In a place colored like nothingness, a white void invaded by thick fog.
I stood, staring at the version of myself from the old world.
My other self was smiling with a hint of arrogance on his face.
"Hello, me," said my other self.
"Are you called Ethan?"
I didn't stop trembling — everything felt real... This wasn't a dream. It felt more like an invitation, just like what happened when I reincarnated into the world of the novel.
"Yes."
"But I'm Ethan."
"But you're not anymore. Now, you're Klo."
"What do you mean? But I am you."
"It's too late for that, Klo... How about we play a game?"
"What kind of game?"
"Chess. You know the rules — your father mocked you and called you stupid, even hit you for getting a bad grade in a test, and you proved him wrong by learning something harder than the exam itself."
"..."
Ethan raised his hand, and a table appeared, with a chessboard on top and two chairs on opposite sides.
"Come on, Klo. Sit down."
Both Ethan and I approached and sat down on opposite sides.
We stared at each other.
"Start, Klo."
I moved the pawn first. Ethan followed my move.
His eyes sparkled with mischief beneath brown irises and equally brown hair.
"Listen to me, Klo. You're a liar... or better yet, a brilliant actor — no, a supernatural one."
Before I could move the knight, I stared into his eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? Hah. You always pretend to be fine while hiding your pain. The moment you died — again and again — you chose to play the villain just to protect yourself.
You acted cold towards your harem, yelled at them, avoided contact, and in the end, ran far away from them and cried alone."
"You're... wrong."
"You're saying I'm wrong, Klo?"
"Checkmate. Shall we play again, Klo?"
"Y-Yeah."
I picked up some of the pieces to reset the board, but Ethan refused. He threw the board aside and created a new one using his ability.
"Why did you throw it?"
"This is my world. My rules."
We continued playing, and once again, I lost.
"Checkmate."
He tossed the board and brought another.
"Checkmate."
Did it again.
"Checkmate."
And again.
We stayed like that for a long time — me losing, Ethan changing the board.
But for a moment, before Ethan moved one of his pawns, he looked at me with that smile that always stirred my anger the more I stared at it.
"You possess a power that lets you predict the future by returning to the past. A system that floods you with points to enhance your abilities. Isn't it amazing to be an invincible entity?"
Ethan raised his arms high, screaming those words like a madman.
Then he paused, slowly approaching me and cupping my face.
"You, Klo — you are the perfect human.
You feel sadness, yet you overcome it with a smile.
You care for others but hide it with apathy.
You crave revenge but fear acting on it.
You want to live but are afraid of losing your humanity."
I lowered my eyes, biting my lower lip.
Why are you praising me... calling me perfect despite how weak I am?
"Ethan, you're wrong about everything you said."
"What do you mean, Klo?"
"First of all, I'm not Klo... and second, I'm not perfect!
Everything you just said is pure nonsense — ignoring who I really am.
All I've gone through was endless repetition and falling into scenarios that always led to death or failure."
I stood up, slamming the table — the chess pieces scattered into the air, but they didn't float normally. It was as if time had slowed down, like we were inside a slow-motion game.
"You won't understand what I'm saying."
"But I do, Ethan," Ethan replied.
"Even though you were forced to restart again and again, you never gave up.
You didn't cry unless it happened unconsciously.
You didn't run away or abandon anyone.
You just protected, always carrying the burden alone.
That's why I see you as perfect, Ethan."
Why is he calling me Ethan now?
"See all these chessboards?
They represent your attempts to fix your mistakes — to find solutions and win.
Didn't you notice I kept repeating the same mistakes, while you learned from them and beat me?
Then you'd face another obstacle, learn from that, and win again.
And in the final game — this one — you would've beaten me if you hadn't lost your temper."
Ethan stood up and slowly approached, hugging my head.
"You won't be alone anymore from today onward, Ethan."
I looked at him with eyes full of exhaustion.
He stepped back, extending his hand toward me.
"How about making a contract with me, Klo?
You help me rise, and I'll rewrite the future of your scenarios."
I clenched my teeth and took a step back, smiling in his face.
"Hahaha, you say 'contract,' but you'll stab me in the back in the end.
No thanks. I'll writhe in my torment until I find my own salvation.
You may not be me, but you're definitely the one who dragged me into this world. Am I wrong?"
"Hmm, who knows? Maybe you're right — or maybe not."
Ethan raised his hand, pointing at me.
"Hey, Klo — don't abandon yourself. And don't trust anyone in the place you're going."
He raised both hands to his mouth and chanted:
"We all carry secrets... and secrets are weapons in the hands of the enemy."
As he finished, my vision began to dim and fade.
Ethan was waving goodbye, saying words I could no longer hear as the world disappeared.
It felt like... a farewell.
...
I opened my eyes to find the place dark, lit only by a faint glow.
I stood up, hunched over, sitting beside Luna — who was asleep.
I looked at her. She looked... like she had died.
I smiled faintly.
"I guess he was right... about my fear for them."
I returned to my bed and went back to sleep until morning.
Thank you, Ethan.