Chapter 2: The Boy Who Cried Akuma and Allen's Past
Allen and Alice hitch a ride on a circus wagon watching a small, golden ball-like creature with four, stubby legs, a long tail that ends in a thick swirl, and two feathered wings. A cross fleury adorns his 'face', and above it are two small horns.
"Timcanpy!" Alice calling the ball-like creature that is looking at a flower on the road. "Don't fly around so much. What we do of you get bitten by a cat again?"
Timcanpy flies back towards Allen and rests on his head.
"What?" It is the clown. "You were bitten by a cat? I'm surprised you're safe."
"The cat had risen from the grave." Allen says.
"What?" The clown asks, but a bunny girl pushes him away.
"Did you two come here to do some sightseeing, travelers?" She asks.
"No," Allen answers.
"Just going there to greet them…" Alice continues and both of them turns around to look at the bunny girl.
"To meet the Headquarters of the Exorcists!" Allen finishes.
~Allen's nightmare~
Three months ago, somewhere in India
Allen and Alice are sitting on the ground in front of General Cross Marian, while Alice is holding a glass of water.
"Allen, Alice." Cross calls.
"Yes, Master." Allen and Alice reply and the girl begins to drink the water.
"It's been three years since both of you became my pupils. I think it's about time you go out on your own…" Cross says while shaking his wine glass. "From today on, you two carry the title 'Exorcist'." Both Allen and Alice look happy.
"Really!?" Allen asks.
"But to officially become an Exorcist, you must come with me to the Headquarters and greet the people there."
Alice then colalapses and drops the glass of water that had the sleeping powder in it.
"Alice!?" Allen calls in surprise and Cross stands up with a hammer in his other hand.
"You do know where the Headquarter is, right?" Their master asks.
"…Yes?" Allen pales as he starts slowly go back up and Cross slowly takes steps toward him.
"I'll have my golem accompany you." Timcanpy flies around. "I'll even recommend you to your superior, Komui… When you wake up, go forth!" Cross orders as Allen shudders.
"Don't tell me you're backing out of coming with us, Master!"
Cross smiles a curved smile. "I dislike Headquarters." He admits and Allen becomes unconscious from the hammer.
~Reality~
"AH!" Allen wakes up with goose bumps.
'D… dreaming again… I still can't stop thinking about it…' Allen thought.
"What happened, Allen?" Alice asks. "You were moaning..."
Before Allen could answer Alice, someone screams 'Akuma' loudly. In the distance they can hear a boy shouting. "It's an Akuma! You're gonna get killed-"
"Wh-what!?" The clown comes out and asks. Then Allen and Alice look at each other and she nods.
"Thanks for the lift!" Allen says and the two jump off the wagon to the stone road with their suitcases.
"Oh my!" The clown says as they run toward the commotion.
"Are you okay!?" Allen asks. "The Akuma..." About seven people look at Allen and Alice.
"There aren't any Akuma here." The baker states annoyed.
"Eh?" Allen and Alice say dumbfound.
"See Jan," the baker hits the boy's head. "Just because you said you were gonna get killed…"
"Ouch!" The boy, Jan groans.
"Sorry," the baker apologizes. "It was this guy's fault." The baker points at Jan. "He was screaming about an Akuma, and messing with the adults." Jan put his hand on his head.
"I'm not playing around, idiot! Jan says. "There really is an Akuma! They're slowly invading the world! My dad told me about it!"
"Yeah, yeah, we heard you, here's a candy-"
"DON'T TREAT ME LIKE A KID!"
Then Alice looks at Allen and he nod. There is an Akuma among the seven people.
"IT'S TRUE!" Jan points at the homeless man. "JUST A MOMENT AGO, A HOMELESS MAN DOWN THERE GOT KILLED BY A BIG GUY WITH A HAT! AND THEN THEY PUT THE BONES OF THE AKUMA INTO HIS BODY…" The homeless man quickly covers Jan's mouth.
"Sorry about that, it's nothing!" the homeless man says. "I was playing with the kid too enthusiastically, and got too into it..." Jan looks up at the man shocked. Everyone then turns around and starts to leave.
"I knew it!" The baker says.
"Even if you scream, we're not gonna listen, Jan!" The chef shouts. Jan squirms in the homeless man's grasp. When everyone left and just the two of them left, Jan stops and looks up. The man has a star on his forehead and glares at Jan. Allen then slashes the homeless man's head.
"You can't deceive my eyes." Allen says and his left eye has become black and red ringed eye. His left arm turned into a monstrous adamantine claw with a supernatural glow at Allen's scapula-joint, Cross.
"Also, I can sense Akuma's malicious aura." Alice states, narrowing her eyes at the man.
"You are an Akuma." Both of them declare.
Jan moves away and the Akuma shatters. Allen's left arm turns back to veinous and red arm. Jan stares at Allen surprised.
"Your name is Jan, right?" Alice asks Jan who looks at her. "You seem to know a lot about Akuma, but who are you?"
Jan face Allen again and then jump onto him, knocking Allen backwards.
"KYA–!" Jan shouts as Allen grunts and he goes unconscious because he hit his head on the stone road. "AN EXORCIST! WOW, IT'S MY FIRST TIME I'VE EVER SEEN ONE! WAS THAT THE ANTI-AKUMA WEAPON? Can I see…" Jan notices Allen unconscious. "Eh?"
~Later~
Allen became conscious and Jan decides to show them to his house by skating on his roller-shoes.
"My dad is a scientist for the Vatican." Jan says. "But he's never home, due to work. I was so bored so I started to read his science books, and that's where I learned about Akuma!" Jan explains.
Allen looks at Jan's shoes and thought, 'What weird shoes.'
"I hope that one day I'll also become one of the best scientists in the world, so I can make a weapon that will instantly remove an Akuma!" Jan stops and looks at Allen weirdly. "Anyways…" Allen and Alice stop and look at him in confusion.
"What?" Allen asks.
"I didn't know Exorcist could be so physically weak-" Allen is hit by an imaginary rock that says 'weak' on it. "My image of an Exorcist was a macho man. You're completely the opposite, Allen." Jan then looks at Alice. "Alice, are you an Exorcist too?"
"Yes." Alice answers.
"I never knew girls could be Exorcist…" Jan says and then he switches on to a different subject. "How many Akuma have you destroyed so far? How did you get that Anti-Akuma Weapon? How did you feel when you destroyed your first Akuma?"
"Jan," Allen calls. "Don't ask too many questions. Just like that last Akuma… you shouldn't do anything that will get the Creator's attention. It's dangerous." Jan looks at Allen angrily.
"Here." Jan tosses an onion at Allen.
"Eh? An onion?" Allen says.
"Alice, close your eyes!" Jan orders and Alice did.
The onion explodes in Allen's face. Allen starts to tear up and Alice opens her eyes.
"Haha-" Jan sticks his tongue out at Allen. "It's my own invention, the Onion Bomb!" Jan turns around. "You think I'm just gonna let the Akuma attack us all? Hell no!" Jan starts running. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY DANGEROUS? DON'T TREAT ME LIKE A KID, YOU WEAKLING!" Jan shouts and he disappears.
"Eyes… my eyes…" Allen groans. "God… forget that…"
"Allen, are you okay?" Alice asks.
It stings!" Allen cried.
At Jan's house
The young boy is in his room and there is a knock on the door.
"MISTER! MISTER...! MR. JAN, A GUEST IS AT THE DOOR, DO YOU HEAR ME!? MR. JAN-!" The maid shouts and finally Jan opens his door.
"…Who?" He asks. He widens his eyes as he sees his best friend. "Leo!" Jan invites Leo into his room and sits in his chair with Leo stares at the bubbling flask.
"IT'S BEEN A WHILE, PARTNER!" Jan says happily. "I haven't heard from you since the funeral, I was beginning to get worried! You were at your relatives' place? I know it must be hard on you, since you lost your mom, but I'll help you in any way possible. So cheer up!"
Leo didn't answer, but he just kept smiling silently while staring at the flask.
