A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews.
Freefan1412: You are absolutely right. Kanda can't properly live without a solid goal for long. He surely won't be a mere assistant to Allen. He is as important as Allen is in Synthetic Soldiers.
Dragon Silhouette: The characters really have gone through great changes. Though they should keep some of their traits from canon, some things just won't be the same. For example, I can't have Kanda treating Tiedoll very poorly, considering the general was the one who not only rescued him, but provided him with a pleasant lifestyle for the fist time. In D. Gray-Man, it seems like Kanda has to serve the Black Order quickly after leaving the laboratory. Here, he has been shielded from it, and is somehow free. Kanda is no sweetheart, but in this fic he has no proper reason to treat Allen and Tiedoll as he does in the manga. He may be short-tempered, but there will be no hate in it.
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Synthetic Soldiers
7 – Death road
1811
Hours before the Black Order was informed of the destruction of the Second Exorcist project, one of their synthetic soldiers was already long gone. Without an ally to aid him in this new life, Allen could only hope his memories and instincts would guide him.
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Not long after his making his decision, Allen left the wreckage. Without any idea of where in the globe he was or which direction he should take, he strode towards an arbitrary route. He only wanted to create distance between himself and the laboratory as quickly as possible. The building itself was done for, but he was sure the true consequences of its destruction had yet to make themselves known.
But they couldn't be any worse than the greater one, the death of his friend. Feeling the grief trying to take over once more, Allen forced it down. He wanted to focus on his rage and push the distress down to the recesses of his mind, but anger wasn't an endless emotion, and would eventually run out. So he allowed his determination towards an important objective to clear his mind. The boy couldn't avoid thinking about Yuu forever, but he would, for now. It wouldn't do to fall apart in the middle of nowhere.
Allen's walk through the forest was not as fast as it could be. His enhanced body was already healed and fit, but his mind was in a less than perfect state. Warring inside of him were two contradicting elements, his heart and his mind. Because his heart insisted that he should go back and look for his friend's body; Yuu shouldn't be left to rot in the place that tortured him for his whole life. But his mind, always rational, argued that going back was a rash course of action. It would be almost impossible to find Yuu below all the heavy wreckage of the underground lab, and he would likely be caught by the Black Order before he did it.
Allen stumbled, losing his speed, before he finally stopped to lean against a tree. His vision was unfocused. The image of the brown earth, the fallen leaves and the many trees distorted until it was eventually unrecognizable, and he already knew what it meant. Another memory.
He was sitting somewhere. It wasn't stable. A wooden boat. It swayed as they – he and a masked man who carried a great backpack – navigated through the water tunnel passage.
There was tension in the air. Wherever they were going, there would be some sort of conflict.
"When will we reach the church?"
"I estimate approximately thirty hours, Master Walker. That man of the white suit will be the-"
"Shh," said Allen, raising a finger to his lips. "We are still in the Order, my friend."
The scene fell apart, and with it the sense of urgency and secrecy that he had felt. Water solidified into earth, and the stone walls and boat disappeared together with his mysterious companion, leaving only trees and the clear sky. He breathed slowly, trying to focus. It was always hard to adapt to the transitions, and remember where he was before everything happened.
Ever since the start of his journey, the visions had been happening in a greater frequency than ever before. And he knew why. In order to be recognized by his Innocence, he had finally acknowledged the fact that Allen Walker wasn't just a memory, but himself. He had embraced that side in detriment to this new, artificial one. And in exchange for his weapon and newfound power, he was now forced to accept his true personality, as the fragments of an old life were forcefully excavated from his mind.
And so, his march continued – uncertain, with frequent stops. Two minutes of walk, and then twenty seconds of recollection. Another five minutes of walk, and then a minute in the past. An escape that should have been fast and efficient was reduced to an uncertain treading of a battered looking boy through the silent woods that circled his 'birthplace'.
The trees that circled the laboratory were few, and not the forest he had initially imagined. As soon as he found his way out of them, he was presented to dry, infertile earth and an empty horizon that promised a long walk under the harsh sun. Steeling himself, he marched forwards, wondering what sort of desert the laboratory had been built into. He'd just gotten out, but this ugly sight had to be unnatural. Once away from the trees' shadows, the refreshing breeze disappeared, revealing how truly hot the temperature was around here. The walk went on, and little changed, the horizon always the same. To his relief, the memories stopped. Allen knew his pace was steady and fast, as permitted by his modified constitution. So how long would it be until he found a place to rest?
