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

my mouth stop once he said these words, but

began to

"Oh?"

the sudden turn

You can say

and slowly lifted his head. His face

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

a gentle manner, every

sense of helplessness as a result. Even though it pained me to be reminded that I was a fraud, I was gradually accepting this fact.

a

"I'm good."

"You're good?"

at me with a strange look

"Ha."

he let out

for long, as his complexion

actually think you

totally enveloped the room as he snapped his head to gaze at me, and

"Khurk!"

dropped on both

slowly raised my head

Tap. Tap. Tap.

the room before they paused in front

the pressure bearing down on the

"Khuak!"

pressure disappeared, my body reflexively gagged

heavily gasp for air

"…My bad."

Jezebeth's

forgot about how pathetically weak you are at the moment. For a moment, I thought

sitting crossed legged on the ground, Jezebeth placed both of his hands

lots of things I want to say, and even though you might not be him, he should still be able to

his finger, my head

"How should we start?"

his head and pondering for a bit, Jezebeth tapped his

having a hard time

raising his head, Jezebeth looked

much time till he takes over. I'll say a couple of years.

with one hand while extending the other toward me until

moment, I caught a whiff

takes over? There have been several

like many whispers, resembling the

now, a lot of my

hissing sound in my head became, sending me into this weird phase that made

think I've

hand away from me that the hissing sound stopped and he appeared

did he spare

of a human, and the way he acted was also similar to how a human acted,

a complete

was what made

you must be wondering why I did not

being able to read my thoughts, I was jolted

the same thin smile on his face, he slowly stood

The sound

are weakening. No, the

words, I swallowed a mouthful

started to tremble as a

power of the Akashic laws, but with every regression, or time

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 much energy to reset

Jezebeth turned his head

so many times that the records slowly start to lose their powers like a fighter running out of stamina, and what if they get so desperate that they start to use even more of their powers to help

I could feel my heart beating loudly as he

His words…

dread as I

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

glow enveloped Jezebeth's hand and his face

"This power…it's so addicting."

his words reverberated so powerfully inside the room that it felt as if the

his attention toward me, the

guessed it. This is the last loop. Once 'he' dies,

body grew more intense with each word he said,

to why

head,

best

why he wasn't killing me. I wanted to know what was going inside of his

because I don't need to kill

eyes blinked several times, unable

filled Jezebeth's face as his two glaring red eyes stared

suffering you've experienced to end, right?

Jezebeth halted himself mid-sentence.

over his mouth,

like you can kill yourself just

his brows to relax. The

his smile became

might be even

time, I knew he was looking at me, not

to live

into my eyes.

part of you wants to