††Chapter II††
"Let's play a game."
Allen blinked himself out of his thoughts as Road's voice resonated through the air. He glanced over at her curiously. "Huh?"
"We need to play a game. This ride is a little boring and Millennie wouldn't let us take the Ark* so we need something to do to pass the time."
"Right... The Ark..." Allen frowned slightly. Ever since he had been living in the manor, the Earl had not once let him inside the Ark. The only thing he knew about it was that what they called a "Gate" looked like a glowing fragment of glass that one could simply walk in. "Hey, Road?"
She hummed to show that she was listening, glancing at him as she took note of the seriousness in his tone.
"Does Adam... consider me a part of the Family?"
Surprise flashed across Road's face briefly. To anyone else, they wouldn't have been able to discern it but Allen had tried making it an art to be able to read people. At least to a certain extent.
"It's just that I'm not a Noah," he added hastily. "And I know that I've only been here for a few months but he hadn't allowed me to do anything the rest of the Family could. He doesn't trust me, does he? Because of my Innocence?"
"Allen..." Road's face softened. "It's not because you have Innocence. The Earl is just concerned that you're not as durable as us. Yes, you heal a little faster than normal people but you're still human. He's just being careful." She smiled. "Besides, you'll be one of us soon enough. Millennie and I could feel the Noah gene trying to activate."
"And how soon is soon?"
"I don't know." She looked thoughtful. "A couple months to a year at most."
Allen hummed lightly in response. They were silent for a brief moment before they came across a tree with skulls and dog chains decorating it. He pulled the equestrian to a stop in order to stare at it.
He recalled this particular tree before but he couldn't recall from where. It certainly had less decor the last time he had seen it.
"Houndsworth," he murmured to himself as he urged the horse onwards, as though that would help him remember.
"Yep." Road was playing with a small ragdoll she pulled from somewhere. She had insisted on taking Lero but Allen was so glad that she hadn't. Lero was quite a stickler for rules. "The reason why we're here is because about one-third of the people had either gone missing or had been murdered in the past decade. Millennie thinks that Innocence is involved."
"It can do that?"
"Mhm and much more. Oh, and Houndsworth still practices bear-baiting. It's a sport the Queen has banned but who is actually going to listen to her? She's too weak of a ruler."
To be honest, Allen didn't really care about the Queen.
They soon came to a village. Road directed Allen to the place they were to stay at since she knew how bad he was at navigation. They ended up outside a large and creepy-looking manor.
"Barrymore Castle," she had said as the cart pulled to a stop. Both her and Allen were getting off right when the door opened and a male with long, bluish-black hair tied up in a ponytail wearing round glasses came leaping over the stairs entirely only to land on the ground and scooped Road up into a hug.
"My beautiful Road," the man exclaimed happily, oblivious to the amusement of his adoptive daughter.
"Hello, Sheryl," she responded. Sheryl then let her go and turned over to Allen, suddenly looking rather serious.
"I trust that you didn't do anything unbecoming of my daughter."
"Uh..." Allen had no clue what to say to that. The Noah were malicious and bloodthirsty. What could he possibly do that was unbecoming? "No?"
Road laughed. "No, he didn't." She then paused, looking a little more serious. "Allen's weapon is damaged though. Could you take a look at it?"
"Hm..." Sheryl pushed the bridge of his glasses back as he gave Allen a scrupulous look over.
"Please?" Road clasped her hands together as she batted her eyes at him.
"Oh alright, fine." Sheryl sighed, always falling for Road's charm even when he knew what she was doing. "But first, I must introduce the two of you to Mister Barrymore."
"Okay."
Road and Allen followed Sheryl inside. They made their way through the confusing halls until they managed to arrive at a door. A rather beautiful maid was waiting there with ice-blue hair and large, amethyst eyes. Allen blinked at her and then held his arm close to him as it twitched the way it sometimes use to when he had first been welcomed by the Noah.
"I wonder why someone of your kind is here," Road commented. Her gaze was sharp with a malicious smile on her face. But Angela didn't seem as though she was paying attention. Instead, her eyes were on Allen.
