Hi guys! Yes, I know what you're thinking, "What the hell happened to promising to put up the next chapter in a week or two after the first?!" Yes, yes. I'm gonna speak more about this at the bottom. For now, I got a survey of sorts. I saw an author do this and it intrigued me so I thought, "Why not?"
So here it is. According to that author, statistics say that most people would skip to the chapter without reading the AN. To see how much of you guys actually bother reading my long intro ANs (I'm sorry for that btw), please incorporate the word "duck" (as in the animal) in your reviews for this chapter if you're reading this right now. It can be a short sentence about ducks, a joke, a pun, anything you want. Just make sure that I'll know that you're talking about ducks. xD (Also, ahem, kaway-kaway sa mga Pinoy dyan, nako. XD)
So, let the games begin!
Now that that's out of the way, Fulminata beta-read this chapter so half the credit goes to him! :)
"Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!" -John 8:43-45
Chapter 2: In The Beginning
It had been eleven days since Allen was welcomed into the monastery.
As the sound of running water and clinking plates echoed in the kitchen, Allen washed dishes, mindful of his rolled sleeves and rubber gloves carefully arranged to hide his left arm from view. He'd been lucky enough to be lent a white long-sleeved shirt and black denim pants by Rin and Yukio.
As he dutifully scrubbed the plates, Allen couldn't help but ponder his first day at the monastery.
A small and humble welcoming feast had been thrown after everyone was cheerfully introduced. As much as it brought joy and gratitude, it also served as a bittersweet reminder of his past in the Black Order.
Just as he was about to settle in a good rhythm, Father Fujimoto appeared behind him.
"Allen, you don't have to wash the dishes. Really." A chuckle. "And I've heard it's quite rude for a host to let guests do the after-meal chores."
Without missing a swipe against grimy plates, Allen replied, "I told you Father Fujimoto, I'm not just a guest here. If anything, I'm a freeloader. And besides, I'd prefer to be helpful instead of just lazing the day away."
Shiro quirked an eyebrow. "Well, whatever floats your boat. But I still think that Rin's better off doing those," he joked.
Allen failed to repress a smile. "Maybe so."
Shiro hummed and innocently presented a non sequitur. "So. Allen, I've been meaning to ask. The clothes you were wearing when you first arrived, are they some kind of uniform?" Shiro asked him conversationally, despite the fact that both realized that this was the beginning of an interrogation.
Allen exhaled heavily. "You could say that..." The sound of sluicing water ceased and the light steam that had begun to condense on glass started to drip. Allen chuckled nervously as he placed the plate he was holding in the rack and reached for the next.
The bustle from outside the kitchen hushed into inconsequentiality as Shiro plowed on. He leaned forward, "Allen, this might be sudden but...do you believe in Akuma?" (1)
Allen's movement stuttered, Shiro's eyes gauging the reaction. That question…was he intentionally trying to trip Allen up? Did he mean biblical demons or the monstrosities the Earl manufactured?
Salvation was delivered unto Allen in the form of a loud bang that shook the whole monastery's very foundations.
"I'M HOME!" A very familiar voice hollered on the heels of the monastery localized quake.
Shiro sighed. "Nevermind, Allen. Forget I said anything." he said and went to greet the delinquent.
Allen stood in silence for a while. Once he was sure that he was out of the priest's hearing, he released a breath that he didn't know he was holding.
'Could he know about...?'
'Impossible. The Black Order and its adversaries couldn't possibly be known in this day and age.' Neah supplied quietly.
'I hope you're right...'
Shiro POV
'That emblem...I could've sworn it was the emblem of the Black Order. Which should be impossible. The Black Order was founded and disbanded way before even I was born and that boy couldn't be older than me... Just what is going on here?' Shiro thought.
His contemplations were cut short as he caught sight of Rin standing in the aisle, all battered and bruised. Somehow, Shiro wasn't surprised. He sighed again. He seemed to be doing that in worryingly increasing frequency lately. Maybe a vacation was in order. Or it would be if he took vacations.
"AH! Old man!" Rin nervously chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck and scuffed his shoes against the floor.
Which meant-"Rin." Shiro said sternly as he gestured to the confessional. Rin slackened in defeat and obeyed, Shiro trailing behind him as he trudged to the wooden booth.
A thick, defeaning silence reigned over the small room, blanketing the two in a sense of foreboding. Finally, the other man occupying the room spoke, and the stillness broke.
"You lost little lamb, confess your sins and say your prayers." Shiro began, a no-nonsense aura radiating off of him.
"I didn't do anything bad." Rin asserted with pellucid boredom.
"Explain, then, why are you covered in cuts and bruises?" Shiro shot back, slipping into the song and dance they had established when Rin had started getting into trouble. Which, thinking back on it, had been a long time ago. Too long and not long enough.
"I trip on the pavement all the time! You know how clumsy I am, right?"
"You've got too many bruises for that. They're too large as well."
"I happened to land on these big ass stones whenever I tripped. Talk about coincidence."
This was getting ridiculous...
"And the nosebleed?" Shiro pressed.
"Uhhh, I-I umm...I saw this really hot chick on my way-" Before Rin could finish, Shiro had bolted out of the confessional.
"What?! Why didn't you tell me any sooner? Where is she?! Those boobies are calling out to me!" Shiro yelled out rather uncharacteristically while comically looking left and right. After a few moments though, he turned back around and...
"Tch! Liar!" Before Rin could react, he was immediately subject to Shiro's playful but ruthless choke hold. "You got into a fight again, didn't you?! How many times have I specifically told you to stop picking a fight with other kids?!"
