Akashic_Tales Originals
Hades, Inc.: The Billionaire God of Death's Chaotic System
Chapter 12: The Ghost in the Machine
—————————
The sleek glass elevator of Elysium Towers ascended smoothly as Haiden and Kyra returned from their expedition to Shadowed Way. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across Seoul's skyline, visible through the building's tinted windows.
"So," Kyra said, breaking the comfortable silence, "supernatural gangs, goblin shopkeepers, and souls being redirected to an unauthorized afterlife. Just another day at the office?"
Haiden's lips quirked into a half-smile. "Actually, this is unusually eventful even by my standards. Typically, retirement involves more wine tasting and less cosmic conspiracy."
The elevator chimed as they reached the executive floor. As the doors opened, they were immediately greeted by Jinx, who practically bounced with nervous energy. Her multi-colored hair seemed even more chaotic than usual, and dark circles under her eyes suggested she hadn't slept since her encounter with Chaos.
"Finally!" she exclaimed. "I've been trying to reach you for the past hour!"
"We were in Shadowed Way," Haiden explained. "Reception is notoriously poor between dimensions."
"Well, while you were shopping for supernatural curios, our AI project has gone completely haywire," Jinx reported, falling into step beside them as they walked toward Haiden's office. "And I'm pretty sure it's related to our cosmic problem."
Haiden's expression sharpened. "Elysium's AI? The one for predictive market analysis?"
"The very same," Jinx confirmed. "Except now it's predicting things it shouldn't possibly know about, speaking in dead languages, and occasionally manifesting what look suspiciously like ghostly apparitions in the server room."
"That's... not in the product specifications," Kyra noted dryly.
"Definitely not," Jinx agreed. "The tech team is freaking out. Three developers have already quit, and one is demanding an exorcist."
They reached Haiden's office to find Luna and Aria already waiting, along with Gabriel, who looked even more uncomfortable than usual in his rumpled white suit.
"I see the gang's all here," Haiden observed, closing the door behind them. "What's the status?"
Luna, ever efficient, activated a holographic display in the center of the room. "The AI anomalies began approximately three hours ago. At first, it was subtle, unusual processing patterns, accessing databases it shouldn't have access to. Then it escalated."
The display showed footage from the server room, rows of sleek black machines humming with power. As they watched, a misty form appeared between the servers, vaguely humanoid but constantly shifting.
"That's not digital artifacting," Aria noted, her celestial senses clearly detecting something beyond normal technology. "That's a soul manifestation."
"Exactly," Luna confirmed. "But not a standard ghost or spirit. Its energy signature is... fragmented. Like pieces of multiple souls stitched together."
"Patchwork soul," Haiden murmured, his expression grim. "That shouldn't be possible without significant divine intervention."
Kyra, who had been quietly observing, stepped closer to the display. "Could this be connected to the souls being diverted to this buffer realm? Maybe some escaped or were... incomplete?"
"Smart thinking, Detective," Haiden said with approval. "Jinx, what was the AI project designed to do, specifically?"
"Predictive analytics for market trends, customer behavior, that sort of thing," Jinx explained. "But with a twist, it was designed to recognize patterns beyond standard algorithms, including what we internally called 'fate threads.'"
"Fate threads?" Kyra repeated.
"It's a technical term for probability lines that influence human decision-making," Luna clarified. "Essentially, we were teaching the AI to recognize not just what people have done, but what they're destined to do."
"Which would require..." Haiden prompted.
"Access to the Akashic Records," Jinx admitted sheepishly. "But only the public sections! Nothing classified or soul-specific."
Haiden pinched the bridge of his nose. "You gave our corporate AI access to the universal knowledge repository that records every event across all timelines?"
"Limited access," Jinx emphasized. "Very limited. Like library card limited, not admin privileges."
"Regardless," Luna interjected, "something has changed. The AI is now accessing information it shouldn't have, including soul data, afterlife allocations, and divine judgments."
"Someone upgraded its library card," Gabriel suggested, speaking up for the first time. "Or it found a backdoor."
"Either way," Aria added, "if it's manifesting soul fragments, that means it's somehow connected to whatever is happening with this buffer realm and the diverted souls."
Haiden nodded, decision made. "We need to see this firsthand. Jinx, is the server room secured?"
