The chamber had finally grown quiet. After a night filled with laughter, passion, and some interesting roleplaying, the only sound was the soft hum of reality folding gently around them. Nova and Freya lay together beneath the blanket, neither eager to leave the comfort of the bed.
Freya curled beside him, her breath warm against his skin. Her fingers traced the fading lines of energy across his chest, divine marks that would disappear once he left the Inner Heaven. Knowing she would no longer see them whenever she wished made her reluctant to lift her hand.
Nova looked down at her. Then he sat up slightly, gently brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear.
"I'll come back," he said, his voice soft but reassuring.
"You better," Freya whispered, keeping her eyes closed for a moment longer. When she finally looked at him, she managed a small smile. "I'm serious, Nova. Don't go down there and forget you have someone waiting for you."
"Forget you?" Nova raised an eyebrow. "I doubt even Father has enough power to make that happen."
Freya laughed quietly, though the concern in her eyes remained. She moved closer, and Nova wrapped his arms around her again. Neither was ready to accept that their time together was drawing to an end.
He held her a little tighter, reluctant to leave her behind. She was the Supreme God of Creation, responsible for nurturing and overseeing life across the cosmos. Unlike Nova, she couldn't leave those duties simply because she wanted a change.
"I wish you could reincarnate with me," he admitted, absentmindedly playing with her hair. "It would be a lot more enjoyable if you were there, by my side. I wouldn't have to keep thinking about when I'd see you again."
"I wish I could too." Freya's voice grew quieter. "But you know why I have to stay. There are so many things I still need to look after. I created them, Nova. I can't suddenly abandon them and hope everything turns out fine while I'm gone."
"I know," he said. "I wasn't asking you to."
"I know you weren't." She looked at him. "But if my duties allowed it, I'd already be getting ready to go with you."
Nova smiled. "You'd bring half your collection along."
"Only the smaller ones," Freya said.
"Your idea of small is a black hole larger than entire star systems."
He laughed. This was what he would miss most, Freya arguing with complete seriousness about why a black hole deserved to be called cute.
Freya rested her hand on his chest. "And about what we talked about last night..."
"Our child?" Nova asked.
She nodded. "I meant it. I want us to try, but I don't want you abandoning your plans because of it. We don't even know whether it will happen."
"That's what concerns me. If it does happen, I don't want you handling everything alone while I'm getting beaten up by mortals."
She shook her head, smiling. "If we have a child, we'll figure things out. And I expect you to listen when I tell you something important."
"I will," Nova promised. "Even if I'm somewhere on Earth trying to understand how ordinary humans live, you and our child will still matter more than any adventure."
Freya studied his expression, then nodded. He had always taken his promises to her seriously.
"Oh, and make sure to look after her," he said. "Otherwise, she might cause some complications while I'm gone."
Freya shrugged, suddenly much more cheerful. "Don't worry. I've got this in the bag. We've known each other forever. She's practically my little sister."
She paused, then corrected herself with an even wider smile. "No, she is my sister."
"That's exactly why I'm bringing it up," Nova replied. "You tend to let her get away with things."
"I do not."
Freya held his gaze for a few seconds before giving in. "Fine, sometimes. But she'll be all right. I'll make sure she doesn't blow up another galaxy."
Nova raised an eyebrow.
"Probably," Freya added, her expression turning playful.
"There it is," he said.
Nova laughed and kissed her forehead, then her lips. What was meant to be a brief kiss lasted much longer than either had intended.
For a while, neither spoke. Nova had spent so long complaining about boredom that he'd almost forgotten how difficult it would be to leave someone he loved.
Eventually, Freya pulled away, though Nova looked perfectly happy to continue.
"We should get up," she said.
"Should we?" Nova asked.
"Yes. If I let you keep distracting me, you'll still be here tomorrow, saying you're about to leave."
"Would that be so terrible?" he asked.
"Not for me. But you've talked about this for ages, and I refuse to become the reason you never experience mortal life."
She slipped out from beneath the blanket and stood beside the bed. The green divine marks along her back shimmered with the Divinity of Creation, brighter after their night together. A snap of her fingers dressed her immediately.
Nova rose from the bed and prepared to dress as well, but he caught the way Freya was looking at him. She had turned around to face him, and her eyes lingered a little longer than necessary.
"Enjoying the view?" he asked.
"Always," she replied, making no effort to deny it.
Nova chuckled and dressed with a snap of his fingers. Freya approached him and ran a hand along his hardened bicep, her expression suddenly reluctant.
"You'd better not lose these when you come back up here," she said, gently squeezing his arm. "Otherwise, I'll remove your privileges of going back down again."
Nova laughed. "My privileges?"
"Yes, your privileges." She pulled him closer, making her voice authoritative. "Understood?"
"Perfectly understood, Your Majesty. I'll make sure I come back with both arms in excellent condition."
"And the rest of you too," Freya added, her smile weakening slightly. "I know you want to experience pain, Nova, but please don't forget that being hurt isn't the same as being happy."
He knew she wasn't stopping him. She was reminding him that his decisions affected someone else too.
"I won't forget," he assured her. "And I meant what I said earlier. I'll come back."
"I know."
Nova kissed her one last time. When they separated, they exchanged a wave. They were both upset about being apart, but Nova's excitement was impossible to hide.
He wanted to make decisions without always knowing the outcome, to struggle, to fear, and to experience defeat. He wanted to improve through effort instead of standing at the peak from the beginning.
And so, with Freya watching him, Nova snapped his fingers and disappeared from the Inner Heaven.
His destination was the mortal realm, on a distant, small planet known to its natives as Earth. Compared with many civilizations Nova had observed, humanity was still underdeveloped, occupying a low position on the Kardashev scale.
More specifically, he arrived in North America, in the United States, in the bustling city of Boston, Massachusetts.
Nova appeared in a dark, disgusting alley between two buildings. Damp ground was littered with rubbish. Rats scurried near overflowing bins, cockroaches disappeared into cracks, and an unpleasant smell hung in the narrow space. Beyond the buildings, vehicles passed amid the noise of human voices.
"What an awful place," he muttered.
His face contorted in disgust. He couldn't understand how anyone lived around so much filth. He glanced down at his garment, which hung dangerously close to the dirty ground, and stepped away from a puddle.
Nova was about to move when something caught his attention from the corner of his eye.
Something small moved near the base of the wall. The creature was dark with lighter patches, so little that Nova almost missed it. It took a few hesitant steps toward him, then stopped and stared up at his face.
It was roughly the size of a duckling. Its ears twitched as it watched him, as if deciding whether he was dangerous.
Nova squatted to get a better look. It retreated, then edged forward when he stayed still. He extended his hand, but it moved away before he touched it.
"Ah, so you don't trust me," Nova said, almost amused. "Fair enough."
He lowered his hand and allowed it to approach. After a few moments, it sniffed his fingers, and Nova gently stroked its head. The little creature leaned into his touch and began to purr, a surprisingly warm sound in the otherwise unpleasant alley.
Nova blinked in surprise. He'd encountered creatures of unimaginable size and strength, but this little one seemed capable of winning his affection simply by purring. He smiled before realizing it.
"Are you... a cat?"
The creature answered with a tiny meow, as though it understood him.
Nova laughed. "I'll take that as a yes."
He carefully lifted the kitten, supporting its small body in his hands. It shifted, then settled, apparently satisfied that he meant no harm.
Then he heard another meow.
The sound came from deeper inside the alley, where the light barely reached. Several more small voices joined it.
"More of you?" he asked the kitten in his hands.
He followed the sounds, stepping around the rubbish. Near the darker end of the alley, he found a cardboard box containing several more kittens, huddled together and meowing.
"You've got an entire family here."
The kittens continued meowing. Nova didn't know whether they were frightened or hungry, but he had no desire to leave such defenseless creatures in this filthy place.
"All right," he said, making his decision. "I suppose you're coming with me."
He carefully returned the kitten to the others and lifted the box. The cardboard bent slightly, so he adjusted his grip. For a moment, he stood there looking down at them, finding it oddly difficult to believe how quickly he had become attached to creatures he had only just discovered.
Nova had arrived on Earth hoping for weakness, struggle, and the excitement of an uncertain life. He hadn't expected his first concern to be a box of kittens.
Yet there he was, carrying them carefully out of the dark alley before any trouble found him.