On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Three Hundred And Fifty-Six

“I think we have a misunderstanding.” I voiced my thoughts. To calm her down I materialised a large droplet of Spirit Water, and her eyes were immediately drawn to it, her hand freezing. “There’s no need for haste. I wanted to discuss Spiritually Pure Physique.” I moved my hand a little and her head tilted, following it with her eyes.

“I… I see.” She coughed, her face showing a faint expression of shame and regret. “I was too hasty. A Cultivator must always keep a cool head, not let emotion rule her, lest if affect her Dao. I was foolish.” She looked me in the eyes then. “However, my words from before are true. I do have no doubts. You shall be my Dao Companion, and it is only natural to do such things, to Cultivate together. I have seen from the others that it is not such a frightening thing.”

“No, but it’s still an important thing.” I said, reaching out with my other hand to pat her head comfortingly. “You’re away from home, you’ve lost your family, deciding in haste isn’t wise. Besides…” I smiled slyly. “I never give up a girl when she’s in my hands.” My gaze strayed to the concentrating Eri, and Daiyu softly giggled, an usual sound from her.

“I can see that. To think that my chosen Dao Companion would be so inconstant, and not even a Cultivator at that.” Her slight impish smile took the string from that insult. “Well, I do not change my mind when I have decided on something, for that will weaken my will and harm my Dao. Well, I have not yet discovered the true path of my Dao, but I know whatever it is, it will brook no cowardice, no backwards steps. So please do not insult my resolve. When I decide, I dedicate my all to it, no matter the obstacle. That is the way of Cultivation!” Her voice was raised at the end, her plea impassioned.

“Yes, and I’d never make light of that.” I promised. “But just as you are one who can make and stick to a decision quickly, I’m a bit of a worrier, a thinker. I don’t come to conclusions easily. But I do owe you, and I’m flattered you’d consider me.” I stroked her hair, my other hand still holding the glittering droplet. “You know, I feel a bit like the sort of bad adult my mom warned me and my sis about when we were kids, only I’m tempting you with Spirit Water rather than candy.”

“There are no doubt many Cultivators who would sell themselves for such a treasure.” Daiyu surprised me. “And I would not blame them for that, if their pride and their Dao can withstand such a trade, well, power is all. I… I refuse to sell. I believe I offer fair value. More, I am alone in the world now, as you said. It is the perfect time to seek a Companion to soothe my heart, share joys and triumphs, sorrows and setbacks together.” She eyed me, and my expression must have been strange, as she sighed softly.

“Do you think I am a fool, a young girl unversed in the ways of the world? There is some truth to that, I know little outside of Cultivation. But I have been trained since I could barely walk, and have long been lauded as a prodigy, jealousy, spite and envy directed towards me in a constant stream. The mouse will always look at the tiger and wish it could bite, after all. I am not weak. Nor am I foolish. Look at yourself objectively. You are not unappealing, your looks are more than satisfactory. You have great strength and knowledge, influence too. And you have a lust for knowledge and power.”

I blinked at that. I wouldn’t say I lust for power. I just know we need to get as much as we can, if we want to stay safe, live a happy life. Before I could say so, she continued. “You have been blessed by the Heavens, as I was, so we share such a burden and can understand each other. I have seen your resolve, and your bravery, as well as your emotions. And I am satisfied with what I see. If you respect me, my resolve, then say no more.” She turned to Eri then, who was watching us as she concentrated on her malformed network. “Eri… do you… sorrow… no, regret … your love?” she asked in her clumsy Japanese.

