“…Happy birthday, little brother,” Serena mumbled, staring into the distance. Into the Chaos that her sisters had become. Sometimes, she wondered, if they were still alive. If they were still watching over her, secretly guarding her way. Even in Chaos, they never forgot their duties. Those silly girls. She did not deserve such devotion. She did not deserve such loyalty. She did not deserve such sisters…

  “…I hope you are keeping your promise.”

  Because she would not be able to keep hers. Though her sisters were probably watching over her, there was a limit to what they could do. Like buying some time for her to rest and recover. Unfortunately, Chaos they may have become, but her enemies were the children of Chaos. In time, the haven that Chaos had formed around her was bound to be penetrated. Especially considering how deep she was in the Grand Chasm. If only she had not insisted on chasing after those rats…

  A soft hint of wind blew against her cheeks, gently lifting the strands of dishevelled hair hanging by her ears, whispering words of comfort. It was not her fault, they said. They would have chased after the rats regardless. And it was their honour—

  Poros swallow their honour! What good was honour, when she did not have her sisters to share it with? What good was honour when—

  She had to control her temper, the winds said. No, not the winds. It was the Chaos whispering to her. It was her sisters, watching over her, reminding her to correct her bad habits. To take care of herself. In future, she would have to fight her battles alone. At least until she left the Grand Chasm and re-elected her guards. Till then, she would be all alone—

  “Idiots,” Serena mumbled. “All of them.”

  Even Serena herself. Rather, she was the greatest idiot of them all. And most selfish too. If only she could have controlled herself. If only she could have reigned in her temper. Her impulsiveness… True Black Serpent, they called her. Yet, her actions were anything but like a serpent. Recklessly charging ahead, with no regards to her safety… to the safety of her sisters… She did get what she had come to the Grand Chasm for, breaking through to Fifth Stage months ago, but at what cost?

  Maybe, it would have been better if she was the one who—

  Serena bit her lips to keep herself from losing to the Chaos in her Heart. She did not fear death. On the contrary, death had never seemed more pleasant to her, offering her solace from all her worries. From all her sufferings and guilt. But she could not let the Chaos swallow her. Not after all that her sisters had done. Not after all that they had sacrificed. Not after the promise they made her take. To survive. And to return back home.

  Unfortunately, things never went as she wished for them to go. That was the case with her stupid father. And with her sister. Her little sister. Her treasure… She wished to see her one last time… To hold her one last time… Her foolish little sister… Fortunately, she had left her in good hands. She should be safe… for the moment. Though, in future…

  Serena clenched her fist and thumped her chest, spitting out a mouthful of dark grey blood. Blood, that turned into fog—No, not fog. Her blood turned into Chaos. The same Chaos that was churning around her, assimilating the dark grey blood before it could even touch the ground. Her condition… It was worse than she had expected. Let alone leave the Grand Chasm, she probably did not have a chance to even leave the Chaotic Vortex she was resting in.

  Still, she could not give up. She would never give up. And she would never accept her death sitting around in despair. If she was going to die, she was going to die with dignity. She was going to die like a Daughter of Poros. In battle. Even if the enemy she was fighting was the world itself. She would not accept her defeat silently. Besides, Chaos was not the only enemy she had to face. There were others…

  Discarding all her thoughts, Serena unfurled her Spirit, extending her senses into the Chaos, into the chaotic mix of Mysteries lingering in the air, blanketing the lands in its darkness. And its fog. A strange, unnerving fog, that had no shape. Or substance. All it had was Mysteries. Countless Mysteries, clashing with each other, manifesting just under the fabric of reality, projecting the resulting chaos into the world. An inexistent projection, but a projection, nonetheless.

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  The fog of Mysteries… Most True Wanderers would not even consider it as a fog. Serena, however, knew better. Unfortunately, what she knew was not enough to fight the fog. And so, as her Spirit unfurled, she was met with countless, strange sensations. And visions. Not to lure her into assimilating within itself, but just to restrain her from exploring the lands hidden in its shroud. And the creatures swimming through its chaotic fog. The children of Chaos… Chaeons.

