The Queen Within the Rift
The Korean government’s first reaction to the 21st-century Incheon Landing Operation was, naturally, confusion. The original Incheon Landing had been a U.N. operation to retake territory from North Korean forces; the soldiers who came ashore had carried the blue U.N. flag. This time, however, the Awakened Alliance that landed in Incheon flew the five-starred red flag of China.
“…The colors are a little different, aren’t they?” Kang Se-na remarked, stating the obvious. The U.N. flag and the Chinese flag were, indeed, quite distinct—even in simple RGB values, let alone the political and diplomatic baggage they carried. But none of that mattered now.
The Chinese Awakened Alliance were battle-hardened veterans who had spent months upholding their duty in the ruins of Beijing after their own government abandoned them. We had agreed to call them “Dage.” In other words, the Dage contingent had come to join South Korea, and the fact that every last one of them was an Awakened made them a formidable new ally.
“Nam Juyeon, what exactly is this?”
“Reinforcements.”
The government’s second reaction, after careful deliberation, was to display their displeasure openly.
“But… accepting Chinese Awakened into Korea will create serious diplomatic problems, won’t it?”
“That’s the government’s job to handle.”
Obviously, it wasn’t something I needed to worry about.
“Us?”
“Yes. You.”
“…”
In the end, the officials had no choice but to watch the People’s Shields disembark at Incheon with sour expressions. Three hundred Awakened arriving by ferry across the Yellow Sea was not something a handful of bureaucrats could control.
The government had tried to resist, of course. Their third, half-hearted act of defiance was to raise practical concerns.
“Nam Juyeon, this won’t work. Seoul doesn’t have the infrastructure to accommodate all of them.”
“Correct. Seoul doesn’t.”
“Excuse me?”
“This isn’t the old days. There’s plenty of land lying around now.”
Seoul was already saturated with refugees, so even Awakened couldn’t be absorbed without strain. But the Chinese were so industrious that once they set their minds to something, they would tear down their own cultural heritage if it stood in the way. Housing was never going to be a real obstacle for them.
“Leihu, how about we develop Incheon so the Chinese Awakened Alliance can settle here? What do you say?”
Leihu’s answer was, of course, “Hao!” His boldness could have put even Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to shame.
Above all else, the fact that every single one of them was an Awakened left the government powerless. While officials might have lamented the sudden addition of three hundred uncontrollable Awakened, the public saw them not as three hundred refugees but as three hundred Spartan heroes who had once held off a million Persians. To ordinary citizens, it simply meant twice as many heroes were now protecting them.
The real-estate-sweeping problem that Chinese immigrants had once caused in 21st-century society was being replayed after the world’s collapse. Yet public opinion was nothing like before. The Chinese Awakened Alliance included Leihu, who ranked as an S-class Awakened by Korean standards, and every member was favorably disposed toward Korea. Under Leihu’s leadership, the group was perfectly disciplined, with no room for individual misconduct.
“…Then… perhaps granting them citizenship…”
Once even public sentiment turned favorable, the government finally backed down. The three hundred Spartans thus became members of the Seoul Republic’s Awakened Association—neither Chinese nor Spartan in nationality.
“I don’t know how I can ever repay this debt, little brother.”
“Think nothing of it, big brother.”
Leihu clasped his fists toward me with a bright smile, and I returned the gesture. In a dying world, we had upheld the code of chivalry.
“…Kuaaak! Chinese bastards defiling sacred Korean soil!”
The only one who coughed up blood was Seo Ye-rin.
*
That was the whole story. When my subordinates heard it, they reacted like this.
“Magnificent, My Lord. Turning crisis into opportunity and securing new forces. I am ever in awe of your foresight.”
“Actor, I hope you know I worked really hard too.”
Mirien grinned and leaned into me. Selene did not stop her this time. After all, it had been Mirien’s dazzling performance that finally convinced the stubborn Leihu to join us.
Everything was going smoothly. The media praised us for bringing back excellent reinforcements from China. Yu Junseo checked the news comments not just every morning but after every meal, his face blooming like a flower.
“…”
Yet my own mood was far from light.
“…I wonder if this is right.”
I pinched my cheek. It stung. Definitely not a dream. The situation had resolved favorably, so I wasn’t exactly unhappy. Still, somewhere in the back of my mind, a sharp twinge persisted.
“Calling me a butcher wouldn’t be strange.”
The unease I felt came from a ruthlessness that even surprised me. Without hesitation, I had abandoned the people living in Beijing. They weren’t my countrymen. I had no ties to them. Yet the fact remained: I had left them behind.