The young Exorcist eventually found a road, and he let out a breath of relief. A road would lead somewhere, and perhaps help him meet others. Even as he closed his eyes, he could see them in his mind – roads filled with people and their children, animals and carts. The roads were paved with dark stones, he remembered, and everyone was in such a hurry. He was standing in the sidewalk, and someone he had been looking for was on the other side, the image sometimes blocked by the carriages that would run between them. This person – a man dressed in elegant robes and sporting a top hat – smiled in recognition, and beckoned him closer-
And just like that, it was over. Loud noises of human voices and wooden wheels over the pavement subdued until they finally disappeared, and he was once more in the present. The dead silence and utter emptiness of the place contrasted against his vivid memories in a disheartening way. This road was barely paved, old and almost completely covered by earth, but still visible. He started following it, hoping for a change in the scenario soon. The boy started conjuring pleasant thoughts. He would find people soon. He would get information and sustenance. A road was here, and a road was a good sign.
Ten minutes later, he found the first bones.
Morbid curiosity made him started digging around them, temporarily forgetting his rush to move. The bones were of a human, he noticed, after unearthing them with apprehension. Despite his hopes that they would belong to some animal, as soon as Allen excavated the skull, he knew it wasn't true. The young Exorcist wondered, with heavy uneasiness, what had happened to this person who had been unlucky enough to die in a deserted place – and, of course, whether the cause of that death still lingered in the area. Carefully setting the bones back in their place, he resumed his march, now in an unconsciously slower pace in his journey to find living people.
Only remains of them could be found.
The bones he had seen at the start of his travel had only been the first of a series of mortal remains, from people and from animals, though the first appeared more frequently. Every three hundred meters or so, Allen would find some new memento of a tragedy – corpses, skeletons, and carts that had been turned upside down and were now being destroyed by time. Each bone, old piece of clothing or ruined equipment told the story of the fallen. It came to a point where he stopped checking every carcass, because they were becoming too much of a normal occurrence. He tried to be detached, but his hands trembled slightly.
With a lump in his throat, Allen resumed the now painful walk. He almost gave up on ever finding anyone, but the thought was too unproductive to his quest. Still, he couldn't avoid feeling like he was treading in a death road, and that the only thing that awaited him in the end was his own demise, his corpse soon to join the hundreds of others he'd already seen. His senses screamed for him to leave, but to where? Both the left and the right of the road looked discouraging, and going back would mean returning to his starting point.
What had happened to the utopic world that would glimmer in front of him so often back then? Had Yuu been right? Were they just pathetic delusions?
No, this isn't it, he thought, because he knew it wasn't, and also so he could calm himself. That world did exist. I'm just in a new, unpleasant part of it. Or... something happened to the life I once knew.
Realizing his pace had drastically slowed due to fear, he chided himself and forced his legs to work as fast as they had before.
When he finally found a town, he was so emotionally weary that he didn't breath a sigh of relief. Walking towards it anyway, he noticed the dilapidated state of the buildings and the dead silence. As expected, it was abandoned, and likely filled with more mortal remains.
Decided to try and find something useful, or even just hide from the punishing sun under one of the tattered roofs, Allen chose a house that seemed to be in a better state, which wasn't saying much considering the whole place overall. Entering it, he found ruined furniture and objects that were already being crushed by time.
He sat on an old chair, but just as he finally allowed his weight to rest over it completely, it fell apart under him. Unprepared for this, he fell together with it.
Somehow, that was the last straw. Sitting in the dirty floor over the broken wood, Allen started trembling. Feeling that persistent desperation that had been trying to overcome him this whole day return stronger than ever before, he drew his knees up and folded his arms, hiding his face in them and attempting to find some comfort in the darkness. Breathing a deep, shaky breath, he tried to calm himself and think. Yes, he was in a new environment. Yes, it wasn't what he had expected. Yet Allen wasn't a child, but an adult, one with experience in this world, if he would only properly unlock it. Diving in the recesses of his mind, he tried to recall memories of catastrophic roads filled with death and abandoned cities and how to deal with them, but there was nothing. His mind was filled mostly by places full of life and other people, areas favored by nature's beauty. His current reality wasn't like that at all, however, and he felt the cold fear washing over him in waves. He was alone and confused, the memories he unlocked were useless and Yuu was dead-
"Why, look at this, guys," said the voice of a young person. "What do we have here?"
"That's quite an young one, ain't he?" answered another. Allen tensed, his heart beating fast. There were other people here. How so?
He'd been looking for someone for hours, so one would expect him to quickly get up and greet them. Still, he had yet to look up from the shelter of his folded arms. Though he should have been glad to have finally found company, this situation only added up to the number of odd occurrences he could not explain. This place was abandoned and seemed devoid of any sort of provisions. Why would anyone be investigating the houses?
You are, he pointed out to himself.
"Hey, little boy. Hey, hey," said a female voice, sounding playful. Allen finally raised his read.
There were four children in front of him, of varying ages. Three were boys and one was a girl. Their clothes were in an immaculate state and didn't fit the ruins around them. They didn't look like they had even sweated; it was as if their bodies and garments ignored the dirt and the heat around them.
"What happened to you, little tyke?" asked the youngest child, slightly smaller than Allen, staring at the Exorcist's ruined clothes. It was strange to be referred to as a child by someone who was clearly younger than Allen himself.
As he examined the four strangers, his left eye suddenly twitched once, twice, until the discomfort became unbearable; bothered, he rubbed it, but to no avail. To his alarm, whenever he looked at the strangers, his eye would burn and, when he looked away, it would feel relieved somehow.
"What is it, hun? Aw, you are so cute I could eat you whole," cooed the girl in an atypical manner, before moving Allen's hand and white hair away from the left side of his face, and revealing his scar. Her eyes widened at the sight. The friendly expression on the children fell apart. More than that, the place where the black haired girl was touching him felt positively horrible; his heart beat fast and his body was rigid with adrenaline. What was happening? They were just average, young people, and he was a strong, modified Apostle. An Exorcist. What did he fear?
He watched the girl's eyes. They were a normal brown with black pupils, very much like those of many scientists. Still, they made his insides feel frozen, as if her mere stare was a threat to his life. As if whatever she kept hidden behind her gaze was evil and vicious.
Unable to stand it anymore, he got up. His eye was now positively on fire, irradiating pain to the left side of his brain.
"You carry our symbol," whispered the girl in an absolutely inhuman voice. He didn't know what it sounded like, but it shouldn't be coming out of the mouth of a person. "But you aren't one of us."
Allen was finally able to open his hurting eye.
He screamed.
His right eye saw nothing but normal children standing in the ugly house, the expressions in their faces the only sign that something was wrong. The left eye, however, saw the world in inverted colors and, above each person, there were other people, wounded ones, chained to the bodies and floating above them in a strangely incorporeal form, screaming as if going through the worst kind of torture, their faces hollowed out skulls, deformed and consumed by death. Dead, yet alive, and radiating evil. His heart almost stopped.
"Aah... ahh," moaned Allen in panic, staring at them with both eyes wide and filled with tears. He thought he had seen ugly things, but that was the absolutely worst. This was horrible and, for a moment, he wanted nothing more than to wake up inside the clinically clean walls of the laboratory, Yuu by his side, as they contemplated what to do with their day – something that wouldn't involve seeing such a sight.
"I don't like this," said the tallest boy, who was tired of staying silent. Even though the image of the floating, tortured person remained above him as it was, his physical body contorted and snapped until it morphed into a grotesque creature of the sort not even his worst nightmares had been able to conjure until now. The other children seemed unfazed and did the same, and he was soon facing four enormous monstrosities that advanced for him.
Maybe his memories had finally decided to make themselves useful, and helped him do what he should to survive. Or perhaps it had been his Innocence's automatic reaction to evil – wasn't it supposed to destroy monsters? The fact was that in a matter of minutes he had all of his enemies torn into pieces and fallen to the ground, the house now nothing more than pieces of rubble scattered everywhere. Under the strong sun rays, he watched as the bodies dissolved into disgusting, dark smoke he instinctively knew he shouldn't come too close to.
And then he watched as the ethereal chains that tortured the ghost-like people broke apart, their otherworldly bodies slowly turning into a more human like form, before they smiled in relief and, together, faded into nothing. The sight felt right, somehow.
Still, it was too much for him to take.
Allen finally allowed himself to collapse, now that there seemed to be no danger imminent. His left eye finally stopped hurting, and he could see the world as it should be with both his eyes. His arm retreated to its usual form, the noxious poison that filled the air and the destroyed house the only clues to what had happened.
