When Lavi came to, his arms shook as they supported him while he tried to stand up.
"It can't be…" his replica whispered.
"It's exactly that, you bastard," Lavi's voice shook. "You went ahead of yourself, you shit."
"You… you're still sane?"
Lavi smirked. "Me? Sane? You, of all people, shouldn't ask me that," the tables had turned and Lavi was the one taunting his replica now. "Man, that was close," he managed to stand up straight, his right arm holding onto the dagger that was still inside his abdomen. "If I'd died inside my mind, I would've lost my sanity, isn't that so?" His replica was staring at him, dumbfounded.
Lavi saw Allen's burnt corpse to the side. He pulled the dagger out, swiftly, and rammed it into Allen's chest. "I'm surprised you managed to figure out my disguise," he heard her voice echo through the entire cave-like dimension.
"I noticed you seemed to like Allen, that's why," Lavi answered with a smile, before he fell face-first into the water, and he began to disappear.
"Why is Lavi, the 49th me, different? Why aren't you the same as the me before you?" his replica asked, before he'd transformed into a younger version of himself. "Why is my 49th self suffering so much? Have you given up on becoming a Bookman, Lavi?" he asked, tears threatening to tip over. "Are you going to choose to fight for temporary comrades? Have you forgotten how foolish humans are? How they do nothing but start war after war? Isn't that what you always believed, Lavi?" the little kid shouted.
Lavi's head flashed with memories of his past lives, and then the friends he'd met in the Order. He always thought he was different; he thought if he was careful, he wouldn't fall into the trap of being as foolish as every other human being. But he was wrong. Devina would've told him the same thing and that made him smile, bitterly.
"Tell me, for what purpose do Bookmen exist?" Lavi asked his younger self. "Why won't war disappear from this world? Why are you asking me all this?"
"I don't know… I'm you, aren't I?"
"The person I've been before becoming the 49th, and the 49th, they both make me. You're the one asking questions. You're the one who's changing…" Lavi answered, almost disappearing from Road's world.
"It's because of her… isn't it?" little Lavi sobbed.
"The one who should get out of here… The one who wanted to know the answers is…" Lavi smiled, before he finally disappeared.
The younger Lavi remained, still as a statue, until he heard his name being called. His face lit up into a toothy grin. "You were me after all," and the water swallowed him.
Lenalee was growing more agitated with every passing second. Allen was stuck inside of Tyki's vaccuum, Lavi was unconscious in a cube similar to the one she and Chaoji were in, and Devina had suddenly lost consciousness, not responding to her calls.
She begun swinging her immobile legs at the cube, trying to break herself out. She knew deep inside that this was useless, that her efforts wouldn't pay off without her Innocence. In spite of that, her right leg continued to ram against the glass and it only furthered her pain. Chaoji was yelling at her to stop, but she couldn't handle sitting there anymore and not offering her friends any help.
She hadn't really noticed what had happened, or how this had come to be, but Devina was no longer restrained against her chair. She floated in the air, a black cloak wrapped around her shoulders; her face no longer visible, but veiled beneath a skull-shaped mask and it expanded downwards, surrounding her chest like a ribcage over her uniform. Lenalee noticed the trail of blood dripping beneath her.
Her eyes landed on the discarded chair, only to find the remnants of the cuff-like restraints engulfed by Devina's bones and completely crushed. "D-devina?" Lenalee called, but the girl did not seem to hear her.
"Allen…" Devina called in a voice so unlike her own, it sent shivers down Lenalee's spine. "Allen~" she called out again, in a dragged manner, before she flew into the vacuum and disappeared inside it.
"Devina-san!" Chaoji yelled after her, and then turned to Lenalee. "What is happening?"
"I don't know…" Lenalee answered.
"Devina's mind has cracked," Road intervened.
"What?" Lenalee gasped. "What do you mean?"
Road smirked, "her mind has been lost because she died in the dream world."
Lenalee could feel her tears brimming. "What have you done to her? What have you done to Lavi?" but the Noah did not answer.
Devina emerged from Tyki's vacuum, dragging Allen in one arm and Tyki in the other. She kept her hold onto Allen but she tossed Tyki onto the ground and it quivered beneath him.
"D-devi?" he croaked, inaudibly.
