"Alright, Alright..." Kiki held her head exhausted by the long chat. I am not made for processing this much information in my tiny brain. "Let's just jump into the main point." She said, like a wind in a whisper. "Let me just wrap everything you said till now." Kiki blinked as she raised her hands.
"Yeah, be quick." A hint of irritation laced in her voice as she laid her head on her arm and put on her leg, which she lifted to sit comfortably in her seat.
Kiki used all her brain's power which she hasn't used for years like a heritage kept in a webbed vault. "So, to avoid this guy or girl who is stalking you. You quit Apostle, and that dude might ignore you for now, right? Because you possess no problem for them right now? In the meantime, you will give them a sneaky attack in the shadows and save Sir Kiaan from their grasp, right?"
"Bingo!" A grin appeared on Kaia's face. "Didn't expected you to get that so quickly. Looks like I chose the right person."
"Well, why me exactly?" Kiki raised a brow. And then hid her face embarrasely. "Don't tell me you have now acknowledged me as a 'chosen one'?"
Kaia's brow flickered; she wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. Maintaining a smile on her face but the anger still visible in her clenched fist, she continued to speak.
"Kiki, we are off the topic again aren't we? Just keep in mind that you are useless, and practically no one even notices, so you are the perfect person for it. No one would ever suspect you of working with me, or even if you disappear, there is likely no possibility of anyone noticing you."
Kiki was flabbergasted. Her face looked like lightning had struck right in front of her because of how bluntly Kaia was openly insulting her as if she was explaining like something to a law student and just confidently spouting facts.
"And no way that stalker would think that you are helping me, believe me he wouldn't even know that there is a person named 'Kiki' exists in Apostle."
The words felt like arrows piercing right through her heart. Kiki clenched her shirt as she coughed out fake blood from her lips dramatically. "Ouch, you are cruel. At least filter out some words. Don't you care even a little for me? And why do you always target my name?"
"Of course.... I wouldn't," Kaia grinned too proudly. "Anyone suspicious for his kidnapping besides that hidden person?"
"Well, there is!" Kiki said eagerly. "His mother." Kaia raised a brow and then Kiki continued to explain everything that happened right before Thalia's death. Kaia listened to it seriously, looking down as if thinking too deeply.
"What is his mother's name again?"
"Uhm....I think its....well WHAT if that person is overseeing our conversation right now?" Kiki jumped in horror at her own seat.
"I doubt that," Kaia said, turning away. "He has already captured Kiaan and I already told Kyros that I have quitted Apostle. So, no need for stalking me then. Well, honestly, the feeling of being watched disappeared as soon as I got inside Nexus. The Luminara Brothers - that stalker never cared about them or that whole sacrifice agenda."
"We would be doomed if that guy listened to our conversation randomly." Kiki laughed but her smile faded as soon Kaia looked at her, glaring.
"Mother's name?" Kaia said straightly again, her tone pierced right in her ear.
"Ira Winters. The 'Winters' in her name is taken from her ex-husband's surname - Noel Winters. And that is the same for Sir Kiaan. But Noel wasn't his biological father."
"He did ghost out when his mother showed up, right? Why so?"
"Well, it's all related to his past. His mother, who was madly in love with Noel, was married to him for 6 years, and she hid the fact that the child they were raising wasn't Noel's to begin with. The man broke off their marriage and left them. Ira was frustrated, and she blamed Sir Kiaan for it because his birth was the reason that they got separated."
Kaia listened to her carefully, her fists clenched but emotionless on her face.
"She threw him on the sea when he was only six, some fishermen saved him but- " Kiki's jaw clenched a look of disgust in her face. "It was six months, six months of pure hell as he was sold to grey quartz, an underground secret place that offers everything illegal- drugs, forbidden books, slaves, organs or even prostitutes. You can already guess what happened to Sir Kiaan while he was there."
Kiki's eyes narrowed, Kaia put her hand on her shoulders to comfort her, Kiki but couldn't handle the growing anger in herself as she continued. "A mana-cancellation effect occurred, leading to Cosmic Hollow finding that place, but even after he was rescued. People in the Apostle treated him like dirty, filthy trash. The head of the Varyon Clan had insulted him in as many ways as possible, and he was the worst of them all. He never left any chance to humiliate him."
