A Demon's History: Lotus Thorns

Chapter One: The Birth of a Beast

Fear was felt by many when he was born. The child was born from power and hate, and his only purpose was to carry on a legacy. The legacy of Garai Lovett. His mother held him as he chirped and cried. He was born a beast, for his father hoped his mother would not get as attached. His father was Victor Lovett, a True Descendant of Greed and his mother was a suitress from a noble family, Lucia. The child they brought into the world was not their first for they already had a daughter, however, she did not carry the dragon gene.

This one did and his name was Lleon Victoir Lovett.

His mother cradled him in her arms, hoping he would take his humanoid form. He had not, yet she did not mind. She could still understand his needs and what he wanted as his mother. His father aggressively entered the room and took Lleon by the skin of the back of his neck, a small cry sounding from the whelp.

"What are you-"

"Quit coddling him." Victor cut her off. "He will grow to be dependent on others if you keep nurturing him like this."

She went quiet and averted her gaze in shame. She then spoke again. "Forgive me, husband."

"Do not let me catch you doing it again." He returned the whelp to his mother and watched him squirm around. "It was best to curse him during the ceremony."

"Was it?" Lucia rarely questioned his decisions, but the ones he made concerning their children she would always question silently.

She only wanted him to be better than his father, for him to not be devoid of emotion. She knew, however, that she could not keep her husband's wishes at bay for long. She would soon have to give in to not nurturing him as a mother would. She knew Lleon would never understand, or maybe he would, and he would never forgive her for it. Still, she did her best to show him that she cared for him until that day arrived. She just wished it would not come so soon.

When Lleon learned to walk, he was always exploring the castle. Most of the staff would ignore him, but that did not stop him from chasing them around. One of the maids he mainly chased was Lilly Rose, who oversaw his parents' wardrobe.

"Ow! You little wretch!" Lilly Rose shouted at the whelp when his jaws clamped down on her tail.

She swung her meat-colored tail with great force, sending him sliding across the stone floor. He tilted his head. It was not his fault her tail resembled his meals. She cursed at him as she scolded him, even though he could not understand and would most likely do it again when he got into the laundry room on another day. Her colleague and his father's personal maid, Abigail rushed into the room and grabbed Lleon by the scruff of his neck. He squirmed a bit as he was lifted into the air, but eventually calmed down.

"You know Lilly Rose does not like that, Your Royal Highness." She scolded him. He tilted his head again like a confused dog. Abigail sighed and placed him back on the floor, nudging him with her foot soon after. "Off you go then."

Lleon bounded out the door, going on to explore the next room. He bumped into the legs of his older sister Vivienne. She nearly fell over, but she was not harsh on him as others were.

"Are you exploring again, Lleon?" she asked in a higher tone of voice. Though he did not understand, the tone of her voice excited him. He growled happily in response. "Where are we off to then?"

Vivienne followed close behind the young dragon. Lleon would keep looking back to make sure she was following, but because of that, he did not see the small table with a vase.

"Lleon! You are going to-!"

Crash!

Too late. Lleon hit the table's legs and knocked the vase over right as his father left his office. The whelp tucked his tail and hid behind his older sister.

"Victoir!" His father's angry voice made him shake where he stood. He opened his mouth to speak again but he noticed something. Lleon was no longer in his beast form, no, he looked like any other child did. "Lucia! Quickly!"

His mother rushed over when she was called and immediately cupped her hands over her mouth when she saw. Lleon did not understand what was happening. When his father scooped him up, he was startled at first but was reassured when he was not punished.

"Good job, son. We will start your training soon." His father told him before handing him to his mother. "You deserve to be coddled. Go on, Lucia, you may nurture him for two hours."

She did not say anything about that, instead carrying him to his playroom. She placed him down on his blanket. She looked sad, and Lleon did not understand why. He silently stared at her. He watched as she did anything to cover her face so he would not see her cry, but he knew. He crawled over to her and sat on her lap.

"Do you understand, my star?" She spoke with a shaky voice. "I will not be able to care for you anymore. Okay? You must be brave now."

He squeezed the fabric of the arms of her dress. She hugged him tightly, rocking him a bit. He wanted to understand her words - he did - but he could not. All he could do was understand that she was sad and needed comfort. By the end of the two hours, Lleon was asleep against her chest. She stood up carefully and took him to his room. She kissed his forehead before hesitantly leaving, shutting the door behind her.

Lucia went into her husband's office, gathering her courage to question him.

"Victor, my love, are you certain...that training him now is the best option?" She asked. His angry stare made her freeze on the spot.

"Are you questioning my decisions?"

"N-Not exactly. I just...I worry he will get hurt. He can't even speak yet."

"Well, you needn't worry. I will make sure he does everything correctly the first time." He told her, brushing off her concerns. He practically felt the death stare she was giving him. "What? Is that not what you wanted?"

"Does it even matter what I want?" She murmured through gritted teeth.

"Now you get it. It took too long for you to understand how this relationship works."

Lucia shook her head before leaving angrily, slamming the door on her way out. It was not uncommon for her to shut everyone out and cry in her room. That was exactly what she did right after the conversation. Not to mean that she had given up, but the many years since their marriage added up, and she could not take it anymore. Still, she had children with him, and she loved them both. Besides, deep within her heart, she still had some love for him even after the harm he caused her when she questioned him.

A small but beastly chirp called from the other side of the door. She let out a quiet gasp and wiped her face quickly before going over to investigate. Upon opening the door, she found her personal butler holding Lleon.

"I am sorry, my queen. He would not stop until I brought him here." Lance explained a bit nervously.

"It's quite alright." She knew she should not give him affection, but she could not help it. She took him and quietly closed the door.

"Did you enjoy your nap, my star?" She asked him. He laid his head on her shoulder and shut his eyes. He was still tired but wanted to sleep beside his mother. "Still tired, I see."

She sang him to sleep again. A siren-like voice that she had passed down to Lleon during his Birthright Ceremony. She hoped that if Victor created a weapon out of him, he would at least have one part of him that could bring joy to others. If he chooses so, that is. After all, there was no way to predict whether Lleon would have the heart of his mother or the mind of his father. Perhaps, he would have both, or maybe he would have none. They could only wait.