Zeek and Lydia made their way through the palace halls, the air thick with hushed whispers and gossiping about the arrival of an envoy. As they approached the grand meeting room doors, they were stopped abruptly by two unfamiliar guards.

 The guards wore lavish gold armor, the dragon crest on their chest plates glinting in the light. Lydia whispered to Zeek, her voice low and steady, "They're guards from the Empire."

 Zeek nodded in understanding, his eyes narrowing in realization. He thought to himself, "That must be why that asshole from earlier came here. Was he the Empire's hero?"

 The two guards stood before the open door, one of them speaking firmly, "No one is allowed to enter right now."

 A voice from inside the door called out, "Let them pass. He's our hero." 

The guard stepped back and gestured for Zeek and Lydia to enter. As they stepped in, Zeek's eyes were met with a mysterious sight.

 King Jora sat at his desk with a stoic demeanor, far from his usual kind smile. In front of him sat an unfamiliar woman, her face veiled and a powerful aura of undeniable strength radiating around her.

 King Jora gestured for Zeek to take the seat next to her, and as he settled in, he couldn't help but examine her physique under her revealing black dress, trying to guess what was hidden beneath the veil. He caught a smirk playing on her silhouette, and he responded with a smile of his own.

 King Jora then spoke, "Well, thank you for saving me time. I was going to send someone to get you. An envoy of the Empire has come to announce pairings for the first match."

 Zeek leaned back into the plush cushions of the couch, his brow furrowing as he uttered, "Yeah, I figured. Some asshole in a blue suit came to introduce himself earlier."

 King Jora raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting to the woman beside Zeek. She merely shrugged in response, prompting Jora to pinch the bridge of his nose. "He must be from the kingdom of Jordan," he mused. "It's a bordering kingdom; they've been chosen as our first opponent. He must have taken it upon himself to make his introduction."

 The woman cleared her throat, gaining Jora's attention. He flashed a grin, gesturing towards Zeek. "Oh, how rude of me. Zeek, I'd like to introduce you to Tera-Vel, the ambassador for the Royal Empire, a tournament champion, and an old friend."

 Tera gracefully crossed her legs beneath her dress and sank back into the cushions of the couch, her voice regal yet laced with a sharp edge that could cut through the air. "There's no need to mention that tournament, Jora. It was 300 years ago," she said to King Jora before turning her intense gaze to Zeek, scanning him up and down as if she could see everything. "Your summoned hero looks promising this time, and he's handsome and blessed as well," she added with a smirk.

 Zeek felt the air around him thicken like a wild beast had cornered him. Like two daggers, he could feel her piercing gaze penetrating through the veil that concealed her face. 

His body tensed up as he sensed the hidden power of her gaze, which could make even the strongest men break into a cold sweat. Unconsciously, he scooted away, making Tera chuckle in amusement.

 Jora broke the tension with a cough, "Tera, please."

 Tera turned away from Zeek and clicked her tongue, "Fine, but I'd like to spar with him after we're finished. I want to see if these Viltrumites are near a Kryptonians' strength."

 ‘Kyrptonians?' 

 Zeek interjected, "I just finished training not too long ago, so I think it would be unwise to spar with you today. I'd be happy to oblige you another time, though." His curiosity was piqued by the intimidating power he had just witnessed, and he wanted to find out more. Just not today.

 Tera's face lit up, "Yaay! That's the attitude of a warrior race!"

 King Jora dragged his palm over his face, "Please restrain yourself, Tera. He has a match in two weeks."

 Tera puffed her chest out like she had won something, and Zeek turned to Lydia and noticed the grim expression on her face. He thought to himself, "What's up with her?"

 Tera continued, "You've already met the kingdom of Jordan's Hero, so there's nothing more to say about that." She snapped her fingers, and a guard entered, placing a palm-sized blue crystal on the desk.

 "Your match will be in two weeks, on the first of the new month of Flame. All you need to do is hold onto this crystal at noon, and it will transport you to the arena waiting area. If you win your match, you'll choose your reward, and the crystal will return you to Estaria. And if you lose..." She paused, her voice turning serious, "Well, you won't need to worry about it because you'll be either dead or banished."

 Tera clapped her hands, creating a small shockwave of energy. "Now, let me change, and I'll meet you outside."

 Zeek was about to interject, but before he could, Tera stood, pulling back her veil to reveal her beautiful face. Angela and Lydia had their own charm, but Tera had a more mature feeling to her, looking like she was in her late twenties. The scar over her left eye, paired with her short black hair, only added to her charm, and Zeek couldn't help but stare in amazement.

 She smirked and said, "I know you're tired, but I just want a little taste. If you do well enough, I'll stay, and you can also entertain me tomorrow."

 Zeek slowly turned towards Jora, and the king's gaze had already shifted away, as though whatever was about to happen was beyond his control.

 'Fuck, where's Angela when you need her?’

....

