The Author's POV

Fear.

An unpleasant and inescapable emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm.

It begins with your hair standing up. Next, your palms begin to sweat, and your body experiences a wave of nausea, making it difficult for you to comprehend what lies before you.

The world feels foggy. Everything that seemed so clear the previous moment becomes blurry, and in an instant, your entire body begins to tremble, and your heart beats so loudly inside of your head that it feels suffocating.

Fear starts off as an instinctive and primitive response designed to help us avoid dangerous situations.

…But what would happen when you're in a situation where you can't avoid this so called danger?

Helplessness.

That was what they would feel.

A wave of helplessness would wash over the individual as they find themselves in a situation where they could do nothing.

"Don't tell me you're planning on leaving right as I arrived?"

Jezebeth's words echoed inside of my ears, while the hair at the back of my neck stood up.

Fear was slowly starting to permeate my body.

"Haaa…haa…"

Unknowingly, my breathing became heavier.

As I slowly lifted my head up, my eyes met Jezebeth's, and my heart stopped for a moment.

'S..shit.'

I was overcome with a wave of helplessness as his presence completely enveloped my body, stopping me from moving at all.

"Hm?"

In the midst of my struggle, Jezebeth frowned.

Coming a little closer to me, he tilted his head a little.

"You…"

He pointed his slender finger in my direction, as his glaring red eyes scrutinized my body up and down.

My body felt completely naked as his eyes scanned it. It was as if he knew every secret inside my body.

Gradually, as he continued to stare at me, his eyes dropped and his head shook.

"…You're not him, again."

There were hints of disappointment in his voice as he turned his head to look away from me.

Right as he turned, I was able to hear his soft whisper.

"He would never make such an expression…"

Taking a step away from me, he looked around the room and continued to whisper to himself.

"This is strange…I'm sure I detected his presence before coming here. I don't think I'm wrong."

For the next couple of seconds, he didn't say anything and just quietly walked around the room with a pensive look on his face.

Coming to a sudden stop, he turned around to look at me.

Once again scanning my body, his brows jumped and a thin smile formed on his face.

"I see…"

Tap.

Taking a step closer to me, it didn't take long for him to arrive before me.

Extending his hand, my vision darkened as his plan covered my face.

I tried with all my might, staring at the hand that was snatching at my face, but it was all in vain; he stopped me without any effort on his part.

"Don't move. I'm trying to check something."

His voice loudly echoed inside of my ears.

As soon as his words vanished, I experienced an electric shock throughout my body. My body began to tense up in response to what he did, and my eyes rolled to the back of my head.

I wanted to scream, but it was all futile effort on my end as my mouth was sealed shut. No matter how much I struggled, I couldn't say anything.

"Mhh! Mhhhhh!"

The only thing that came out of my mouth were low muffled shouts.

"Ah, it makes sense now."

Taking his hand away from my head, Jezebeth once again turned away from me.

He had a satisfied look on his face.

"It's just like I predicted. You were the ones that resulted in Magnus's death, and it doesn't look like an accident either. As expected of you…"

Turning his body around, our eyes met. This time, his smile faded a little.

must be his fake

he said these words, but I didn't say anything and remained

I began to

"Oh?"

brow raised at the sudden turn

not that different from him. You can say that you bear

shook his head and slowly lifted his

real you take over? I have no interest in

spoke in a gentle manner, every word he spoke thundered

to be reminded that I was a fraud, I was gradually accepting this fact. The fact

with a slow

"I'm good."

"You're good?"

mumbled while he looked at me with a

"Ha."

he let out one

didn't last for long, as his complexion crumbled and his

actually think you

totally enveloped the room as he snapped his

"Khurk!"

dropped on both knees to the

with both hands, I slowly

Tap. Tap. Tap.

and rhythmical footsteps echoed throughout the room before they paused in front

that the

"Khuak!"

disappeared, my body reflexively

for air while a single string

"…My bad."

then, I heard Jezebeth's voice echo beside

pathetically weak you are at the moment. For a moment, I thought that

both of his hands

you might not be him, he should still be able to hear every single

my

"How should we start?"

and pondering for a bit, Jezebeth tapped

hard time remembering certain things. Don't mind me if I remember some

his head, Jezebeth looked at

doesn't seem like you have much time till he takes over. I'll say a couple

mouth with one hand while extending the other toward me until his palm

I caught a whiff

Should I just kill you before he takes over? There have been

many whispers, resembling

you right now, a lot of my problems would go

into this weird phase that made it hard

I've

hand away from me that the hissing sound stopped and he appeared in my vision once more. He kept the

did he

to that of a human, and the way he acted was also similar to how a human acted, I couldn't read his

was a complete enigma

that was what made

must

read my thoughts, I was jolted out of them by

the same thin smile on his face, he slowly stood up from his

he started to walk around me in circles. The sound

records are weakening. No, the Akashic

words, I swallowed

my body started to tremble as

may not know this since you don't have the power of the

meddling with time doesn't come cheaply. Whatever the case, unlike me and you, the records don't use that much energy to reset the universe. Every

footsteps, Jezebeth turned his head

slowly start to lose their powers like a fighter running out of stamina,

feel my heart beating loudly

His words…

sudden feeling of dread as

and as regressions took place, I became aware of the previous regressions within my mind with

glow enveloped Jezebeth's

"This power…it's so addicting."

low whisper, his words reverberated so powerfully inside the room that it felt as

attention toward me, the glow

is the last loop. Once

with each word he said, and my face began to twist in

back to why I

my head, and my view

I tried my best to keep myself from passing

to know why he wasn't killing me. I

because I don't

blanked, and my eyes blinked several times, unable to

his two glaring red eyes stared at me. No, he was staring

You want the suffering you've experienced to end, right? Then carry it out. Kill yourself

Jezebeth halted himself mid-sentence.

over

yourself just

take long for his brows to relax. The smile also

direction, his smile

be even

looking at me,

to live

asked while he looked straight into my

you wants to die, while another wants to