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

I began to calm

"Oh?"

at the sudden

a way, you're not that different from him. You can say that you bear striking resemblances to

lifted

you disappear and let the real you take over? I have

every word he spoke

me to be reminded that I was a fraud, I was gradually accepting this fact.

a

"I'm good."

"You're good?"

mumbled while he looked at me with a strange look

"Ha."

let out one

didn't last for long, as his complexion

you have

totally enveloped the room as he snapped

"Khurk!"

on both knees to

I slowly raised my head to look at

Tap. Tap. Tap.

the room before they paused

the pressure bearing down

"Khuak!"

after the pressure disappeared, my body reflexively gagged

hands on the ground, I began to heavily gasp for

"…My bad."

Jezebeth's voice

pathetically weak you are at the moment.

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

talk? There are lots of things I want to say, and even though you might not

his finger, my head snapped

"How should we start?"

for a bit,

a hard time remembering certain things. Don't mind

raising his head, Jezebeth

aside, it doesn't seem like you have much time till he takes over. I'll say a couple of

extending the other toward me until his palm was directly in front of

moment, I caught a whiff of death lingering in the

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

like many whispers,

right now, a lot of

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

think I've got a

from me that the hissing sound stopped and he appeared in my vision

did he spare

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

a complete

that was what made

confused look on your face, you must

to read my thoughts, I

face, he

around me in circles. The sound of his soft footsteps

weakening. No, the

his words, I swallowed a

within my body started to tremble as

the

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 they

his head to

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

feel my heart beating

His words…

experience a sudden feeling of dread as I began to comprehend

regressions within my mind with each new regression that happened. The records could no longer

hand, a white glow enveloped Jezebeth's

"This power…it's so addicting."

so powerfully inside the room that it

toward me, the glow on Jezebeth's

is the last loop.

vibrations inside my body grew more intense with each word

why I

head,

I tried my best to keep myself from

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

I don't

thoughts blanked, and my eyes blinked several times,

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

want the suffering you've experienced to end, right? Then carry it out. Kill yourself right now. Put an end

Jezebeth halted himself mid-sentence.

his hand over his mouth, he

you can kill yourself just yet. Not

for his brows to relax. The smile also

in my direction, his smile became even more

be even more

I knew he was looking at

want to

he looked straight into my eyes. Before I could even respond he

part of you wants to die, while another wants to