Hey ya'll it's ya boi Discarab back with another chapter! I hope you all enjoyed that little twist I had in the last chapter. Well, anyway, I'm going to keep this part short so we can cut straight to the chapter! Basically, all I want to say is thanks for the support! Especially the reviews, trust me, they keep me going. I feed off of them :). So anyway, let's finish this, and move on to the next chapter.
Also, I had a few of you ask me this via PM. But after this transformation, there will be no more! Please, many of you guys have given me excellent ideas. But these transformations take a lot of time to set up, and write. So this will be Allen's final transformation. Please stop badgering me about it!
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or -man, never have, never will.
Chapter 25: And the Devil Opens His Eyes
As Allen ran through the forest mysterious shadows began to appear all around him. Like his visage, they were all made of fog. "Thank you Sir!" One of the memories said, Allen — somehow — recognized her. She was Eve, the first woman, and the person he gave the forbidden fruit to. But how was that possible?! Allen pinched the bridge of his nose as he continued to run blindly into the forest. "Oh, Sir, where are you going?" Eve called out to him, but Allen refused to listen.
"You know, no matter how hard you run, it won't change the fact that you're—" His visage stopped talking when Allen punched a hole through its stomach. Of course, as he was made from mist, his twin just regenerated.
"Shut up!" Allen yelled as he ran through another group of ghosts. These ones were knights, and each one of them had a small Templar crest engraved upon their armor. One of the older ones tried to catch his shoulder, but Allen powered through. "Leave me alone!" The leaves crinkled underneath his boots as Allen tried to escape his past, but no matter how hard he ran, Allen knew he would never be able to escape the truth. But how was the truth possible? How could this be? It didn't make any sense!
"Hah!" Once again, his twin laughed at him for his reaction. "This makes perfect sense! After all, there's a reason why your body hasn't torn itself apart. Dark matter and innocence-like materials just don't mix! You aren't 'loved by God' and your 'inner noah' doesn't care about you. Just a word of advice, your 'inner noah' was instinctively trying to protect Nea, and nothing more. It isn't a part of you, it never was, and never will." Allen shook his head as he gritted his teeth. He was just going insane! Yeah! That's what's going on! He must have hit his head on some branch, and now he was going crazy! Sadly, that sort of thinking wouldn't get him anywhere. As his new right arm was physical proof of his visage's validity.
"God dammit!" Allen cursed as he came to a stop underneath a gigantic — snow covered — tree. As he pressed his back up against the bark, Allen slid down to rest upon the cold hard ground. Yet again, the ghosts of his past came to visit, some of them ancient, and some of them more recent. However, each and every one of them was familiar. Hell, he even saw Melissa and her customers moving through the trees.
"What do you think these people are?" His foggy twin asked him as Allen gulped for air. Even though he didn't want to acknowledge him, Allen couldn't resist glancing over the afterimages. He looked into their eyes, and when he did so, a grisly image of their corpse flashed before his eyes. There was Melissa, her customers, some holy knights, crusaders, Christians, Jews, Muslims, children, elderly, priests. And he knew exactly how each and every one of them died.
"These are the people I..." Allen didn't want to say it. If it were just a matter of killing them, it wouldn't matter that much. After all, he had already killed and maimed hundreds as the Millennium Earl. But those people were all gang members, drug smugglers, the filth of society. These people — well, except for Melissa and her patrons — were all innocent people. They had hopes, dreams, fears, and he stole it from them. Allen could clearly remember the rush he felt as his minions tore their flesh asunder. He could recall the smooth taste of their blood running down his throat. And it horrified him. "How am I..." All he wanted was answers. However, when he looked over to his twin, he received none. "Aren't you going to tell me anything?" Allen asked his visage. Sure, he might have been going mad, but this was the only course of action he could think of. Questioning himself, how laughably idiotic.
"Sorry, but if you're asking why you are what you are, then I can't tell you." Now that made Allen mad. For Christ's sake! Not even his insane vision had any answers! But, as usual, that wasn't entirely true. "Look at me Satan." The name sounded strange, foreign, to Allen. However, at the same time, it was familiar. Allen followed his vision's instructions and turned his head. He could see every detail in his foggy reflection. However, something was wrong. His visage was becoming paler, and more transparent, by the second. "I'm nothing more than a fading memory, a starting line to guide you down the path of recollection." As his twin said this, he knelt down to look Allen dead in the eyes. "Tell me Allen, how far are you willing to go to get your answers? To learn the secrets behind this holy war?" The silence was deafening. However, after a few minutes, Allen spoke up.
