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 his fake

he said these

I began

"Oh?"

raised at the

You can say

head and slowly lifted his head. His face

purpose. How about you disappear and let the real you take over? I

a gentle manner, every word

sense of helplessness as 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

a slow

"I'm good."

"You're good?"

while he looked at me with a strange

"Ha."

with his hand, he let out

didn't last for long, as his complexion crumbled

you

a scarlet color that totally enveloped the room as he snapped his

"Khurk!"

instantly dropped on both knees to the

with both hands, I slowly raised my head to

Tap. Tap. Tap.

slow and rhythmical footsteps echoed throughout the room before they paused in front of

right at that moment that the pressure

"Khuak!"

after the pressure disappeared, my body reflexively gagged and a wave of

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

"…My bad."

heard Jezebeth's voice echo

the moment. For a

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

I want to say, and even though you might not be him, he should still be able to hear every single

finger, my head

"How should we start?"

his head and pondering for a bit,

see, so I'm having a hard time remembering certain

head, Jezebeth

seem like you have much time till he

one hand while extending the other toward me until his palm

that moment, I caught a whiff of

takes over? There have been several instances

many

a lot of

sending me into this weird phase that made it hard for me to keep

I've got a better

he 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 same

did he spare

to that of a human, and the way he

a complete

that was what made him especially scary

your face, you must be wondering why I did

thoughts, I was jolted out of them by Jezebeth's

smile on his face,

to walk around me in circles. The sound of his soft footsteps echoed

records are weakening. No,

words, I swallowed a

body started to tremble as

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

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

his footsteps, Jezebeth turned his head

happens so many times that the records slowly start to lose their powers like a fighter running out of stamina, and what if they

my head, I could feel my heart beating loudly as

His words…

experience a sudden feeling of dread as I

became aware of the previous regressions within my mind with each new regression that happened. The records could no longer

white glow enveloped Jezebeth's hand and his face

"This power…it's so addicting."

so powerfully inside the room that

toward me, the glow

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

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

why I kept

hissed loudly inside of my head,

I tried my best to keep myself from passing

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

I don't

blinked several times,

his two glaring red eyes stared at

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

Jezebeth halted himself mid-sentence.

his hand over his mouth, he

can kill yourself just yet. Not

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

his smile became even

might be even

looking

to

asked while he looked straight into my eyes. Before I could even

to die, while another