The Nimbus Cloud cut through the sky like a streak of molten gold, descending from the heavens in a controlled glide. Morning light bathed its surface, turning the fluffy mass into a glowing chariot of divine silk. Zumi stood at the front of the cloud, hands in his pockets, wind pushing his hair back while a calm, knowing smile played on his lips.
He was coming home.
At least… to the place that had once been his home.
Behind him, Serafina rode the cloud effortlessly, as if she had been born dancing atop storm winds. Darkness flowed around her like living silk, her long black hair trailing behind her, crimson eyes alive with excitement. She hadn't ridden the Nimbus since Sun Wukong's ancient age — and feeling it again stirred memories of a time when she thought she had lost him forever.
But beside her…
Hina was dying.
"Z–Zumi…" she choked, clutching her stomach as her legs wobbled beneath her, "WHY — WHY WAS THAT SO FAST?!"
When the cloud finally lowered into the airspace over the slums, she practically peeled herself off it.
Her boots hit the ground, and she immediately stumbled, grabbing onto a cracked railing for dear life. Her face had gone pale, her red-purple streaked hair sticking to her cheek as she gasped for breath like someone who'd just finished a twenty-mile sprint while being chased by a dragon.
Serafina nearly folded in half laughing.
"Oh gods—" she wheezed, holding her stomach, "you look like you just escaped a tornado made of spiders."
"It felt like that!" Hina hissed, pointing an accusing finger at Zumi without even looking up. "You didn't tell me the cloud moved at LIGHT SPEED!"
"It doesn't," Serafina corrected, smirking proudly. "It moves much faster."
Hina groaned in betrayal.
"It's not the height— I can deal with height — it's the SPEED," she sputtered. "WHY DOES A CLOUD NEED TO GO THAT FAST?!"
Zumi just chuckled, hands still tucked casually into his pockets.
"I thought you'd like it," he said with a shrug. "Nimbus only responds to my aura, so I didn't really think about the acceleration."
"You didn't THINK—?!" Hina gasped, still hunched over, hands on her knees.
Serafina draped an arm over Hina's shoulders and pulled her upright, patting her back affectionately.
"It's okay, little flame," she comforted, "Nimbus is vicious the first time. You'll get used to it."
Zumi laughed under his breath.
And then—
He stopped walking.
The slums stretched out before him, bathed in a sleepy orange hue. Dilapidated buildings leaning on each other like tired elders. Shattered windows. Rusted fire escapes. A few stray dogs wandered the cracked streets, and the smell of damp concrete clung to the air.
For a moment, Zumi didn't breathe.
The memories washed over him.
This place… this place made me.
"Haven't been here in ages…" he murmured.
Serafina tilted her head, studying him quietly.
"This is where my mortal life started," he said. "Where Zumi Kogane was born."
Hina straightened, still woozy but listening intently.
Serafina's expression softened.
"This ugly little place made you?" she whispered, looking around. "Then I respect it."
Zumi smirked and nudged her with his elbow.
"You better," he said. "One day it'll be the capital of the Kogane Empire."
Serafina grinned, fangs glinting.
Hina just nodded proudly beside him.
The streets were empty — the slums were always quiet in the early morning hours — and that quiet was why no one saw the three divine figures descending upon it.
But someone felt it.
Zumi exhaled slowly and let just the faintest thread of his aura slip out — like cracking open a door in a sealed house.
Instantly, Serafina mirrored him, letting a sliver of her aura bleed out to resonate against his.
A ripple of dark violet light rolled across the slums like a silent earthquake.
BOOM.
Deep beneath their feet…
In the underground sewer base…
Bia froze.
Her golden-crimson eyes snapped open, pupils dilating like a predator scenting its mate. And then—
She squealed.
A loud, high-pitched, uncontrollable squeal that echoed through the entire base.
Every gang member — 200,000 new recruits gathered beneath the city — went silent all at once.
It was the first time any of them heard their terrifying, unstoppable Commander Bia make such a… human… noise.
Reina, leaning casually against a crate, nearly choked on her breath.
"Commander…?" she asked, eyes wide.
"He's here—" Bia whispered, gripping the edge of the table with shaking hands. "Zumi. My Zumi. My King— he's here."
You could hear a pin drop.
Then one of the former Blood Rats whispered:
"Did… did she say the boss of our Commander… is HERE?"
Another spoke up.
"You mean… Commander Bia — The Goddess of Force — answers to someone ELSE?!"
Shock rippled across the entire underground base.
Reina stepped closer, trying to calm down her racing heart.
"Commander… who is with him?" she asked softly.
Bia inhaled deeply, aura flaring with excitement and reverence.
"He should have another goddess with him," Bia said.
Collective gasps.
Reina jolted.
"Another goddess?!" "Commander Bia has peers?!" "What kind of monster is coming?!"
But Bia wasn't finished.
She blinked, eyes widening slightly as another aura flickered in the distance.
"…and Hina has become a goddess too."
Reina blinked.
"Hina?" she repeated. "Who is Hina?"
"Oh—" Bia turned toward her. "Just like you, she was a mortal sister of mine. That's how Zumi described you both. Mortal sisters."
Reina's chest tightened pleasantly.
Sister.
She finally called me that.
Her pride swelled.
But Bia continued:
"It seems she has ascended to Godhood."
The room erupted.
"WHAT?!" "A mortal became a goddess?!" "WHO IS THIS HINA?!"
Reina placed a hand over her mouth, overwhelmed by the idea that another woman loved Zumi so deeply she ascended to divinity.
Before the chaos could grow louder—
CRREEAAAAK.
Someone was opening the sewer entrance.
Everyone froze.
Every blade stopped moving.
Every breath halted.
And then…
Voices.
Up above the entrance, Serafina stood with her arms crossed and a grimace on her face.
"Oh, this is vile," she muttered, wrinkling her nose. "Zumi. Why are we entering the sewers? I refuse. Absolutely refuse."
Hina burst out laughing.
"A goddess of darkness refusing to go underground? Really?"
"I am darkness, not filth," Serafina snapped. "Do not confuse the two— I will die before I step into that— that mortals' waste cavern."
Hina wheezed.
Zumi rolled his eyes.
"Come on, stop being dramatic."
"I AM a goddess; drama is part of my job description."
Zumi sighed and crouched down slightly.
"Fine. Come on. I'll carry you."
Serafina froze.
"…you'll carry me?"
"Yeah," he said simply.
Her entire expression changed.
"Okay," she said instantly, leaping onto him like a pampered cat. "I'll go because you're carrying me."
Hina snorted.
"You two are ridiculous."
Serafina stuck her tongue out at her.
Zumi hooked his hands under Serafina's legs, supporting her weight with ease, then glanced down the open sewer shaft.
Cold, damp air drifted upward.
The sound of whispers.
The echo of thousands waiting.
Zumi inhaled.
Serafina wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, resting her cheek against his shoulder.
Hina stepped beside them.
Zumi looked at them both, nodded once…
…and then began climbing down.
He carries her and begins walking to where they all are.