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

once he said these words, but I didn't

began

"Oh?"

brow raised at the sudden turn of

not that different from him. You can say that you

slowly lifted his head. His face

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

a gentle manner, every word he spoke thundered in

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.

replied with a

"I'm good."

"You're good?"

mumbled while he looked at me with a strange look on

"Ha."

his face with his hand, he let out one single

as his complexion crumbled and

think you have

scarlet color that totally enveloped the room as he snapped his head to gaze at me, and a dreadful pressure descended

"Khurk!"

dropped on both knees to

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

Tap. Tap. Tap.

and rhythmical footsteps echoed throughout the room before they paused in

moment that the pressure bearing down on

"Khuak!"

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

hands on the ground, I began to heavily gasp for

"…My bad."

I heard Jezebeth's voice echo beside

at the moment.

the ground, Jezebeth placed both

you might not be him, he should still be able to hear every single one of the words I

his finger, my head

"How should we start?"

pondering for a bit, Jezebeth tapped his head and

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

his head, Jezebeth looked at

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

extending the other toward me until his palm was

that moment, I caught a whiff of death

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

my thoughts like many whispers, resembling the hissing sound that

now, a lot of my problems would go

head became, sending me into this weird phase that made it hard

I think I've got a

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

did he

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

complete enigma in

was what made him especially scary

look on your face, you must be wondering why

being able to read my thoughts, I was

same thin smile on his face,

started to walk around me in circles. The

weakening. No, the Akashic records

I swallowed a

within my body started to tremble

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

of what type of entity you 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 reset the universe. Every reset is

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 head, I could feel my

His words…

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

records weakened, and as regressions took place, I became aware of the previous regressions within my mind with each new regression that happened. The records could no longer expend

white glow enveloped

"This power…it's so addicting."

powerfully inside the

me, the glow

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

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

to why I kept

whispering voice hissed loudly inside of my head,

tried my best

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

I don't need to

and my eyes blinked several times, unable to comprehend

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

suffering you've experienced to end, right? Then carry it out.

Jezebeth halted himself mid-sentence.

hand over his mouth,

you can kill yourself just yet. Not unless you devour

it didn't take long for his brows

my direction, his

might be even more

time, I knew he was looking at

want to live

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

of you wants to die, while