The Magic Heart

Chapter 6: They Were Not Just Stories.

— That was a good hit... — said the monster as he looked at Bianca, his eyes full of rage. The part of his face that was still intact showed the smile he had started to form earlier, revealing his teeth with his gums exposed. The scene had turned into a horror movie.

— ...Now it's my turn, — he finished saying, and his body began to move slowly, showing his now disfigured face illuminated by the flashes of lightning.

Bianca stood frozen, unable to believe it. Her plan had failed. She had used her brain and reflexes to defeat her opponent, hitting him with all her strength, and yet this inhuman being was still standing.

Bianca's heart was beating furiously, and panic was setting in. She had run out of ideas. She shouldn't have risked it like that. Now her body would pay the consequences of engaging in an unequal fight for someone normal. Her breath came in short gasps, and in her eyes, there was the desperation of the moment. In this state, Bianca was no longer a worthy opponent. She needed to escape with Alice while she still could. But as she tried to step back, Bianca fell to her knees. She couldn't feel her legs.

Bianca had believed that after hitting the man with the tentacle-like limbs in the head, she would win, like in the storybooks where the hero defeats the villain in the end. However, the outcome was not as expected. The adrenaline had drained from her body, making her think the fight was over.

Now, exhausted and unable to move, Bianca only heard the sound of the rain falling on the black dome. She looked at her trembling hands on the ground as the creature walked towards her. This had turned into a nightmare—a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.

"This has to be a joke," Bianca thought. She had hit him with all her might, and nothing happened. The only thing that did happen was that the monster's rage increased. She looked up at the creature now, its face deformed from the impact with the metal bar, breathing irregularly. Drops of the dark liquid fell to the ground with each step it took, and it was hungry for revenge.

Bianca turned her gaze to where Alice was. The little girl was there, watching her with tear-filled eyes. Alice was depending on her, and Bianca couldn't protect her. She had placed all her hope in Bianca, and now…

The creature raised several of its tentacles, ready to strike. Bianca instinctively lifted the metal bar still in her hands. The impact was so powerful that it threw Bianca far away, causing her to crash into the trash.

Bianca was able to cushion the initial blow from the tentacle, but once she was thrown, she couldn't react in time and took the full force of the hit against the trash bin.

Bianca felt intense pain coursing through her body. Her arms were numb from the attack, her legs fatigued from overexertion, and her head was pounding from the crash. As if that weren't enough, she could now smell the horrible stench filling her nose, a foul odor that penetrated her lungs with every breath.

When she opened her eyes, Bianca saw that she had fallen into the filthy trash. This was a bad joke. Even about to die, luck was never on her side. She couldn't even die cleanly. Her uniform, once neat, was now dirty from the garbage and filth. A few meters away from her was the piece of metal that had been her companion in the battle. It had lasted quite a while, to be honest.

— You were a great partner, — Bianca said weakly. Every word seemed to hurt her throat. Was this pain physical, or was it the emotional pain of failing?

When she was a child, she had always dreamed of being like the heroes in the stories her mother told her—someone who comes to the rescue when someone is in danger, saves the day with a smile, and everything ends happily with a great celebration.

But things were different now.

Bianca was defeated. She couldn't move her body. She had been defeated by someone stronger than her, and now she had to watch as someone helpless was hurt.

— Why does everything have to end like this? — Bianca asked herself with a bitter smile. The answer was obvious—this is where the fun was. Crying seemed like a good idea, but she didn't want to end her life like this. So, while she awaited the monster to finish her off, she would keep smiling, thinking her life had turned into a joke.

The only thing she regretted was that her father would be left alone. He had already lost his wife, and now he was about to lose his daughter.

The demon watched as Bianca crashed to the ground, leaving her out of the fight. What little remained of his face twisted into a wide grin. This was satisfying for him. He was so close to achieving his goal, so close to his longed-for dream, that he began laughing softly, taking small steps toward Bianca to finally rip the ring from her hand and give it to its owner. She would be very happy.

— It was fun… Unfortunately, it's over, little swordswoman, — he said to Bianca, who lay face down.

— Thank you for the moment, — he added, standing over the defeated girl.

Bianca closed her eyes, expecting her end to come. Until...

Thuck!

The man with the deformed face felt something hit his head.

Turning to see where it came from, the monster looked behind him and saw a small girl just a few meters away. Her face was serious and determined, but her body was trembling with fear from the situation.

Alice had been scared watching how Bianca, the girl who had been saving her, wasn't moving. She was deeply worried about her. She didn't want that bad man to hurt her. Bianca was a good person, and Alice had already started to consider her a friend. Her mother had taught her to show gratitude with actions, not just words. That's why, as a good girl, she had to thank Bianca's kindness with an action.

