Mattheo Riddle - Imagines/OneShot

The Heart of Aeternum

Word Count: 946

Mattheo's POV

The first letter came only days after she had left. It arrived with a flourish of feathers, her tawny owl perched on my windowsill, a delicate parchment tied to its leg.

"Mattheo,

I've reached the first waypoint safely. The rumors of the Heart of Aeternum are true–it exists. I'll send updates when I can. Don't worry about me. I'll be back soon. Love you, always."

–Y/N

I must have read that letter a dozen times, memorizing every loop of her handwriting. It felt like a lifeline, a promise that she would return. But as the weeks passed, her updates became less frequent. Then, one day, they stopped.

The professors said nothing. My friends brushed off my concerns as paranoia. "She's Y/N," they'd say. "She'll be fine, she's one of the best witches in our school." But their reassurances felt hollow. My heart knew her better.

One evening, as I stared at the crackling fire in the Slytherin common room, my restless thoughts were interrupted by a sharp, frantic tapping at the window. Her owl.

It wasn't the same proud creature I'd seen before. Its feathers were disheveled, its eyes wide with terror. My chest tightened as I hurried to open the window, letting the bird land heavily on my shoulder. My fingers trembled as I untied the parchment from its leg.

Her handwriting filled the page, but the words were scattered, broken, as though written in haste—or madness.

"Mattheo,

The Heart...it's beautiful. So much power. Too much... I can't... don't let them take it from me. They're watching... I'm safe. I'm fine. I can't... grave... trouble. Help me."

The word "grave" was underlined twice. And at the bottom, in the faintest ink, her code: three tiny stars. It meant danger—ral, imminent danger.

Adrenaline surged through me. I ignored the professors' warnings and my friends' pleas. No one could or would stop me from finding her. She was my everything.

The Forbidden Forest was darker than I remembered, its shadows twisting and curling like living things. My wand was my only light as I followed the directions in her previous letters, each step taking me closer to the ruins where the Heart of Aeternum was said to lie.

The Heart wasn't just an artifact—it was a shard of ancient magic, pulsating with energy. Legend claimed it granted immortality to those who wielded it, but at a cost: it consumed the bearer's soul, twisting their desires until they no longer recognized themselves.