The Heart's A Mess

Like all seven children born under the Veil, they are marked by either a curse or a blessing.

The main character, the one known as the Sun, bears a blessing that grants him dominion over not just one star, but all the stars in existence.

She, on the other hand, is the Heart of the World, gifted with control over all life itself.

Yet her gift comes with a curse one that binds her deeply to the cycle of creation and destruction.

Every time she uses mana, her body becomes overgrown with life, a defense mechanism designed to stave off her own death.

Roses bloom and spread across her body, their thorny vines entwining her as both a testament to her power and a grim reminder of her mortality.

I studied her quietly, observing how the weight of her situation settled into her expression.

Her eyes flickered with defiance and fear a strong exterior hiding the vulnerability of a young girl burdened with an unbearable fate.

"You have two choices," I said evenly, breaking the silence.

Her gaze snapped to mine, wary yet curious.

"Either you can continue living with your curse, bearing its weight alone, or....you can let me help you control it."

Her eyes narrowed, distrust flashing momentarily. I raised a hand to stop her from speaking.

"I'm offering more than guidance," I will mentor you, teach you how to wield your power without being consumed by it. I can give you a home a sanctuary where no one can harm you."

Her expression softened slightly, though uncertainty still lingered. I could see her mind racing, weighing the risks and benefits of trusting me.

Leaning forward, I lowered my voice, making it more intimate yet commanding.

"You don't have to decide now. But know this, Rosaline: you are too important to be left to the whims of fate. Whether you choose to walk this path with me or not, I will ensure you live to fulfill your destiny."

She hesitated, her guard still partially raised, but her curiosity won out.

"What's truly in it for you? Are you really a prophet?"

I chuckled softly as I rose, pulling the sword from the wall where it had held her.

With deliberate care, I placed it back on the ground, its gleaming edge reflecting the dim light.

"I'm not just a Visionary," I said, watching as a vine curled around her left arm, its thorns glinting faintly. "I'm someone who has gazed into the future."

Her expression hardened. "And what did this future show you that made you want to… cultivate me?"

I paused for a moment, letting her question settle before answering. A smile crossed my face as I shifted, allowing my body to transform.

My voice deepened into a richer, more resonant tone.

My features sharpened, my skin darkened slightly, and my frame grew more muscular.

This was the form I shall now bear.

"I saw you," I said, locking eyes with her. "You, six others, and more… all perished. I saw the world crumble into ash and ruin. Most of all, I witnessed the horrors that await us if nothing changes."

Her scrutinizing gaze faltered, and her defenses momentarily lowered. "Why do I feel so compelled to trust you?"

She murmured, her voice quiet but raw with emotion. "Why do I feel like I should rely on you?"

I smiled gently, the harshness in my demeanor softening. "Because I'm the first person who's offered you sanctuary and power without asking for anything in return."

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, though she quickly turned her face away to hide her vulnerability.

To ease the tension, I placed a hand on her shoulder, grounding her in the moment.

"Now," I said with a playful smirk, "don't you want to see a magic trick?"

Before she could answer, I began to chant in the tongue of the gods.

"Fiat vita et regnet mors, libera eam onere frigidae regni vitae."

The roses entwined around her body snapped and withered, their vines crumbling to dust as I finished the spell.

Standing tall, I offered her a small smile. "So, what do you think of my magic?"

Rosaline as I now thought of her stared at her arms in disbelief. "How? I've tried everything," she whispered, awe and confusion mingling in her voice.

"The curse was placed on you by the Veil itself," I explained, sliding my sword back into its sheath. "All I had to do was go against it."

She frowned slightly, still processing my words, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Rose," I said, my tone light but firm, "I hope you'll prove to be a good student. There's much for you to learn."

...

Three weeks had passed since our intense training began.

Rosaline had grown stronger with each day, her control over mana becoming more refined.

Her Harbinger pathway allowed her to reshape reality itself, a power I had never seen in another.

Mana is the energy that breathes life into all living beings. Everything in the world, both living and non-living, can wield mana.

"If you want to stop the curse from consuming you, you must let your body understand that mana leaving isn't a bad thing," I said, offering guidance.

Rosaline swung down sharply. "How do I do that?"

I parried the strike and pushed her back with ease. "By ensuring you have enough mana so that your body doesn't shut down. You're young, which means your body holds an abundance of mana with nowhere to go."

She shifted, spinning to her side, preparing another attack. "How do I give it a place to go?"

I blocked her strike and countered, pushing her back again. "You must gain full control over your body and give it the illusion of age."

She failed to parry in time, blocking instead, but lost her balance and fell to the ground.

I placed my blade under her chin, wiping off my sweat. "And we do that by building muscle."

I extended my free hand, and she grasped it, pulling herself up.

I lent her my sword while retrieving a sleek black blade a slim base adorned with a blue hilt designed to channel mana more efficiently than my previous weapon.

