Chapter 17
Disclaimer: I don't own DGM
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Levrier had just received Friedrich's autopsy report. It seemed like the man had been killed by his own attack. How was that possible? Levrier went through the footages he had. Somehow, one of the golems from the de-Fuego-affair had captured the moment exorcist Lee's purer Innocence had made contact with Allen Walker. He could see the blue sparks on Walker's arm, but why were there red sparks on Lee's leg? Wait, if he combined that with the way Friedrich had died, then there was an explanation. He had found a word that described Walker's power, and it explained what happened at the affair. It was time to call a conference.
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Lavi and Jesaia were chatting while they headed to the conference Levrier had ordered all exorcists to attend, Lenalee, Timothy, Miranda and Val right behind them.
"Why do you think he called this stupid conference? Maybe he thinks we don't have anything better to do with our time." Lavi muttered.
"No clue." Jesaia replied.
Timothy looked at them. "Could this be about the itching powder we put in his bed? Or maybe he's upset that we put a spider in the shoe of Komui's secretary, I heard her yelling at Levrier for hours."
Lavi grinned. "No worries on that front, Komui is swearing under oath that he saw me and Jesaia training at the time it happened. I think he's grateful that we disabled his second shadow."
"And also," Jesaia added "Levrier wouldn't hold a speech about that, he would become a mockery. He wouldn't risk the little integrity he has left for something like that. I took old Friedrich out of the morgue, gave him a funeral by fire and scattered him in the winds and he couldn't say anything, even though I would actually admit that one."
Lenalee seemed upset. "I still can't believe Allen did that." She muttered.
Jesaia turned around. "He did what was necessary. I would have done it myself, but he beat me to it. The guy was a lunatic that would have continued his killing-spree if he'd been allowed to live. From what I heard, Allen kept his promise and released him from his misery swiftly. Friedrich probably didn't even notice he died. If it had been me, the man would have slowly burned in Hellfire, just so he could get used to how he'll spend the rest of eternity."
Val smiled and muttered "Not quite. He's not in hell, but the realm that follows it."
Timothy looked at her. "What did you say?"
She smiled at him and patted his head. "Nothing." Then she walked ahead. The others watched after her.
Timothy smiled. "I like her a lot better now."
"No kidding." Jesaia added. "After Friedrich bit the dust, she dragged herself back to the town and completely healed Tyki's buddies. I think she also erased the memories, or made them think it was just a dream, I don't know."
Miranda smiled. "It's good that she has regained her self, her eyes are now full of life, but what happened?"
"All hail Allen Walker." Jesaia muttered.
Lenalee seemed surprised, but happy. "Allen did that?"
"He was the only one that had the time to do so, when I woke up, she had already left puppetland. Well, let's go hear what old rules-for-brains has to say."
And with that, they entered as well.
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Levrier looked around. Everyone was there, every exorcist had arrived. It was time to begin. Now if he could only get rid of the constant itch he felt since he woke up. He suspected that Jesaia and Lavi were behind this, but he started to get the feeling that he would never catch them in the act. But now it was time to start this conference.
"I will get straight to the point, we are certain that we have figured out the abilities of Allen Walker."
At that, the exorcists, who had been wearing looks signaling different stages of boredom, snapped to attention and looked at him.
Levrier continued. "From footages and other sources of information we analyzed, we have reached the conclusion that Allen Walker's power is to 'mirror'. He can mirror damage resulting from physical contact, as we seen from his confrontation with Lenalee Lee."
Lavi and the others turned to face Lenalee.
"He's exaggerating, it was just one kick he blocked before I recognized him." She hissed. The others nodded relieved. For a second, they've had visions about a deadly struggle.
Levrier hadn't noticed the reactions and went on. "Should he face long-range attacks, he can most likely completely reflect them back to the user, as we gathered from the remains of Friedrich Himmelhund, who was killed by his own ability, so remain cautious. And we assume he can reflect humans into their darker part, but only with their agreement. That could also explain the lack of the Noah's usual blood thirst, he probably used his ability to reverse his own personality. He most likely has other tricks up his sleeve, so remain cautious. He could be able to do anything, from transferring damage with physical contact to moving through and imprisoning others in mirrors."
Lavi had listened and fought the urge to shake his head. It sounded plausible, but there were too many holes in that theory. For example, how did Allen create a Level 5? No, Allen's power was something completely different.
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Allen wondered why he didn't activate his Innocence when he went to bed. Road had, once again used him to cushion her drop, not that she needed to if she stopped appearing from the ceiling.
But before he had the chance to say something, she was shaking him. "Wake up Allen! Open your eyes, you'll want to see this!" She called and Allen begrudgingly opened his eyes. He saw Tyki opening the door and smiling at him.
Suddenly Allen was wide awake. "Tyki, how do you feel? It looks like you're all healed up, and not even a trace of burnt skin visible."
Tyki grinned. "Never felt better. It's like I was never hit by those attacks. And I heard you avenged me, so all is good. By the way, thanks for saving my hide. So, your first kill, how was it?"
