Sleeping Heart

The Vulkar’s roar echoed throughout the cavern.

The creature charged without hesitation. Each step made the stone tremble beneath its colossal weight, while magma spilled from its jaws and burned glowing trenches across the ground.

Nino remained motionless until the very last instant.

When its enormous claws came crashing down, his body vanished like a shadow. The impact carved a crater into the place where he had stood only a second earlier, sending fragments of stone flying throughout the cavern.

He reappeared beside the creature and concentrated Pulse into his right arm. The veins beneath his skin glowed a deep violet as his fist struck the Vulkar’s ribs.

The force passed through its scales and surged across the creature’s entire body like an invisible wave. The cavern wall cracked behind it, yet the Vulkar merely slid several meters before regaining its balance.

Nino narrowed his eyes. Although its scales were easier to break, the female was far more resilient than the male.

The beast spread its wings and unleashed a roar that made the entire ceiling vibrate. It tilted its head, and a river of magma erupted from its throat.

Orange light flooded the cavern.

Nino raised one arm. Pulse gathered in front of his fist, and the instant the magma reached him, he threw a single punch. The violet blast tore through the incandescent stream and split it in two. Magma struck both sides of the cavern, melting the stone and creating small cascades of liquid rock.

Without waiting for the smoke to clear, Nino charged again. The Vulkar snapped its jaws at him. He slipped beneath its jaw, twisted his body, and drove another strike between the scales covering its chest. The creature roared in pain.

This time, it staggered backward. Its colossal body crashed into a stone pillar, and the entire structure began to collapse.

Nino looked up. Across the cavern, he saw the narrow opening where the children remained hidden.

If the pillar fell...

He vanished.

Before the massive slab could strike the ground, a hand wrapped in violet Pulse caught the entire structure. The children’s eyes widened. For several seconds, it seemed impossible that a single man could prevent tons of stone from falling.

Nino pushed. The entire pillar was thrown aside, collapsing far from the passage.

The Vulkar seized the opening. Its wings beat violently as its massive body dove toward him. Nino made no attempt to stop the impact. He allowed himself to be carried along. Together, they tore through another cavern wall.

Stone rained down around them. As the dust began to settle, the creature roared once more. It was its final mistake. Nino was already standing atop its head. Pulse surged through both arms. The violet light grew so intense that it illuminated much of the cavern. He clasped his hands together and brought them down.

The ground caved in. A shock wave traveled throughout the entire mountain. The scales covering the Vulkar’s skull shattered all at once. Its enormous body went still. The reddish glow beneath its scales slowly faded.

Only the distant sound of water crashing beyond the waterfall remained. Outside the cavern, Alicia stood beside the sword embedded in the ground, one hand resting against its hilt.

“Do you think he’ll be able to save them?” Cael asked, struggling to hold on to what little hope remained.

“They're safe. He saved them.” Alicia replied proudly.

“How do you know?” Cael found himself increasingly unsettled by the certainty in the words of a girl who could not see what was happening.

She paused.

“I don’t know. I just do.” Not even Alicia understood what she was feeling.

Within the darkness of the cavern, Nino took a deep breath. Soft footsteps reached his ears. Three children slowly emerged from the narrow passage. Darien came first, his eyes still filled with fear.

“You...”

He looked at the Vulkar’s body. Then at Nino.

“You killed it...”

Nino gave a small nod. The other two children rushed toward Cael’s brother, and the three embraced in silence. Darien looked back at Nino.

“There’s something else.”

Nino raised his eyes.

“Deeper inside.”

“What?”

“We don’t know. But it was the only place where we could hide, and she never let anything go near it.”

Nino remained silent for a few seconds before motioning for them to lead the way.

The passage grew narrower with every step. The temperature steadily dropped, while the Pulse surrounding Nino’s arms cast a faint light only a few feet ahead.

Without warning, the tunnel ended. Nino stopped. His eyes widened.

At the center of an immense underground chamber floated a gigantic crystal of Noctrium. It stretched dozens of meters across, its surface covered in deep cracks. A faint violet light pulsed within it.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Nino remained motionless.

“That’s impossible...”

