Thanks again for all the reviews/follows/faves, etc. If anyone is interested, I've posted a new K/D. Gray-Man one-shot, Stumbling Through Time, about what happens when you give Komui the controls to the Rosen Gate. Also contains Yata and another K character who I have sorely missed. Mostly nonsense.

Chapter 10

Something didn't seem right, there was an odd feeling in the air, and Munakata turned around.

"Benzai?" There were flecks of blood staining his uniform. Munakata tensed. "What is this?"

"The Fourteenth was generous to let you go," Benzai said. "The Millennium Earl would not have been."

"You're her, aren't you? The shape shifter."

"You're mistaken. Lulu Bell died by the Fourteenth's hand. You may call me Toraido." The name meant nothing to Munakata but he knew he was in trouble when he saw Benzai's skin turn gray and the familiar line of stigmata appeared beneath his now dark hair.

"It's ironic, I suppose," Toraido said. "I am the judge of the Noah. It is my job to make sure there is no betrayal within the family. Yet here I am, initiating a betrayal against the Fourteenth and against you."

Munakata's gaze hardened. "You must feel awful."

"The Fourteenth is not our leader and never will be."

"So what happened to Benzai? Was there ever such a person?"

"I'm afraid I had you fooled, Captain. I joined Scepter 4 under the name Benzai because the Usagi would not have me and I wanted to learn more about the Dresden Slates. We'd used their power in the past to ensure we would live long enough to find the Rosen Gate which had been lost to us. I hadn't anticipated you finding the Rosen Gate for us."

Behind Munakata, the Gate was still activated but his attention remained riveted on the man in front of him. "Whose blood is that?"

"Oh." Toraido looked down as if he hadn't realized the blood was there. "You'll have to appoint a new lead scientist. Or at least Awashima will have to." Munakata's hand was at his sword. "When she finds her clansman and her king dead at the hands of a Noah, she will have no choice but to declare war against us and the Fourteenth. A good enough distraction, I should think." He drew his sword but it wasn't the saber issued to every member of Scepter 4 but a long, broad blade that seemed an impossible fit for the sheathe.

But just as he brought out the sword, there was a clang as something struck it and Toraido hissed as a second knife buried itself in his shoulder.

Fushimi stood in the doorway, clasping his throwing knives and glaring darkly at Toraido.

Toraido didn't bother to remove the knife. "I suppose she'll need a new irritable techie as well."

"Tch," Fushimi said and loosed another knife and Toraido swung his sword in the air and the blade came crashing down on Munakata's own.

Munakata gasped. The Noah was strong. His sword knocked Munakata's aside and his foot caught him in the stomach, sent him crashing to the ground. His arm aching from the clash, Munakata still gripped his sword tightly and sprang back to his feet, no stranger to combat. His blood began to boil, his heart pumping, and he forced himself to push aside the man he'd thought he knew, the quiet and dedicated Benzai. Beneath that calm exterior had been the calculating mind of a Noah.

At close quarters, Fushimi had drawn his sword and was meeting Toraido in combat but the young man, still a kid as far as Munakata was concerned, was not nearly as experienced when it came to combat, often staying behind a desk where his tech savvy could be put to good use.

Munakata rushed forward and struck at Toraido's back but the Noah wheeled around and blocked the blow. At the same time, he took a step backward, Fushimi's blade catching against the hilt. The Noah yanked it free. He seemed to have no trouble wielding such a seemingly cumbersome weapon. Munakata doubted he would be able to lift it himself.

The three engaged again and though it was two against one, Toraido had no problem keeping them at bay, slowly whittling down their defenses, breaking through their Scepter 4 discipline. Munakata and Fushimi were quickly tiring.

"We can't keep this up for long," Fushimi said. Several thin lines marked his arms, red with blood.

Munakata was grimly aware that he was right. But Toraido was pressing them back and away from the door and he saw no opening through which they might escape and raise an alarm. It was late at night. Those who weren't asleep would be nowhere near the Gate Chamber.

"If you see an opening, take it," Munakata said.

"Eh?" The words took a second to sink in. "If I leave you alone with him, you'll die," Fushimi said bluntly.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Munakata blocked another bone-jarring attack, though just barely.

"If either of us is going to survive this, it needs to be you."

"Why Fushimi, you sound almost heroic."

Fushimi was too busy avoiding the next blow to roll his eyes and yet Munakata could hear the action clearly in his words. "Geez. Don't insult me."