Allen looked at his hands. "Not really a great feeling, I just did what needed to be done. But, I finally figured out my power."
Road looked at Allen. "Really? It was a mystery to all of us, most of the Noah and even the Skull were up guessing, but nobody has had any idea. And trust me, it's nearly impossible to get those bone-heads interested in anything. What is it?"
Tyki nodded. "I only heard about what you can do, and I'm amazed. So you've figured out how to sum it up in a single word?"
Allen nodded. "Yes, it wasn't that hard. I guess the name comes naturally to the Noah that possesses the power."
Road was getting impatient. "Yes it does, now stop buying time and tell us already, the anxiety is killing us!"
Allen shrugged. "My power is Corruption. My ability allows me to corrupt whatever I wish. So basically, I corrupt god's creation and claim it as my own. Corruption doesn't necessarily mean that it gets weaker or falls apart, it can also strengthen and improve things. But because of its nature, if it's used on something three times in rapid suggestion, that something will crumble to dust. What exactly my power causes when hitting something I'm not sure, I guess that's somehow decided by my subconsciousness, although I think I'm starting to understand how to alter things to my will. As far as I know, my power works on anything, though for some reason if I want to use it on humans, I need their permission for alteration to work. I haven't tried it out and I'm not planning to, but I think they'll still crumble after three shots as well. It can even be used on things that physically don't exist, I used it to destroy spiritual chains that were binding a soul. My power doesn't work on myself. Oh, and for some reason, I can channel my power through my Innocence as often as I want without harming it or my arm. I'm not sure what happens then, but it's the only way I can give Akuma a new form, and I don't think I could alter Innocence without it. I think there's still more my power can do, but I haven't figured it out yet."
Road and Tyki blinked in surprise. That was a powerful ability. Apparently, the Earl hadn't been kidding when he said that Compassion was the most powerful of Noah's memories. It seemed almost ironic. The greatest powers that could easily end this war always ended up in the hands of those who would never use it to do so.
Then Tyki spoke. "I'll admit, that is impressive. So, if I understand this correctly, to make a Level 5, you shoot your power into its body and corrupt the darkness that surrounds the soul while your Innocence somehow undoes the damage that the destroyed darkness caused, right?"
Allen shrugged. "Sounds about right, I'm not that sure how Level 5 are born myself, I just know that it works."
Road looked at him. "Do you think Noah can use the new Innocence?"
Allen thought about it. "I don't see why not, it works for Luciano and for me. But you'd have to be chosen by it, so you'd have to find one that chooses you. But theoretically yes, it should work."
Road seemed to imagine the amounts of carnage she could cause if she had an Innocence. Allen shuddered and turned to Tyki. "So, anything interesting that I should know?"
Tyki grinned. "Not much, we have a few free days before anything new is planned. The Earl figured out what's wrong with those boots your friend has. They were a... shocking experience. Anyways, the Earl remembered where he'd seen those sparks before, it was when he and the Noah obliterated one of the last groups of Innocence-wielders before your Order was founded."
Allen listened up. He didn't know anything about Innocence-users prior to the Order. "What happened? Were you part of that?"
Road laughed. "Oh no Allen, that was thousands of years ago, long before any of us were born. And our opponent was not an organization, but a small continent. They had around a hundred wielders, and all who weren't chosen were at least as skilled as your CROWs, and in the end they were reduced to ashes. The Earl sunk the entire place afterwards, out of frustration that the Innocences were gone when he came to smash them for good. The place was called Atlanta, or something like that."
Tyki nodded. " It was called Atlantis, Road. Makes you wonder though. Atlantis had more Innocence-users, most of which were at the level of todays Generals, the population was way stronger and they were simply more and we eliminated them in a few months. The Black Order is a joke compared to what Atlantis had and it stands after many years. What does the Order have that Atlantis didn't?"
"They have the Cube. But don't say much about it, that knowledge alone is enough to condemn you to death." The Musician's reply surprised Allen, but he decided to obey.
'Why?' He mentally asked.
The Musician sighed. "Simple, have you ever thought of this? Noah see humans as filth, but other Noah are family. But a Noah's genes are awakened by the memories of Noah himself. So, how do you know that the human you kill wouldn't have awakened as a Noah if he lived?"
Allen blinked. That was a good question, and he was just about to ask it when two things happened. Firstly, he started to get a small headache, not painful, but annoying. He activated his power, even though he himself wasn't sure why and the headache vanished. And secondly, the musician interrupted his train of thought.
"Don't." His warning echoed in Allen's head "You would cause them enormous pain. You see, Compassion was not a memory that was supposed to be released and therefore, you only get a light headache. But if Tyki or, even worse, Road were to think about it, they would feel like their heads are being crushed while their short-term-memories would be erased. Call it a failsafe the Earl has over the Noah."
Allen decided to spare his 'family' that fate and remained quiet. Then he noticed something. 'Why would it be worse if Road got the blow than Tyki?'
For the first time, the Musician seemed embarrassed and stuttered, but Road spared him the fate of answering. She was hitting Allen on the head with a book. "Allen, are you listening to me?"
Allen looked at her. "Sorry Road, I was lost in thoughts for a moment, what were you saying?"
Road rolled her eyes. "I said forget about that and help me with my homework." Allen nodded and started to help her with the tasks teachers give their students to make sure that they don't have too much free time. Tyki was smart enough to leave the room before Road had a chance to rope him into her schoolwork as well.
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Jesaia looked at his best friend. "Okay, I can tell that something is bothering you, I just don't know what, yet."
Lavi grinned. "You know me too well. I have been thinking about what Levrier said about Allen's power."
Jesaia raised a brow. "And?"
"And it's bullshit. Levrier's brain is mush. If Allen's power was simply mirroring things, he wouldn't be able to make Level 5's. And a Noah isn't the polar opposite of a human, that makes no sense. So why should a human's dark side call itself Deminoah? That sounds more like the power of infection, but I know that's not it either. It's driving me nuts!"
Jesaia laughed. "You never change, do you? You can't stand being left in the dark, you have to know everything. I've been with you for 29 of your identities, yet that part never changes. Must be the Bookman inside of you. What do you say we cause some more chaos? Levrier is getting closer to a stroke each day, I can just feel it."
Lavi smiled, but he shook his head. "Not now, I have some things to memorize and then I want to question Hevlaska about that Level 5, Michael."
Jesaia sighed. "Some things never change, eh cyclops?"
"Shut up, scarecrow." It was a joke running between the two of them. "But did you see what Val did to Levrier after the meeting?"
Jesaia laughed. "How could I not, it happened right in front of everyone."
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Flashback
Levrier had finished the meeting when he saw Valkyrie. "Nocturn, I think you should make a short visit at Central, your psychologist wants to make sure that you have no trauma's from your encounters." Translation: We need to make sure that you're still our mindlessly obedient tool and that none of your old personality has resurfaced.
What happened next was the last thing Levrier expected.
Val gave him the finger. "Go fuck a goat, you son of a bitch. If you think that I'm going back to that shitty hellhole of a torture chamber, then your head is even further up your ass than I thought."
What followed was dead silence, interrupted only by Lavi and Jesaia, who were applauding. Nobody had expected Val to say anything, let alone that. While the exorcists and most workers started to snicker, those who were on Levrier's side were worried.
Levrier was in shock. It wasn't possible that a broken mind just fixed itself perfectly in less than twelve hours. Something was going very wrong here, and Levrier needed to fix this before she blabbered out what exactly they had done to her. How did this happen? Then he realized, or so he thought. When would that boy stop screwing up his plans? "Allen Walker." He growled, but only Val heard him.
She smirked, but you could see in her eyes that what she saw disgusted her. "Getting warmer, shitface. Try to gather your last few braincells, who knows, they might have an idea before they expire. Either that, or they give you enough brainpower to learn how to think and speak at the same time. Hell, you might even learn how to read, isn't that great?"
Levrier noticed she had written something on her middle-finger. He took a closer look and read the words: FUCK OFF. He was about to say something, but Val raised her other middle-finger, and he read the second part of the message: AND DIE!
Things were going out of control, and Levrier wasn't willing to just let it happen. He grabbed Val's arm. "We have to get you back to Central immediately, your mind has been tempered with by the Noah."
"In your dreams. Are you hard of hearing as well as stupid? I'll say it nice and slow, so your puny little mind can understand it as well. I'm. Never. Going. Back. To. That. Hellhole. Ever. I have no intention of going through your electroshock-therapy again, thank you very much. And now let go of me."
Levrier pulled her closer so the other bystanders couldn't hear what he was saying. "I have no idea what happened to you, and I don't care. But you shouldn't get used to it, because before this day is over, you'll be in Central were we'll make sure that you return to what you were."
Val gave him a sweet smile, the kind were you get goosebumps and the strong urge to run away. "Oh really?" She asked. Levrier seemed confused for a moment, then he stiffened. He let go of Val while all males in the room gave a short moan of shared pain. Val had rammed her knee right into the area between Levrier's legs. "Don't touch me, you piece of shit." She whispered while Levrier collapsed.
Link seemed ready to make a step towards her, but he hesitated. Val smiled at him. "No need to come over here, he had it coming. He'll be fine, sadly." With that, she turned around and left.
End of Flashback
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Jesaia laughed. "Funniest thing I ever saw, Levrier looked like a goldfish. Since we're on topic, I'm gonna go look for Val, she seems much more fun now."
"Good luck, I'll be stuck for hours before I can even get to Hevlaska, stupid panda-jiji." Lavi waved his friend.
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Allen had finally managed to help Road to get rid of her homework, aka doing it for her. Road had vanished when Michael had warned them that Cyril was closing in fast. Before she left, Road had told him what memory of Noah Cyril held. It explained a lot. Road had just vanished when Cyril entered Allen's room.
"Have you ever heard of knocking?" Allen asked. Cyril ignored him and started to walk around the room, looking like a wolf trying to catch the scent of prey.
Allen started to sweat when Cyril froze and glared at him. "Road was here." He said, his eyes glowing dangerously.
