New Squidbeak Splatoon: Ascension

Insomnia

The whole of the cosmos surrounds me

Bearing truth I did not think I need

My life, my needs, I cannot see

Now someone please just end this dream

A light burbling sound slowly filled the world, gradually encroaching everything around her. Bubbles rose calmly yet surely all around her, touching her, playfully rummaging through her tentacles as they passed by. A world of water surrounded her, filled with an ominous green tint, burning her skin with its hug.

The sleeping Octoling was floating in place, silently resting among the liquid. Her tentacurl hair was pink, and her skin was dark and bare, with nothing but a slimy green goo that was stuck to her to cover her up. Her mind was absent from her, but she wasn't alone. Floating a couple inches away was a boy, with similarly pink mohawk hair, considerably lighter skin, and the same goo covering him up. In this moment, neither of them had any idea where they were. Or what they were.

A single jolt suddenly ran through the water, briefly shaking them. A second, much larger jolt then arrived to awaken them; A red light began flashing, briefly replacing the green tint with each flash, as a muffled alarm sound blared its way through their world. The girl blinked awake, looking forward. She was dizzy from the water's effects, and she was very confused, but with one look, one thing was clear: A figure stood before her, watching her from behind the glass that protected her. She wasn't sure about the figure... but the feeling that swept over her felt... haunting. Like evil had just found her.

A third jolt arrived, accompanied by a bang sound, and the water began gushing out as the glass broke.

New Squidbeak Splatoon: Ascension

Prologue

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The Octoling's eyes opened as she awakened again, the same memories of those burning, piercing waters still engraved in her mind, haunting her again and again. The life she could remember was filled with adventure; The Deepsea Metro, her battles to save the world, the friendships she made, the pseudo-family she found... and yet... so much of it was a blank slate...

She still didn't remember her original, real name. It's why she, along with everyone else she knew, have just called her Bridgett for the longest time. It was better than being referred to by her Agent 8 code-name, anyway, which was the oldest identity she could remember.

The room was dark and she was alone, with the only source of light being the moon and city lights that managed to sneak in through her window, but it did seem that tonight would be another sleepless night. Another sleepless night in a nasty series, in fact. She had tried, and tried again, but sleep still evaded her, and her restless urges for action prompted her to sit up, stretching her arms out to either side of her. She looked around; the bed on the opposite end of the room was empty, as her roommate had seemed to sneak out again. It was fine, though, she could use the alone time.

She reached into her drawer, pulling out her old CQ-80. She powered it on, the holographic image brightening up her face and the wall behind her as it hovered in front of her. She navigated to the recordings page, where a long list of prior recording entries were already logged, and she pressed the button to record a new one.

"...Dear diary... I... can't sleep again. Those, uh... memories... the ones that feel like a dream... I was thinking about them again tonight." She glanced out the window. "...Actually, I've been thinking about them a lot more lately... It just feels like I... should be able to know what they are... but... but... lately, I just..." She paused. She no longer knew what words to say. These diary entries had used to be a satisfying outlet to get her feelings out, but... not so much anymore. She knew that wasn't the type of action she wanted. She needed more. And she needed to get it out now.