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

he said

I began to calm

"Oh?"

at the sudden turn

him. You can say that you bear striking resemblances to

head and slowly lifted

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

manner, every word he spoke

sense of helplessness as a result. Even though it pained me to be reminded that I

replied with a slow

"I'm good."

"You're good?"

looked at me with a strange look

"Ha."

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

as his

actually think you have

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

"Khurk!"

instantly dropped on both

I slowly raised my head to look

Tap. Tap. Tap.

the room before they paused in front of

right at that moment that the pressure bearing down on

"Khuak!"

disappeared, my body reflexively gagged and

heavily gasp for air while a

"…My bad."

Jezebeth's voice echo

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

the ground, Jezebeth placed both of his hands on the

There are lots of things I want to say, and even though you might not be him, he should still be able to hear every single one

his finger, my head snapped

"How should we start?"

and pondering for a

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

raising his head,

doesn't 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

moment, I caught a whiff of death lingering in

kill you before he takes over? There have been several instances when he's brought me quite a

in my thoughts like many whispers, resembling the hissing

now, a lot of my problems

spoke, the stronger the hissing sound in my head became, sending me into this weird phase that made it hard for me to keep my focus. Everything around me

I think I've got

stopped and he appeared in my vision once more. He kept the same smile

he spare

that of a human, and the way he acted was

was a complete enigma in my

made him especially scary to

confused look on your face, you must be

able to read my thoughts, I was jolted out

thin smile on his face, he slowly stood up

walk around me in circles. The sound

No, the Akashic records are already

I swallowed a mouthful

started to tremble

you don't have the power of the Akashic laws, but

you...or the records, meddling with time doesn't come cheaply. Whatever the case, unlike me and you, the records

Jezebeth turned his head to look at

and over again? 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 their powers to help the one they chose to kill me? The one

my heart beating loudly as

His words…

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

regressions within my mind

glow enveloped Jezebeth's

"This power…it's so addicting."

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

the glow on

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

body grew more intense with each word he

why

voice hissed loudly inside of my head, and my view of the

my best to keep myself from passing

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

I don't need to

eyes blinked several times, unable to comprehend his

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

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

Jezebeth halted himself mid-sentence.

placing his hand over his

can kill yourself just yet. Not unless you

didn't take long for his brows to

his smile became

this might be

was looking at me, not the

to live

my eyes.

of you wants to die,