The apartment at four thirty PM.
Han-Ho put the shard on the low table.
Everyone looked at it.
The shard sat on the low table between the notebook stack and the honey butter chips bag.
Deep water color between blue and black.
Lit from within.
Warm.
The specific warmth of something that had been warm for forty thousand years and was going to continue being warm on a low table in a basement apartment in Mapo-gu.
Moru floated off Han-Ho's shoulder.
Landed on the table edge.
Looked at the shard.
"This is very old," said Moru.
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"Older than me," said Moru.
"Yes."
"Much older."
"Yes."
"In ten thousand years of existence I have encountered many old things," said Moru. "This is the oldest thing I have ever been near that was also—" He paused. "Friendly."
"Friendly," said Han-Ho.
"It does not feel like a weapon or a danger," said Moru. "It feels like—" He considered. "It feels like a gift from someone who wanted you to have something of theirs."
Han-Ho made a note.
Moru assessment: shard is friendly. Gift intent confirmed. Not a weapon or danger. Filed.
Kjor floated off Han-Ho's other shoulder.
Landed on the opposite table edge.
Looked at the shard from Kjor's side.
"It is the color of deep water," said Kjor.
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"I froze seven seas," said Kjor. "I know deep water colors. This is very deep."
"How deep," said Han-Ho.
Kjor looked at the shard.
"Deeper than the seventh sea," said Kjor. "The seventh sea was approximately four thousand meters at its deepest point. This color is deeper than that."
"That is a depth measurement applied to a color," said Min-Seo.
"Yes," said Kjor.
"You are using depth as a metaphor for color intensity."
"I am using depth as a measurement," said Kjor. "The seventh sea was very dark. This is darker. Therefore deeper. The logic is consistent."
Min-Seo looked at the shard.
"It is very dark," said Min-Seo.
"Very deep," said Kjor.
"He is not correcting you," said Moru to Kjor. "He is agreeing."
"I know," said Kjor. "I was confirming."
Min-Seo looked at both of them.
"You are both impossible," said Min-Seo.
River floated from the counter.
Approached the shard.
Got to approximately thirty centimeters.
Stopped.
"River," said Han-Ho.
"Yes Master."
"Is it safe for you to be near it."
"Yes," said River. "It does not feel wrong. It feels—" River moved slightly closer. Twenty centimeters. "It feels like the Dragon Vein energy after you cleaned it. But more so. The most so."
"The source quality," said Han-Ho.
"Yes," said River. "Like the Dragon Veins were supposed to feel before anything went wrong."
Han-Ho made a note.
River assessment: source quality energy. Dragon Vein intended baseline. Filed.
The ley line sprite emerged from the bag.
Han-Ho had put the bag on the floor and the sprite had been in it since they arrived home.
It floated to the table.
Looked at the shard.
Made a sustained musical sound.
River translated.
"It is saying—" River paused. "It says: this is the original. The ley lines in the Kingdom of Solenne used to feel like this. Before whatever happened. This is what the fantasy world energy was supposed to be."
Everyone in the room was quiet.
Han-Ho made a note.
Sprite assessment: shard matches pre-contamination fantasy world ley line baseline. Confirms original quality for both Dragon Vein network (River's assessment) and ley line network (sprite's assessment). The shard contains the original energy of both systems. The very large world is connected to both. Filing for Ms. Yoon.
He filed it.
Looked at the shard.
At the deep water color between blue and black.
At the warmth it was producing in the room.
Not dramatically.
But the room was warmer.
Not temperature.
In the specific way that clean things make a room warmer.
"What do you do with it," said Baek Suri.
She had arrived from the Seocho apartment when she heard the alert. She was sitting on the floor near Moru's corner.
"Assess it," said Han-Ho.
"And then."
"Then determine what it is useful for," said Han-Ho. "The source energy it contains may be relevant to the ley line cleaning approach. If the ambient technique can be enhanced by proximity to source quality energy the cleaning rate may improve."
"You want to use it for the Thursday cleaning," said Min-Seo.
"Possibly," said Han-Ho. "I need to assess first."
"How do you assess it," said Min-Seo.
Han-Ho pressed his hand against the table surface next to the shard.
Read the Dragon Vein energy flowing through the table surface adjacent to the shard.
Made notes.
"The shard is enhancing the Dragon Vein energy in its immediate vicinity," said Han-Ho. "The same passive positive enhancement the entity produced when it was approaching. The shard maintains that effect at small scale."
"The room is warmer," said Aria.
She had been quiet since they arrived.
Sitting near the door.
Watching the shard.
The sword at her hip was glowing.
Not at full intensity.
Steady. Warm. The confirmed quality.
"Yes," said Han-Ho. "The Dragon Vein energy in this room has improved since I brought the shard in."
"By how much," said the old man.
"I am measuring," said Han-Ho.
He pressed his hand against multiple surfaces.
Made notes.
Filed them.
"Approximately forty percent improvement in ambient Dragon Vein quality in this room," said Han-Ho. "Over the four hours since I brought it in."
"Forty percent," said the old man.
"Yes."
"In four hours."
"Yes."
"From one shard the size of your fist."
"Yes."
The old man looked at the shard.
"Han-Ho," said the old man.
"Yes."
"If you had this shard during the Dragon Vein clearing—"
"I know," said Han-Ho.
"The cleaning rate would have been significantly—"
"I know," said Han-Ho. "But the shard did not exist then. The entity brought it today. I will use what I have when I have it." He made a final note about the ambient improvement rate. "The important question is whether the shard's effect on ley line energy is similar to its effect on Dragon Vein energy."
"The sprite said it was the fantasy world pre-contamination baseline," said Aria.
"Yes," said Han-Ho. "I want to verify that Thursday. If the shard enhances ley line cleaning the way it enhances Dragon Vein energy in this room the Thursday rate improvement could be significant."
"How significant," said Aria.
"Unknown until Thursday," said Han-Ho.
"Of course," said Aria.
"Of course," said the sword.
The sword had not communicated a simple verbal of course before.
Everyone looked at the sword.
"Did the sword just say of course," said Min-Seo.
"Yes," said Aria. "It is learning the patterns."
"The prophecy sword is learning our conversational patterns," said Min-Seo.
"Yes," said Aria.
"Three thousand years old."
"Yes."
"And it is learning to say of course."
"It has been listening since I arrived," said Aria. "It absorbs patterns. It expressed of course because it has heard the phrase approximately nine hundred times in twelve days."
Min-Seo looked at the sword.
"Nine hundred times," said Min-Seo.
"Approximately," said Aria.
"Who says of course nine hundred times in twelve days."
Everyone looked at Han-Ho.
Han-Ho was making notes about the shard.
He had not heard the last part of the conversation.
"He does," said Min-Seo. "Of course."
The sword glowed.
"Of course," said the sword.
Oh Kyung-Soo made the sound.
At seven PM Jin Tae-Yang arrived with food.
He had been bringing food every Thursday and Saturday evening for weeks.
He looked at the shard on the table.
Put the food containers down.
Looked at the shard.
"What is that," said Jin Tae-Yang.
"A shard of original Dragon Vein source energy from a forty thousand year old entity from the very large world," said Han-Ho.
Jin Tae-Yang looked at Han-Ho.
"Where did you get it," said Jin Tae-Yang.
"The entity left it," said Han-Ho. "As a thank you for the Dragon Vein cleaning."
"The entity," said Jin Tae-Yang. "The three kilometer entity."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"That came to Seoul today."
"Yes."
"Left you a shard."
"Yes."
"Of original Dragon Vein source energy."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"On the route," said Jin Tae-Yang.
"During the eastern section yes," said Han-Ho.
Jin Tae-Yang looked at the shard.
At the food he had brought.
At the shard.
"I brought the same soup as last week," said Jin Tae-Yang.
"Thank you," said Han-Ho.
"The entity left original source energy," said Jin Tae-Yang. "I left soup."
"Both are appreciated," said Han-Ho.
Jin Tae-Yang sat down.
Distributed the food.
Looked at the shard one more time.
"Han-Ho," said Jin Tae-Yang.
"Yes."
"Four buildings."
"I know," said Han-Ho.
"Four."
"I know Jin Tae-Yang."
"And a forty thousand year old entity came to Seoul and left you a thank you gift."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"Does it bother you," said Jin Tae-Yang. "That the entity is forty thousand years old and three kilometers across and you are—"
"Rank F," said Han-Ho.
"Yes."
Han-Ho looked at the shard.
At the deep water color.
At the warmth.
"No," said Han-Ho.
"Why not."
"Because it woke up because the drains are clean," said Han-Ho. "Not because of anything else. Just the drains."
Jin Tae-Yang looked at the shard.
At Han-Ho eating the soup.
"Just the drains," said Jin Tae-Yang.
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
Jin Tae-Yang ate his soup.
Looked at the shard.
"Of course," said the sword from across the room.
Jin Tae-Yang looked at the sword.
Looked at Min-Seo.
"The sword learned to say of course," said Min-Seo.
"How many times has Han-Ho said of course," said Jin Tae-Yang.
"Nine hundred in twelve days," said Min-Seo.
"Of course he has," said Jin Tae-Yang.
"OF COURSE," said the sword.
"Stop encouraging it," said Min-Seo.
After dinner Han-Ho put the shard in the bag.
Specifically between the notebook and the right pen.
The ley line sprite was between the notebook and the left pen.
They were now on opposite sides of the notebook.
Han-Ho looked at the bag configuration.
Made a note.
Bag interior: left side — River (front pocket). Left pen space — ley line sprite. Notebook — center. Right pen space — shard. Right side — report forms. Configuration: functional. Shard proximity to notebook — will monitor effect on Dragon Vein ambient quality in bag interior. Filed.
He closed the notebook.
Put it in the bag.
Next to the shard.
The shard was warm against the notebook.
Han-Ho closed the bag.
Looked at the apartment.
At everyone in it.
At the table where the shard had been sitting for four hours and where the warmth of it had accumulated in the specific way that clean things accumulate warmth.
The apartment felt different tonight.
Not dramatically.
Just slightly warmer.
In the clean way.
The most clean way.
He made one more note.
A short one.
Did not file it.
Folded it.
Put it in his pocket.
The pocket had three notes now.
This is good.
Aria's response.
And now this one.
Which said: the shard is warm. The apartment is warm. The drains are clean. Everything that needs doing gets done.
That was enough.
That was exactly enough.