The Author's POV

'…Aren't these the names of Ren's parents?'

Kevin had only met them a handful of times and didn't know them that well. The most vivid memory he had of them was seeing them cry at Ren's funeral.

The image of Ren's sister crying in front of his picture left a big impact on him.

'It's definitely their names, isn't it?'

He couldn't exactly remember them, but as he took note of their last names and the pain that was permeating through Ren's chest, Kevin could tell that they were his parents.

The real question was, why were their names imprinted on the tombstone before him?

'It doesn't make sense.'

Last Kevin recalled, they were still alive and well. He didn't remember hearing anything about Ren's parents ever passing away.

'How is this even possible…?'

Thud—!

Kevin's vision suddenly lowered as he fell to his knees and the scenery around him shifted.

It began with a soft whisper in the air that tickled the ear. A colorless pearl fell to the ground, landing perfectly on one of the blades of grass beneath the magically darkened sky.

Pitter.

The sound was like the glassy clinking of a champagne flute, clear and lifting.

Pitter. Pitter.

Accompanying the first drop was a second, and then a third, and within seconds, a heavy curtain of rain fell to the ground.

Phut. Phut. Phut.

The noise on the surface of Ren's clothes which were slowly getting drenched was like that of ripened nuts made when they hit the ground. It wasn't like the soft, clear, mellow drops that were hitting the grass; it was like baseballs being thrown against a net. Louder and fiercer.

Ren clutched his chest with one hand and grasped the tombstones in front of him with the other, oblivious to the cold caused by drenched clothes.

Pitter. Pitter.

The plummeting rain masked Ren's tears as he kept his head lowered and sobbed.

A fierce and sharp pain was invading Ren's chest as he slowly opened his mouth and muttered

"…N..not again."

In uttering those words, Kevin felt a pain that he had never experienced before, and he was struggling to keep his emotions in check as Ren's emotions slowly began to affect him.

Ren's words were followed by a shift in weather. It was sunny once again.

As the weather changed, Ren's position did not change as he grasped onto the tombstones in front of him. The cold that was previously embracing his body was gone, and his clothes magically dried.

This time, the pain was even worse than before. It was unbearable. To the point that one might go insane from it.

"Why…why…why…"

Kevin murmured through Ren's mouth. Ren's voice reflected his genuine helplessness.

...And it was precisely because he could hear the helplessness in his voice that Kevin wondered.

'Why is the weather changing? ...And why did he say not again?'

to himself, the world around him continued to shift,

Kevin staring at Ren's memories, he was shocked to realize that all the memories were basically the same; Ren mourning the

the weather, the time,

same funeral scenario being replayed in front of him, over and over

Kevin thought until the scene changed again,

'The pain…'

permeating through his chest whenever

milder than before...no, rather, my emotions are becoming more and

focused all his attention on what he was feeling the entire time, and before he

kneeling

snow, sometimes it would be sunny, and sometimes it

the agonizing pain he was

felt

even a shred

many times has the

was feeling, Kevin realized that he had lost count of how many times the scenery had changed. He had been so absorbed trying to imprint what Ren was

there was one thing he was certain

one hundred times, Kevin watched as Ren attended his own family funeral

'He's finally moving.'

to stare

'…Eh?

Kevin was faced with a scene that was even more

voice and

is wrong with you? Do you not feel

heading in his

'Is that me?'

a figure that looked strikingly like him, he was shocked. The only thing that was different about him was that he looked older than he did at

It was himself.

is

seeing. He never recalled attending a funeral in which Ren's family died...so why was

sign of emotion on your face. I get that you are probably shocked by what happened, but it doesn't even look like you care at all about

suddenly shouted at the

'What's going on?'

and sorrow on his face, he was once again

was he reacting this

"Speak damn it!"

body shake as his other

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

flow down his

was really him as he

seriously not feel anything when

Ren's clothes, Kevin pushed him backward. Stumbling a couple of steps back, Kevin watched as his other self dropped to the ground. Grasping the grass beneath him,

they really mean

the ground that, Kevin caught a glimpse of what was

The numbers were countless…

'N-o way…'

on the

[Amanda Stern] [Jin Horton] [Melissa

'Wh..hat is happening?'

shook Kevin to the core as he didn't know how to react. Just what

body patting himself on

toward Kevin who

up to him, Ren slowly knelt to meet him

"Kevin."

His voice sounded