Four Hearts for the Wise - Chapter 4

The musty smell of mold.

The first thing Kalia saw was a dark interior where no light could penetrate. Somehow, she had found herself inside the central tower. It appeared to be the building that the holy knights had surrounded earlier, the one they seemed unable or unwilling to enter for some reason.

Although Kalia had been living in a mage tower with a wizard, she had never actually set foot in the central tower. Wizards always conducted their research alone. Even when teaching magic to the orphans they raised, they never allowed anyone inside the central tower.

“Haaa… Ah… Ugh…”

Kalia collapsed onto the cold floor of the tower.

It wasn’t pain that overwhelmed her—it was the inability to breathe properly. Whatever substance they had given her made it impossible to hold herself upright. Strangely enough, despite everything, she felt a slight sense of euphoria, as absurd as that might sound.

Her sluggish mind tried to make sense of the situation. Was all this the fault of that person? Could they have been caught up in this chaos and died as well?

The only structure left unscathed seemed to be this tower where the wizard had lived. Judging by the cautious stance of the holy knights outside, the circumstances suggested… well, Kalia couldn’t be sure of anything anymore.

The Holy Nation’s methods were always thorough, affecting everything within a wide radius. If that were the case, would Kalia and the townsfolk all die because of someone they had no connection to?

If only this were all just a dream. Or maybe she really was dreaming right now. Perhaps she had finished work earlier as usual, returned to the tower for lessons, cooked dinner, cleaned the table, and gone to her room to sleep—only to find herself in a bizarre nightmare.

If only that were true.

Her life hadn’t always been happy, and to outsiders, it might have seemed downright miserable. Still, she missed the mundanity of those days. She never thought she would.

Kalia gasped for breath. With each beat of her heart, warm blood spilled out of her body. She tried to raise her powerless hand to stop the bleeding, but it was futile.

Oddly enough, there was no pain. If it had hurt as much as the amount of blood she was losing, she would never have been able to endure it. Yet, even without pain, the feeling of dying was vivid and inescapable.

Dying. She was dying, slowly but surely. The sensation was terrifying.

They say that just before death, your past flashes before your eyes—that you relive the most intense moments of your life.

But not for Kalia.

Nothing came to her. Nothing but darkness. Darkness. Just darkness.

An endless, suffocating void that frightened her more than anything. She wanted to escape, but her body wouldn’t move. Along with the blood, all her strength was draining away.

Had her life truly been this insignificant? She hadn’t lived long, it was true, and she hadn’t done anything extraordinary. But neither had she committed any great sins. Her life had been ordinary, unremarkable. She had thought she would continue living that way until one day she would die just as unremarkably.

But now, faced with the end, she felt regret. Why? Why did she regret it now?

Lying on the cold stone floor, Kalia reflected on her life. Meaningless thoughts flowed as freely as the blood leaving her body.

A sudden idea came to her: could she have lived differently?

Perhaps she could have paid off her debts, left home, and traveled the world. She might have made friends along the way. She might have truly learned magic before being suspected of dark magic.

Should she have been more stubborn? She was about to die, accused of being a dark mage, yet she had never once learned a single spell. That, of all things, stung the most.

“Cough…!”

Even her last thoughts before death were so petty, so insignificant. That must mean her life really was just as ordinary and inconsequential as it felt. She wasn’t special, after all. She could only dream of such trivial things.

Still…

No matter how insignificant her life had been, she didn’t deserve this. She had thought, at the very least, she wouldn’t die like this.

If only she had been a little more selfish. She would have learned magic, traveled the world, bought herself luxurious accessories, eaten only the most expensive and delicious foods, and lived a life of indulgence.

She had wanted that.

“Haa… Ugh…”

But now, what was the point? No matter how much she resented it, it was all meaningless. As an orphan, she had never been in a position to dream of such things anyway.

Expressionless, Kalia blinked slowly. Her breaths grew more labored, and while her insides burned hot, her body grew colder.

She was cooling down. Soon, there would be no body, no grave—just an insignificant human life extinguished as easily as a candle flame. A life so short, so meaningless, that it would leave no trace behind.

And yet, even now, clinging to that meaningless life, Kalia forced her eyes to stay open.

Whatever it was they had given her—some kind of drug—it made her wounds hot and itchy instead of causing the pain she would have expected from being stabbed.

Come to think of it, the holy knights had said something about offering mercy. They had force-fed her something, and it must have been the reason she felt no pain. That was the “mercy” they spoke of—a painless death.

Despite her efforts, her vision continued to blur. Thoughts ceased. The darkness that awaited her felt closer than ever, and whatever fear she might have felt was dulled by the drug coursing through her.

“Haa…”

Was this her final breath? Kalia let out a long exhale.

[Haa.]

Then, she heard it—a strange sound, as if something or someone was echoing her breath.

It wasn’t an echo. The voice was deeper than hers could ever be.

“Damn it. What the hell is this? Did you hear that?”

“I see it. What’s going on? Did its senses suddenly awaken…?”

“What’s that smell?”

“Blood.”

Four voices, each slightly distinct from the other, rang out. They were sharp and vivid, so much so that even with Kalia’s dulled senses, she could pick up the subtle differences between them.

A brief silence followed, and then “they” began speaking again.

“Yeah, I know, you idiot. What kind of blood smells like this…?”

“A human.”

“Dying, just like always? Humans here—or anywhere, really—are all the same.”

