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.

***

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

I was all

I walked in that direction without giving it

body. In a short amount of time,

kept moving forward regardless, not paying

was incomparable to the pain that

the size of

far I had to travel before I would reach the orb, but 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 the

too far away from the orb and staring at

direction and stopped when I was in the

as well, I noticed that it was reflecting images. In particular, I could see Kevin's face which was staring

was accentuated by the fact that his body was shivering and his lips

eyes, I

expected, it was

spoke in a calm

and why Kevin had been held up for so long. This was all

a searing rage permeating each and every

turned his head and looked at me with

should be

wanted to let

give the impression that I was

keep my composure and

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

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

the point of staying alive if I'm going to die

was the point of surviving if, in the end, I was still going to die

live a few years longer than

"Very kind of you."

sarcastically while anxiously staring at the

Kevin's face was directly facing the orb, and

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

'What's going on?'

***

he knelt on the ground while holding

"E..Emma?"

so, tears began to form in the inner corners of his eyes, and he began to lose his ability to

Emma's with a look of despondency plastered all over it as

were absently gazing upward,

all that I did to distance

alive. However, it was abundantly

poison had left a clear imprint

Kevin's mind to become disorganized, as evidenced by his paler-than-usual face and the

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 they did

"H..How is this possible?"

closer to his in an embrace, he