The Author's POV

'What did I just see?'

Kevin felt his heart grow cold.

'T...that can't be real, right? Re..n would never do that...'

He was in a state of complete denial. But, it was at this moment that he suddenly recalled his past flashbacks of what Ren had done with Emma, and it was from there that he was able to calm himself down.

'That's not the Ren I know. It's a different Ren.'

He repeatedly told himself. Recalling the conversation he had with Ren in the past and connecting everything with his visions, things were slowly starting to make sense.

'Why is it dark?'

Following his death, the scene once again shifted. This time, the world was dark. However, upon paying close attention, he could hear the sound of birds chirping in the distance.

Chirp. Chirp. Chirp.

'Birds? What's going on?'

Kevin could faintly feel the warm, gentle sunshine enveloping his whole body.

It was then that Ren opened his eyes and Kevin found himself inside a one-bedroom apartment.

Rubbing his eyes, he blinked a couple of times and once more looked at my strange surroundings.

'This place...'

It looked familiar. Kevin couldn't just quite remember where he had seen this room before.

The room was furnished with the basic necessities that comprised a clean white bed, an old wooden spacious desk, a tall wardrobe, and a small bathroom. It was neither too big nor too small, but it seemed to have all the necessary facilities one might need when living.

'...Just why is this so familiar to me?'

Kevin thought to himself as he continued to stare at the room. It was strange, but Kevin knew for sure that he had seen this room before.

...But no matter how much he tried to think about it, he couldn't exactly remember where he had seen it.

'How odd.'

Shifting his body, Kevin's head turned to face the nearby window.

Reflected on it was a familiar face.

Jet black hair

Pale white skin

Blue ocean-like eyes

It was Ren's face...but younger. A lot younger.

'What memory is this?'

Kevin wondered as Ren's body shifted and he pressed his foot on the ground to help his body up.

"...Another failure."

Ren muttered while he stood up, and headed for the nearby desk where he sat down.

Opening the drawer beside the desk, he took out a small notebook alongside a small pen.

Grasping the pen beside him, Ren's body froze for a small second. With his eyes locked onto the pen, he slowly brought it next to his neck.

Click—!

Pressing onto the top end of the pen, the sharp tip came out.

Ren gently pressed it against his neck. Slowly, he began to put more pressure.

'What is he doing?'

Kevin wondered as he felt the sharp tip of the pen press against Ren's neck. His actions didn't make sense to Kevin at all.

'Don't tell me that he's...'

"Haaa..."

Before Kevin could come up with an assumption, Ren let out a long sigh and lowered the hand that held onto the pen. The pressure on his neck disappeared.

Casually tossing the pen on the desk, Ren reclined on the chair and emptily stared at the white ceiling of the room.

Grasping his chest with his hand, he mumbled.

"...What's the point? It's not like anything will change."

Though his words were casual, they were enough to alarm Kevin who was watching everything.

At this point, no matter how much he tried to feel the emotions Ren was experiencing, he couldn't feel anything. He basically felt like an empty shell whose sole reason for living was something that Kevin was still unsure of...but from his earlier actions, Kevin had an inkling that perhaps, just maybe, Ren didn't really want to be alive.

It was as if something was stopping him from dying. Or maybe he was just overthinking.

...but as he thought back at the moment he pressed the pen against his neck, Kevin was left uncertain about his theory.

Leaning his body forward, Ren grasped the pen he had thrown on the table and opened the book.

He then began to write something.

held dear, he fell into a state of emotional turmoil. Assessing the situation, I decided to terminate the loop. Based on my calculations,

blood freeze. Chills ran through his body as

'I..it can't be, right?'

to remain in a state of denial, but...he knew that everything he was seeing was

point in his denying anything. He had already figured everything out after connecting the dots from his vision...yet, a small part of him still

was only wishful thinking on his

he knew, but he was still nonetheless Ren. A stinging pain started

'...Why? Just why?'

[Trial 210]

words with his pen, Ren continued to

comes in contact with them in this loop. Same goes for my family. It's better if they

the last words etched into the paper, the world started to

as corpses and limbs sprawled all over

silence enshrouded

"Haa...haa..."

of a broken building, as the sound of his rough breathing broke

'Where am I?'

looked around him. It was also then that he noticed that his

It

seeing, Kevin suddenly

Ren began to lift his head and his eyes laid on a figure who

his body laying down on a broken building, the figure blankly stared toward the

won't be able to

rang throughout the world as

standstill as demonic energy gathered towards the

"Stay put."

Kevin felt his hand rise before

Crack. Crack.

ground crushed against his body, resulting in a

how powerful the impact was, the red-eyed figure was completely unfazed as he gazed

smile only deepened as their gazes

your useless struggle. I've

"Shut up."

bits. The gravity around him started

Rumble. Rumble.

His power was overwhelming.

a figure resembling himself standing in the distance, and it was right there that it

'This scene...'

"Your turn."

kept the other figure in check while he

power wasn't enough to contain

are you waiting

he urged his other self who was

at him, the other Kevin's lips trembled after glancing at the red-eyed figure and

this the outcome that you

you talking

brows furrowed tightly, and his voice became even

teeth, the other

Almost all of humanity has been destroyed because of your actions, and yet, you don't seem

other Kevin's fists clenched tightly, his

humanity! What's the point of killing him when there's no

his mouth to say

'Because I don't care.'

"...Because I don't care."

that Kevin finally understood why felt a sense of

his vision. He could clearly remember each word that was about to be

"You don't care?"

Kevin's body. While the hue that sprang out of his body was very faint and almost invisible, the pressure it released was nothing

fact that because of your actions humanity is on

"What are you doing?"

dull voice

his palm to the space next to him

should've done the moment I

Clank.

suddenly sprung up from the ground and Kevin felt them clasp onto

face crack when he looked at the other

do you

but no matter how much force he applied, he couldn't move. A complete

how much of a predicament he was, his

you

Kevin turned to look at the other white figure who was watching the scene with an amused look on his face. Although he was also

looks like it's going to be another

Kevin proceeded to

"khh..."

the other Kevin's body slowly

while, Kevin suddenly started to feel emotions spring out inside of Ren's body as he opened his mouth

full well that you're the only

'Desperation.'

felt as he felt his mouth open

the same with

step forward, the other Kevin's feet came to a pause a

Clank. Clank. Clank.

felt the chains wrapping around his body become more and more numerous, before they completely wrapped his

Kevin, Kevin realized that Ren had

in the other Kevin's direction,

this will be enough

"I don't know."

Kevin

we will find out soon. At least for now, you won't be able to