Beacon's Exorcist

by Discarab

Allen has been thrown into Beacon academy. Where is he? How can he return home? Will he return home as the same person? Only time can tell. OP Allen and some Noah Allen. Chapter 33 is out! Edited versions of [early] chapters 1-3 are out! Rest coming soon!

35. Chapter 35

Hey everyone how are you doing? It's time for the infamous chapter that I've been building up for forever. Since this chapter is twenty-five thousand words long, and a regular chapter is five, this mega chapter will be split into five parts! Each part is about the length of an average chapter, so get ready for a lengthy read!

By the way: this chapter is meant to be read as five-in-one, so please don't PM me about pacing. Cause trust me, I've already figured all of that out.

Also, sorry for the long wait. I know that it's been a long time since my last update, but A.) this chapter took a long time to get ready. And B.) I've been working on my book and some other stories in the meantime (Maybe go check one of them out :3). Anyways, that's all I'll say about that here, the rest of that will be saved for the author's note at the end of the chapter.

P.S. I know it's kind of cliché for an author to thank his readers, but seriously you guys, thank you. This was my first major story, and I never thought it would ever get anywhere near this popular as -man crossovers go. I originally thought that this story was going to be capped at, like, forty reviews and then never go anywhere. But you guys proved me wrong! Also, I'm especially happy that none of you were sticks in the mud about the twist, as I was REALLY worried that it wouldn't be taken well. So, I guess what I'm saying is, thanks for sticking with this story, it really does mean a lot.

P.S.S. Now, I'm sure it should be obvious by now, but after writing this gigantic beast of a chapter I'm going to take a little break from Beacon's Exorcist. I have several more stories in the works right now, and I want to get all of them at least one or two new chapters before I work on the next one for this story. That's why I hope you understand why this chapter is so long (25K words holy hell, that's a new record for me) I made this monster to tie you guys over, so I hope it does its job!

Anyway, that's enough with the mushy stuff, let's get going to where the last chapter left off. That's right, with demons!

Disclaimer: Don't own RWBY or -man, all rights go to their respective owners.

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Chapter 35: The Point

Part One: A New Family

Silver could feel his body being torn asunder as he fell deeper and deeper into the abyss. While the top was covered with flames and felt as hot as the sun. It didn't take long for the cold to set in. After a solid minute of falling, the orange light of the hellfire behind them became little more than a speck on the horizon. All that was left to them was the abyss, the endless, black abyss. "Gold! Gold can you hear me!" Silver cried out as he plummeted deeper and deeper into the cavern.

"Yeah! Unless I'm finally hearing voices!" Silver sighed when he heard that. After straining his body around, he discovered that his partner wasn't that far away. In fact, Gold was only about twenty meters to his right. "There's no light at all!" He said as he tried his best to get closer. "I can barely see you!"

"Same here!" Silver yelled as he squinted his eyes for something solid. "When do you think we're finally going to get to the bottom?" He asked Gold, who only shrugged as he scrambled to find a source of light.

"Ah! There you are you little prick!" He exclaimed as he pulled out his trusty lighter, flipping it open with a satisfying clink. It wasn't much, but it was enough for them to see. "Dear Monty..." Gold mumbled as he finally saw what he was flying past. Surrounding them was, what looked liked, a wall of corpses. Their hands all charred, or frozen, to the point of no return.

"Gold... where the fuck are we?!" Silver yelped as he pulled his arm back from one of the walls of flesh. "All I remember is the kid talking to us, and then we somehow ended up here!" As he said this, he felt a strange wind erupt from the bottom of the cavern. It was a mix between boiling hot and freezing cold. The extreme temperatures made his body feel like it was about to explode. "Damn that hurts!" He winced as he rubbed his charred skin.

"Uh... Silver... we're reaching the bottom!" He heard Gold exclaim as his eyelids shot open. His partner was right, the ground was quickly getting bigger and bigger. Going at this rate, it was only a matter of time before their bodies painted it red. However, before the two spies could start panicking, a familiar voice clawed into their mind.

"Sorry for the scare you two, I promise I'll be gentle from now on." Silver and Gold both felt their eyes go as wide as dinner plates when they heard that. Right before the two of them painted the floor of this humongous cavern of flesh, a mysterious force gently slowed their descent. By the time the two neared the bottom, they were falling at a snail's pace.

"Kid! Is that you?" Silver called out as he scratched his temple. Immediately afterwards, a small light flew up out of the ground.

"I'll explain everything when you get here. Follow the light, it'll be your shepherd through the darkness."

"You want us to follow this thing?" Silver asked as he poked the floating light. It felt like he was touching a ball of cotton. Immediately afterwards, the light spun off into the darkness, flying forward for what seemed like minutes before finally stopping.

"Silver, I know you probably don't know the answer, but where in Monty's name are we?" Gold whispered as he and his partner started the long trek towards the floating light. With every step their shoes sunk deeper and deeper into the blackness. It felt as if they were hiking through a lake of mud.

"At this point, I've just decided to follow the kid's voice." Silver told him as he scratched his forehead. "To be honest, considering what's happening, I'm not even sure if I'm completely sane right now." Gold shrugged and frowned as he nodded his head, he felt the same way. The oppressive aura that hung overhead gave them the distinct feeling that they were being watched from the darkness. Their animal instincts only made this feeling worse, causing them to jump at every slight noise. "Gold... I know that the kid is special and all, but even for him, doesn't this seem weird?" It almost felt as if they were trekking through a new world.

"Yeah... I won't lie, this is all pretty confusing." Neither of them knew how they ended up in this strange place. All they remembered was the searing pain from being dragged in, and the kid's voice calling out to them. "Shit!" Gold cursed when he heard something come crashing down off in the distance. The sound rang throughout the cavern, echoing for what seemed like minutes before finally dispersing.

"What do you think that was?" Silver whispered as he reached out to touch the floating light. The second his fingers came in contact with its surface, the light vibrated and flew back out into the darkness. Once it was about eighty meters away, the light slowly started to illuminate the rest of their surroundings. It wasn't anywhere near enough for them to properly make out the lay of the land. However, it was more than plenty for the two spies to see the cause of the crash. There, sitting just a few hundred meters away, was a gigantic monstrosity that was more terrifying than any grimm. Its body stretched far up into the heavens, towering over them like some sort of twisted skyscraper. The beast had four muscular arms and walked on two legs. Hanging off of its back was a pair of humongous wings, so large that they could cause a hurricane with just a single flap. It was its head, however, that made the monster truly horrific. The bones in the beast's skull had broken through its skin, stretching every which way like a small forest. The damage was so bad that, besides the creature's two black eyes, its face had been completely destroyed. Finally, sprouting out of the back of its head were two large horns. Each one was as big as a small ship, and looked so sharp that they could cut the black sky above. The cause of the noise that the two spies had heard was simply the beast moving its legs. And if they listened, they could hear the monster's gigantic heart beating inside of its chest.

"That, my friends, is a demon. Go ahead and introduce yourselves. You two are my guests, so he won't hurt you unless I tell him to."Allen mumbled, his voice growing more and more monstrous with every second. Not having any other options, the two spies took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Hey! You big oaf! Down here!" Silver called out to the demon as he waved his hand in the air.

"Do you really think its wise to be calling that thing names?" Gold whispered as the beast started to move. "All it would take is one punch and we'd be goners." Silver shrugged as he placed a hand on Gold's shoulder.

"My friend, at this point, do you honestly think showing that monster courtesy will have any affect on our situation?" He asked him. Gold nervously chuckled and shook his head, Silver had a point. "Yeah... I guess you're right." Gold mumbled as the ground started to shake. Even though the demon was as big as a mountain, it was unbelievably fast. Within seconds it had closed the distance between them, causing tremors with every step.

"Lor-d... Sloth? L...ord... Gre-ed?" The creature spoke, sending a chill up their spines. Its voice was raspy and hoarse, and it struggled with every word. Before the two of them had a chance to react, the demon reached down and scooped the two of them up.

"Damn... Silver, are we alive?" Gold asked his partner as they were lifted up into the air. Due to the demon's immense size, grass and flowers had started growing on the surface of its skin. If they didn't know already that what they were sitting in was the palm of a giant, Silver and Gold would've mistaken the beast's hand for a small forest clearing.

"Yeah... I think so." Silver grumbled as he felt the demon start to walk. The flying light that they had been following was now burning with the force of a small sun, and from this new height, allowed the two spies to truly see what had been hiding in the darkness. "That shit's just not right." Silver cursed as he felt the air leave his lungs. Stretching as far as the eye could see was a mesmerizing black ocean. At a glance, it was easy to mistake the water for ink, and the only land for miles around was a collection of tiny stone islands. The one they had been trekking through was now but a dot on the horizon. Just another pebble in a seemingly-infinite pool of darkness.

"Silver, look up there!" Gold yelped as he pointed towards the sky. "That's the cavern we fell in from!" Silver's eyes widened when he realized what Gold was referring to. Floating high above their heads was a maze of fleshy caverns and caves. Like the ocean which surrounded them, this maze seemed to go on forever. But that wasn't what terrified Silver the most, no, what made his skin crawl was the creatures that populated this hellish landscape. An uncountable amount of demons similar to the one they were being carried by were strewn across the black ocean. A few had managed to find themselves a spot to sit on some of the rocky islands. However, most were simply stood still in the middle of the dark waters, which, for these unimaginably-tall creatures, only went up to their ankles. Swarms of monstrous birds and flying reptiles filled the skies as well. Each one greedily scanning over the landscape for fresh prey.

"I guess now is a good time to properly welcome you two to my domain." Allen spoke to them once again. However, this time, his voice was not coming from inside their heads. Instead, it echoed around the entire landscape, so loud and powerful that it felt as if the ocean itself was speaking. Silver watched as every demon they saw stopped to hear the kid's words. Almost like children listening to their parents. It was at that point that their destination was finally coming within view. Off in the distance, they could see a small island jutting out of the waters. Red grass and beautiful roses completely covered the small island. And, resting in its center, was a small cottage with a waterwheel. The waterwheel was placed next to a small stream of the ink-like water, and the cottage itself looked relatively normal.

"Go...go... to the Da-rk Lor-d..." the demon they were being carried by wheezed out as it gently let them down at the foot of the island. Once the two were safely back on solid ground, the demon turned around and headed back into the darkness.

"The Dark Lord?" Silver thought as he raised an eyebrow. "I don't remember anyone ever calling the kid that." He said as Gold shrugged. As if ushering them forward, a pleasant breeze wafted over the island. Causing the long stalks of red grass to lightly rustle in the wind. "Come on," he started as he took a step forward. "Let's go see our boss." Gold nodded as he followed after his partner.

"It feels like I'm walking on silk." Gold thought as he stared at the red grass which covered the ground. "How in the world could all of this have grown with no sunlight?" He mumbled as he plucked and sniffed one of the roses. "Hmph… so there are some things in this place that are normal." With that, he tossed the flower aside and hurried to join Silver in front of the cottage's entrance. "Are you ready?" He asked his friend as he tried to dust some of the muck and grime off of his shirt. When Silver nodded, Gold held his hand up to the door and knocked.

"Ah, good, you've finally arrived." They heard Allen's voice as the door slowly creaked open. "Hello, my good friends, why don't you come inside?" He said as they walked into the cottage.

"This is... unexpected." Silver thought as he scanned over the cottage. "This place looks just like a regular house." He wasn't sure what exactly he was expecting to find at the end of this hellish road, but this certainly wasn't it. "So... um... how're you?" Silver awkwardly asked Allen as he and Gold took a seat at the kitchen table. Before answering him, Allen walked over to the head of the kitchen table and took a seat in his own chair.

"Is that a throne?" Gold mumbled as he raised an eyebrow. The seat Allen was sitting in was unlike any of the cottage's other pieces of furniture. It was black, and appeared to be intricately carved out of ivory.

"Well, I guess you could say that." Allen told them as he leaned over and rested his chin upon his left palm. Silver and Gold both frowned as they felt the warmth leave their body. For some reason, the kid's gaze made them uncomfortable. Almost as if they were staring into the eyes of a demon. "So, why don't we cut to the chase?" He started as he reached over to a nearby kettle and poured himself a cup of tea. After he was finished, he got out two identical cups from a nearby shelf and looked at the two spies. "Do you want some?" He asked them as he spooned a few lumps of sugar into his drink. Allen sighed when the two spies shook their heads, tea was always better when it was shared. After taking his first sip, he looked up and stared straight into Silver's eyes. "You two got trapped like a fox in a hunter's den. Tell me, Mr. Spy, was that the first time this sort of thing happened?" He said as he took another sip of tea.

"Yeah..." Silver spoke as he scratched the back of his neck. "We were careless and that cost us our position, I apologize for that." Allen chuckled as he rolled his eyes and swirled his cup around in the air.

"I'm not talking about that." He told them as he tapped his pointer finger against the kitchen table. "I want to know if that was your first brush with death. That's what I'm asking."

"Oh, um, yeah... that was definitely the closest me and Gold ever got to biting the big one. I was certain that we were goners, and then you came in and saved our hides." Silver said as he looked out of one of the cottage's windows. "And then we ended up here..." Yet again, Allen chuckled at Silver's answer.

"I can see it in your eyes, you want to know what this place is?" He said as the two spies nodded their heads. Allen smiled as he got up and walked over to the cottage's fireplace. When he got there, he bent down and tossed a few more logs onto the flames. "It's quite simple really, this realm you two are in is Hell. This cottage is my home, and it is located in the center of the Ninth Circle." The two spies both blinked when they heard that and rubbed their ears, they thought they misheard him.

