Null didn't smile back, but his voice was calm, devoid of its usual blankness, touched by a newfound purpose. "You emit a unique energy," he stated directly, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. "Like me."
Sooji blinked, her bright smile faltering. Her hand instinctively went to the small, unadorned silver locket at her throat, her hazel eyes flicking from Null's face to the locket and back. A flicker of something unreadable – surprise? confusion? sudden wariness? – crossed her features. The air around her subtly tightened, the subtle warmth intensifying.
Oh, this is going to be good, Fang thought, his tiny head popping out of Null's hoodie pocket. His amber eyes, usually so full of mischief, immediately locked onto the silver locket at Sooji's throat. This wasn't just a power signature; this was a source. An instinct, ancient and undeniable, propelled him.
With a soft, almost inaudible zzzip! sound, Fang launched himself from Null's shoulder, a tiny black missile aimed straight for Sooji's chest.
Sooji gasped, startled, her hand flying up to swat at the unexpected projectile. Her movement was quick, instinctively laced with a subtle burst of raw, radiant energy that shimmered like heat haze around her fingers. The energy, however, harmlessly rippled around Fang, who, in his singular focus, simply zipped past it.
He landed with a delicate flutter of his tiny wings directly on the silver locket, his small claws gently gripping its smooth surface. This wasn't just a Prime Stone; this was something else entirely.
Fang's usually disrespectful, cynical inner voice went completely silent. His amber eyes, usually so full of mischief and ancient world-weariness, dilated. The locket, to him, wasn't just silver and metal. It pulsed with an internal, ethereal glow, refracting light in a thousand unseen ways. Its surface felt impossibly smooth, like polished moonlight, and within its depths, he perceived not mere energy, but a captivating, almost living essence. It was perfectly balanced, radiating an undeniable, profound beauty that resonated with something deep within his draconic soul. It had a beautiful body, a beautiful face, and everything. It was the most magnificent thing he had ever laid eyes on.
He gently nuzzled the locket, purring a sound that was barely a tremor in the air. My beloved, he thought, his ancient, cynical mind utterly, irrevocably smitten. He had spent millennia cataloging cosmic horrors and celestial boons, but never had he encountered something so utterly, perfectly exquisite.
Null, meanwhile, stood utterly stoic, his cross eyes fixed on Sooji's flustered face. He was used to Fang's antics, but this... this was a new level of immediate, profound attachment. Always dramatic, Fang, Null thought, a faint flicker of something akin to exasperation passing through his otherwise unreadable expression. He didn't care about the disrespect, but the timing was less than ideal.
Sooji, her eyes wide, stared from the tiny, purring dragon on her locket to Null's unreadable, cross-eyed gaze. "What in the… darlin', is that… your lizard?" she stammered, her Southern accent thickening with disbelief and a hint of bewildered charm. "And why is it... hugging my necklace?"
Null remained still, giving no immediate answer. He merely watched Sooji, waiting. Her confusion was genuine, but beneath it, he sensed the growing tremor of her power, reacting to the unexpected situation and the unusual creature clinging to her most precious possession. This was not a normal meeting, but then, nothing in Null's life was 'normal' anymore. He needed her, or rather, he needed answers that her connection might provide. The war wouldn't wait for introductions.
Null remained still, giving no immediate answer to Sooji's bewildered questions. He merely watched her, his cross eyes unblinking, waiting. Her confusion was genuine, but beneath it, he sensed the growing tremor of her power, reacting to the unexpected situation and the unusual creature clinging to her most precious possession. This was not a normal meeting, but then, nothing in Null's life was 'normal' anymore. He needed her, or rather, he needed answers that her connection might provide. The war wouldn't wait for introductions.
"He's a companion," Null finally stated, his voice flat, gesturing vaguely towards the purring dragon. "He's... interested in your locket."
Sooji's gaze flickered between Null's disquieting eyes, the tiny, purring dragon still firmly attached to her necklace, and then back to Null. Her bewilderment slowly gave way to a cautious curiosity, though a hint of alarm remained.
"A... companion?" she repeated slowly. "That's hardly a normal companion. And 'interested' isn't the word I'd use for a creature that just launched itself at my chest like a lovesick insect!" She tried a tentative poke at Fang with a finger, but he merely pressed himself more firmly against the locket, purring louder.
She's trying to touch my beloved, Liege! Fang transmitted with mock outrage, though his voice was muffled by his devotion. Tell her to respect personal space! Especially when said personal space is this radiating, celestial beauty!
Null ignored Fang. "The locket," he stated, cutting through Sooji's incredulity. "It's the source of your energy. The warm hum."
Sooji stiffened, her hand tightening around the locket, instinctively shielding it. Her friendly demeanor vanished, replaced by a sudden, wary defensiveness. "What are you talking about, 'energy'?" Her eyes narrowed, the hazel depths hardening. "Who are you?"
"My name is Null," he answered simply, offering no further explanation, as he had none. "The energy you feel from me, the energy from your locket. They are similar. They are from the Prime Stones."
The word "Prime Stones" seemed to hang in the air, a foreign language to Sooji. She eyed him, then the dragon, then the locket again, clearly trying to process his utterly bizarre statement. "Prime... what?" she asked, her voice now edged with genuine suspicion. "Look, I don't know what kind of stories you're telling, but this is just my grandmother's old locket. And that... that thing you call a 'companion' needs to get off it." She made another, more determined effort to dislodge Fang, but the little dragon clung on with surprising strength.
Never! Fang declared in Null's mind, vibrating with indignation. She can try! But this unholy union of pure essence and draconic devotion shall not be severed! Tell her, Liege! Tell her what a masterpiece this thingis!
Null's cross eyes remained fixed on Sooji. He could sense her power, dormant but potent, radiating from the locket. She was either genuinely unaware or a very good actress. "There's a war coming," Null stated, his voice low, pulling the conversation back to the stark reality he now lived. "And people like us... we're involved."
Sooji froze, her eyes widening, the playful glint entirely gone. The phrase "war coming" cut through her casual facade like a knife. She stared at Null, then at Fang, who continued to nuzzle the locket with unabashed affection. The absurdity of the situation warred with the unsettling seriousness in Null's unreadable gaze. He looked like he knew things, terrifying things, that she couldn't even begin to imagine.
"A war?" Sooji whispered, her voice barely audible. Her power, reacting to her distress, flared, a faint shimmer of golden warmth briefly radiating outwards, causing the potted flowers in the plaza to bloom a fraction brighter. It was unmistakable.
Null saw the surge, confirming his suspicions. "Yes," he said, his voice flat but firm. "And we need to talk. Properly." He gestured vaguely at Fang. "He won't let go of your necklace until he's satisfied."
Sooji looked at the tiny dragon, then at Null. A nervous, almost helpless laugh escaped her. "Well, goodness," she muttered, "I suppose this is the strangest day of my life." She took a hesitant step back, then another, clearly overwhelmed. "Alright, Null, let's just... step away from the coffee stand. My grandmother always said never discuss doomsday prophecies in public." She glanced around nervously. "Especially with a... a lovesick lizard involved."