A Hero Who Returns But Is Out Of Place

The next morning, Kaoru arrived at his office as usual, dressed in a sleek black suit paired with a dark tie. Walking confidently through the lobby, he greeted his employees, who responded respectfully. However, his steps faltered when he sensed something off emanating from his magical storage. A faint yet unsettling energy was coming from within, as if something inside had become active.

Kaoru narrowed his eyes, his expression growing serious. That thing... What's happening now? he thought. Realizing it wouldn't be wise to investigate out in the open, he continued toward his office instead.

Once inside, Kaoru shut the door and activated a soundproof barrier to ensure privacy. With a subtle hand gesture, he opened his magical storage, summoning the clay sphere he had acquired from Towako's mansion. The object was now radiating a peculiar energy, its pulse almost alive—something he could distinctly feel.

Kaoru examined the object closely, his brows furrowed. "What are you hiding inside…?" he muttered. The energy emanating from it felt strange—unlike that of any ordinary artifact. It was as if something immense was lying dormant within.

Before he could delve further into his analysis, his phone rang. The caller ID displayed a familiar name: Outer-God. Kaoru sighed and clicked his tongue, annoyed, knowing exactly who it was. He answered the call with a flat tone.

"Yes?"

[Hey, hey! Did I just hear you click your tongue at me?] Outer-God's voice was as over-the-top and grating as ever.

Kaoru rolled his eyes, though the other person couldn't see it. "Don't waste my time with nonsense. Just tell me why you're calling," he replied coldly.

[Ugh, you're always so ungrateful to me, aren't you? I did save your life once, you know… Fine, fine, straight to the point. I sensed something unusual coming from you. You're carrying… a World Core.]

Kaoru's eyes widened, the unfamiliar term catching him off guard. "World Core? What are you talking about?" he asked, his gaze shifting to the clay sphere on his desk. His first instinct was to associate it with the object, but he refrained from jumping to conclusions.

[Of course, you wouldn't know what it is, mortal! Allow me to explain.] Outer-God let out an exasperated sigh before continuing. [A World Core is the essential essence of a world. It's usually a source of unlimited power, responsible for creating and maintaining a world's balance. The issue is, something like that isn't supposed to be in the hands of anyone. So how you came to possess it is… highly suspicious.]

Kaoru's confusion deepened. "Wait. How do you know I have it? You don't even have jurisdiction over this world."

[Ah, that's the interesting part, isn't it?] Outer-God sounded smug. [I can sense it because I once imbued a sliver of my soul into you when you began your role in my world, remember? In other words, we're 'connected,' in a sense. Like... spiritual siblings. Sort of.]

Kaoru's expression twisted in disgust. "Siblings? That's revolting. Why are you telling me this now?"

[Hey, hey! Don't belittle our sacred connection!] Outer-God chuckled. [It just didn't seem relevant until now. But this connection lets me detect the presence of a World Core. Pretty remarkable, don't you think?]

Kaoru exhaled heavily, suppressing his frustration. "You're completely useless most of the time, but when it comes to weird crap like this, you're surprisingly quick."

[Hey! Was that an insult or a compliment?] Outer-God's tone feigned offense, but Kaoru ignored it.

"Listen," Kaoru began with a more serious tone. "I'm not sure if this artifact is the World Core you're talking about. But I do have an unusual item—a clay sphere. I acquired it recently from an acquaintance. At first, it seemed ordinary, but just a while ago, it started radiating some strange energy that's interfering with my magical storage."

[Oh? Really?] Outer-God's curiosity was piqued. [That could very well be the thing I'm talking about. You see, the World Core doesn't have a fixed form—it can appear as a living being, an object, even a tree. If you say it's emitting peculiar energy, there's a chance it's hiding something inside. But this is just a hypothesis. Try breaking it open and see what's inside.]

Kaoru frowned, his wariness evident. "You want me to destroy it just like that? What if it turns out to be dangerous?"

[Oh, come on, Kaoru. You'll never know unless you try. And I'm confident you can handle whatever comes out… or not, hehe~.]

Kaoru groaned and placed the clay sphere in his hand. "Fine. I'll try. But if this goes sideways, I'm blaming you."

[Go ahead! But I'm not responsible if something explodes, okay?]

Kaoru applied gentle pressure to the sphere. Its texture was brittle, like dry earth that had been abandoned for years. With a bit more force, the sphere crumbled into fragments in his palm, scattering debris across his desk and floor.

In the center of his hand, something else remained—a small, greenish seed, faintly pulsing with weak energy like a heartbeat.

"A seed?" Kaoru murmured, his voice filled with confusion.

[WHAT!? A seed, you say?] Outer-God's voice on the phone rose in surprise. [Now that's interesting. If it's a seed, then I'm even more certain—it's an embryonic form of the World Core!]

Kaoru's gaze hardened as he studied the seed. "The World Core in seed form? Wait…" A thought struck him, and his expression darkened as memories from a few days ago resurfaced—his conversation with Shinmara, the Frost Queen, who had been searching for the Yggdrasill seed.

"Don't tell me… This is what Shinmara was looking for." Kaoru let out a low groan, the weight of the situation settling on his shoulders.

[Shinmara? Who's that?] Outer-God asked with evident curiosity.

"A queen from the Dark World. She approached me recently, searching for something she called the Yggdrasill seed. If this really is the World Core seed, then it's likely the same thing she's after…" Kaoru explained, half-speaking to himself.

[How fascinating!] Outer-God chuckled. [This seed must be far more significant than just maintaining world balance. If Shinmara's after it, there's likely a bigger story behind it. So, what's your plan now?]

Kaoru stared at the seed, feeling the immense burden of its presence. "I don't know yet. But I'm not handing this over to anyone until I understand what's going on. I don't like playing games without knowing the rules."

[Fair enough, Kaoru. But be careful, yeah? Items like this tend to attract dangerous people. If you need help, you know who to call.]

Kaoru snorted and ended the call without entertaining Outer-God any further. He placed the seed into a secure container on his desk, then leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the ceiling.

"Great… another massive headache to deal with," he muttered under his breath.

Yet deep down, Kaoru knew this was only the beginning. The seed likely held secrets far beyond his imagination, and its presence was bound to bring greater challenges in the days ahead.