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Shou smiled through her exhaustion, shifting slightly to snuggle into Khaesho's coils. The dark, dreamless sleep was exactly what she needed. No dreams, no excitement, no anything... just a lovely, bottomless darkness, sheltering her from the world.

More than her body though, it was needed for her spirit to knit itself together. Kalokin had injected a liberal amount of his essence into her body, forced his soul violently into hers. On top of that, he'd altered her form from a quirky wolf girl into... something else, and the drastic changes had taken a toll on her. Everything she knew about herself and the world at large was suddenly wrong, and she would be doubting herself until she rediscovered herself.

That said, it was nothing a good week of sleep wouldn't fix, and a good week of sleep was what she got. She might have woken earlier, but Kalokin gently inhibited her mind, keeping her asleep as her new body healed from a collection of misshapen pieces into a lithe dancer that rivaled her previous body for grace and beauty. She was healing, and her soul had accepted him with open arms.

That scared him more than anything else.

He'd thought he'd looked at everything, thought he'd taken into account all the variables, but she was acclimating far faster than should have been possible. It had taken Khaesho a week of excruciating headaches and vomit inducing nausea to even begin to adapt, and that was a pretty standard turnaround.

Shou's soul was spotless after two days.

The only time he'd ever seen anyone approach such a time was when Ghoz had blessed one of his favored workers heavily, only to have his vessel die ten years later. He'd picked the blessed one, Jhak, as his vessel, and his soul had healed fully in about five days. It didn't make sense, and things that didn't make sense had a tendency to bite him on the tail.

Then there was the matter of the Shou's spirit. She'd had an incredibly swift and violent reaction when Kalokin first encountered her, in the desert of his soul. For most unawakened Naga, it took at least a day for a Sapient to discover Kalokin working heavy magic through a soul fragment, and another day to start damaging it, yet she'd taken his fragment into pieces in a matter of hours. Not even a Blessed could match that, and even a Vesssel would be hard pressed to match that time.

There was what happened before he claimed her... Her spirit took the shape and form of a happy memory to shield her soul from him, a very common defense. The memory surrounded her, keeping her happy and thoughtless, which kept him from intruding. Normally, he'd knock politely, asking at the door. The soon-to-be vessel would -choose- to answer and admit him in. The memory would start to unravel once Kalokin crossed the symbolic threshold, and then the Deity would be forever a part of that mortal's mind. Then he'd lightly bend his or her soul to make room for him. Not much at first, usually just a bit, then he'd make his own room as time passed. Shou's soul was already bent horrible from his previous encounter, so he'd been able to use a significant chunk of his soul to heal her. Perhaps that's why? He had half of his soul inside hers, the most he'd ever had at once, save for Khaesho. Maybe that had compressed her suffering into extreme minutes instead of long days.

Still, that didn't explain what happened with her memory. It had started normal enough. Civilized townhouse, happy parents, warm sunshine, tasty lunch, it was a perfect Thursday afternoon. It had gotten dark though, before Kalokin even knocked. Her memory was twisted and contorted before he even approached, darkening into a nightmare. Frozen faces, mannequins unable to defend her... black ink on the windows, isolating her from the world. Creaking floorboards... as if there was something already there... it was a hellish scene, and from what he knew of her past, it was fine-tuned specifically to scare her.

He knew her handiwork... it was exactly what She would have done. Shou was weak, a fragile thing, shattered so easily... She would-

Kalokin manifested specifically so he could ram his head against the wall, hard. It didn't do anything except shatter the stone, but it helped him to stop that train of thought. She was gone. She would never plague the world ever again, they'd made sure of that. They'd all been so sure... but... She was strong, and cunning as the Devil's tongue... what if he-

A second snake skull indentation appeared next to the first. Don't think about it. Don't think about Her. She's gone, and dwelling on it only makes things worse. She is gone. She is GONE.

...

But...

What if she wasn't...?

He was Shou's guardian now. His soul was bound to hers, and he would defend her against anything. Nobody threatened his family. Shou had lived a hard enough life without the skeletons in Kalokin's closet dancing on her tail.

