Chapter 6 006

The scooter hummed through the quiet backstreets as Velkaryn City's skyline faded behind them. Mirelle sat close, the cold night air pressing against them both. She had not rushed him. She simply waited.

Korvian spoke carefully, choosing what to reveal and what to hold back. He told her about the call. The abandoned bridge. The ten men who had been waiting for him. He left out the system, the gods, and the Void Card's true origin. Those were not secrets he was ready to share — not yet, not even with her.

When he finished, Mirelle was quiet for a long moment.

"They weren't trying to kidnap me," she said. "They used my phone to lure you out."

"Yes."

"Which means whoever sent them knows that threatening me is the fastest way to get you somewhere alone." She paused. "That's not the work of a stranger."

"No," Korvian agreed. "It isn't."

She didn't ask if it was Sylthar. She didn't need to. They both understood the shape of the answer without naming it.

The orphanage came into view at the end of a narrow lane, its old stone walls lit warmly from within. The sound of children's laughter still drifted faintly from inside even at this hour. Matron Sylvana must have allowed them to stay up late after the feast.

Korvian and Mirelle unloaded the wholesale supplies at the entrance. Matron Sylvana appeared at the door, wrapped in a thick shawl, her eyes widening at the stacked crates of clothing and goods.

"Again?" she whispered.

"Winter is coming early this year," Korvian said simply.

The old woman looked at him for a long time, then at Mirelle, then back at him. She pressed her lips together and nodded, blinking hard.

"Come inside. Both of you. The children want to see you."

They spent an hour inside. The younger children climbed onto Korvian without hesitation, tugging at his sleeves and demanding he judge a dispute over the last remaining ice cream cup from earlier. He settled it by splitting it four ways, which satisfied no one completely and therefore felt entirely fair.

Mirelle sat with a group of older girls near the fireplace, listening as they talked about school and small dreams with the kind of quiet intensity that only children managed. She caught Korvian's eye from across the room. Something in her expression had softened in a way he had not seen before.

[Ding!]

[Trial Progress: 200,000 / 200,000 Elyrian Dollars spent on others — Completed!]

[Reward Granted: 400 Essence Points, 1 Prosperity Shard received.]

[Total Essence Points: 1,700 / 2,500]

[Prosperity Shards: 1 — these accumulate toward the Goddess of Prosperity's exclusive blessings. Collect 5 to unlock her first major gift.]

[The Goddess of Boundless Prosperity sends a message:]

"You spent freely tonight, but I noticed you kept one truth from your wife. Wealth without honesty has a shelf life, Korvian. Something to consider."

Korvian almost laughed. Even the gods had opinions about his marriage.

On the ride home, Mirelle rested her chin lightly against his shoulder. It was not something she had ever done before. He said nothing and neither did she.

Back at the apartment, she paused at the kitchen doorway and saw the birthday cake still sitting untouched on the shelf.

"You didn't eat any of it," she said softly.

"I forgot about it until now."

She took the cake out, found two forks, and sat down at the small table without ceremony. He sat across from her. They ate in comfortable silence, which felt more honest than any conversation they had managed in three years of marriage.

Mirelle set her fork down first. "The people who sent those men to the bridge. You're going to go after them."

It wasn't a question.

"Yes," Korvian said.

"Then I want to help."

He looked at her carefully. "You don't know what you're stepping into."

"I know enough," she said. "I know your family treats you like a burden they're waiting to bury. I know someone just tried to have you killed. And I know that whatever changed in you today, it isn't going to stop here." She met his eyes steadily. "So either you let me stand beside you, or you explain to me why I should keep pretending this is a normal marriage and a normal life."

Korvian was quiet for a moment.

[Ding!]

[The God of Eternal Moments issues a system alert:]

[A window of 48 hours has been identified. Within this period, a critical move will be made against you. Prepare accordingly.]

[Foresight Glimpse has detected an anomaly in your immediate future. Use it wisely.]

He looked at Mirelle across the half-eaten birthday cake and made his decision.

"Starting tomorrow," he said, "stay close to me."

She nodded once, and that was enough.

Outside, somewhere in the upper floors of the Draethor tower across the city, a phone rang. Sylthar Draethor picked it up on the second ring.

"It's done?" he asked.

A long pause on the other end.

"No," the voice said. "They're all down. He took out ten men alone."

Sylthar's grip tightened around the phone. For the first time in years, something cold moved through his chest.

"That's impossible," he said quietly.

"Sir. He was laughing."

The line went dead.

Sylthar set the phone down slowly and stared out at the glittering city below. The comfortable certainty he had carried for years developed its first crack.

"Korvian," he murmured. "What are you hiding?"