O Children of the bloodied night, harken to my voice. I am the darkness. I am the silence. I am every fear you have ever felt and conceived.
I am Abyss.
The game has been set, and the players are gathering. To which side do you harken to?
Do you side with the Light, which destroys all hopes and lies in deceit?
Do you side with the Dark, which admits it's own faults, and accepts all who come?
Children, choose your side, for soon the balance of power shall shift. There shall be no wrong or right, but Truth.
Raven fell out of the abyss with Chaos. He had chosen the form of a black cat to hide in.
Since he knew there was a character named Raven in the story, he decided to change it to his other name.
Niko. He had never chosen a last name.
Chaos looked around at the scenery.
Well Niko? Where do we begin?
"Let's find out what has happened, before we decide on what to do. We may have come during the ceremony when B-Rabbit shows up."
They set off to find the mansion. And discovered it was a hive of activity.
"Oh no...we came at the very beginning! We'll have to wait here for ten years for the story to catch up!" whined Niko.
It wouldn't be long before he was spotted. So he used his ability to shift his form to appear fifteen. It was a very good thing he knew the names of most of the characters. He could appear as a random noble child come to pay his respects.
"With this sword, the impurities of the flesh are expunged..."
Niko and Chaos waited. It would only be moments before the Shinigami appeared, and the clock would toll.
Chaos had erected a barrier to protect them from the time stop.
He could feel the presence of his master, Abyss. She appeared as an older woman in an oriental dress of pure black silk.
"You here to enjoy the show Abyss?"
She smirked.
"You know this is one of my favorite parts of the first book."
"Ah yes, the moment when his sin is declared and he is cast into the abyss of madness. What was that line again?" said Niko with a smirk.
"Your sin...is your very being."
"Word for word, as always. Ah well. Where shall we await the Young Master, Chaos?"
"I want a look at that grave stone."
"So we wait where it all began. Poetic as usual Chaos."
The shinigami appeared as the bell tolled. The game had begun.
"If you are near to the dark
I will tell you about the sun
You are here, no escape
From my visions of the world
You will cry, all alone
But it does not mean a thing to me
Oh in the song I will sing
Until the darkness comes to sleep
Come to me, I will tell
Of the secret of the sun
It's in you, not in me
But it does not mean a thing to you
The sun is in your eyes
The sun is in your ears
I hope you see the sun
Someday in the darkness
The sun is in your eyes
The sun is in your ears
But you can't see the sun
Ever in the darkness
It does not much matter to me..."
Niko hopped off the stool. Discord always had such a lovely voice. And that was a very apt song for the occasion that they awaited.
Mayhem meowed loudly. He was hungry. Trouble hissed at him.
"Calm down you lot. It's almost time for us to enter the stage and begin the game. Abyss has been bored."
"Order, brothers, is our enemy. Shall we destroy the peace yet again?"meowed Chaos from Niko's lap.
The seven brothers of Anarchy yowled in harmony.
Chaos, Trouble, Mayhem, Discord, Trickery, Destruction and Deceit had watched over Niko as he practiced with their powers. He had been too used to using Abyss' abilities in a fight. But for the past ten years he had come into his own talents.
Now he could use any of their powers with little thought. Yet he remained in an eleven year old's body. A parting present from the Light.
They all felt the change in the atmosphere. The Abyss of Madness had lost one of it chain's again.
Alyss wouldn't be happy about that. But Abyss would calm her down. After all, what lonely daughter wouldn't listen to her mother?
Niko ran past Raven, not even stopping. If the man couldn't tell what he was at a glance, then why should he care? The one he needed to focus on was Oz.
Oz was the one he needed to help him. After all, he was a Key. And the others almost always followed with what Oz wanted.
He deliberately crashed into the boy.
"Oomph!"
"So sorry! I was chasing Chaos and he went right under your feet!" apologized Niko.
"Chaos?"
"Meow?"
"Chaos, you silly kitty!" said Niko as he scooped up the black cat. Oz was more than happy to pet him. Chaos purred.
"That's a friendly kitten you have."
"I have seven of them. Chaos is the oldest."
"Wah...Seven cats? How do you feed them all?"
"Well... Chaos is the only one that follows me around. The others just pop up whenever they please. So it's pretty easy."
Oz and Niko chatted while Raven retrieved Alice. Niko only had to mention that he didn't have parents and Oz seemed to latch onto him.
It wasn't long before Niko ended up joining their group to the mansion.
They never knew that he had just left it a scant hour ago.
Niko listened to Oz talk about Gil and smiled. Then gunshots rang out.
Niko heard Zwei speak out right before Alice kicked the door in.
"Even though it's been ten years since Oz disappeared into the Abyss!"
Zwei smirked.
"The guest of honor has finally arrived!"
A strange woman appeared behind Raven.
"This child is my chain, Duldum!"
As Oz slowly realized that Raven was his beloved Gilbert, Alice made an unpleasant realization herself.
"Oz! So long as he controlled I can't use my full powers!"
