"The Kingdom of Seifuku!" an ad portrays. "Ran by the Hero's Association, you are guaranteed a peaceful life here!"
"Ever want to feel like you're in the future?" "Well say no more as Seifuku has exactly what you're looking for!"
The skyscrapers shine brightly with a click of a button. Illuminating the entire city, music echoes through loudspeakers placed all over the city. Simple cars drive through the busy streets, the residents have the modern technology Zane is used to. He feels right at home, taking in the fresh air.
Astelia and Lumina look at him in a confused tone, they laugh it off soon afterward.
"Seems like you're at home huh, Zane?" Lumina chuckles. "Not skipping a beat even when you haven't entered the kingdom yet."
"It's been too long since I've seen a building, let me sink this moment in dammit!" Zane shouts back.
Astelia laughs as the two start to fight. She goes to the migration office nearby and asks for temporary residency. The clerk seems to recognize Astelia right away. She sports a tight red dress shirt, black pants, and a badge representing the sect she works in.
"Been a while, Astelia," the clerk sighs. "Finally got yourselves some friends?"
"WOW, Dricus," Astelia responds snarkily. "What a way to treat an old ally."
"I'm not a hero anymore, Astelia. The system chose another person to take my place."
Both of them look down somberly. Astelia looks to Dricus and places a card on the table. Dricus looks at the card and her frown turns into a smile.
"Ain't no way you found another hero," Dricus snickers. "That guy, the one who's acting like a fricking neanderthal, he's a hero?"
"Yeah, he is," Astelia sighs. "It's more surprising that he was a chosen rainbow border, too."
Zane comes up behind Astelia and aggressively pats her head. He holds a smile, but is still visibly annoyed.
"Astelia," Zane persists. "You're an informant now?"
"No, Zanie," Astelia chuckles. "We're just catching up."
She grips Zane's wrists until he screams in pain. Using very little of her strength, she throws Zane on the ground while holding a smile at Dricus. Dricus laughs, seeming to figure out their relationship dynamic.
"Aww, look at the married couple go," she teases. "I didn't know you found a husband, dear Astelia."
Astelia draws her sword, pointing it to Dricus. She laughs devilishly as she slowly approaches her with a smile.
"Do you need a lesson on what your place is?" Astelia calmly asks. "Or should I give you a refresher?"
"N-no Astelia," Dricus replies, hurrying to open the gate. "Welcome to Seifuku you fuckheads!"
She opens the gate, revealing the booming streets of the kingdom. Zane looks around, not even paying attention to Dricus' instructions. A shopkeeper finds the trio and signals them to his stall.
"Fresh stuffed avocado bread, free samples here right now!" he shouts. "Come get it before I make ya pay for it!"
Lumina looks to the shopkeeper and takes his free sample stock before speed walking back to them. She pokes one at Zane's face repeatedly, trying to get his attention. He looks back and snatches a breadstick off of her hand.
"Where'd you get this?" Zane asks, examining the breadstick.
"The shopkeeper had free samples, so I took them all," Lumina responds, chuckling. "Free food is free food."
'Why am I even in a party with you,' he contemplates.
Dricus brings them to a hotel, bowing her head to them as she goes back to her office. Astelia looks around the hotel and stretches. She finds a hotel room quickly and settles in. Lumina quickly leaves the hotel to do more sightseeing, leaving Zane alone to fend for himself.
He wanders outside, getting lost in the main city. A woman in a bar sees him from the window. His magical aura catches her attention, and she quickly gets up. Her gold dress streaks elegance as she pays her tab and exits. She follows him, observing what he does from different places. After a while, she walks up to him and taps his shoulder.
"You reek of darkness, you know?" the woman asks. "I can dispel it if you want."
Zane gets startled by the woman but gets sidetracked by her appearance. He tries to look her in the eyes and fails. The woman towers over him, smiling seductively at him. Without giving Zane a chance to respond, she transports him to her plane of existence. A large castle builds itself around the two. Knight statues greet the woman as she walks up to the throne. She sits down, signaling to the knights to go back to a defense position.
The woman: "Darkness always loves targeting new heroes. It's very strange, don't you think?"
Zane: "Where am I? I keep on meeting strange people since I got in the world!"
The woman points her finger to Zane, making him walk up to her and kneel. She sighs, seeing how the Goddess of Darkness invaded his mind so easily. The woman chuckles at his actions after getting released from her grasp.
"Well, I am but a manifestation of Light, dear human," she proclaims. "Enough vague jokes, I am the Goddess of Light, pleased to make your acquaintance."
The mark on Zane's body glows uncontrollably. He tries to suppress it, but to no avail. The Goddess chuckles, amused at Darkness' attempt to prevent him from going to the Goddess of Light.
Goddess of Light: "Darkness, Darkness, it's no use trying to claim him."
Goddess of Darkness: "He's mine Lily, I won't let you pesky hands on him."
Goddess of Light: "Well, it's too late to try and stop me. You're in my domain, remember?"
Zane ascends slowly, knocking him unconscious. A golden mark forms on his hand, shooting up to his other eye. The Goddess of darkness stands up, worried the worst happened. She gets off of her throne to see The Goddess of Light, laughing manically at her.
"You were right to wait this long, dear sister," the goddess of Light snickers. "Isn't it no fun to have the perfect vessel all to yourself?"