On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor Side Fifty-Three – Cracks Starting To Show – End Of Arc 5

Side Fifty-Three – Cracks Starting To Show – End Of Arc 5

First Crack - Choe Museon Private Boarding Academy – Sowhere in South Korea

“Jun-Seo, what do we do? Your sister has control of the kitchens and supply rooms. If we don’t do sothing, she’ll starve us out.”

Jun-Seo frowned, running a hand through his ssy dark-brown hair. Biting at his lip, he tried to project an image of strength and confidence, but it was hard for him, always being stuck in the shadow of his twin sister. Even now, his sister was blocking him at every turn, ruining his life, his new chance for glory and success!

“The internet is down too, right? And there’s never been any mobile signal here. Go to a boarding school and build character, separated from the distractions and temptations of modern life, my parents said. I bet yours were similar, right?”

The boy that was speaking to him turned away, grimacing, and Jun-Seo got the urge to berserk him to ruin, but quickly pushed down that desire, knowing it would be too wasteful. After all, he didn’t have as many followers as his damn sister, her gift was the opposite of his, constructive rather than destructive. Still, after having seen his Berserker Blood in action, Jun-Seo was convinced that for once he could outshine her.

“Well yeah.” The boy said at last. “Choe Museon prides itself on ascetic discipline and self-reflection, as well as high achievents. None of us are here because we volunteered. Anyway, Cho-Hee noona… err… your sister…” as Jun-Seo glared at the boy, he changed his term of respect towards his sister. “… must have used her Obedience on one of the teachers who knew where the junction boxes were. Pretty smart, just what you’d expect from noona… err, your sister.”

It was smart, unfortunately, as the internet was the only way to connect to the outside and call for help to end this madness. Still, for once both he and Cho-Hee were in agreent. This school was now their playground, and only one of them could rule. Still, while Berserker Blood was more powerful, it wouldn’t help secure them food. It was impossible to stop them getting water, there were too many toilets and bathrooms scattered around the school and the dormitories, but with only what food they could scrouge up from the dorms, they would grow weaker quickly.

“Obedience has the advantage in that she can use it to conquer the drivers who deliver supplies regularly. It’s the perfect power for a slut like my sister…”

“Cho-Hee noona isn’t like tha… err, never mind.” The boy protested, trying to defend her before realising it was just provoking Jun-Seo further. Pushing down the urge to berserk the annoying little Ssi-Bal-Nom, Jun-Seo had to admit that while his sister was popular and all the boys and most of the girls all dread of her as a partner, a lover, his sister was always scrupulous in avoiding relationships, probably because she was too damn stuck-up and viewed everyone as beneath her. Especially him. They were twins, how could she constantly disrespect him so?

“The neutral groups will need to pick a side soon.” Jun-Seo started pacing restlessly. His blood was boiling, ever since the first ti he had used Berserker Blood on a person, watching as they lost all reason, their eyes and ears bleeding as they raged and rampaged until their body failed, bones breaking and muscles tearing. At first he had been sick, spending several days curled up into a ball and crying at what he had done, but… his sister had forced him to act! It was her fault, all her fault! And after the first death… it was easier. Now dozens of students and staff mbers were dead, used up in berserk rages. Still, that ant that his own forces were dwindling.

“If they don’t side with us, we’ll have to… appropriate their resources.” He finished coldly. After all, if he didn’t, his sister would. Her ever-growing army of mindless slaves was an annoyance, but unless Cho-Hee controlled them directly, they were little more than zombies.

“Yeah, I get we need more allies, but… if we make a move, your sister will know.” The boy complained.

“OF course she will. My amkae of a sister probably has sympathisers in our own camp. Still, she’s too smart, so she doesn’t understand actions that seem to make no sense…” There was another way, one only he could take. Him and his damned sister. “Tonight, I’ll use berserker blood on a couple of the prisoners we have. When they are distracting her, forcing her to respond, you lead our people to take over the dormitory where the girls who didn’t want to fight are holed up… feel free to make examples of a few if you need to.”

“All right…” the boy looked equal parts excited and fearful of the actions to co. “But what about you? Where will you be?”

