Broken Pocket Watch Part 2

Ren’s hair stood on end. The person he was looking at was identical to himself, only a few years younger.

Kaede noticed Ren’s gaze. “Oh, him? Don’t mind him. I couldn’t bear being without you any longer, so I found a way to create another version of you.”

Then she panicked and shook her head. “But don’t get the wrong idea. I’ve always waited for you. I knew you’d come back, so I had this equipment built in my basement.”

Ren cursed this deranged woman in his mind, begging her to let him go. Kaede, however, leaned in and planted a kiss on the side of his exposed neck. “I love you too, my darling.”

She grabbed a blood-stained metal bat-like object from the corner and dragged it behind her as she walked toward the cage. Ren had managed to loosen part of the tape on his mouth.

“Help! Somebody, help me!” he screamed.

Kaede smiled at him. “Do you think I’d leave this place without soundproofing, my little bird? You’re so cute.”

Ren noticed the blood on the metal for the first time. “Wait, is that…”

“Oh, this?” Kaede said, lifting the bat. “You’re spot on, it’s exactly what you think it is. But I should thank you for this. People don’t report a woman carrying a bloodied metal bat unless it directly threatens them.” She laughed. “Actually, they don’t just avoid reporting it; even the authorities say it’s none of their business if approached.”

Kaede looked at Ren as if seeking approval. “Have I learned well, my love? Can I see this decayed society as clearly as you do now?”

Ren’s mind was shutting down. His ability to move, speak, and even think was as restricted as his physical state.

The younger Ren was crying, begging in fear. The poor man had been kept here for years, allowed to live only if he loved and showed interest in Kaede. She had manipulated his mind so thoroughly that he believed Kaede was the love of his life and that leaving this basement would lead to his death, as the world outside had supposedly ended. He thought Kaede had supernatural powers, which was why she always returned unharmed.

But when another version of Ren was dragged in that day, even he had understood his fate.

Kaede typed something into the computer, filling the chamber with gas to disorient the younger Ren. He leaned against the glass to stay upright before the gas was withdrawn.

Meanwhile, the bound Ren screamed. “Don’t do this, Kaede! I’ll do anything you want. Let him go. Let him live far away from us, huh? He won’t bother us!”

Kaede frowned. “Ren belongs to me alone, no matter how many there are.”

She opened the cage and, with all her strength, struck the weakened, kneeling Ren on the head. The sound of bones breaking echoed through the mostly empty basement as the bound Ren shouted, “Stop!”

Kaede struck the fallen Ren again and again. A second blow. A third. A fourth. A fifth. Blood splattered all over the cage and Kaede herself.

Dropping the bat, Kaede said, “No one can love you like I do, Ren. No one would die for you or kill for you. I love you more than anyone ever could. It doesn’t matter if others don’t understand, or if you don’t. Love isn’t rational, baby. You’ll be with me for the rest of your life. Even if you don’t love me, my love is enough for both of us.”

Ren had just witnessed someone who looked like him being brutally murdered by this insane woman. He couldn’t say anything anymore.

Without cleaning the blood off herself, Kaede approached. She climbed onto the restrained Ren and lay against him, resting her head on his chest.

“It’s over,” she said softly. “You'll get used to it.”

Ren, lying paralyzed, began to lose more of his memories as new ones were written over them. Evelyn had never existed. He had always been with Kaede and had always loved her. He had always been a father to Mirea. Kaede had rewritten her Ren in meticulous detail.

“Did you know tomorrow’s the autumn festival, Ren? The theme is ‘Water Races.’”

Blood had dripped into Kaede’s left eye, leaving her unable to open it. She lifted her head and smiled at Ren. “Just like our first date.”

After finishing her work, Kaede assigned her modified robots, Chillax and Medi, to clean the basement. As for the younger Ren’s body, she had it processed through a machine that ground it into mince, which she donated to an animal shelter.

“Ah, Max, can you see me?” she said, looking up. “If you were here, I would’ve given him to you.”

That night, Mirea slept soundly, and by morning, the little girl had fully embraced the fabricated reality of having grown up with a father named Ren.

The next day, they donned costumes prepared for the festival and took a train to the now-distant venue, just as they did every season.

Mirea had insisted on bringing a kite.

“There’s no wind, sweetie,” Ren said. “It’ll be hard to fly it in this weather.”

“Daddy’s really tall!” Mirea said, gesturing with her arms. “He can make it fly, right, Mom?”

Kaede laughed. “I don’t know, darling. You’ll have to try with your dad.”

The weather was sweltering, so they carried umbrellas. Ren, as confident and carefree as ever, wrapped an arm around Kaede’s waist and pulled her close. Little Mirea had her own umbrella, though she frequently left it behind due to distractions.

They joined a nature painting contest using only natural pigments. Kaede painted a lush green forest. Ren drew a broken pocket watch, despite never having owned one, he had no idea why it had come to mind. And Mirea attempted to draw an axolotl.

Later, they took a small boat ride. As Mirea tried to float her toy ship, Ren reminisced about all the memories they had made in this place.

“I’d like to have your perspective on life. I’m sure it’s a beautiful place, your world.”Kaede said.

“What are you trying to say?” Ren asked, confused.

“Nothing, my love. I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have you. If there’s a god, they must really love me.”

Ren smiled. "Who wouldn't love you?" he said as he leaned in and kissed the woman on the lips.

At that moment, little Mirea must have leaned a bit too far for her ship, as she fell into the water. Ren quickly pulled her out. The child was terrified and trembling. To keep her from getting cold, Ren wrapped his arms around his little girl.

"Calm down, I'm here," he said.