Naviga woke up slowly, eyes opening to see the white ceiling high above her. The morning light came through the tall windows, making golden lines across the marble floor. She lay still for three seconds, like every morning, remembering who she was now and who she used to be.
Aldric Luis. Twenty-eight years old. Corrupted police officer. Dead in a meteor strike.
Now? Naviga. Eighteen years old. Maid servant to the Welvor family. Female.
Six years had passed since she started working here. But it took the first six months after being reborn just to accept the reality. Waking up in a small female body. Breasts. No cock. Different hormones. Different feelings. Everything wrong and strange.
She remembered the confusion. The panic. Crying for weeks because the voice that came from her mouth was high and soft, not deep and rough. Looking in mirrors and seeing a beautiful girl with white hair and purple eyes instead of the scarred face of Aldric.
But humans adapt. That's what they do. Slowly she learned to walk in this body without feeling weird. Learned to pee sitting down. Learned to deal with monthly bleeding. Learned to ignore how men looked at her now—the same hungry way Aldric used to look at women.
The irony wasn't lost on her.
Naviga sat up, bare feet touching the cold floor. Her small room was simple—a bed, a wooden wardrobe, a mirror, and a window that looked out over the training grounds. She could hear the sounds of soldiers practicing already, metal hitting metal, commands being shouted.
She stood and walked to the mirror. The body looking back was completely different from Aldric. She was tall for a woman—five feet eight inches. Long legs. Wide hips. A thin waist. And breasts that were honestly too big for someone so slim. They always got in the way, bounced when she ran, made her back hurt sometimes.
Her skin was pale, almost white like milk. Long white hair that she usually tied in a high ponytail to keep it out of her face while working. Purple eyes—strange, unnatural, beautiful. A small nose with a silver ring through the bridge. Full red lips. High cheekbones. On her chest, just above her breasts, was a black tattoo of a bird with spread wings. She didn't choose it. It was already there when she woke up in this body.
Naviga opened the wardrobe and pulled out her work uniform. The French maid outfit. She hated it but had no choice. Black and white, with a short skirt that barely covered her thighs, a tight top that pushed her breasts up and together, white lace trim everywhere. Black stockings that reached her thighs. High heels that made her legs look longer but hurt after walking all day.
The Welvor family demanded all female servants dress this way. It was tradition, they said. Naviga knew it was just because the men liked looking.
She put on the stockings first, pulling them up slowly. Then the maid dress, buttoning it in front, adjusting the tight top so her breasts didn't spill out completely—though they almost did anyway. The skirt was a joke, so short that if she bent over even a little, her black underwear would show. Finally the heels, black and shiny, adding three inches to her height.
She tied her white hair back in a neat ponytail, applied red lipstick, and looked at herself one more time. A perfect doll. A servant. Nothing like the man she used to be.
But that man was dead. Buried under a burning city that didn't exist anymore.
Naviga left her room and walked down the long hallway. The Welvor mansion was enormous—three floors, over two hundred rooms, built from white stone and dark wood. Paintings of ancestors covered the walls. Armor from old wars stood in corners. Everything screamed wealth and power.
The world had changed completely after the meteor strikes.
Naviga had learned the history during her first year here. After dying in San Rosario, she was reborn sixteen years later into this new world. A world that barely resembled the old one.
The meteors didn't just destroy cities. They brought something new—Meteor Energy. A strange power that filled the air, the ground, the water. Humans could absorb this energy and gain supernatural abilities. Strength beyond normal. Speed. Some could control fire. Others could heal wounds. Some could fly.
But humans weren't the only ones affected.
Animals changed too. Dogs became the size of horses. Rats grew intelligent enough to hunt in organized packs. Birds developed metal-hard feathers and hunted humans from the sky. The ocean became a nightmare—fish the size of ships with teeth like swords rose from the depths and attacked coastal cities.
Humanity almost ended.
