Death's footsteps were noticeably softer now. Hatsu was having a hard time even gauging his general direction.<span style="font-style: italic">"Don't rely on your hearing alone,"</span>Yami warned.<span style="font-style: italic">"Your sight was taken because you were dependent on it, he can take your hearing away too. You have to find other ways to tell where he is."</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Other ways? Like what? Touch, smell?</span>Hatsu wondered. Suddenly, the footsteps got louder... and closer too. With shock Hatsu realized he was about to be attacked again.<span style="font-style: italic">"Well don't just stand there!"</span>Yami shouted, shocking Hatsu out of his daze. More from being surprised at his demon's shouting than worrying about the upcoming attack, Hatsu dove to the side. He skidded against the ground when he landed, but as far as he could tell he hadn't been hit.<br/><br/>Quickly, while they had a moment of peace, Yami tried to give his host some advice.<span style="font-style: italic">"Hatsu, have you ever heard about the sixth sense?"</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">What? Like seeing the future?</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Partially. That's not what I'm talking about here. Some seasoned warriors develop a sixth sense when it comes to fighting. They are able to tell where their enemy is and predict his movements as if they were psychic."</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Well that's great,</span>Hatsu thought,<span style="font-style: italic">But I'm not a seasoned warrior.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"All the same. Try to feel the tension around you. There is an atmosphere that comes with fighting. Try to tune in to this."</span>Though Yami was saying this, the odds that Hatsu would just miraculously be able to predict Death's movements were next to nothing. He hadn't been fighting anywhere near long enough. But still, he couldn't just focus on trying to hear his opponent. He needed to move beyond that, something Yami had been hesitant to push him towards, but that Death had already taken the initiative on.<br/><br/>----------------------------<br/><br/>"Show me" Vaan had said. His subconscious must have been crazy. The images flashing before him... he got the feeling that he was among the first mortals to see them. So this was the truth about chaos and destruction? It was horrifying, but terribly... true. Abaddon showed him everything, holding nothing back despite his weakened state. He saw the very beginning... it was empty, a suffocating emptiness. Then there was a dot. It grew bigger and bigger, a gray dot. Inside was chaotic. Black and white wisps of energy attacked each other. When neither could stand the other anymore, they split apart.<br/><br/>Then there were two big dots.<br/><br/>The white dot looked calm and peaceful, but the black one was stirring crazily. It bounced around so much it was less a dot than a blob. Both the dots were getting bigger.<br/><br/>Since Vaan was more or less joined with Abaddon's thoughts, he not only saw the images, but could understand them. Since the colors weren't fighting against each other, they were free to develop and grow stronger. They didn't stop growing, the two dots just got bigger until there wasn't any space left. After that, they were forced to merge again. Once again, there was gray, but the orb was now enormous.<br/><br/>This was chaos. When good and evil were so close, they attacked each other, but neither seemed to win. When they were apart, there was relative peace on the good side, but the forces were growing out of proportion. They were just setting up for an even bigger session of chaos.<br/><br/>It really hit home when the demon put the symbolism into context. The wars of ancient times, the peace where there was learning and growth. There were inventions... people created stronger weapons during this time. The weapons brought fear, fear brought war. People grew tired and there was peace again. People made bigger weapons. All the way up to the present, or rather, three months ago. The virtual end of the world. It seemed like this time line had skipped a section. There should have been peace at this time, but instead, more chaos was created. Vaan could feel ambition, anger, and sadness within Abaddon.<br/><br/><span style="color: gray"><span style="font-style: italic">"Do you understand?"</span></span>Abaddon asked.<span style="color: gray"><span style="font-style: italic">"Do you understand the truth of chaos and destruction? Why I exist?"</span></span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">I do,</span>Vaan thought, and was almost surprised to find it was true.<span style="font-style: italic">The purpose for chaos and destruction, is to achieve balance with order and growth.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: gray"><span style="font-style: italic">"Order is disappearing. What am I without it?"</span></span>Abaddon voiced. He sounded... broken.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">So why have me fight Death? Why would you want to destroy him?</span><br/><br/><span style="color: gray"><span style="font-style: italic">"Ah, that,"</span></span>Abaddon muttered.<span style="color: gray"><span style="font-style: italic">"Listen closely Vaan. After this, you'll know what all of this has been about."</span></span><br/><br/>***<br/><br/>Vaan let out a spluttering cough and managed to open his eyes. His wounds were sealed, but not yet fully healed. He was still in great pain, but he'd recovered enough to regain consciousness. After he'd gotten over his episode of coughing, the lead Silencer stared at the ceiling for a moment. His eyes weren't red anymore. They were black.<br/><br/>"I understand..." he mumbled, a look of realization on his face. "I understand everything." That voiced, the boy fell unconscious once again.