Devina landed on the floor, gracefully, before she placed down an unconscious Allen. She stood up straight, a sword forming inside her hand before she made a dash at Tyki. Her free hand closed around the collar of his shirt and she lifted him up off the ground. Tyki stared in awe at her superhuman strength and didn't dare move. She drew her sword back and thrust her arm forward when Allen gripped her at the waist and pulled her back.
"Devina! Devina, stop!" Allen yelled as he held onto her. "You'll kill him."
"Aaa-aalleeeeeeeeen…"
Allen stared unblinkingly at the back of her head. "Devina," he whispered, "snap out of this. Devina!"
"There's no point to that, Allen," Road giggled, "the girl you knew is no longer there."
Allen frowned and tried to shake her but she twisted in his arm and turned to face him. He could see her brown eyes, hollow and lifeless, "Allen." She shoved at his chest mechanically and moved to stand in front of Tyki once again in such speed, the Noah's eyes widened in surprise before his arm pushed inside her chest.
"Stop," he begged, "I don't want to have to kill you," and he gripped her heart in his hand.
Devina smirked before she delivered a strong punch to his jaw. "Tyki," she purred, "I thought you couldn't kill me even if your life depended on it."
Tyki's hold on her heart tightened, and blood gushed out of her smiling lips. "Stop, Devina!" he warned.
Allen appeared out of nowhere, standing behind the Noah. He knew he needed to act before Devina killed Tyki. He had to get stronger, far stronger than he's ever been. Within a few seconds, he managed to draw out a new gigantic sword, almost the same one as the Millennium Earl's, out of his left arm and then he slashed Tyki's back.
"Tyki!" Road cried out while Chaoji cheered. Lenalee was staring at the scene in disbelief. She couldn't believe that Allen, the person who would feel such guilt and remorse when fighting humans, has managed to cut down a Noah without hesitation. She felt baffled.
The Noah stood frozen, immovable. He had felt the Exorcist's sword go through him, yet he wasn't dead. He was still standing, despite feeling pain. "What game are you playing, boy?"
"The thing I destroyed was not your body, but the Noah inside you." Allen answered.
Tyki's mouth opened, and blood sputtered out, before he began to scream.
Devina could hear the sound of a scream, reverberating through her bones. She felt as though she was floating in darkness. The last thing she remembered was running around with Lavi inside Road's dream world. She tried to move, she tried to stir but she didn't know where to go or what to do. She could see a shimmering light ahead, and she tried to swim toward it, but her body hurt so much and her chest felt so tight. She tried to speak, to call out to anyone; her lips moved but nothing came out. She heard another scream, guttural and pitiful, and filled her up with dread, allowing her to finally pushed on, to swim towards the light.
When her eyes opened, Devina felt something closing in around her throat, and a strange weight against her face. Her ears caught on to the screaming around her and she startled, head snapping in the same direction the screams were coming from.
She saw Tyki kneeling on the ground; his hand keeping him from tipping over, while the other clutched his face. White glistening crosses wound around his chest and back in a circle.
"T-tyki…?" she whispered, before she bolted in his direction. "TYKI!" she screamed, and his head lifted slightly to look at her. She landed beside him and was about to hold him when Allen's sword went through his chest.
"Allen! No!" Devina cried and Allen seemed to finally notice her.
"Devina, you're back!" he shouted.
"Allen, what did you do? He's-"
Tyki held up a shaky arm. "This is too bad, Devi…" she could feel her lips whimper. "I'm sorry, Road." Dark veins began to pop across his handsome face, and then Allen snatched back his sword, and Tyki fell back, his face no longer dark grey but pale and white, with his eyes closed. The cross-shaped stigmata completely vanished from his broad forehead.
"Tyki…" Road whispered in disbelief, her fists clenched. Her eyes narrowed as Chaoji continued to cheer until three sharp candles pierced him.
"Chaoji!" Lenalee screamed. Allen turned toward them and was about to rush to their aid when Road stopped him.
"If you move an inch, I'll destroy you all." She warned. "I'm sure Allen won't die because of Crown Clown, and Devina's Reaper will save her, but I can't say the same for the rest. You see, I like Allen," she knelt beside Tyki and cradled him in her arm, "but my family is also important to me." Allen's foot moved. "Don't you dare move, I'm not in my right mind at this moment. You wouldn't like to see your friends bloodied corpses, would you?"
