One night, as Elios was preparing for bed, Merlione observed him curiously. "Tell me, Elios," she asked, "what symbol do you always make on the bed before going to sleep? Is it a prayer?"
Elios nodded. "Yes," he replied. "In our culture, we pray for the Holy Paladin's protection during our sleep."
"Ah, I see," said Merlione, thoughtfully.
Encouraged by this exchange, Elios dared to ask a question of his own: "And among the Beasts, you don't do this?"
Merlione sat on the edge of the bed. "Actually, we do," she explained. "For us, it's the Lord of Beasts, the god Belial. But..." She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I'm not that religious. I don't really believe in all of this.
These gods... they can't let their followers suffer and die so much.
If they truly exist, it's very cowardly of them."
These words hit Elios like a punch. All his life, he had believed in the Holy Paladin's goodness and wisdom. "The gods test us," he said, repeating what he had always been taught. "They test our faith."
Merlione stood up and walked toward the door. Before leaving, she turned and looked at Elios with an expression mixing sadness and determination. "A test shouldn't involve the death and loss of hope for so many people, especially not entire families."
With these words, she left, leaving Elios alone with his troubled thoughts. That night, for the first time in his life, the young boy wondered if everything he had been taught about faith and the gods was really the absolute truth.
As he stared at the ceiling, unable to find sleep, Elios realized that his world, already shaken by war and the loss of his parents, had once again been disturbed. But this time, it was his deepest beliefs that were being questioned. That's how this day had ended.
The next day...
The sun was setting on the horizon, bathing the forest in a golden light. Elios and Merlione were returning from a day of fishing, their tired feet treading on the carpet of dead leaves. As they stopped near a stream to refresh themselves, Elios noticed something that deeply troubled him.
The twilight light revealed a multitude of scars on Merlione's body, visible where her tunic had slightly risen. Some seemed old, others more recent, forming a map of pain on her skin. Elios felt his heart tighten. "War wounds," he thought, imagining the fierce battles Merlione must have gone through.
The next morning,
Merlione decided it was time for Elios to learn how to hunt. They ventured deep into the forest, with Merlione explaining tracking and capture techniques in a low voice. Suddenly, a movement caught their attention. A rabbit, its long ears quivering, emerged from a bush.
With surprising agility, Elios leaped and grabbed the animal. But as his fingers closed around the soft fur, he hesitated. His eyes met the terrified ones of the rabbit. In an impulsive gesture, he loosened his grip, letting the animal escape.
Merlione, stunned, turned to him. "Why did you let it go?" she asked, her tone betraying her incomprehension.
Elios, eyes downcast, whispered: "It's still a life we're about to take. The Holy Paladin wouldn't have tolerated this."
Without a word, Merlione darted after the rabbit. With a speed and precision that spoke of years of experience, she caught the animal and, with a swift motion, slit its throat with her own hands.
Turning to Elios, she fixed him with a penetrating gaze. "Where do you think the food I've been feeding you since we met comes from?" She shook her head. "I see. You were raised in a religious family, weren't you? With fervent principles about the value of life. That's admirable, really."
She sat on a fallen tree trunk, inviting Elios to do the same. "But you see, Elios, this life you cherish so much isn't always as beautiful as they want us to believe."
Merlione absently stroked the scars on her arm, her gaze lost in the distance. "All these wars, all this suffering... They're the result of these famous beliefs in constantly absent gods. Living your life based on a belief prevents us from fully flourishing and being who we are."
Her voice hardened, betraying deep anger. "These gods do nothing about the wars they create, about their people crying for help, about those who sacrifice themselves for them, who kill for them, who deprive themselves of food for them."
As she spoke, painful memories flooded her mind. Her past as a slave among humans, her endless supplications to Lord Belial, the god of beasts, who had never answered. The suffering endured, the scars on her body, her Beast brothers and sisters who died for nothing believing in the will of a being who had never manifested. But she kept these thoughts to herself, refusing to share them with Elios.
She stood up abruptly, the rabbit still in her hand. "So today, Elios, we're going to eat this rabbit. And no damn absent being is going to stop me from enjoying my dinner tonight."
A bitter smile formed on her lips.
-Back at home-
As she began preparing their meal, Elios remained silent, contemplating Merlione's words in his head, feeling that his worldview had been profoundly shaken once again.
The crackling of the fire and the smell of cooking meat filled the air, while the last light of day faded, giving way to a starlit night.