Sobbing, he quickly marched away from the place, not really knowing where he was going to, only that it should be far away from the still dissolving remains of his would be murderers. Images of extensive claws, malevolent eyes and salivating, feral mouths mixed with machinery replayed themselves again and again. The only thing he could think about was that this wasn't what the world should be like. It shouldn't be horrible, not to this extent. Was there anything to look forward to? Where were the things his beautiful visions promised him in times of blessed ignorance?
A few minutes later, it started again – it was as if the traumatizing events had fed Allen's mind's abilities of recollection. Not far from the ruined city, they returned – many visions that would once more fill his world, in the same dramatically increased frequency. Every hundred steps or so, they would make themselves known, forcing the boy to stand still and let them unfold.
"The fervor and precision with which you destroy these creatures surprises me, Walker," said a young man who, despite his age, exuded authority and power to anyone who looked at his harsh face. "I'm almost believing the stories about your eye."
"They are true, sir," he heard himself say with a deceptively polite voice.
A fist hit the desk between them, making two pens and a small, golden decorative statue fall. A cup of wine tumbled and broke apart in the floor. None of the men paid it any mind. "Cut it out, Walker! Akuma, with souls? Don't make me laugh!" he screamed, for once losing his usually cold façade. "We are fighting a war against these monsters! You can't spread such nonsense without ruining the morale of those with a soft heart! From now on-"
The office disappeared, and Allen felt somehow relieved. No matter how horrible and lonely the desert he currently found himself in, he felt this man from his past was someone who had caused him no small amount of distress.
A few more steps. Was there something in front of him? If only he could reach it...
"What... what have you done?" sobbed an inconsolable woman, who had watched his actions with horror. He'd managed to kill the demon so fast it hadn't been able to transform; that, however, would only make the scene worse in her eyes.
"I'm deeply sorry, madam," said Allen, commanding his Innocence to deactivate. "Your daughter is dead – she has been long before I came. She was turned into Akuma. That must have happened long ago, considering how much it evolved. I know it is hard to believe, but-"
"You are lying!" she screeched. "Filthy demon! I've been living with her ever since she was a baby! I would have known... I would..." she fell apart into desperate sobs.
Allen's hands clenched into tight fists. Sometimes, dealing with relatives could be the hardest part in a battle. "Soma Akuma can perfectly imitate the behavior of the human whose place they stole, ma-"
"G-get out," sobbed she, before her voice heightened back into a scream. "Curse you, Exorcist! Curse you! I wish you burn in hell for doing this to my daughter!"
Allen breathed in and out, slowly. This had been horrible. He could remember it, and now, many more occasions where he had to do this hard job. Akuma would frequently remain with the family of the deceased person whose body they were occupying. Armed with their memories and mannerisms, they had been known to be able to fool close friends and family for years, while killing people from nearby communities and avoiding neighbors in order to avoid unwanted attention. Families rarely believed an Exorcist's explanation for the impostor's demise. Many mothers, fathers, siblings, daughters, sons, friends and other countless people had cursed the very sight of him, likely loathing the red haired young man until the day they died.
This time, he managed more steps before the new interruption. He could see it – down the hill, there was an enormous city, much different to the ruined one of before. Perhaps this one would –
Above the strongest Akuma, a soul was bound – but not like the others. It was completely disfigured and twisted in a bizarre position, thrashing in pain that reverberated inside Allen's eye and also in his soul. Another person damned to unearned, eternal pain, unless he did something to end it.
He wanted to end this vision, but the fact that it was being played by his mind didn't allow him to avert his eyes. Losing strength, he fell to his knees. The vision was very much like what he saw earlier that day, only worse. It was only through great resolve that he managed to force himself to continue after it melted away, despite the fragility of his mind.
The city he found many meters below after a downhill should be a relief. From his advantageous point of view, he could see some of the inside – many buildings in good state littered the place. It was clearly well cared for and lived in. The enormous walls that surrounded it, however, looked forbidding and dangerous.
It must be because of the monsters, he thought. The Akuma. If they were roaming free, it was only natural any community that wished to live would employ means to keep them out. While the whole scenario bothered him, the fact was that this was his first vision of an almost normal human community in a long time. He just wanted to enter there and rest. With his stressful experiences heaving his mind, plus the tiredness and pain from the long walk in the harsh environment, Allen needed sleep and nourishment before he was well enough to trace his next course of action.
