The Author's POV

Gazing in Kevin's direction, I lowered my head and stared at the floor next to me.

Following my hints, Kevin who had calmed down slowly walked over and sat down. He didn't say a single word throughout the whole time.

I didn't blame him for his reaction.

Resting my arms over my knees, I opened my mouth.

"Where should I start? There's much I have to say…"

There truly were a lot of things that I wanted to say.

So many that I had difficulty trying to sort my thoughts out.

But in the end, after realizing just how important it was for me to disclose everything, I calmed myself down.

Eyeing Kevin from the side of my eyes, I muttered.

"Just so you know, you're the only one that I've ever told my secret. I hope you don't tell anyone else about my secret."

This was a secret that I originally meant to take with me to the grave, but circumstances forced me to do otherwise. If I didn't disclose everything, the rift that the other Ren was trying to create between me, Kevin, and the others would simply widen.

But, if possible, I wanted only Kevin to know. It wasn't that I didn't trust the others, but I didn't want the others to have a false idea about who I was.

"Can you do that for me?"

"…okay."

After a long silence, Kevin eventually nodded his head. I smiled in response.

"Thanks."

Then, letting out a deep sigh, I began recounting to him everything.

"…well, it all started a week prior to the beginning of the Lock. That was the day I awoke...or should I say, those were the days where my memories began."

***

"The moment I woke up, I had faint recollections of a previous world where mana did not exist and I was a novel writer. A failed one at that."

"Luminescent swordman. That was the name of the last novel I created, and the name of the protagonist was...Kevin Voss."

Listening to Ren's words, Kevin's anger slowly started to disappear and what replaced it was pure shock.

The shock was so strong that Kevin found himself unable to speak nor think as his mind was entranced by every word that Ren said.

Many times he wanted to outright stop Ren from speaking.

He just couldn't come to terms with what he was saying. This world was a novel that he created, and he was the main character of that world? How could he believe that? But the more Ren talked, the more things started to align with his weird behavior, his deep knowledge regarding a few things, and his way of words.

Kevin's heart started to sink.

Doubt started to creep deep into his body as his face paled.

'Could his words be true?'

"It was only after the events after Immorra that I stopped being passive with my knowledge regarding the wo—"

"...Bullshit."

Kevin finally mouthed out loud, cutting Ren off. He just couldn't listen to Ren's words anymore.

He couldn't accept the idea that everything that had happened to him was merely part of some writing that Ren wrote.

Weren't Ren's words essentially saying that all the disasters that were currently happening to the world were a fabrication of his imagination? Were everything he felt in the past and his memories also fake?

Kevin couldn't accept it!

"You can't be real. It's impossible."

on his face, Ren shook his

that I was lying, but, I'm not.

Ren's

was what I originally believed to

A

"What do you mean?"

didn't say anything for the next few seconds. His brows repeatedly furrowed and relaxed during that time before finally, looking straight at Kevin straight in the eyes,

those memories. I think that world was a fake world designed by someone

"...What?"

confusion in Kevin intensified. Leaning his

memories into you, and is trying to

Ren eventually nodded his

"Right..."

massage his forehead. Then, lifting his

don't know what to say, you can think that I'm lying, but whatever is happening to me,

"Me?"

not last for

that the vision was real?...and the one responsible for

slowly starting to make

a flashback of the future.

of what Kevin was thinking,

believe that the entity responsible for all of this is targeting

slightly before he suddenly

Emma, you were right. I

inside of Kevin's ears as his eyes opened

for long as Kevin

linked everything to the previous flashback, he already understood that whatever happened to Emma

I told you that the entity was

Ren suddenly asked.

eyes, Kevin took

"Continue."

Ren pursed his lips.

goal of the entity is to try to

showed no reaction as he

"Harm those around me?"

"Yes."

his head

what I've gathered, the entity is trying to make you less soft. Or rather, trying to change you into someone they deemed fit to fight the

deep breath as he tried to

demon king? Why does he

read

the one that the Akashic records chose, and yet he is

was what

Kevin suddenly felt his

'Akashic records.'

once again being

piece everything together. 'The one that the Akashic records chose.' What else could they refer to but the

to fade. Lifting his

step ahead of him. Before he could voice out his

was in danger due to the threat of the demon king, as a way to preserve itself, the Akashic records chose someone to prevent the demon king from ever getting to it, and that person is none other than you, Kevin. This

had no other choice but to agree. He also

question he had was, 'Why

in the world, why him? He really couldn't understand

"Huuuu..."

the training ground, Kevin tried to digest all of the information inside of his

knew that he had only barely scraped the surface

remained silent. He had a thoughtful look on

previous anger that Kevin felt for him slowly

figure

looking at him,

thinking back at the vision you previously told me about, I have a nagging feeling that whoever the entity trying to

and placing it below his

how you said something about the 'time remnant' targeting you? What if the entity inside of