Allen nodded, everything else would have just made Cyril suspicious. "Yes, she came here with Tyki to show me that he was alright again. The three of us had a short discussion and Road roped us into helping her with homework, then they left." Well, it was almost the truth, but something told Allen that telling Cyril that he and his step-daughter had been alone in the room. From what Road had said, Cyril had always been overprotective, and awakening as a Noah had only boosted that. Of all the memories Cyril could have gotten, why did he have to be Noah's Jealousy?
Cyril stared at him, then he nodded and left. Allen was about to relax, but then he saw the cat laying in his bed, right on the pillow. When did she get here? He sighed. "Hello Lulubelle, is something the matter?"
The cat walked towards him, then it changed shape, becoming the Noah of Lust. She looked at him. "I'm here to tell you that the Earl is away for a few days, and while he told us we could do whatever we liked while he was gone, as long as we don't get ourselves killed."
Allen scratched his head, that was not what he expected. "Well, thanks." He said. Then he noticed Lulubelle was looking at the Archangels, who were quietly leaning against the wall. "Is something wrong?" He asked.
Lulubelle looked at him. "I saw how you made those two."
Allen was getting a very bad feeling. "Ah, okay."
Lulubelle smiled at him and Allen got goosebumps. "I also saw what happened after you made them."
Allen paled until his face had the same color as his hair. For some reason, he preferred his human form. But this was the end of the world. Lulubelle would tell Cyril, and Cyril would slowly and brutally murder him.
Then he noticed Lulubelle was standing very close to him, her lips were right beside his left ear. "But, I think I'll just forget it for now." She whispered and left him to dwell in his fears.
Allen sighed. "I lucked out. I think. Sophia must really be doing a great job, she wanted to kill me not even a week ago. I must get Sophia a really good present for her birthday." But another thought crossed his mind. Lulubelle had said the Earl was gone, and Allen didn't doubt that. With what she knew, Lulubelle had no need to maneuver him into situations that make the Earl kill him, all she had to do was tell Cyril what she saw. How would he spend his free day? Maybe he could he visit a few friends, but how to assure his safety? He looked at Gabriel and smiled. Now he needed a plan. While the odds between the Earl and the Order would never be even close to even, maybe there was a way to keep them in the game a while longer.
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Jesaia blinked in surprise. He had found Val in one of the rarer used passages, just like he had expected. What he didn't expect were the twenty CROWs that were laying around her. Optically, they were unharmed, but they didn't seem to notice. A few were holding their limbs in pain, others seemed to think they were hurt on their torso. Jesaia wondered if Val had trapped them in some kind of nightmare. He was fairly certain that the CROWs were here under Levrier's order to capture Val, who apparently didn't want to be captured.
Jesaia decided to voice his biggest question. "Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?"
Val looked at him, it was obvious she hadn't noticed him yet. "Oh, hello Jesaia." She said, completely ignoring his question. One of the CROWs decided to use the opportunity and tried to attack Val from behind. Val glanced at him and the man suddenly froze, before collapsing like a puppet with cut strings.
Jesaia looked at the man's expression, which was surprisingly similar to how Val had looked before Allen Walker fixed her. "What did you to him, scratch that, what did you do to them?" Jesaia asked.
Val sighed. "Don't worry, they'll be just fine in a few days, a week at most."
Jesaia nodded. "good to know, but how did you do that? I mean..." He wanted to say more, but Val interrupted him. She walked towards him, grabbed the back of his head and pulled him into a deep kiss.
When she released him ten seconds later, Jesaia was in the world's most pleasant shock. Who cared about a few CROWs laying around on the floor, this incredibly hot and ever since Allen Walker decided to fix her mind, her personality had turned from dark and gloomy to just the type Jesaia liked, a really great personality possessing girl had just kissed him. She still wore black, but ever since she started to look like a person and not a doll, Jesaia noticed how good she looked in it. He regained his ability to speak. "Forget I said anything."
Val smirked in triumph and made a gesture towards the exit that said 'after you'.
Jesaia and Val left the corridor... and ran right into Levrier. The man was obviously surprised to see Val was still conscious and not at Central, but when he actually looked into the corridor, he snapped.
"Exorcist Nocturn, how dare you attack other members of the Black Order?!"
Val raised a brow. "What makes you think I did that?"
Levrier seemed to swell with rage. "Because Harlequin is the only other suspect, and he would have left scorch-marks. What kind of idiot do you think I am?"
Val and Jesaia looked at each other. "A very big one." They then answered in unison.
Levrier growled and grabbed Val by the throat, while using his other arm to keep Val from raising her flute to her lips. Jesaia pulled on his gloves to make sure they were on tight, before going into his usual stance for activation, just to remind Levrier just who had the power to actually do something in this situation. But it wasn't necessary.
Val whispered something only Jesaia could understand. "Hear me, my familiar from the second circle, warn who threatens me, your master, and let him feel your strength."
While neither Levrier nor Jesaia saw anything, the former of the two suddenly screamed in agony, let go of Val and held the arm he had used to hold her throat. Val looked at him.
"Don't worry, in a week or so, you'll feel like this never happened, just like your little birds back in the corridor. But take this as a lesson for the rest of your miserable life. You are a bureaucrat, when the shit hits the fan, you're cannon fodder at best, but more likely you'll be a hindrance, or dead weight, literally. I fight in these battles and I can actually win, I am an exorcist." 'For now.' She mentally added before continuing. "So little paper-pusher, the difference between the two of us is that you can easily be replaced, we just have to find a way to cross a maggot with a pig, maybe mix in a crocodile for the remorse. So you stick to your little world, you're not ready for the real one yet, and you probably never will be. And if you're messing with me, you're risking, and losing your soul." With that, she left.
Jesaia looked at her quickly vanishing form, then at Levrier. He shrugged. "What she said." With that, he left as well.
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Allen had decided to let the gate open three miles above the ground and twenty miles away from the Order. To his own surprise he had found out that his corruption power worked on gravity as well, allowing him to stay afloat. But gravity, along with space, time and reality, was too vast and powerful to suffer from the negative effects of his power. He would never be able to completely corrupt them, therefor he could use it on these forces as often as he wanted without them crumbling. His corruption of gravity allowed him the ability to float, he would never be able to fly. He could change the direction of the pull, but that wasn't really flying, it was just falling in a different direction, so he asked Gabriel to carry him, seeing that she could fly, and fly fast.
Gabriel smiled at him. "Of course, after all, I said I would serve and help you were I can."
Allen smiled as well. "Well then, I'd like to see a few old friends, do you think you could bring me there?" He pointed at the forest next to the actual Order. Gabriel nodded and brought them there in less than a minute. While a normal human would be severely injured by the speed, Noah's were sturdier. He sat down in a tree branch, leaning against the trunk while Gabriel vanished in the forest, invisible but ready to come to Allen's aid in a fraction of a second. Now all Allen had to do was wait.
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The news that Allen Walker was practically in their backyard traveled fast, and Lenalee, Crowry carrying Timothy because the boy just wasn't fast enough, Jesaia, wanting to see the boy outside of the battlefield, Miranda and the entire science division were running to the forest, only to find that someone them beat to him. Kanda was leaning against a tree, looking at Allen, who had left his resting place. Before him stood Valkyrie Nocturn.
"Hello Allen Walker, how are you?" She asked.
Allen smiled. "Please, call me Allen. And I'm doing quite well, thank you. I hope you are doing better as well?"
Everyone knew what that was referring to, now it was beyond a doubt. Allen Walker had healed Val from whatever Levrier and his crew had done to her. Val smiled. "Yes, things are a lot better, you have my thanks. But there is something I would like to know..."
Allen got a weird feeling and activated his eye, just in time to see a giant mouth filled with what looked more like white spears than teeth, but that was what they were, shoot right at him. Allen turned into his Noah-form, knowing he'd be overpowered as a human, and grabbed that weird creature by the teeth, his left arm holding the upper jaw in place, while his right one made sure that the lower jaws wouldn't snap upwards. But what disturbed Allen was not that this creature was invisible to everything but his left eye, it was the fact that the malice this creature was releasing seemed familiar. Where did he feel this before? His eyes widened. "Impossible." He muttered.
Lenalee and the others were more than confused. Allen had suddenly turned to his Noah-form and raised his arms, as if to intercept some kind of attack. At first they thought it was some kind of battle-stance, but then some invisible force pushed him back more than five feet. Then a wave of white light came out of the cross on his left hand and washed over what pushed him back, making it clearly visible for a few seconds.
It was snow-white and shaped like a elongated drop, only sideways. The front part, were the giant mouth was, was the widest and, if the mouth were closed, it would form a perfect half-orb. Right above the mouth they saw what seemed to be the creature's eyes. Since they were looking at its profile, they only saw one eye, but Allen could see the other one. There was no iris and no pupil, they only saw a rough eye-shape glowing in an infernal red. The rest of it was long, like a snake, with no limbs. It was at least fifteen feet long and the head, its widest part, was as big as Timothy was tall if the jaws were closed. After three seconds, the beast vanished again, but they knew it was still there.
Allen growled, he had identified that aura. "I thought I made sure that you would never have the chance to kill again, Friedrich Himmelhund." His voice was quiet, but everyone heard him.
Val shrugged. "You recognized him, I'm impressed. Well, that is a Hungry Ghost, it feeds on souls, or more precisely, it feeds on the malice, madness, basically the dark parts of the soul. They are usually only found in their realm, the second path of reincarnation, but I kept him as a familiar. He's not at full strength yet, he still has to devour 60% of his own evil and insanity, plus the stuff I have already fed him. Don't look at me like that, he only took chumps out of the souls, and only one head. While that leaves them in pain and the headless one a veggie, unlike bodies, souls heal such wounds in a week, maximum. But yes, that soul was once known as Friedrich Himmelhund, before he died and I made him one of my familiars. Not much of mind left, but he never had that much anyway, and he doesn't mind, he chose to become this by himself."
Allen looked at her. "So your flute can summon the souls of the departed?"