'Hmm… he's changed a bit… I guess losing his mom was a big shock to him. I wonder if there's anything… that will cheer him up…' Jan thought and then knows what to do. "Oh, right! I finally saw an Akuma for the first time today!" Jan says happily causing his friend to stop smiling and looks at him. "I was patrolling even while you were gone. I knew the inside was a machinery skeleton. And I also saw the face of Millennium Earl! I bet you it's him! Hold on, I'll draw on a piece of paper." He grabs a notebook and a pencil and starts drawing. "It was like…" Jan finishes and holds out the notebook proudly. "Like this! Let's hand out this picture like we used too!"
Leo then touches Jan's wrist. "Jan… I want to go somewhere with me…"
In front of Jan's house
Allen and Alice manage to get to Jan's house. Then Allen rings the odd doorbell.
"I'm still concerned about it…" Allen states, still teary from the Onion Bomb. "I want to convince him before we go to Headquarters..."
"But do you think he will listen?" Alice asks.
"I hope he will."
The door opens and a maid comes out. "Yes?" The maid answers.
Both Allen and Alice thought seeing the maid's face from somewhere, 'Hm? Deja vu?'
"Uh… Um… I heard that this is Jan's house. Is Jan here?" Allen asks and then Alice steps a feet away from Allen and he looks at her weirdly.
"Mr. Jan?" The maid repeated. "He's here…"
The maid suddenly is lean closer to Allen and is squishes by her. Behind the maid, Jan smiling happily as he was the one who pushed her onto Allen.
"What did you come here for? Did you come here to lecture me?" Jan sticks his tongue out again as he skates away. "I won't listen to you anyway!"
"Ja… Jan, you really are a…" Allen stammers.
Leo comes out and steps on the maid and follows Jan. Seeing the boy causes Alice to go wide eye.
"Let's go, Leo." Jan said. The maid had fainted and Allen glares at them.
"I," Allen says, "I don't care anymore…" Then Allen looks at Leo and his left eye, Cursed Eye, sees an Akuma. "W-wait Jan! That boy…!" He calls out but they disappear.
"Jan, wait! Come back!" Alice also calls out and then runs after the two boys.
"Alice! Wait!" She didn't listen. "Da… damn it." Allen sits up as he moves the maid aside. "Timcanpy-! Follow them! I'll be there soon!" Allen orders and Timcanpy chases after them. "Damn… just when we were gonna go to Headquarters… I have to greet this person first, Master…"
At the town's cemetery
Jan holds the cemetery's gates. "Eh, Leo, you want to come here?" It's a cemetery." He then turns to Leo. "Oh, did you want to come here so we could mourn your mom?" Jan and Leo head in. "You should have said so earlier, geesh…" Jan then bumps into someone and the person put their hand on Jan's head.
"Hello." The boy looks up and sees that person is the Millennium Earl. "Nice to meet you, Jan."
Jan quickly backs up and stutters, "Th-Th-The Millennium Earl!" He then puts down his goggles and throws an Onion Bomb toward the Earl. "TAKE THIS!" It explodes and Jan turns to his friend. "Leo, let's run!" Jan starts to run away, but notices Leo doesn't follows, causing Jan to run in front of him and puts his hands on Leo's shoulders. "YO LEO!? WHAT'S WRONG? HE'LL KILL YOU!" Jan starts to shake Leo. "LEO…!"
Behind Jan, the Earl is perfectly fine from the onion attack. "Leo's been dead for a long time." the Earl states. "Ever since his mom's funeral. That… you disturbed me, and for that, he's the Akuma that will punish you!"
Jan looks at the Earl shocked and with disbelief. "No… It can't be…"
"It's true." It was Alice now carrying twin bladed sword, Sliver, in her hands and next to her is Allen with his left arm ready. "Jan," Alice calls.
"That boy is the Earl's Akuma." Allen finishes.
Jan looks at Leo in disbelief. "Leo…?" He calls and Leo smiles creepily.
Allen and Alice take a step closer to them, but both of them are still a few feet away.
"Trust us, Jan…" Allen says. That boy is not human."
Alice rests one of the twin swords on her shoulder. "That is only the physical appearance of your friend, and underneath lies a weapon of 'The Millennium Earl', 'Akuma'." She states.