"L-Let go of me, you old fart! That fucking hurts!" Rin choked out whilst desperately wrestling his way out against Shiro's grip.
Shiro mercifully yielded and turned his back to Rin, arms crossed over his chest. He set his shoulders, and when he spoke again it seemed to echo through the hall.
"Your boss from your part-time job called earlier," Shiro began. Rin looked up at him, guilt leaking onto his face. "He said that they didn't need someone who doesn't come back after a delivery."
Rin swallowed then blustered on, "Hmph. I told you I don't want to some lame and simple job like going around as an errand boy-"
"Don't act like a spoiled brat!" Shiro snapped. He turned around to face Rin with parental frustration and worry evident in his face. "One day, sooner or later, you'll have to leave this monastery and make it out there on your own! It's my duty to prepare you for that day!" Shiro said. Then, he smirked when he suddenly had a revelation. "Or do you want to become a priest and lead the monastery when I retire?"
"What! No way! I don't wanna grow up to be a perverted old geezer like you!" Rin protested loudly, bringing the conversation to a new level of loud. Neither noticed the near silent tap of feet and the ghostly appearance of their newest resident come around the corner.
"Father Fujimoto?" Allen's soft voice rang throughout the chancel, turning heads.
"Oh, Allen! Rin here just got into another fight, uh huh. I don't know how he's going to survive without me!" Shiro said and jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Rin.
"Welcome back, Rin." Allen greeted with a small smile, to which Rin responded with a mere grunt.
Silent drew over the trio as conversation stalled. "Are you done with the dishes?" Shiro asked.
"Yes." Allen confirmed shortly.
"Dad." Another voice joined the group.
"Hmm?" Shiro turned around with a smile and came face to face with Yukio.
"I came to tell you that I'm done packing. I'll just need to move the stuff to the dorms."
"Good job," Shiro told Yukio with a grin and a pat on the shoulder. The brunette then turned to Rin who was still sitting on the ground.
"Welcome back, Rin. Did you get into a fight again?"
"You know Rin, it would be great if you had even a fraction of your brother's virtues!" he added teasingly, making everyone present in the chancel chuckle, except Rin who had taken that last bit way to seriously.
"Shut your fucking mouth!" Rin thundered. As soon as the words left his mouth, the heater that was at the center of the chancel suddenly exploded. But what was strange was that it exploded in bright blue flames...
Allen was suddenly reminded of the blue flames that he personally saw fifteen years ago...
Shiro scampered towards the heater and knelt down in observation and muttered to himself, "Looks like I need to buy a new heater."
"Reverend Fujimoto." Nagatomo approached Shiro and bent down a bit, placing his right hand over his abdomen as a sign of respect. "You have a guest." he added.
"Alright. Thanks for informing me, Nagatomo. Fix this mess before the sermon, boys!" Shiro said to Izumi and Kyodo as he stood up and went to go outside with Nagatomo.
"Oh, and Yukio, treat Rin's wounds will ya?" Shiro called to said boy without turning his back nor halting in his trek.
"Sure. Come on Rin. Allen, you wanna come?"
Allen shrugged. "Sure. I've got nothing better to do anyway."
So the trio walked their way to the kitchen with no words whatsoever exchanged. When they arrived, Yukio saw that the dirty dishes that were supposed to be sitting on the sink were gone.
"Oh? Did you do the dishes Allen?" Yukio inquired said boy conversationally.
"Uh yes, I did."
"You know, Rin is better off doing those." Yukio teased lightly.
"E-Eh?!" Rin said flabbergasted.
Allen chuckled. "That's exactly what Father Fujimoto said." This elicited a chuckle from Yukio as well, irritating Rin who looked away and pouted. "Whatever." Rin huffed.
"Go sit down, Rin. I'll go fetch the first aid kit." Yukio told Rim and left the kitchen to do what he said he would. Rin shrugged and chose to sit down on the dining table while Allen just chose to stand.
Footsteps were soon heard until Yukio reappeared in the kitchen and in his hands was the first aid kit. He went over to the table and placed the kit on top. He then took a chair, dragged it in front of Rin and sat down.
He opened the kit, took an alcohol swab and gestured Rin to show him his wounded hand who obeyed with no questions asked.
"This will hurt, Rin." Yukio forewarned him and proceeded to hold Rin's wrist with his left hand with the alcohol swab on the other. He then lightly pressed the swab on Rin's wounded knuckle and fingers.
"That stings!" Rin hissed in pain and gritted his teeth, closing his eyes tightly whilst fighting the instinctual urge to snatch his hand away from Yukio's hold.
"Try to bear with it just a bit longer." Yukio said softly.
Rin turned his head and looked for something he could stare at so as to distract himself from the stinging pain. His eyes landed on the three boxes sitting innocently on the other side of the kitchen. His eyes softened.
"Oh yeah. So you're moving to a dorm, huh?"
"Yeah. School starts next week. I guess after fifteen years it's time to leave the monastery..." Yukio replied with a sad smile as he slipped into a small trance-like state.
"So will this be the last time you'll be treating my wounds?" Rin asked Yukio with a sad smile as he watched Yukio bandage his fingers, the pain all but flying out of his mind.
"If I become a doctor, I'll be able to help you anytime. Just give me a holler, okay?" Yukio said as he finished bandaging Rin's fingers and then severed the bandage from the roll.
"As long as you pay the fees, that is." Yukio joked and then returned everything to the kit.
"If I remember correctly, you want to be a doctor in the future, right?" Allen asked Yukio, speaking for the first time since they arrived in the kitchen.