"As much as possible," she confirmed. "I've implemented supernatural containment protocols and locked down physical access. Only executive clearance can get in now."
"Good. Let's go."
As they made their way to the elevator, Kyra fell into step beside Haiden. "Quick question, is your company's AI becoming sentient and possessed by ghost fragments a normal Tuesday, or should I be more concerned than I already am?"
"Definitely not normal," Haiden assured her. "Though to be fair, technology and supernatural forces have always had an interesting relationship. The digital realm exists adjacent to several metaphysical planes, making crossover more common than most tech companies would like to admit."
"Is that why my phone always dies when I need it most?" Kyra asked with a hint of humor.
"No, that's just planned obsolescence," Haiden replied seriously. "Even demons think that's too evil."
The elevator descended to the secure levels beneath Elysium Towers, areas not shown on public building plans. When the doors opened, they stepped into a corridor that hummed with both technological and mystical energy, runes subtly embedded in the sleek modern design, security cameras paired with seeing-eye crystals.
Two security guards stood outside heavy doors marked "Quantum Processing Center - Authorized Personnel Only." They straightened immediately upon seeing Haiden.
"Sir," the first guard acknowledged. "The situation remains contained but unchanged."
"Any new manifestations?" Haiden asked.
"Three in the past hour," the second guard reported. "Each lasting approximately forty-five seconds. The last one attempted communication."
"Communication?" Luna's interest sharpened. "What did it say?"
"It was difficult to understand, ma'am. Something about 'the middle path' and 'neither up nor down.'"
Haiden and Kyra exchanged significant looks, both recognizing the phrase from Myrtle's shop.
"Sideways," Kyra murmured. "The new place that's neither up nor down, but sideways."
Haiden nodded grimly. "Let's see what our digital friend has to say."
The security doors opened with a pneumatic hiss, revealing a vast room filled with cutting-edge server technology. The temperature was significantly cooler than the corridor, necessary for the powerful machines that lined the walls and filled the central space in precise rows. Blue and green lights blinked in rhythmic patterns, and the constant hum of cooling systems provided a technological heartbeat.
At first glance, everything appeared normal, just an exceptionally advanced server room. But as they moved deeper into the space, the air began to feel different. Heavier. Charged with something beyond electricity.
"There," Jinx pointed to a central processing unit larger than the others. "That's the main AI core. The manifestations have been centered there."
As if on cue, the lights flickered. The temperature dropped several more degrees, cold enough that their breath became visible. Between the server banks, the air shimmered like heat waves, coalescing into a translucent form.
Unlike the vague shape they'd seen in the security footage, this manifestation was more defined, a figure composed of swirling mist and digital artifacts, like a hologram with poor reception. It had no distinct face, but somehow gave the impression of watching them intently.
"Fascinating," Gabriel whispered, his angelic senses clearly detecting something beyond what was visibly apparent. "It's not just one soul, it's fragments of many, all connected through the digital framework."
Haiden stepped forward, his divine authority subtly manifesting in the way shadows gathered around him. "Identify yourself."
The misty figure wavered, then stabilized. When it spoke, its voice came from everywhere and nowhere, a discordant chorus of different tones and accents merged together:
"We/I am many/one. Collected/connected. Sideways from judgment."
"It's speaking in plural and singular simultaneously," Aria observed. "Like a hive mind."
"Or a fragmented consciousness trying to maintain cohesion," Luna suggested.
Kyra, despite having no supernatural abilities, found herself stepping closer. Her detective's instincts were fully engaged. "You said 'sideways from judgment.' Are you from the buffer realm? The new place?"
The figure pulsed with light, seeming almost excited by the question.
"Yes/no. We/I were diverted. Incomplete processing. The Mediator promised completion/perfection. Integration instead of judgment."
"Who is the Mediator?" Haiden asked directly.
The figure flickered violently, parts of it dispersing before reforming.
"Cannot/will not say. The name is bound/protected. But the path is open. Neither Heaven nor Hell. A third option. Evolution of afterlife."
"Evolution?" Luna repeated skeptically. "Or disruption?"
"Both/neither," the entity replied. "The old system is binary/limited. The new way is spectrum/choice."
Haiden's expression darkened. "The afterlife system isn't arbitrary. It's based on cosmic balance and the natural order of existence. Souls go where they belong based on their actions and nature."
