Chapter 13
Disclaimer: I don't own the DGM
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Lavi held his breath. The man in the red suit had almost reached the gates of the Order. From what the golems could see of him, he looked to be in his mid-twenties. Now if he could only see what was wrong with the man's eyes. The man stopped in front of the Gatekeeper. Now what would happen?
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The man looked at the giant face in front of him. When it sprung to life, he didn't even flinch.
"WHO ARE YOU?" The face shouted.
"Michael." The man answered. "My objective is to deliver messages to a number of exorcists."
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"This guy knows of exorcists." Levrier stated. 'Ya think, genius?' were Lavi's only thoughts to such an obvious statement. Link, who had recovered enough to stand and walk, looked at the man closely.
"He is neither an exorcist nor a finder. He might be a new employee, but he has never appeared at Central before."
Levrier nodded and grabbed a microphone connected to the golems swarming around the man.
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"We will have to ask you a few questions before we decide if we let you in." The man turned his head and looked directly into the golem.
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"What is wrong with his eyes?! He can't be human! Access denied!" Levrier hissed. Then they heard the man's voice.
"Negative." That was all. He simply stated that one word like a machine and walked towards the gate.
"Are we under attack?" Lavi asked himself. What happened next made him doubt his eyes. This man, Michael, had walked to the gate, put his left hand under it and lifted it open. With one hand. Levrier gasped.
"Impossible! That gate weighs many tons, and he's lifting it like a sheet of paper!" Indeed, there was no sign that this was strenuous activity for Michael. After he entered the Order, he let the gate close behind him, like he had simply passed through the door of a garden. Everyone ran to see this being up close, even though they were risking life and limb in doing so.
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When Micheal entered the Order, he saw a great number of people looking at him from safe distances. He spoke.
"I am searching for Lenalee Lee, Lavi Bookman Jr., Alystar Crowry, Miranda Lotto, Timothy Hearst, Cross Marian and, optionally, Yu Kanda." There was a moment of silence, then a Chinese-looking man appeared before him, his face twisted in anger.
"Who sent you?" Michael looked at the man.
"Confirm your identity." The man snorted.
"I'm Chaoji Han, now answer my question!" Micheal tilted his head.
"I have been sent here by my master. Now leave, I have no business with you." Chaoji blocked his way.
"And what is your master's name?" Micheal made a slight frown. This individual was hindering his objectives and he had been ordered to use force only if attacked and to refrain from causing permanent or too extensive damage.
"Allen Walker." Everyone in the hall gasped. This being was sent here by Allen. Chaoji's face twisted.
"Are you an Akuma?" Did Allen really send an Akuma as a messenger to his friends? Then again, those machines were programmed to obey any order given to them by a Noah. Lavi, who had arrived just in time to hear the dialogue, noticed something the others had missed. This being had referred to Allen as his master. Not as one of his masters, or master Allen, but simply as master. Did that mean he was exclusively under Allen's control?
"Positive." Chaoji lunged at the being in front of him.
"How dare a abomination like you show his face here? I'll smash you to pieces!" Michael raised his arms and the two men locked hands. Chaoji noticed that even though he was using all his Innocence- boosted strength, the creature's hands didn't budge. He looked at it as it bend its wrists slightly and forced Chaoji to his knees.
"In my human form, I only posses 35% of my full strength and I am not even using half of that. You cannot win. Get out of my way." This revelation startled everyone. The strength to lift the gate, which indeed weighed tons, was not even 35% of his maximum power? What in the world were they up against?
"Never!" Chaoji hissed. Michael looked at him, then he spun to the left, throwing Chaoji through a few walls a hundred feet away. The man would recover in a few days, considering the strength he had shown. A boy with an eye-patch and red hair jumped in front of him. He matched the master's descriptions, but Michael wanted to make sure.
"State your name." The boy grinned.
"I am Lavi and I believe you have a message for me." Michael nodded and raised his index and middle finger to his temple. Suddenly, Allen appeared in front of him. Though they quickly realized it was some kind of recording. 'Allen' spoke.