"Yeah." Yukio said with a smile.
"Hmm. Keep up the good work! I know you can do it!" Rin encouraged Yukio with a grin as he stared at the younger boy's work.
"I'm sure that you can do it as well." Allen said with a kind smile.
"Thanks, you two." Yukio turned to Rin. "But will you be alright without me here?" Yukio asked Rin worriedly.
"What, are you going to nag me too?" Rin grumbled.
"Well, it's pretty hard not to. I mean, you get into fights almost everday and you can't hold a job for even one day, Rin." Yukio said with worry clearly evident in his turquoise eyes.
"I'm... Contrary to popular belief, I'm worried too..." Rin admitted and looked away. "I know that I should be acting all grown up already but...I just can't help it." He added with an equally worried tone as Yukio's.
"It might be a trial for you." Yukio commented.
"A trial?" Rin asked with a sincerely confused look.
"From God, of course. Who else?" Yukio replied with a bright smile. At the mention of God, Allen couldn't help but snort to himself.
Yukio however heard this and turned to Allen. "You don't believe in God, Allen?" His tone was not admonishing but merely inquisitive.
At this, Allen scoffed. "Why would I? If He really did exist, He wouldn't just let His people suffer, right? But He was never there for me since literally day one and He definitely hadn't been there for everyone at the-" Allen realized what he was saying and quickly shut his mouth. He was letting his emotions run wild. He mentally scolded himself for such a careless mistake.
And then, it finally dawned on Allen exactly what he had just said. Unwanted images of the bloody corpses of his friends flashed in front of his mind's eye.
"At the...?" Rin trailed off, waiting for Allen to continue.
Allen broke away from the twins' gazes as his eyes took on a painful glint. "It's...it's nothing. Forget I said anything."
Yukio stared at him in concern but decided to not say anything while Rin was reminded of the night when he woke up a sleeping Allen situated in front of the monastery. That had been the night when they first met.
BANG!
The three boys looked at the doorway to see who had opened the door so loudly and saw Maruta and Izumi coming in. Maruta was holding a flyer while Izumi was carrying a large black box which looked suspiciously like a shoebox.
"There he is! Hey Rin, the Southern Cross Mall is looking for part-timers!" Maruta informed the said boy.
"A part-time job?"
"Yeah. We called them and they said that you should come right away for an interview." Izumi added.
Rin stared at them incredulously. "W-Why did you call them without telling me first?"
"Just go, Rin. I'll lend you my suit." Kyodo said as he entered the kitchen with a dark box on his hands and proceeded to toss it to Rin who easily caught it with a grunt.
"Why do I have to wear a suit just for a part-time interview?" Rin groused. He'd wear his usual casual clothing over a suit anyday.
Blatantly ignoring Rin's complaint, Izumi handed Rin the box he was carrying. "Here, I'll lend you my shoes. Don't dirty them, alright?!"
"Amd here's a map and your CV. Just add your photo there and you're all set." Maruta butted in.
Meanwhile in the background, Yukio and Allen just looked at each other and smiled.
"I guess I have no choice..." Rin grumbled due to the predicament that he was thrown into and then left the kitchen to change. Kyodo, Izumi, and Maruta also exited the kitchen, leaving Allen and Yukio behind.
"I just hope he gets the job..." Allen sighed.
"Me too." Yukio agreed.
"I'm going out for a walk. If anyone asks, tell them I'm out."
"Alright. Be careful not to get lost!" Yukio joked. Yep, eleven days in the monastery and everybody already knew about his non-existent sense of direction.
Allen blushed. "I'll be fine...!" And with that, Allen walked out the room.
"Take care!" Allen heard Yukio's voice echo from the kitchen. This time, Allen had the feeling that it was not meant to joke about his sense of direction.
He stopped by the room that the three of them shared and then opened the closet owned by the twins. He took out a black hoodie, which was also generously lent to him, and then slipped it on. With that, he began his trek to the front doors of the monastery.
A few moments earlier...
Rin was walking in the corridor with his hands in his pockets. He was wearing the suit that Kyodo lent him but excluded the tie. The damn thing was way to hard to tie to begin with. He kept the blasted thing in his pockets, though.
When he opened the front doors of the monastery, he saw Shiro talking to a man, a woman, and a little girl who Rin presumed to only be six years old.
"Thank you so much for your help. I'm sorry if we bothered you." The woman said with a thankful smile.
"It's fine, really! Don't worry about it!" Shiro assured her. He then knelt in front of the little girl and rested his hand on top of her head.
"You should be happy that your parents are looking out for you. If you have problems, talk to your mommy and daddy about it. If they can't help you, come to us exorcists." Shiro adviced her softly.
The girl nodded shyly. After they exchanged their farewells, the family left.
"It must be hard being an exorcist. You have to get rid of things don't exist." Rin remarked as he approached Shiro from behind. Shiro turned around to address the boy.
"Don't spout such utter nonsense. Demons do exist. And they exist within people's hearts."
"That's a load of bullshit." Rin replied flippantly.
"By the way, what's with that get-up?" Shiro asked with his eyebrows quirked up in amusement.
"Well, everyone insisted that I go to an interview for a part-time job so the guys lent me these. I told them that I didn't want to wear a suit but they insisted." Rin grumbled as he pulled the lapels of his coat together to hide his necktie-bare shirt. However, this proved to be futile as Shiro caught on, his lips curling into an evil smirk.
"Oh? It seems that you forgot your necktie!"
