Wuthering Waves: For The Future of Me, Myself and I

A limb launched towards her at inhumane speed, barely giving Katsuri any time to react as the tentacle targeted her legs.

She barely lifted herself off the ground before another tentacle launched towards her face from her peripherals.

Her neck tilted as the tentacle grazed her cheek, leaving a trail of red behind in its wake.

Katsuri's lips twitched.

For something as soft looking as that tentacle, it's surprisingly tough and sharp. Of course, even if that was not the case, she'd still try her hardest to avoid any form of physical contact with it.

What else can she say? It's a fucking tentacle.

She had seen enough horrors in her life that has something to do with tentacles, she knew not to underestimate them.

...Not like there's anything she could possibly underestimate with how weak she is.

Her feet landed on the ground, giving her a chance to take a breather as the onslaught stopped.

Scrit!

The world changed. The rain had stopped and it was now daytime.

Confused, Katsuri looked around, her breathing hitched from adrenaline.

Suddenly, something hit her face.

It was a red flower petal, seemingly blooming out of nowhere

"This... the other variant of the world?"

The building was not smashed to the ground, no Tacet Discords were around to look at her with hungry eyes.

It wasn't raining at all, yet her clothes is still wet. That was enough of proof that the previous encounter were not an illusion.

In other word...

'There's a timer.'

Scrat!

The heavy rain caused her eyes to squint, the world had changed again.

A very confusing scenario was playing out, Katsuri could feel her head aching from the amount of information needed to process everything.

If only information-overload was the only thing she needed to focus her attention to...

CRASH!

Katsuri leaned back, dodging the tentacles that would've otherwise impaled her torso, only her shirt getting cut as part of her midriff up to her under her chest was exposed.

Fortunately, it did not cut all the way through, which meant that she still had something to cover herself with.

She will not be charged with public indecency anytime soon.

Katsuri used her arm as a pillar to hold herself as she rolled to the sides, her body becoming more and more covered in mud.

To survive this, she needed to find that small window of opportunity.

A single mistake from her assailant would be enough, as long as she'd be able to notice it.

But whenever she looked at this... atrocity, she could feel more and more of her hope dashing away.

Against a monster of this caliber, nothing could be done by a mere girl like her to survive.

Unfortunately, that thought alone wouldn't be enough to strip Katsuri of her will.

If she doesn't try now, when would she ever step out of her own shell?

There are two routes in which this could lead her to.

1. Fight to survive.

2. Die unwillingly with no resistance.

"..."

It's an illusion of choice.

Then,

[3. Kill that monster]

A voice.

A very distinct voice which she could've sworn she had heard before- But she can't put a finger of when or where she had heard it.

It whispered to her inside her head to kill that atrocity.

"..."

She doesn't have to follow what it said. There's absolutely zero reason for her to do so.

Besides, what it had said was extremely ridiculous.

Her? Kill that bastard? How?

With her tiny slim arms?

[I will aid you, use me.]

Scrit!

Scrat!

Her vision changed for a moment, but this time, she did not divert her attention.

The monster with eyes for skin sat on the throne limply, as if implying to her that it was now her turn to attack.

Then, something fell right in front of her, attracting her attention.

"...My jacket."

It was a gift given to her by one of her online friends. He had told her that he had some spare jacket he hadn't used in a while.

"Besides, it's too small for me already. I heard that your body is pretty small? Wait, wait, wait, don't point that gun at me! I know that friendly fire might be off but it's still pretty intimidating...

Anyways, Sarah told me that you would constantly catch colds and other illnesses right? In that case, isn't it better for the both of us to cover one another?

Your skill is way above mine in this game. I do often feel bad for the amount of times you've carried me through the rankings. If possible, I'd like for you to accept this gift.

If not then my mom might force me to give it to my nephew...! I don't want to give it to that brat!

Please! Accept it!"

"...Hm." A single sound escaped her lips while she reminisce about past memories.

The way that guy had asked her to give her address really sounded suspicious, she even joked about calling the police on him.

Of course, she told him to send it to her other friend who lived closer so that she could give it to her.

That was the first ever gift she had ever received in her life, she really treasured it.

[Now, imagine it. Your shield, your guardian angel who will protect you for the rest of your lives.]

The voice continued, correctly reading the moment she had set her heart to steel.

Everything slowed down inside her eyes, allowing her to capture everything to the highest of quality. Every drop of rain, every spec of dust, every breeze of the wind, she could see everything.

[Put your trust in me, in yourself, and in those you had once believed.

We will be your line, the one you shall never cross.

We will be your limiter before you stretched across the universe.

We will be your subject, protecting your life even at the cost of our own.

We will be your needle that stops you from straying of your destined path.

...And once again, I shall make myself a witness of this oath.]

Katsuri closed her eyes, allowing herself to fall into this temptation.

She imagined it, a shield so big that it could cover the entirety of earth.

She imagined it, a sword so sharp that it could cut through even the concept of time and space.

She imagined it, a kingdom of the medieval that would become the fiery pit of hell the moment a strand of her hair was damaged.

And she imagined it, everything.

But in the end, it all disappeared, only darkness remains.

This is it, her shield, the one who had once protected her against everything that was killing her.

It wasn't anything extravagant like the sword of the future hero, nor is it the staff of an old Archmage.

It was merely darkness.

She had once hidden herself from the world inside this darkness.

Then she hid again.

And again.

And again.

...And again.

Now, she can't even remember what not-hiding feels like.

Talking to others using her real face? Never happened.

Whether it be through an online persona or a fake name, she had never once revealed what is truly true to herself.

And she may never do.

The King, a Tacet Discord which had once came close to becoming a Threnodian, yet it lacked something.

