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

he said these words, but I didn't say

I began

"Oh?"

the sudden

different from him. You can say that you bear striking resemblances

head and slowly lifted his

real you take over?

spoke in a gentle manner, every word he

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

replied with a

"I'm good."

"You're good?"

looked at me with a strange look on

"Ha."

with his hand, he let out one single burst

his complexion crumbled and his voice

actually think you have

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

"Khurk!"

instantly dropped on both knees to

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

Tap. Tap. Tap.

footsteps echoed throughout the room

moment that the pressure

"Khuak!"

my body reflexively gagged and a wave of vertigo

I began to heavily gasp for air while a single string of saliva

"…My bad."

Jezebeth's voice echo

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

crossed legged on the ground, Jezebeth placed both of his

things I want to say, and even though you might not be him,

my head snapped

"How should we start?"

and pondering for a bit, Jezebeth tapped his

so I'm having a hard time

head, Jezebeth looked

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

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

that moment, I caught a whiff of death lingering in

There have been several instances when he's brought me

like many whispers, resembling the hissing sound

now, a lot of my

hissing sound in my head became, sending me into this weird phase that made it hard for me to

I think 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

did he spare

looked at Jezebeth before me. Although his looks were similar to that of a human, and the way he acted was also similar to

a complete enigma in my

what made him especially scary

confused look on your face, you must

thoughts, I was jolted out of them

smile on his face, he slowly

The sound of his soft footsteps echoed through

records are weakening. No, the Akashic

words, I swallowed

started to tremble

the power of the Akashic

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

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 the one they chose to kill me? The one

head, I could feel my heart beating loudly

His words…

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

as the Akashic records weakened, and as regressions took place, I became aware of the previous regressions within my mind with

his hand, a white glow enveloped Jezebeth's

"This power…it's so addicting."

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

attention toward me, the glow on Jezebeth's hand

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

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

why

inside of my head,

best to keep myself from passing

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

because I don't need to kill

and my eyes blinked several times,

his two glaring red eyes stared at me. No, he was

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 his

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

didn't take long for his brows to relax.

his smile

be even more

knew he was looking at me, not

want to

he looked straight into my

of you wants to die, while another wants