"I-It's faster without it! A-And I don't have to look fashionable just for an interview!" Rin stuttered.
"Heh, now that's a load of bullcrap. You just don't know how to tie it don't you?"
"N-No way!"
"Give it to me. I'll teach you how." Shiro said and gestured for Rin to hand him the necktie.
"Wha-? Oh, umm, here..." Rin fished his pockets and pulled out the necktie.
Shiro took it and went over to Rin. "Here. Raise your collar and close the button." Shiro instructed and demonstrated.
"Tch. You're only growing up physically." Shiro remarked as he started fixing the necktie's length evenly around Rin's collar.
"You were so cute when you were little, going "Daddy, daddy" all over the place." he added with a smile on his face, his eyes gaining a faraway look.
Rin blushed in embarrassment. "T-That was ages ago! I've grown up since then!"
With a silly grin on his face, Shiro placed his hand horizontally above his eyes and said, "Eh? A grown-up? Where? I don't see any!" Shiro cackled provokingly.
"You're no better you old fart!"
Shiro finished tying the necktie and put his hand on Rin's chest, playfully shoving the boy away from him causing Rin to stumble backwards.
"If it's that embarrassing, then show me just how much you've grown!"
Rin pointed at Shiro with his pointer finger and firmly declared, "Don't you look down on me just yet! I'll prove to you that I've grown up! Open your eyes wide and watch me!"
"That's not how the saying goes, though." Shiro said blankly, ruining Rin's moment.
"Shut up, you know-it-all geezer." And with that, Rin left while Shiro remained in the yard with a smile on his face.
Just then, the doors of the monastery opened. Shiro turned around to see who it was and saw that it was Allen wearing his white long sleeved shirt with a black hoodie over it, black denim pants, and black sneakers.
"Hm? Going somewhere, Allen?"
"Yes, I'm going to go out and walk for a bit." Allen replied.
Shiro grinned. "Be careful on your way home."
With the grin on his face, Allen immediately knew that Shiro was teasing him. He quietly grumbled in response as a banter, "I'm honored that an esteemed priest is concerned for me."
Shiro chuckled at this as Allen sauntered past him.
"Oh, and be sure to come back before dinner!" Shiro called to Allen who had now reached the gates.
"Sure thing, Father Fujimoto!" Allen said and flipped the hood of his jacket over his head. After making sure that the hood obscured the majority of his unusual snow-white hair from sight, he stepped over the threshold of the gates and began to go along with the crowd walking on the sidewalk.
'So are we going on an Akuma hunt?'
'No Neah, I really am just going to take a stroll around. But if there happens to be an Akuma around, then I'll go take it out.'
Neah just hummed in acknowledgement.
Just as he let himself mindlessly wander around, his mind also wandered specifically to the woman he now remembered to be the one who closely resembled Yukio...
Flashback...
Allen ran and leapt across rooftop after rooftop like a bullet. The white tendrils that extended from behind Crowm Clown's cowl furiously flapped around due to the rush of the wind. The earth was coated in bright blue light reflected by the night sky which, for some unknown reason, glowed the same color.
Pant. Pant. Pant.
'Just keep on going straight ahead...' Allen heard Neah's voice whisper in his mind.
Allen nodded and kept going. All he could hear was his heart beating erratically in anticipation and his own accelerated breathing.
Pant. Pant. Pant.
'Wait!'
Without pausing, Allen asked Neah seriously, 'What is it, Neah?'
'Tch, it's gone again.'
Allen did no effort in suppressing a groan. 'Again?!'
'Stop, Allen. Wait for it to come back...'
Allen landed on another rooftop and did as he was told. A moment of silence passed until Neah once again found what they were looking for.
'There, it's back. Go to your eight o'clock and keep going. I'll tell you when to turn.'
Allen nodded and went towards the specified direction.
You might be wondering about what kind of predicament Allen and Neah had gotten themselves into. Well, earlier when the sun had begun to set, the two had suddenly felt a surge of otherworldly power and it just felt...wrong. As if it was not meant to be in this world.
It was a viciously sinister, malicious, and malevolent aura that it couldn't even begin to compare to the Noahs. And honestly, that fact scared the duo.
Worried as they were, they decided to investigate so they began to pursue the aura. But since Allen was unable to track the aura, the task of 'smelling it out' was left to Neah.
However, pursuing the aura was not an easy task as the duo had found out several minutes into their pursuit. This was because the aura would disappear before they could reach it and it would later on appear in another, much faraway, area. The timing always wound up to be inconvenient as well as the aura would disappear without a trace for a minute when Allen was already close to reaching it.
When they had decided to check out the places where the aura had previously appeared, they found that these places had something in common and it was that they were either a shrine, a temple, a church, or any religious place. But that was not the only thing that they found.
To Allen's slight horror, corpses of clergymen were littered everywhere bathing in a pool of their own blood. Not only that but blood also dripped from the corpses' eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Allen tried looking for survivors- you'll never know until you try, after all- and indeed there was. But sadly, he had only found one.
It had been a lone kid, cowering in a corner and blubbering like a mess. After consoling him, Allen told the kid that he was looking to apprehend the one that was behind all the ruthless carnage. Allen was shocked when the kid had told him that the culprit was a demon. And a very powerful one at that.
'Right, Allen. Go to the right and keep going. Jump down when you reach the last building and then we're almost there. Hurry up before the aura disappears again though...'
Allen did as he was told, renewed vigor washing over his entire being. After all, this was a breakthrough considering all those time wasted chasing the aura only for it to slip away from their reach numerous times.
