Welcome to the final chapter of The Tale of the Lost Heart. This story puts us into a world of covert operations, hidden allegiances, and high-stakes missions. Join us as we explore the complexities of duty, the weight of responsibility, and the thin line between order and chaos.

The Tale of the Lost Heart follows History, a second sergeant in the Special Forces of Club Penguin, who the legendary Counselor Scars unexpectedly summons to investigate the theft of a Red Stone, an artifact crucial to maintaining order in their society. As suspicion of a traitor within the ranks grows, History and Scars uncover a conspiracy that threatens to tip the balance of power in favor of the chaotic Blue Rebellion.

A little after Scars, I also mounted my horse and followed him.

– Don’t follow me, Mr. History! – he ordered. – He must be going to one place only: the base of the Green Army.

I found that statement strange. Unlike the detective, I hadn’t processed the truth yet, so I didn’t know who he was talking about.

– But… why does Your Excellency want to go alone? – I asked.

– This is between me and Diwix – he replied.

When I heard that name, I became even more confused. Could he have been the one behind the crime? No, impossible – I thought – he would never do something like that. Scars’ words didn’t make me turn back; instead, they gave me another reason to go with him.

Meanwhile, the captain had reached his destination: a forest between our base and the Green Army’s base. His beloved was there, standing on a rock, flanked by two Green soldiers.

– So, did you bring it? – she asked him.

Diwix pulled the Red Piece from his coat.

– Here it is – he said, handing it to Rye.

Believing that he had fulfilled the promise’s condition, the officer truly thought she would keep her word. But instead, Rye turned away with a big smile, saying:

– Guards, seize him.

Suddenly, several members of our rival group jumped on Diwix, who tried to resist in vain. Soon he was bound, his hands and feet tied, and every move watched.

– You… you tricked me?! – exclaimed the prisoner in shock.

– That’s right! – she agreed, with sinister honesty. – And you fell for it like a fool!

Diwix felt intense pain, freezing, and paralyzing, all traces of life leaving his face.

– With this – she continued – I will become the most powerful, richest, and most respected in the Green Army!

That’s when Scars and I arrived at the scene. The leader and the traitor briefly exchanged glances, and Scars quickly realized the trap. Barely had I seen his shock when he threw himself over me, shielding us from a volley of arrows that followed immediately.

– This is the end for you, Scars! – Rye laughed wickedly.

I barely managed to steady myself, stumbling as I ran to follow Scars, who quickly hid in a bush. I hid close to the founder, who told me:

– You’ve disobeyed me enough already. Run; it’s your only chance to survive. They’re only after me. I’ll distract them, and only I will die.

I found that order absurd and couldn’t help disagreeing:

– What?! Run and leave you to die? Are you kidding? You, Excellency, die?

– My death is now certain – 100% – at least for me. Hundreds of Green Army soldiers are here to kill me, from what I can see. But for you, there’s still a chance. – he replied.

– Certain death? – I burst out. – But it’s common knowledge that the legends of armies perform miracles to escape the worst situations!

– That’s just a rhetorical game – he shot back.

Then he gave a mocking smile and said:

– Do you believe in miracles?

Before I could answer, we found ourselves surrounded on all sides, above and below. Rye stood on a tree branch, looking down at us with a villainous smile:

– Any last words, Mr. Scars? – she asked.

The counselor had no response. “This was my third and final miscalculation,” he must have been thinking. To defend himself, he only had one musket with one shot, but he didn’t know how to use it. If he killed the traitor, it would cause a huge diplomatic crisis. If he killed one enemy, it wouldn’t matter because a hundred more would follow.

– Then, goodbye! – Rye raised her hand to give the signal to attack.

That’s when the unimaginable happened. All eyes turned to a figure a few yards away, standing atop the tallest tree, looking down with a fierce expression and holding the Red Piece high. It was Diwix who, having somehow escaped, reclaimed what he had stolen from his ex-beloved without her even noticing.

– What?! – Rye shouted, with a shock greater than any she had caused in him.

– Free yourself – said the captain with two fingers on his wrist.

– No! – Scars shouted, firing his only shot at the soldier’s hand.

The bullet hit Diwix’s arm directly, but it was as if it hadn’t. Suddenly, he grew incredibly tall, his muscles bulging, veins popping, his hair lengthening, everything about him radiating a strength no man had ever seen.

Before I knew it, Scars threw himself over me so we could hide, and I ended up fainting.

…

When I woke up, I saw the founder observing, on the ground, his recruit surrounded by countless bodies. Around me lay many other corpses. I stood up and saw Diwix’s body, back to normal except for the veins still bulging, but now without blood flowing through them. I understood what had happened from the grim look on the counselor’s face. He took the lifeless body and tied it to his horse, and I mounted mine, and we returned slowly and silently to our base.