Munakata's next sword thrust bit deep into Toraido's ribs. The Noah gasped in pain and then struck Munakata full in the face, sending him reeling backward and losing his grip on the sword. His glasses clattered on the floor. Toraido backhanded him even further away and his neck ached as the blow forced his head to the side. He raised his hand for a third blow when Fushimi's knife found the sensitive flesh of Toraido's armpit and he jerked away from the sting, his other hand going to the blade to rip it out. He turned his attention on Fushimi and now he seemed angry. Perhaps because the battle was taking him longer than he thought it would.

Toraido's hand went to the sword still imbedded in his flesh and he wrenched it out, drawing a line of dark blood with it, and cast it aside. Munakata saw with dismay that such a wound which would have incapacitated a normal human, hardly seemed to slow him down. This was not a fight they could win.

Munakata dived for his sword and quickly resumed a defensive stance. Again he cast his gaze at the door but they'd moved farther away from it during the fight and Toraido would easily cut them down if they tried to run past him. Fushimi seemed to have the same thought and also that there was currently more than one exit.

Fushimi stepped to the side so that Toraido's next blow would slide down the length of his blade and so that Fushimi wouldn't bear the brunt of his strength. He saw Munakata coming again, face bloodied, the blue of the Gate outlining him in a wavering aura.

He sighed. It wasn't exactly the way he'd have chosen to go out. It was too tacky and selfless and disgustingly heroic. He really hoped Munakata wouldn't go around telling everyone.

Stepping back away from the next blow, he half-turned, grabbed Munakata by the front of his shirt, and shoved him as hard as he could toward the portal. The Blue King's eyes revealed shock for perhaps the very first time in his life and then he vanished.

Fushimi turned back and stabbed another knife into Toraido's hand.

Everything was gray. Rubble spilled into the streets. Smoke wafted through the air. Munakata had to blink several times to get his eyes to focus and to orient himself. It was silent, but not in a good way. More like the silence of the dead. He instantly pulled himself to his feet, still gripping his sword in a shaking hand and cursing Fushimi. If the portal was still open, he should be able to find it and go back through. Problem was, without his glasses, he couldn't distinguish the subtle shimmering in the air that signified the way home.

He heard something in the distance. A scream. And then a great moaning sound and more terror and the smoke cleared just enough for him to see what it was.

Munakata had never seen anything like it before and the sight of it made him sick. It looked like a human torso, headless and limbless, hovering in the distance, crowned with a halo and there was a hole right where its heart should be, exposing a mass of red muscle. Munakata coughed as the acrid smoke hit his lungs. The great thing moaned again and began to spin. The screams grew even more shrill and eventually died out.

He recognized this place as the little town where he and the other Blue Clansmen had ended up after being consumed by the Rosen Gate. But now the place was in ruin.

As he watched, the monstrosity gradually became silent and like a cut tree in the woods, began to topple. A great cloud of dust rose as it fell and Munakata could feel the ground shiver beneath him.

The silence returned.

Munakata coughed again and took a hesitant step forward, squinting through the smoke. Several minutes passed and then there was another moaning sound from an even greater distance, toward the mountains. He couldn't see the thing from this distance, but his heart clenched at the sound of it.

What had happened here?

There were footsteps somewhere nearby and suddenly he could make out figures through the smoke. It took him a moment but he recognized their uniforms. And then when they were close enough to make out their faces, albeit blurry, he saw that three of them were Kanda, Lenalee, and Krory. Kanda was supporting Lenalee who looked barely conscious, a long cut dripping blood down the side of her face. Krory was carrying another exorcist and Munakata had to fight to remember her name. Miranda. She was already unconscious, one arm shorter than the other and wrapped in thick bandages soaked through with blood. Accompanying the exorcists were two men in white uniforms and several civilians, two women, one of them holding a child tightly by the hand.

"Kanda? Lenalee? Krory?" Munakata called out and it took them a moment to realize that he was there. Krory had a dazed expression. His uniform was torn and bloodied. Kanda's gaze was riveted ahead and there was a thin cut along his jaw and another across the bridge of his nose.

"Captain?" Lenalee said groggily, raising her head from where it rested against Kanda's shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

"Nevermind. If he's here, the portal's nearby," Krory said and then looked anxiously, wearily, at Munakata. "Right?"

