Amidst the Waves [Wuthering Waves]

"Here, have some," Xia said, her voice as warm as the sun breaking through the morning mist. She extended a tray of rice cakes toward the petite girl with salmon-pink hair.

The tantalizing and rich aroma wafted between them, causing the girl's stomach to betray her with a loud growl. Embarrassed, she turned her gaze away, cheeks flushed, as Xia chuckled softly.

Even her laughter carried an almost ethereal quality, like the faint chime of bells in a tranquil breeze. To the girl, it was as if the air around Xia shimmered, her presence exuding a grace that evoked images of the legendary Nuwa—a figure of compassion and nurturing, with a heart both boundless and kind.

"You seem hungry," Xia said gently. "Take as much as you like. No need to be shy."

The girl's hand moved instinctively, trembling slightly as it reached for the warm rice cake. But just as her fingertips brushed the edge of the tray, Xia's voice interrupted firm yet kind.

"Wait."

The girl froze, her hand retreating like a startled sparrow. Xia, thinking it better to offer the cakes in a way that the child could carry, reached for a fresh leaf, folding it carefully around the treats.

As she handed the bundle over, her eyes softened. "What's your name, little one?" Curious, Xia asked the girl her name.

"Changli," the girl replied, her voice timid but clear.

Xia smiled, extending the wrapped cakes. "Go on," she urged. "You must be starving. Take it, child."

For a moment, Changli hesitated, the kindness before her almost too much to grasp. But at last, she accepted the offering, the warmth of the bundle seeping into her hands.

It soothed her, a gentle balm against the cold, indifferent world she had known. Her heart swelled with gratitude, though suspicion lingered—a wariness born of harsh lessons.

Still, the woman's smile remained, unwavering and sincere. Changli took a cautious bite. The flavour was rich and comforting, awakening a forgotten sense of peace.

"Thank you," she murmured, her voice barely audible but brimming with sincerity.

Xia chuckled lightly, her expression glowing with quiet pride. "No need for thanks, dear. Just take care of yourself. You're special; I can see it."

Before the girl could respond, Xia turned away, her movements fluid and effortless, like a river carving its path. She vanished into the bustling crowd, leaving only the faint echo of her presence behind.

Changli stood unmoving, still holding the rice cakes, the memory of that radiant smile imprinted on her mind. For a fleeting moment, warmth bloomed in her chest, pushing back the ever-present chill of her reality.

'She's kind,' Changli thought, taking another bite, savouring the delicate taste as the bustling streets of Hongzhen continued their chaotic dance. Yet, the warmth faded as quickly as it had come, swallowed by the harsh rhythms of the city.

Then, a voice pierced the air, thick with malice and mockery. "Hoh, isn't she a beauty?"

"!!!" Changli's brows furrowed as she glanced toward a group of leering men. They spoke with crude arrogance, their vulgar words dripping like venom.

"Do you think she's as stunning beneath those garments as she is wearing them?" one sneered, his tone making Changli's stomach churn.

Their laughter grated against her nerves, igniting a quiet fury. Her hands clenched, and under the tattered rags she wore, a faint flicker of energy flared—dangerous, unbridled, and growing with her rising anger.

Just as she prepared to act, to silence their vile words, two small shadows zipped through the air, swift and precise. Pebbles struck the men squarely on their foreheads with sharp cracks, leaving them stumbling back in surprise, clutching at fresh bruises.

"Who dares?!" one of them roared, his pride wounded more than his flesh.

Changli blinked, her anger momentarily giving way to curiosity. She scanned the bustling crowd, searching for the source of the mysterious intervention.

For a fleeting moment, the chaos of the streets seemed to hush, as if the world itself paused to listen. Yet, there was no sign of the mysterious saviour. Then, like a whisper in the wind, Changli's instincts screamed at her.

"Above!"

Her gaze shot upward to the rooftops, where a small boy perched, perhaps slightly younger than herself. His navy-blue hair swayed gently in the breeze, and a bandage wrapped snugly around his neck hinted at a past injury or struggle.

His pale, moonlit eyes glimmered with an almost unsettling intensity—void of warmth yet brimming with an unspoken resolve. He watched the men below with quiet disdain.

"Tch" Clicking his tongue, the first man, now back on his feet, spat curses into the air as he scanned his surroundings. "Where is that bitch? When I—Gah!"

Another pebble struck him squarely on the temple, this time with much greater force. He crumpled to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut, foaming slightly at the mouth as unconsciousness claimed him.

The remaining man hesitated, his confidence faltering as he glanced nervously around the street. "Could that woman be a witch—?"

His words were cut short as another pebble, swift and precise, struck him. He stumbled once before collapsing beside his companion, the life drained from his bluster.

