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.

be his fake

he said these

I began to

"Oh?"

the sudden turn of

not that different from him. You can say that you bear striking resemblances to

slowly lifted his head. His

disappear and let the real you take over? I have no interest in

manner, every

though it pained me to be reminded that I was a fraud, I was gradually accepting this fact.

with a

"I'm good."

"You're good?"

mumbled while he looked at me with a strange look

"Ha."

his face with his hand, he let

as his complexion crumbled and

think you

a scarlet color that totally enveloped the room as he snapped his head to gaze at me, and a dreadful pressure

"Khurk!"

on both knees to

hands, I slowly raised my head to

Tap. Tap. Tap.

and rhythmical footsteps echoed throughout the room before they paused in

at that moment that the pressure bearing down on the

"Khuak!"

my body reflexively gagged and a wave of vertigo

heavily gasp for air while a single string of saliva dripped to the

"…My bad."

then, I heard Jezebeth's voice

how pathetically weak you are at the moment. For a moment,

placed both of his hands

want to say, and even though you might not be him, he should still be able to hear every single one of

finger, my head snapped

"How should we start?"

his head and pondering for a

intact you see, so I'm having a hard time remembering

his head, Jezebeth looked at

aside, it doesn't seem like you have much time till he takes over. I'll say a couple of years. Mhh, that sounds

toward me until his palm was directly in front

moment, I caught a whiff of death lingering in the

should I do? Should I just kill you before he takes over? There have been several instances when

echoed in my thoughts like many whispers, resembling the hissing sound

you right now, a lot

the hissing sound in my head became, sending me into this weird

think I've got a better

stopped and he appeared in my vision once more. He kept the same smile as before

he spare

looked at Jezebeth before me. Although his looks were similar to that of a human, and the way he acted was also similar to how a human acted, I

complete enigma in

that was what made him

look on your face, you must

thoughts, I was jolted out of them by Jezebeth's

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

started to walk around me in circles. The sound of his soft footsteps echoed through my

weakening. No, the Akashic

I swallowed a mouthful

my body started to tremble

not know this since you don't have the power of the Akashic laws, but with

saying that meddling with time isn't cheap regardless of what type of entity you are. Be it me, you...or the records, meddling with time doesn't come cheaply. Whatever the case, unlike me and you, the records don't use that

turned his head to look

powers like a fighter running out of stamina, and what if they get so desperate that they start to use even more of

I could feel my heart

His words…

body began to experience a sudden feeling of dread as I began to comprehend

regressions took place, I became aware of the previous regressions within my mind with each new regression that happened. The records could no longer expend any energy in trying to

glow enveloped Jezebeth's hand and his

"This power…it's so addicting."

low whisper, his words reverberated so powerfully inside the

the glow

the last loop. Once 'he' dies, the loop will no longer

with each word

why

inside of my head, and my view of the surroundings started

best to keep myself

he wanted to say. I wanted to know why he

because I don't

blanked, and my eyes blinked several times, unable to comprehend

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

stop the loops. You want the suffering you've experienced to end, right? Then carry it

Jezebeth halted himself mid-sentence.

over his

like you can kill yourself just yet. Not unless

he was pondering, it didn't take long for his

direction, his smile became even

this might be even

knew he was looking

want to

my

part of you wants to die, while another