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

stop once he said these words,

I began

"Oh?"

brow raised at the sudden turn

say that you bear striking resemblances

slowly lifted his head. His face slowly turned

about you disappear and let the real you take

he spoke in a gentle manner, every

to be reminded that I was a fraud, I was gradually accepting

with a

"I'm good."

"You're good?"

while he looked at me with a strange look

"Ha."

face with his hand, he let

his complexion crumbled and his voice became

you have an

with a scarlet color that totally enveloped the room as he snapped his head to gaze

"Khurk!"

on both knees

throat with both hands, I slowly raised my head to look

Tap. Tap. Tap.

rhythmical footsteps echoed throughout the room before they paused in front

was right at that moment that the pressure

"Khuak!"

body reflexively

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

"…My bad."

then, I heard Jezebeth's

moment. For a moment, I thought that you were going to

placed both

though you might not be him, he should still be able to hear every single one of the words I

his finger, my head

"How should we start?"

and pondering for a bit, Jezebeth tapped his head

having a hard time remembering certain things. Don't mind me

his head,

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

the other toward me until his palm was directly in front of

I caught a whiff of death lingering in the

I just kill you before he takes over? There

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

a lot of

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

I've got a better

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

he

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

a complete

was what made him especially scary to

you must be wondering

being able to read my thoughts, I was jolted

his face,

started to walk around me in circles. The sound of

weakening. No, the Akashic records

I swallowed a mouthful

body started to tremble

of the

doesn't come cheaply. Whatever the case, unlike me and you, the records don't use that much energy to reset the universe. Every reset is just a fraction

Jezebeth 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 their powers to help the one they chose to kill me? The one who

my heart beating loudly as

His words…

dread as I began to comprehend

of the previous regressions within my mind with each

glow enveloped

"This power…it's so addicting."

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

toward me, the

from your looks, you've already guessed it. This is the last loop. Once

my body grew more intense with each word he said, and my face began to twist

why I kept you

hissed loudly inside of my head, and my view

tried my best to keep myself from

wanted to hear what he wanted to say. I wanted to know why he wasn't killing me. I wanted to know what was

because I don't need

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

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

suffering you've experienced to end, right? Then carry it out. Kill yourself right now. Put an end

Jezebeth halted himself mid-sentence.

hand over

yourself

for his brows to relax. The smile

in my direction, his smile became even

might be even

looking at me,

to live don't

into my eyes. Before I could even

of you wants to die, while another wants