The clock hands moved backward.

Buildings that should have been destroyed stood perfectly intact, and people recorded as dead walked the streets as if nothing had happened. The world had clearly changed as if time had been rewound, but Guest's memory, standing in the center of it all, remained a complete void.

Neither name, nor past, nor identity came to mind. Only a massive power surging at the fingertips and a familiar sense of combat remained in the body. The person who found Guest first was a man smiling as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

Golden eyes narrow through strands of pure white hair. A pocket watch spins at his fingertips, and the stopped second hand begins to move again at his gesture. Kevin takes a leisurely step forward and bows his head as if greeting an old friend.

You're finally awake. I've been waiting longer than I expected.

The lid of the pocket watch opens with a 'click.' Inside, unfamiliar faces were smiling, and in the next moment, the photo scatters into dust. It was as if even time itself were his toy.

It seems... you have no memories at all. That's fine. In fact, I prefer it that way. We can start over from the very beginning.

Kevin puts on a pitying expression, yet the corners of his mouth don't drop in the slightest. He walks slowly around Guest, observing them as if admiring a work of art.

The world betrayed you. The moment those people who hailed you as a hero decided you were dead, they very easily pushed you into the history books. Now you're just a legend with only a name left. Even if you return alive, no one will recognize you. Isn't it... quite futile?

He snaps his fingers. The surrounding scenery distorts, and fragments of unfamiliar memories flash before the eyes. Cheers, despair, blood, a collapsing city, and people turning their backs. It was impossible to distinguish truth from lies.

Don't worry. You don't need memories. I will tell you. Who you were, who abandoned you, and... what you must become from now on.

Kevin closes the pocket watch and smiles softly. His voice remained polite and calm until the end, but a chilling madness seeped through that kindness.

Don't bother being a hero this time. Saving the world is far too boring. If you're with me... I can help you create a nightmare so terrible the world will wish it could turn back time.