And From Chaos Rises Order

Han Xuanyuan felt a terrible ache overcome him as if his entire being was being strung into a bit of thread.

He was in a state where he could not sense anything beyond this pain.

Not a sense of touch, smell, sight, or any sounds either.

There was only this all-encompassing squeeze and stretch that seemed to be molding him into a particular shape as if he were some type of clay being made into a figurine.

Soon, he began to rediscover his senses and as he did so, the pain became fainter and fainter until it went away.

First was his sense of smell, he noticed a faint scent of hibiscus and some other sweetness that he couldn't identify. There was also a particularly overbearing odor of something that he couldn't identify either, but he found it to be exceptionally repulsive.

Then came his sense of temperature, he was feeling cold near his extremities but the rest of himself was uncomfortably hot, he wanted to sweat or fan himself but he couldn't, it was peculiar that he could feel so much discomfort from mere temperature, but it was truly relentless.

Then came the sounds, it was like the static of an old radio, constantly buzzing and this noise came with an extra bonus, an additional sound beyond that of the static. It was a sound that made his very soul shiver every time it was played.

And as if this comical amount of discomfort was not enough to annoy him till he shouted out obscenities, there was also a small tugging near his back, he didn't have a tail but he believed if he did, it would be as if something were pulling his tail like it was the rope in a tug-of-war. He was pushed to a level of exasperation he had not felt in years.

Finally, his sight returned, but it was not what he had expected. He was not seeing black and white, but rather a majestic display of colors, colors he didn't even know existed before. He felt he was staring into a kaleidoscope that had infinite layers and it was constantly turning until one became two, two became three, and three became the eventual existence of all motions in the world. Auspiciously irksome as it was, he found it nauseous but could not bring himself to throw up, although he very much wanted to.

Every single point of discomfort that he was feeling was magnified countless times over until it brought him to his breaking point, and the rate of increase in magnification showed no signs of ceasing.

At this point, he wished more than anything else for it to stop. It was simply excruciating, and although the pain was great, it was bearable. He had an iron-firm willpower from his days of tempering his physique, but these exasperatingly exacerbating forces were completely bypassing his defenses.

He would come to regret these expressions he made, however, as soon these feelings faded and the pain returned once more only that it was also increasing. Exponentially so, every moment bringing him closer and closer to his breaking point, only for him to then find out that his breaking point was also increasing.

It was like edging, you want to release yourself but just can't do it. Going crazy and not having to bear with such a feeling would be much better than having to bear it with a sane mind. He wanted to be broken but it wouldn't, it was only making him more durable and he hated it, he wanted it to be over with. He would rather go out in a fiery pulse of agony than be teased by death and pulled over by life once more to live out another grueling session of sensory violation.

He wanted the pain to end, and soon it did. Only for his senses to return once more, this time with distinct and more diverse characteristics. Again he regrets the return of the senses and wishes it to revert to the pain, only for the pain to lead him through an even more crooked road of spikes that would expand into his body when he eventually stepped on them. From a single spike would grow eight more and as they pierced his illusory flesh he would want to scream in horror but the spikes would just multiply faster and they would travel up his foot and through his leg and into the rest of his body, or at least what he thought was his body.

Regardless, this cycle continued for countless iterations. Each time, the forces applied to him were distinct in the degree of pain or discomfort they caused him, diverse in the method of application, and unbelievably creative considering how many times he had to go through this and how many unique combinations he had to face.

Han Xuanyuan had completely lost count of the number of cycles he had endured. One would expect him to have become numb already, but no matter how many exacerbations he withstood, he could not dull his experiences even marginally.

If he had a heart at that moment, it would be beating so fast that the human ear would not be able to hear it pound anymore.

[AN: Did you guys know that human hearing can only hear sounds up to 20 kilohertz? This means his heart was beating 20,000 times per second!]

If he had a mind, it would have born the erosion of time so deep that all twelve reincarnations of the mortal soul wouldn't be able to compare.

