Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own -Man
Blood was spread over the white floor. Stuck to the white walls. Lifeless bodies lay scattered against doors that led into nothingness scattered across the white city. Above, a never-ending false, blue sky.
In the middle of this white city throned another city with a large mansion and a huge wheat field to its right. A woman was sitting in the middle of a wheat field leaning against a tree. She didn't move. Her dress was also full of blood.
In the smaller, brown city a young man was leaning against a wall. In his hands he held a long sword. His short, dark hair was glued with blood. He breathed heavily. He was barely conscious.
Something that looked like a giant goblin was just a few feet away. "I will find you. You cannot escape me" it whispered. The being reached out and walked toward the boy. With each step, the goblin began to disappear, until finally a similar-looking boy stood in front of the one lying on the ground. They were almost identical.
"You promised to always stay by my side."
The long-haired boy knelt beside his twin. But the boy with the short hair no longer had the strength to stay awake. His bright amber eyes closed for the last time. Light breeze caressed his hair. A hand touched his cheek. Drops of rain fell on his face.
"Nea ... do you hate me?"
The light of the sunset made his white hair shine like a halo. A breeze divided the wheat fields to the right and left of the dirty road on which a lonely straw-laden carriage made its way.
Slowly, Nea opened his silver eyes. The orange sky blinded him. He put a hand over his eyes and grumbled.
Asleep he rubbed his eyes then sat up and stroked his hair. Straw had tangled up in it.
Tired, he looked around. Wide field surrounded him. Where am I?
Something moved on his head. Seconds later a golden ball with wings fluttered up and down in front of his face almost euphorically. Nea reached out and the golem landed on his hand. Nea smiled down at his little friend.
"Tim."
"Ah, finally up? Just in time. We're almost there." he heard a voice behind him say.
An elderly man was sitting in the driver's seat at the front. He wore light clothes and a straw hat.
That's right. I had asked a farmer to take me to the next town.
Stone buildings stretched along the horizon. But they were too small for the city of Nea's destination. The farmer must have noticed his confusion.
"Do not worry. Our real goal is behind it. But I have to unload something here. It shouldn't take long and we will be in the next big city shortly before night."
Nea nodded at the man, still a little dazed, and lay back down on the straw. Tim fluttered around his master cheerfully.
"It's none of my business, but you seem to be a little young to travel alone."
If it's none of your business, then don't ask, thought Nea annoyed, but decided against insulting his fellow traveler. He used to love traveling like this, but now that he knew what it felt like to be unable to use the ark, he was reluctant to go on foot.
"I'm actually traveling with a basta ... I mean, my master. But he hopped off somewhere."
"Good gracious. What a terrible master you have. So irresponsible to his son."
His WHAT!? No, no, never, no!
At least that's what Nea would like to say. Outwardly he stayed quiet and immediately replied: "No, he is not my father. Luckily. He just left me an address before he hit me with a hammer in the head."
And what a bad memory that was. On the other hand, he had known Cross's character for years. He guessed he should've seen this turn of events coming.
"A hammer?!" The man's voice sounded shocked.
"Yep." Why did humans have to be so slow on the uptake? If Nea had a choice ... oh, who was he kidding? He had no choice.
The farmer murmured something to himself which Nea studiously ignored.
For a while, Nea listened to the wind that blew across the field. Just like he used to do. How nostalgic.
The deep shadows of the first buildings reached the cart as Nea lifted his head and sat up again. People collected the goods on their stands by the side of the road or made some last-minute errands. A normal person would call it a peaceful little town in the sunset. But Nea got goose bumps. A feeling of bone-penetrating cold spread through him.
"Oi, old man. How long will we be staying here?" He may not have been polite, but hey ... with such a past, a lot of manners got thrown out the window.
Meanwhile his driver had piloted the cart to one of the stalls and unloaded a barrel.
"I guess five minutes. You can just lie down again." Nea nodded at him. The faster they got away, the better.
Tim fluttered excitedly in front of Nea. "I know, Tim. I don't like it here either."
A figure jumped out of the shadows. The next moment, Tim was gone. Nea immediately jumped up and looked around. The culprit was found quickly.
Timcanpy was stuck in the mouth of a cat. The cat stared at Nea with an evil glint in its eyes. Nea looked shocked at the cat. "Don't you dare." he whispered. Next thing he knew, Tim was swallowed. Nea lunged at the cat which turned out to be a lot more nimble than it looked.
Nea's hand only caught air as the cat made its exit with the poor golem in its stomach.
"Are you ...! Fleabag!" Nea swore and jumped up to pursue the cat.
