Chapter 10 - The Seventh Heart Must Die

The six ghostly children surrounded Toby, each wearing a golden crown and bearing a terrible hollow wound where a heart should have been.

They all had his face.

And when they opened their mouths, they spoke with one voice.

"Don't let him take your heart."

Toby tried to release the skull, but his fingers would not obey him.

Black veins spread across his wrists. The dragon-shaped mark beneath his skin twisted, its golden outline disappearing beneath a creeping darkness.

Mira lunged toward him.

"Toby!"

The moment she touched his shoulder, silver fire erupted between them.

She screamed and stumbled backward.

The Hollow King's laughter rolled across the mountainside.

"Poor little guardian. Still trying to save something that was never meant to survive."

Mira struggled to her feet.

"Let him go!"

"Why should I? He was made for me."

The skull's golden crown began melting.

Liquid metal flowed between Toby's fingers, forming thin chains that tightened around his hands.

One of the ghostly children stepped forward.

He looked no older than six.

His clothes were torn, and a dark wound stretched across his chest.

"Listen to us," he whispered.

Toby stared at him.

"Who are you?"

The child lowered his eyes.

"Someone who believed her."

"Believed who?"

"Elara."

The name struck Toby like a blow.

Another ghost stepped forward.

This one appeared eight years old.

"She promised we would live."

A third child, smaller than the others, began crying.

"She promised we would see the sun."

Toby shook his head.

"My mother wouldn't..."

The oldest ghost interrupted him.

"She loved us."

The six children fell silent.

Then he continued.

"That was the worst part."

Mira approached cautiously, her silver eyes glowing.

"What happened to you?"

The oldest ghost turned toward her.

Recognition crossed his face.

"Seraphine."

Mira froze.

"You know me?"

"We all knew you."

The child looked toward Toby.

"She protected every one of us."

Toby's heart began pounding.

"Then why are you dead?"

The ghost looked down at the empty space in his chest.

"Because the Hollow King found us."

The black chains around Toby's hands tightened.

A voice emerged from the skull.

"Such sentimental little failures."

The ghosts recoiled.

The Hollow King continued.

"Six vessels. Six broken bodies. Six souls too weak to contain my power."

Toby stared at the children.

"You killed them?"

"Of course."

Mira's face twisted with anger.

"They were children!"

"They were containers."

The oldest ghost stepped between the skull and Toby.

"No," he whispered.

The Hollow King laughed.

"You still resist me?"

The ghost lifted his head.

"We were children."

For a brief moment, golden light flickered inside his empty chest.

Then the Hollow King's voice became sharp.

"Enough."

All six ghosts screamed.

Their bodies began dissolving into streams of pale light.

Toby struggled against the chains.

"STOP!"

The oldest ghost reached toward him.

"Remember the seventh door!"

Then he vanished.

The others disappeared with him.

And the golden light around Toby's wrist went out.

The ledge beneath their feet cracked.

Far below, the city of Sunspire burned beneath a moonless sky.

Toby collapsed to one knee.

The skull floated from his hands, suspended inside a sphere of black fire.

Mira rushed toward him.

This time, the silver fire did not repel her.

She caught him before he fell.

His skin was freezing.

"Toby, look at me."

He tried.

But his vision was changing.

The world seemed covered by a thin veil of darkness.

He could hear distant voices whispering from the mountains.

Thousands of voices.

Some crying.

Some praying.

Some calling his name.

"Mira..."

"I'm here."

"I can't feel my hand."

She looked down.

The dragon mark on his wrist had turned completely black.

Darkness spread toward his elbow.

Mira pressed both hands against it.

Silver light poured from her fingers.

For a moment, the black veins retreated.

Then they surged forward again.

The Hollow King spoke.

"Every vessel reaches this moment."

Mira looked toward the floating skull.

"What are you doing to him?"

"Preparing him."

"For what?"

"My return."

The skull rotated slowly.

"At the third sunrise, his heart will become mine."

Toby's breathing quickened.

The third sunrise.

Vaelthar had warned him.

He had believed the deadline concerned the dragon's oath.

Now he understood that the prison and his own body were connected.

Mira held him tighter.

"We'll reach the Ashen Forge before then."

The Hollow King laughed.

"You may try."

The skull's black flames suddenly extinguished.

It fell onto the stone ledge.

Its eyes closed.

The chains around Toby's hands dissolved.

For one moment, the mountain became silent.

Then Toby heard Vaelthar's voice.

Faint.

Almost lost.

Little master.

Toby gasped.

"Vaelthar?"

Mira leaned closer.

"What?"

"He's alive."