The seven continents that existed before? Gone. Two were completely destroyed, sunk into the ocean during massive earthquakes and floods. Three more were overrun by mutated monsters—animals and sea creatures that claimed the land as theirs. Humans couldn't take it back.
Only two continents remained under human control. And even those were barely holding on.
Ninety percent of humanity died in the first ten years after the meteors.
The survivors lived in fear, hiding in fortified cities, watching the sky for attacks, watching the forests for predators.
Then two figures appeared.
Naviga had heard the stories a hundred times. Two beings descended from the sky, so powerful that every human and monster felt like an ant in their presence. Nobody knew where they came from. Some said they were gods. Others said they were humans who absorbed so much Meteor Energy that they transcended normal limits.
Whatever they were, they saved humanity from complete destruction.
They killed the strongest monsters. They established laws. They taught humans how to properly absorb and use Meteor Energy. They created the ranking system—twenty levels that measured a person's power, though humans could currently only reach up to level twelve because their bodies weren't fully adapted yet.
The twenty levels were called:
1. Spark
2. Ember
3. Flame
4. Blaze
5. Inferno
6. Steel
7. Iron
8. Titanium
9. Diamond
10. Meteor
11. Comet
12. Star
13. Nova
14. Nebula
15. Galaxy
16. Void
17. Collapse
18. Singularity
19. Eternal
20. Absolute
Most humans never reached beyond Spark or Ember level. Soldiers in armies were usually Flame or Blaze. Only the truly talented reached Inferno and above.
The two mysterious beings? They were beyond Absolute. Beyond measurement.
They controlled the new world like kings. No, like gods. Everyone—human and monster—obeyed them or died.
Under them were six humans who rose to power during the chaos. Six individuals who reached level ten—Meteor—faster than anyone else. They became the two beings' students, learning directly from them. After their training, these six established the six Great Families that ruled the two remaining human continents.
The Welvor family was one of them.
And Verna Welvor, the current matriarch, was one of the original six.
She was over seventy years old now but looked forty because of Meteor Energy slowing her aging. She was still at level eleven—Comet—one of the most powerful humans alive.
Her daughter, Zenthia Welvor, was Naviga's direct mistress. Twenty-two years old. Beautiful. Talented. Spoiled. Currently at level seven—Titanium—which was incredible for her age.
Naviga reached the kitchen on the first floor. It was huge, with ten stoves, three ovens, and five long tables where servants prepared food. The head cook, a fat woman named Gerda, was already barking orders at the younger maids.
"Naviga! You're late!" Gerda snapped.
"Sorry, ma'am."
"Take the tea tray to Lady Zenthia immediately. She requested it twenty minutes ago."
Naviga nodded and moved quickly. She prepared the tray herself—silver pot filled with hot jasmine tea, a matching cup, small cakes, and fresh fruit. She painted her nails purple quickly while waiting for the tea to steep, a habit she developed because Zenthia liked when servants matched her aesthetic.
Tray in hand, Naviga walked out of the kitchen and climbed the grand staircase to the second floor. Her heels clicked on the marble steps. The tray was heavy but she balanced it perfectly—six years of practice.
Zenthia's room was at the end of the east wing. Naviga walked past guards standing at attention, past other servants cleaning windows and dusting furniture, past expensive paintings worth more than a normal person earned in ten years.
She reached the large double doors and knocked three times softly.
No answer.
Naviga knocked again.
Still nothing.
She carefully turned the handle and pushed the door open slowly. The room was dark inside, curtains still closed. The air smelled of expensive perfume and sleep.
A huge bed sat in the center, covered in silk sheets and thick blankets. A shape lay under them—Zenthia, still asleep.
Naviga entered quietly and set the tray on the side table. She walked to the windows and pulled the curtains open. Morning light flooded in.
"Close them," a sleepy voice said from the bed.
"Good morning, Lady Zenthia. It's already nine o'clock. You have training at ten."
"I don't care. Close the curtains."
Naviga ignored the command and walked to the bed. Zenthia lay on her stomach, face buried in a pillow, long black hair spread everywhere. She wore a thin white nightgown that had ridden up to her waist, showing her bare ass and legs.
