The castle enclosed within the centre of the capital, guarded by hundreds of guards, was the final front for humanity for many generations. This castle was known as The Order-Citadelis and housed the king, the royal family, the royal guards as well as many warriors and servants. The throne room located at the centre of the castle, the ultimate nucleus of the country itself as mathematically proven to be at the middle-point of the kingdom itself, invited 2 curious individuals.

     "Thank you for your time, your highness," said the female stranger

The king lifted himself from the throne and walked toward the strangers. He was now on the same level as them, humbling himself.

     "Oh, no, no, you are more royalty than I am, it'd be wrong for you to refer to me as such. Please, just call me Johaness" replied the King, "More importantly, I trust that you two are truly heroes of the ages past, but my advisor still needs physical proof, so if you don't mind..."

The female stranger was Orchestra, the 99th hero. She was of royal blood, which could act as a catalyst to empower spells. As one of the few King-heroes, she was revered as a great ruler. However, as she took off her chest plate and exposed her back, dark feathered wings manifested themselves from thin air. This proved to the audience that she truly was the real deal and that the legends were true. The tale went that during the final confrontation with the demon lord, it became evident that their power outmatched Orchestra's and she retreated. However, on the path back, the hero encountered a powerful Pravus, perhaps even more so than the demon lord himself. This devil offered the hero the strength of a Pravus, with no price attached. She knew that Pravuses were not to be dealt with but she also knew that Pravuses could never lie. This was not a mere deal but a magical contract, impossible to break. In desperation, the hero accepted the deal and gained demonic powers which allowed her to defeat the demon lord, but she fell on the battlefield alongside them. This legend was carried down among the generations, from one royal heir to another, from one peasant to another, the story lived on and she was immortalized as one of the greatest heroes. This cannot be said for many, as most heroes are forgotten by the brutal waves of time.

Orchestra put her armour back on, as her companion, Poda-Bruss took off his gauntlet and showed the back of his hand, where lay the royal guard's insignia. Only the head royal guard was allowed to have the insignia, which proved the fact that he was the royal guard hero, the 25th and the only one of his kind. However, his story was never truly known and his name remained shrouded in mystery. The fate of the demon lord is battled, of his King and even of his own lingered unsolved.

The King still put great trust in him and of course the King-hero. Being a hero meant that no matter who they were, they protected the kingdom. While not all heroes had a great relationship with the king, - such as Siege - most instances were cooperative, and he wanted to do everything in his power to assist these great heroes he looked up to.

     "Please, if there is anything you need - or want - let me know," said the king

     "Thank you for your generosity my liege, but we came here to merely announce our return," replied Poda "We felt the need to declare our presence. It seems that there may be grave danger ahead as 2 - or perhaps more - heroes were resurrected, but there is no need to worry. We will not bother you too often and will keep your highness updated on any development"

     "Heroes, the Order-Citadelis will always welcome our saviours, feel free to ask for anything you need. I understand the graveness of the situation and will keep a high alert"

     "Also, please keep our return a secret from the general public, we do not want any rumours or panic to circulate. I'm sure we will be able to find out why we were resurrected sometime soon, and there is no guarantee that there will be a danger. Hopefully, the one who resurrected us just did so in benevolence." added Orchestra

     "Yes, of course. I wish you, heroes, luck on your journey."

     "I wish you luck as well, Johaness"

The heroes left the grand throne room and the massive door closed behind them, the king sat back on his throne and sighed. This was not a good sign. He thought himself a decent king, and this era was one of the most peaceful in human history. However, he didn't have any extraordinary charisma or intelligence, the peace was mostly thanks to the demon lord not waging their generational war against the kingdom. This was the first time such a thing happened. Of course, the demon lord would still send a few bomber planes once in a while to 'attack' cities, but there was never a single casualty or property damage. This was absolutely nothing compared to the great wars fought centuries ago. There was even one time the entire kingdom was destroyed and had to be rebuilt from scratch. The king felt that perhaps the demon lord and he were a lot alike. They both wanted peace. He knew that the bomber planes were sent only to remind the human kingdom of the demon lord's existence - or the Dominion of Sonosis as the Pravuses called it.

The king was a deeply religious man, having faith in the Goddess. The Goddess blessed the kingdom with a hero every time there was peril. Without her divine intervention, humanity would not be here today. He also believed that the Goddess created all humans and was the mother of all people. He did not pray much to the Goddess, he knew that such insignificant wishes were not the concern of such a great being. However, just this time, he prayed with all his heart.

     "Please let tomorrow just be another boring day..."

While the king prayed earnestly, the heroes were already out on the streets of the royal capital. They borrowed some hooded cloaks to conceal their identity if someone managed to recognize them. Though their faces were forgotten and only their names remained. Therefore, Orchestra chose 'Oracle' as her alias while Poda-Bruss chose 'Bruss'.

     "Lady Oracle, where should we head next?" asked Poda

     "Well, we should probably go to an inn, the night is approaching"

     "I shall go find the best inn right away"

Poda quickly ran into a pub and exited it a few moments later.

     "I hear that 'The Valon Inn' is the best inn in this area, let us make way right away"

     "What did you even do..."

     "Please don't worry about it, my lady"

While Orchestra never knew of Poda-Bruss before - and Poda-Bruss logically did not know of Orchestra as he lived ages before her - he still treated her like his king. Of course, the royal guards were not only royal to the king but to all of the bloodline, but it still felt weird having another hero serve her like this.

     "Bruss, you don't have to call me 'lady' or 'highness' or anything. We're both equals as heroes as all heroes are. There is no need for you to treat me any differently than you do your comrades"

     "Of course, my lady"

     "..."

     "Oh, I am terribly sorry," said Poda as he took one knee to the ground "I am just so used to using titles, I'll try my best next time"

     "Well, at least don't act like my servant. I need a comrade, not another maid"

The bell on the door rang as the pair entered the inn. However, they realized that since they did not have much money on them when they reincarnated, they could only afford one room with a single bed. Orchestra thought back on what the king said and winced at how stupid she was. She should've at least taken some gold with her, but she just wanted to leave quickly for another adventure. The truth was that she was not a hero for a long time, and only a few months before the encounter with the demon lord did she start training. It wasn't her fault though, the Goddess seemed a bit lazy in her eyes. She was forced to cheat the battle by dealing with the devil, but her descendants somehow romanticized that as a royal sacrifice. For all her life, Orchestra put up a dignified appearance not to disappoint others as the king and hero, but with such a loyal and diligent person like Poda around, she couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.

     "This is fine my la-... comrade. I will just sleep on the floor"

     "What! I cannot let my companion sleep like this. My Pravusic body is much more adaptable (I think), so you should sleep in the bed instead."

     "Do not worry, I am used to this. I was born into a poor household, so this is actually nostalgic for me. Also, the Goddess blessed me with incredible defence, you should be the one sleeping in the bed."

     "Well... Uhh... Can't we just share the bed?..."

     "I am sorry, but my conscience will probably kill me. I cannot let the King sleep with a mere guard on the same bed"

     "Then," said Orchestra as she picked up the blanket, "take these at least"

Orchestra then freed her back, summoning her wings.

     "These wings should keep me warm for the night, I cannot let my guard catch a cold under my watch!" said Orchestra as she hugged herself with her wings.

     "...Thank you, my liege"

     "I said no honorifics!"

And so, the night ended as Orchestra's new chapter just began. The moon shone brightly tonight, and the future seemed promising for the pair of heroes.