Munakata hesitated. It wouldn't be right to take them like this through the portal just to meet a Noah on the other side. He nodded anyway.

"We need to get these people to safety. Where is it?"

"It's somewhere here but I can't see it. There's a Noah on the other side," Munakata said.

Krory stopped in his tracks, exchanged a look with one of the men in white, whose expression was hidden beneath the wrappings that covered half of his face.

Kanda had already spotted the portal though. Handing Lenalee over to one of the women, he stumbled forward and without saying a word, hand going to Mugen at his back, he stepped through.

Munakata was speechless. He could still hear the cries in the distance. "What happened here?"

"The Fourteenth," Lenalee said simply. "All our friends are gone. All that's left are the Fallen, but they're dying too."

It was possibly cold of him that he was only half-paying attention to what she said, thoughts still on Toraido and Fushimi. He figured eventually it would sink in. "I'm going after Kanda," Munakata said and he headed for the area where the exorcist had disappeared. He eventually found the shimmer when it was inches away from him and he passed through.

The Gate Chamber was quieter than he thought it would be. He'd expected Kanda to be ferociously tackling the Noah, but instead he was standing with his back to the portal, sword pointing at the ground. Munakata sucked in a breath when he looked past him and saw the figure on the floor. Fushimi's own sword protruded from his ribs and one of his knives skewered his left hand.

Munakata knelt in front of his clansman and touched a finger to his neck. A pulse fluttered just beneath the skin.

"We need a doctor immediately," Munakata said, already removing his coat and using one of the discarded knives to tear a strip out of it. He could bandage Fushimi's hand but he didn't dare remove the sword just yet. He looked up from his work to find Kanda still standing there. "You might not be a member of my clan, but I'm still giving you an order," he said.

For an instant, their gazes locked and Munakata didn't back down. He was startled by what he saw there and wondered just how long it had been since Kanda had returned to his own time. His eyes were dark and distant and there was a weariness Munakata had never seen in them before. When the Blue King didn't look away, Kanda turned wordlessly and left the room and Munakata only hoped he was doing what he'd told him.

The knife came free after a brief struggle and then Munakata wrapped the makeshift bandage around Fushimi's hand as tight as he could. Anger boiled just beneath the surface. Toraido had left him for dead and was now free somewhere in the building. Others were in danger.

"You idiot," Munakata said. "Of all the times to play the hero. Very out of character of you, Fushimi-kun."

He didn't notice the people behind him right away. They didn't speak and it was only the feeling of being watched, of not being alone in the room, that caused him to turn and see that Lenalee and Krory and the others had come through the portal and were standing in the Gate Chamber, at a loss.

There wasn't much more he could do for Fushimi at the moment, so he reached over and shut down the portal. It powered down with a grateful sigh.

"Krory, can you still fight?" Munakata said. The idea seemed to fill the exorcist with dread but after a hesitation, he nodded. "We'll need your help then. Whatever the Noah's intentions, they've just waged war on Scepter 4."

"I can fight too," Lenalee said and pushed away from the blond-haired woman who'd been helping her along. She swayed on her feet.

"No," Munakata said, voice firm. "I'm not sending you to your death."

Lenalee's eyes narrowed in the prelude to an argument even as the doctor arrived and immediately went to Fushimi's side. An assistant brought a foldable stretcher and Munakata stood aside so they could go about their work.

"I want you and these civilians to go with them to the infirmary," Munakata said. "That's an order," he added upon seeing Lenalee's expression. But in the end, she relented. Krory handed Miranda to one of the finders as the doctor got Fushimi onto the stretcher and they all trekked out of the room.

"I need to get Awashima," Munakata said and he started running. Startled, Krory went after him.

Allen was startled by the klaxons that rang out in the hall just outside his door. He jumped up and put on his jacket and peered out. He caught a brief glimpse of red-tinted corridor before a fist grabbed the front of his shirt and he was shoved against the wall and he found himself staring into Kanda's dark, hate-filled eyes. It took a second for his mind to register that it was even Kanda at all. He wasn't supposed to be here.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't just kill you," Kanda said and though Allen had heard his threats many times, something about his voice and the look in his eyes, told him that Kanda was serious.

"Kanda? What are you doing?" Allen tried to remain calm. But Kanda always had a way of making him angry. "I thought you'd gone back home."

"There is no home anymore," Kanda growled. "Because of you."

