On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Four Hundred And Seventy-Nine

“That ability of yours is incredibly useful. To think you can travel between London and Tokyo in the blink of an eye.” Eleanor said, clearly impressed. “If only we could do the same, our troubles would be greatly lessened. Even being able to travel the other world between our major cities would make defence trivial. It’s your maid who grows the mushrooms that make up the Fairie Rings, doesn’t she?”

“You’re fooling nobody, Princess.” David snorted, though his own expression was grim. “You just want to put off what we’re doing. Not that I blame you. But poor old Raidre is looking sick. He hates talking about that mad maid.”

Raidre, who had joined us when we went back to London, scratched his cheek grimly. “That Boggart, or Brownie, or whatever she claims to be is dangerous. Extremely so. You should be very wary of her.”

“Yes, Hyacinth is. But she’s also kind, and I don’t like you talking that way about her.” I insisted. “She knows not to be reckless with her abilities. As for the Ring Gates, yes, she was the one who grew it on Bermondsey Isle. It’s not easy and takes time, but hopefully she’ll expand the Gate Hub in due course, since Primal Forest apparently allows it outside of the Fae lands, Not that he has much choice, Shaeula’s got him under her thumb due to the Spring reforestation and rewilding project.” I too was not eager to undertake the task ahead, but steeling my will, I continued. “But yeah, being able to move freely between the Boundary and Material is a hugely useful ability. Being able to do it took me a lot of effort though.” And shedding my humanity, not that I particularly mind, as now we know sapient races exist and have the same sorts of thoughts, emotions and feelings as we do, though spiritual beings definitely seem more prone to extremes of behaviour and emotion…

“In any case.” I finished. “There’s no point putting this off. I want to get back to see how the competition is going, and I’ve a lot to do. No rest for the wicked, as my mom would say.”

“A very British saying.” Eleanor approved, steeling herself. “Yes, David is right, much as it frustrates me. I am not eager to see Donovan again. Not after… his betrayal, and worse.” She was in an elegant white ruffled shirt and blue jeans, now we were back in the Material, and outside of her plate armour she looked frail and delicate.

“It’ll be fine, princess. Shit, this is where old man Arthur would be handy.” Sir Arthur had gone to prepare for our next task. As David cursed, he tried to reassure Eleanor. “Look, the little shit is harmless. Armless and harmless.” He made a crude joke. “I’m here, and I’ll bash his fucking face in if he tries anything. Akio will too, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah, it must be unpleasant, facing him again, but nothing bad will happen.”

“Mr Reckless, I understand you are trying to help, but don’t bark at Princess Eleanor like that.” Mrs Mary-Jane chided. We hadn’t wanted her to come, but she seemingly felt guilty she hadn’t seen Donovan’s growing madness, and as a teacher and a mother, she felt she had the duty to be one of the voices of wisdom on the team, along with Sir Arthur.

“You say that, but it’s cheered her up!” David pointed at Eleanor with one of his thumbs, and she did look less pale. “I can’t say I’m eager to see the little shit, or the redhead who betrayed us, or the nun bitch who nearly killed me, but we have to put an end to things. The redhead was right, for all her stupidity.”

“Yes, we must.” Eleanor agreed, taking a deep breath. “So, let us proceed with it. I am prepared for… unpleasantness. He is apparently far from sane.”

“Not that he was before, by all accounts.” I reassured her. “Anyway, I’ll handle it.” As Eleanor pushed open the door I could see that the prison hospital room was bare, Donovan strapped to a bed in the middle with thick leather bindings. Ordinarily it would have seemed like overkill, but Donovan was a Chosen, so even so crippled, he could potentially be dangerous. He could easily try and bite out throats, or perhaps try and use aether or his ability…

On hearing us come in, Donovan turned his head, despite the strap holding his neck in place. “Useless bastards, I’m hungry…” he rasped hoarsely, and Eleanor and Mrs Mary-Jane seemed horrified at his condition and his change in attitude. Mrs Mary-Jane gasped, and Eleanor’s pale face whitened further.

Donovan froze momentarily as the orderly he expected turned out to be his erstwhile comrades. His eyes went wide, and then his expression changed, still steeped in madness, but with a cruel, predatory cast. He licked his dry lips, gazing at Eleanor like she was prey. “So you came back, Princess. I was thinking you had forgotten me. Me, who will be king!”