“Of course not. Never.” Eri shook her head. “I love Shaeula, I love Hyacinth. The others… well, it is hard to hate those who love who you do. And they make sure to give me my due.” Her words were a bit complicated, so with a sigh I translated for Daiyu. “I worry about Shiro. Really, I had thought I was over being so clingy.” She said sorrowfully. “I guess seeing Shiro so radiant, while I’m stuck in this broken body… I got scared, it was like a darkness inside me. But Akio, he was there, to promise he'd never forsake me, and I knew it was true, and the darkness was washed away. I’ve always loved Akio, and I could never leave him. Sharing… well, it has it’s downsides, of course I’m sure we all secretly want him to ourselves. Maybe except Motoko and Natsumi, but those two love each other as much as they do Akio. But we can’t have that. So we accept it. And there’s still more happiness to be found than I could ever have imagined.” She paused. “Although, maybe you could imagine it. After all, haven’t you been some sort of magical girl even long before all this happened?”

“Magical girl? I am a Cultivator.” Daiyu insisted after I translated. “But I agree. I am not making this decision blind to the others my Dao Companion cherishes. I promise to cherish you all too, if you will support and guide me, as a senior.” She bowed in her odd Cultivator fashion again.

“Good. You have the right sort of personality, and you’re cute too.” Eri sighed. “As I said earlier. I support you. I guess I feel sorry for you, just like Hyacinth.” She sighed. “I never used to care about anyone but Aiko and Akio. I’ve changed.”

“For the better, I think.” I said, and Eri laughed.

“I hope so. Now, the romantic comedy is distracting me, can you get on with what you were doing?”

“Sorry.” I laughed, my doubts vanishing. I had resolved to accept Daiyu previously, but had put off understanding what that meant, shoving it to the back of my mind, in the that’s for the future box, but she had made her opinion so plain that I had to face it head on. “I am resolved for the life I’ve chosen, and to take responsibility for you. But hearing your opinion on me, why me, despite our brief acquaintance… I get it. You’re not doing this lightly. And if I was to evaluate you… you’re strong-willed, driven, tenacious, full of esoteric knowledge we need, a Chosen… but you’re also cute.”

She faintly tinged red at that. Seeing that, I pressed on, the droplets of water growing bigger on my fingers, shining with orange and indigo energies, hints of silver sparkling within. “I’m done with arranged marriages. That’s why I’m not interested in any of those elves. I actually really like Moira, because she’s all business, unlike those other two flirts. But I’m past the point where I can lie to myself. Hearing the reasons you like me, your strength and resolve, it makes you all the cuter. And when I look at you, I think I want to make you happy. And…” I lowered my voice, embarrassed, which was foolish after all I’d done and shared with my fiancées now. “… I wonder what it’d be like to hold you, touch you, kiss you.”

“I am glad.” Daiyu said. “I had thought perhaps I was not enough of a woman for you to like. I have been called Black Jade the Ever-Beautiful for many years, and though the name annoyed me, I was secretly proud of it. After all, what girl hates being praised for her beauty? Though I prefer praise on my skills, my character. Praise you give me. You see what matters within me. I know I can be satisfied, and grow stronger, together.”

“Well, it’s settled. Well, it was settled before, but… Daiyu. I wasn’t fair enough, bold enough. I’d be happy… no, honoured to be your Dao Companion.” I said, kneeling before her. “Just to reaffirm, you want to be with me?”

“I do.” She agreed. “I find it sudden myself, but… it feels like the providence of the Heavens, Fate. I should never have survived the ocean, and I would not have, other than the blessing of Chang’e which I had scorned in my foolish pride. Then I was given into your care by your Government, and I found… it a most comfortable, enticing prison. It was almost like being back at my Sect… do not get me wrong, you are nothing like Cultivators, the strict hierarchy, the discipline, it is non-existent. But your striving for power and knowledge… it made me think perhaps this is a better way. The Incorruptible Jade will be born anew, and while I shall be strict, I shall extend kindness, aid to my disciples.”

“Tell her she has to meet with us all later, we’ll tell her the rules she has to follow, that we all agreed on.” Eri said, having guessed from my kneeling and her expression that I had fully accepted her. Once I had translated that, she agreed.