Changli's eyes shifted back to the boy on the rooftop, his figure outlined against the bright sky. There was something otherworldly about him, something that defied the ordinary. As their eyes briefly met, Changli felt her breath catch.

'Is he related to her?' she wondered, the thought flitting through her mind like a spark.

Unsure what to do, she decided to point at the rice cakes in her hand and made an "okay" sign, her lips curving into a small, nervous smile. She hoped the gesture would convey her gratitude.

The boy's gaze followed her motion toward the direction Xia had disappeared. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips, barely there but unmistakably proud. In his mind, Kyorin thought, 'Obviously, Mother's cooking is top-notch.'

Then, without another word, he turned, his movements as fluid as a shadow melting into the light. Changli watched, her curiosity growing, as he began to trail Xia, his steps light and deliberate, like a private Sentinel looking over the people.

"Is he also a Resonator?" Changli murmured under her breath. The thought lingered uneasily. She had never seen anyone move like that—not with such speed and silence, but why was the path so eerily straight?

--

Movement Technique: Clouds Adrift (Overridden)

Originally inspired by the drifting clouds guided by the wind, this movement technique harnessed the natural flow of Qi in the air. Overridden, replacing Qi with Resonance Energy, adapting it to the laws of this new world.

--

Kyorin had tirelessly been experimenting, striving to adapt the techniques of his previous life to the constraints of his current world. Each method underwent countless revisions, reworks, and fine-tuning.

Yet, despite his efforts, his repertoire was limited to simple techniques—those reliant on Qi or alternatives carefully crafted to align with the world's rules.

"Hmm," DEVA internally hummed in Kyorin's consciousness, her mechanical tone laced with curiosity. Kyorin internally cast her a questioning glance. "What?" he asked.

Her response was immediate, her analytical precision as sharp as ever. "It's a decent use of Resonance Energy. But," she added, "this technique doesn't grant you any autonomy. You're merely drifting with the flow of RE, not charting your path."

DEVA's critique, as usual, was ruthlessly precise. Kyorin, unfazed, shrugged. "Well, at least I don't have to use my own RE for this one," he replied, his tone practical.

DEVA's circuits hummed with disdain. "You have legs, don't you? Use them. Maybe even stretch a little." She mechanically uttered in a deadpan tone.

Kyorin frowned, clearly irked. "I'm just testing techniques, okay?"

Her rebuttal was swift and uncompromising. "Then test something useful. Not some half-baked method you'll tweak, use for a while, and then toss aside."

"For starters, I'm still a beginner with this Resonance Energy, okay?" Kyorin stated firmly, his internal tone defensive.

DEVA, ever quick with her quips, immediately countered, "Then why didn't you ask me to teach you?"

Kyorin's response came with a sharp edge of exasperation. "Because every time I do, you turn it into an opportunity to inflate your ego by spinning tales of your so-called heroic deeds."

"They're true, you know," DEVA retorted, her voice tinged with pride.

Kyorin gave her a flat look. "Want me to recount the tales of my anarchy?" he shot back.

Unfazed, DEVA replied casually, as if she were munching on some nonexistent snack, "I don't mind. Go on."

Kyorin deadpanned, realizing where this was going. "You're just going to imagine yourself in my shoes, aren't you?"

"Exactly, that's where the fun lies," DEVA admitted, utterly unashamed.

Kyorin let out a long sigh, his irritation momentarily muted as he floated through the air, trailing after his mother as though tethered by an invisible string. But just then...*whoosh*

A sudden whoosh pierced the air. His instincts flared. A dagger hurtled toward him from the side, its trajectory swift and lethal.

Reacting instantly, Kyorin halted mid-air, defying the flow of Resonance Energy prompting the Clouds Adrift movement to cease. The abrupt shift in his motion caused the blade to miss him by mere inches, causing it to fly into the distance.

But the crisis was far from over. Kyorin was still plummeting toward the ground, his descent rapidly gaining speed. Without hesitation, he called out, "Can you help?" His tone was blunt, lacking any semblance of politeness.

"Too demanding," DEVA replied, her mechanical voice laced with mock indignation.

Kyorin sighed and rephrased, though his delivery remained flat. "Can you help, please?"

"Hmph, and who's the shameless one now, asking for help?" DEVA quipped, her sass unrelenting.

Just as Kyorin braced for impact, the sensation of falling abruptly ceased. His body became weightless for a moment, then began to slow, defying gravity itself. DEVA had intervened, manipulating Resonance Energy to decelerate his descent with a controlled, upward force.

"Interesting," Kyorin mused aloud, his analytical nature kicking in. "Using RE to counteract gravity by applying a precise upward push."

"Analyze your assailants before you start dissecting the technique," DEVA mental voice interjected sharply, redirecting his focus.