“Dream on, jackass.” David snarled, as I stepped in front of Eleanor to shield her from his view. “You’re a fucking nugget now, and it’s more than you deserve. I’d have cut your head off too and ended it, prick.”

“David, you dare…” he suddenly stopped speaking, eyes narrowing, and I reacted, pushing Eleanor back behind me while also pulling Mrs Mary-Jane away. David spotted it too, and reacted, raising his fists in a block, while Raidre flared his aether. Sparks of dazzling green and yellow blurred into chartreuse forks of energy, which arced through the air, forming at first a wheel, and then a spear, before spreading out into a series of racing bolts, the air smelling of ozone.

“Nice try!” David groaned as the lightning numbed him. “But Caturix doesn’t fear the storm.”

I unleashed water element, drawing in the lightning heading our way, and it sparked violently, before fading. On the bed, Donovan was breathing heavily, sweat on his forehead, and he glared at me hatefully. “You! You’re the one that sent that little bitch, interrupting my due!” A second wave of lightning flashed, but it was significantly weaker than the first, and I smothered it with more water element.

“Your due, huh? If you wanted Eleanor so badly, why didn’t you try wooing her the traditional way? As far as I’m aware, she’s single.” Eleanor nodded instinctively, before her expression shifted to one of regret. “As a teammate, a friend… you’d have had a lot of opportunities to impress her. But instead…”

“What do you know?” Donovan yelled, his voice cracking with malice. “I’m meant to be a king, I always was! A king doesn’t hesitate, a king takes what he deserves! Eleanor should have been happy to be mine, that little orange-haired bitch too…” He then cried out as a blow of wind smashed into his jaw, hard enough to knock out a tooth. Blood beads glittered, and he glared at me balefully.

“Mind your mouth. Shaeula’s too good for you, even if you were a king. And Eleanor is too. You had a chance to be a hero, to make a difference, and you let your greed consume you.” I took a deep breath, feeling a surge of anger. It was like looking in a distorted mirror. There are times I’m tempted too, thinking that because I was chosen for this, I’m special. That people should be grateful for what I do for them. But… so long as I’m happy, and my family, friends and those I love are happy, that should be enough for me… even when I’m Astral Emperor and rule Earth, I still can’t take the adulation and respect of others for granted. It has to be earned, not demanded… “Even so, it’s not too late to salvage some dignity. If you accept your wrongdoings and make amends…”

“Fuck off!” Donovan snarled, spittle flying from his lips as he raged. “This isn’t over! I know that people can recover even from missing limbs now. I’ve heard the idiots talking…” Eleanor looked grim at that, and Donovan’s crazed smirk grew wider. “…I’ll make a comeback! You’ll see I’m the only man who can rule by your…”

“Enough.” Eleanor said softly, and Donovan paused for a moment, before continuing.

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“…side. It was meant to be, and…”

“Enough!” Eleanor said, louder and firmer. Donovan seemed surprised, but Eleanor wasn’t done. “Donovan, if the only man who can stand at my side is you, then I would rather throw myself off the cliffs of Dover and perish.” As David laughed at that nastily, I watched Eleanor, surprised. Seeing me looking, she appeared a little ashamed. “Of course, I know my duty is heavy. But I’m not a saint. I have no objection to sacrificing for the good of Britain and its citizens, but there’s sacrifice, and then there is being tormented. Besides, you should understand, no?”

I did. Before I could answer her, Donovan grew increasingly frantic. Shimmering sparks of lightning gathered, but again I smothered it out before he could cause any harm. “I think you should be gagged, little shit.” David quickly found a cloth and bound Donovan’s mouth, and he glared at us with deep-seated hatred and at Eleanor with undisguised lust. “Sorry about that Princess, teach. You shouldn’t have to listen to his bullshit, it’ll rot your ears. At least the dumb redhead I could maybe understand, but this worm…”

“Power can corrupt. I’ve seen it. It’s just like in South Korea. Those who aren’t mentally strong might warp, especially… when pushed.”

Eleanor understood. “Maxwell Power, or whatever was masquerading as him. He’s been manipulating matters behind the scenes. And it looks like Donovan here was fertile ground for his demagoguery.”

“Yes. But we have to take responsibility for our own actions. And some things I don’t think can be forgiven. I know I can’t forgive his behaviour. I can only thank all the Gods Shaeula got there in time.” I glared at Donovan, who couldn’t speak, gagged as he was, but his eyes were full of hatred. “But even so, the law will judge you.” I continued. “But before that… it’s time to reclaim what you used for unworthy purposes.”

“You can do it safely?” Eleanor asked me to confirm, even as Donovan thrashed in his bonds.

“You’ve already asked him that, Princess.” David snorted. “Nervous? Who cares if the little shit suffers.”

“It’s fine.” My Eye glowed brilliantly. “I’m better than ever. And I’ll need to be. This is just the warmup.” Aether shimmered, along with a little adherence strengthening the scalpel-like blades of invisible energy. The missing parts of Donovan were reflected in his spiritual body, and the flow of aether he contained was much reduced. The Favour looked somewhat like a wheel, enveloping his heart and solar plexus Chakras. Lightning element, now much diminished after his angry attempts to harm us, was flowing around it in glowing arcs. I gently eased in the blades, and after a few minutes of work the Favour came free. This damaged his subtle body severely, but with my Ether Healing and Chirurgery, I was able to repair the damage. I see. The Territory he was linked to has collapsed. Unlike when Tsukiko passed me Tsukuyomi’s Favour voluntarily, there’s no connection left. Perhaps it’s the difference between a voluntary, planned transfer and this forcible extraction?

“It’s done?” Eleanor asked, seeing Donovan glaring at us with a mixture of hatred and loss, his eyes wet with tears. Mrs Mary-Jane looked away, sad even now, but I had no sympathy for him. Raidre, having seen the end of it, slipped out silently, his thoughts his own.

“It is.” I agreed. “Taranis’ Wheel Of Thunder.” I saw the description of the Favour, and explained it.

This Divine Favour is made of concentrated Adherence, refined Ether and ??????????. The wielder can call upon Lightning to paralyse and disorient their enemies, as well as forge it into a spear of destructive force, or a shield of Lightning energy. Just as Taranis wielded a spear of Lightning to force his foes to kneel, and the wheel of Thunder to travel at great speed, so too will the storm overtake and dominate your foes. Class [Imperious]. Type [Principle].

“Looks like the little shit wasn’t getting the best out of it.” David said mirthlessly. “So, not suitable for teach here, I’m guessing?”

“I don’t see any particular affinity I’m afraid…” I apologised, and she shook her head.

“I hardly had expectations, Mr Oshiro.” With one last regretful look at Donovan, who was now exhausted, a significant portion, though not all, of his enhanced abilities gone from him, she gestured to the door. “Should we go? You are a busy man.”

That’s true. I glanced at the Princess, who nodded, and with that we left the room, not looking back, though by the tense set of Eleanor’s hands, her knuckles white, she certainly wished to…

********

“This has already been a horrible day.” Eleanor grimaced. “And now…” We were outside a cell, the door securely shut. “…it gets worse.”

“No kidding.” David snorted sourly. “I could use a beer or ten after this. But with my constitution, it’s murder to get drunk. What a pain.”

“True. It took me a while to learn to control my body and its tolerance to poisons.” I agreed. “But some Faerie drinks tend to have the effects of drunkenness without alcohol, so they still work. I can send you some later.”

“That would be great.” David agreed. “Going to need to drown my sorrows. What about you, Princess?” he asked slyly, and she frowned.

“I’m not much of a drinker, not like you. And I can’t drown all my sorrows…” she sighed, and I had an idea.

“Well then, why not come and hang out with Azuki? You seemed to like her. She’ll have tasks to do in the Boundary, so I’m sure she’d like the company.” I had noticed her delight when she saw the Zashiki-Warashi. “In fact, it’s said in Japan that every object loved and cared for over many decades, a hundred years, eventually develops a spirit, becomes a Tsukumogami, a type of Yōkai. I don’t know if that’s just in Japan, or it applies elsewhere as well, but there are likely many other beings such as Azuki out there. We’ve been thinking perhaps we should track them all down. If they are happy where they are, in loving homes, and still treasured, that’s fine, but if they have become dangerous or evil, they need to be dealt with, or if they are lonely, unloved and lost we can gather them to be treasured again.”

