Within the Heart

1

“Surrender yourselves. Do not resist.” the voice from within the suit of armor said without a hint of emotion.

“Are you ready to die for your master?” Akari taunted it from across the battleground. “Not that something like you could die. You reek of metal and curses. Under that armor I’m sure there’s nothing but a wisp of smoke. I’ll snuff it out before you have a chance to beg for mercy.”

“That outcome is unlikely. Further discussion is unnecessary.”

“Lady, do you mind if I take this one alone?” Akari’s face shone with confidence. She kept both hands on the handle of her sword. Her body was taught and ready to pounce at the instant the armor moved forward.

“I don’t mind. I will provide support from the rear. For once, we outnumber the enemy.” With a wave of her hand, Emily’s image faded. Only a shadow in the ground remained. She watched Akari’s battle from a distance.

The armor was showered with attacks from several directions at once. First at the shoulder, then below the chin, then the lower back. Each blow left an afterimage, quickly destroyed by the armor’s gigantic fists. She was just fast enough to avoid each blow. Her pattern of attack shifted constantly to prevent her enemy from predicting her next location. For a human body, blocking a single hit would likely break bone.

“Disrupted time flow is rare. A troublesome opponent.” In the midst of the fight, the enemy remarked on Akari’s movements.

The armor had the presence of a martial artist. With its knees bent and elbows tucked, the stance was always prepared to block and counter. It blocked a hit to the rear with one arm and fully extended the other straight at Akari’s chest. Her body moved out of the way just in time, but the force of the impact tore the grip of her left hand from her sword. Akari briefly looked to her side in disbelief as her left arm hung helplessly at her side.

She spit in the sand. “Not bad. You’re getting faster, but it won’t be enough.” While the armor was adept at dealing with an enemy in the front, its rigid pose was slow to turn. There was a slight delay in its ability to neutralize attacks from the sides and rear.

Akari gripped her sword with her right hand. Her left arm was completely broken and she could barely wiggle her fingers. Her renewed assault turned the scratches on the armor into dents, and the dents slowly gave way to thin cracks in the metal.

It could be said that any attack too quick for an opponent’s reaction could be considered fast. Utilizing her feet and elbows, harmless strikes were mixed in between deadly sword slashes. Forcing the opponent to decide between defending a potentially harmful strike or allowing a harmless attack to pass rendered the opponent's reaction slower than if every strike were meant to kill.

Emily’s head spun as she watched the battle. Support was needed. Akari’s broken arm was undoubtedly causing her unbearable pain. One thing Akari was having difficulty doing was giving a decisive blow. In spite of the hairline cracks appearing in the armor’s welded points, they seemed resistant to giving way. Emily bent down and placed the faint outline of her hand into the sand. The air quickly turned to a biting cold.

“Hyah!” Akari let out a shout. The armor’s left arm flew from the body, severed at the elbow. The faint outline of a hand remained where the gauntlet had been a moment earlier. It balled into a fist and buried itself into Akari’s abdomen. She gasped for breath as it tightened its other hand around her neck.

“Akari!” Emily yelled. A bright golden bud sprouted from her fingertips, crossing the almost infinite distance that separated them. It was too late. The light had drained from Akari’s eyes. The armor threw her lifeless body to the floor. Emily fell to her knees. Akari’s life was snuffed out in a moment.

“Sad, isn’t it?” A hand placed itself on Emily’s shoulder. Akari, alive and well, looked down behind her.

“Akari!” Emily fought the urge to embrace her friend. “How?”

“There are some things I’ve kept secret from you. Magic that you know the trick behind is hardly magic, you know?” Akari answered. “Hey! Big guy! I thought you were supposed to keep us alive.”

“Isa ordered an avoidance of lethality. Self-preservation takes precedence.” Its knees bent in preparation for another charge.

“It’s time to finish this.” She ran her finger along the edge of her blade. The red blood smeared along it shone silver. With a blinding flash and a single downward motion, Akari closed the dozens of meters between her and the armor. Her sword passed through her enemy, smooth as a fish parting seawater. The armor collapsed. No life lurked behind its empty visor.

“Whew.” Akari smiled. “What an easy fight. I’d have never believed that was one of the strongest soldiers they had to offer-”

Emily’s eyes widened in horror as a thin mist snaked around and lunged at Akari’s exposed back. A glassy blue wall of petals widened to shield her friend. It passed through the barrier as if it were nothing and engulfed Akari’s entire body.

Akari fell to her knees. She screamed in pain and clawed at her eyes. Blood began to trickle from her mouth, nose, and ears. Losing control of her muscles, she writhed on the ground as her muscles contorted at unnatural angles. Beneath her clothing, Akari’s tendons twisted and tore, until her body was a tightly wound prison of flesh. The curse was devouring her with ferocious speed.

