Chaos

The eulogist ascended to his stand, his presence casting a dark shadow over the gathering. The church, filled to the brim with mourners, radiated a suffocating air of dread. He began to speak, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "Ladies and gentlemen, we gather here today to remember Ibeno, a soul that has left us far too soon. Vibrant, yes, full of life—but a fire that consumed as much as it illuminated."

He paused, letting the words sink into the crowd, then continued, his tone sharpening. "But Ibeno was not all light. Behind the laughter lurked something far darker. The careless words, the thoughtless actions—they left scars, wounds that may never heal. It's easy to cherish the good, but let us not forget the bitterness they left in their wake."

His gaze swept the congregation, predatory and knowing. "Many of you knew Ibeno's charm, but you also felt the sting of their selfishness. How many of you were turned against each other by their games? How many suffered betrayal at their hands?"

The room seemed to shrink, the atmosphere growing oppressive as the eulogist spoke. "We are not here to mourn Ibeno. We are here to witness the end of a legacy of chaos. Ibeno thrived on manipulation, on feeding on the pain of others, and as we sit here, trapped in this very room, ask yourselves—what if Ibeno's spirit lingers? What if they are not truly gone?"

His voice turned to a whisper, carrying the weight of dread. "You see, this is not just Ibeno's funeral. It is yours too. Welcome to your own funeral."

With a grim smile, he crossed his arms in a mockery of peace, and from his shoulders, blades burst forth, dripping with fresh blood, tethered to his body by metal ropes that wound around his hands. The congregation gasped in horror, the weight of doom falling upon them all.

---

Hours earlier, Raiyan had slipped into the shadows, his mind already set on murder. The true eulogist never saw it coming. A swift strike, a clean kill. He stitched the dead man's head onto his own body and donned the eulogist's robes, assuming his identity with grotesque perfection.

Now, after delivering his twisted sermon, Raiyan blasted through the wall, flung across the city like a bullet, crashing into a nearby skyscraper with a force that made the earth tremble. Inside the church, Urin stood, her body drenched in blood, the lifeless bodies of the congregation strewn around her like discarded toys.

Raiyan's blades shot toward her, aiming to impale, but just before they struck her eyes, they froze mid-air, halted by an unseen force. With a snarl, she grabbed the metal ropes and yanked him toward her, his body helpless against her strength. She drove her fists into his skull, the sound of cracking bone reverberating through the empty church.

Raiyan, desperate, swung his leg, and a blade shot out from his ankle, driving through her jaw and out the front of her mouth. But Urin merely grinned, her body healing the wound in an instant. With a feral leap, she launched herself at him, the ground cracking beneath her, and smashed him into the floor with a devastating punch.

Her hunger for violence was insatiable. She bit down on his neck, tearing out his vocal cords in a savage feast of blood and flesh. Raiyan, eyes wide with pain, wrapped his blade-bound ropes around her, flinging her away with a powerful kick. He staggered to his feet, blood pouring from his wounds, but she screamed, "DAAAAAAAI!"

In an instant, Raiyan's torso was ripped apart, sent flying from the force of her fury. As his body fell, he caught sight of two strings shimmering in the air, weaving toward him. Without thinking, he slashed them apart, and suddenly, two small Aetherian bodies materialized, lifeless and broken. They had been invisible, their powers feeding Urin's desires, making her every deadly wish a reality.

Raiyan pieced it together in a flash—these Aetherians had been her protectors, giving her the strength to carry out her monstrous acts. But now, they were gone, and she was vulnerable. His lower half, still moving, struck out at Urin, delivering a brutal kick that shattered her bones. Blood poured from her wounds as she crumpled to the ground, broken but still alive.

With grim determination, Raiyan shook his other leg, drawing another blade, ready to end it once and for all.

---

Raiyan's life was tied to a tree, his String of Life bound by a curse his own father had placed upon him. No matter the damage inflicted upon his body, no matter how close he came to death, he would live so long as the tree continued to grow. His organs would regenerate, his wounds would heal, but the torment would never end. Bound by this dark connection, Raiyan and the tree were locked in an eternal cycle of life, death, and suffering.