Eleanor’s sapphire eyes, not dissimilar in shade to my sister’s eyes, gleamed at the thought. Seeing that my words had successfully distracted her from her dark ruminations, I smiled. “Perhaps one day our estate will be filled with dozens or even hundreds like Azuki.”

“I’d very much like to see that. Grandmother would too.” Eleanor admitted in the end. “Now her health is much improved, and she says she is full of fresh energy, she plans to return to state visits. Though now is not a good time.”

I nodded. “Yeah, not with my Foresight screaming something bad is coming. I wish I could narrow it down, before there were hints, if only I could draw the right conclusions, but here…”

“I expect the lack of a hint is the point.” Eleanor mused. “A more general, widespread threat, I assume.”

“That’s what we decided too.” I explained my reasoning, and Eleanor was once more distracted. “…so everyone should be careful and alert.” I finished. “Anyway, do you feel better?”

Eleanor nodded. “Yes, you distracted me from this for a moment. But… there is no point putting it off. Grandmother always said problems don’t solve themselves. And my brothers would laugh at me, seeing me so weak.” She took a deep breath. “David, Mary-Jane, are you ready?”

At their affirmative answer, we entered the cell, to see the red-headed Scottish woman, Sarah McLaughlin, lounging on her bed, idly reading a book. She wasn’t manacled or shackled, showing the trust that Eleanor had in her, despite her betrayal. On seeing us she smiled knowingly, before noticing me, and one eyebrow arched in surprise, before a knowing look came over her face. “Aye, so that be how it be, then?” David frowned at her words, and she continued, needling at him. “Nae got the guts tae do it yourself, big man? I’m shocked.”

“Oh shut it.” David shot back. “When you want something done, ask a professional. Besides…” he growled, angry. “You should be happy, stupid redhead. This way at least you won’t suffer. Even that prick Donovan is mostly unharmed. Though that’s as it should be. No way the two of you should get off so easy.”

“So cruel. Do ye think the same, Princess?” Sarah asked her, and Eleanor shrugged.

“We were comrades, and I hoped friends. But you sold me out, Sarah. That… I can’t look past that. Even so… the time we shared together, side by side, back to back, I can’t forget that either. But it isn’t just about me, or Mary-Jane, Aditi, David, Sir Arthur, Raidre and his slain people… it’s about Britain, and the wider world. So…”

“Aye. I have strength ye can use. Though the power given by Mary Stuart, I expect ye should nae touch it. Messing with the power of God be blasphemous and God nae be forgiving, ye ken?”

“Really? I’m not. particularly religious, but my mom’s a Christian, and she says God’s all about forgiveness.” I disagreed, and Sarah merely smiled knowingly. “In any case… I won’t know until I’ve tried.” My Eye glowed again, revealing the twin Favours she held. The first was the ability to create defensive barriers and strengthen shields and armour. The name of the Favour was now merely question marks, as was most of the description, and it was tied to the second Favour, which had replaced her crown Chakra, the Linked Principality. At the time I wasn’t able to do much assessment of it, as my Eye wasn’t as developed, and I was too busy trying to survive, but now I could clearly see the tangles of adherence that had snaked out of it, through her body and into the other Favour, changing it. It’s wrapped around the absence, the ????????.

The way that the Favour was altered was somewhat reminiscent of how Akoman’s Evil Wisdom had degraded the Favours in Korea, but it was entirely different a mechanism. The Favour Sarah originally had, while stripped of its prior nature, didn’t seem weaker, but if anything it burned brighter with aether and adherence, supplied from the Linked Principality. As for the Linked Principality itself… I can see the connecting strings of adherence, though they are again wrapped around a tangle of ????????. Removing it isn’t going to be easy…

As we all stood there in silence, Sarah shifted under my penetrating gaze. After a moment she looked at David a touch accusingly, her face slightly pink. “Are ye going tae stand there and let him look at me that way? Do ye nae be jealous?”

