The Heroine is My Stepsister, and I'm her Final Boss-Chapter 33: Heart

"...what...where...where am I...?" Eli muttered, her voice trembling like a fragile thread stretched too thin.

Darkness cloaked everything—the air, the ground beneath her knees, even her own hands as she reached out blindly. Above her loomed three golden eyes blinking with an ancient rhythm, their glow piercing through the void like stars about to collapse under their own weight.

"...am I dead? Are you Go..God?"

HAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

The earth trembled violently, shaking loose whatever remnants of sanity Eli still clung to. Her breath hitched, panic clawing at her throat like a feral beast.

{....Don't scare her, Mother...} Veil's voice echoed softly, almost apologetic despite its hollow tone.

It would still take a bit more time for the fruit of life and light to bear once more. Jörmungandr opened its abyssal mouth, spitting a tiny burst of fire near them. The serpent had wanted to test what would happen. Though her tears worked, only one human stirred awake, while the other remained lifeless on the ground.

Eli turned sharply, stumbling back in terror as memories crashed over her like a tidal wave. She saw it then, the sudden light from the fire, turning the shadow more visible —the entity that had once been her tormentor, now standing before her in the form of a child. Its single eye glimmered faintly, reflecting both innocence and malice intertwined.

"You...you monster, back away..." she hissed, her voice cracking under the strain of fear and grief. "Atlas! Atlas! Where is Atlas?" Her gaze darted frantically across the darkness, searching for any sign of him.

But he was there—on the ground, motionless. The gaping hole in his chest partially healed but still hauntingly empty where his heart should have been. It would take more time for the fruit's essence to fully bloom within him—if it ever did.

"Atlas!!" Eli cried, finally spotting him lying lifelessly beside her. She scrambled toward him, grabbing his cold hand in hers.

"Atlas! Atlas...wake up. Atlas." Her pleas grew desperate, each word tearing itself from her soul like shards of broken glass. But he wouldn't budge. No response. No flicker of life behind those closed eyelids.

Her trembling fingers traced the edges of the wound on his chest, lingering over the emptiness inside him. Tears welled up uncontrollably, blurring her vision until all she could see was red-hot guilt swimming in front of her eyes.

"Dummy...I told you...not to die," she whispered, choking on sobs. "...why? Why?..... It should have been me."

She whirled around, glaring daggers at Veil. "You—you did this!" she accused, raising a fist as if striking out might somehow undo what had already been done. But her hand passed right through the entity without resistance; only light could harm Veil now, nothing else.

{....It didn't work on him?} Veil questioned aloud, its voice tinged with confusion as it gazed back at Jörmungandr's glowing eyes suspended high above them.

{Maybe we can use the fruit once more...?}

{{{Child...the Yggdrasil already noticed. The fruit will bloom here no more. And this human has used most of his life force... No amount of life fruit will be able to revive him.}}}

Eli collapsed onto her knees beside Atlas, clutching his limp body against hers as though sheer willpower alone could bring him back. Her mind unraveled into tatters, replaying every moment they'd shared—the laughter, the arguments, the sacrifices. He had always protected her, shielded her weakness when it threatened to drag them both down. And now, because of her, he was gone.

"I'm so sorry... I'm so so sorry, Atlas," she choked out between sobs, trying futilely to wipe away tears that refused to stop falling. "Sorry for being so useless. Sorry for always making you worry. Sorry for not listening to you. Sorry for being such a weakling..."

Her eyes fell upon the ring adorning her finger—the same one he'd placed there before, perhaps during her final moments. A bitter laugh escaped her lips, laced with self-loathing. She wasn't worthy of wearing it. Not anymore. Not ever.

She tried to take off the ring. But it clung to her finger like a parasite fused with flesh and bone. Its form had shifted—no longer metallic but grotesque, pulsating with veins that writhed beneath blistered skin. Eli leaned closer, her trembling breath fogging against its surface as she squinted through tear-streaked eyes.

"......?"

