“Lost souls?” Kotori said

Kotori thought the phrasing was odd. She didn’t feel like a lost soul in the slightest, in fact, she could even say she was enjoying herself in this world.

“That’s a nicer way of saying this place is Gabriel’s dumping ground,” Lala said.

[Trash can?] Kotori thought. She was under the assumption this was just another world.

“You ever wonder why there’s no religion in this world?” Lala asked.

“No…” Kotori said. It was odd. She hadn’t seen any major religions in this world. She always thought it was s quirk of the world.

“This is a godless world, well, it probably isn’t even a world…” Lala said.

“I don’t quite follow,” Kotori said.

The rest of Kotori’s party looked equally confused.

“I don’t understand either” Amelie said shaking her head.

“Shut-up NPC, I’m not talking to you.” Lala bit at Amelie.

Amelie frowned.

“NPC?” She said looking even more confused.

Lala turned back to Kotori.

“I’m doing you a favor here. This is some serious stuff here ok? You seem to be under the impression that you were ‘reincarnated’ like all the good little souls.”

“Wasn’t I?” Kotori said. Sure, she had kept her memories, but she assumed that was a mistake on Gabriel’s part.

“Look, I can’t tell you everything. To be honest, I don’t quite understand why you aren’t a dungeon master like me. Frankly, the fact you are even human right now has me scratching my head.” The girl said.

“Shouldn’t I be human” Kotori asked. Questions were beginning to pile in her head. Who was this girl? What was a “dungeon master?”. Why did this girl even know that Kotori was reincarnated?

“You really are quite an airhead. Did you not even try to think about this world a little?” Lala asked her incredulously.

“No, not, in particular, I just have to solve this Karma debt right?” Kotori said.

Lala put her face in her hands and sighed in frustration.

“You really don’t get it to do you, you’re trapped here! You’ve been duped by that damn angel”

“Angel? You mean Gabriel?”

“Yes!”

Kotori thought back to the angel that greeted her in the afterlife he was an unpleasant man, but Kotori didn’t really think he was malicious just really annoying

Kotori furrowed her brow. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t thought this world a little odd. The experience with Okateratsu did lead her to believe there was more to this world than it seemed, but it felt like she was missing critical information.

“Do you know what a god is?” The girl said carefully

“Of course, are you one?” Kotori said.

Lala scratched her head

“Kinda? Since you tried to read my status, I assume you saw my stats, they were probably unreadable right?”

“Basically,” Kotori said

“That’s because I’m partially a god,” Lala said nonchalantly.

“Eh?” Kotori cleaned out her ear thinking she had misheard Lala.

“I’m sorry could you repeat that”

“I’m partially a god, well more like my deification was stopped.”

“How is that even possible?” Kotori asked

[A god? Like a real living god? Do they exist? Does that mean she’s stronger than me?] Kotori’s head began to race with thoughts.

“I assumed you understand some of the principles behind mana in this world right?” Lala asked her.

“Yes.”

Kotori recalled her earlier experiments when she was younger. Mana was a tool that powered other forms of magics. The monsters in a dungeon and spirits were forms of mana made into life.

“What if I told you that everything is a spirit?”

“I don’t understand what you mean,” Kotori said frowning at the statement.

“You, Me, that half-elf girl over there we are all spirits.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Kotori said looking over at Shu, Layla, and Umi.

Spirits had a very specific mana signature that made them alive. Their forms were made from mana coalescing.

“Doesn’t it seem odd to you? How mana sometimes creates a spirit and how it doesn’t?” Lala asked Kotori.

Kotori furrowed her brow in response. It was indeed weird. She didn’t understand why mana could create life. She had done it herself by making dirt spirits and Umi. But the process didn’t make any sense she had accepted it as a quirk of the world.

Lala saw Kotori’s reaction.

“I see you’re starting to think now, the difference between spirits and us is ‘will’”

“Will?” Kotori said.

“Mana doesn’t form into life naturally, Rather, something is keeping us alive. I don’t know what, but this world is artificial.”

“Alive?” Kotori said. She had been reduced to a blithering mess right now after Lala had dropped bombshell after bombshell of information.

[Ah I don’t understand! This world is somehow Gabriel’s “dumping ground” if that’s true that means I’m trash? But why? I know my Karma debt was high but he did say he was giving me one chance? Was that also a lie?] Kotori thought glumly

Lala’s expression softened seeing Kotori’s confusion.

“I’m sorry, it’s a lot. I’ve been here so long without seeing another like me that I forget you don’t know anything”’

“I’ll have Sebastian prepare some rooms for you. And we can talk tomorrow”