Val scratched her cheek. "Not exactly, I can only call upon those who are not at peace and roam this world. The souls who exist neither in heaven, in hell nor fade away in the Nirvana. Those who have things they want to see through, who are too bound to their earthly possessions or, as in this case, those who still want to do something. Pretty stupid if you ask me, since most of them can't even be seen or heard by humans, and none of them can have an influence on what happens in this world. They are mere observers, at most they can share information."
Allen, who was still holding of the monster that once was a mere lunatic, looked at her. "And how did you get him?"
Val smiled again. "You see, it was like this..."
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Flashback
Allen had just left her, free of the terrors that bound her ever since General Yeegar had found her. While the General had been a nice guy on their short journey together, he had handed her over to Central, one of the few things the man had never forgiven himself for the rest of his life. After she had been broken, or rather chained, as Allen had described it, she was returned to learn under the General. Yeegar had been beyond horrified when he saw the doll she had become, still remembering the lively little girl he brought to them, and had never again let anyone fall into Central's grasp until he died.
But what should she do with her freedom? She looked at the forest where Friedrich's corpse was, then she made a decision. "I'm sorry, Master Yeegar, but I'll have to break our promise. But now we are even, and I forgive you for what happened because you brought me there."
Invisible to her, an old man sadly nodded. His guilt had kept Kevin Yeegar from finding peace, the knowledge what he had done to a little girl full of hope. But those words finally set him at peace. He knew the girl would do what she thought was right, and even if she defected from the Order, she had his blessings. Knowing that she had forgiven him, he faded away, to rejoin his deceased loved ones. He had known that that promise would one day be broken.
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2nd Flashback
Seven-year-old Val was crying. Her hometown had been the battlefield between monsters and weird people, and everyone she knew was gone. Except for her little brother, Freyr. He was five, and he always said things like how he'd protect her. Val thought it was cute and she always cuddled him whenever he said it, much to the boy's annoyance. But now he was gone. Val looked everywhere, and in the end, she found him.
She wished she didn't. Her family was attacked by the monsters and they all turned to dust, but this was much worse. Her brother was impaled on a stake that seemed to be made of earth, but he was still alive, if only barely. The spike had impaled his stomach and the stomach-acid had already messed him up beyond help. He whispered something about watching out for a bald man, then he closed his eyes, never to open them again. Val screamed for help, and suddenly a man appeared. He was wearing a jacket similar to the ones the weird men were wearing, and he pulled her brother from the spike. Then he looked at her.
"Your brother is gone, there is nothing we can do to help him. You have to be strong now, and don't forget this: The dead never come back. As much as we want them, you cannot resurrect someone without turning him into a monster."
Val wasn't really listening. She was still holding the flute her parents gave her as a birthday present, then it started glowing. Her brother was standing in front of her, see-through, but smiling.
"I'll always protect you. If you need me, I'll be your guardian angel." He said, then he vanished.
The man looked at her. "Little girl, what's your name? I'm Kevin Yeegar."
"I'm Valkyrie Nocturn."
He smiled. "Valkyrie, huh. The Shield Maidens that fly over the battlefield, collecting the souls of the worthy that fell there, how fitting. Well Valkyrie, can you promise me something?"
Val looked at him with tear-filled eyes. "Yes, what?" She asked.
The man's face became very serious. "There are people who might want to hurt you because of what you can do. You have to promise me that you'll never call someone who is dead, okay? Can you do that for me?" She nodded. "Okay, in return, I'll take you with me, does that sound nice? I'll tell you what you need to know later, this is neither the time nor the place for that discussion." With that, he took her hand and softly pulled her away from her brother's corpse, from her family's ashes, from her former life.
End of 2nd Flashback
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Val looked at the man that had caused her much sorrow. She had known for a long time that he was the one who killed her brother, and now she knew why. As much as she hated the man, there might be a use for him, especially the one she had planned. If things went right, Friedrich would nothing more than her mindless pet. And Friedrich didn't deserve the worldly immunity of dead.
She raised the flute to her lips. "Level 3 activate. Forbidden Melody, Postmortem of Hades"
The shadows seemed to flow together, and a moment later, Friedrich was standing in front of her, with a few differences.
"You look like shit." She commented. It was true, Friedrich looked like he'd been shoved in a meat grinder. He was standing hunched, as if pulled down by invisible weights. Chains were sprouting out of his back like hair, Val guessed his victims had once been wrapped up in them, now they were just dragging on the ground, giving the impression the man was chained to the ground. The man's face was twisted by his own evil, but now it just looked pathetic.
Friedrich looked at her. "You seem better, judging from the mouth you have developed. It's always the quiet ones. Why have you called me?" His voice was like dry leaves in the wind.
"Simple," Val answered. "I want you. I want to turn you into a familiar of mine, one I can use on the battlefield."
Friedrich laughed. "I knew you were dangerous from the moment I laid eyes on you. I could always tell that you would one day be very dangerous. So to sum it up, I have the choice of becoming your probably mindless slave to do all the dirty work, or returning to my eternal rest, undisturbed by the likes of you and that pesky Harlequin, did I get that right?"
