Alma, a young magic
user, is dying from a terminal illness. In desperation she turns to black magic
and confers with the demon, Jael, who instructs her to bring to him the heart
of a person who can produce a heart song. He wants to eat the heart, and in
return he will use the song’s magic to save her. He bestows to her a dagger to
use to remove the heart. This will also allow her to hear the song, which is
produced by people who are experiencing true peace, extreme luck, or love.
She goes out in
search of it, stumbling upon an engaged couple who are producing the song, but
she’s scared and can’t commit to the kill. The Heart Man sees everything and
takes pity on her thinking she’s a sick orphan down on her luck. He takes away
her dagger, and brings her home with him. There he puts her to work, feeds her,
and gives her a place to stay. During her stay, she finds out that the couple
has suddenly broken up, and Alma has to search for another heart song.
She uses the Heart
Man to help her look around in places she thinks she may find one (he keeps the
dagger on his person during the day and hides it by night) but to no avail. He
doesn’t seem to hear anything as far as she can tell. During their time
together, they form a familial sort of affection for one another. This is
fulfilling for Alma, but doesn’t solve her immediate issue. She decides to
steal back the dagger and leave.
One night while
searching the Heart Man’s room, she finds it, and hears the heart song of the
Heart Man. Because of their time together and his kindness, she’s unwilling to
take his heart. She runs home, with the heart man secretly following behind
her. In her home she confers with Jael again to ask for help. In the middle of
their exchange, the Heart Man enters the premise and Jael hears his heart. He
urges her to take it, but because of her fondness of him, she refuses. In that
moment, Jael puts her into a deep sleep and negotiates with the Heart Man
sensing an opportunity. The Heart Man agrees to relinquish his heart in
exchange for Alma’s life.
When Alma wakes
up, all the candles are out and the room is silent. Her illness is gone and she
is visibly healthier. When she starts to get up, she finds the body of the
heart man slumped against the wall. She picks up the dagger, realizing what
happened. The dagger enables her to hear her own heart song, which is the same
as the Heart Man’s before he died.
