The first thing Kaori felt was warmth in her palm.
The second was the slow, steady pulse within it.
A heartbeat.
Not hers.
Her eyes fluttered open to a ceiling she had come to recognize over the last several weeks—the ornate, curling stonework of Heiligh Palace. Afternoon light filtered softly through pale curtains. The sheets rustled as she shifted; her body felt heavy, as though she had been submerged underwater for days.
"Kaori!"
The voice that reached her was tight—frayed at the edges with relief and exhaustion.
Kaori turned her head. Shizuku sat at her bedside, dark hair slightly mussed, eyes shadowed and red at the corners. She looked like she hadn't slept properly in days.
"Shizuku-chan…?"
"Yes, it's me." Shizuku leaned close, worry etched into every line of her face. "How do you feel? Anything hurt?"
Kaori flexed her fingers. Her chest ached faintly—not from injury, but from memory.
"I'm… okay. Just… heavy. Did I sleep long?"
"Five days," Shizuku replied quietly.
Kaori blinked.
Five days?
But she remembered—the bridge. The Behemoth. Kouki's shout. Stone cracking. The spray of rubble. And that moment—Hajime's body becoming smaller and smaller disappearing into the abyss.
Hajime-kun—
Her breath hitched sharply.
The warmth in her hand pulsed again, firmer.
She looked down.
Her right hand was clenched around the pendant Hajime had given her in the capital. The crystal at its center glowed faintly, colors swirling inside it like a miniature aurora.
And inside that glow—she felt it.
A heartbeat.
Steady. Alive.
Not an illusion. Not a hope.
A pulse—linked to the one she had felt once before when he'd held her hand beneath the moonlight.
He's alive.
Her throat tightened, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.
"Shizuku-chan… the labyrinth… Hajime-kun… what happened to him?"
Shizuku's expression twisted—pain, guilt, helplessness all simmering beneath the surface.
"Well…"
Kaori's pulse spiked.
No. No. No. If he were dead, the pendant would be cold. Silent. That was the rule he'd explained. The failsafe he'd built.
She pushed herself upright, ignoring how the world tilted.
"Tell me he's in the castle. He's training, right? At the parade grounds? He just hasn't come to see me yet, right? I'll go find him and thank him for saving all of us—"
"Kaori."
Shizuku caught her shoulders, firm but trembling.
Her eyes glistened.
"Kaori… he fell. We couldn't reach him."
"Stop it."
Shizuku didn't release her.
"It happened the way you remember," she continued softly. "The bridge collapsed. He held the Behemoth back. And then he… fell."
"Stop!" Kaori shook her head so violently her hair whipped around her shoulders. "That's wrong. You're wrong!"
"Kaori—"
"He's not dead!" she screamed, voice cracking. "I know he's not! I won't believe it—I won't forgive anyone who says it… not even you!"
Her vision blurred as tears finally spilled over. She tried to break free, Shizuku pulled her into a tight embrace, one hand guiding her head to her shoulder.
Kaori's fists pounded weakly against Shizuku. "Let me go! I have to find him! Please—Shizuku-chan—he's still alive somewhere, I can feel it—!"
The pendant thumped steadily against her palm.
Alive.
She clutched Shizuku desperately, sobs ripping through her chest. Shizuku held her, silent, her own shoulders trembling. She absorbed Kaori's grief, carried the weight of it with her, refusing to let her fall apart alone.
Hours passed. Light shifted from white to gold to orange.
Eventually, Kaori's sobs faded into raw sniffles. Her breathing steadied.
"…Shizuku-chan."
"I'm here."
"Back then… it looked like Nagumo-kun got hit by one of our spells." Kaori's voice trembled. "I remember an earth de-structure spell. Do we know who cast it?"
Shizuku hesitated, then exhaled.
"No. No one is admitting anything. Everyone claims perfect control. They say it was just rubble… or his own misstep."
"Because if someone cast it…" Kaori whispered.
"They'd have to live knowing they killed someone," Shizuku finished.
Silence stretched between them.
Kaori clenched her jaw. "If I found out who it was… I think I'd hate them. Maybe forever."
Shizuku didn't speak—didn't need to.
Kaori looked down at the pendant. Its glow flickered gently, warm against her skin.
