It's back!

Just past Lucy's first birthday, two events changed the course of her life. Lucy wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry as she faced them.

As Lucy carefully placed the block on the tower and leaned down to grab the next one a burst of pain slammed into her mind, as bright white light flared. "Eee!" Lucy cries, falling, her block tower tumbling over as her mind overflows with bright minds.

{Little Mistress is such a clever child. Oh no, the little mistress fell.} {The Third Miss is so picky, damned child. How many times will she make us clean this floor and table? I want to break her finger every time she points and says dirty.} {If I can't get this spot of Concubine Meng's sash, Miss Edith will scold me.} {I need to check our stock of herbs, so we don't run out when the Third Miss falls sick again.} {Lord Husband is coming tomorrow night. I must prepare my best clothes so he's pleased with me, and Lucy.}

Lucy whimpers in Miss Selena's embrace, as she felt worry, anger, fear, hope, and happiness. {What's wrong with the little mistress? Physician Liu. Third Miss is ill again. The Prince will have our heads. Quick run. It's okay, little mistress. Don't be scared, I Rimes Selena will accompany you wherever you land.}

Shield. I need to shield. Forcing herself to ignore the rush of thoughts, and emotions Lucy draws a veil of misty pure energy over her mind. It all vanishes leaving her mind empty like a blank sheet of paper. Lucy breathes slowly, suddenly aware Miss Selena was rocking her gently. For a girl only 14 years old, she seemed very much like a mother concerned over her baby's pain. Lucy pats Selena's face gently. "Little Mistress" Miss Selena says tearfully. "Your awake" Miss Selena hugged her closer. "Sleepy" Lucy says softly. This girl kept by Lucy every minute, changing her diaper, cleaning up Lucy's messes, sang her to sleep, and cuddled her, kissing her scrapes when Lucy fell. To Lucy, this girl was her second mother.

Selena laid Lucy on her bed, kneeling down rubbing Lucy's arms. "Sleep, Little Mistress. I am here." Lucy relaxed, soothed by her touch and closes her eyes. My bane is back. I need to build strong shields. Misted energy won't last long. As Lucy entered her Center Palace to create new soul shields, she wasn't aware that a troop of men was riding for Jing Palace to change her fate.

Plagued by other's feelings, thoughts, and futures in my past life. I avoided trickery and deceit, but loneliness companied me as the petty thoughts, and insincere wishes washed over the young me. Only in the new year of my 20th year did I learn to fully block others out. How hateful. How pitiful. I died with only three years of silence.

Lucy directs pure energy from her Inner sky to her Center palace, creating the Heart & Soul Shield. As Lucy lays the base and interwove energies together, she muses. Practice does indeed make perfect. In her first life, despite being passed the Heart & Soul shield she wielded it clumsily, to the point of shaming herself. She had been forced to scrap her foundation and start over twice as she had made mistakes. More times she had to remold the upper tiers of the Heart & Soul shield to perfect it. Now as a 1-year-old baby my soul is stronger and purer, and my shield is coming together with ease. I guess this is the whims of fate.