"Hi Lavi, how have you been? Things got a little weird here pretty fast, scratch that, things got really weird. I can't believe I'm a Noah and am now dining with people I've tried to defeat before." He laughed. "Well anyway, I don't have much time, so I have to get straight to the point. As you've noticed, I have to fight with the Noah now, but I don't want to fight against my friends, so I'll probably retreat whenever possible. So don't worry too much, okay? By the way, I don't think it would work out with you and Lulubelle, so you should better forget her." When Lavi had first seen the shape-shifting Noah's true form, he had reacted just like Jesaia. Lavi grinned, but Allen had left more news for him. "By the way, this Akuma somehow sees me as the highest in his chain of command, so I think he's reliable. I've ordered him only to act in defense, but I advise against fighting him, you wouldn't win. Bye Lavi, maybe I'll see you soon. Oh, and if you're scheming something against Levrier, try to keep bystanders out of it." With that, 'Allen' vanished.
"End of message" Michael stated. Lavi smiled. Allen had confirmed his suspicions about the Akuma, and he had seen through the little tricks he and the others had planned for Levrier, even though he couldn't have known what they were doing. He looked at Michael.
"The others should be in the infirmary, except for Cross, hell knows where he is. You should make your deliveries and leave, before..." But it was too little, too late. Winters Zokalo had arrived. His Innocence was spinning above his head. Lavi ran out of the way towards Jesaia, who had stared at what was happening here, and they both stared in awe at what happened next.
Suddenly, Michael was gone. They spotted him a second later, standing a few feet behind the General, who had frozen. General Zokalo spat blood and stared at his stomach, where the imprint of a fist was clearly visible. Then he collapsed. Lavi elbowed Jesaia.
"Hey, what just happened?" Jesaia was still staring at the General.
"I have no idea, I blinked." They looked at Winters Zokalo. From what Lavi could see, the wound was not life-threatening, it would probably heal in a few days. The only real damage was probably done to the man's pride. The Akuma was truly not aiming to kill and simply turned to the direction of the infirmary.
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Levrier was shocked. Even though that Akuma had used the element of surprise, he had managed to take down a General with a single strike! Not even the Level 4 who had attacked Headquarters before had managed that. The only good news was that it was apparently ordered not to kill and only retaliated. It would probably leave once it had delivered the messages. As much as Levrier hated to admit it, in their unprepared situation, they could do nothing but wait. The Generals were too moody to effectively mobilize, and normal exorcists wouldn't stand a chance. Levrier was certain they were facing another Level 4, nothing else had that much power. But as long as their secrets were safe, it wouldn't matter.
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Michael had found the infirmary and explained his purpose to most of the receivers, namely Lenalee, Crowry, Miranda and Timothy. Then he looked at them.
"For the purpose of saving time, would you permit me to send the message directly into your minds?" The exorcists looked at each other, then they nodded. Michael raised four fingers and a small white orb was floating above each one. He turned his palm towards them and clenched his hand to a fist. The orbs shot at the exorcists and vanished between their eyes.
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Lenalee saw Allen standing in front of her, in his human form, not as a Noah. He spoke.
"Lenalee, I'm grateful for what you've done to try and save me, and I know what happened was not your fault. I told Michael to give this message private, so that I don't get you in trouble. Also, be careful. I don't know what happened to your Innocence, but the Earl doesn't like it at all. You should take care of yourself and watch your back, Levrier is just as bad as the Earl. And keep away from my stupid master, he's the biggest womanizer on the planet. Could you tell your Brother I said hi? Oh, and tell Jerry I miss his cooking, what I get here just isn't as good as what he makes. I miss you all. I don't want to fight any of you and I will retreat if I see you unless I have no other choice. Before I forget, I managed to save Luciano's life. Luciano is that boy from Ireland. But I'm not quite sure that's a good thing, you'll find out what I mean eventually. By the way, give Reever, Johnny and the others in the science department my best wishes. For now goodbye, and good luck in the future."
Lenalee smiled. Allen was still Allen, and he found a way to warn her. She watched him fade away, that friendly smile still on his face.
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Miranda saw Allen smile at her.
"Hello Miranda, I hope you're okay. I'm sorry if Michael scared you, he won't hurt you or anyone else who doesn't attack him first, so don't worry. I'm doing more or less okay here, though some people have already opted to kill me. I really wish I could come back, but I'm afraid that's currently not possible. I don't have much time right now, but I promise I won't hurt you or our friends. Maybe we can see each other soon, but for now, thank you for everything you've done. You have really changed a lot for the better since the first time I've met you."
