Tuesday morning.
Seven AM.
Han-Ho was on the northern section with the shard in the bag.
The bag against his side.
The shard warm through the bag material.
The first drain was clear.
He noted it.
Filed it.
Moved to drain two.
Also clear.
He noted it.
Filed it.
Pressed his hand against the surface adjacent to drain two.
Read the Dragon Vein energy.
Made a note.
Dragon Vein energy at drain two location: improved from Monday baseline. Approximately six percent above Monday reading. The shard's proximity to me during transit has enhanced the ambient Dragon Vein quality along the route path. The enhancement follows me. Like a local improvement field. Filing.
He filed it.
Looked at the bag.
At the shard warm inside it.
Made another note.
Shard effect: not stationary. The energy enhancement moves with the shard. The route improvement is the shard enhancing the Dragon Vein network as I walk through it. Implication: the route is getting cleaner faster than the Dragon Vein activation alone would account for. The shard is accelerating the ambient improvement. Filing.
He filed it.
Continued.
At drain seven the sword pointed down.
Ley line seepage.
Aria crouched.
The sword indicated depth.
"Deeper than last week," said Aria.
Han-Ho crouched.
Pressed his hand.
Read it.
"Yes," said Han-Ho. "The seepage has deepened. The boundary permeability is increasing at this point." He made notes. "The shard—" He pressed his hand more firmly. "The shard is affecting the ley line seepage too. The enhanced Dragon Vein energy is pressing against the boundary more strongly at high permeability points. Increasing the seepage rate temporarily."
"That sounds bad," said Min-Seo.
"It is not bad," said Han-Ho. "It is faster. The seepage is accelerating the contamination coming through which means I clean it faster which means the ley line network on the other side gets cleaner faster." He addressed the seepage. "The shard is accelerating the boundary permeability effects in both directions."
"Both directions," said Min-Seo.
"Clean Dragon Vein energy pushing through to the ley line side," said Han-Ho. "And contaminated ley line energy seeping through to the Dragon Vein side. Both faster. Net effect: the cleaning compounds faster on both networks simultaneously."
Min-Seo looked at the bag.
At the shard inside it.
"The shard is accelerating everything," said Min-Seo.
"Yes," said Han-Ho. "It is the source quality. The original Dragon Vein energy drives both systems simultaneously because both systems derive from the same source."
He stood up.
Made notes.
Filed them.
Continued.
At drain eleven something unexpected happened.
Not threatening.
Unexpected.
Han-Ho was cleaning the standard Class C accumulation at drain eleven when the Dragon Vein energy in the area pulsed.
Not the steady flow pulse of the activated network.
A response pulse.
From below.
From something that felt the shard's energy passing overhead and had responded.
Han-Ho stopped cleaning.
Pressed his hand more firmly against the surface.
Read carefully.
Made notes.
Looked at Moru.
"Moru," said Han-Ho.
"Yes."
"The Dragon Vein network at this depth level."
"Yes."
"There is something responding to the shard."
"Yes," said Moru. "I felt it."
"What is it."
Moru was very still.
"Master," said Moru carefully. "You know how Cheongi's circulatory system is the fracture network under Seoul."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"And how the entity from the very large world carries source energy that feeds the Dragon Vein network."
"Yes."
"The Dragon Vein network connects to multiple worlds."
"Yes."
"The shard is source energy from one of those connected worlds."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"When source energy passes through the network," said Moru. "Other things in the network that are made of similar energy respond."
Han-Ho looked at the ground.
At the responding pulse.
"There is something else in the Dragon Vein network," said Han-Ho.
"Something that has been there for a long time," said Moru. "Something that recognized the source energy and responded."
"Benign," said Han-Ho.
"Unknown," said Moru.
Han-Ho made a note.
Dragon Vein network response to shard: something in the deeper network responding to source energy. Duration of presence unknown. Nature unknown. Benign status unconfirmed. Filing urgent. Requesting old man assessment.
He filed it.
Called the old man.
"The Dragon Vein network at drain eleven," said Han-Ho. "Deeper level. Something responded to the shard. Can you feel it from your current position."
A pause.
"Yes," said the old man.
"What is it."
A longer pause.
"I do not know," said the old man. "In ten thousand years of Dragon Vein sensitivity I have not felt this specific signature before."
"Is it threatening."
"No," said the old man. "It is—" He paused again. "Surprised. The energy quality suggests something that has been in the Dragon Vein network for a very long time. Dormant. Not asleep like Cheongi. Just present. Existing quietly. And your shard just walked over it and it noticed."
"Like waking someone up by walking loudly past their room," said Han-Ho.
"Yes," said the old man. "Exactly like that."
Han-Ho looked at the drain.
At the surface.
At the deeper level where something had just noticed him.
"Is it Cheongi," said Han-Ho.
"No," said the old man. "Cheongi is in the river. This is in the northern Mapo section. Different location. Different energy signature." He paused. "The network is larger than we thought. Cheongi may not be the only thing living in it."
Han-Ho made a very long note.
Filed it.
Looked at the drain.
"Drain eleven is clean," said Han-Ho.
"The thing in the network," said Min-Seo.
"Is not in drain eleven," said Han-Ho. "It is deeper than drain eleven. Below my current cleaning scope." He stood up. "Filing a request for deep network assessment protocol. I will need to extend the scan depth."
"And the thing in the network," said Min-Seo.
"Is now aware that something clean passed over it," said Han-Ho. "Which is not threatening. It is just — woken up slightly. Like Cheongi was woken up." He made a final drain eleven note. "I will monitor."
