Awake. You are awake. And you've been awake. And you hate it.

Today was a grueling day to live in the dojo. Sure, all you did was your daily exercises and then some, but it sucked! Why are they teaching you to destroy things if you can't actually destroy anything? Sounds pretty fucking useless if someone were to ask you. Oh, but you can't complain! They've given you soooo much and they've been so generous and this is how you repay them? BLUH BLUH BLUH. What a load of...

Ugh.

You are so exhausted. But you're not tired. In fact, you're the opposite. You are restless. Thereis a desire in you, impetuous, like fire. And something, or someone, needs to feed the flame within you. You're hungry. You need something to eat.

But you're not hungry for food.

You're hungry for some action.

You pick yourself up. Beside you is that useless piece of garbage cat doll they gave you a while ago. Said it was "supposed to teach you how to avoid breaking precious objects" and whatnot. DURRRR. Who gives a shit about "precious objects" if they're so damn easy to break in the first place?! Stupid goddamn humans.

Even then, though, something compels you to bring it with you. You're not sure what. You grab it by the wrist and let it dangle in your claws.

You shuffle out of your futon, hobbling onto your feet as you get out from underneath your blanket. The entrances are right behind you, and you could walk over to them like a normal person if you really wanted to, but instead you run. You run out of your room and through the hallway and don't look back, almost like you're escaping prison (and, in a way, that is absolutely what you're doing.).

That's when you find yourself at the huge front doors of the dojo, panting and sweating like you've just finished running a marathon. Just a minute ago you were staring at the ceiling of your room. And now you're about to leave. Maybe for a little bit. Maybe forever. And you don't know where you want to go. You just want to go.

So you swing the doors open.

And you run.

And you run.

And you run.

You run until you don't even know where you are. All you know is that now you're in a clearing in the forest. The grass is damp, as if it rained recently, the sky is dark as charcoal, and everything smells like wet dog.

You grin. You grin and laugh uncontrollably. You lie on the grass and roll around, tearing delicate little flowers out of the ground and tearing them apart petal by petal. You pick up stray leaves on the ground and rip them. You snap tiny little twigs in two and eat whatever bug you can find.

You just want to destroy everything.

Eventually, when you've completely trashed the place, you take some time to reflect. You're breathing heavily, giving little titters in-between gasps. Your pajamas are wet with old rainwater, and they're uncomfortable now but you don't care. You feel...thrilled. Exhilarated. Manic? No. You feel proud. You feel proud and triumphant and you're not even done yet.

That's when you see it. A bright flash of colorful light.

And this is when you see him. Someone you can only describe as a deity of ultimate destruction.

It's you.

For a moment you can only stand and watch in awe. You can't believe your eyes. It's you. It's you. It's you. That's you. How is that you? How can you become that?

A wry smile spreads across your older face. "OH, SILLy yOU. yOU LITTLE DEMON."

You feel like you should say something, something to object to what you've just been called, but you can't. You can't say anything. You can't even move. You're frozen. A flash of green, flickering light appears for a brief moment, and suddenly that useless doll is in your much sharper claws.

"ALWAyS PLAyING WITH TOyS THAT DON'T BELONG TO yOU."

And with another abundance of green light, your better self is gone.

You blink for a moment, silent. Then you begin grinning like a madman. All your life you've been waiting. Waiting, waiting, waiting, but you've never known what for. And now.

NOW yOU KNOW WHAT yOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR.