About Beryl: Heart of Chaos

By: D. R. Nyan-chan

Description: Heart of Chaos’s classification borders between qualifying as a living weapon and a familiar.  Because of the large quantity of Chaos salt involved in its composition, the entirety of its body is a semi-reflective dark sapphire blue.

The stick portion is actually more of a tentacle or tendril coated in hair-like barbs that can writhe, squirm, and whip of its own will.  To Beryl, Heart of Chaos feels squishy and fuzzy, but those same barbs can also move and stiffen to deliver a painful sting to enemies or would-be thieves.

The bottom of the stick portion can extend into a very tiny tripod for stability when it's used like a walking stick. These tiny stands can also expand into huge, curved, snake-like fangs that Heart of Chaos will strike with if it believes that Beryl is in danger.

The headpiece is shaped like a Valentine's Day heart with an eye positioned in the middle of the heart on one side.  The ocular orb features a vertically slit pupil, a yellow iris, pale blue sclera, and vertically oriented eyelids.

Although the headpiece’s composition and color is the same as the rest of Heart of Chaos, it lacks the movable bristles.

Dimensions:
 
Stick: 5 cm thick, 168 cm long with bristles of an average length of 3 cm

Tripod: 1 cm when used to stand on, 30 cm as curved fangs

Eye: 7.6 cm vert.  5 cm horizontal

Headpiece: symbolic heart 23 cm wide, 20 cm tall, 13 cm thick

Abilities (Physical):  Not much is currently known about Heart of Chaos besides the fact that Beryl finds it adorable, but it has displayed various abilities. 

The stick portion of Heart of Chaos has flexibility on par with octopus tentacles while at the same time possessing enough strength to lift and lob objects weighing up to 250 kg.

The tripod of barbs at the bottom of Heart of Chaos aids with stability under normal circumstances, but when there’s a threat, they can grow into a trio of large, curved fangs.  Strength-wise, enough force can be applied to each fang for them to effortlessly pierce even bone and steel.  Even gods and ethereal entities are susceptible to this attack, as it directly targets, for lack of a better term, the victim’s life force.   In addition, there also seems to be a sort of Chaos-borne venom of an unknown composition that can also be injected.

Very little is known about Heart of Chaos’s poison and even creatures normally immune to toxins are susceptible.  It is currently theorized that the venom induces great pain and can temporarily disrupt powers or abilities after multiple injections, making it an effective deterrent.  The fangs aren’t the only part of Heart of Chaos that can inject the strange poison, though.  The bristles that cover most of its body are equally capable of delivering the toxin via extension and injection.

When striking alone, Heart of Chaos uses force beyond force and is able to direct all intended injuries to even possessed individuals without harming the host.

Abilities (Ethereal): Perhaps the most notable feature that Heart of Chaos has displayed is its ability to sense intent, which it has utilized to great effect when protecting Beryl from danger, ambushes, and malicious deception.  This power is even able to pierce through all sorts of mental shielding and Heart of Chaos can identify a general direction and location of an ill intention.  However, this skill is limited to feelings and desires that somehow involve Beryl.

As would be expected of a Chaos-borne entity, Heart of Chaos is able to interact with other entities and objects in a universally transphasic manner, meaning that it can touch even ghosts and the like.

Heart of Chaos is also able to control Beryl’s Chaos Fever and suppress pain to a degree, allowing her more endurance in the field.  Unfortunately, any further abilities are entirely dependant on the wielder.

Beryl has only just begun to understand how to use Heart of Chaos, so the advantages it can currently provide to her are very limited.  In actuality, Beryl can only use one technique reliably: tracking separate sources of her own Chaotic signature.  Although Beryl has yet to fully understand the concept behind this, anyone who has leeched power or fluids from her ends up taking in a little bit of her Chaos in the process.  Kazu drinking Beryl’s blood is a prime example, as is when Lillitu did the same.

The residual Chaos remains in that entity’s body indefinitely and, to a lesser extent, its spirit.  The Chaos energy is extremely hard to remove due to its adaptability and tendency to blend in with its surroundings; drastic and usually impractical measures would need to be taken in order to fully remove it, but for the most part, the amount is usually too small to cause any hindrance.  In addition, if another entity feeds on or from an affected entity, they also become carriers.  However, unless there are multiple or intense feedings like with Kazu’s Samusagi clone from the First War, the degree of “infection” is drastically reduced, as was the case with Morgana and Lucifer.

Aside from sensing her own Chaotic signature in others, Beryl has to rely on Heart of Chaos’s assistance while focusing energy into the sentient staff.  However, this tactic can prove unpredictable at times and lead to somewhat random effects.  In addition, such focusing sessions run the risk of causing or aggravating a Chaos Fever flare-up.

During the final fight against Demogorgon, Beryl had access to Eris’s ring, which increased her tolerance and to a lesser degree, her control, but it shattered from the sheer forces involved.

Personality: Although Heart of Chaos is sentient, the depth of its intelligence is not fully understood.  It possesses the ability to speak telepathically, but its vocabulary is limited and those who don’t have any telepathic ability themselves are unable to understand it, including Beryl.  However, Heart of Chaos is able to make due at least to a degree by relaying its feelings via purrs, hisses, the occasional screech, and nonverbal actions and gestures.  It is capable of understanding many different languages and has shown itself to be genuinely loyal and protective of Beryl, referring to her as its mistress.

Although Beryl refers to Heart of Chaos as a “she,” it is actually genderless.

Disadvantages: Unfortunately, Heart of Chaos’s mere presence significantly increases Beryl’s chances of having a Chaos Fever flare-up.  In addition, if it believes that there is no other way to protect its mistress, Heart of Chaos will trigger a flare-up on its own, which could result in potentially disastrous consequences.