A flicker of amber light appeared along the Sunforged Blade.

You must leave Sunspire, the dragon whispered. Now.

Toby struggled to stand.

"Can you come with us?"

A long silence followed.

Not in my present form.

"What does that mean?"

Caedric consumed my oath. My body is becoming stone again.

Toby felt tears filling his eyes.

"No."

Listen carefully. The Ashen Forge holds the first dragon flame. It can restore what was taken from me.

"Then we'll save you."

Only if you survive the journey.

The voice faded.

Toby grabbed the sword.

"Vaelthar?"

No answer.

He closed his eyes.

He could not lose the dragon too.

Not after losing Edrin.

Not after watching his father disappear beneath the collapsing hall.

Mira touched his arm.

"We'll find a way."

Toby nodded.

But neither of them noticed the skull opening one eye.

They descended the narrow mountain path.

Below them, Sunspire was in chaos.

The cathedral's ruined towers loomed over the city. Fires burned in the lower districts, and frightened citizens crowded the streets.

Royal soldiers attempted to restore order.

Others were abandoning their posts.

The kingdom had witnessed a dragon descend from the sky, a sacred sword awaken, and its cathedral collapse.

No one knew whether the king was alive.

No one knew whether the ancient prophecies were true.

And somewhere beneath the city, the Hollow King's prison was breaking apart.

Toby and Mira moved through a narrow alley behind the western market.

They kept their hoods low.

The Sunforged Blade was wrapped in an old cloak.

The skull rested inside a leather satchel Mira had found near an abandoned merchant stall.

Toby hated carrying it.

But Elara's spirit had warned him that destroying the skull might free the Hollow King immediately.

They had no choice but to protect it.

At the end of the alley, they heard shouting.

A group of soldiers had surrounded a young woman beside an overturned cart.

She wore a faded green traveling cloak and held a small boy behind her.

"Please," she begged. "He's only five."

A soldier raised his sword.

"All travelers are being questioned. By order of the royal council."

The woman shook her head.

"We're trying to leave the city."

"Nobody leaves until the traitors are found."

Toby stopped.

Mira caught his sleeve.

"Don't."

He looked at the soldiers.

One of them struck the woman across the face.

The little boy screamed.

Toby's jaw tightened.

"We can't just walk away."

Mira looked toward his blackened wrist.

"You're barely standing."

Toby swallowed.

"I know."

The soldier raised his hand again.

Toby stepped into the street.

"Leave them alone."

The soldiers turned.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then one of them laughed.

"Another street rat."

Toby pushed back his hood.

The laughter stopped.

The soldiers recognized him.

The boy who had drawn the Sunforged Blade.

The child who had summoned the dragon.

One soldier stepped backward.

"That's him."

Another drew his sword.

"Commander Vane ordered his capture."

Toby raised the Sunforged Blade.

Golden runes ignited.

"Commander Vane is gone."

The soldiers hesitated.

Toby looked toward the frightened woman.

"Take your son and leave."

She stared at him.

Then grabbed the boy and fled.

The soldiers moved to pursue them.

Toby stepped forward.

"Don't."

A strange force spread through the street.

The soldiers froze.

Not because of the sword.

Because of Toby's voice.

He felt something cold awaken beneath his ribs.

The same power that had held Mira captive.

The same power the Hollow King had used to command the dead.

One soldier dropped to his knees.

Then another.

Toby stared in horror.

He had not meant to command them.

He had only wanted them to stop.

Mira rushed toward him.

"Toby!"

His vision darkened.

The soldiers lowered their heads.

A voice whispered inside his mind.

There. You see?

The Hollow King.

They obey because you are becoming me.

Toby staggered backward.

"No."

You wanted to protect the weak. You wanted the cruel to kneel. And they did.

The soldiers remained motionless.

Toby stared at them.

The power felt terrible.

But also intoxicating.

For the first time in his life, people who had once considered him worthless were kneeling before him.

He understood, with sudden horror, why kings became monsters.

Because sometimes power felt exactly like justice.

Mira grabbed his hand.

"Toby, let them go."

He blinked.

The strange pressure inside his chest weakened.

The soldiers collapsed, gasping.

Toby stumbled into Mira's arms.

"I'm sorry."

She held him tightly.

"You didn't hurt them."

He looked at the frightened men.

"Not yet."

They escaped through the abandoned northern gate.

Beyond Sunspire stretched the Ashen Road, a forgotten trade route leading toward the mountains.

Ancient watchtowers stood along the distant hills.

Above them, the sky had begun to pale.

The first sunrise was approaching.

Toby sat beside a dry fountain while Mira examined his wrist.