Miranda cried. He had thanked her again.
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Crowry stared at Allen.
"Hello Crowry, I hope you are alright. Watch out for the twins, they've been permanently hearing how you kicked their butts and they're out for blood. Please, don't try to fight this Akuma, Micheal is more than even you can handle. I've forbidden him from using his power against others, it's too destructive, but he still is a formidable opponent that could probably give Tyki in his ultimate form a run for his money. But enough about that. Crowry, do you remember how we first met? You're one and only true love was an Akuma, and in the end, you had to destroy her. I've killed my father after I turned him into one myself, but what you've been through must have been infinitely more painful. Just know this, I believe your love is watching you. Not from heaven, when I turned into a Noah and saw the memories of suffering I lost the little faith in god I had left. Maybe god exists, but he is not a merciful guardian. No, I believe our loved ones rest in our hearts, and they only truly die once they're forgotten. As long as you remember your beloved, she will be with you. You are keeping her alive. I wish you the best of luck, Crowry. You have come far and I'm proud to call you my friend, for sadly we are no longer comrades. Oh, and learn to be more careful about what people you trust, I probably won't be there next time you get stripped to your underwear in a gamble. Goodbye, and I hope we can see each other soon."
Crowry was touched by Allen's compassion, and that last part made him chuckle. Indeed, Allen had once won his clothes back for him after he got tricked by a few people. Ironically, the Noah Tyki had been among them. Crowry smiled. It was good to know they hadn't lost Allen.
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Timothy could see Allen kneeling down to look at him eye-to-eye.
"Hey Timothy, how are you? We haven't exactly had the time to talk much, did we? Well, I hope you can make new friends at the Order, I had a great time there. Some of the happiest moments of my life, and, I'll admit that, some of my hardest as well. I guess all I can tell you is that even if we're now on different sides, I won't hurt you. And I thought that as your senior, it is my duty to warn you about some things going on over there. First of all, don't mess with Kanda, he eats people, though you might have found that out already. If Komui has a new robot, run. Run as fast as you can and try to make it collide with Kanda, let him take care of those over-sized tin cans. I guess I don't need to mention don't trust Levrier, you've figured that out already. Oh, and I hope I don't have to tell you, but don't possess humans. And that goes for Noah as well. They're different, you probably wouldn't be able to handle them. And keep away from Road Camelot, she has mental powers that might trap you and she can be incredibly sadistic and enjoys causing pain. My best advice is try to keep yourself out of combat, your Innocence isn't made for taking your body into battle. Maybe I'll see you soon. If we don't have to fight, dinner's on me."
Timothy grinned. Did Allen really know what he had just offered? Then again, Allen's appetite was even bigger than his own, so he probably did.
"That boy Allen means you well, master. It would be wise to heed his advice." Tsukikami added to Timothy's thoughts. He was right.
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All four blinked. They saw Micheal lowering his arm. Had all this really only taken a few seconds? Michael spoke.
"I have fulfilled my mission here, now I must find Cross Marian." He turned to leave when Kanda stepped in his way.
"Kanda." Lenalee said surprised. Michael looked at him.
"Yu Kanda?" The man nodded. "I have a message for you." He placed his fingers at his temple and 'Allen' appeared.
"Well, I didn't think you of all people wanted to hear what I had to say. I considered going sentimental with you as well, saying stuff like how I respected you, wanted thank you for your help and tell you that I won't kill you on the battlefield, but then I remembered who I was speaking to. So, I decided to say the truth. You're arrogant and need to learn to respect others. You judge people to quickly and I and everyone else can barely stand you, BaKanda. And even if I won't kill you, that doesn't mean I can't kick your ass. Well, see you soon." And with that, he was gone.
The veins on Kanda's forehead were clearly visible. He looked at Michael. "Send this message back to him: Shut your trap Moyashi, or I'll come and shut it for you. As for the battlefield, you're welcome to try, if you're prepared that I'll slice your damn tongue off." He turned away.
"Recorded." was the only reply Michael gave. Kanda looked at him.