Adding everything together though... Kalokin had no idea what he was dealing with. Shou had reacted completely differently from every Naga he'd ever known. He was tempted to chalk it up to the fact that she was Civilized, but the small voice in the back of his head denied that. Something more was at play, there were too many coincidences.

Regardless, he'd given her soul, her spirit, and her body a triple check, all the way down to every fiber of muscle. She was healthy and whole, and his will was the only thing keeping her asleep. Her spirit was clean and unmarred, and her soul was empty of all but herself and Kalokin. Khaesho would sleep for some time yet; he'd waited until later to start on Khaesho's... modifications... and the Naga could use another few hours of sleep.

That was just fine by him, it meant he got Shou to himself for a while. He kind of liked that idea, honestly. He and Khaesho were like brothers, but even brothers need to spend time apart after a while. With a soft exhalation of magic, Kalokin released Shouyousei's mind from slumber and started her towards wakefulness. She stirred sleepily, yawning adorably as she wriggled. As he watched her move, he remembered the holes in the wall and cursed silently. A quick working moved the shards into place and sealed them there. It was a rush job, and the cracks were visible, but it no longer looked like he'd tried to use his head to chisel out a new cavern. Then he pulled a dim light together, so Shou would be able to see.

Shou surfaced slowly. Her mind was clouded from dehydration and hunger, and her joints were stiff from lying still so long. Her body still ached, but it was an ache that she was familiar with. It was an ache that demanded movement, demanded that she stretch the kinks from her muscles. Khaesho's confining coils prevented such an action for now, so she had to settle for a flick of her ears as she began take stock of her body.

She felt absolutely filthy. She was covered in shed hair, and the skin on her back, tail, eyelids, and stomach itched furiously. It felt loose, baggy almost, and her very first instinct was to tear it off like a scab.

"You really should, you know. Scrape the remains off, I mean. It's just dead skin now, you have scales underneath it. A good scrubbing will help you more than anything, but peeling it back will have to do for now. I can help with that, Khaesho will be out for a good few hours yet. I thought you'd appreciate some time to clean up first."

Shou squirmed as she raked her claws through her fur. It felt so weird, and she itched at it idly before Kalokin's voice slid through her mind. A flicker of irritation crossed through her at the idea of waking up, even though she'd gotten plenty of sleep. Really, she was not a morning person! The light had her blinking her eyes rapidly, trying to get used to even the dim light after so long in the darkness. She scrunched her nose a little bit as her eyes watered.

Her ears twitched as she moved, crawling slowly and carefully from under the nest of furs and the warmth of Khaesho's coils to shake herself out as a wolf would. Her instincts demanded it, and she was in every mood to indulge them. It shook the worst of her shed fur all over Khaesho's soft carpet, leaving her back and stomach pale grey from the dead patches. She arched her back, easily bending back over with the grace of a dancer, even while sore. Then she kept going, surpassing her previous flexibility and balance by resting her weight heavily on her tail.

She stared upside down at the tail that splayed behind her. It was a Reptile's tail, thick and strong at the base, thin and flexible at the tip. With more than idle curiosity, she lifted the tip towards her hand and coiled it around her finger pensively. It felt... right. Perfect. She instinctively knew how to make it move, even though her old tail hadn't been anywhere near prehensile.

"You have me to thank for that as well... Instincts are hard to work with, but I didn't want you tripping over your tongue and tail for weeks before you learned how they worked."

A wide yawn stretched her jaws open and cut off what she was about to say. Her jaw opened, then kept going. She felt a second hinge working with very fine bones in her jaw, allowing her to effortlessly open her mouth to a one hundred twenty degree angle. The action pulled a new set of muscles, and fangs flipped down from the roof of her mouth. Her now-prehensile tongue reached up and spiraled around one, exploring the ivory spike. Again, she instinctively knew how her tongue worked, even though she was consciously aware of the fact that it was freaky and weird compared to her old tongue. Even more than her tail, her tongue felt... almost like an extra hand, and she managed to literally tie her own tongue in a knot with a decent attempt. That made her giggle, untying the knot and rising out of the arch.

She fluffed out her fur and blinked sleepily at Kalokin. Giving him a happy smile, she went to sit down on Khaesho's pile. She inadvertently failed to pull her tail up or to the side in time and sat on it hard. Biting down on her yelp, she glanced behind her again as she shuffled it out of the way.

"Do you know the way to the pool?"

"Do I know- I'm an unbound deity of unfathomably skill and knowledge. So, no, I don't. I can find it in... yea, there it is. Don't worry about being silent for Khaesho's sake though, not even a monsoon could wake someone from one of my enchanted naps. How's your mouth feel? Open wide, let's see how your jaw and fangs turned out, then we'll get you cleaned up."

Shou scraped through the skin and shivered a little, tugging at it. Her claws and fingers picked at it, desperate to scratch because it was driving her mad. She offered him a small grin though, and stood slowly.

"Honestly..? A bit like I have a mouth full of cotton, I need a drink..." Opening her mouth for him, she curled her tongue a little and made the obligatory 'Aaaah' noise. Fangs exposed without any conscious effort from her, more as a result of her opening her mouth wide. She kept her mouth open for Kalokin to stare down, and he peered deep into her maw. He raised one hand to idly stroke a fang with his thumb, then smiled to himself.

"Flawless. I even managed to make them permanent; they'll grow back if you manage to break them."

He grabbed a hold of half of her jaw then and tugged it; her lower jaw bone was split down the middle, and the skin stretched well. She wasn't quite as stretchy as a Snake, and she wasn't made for large meals, but she'd be able to manage at least a few fun party tricks. It felt strange and weird, and she whined a bit at the unusual feeling. It was enough to make her whine softly, but not in pain. Her long tongue curled a little, and she licked at his fingers.

"Mouth looks good, fangs are healthy. I wonder if the venom worked..."

He calmly jabbed a finger up onto the needle sharp tip of her fang. It punctured easily through several layers of his "flesh" but stopped abruptly halfway through. The feeling of flesh sliding over her fang instinctively squeezed venom from the roof of her mouth, and several amber covered drops fell from her other fang and onto her tongue. She whimpered with concern as she felt his "flesh" slide over one fang, but did her best to not move. Kalokin knew what he was doing.

"Hmm... Mix of Hemotoxin and Neurotoxin, similar to many Rattler's. Not especially concentrated... would take a severe dose to kill someone. About as I'd expected then. Turn around, let's get that mess off of your back."

She honestly hadn't expected to get actual venom... even if it was weak venom, it was still kind of neat. When he removed his hand from her mouth she finally spoke.

"Well, wouldn't it make sense? I mean you started out as a rattler when you started to change me..."

Then she turned, and tilted her head to the side, eager for his help in getting the loose skin and shed fur from her body.

"Yes and no... With everything that was going on, I kind of neglected to pay attention to your venom. It's more because you wanted rattlesnake diamonds than anything else; it was easier to splice you with just one Snake. I can alter your venom, if you give me a month to work at it, but I'd rather leave your fangs weak until we know you won't accidentally stab yourself or Khaesho. Now, let's see how I did with your scales..."

His claws started high on her back, on either side of her backbone, and he stabbed down hard. He easily pierced the dead skin, and though he didn't cut through her scales, she whimpered as he came very close to it. He shredded downwards, flaying her once-living flesh until it hung in tatters. He reached out and gripped specifically her dead skin using his magic and his essence, and neatly ripped it from her back. It hurt worse than tearing a scab off, but it felt oh so good afterwards. She closed her eyes, and he repeated the process much more gently for the scales there.

"Shou, we've outdone ourselves."

He conjured a few illusory mirrors which worked just like real ones, and she gasped as she saw her new back. Her gleaming black scales matched Khaesho's in color and hue, but hers were punctuated by pale blue diamonds that marched down either side of her spine.

"It's a fitting tribute to the Rattlesnake who died defending me..."

And to her it was. There was a piece of Kalokin that insisted he was a rattler. It had died for her, and even if that death wasn't permanent, it still happened. Shou wanted to honor that sacrifice, and it seemed fitting that her body reflect the one who'd saved her life. Her scales were a tribute, to the catalyst that had changed everything. Her ears pricked forward, and she winced as he pulled away the dead skin. Squirming a little bit, she glanced at the mirrors he called into existence and her breath caught in her throat at the sight.

"Oh... oh wow, how pretty!"

The black scales, and the blue diamonds melded beautifully with her dark grey fur, and her ears perked in delight. A slow swish of her longer tail - something to get used to for certain - and she leaned some of her weight on it. Using it as a prop, she curled and twisted it to get used to the new muscles. As she settled there, she recalled something from before the change. Snapping her fingers, she turned to look at Kalokin.

"Before you and Khaesho fixed my soul, when Shelandra settled into my head - before that, she gave me a blessing. But Khaesho didn't get a chance to tell me what it was. Could you translate it for me?"

"She didn't just give you a blessing. She gave you _her_blessing. Walk with me."

He set out towards the pool, going slowly so that Shou could get used to her tail sliding along the ground after her. She was instinctively waving it like a snake would, and with practice it could probably even help push her forwards. She needed time to get used to it though, and the brand new muscles needed stretching.

"That, Shou, was a great honor, the highest possible blessing she could bestow without making you her Vessel. Loosely translated, it would have meant something like this. 'May my light forever warm to your path, that you bring joy to those who follow.' Along with it, she left a small portion or her power, her soul with you. It isn't nearly enough for her to manifest, or even share your perceptions, but if you're in great pain or stress, she'll know, and she'll come. In a normal Serpent, it would lend a little extra stamina, a little more strength, and an increase to our already substantial resistance to heat. In one of the Chosen, one already claimed by another god... well, it won't change very much. Our essence isn't so different from one another. Still, you'll be able to use it as a battery of sorts, best used for heat magic, and you'll gain even more heat resistance; it will actually recharge by pulling heat from the air and from your body, and should automatically protect you from dangerous temperatures. We'll have to run a few cautious tests, but you might be able to literally walk through fire." He chuckled slightly to himself and elbowed Shou gently. "That's not even the best part. She didn't just bless you, she blessed your entire family line. It will split evenly amongst your children, and their children, until it's diluted to nothing more than a spark. That alone would be enough to ensure your family has strong magic for at least three generations. Simply put, It means you made a hell of a good impression on her, and we'll certainly be seeing her again, most likely the first time she gets lonely."

Shou stumbled a little when she tried to move like she normally did, and instead had to slow down a step to get used to the movement. It caused her nose to scrunch as she tried to figure out this new movement. With a glance at her tail, and she wondered how difficult it would be to dance this way... That thought was stubbornly pushed aside with the determination to train more settling into her bones. Then her attention settled on Kalokin.

Her ears perked up as she heard him beginning to explain what Shelandra had done. A soft whistle, and her brows knit a little bit. "You were knee deep in my soul when I talked to her... when she asked me if she could sit in my soul... but I more or less scolded her. So I'm surprised I made such a good impression. Though I did offer for her to come back whenever she wanted, so long as she asked first... maybe that's why?"

He shook his head, abandoning the pretense of gravity so he could float behind her and hug her shoulders.

"It's_because_ you scolded her, not despite it. We don't lay upon ceremony, and we don't demand much special treatment either. That's universal among us four, but Shelandra especially hates when people praise her name or try praying to her. She's a blacksmith, a craftswoman, and she does her best to avoid the whole worship thing. If you'd been wrong, you would probably have caught fire. You were right though... she'd made a mistake and she'd done something cruel, and you called her out on it. It takes courage to talk down to a deity, and it takes generosity to forgive so easily. That's what impressed her.

She walked silent for a moment, letting that fact sink in. A god that despised worship and praise? It was unheard of, in all the religions and myths she knew. Her nose scrunched some, but then what Kalokin said about children hit her, and she smiled warmly. She was already thinking about a family. "Well then, when we have pups they'll be quite lucky!"

Kalokin was a tried and true deity, and as such, it was scientifically impossible for him to trip over his own coils. He did the next best thing though. His concentration shattered, and his manifestation dissipated and reformed over the course of a second.

"I... Shou, I'll be honest, what I'm trying to do has never been done before. No god has ever claimed two acolytes during the same lifespan, and no two Acolytes have ever laid eggs together. Adding to that the fact that You and Khaesho are entirely different in almost every aspect that I can think of... I have no idea what that will mean for your children. I asked around, and Ghoz wanted to string me up just for that first bit. With Shelandra's help, I convinced him to let us try... but... I really don't know."

