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"

my direction,

meet you. I'm

"Ah...eh"

it was to no avail as I couldn't say anything. What was the old Ren doing here? Wasn't he supposed to be dead? Was

turmoil as I couldn't find any

know who I

reaction, Ren shook his

introduce yourself. I've been with you for the

"W-what?"

shoulders, Ren

know what happened either...I just suddenly found my consciousness

me watching everything I did

Smiling, Ren nodded.

"Yeah"

think that someone was watching everything I was doing whilst I

"But ho-"

"Shhhh!

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

about that now, It's about time you learned about my

"Matthew are you okay?"

talking, out of nowhere, a young boy with

"Yeah"

brightly and nodding his little head, Matthew kept his

shoulder, the black-haired boy excitedly

"Let's play Matthew!"

parents

play until they

if

at the

let's just play here on the

"Um!"

I couldn't help but turn my head

"...is that you?"

young boy with jet black hair and blue eyes playing with

"Yea..."

Ren was playing

same guy I met

sadness appeared in Ren's eyes as he

was my

in shock. Remembering what had happened moments before appearing in this strange world, Matthew looked more like a bully rather

that ever been

"Best friend?"

the skepticism on my face, Ren smiled

"Yea..."

-Vooom!

the revelation, a black sedan entered the parking

at the incoming sedan, Matthew happily stood up. Soon the back doors opened and a man and a woman

"Mom! Dad!"

-Pa!

few feet away from them, raising his hand, the dad slapped him

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

nodded his head. Despite

"Here"

it to his father. It was a drawing he had made in class that depicted a man

father grabbed the

-Crrrrr

and

wasted your entire day doing? What a

to

"Bye..."

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

"Bye Ren!"

cut and the world

-Swooosh!

and the world around me changed.

into

ask Ren about what was going

"Wha-t happened Matthew!"

towards Matthew, Ren's