"Lord Henry will meet you all," she said, tearing her gaze from Allen's face in order to open the door. "Lord Henry, Lord Kamelot's representatives have arrived."
"Well what are you waiting for," a male voice barked. Angela flinched. "Let them in already."
The door opened more and the trio entered with Angela close behind. She shut the door and waited patiently with her hands held in front of her.
"These are your representatives," tthe same man demanded. "A miniture poodle and a tiny terrier?"
Allen turned his gaze from Angela to the speaker. And from there, he froze.
It was a large man with black hair, thick sideburns, and brown eyes donning a plain suit and tie. He had this stern and intimidating expression, which none of the group had paid no mind to. But what had really gotten Allen was that he remembered that face from his circus days.
"-you not know who I am!? Apologize you little-"
"-do you mean no? Do you want to be punish-"
"-take him to the cages. A day or two should teach him-"
Once more, Allen was pulled from his thoughts by Road as she discreetly nudged him. It was then that he realized that he was staring and gave her a grateful smile. She faintly smiled back before she grew serious, glaring coldly in Henry Barrymore's direction.
"I'll have you know that this poodle can run a successful business, Lord Barrymore." Road crossed her arms. "If you let us buy your land, profits will be raked in like no other. This small place will grow and people from every country will be wanting to visit."
"I got another person who wants to build a resort that promised me the same thing. And all for a small plot of land. Tell me, Lady Kamelot, how your offer differs?"
"Competition?" The girl smirked. "Very well, Lord Barrymore. I believe that the competition's promise will fail because they are adding one measly thing and leaving everything else the same. Adding one thing more often than not changes nothing. The Noah Company plans on changing everything for the inhabitants. The people who live in the same area of our company will also get things earlier and for half off, guaranteeing our success. We plan on going for the long run. And a resort, Lord Barrymore, doesn't last long."
"Hm..." Henry actually looked as though he was mulling it over. "I see that I will have much to think about. I shall inform you in about four days time. Until then... Angela, show these guests to their respective rooms."
"Of course, Lord Henry," the maid had responded. She opened the door and looked at them. "Follow me."
The Noah and Allen followed. He was sure that Sheryl already had a room and was just joining the two for the sake of Road which... made it rather uncomfortable. Henry didn't seem to recognize Allen, which was a huge relief. Then again, his appearance had changed so much that he doubted that anyone from his past life would actually know who he was.
"Earl Phantomhive," Angela's soft voice had said, making Allen snap his head up quickly. Did she just say...? "It's nice to see you up this early."
"Angela," replied a boy, his own tone bland. Allen's silver gaze flicked over to him.
It was a short preteen with bluish-black hair, a singular deep blue eye staring at the maid with such a guarded gaze, the other one hidden behind an eyepatch. And his bangs tended to curl to the right. That small little fact was what made Allen breath "Aster..."
The boy's eye snapped over to him immediately, followed by the maroon gaze of his companion, a butler seeming to wear an excessive amount of black. Actually, he looked really familiar. Unfortunately, Road and Sheryl was looking at Allen with confusion. He didn't mean to say that outloud. Or to say it at all, either. It just happened.
"My name is Ciel Phantomhive," the boy responded coldly. "And who are you?"
"I apologize. I must have mistaken you for someone else. I'm sorry for disturbing you." He looked over at Angela. "May we continue? I'm rather tired."
"Certainly," she replied and continued to lead them through the halls. He could have sworn that was Aster. Maybe he had gotten it wrong? It had been a while... Either way, he was happy to see one of the twins. What happened to the other?
He... probably shouldn't wonder. If anything, Allen needs to keep his distance. His world isn't meant for normal people. Besides, the Phantomhive's are nobles. They probably had long forgotten the street rat known as Red.
They eventually bid Angela thanks when she showed them their rooms and then she was making her way down the halls. Road stared after her with a smirk. "Noah, a demon, and an angel all under the same roof at one time. This seems to be a historical moment."
Allen made a noise and snapped his head over to her. "Angels actually exist!?"
"Mhm. Though from what I've heard, they care for the purity of the world. Fallen angels are even worse." There was a pause and then Road was quirking an eyebrow. "You didn't question if demon's existed."
"I trained with my Master," was the sullen reply. "I already knew that demons existed."
"Is Cross Marian really that bad?"
Allen shivered. "You have no idea." He faced Sheryl. "Um..."
"That's right, your arm." The man adjusted his glasses before heading to his room. "Come along. I'll fix it."
Allen indeed followed Sheryl as he was led to the room. It wasn't until he got to the doorway that he realized that Road hadn't moved and looked back. "Road?"
She grinned deviously and skipped away. "Have fun~."
"W-wait!"
Just as Allen was going to flee in order to keep his life, Sheryl's firm grip caught him by the wrist of his uninjured arm.
And with a feeling of dread, Allen watched as the door closed as though sealing his fate.
A few screams and a failed attempt to escape later, Allen wandered out of Sheryl's room in a daze and with his arm in a sling.
"I'm never going to break my arm again," he moaned, leaning on the wall. That was almost the most painful experience he had to undergo.
"Lord Walker?"
Allen lifted his head up to see who had called him. To his surprise, it was the butler of Phantomhive who had arrived.
"My Master would like to speak with you."
"Ah..." Allen gave him a closed-eyed smile. "I'm sorry but I decline."
"I'm afraid that my Master is quite persistent. If I fail to deliver you, he might search for you himself."
A sigh escaped Allen's lips. Nothing ever went as he planned. Well, surely another interaction with Ciel wouldn't hurt. He wanted to ask about Aster as well.
"Alright. Lead the way."
The butler bowed and began to weave his way through the halls with Allen close behind. The teenager tried his best to remember the way back, even if he knew how fruitless the task was. Who knows? Maybe he will actually manage to find his way back the first time.
They came to a stop outside the door. The butler knocked and not a moment later, a stern "come in" rang out. The butler opened the door and stepped in.
The room looked a bit like Sheryl's, Allen had noted. Just a large bed with a couple of chairs and a small, round table by the window and a fireplace. Ciel sat down in one of those chairs leaning his head on his fist, which had been propped up by the arm of the chair. His visible eye looked bored and in his other hand was a small cup.
"Leave us," Ciel ordered when Allen had entered. The butler bowed and left, shutting the door behind him with a soft click. His sapphire eye scanned Allen for a long moment before he motioned to the chair across from him. "Sit."
He hesitated a moment before obeying. He took a seat in the chair and kept his gaze firmly on the table in front of him.
"It's nice to see you again, Red."
Before he even knew it, Allen's gaze flitted over to Ciel at the mention of his old name. A winning smirk then presented itself on the Phantomhive. Oh, he didn't actually know if he was Red until just then. Ciel was just taking a gamble and had gotten lucky.
Very well. Two can play at that.
"You're not in a dress this time," Allen had commented. His own lips twitched as Ciel's face became tinted in pink and he looked away. It seems like his own gamble had paid off.
Of course it did. Allen was the King of Gambling, after all.
"How did you...?"
"Know?" This time, Allen actually did smile. "You're butler. His last attire also had quite a lot of black on it and his hair was different. Your disguise was better a lot more better. Although, why did you choose a dress?"
"The Viscount was speculated in the kidnapping of young girls. So I disguised myself as one to reveal the culprit." Ciel's visible eye scanned Allen. "You changed quite a lot since the last time I had seen you, Red. I almost can't believe that you're the same person."
"Yes, the last time you saw me, I was a street rat," he agreed. "I go by Allen Walker now. And I'm not the only one who had changed." He motioned to the eyepatch. "You're eye..."
Is it cursed too, he didn't ask.
"A contract, just like the one that you didn't do a good job of hiding on your face." Ciel sipped from his saucer.
"A contract...?" Allen's eyes widened. "With a demon?"
Cross Marian is exactly what Allen pictured a demon to be so he never thought of his Master as a human. And if Cross Marian gave out contracts (most to brothels but still) then real demons naturally must give out contracts as well.
