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Chaos, violence, betrayal.These were all things Chime was very used to. Since the day he was exiled from his home and taken in by the Devil Clan. Or perhaps he was introduced to these things beforehand when the voice inside of him beckoned him to embrace the beast resting deep inside of his soul. Or perhaps he knew of these things all along. It didn’t really matter, he was familiar with, lived with, the reality of an organization ruled by chaos and violence. Familiar with the feeling of betrayal by those you trusted. Making allies was important but keeping them at a distance was even more important.Compared to the more rigid and strict Minamoto Clan, the Devil Clan was wild, intense, but always embraced those outside of the clean look of his former family. To him he existed at the bottom, the very scum of the Earth and he was okay with that (or so he told himself) because if he was going to be accepted by the bottom-of-the-barrel scum then so be it. He would do their worst and be welcomed for it. That was until the rift, the implosion that collided two multiverses. A collision that taught him that there were people worse than the Devil.N109 ZoneThat was where he was currently. It was a hellhole like no other. It was similar to his home but very different. He was used to the soft drips of blood, dripping and dripping until they collected into a river of blood that streamed over him and coated his entire world. But here those droplets collected into a red sea, dotted with boats made of corruption on the backs of those under them. It was like Las Vegas in a way, but where that city of sin was bright lights and shiny women this place was black soot and dark alleys.And at the very pinnacle of it was one faction, Onychinus, and its leader Sylus. He sat in front of them and to Chime he was made of pure aura. Of course, his leader, Osho, was just as intimidating, the combined presence of the two seemed to fill the room, silencing all others lesser than them, including Chime. But unlike Osho, who he knew well even if his feelings weren’t positive, Sylus was an unknown variable, and the way he presented himself helped this none. But what freaked Chime out the most was his eyes. Like ruby gems, they seemed to gleam and glow in the light, and the occasional times the pair made eye contact it almost felt like he wasn’t staring at Chime but through him. It unnerved him, made the animal inside him want to fight back.Chime stood up once Osho and Sylus did, handshakes and bows exchanged as the business deal finished. When he first entered this place he was told that the Devil Clan was like a drop of food dye in a barrel of water. On their own, they could try their best to change the color of the water but it would be hard. Society tends to notice when people go missing too often, especially since they were mostly confined to one country. This made it hard for them to do their experiments and slowed down their progress expeditiously. They would be able to gather more drops of food dye but it would be a slow harvest.Thanks to, what is dubbed “The Great Collision”, the Devil Clan now had access to an entire grocery store's worth of food dye. According to the rumors, this place was lawless, where you could buy anything for the right price. That sort of business was lucrative to them. In exchange, they offered dragon servitors that were obedient to their masters, no need to train Wanderers if someone else would do the training for you. So when his boss approached Onychinus it was only obvious that this would end in a partnership.But where did that leave him? As the representative of said partnership of course. He would be living with Sylus until they gained suitable funds to purchase their own place of operations. He would be the mouthpiece for the Devil Clan, an honor bestowed thanks to his power, and would establish their foothold here as well.Much to his chagrin but fully expected this did mean moving, it's hard to represent an organization from another country when you're barely even allies. Which also meant packing his stuff and taking a helicopter over back to the city. It was only the four of them, him, Kogure, and two others unless Chime deemed it necessary to bring over more people. But the four of them packed so little that they decided to not waste time with an airplane. Chime packed hastily, deciding to leave behind the items he had from his brother in a box, tucked inside the back of his room’s closet. He had yet to get rid of that sentimentality, and he didn’t know if he wanted to. Packing into the helicopter and securing their items was even quicker and as Chime watched the landscape of Japan disappear, replaced by the blue sea and eventually the red landscape of N109 he wished he had spent more time taking in his home.