"Because of you, I lost a lot of my money..."
Allen didn't quite understand why he was being blamed. His body was kicked by his father for a mistake he didn't know he'd made. His body had been weak ever since he turned seven, and his movements were restricted, so he could only lie in bed. This became the reason his parents hated him.
His mother remarried a wealthy man because she didn't want to take care of Allen, while his father was an alcoholic and gambler who also blamed Allen for his wife's departure. Meanwhile, Allen wrote a novel to escape his suffering, and from then on, he started earning money from his writing.
*Thump!*
"Give me your money, damn it! Give me the money from your stupid novel!"
*Thud!*
His father continued to hit and kick Allen's frail body, making him fall from the bed. Just then, a woman opened the door to Allen's room and immediately shielded him. This woman was Allen's homeschooling teacher, Reina, a 28-year-old who had taught and cared for Allen more than his irresponsible parents.
"Sir! What are you doing?! He's your own son, after all!"
Reina was furious at Allen's father's treatment. She protected Allen to prevent him from being beaten further.
"Don't get in my way, damn it! What do you care? You're not even his parent!"
Allen's father kicked Reina in the stomach, sending her sprawling near Allen. His hand began to roughly slap Reina's cheek.
"Father! Don't do that!"
He tried to grab his father's hand to stop him, but the difference in strength and his weak body made him recoil.
"You cursed child! Because of you, my wife ran away from home!"
Allen's father began to take a knife from a plate containing apples. He approached Allen, making him terrified. Meanwhile, Reina tried to protect Allen.
"If you don't back off, I'll kill you too!"
Allen's father sneered, moving closer to them. His face looked menacing, his grin making him resemble a demon.
"Mr. Otto! Put down that knife!"
Reina's eyes widened in fear, her whole body trembling at the death that was about to claim her.
"First, I'll kill you, Reina! It's your own fault for meddling in family matters!"
Otto smirked even wider, then swung the knife towards Reina's stomach. Reina closed her eyes in terror. However, the knife didn't hit her. Instead, Allen shielded Reina and ended up being killed in front of her.
The stab wound was directly on Allen's vital point. Blood slowly gushed from his body. His vision began to blur, and in an instant, Allen died before Reina.
Reina's eyes widened in fear and despair. She immediately took her phone from her pocket and called the police, knowing Allen was dead as she desperately checked his body. Then, Reina pulled the knife from Allen's body and pointed it at Otto.
"For making Allen die, I will kill you!" Reina screamed, her face drenched in tears.
Reina ran towards Otto, then plunged the knife directly into his heart. Otto collapsed on the ground beside his son, his body lifeless.
After that, the police arrived and broke into Allen's room. The officers were shocked by the scene before them: two male bodies lay on the ground, while a woman sat rigidly, her hands covered in blood.
One of the police officers approached Reina and handcuffed her. Reina resigned herself to the punishment she would receive. Her eyes filled with tears, she looked at the officer with a pleading face.
"May I take something with me while I'm being arrested?"
Reina's gaze fell upon a drawer where Allen kept his self-written novels.
"Please open that drawer and take the book titled 'The Wanderer'."
After that, the police took the book and brought Reina to prison. Upon arrival, she began to read her book and fell asleep. The tears that fell brought a miracle; she felt a warm sensation as she slept, which teleported her into the world of that book.
***
Meanwhile, Allen opened his eyes to find himself in an all-white room with one of his created characters, in the form of a goddess, before him.
"Welcome, Author! Are you all right?"
The goddess asked in a worried tone, slowly approaching Allen.
"As you know, I am the Goddess of Protection, Eva. And the one who created me is you, Author."
"What happened?" Allen asked, confused.
"In short, you were teleported to the world within your novel because of your favorite teacher."
"Reina??" Allen grew even more confused.
"Yes, her tears brought this world to life..."
She began to hug Allen, her hands stroking his back.
"From now on, you will be fine because I will watch over you from here and protect you."
She pulled away from the embrace—then, with a snap of her fingers, a light appeared and merged with Allen's body.
"I have given you power; it is the power of protection where you can rewind time."
"That power comes from your soul, where you always wanted to repeat time and make different choices," Eva continued.
Allen listened intently, beginning to understand the general outline of what had happened.
"Alright then, I will send you to the starting village... Do what you want, Allen! I just want you to live happily."
The entire white room began to dim. Allen found himself standing in a city he had created himself. In addition, the people involved in his novel experienced similar things, though they were teleported to a different place.