"Hey boy, where are you running to?" The farmer shouted. But Nea was already too far away. The farmer scratched his head and murmured to himself. "At least he could have told me his name. I hope he doesn't get into trouble."
Act 1: Clear the Stage! Spotlight on! Let the Show Begin!
"That damn fleabag!" Nea cursed as he ran along another alley. It was now dark and only a few people could be found on the streets. His ride would by long gone by now.
From the start he had not had a good feeling with the place and rightly so! Why did Tim have to be eaten here? As if the times in India, China and on the ship here hadn't been bad enough already.
Meow.
Nea stopped dead in his tracks and looked around. There! A few meters away was the entrance to an old church. He couldn't see much of it because of the dark, but the walls seemed to have had better days.
Meow.
The cat with Tim in it was in there. Guaranteed. How this cat had looked at him. So challenging and cocky. A sadistic smile played on Nea's lips. If he got the fleabag in his hands ... That was one golemnapping too many.
"Maybe the cat is Road's? Or maybe even Lulubell in disguise? It did look sadistic enough."
To Nea's right a man with long red hair leaned against the walls that framed the church. He wore thick glasses so his eyes could not be seen and a lab coat. In his hand was a small, worn notebook in which he wrote.
"But if it's a normal cat and you're not able to catch it ... well, that's just sad, Nea." The man mocked him and went through the wall towards the church. "Be careful. Maybe you'll go up in flames when you enter sacred grounds."
Nea had already reached the gate and pushed it open a bit and listened. "Shut up, Allen." There were footsteps inside. Other people?
No matter. He had to find this cat.
Slowly Nea made his way into the dilapidated church. From inside, it didn't look any better than from the outside. Everywhere were old books, shredded fabric and pieces of wood. Somewhere voices whispered.
It was too dark to see what was going on in great details. So Nea looked for a movement of something bright.
He saw a movement by the left wall. Crouching, he went there quickly. There was a door behind the figure. It was slightly open. Perfect.
Nea jumped at the shadow and crashed with them through the slightly opened door and pulled it close behind them.
It clicked. There was something metallic about on his wrist. Nea blinked. What? Moonlight fell through a window into the room. The shadow was a young woman. She wore a police uniform and looked just as confused as he felt. A pair of handcuffs dangled from his hand.
In her arms she held the wanted cat. Ignoring the woman and handcuffs, he rushed toward the cat, only to find himself strapped to a chair a few seconds later.
What the…?
If he hadn't expected something, then this was definitely very high on the list.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The woman pointed at him accusingly. Nea blinked several times, staring at her, too shocked to see how it could come to this. Slowly he turned his head to the cat, who was just brushing itself comfortably next to him.
"I'm after the furball here. It has eaten something important that my master gave me." Nea explained calmly.
The policewoman crossed her arms over her chest. "And where is your master?"
"Hopefully trampled on by an elephant in India." Nea cursed under his breath. "I mean, I'd like to know that too." He gave his best nervous laugh. "It's the truth."
She looked unconvinced but looked at him again and sighed. "You are only a child. Wait here. I'm going to..."
"GYAAAAA!"
The uneasy feeling he had, there it was again in full force. That familiar cold and that pain...Akuma!
The woman winced but got a grip on herself quickly. "What was that? You wait here." She said to Nea before she ran out the door.
Nea tore theatrically at the cuffs. Where else should I go? He and the cat stared at each other until Nea sighed, lifted his free hand over the cuffs and touched them with two fingers. He murmured several strange-sounding, short words. Around the handcuffs shone several signs. Then it clicked and Nea's hand was free.
He rubbed his wrist and stood up. Crap! I should've looked for Akuma. But if I use my powers to track them down, they can find me too. It's best if I leave quickly.
"You cannot just let her die!" A boy, also red-haired, appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the room and shouted at Nea. "We have to save her and free the Akuma, idiot Nea!"
"I'm just here for Tim, Allen." Why did the smaller version of Allen have to turn up now? Or was it the younger version? After all, this part of his personality was only a few years old.
"What would these people in this exorcist headquarter say when they learn that you are not fulfilling your duty as an exorcist? They could start asking awkward questions." Allen stamped angrily with his foot.
Nea was not impressed. "And how are they going to find out if the only witness will by dead very soon?"
"Just save her! Save her, save her, save her. Or I'll tag after you like that forever. You won't have a quiet minute to yourself ever again" he threatened.
Annoyed Nea ran his fingers through his hair. He could already feel the approaching headache. Sometimes he really didn't know which of the two Allen's was worse. "Okay already. I'll do it. So stop annoying me."
A scream came from below. "Charles!" Now is as good a time as ever, I guess.
