Shattering Humanity-Chapter 377: "...’Hope Becomes A Wish. A Wish Becomes Prayer. A Prayer Becomes Courage. Courage Becomes Power.’"
"Wisdom calls out in the street; she makes her voice heard in the public squares.
She cries out above the commotion; she speaks at the entrance of the city gates:
"How long, inexperienced ones, will you love ignorance?
How long will you mockers enjoy mocking and you fools hate knowledge?
If you respond to my warning, then I will pour out my spirit on you and teach you my words.
Since I called out and you refused, extended my hand and no one paid attention, since you neglected all my counsel and did not accept my correction, I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity.
I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when trouble and stress overcome you.
Then they will call me, but I won’t answer; they will search for me, but won’t find me.
Because they hated knowledge, didn’t choose to fear the Lord, were not interested in my counsel, and rejected all my correction, they will eat the fruit of their way and be glutted with their own schemes.
For the apostasy of the inexperienced will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
But whoever listens to me will live securely and be undisturbed by the dread of danger." -Proverbs 1:20-33
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There is a moment of silence between the two as Katsu closes his eyes, and takes solace in listening to Shelly’s voice so close to his ear.
Even when her body is tired, and her mind in a state of panic, to Katsu, there is no more soothing tone than the voice of his purpose.
Shelly: "...And that’s when Katsu appeared.
At first, I wanted him to stay out of harm’s way. So I could protect him."
The amazingly observant and outstandingly perceptive Valkyrie descendant recounts the events leading up to the initial attack on her personally protected purpose.
Katsu(telepathy): *Saku...
I’ve been done....
I may have encouraged most of the group to bond between baseball earlier today...*
Shelly: "But...That woman...
She’s a 2nd Generation DæMon, and was capable of keeping up with Katsu, Madame Fryer, and myself at Mach 1, but...she said the bigger threat is within the mountains...
So does this mean..."
Katsu(telepathy): *...but despite the attitude given off by this false persona I’m forced to take, I have been absolutely DONE, with playing games and thinking all this shit was funny for soooo long.
Everything I’ve been doing and will have done by the time this is over, is all in the proper order for Shelly to gradually become unbeatable in both reality and fiction.*
A drop of doubtful sweat rolls down the cheek, and falls off the bruised chin of the in doubt warrior.
Shelly: "...Does this mean all DæMons-...? Laban’s sisters, and the 2nd Generations, are they actually too far ahead and out of my naturally born league?"
Noticing the mental struggles of their single toughest warrior, the group stays quiet, not knowing the proper way to address Shelly’s depressingly defeated, and out loud thoughts.
A chuckle makes Shelly’s doubtful azule blue eyes widen, and she turns her head to the source, Katsu...
Shelly: "K-Katsu...?"
Despite the serious demeanor within him and Saku’s telepathic conversation, the Izanagi Captain weakly giggles off his adopted sister’s narrated negative mindset. In a certain way, his soft chuckles are at slightly eerie tone.
Laban lights a blunt while side eyeing the scene. Her eyebrow cocked way up.
Laban DaeMon(whispers): "It’s about time you flash your true colors, Yang Vessel."
She takes a long drag of her green filled, rerolled cigarillo and blows the smoke into the sky.
Laban DaeMon(thinking): *If he’s already this close to breaking, over being involved in a stupid war, I guess Skalmönd’s boyfriend isn’t as big of a threat to my Saki after all.*
The entire group remains silent.
However, Daisuki now has a small smirk on his own face.
Katsu’s whispering giggle fit subsides and with laughing tears in his eyes, the most important person to Shelly, chokes on his own spit while explaining himself.
Katsu: *cough* *cough* "I’m sorry Shell...*cough*
But I’ve never heard you actually completely doubt yourself and your amazing abilities."
Shelly’s blue eyes glaze over with tears of embarrassment, completely forgetting her role as not only Katsu’s crutch right then in the moment, but also his crutch within their time together growing up.
Shelly: "Kat-tsu..."
{7 Years Before Leviathan’s Invasion}
[Katsu’s Home]
Both Shelly and Katsu are sitting in his parent’s living room. The younger, deeply engaged anime watcher is sitting on the floor, only a yard away from the television.
Behind him, an adorable, 12 year old Shelly. She is wearing her pajamas, eating a bowl of ice cream, while also quietly watching the highly dramatic finale to a beautiful tragic love story, and deeply sophisticated story about life, love, and personal sacrifice for the survival of others.
Both emotional young adults have tears in their eyes and the audience in the front sniffles his runny nose.
Seeming to know the dialogue, the cartoon fanatic mimics the robotic voice coming from the show, verbatim.