"Yes. That butler who brought you here is a demon." Ciel's single gaze grew sharper. "And that girl who came with you. She's the demon you're contracted to, isn't she? That's why you were able to become a noble."
All of Ciel's responses were guesses. Said with such certainty that he must be sure were true. Which was why he was sharing his own details.
"That scar of mine is a curse, not a contract." Once more, Allen's gaze fell onto the table. "Road isn't a demon. She isn't human either but... she isn't a demon." He paused. "And I became a noble because I have a gene that relates me to a certain family. I don't care much for nobility or traditions and they took me in quicker than I imagined..."
"What happened to you after we had gotten sold?"
"No! No! Let me go, you bastards!"
He struggled against the hands of his captors as they forced him onto the silver table. The area smelled damp and strangely metallic as the frigid air seemed to sink into his bones.
Finally, they strapped him down.
"Activate your weapon."
"I dunno what the fuck you're talking about!" he had snarled
"Activate your weapon."
"Fuck you!"
"Carson, do it."
A man with his face hidden behind a small sick mask nodded and pulled down the small lever connected to a control box. There was a faint whir and then a crackling noise before pain radiate through Red's body. Pain he had never felt before.
He could hear someone's screams filling the entire room.
"Red."
Allen found himself back in the room with Ciel. He blinked once, twice, and then met Ciel's eyes.
"What?"
"I asked what had happened to you after we had been sold. And then you had spaced out." The Phantomhive's eye narrowed. "You were just there, weren't you?"
"..." Allen had frowned and chose not to answer that last question. "I got sold the day after you two had gone. They... tried to turn me into a weapon."
"And what happened to them?"
Blood seemed to coat everything. The walls, the floor, the ceiling. Red's footprints were crimson as he walked. Scarlet dripped from his left hand and the entire left side of his face was slashed open like a gaping maw.
"They were killed."
A blonde man with blood leaking from his mouth gave Red a closed-eyed smile.
"...Every single one of them."
††††
"How did your little meeting with Phantomhive go," Road asked when she entered Allen's designated room.
He was laying on the bed with his legs hanging over the edge, his arms splayed out on either side of him. It had been a couple of hours since their chat and the medication had worn off on Allen's arm. He discarded the sling when he found it usable.
"Fine," was his response as he continued to stare up at the ceiling.
"Aster, what happened to him?"
"...My brother is dead."
Allen closed his eyes and sighed. He should have expected that.
"I see..." Road walked over to the bed and sat down beside Allen. "Was he a friend of yours from before the Black Order?"
"In a way." He reopened his eyes to find Road looking at him. "We were trapped together and they unofficially adopted me as their older brother."
"They?"
"Ciel had a twin brother. He was more shy and got sick a lot from what I was told. He was killed in a ritual."
Allen sat up, casting aside his somberness with a smile. "Is there something you needed?"
Road smiled back, catching the change of subject and easily complied. "The Exorcists from the party are here searching for the Innocence." Allen tensed. "And no, you're not fighting that samurai just yet."
"What? Why?"
"He damaged your arm last time, Allen." Road gave him a pointed look. "And besides, we need to wait for them to find the Innocence so we can just snatch it and return home. They'll do all the work and we get the prize. See? It's an easy job."
"...Yeah." Allen sighed. "Alright."
The Noah hopped off the bed with a grin. "Let's go find those Exorcists."
As it turns out, finding the Exorcists was quite easy. They didn't do much to hide themselves.
Road and Allen stuck to the rooftops as they watched the two Exorcists, Kanda and Lenalee, move through the dirt streets. Lenalee seemed to be asking the villagers questions and when the villagers seem to be telling them to bugger off, Kanda had his sword to their throat.
"Brute," Allen grumbled.
"He kind of reminds me of you," Road giggled as the villager in turn led the Exorcists into a building. Hearing her words, Allen shot her an appalled look. "Correct me if I'm wrong but you can be quite brutal yourself."
"...I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Right."
