AI The Heartstone pulsed against my chest as we stepped through the archway. Not with the frantic rhythm of before, but a steady, warm beat that felt almost welcoming. The temperature shifted instantly—gone was the London chill , replaced by a gentle warmth that wrapped around us like a blanket fresh from the dryer.
"Bloody hell," Silas muttered beside me, his usual cocky grin replaced by something approaching reverence.
The corridor stretched before us, impossibly long, its walls carved from what looked like pure amber . Light seemed to emanate from within, casting everything in a honeyed glow. The air smelled of cinnamon and something else—something ancient and sweet, like forgotten orchards in autumn.
I reached out to touch the wall. My fingers met resistance, but instead of solid stone, it felt like warm silk . The amber rippled beneath my touch, and for a moment, I thought I saw faces swimming within it—people laughing, crying, living entire lives in the span of seconds.
"We should keep moving," Nyx said, their shadow-form solidifying slightly as they stepped forward. "This place... it's aware of us."
"Course it is," Silas replied, adjusting his grip on his cane. "Everything in Hel is aware. The question is whether it's friendly."
The corridor opened into a vast chamber. My breath caught in my throat. Above us, the ceiling stretched into infinity, a tapestry of constellations that definitely weren't from any Earth sky I recognized. Stars swirled and danced, forming patterns that made my head ache if I tried to follow them too long.
But it was the floor that held our attention.
A massive map spread out before us, carved into what appeared to be solid crystal . Rivers of molten gold snaked between mountains of deep blue sapphire. Forests of emerald pulsed with an inner light, and in the center, a city of ruby spires reached toward the amber sky.
"Is that...?" I started, my voice barely above a whisper .
"Dymas," Nyx confirmed, their violet eyes glowing brighter as they took in the map. "The City of Gluttony. And that—" they pointed to a silver thread winding through the golden rivers, "—that's the River Lethe."
The Heartstone grew warmer against my skin, pulsing in time with something I couldn't quite place . I looked down at my chest, watching the crimson gem catch the light. It wasn't just warm now—it was hot, burning with a heat that didn't hurt but demanded attention.
Silas cleared his throat. "Right then. No time for sightseeing. We've got a prince to meet and a bargain to strike."
He stepped onto the map, his foot landing on a patch of deep green that might have been a forest or a field. The crystal beneath his shoe chimed like a bell, sending ripples across the entire surface. The constellations above us shifted, rearranging themselves into new patterns.
And then the floor began to move.
Not violently, but with a gentle, undulating motion, like waves on a calm sea . The golden rivers flowed, the sapphire mountains rose and fell, and the emerald forests seemed to breathe. We were standing on a living map, a representation of an entire realm in miniature.
"Interesting," Nyx murmured, their form becoming more solid as they stepped onto the map beside Silas. "The architecture here is designed to disorient. Makes sense for a realm of excess—keeps visitors off balance."
I followed them onto the map, my boots making no sound against the crystal . The Heartstone's pulse quickened , matching my own heartbeat. Something about this place felt... right. Like I'd been here before in a dream I couldn't quite remember .
The chamber had three other archways besides the one we'd entered through. Each was framed differently—one in what looked like living vines that bloomed with flowers as we watched, another in what appeared to be frozen fire, and the third in what might have been compressed starlight.
"Which way?" I asked, turning to face my companions.
Silas pointed his cane at the frozen fire archway. "That one. Fire's always been lucky for me."
Nyx shook their head. "The starlight. It's the most stable path."
I looked down at the Heartstone, still burning warm against my skin. It pulsed once, twice, then settled into a steady rhythm that pointed toward the living vine archway.
"I think..." I started, then stopped . Trust your instincts, Isolde had told me. But which instincts? The ones that had kept me alive so far, or the ones screaming that this was all wrong?
The map beneath our feet chose that moment to shift dramatically. The ruby city in the center rose up, its spires stretching toward the amber sky. The golden rivers flooded their banks, and the emerald forests began to wither, their light dimming.
"Shit," Silas swore, grabbing onto a nearby crystal outcrop. "Anyone else getting the feeling we're running out of time?"
The Heartstone blazed with heat, its crimson light painting our faces in shades of blood. I could feel it now, not just in my chest but in my bones, in my blood . It was calling to something in this place, something ancient and hungry.
And it was hungry too.
"We need to move," Nyx said, their voice tight with urgency . "Now."
I took a step toward the living vine archway, then another. The map rippled beneath my feet, trying to throw me off balance, but I kept moving. The Heartstone's pulse matched my footsteps , a steady drumbeat that drove me forward.
Silas and Nyx fell in behind me, their own footsteps adding to the rhythm. The chamber seemed to contract around us, the amber walls pressing closer, the constellations above spinning faster and faster until they were just streaks of light.
We reached the archway. The living vines parted before us like a curtain, revealing a tunnel that spiraled down into darkness. Not the empty darkness of night, but a darkness that seemed to have weight and substance, like black velvet .
"After you," Silas said, gesturing with his cane.
I stepped through, the Heartstone blazing like a star against my chest. The darkness enveloped me, but it wasn't cold or frightening. It was warm and rich, like sinking into a perfectly made bed after a long day.
"Welcome to Dymas," Nyx whispered from behind me, their voice carrying a note of something I couldn't quite identify . Anticipation? Fear? "Try not to enjoy yourself too much. Gluttony's not known for letting go of what it claims."
The tunnel opened into another chamber, this one filled with the scent of baking bread and roasting meat. My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten since... when? Time was getting slippery here.
