"Woah, what’s up Connor? You have the room next to ours? Must be fate!" Sora smiled as he spoke.
"Doggy!" Xander exclaid. "Can I puwease touch?"
"If your parents say yes, you can et Koda!"
"Xander, you can pet him, but let Koda co to you. Take steps slowly toward him and when he’s ready, he will co say hi. Ok?" Brie said while crouching down and pinching Xander’s cheeks.
"Hi Koduh! Im Xander." he said as he tip-toed cautiously toward the black Siberian husky. "Youze good boy!"
He sat still while staring at Connor. Koda spoke telepathically to his companion.
"You know these people aren’t human, right?"
"Of course they’re human. What are you talking about?"
"Ask them how old their child is. I sense he’s around 4 months old but he looks almost 2 years old," Koda said, relaxing as Xander approached.
Xander stopped about a foot away. "Co ova buddy! I like your whittle white spot!"
Koda slowly stepped to Xander, nuzzling his head into the boy’s small hand. Xander began petting him ecstatically. "Look, Mama, Dadda! Koduh woves !"
"Thanks Koda," Connor praised.
"This kid senses energy, lifeforce, or sothing only he understands. He’s trying to hear us talk. I think they’re gods." Koda explained.
Connor could sense his companion’s excitent and confusion. ’If Koda senses sothing unique, maybe Sora’s comnt about fate wasn’t just an icebreaker.’
"How old is Xander? I have two of my own. Jasmine’s five, Percy’s nine. They’re ho with my wife Susie," Connor said while scratching his head awkwardly.
"He was born February 14th. He’ll be 5 months old in three days. We should move sowhere private. Is Koda your linked companion?" Brie asked charismatically while picking up Xander.
"Yes, he is." Connor said while following the Lockhearts into their room.
*****
Sora muttered, "Lockheart’s whisper."
"I hope this doesn’t co across the wrong way or sound rude, but how does your son talk at 5 months old? That’s incredible!"
"Becawse I’m like mama and dadda and they spechul. Nana Fena bwessed dadda in dweam and mama pass twial." Xander stated proudly.
"Told you idiot." Koda snickered.
"Hey... co on. No snacks tonight." Connor stated sternly.
"Fine, you’re not an idiot. I’m sorry. This is sothing else, though. Xander’s quick response suggests he’s telling the truth. We should hear them out." Koda surrendered.
"Well, Xander, that was a great explanation!" Sora said as Brie laughed.
Connor was shocked and amazed. He couldn’t believe his companion noticed it right away and he didn’t.
"You’re actually a god and goddess?!" Connor couldn’t hide the disbelief in his voice.
Brie and Sora smiled and gave a polite nod.
"My mother is Aphrodite and my father was an Uthra nad Cyrus Lockheart. We got married two years ago and shortly after, my fearless wife decided to take the trial of the gods. She passed with flying colors. Are you familiar with the gods and goddesses on Eerth?"
"My family and the majority of people pray to Athena and her gods and goddesses every day. We are unable to see or hear them, though. Others don’t believe in any afterlife. So ’Underworld Cultists’ have murdered, committed suicide, and done other nasty things to try and speak with Hades or the fallen children of Zeus but no one on Eerth has ever seen or t a god."
"Aside from you and Koda," Brie said with a wink. "What’s it like always being linked telepathically with soone? Do you talk a lot?"
"They’re very smart. Be honest with them. We’re the first human and pet to ever speak to a god and we’re sharing a room with an actual god and goddess, and their child. Don’t ss this up!" Koda said excitedly. He was wagging his tail.
"Ok, sounds good. Anything you want to relay to them?"
"Tell them I like their child and he can ride on my back if he wants." Koda said, his tail still happily wiggling back and forth rapidly.
"Whose the idiot now?" Connor teased.
"Yes, we share a unique bond and we talk all the ti. We can always sense one another. A common misconception of Eerth is that every pet is a companion, and every person has a companion. My wife has never had one, although Koda is very family friendly. There are plenty of people who do not have a pet, let alone a companion." Connor explained happily, excitent flowingly rapidly throughout his muscular body.
"Xander, would you like to ride on Koda’s back?"
"YAY!" Xander said as he teleported on top of the husky’s back.
"He can already teleport that well?! Wow!" Koda said as he began running around the room.
"Thank you Koda!" Brie yelled. He turned his head and said, "woof."
"Koda also inford that your child can sense the lifeforce in others. Can Xander tell if soone has good or bad intentions imdiately?" Connor asked curiously.
"We’re still learning with him. On Exteria, gods and goddesses visit while soone is asleep. Athena visited first and blessed him on a separate occasion. It’s a very strange and scary sensation. The person is guaranteed to have a great dream and a nightmare, and when the god or goddess shows up, their heartbeat and breathing drops so low, they appear dead." Brie said politely.
"When I first moved into Sora’s room, I rember him violently shaking and screaming in his sleep. Before I knew it, I was literally crying and yelling at him to wake up. I thought I lost him."
"That sounds like an intense experience," Connor mused. "I wonder—is that unique to Exteria? Or could it happen on other worlds, too? Have you ever tried to visit soone in their dreams?"
Sora and Brie exchanged a look, the raw, stinging realization of their own isolation clouding their expressions. It wasn’t just confusion; it was the crushing weight of their own sheltered ignorance. Here they sat, days removed from sha and regret of the epiphany in Paradise: the entire party continued to miss the most impactful and obvious truths of their future. Now, a human from another planet asked a question that crushed the lovebirds’ improving morale.
"Babe?" Sora murmured. "Do you think we could actually visit soone in their dreams?"
Brie hugged Sora, searching for happiness in his arms. Their world continued to fluctuate in chaos, but Sora’s love always brought her peace and joy.
"I’m not sure. We should ask Celeste when we get back. But can you explain the rest of this to them? My head is spinning. I’m just—I’m not in the mood right now. I’m sorry, sweetie. I love you."
"Absolutely," Sora said, hugging her tightly. "I love you, too."
Sora turned and looked at Connor. He smiled and took a seat in an adjacent recliner.
"Well, ironically, that cross never crossed our minds. I know we just t, but we trust you two. If you’d like, I can explain in more detail."
"What do you think, Koda? Should we listen or should we politely decline?"
"Are you really asking that question? Of course we should listen to whatever a god and goddess have to say!"
Connor’s face lit up with excitent. He couldn’t wait to hear more about the beings he always prayed to had to say.
"We’d love to hear your story!"
Sora laughed. "Well, it’s not as amazing as you think. It’s honestly embarrassing."
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