The Heart System

Chapter 538: Chapter 538

Jasmine and Tessa had moved closer to Eleanor on the couch. Kim and Minne were standing behind them, leaning in. Jasmine held her phone out, showing something on the screen.

I stepped behind them and glanced down. It was a small pepper spray, shaped like a keychain.

“I’d recommend this one,” Jasmine was saying. “It’s on discount, too.”

Eleanor scrolled through the reviews, her brows slightly knit. “I’ve never used one before. Does it actually work?”

“Oh, it works,” Tessa chimed in, leaning back. “Spray that shit and they’re done. Or you can just kick them in the balls. Even more effective.”

Kim shook her head lightly. “This is safer. Maybe we should get one too.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Makes sense. Reviews good?”

“Four point seven stars,” Jasmine replied without looking away from the screen. “Over five hundred comments.”

“Then buy it,” I said, pulling my card out and handing it to her. “Use mine.”

She took it and added the item to the cart while I moved to the empty armchair and dropped into it. I rubbed my face again, exhaling slowly.

Brok. Jack Kuinn. Both sitting there like problems waiting to explode. At least I had a meeting with Kuinn tomorrow. Brok was a different story entirely.

Jasmine finished entering the details, then flicked the card back toward me. I caught it mid-air and slipped it into my pocket.

“All set?” I asked.

“Yep,” she answered. “Bought five. No shipping cost that way.”

“I hate shipping fees,” Tessa muttered. “Whoever came up with that, I want a word with them.”

“Welcome to capitalism,” Kim said with a small laugh as she walked over and sat down with Minne.

“Yeah, yeah. Still bullshit.”

Eleanor let out a faint laugh, the tension in her shoulders easing just a little. “You guys are… fun.”

“When we’re not eating humans and worshipping Satan, yeah, we are fun.” Tessa shot back. “You should come over sometime.”

Eleanor gave a small shrug. “I thought you wouldn’t like me. I mean… with the whole ’entertainment girl’ thing.”

“Fuck that,” Tessa said flatly. “And also, who names their kid Guy?”

I raised an eyebrow. “My math teacher was named Guy.”

“That’s unfortunate,” she replied instantly. “What’s next, Dude? Broski?”

That got a small smile out of Eleanor. She glanced over at Minne. “I don’t know how you handled him, honestly.”

Minne fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. “I… had to. For my mother.”

“Oh shit.” Tessa suddenly straightened up. “I forgot to feed Mik.”

“She’s not starving,” Kim said. “Relax.”

“No, she’s on a strict diet,” Tessa shot back, already moving. “I’m going.”

“Well, we should head out too,” I said, pushing myself up from the chair. “Don’t want to overstay.”

“Or make sure I don’t do something stupid?” Eleanor asked with a small scoff.

“You said it, not me,” I replied with a faint smile. “But seriously, if anything happens, call me. Anytime.”

“Or me,” Jasmine added. “You’ve got my number.”

Eleanor stood up with us, her expression softer now. “Thank you. All of you. Really.”

“Just being good neighbors,” Tessa said, heading for the door. “Now come on, I need to feed that idiot before she riots.”

We started moving out, the mood lighter than when we arrived, even if the problems waiting outside hadn’t gone anywhere.

⟁ ⟁ ⟁

Where was I?

Something hot pressed against my back, steady and intense, like I was standing too close to a campfire. It wasn’t burning me, but I could feel the heat soaking through my clothes, wrapping around me in a way that made it impossible to ignore. Everything else was pitch black. No walls, no floor, no ceiling. Just darkness and the sound of my own breathing, a little too loud, a little too sharp.

I tried to move, but it felt strange, like my body wasn’t fully mine yet. Was I dreaming? No. It didn’t feel like a dream. Dreams were hazy, disconnected, slipping through your fingers the moment you tried to focus on them. This felt grounded. Heavy. Real.

Slowly, I forced my eyes open.

I was back there.

The same place I had stumbled into before. A large house, or maybe a villa. It had that expensive, quiet kind of feel to it. The kind where every piece of furniture looked a little too perfect, like someone had spent way too much time deciding where everything should go.

Outside, the storm was raging. Rain slammed against the tall windows, and thunder rolled in the distance, low and constant. The flashes of lightning lit the room every few seconds, casting sharp shadows across the walls.

In front of me, a set of couches sat neatly arranged around a low table. Behind me, the source of the heat, the fireplace, crackled softly, flames dancing and throwing my shadow long and crooked against the walls.

“What?” I muttered under my breath, still trying to make sense of it.

“Hello, Henrik.”

The voice came from my right.

I turned and saw her.

Mana.

She stood near one of the windows, leaning casually against the frame, arms crossed. She wore the same short dress as before, barely doing its job, clinging to her figure like it had given up halfway. Her expression was calm, almost bored, like none of this was out of the ordinary.

She pushed herself off the window and walked over to a cabinet filled with bottles. The glass panel reflected the flicker of the fire as she opened it, reached in, and grabbed a bottle of wine. She poured herself a glass, then closed the cabinet and moved to an armchair.

Her movements were smooth, unhurried. She sat down, crossed her legs, and finally looked at me properly, raising the glass to her lips.

“I’m sure you have questions,” she said, taking a small sip. “You can ask.”

I swallowed, my throat dry. “Delilah, Minne, Kim… they’re not pregnant anymore.”

“I already explained that,” she replied without missing a beat.

“Other gods,” I continued, stepping forward slightly. “Do they do that too?”

Before Mana could answer, another voice cut in.

“No.”

I turned toward the doorway.