Emily wasted no time. She gripped Akari on the shoulder and whispered a silent chant. Akari’s face cleared for a moment. She did the same for her knee and one side of the face. The curse had already entered the body. Removing it was impossible. The right side of Akari’s body was likely beyond saving. Yet, her heart and her mind could be preserved. Emily made one final motion. Akari’s eyes, forced open by shock, closed. A calm breath escaped Akari’s lips.

2

The sun was high in the sky. Hundreds of charred bodies littered the desert battlefield. Those with intact faces were contorted in pain, while most existed only as black husks of their former selves.

Blood and spit flew from Jon’s clenched teeth. His axe flew through the air wildly. His target, a girl of stature barely reaching his hips, danced in circles around him, playfully hopping from one foot to another. Her left hand grasped a dagger with a blade of radiance no lesser than the sun above their heads. Each swing narrowly missed cleaving her in half, but she slipped out of the way without as much as a panicked breath.

“Ha Ha! An abyssal general! A curse consumes your flesh daily, yet your being refuses to die.” the girl taunted him.

“Silence, scum!” Jon continued his ferocious onslaught.

“Tell me something, abyssal. You reside in a constant state of suffering, yet you stand before me, waving that chunk of metal like a fool.” She hopped to the side as the axe buried itself in the sand. “Is your emperor really worth all this?” she motioned to the piles of bodies surrounding them.

“His Excellency has…” Jon took a deep breath. “The right. You lack it.”

“Oh? What right? Without those like you, his right would amount to nothing.”

“And yet…we stand. Fiend, you understand not.” Jon glared at her with his pure-black eyes from behind a layer of bandages. The fight had reduced most of the bandages covering his body to shreds, and for the first time, his pure bleeding musculature was plain to see. He was a flayed man living and breathing.

“Enough of you. Soon I will have those who stand for me. They will stand much…taller than you.” she giggled. In a swift motion, her dagger plunged into Jon’s exposed leg. White flame covered his body.

“Witch!” Jon howled.

“Don’t speak. Turn to ash and scatter into the wind. That is where your thoughtless loyalty belongs.” Jon’s eternal flesh darkened from the heat. After minutes of struggle, the white flame had burned his limbs and bones black. His body released a final breath and ceased to move.

She looked down at his massive corpse. She drove her foot into his motionless chest until it came apart. His once invincible self was reduced to a large pile of debris.

“I’ve got to thank you. That man’s time had long passed.” A man’s voice came from behind a pillar of sand. His black uniform was stifling under the heat of the sun.

The girl lunged at him, dagger in hand. With a grunt of effort, he caught its edge on a bracer wrapped around his arm and pushed her back. Behind him, a hundred more soldiers, their uniforms a blinding white, stood with guns pointed at the girl.

“I should kill you where you stand. Those guns will be useless in quenching my flames.” The girl screamed.

“Oh? And those flames will block bullets?” the man asked. “The emperor of the lands on which you tread, Kirill, stands before you. Have some respect.” he held his hand up to the line of marksmen behind him. “You made a mistake coming here alone.”

“Everyone behind you, I’ll burn them to ash. Just like this one here.” she kicked at the remains of Jon’s body.

“I fear you wouldn’t. The soldiers behind me will prove less…disappointing than the vanguard. Even if I die, another will take my place. But you, your goals die with you. Face the truth, girl. You only stand to lose by attacking me here.”

The girl took several deep breaths to regain her composure. “And? When I turn around my back will be faced with a volley of hand-cannon fire. I cannot leave this place either.”

“I’ll give you my word. Your retreat will be permitted. Out of respect for the mercy you showed my general.” Kirill motioned to the metal battle axe below her feet. Its blade shone brightly under the early afternoon sun.

“Hmph. This won’t be the last time we meet, Kirill of the North.” the girl leapt from side to side, slowly increasing the distance between them until she disappeared over the horizon.

Kirill collapsed to the ground, his heaving breaths rapidly escaping his lungs. The sight of the girl had shown him true terror. Staring death in the face left his knees weak.

His reinforcements were a bluff. After hearing of the destruction of Jon’s vanguard, he ventured out to handle the problem himself only as an obligation of demonstrating his strength. It was by a stroke of luck that he might survive crossing swords with such an existence even once. His only chance to repel the girl was the possibility she was not familiar with modern ranged weaponry.

But his ploy had worked. She was gone. A few citizens fleeing the city had been picked up on the way south. Those had stopped appearing, which indicated that they could be no more than a few days from their destination. In addition, a girl who he could only presume to be a high-ranking enemy had decided to intercept them on her own. She likely wouldn’t have done so if they were more than a day’s travel from St. Keres.

