"Ah!"

Abruptly opening my eyes, I sat up straight.

"I can control my body again!"

Touching my face and body I couldn't help but be elated. I could now feel my hands, face, and every other part of my body. The senses that I had previously lost had returned to me.

...I no longer felt like a trapped beast.

I could finally move.

"hu?"

Just as I was rejoicing at the fact that I could now control my body, I suddenly noticed my surroundings.

What's going on?

Wasn't I at the park moments before?

Looking around me, I found myself outside of what seemed to be a kindergarten.

Scanning around, I could see children playing tag in the playground of the kindergarten, followed by their parents coming in and out of the premises to pick them up.

Confused I stood up.

I tried to walk around, but three steps in, an invisible wall stopped me from moving any further.

"What?"

Taken aback by the invisible wall, I frowned. Placing my hand on the invisible wall, I exerted a little bit of strength...but it was to no avail as it didn't budge.

Frowning even harder, I placed both hands on the wall and pushed as hard as I could. Still, in the end, no matter how much strength I put in, the wall didn't budge.

Turning around, realizing that I could not move the wall, I tried to go in the opposite direction, but it was also to no avail as three steps in, another wall blocked me.

Taken aback, I tried to move in all directions, but it was futile. Every three steps I took, an invisible wall would stop me from moving.

No matter how hard I tried to push the walls, they wouldn't budge.

...I was trapped inside of an invisible cube

What's happening?

Where was I?

...and what is this place?

Millions of questions emerged in my mind, as I kept trying to find a way out of the cube.

...In the end, after ten minutes of constantly trying, helpless, I could only sit down and stare at the children in the kindergarten playground.

Maybe the key to getting free was outside of the cube...

"...hm?"

As I observed the kindergarten, I couldn't help but focus my attention on a certain area. More specifically a certain young boy who looked to be around five years old.

Disheveled, unkempt brown hair and dull eyes. As he swung on the swing of the garden of the kindergarten, the young boy kept staring in the distance. Seemingly waiting for someone to pick him up.

No matter how long he had to wait.

He waited.

...yet, despite thirty more minutes passing and most of the children leaving, no one picked him up.

As I watched the young boy in the distance, my heart hurt as I couldn't help by wonder...

"Who is he?"

"That's Matthew..."

Abruptly turning my head, a youth with blue eyes and jet-black hair appeared beside me. Staring in the distance, towards the young boy, a complicated expression appeared on his face.

"y-you"

Smiling in my direction, he introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ren"

"Ah...eh"

My mind blanked. I tried to find words to say, but it was to no avail as I couldn't say anything. What was the old Ren doing here? Wasn't he supposed to be dead? Was he not dead?

My mind was in a current state of turmoil as I couldn't find any words to say.

Did he even know who I was?

Smiling at my reaction, Ren shook his head.

"There's no need for you to introduce yourself. I've been with you for the past three months...watching your every move"

"W-what?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Ren shook his head

"Don't ask me, I don't know what happened either...I just suddenly found my consciousness watching everything that you were doing whilst I couldn't control my body"

"Wait, so you were within me watching everything I did since taking over your body?"

Smiling, Ren nodded.

"Yeah"

My eyes opened wide. To think that someone was watching everything I was doing whilst I reincarnated here.

"But ho-"

"Shhhh!

Just as I was about to speak, putting his finger on his mouth, he motioned me to be quiet as he pointed towards the kid I was previously watching.

"...let's not talk about that now, It's about time you learned about my past"

"Matthew are you okay?"

As soon as the previous Ren stopped talking, out of nowhere, a young boy with jet-black hair and blue eyes approached Matthew.

"Yeah"

Smiling brightly and nodding his little head, Matthew kept his eyes towards the entrance of the kindergarten.

Tapping Matthew on the shoulder, the black-haired boy excitedly said

"Let's play Matthew!"

"...but my parents will come soon"

"Yea, then just play until they come!"

"But, they will get mad if they don't see me immediately"

Looking around, pointing at the swings, the black-haired boy said

"Then let's just play here on the swings!"

"Um!"

Watching the two children play on the swings, I couldn't help but turn my head towards Ren's direction and ask

"...is that you?"

Staring at the young boy with jet black hair and blue eyes playing with Matthew, Ren lightly nodded.

"Yea..."

Pointing towards the kid that the old Ren was playing with, I furrowed my brows.

"...and is that the same guy I met at the park?"

Smiling, a trace of sadness appeared in Ren's eyes as he looked at the young Matthew

"yea...and he was my best friend"

Taken aback, I couldn't help but look at Ren in shock. Remembering what had happened moments before appearing in this strange world, Matthew looked more like a bully rather than a best friend.

How was someone like that ever been his friend...?

"Best friend?"

Noticing the skepticism on my face, Ren smiled but didn't elaborate.

"Yea..."

-Vooom!

At that moment, as I was still in shock by the revelation, a black sedan entered the parking area of the kindergarten.

Staring at the incoming sedan, Matthew happily stood up. Soon the back doors opened and a man and a woman got off of the vehicle.

"Mom! Dad!"

-Pa!

Just as Matthew was a few feet away from them, raising his hand, the dad slapped him in the face.

"...I told you not to come running at us like that. You're an elite, you must keep your composure at all times"

Holding back his tears, with his hand on his cheek, Matthew smiled weakly and nodded his head. Despite being hit, he seemed rather happy that his parents had shown up.

"Here"

Taking something out of his pocket, Matthew excitedly handed it to his father. It was a drawing he had made in class that depicted a man and a woman holding hands with a child.

However, his father grabbed the picture, and...

-Crrrrr

...Crumbled it and tossed it away.

"Is this what you wasted your entire day doing? What a waste"

Turning around, and urging his wife to follow him, they both entered the car.

"Bye..."

Seeing his parents enter the car, Matthew secretly picked up the crumpled paper on the floor and entered the car. As he did, turning around, he cheerfully waved at Ren

"Bye Ren!"

The scene cut and the world turned dark.

-Swooosh!

Extending his hand forward, Ren swiped right and the world around me changed. Soon the world around me changed.

The kindergarten turned itself into a classroom filled with students.

Just as I was about to ask Ren about what was going on, a familiar voice disrupted me.

"Wha-t happened Matthew!"

Running towards Matthew, Ren's figure appeared.

As Ren took a better look at Matthew, he couldn't help but gasp.

Matthew's face was bruised and his eyes were black. It looked like he had just been through hell.

Moreover, Ren soon noticed Matthew's leg limping as he walked inside of the class. From the way it was swollen, it was evident that his leg was broken.

...He was not in a good state

Raising his hand up, Ren looked towards the teacher responsible for the class and said

"Teacher, Matthew needs to go to the infirmary immediately"

Glancing at Matthew's battered figure for a split second, the class teacher disinterestedly shook his head.

"He looks fine to me..."

Opening his eyes wide, Ren's voice couldn't help but raise a few pitches.

"How does this look fine to you in any way!"

Frowning, the teacher put the book he was holding down and in an aloof voice said

"Student Ren Dover will be given detention after school for talking back to teacher..."

"Wha-"

Grabbing Ren's forearm, coughing a couple of times, Matthew shook his head.

"Cough...cough...I'm fine"

"b-ut"

Smiling, Matthew weakly sat on his seat.

"It's okay, they are too scared to anger my father...cough"

-Swooosh!

Once again, the scene changed. This time, the classroom remained the same, however, everyone was older.

"Did you hear?"

"Apparently Matthew's mother died in an accident"

"His life was already miserable before, but look at him now...it's like he doesn't want to live anymore"

Staring at the seat in the corner of the class where Matthew sat, every student in class whispered and pointed in his direction.

"M-matthew, are you okay?"

Approaching Matthew, Ren sat next to him. However, despite trying everything to try to get his attention, Matthew's eyes remained hollow the entire time.

His lips were dry, his skin was dry and his hair was a mess.

It looked like he had thoroughly given up on life...

"Matthew?"

Calling Matthew one last time, Matthew's eyes regained a bit of clarity as he glanced at Ren.

"Ah...Ren"

"Are you okay?"

After a short pause, Matthew smiled weakly and said

"....Yeah I'm fine"

-Ding! -Dong!

As the bell that signaled for the end of the school rang, Matthew took his bag and directly left the class.

Following Matthew, Ren tried to make sure he wouldn't bump into anyone.

He was extremely worried as from the way he was walking, he looked like a zombie...

As they reached the entrance of the school, staring at Ren, Matthew waved goodbye to him and entered a black sedan.

As he waved goodbye to Ren, a small tear dropped down from his right cheek. Because it was so subtle, only if one paid close attention would they notice.

"...Bye Ren"

Inside of the invisible cube, watching Matthew entering the car, Ren's face beside me couldn't help but twist as he softly mumbled

"I wished I had stopped him that day...ever since that day, the Matthew I knew died"