. “The Ring Gate is number one priority. I’ll help you out. Maybe I can even improve my understanding of spatial element as well. I’d love to master Void Motion. Shiro, pick up Arisu-san and bring her over. I need to talk to her about her future anyway.”

“Roger that, Aki!” Shiro saluted. “I want to catch up with her anyway. What else?”

“Haru-san and the twins too. We’re going in hard on this.”

“What should we do?” Motoko asked, and I grinned.

“You’re the next priority. I’m learning Tsumura Arts. Motoko, Natsumi, get Ulfuric and some other suitable training partners ready. When I’m done here, I’ll be over for some sparring.”

“I can hardly wait.” Motoko smiled enchantingly. “To think that our husband is eager to learn from us, carry our Arts. It’s like a dream, isn’t it Natsumi?”

“It is. We won’t let you down! Tsumura Arts will be more than enough to put David-san in his place again.” She smiled. “After all, I’d not like you to think I support him over you.” She giggled cheekily.

“And what do I do?” Hinata asked eagerly.

“Well, if Miyu and Sakura-san are dancing to improve the Territory, then you and Mayumi-san… business, obviously. The next priority is the pilgrimage.”

“Oh, you mean the goal to get us blessings from all the shrines and temples?” Hinata said, and I agreed.

“Yes. We need to tour both Tokyo and Kyoto. If that’s not enough, we’ll expand it outwards to the rest of Japan. In fact, we’ll probably do that eventually, but for now it’s the class levels we want. You two, work with Kana and the shrine maidens and priests to work out our route. Identify any shrines that might be a good match as either a local shrine for any of us, or a suitable shrine that can act as a trigger. For example, Daikokuten or Ebisu being the gods of commerce would probably work for you and Mayumi-san.”

“Me?” Mayumi-san asked, surprised. “You would put effort into my growth?”

“Haven’t we just had this conversation? This applies to you too, Sakura-san. We’re all in it together. Besides, only with strength can we choose our own path, our own goals. Besides, once we have it set up, the pilgrimage trail, as it were, anybody we need to strengthen in the future can follow it. Work with Shirohebi, and why not call over Prince Shōtoku from Kyoto?”

“So, we need to plan the route?” Hinata asked, and I agreed.

“Not just here, but in the Material as well. We’ll get the kami’s blessings from the true shrines in the Boundary, then make offerings in the Material, raising the glory of the shrines, growing their adherence. That should make it a fair trade.”

“It sounds fascinating.” Mayumi-san agreed. “Expensive though.”

“Money we can earn. When Ixitt’s factory is online, we’ll be rolling in cash.” I promised. “Lastly, Cultivation and elements. Though for that, I want Daiyu’s Foundation set first. I must check in on her and Shaeula later, and see if she’s succeeded. There are a few other classes and skills, but… priorities.” I clapped my hands. “All right, everyone knows what they are doing. Get to it!”

*********

Klein Bottle – Item Class [Noble], Item Type [Principle]

A container crafted from wood fed with spatial elements, crafted by a genius Mortal Engineer going beyond the limits of Fae understanding. It appears to have no entrance or exit when viewed without spatial element, but such elements are attracted within and magnified. Coils of specially prepared bluesteel wires form a series of loops that further increase and magnify the spatial element within. How the Lantern was placed inside such a bottle is a mystery.

As I turned the Lantern over in my hands, my Eye blazing, my head feeling fuzzy, the feeling of it incredibly abnormal, I grinned. “I’m curious. The stupid question first. How the hell did you make the wood transparent, like glass? The real question is, just how the hell did you even think of this, let alone make it?”

“A good question.” Ixitt laughed, pleased at my surprise. Just looking at the encased Lantern now was enough to give me a slight headache, but the violet energy gathering within was noticeably stronger, and the bottle seemed to magnify my efforts at Ether Healing as well, allowing us to push the poor living generator further. It’s definitely a solid shape, but it looks and feels flat, no matter how I hold it, defying what I know to be true.

I heard a retching noise, and turned to see Shiro holding her stomach, face pale. At my gaze, she smiled weakly. “Damn, Aki. How can you look at that thing? It’s messing with my head. Non-Euclidean geometry should stay in fiction!”

Your Resilience has increased by one. Your Determination has increased by one.

As I looked back at it, I received some welcome messages. Forcing myself to continue to observe it, despite the discomfort, I chuckled. “It’s not fun, but I just got some stat points from it, so… best get looking, you don’t want to miss out on some free gains!”

