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.

I decided to terminate

through what Ren was writing, Kevin felt his blood freeze. Chills ran through his body as he had a hard time processing

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

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

no 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

that it was only wishful

was still nonetheless Ren.

'...Why? Just why?'

[Trial 210]

those words with his pen, Ren continued

Kevin was close to in the previous loop before he comes in contact with them in this loop. Same goes for my family. It's better if they

words etched into the paper, the world started to shift, and a red

and debris appeared everywhere as corpses and limbs

enshrouded the

"Haa...haa..."

the

'Where am I?'

he noticed that his right hand was missing and a long scar was tracing down Ren's

It looks

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

his eyes laid

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

won't be

the world as he proceeded to raise his

come to a standstill as demonic energy gathered towards

"Stay put."

felt his hand rise before he motioned

Crack. Crack.

the ground crushed against his body, resulting in a crater to

the impact was, the red-eyed figure was completely unfazed

their gazes

with your useless

"Shut up."

The gravity around him started to warp, and the

Rumble. Rumble.

His power was overwhelming.

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

'This scene...'

"Your turn."

downwardly, Ren kept the other

contain the other figure for long as he felt his hand start

waiting

mouth open once again as he urged his other self who was standing in

Kevin's lips trembled after glancing at the red-eyed figure and then looking at

the outcome

you

furrowed tightly,

teeth, the other Kevin pointed

humanity has been

clenched tightly, his voice rang throughout

of killing him! You decided to sacrifice the whole of humanity! What's the point of killing him when there's

opened his mouth to say something. Matching his mouth, Kevin spoke

'Because I don't care.'

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

that Kevin finally understood why felt

scene that he saw in his vision. He could clearly remember each word that was about to

"You don't care?"

body. While the hue that sprang out of his body was very faint and almost

that because of your actions humanity is on the verge of

"What are you doing?"

dull voice echoed

to the space next to him and

that I should've done

Clank. Clank.

suddenly sprung up from the ground

felt Ren's face crack when he

you

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

of a predicament he was, his voice

you

figure who was watching the scene with an amused look on his face. Although he was also on the verge of death, there was a triumphant look on his face

going to

the other Kevin proceeded to ignore the

"khh..."

the other Kevin's body slowly started

suddenly started to feel emotions spring out inside of Ren's body as

full well that you're the only one that can stop him! What are you waiting

'Desperation.'

he felt his mouth open

always the

a pause a couple of

Clank. Clank. Clank.

body

his words couldn't reach the other Kevin, Kevin realized that Ren had stopped shouting and

in the other

think this will be enough

"I don't know."

other Kevin

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