"And General Cross is on the balcony in the third hall, second floor. Make your delivery and leave." And with that, he left.
"Affirmative." Michael left for Cross. Lenalee, Crowry and Miranda looked at each other.
"I swear, it's impossible for these two to greet each other in a normal way." Lenalee sighed and Crowry nodded.
"I guess that's just their way of saying hello." Timothy was confused.
"So, they're not simply hating each others guts?" Lavi and Jesaia walked in.
"Nope. They hate each other, but they kinda like each other at the same time. It's pretty confusing." Lavi laughed. "Now come on, I want to hear what Allen will tell his master."
And with that, all six people ran to follow the Akuma.
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Michael entered the hall Kanda had named. Suddenly, there was a movement to his upper left. Several small objects were flying towards him. He blocked all seventeen with one hand. It left scorch-marks on his skin and his hand hurt. Michael looked up. There was a man with red hair and a mask covering the side of his face. He was standing on a balcony that matched the descriptions, so Michael jumped on the balcony.
"Cross Marian?" The man nodded.
"Why did you open fire?" Cross smiled.
"I had to know if my stupid apprentice had competent people working under him. Now, what did he send me?" Michael nodded and touched his temple. Again, the white haired boy appeared.
"Hello master. I apologize if I've caused you any trouble. But you really deserve it. I understand this is against your nature, but keep your hands of the women in the Order. You're causing trouble for everyone. Not that I mind if it hits Levrier, but don't bother other people, and keep away from minors, that's a crime, stupid master. Do you have any idea how often I had to try and fix things you left in chaos? Actually, you might, considering you were the one who always threw me to the wolves. Anyway, I've given Michael the money for most of the debts that you've made in my name. I've cleaned a few casinos out to get it, so don't ever dump another one of your debts on me. Try to stay healthy and out of trouble. And I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to take care of Timcampy right now. Goodbye master, maybe we'll meet again. Again, don't ever push another debt onto me!" Cross grinned and took the large sac of cash Micheal handed to him. Then he waved at him, and the Akuma followed him into the room behind the Balcony. Lavi sighed.
"Looks like the show is over." He muttered as they left.
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In the privacy of the room, Cross looked at the Akuma. He had immediately seen that the creature before him was a veteran of combat, and that he had been one before his death.
"While I believe that your loyalty to Allen is genuine, I think you have more personality than you've shown." Michael tilted his head.
"Perhaps. But I owe Allen Walker my soul and a majority of personal freedom, so I will defend him until this body is no more. And you are only partly right, in my past life I was a soldier ever since childhood. I never had much personality." Cross smiled.
"You are very dangerous, Akuma that is beyond the Earl's control." For the first time, Michael smiled.
"As are you, human who is not a human." Cross's eye widened, then he smiled again.
"You are very perceptive. The exit is that way." Michael nodded and left.
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Michael had just entered a huge chamber with a gigantic hole in the center, leading both up and down beyond human sight, as he noticed something.
"Abnormality detected. Must inform master." He placed his first two fingers of his left hand on his forehead.
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Allen was still standing in the heat of the Sahara, looking at the result of Michael's experiment with his power. Before him was a one mile wide crater, with the same depth at its lowest point. While the winds and the sand of the desert would soon erase all traces of this, it was still awe-inspiring.
"The Nirvana Field."Allen muttered to himself "A power far too terrible to ever be used." He noticed the Earl was standing behind him, but Allen ignored him. Then he received a mental message from Michael. His eyes widened.
"That's impossible." He spun around to face the Earl. "Did you send Noah into the Order's Headquarters?" The Earl looked surprised.
"What? Why would I do that? And why are you asking me this?" Allen looked at him. He seemed to be telling the truth.
"Because Michael has just informed me that he senses not one, but two Noah inside of Headquarters." Allen stated. The Earl's eyes widened in shock.
"What? That can't be! Although, now that I think about it, there are one or two Noah that haven't reawakened for hundreds of years. Whatever the case, tell your Akuma to get them!" Allen nodded and formed a mental reply for Michael.
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"Understood. Former mission accomplished. New mission accepted. Intent: scouting and retrieval. Mission will begin immediately." With that, Michael jumped over the fence and into the darkness.
