He stands there, He… Him. The dark room, illuminated by his smile and flowing gold and white robes, overshadowed the already well-dressed man beside him. His blue eyes struck Korven to her very soul. Everything about him conveyed an aura of authority. His shining golden amulet, a symbol of protection, ensures everyone around him not only understands his power but also where they stand in relation to him. Aldrick halts right in front of Korven, as he looks down at her. Korven withdraws her knife.
Aldrick whispers, "Good choice."
Into Korven's ear with the confidence that can only be achieved by someone who truly believes that they are one with their god. Korven steps back, almost losing her balance from the distracting presence. Korven knows she wouldn't have a chance against either the lightning bolt or the shield, especially not when fighting against both.
Very rarely are there two miracles together in a room, never three. Korven knows that if they wanted her dead, she would already be dead. Especially now that Korven recognizes the lightning bolt catalyst worn by the impersonator. The miracle known as "static" enables the user to absorb energy and release it during a period of increased movement and thinking speed. Unlike most catalysts, the lightning bolt is purely symbolic, activating only when the user comes into contact with electricity. The lightning bolt acts as a battery to store electricity rather than a catalyst like Aldricks, where the mere contact with anything shaped like a shield can activate Guardian. Korven remembers the name of the impersonator,
"Hrin."
Aldrick starts to smile even more after Korven's realization,
"Ahh, so you're aware of us. So then you must know that Brother Static here could knock you out before you could even activate your miracle, not like it would help."
Korven understands Aldrick's statement and drops the weapon. Aldrick continues-
"Great, great, excellent, see how nice it is to talk without it feeling like we want to fight?"
Korven keeps her eye on the exit, even though she wants to know why Aldrick called her her, but she knows it's in her best interest to leave as soon as possible.
"What do you want?"
She says in a tone that seems to anger Aldrick,
"You don't get to talk to me like that, anyway, I was just about to say".
Korven cuts him off,
"If you want to use me as a pawn for my miracle, I don't think I offer much help."
Aldrick calls Korvens' bluff,
"HAHAHA, don't act, blame it on your powers, anyone can be a child of angels, but you aren't just anyone, you already know this, but I have been watching you for quite some time now, and frankly, we could use someone like you, not for your miracle but also for your brain."
Korven rolls her eyes at this.
"So, Im just an average recruit?"
She says, mockingly,
"I doubt you roll the red carpet out for every single mother who needs community and religion. How many people in your cult have even met you?"
Aldrick loses his smile, leaving Hrin with a look on his face that Korven picks up as
"I have never seen him look like this."
Aldrick forces his smile back, gritting his teeth in a way that looks uncanny to even Korven. He takes a deep breath and responds.
"It's a cult only as much as any religion is, in fact, the only thing that separates us from any other church in Kilder is that we teach the truth."
Korven looks like she's about to laugh, overjoyed that she's regained control over the conversation.
"Is that really the only thing separating you from the rest of the churches? I didn't know the doctrine of the churches in Kilder included mass child sacrifice."
Korven finally controls the conversation, clearly not something the ever-charismatic Father Guardian expected. Before Korven can continue, Aldrick fires back with a line that seems almost rehearsed.
"Every ideology goes through an… experimental phase-"
As soon as Korven hears this, she feels as if she has to throw up. How dare he toss up hundreds of lives lost as an "experimental phase." How was Yyelter unfazed by such a question, especially when the very fact that Korven even knows about the sacrifices should have been a surprise, given that this isn't even public knowledge.
"But if you know about those… tests, that means you must know what we are setting out to accomplish, no?"
Korven is surprised; she was too disgusted by the cult's actions to ever look into the final goal of the sacrifices. She had just assumed the actions were to build loyalty.
Aldrick continues,
"You have come here angry, yet you do not understand our intentions. How dare you?"
Korven ponders a little before making up her mind on what to say,
"Do you really think anything you say will convince me to join you?"
"We don't convince people to join-"
"Then what does?"
"The dark hell that is life in the city we call Kilder is what convinces them."
"No, life in Kilder just makes people desperate enough to turn to you."
"They turn to community."
Korven has had enough of Aldrick's rehearsed talking points.
"NO, they turn to religion, religion that you manipulate, you say you know who I am, yet you clearly don't know what I truly stand for. I am Korven. I see through the secrets of Kilder, and it is up to me to cut through them. You are the secret, you are my enemy."
Hrin turns to Aldrick to see if he has the clear to attack. Aldrick shakes his head and stares into Korven's eyes.
"We both know that's not what you want, Korven. I know you, and I know you want the truth. If Im right, meet me back here tomorrow at noon, no Hrin, no knife."
Korven wants to ask one more question, but both Hrin and Aldrick have left. Korven's chase for knowledge has finally met its ultimate match, yet she knows what she must do.