"Anything..." As much as he didn't want to admit it. That was God's own truth. Allen's thirst for answers had only grown, and that wasn't the only thirst he wanted to quench. For some reason, he was really thirsty. When his visage saw Allen scratching his throat, he smiled. It had begun.
"This path will take you down a river of blood and shit. I'm warning you now. When you created me in the past, you gave yourself the option to escape. You gave yourself the option to be human. Tell me Allen, tell me Satan, are you willing to betray all you hold dear for your answers?" Now that was a question Allen couldn't answer. There was no way he wanted to betray his friends, but at the same time, he wanted answers. When silence took over the forest, his visage smiled, and stood up. At this point, his twin was almost completely transparent. "Abata, ura, suranam, et'babylon..." Allen's eyes widened when he heard those words. He remembered Master speaking the exact same terms back in the ark! Was his visage a sorcerer? Or, if what his visage said was true, did he used to be a sorcerer? Once again, his mirror image laughed. "You were never a sorcerer!" It said. "What I'm using is something far more primitive. In all honesty, I can't even remember how you made it work."
"I made that spell?" Allen asked. His twin nodded as he finished the charm. The effect was immediate, and it hit Allen hard, like a freight train. Suddenly, it felt as if he were burning. He could feel every inch of every muscle, he could feel every scrape, every slight injury with excruciating detail. And it made him want to scream, but Allen contained himself. God only knew who was prowling the forest today. This deep in, it wasn't uncommon to find scouting groups for the White Fang, or multiple packs of grimm. Plus — in all honesty — he had the pleasure of experiencing far worse pain in his past. Who would have thought that Cosimov could actually best the Devil himself at something? When it came to abuse, that satanic clown was in a class all his own. "Thirsty..." Allen mumbled as he crawled over to a nearby lake. The heat from the charm was unbearable, he needed water. When he finally managed to get to the pool, Allen dipped his hands into the cold liquid, and proceeded to drink. As he should have expected, the water didn't do anything to quench his thirst. However, it did give him a chance to see his body. "That's... different..." Allen mumbled as he bit his lip. His skin had gotten much dryer, and was cracked by the heat. In fact, this pattern repeated itself over his entire body. Yet somehow, Allen felt as if — even though his skin looked decrepit and, honestly, dead — his range of motion had drastically increased. That wasn't all, as if on instinct, his skin started to turn grey. However, this time, the stigmata didn't appear. No, instead of stigmata, two small black horns appeared upon his forehead.
"Hah!" His visage said as Allen recoiled back. "Are you surprised? Well don't worry, you're almost done. All that's left now is your 'innocence' and then you — at least physically wise — will be complete." The entire time his visage was talking, Allen stared at his left hand.
Crown Clown? Allen thought as he watched his innocence activate itself. This time, both of his hands grew claws. I guess that means I won't be able to make a fist while fighting anymore... He frowned, now he even looked more like a monster. However, Allen knew that his evolution — or, as his visage called it, his recollection — wasn't over. After all, his innocence had yet to fully activate yet. Where's my clown belt and cloak? The usual white cloak was nowhere to be seen. However, Allen could still feel its power coursing through his veins. Well... I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. With that, Allen raised up his clawed right hand and yelled. "Clown belt!" And indeed, a white belt did shoot out and wrap around the tree. However, its point of origin wasn't a cloak. It was a tail. "You have got to be kidding me." Allen thought as he looked down at his feet. Sure as can be, a monstrous white tail was protruding out of his back. And not only that, but his wings had returned too. However — this time — they looked old, tattered, and burned. "So this was what I used to look like..." Allen mumbled as he stared into the water. "Damn... I really do look like a demon." Then again, that would make sense. For curiosity's sake, Allen wrapped his right hand around his left, and pulled out his sword of exorcism. "Well... at least one thing remained the same."
As Allen inspected his new body. He heard his mirror image start to clap. "Congratulations on your new attire! I think it fits you perfectly!" His visage then walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Now doesn't it feel nice? Having your body to yourself, I mean." Allen didn't respond, not having any voices in his head felt more foreign than normal. He was just so used to Nea's quarrels with Crown Clown and his inner noah. But now they were gone. Or... now that he thought about it... were they ever really there to begin with?
"Listen..." Allen said as he turned to his foggy twin. "You said you would answer my questions—" Allen stopped to cough. The thirst had gotten worse. "Anyway..." he started in-between the hacks and gulps for air. "When will you start answering my questions? When will you reveal my memories?" Allen's eyes narrowed when he saw his visage shrug.
