The Story Before Tomie Was Born

[You never knew what hopes you gave me. It was only when I was nearing the end of my life that I finally understood what I truly wanted.] Kawagami was called a genius. Those who envied him, were jealous of him, looked up to him, or respected him never knew how mad he was. He created something that defied all convention. He named it Tomie. 1. This story is not about science, logic, or reason, and it has no particular moral compass. It is simply an idea I had. 2. The Tomie in this story is unrelated to the alternate interpretations of Tomie in my first two Tomie stories. 3. Only some parts of this story are written in first person. 4. This is a short story, my third short story about Tomie. 5. The biggest difference between this story and the first two is that the protagonist isn't really Tomie. There may not even be a protagonist, though Kawagami might loosely count. After all, he's present throughout. Other than that, this is a collection of stories about the failed creations that came before Tomie's birth. Like the first two stories, it is episodic. However, the main thread, Kawagami, ties the stories together, so the narrative is quite different from the first two. 6. This story has thirteen chapters. It will be complete as soon as it begins, with chapters posted on a schedule from the drafts folder. 7. Most importantly, everyone has their own take on a character, so I hope we can discuss things amicably. My first Tomie story: [Crossover] I'm Tomie, So What? My second Tomie story: [Crossover] Tomie Lives Forever Theme: