The Narrator, James, has been dealing with a mental disorder called hyperactive psychosis since childhood. Nightmares plagued their sleep, featuring dark creatures plotting to escape into the real world through them. On their 18th birthday, while playing a video game in an arcade, one of these creatures, named Jokester, reveals itself and causes a gruesome massacre in the arcade, leaving the narrator blamed for the murders. They are institutionalized, but in their nightmares, they start seeking a way to stop the creatures. Eventually, they hear a new voice named "Watcher."

As a child in rainy Seattle, he feared thunderstorms but later found solace in the rain, which became his refuge during life's challenges. Bullied for poor eyesight and broken glasses, a transformative moment occurred in high school when, overwhelmed, he seemingly summoned lightning to strike his tormentor. Unharmed, he was left changed, and he discovered a unique connection to the rain, finding comfort and guidance in its presence throughout his life.