The sun hung low, casting a golden veil over Sando's front yard as the clash of wooden blades rang out like a song of war. Gendai's lithe form danced across the grass, her green hair catching the breeze as she lunged, her wooden sword slicing through the air. Sando met her strike with a deft parry, his lips curling into a playful smirk. "Not bad," he chuckled, raising his blade.
Gendai's eyes gleamed with defiance. She leaped back, then charged again, her movements a blur of grace and precision. With a daring flip, she cartwheeled over Sando's head, her body twisting like a leaf in the wind. Sando spun, caught off guard, only to find Gendai sliding between his legs on her knees, gliding with the ease of a shadow. In a heartbeat, she hand-sprung to her feet, her sports bra and shorts clinging to her form as she faced him.
But Sando was no ordinary opponent. With a flash of his Solaris-blessed speed, he appeared before her, his wooden sword poised above her head. Gendai reacted just in time, raising her blade to block, their weapons locking as she fell back onto the grass. Her chest heaved, her green eyes blazing as she held his sword at bay, their faces inches apart.
Sando's golden eyes sparkled with admiration. "You're as strong as I expected," he said, his voice warm with respect. "That agility—those moves are unreal. They must've been out of their minds to let you go. If it weren't for Solaris's blessings, I'd be no match for you."
Gendai pushed herself up, brushing off her shorts with a wry smile. "My legs are still shaky from… earlier," she admitted, her cheeks flushing faintly. "I could've done better."
Sando's grin widened, his tank top stretching across his broad shoulders as he folded his arms. "Oh, is that so? Maybe I'd have been in real trouble then."
The cloudy sky cast a soft glow over them, Gendai's green hair swaying as she met his gaze. A moment of silence passed, charged with unspoken tension. Then Sando's voice broke the quiet. "Hey, that world they went to—what's it called?"
"Vrasnia," Gendai replied, her tone softening. "It's not in this world. It's in another galaxy, another dimension. There's a gateway, but only Kazimir and Vanessa can access it."
Sando turned his gaze skyward, his golden eyes shimmering with holy power. The air around him seemed to hum as he channeled the blessings of Solaris, his vision piercing beyond the mortal realm, beyond galaxies. Gendai watched, sensing the raw energy radiating from him. "What are you doing?" she asked, her voice tinged with awe.
"Looking for Vrasnia," Sando murmured. His eyes narrowed, scanning the cosmos. "These powers let me see into heaven and hell. Vrasnia should be no different." Though the gateway eluded him, the distant world came into focus—a realm of eternal twilight.
Gendai's jaw dropped. "You can do that? That's what Solaris's blessings are like?"
Meanwhile, on the cliffs of Vrasnia, a group stood beneath a sky painted with the aurora borealis, its colors reflecting off a shimmering ocean. The purple moon hung low, casting an ethereal glow over Kazimir, Riah, Jessie, Neve, Tyrone, Lihanna, Kamaki, Felicia, and Vanessa. Most stood in awe, their eyes wide at the alien beauty of this world, while Kazimir, Jessie, and Vanessa—natives of Vrasnia—watched their companions with quiet amusement.
Riah's voice broke the silence, calm but edged with unease. "Kaz, do you feel that? Like someone's watching us."
Kazimir's violet-blue eyes, swirling with galaxies and a crescent moon pupil, scanned the horizon. "Who is it? Cytherea?"
"No," Riah said, her brow furrowing. "It's weaker than her gaze, but it's there."
The group tensed, their eyes darting across the darkened landscape. Kazimir raised his hand, his fingers tracing the air as a void shimmered into existence—a window to another world. Through it, they saw Earth, and a man with blonde hair and golden eyes staring back. Sando.
Neve, her white hair catching the purple moonlight, leaned closer to the void. "Who's that?" she asked, her blue eyes sparkling with curiosity. She waved playfully. "Hello! Can you hear me?"
Jessie, her two-toned purple hair whipping in the wind, smacked Neve's backside. "Oww!" Neve yelped. "What was that for?"
"We're being spied on, and you're excited?" Jessie snapped.
"So what?" Neve shot back, grinning. "Maybe he's just a fan!"
Riah stepped closer, her gaze narrowing as she studied Sando's eyes. "Kaz, those eyes… they carry holy power."
Kazimir nodded, his expression unreadable. "Makes sense. No ordinary human could gaze this far. But Solaris is dead. It's been two thousand years since the last hero fell. What's Elicia up to, granting blessings now?"
The group froze. "Solaris is dead?" Neve whispered, her voice trembling. Tyrone and Lihanna exchanged stunned glances.
Vanessa's voice cut through the tension. "Nebula killed him long ago. Elicia's holding the seal, keeping Nebula at bay. Saturas must be desperate to bless some random with Azoth's power."
Lihanna's eyes widened as she spotted a familiar figure in the void. "Wait—is that Gendai with him?"
Kamaki leaned in, his jaw dropping. "Holy shit, it is! No wonder he's glaring at us. She probably told him the worst about you, Kazimir."
Neve chuckled. "That explains everything. But where's Raijin?"
Kazimir's gaze shifted, his void refocusing on the Prismic Gathering Mansion. There, in the dining room, lay Raijin—sprawled in a pool of his own blood. Kamaki's shout shattered the silence. "Yo, Raijin! No, please don't be dead!"
Felicia's voice trembled. "What could've happened? Who could take Raijin down?"
"Gendai… or that hero," Neve said, her tone grim.
Vanessa turned to Kazimir, her abyssal aura swirling. "What's your plan, Emperor of Vrasnia?"
Kazimir's eyes locked onto Sando's through the void, a silent challenge passing between them. "We get Raijin. He's not dead, but I want answers."
Back on Earth, Sando's gaze remained fixed on Vrasnia. "They're all looking at me," he said, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Gendai tilted her head. "Can you speak to them?"
"No," Sando replied, his voice calm. "I can only see. But I must say, his eyes are… impressive. I wonder what the price of killing Kazimir would be."
On Vrasnia, Vanessa summoned a portal of abyssal water, its surface rippling like liquid night. She stepped through, emerging in the Prismic Gathering Mansion. Raijin lay before her, battered but alive. "Look at you," she said, hoisting him into her arms. "Good thing you're still breathing." With a glance back at the portal, she carried him through, returning to Vrasnia's twilight cliffs.