"But… maybe it's better I don't know. Because if I had a name…" She swallowed. "I don't know what I'd do."
Her honesty was soft—fragile, but real.
She lifted her gaze, red-rimmed but steady.
"Shizuku-chan… I don't believe he's dead."
"Kaori…"
"I know how deep the fall looked. I know it seems impossible. But there's no proof. No body. No broken artifact. Nothing."
"Kaori—"
"And this." She held up the pendant.
"The pendent hajime gave you the night before we entered the labyrinth? Is there something special about it?" Shizuku asked.
"Yes." Kaori affirmed.
Its glow pulsed—a heartbeat echoing her words. "This hasn't gone dark. It's still vibrating with the same frequency as his heart beat. It's like i have his heart here with me."
Shizuku stared, truly stared this time.
With her own trained senses, she felt it—a distant but unmistakable echo. While she couldn't fell soul-deep tether she still felt something and she believes kaori.
"Kaori… you never told anyone about this?"
She shook her head. "Only you. He linked it with his frequencies which he explained is like his heart beat. Quantum-linked, he called it. If his heart stops, this stops. Right now… it's still pulsing strongly."
Shizuku exhaled slowly.
"…So while everyone's thinking he is dead… he is still alive down there, but to them he very well maybe considered dead"
"To them, yes." Kaori closed her fingers around the glowing stone. "But to me, he's alive. Somewhere down there all alone in a place no man has reached. And I'm going to get strong enough to reach him."
Her voice was steel.
"I'll train. Study. Learn every healing spell, every support spell… even combat if I have to. I'll go into that hell myself. I'll find him. Alive."
She took Shizuku's hands.
"Will you help me?"
Shizuku saw it—the same unwavering resolve that had once dragged Kouki and Ryutarou away from disaster multiple times back in Japan. But this was sharper. More desperate. More determined.
There was only one answer.
"Of course." Shizuku squeezed her hands. "Until you find an answer you can accept… I'll stand with you."
"Shizuku-chan…"
This time, their hug was quiet. Steady. Filled with purpose.
The door slammed open.
"Kaori! You're awake!?"
"Kaori, we—oh crap—"
Kouki and Ryutarou froze.
What they saw was Kaori sitting on Shizuku's lap, eyes Glistening, hands cupping her face, Shizuku's arms wrapped around her waist.
It… did not look friendly.
Liliana peeked in from behind them. A court mage of her age hovered behind her.
Liliana's eyes widened. Her ears pinkened.
"…We should go," she whispered.
"Yes—we should definitely go," the mage squeaked.
Kouki and Ryutarou turned various shades of red, muttered something that might have been an apology, and retreated at record speed.
"GET BACK HERE, IDIOTS!" Shizuku yelled, face burning.
Kaori blushed crimson.
Liliana, after things calmed, stepped inside again.
"May I… come in?"
"Of course, Princess," Shizuku said, standing.
"Just Liliana is fine," she said gently. "We're all… in this together." {Heh~}
She approached Kaori and took her free hand. Her grip was warm and steady.
"I'm so sorry for everything," Liliana said softly. "The king… the church… everyone knows Nagumo-san saved us. If not for him, the Behemoth would have broken through."
Her voice faltered.
She had heard the palace whispers. The nobles who sighed in relief.
Better the dead weight.
At least it wasn't one of the heroes.
If someone had to die… let it be a commoner.
Liliana's jaw tightened, how dare they. She forced herself to calm down and continue.
"Some speak ill of him," she admitted. "Others are simply relieved. But many… many regret losing him. The magicians who read his reports. The craftsmen who heard his ideas. Captain Meld. Even my father." And especially me.
Her gaze drifted to the pendant in Kaori's hand, recognition donned on her as wonder flickered in her eyes.
"His work with magic stones was revolutionary," she murmured. "Safer, cheaper casting… fewer accidents. If he'd lived, he might have changed everything that's what they are saying."
Kaori's eyes softened.
"Thank you… Liliana-san."
Liliana smiled gently—then her eyes landed back on the pendant.
"Oh my… was this given to you by him?"
Kaori followed her gaze and nodded. "Yes… the night before we entered the labyrinth."
Liliana's expression brightened with a genuine Happy smile. "It's even prettier than the one he gave me."
Kaori froze.
