The echoes had been appearing for three weeks.
Lee Soo-Bin had seen the first one — the armored figure with the glowing sword, three seconds, then gone. He had filed a report. Ms. Yoon had created the Fantasy World Signals section in the file.
Since then the echoes had appeared seventeen times.
Always near Gates.
Always brief.
Always the same quality of energy — structured, externally channeled, different from both Earth mana and martial world qi.
Always gone before anyone could do more than notice them.
Han-Ho had been monitoring the fantasy world signal sites as part of the route.
He had added four locations to the Tuesday and Friday monitoring rotation.
The echoes were getting more frequent.
And slightly longer.
The three second echo had been the first.
The most recent had lasted eleven seconds.
Han-Ho had been present for that one.
He had stood very still and watched the echo.
An armored figure. Young — the armor was sized for someone young. A sword that generated its own light. Not mana light. A different quality. Older. More structured. The specific quality of something that had been imbued with intent over a very long time.
The sword was pointing at Han-Ho.
Han-Ho had looked at the sword.
Then at the figure.
Then at the Gate residue the echo had left.
The echo had vanished.
Han-Ho had cleaned the residue.
Made a note.
Fantasy world echo: eleven seconds. Armored figure. Young. Sword glowing — directed toward me. Third time the sword has pointed at me specifically. Pattern established. Something in the fantasy world is orienting on this location through the echo. Will intensify. Filing.
He filed it.
Sent it to Ms. Yoon.
Ms. Yoon added it to the Fantasy World Signals section.
Added a sub-section: Sword Orientation Pattern.
The Director called at nine AM.
"Mr. Kang," said the Director.
"Yes."
"The fantasy world signals."
"Yes."
"Ms. Yoon's analysis suggests a Gate formation within two to four weeks."
"Yes," said Han-Ho. "The echo duration is increasing. Eleven seconds yesterday. The previous record was seven. The escalation rate suggests the dimensional boundary is thinning at the signal sites."
"All four sites."
"The primary site is the Hongdae district location," said Han-Ho. "The echo appears there most frequently. The other three are secondary. I expect the Gate to form at Hongdae."
"What kind of Gate."
"Different from the Dragon Vein Gate," said Han-Ho. "The fantasy world energy is externally channeled. It uses structured ley lines rather than Dragon Veins. The Gate will be a ley line Gate. Different formation process. Different residue type."
"Can you clean the ley line residue."
"Unknown until I see it," said Han-Ho. "The energy type is different. I will need to assess and adjust technique. I adjusted for the martial world qi residue. I expect I can adjust for ley line residue."
"And the entity that comes through."
Han-Ho thought about the armored figure with the sword.
At the sword pointing at him specifically.
Three times.
"I think," said Han-Ho carefully. "That whatever comes through is looking for me specifically."
"Why."
"The sword keeps pointing at me," said Han-Ho. "I do not know why. I have filed a report requesting the old man's assessment of fantasy world directional indicators."
"The old man knows about the fantasy world."
"He knows about the dimensional energy types," said Han-Ho. "He has been alive for ten thousand years. He has encountered more energy types than the Registry classification system covers."
"Ask him," said the Director.
"I already filed the report," said Han-Ho.
"Of course you did," said the Director.
The old man's response to the report came at eleven AM.
He came in person.
To the route.
He found Han-Ho on the northern section doing the Tuesday monitoring.
"The fantasy world energy," said the old man, walking alongside Han-Ho.
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"I felt it through the Dragon Veins," said the old man. "The ley line network connects to the Dragon Vein network at junction points. They are different systems but they share boundary points."
"The fantasy world ley lines and Earth Dragon Veins share boundary points," said Han-Ho.
"Yes. The echo signals are the ley line energy bleeding through the shared boundary. As the boundary thins the bleeding increases."
"Why is the boundary thinning."
The old man was quiet for a moment.
"The Dragon Vein activation," he said. "The clean energy flow is affecting the boundary points. Making them more permeable."
Han-Ho stopped walking.
Made a note.
"The Dragon Vein cleaning is thinning the boundary between Earth and the fantasy world," said Han-Ho.
"Yes," said the old man.
"That was not an intended effect."
"No," said the old man. "But it is a natural one. The Dragon Vein network and the ley line network have been separated by the blockage for twenty thousand years. As the blockage clears the boundary between the systems becomes more permeable. Connections that have been dormant are reactivating."
Han-Ho made several notes.
Filed a report immediately.
Dragon Vein activation unintended effect: ley line boundary permeability increasing. Fantasy world Gate formation within two to four weeks at primary Hongdae signal site. Not preventable without re-introducing blockage which is not acceptable. Recommend preparation for fantasy world contact. Filing urgent.
He sent it to the Director.
"Old man," said Han-Ho.
"Yes."
"The fantasy world ley line system. Is it contaminated."
The old man thought about this.
"The ley lines were affected by the same blockage as the Dragon Veins," said the old man. "Different system. Same source. The blockage that prevented Dragon Vein flow also reduced ley line flow in connected worlds."
"So the ley lines are also partially blocked."
"Yes. Less severely than the Dragon Veins because the ley line system is more distributed. But yes."
Han-Ho looked at his notebook.
At the route.
At the Hongdae signal site marked on the Tuesday monitoring list.
"When the Gate forms," said Han-Ho. "I will need to assess the ley line residue and determine whether the ley line contamination is accessible from the Earth side."
"You want to clean the fantasy world ley lines," said the old man.
"If they are blocked yes," said Han-Ho.
"The fantasy world is very large," said the old man.
"The Dragon Vein network was also very large," said Han-Ho.
The old man looked at him.
"You cleared the Dragon Vein blockage in five weeks," said the old man.
"The ley lines may take longer," said Han-Ho. "I do not know the scope yet. I will assess when the Gate forms."
"Han-Ho," said the old man.
"Yes."
"You are proposing to clean the contamination blockage in a second world's energy delivery system."
"If it needs cleaning yes," said Han-Ho.
"In addition to the upstream Dragon Vein connection points."
"The connection points are on the Wednesday and Friday route," said Han-Ho. "The ley line assessment would need to go on a different day. Thursday possibly. I have capacity on Thursday afternoons."
The old man walked in silence for a moment.
"You have capacity on Thursday afternoons," said the old man.
"The Thursday morning route ends at noon," said Han-Ho. "The afternoons have been light recently since the fracture network completion."
"And you intend to use that capacity to assess the ley line contamination of a second world."
"It needs doing," said Han-Ho. "If it needs doing I will do it."
The old man stopped walking.
Han-Ho stopped too.
Looked at him.
The old man had the expression he had at Busan Station.
The expression of something that had been making things complicated for ten thousand years and keeps encountering the person who makes them simple.
"Han-Ho," said the old man.
"Yes."
"Has it occurred to you," said the old man. "That you are gradually taking responsibility for the energy infrastructure of multiple worlds."
Han-Ho thought about this.
"The Dragon Vein network serves multiple worlds," said Han-Ho. "The ley line network probably does too. If they are blocked they need cleaning. If they need cleaning I am the most efficient person to do it." He paused. "I have filed reports requesting specialist assessment for anything beyond my scope. But what is within my scope I will address."
"And what is within your scope," said the old man.
Han-Ho looked at his hand.
"I clean things," said Han-Ho. "That is my scope."
The old man looked at him for a very long time.
"Yes," said the old man. "I think that is correct."
They continued the route.
That evening Min-Seo read the Dragon Vein activation unintended effects report over Han-Ho's shoulder.
Han-Ho had left the notebook open.
Min-Seo was not sitting down.
Han-Ho made a note.
Min-Seo reads over shoulder. Not sitting. Not planned. Filed.
Min-Seo did not notice the note.
He finished reading the report.
Sat on the middle couch section.
Looked at Moru.
"Did you know," said Min-Seo.
"About the ley line boundary permeability," said Moru.
"Yes."
"I suspected," said Moru. "The Dragon Vein activation affects connected systems. The ley lines are connected. The effect was predictable."
"You did not tell anyone."
"Master filed a report the moment the old man confirmed it," said Moru.
"I mean before the old man confirmed it."
"I suspected," said Moru. "I did not know. I do not file suspicions. I file confirmed findings."
Min-Seo looked at Moru.
"You sound like Han-Ho," said Min-Seo.
"I have been with him for six weeks," said Moru. "Some things are inevitable."
Min-Seo looked at the ceiling.
"A fantasy world Gate is forming in Hongdae," said Min-Seo.
"Yes," said Moru.
"In two to four weeks."
"Yes."
"Something with a glowing sword is going to come through."
"Yes."
"And it is looking for Han-Ho specifically."
"Yes."
"And Han-Ho's response to this is to assess the ley line contamination and put it on the Thursday afternoon schedule."
"Yes," said Moru.
Min-Seo looked at the ceiling for a long time.
"I Re-Awakened twice," said Min-Seo.
"I know," said Moru.
"Twice."
"I know Min-Seo."
"TWICE."
"Yes," said Moru. "We know."
Han-Ho, on the floor with his notebook, made a note.
Min-Seo: twice. Logged.