He was clearly mocking her, but Val remained calm. "Yes. What do you choose?"
Friedrich remained silent, then he grinned. "Friss mich Schwarze Witwe."
End of Flashback
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"And that's how it went." Val finished with a shrug.
Allen nodded. "Very interesting, could you now remove your little pet?"
Val shook her head. "I'm sure you can knock him out yourself, and I wouldn't want to ruin your fun."
Allen sighed. "I take no joy in fighting, but if you insist..."
With that, Allen pushed himself off the ground with his right foot. But against the expectations, he didn't jump to the left. Instead, he remained at the same spot, but was spinning at an unbelievably fast rate. It looked like Allen had become a drill, he was spinning so fast that you couldn't make out any details. What they couldn't see was that not only was the Ghost spinning with him, Allen pumped a bit of his power into it, giving it a solid body. Then he landed on his feet, slamming the phantom into the ground. Hard. It was out cold. Everyone looked at him.
"Allen, what was that?" Lenalee asked, speaking for the first time.
Allen smiled at her. "On one of my journey's with my stupid master, we came across a river filled with crocodiles. One of them had just killed a buffalo and was using something called the Death Roll to rip out chunks of flesh. My stupid master said that for someone like me, whose entire body was basically a weapon, learning something like this might help. Then he grabbed me and threw me in the river. Nearly killed me. My master is a sadist, and he has a few major screws loose."
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Inside of the Order, Cross suddenly sneezed. "Someone must be talking about me." He muttered.
Klaud looked at him. "Probably someone you owe money." She said.
"Or someone that you nearly killed with your actions." Tiedoll added.
Klaud looked at him. "That doesn't exactly narrow it down much, does it?"
Tiedoll shook his head. "We've managed to reduce the number of suspects to about a third of the world's population."
"Or maybe it was a beautiful woman." Cross muttered.
Both Generals looked at him. Then they spoke in unison. "Possible, but not likely."
Cross actually nodded. "It was probably just my stupid apprentice."
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Everyone shuddered at this story. Cross was really not someone for careful teaching of children.
Val suddenly activated her Battle-song of Thor and charged at Allen, who dodged a few blows as his eyes widened. Then he grabbed her arms. "I'm sorry, but that's not what I came here for, next time."
With that, he threw her into some bushes fifty feet away. He looked at his friends and smiled. Lavi was missing, which made the mission he gave his Innocence much easier.
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Lavi had somehow managed not to get the message that Allen was there, so after he finished his workload, he went down to Hevlaska.
"Hevlaska, there's something I want to ask you. Did you feel anything special about the Level 5 that was here?"
Hevlaska looked at him. "Yes, he was a being I have never seen before, something that I never thought would come into existence."
That made Lavi curious. "Why? What's wrong with him?"
Hevlaska looked at him. "He is a being of opposing forces. He is Dark Matter, yet at the same time, he is Innocence. He is a being that is a perfect balance of light and darkness. That is also the reason he was able to stand before me. When we were attacked, sacrificing myself to the Level 4 was more of a bluff, the Cube sends out energy-waves that quickly crumbles beings of Dark Matter. Even Noah react to those waves, but in their case they seem to feel pain in their heads and start to cry. I believe that the waves from the Cube neutralize something else. But because that Level 5 was also partially made of Innocence, he was immune. But..."
Lavi wondered why she stopped, but then he turned around and saw... his face. Or rather, the reflection of his face in a silver mask. He was facing Crown Clown. The living cloak looked at him, then it rushed to Hevlaska. It's left arm sunk into her and seemed to search for something. Then it pulled out a piece of Innocence and turned to Lavi.
The fabric of the cloak started to change form, until it took the shape of a map of the world. Then it tapped the Innocence on the map and a green circle formed at the edges until it closed in a small part of Norway.
The map changed and Lavi realized what was going on. If Allen's Innocence held another piece of Innocence, it could detect its user, and now it was showing him were to find him or her. Lavi had a feeling that Crown Clown had picked the strongest piece of Innocence Hevlaska held. He pulled off the eye-patch to make sure he remembered the map correctly. It had changed, or rather zoomed in three times already, and after the fifth zoom, a small dot appeared. Then the entire process started over. After the second run Lavi nodded at the cloak, showing that he had memorized it. The cloak returned the Innocence and used the distraction of Hevlaska taking it back in to vanish.
It had fulfilled its mission: Get the strongest piece of Innocence stored in the Order and show them were its user is. Only Hevlaska and whoever you show it to may see you, and if possible, make sure it's Lavi.
Meanwhile, Lavi sprinted to inform Bookman and the Generals he deemed trustworthy. It would probably be best if Klaud Nine took this mission, she could socialize best with others.
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Allen had returned to the branch and had a long chat with his friends, when Levrier appeared, a group of CROWs in tow. Gabriel decided this was the moment to step in. She activated her ability, its permanent center Allen, meaning he would always be in the center of the field, seeing as this one was mobile. Its setting was banish, so there shouldn't be any casualties.
