A few moments earlier, before the evening conference at Apostle Corp.
[Wrecked Ruins of Onis City, Zenith (Morning)]
Kaia stood atop a pile of rubble, hands casually stuffed in her pockets. Below, Apostle Corporation members scurried like ants, weaving magic to restore the wreckage.
Some attempted time magic, only to give up when the mana cost skyrocketed. Others used fixation spells to patch up structures, while rookies fumbled with finding magic, hoping to salvage lost belongings.
With a sigh, Kaia pulled out her phone. The screen was cracked—another casualty of the previous chaos—but it still worked. She glanced at the flood of missed calls from Kiki, Kyros, and the others, none of which she'd bothered to answer.
Deciding to return at least one call, she dialed Kiki's number. A faint ringtone echoed from a distance, barely audible to others but crystal clear to her ears. Kaia's gaze shifted toward a white car wedged between the wreckage.
Moving silently, she descended from the ruins, each step calculated. Without alerting anyone, she approached the car from behind.
Inside the car, Kiki slumped against the steering wheel, one arm draped over her head.
"This is so damn exhausting," she groaned, sitting up. Her eyes were red-rimmed from lack of sleep, her hair an unkempt mess. "I spent the whole night and morning searching for Sir Kiaan." She shook her head dramatically. "Bloody hell, I couldn't find him!"
A sudden knock on the window nearly sent her flying through the roof. Blinking groggily, she turned, squinting to make out the intruder.
"Why are you slacking off, rookie? Get to work," she barked out of instinct.
"It's me, you idiot." Kaia leaned down, tapping the window with an unimpressed expression.
Kiki froze. "K-Kaia?!"
In her panic, she yanked the door open—right into Kaia, sending her stumbling sideways.
"Oi, watch it! You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Kaia grumbled, giving Kiki's head a light but firm smack.
"Ow! That hurt, you brute!" Kiki whined, rubbing her head. Outwardly, she forced an apologetic smile. Internally, she was seething. This bitch had the audacity to ignore my calls and just waltz in here like nothing happened? Oh, you're so gonna pay.
"Fine, whatever," Kaia sighed. "But keep your voice down. You'll draw attention."
"Oh, o-of course," Kiki stammered. You're one to talk. Your voice sounds like someone gargling rotten eggs. She cursed silently but obediently climbed back inside.
Kaia slid into the passenger seat.
"Where to?" Kiki asked as sweetly as she could muster.
"Nowhere." Kaia's gaze sharpened. "Just a little chat."
Kiki stiffened.
"A secret scheme." Kaia pressed a finger to her lips, winking playfully.
Kiki swallowed hard. That kind of phrasing never meant anything good.
"Oh, hell no."
Kiki lunged for the car door handle, but before she could, a hand gripped down on her shoulder—tight. A shiver ran down her spine. The death glare came from behind. Even colder.
"Don't you dare," Kaia's voice was laced with unholy amounts of menace. Her eyes widened in a ghost-like like haunting position. One wrong step and Kiki will suffer the wrath. "We're in this together. End of discussion."
"I can already tell this is gonna be a disaster!" Kiki cried out loud, still wrestling with the door.
"Wait a second—"
"Nope, absolutely not!"
Kiki made another valiant attempt to flee, but Kaia wasn't having it. With the reflexes of an apex predator, she launched from the backseat, her arms locking around Kiki's waist like a wrestling champion going in for a suplex. Kaia's head somehow ended up tucked under Kiki's arm, which—if it weren't so chaotic—would've been hilarious.
"Wait! Just listen! I'm your senior!" Kaia protested, her voice muffled against Kiki's jacket.
If they weren't inside a car, she would've already hit Kiki with a German suplex.
"No! Let go!" Kiki squirmed violently. "I want nothing to do with your evil schemes!"
She pushed at Kaia's face with both hands like a cat rejecting human affection. Unfortunately, this only activated Kaia's stubborn streak.
"This is about Kiaan!" Kaia yelled.
Kiki froze like someone had hit the pause button on her soul. Her head slowly turned, eyes filled with a mix of shock and desperate curiosity.
"Sir Kiaan? You know something? Where is he?!"
Now she was the one clinging to Kaia's waist.
Kaia smirked. Oh, how the tables turn.
Arms crossed, she basked in her newfound power, refusing to speak immediately.
"Tell me already, you scum—!"
Her last words were barely a whisper before Kaia yanked her collar and pulled her in dangerously close.
"What was that?" Kaia's smile was sharp.
"I mean… my dear, beautiful angel, Kaia." Kiki's survival instincts kicked in, and she clasped her hands together in a display of utmost reverence. You demon. You absolute menace. Just spill it already!
Kaia, looking pleased, ruffled Kiki's hair like a proud senior. "Looks like you finally developed some sense."
And then, dramatically, she narrated everything.
By the time she finished, Kiki's jaw was already dropped. "Wait… all of this happened in ONE night?!"
Her face turned ghostly pale.
"Okay, but why are you telling me this?" Kiki tilted her head, still wobbling from the info dump. "Shouldn't you be reporting this to the President or a Splinter? Why me?"
"Yona will handle that part." Kaia waved a hand disdainfully.. "But since you'll be helping me from the shadows, you need to know about these first."
"Helping you from what now?!" Kiki looked personally offended. "I am NOT getting involved in anything illegal."
Kaia rolled her eyes. "Why do you always assume the worst? Do you want people to die, huh?"
"No!" Kiki jumped closer, nearly knocking their heads together. "Just tell me what to do! I'll trust you—because Sir Kiaan and Miss Ananya believed in you!"
Kaia's gaze sharpened. "Alright then. I quit Apostle because someone's keeping tabs on me."
"Heh? Who? And what about now?"
Kaia exhaled. "I kept feeling like I was being watched. Every single time I was involved in some magic shit or missions. Whoever it is—they might've been the one who placed that spell under our car… and they might be the one who kidnapped Kiaan while I was away."
Kiki blinked. "Wait—why would you even leave him alone in the first place?!"
Kaia's shoulders tensed. "I didn't have a choice."
She looked away.
"At that time…" Kaia hesitated. "Don't tell anyone, but at that time, Yona had lost her powers. Meryt cast some weird spell on her, and I was more worried about her. Besides, Kiaan could've handled himself—he's a Splinter too."
"Well, that explains some of it…" Kiki scratched her head, still uneasy. "But then, how did you even know Yona was captured? Based on everything you said, you shouldn't have had any clue where that Zareth guy was leading you."
Kaia's fists clenched. I can't tell her about the Cosmic Hollow's guy or that blonde lady from the Feathers. That'll just complicate things. I need to focus on Kiaan.
After a moment of silence, she muttered, "I just… knew, okay?"
Kiki narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Yeah. That's not shady at all.