Hellbound Heart

"Please answer me. I... I need to know the truth. Is it true that you… stole this heart that is meant for someone else and gave it to me so I could live?" Elle asked.

But before Zeke could respond to Elle's question, a figure materialized from the depths of the cavern: Zeres. 

As soon as Zeres and Ezekiel's eyes locked, an electric tension seemed to fill the air. Elle, picking up on this charged dynamic, shot glances between the two.

Ezekiel's face betrayed no emotion, as usual, even in the face of Zeres' piercing gaze. But still, the cavern's natural stillness seemed to amplify the weight of two male's silent standoff.

After what felt like an eternity, the fierce glint in Zeres' eyes dimmed. He broke the gaze, retreating to lean against the cavern's cool, shadowed walls in silence.

Silently, Elle let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

As Elle's gaze settled on Ezekiel once more, the heavy silence was abruptly shattered. "The heart that pulses within you, Izabelle, is undoubtedly yours," Ezekiel proclaimed.

Elle's heartbeat echoed loudly in her ears, making her momentarily deaf to the world around. "Mine? How can you be certain it's mine?"

"Prophecy," Zeke replied simply. "A prophetess from long ago, long before you were even born, had told me that a red-haired girl with sapphire blue eyes will be the next owner of the last werewolf's heart."

For a few moments, Elle didn't know how to react. Until Zeres' words that day in the forest, echoed in her mind. 

"Where did… you get the heart?" she asked in a low, hesitant voice.

"After Alyssa's death, I recovered that heart from a witch who dared to dig up her grave and steal the girl's heart. To ensure that no one would violate Alyssa's resting place again, I kept the heart in the castle. The witch who tried to steal the heart had already placed the heart in a jar infused with magic," he explained, as if he already knew that Elle would want to know the details of how it was possible for anyone to keep a heart that had been removed from a body. "Though I believe the heart would not rot even without the dark magic, I didn't do anything to it and simply left it inside the jar for a long time. However, it was later stolen from the castle while I was away. Countless years passed, and I stumbled upon it precisely when you were in dire need of a heart to survive. It was in Calliste's laboratory. The old witch had been meddling with the heart, attempting to possess the heart for herself, to become immortal. But her experiments were obviously in vain as the heart wouldn't simply sync with just anyone. However, just as I suspected, the heart didn't reject you."

Zeke's gaze softened; a hint of nostalgia momentarily danced in his eyes. "I remember the first time I saw you, a little girl with red hair and striking blue eyes. The prophetess' prediction immediately echoed in my mind when I saw you, but I cast it aside initially. After all, there were other children with similar features. But when mere weeks after our meeting you were in desperate need of a heart transplant, the pieces started to fall into place. Though I found potential donors for you, your body rejected each human heart. That's when it became clear: you were the girl from the prophecy. And as time revealed, I was right."

A silence settled for a while before Ezekiel continued with absolute finality in his tone. "So don't overthink about this anymore, Izabelle. This heart was always meant to be yours; there's no further reasoning or complicated explanations needed. Because if this heart wasn't meant for you, you wouldn't even be standing here today."

Elle bit the inside of her lip. A realization dawned on her... he was right. The issues concerning this heart shouldn't matter anymore. This heart was inside her, beating within her... it belonged to her now, and that was all there was to it.

Meeting his gaze, she nodded slowly, a hint of a smile on her lips. "Thank you for answering me," she expressed, her eyes shining with sincere appreciation. The assurance that Ezekiel hadn't wrongfully taken the heart from someone was more than enough for her. She had unwavering faith in him; even if he had offered only a brief explanation or none at all, her trust in him would remain steadfast.

Ezekiel's large hand, gently settled on her head in a comforting gesture, before he then shifted his focus to Zeres and walked towards him. 

The two men stood face to face in silence. But then, Zeres was the first to give in and looked away.

"Iryz will be fine from now on, Zeres." Zeke broke the silence between them. "Izabelle may not be able to do it instantly but believe in her. Don't forget that she's someone who only find out about her abilities just days ago. I'm sure you know how extraordinary she is already." 

"I know…" Zeres replied, looking down for a moment. When he looked up, there was a raw honesty in his eyes. "I'm well aware now," he murmured, his voice soft, "of how special she is."

Zeke lifted his hand and patted Zeres shoulder. Then without a word, Zeke turned around to leave when Zeres' voice echoed in the silence. "I'm sorry, Kiel." 

Zeke paused, his back still to Zeres. But without uttering a word, Zeke simply raised his hand in silent acknowledgment of Zeres's apology, and then, like a shadow merging with the surrounding darkness, he vanished.

For a while, Zeres just stood there silently. There was now a subtle slump to his shoulders, a weight borne of deep emotions. 

When he turned his gaze to Elle, his eyes revealed a rare vulnerability. "I'm sorry for everything, Princess Izabelle," he whispered, his voice carrying layers of raw remorse and apology.

Seeing the emotions in his eyes, an understanding and compassionate smile was Elle's respond. "I knew you are not a bad person, Zeres. Now, shall we go back to Iryz?" 

Zeres simply nodded, his eyes reflecting gratitude and relief.