“Hmm…”

Though Kalia’s mind was hazy, she could clearly hear the strange voices conversing. They had an odd resonance—not like sounds traveling through the air but as if the words were being directly injected into her mind.

“What is this all of a sudden? What kind of bizarre nonsense is this?”

“Regaining consciousness, at least. Ah, but is it only consciousness?”

“How much time has passed?”

“Blood…”

Each of “them” spoke in a different voice. Kalia couldn’t understand what they were saying, but she couldn’t help but wonder: What were these voices?

‘Could it be… the sound of monsters?’

It was possible, considering the holy knights of the Sacred Nation had come to this place.

The sounds didn’t seem to enter her ears; they reverberated directly in her head. Everything felt so disorienting… no, she was already far from lucid. Surely this was nothing more than a hallucination. It had to be a hallucination. Believing anything else was too terrifying.

Kalia, who had been growing colder by the moment, convulsed slightly. A weak cough burst out of her, sending the blood pooling in her mouth splattering into the air.

The voices grew noticeably more flustered at this.

“What’s going on? I don’t understand.”

“Hmm, this is… good, isn’t it? How long has it been since I’ve felt something like this…?”

“There’s only one explanation, isn’t there? Are there still humans like this these days? People never change. Still, this is fortunate. I don’t want to go back into eternal sleep.”

“Agreed.”

If this was all just a hallucination, then it must be her subconscious speaking to her. “I don’t want to return to eternal sleep.”

Kalia silently agreed with the voice echoing in her head.

She didn’t want to die. Monster or hallucination, whatever it was, she didn’t care anymore. She just wanted to live.

‘I want to live. I don’t want to die.’

The voices fell silent again. Her dizziness grew worse, and her mind became foggier. It was as though her body had sunk into deep water, every sensation muffled. She wasn’t able to faint, and so she remained trapped in an agonizing limbo of awareness, left to endure the passing moments alone.

How long did this continue?

At some point, her body, which had been stuck to the floor, was lifted slightly. Even that small movement caused more blood to spill from her mouth. She barely managed to open her eyes, but her vision revealed nothing.

The murmuring voices, which had been quiet for a while, spoke again.

“…Do you want to?”

The words were faint. What had once been so piercingly clear now felt muted and distant. She couldn’t make out what they were saying anymore. Slowly, she blinked her eyes.

After a pause, the voices spoke again.

“…Should I give it to you?”

Again, she couldn’t understand.

The voices that had echoed solely in her head began to take on a physical presence. The vibration of sound traveled through the air now, making it feel tangible. It was as if all her remaining senses concentrated in her ears, magnifying the sensation. Warm breaths tickled her ear, hot and oppressive.

Her lifeless body, which had been steadily growing colder, suddenly trembled violently.

“Ugh… Haah…”

“Does it hurt…?”

A shrill, mocking laugh echoed through the dark interior of the tower. Multiple beings seemed to lift Kalia’s limp body and wrap themselves around her. They continuously spoke to her, their voices soft and seductive, as if trying to tempt her.

Their words were like the buzzing of insects—grating yet oddly clear. Even when she couldn’t fully hear them, she somehow understood their meaning. Their intent was conveyed, bypassing normal sound.

Will you help us? Is there something you want? We’ll give it to you.

What do you desire? We’ll make it so you’re not in pain.

Hmm? Answer us.

You only need to say one word.

Kalia couldn’t answer.

She tried to open her mouth, but all that came out was a wet, gurgling hiss mixed with blood. Whether it was because of the drug or something else, she wasn’t in pain. But as the deep, resonant voices reached her ears, as the strange air brushed against her, and as the beings touched her skin in an attempt to lift her, her body burned with heat.

These voices… they must belong to those things. The ones touching her now, filling her with an odd warmth. Her body wasn’t in pain, but it was hard to breathe. The places where they touched her seemed to radiate a strange, sensual heat, making her keenly aware of her own vulnerability.

They continued speaking, sometimes stopping mid-sentence. At times, it sounded like they were arguing amongst themselves, their tones rising and clashing.

Just as Kalia’s consciousness was about to fade completely, she caught one sentence—just one—clear and urgent:

“Should we save you?”

Kalia forced her mouth to move. She squeezed out the last of her strength, dragging the sound from deep within her.

One word.

“Save me.”

The voices, which had been incessantly chattering, abruptly fell silent.

Then came a loud, explosive laugh.

“HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

It wasn’t the sound of shattering glass, but something much heavier, much denser breaking apart.

The laughter was followed by a sound so pure and triumphant it resembled the first cry of a newborn—a raw, unfiltered joy that reverberated like a victorious scream.

After that, an overwhelming cacophony of sounds filled the air.

The scraping of stone walls.

The collapse of massive structures.

The sharp, resonating clang of metal striking metal.

BOOM. BOOM. Explosions.

The terrified screams of people.

Screams. Endless screams. Agonized, desperate cries.

If she opened her eyes, Kalia felt she might see hell itself.

“Gasp… Haa… Ugh…”

She no longer felt the blood pouring from her body. For some reason, her voice seemed to have returned, but all she could manage was a series of weak groans. She had no idea what was happening around her.

Even with her eyes closed, she could sense the light growing brighter. Summoning the last reserves of her strength, she forced her heavy eyelids open, struggling to bring her surroundings into focus.

What she saw were faces—unfamiliar faces—laughing as they held her. They cackled with unrestrained delight, as though they had just been born into a world they had long been denied.

“You breathed life into me,” one of them said, grinning.

Kalia passed out immediately.