Chapter 19: Words on the Page

At this time, the twins had now grown more confident over the past several seasons in both their swordplay and spell casting. Leo’s fire arrows struck their targets consistently and had grown in power, and Lea had long mastered forming clean, steady spheres of water without drenching herself in the process.

Still, there was much to learn, they were now learning to read the language of this world with the help from their mother and studying the books that filled the library.

That evening, the twins sat cross-legged on the thick red carpet, an old book splayed open before them, its pages yellowed and edges curled from age. Lucina knelt beside them, glancing occasionally from her romance novel as the children traced their fingers across the faded ink.

Dust from the book floated lazily in the evening rays of light from the tall windows, and the faint scent of old parchment filled the room.

Lea squinted, sounding out the crooked script “…Dem-o?”

She looked up. “Mother, what does this one say?”

Lucina set her eyes on the page where Lea pointed, though a flicker of unease came over her face. “Demons… yes, they exist here.”

Leo’s head shot up, mouth open. “Wait what? Real demons? Why haven’t we ever seen one?”

Lucina closed her book with a soft thud and shifted her position on the carpet. “Because they live in their own lands and not with other species. A country called Daltious. It lies beyond the border nearby. But our borders are fortified against them. Only the Kaisha Empire dares to interact with demons openly, and even then rarely. As for Daltious itself…”

Her voice grew quieter as she read from the book. “It is a dark, barren wasteland. The soil is like blackened mud, the air heavy and thick with a distinct scent. The sun never shines there. The sky is always covered behind veils of dark clouds. The only light comes from moonlight… or fire.”

Lea shivered, hugging her knees. “That sounds like a horrible place to be,” she muttered under her breath.

Leo frowned, tilting his head. “But… are all demons evil? Is it just in their nature?”

Lucina’s expression froze for a moment. She brushed her fingers along the margin of the book’s page. Her gaze lingered on a signature written in a familiar hand, faded almost to nothing.

“My father wrote this book,” she said at last, her voice distant.

The twins blinked in unison. “Our grandfather…?” Lea whispered.

Lucina closed her eyes briefly, as if preparing herself. “He wanted to record what he’d seen, what he believed. But…” Her words faltered, and for the first time the twins saw her composure crack. She drew in a shaky breath, eyes watery.

“You asked why you’ve never seen demons,” she said softly. “It’s because long ago, I did. And what I saw changed everything.”

The library seemed to grow colder as she spoke. Her voice turned serious, almost like she wasn't herself anymore.

“When I was young — not much older than you are now, my parents met a demon girl near the border close to the forest edge. She was wounded, alone, and they… they chose to help her.

Against all sense, they tended her injuries, gave her food, even a place to rest. Over time… she became almost a companion to them.

My father and mother came to believe that demons were not so different from us, contrary to what we'd been told all our lives, and that perhaps they were only victims of the land they lived in and the ones who ruled over them.”

The twins exchanged a glance, a slight look of fear in their eyes.

“But one day, when I was left alone here in the manor and my parents were in the demon territory with that devil… their forces struck.”

Lucina’s eyes grew distant, haunted. “Hundreds of them pushed across the border, fire lit the forest paths and screams could be heard from even the village. I waited near the gate, terrified, hoping they would soon return safely in the midst of the chaos

Then I saw it—” Her voice trembled. “…the heads of my parents, mounted on pikes, carried by a lone demon as if to taunt me.”

Lea clutched her mouth, horrified.

Leo sat there, his expression disturbed. He clenched his fists so hard his knuckles whitened.

Lucina continued, her tone brittle as glass. “That girl… the demon they had trusted, she was never found but I… I couldn’t believe it was a coincidence. I thought she had betrayed them, and led her kind here. But I could never verify so I took it as fact.

In the chaos, your Father arrived. He cut down the invaders in his path as he approached the manor, then saw the scene. Me horrified, and brought to my knees as the devil neared the gates.”

Silence hung in the air, so heavy it was almost suffocating.

“He ran up to the black winged creature and slew it before any more harm could be done. And believe it or not, that's how I first met your father.” She said teary eyed.

“So—that’s why there are always so many guards in Attalon?” Leo asked quietly.

Lucina nodded faintly. “Yes. Since that day, the border has been fortified. Permanent soldiers remain posted, day and night, to ensure no such horror repeats itself.”

Lea lowered her gaze to the tattered pages, her heart pounding. She lost everything because of that…her own parents and her life would've been different forever. 

Leo’s lip quivered, his face darkened. That's so tragic. But still it reminds me of how we were ripped away from our old lives… and our friends and family we might never see again…

Lucina’s hand rested on each of their heads, her voice steadier now. “This is why you must learn strength. Magic, blade, and heart. The world is not a delicate place. And though I wish I could protect you from it forever… you must be ready for the day when it finds you.

That day was a bloodbath. Many villagers lost their lives in the battle as it went on throughout the night and it became known as the demon invasion of Endlost.”

The peace soon returned to the library, Lucina shut the leather-bound book and returned it to its place on the shelf. The tension in the library didn't let up while they remained there for a short while longer, and soon the night came.

The twins lay in their beds, their minds wandering to the vivid images of the history they were just told. A land of endless darkness, a girl who might have betrayed their relatives, and their Mother, whose scars ran deeper than they had ever known.