—Upon arrival, they were greeted by Sylus’ two assistants, Luke and Kieran, as well as some guards to take in their boxes. He followed the pair to a car where they were “prompted” to get inside. Though “car” was wrong, this was a whole limousine, big enough to accommodate the six of them and then some. The guards would be following behind in a truck that parked behind the limo and once they were seated they were off.It wasn’t a long drive to his mansion and although he had never seen Sylus’ home before, or even knew anything about his residence, he could tell the home belonged to him. It was large and intimidating, painted black and red. The driveway was long as if to force those who had come here to truly stew in whatever they were feeling, whether good or bad. Chime was wholly unimpressed though. He missed the cherry blossoms that surrounded the Clan’s home, providing a sweet smell in the Spring.The walk inside was no better. The walls and furniture were a similar color to the outside, black and red. Based on Sylus’ outfit earlier Chime would take a large bet to assume that those might have been his favorite colors. Or perhaps he chose that color scheme because it matched the city beyond. The hallways also showed off a number of gems and gem-encrusted items. It was gaudy and as a performer, Chime honestly preferred the subtle beauty traditionalism offered.Luckily their rooms didn’t also follow the same color scheme, instead pops of color existed here and there adding a bit of difference to the winding hallways outside of the doors. Chime looked at the room and at his couple of boxes and suitcase with a high sigh. This was his future now, he had to get used to it if he wanted to prosper again. His brother would’ve been able to handle this with no problems, he would’ve excelled at this mission.The thought made Chime want to puke.–The dinner table was large, though there were only 7 people to eat at it. It was him, Kogura, the two others he brought, Luke and Kieran, and of course Sylus. He sat at the head of the table, looking upon all of them as if he were the patriarch. As the sit-in leader of the Devil Clan Chime sat next to him on his left, with his people filling in next to him while the twins sat on Sylus’ right side. It seemed as if those three were the only people that lived here. Though why would he expect anyone else here.“Enjoying your rooms? I had them redecorated myself.” Sylus picked up a glass of wine and whisked it around slightly, bringing the glass to his lips and taking a large sip. Chime followed suit, though he knew he looked a lot more dainty than the dominating presence that was the Onychinus leader.“I quite like my room. The bed is soft, a lot more comfortable than a futon.” Kogure replied as she ate to which Sylus hummed in response.“And what about you? Anything I can change? Wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable.” Sylus looked at Chime though it felt like earlier, like he wasn’t looking at him but through him, into his wants, fears, and desires. He hated those eyes and he had half a mind to tear out his beating heart and leave it under the floorboards.“Mm, it’s okay. As Kogure said, the bed is quite nice.” He responded. Despite his internal thoughts, his voice came as soft and delicate as it usually did, something that almost seemed to amuse their host.The dinner continued on, conversation was sparse and shallow, often trailing off after some time. But throughout the whole thing, he could never drop the feeling of Sylus’ eyes upon him, staring at his very soul.–Chime sighed lightly, staring up at the bathroom ceiling. It was a large one, especially for a guest bathroom. He wasn’t that tall, standing at 172 cm, but he was still a little shocked that he was comfortably able to lie down in the bath. By now the water had gone tepid and he knew he needed to get out before he would become fully cold.
He drained the bath and got out, changing into a sleep yukata, grabbing his clothes, and exiting the bathroom. As soon as he stepped out he felt himself go face-first into someone's body. Much to his misfortune it wasn’t anyone he came here with, or even the twins who would've been even a margin more preferable, but no it was Sylus, who looked him up and down, his ever-present smirk painted upon his face.“Interesting pajama choice.” He commented in his red silk pajamas. If there was one thing Chime could commend him about it was his willingness to always stick with the theme and understanding how to best play his part. There were some people he worked with that he wished would understand this as well as Sylus did. “Going to bed I assume.”Once more Chime felt unnerved by his gaze on him but this time he didn’t shy away, he decided to meet his gaze instead, lifting his head up to meet his eye contact head-on. An action that only seemed to further amuse the taller male. He regarded Chime for a bit before leaning down slightly towards him, still not enough to bring him to eye level with Chime though. He then stuck his hand out.“I look forward to getting along with you.” He said simply, a wicked grin covering his face.Chime steeled himself and placed his hand in Sylus’, shaking it. His slender hand was of course engulfed by Sylus’, a difference he probably realized, another domineering tactic to remind Chime who was really in charge here. Luckily that was it though and Sylus walked off in the opposite direction of him.Chime walked to his room, placed his clothes in the laundry hamper, and sat on the bed. The moon was bright, illuminating his room in its silver rays. He couldn’t help but walk over to it but with the closer view of the room came the view of the N109 zone. He managed to not only become a powerful hybrid but also gained power through sheer charisma, talent, and love from his fans. He would never be the large and formidable presence that Sylus was but he wouldn’t be a fawn, relentlessly running from the wolf.He was going to rise once more. Power would be his, the Devil Clan would take over this place, and they would all see that he could be just as strong as they could.