The cat was about to leave. Nea swiftly picked her up. "You're coming along. We're not finished yet."
Nea pushed open the door. He saw the young policewoman standing in front of a pile of dust. Mist spread through the building.
Akuma virus!
He ran up to her, pulling a handkerchief out of his coat pocket. As Nea had dragged her through the old wooden door into the adjoining room minutes before, he now pulled her towards the exit and held the cloth over her nose and mouth.
"Don't breathe. Or the Akuma kills you too."
Only outside in the fresh air did Nea notice that the policewoman had fainted. He laid her in the grass and knelt beside her. And what now? At least the Akuma is no longer here.
"Bring her to her colleagues." Little Allen stood beside him. "I saved her. Now begone." Allen looked at him reproachfully. "You're just going to leave her here so the Akuma can find her later? Then everything would've been in vain."
Nea turned to the policewoman. Why do I even listen to the two? He gathered her in his arms and got up and made his way to the local police station.
His eyebrow twitched. Nea was about to develop a tick. He had forgotten that Cross wasn't the most annoying person. As hard as it was to believe.
"For the last time, my name is Allen Walker! And I'm just passing through! I have nothing to do with your fucking murder case!"
"And I should just believe you! Tell me the truth!" The detective eyed him suspiciously.
Never again would he listen to Allen. Little Allen, though his old friend didn't help much either.
No sooner had he carried the policewoman through the door of the police station, he was already surrounded by policemen and dragged away. Before he knew it, he sat on a chair in a lousy cold interrogation room, facing a fat man, who he believed to be the boss of this whole theater.
The two had been yelling at each other for half an hour. Nea stayed by his identity and his story. After all, he really was innocent this time. But the guy in front of him didn't want to hear anything about that.
Why work properly when the more convenient solution sits in front of you, ne?
The detective was just beginning another triad when the door opened and the policewoman from before was shoved into the room. She looked a little confused.
"Ah, Officer Moore Hesse. Awakened from your little beauty nap? You're just in time to hear the confession from our main suspect here." The detective wrinkled his nose.
Nea snorted contemptuously. "Then you are in for a long waiting time."
"You little…! So I should believe your story with the cat? Why should I believe someone who has disfigured his own body?" The detective shouted, grabbing Nea's left hand and raising it into the air. The glove was taken from Nea before the interrogation.
"It's a cross, if your frail brain couldn't recognize something so simple." Nea replied in an icy voice. "One would think you would recognize a symbol of your own God." It was noticeably colder in the room. The detective backed away a few steps and looked around, as if looking for danger.
"You said something about 'Akuma' before I fainted." Moore tried to defuse the situation and got closer to the table.
The detective was not interested. "Akuma'? What's that supposed to be? Stop it, Moore." He hadn't approached the table and Nea again.
Nea wouldn't tell him anything. That idiot could die trying to capture the murderer. Nea wouldn't care.
"But he saved me, sir! He was with me the whole time."
"All right, all right." the detective grumbled. "But you'll take care of him until we've searched the church!"
"What? Why me?" The young woman whined.
"You say he saved you, then he's your responsibility now," the heavy man pointed out. With one foot in the direction of the door, it was clear that the man wanted to leave quickly. She wanted to protest, but her boss glared at her and she swallowed her protest. "Alright, boss."
And so a short time later Nea found himself out of the cold police station and into the even cooler night. Moore was going in front of him, unnerved, mumbling something. Sound like cursing. Something Nea would like to do too.
The cat in Neas arms fidgeted and tried to get out of his embrace. Nea squeezed harder and glared at it. After everything I had to go through because of you. After that, the cat stayed calm.
When Moore suddenly stopped, Nea almost crashed into her. She turned to him. "What was it? What killed Charles? This 'Akuma'?" Her eyes reflected conflicting emotions. Emotions that Nea knew only too well.
"Want revenge?" The words left his mouth before he could think about it. Moore looked at him in surprise. "No ... yes ... I ..." She bit down on her bottom lip and looked down.
Nea went pass her. "The thing that killed your colleague is called Akuma" he told her while walking. He heard Moore approach and took the lead again.
This time she kept pace with him. "It's a machine - a weapon - that when it kills collects experience and then uses it to evolve."
Nea looked at Moore out of the corner of his eyes. "It won't stop until it's destroyed."
"How? How can we destroy it?"
"Normal people? Not at all. You would only end up as a small snack. You've probably heard of exorcists casting out demons. Well, the demons just look different than most people think."
Moore stopped in front of a house. She shivered slightly. "You said they are weapons. Then who built them?"
