Chapter 0: The Pit of Despair

Hey, you.

Can I ask you a question?

If I asked you what the future would look like, what do you think you would say?

Would it be bright and happy, a place of pure joy? Or would it be dark and scary, filled with violence and terror? Would the sun shine brightly, or would gloomy clouds block out any light?

The date is October 24, 2081.

There are no flying cars or ships in sight. No tall buildings or advanced technology, only a world after the chaos and destruction ravaged it.

The aftermath of the Great War had left the earth barren and desolate.

The once-thriving cities, filled with people, entertainment, and life, have been reduced to nothing more than ghost towns, with buildings now just a pile of rubble and debris. The only sounds that can be heard are the howling winds, the rustling of decaying trees, and the occasional scurrying of animals.

The interstate highway system, which was a very popular means of transportation in the past, lies abandoned, cracked, and overgrown with weeds. The only vehicles that can be seen are skeletal remains of cars and trucks that were once someone's prized possession.

Humanity's population is down to three digits or less - a number that keeps decreasing with each passing day.

However, among the ruins of what was once a bustling nation, there was one building that seemed to stand tall, untouched by the destruction. A small house in the deep countryside of Japan.

The house belonged to a man named Yuuto Nanashi. He had inherited it from his grandparents and had been living there after his parents and brother died in an accident. He was the last surviving member of his family and the only person left in the country. He had managed to survive the Great War by living off the land and stockpiling supplies.

Yuuto spent most of his days tending to his garden, hunting for food, and scavenging for supplies. He relished in the quietness of the countryside, the rustling of decaying trees, and the occasional scurrying of animals. It was a simple and peaceful life, but it was also a lonely one.

But that person is not the real Yuuto Nanashi. He is an usurper who took control of my body.

I am the true Yuuto Nanashi, but I have been trapped in my own mind for six decades.

I was a vigilante working for the local police when one group of criminals took revenge against me, killing my pet owl, Ruru. Enraged, I lost control of myself, slaughtering the group of criminals in their own hideout without my knowledge. And ever since that day, I lost control of my own body, and another took over.

I lost everything on that day.

Multiple Personality Disorder, Dissociative Personality Disorder, call it whatever brain fuck-up you want. It doesn't change the fact that it stripped me of my body's control.

For decades, I've watched as the person who took over my body fuck my life up in the most unforeseeable ways.

I've watched it destroy my family, friends, home, and everything else around me.

I had spent my entire life begging for mercy, pleading with any god who would listen to spare me this cruel fate.

But no matter how many prayers I uttered, there was no response.

No one answered my pleas.

No one granted me the reprieve I so desperately sought.

I can feel madness creeping inside my soul like a writhing snake as I ask the gods why they have cursed me with this fate.

All I could do was watch as my mother, father, and brother died.

I could not cry even though my heart was filled with sadness.

I could not scream even though my heart was filled with hatred.

Isolation combined with the lack of stimulation is one of the most inhumane torture a person can experience. And I've been subjected to it for decades.

If suicide was an option, I would've taken it before now.

My mind tormented me, asking what would have been if I had been in the driver's seat of my life.

If only I had controlled my anger when they murdered my loyal companion.

What if I hadn't become a vigilante?

What if I hadn't gained these cursed 'eyes'?

But it is all too late for sorrow and wishing.

The answer will never come to me.

Only a bleak future awaits me now.

And to think that all I ever wanted was to help people.

All I had ever wanted was to make a difference.

To battle those who bring pain to the innocent.

To quench the joy of those who enjoy the suffering of others.

To stand in the way of those that seek to make money from misery.

They say 'no good deed goes unpunished,' they were right. Selfless acts of kindness will only bring misfortune.

If I ever get a second chance at life, I shall be the worst possible villain imaginable!