Huh... Where am I? Am I still alive?
— What's your name, girl?
— ...?
— Ah, pardon me. I'm Luvinia, princess of Utoph.
— Utoph...? I have never heard of that place...
— See this city where we are right now? It's actually a country named Utoph.
— I see... I didn't know there was such a futuristic place on Earth, but okay...
— Earth? What's that?
— Huh? Our planet, of course.
— Oh, I think I understand now. You're a dimension traveler.
— I'm what? You're telling me this is not Earth?
— Unfortunately, yes. It seems that you've been teleported here for some reason. Do you remember where you were before coming here?
— I was falling... in a forest, at night. A strong light appeared and I... I continued falling, but here instead.
— Well, we have a lot of questions for each other, it seems. How about we discuss everything in my castle?
— Do you have a castle? Really?
— I am a princess, so I thought that was normal... It's nothing extraordinary, but it's a good place and my home since I was born.
The princess extended her hand to help the girl get up. She, however, didn't move her arms.
— Are your arms okay? Let me take a look.
— They're broken... Please don't touch them, they're hurting so much...
— Your foot is also bleeding... I'll call someone to pick us up.
— Thank you, really... The last days have been a living hell, so I really appreciate your help.
— I'm so sorry to hear that... But everything will be okay now, girl.
— My name is Haji. Nice to meet you.
— I say the same, Haji. Welcome to Lifen, our planet.
At a bar.
— Are you sure you should be saying all that to me, sir? I'm just your usual bartender...
— Why not? I've lived long enough to continue keeping secrets to myself. I'll tell you another valuable one. But first, do you know Japan's hero association?
— Ah, I've heard of it. Shichi... I don't remember the rest. Why, do you work there?
— A few years ago, yes. But I retired because I'm already at the end of my rope. Haven't you heard of the famous level 7's, Earth's strongest fighters?
— Of course I have! I know there are seven, with the first one being a beautiful redhead!
— Hey, just because she's pretty, don't forget about me...
— You're a level 7 too?!
— I was the second one, Sage. Also, Phy's been dead for a long time. I guess your dream girl won't meet you anytime soon.
— Really? Aw, that sucks... I've always wanted to get an autograph!
— From me? Don't answer, I don't want to hear it. Anyway, back to the point: that association has a Boss, an old friend of mine. We were about the same biological age when we met.
— "Biological" age? Is there any other kind of age?
— This is where things become interesting. Do you know Kiseki, Japan's strongest healer?
— I'm afraid I don't, sir. I don't know much outside Germany.
— See? You're wasting your youth at the worst possible place. A dark bar that smells of alcohol.
— But you're here too...
— I'm beyond old, young man. And that's directly related to Kiseki's secret. She can heal any illness or injury almost instantly. But there's more than that. She can revert people's aging.
— Wait, really? How do you know that?
— I used her power multiple times in my life. I've been alive for centuries now. 7, 8, I don't really remember. But she can heal people's minds and make them remember anything, even if it didn't happen.
— You can't be serious... That sounds too good to be true. And where is she? Everyone would try to capture her if they knew about that.
— That's why I've kept it a secret until now. Since she's a level 6 hero now, the truth will come out sooner or later, so I'm revealing it to you beforehand.
— But why me?
— I don't know. I felt like it. Sell that information and get out of this shithole. Also, I want to watch the circus burn. I'm in need to keep myself entertained for the rest of my days.
— Don't you know where that hero is? Because you haven't used her de-aging power recently...
— Of course I know where she is. But I gave up on rejuvenating myself. It's boring. The last years have been the best, but I just can't enjoy things anymore. So I'm passing this responsibility on to you or whoever wants to play the immortal.
— I... I don't know what to say...
— Fascinating, isn't it? If you didn't even know your crush died years ago, you need to breathe some fresh air. Enjoy your short life to the fullest, and I'll see you in hell. I'll get there sooner, of course, but it's just a matter of time. Everything is a matter of time.
In a laboratory.
Why can't I feel anything? I'm in a room with my own family's dead bodies, but I'm smiling... They're more than my family. They're literally me. Is that why I enjoy making them suffer?
— Good job, YV! If you keep this pace, we'll get more funding!
— ...
— What's the problem? You're enjoying this, right? I'll keep sending you clones until you awaken your power!
Inside a dark room, where the sun shines brighter than usual.
Argh, my head hurts... where am I? The station was destroyed, but I'm still alive... Ah, right! The girl, where's that brainwashed girl?
Yuto sat up, revigorated. The world around him spun, because he got up too quickly.
— Shh, boy, you shouldn't wake her up yet. Her body is more damaged than yours.
Huh? I was lying on her lap? Who is she?! And why she's speaking alien language?!
The woman he was resting his head on pointed her finger at the brainwashed girl. She was sleeping soundly on her thigh.
— Who are you...? Do you speak japanese?
— I understand now, you're a stranger... Since you came from a portal, you might be from another world, just like Stalor...
— Eh...?
— I'll take you to the king. He can translate almost anything with magic.
— The... the what?
The woman put her hands on top of her head, mimicking a crown. Now that Yuto took a better look at her, she was quite beautiful. She had green long hair, white eyes and looked like a divinity.
What is she insinuating? Whatever, I just have to follow her, right? If she tries anything funny, I'll just-
Yuto tried to stand up, but his head was still dizzy. He took a look at his body. It was still bleeding from all the railgun shots. The woman signaled for him to lie down again and rest until the other girl woke up.