Kai spent the afternoon playing the perfect houseguest.
He helped Mara carry water, chopped firewood with an axe that suddenly felt like a toy, and listened to Garrick's old hunting stories with the wide-eyed admiration of a kid who'd never been told "shut up" in his life. Every time Mara bent over to grab something, he let his gaze linger exactly two seconds longer than polite, then snapped back to innocent smiles when she straightened up.
By late afternoon Garrick had left again to check traps, Mara was busy cooking, and Kai finally slipped out to the backyard.
The place was quiet. Just a patch of packed dirt, a rickety fence, and one lonely wooden training sword leaning against the shed. Probably Garrick's from back when his knees still worked.
Kai cracked his neck and whispered, "Hey, Your Holiness. Get your holy ass down here."
Golden light shimmered. Astrael materialized in front of him, arms crossed under her breasts, cheeks already pink like she knew what was coming.
"You summoned me for a reason, or are you just eager to defile the backyard too?" she snapped.
Kai grinned, stepped in, and kissed her before she could keep talking. Slow, filthy, the kind that reminded her exactly who owned that mouth now. When he pulled back she was breathing hard, silver hair sticking to her forehead.
"Good girl," he said. "Now talk. What the hell am I working with here? Powers, world info, the whole starter pack."
Astrael huffed, trying to look dignified while her thighs pressed together. "Fine. Listen carefully, ScumGod. The body I gave you is the Hero Vessel. Peak human potential in every way: stronger, faster, more agile, learns swordsmanship and magic ten times quicker than mortals. You could probably beat a knight captain tomorrow if you felt like it."
Kai picked up the wooden sword, spun it once. Felt like a toothpick. "Nice. What else?"
She looked away, ears red. "When… when we coupled, you stole some of my divine essence. Congratulations, you now have minor divine blessings."
"Such as?"
"Superhuman healing. Cuts close in minutes, broken bones in hours. You'll age slower. And," she muttered the next part, "your stamina is… enhanced. Permanently."
Kai's grin turned demonic. "So what you're saying is I can fuck for days and walk away without a scratch?"
"Crude pig," she hissed, but didn't deny it.
He stepped closer, twirled the wooden sword like a baton. "Demon King. World. Give me the short version before I decide to test that stamina on you against the shed."
Astrael floated backward, wary. "The continent is Aetheria. Seven kingdoms, dozens of races. Demon King and his armies control the northern wastes. They've been pushing south for fifty years. Villages burn, heroes die, usual song and dance. You're supposed to stop her."
"Supposed to," Kai echoed, slicing the air so fast it whistled. "Got it. Anything else I need to know right now?"
"Plenty. But I'm not staying long enough for you to bend me over the firewood again." She flickered, already half-transparent. "Train. Grow stronger. And try not to impregnate every married woman in the village on day one."
"No promises," he called as she vanished.
Kai spent the next hour beating the shit out of thin air. Every swing felt perfect, every step light enough to dance on water. The wooden sword cracked in half by the time the sun started dipping.
When Garrick came home, Kai was shirtless, sweaty, and grinning like a kid who'd discovered cheat codes.
Dinner was rabbit stew, fresh bread, and Mara's eyes flicking to Kai every time her husband looked away.
Garrick raised his mug. "To new friends and second chances."
Kai clinked his cup, smile sweet, thoughts filthy.
"To second chances" he agreed.
To be continued.