Allen made a point to turn his gaze back onto the street. His eyes widened he noticed a woman in particular. The sclera in his eye became black and the iris was soon replaced by red rings.
"Allen!" Road had cried out as the teenager leapt off the roof. Landing lightly on his feet, he sprinted towards the woman and activated his arm.
The woman jolted as a metal arm pierced through her body. Her expression was twisted in surprise but the skeletal man held in chains above her whispered "thank you" and dissolved. A second after, Allen hopped away and the woman exploded. As soon as she was out of sight, his eye returned to normal and he deactivated his Innocence.
"Tch, I should have known that it was you following us," a voice Allen didn't want to hear had said. At the same time, he felt something sharp press against the side of his neck. One twitch and his head would probably be rolling on the ground.
"Kanda, correct?" Allen held his hands up and had a closed-eyed smile on. A bead of sweat began to make it's way down the side of his face. "Look, I believe we got off on the wrong foot."
"So you are an Accommodator." Lenalee walked up to him. "How did you know that that woman was an Akuma?"
"...It's just a little trick I've picked up." He paused. It might be better to keep them talking. "You called me an Accommodator. What is that?"
"That's right, you're not an Exorcist. An Accommodator is someone who has Innocence. Our job is to find Accommodators and bring them back to Headquarters."
"And let me guess. Accommodators are taken regardless on whether or not they want to be a weapon, yes?"
"Well..."
"Yes," had come Kanda's cold response. Lenalee shot him a reproachful glare, which Allen was sure had been ignored. "You're coming with us."
"I'm sorry but I'm not going back."
Lenalee tilted her head slightly. "Back?"
Allen felt the sword disappear from his neck as something whizzed through the air. Whipping around, Allen watched Kanda slice a candle in half before swinging his blade at the teenager. The teenager ducked under it, then performed a backwards handspring to avoid the second. He barely managed to raise his arm in time with the sword came flying at his right side.
Pain shot up in Allen's arm as Kanda moved his blade away with a tsk. It burned like a weapon shouldn't. A deep, agonizing burn that was almost petrifying. The teenager grit his teeth but held back any sound of pain.
Kanda had moved yet again, looking as though he was prepared to slice Allen in two. Lenalee must have realized the same thing because she called out to her companion.
"Kanda!"
"Allen!"
Blood went flying through the air as Allen's eyes widened. Road was standing with her back to him and her arms spread out. As Kanda's sword sliced diagonally across her chest, she jolted for a moment. And then, to the surprise of everyone, she began to laugh.
"R-Road, are you okay!?" Forgetting his own injury, Allen was staring at the girl in horror. And she turned towards him, a gash marring her face. And it was quickly knitting itself back together.
"I'm alright." Her gaze, which flashed gold, landed on Allen's bleeding arm. "Are you? That one isn't Innocence..."
The wound on his arm felt like it didn't even come from a sword. And it still burned. But he wasn't the one who had been slashed in his face.
"I'm fine." He got to his feet and refused to hold his arm in order to prevent Kanda from seeing any sort of weakness.
But Road on the other hand didn't seem to think that he was. With her expression displaying unadulterated rage, she turned towards the Exorcists and a torrent of candles appeared and impaled Kanda. Not that Allen minded. However, when Road turned towards Lenalee, he did feel a little bit of sympathy for the girl. Even more so when she called out the samurai's name and knelt beside him worriedly. She really was a good person.
"Hold on." Allen grabbed Road's wrist. She looked at him incredulously.
"But they hurt you."
"Kanda hurt me," he corrected. "She didn't."
"They're Exorcists."
"I know but... Please, Road."
She stared at him for a moment before the anger dissipated from her face.
"Fine." She glared at Lenalee. "The only reason why I'm not killing you is because Allen asked. But I swear that next time, we will play."
Lenalee glared back as well. "Who are you guys? What are you?"
"I'm from the Noah Family, you silly human. Innocence and Exorcists are our enemy."
"What about Allen? He has Innocence."
"You said so yourself, didn't you?" Road's face was twisted in a sneer. "He's not an Exorcist. So we can overlook his Innocence. Now be a good little doll and take care of your comrade. Allen, let's go."
