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?"

head, I

so be it, use me as a pawn. I'll show you just what happens when a pawn does not move the way that

doing was being directly predicted and controlled by him, then all I had to

going to let someone manipulate

up with the aid of the

in mana, having recuperated some of it in the meantime,

to the door and opening it, my feet came to a sudden stop. My brows furrowed tightly as my eyes locked onto a figure in

are you doing

the other side

lay on him, I

wrong with

looking at me.

hand, Kevin pointed it at

"You."

Kevin spoke.

words sounded

I tried to figure out what was

Are you still

from what happened to Emma must still be haunting him. Perhaps he came here to train and get his mind off

a step forward,

"Don't come any closer."

"What's wrong?"

was instantly taken aback by his

in me only grew as he

he suddenly opened his mouth

to ask

he asked, his

moving and

"Ask."

put on a friendly

you have anything to ask you can just ask me. I will do my best

"Okay…"

softly nodded his

into my eyes, his

you have any part in

"...eh?"

Lowering his head and staring at me from the top of his eyes, Kevin

any part in what

"W…what?"

he figure

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

heart started to speed

at him,

you think

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

his finger across the hologram, the video changed and it soon paused at the time where Aaron stabbed Emma

look

down the footage, Kevin pointed his finger

you send Ren your greetings

mouthed as his cold voice rang throughout

heart sank at those

'Shit...'

Kevin put the tablet away. Tilting his

said that Aaron shouldn't have remembered anything, yet why did

"That…"

meeting his gaze, I really didn't know how to

someone inside of me is trying to manipulate me and Kevin to do his bidding? Would he believe me when I

lips, I struggled to find a way to explain to him what was going on. But I knew that I had to reveal to him the

in order to get out of the other Ren's influence,

predict that I would reveal everything to Kevin. Regarding the matter

I had to do something that I

it really was

I could say anything, a powerful aura

a step back and raised my

"Wait, Kevin."

With a loud 'bang' Kevin's body suddenly disappeared before reappearing right

in my direction like a cannonball. What followed his fist was a muffled

'Damn it!'

my teeth, I pressed my foot on the ground and sidestepped, narrowly voiding his fist by an

amount of mana I had in my hand, I softly placed my palm on his abdomen. My movement was so fast and fluid that Kevin was

Booom—

a loud boom, like a missile, Kevin's body slid backward till his back crashed against the side of the wall. From where I was standing I could hear a muffled groan