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

once he said these words,

I began to calm

"Oh?"

the

can say that you bear striking resemblances to

and slowly lifted his head.

about you disappear and let the real you take over? I have no interest in playing around with a

he spoke in a gentle manner, every word he spoke thundered in my

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

a slow

"I'm good."

"You're good?"

looked at me with a

"Ha."

hand, he let out

long, as his complexion crumbled

actually think you have

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

"Khurk!"

both

slowly raised my head

Tap. Tap. Tap.

echoed throughout the

that moment that the pressure bearing down on the

"Khuak!"

pressure disappeared, my body reflexively gagged and a wave of vertigo

heavily gasp for air while a single string

"…My bad."

I heard Jezebeth's voice

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

on the ground, Jezebeth placed both of his hands

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

finger, my head snapped

"How should we start?"

head and pondering for a bit, Jezebeth tapped his

memories still aren't intact you see, so I'm having a hard time remembering certain things. Don't mind me if I remember some things

head,

seem like you have much time till he takes over. I'll say a couple

his mouth with one hand while extending the other toward me until his palm was directly in front of

moment, I caught a whiff of

just kill you before he takes over? There

like many whispers,

I kill you right now, a lot of my problems would

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

I've got a better

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

he

a human, and the way

was a complete enigma in my

that was what made

on your face, you must be

I was jolted out

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

circles. The sound of

No, the Akashic records are already

I swallowed a mouthful

started to tremble

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

without 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 much energy to reset the universe. Every reset is just

his footsteps, Jezebeth turned his

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

could feel my heart

His words…

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

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

a white glow enveloped Jezebeth's hand

"This power…it's so addicting."

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

the glow on

your looks, you've already guessed it. This is the last loop. Once 'he' dies, the loop will no longer

body grew more intense with each word he said, and my

why I kept you

my head, and

my best to keep myself

to say. I wanted to know why he

because I don't

thoughts blanked, and my eyes blinked several times, unable

stared at me. No, he was

You want to stop the loops. You want the suffering you've experienced to end,

Jezebeth halted himself mid-sentence.

placing his hand over his mouth,

doesn't look like you can kill yourself just yet. Not unless you devour

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

direction, his smile

this might be

time, I knew he was looking at me, not the

to live don't

asked while he looked straight into my eyes. Before I could

wants to die,