The Author's POV

'Why is it taking Kevin so long?'

During my conversation with Malik Alshayatin, in which I was trying to buy as much time as possible, I sneaked a look at the time on my watch.

Ten minutes had already passed since Hemlock had appeared, and nothing had happened.

'Did something go wrong with the operation?'

Kevin was supposed to be on his way to killing Malik Alshayatin, who was hiding not so far from where we were at the time, according to what I knew about the situation.

He was the only one who knew the precise location; I wasn't even sure of it myself.

Given that Hemlock was still seated at the oval table alongside everyone else, it was clear that Kevin had not yet made his move.

'Is it possible that he ran into some problems, and it's taking him more time than it is supposed to?'

This was the most likely possibility.

Kevin, in my opinion, was in no real danger at any point.

Malik Alshayatin would have already vanished by now had he found out that Kevin had attacked him, and taking into consideration the fact that Kevin was solely performing this action based on his memories, there was no way that Hemlock could know what was coming for him.

It was simply impossible.

'I guess I'll just stall for a bit more time. '

It wasn't that I really minded, but I was rapidly running out of topics to discuss in order to kill time. Octavious, to my great relief, came to my aid in the nick of time.

For some inexplicable reason, it felt to me as though he was in on the whole situation.

'I'm imagining things, right?'

"Is there anything you hope to accomplish by remaining here? I'm certain that you didn't just show up to listen to our conversation. If you truly desired to hear what we had to say, you would not have divulged your identity so early."

"As expected of the strongest human, you're very perceptive."

Hemlock clapped twice, his back lying on the leather chair.

"Initially, I intended to come here to confuse the minds of everyone present. I wanted you guys to question yourselves and perhaps convert a few of you to our side, but I changed my mind.

Hemlock gave me a friendly smile as he slowly turned his head in my direction and looked at me. As the ominous foreboding, I was experiencing became clearer, I felt shivers run down my entire body.

"...But I changed my mind. Not too long ago, a small bird told me something, and let's just say I discovered something even more entertaining."

The instant he said those words, my pupils constricted violently. Specifically, when he uttered the phrase "little bird," the puzzle pieces in my mind began to fall into place, and my breathing became rougher.

I muttered two words without hesitation in my mind.

"Monarch's Indifference."

My vision turned black.

***

mystery to me, but the instant that I regained consciousness, I found myself standing in front of

I was

walked in that direction without

I had the sensation of something warm enveloping my entire body. In a short amount of time, the pleasant warmth morphed into something intolerable as a searing

moving forward regardless, not paying the

pain was incomparable to the pain that my mind and

orb about the size of a star way off in the distance. The orb grew steadily more expansive as I proceeded forward with

as soon as I got within a few feet of it, I could see that it was covered in thin black threads that had seeped into the white surface of

an awful lot like me was standing not too far away from

walking in his direction and stopped when I was

well, I noticed that it was reflecting images. In particular,

Kevin's face was accentuated by the fact

my eyes, I

it was you,

in

why Hemlock was so calm and why Kevin had been held up for so

I was aware of a searing rage

turned his head and looked at me with the same expressionless

should be

my being wanted to

only give the impression that I

thing I could do was keep my composure and reason through everything that

my mind of the pointless emotions clouding my judgment to effectively find a

you will be able to live, and I will be able to have my wish of dying fulfilled. Two birds with

of staying alive if I'm going to

if, in the end, I was still going to die at

lucky that you will live a few

"Very kind of you."

at the orb in

the orb, and it appeared for

when I looked beside me and saw the other me still calmly looking at the orb, I became unsure of

'What's going on?'

***

shook as he knelt on the ground while holding a thin body in his

"E..Emma?"

and as he did so, tears began to form in the inner

at Emma's with a look of despondency plastered all

were absently gazing upward,

did

was very shallow, which indicated that she was still alive. However, it was abundantly clear that she did not

because the poison had left a clear imprint in her body, there was no

become disorganized, as evidenced

that began to form in the creases of his eyes moved more quickly down his cheeks, and it appeared as though the world was losing its color to him as

"H..How is this possible?"

to his in an