Chapter 52.2

Oblivious to Ken's predicament, Alina started walking, leading him to a bridge over a water canal. She spun around, facing Ken as she sat down on the bridge's railing. Ken's breathing stilled as he saw the setting sun graze its warm light on her before moving to lean on the railing while gazing at the opposite direction of Alina. He avoided Alina's eyes as he stared into the waters, watching at a shrinking gondola as it rowed away. [1]

"Here," Alina handed him the bottle of energized water which he gratefully accepted.

Alina didn't say anything when she noticed him still evading her. This time she was patient, waiting for him to tell her voluntarily when a drone came buzzing down from the sky. Alina took the food delivery from the drone and it flew away after confirming that the food was correctly delivered.

"Burger?" Alina asked casually while holding out a double cheeseburger to Ken.

He turned to her and shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm not hungry."

"Suit yourself," Alina shrugged and dug into the burger with relish while Ken looked on with a raised eyebrow, especially when he noticed just how many burgers she ordered.

Guess she's a lot like Jason, Ken thought, vaguely remembering how Jason would have at least two burgers almost every day in the school cafeteria. In fact, one time, he even had a bet with Asami and downed twelve burgers without pausing.

Alina noticed his gaze and stopped chewing.

"What?" She asked defensively as she fidgeted.

"Nothing," Ken replied with a small smile.

"I'm hungry, ok? In case you didn't notice, I used my powers back there and now my metabolism is kicking in. I don't usually eat so much, alright?" Alina explained in one go, her cheeks glowing with embarrassment while Ken looked on speechlessly.

"I - I didn't say anything," Ken stuttered an excuse which caused her to nearly snort.

"You didn't have to," Alina answered and Ken sighed before opening his bottle of water and drinking it as an excuse to avoid the conversation.

At the same time, he lamented on how perceptive women were while Alina finished her burger in one big bite and turned to another. Ken turned to look at her once more before looking back at the water.

"I want to kill someone," he finally said bluntly. Alina paused, her hands holding the burger just a few inches from her mouth as he continued. "That's why I wanted to buy a gun."

"Duh, that's obvious. Why else would you need a gun?" Alina rolled her eyes.

"Not just anyone," Ken explained while ignoring Alina's retort. "I want to kill the murderer of my parents."

This time Alina lowered her burger and turned to look at Ken seriously. He was always so shy and soft-spoken, so much so that she never considered that he lost just as much as her. That he was in pain just like her.

"I'm sorry," Alina whispered and Ken just shook his head without answering. Alina wasn't able to handle the silence and finally asked, "H-how did you find out?"

Ken reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled a folded paper out and handed it to Alina. "From this."

"Paper? Really? Who uses paper these days?" Alina asked as she wiped her hands before taking the folded paper.

"It's from your brother," Ken answered with a sardonic smile, much to Alina's surprise.

Without hesitation, Alina opened the letter and skimped through it. It contained a rough summary of what Jason's investigation had unveiled along with an address to a safe house which contained a more thorough and detailed information board.

"Did you go to the safe house?" Alina asked and Ken nodded.

"My uncle tried hiding it but I found out," Ken replied while Alina handed the note back to him. Confusion appeared on her face as she asked another question.

"Why would Jason . . . ?"

"Make a deal with my uncle? He gave the info on my parents' murders as recompense for getting Nikki hurt. During the carnival attack," Ken added for clarification.

Alina nodded but remained silent. She looked at the setting sun that was already sinking past the horizon. Ken understood her stance and he scoffed at her disappointment in him.

"Reading what happened isn't the same as being there. You didn't see just how much my parents' suffered before they died and I -" Ken's voice broke as he looked away from Alina, trying his hardest to prevent her from seeing his teary eyes. "I need to make him suffer twice as much before I pull the trigger."

Alina closed her eyes as Ken spoke. She understood exactly where Ken was coming from, for she felt the very same rage as him. For the longest time, she wanted to do the same and gain vengeance over the death of her mother and father; it was her raison d'etre, the reason why she pushed herself to train and become strong. Yet now . . .

"Killing isn't going to bring them back or make you feel better," Alina finally opened her eyes and turned to Ken, her voice soft as she tried explaining why she disapproved.

"Oh please, what do you know?" Ken shot back, anger overwhelming him. "You have everything! Money, strength, and - and a super brother. You didn't have to worry about how traumatized your sister was, how you might be separated, how - how you needed to - how everything just ended in one night!"

[1] The direction they're facing is symbolic of their emotions. Alina is facing westward and towards the setting sun, signifying her path towards light while Ken faces the east where it is dark, symbolizing his inner turmoil with his dark desire to exact vengeance on his parents' killer. At the same time, the setting sun also signifies the coming darkness for Alina, be it whether what is awaiting her, or what she will become.