The soft morning light didn't help.
Shane had noticed that lately. Sunlight used to calm him. Now it mostly just illuminated how tired his brain was.
Sleep had become strange. Not absent, but shallow. Like his mind never truly powered down anymore. Even when he slept, the system hummed quietly somewhere behind his thoughts—monitoring, analyzing, updating.
He moved through his morning routine anyway.
Coconut arabica coffee.
Measure the grounds.
Thermos filled.
Boots on.
Normal things.
They helped remind him he was still the same guy who used to worry about weather forecasts and supply trucks.
Except now the system diagnostics ran quietly in the background while he poured coffee.
And the Norns sometimes held conversations with him through audiobook apps.
Which… still sounded insane when he said it out loud.
Today there was one thing he knew he needed to do.
Talk to Veritas Alpha.
The conversation with Olaf the night before had shaken loose too many questions. Then the Norn "audiobook lesson" had added an entirely new level of cosmic complication.
Shane didn't like leaving threads dangling.
By the time he reached the Albright Roofing HQ office, the request had already gone out across the celestial network.
Veritas Alpha responded quickly.
Lunch.
Persona: Johnny John.
That meant a discreet meeting.
⸻
The restaurant they chose was small and forgettable by design.
A quiet place a few blocks from HQ. Not fancy, not busy, not tied to any of the locations where Johnny John had a reputation in tribal or community leadership circles.
Normal enough that nobody would look twice.
When Shane walked in, Johnny John was already seated in a booth near the back.
He looked exactly like he always did in that identity: middle-aged Native American man, calm posture, eyes that seemed both present and far away at the same time.
Shane slid into the booth across from him.
"Sorry I'm late," Shane said.
Johnny John shook his head.
"You're not."
Shane exhaled and rubbed his face.
"My system decided to dump another pile of things on me last night. Including a full lecture from the Norns about time mechanics."
Johnny John paused halfway through lifting his water glass.
"The Sisters spoke to you directly?"
Shane nodded.
"Through my audiobook app."
Johnny John blinked once.
"Of course they did."
Shane chuckled.
"I'm starting to think my life is becoming a parody of itself."
Johnny John studied him carefully.
"You look… different."
Shane raised an eyebrow.
"That's vague."
"Your posture," Johnny John said. "Your presence. Something shifted."
Shane shrugged.
"Olaf thinks I might be a celestial."
Johnny John froze.
For the first time since Shane had known him, Veritas Alpha's composure cracked slightly.
"Explain."
Shane leaned back in the booth.
"He says the Celestial Power bar and the magic slots aren't part of your system architecture."
Johnny John didn't interrupt.
"So according to Olaf," Shane continued, "I might not just be a proxy. He thinks I might actually be a celestial."
Johnny John leaned back slowly.
"How full is the power bar?"
"Eleven percent."
Johnny John stared at him.
"That's… significant."
Shane shrugged.
"I thought it just meant I was leveling up."
Johnny John shook his head slowly.
"No. That suggests internal generation."
Shane frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Veritas Alpha's voice dropped.
"It means the system may no longer be feeding you power."
Shane sat forward.
"Wait. What?"
Johnny John looked directly at him now.
"When I granted you the proxy system, it functioned as an external support framework. My power supplemented the structure."
He tapped the table gently.
"But when Saul's house incident occurred… I felt a massive drain."
Shane nodded.
"I remember that."
Johnny John continued.
"That drain stopped after your system upgrade."
Shane blinked.
"Completely?"
"Yes."
The weight of that hung in the air.
"You're self-sustaining now," Johnny John said quietly.
Shane stared at him.
"So you're saying…"
"Yes," Veritas Alpha said.
"You have surpassed the original investment."
Shane leaned back slowly.
That was not a sentence he expected to hear.
Johnny John extended a hand.
"May I?"
Shane didn't hesitate.
"Go ahead."
Johnny John's fingers touched his temple.
Shane's system flashed immediately:
Alert — Celestial with good intent wishes to connect to your system. Approve or deny.
"Approve," Shane said aloud.
A gentle pressure passed through his mind. Much lighter than earlier scans. More like someone checking a structural beam rather than dismantling the wall.
Johnny John withdrew his hand.
His face looked… thoughtful.
"You are definitely a celestial," he said quietly.
Shane stared at him.
"Or something very close to one."
Shane laughed weakly.
"That's comforting."
Johnny John continued.