David snorted bitterly. “Think very highly of yourself, redhead, don’t you? Perhaps I thought you were a strong woman worth the pursuit, but nothing matters more to a man than loyalty. I can’t forgive your actions. If it were just me… but you betrayed the Princess, old man Arthur, teach and little miss Indian, Raidre… everyone who stood up and fought for Britain. Besides…” he grinned savagely. “You think you’re worth his interest? Dream on.”

“That be rather hurtful, ye ken. I’m nae bad looking.” Sarah said with a resigned sigh. “Ye should have done it the usual way. Like I swallowed up your favour, Mary-Jane.” Her words stung, but the older woman merely smiled back sadly, her eyes full of complex emotions. “As it be, ye will nae get it out without killing me. I be linked tae something far, far greater.”

“What’s so great about it? Instead of fighting each other, if we’d have worked together we could have pooled our strengths. Instead… this. When you stare into an abyss, the abyss stares back. You’ve become worse than the foes you claim to fight.” I criticised her, and she frowned.

“What gives ye the right…” she began, and froze as my aether dug into her, her body spasming, partially paralysed.

“The fact I won, the same right you’re trying to claim. But despite all that, Eleanor, David and the others don’t want you to die, just to face justice. I respect that. So shut up and let me work…” Sarah looked up at me, her blue eyes shining with resentment and also a faint tinge of gratitude, and I slowly began to work on removing the original Favour she possessed. Even with my great skills, the tangle of messy adherence was too great to remove entirely, and each strand cut inflicted backlash on her body, the Linked Principality unleashing adherence and also sucking it in. Time passed, my Eye aching from overuse, sweat dripping from me like rain, my concentration honed to a razor-sharp focus, all the Split Thoughts running in parallel, trying to simulate the outcomes.

Cut, slice, dig out. Apply Healing there. Chirurgery to repair the damaged capillaries here. Cut, sew, stitch, replace. More Healing. Damn, this is hard…

Beneath me, Sarah was silent, her pale skin now a ghostly white, her own sweat having mingled with mine. Her lips were sliced open by her teeth as she gnawed on herself to supress the pain, and her eyes were wide, staring.

“Shit, is it going well? I don’t know…” David began, only for Mrs Mary-Jane to silence him, telling him to let me work in peace, without distractions. I barely heard him, and Eleanor placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. Feeling her touch, I doubled down on my focus, despite the efforts I was already making. Fuck, of course it’s not always going to be that easy. This one is… cut, slice, pull, repair the voids, sew up…

More time passed, even my keen Perception not able to tell how long, and suddenly the mangled Favour popped free. It was barely intact, and wouldn’t keep together for long. Looking around, my eyes met Eleanor, who was still squeezing my shoulder, and swiftly I made my decision. It’s far from perfect, but it will be more use to her than me gaining a Level or two from the breakdown…

“What are you…” Eleanor was surprised as she felt an invasive sensation, aether and adherence squirming into her. Fortunately, the changed Favour was unravelling itself, providing adherence, so I was able to direct the collapsing energies to Eleanor. I wasn’t able to see her Levelling up, but she obviously felt it, as she looked rather shaken.

“You… why?” she asked, and I shrugged, exhausted, but not done. I focussed on the Linked Principality, which was angrily sending pulses of damaging adherence through Sarah’s body, blood was spraying from her ears, nose and mouth, even bleeding from her eyes, as David started to panic, and Mrs Mary-Jane looked sick.

“The Favour was trashed, but I think you’d get much greater benefits from it than I would. Now I have to act fast…” With no time to be gentle, I cursed the One True Throne, who was seemingly responsible for the Favour, and its self-destructive resistance to being tampered with. My Eye stared deep into it, and my own orb started to bleed, the backlash punishing. It’s definitely a sort of link, a passage, maybe… With no time to react, I had no choice, severing the entire area around it, while desperately trying to preserve the key areas of Sarah’s Chakra network around it. She convulsed, passing out, and seconds later, a brilliant rainbow light flared, aether, adherence and something more scattering as the Favour detonated.