As Shiro groaned, a stern voice cut me off. “Do not bully White, Oshiro-san. I do not care for it.”

“Sorry Arisu-san.” I apologised hurriedly. “But I’m doing it for her own good, I promise!”

“Yeah, relax, Arisu. I know you’re tense because of what we talked about earlier, but Aki’s not really a bully… ugh, my stomach.” Her gaze crept back to the Lantern, and her face turned pale, a faint tinge of green on her face, her skin-tone matching Asha’s for a second.

“I do not care about that.” Arisu-san sighed, crossing her arms, the deep blue dress she wore making her look like an evil queen with her long dark hair flowing behind her like a cloak. “That decision is made. Now, I grow impatient.”

Arisu-san was surprised when we told her she would be hosting the expanded charity fundraiser, and that before that we would be releasing all the evidence we’d gathered about her scandal. She was reluctant, but in the end, if she wants justice and revenge, this is the best way. And she can be one of the faces of the Chosen of Japan. We need someone to do our PR, and who better? Objectively she’s stunning, famous, and everyone loves a story of the underdog biting back. Suzu-san was delighted too… the American girl was dancing along with Miyu and Sakura-san, though her dance was rather more… Avant Garde, perhaps?

“It doesn’t feel like it’s really there.” Haru-san said, peering at the Lantern. “Like if you look at it the wrong way it’ll vanish. We have a lot in common.” She chuckled. The twins were behind her, not looking at the strange object.

“If you would let me explain, I can address that.” Ixitt coughed, a bit saddened everyone interrupted his ramblings. “I wonder how many of you are understanding the concept of additional spatial dimensions? It is quite fascinating.”

The twins exchanged glances, clearly unsure. Makes sense, this is way beyond middle school Physics. Haru-san also shook her head. “I was focused on the arts, not sciences. I have heard of the concept, but that’s all.”

“As a child, I was fascinated by such things.” Arisu-san said, surprising us all. “If I had not become an actress, I would have rather enjoyed being a scientist. Alas, such was not to be. No laboratory would take on a scandal-hit pariah such as myself. Although now…” her eyes narrowed, before she shook her head, clearing her thoughts. “My Room…” she opened a slash in space, violet energies seeping out. As they scattered into sparks, the ones that passed close to the bottle were drawn in, magnifying the dark indigo flames that burned within the Lantern. “… it is a three-dimensional space.”

“Yes, but it exists within that.” Ixitt pointed out. “That is a true two-dimensional space, no?”

“I believe so. One could almost call it a wormhole, if such things exist.”

“That is what she said.” Ixitt said happily. “If two points in space are connected, then they need to overlap. Otherwise it makes no sense by the laws of the mortal world. Of course…” he admitted. “The Boundary and Astral operate by different rules. But they are surely comprehendible. That is the essence of Mortal Engineering. Knowing the overlap. But what is impossible there is not here. The Klein Bottle was something she mentioned. It took a substantial amount of aether and some Etherites, but in the end it was possible. Though the… imaging… was challenging.” He snorted.

“Oh I get it.” I said, understanding. “The clearer the mental image, the easier it is to make, but aether can fill in the gaps on things you don’t fully grasp.”

“Quite.” Ixitt agreed. “But we are getting off track. The Ring Gates surely function in such a manner. The Mushrooms themselves must work similarly to your Room, Arisu.”

“Then why dooo they not work?” Hyacinth scowled. “I knooow I grew them right. But unlike the ones the treekin grow, mine dooo not pair.”

“That is what we are here to identify.” I said. “I appreciate everyone coming.” Putting down the Lantern, I shone my Eye. “Shiro, buffing time. My Eye again please.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, worried, and I nodded.

“Yes, if I pass out here, it’s no big deal. Besides, that’s why you’re here, right? But I want to see all we can about the moment when I pass through the Ring Gate, as well as enter Arisu-san’s room. And not just me…” I looked at Haru-san and the twins. “This is a big ask, it might be uncomfortable. Hell, just looking at the aberration Ixitt made…” he protested jovially at my phrasing. “…gives us a headache. But it shouldn’t be harmful.”

“I will moderate the link.” Haru-san smiled. “It can’t hurt my head any more than all the headaches you keep dropping in my lap all the time.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” I said. “For a while, your workload is only going to increase. But when we get all of these tasks squared away, you can take a well-deserved break.”