Allen's heart skipped a beat.

"The Fourteenth sought war with the Earl and destroyed everything else in the process. I should kill you now so that doesn't happen."

"And let the Earl live?" Allen's voice was small.

Kanda's grip on his shirt tightened. "I'd rather have the Earl."

His words were a blow and Allen forced himself to meet those eyes. "Something is happening even now, isn't it? Scepter 4 is going to need all the help they can get."

"They can handle this without a traitor in their midst."

Allen didn't say anything immediately. And then he said, "I can feel him, you know. Nea. I didn't realize who he was at first, but now that I do, his presence is stronger. I try not to let it get to me, but it's hard. I'm scared, Kanda. I don't want to destroy everything. But let me help. Whatever's going on now, let me help." He took a shaky breath. "If we survive this, you can kill me after."

Even Kanda was shocked by that statement, but he let go his grip. The point of his blade was brought less than an inch away from Allen's face but Allen's gaze never left his.

"I promised you back there that I would kill you myself," he said, deadly, and then he turned and ran down the hallway.

Allen sighed. He could feel his hands shaking. He could feel the Fourteenth's dark presence inside him. He thought about Kanda's vow. He desperately hoped it wouldn't come to that.

The front gates were illuminated with floodlights. Awashima stood with her men in a battle line. The tension was palpable in the air, a thing solid enough to touch. She took a step forward, revealing herself as the head of the formation.

"We had a truce," she called out toward the gates. She thought she caught movement just beyond the lights, the shadow of a figure. Watching.

"And yet you had one of my Noah held in your facility." The voice was calm, emotionless, yet it rang clearly in the courtyard.

"We did not hold him against his will," Awashima said. "We didn't even know he was here. But his actions have spoiled any truce between us."

"I see."

Munakata emerged from the building a moment later with Krory, taking in the scene at a glance.

"They don't trust your word," said another voice, one that Awashima recognized as Benzai's and then she saw him only it was not him. She set her mouth in a firm line. "They see you as a threat, whatever your intentions, and will destroy you."

"That's a reasonable precaution," Nea said and then she could see him as he stepped into the light. Toraido was at his side. Behind him were three other Noah. She recognized Tyki and figured the young girl to be Road, but she didn't know who the third was. "But unnecessary. I desire no conflict."

"As a commander, the actions of your soldiers are your responsibility," Munakata said.

"Indeed." He took a step forward so that Toraido was behind him. That broad sword was still in his hands. "I assure you that if any of them are in the wrong, they will be dealt with as I see fit."

"There is no dealing with them," Allen said and Awashima cast a glance toward him. She hadn't realized he was there. Next to him stood Kanda and even though she knew he was an ally, she still tensed at the sight of him. "You do not have the Noah's loyalty," he went on. "You can fool yourself all you want, but they will always be loyal only to the Millennium Earl."

"That is unfortunate. If what you say is true, I would have no choice but to destroy them. I'd so hoped it wouldn't come to that. I hoped we could be a family. These four are the only surviving Noah and only because they cast themselves onto my mercy when I killed the Earl."

"Only so they could take the Rosen Gate and bring him back."

"You make a good argument."

The two locked gazes and it took all of Allen's will not to look away. Something sparked in those dark eyes and then it happened to fast that Awashima wasn't sure anything had happened until it was over with.

Nea stepped to the side just as a flash of light passed by him and then he reached out and snatched something and then was still again. Toraido gasped. The Fourteenth had his wrist in an iron grip and the sword fell from his suddenly lifeless fingers. He squirmed and winced but the hold only became tighter.

"It is very unfortunate," Nea said. Behind him, the other three Noah were watching in stunned silence. "All I asked is for us to be a family. Is that too much? Should I have killed you when I killed him?" There was a crunch and Toraido let out a short cry. "I have given you a home. I have taken care of you for all of these years and yet you still tried to betray me." He wrenched Toraido's arm back at a sickening angle.

Nea's gaze again met Allen's. "I remember standing at that exact spot as I witnessed this," he said, musing.

"Y-you already knew?"

"The Noah must think me a fool. Well if that's the way it's going to be, I don't need them anymore." He let go of Toraido's wrist and his hand flashed out, lightning quick, going for Toraido's neck.

Awashima had to look away. She'd seen things in her time, but she flinched at the tearing sound and at Road's shrill cry. When she turned back, Toraido was a limp shape on the ground.