  She could not see them, but she could feel their presence. She could hear their steps. She could taste their growl, their hunger for spreading Chaos… Serena retracted her Spirit, but did not retreat from her Spirit State. Though she could not see through the fog, at least, she had to be ready to face her enemies. Especially since it had been more than a couple of hours since their last wave. More than a couple of hours since Chaos began spreading in her blood.

  Serena paused in her thoughts, glancing down at the tears in her robe. A fist sized hole near her lower abdomen, a large gash on her left thigh, and several smaller cuts on both her sleeves. Enough to make them look less like sleeves and more like a bunch of tattered ribbons hanging from her shoulders. And though there were no wounds visible from those tears, the blood staining her robe told another story. Chaos…

  Serena clenched her fists, subduing her thoughts, before returning her attention back to the Chaeons. It was hard to tell how many of them had come, but she was certain that they were near her. Sniffing her. Making their way to the Chaotic Vortex she was hiding in. No, not hiding. Resting. She was Serpian. She would never hide. Even in death. Still, she would not just give up her life either. If she was going to die, she was going to take as many of her enemies with her as she could.

  And so, rather than suppressing the Chaos flowing in her blood, she urged it, giving it the Oren it was demanding. In return, Chaos gave her the sight she was requesting, allowing her to parse through the fog of Mysteries. Through the layers of illusion swirling around her, isolating her from the rest of the Grand Chasm. But not for long. There, just outside the vortex, was a group of abominations, with four arms and three legs, standing about three to four metres tall, sniffing the air for any signs of intruders. And prey.

  Sniffers. The most annoying kind of Chaeons. At least for people like her, venturing into the depths of the Grand Chasm. But that did not matter anymore. Not in her state. She could not last long anyway. Might as well use that time to—

  Serena forced herself out of her Spirit State, just as she forced herself to spit out another mouthful of blood. This one, with an even heavier shade of grey than before. Yet, the Chaos flowing in her blood only grew stronger, filling her Heart with countless strange thoughts. Thoughts, she could barely suppress. Thoughts, she dared not face. Thoughts—

  Serena wiped the greyish red stains around the edges of her lips with the back of her right hand, as she stared into the distance, her gaze penetrating through the illusions of the Chaotic Vortex, locking on to her enemies. Thoughts? They were unnecessary. At the moment, the only thing she had to do was to kill. Kill until all those bastards were dead. Kill until she could not kill anymore. And then, kill some more.

  Grinning to herself, Serena called forth her Aspects, swimming in the air, forming the chaotic grey currents under fabric of—

  In her Spirit World. She summoned her Aspects swimming in the Aspect Ocean of her Spirit World. Though, they too were tainted with a hint of Chaos. Still, there was a difference between being tainted with Chaos, and becoming Chaos itself. On second thought, the difference was not too big. And she could use the extra help that the Chaos would provide, even if only for a while. She was doomed anyway…

  Serena bit her tongue to bring her back to senses, before spitting out another mouthful of blood tainted with Chaos. She did not have much time left. So, instead of wasting her time thinking how to kill her enemies, she sprang into action, rushing towards the Chaeons. And though she summoned only her Aspects, the greenish black coat of light that formed around her body also carried hints of greyish black smoke. The same as the fog churning under the fabric of reality.

  Or space. It did not matter. At the moment, the only thing that mattered was to kill. At the moment, the only thing that mattered was Chaos. And perhaps, the memories, that were slowly being torn into pieces. Her sisters, beckoning for her… Waiting for her… Just like little Cecilia…

  “…Keep your promise… little brother…” Serena mumbled, just before the last vestige of her consciousness plunged into the euphoria of Chaotic Slaughter. Or was it Chaos? Then again, did it even matter? She was…