"Wait... what? I'm going to have to ask you to say that again." Silver said as Allen walked back over to the two spies and took his seat.

"You heard me, right now you two are in the center of Hell." Allen told them as he grabbed his teacup and took another sip. "What? Do you not believe me? If you require proof, you can always just look out the window. And if you're not familiar with the realm, you might know it as the Abyss, or whatever you people from Remnant call my domain."

"But that's impossible!" Silver yelled as he shot out of his chair. "After all, for that to be true, you'd have to be..." He stopped, for some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to say it.

"What? The Devil? Satan? Lord of Darkness? Father of Lies? Bringer of the End? Mortals have called me many names in the past, so you'll have to be more specific." As he spoke, his body slowly started to change. Silver and Gold both watched in horror as a pair of horns sprung out of the boy's head. Immediately afterwards, his skin started to crack and morph, and a pair of tattered wings sprouted from his back. However, the most terrifying part of the transformation was the boy's eyes. In a matter of seconds, they had become pitch black, his previously-silver pupils replaced with crimson slits. Finally, a large white tail uncoiled out of the boy's waist, spiraling all the way down to the ground. "As you can see, gentlemen, there's more to me than meets the eye." As he spoke, Silver and Gold flung back in their chairs.

"The Lord of Darkness... you've got to be kidding me!" Silver said as he got up and walked around the room. "So are you telling me that we've been working under an unholy demon this whole time?!" He yelled as he turned to face Allen, who shrugged.

"What can I say? I'm sorry?" Silver scoffed when he heard that and pinched the bridge of his nose. How in Remnant was he supposed to process this?! Sure, he knew the kid had something special about him. Hell, when he got angry, he destroyed half of Emerald Forest! But this was something else.

"You know, Silver, I always liked to joke that we had devils for bosses, but I never thought I'd actually be right." Gold said as he nervously tapped his forehead. While the two spies were busy coming to terms with this new revelation, Allen reached over to his kettle and poured the two of them a cup of tea.

"Go ahead and drink, I promise that it's not poisoned." He told them as he placed the cups in each of their hands.

"The Devil's showing us more hospitality than some of our old coworkers. Who'd have thought?" Gold mumbled as he held the cup up to his lips and nervously took a sip. "I can't tell if I'm more confused or terrified." He thought as the warm tea touched his tongue. "Wait a minute..." for a brief second, the tea shook him out of his scared stupor. "Did you get this from a convenience store?! It's horrible!" Gold said as he forced himself to swallow the horrid drink down. Silver raised an eyebrow when he heard Gold's complaints and looked back at Allen, who shrugged and proceeded to open one of the kitchen's cabinets.

"Well I'll be damned. He really did buy it from a convenience store." Silver said when he saw the logo of one of Vale's popular corner shops printed on the side of the tea bags. For some reason, when he saw that, he couldn't help but laugh. After a few seconds of heartfelt chuckling, even Gold joined in.

"They do say that laughter is contagious." Allen thought as he watched the two friends laugh before returning to their seats. A little bit of humor could go a long way, and in this case, it did wonders for relieving some of the unwanted tension in the room.

"So... you really are the ruler of all of those demons out there." Silver said as Allen smiled and nodded. "Monty... I can't say I expected this..." he whispered as he wiped some sweat off of his brow. "Well then, boss, let's get to the main event. Why did you save us?" Now that he had calmed down a little bit, his instincts as a spy were starting to bubble back to the surface. "Me and Gold would be dead if it wasn't for you intervening. But why? Why did you do it? There has to be a reason why you decided to bring us here." When he asked that question, Gold nodded and looked up at Allen. It seemed that both of the spies were ready to learn why he had invited them to his home.

"Tell me, you two, what is it that you crave in life?" Silver and Gold both raised their eyebrows at the boy's strange question. How in the world were they supposed to answer that? "Do you crave power? Money? Women? Fame? That sort of thing. What is it that you want from life?"

"What is it... that we want from life?" Gold said as Allen nodded his head. "Well... money and power is up there. But honestly I think what the two of us crave the most is just being able to live our lives in the best way we possibly can." Silver agreed with him. While money was important, it was always just a means to achieve that common goal.

"Then what if I told you that I could offer you two power and wealth beyond your imagining? Pleasures and pleasantries that mortals could only dream of. What would you do if I said that I could give you those things right now?" Silver and Gold both stared at each other when they heard the boy's offer and shook their heads.

"What exactly do you want from us?" Silver asked him. "Do you want us to go on another mission? Or perhaps act as your bodyguards?" Allen laughed and shook his head when he heard Silver's response.

"No, no, you have it all wrong." Allen said as he extended a hand to the two spies. "What I'm offering isn't a mission or some job, it's a place at my table. I want you two to join me as rulers of Hell."

"Rulers?" Gold mumbled as his eyes went wide. "Like, as demons?" Allen grinned and nodded as he waved his hand through the air, summoning forth a pair of small flames at his fingertips.

"Seven cardinal sins to rule the Nine Circles of Hell. I'm recruiting new generals to stand at my side, and you two fit the bill." He told them as the spies both gasped. "In return for your unwavering loyalty, I offer you immortality and power the likes of which you've never seen before. You'll both receive a large swath of land to govern as you see fit, and all of the demons there will report directly to you."

"Monty, this all sounds like something out of a comic book." Silver mumbled as he cradled his head in his hands. "We'd be the Devil's direct subordinates. If this were a book, that'd mean we'd be the bad guys." Normally, any sane person would immediately decline the boy's offer. After all, deals with demons were never known to be fruitful ones. However, they weren't normal. "We can't really go back to living our regular life now that Salem and the White Fang knows that we betrayed them. Gold, I say we do it." He said as he turned and stared right into his partner's eyes.

"You've got to be kidding me..." the man mumbled as he leaned back into his chair, losing himself in thought. "I guess... we had a good run as mortals. Didn't we Silver?" Gold asked him as he nervously ran a hand through his hair. "You know what? Fuck it!" He yelled as he shot out of his seat and grasped Allen's hand. "I was always that strange kid who rooted for the villains anyways, let's do this!" The second the words left his lips, the boy's mouth twisted into a horrific smile.

"If you accept my proposition, then lower your heads." He told them as he raised the two flames he had summoned up into the air. The spies did as they were told, and once they were ready, Allen lowered the two wisps of fire down onto their scalps. Instantly, the small embers clung to their hair and proceeded to spread across the entirety of their bodies. However, the fire did not burn them, instead, the flames simply started to change colors. For Silver, they shone a brilliant shade of blue. While Gold's shimmered a deeply dark orange. "In my name I christen you two members of the Mortal Sins. Silver, your title is now the Sin of Sloth. Gold, you are now the Sin of Greed." As he spoke, the two spies rose from the ground and stared at their burning bodies. After a few seconds, the flames vanished, and the transformation was complete.

"I don't feel any different..." Silver mumbled as he turned to Gold and narrowed his eyes. "Hey, boss, what gives? I thought we were supposed to transform into demons." Allen laughed when he heard that and shook his head.

"The seven sins are a product of humanity's own desires. Therefore, your physical appearance shouldn't change much." Allen said as he held up a small mirror for the two spies to look into. Silver and Gold both gasped when they saw their eyes. Both of their pupils had changed into serpentine slits. Silver's was as blue as sapphires, while Gold's were as orange as molten rock. "But, don't get confused, you're both definitely demons now." He said as he led the two spies out of the cottage. The second their feet touched the ground, a familiar shadow loomed over them.

"It's one of those humongous demons..." Gold mumbled as he and Silver stared at the creature. Somehow, now it wasn't that terrifying.

"Ah... they've finally arrived. I was wondering what was taking them so long." Allen said as the demon leaned over and placed its open right hand at the bottom of the hill.

"Are you expecting more people?" Silver asked him, Allen nodded.

"There are seven spots to fill, after all. While I was waiting for you two to get here, I used a proxy demon to find and christen Lust and Gluttony." Allen said as his wings literally twitched in excitement. "They haven't actually seen my true form yet, so I'm quite curious to see what their reactions will be." Silver and Gold both nodded as they heard a pair of footsteps walk up the hill. With every step, Allen's smile grew larger and larger.

"How did you decide to make them sins?" Gold asked him as Allen shrugged.

"I chose you two based on your sense of loyalty. However, I picked them for their hardiness. Both the Mortal Sin of Lust and Gluttony spent quite a bit of time here before I visited them. And out of the billions of souls that roam this realm, they were the only ones who've managed to consistently avoid patrolling demons while, perhaps most importantly, staying sane. Lust's candidate, for example, has been here for well over five years." Silver's jaw hit the floor when he heard that. If he was a normal soul, he couldn't imagine spending a week in this place, let alone five years! As the two spies allowed Allen's words to sink in, the footsteps got closer.

"So this is the Devil's home? How quaint..." a feminine voice said just beyond a wall of roses.

"I'll have to agree with you there. Who'd have thought that the ruler of Hell would live in such a tiny house? I was expecting an extravagant castle." Silver and Gold both felt their eyes go wide when they heard that familiar voice.

"It can't be..." Silver whispered as the two new faces finally came into view. "Dan Thompson?!" He and Gold screamed in unison as the corrupt news anchor, clearly shocked by the two spies calling out his name, fell onto the ground. Like them, his pupils had also morphed into a pair of pale gray serpentine slits. The woman standing next to him, who they assumed was Lust due to her voluptuous curves and breathtaking brown hair, simply scoffed and winked at them with her neon pink eyes.

"Why in the world are you two here?! I thought you were supposed to be working for the White Fang!" Dan yelled as he pointed an accusatory finger at Silver and Gold. When the two spies didn't answer him, the anchor sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "No... wait... I remember now. You two were the traitors that ratted me out, you guys are the reason I ended up in this hellhole!"

"I thought you went insane after your mansion was attacked and then died in your hospital bed. How do you know that we betrayed the White Fang?" Gold asked the anchor as he scanned over the man's body. "He sure has gotten ripped..." from head to toe, the anchor was covered in a thick layer of rippling muscle.

"Oh, trust me, the dead here love to speak ill about the living. After you two fucked up and got caught, it only took me three days to find a recently-deceased White Fang soldier and get the information out of him. I tried others, but... the demons got to them first." Silver and Gold both winced when they heard that. It didn't take a genius to figure out how bad that was. "Anyways, that's how I know. But hey, karma's a bitch. Just look at you two now. If it wasn't for the literal Devil pulling you out of the fire, that soldier could've been you. And before you ask me how I know that, the Prince of Darkness told me himself."

"Did he now?" Silver said as the anchor got up off of the ground and held out his hand. "What are you doing? Don't you want to fight or something?" The Dan Thompson he knew was a vengeful man who'd try to kill a traitor without a moment's hesitation.

"For what? All of that shit you did back on Remnant?" The man scoffed. "You should know that, when a damned soul ends up here, they quickly learn to abandon the grudges of their past life." He said as he stared out at the black ocean, his tone somber and soft. "This place... it changes people, myself included. It breaks you down until you have nothing left, and then keeps on going. In the few months I've been here, I've seen strong men driven to insanity, and people so thin that all they were was nothing more than a pile of skin and bones. There's no going back to who you were after seeing that, not in a million years." After that, the anchor turned back to the two spies and smiled. "However, I can't say its all been bad. In fact, it might be more accurate to say that I've never felt more alive." Silver smirked, he could tell. This Dan was definitely far happier than the one they met on Remnant.

"I guess that makes some sense, it is a crazy world out there, comrade." He said as he shook the man's hand. As the two enemies-turned-allies had their little moment, Gold turned to the last remaining member of their group and raised one of his eyebrows.

"Who is she? I don't recognize her." He asked Dan as he stared at the mysterious woman. However, the anchor just shrugged.

"I don't know her name. We literally just met a few minutes ago while riding in one of those giant demons hands." The woman was clearly the carrier the Mortal Sin of Lust, but that was basically all the information they had on her. After a few seconds, she took a step forward and walked right past the three men. It looked as if she were searching for something, or someone.

"Are you looking for the Prince of Darkness?" He asked her as she scanned over the clearing.

"Yes, if possible, I would like to meet our boss before I introduce myself." She told them as a light breeze wafted over the fields of red grass, causing the rags that she and Dan were using as clothes to dance in the wind. Silver shrugged as he and Gold scanned over the clearing. However, Allen was nowhere to be seen.

"Where in the world did the kid go?" The island wasn't very big, after all. Thankfully, it didn't take him long to get the answer to his question. As, shortly thereafter, he felt a familiar presence suddenly appear behind him.

"Sorry, I had to step out for a second to check on the other candidates." He told them as he placed a hand on the anchor's shoulder. "Dan Thompson, it's nice to see that you're doing well. I hope your journey here wasn't too rough." He said as the anchor grinned and nodded. After that, Allen turned around and walked up to the woman. "And you, Ms. Melissa Maloy, it has been a while. The last time we saw each other face to face like this was over five years ago." In that time, he had changed so much, but she still looked exactly like she did all those years ago.

"I'm sorry? We met five years ago?" She mumbled as she leaned over and stared at him. After a few seconds, Allen laughed and snapped his fingers. His wings and tail retracted back into his body, and he started to shrink.

"You probably don't recognize me in this form. But I'm certain that you'll know this one." He said as his hair started to change color. From a pale ghostly white to a muddy dark red. Once he was fully transformed, Melissa's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Did that jog your memory?" He asked her as he snapped his fingers again, instantly reverting his body back to its normal human shape.

"Red..." she mumbled as she stared at Allen. He was the one, after all, that killed her and dragged her soul to Hell. The person who single-handedly destroyed her brothel and caused her five years of torment. After showing her his true form, Allen expected that she'd be terrified, or, at the very least, that she'd try to run away. However, instead, something very different happened. "Oh! This is just perfect!" The woman squealed as she embraced and practically smothered Allen's face in her chest.

"What?!" He yelled as he struggled in Melissa's iron-like grasp. For that brief moment, he wasn't the Antichrist anymore, he was just a confused boy shocked by this woman's actions.

"You know, Red, ever since that demon tore out my throat, I've been thinking about you." She said as she leaned over and whispered something into his ear. "That rush I got when I first saw you transform, it was... exhilarating. Over the past five years I've had my suspicions, but until today, I never knew for certain what you were. And now, here we are. And I finally have my answers."

"Silver! Gold!" Allen cried out as he looked longingly at the two spies. However, instead of rushing to help him, they just laughed and turned around.

"You may be the Devil, kid, but some things will never change. As a man, this is a storm that you'll have to ride out yourself." Silver told him as he, Gold, and Dan, all walked back into the cottage. "We know her name now. After you two are done with your heart to heart, come and get us." Allen ground his teeth together as he watched the door close behind the three men.

"So much for their unwavering loyalty! Granted, this isn't really a situation that requires their intervention, but still! They're acting like demons... shit, wait a minute... they are demons." Allen sighed, in some ways, he brought this upon himself.

"You've grown into such a handsome young man since I last saw you! But that's just icing on the cake! And do you know why?" Melissa asked him as she brought her lips even closer to his ear, her cold breath causing his body to shiver.

"God... I'm going to hate myself for this, but what else can I do? She's technically one of my closest aides, so I can't just throw her off of me." He may be the Devil, but he was not cruel to his direct subordinates. For the Seven Sins to work well his relationship with them had to be one built on trust, not fear. That was how it always worked. So, after taking a moment to mentally steel himself, he looked up and spoke. "Why?" Melissa chuckled as she playfully nibbled on his ear lobe, causing a chill to go down his spine.

"Do you know what the greatest rush is?" She asked him, Allen shook his head. "It's being able to experience something that is truly one of a kind. Something that is completely unique. When I sampled you all those years ago, I thought you were just another pebble in the ocean. A shiny pebble, for sure, but still just a pebble. That mistake would end up being one of my greatest regrets. As I robbed myself of experiencing something truly unique, truly divine." Allen frowned as he awkwardly shifted around in the woman's grasp, he didn't like where this was going. "It wasn't until those final moments, when I saw you take out that giant tuning fork, that I realized that you were not just some ordinary pebble. No, you were a pearl hidden in the mud. The only man on Earth who could truthfully claim that he was completely unique."

"Well... I appreciate the sentiment. Really, I do, but I think we should get back to the—" Melissa stopped him when he tried to escape, forcing his head back down. "Alright, I swear, if she does that again I really will throw her into the ocean, Mortal Sin or not." He thought as his eyebrows narrowed. "Cut to the chase, woman, what are you getting at?" He hissed, causing Melissa's grip to loosen a little bit. "You're still a demon, remember that. When you decided to become a sin you swore your loyalty to me. And, if I deem it necessary, I can always force you to obey. The only reason I chose you and not somebody else was because of your ingenuity. If you cross me, there will be hell to pay." The venom that laced his every word was enough to kill a family of pythons, and would send any normal creature running for the hills. Sadly, Melissa was far from normal. In fact, his harsh tone only seemed to excite her.

"Now, now, there's no need to overreact. All I have is a simple request." She told him as one of her arms slithered down the center of his waist. "When I promised you my loyalty, I meant it. If you ask me to jump into a lake of fire, I'll do it no questions asked. But, in return, I want you to help me experience the divine." Allen scoffed when he heard that, she wasn't in any position to be making demands.

"Again, if I wanted, I could just force you to jump." He whispered as his eyes slowly started to turn black. Melissa grinned as she finally let him go and turned around.

"Yes, you could, but even though you are the Devil, you aren't the sort of person who would do that to your comrades. I could tell that the second I laid eyes on you. To the outside world, you act like a monster. But, like everyone else, the reality is that you're just someone who's searching for a place to belong." When Allen went silent, she grinned and held open the cottage's front door. "Give it some thought, my Lord. But do be quick about it, I'm not a patient woman."

"Do me a favor and forget everything that you might've overheard." Allen told Silver and Gold, who were sitting in the kitchen drinking tea, as he walked into the cottage.

"Sure thing, kid, no worries." Silver told him as Gold started to snigger. With his cheeks still tinged slightly red, Allen walked over to his throne and got himself comfortable. "So... what're you planning to do now? I know that you want to go get the other three sins, but what comes after that?"

"Once I finally have the seven of you gathered, I want to show you all how to use your powers." Silver and Gold couldn't help but shake in excitement when they heard that. New powers were always interesting, and they could only imagine what abilities came with their transformations.

"So we have lust, gluttony, sloth, and greed..." Gold started as he looked around the room. "That just leaves envy, wrath, and pride." As he talked, he turned back to Allen and rolled his fingers against the top of the kitchen table. "Didn't you mention something about going to check on the other candidates?" Allen grinned and nodded.

"I haven't actually made contact with them yet, but trust me, in a few hours they'll be joining us at this very table. I'm certain of it." When it came to choosing the candidates for the Mortal Sins, Allen made certain that he only picked people that he knew would say yes. "And speaking of which..." he mumbled as he checked his watch. "It's about time that I pay them a visit."

"Good luck." Melissa said in her usual, very suggestive, tone. "And come back soon~"

"I'll try my best. Don't burn my house down while I'm gone." He told the four demons as a small black portal appeared under his feet. In the blink of an eye, he was dragged into the portal and vanished into the floor.

---

Part Two: Three Birds, One Stone

Jamiene frowned as she and Jacob struggled to keep their footing when an abnormally strong gust of wind blew through Beacon University. Stray papers and leaves danced around their heads as the two of them rushed to the safety of one of the lecture halls. Thanks to the wind, they had to work together to force the entrance closed. When the two of them finally managed to do it, they sighed and rested against the back of the door. "We really should've waited for everyone to wake up first before doing this." She said as she wiped some sweat off of her brow. "I thought we were goners for sure!"

"Yeah..." Jacob said in between breaths. "But do you honestly think that we'll be able to see him? I mean, Beacon's headmaster said he was out because of a serious injury." He told her as Jamiene shrugged.

"You and I both know Mr. Walker is tougher than that. Remember when he dived in front of that attack to save the two of us at the tournament? His body healed itself!" After seeing that, she was certain AJWR's leader was completely fine. "Plus, it isn't like we're going to ask him to train us. All I want to do is ask him some questions." Ever since that fateful day where they were saved by the young huntsman, she just couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more hidden behind Allen Walker's mask. Something that could come in handy with her own endeavors. "Come on, we'll be gone before anyone notices." She told her friend as she snuck down one of the many hallways.

"Do you know what room he's supposed to be in?" Jacob whispered as he hurried up to the girl, who had hidden herself behind one of the hallway's many stone columns. Instead of answering him, she just raised a finger to his mouth, telling him to be quiet.

"Shhh… somebody's coming." She whispered as she did her best to conceal her presence. Immediately afterwards, three pairs of heavy footsteps filled the hallway. "Those look like soldiers, but what country are they from?" Jamiene thought as a group of men wearing tan uniforms rushed past them.

"What is it? What's going on?" One of the younger soldiers, who had obviously just gotten out of bed, asked as he rubbed his tired eyes. After checking over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening, the man's superior officer leaned in and whispered something into the young soldier's ear. However, thanks to their animal-like senses, Jacob and Jamiene could hear him as clear as day.

"Keep this to yourself, but apparently headquarters just got hit pretty bad by the Noah family. After we clean up everything here, we've been ordered to immediately return to the Vale branch for emergency instructions." When the soldier heard that, his eyes nearly fell out of his head.

"What?!" He yelped, causing Jamiene's ears to ring.

"Quiet down, you fool! People are still sleeping!" The soldier's commanding officer said as he placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "I know it's a shock, but we've got to stay strong. That's the only way we're going to win this holy war, after all."

"Holy war? What in the world are they talking about?" Jacob wondered as he raised one of his eyebrows and pressed his ear against the stone.

"How're the exorcists doing? Did we lose any of them?" The soldier asked as he and the rest of the group of men headed for the exit.

"Yeah, from what I've heard, all of them are fine. Right now Chief Komui is working on gathering all of the generals. Apparently, they discovered a lead on Walker's location. Hurry to your room and pack your things, we'll be leaving within the hour." With that, the young soldier gave the officer a quick salute, and ran off to do as he was ordered.

"Walker's location? I thought he was stuck in the hospital..." Jamiene heard Jacob mumble as the group of soldiers finally left. Once she was certain that they were out of earshot, the two friends stepped out of their hiding spot and sighed.

"Monty, that was scary!" She thought as she gripped her chest. "I thought for certain that they were going to find us!" The entire time they were eavesdropping her hand was hovering just above her knife. She knew that the soldiers wouldn't just outright attack a wandering schoolgirl, but there was something about them that she just couldn't bring herself to trust. "Let's hurry, we have to go find Mr. Walker." She told Jacob, who nodded.

"Those men mentioned that they were trying to find Mr. Walker, do you think he's in trouble?" He asked her. Jamiene shrugged, she had absolutely no idea. However, the prospect that Allen Walker, the person who showed them so much kindness, would be in trouble for anything was simply laughable in her mind. He just wasn't that kind of person.

"Do you know what room he's in?" She asked Jacob, who proceeded to get out a large map of the university. Since Allen's room number was never officially stated anywhere, they had to use other methods to find the information.

"If he's participating in the tournament, he'd have to be undergoing treatment in this building." Jacob mumbled as he struggled to decipher the complicated map. "If we keep walking down this hallway, we'll eventually make it to the patients ward. Half of that is repurposed for medical research, but one of my siblings told me that the remaining half is devoted to tournament-related injuries."

"I guess we'll just have to check every room." Jamiene mumbled as her lips curled into a frown, this was why she wanted to come early. However, just as the two of them walked through the infirmary's front door, she pulled Jacob aside and hid underneath a nearby table.

"Did you hear something?" A masked man wearing strange red robes asked as he and a few similarly-dressed men hurried down the hallway.

"Mr. White, if you don't hurry we're going to miss the ship back to Vale!" One of the man's comrades yelled as an entire platoon of the tan soldiers rushed out into the courtyard. "Kick it into high gear men! We've got to be at Loket by noon!"

"Loket? Is that a town? If it is, I don't recognize it." Jacob mumbled as he watched more and more soldiers rush out of the building. "Monty... how many guys do you think are stashed in here?" He asked Jamiene, who nervously bit her lip. She didn't know why, but she had a sinking feeling that Allen was at the center of all of this. Once all of the soldiers had finally left, she and Jacob started their search.

"I'll take the top floor, you take the bottom." Jamiene said as the two hunters-in-training went to work. "Now which room are you in, Mr. Walker?" She thought as she opened the first of many doors. Of course, nobody was inside, and so she just moved on to the next room. However, after repeating this process five times, she noticed that something was very, very wrong. "Wait a minute..." she mumbled as she opened the sixth room, which also had nobody in it. "Where are all of the patients?" Besides those soldiers she and Jacob saw earlier, there wasn't a soul in the clinic. She hadn't seen any nurses or doctors, and the entire ward was as silent as the grave. "There's no way that the clinic for a tournament this large is empty, that'd be completely impossible!" She knew for a fact that Allen had to be here, unless...

"Hey, Jamiene, I may have found it!" Jacob yelled, causing her to come running. She found the boy standing behind one of the clinic's front desks, cycling through a computer for the patient files. "It was unlocked when I got here. Somebody must've forgot to turn it off last night." As he talked, the boy brought up a map of the rooms. And, as she had already seen, every single room on the first floor was empty. Thankfully, they weren't completely in the dark. As, after doing a simple patient search, Jacob came up with the only occupied room. "Even though it says it's unoccupied, the room is currently reserved for Mr. Walker. Do you think we should go check it out?" He asked her. Jamiene looked up and nodded. They didn't come all this way to be turned back at the front door.

"Let's go." She said as she headed for a nearby flight of stairs. Jacob nodded as he turned off the computer and hurried after his friend.

"It's surreal that all of these rooms are empty. According to the records, all of the tournament's injured participants were moved to one of the backup wards, but why would they do that? This ward simply has better facilities than the backup one does, and it has more space." Jamiene frowned and shrugged as the two clambered up the final flight of stairs.

"Maybe this clinic was being used to house all of those soldiers?" Jacob frowned when he heard her suggestion. He really didn't want that to be the case. However, with all things considered, it was the only logical option. "When we find Mr. Walker, we can just ask him. He might know why." She said as the two walked into the final hallway between them and their destination. However, before they could even lay eyes on Walker's room, they were caught.

"Why in Remnant are a couple of children wandering around here at this hour?" A feminine voice said as a pair of strong hands wrapped around each of their shoulders. "Wait a minute... you're the two faunus that Allen Walker saved." They heard the girl mumble as her hands brushed past their animal ears.

"Huh...?" Jamiene thought as her ears started to twitch. "I know that voice... it couldn't be—!"