As I helped her up, she sighed. "So, why aren't we lifting heavy rocks?"

"Because the first part of your training is sword mastery. You must become a symbol of peace in this world."

We walked back to our starting positions, the air heavy with the anticipation of the next strike.

A low, cold wind began to blow. A shiver ran up my back as I spoke. "Start!"

Rosaline blasted off the ground, tearing through the grass as she instantly crossed the yard.

With a sharp arch, she swung, aiming for my right side. I deflected her blade and flicked mine, causing her to stumble back.

"Your balance, Rosaline! Keep your balance at all times!"

She swiftly parried and countered with a kick. I dodged, and we exchanged a flurry of attacks.

She was improving fast so quickly that I began running out of things to teach her, at least in the sword aspect.

My true strength lay in magic, but I couldn't teach her something I didn't fully possess.

As we traded blows, I could feel mana flowing through her blade. Suddenly, a small vine wrapped around her wrist as she swung.

Still, I didn't use my own mana, letting her overpower me bit by bit.

Then, when she made a wide swing, I spoke.

"Reality be damned."

In an instant, we swapped places, and I stopped my blade at her neck.

Then I coughed. "You need to be aware at all times. I'm not the only person capable of using such magic."

She nodded, sighing, and reached for a small vial filled with my manifested mana. She drank it.

For now, I was creating these vials so that whenever she used mana, she could resist her curse.

It also gave me a way to practice manifesting mana constructs.

I watched Rosaline as she finished drinking, her breath steadying as she walked back to her original spot across the backyard.

She wore tight white padded pants and a black jacket over a tucked red shirt.

Over the past two months, I'd gathered various clothes for her. My little apprentice looked perfect in all of them.

"Okay, this time I'm going to use magic more often. Be ready!"

Before she could take her first step, I was already behind her, swapping places with a strand of her hair.

I swung down, but she reacted by rolling forward and instantly swinging behind her as she stopped.

I dodged back, watching as her blade came down toward my face.

Blocking it, I grabbed her leg and pulled her to the ground.

She twisted mid-air, spun around, and slid across the wilting grass.

Before she could fully stop, I lunged forward.

Visionaries possess the ability to subtly alter aspects of a person's perception making themselves appear larger, changing their appearance, or even removing senses entirely.

As my pathway, I can speak and craft spells as long as I use the right words.

With this, I've been combining my abilities to create powerful spells—spells that I couldn't fully utilize on Rosaline.

But that changes now. With her newfound control over mana, I'm going to push further.

To defend against my lunge, she teleported to my side and kicked me, forcing me sideways as I tumbled to the ground.

She possesses the pathway Harbinger, perhaps the strongest pathway in the novel.

Harbinger spearheads transformations, whether societal, environmental, or personal.

The Harbinger guides the world toward inevitable change, shaping reality by their actions.

They are unable to be altered in the time stream—even being on the path allows one to be simply above all time magic. What she just did was alter history itself.

I held my gut while standing up. "Ah, yes, I'll need to try a bit harder to beat you."

I raised my sword as she appeared in front of me. I then let my mana creep into her eyes. I took away her ability to see, and with that, pinned her to the ground.

"This is cheating!" she said, screaming at me as I laughed.

"No, from now on, you must fight me while being blind—rely only on your ability to smell and hear me. After a while, I'll take your ability to hear too."

We both stood up, and after returning her sight, I smiled. "Training's over, let's go."

We walked back into the house, the door clicking softly behind us. I gestured toward the stairs. "Go freshen up while I start dinner."

Rosaline gave me a nod and made her way upstairs while I moved into the kitchen.

As I began chopping vegetables, the familiar rhythm of cooking settled in around me.

After a while, I placed a large piece of meat onto the stove while covering it in vegetables. Then I turned it up to medium heat and let it sizzle.

I didn't forget the seasonings, of course, and grabbed some from the cabinet, pouring them over the whole thing.

I was still an amateur, but at least I knew it wouldn't taste terrible.

As the food finished cooking, Rosaline came into the kitchen and sat at the table.

I placed a plate of food in front of her and then sat down with my own. She grabbed her fork and started eating.

"I won't be able to train you tomorrow. I have business to take care of."

I said, chomping down on the dry but still good piece—was this steak? Yes, I'll call it steak from now on.

"Okay, do you have anything I should do while I'm waiting for your return?"

"Of course, my young disciple, you must start your mana manifestation training."

She's already very skilled in doing so, but one of the reasons her curse is so fast-acting is her output.

Each of the seven heroes was granted world-shattering power upon birth, so while the others simply exhaust mana fast but in strong bursts.

She most of the time uses weak spells but wastes loads of mana on them.

"Before I return, I want a hundred vials of mana from you, all filled to the brim."

Each vial was about one liter. It should be fine.

She nodded while still chomping down on her food.

I liked this feeling, seeing her happy, being happy—it's a good distraction. After all, I'm about to go kill someone.