Chapter 37: A Black Heart.
As the heartbeat started to get louder, Sara and Jonathan focused their senses to find where that strange sound was coming from. The deep, rhythmic thumping echoed again and again, shaking the air around them. Both of them closed their eyes as they activated their mana perception, scanning the surroundings for the source of that sound.
Moments passed in silence, and then both of them opened their eyes at once as they looked towards the place where their room had once been.
Their expressions darkened. The sound — that dreadful heartbeat — was coming from directly beneath their room.
Sara's tone was sharp as she said, "It's coming from our underground room."Jonathan's face turned grim as he replied, "I know… but there's nothing inside except that item."
Sara's eyes narrowed as she said. "Did someone invade the basement to steal it?"Jonathan's voice grew serious, firm, and heavy as he replied. "It's possible. We can't take any chances — let's check underground."
He turned towards Aiden, who was standing nearby with visible confusion and worry in his eyes. Jonathan said in a calm but commanding tone as he said, "Aiden, stay here and don't go anywhere. If you sense anything strange, immediately call us."
Aiden's voice trembled slightly as he asked. "Dad, Mom — where are you going?"
Jonathan took a deep breath before answering, "There's an underground basement in our house that we hid from you. There's an item stored there — a family artifact that your mother's parents gave her. I think someone, or something, has entered to steal it, so we're going to check."
Aiden's heart began to race as he said. "Dad, take me with you. I can also help."
Jonathan shook his head firmly. "No, son. If someone really knows about it and is trying to steal it, they'll be at least as strong as us or maybe stronger. We can't take you with us."
"But… but, Dad—"Before Aiden could finish, Jonathan cut him off. "No buts. Just stay here."
Jonathan's voice hardened as he continued, "Take one of your mother's puppets in your hand. And listen carefully — if we call for you to run, then you have to run immediately. If you hesitate even for a second, all of us could die. Do you understand?"
Aiden's heart tightened. He looked at his father's serious face and nodded with determination."Okay," he said quietly, his voice steady despite the tension.
Jonathan gave a faint nod, then both he and Sara turned toward where their room once stood before the explosion. They walked to the center of the ruined floor, their movements silent and deliberate.
Jonathan crouched down and brushed aside the dust, revealing a steel door embedded in the ground. Its surface was cold, and faint inscriptions glowed for a moment as his hand touched it. He gripped the handle and pulled it open.
A dark stairway stretched downward — the steps descending endlessly into a shadowed path that almost seemed endless. Only the faint echo of the heartbeats filled the air, louder now that the door was open.
Jonathan took a deep breath and stepped down. Sara followed closely behind him, her eyes fixed on the darkness below.
Now, Aiden was left standing alone in the quiet night. He clutched one of his mother's puppets tightly in his hand. The silence stretched on, broken only by the faint echo of his own heartbeat.
As time went by, twenty minutes had passed, and Aiden stood motionless. But his worry began to grow. There was no sound — no clash of battle, no voices, not even a whisper.
The more time passed, the more anxious he became. He clenched his fists tightly, his mind racing.
'It's been too long… Why haven't they returned? Why haven't I heard anything?'
His breath quickened. He thought about his parents — the people who had always protected him. Fear began to form in his heart.
He whispered to himself, "Even if I die, why should I fear death? I've already died once."His voice trembled slightly as he continued, "If something happens to them, I don't want to live in this world anyway… It's better to die alongside them."
With that thought in mind, Aiden stepped toward the underground door. He placed his foot on the cold, metal stair and began to descend into the darkness.
The air grew heavier as he moved deeper. It was so dark that he could barely see beyond a few feet ahead.
He conjured a small sphere of light mana — a faint bulb of light flickered to life, illuminating the narrow staircase.
Five minutes passed as he walked. The steps seemed endless, stretching into the darkness as if time itself had stopped. Aiden's breathing became shallow.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally saw something ahead. A faint outline — a door. It was wooden and half-open, hanging loosely from its hinges.
He approached slowly, his heart pounding louder with each step. His hand trembled slightly as he reached for the door. Placing his palm against the rough wood, he leaned forward and peeked inside.
The sight before him made his blood run cold. A shiver ran down his spine as he saw the scene in front of him. He froze — his breath caught in his throat.