“What is it?” one of the children asked.

“Lahna, do you really think anyone here knows?” Darien replied.

“A Heart of Noctrium,” Nino said, his expression still marked by disbelief.

Ancient legends claimed that when the Heart of Noctrium within a Colossus finally began to weaken, the creature would fall into a sleep so deep that its body became one with the land itself.

As centuries passed, mountains were born. Those resting places eventually became the Noctrium mines scattered across the world.

Nino had never seen a heart so enormous or so well preserved. They were usually found shattered into countless fragments throughout the caverns beneath the mountains. He was struggling to believe what stood before him.

“So... can we make a wish?” Lahna asked.

“Do you really believe those stories are true?” Darien replied. “Tell her, Rentarou.” He turned toward his friend, who remained frozen in awe. “Rentarou?”

“What if they are? No one has ever seen one this closely before. My grandfather told me that the Heart of Noctrium of a Primordial Colossus could grant unimaginable power,” Rentarou said, unable to tear his eyes away from the crystal.

“There’s only one way to find out.” The sound of footsteps echoed behind them. Calm. Steady. “But I don’t believe we want to test that theory, do we?”

Nino did not need to turn around. He already knew those footsteps.

“I thought you would realize sooner that I had been following you. Although, I suppose you already knew.”

The children immediately hid behind Nino. A figure wrapped in a black cloak emerged from the shadows. His face remained concealed beneath the hood. At his throat, fastening the cloak, rested the emblem of the Shadows: a black sun pierced by seven violet blades.

Number Two. His former mentor.

Even within the darkness, the faint illumination cast by the crystal’s slow pulse revealed the scar cutting across the man’s face.

“I didn’t come here to fight, Zero.” His voice remained calm.

Nino said nothing. The children exchanged frightened glances.

“Z-Zero...?” Darien whispered. “Then...” He looked at Nino. “The Hero of Mezi?”

No answer came. Number Two sighed.

“This has to end.” His gaze passed briefly over the children. Two boys and a girl, all with short black hair and necklaces made from the red stones commonly worn in Arvendel. “You are placing all four nations at risk because of one blind girl. A helpless creature who will never be capable of defending herself.”

The words dragged old memories through Nino’s mind. Two people kneeling before him. Covered in blood. Smiling.

It’s all right...

I forgive you, my son.

The memory vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

“The other Shadows have been ordered to capture you. They will not care what happens to that girl.” Number Two took another step. “If you truly want to protect her, leave her here and return to Mezi before it is too late.”

Nino walked past him without saying a single word. The children followed. Number Two remained where he stood.

“Number One is going to enjoy this hunt.” A sarcastic smile appeared on his face. “You know how much he has always loved the Hero...”

His voice died in his throat. His breathing faltered. He pressed one hand against his chest as his eyes began to glow an intense violet. His entire body stiffened.

“N... N-no...” For the first time, fear entered his voice. His body took one step. Then another. Against his own will.

Nino stopped immediately.

“Two...”

His former mentor continued walking. Every movement was a struggle against his own body. His hands trembled, yet he kept moving forward. Straight toward the gigantic Heart of Noctrium.

“No...” Nino stepped toward him. “Don’t do it!”

Number Two tried to resist. For a moment, he succeeded. But his hands still touched the crystal. The Heart of Noctrium remained still for a heartbeat. Then the Pulse within Number Two began to flow into it.

Thin streams of deep violet light spread beneath his palms, disappearing into the cracks that covered the crystal. One by one, they lit up from the inside, as though the Heart were drinking every fragment of his Pulse.

Number Two's eyes widened. He screamed.

A cry of pure agony echoed through the cavern as his entire body convulsed. He tried to pull his hands away, but they refused to move.

More Pulse poured into the Heart. The crystal shone brighter. Number Two collapsed to his knees. His scream grew weaker. Moments later, his body went limp and he fell unconscious.

…

The violet light within it pulsed once.

THUMP.

The entire cavern shook. Cracks raced across the ceiling. Stones began to fall around them as the gigantic Heart of Noctrium pulsed once more.

The legend was becoming reality before their eyes. The mountain had awakened.