Descending the hill in weary feet, he finally reached the large wall. It was made of stone and seemed quite sturdy. He started circling it. The whole wall was filled with signs that seemed none too friendly, but he couldn't read. That made him frown. He knew he had been literate in the past. But as he thought about the few recollections of reading, he knew the writing was of another language. He gulped, realizing that yes, this place wasn't, by any means, the one he had lived in for years before... dying? Being caught by the Black Order and turned into a child?
He finally reached a point where the wall stopped, to give way to an enormous gate made of iron. It was so tall his neck hurt to look at its top. There, many meters over him, were two people he could barely see. They were in uniforms, hopefully not related to the Black Order, and held weapons. This made him apprehensive but, hopefully, he looked unthreatening enough that they would put them down and let him in.
"Hey, Daichi, look," said one of the guards before Allen could try to get their attention. "A child!"
The other turned at him, but Allen couldn't see the expression on his face because of the distance. "It... does look like one," he thought the man said.
Look like? How so?
"Look at his state, Daichi," said the other with a pained voice. "I wonder what the poor boy's been through out there... we've got to do something!"
"Are you insane?" questioned the other, sounding incredulous. "Of course we can't do anything. You know the rules. And he is most likely a-"
"Shut up! He's covered in blood and looks like he will fall over any time! I always knew the conditions outside were harsh, but... to a little boy... oh my God, I can't stand it. Wait a moment, I will find a way to help him."
"You can't possibly be thinking of allowing him to enter!" exclaimed Daichi, sounding scandalized and ready to shoot his own friend down if need be.
"O-of course not. They would have our heads. But new clothes and food... it wouldn't be a problem, right?"
"I... don't know," said he. "Well, perhaps. It's not like it would help him if he is an Akuma. But make sure to lower the stuff without getting in his range, you could-"
Allen listened to the talk with some difficulty, and also apprehension. This was far from the welcome he expected. As he pondered on what to do – food and clothes would be great, but he really didn't want to be let out for who knows how long – an unlucky breeze hit him. It messed with his tattered clothes and also his hair, displaying, for a moment, the scar he'd had for as long as he could remember – even before waking up in a new world.
"Have you seen that?!" the older guard screeched, and the other nodded, before quickly shooting. It was a miracle that Allen's reflexes allowed him get out of the bullets' way. They sank in the ground he was once in, and he stared in wild surprise at the people who had, seconds ago, been thinking about aiding him. Allen had jumped a good distance away.
"Those movements... inhuman! I knew it! He is one of these monsters. He was one all along! And we almost... we almost..."
"Stay there. I'm calling central."
Still quite confused but smart enough to know staying around here would do him no good, the Exorcist quickly ran away, towards a forest he had seen beyond the city.
Once there, he found himself alone once more. The sun was now retreating and giving way to the night. Allen stared at the darkening sky in relief. Being amidst trees also made him feel better than on an endless desert. His body had taken quite a tool from the harsh day, however, and even walking was tiring. He leaned heavily against a tree, hoping his head would stop spinning. This was a different kind of pain than the one he was used to. He was used to heavy damage to his body, that would heal in a few hours. This time, nothing had hurt him badly since the lab, and he had healed back then. Still, tiredness filled him completely, and he wondered why that was so. Surely a synchronization session was harder than a day in the sun.
His stomach grumbled loudly. Ah, there is that. I've never been hungry before. Is that it?
Feeling uncomfortable by being on the floor, he climbed a tall tree, resting on one of its sturdier branches. Nausea hit him and he had to brace himself in order not to fall. While he usually would be sure falling from fifteen meters would do nothing to him, this day had been absurd enough for him to fear even that. The memories could also come back any time, temporarily cutting his link to the real world. They had stopped ever since he saw the city, and he wondered what else could trigger them.
The sound of dry leaves being crushed under boots made him tense. There was someone coming. Still, he couldn't think of a better place to hide in than the one he currently was in.
Below him there was a travelling couple. They had a horse and three large bags, the heavier one being carried by the animal. Allen shivered after remembering what happened the last time he saw civilians, but since his eye didn't show him any nightmarish visions, he supposed they could be safe. Still, he would watch before making any sort of movement.
"I think this is a good place for us to stay, Hinami. It is getting dark," said the man, stopping the horse. "And we are too close to Nagoya. It's better if they don't see us."
"You're right... let us rest here. Tomorrow morning, we continue our walk," answered 'Hinami', who sounded tired.
They started unpacking some things. From the large pack the horse carried they removed a tent, which they proceeded to set. Then they put a blanket over the grass, sitting cross legged over it and pulling some food out of baskets.
Allen couldn't take it anymore. His stomach rumbled loudly, startling him and the ones he observed.
"What was that?" asked the woman, sounding alarmed. Giving up on hiding, the boy dropped from his place in the branches and slowly walked from the woods and towards the couple, trying to seem as unthreatening as possible. He was tense for any possible threat that could arise. The imagery of his last fight had yet to leave his mind, and he suspected it never would.
"Hi," he said dumbly, surprised at his hoarse voice. He cleared his throat. "Um, hello."
The woman was incredibly tense, and stared frantically at the backpack a few meters from her, as if thinking about protecting her possessions… or drawing some weapon. The man also jumped in fright, before frowning at the sight of Allen and taking a few steps towards the boy, eyes shining with some sentiment the white haired Exorcist couldn't comprehend.
"Hello, boy," said the man. "I'm Hideki. Are you lost?"
Allen nodded, because it was the truth. His stomach rumbled once more. It seemed like it wouldn't stay silent from now on.
"Come here. We have some food, and we will share it with you. Would you like that?"
"Hideki!" exclaimed the woman, eyeing Allen as if he would jump and kill them at any moment.
"We've been helped in the past, Hinami," said the man, who was now taking more food from the bag and placing it over the fabric in the floor. He gestured for Allen to come close, and the boy did so, picking a nearby cake. The first bite had him sighing with relief. The man saw that and gave him a sad smile. The woman, however, huffed and busied herself with more unpacking.
"My name is Hideki," he said once more, "and that was Hinami. What about you?"
Allen frowned. He didn't want to give out his real name. "I'm Nea," he finally answered, knowing that if he hesitated for too long he would know it was a lie. Allen didn't know where the name came from. It wasn't any name he could remember but, strangely, it was the first that came on his mind. "I just came from there," he continued, pointing towards the imposing walls that could still be seen from their spot amidst the woods. "I tried to talk to the people in there, but they attacked me, and I had to flee."
The man had his eyebrows raised. He then sighed, patting Allen's head. The boy almost flinched, but held back.
"You must be new to living alone. I will tell you something very important, so please pay attention. Don't ever come near those walled cities. Alright, Nea?"
"Why not?" asked him, thirsty for some knowledge. He hoped the world would eventually start making sense.
"Because they will kill you, boy," the woman spat angrily, finishing some sort of fruit preserve before getting up and wiping the crumbs from her skirt. "But suit yourself."
Hideki rolled his eyes at his companion's antics. "Don't mind her, Nea. Life's just been... difficult for us. And she is right. They will hurt you if you get close."
"They seemed very scared and angry when they saw me," said Allen. "Are cities special places for certain people?" he asked, not liking the thought. Discrimination was the first thing that came to mind.
"You could say that, yes," answered the man. "It is very complicated. But suffice to say, this world is filled with... bad things. You know what I mean? Demo- no, forget it," he interrupted himself hastily, as if he'd forgotten he was talking to a child. "The fact is that not all of us who roam the open lands are normal people. The guards were afraid you were one of those... abnormal ones. So they won't let you – or myself, or even Hinami – enter."
It wasn't hard to connect things, by now. After his horrible experience in the abandoned buildings, Allen had quite a decent idea of what 'bad things' this man was talking about.
Yes, it all made sense. The monsters disguised themselves as humans. The guards, not knowing who was human and who wasn't, wouldn't let anyone enter. And Allen was an Exorcist, therefore, his duty was to destroy evil. It all clicked in his mind. Although the knowledge was dark and disturbing, it felt right, and made sense with what he knew.
Something was bothering him, though.
"Mr. Hideki," he said, "how do you enter a city, though? How do you ever find a safe place?"
The man turned haunted eyes towards him. Allen's heart clenched, already guessing the answer before the other said it.
"We don't. We don't, ever," he whispered. "We are exiled out here, with these monsters."
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1813
The young sailor breathed deeply, fighting the foreboding feeling that took over her whenever they reached the continent. Louisa heard that, once upon a time, people feared the sea, finding respite only when they finally left the waters and could step in land. The mere idea sounded ludicrous; being at the sea in a ship properly inspected by the Black Order or inside a reinforced city was the only way she could breathe easily. Stepping in the dangerous land between those two safe havens did no good to her blood pressure.
Still, this was the time to be professional, not to dwell on the journey ahead of her and the others – even if they would be escorted by the Black Order.