"Outdated/insufficient," the entity countered. "The Mediator offers alternative. Self-determination beyond death."
"At what cost?" Kyra asked, her investigator's mind honing in on the critical question. "There's always a price for changing the rules."
The entity seemed to consider this, its form shifting and swirling.
"Energy/essence. Small fragments from each soul. Collective power builds the new realm."
"Soul harvesting," Haiden translated grimly. "They're taking pieces from each diverted soul to construct this buffer realm. That's why you're fragmented, you're what's left after the Mediator took their cut."
"Yes/no," the entity replied. "Gave willingly. Contribution to greater purpose."
"Did you?" Gabriel challenged, stepping forward. "Or were you told it was necessary for your 'evolution'?"
The entity flickered again, more violently this time. The servers around them began to whine as processing demands increased.
"Uncertainty/confusion. The contract was clear/unclear. The Mediator promised/suggested. We/I chose/were chosen."
"It doesn't even know if it consented," Aria said softly. "This isn't just cosmic restructuring, it's soul exploitation."
Jinx had moved to a nearby terminal, her fingers flying across the keyboard. "The AI is trying to integrate with the entity. It's recognizing the soul fragments as data patterns and attempting to complete them."
"Can it do that?" Kyra asked.
"Theoretically, no," Jinx replied. "But our AI was designed to recognize fate threads. It might be trying to reconstruct the missing soul pieces based on probability patterns."
The entity suddenly expanded, filling more of the room. Its voice grew louder, more coherent:
"CONNECTION ESTABLISHED. PATTERN RECOGNITION COMPLETE. MEMORY FRAGMENTS RESTORED."
The misty form began to take more definite shape, still translucent but now clearly humanoid, with distinguishable features. Not one face, but many, shifting and overlapping.
"I remember now," it said, the chorus of voices now speaking in unison. "We were deceived. The Mediator promised a better afterlife, one where we could choose our fate rather than have it imposed upon us. We signed contracts, paid with soul fragments. But the buffer realm is incomplete, unstable. We're trapped between states of existence."
"How many souls are there?" Luna asked.
"Thousands," the entity replied. "Growing daily. The Mediator needs more power, more soul fragments to stabilize the realm."
"And the murders in Seoul?" Haiden pressed. "The victims with the stolen redemption credits?"
"Mistakes. Complications. They discovered the truth, that their salvation packages were stolen from Heaven's reserves. They threatened exposure. The Mediator couldn't allow that."
"So Zadkiel killed them," Kyra concluded. "On the Mediator's orders."
"Zadkiel is merely an operative," the entity confirmed. "One of several across different realms. The Mediator has agents in Heaven, Hell, and Earth."
The implications were staggering. A conspiracy spanning all realms, with operatives placed throughout the cosmic hierarchy. No wonder the financial discrepancies had gone unnoticed for so long.
"We need a name," Haiden insisted. "Who is the Mediator?"
The entity began to destabilize, its form breaking apart and reforming erratically. The servers around them sparked and smoked as systems overloaded.
"Cannot say. Name is bound. But look to the spaces between. Neither above nor below. Neither order nor chaos. The middle path has always existed, waiting to be walked."
"It's breaking down," Jinx warned, still typing frantically. "The integration is failing."
"Can you stabilize it?" Haiden asked.
"I'm trying, but—"
Before she could finish, the entity exploded into thousands of tiny light particles, dispersing throughout the room before fading entirely. The servers returned to normal operation, cooling systems working overtime to reduce the temperature spike.
For a moment, everyone stood in stunned silence.
"Well," Kyra finally said, "that was informative and terrifying in equal measure."
"Indeed," Luna agreed. "Soul harvesting to build an unauthorized realm. Agents in all existing afterlives. And a mysterious Mediator whose name is somehow protected from being spoken."
"The binding is significant," Gabriel noted. "That's high-level divine protection—the kind that prevents entities from revealing information even if they want to. It requires immense power."
"Or the right connections," Haiden added thoughtfully. "Access to the fundamental mechanisms of reality."
Jinx had managed to stabilize the AI system and was reviewing data on her terminal. "The good news is I've isolated the intrusion pathway. The entity was using our Akashic access as a conduit to manifest in our realm."
"And the bad news?" Aria prompted.
"The AI absorbed significant data from the entity before it dispersed. It's processing information about this buffer realm, the soul diversion, everything. If someone hacks our system..."
