1 The Heart Family

A boy was seen walking down the corridor of the palace. He had long black hair down to his shoulders. His deep blue eyes were mesmerizing and shining. Around the deep blue eyes, a thin circle of fiery red could be seen. He wore a pair of glasses and had a trimmed beard. He had fair skin and was wearing a white shirt tucked into a pair of shiny black pants. He had his headphones and was humming a tune to himself.

As he walked through the palace, many people were seen bowing to him in respect. He acknowledged them with a slight nod of his head. He kept humming to himself as he kept moving forward, towards the throne room. "Today is an important day for me. I might finally get to leave this place and get to explore the outer world", he thought and began to smile.

As he neared the doors of the throne room, he saw two figures standing in front of him. It was a man and a woman. "Well, look who is here. It's my dear little brother, Lucas Heart. The boy who can't use a single ounce of magic", the man said with a laugh.

The man was tall and handsome. The beard highlighted his features and he had deep blue eyes just like Lucas. His body was slightly muscular than Lucas's. His hair was a deep brown and had a mix of deep blue hair within them. He had medium-length hair and sported a quiff style.

Lucas smiled. "Well, I can still beat your ass anytime, big brother Samuel. And yeah, nice to see you", he said with a smile. They both embraced each other with a hearty laugh. They turned their heads towards the woman. She sighed. "For once, not once could you say something nice to him. You know what day it is today, right?", she said as she approached them.

The woman was a little bit shorter than both of them. She had long and smooth black hair with a lot of streaks of fiery red mixed within them. Her delicate facial features and her red lips would draw any man towards her. Her smooth and fair skin, coupled with the hourglass shape figure she maintained, made anyone who saw her utter a single word. Extraordinary.

"My dear sister, Catherine Heart. You know this is how we always greet each other, right? And yes, I do know what day it is today", said Sam. Catherine's face showed a tinge of red as she corrected him. "Kate, you dumbass. It's Kate. Only people I do not wish to be associated with are allowed to call me by that name", she said.

She shook her fists at Sam and joined the group hug. Kate was wearing a long white dress, with a tinge of red at the hem and the cuffs of her dress. "You look exceptional today", said Lucas. Kate smiled back at him and later it turned into a frown.

"Where is the coat you were supposed to be wearing? It's an official meeting, and you show up dressed like that?! Sometimes, I wonder if you are my brother. You have no sense of fashion", she scowled at him. Lucas smiled. The door in front of them opened up and the three of them walked inside. There were two figures seated at the throne. The three of them quickly kneeled on the floor.

"We greet Your Highness, The King and the Queen", all three said in unison. "Ah, you should not have done that, now it makes me want to punish you three", said a deep and booming voice. The three of them looked up to find the man looking at them with a smile on his face.

He signalled them to move forward to them as he embraced them, one by one. Lucas was the last person to be embraced. "Happy Eighteenth Birthday, my dear son. Today, you shall set out into the world, and you shall learn what it is like in the outside world", said his father.

He was tall and has a muscular build. He had a thick beard, with grey hair in them. His deep brown hair had also started to turn grey and had fiery red in them. He had deep green eyes and a fiery red circle around them. He was the king of the kingdom known as The Heart kingdom. He was wearing a formal suit and had his hair trimmed on the sides. There was a sword on his waist, which he always carried around him.

Lucas nodded his head. He was about to turn around, but then he felt a slender hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw his mother, looking at him with sadness in her eyes.

She had long and smooth black hair which had started to turn grey, with a lot of streaks of deep blue mixed within them. Her delicate facial features had a few wrinkles on them, and her lips were a deep red colour. Her smooth and fair skin, and her figure which she maintains, made her look young and beautiful.

He smiled as he held her hand with his, and he embraced her. She let out a sigh as she accepted the fact that he was leaving the palace. "But before you leave, you shall be taking the Test of Banishment. Only then will I be able to rest assured that you will be safe in the outside world", she said. Lucas nodded his head without saying anything.

He had heard the dangers of the outside world from his brother and sister who took the Banishment test before. He had also heard about the beautiful places outside which always made his imagination run wild, always dreaming of this day. He looked at his father and he smiled. "But first, before the test, we'll have to celebrate the fact that our youngest shall be leaving the palace. Where is the cake, dammit?", he said with annoyance.

"Ben, you will have to find it yourself", came a sweet voice from next to him. He turned and saw his wife smiling at him. "I hate it when you do this, Martha", he said to her. He smiled at her and then left the room to go in search of the cake.

Martha began to giggle slightly. Lucas knew what was going on. He pulled his mother next to him and whispered, "You didn't do that, did you, mom?" She smiled and pointed to the ceiling. All three of them looked up and saw small ice spikes stuck to the ceiling.

Ben reached the centre of the hall and looked around. He knew some of her tricks and looked around. He was waiting for her to do something like she always does. Martha looked at his face and saw him being cautious. "Nothing to be cautious about, my dear", she said and smiled at him.

Ben knew that was it. His vigilance increased and looked around frantically. Martha snapped her fingers and the ice fell onto his head, freezing him in place.

Ben grunted from within the ice. He looked at Martha with eyes filled with anger. His body began to glow a faint red and the glow began to get stronger. The ice began sizzling and Martha quickly took her stance, instantly surrounding herself with icicles. Her hand was raised as she waited for him to come out. "I come in peace. I can't overpower you, Martha. I never will", he said with a wink. Martha smiled and let her hand down.

"I can't believe I'm going to be leaving you guys soon. I'm going to miss everyone. Dad, is there any leeway in the banishment?", he asked with his eyes watery.

His dad shook his head sideways. "This test is not just to make you stronger, son. This test is also a way of making you not rely on the power of being a prince. The hardships of being a commoner are, complicated. You will experience a lot of things at this time. You will learn and grow not a prince, but as a person. That is why our ancestors made this mandatory. You will learn when you set out in the world, son", he said as he placed his hand on his shoulder.

"On the other hand, you can call us anytime. Send us letters, through the contact points we have set up around the Empire. Just let us know where is the next point you will be heading and we will send you a reply back to that point", he said with a smile.

Lucas nodded his head. Then there was a knock on the door. "Old Master Leon is coming in", said the announcer. Leon came in and stood in front of the king. "My Liege, it is time", he said in a deep voice.