“I don’t believe you, but I’ll pretend to.” She smiled. “Chiaki-chan, Chiasa-chan, are you ready?”

“We are ready.” “We have done this a number of times.” The twins chorused, and I was reminded of the praise that everyone had heaped on them for their aid during the period I was in the United Kingdom. I’ll make sure they and Ren-san also get boosted by the pilgrimage…

“All right then. Here we go…” Shiro sent Anesidora’s blessing my way. My Chakra network weakened as the buff was overwritten, but my Eye shone with a brilliant glow, advising me it was temporarily Ranked up. I felt the heavy weight of a distant connection, the world around me showering me with information, but I immediately marshalled all my Split Thoughts, hiving off information I didn’t need, and focussed all my will on throttling the connection. Silver blood leaked from my nose, and Shiro made a noise of worry, but I reassured her I was fine. Oh hey, a few more points of Resilience… Even with my efforts, I felt like I was going to collapse and fall unconscious, so I spoke. “Bring Tan in!”

With that Shiro’s hair and eyes blazed, and Tan yawned. “I have no intention of giving you any guidance, I believe that would be far above my remit. However…”

“Yes.” I said, my body trembling from the shocking effort, my Split Thoughts starting to waver, even as I ran Body Enhancement to maximise my mental faculties. “… all I want is for you to spare your strength.” Moments later I felt the warm brush of Haru-san’s mind on mine, expanding to encompass the twins, and then…

I knew I wished to drink deeply of you. That Eye… such a delightful power. And those seeds… the sudden stress on my Split Thoughts diminished. Haru-san was trembling with the strain, letting it all flow through her, while the twins were hugging each other, pale, though their eyes were resolute. Tan licked her lips lasciviously, and for a moment I was captivated, before Shiro’s thoughts echoed in our minds.

No, bad Tan! You know you can’t eat Aki! Just make yourself useful!

What I want does not mean I shall do it, little princess. You cannot deny the power would serve us well. With it, I would certainly be able to claim this world…

Oh, shut it. We’ve been over this. You’ll still profit, and…

As Tan and Shiro argued, their thoughts echoing into me, I was surprised to see one of Tan’s crimson orbs close slowly before opening, a small smile on her face. Seriously, did she just wink at me? Well, it doesn’t matter. It was incredible, the difference it made, having a being of such power as Tan in the link. My gaze lingered on Haru-san, and I could see her own Resilience and Determination was rising, and her Telepathy and Mind-Sharing Light had both Ranked up.

“I’ll bring in the others… ugh, you’re working me to the bone here. Wait, do I have bones?” Haru-san snorted, silver sweat springing from her brow and dripping to the ground. “Girls, are you ready?”

“Yes, we can endure.” “We know it is important, so do not mind us.”

Fascinating. Such a method is wonderful. Seeing the world through your Eye… for a scientist, a mortal engineer, such is a dream. I want one!

Nooo, that Eye belongs to Akio! He wooould not look good with only ooone eye!

Enough idle chatter. This is rather off-putting, sharing my mind with others. After all, our private thoughts should be our own.

Ixitt, Hyacinth and Arisu-san all contributed their thoughts. Asha too, though hers was more silent amusement. Now that we were all linked together, all the extraneous data that would otherwise drive me into unconsciousness being funnelled to Tan, who was more than capable of holding such knowledge, all that was left was a narrow focus, my Eye sharper than ever.

Chiaki-san, Chiasa-san, can you share what my Eye sees with everyone else?

Of course Akio-sama. Yes Akio-sama, we can do it. The twins’ thoughts overlapped within me, their habit of speaking for each other magnified in their thoughts. I felt gasps of surprise within me as I looked at the Lantern and the Klein Bottle it was now trapped in.

That is quite fascinating. Yes, I see the similarities… May I? Arisu-san took the Lantern. Yes, this does feel odd. Compared to my Room… another slash opened in space, violet energies flowing free.

Yes, I see it. My thoughts asked Arisu-san if she could show me more of how she manipulated the spatial element to create her Room and manipulate the interior.

Aki, I don’t think that’s wise. Arisu’s room…

Do you think I would hurt him, White? I am wounded. Arisu-san’s smile was surprisingly amused as she looked at Tan, who shrugged. After he presented you to the world as his woman, doing so now is rather too late. As long as he does not betray your trust and keeps you happy, White, we shall have no issue. Besides… her eyes were distant, as she was processing my sight that the twins and Haru-san was relaying to her, overlapping with her own. I do find this fascinating.

