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Thump thump!

The soft but clear sound of a heartbeat arose in the silent room, normally an ordinary occurrence. Yet, when Myre heard this heartbeat, her complexion turned exceedingly pale.

This heartbeat… shouldn’t exist… or to say… it wasn’t there just a moment ago.

Because in her small chest, there was already another heartbeat.

That was hers, the only remaining heart she had, weak yet truly and wholly hers. The other heart that once belonged to her had turned to dust in a previous battle.

Wait, turned to dust?

When she was transported out of the Immaculate Tree Domain, what happened to that lost heart?

Myre stiffly turned her neck, looking towards the foul-smelling bowl. If she remembered correctly, it should have contained a rotting heart.

The rotting… heart, if considering the time…

“That is… your heart…”

“See, I helped you put your heart back…”

The words of the fake Moore and Loya echoed in her ears, some of the lies they told became increasingly real.

But the more real it became, the more nauseous Myre felt.

“What… exactly do you want to do?”

Myre, on the verge of losing control, shouted without restraint. She even thought about biting her tongue to end her life, but Loya gently held her face, and she lost all control over her body. She couldn’t even open or close her eyes, only able to watch Loya whose expression grew more excited.

“Let me tell you a secret.”

As if confiding between close friends, Loya whispered in Myre’s ear:

“Actually, I didn’t completely lie just now.”

“Loya was a child born in a poor village on the frontier. She had a mother who loved her very much, and relatives and neighbors who nagged but were kind to her. Loya was a good child. She came to the capital alone, full of ambition to win the first place in the Martial God Tournament, but unfortunately, she failed. To earn the fare to return home, she was employed by your brother for fifteen silver coins a day to take care of you. It was supposed to be an easy job. Just quietly work for ten days, and she could earn enough money to go home, and maybe even buy a warm cotton-padded coat for her sick mother. Unfortunately…”

Loya blew softly in Myre’s ear, teasingly: “The person she had to take care of… was you. And you… caught my eye~”

Myre, unable to move, widened her eyes in terror. Tears streamed down from her eyes to her ears. She seemed to foresee her impending fate from Loya’s story, and boundless fear instantly overwhelmed her small body.

“Don’t be afraid, I’ll be gentle.”

Loya smiled, lightly patting Myre’s cheek. Myre regained control of her body, but before she could react, Loya suddenly leaned in and kissed Myre’s lips.

“Mm—”

Myre struggled fiercely, scratching Loya’s back with her hands, leaving trails of blood, and kicking violently. But all these efforts were in vain. Loya easily pried open Myre’s tightly clenched teeth. At the same time, a visible, dense black mist slowly transferred from Loya’s left chest, moving up her neck. Through the pathway forced upon Myre, it entered her body, eagerly settling in its new home – the heart that had just started beating.

After the deed, their lips parted, and Loya, or rather the real Loya, immediately collapsed to the ground like a mudslide. The color drained from her cheeks, turning to a lifeless pale, and her eyes, devoid of spirit, looked into the distance or perhaps cursed the enemy close at hand.

At that moment, Myre also stared blankly at the ceiling, but as her body convulsed abnormally, the lifeless eyes soon regained a hint of clarity.

“Huh? Who… am I?”
“I am… Myre…”
“Myre… Who is that?”
“Haha… I am not Myre…”
“Hahaha… Myre… Myre… Who is Myre… I don’t know…”

As if triggered by something, Myre held her head, crying and shouting, her gaze constantly wavering between clarity and confusion.

Eventually, as her body convulsed more violently, Myre’s eyes gradually became lifeless, and her speech became increasingly indistinct, ultimately turning into tears at the corner of her eyes and a low, mosquito-like moan:

“Brother…”

“Don’t cry, little Myre.”

A hand gently wipes away the tears from the corner of Myre’s eyes.

That was Myre’s own hand.

Myre sat up, revealing a smile as intoxicating as a spring breeze, as if the previous chaos was merely someone else’s illusion.

“I will take good care of your body on behalf of your brother.”

Crack, crack…

The sound of bones rubbing against each other continuously echoed as Myre got up, moving every joint in strange ways, as if exploring the limits of this body.

“Alas, it’s a pity the physique is too weak; otherwise, it would have been an excellent material.” Myre showed a look of disappointment. Despite the strong innate abilities, the frailty of this flesh exceeded their expectations.

“Ha, don’t be so picky. I also want your body that won’t rot.”

Fake Moore said huffily, his body twisting and changing, quickly transforming into another person’s appearance.

A black robe enveloped his form, with two large “four” characters visible front and back in the dim room.

“Using the second heart as a medium to control this body indeed won’t affect the other heart, thereby causing the body to rot and stink, but I didn’t expect…”

Myre, or rather Number Three, sincerely lamented, “Heartbeats of Resolve, Intuition, two hearts, so many special traits all gathered in this small body. It’s just a pity she was born in this forsaken place. If she were born in the great worlds, she would definitely be a peerless talent that countless powerhouses would fight over.”

“Heh, what does that have to do with us?” Number Four shrugged indifferently.

“It has nothing to do with us; it’s just a sigh. But from this, it seems our next actions should go smoothly.”

Feeling the profound energy stored within, Number Three couldn’t help but squint their eyes, revealing a confident smile.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

In the east, the pale light of dawn begins to show.

In this early morning when the crowing of roosters has yet to begin, a figure, drenched with dew, hurries through the inn’s main entrance.

Approaching Myre’s room door, Moore slows his steps, afraid of waking his sister who might be sleeping inside.

Creak—

Unexpectedly, the door suddenly opens, revealing Myre in a thin nightgown, her collar even slightly disheveled, standing sleepily at the door.

“Brother, have you returned?”

Moore pauses for a moment but soon shows a trace of anger: “It’s so early and cold, why are you running around in your nightgown? Get back into bed!”

“I felt like brother would come back around this time.”

Myre pouts, then opens her arms.

“What for?” Moore asks, puzzled.

“Hug, I won’t go to sleep without a hug.”

Moore’s eyebrows furrow in irritation, exclaiming: “Who taught you these nonsensical things…”

But looking at his adorable sister, his anger quickly subsides, and with a sigh of resignation, Moore says,

“Fine, just this once.”

“Yay~” In the moment Moore didn’t notice, the corners of Myre’s mouth curve into a strange arc.