Shizuku's eyebrow twitched.
Liliana continued blissfully unaware.
"He called mine the 'princess prototype necklace.' I thought it was beautiful, so I accepted it. When I explained that in many countries presenting a necklace is practically a proposal, his flustered reaction was adorable—he stammered so much I thought he'd faint. Ah, you must come see it later. He put so much effort into the design—"
"Princess," Shizuku cut in swiftly, "I think that's enough for today. We can… continue that conversation privately."
Liliana blinked. "My, is it that late already? My apologies. Rest well, both of you."
She bowed gracefully and left.
The moment she rounded the corner, a mischievous smile curled her lips.
Of course, she knew exactly what she was doing back there.
"Is this all right princess? You were flaunting the gift made by her lover?" The mage asked.
"It's alright lucy, it will stop her moping if she has some other things in her mind, and he is not her lover yet. As far as I have observed it is still one sided on her part, hajime is either ignoring her or is not even aware of her feeling yet."
"So did you confirm what you came here for?" Lucy asked.
"Yes i did, and as we suspected he is still alive down there, though the light from my pendant almost vanished leaving only a flicker behind. That scared the life out of me when the radiance suddenly disappeared"
"the one she has on the other hand was shining ever so brightly like it was directly connected to something greater than his mana like mine was."
"It's like the one she has is directly connected to his soul" liliana replied.
Even though she teased Hajime about him "proposing," she still wore the necklace every day, hidden beneath her dress. She had already checked—its mana pathways were intact. Not linked to him the way Kaori's was… but close.
"Well at the very least the princess won't be crying alone in her room anymore now that it's confirmed that her beloved is still alive" lucy Said with mock relief.
Liliana bristled "I wasn't crying...alone."
"Of course the princess had two of her bestfriends come comfort her, i am sure you would have dragged ciel here along side me if she didn't already ditch you in name of sword trainning, fufu~" Lucy tuned happily.
Liliana flushed as she glanced below her neck at the palace where her necklace was hidden.
Hmph. When he comes back, I'll make sure he finishes the link properly. No way I'm letting Kaori and Shizuku claim all the advantage.
Meanwhile, Kouki and Ryutarou huddled in the hallway, trying—and failing—to process what they'd seen. Eventually they shrugged and moved on.
Kouki returned to the present, forcing a strained smile.
"Kaori… I'm sorry. If I'd been stronger—if I hadn't hesitated—Nagumo wouldn't have had to…"
His hands shook.
"I'm going to train harder. I swear I won't freeze again."
Ryutarou nodded. "Yeah! Next time something like that shows up—we'll crush it."
Kaori listened in silence, her mind was still replaying Liliana's earlier words… but she steadied herself.
"Get stronger," she told them gently. "For yourselves. For everyone here."
She didn't say for Hajime.
That vow was hers.
Later—after the room emptied and night wrapped around the palace—Shizuku leaned back in her chair.
"Are you sure you want to hide the pendant's truth from them?" she asked softly.
"For now," Kaori whispered. "If I tell them he might be alive, they'll call me delusional… or send a team to 'confirm.' And I don't trust the church not to twist that into something awful."
Shizuku nodded.
"So… it's ours."
"Ours," Kaori agreed, brushing her thumb over the glowing stone.
"Proof that he's still fighting."
"But I'm afraid, afraid of the light going out, the pulse stoping before I reach it" muttered kaori.
"Don't worry, hajime is not the kind of person to give up and he is quiet special so i don't doubt of his survival" Shizuku comforted her. Though kaori thought her tone was strange she ignored it for now.
The two of them slept together that night, as kaori tightly clutched her pendent.
She closed her eyes and let the warmth seep into her chest.
"His heart's still beating… so I'll keep moving too."
Far below the palace—in the cold, humming depths of the Orcus Labyrinth—another heartbeat pulsed in perfect sync.
Bright.
Steady.
Alive.
The world above believed its anomaly purged.
But in the vows of a princess's pendant and healers promise—in the stubborn, unyielding hopes of those he had touched—
the echo of Hajime Nagumo refused to fade.
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Author: "ChatGPT, tell readers to send me stones."
Reader: "Sorry, AI-generated requests are invalid 💀."
Author: gets replaced by GPT-Author 2.0 🤖
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