Selfine: Hello once again! Here's a new chapter! The updates might get slower than usual because of the upcoming exams! Anyway, on with the chapter!
"There's no need to worry, shounen. I've only came here on a friendly visit...", Tyki said with a smile.
"Tyki!", Allen exclaimed.
"I told you that there's no need to be alarmed...", he said in a silky voice.
"What do you want?", Allen demanded, there was suspicion in his voice. It was always dangerous to have a noah around.
"Nothing really... Just visiting you", Tyki said. He sat near the white-haired exorcist's side. He remove his top hat and got his fingers through his hair. He smiled casually at Allen."Say, have you received the Duke's letter?"
Allen didn't answer the Noah of Pleasure's question. So, his guess was right. That letter had came from the Earl of the Millenium. He averted his eyes from the noah's. Suddenly, Allen felt a sharp pain in his left eye. Why now? Of all times... He covered his left eye with his hand.
Tyki only watched with surprise as the exorcist covered his left hand immediately. Amusement came into him as he saw blood trickled through the boy's hand. The Noah of Pleasure was partly surprised to see that exorcist's skin was slowly turning to gray. The familiar feature of a Noah... Tyki found himself smiling. The boy was turning into a noah, right in front of him. But the gray skin tone immediately faded away and returned to normal. It seemed like something was surpressing the noah. The Duke's guess had been right... But what could be surpressing the noah?
Tyki quickly left as he saw the door opened. The pain finally stopped, much to Allen's relief. He slowly removed removed his hand that was covering his left eye. He was surprised to see it covered in blood.
"A...Allen.."
Allen slowly looked up. Lenalee gasped. The coffee she had been holding fell on the floor. It crashed into several pieces, spilling its contents onto the floor. It wasn't just because of the blood staining the exorcist... Allen's left eye... was in the color of gold. Lenalee immediately recognized that color. It was the color of a noah's eye.
"Ne, why didn't you bring me along?", Road complained as her uncle entered.
"I told him not to bring you with him, Road", The Earl said,"Since it wasn't necessary..."
"But why?"
"It can be done by only one person. And the idea is not to attract any attention from the other exorcists...", Tyki answered her niece, seating besides the ninth disciple. He brought out a book. It was a book he still haven't got to finish since they had been busy. He got a cigarette and lit it up.
"I thought you quited smoking!", Road said.
"Some habits are hard to break, Road...", Tyki said, opening the book. He flipped the pages fro a while and found the last part he had stopped at... When was it again? He sighed. He wonder if he'll really be able to finish that small book... With the events happening, who knows? He might never will."Besides, I can't help it..."
Road leaned at the table and licked at her lollipop. She glanced around. There were only a few noahs around at the Duke's new place. It was a temporary place where they would stay until the new Ark is finished. It would take a while before the Duke finishes it, considering that the 'egg' got damaged badly when Lulu Bell retrieved it from the Black Order. Road noticed that the exchange of glances between the Earl and her uncle. She made a face. She already knew what those look means.
"I'm not leaving...", Road said, Tyki sighed at this.
The Earl cleared his throat and began."You see, Rodo, I've always suspected that the Musician's noah is somewhat surpressed...", he said.
"Eh?"
"Do you still remember when you told me that you felt someone's noah awakening but then it quickly fades away?", Tyki asked.
Road nodded. The Duke continued."I've also felt that presence. Of course, I immediately recognized it was the Musician but during that time I wasn't sure who his current host was. At the event at the previous Ark, I felt the fourteenth's presence in that exorcist, Allen Walker. But it was faint..."
"And you got Tyki-pon to check him?"
The Duke nodded. Tyki closed the book with a sigh and placed it on the table. He couldn't quite concentrate on it anyway."...It was an interesting visit...", he said.
Road looked up at her uncle with interest in her eyes."Did you found out something, Tyki-pon?", she asked, licking at her lollipop.
"Something quite amusing...", Tyki said, glancing at her niece. He knew she was getting impatient. He actually enjoyed annoying the First Child a little. But if he went too far, he was always the one who ended up getting bruised up."I just happened to witness that certain event..."
"Was the noah trying to awaken again?", Road asked.
Tyki nodded,"But something was preventing that from happening..."
"That just confirms my suspicion...", The Duke said.
"Ne, what do you mean?"
"Perhaps someone placed a seal or a spell on our little Musician to prevent him from awakening...", The Earl said then glanced at the two noahs."Maybe that Cross Marian or maybe the Musician's brother... I'm still trying to find that pesky general and as for the fifteenth."
"He told me that he's moving to a new place because of his job..."
"I think I prefer knowing where he is."
"I thought you were past doubting the fifteenth, Duke", Tyki said."He hadn't tried to betray you for eighteen years..."
"You see, it was only because of our agreement that he joined us..."
Tyki removed the cigarette from his mouth and put out the fire."I've heard Mana mentioning about that but what exactly is your agreement with him?", he asked.
"... When I found out that the Musician's brother contains the memories of the fifteenth, which takes after his younger brother, Neah. Of course, he didn't want to join us first but then he came up with conditions..."
"...Conditions?"
"One, is that we won't go after the Musician and to join only when he made sure that the child that was with him would be safe..."
"What child, Millenie?"
"None other than Allen Walker, which we came to know as the Musician himself..."
"...He must have always known that the boy was the Musician."
"That is to be expected, Tyki-pon."
Bookman carefully examined Allen's left eye. The exorcist had insisted that nothing was wrong but it was a matter not to be just dismissed. Lavi watched over them, even the slightest event are important.
"What do you think, Bookman?", Lenalee asked. Timcanpy was perched on her shoulder.
"The curse linings have chnaged a bit. And that golden color of his eye is exactly like a noah's...", he answered and turned to them."For now, there is no need to be alarmed but he should stay at the Order until we found out what exactly is going on here..."
Allen was startled at this... He was going to be banned from any missions longer. He just lowered his head and gritted his teeth. Bookman peered over and glanced at Allen. He knew he didn't like to feel he was useless at any point of the war. About not being able to be with his friends as they face against the Noahs and akumas but there is a possibility that he himself would become a threat to his friends. Whatever was holding the noah was weakening and it's only a matter of time.