He stood up and brushed the dust off of his uniform. The vanguard was annihilated without survivors. That fool Jon, hungered for battle to sate his bloodlust. After suffering from his curse, his desire for conflict only grew. It was the only thing to distract him from the endless cycle of decay and regeneration his body undertook at every moment. To see him find peace, however restless, eased the emperor’s heart.

“That girl.” he thought to himself out loud.

An attendant rushed to his side. He was short in stature. He nervously bowed and opened his mouth. “Is something the matter, your High Excellency?”

“That party which was tailing our main force. How have they fared?” he asked.

“I-I will go inquire from the scouts, your High Excellency. Please wait one moment.” the attendant ran off, clutching his cap. He reappeared a few minutes later, with a few sheets of parchment in hand.

“It appears they vanished some days prior. Their whereabouts are unknown.”

Kirill’s mouth turned to a frown. He would have preferred to keep the girl close, but he knew well his subordinates would have difficulty accepting such an arrangement. Their disappearance was troubling. If something would happen to that girl with green eyes, he would be quite distressed. He motionlessly stared at the attendant. “Search for them.”

3

“Incorrect.” the stone statue uttered a verdict.

“No. That can’t be.” Delanor nervously racked her brain. She’d come across a riddle for which she didn’t know the answer. The group had come together to solve it, but their response was insufficient.

The clatter of the remains of past explorers signaled the first tremor. Soon the room shook with tremendous force. The group saw their footing disappear and were quickly swallowed by the black abyss below.

4

Anastasia awoke in a garden. She sat atop a wooden bench large enough for two. A field of flowers surrounded her, their medley of colors gently swaying in an afternoon breeze. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head as she took in her surroundings.

A man and a woman walked along the stone pathways within the garden. Every few steps the man would stop and point. The woman let out a reserved laugh, covering her mouth with her hand. Upon noticing Anastasia, the man smiled and waved at her. The man was her father. He was alive. Upon this realization Anastasia ran to him and embraced his stocky frame with no regard to the woman besides him. Tears streamed down her face as she wailed with grief and sorrow she’d kept locked inside herself.

“Father…I’ve missed you. I thought I might never see you again.” Anastasia whispered into his chest.

“My little Anastasia, how you’ve grown. We are blessed by this meeting.” he softly replied as he ran his hand through her hair.

“How are you here? And who is this…woman?” Anastasia looked to his companion. Her hair was a magnificent golden blonde. Its wavy texture flowed in the wind. Her eyes were the same striking green as Anastasia’s, in contrast to the father’s indistinct hair and face.

“Why, that is your mother.” he chuckled. “That you should first meet her here should be a peculiarity of its own. I am ashamed to admit that I may not be your true father in the flesh, but a recreation of the Grand Library.”

“...I see. The only time I saw her was when I was very young, so I feel as if I am meeting a stranger.” Anastasia wiped her tears on a handkerchief. “I suppose none of this is real? I last remember descending a dark abyss and waking up here.”

“If you hold it in your heart, there will be no harm in remembering it as truth. Even as a creation, I feel great joy upon seeing your face.” He paused and his expression darkened. “However, I do exist as a final obstacle. If you wish to leave, I must allow it.”

“I don’t want to leave. Not yet.”

“That will also be just fine. Tell me about your journey, my child. Have you saved any wonderful memories?”

“...a few.” Anastasia thought to herself for a moment. “I met the captain’s parents and they treated me to dinner. I also attended a planting festival in the capital. The food there was quite delicious. There is a restaurant in the Archive that serves sweets and flavored milk.”

Her father chuckled. “So, you’re eating well, then?”

“Only on occasion. I am worried about Maria. She seems to be in bad spirits often.”

“Oh? Have you an idea why that is?” her father asked.

“Hmm…I am not sure.” her mind briefly wandered to the man she met at the festival, but decided against it. Such things were better left alone unless the parent desired to discuss them.

Anastasia’s mother remained silent. Perhaps it was because Anastasia could not recall her voice, but at each of Anastasia’s recollections of the past, she simply gazed warmly at her daughter and held her hands to her heart. Anastasia continued to regale her father with stories of the six month journey. Only at a motion to stop by her father did she finally fall silent.

“I do believe we have run out of time.” her father said worriedly.

“What? Why is that?” Anastasia prodded.

“Your companions are proving to be…more troublesome than you are. Before we depart, I must ask you a final question. If the answer is the truth, you may leave. However, if it is false, you may not. Are you ready?”

Anastasia steeled her heart. Recalling the past strengthened her resolve and her face beamed with confidence. “Please, go ahead.”