The black veins had reached his shoulder.

She tried using her silver magic again.

Nothing happened.

Her face tightened.

"It's getting worse."

Toby looked away.

"How long?"

Mira did not answer.

He understood.

The Hollow King had given them until the third sunrise.

But the darkness spreading through his body suggested he might not last that long.

Mira gently touched his shoulder.

"We'll reach the forge."

Toby stared toward the mountains.

"What if we don't?"

"We will."

"What if I turn into him before we get there?"

She went silent.

Toby looked at her.

"Promise me something."

Mira shook her head.

"Don't."

"You don't know what I'm going to ask."

"I know that voice."

He swallowed.

"If I lose control—"

"No."

"If I hurt someone—"

"Toby."

"If I become like the Hollow King, you have to stop me."

Tears filled her eyes.

"I won't kill you."

"Then promise you'll protect everyone else."

She looked away.

For a long moment, neither spoke.

Finally, Mira whispered, "I promise I'll find another way."

Toby wanted to argue.

Instead, he rested his forehead against hers.

It was not the answer he had asked for.

But it was the only answer she could give.

A distant horn interrupted them.

Then another.

Mira lifted her head.

"Soldiers?"

Toby listened.

The sound came from the northern road.

Three riders appeared through the morning mist.

They wore dark blue armor beneath white traveling cloaks.

Their shields bore a symbol Toby had never seen.

A silver dragon wrapped around seven stars.

The riders stopped several yards away.

Their leader dismounted.

She was a tall woman with braided red hair, a scar across her chin, and a sword strapped to her back.

She studied Toby carefully.

Then knelt.

"Your Highness."

Toby stepped backward.

"Who are you?"

The woman bowed her head.

"Captain Lysandra Vale, commander of the Last Watch."

Mira frowned.

"The Last Watch?"

"The final surviving order sworn to protect the First Bloodline."

Toby tightened his grip on the sword.

"How did you find us?"

Lysandra looked toward the black mark on his wrist.

"The dragon's awakening was felt across the northern kingdoms."

She stood.

"We have waited centuries for the Sunforged Blade to return."

Toby hesitated.

He had already trusted too many people who claimed to serve his family.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Lysandra slowly removed her gauntlet.

A silver dragon mark glowed on her palm.

Mira stared.

The symbol resembled hers.

Lysandra looked toward her.

"Princess Seraphine."

Mira stiffened.

"My name is Mira."

The captain lowered her head.

"As you wish."

Then she turned toward Toby.

"The Ashen Forge is three days' travel on foot. Our horses can bring you there before the second sunrise."

Toby felt a surge of hope.

"You know the way?"

"Every road."

"And Vaelthar?"

Lysandra's expression darkened.

"We know the dragon's oath has been stolen."

"Can the forge restore him?"

"Yes."

Toby stepped forward.

"Then take us."

The captain hesitated.

"There is something you must understand first."

Toby felt his hope falter.

"What?"

Lysandra looked at his blackened wrist.

"The Ashen Forge can restore the dragon's oath, but the power required must come from the one who carries the Sunforged Blade."

Toby stared at her.

"Me?"

She nodded.

"What happens to me?"

Lysandra's eyes filled with sadness.

"The forge will burn away everything the Hollow King placed inside you."

Toby glanced at Mira.

"That sounds good."

"It is."

"Then what's the problem?"

The captain lowered her gaze.

"The Hollow King's essence is bound to your life."

The morning wind swept across the deserted road.

Toby swallowed.

"So if the forge removes it..."

Lysandra closed her eyes.

"You will die."

Mira stepped forward.

"No."

The captain looked at her.

"There may be another path, but I do not know it."

Toby stared toward the mountains.

For the first time, the Ashen Forge no longer looked like salvation.

It looked like an execution ground.

The riders escorted them north.

As the first sunlight touched the distant mountains, Toby rode behind Lysandra.

Mira traveled beside them on a gray horse.

Neither child spoke much.

Toby watched the countryside pass.

Small villages.

Empty fields.

Abandoned shrines.

He wondered how many people knew that their kingdom might soon disappear.

He wondered whether his father had survived.

And he wondered whether the boy he had been yesterday was already gone.

Near midday, they reached a narrow valley.

A ruined stone bridge crossed a deep ravine.

Lysandra raised her hand.

The riders stopped.

Something was wrong.

No birds sang.

No wind moved through the trees.

Then Toby noticed the bodies.

Six armored soldiers lay scattered near the bridge.

Their armor had been torn apart.

Their faces were frozen in expressions of horror.

Lysandra dismounted.

She examined the nearest corpse.