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"Shit, he's gone to the bottom floors, sir." Levrier bit his lip. Everything had gone well and now this. Was the Akuma aiming for Hevlaska or maybe even that ancient secret not even the Bookmen knew about? Either way, there was nothing he could do. The only exorcist at Havlaska's side right now was Bookman, and he wouldn't risk dying and letting the history he had yet to teach be lost. Although he might be able to buy time by getting the Akuma into a conversation. But even if that happened, reinforcements would most likely not make it in time.
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When Michael reached the bottom floor, he saw a large creature and a old man. The creature spoke.
"Why are you here, Akuma? Have you come to kill me and destroy the Innocence?"
"Negative." Michael replied "I am searching for something, I have no business with either of you." The old man seemed curious.
"I am Bookman, one of the keepers and collectors of knowledge. Would you mind answering a few of my questions?"
"If you do not hinder my search." The old man smiled.
"I won't. You seem very powerful, are you a Level 4?"
"Negative, I am Level 5" Bookman's eyes widened.
'A Level 5? There has never been a single record pointing to an existence above Level 4.' He quickly regained his focus. "Are there many Level 5?"
Micheal was studying a piece of wall. "Currently, I am the only one."
"Then, are you a weapon of mass destruction like the Level 4?" Michael looked at him for a second before he replied
"Negative, I am a weapon of controlled annihilation." He raised his fist and smashed the wall. Behind it there was a room in which two black crystals with a white stigmata in the center were sitting on podiums. Michael grabbed them while Bookman and Hevlaska stared in surprise.
"What are those?" Hevlaska asked. She had lived long, but even though these two crystals had been so close to her, she had never noticed them.
"They are crystallized Noah." Michael replied, before spreading his blood-colored wings.
"Is that your true form?" Bookman questioned. Michael looked at him.
"Positive. Farewell, Bookman." He flapped his wings and was gone. They could hear him smashing through the ceiling not even a second later.
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Levrier was in shock. How could this have happened? The secret artifacts they had kept for centuries were simply stolen. His only hope was that they could get enough information about the Akuma that was hovering above the Order.
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Michael had broken through the ceiling when he heard an order from the Earl. Since he didn't want to show him how independent he was and since his master made no opposing order, he obeyed. He had a crystal in each hand, and he crushed them in his fists. A mist-like substance flowed out of the crystals as they broke, then his hands were empty. He turned and headed back to the Earl's arc.
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Hevlaska looked up in surprise. Bookman noticed this, even though his head was spinning from the startling revelations. If Lavi hadn't found out anything useful as well, Bookman would punish the boy. But right now, Hevlaska was acting weird.
"Is something wrong, Hevlaska?" The ancient guardian of Innocence looked at him.
"Two of the weakest Innocence I am storing have suddenly received a drastic increase in strength. They are amongst the oldest pieces we have." Bookman knew old was referring to the time they possessed the Innocence, not the actual age.
"What does this mean?" The answer was not reassuring.
"I do not know."
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And chapter 13 is done. Since I've long since tossed 1500-2000 words out the window, I guess I'll keep them at around 4000 words for now. Oh, I've written this in my Code Geass fic as well, but on one of my whims I have decided to update only when I can update both stories at once, so the updates might take a little longer to appear. Though from what I've seen, I update relatively fast, and I work harder the more reviews I get, just a piece of random information. Now, let's get to the questions.
1. How did you like this chapter? Personally, I find it extremely difficult to write emotional.
2. Does anyone have a theory about Michael's power? I think I've dropped a few clues with this.
3. Anything you found really good/bad/weird? What can I do better?
4. Does anyone have some idea they would like to see in this fic? I can't promise anything, but I'll try.
5. Put here for everything else you want to say.
To The Great Deity: Thanks for the tip, I thought they were enabled. Stupid website. Although I probably just screwed up somewhere.
To Cross the Damned Soul: Sorry if I disappoint with this chapter, but Michael was sent there as a messenger, not a wrecking crew. I won't use Michael too often, simply because I absolutely overpowered him and things would soon get boring if he just smashed everything that stands in his way. Although I still have a bit of violence planned.
Well, I believe I've said enough for now. So all that's left is this:
Please Review
