Lucian raced through the realm on his bike. He knew he should pay attention to everything around him, but patience was never his thing. Besides, he had a kid with him, one as frail as a clay jar, so he had to tone down his wild side.
A small pod was attached to the side of his bike, and inside it sat a little child. Lucian hadn't bothered to ask if the child was a boy or a girl, and the kid hadn't said a single word since he rescued her. She just followed quietly, like someone too broken to speak.
"You know," Lucian said, glancing at her reflection in his mirror, "saying something would make this trip less tense."
He sighed. Part of him wanted to toss her off and keep going, but he didn't. It had been ages since he'd even seen a child and this one had just watched her whole village slaughtered by monsters who found joy in pain.
Lucian loved speed. Normally, he could outpace light itself. But today, he was crawling so slow he might as well be riding a tortoise.
"Hey, you a girl or a boy?" he asked suddenly. The question had been bugging him as much as the fact that he didn't even know where he was headed. He'd been going from ruin to ruin searching for survivors, but this child seemed to be the only lucky one.
A soft growl broke his thoughts.
Lucian grinned. "That wasn't me. Ohhh, your belly talks better than you do!" he teased, laughing but the child only stared at him blankly.
In truth, the girl was wondering if she was cursed. After everything she'd been through, she still had to end up with a savior who didn't seem to know what he was doing. She'd been starving for half a day, and Lucian had only just noticed.
He stopped the bike and helped her out of the pod. Then he tapped his wrist, sending the bike into the void for safekeeping.
"Why are we stopping here?" a soft, feminine voice asked.
Lucian blinked, startled. "Wait—you can talk?" He'd been about to cast a spell to help her speak, only to realize she'd been able to all along.
"I'm hungry," she said simply. Her eyes were wide, watery, and so bright that Lucian nearly melted. He could swear she'd used magic, but that was impossible.
"That's why I stopped," he said, smiling awkwardly. They stood before a thick forest. He planned to hunt something for her to eat.
Back in Heaven, he would never dare think of killing a beast, every creature there had a soul, a chance to become divine. That was one of the things that annoyed him most about gods. He didn't hate them, but he didn't love them either. If given time, he could list a thousand reasons why they were a pain.
"We'll find something to eat in here," Lucian said, leading her into the forest.
Tall trees blocked the sunlight, and the air felt heavy and still. Each step they took made the snapping twigs sound louder than usual.
"You know, kid," Lucian said, holding her hand, "what's your name? I can't keep calling you 'kid,' can I? Maybe I should think of one for you."
The child frowned. He didn't even ask if I already had a name. She stayed quiet, deciding she'd tell him later , preferably when he wasn't making up ridiculous names.
"Fruit or meat?" Lucian asked, but before she could answer, a twig cracked this time not from them.,,
Lucian instantly raised his hand, energy forming into a glowing bow and arrow. His eyes narrowed. He had a target.