The Author's POV

"Ah!"

Abruptly opening my eyes, I sat up straight.

"I can control my body again!"

Touching my face and body I couldn't help but be elated. I could now feel my hands, face, and every other part of my body. The senses that I had previously lost had returned to me.

...I no longer felt like a trapped beast.

I could finally move.

"hu?"

Just as I was rejoicing at the fact that I could now control my body, I suddenly noticed my surroundings.

What's going on?

Wasn't I at the park moments before?

Looking around me, I found myself outside of what seemed to be a kindergarten.

Scanning around, I could see children playing tag in the playground of the kindergarten, followed by their parents coming in and out of the premises to pick them up.

Confused I stood up.

I tried to walk around, but three steps in, an invisible wall stopped me from moving any further.

"What?"

Taken aback by the invisible wall, I frowned. Placing my hand on the invisible wall, I exerted a little bit of strength...but it was to no avail as it didn't budge.

Frowning even harder, I placed both hands on the wall and pushed as hard as I could. Still, in the end, no matter how much strength I put in, the wall didn't budge.

Turning around, realizing that I could not move the wall, I tried to go in the opposite direction, but it was also to no avail as three steps in, another wall blocked me.

Taken aback, I tried to move in all directions, but it was futile. Every three steps I took, an invisible wall would stop me from moving.

No matter how hard I tried to push the walls, they wouldn't budge.

...I was trapped inside of an invisible cube

What's happening?

Where was I?

...and what is this place?

Millions of questions emerged in my mind, as I kept trying to find a way out of the cube.

...In the end, after ten minutes of constantly trying, helpless, I could only sit down and stare at the children in the kindergarten playground.

Maybe the key to getting free was outside of the cube...

"...hm?"

As I observed the kindergarten, I couldn't help but focus my attention on a certain area. More specifically a certain young boy who looked to be around five years old.

Disheveled, unkempt brown hair and dull eyes. As he swung on the swing of the garden of the kindergarten, the young boy kept staring in the distance. Seemingly waiting for someone to pick him up.

No matter how long he had to wait.

He waited.

...yet, despite thirty more minutes passing and most of the children leaving, no one picked him up.

As I watched the young boy in the distance, my heart hurt as I couldn't help by wonder...

"Who is he?"

"That's Matthew..."

Abruptly turning my head, a youth with blue eyes and jet-black hair appeared beside me. Staring in the distance, towards the young boy, a complicated expression appeared on his face.

"y-you"

direction, he

meet

"Ah...eh"

but it was to no avail as I couldn't say anything. What was the old Ren

mind was in a current state of turmoil as I couldn't find any words to

know who I

reaction, Ren

need for you to introduce yourself. I've been with you for

"W-what?"

his shoulders, Ren

my consciousness

so you were within me watching everything

Smiling, Ren nodded.

"Yeah"

To think that someone was watching everything I was doing

"But ho-"

"Shhhh!

as I was about to speak, putting his finger on his mouth, he motioned me to be quiet as he pointed towards the kid I was previously

It's about time you learned about

"Matthew are you okay?"

stopped talking, out of nowhere, a young boy with jet-black hair and blue

"Yeah"

and nodding his little head, Matthew kept his eyes towards the

the shoulder,

"Let's play Matthew!"

parents

play until

mad if

around, pointing at the swings, the black-haired boy

play here

"Um!"

children play on the swings, I couldn't help but turn

"...is that you?"

boy with jet black hair and blue eyes

"Yea..."

the kid that the old Ren was playing with, I

the same guy I

a trace of sadness appeared in Ren's eyes as he

he was my

before appearing in this strange world, Matthew looked more like

someone like that

"Best friend?"

the skepticism on my face, Ren smiled but

"Yea..."

-Vooom!

as I was still in shock by the revelation, a black sedan entered

Soon the back doors opened and a man and a woman got

"Mom! Dad!"

-Pa!

from them,

that. You're an elite, you must keep your

his hand on his cheek, Matthew smiled weakly and nodded his head. Despite being hit, he seemed rather happy

"Here"

something out of his pocket, Matthew excitedly handed it to his father. It was a drawing he had made in class that

father grabbed the picture,

-Crrrrr

and tossed

your entire day doing?

to follow him, they both entered

"Bye..."

enter the car, Matthew secretly picked up the crumpled paper on the floor and entered the car. As he did, turning around, he cheerfully waved at

"Bye Ren!"

and the

-Swooosh!

forward, Ren swiped right and the world around me

turned itself into a classroom filled with

was about to ask Ren about what was going on,

"Wha-t happened Matthew!"

Matthew,