“Well, I am happy.” Her face was red. “I feel affirmed as a girl and a Cultivator. Now…” she eyed the Spirit Water hungrily, before giving me a coy smile, one far more animated than her usual expressions. “… you should praise me for resisting such a treasure that most Cultivators would sell themselves or kill for.”

Pulling her into a hug with my free arm, she snuggled into me happily, and I gathered more and more of the water I had created, until her eyes were wide with shock. “So much! How did you find such treasure?”

“Find? Well, I suppose that is true. At first, it came from a site deep in the lands of the Fae…” as I regaled her with the story of how we defeated Duke Myrcolaxriath and then cleansed the Spring, she listened in rapt fascination, eyes bright. When I concluded with how Shaeula and I had absorbed the concentrated Spirit Water and could now produce it ourselves, albeit at a trickle, she shuddered in my grip.

“Such… insanity.” She looked into my eyes, expression solemn. “I am not convinced even my pride would withstand the urge to make you mine, the Spirit Water mine, were you to have told me this in different circumstances. I would have been glad of my beauty, were it able to entice you…”

“Well, fortunately you don’t need to.” I said, and she sighed.

“I am grateful you seek me as I seek you. And I am relieved. My heart was calm. Though now, it is boiling again. That Water…” she looked at Eri, and asked in halting Japanese if she didn’t mind Daiyu taking it.

“I’m not interested in water element yet. I can’t do anything until my network is healed. So go ahead. It matters a lot to you, right? As your senior, I’ll be caring and supportive, so long as you don’t step out of line.”

“You heard her.” I laughed, as Daiyu looked meek at her implied threat. “Though I doubt you’ll manage to master water element with just this much.”

“I shall give it my all.” she paused. “We should keep this secret. I have no wish to have every female Cultivator, and indeed many of the males, throwing themselves at you or trying to capture you for this Heaven-sent talent. Shaeula as well. You would hate it if men started trying to woo her, no?” She smiled teasingly, which was damn cute.

“Well, Shaeula would just brush them off, or chastise them if they got out of line. But I’d like to spare her from such annoyances.” I said. “So this will be a secret between us all. So… I’m curious as to how you internalise the Spirit Water with your techniques. We would pull it to our sacral chakra.” My Eye glowed brilliantly. “It might help us improve if I observe.”

“Feel free. I shall have no secrets from my Dao Companion.” She said earnestly. “As I would hope you have none from me. Telling me you can create it, rather than it is a treasure you found, shows you trust me, which makes my heart beat fast. The Patriarch, my father, he warned me of this, of these feelings. That I must keep a cool head, not let them sway me…”

“That’s true. But… you should also revel in them too. Love is a precious thing. I always ran from it like a coward, until good women, Eri and Shaeula, they taught me I could embrace it.”

“Embrace it I shall too.” She grinned, opening her mouth wide, looking like a baby bird, and I tilted my hand, the Spirit Water pouring into her mouth. Her throat worked, small gulps, and with my Eye I could see the energy spreading through her body.

Okay, that’s different. Immediately I could see similarities to how our Chakra Networks functioned, but also some strange differences. Instead of pulling it all to her sacral chakra, most of it was being drawn towards the strange whirlpool of energies that was her unformed Dantian. The rest did go to the sacral chakra, and like normal it was absorbed within. She was pulling on the ether around us, rapidly converting and then refining it to Qi, and I watched in surprise as a similar process began to befall the Spirit Water, as it too underwent changes, remaining the same yet subtly different. Some indigo energy was extracted as well, the Moonlight within the water being refined out and added to the swirling whirlpool. Wait, I see faint strands of red in there as well…

“So powerful. It contains Yang energy as well, enriching me, strengthening my Foundation.” She was enraptured, looking at me with a flushed face. “Though soon, I will not have to worry about a lack of Yang energy, will I?”

“I guess not.” In my arms her body was beginning to sweat small pieces of silver and black slime. My Eye gave me almost the same message as before, though this time it was saying that they were spiritual.

