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

mouth stop once he said

began to calm

"Oh?"

at the sudden turn

say that you bear striking resemblances to this demeanor at

shook his head and slowly lifted his

your purpose. How about you disappear and let the real you take over? I have no interest in playing around with a

a gentle manner, every word he

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

with a

"I'm good."

"You're good?"

at me with a strange look on

"Ha."

he let out one single burst of dry

didn't last for long, as his complexion

actually think you have

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

"Khurk!"

both

slowly

Tap. Tap. Tap.

echoed throughout the room before

the pressure bearing down on the

"Khuak!"

reflexively gagged and a wave

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

"…My bad."

heard Jezebeth's voice

forgot about how pathetically weak you are at the moment. For

ground, Jezebeth placed both of

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

finger, my head

"How should we start?"

for a bit, Jezebeth tapped

hard time

raising his head, Jezebeth looked

doesn't seem like you have much time till he takes over. I'll

hand while extending the other toward me until his

moment, I caught a whiff of death lingering in

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

in my thoughts like many whispers, resembling the hissing sound that

now, a lot of

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

I've

that the hissing sound stopped and he appeared in my vision once more. He kept the same smile as before on his

he

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

a complete enigma in my

that was what made

look on your face, you must be wondering why I did not

thoughts, I was jolted out of

thin smile on his face,

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

weakening. No, the

swallowed a

my body started to tremble as a

this since you don't have the power of the

saying that meddling with time isn't cheap regardless 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 just a fraction

footsteps, Jezebeth turned his

and over again? What if it happens so 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

I could feel my heart beating

His words…

of dread as I began to

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 any

enveloped Jezebeth's hand and his

"This power…it's so addicting."

so powerfully inside the room that it

the glow

This is the last loop. Once 'he'

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

to why I kept you

my head, and my view of

then, I tried my best to keep myself from passing

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

don't need

blinked

face as his two glaring red eyes stared at me. No,

desires. You want to stop the loops. You want the suffering you've experienced to end, right? Then carry it out. Kill yourself right now. Put an end to your never-ending misery

Jezebeth halted himself mid-sentence.

over his mouth,

yourself just

for his brows to relax. The smile also returned to

my direction, his smile became

be even more

I knew he was looking at me, not

to live don't

straight into my eyes. Before I

to die, while another