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 pitch-black

I was all

turn, I walked in that direction

that I took, 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 pain began to spread across all of my

to me; I kept moving forward regardless, not

that my mind and body went through every

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

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 orb and was riddled with a

person who looked an awful lot like me was standing not too far away from the orb and staring

direction and stopped when I was in

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

whiteness of Kevin's face was accentuated by the fact that his body was shivering and his lips

eyes, I

was you, wasn't

spoke in

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

spite of my composure, I was aware of a searing

myself slowly turned his head and looked at me with the same expressionless gaze

should be

moment, every fiber of my being wanted to let out a shout,

give the impression that I was losing control

could do was keep my composure and reason through

emotions clouding my judgment to effectively find a solution to the

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

alive if I'm going

surviving if, in the end, I was still going

yourself lucky that you will live a

"Very kind of you."

staring at the orb in front of

directly facing the orb, and it appeared for a

I looked beside me and saw the

'What's going on?'

***

knelt on the ground while holding a thin

"E..Emma?"

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

was extremely pale, looked at Emma's with a look of despondency plastered all over it as

were absently gazing upward, he

all that I did to distance

indicated that she was still alive. However, it was abundantly clear that she

struck her right in the heart and because the poison had left a clear imprint in her body, there was no

as evidenced by

down his cheeks, and it appeared as though the world was losing

"H..How is this possible?"

his in an