Chapter 2: Hibou

Kai arrived at the stall and only saw Naelis, whom he greeted.

"Hey, Nae!"

Her face was tense.

"Hey. Have you seen Corvian by any chance?"

"No. Why? He's not here?"

"When I woke up this morning, he was already gone." She sighed. "It's been a month now that he's been leaving at night without telling anyone. And now... I don't know. I have a bad feeling."

"You're probably overreacting. He's always been a little secretive."

"Not like this. He's different, Kai. Haven't you noticed? More distant, more... closed off. I just hope he's not doing something stupid."

Suddenly, a man came running toward the stall, stopping, breathless, and asking us to follow him. What does he want? I wondered. Neither Naelis nor I knew him, so we told him we weren't going to follow a stranger just like that. He replied:

"It's really important!"

He handed a token to Naelis. Her face froze. There was something engraved on the token—a circle with a lotus in its center. The lotus was the symbol of the last republic, outlawed long ago by the Soldiers of Gold. How does this man even have such an item? Naelis turned to me.

"Corvian, he has this same token. When I asked him what it was two weeks ago, he got mad for no reason..." She stiffened. "Sir, you're going to tell me where my brother is."

"Yes, yes," he replied, "but I can't tell you here. We have to leave. The soldiers might hear us."

He turned his head, and I followed his gaze. At the end of the alley where we were standing, I saw guards patrolling, listening, and even searching some of the stalls. Naelis spoke up again.

"I can't leave my stall like this, not in the middle of the day!" She paused, thinking. "I'll ask Haazoil to watch over it for me."

She turned to the neighboring stall, which sold canned goods, and shouted to Haazoil to take care of her stand. Haazoil nodded.

Then she turned back to the man and said, "Alright, let's go."

We followed him through the alleys, and I noticed that he made sure to avoid passing near any guards. Inside the Kazou, it was hot, and the orange lights only heightened the anxiety that Naelis and I were feeling. The man led us through a small door we didn't even know existed. We emerged into a large, empty square. The wind kicked up tiny swirls of dust, and only a few figures stood around smoking, their faces hidden under hoods. The man led us to a secluded corner, far from any prying eyes.

"Don't interrupt me," he said. "We don't have much time before they find me, and I have to leave." We nodded, and he continued.

"My name is Hibou. I'm part of the rebellion."

A rebellion? Kai thought. There's a rebellion brewing?

"Corvian was part of it too," Hibou went on. "And he was discovered. That's why he was arrested... And executed this morning."

Kai couldn't believe it. He immediately turned to Naelis, and both of them had tears in their eyes. No... That's impossible. The cries he had heard this morning... They had been Corvian's. His thoughts grew foggy. Kai felt his breath catch. The words echoed in his mind like a distant thunderclap. No. This couldn't be true. The screams he'd heard earlier that day suddenly made sense. His legs gave way, sweat dripping down his temples. It had been him. Corvian. He had stayed in his room, listening to his friend die, and had done nothing. Sweat and silent tears mingled as they rolled down his cheeks. His fists clenched, and his whole body trembled.

Naelis, meanwhile, lashed out at Hibou, sobbing.

"You're lying! You're a liar!" She cried. "What did you do to Corvian? What did you do to my brother?"

"I'm telling the truth, ma'am!"

He rummaged through his large pockets and pulled out a mysterious blue notebook, with a lotus engraved on its cover.

"This notebook belonged to him," he said, turning to me. "And his last wish..." Hibou's eyes met mine. "...was for me to give it to you, Kai Kortanaa."

Kai took the notebook in his hands, his worried eyes glancing at Naelis. The man continued:

"I have to leave now."

Naelis grabbed him by the throat, but the man pulled a knife from a pocket on his chest. She let him go.

"I know all this is overwhelming for you," Hibou said, "but read the notebook. It will tell you everything. Absolutely everything."

Suddenly, sharp metal claws extended from his fingers. A modifié, Kai realized. The man stabbed his claws into the wall and climbed. Within seconds, he was gone.

Kai turned to Naelis, still frozen in shock, and opened the notebook. Inside were sketches, scribbles, building plans, diagrams, and strange symbols—what looked like runes. But on the center page, Kai recognized the writing that Naelis, Corvian, and he had invented when they were children. Both of their faces were now filled with intrigue. Written on the page was:

"Utawa; 19 Korga."

Naelis recognized Utawa.

"It's a village, outside the city. That's where Corvian used to work before we opened our stall."

I continued deciphering what seemed to be an address.

"And '19 Korga' looks like a street name. It must be an address."

"I don't get it. He never told me about that place. Is that where he was going at night? But it's all the way across the city—we'd have to take the tram, and we don't have enough money."

"None of this makes sense," Naelis said. "Hibou said there's a rebellion, and that Corvian was part of it. Do you believe that?"

"I think the only way to answer that question," I replied, "is to go to Utawa; 19 Korga."