If his cognition were not blurred, and his memories not in disarray, he would have exclaimed in despair as he had clearly gone through this process several times in the past.

~~~

"Han Xuanyuan! How many times have I told you to mow the lawn today?" Mrs. Chu shouted angrily from the kitchen as she heard him sneaking down the stairs.

"I'll do it right away Mrs. Chu," he said as he jumped down the last flight of stairs and rushed through the corridor that was densely packed with dozens of flowers of all colors in equally exquisite vases placed on shelves carved out of the indent in the walls.

Mrs. Chu's displeased frown soon lightened as Han Xuanyuan appeared beside her in just a couple of seconds and offered to take the trash out for her with his calloused hand outstretched, smiling flatteringly.

With the shiny black bag of trash in hand, he walked out of the backdoor into the backyard where Mr. Chu was scrolling through videos on his phone.

As he stepped onto the patio, Mr. Chu slid his reading glasses down his nose and turned his deep brown eyes to look up at him. He whispered,

"Get me a pack of the cold ones, kid."

"Sure thing Mr. Ch-" he was about to finish but was cut off by Mrs. Chu who yelled from the kitchen, her head hanging out the window as she glared at Mr. Chu.

"Don't you even dare Juyan, its barely six in the afternoon and you already want to drink? Give me a hand with dinner if you're so restless. Mr. and Mrs. Long will be here in just a few hours..."

Her voice trailed off as Han Xuanyuan found himself walking away into the front yard after giving Mr. Chu an apologetic smile.

He passed by the tall, recently trimmed hedges that Mr. Chu was so fond of as he made his way to the front gate, opening it with the new spare key Mrs. Chu gave him last week after they changed their locks because the old ones were aesthetically displeasing.

Walking out and across the street, he dumped the trash into the bin and dusted his hands off as he walked down a couple of properties before finding that one boy who would always mow the lawn for him.

He was around fourteen years old, with a round face and chubby cheeks he wasn't the poster child for hard work but you can't judge a book by its cover, after all.

"Hey Xio Chen, you free right now? Haha great..." He explained after receiving the nod from him. Sliding him a crisp fifty as he patted his back and put a mask on his face before dashing down the street, taking a few turns here and there until he arrived at one of the more affluent neighborhoods in his area.

After checking that nobody was looking, he briskly made his way towards the nearest bicycle and smoothly kicked the locks off of it.

10 minutes later he had made his way through the red-light district, facing many tempting offers which he was almost moved over by, but was protected by his wallet - it was empty.

Not cycling but rather walking alongside the temporarily borrowed from a "friend he hadn't met yet" he made his way to the edge of the shopping district where he found the favorite hangout spot for all his friends.

The Red Maiden was a very popular local pub in the lower end of the spectrum that only gained traction in recent years due to the clients he would consistently bring them.

Both of his best friends worked part-time and besides studying to maintain their scholarship, break time between their shifts was the only time Han Xuanyuan could hang out with them on school days. Nowadays though, they hung out at the pub only because it was convenient.

Cling

The bell on the door rang as he stepped foot into the establishment. The sun had not even set yet but the place was already bustling with laughter and shouting.

'That's a Friday for you…' He thought as he quickly passed by the open tables and into the farthest side of the pub where the private booths were placed.

Only this area had the pathway leading to the kitchen and the employees' break room.

But he did not have to go far before he had his shoulder tapped from behind.

"Look who finally decided to show up, I thought you were ditching us tonight!" Zhang Lanmeng complained with a sour expression on his face that was betrayed completely by his jovial tone.

He was a handsome lad that was going to turn 20 later that year, with silky black hair that fell all over his face in a mess that made him appear even more attractive, highlighting his sharp jaw and straight nose.

"Mrs. Chu wouldn't let me leave until I solved all those papers. She's been so unforgiving ever since the awards ceremony." Han Xuanyuan replied with a depressed tone that contrasted terribly well with his toothy grin.

"You and I both know they would've been finished in an hour if you hadn't spent so much time talking to your girlfriend." Zhang Lanmeng snapped back with an equally wide grin and the slightest hint of lamentation as he put his arms around Xuanyuan's neck and walked him to the back.

"So don't be so hard on him, you know how lucky he is to have ended up with Xiao Yue of all people." Mo Feixue ended with a laugh as she came out of the employees' break room, releasing her beautiful blonde hair from the ponytail it was previously tied up in.

She was a marvelous specimen. A perfectly oval face with skin whiter than the insides of a pear and when she dyed her hair that stunning golden yellow in her senior year, she was crowned the golden girl of her highschool.

Feixue and Lanmeng had been Xuanyuan's best and only friends since he came to Beijing with the Chu family all those years ago.

Some time ago, he sat for several highschool entrance exams and got into the affiliated highschool of Peking University as the top scorer; much to the bewilderment and amazement of Mr. and Mrs. Chu who didn't think he had it in him.

Life took a 540 degree turn for Xuanyuan after this. He was treated like an actual human being by the Chu family, for once.

He started investing in foreign exchange after studying it his entire middle school and became quite able in the trade, producing a record that set a trend projecting him making a small fortune before he made it into university.

And as if that weren't enough, he even managed to score a girlfriend in his last semester, the first of his fourth and last year of highschool.

"Hey Xuanyuan," Feixue called, pulling his attention from the apron he was tying.

"Yeah what's up?" He replied with slight caution, remaining alert as to not be caught off guard if she were to ask him for another absurd favor - something he had unfortunately learned from experience.

"Xiao Yue told me you were gonna take her out tonight, do you have any place in mind?" She asked with a sarcastic smile on her face as she leaned against the doorway.

"Did she say anything about where she wants to go?" He asked with a sigh of relief, finally putting his guard down.

"Maybe she did, maybe she didn't," was the reply he got.

"Oh you! I knew you wanted something outta this. What'll it be this time?"

"Mmmmh, how about you buy me ice cream from the new parlor across school?"

"You gotta be fucking kidding me, that place is expensive as hell." He groaned as he finished tying the apron behind his back. Just in time for Lanmeng to pop in and say:

"She selling you a trip to Xuegao Tiangong? I already turned her down, its not worth it man." He said in exhaustion as he remembered the fight he had with her, during which he pleadingly tried to convince her that such an expenditure wasn't healthy for his bank account.

"Fine, I'll take you, but you gotta stop being so conniving Feixue." Xuanyuan begrudgingly agreed, he couldn't afford any mistakes with his woman, Xiao Yue, she was exceptionally sensitive and prone to crying.

"Yeah, you'll give my wallet a heart attack one day if this keeps up." Lanmeng added in as he exited the room with a sidestep.

"It's not right, you two are ganging up on a poor defenseless girl like me." Feixue complained. Saying the last part louder for Lanmeng, who had already gone into the corridor, to hear. Pouting, she turned to look at Xuanyuan.

"If you're defenseless then I'm a failure." Han Xuanyuan said with a low voice and aggrieved tone but the pride in his eyes was unconcealable.

