14 Training: The Unexpected Visitor

West of Lupin's centre

   Yukia reappeared in front of a small log cabin. The cabin had been overrun by wild plants which had sprouted up from the ground and attached itself to the cabin walls. A small well stood to the left, in front of the cabin. And an old bucket sat to the side of the well. However, all in all, this was Yukia's home which she tended to return to whenever she came to Lupin.

"Haa. How many days has it been since I last returned home?" Yukia sighed, as she took her hood off her head and remembered the last time she returned to her home "It hasn't even been long" she gave out a wry smile. She was still transformed as a young man with short blue hair and silver eyes. Her voice sounded like that of a teenage boy who had yet to hit puberty, but her face looked more like a girl than that of a boy.

She sniffed herself before groaning from the odour, "Maybe I should take a bath" she mumbled, as she headed inside.

"Big sis, you're aback" A cheerful, but timid voice said to Yukia, as soon as she entered. Yukia almost felt her soul leap out of her body, as she shivered from the spook while clinging to the door.

'There are only two people in this world whose magic power and aura I can't sense' Yukia thought as she slowly turned to look at the owner of the voice 'One is the emperor and the other, is my little sister...'

"...Elizabetta? What are you doing here?" Yukia asked as she stared at a woman with long bright pink hair cascading over her shoulders, like one that could be likened to cherry blossoms. And bright red eyes, a colour like that of a dark crimson rose. She was dressed in a cream coloured empire maxi dress, which had virago sleeves and light, white butterfly lacing. While on her feet, were a pair of wedge heeled white sandals.

"I came to visit you, sister" Elizabetta replied with a smile "Though, I was surprised when you came in as such a beautiful man, instead of a woman"

"I'm on a mission" Yukia said "Go back"

"I know...but can't we have some small talk before I go?" Elizabetta asked innocently, and Yukia let out a sigh before canceling out her transformation.

   Yukia's hair began to elongate up to her waist, as the colour began to darken, until it became a colour likened to that of a chocolate cosmos flower. Her eyes had become a certain shade of blue that was like the icy layer of a clear frozen lake. And on her forehead, was a heart core in the form of a snowflake, which was the same colour as her eyes. All in all, Yukia was a very beautiful woman much like her sister, Elizabetta.

"Would you like some tea?" Yukia asked

"Other than your appearance and personality which is perfect, brewing tea is something you suck at, big sis" Elizabetta said "So I'll have to refuse your offer"

"It seems like your husband's personality is rubbing off on you" Yukia said as she sat beside her sister on the bed "Hopefully, him and his concubines aren't taking advantage of your kindness and timidness"

"Big sis...it seems like you haven't heard about it"

"Heard about what?"

"The massacre that happened in Beelzebub's palace"

"Massacre?"

"My husband....Belfort, killed all the concubines, their children and the servants who served under them" Elizabetta said "Our son, Belmont's little sister, Alice, was born some days ago. However, in my weakness which was caused by the aftereffects of childbirth, the concubines plotted to kill my daughter...and the results..."

"A massacre, huh?"

"Yes. You know I can't bare the sight of blood, nor can I get used to it's scent. So I asked Belfort if I could return to the empire with my daughter, Alice. I would have brought her to come visit you, but it might affect your mission, since she can't control her mana properly" Elizabetta said sadly, before changing the topic with a smile "Anyways, what is this mission you're on? The servants at the palace keep saying the emperor has finally decided to marry"

"What?" Yukia let out in surprise

"Well, that's what I heard yesterday. That child, actually sent you to watch over a girl, whom had attracted his attention" Elizabetta shared "Everyone said he had finally decided to settle down. His happiness has been the wish of everyone in the empire"

"However, the wish of everyone is near impossible" Yukia said "That child has several emotional wounds that refuse to heal. And he still feels responsible for everything that has happened within his four hundred and fifty five years of living"

"But..."

"Liz, have you ever heard of the one thousand year disaster?"

"The demons of Beelzebub's palace still tell tales about it. It's almost impossible to not know that long tale from history"

"Some parts of it were surely twisted in their favour, and the ones passed on by the races of the four kingdoms as legends, were probably also twisted" Yukia said "Only the books in the imperial library of the empire, still have the true story on the thousand year disaster. And it is said in that book,

'A thousand and one years ago, the deities of creation and the deities of destruction were at constant war with each other. Under the deities of creation, were gods, archangels and angels while under the deities of destruction, were the demon lords of each province, arch demons and demons. This world became the battlefield where they both tended to clash with each other. The world shook and natural disasters became a normal thing.

    After finally figuring out that they both stood on equal footing, one of the gods and one of the demon lords, suggested that children be born with the powers of the two races and sent down to the continent of Hyacinth, which stood at the centre of the world'"

"By any chance, were those children...the hearts?" Elizabetta asked rather eager to hear a different version of history

"Hm. Those beings were later called hearts" Yukia confirmed "However, there was a fault with their plan. If good and evil were to have a baby, that child will become balance itself. And in front of balance, the other two are neutralised. In short, with the birth of the hearts, the race that governs creation and the race that governs destruction were sealed away, while the parents that birthed the first generation hearts, died as soon as the first hearts were born. Both sides claimed to have created a monster that had no emotions or dreams, whatsoever. The hearts who had never complained about the unwanted immortality they were given, were hurt by this and came to hate both races for creating and abandoning them. It was the first time the hearts had ever felt such strong emotions"

"Now that you mention it, I've never once heard of the deities of creation, but I've heard of the deities of destruction through rumours and more so, since I'm married to a demon lord" Elizabetta said "To top it all off, there's another rumour going around for hundreds of years, that the hearts are revered as the gods of creation"

"The first generation hearts planned to erase the existence of both sides from this world. Which was why, when thinking of creation, the first beings that came to mind, were hearts" Yukia said "That part was planned"

"The demons said the hearts treated them poorly, because they were ungrateful" Elizabetta said, with a small smile "If only they knew what the deities had said to the hearts. They'd understand that their thoughts are just misunderstandings"

"The hearts started to change after the second generation came fort" Yukia continued "Cold hearted on the outside, but warm on the inside, was the trait of Elencia's heart. A kindness most likened to naivety or stupidity, but the ability to make the right decisions when necessary, was a trait of Neinhart's hearts. While a personality of complete neutrality with a mind likened to that of a child, was a trait of Lupin's heart. It is from here that my mission comes in"

"Your mission?" Elizabetta asked, in confusion "Weren't we just talking about the one thousand year disaster?"

"You asked about my mission earlier, but started talking nonsense halfway through" Yukia said "Anyways, there's something about the hearts that's changed currently. What do you think it is?"

"Big sis, you're giving me a headache with all this complicated information. I'm lost"

"Just answer"

"Is it their traits?"

"Correct" Yukia said, as she got up from the bed and went to brew some tea "The starting point in the change of the heart's traits was in the arrival of Asmodeus in Elencia. Thanks to him, from the sixth generation of Elencian hearts, everything that changed in the second generation, went to hell. In addition to the rules that were created in the third generation of Lupin's heart, along with the creation of the empire, the induction of a heart for Lupin, and the generational heart sealing of Neinhart's hearts, you can see why it's called 'the one thousand year disaster'"

   Yukia walked back towards Elizabetta with freshly brewed tea in two small teacups. She handed one to Elizabetta and took a sip from the one she kept for herself

"Is that why you're here?" Elizabetta asked, as she took a sip from the teacup. However, she immediately regretted it as she spit the tea back into the cup. 'I forgot she's bad at brewing tea' she thought while staring at the teacup

"Another change has occurred in Neinhart and Elencia's hearts. There's a possibility that Neinhart's current heart, is of the same species as the emperor" Yukia said

"But that's impossible. You yourself said that so far, no heart has ever been able to get close to that child's powers"

"That's what I thought, but fifteen years ago, he suddenly reacted to the birth of Lucia, the current crown princess and heart of Neinhart" Yukia said, as she dropped the teacup on the nightstand and headed off to get a jar of sugar "Even with Neinhart's history of heart sealing, they still possessed tremendous magic power. Which was why, I had come to the conclusion that, from the very beginning, the heart sealing was probably their only way to set limiters for themselves. However, hypothesis isn't what that child needs, but answers"

"You said Elencia and Neinhart. You've told me about Neinhart...what about Elencia?"

"The birth of the twins, currently known as Diana, is also something I'm curious about" Yukia said as she came back with the sugar jar and put two cubes in her tea, before turning it with a teaspoon "One of the twins was born as pure evil without a shred of kindness; she didn't even care about whose life she ruined. While the other twin was born timid and kind, however, she was emotionally weak and did whatever she was told without rebelling"

"I don't even need to be there to know that the second twin is already dying" Elizabetta said sadly, as Yukia put three cubes in Elizabetta's tea and turned it with the same teaspoon "With the personality of the first twin, she's probably eating away at the second twin and not caring what it does to her. As far as she herself is satisfied, nobody else matters"

"That...is exactly what's happening which is why, I'm currently watching Lucia and not them. Only one can survive in the body of Diana, since it wasn't a perfectly complete merger. If it was a perfectly complete merger, Lucia would be dead by now since Diane-Annabel will be the sole survivor due to having the stronger personality" Yukia said as she dropped the sugar jar and teaspoon "However, since Diane-Annabel and Deborah-Jane didn't undergo a perfectly complete merger on the inside, both consciousnesses are still active within Diana's body. One is an angelic sister who cares about everyone, and the other is a demonic sister with no qualms on ending anyone's life. When Lucia makes her final decision on what to do with Diana, I'll return back to the empire. After all, just like that child, I'm uninterested with the events of the outside world"

******

Lucia awoke to a sky devoid of any stars, however, she herself could tell she wasn't in Lupin as she got up from the ground and approached the crystal like lake.

"Is this another dream?" she mumbled as she heard a sound coming from the forest

   A pregnant woman pushed passed tree branches and was walking towards the lake with her hand on her belly.

Long golden brown hair that fluttered from the night breeze and mystic neon blue eyes that resembled a starry sky. It wasn't the first time Lucia had seen this woman, nor was it the second, but her heart ached each time she saw her.

'Mother' Lucia thought as she reached her hand out to touch Pamela, but her hand went through Pamela's body. 'Ah. I forgot that this was a dream' she thought with tears on the brink of falling down her eyes

"Hey...little one, this life is very tiring" Pamela said, as she sat beside the lake and blood slowly drenched the white nightgown she wore "It seems like I grew tired of it a long time ago. The eternal life of loneliness, having to bare a child without once being a mother to it...ugh. How I wish I had never been born a heart" she continued, as she bared through the pains of childbirth, while silent tears fell down her eyes

   Pamela lifted the nightgown a bit as she could sight her baby's head. After a little more pushes, the little baby was born with a loud cry, and Pamela had a satisfied look on her face, as she picked her daughter up.

"How ironic. You look like your father" Pamela said as she washed the baby in the lake "Lucia, my precious little light, this meaningless life of a heart. I don't want you to go through it. At least...not for a few years" she said, as she bite her thumb and blood was drawn as she took Lucia out of the lake

Pamela pressed her bloodied thumb against Lucia's small belly and drew a couple of patterns on her belly

"Seal" Pamela said and a bright blue light was let out. Once it disappeared, Lucia stopped her crying and slept off in Pamela's arms. "Live a happy life. Your father will protect you" she said as sweat dripped down her face "Melvin, hurry and get here quick"

"Pamela!!!" Melvin's voice rang out in the forest and Pamela stretched her hand towards a certain direction. The forest in that direction began to clear a path for Melvin.

The poor man hadn't even had the chance to change out of his sleeping wear, before having to hear that his pregnant wife had suddenly disappeared.

Looking at the child in Pamela's arms, and the current state Pamela was in, Melvin almost broke down in tears as he quickly ran to be with Pamela in her last moments.

"Don't go" Melvin pleaded "This child and I still need you"

"Melvin, rules are rules" Pamela said as she gave Melvin one final kiss before gently caressing his face "I'm sorry, Melvin, Lucia, I'm sorry. Lucia, how I wish I had been given the chance to raise and love you more than this" she smiled as she handed Lucia to Melvin and her body slowly started to disintegrate into blue light particles

"No. Pamela don't"

"Melvin, you really are a shameless man" Pamela said as she slowly shut her eyes "But you see, I love you, so your bad qualities...don't matter...to me" she said as she completely disappeared without a trace

Melvin broke down in tears at that time while holding Lucia in his arms, as dawn swept across Neinhart. Unbeknownst to him, the grown Lucia who was currently viewing this dream, was on her knees beside him, crying her eyes out.

"Mum, don't leave me" Lucia cried as she tightly held the grass below her "Please....come back. Don't...disappear".....

   ....."Lucia!!! Wake up!!!" Luke shouted as he shook Lucia and she awoke with a jump. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying in her sleep. "Don't worry. It was just a dream" he said

"Uncle Luke...please, don't leave me" Lucia cried as she hugged him tightly

"Don't worry. I won't leave you" Luke said as he hugged Lucia back.