"Lily Wolfsbane?!" Jacob beat her to the punch as the two of them stared at the leader of team Dove. The huntress was wearing a simple sweater and tight jeans. In her right hand, she was carrying a small bundle of flowers, and appeared to be planning on visiting one of the patients. "W-w-w-why are you here?" Jacob asked her as he and Jamiene instinctively took a step back. Both of them knew that the huntress wasn't a huge fan of their kind.

"What am I doing here? You know, I could ask you two that same question." She said as her eyebrows narrowed. However, Jamiene was not daunted by the girl's glares. Instead, she took a deep breath, and stared right into Lily's eyes.

"We just wanted to visit Mr. Walker, to thank him for saving our lives." With every word, Jamiene felt her legs start to shiver, but the young huntress stood her ground. If there was one thing Allen taught her, it was that a hunter needed to be steadfast and brave, even when facing the jaws of almost certain-death.

"Oh... really... you were going to visit Allen Walker." Lily said as, for some reason, her body seemed to tense-up. Jamiene and Jacob both raised an eyebrow and cocked their heads back in confusion when they saw the huntress hastily hide the flowers she was carrying behind her back. Her cheeks had also become somewhat red, and her skin clammy and sweaty.

"Ms. Wolfsbane..." Jamiene started as an awkward silence hung in the air. "Were you... also planning on visiting Mr. Walker?" When she said that, Jacob's jaw nearly hit the ground.

"Wait... what?! I thought she hated him!" It was a well known fact that there was tension between the members of team Dove and Allen since the very beginning of the tournament. Lily Wolfsbane, in particular, had always been one of the boy's most outspoken critics during interviews and public gatherings. However, here she was, carrying a bundle of flowers for the injured huntsman.

"Shhh! Be quiet you brats! Somebody might hear you!" The worried tone in which she spoke only served to further cement their suspicions.

"I can't believe it..." Jamiene whispered, slightly giddy from excitement. "Lily Wolfsbane is actually going to give her worst enemy flowers! That's so cute!" She felt as if she and Jacob had stumbled upon the find of the century. However, before her girlish theories could go any further, Lily sighed and pinched one of her ears.

"Don't get the wrong idea, brat! The only reason I'm giving him these is because I respect what he did during his last match, I still think the guy is a prude!" Lily said as she let go of the young huntress's ear, stray petals from her flowers flying every which way. "Hunters are supposed to save people, that's part of the job. And while me and my team were sitting around eating popcorn, he jumped up in front of that laser to save the two of you. Even for people who hate him, nobody can deny that, for us hunters, it was an inspiring moment." As she talked, Jacob reached up and checked to make sure his head was on straight. He still couldn't believe that the infamous Lily Wolfsbane was saying these things.

"And here I thought you were just some heartless witch." He mumbled without thinking.

"Oh, really, a witch you say?" She said as one of her hands curled into a fist. However, before things got ugly, Jamiene dived in between them.

"Wait! Stop! Listen, all we want to do is go talk to Allen. After that, we'll be on our way, and neither of us will say a thing about what we saw here." Jacob sighed in relief when Lily scoffed and took a step back. If it wasn't for Jamiene's quick thinking, he wasn't sure what would've happened.

"Go ahead, I won't stop you." She told them as she started to walk towards the room Allen was supposed to be in. "Wait a minute..." she started as she turned her head back to the two young hunters. "How did you two get past the guards? Those guys wearing the strange tan uniforms have been turning away everyone who wanted to enter."

"Um..." Jamiene started as she nervously twiddled with her thumbs. "We... kind of... snuck past them..." The embarrassed tone she used made Lily start to giggle. "Hey! Stop laughing! We didn't have any other choice!" Jamiene cried out as she sadly looked down at the ground.

"Hey, don't worry about it kid. If it makes you feel any better, I also had to sneak in." The huntress said as she turned around and kept walking.

"How did you find out where Mr. Walker's room was?" Jamiene asked her as she and Jacob hurried after team Dove's leader.

"It really isn't that hard when you have a student ID." She told them as she flipped out a small plastic card. "For those of us who are participating in the tournament, all we have to do is log into the system and search for Walker's room, it's as simple as that. Honestly, I'm surprised that nobody has visited him yet. It isn't like he's short on admirers." Even for their young age, Allen Walker had already established himself as an extremely powerful hunter that was better than most pros. She couldn't go a day without hearing one of his fans swoon over him. "There's no way that Ozpin doesn't know about those soldiers." Lily thought as she bit her thumb. "What's going on here? Why is Beacon harboring foreign soldiers?" After this, she'd have to notify her own headmaster.

"Well, this is the place." She heard the faunus girl say as the three of them walked up to the last room in the hallway. She didn't know why, but the second her eyes landed upon the door she felt a chill go up her spine. And she wasn't the only one. The two brats were also wary of the entrance. Their tails had become as straight as a board, and they had become slightly more fidgety.

"Their instincts are forcing them into fight-or-flight mode..." Lily thought as she wrapped her hand around the door's handle and slowly walked into the room. "What could they be scared of, is there a grimm nearby?" If they were telling the truth about sneaking past all of the guards, they wouldn't be acting this way because of some normal person's presence.

"Jamiene, let's talk to Mr. Walker and get out of here. I've got a feeling that something is watching us." Jacob said as the boy reached for his own small dagger. Lily rolled her eyes.

"You two are overreacting. Even if there is something here, we're in the middle of campus. It isn't like t—" When she finally laid eyes on Walker's room, she stopped and took a hesitant step back. "What in Remnant?!" After hearing her screams, Jamiene and Jacob rushed in front of her to find out what was wrong. However, after seeing the horrors which lay inside the room, they wished they hadn't. In front of them stood a gigantic creature holding an equally large sword. It had two red horns protruding out of its head, and a long crimson tail.

"Get behind me, you two!" Lily yelled as she pulled a small emergency dust pistol out of her left pocket. The idea that such a tiny weapon would be able to fell such a large adversary was simply laughable, but it was better than nothing. She didn't have the time to call for her mobile locker, and, if she looked away for even a moment, that large blade could easily rip her body in half.

"That's enough, demon, return to your usual form. You're scaring my guests." They heard a familiar voice say from the opposite side of the room. Instantly, the horned monster sheathed its sword and, after sputtering out a small cloud of smoke, transformed into a tiny red moth. "I apologize for the scare, with all of those soldiers sneaking around, I thought having a little extra security would be nice.

"Mr. Walker?!" Jamiene sputtered out when she saw the huntsman casually leaning against one of the wooden walls. He was wearing, what looked like, a full black body suit that was pulled tight against his skin. With every minute movement the boy made, she could see his muscles ripple under the suit's dark surface. This, combined with his strange left arm, gave the impression that she was staring at some creature, not the huntsman that had saved her life. However, that wasn't the most disturbing aspect of the boy's creepy new appearance. No, what made her skin crawl was Allen's right arm. Which now looked exactly like the boy's monstrous left appendage.

"Why does your right arm look like that?" She heard Lily ask, who was also very confused. "And what's with the new getup? The press is going to tear you to shreds if you go out looking like that." Instead of answering her, the boy just stared right into her eyes and smiled. "Okay... that isn't creepy at all." She thought as her body started to shiver. When the huntsman took a step towards all of them, she heard the two faunus brats quietly squeak in terror.

"There's no need to be afraid. Trust me, I'm not here to hurt you. In fact, I'm here to welcome you." Walker said as he lovingly tousled Jamiene and Jacob's hair. When Lily heard that, she raised one of her eyebrows. What in the world did that mean?

"Welcome us to what exactly?" She thought as she placed the flowers she was carrying down on a nearby table. For some reason, she had a feeling that she wouldn't need them.

"You three have potential that nobody else on Remnant has, I'd like to help you draw it out." Yet again, he told them something that only served to make her more confused.

"Okay... no... stop." Lily started as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Before you continue on with whatever it is you were going to say. How about you tell us what that thing on your shoulder is?" As she talked, she pointed at the small red moth which now rested on the boy's shoulder. "I've never seen a creature like that. And, while we're on the subject, I've never heard of a faunus with mutations like yours. I came here today to thank you for what you did for these brats, but I was also planning on asking you a question: Allen Walker, what exactly are you?" She knew that he wasn't a faunus. However, there was no way that he was also a normal human, he was simply far too powerful for that.

"If I answer your question, will you listen to my offer?" He asked her. Lily shrugged, she didn't see why not. With that, Allen smiled and turned around, and walked towards the back of the room.

"Mr. Walker?" Jacob mumbled as the huntsman slowly lifted his left hand into the air. "What are you doing? I thought you were going to answer her question." In response, Allen simply chuckled and gave the boy a thumbs up.

"It'll be easier if I just show you." He told them as he snapped his fingers, sending a disturbing ring echoing throughout the room.

"Monty... I'm going to have to force an answer out of him." Lily thought as she cracked her knuckles, she was done with Walker's vague responses. However, before she could even take a single step forward, something happened that made her question reality. "What?!" She yelped as the room around them started to shift and change. Almost as if they were looking into a funhouse mirror, the hospital room they were in slowly distorted and morphed. The walls peeled-away to reveal vast open areas, and red grass started to sprout out of the ceramic tiles beneath their feet. In a matter of moments, it was evident that they were no longer in Beacon University. Instead, they had been transported to an entirely new, horrific, realm.

"Ah! M-monsters!" Lily heard Jamiene screech as she fell back onto the ground. On reflex, she turned to see what had caused the girl to act in such a strange manner. However, when she saw the gigantic demon looming over them, she wished she hadn't.

"I-I-it's a d-d-demon..." out of the hundreds of words she could've used to describe the creature, that was the first one which came to mind. For a second, she couldn't think, and her body froze. It took the huntress nearly a minute to process the strange land in which she now stood. The three of them were now sat on a island in the middle of a gigantic ocean of black water. Above, Vale's cloudy gray skies had been replaced by a horrific void. With seemingly-endless caverns crafted from human flesh replacing the puffy white clouds. "Am I hallucinating? What's going on?!" She thought as she turned to the two faunus children. However, after seeing their reactions, it became painfully obvious that what they were seeing was not an illusion.

"Welcome to my realm." Lily heard Allen say as he sat down next to her and the two shocked children. Like the hospital room which had transformed into this horrific land, Walker's body had also changed dramatically. He now had the appearance of a demon. Complete with a pair of tattered wings, horns, a tail, cracked skin, and two black eyes with serpentine-like pupils. "Oh, sorry about this, I didn't mean to shock you." The boy told her as she watched, what looked like, a family of snakes slither just beneath the boy's black bodysuit. For a second, Lily thought she was going to faint.

"Mr. Walker... what is... what are..." Jamiene stuttered, too shocked to speak. Allen yawned as he got up and, once again, tousled Jamiene and Jacob's hair.

"I'm not sure what the people of Remnant calls me, but, to make it simple, let's just say that I'm the ruler of Hell." He said, causing Lily's eyes to practically fall out of her head. "To cut to the chase, the reason I brought all of you here is to make a deal." As he talked, he turned around and squatted in front of the three, very confused, hunters.

"You want... to make a deal?" Jacob mumbled as he stared at Allen's battered wings.

"Yes, I want you three to join me as my subordinates. And, in return for your service, I'll give you power beyond your wildest dreams." Before any of them had a chance to retort, he sat down and leaned back into the red grass. "I know you all must be very confused, but think of it like this: I saw you all had talent, and I wish to capitalize on that." As he talked, Allen waved his hand through the air before pointing at a small island off in the distance. Instantly, the large mass of marble and rock exploded in a gigantic ball of chaos and fire. Once the dust finally settled, he turned back and slowly started to pan over each and every one of them. "All of you desire power for different reasons. Jamiene, you want it to become an excellent huntress. Jacob, you desire strength to show the world that faunus are not second class citizens. And you, Lily, you strive to be the strongest warrior there is, regardless of the method used to acquire said strength."

"That's..." Lily mumbled, at a loss for words. His assumption of her was dead-on. And, after seeing their shocked faces, it seemed he was also right about Jamiene and Jacob's desire for power.

"In return for your loyalty and service, I can grant you three the strength that you all have desired for so long. Jamiene, I have no doubt that, if you set your mind to it, you could become an excellent hunter. However, you lack the raw power to truly set yourself apart from the crowd. Jacob, you're a crafty boy, but you lack the confidence to truly lash-out at the unfair way the world has treated you. And finally, you..." he said as he stared right into Lily's eyes. "You're certainly stronger than most, but in the grand scheme of things, your power will always be considered second-string to that of your peers. The climb to the top is a perilous one, and to ensure that you'll get there, I can offer you a helping hand." As he talked, Allen outstretched his right arm to the three of them. The weight behind that one gesture was simply crushing, it felt as if they were staring at the hand of a god. "I know you must have many questions, but for me to answer them, you'll have to accept my offer. You three are the type of people who act on impulse based upon your own morals and obligations. So, if I can't convince you here and now, there's no point. Will you take the plunge and join me at my side? Or, would you rather walk away, and risk losing this chance to seize your destiny?"

"You... would give me power?" Jamiene mumbled as she slowly got up from the ground, her legs still trembling. "I-I'm sorry, this is just all happening so fast. I'm sorry..." Allen smiled as he placed a hand on Jamiene's shoulder. The look he gave her radiated a warmth and kindness that none of them had ever felt before. It seemed to touch every part of their being, and reached down to the darkest depths of their souls.

"If you'll allow me." Allen said as he reached out his hand for Jamiene to grab. In a slight trance, the young girl nodded and slowly started to reach for Allen's loving embrace. However, just before they could seal the deal, Lily jumped up and pulled Jamiene away!