Expelled impurities – These remnants have been purged from a spiritual body, cleaning the meridians, pathways and Dantian, as well as acupoints and chakras. All living beings naturally accumulate impurities as the world itself and the act of living is inherently impure, and these impurities naturally inhibit the accumulation of Heavenly Qi, and lower the quality of Earthly Qi one can absorb and hold within the body.

“Such rapid cleaning.” Daiyu giggled happily. “My Foundation is surely solidifying.”

“I suspect that you’ll need to wash yourself off back in the Material.” I warned, remembering. “This should be affecting your Material body as well.”

“I welcome that.” Daiyu smiled at me, dark eyes glittering. “I can feel the powerful Spirit Water being refined, becoming mine. Perhaps…” she fell into silence, thinking, and I continued to observe her body. I’ve long thought elemental energies were related to ether, after all, aether can be channelled into elemental power, though the quality and efficiency is bad. But it seems like she’s treating them similarly, whereas when I first learned with Shaeula, doing that damaged my network… hmm, there’s a secret here, I’m sure…

As Daiyu continued refining both aether and Spirit Water, I tried to peer deep into her with my Eye. She looked at me, shivering a little, her Cultivator senses alerting her to my scrutiny. “That is a little uncomfortable.” She said. “What do you see?”

Unformed Lower Dantian Rank ??? – This energetic spiritual centre is instrumental in ????????? and is the locus for Refining numerous energies into Qi, a variant ?????????? accepted by multiversal standards as a style of ???????? and ????????????. Refined Qi is gathered and ????????? and the spiritual and material bodies are strengthened and ??????????? by ??????????? as the resulting Qi is dispersed throughout the body, as fuel for Cultivation Techniques and ????????????. Heavenly and other powerful energies will overload such a fragile Dantian, and potentially cause ??????????????.

Been a while since I got such a mess of question marks. There’s some interesting things that can be inferred from what I did get, though. “Not enough. The vortex of energies around where I guess your Dantian is, or will be, it’s pretty jumbled and messy. I can’t quite grasp the process. But it reminds me of something else…” as she silently questioned me with her gaze. I spoke my thoughts. “The way your Refining takes place in one spot, and it seems to use aether and multiple elements, it’s reminiscent of the lunar chakra.” It’s not the same, certainly, but… “Unlike the other chakra, it can hold multiple elements, perhaps all of them. I think it’s worth exploring. Damn, if only my Eye was a higher Rank right now. Well, I wanted to experiment, so I’ll ask Shiro to bust out Anesidora’s blessings and we’ll try again…”

“More? you have more?” She asked me greedily, and I laughed.

“Just a little. The amount of water element I converted wasn’t all we had. Though I admit, the Silos took a hit…”

********

“Hey Aki!” Shiro waved to us as we ascended the steps up to the terrace on Asha’s Tree. Arisu-san, Bunta-san and Suzu-san were all here, and Suzu-san was talking to Asha, making animated gestures. Shiro’s gaze fell on Daiyu, and she paused. “Oh, so, something happened, didn’t it? My instincts are keen now!”

“Well, we’ve talked a bit.” I admitted. “And we understand each other better now.”

“What’s to understand, Aki? Shit, you’re a wild beast… uh, no, Arisu, I didn’t mean it like that, Aki’s totally trustworthy! I knew about little Daiyu here beforehand…” seeing Shiro starting to sweat as Arisu looked at us judgementally was a little amusing, but I detected anger in Arisu-san’s eyes.

“Well, Daiyu here is one of those under my protection. She was at Kyoto too, you might have met each other briefly.” I explained.

“I see. Well, foolish little White has made her choice it seems, now you must follow through on your promises, else my wrath will be swift and terrible.” Arisu-san intoned coldly. I resisted the urge to gulp and look away, meeting her gaze steadily.

“I’ll make Shiro happy. I’d stake my life on it. But she’s not the only one I have to make happy. I have varying degrees of responsibility to all those under my care. That goes for you as well, Arisu-san. Just say the word, and I’ll start the investigation.”