Allen jumped down from a three-storey building- the building that Neah had told him to jump down from- and landed on the pavement next to said building in a crouching manner. Without skipping a beat, he sped off along the currently deserted path.
Pant. Pant. Pant...
Soon, Allen reached a large open area. In the distance, a wooden pole was erect on a stage on the ground and behind that was a large cathedral.
A wave of dread washed over Allen as he stared at the scene in front of him with a horrified look. A conflagration of blue flames blazed mercilessly and showed no signs of dousing soon. Immediately, Allen figured out why the night sky was colored such a vivid color.
How could a color meant to symbolize peace and harmony represent iniquity and death so much? For amongst the blue inferno, bloodied and roasted corpses scattered about and they were in the same condition as the bodies Allen had found earlier.
Allen shook his head and then took a deep, shaky breath in an attempt to calm himself. Death was something he was used to by now. His gut definitely shouldn't be churning like it currently was. However, the number of corpses didn't distress him just as the blunt brutality of how they were murdered.
'...en! Al...len! Allen!'
Allen was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts and realized that Neah had been calling out his name.
'Steel yourself. This is not something a war veteran should be worked up about. Especially YOU.'
'I know...' Allen brought a hand to his face and closed his eyes. Then, much more hardened, he opens his eyes resolutely and slowly wipes his hand away from his face as he repeats more to himself,
'I know.'
'Good. Now-'
Neah cut himself off when he sensed a menacing, ominous, and foreboding force coming their way.
Allen's breath hitched. This was...!
He turned to the source of such great power. There he saw an old man limping. He was probably a clergyman if his clothes were anything to go by. His whole body was engulfed in blue flames but they didn't seem to hurt him at all.
A high-pitched, mechanical screech cut into the thin atmospere like a knife as Allen's eye activated. And then he saw it. Blood leaked from his eye as the sight before Allen seemed to overwhelm his cursed eye, making him look like he was crying.
The soul...! It was...it was mercilessly being scorched by the blue flames! It was suffering, screaming in agony as more and more blood poured from his body! And chained to the soul was...Allen's eyes widened.
It was a grotesque and ugly looking demon unlike anything he has seen before. It had a toned, gigantic, midnight blue body. Bluish claws extended from its fingers and toes and a tail swished and swayed tauntingly from behind it, its tufted end also alight with a small blue ember.
Flaming horns sprouted from atop its head, curving outwards, inwards, and then outwards again. Its eyes were entirely sapphire blue and glowed dangerously, all the while burning with a fire that promised eternal suffering to anything and everything that stood in its way. Its lips curled into an ugly and menacing grin, showing off abnormally sharp teeth.
It cackled as it took delight from the very sound of the anguished and despaired screams emanating from the soul as if it was blissful music to its ears. A chill ran down Allen's spine as he heard the demon's deep, dark, and ominous laugh.
The cursed boy fell down to his knees with his right hand clutching his eye. He ground his teeth as he held back a howl of pain. He breathed heavily at the sheer and absolute pain originating from his eye and could very well be spreading throughout his whole body like wildfire. A strangled cry vibrated at the back of his throat.
'Stand up, Allen! Use the Sword of Exorcism on that man and it will all be over with!'
Allen's mind was swimming but he had only barely able to catch Neah's words. Allen took a deep breath as he steadily stood up with shaky legs and brought his right hand to his left wrist and tugged. When he did, the entirety of his left arm glowed a brilliant white. Allen slowly pulled at his arm and then out came a large sword with his left arm nowhere to be seen.
Crown Clown's cowl also turned into a full cloak that had a long sleeve for his right arm while only the cloak itself covered his left shoulder which was now a stump. In addition, the silver masquerade mask that came with Allen's Innocence was now tied around his throat.
The sword that Allen had brought out was called the Sword of Exorcism. As the name implies, it had the power to purify anything that it touched, provided that it was impure. So basically, it can only harm demons and demons only.
Automatically, Crown Clown's mask went up and covered Allen's eyes. With this, Allen fell into a stance and then sped off towards the man with the Sword cocked back. The throbbing and ever persistent pain in his eye only increased twofold as he neared the possessed man.
The demon possessing the man suddenly spoke in its deep and ominous voice, making Allen's skin crawl.
"You! You're an Exorcist carrying the power of God! But those Exorcists were completely wiped out ages ago! How are you still here, filthy Exorcist?!"
Allen chose to ignore the demon and did not stop in his route towards the possessed man. The demon then seemed to come into a realization as a deep chuckle rumbled in its throat.
"A strange child, indeed! You are an Exorcist...but a Noah at the same time! Such a peculiar child!"
This made Allen stop dead in his tracks. Allen had only assumed that demons didn't know about the Noah Clan since as far as he knew and remembered, none of the demons had recognized him to be a Noah. Either the demons just didn't care or this particular demon was superior to the ones he usually met that he'd have knowledge of the Clan.
"Who are you?" Allen demanded.
The demon growled. "Tch, I have no time for this! This body will not last longer...I have to save Yuri!"
Allen's mind went into overdrive when a pillar of blue flame burst in front of him. He immediately jumped back only for another pillar to combust in front of him once again forcing Allen to jump back again but this time considerably farther away. Allen watched as pillars of blue flame exploded in succession going towards him and showed no signs of stopping.
Allen clicked his tongue irritably and dashed to the side and then ran towards the possessed man so fast that he could only be seen as a blur.
The demon, hearing Allen approaching, turned to him and growled. The Exorcist seemingly vanished in a blur, catching the demon off guard. It was too late when the demon realized that Allen was coming down at him from above.
With a cry, Allen brought the Sword of Exorcism down on the man's body, creating white glowing crosses along its path.
The demon howled and roared, "You..fucking Exorcist! YURIIII!"
And with that, the demon vanished and so did the blue flames but the night sky remained blue, the evident reminder that such a bloody and tragic night had occurred. Allen hovered his Sword just below his stump where his left arm should be, causing the sword to glow white. When the light withdrew, the sword was nowhere to be found and his left arm returned. At the same time, Crown Clown's cloak receded to a cowl once again.
'Good job, Allen.'
'Thanks, I guess...'
Just then, the formerly possessed man- now unconscious- lost balance and collapsed on the ground with a thud.
With a sense of urgency, Allen quickly crouched down beside the man and then placed two fingers on his neck. Allen breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a pulse thump against his fingers. He was still alive, but barely holding on to dear life.
Allen then remembered what the demon was fussing about earlier.
'Something about saving Yuri? Whoever that is...'
Allen turned to the stage that the demon tried to reach earlier and then went closer to investigate. Allen stared in alarm when he saw that a young woman was tied to the pole that was raised on the stage. She had long brown hair which fell down to her waist, turquoise eyes, and mere rags to cover her body.
The only reason that Allen could think of on why someone would be bound to a pole like that is that this woman was probably supposed to be executed what with the firewood littered around her.
"Wh-Who are you? What...are you going to do to me?"
The sheer amount of fear in the woman's voice made Allen feel reluctant. After all, when was the last time that he had heard so much fear directed towards him?
Allen kept quiet and approached the woman. He brought his Innocence arm over his head, giving the woman the impression that he was going to kill her. The woman tensed and closed her eyes in preparation for the blow.
Allen quickly brought down his hand and cut the ropes that bound the woman to the wooden pole with his sharp claw-like fingers. The woman opened her eyes in surprise with a little mix of relief when she felt her binds go loose.
The woman opened her mouth to say something but Allen beat her to it.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." Allen reassured her. Without warning, Allen wrapped his arms around her petite figure and abruptly leapt up, eliciting a shrill shriek from the woman.
After he landed on the ground, Allen brought the woman up and carried her bridal style and prepared to run off but was stopped when he heard footsteps hurriedly closing in on them.
"Stop, demon! Let go of that woman at once!" A masculine voice commanded. Allen turned to the speaker and saw that the newcomers wore hooded cloaks with their hoods covering their entire face except for the lower half. Allen had the feeling that they had bad intentions for the woman.
"Demon? Me? You better watch your mouth before I make you eat your words." Allen warned them with a dangerous edge to his voice.
"Ha! I commend you for still being able to maintain your bravado even in front of your demise, filthy demon! Do as I say: let go of that woman and leave the body of the person you are possessing at once! Or shall we do it ourselves?" The same man who had spoken earlier said with an air of fake confidence that only served to disgust Allen more than Bakanda's face did. But the man's words made Allen wonder...
"You...Who are you people?" Allen asked them warily.
The men began guffawing as if they had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Oh? A demon that does not know of us? We are exorcists of the True Cross Order! And we command you to let go of that woman bearing Satan's child!" One of the men said with his chest puffed up in arrogance.
This woman...was pregnant with Satan's child? Then...could the demon earlier who wanted to save the woman be Satan?!
The other man's words then clicked in Allen's mind.
'Exorcists? True Cross Order? What...? Do you know about them Neah?'
'Nope. Haven't heard of 'em. But one thing I do know is that they are not the kind of Exorcists that we are familiar with.'
Allen slightly deflated when he heard that.
"Please, mister! Don't hand me over to them! They want to kill me and my child!" The woman pleaded. Allen looked down at the woman and stared at her with sympathetic eyes.
This woman was pregnant with a child. Handing the woman over to those so-called exorcists would mean taking away two lives. The child being Satan's didn't matter; it was still a life. Allen knew that it was wrong to blame a child for their father's mistakes. But if it ever did become as evil as his supposed father...Allen had infinite years ahead of him, enough to meet the child again when he grew older.
So Allen looked back up to the men with resolution and gave them his answer:
"I refuse." he declared indignantly. Without waiting for an answer, Allen jumped up and landed behind the group of men and ran into the forest which was located to the right of the cathedral. Behind him, the group of men followed. Allen could vaguely hear one of them shouting out commands to the others.
He shot out a tendril of white cloth from his cowl and attached it to a branch of a considerably high tree and then launched himself up and landed on the branch. Before the branch could snap in half due to their added weight, Allen leapt to the next branch of another tree and then on to another and so on.
"Thanks mister..." Allen barely heard the woman's soft voice but he understood nonetheless.
"Don't mention it." he replied.
Allen was about to ask for her address so that he could take her there but was interrupted when the woman let out a pained gasp.
"What's wrong?"
"My child...its coming!" The woman whispered.
"What?! Now?!" Allen asked, alarmed.
The woman closed her eyes tightly and nodded as a pained whimper escaped her lips.
Panicking, Allen quickened his pace.
'Wh-What do we do, Neah?!'
'I-I don't know! Take her to the hospital! Isn't that the place where pregnant women go when they are about to give birth to their child?!' Neah replied just as frantically.
'That could have been a great idea of it weren't for the fact that the child's father is a demon! We could just assume that the process and result would not be the usual!'
'Well, do you have better ideas?!'
'That...is a good question.'
'Allen!'
'Okay, I don't know! I-'
Allen stopped when the woman threw her head back and screamed through clenched teeth. He could barely see a lone tear slip from her eyes as she sobbed in between heavy breaths.
