Chapter 8
Exorcist or Not
"Toma," the European Branch Head began. "Tell Bookman what you told me."
The Finder nodded slowly, nervous to be in the presence of such a well-known character and Exorcist. "Y-Yes sir...
"I was sent to observe Akuma patrolling habits in Portugal. I was walking in the streets one night, trying to get out of the rain. I stumbled across a white-haired figure kneeling in the middle of the street and mistook it for an old man. When I approached him, he practically launched himself at me. For a moment, I thought he was senile. But then he introduced himself as Allen Walker, General Cross's missing Apprentice."
"The missing Apprentice," Bookman repeated. From personal experience, he knew more often than not that missing Apprentices usually never turned up again. "He was just wandering around in the middle of the night. No signs of being harmed by the Earl at all?" he asked doubtfully.
"Not exactly," Toma replied. "He was missing his left arm, and his feet were bleeding. I think they were keeping him alive on purpose, and relatively unharmed."
Bookman filed away the information for later use. He was curious as to what use the boy held if the Innocence was now gone.
"So why is it that you have not returned with the boy?" he asked. The Finder shook his head.
"I did try to get him to come with me, but he said they wouldn't let him go or let me live," explained Toma. Bookman's eyes sharpened.
"They?"
Komui pushed himself off the desk. "It's why I asked you to come here. You are the only who has knowledge of the clan of Noah, if I recall correctly."
Bookman's face became expressionless. Several years ago, he had actually been with the Noahs. At the time, the Black Order only had a thousand-year-old rumor about their existence. As a Bookman, he knew that they were real. The massacre of the Noahs and loss of his Apprentice made it necessary for him to record history from another stand point. For them to finally come out of hiding...he had no doubt a Noah killed General Yeegar for a specific purpose in this war.
"Yes, I know of them. They show up at key points in history, yet their presence in history is never recorded. They are on the Earl's side. I have in-depth records, but the main thing that you need to know is that they are humans with very special abilities and consider themselves to be the true Apostles of God," he told them. Bookman refrained any mention of the massacre and the Fourteenth Noah that he and his former Apprentice befriended. "If they are Allen Walker's jailers, he has little chance of escaping. I wonder how he managed to even talk to you."
"He said that he had a time limit until twelve."
"That means he must have made a deal of some sort with them. Maybe in the form of a game." Komui scratched his head in deep thought.
"I guess Kanda was right. Maybe we will have some luck in finding General Cross after all," he mused. "With your knowledge of the Noah, Kanda's regenerative abilities, and Lenalee's boots, perhaps he could be retrieved."
Bookman highly doubted that possibility but said nothing against the Chinese man.
"Uhm, excuse me sir," said Toma. "Pardon me if I am wrong, but Allen Walker is no longer an Exorcist. His Innocence is gone, meaning he no longer has the same value to the Black Order as before. Should we even be thinking about saving him?"
Komui stiffened. That thought had not occurred to him. But Toma had a point. They could not waste resources saving someone who could not equal the loss of those resources. Walker was no longer an asset to the Order. Even if the boy was being tortured, Komui did not think he had enough authority to order a retrieval.
Bookman saw the turmoil in Komui's eyes and recognized the submission in the Branch Chief's posture. He did not like the idea of anyone being the prisoner of the Noahs. Bookman knew them in their previous lives. They could be as sadistic as they could be gentle.
"I heard that General Cross is refusing to return to the Order without his Apprentice's safety being ensured first. If that is true, then you NEED to get that boy back safe and sound along with the golemn." Bookman's own curiosity gave him the next line. "Besides, I only knew the Noahs from the last cycle. He is in direct contact and is undoubtedly witnessing their powers firsthand. Even I can't give you that information.
"Exorcist or not, he is an important piece in this war."
Komui accepted both men's counsel. "Then my original idea stands. You, Lavi, Kanda, and Lenalee will make up General Cross's Unit. But instead of looking for him, I want you to look for Walker."
"Where do we start?" Bookman asked.
"Portugal, the last place that he was sighted."
::+::+::+: ϒ :+::+::+::
Allen ran through the streets of the Ark, panting harshly and not caring if he left a blood trail behind. All he could think about was evading Road and her deadly candles.
Meanwhile, Tyki was watching his progress from the rooftops, frowning when the boy clutched the bloody injury in his shoulder.
"What was the point of this again?" Tyki asked.
"Breaking him like we broke Yeegar. We are making Allen relive these attacks over and over until he goes insane." The Noah of Pleasure snorted.
"I saw his eyes, Millennium Earl. Whoever put that fire there did a hell of a job. He isn't going to break."
"If that is truly the case, then we will make him our puppet through other means. Either way, he will be an angel of destruction rather than an angel of salvation."
Tyki glanced at his pocket watch.
"Play time is over," he announced, standing up, and preparing to go halt Road's attack as she cornered him.
"Tyki-pon," the Earl called. The Noah of Pleasure turned his head obediently. "Don't get too attached."
Tyki smirked.
"Who would become attached to a brat like that?" he asked before walking off the edge. The Earl stood alone. He looked up at the sky.
"I certainly have. Why do you think I cannot bring myself to kill Allen Walker?"