Chapter Ten
"So, Winters Sokaro is really dead?" Klaud Nyne asked curiously. She had never particularly liked Winters, although she respected him as a fellow general. Lenalee nodded, clearly disturbed by the fact that a general could so easily have been killed. When they found his body, he didn't have his sword on him, which meant that his Innocence had also been taken, and probably destroyed. Uncharacteristically for Cross, he came back as well, having found Sokaro and carried him to the Order. When he showed up, though, he wasn't carrying his gun, and said that Road and Allen had destroyed Judgment. But had for some unknowable reason, let him escape with Grave of Maria, and his life. He felt sure that had they worked together, that they could have annihilated him, but that perhaps Allen's own sentiments had gotten in the way.
So worried was Lenalee about Allen that she didn't even notice when Lavi came up behind her. He had been sent for by the Order because of the Clan of Noah's reappearance. He didn't know any better than Lenalee how Allen was now involved in the Clan, but he knew that Allen had somehow been seduced to evil by Road. He had never liked Road, and with good reason. She was a nutjob. But perhaps Allen saw something in her that he didn't, and perhaps it wasn't actually Road who had turned Allen to evil. Lavi, of course, couldn't be sure, because he hadn't been there when it happened. Sometimes, Lavi acted like a moron, but in truth, he was anything but. He had an eidetic memory, and knew more about history than anyone else in the Order… Apart from his master, Bookman.
"Hi, Lenalee… Are you alright?" Lavi asked gently. He was worried about her. She had been out of it for days, ever since Cross got back to the Order, and was immediately taken to the infirmary.
"EEEK!" Lenalee shrieked, turning around and punching Lavi in the gut. Lavi grunted and backed away from Lenalee as she came to, and noticed that it was just him.
"Lavi! I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean…"
"It's alright, Lenalee. I understand. You're worried about Allen. I am, too. I think even Yu is slightly disturbed. He became a general around the same time as you, and he's been mediating twice as much as usual, and ignoring me even more than he normally does."
Suddenly, Lenalee hugged Lavi tightly refusing to let go. She had been holding back her tears all day, not wanting to seem weak, and now she couldn't stand it anymore. She had loved Allen so much, and seeing him fall in love with Road was bad enough, but now, knowing that he was killing off his former comrades was more than she could take. Maybe he knew something that she didn't, something that would give him reason to have a vendetta against the Order, but that still didn't make it alright to kill people. She had to talk to him. She was sure that if she went and talked to him, that she could make him see that what he was doing was wrong. She wasn't sure if she could look at him anymore, though, without seeing his evil bubbling right to the surface.
Suddenly, though, her thoughts were dashed twofold by Komui rushing in and seeing her being embraced by Lavi. This naturally led to a huge scene all by itself, with Komui calling out Komlin to attack Lavi, and both Lavi and Lenalee trying to destroy Komlin, along with all of the other exorcists in the area, who, despite their efforts, were being knocked out with tranquilizer darts by Komui. Finally, though, the second reason that Lenalee's thoughts were disturbed burst into action and pulled out his gun, firing six bullets at Komlin, instantly blowing him to ashes. Cross then smirked and walked over to Lenalee, bowing and stroking her cheek gently.
"Hello, fair Lenalee. I heard that you were unbearably worried about my state of health while I was incapacitated, and have therefore come to assure you that I could not possibly be in better health!" He shouted flamboyantly, laughing self indulgently. Then he started going off into a long winded and self serving speech.
"Ah, I remember when you were but a young lass. Of course, I always knew that you would grow into a beautiful young lady, but seeing you like this now, warms my heart something fierce…" Finally, though, he was smacked over the head by Klaud Nyne, who had snuck up behind him while he was blabbering on about how great he was, having gotten annoyed ten syllables earlier, and decided to put a stop to his nonsense.
"I am very sorry, Miss Lee… It seems that he can't even afford his fellow generals the proper respect. You should not be worried about him. He used an illusion to make it seem like his Innocence was destroyed, but he still has it, and is just as healthy and obnoxious as ever."