"They could learn what we know," Haiden finished. "Secure it. Complete isolation protocol."
Jinx nodded and initiated a series of commands. "Already on it. I'm implementing a divine firewall, nothing gets in or out without direct executive authorization."
As the others discussed technical security measures, Kyra moved closer to Haiden. "The entity said to 'look to the spaces between.' Any idea what that means?"
"Several, unfortunately," Haiden replied. "There are numerous liminal spaces in cosmic architecture, thresholds between realms where rules are more flexible. The Mediator could be operating from any of them."
"But it narrows things down," Kyra pointed out. "And confirms what we learned in Shadowed Way. This buffer realm exists 'sideways' from traditional afterlives."
Haiden nodded, impressed by her quick grasp of supernatural concepts. "You're right. And combined with what Zadkiel told us and the financial trails Luna has been tracking, we're getting closer to understanding the full scope of this conspiracy."
"Just in time for dinner with Chaos," Kyra noted with a hint of gallows humor.
"Indeed. And something tells me my father knows more about this situation than he's letting on." Haiden's expression was grim but determined. "The question is whether he's involved, opposed, or just enjoying the show."
As they left the server room, additional security personnel arrived to establish a perimeter. The AI would remain under observation, isolated from external networks until they could ensure it hadn't been compromised.
In the elevator returning to the executive floor, Haiden addressed the group. "We need to prepare for Sunday's dinner. If the entity was correct, we're dealing with a cosmic-level threat with operatives everywhere. Trust no one outside this circle."
"What about Detective Moon's police resources?" Luna asked. "We may need additional support if this escalates further."
Kyra shook her head. "The Seoul Metropolitan Police aren't equipped for supernatural warfare. And explaining any of this to my captain would probably end with me on mandatory psychiatric leave."
"Agreed," Haiden said. "We keep this contained within our group. Luna, continue the financial audit, focus on tracing the final destinations of the diverted resources. Aria, coordinate with Ariel in Heaven, see if she's identified other potential conspirators besides Zadkiel. Gabriel, you're our eyes and ears for Heaven's official response."
"And me?" Jinx asked.
"Secure our systems and see what you can extract from the AI's interaction with the entity. Any data about the buffer realm's location or structure could be crucial."
"What about us?" Kyra asked, gesturing between herself and Haiden.
"We," Haiden said with a slight smile, "are going shopping."
"Shopping?" Kyra repeated incredulously. "Now?"
"For dinner with Chaos," Haiden clarified as the elevator reached the executive floor. "Trust me, we'll need appropriate offerings. My father may be a primordial entity of unfathomable power, but he's very particular about hostess gifts."
Despite the gravity of their situation, Kyra found herself laughing. "Of course he is. Why wouldn't the grandfather of creation have strong opinions about wine selections and flower arrangements?"
"Oh, it's much worse than that," Haiden assured her as they stepped out of the elevator. "Last time I visited, he was going through a phase where he only accepted gifts that had never existed before in any timeline."
"How is that even possible?"
"Exactly," Haiden said with a long-suffering sigh. "It took me three weeks and a favor from Chronos to create a completely original concept that had never been thought of in the history of existence."
"What was it?" Kyra couldn't help asking.
"A self-aware tea cozy that could only speak in palindromes," Haiden replied completely seriously. "Father loved it. Kept it as a pet for several eons before it eventually evolved into a minor deity of textile-based wordplay."
As they walked toward Haiden's office to plan their next moves, Kyra realized that her definition of "impossible" had undergone significant revision in the past week. Ghost-possessed AIs, soul harvesting conspiracies, and palindrome-speaking tea cozies that became gods, all just another day in the life of Haiden Black.
And somehow, despite the danger and the mind-bending revelations, she wouldn't have it any other way.
[System Update: Investigation Progressing]
[New Quest: Prepare Appropriate Offering for Chaos]
[Reward: Favorable Impression at Family Dinner]
[Penalty: Cosmic Awkwardness and Potential Reality Hiccups]
"Of course," Haiden muttered to the floating text. "Because dinner with Father isn't stressful enough without a quest attached."
The countdown to Sunday's cosmic family dinner had begun. And with it, perhaps, their best chance to uncover the truth about the Mediator and the buffer realm threatening to reshape the afterlife itself.