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.

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

Chills ran through his body as he had a hard time processing what Ren

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

denial, but...he knew that everything

figured everything out after connecting the dots from his vision...yet, a small part of him still wished that

knew that it was only wishful

but he was still nonetheless Ren. A stinging pain

'...Why? Just why?'

[Trial 210]

those words with his pen, Ren continued

loop before he comes in contact with them in

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

as corpses

enshrouded the

"Haa...haa..."

a broken building, as the sound of his rough breathing broke the silence that was enshrouding the

'Where am I?'

that he noticed that his right hand was

scene. It

what he was seeing, Kevin suddenly had a

Ren began to lift his head and his eyes laid on a figure who had white hair and red

building, the figure blankly stared toward the sky as a cruel

you won't be able to

throughout the world as he proceeded

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

"Stay put."

the black orb could fully form, Kevin felt his hand

Crack. Crack.

ground crushed against

the red-eyed figure was completely unfazed as he

deepened as their gazes met. Opening

with your useless

"Shut up."

pulverized into bits. The gravity around him started to

Rumble. Rumble.

His power was overwhelming.

he was once again shocked to see a figure resembling himself standing in the distance, and it was right

'This scene...'

"Your turn."

motioned downwardly, Ren kept the

wasn't enough to contain the other figure for long as he felt his hand start to

waiting for? End

who was standing in the distance. His

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

the outcome that you

are you talking

furrowed tightly, and his voice became

the other Kevin pointed

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

fists clenched tightly, his voice

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

opened his mouth to say something. Matching his mouth,

'Because I don't care.'

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

this point that Kevin finally understood

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

"You don't care?"

sprang out of his body was very faint and almost invisible, the pressure it released

fact that because of your

"What are you doing?"

voice echoed

his palm to the space next to him and

that I should've done the moment I remembered

Clank. Clank.

sprung up from the ground and Kevin felt them clasp onto

time, Kevin felt Ren's face crack when he

do you

much force he

much of a predicament

did you do to

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

going to be another

teeth, the other Kevin proceeded to

"khh..."

the hue around the other Kevin's body

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

it!!!! You know full well that you're the only one

'Desperation.'

as he felt his mouth

the same

one more step forward, the other Kevin's feet came to a pause a couple of meters away from Ren.

Clank. Clank. Clank.

around his body become more and more numerous, before

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

head and glaring in the other Kevin's direction, Kevin felt

think this will be

"I don't know."

other Kevin shook

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