Chaos's Daughter: Sweet But Psycho

Hespera hummed. With these trait abilities, there's little to buy. And why are they so OP?

She jumped when Death's husky, sensual voice sounded far too close to her ear. Too close, too close. Oh Gods, she smells amazing.

From over Hespera's shoulder, Death leaned in, her voice a velvet murmur against her ear.

"Hmm, not bad for a starter set. Ah, the Powers actually gave you that travel skill? How rare." A slow, knowing chuckle curled through her words. "I'd wager Rebirth threw quite the fit over that." Her breath, cool as the space between moments, sent a shiver down Hespera's spine. "Lucky you."

Hespera was very close to passing out. Very close.

"Finished~!" Chaos sprang up from their sitting position and appeared in front of Hespera, holding out a black and white… sweater. A very ugly sweater that read #1 Chaotic Daughter on the front. On the back, in bold letters, it said, Sweet But Psycho.

Hespera absolutely loved it.

Death arched a sculpted brow, amusement flickering in her violet eyes. The subtle curve of her lips hinted at something both knowing and indulgent.

"Why did you make her that?" she mused, voice smooth as silk, dark as velvet. "Isn't that a little... excessive? It's not like she'll need that much protection, right?"

Chaos merely grinned, twirling on their heel with the air of someone who delighted in their own unpredictability. "Hehe~ Just. In. Case~" they sang before flitting back to their seat, already crafting something new with careless artistry.

Death exhaled through her nose, the ghost of a chuckle playing on her lips. 'Ever the dramatist'... she thought, shaking her head.

Meanwhile, Hespera sat cross-legged before the black-and-white interface, scrolling through the available skills with a frown. No choice felt worth the price—her racial skills already covered most bases.

"Any recommendations on what I should buy?" she asked, glancing toward Death.

A slow, knowing smile curled on the reaper's lips, her voice dipping into something smooth and assured. "Don't waste your points on skills. You already have enough to master—it'll consume all your time as it is."

She leaned in slightly, a whisper of something ancient and enticing in her tone. "Instead, invest in something practical. A spatial ring, for starters. Then, maybe some production grimoires. Trust me, you'll thank me later."

Hespera nodded. "Okay, got it."

Scrolling until she found a spatial ring she liked, she checked its details. "Hmm, its size in dimensional space is equal to a football field. That's actually good. And it even expands with enough mana? Sold!"

It was pretty pricey, but she figured it was worth it in the long run. "Onto the profession grimoires—whatever those are."

"Oh, oh! After that, let me pick out your weapon. If I'm remembering correctly, you were trained in swordarts, right? Hehe, I know just the katana for you." Chaos was practically jumping up and down in their excitement.

Death chuckled, "your getting Enchanting and Runes, right?"

Hespera glanced at Death and nodded. "Yeah, those seem the most enjoyable for me. Everything else sounds boring."

Chaos grinned. "Ooooh, now you're thinking like a true chaos bringer. There's no point in doing anything if it doesn't bring you entertainment."

Hespera giggled. "I think I read that on a t-shirt once."

She continued browsing, scrolling through the available profession grimoires. Each one was detailed, listing the skills, benefits, and even potential downsides of mastering the craft. The Enchanting grimoire promised powerful enhancements, but it required a deep understanding of mana flow and intricate spellwork. The Runes grimoire, on the other hand, focused more on carving symbols into weapons, armor, and even the environment for long-term effects.

After a few minutes of reading, she made her selections and added them to her cart. "Alright, that's done. Now, let's see this katana you're so hyped about, Chaos."

Chaos beamed. "Yes! Trust me, you're gonna love it!"

They practically pushed her aside to get to the screen, passing pages of swords, spears, and exotic weaponry. The sheer variety was overwhelming—everything from traditional steel blades to weapons infused with elemental energy.

Then, Chaos stopped on a section in the katana page, practically vibrating with excitement. "Behold! Pandemonium Noctis!" Before Death or Hespera could do or say anything, Chaos reached into the screen and... pulled out the katana. The same katana they were just looking at.

