The next day.
Early morning.
Lake, sleeping on the first-floor couch, was awakened by a series of noises. Opening his eyes, he followed the sound and saw Michaela standing by a workbench cluttered with mechanical tools. She was wearing jeans that hugged her curves, occasionally making a "pfft" sound as she worked.
Lake rubbed his faintly aching temples and slowly got up. According to Agatha's explanation, this was one of the aftereffects of his crash.
Hearing the movement, Michaela turned around with a cup of coffee she'd hastily brewed using a soldering iron. She took a sip and looked curiously at Lake, half-leaning on the couch, "Do all gods like sleeping in?"
Lake smiled, "Funny question, Michaela. Actually, gods don't sleep because they're tired. They sleep because they choose to sleep."
"Is there a difference?"
"Of course."
Lake shrugged, "Normally, I only go to bed for one reason—to have a goddess by my side, and then..."
Michaela walked over and cut him off, "Got it."
Lake looked up at her.
Michaela handed him the coffee from her other hand, "Hope you, a god, can stomach the best drink we've got on Earth."
Lake glanced down at the coffee in front of him. Besides the coffee aroma, there was a metallic tang...
Lake paused for a moment, then took a sip.
The taste hit him!
Five parts coffee, two parts metal, and three parts something that seemed like motor oil or petroleum?
Lake's gaze drifted to the messy workbench nearby.
Michaela grinned, "Sorry, I like the flavor when it's brewed this way."
Lake smiled, "It's not bad."
Michaela brushed her hair back, then suddenly glanced at her watch, muttered "Shit," and hurriedly set her coffee cup on the table. She swung a leg over her sky-blue scooter parked nearby and tried to start it, "Damn it, I'm going to be late."
Lake's brows furrowed briefly before relaxing.
Right.
Despite her mature appearance, Michaela was apparently still in high school.
Vroom!
Vroom vroom!
The scooter sputtered under Michaela, failing to start after three or four attempts.
Lake, holding his coffee cup, looked over, "Need help?"
Michaela slapped the scooter's dashboard, muttering a quiet "Shit" before hearing Lake's offer. She shot him a skeptical glance, "I didn't know gods could fix scooters. Forget it, I'll take the bus."
Lake chuckled, lowered his head, and slipped a dark stone bracelet off his right wrist with his left hand. He tossed it toward an empty space big enough for a car.
The next second.
Crack!
The dark stone bracelet transformed instantly. In the blink of an eye, a sleek, pitch-black Pininfarina T20 landed silently on the ground.
Fluid design.
Avant-garde style.
...
Michaela's jaw dropped.
What the hell was this?
Magic?
Lake, seeing her reaction, gave a soft laugh, "What? You look surprised."
Michaela swallowed hard, her gaze struggling to shift to Lake, "Who are you, really?"
Lake shrugged, "I told you last night."
Michaela's expression darkened slightly, "You're really a god?"
Lake grinned abruptly, "By the stars above, what, you thought I was lying to you this whole time?"
Michaela nodded, then shook her head.
Lake laughed heartily. That's more like it. This was the normal reaction he'd expect. How could a god appear in the mortal world without causing a ripple?
This [Dark Stone Bracelet] had been forged for him by Ornn, the demigod known as the Fire Below the Mountain. It could shift into any form he desired. At that thought, Lake couldn't help but reminisce about the glorious moment when he'd flown a Hydra fighter jet over the Jarvan royal palace...
Lake smiled at the still-stunned Michaela, "What's wrong? Don't you have class? Hurry up and go."
Michaela snapped out of it and nodded repeatedly. Right, she had a 10 a.m. class with credits on the line—she couldn't be late.
But...
She glanced at her scooter, then at the silently parked T20. After three seconds of deliberation, she said a quick "Thanks" to Lake, opened the T20's door, and climbed in.
Ignition!
The engine roared to life—a sound Michaela knew well. She'd grown up around cars, after all.
The window rolled down.
Michaela leaned out toward Lake, still on the couch, and said again, "Thanks."
Lake raised his cup, "Michaela, from now on, you need to start seeing things with the eyes of a god. Otherwise, a god who casually says 'thanks' will get looked down on by other gods in the future."
Michaela: "..."
What were gods? Plain and simple, a bunch of proud, arrogant beings. For them, forget saying "thanks"—even if they accidentally wiped out a city, you'd never hear a single "sorry" come out of their mouths...
Michaela forced a smile, floored the gas with her right foot, and the T20's power kicked in. It shot off like a streak of black light, leaving the combined repair shop and home behind.
On the workshop couch.
Lake looked down at the coffee with its oily sheen, chuckled, then spoke as if to himself—or perhaps to someone else, "I hope you've got some proper coffee or tea over there."
His words fell.
Boom!
Lake suddenly felt the scenery around him warp and shift. The [Starry Necklace] around his neck flickered with multicolored light. In less than a breath, his surroundings had completely transformed.
Lake glanced around what seemed like an ancient hall—or perhaps a library—before his eyes settled on a bald woman in a white robe standing by a large floor-to-ceiling window. He let out a small laugh.
The Ancient One, hands clasped behind her back, slowly turned to face Lake, seated in a chair. Her tone was calm and steady, "Extraterrestrial god, tell me your purpose here."
Lake grinned, "A place without even a cup of coffee to offer..."
Before he could finish, a coffee cup appeared in his hand out of nowhere. The next second, the Ancient One stepped forward, standing before him, "Sugar?"
Lake shrugged, "Three spoons!"
As he spoke.
The empty coffee cup in his hand began to fill with a delicious blend of coffee and creamy milk.
Lake took a sip, "Thanks."
The Ancient One placed her hands behind her back again, silently watching Lake.
Lake shook his head with a smile, "Why I'm here? I'm sure the Supreme Sorcerer already has the answer, don't you? I was minding my own business, heading home, when your universe decided to knock me out of the sky without so much as a word. Honestly, I'm still thinking about finding someone to calculate compensation for this mess."
The Ancient One: "..."