Four Hearts for the Wise - Chapter 1
A Cold Sensation. Endless Darkness. This place held only shadows.
There was no sound. Everything felt dizzy and hazy. It was as though her body had sunk deep underwater, all senses dulled. She couldn’t even lose consciousness, as though she were enduring an endlessly long time alone.
In that space, Kalia thought. Beyond sadness, regret, fear, or resentment, she instinctively longed for just one thing, something so primal it drowned out all else.
I want to live. I don’t want to die.
[“…Do you want that?”]
The voice was faint. Just moments ago, it had been loud enough to make her head ring, but now even that voice was barely audible. She couldn’t make out what it was saying. Kalia slowly blinked her eyes. The voice paused briefly, then spoke again.
[“…Shall I give it to you?”]
Still, she couldn’t understand. The voice, which had only resonated in her head before, now began to take shape—vibrations rippling through the air. It tickled her ear with a heat so vivid that her senses, which had gone numb, focused entirely on it. Her body, which had been cold and unresponsive, trembled.
“Ugh… Huuuh…”
[“Are you in pain?”]
A shrill, mocking laugh echoed inside the dark tower. Something—no, several things—lifted Kalia’s body and surrounded her. They spoke to her ceaselessly, with soft, enticing voices, as if to tempt her.
It was like the buzzing of insects. Even though she couldn’t quite hear the words, she somehow understood what they were saying. For some reason, the meaning was clear.
Will you help us? Is there something you desire? We’ll grant it.
What do you want? We’ll make sure you’re not in pain.
Hmm? Answer us.
All you have to do is say one word.
Kalia couldn’t respond. She tried to open her mouth, but only a sticky sound escaped, mingled with blood. Maybe it was the drugs, but she didn’t feel pain.
However, when she heard that deep voice, when she felt the breath against her ear, when something touched her skin as if trying to lift her up, heat surged through her body.
This voice likely belonged to them. Her body didn’t feel pain—it was just difficult to breathe. From every point where they touched her, an odd warmth spread, making everything feel strangely lascivious.
They spoke to her, then stopped, as if arguing among themselves, raising their voices in a heated dispute. Just as her consciousness was about to fade completely, Kalia understood one thing they said. Perhaps it was the most urgent thing at the moment.
Kalia opened her mouth. Summoning all her remaining strength, she forced a sound to emerge. Just one word, carried on a whisper of breath.
“…Help me.”
In that instant, the voices that had been incessantly murmuring fell silent.
“Hahahahahaha!”
A loud laugh rang out. It wasn’t the sound of glass breaking, but something thick and heavy shattering.
Laughter followed in its wake—a hearty, liberating sound, as if something blocked had finally burst free. It was like the first cry of a newborn entering the world—raw, powerful, and brimming with pure joy.
What followed was an overwhelming cacophony, a symphony of chaos unlikely to be heard again in a lifetime.
The sound of stone walls grinding. Then crumbling. Sharp, metallic clangs rang out repeatedly.
Bang. Bang. Explosions erupted, their force shaking the air. Screams of terror echoed in response.
Screams. More screams. Agonized, harrowing screams.
If I open my eyes now, will I see hell?
“Hah… Huuuh… Ugh…”
She no longer felt the sensation of blood flowing. Somehow, her voice had returned, but all that escaped her lips were faint groans. She had no idea what was happening around her.
Even with her eyes shut, she could sense the brightness surrounding her. Forcing her heavy eyelids open, Kalia managed to focus her blurry vision.
What she saw was a group of strangers, people she had never met in her life, cradling her and laughing gleefully.
“You breathed life into me,” one of them said.
There was no turning back now.
The past was gone, severed.
From that moment on, Kalia would find herself replaying those words over and over in her mind.
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