The Author's POV

Raising his hand, Kevin knocked on the door of Ren's apparent.

To Tok—

However, upon knocking on the door he was met with no response.

To Tok—

Frowning, Kevin knocked once again. But, yet again, he was met with no response.

'Is he not back yet? Could he perhaps be training?'

Although Ren seemed like a slacker he was in fact someone who worked hard, therefore, Kevin quickly came to the assumption that he was training at the moment. Well, at least to him, that was the most probable location of where he could be.

As his thoughts paused there, he started hesitating.

'Should I? ...or should I not?'

If he was training, then he didn't really want to disturb him. He knew just how annoying it was when someone interrupted him in the middle of his training.

"Screw it."

But after thinking things through, he decided to go anyways.

He desperately needed answers.

The doubts that were rising within him were starting to eat at his sanity.

He had to deal with them right now.

And so, after once again checking to see if Ren was present in the room or not, Kevin decided to head to the training grounds.

***

At the same time.

Opening my eyes, I found myself back in the training room.

Di—! Di—!

[00 : 00]

What followed after was the repetitive sound of the alarm ringing, signaling that the training session was over. What followed after was a subtle clicking sound and the door opened.

"haaa...haaa..."

Leaning my head back, I breathed heavily.

At the moment my mana was completely drained and I had trouble moving my body.

As I had left my bracelet back in my apartment, I did not have anything to refuel my mana with. This was a precaution I took in the chance that the other Ren took over my body.

Fortunately, nothing happened, but I didn't want to take the risk.

Closing my eyes, instead of leaving the room I remained seated and channeled the mana in the surroundings towards myself.

As I was recuperating my mana, I started thinking back on my experience.

'Looks like I was right, Monarch's indifference is not a simple skill.'

For me to suddenly be brought to a weird void the moment I activated the skill, I could tell that there was now more to it than it looked on the surface.

My apprehension towards it grew even more.

Not only that but the fact that I was somehow able to get the skill made me question reality. Did I really get the skill by simple coincidence? ...If so it wouldn't make sense. How could such a skill suddenly fall in my hands like that?

The more I thought about it, the more questions I had.

But if there was one thing I was now certain about, it was the fact that I was being manipulated.

Whoever the other Ren was, he was trying to make me act like he wanted to. Disgust washed over me as my thoughts paused there and my eyes opened.

'Is this how others feel when I manipulate them?'

Disgusting.

Scratching the side of my head till my hair became messy, I coldly muttered.

"...Want to treat me as a pawn?"

I clenched my

it, use me as a pawn. I'll show you just what happens when a pawn does

directly predicted and controlled by him, then all I had to do was do something completely out of his

wasn't just going to let someone

my body up with the aid of

having recuperated some of it in the meantime, it was now at a manageable

opening it, my feet came to a sudden stop. My brows furrowed

you doing

way towards the other side of the entrance of the

lay on him, I was instantly taken

something wrong

he was looking at me.

Kevin pointed it

"You."

Kevin spoke.

sounded quite

a step in his direction, I tried to

Are you

from what happened to Emma must still be haunting him. Perhaps he came

step forward, he took

"Don't come any closer."

"What's wrong?"

was instantly taken aback

as he continued to stare

was then that he suddenly opened his

to ask you

asked, his face was

stopped moving and nodded

"Ask."

put on

to ask you can just ask me. I will do my best to answer your

"Okay…"

nodded

staring deeply into my eyes, his

have any part in what

"...eh?"

face froze and the smile on my face quickly receded. Lowering his head and staring at me from the top of his eyes, Kevin

any part in

"W…what?"

figure something

Ba...thump! Ba...thump!

heart started

him, I forced

makes you

out his tablet and turned on the holographic function where a replay of Emma's fight materialized

across the hologram, the video changed and it soon paused at the time where Aaron

look at

pointed his finger towards Aaron's

hope you send Ren your

slowly mouthed as his cold voice rang throughout the training

sank at

'Shit...'

stopped playing, Kevin put the

remembered anything, yet why did

"That…"

his gaze, I really didn't know how to

trying to manipulate me and Kevin to

lips, I struggled to find a way to explain to him what was going on. But I

of the other Ren's

things that he couldn't possibly predict that I would reveal everything to Kevin. Regarding the

that in order to escape his influence, I had to do something that I would normally

it really was

could say anything, a

his powerful aura, I took a step back and raised

"Wait, Kevin."

it was already too late. With a loud 'bang' Kevin's body suddenly disappeared before reappearing right in front

wide, I saw his fists hurtling in my direction

'Damn it!'

gritting my teeth, I pressed

the attack, channeling the small amount of mana I had in my hand, I softly placed my palm on his abdomen. My movement was

Booom—

like a missile, Kevin's body slid backward till his back crashed against the side of the