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.

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

through his body as

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

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

the dots from his vision...yet, a small part of him still wished that this

that it was only wishful thinking

still nonetheless

'...Why? Just why?'

[Trial 210]

those words with his pen,

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

the world started to shift, and a red

corpses and limbs

enshrouded the

"Haa...haa..."

the sound of his rough breathing broke the silence that was

'Where am I?'

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

scene. It

of what he was seeing, Kevin suddenly

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

building, the figure blankly stared toward the

won't

world as he proceeded to raise

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

"Stay put."

fully form, Kevin felt his hand

Crack. Crack.

ground crushed against his

red-eyed figure was completely unfazed as he

as their gazes met.

with your useless

"Shut up."

bits. The gravity around him started to warp, and the buildings in the

Rumble. Rumble.

His power was overwhelming.

his body turn, he was once again shocked to see a figure resembling

'This scene...'

"Your turn."

his hand motioned downwardly, Ren kept the other figure in

to Kevin that his power wasn't enough to contain the

you waiting

felt Ren's mouth open once again as he urged his other self who was standing in the distance. His voice sounded a little bit more rushed

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

outcome that

you

furrowed tightly, and his voice became

his teeth, the other Kevin pointed

has

Kevin's fists clenched tightly,

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

mouth to say something.

'Because I don't care.'

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

finally understood why felt

the same scene that he saw in his vision. He could clearly remember each word that

"You don't care?"

hue suddenly erupted from Kevin's body. While the hue that sprang out of his body was very faint and almost invisible, the pressure it released

that because of your

"What are you doing?"

dull voice

to the space next to him

that I should've done the moment I remembered

Clank.

shock, black chains suddenly sprung up from the ground and Kevin felt them

time, Kevin felt Ren's face crack when he

do you think

his hand and felt his body try to move, but no matter how much force he

how much of a

did you do to

other white 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

going to be another

the other Kevin

"khh..."

hue around the other Kevin's body

for the first time in a while, Kevin suddenly started to feel emotions spring out

well that

'Desperation.'

what Kevin felt as he felt his mouth

always the

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

Clank. Clank. Clank.

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

that Ren had stopped shouting and the previous emotions that were erupting from within him

the other Kevin's direction, Kevin felt

think this will be enough

"I don't know."

other Kevin shook his

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