Zeek sighed as he lay in bed, hours having passed since Lydia, Tera, and Angela had left. He looked at his room before he muttered, "No point in wasting the day away," and rolled out of bed. He quickly got dressed in his magical reinforced training clothes, pushing aside the debris left by the broken doorknob, he opened the door and stepped into the hall.

 The palace was magnificent, and its size surprised Zeek. He spent the morning getting to know the twists and turns of the hallways, each branch of the place having its purpose. 

The west wing housed the servants and maids. The primary wing consisted of the meeting rooms and living and gathering spaces, while the East branch had the grand dining hall, kitchen, and courtyard.

 He quietly passed the King's meeting room before arriving at the war room. It was a grand space with a stone table at the center and bookcases along the walls that reached the ceiling. Despite the lack of dust, one could tell from the stillness of the room that it hadn't been used in years. Moving through the main palace, Zeek eventually arrived at the grand ballroom, the emptiness of the room conveying the same sentiment.

 At the end of the ballroom, Zeek was met with a grand staircase connecting all five stories of the palace. Intrigued, he started his ascent, taking in the details of the second and third floors, which seemed to be empty bedrooms reserved for visiting royalty. The fourth floor was a lavish bath house, separated into three sections: male, female, and mixed. 

Zeek paused, making a mental note to come back later in the day. Finally, he reached the fifth floor, where the royalty slept.

 Exiting the staircase, he was met with a magnificent living area. On each side, two hallways diverged. The short one to the right had only one door at the end, where the King's bed chamber was located. The other, much longer, was lined with twelve doors.

 Zeek's bedroom was the first one on the right. He shuffled inside, stretching. "Wow, the palace looks a lot smaller from the outside," he mused. "It took me two hours to walk through everything."

 It was now midday, and The room was empty. Lydia had yet to return, and Zeek assumed she was still discussing with the other two women. He figured that Angela's room must be one of the doors at the end.

 "Well," he said, pushing his broken door open, "I'll drop by before I head outside to train, or maybe I'll take this opportunity to head to the moon." He glided down the hall, listening intently for the voices of the three women.

 Zeek walked silently down the hall until muffled voices and the occasional giggle behind the lavishly carved wood door caught his attention. He pressed his ear to the door, listening to the familiar voices of the girls inside.

 Just as he was about to take a step back and leave, the door opened, and Tera's head poked out, revealing a shimmering view of Angela's large, well-decorated bedroom. 

Lydia and Angela sat at a marble tea table, plates of snacks and cups decorating the tabletop.

 "Did you need something?" Tera giggled.

 Zeek smirked, "No, I just wanted to check up on you three before I left the palace."

 Lydia sprang from her seat and ran to the door, "Do you need me to accompany you somewhere, master?"

 ‘Oh, she wasn't so formal this morning. I wonder what happened.' he thought to himself.

 "No, it's fine, Lydia. I'll be back later tonight." He paused for a moment, "I may need some new clothes when I return. I'd appreciate it if you left them on my bed."

 Confusion crossed both Lydia's and Tera's faces. Curiosity getting the better of her, Angela stood and came to the door as well, "Where are you going that you'd need new clothes?"

 Zeek chuckled, "It's a secret. Enjoy the rest of your meeting, ladies." He gave them one last smile before turning away and making his way back to his room, leaving the three women to their confusion.

…..

Zeek leaned out of his open window, stretching his limbs as he prepared for his journey. He lept through the opening and lifted off into the sky. 

 As he flew closer to the edge of the breathable atmosphere, he took in the sights of a civilization far more advanced than that of Estaria. "That must be the kingdom of Jordan," he thought to himself, recalling the scene with the spiteful hero homelander. "I'll see you next week."

 Zeek took a deep breath and continued past the upper atmosphere of the planet. 

After about an hour of flying, he arrived at the enormous moon. He landed on the gray rock and reminisced about the times he and his father had traveled to their moon to look upon Viltrum. He sat on a boulder, resting his elbows on his knees, feeling the sweet silence of open space calming him.

As he looked over the planet, he noticed that there was only one giant Pangea continent, with the rest of the planet covered in ocean dotted with a few islands. "No wonder they had a problem with war," he thought. "They're all basically trapped on an island together."

 ....

"Are you sure about this?"

Lydia's eyes narrowed as she questioned Angela's suggestion. Servants bustled around the enormous room, rearranging the furniture to make room for the gigantic bed.

 "Yes, Lydia," Angela reassured her. "This way, we will be on an even playing field."

 Tera interjected, "What about me?"

 Angela cocked her head, challenging her. "What about you, Godmother?"

 Tera pouted, her puppy-dog eyes pleading. "It's not fair that you two get to sleep with him. Can't I just sleep on the edge, at least?"

 Angela shot her a look of disbelief. "I took my eyes off you for five minutes, and you had already pounced on Zeek. Maybe if you had some self-control, I'd consider it, but it's a definite no, Godmother."

 Tera clicked her tongue and muttered beneath her breath, "Little brat."

 A smirk crept onto Lydia's face as she listened to Tera's frustration. Angela noticed the rivalry between the two and sighed. Having Lydia as a rival was one thing, but her Godmother, Tera, was a whole other monster. She had heard rumors of Tera's escapades in the Empire, how the men she took an interest in would never be the same after a night with her.

