Innocence is a rather fragile thing. Not the solidified type, of course. It's the metal kind that needs to be protected, truthfully. It's so easy to just make it...snap.
It's difficult to find a being that has both types of Innocence in their possession, and even harder to preserve such attributes. There are not very many people in the world that value such a thing; which is either because they lost it extremely early in their lifetimes, or because they just don't care about it. Such an existence is pitied by the gods, for many great things can come from ignorance of the world's worst.
But to be completely innocent of all things bad, of all evil in the universe, of all misfortunes; to be held above all that is considered, and all that truly is, terrible, horrific, and despicable?
It was once said, and has been believed and repeated as such, that no such thing existed in this world.
At all. It simple was not possible.
Yet, it did. In one, elfin, child. So feeble, it is hard to imagine the power he held.
And true it was; that this—this tiny human, unenlightened to the world's terrors, lacking of all that is unholy—
The very personification of that one characteristic we all once held dear.
The Boy With No Name.
The Child In White.
The Little Angel of London.
Yes, this one boy had many, many titles given to him by those who were less righteous than he. Those humans that watched him, not knowing what exactly he was—he was too unlike them to be one of their kind, yet they saw nothing that would suggest otherwise, or explain him.
There was one title, however, they knew nothing of. The title that had been given to the child before any of them lived. And even, before any of their parents; and yet even their parent's parents had lived. And theirs. And theirs. And even theirs. No. There was one title that this once boy had obtained long, long ago. Some say in the time of Noah, and his Ark, but few know it was even before, and most believe it to be after.
The Heart of Innocence.
Even fewer know—as to say, none knew at all—that the Heart of all Innocence had in fact taken form of a boy, and had been observing throughout history since even before Time itself had began. Without losing even a drop or wisp of 'his' own peace of mind.
He never talked to anyone, and he never interfered. This may be why no one had ever found him, or realized what, exactly, he was.
He watched God create the earth. He watched him create the seas. He watched him create Humanity. He watched as Humanity fell, and he watched it fall further yet. He watched God's discussions with Noah, watched him build that Ark, and watched him plot behind his employer's back. He watched that great battle, and the creation of the Clan of Noah. He watched God come to understand, and he watched the coming of the Fourteenth Noah. He watched the Earl, Adam, and his attempt to rid the race of Humanity from the earth God had created. He watched as Humanity discovered his own substance, Innocence, and saw them rise up to beat the Earl and his plans to the ground. He watched the Flood, and after. He watched as the 'Exorcists' formed and fought the newly formed race of Akuma demons, long after they had beaten the Earls first effort. And he watched years upon years upon years upon years after. Through decades, and centuries, and eons, and millennium.
Then came a man who wouldn't pass him by, as the other humans would. A man who was more righteous than he'd ever seen. A man who had taken him in and had given him a name, a home. A man who didn't care about the fact that this child would rarely talk, and sounded too old, yet too young. A man who had died to protect him, even though he was immortal to all.
A man named Mana Walker.