Shiro and Daiyu were exchanging words in Chinese, Tan obviously translating, having woken up. I really hope she was asleep last night like she promised. Anything else would be too embarrassing. “I see.” Shiro laughed, before addressing Arisu again. “Look, she’s a good girl, and had a bad time. Aki’s never going to ignore a cute girl in trouble. Though that doesn’t mean he’s going to jump on them indiscriminately! There’s good reasons for Daiyu here to be in! Mainly because she really likes him, and why not? I’m into Aki myself, though it embarrasses me to no end saying it!”

“Who knew the boss could be so cute?” Suzu-san grinned. “Oh hey, this tree-girl is gorgeous! I almost want her in my group, but she’s a bit too old…”

“Uh, we’re here to sort things out, right?” Bunta-san ventured cautiously, his eyes darting around the place without stopping.

“We are. Not to belabour points we have already covered.” Arisu-san bit down on a long sigh. “I will say it for the last time. I hate liars, cheats and the unfaithful more than anything. If you betray White, or me, I will make you regret it.”

“I think you could. From what I’ve seen and heard of you using your gift, you’re pretty much a genius.” I praised her genuinely. “Even coming up with these tokens, I bet it was an original invention of yours?”

“Indeed.” She agreed. “When I was granted this ability, at first I did not believe, but then I was distrustful of everything and everyone. Who would believe such a thing could happen? But I was wrong. Though I never trust my power. It was given, and what was given can be taken away. Like trust. Love.” She eyed me pointedly. “I simply use it for now.”

“No, when my love is given, it’s never taken back.” I promised. “So, do you mind showing me a bit of your ability, so I can analyse it? In exchange I can share my insights. We’ll be working together for a long time, after all.”

“I want to ask this as well. Aki’s genius at putting stuff together and making it badass. Well, he’d have to be, as all you got was an info cheat, right?” She winked at me.

“Well, that and a brief tutorial. But I’d say I’ve more a growth cheat, overall. Start slow and shitty, but pick up speed for the long run.”

“Hey, why don’t you fetch one of my dancers, Arisu-chan?” Suzu-san spoke up happily. “I’d like to show the bosses…” she grinned, expanding her form of address to me as well as Shiro now. “… how they work. Oh, I’m pretty excited!” She giggled, face flushed, drinking some of the mead that we had been brewing. Does she know that contains alcohol?

“Very well. I shall open a door to my Room.” She sighed, and as my Eye glowed, and everyone else watched keenly, a vivid violet slash opened up in space, revolving into a doorway. “Originally, my gift… it was to open doors and traverse space. A useful power, certainly, but… what a waste of potential.” She shook her head, and I marvelled at how her ex-fiancé could have been dumb enough to throw her aside. “So I experimented, and I could soon shape the space within the doors Janus granted me…”

Janus, huh? Okay, we did that one in English class, surprisingly enough. I remember having to help out the teacher with it. The months and days in Western calendars are often named after Gods or important people. Janus is January, right? I don’t know much more than he’s Roman though, and has two faces looking away from each other…

“… and here, in what you call the Boundary, I can manipulate my Room at will, should I have the spiritual strength, the aether. And connect it via multiple doors, to places I have been.” The door opened, and we could see a dark room lit by several burning purple globes of light, the floor and walls plain tiles. She let out her aether, and suddenly it changed, tables and chairs appearing. Suzu-san clapped, despite likely having seen it many times before. “Hurry on now, Suzanne-san.” She said, exasperated, and Suzu-san winked, before staggering a little and exiting the other door.

“While we wait… I discovered that I could create these…” she handed me a small, blackish-purple token, like a casino chip. “Space is folded carefully into it. They break down over time and with too much use, but when struck…” she flicked it, and grimaced. “My gift can pick up on the waves radiating from it. Though having tested these matters, it falls off quickly. More than a hundred miles, I would find difficult…” she walked to the edge of the terrace and looked down at the Ring Gate. “I would not have heard Kyoto.”

Moments later, Suzu-san came back, followed by… a rather attractive-looking woman. On closer inspection though, I could see that the woman under the flashy robes wasn’t human, only looking like she was. Her eyes were glassy orbs, pretty but lifeless, and her pale skin covered by the flashy idol dress she wore was without blemish, obviously crafted. And when she moved, short, airy skirt fluttering, I could see the knees were jointed, like a doll. It’s like a life-sized Azuki…

“Cool, huh? Well, I was…” she went back to the table and started drinking the mead again, licking her lips. “Mmm, this juice is yummy. Makes me feel warm! Anyway, I’d just arrived in Japan, ready to follow my dream, and then I’m visited by a God! I knew I was meant to be special, to shine, and… well, I’m disappointed it wasn’t Ame-no-Uzume or Benzaiten, but… well, Dionysus is a God of song and dance, right? All sorts of other things as well, including puppetry. Go on, Umi, greet everyone!”

So she names them, huh? A little creepy…

“Hello there. I am Umi, a pleasure to meet you!” She held her skirt to the sides and dipped her legs, bowing.

“I’ve been collecting my dancers, I want to make the perfect idol troupe, bigger and better than even AKB0048!” Suzu-san exclaimed, giggling. “I’ve been trying to turn them into proper Japanese puppets, karakuri, but it’s hard, they have to look beautiful and elegant. But… it would be good if they could protect themselves, and I don’t want them broken, it’s so hard to make each one. That’s why I don’t want them to get hurt or damaged!”

“Well, you should have brought them! We needed all the strength we could gather in Kyoto.” Shiro chided her, and Suzu-san’s face fell.

“But boss, you know how long I labour over each one! They’re artworks, they’re alive! Besides…” she looked at me, winking cutely. “The new boss had it in hand, right?”

Ugh, she’s hard to handle. My Eye flared, and what it displayed was enough to give me a headache.

Umi [Karakuri Puppet Automaton] – Umi is created from a number of materials, including wood, metal, flesh and aether. She has rudimentary intelligence and decision-making skills, and can follow routines that have been drilled into her with repeated practice. Her hidden parts include blades in her arms and legs, and she can release spikes from her torso.

“I just wanted to ask… what flesh did you use to make her?” I questioned, and at her reply I was relieved.

“Oh, just fallen monsters that lurked around Akihabara. Most of them end up unusable, but now and again I find an arm or a leg I can use.” Yeah, there’s definitely something off about her. Well, now she’s my vassal, I can start seeing what I can do for her. Leaving a young runaway to fend for herself is dangerous, especially one as… eccentric as her.

“Well, okay, I appreciate you showing me that. The more I know, the easier it’ll be to fit you in our plans. You can make other puppets that aren’t dancers, right?”

She pouted. “Well, sure I can, but that’s not my style.” She then cried out as Shiro whacked her gently on the back of the head.

“Don’t be rude to Aki, Suzu! Besides, you were the one who jumped into being his vassal, so tow the line! Oh, and are you drunk?”

“Drunk? No, this is just juice! It’s fruity and sweet, I like it!” she giggled. “Now you’re bullying me, boss, and I don’t like it! I don’t drink, an underage idol drunk, it’d be a scandal, and someone might try to take advantage of me!”

“No, that has alcohol in it.” Shiro shot back, irritated. “And who the hell would take advantage of you? Aki’s the only guy here… well, other than Bunta, but who counts him?”

Not exactly true, even discounting poor Bunta-san, some weaselkin over there are trying to ignore us all, I don’t blame them. “All right.” I put my hand on her head, and ignoring her drunken cries of “See, he’s already making his move, boss!” I let my Ether Healing cleanse the booze in her system. I wonder if she’s so weak to it because of who she was Chosen by? Her stats should have made this much alcohol harmless enough.