The Earl tilts his head to the left and put his finger on his 'chin'. "Who are you two?" He asks Allen and Alice.
"Good evening, Earl." Allen greets. "We're your enemies."
"Exorcists!?" The Earl says and Allen and Alice glare at him. "Well then, nice to meet y…" He pauses. "Nice to meet you…?"
"Silver," Alice calls.
"Cross, " Allen calls.
"Destroy the Akuma!" The two shout and Leo turns his head looking at both of them. "And purify the soul!" Both of them goes for an attack.
Just when they almost got Akuma Leo, their eyes widen and stop seeing Jan is standing between them. Both of them manage to stop their attack, but the tip of one of the swords and one of the fingers almost touch Jan's head.
"Jan…" Alice calls.
"W–why?" Jan asks. "Why is Leo an Akuma? He's my friend! We even started going on patrol for Akuma together. We promised to protect the town from them… HOW THE HELL CAN HE POSSIBLY BE AN AKUMA!? WHAT KIND OF PROOF DO YOU GUYS HAVE!?" Jan is then wide-eyed. Leo had changed into the form of a machine and his gun barrels all point at Jan's head behind him. Alice's eyes widen too. "Leo…"
"JAN!" Alice calls and then the Akuma shoot its bullets. Alice didn't make it, but luckily Allen protects Jan.
"Ah…" Jan said. Allen turns to look at him and smiles, but is soon covers in stars. "ALLEN!" Jan calls and Alice runs toward the two of them. Allen's right arm is bleeding as he groans in pain and Alice looks at the arm.
'Shit, Allen's been shot! An Akuma's bullet is said to have a poison that destroys your body. If you get shot, it's said that the poison invades your body and destroys it!' Jan thought as remembering what his dad's notes are.
"Wow." The Earl says unamused. "He sure is courageous to take to bullet like that." The Earl says sarcastically. "How do you feel now, Jan?"
Jan looks at the Earl scares.
"You really piss me off, you know. You're a weakling, yet you talk more about 'justice' all the time. You even said I was a bad person. I'm creating Akuma for people's sake." The Earl says. "It's so ugly, isn't it?" He touches Akuma Leo. "This symbolizes a person's suffering in their heart. You think an Akuma is simply a weapon I create, but… an Akuma is made from a person's heart. Even this Akuma. This one was created from your friend Leo, you know."
"Leo did…?"
"Leo's dead mom." Allen speaks. "Leo… he used the Earl's power to bring back his dead mom's soul, and then it… became an Akuma. I can see…" Akuma Leo has his mom's soul chained down. "As an Akuma his mom is suffering." Jan looks at Allen wide-eyed.
"You can see? You dead brat, what the heck are you talking about?" The Earl questions menacingly as Allen faces the Earl.
"I'm a human that inherited an Anti-Akuma Weapon," Cross starts to glow. "I can nullify the poison with in me!" Allen put left hand on his chest and the Akuma's poison is disappearing.
'The infection is disappearing!' Thought Jan then hr widens his eyes after Allen nullified the poison. "A-Allen…" Jan calls. "You're… what… is that?" Jan asks. The Earl became wide-eyed too.
"The curse…" Alice mumbles.
"In the past, I made an important person into an Akuma…" Allen answers. "Because of that, I got a curse which let me see into the soul of an Akuma," Allen touches his left eye. "Through this eye."
Above Allen's left eye, there is a star pentacle.
"A―H–!" The Earl shouts while pointing at Allen. "I REMEMBER! I'VE MET YOU BEFORE…" Allen looks at the Earl. "YOU'RE ALLEN WALKER! THE KID THAT MADE HIS DAD INTO AN AKUMA! Also…" He turns to Alice who giving him a death glare. "That small girl I almost kidnapped from over ten years ago, Alice Lakefield."
"Allen… your dad was an Akuma too? And Alice was kidnapped?" Jan asks.