A tear fell from her eyes as she tried to hold back her cries. "But he still managed to climb up the ranks and become the head of the crime unit. And even earned respect. That's why I respect him, he was the first one who never saw me as a burden and always cared about me first if anything went wrong. Instead of blaming me, he would ask 'Are you okay?'" The tears didn't stop as her hands clenched her pants on her thigh.
Kaia's was sad listened to it painfully but her eyes widened as soon as she realised, she quickly turned to Kiki. "Did you just say Varyon?"
Kiki nodded through her blurry eyes.
"Who is this Varyon?"
"He is... the Chameleon's father," Kiki said soaking her tears on her handkerchief. "He is arrogant and rude. He discriminates a lot against those who don't fit his standards. I once mixed some phenyl in his tea, and he yanked me by my collar and yelled death threats to me. I was crying and laughing internally at the same time."
"I never thought you were that daring..."
"Well, I was saved by the President even though he sometimes also does the same to me. But I guessed he didn't allow it to outsiders."
"So it was because of Kiaan that Grey Quartz was abolished, right? Because they were found out. Might that the stalker be the person who started the Grey Quartz and now he wants to get revenge on him?"
"A possible reason but I don't think he might be that powerful, Ira didn't had magic back then but somehow she could use black magic now. And that master of her seems more powerful than that Grey Quartz man."
"What do you think? Might that Master and that Stalker be the same person?" Kaia's pupils shrunk.
"Seems possible enough."
"And what's that 'Incantation eclipse' thing that Ira mentioned?"
"There are no such records of this thing in Apostle. I will ask Zack if maybe he could find something from the old records about that."
"Who's that?"
"You haven't met him?" Kiki was shocked. "He is sooooo handsome. A total face card in the Info unit. And you know what he works under the goddess....ahem...Miss Ananya. So you only met Bulky Chang and that nerd Cho only?"
"Aren't they your seniors? Speaking of Ananya, what happened to her? Don't tell me her plans were revealed, and she was doomed."
"What are you ACCUSING Miss Ananya of!" Kiki shouted in top of her lungs as her quick temper took her over. "She didn't do anything wrong! I am sure that the President set her up."
Quick changing sides for the person who saved her from the phenyl tea incident. Kaia's eyes narrowed. "About Varyon, is he just a head of the Varyon clan or something else?"
"He is the Chairman of Sorcery Academies in various parts of the world. Operated for teaching students who have mana to use it efficiently, learn spells blah, blah and blah. Many of us have also studied in there. Even many Splinters. Except Miss Ananya, Sir Kiaan and that shark, Sir Kai."
"Even you?"
"Yeah, and why do you look so surprised? Did you seriously think I was uneducated?" Kiki grabbed Kaia by the collar, pulling her close. Kaia turned her face away, avoiding the fact that she thought that.
"Anything more about that place?" Kaia said, trying to avoid the topic with her neutral face.
"Lemme think....hmm.." Suddenly Kiki's eyes sparked, a wave of excitement and she quickly grabbed Kaia's shoulders. "Incantation eclipse, right? That place, I mean, I studied at the headquarters of all Sorcery Academies, and there were some rumours at my time. And it started with something like 'Incantation.' Something that would grant power. I am sure that-"
And then there was a slap on her cheeks, turning her face into a different location. She spat as Kaia yelled. "Out of all our clues, you only managed to get this USELESS dim whit clue?" Kaia rubbed her forehead. "Only if there was someone smarter, just a bit, than you."
"There wasn't any need to slap me this hard.... bitch.." Her last words were barely louder than a whisper as she glared at Kaia, like killing her in her own imagination in countless ways.
"I...I'm sorry. I was just stressed." Kaia said, rubbing the back of her head.
Bitch....#########......She didn't even know the words she was cursing in her mind, as if a death spell would summon and devour Kaia up. She just glared with her hollow gaze.
"But seriously, Incantation is such a common word in this magic realm."
"Well, that is but-"
Kaia looked at Kiki, feeling a little guilt once in a lifetime as she continued. "Alright, let's investigate your baseless rumour. That place is the headquarters, literally a beacon of knowledge in this magic world. We may find something about the Incantation eclipse."
"Really?" Kiki's eyes lit up.
"But-" Kaia's eyes narrowed. "If the rumour was false and more of our time is wasted, then all the blame's on you."