[Brainwashing, Purification]

A young, studious looking blonde woman walked down the street, sighing a little as she peered into one of her books while trying to avoid the light of the morning sun above. "All of this stuff is so... dry. Lacking real soul, just..." She muttered to herself, unsatisfied with the nonfiction that she had to read for class. She wasn't dumb, having stuck to her studies for many years, but her patience was starting to wear thin. Year after year, everything became more boring, to the point where books that she could finish in hours took several days instead.

"What I wouldn't give for a return to fiction. To the stuff that you can believe in, even if it is fake..." Her expression and her words conveyed just how disillusioned with the world she had become. Her wishes laid bare, for anybody to see...

Anybody, like a certain shadowy presence lurking in a nearby alleyway. "I can help you with your plight." Was all she needed to say, drawing the woman's attention towards her as she pulled her head out of her book. Almost on instinct, the studious woman stepped closer, captivated by the presence.

"That's it. Just come closer, and everything will be alright. You can see the world from a new perspective, and you can improve it all on your own..." The shadowed and feminine presence whispered into the human's ears, letting her venomous words coat her and pull her deeper into her trap...

Before she sealed her fate with a single kiss, letting her be swallowed by darkness...

---

Later that very same day, a violet-haired girl was walking down the same street, humming just a little to herself. "It sure is nice that there haven't been any attacks lately. No Heartless showing up or anything. Maybe after I'm done with the shopping Mom wants me to do, I can..." The girl quietly mused to herself, making sure not to speak up too loud so she wouldn't bother anybody.

The girl, Raine, was secretly the heroine Buster Violet. And like she had said, she wasn't on active duty due to a lack of incidents that needed her or her friends' abilities. No strange monsters that twisted the hearts of men and women alike to their will, just the average criminal here and there. Nothing the average law enforcement couldn't deal with.

Or so she thought, as she looked up ahead and saw something rather... strange. While there were plenty of normal people walking down the street, there was a peculiar gathering of white-clad individuals hanging around an alleyway. It wasn't that they were causing trouble or anything, but the way they were dressed was suspicious. It's not like normal people dress from head to toe in white robes and white latex. Even worse than that, they seemed to be pulling a few people aside to lead them into the alleyway.

Raine deliberated on her options. On one hand, she could ignore the blatantly strange stuff happening in front of her, go on with her day and go buy the things her mom had asked her to and let the weirdos be until it turned into a proper issue that she could call on her friends to help her with... Or she could do this on her own, without any other help from her fellow Busters. It was a tough choice, considering her track record with solo work.

Or, she could take a third route. Follow them, find out what they're doing exactly, and then bust them if they're actually up to no good. Yeah. That seemed like a much better idea. "Excuse me, um, I was just curious..." She started stuttering as she approached the white-clad possé. Playing up the role of a confused young girl, just to make it easier for them to think nothing of her.

Her efforts seemed to work, as the pale-faced robed figures merely smiled at her. Looking at them sent a chill down her spine since their faces had been painted completely chalk white, with a few golden markings decorating the area around their eyes. "Another sheep who has lost its flock. Come with us, and you will see the truth. You will find where you belong." They all said in unison as one of them reached out to the violet-haired girl.

She hesitated for but a moment before she took the hand, keeping mentally calm as she kept up her act. They weren't allowed to find out. Not until it was the right time to transform.

Slowly but surely, she was guided down the spiraling alleyways, her mind gradually losing track of just how long it took to reach her destination. They must've made at least seven left turns, and she lost track of how many split paths they passed. Where... where were they going again, exactly?

"You seem lost, young sheep. Do not worry. Everything will become clear. Just close your eyes, and let the light in." The pale-faced acolyte suggested sweetly, prompting Raine to close her eyes...

And literally seconds afterward, the path appeared before her. Straight and narrow, like the belief the acolytes held. Was it because of her attempt to keep her mind and actions separate that she couldn't see things for what they were? Was that what clouded her mind and made her unable to reach the culprit? She didn't have time to dwell on it before she was escorted down the path, to a single door decorated with golden trims...

"Enter, young sheep. Everything will be revealed. And you will be set free."

The acolyte's words resounded inside of Raine's head as she opened the door, carefully stepping inside. This was it. They were going to prove if they were a threat, or if she could trust them... and frankly, she was starting to think, at least slightly, that they weren't all bad. Not realizing that her eyes had started to take on a slight golden tint.

As she looked around the room, closing the door behind her, she noticed how plain it looked on the whole. It was only decorated with two things. Candles to keep the darkness at bay... and angelic statues painted gold, with their eyes emphasized by an infinity-like symbol.