With a physical capability that could put other Tacet Discords to shame, it dominates the local group of Tacet Discord.

Yet, it wasn't unique.

The King doesn't embody a concept, it couldn't.

Because this vessel wasn't strong enough.

It needed to find a stronger Vessel, one that could handle the very essence of a Concept.

It roamed the land of Rinascita, hidden inside the shadows, waiting for that one perfect vessel to appear.

For decades, it waited.

Until, a small black haired girl woke up in the wilderness.

Being a Tacet Discords that was closest to becoming to a Threnodian, it felt it.

It was the birth of another Threnodian.

How?

The King had fought for countless years, yet it couldn't pierce through the door that is one step away, leading to it being stuck at an impasse.

And yet this small human had did it.

She appeared out of nowhere and achieved what it couldn't even after countless years.

Of course The King was enraged.

But it also saw this as an opportunity.

The moment a Tacet Discord evolved into a Threnodian, its fighting power increased exponentially.

The difference can't even be compared.

Yet, this girl was very weak.

It observed for a while, trying to see what kind of concept the human hold.

And it saw nothing.

Not even a hint of strength that a Threnodian should possess.

So, The King became confident.

'If even that weak human could become a Threnodian, then why can't I?'

The King already had everything in place, the only thing that's missing is a strong enough vessel.

It just so happens that the vessel had arrived in its territory.

As The King appeared, so did the Etheric Sea.

Many Tacet Discords followed along, some mindless, some with a hint of intellect.

It was a very large amount of Tacet Discord, a lot more than it had thought.

Most of them had a red flower attached to some part of their body, seemingly playing with their frequencies which led to them here.

But all of them followed The King.

And now, The King was facing off against the perfect Vessel.

"Hey, you bastard."

The Vessel spoke with intense hatred, all aimed towards it.

The King doesn't response, it was waiting for the Vessel to struggle.

The more the Vessel stressed before it died, the greater the quality of the Vessel would be.

The King knows of the Vessel's strength. There's absolutely nothing the Vessel could do to put up a fight.

This is a battle of low risk and high reward.

In fact, the was no risk whatsoever.

The King sat on the throne, the many eyes are all directed towards the Vessel.

The King listened in on the Vessel's words.

"Next time, pick a better meal for your lunch. I'm not tasty."

And then, everything turned black.

The King was sliced in half, without even it knowing what had happened.

[Wuthering Waves]

"...What's wrong, Big sis?" Faith questioned Katsuri, who had just survived her encounter against that monster.

Shouldn't she be jumping in joy now that she could live for another day?

"It's nothing. You don't have to worry about it, Faith." Katsuri responded monotonously, every word lacking the warmth a human should have.

"Would you be willing to listen to my rant, Faith?" Then, Katsuri turned around, her face scarred across the temple to her cheek as blood leaked.

Without even waiting for a response, she began talking,

"I don't think you would understand anything I'm saying, but that's alright. You don't need to.

I just... want to let my heart out for a bit. You know, just now, there was a voice in my head.

It talked some big words stuff about how I need to imagine a shield and stuff.

Then, it vowed. I really regret letting it finish its word. Now, I understand just what kind of ability I hold.

This power, it's absolutely inhumane.

I could return back to life? That should've been the dream of everyone in the world.

Those that feared death could come out confidently and scream out anything they want.

Nobody would fear anything once they know that they are effectively immortal.

After that voice finished the vow, information floods into my brain without my consent.

And I understood... just what kind of price is required to defy Death.

I don't think I could handle the burden of this knowledge.

So next time... Please, don't let me know of the price, mysterious voice. I can somewhat tell that you're listening in to this.

As for you, Faith... Knowing the conditions, I think you're the only one in this world right now that could retain your memories after I reset.

So... Hm. I kinda want to troll myself a little bit.

Since I now know that you and I could've interacted earlier, how about you do me a small favor?

When I sat down inside the house, slap the back of my head.

By then, I think I should be able to see you. You can talk to me then. Make sure you tell me later to watch out for the Outbreak. Although I know that it would've been too late by then... Oh!

And don't forget to emphasize on Tentacles later, K? I bet that I would panic if I had that information earlier.

As for this... I see.

I could delete my memories too if I reset this way, huh?

That's good to know.

Hey, Mysterious voice, make sure you keep the secret about my power next time, alright? You won't want me doing the same thing I did here, I'd bet.

Faith? Are you asleep? Hold on, I'll shorten everything I want to say to you.

First, slap my head as soon as it rained and I'm inside of that house.

Then, make sure to tell me to keep an eye out for the Outbreak and the Tentacles.

Hm, what else...?

Ah, right. Maybe a little heads up wouldn't hurt.

Faith, make sure you tell me to imagine a protector, alright? If it's me, I'm sure we'll have the same thought process. Maybe if I had gotten a heads up, I wouldn't have come across the forbidden knowledge.

You can emphasize anything else as you see fit...

Last but not least... I want you to say 'Good Luck' to me. That's all."

Katsuri smiled. Previously, that smile would've felt empty and soulless.

But now? That smile reached the eye, Katsuri was smiling from the depth of her heart.

'Since this knowledge is stuck with me, I'll probably hinder myself... Hm. I've decided. I'll kill everything that threatens me.'

She raised her sword, one that had been summoned after the oath was signed.

"Even Me."

And pointed it towards her neck.

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[Probably end of volume 1.

Next volume I'll focus more on the Carnevale and character interactions.

In this volume, I introduced stuff like Katsuri's abilities, future foreshadowing, and past memories that's probably going to be explored in the future.

Of course, Katsuri's abilities are not yet fully explained. Goodluck, future me.

Do you understand Katsuri?]