She gave him a trembling smile; scared, yet brave. She was uncertain and uneasy, but at the same time... she trusted him,

"I don't know if any amount of genetic tampering will even make it possible, But... but Kalokin, it pleases me to hope. To hope that maybe... maybe it can happen. I never had a hope like this before... a hope that I could have a family."

He smiled warmly and squeezed her shoulders a little. With a sigh, he abandoned the form of a Naga and manifested as a cloak of soft blue scales around her shoulders. The cave was still the same temperature, but it felt colder to her now that her metabolism was stunted. The new longcoat-Kalokin insulated her from the air, helping her to stay warm. He also squeezed her gently in a hug just because he could.

"Genetics? I can handle that. It will take time, patience, study, and multiple errors, but we'll succeed eventually. The only problem is... your children might be born already saturated with my essence, and that could cause... problems."

She winced at that, and he chuckled from a blue, eye shaped gemstone at her throat.

"Still, that's a bridge we can cross when we come to it. In the meantime, I need to start you on learning magic."

"Magic can wait a few minutes more, first, what do you mean? I... they'll be okay, won't they..? Any pups I may have, I mean. T-they'll..." Worry clogged her throat with words, and she swallowed hard as she tried to suppress the fears that bubbled up. Worst case scenarios rolling through her mind scape, spiking her fear unreasonably high. At least, Kalokin thought it was unreasonable, but then again, he lacked maternal instinct.

"Not health problems. I can guide their bodies from conception onwards to ensure that they're healthy, but remember, I am the God of Thieves. Imagine my near limitless power in the hands of a child. If your kids are anything like the kids I've seen in the past, you and Kesh will have your hands full."

"That's why you teach children responsibility. And accountability. My dad... he was a good sort, taught me everything I needed to know. I only hope I can be half the mom to my pups as he was a dad to me..." A small smile as she mentioned it, and her ears half splayed.

Kalokin laughed again, heartily. "You're talking about responsibility to me? Oh, I can't wait to corrupt your children." He said it with sarcasm though; he was clearly kidding.

A smile crossed Shou's lips as she laughed, nudging his side gently. "Of course I am! You're responsible; you took responsibility where I was concerned. Plus, you've got a good heart. I'm pretty sure I mentioned that before. You're... kind. Warm." There was a gentle look on her face as she glanced up at him. Seeking to reassure him of these facts. Even if he was being sarcastic, that sarcasm was just slightly too bitter for her taste... it almost sounded self-degrading.

"I'm responsible for enough already..." Her compliments didn't go unheeded, and he rippled happily as they reached the pool. "Now, we need to clean you up, and then I think we have time to practice some magic before Khaesho wakes, if you want."

"You have a good heart. That is something that was always there, hidden though it might have been." The sight of the pool had her cheering quietly, as she padded towards the water's edge. An excited noise escaped her lips as she waded in without any worry for the water. Kalokin dissipated as she entered the water, re-forming into a full Naga well away from the edge. Shou smirked as she turned towards him.

"Ah, but wait, Kalo, you're afraid of water... so how're you gonna help?"

"Hey, hey, I am not 'Afraid' of it. I was never afraid of it for my sake, but for Khaesho's. I can live with my Vessels dying of old age, that's inescapable. When a vessel dies violently or painfully though..." He shivered, unsettled by the memories. "Not pleasant, especially since Im fond of you two. I can't actually feel anything while manifested, unless I really pour effort into it. I don't have nerve endings or anything like that, I just have essence. That's what Vessels are for, truly... you let us experience the mortal world as a mortal would."

He melted despite his words, sliding into Shou's mind with a smirk in his soul. A surprised squeal noise escaped her as he evaporated. "You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing you melt..." It brought to mind a horrible vision, a rattlesnake collapsing into sand, and she shivered. Pushing the thought away, she settled into the shallows and started to scrub at her fur and new scales. Rubbing her scales the wrong way jabbed them into her flesh, and it pinched more than a little. She'd have to make sure she didn't rub Khaesho the wrong way, if it felt like that.

You will get used to me, eventually. Might take a decade, but it'll wear old. I was about to fall apart regardless... I really am out of practice... anyways, get to scrubbin'! Especially the loose hair and dead skin, that's got to go. Now... how can I explain Magic to one of the Civilized...? I think I know.

You've heard us tossing around the terms Soul and Spirit, yes? We're using the terms technically, at least as best as we can through the translation. There is your body, the physical you. There is your Spirit, which is the sum total of all your experiences and emotions, all your thoughts and hopes and dreams. There is your soul, your literal life force, which ties the two together.

"Body, Soul, and Spirit... I'd have thought that my Soul contained my personality."

Well, from your culture, you would. I use the word 'Soul' loosely, because it carries different connotations and meaning for us than it does for you. You really don't have words for these, and I kind of arbitrarily picked the ones that I thought would work best. Your Spirit is who you are at your core, and it very rarely changes. It's what makes you, well, you. It can change, but only gradually over time, and its changes are usually permanent. Your soul on the other hand is a mercurial, effluvious thing, always changing and shifting. It can be altered by any emotion, from something drastic, say falling in love, to something simple, such as sharing a warm hug. It can be damaged by anything from harsh words to extreme trauma, but it heals itself just as your flesh would. Your soul somewhat mirrors your mood... to an extent.

"I guess that makes sense. My soul is what I use to cast magic too, right?"

In a way, yes. Strictly speaking, your soul is also your life force, and here that means an actual energy. With proper discipline, study, patients, and balance, any person can learn to use their Spirit to channel their Soul through their Body, accomplishing what we call Magic. Unfortunately for them, even a strong soul would manage little more than a few sparks. All mortal souls are exactly the same... size? volume? density? Ugh, you don't have words for this. Your souls are all equally capable of strength, but different people can use that strength to different effect. A "strong" soul like you and Khaesho naturally needs less energy for magic. A "weak" soul has just as much energy as you two, but most of the energy is lost in the change.

"What change? You can't just use the magic?"

Nope. Soul energy is soul energy... you and Khaesho could trade it back and forth, but it can't do anything on its own. That's why you need to transform it. I'll get to that in a moment though.

I, alongside my family, might be called Gods, but again, that word is used loosely, and with different connotations. A better translation would be 'Greater Spirits,' or perhaps 'Guardian Angels.' We're Spirits and Souls that exist without bodies, but at the same time, we're incredibly massive and also divinely skilled. Theoretically, you could extend your Soul and make a manifestation of your own, but the power required for that is too obscene for a mortal to even comprehend. We, on the other hand can do it for cheap because of the texture of our Souls.

"The... texture of your souls? What do you mean by that?"

Ack... so many translation problems, how can I... hmm... let me just finish looking through your memories for a good comparison... ah, here we go.

I want you to contrast a sports car with, say, a bulldozer. Both of them are vehicles that can transport you to different places, and both can push or pull things around, yes? They're different though, in that a sports car can get you somewhere very fast without much gas, and the bulldozer has far more strength for pushing things around. Likewise, a boat can also do all of that, but it's the only one that floats.

"I... what? You lost me."

Different souls excel at different things, and I'm choosing the word 'Texture' to describe that. There are five types of energy: Heat, Electromagnetic, Gravitational, Light, and the basic Soul energy that everyone has. My soul is textured towards light magic; I can cast illusions and wisp lights for almost no energy. Contrasting that, I'm horrible at heat magic. If it came to a fair fight between Khaesho and I, and we were both limited to heat magic, he would absolutely win. It's not a pure thing though... most people have one thing they excel at, with varying 'strengths' towards the other three schools. In the beginning, when we four were unformed, we picked elements based on out emotional tithes. We had the luxury of choosing... we could each have picked to be superbly skilled in all four kinds, but we decided that one each would be good.

"Wait, tithes, like taxes? A tax on emotion?"

Exactly that. Your soul is more vibrant when you feel emotion, and part of your Soul attunes to that emotion as long as you're feeling it. We each embody a particular emotion, and whenever a soul is feeling that emotion, we absorb just a tiny bit of that soul's energy. Or, if we're especially weak, we can focus and gain a feast from a few at a time. It doesn't drain the Soul much, at least, not nearly as much as it drains the spirit. We drink the actual Emotion out of the living, temporarily repressing their ability to feel that emotion. Of course, since that means less energy for us, we all do our best to hyper ramp up that emotion before we start nibbling.

