CHAPTER 16: CH 16: SHELTER - PART 1

Once the sacks of food were stacked neatly by the furnace and the scraps from the junkyard placed in an orderly pile, Lucian finally allowed himself to sit down.

He rubbed his wrists absently, feeling the faint ache from carrying too much weight over uneven ground.

Beside him, Berry crouched, catching his breath, though his eyes never left Lucian.

It was Berry who broke the silence.

"So, what do you intend to do next?"

He said slowly,

Lucian glanced at him, expression unreadable. The question itself wasn’t surprising—Berry had been itching to know what the boy’s long-term plan was since the moment he’d been dragged into this valley. Still, the timing was early.

Lucian leaned back against the furnace, the faint hum vibrating against his back.

"First, we build a shelter."

He said, voice steady,

Berry blinked.

"A shelter? You mean... a house?"

"A place with walls and a roof. We’ve been sleeping out in the open all this time. It leaves us vulnerable. A shelter will reduce our chances of getting hurt, whether by beasts, weather, or anything else."

Lucian’s tone was flat, as if stating the obvious.

Berry tilted his head thoughtfully, then gave a small nod.

"That... makes sense. Then what kind of wood are we using? These trees here?"

He rubbed his hands together, more animated now.

He gestured at the valley’s scattered vegetation.

Lucian’s gaze swept across the greenery. His answer was curt.

"None of them are suitable."

Berry frowned.

"None?"

Lucian’s eyes flicked briefly toward the towering figure in the distance—the world tree, its colossal trunk visible even from the clearing.

"Except that one."

Berry followed his gaze and stiffened.

"The big tree? If we use that, won’t—"

He let out a low whistle.

"I’d rather not risk it. The world tree is too important. Cutting it is out of the question."

Lucian interrupted sharply.

Berry looked uncertain.

"Then what do we use?"

Lucian’s expression didn’t change.

"We grow our own."

That stunned Berry into silence. His mouth opened, then closed again, and finally he managed:

"Grow... our own trees? Just like that?"

Lucian stood, dusting off his hands.

"That’s right. If we want a shelter, we’ll need proper wood. Healthy, strong trees. Which means we’ll have to make them ourselves. And it seems it’s your lucky day. You’ll finally get to see what you’ve been pestering me about."

His lips curved faintly, though not in kindness.

Berry blinked.

"What I’ve been...?"

"How I grow things,"

Lucian said simply. His eyes glinted.

"Isn’t that what you wanted? To see it for yourself?"

Berry’s throat bobbed as he nodded quickly, unable to hide the eagerness flickering in his eyes.

Lucian, however, raised a hand in warning.

"Don’t get too excited. Whatever you see, whatever you think you understand—it won’t matter. It’s unlikely you or anyone else will be able to copy me."

The words carried no arrogance. They were delivered with the cold certainty of fact.

Berry hesitated but eventually sighed, conceding with a shrug.

"Fine. But I’ll still watch."

The two of them crossed to the far side of the clearing, where the protective plants grew thinner and the earth was bare enough for new growth.

Lucian moved without hesitation, already pulling a small pouch from his belt.

From it, he drew out a handful of seeds, each one glinting faintly under the dull light filtering through the clouds.

Berry leaned forward.

"What kind of seeds are those?"

"Trees."

Lucian said simply.

Berry huffed in annoyance at the vague answer but stayed quiet.

Lucian crouched, pressing the first seed into the soil. He rested his palm against the earth, eyes slipping shut. The air around them shifted subtly.

A faint hum rippled through the clearing, distinct from the furnace’s steady vibration. Mana seeped from Lucian’s hand, sinking into the ground like threads of invisible fire.

The soil trembled, responding instantly.

Berry’s eyes widened as, before his very eyes, the seed cracked open and sprouted. A tender shoot pushed upward, growing taller and thicker with unnatural speed.

Leaves unfurled, branches split, bark toughened. Within moments, the sapling had become a tree—healthy, full, and strong.

Lucian moved to the next seed, repeating the process without pause. Each time, the growth was the same: instant, controlled, flawless.

By the time he had finished, nearly fifty trees stood tall and proud, their green canopies swaying as if they had always belonged to the clearing.

Berry stared, mouth slightly open.

"T-This is...I’ve never.... S-Such an ability is unheard of..."

"But you just saw me use my ability...You’ve simply never seen it done before."

Lucian replied calmly, brushing the dirt from his hands. "

Berry spun to him, excitement overriding caution.

"Is this your ability, isn’t it? To make things grow like this?"

Lucian’s gaze lingered on the trees for a moment before flicking to Berry. His answer was deliberately vague.

"It’s a part of it."

Berry opened his mouth to push further, but Lucian’s eyes narrowed just slightly, and the words died on his tongue.

Instead, Lucian turned, voice firm.

"Don’t stand around. Cut them down quickly. We’ll use them while they’re fresh."

Berry hesitated.

"Cut... them down? Already? You just made them grow."

"They weren’t meant to last,"

Lucian replied.

"Their purpose is to become our shelter. Now hurry. The longer you waste, the harder the wood will be to work with."

Berry gritted his teeth but moved to obey, grabbing one of the crude tools they had scavenged earlier.

As he struck the first trunk, he felt the resistance of the wood and the raw vitality thrumming through it. It was real—living, breathing wood, as strong as any tree he had ever cut.

Each swing of his tool echoed through the clearing. Sweat formed quickly on his brow as the trees began to topple one by one.

Meanwhile, Lucian stood nearby, arms crossed, watching in silence. His eyes were calm, but his mind was elsewhere.

’This is only the beginning. A shelter is a foundation. Once it’s built, other steps can follow.’

His gaze drifted to Berry, struggling yet determined to cut down what Lucian had created.

’And this one... he’s still too curious. Too eager. He’ll either be useful—or he’ll be a liability.’

Lucian’s lips pressed into a thin line. For now, he would let Berry prove which it would be.