"How does someone disappear from public record so easily?" Korven thinks,
"There's no record of her escaping, no record of any transfer, in fact, if it wasn't for the mugshot and note of her arrival, I could be convinced that she had never even existed."
As Korven walks down the cold Kilder streets, she reflects on Silia's apparent disappearance. Her only lead had just vanished, just like her miracle.
Gone.
By the time she reached the metro station, she had already accepted her failure. She had planned to anonymously send the police evidence that Aldrick was connected to the murders that Silia had committed, while hiring assassins was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to Aldrick's crimes; affiliation with a murderer of that level could have landed Aldrick up to 20 years of prison, collapsing the cult.
Of course, without the loose end that is Silia, any hopes that Korven had to take down Aldrick are long gone.
By now, Korven had reached the entrance to the metro system, the rotten smell emanating from underground. Yet instead of going down the stairs, into the metro, Korven had elected to keep walking. Walking down streets she did not know of.
"Huh," Korven thinks, while using the side mirror of a broken car to check behind her,
"I could've sworn he was following me," She thinks, in reference to the man she watches walk down the stairs,
"It looked like he was tailing me since I left. I think I'm losing it because of how much I talk to myself."
Korven had convinced herself that the man who had been walking behind her for three streets had been following her. She pins it on the fact that ever since she had escaped the void, Korven had been talking to herself to keep her thoughts in order, making her feel insane.
To keep her mind calm, she decides to walk before entering the underground to avoid the stuffy air. The streets around her, while not too much nicer, still provide Korven with a much clearer walk. While she walks, Korven tries to piece together what happened to Silia.
"If Silia truly did die, I have to find evidence of her connection with Aldrick by myself," she says
She pauses for a moment, remembering Wulkin's warning,
"In a week," she adds.
Even though it is the middle of the day, the metaphorical dark mist of Kilder had already begun to set in,
"I am Korven, I see through the secrets of Kilder, and it is up to me to cut through them." She says
Throughout the years, Korven had made the active decision not to keep anyone close; her soul, while powerful, could simply not handle the pain of losing so many people to the dark mist. Even when thinking about Silia, a girl who had tried to kill her just a week ago, and the fact that she might be gone, Korven mourns, not out of sadness, but because she knows that if Silia is dead, it was her fault, and if it is her fault, she has to mourn.
"Silia deserved what happened to her," she thinks.
"But being put into a situation like that from birth is something that no one deserves." She continues,
"Her miracle is just like mine, a curse, no, it's worse than mine, she has no true form, she's just a reflection of whoever she talks to."
"Aldrick chooses easy targets to manipulate, people with already so little to lose, that's why I must end his reign of evil," Korven says, accidentally out loud.
Korven reaches the end of her walk, a neighbourhood she's never visited. This part of the city is completely isolated, meaning she doesn't mind the fact that she's talking out loud,
"Not like anyone can hear me," she says
Suddenly, she turns. Something feels off. Korven had learnt that if she ever feels like her life is in danger, she should assess all possible escape routes,
As she is in the middle of the sidewalk, Korven could run in any direction and yell for help if she's in danger. Turning around, Korven notices a man.
"I knew someone was following me!" she yells, knowing that this time it is not a misunderstanding.
She knows this because, as the man steps out of the shadow, Korven recognizes the guard uniform from the Hilden correctional facility. She's been followed all the way there.
"He must've heard what I said about Aldrick," She realizes.
The man walks out of the shadows with his arms in the air — Korven realizes it is the very same guard who oversaw her visit to the imprisoned Silia, a charming yet intimidating Asian man, shorter than Korven, with short, straight black hair. Korven spots a badly concealed handgun on his waist.
"Sorry, sorry, it's nothing sinister, I just had to talk to you, Korven," the man says
Korven slowly starts walking towards him, closing the range between them. Korven realizes that no one is near them, not even a single person crossing the street.
"What do you want?" Korven asks, louder than necessary, trying to get the attention of the people in the apartments next to them.
"Don't worry, Korven, I'm Sinxu, and I am on your side!" He responds, excited,
"Side? What Side?" Korven asks,
"You can stop acting. I overheard you in your meeting, also your muttering during your walk here, and just now in fact," Sinxu responds.
"Overheard?" Korven asks,
"Yes, all the talk about Aldrick and the angels, you spoke very loudly for someone trying to keep a secret, you know?"
Korven doesn't react fast enough to hide her shocked expression, choosing instead to close the distance between them, now only a couple of meters.
The Sinxu continues talking to Korven,
"Your mission is brave, trying to take them down single-handedly, and if it were my decision, they wouldn't exist either, but if you keep pulling stunts like this, you'll end up dead as well."
"You don't know me," Korven responds
"You have no idea what I can do."
"What, you think you're special because you're a miracle-born?" Sinxu responds, a smile forming on his face.
Korven stumbles and almost falls over as soon as she hears Sinxu say that. Korven barely exists in the legal sense; her miracle, because of how late in life she discovered it, isn't even officially documented.
Before she can even ask, Sinxu continues,
"It's obvious, as soon as you stepped out of the prison, you broke two fingers, then acted like you were used to it."
"I've only seen one miracle like it, but it's pretty clear you aren't like me."
Korven thinks of jokingly asking how many miracles Sinxu's actually seen, but before getting those words out, Sinxu keeps talking,
"You're like my brother."
In that moment, Korven realizes who she's talking to and to whom Sinxu is referring to. Throughout her investigative journey, Korven had been researching everything she could about all the known miracle-born in Kilder; this research had included everything from looks to miracles to family ties. Therefore, when Sinxu mentioned his brother, Korven knew precisely who he was referring to.
"You're Quyin's brother." She says confidently
"You're a smart one, aren't you?" Sinxu responds
"So take it seriously when I say I know what your limits are. Quyin is much stronger than you, and he can't take Aldrick down, so what can you do?" he continues,
Korven is now half a meter away from Sinxu, close enough for her safety, so she stops walking.
"I don't know about him, but I have a plan, I can bring about an end to the Chosen Angels without breaking any laws and without endangering any lives," Korven says
"How are you going to do that?" Sinxu responds,
"There are Angels on all levels of the legal system, Aldrick is immune."
That single statement destroys Korven's confidence in her plan; her plan had always been to take Aldrick down legally, but if Sinxu is right, then that is no plan.
"He seems trustworthy, I think he's on my side, and if he's telling the truth, then I have to reassess my plan." Korven thinks to herself.
Korven looks back at Sinxu, but before she can respond, she notices Sinxu's hand in his holster. Korven can't do anything but watch as Sinxu pulls out his pistol and points it at her chest,
"Please, just stop investigating them; it's the only way you or my brother can stay alive."