"Give and take... You said that Shelandra was the goddess of Passion, does that mean she feeds on..."

Lust and sexual fervor. In ancient times, before your kind developed the technology that we find distasteful, she roamed the world giving rare and memorable visits to select mortals. In your myths, I think you know her as either a Sucubus or an Incubus, depending on her mood.

Shou blushed slightly at the thought of that. She remembered the way that Shelandra looked... the heat rolling off of her scales, the fire in her eyes, her luscious lips... When she'd first manifested she'd given Shou a hungry look, as if the Wolf was a prize to be hunted. Just the memory of that passing glance was enough to make her shiver with warmth. Her hand drifted lower towards her suddenly sensation filled-

Careful, that's my sister, Shou. Thinking our names, and even focusing on us isn't any kind of taboo that draws our attention, but... You're a Vessel now, with a strong and bright soul, with a huge blessing by her. If you start masturbating thinking about her, it will draw her attention and she will fuck you rough. She'll even convince you that you want it first.

The hybrid flushed hard and snatched her hand away from her nethers. Her cheeks flooded crimson that Kalokin had so casually addressed her almost unconscious movement. More to the point, he'd known her thoughts as if they were his.

"C-can you really read my mind that easily?"

Well... it depends. You and Khaesho each have... about ten percent of my essence to keep. Right now, the other eighty is focused in you and the surrounding area, meaning you're at the forefront of my attention. My soul and spirit are inexorably intertwined with yours, so every conscious and unconscious thought you have will brush against my mind like soft waves rippling onto a beach. If I was busy doing ten things at once, five hundred kilometers away, I'd probably only hear your thoughts if you were pointedly thinking them at me.

"Oh... I guess you weren't kidding, then. I'll never be alone again for the rest of my life.

Gee, way to make a guy feel appreciated. You don't have to act like it's a curse...

Shou blushed again and giggled nervously. Smiling, she ran her hand through her fur.

"It's not, and you know that! I just... I like being alone every now and then. It's peaceful."

I'll leave you to your peace whenever you need it, or whenever I'm busy. Heh, Khaesho and I spent seven years intimately connected; every scrap of my essence was stuffed into his body, we both knew absolutely every thought the other had, down to the last insignificant piece of knowledge. It was a HUGE pain in the ass, neither of us having any privacy... I'm not about to follow you around twenty four, seven. It made him into a hell of a fire mage though... he might be the strongest fire mage alive.

"Wait, what? I'd have thought that Shelandra's Vessel would be the best fire mage."

That would make sense, yea, but it doesn't work like that. Something about we Four is fundamentally different from you mortals; our touch, even our proximity, alters the souls of those around us. It increases their ability to comprehend magic and alters their Spirits to better access their Souls. It strengthens their souls vastly, but more importantly, it alters the texture of a mortal's soul in all ways. The lower textures, the things Khaesho is bad at, they're been improved to a moderate level. The higher textures though... a small blessing for a single year can hone a mediocre magi into a capable caster. Khaesho had my entire soul for seven years_. He's got to be the strongest alive now, strong enough to_

"Strong enough to go toe to toe with Shelandra and win?" Shou had long ago finished washing her fur out, and had been lazily drifting for a while. She trudged out of the pool on aching feet and dropped to all fours to shake the worst of the water out of her coat. She didn't make it though, and instead collapsed to her belly, lacking the energy to fling the weight from her body. Kalokin took that moment to squeeze himself gently over her form, pressing the water out of her and collecting it into a stream that flowed back into the pond. She nodded mutely, and Kalokin continued his explanation.

Only because he got lucky. It was the end of the day, and Shel had spent most of her power heating the forges across all the deserts. She usually then spends half the night having wild sex to re-energize, but I timed it just perfectly.

"You really do survive by feeding on us... put that way, you sound almost parasitic."

