Back in the art museum, something dark and cold took over the calm atmosphere. Paintings started to shake violently, the lights above flickering and then bursting into tiny pieces. The Black Order was in panic as they heard echoic cries of pain and anger, from where they do not know. The frames screeched and cracked, the once still paintings swirling into monstrous faces that were hungry for freedom and power. General Cross cocked his trusty gun, whispering ominously, "it feels like before... Before the War started,"
Lavi didn't think twice before he entered D. Gray Man through the Noah's wing. What greeted him weren't the usual colorful walls or the wondrous paintings filled with smiles and laughter. It was terrible.
There was smoke in the distance, the musty air was bleeding ashes and the sky was painted black red. There were destroyed paintings and art everywhere Lavi could see, their pristine frames and portals left on the muddied ground like they were demoted into trash. Fires claimed the art that were unlucky to escape its hunger, no soul left in its wake.
"There's the human! Get him!" An insane voice shouted. Lavi ran from the war zone with a handful of paintings behind him. The Lady in Red was fully out of her trapped cage of a frame, her red dress torn and tattered but the splattered blood on the cloth was too easily distinguishable.
Lavi fought his way through with his trusty hammer, but there were too many of them. He found himself surrounded by the crazy arts; their eyes a-blazing fury and insanity took over their thoughts.
"Duck, Lavi!" A laughing voice cried out. Lavi instinctually fell to the ground as a giant weapon came swerving out of nowhere to cut the heads off of the attackers. It was a broadsword.
"Earl! Where's Allen?!" Lavi ran to the Earl's side, the fat man panting because he was out of breath. His face was marred with fresh scars and injuries, the noble clothes he once wore were now replaced with a black armor curtesy of a fighting Noah.
The Earl didn't answer him, but picked his way quickly through the dead, "This way! Come on,"
The Earl led him through familiar areas that Lavi once knew, but was now wrecked into rubbles and dust. They passed the Lying Room, where all 8 portraits hung loosely upon the ruined walls. But Lavi felt his blood shiver as he looked upon all of the stickmen paintings; 7 of them covered with blood with the word "LIAR" all over them, whilst the last one -where the red stickman was- had its entire portrait slashed and ripped apart. Gone was the red stickman who was the friendly one amongst his skinny brethren; Lavi didn't know what that meant in the original Lying Room. He doubled his pace, consumed by worry for Allen and the other Noahs.
Suddenly, vines of many sorts sprang from the shadows and wrapped themselves around Lavi's wrists and waist like pythons to its next meal. Lavi struggled with all his strength, but he was trapped as the vines tightened their grips and caused his hammer to fall to the ground below. The vines looked to be made out of stone or iron, and Lavi's heart jumped in frustration as he looked futilely around for a mean to escape.
"Look at you! So helpless like the first time you came into our world!" The Earl laughed, his Cheshire cat smile taking over his face. But this time, the smile was a malicious one. Melting from the shadows were the dark arts and paintings, surrounding Lavi and Earl once more.
"What's this, Earl?! You're working with them?!" Lavi cursed, spitting at the Earl as he flinched away from the art's hungry fingers, "You traitor!"
The Earl danced around Lavi, gleefully laughing. He plucked Lavi's red Rose from his pocket, twirling the flower as he stuffed it into his own pocket. Lavi had never felt so violated in his life before, what with those creeping fingers touching his Rose.
Then, the Earl pushed the impatient arts away, tutting with his gloved finger, "Ah ah ah, Lavi~ I'm not a traitor, I'm merely... A puppet to the puppeteer, you see~"
Lavi wished with all his might that his hand would break free, so that he could punch this so-called Noah in the face! But the stone vines held true, and Lavi roared his anger while keeping eye on the amused Earl, "Nothing you say makes sense! You're a traitor! How could you do this? After everything Man-"
"Didn't you ever wonder who brought you here in the first place? Your coming here is no accident, Lavi," The Earl intervened Lavi's rant, "Who's the one that discovered your powers? Surely, he was the one who started all these mess, the fight for your Rose,"
Lavi's one bottled-green eye widen, shaking his head in disbelief as if the words can be taken off by that one action alone. He can't believe it. He won't! The Earl was just pouring honey into his ears, poisoning his thoughts with those seeded words!
"What made you come back to D. Gray Man over and over again? Surely, you would've known that staying away, forgetting us, is the much wiser choice. Yet, you keep coming back. Who is it, Lavi, that orchestrated this entire play? The play that attracts your very soul and traps you here without you knowing it? Who is it, Lavi?! Who?!"
Lavi's throat was dry now, his eye clamped close as his body felt his energy seeping away. The Earl came closer now, his voice dropping into a hush whisper, "That's right, Lavi. I'm not the traitor here-"
Lavi dimly felt the Earl's finger pushing his chin upwards, forcing his to face the puppet in the face. The Earl sentenced Lavi to dark gloom, "-the truthful liar is Allen Walker himself,"
Cue drum roll! hahaha I'm going back to my hometown tomorrow, so you won't hear from me for the whole week (this is the part where I run from you who are waiting for updates!) Lemme take this opportunity to wish all of you a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR~~