"Fruit or meat?" Lucian asked, but before she could answer, a twig cracked, this time, not from them.
Lucian's hand lifted, energy forming into a glowing bow. His eyes narrowed, and the next instant, an arrow flashed through the air. A deer fell, its body collapsing before it even knew what struck it.
"You didn't have to kill it," Mercedes said softly. Her voice carried a faint pout. "I would've preferred fruit."
Lucian blinked. "You can talk… a lot," he said, half amused. "Let's get ready to eat."
He didn't need the food, but he wanted to eat nonetheless. And what struck him most wasn't her complaint, it was how unshaken she looked when he used his power. She had clearly seen others do the same. Probably the Void beings who destroyed her home.
"What are you staring at?" Lucian asked as he pulled out a knife to skin the deer.
"Before my home was destroyed," Mercedes said, "the Shields who protected us used their powers for everything. To make things easier. You just used yours to kill that deer, why not use it now?"
Lucian stopped. Her question lingered.
He didn't have power like the Shields, his was something far older, purer. His strength compared to theirs was like the moon compared to a firefly. Still, her words made him think.
All beings possessed essence, it was what defined them, what gave each being its uniqueness. No two shared the same. But the realms themselves also had their own essences, each one different only in how concentrated it was.
In the Netherrealm, chaos reigned. Essence there was thick and raw, violent enough to warp creation itself, it fueled the laws that governed destruction. The Primordial Realm, where they now walked, was filled with essence too, but so diluted that it was almost invisible. Mortals called it True Energy, though there was nothing truly "energy" about it. It was simply the faint breath of the world, weak, yet life-sustaining.
The Heavens, on the other hand, overflowed with essence so concentrated that it could reshape existence. The gods refined that essence into divine energy, power so intense that mortals couldn't even perceive it without being torn apart.
Lucian finally spoke. "If I were alone, I'd use my energy for everything too," he said quietly. "But you… you're mortal, ordinary. There isn't even a trace of True Energy in you."
Mercedes frowned. "What does that have to do with making things easier for you?"
"You'd die if I used my power on your food," Lucian said simply. "Your body couldn't survive even a flicker of it."
Her eyes widened. "But you used it to kill the deer. How am I supposed to eat that?"
Lucian sighed. "That's different. I only used enough to strike the head, the energy didn't spread. You can eat every part except that."
She stared at the deer for a long while before looking up at him again. "You're strange," she said.
He chuckled. "You're just realizing that?"
The child gave a faint smile, and for a moment, Lucian caught something rare, light returning to her eyes. He felt it, that unfamiliar pull in his chest. A bond forming.
"What's your name, kiddo?" he asked gently.
"Mercedes," she said, her voice small but proud.
Lucian nodded. "Mercedes… that fits."
He waved his hand, summoning a clone beside her. "Go help him gather twigs. We'll roast the deer together."
As she ran off, her small laughter echoing faintly between the trees, Lucian watched her go. Something about her presence, fragile but fierce, reminded him of the first dawn after a long night.
For the first time in centuries, Lucian felt warmth.
Not from the sun.
But from something far rarer, companionship.