Katsu/TV Robot: "...’Hope.
Hope becomes a wish.
A Wish becomes a prayer.
A prayer becomes power.
The concept of hope creates power within all life.’"
No longer paying attention to the show, Shelly admires Katsu’s ability to copy the profound words in the same delivered voice cadence and tone as the projected sound on TV.
Not to soon after, the screen goes black and the streaming platform’s play button appears on the screen.
Both Katsu and Shelly wipe the emotionally touched tears out of their eyes.
Katsu: "It was perfect...
Down to the final frame..."
Shelly: "Hehe, you say that about every show you finish.
I’m starting to think every series we watch, no matter what it is, you believe it was the best story ever told."
Katsu: "But that’s cause I do!"
Shelly shushes her adopted brother and listens for any footsteps upstairs.
Shelly: "Shhhh!
Didn’t you listen to your mom?! We can stay up, but we have to stay quiet."
Blushing, adolescent Shelly also remembers the slight whispering tease Katsu’s mother played, so only the love crushing girl could hear.
[FLASHBACK WITHIN FLASHBACK]
Katsu’s Mother: "Alright, it’s not bad enough your father has already been asleep for an hour, but I also have to wake up an hour before him.
You kids can stay up, but please keep it down, or else I’ll have to shut the party down."
While wearing her tank top and boy shorts, Katsu’s playful mother leans in, resting her chest on completely pink, embarrassed Shelly’s shoulder.
Katsu’s Mother(whispers): "...And no playing doctor, or House until your older and get married. kukukuku..."
[END FLASHBACK]
Blushing young Shelly relaxes to her normal flush skin tone and notices Katsu is still emotional over the ending.
Shelly: "So, this show, it was a video game first?"
Katsu nods without looking back at her, his pair of human green eyes stare at the floor in front of him, thinking.
...
...
Katsu: "I’ll admit, you are right about my attitude towards these stories and shows I complete, Shelly..."
Shelly: "Huh?"
Katsu: "...Every story ever written, was inspired by another story that made the writer’s life worth something for the time being.
Even if highly prestiged critics denounce a person’s hard work, if real effort and love are put into something, then there’s no way it can be terrible, right!?"
Shelly smiles at the actual thoughtfulness put into her true love’s mindset. Sitting in silence, she lets her personal ’Hero’ continue his monologue.
Katsu: "But Shelly, there are stories like the one we just finished.
The first time I experienced that series, it helped awakened a universe I wanted to create."
The blonde finishes her last bite of ice cream with a twist of her head in interest.
Shelly: "Do you wanna be a writer?"
The inspired young mind shakes his head and focuses in on the black screen with a opac play button in the center.
Seeing himself and Shelly in it’s reflection, the future Yang Vessel starts giggling.
Once again, Shelly’s noggin tilts while Katsu chuckles to himself.
As he’s finishes with his laughing fit, he wipes another tear out his left eye and explains himself.
Katsu: "No, that’s too easy.
But because of the few stories like that one, the tales with deeper meaning, complicated situations that allow the audience to relate with their own world perspectives, and an ending that kindles my ambition to change this universe we’re in right now."
Little Shelly isn’t prepared for the large declaration. She is paralyzed with uncertainty. Unsure of how to speak or respond to the 12 year old boy’s unprecedented precociousness.
Katsu: "I don’t want to create problems in alternate version of our world, or ambivalently intervene like a faceless God to his characters.
I want to intervene and fix this reality.
I want to fix our world directly, Shelly. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
I want...us to be happy."
He finally turns around with a big happy, heart warming grin.
Katsu: "That is, I want to accomplish this goal together with you Shelly, HaHa!"
The memory ends and shuts down like a television set.
{Current Day}
Katsu: *cough* *cough* "I’m sorry Shell...*cough*
But I’ve never heard you actually completely doubt yourself and your ability."
Shelly’s blue eyes glaze over with tears of embarrassment, completely forgetting her role as not only Katsu’s crutch right then in the moment, but also his crutch within their time together growing up.
Shelly: "Kat-tsu..."
She stares at the remaining human ocular sensor her adopted brother has as he smiles only a few inches from her face.
Katsu: "Back then, my hope in you, soon became a wish."
Shelly: "N-no...d-don’t..."
Katsu: "That wish, became a prayer."
Shelly’s legs get weak, but she maintains her composure and stiffens her upper lip. Turning her pretty face, into a distorted, runny nosed attempt to hide her emotions.
Katsu: "And as long as I keep that prayer, it will always become the source of your courage and our power.
We will always give it our all... together..."
Everybody’s heart around the two, flutters in the purely wholesome moment, other than Saku and Laban’s.
Katsu: "...Even if we die trying."