"Welcome." A soft voice graced her ears as she stared straight ahead, as she got a good glimpse of the leader of the acolytes. A blonde woman with a pale face, like the rest of her followers. Much like them, she wore a white bodysuit, but hers was ever so slightly different. Part of the latex fabric had been cut away near the chest, leaving an angelic wing-shaped view of the underside of her breasts...

But more importantly, there was the matter of the golden embroidery scattered around on her attire. It had been visible on the acolytes, but only now that Raine could focus on it, did she realize that it wasn't just decoration. It was actually written words, scripture no doubt, that had been painstakingly weaved into the glossy fabric to make it stand out. So that everyone knew the word that she was trying to spread.

Just looking at her made the heroine's words get stuck in her throat. How could she possibly speak up against a woman like that? She was so... captivating. Beautiful. Utterly holy...

The bodysuited leader smiled as she stepped closer, hands outstretched. "You look troubled, young one. Just like I once was. Then I saw the light. It told me to bring it to you all." Her tone felt so supportive, even though she looked like a Heartless. Only a Heartless would speak like that. "Let me, Lightbringer, show you the light. It will comfort you, and make you better. That I promise."

Raine should be transforming at this point. She should be trying to fight back against the enemy's influence, stop her from potentially dooming all of them. She knew that's what her friends would want, and that's what a heroine would do. But...

She couldn't. Her eyes were turning further golden as Lightbringer cupped her cheeks, a soft sigh leaving the violet-haired girl's lips as she practically deflated in her hands... "I..." She tried to speak up, but the words were caught in her throat. It didn't help that when she looked into the Heartless' eyes, she felt like she was floating in the clouds, her thoughts turning into nothing but fluff.

"You're afraid, young one. I can tell. You've tapped into the power source of the heathens." The blonde monster's words turned a little sour before her smile returned. "You can redeem yourself. Join the light, and be absolved of your sins. Only then may you find the right path." Her words were so simple and so direct that it would be easy to dispell them if you were sound of mind... but that's not what the poor heroine was at this point.

Raine paused as she stared straight into Lightbringer's eyes, before nodding slowly and deliberately. Her eyes had almost turned completely golden at this point, signifying how she had fallen completely under the Heartless' control.

The suited woman's smile widened as she let go of her newest convert's cheeks. "I'm glad, Raine. You know better." Just by holding her in her hands for a short while, she was able to learn everything she'd ever need to. "Strip, please. We need to give you the proper attire of one who follows the light. Your clothes, although aesthetically pleasing to many, does not properly convey your devotion to the one you serve."

She listened, and she obeyed. Like a good acolyte of the light. Her clothes were quickly dropped to the floor, leaving the enthralled girl in nothing but her underwear. And even that fell to the ground moments later as the woman motioned for them to go just the same. Only when she had been fully disrobed did she receive a fresh change of clothes. Namely, a bodysuit that matched every other convert.

Not a word had to grace her ears for her to know what to do. She immediately put the suit on, letting that white scripture-laden latex slip across her skin, sticking to it as tightly as it possibly could. Her breathing grew a little tense as she felt it squeeze against her more sensitive areas, but the gaze from the Lightbringer made her feel at ease. Her heart filled with the light and her worries went away in turn.

Once she put the suit on properly, all of her body was practically on full display. Every limb, every curve, every little crevice, all were covered in wonderful scripture. She couldn't understand what the words said exactly, but she understood the meaning. It all worshipped the formless light that the Lightbringer spread, and she, in turn, would worship both. The woman who had introduced her to the light, as well as the light itself.

"You're almost complete, dear Raine. Hold still." The Heartless remarked as she held out her hands once more, cupping the young girl's cheeks as the light from her palms slowly sunk into her skin. Almost immediately, a pale white color spread across the entirety of the violet-haired girl's head, giving her a pale complexion much like the other acolytes that she had seen. It even extended to her hair, as the odd color melted into the same blonde shade as her leader. Finally, as the light faded from the cult leader's hands, a single golden set of wings spread across her eyes, giving Raine her very own marking to be proud of. The thing that would mark her as a member of the Lightbringer's cult.

She felt like a changed girl. She couldn't even remember why she had been so worried, or why she had even thought that the group was suspicious. She felt... Wonderful. Especially as the Lightbringer draped her in the very same type of robes as her fellow acolytes, which did much to hide away her body. All except her striking face, which would draw people in. Just like she had been.

"You know what to do, Acolyte." The words ran through her ears, and she bowed in response before taking her chance to leave. She didn't need to deliberate or dwell on it any longer. She had a task to do, a task that she shared with her fellow sisters. Her friends had to be engrossed and enthralled by the light just the same. But it would all come in time, as a single mantra ran through her head. A mantra that filled every single acolyte's head, consuming every inch of independence...

Spread the light. Love the light. Be the light.