A table stretched before us, piled high with dishes I didn't recognize. Golden fruits that pulsed with inner light. Meats that steamed and sizzled without any apparent heat source. Breads that seemed to be made of pure sunlight .
And at the head of the table, a figure waited.
Prince Belphegor, I presumed. He was... well, he was large. Not just fat, but massive, his body seeming to flow over the edges of his chair like bread dough rising. His skin was the color of rich caramel, and his eyes were the deep brown of good soil.
"Welcome," he said, his voice like honey poured over gravel. "I've been expecting you, Aurora Carter."
The Heartstone burned against my chest, its pulse now a frantic drumbeat that matched the racing of my heart. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.
Belphegor smiled, and his teeth were the white of fresh bread. "Don't be shy now. We're all friends here. Please, sit. Eat. You must be famished after your journey."
The food smelled incredible. My mouth watered, my stomach cramped with hunger. It would be so easy to just reach out, to take a piece of that golden fruit, to taste that steaming meat...
"No, thank you," I managed to say, my voice sounding strange in my own ears. "We've come to bargain."
Belphegor's smile widened, revealing even more teeth. "Of course you have. But first, you must understand what you're bargaining with. What you're bargaining for."
He gestured to the table, and the dishes began to move. The fruits pulsed brighter, the meats steamed harder, and the breads... the breads began to sing. Not with words, but with a melody that spoke of comfort and warmth and everything I'd ever wanted.
The Heartstone screamed against my chest, its heat now painful. I clutched at it through my shirt, trying to ground myself in its familiar warmth .
"You see," Belphegor continued, leaning forward, "gluttony isn't just about food. It's about wanting. Needing. Never being satisfied, no matter how much you consume."
The table was between us, but I could feel his presence pressing against me, could feel the weight of his desire , of his endless hunger. It was overwhelming, suffocating, and for a moment, I thought I might give in. Might reach out and take a piece of that golden fruit, just a taste...
But then I remembered Eva's face. Remembered the way she'd looked at me that last night, remembered the promise I'd made to myself to be better, to do better.
I took a step back, then another. "We want passage," I said, my voice stronger now . "Through your realm. To the next circle of Hel."
Belphegor leaned back in his chair, the wood creaking under his weight . "Passage? Is that all? I had hoped for something more... substantial."
The Heartstone pulsed once, hard, against my chest. Not with heat this time, but with something else . Something that felt almost like... agreement.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small velvet pouch I'd brought from London. The one containing the dried herbs Isolde had given me, the ones that were supposed to protect against temptation.
"I have payment," I said, holding up the pouch. "Protection against your influence. A guarantee that we won't be consumed by our desires while in your realm."
Belphegor's eyes narrowed , the rich brown darkening to the color of burnt sugar. "Protection? From me? How bold."
The table between us began to shake, the dishes rattling against each other. The golden fruits pulsed faster, the meats steamed hotter, and the breads... the breads stopped singing, their silence somehow more ominous than their melody had been.
"You dare to bring protection into my domain?" Belphegor's voice had lost its honeyed quality, becoming something harder, sharper. "You dare to suggest that I am not generous enough, not welcoming enough?"
The Heartstone burned against my chest, not with pain but with purpose . I could feel it now, could feel the connection between the stone and this place, between the stone and the prince before me.
"I don't mean offense," I said quickly, my mind racing . "I only seek to ensure fair dealing. Protection for passage. That's all."
Belphegor was on his feet now, the table between us forgotten. He towered over me, his caramel skin darkening to the color of burnt sugar, his brown eyes becoming the black of a bottomless pit.
"Fair dealing?" he roared, the sound shaking the chamber around us . "There is no fair dealing with gluttony! There is only want, only need, only the endless cycle of desire and consumption!"
The Heartstone blazed against my chest, its crimson light painting the prince in shades of blood. I could feel it now, could feel the stone's purpose, its design. It wasn't just a key or a map. It was a contract.
A contract with Dymas itself.
I reached up and grasped the stone through my shirt, feeling its heat, its power. "Then let's make a different kind of contract," I said, my voice steady despite the trembling in my limbs . "One that satisfies both our needs."
Belphegor froze, his massive form stilling as if I'd cast a spell. "A different contract?"
I nodded, my fingers tightening around the Heartstone. "Yes. One where I offer something you want, in exchange for something I need."
The prince tilted his head, studying me with those bottomless eyes. "And what could you possibly offer that I want?"
I smiled, a real smile this time, one that felt like coming home . "How about a story? The story of how Aurora Carter came to hold the Heartstone of Dymas. The story of why she's here, in Hel, seeking passage through your realm."
Belphegor's dark eyes widened , then narrowed. "A story? That's your offer? A mere tale?"
I shrugged, my hand still on the Heartstone. "It's not just any story. It's the story of the one who holds your realm's heart. The story of why she's willing to risk everything to pass through here."
The prince was silent for a long moment, his massive form still as stone. Then, slowly, he sat back down in his chair, the wood groaning under his weight .
"A story," he repeated, his voice softer now, almost thoughtful . "Yes... yes, I think that might do. But it had better be a good one, Aurora Carter. It had better be worth my time."
I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding, my fingers loosening their grip on the Heartstone. "Oh, it is," I said, moving to sit at the table across from him . "It's the best story you'll ever hear."
And as I began to speak, to tell the tale of how I'd come to be here, in this impossible place, with this impossible stone against my chest, I could feel the Heartstone's pulse change. No longer frantic, no longer hungry, but steady and sure, like a heartbeat.
Like the heartbeat of a realm that had finally found its voice.