The Wolf Emperor Of the Yokai

Chapter Four: Flames of a Forgotten Era. The Legacy of the Lionheart Family.

Even in the present day, the mention of the Lionhearts stirs unease among older devils. Though weakened by time and isolation, the family reminds humanity of its potential to rise against the supernatural.

The Lionhearts' withdrawal did not come without cost. Over the centuries, they became more insular, their focus shifting inward. They maintained their estate with quiet diligence, training their descendants in the old ways and guarding the relics of their past. Portraits of ancestors lined the grand halls with their golden eyes and ash-grey silver hair.

The estate itself was a testament to their legacy. Beneath its surface lay hidden chambers sealed with powerful wards. These vaults contained the family's most dangerous artefacts, tools, and weapons from an era when the Lionhearts stood as humanity's champions.

The patriarch, a man of quiet strength and unyielding resolve, oversaw these secrets. To him, they were not treasures but burdens. "Power must be earned, not inherited," he often told his descendants. "And even then, it must be wielded wisely."

The younger generation struggled with this philosophy. They saw a chaotic world where devils, angels, and other factions vied for control. To them, the family's isolation felt like abandonment. Yet the elders, hardened by experience, held firm. "We are watchers, not conquerors," they would say. "The world must learn to stand without us."

The Lionhearts were not without peers. The Pendragons, champions of the Church, shared a similar legacy. Yet the two families could not have been more different. While the Pendragons thrived in the public eye, their strength bolstered by the divine Excalibur fragments, the Lionhearts operated in the shadows, relying on their own discipline and ingenuity. And a martial strength that was overwhelmingly strong compared to the Pendragons.

There was respect between the families but also an unspoken rivalry. The Pendragons viewed the Lionhearts' secrecy as arrogance, while the Lionhearts regarded the Pendragons' reliance on holy relics as dependence. Still, neither could deny the other's strength.

Marriages between the two families were exceedingly rare. The Lionhearts, known for their insularity, fiercely guarded their bloodline and the secrets that came with it. To marry into the Pendragon family, with its overt ties to the Church and Excalibur's relics, was viewed as a dilution of the Lionheart legacy. However, when such unions did occur, they were treated with strict rules to preserve the balance of power and tradition between the two houses.

When a member of the Lionheart main line married into the Pendragon family, the resulting offspring were subject to unique restrictions. The Lionhearts decreed that any such child would be barred from learning the White Flame Formula. This prohibition was both a matter of tradition and a safeguard, ensuring that external influences kept the family's most sacred technique untainted. The White Flame was more than a combat art—it culminated in Vermouth's philosophy, demanding an unyielding loyalty to the Lionheart creed.

Instead, these children were taught the Red Flame Formula, a variation of their family's techniques designed for those outside the main house. The Red Flame, while formidable, lacked the purity and intensity of its white counterpart. It served as a reminder of the child's secondary status within the Lionheart hierarchy. Though these individuals carried the Lionheart name, they were formally excluded from the main house and placed within a side branch tied to their Pendragon heritage.

While distinct from the main house, this side branch remained close in proximity and loyalty. Its members often served as emissaries or liaisons between the two families, their dual heritage allowing them to bridge the ideological divide.

Scene change: In present-day Europe, deep within the Caledonian Forest of Scotland, the Lionheart Compound is the main family estate living room. On the same day, Sirzechs Lucifer visited Tokyo.