One last thing caught my attention at that moment: the roses had bloomed, even though it wasn’t their season.

On the way back, I found no courage to speak to Scars. What would he say to the Force? How would he handle the series of shocking announcements? My heart was pounding. It was the end of the day, and the sunset could be seen in the west.

Meanwhile, there was an uproar at our base.

– What happened to Scars?

– We don’t know… – answered Idealogic – he just… left in a rush.

– Here he comes! – a soldier pointed as we appeared in the distance.

Everyone rushed to the entrance to greet us. Some, like Aurora, ran up to us. When they saw the leader’s face and the captain’s body, they were even more alarmed. As the founder finally entered, it became a chaotic mix of voices and overlapping questions.

Then Scars made a sign that he would speak. Everyone fell silent. Then he said:

– Gentlemen, I have a major announcement to make…

The crowd waited anxiously.

– I announce the newest legend of the Special Force: Diwix!

Countless cheers and hurrahs followed this news, for it could only mean one thing: someone is only proclaimed a legend when they die heroically in battle. Despite the many questions, at no point was the story of the Red Piece theft, which Scars had already recovered (in fact, he asked me to put it back in place while everyone was entertained), ever mentioned, as if the leader had forgotten everything that had happened. Diwix was then buried in the Hall of Fame and is still recognized today as a great hero.

…

It was already night when I was summoned back to the meeting room.

There, I found Scars again, in his usual chair.

– Very well, Mr. History  – he said. – Your promotion is guaranteed.

– Ah, yes, sir! – I replied. – But first, if Your Excellency allows, what on earth happened?

The counselor sighed once more.

– Alright. When you fainted, Diwix, with superhuman strength, defeated most of the enemies surrounding us. Some fled, including Rye.

– But… how did he do that? – I asked. – And… why did Your Excellency shoot him?

Scars stood up and went to the window again.

– Don’t you know the power of the Pieces?

I said nothing. He continued:

– Anyone who, for a noble cause, desires power can ask for it from a Piece in exchange for a sacrifice proportional to the strength gained. In Diwix’s case, the power was so great that the price was…

– His own life… – I finished.

Scars looked down. Then he looked out the window again.

– You know, Mr. History – the counselor continued – I had my last conversation with him before he died. His body was lying on the ground. I knelt and said, “You didn’t do this, did you?” “Yes, I did, and the price is my life,” he replied, “but it’s the least I can offer after being so ungrateful and foolish. I let myself be deceived by the Blue Pieces, and I lost the battle.” Diwix then revealed the whole truth to me, the entire story of his betrayal, which I’ll share with you later so you can record it.

– The ex-captain then surrendered his officer’s badge, saying, “Take it; I’m not worthy of it.” But I closed his hand around the insignia and said my last words to him: “No, Diwix! I only made two deduction mistakes, and both were because of you. If anyone won, it was you. The way you escaped your enemies and reclaimed the Red Pieces… it’s the best use of all the training I’ve given.”

– Then, my final words: “You were the best recruit I ever had.” And with that, he passed away.

Silence filled the room for a moment.

– Mr. History – Scars broke the silence – I apologize.

– What? Apologize? To me? You?

– Yes. After all, you were right all along.

– Uh, no, not at all, Excellency…

The counselor turned to me.

– This whole story can only be explained by the human heart. Before a Piece was stolen, we had a lost heart. It worries me how Diwix let himself be influenced by the Blue Pieces and how he used our soldiers’ weaknesses (including mine, as I refused to suspect someone I cared about) to gain an advantage. And you were aware of all this.

Again, I couldn’t respond.

– I used to think my numbers could explain everything – he continued. – There’s one thing they can’t explain, at least not fully: the human heart. Only your letters can.

– Ah, yes… – I said.

– But the heart isn’t only made of weaknesses. The only miracle I witnessed happened because of it – and with a smile, the founder concluded his thoughts.

And so, I was promoted to aspirant. It was almost nine at night when the Force members finally noticed me:

– Hey, who was that with the counselor?

– I don’t know, he’s always writing alone during breaks.

– I heard he got promoted to aspirant out of nowhere.

– What?! And I’m working hard to become a lieutenant while he’s just writing and getting promoted!

– Yeah, he just keeps doing that useless stuff that doesn’t contribute to the Force!

– Sissy stuff!

– Useless work that doesn’t even bring in any money!

I had to listen to these and other foolish remarks until they gathered the courage to speak to me.

– And you, who are you? – they asked. I replied:

– History is the name; Lover, the last name!

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Did you enjoy reading the last chapter of the story? What were your favorite chapters and characters? What will be our next story?

 

Edu14463
Editor-in-Chief

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