Chapter 167 - I'm In Misery

"...."

Kairen didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say.

"So maybe, you should answer the question you asked me yourself. Tell me, how can such a thing be possible?"

"...."

Kairen lowered his head.

'Don't belong to the natural flow of this world? Well yeah...'

Kairen was not from this world... And also there is the probability of Kairen 1 not belonging to this place either... so he thought that it made sense to some extent. But that soil dude as well?

'Does that mean there are other people from Earth... or maybe other worlds here?'

If what Alan said was true, if that soil dude was really just like Kairen, then...

'Doesn't that mean I can find some clues on going back if I talk to him... or other people like us?'

Instead of answering Alan, Kairen asked something else.

"So, you can tell if someone is irregular if you use your power on them?"

Alan looked at him with a serious face.

"So it's a yes."

Kairen looked around to make sure no one would hear them before continuing.

"Is there others with this... time flow problem except the two of us?"

Again, Alan didn't answer. 

Rustle 

Rustle

The leaves rustled in the winds of the late summer, and the two men, maybe one man and one brat, stared at each other in silence.

"There was only one."

Finally, Alan opened his mouth after a few minutes of silence.

"Who?"

Alan shook his head.

"Can't tell you more than that. Rather than that, shouldn't you be more curious about that guy?"

Kairen nodded.

"I am curious about him. That is why I came to ask you about that man... But I didn't know that he was like me..."

Alan smirked.

"So you admit that there is something different with you?"

"...."

Alan's eyes turned sharp.

"Care to tell me as well?"

"...."

Kairen had indeed considered telling others about his condition. That he wasn't the one they thought he was. That he was not from this world. That he was transferred here by some unknown force and only wanted to go back. That he didn't have anything to do with those terrorists and his only goal was to meet his brother again.

But first of all, who would believe such bullshit? How could he prove himself? 

Also, he didn't think it was a good idea to tell his friends or family that he was actually from another place.

But, what about Alan?

Couldn't Kairen just tell him about this? 

But he wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not.

"Why would I tell you?"

Alan chuckled.

"Why? Well, good question brat."

Alan moved his head closer to Kairen and whispered in his ear.

"Because I'll kill you if you don't."

The ominous voice echoed in Kairen's mind.

"...."

"Don't think I can't kill you only because I can't manipulate time for you. I can still manipulate time, if not for you, for the rest of the world."

Kairen froze in his place. He could feel his back getting wet from the cold sweat. 

'What is this pressure?'

He could feel huge pressure coming from the man in front of him. He could feel an ominous aura, he could feel bloodthirst.

Rustle

Rustle

The winds flew between them.

"...."

"...."

Kairen looked at Alan's eyes.

'How did things get like this?'

Why was he receiving death threats, while sitting on the grass in the yard of the country's biggest military organization and probably the safes spot in the city from the man who was his teammate and was supposed to only have a nice chat with??

Kairen gulped and opened his mouth with much difficulty.

"W-what? W-why?"

Again, Alan whispered in his ear.

"You know, I don't have good memories with people who are like you."

"P-people like me?"

Kairen clenched the grass under his palms.

"Do you mean the third guy you mentioned?"

"Heh!"

Alan chuckled.

"You are not as stupid as I thought, huh?"

Pat Pat

Alan patted Kairen's shoulder.

"But you see, you, and that other soil guy, are somehow different from 'him', so I decided to give you two a chance."

Alan said that and slightly moved back.

"Well then, I'm listening."

"...."

Kairen looked around again to make sure no one was around them.

"Don't worry, I created a barrier around you."

"Y-you could do such things as well?"

Smirk

Kairen looked at Alan's smirk and lowered his head.

"Okay, I'll tell you."

. . . . . .

Alan opened and closed his eyes.

"You are... from another world?"

Kairen put down the leaf that he was playing with for the whole duration of his explanations.

"Yes."

"..."

"..."

Alan stared at him with a blank face.

"This is... the most ridiculous thing I've heard in my life."

"..."

Alan raised his head and looked at the sky. He had a deep frown for a few moments before his lips started to twitch.

"Another world? Pffft!"

He lowered his head as a chuckle left his mouth.

"...Are you not... surprised or something?"

Kairen expected any kind of reaction from him but this.

"Yeah, yes really surprised Pffftt!"

"Is my misery funny?"

"Yeah, actually really funny."

"...."

Alan's lips twitched.

"Ahem!"

He coughed and forced a serious expression to his face.

"You are from another world, know nothing about your past, and the only thing you want is to go back, right?"

Nod Nod

"How would I believe you? You could just be lying."

"....."

Kairen looked at the man in front of him with a tired face.

"Okay okay, I get it. Heh!"

He smirked.

"You lying so much to fool me? Why would I even consider that probability when you aren't even capable of thinking that much."

"....."

Kairen took a deep breath and clenched the grass under his hands.

"Pffft! Hehehe!"

Alan burst into laughter for some reason.

"What????? What is so funny??"

Kairen really wanted to punch him in the face.

"Heh! Heh! Ahem. Cough. Oh, I don't know! I can't pfffffttttt!"

Alan did his best to stop laughing, but he couldn't.

"...."

Kairen clenched the poor grass even more and continued to listen to Alan's bullshits.

"I mean, how could I think that you were like 'him'? Oh man just imagine it pffftt!"

"...."

"I got nervous after seeing things progress so quickly but damn! Look at this brat he even believed my fake threats!"

"F-fake threats?"

Kairen let go of the grass. 

"You were not being serious?"

"Pffft! No, I wasn't, but I was!"

"...."

"Who knows maybe I was serious and maybe I wasn't!"

"...Are you okay?"

Kairen looked at the man with the most tired eyes in the world.

"I mean, mentally."

"...."

Alan's smile faded and a scary aura engulfed his body.

"Brat, you-"

Kairen shuddered but did his best not to show his fear to this bastard.

"You keep laughing at me! What is so funny?!"

"Don't take me wrong! I'm not laughing to you, but to my own stupidness!"

"...."

Alan's smile vanished and he took a deep breath.

"This is more complicated than I thought..."

He mumbled under his lips.

"Maybe if we knew more about 'him' we could also... Hah!"

"What are you talking about?"

The scary aura faded again as Alan looked at Kairen with a different gaze.

"Let's assume what you said was the truth and you came from another world. Again, kiddo, that doesn't mean that the time will be manipulated for you only because you've traveled through worlds."

"...."

Kairen looked at Alan with a face that showed he didn't understand anything.

"According to you, that man also must've crossed worlds to have a twisted time... If that's the case, is he from your world as well?"

Kairen thought about that question before shaking his head.

"I have never seen such a man... I mean, there were no special powers in our world, to begin with so even if I know him, there is no way I would recognize him while he hides his face."

Alan nodded his head in understanding.

"Okay. Let's assume that he really is from another world just like you. I can't say it is wrong, but that isn't necessarily true. I don't know how is it possible to move through worlds, but that alone shouldn't be enough to cause this problem."

Kairen tilted his head.

"It isn't enough?"

"No. As I said, I know nothing about other worlds. I didn't know they existed until a few minutes ago. Still, moving from one world to the other has nothing to do with 'time'. There must be something wrong with the flow of time in your body or soul, and also with that soil man."

"....."

Kairen subconsciously looked down at himself. 

"Something wrong with my body or soul? Like what?"

Alan massaged his eyes and sighed.

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone about this but since you are deeply stuck in this shit, I guess it won't matter much."

"...."

Alan raised his head and looked at Kairen's eyes, then pointed at himself with one hand.

"When I said time being twisted for someone or something, I meant something like me, who can't age."