Deborah's POV
"A mysterious man?"
I raised my eyebrows slightly, watching David with confusion.
Beside me, Matthew seemed just as intrigued, his gaze locked on David, waiting for him to continue.
"Yes," David nodded slowly, his expression serious. "I overheard my father calling him 'Mr Baker' during a private conversation. I don't know his full name, but I'm certain his last name is Baker. I've scoured every record in Murias, looked through all the rosters, but there's no one with the surname Baker in this entire underground city."
A chill ran down my spine.
"Baker" felt like a cold needle piercing through the fog of my memories. It was too familiar, too personal.
My pulse quickened despite my efforts to stay calm.
I once loved a man named Baker. His name had been etched into my soul like a promise. But now, it brought nothing but bitterness and unease.
Matthew's voice snapped me back to the present. "So, if this Mr Baker isn't from Murias… where is he from? The surface?"
David's frown deepened. "I'm not entirely sure, but that's what I suspect. He must be from outside Murias—maybe even from the surface."
"The surface?" Matthew's eyes widened. "You're saying there are humans still alive on the surface? That the ground above isn't completely uninhabitable?"
I remained silent, my mind racing.
I couldn't tell them about the Sky Cities or the four remaining underground fortresses. If I revealed even a hint of that knowledge, they'd question everything about me.
David sighed, his gaze grew distant and pensive. "It's just a theory. I have no concrete proof. But if he's really from the surface, it would mean that the ground above isn't as deadly as we've been led to believe. Otherwise, how could he have survived and maintained contact with my father?"
Matthew took a deep breath, trying to process what he was hearing. "But what about the people who've been sent to transport Falshi to the surface? They're all dead, right? You're saying they were killed by something else?"
David nodded slowly, pain flickering in his eyes. "Yes. None of them made it back alive. And from what my father managed to uncover, it wasn't FDB agents that killed them. They died from some other cause—something natural, not murder."
"Then why did the half-werewolf make it back?" Matthew pressed, confusion etched across his face.
David paused, his expression darkening. "I don't know. But I do know that as soon as he returned to Murias, he was executed at the border."
"Executed?" I narrowed my eyes. "Why would they execute him? Unless…"
"Unless someone didn't want the people of Murias to know that it's possible to survive the surface," David finished for me, his gaze sharp and intense. "The fact that he came back alive was a threat. There's a bigger secret up there—one they're determined to keep hidden."
Matthew's jaw tightened, his eyes flashing. "So, who is Mr Baker, then? Is he the one pulling the strings behind all this?"
David shook his head, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. "I don't know. I just know that my father reported to him regularly. And that only high-ranking officers—colonel and above—are even allowed to speak with him. I suspect the current colonel, Peter Cox, is in direct contact with him as well."
The mention of that name sent a jolt through me.
"Peter Cox…?" I murmured under my breath.
David's eyes narrowed. He studied me closely, clearly surprised that I'd known to mention that name. "Yes. Peter Cox. He's the current colonel, and he's been in opposition to my father for as long as I can remember."
I frowned, my mind racing with possibilities. "But… your father's death. Wasn't it ruled a suicide?"
David let out a harsh, humorless laugh. "Officially, yes. But five years ago, my father suddenly put a bullet through his head. No warning, no note. It was like… someone forced him to make that decision."
"I'm sorry," I said softly. My voice was calm, but inside, my thoughts were a chaotic swirl of questions and suspicions.
Five years ago… that was around the same time the Lee Family was annihilated.
Could the two events be connected somehow?
I had no way of knowing how long my soul had lingered in Magmell.
But the timing felt too coincidental.
Could Joseph Miller's death be linked to my family's fall?
Matthew's face was pale with shock.
He stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on David's shoulder.
There was camaraderie between them.
Watching David, a strange emotion welled up inside me.
I saw this man who had lost everything, clinging to the shattered pieces of their past, trying to piece together a story that no longer made sense.
And in that moment, I realized I was the same.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay focused.
I had to be careful about what I said next. "Could this be related to… some kind of political upheaval? A power struggle we don't know about?"
David's gaze sharpened, his eyes boring into mine.
[Who is this girl, really? How does she know so much?]
He looked at me incredulously.
[No one from Tirnanog should be aware of these things. Is she a witch?]
He hesitated for a moment, then spoke slowly. "You… witch?"
Matthew's head whipped around, his expression bewildered.
I raised a hand, trying to soothe them both. "I suppose I am, though not a very skilled one. I can't cast spells, but I do have… premonitions. I see glimpses of the future, and I have… strange instincts."
David lowered his gaze, clearly weighing his options.
Then, at last, he sighed.
"Five years ago, something changed. There was a shift—a new power emerging. "
He paused, then continued speaking.
"I don't know where it came from or who's behind it, but it was enough to make my father, a man who was devoted to his duty, question everything. He was a good man, dedicated to his work. Whatever happened, it broke him."
"So you believe it's Peter Cox… or Mr Baker?" Matthew asked quietly.
David shook his head slowly. "I doubt it was Peter. He's a fanatic, obsessed with maintaining the status quo. If anything, I think he'd prefer not to get involved in these power plays."
"Then it was Mr Baker?" I pressed.
"Maybe." David's shoulders slumped. "I can't say for sure. The people truly pulling the strings are always hidden in the shadows. Mr Baker… he's just another pawn."
Our conversation stalled at that point. There was a wall of silence between us—an unspoken understanding that we'd reached a limit.
But we'd made a pact, I realized. Whether we said it or not, we'd work together.
From now on, NO. 7 Quarry will be our meeting place—our base of operations.
And we wouldn't stop until we uncovered the truth.
***
Back in my room, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
My mind spun in circles, replaying the day's events repeatedly.
Everything was tangled up like a web of unanswered questions.
I desperately needed more information.
She was the only one who could have the answers I needed—Cora, Peter Cox's daughter.
Cora was my best friend.
To be precise, she was the best friend of this body.
She trusted me.
But how should I ask her? How much did she know? Was she tangled up in all of this, too?
I didn't want to drag her into this mess. She was the only friend this body had.
My thoughts were interrupted by an urgent knock on my door.