“Well, I want to investigate your puppets for their potential. It could be really useful depending on what you can do. I bet Ixitt and his Mortal Engineers would have some ideas. Anyway…” I turned back to Arisu-san. “Sorry about that. So, your ability could be awesomely helpful and solve a few of our outstanding problems. Logistics is a real pain, too much of Tokyo and the surrounds are dangerous or otherwise occupied. Getting between places is going to be really valuable.”

“I am not some sort of courier.” Arisu-san frowned. “Nor am I at your beck and call.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that. But for example, if I wanted to transfer ether to Shiro’s territory, for example, I currently can’t, but if you opened your Room, we could move it there easily enough…” Miyu to Rank 3 strikes me as a good option, as well, considering her location in Azabu. I can tithe her solidly as well. Ugh, it pushes back the start of my Rank 4 upgrade, but would make it quicker and smoother when it begins, so it’s probably worth it…

“Aki wouldn’t be stingy, would you?” Shiro implored me. “I’m sure that you’d help Arisu out, right?”

“I will. In fact, if you’re ever in danger, we’ll come rushing to your aid, and I’m prepared to help your Territory to Rank 3 as well.” I’ll consider the few days’ worth of ether a prudent investment.

“What about me?” Bunta-san asked, having been observing me.

“Of course. You’re a vassal as well. I will need to tithe a lot of ether until my own Rank 4 is done, but I can certainly push you to Rank 3 which will strengthen your defences, even if you don’t expand much. I’d be curious to see what elements and other assets are near your Territories.”

“I can pay for safety.” He nodded. Okay, so… well, there’s not much gain in Ranking up Shuta-san’s Territory considering where it is. I can still increase the tithe for a while and upgrade his Spires though. So, if we push these other Territories the way we do Haru-san’s… well, it won’t be as lucrative considering the ether density in Kyoto, but… “We’ll hold a planning session with Haru-san and the others, crunch some numbers. That means you’ve got to keep buffing, Shiro!” There’s still the Territories of my sis, Kana, and Daiyu to lay down as well. With Arisu-san, we might be able to forego the use of Ring Gates and establish somewhere useful which has access to something we need…

“Don’t I know it!” She laughed. “Anyway, so Arisu, happy? Aki’s a fair guy, he won’t cheat you.”

“I had one more question.” I asked Arisu-san. “You are extremely skilled at spatial element it seems, so I was wondering if I could get some advice?”

“Advice?” she asked. “From me?”

“Who better? I’ve no spatial element myself, but I’ve replicated a bit of the effects with aether occasionally, though it’s difficult and draining.” Shaeula and Kondou Kazuo both got hit by spears I moved through space via aether. The accuracy is lousy and it takes a lot of energy, but… “I have a partial skill, called Void Motion, and I was wondering if you could help me get it to work?”

“I see.” Arisu-san looked at Shiro, who was giving her a hopeful look, while translating for the equally curious Daiyu. “Very well, I can spare some advice, for… a companion.” I felt happy when she said that, and Shiro pumped her fist, elated. “Do not get carried away.” She continued. “I am prepared to trust you, since White here has vouched for you, and I have observed your Territory and it seems to be run fairly. The Dryad…” she nodded at Asha. “… has also spoken of your heroics. So, Void Motion… it sounds like a skill to move through space.”

“Yeah, I fought against a Yokai who could effectively teleport short distances. It was a pain to combat.”

“I can imagine. Well, my doors and Room are far less problematic. Consider this…” she lectured me, her charisma plain, and I thought that I could see why she was such a popular actress back before all the scandals. “If you move carelessly through space, then you could easily end up trying to occupy the position of something else. Such would be… deleterious to your good health.” She sniffed. “Intense, rapid thinking and an excellent grasp on your position and the position of that which surrounds you would be required. A mistake would be costly.”