Jun-Seo rely smiled enigmatically, revelling in his superiority. While my sister is fighting fires here, I shall fight in the otherworld, and finally dislodge her entirely. When she loses that, it’ll only be a matter of ti before I have her kneeling at my feet, repenting for all the tornt she has put through over the years…

Before the outside world noticed the hell Choe Museon had beco, Jun-Seo needed to completely consolidate his control, and extract every ounce of profit available here. After all, had not the Dokkaebi told him he would be the ruler of Korea, no, the world? Not realising he was rubbing his hands together in glee, an expression of creepy delight on his face, Jun-Seo imagined the future he would have, when everyone would have to finally respect him.

Cho-Hee, I won’t kill you of course. You are my… beloved… sister. I’ll let you watch as I finally take my place as the sibling everyone loves and respects! Our parents… I can hardly wait to see their faces, as they regret treating so much worse than you!

********

Second Crack – Luisenstadt, Berlin, Germany

“Hey mister, can you spare so change? I’m soooooooooo hungry.” Adelheid took advantage of her childish features to make her look even younger than she was, her pale blue eyes watering convincingly, as if she was on the verge of tears.

The man she had approached, an older man wearing a long, not particularly clean trench coat over denim, scratched at his untidy brown beard idly, eyeing Adelheid. His gaze ran up and down her short, slender form, which was wearing a white sumr dress that had seen better days, a small backpack over her exposed shoulders.

“Are you sure it should be here?” One of the squires asked, looking around at the poor interior of the humble church on the outskirts of the city. “If you are planning to open a Hallowed Ground, surely the Theotokos Cathedral would be a better place to start…”

Judge Alexandru conceded the point, but quickly disabused his squires of their incorrect notions. “Peace, my acolytes. The will of the Lord is absolute, and the ons have been interpreted. To cleanse an ancient evil, we must root it out, and dark shadows lurk in Cluj-Napoca, long forgotten. I was told to seek out the ancient places and wipe away the filth.” His intense gaze grew distant. “I was born here in this city. I was a man of scant faith, little more than a rat running through the streets, content to live in squalor and steal what I could to survive. Until the great Judgent-Cardinal ca across , and saw my potential. And now… now I have been validated, blessed by one of the Principalities of God, a Heavenly Angel.”

At those words they all made the sign of the cross, bowing their heads in piety. “Alas, the tatron has spoken, and the Heavenly Choirs cannot yet manifest in this barren world devoid of faith, full of evils that must be cleansed. And there is such an evil hidden here.” His gaze hardened once more as he gripped his ceremonial weaponry. “I rember this church, I often hid here as a child when I was avoiding trouble, or fleeing the scene of my pilfering. It was said to be the oldest Church in the whole province. Yet there was never any priest here, or any mass held. And now, when we have an ancient wrong to right, where better to start, I thought? It surely is the whispers of the Ninth Heaven, inspiring .”

Everyone once more bowed in prayer, before Judge Alexandru closed his eyes and started praying, running through the Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary, and other less common, more… esoteric… utterances. His breathing started to slow, and a few minutes later, he appeared to be asleep, an expression of joy and faith across his still features.

Turning to his fellow squire, one spoke, asking a question. “How long do you think we have to wait? Judge Alexandru was unclear.”

“As long as it takes.” The other squire answered. “We should pray, brother. This is a church, is it not?”

He nodded. “Yes, it is. Still, what an ill-oned na. Church of the Bloody Thorn. I expect it is a reference to the Longinus that pierced the side of Christ, but even so…” he shivered, a chill running down his spine.

“The older churches often had bloody and unpleasant histories and relics. You should study your theology more, brother.”

As the two priests prayed and chatted, waiting for their master to return, they failed to hear a faint whimpering coming from below the dark, mysteriously stained, oaken floor, nor the scratching of what sounded like nails on wood…

********

Seventh Crack – Fyodor Technological Institute, Moscow, Russia

The small laboratory was filled wall-to-wall with monitors, each displaying either masses of complicated code, or images of various schematics for so sort of device. The flickering light-strips overhead were barely needed to light the space, as the illumination from all the monitors drowned the room in electronic colours.

In the centre of the room, sitting in a comfortable chair, was a small girl, her pale white hair and skin having barely ever seen the sun. Her moist pink eyes were focused and sharp, gazing at one of the monitors, while her fingers dashed over the wireless keyboard she was holding in her lap, typing away at a furious speed.