834 Whats your masters name? (1/2)

Seiji stopped speaking as he looked at the silver orb.

The silver orb then moved again.

To be more specific, it continuously expanded and retracted. It looked like it was shaking. Seiji felt that it somewhat resembled a beating heart.

Seiji, Natsuya, and Kungo all focused their attention on the silver orb that was giving off a strange impression. They were all on guard against any unexpected circumstances.

Seiji couldn't help but think, 'Hey, it won't explode, will it?'

System: [Trust me, it won't.]

Okay, this answer was only imagined by Seiji.

The silver orb then shook for the third, fourth, and fifth time… Its movements kept becoming more rapid as it began to glow and slowly float in the air. It then started making strange and unclear sounds!

'Hey, could this be a god?' Seiji couldn't help but recall a certain story from his original world.

The silver orb kept making strange sounds. Its glow kept brightening and dimming at intervals, just as if it was adjusting its own frequency. Finally, it was able to speak in a raspy voice. ”Harano-san… can you hear me now?”

”I can hear you,” Seiji answered. ”Koutarou… is that you?”

The silver orb fell silent for a moment.

”I am Koutarou, but I am also not Koutarou,” it answered raspily. ”Still, you can continue addressing me by that name.”

”What do you mean?”

”My entire life as Koutarou was nothing more than an illusion in a dream. However, that dream also had parts that were real. I don't wish to completely deny that dream.”

”Then who are you?” Seiji looked directly at the silver orb.

”I am someone who's dead already, an undead spirit. Apart from that… my name and identity are no longer important.” The silver orb paused for a moment. ”Please don't ask me to confirm my true identity. Otherwise, I might go berserk again.”

”…Alright, since you don't wish to pursue it, I won't pry.” Seiji blinked. ”How are you currently feeling?”

”Not very good, although I suppose I'm technically 'alive' again… But I don't know what meaning there is to being alive anymore.”

”I think that living in and of itself is a type of meaning. If you're confused, then there's no need to think too much into it, just like with your real name.”

”I suppose… you're right.” The silver orb started glowing brighter. ”Thank you, Harano-san.”

”Sure thing.”

Several seconds of silence followed after.

”Cough, let's introduce everyone.” Seiji broke the silence first as he looked at Kungo. ”Kungo, this is the coal seller Koutarou from your town. Koutarou previously went berserk here, and transformed into such a form.”

Seiji then looked at the silver orb. ”Koutarou, this is the samurai Kungo from your town. You… er, can you see him?”

Kungo: ”…”

”Hey, Koutarou's a survivor from your town. You're not even going to greet him?” Seiji commented to Kungo.

”I don't know what I should say,” Kungo spoke raspily.

”Okay then… Koutarou, can I ask you some questions?” Seiji focused again on the silver orb.

”Please feel free to ask.”

”First, how did you transform into your current form?”

”I don't know, either… It's probably partially due to the power of this unique dimension that we're in, and also partially due to me recovering a portion of who I really was,” the silver orb answered in a raspy voice.

”Okay, what have you remembered?”

”I can remember some things… tattered memories… that make me confused…”

”If it's alright with you, could you tell me about your memories? What did you experience while you were alive? Do you know anything about a white dragon?” Seiji asked cautiously.

The silver orb fell silent as its light dimmed.

”We've accidentally created the Catastrophe Goddess… things shouldn't have happened this way.”

”What exactly happened?” Seiji instantly focused his full attention on the orb as he sensed that he was arriving at critical information. Natsuya next to him also started paying full attention.

”It was supposed to only be an experiment, but something went wrong… Or, someone secretly did something…” the silver orb still spoke in a raspy voice. ”A dragon appeared, causing everyone to die. An entire village was destroyed. The souls of the dead corrupted the dragon, turning it into the Catastrophe Goddess… I don't know what happened after that.”