Chapter Thirty-Six:

~Allen~

I could hear nothing but the echo of my footsteps as I found myself walking through a shroud of darkness. There was something oddly surreal about this, as my feet continued onwards.

Then I heard voices murmuring in the distance, slowly becoming closer but I couldn't make out what they were saying. Then a light appeared before me and as I stepped through it, I was surrounding by unfamiliar scenery… where was I?

It seemed to be a large hall with a high domed roof and a crystal chandelier clinking gently above my head. Long drapes decorated the arch windows and the floor shone like a mirror.

From there, I noticed a large group of men and women smartly dressed in neatly pressed suits and dresses of silk and lace. However, their faces were obscured by shadows, which began to frighten me. But I couldn't run away, instead my feet carried me through the lingering people.

My breath hitched when I noticed one particular person step up to me. From what I could tell, it was a man. His dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail but the shadows prevented me from seeing anything more. He held his gloved hand out to me, beckoning me to take it as the faint sound of music chimed in the background.

I was reluctant to place my hand in his but once again, my body moved of its own accord and I reached out. No sooner did my fingers brush against his palm, I felt a powerful force wrench me back and sent me into the darkness once more.

I felt my body hit water with a loud splash and I quickly gasped for air. Gazing about me, I found myself amongst the ruined foundations of an old styled building. My senses caused me to panic… this were the same place I saw that figure caked in blood! The horror of the thought made me look at my hands and I bit back a scream.

Blood, warm blood trailed down my arms caused me to stumble back with a frightful squeak. I tried desperately to wipe it off but as fresh as the blood seemed, it wouldn't smear on the light tanned coat I was wearing.

'You… killed us… traitor…' I reeled back in terror as the water about me began to ripple and deformed shapes began to emerge. Limbs were distorted and hollowed faces gazed back at me in frozen fear.

'B-but I didn't do anything,' I stuttered as dread rose in my chest.

'W-why… did… you… betray me?' My body went rigid as another voice spoke up. But it wasn't the words that scared me; it was the familiarity of the voice that made my blood run cold.

I slowly forced myself to turn around and saw the twisted form of the person I had loved with all my heart.

'Man-!'

….

My eyes flew open as I sat up, clutching at the sheets so tightly my knuckles went white. My heart pounded wildly in my chest as I tried to clear up the lingering traces of that horrifying nightmare.

'Are you okay Allen?' I almost jumped at the voice as I stared at Lo Hwa who was standing beside the door. Her face was filled with worry so I tried to smile at her to show that I was fine. But I was beyond that… that dream had left me undeniably shaken.

'It was just a bad dream,' I murmured softly as I closed my eyes and focused on my haggard breathing. Lo Hwa didn't seem convinced.

'I was asked to take you to your next session with Fou but maybe you should rest a little longer,' the young scientist said but I shook my head.

'I should be fine,' I persisted hoping that Lo Hwa wouldn't put a stop to the only thing that would help me return to my friends and Tyki.

'Okay, if you say so but at least have some food and a nice cup of tea,' yes, that sounded like a great idea as I pulled the covers off me and followed Lo Hwa. Together, we made the detour to the cafeteria before heading to the area where Fou, Li Kei and Shifu were waiting for us.

'Sorry about the wait, just got up a few minutes ago,' I explained quickly, hoping that they wouldn't inquire about the details. Much to my relief they simply nodded and Fou and I proceeded into the middle of the room. The guardian dropped into a battle stance, her hands morphing into curved blades. She had on her usual smirk as I raised my only arm in front of me as I took my position.

'Here I come Walker!' She lunges towards me, the blades spinning in a blinding blur of purple. I stepped back and ducked under the blades, rolling around and finding my feet quickly before she came at me again. During her barrage of attacks, I tried to focus on more than just avoiding the possibility of losing my head.

There were so many people that were waiting for me. Lenalee, Lavi and everyone whom were most likely heading towards Edo. Komui, Reever and all the members back at Headquarters. Even Tyki… the thought of the handsome vagabond subconsciously brought a smile to my lips.

'What are you smiling at Walker?' Fou shouted, breaking me from my trance but my smile didn't falter. Her arm swinging towards my face, I flipped back and jumped away from her. Though Fou followed close behind, her arms transforming into rapier-like blades.

Innocence…

I called to my innocence and the glittering dust whipped into a violent tornado surrounding me. The action caught Fou off guard and she was thrown back. Grimacing at the sheer velocity of the winds and peered at the shimmering innocence curiously… was it finally going to claim a solid form.

'Innocence, please for the ones I hold dear… allow me the power to power them,' I yelled at but my words were carried away in the roaring gust.

'Traitor… y-you betr-trayed… us-s…' a piercing pain appeared as if Road had somehow appeared and drove one of her wicked candles into my left eye. A muffled cry escaped my lips as I gripped at my eye and for some strange reason I found that it had activated.

'A-akuma…?' No it couldn't be possible especially since Asian Branch was one of the most secure places in the Black Order. Then I remembered my nightmare, the haunting grief-stricken voices that taunted me… then my eyes widened in panic.

'… T-trai-tor…' the voices rung clear despite the blistering torrent of the innocence surrounding me. Almost like they were standing around me, mocking me.

'No, I don't know who you are… leave me alone!' I screamed and clenched my head. It felt as if it was being split apart by invisible hands then another flash of pain erupted and I succumbed to darkness.

….

The next thing I remember is coming to the sound of metallic beeping and I opened my eyes to the worried expression of Bak, Fou and the junior scientists. Glancing about, I wasn't the least bit surprised to find that I was back in my room and attached to an IV drip.

'Are you okay Allen?' Lo Hwa asked and I offered her a smile. But it didn't seem to do much to ease the frown on her face.

'Y-yeah, my eye activated suddenly,' I said and slowly sat up. Li Kei sighed with relief and scratched the back of his neck.

'You gave us quite the scare back there with all that odd shouting and everything,' I felt my cheeks heat up with embarrassment. Did they hear all that? I had hoped that the winds would hide most of my words.

'I probably got a little carried away…' I laughed uneasily though I was still very much traumatized and puzzled over the incident. Why had that happened? Was my innocence telling me something… or something else?

'Well I wouldn't discourage you from trying that again, the innocence was highly reactive it destroyed almost all the golems that I had analyzing your fights with Fou,' Bak mentioned encouragingly but it left me frowning. I slightly felt bad for destroying technical equipment but I was mostly confused with what exactly the innocence was reacting to. Thoughts of my friends definitely drew the innocence to me but it became more violent when my left eye activated… yes I was definitely missing something!

'I suppose after I've rested for a bit I'll try again,' I smiled but it didn't reach very high. My plagued mind reeling with everything that happened in such a short time, it left me dizzy and lightheaded.

Yes, a nap sounded like a very good idea right about now.

….

Hmm, this took me a little while but hopefully you enjoyed it. I'm going to keep writing while I still have some ideas in my head and maybe I'll update again tomorrow but I won't make any promises!

So if there's nothing else, please leave a review c: