The air was calm yet eerie, an atmosphere she was accustomed to yet one which now left her unsettled. She hadn't lost her cool like that in a while. She knew that she'd grow to regret it yet she still did what she had to do. Messing with the mind was something that was risky. Something that she wasn't proficient in. Something that she rarely did to those she cared for. But this time…
Would he ever forgive her? Her dead husband would never resort to such means, but this was why she was here. She would do what needed to be done no matter the cost. She would make his wishes hers and she would make sure they lived on beyond his grave.
Closing her eyes, she raised her fingers and following them, the room behind her changed. The bed sank into the ground, followed by all of the monitoring equipment they'd used to bring his friend from the brink of death. The walls collapsed until all that was left was the modest tree behind her.
If she hadn't done what she did he would've never talked. She witnessed it once, she wouldn't let it happen again. That man he called Slava… his best friend…
Interrupting her thoughts, a soothing chirp echoed in her ear as she felt a weight press onto her shoulder. She tilted her head to the side, welcoming the flaming plumes brushing against her cheek.
She couldn't understand why Nic had taken a liking to him. He was obsessive, merciless, cruel, stubborn, arrogant, sly, secretive… Her eyes widened and she turned to look into the bird's ruby-like eyes. They were glistening under the glow of her dancing flames, reflecting the light that pierced through them, reflecting… her.
"What are you trying to say?" She asked the bird, letting out a laugh. She could feel him even though he was gone and it put her at ease. As long as he was by her side, she knew she hadn't strayed.
"It's rare to see a divine beast form such a strong bond with its master." The sound of the distorted voice coming from behind her sent a chill down her spine. She knew exactly who it was. Without turning back, she clasped her fist. The bird on her shoulder took flight and burning green flames engulfed her entire body. Slowly turning around, she carefully dismissed Nick with her hand and that's when her eyes met that golden luster that she could never forget.
"I told you we'd meet again." That voice which had no rhyme or reason. That hazy shadow which left her speechless, hovering next to the tree, almost blending into her surroundings.
"What have you done?" Serena asked, her voice quavering as the foreign entity gently moved her fingers across the tree's bark. Was she the cause of all this chaos? The Phoenix cried out in her heart.
"You know full well that I haven't done a thing," she chuckled, the room vibrating to the sound of her voice. "He did this to himself. The question is: how?" She could see that familiar squint in her eye. The one that revealed her nonexistent smile.
"You mean to tell me that you don't know?" She froze, removing her hand from the tree. "Aren't you the prophet? Or are you not? What are you?" Slowly, she turned around their gazes intertwining to a halt.
"Haha, you're quite amusing, asking so many questions." She laughed, making Serena stand on edge. "Fine, I'll indulge in your interrogation." She continued as if she had expected it. "I am no longer the person you refer to as 'The Prophet'," Serena's shoulders loosened. "Although I have all of Destiny's memories, I am not her, I am something greater." To her words, her form grew even hazier than it already was. "Even if I tried to explain it, you would most likely not understand." Her voice distorted in ways Serena had never heard. And almost as fast, she regained her form. "I have travelled a lot in my lifetime." She lifted her hand, the chaos around her hand taking a strange form. She couldn't explain it. They were like illusions, images imprinted right onto her mind.
"I have been to many places and bore many names." Swirling oceans of stars. "Some called me the beginning," a new world brimming in the palm of her hand, "some called me the end," slowly morphing into a cracked, crumbling hell-like landscape. "They called me God, Primal, Hell, Disorder, Torment, Loss..." A halo materialized around her back, shifting with her form at her every word. "But the name that would most accurately describe me would probably be…" It was like a disturbing whisper in her ear, making her shiver. Wavelengths that normal humans would never be able to hear. An all-encompassing humming hidden in a chilling silence. "But you could call me Chaos," she slightly bowed, an illusion manifesting behind her, "one of the 'seats' of the Primal Hold." A shrouded figure sitting on a throne surrounded and oozing terrible, unsurmountable chaos.
"Oh?" The illusion vanished and she looked away. "He never stops, does he?" Confused, Serena moved her gaze to where she was staring. Her eyes grew wide, two domains were converging, creating a singularity. This was absolutely not what she had in mind. He couldn't be that stupid, could he? No, he might've been self-centered, but he wasn't dumb, he knew exactly what he was doing and it would certainly help her.
"Where I come from things like this are meant as insults." She turned around coming face to face with a struggling Crow. He shook, trying to push his blade through Chaos' finger. She was holding him back with just one. "You know I am pretty sure… What was it? Oh yes! …eavesdropping on a conversation is considered rude." Crow almost instantly disappeared, retreating a few feet back.
"What are you?" She'd never seen him this angry. It was odd to see him bear his teeth like a ferocious beast. "I don't believe I owe you an answer." With unhinged anger overflowing from him, he pounced toward her, sword in hand. His movements were smooth and precise, yet every time his blade rang through the air, it strangely deviated from its predestined path. "No matter how high the chance might be, in the end, it all comes down to luck." Although Serena didn't fully comprehend her words, Crow clearly did because his anger visibly rose.
She always escaped him by an inch, countering and tossing him around as she pleased. It was quite a pitiful sight to see. It was strange, there was no hesitation or strain in her movements. She didn't seem to be bluffing, she was definitely strong. Probably stronger than both of them put together. If so… then why was she holding back? What did she need from him… from Slava.
"Are you done yet?" She asked the bruised and tattered Crow. He looked tired, his cowl torn and his aura faint. "No…" his eyes glowed black, mist emerging from them. "You… will… tell… me…" He panted. "I think you're missing the point," she interrupted, flicking her finger and launching him into the wall. "There's nothing that either of you can do," she walked up to his sorry figure grabbing him by the throat. "You should obediently stay put and bark when you're…" She stopped herself, rolling her eye and tilting her head to the side. "Ah," she exhaled looking down at the hole in her chest.
When she met his begging eyes it shook Serena to her core. For him to be this desperate as to abandon his pride and ask her… Chaos was always escaping by the skin of her teeth. Serena had plenty of openings to take advantage of. If she stepped in maybe they could corner her, force her to talk, to submit. It was the best time to take advantage of it, while her guard was down. Although…
Serena didn't give her the chance to retaliate. Before she could take another breath, another vine pierced her head.
"How disappointing, I didn't expect you to do it so soon." Chaos' voice echoed through the balcony. "I was surprised when I saw it, you of all people should know what I'm capable of." Both of them now stood next to each other, facing her ominous figure levitating above the balcony. They were losing contact with their surroundings, swirling darkness spreading from her.
"You're powerful, but you shouldn't get conceited." She snapped her fingers. "This is still my domain," the illusion of a blossoming tree manifested behind them, bringing life to the surrounding dread, "and I wonder, this power of yours, can that vessel withstand it?" There was one thing she understood whatever or whoever this thing before them was, it was only a fragment, an avatar, a shadow with only a portion of its true strength. "Is wasting your strength like this truly wise?" Tendrils spread from her figure, infecting her nature.
"How naive of you, younglings," she chuckled. "Come! I will show you the error of your ways." Like branches, the tendrils split to converge onto them. Seeing this Serena didn't hesitate, raising her hand up, vines, roots and branches rose to meet them. Crow jumped through them, gritting his teeth through the series of wounds accumulating all over his body.
"What have you done to him?" He asked, his voice shaky. "I already told you… ah, how bothersome." She interrupted herself, moving her hand to the side, Crow following suit. "I can't tell if you're stupid or just jealous," Serena waved her hands in turn carrying him to safety and locking her in place. "Which is rare," she squinted, bursting out of her restraints.
There was no doubt in Serena's mind. For the first time in his life, Crow was jealous. He was afraid of falling behind, of being left out. This wasn't a question of resentment, but a question of pride, a pride that guided his code. A code which she had grown to understand more and more. He was living a dream, a fantasy that was currently shattering before his eyes.
"Do you really believe that I can be shackled?" Again and again, they struggled. But her strength felt boundless. Was she wrong? "You still are so clueless," she sighed, descending onto their panting figures. "Let me give you a glimpse into…" She spread her arms and the world warped, "Ascension," carried by her voice.
Serena watched in awe as Chaos' figure molded into one of a decrepit man she could never forget. A man carrying a woman veiled in white. The world was halted, yet the overwhelming pressure brought her crippled body to its knees. She knew exactly where this was. A vast desert, a vast forest, cut by a translucent wall, unbelievably fissured. The wall they had painstakingly risen, a wall that couldn't even be pierced through Annihilatio Singularis was cracked by his mere presence. Lightning slowly crackled around him spreading to the unsuspecting troops, destroying everything in his path, and leaving a trail of darkness and chaos behind him. A contrast to his frail saintlike glowing figure.
"1 000 000." Hearing the voice, Serena blinked and when she reopened her eyes, Slava was gone. How… how did she do it? The damage she incurred was very real. It was as if she manifested the moment into existence. "That's how much he sacrificed, to save one life, 1 000 000 sigil bearers." Serena froze at those words, so this was it, what he was trying to hide. She expected he did something, but a sacrifice? She thought he got her help, or maybe a deal, a few deaths, but this? What would his guard think?
She glanced to the side at the standing Crow, his body brimming with death. He really wasn't the brightest, her words probably never even reached his ears. He couldn't even see defeat when it was right in front of his eyes. "I truly wonder..." Black sparks spread out as he took his first step, sheathing his katana. "You…" Tsuka in hand he shook, lowering his stance. Serena felt the air stagnate around the hilt. In the blink of an eye, he unsheathed his blade and her eyes grew wide being met with a bright light that soon engulfed her entire vision.
"This world keeps surprising me," she heard the calm voice say, her eyesight gradually recovering. "You are fit to guard him, protect him well." They were back on the balcony, an almost imperceptible gash still visible through the air. Crow knelt before his enemy, struggling to get up. "I've seen so many like you," he struggled to say, "empty words and promises." He looked up into her eye with a resentful gaze. "Your words are like poison. I will never trust them." With a laugh, Chaos got down to his level. "That's the beauty of it, you don't need to," she said, grabbing his chin. "Just keep following your creed." Serena still felt that she was missing something. Who? Slava. What? Protect him. Why? Because he was special? How?
"I don't understand what you want from us," Serena stood up patching her wounds. "If he's so special, then why not him? Why are you telling us?" That wasn't what she wanted to know. She wanted to understand why she wasn't doing everything herself. If she was so strong, if she had so much power, then why wasn't she just turning the world upside down? Why was she helping him from the shadows instead of taking him away?
"He's not ready yet. What do you think would've happened if I did?" She asked, putting her hand on her shoulder. If he knew about her, that guy would definitely chase her to the ends of the earth. "I saved him once already." Serena's thoughts raced. When was it? He'd been on the brink of death so many times.
"It was you!" Crow managed to groan. "Back when I found him after Henosis…" "Yes," she interrupted. "But this time I didn't, something else did." She squinted her eye turning around to look at the sky.
"Does it have anything to do with…" Black Hydra, Lord, the man who she used to work with, who she could never figure out, who eluded her until the very end. "No child, it does not," she chimed in again. "And before you ask; no I will not interfere in this matter." This situation kept running laps around her head. She couldn't understand. Why was she so stubborn, so elusive? "I've met many like him. Too arrogant and obsessed to see past their own ambitions. His time would come but not at our hands." If she wasn't willing to act maybe she could make use of that. "One day will come when the hourglass of time will flip, that will be the day he breathes his last." To her words, Serena felt a chill run down her spine. Even though she stared right at her back, she could feel her glare somehow piercing through hers.
"This isn't a place for you to be interfering, hatchlings, this is something far beyond what the likes of you can handle." She glanced back, before reaching her hand out towards the sky. "Some things that even I can not fully see." Her body lingered for a second before beginning to fade.
"For now, you just have to focus on staying by his side… He is your only hope as a species." Was it a warning or a threat? She couldn't tell, but one thing was for certain. She would have to tread carefully from now on.