Amidst the Waves [Wuthering Waves]

"Is there something greater than Buddha and the teachings of Dharma?"

"Yes... It is—"

"!!?"

An unfamiliar ceiling greeted Kyorin, though its strangeness slowly faded into familiarity as he rose to face a world still cloaked in darkness—dawn had yet to break.

Feeling fully awake, with not a trace of drowsiness, he stepped outside toward a basin to wash his face. Splash—splash— the sound of water echoed as he rinsed himself.

"Haah." Letting out a refreshed huff, his head tilted down.

Now gazing at the small pool of water, his moon-like eyes reflected upon its surface when a familiar voice called out, "You have moon eyes."

"???"

Kyorin turned toward the source and saw Changli, who had also woken up. He greeted her plainly, "Good morning, Resonator Changli."

"Good morning," she replied.

Without further exchange, they parted—Changli approached the basin to wash her face, while Kyorin returned to his room, his mind weighed down by thoughts.

"You have moon eyes."

Changli's words echoed, overlapping with those of another figure from his distant memories.

A figure of quiet grace, presence akin to a deep, undisturbed lake. Shaved head, yet it hardly diminish her beauty, sharpening it instead.

Her features, sculpted by years of discipline—high cheekbones and a slender jaw. Her lotus-like eyes stood as sentinels of beauty amidst the muddied world.

Draped in the simple robes of a monk, her form was obscured beneath loose, unadorned fabric, carrying the faint scent of sandalwood and the wind.

She walked the earth with no attachments. Her bare feet, capable of scaling any terrain, were yet as soft as a feather, so gentle they would not harm even the smallest insect when stepped upon.

Vanity she had long forsaken, yet beneath it all, behind the veil of discipline and renunciation, an apple in her eye remained—a navy-haired demon who had unleashed death.

"As a follower of Bodhisattva, I could not change you... but perhaps, had I been a woman, I might have."

Those bloodstained words whispered in Kyorin's ears as he sighed.

"Truly, war brought you nothing but death, oh Lotus-Eyed Xin Yao," he spoke to himself, devoid of emotion, before settling into a meditative posture.

His one eye focused on the tip of his nose while the other remained closed, seeking inward.

"Seven Trials of Maheśvara"

As he began, DEVA booted up to an active state, analyzing Kyorin's posture before asking, "Hmm… why does your meditation seem different today? Did you change your technique?"

"It is the same… just that I have revised it to better suit the nature of Resonance rather than Qi," Kyorin replied simply, preparing to begin.

"Hmm, revised to better suit Resonance, you say?" DEVA uttered, her circuits buzzing as her internal drives recorded her observations.

"And exactly what does this technique do?" she inquired.

Kyorin responded, "It opens the seven chakra points of the body."

Stating that, he finally began, starting from the base of his spine. His hands shifted into the Muladhara Mudra.

His thumb tip pressed against the tip of his ring finger, while the other fingers were extended.

A tingling sensation coursed through his spine, and his body began to shiver and shake violently.

His body wrestled against the feeling of unbelonging, fighting to find its place within the order of this world.

But after some time, after struggling against itself, it finally began to stabilize, grounding itself to the earth beneath him.

Yet… ignorance.

A fear began to gnaw at him—a fear of self. A fear whispering, "Am I still me?"

DEVA, noticing the sudden shift—from a high-frequency state to an almost diminished one—couldn't help but wonder if something was wrong.

Then, suddenly, while keeping his left hand unmoved, Kyorin shifted his right hand. Flattening it completely, he pointed his straightened fingers toward the ground—Bhumisparsha Mudra.

Suddenly, his resonance power began to soar as Sol III witnessed his unwavering determination and focus.

All his fears, doubts, and state of mind dissolved into nothingness as his Resonance underwent grounding and stabilization.

Once stabilized, his hands transitioned into the Svadhisthana Mudra, with his thumb now touching the pinky finger while the others remained straight.

A cool sensation of pleasure began to blossom like a fountain in his lower abdomen, yet it remained fleeting, like any passing transient state or bodily desire.