And you come to the crux of our existence. If you all died in some catastrophe, we'd starve, eventually. As payment to those we rely upon for sustenance, we help out however we can. In addition... well... we're slowly trying to imbue magic into the entire Naga race. If we each gave every drop of power we had and died in the process, the slivers of magic would be no more than the grain of sand still stuck in the fur on your left shoulder. Rather than do something stupid like that, we're working forwards... a billion tiny blessings, each given out over thousands of years. Early on, no Naga could manage more than sparks... there were no great mages born, only our Vessels had any competency. Now, grains of blessings flow in all the major bloodlines, and we're getting close to the point where every Naga has at least a sliver of one of us.

"And the blessings alter their Spirits and Souls, gradually letting them use magic easier."

That's the end goal... it's not enough to have a serious, tangible effect within their lifetimes, but almost all Naga can do a little bit. That's why Shelandra's blessing for you was so important... she's still going to meet her quota of a sliver a day, even with you owning the chunk of her soul that she was going to use for the next year.

That hit her hard, and Shou whimpered at the thought. She hated to see others suffering, especially for her sake. Shelandra still inspired an odd mix of fear, admiration, and yes, lust, in her veins and she certainly wouldn't count the unpredictable goddess as a friend. At the same time though, she didn't want even her enemies to suffer, and the pained noise that escaped her throat reflected that. Kalokin manifested again, flowing beneath her into a scaly bed that cushioned her from the rocks, letting her rest before she trudged back to Khaesho's side.

Don't worry about Shelandra, she can take care of herself. If she really needed that blessing, she wouldn't have given you quite so much, permanently... she'll be fine.

Shou nodded softly and wrapped her arms around Kalokin's torso as she snuggled into him. Something he'd said struck her as odd, and she looked up at him

"Permenantly...? Can you give temporary blessings?"

Yes, actually. By donating enough money to the Crown to fund orphanages, artisans, and the like, a Naga can 'buy' enough good favor to earn a temporary blessing. It doesn't have to be money though, debts and favors can be traded as well. That's why debt is so important to them... any debt can be sold or traded to us in return for favor. We take the Naga who owes, munch off a chunk of emotion roughly matching the debt, and turn the resulting energy into a favor that lasts until the Naga we bestow it upon dies, when it's returned to us. I'm straying far off track though, time is short, and you need to learn the essentials.

"What? Why he rush?"

You're my Acolyte, my Vessel, my Chosen. In our language, you would own the pre-title of Veiz. Veiz'Shouyousei or Veiz'Khaesho. Your soul is saturated in my essence, to the point that you'll be able to cast magic within a few days, if you can't already. In addition to that, my essence is yours to keep. By suspending my Essence in your blood and flesh, you can keep far more of my Soul within you than you could ever fit inside your Soul. Like Shel's blessing, you can use my essence as a battery, or, because it's suspended within your lifeblood, you can actually externally control your blood. Your Soul is spread throughout your body, but it's concentrated in your blood. After adding my soul to the mix, you'll be able to form your blood into semi-physical manifestations... provided that it doesn't take so much blood that you pass out. That's actually a secret school of magic some Vessels learn... they spend their lifetimes experimenting and practicing manipulating their blood. None of us four approve of it, because it's easy to accidentally kill yourself, but remember that you can do that if you get into a bind.

I'm straying off topic again. You have a naturally strong soul, a powerful blessing from Shelandra, and you're a vessel to me. You're going to get crooked strong, crooked fast, which in my experience is a tragedy waiting to happen, because you can accidentally use magic. Strong emotions color your Soul, and that can cause it to lash out without the guidance of your Spirit. Example.. You're really angry with someone, just venom spitting furious, and you just wish they'd go away. If you're lucky, you might use my essence suck the light from the area, or even turn a person invisible. If you're lucky, you could smash him into the distance and break his bones. You could electrify and temporarily paralyze him. You could inflict up to second, possibly even third degree burns with a single thought.

If you're not lucky, the magic would funnel your hatred directly into his or her soul. The abrupt, jagged, and alien influence would... puncture that person's soul and infect it with yours. The body and spirit wouldn't recognize his soul any more, and he would receive a slow, soul crushingly painful death as his spirit tore his soul to pieces, until his heart eventually just gave up and stopped beating. You could kill a man with your mind, and nobody would ever know.