He nodded and glanced at Lenalee a little longer before trailing after Road. Even now, he could hear Kanda getting up.
"Are you just going to let them go," he demanded.
Allen decided to ignore them.
††††
"Ow..."
Road rolled her eyes as she stuck yet another needle through Allen's skin, to which the teenager barely managed to ward off a wince to.
"That's the first sign of pain you released since we began," she commented. Then in a quieter tone. "It must hurt a lot."
"...It does feel like it's burning," Allen admitted. Almost immediately, Road's sapphire gaze were met with his own.
"Burning?"
"Like his weapon left something behind..."
"That would be the Innocence. It must be reacting to the Dark Matter that's trying to awaken inside you. If your feeling pain like that then your Awakening should be soon. Sooner than we thought. This month, possibly."
"That soon?"
"Mhm." She cut the string to the suture off and hopped off the bed. "I'll go inform Millennie. Until I get back, don't go anywhere. I don't want to search the manor for you."
A small smile adorned Allen's lips. "Alright."
And then she left him to his lonesome.
Road was only gone an hour. When she came back, the sun was already setting. Allen had managed to take a small nap because of it. His arm still throbbed but the burning had dissipated tremendously. He shouldn't have any function in it if he was being honest. Then again, he always did heal quicker than most.
Nowhere near as quick as the Noah though.
"How does Adam even know that there's Innocence here," Allen asked, having been pondering that question for a while. Road looked up from a book she was reading. Red Riding Hood, if he recalled.
"There's been a rumor circulating about a Demon Hound. A large dog from hell who terrorizes the citizens. As I said before, about a third of this village had died out. Millennie thought that this Demon Hound was actually Innocence. It wasn't until the Exorcists began to move that he decided to send us."
"Why wait for the Exorcists?"
"Because they're usually the ones frantically searching for it. The Generals of the Black Order carry at least a dozen or so Innocence fragments and they're always difficult to pin down. When Exorcists move in, it's more like a confirmation that Innocence is there. And then we go on in. Most of the time, we catch the average, run-of-the-mill Exorcists. It's the Generals who are the prize."
"Like Master Cross?"
"Cross is an exception. I don't know why he still works at the Black Order or what he does but he did bring us you. So we leave him be."
She made a face.
"He's also the hardest to track."
Yeah, Allen was betting. Cross was as slippery as an eel dipped in oil. And he should know, seeing how many times his Master has fled from his debts.
"Awoooooo."
Allen and Road simultaneously glanced at each other as a haunting howl filled the night. Without a word between them, the two left the room and hurried out to the main hall. It seems that they weren't the only ones with that thought in mind. Sheryl, Ciel, Ciel's butler, Angela, and four other people Allen had yet to even meet made their way outside.
"What's going on," he asked. All eyes turned towards him but thankfully, someone had responded.
The Demon Hound..." Angela held her hands close to her chest. "It brings great catastrophe to this village."
"Catastrophe?"
"Yes. Anyone who dares to defy my Master will be punished. It's the law here. There is no way to stop it."
That must be the Innocence.
"Angela." A group of villagers moved towards the manor entrance, all carrying torches and varies other weapons. "Please get Lord Barrymore at once. That demon hound has come again."
"Who was the punished one?"
"James. The dog trainer."
"Very well. I'll inform my Master."
With that, Angela hurried past the group and into the manor. Road and Sheryl watched her go in with narrowed eyes. Allen however turned towards the villagers. If there was a lead on Innocence, he had to take it. Especially now that the Exorcists know that they're here. "I'd like to see the body."
"Yes, as would I," had come Ciel's cool tone.
††††
*The Ark is essentially a city within it's own pocket of dimension. The Ark is currently chained in place and unable to be moved. Although unable to move the dimensional pocket itself, the Noah Family can still use the Ark to travel vast distances in minutes by creating Ark Gates.
††††
I apologize for the delay in updating. I've been working on a few projects bwhind the scenes and will admit that I've lost track of time. I will attempt to be more consistent.