Kyorin shifted his attention to the ground, where two figures waited, their intentions unmistakably hostile. They stood with an air of purpose, weapons drawn and poised.

"So, what are you two goons up to?" Kyorin asked, his voice dripping with boredom, as if their presence was more of an inconvenience than a threat.

"Heh, seems like you're protecting that woman. Who is she?" one of the assailants sneered, their tone sharp with curiosity.

Kyorin's reply was calm, almost indifferent. "My mother." 

The revelation caused the pair's eyes to light up with newfound interest. Before Kyorin could gauge their intentions, DEVA's voice echoed in his mind, a mechanical monotone tinged with urgency. "They're Resonators, and both are above level 15."

"Well, let's get to work, then," Kyorin said, stretching his arms casually.

DEVA, however, didn't share his enthusiasm. "I'm sitting this one out," she declared flatly.

Caught off guard, Kyorin asked inwardly, "What?"

"I'm just going to watch," DEVA responded with chilling apathy, leaving him entirely on his own.

Kyorin took a deep breath, centring himself as he faced the two adversaries. "Well, two against one... bring it," he thought, a confident grin creeping across his face as the beatdow—spar was about to unfold.

The air between the three combatants grew taut, thick with the promise of action. One of the assailants stepped forward, his weapon—a jagged spear—sparking to life with arcs of lightning that danced along its length.

Each crackle of energy punctuated the growing tension as if daring Kyorin to make the first move. Simultaneously, the other assailant also spun into action and raised his hands.

With a sharp flick of his wrist, spinning chakrams of compressed wind materialized in the air, their razor-thin edges gleaming faintly. The weapons rotated rapidly, slicing through the air with a low, menacing hum as they hovered around him like a protective shield.

Kyorin observed them with a calm, calculating gaze, his expression betraying no fear. "Is this it?" he muttered under his breath, stepping forward.

As he took the step, the first attack came without warning. One of the Aero Resonator's wind chakrams flew toward Kyorin, its edges gleaming ominously as it spun with lethal speed.

Kyorin pivoted just in time, letting the weapon slice harmlessly past. Another chakram followed, curving in mid-air to strike from behind.

With a sudden burst of speed, Kyorin leapt into the air, twisting his body to avoid the second attack. His movements were fluid, almost inhuman, his balance unshaken as he landed lightly on his feet. The assailants hesitated for a moment, visibly unnerved.

"Is this it?" Kyorin muttered, brushing nonexistent dust from his clothes.

The Electro Resonator snarled, raising his thunder-branch. Bolts of lightning erupted from the staff, leaping toward Kyorin in an erratic barrage.

The arcs struck the ground in bursts of light and heat, sending sparks flying as they closed in on their target.

Kyorin moved like an agile rabbit, weaving through the chaotic lightning storm. His speed wasn't just quick—it was precise, every step calculated to avoid the jagged arcs by a hair's breadth. His body seemed to respond instinctively, almost as if he were a Tacet Discord that relied on its instincts.

The Aero Resonator took advantage of the chaos, sending two more chakrams hurtling toward Kyorin. This time, Kyorin didn't dodge.

Instead, he met the first with a devastating punch, his fist colliding with the wind chakram. The compressed air shattered on impact, scattering harmlessly into the breeze.

The second chakram curved for a sneak attack, but Kyorin spun around, delivering a sharp kick that sent it careening sideways. The narrow alley wall splintered under the force, crashing to the ground in a heap.

"What are you?" the Aero Resonator demanded, his voice tinged with fear.

Kyorin's eyes narrowed as he stepped closer. His voice was calm, almost too calm. "Why were you following my mother?"

The Electro Resonator growled, slamming his thunder branch against the ground again. Another wave of lightning erupted, this time converging into a single, massive arc aimed directly at Kyorin prompting the surrounding air to vibrate with unrestrained charge.

But Kyorin raised a hand, and the lightning faltered mid-air. The brilliant arc dimmed, shrinking into harmless sparks before dispersing entirely. Both assailants froze, and their confidence shattered.

"Impossible..." the Aero Resonator whispered.

Kyorin's gaze remained steady. "You didn't answer my question."

The Aero Resonator, clutching his chest where Kyorin had struck earlier, spat out his response. "We were just hoping to have a chat with her, that's all."

For a moment, silence fell over the battlefield. Then, without warning, a suffocating aura began to spread from Kyorin.

The ground seemed to grow darker beneath his feet, the air heavy with a palpable malice. His crimson-tinged navy hair caught the light, glowing faintly as if reflecting his rising fury.

"You're not worthy," Kyorin said, his voice colder than before. He stepped forward, each movement deliberate, menacing.

Before he could reach the two assailants, however, a husky voice cut through the tension. "Hmm, why so serious?"

To be continued...