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

Only a couple of minutes had passed since the last time Katsuri heard anything. Her ears perked for a moment before deflating as if disappointed by what she heard.

Her eyes gazed into empty air, capturing nothing in her vision other than the dark alley in which she herself went into.

'...My peace and quiet is gone now.' She thought to herself as her mood visibly dropped.

Katsuri decided to ignore the other voice in her head and just focused on her current objective, waiting for the good news by the original mysterious voice.

She swung her leg around, bored out of her mind.

"I am not bored. In fact, feeling bored is the least of my concern. I'd much prefer feeling bored rather than dying every two hours." She retorted to no one.

"Stop that, why are you treating it like you don't exist? You're making me seem like an insane asylum's patient." Perhaps, those words held some truth.

"...Whatever." Not wanting to argue against an intangible being, Katsuri shut her mouth.

[...Quiet Rapture progress: 90%. Subject... 'Katsuri' is being removed from the world's frequency. Warning, the world may witness some unwilling side effect for an hour. Subject 'Katsuri' is required to stay alive for the entire duration, otherwise the protocol will be scrapped.]

Phrolova's gaze dropped onto Ragunna City. Her eyes darting around, searching for one individual who held the most important piece inside her hand.

Although her original plan did not include the existence of her, now she's practically invaluable towards her desired future.

The Symphony has yet to reach its finale, there's an instrument missing.

Behind her confident exterior, a very small flame of anxiety burned. In fact, even she herself didn't notice this feeling being lit.

It was truly an abysmally sized emotion.

It was then that something happened, something that even she couldn't have predicted would occur.

She could feel the control she's held over the surrounding Echoes and Tacet Discords being cut, as if a being of a higher power was telling her to stop.

Her control was being overridden.

And yet, the Carnevale were still going on strong.

She was still the Demon Lord, and Rover was still the Hero.

The play couldn't be stopped midway, otherwise the entirety of Ragunna would be consumed by the flood that was being brought by the Whale Tacet Discord.

A Calamity level Tacet Discord that resides in the sea.

Phrolova had once held full control over it, but now it is running rampant, about to bring its full onslaught onto the people of Ragunna.

But her heart remained calm.

She simply rested her chin on her palm and watched everything that was happening.

Rover and Carlotta, alongside the support of the Fool's Troupe, they were slowly making their way towards her.

When Rover gets close enough, she'll just need her to face off against Hecate, and by then, the Finale would just be around the corner.

They would all achieve their happy ending, one that would last for only a moment.

All story needs conflicts. All story needs climax. All story need a finale... And all story need an after story.

She knew she's not going to get hers. But there is now a variable that had never been part of any story before.

And that variable was also inevitably the cause of everything happening at this moment.

Her very existence was like a rock thrown into a still lake, causing ripples that can only be stopped by an immovable object.

Her eyes turned upwards onto the artificial sky.

"So this is your choice." Phrolova muttered. "There's nothing I can do except play you a symphony that fits the atmosphere, for the story had come to an end prematurely."

"This is it, the Lament."

"Brought to this world by Yours Truly, Katsuri."

"Phrolova's voice... Huh? What the fuck!? Oi, you didn't tell me the side effect would be a fucking Lament!?" Katsuri scolded the mysterious voice.

But even as she waits for an explanation, none came.

She can't help but grinds her teeth and grips her palm in frustration as she herself knew that she had reaped what she sow.

A cooked rice can't be turned back into grains, there's no turning back now.

As long as she could survive for an hour, all these manifesting nightmares would stop, everything would return back to what it originally was.

The story of Wuthering Waves would go on like she had never existed.

That was the Quiet Rapture. By leaking Calamity level Tacet Discords all around the source of malice, a Threnodian, a Rapture was created.

For the life of one, billions more will be saved... And so, it was Quiet.

"Oh shut up already. I know I fucked up, but you don't have to paste it across my face again!" She stomped her feet on the ground, not making any visible indent into the concrete floor.

"You're mocking me for being weak now!? Why are you so bratty!? You're a kid or something!?"

"Hah, I'm so done with you. Whatever, so all I need to do is just survive? That's pretty easy. Seeing as to how I've easily survived two hours in all my other lives', this should be a simple one." Katsuri confidently said as she puffed up her chest.

'So in other words... I'm can just hide until it's all over?'

"AGH!!!!" It was then, a sudden screamed caught her ears.

Crack!

The, the sky cracked, as if it couldn't handle the pressure.

Katsuri's eyes widened as she ran out the alley and there... she witnessed it.

The full force of the Lament, a catastrophe capable of wiping out humanity as a whole.

The most devastating force known to man, one that have never ceased to exist alongside human civilization.

Rinascita, which had been the victim of the Lament, The Dark Tide, was now facing yet another form of Lament, one that had never been documented.

In an hour, all of Ragunna will be wiped from the face of Solaris 3, a very quick and silent destruction.

None would survive to tell the tale, none would sing songs of glory.

But there are those who'd fight to the end.

Rover had long contacted the Black Shore to send in supports, their play had been interrupted by a massive spike in Remnant Energy.

Due to that, none could gaze upon the Demon King, for there is now a bigger threat looming just behind the mountain.

Carlotta had summoned all capable personnel from the Montelli Family.

Phoebe is leading the forces of the Order, as the higher ranked priest had suddenly disappeared.

Fenrico is nowhere to be seen.

But at this rate, Ragunna would no longer exist the moment Black Shore arrived.

Everyone knew that at this moment, there's no bigger risk when compared to the Tacet Discords that is escaping from dimensions not of their own.

As if summoned by another.

Rover glanced at Phrolova, who was still seated on the air, gaze stuck on the sky.

It looked like she was just accepting everything happening, Rover never expected her to actually lend a hand. After all, she was the cause of the outbreak in Jinzhou, the one that had caused thousands of death.

Phrolova was a murderer.

A singular wing sprouted from her shoulder blade as her sword turned into a scythe from the havoc frequency.

Her eyes flowed purple as she got into position.

Their goal: Survive long enough for the Black Shore to arrive.

Brant lead the charge and said, "Everyone! For the sake of our motherland, we shall go against fate and bring onto this world an happy ending!"

"Not for fame nor for power, but for the love of the people! We shall protect all that is dear to us!"

"Even in death, believe that we shall carry on each other's legacy! Even at the cost of our own!"

"There is nothing to fear! Now! Let your spirit burn!"

And so, the battle to defend Ragunna had begun.