Birds didn’t sing, nor did the sun shine. The storm outside was still raging when Saanvi awoke from her sleep, but she felt like she had been reborn as the world was bursting with lights and colors that she had never seen nor experienced before.

"This is the power of a cultivator," said the strong, deep female voice in her mind.

"Who are you?" Saanvi said, suddenly alert and alarmed as she looked around the room.

"I’m within you, a part of you. You possess the richest of my bloodline as your mother before you and her mother before her did. While there have been many others who have come into this family, the bloodline coming from this great one has always dominated the lower blood we have been exposed to. This is why the eldest born is always a female first, as anything else wouldn’t be allowed."

"I uh..." Saanvi didn’t really understand who was speaking but did understand, thanks to her mother and grandmother, that the first child born in their line was always a female, it was just never known as to why that was.

"Relax child, I am but a whisper of power from many years ago when I reigned supreme upon this planet. I used to sit in my celestial palace and direct the workings over my part of this world. While their were other goddesses, few could measure up to myself. As for the males... well, let’s be honest here, they would never admit they were weaker so there was few chances to even prove it. But such a thing no longer matters."

It seems like the voice sighed as this admission, causing Saanvi to be even more interested.

"Daughter of my blood, while I am with you now, my time is long passed. There is just enough of my spirit left to guide you on the path forward, but even then I hesitate to guide you on my own path as such a thing already hit it’s end many thousands of years ago. While the strength I had back then might entice you, mine and your own goal should be to reach far further than I had back then. In such a war that broke the cosmos, even I was barely more than a foot solder when the fighting took place."

Saanvi remember bits and pieces of the war that brought down the goddess of her bloodline and to think that such a thing was nothing more than the fighting of troops startled her.

"The great beings back then could crush planets, swallow stars and bend black holes to their will. Compared to them, even ancient gods were barely anything at all. We simply sat in our palaces, acting as though we own the universe, never knowing how vast the omniverse was."

"So then what I am experiencing now is..."

"The path. This planet has far more secrets and is far older than your people think. Even from my time, we knew the secrets existed and we looked for them, but they never reveal themselves. Now that the energy on this once dead planet is restoring itself, many beings like me will be awakening. Some will wait until the energy reaches a certain level, some have already awaken to fight sooner for a spot in the great pantheons that will emerge. My plan was to sleep longer and perhaps even await to awaken in your daughter’s time, but it seems you encountered someone who moved the plans forward," the voice said, indicating the man who was still asleep naked in the bed.

"Laz.... but he’s..."

"He’s far more dangerous that anything I have ever seen. I can’t even tell how strong he actually is which means he is already a god."

"That can’t be..."

"Of course it can be. While I had been sleeping, the power within him provoked me. Even once awakened, it didn’t seem too strong, but the little bit you took in from him caused our actual awakening to take place and there was little I could do to stop it. Such a thing would be impossible if her wasn’t already a god himself. I also have read your memories about the current state of the world and even I can’t begin to imagine how things have ended up this way. In the past, there was no such things as the blessed and the cursed or whatever they are actually using. Channeling energy was just one of the many paths to godhood and not even one of the main ones practiced anywhere on this planet. Instead, it was all about strengthening the blood and building the inner world. That was the true path that would allow one to rise above the stars."

"But such people are..."

"I’m aware. But I suggest you deal with your thoughts very soon as now, you yourself are one of the infected. Your blood is from me and there is no way around that now. I need to sleep. While this bit of soul was left within the bloodline to guide you, it has been sleeping for a long time. I need to draw some of your power to strengthen myself, otherwise I will disappear forever. Just remember these two things. I was once known as Kali... and keep this man close. He can be your salvation," the voice within Saanvi said before disappearing. No matter how she tried to call out to it, it wouldn’t respond.

Laz stirred slightly later, aware that whatever was going on was now done. Saanvi hadn’t been as quiet as she could have been and Laz had heard the whole conversation, at least from her end. While he didn’t know what was being said, some thing were guessable now matter how little Saanvi had said.

Turning over, Laz looked at the startled woman and didn’t say anything. She looked at him then noticed that she was currently still naked herself while sitting up in bed. Her breasts were just hanging out freely, giving Laz a show. Despite this, he didn’t stare at them and instead just looked at her eyes, even as she raced to pull the covers up to cover herself.

In the end, she turned away, not knowing what to say. She had thrown herself at him and even when he had done everything to resist, she had still come after him, wanting him... needing him. He had gone far beyond what a normal man would do to resist such temptation and there was nothing she could honestly say to him otherwise.

Laz, guessing at her feelings and knowing that an inner battle was raging, sat up next to her and said,

"What happened last night was nothing more than a fever dream. Let it sit as such and be forgotten with the coming of the morning. Perhaps you should sneak off to Dr. Anton’s. He should be expecting you this morning anyway and the sooner you get there, the better it will be. It’s still early after all so just move fast and stay hidden. And here," Laz said, before pulling something out of thin air and handing them to Saanvi.

"What are these?" She asked, thankful to focus on something other than their current predicament.

"Red jade beads. They can hide what you are as long as no one begins looking at your blood. If that happens, well... come find me. You’re far too weak to be able to cover something like that," Laz said, handing her the bracelet of red jade.

It was only know that she understood; Laz knew everything. She quickly looked up at him and finally saw something she had never noticed before; A dangerous and beautiful mystery wrapped in the desirable skin of a young man who had no trouble pleasing a woman. Looking at him now, she couldn’t help but feel both a burning desire and a soul stirring fear from him. She knew the captain had it out for him... but even if he did, what could the mortal man ever do to this... god?

’He’s a god... Kali had told her as much. How does one even go about... interacting with a god?’

For a second, Saanvi was beside herself as she failed to even form words with which to say back to Laz as all of this seemed to hit her at once.

"I know... you must have questions. And that’s fine. But now it not the time. You should go now, while it’s still early and everyone is still asleep in their own rooms," Laz said, encouraging her to leave as his brief use of spiritual sense confirmed now was a good time.

Saanvi got up, dressed with the tight tank top, panties and robe she had worn to come over here and made for the door. Just as she was about to open it, she turned back to him.

"She said you are a god?" Was the only thing she could get out even while all of the other questions raced through her mind.

"I am."

"So I... fucked a god?"

"Well... yes."

"That explains why I have never felt that way with my husband. Alright. That makes sense... thanks..." Saanvi said and disappeared before any other words she hadn’t meant to say came out.

Laz thought about it for a bit, but had no idea why that was the first thing she thought of after everything that happened.

"Ok... sure..."

Laz stopped thinking about it.