"Just...hold on for a little longer! We're almost there!" Allen said frantically. But to be honest, he still didn't know where there was. An idea sparked in his mind when he saw a cave down the cliff in his current position. It wasn't much of a high drop amd the snow below would soften their landing if they jumped down.
So Allen jumped down from the branch he was on and onto the snowy ground of the forest, the few twigs beneath his feet snapped and made a crunching sound.
He ran to gain momentum until he was at the end of the cliff and then jumped down, landing on the snow in a crouching position.
Looking ahead to the direction of the cave, he say that there were two hobgoblins and snowmen demon. When they took notice of the woman that Allen was carrying, they growled and prepared to attack, sensing Allen to be an Exorcist and was therefore a threat to the woman who they knew bore their Lord's child.
"Stop. He's...a friend." The woman said weakly with a somewhat commanding voice. The demons obeyed but it was clear that they were still on high alert in case Allen tried anything.
"Satan's child...it's coming."
The demons were startled and looked at the woman with trepidation.
"So please, do whatever this boy says...for me." The demons nodded obediently and looked at Allen, expecting orders.
"Right, ummm..."
Allen honestly didn't know a thing about giving birth. He racked his brain for anything- anything- until he remembered something.
'Of course!'
Allen turned to the hobgoblins. "The both of you, please get something to swaddle the baby with and hurry back."
At first, the hobgoblins looked confused and stole a glance at the woman's stomach, then at each other, and nodded. The two quickly went up the cliff to do as they were told.
Then, Allen addressed the snowmen. "Please stay here outside and keep watch."
And with that, Allen entered the cave.
There, in the center, was a big purple cushion and scattered around the cave were blue bellflowers.
While pondering in amazement about the incredible timing, Allen quickly laid the heavily breathing woman on the cushion. Just as he did though, a shrill shriek emitted from the woman's mouth followed by series of pained grunts in between broken sobs.
"There's no time. I need to do this now!" Allen muttered.
'Allen, do you even know what you're doing?'
The incredulity in Neah's voice was so painfully obvious and sadly, Allen knew the answer to that question.
'Well, no...but it's worth a try!'
'No, Allen. Even if you did know how to go about the process, without the proper equipment...the woman will perish.'
Allen's blood froze. How could he not have thought of that? Now that the idea was presented to him, he realized just how much of a dire situation they were in...
'You're right... What am I going to do then?' Allen thought, stress and trepidation creeping into his heart. He could vaguely hear Neah's voice trying to calm him down over the loud thumping of his heart that was seemingly pounding in his ears.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the soft sound of footsteps trudging through the snow. Allen turned around to the source of the noise and saw that the two hobgoblins had returned with the items that he had requested for, only that there was one blanket too many.
Allen raised his eyebrow but didn't say anything. Taking a shaky breath, he turned to the woman who was now heaving and sweating profusely.
"Lady, if...if I try to deliver the baby...you will die..." Allen warned her with a grave expression on his face. His heart wrenched when a sad smile fixed itself onto the woman's deathly pale and exhausted face.
"I...know. Please...I don't care if I die, just please...I want my child to live..."
Allen marvelled at this woman's love for her unborn child and couldn't help but allow a pang of envy enter his heart. Nonetheless he swallowed it and focused on the task at hand.
He honestly had next to no idea how to go about this but the sense of urgency taking over his mind reminded him that he had no choice.
With a deep and troubled breath, he deactivated his Innocence and removed his gloves as he took a step towards the laboring woman and steeled himself for what would inevitably come. He was the person who killed the Millennium Earl, the Noah, and even before that, he endured and survived the walking calamity called Cross Marian, Allen thought. He can do this...
...
By the gods, Allen actually did it...
He stood there watching the exhausted woman holding two swaddled, male newborn infants in her arms. Yes, the woman had not only been carrying one child but two. They turned out to be fraternal twins; the first one had a tuft of midnight blue hair on top of its head while the other had brown hair.
It seemed that the two hobgoblins had somehow sensed two presences within the woman's womb. Allen was relieved that they had.
Allen whad been caught off guard when the first one just up and combusted into blue flames a second after his delivery. He panicked, only to find out with awe that the flames were somehow not hurting him. Allen was suddenly reminded that the child's father was the Devil himself. Though he wondered why the same thing did not happen to the younger one.
So now the woman, drained of all energy after her labor, was sluggishly rocking the two cooing babies with a tired but euphoric smile on her face. She was dead tired- Allen can see it clearly in her eyes- but she forced herself awake just so that she could convey to her newly born babies the love that she had for them.
Allen meanwhile wasn't sure what to feel. He'd seen death and even brought it unto someone else with his own hands, but never in his one hundred and twenty-one years of life has he witnessed a life being brought unto the world, much less bring it with his own hands.
Should he be happy and overjoyed that he helped a baby see the light of day, or should he be ashamed and horrified that he had done so with such bloodstained hands? Allen felt that it was a sacrilegious act: touching such an innocent and angelic being with such sinful hands.
Pushing away these thoughts in his addled mind, he silently watched the woman with a sort of bittersweet feeling- with a bit of jealousy, Allen admits- in his heart.
Suddenly, the two snowmen demon supposedly keeping watch outside entered the cave looking all flustered and pointing outside the mouth of the cave. Reacting quickly, Allen walked to the wall of the cave, letting the shadows shroud him from sight. For extra measure, he also activated his Innocence and wordlessly commanded his mask to obscure the upper part of his face. He didn't want to risk showing his face to other people, whoever they may be.