She stepped through the slash, and as we all followed, my gaze took in the two dimensional plane that was the opening. Wait, is that…? Physics wasn’t my best subject by any means, I had been into Computer Science, but like most guys into anime and technology, I had a basic understanding of the concepts.

That’s your Divine Favour, isn’t it? My thoughts echoed to Arisu-san, who nodded.

Yes, my gift moulds this space. Beyond it… I could never see, before, but now… she rubbed at her right eye unconsciously.

It’s very pretty. Like an ocean. Haru-san spoke for us all. It should have made no sense being able to peer through a two dimensional shape into a third dimension beyond, but just like the Klein Bottle, it worked. Beyond the entrance to the Room was another space, overlapping our world but not visible ordinarily. It was … impossible to describe with words. The closest I could come was that it was without light, yet not dark. Occasionally, a small bright flare of vivid purple energy would form, before scattering to sparks and vanishing, illuminating the space briefly.

If the ocean is full of fireflies… Shiro’s thoughts echoed. It makes me mad I missed out on your work trip to Roman-no Mori Kyowakokuin Chiba that Yasu was bragging about.

Well, you aren’t a graduate yet. When you get a job, then you can go to celebrations after a job well done.

I have a job. I’m your Shirohime. But… that, it’s the Boundary of the Boundary, right? Tan let it slip… Shiro shared with us. I was surprised that Tan had allowed any information free, but at my gaze, she merely shrugged.

“The Boundary of the Boundary…” Using my words felt strange and loud, but I rolled them around my tongue, helping me think. “I see. Actually, no, I don’t really see, but…” Arisu-san, can you try expanding your Room?

Very well. At my thought she did so, and as the Room grew spatial element gushed from Arisu, but also some of the short-lived sparks from outside were pulled in, growing the space.

That gives me an idea… Arisu-san, can you manipulate the entrance as well? I gave her an idea of what I wanted, the twins and Haru-san passing the thoughts to her. She considered it in silence, before nodding regally.

I understand what you want. With the sight I am borrowing… yes, I believe I can do it. Though for safety’s sake, we should be outside while I test this. I would so hate for you to suffer any injury. White would never let me hear the end of it.

Was that a joke, Arisu? Shiro was shocked. Arisu’s room shrank as we all exited it, and the entrance shuddered.

A joke? Do you think I am so humourless, White? We formed a ring around the Lantern, examining the twisted space from multiple directions, the twins and Haru-san labouring to array the images over one another.

Without the spatial element to work with, I never could have constructed the Klein Bottle. Originally I was working on a different device to amplify the flow, but after getting some advice, I ended up with this. And now… wonderful… Ixitt was looking on in wonder as Arisu was creating a room where the entrance itself was effectively a Klein Bottle, an object that only had one surface yet was entirely enclosed, yet had neither an inside nor an outside.

This is… immensely challenging. However… Arisu-san was smiling, despite the sweat soaking her, the dress clinging to her skin, her aether and spatial element diminishing. … it works.

The small room within, able to hold a couple of people, if they were in close proximity, huddled together, was starting to fill with faint spatial element, as the entrance was now technically the Room itself. My Eye examined it, and I realised we had achieved something special.

Paradoxical Doorway – an entrance that is itself simultaneously a fragment of separated space, dominated by another, and a door between two points, without touching those points. The gap between spaces is folded in on itself, forming a four-dimensional space from a two-dimensional one, and spatial element naturally accumulates within.

I called up a blast of wind, and it struck the Doorway, only to be routed around the outside, before flying back towards me. I warded it away with a casual backhand, before trying again with various other elements. Oddly enough, the only element that could pass inside was darkness element, which reminded me again just how poorly I understood that particular one. Darkness really does make no sense as an element, but… does spatial element make sense either?

So, what next? Arisu-san’s thoughts came across to me, tinged with curiosity. I looked over at Hyacinth, and as she met my gaze, she nodded.

I am prepared. If I need to knooow more, I shall learn. I am frustrated that the mushrooms will nooot do what they are supposed to!

All right then. Though I’m not stupid enough to put Hyacinth at risk. Time to get some test subjects. When I suggested that to Hyacinth, she giggled happily, remembering the tests we ran on the degraded kobolds. Watching the slowly accumulating spatial energy inside the Paradoxical Doorway, I glanced at the Lantern again. Spatial element… if we can learn to generate it, we won’t need to rely on the Lantern any more…