"H-how kin I excape? And where kin I go eff'n I did?"

"You must use the Ark. Meet up with someone named Cross Marian. He would help you."

"Th' Ark?"

"I will lead you….." The lake rippled again, even without Red's touch.

"Wha-?"

Darkness engulfed Red. Red began thrashing around, desperate to get a hold of something.

"RED!"

"Wha-?" Red gasped as he was violently shaken by the shoulder by a worried Road. Red sat up straight. It was already morning, and the birds were chirping outside.

"Breathe in and out…" Road instructed.

Red followed Road's instructions, inhaling and exhaling. He felt himself calming down.

"Are you okay, Red?" she asked.

Red nodded at her.

"What did you dream about?"

Red hesitated, remembering what Neah had told him.

"Tis' nothin', Road," he lied. "Jes' Cosimo."

Red swore her eyes had flashed golden before it disappeared.

"Him again?"

Red nodded. "Yea, he was beatin' me up back adda circus."

"I see..."

"Wha' tis' yo' thinkin' about?" Red asked.

"Nothing…." Road didn't go further than that. She suddenly said, "Excuse me for one moment."

Red looked at her confused. "Um, sure…."

She leaped off his bed and exited out of the doorway. Red looked at his clothes, seeing it all wrinkled. Ah, well. He smoothed it out, putting them back the way it was.

He exited the guest room and made his way towards the dining hall. There he saw a black cat with a white four-point star on its forehead.

"Oh, dey nevah menshun'd dey haffa cat! Good mornin', kitty," Red greeted the cat, using his right hand to scratch the cat's head. The cat leaned towards his touch and purred. Red grinned. Suddenly, his stomach growled. He shot an apologetic look at the cat.

"Sorry, cat. Gotta eat." Red made his way towards the chair he sat on during dinner. There was already a plate of pancakes sitting there, and he began inhaling the breakfast. He finished the stack under three minutes. He saw that the cat was already gone.

Red remembered his dream and began wandering around. He opened every unlocked door there was, hoping to come across this Ark. But he ended up with nothing. The mansion was very large and it was nearing the afternoon when Red caught something. There was a door that was opened ajar. Red listened close.

"….slaughtered the entire circus, Road! What do you think you're doing?!" Tyki's voice floated in the air.

Red froze when he heard that.

"I was doing a favor for Red!" Road's voice rang through the open door. "And I was feeling for a little fun! I could have kept it longer if it weren't for that exorcist!"

'Exorcist?' Red thought. He listened more closely into the conversation.

"Now, Road, you must contain yourself. Even though Red said he hated him, mustn't make such rash decisions."

Red stiffened at the voice. The tone sounded like the Earl's but it was more high-pitched and sounded creepier.

Road snorted again. "Well that bastard deserved it for hurting Red and the 14th!"

"Road, we don't need to attract anymore unnecessary attention!" Tyki began scolding the girl.

"Well, too late! I killed the man already!"

Red trembled as he peeked through the door.

It was Tyki and Road, but it wasn't them. Both of them had grey skin like Neah's. They're eyes were gold and cold. The seven stigmas were clear across their foreheads. But that wasn't what scared Red. What scared Red was a huge fat man, wearing a big poofy white coat. The man had a permanent wide grin with pointy canines. The skin was pale grey. He was wearing a black top hat with strange colored balls as decorations. Round glasses were set on his pointy nose. They weren't human. They were monsters. Red gasped.

Three pairs of eyes focused on Red. Road and Tyki's eyes widened at the sight of Red.

"Red - " Road began, but Red didn't hear the rest of it.

Red quickly dashed away as far as he can from the door. He can hear footsteps chasing after him. Red saw the doors that led to the exit in front of him. He grabbed hold of the door and tried pulling, but the door stayed locked.

"Red."

Red froze and turned around to see the three people facing him. Their eyes burned into Red. Road stepped forward.

"Red, return to your room now." Her voice was now higher pitched.

"N-no," Red stammered.

"Shounen, I suggest you should," Tyki's eyes glowed brighter, stepping closer to Red.

Red took a step back, feeling the door behind his back. He was trapped.

"You can't escape, Red~! You will stay with us forever, 14th." The demonic Earl took a step closer.

Red squeezed his eyes shut, only to suddenly hearing a tune in his mind. It was a piano melody Red realized. He opened his eyes to see that the Noahs had frozen in their steps. A diamond-shaped white light was next to him.

"The Ark…" Red heard Neah murmured.

'Das' the Ark?!' Red thought.

"Quickly enter and think about this man. The Ark will take you to him!"

Red saw an image of a tall man with crimson hair and a big black hat. He had a beard and was wearing rectangle glasses. A white half-mask donned the right side of his face. The man was wearing a huge black jacket that reached his ankles. The jacket is adorned with golden buttons trailing down the jacket, and a gold cross is placed on the left breast. He was wearing black knee-high boot straps.

Red thought of him hard and entered the Ark.

"Don't let him go!" was all Red heard before the Ark gate closed behind him. He felt something tugging, pulling him and then….

He stumbled out, falling on the dirt pathway. There were forest trees that surrounded him. He lied on his back, feeling a bit dizzy. Suddenly, a dark shadow loomed over him. Red tried to move but couldn't control limbs.

"Tch, who is that dirty brat?"

Red glared at the man who stared back unimpressively back at him. It was the man in his mind that Neah had sent him. A huge giant golden ball thing with a white cross and…wings and horns? was perched on his head. Red got up on his feet through sheer will.

"Yer Marian Cross?" Red jeered.

The man looked a bit surprised when he heard Red. "So what of it, dirty brat?"

"Neah sent me here to ya'."

"What?!" Cross stared incredulously at the boy. He had been searching for Neah for 35 years with no luck.

Red sighed as if he wasn't running from the Noahs before. "Ya' might not believe me mista', but ah jes' excaped from da' Earl. Neah told me to skedaddle outta there and find ya'."

"And where is he?" Cross asked.

Red tapped his head. "In mah noggin'. Now can ya' give me some food Im'ma starvin' here."

"How would I know you're not lying?"

Red bristled. "He jes' tol' me inna dream las' night! Said to use da' Ark to excape to ya'. The Earl found ou' an' I was trapped. Suddenly, ah began hearing some piano music dis huge white diamond thingy came outta nowhere! Neah tol' me to excape through it in min', an' I did. So, are ya' gonna feed me or wha'?"

Red saw Cross slapped his face with his hand as he mumbled towards up in the sky. Somehow, Red was able to make out the words.

"Why did Neah choose this brat of all hosts?"

"Oi! Ah can hear ya'! Now, feed me!"