"You may be the child of a god. Possibly two. Or something more unusual."
Shane rubbed his face.
"I own a roofing company."
"Yes."
"I install shingles."
"Yes."
"I am not a mythological figure."
Johnny John smiled faintly.
"That remains to be determined."
Shane groaned.
"Fantastic."
Johnny John shifted the conversation.
"Tell me about the Norns."
Shane recounted the entire audiobook experience.
Verdandi.
Urðr.
Skuld.
The explanations about time manipulation and temporal anchoring.
Johnny John listened without interrupting.
When Shane mentioned that the Norns had apparently been watching him since childhood, Johnny John's expression tightened slightly.
But he didn't comment on it.
When Shane finished, Johnny John said quietly:
"That explains many things."
"Like what?" Shane asked.
"Timing," Johnny John said.
Shane leaned forward.
"You knew something."
Johnny John shook his head.
"I suspected resonance. Not supervision."
He paused.
"The Norns guiding events around you means your path predates my involvement entirely."
Shane exhaled slowly.
"Great."
Johnny John gave a small smile.
"Take that as reassurance. It means you are not improvising blindly."
Shane checked his watch.
Tonight was supposed to be simple.
Dinner. Movie.
Normal life.
"I'm taking tonight off," Shane said.
Johnny John nodded.
"Good."
"Gary and Amanda set up dinner with a friend of theirs."
Johnny John chuckled.
"Maintain the mundane connections. They anchor you."
Shane stood.
"Tomorrow we should get Olaf together with you."
Johnny John nodded.
"Yes. Coordination is becoming essential."
Shane paid the check and headed back to HQ housing.
⸻
The evening felt strangely formal.
Gary had insisted on dressing up.
Amanda had clearly put effort into her appearance.
And Shane… was deeply aware that he had spent the morning discussing cosmic destiny with a disguised god.
They arrived at the restaurant.
Erin was already there.
She stood when they approached.
Petite.
Confident.
Wearing a dress that suited her perfectly.
Gary beamed.
Amanda looked pleased.
Shane noticed she was beautiful.
But his brain was still tangled in thoughts about Apex Negativa, time mechanics, and celestial power bars.
The conversation started casually.
Food.
Work.
Stories.
Gary eventually brought up sobriety.
He spoke honestly about addiction and recovery.
Shane surprised himself by sharing too.
He talked about Arya.
The collapse after losing her.
The guilt over David's overdose.
The way everything had spiraled.
Erin listened quietly.
When she spoke, her story was softer but equally heavy.
A violent college boyfriend.
Leaving.
Starting over.
Strength hidden behind calm.
Later, while they walked toward the theater, Shane quietly opened his system profile scan.
It returned a line that nearly made him choke.
Erin Olson – Age 27
Anchor: Family
Celestial Signature: Weak inner pulse — likely non-awakened reincarnated entity
Shane coughed violently.
Gary looked over.
"You good?"
"Fine."
Shane tried to sound casual.
"I'm of Norse descent, you know."
Erin brightened immediately.
"No kidding? My grandparents came from Greenland through Norway."
Shane's brain froze.
Norse.
Female.
Weak celestial signature.
Possibly reincarnated.
His mind started running through possibilities.
Frigg?
Freya?
Someone else entirely?
The system only said likely.
They entered the theater.
Seats arranged.
Shane between Erin and Gary.
Trailers began.
Erin's hand brushed his lightly on the armrest.
A subtle invitation.
Shane froze.
He nudged Gary.
"I think we have a problem."
Gary fumbled in his pocket and handed him a foil-wrapped item.
Shane stared at it.
"Gary…"
"What?"
"I appreciate the thought," Shane whispered.
Gary blinked.
"But I don't need protection from an STD."
Gary frowned.
"What?"
Shane leaned closer.
"Erin might be Frigg."
Gary nearly dropped the wrapper.
"What?"
"I'm getting a celestial reading."
Gary stared.
"How sure?"
"The system says 'likely.'"
Gary slowly took the wrapper back.
The movie started.
Erin's hand rested near his again.
Shane remained rigid.
He was about to spend two hours in a dark theater next to someone who might be Odin's wife reborn.
This was not a date.
It was reconnaissance disguised as romance.
And he had absolutely no idea how to behave normally under those conditions.
He stared at the screen.
This night was going to be complicated.
********************
"If you enjoyed Shane's journey, please drop a Power Stone! It helps the Common Sense Party grow!"