Devina tried to remain calm. She wanted to shout at Allen not to move, but she couldn't dare upset Road some more.
"My family has lost two members today, so one of your friends must be punished, Allen." Road continued. Devina felt a tug at her heartstrings. She glanced at the unconscious Lavi and felt so much dread. "That redhead's name is Lavi, isn't it?" she asked.
No, no, no, no. Devina's heartbeat thundered against her ribcage. NO.
"His mind is still inside my world. I'm gonna rip him apart," she smirked.
"No! Road!" Devina shouted. "Please, don't!" she was about to run towards Lavi, forgetting Road's warnings but the candles closed in around her and she stopped. Fuck.
"Stop!" Allen shouted, but she couldn't tell if it was directed at Road or at her.
"Don't move, you two. Allen, your left eye should remember how painful my candles are. If you don't want Lenalee and that human to end up in tatters, you'd better sit back and wait until I've finished breaking Lavi." Road smiled mischievously, sticking her tongue out.
"Lavi!" Devina shouted, her desperation returning once again. "Lavi, wake up!"
The glass cube clicked open and Lavi stepped out. Devina instantly realized something was wrong with the redhead. His eye has lost its usual humor, and there appeared to be a strange purplish tattoo beneath each of his eyes. Lavi landed on the floor, a few steps away from Allen.
"La-lavi!" Allen turned to be able to see his friend.
"There, Allen… if you want to save your friends, you must kill Lavi." Road explained and removed all the candles surrounding Allen, freeing him.
"A-allen! Watch out!" Devina shouted as Lavi sprinted at Allen.
This can't be happening, this can't be happening, this can't be happening. Devina stood, rooted to the ground, unable to move a single limb. Lavi was going all out on Allen, harder and fiercer than she'd ever seen him, and Allen was barely fighting back because he did not want to hurt Lavi, only using his sword to block Lavi's attacks.
"Lavi! Lavi!" Devina yelled, trying to catch his attention. "Snap out of it! Lavi!"
She was successful. Lavi's head turned to look at her, before he made his way towards her. Devina stood still, her legs refused to move no matter how many times she commanded them to.
Lavi managed to get to her in no time and he gripped her upper arms, holding her in place.
Devina's hand went involuntarily to land at his cheek. "Lavi, you have to wake up." She mumbled, barely managing to hold back the tears. She didn't want to have to fight him. Not Lavi. "La-"
His fist landed at her side, and she coughed heavily, spitting out blood. "Shut up," Lavi said coldly, "you're so annoying!"
Devina's eyes widened but before she could even respond, he kicked her at her side, the same spot he'd just punched, and she was sent flying into Allen.
Allen helped her sit up and wiped the blood running down her lips. "A-allen, he's serious… he's… not joking around," the female grumbled against him.
"I know," Allen said back. "I have a plan, Devina,"
Devina turned her head up and nodded at him, before, sliding to the side to get out of his way. Allen stood up and braced himself, but Lavi was relentlessly delivering punches once again, and all Allen could do was try to block them. Lavi kicked Allen and he fell to the ground, and Lavi continued to kick Allen's stomach as he lay helpless.
"LAVI!" Devina shouted, sitting up on her elbows and trying to stand. "STOP!" But the redhead ignored her completely.
She saw Allen grip the hilt of his sword before he picked it and slammed it into Lavi.
"ALLEN!" she screamed. "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?" Devina got to her feet, but barely; her knees were wobbly and she could no longer tell which parts of her were bleeding.
Allen's sword had no effect, and Lavi's responded by colliding his hand with Allen's head and ramming it into the ground.
"Exorcising him won't work. Lavi's not possessed. These are his true feelings," Road said, taking pleasure in everything that was happening. "You'll have to use your claws on him, Allen!"
"As if he can do such a thing!" Lenalee exclaimed.
"I'll let my candles run free if you don't use Edge, Allen!" Road threatened, while Lavi continued to hit Allen, cornering him against a wall. He delivered one more punch and paused, letting Allen bleed out.
Allen gripped him, and pulled him closer, into something that resembled a hug, and Devina's heart shattered. "Lavi, can't you hear my voice?" Allen asked. "Didn't Krory say we were the only ones who could keep Lenalee and Chaoji safe? Didn't he say we were the ones who had to save Devina? Kanda said so, too,"
Lavi's fist collided with Allen's stomach for the thousandth time.
