First and foremost, I would like to thank you for trying this fanfic out!
Whew, truth be told, I probably should've made this volume longer to make it better. But now I know exactly how much I need to include in a volume to make it feel balanced. With that said, let's go over the chapters of the first volume.
Chapter 1: Whimpers of Iron
Like any typical introductory chapter, I had trouble figuring out how to start. I wanted to make it epic by showing a fight sequence right away, but I decided to hold that off for later since parts of that battle could've spoiled future plot points. In hindsight, it was a good call, even if it made the opening slower.
Chapter 2: Awful Truth
This is where I let my brain do as it pleased, and it was a terrible idea. The powers I was planning to introduce touched too heavily on the esoteric domain of philosophy, and I should've stopped there. But of course, I didn't.
The original draft was nearly 6,000 words long, and I ended up cutting a lot of scenes and decisions since I wanted the first volume to be more of a world and character-building introduction than a philosophical lecture.
Chapter 3: Ominous Prelude
This was where the camel (me) nearly broke its back. I should've stopped with the philosophical and esoteric nonsense, but I thought, "Maybe I can make sense of it if I just keep writing." Big mistake.
By the middle of the chapter, I realized just how deep a rabbit hole I had jumped into. I was trying to explain humans gaining strength through "epiphanies," but the epiphanies I chose were based on the most difficult and abstract concepts imaginable — Akashic Records and Brahman.
Let's just say, I should have believed it when the internet said these were some of the hardest concepts to explain.
Chapter 4: Icy Bitterness
Here, I had to prove that the powers introduced earlier actually mattered. I couldn't just leave them hanging, so I had to adapt and learn how to make Kurian's past-life powers relevant again.
This was also the point where I started doubting myself, since I wanted his previous powers to carry meaning into his new life — but given how illogical they were, I had to keep backtracking to make things make sense.
Still, the first four chapters were meant to show how heavily Kurian's memories weighed on him.
Chapter 5: Lingering Regrets
The pacing here was rough, in my opinion. I had to introduce the lore of Solaris III, and though I initially considered doing a half-hearted job, I decided to go all in which was probably a mistake.
This chapter ended up being more of a filler, and honestly, I might've dropped the worst lore dump in the volume here. Originally, the volume had far more material, but I trimmed it down drastically.
Chapter 6: A Race Against Time
Finally, a breather of an episode. This was the chapter where writing started to click for me. The pacing felt right, the balance between thoughts, emotions, and revelations worked well, and everything added something meaningful to the buildup. One of the better chapters of the volume, I think.
Chapter 7: Failure
The title came from the "Failure" meme because I had no idea what else to call it. The chapter itself dragged on unnecessarily, and I honestly didn't know what I wanted to achieve with it. Fitting title, I suppose.
Chapter 8: Following Orders
This chapter acted as a transitional checkpoint before the climax of the "pitiful mother and son" arc. I wanted to highlight Kurian's helplessness and sense of farewell while still keeping things grounded.
Overall, I was fairly satisfied with it, though, of course, it could've been better.
Chapter 9: Brahman
This was supposed to be the climax, but my lack of research on Akashic Records and Brahman almost ruined it. Luckily, I managed to salvage the chapter by grounding those esoteric ideas in more familiar philosophies — like "Ignorance is bliss."
The concept behind it was that perceiving Brahman or the Akashic Records required one to abandon every method of study and simply yield to existence, and embrace ignorance. The execution wasn't perfect, but I learned a lot from the attempt.
Chapter 10: Ominous Chimes
From here onward, the revenge arc began. The issue was that I had decided the last three chapters would focus on resolution and slice-of-life elements, so I had limited space to wrap everything up.
Despite that, I think this chapter turned out fairly well. It was originally over 4,000 words, but I trimmed it enough to keep it tight and impactful.
Chapter 11: The Demonic Dancer
This chapter went through five rewrites. The original draft was drastically different — full of long internal musings that went nowhere.
At one point, I had to ask myself, "Do I keep going down this philosophical rabbit hole, or do I climb out?"
Thankfully, I chose to climb out. While philosophy can help add meaning to scenes, it also slows down pacing if overdone. This was where I consciously decided to start pulling away from heavy philosophical and esoteric elements.
Chapter 12: Kami (神) and Shura (修羅)
This was the chapter where I finally broke the chain of endless philosophical reflection. I wanted to put the previously introduced elements to use — but for that, I needed an anchor, a backstory, and a reason for those techniques to exist.
Admittedly, the fight between Kurian, the Exiles, and Fractsidus ended up less epic than I'd envisioned. The original version had a grander depiction of Shura, but I trimmed it to avoid making the chapter overly long.
A necessary compromise, I think.
Chapter 13: Tangerine
Another lore drop, though this one was more controlled. I'm learning how to play my cards better, so this chapter was at least passable.
It served its purpose — showing Kurian's gradual attempt to break free from the mold of his past life.
Chapter 14: Blatant Abandonment
Remember how I said I wanted Kurian to break his mold? Well, that's true — but I also wanted him to realize that pretending to live a completely different life might do him more harm than good.
Some knowledge carries consequences, and this chapter was meant to prove that.
Chapter 15: Vow of the Hounds
I had the idea of Kurian establishing an information guild early on, but I needed the right anchor to make it feel earned.
This chapter provided that turning point — the moment where he recognized why he needed to build something greater to not let his past knowledge go to waste. It tied up the volume nicely and set the stage for what's to come.
***
Honestly, I had originally planned to include the information guild arc in Volume 1, but I've decided against it. I want to stick to my promise of keeping Volume 1 at 15 chapters.
I also plan to reduce the word counts moving forward. I had promised to write concise 1,500-word chapters, but recent chapters have exceeded 2,500 words. I really need to rethink my approach — what each chapter should include and how much detail is necessary.
Furthermore, I won't use the second volume as filler for the information guild-building arc. Instead, the guild, or rather, the story of the already established guild will be woven into the second volume where the main story of Wuthering Waves begins.
There will be a significant time skip, and the guild's past will be revealed alongside the new chapters. More importantly, the guild won't be a passive organization; it will play an active, influential role in the narrative.
And just to be upfront: I'm writing this fanfic as an experiment. There will be plenty of mistakes and ambitious attempts along the way. That's all the warning I'll give.
Also, here's an artwork of Kurian. This is how he will appear in the story.