His hands moved again as he bent his ring finger to the base of his thumb and pressed it lightly, keeping the other fingers extended; Manipura mudra.

A burning sensation filled his solar plexus, testing his willpower.

But, as someone who had endured the trials of life, he passed this test, a testament to his unwavering resolve.

Remaining relentless in his effort, he brought his hands together into a clasp, evoking the Anahata Mudra.

Unlike the previous times, his face now carried a sense of intoxication, as the graceful figure once again appeared.

She lay broken in his arms, her body covered with a multitude of wounds inflicted by him, as she pressed her hands against his heart and asked, "Can I have a shelter here?"

His face still holding the expression of intoxication, replied, "No."

Almost immediately, this illusory reality vanished as his hands moved once more.

He folded his middle finger to the base of his thumb, pressing the thumb lightly onto it, keeping the other fingers extended. His hands now assumed the Vishuddha Mudra.

A serene voice asked him, "What did you gain?"

"Nothing," he replied.

"Was it meaningless then?"

"Every action, no matter how insignificant, helps conclude a chapter; hence, it could not be meaningless," he responded.

Finally, the voice asked, "Do you love me?"

"I cannot," he replied, his voice never once faltering.

Soon, his hands shifted again, the tip of his thumb touching the tip of his index finger while the others remained straight—Ajna Mudra.

All of his knowledge and insights hammered from inside, from the center of his forehead, threatening to spill out.

Kyorin, controlling the hammer, melted it and molded it into a sharp blade that hovered at the center of his forehead.

In a swoosh, it pierced through, making an incision on his forehead that projected an otherworldly light.

DEVA watching as something fly out from Kyorin's forehead, uttered in alarm, "What?!"

But Kyorin, before the sword could escape his reach, controlled it as he said, "From now on, this third eye shall be called the Eye of Wisdom."

With that, his third eye closed, and now both of his eyes focused on the nose tip while the third gazed within.

Moving onto the last mudra, he shifted his hands so the tips of his thumb, ring finger, and pinky finger came together while keeping the other fingers extended—Sahasrara Mudra.

He now perceived a completely different strand of energy—pure and untouched, an un-manifested force.

Yet, it was like a slippery fish escaping his grasp, slipping further and further away from the world's reach where Kyorin stood.

DEVA, who had just come over the shock of seeing something pierce out of Kyorin's forehead, now witnessed another bizarre sight.

A pair of hands, made entirely of resonance energy, sprouted from Kyorin's torso before they were positioned in Bhumisparsha Mudra.

The tips of this energy made contact with the ground. Slowly, Kyorin lifted his body, the tips of the energy fingers being the only thing connecting him to the earth.

One by one, his hands moved—from 10 tips to 6 touching the ground, then 4, and finally, the two middle fingers.

At last, he began to levitate. Though the levitation was slight, he had leaped a distance so far from the earth in his state of mind, as he had caught this strand of pure essence which coalesced into a halo and sat on his crown.

Over time, this halo would transform into a crown, symbolizing a connection to the world beyond. But for now, it was simply a thin string tied around his head.

Still, this session was fruitful. The seven chakras were now open, and Kyorin exhaled a sigh, saying, "Now I can finally begin my training in the way of Resonance."

With a clasp of his hands, Kyorin gently fell, like a father, as the two extra hands dissolved into the air, the light of dawn creaking through the window.

As he fell, Resonance vigorously coursed through his body, and he uttered, "Now, time for some body cleansing," before getting up, carrying some spare clothes and heading to the washroom.

****

Around afternoon, a screech echoed through the Dan household as a huge lump of nasty black substance was found near the compound of the house.

'I should be more careful,' Kyorin thought. He had been lazy in disposing of the bodily filth.

To be continued...

***

A/N: I had some free time, and it looks like I'll be busy until April 11th. However, I managed to write this chapter. I didn't edit it too much, just wrote down what came to mind initially. Please let me know if you think the quality is up to par with the previous chapters, or if it feels different.