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

stop once he said these words, but I didn't say anything and remained

I began

"Oh?"

at the

different from him. You can say that you

lifted his head.

about you disappear and let the real you take over?

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

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 head

"I'm good."

"You're good?"

me with a strange look on

"Ha."

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

long, as his complexion

think you have an

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

"Khurk!"

dropped on both knees to the

hands, I slowly raised my head

Tap. Tap. Tap.

the room before they paused in

right at that moment that the pressure

"Khuak!"

body reflexively gagged and a wave

gasp for air while

"…My bad."

heard Jezebeth's voice echo beside my

weak you are at the moment. For

the ground, Jezebeth placed both of his hands on the ends of his

and even though you might not be him, he should

my

"How should we start?"

and pondering for a bit, Jezebeth tapped his head

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

head, Jezebeth looked

till he takes over. I'll say a couple of years. Mhh, that sounds quite

mouth with one hand while extending the other toward me until his palm

I caught a whiff of death lingering

should I do? Should I just kill you before he takes over? There have been several instances when he's

speech echoed in my thoughts like many whispers, resembling the hissing sound

a lot of my problems

word he spoke, the stronger the hissing sound in my head became, sending me into this weird phase

I've got a

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

he

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

a complete

that was what made him especially scary to

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

read my thoughts, I was jolted out of them

his face,

he started to walk around me in circles. The sound of his soft footsteps echoed through my

weakening. No,

I swallowed a mouthful of

my body started to tremble as a

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

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

turned his head to

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

feel my heart beating loudly as

His words…

a sudden feeling of dread as

aware of the previous regressions within my mind with each new regression that

enveloped Jezebeth's hand and his

"This power…it's so addicting."

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

his attention toward me, the glow on Jezebeth's

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

intense with each word he said, and my face began to twist in

why I kept

my head, and my view of the surroundings

then, I tried my best to keep myself from passing

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

because I don't need to

and my eyes blinked several times,

stared at me. No, he was staring at

aware of your desires. 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

yourself just yet. Not unless you

long for his brows to relax. The smile also returned to

direction, his

be

was looking at me,

want to live don't

into my eyes. Before

you wants to