"I see…" Lenalee responded, smiling in relief, to which Klaud Nyne smiled back. "I'm glad to hear that. We can't afford to lose any more Innocence to the Noah."
"It's true. But please don't try to confront Allen alone. He's extremely dangerous, and as much as I hate to admit it, if he can injure Cross in battle, then he isn't one to be with…" Klaud said quietly, looking away, not wanting to meet Lenalee's stare. Lenalee had always had a lot of respect for Klaud Nyne, being the first female general in over a century. She was extraordinarily talented, but also kind and understanding.
"General Nyne? W-would you… Come with me when I go talk to Allen?" Lenalee asked nervously. Klaud Nyne looked at Lenalee in shock. She hadn't been expecting such a request.
"Do you realize what you're asking! He could destroy both of us! If he's willing to kill Cross, do you think he'd honestly give a second thought to killing you or I!"
"I don't know. I'm going with or without you, General, but I would appreciate it if you did. I know it's unreasonable to ask you to risk your life on such a petty request, but I'm sure that Allen isn't as bad as it seems he is. If I just had a chance to talk to him, I know we could work something out."
"Fine, Lenalee. We'll go right now."
Lenalee knocked loudly on Allen's door, making sure that her knock couldn't be missed. Almost immediately, she was answered by Road, who came to the door, grinning as she opened it. Once she did, though, her grin turned to a glare, and she drew back into a fighting stance, and called for Allen.
"Don't worry, Road. She is not here to attack us. She merely wishes to talk. Please, come in, General Lee, General Nyne."
The two generals walked in, removing their boots and sitting at the table across from Allen, staring into his supernaturally piercing eyes, the eyes of a true predator, the eyes of a vampire, and of Adam. Slowly and cautiously, Road walked over and joined Allen at the table, staring expectantly at the two female generals, positive that she couldn't trust them. She trusted Allen, but she didn't trust the two exorcists as far as she could throw them. She was ready to fight at a moment's notice, when finally, Lenalee spoke.
"I'm sorry that I came here unexpectedly, Allen-kun…"
"On the contrary, General Lee. I was sure that you would show up. I wasn't positive which day, but I knew that eventually your inquisitive, yet trusting nature would show itself. If I had to guess, you're wondering why Road killed Sokaro Winters."
"Of course I'm wondering! What were you thinking! You used to be such a good person, Allen-kun! How could you just betray the Order like this!"
"I merely wish to reveal the truth. I wish to reveal the truth that the Order doesn't want known. Of course, General Nyne was aware of the human experiments that went on in the Order years ago. But are you, General Lee?"
"W-what experiments!"
"Experiments into combining Akuma DNA with humans. Experiments into forcing humans to bond with the Innocence. Yu Kanda himself was a victim of those experiments. For years, they caused him unbearable agony. Him and his friend, Alma Karma. Both had such great regenerative ability due to the Akuma cells in their bodies that even if they were destroyed, they came back to life after just a few minutes. And so, they kept attempting to force the Innocence to bond with them, and continually, they failed. Well, eventually, Alma Karma had to be put to sleep and preserved to create the next generation of crossbreeds. However, Kanda finally found Mugen and was put to work as an exorcist. So you see, the Order is just as ruthless as the Noah. They don't care about right or wrong. To them, all that matters is winning. To them, the ends justify any means. The people that you work for, that you serve so unquestioningly are every bit as vile and wretched as the most evil of men! And God is just as uncaring and unforgiving as man! He wiped out the entire world, tried to kill my forebear, Adam, and his bride, Lilith!"
"Adam sinned against God, and Lilith was a wicked temptress!" Klaud Nyne shouted angrily.
"NO! God is the evil one! He cannot be forgiven! I will never forget! I will never forgive! Talking is pointless! The only way we can settle our differences is through war! I will allow you to leave with your lives today, but if you show your faces again, you won't be so lucky!" Allen screamed, slamming his fist on the table, making a long crack along the area where his fist impacted.
