As the morning had come and Chris was now mostly calmed from the terrifying nightmare he'd had last night, Ryan left him in Ghost and Ricky's care to "deal with this". His typically empty expression had been washed over with a stain of rage. He'd never let his baby see him anger, but holding it in for him just made his blood boil more. By the time he reached Kuza's cove, he was ready to cut heads off.

A red alchemy array appeared over his palm, burning as deep as his temper. Ryan blasted a stream of frames against the wall, strongly igniting all the lanterns. Their light's reflection danced off the water's surface, of which remained the only thing calm in that room. He then produced the high pitched whistle that called the potion maker. The sound pierced through the waters, echoing through the submerged tunnels until it reached Kuza's sensitive ears. 

Every second he delayed in answering the call was another bone Ryan wanted to break. Finally, after a few long minutes, a tired and annoyed Kuza emerged from the pool. He wasn't much of a morning person, to say the least. 

"I was sleeping." He sneered.

Ryan ignored him, barking, "Get that goddamn whore of yours up here!" 

Still extremely peeved and only half awake, Kuza returned with the same venom in his voice. "And why the fuck would I do that? I'm already in shit's creek with the Collector because you're late on Nimo."

Ryan suddenly stepped down into the shallow end of the water, which came as a massive shock to his counter. He never dares to get in the water because he knows what lurks in the deep end, and what's capable of swimming up to the shore. Besides, there was always an understanding between the two that they kept a respectable distance. There was actually a reflection of fear in Kuza's eyes.

The dollmaker grabbed him by the throat, pulling him in until not even an inch of air separated them. "I'm the one that keeps you fucking alive. Don't you ever forget that. That asshole crossed a line with me and I need to speak with him, now. I won't ask again. Call your fucking whore to take me down there."

Ryan released his tight grip and allowed Kuza to breath. He stumbled back a bit as he choked on air. After shooting Ryan a dirty look, he turned back towards the darkness of the tunnel and dove back into the deep end of the water. Unlike Croc or some of the other demons that lived in the cove, the particular one they needed didn't answer to any sort of call. He wasn't like most water dwelling beasts in that he had several more land-like qualities, including a lack of heightened or sonar hearing. 

A thick fog, of which had a somewhat holographic shimmer to it, rolled over the surface of the water. The fog and darkness followed the poor, forsaken creature wherever he went. Yet another reason why he often kept himself secluded from Kuza and the rest of his pets. Asher's glowing turquoise eyes emerged from the depths. His long, silky black hair draped over his shoulders. It went all the way down to his feet. He was shirtless, black harnesses wrapping around his chest tightly with various crystals hanging from them.

Asher said absolutely nothing. Kuza had already informed him of how crude Ryan was in requesting his services. He often was, but that didn't make it any easier on the water dweller. His mind was delicate after the years of manipulation and abuse he'd endured before Kuza rescued him. Asher silently reached out his hand. His lips just barely parted, as if he wanted to say something, but the words sunk back in his throat. It was useless to try to talk.

Ryan took his offered hand firmly. A black mist twirled up from the water, snaking over Asher's skin and down his arm until it continued onto Ryan. The darkness encased and consumed them both. Like a shooting star, the collective smoke narrowed and darted into the water's depth. The smoke trail traveled through the winding and confusing underwater caverns for a few minutes before reaching the master chamber. 

The smoke rose above the surface and onto the shoreline of the cave. It dusted away from Ryan's skin until he was materialized again. Asher appeared from the darkness as well, just staring at the man in disappointment. He dropped his hand from Ryan's grasp slowly. 

"I shouldn't be too long." Ryan informed him. 

What did he care? He was still going to run and find silence, even if it was for five minutes. Being around those who primarily dwell on the surface disturbed him. Asher began to back up towards the water's edge. He was fully prepared to let his home consume him again, but his master stopped him. 

"Asher," Kuza spoke from deeper in the cave, "Come here, dear."

A small whine sounded from his mouth. Hesitantly, he followed behind Ryan as the two entered the finished part of the cave. There were other rooms attached, but this is where you could often find the potion maker in his free time. He sat in his chair as if it were a thrown and motioned one of his subjects forward. Asher knelt to his knees and draped his arms and head over his lap. Kuza softly pet his hair to sooth him. 

"You've upset him." He said, "Have you ever thought about, you know, not purposefully having a massive shield of negative energy around you at all times?" 

"Have you thought about, you know, not having servants that are hypersensitive to magic imbalances?" Ryan deadpanned.

"If I didn't need you, I would've killed you a long time ago. You're such a fucking asshole." 

"You couldn't kill me even if you wanted to." He replied, walking past him.

Kuza glared back at him, "And how would you plan on living without my gift?" 

"There are other potion makers in the world. You're just the easiest one to blackmail. Speaking of, though, I'll be handing over Nimo's soul to him when I'm down there. I expect my payment when I return." 

"If you return." He muttered.

Realistically, the Collector will probably never kill Ryan, but he likes to torture him. Despite being a soul eating demon, he actually did care a great deal for his sons of his own blood. Why he held a bizarre hatred for his adoptive son was a mystery. While Judas and Rush continue to live like spoiled brats, Ryan had to work his ass off so his once mentor and now boss won't kill him and/or his baby.

Ryan fearlessly opened the door that led to the Collector's chambers. The fact that it was an ordeal to get there wasn't the reason he never visited. He just fucking hated him. Every conversation was usually demeaning, cold, and usually argumentative. You wouldn't have known that at some point, before his younger two sons had come along, he actually cared a great deal for Ryan. Now, as Ryan descended the insanely long staircase that led to his chambers, he couldn't help from thinking back on those days. 

Nothing good stays gold forever. He knew that, but he also knew gold doesn't rust overnight. In truth, it was never fair the way the Collector turned him out. It wasn't fair and it didn't make sense. Ryan's always been too bitter to try to figure out why. He's gotten over what happened and just accepts that he's a slave to the man he once considered a father. After rushing down literally hundreds of steps, he made it to the door centered deep within the earth. He didn't even bother with knocking.

It was a surprisingly classy joint down here. You wouldn't know it was thousands of miles underground and owned by one of the most evil creatures to ever walk the earth. The place looked like a retro hotel. Dark wood fixtures and gold on the walls, warm lamps hanging down from the ceiling, leather chairs pulled up to glass tables. There was a magnificent bar at the back. All the beauty of the place meant nothing to Ryan. The guests as well were pretty much invisible to him. 

The Collector had many friends, and they often enjoyed partying here. They didn't pay much mind to him, and he walked right past them. There was a private lounge in the far back that he walked directly to. He pulled back the curtain without even a hello, being met by the striking eyes of his employer instantly.

"Well," He scoffed, amused, "Isn't this a lovely surprise?" The Collector brushed the arm of the woman next to him away and leaned forward on the table. 

"Cut the bullshit. I know what you did to Chris, and all because I took a few more fucking hours than you wanted to give you this." Ryan unclipped a freshly made doll from his belt and threw it on the table. "I don't give a fuck who or what you are. He is just a child. You have a problem, you come to me. Don't fuck with him!"

He wasn't even bothered by Ryan's obvious anger. The Collector turned to the woman beside him and spoke ever so calmly, "Excuse me, love. I need to speak with my son for a moment." He stood up from the booth, walking out. "Let's speak in private, in my room."

( ø )

a/n: i decided to make a more delicate, timid version of asher for this universe. what do you guys think? do you like seeing him this way? 

also i'm a sucker for conspiracy theories, so please comment your predictions and such. i won't confirm or deny any ;) i just wanna see what you guys come up with! <3

also also, doll for this chapter: