Jayden Cole had always prided himself on handling stress well. Missed trains? Deep breaths. Pop quizzes? Mild panic, manageable recovery. A surprise visit from an ancient moon goddess with glitter-streaked robes and emotional volume control issues?
That was proving slightly harder to categorize.
He sat at the edge of his bed, staring at the being currently levitating above his rug. She was humming to herself, upside-down, feet crossed in the air like she was lounging on an invisible couch. Every time she snapped her fingers, something in his room floated. His desk chair. His deodorant. His hopes and dreams.
"Stop doing that," he mumbled.
Velathria flipped herself upright mid-air and hovered until her feet gracefully touched down. "Doing what, Jay-Jay?"
"Don't—don't call me that."
"Right, right. Mortal code names. Jayden Cole, Devoted Oath-Giver of the Honeyed Oats." She bowed. It was theatrical. Unnecessary. And honestly kind of beautiful.
Jayden dragged a hand down his face. "You're not seriously planning to stay, are you?"
Velathria blinked, affronted. "Of course I am. You offered. I accepted. We are now cosmically entangled. Do you even read the fine print in divine invocation texts?"
"It was a granola bar," he protested.
"And intent, Jayden. Intent is everything in divine law. That bar wasn't just a snack—it was a gesture." She pointed dramatically at the ceiling. "A symbol. A prayer wrapped in oats and compressed sugar."
He stood, pacing now. "Okay. Listen. I live in a shared apartment. My roommate is going to come home, and I swear if he sees you floating stuff or raining glitter, he'll call an exorcist."
Velathria's eyes sparkled. "Ooh, an exorcist! I haven't hexed one of those since the 1400s. So fussy. So scream-y."
Jayden paused. "Hexed…?"
She smiled sweetly. "Lightly. Just lightly."
He sighed and started gathering items from the floor. His books were scattered in some kind of runic spiral, his hoodie was glowing faintly, and his ceiling fan was rotating despite being unplugged.
"Look," he said, as calmly as possible, "maybe you can go back to wherever you came from, and I can pretend this was all a—"
"Dream? Hallucination?" Velathria crossed her arms, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe. But would a dream do this?"
She snapped her fingers. His ratty old cactus plant on the windowsill bloomed violently, bursting with blue, bioluminescent flowers.
Jayden stared. "Okay. That's… that's new."
"Dreams don't come with aftermarket botany upgrades, Jayden."
He sat back down, dazed.
Velathria flopped beside him, arms spread wide on his bed. Her presence was radiant and chaotic, like if a star had taken human form and learned sarcasm. "So," she asked, tilting her head toward him, "what do you want?"
He blinked. "What?"
"You get a reward, remember? It's divine law. First worshipper in centuries, yadda yadda—one wish, one blessing. You have options. Power. Riches. Fame. A dragon, if you're emotionally prepared for that level of maintenance."
Jayden opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. "I—I don't know. I didn't expect this. I was just messing around."
"That's how the best relationships start," Velathria replied brightly. "Accidental, chaotic, oat-fueled."
Jayden frowned. "This isn't a relationship."
She leaned in, mock-whispering, "That's what the last guy said. Before he accidentally founded a cult."
His eyes widened. "What."
Velathria shrugged. "Anyway. I need to blend in. If I'm going to be your blessing-giver and cosmic roomie, I need a mortal identity. Ooo! What if I'm your eccentric cousin? Or your mysterious foreign exchange student girlfriend? Wait. Do you have a girlfriend?"
Jayden laughed nervously. "God, no."
Velathria smirked. "Excellent. That clears a lot of narrative tension."
He stood up again, rubbing his temples. "Okay. Let's say you have to stay. You'll need clothes. And, I don't know, a name that doesn't sound like a Final Fantasy spell."
Velathria gasped. "You want to rename me? I've had my name for millennia! It was carved into the temples of the Moondrowned Realms!"
He gave her a look.
She huffed. "Fine. Something… contemporary. Something that blends."
He picked up his phone and scrolled through baby name lists until he found one that felt right. "How about... Vera?"
Velathria tested it on her tongue. "Vera... Vera... short for Velathria. I like it. It's cute. It's mortal."
"It's believable."
"I am believable!"
Jayden snorted. "Says the glowing woman who entered through a rift in space and time and turned my lava lamp into a miniature sun."
Vera beamed. "Thank you."
There was a knock at the door. Jayden's blood froze.
Roommate.
He grabbed her wrist and hissed, "Hide!"
She blinked. "I don't hide. I descend."
"Please!"
She sighed dramatically and shimmered out of sight with a twinkle of light and a faint pop. Jayden opened the door a crack.
His roommate, Marcus, peeked in, hoodie soaked with rain. "Yo, did the power flicker? My phone died mid-swipe."
Jayden forced a smile. "Uh, yeah. Weird surge. Probably the storm."
Marcus sniffed the air. "Smells like incense and ozone. You burning candles again?"
Jayden glanced behind him at the still-glowing cactus and the faintly levitating deodorant. "Just trying something new."
Marcus nodded, unconvinced. "Right... You cool?"
Jayden nodded a little too hard. "Totally."
"Cool. Gonna order Thai. You want in?"
He hesitated. Then nodded. "Yeah. Get me the green curry."
"Bet." Marcus disappeared.
Jayden shut the door slowly.
Velathria—or Vera now—reappeared mid-air, upside-down again. "Your mortal friend has no aura sense. Delightful."
Jayden slumped into his chair. "This is going to ruin my life."
Vera floated closer, her gaze softening. "Or... change it. You're the first mortal in centuries to notice me. That's not a mistake, Jayden."
He met her eyes. "What if I don't want any of this?"
She paused, serious now. "Then I'll leave. I'm chaos, not cruelty."
Jayden was quiet for a moment. Then, softly: "Stay. Just… try not to hex anyone."
She grinned like a sunrise. "No promises, Oath-Giver."
Outside, the rain started again. But inside, Jayden's world had already changed forever.
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