"Not so fast!" She said as she forcefully turned Jamiene around and looked her dead in the eyes. "Come on, I know you're a faunus, but even you must be able to tell that all of this sounds fishy. I mean, just look around you." She said as she motioned at the horrific landscape which surrounded them. "Do you really want to make a deal with someone who rules over this? Mortals shouldn't make contracts with monsters, you should've realized that truth the day you decided to become a huntress."

"I promise that there's no strings attached. Besides directly opposing me, if you accept this power, you'll have complete control over how you use it. If you want to use your newfound strength to protect others, I won't stop you. Remember, you'd be the ones in control of your strength, not me." Allen said as he gave the three of them another radiating smile. "I know, Lily, that you need this strength. If you don't take it, there's a good chance that your team will lose the tournament. And then all of your efforts would be wasted." When he said that, the huntress frowned and lowered her head. As much as she hated to admit it, his offer was tantalizing. The power he displayed was the real deal, if she could just get ahold of it...

"Dammit!" She cursed as she bit her lip and grabbed Allen's hand. The second she did this, Jamiene and Jacob immediately followed suit. "Listen, I'm only doing this because I'm curious. After you give us whatever power you're offering, I want a detailed explanation on who you are, and what this place is." Allen grinned as he shook the girl's hand. After that, he turned to Jacob and Jamiene, and did the same for them.

"Good. Then the deal is complete." They heard the boy mumble as he lowered three wisps of flame down towards their heads. "Now... prepare yourselves!" He exclaimed as Jacob, Jamiene, and even Lily, all closed their eyes and prepared themselves for the worst. "Lily, I christen you the Mortal Sin of Pride. Jamiene, you will be reborn as the Mortal Sin of Envy. And finally, Jacob, you will take on the Mortal Sin of Wrath." As he talked, they could all feel a pleasant warmth start to spread throughout their bodies, almost if they were being enveloped in the sun's loving rays. Allen grinned as he took a step back and watched the three start to transform. "With this the sins are complete." As the demonic fire slowly spread throughout the trio's bodies, Silver walked out of the island's cottage and sighed.

"Are you really certain about this, boss?" He asked as he watched the first of the three, Jamiene, open her eyes. Her pupils were serpentine like theirs, but shone green like brilliant emeralds. "I mean, these three are children, do you really think they'll be willing to put up with the job?" The idea that one of the Devil's minions wouldn't have to kill anyone was simply idiotic. Sure, that was what Allen told them to sway the three into taking the deal, but, once the reality of their situation finally set in, they'd definitely come to resent him. However, Allen simply shrugged and smiled, he didn't look worried in the slightest.

"Trust me, Silver, they'll cooperate with us just fine." He said as Lily and Jacob both opened their eyes. Lily's pupils had become a subdued dark purple, while Jacob's shone a vibrant bright yellow. However, there was something different about them that unnerved the spy. And that was the trio's expressions. All of them were smiling like insane clowns, and their individual auras were now nearly unrecognizable.

"What did you do to them?" Silver mumbled as he turned to Allen, the boy laughed.

"I didn't do anything. That's just the power of the sins at work!" When Allen saw the spy's confused face, he grinned and slowly started to walk towards Jamiene and Jacob. "When introduced into the minds of children and adolescents, the power of the Mortal Sins usually ends up corrupting the host's personality. They become colder, more sadistic, more demonic, basically anything you'd associate with our kind. In layman's terms, after the transformation, they become a completely different person."

"So you knew about this and didn't tell them about it? That's pretty evil, even for you." By changing their personalities, Allen effectively killed those three kids. However, he couldn't care less.

"Life is cruel, no age group is exempt from that fact." Allen said as he enveloped his eyes in shadow. "When I was their age, I had to go through a lot worse." Right now, he had to focus on his goal. For that alone, he'd toss Jamiene, Jacob, and Lily, into the gutter.

"This... this feels incredible!" He heard Jamiene cry out as she stared enthusiastically at her hands. "Jacob! My eyes changed color! What about yours?"

"Yeah, they're yellow now!" He said as he turned around and started to punch the air. "I feel like I could take on an army with this body! Those racist pigs in the slums better watch out!" He exclaimed as he smashed his fists together.

"I can't wait to see that." Allen told the boy as he plopped down in front of the three newborn demons. "But first, I need you all to do something for me." The second he finished his sentence, Jamiene, Jacob, and Lily instantly turned to him and perked up their ears.

"What is it boss?" Lily said as she flung her black hair over her shoulder. "Are you going to let us try out our new powers?" She asked him, eagerly awaiting his answer. Allen chuckled as he got up and shook his head.

"Before we do any of that, I was planning on teaching you and the other sins how to use your abilities." He told her as he turned to the cottage and raised his voice. "Greed, Lust, Gluttony, get out here!" He called. Within seconds, the three demons were kneeling in front of him, awaiting his instructions.

"I see you've managed to recruit the remaining three sins..." Melissa said as she scanned over the new faces and frowned. "Hmm... none of them are my type." Allen sighed and wiped his brow in relief when he heard her say that. For a second, he thought that things were going to get weird. Thankfully, Melissa only seemed to be interested in him.

"Before I give all of you your first assignments, I want to make sure you all know how to properly use your abilities." As he said that, he raised his arms in the air and lightly clapped his hands together. Soon afterwards, a veritable army of mountain-sized demons rose out of the black ocean. It was time for them to get to work. "On my command, I want you all to get up and throw everything you have at one of those monstrosities. Do you understand?" He said as he scanned over all of their faces, once he was certain that they all knew what they were supposed to do. Allen turned around and pointed off towards the horizon. "Okay then, my sins, show me what you're made of!" And with that, they were off. As the sounds of battle filled the air, Allen grinned and sat down on a nearby rock. "Who should I focus on first? Maybe—" he stopped when he felt something sharp jab into the side of his pelvis. "What the hell?" That was the only line that popped in his head when he finally found the source of the pain. Crumbling to pieces in his hand was the shattered remains of his old grimm mask. After spending so much time in Hell, it seemed as if the mask finally had enough. "Well doesn't this bring back memories..." it wasn't that long ago when he wore this thing frequently. He, Road, Wisely, and the twins would use it to strike fear in the hearts of criminals. Of course, none of that really mattered anymore. "Road..." Allen thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Tell me... why'd you do it? Why did you betray me?" Now that his mind finally had the chance to clear up a little bit, he found himself pondering the noah's betrayal. In a way, he could kind of understand the others desire to stab him in the back. They were exorcists and hunters, and he... he was a creature that was a danger to humanity. Even back then, before he fully understood what he was, that fact still remained. However, Road was different, she had been on his side since the very beginning. Through thick and thin, she stuck with him and supported him as Remnant's Millennium Earl. And on that day when she first came to Remnant, even though she was with Wisely and the twins, she was still on his side. Maybe it was because he finally understood who he was, but he found himself thinking about the Noah of Dreams more and more. "Why Road, you said it yourself, we're both monsters. So you should've known what I was going through."

"Take this!" He heard Gold say as a shockwave blasted past him. Sending dirt and debris flying into his face. However, Allen wasn't phased, all he did was look at that mask, and frown.

"Before I have my vengeance, I need to know why..." he thought as he stood up and stared at his shimmering reflection in the dark ocean. "Why is it that, even though you were also a monster, you decided to leave?" The path he was on now wasn't one he could step off of. No matter what his personal feelings were, the gears had started to turn, and they'd continue to do so until, either he died, or his plans came to fruition. But that didn't mean he couldn't ask questions. In fact, it only made him more thirsty for answers. "That day... before I can take another step forward, I need to know what you felt when I charged out that door." Allen thought as he tossed the shattered remains of the mask into the dark water. As they slowly started to sink down into the muck, he sighed and rubbed his eyes, which were now full of tears. "And here I thought my tears had dried up. Heh, I guess you learn something new everyday."

"Kid! Where are you going?" Silver said as he ran up to Allen, who was now walking back towards the cottage. "I thought you were going to teach us how to use our powers?" As the spy talked, Allen pursed his lips and opened the cottage's front door.

"I'm only going to be gone for a minute. Just... keep fighting until I get back." When Silver heard Allen's somber tone, he nodded and took a step back. That was something that Allen always liked about the spy. He was excellent at picking-out the tone of the situation. If he wanted to be left alone, Silver would make sure that nobody'd bother him. "Hey..." Allen mumbled at the spy just before the door closed behind him. "Thanks... it's good to have people I can trust."

"Don't mention it, kid, you go do what you need to do." Silver said as he gave Allen a thumbs up.

"Yeah." He whispered as he returned the spy's gesture in full. After that, Allen closed the door behind him, walked over to the fireplace, and closed his eyes. "Even if you hate me, Road, I still need to know why you did what you did. So please, at least give me this much." With that, Allen snapped his fingers together, and disappeared into the shadows.

---

Part Three: Transit

Lenalee yawned as she watched the sun rise over the horizon, dying the entire landscape a breathtaking bright orange. Even though it was this early in the morning, the train she was riding on was positively bustling with life. "Bring me those papers! If Loket really got destroyed I want a new map of the area drawn-up asap!" She heard a soldier yell as he ran past her door.

"Monty... those guys sure don't know when to quit." She heard Yang mumble from underneath a pile of blankets. As she talked, Ruby, who was sleeping in the bunk just above Yang's, stretched and got out of her bed. "Be careful... you don't want to accidentally step on anybody."

"I'll try, but I can't promise anything." Ruby said as she tip-toed between her comrades sleeping bodies. "So... tell me again why we just can't use that ark thing to teleport to Loket?" She asked Lenalee as she rubbed her tired eyes.

"The ark only teleports to the gates that Allen created. And, since the Order didn't have the time to send him all the way out here, we have to take a train." Lenalee sighed, how many times would she have to explain that before all of this was over? After Lenalee answered her question, Ruby frowned and took a seat next to the stressed exorcist.

"You look tired, couldn't sleep?" The huntress mumbled when she saw the dark shadows hanging underneath Lenalee's eyes. When the exorcist didn't answer, Ruby laughed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Heh, it's okay if you don't want to admit it. Trust me, I'm sure that most of us spent the night staring at the ceiling. Heck, I know I did."

"Don't sugarcoat it. What with this train's constant rocking, I don't think any of us got any beauty sleep." They heard Weiss complain from her sleeping bag on the cabin's floor. Immediately afterwards, the room was filled with the grunts and moans of the other female exorcists and hunters agreeing with the heiress.

"Agreed, I've had better naps on the floors of caves." Blake chimed in as she got up and cracked her neck. "How in the world do you exorcists stand the noise? I swear to Monty that my ears were ringing the entire night." Lenalee chuckled as she stared at Blake's disheveled hair and shrugged.

"I guess it's just something that comes with the job. Although, that isn't to say nobody got any sleep." She said as an obnoxious snore rang through the room.

"That's General Klaud, am I right?" Yang said as she shoved her head underneath another pile of pillows. "Her snores are louder than the freaking engine, and that's saying something!" To save time and space, Komui had the exorcists and huntsman share a single room, separated by gender, of course. The boys cabin was all the way at the other end of the train, trapped behind a locked door.

"When you're involved, Lenalee, Komui really doesn't trust the boys as far as he can throw them." Pyrrha joked as she stared at the small mechanical lock, which was covered in a cartoonish rendition of the Chief's face, built into the side of the door. Lenalee blushed when she saw that and embarrassingly scratched her cheek.

"What can I say? He's protective." Lenalee mumbled as she stared at her feet, causing a quiet round of laughter to go around the room.

"I think it's cute." Nora said as she got up and playfully poked the mechanical lock. Which proceeded to hiss at her like some sort of venomous cobra. "Aww~" Yet again, another round of girlish chuckles went through the cabin. As they laughed, they could hear the footsteps of several crows and finders run past their cabin.

"I'm amazed that they managed to fit so many people on this train. Plus, according to your brother, all of the world's major exorcists and generals are here. I guess Allen must be really important to your organization, huh?" Weiss asked Lenalee as she got up and started to change into her regular clothes. Lenalee frowned and nodded. It was no exaggeration to say that the Order had transformed the train they were riding in into a faux-branch of sorts. As this was an organization-wide effort, several platoons of finders and a small team from the Science Section were on board. Even Komui, the Black Order's chief officer, had personally joined them. No doubt discussing their plan of action with Inspector Lvellie.

"To be honest, I think the reason they're pulling out all of the stops for this is because the Order can't afford Allen joining forces with the noah." Lenalee said as a somber aura wafted over the room like a thick veil of fog. "Sure, he's an exorcist and all. But he's also an extremely-powerful entity that can go toe-to-toe with the Millennium Earl. We're already struggling against one Earl, having two fighting against us would practically guarantee humanity's extinction." It was no joke to say that, at the moment, the Order considered Allen's importance on the same level as that of the Heart of Innocence.

"Damn... that's heavy..." she heard Yang say as the blonde huntress got up and equipped her shotgun gauntlets, playfully smashing the weapons together. "I guess that means we'll just have to find him quickly." Lenalee smiled and nodded. "Of course, we'll have to apologize first, but then I think we—" Yang stopped when they heard the loud crackle of the train's intercom stutter to life.

"Attention all personnel and exorcists. The train is currently on the final curve before Loket. The city should be visible within the next two to three minutes." The voice said before cutting out. Suddenly, every one of them, including General Klaud, shot out of bed to get ready.

"Move it ladies, you can never be sure when the Earl will attack again!" She said, her commanding voice practically forcing Ruby's hand to shoot up to her forehead.

"Yes Ma'am!" The young huntress exclaimed as General Klaud chuckled at the girl's salute. Once they were all dressed, Lenalee took a small plastic card out of her pocket and pressed it against Komui's mechanical lock.

"Identification card accepted! Open!" The lock groaned out in it's monotonous mechanical voice.

"Ah, Lenalee, I see you and the others are finally awake." She heard Reever say as he walked past her door. The Science Section's leader was currently holding a thick stack of papers. With one hand, he'd keep the mountain of documents from falling. While, with the other, he'd rifle through the papers, scanning them over for any errors or inconsistencies.

"What are you looking at, Mr. Science Man?" Nora asked as she stared over Reever's shoulder.

"Oh, these?" He mumbled as he lifted up the stack of documents, his expression somber and serious. "These are the records of the missing platoons that went after Allen. Since they left for their mission, none of them have reported back or notified the Order."

"Do you think... an akuma got them?" Lenalee asked the man. However, Reever sighed and shook his head.

"These parts are fairly underpopulated, so the amount of akuma has always been relatively low. On the odd occasion where one does get reported. It's usually only a level one, or, in the worst case scenario, a small group of them. The platoons we sent out should've been more than prepared to defend themselves against akuma like that. However, as you know, none of them have been seen for the past few days."

"Maybe their equipment broke?" Pyrrha suggested as she scanned over one of the papers. "I mean, if they were killed by akuma, they would've left some sort of trace." Reever sighed and nodded as he scratched his forehead.

"Yeah... you'd think that, wouldn't you?" He mumbled as he let out a tired yawn. "I swear, this assignment is going to work me to the grave if I don't get some sleep soon. Oh, and by the way..." he started as he turned to Lenalee and the rest of the girls. "Komui wants you all to go straight to the front cabin for a debriefing. Don't bother waking the men up, he already did that with one of his inventions..."

"Inventions? What kind?" Nora giddily asked the man. Reever yawned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Just thinking about it was putting a serious damper on his mood.

"Imagine an alarm clock that goes off inside your head." He said as he tiredly leaned up against one of the cabin walls. When he saw the girls confused faces, he chuckled and nodded his head. "Yeah, that was our reaction too. Anyways, I've got to get back to work. I wish you all luck with finding Allen." Lenalee smiled and gave the Science Section leader a small wave as he opened the cabin door and exited the car.

"Well then, ladies, you heard the man." General Klaud said as she started making her way to the front of the train.

"Ugh... drill sergeants are less bossy." Yang mumbled as the general turned and glared at her.

"Do you have something to say, huntress?" She asked as Yang leaned away, like a turtle going into its shell.

"N-no Ma'am!" Ruby and the rest of their group all laughed when they heard Yang's dead-serious response. General Klaud was probably the only woman in existence who could get that response out of her. After that, they continued their journey to the front cabin in silence. They knew they were getting close when they heard Sun and Neptune's excited screams practically rumbling through the cabin.

"What do you think that's all about?" Weiss mumbled as Blake blushed in embarrassment.

"I said take this thing off of me, Komui! Lenalee and the other girls are awake now, so there's no need to keep up your overprotective brother routine!" Lenalee pursed her lips together when she heard Lavi screech at her brother. She had a bad feeling about this.

"So~ what's with all the commotion—?!" Ruby started as she rushed into the cabin. However, when she finally saw what Lavi and the other men were yelling about, she exploded into a fit of laughter.

"Oh great, so that's my social life gone, thanks Komui!" Lavi complained as he glared at the Black Order's chief. Besides Socalo and Tiedoll, every one of the boys was trapped inside of an hilarious-looking straight jacket. Each one was pink, and had Komui's face plastered all over it. Even General Cross, with all of his strength, was no match for the Chief's near-inescapable bindings.

"Men are impulsive creatures, who knows what could've happened to Lenalee and the others if I let you roam free?" The way Komui said that only served to infuriate Lavi and the others more.

"You want to say that again with my hands untied?! You sister-obsessed freak!" Scarlet yelled as he violently pulled at his restraints. However, no matter how hard he tried, the jacket would always win. As Lavi and the members of SSSN argued with Komui. Lenalee walked over and smiled when she saw Chaozii, Krory, and Timothy, who were all struggling to escape their own colorful straight jackets.

"Why in the world would he tie me up? I've never done anything wrong..." she heard Krory mumble as tears streamed down the akuma vampire's face. Lenalee laughed as she reached over and untied the three exorcists. "Oh! Why thank you Lenalee, you're a real lifesaver!" Krory said as Pyrrha, Blake, Nora, and Weiss all helped the rest of the men escape their bindings.

"I couldn't sleep the whole night..." Jaune mumbled, his skin pale from exhaustion, as Pyrrha freed the hunter's hands. "Thanks... Pyrrha..." the huntress laughed when she saw the boy's horrid complexion. He looked as if he had seen a ghost.

"Have I ever told you how great you are?" Sun told Blake as he raised his freed arms in the air. After taking a moment to get a few practice swings in, he slammed his fists together and turned to Komui. "Now then, prick, why don't you and me have a heart to heart?"

"Eek!" The chief squealed as Lavi and the rest of the huntsman turned towards him. "Ahem. You know, gentlemen, violence is never the right answ—" Before he could even finish that lame excuse, Scarlet sent an excellent right hook spiraling into the man's jaw.

"Ouch." Lenalee winced as she watched the men pile onto Komui. "Well... I guess I better make myself comfortable." She thought as she leaned back into her seat and looked out the window. However, instead of the pleasant countryside, the exorcist was met with a much different sight. "Oh my God..." she mumbled, drawing the attention of everyone else in the room.

"What is it Lenalee?" Lavi asked her as he lowered his fist. That was when he saw the gigantic black plane. Cut cleanly into the sides of the bordering forest, a massive city-sized tundra sat ominously. All of them had seen this sight before. However, this time was far more disturbing. "To think that a large town once sat there..." the bookman thought as he bit the bottom of his lip.

"So did Walker do all of this?" Chaojii wondered as he angrily slammed his fist against one of the windows. "We need to capture that crazy bastard before something like this happens again." Ruby and the others all frowned when they heard that. As much as all of them would like to reprimand Chaojii for berating Allen, they couldn't really blame him. After the noah's attack on the Order, it became fairly obvious that Allen was the one who wiped Loket off of the map. Of course, none of them knew why, but they were determined to find out.

"Damn four eyes... how in God's name do you deal with him Lenalee?" Lavi asked her as he took a seat next to the exorcist.

"It's just part of being siblings." Lenalee told the bookman as she stared at Komui's battered and bruised body.

"I'll be honest, after everything that went down at Headquarters, I'm amazed that everyone's keeping their spirits up." Lavi told her as he leaned back into his chair. "But then again... that isn't really surprising. After all, it's times like these where a little laughter can go a long way." He said as Lenalee chuckled at Komui's pained groans.

"All we can do is have faith and keep hoping that things will get better." Lenalee mumbled as she nervously grabbed her skirt, a tiny stream of tears running down her cheeks. Lavi smiled as he reached over and patted the girl on the back.

"You know, Lenalee, I think you're trying too hard." He said as he looked out at the sky and smiled. "The people here are strong. Even if things get tough, we'll manage and get through it like we always do. And, at the end of all of this, the last member of this little group of friends will be back. I guarantee it." Lenalee smiled and nodded as she rubbed the tears out of her eyes. She really needed that.

"Thanks Lavi." She said as the train barreled towards a mountain pass. Before the darkness of the cave overtook the cabin, she closed her eyes and smiled. For a brief second, she could hear the sound of church bells ringing through the air. And, off in the distance of that pleasant scene, she saw Allen, Lavi, Krory, and all of her friends waiting for her. "Don't worry Allen, I swear that I'll make that dream a reality..." she thought as she bit her lip and squeezed her left hand in determination. "I promise..."

---

Part Four: Exposed

Road nearly screamed as she ran into her room and slammed the door closed behind her. Without even taking off her shoes, she dived into her bed and screeched into the covers. "Why in God's name did the Earl decide to ground me now?!" She yelled as she frustratingly punched one of her fluffy pillows. "Who cares if I took those akuma and invaded the Order without asking?! If I didn't act, there was a chance that Allen would slip through our fingers!" Even after telling them that she found out that Allen was in Loket, the Earl still punished her! Where was the justice in that?!

"You know, throwing a tantrum won't help." She heard Nea say from the other end of the door. "We know that Allen is important to you, he is to most of us, but the way you dived into danger with no regard for your own personnel safety was just stupid. When Sheril found out he nearly had an aneurysm." Instead of answering him, Road just rolled her eyes and flicked one of her fingers. "Ow! D-did you just stab me with one of your candles?" To answer his question, Road flicked another one of her fingers, this time making sure that the end was coiled and sharp. "Okay! That was seriously uncalled for! Christ... now I know why the twins are so afraid of you."

"Did you come here for a reason? Or do you just want me to turn your behind into a pincushion?" She asked him as she rolled onto her back. "Right now, the Order's a step ahead of us. They already have a train packed with exorcists heading for Loket, while we, on the other hand, aren't doing a thing." Nea sighed as he rubbed his aching forehead. This was why he hated dealing with children. Which was ironic, because Road was technically the oldest out of all of them. "Tread carefully Nea, I may not have Wisely's mindreading powers, but I know exactly what you're thinking." Road hissed as she flicked her pointer finger three times. "Chalk it up to a woman's intuition."

"Okay, okay! I get it! Now can you stop it with the candles?!" Nea cried out as Road placed a pillow on top of her face. "...You really do love him, don't you?" The slightly-sad tone that strained the man's voice made her want to cry. When his question was met with silence, Nea sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "I understand that all of this must be frustrating, but please know that it's just because none of them have ever seen this side of you before. In the past, all of them wrote your affections off as just harmless teasing. They never even considered the prospect that... you know... your thing for Allen could be the real deal."

"What? Did they think I was joking?" Road scoffed as she watched the ceiling fan turn above her. "My feelings are genuine, I can promise you that. And they're far stronger than those two wenches..." she whispered as she puffed-out her cheeks. "Lenalee and Ruby, both of them may say that they care for Allen like I do, but I know the truth. I know that, if they ever learned about the demons Allen was hiding, they'd both throw him to the curb." What those two loved was Allen's mask, neither of them had the foresight to see what the boy truly was. "I'm the only one who loves him for him, demons included. Even if..." she sighed as her mind flashed back to an image she saw of the barren wasteland which used to be Loket "...even if he's not exactly what I think he is."

"Yeah... that's love for you. And honestly, I agree. You and I both know that Allen is far from being the kind soul that others think he is. Hell, in a few ways, he's more monstrous than the Millennium Earl." As he talked, Road frowned and rubbed her tear-stricken face. "That's why, as his uncle, I'm rooting for you. So try to keep your spirits up." He said as he playfully knocked on her door and started to walk away. "After all, when you're sad, all of us are. When the Earl finally lifts your grounding, come find me so we can talk. The plans to find my nephew aren't going to write themselves. Oh, and I nearly forgot, Tyki and the twins will be bringing you your dinner around ten, so do try to look presentable. Normally, we'd have an akuma do it, but since you're a bit... unstable... I told them that this would be better."

"Thanks Nea, at least you understand." Road told him as she felt his presence vanish. Talking to him helped calm her nerves somewhat, but it wasn't anywhere near enough to quell her aching heart. "Allen... where in the world have you gone?" She whispered to herself as she got out of bed and opened one of her room's windows. Outside, she could see the Kamelot's garden wafting in the breeze. Since it was winter, most of the plants were wilted and gray. However, there were still a few hardy flowers jutting out of the mud. Most of these were weeds, but, in some strange way, they gave her hope. As she held her left hand close to her chest, she smiled and looked up at the sky. "I promise, Allen, no matter where you are, or what demons you're fighting, I'll stay by your side." For, in the end, that was all she could do.

---

The way Sheril glared when Nea walked into the main hall was simply comical. Even after they agreed to work together, the man still cursed his name at every turn. Although, his reasons for doing so were completely different than the rest of the family. "Nea! There you are! A little bird told me you went to go see my dear Road!" The Noah of Desire yelled as he pointed an accusatory finger at him. "Please tell me that you at least attempted to talk her out of this ridiculous crush. You may be the devil who stabbed us all in the back, but you're still her family!"

"Give it a rest, Sheril, you can't convince a girl to forsake her feelings." Lust mumbled as she placed a spoon full of cold milk into her mouth. "Road's in love, and as her father, you should support her in that endeavor." Tyki laughed when he saw his brother's eye start to twitch. That little remark must've really gotten under his skin.

"It could always be worse, brother. She could've fallen for some normal human." He told the distraught father as he took a drag from his cigarette.

"You know that's impossible!" The man snapped as he practically collapsed into a nearby wooden stool. "Road's never shown that kind of affection to anybody, not even—" Nea cut him off.

"To you? Yeah, I know, that's absolutely tragic..." the sarcasm in his voice was so thick it could choke an elephant. As the man's angry gaze returned to him once again, Nea sighed and plucked a small apple off of the dinner table. As he bit into the fruit, he walked over and took a seat next to Tyki, who was reading a book.

"It's not like that at all!" Sheril yelled as Nea and Tyki both rolled their eyes, a bad snake oil salesman was more convincing. "I'm just worried about her safety." The man mumbled as he pressed his thumbs together. "She attacked the Order on her own without any backup. If something happened to her, there'd be nothing we could do." Finally, the man said something that made sense.

