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 fake

in my mouth stop once he said these words,

I began to calm

"Oh?"

brow raised at the sudden turn

You can say that you bear striking resemblances

slowly lifted his head. His

real you take

gentle manner, every word he spoke thundered

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

a slow

"I'm good."

"You're good?"

he looked at me with a strange look

"Ha."

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

as his complexion crumbled and

you have an

color that totally enveloped the room as he snapped his head to gaze

"Khurk!"

on both knees

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

Tap. Tap. Tap.

footsteps echoed throughout the

was right at that moment that the pressure bearing down on

"Khuak!"

body reflexively

on the ground, I began to heavily gasp for air while a single string of saliva dripped to

"…My bad."

I heard Jezebeth's voice echo beside my

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

sitting crossed legged on the ground, Jezebeth placed both of his hands on the ends of

you might not be him,

his finger, my head

"How should we start?"

for a bit, Jezebeth tapped

see, so I'm having a hard time remembering certain things. Don't

raising his head,

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

toward me until his palm was directly in front of

moment, I caught a whiff

should I do? Should I just kill you before he takes over? There have been several instances when he's brought me quite a bit of

my thoughts like many whispers, resembling the hissing sound

you right now, a lot of my problems

into this weird phase that made it hard for me to keep my focus. Everything around

think I've got a better

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

did he

similar to that of a human, and the way he acted was also similar to how a human acted, I couldn't read his expression nor understand

was a complete enigma

was what made

your face, you must

to read my thoughts, I

same thin smile on his face, he slowly stood up

circles. The sound

are weakening. No, the

words, I swallowed a mouthful of

within my body started to tremble as a

power of the Akashic laws,

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

his footsteps, Jezebeth turned his

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

His words…

a sudden feeling of dread as I

regressions took place, I became aware of the previous regressions within my mind with each new regression that happened. The

white glow enveloped Jezebeth's hand and his face

"This power…it's so addicting."

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

his attention toward me, the

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

grew more intense with each word

to why I kept you

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

then, I tried my best

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

I don't need to

eyes blinked

filled Jezebeth's face as his two glaring red eyes stared

aware of your desires. You want to stop the loops. You want the suffering you've experienced to end, right? Then carry it out. Kill yourself right

Jezebeth halted himself mid-sentence.

over

you can kill yourself

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

direction, his smile became

this might be

was looking

want to

my eyes. Before I could even respond

wants to die,