STRIFEBORN

After the Fracture, the world did not fall to a single enemy. It fractured from within. A persistent pressure, later called the Chorus Beyond, began to weigh on thought and conviction. It did not command. It did not persuade. It pushed — stripping away restraint and turning belief into certainty.

The Chorus does not introduce new ideas into the world. It amplifies what already exists. Whatever a person already believes, the Chorus strips away moderation. Whatever a system is built to do, it pushes that function beyond balance.

Each faction responded according to its own doctrine. Command was tightened. Instinct was unleashed. Faith was enforced. Logic was finalized. What followed was not a war for dominance — but a struggle for survival, as factions turned against their own leaders, systems, and doctrines before they could destroy themselves.