Page 41 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts (Hospital for Immortal Creatures #3)

Mikhail

A part of him, untouched by reason or memory, recognised her scent – a hint of citrus, mixed with something reminiscent of the former Oracle, yet softer and fresher.

Bathed in the flickering light of candles scattered across the floor, Amelia sat on a worn-out sofa and didn’t spare him a glance as he descended the stairs.

He remained wary of her. After all, he’d entrusted her with his ring, and the Oracle’s letter offered no clarity on whether it had been to protect her or because he’d been deceived.

His inner beast stirred to alertness at the sight of Callan by the window.

Mikhail could recognise a wild animal on sight – he was one, after all.

He bristled for no apparent reason, and his muscles tensed.

While he was willing to ally with this man, he didn’t trust him more than he would a rabid fox.

Alex was trying to catch Callan’s interest, chatting, “Imagine an entire city made of fairy tales, wonders, and treats…”

“You mean this human city contains witchcraft?” Callan asked.

“No, no.” Alex giggled. “I say ‘wonders’ not because there’s actual magic, but because it’s so beautiful, it seems like it was made with magic, even though it’s purely human ingenuity. They call it Disneyland, and—”

Mikhail’s eyes sought the one person he trusted in the room.

Viktor had been pensive since they had moved into the cabin.

Not unlike Mikhail, Viktor had found his purpose in the Hospital, especially given how close he was to a state akin to Vaka Hara.

But Viktor had the twins – the creatures he’d raised as his own.

For their sake, he would remain steadfast, resisting the abyss of his inner torment.

And Mikhail… he had only the Hospital. Or rather, he’d once had it.

He sank into an unclaimed armchair, interrupting Callan and Alex’s conversation. “So, you’re saying the Queen is a ‘humanid’. Let’s start with who you are.”

Callan stood by the window, his smile widening. “I’m a failed scientist of antiquity who learned the hard way that vengeance is far more accessible than love.”

Alex gasped. Mikhail frowned. He had no patience for flowery words. Yet, given he’d read this man’s journal, he could hardly be surprised. Mikhail’s gaze briefly flicked to Amelia, who rested her chin on one hand on the sofa’s armrest, refusing to look at either man.

Callan moved towards the centre of the room.

“I was born five thousand years ago on Earth, just like all other terrestrial inhabitants – born of a mother’s womb.

My mother and father were mortal humans.

Originally, two species populated Earth: witches and humans.

In truth, it was a single race – some beings possessed magic, while others did not.

Those without magic were called ‘humans’ and, over the years, they came to be seen as a separate species.

But that does not mean human blood today is free of witchcraft.

It has simply been suppressed for millennia, and it would take at least three times as long for it to reactivate – if it ever does. ”

“The difference between humans and witches isn’t just magic,” Viktor interjected. “Witches are immortal; humans are not.”

“Among Earth’s earliest inhabitants, that wasn’t the case.

Life was indefinitely long, but over time, something changed, altering the genes linked to longevity in humans.

I don’t know whether it was natural selection or something else, but those who did not actively use magic lost other physical traits as well.

Meanwhile, reproduction became much more frequent. ”

“If that’s true, it means magic exists in all of us – even if it’s dormant!” Alex exclaimed.

“Of course it does,” Callan said. “Otherwise, magic wouldn’t exist on Earth at all. Each of us is like a transmitter, aiding in its spread, whether we realise it or not.”

Mikhail sank into his chair. Another thing he loathed – magic. It was unpredictable, incomprehensible, and perilous in the wrong hands. The former Oracle had claimed in her letters that Amelia had witch blood.

Mikhail interjected, “I didn’t quite catch – does the story of the origins of the species hold true? The one where you, Sandir, and Ana are the firstborn?”

Callan nodded. “I don’t know where the story originated, but yes and no.

Some elements are true. I’m the firstborn of manticores and lycanthropes.

But by the time I was born, Earth was already home to necromancers, vampires, and nymphs, as well as witches and humans.

I wandered Earth for a long time until I began encountering other creatures like me.

Only when I met Ana did I realise I was a firstborn. ”

“You didn’t suspect it before?” Mikhail asked.