Ĵormungandr was already turning away, her colossal body shifting toward the horizon where shadows swallowed even light itself. The serpent paused mid-motion, her third eye flickering with unease as malice prickled at the edges of her senses. She turned back, gazing down at Eli and the unnatural ring now embedded in her hand.

HUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHH

{mother?...REALLY? He has a chance?} Veil's voice cracked with disbelief, laced with something akin to regret—or perhaps guilt. It paced excitedly, its humanoid child-form jittery with anticipation.

{Human...oh Human.}

Eli snapped her head up, red-rimmed eyes hollow and deadened by grief. "...What?" Her tone dripped venom, each word choking out from between clenched teeth. "You want to kill me too?"

{.....My mother says she can revive him. But there will be a cost.}

Eli froze. For a moment, time stopped—the world collapsing into silence save for the faint throb of the ring beating like a second heart against her palm. Then, without hesitation, she lunged forward, falling to her knees before the glowing triad of eyes suspended above them.

"PLEASE! PLEASE!" she screamed, her voice shredding itself raw. Clawing at the ground, she bowed low enough for strands of hair to brush dirt. "Please.... I beg you. Please. My life is in your hands. Anything you say, I'll do. Just make him alive..."

Her pride shattered like glass underfoot, splintering into pieces sharp enough to cut heaven itself. Never in her life had she bowed—not to kings, not to gods—but here she was, groveling before an abyssal titan just to bring back the man who'd died saving her.

HUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

Ĵormungandr roared once more, the sound rumbling through the realm like thunder rolling over graves. The force of it shook Eli to her core, yet she remained prostrate, clutching the earth as though afraid it might swallow her whole if she let go.

{....just do as I say. My mother will help.}

Eli didn't question why this creature—who moments ago sought their destruction—now offered salvation. She didn't care. If Satan himself descended bearing Atlas's soul on his pitchfork, she would kneel before him without hesitation. Whatever price demanded, whatever sacrifice required, she would pay.

She nodded sharply, scrambling to Atlas's side. His body lay still, the gaping hole in his chest mocking her despair. Veil moved quickly, retrieving the spear Eli had wielded earlier. With deliberate precision, it snapped the weapon's tip free and handed her the shard.

{....the ring. It's not just a ring. It's a demon king's heart, my mother says. With her tears and the fruit of life, it revived as well....}

Eli stared blankly at the hollow cavity in Atlas's chest, then down at her own hand. The ring pulsed erratically, its rhythm growing stronger, faster—hungry.

HUUUUUUAAAAA!!!!

{....Okay. She says hurry. We lack time.}

Eli closed her eyes, gripping the blade tightly. Without hesitation, she dragged it across her arm, severing flesh and bone alike. Blood erupted, painting the darkness crimson as agony seared through every nerve ending. Yet she endured, biting back screams until they dissolved into whimpers.

Veil snatched the severed limb before the ring could lose its vitality, pressing it firmly into the void within Atlas's chest.

Ĵormungandr loomed closer, her maw parting slightly as razor-sharp teeth grazed her scaled lips. For the first time in eons, the serpent drew blood—from herself. A single droplet fell, landing squarely atop Atlas's ravaged torso.

The demon heart stirred, ravenous. Like a predator awakened from slumber, it devoured the serpent's blood greedily, dragging Eli's sacrificed arm deeper into Atlas's body. Flesh knitted itself together, reforming around the pulsing organ now lodged firmly within his chest.

The ring expanded, transforming into a monstrous, jagged heart unlike any mortal or demon's—an organ forged from chaos and power, thrumming with primal energy. It attached itself fully, healing the wounds it inflicted while fusing itself to Atlas's essence.

Silence reigned. Thick, suffocating silence broken only by the rhythmic beat of the newly-formed heart echoing through the void.

Duk Duke!

Duk duk!

In the dim glow of Jörmungandr's lingering fire, Eli knelt beside Atlas, her trembling hand hovering inches above his chest. Each beat resonated like hope clawing its way out of despair.

".....please. Please..." she whispered, her voice little more than a thread unraveling in the wind.

***

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