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

stop once he said these words, but I didn't

began

"Oh?"

brow raised at the sudden turn of

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

head and slowly lifted his

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

gentle manner, every word he spoke thundered in

as a result. Even though it pained me to be reminded that I was a fraud, I was gradually accepting

with a slow

"I'm good."

"You're good?"

at me with a strange look on

"Ha."

he let out one

as his complexion crumbled and his

actually think you have

room as he snapped his head to gaze at me, and a dreadful

"Khurk!"

on both knees

my throat with both hands, I slowly

Tap. Tap. Tap.

the room before

that moment that the pressure bearing down

"Khuak!"

body reflexively gagged and a wave of vertigo

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

"…My bad."

heard Jezebeth's voice echo beside my

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

on the ground, Jezebeth placed both

even though you

finger, my

"How should we start?"

pondering for a bit,

see, so I'm having a hard time

head, Jezebeth looked at

he

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

a whiff of death lingering in

just kill you before he takes over? There

in my thoughts like many whispers, resembling the hissing sound that snakes

now, a lot of my problems would

head became, sending me into this weird phase that made it hard for me to keep my focus. Everything

think I've got a

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

did he

to myself as I 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

was a complete enigma in my

that was what made him especially scary to

you must be wondering why

I

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

me in circles. The sound of his soft

records are weakening. No,

I swallowed a mouthful of

within my body started to

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

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

Jezebeth turned his head to look

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

feel my

His words…

dread as I began to

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

a white glow enveloped Jezebeth's hand and his

"This power…it's so addicting."

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

me, the glow on Jezebeth's hand

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

word he said,

back to why I

loudly inside of my head, and

I tried my best to

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

don't need

eyes blinked several times, unable

as his two glaring red eyes stared at

stop the loops. You want the suffering you've experienced to end, right? Then carry it out. Kill yourself right now. Put an end to your never-ending misery

Jezebeth halted himself mid-sentence.

placing his hand over

can kill yourself just yet.

didn't take long for his brows to relax. The smile also

his smile became even

this might be

was looking at me,

want to live don't

suddenly asked while he looked straight into my

part of you wants to die, while