“I was stronger than most beings, but it was Ana who explained why. She found me when I had lost all will to live. I despised war, which was one reason I refrained from joining the frequent interspecies conflicts. I had other passions in life – I loved exploring its beauty, love, and creativity.”

Viktor nodded in approval. “Your journal mentions you attempted to immortalise humans?”

“What you refer to as my journal is a fragmented translation from an ancient language, but yes, despair over loss drove me to those ill-fated experiments with innocent lives. I would fall in love with the beauty of mortal women, who aged before my eyes, and I longed to grant them eternal youth.”

“How romantic!” Alex sighed dreamily.

“Alas, I’ve always lost those I loved,” Callan continued. “Ana’s arrival was my salvation. She was a masterpiece – not merely beautiful, but divine, speaking the words I most needed to hear. ”

Callan’s focus shifted to Amelia. “When you’re isolated and bewildered, anyone casting a beam of light on your confusion becomes your idol. Ana said she was like me. She wasn’t alone, either. Another man, Sandir, accompanied her.”

Mikhail rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me he’s alive, too.”

A shadow passed over Callan’s face. “I assure you, he’s not, but I’ll get to that in a second.

Ana claimed that we all shared a divine father, despite having different mothers.

She said our father – my true father, not the one who’d raised me – had visited her and revealed the truth to her.

Finally, I was getting an explanation for why I always felt unique.

And I had found family and friends to share my days with.

Together, we wandered the world, revelling in everything this Earth had to offer. ”

“Every immortal seems to pass through that stage sooner or later,” Viktor remarked, reminding Mikhail of their years of indulgence as they plunged headlong into life’s temptations.

Callan nodded. “One day, Ana said our father had appeared to her in a dream and warned that in the coming centuries, Earth would face a foreign threat. To save the world, we needed to gather seven artefacts he had scattered on Earth – Sacreds, he called them. So, we went after them. Ana always had leads – whether from an old book, a stray comment, or pure intuition. We overturned mountains, dived into the deepest oceans, desecrated ancient tombs, and burned in volcanoes to find some of these items. The moment I laid my eyes on the ring, I felt a connection. Later, I came to understand that the artefact wasn’t just linked to the manticore species – it had accepted me as its first true bearer. ”

“What happened next?” Viktor asked.

“We discovered the mirror in Hecate’s tomb, which is why we called it Hecate’s Mirror.

Ana formed an immediate bond with it. One by one, we found the pocket watch, the net, and the smoky quartz, which would hum with energy whenever Sandir approached.

By then, we were so enchanted by their power that we had all but forgotten the supposed threat to our world.

Our sole focus became finding the remaining two items: Renenutet’s Necklace and the Gloves. ”

“The same two items that are missing now,” Amelia said.

“We did identify the necklace’s location,” Callan continued, “but someone else had already found it. Her name was Galia, the most powerful witch at that time. The necklace recognised her as its true owner and could not be taken from her by force. So, Ana devised a plan: I was to grow close to the witch and persuade her to give me the necklace. It was a risky gamble, but at that point, the options were scarce. I approached her as a client in need of magic. No one foresaw the love that ignited between Galia and me in an instant. She was…” Callan pressed his lips together, his voice softening. “…everything.”

Alex gasped once more, reciting, “‘In my arms, she was a skilful lover…’”

“Yes, that was about her.”

Mikhail turned to check if the new Oracle was as captivated by Callan’s romantic tale as Alex was. To his surprise, Amelia wasn’t looking at Callan but at him.

Had something just passed between him and Amelia, or was he imagining it?

Now that he was aware she bore no guilt, not reciprocating her feelings made him uneasy.

Still, he couldn’t risk fuelling either her illusions or his lingering impulses – remnants of the attraction they once shared. He refocused on Callan’s story.

“I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of stealing the necklace from Galia, but Ana and Sandir were my family, and we were supposedly saving the world.

One night, Galia told me about the humanids – beings like us who lived on another planet but were far more advanced.

They had saved our planet when it was in its greatest peril by creating new species to feed on its energy.

Then she turned to me and whispered gently, ‘Do you know that your sister is a humanid? And that she most certainly is not Ana, the first nymph.’”

Callan fell silent, allowing his listeners time to process his words. Mikhail wasn’t surprised by what he’d revealed, though.

Amelia was the first to react. “So, I’m not the only one who’s fallen for the ‘Ana’ ruse.”

Callan’s lips curved. “Indeed, Amelia. She does play the part quite well.”

“How did Galia perceive that… that woman was a humanid?” Alex’s excitement brightened her expression and raised the pitch of her voice.

“Galia possessed a prophetic gift. It wasn’t as strong as the Oracle’s, but when combined with the necklace, it was powerful enough.

Her revelation about Ana was astonishing.

However, she said something even stranger: ‘Do you have any idea what will happen when all the artefacts are brought together? Death. Black, agonising death,’ she told me.

‘United, they will awaken a curse far worse than any sin upon this Earth.’”

“How did you find out about Antambazi?” Mikhail asked.

“After Galia’s revelation, I didn’t tell Ana I’d learned the truth, for I was afraid she might kill Galia.

I lied, claiming I was done with her plans and tired of chasing artefacts.

She went from heartbroken to furious, but in the end, she left with Sandir.

I stayed with Galia and spent the best years of my life by her side.

That was until I met Arius.” Callan’s gaze swept over the rest. “The first reptilian, and the sole ruler of the unseen realm of Antambazi, where he had spawned a nation.”

Amelia cleared her throat. “How does a single man create an entire race?”

“He reproduced with the human women who lived in that hidden realm.” Callan leaned against the window, the afternoon sun gliding over his profile.

“I didn’t know how Ana – sorry, I still can’t refrain from using the name – learned of Antambazi’s existence, but she somehow convinced Arius to search for the Sacreds with her – for her.

” Callan’s pale lips curled back into a faint sneer.

“Together, they beheaded Sandir and took the net and the quartz from him. Their next targets were us.”

Alex rested her chin on her hand, riveted to the firstborn as if he were a beam of life-giving light.

“Galia received warnings in her dreams. They were cryptic messages urging her to act, though she couldn’t understand their meaning.

Eventually, I helped her decode them – they pointed us to Antambazi.

Galia was adamant that whoever lived there would play a significant role in the plague she feared.

So she gave me her necklace, and protected by its power, I entered the realm and killed Arius. ”

For a brief moment, the atmosphere shifted. Perhaps it was just an illusion, or maybe something more, but Amelia believed she saw dark tendrils forming around Callan’s very body.

“But while I was in Antambazi…” He exhaled heavily.

“Ana went to Galia and killed her. Without the necklace, Galia was no longer protected. She had given it to me, to protect me . When I returned, I found her corpse. I was so enraged that I went back to Antambazi, determined to finish Ana once and for all. She had the mirror, the quartz, and the net, while I carried the ring, the pocket watch, and the necklace. We fought using the Sacreds. Then a light bomb exploded, likely sparing the rest of the world only because we were in the shielded realm of Antambazi. I lost consciousness, and when I woke up, I was in a sarcophagus in the Temple of the Dead Immortals, in a state of hibernation. Until you stole me. I was too weak to do anything, so I wandered the corridors of the Hospital, listening and learning modern speech and customs.”

“What happened to the Sacreds?” Mikhail asked.

“I assume they scattered once more, like a self-preservation mechanism.” Callan shrugged.

“When I awoke, Hecate’s Mirror had been stolen during a tournament.

From the Chosen in the Hospital, I gathered that Sandir’s Net and Quartz remained sealed in Antambazi.

The pocket watch was missing until I located it, and my ring passed between the two of you and Ana.

” His gaze flitted between Mikhail and Amelia.

“As for the two missing Sacreds, I have no idea where they are.”

Amelia straightened up, a crease forming between her eyebrows. “You said Galia spoke of a curse, a black death. Could that curse have been the very release of the reptilians that Ana – I mean, the Queen – is intent on achieving?”

Callan’s eyes gleamed. “The release of the reptilians?”

“She’s been striving for years to gather the Sacreds. If her goal is to remove the veil over Antambazi so reptilians can finally leave that realm and enter Earth, then perhaps—”

Callan laughed, earning scowls from everyone else. “A veil over Antambazi?”

“The reason the reptilians don’t…” Amelia trailed off. “There isn’t a veil over Antambazi, is there?”