"Yes... I'll agree with you there." Tyki exclaimed as he closed his book. "Thanks to that little impulse, we're down quite a few akuma. I know the Earl was planning on doing something to help find the boy. However, do to that setback, he's had to focus on rebuilding our forces." If Road only sat back and waited, they'd be halfway to finding Walker by now. "Ugh, this is why I don't want a family. How in God's name do you stand it?" Nea chuckled when he saw Sheril's frustrated face. Though he'd never admit it, the Noah of Destruction missed moments like these.

"Man... if I was sitting in this chair before Allen landed in Remnant, I'd probably be trying to kill these people right now." His time with the boy had definitely given him a mellower outlook on life. And, even though he still wanted to kill Mana and take his rightful place as the Earl, he was willing to wait if it meant keeping these smiles alive for his nephew. As he watched the pinstripe teez the Earl assigned to him flutter about in the air, he smiled and leaned back into his seat.

"Having pleasant thoughts, Nea?" He heard Wisely say as their multi-eyed brother walked into the room. The second Tyki laid eyes on the boy, he squirmed uncomfortably around in his seat. "There's no need to be worried, Tyki, I'm not going to read your mind."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you won't." The Noah of Pleasure mumbled as he flicked a burning piece of ash at Wisely. "Here's an idea: instead of annoying us, why don't you go check on Road? You two are technically siblings, after all." The face the Noah of Wisdom made when Tyki suggested that said more than a thousand words. There wasn't much in the world that could terrify Wisely, but an angry Road was one of them.

"I thought Nea already did that." Wisely said as his eyes nervously darted between them and the stairs leading to Road's room. He swore that, at any moment, he could see a swarm of candles floating down those ominous steps.

"Yeah, I did, and I paid the price for it." The man exclaimed as he lifted up the back of his coat, which was positively riddled with candle-sized holes. "If you can't tell, she's unbelievably worried about my nephew. Which is why, before we do anything else, we should have one of those skulls place sealing charms around her room. She's supposed to be grounded, we can't have her making any portals and just walking out." When he heard that, Sheril laughed.

"Oh please! You act as if I don't already know this! Trust me, the day me and my wife moved in, that was the first thing we did. My darling's room is like a one-way mousetrap. Once you're in, the only way out is through the front door." The noah exclaimed as he pridefully puffed out his chest.

"Can't she just climb out one of the windows and make a portal that way?" Nea mumbled as, once again, Sheril chuckled and shook his head.

"Trust me, if she did that, we'd know. The garden underneath her room is right in the center of the grounds. So, even if she did jump out and make a door, someone would catch her before she could leave." Nea and Tyki both frowned when they heard that. It was disturbing how much thought Sheril put into this. However, when he saw their uncomfortable faces, he just scoffed waved them away. "Before you get the wrong idea, it was the Earl who originally recommended these plans, not me. Road's supposed to be my daughter, and therefore, I should have the adequate facilities to discipline her if need be."

"Yeah... whatever you say, brother." Tyki mumbled as he returned to his book. "I sure hope you know what you're doing, Road. We're all getting a headache because of your crush." He thought as, in the corner of his eye, he stared at the hallway leading to the girl's room. "For your sake, I sure hope he's worth it."

---

Long after the sun dipped beneath the horizon, covering the Kamelot's mansion in a shroud of darkness, Allen stepped out of the shadows and stretched his wings. Even though the complex was a den of akuma and other various creatures, the entire area bordering the mansion was as silent as a graveyard. Inside, he could see several members of the Noah Family walk around the main hall, no doubt getting ready for the evening's supper. "Hmm... how welcoming." He thought as a chill went up his spine. Even though he was the literal devil, there was something about this place that just rubbed him the wrong way. Perhaps it was because this was the home of a family determined to bring humanity to its knees, or maybe it was the last lingering vestiges of the exorcist inside him telling him to run away. Whatever the cause of his nervousness was, he pushed it away and floated down onto the mansion's tiled roof.

"Halt! Who goes there?" He heard a guard say as he walked up to him, lantern in hand. Allen knew the man was an akuma instantly, he could thank his curse for that. "Wait a minute..." the akuma mumbled when it saw his transformed left eye. "You're—!" Before he had the chance to utter another word, Allen waved his left hand over the akuma's eyes, bringing the creature into a trance.

"Do me a favor and forget that you ever saw me, got it?" He ordered as the akuma nodded, mindlessly hanging on to his every word. As it stood there, silently swaying around like a blade of grass in the breeze, Allen frowned and scratched his chin. "That was close, these things are technically the Earl's eyes and ears, so I can't afford to be careless." With that, he cradled his forehead in one of his hands, so he could focus, and searched the grounds for Road's aura. It took only moments for him to pinpoint the girl's location. If he had to put it into words, it was like he was in the middle of a crowded city street with a candy shop hidden away in one of its back alleys. The scent of sweets, while faint, was obvious, and led him right to his desired destination. "So this is her room..." he thought as he looked down at the roof beneath his feet. After that, he subtly waved his hands at the ground, causing a small portal of shadow to appear in front of him. "Entering physically is impossible unless I want to get caught, as long as I'm careful, this should do." With that, he allowed his body to be consumed by the shadows, and opened his eyes. "Wow..." he thought as his mouth hung open. "It's... normal..." he wasn't sure what exactly he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't this. If it wasn't for Road's aura staining every inch of the place, he would've thought that he walked into some other girl's bedroom. As he allowed his body to return to its human-like state, he held his breath and did a small lap around the room. "These are... toys?" He thought when he saw a tiny collection of boxes resting atop one of the cabinets. Without thinking, he reached out and lightly touched one of the white boxes. Instantly springing the small mechanical trinkets to life. Every one was a type of music box with a dancing ballerina hidden inside. As the quiet music played out, Allen took a step back and smiled. In a way, the toys quiet jingles were kind of soothing.

"Hmm..." Allen flinched when he heard a feminine voice coming from the center of the room. For a second, he had forgotten where he was. After closing and rewinding all of the music boxes, he put them away, and turned around towards the source of the voice.

"Road?" He thought as he stared at the room's only bed. A large bump, which he assumed was the noah's sleeping body, was resting underneath the covers in the center of the mattress. With every breath the girl made, the covers she was lying under moved up and down. With the silent finesse of a skilled thief, he tip toed over to her bed and reached down to pull off the blankets. "Wait..." he stopped, just as his pointer finger brushed against the cloth. "Do I really want to do this? She's one of the people who betrayed me. If I wake her up, she might just alert the whole mansion that I'm here." That situation would be... undesirable... to say the least. However, it was not enough to dissuade him. "If that happens..." he thought as dark shadows covered his eyes "...Then I'll just kill everyone here." She was the monster that stabbed him in the back, after all. But it was for that very same reason that he was even there to begin with. After a few moments of deliberation, he wrapped his fingers around the bed's covers, and slowly started to remove them. "Road, from one monster to another, I have to know... why did you betray me?"

"Eek!" He heard the girl squeak as the last of the blankets fell to the floor, exposing her body to the elements. When he finally got good look at her, he grinned and started to chuckle.

"Now that's just sad..." he mumbled as he watched Road's right arm unconsciously search for the missing covers. Given her personality and social class, he was half-expecting to see the noah resting in her nightgown like some sort of regal princess. However, that wasn't the case at all. In reality, Road had curled herself up into a tiny ball, still fully clothed in her usual attire, and was messily drooling all over one of her pillows. It was hard to believe that such an innocent-looking girl was actually a bloodthirsty, torture loving, maniac. "I almost don't want to wake her..." Allen thought as he slowly knelt down next to the girl's bed. Sadly, that wasn't possible if he wanted to ask his question. "Road..." he whispered, his tone so quiet that it was practically inaudible. When she didn't answer, deciding instead to tiredly roll over onto her back, he frowned and raised his voice. "Road! Wake up!" This time, he accompanied his words with a slight pinch on the noah's shoulder.

"Hmm... whoever that is... you better stop it." The girl mumbled, still half-asleep. However, he didn't let go. After that, Road angrily pulled her arm away from him and slowly rouse up out of her bed. "I swear, if that's you Jasdevi, I'm going to—!" Road started as she swung around, her eyes as sharp as daggers, and summoned a swarm of candles. However, when she saw who it was that woke her from her sleep, she stopped dead in her tracks. "A-Allen..." she mumbled, too shocked to form coherent speech.

"Road, I see you're doing well." He started as he stood up and stared somberly at the girl, his eyes narrowing into two hardened slits. "Listen, I know this is kind of sudden, but I have a question for you that needs answering." When Road didn't say anything, he frowned and glared at her. "I understand that you may hate me, but before you call for the Earl to come toss me out, tell me... why did you betr—?!" Now it was his turn to be interrupted. Before Allen could even get the words out, the Noah of Dreams jumped up and smashed her lips into his. "What?!" He thought as the two came tumbling down onto Road's bed, their lips still locked together. "What's going on?!"

---

Part Five: Love

The rush Road felt when she joined her lips with Allen's was electrifying. Without coming up for air, she forced her tongue into his mouth and started to explore. Even after Allen tripped and crashed into her mattress, she didn't stop. Or, it would be more accurate to say that the Noah of Dreams couldn't stop. For the next two minutes she was driven entirely by her own carnal instinct. Which told her, no, screamed at her, to keep going. When she felt Allen try to tear himself away, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her body against his. Latching on like he was the only thing in the world. "Mmph!" Allen grunted as he bit down on her tongue, forcing Road to pull her head back. At first, she thought he was lashing out in anger. However, the boy's eyes said differently. The feelings those two silver orbs conveyed was not wrath, but instead, immense confusion. "W-w-w-w-w-why are you... I thought... I don't..." If there was a God out there, he was probably laughing at him right now. However, it didn't take long for the boy to regain his composure. And once he had finally calmed down enough to speak, the hard look he gave Road made the girl want to crawl back under the covers. "So, even after you betrayed me, you continue to insist with this childish teasing?" Allen hissed, his voice laced with venom. "I came here to ask you why you stabbed me in the back, not so I could be made a fool out of." When she heard that, Road frowned and a few tears started to roll down her face. Was that really the reason why he came here? After all of this time? "So you're sad now? Please, if you want to get pity from me you'll have to try a lot harder. You goddamn traito—" Before Allen could even finish that sentence, Road raised up her right hand and slapped him.

"You damned fool!" She cried out as, once again, she pressed her lips against his. "Its been so long since we've seen each other, and now, when you finally decide to show yourself, that's all you have to say?!" When Allen opened his mouth to talk, she frowned and forced the boy's jaw closed. "No! You don't get a chance to defend yourself! Not after all the grief you caused me! Right now, you're going to sit here and listen, understand?!" Road hissed as Allen fervently nodded his head. Once she was certain that the boy wouldn't move, she smiled and rested her head next to his. "I mean... these accusations you're throwing... they're absolutely ridiculous..." she whispered as she playfully jabbed his side with every word. "You think I, and all the others, betrayed you, what sort of sick joke is that? None of us would ever dream of doing something so horrible."

"But... but then what were you guys doing that day at Beacon? Wisely said he was going to scour through my memories!" Allen mumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. None of this made any sense.

"Oh Allen, we were just trying to help you." Road told him as she held the boy close. "All of this was nothing more than a simple misunderstanding... that's all it was." With that, the Noah of Dreams leaned down to Allen's ear, and proceeded to tell him the truth about what happened on that fateful day. She told him about how he spaced-out during the Christmas party, and how, in their worry, they were forced to rely on Wisely's power. She told him about how they found Nea, the family's battle against the hunters and the Order's generals, and... about Loket. "I don't care, Allen, that you ran away." Road whispered as she leaned over and stared straight into his eyes. "But, when you're obviously going through enough pain to shatter a city, then I start to worry. You don't have to do everything by yourself, you don't have to be alone." She told him as she lovingly wrapped her hand around Allen's left wrist.

"You guys... didn't betray me?" Allen wondered as his mind went blank. "They didn't... betray me... it was all a big... misunderstanding." For a second, time seemed to slow to a crawl. And at that moment, he, the Devil, was as vulnerable as a small child. As he tried to sort through his scattered thoughts, Allen lifted his right arm into the air and stared at his monstrous right hand. "You know, God, sometimes I think you've pitted the entire world against me. Is my life that much of a joke to you?" He thought as a small chuckle escaped out of his lips. "What am I saying? Of course that's how it is. I'm your enemy, after all." Slowly but surely, that small chuckle erupted into full-on laughter. "If that's the case, and my friends didn't toss me aside, then what am I supposed to do with all of this anger?!" His desire for revenge had been his driving force ever since that day. It was the reason why he killed those finders, destroyed Loket, and gathered the Mortal Sins. Without it, he had no purpose. It wasn't like he could go back to the way things were, it was already far too late for that. Whether he liked it or not, the Order and, by extension, the hunters, were now his enemies. "I can't believe it! You managed to find a way to win, while keeping me in the gutter!" He thought as he stared at the ceiling and laughed. "God... you bastard... I swear that I'll—!" Allen stopped when he felt Road place a hand over his heart. Immediately afterwards, a calming wave of energy flowed over him.

"I may not know why you're so stressed, Allen, but, if you'll let me, I can at least calm your aching heart." Road told him as she straddled the boy's waist, pulling his head up for yet another kiss. As she did this, Road's body started to tremble, and her cheeks turned red. Without thinking, she tightened her grip on Allen's body, anchoring him to the bed. For some reason, she couldn't shake the fear welling up in her heart. It felt like, if she let him go now, she'd lose him forever.

"Road..." Allen started as he awkwardly shifted under the girl's legs, it felt as if he were being crushed. "Tell me, honestly, why do you feel the need to tease me like this?" He asked the girl, not as the Devil, but as Allen Walker. In response, one of Road's eyebrows twitched, and she leaned down to whisper something into his ear.

"It's because I love you, you unbelievably-dense bastard." She told him as she nuzzled her head against his chest. When she saw Allen raise a confused eyebrow, she cradled the boy's face in her hands, and placed her forehead against his. "I'm dead serious, Allen Walker, I always have been. And I'm not the only one, with your intense charm and unbridled integrity, you've managed to turn the heads of quite a few women. However, none of them know you like I do. What those girls fell for was the mask you show the world. But not me..." she said as Allen's cheeks lit up like Christmas lights. "...I want the full package, and that includes the monster. Whatever you are, no matter what other people call you, I will always be by your side."

"I-I don't know what to say." Allen mumbled as he stared into Road's eyes. For the first time ever, the Noah of Dreams felt as if he were actually seeing her as she truly was: a girl in love. After that, silence fell over the two of them. With every passing second, Road could feel her heart start to beat faster and faster. Eventually, it got to the point where it felt as if her chest was going to explode.

"Why isn't he saying anything?" Road thought as she closed her eyes, now too embarrassed to move. Could it be that he was going to reject her?! "Allen..." she started as her body started to shake, afraid for what the boy was going to say next. When the silence was too much for her to bare, she cracked open one of her eyelids, looked down, and... "Mmph?!" She mumbled as Allen suddenly shot up and embraced her.

"If this is some sort of sick joke, then you really are twisted." He told her as Road felt the air leave her lungs. However, before the Noah of Dream's world came crashing down, the boy leaned back and kissed her. "However, if you're serious..." he started as tears of joy rolled down his face. "Then thank you. Thank you, Road Kamelot." He said as the noah saw a subtle smile spread across his face. It wasn't a happy smile by any stretch of the word, but nor was it sad. The grin Allen showed her was, instead, one of relief. "I guess it is possible for demons to find a place to belong, huh?"

"So... you feel the same way?" Road whispered as she stared at the boy in disbelief, Allen nodded. Before the two could say any more, however, the grandfather clock in Road's room started to ring.

"Oh, shit, I've stayed for far too long." Allen cursed as he got up, leaving Road alone on the bed. However, when he tried to create a portal, something strange happened. "What the hell?" He mumbled as he tried again and again to phase into the shadows. But, no matter what he tried, nothing seemed to work.

"You won't be able to make a portal out of here. This is my room, and it's cut off from all other dimensions." He heard Road mumble as he scratched his chin. However, before he could ask her any questions, the Noah of Dreams grabbed him and threw the boy back down onto the bed. "If you think I'm going to tell you how to escape, you've got another thing coming, Mister. You don't just tell a girl like me that you love her and then run away, that's the easy way out." As she spoke, Road's mouth contorted into an unnaturally large grin, and she stealthily started to move her arms along the breadth of Allen's torso. "After all of the stress you caused me, I think you owe me at least one night." Road whispered as she searched for Allen's shirt collar. However, when she couldn't find it, she frowned and leaned away, to allow the moonlight to shine against his body. "What in the world are you wearing?" She asked him when she saw the strange black suit that completely covered his body. When he didn't answer, Road shrugged and summoned a small candle out of thin air.

"Um... what's that for?" Allen asked her as Road dragged the sharp tip of the candle against his torso. Instead of answering him, the Noah of Dreams just flicked her wrist, completely tearing the bodysuit's top half to shreds. As the tiny scraps of cloth floated down to the ground, Road blushed as she finally got a look at Allen's bare chest. She had seen it before, but now, in this position, it had taken on a completely different look. The boy's large scars shone excellently in the moonlight, and his deformed left and right arms provided an amazing type of contrast that made her spine tingle...

"Wait a second... right?" She thought as she blinked and stared at the boy's right arm, which now looked just like his left. After rubbing her eyes to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating, she looked up and stared at Allen. Who seemed to be just as confused as she was. "Ah, what the hell... I'll ask after I have my fun." She told him as she lowered the candle to the hem of Allen's pants. However, just before she could make that final cut, a knock came from her door

"Hey Road! We brought dinner!" She heard one of the twins say as they flung the door open and piled into the room.

"Christ, it's dark in here." Tyki mumbled as he fumbled around for the room's light switch. "Listen, I know you're sad about Walker, but you'll only get worse if all you do is sleep all day. Ah! There it is!" The Noah of Pleasure exclaimed as he flipped the switch on, illuminating the room. "Now then, get over here and eat something. If you don't, Sheril will have our heads. And nobody... wants... that..." Tyki trailed off when he saw what the darkness was hiding, his cigarette falling unceremoniously out of his mouth and onto the floor. "Walker... how are you doing?" He addressed the shirtless boy that Road was straddling.

"Oh... me? I'm doing just fine, thanks for asking." He said as he gave the three noahs an awkward nod. "What about you, Tyki?"

"Me? Ah... I'm just peachy." As he talked, the Noah of Pleasure grabbed the twins, who were both suffering from shock, and headed out the door. "I'm just going to leave this here, okay? You two, do whatever it is you need to do." He said as he closed the door behind him. Immediately afterwards, Allen and Road heard the twins screech at the top of their lungs, sending the mansion into chaos.

"I think... now may be a good time for me to leave." Allen said as he got up and waved his hand in the air, however, just like before, nothing happened.

"Don't you remember what I told you? This room is cut off from the other dimensions. Which means you're stuck." Road said as they heard a practical parade of footsteps barrel towards Road's room. When he heard that, Allen started to shiver, and his skin turned pale.

"So the Devil can get scared... great..." He thought as he held his trembling arms. As he did so, Road turned to him and placed a hand on his back.

"You'll be fine, but you might want to prepare yourself." She said as, she too, started to tremble.

"Why's that?" He asked her, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. Just before the door to her room swung open, Road turned to him and uttered the last words he wanted to hear.

"Because I'm pretty sure my dad is going to kill you."

---

"Walker! You lecherous fiend! How dare you touch my daughter! I'll make you feel pain the likes of which you could never imagine!" Allen heard Sheril yell as he slammed his fist into the side of the prison Road had made him.

"It's fine, daddy, he was just comforting me!" Road said as Sheril continued to try and claw his way out. When she said that, Devit and Jasdero both scoffed.

"Yeah... it looked like you two were comforting each other quite well. In fact, you could almost say you shared a connection." Devit sneered as Jasdero started to laugh. However, when he saw the candles that were floating above his head, he stopped and zipped his lips. The rest of the Noah Family, who were all standing inside of the main hall, frowned and rubbed their aching heads.

"Well... they're young... so I can't really say I find this that surprising." The Millennium Earl mumbled as he turned to look at Allen and Road. "In fact, this is actually a blessing, as it saves us the trouble of searching for you, Allen Walker." As he spoke, he walked over to the boy and shook his hand. "It's strange, in some ways, it feels as if I'm staring into a mirror. Although..." the man mumbled as he scanned over the black bodysuit that Allen was wearing. Before they all gathered in the main hall, Road had forced the twins to make the boy a new one. "... I can't say our fashion sense is similar."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Allen said as he smiled and looked around the room. "So this is Road's family..." Up until that night, he had never seen all of the Noah Family together. The fourteen apostles which had survived the great flood all of those years ago were now all gathered in the same room, all because of him.

"Road tells me that your powers are... impressive, and that you could be a great addition to this little family of ours." The Millennium Earl exclaimed as he twirled Lero around in the air. "I'll be honest, at first, when we finally found you, I was planning on interrogating you to make sure that you were trustworthy. However..." he started as his eyes glanced at Sheril, who was still trapped in Road's dice. "...Now I don't think that'll be necessary. If you're willing, my boy, I can offer you a spot at our table. What do you say?" Allen smiled as he politely pushed the Earl's hand away and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but no, there's no place for me at your table." He started, shocking Road and the rest of the family. However, before they had the chance to do anything, Allen turned to all of them and raised his voice. "But that doesn't mean I won't give you my help. If your mission is against humanity and God, then I promise you that I'll do everything in my power to make sure you succeed." Nea raised an eyebrow when he heard that and placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"Allen, are you sure about this? You do know that we're trying to literally wipe humanity off of the face of the planet, right?" He said, Allen nodded.

"Yes, don't worry, I know. But, after finding out who I really was, I discovered that destroying humanity wouldn't be all that bad." As he spoke, Nea, Road, Wisely, the twins, and everyone in the room looked at him in confusion. What in the world did he mean by that? As they stared at him, Allen sighed and rolled up his right sleeve, revealing his new right arm.

"Oh, I nearly forgot about that." Road said as she awkwardly scratched the back of her head.

"Why does your right arm look like your left, Allen?" Nea asked him as Allen shrugged and walked towards the center of the room. If he was going to do this, then he had to do it properly.

"Because that's what it really looks like, Nea, what it has always looked like." As his uncle looked at him in confusion. Allen grinned and started to chuckle. "Ah, look at you guys, none of you have any idea." He said as Road raised an eyebrow. When he saw that, Allen turned to her and grinned, making the girl blush. "You gave me a place in your heart, Road. So, in return, I'm going to show you the real me. I'm going to show all of you what hides behind my mask."

"What? What do you mean Allen?" Road yelped as she ran up to him. However, Allen simply smiled and tousled her hair.

"Don't worry, I promise that this will only take a moment." He said as he took a step back and closed his eyes. After taking a deep breath, he wrapped his left hand around his right wrist and activated his demonic power. Instantly, his skin cracked, he sprouted wings, grew a tail, his eyes turned black, and he developed serpentine-like pupils. However, that wasn't all, with a flick of his wrist he slammed his tuning fork against the ground, causing a disturbing noise to reverberate throughout the mansion. Just seconds later, horrific monstrosities of all shapes and sizes crawled out of the ground beneath their feet. Their screams and grunts sent chills down all of their spines, and caused the twins to instinctively draw their pistols. "Don't worry, they won't hurt you." Allen told them as he hovered up into the air. "Listen, Family of Noah, I am not one of you, but we share the same goal." He exclaimed as he turned around and looked at Road. "That's why, as of today, I have decided to help you."

"Allen..." he heard Nea mumble as he floated around through the air. "What... are you?" When he asked that question, Allen laughed and sheathed his tuning fork, causing all of the demons he had summoned to vanish into the floor.

"I have many names. But, to keep things simple, you can just call me an enemy of God." Allen said as he turned around and looked out of one of the mansion's large windows. The stars which hung overhead twinkled beautifully in sky, but tomorrow, he'd ensure that they'd be stained red with blood. The pieces were set, his army was complete, and now it was time for the feast to begin. "So... Mr. Earl of Millennium." He started as he floated down to where Noah's first apostle was standing. "Why don't we blow the first horn?" Humanity's time was up, and a new age was about to begin. As Allen once again took the Earl's hand, he smiled and looked up towards the sky. "It's my turn now, God, and I promise that I'll make it hurt."

---

Author's Note

Dun, dun, duuuun~! Holy crap it's finally out! This whole thing was a freaking TRIAL to write, let me tell ya. Just thinking of what exactly I needed to get done, what parts I needed to actually write, and how to word said parts was simply an unimaginably hard process that I didn't think I'd be able to do. But, if you'll allow me, I thought it came out pretty alright!

---

By the way guys, since we're kind of nearing the really serious part of the story, I wanted to ramp up the romance side of things a little bit. You know, before I send this into climax-hell. It's my first time writing serious romance scenes like this (I.E. the end of part 4 and the majority of part 5) so I'd like to know what you guys thought of it, and how I can improve. If you could leave your thoughts in a review, I'd really appreciate it. I really tried to imply that, earlier in the series, I was planning on making Road the main pairing. So, if it feels like it kind of came out of nowhere, please tell me.

---

I hope you guys won't hate the fact that I'm going all-in on the Road pairing. I just thought that, after devoting so much time to the pairings, it'd be a bit weird if Allen came out with nobody. And so, I chose the best girl for the situation. After all, like I said in the chapter, they are both monsters :3

Anyway, so yeah, when I called this massive chapter "The Point" I wasn't kidding. Welcome to the third act of this story my friends! This chapter is basically five in one, and because I didn't want to stop the momentum of the parts I had in it, I decided to release them all in one mega chapter!

Now, let's get to the part that I've personally been waiting for. Which is, of course, a question for all of you. As you probably already know, I have multiple stories in the works right now, and am actually planning another -man crossover as we speak! Of course, it won't have the same twist this one had, but what I'm asking is did you guys like the direction this story took? It was a trial to write, and took forever, but I really am curious to know what your reaction was when you found out that this wasn't your typical run-of-the-mill crossover story. I don't know why I'm asking this, it's probably just because I'm a bit curious! :3 what can I say? I just want to know how you guys take my work. Anyways, that's all for now! For such a big chapter I know that this Author's Note is fairly short, but hey, that isn't typically a bad thing. Anyhoo, I hope you all have a good day, and I'll see you guys on the next chapter of Beacon's Exorcist!

And if you'd be so kind as to leave a review or rate my story for this massive undertaking of a chapter, I'd really appreciate it! The more readers I get, the better!

P.S. I've got another -man crossover out now with 40k+ words with Code Geass, I think you guys might really enjoy it!

Chapter 36: The End of Days