But... what could she do? She was just a 9-year-old girl.

She couldn't fight. She couldn't help Bianca.

If Alice ran away, she would be responsible for Bianca getting hurt.

She had to get his attention. But how?

Alice looked at the rubble scattered across the street after that creature attacked Bianca and she had managed to dodge it.

Alice grabbed a piece of debris, a rock, and threw it with all her strength at the man about to finish off Bianca.

Maybe Alice hadn't thought it through.

She froze in fear, her eyes locked on the creature's terrifying gaze, which seemed to burn with anger at what she had just done.

The monster, now focusing on little Alice, became even more furious. The attack from Bianca hadn't made him fall, but that little hit with the rock irritated him even more.

The girl would pay for it.

Turning around, the man began to walk slowly toward Alice. The little girl didn't move. She hadn't expected things to go this far, and now she had to face the consequences.

His eyes showed malice and a thirst for revenge. Each step he took echoed in the girls' ears as the dark liquid from his tentacles dripped faster, and some pieces of his face started to crumble into black dust.

Bianca, who could only watch as this unfolded, cursed the situation.

— Alice! Run! It's dangerous! — Bianca screamed desperately. This was bad.

No matter how much Alice wanted to run, her legs felt frozen in place. Her expression remained serious, but the tears in her eyes said otherwise.

— My mom said, "If someone helps you, you should help them too!" — Alice told herself, trying to reassure herself.

Bianca felt her body cold and suffering. She screamed in pain, the agony unbearable. Every movement made her injuries burn, and she couldn't even get on her knees. She couldn't protect Alice. She couldn't face her opponent.

Bianca tried to lift the metal bar again, but her fingers trembled, lacking strength.

"I'm pathetic," she thought, gritting her teeth. Tears fell from her eyes. She felt useless. This was happening because she had lied to everyone, because she had lied to herself.

Since she started hiding her true self from everyone around her, ignoring the emotional pain she caused herself, this was her punishment for thinking she could keep going pretending to be someone she wasn't.

Bianca looked at the ring in her hand, the gift her mother had given her before she passed away, and despite the time that had passed, she had still kept it, due to the promise she made as a child.

If her mother saw her now, what would she say? "You did what you could, rest now, my daughter." Those words may have been made up, but they felt perfect for her.

Bianca was no hero, nor could she perform miracles like magic. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, showing her inability to create an ideal world.

Tears kept falling uncontrollably from her eyes onto the ground and her hands, staining the ring with her sorrow.

She closed her eyes, accepting defeat.

Until...

— What is this feeling? — Bianca asked, not feeling cold anymore. Instead, it was being replaced by a pleasant warmth throughout her body, comforting her heart.

Confused, Bianca opened her eyes and saw a beautiful yellow light emanating from her ring, just like the crystal it was made of. The light quickly surrounded her body.

— What's happening? — she asked, shocked by the sudden change, watching how her wounds closed, the fatigue in her arms and legs disappeared, and her head no longer spun. She felt like new. It was as if she had never been hit.

— But how? — Bianca asked herself, stunned.

This was impossible. This was unreal. It was a miracle.

As she looked at where all this power was coming from, Bianca stared at her ring again, surprised, not understanding how this was possible. Then, she remembered the words her mother had said when she gave it to her.

Flashback:

— This ring is something special to me, and I've always kept it with my life. If you take care of it, it will protect you on your journey to your ideal world, — her mother had said, removing the ring.

Bianca was amazed. Her mother hadn't lied about it protecting her. Even though the tears still fell, they were no longer from sadness. Now, her feelings were different.

The yellow glow surrounding her felt reassuring, and her energy grew. She was experiencing something that seemed like magic.

Magic?

Bianca remembered the conversation she had with the mysterious boy wearing that strange hat.

Flashback:

— ...Wouldn't you like to believe in a world where wizards can do miracles? — the boy had said.

Wizards? Miracles?

That boy had believed magic was real, and that it could accomplish anything.

Apparently, his ideas were right.

Magic was real.

When Bianca used to read those magical and fantastical stories, she always wanted to see a world where people could do the great feats of her favorite tales.

After all this time, those stories... weren't just stories.

A smile of happiness appeared on Bianca's lips. Her heart beat with excitement. In this moment, she felt capable of anything.

She was able to stand up. She was able to keep fighting. She was able to protect Alice once more.

This time, she wouldn't be afraid.

This time...

She would win.

NEXT CHAPTER: THE TRUTH