Nea stood as calmly as if he hadn't just killed someone. Then he turned to look at the other three Noah who only stared, still as stone.

"The line of Noah will end with me," Nea said and she realized that he was truly angry. "I will not tolerate betrayal and because I am stronger than the Earl, I will overcome it."

He held out one hand and a blast of dark matter shot out. The Noah scrambled to the sides just in time and the bolt smashed into a building across the street. The ground rumbled. He aimed again and fired, the bolt becoming a continuous stream that he whipped over the ground, catching Tyki and sending him flying backward. There was a long, black furrow in the lawn.

"We can't let him continue this," Munakata said. "That much power, he'll easily take out the whole block."

Awashima nodded grimly.

"Allen, Kanda, Krory, do what you can. Men, ready your swords."

Blue shields rose up around Nea. He stopped firing only long enough to press his hand against the energy and shatter it. Then blasts of blue energy were shooting through the air to burn his skin. Nea raised his hand and a void opened in the air and swallowed them whole.

"You would side with the Noah against me?" Nea said.

"We're not on their side," Munakata answered. "We're on our own."

"Pity. The Blue Clan was interesting to watch. But I suppose there might be a power struggle in the future." He raised his hand to fire at Munakata.

A swarm of Tease erupted suddenly into the air, wings beating furiously as they attempted to bite and slice Nea's body but whenever one touched his skin, it fell to the ground, dead. He turned, seemingly oblivious to the attack, to find Tyki and Road standing on the lawn. Tyki was summoning more Tease and Road had Lero clenched firmly in one fist. Surrounding her were large striped candles, their pointed ends aimed at Nea. Her eyes betrayed her fear.

Wordlessly, Nea fired and a hundred Tease turned to ash in Tyki's stead and then Road was hurling candles through the air. She had learned long ago that the Fourteenth was beyond the influence of her dreams. His mind was a mystery to her and for someone who could slip into another's dreams with the ease of slipping into water, not being able to see his was unnerving. So she did what she could and tried not to think about how her candles seemed to have no affect, how he melted them with a touch, using his right hand always. His left, black and disfigured, hung unused at his side.

Pain exploded in Allen's head, so great that he fell to his knees, hands to his head. Through blurred vision, he saw the third Noah, who had extra eyes, standing at a distance, on the edge of the shadows on the lawn. It was all he could do to raise his anti-akuma weapon and fire a bolt of energy at the Noah. Immediately, the pain lessened as Wisely was forced to dodge, breaking his concentration. He landed nearby and scurried back into the shadows. Allen took this opportunity to rush after him, ready to line up another shot. He didn't need this. What he needed was to go after Nea. Scepter 4 was currently erecting shields to protect the innocent from the Fourteenth's rage. The blue glowing Sword of Damocles hung precariously overhead and he noticed that it sparked alarmingly.

"Shouldn't you be helping Tyki and Road?" Allen said as he blasted again into the darkness.

"I am," Wisely said and another question formed on Allen's lips, but went unsaid as the Noah continued, "If I kill you, the Fourteenth dies before he can fully awaken and kill the Earl."

Allen wondered why Nea hadn't simply killed all of the Noah when he'd killed the Earl. After all, he would have known of their inevitable betrayal through him.

"He thought he could change things." It took a moment before he realized that Wisely was responding to his thoughts. Allen scowled.

"You don't have to be like that," Wisely said, but continued to dodge Allen's attacks with a consistency that was really irritating.

Allen splayed his fingers and fired widely, briefly chasing away the shadows at the edge of the courtyard. He caught a brief glimpse of three figures amidst a roiling mass of Tease and the ground shook and then he could feel those prying fingers in his head again and he winced.

Wisely's face was smug, taunting, but a moment later, it fell into an expression of confusion.

"Bite me?" Wisely muttered. "Why would he –?" He spun and jumped to the side just as Krory pounced, fangs bared, eyes narrowed, mouth drawn into a snarl.

The two exorcists didn't give Wisely time to recover, attacking simultaneously from different directions. He might have been able to read their minds, predict their every move, but he could only react so quickly. They would wear him down and attack faster than he could dodge.

The edge of Wisely's scarf began to slip, revealing another pair of eyes besides the three Allen had seen initially and then the pain in his head doubled, tripled, there was a ringing in his ears and he cried out even as something warm slithered down the side of his head, a thin trickle of blood, and just when he thought his brain would burst, Wisely suddenly let out a startled cry and recoiled and it took a moment for Allen to recognize the face of the stoic swordsman of the Silver Clan.

