1 A Nightmare is Nothing but a Symptom

On this day in the twelfth hour of the seventh minute, I ate the forbidden fruit.

The clarity of this room had elevated the temptation that had constantly surrounded me. The presence of any sort of company was nearly non-existent, with the exception of this 'self' I'd taken on for the past nineteen years. What were my aspirations in life? What is the volume of the human heart? Those were things I no longer knew the answer to. It was a series of thoughts that could only be described as nothing but merely 'average'.

But, what did it mean for something to be average? It wasn't something for me to wrap my head around, as with making any attempt to think during this proclaimed captivity.

But in a flash, 'it' appeared.

'It' stared at me with eyes void of life. The smile 'it' held was almost robotic in a sense.

But, 'it' had grown closer to me.

'Lust' was the name it gave out to me.

Lust had always appeared in times where I began to think many thoughts, to the point where my head begins to pulsate. The purpose of 'Lust' is unknown to me, other than taunting me as if I were an animal begging for food. My head pulsates more as Lust had purposely began to lay beside me. I felt a sense of unease as Lust began to hum a melancholic tune. My thoughts pour out from the heavens and in a flash, Lust spoke:

"Are you tired, Watanabe-Kun?"

And yet, without a single doubt in my mind, I answered.

"Yes, I'm tired. I could pass out at any minute."

The being known as Lust looked into my eyes, and walked closer to me.

"Are you hungry for a brighter future, Watanabe-Kun?"

"You haven't eaten in days, after all."

Lust was correct. My skin looked a bit pale, my body feeling tired and sluggish. And to my surprise, had finally begun to notice the persistent cries of my stomach.

"Take it, Watanabe Kaoru. Take my offering to you."

An unrecognizable fruit, a fruit that could not be comprehended in a single description.

My stomach pleaded for nourishment, my body going towards the fruit like the holy grail.

"Eat."

And with one bite, my entire world changed. My body began to grow hot, my mind began to race, I felt like I was on top of the world.

I...wanted more of this feeling.

My being longed for more. I needed more of this feeling.

But I could no longer have it.

Because I, Watanabe Kaoru, had devoured this 'self' I've lived with.

Because my sense of reality had always been broken—and I awoke to myself in this same exact room, on the same day in the twelfth hour of the seventh minute.

"Come on, Kaoru. Get it together." I muttered.

"You'll come to terms with yourself eventually."

But in an unexpected and completely warped turn of events, in the twelfth hour of the eight minute, and interference had taken place.

And this 'interference' was in the form of a small girl.