Chapter 9: The Human Heart

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Hrymdra pointed her index finger at my chest and gently pierced my soul with her claw, reaching deep inside.

Slowly, she manipulated the Soul Essence, gathering it into a single point within my soul and forcing it to crystallize in mere seconds.

FLASH!

The energy converged, compressed, and solidified into a small heart-shaped crystal that pulsed with ethereal power.

“Ooh?”

But that wasn’t all. My unique Dragon Energy—the black-and-white light—flowed into the Soul Heart, making it three times larger than before. Now split between black and white hues, it overflowed with far greater power.

I also felt something growing inside my soul. A small, empty bubble appeared, completely separate from the rest of my soul’s inner space.

Hm. Now that I think about it, perhaps the Nightmare King was able to paralyze me with his presence because my soul was so weak. That’s why I have to keep strengthening it.

“Congratulations, Elizabeth. You are now a Rank 1 Soul Awakener. With that Rank 1 Titan Soul Heart—or should I call it Divine Eclipsing Dragon Soul Heart?—you can refine more Soul Treasures, absorb their power, and expand your Internal Soulscape,” Hrymdra explained. “This will let you use abilities such as Soul Aura, Soul Transformation, and Soul Armor. Now that they have merged with your draconic power, I suppose they will take on dragon-themed forms.”

“So cool!” I exclaimed. “Thanks a bunch, auntie! Do you think I can increase my Rank?”

“You’ll need to cultivate your soul using specific methods,” she said. “Hmm, I suppose I can give you this. Here.”

She conjured a scroll of golden paper out of thin air, opened it, and inscribed something with the tip of her claw.

Then she infused it with her divine breath. The scroll burned black, and she handed it to me.

I stared in confusion, unsure what she had just done.

“This is a Cultivation Method Scroll. Once you open and read it, its knowledge will be inscribed directly into your body, soul, and mind,” she explained. “You will instantly learn the Dragon Soul Refining Method, which you’ll need to begin growing and developing your Rank 1 Soul. The sooner you start, the better.”

“T-Thank you so much!” I beamed, eagerly grabbing the scroll and opening it. “Wow!”

At first the letters were incomprehensible, but they soon glowed bright gold and surged into my head, merging with my mind.

“W-Wha…?!”

In seconds the scroll vanished, leaving me with the complete knowledge needed to practice the method.

It wasn’t as complicated as I had feared. The instructions were clear:

Sit in the lotus position.

Harness Soul Essence.

Focus and circulate the Soul Essence around the body in a precise pattern.

By guiding the Soul Essence this way and gradually infusing small amounts of Dragon Energy from my Dragon Heart…

My small, shapeless soul would slowly take on the form of my idealized draconic appearance.

“Once you master the method, you will be able to manifest your Draconic Soul Aura,” she said. “Now I think it’s time for you to wake up. Go on—you’ve got a big day ahead, I’m sure. You’re a princess, after all. Don’t worry yourself over an old lady like me.”

“I’ll come visit whenever I can, auntie!” I ran to her and threw my arms around her in a hug. “I love you!”

“A-Ah…” She stiffened, flustered. “Is that so… Well, I… I appreciate you. Ahem! Now go, child. It’s time to wake up. For someone so young to linger here too long would warp your soul rather than strengthen it. This place offers great potential, but its nature also makes it dangerous.”

“Okay, I get it. Bye-bye!” I waved as I was swiftly teleported back into the skies.

♢♢♢♢

Hrymdra sighed in quiet relief and slowly walked back toward her castle, her thoughts lingering on the child.

In just a couple of hours, she had forgotten all her burdens while teaching that bright little girl about the world.

Elizabeth had been so eager to learn, so attentive and clever. Every new discovery lit up her face, and it warmed Hrymdra’s heart in ways she hadn’t felt in ages.

“She was a little cowardly at first, but she quickly realized she wasn’t weak at all, hah.”

She chuckled softly as she stepped inside.