Raven stalked towards them, his body no longer his own. Niko grinned. This was his opportunity.
"Hey, old lady! Aren't you tired of playing with cheap marionettes?" Niko called out, running towards her.
"Old Lady? I'll have your head brat! Raven, kill him!" she shrieked.
Raven aimed his gun at Niko.
Child of Anarchy, I call upon your Dark Power. Arise, Chaos of the Abyss!
A black streak ran into the chapel. It formed into a human with long black hair, two black cat ears and a long, silky black tail. Raven was petrified, despite being controlled. He couldn't stand cats!
"Who... What are you?" said Zwei in shock.
"I...am the Lord of Darkness. Raven Niko Black."
Chaos blaster!
Chaos turned into twin guns, which were held upside down in Niko's hands.
"Shall we play, Mistress Puppeteer?" said Niko sweetly.
She shrieked at him, and sent Raven after him. Niko dodged every attack with perfect ease. Her anger grew, and finally she decided to use a hostage.
She had Raven hold Oz at gunpoint. Niko smiled at her, with no hint of warmth in his eyes.
"He won't shoot~!" he said in a sing song voice.
Once Oz saw the scar on Raven's chest, he knew the truth. Raven was his friend Gilbert. Something in the look in Oz's eyes made it impossible for him to shoot the boy. Instead, something else happened.
Raven's loyalty to Oz broke whatever control Zwei had on him. He shot her instead!
Niko stayed with Alice. Oz had gone after Raven, who was still injured.
"You okay Alice?" he asked.
She leaned her head into her arms. Niko had an idea, and plopped Chaos into her hands. Chaos meowed loudly.
"What's this?"
"This is Chaos. He has six brothers, all of them are a menace," said Niko with a grin.
Alice absently petted Chaos, who began to purr.
"He's really soft," she said, not really paying attention.
"Thank you. Of course this isn't really fur that you're petting."
Alice nearly dropped the cat in shock.
"Chaos isn't a real cat. He's nothing more than the representation of Chaos. He just like to pretend to be a cat."
"I didn't say you had to stop,"whined Chaos. He began to purr when she started to pet him again.
"Is he a Chain?"
"Not in the sense you're thinking. He doesn't follow the Will of the Abyss. Though he does listen to Abyss when she asks him for favors..." said Niko.
Alice grinned as she petted Chaos. It was really soothing.
"Let me make one thing clear Alice. Whether its you or the Will of the Abyss... You'll never be alone again."
Alice looked at him strangely.
"You are...weird."
"I know. But at least I'm never boring!" said Niko with a genuine smile.
Alice smiled back. She could hear someone whispering in the back of her mind, but with Niko there, she could barely hear it. Suddenly Oz shook her awake.
"Alice?"
"So is Raven waiting for us?" asked Niko.
Oz grinned at him. Niko had an evil idea.
"Would you like to use Chaos to scare Raven?"
Oz's smile turned evil. Chaos jumped onto his shoulder and gave an evil smirk in return.
"You like to bully people don't you, Oz?" asked Niko.
Oz grinned at them both, and Niko knew they would have a lot of fun teasing Raven.
Alice and Oz went ahead, and Niko brought up the rear. Oz placed one of Raven's guns in his back pocket. Raven wasn't too happy that Oz only handed him one gun back.
That was when they notice Alice wasn't herself.
Niko watched the scene play out. A much brighter Alice ran towards someone. It was a man with long braided hair and fancy clothing.
He seemed really familiar somehow.
Suddenly the clock inside the chapel began to toll. Niko didn't hear what the man said, but he realized he looked a lot like Oz, only older.
"Be careful. The Will of the Abyss has been watching you all this time," said the man.
Niko gasped as the scenery began to fall apart, like shards of glass.
He turned to Raven. Niko could just hear something about him protecting Oz.
Suddenly Niko awoke to find Alice in a chair, and Oz was standing alone. He got up and looked around.
That was when he saw the rabbit floating above Alice.
"Now that won't do, Alyss-chan. Abyss won't be happy if you broke your twin," said Niko.
The rabbit turned to Niko and gave him a crazed look.
"Don't interfere!"
Niko smiled, his eyes turning crazed.
"Now, now. That's no way to speak to others, little Alyss-chan," said Niko with an eye smile.
The rabbit went to strike, but something held it back.
"But Kaa-san... Eh? He is? Okay, I won't kill him then, Mother," said the rabbit.
Niko smiled.
"Abyss, are you having fun?"
Another doll appeared, this one in the shape of a large dog.
"A lot of fun. Will-chan has a lot of dolls to play with."
Niko laughed. Oz and Raven gave him an odd look.
"Niko-kun, who are you?" asked Oz.
Niko gave him an insane smile. His eyes became crazed.
"Abyss, why don't you show yourself? I haven't seen you without a doll intermediary in ten years," said Niko.
The dog cackled, and began to grow enormous.
"Kaa-san! Where are you going?" asked the white rabbit in a whine.
"Relax Alyss. I will return to your side soon enough."
