Three weeks had passed since Korven was called to the station to answer questions; neither she nor Silia confessed the whole truth, but to stay out of trouble, Korven told the police that Silia was a burglar. The only reason Korven decided to turn on Silia was that so many witnesses claimed to have seen the whole thing.
This was Korven's first experience of the police helping her rather than hindering her efforts to make Kilder a better place for all who live in Gurun. Recently, Korven has begun to question why she chooses to live in a crumbling city when there's a whole world for her to explore. She could travel the countryside of Yewlin, living off the very fact that she is a miracle, and would live an easier life than 90% of the 15 million people currently residing in Kilder.
Korven had long lost faith in the city and its people, surrounded by those who worship the ground on which miracles walk rather than support those in need. Korven's miracle was useless, yet she knows she would never have started her mission if she hadn't felt it was a sign from the angels to "break through the dark mist of Kilder." Her kind neighbours had helped Korven clean her apartment up (knowing she wouldn't have done so by herself), but the window is still broken.
Aldrick had attempted to schedule more meetings with Korven a week after she skipped the first one, but gave up after her rejection. While her notebook is still full of her illegible thoughts and caffeine-filled theories, Korven's investigations have led to nowhere.
With her inheritance money running out, Korven has slowed her spending; most of it went to bribes, so cutting off her funds ended her hopes of gathering more leads.
The city has grown grayer than before as winter begins. Korven puts on her jacket (not out of fear of discomfort, but because she can't afford to get sick) as she leaves her building. She keeps her head down, ignoring the faces of the passersby, faces that had turned from smiles to emotionless as winter began. Around the world, there had always been a joke that in Dylter, there are only two seasons, winter and colder winter. No place in Yewlin has proven that saying more accurately than the capital, Kilder. Even when the sun shines in the middle of summer, it's cold. It rarely snows in Kilder; when it does, the snow is never white, but the streets are always cold. Korven walks another block before the street opens onto a square.
In the middle of the square stands the first Agorist church of Gurun. A beautiful church that dates back to multiple generations, when King Kilder the Second (the city's namesake) brought the faith to Kilder. The gothic-inspired church has stood as a pillar of the community in Gurun. Korven enters the church, the church she hasn't entered since childhood. To regain faith in Kilder, Korven had decided to restore faith in Agor. Sitting in the almost-empty church an hour before mass reminds Korven of the times in her life before she understood the horrors of her city, when she still believed in Agor and her city. For an hour, she sits still waiting for Mass to start so that she may be reminded of why she believes.
For weeks after her parents died, Korven prayed every day, hoping they would come back. When the church took her in as an orphan, Korven prayed every day still, now because she was told to. Being forced into faith made her happier to abandon it as soon as she could. While most people fill the void left when losing faith with alcohol, Korven made it her mission to save Kilder. Looking back at all the memories, Korven's eyes tear up. She arrived so early that she could sit exactly where she used to sit every weekend when her parents were still alive.
Korven starts to cry, not out of sadness that her parents weren't with her, but because her sitting there signifies that her mission had failed. The only things that came from her journey were broken bones, a broken soul, and Silia in prison. Silia had been on her mind for the past three weeks. How come a miracle born was so easily used by Father Guardian?
"What started out as a simple cult now has at least 3 miracles affiliated with it." She continues thinking to herself,
"Aldrick must be doing something for him to be gathering all of these miracles. If he's willing enough to send one after me, he must have more."
Around 15 minutes before mass starts, people start flooding into the church. As more people gather around Korven, she is shocked to see how many still have faith in Agor, despite the suffering everyone endures.
Noticing Korven's red cheeks, an old woman, around a foot and a half shorter than Korven, even if she wasn't hunched over. With white hair that reminds Korven of her own late grandma decides to go to her next and begins talking to Korven.
"You know, you always belong here."
Korven turns to the woman, shocked,
"Sorry, do I know you?"
The woman continues,
"Oh, don't worry, no, you don't know me, my name is Elynia, you don't know me, but I know who you are, in fact, I was sent to talk to you. By Agor themself."
As she speaks, the bell at the top of the church rings, signalling that Mass is beginning.
"Sorry, ma'am, can you tell me after mass?" Korven responds, not listening to the woman, only to the man stepping up to speak. The Priest has worked in Agorian churches for 30 years, dedicated to faith and to Agor.
The priest stands tall and charismatic, elderly but energetic. His Grey and golden robe symbolizes Agor's fight to save mankind from the demons of Vrulgin. His head covered in a large Silver Birreta, Woven with real silver to symbolize the fallen coven of metal witches who helped liberate Yewin from the Reclyn's. Because of the church's size, the priest uses a microphone connected to a few small speakers in the back corner of the oval church. The church goes silent, waiting for the priest to begin talking,
"Good morning, people of Gurun, and for those new, welcome to the first Agorian church of Gurun. My name is Father Runhuld, and if it does happen to be your first day with us, Im happy to say you chose a great day for it."
Korven laughs to herself at the thought that this is a sign from themself before listening again,
"Today, I have decided that instead of talking through a chapter of the Ehelm, I will talk about something I hold dear to my heart, but first lets come together to thank Agor for bringing all these people together this fine day."
All the people around Korven close their eyes, stand up, and kiss the bench in front of them, although clearly unsanitary, Korven follows along so as not to feel left out.
"Agor will thank you all for your affection, now, to introduce what I wanted to talk about. If you haven't heard, the cult known as the Chosen Angels has been trying to infiltrate the church of Agor. These cultists spread lies about our beliefs and deny the existence of Agor. So I am here to tell you that if I had any wish, it would be for all of you to listen when I say, the chosen angels and their heretic beliefs are enemies of the church. YOU HEAR ME, PEOPLE? THE CHOSEN ANGELS ARE OUR ENEMIES. I know it is uncharacteristic of me to get so worked up about any topic, but I have had to sit idly by as this cult has destroyed the burrow we live in, torn apart families, and killed our kids. I know I can trust you all to agree with me, so now I want to bring up what I've been wanting to say." Runhuld's powerful demeanour shifts as tears stream down his face.
"Kilder's government is refusing to listen to the pleas of us critical thinkers and now from what I have heard, Kilder is planning on accepting the chosen angels as an official religion, YOU ARE HEARING ME RIGHT, the cult that has been destroying our city is going to be considered a religion, If i could ask just one thing of you all, please hear my pleas, fight this dessision as best as you can."
As Runhuld finishes, the audience bursts into conversation,
"An official religion, we can't let this happen"
"Those baby killers should be punished, not celebrated"
Korven tries to drown out the conversations but her attempt to escape into faith has just given her another idea.