Kuroh's blade dripped blood from when it had opened a gash in Wisely's arm and another sword had gone through the Noah's chest. Kanda twisted his blade, the words of the death blow on his lips when Wisely gave an unearthly cry and wrenched the sword out of him. He staggered, bleeding, but already beginning to heal. Allen realized that while he'd been concentrating his mental attack on him, he hadn't been receptive to the thoughts of his newest attackers.

He recovered quickly however, though some of his confidence was lost.

From across the courtyard came a desperate scream.

"The other Noah will not last much longer against the Fourteenth," Wisely said. "And then nothing will stop him. He'll tear this place down without a thought. Only an exorcist stands a chance against him." There was a hint of urgency in his voice.

Krory's gaze flickered to the other side of the courtyard and then back to Allen. Something warred within him. "You should go," he said finally. "We can handle him."

Allen wanted to protest but he could see that Krory and Wisely were right. Nea was their biggest threat.

"Yes. Handle me," Wisely said and forced a dark grin on his face, leveling his five-eyed gaze on Krory. Steeling himself, Allen fled one battle and straight into another.

The shields were collapsing as quickly as they were being thrown up. Black lumps of melted candle wax lay in the grass, covered in the ashes of countless Tease.

Road let out a shriek as a blast caught her and slammed her into the ground and though the hole in her side was healing rapidly, it still burned like fire.

"Road!" Tyki called out and ran for her as Nea leveled the killing shot.

"Tyki, don't!" but her warning fell on deaf ears as Tyki lunged and a wave of Tease masked his attack and he shot Nea with a blast of energy which caught him in the shoulder. For a moment, Tyki allowed himself to remember the boy he'd first met all that time ago who'd beaten him at cards. It was hard to reconcile that naïve kid with the person standing before him.

He struck again and again and Nea countered his blows and he realized that just as when he'd accepted Allen's challenge at cards, he didn't stand a chance. Nevertheless there was something absolutely exhilarating about fighting a battle he could not win. He only hoped it would be enough to spare Road's life. They'd grown very close over the years under Nea's reign, as close as siblings could be. He could feel her horror palpable behind him.

He lashed out again and again and somehow made it through Nea's defenses, his hand phasing through the Fourteenth's chest. He grabbed for something, anything. His hand closed down on something soft and he squeezed as hard as he could even though the surprise of the attack was wearing off and his arm was beginning to hurt.

Nea's expression was one of shock and then of satisfaction, even as he gasped and trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"It's a pity it's come to this," Nea said. "I resented you for the longest time before I fully awakened. But over the years, I've since warmed up to you."

"I'm sure," Tyki said grimly. The ache was spreading all up and down his arm now and he could no longer feel his fingers. "I only wished I'd killed you then."

"I'm sure."

Tyki's gaze was fixed on Nea's. The pain in his arm was becoming nearly unbearable. Somewhere behind him, Road was calling his name.

And then there was a strange pressure in his chest. Road screamed. The blood was pounding in his head and Nea was wrenching something free of him, something soft that glistened red and the thought went through his mind that Nea's technique wasn't nearly so clean as his own.

And then Nea's face was no longer in front of him and a comforting coolness rushed up to meet him.

A dozen candles speared Nea's body. He reached over to pry them loose, cast them aside. Road's vision was blurry. Her gaze was fixed on the figure towering above her, not the limp one in the grass. She followed the attack with several blasts of dark matter energy in rapid succession, a power she rarely used. She'd always thought the candles were prettier.

Something struck her and she found herself on the ground, wheezing. Nea was looking down at her. His expression was hardly different than the one he wore when reprimanding her.

"Allen!" she cried out. But Allen Walker was gone, consumed by the being known as the Fourteenth. She'd known it ever since her dreams had ceased to be able to touch his.

She never expected her plea to be answered.

A blast of energy shot across the lawn and hit Nea in the chest. He staggered. And then Allen Walker was there, the real Allen and Nea was forced to put up an arm to block an attack from that enormous armored hand. A trickle of blood traced the scar below Allen's cursed eye. His teeth were clenched. He looked very different from the young boy Road had first met in the Rewinding City.

"Finally," the Fourteenth said.