A tall woman in black appeared out of the void. Her long black hair was in the most interesting style they had ever seen. It was almost like she had two large bunny ears on her head. (Think Black Lady from Sailor Moon.)
"Hello, my Niko."
"Abyss!"
Niko went to tackle her. Abyss gave him a look.
"Who are your friends, Niko?"
"Oz, Raven and Alice."
"Yoroshiku, little ones. I am the Abyss of Silence."
They all gave Niko a pointed stare.
"I suppose you could say Abyss is my Chain. Only I'm not exactly the same as you guys."
"Niko is both my master and my servant. I will not allow any harm to come to him, Sharon Rainsworth," said Abyss, looking at Raven.
His eyes widened with horror. Abyss eyed him with some amusement.
"Sharon Rainsworth, call back your little horse or I will turn him into glue," said Abyss with a cool smile.
Raven could feel something retreat from that cold gaze. She then turned to Alice.
"I'm afraid you'll have to leave here, Alice. Your sister is a bit upset that you took her toy away so soon. She gets very lonely you know."
"Who are you?" growled Alice.
"I suppose you could say I am your mother, in a strange sense. I was here before any of this was created, and I will be here when the Abyss falls into itself. If you behave, there will be a large amount of meat in it for you."
Alice perked up at the word meat. Then she glared at her again. Niko took his chance to hug smiled.
"Alyss, how about a game? Would you be a good girl and let them go?"
The white rabbit doll's eyes glazed over.
"Kaa-san, I want to play with them some more!" it whined.
Abyss looked at Niko.
"If you want, I will play with you Alyss. But you would have to let me in first."
Abyss smiled.
"I'm sure Cheshire would be more than happy to show you the way, Niko," said Abyss.
The white rabbit's mouth split in half. Alyss looked very happy.
"Now let them out Alyss. When Cheshire finds Niko, he will come to play with you. You just have to be patient."
Abyss gently touched the face of the white rabbit.
"Yes Mother."
"Good girl."
Oz, Alice and Raven all passed out as the Will of the Abyss released them. Niko of course, was used to the disorienting effects of the Abyss.
Niko grinned evilly when Raven woke up. On his head was Chaos. Raven stiffened immediately.
"Morning sunshine!" said Niko sweetly.
"GAH!"
Niko looked to Chaos and said "Perimeter search."
"Got it, Trickster."
Chaos jumped off his shoulder and went around to search. Raven relaxed a bit.
"Shall we carry them to the entrance? I'll take Alice if you take Oz," said Niko.
Raven helped load Alice onto Niko's shoulders. He carried Oz under his arm.
Niko grinned when he saw the second carriage.
A white haired man and a young girl were waiting for them.
"So you must be Niko. Quite interesting friends you keep," said the man.
"Hello Xerxes Break. And they aren't my friends," said Niko calmly. Chaos appeared at his shoulder with a smug look. Niko had explained his position towards the dark Powers more than once.
"Oh? Comrades or pawns then?" smiled Break.
"Family. They are my family."
Chaos yowled, and to Raven's horror, six cats appeared at once. They surrounded Niko.
Break seemed very amused with him.
"I am the Great and Powerful Niko. Bow before me or stand out of my way," said Niko with a cocky smirk.
"Mah mah. You are an interesting child," said Break. He produced a sweet from out of nowhere.
All seven Anarchy brothers zoomed in on him. They all had the worst sweet tooth.
"You had best share your candy, Break. Otherwise they will eat you alive to get at it," Niko informed him.
"How could they possibly eat me? They're Chains," said Break, popping a sweet in.
The cats all looked at Niko.
"Go ahead."
In the space of a breath, all seven cats transformed from annoying pests to humanoid felines.
Chaos smirked at the surprised Break.
"We are not Chains, you cyclops. We are personifications of Anarchy," said Chaos.
"And all of them have the largest sweet tooth you will ever encounter in darkness. Unfortunately, it's nearly impossible to regulate their sugar intake," said Niko with a shake of his head.
Once everyone was loaded into the carriages (and Break reluctantly parted with most of his candy) Niko allowed the Pandora agents to question him.
Niko woke up and felt a crick in his neck. Last night had been difficult, since it took him five long hours to convince Sharon and Break that he wasn't their enemy, just someone passing through.
And then it took him and Chaos another three hours to explain the war that was about to begin between Light and Dark.
By the time he finally fell asleep, Chaos had turned into a rather disturbing pillow, and Raven kept shooting him freaked out looks. Fortunately someone had the presence of mind to at least put a blanket on him. (He suspected Break.)
He popped his neck back into place, and yawned. Break was already up, discussing candy flavors with Chaos.
"Morning, Chaos, Break."
Chaos grinned, and ruffled his already messy bedhead.
"Morning little Trickster. Mayhem almost didn't leave you any breakfast."
Niko scowled.
"If he had, he would have been sent to the Toad."
Chaos grinned wider. Niko was by no means a morning person. He loathed the light of day.