"You know that we can't just leave you, Allen…" Klaud Nyne said quietly, standing and petting her monkey. Allen grinned maniacally, and shook his head.
"Then, you will die, and may God comfort you in the afterlife…" he said mockingly, touching his fingers together and making an arc of lightning between them. He was still experimenting with some of his abilities, and didn't yet know the extent to which he could use them. However, he figured that he was extremely powerful, no matter how he looked at it. Flashing at the two generals, he struck them with an unarmed attack, shocking them in the process, causing them to fly across the room. He then jumped up into the air and hung off the ceiling for a moment before launching himself at Klaud Nyne, perceiving her to be the greater threat at the moment. He was not remembering, of course, that if he destroyed Lenalee's Innocence, that all of the other Innocence would also be destroyed. He shot by Klaud Nyne and slashed at her with his claws, leaving a deep gash in her side, causing Lenalee to gasp, and Klaud Nyne to fall to the ground in pain.
"Klaud!" Lenalee cried, starting to run toward her. Road stopped her, though, and flicked a knife into her hand, preparing to fight the exorcist.
"Is this what you want, Road! Do you want Allen to become a murderer! Wasn't it his good nature that made you fall in love with him in the first place!" Lenalee said loudly, trying to move around Road, but failing.
"It was originally his innocence that attracted me to him, his faith, and his conviction, but there's so much more to Allen than what you knew about him, Lenalee, dear. For example, did you know that the Fourteenth was actually Mana Walker's brother, which was why he knew the secret code that Mana and Allen made up? Mana gave asylum to the Fourteenth for years before the Earl found him and killed him. So in a way, the Fourteenth is Allen's adoptive uncle, making him related by law to the Clan of Noah. The Fourteenth is still latent inside of Allen. But that traitor will never escape his human prison. Did you think that it was a coincidence that Allen and I fell in love? Did you think that the Romeo and Juliet situation that had so absurdly played out before our very eyes was a fluke? No ma'am. There is no such thing as coincidence in life. There is only destiny, and through destiny, all humans are connected. The death of a human leads to the birth of another, and so the cycle continues. The death of the Fourteenth led to the birth of Allen, and because Mana saw the Fourteenth so much in Allen, he adopted him, and taught him the secret code that he would one day need to know. Is any of this making sense to your feeble mind, darling?"
"Nothing you say makes sense! It's all despicable lies! Allen could never be related to a Noah!"
"Oh, but not only is he related to a Noah, he is a Noah."
At the shocked and horrified look on Lenalee's, Road went into a fit of giggles. She looked over at Allen, who was still busy fighting Klaud Nyne, although he appeared to be merely toying with her.
"Ah… Poor little Lenalee. You couldn't understand even if I did explain it to you, which I'm not really that inclined to do. How could you possibly understand the motives of someone such as the Earl, who has lived for 7,000 years, who was betrayed by the same God that created him? How could you possibly comprehend Lilith's feelings, who God tried to destroy merely for wanting knowledge? God would have kept Adam and Lilith in ignorance. However, Lilith ate the 'forbidden fruit', and offered some to Adam. At first, Adam refused, and so God only tried to destroy Lilith, but found that he had created a being too powerful for him to do away with. So, he removed one of Adam's ribs and created Eve, hoping to make a more perfect human that could be Adam's bride. This time, though, Adam became curious, and ate the fruit, offering it to Eve as well, who accepted it. For these crimes, Adam and Eve were thrown from the Garden of Eden, and Eve left Adam, and died eventually, alone and weak, but Adam and Lilith, who still loved each other very much, had children, and began to populate the earth as God had wanted. And then, their children had children, and then their children's children had children and so on, which led to Noah, who was an ally of Adam and Lilith, although he did so secretly, keeping the secret even from God. Then, God said that the world had fallen into wickedness, and that he would flood the world, and so, Noah and his wife saved two of every animal, and built an ark, and after the flood, Adam, Lilith, Noah, and his wife were the only ones to survive. After that, Noah swore eternal service to Adam, and promised that in every generation, twelve members of his family would awaken to his own 'forbidden' knowledge, and serve Adam unquestioningly, which was the start of the Clan of Noah. So you see, for 7,000 years, God has battled against Adam. Lilith eventually was killed but eventually, the Earl knew that Lilith's memories would be revived in another woman, and that whoever was Adam at the time would take her for his bride. Somehow, don't ask me how, Lilith's memories awoke inside me, and now, I am Adam's bride. Allen, who defeated and killed the Earl, gained the ability to awake to Adam's memories the moment that the Earl breathed his last, and by some trick of fate, I was chosen to be Lilith. Do you see? Your love for him is misplaced. You and he were never meant to be together. You were doomed to have your love be unrequited from the start."