His parents were standing there. Both of them were motionless. Their eyes were blank, unfocused, as if they were asleep while standing.
"Mom? Dad?" Aiden whispered softly, but there was no response. It was as though time had stopped for them.
Aiden's eyes widened as he noticed the rest of the room. The walls — they were made of stone. They were now covered in veins.
Thick, black veins pulsed along the surface like living things. They crawled and shifted, moving slowly as though alive. Aiden's gaze twisted as he followed them with his gaze.
Every vein connected — twisting and merging toward something in the center of the room. And then he saw it.
At the center of those writhing veins was something massive. Something that shouldn't exist.
A heart.A black, grotesque heart.
It was enormous — at least ten times the size of a human's. It pulsed rhythmically, each beat sending tremors through the floor. The veins that covered the walls all sprouted from it, as if it were their source of life.
Aiden's body stiffened as dread crawled through him. His breath grew shallow, and sweat ran down the side of his face. That thing — that heart — was alive.
Its surface was covered in countless stitches, as if it had once been torn apart and then sewn back together by something inhuman. Each time it beat, a faint whisper echoed in the air.
Thump… Thump… Thump…
The sound seemed to sync with his own heartbeat, merging with it. For a moment, Aiden felt as if his chest was pounding in rhythm with the monstrous heart.
He took a step back unconsciously, unable to take his eyes off it. His mind screamed at him to run, but his legs wouldn't move.
He whispered under his breath, "What… what is this thing?"
The air in the room felt thick, heavy, suffocating. The longer he stared, the more he felt something crawling under his skin — like invisible tendrils trying to reach into him.
Aiden's thoughts raced.'Those veins… they're connected to the heart. Are they feeding it? Or… is it feeding on them?'
His eyes darted back to his parents. They were still standing there — motionless, lifeless, like puppets with their strings cut.
"Mom! Dad!" he shouted louder this time, his voice trembling. But they still didn't answer.
He gritted his teeth, his whole body trembling with fear. He couldn't understand what was happening, but one thing was clear — whatever that heart was, it had something to do with his parents' current state.
His breathing grew rapid as he took another cautious step into the room. The closer he moved, the louder the heart's pulse became.
Each beat sent a ripple through the air, and he could feel it in his bones. Aiden clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms.
'Calm down… Think clearly…' he told himself, forcing his thoughts to settle. But the more he tried to stay calm, the more the fear inside him grew.
Every cell in his body screamed for him to run because what stood before him wasn't supposed to exist. Something ancient, unnatural, and horrifying was beating right beneath their home.
Aiden tried to gather his courage. He took a deep breath and whispered to himself, "I have to do something… I can't let it take Mom and Dad."
He stepped further inside, the faint sound of his own footsteps echoing against the living walls. Each step he took made the veins twitch and move — as if they could sense his presence.
Then suddenly, the heart beat once more — louder, heavier, and faster. The veins pulsed in rhythm. A wave of black mana surged through the room, brushing against Aiden's skin.
Aiden staggered, his vision blurring for a moment. The whispers that he heard in the dream returned — faint, yet distinct."…Come here…"
Aiden froze. That voice. It was the same one from his dreams.
His eyes widened with realization and horror.'That voice… it was coming from here all along?'
The sound echoed again, louder this time, resounding through every corner of his mind."…Come here… Aiden…"
His knees trembled. His breath caught. The voice — the same maddening whisper that had haunted his dreams for months — was speaking directly to him now, in the real world.
The air grew colder as Aiden stared at the grotesque heart. Its surface twitched, veins contracting like muscles as another pulse rang through the room.
He could feel its attention — that impossible thing was aware of him. Watching him. Calling him.
The voice repeated, this time with desperation."…Come here, Aiden… come… here…"
Aiden's body refused to move. His mind went blank as terror seized him completely. All he could do was stare at that monstrous black heart, beating beneath the ruins of his home, as it called out to him again and again.
The two hearts beat together. One human.One abomination.
And for the first time, Aiden realized with a chilling certainty — the voice in his dreams wasn't just calling him in the dream but reality.
Author's Note: This chapter marks the beginning of a much darker turn in Aiden's story. The secrets buried beneath his family's home begin to awaken, and the line between his heart and the abyss starts to blur. Stay tuned for the next chapter.