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

said these words,

I began to

"Oh?"

raised at the

that different from him. You can say that you bear striking resemblances to this demeanor at

and slowly lifted his head. His

real you take over?

spoke in a gentle manner, every word he spoke

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.

replied with a slow head

"I'm good."

"You're good?"

me

"Ha."

with his hand, he let out one single burst of dry

his complexion crumbled and his

you

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

"Khurk!"

on both knees to

I slowly raised my head to look at

Tap. Tap. Tap.

throughout the room before they paused in

was right at that moment that the pressure bearing down on

"Khuak!"

body reflexively gagged and a wave of

on the ground, I began to heavily gasp for air while a single string of saliva dripped

"…My bad."

Jezebeth's voice echo

you are at the moment. For a

placed both of

want to say, and even though you might not be him, he should still be

finger, my head snapped

"How should we start?"

a bit,

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

his head, Jezebeth

he takes over. I'll

while extending the other toward me until his palm

I caught a whiff of

he takes over? There have been several instances when he's brought me

in my thoughts like many

right now, a lot of my problems

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

think I've

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

did he spare

the way he acted was also similar to how

was a complete enigma in my

that was what made

confused look on your face, you must be wondering why I did

being able to read my thoughts, I was jolted out of them by Jezebeth's

his face, he slowly stood

around me in circles. The sound of his soft

are weakening. No, the Akashic

swallowed

body started to

power of the Akashic laws, but

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 much energy to reset the universe. Every reset is just a fraction of their power and thus the burden

Jezebeth turned his

What if it happens 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

my head, I could feel my heart beating

His words…

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

the previous regressions within my mind with each new regression that happened. The records could no longer expend any energy in trying to

a white glow enveloped Jezebeth's hand and his

"This power…it's so addicting."

though he spoke in a low whisper, his words reverberated so powerfully inside the room that it felt as

me, the

looks, you've already guessed it. This is the last loop. Once 'he' dies, the loop

grew more intense with each word he said, and my

to why I kept

head, and my view of the surroundings started to

my best

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

don't

blanked, and my eyes blinked

face as his two glaring red eyes stared at

end, right? Then carry it out. Kill yourself right now. Put an end to

Jezebeth halted himself mid-sentence.

over his mouth,

can kill yourself just

his brows to relax. The smile also

in my direction, his smile became

this might be

looking at me, not the

to live don't

looked straight into my

you wants to die, while another wants