Lavi stared up at the building, a hood pulled over his bright red hair, effectively concealing his identity. It was a chilly day in Paris as he stood before an orphanage. He'd seen Allen Walker, that horrible Kanda Yuu, and the blond with the peculiar spots on his forehead enter the building not too much earlier. They didn't seem to pay him any mind, fortunately for him, and the four seemingly normal people he stood outside with. Inside, however, Lavi knew this was where he'd tracked the rumors of the Phantom Thief to. Inside there somewhere was a potential Exorcist. How he would like to record the battle, but being trapped in there with Exorcists who wanted his own life was a bad idea. A very bad idea.
Only a few hours before had the Earl pulled Lavi aside. The events still replayed freshly in his mind, his heart aching as he recalled them.
"Lavi-pon, there is something you should know~." The Earl seemed quite serious, which seemed to happen much more often lately. "Yeah?" Lavi returned with an inquisitive look. "Rhode learned some interesting information recently I think you should know," the Earl stated. "The reason why the Order is after you." Lavi dropped the book from his hands, hitting the floor with a loud thud. He was shocked. Rhode had told him many things, but why not something as important as this? "Why hadn't she said anything?" "She didn't want to hurt you, Lavi-pon~," he replied. "But I feel it's best you know~." He looked at the Bookman over his glasses. "The Vatican finds you a threat because you're with us and you know too much. To them, you're no better than an Akuma~~." Lavi stared blankly at the Earl for a moment. They wanted to kill him because of his knowledge? What were they thinking? That was what a Bookman was: secret information. It was their initiative, their being, their existence. Without it, Bookmen were nothing but ordinary historians. They wanted to hide the truth, didn't they? Damn that Vatican. "But never fear, Lavi-pon~
That just meant he'd have to become stronger. He wasn't about to let the Vatican kill him, even if his old man wasn't stopping them. Lavi watched the four human-skinned akuma walk through the barrier of the building into the orphanage then he slipped back into the shadows.
…
The redhead stood in the garden amongst the flowers and the trees. It seemed like a pretty decent place to try something new. He twisted the hammer in his hand between his fingers and his thumb a few times before bringing it up to full size. There had to be something else he could learn with this hammer that would keep himself alive. This pacifistic stance wasn't doing him any good. Not getting involved was no longer an option. He was being dragged down further and further into the situation, unable to find a way out, so he simply had to make an exit himself. He had to take control. And to do so, he needed to learn the elements this dark matter hammer of his held. He needed to be on par with those who were after his life, or at least have a more effective means of escaping and concealing himself.
He'd pondered the idea of elements several times. There were many cultures with many different elements, but he'd become fond of Buddhist elements. Void and Aether, Fire, Wind, Water, and Air.
Void and Aether, the presence of nothing and the presence of everything. Two complete opposites. Of all the elements, Void seemed the most useful and something he hadn't truly considered until now. But what did Void actually look like? It wasn't really anything.
Lavi pondered for a moment, tapping a finger against his lips. Void. Void. Void. He closed his eyes and just imagined whatever first came to mind. A dragon. Why a dragon? Suddenly he felt something wrap around his arms, coiling quite tightly. His eyes snapped open and Lavi found himself staring down a dragon which appeared to be emanating from his hammer. It was charcoal gray with the consistency of a cloud, wispy and puffy.
"Void...?" he mumbled at it. Was this the element itself? He looked down as the puff wrapped itself around his arms and hands, finding that his hands seemed to simply disappear as if they never existed in the first place. That was it. The presence of nothing. "Let's see what you can do." Lavi waved his hand around and the dragon seemed to trace his movements, concealing whatever it covered, as if it weren't even there. He called it back and the dragon wrapped itself around his arm, his arm disappearing in its puffy wake. It was amazing how something with such a loose consistency could conceal practically everything around it. "Wonder what I should call ya."
"How about Cloud Dragon?" stated a voice, followed by arms wrapping around his shoulders, the freshly painted black nails glistening in the afternoon sunlight.
Lavi grinned, knowing the hands always belonged to Rhode even if she did try to sneak up on him. "Nah, I think I need somethin' more impressive than that, Rhode" he laughed. "Given the circumstances, I need somethin' powerful anyway."
Rhode frowned harshly. "Sennen-ko told you, didn't he?" Why did he have to go and do that?
Lavi nodded, his smile falling. "It's better that I know, yeah? I don't like to be left in the dark." He hated that. Lavi wanted to know what was going on and if it somehow involved his own life, the more knowledge, the better. "I'm not gonna stand back 'n take it. I'll protect myself."
Rhode grinned somewhat eerily. It was most definitely a Noah grin, from ear to ear. While Rhode wanted to protect her little human brother, she was pleased to hear Lavi was planning on fighting for himself. It was definitely something she didn't expect from him, given his stance not to interfere. Then again, his life was at stake here. "Tell ya what, Lavi. I'll help you practice with that new skill of yours!"
Lavi grinned. "Oh yeah? How?"
She slipped from behind him and appeared in front of him, her form pulling the ground up. Of course this wasn't her true form, but Lavi still had no idea what her true form was in the first place. In time she'd tell him, but at times, he'd feel impatient and want to know.
With a wave of her hand, Rhode created a few illusionary Exorcists who looked like Kanda. Lavi frowned sharply. "Stop them, Lavi-chu~~" she told him with a smirk.
He really didn't like the words or even the idea of illusionary Exorcists, but he knew she wouldn't kill him. He pushed his hammer in front of him, clearing his mind and pondering the elements he knew then got an idea. Pulling the head of the hammer down to his foot, he swung it out in a wide arc, sending out a combination of water and void. However, as the void moved forward, the water seemed to disappear suddenly. Rhode tilted her head in curiosity and Lavi nearly mirrored the surprise. But sure enough, as the void passed over the fake Exorcists, the replicas found themselves quite drenched.
Rhode squealed in delight and threw herself on his shoulders. "That was so cool, Lavi~!" she giggled.
Lavi stared. So this was void. The absence of everything and presence of nothing. This element… It could be really useful in stopping any attacks by the Exorcists. This element would be his trump card.
…
Author's notes:
I really needed a new element for Lavi, something more fitting for his defensive stance in battle. In some cultures, Void is a natural element, with Aether (the presence of everything, absence of nothing) as its opposition.