The Author's POV

Listening to the familiar, yet unfamiliar voice, my mind blanked for a moment. When I turned my head, it blanked completely.

A figure sat crossed-legged next to me.

"How…"

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words died in my throat when I noticed the missing chains on his body. His expressionless face gave nothing away, and I couldn't read any emotions in it.

I felt a shock wave through me at the realization of what this could mean.

'…What is going on?'

"Kevin's dead."

His voice carried a sense of indifference to it. I noticed that he blinked his eyes a few times while he was staring off into the distance. That was when I also turned my head and saw Waylan standing in the distance.

My heart sank to the lowest depths imaginable.

"So that was the case…"

He seemed to have understood something. The extent… I didn't know, but that didn't matter. When I stared at him and remembered his goal, I moved away from him.

"W,what are you doing?"

It seemed as though my actions had taken him by surprise, but I didn't give a damn as I slowly stood up.

I tried to, but…

Thump!

The moment I attempted to, I immediately collapsed to the ground. There, I became aware that the majority of my bones were broken, and that many of my muscles had also been torn.

"What do you think you're doing? You're in no state to be moving at the moment."

I warily looked at him and took a deep breath.

"…D,do you really think I'd welcome you with open arms or something? Especially when I know exactly what you want to achieve?"

He was me, yet at the same time he wasn't… While it did look like he was on my side, he wasn't. Our interests were drastically different, and I knew he was as much of a threat as Waylan… if not more.

"Ah."

He seemed to have realized my thoughts, as not long after he nodded his head.

"Understandable."

As he slowly stood up while pressing his hands against the ground, I retreated a few meters in the opposite direction, dragging my body with the little strength I had in my hands.

'He might be free but he can't harm me yet…'

The only way he could harm me was by possessing my body and attempting suicide from there. The fact that he had not yet done so indicated that he was not yet a threat to me.

At least… I hoped that was the case.

"What are you trying to do?"

I asked him while turning my head to look at the distance. It was faint, but I could feel Waylan approaching my direction.

'Damn it.'

I tightened my teeth. I did everything in my power to kill him, but I was ultimately unsuccessful. Rather, it did not appear that I was even close to killing him… was this the limit of my current powers? Despite everything that Kevin did?

That… it was frustrating.

"You don't need to be wary."

I almost scoffed at his words. With everything that he had done to me… the words he said to me, did he really think I'd actually not be wary of him?

His cold and empathetic gaze fell on me.

"…If I really wanted to do something to you at the moment, I'd have already done it by now."

I frowned at his words, but at the same time, musing over them, I realized that what he said made sense. If he really did want to do something to me, with the chains gone, it wouldn't be that hard.

Rather, the fact that he was talking to me at the moment suggested that he had something to talk about.

While my body was still tense, I did lower my guard a little.

"I'll hear you out."

He cocked his head.

"Hear me out?"

I raised my brow.

"Did you appear because you wanted to say something to me?"

"No."

He shook his head, confusing me.

"Then what are you here for?"

"Simple really."

He raised his head to look into the distance. I followed his gaze, and it was there that I noticed he was looking in Waylan's direction.

"You want to―huh?"

When I lowered my head to look at him again, I was shocked to see that he was gone. Before I could even figure out where he was, I heard a quiet voice coming from right next to me.

"…It's as you think."

I felt a palm press against my shoulder, and I started to panic.

"What do you think you're doing!?"

But before I even had a chance to resist, I heard his voice inside my head, and my vision turned black.

"Lend me our body."

***

"This... this..."

Waylan couldn't believe his injuries were not healing as quickly as he expected them to. In fact, they didn't seem to be healing at all.

The realization filled him with anger, and he clenched his teeth tightly.

"This is impossible!"

He placed his hand over the area where his other arm used to be, feeling the rage build up from deep within his body. The pain was unbearable, and it only added fuel to the fire of his already intense emotions.

'I should've killed him back then.'

Waylan thought in anger.

He regretted not taking care of the problem when he first met him. Back then, he was still so weak and could have killed him with a single snap of his fingers. But his main goal was Douglas, so he had to bide his time.

On many occasions, he debated whether to kill him or not, but just when he made up his mind, he noticed a certain mark on his body and gave up all ideas.

Instead, he quickly befriended him and tried to help him in all the ways he could possibly think of. Since he was marked, it meant that he was an important person.

But who would have thought that the one who put the mark on him was the same person who had betrayed them?

"That... traitor."

Waylan growled, his teeth clenched in anger.

Thinking about the traitor only fueled his anger even further. He had screwed everything they had been working for, and he was the reason why all of this was happening. If not for him, none of this would have happened.

"I need to kill him."

Waylan muttered through gritted teeth.

As he gave up on his arm which was not healing, he shifted his focus in the direction of where he had last seen Ren.

By his estimates, Ren should be on the verge of dying.

With a wave of his hand, the space in front of him shattered, and he appeared above a certain area.

When he looked down, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Uh?"

Ren seemed to be in much better shape than he had originally anticipated. Contrary to his expectations, his injuries had healed, and he seemed to be stronger than ever.

"What happened to him?"

Waylan wondered aloud, unable to understand how he was still doing so well.

The most noticeable change, however, was the coloration of his eyes and hair. They were gray and white, respectively. Observing him from above, he also noticed his gaze and demeanor were completely different than before.

Taking one last deep look at him, he no longer paid any mind to the changes anymore.

Such a change in his eyes and hair wasn't something he particularly felt threatened by. The only thing that made him wary was the calmness in his gaze. I

It felt a little unsettling, but Waylan quickly dispelled such a feeling away.

He was a Protector, a being chosen by the records to uphold the balance of the Universe. Why would he feel threatened by such a small existence?

But then, a voice reached his mind, interrupting his thoughts.

"You're finally here."

Ren's voice echoed in his mind.

When Waylan raised his head up, he saw Ren standing right before him.

His dull gray eyes directly locked onto him, regarding his entire existence in the same manner in which he previously looked at him.

Waylan was still able to maintain his calm as he took his time to observe the man before him.

"You were waiting for me?"

Waylan asked, surprised.

"I was."

Ren replied calmly.

The calmness in his voice unsettled Waylan even further. He frowned and spoke.

"I already know that the only reason you're still standing is because of the potions you've been taking. However, don't think-"

"Quiet."

Ren interrupted him coldly.

Waylan felt his mouth shut completely, and golden runes clamped themselves on his cheek and mouth.

Ren observed him with interest.

"What interesting power…"

He lowered his head to gaze at his hand. A white, black, and green glow surfaced within his body and his brows furrowed.

"What mess."

He remarked as he continued to stare at the powers that were circling around him. When he finally tore his gaze away from them, he looked at Waylan in a relaxed manner.

"Still…"

Waylan broke free of the shackles that were restraining him and moved very far away from him. He had to move quite a distance, but he was still able to hear his final words.

"…It should be about enough."