Deep Down Your Black Heart
In the shattered remains of a divided world, Rivermirror stands as a city of shadows—ruled by chaos, secrets, and ruthless ambition. Among its broken streets and hidden corners, two lives converge: Hound, a mercenary cursed by visions of fractured futures, and Argent, a deadly assassin whose silver-braided hair slices through enemies as easily as her carefully crafted lies. Bound by a soul brand, their uneasy alliance thrusts them into a heist that ignites a chain of betrayal, war, and unimaginable consequences.
When a daring raid on River's military vault unearths a dark attribute symbiote and a mysterious core relay, the balance of power between two fractured nations is forever altered. As commanders plot revenge, and Rivermirror’s elites spin their webs of deceit, Hound and Argent must navigate a labyrinth of loyalty, survival, and ambition.
But trust is a luxury in a city where betrayal is currency, and every choice pushes them closer to a future neither can fully control. With the line between villain and hero blurred, how far will they go to escape their fates? And what price are they willing to pay to survive in a world where hope is as fleeting as shadows?
Dark, gripping, and unapologetically raw, Deep Down Your Black Heart is a dystopian fantasy that delves into the depths of ambition, morality, and the haunting weight of choices.
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Chapter: Chapter 39 - What Would Hound Do?His lifeless body slumped under its own weight as Emily looked on, her expression disturbingly blank. Another corpse—nothing more. She slowly raised her gaze from the fallen soldier to Gazier, who stood hunched forward, struggling for breath.“How much for your gun?” he asked through a pained grin, wincing at the burn of his recent backstab wound. Emily, edging closer, offered a curt reply:“I’m not selling.”She moved until she was almost within arm’s reach, studying Gazier with a blend of concern and malice. He, noticing her tense scrutiny, tried to dispel the uneasy silence:“Let’s see. You tracked me down, handled those soldiers, and showed up just in time. So, let me guess—the big, bad boss is on his way, and I’m screwed?”He tried a dry chuckle, but Emily’s face remained impassive.“Tough crowd,” he added quietly.Her anger slowly melted into grief. She rested her forehead on Gazier’s shoulder, tears flowing silently as her fingers bunched in his shirt, wrinkling it with every t
Last Updated: 2025-02-07
Chapter: Chapter 38 - The Queen's AwakeningNear Gazier’s LocationA distant explosion rocked the street as part of a building facade blew outward, sending Gazier hurtling through the air. His body smashed through the wide glass windows of the adjacent structure, shards raining down around him. He crashed onto the floor inside, momentarily disoriented, only to roll to his feet in one fluid motion. Three armored soldiers appeared in pursuit, gliding seamlessly across the gap using ethereal wingsuits generated by their core-powered suits. The wingsuits shimmered, then faded away upon their landing.They quickly surrounded Gazier, forming a tight perimeter. One soldier—their leader—slung a rifle from his back and pointed it straight at him, the others following suit.“WHERE ARE THEY?” the leader barked.Raising his hands, Gazier attempted a calm smile. “I’m not sure what you’re rambling about. We could talk this out like civilized men, yeah?”The soldiers closed in, making sure he had no avenue of escape. There was a frustrated ed
Last Updated: 2025-01-27
Chapter: Chapter 37 - Harbinger of DeathHound stood atop a small podium outside his residence, facing rows of seers assembled in strict formation. Their eyes bore faint, glowing tear marks that betrayed a shared unease. It was stiflingly quiet; the throng of onlookers included scientists kept under watch and, on the podium beside Hound, Emily and Evee—Sofie clinging to Evee’s side. Although the sun blazed overhead, the sweat on the seers’ faces wasn’t from heat, but from raw anticipation of what Hound might demand.He began pacing, shoulders tight. His gaze skimmed over the crowd, lingering on each wary face. Finally, he spoke in a low, resonant voice:“You are bound to me by oath. You live for me, and you die for me if I will it so.”A murmur rippled through the onlookers, their apprehension flaring at his words. He paused, hands trembling as if he fought to steady them.“Yet you have served me faithfully all this time. As your Baron, I offer you a choice.”Hound glanced to the side, where the scientists stood under guard,
Last Updated: 2025-01-23
Chapter: Chapter 36 - Useless Bible“It feels so eerie. I remember reading about them in Hound’s book,” whispered one of Gazier’s trusted soldiers, standing far enough away that their new companions couldn’t overhear. “What did the book say to do about them?”“They were supposed to die to the moths,” Gazier replied, a wry twist to his lips as he knotted a frayed lace on his dirty boots.“WHAT?” The soldier’s voice nearly echoed in the hushed, abandoned office building they had chosen as a temporary sanctuary. Four floors high and cluttered with ancient desks and toppled chairs, it felt marginally safe so long as they remained quiet. “Then why are they here—alive?”Gazier took a moment before answering, tugging the knot tight. “I’ve decided. Fuck the book!”The soldier’s eyes went wide at those words. “Hound always said it was for the greater good—that all the killing served some higher purpose. And you believed him for a long time.”“I do believe him,” Gazier muttered, voice ragged with frustration. “But the bodies just
Last Updated: 2025-01-22
Chapter: Chapter 35 - Clapping Cheeks Amidst DangerClaps echoed in the distance—slow, steady pulses that weren’t loud enough to draw the wax moths’ attention, yet insistent enough to pique curiosity. The black-armored soldiers moved in formation along the vine-choked walls of a derelict building, rifles raised. At a silent command from their leader, they halted at the structure’s corner, preparing for whatever lay beyond.Just as they readied themselves to rush in, the echo of shotgun shells being loaded made their hearts jolt. Instantly on alert, they realized they were surrounded by a different band of survivors—far less welcoming than the last group. Some perched on rooftops, others crouched in nearby alleys, all hidden behind wax-coated masks and training weapons on the soldiers. A dozen pairs of eyes glinted in the murk. Remarkably, that rhythmic clapping persisted, but no one spared it a glance.Time passed in a tense stalemate before they finally understood the source of the sound. Beneath the stifling hush of the apocalypse, t
Last Updated: 2025-01-21
Chapter: Chapter 34 - The Sin Of GluttonyHound, gripping Binge’s horn with a vice-like hold, twisted the creature’s overgrown head and slammed it into the nearest wall, the impact sending cracks through chipped concrete. Anger radiated from Hound with each motion, his knuckles white against Binge’s twisted horn.“You know,” he began, voice lilting with derision, “I understand why you stood up to me. The Relay Core’s got you all fired up. After all, it’s the reason you’re in this sorry state.” His smile widened, eyes going bright with a twisted excitement as if savoring every pained breath Binge took.“You’ve done me no real wrong. And I’m not even mad at you,” he added, studying Binge’s snarling face from the corner of those bloodshot, vein-riddled eyes. A low, menacing growl rumbled from Binge’s throat, refusing to waver despite the pain.“It’s my nature to harm,” Hound continued, pressing Binge’s head harder into the wall until the grinding of bone on brick was audible. “And, well… being a leader takes that out of my hands
Last Updated: 2025-01-20
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