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.

killing everyone that Kevin held dear, he fell into a state of emotional turmoil. Assessing the situation, I decided to terminate the loop. Based on my calculations, the possibility of him defeating the Demon King was beneath 1%. It wasn't

was writing, Kevin felt his blood freeze. Chills ran through his body as he had

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

denial, but...he knew that everything

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

was still nonetheless Ren. A stinging pain

'...Why? Just why?'

[Trial 210]

words with his pen, Ren continued

before he comes in contact with them in this loop. Same goes

the paper, the world

debris appeared everywhere as corpses and limbs sprawled all

enshrouded the

"Haa...haa..."

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

'Where am I?'

that he noticed that his right

It looks

of what he was seeing, Kevin suddenly had a feeling of Deja

his head and his eyes laid on a figure who had white hair and red

mouth, and his body laying down on a broken building, the figure blankly stared toward the sky as a cruel smile

use, you won't be able

world as he proceeded to

raised his hand, the world seemed to have come to a standstill as demonic energy gathered towards the palm of his hand, forming a small ball the size

"Stay put."

black orb could fully form, Kevin felt his hand

Crack. Crack.

as the ground crushed against his body, resulting in a

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

as their gazes

with your useless struggle.

"Shut up."

area around him pulverized into bits. The gravity

Rumble. Rumble.

His power was overwhelming.

once again shocked to see a figure resembling

'This scene...'

"Your turn."

the palm of his hand motioned downwardly, Ren kept the other figure in check while

wasn't enough to contain the other figure for

waiting

Ren's mouth open once again as he urged his other self who was standing in the distance. His voice

trembled after glancing at the

the outcome

are you talking

back. His brows furrowed tightly, and his voice became

other

the world. It's completely destroyed! Almost all of humanity has been destroyed because

fists clenched tightly, his

the whole of humanity! What's the point of killing him when there's no one left? What's the

listening to the other Kevin's words, Ren slowly opened his mouth to say something. Matching his mouth, Kevin spoke inside

'Because I don't care.'

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

that Kevin finally understood why felt a sense of Deja

in his vision. He could clearly remember each

"You don't care?"

Kevin's body. While the hue that sprang out of his body was very

the fact that because of your actions humanity is on

"What are you doing?"

dull voice

pressed his palm to the space next

should've done the moment I remembered

Clank. Clank. Clank.

suddenly sprung up from the ground and

the first time in a long time, Kevin felt Ren's face crack when

you

hand and felt his body try to move, but no matter how much force he applied, he couldn't move. A complete

much of a predicament he was,

you do

on his face. Although he was also on the verge of death, there was a triumphant look on

looks like it's going to be another

other Kevin proceeded to

"khh..."

around the other Kevin's body slowly

his sudden actions, for the first time in a while, Kevin suddenly started to feel emotions spring out inside of Ren's body as he opened

End it!!!! You know full well that you're the only one that can stop him! What are you

'Desperation.'

felt as he felt his mouth open and

always the same with

the other Kevin's feet came to a pause a couple of meters away from

Clank. Clank. Clank.

the chains wrapping around his body become more and more numerous,

the other Kevin, Kevin realized that Ren had stopped shouting and the previous emotions that were erupting from within

his head and glaring in the other

this will be

"I don't know."

Kevin shook his

out soon. At least for now, you won't be