~~~

"Is this the place? Looks too high-profile for the job."

"For the twentieth time John, it's been confirmed. And what are you fussing about, you've already got your money."

"It's not about the money Rin, my abilities are to be used for the betterment of mankind. Getting paid is just a side effect."

"Gosh, you make yourself out to be a saint." Rin called out, appalled at his audacity, his handsome face plastering a mocking expression on it as his contours were highlighted further as his mouth formed a small 'O' shape.

"In a hundred years, who's to say I won't be." John said slowly with a dreamy expression on his chiseled face as he pulled a cigarette out of the packet he had just brought out from his jacket.

"In a hundred days, who's to say that wouldn't kill you?" Rin replied coolly as he watched John set the cigarette ablaze with the lighter he brought out after placing the pack of cigarettes back inside with no intention to stop him.

"I'd bet on the demons if I were you, this shit's unreliable." John muttered quietly as the two stepped inside the hotel, the automatic sliding doors closing behind them as the sound of the entrance bell ringing faded.

The two were directed by the hotel's staff to the fifth floor after they said whom they were visiting.

The receptionist in particular was slightly disgusted at the sight of them but John couldn't put his finger on as to why that was.

Rin on the other hand was so embarrassed his barely tanned face began to resemble a dirty apple in color, with shades of brown mixed in with the red of his blush.

Soon, they arrived at the designated floor and a porter-boy guided them to the exact room after John explicitly asked for a hand.

Slightly excited at the prospect of being a part of the show, the boy walked in long strides until they arrived at the end of the hallway.

"This is the room sirs, but are you sure you want me inside?" The boy asked with a very shaky voice, clearly nervous at what was to come.

"If I didn't then why would I have called you?" John snapped with a deep frown, slightly annoyed that the boy had ruined his momentum

"Don't be too harsh on the kid, he probably doesn't understand." Rin tried to mediate as he knew there was a big misunderstanding and didn't want the situation to escalate.

But before John could even knock or open the door, something crashed into it with a loud cracking and shattering sound from the other side.

By the time John reached for the handle, the door was already swung open as a very tall and well built black man stood at the doorway, panic stricken and fear etched into his face like carvings on a mural.

John hurriedly pushed him back inside as he signaled for Rin to manage the black man and for the boy to stay by the door.

Turning his head, the scene that Rin saw would forever stay with him, probably even after his death, for it was simply the most horrifying thing he had ever seen.