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?'

the world around him continued to shift,

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

the time, and the seasons.

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

scene changed

'The pain…'

through his chest whenever Ren looked

rather, my emotions are becoming more and more

he was feeling the entire time, and before he knew it, he was standing five

kneeling like in the

the background; sometimes it would snow, sometimes it would be sunny, and sometimes it would be

agonizing pain he was feeling had completely vanished, replaced by an absolute feeling

he felt was

even a

many times has the weather

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

if there was one thing he was certain about, it was that the

times, Kevin watched as Ren attended his own family funeral over

'He's finally moving.'

stare at the gravestones of his family

'…Eh?

was faced with a scene that was even more shocking as his

voice and seeing a

with you? Do you

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

It was himself.

is that

the things he was seeing. He never recalled attending a

without any 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 the

shouted at the top of his

'What's going on?'

anger and

he reacting

"Speak damn it!"

as his other self shook

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

flow down his

really him as he simply couldn't understand why Kevin was reacting the way

not feel anything when

Kevin pushed him backward. Stumbling a couple of steps back, Kevin watched as

really mean nothing to

Kevin caught a glimpse of what was

The numbers were countless…

'N-o way…'

names engraved on the tombstones, Kevin felt his

[Amanda Stern]

'Wh..hat is happening?'

shook Kevin to the core as he didn't know

dwell on this as Kevin felt Ren's body patting himself on his clothes to wipe off any dirt that lay

directed his gaze toward Kevin who was kneeling

to him, Ren slowly knelt

"Kevin."

him. His voice sounded