Point-of-View: Ariella Velle

———————————————————————————

"Make yourselves comfortable, just relax and take it easy," Remarked Kai’s mom, as we walked into a hall that was set up like a living room.

There were couches, coffee tables, and a large, open window, a pleasant breeze blowing in.

The Generals sat together on one of the couches, still looking pretty dumbfounded, while Kai took a seat beside his mom, before glancing at me as I hesitated for a moment, patting the spot by his other side.

I wasn’t sure if I should give him some space to focus on spending time with her, but it looks like I don’t need to.

I walked over and sat down next to him, while the others and Zelmira headed over to one of the other couches around the coffee tables in the middle.

"Here, let me get some food out. I’ve got a ton of options, and an unlimited supply, so no need to be conservative," Grinned Kai, looking really upbeat as he created copies of a wide variety of food, setting them out on the tables.

"Oh, wow...these smell incredible, not to mention nostalgic. The food in this world leaves a lot to be desired, I’ve seriously been missing modern cuisine. I did try recreating some recipes, but a lot of ingredients are really tough to find here...it’s been way too long since I’ve had some good food," His mom gulped, before reaching for a chicken strip and taking a bite, letting out a hum as she closed her eyes and munched.

"I-Incredible! What is this?!" Exclaimed Deilelne, as she chomped down on a spring roll, before promptly wolfing it down and reaching for another.

"I’ve never tasted such delicious food before, these flavors are unreal," Added Reritea, trying a slice of pepperoni pizza.

"S-So sweet and soft...this is delightful," Uttered Kritak in surprise, as he took a big bite of a donut.

"This is unreal...," Muttered Zevek, munching on a burger.

"So, tell me, are all of you Kai’s friends? Or were you randomly dragged into the summoning ritual?" Kai’s mom asked us.

"No, we’re friends. A few months ago, we finally won the war we were up against, but some of our friends died in the final battle. We met up at the site of the battle to celebrate in their honor, and we ended up getting summoned here," Explained Jaden with a wry smile, before adding, "Oh, my name’s Jaden Xeno, by the way. It’s nice to meet you, Kai’s mom."

"Please, just call me Kavi. And it’s nice to meet you too," She replied cheerfully.

"I’m Ciel Campbell, nice to meet ya!"

"U-Um, I’m Cleo Nova, h-hi."

"And I’m Ariella Velle," I chimed in, before adding sheepishly, "Oh, and, uh...sorry for ruining your big reveal."

"Oh, it’s fine, no big deal. I have to say, you’re absolutely gorgeous, no wonder Kai spoke so highly of you the last time we spoke."

"H-Hey, come on...," Muttered Kai awkwardly, looking a bit embarrassed as I glanced at him with a wry smile.

"I could say the same. Whenever he talks about you, he speaks so fondly, so it’s pretty cool to get to meet you like this," I replied with a smile.

"Hm...but I’m not quite convinced yet. If you want my son, you’re going to have to prove you’re worthy of him first," She declared sternly, before adding as she cracked up with a chuckle, "Heh, just kidding, I’ve just always wanted to say that. I also wanted to say something like ’if you want him, you’ll have to get through me’...but since you won our little bout, you already did that, so I guess it’s a moot point."

"You know, now that I think about it...after we met in that Divine Realm, Samsara told me you’d be reincarnated in a world where you’d be able to live a peaceful life. But you’re in the middle of a war," Remarked Kai with a frown.

"Well, to be fair, the first few decades were nice and peaceful. Although, it was hard to adjust to this world after being accustomed to modern society. I miss electricity and all the conveniences that came with it," She sighed wistfully.

Yeah, I’d imagine so. We’ve managed fine thanks to the Pocket Dimension, it’d be pretty rough if it wasn’t for that.

"Wish you could see what the world’s like in the current era, everything’s so futuristic," Replied Kai with a smile.

"That sounds nice. Some air-conditioning sure would be welcome. Heck, I’d even settle for a ceiling fan."

"I mean, my Pocket Dimension basically has air-conditioning, I’ll show you around later," Suggested Kai in response.

"Sure, sounds good," She smiled as she nodded.

"I have a question...when Lord Kavi told us that she reincarnated here from another world, she said that that world didn’t have Magic.

Previously, the summoned Heroes we’ve encountered possessed stronger versions of the same Magic we use.

But from what I’ve seen, you seem to possess abilities that don’t exist in this world, which suggests you already possessed these abilities beforehand," Remarked Kritak curiously.

"Yeah, that was a fairly recent development, Magic wasn’t a thing in our world until a bit over a century ago. Well, not counting fiction, anyway," Ciel informed him, before adding, "You know, while we weren’t exactly thrilled about being summoned to this world when we were first brought here, it’s actually really worked out, huh?"

"True, you reunited with Rex, we saw real dinosaurs, and now this," Nodded Jaden with a grin.

"Ohh, that’s right, the dinosaurs! I was so giddy the first time I saw them, I could hardly believe my eyes," Responded Kavi with a bright gleam in her eyes.

"Hm...hey, guys, uh...I know, out of all of us, I was the one pushing to get back to our world as quickly as possible. But, well...I’d like to spend more time here before we leave," Spoke up Kai sheepishly.