The Labyrinth of Negrastir

Heart of the Matter

While the guards dragged the assassin away against his will, the Queen beckoned me to accompany her to the Great Hall before us.

As soon as the glassy double doors shut, she turned towards me with a smile that radiated grandeur.

"Tell me, what makes us humans, child?"

I glanced over my shoulder. The assassin somehow broke free from the guards and relentlessly banged on the other side of the glassy doors.

I gulped hard, unsure of how to respond. It was a foreign concept to me, being a human.

"I... don't know."

"Is that so?" She paused before adding. "Why don't you give it some more thought? There must be something even an immortal from the future knows."

Vanir's voice reverberated in my ears at that moment and caused a sharp jolt of surprise within me.

"A heart...?" I muttered to myself before meeting the Queen' curious gaze. "They... come into this world with a heart."

"Sounds like you already know the answer."

"I..."

"Before the Demon God can become a mortal, he must first grow a heart."

"But- but how? I'm not even a human myself, let alone someone from the past. How do I—"

"A heart knows fear, it pounds and screams in the face of danger, and it weeps when it's in despair and broken into pieces."

She drew closer. "Now tell me, child, can you make something that doesn't exist beat? Can you make it feel what it has never learnt or known?"

It- it was impossible! It was—I raised my eyes.

"It's possible. Difficult by all means, yes, but very much doable."

"I- I don't understand..."

"It happened once. It can happen again."

I briefly looked away. A god who grew a heart and became a human, huh?

It wasn't just a made-up story, then, the legend about the mad god. It actually happened. Nibbling on my lips, I mustered up the courage to speak my mind.

I had to know more about that person.

"Your Majesty, I—"

"I'm too exhausted to engage in more conversation. Since you've come a long way and brought my son with you, I'll let my servants set up a comfortable place for you to spend the night. Please refrain and only ask what's necessary."

"But I—"

"I said, refrain."

With a swing of her hand, the doors flung open. Dewitt stormed in; his chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath.

His eyes studied me thoroughly, as if assessing my well-being, before finally shifting his gaze to the High Priestess.

Every word he uttered dripped with disdain.

"You haven't changed one bit, Mother."

The Queen maintained a stoic expression. Her elfin face betrayed no hint of emotion or even the slightest trace of a smile. With a sudden jerk, Dewitt seized my arm and yanked me along.

His grip grew tighter and more uncomfortable with each step we took through the winding fortress. Breaking free from his grasp halfway through the hallway, I came to a halt.

His furrowed brows deepened.

"I'll spend the night here to show my gratitude as her guest. But you don't have to keep me company."

His stoic face broke into a lopsided smirk. "She let you stay?"

"She let us both stay, but I don't think you'd want that."

He dropped his head shortly before staring up. "I see. Did she tell you, then? What you came here for."

I nodded. "That's exactly why I must stay here for the night. You can leave whenever. I'll figure out a way to get to Menargel on my own first thing in the morning. I'm sure the Queen—"

"Menargel?"

"He needs to grow a heart, Dewitt. If I can help him with that... then maybe things will turn out differently in the future."

"A heart, huh?" he repeated, more to himself than for me to hear, smirking. "That's hilarious, coming from someone like her."

I was about to ask what he meant when he gently held my hand. Before I could react, a gold bracelet wrapped around my wrist.

"What's this?"

"It used to be mine. It was a gift from my late father, he..." He paused for a second. "It's called a 'braceler' here in the Magocracy. If you ever need my help, just call my name and I'll come find you no matter what. No matter where you are. Don't even think twice."

I frowned and carefully pulled my hand away. This person liked me. But why on earth would he?

Although we were practically strangers, the way he looked at me exuded such genuine warmth that I didn't even know what to say to him – or how to say it.

I couldn't even bring myself to say a simple 'thank you'.

As he turned his back to me and disappeared down the icy hallway, I felt the weight of the bracelet on my wrist grow with each passing second.

I'd have to keep some distance from the assassin going forwards. I was a person without a past or a future.

Regardless of whether I failed or succeeded in this arcane journey, one thing was certain: I wouldn't make it out of here alive.

Either my soul would journey back to the future, somehow, or forever wander in the depths of the past, where memories echoed through the unforgiven time for all eternity.

I couldn't afford to let the assassin become too entangled in my affairs. For his own good.