Chapter 1:

Introduction: Part 1

The beat of life was running hot in both of her hands.

Elaine looked at the woman sitting before her, who was holding her heart. A heart that was beating with red blood. The woman was bleeding, the left of her chest pierced. Elaine let out a cry.

“What in the world, what in the world, what in the world…”

Elaine felt a sudden rush of anger. Blood poured from the woman’s chest like a fountain, the hole from which the blood  continued to gush out, devoid of a heart.

Elaine’s vision flashed for a moment.

The air was drenched in the smell of blood. The sound of buildings collapsing and people falling was everywhere. The smoky smell of coal and the pain that tore through her lungs disturbed her mind horribly.

Right then, when the world felt so chaotic yet at the same time, empty, Elaine felt the stiff yet soft sensation in her hand.

She couldn’t comprehend exactly why that thing was in her hand.

Elaine asked the owner of the heart in a trembling voice, “Why…why this? Run…”

The woman, with a pale face, gently touched Elaine’s cheek. The touch was ice-cold. It had once been the warmest thing in the world, so why was it now so cold?

Elaine saw the bloodstained floor. There was such a tremendous amount of blood, so much that she couldn’t even believe that it was coming from her. As she felt the blood in her body slowly drain away, her breathing became gradually thinner. So did her life.

“I’m so sorry… all of this…It’s all my fault.”

Elaine could see the woman crying over the gruesome sight, shoulders trembling as if she was going to break.

Why had everything ended up like this?

What in the world happened to you? You’re not one to do this without reason…

Where had everything gone wrong? Elaine would rather be out of her mind than this, desperately hoping that all of it was just a nightmare.

“My lovely Laine…”

The woman drew in a sharp but shallow breath. Her voice, however, filled with determination, rang out like a bolt from the blue.

“I’ll give you my heart.”

Elaine felt as if she’d been struck by lightning. She wanted to scream. Ironically, only the sound of wind came out of Elaine’s parched throat.

Crazy! Are you out of your mind? If you give it to me, you’ll become…do you not think so?

“With this, you can live.”

Her stomach felt like it was burning. She no longer had the strength to stop the woman from doing it- Elaine didn’t even have the strength to lift a hand. She felt so pathetic and resentful towards herself, who had no choice but to watch the woman.

The woman picked up her heart and held it close to Elaine’s own chest.

No, don’t do that!!

“I have one last request.”

The woman’s violet eyes were stained with the regrets she couldn’t let go.

“I’m sorry for asking you to do this, I know it’s shameless. But after I’m gone, he’ll be left alone.”

If you’re going to have such a heartbroken face, don’t ask me to do it! Please just survive!

“Please protect him and my child… Riech.”

Bella…please, please…

“There’s not much time left. Now…”

With a tear-streaked face, Bella smiled like a flower. A smile that always shone against the dark, like the moon rising against the black sky.

Elaine watched as Bella became a shimmering ball of light, and the ball scattered. She mustered all the strength she had left and desperately tried to grasp the scattered light, but nothing met her fingertips.

An empty hand, unable to hold onto anything, wavered. As Elaine stared at her hand absentmindedly, the burning royal castle came into her sight. The endless flames engulfed everything. As if to erase all traces of this land, the flames of the blue witch seared the ground.

“Every moment I spent with you, Laine, brought me so much joy. Never will I ever regret this choice.”

And with that, Elaine sank into a deep sleep.

On January 31st, 512 in the Philleon Calendar,

The flourishing capital of Seveka, called the blessing of the empire, faced a tragic end by the hands of a witch.

And 20 years after that, Elaine opened her eyes.