Hearing the cries of the little boy until the lights outside dims, he finally fell asleep from either exhaustion or fear... Hopefully neither. As I lay the boy on what seems to be his bed which is a thin dirty towel on the floor, I feel like I finally regain enough energy to move.
I can feel breezes across the holes in my limbs, I sense some of my flesh missing and slowly that pain is fading away. As if drowning in anesthethics, the usual thought of panic, horror, and absolute dread seem so distant.
(Is this good? I mean okay? No, if it's not affecting anything but just feeling weird having wind blowing through your holes I suppose?)
I try to take my mind away by scanning the area. The only way to describe this place is simply, poverty. Not even the refugee camps at the stadium isn't this bad. From incomplete make-shift ceilings, shattered windows, uneven and holes in the walls, broken and rusting tiles, garbage spread around, junk clustered at every corner, hanging foundations, a mismatch of parts and clothes hang at unfinished poles. And then there's the smell, I thought I was the one smelling like a rotten corpse but it's simply the whole house if I can even call it that. From inside, I can hear the sound of running water and look at the broken door those thugs use to run away.
*Crack* *Crack* *Snap*
Finally noticing my last leg is bent in a unnatural way, I forcefully snap it back and finally able to stand with some proper balance...
(This... This is not normal is it?)
I feel my chest burning and blood rushing to my head but I push that feeling aside, as I see a mix of blood and diluted water spurting from the new orifices in my body.
(I'm sorry little boy, but I'm gonna have to borrow your clothes).
Quickly grabbing the cleanest cloth hanging from the pillars and bent nails before noticing my limbs at the fallen cart. Out of instinct, I grab the severed bloating arm that gush water and blood out as I hold it...
(This will work right? I mean all the first aid knowledge Sis teached me doesn't account for all of this).
I attach it to my missing limb and soon I feel something stretch and connect. I try moving the finger that's mostly peeled and it finally works as I see my boney fingers twitch when some nerves regrows and wrap at the bones and leftover muscle.
(Woah!)
Grabbing the remainig leg, I then start attaching whatever I see at the cart. I wrap the wounds with the help of my mouth and hop out to confirm my destination.
*Whoosh* *Whistle*
From the huge gust, I could hear a whistle being made from the hole at my shoulder and decided to plug it before I hold my head and confirm my headband is still there.
(I should count this all a miracle I survive. Or more like, is this Mary's Monster King power helping me out? Or is this thanks to Jacky as well?)
From beyond the horizon where the heart of the city seems to bloom, atop the gleaming spires and skyscrapers, an endless assortment of neon lights flash down at the shadow it looms over the the dark clouds blotching out the sky. Beneath the endless array of light on where I stand underneath, the place I'm reside are worlds apart. But the resident district below the hill I stand seem to be a testament to resilience. Underneath the clouds where the sun doesn't shine, I could see fire scatter about the view. Glowing, dancing, and lighting the world of darkness below like a river filled by floating candles to celebrate a festival.
(This kid is living on quite a place with such an amazing view).
While I was able to see such wonderful view is because this house is situated at the top of a small hill. Rather than a property, this place is more akin to a storage inside a backyard of some sort as I see compressed blocks made of iron junks. I slowly crouch upon a broken shell of a vehicle and rest upon the terrace of this house.
Surveying the whole place, I try to close any wounds and tend to myself, as I did I start remembering my conversation with Yoo-Sui before leaving.
***********************************
"Excuse me!? I still don't understand about this Hero stuff!"
I yell out to her as she still watch over the riots outside. Seemingly unfaze by my voice, she ignores my concern as I then sigh and continue reading over the reports. Noticing how compact, concise yet detailed on the information needed on this paper, even making different coloured markers on each important sentences like how May uses on my textbooks. I can't help but wonder if this is how professional writes their reports and feel a wanting for self improvement in my literacy.
(Woah, I suppose this is the writing of someone super smart. While the text may be made with machine or magic, I'm now curious of her hand writing).
Realizing how much she probably must've worked to compile this papers for me to read, I start learning and intergrating the vocabulary and appreciating the words she weaves. I ignore the sounds of riots outside and when Yoo-Sui stops observing them and clpse the curtains to return to her table, I put down the files asking:
"You know, I'm not an expert in being a ruler or someone who can manage stuff but... What's so special about the republic that they are still alive? From what I read they should've been history with how much they're shooting themselves if these red bottom lines are to be believed."
Yoo-Sui finally seem to heed what I'm saying and nods with a satisfied smile replying:
"Hahaha, that's right. A country where less than 1% of the people owns almost the entire wealth while the rest barely gets any scraps, there's no way a country with no middle class can survive on its own. The Republic's value is not on it's shiny surface but its rotten insides."