"Like I said before, my only purpose is to get you to the starting line. That's why you created me. You'll have to dig up your own past, I can't do it for you." Allen rolled his eyes, he never wanted to punch someone so much in his life. However, he knew it would accomplish nothing. "After all—" his twin started as he helped him up. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to store multiple millenniums worth of memories? Oh, what am I saying?" His visage mumbled as he slapped himself. "Of course you do, that's why you made me a starting point, and not a library." Allen rolled his eyes, why did everything have to be so confusing?
"Okay, okay..." Allen started as his tail twirled around in the snow. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, where could he even start? "You said I made you as the starting line, what does that mean?" Allen's eyes widened when he saw his mirror image smile. Apparently, he had asked the right question. His visage lifted up his arm, and pointed towards the center of the forest. At this point, his twin had almost completely disappeared. It seemed as if just a small gust of wind would be enough to blow him away.
"Your memory of me has just about faded, so I'll go ahead and tell you now. Go towards where I am pointing. Eventually, you will find something that you used in the past to sate your thirst. Use it to partake in communion, and set yourself on the path towards recollection." As his twin said this the wind took hold. The cold breeze caused his mirror image to disappear in a cloud of dust, along with every other memory in that forest.
Well... Allen thought as he began moving deeper into the forest. It's not like I have any other option.
After a few minutes of walking, Allen finally gave in and took to the skies. His rotted wings didn't seem to fair quite as well as his old ones, but they did the job. However, what they lacked in maneuverability, his new wings made up with their unimaginable speed. In a matter of seconds he was on the other end of the forest, and just over the next mountain was spires of Vale. Now what am I looking for? Allen thought as he scratched his neck, the thirst had gotten worse. "God dammit..." just a few minutes of flying and he already needed rest. If he really was the devil, then he was unbelievably weak. Would the Antichrist really suffer from something as minor as thirst? But then again, Allen still wasn't completely sure what he was. The place he decided to rest was a small alcove near the base of a mountain, it was cold, damp, and did wonders for his dry skin. Of course, he could always deactivate his powers and return to normal, but Allen didn't know what that would do. The Crown Clown and his inner noah were gone, he had nothing else to rely on if things got hairy. "Man this whole situation is just peachy, isn't it?" Allen mumbled as he made his way through the alcove. "This place looks like its been through hell..." Allen mumbled as he scanned over the decrepit area. Corpses of soldiers and White Fang members lay strewn across the alcove. Some of them were even stuck up in the trees! A recent battle must have happened here. As Allen walked through the battlefield, the scent of death and blood assaulted his nostrils. However, it did not make him gag. Hell, in fact, the scent made him giddy. With every step he felt a new jolt of energy rush through him, it was absolutely invigorating. His wings twitched and his tail twirled as he made his way through the valley of the shadow of death. And for once, Allen could safely say that he never felt more alive.
"H—help..." Allen stopped when he heard a muffled voice coming from underneath some of the fallen rocks. Upon closer inspection, he saw that there was a hand poking out of a pile of boulders. Poor bastard must have gotten buried. "I know your there! Please, help me!" The man cried, his hand reaching out to the sky. "I'm with the Vale police, there was a shootout this morning and some rocks fell on me. Please, if your there, I need your help!" Allen smiled and quickly walked over to the rocks.
These should be easy enough to lift... Allen thought as he wrapped his hands around one of the larger boulders. However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not muster the strength to lift it. What's going on? He looked down at his clawed hand a sighed. The thirst was back with a vengeance, and was sapping him of his strength. It was then that he remembered his twins words. It was here, in this pit of death, that he had to partake in 'communion'. But what the hell did that mean?!
"Hello? Sir? Madame? Whoever you are, I could really use your help. Do you have a scroll? Can you call emergency services? My comrades should already be on their way to help me and the other survivors, but — at this rate — I don't think I'll last this long. Please, I just want to see my family." Allen's eyebrows narrowed, there it was, the guilt trip. Allen wasn't sure why, but for some reason, he knew that this man didn't have a family. His wife died in an accident ten years ago, and he had no children. Still... that didn't mean he could just let him die. Did it? As he pondered over his options, Allen scratched his neck, he would really have to find something to drink soon.
Ah! That's besides the point! Allen thought as he shook his head. Right now I need to focus on this man. This sinful man. Wait what? Why did I think that? Allen pinched the bridge of his nose as some of the man's memories flashed before his eyes. He had killed, he had maimed, he had been hateful to his wife. However, there was one memory in particular that really prodded him. And that was the brothels. "You fool..." Allen whispered as he took his hands off of the rocks. "You let your sin wade you into adultery..."
"What? What are you talking about? Just help me! Please!" Allen ground his teeth together, the sinful were all the same. However, he couldn't just leave this man here to die. But, at the same time, he wouldn't feel right just saving him for free. To get his help, these heretics would need to pay. They would have to make a deal.
A deal with the Devil? Allen thought as his lips twisted into a demonic smile. He didn't know why he knew how to do the deal, but Allen went through with it anyway. At this point, it felt as if he was relying on muscle-memory. "I'll save you, but not for free." He started as his wings began to flap excitedly.
"For free?! Man, I'm dying here! What would I possibly have to offer you?!" At this point, Allen didn't have an answer, but this man would pay for his sins. After a few more minutes in excruciating pain, the lamb finally arrived at his slaughter. And took the bait. "Fine! I'll make a deal with you! If you get me out of here, then I'll do anything!" Allen chuckled, that's all he wanted.
"Let's shake on it." He said as he raised his clawed hand down to the man's battered and bloodied fingers. "Just know that, once you take my hand, the deal is complete." Again, Allen wasn't sure why he said these things. However, these words felt natural. As if he had spoken them a million times before. As expected, the man took his hand, only to immediately recoil back when he felt his scaly palm.
"What in Monty?!" Allen ignored the man's muffled screams as he bent over and easily lifted the boulder off of his body. As expected, he had not been there for very long. Which made sense, after all, judging by the looks of things, this battle ended quite recently. After that was completed, Allen knelt down and helped the man up. Now it was time for payment. "What in Remnant are you?!" The man jumped as he tried to pull his hand out of Allen's' iron-like grasp. He could see his reflection in the man's eyes. For some reason, his curse had activated. However, something was different, as now it wasn't only his left eye that turned demonic. His right eye had turned black too, which definitely helped with the whole demon look.
"It's time for your payment." Allen mumbled as his instincts took over. The thirst was running rampant now, it was burning through his throat like a fire. Thankfully, he now had a way to quench his thirst. For a split second, his mind went blank, and Allen grabbed the man's head. As the heretic screamed, Allen opened his mouth to reveal a maw of shadowy-black fangs. He sent the black blades deep into the man's neck, and started to drink. As he drank the man's body and skin began to boil, before exploding out into a cloud of brilliant red ash. As the remnants of the sinner's clothes dropped to the ground, Allen couldn't help but collapse onto his knees. He was in shock. "I... drank that man's blood." What, was he a vampire now?! No... that wasn't it... while he did drink the man's blood, that wasn't what he was after. What he was after was...
"I consumed his soul..." Allen wasn't sure how that was possible, but he did it. He could feel the man's life blood coursing through him, before being sent straight to the fires of Hell. However, even though all of this terrified him, Allen couldn't say he was disgusted. In fact, he felt amazing, great even! At least for the moment, his thirst was sated. And as the red mist finally vanished, and his heartrate returned to normal, Allen saw another memory flash before his eyes. It wasn't much, just the still image of two people looking down at him. It was a woman, and a man, and in the image they looked ginormous. Allen couldn't tell much from the faded image, hell, he couldn't even see the man and woman's faces. However, Allen knew who they were. "My parents..." the thought of those two bastards made him want to gag. They were the ones who sold him to the circus after all! But then again, maybe there was more to that than he thought. "Heh..." Allen chuckled as he cradled his head in his arms. "This must be the starting line. Heh..." the chuckles didn't stop. What could he say? He was finally getting somewhere, and for the first time in his life, he was finally starting to understand who he was. What he was. This unholy communion was just the beginning, now it was his turn to take action. As his laughter grew into a full-blown gale, clouds started to gather overhead, it was going to rain. However, this time, it would not be normal rain. For God's drake had opened its eyes.
Ruby
"Smoke?" Lenalee mumbled as she looked out the window. Krory was right, a gigantic plume of the grey gas was pouring out of the center of the forest. At this rate, it looked as if it would consume the entire forest. "Should we call the fire department?" Lenalee turned to Ruby and Yang. At big universities like Beacon, the campus usually had its own fire station. Ruby shrugged and flipped out her scroll, this really wasn't what she was worrying about now, but it had to be done. She couldn't just let the Emerald Forest burn! As her scroll began to buzz, Ruby turned back to Timcanpy.
"Are you certain Allen never had any previous training?" The idea of Allen being a master warrior without help was ridiculous! Even for the most talented, having a teacher was essential! However, Cross's words provided her no comfort.
