The Author's POV

The void was enveloped in a chilly stillness.

I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy as I stared at the white orb that was in front of me and took in everything.

After seeing Everblood appear and Kevin get stabbed by the same dagger he used to 'kill' Malik Alshayatin, I felt an overwhelming urge to hurry over and give him a helping hand.

But...

Despite everything that was happening, I did not take any action.

My mind kept going back to the look Kevin had given me earlier; it wouldn't leave my thoughts, no matter how hard I tried.

I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I had the distinct impression that he was staring right at me during that brief moment our eyes met.

Was it just me? ...or was he really looking at me? If so, how was it possible?

'It couldn't be that, right?'

When I caught a glimpse of the other version of myself on the edge of my field of vision, I immediately had an implausible thought cross my mind.

'No, it can't be.'

I quickly discarded the thought. Just the idea made my spine tingle.

There was no way Kevin was capable of making such a plan.

Simply no way.

"You seem rather calm, watching your friend die before your own eyes."

The sound of my own voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I turned my head to look at my other self, whose gaze was still loitering all over the orb that was in front of us.

There was an unwavering serenity in his gaze as he watched Kevin's condition deteriorate before his eyes in a painfully slow manner.

I shook my head.

"What am I meant to do? You tell me. Kevin is currently too far away for me to reach, and I am unaware of his precise location. By the time I reach his location, he will likely already be dead, so what am I supposed to do?"

"Then why did you come here? ...Out of desperation to know whose responsible for his death?"

My lips pursed, and I didn't say anything else, my eyes turning back toward the giant white orb.

Everblood had his hand raised and was about to slash out at Kevin, whose body had become completely limp, and his eyes had lost all clarity at this very moment.

My fists clenched together when I saw Kevin's helpless figure.

Although I did have a plan for rescuing Kevin from the predicament, the image of his face kept playing over and over in my head. It dispelled all previous thoughts and forced me to continue watching the scene unfold.

'Damn it, I hope I'm not imagining things.'

My teeth clenched tightly.

"Everblood, abort!"

I was momentarily startled out of my thoughts by a sudden shout, and when I turned around, I was astounded to see the other version of myself staring at the orb with a solemn expression on his face.

"It's too late."

The void that the other me and I were in was suddenly shaken by a voice, and Kevin, who had been lifeless just a few seconds earlier, abruptly raised his hand and grabbed hold of Everblood's face with his hand.

A mysterious white haze erupted from his hand and engulfed every part of Everblood's body.

His crimson-red eyes shone with an intense crimson hue, and the void shook fiercely.

"What's going on?"

It felt as though I was in the epicenter of an earthquake as I stumbled a couple of steps while attempting to get a proper foothold.

a secure foothold. Throughout the entire time, his

make such a

taken aback by the

I describe

It was twisted.

Extremely twisted.

as if I was staring into the eyes of a living embodiment of

Clank! Clank! Clank!

void, and the area around the other me

'It's as I feared.'

previously written off resurfaced in my mind. The instant chains began forming in the area around

"He's changed."

that the Kevin before me was not the same

was a different

Kevin that my other

"Arghhh!"

chains that attacked him like vicious snakes, shackling his arms and legs and

"There's no use struggling."

over to the other version of myself, which was struggling

"Shut up!"

chains wouldn't be able to get rid of him and that they were only strengthening the seal that was binding him, but when I looked at the pure desperation and hatred on his face, I knew that whatever

was probably going to go through another form of torture,

but I didn't care

If possible, please die.

"No, no, no!"

dragged back into the void and his eyes turned blood red,

was the sound of a broken

anyone else but who was once again compelled to live

The real me.

Tak!

be reaching out from the depths of the void in an attempt to seize hold of something that would release it from

he was looking for, and he vanished into thin air almost immediately after that, bringing

target had never been

the silence almost immediately after it arrived, gazing deeply at the white

that moment, Kevin's eyes directly met mine, and he

"Yeah..."

"As expected."

my

sense of everything that had just happened, and my heart dropped for some

you to have predicted that my other self would've tried to interfere with your plan to kill him and bait him into a trap designed

that the other me was going to show up? How did he know that he would suggest such a plan? This had never happened in the past, so how was he able

'It doesn't make sense.'

of

or tails of what was happening, and my head was

How? How?

of at the moment. So many questions, yet

and looked

"Who are you?"

***

Everblood's pupils were two shiny

felt a shiver run directly through his body. Despite this, he was

the mercy of Kevin, whose eyes were piercing through

to be communicating with someone at the moment, but he couldn't make out who he was talking to. The connection with Ren had already disappeared, and he was in no way strong enough

was basically a

was nothing he

Everblood was

about to end or because he found the prospect of Ren's momentary defeat amusing, but he did not

his head back

stared directly at Everblood

"Have you finished?"

"..."