Then he gestures to me. “Whenever you’re ready. We shouldn’t linger here too long. I’m not supposed to let you in here, and . . .”

He doesn’t finish the thought.

“Of course,” I say, and then, wasting no more time, I also lay a hand on her.

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

I wait, knowing it always takes a few seconds.

“It’s Lor. The Heart Queen.”

They all seem to know who I am.

That’s when I’m sucked into that same shapeless void. Only this time, I’m surrounded by rippling blue waves. There’s no up or down, just an endless stretch of nothing.

Heart Queen. Welcome.

My chest loosens. None of this has been a fluke. This is my purpose. These Artefacts talk to me.

You have finally come.

“Were you expecting me?”

There’s a long pause before Coral answers.

Yes.

“Why?”

You must fulfill your destiny, Heart Queen.

Those words send a shiver creeping over my scalp. “What destiny?”

To save the Queendom of Heart.

Pressure wells in the center of my chest. Part of me understood this would be asked of me, but to hear it confirmed feels like another stack of bricks cemented to my shoulders.

“I’m supposed to save it?”

Surely you understand that by now. Why else do you think we’ve been helping you?

“ ‘We’? As in the other Artefacts?”

Yes.

“Why?”

It could have all been so much worse.

I blink. “What could have?”

Coral pauses for several seconds, almost as if she’s gathering herself.

It has always been a condition of Imperial magic that should a ruler attempt to seize power for themselves, they would lose it all.

I wait for her to continue, understanding she’s about to open another door that can never be closed.

But that is our condition. One we decided at the beginning to prevent endless years of bloodshed. That threat was enough to keep hundreds of rulers in line, save a few over the millennia, but we handled those with little trouble.

I pause, sure I’m about to hear more about my grandmother.

When an unascended Primary attempts to seize power, the magic does react, becoming erratic and wild and difficult to control. As I said, we were able to smooth over previous incidents, but not on the day Serce tried to steal the crown. With her, there was too much power to contain.

It takes a moment for me to understand what she’s saying. Out of precaution, they never shared the entire truth.

“Does this have to do with everyone losing their magic?” I ask.