Her expression changed.

"Impossible."

Toby climbed down.

"What happened?"

The captain looked toward the far end of the bridge.

"These were soldiers of the Last Watch."

Mira approached.

"Who killed them?"

Lysandra slowly drew her sword.

"Someone who knew our patrol route."

The other riders immediately raised their weapons.

Toby felt a chill.

A figure stood on the far side of the bridge.

Wrapped in a white cloak.

Motionless.

The figure lifted its head.

Toby recognized the face.

Bishop Aldren.

Or rather, the man who had worn that face.

King Alaric.

His father.

Toby's breath caught.

"Father?"

The figure smiled.

Lysandra stepped in front of him.

"Your Highness, stay back."

But Toby had already moved forward.

The king raised one hand.

"Come here, son."

Mira seized Toby's arm.

"Something's wrong."

Toby stopped.

The figure looked exactly like Alaric.

The same eyes.

The same scar.

The same voice.

But the smile was wrong.

Too still.

Too empty.

Toby remembered Queen Elara's warning.

The face is not the name.

He lifted the Sunforged Blade.

"Tell me something only my father would know."

The figure's smile widened.

"Your mother sang to you when you were afraid of thunder."

Toby's heart sank.

That memory was known to the Hollow King.

The figure began walking across the bridge.

Lysandra raised her sword.

"Identify yourself."

The king stopped.

Then his face split apart.

Black smoke poured from his mouth.

His skin dissolved.

And beneath it stood a creature made of twisted bone and shadow.

Its eyes burned violet.

Lysandra gasped.

"A Crown Eater."

The creature laughed.

Then it lunged.

The battle lasted less than a minute.

The Crown Eater moved faster than anything Toby had ever seen.

It struck the first rider from his horse, sending him crashing against the bridge.

The second rider charged.

The creature tore through his armor with a single claw.

Lysandra met it with her sword.

Silver sparks erupted as their weapons collided.

"RUN!" she shouted.

Mira grabbed Toby.

But he refused to leave.

The creature turned toward them.

Its violet eyes fixed on the skull hanging from Mira's satchel.

"THE SEVENTH HEART."

It lunged.

Toby raised the Sunforged Blade.

Golden light erupted.

The creature struck him.

Pain exploded across his chest.

He flew backward against the stone bridge.

Mira screamed.

"Toby!"

The black mark on his wrist ignited.

The world slowed.

Toby saw the creature approaching.

Saw Mira running toward him.

Saw Lysandra struggling to rise.

And heard the Hollow King's voice.

You can stop it.

Toby clenched his teeth.

"No."

You can save them.

The creature raised its claws.

Mira stepped between them.

Use my power.

Toby stared at her.

The claws descended.

And something inside him broke.

"STOP!"

The word thundered through the valley.

The Crown Eater froze.

Black chains erupted from Toby's shadow.

They wrapped around the creature's limbs.

It screamed.

Toby rose slowly.

His eyes had turned black.

The dragon mark spread across his chest.

The Hollow King's power flowed through him like ice.

The creature struggled.

Toby raised one hand.

"Die."

The chains tightened.

The Crown Eater shattered into black dust.

Silence filled the valley.

Mira stared at Toby.

Lysandra lowered her sword.

The surviving rider backed away.

Toby looked at his hands.

The black veins were gone.

For one beautiful moment, his skin looked normal.

Then he felt something missing.

He touched his chest.

His heartbeat was fading.

Mira rushed toward him.

"Toby!"

He opened his mouth.

No sound came out.

His knees buckled.

She caught him.

"Toby, please!"

He could hear her crying.

Could feel her arms around him.

But his body was growing cold.

Lysandra knelt beside them.

She pressed two fingers against his neck.

Her expression changed.

"No..."

Mira stared at her.

"What?"

The captain placed her hand against Toby's chest.

Then looked up.

Her eyes were filled with horror.

"His heart has stopped."

Mira screamed.

"NO!"

She shook him desperately.

"Toby! WAKE UP!"

But the boy did not move.

The Sunforged Blade slipped from his hand.

Its golden light vanished.

The skull inside Mira's satchel began laughing.

And far beneath the northern mountains, the Ashen Forge awakened.

A thousand ancient bells rang through the earth.

Golden fire erupted from the highest peak.

Lysandra slowly rose.

Her face was pale.

"The seventh vessel has died."

Mira held Toby's lifeless body against her chest.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Then the skull whispered:

"And now the Hollow King has a body that no longer needs a heart."

Toby's eyes opened.

They were completely black.

He looked at Mira.

And smiled.

"Hello, little sister."