"I'm telling you everything I know. I never taught the kid how to shoot, or in the arts. I only taught him how to use that left arm of his." Ruby sighed, like usual, they had gotten nowhere. As she, Road, Lenalee, and everyone else bit their thumbs. Ruby's scroll finally connected to the fire department.
"Beacon Fire Department, what is your emergency?" The operator asked them as they all let out a collective sigh. At least they could get that problem out of the way. After all, it would be hard to search for Allen when the forest was ablaze.
"Hello," Ruby started as she stared out the window. The blaze was really roaring now. "I'm calling about a forest fire on the north end of campus, I'm certain you've seen the smoke?" She asked the operator as she tapped her nails against the window.
"Yes Ma'am, we've already been notified about this fire. But you shouldn't worry. A storm should be coming through any second now to extinguish the flame." Ruby — and the others — were shocked. That was rather irresponsible of a fire department. To rely on the weather to take out a forest fire.
"I haven't heard about anything like this on the forecast." Ruby said as she looked through her weather app. It said that, in Vale, it would be sunny all day. So was the storm local? Ruby shook her head, no less than a flood would be able to take out a forest fire. "Are you sure that's safe? To rely on the weather to stop a fire so close to the university?"
"Don't worry Ma'am, we've already sprayed the flame's bordering area with fire retardant. The fire will not spread, I assure you." Ruby sighed, it was obvious that this conversation would get her nowhere. After giving the operator her information and dorm room, Ruby hung up.
"Here at Beacon University we have the finest, most responsible, staff." Ruby mumbled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Anyway!" Ruby pinched the bridge of her nose and turned to the rest of the group. "Do we have any leads onto where Allen might be? Any at all?" Sadly, everyone shook their heads. Dammit Allen! Ruby thought, where in Remnant did you run off to? I just want to say I'm sorry! Still... crying about their lack of information would get them nowhere. They had to focus! As Ruby steeled herself for more frustration, Cross spoke up again.
"A forest fire? Are you all safe?" Now that made every exorcist jump. Since when did Cross care about his comrades?
"Uh... yeah..." Lavi started as his eyebrows narrowed. "Why? Did you suddenly grow a conscience general?" Cross laughed and sighed. As if!
"You all know my idiot apprentice better than anyone. If there's a fire, I guarantee he'd be the first one to jump in. Hell, that crazy kid did exactly that a few times when he was on the road with me. Nearly got himself burnt to a crisp." Lavi frowned and placed his hand on his chin. Everyone knew about Allen's martyr complex. So it wouldn't be that far-fetched to say he may have dived into one. However, was that really worth the risk? Besides the noah, none of them were equipped to deal with the burning flames of a forest fire. If they weren't careful, one of them could die.
"We could wait for the rain. That operator said it would start soon anyway..." Lenalee said. It was as if she could read his mind.
"That's definitely our safest bet." Miranda said as she turned to stare at the roaring forest fire. "Plus... Allen's very durable. I doubt a simple fire would be enough to kill him." Everyone smiled, they all knew that was true. "We've waited so long, what does it hurt to wait a little longer?" As Miranda said this, they heard an audible pattering of liquid against the window. The storm must have started already. But still... something didn't click.
This storm is a godsend, but where did it come from? None of the forecasts predicted it, and everything I learned about weather as a bookman told me that today would have nothing but clear skies. Lavi thought as he looked up to stare at the storm. "What the hell?" Lavi whispered as he stared at the rain. "That's... unusual..."
"Is something the matter Lavi?" Lenalee said as, she too, stared out the window. "Dear God..." Soon, everyone else's attention was drawn to the storm. And for good reason. For this storm did not bring water. No, what was pouring down from the heavens was not rain, but blood.
Author's Note
HEHEHEHHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE~
That was my exact reaction to your responses about the last chapter! Trust me, I loved reading over each and every one of them! It may be hard to believe, but your reviews and messages are really what drive this story forward, so please! Keep it up!
Anyway, how do you all like them apples? The devil is back, and it's time for hell on earth bae-be! Or maybe, would you say, hell on remnant? Well... I don't want to spoil much. So I'll just cut this section off here.
For Those of You Interested in the Manga
I'll be sure to send the writer your support. I'll make sure I tell you all when the first chapter is out! However, you guys have to have patience! These things take time!
Anyway! That's all for me! Please, rate and review, and I'll see you guys on the next chapter of Beacon's Exorcist!
Chapter 26: Like Moths to Flame