The passengers were leaving the ship in an organized line. Her duty was to check their documents for authenticity before they stepped outside, where they would immediately be inspected once again by the Order's officials. It felt like a moot point, considering they had all been checked when they entered the ship in Japan, but security measures were never enough in this world.
She was finally done, when the last person in line showed his documents and went outside. The sailor would now leave, but was stopped by the sight of a child wandering around. It looked as if he had just left the cabins.
How strange, she thought in alarm. She was sure she had checked every last one of the passengers who had initially boarded. How come this child had been left out? She must have made a mistake, Louisa thought in embarrassment. Thank goodness she had realized it before one of her strict superiors – or worse, the Black Order – called on her for that.
"Hey, dear," she said, speaking to the child in English, because he didn't seem Japanese at all. He was dressed in fine clothes that identified him as a member of the high class, and had a dark green satin bow around his neck. His most distinctive features, however, were his very light blond hair, so light it was white, and the bandages that covered the left side of his face.
"Um, hello," he said in English that sounded quite natural. He was a native, then.
"Where are your parents? Or caretakers?"
"I... I am looking for them," said the boy, sounding a little scared. Her heart ached for him. He seemed to be about ten years old only. She knew there was no passenger left on the ship, and as they were now in the line to be checked by the Black Order, she couldn't interrupt the proceedings. And how come these people had left their son or charge all by himself? Surely they hadn't forgotten? This place was dangerous, no conscious parents would ever release their child's hand when leaving the ship.
"I see. I think they are already in the line for the check up, dear. What is your name?"
"I'm Nea," said he, staring everywhere. "Can we go and find mom and dad?"
"I'm so sorry, Nea," she said, thinking she had heard that name somewhere, but unable to put her finger on when exactly. Then again, many people had similar names, so it was silly to give it much thought. "The Black Order is checking everyone. We can't exactly interrupt them right now."
"W-what do we do, then?" said the child, looking anxious.
"Don't worry. I will take you to one of the officials. Let's go, shall we? The ship is going to leave soon."
Holding his gloved hand, she guided him towards the outside. There was the line with each passenger in alphabetic order. Officials in the Black Order standard uniform checked the people's identities, escorted by soldiers. The hooded ones were magicians, she learned, while the ones in black uniforms with red trimmings were the Exorcists.
Exorcists were so impressive. Looming around, speaking to few, looking like mere officials with special clothes, until a situation arose and they took hold of their powerful weapons.
Trying to forget her curiosity, she stepped towards an official who seemed to be the least busy of them all. "Good afternoon," said she timidly. "I am sorry to interrupt, but this child lost his parents."
"Documents?"
The sailor stared at Nea hopefully, but the boy's frightened eyes already told it all.
"He is just a child. Nine, ten years old? He isn't with his documents."
"He should be," grunted the man, staring hard at Nea, who flinched. Annoyed, the sailor huffed, but didn't dare voice her displeasure. Still, this was absolutely unnecessary. Before she could ask what they were to do with Nea then, someone stepped in to intervene.
"Hey, Mark," said a middle aged man. Louisa's eyes widened at the red trimmings of his uniform and the cross displayed over his heart. An Exorcist! "There is no need to go so hard on the kid."
"But, master Exorcist," complained the other, "we are ordered to only allow those with documents to follow everyone to London."
"Why, thank you, I didn't know. It isn't like I was forced to read the Order's regulations a hundred times over. But seriously, you can't expect a child to have to deal with such responsibilities."
"The rules-"
"Are you going to throw the child into open land and let him wander to his sure death? Because that is what the rules say about people without identification."
At that, the burly man stared at Nea, and winced at the horrible thought. Louisa's shoulders drooped a little in relief. At least he had a heart.
"No... but what do we do, then?"
"Let him in the line. If anyone asks, say I vouched for him. What are your parent's names?"
"Marvin and Sophia Morrison," said the boy.
"Right. Take note of the names, Mark. In the city's entrance, we will look for them; they will provide us with the boy's documents and we will allow him to pass. Everything will be fine. Alright?"
The official nodded dumbly. "Hey, lady. Hand over the child."
"Yes, sir," said Louisa, ushering the boy towards the official, but not before giving him a friendly pat in the head. "Don't worry, Nea. It will be fine."
The boy, to her surprise, smiled calmly. "Yes, miss. Thank you very much."
She smiled back, happy everything would be alright.
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It took a day of travel until they reached the passenger's destinations. The gates were opened, with many Exorcists and Crow ready to fight any invasion attempts. The line of travelers passed through, relieved once they found themselves protected by the tall walls of the capital. As instructed, they searched for the parents of the boy named Nea.
Marvin and Sophia Morrison were nobles who had been one of the first families to leave the ship, and the first ones in line. They already had a young boy with them, about Nea's age. A notable fact was that they looked nothing like the white haired child.
"Excuse me, Lord Morrison, Lady Morrison," said a guard, just before the couple would take a carriage and leave. How strange. Weren't they missing their other child? "We have found Nea. He is in the city's gates, and just needs his documents in order to enter."
Silence answered that statement. Then, Lady Sophia Morrison frowned. "Nea? Who is it?"
"Your son, my lady," answered the guard, but now he knew something was wrong. "A boy named Nea was lost in the ship. He claimed you are his parents and forgot him there." The couple's disbelieving looks made him frown. "I take the information is wrong?"
"If you would look at the Black Order's registers," said Lord Morrison, seeming intrigued by the whole situation, "you will realize we have only one child. Marcus," said he, gesturing towards the boy with chestnut brown hair, very much like that of his mother's.
"I see..." the man gulped. "If you would follow me, please. We need to clarify something in the gates."
The couple was understandably reluctant to go back to the city's entrance. It never meant any good, if you were called back. Once there, they vehemently stated they had forgotten no child. A look through the registers and their documents proved that, true to their words, Nea Morrison didn't exist. Alarmed, the guard turned to the official who had reported the occurrence, only to find him searching frantically for the boy who had disappeared as soon as they walked past the walls.
The occurrence was registered as a B-level security breach and the Black Order ran an extensive search, but they never saw a sign of the mysterious white haired boy again.
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1816
Hasty breaths and things falling to the floor denounced the nervousness of the inhabitants of the room. They both tried to pack as fast as possible, throwing their things haphazardly in their large bags. Whatever wasn't essential was left behind, indispensable possessions being hurriedly put together.
"Listen, stop your games. We need to get Reed, now. We are going and we aren't coming back for him, y'hear?"
The other man huffed in annoyance, which was quite a feat in such an stressful situation. "Reed is gone, Davies. Listen, I care about the guy as much as you do. I'd never leave a friend behind. I'd search for him in this whole damned city if need be, but he's not here anymore, understand?"
The blond haired journeyman finished his packing and slung his bag over his shoulder, staring everywhere to make sure he forgot nothing, before turning serious eyes to his lifetime friend. "So you're being serious, huh? I guess I will believe you. Not like we have time to argue. You done?"
The smaller, brown haired man nodded his assent, and then they spared a last glance at the small place that served as their home for the past couple years. Considering their situation, they had been lucky to be able to stay in the same place for so long. They didn't dwell, though. Soon the doors and windows were closed shut and they were gone, running through the darkened streets of Marincek.
"What is it that he told you, again? Something related to that Walker?" asked Davies as they ran together, avoiding the streetlights and trying to hid from open sight at every chance they got.
"Yup. A group dedicated to the ideals of Allen Walker."
"Hah. Reed is insane," Davies said, shaking his head in disgust and sadness. "How many of those groups are there? All for nothing. I hope Reed is fine."
"Hey, there aren't so many. They've dwindled a lot ever since the guy died."
"So, he is in a powerless little association. What then? How does that make it all any better?"
"Dunno. But Reed is no fool; you know him. If he went, that's 'cause there was something good for him in it." The brown haired man sighed. "Too bad. It was awesome to have an Exorcist in our group."
"Yeah, it will be a waste if he – shit! GET DOWN!"
They fell to the floor just as cards with magical scripts flew towards the place they were in, burning everything with furious flames. Thanking their fortune for avoiding death just in time, they rose from their positions, decided to run to far away. The city borders were close. Leaving a walled city was considered suicide, but so was getting caught by the Black Order without having documents. Just as they readied themselves to go, they realized an enormous group of Black Order members – Crow, if Reed's description was accurate – circled them, blocking any route of escape.
"Damn it," choked Davies, unconsciously reaching for his friend and grabbing him, though it was useless. Fear paralyzed them both, but the ability to run would have been useless, anyway. "It's over."
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A/N: With every chapter that I write, I lose more control over this fic... we really will go back to the present in the next chapter. I just couldn't skip Allen's point of view. If I rush, things won't make sense in the future.
Please leave a comment! Chapter eight is being written and we really go back to the present then.