Nea smiled. "Do you like theater?" Moore looked at him in confusion. "The man who creates the Akuma loves it. For him, the story of this world is a tragedy in five acts culminating in your annihilation. He feels your grief for loved ones, dead people, and if you're stupid enough to fall for him, those souls will end up killing the one who called them back and taking their place until they can spread new grief. This man calls himself the Millennium Count."
"Why?"
Nea looked up at the sky. It looked like it was about rain. "Who knows." Then he looked back at her. His stomach growled. Nea smiled sheepishly. "Are we there soon? I'm really hungry."
Moore looked a bit startled, but then her emotional chaos disappeared visibly and she laughed. "Right up here." She pointed to the house next to her. A house that separated only one street from the old church.
What irony.
She unlocked the door and went inside. Nea stared at the church a little, weighing inwardly the danger of finding the Akuma. Ultimately, he decided against it. And he was very happy about it. As soon as he took a step into the house, his neck hair straightened up. The air felt heavy and seemed to suffocate him.
Mana! He is here! I have to get out here!
Slowly, still in a trance, Nea moved backwards to the door. He hadn't noticed that he was gradually crushing the cat in his arms. She bit him.
"Ow!"
He released the cat that was immediately walking down the hall and put his hand over his mouth. Moore came out of a room on the ground floor. "What are you waiting for?"
The shock made him breathe again. The gloomy atmosphere in the house was gone. Mana was gone. Nea sighed in relief. "It's nothing."
Moore shrugged and then pointed to the stairs. "First room on the right. I'll get you something to eat." Nea nodded.
Shortly thereafter, he sat at a small table and ate a bowl of soup. Moore had sat down on her bed opposite him. It didn't take long before he was finished with the soup.
If Mana has been here, that can only mean one thing. I cannot actively search for the Akuma, but I could figure out who I should avoid.
"Hey, tell me, have there been several unnatural deaths here lately? I heard the policemen at the station talking about it."
"Yes, a few. Actually, it's more like missing cases. All we find is dust ... the same dust as with Charles today! Do you think…?"
Nea rested his head on his hand. "Quite possible. Was there an incident before it started?" That was the important part. Moore considered. "Yeah. 2 years ago, there was an accident in the church next door. My sister, Claire, was playing the organ when a steel cross fell off the ceiling and killed her. Me and her husband, Brother Mark, have had to watch it. Mark never got over it. Now he is tied to a wheelchair."
"Mark was a priest, I suppose?" Moore nodded. A priest who from his point of view was betrayed by God. That's why Mana must have been here.
"This Mark, do you know where he is right now?"
"He is ..." The door swung open. A sickly man on a wheelchair rolled in. Nea jumped from his chair. Pain and sadness enveloped the man. Moore kneeled down in front of him. "Brother Mark. What are you doing here? How did you get up here?"
"Hunger. I'm so hungry." Mark began to tremble wildly. "Let me eat you!"
Mark was gone. Instead, a huge balloon with a face and pipes hovered over his place. And he aimed the barrels of his pistols at her.
"Move away!" Nea pulled Moore behind him. The next moment he felt the firepower of the akuma hit his back. They were thrown out the window by the explosion straight to the top floor of the church. The house collapsed behind them.
Moore was the first to get up again. She seemed to be fairly unhurt. She ran to the window through which they were thrown and looked outside. "It's following us" she called.
Nea cursed as he leaned against the wall behind him. Everything in him was already working to heal the damage the akuma had done. Why had he protected her? He could've easily gotten out of there unhurt.
"What was that? Where is Mark? "
"That was an akuma. Do you remember what I told you about akuma? Mark is already long dead. That thing is your sister."
"That ... that was Claire?" Tears welled up in Moore's eyes.
Suddenly they could hear shouts from the lower part of the church. "What's that!" "It's a demon!" Fire, fire!"
"Oh no. The others! Boss! "Moore rushed out onto the wood floor and ran down the stairs. "Claire! Stop it! I beg you! Please!"
Nea made no move to follow her. It was already too late for the other policemen anyway. She's not really think she can take on an akuma all by herself, is she? How naive.
"Go on, save her before it's too late." Little Allen leaned over Nea. Nea tried to push him out of his field of vision, but his hand went right through him. Frustration sometimes made him forget that his two companions were not physically there.
"If you disregard his whining, my little self is right, Nea." The big Allen now stood behind the small one. "akuma are the count's eyes and ears. What do you think he would do if he finds out there is an exorcist who simply let akuma kill to their hearts content without being punished by the Innocence?"