"We weren't related by blood. However, Mana… my father, took me in and raised me, even though I was born with a mechanical arm." Allen starts explaining. "Mana taught me many things. Things I needed to live, ways to like entirely on my own." Jan silently listens to him as Alice looks down to the ground. "But, when I was left truly alone, I didn't know what I should do. Mana, my father, was dead…"
~Allen's memory~
Allen's father, Mana gets hit by a carriage.
"Mana? Mana!" The young Allen calls. Then Mana grabs the young Allen's wrist.
"Allen…" Mana calls young Allen's name. "Listen to me, Allen. No matter what happens, never stop!"
"No, Mana! I don't want you to die!" The young Allen pleads.
"No matter what, keep walking."
"Don't leave me alone!" The young Allen cries. Mana tightens his grip on young Allen's wrist.
"Keep walking, Allen!" Mana scolds him. "As long as there's a breath left in your body!" Mana loosens his grip as he loses his life in front of young Allen.
"M-Mana?" The young Allen calls as he shakes Mana's body. "No… It's not true!" He hugs Mana's lifeless body. "Don't die! I don't want you to die!" The young Allen shouts.
Allen's memory changes to Mana's grave where the young Allen sits in front of Mana's grave. That's when the Earl appears.
"A good evening to you." The Earl says.
The young Allen looks up and sees the Earl is leaning over Mana's grave stone.
"Shall I revive Mana Walker for you?" The Earl asks and the young Allen is confused.
"If you wish me to, I need your help." The Earl says. "I need you, the one he loved most, to call out to him." The Earl explains.
Later, the Earl brings a Dark Matter skeleton to the young Allen. "Now, you must call his soul back from the afterlife." The Earl continues to explain. The young Allen slowly walks closer to the skeleton.
"MANA!" Allen shouts then a purple light hits the skeleton and Mana's name has engraved on the skeleton's skull.
"A… lle… n." Akuma Mana calls. "You made me into an Akuma…" Akuma Mana says angrily and he slashes the young Allen's eye. "ALLEN! YOU MADE ME INTO AN AKUMA!"
The young Allen falls to the ground. "I'LL CURSE YOU– I'LL CURSE YOU, ALLEN!" Suddenly the young Allen's left arm starts to glow and Cross awakens. It crushes Akuma Mana's lower part of the body.
"I didn't know what has happened." The present Allen says. "My left arm had activated, and attacked the Akuma which harbored Mana's soul."
Cross rushes, dragging the young Allen towards Akuma Mana.
"MANA!? NO, DON'T DO THIS TO MANA…!" The young Allen pleads.
Akuma Mana faced the young Allen, who starts crying.
"RUN… RUN, DAD!" The young Allen screams.
Just before Cross destroys Akuma Mana, He told the young Allen something.
"Allen… I love you." Akuma Mana stammers. "Please destroy me." Akuma Mana pleads.
The young Allen's left eye then turns into the Cursed Eye with a pentacle above it. Cross has ended Akuma Mana.
"UWA—H!" The young Allen screams.
After Cross destroyed Mana, the Earl disappears, leaving the young Allen alone. Then appears, General Cross Marian and the young Alice Lakefield. Cross kneels on one knee while Alice stands next him.
"There's no way to help it other than by destroying it." Cross says. "Being born with an Anti-Akuma Weapon…" Cross notes. "What a destiny you carry."
Cross then looks at the young Alice.
"The same destiny as you carry that bracelet." He tells the young Alice and then he face the young Allen. "You too are someone who has been given a destiny by God. You wanna become an Exorcist?"
~Present~
Allen had told Jan what happened to his late father, Mana.
"Ever since then, I've been able to see the soul within an Akuma. At first, I thought it was because Mana cursed me… so as punishment, I want to become an Exorcist. But as I started to see more Akuma, I noticed… they don't cry to express sorrow." Allen explains. "They cry to express love for those who made them into an Akuna. As if they are trying to tell them why they weren't strong enough to live. So it really isn't punishment," Allen held up his left hand. "But I still wanted to live as an Exorcist. This curse is my destiny…" Allen clutches his hand and it then turns into Cross. "Akuma are sad beings. They should never exist in our world! That is why I will destroy them!"
"Allen," the Earl calls. "I should have killed you long ago."