"Please don't do this!" Lenalee cried.
Lavi lifted Allen off the ground, his fist holding Allen's jacket to keep him up. "Lenalee…" Allen began, "Lenalee who cherishes her friends more than anything in this world… she's crying!"
"I am… not your comrade." Lavi replied mechanically, and Devina snapped. She had heard Bookman tell him such statements more than once, but to hear it come from Lavi, to have him say it to Allen and Lenalee, was unforgivable.
Her rage filled her up with terrible energy; she sprinted to him and delivered a punch to his chest. He doubled over and coughed but it was all off, so off. "You bastard! You bastard!" she yelled at him but to no avail. She shoved at his chest, and she knew she was being childish, but she needed him to wake up.
He stood up again and his hand closed around her throat and she fought to catch a sliver of air. Her entire being was shaking and she knew she was far beyond her limit.
"Lavi!" Allen yelled, "you're hurting Devina, you idiot!" he tried to break Lavi's hold on her throat but it was too strong.
"Stop it! STOP IT!" Lenalee shrieked.
"You see how it is, to lose a person you care for?" Road taunted, smiling.
"I never once thought of myself as your friend, never." Lavi muttered as he threw Devina to the side. Her hands instinctively flew to her throat and she coughed and tried to catch her breath. Meanwhile, Lavi had reached for his hammer and it extended, surrounded by fire. "I'm the successor to the Bookman clan; I can't be anything else."
"A-allen! Get out of the way!" Devina croaked, but Allen didn't. He stood in front of her as Lavi called out a Fire Seal. The dragon he summoned came up towards them, surrounding them with heat. Allen's sword slashed at the dragon, but instead of diminishing it, it split in two. His cloak closed around her and he jumped in the air, his sword clashing with Lavi's hammer.
"I can't deflect his attacks without using Edge End, but if I do that, I'll hurt Lavi…" Allen seemed to be telling her. "I can't do it…" their weapons collided again. "Lavi! Lavi!"
Lavi called out an Earth Seal, sending shocks of lightning bolts running through Devina and Allen, and their screams echoed through the hall. The two of them fell to the ground, having lost consciousness.
"Lavi! Please, stop it! Open your eyes!" Lenalee yelled.
"I thought I told you, Lenalee, it is no use. That child is no longer the Lavi you've known. His mind is gone, and all that's left is Bookman, his true self. He's never thought of you as his friends." Road reiterated.
"Gouka Kaijin,"
"La-vi," Allen moaned, before his eyes opened. He gripped the hilt of his sword and ran it through Lavi, "if Road's power is what caused this, then I'll either sink or swim with you," he pushed it hard and it ran through Lavi, then slammed into Road, "ROAD!"
Road fell back, before she cackled and sat back up again. "That was a really good idea, but I'm sorry to disappoint you. Haven't you learned anything from your failed attempts to kill me in the Rewinding Town?" she asked, amused. She pulled Allen's sword out of her, "even if it's with this uncanny sword of yours… I'm me, but I'm not me; it's impossible to kill me if you don't know my true form. I thought I'd warned you, Allen… there are things that even you can't do!"
"Hi Ban!" Lavi's shout was vibrant, and it sent shivers down Devina's spine. The flames enveloped Devina and Allen completely, swirling around the room in their beautiful dragon shape.
Author's Note: TWENTY FRICKING CHAPTERS! Oh, my god. I've never had a story that lasted this long, so thank you to everyone who's read, favorited, and followed. Thank you to the silent readers, but mostly, thank you to those who leave something behind for me to feed my ego. Thank you scorpia 1029 and FernFalcon for the reviews!
Notes on the chapter: I hope this and chapter 19 hasn't confused anybody. I decided to write the events happening with Lavi before I tackle the ones with Allen, Tyki, Devina, Lenalee and Chaoji. So, just like with the manga, while Allen faced off Tyki, Lavi was struggling with the dark crevices of his mind (conjured up by Road.) There will be an explanation to why Devina can emerge in both, far, far ahead, hehe. But yes, chapter 19 and 20 were basically happening at the same time, relatively. I hope I haven't confused anyone further.