There, she approached her slumbering love.

He looked exactly as he had the moment he passed away—his body perfectly preserved within her ice, as though time itself had frozen around him.

Sorrow slowly filled her eyes as she sighed deeply, remembering the countless adventures they had shared.

“If only you could be here to see that girl, dear… I’m sure you would love her as much as I do.”

She settled beside him, wrapping her arms around the ice crystal and closing her eyes.

Little by little, that small, spirited girl was carving out a place in the solitary ice dragon’s heart.

“I wonder how far she will go…”

The sorrow gradually eased from her face, replaced by a gentle smile.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

♢♢♢♢

Deep within the underground laboratories of the Frostbane Kingdom’s special agency—an organization founded by King Louis’ father, Gustaf—the king and his wife studied a large, black heart held in containment.

The sterile white labs, humming machines, and scientists moving purposefully between stations did not distract them. Both typed codes into the computers, directing their Fantasium-powered analyzers to probe deeper into the core of this unknown lifeform.

“How intriguing. It does contain Fantasium as a primary component, but only about 32%,” Mirai said, narrowing her eyes.

“Does that mean they aren’t like Entities or Grievances, Your Majesty?” asked Anastasia, a young Ice Elf and Rabbit Beastman hybrid. She wore a white lab coat and black glasses; as the daughter of Frost Knights Captain Tisha and Grand Master Pekorine, she had once served as Louis’ Frost Knight. Now semi-retired from combat, she worked as a scientist and agent in this division.

“Entities and Grievances are specific lifeforms born entirely from Fantasium,” Louis explained. He too wore a white lab coat, his “smart glasses”—a Soul Treasure rather than mere eyewear—scanning the heart’s composition. “Nightmares are different. They incorporate entirely new, previously unknown elements. I’ve named the dominant one Nightmare Essence. There’s also a weaker energy—possibly Dream Energy. We’ve observed traces of it in some Entities, but not to this degree or in this form.”

“Do you think we can develop weapons against this new threat?” Mirai asked. “We can handle them ourselves, but… the entity I glimpsed when I sealed the Dimensional Rift was not normal. Its eyes alone made me hesitate for a moment.”

“Was it really that strong?!” Anastasia’s rabbit ears twitched in shock. “Hmm… What do you think, team?”

“As long as the heart remains here, we can keep analyzing it.”

“Eventually we should identify its weaknesses beyond brute force.”

“We also have two living Nightmare specimens that were recently contained.”

“If we study their composition and behavior, we could pinpoint a true vulnerability.”

The scientists exchanged ideas, all eager to examine the two live specimens Mirai had captured.

“Do that,” King Louis said with a nod. “This Nightmare Power feels like a living energy far more malicious than Fantasium. I’m not certain I could assimilate it yet, but I will find a way to make their strength my own.”

“Is that really necessary?” his wife asked quietly.

“It is if we need to learn how to fight them effectively,” the king replied. “In any case, we must continue the investigation. I will not allow these monsters to do as they please. I’m certain they will keep coming for our daughter. We have to protect her at all costs.”

“You’re right,” the queen agreed. She turned back to her work beside him, her expression resolute.

♢♢♢♢

After the incident in Frostbane, King Arthur returned to Camelot with a faintly frustrated look on his face. His wife, Dralma, paid it little mind; he had worn that same expression since his teenage years at the Sinners Academy.

His daughter Guinevere, however, felt a pang of guilt. She couldn’t help wondering if she was once again the cause.

“Daddy, are you mad?”

“Hm? No. I was just thinking…”

“About what?”

“Many things. The creatures we faced today were not of this world. It made me realize how complacent I’ve become in my life.”

“…?”

Arthur’s gaze sharpened as he looked out over Camelot’s capital, the bustling streets surrounding Lionheart Castle, the people he had sworn to protect, and the heavy burden of kingship that now rested fully on his shoulders.