Yoo-Sui who seems satisfied procure another document and throws it at the guest table again. Spreading its contents across the table, I scour the reports and files to found the thickest is about a certain organization called, Handong Fam...
(Fam? Is that like an abbreviation of family?)
And the next thickest to it are names of underground groups like Hangong Organization and the Han Corps. If the previous files are about the Republic in general, then this files are the organizations running inside of it. Most noticable I read are...
(Everyone has the Han name it seems. Or maybe because it's related to the name of the Republic?)
"With such a corrupt and terrible state, there are always bound to be castaways. They're the real powers behind the republic. The secret port they're dying to defend belongs to the old Hangong or Handong whatever Fam and those corrupt chaebol families are burning their wealth away to stop that cash cow falling to Geom's grip."
Yoo-Sui grabs a pen and balance it upon the tip of her finger before she then spins it around and continue saying:
"It's a symbiotic relationship, those corrupt bastards gets to satisfy their greed and the underworld bastards takes the runaways for themselves."
She stabs the pen to a hole in her table and grabs another one and stabs beside the first one and continue saying:
"The Republic is but the capital for those crimminals while their roots and influence has reach throughout the entire peninsula. They're already scrambling and scrapping the barrel after losing their entire northern roots. And now they're roots to the south slowly decays thanks to us with Silla and the Chixi Corp at the western kingdoms cracking down to centralize our national might."
She continues to play with her pens until she makes a crown of sorts and starts pulling pens, leaving the caps stuck inside.
"If they lose the port they will truly be cornered, so with them throwing everything to guard their secret ports, they left themselves a gap for us to take over. So, here's your real mission, Sova."
Yoo-Sui grabs another pen and walks behind me. She points at the scary people at the documents saying:
"Subdue the leaders of underworld by any means necessary. Since words won't work on them, I heavily advice the best diplomacy with them would be... Violence. Simply put, beat the shit out of them and take over as their mighty Hyung, and don't forget to wear your armour as well as you do it. Marketing is till important."
Yoo-Sui throws the pen she carry into the heart of the crown and then says:
"Power and affluence is above all for those people, and we have ample of it. Good luck adventurer."
***********************************
Hearing the objective I had with Yoo-Sui, I realize I cannot do this on my own and I don't think I can complete what she asks fully since I left my Medallion at Seyong's ship which is also inside Yungmin's vessel. But as long as I can bring them to Sis Yuwei's fold, it will all work out right?
As I arrange my thoughts, I notice Gangyi's ring still on my broken finger. Soon, thoughts atop the rooftops resurface once more.
(I dragged enough people into trouble and worse death, even if it's not my intention. But I do realize that if I wish to stop both Big Sis Yuwei and Sis Hua, I need to gather more powerful people who can truly sway major events).
"Maybe... Rather than her... I can bring them under my fold instead? No! No! No! No! Don't be stupid, Sova! You can't even take care of yourself, how are you going to lead and change someone elses life!? You'll be sending them to their deaths or worse!"
I brush those half-bake rebellious thoughts away and rethink my approach. But... That conversation I had with Gangyi at the beach comes popping out.
"Even if that's true, I... I must stop Sis Yuwei and Sis Hua from continuing this bloodshed! I already crossed the first step with Gangyi, now I must see it to its end. This is the first time you tried doing something very dangerous so at least be confident with it, me!"
I look back inside the house and seeing the boy still sleeping take in a deep breathe-
"Ahack! Keheck! Ergh...! This place smells horrible. Not even the sewers I cross back then smell this bad."
Pinching my nose and realizing yhe futility as there's an extra hole there, I decided to simply not think about it and put my mind in something else.
"You've dealt with more serious and troubling matter, a few bad smells won't ruin my day."
I look at the boy and think again...
(Maybe... Maybe I can make him help me?)
"No, no, no,I don't think I can sleep peacefully if I purposely get a child involve in something very dangerous... Maybe someone older?"
I for once remove the headband above my head and look at the tiny button Saya gave me.
"If it's her, maybe she can? She did say one favour but never specify how big that one favour is right? Now I feel icky trying to exploit her. Fine! Maybe I'll just find some scary person to be this Hyung. Yea, maybe the strongest fam seems like a good place to start."
Testing to see how much movements my reattached arm and leg can do, I decided to get up the moment I could finally move both the elbow and knee.
I walk back and sit beside the unconscious boy. Grabbing a clean towel, I wipe off the vomit on his face as I then say:
"Sorry about that, little boy. Maybe he can guide me across this district for now?"