Hespera's smile widened (clearly not bothered that the crazy Primordial could just take things out of a floating system screen) as she took in the sleek, black-white blade. Unlike most katanas, its edge seemed to shimmer with a faint, ethereal glow, as if it wasn't fully bound to this reality.

Death whistled. "That's an artifact-tier weapon. Where'd you even find this?"

Chaos smirked. "I have my ways."

Death narrowed her eyes. "What kind of ways?"

"Uh… ways you don't need to worry about!" Chaos said quickly. "Anyway, the important thing is, this katana is cray-cray. It cuts through mana barriers like butter, absorbs ambient energy to sharpen itself, and—get this—it can phase through solid objects if you time your strike right!"

Hespera whistled low. "Alright, I won't lie—that sounds incredible."

She reached out, gripping the hilt, and the moment her fingers closed around it, a surge of energy rushed through her. It was sharp, cold, and impossibly vast—like staring into an endless void.

Hespera barely had time to admire it before mist coalesced into the shape of a woman—tall, elegant, and otherworldly. Her flowing robes shimmered like starlight, and her eyes, an eerie silver, seemed to pierce through reality itself. A faint, knowing smile curved her lips as she regarded Hespera.

Chaos blinked. "Oh. Uh. Did I forget to mention, it hosts a spirit, making it a very powerful spirit sword."

Death crossed her arms. "No. No, you didn't." Sighing in exasperation, she asked, "Did you also know this spirit is a class X?"

Chaos shrugged. "Who do you think made the sword."

The woman watched their exchange with faint amusement before focusing on Hespera again. "Mistress. Hello."

"What have you done now," groaned Rebirth. He walked over to them, a resigned look on his handsome face. 'This is taking too long, she needs to leave this dimensional space, otherwise I might not regain my sanity.'

Chaos clapped. "Oh welcome back. Are you done with your moping session?"

"I wasn't moping," Rebirth was quick to defend. Not that anyone actually believed him. He was definitely moping.

Hespera kept a light grip on the katana, her stance casual and composed. "Who are you?" She wanted to know who this cutie was. 

The ethereal woman tilted her head, her voice like a whisper carried on the wind. "Mistress. I am Noctis. Please. Take care. Of Noctis?"

Hespera smiled. "Well that's a name. Why does it give off Chaos's flavor, hm? Did my dear daddy name you?"

The spirit sword, Noctis, looked to Chaos and tilted her head sideways and blinked. "Creator. Bad. Hello?" 

Death arched a brow, glancing between Noctis and Chaos. "So, not only did you make a spirit sword, but you also gave it enough awareness to call you out? I'm impressed, my friend."

Chaos huffed, crossing their arms. "Hey, I didn't do that on purpose. Noctis was supposed to be a little less… uh, talkative."

Noctis blinked again, tilting her head the other way. "Creator. Bad. Chaos. Always. Bad."

"So a spirit sword is the only one other than me who can see how outrageously insane you three are? Unbelievable," Rebirth grumbled. He really needs to stop trying so hard to be functioning.

Hespera grinned, giving the blade a test swing. A faint ripple in the air followed the motion, distorting space for the briefest second before settling. "Oh, that's fun."

Noctis shifted slightly, mist curling around her form. "Mistress. Safe. Noctis Sleepy. Goodnight." Noctis turned into mist and entered the katana.

Hespera sheathed Noctis with a smooth motion, the blade vanishing into a sheath of condensed shadow. "Such a cutie!"

Death, ever the opportunist to flirt with the beautiful mortal, shot her a teasing look. "Oh? Is that your type?"

The sudden attack sent Hespera spluttering, completely caught off guard. "Wh—no, well, maybe?!"

Chaos giggled at her reaction, while Death smirked in satisfaction.

Rebirth, now utterly done with this nonsense, muttered something under his breath before finally speaking up. "Now that you've finished spending your karma points, we can finally proceed to transferring your soul into your new life's body. Please follow me to the River of Rebirth so I can send you on your way."

His tone screamed exhaustion, as he turned without waiting, already leading the way. Anything to finally get this over with.