"Lady Zenthia, please wake up."
"Go away, Naviga."
Naviga sighed. This happened most mornings. She reached down and pulled the blanket completely off the bed.
Zenthia groaned and rolled over, squinting against the light. She was beautiful—sharp features, large dark eyes, full lips, perfect skin. Her body was athletic and curvy, trained from years of combat practice.
"I hate you," Zenthia muttered.
"You say that every morning, my lady."
"Because it's true every morning."
Naviga walked back to the tray and poured tea into the cup. She brought it to the bed. Zenthia sat up slowly, nightgown slipping off one shoulder, and took the cup with both hands.
She drank slowly, eyes half closed.
"Did my mother leave already?" Zenthia asked.
"Yes, my lady. She left at dawn for the Eastern Gate. Another breach happened last night."
Zenthia frowned. "Again? That's the third time this month."
Gates. Another nightmare of the new world.
Ten years ago, portals started opening randomly across both continents. Gates that connected this world to another dimension. From those gates came new monsters—creatures not from Earth, but from somewhere else entirely. Demons with horns and wings. Giants made of stone. Things with too many eyes and mouths.
They poured through the gates and attacked human settlements.
The two mysterious rulers established Gate Defense Forces in every major city. Whenever a gate opened, trained soldiers and powerful fighters would enter it, kill the monsters inside, and destroy the gate's core before too many creatures escaped.
It was dangerous work. Many died.
But the rewards were worth it. Monster cores could be harvested and used to enhance Meteor Energy absorption. Weapons and armor could be made from monster parts. Gate exploration became the fastest way to gain power and wealth.
The Welvor family controlled the Eastern Territory, which included the Eastern Gate—one of the largest and most active gates in the world.
"Your mother will handle it," Naviga said. "She always does."
Zenthia finished her tea and handed the cup back. "Help me get dressed."
Naviga set the cup down and walked to the massive wardrobe. "Training clothes or casual?"
"Training. I'm meeting with Instructor Kael today."
Naviga pulled out black combat pants, a tight training shirt, and leather boots. She brought them to the bed. Zenthia stood and pulled off her nightgown without any embarrassment, standing completely naked.
Naviga had seen it a thousand times but still felt strange. In her previous life as Aldric, she would have been hard instantly seeing a naked woman like this. Now? Nothing. This body didn't react to women that way.
It was one of the most frustrating parts of being female. Aldric loved women. Craved them. Lived for sex with them. Naviga still remembered those feelings, those desires, but this body didn't respond the same way.
She tried once, in her second year here, touching herself while thinking of women. It felt good but wrong. Empty. Confusing.
Eventually she just stopped trying.
Zenthia stepped into the pants and pulled them up. Naviga helped button them. Then the shirt, tight against Zenthia's chest and stomach. Finally the boots, laced up to the knees.
"Tie my hair back," Zenthia ordered.
Naviga took a leather cord and gathered Zenthia's long black hair into a high ponytail, tying it tight.
"Perfect," Zenthia said, checking herself in the mirror. She turned to Naviga. "You're coming with me today."
"My lady?"
"I need someone to carry water and towels. You'll do."
Naviga bowed her head slightly. "Of course, my lady."
They left the room together. Zenthia walked ahead, confident and strong. Naviga followed three steps behind, carrying a bag with water bottles and clean towels.
As they walked through the mansion toward the training grounds, Naviga's mind wandered to the past. To Aldric. To the moment of death. To the burning sky and the meteor that erased everything.
She wondered sometimes if this was punishment. Dying as a corrupt, selfish man and being reborn as a servant girl in a broken world.
Or maybe it was a second chance.
She didn't know yet.
The training grounds came into view through the windows—a huge open space where soldiers and family members practiced combat, tested their Meteor Energy abilities, and sparred with weapons.
Naviga adjusted the bag on her shoulder and followed her mistress outside into the bright morning sun.