You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased from One Hundred And Forty-Five to One Hundred And Forty-Six…

Gathering up all the displaced energies I could, while shielding and isolating the area, preventing the backlash from obliterating her subtle body, I continued to work on Sarah, repairing the damage the Linked Principality had done to her body. Eleanor watched on, her grip on my shoulder uncomfortably tight, but I had no attention to spare for it. Fortunately my Chirurgery was stronger than ever, and I had experience of many different types of Chakra networks. I bored fresh branches and capillaries, drilled new meridians, and began the arduous task of replacing the now non-existent crown Chakra, all the while bleeding off build-ups of aether which had nowhere to properly circulate. This is painfully familiar. It reminds me of the damage I suffered when I first started fumbling at creating my own Chakra network, before Shaeula instructed me properly. I couldn’t see it back then, but my intuition tells me it’s similar. If so…

“Don’t die, stupid redhead. That’s the easy way out.” David declared, frustrated. He punched the wall, heedless of blood scattering from his knuckles, denting the concrete. “If you don’t live to regret it, how can we feel happy?”

“What will be will be.” Eleanor declared, her own expression grave as she watched us, her grip a vice-like claw. “But for what it’s worth, I don’t believe you will give up, will you Akio? A man as selfish as you surely is bad at surrender.”

I didn’t have time to reply, and I took it as a compliment, despite her perhaps not meaning it that way, instead I started the perfectly adapted Chirurgery I had used so often. A lunar Chakra was bored into her body and connected up, which relieved the pressure, as it was taking time to fill with aether and her lingering elemental energies. I started draining out as much as I could, which also caused her some minor damage, but compared to the half-formed crown Chakra, it was trivial and could be fixed later. Aether flooded out of me, and Mrs Mary-Jane shielded her reddened eyes from the visible halo-like glow around me. Wait, that’s right, maybe…

“Prominence Dawn!” I declared, Spirit Water surging. It was drawn into the bright ring, fringed with dark to counterbalance it, and the water element with precious spiritual and healing properties was fortified with light, becoming something else, something powerful. Gleaming golden droplets shimmered, and I poured them into the working I was doing, the aether I was weaving now impregnated with the shining waters. The convulsions of Sarah stopped, her body temporarily flooded with the new energies, the lunar Chakra gathering it all, preventing it from running wild. As the glittering waters reached the crown area, I spun dozens of tendrils of aether, pushing my limits, blinking away several amber notifications in my eyes, and with one final surge of effort, recreated the missing crown Chakra, linking it up to where it had connected before.

“Finally… done.” I gasped, exhausted, the effort far harder than I had expected. Damn that Favour, it’s both a tool and a trap… Sinking to my knees, I was stopped by Eleanor, who pulled me up.

“Is it… over? Will she live?” she asked me, and I nodded.

“Yes, she’ll live. I can’t promise there’ll be no side-effects, but…” Seeing her beating heart with my Eye, the proper circulation of energies restored, I grimaced. “…the worst is over.”

********

“So what the hell happened?” David handed me a can of coke, which I downed half of, needing the sugar and caffeine. “You handled that prick Donovan easily enough. Why was Sarah different?”

Using her name, huh? I guess you are still worried about her. Not that I don’t get it. I tried to imagine if I’d still care for one of my women if they betrayed me. I wasn’t sure, but perhaps I’d be like David, unable to let it or her go easily. I’m confident I’ll never need to find out, fortunately. “It was the Linked Principality. When it was interfered with, it started attacking her own body, and unlike other Favours which seem integrated around a Chakra, this was pretty much a replacement for hers. It’s not like others I’ve seen. In the end, I had to destroy it quickly and replace what was there before. I don’t know if it’s perfect, but…”

“You’re not God.” David slapped my shoulder, understanding. He too was drinking coke, though by his expression he likely wished it was strong alcohol. “If she’s alive, she’s damn fortunate, after what she did. It’s just…”

“Yeah, I get it.” I agreed, saying no more. As a man, I could understand him. Moments later, Eleanor and Mrs Mary-Jane returned. Eleanor’s expression was grave, and David lurched forwards, his own mirroring her.

“Is she…?” he began, fearing the worst, but Eleanor shook her head.

“No. She is still sleeping. The doctors say her vitals are stable, and her brain functions seem normal, though they can’t rule out some damage or loss of memories. It’s just…” she looked at me, swallowing nervously. “I had a call. It seems too well-timed to be a coincidence. It’s Mary Stuart. She’s awake!”

Mary Stuart? I thought back to Linked Principality, and the strange nature of it. A coincidence? Yes, I think not…