“Why do you stand before me? You have traveled for so long, and for what?”

“To close the ri-”

“Sh!” he held a hand up to his mouth. “That may be the reason for your group, and perhaps the reason you would give if anyone else asks, but that is not the answer that I seek. I married your mother because it might bring prestige and honor to both of our names, but I never would have agreed to the arrangement if I did not love her.”

Anastasia thought for a moment. She could think of two things. After agonizing between them for a few seconds, she decided to simply give them both.

“I want to find answers about you! I never discovered what happened before you died. And second, I want to heal Maria’s frozen heart.”

—

“I will watch over these children.”

—

“I will find a new life.”

—

“I will discover the secrets of the past.”

—

“I will have Anastasia for myself.”

—

“A good answer.” Anastasia’s father took one last look at his daughter. “Take this key. It will unlock the gate that leads to the outside.” He pointed to a fence gate at the far side of the garden. Beyond the gate, the scenery melted away into nothing.

“Goodbye father. I hope this is not our last meeting.” she nodded to the woman beside him and bounded for the gate without looking back.

5

Anastasia emerged from a small trapdoor hidden by a layer of sand. The late afternoon sun was just beginning to set. As Delanor had said, the wagon, as if moved by an invisible hand, sat untouched before her. In the distance, the city of St. Keres loomed.

Soon Delanor appeared, as did the captain, followed by Canary. Each of them dusted themselves off.

“Wow, what a night.” the captain yawned. “A gentle final puzzle for a crypt full of deadly traps and angry statues.”

“I suspect it would find itself more effective against soldiers tainted with bloodlust or low morale. At that point, the crypt acknowledges it can’t beat you with force or riddles, so it tries to soften your heart to break your resolve. I suspect it caught at least one victim, given that there are four of us here, and we entered with five.” Delanor said.

“Maria! Maria!” Anastasia bent down at the trapdoor and shouted her friend’s name. There was no response.

The trapdoor violently shook. With a violent snap, it broke free of its hinges and flew up into the air. Maria crawled out of the now-destroyed opening. Her clothing was soaked in blood and she gripped a dagger of ice in her left hand. A large cut above her left eye was oozing crimson, painting her face red. Her expression was one of utter dismay.

“Ah ah…” She spat into the opening in the ground. “Serves you right. The inside of a girl’s heart is for her to see only. Let’s see if a spike through the eye is good enough for you all.”

“Maria!” Anastasia ran up to hug Maria, but Maria held her at arm’s length.

“Not now.” Maria held Anastasia away at arm’s length. “Delanor, was it? You said some lady created this crypt?” she asked coldly.

“Yes. Lady Aya, a scholar from long ago.”

“The more I hear about this woman, the less I like her.” Maria laughed emptily. “Have any of you got a drink of water? I’m feeling a little light headed.”

6

“Knight!” Isa called. She was not greeted with a response. Her tiny feet, protected from the heat of the sand, scampered about, searching for traces of her friend. “I suppose you’ve gone too…”

Isa sat down on the sand, carefully to cushion herself with the underside of her dress. With the disappearance of her companion she’d lost the only ally she could converse with. The plantlike creatures spilling out from the fractured star could not speak. As she held the same taint, they had no interest in devouring her, but to call her their leader would be the same as calling a bird flying overhead the leader of a pack of wolves.

“I miss Sister. Together, we could have killed that man easily.” Isa kicked at the dust. “I wish I had friends. That Emily is surrounded by them. Perhaps she will be my friend. Was I too demanding in our first meeting?” she thought out loud. “No, that cannot be the case. I was quite generous, with all those worms she has holed up behind the walls. No matter. I will just give her some encouragement. After she has no more pesky soldiers to worry about saving, I am sure she will go with me to kill him. She will help me kill that man.”

Isa stood up. Her void-stained black eyes glimmered with a reddish gold. Holding up one hand and supporting it with the other, a column of white and golden flame shot out from her palm. It grew wider as it approached the city until the city itself was swallowed by fire. The defenders on the walls were incinerated alongside their assailants. Soon the structure of the city itself began to liquefy into a mass of glowing glass and clumps of rock. As the reflection of the burning city burned itself into Isa’s eyes, she had only one thought. Anyone worth saving should be able to survive such a fire.

Anastasia’s party overlooked St. Keres on the horizon. A white flash erupted from a distance away and soon the city was a huge ball of fire, radiating waves of heat into the heavens. The burst of energy cleared any remaining cloud cover that remained overhead.

Kirill, standing watch over his camp, felt a burst of warmth on his neck. As he turned around, he witnessed the destruction of the landmark that he had journeyed to save.