Doki Doki: Proof Of Loving You

Chapter 1: Limbic

Irregular heartbeat. Heart palpitations. Arrhythmia. I search and search, eyes scanning everything I can find.

I've felt this feeling before. I've been in this location too many times. Not too many to count, but far more than I deserve. A feeling swells in my brain. Dread of indescribable proportions grips my very soul.

What is this? Shortness of breath? Chest pain? Dizziness?

I stumble through the darkness. My eyes adjust. They tell me everything I already know. I'm in the upstairs hallway of my best friend's house. Legs made of jelly cause me to lean against the near wall for support. My arms remain at my sides, lacking the necessary energy to aid me.

No. This is all wrong.

I slide down to the floor, seated in a heap. Something is different this time. A haze fills my brain. My vision blurs. Earth is my home in this universe, but the way my spirit quivers, I feel as far away as the Oort cloud. Suddenly, I feel something I never have. I realize that this is not the location I've been to so many times. This both relieves me and gives me a sense of otherworldly fear.

What happens now? I know how this usually ends. There are only two options, and I am not in control of the outcome. Normally, all I can do is pray to whatever local God is listening that they will have mercy on me. There is no telling how many more times I can deal with the worse outcome. Sanity slips fractions of inches away from my mind every time I behold that which I do not wish to see. Even one full inch away is too far to lead a normal life on a day-to-day basis.

Danger.

There is a blank wall where the stairs should be. The end of the hall seems to have disintegrated. I am floating in the void of space. This self-contained prison is where I meet my fate whenever I find myself in this situation. I didn't come here of my own will, and I am not allowed to leave. The only thing to beget my freedom is to open the lone door in this hallway.

Just do it.

I turn over onto my knees. Clammy hands against the wall help me struggle to my feet. I'm standing, but I'm not happy. My head droops and bangs into the wall as though seeking refuge in unconsciousness. It wouldn't save me from what I must do, but it is nice to think it would.

Get it over with.

My head turns slower than an egg timer counts down. Steady is my breath, surprisingly. On the other hand, I'm trembling. The scent of stardust fills my nostrils, and I don't know how I know what that is. Sweat trickles down the side of my face, and I feel every single bit of it. It's too much. There is hardly anything here, hardly anything happening, but I can't help feeling overstimulated.

You need to act, or this will never end.

Before my gaze fixates on the door, it passes over the gap exposing the universe. It feels more like the gap between dimensions. Everything is so foreign. I don't feel like I'm actually here. On some level, I don't feel anything. On another, I feel everything simultaneously. I can't stand it. It feels as though I am constantly dying and being reborn. You can't imagine what this experience is like. It's hell. Utter hell.

Take that first step.

I take that first step. More accurately, I shuffle. My feet never leave the floor, yet I move forward. My destination awaits this frail yet unyielding body I inhabit. I must get there. I must put an end to this. No one wants to prolong their suffering if they can help it. I've put action off for too long now, just as I always do. Anxiety penetrates me, and it only grows the closer I get.

Good.

What will it be this time? There isn't rhyme or reason as to what awaits me. Maybe this time a third option will present itself, a third option I still cannot influence. After all, this isn't exactly how this place normally is. I still cannot grasp what happened to make this session so... unfamiliar. The only thing I know for real is that the winds of change made their presence known as soon as I got here.