'If I don't do this quickly, I might lose the last shred of sanity I have left. I definitely need a vacation after this. I wonder if Order is willing to...' he shook his head, blushing. Ignoring the chuckle that came from a certain mind reading Primordial.

Chaos grinned, nudging Death. "Our dear friend misses his girlfriend."

Death smirked. "Oh? Is he finally going to pop the question?"

Rebirth tuned them out, refusing to acknowledge their existence as he led the way.

The aether around them shifted, growing heavier, charged with an energy that hummed through the very fabric of existence. The dim surroundings faded, replaced by an expansive river of shimmering light, stretching far beyond the horizon. Its waters pulsed with shifting colors—gold, silver, deep blues, and faint traces of violet, like reflections of countless lifetimes.

The River of Rebirth.

Rebirth, finally regaining some composure, turned to face her. "This is it. Your soul will be transferred to your next life through the river's current. Once you step in, you'll forget everything from this realm. No memories of your past life, no memories of us."

Hespera blinked. "Wait, no memories? That's kinda lame."

Chaos clapped their hands together. "Orrrr we could ignore the rules and—"

Death elbowed them. "No."

Chaos pouted. "Boo. Party pooper."

Rebirth ignored them both, eyes locked on Hespera. "It's up to you whether you want to go through with this properly or not. But if you try to cheat the system, don't come crying to me when reality itself starts rejecting your existence."

Hespera tapped her chin, considering her options. "Hmmm… and what if I just, y'know, kept a teeny, tiny, harmless bit of memory?" 'Or if my eidetic memory prevents me from forgetting completely.'

Rebirth's eye twitched. "No."

Chaos suddenly perked up. "Oh! What if we gave her a subconscious failsafe? Like a cool hidden instinct that only activates when she's in trouble!"

Death laughed. "You just want to break the system for fun."

"Yes." Not denying anything.

Rebirth groaned, rubbing his face. "I hate you all."

Hespera grinned. "So that's a maybe?"

Rebirth gritted his teeth. "Step. Into. The. River."

Hespera sighed dramatically. "Fiiiine."

But before she could step one foot forward, Chaos snapped their fingers, and a floating black-and-white ethereal system screen appeared and condensed into a thin sheet of shimmering energy. With a mischievous grin, they folded it over and over, shaping it into a sleek paper airplane.

Death frowned. "Chaos. Don't—"

Too late.

Chaos launched the glowing paper airplane straight at Hespera with a flick of their wrist. It cut through the air like a blade, humming with raw energy.

Hespera barely had time to react before the shimmering construct pierced into her chest—not painfully, but like a ripple through water. The moment it made contact, a shockwave of energy burst outward, warping the space around her.

Her entire form flared with light—a silvery-black glow radiating from within. Her veins pulsed with power, like an entire system framework had just been forcefully integrated into her very being.

Hespera exhaled sharply, her eyes flashing with a spectral glow, power crackling around her fingertips. "Oh my."

Chaos snickered. "Surprise system integration! I've always wanted to do that. Hehe~"

Rebirth pinched the bridge of his nose. "You absolute menace."

Death, who had already been on the edge of hysterics, laugheded in pure enjoyment. "Why am I even surprised anymore? That was great!"

Hespera flexed her fingers, watching as ethereal code flickered beneath her skin, weaving itself into her very essence. The glowing black-and-silver energy pulsed rhythmically, responding to her every breath.

She tilted her head, intrigued. "Huh. This actually feels kinda nice."

Chaos grinned proudly. "See? I knew you'd love it."

Death folded her arms after getting back in control. "And what exactly does this do, Chaos?"

Chaos whistled innocently. "I dunno. It's experimental!"

Death's eyes sparkled in amusement. "Of course it is. As expected of you."

Rebirth groaned in pure frustration. "I don't care anymore. Just get in the damn river."

She giggled. "Ah, I'm gonna miss you too, Mr. Drama king."

She stepped forward, the shimmering waters lapping at her feet. As soon as she made contact, the river's glow intensified, wrapping around her in glowing tendrils. The energy sank into her skin, her body beginning to dissolve into streaks of silver and black light.

Her last thought before everything faded was:

'Well. This should be interesting.'

And then—

She was gone.