The World's Ego

Deep Consciousness

Rimuru POV

I blinked my eyes open and found myself in a white space. Getting up from the ground, I looked around and tried to find anyone that could be in here.

"Are you there, Raphael-san?"

<Answ- Master is- consciousness->

Woah, her speech is completely cut! Something definitely is not right here.

<I am- Master's- powers->

"Okay, do whatever you need to do, Raphael-san. I can't really hear you well, so I'll figure something out." I assured my skill partner

<Understoo->

With that, I wandered in this odd place I was in. Since I blacked out, I figured that I was probably unconscious in reality.

So this is the space of my consciousness... I wonder what Granbell had put into me. It felt really uncomfortable.

"We finally meet." A voice suddenly interjects my thoughts

Startled, I whipped my head to the voice, and my eyes widened, "You..."

In front of me was... me? Except, she looked older, and most of all, she looked exactly like how I was as 'Elysia', a more human form this time. Though for some reason, she had a solemn look in her eyes as she greeted me.

"Hi, my name is Elysia Grandeu. The True Hero. Hero of Origin."

I blinked in shock, "... True Hero... Hero of Origin? What?"

"I know it must be a big shock for you, so let's take this slowly, okay?" She giggled a little with a light shrug, "Simply speaking, I am your first reincarnation in this world from another timeline. How am I speaking to you now, you might ask. Well, this is like a fragmented memory of who I am that I placed in the Key of Sealing. The 14th Divine Key that I created myself."

"You mean that rock Granbell had put into me?"

"I honestly never thought he would do that either, I was shocked myself. You see, the Key of Sealing was split into two but he managed to find the other half. The one that Luminas had was sealed into the Holy Ark and it was corrupted by Chronoa's evil aura, though that girl didn't mean to do it on purpose." She explained before giving it a thought, "I think your body is currently engaged in a fight with your allies because of the corruption."

My eyes widened at her words, "Then I have to get back immediately!"

"I know. And I know that you are more than capable of dispelling that aura, but I need you to listen to me first. My current self will be gone by the time you wake up, so this is my only chance to talk to you. Don't worry, a few hours here is only about a few minutes outside." She assures me

... She doesn't seem to be lying. In fact, she looks really desperate.

"Okay."

She sighs in relief, "Okay, good, thank you. It will be a bit of a long story, so let's just sit for a bit."

I nodded and we sat beside each other. She takes a few moments to relieve some memories before looking at me.

"I was reincarnated as a human without any memories of the old world. That's why my personality might seem a little more different than you. The Grandeu family line is a bunch of nobles, respectable and strong. I had a loving family that I wanted to protect, so I decided to train and try to become a Hero." She recounted with a fond smile, "I evolved into a Saint and was endorsed by the spirits and managed to become a True Hero. But you know, it came at a cost... Since I no longer age, I watched my family die in front of me one by one. I had cute nieces and nephews but... After losing my siblings to old age, I became afraid of immortality and left quietly to not feel more pain."