Five years had passed since his father’s death. Half a decade as king had brought countless irritations and problems, some he would have preferred never to face.

Secrets Camelot had buried deep, even from the Dragon King and his family’s watchful eyes.

“Go to sleep now, dear,” he said, smiling warmly as he carried her to bed.

“Yeah, good night, Guinevere. Be a good girl and don’t go swinging a sword at night, okay?” her mother added, kissing her forehead.

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“Ok…” Guinevere nodded. “Um…”

As they turned to leave, she spoke again.

“What is it?” her father asked.

“Can’t we visit Frostbane again? I want to become friends with Elizabeth…” Guinevere said softly.

Arthur considered it for a moment, then nodded. “Fine. It’s better to build strong ties with them anyway. We’ll arrange the visit later.”

“Yaaaay!” Guinevere cheered, her small face lighting up.

“Now go to sleep, dear. Goodnight,” her mother said, closing the door.

As she walked down the corridor with her husband, she noticed he wasn’t heading to bed with her.

“Arthur? Where are you going?”

“I… have something to take care of, Dralma. Don’t worry. You can go to sleep.”

“Uh… okay.”

Dralma nodded, puzzled, but she didn’t press him. Most of the time, Arthur simply preferred to be left alone with his thoughts.

Once she was gone, Arthur released a quiet sigh. He navigated the labyrinthine halls of Lionheart Castle, descended into the underground dungeon, and continued even deeper.

And deeper.

And deeper.

And deeper…

Until he reached a concealed teleportation magic circle. He activated it and vanished, transported to a place far beyond the earth itself—a forbidden realm of eternal darkness, long ago sealed away.

“…”

He stood in a land that existed somewhere else entirely, yet still within Earth. Here the night never ended. Stars gleamed like crimson blood. All three moons stared down at him like watchful eyes.

An endless dark forest stretched before him—purple grass, pitch-black trees—bisected by a narrow paved road. Arthur walked its length with heavy, deliberate footsteps.

As he advanced, he sensed countless presences watching from the shadows, wary of his light, of the sword at his side.

He walked for what felt like hours until he reached his destination: a grand altar encircled by the forest.

At its center stood a black, withering tree—leafless, dry, on the verge of death.

Arthur sliced his palm and let his blood drip onto the parched roots. They stirred at once, greedily absorbing it, surging with sudden vitality.

“Ahhh… the blood of the Pendragons… it is you, my child.”

An elderly woman’s voice echoed from within the tree. Its withered branches and roots creaked and twisted.

The trunk began to reshape, splitting to reveal a wide mouth lined with razor-sharp teeth and a single enormous crimson eye.

“So you have returned… Are the preparations ready, my child?”

“Not yet. We are excavating the remains of the Fantasy Fields across the world, but we still lack enough Grievance Hearts…”

“Then why have you come?”

“Because I have something that might… suffice.”

Arthur summoned a golden treasure chest. From it spilled small black hearts, piling into more than a dozen.

The tree’s eye widened. Its mouth drooled.

“Ahhhh! What…! What are these?! Sweet ambrosia!”

Branches and roots shot forward, piercing each heart and drinking the profound darkness within. Power flooded the tree.

The aged voice slowly regained a hint of youthful vigor. The tree swelled to three times its size in moments, sprouting purple leaves and even bearing a few crimson fruits.

Arthur’s eyes widened, though no awe filled them—only a flicker of disgust and regret beneath his kingly resolve.

“Incredible…! With this…! Do you have more, my child?!”

“Not… yet… but today, creatures from another dimension invaded. It seems their hearts can satisfy your hunger?”

“It seems so! More! Give me more! Find more!”

“Wait—don’t be impatient, you fiend…!”

“Don’t you want Camelot to reclaim its former glory, you foolish child?!”

The furious tree writhed. Dozens of red eyes bloomed across its black trunk.

“I…”

“Who once brought eternal joy to this kingdom before He ruined everything?!”

Me! It was me!