The Author's POV

'Why did it happen again?'

While sitting on the curb in front of the bus with a perplexed expression on his face, Kevin mused to himself about the situation.

Why did they die again?

He did everything that he was supposed to do.

He didn't go toward the inner city and lead his parents away from home, yet, they still died.

This time by a road accident.

The demons weren't even responsible for their deaths.

Kevin's gaze lifted toward the clouds in the sky. Staring at the clouds that were moving ever so slowly in the sky, he had a sudden thought.

'...I wanted to spend more time with them.'

***

Bang―!

"Watch out, Kevin!"

Once more, Kevin watched as his parents threw their bodies over to protect him. This time, their bodies were completely severed in half, and blood spilt all over Kevin.

The expressions of helplessness and anguish that they displayed just prior to passing away left an indelible mark on his mind as he could only watch them die in front of him.

Crash―!

"Get behind me, Kevin!"

Booom―!

"Ahhhh!"

Unbeknownst to him, the same events kept happening over and over again with each and every one of his regressions.

Before Kevin even realized it, he had reached his twentieth regression, and for the twentieth time, both of his parents had passed away right before his very eyes.

This time, it was due to an explosion that occurred outside of the city.

'...Why?'

Kevin never managed to muster the required strength to come to the aid of his mother and father, no matter how many times he tried. Each time, they would suffer a horrible death, and he would be left all by himself once more.

The heaviness in his heart, which had been barely noticeable at first, became increasingly obvious with each and every one of his regressions, and it intensified with the passing of his parents in all of the regressions.

Over the course of those twenty regressions, he would have an immeasurably better chance of defeating Jezebeth, but despite his best efforts, he continued to fall short in every single one of his endeavours.

Kevin understood that it was only a matter of time before he could beat Jezebeth.

Be it one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand, or a million regressions...

Kevin had all the time in the world to accumulate experience and become stronger.

Jezebeth was still ahead of him by quite a lot, but Kevin knew that his time would come very soon.

...In those times, with each regression, he would spend more and more time with his parents. By the time the twentieth regression happened, he had spent at least a century of his life with them.

He pretty much knew them like the back of his hand.

...and it was because of this that he found it more difficult to part ways with them every five years since his birth.

After each of their deaths, he would experience a sharp pain, and the colour that had been slowly developing in his vision would slowly fade away.

would continue indefinitely, with no

It was their fate.

Come and

about me!

their lungs, doing their best to divert the attention of the demon away from him, Kevin's chest began

'Why? ...Why?'

wondered inside of his mind, his eyes drawn toward the scenes in the

before their own. Putting your needs above mine is

during his fourth regression rang in Kevin's

his eyes, trickling down the side of

during this time that he finally better

hand forward toward where his parents

"Don't go..."

Don't leave me.

*

Many years later.

Ashton City, Lock Library

word as he paged through

and feeling sad about it. Loneliness causes people to feel empty, alone, and unwanted. People who are

and he traced his finger across the

reason, he felt that the words

had the impression that the

goal had always been to better understand the sensations

about 600 years old if one counted all

the sensation of emptiness that was eating away at

was also why he was

better understand what

over and looked at the cover of

guide

was a mistake for the records to have birthed me as

of him and gently placing

of all of his problems at the moment was his identity. The identity

that he would never be forced to deal with such pointless issues; however, as more time passed and regressions took place, Kevin realized that he was not an exception to the

fleeting sensations that he experienced in the immediate aftermath of the passing of his parents were

could not run

himself from the world or ignore whatever was happening around him, like the death of his parents

made Kevin realize that he could no longer ignore the issue

had to better understand this

Clank―!

got out of his chair and grabbed the book that was on the table

"Hm?"

turning around to return the book when he suddenly became aware

someone else

was approximately three in the morning, and it was very strange to see someone still in

when considering that exam

man with jet-black hair covering the front of

a large book, and beside

[Demon anatomy]

watch out for from

curses and what is known about

staring at the books that were

that the young man was showing signs of anxiety, given the rapidity with which he was turning the pages of the books and the low mutterings

breaker curse... Mind breaker curse... where is it? ...where is it? ...There must be a way

you looking for the cure to the mind breaker

stopping in front of the young man and

"Eh, ah!"

Clank―!

of him fell back and hit the floor, resulting in a deafening crash. It was a good thing the librarian wasn't around because nothing good would've come

dramatically the moment his eyes landed on

"You...you're Kevin Voss."