Then, Road stopped talking and noticed that Lenalee was crying. Road didn't hate Lenalee. The fact that they were opponents didn't mean that Road had a personal vendetta against Lenalee. She was a good person, and she fought for what she believed in.
"NO! I don't believe you! Allen couldn't awaken to the Earl's memories! He's an exorcist!"
"And why do you think the Innocence chose him! It chose him because God and the Earl were fighting a battle inside of him. He was always on a twofold road. On one road was the path of a Noah, and on the other was that of an Exorcist. It's just chance that the Noah won out. And now, I really must ask you to leave. Tell your exorcist friends that we will not destroy all of them, should they surrender peacefully and hand over all of their Innocence, including all of the Innocence stored in Hevlaska. If you do not surrender, we will be forced to invade HQ and destroy it utterly."
"We will never surrender! So long as there is even one person left alive who is willing to fight, we will never give up!" Lenalee shouted fiercely. Road sighed and stroked Lenalee's cheek, giving her a kiss on the forehead.
"I was afraid you'd say that, dear. Unfortunately, now I have to say that your doom has been sealed. Of course, you do realize that we could have captured you and Klaud Nyne at any time and left you to rot in our basement. Allen temporarily powered down our barriers so that you could come here, but once we put them back up, they'll be impenetrable by all but the most powerful of magic, and I don't think that good ol' Cross will be in action any time soon."
"That's where you're wrong! He tricked you. He still has Judgment. You only thought that you destroyed it."
"And right now, it looks like Allen is about to destroy General Nyne's Innocence. I never liked monkeys, anyhow…"
Lenalee suddenly turned around and jumped into action, leaping into the air, flipping and kicking Allen hard in the face, sending him flying across the room and into the refrigerator, crumpling it like tin foil. Lenalee then grabbed Klaud Nyne and her Innocence and began to run. Road started to go after them, but Allen stopped her.
"Don't worry, Road. This isn't the last that we'll see of them. I didn't expect to defeat Lenalee. She's too powerful, now. But I'm a little bit surprised that Klaud Nyne was so powerful. However, I doubt that she'll be fighting anytime soon. She does look rather worse for the wear."
"S-so… You mean you didn't intend to kill them from the beginning, Allen? Why didn't you tell me?"
"It was merely due to time. I didn't know when they'd be coming, and I only felt their presence a minute or so beforehand. Besides, just because I have a difference of opinion doesn't mean that I hate the exorcists. Winters Sokaro may have been a murderer, but Klaud Nyne and Lenalee are good people with a different philosophy. If I can win this war without killing them, then I will."
"You're very different from the Earl, Allen. You haven't lost your gentle nature. I'm really glad of that…" Road said, kissing Allen lovingly on the lips and embracing him.
"Did you think that I would become as cruel and capricious as the Earl when I took up his mantle? I may hate God just like the Earl, but I still don't agree with the Earl's methods. He was cruel and heartless, and he was bent on the destruction of the world. All I want is to destroy God. And to do that… We need more vampires. First, let us call together the Noah Family once more."