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.

he fell into a state of emotional turmoil. Assessing the situation, I

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

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

in a state of denial, but...he

figured everything out after connecting the dots from his

knew that it was

Ren he knew, but he was still nonetheless Ren. A

'...Why? Just why?'

[Trial 210]

words with his pen, Ren continued to

close to in the previous loop before he comes in contact with them in this loop. Same goes for my family.

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

as corpses and limbs sprawled all over the

enshrouded the

"Haa...haa..."

building, as the sound of his rough breathing

'Where am I?'

It was also then that he noticed that his right hand was missing and

scene. It

was seeing, Kevin

laid on a figure who had white hair and

blood seeping down from his mouth, and his body laying down on a broken building, the figure blankly stared

no use, you won't be able to kill

the world as he proceeded to raise

to a standstill as demonic energy gathered towards the palm of his hand, forming a

"Stay put."

felt his hand rise before he motioned

Crack. Crack.

the red-eyed figure, cracks formed as the ground crushed against his body, resulting in

red-eyed figure

their gazes met. Opening his

with your useless struggle. I've already

"Shut up."

as the area around him pulverized into bits. The gravity around him

Rumble. Rumble.

His power was overwhelming.

suddenly felt his body turn, he was once again shocked to see a figure resembling himself standing in the distance, and it was

'This scene...'

"Your turn."

downwardly, Ren kept the other figure in check while he looked toward

Kevin that his power wasn't enough to contain the other figure for long as he

you waiting for?

mouth open once again as he urged his other self who was standing in the distance. His voice sounded a

lips trembled after glancing at the red-eyed figure

the outcome that

you talking

His brows furrowed tightly, and his voice became even

his teeth, the other Kevin pointed towards the

has been destroyed because of your actions, and yet, you don't seem to

the other Kevin's fists clenched tightly, his voice

of killing him! You decided to sacrifice the whole of humanity! What's the point of killing him when there's no one

to the other Kevin's words, Ren slowly opened his mouth

'Because I don't care.'

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

this point that Kevin finally understood why felt a sense of Deja

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

"You don't care?"

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

of your actions humanity

"What are you doing?"

voice echoed

other Kevin pressed his palm to the space next to him and

done the moment

Clank. Clank.

up from the ground and Kevin felt them clasp onto

crack when he looked at the other Kevin who

you think

matter how much force he applied, he

much of a predicament he was, his

did you do

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 as he looked

looks like it's going

Kevin proceeded to

"khh..."

Kevin's body slowly started

note of 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 his mouth

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

'Desperation.'

he

always the same

the other Kevin's feet came to a pause a couple

Clank. Clank. Clank.

walked, Kevin felt the chains wrapping around his body become more and

Kevin realized that Ren had stopped shouting and

glaring in the other Kevin's direction,

this will be enough to

"I don't know."

Kevin shook

least for