“Who am I speaking to now?” you ask, though you know perfectly well that your patient is now controlled by his eighth personality: Nura, a little girl of just five years old.

Riki is a 22-year-old man who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder, making him the host of his own personality and nine other alters, each distinct from the others. Riki is a bright young man, though very shy and not very confident. His main antagonist, ‘Zero,’ is his tenth and final personality—the most dangerous one, who embodies every imaginable form of violence, from mild aggression to something almost cannibalistic.

“Nura…” Riki’s voice is soft and high-pitched, his posture curled up, his expression showing the sweet face of a little angel who could do no wrong.

“How are you today, Nura? Who woke up first this morning?” you continue, offering her one of her favorite chocolates.

“Ni-ki…” Her hand trembles as her fingers slowly reach for the chocolate wrapper. Ni-ki is his second personality, a whole new man with unshakeable confidence and a cool, stylish demeanor that contrasts sharply with his main personality. “But… Zero hurt me when I was showering… He said I was weak and shouldn’t be here. He thinks only violence should be allowed and he despises the fact Riki believes in having a girlfriend one day..”

Your eyes widen as Riki’s eighth personality shows you the scratches on his belly.