Levrier stared at the woman. Her hair was blond and she had a body to die for. Then he ran into the barrier. He nearly broke his nose as he stumbled back. Then he noticed something. While the woman's iris was as blue as the ocean, the actual eyeball was pitch-black. The woman was a Level 5.
"Who are you?!" He shouted at the woman, who looked at him.
"I am Archangel Gabriel." She answered.
Levrier was near insane in his rage. "How dare an abomination like you claim that name?! You are an Akuma, not an angel!"
"That is correct," Gabriel answered while a unnaturally thin raven landed on Allen's outstretched left hand. That bird probably hadn't seen any food for weeks. Gabriel looked at it but it was just a normal raven and Allen didn't seem to mind, so she continued. "but all Level 5 were put together to a group that was given that name."
Levrier gasped. "How many of you are there?" He asked.
Allen felt his Innocence return to the inside of his body and smirked. It was about time to leave, lest the Earl find out something. He looked at Levrier. "Currently three, it's not easy to get the materials required to make them. I might make more later. When I visit again, I might let you meet Uriel."
Levrier snorted. "You're not leaving here, you're staying with us."
Allen raised a brow. "Oh really?"
Levrier grinned. "Yes, we'll break this barrier, knock you out and drag you through that door!"
Allen couldn't resist making a rhyme out of that sentence. "Quote the raven: Nevermore."
With that, he channeled his power into the raven, who was suddenly bigger than most horses. Allen flung himself on the birds shoulders and turned to the others. "We'll see each other soon. Oh, and tell Lavi I'm sorry I couldn't see him." After that, the raven took off and was flying at a speed even Gabriel couldn't easily match. This raven, an ordinary, half-starved bird before it met Allen, was almost as fast as a Level 5 at full speed! Gabriel was impressed, both with the bird and her master.
Allen meanwhile seemed lost in thoughts. He had a feeling things would soon become very hectic. He had been right in his suspicion about the girl, Valkyrie Nocturn. He remembered the words she had whispered to him when she charged at him:
"Please, take me with you."
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Chapter 17 is done. Longest one I've ever written, twice as long as my usual length, and there is a reason for that. But for now, my usual questions:
1. Well, I finally revealed Allen's power, how do you like it?
2. I've recycled Friedrich, I like to use things as long as they last. Friedrich is now practically a mindless monster that wants to devour everything, like a floating shark in a feeding frenzy. And the more evil he devours, the stronger he becomes. Who thought he was gone for good, and how do you like me reusing him?
3. I've turned a animal into... lets call it Allen's familiar. What to you think he can do and how do you like the idea?
4. For Allen's poetic streak, I've used something out of a fairly well-known poem. Anyone knows which poem by whom? It's kinda obvious, but still.
5. The usual, How did you like it, what can I do better, etc...?
6. Tell me what you want to tell me.
German lesson: What Friedrich said roughly translates to: Devour me Black Widow (take either meaning you like). Since both he and Val are Germans, I thought that he would give his answer in their native tongue.
As for why this chapter is so long, there is a simple reason: It's an apology. Firstly for how long you had to wait, but more importantly because there will most likely be no new chapter the next few weeks. I haven't lost interest in this fic, don't worry. The problem is, when I started writing, I had no idea how this would story end myself, I just wrote to write. Now I have figured how I want this to end, but I'm not sure how to get there. I plan on one or two more exorcists and a new trick for the Order, and more Noah and maybe another Archangel or a few Deminoah.
By the way, anyone else find this ironic? I invent Deminoah and a week later, the author reveals Half-Akuma. Funny how the world works, but coincidents happen. Not sure if I'll use the Half-Akuma, but if I do, they only get minor roles.
As for evening out the powers, I do have something planned, but let's be realistic here. Even in canon it's obvious that the Earl is much more powerful and could destroy the Order anytime he really wanted. At the beginning of the series, 3-4 Level 3's would have been enough to annihilate them. And the Level 4 were never shown before it was impossible for the Earl to keep them a secret any longer. The Earl was playing with the Order, they were never a real threat. To show you how serious he took the Order: Allen's Innocence activated right in front of him, Allen was helpless and what did he do? He let him get away. He has the power to vaporize a city, yet he ran away when he met him the second time. To the Earl, the entire war is a game. Anyone ever play that Castlevania game for PS2 where the hero uses a whip? The Earl is kinda like the vampire king in there. He plays with his opponents out of boredom, knowing he can't lose. (Yet in the end he dies, because he underestimated his opponent, letting him become too strong. Main mistake of every villain, he never takes out the hero while he's still weak.)
Anyways, ideas for characters, weapons, scenes, anything would really help. I don't expect entire chapters, maybe just some inspiration. I'm looking for stuff myself of course, but help is always appreciated and almost never bad. If things go as bad as I fear, the next chapter will probably be out in a month, give or take a week, depending on what school forces me to do.
I thank all my readers, special thanks to my reviewers and I bow before those who might send me an idea that would speed up the appearance of my next chapter.
I said what needed to be said so now it's your turn to speak:
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