The World's Ego (Book 2)

Unexpected Reunion

Third Person POV

Kondou looked at the clock inside his borrowed room with a sigh. It's been almost two days since then, and possibly a few hours that passed in the Cardinal World.

"It's boring to be the ones that are sitting ducks, huh?" Dino muttered, laying his head on the coffee table, "I wonder when she'll wake up."

"Not for awhile, unfortunately. We're lucky it isn't a coma this time." Kondou said with a frown

"I'm just wondering why we're still here though." Dino said, finally lifting his head up, "I know that some of us should be going back to fight the real Ivarage."

Kondou raised a brow at him, "Do you want to?"

Dino quickly shakes his head, grimacing at Kondou, "No thanks. I'd rather not get involved with Ivarage. That thing's stronger than before and it was already troublesome in the past."

Kondou sighs under his breath, "I should've expected as much."

"Are you feeling uneasy?" Dino asks when he notices Kondou's sullen mood, "You're worried for those guys in the Cardinal World, right?"

"Lord Marshal says that the battles have been stagnant." Kondou said before fiddling with the handle of his pistol, "Of course I'll feel uneasy staying here."

"I see..."

"Aren't you the least bit worried about the world?" Kondou questioned, "I mean... Veldanava's gone and he wants it to continue to prosper but we're all stuck here."

Dino grumbled something incoherent before lying down again, "... It's not like I don't want to help... Can I even be useful?"

"You won't know unless you try." Kondou answered, "I know I'm weak right now but if I can be of help, then I will do everything in my power to help everyone."

"Huh..."

...

Vita hummed as she looked around the room. Velgrynd was keeping an eye on her while Gracia and Pico were standing guard. Mai was still resting in the infirmary from the nausea she felt. She shrugged lightly before looking back at the bed where Feiyun continued to sleep peacefully.

"I wonder how things are back in your world." Vita said with another light hum, "It was just a fragment of Ivarage that appeared this time, after all."

"You don't have to worry. Everything is fine over there." Velgrynd assured her, "But the real Ivarage hasn't appeared yet."

Vita drummed her fingers on her lap, "Is that so? Honestly, Ivarage is such an odd thing, isn't it? What's with that thing? Showing up in such a manner and putting poor Feiyun into this state."

"Enough. Don't say her name so casually." Velgrynd snapped at her with a sharp gaze, "I've heard stories about you from Seele and Fu Hua. If you try to do anything to Little Fei, I won't forgive you."

"Aw, why do they have to make things complicated?" Vita wondered with a hurtful expression, "I just wanted to be their friend. I'm being honest about that."

Velgrynd narrowed her eyes, "You have something similar with Rimuru with that attitude but one thing is for sure. Unlike Rimuru, I cannot find myself trying to understand your thoughts."

"But Feiyun could! After all, she was housing herself in my mind, so she knows me very well!" Vita countered with a smile, "She doesn't seem to reject the idea of being my friend either."

Velgrynd clicked her tongue, unamused, "What a cheeky girl. So you're not going to leave?"

Vita giggles, "I'm not! I still need to be watched over, right?"