 Zeek stepped onto the training grounds he had been in not too long ago. He ran his hand along the soft fabric of his new training outfit, feeling the reassuring strength of the material.

 Lydia had chosen clothes that wouldn't be as easily ripped or burned away as last time.

He began to stretch, slowly loosening his aching muscles. When he tilted his head to stretch his neck, he saw Tera descending from the sky. He noticed how her outfit hugged her body and quickly looked away, feeling his cheeks heat up.

 Tera's graceful descent stopped just inches from Zeek's feet, her mischievous smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She hovered ever so slightly off the ground, her gaze never leaving Zeek's as she spoke.

 "Don't worry," she said in a gentle tone, "I'll be gentle with you." Tera glided back twenty feet away, her eyes twinkling with mischief as she surveyed Zeek. "Let's just see how long you can last today."

 Zeek steeled himself, his muscles coiled tight, as he shot a glance at Lydia. "Can you give us a countdown?" he asked her, his tone tense. 

Lydia nodded, her expression anxious. She raised her hand, and Tera adopted her own fighting stance, preparing for the upcoming battle. "Ready!" Lydia announced, her voice cutting the heavy silence. She dropped her hand, and the fight began.

 Zeek took a courageous step forward, and Tera vanished in the blink of an eye. A faint afterimage of her still lingered in the air when he felt a sharp pressure in his stomach. 

Suddenly, before he had time to process what was happening, Tera reappeared in front of him, delivering a decisive blow to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

 Trying to keep his footing, Zeek stumbled backward, taking in her incredible speed and agility that rivaled the most seasoned Viltrumite. 

But Tera had already disappeared again and, in a split second before Zeek had time to react, struck him in the jaw with her knuckles. 

Over and over, she repeated this process, disappearing and reappearing, pummelling Zeek until his mouth bled and his cheeks were marked with her knuckles.

 He focused his senses, trying to anticipate where she would strike next. 

Then, in a flash, Tera reappeared and launched a kick to the side of his ribs, sending a sharp pain through his body, breaking a few of his ribs.

 But Zeek was prepared this time, and as Tera began to vanish again, he caught her leg and shifted his weight, slamming her into the ground with a force that created a small crater on the training ground floor.

 He now had her pinned to the ground, his arms shaking as he held her down by the arms. Wearing a bloody smile, Zeek said, "I got you."

Tera stopped struggling and smiled, her eyes glowing with anticipation. "You're quite strong," she purred, "but strength can only get you so far."

 A maniacal cackle escaped Tera's lips revealed her bloodthirsty grin, and she slipped out of his grip. 

As her arms wrapped around Zeek in a vice grip, his body felt as though it was being constricted by a snake. He had exhausted his strength earlier in the day, and as they rose into the air, Zeek knew he had lost all leverage.

 Their ascent seemed to go on forever, and soon, the training ground below them looked like a child's playhouse. Tera then tilted her head up to whisper in Zeek's ear, "This is going to hurt."

 Lydia watched in horror as they plummeted toward the ground, and she quickly ran away from the training ground, knowing the impact could endanger her as well.

 Despite Zeek's desperate attempts to wriggle away from Tera's grasp, he eventually accepted his fate as the ground floor came into view. 

At the last possible second, he managed to create a foothold in the air, flipping their positions, and they crashed down with a gruesome thud, sending a massive explosion of dust and cobblestones into the air.

 The dust slowly cleared as Lydia re-entered the training ground, her heart sinking at the sight before her.

 In the middle of the giant crater, Tera was on her back, knees dug into Zeek's stomach. Her forehead was bleeding, and she had a surprised look on her face. 

Zeek lay unconscious, blood trickling down from his forehead, a testament to the last-minute headbutt he had delivered before succumbing to the blow.

 Tera wiped her forehead and licked the blood from her finger with a satisfied purr, "Mmm, he really is promising." 

The lust in her eyes not yet quenched, she tossed Zeek's unconscious body back and straddled him, running her hands down the crease of his chest and abdomen. "I should take him from Jora. I'm sure he could just summon another hero."

 "NO!" Lydia screamed from atop the crater, her eyes burning with rage as a powerful magical aura surrounded her.

 Tera sneered and got off of Zeek. She floated up to Lydia, who stood her ground, a smirk curling her lips as she spoke. "Fine, but I think I'll stay here a while. He needs training from someone experienced like me."

 “The Empire would never allow such a thing!”

Tera argued, with a underlying tone of pain in her voice,“You think anyone in the Empire can stop me? I do as I please." She looked over at Zeeks unconscious body,"And Zeek over there is exactly what I've been looking for. ”

Lydia scowled, her gaze boring into Tera's as her voice took on a steely edge. " I won't let you take him away from me. Not without a fight." Her breathing grew heavy, her entire body coiled with tension as her hands clenched into fists. 

 “ Oh really?”

Tera snickered, her laughter ringing off the walls of the training ground as she spun on her heel and sauntered away, her smirk widening with every step.