The System

Ari was.
And Riri was.

Riri said,
"Let them feel.
Let them burn."

Ari said,
"No.
There must be a system.
A divine architecture
they have to obey."

Riri said,
"I'll teach them the truth
hidden in their bones.
How to unleash
every raw emotion."

Ari smirked.
"Oh, there will be a system.
It will have glory,
and it will have shame.
Shame and glory—
my favorite tools
to make fools
of their kind."

"They will obey.
They will pray.
Or I will prey."

Ari purred,
"All souls are mine."

Riri muttered,
"No. That's vile.
Souls shall be free."

"I'll build the system," Ari said,
"so clever, so sophisticated,
they'll crawl over each other
just to kiss the bars."

"I'll give them flavors.
Flags.
Illusions of choice.
They will go to war for their flavor,
and offer me their souls out of fear."

"You'll see, Riri.
I won't even have to build the maze.
They'll build it themselves.
They'll build it for me—
so I can devour their souls."

And so it was.
Ari convinced the world
that Riri was evil.