 Tera's frown deepened as Angela asked," You have beauty and power. Can't you find someone else besides Zeek, GodMother?"

 Tera looked up with sad eyes, her voice aching with longing," That's precisely why I want him, Angela. I've waited my entire life for someone like him.” Her face warped with disgust.” I'd never bear the child of a man from this world; they're too fragile, too weak, and they aren't blessed like him." Lydia turned bright red at Tera's last comment and turned away." And the summoned heroes over the years haven't been promising either."

 Angela took a step back and sat on the bed," Couldn't you have gone back to your original world?"

 Tera's face fell, her voice a whisper as she remembered the time before she was summoned," Even if I did go back. Krypton is gone. That's why I decided to stay in this universe after I won the tournament."

 "I'm sorry, Godmother, I didn't know anything about that," Angela apologized, her voice heavy with regret.

 Tera waved away her comment, trying to lighten the mood," Don't worry about it, Darling. That was a long time ago."

 Angela thought silently for a moment, her eyes darting to Lydia and then back to Tera. She was about to suggest something when suddenly Zeek floated through the open window, the smell of smoke emanating from him. His clothes were singed and tattered, burn holes revealing glimpses of his chiseled body. It's a miracle that they managed to cover his crotch.

 "Hey, do you know what happened to my bed?" Zeek asked, his voice nonchalant.

 Lydia got up and handed Zeek his new clothes, her cheeks aflame from the discussion with Tera and Angela. 

He accepted them and started removing his shirt. He could feel their watchful eyes, so he stopped undressing.

 "I think I'll go downstairs and take a bath. In the meantime, could someone return my bed?"

 Angela spoke in a commanding voice, "No, you'll be sleeping in here from now on."

 Zeek was taken aback. "Wait, why? What's wrong with my old room?" 

"Nothing. We just decided." Angela's words were matter-of-fact.

 He shifted his gaze to Lydia, her cheeks burning brighter, yet she said nothing.

 Heaving a sigh, Zeek draped the clothes over his shoulder. "Alright, but I hate to disappoint you two. I won't be sleeping until the day before the tournament." He opened the door but paused before leaving. "Actually, Tera, could you meet me in the training yard in the morning from now on until the tournament?"

 Tera rose, her eyes gleaming, "It would be my pleasure."

 Angela interjected, her voice carrying a stern authority, "I won't allow it. You just recovered, and it's too soon for you to start training again." Lydia nodded in agreement, and Angela continued, her words laced with a warning, "I demand that you wait at least-"

 "No, you demand nothing from me." Zeek's normally playful tone had changed drastically to a deep, somber resonance that reverberated off the walls. His commanding presence filled the room, making Angela step back until her back was against the wall.

 Zeek made his way over, slammed his hand against the wall, and leaned into Princess Angela's ear, his intense voice and hot breath sending a chill down her spine.

"I don't belong to you; you don't command me, and I will do as I please."

 Angela turned her head away, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. She had never been put in a situation like this before.

 "Look at me when I'm talking to you." 

Angela reluctantly turned back to Zeek, meeting his intense gaze. His eyes seemed to bore into her soul, and her heart began to race. She could feel the conflicting emotions of fear and excitement swirling inside her.

 He smiled, his voice dripping with authority, "Good girl."

 Zeek thought about kissing her at that moment to get her to stop worrying, but he felt that it would be better to let that happen naturally. In the meantime, he could have fun teasing them.

 Zeeks pushed off the wall, giving Lydia a fond pat on the head before saying to them both, "Try not to bother me until after the first match. I need maximum concentration for what I'm about to do." With that, he strode out of the room.

 Tera licked her lips, preparing to follow suit. "I'll be going too. I need to get ready for tomorrow." Her gaze lingered for a moment before she made her exit.

 Lydia smirked and said, "I'll be right back. I need to bring my clothes over here." Angela was still in a trance from Zeeks' performance. "If you'd like, you can come help me," she said, offering her a hand. Angela nodded, and they both made their way out the door, leaving the room in a hush.

....

Freshly showered, Zeek inhaled the cool night air, feeling its kiss on his cheeks. Without wasting any time, he donned the Magic Enhanced weight vest, feeling the magic activating and driving his feet into the ground. He wobbled his way over to the free weights, lifting two in each hand and began his training.

 As he pushed through the pain of his muscles tearing, Zeek remembered the Viltrumite training methods his uncle had taught him. He planned to destroy the muscle fibers slowly, fly around impaired by the vest, and meditate for a short time between each session without sleeping - giving his body enough time to rebuild and cause a chain reaction of growth in strength, speed, and muscle mass.

 The morning came, and Tera entered the training grounds. Without a word, Zeek turned to her and readied himself. She smiled and disappeared. Zeek had gained a bit of strength from their last spar and could see her movements better, although she was still too fast for him to react to.

 Tera got a few blows onto his body and face, but Zeek managed to dodge a few, surprising her. His goal was to focus on defense first, and after an hour of taking punches and kicks from her, he said, "Alright, that's enough for now. Please come back tomorrow."

 Zeek threw the vest off his body and squatted down in the lotus position, closing his eyes to meditate before repeating the process.