Nea closed his eyes. The pain subsided completely. He pulled himself up the wall and looked at his old friend. "Why do you always have to be right?" He took another deep breath and sprinted out the door, over the railing that connected the stairs with the ground floor and landed between the cornered Moore and the akuma. He had to give her some credit for surviving that long.
"You asked me how to destroy an akuma. Only people with anti-akuma weapons can do that. And today is your lucky day ... "
Even before he got up completely, he grasped his left wrist and pulled. Moore watched in shock as his arm turned into a broad sword and a white cloak wrapped itself around his shoulders.
"...for I am an exorcist!"
The akuma could not react. Nea swung Clown Crown with full force at the akuma. All that was left was an explosion. And then it was over.
Nea came to this city at sunset and would leave it at sunrise. As he stepped through the gate of the church, which was now even more demolished, the sun was just rising on the horizon and shrouded the outlines of the city in an orange glow.
It's hard to believe what happened in just one night. But Nea had already seen worse nights. Both in this and in his last life, if you could call it that.
Time to move on. I've wasted enough time ... What's that?
A small golden ball raced up the street and slammed against Nea's forehead before he could dodge. Somehow, today was just not his day.
Nea rubbed his forehead painfully.
"God, Tim! First, you get eaten by a furball and now that!"
The little golem didn't seem to bother by this, instead making himself comfortable in Nea's white hair.
Nea sighed theatrically and smiled. He could never be angry at Time for long.
"You missed the best part, Tim. I'm starting to get the hang of the Innocence." He thought of the sword of exorcism and his resemblance to a certain other sword. "Even though Crown Clown doesn't want to stop teasing me in any way it can."
If Tim is here, the cat probably fell victim to the akuma virus. Well, one less mouth that wants to eat Tim. It's probably more merciful than anything I was going to do.
There was a sound of footsteps behind him. Moore came out of the battered church but stopped in the gateway and leaned with her shoulder against the wall.
She had seen everything. From his or Allen's powers as an exorcist to the murderous weapons aka akuma of the count. If the count learned that someone other than the exorcist had survived, that would make her an even bigger target than she already was.
Of course, not as big a target as when Mana finds out that Nea had been here. If he knew how close they had missed each other.
It wouldn't have ended well. For no one here. If Mana gets even a clue about my whereabouts...
Nea's hands unknowingly clenched into fists. Memories haunted him. Of crazy, amber eyes. Of black blood. Of helplessness and a dark prison. He couldn't risk using his noah powers. Not yet.
"You've seen worse, haven't you? And you're not really just passing through." Moore tore Nea out of his thoughts. He had forgotten her completely. Very few people survived his meetings with his brother's weapons.
"Why do you say that?" Nea turned his head toward her. Her cheeks were covered with tears and she was shaking all over. A miracle that she could still stand on her feet. The shock was written all over her face.
Yet her voice was firm and determined. "Your eyes. When you faced this ... thing. You were not scared. Your eyes ... they showed determination ... and great sadness. Just like now."
She pointed at Nea's face. A single tear ran down his cheek. Nea wiped it off and starred shocked at his hand. When did he...?
"I want to help."
"Help?" There was chaos in his head.
"I will also help to bring down this count ... this ... this stage manager!"
"Stage manager?" Nea asked, raising an eyebrow questionably.
"You said he was a man of the theater." Moore replied.
And for the really big drama. And you want to mess with him. Nea had to laugh. He hadn't met such a person in a long time. He couldn't decide if she was really brave or just hopelessly naive. She reminded Nea of Allen.
"Hey you …!"
Nea interrupted her with a wave of his hand. "Sorry." He still had to laugh. Moore already wanted to start a new drama. "No, no. You're right. The count, a stage manager. That fits."
Moore stepped closer to him from the shadow of the church. Now that Nea could see the young policewoman in daylight, he saw the still not dried tears on her cheeks and in her eyes.
Normally, Nea wouldn't have cared what happened to the people who crossed his path, but having spent so much time among humans, he had probably somewhere found it in him to give them some sympathy. Especially when it came to the loss of a family member. He knew that feeling only too well. And yet he could not help but to rejoice over her pain in a somewhat sadistic way. To see a human suffering.
His final goal was clear. No human or feeling would stand in his way.
Moore smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes with one finger. "Say, what's your name? I didn't get it till now."
Nea turned to Moore. Timcanpy fluttered around his head. She looked exhausted, but in the end she did get through the night reasonably well and Nea had gained a new ally ... even if she was just an ordinary human. But by no means the worst ally he ever had. Cross reserved that position.
Nea looked up to the rising sun and closed his eyes.
A light breeze. An old tree. A wheat field. Laughter. Two boys.
"Nea. My name is Nea D. Campbell."