Deus Didymus: Rend

Chapter Thirteen: The Basics

"Commander Lee. I need you to run an assessment over our current military forces. Those who have awakened their Alleles, unlocked energy, everything."

"Why? We have eyes on both SM and YG and neither of them have displayed intention of going to war, or doing anything of the sort."

Chaeyeon eyed the seats lining the large rectangular table, crossing her arms as she sighed. Each chair held its own high ranking official with the king sitting at the head while she sat at the other end.

Dust particles swayed in the thin sheets of light seeping through the high windows. In front of the commander, multiple sheets of paper sat before each attendee with stray sheets scattered across the table.

"It sounds like you're just insecure."

The wooden table rattled under one of the attendee's fists.

"How dare you speak to the king like that!!"

Chaeyeon side-eyed the man, smirking, "And what are you going to do about it?"

The man grit his teeth, turning toward the king.

"You must not let her speak to you like this, King! She's been growing out of control ever since you came into power!!"

BYJ leaned back in her chair, rubbing her neck, "It's only natural for a wolf to question its weaker alpha.

The king waved his hand dismissively, "That was an order, Commander."

Chaeyeon sighed, glancing toward Kami. The young man nodded, pulling a swarm of sheets through the small gaps in the room's doors.

"I just gave you an update on our third years, so I'll omit them from the assessment," Chaeyeon droned, "Starting with our instructors, we have..."

Chaeyeon rolled her head around its base, exhaling deeply through her nose.

"Those old geezers are a real pain in the neck."

She opened her eyes, gazing upon the vast capital. The ordinary citizens appeared like small ants from the top of the watch tower, earning an amused chortle from the commander.

"You should speak nicer to the king, Noona," Kami frowned, "He is our king after all."

"I will once he proves himself," Chaeyeon replied, "Right now, he's just a spoiled brat waiting to be manipulated."

"About that mission to establish better ties with SM..."

Chaeyeon shrugged, "I'll send Choi's team. Tatsuo is the son of their commander, so we'll have more leverage."

"We're sending Ms. Choi out there as well?"

Chaeyeon shook her head, "Nah. I'll send Mr. Yabuki with them."

"So you're sending Nako's father on a mission with her?" Kami reiterated.

"Yep."

"Okay," Kami breathed, "About your recap of Mrs. Yabuki earlier. You alluded to her potentially having awakened her Allele. What was that for?"

"To inflate Sir Bitchass' confidence," Chaeyeon replied, "The Pneuma clan's awakened Alleles are monsters. You'd know if it was awakened very quickly."

"How so...?"

"Are you aware of the Chakra clan's assimilations?" Chaeyeon asked.

"Sort of," Kami trailed, "It's when they combine two elements to create something new, right?"

Chaeyeon snapped her fingers, "Bingo. Normally, assimilations are restricted by bloodlines. The Honda's bloodline for example, doesn't have any assimilations, but the Nakamura's had their feared ice release. The Pneuma clan can use assimilations without the bloodline restriction. As long as they have an affinity for the required elements, they can use the assimilation. Nako's father has wood release, and her mother has scorch release."