“I see. Well, I can see all around me easily enough…” I flared my Eye and expanded my vision. It ached my brain, but my increased Split Thoughts could handle it. “But I don’t have the spatial element to get a grasp on it. But since you seem able to use yours in creative ways…”

“Fine. In exchange… I ask that you do as you promised. I will put my faith in you. I wish for vindication.” She finally admitted.

Shiro and Suzu-san clapped happily, and Umi did a spin, waving her arms a bit mechanically. Even Bunta-san looked a little less edgy for a moment. “Well, I’d do that anyway, being as you’re now my friend.” I promised. “But if it makes you feel more comfortable having a give-and-take relationship for now, that’s fine too.”

“Well, here then…” she began to draw in deep purple energies around her, starting to form the door, only to frown, the flow of energy changing, the door shattering into purple sparks and fragments…

********

“I did it!” I smiled triumphantly, only to stagger, blood pouring from my cut thigh. “Shit, well, almost.” Ether Healing quickly sealed the wound, and I looked down to see I had winged a table.

“Calculation is hard, even for us.” Arisu-san observed. “And this requires incredible precision.”

“I don’t think that’s the issue.” I mused. “I did the calculations correctly, my stats are easily high enough for that. It’s hard to perceive in three dimensions so precisely. Well, perhaps hard isn’t the right word. Let me try again…” I used my Eye to gain a grasp on my surroundings, and as my Split Thoughts worked, I could feel one of my bonds, one with Shaeula, start to quiver, and for a moment my mind was filled with fuzz, before suddenly everything became clearer, and amber letters flared across my vision.

You have gained a skill, Spatial Perception Rank 1. This skill allows you to understand, perceive and calculate positions and trajectories in space instinctively, allowing you to perform attacks from difficult angles and also dodge more easily. Your overall calculation abilities improve, and your ability to grasp and understand irregular and non-Euclidean spaces increases as the skill grows. [Class: Powerful] [Type: Rule]

Got it! I can do this… I asked Arisu-san to supply more spatial element, and this time the jump was successful.

“I see. So that’s how it works. Well… now to replicate it with aether, since I’m out of spatial element.” I used my Eye to try and replicate what I could see, the violet energies far more ephemeral and harder to grasp than even light or darkness. Pouring out aether to try and reach the same effect I failed, Void Motion not activating. After several more failures, I turned to Shiro.

“Hey, can you use your blessing to buff my Mystic Eye of the Tree of Knowledge? I was going to need it to check out more about Daiyu’s Dantian anyway, so now is a good time to experiment.”

“Sure thing.” She unleashed a tide of aether into me, and suddenly the world around me changed, slowing down a little, my Eye burning a brilliant golden-amber.

Your skill, Spatial Perception has increased from Rank 1 to Rank 2. You further…

I see. Yes, and so the spatial element is like that. Channelling aether, I poured energy into a form that matched the finer detail of the violet energies. It wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough, and then I shifted. Several dozen metres up in the air, above everyone’s heads, I laughed, feeling flushed with success.

You have gained a skill, False Void Motion Rank 1. The shattered remnants have been stitched together, and…

As I descended, a little wind element slowing my fall, my Eye fell upon Daiyu, who was still refining the remains of the Spirit Water. This time, my vision blurred, needles of pain knifing into my head, Split Thoughts taking some of the strain. When I blinked, a number of question marks had vanished.

Unformed Lower Dantian Rank 1 – This energetic spiritual centre is instrumental in Cultivation and is the locus for Refining numerous energies into Qi, a variant spiritual system accepted by multiversal standards as a style of enlightenment and dominance. Refined Qi is gathered and standardised and the spiritual and material bodies are strengthened and normalised by ??????????? as the resulting Qi is dispersed throughout the body, as fuel for Cultivation Techniques and ????????????. Heavenly and other powerful energies will overload such a fragile Dantian, and potentially cause Deviation.

I see. I understand. I… time seemed to slow down, and I realised I had lost control of my body, and as I heard panicked cries from the girls I slammed headfirst into the terrace, my consciousness fading, Split Thoughts scattering…