"Of course you will," said Min-Seo.
"Of course," said the sword.
Han-Ho made a note.
Sword said of course again. Becoming more frequent. Filed.
Aria looked at the sword.
"You cannot stop," said Aria to the sword.
The sword glowed.
"Of course," said the sword.
"ARIA," said Min-Seo.
"I am not encouraging it," said Aria.
"YOU ARE SMILING—"
"I am not—"
"YOU ARE SMILING ARIA—"
"The sword is learning," said Aria. "I am proud of it."
"IT IS A PROPHECY SWORD—"
"It is a learning prophecy sword," said Aria. "That is better than a non-learning prophecy sword."
Min-Seo looked at the sky.
At the Tuesday morning Mapo-gu sky.
"I Re-Awakened twice," said Min-Seo.
"Of course," said the sword.
"ARIA—"
"I genuinely cannot stop it," said Aria.
Han-Ho was already at drain twelve.
Cleaning.
The shard warm in the bag.
The Dragon Vein network slightly warmer under his feet.
Something deep in the network had noticed him.
He made notes.
The route continued.
Some Tuesdays found new things in the Dragon Vein network.
That was the job.
At the GS25 Cho Hyun was on shift.
Han-Ho came in.
Cho Hyun had the tuna mayo on the counter.
And the chips.
He looked at Han-Ho.
At the bag.
The bag had a warmth to it that Cho Hyun's eight months of morning shift experience with this bag had never produced before.
"What is in the bag," said Cho Hyun.
"A shard of original Dragon Vein source energy from a forty thousand year old entity," said Han-Ho.
Cho Hyun looked at the bag.
"Is it safe," said Cho Hyun.
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"In the bag with the notebook."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"And River."
"Yes."
"And the ley line sprite."
"Yes."
"That is a very full bag," said Cho Hyun.
"The configuration is functional," said Han-Ho.
Cho Hyun looked at the bag.
At Han-Ho.
At the bag.
"Han-Ho," said Cho Hyun.
"Yes."
"The bag started with a notebook and some pens."
"Yes."
"It now contains a former river contamination entity, a ley line sprite from the fantasy world, and a shard of original Dragon Vein source energy from a forty thousand year old being."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"That is a very different bag from the original bag."
"The configuration is functional," said Han-Ho.
"You keep saying that."
"It keeps being true," said Han-Ho.
He paid.
Sat outside.
Ate his kimbap.
Cho Hyun watched through the window.
At the bag on the plastic stool next to Han-Ho.
At the warmth it was giving off.
At the Tuesday morning that had a slightly different quality than other Tuesday mornings.
Cleaner.
By a measurable amount.
He looked at the GS25.
At the honey butter chips display.
At the clean floor of the convenience store.
He added Rule Eleven to his system.
Rule Eleven: the bag is always going to have more in it than it did the week before. Stock accordingly.
He went back to his shift.
Outside Han-Ho finished his kimbap.
Made notes about the Dragon Vein ambient improvement along the Tuesday route path.
Filed them.
The shard was warm in the bag.
The bag was warm on the stool.
The Tuesday morning was warm in the specific clean way that things were warm when the source energy was nearby.
Min-Seo drank his coffee.
Looked at Han-Ho making notes.
"Han-Ho," said Min-Seo.
"Yes."
"Something in the Dragon Vein network noticed you today."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"Something that has been there a long time."
"Yes."
"And you are—"
"Making notes," said Han-Ho.
"Yes," said Min-Seo.
"Because it needs documenting," said Han-Ho.
"Of course," said Min-Seo.
From inside the bag: "Of course."
Min-Seo looked at the bag.
At the warm bag with its various occupants.
"Han-Ho," said Min-Seo.
"Yes."
"The sword has infected the bag."
"The sword is outside the bag," said Han-Ho.
"Its vocabulary has infected the bag's occupants."
Han-Ho looked at the bag.
Made a note.
Min-Seo: vocabulary infection hypothesis. Of course spreading from sword to bag occupants. River assessment needed. Filing.
"River," said Han-Ho.
"Yes Master," said River.
"Did you learn of course from the sword."
A pause.
"Of course," said River.
Han-Ho filed it.
Min-Seo put his face in his hands.
"Of course," said the ley line sprite, very softly, from inside the bag.
Min-Seo looked at the sky.
"I Re-Awakened twice," said Min-Seo.
"Of course you did," said the shard.
Complete silence.
Han-Ho looked at the bag.
At the shard.
At the bag.
Made a note.
Shard: communicated. First communication. Said of course. To Min-Seo. About the Re-Awakening count. Filed.
He filed it.
"Han-Ho," said Min-Seo.
"Yes."
"The shard spoke."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"The original Dragon Vein source energy shard."
"Yes."
"From the forty thousand year old entity."
"Yes."
"Its first communication in our world."
"Yes."
"Was of course."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"To me."
"Yes."
"About Re-Awakening twice."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
Min-Seo looked at the bag.
At the shard visible through the mesh.
Deep water color.
Warm.
"Of course it was," said Min-Seo.
"Of course," said the shard.
"Of course," said River.
"Of course," said the sprite.
"Of course," said the sword.
Han-Ho made notes.
Filed everything.
Ate the last of his kimbap.
The Tuesday morning Mapo-gu did its Tuesday morning things.
The bag was warm.
The route was clean.
Something deep in the Dragon Vein network had noticed him and was thinking about it.
He had a Wednesday meeting.
A Thursday afternoon ley line session.
And drain thirteen was still unaddressed.
Of course it was.