Soon, two men entered the cave. One had graying hair, an obvious sign of his age, and red eyes wearing a black trench coat and a blue scarf wrapped around his neck. In his hand was a katana sheathed into a blue scabbard.
The other man sparked Allen's curiosity. He had forest green eyes and shoulder length purple hair framing his face with a single strand jutting upwards. He wore a coat similar to the older man's coat but white in color instead. However, what really piqued Allen's interest was the pointy ears the the man possessed, a testimony of what the man could possibly be.
The two men stood there staring at the woman, remaining oblivious to his presence.
The older of the pair spoke, "Yuri, those kids..."
Seeing that these two men knew the woman, Allen figured that she'd be in safe hands. He decided that it was his chance to leave the cave without detection. He lifted his foot and placed it in front of him ever so quietly, silently thanking the absence of snow on the cave floor as he would have made noise if there was.
"Shiro...my children, aren't they cute?" The woman said tiredly.
He quietly ghosted his way to the exit without ever catching the two men's attention. He turned to the woman, made sure that she could see him, and placed his index finger against his mouth. She didn't move to show that she acknowledged Allen's message but he figured that he made his point across.
He then turned back to the mouth of the cave, already feeling the cold wind mercilessly nipping at the bottom part of his face. If he were to run out, the snow outside would make noise below his feet and would alert the two men to his presence and he wouldn't be able to run as fast he would through the snow that was deeper that Allen remembered.
He looked up and saw the trees on the cliff that he had jumped down from. An idea formed in his mind.
Silently taking a deep breath, he quickly ran out and as he predicted, the two men turned to the source of disturbance.
"Hey!" Allen heard one of them yell. He turned his head over his shoulder and saw that the man with gray hair was preparing to pursue him.
"Shiro...wait! He..." Allen vaguely heard the woman's weary voice call out to the man. He didn't wait to hear what she was going to say and continued to run as fast as his legs could carry him across the snow that reached past his ankle.
He then shot out a tendril of cloth from Crown Clown and made it latch onto a tree branch. Allen soared across the snowy night as the tendril pulled him up towards the precipice, all the while feeling his body quake violently against the harsh frosty wind.
Allen still had a lot of distance on the cliff to cover when he noticed that he was quickly losing angle, meaning that he wouldn't make it on top of the cliff with the way he was travelling now. So he allowed himself to collide with the cliff wall, grabbing hold of the first … that his hand could reach. With that, he started to climb up.
'Why...am I getting a sense of deja vu from this?' Allen thought to himself.
When he reached the top, he struggled to pull himself up. The job was especially made harder with his arms beginning to feel stiff and numb from the cold.
Another idea formed in Allen's mind and he mentally slapped himself for his idiocy.
He sent out another tendril from Crown Clown, again latching onto a tree branch just above him, and hauled himself up into the air, landing on the snowy ground with a soft crunch.
Finding a way back to the city, he dashed through the dark forest. His heavy footsteps were accompanied by the sound of crunching twigs.
'But first...I need to wash my hands somehow.' Allen though to himself. His bloodied hands felt sticky underneath his replaced gloves and remembering where the blood had come from in the first place...Allen slightly felt sick to his stomach. He didn't feel disgusted of delivering the babies, heavens no! Instead, he felt ill thnking about the fact that he had just touched... His face slightly took on a greenish color when he imagined what Cross would have thought if he heard about this.
Allen sighed internally when he realized something else...
'Neah, are you seriously still brooding about this?'
Allen was surprised when Neah spoke almost like he was gagging. 'Allen. You. Just. Touched. A WOMAN'S-'
'ARGHHH! SHUT UP! I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT!'
'See?! Exactly!'
'OKAY, I GET IT! We. Are not. To discuss about this again. EVER!'
'You were the one who brought it up, anyway...' Neah mumbled.
Flashback END
NOTES:
(1) This is for you guys who might be wondering about this little bit. xD
As you guys know, Akuma is Japanese for demon. And as they are speaking in Japanese here, just pretend that they are despite the English text, Shiro could have been talking about the biblical demons or the mechanical ones. He deliberately used wordplay here.
Alright, now that that's out of the way, I know what you guys are thinking. "What the hell happened to promising that you'll put up the next chapter in a week or two after the first one?!" Yes, I intended to put chapter 2 in a week or so after the first chapter. But Fulminata came into contact with me and said that he'll gladly beta the chapters and it threw off my plans. Well, I thought, "Quality would be better than putting chapters up at an early date than usual" if that makes sense.
Yes, three long mistake-filled chapters to beta-read so it's quite understandable that Fulmi took a month. Anyway, as I have told him, the gain is worth all that wait. The final products are waaay better than the drafts, trust me, and I can't thank him enough for taking the time and effort in bettering these chapters so half the credits go to Fulminata~! :3
Alright, I think I made that way too long. XD I also wanted to tell you guys that I made a DeviantArt account so if you want to check me out, my name's TwilightResonance. As of now, I've only posted three works. Imma be posting more soon. o3o
Hm, before I forget, OHMYGAWD -MAN'S COMING BACK ON JULY 4! HYPEHYPEHYPEHYPEHYPE! :O Slightly bad news is: Hallow will only air for 13 episodes! :( While I'm grateful that they're making a second/third season, I was hoping that it would be longer. I mean, come ooon, we've been waiting for this for 8 YEARS! Well, I guess you gotta be content with what you're given, huh? v.v
Okay okay, I'm done now. See you guys on the next chapter! D