Of course, the Chinese government had fled, and the Awakened Alliance numbered only in the hundreds. Beijing and the rest of China had already been doomed. Without Awakened to hold back the disasters, the next Rift Eruption would turn Beijing into a city overrun by calamities. That outcome was certain whether the Alliance stayed or left.
It was a foretold destruction, but in the end, it was my decision that signed their death warrant. Should I feel guilty? For abandoning so many people to fend for themselves? Or for the countless victims my scattered disasters would cause?
If I had any capacity for guilt left, I would have hanged myself long ago. But I hadn’t. My mind remained startlingly clear. That fact left a bitter taste.
“Selene.”
“Yes.”
“I think I’m finally losing it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just… a feeling.”
I gave a wry smile and looked out at the scene below. The Chinese Awakened Alliance, led by Leihu, was constructing a collective settlement in Incheon. Had my conscience’s brakes finally failed? Was it the world that had broken, or me? Or both?
While lost in that philosophical musing, a soft sensation touched the back of my head. A pale arm wrapped around my shoulders. Turning, I met golden eyes. It was the newest addition to our base—the great disaster, the Mother of Ill Omens, Karne.
“Do not worry, my child. Your choice was entirely correct. This mother can vouch for it.”
Karne smiled warmly, pulling me into her embrace and stroking my hair. Having grown up as an orphan without parents, I had never known what maternal love felt like. But if this was it, I decided it wasn’t a bad thing at all.
“The path of the Absolute Ruler is bound to be lonely. But do not worry. Even if the entire world turns its back on you, this mother will always remain by your side.”
“Mother.”
“It is all right. You may tell me everything.”
That was how Karne was. If Selene worried about my well-being and Mirien clung to me with blind affection, Karne accepted and affirmed whatever I did. Had she always been this way, or was she only acting maternal in front of me? The latter seemed far more likely.
Karne’s presence was remarkably effective in many ways. My heart calmed, my limbs relaxed. Especially those two soft hills that reminded me of cushions—they worked wonders.
“You filthy harlot, get away from him this instant!”
“If you find it strange for a mother to comfort her child, then it only proves how bleak your own heart must be, Selene.”
“What did you just say?”
They looked ready to fight again, so I quickly pulled away. Karne looked disappointed as she touched her lips. I changed the subject.
“Anyway, with the Chinese Awakened joining the Association, the capital region should be much safer now.”
Rumor had it that Association President Yu Junseo was even proposing to reclaim all the abandoned cities around the capital, but that was none of my business. Kang Se-na would handle whatever mess he made. There was only one thing I needed to focus on right now.
“Asteria.”
Only one 5★ disaster remained. Asteria, the Queen Who Swallowed the Stars—the most powerful among even the irregular great disasters.
“Mother, I plan to search for Asteria one last time.”
Calling Karne “Mother” still came with a twinge of embarrassment. Selene’s face flushed, Mirien wore a subtle expression, and Karne smiled benevolently.
“Very well. What is it you wish to know, my child?”
“Mirien’s tracking magic couldn’t locate Asteria. But with your tracking magic, I’m certain we can follow her trail.”
“…Actor, that’s a bit harsh.”
Mirien puffed out her cheeks. I ruffled her hair in apology.
“Asteria… That is a name I have not heard in a long time.”
We had recruited Karne, the Mother of Ill Omens, over Asteria because she was a disaster on par with Mirien in non-combat fields. Karne was an even better tracker than Mirien. Her senses far surpassed Mirien’s magic.
“So you are looking for that child, Asteria.”
Karne nodded with a faint smile.
“There is no need for tracking magic. Asteria is very close to us.”
“Close?”
At her words, I tilted my head. She slowly spread her wings and wrapped them around me.
“My Lord, please step away at once—”
Selene’s words were cut short. Without warning, my vision flipped.
—Hwoooooong.
We were above the clouds. If I had never ridden on the back of a storm dragon before, I might not have kept my consciousness. The icy wind sliced across my body, but Karne’s wings shielded me.
“M-Mother! What is this…!”
“I have done as you wished and found Asteria’s trace.”
“…Where exactly are we?”
“If you go straight up from where we were, you arrive here.”
“You’re saying Asteria is here?”
“Precisely, a little higher. Now, my child, look up.”
Drawn by Karne’s gentle tone, I raised my gaze.
“…No way.”
“That ‘no way’ is correct.”
Before us floated the vortex-shaped rift that periodically spewed disasters—the thing the game had called the Vortex. Karne spoke.
“Asteria is inside there.”
The Queen Who Swallowed the Stars, Asteria, existed within the rift.