Sheryl had approached the three who had been playing. At the sight of him Allen gave him his attention although the game seemed to have continued as Allen was again tackled to the ground by a happy Byraki

"Dog Pile!!" Was all that was heard as Road pounced on top of the two while Sheryl was being completely ignored much to his dismay.

Sheryl coughed alerting them yet again to his presence whilst Road gave him a quizzical look. "Oh daddy? I didn't see you there."

"It's okay. I hope you had fun Road? Byraki?"

Road shook her head vigorously whilst smiling. Byraki smiled while still in his akuma form which to Allen's surprise he actually was able to recognize the expression while he was in that form.

Sheryl broke the disheartening news, "Well that's good but it's seems it's time for you to go home to your parents Byraki. They must be getting worried by now."

"Yes master Kamelot." was his prompt reply while the smile he held moments ago now slipped from his face.

"Awwww." was Road's reply but she knew her father was right but that didn't mean she had to like it.

As Byraki began to walk off Sheryl called after him, "You might want to change back Byraki. That form will bring unwanted attention."

Byraki noticed he was still in akuma form and smiled with embarrassment. Allen was again surprised at how human this monster seemed.

Sheryl made the other announcement. "And Allen, we need you to meet someone in regards to your special circumstances if you understand what I mean. Please follow me."

Byraki transformed back to his human form and ran off heading home. As he did so Allen found himself staring after him, his cursed eye still active. Road hand grasped Allen's shoulder causing him to turn to look at her.

"It's good that you were nice to him. Though akuma can take any human form Byraki really is just a child at that age. In fact the name Byraki belongs to the boy who's skin he wears."

This made a lot of sense to Allen. Allen was really thankful he had been kind because knowing he had hurt a child would have burned his heart with guilt. A child...is that what I think of Byraki as now?...not an akuma?...not a monster?

Allen continued to listen, "His name before had been Brian. His best friend of the same age had been the one to call him back, named Byraki. Brian had passed away and his friend was so sad when that happened. I knew him back before he became an akuma. He came to me one day crying about losing his friend Brian. I told him things would be alright but he said 'things will never be alright if you can lose someone important to you.' I didn't have anything to say to that. Because he was right. If he wanted his friend back that badly I would give him the chance. So I told the Earl. The rest you can figure out. Byraki is dead and now Brian is the one wearing his skin and taking his name as well. Luckily Byraki doesn't remember life before becoming akuma. Some do when they reach level 2 but he didn't. It's better this way for him. He doesn't know what he's lost. He knows the parents he's going home to aren't his own but someone else's. He doesn't know what his name was before he became an akuma. He doesn't know that his real parents live right across the street from him. It's easier that way. Less burdening on his heart. In reality all he is is a boy his age. He just wants to play and make friends. To be accepted. But it's hard knowing what he is, knowing that if others knew they would run from him in fear. It probably meant a lot to him that you accepted him you know."

As Allen watched the young boy who would never age a day, who would never really live a normal life run towards a home which wasn't his own. He couldn't help but feel something strange tug at his heart. Something that wasn't there before. He didn't know what it was at the time but it was the dawning of a new perspective.

Turning back towards Road who lacked that trademark smile. Strangely Allen had grown used to her being serious which was strange it being such a short time since he came, less than a day. "I'm glad...he doesn't seem like a monster at all...just a sad boy who can't change the world he lives in. Who can't change what he is."

Road nodded her head much slower than before, a quiet solemn motion now. Taking hold of Allen's hand she led him back towards the mansion. I'm glad you see him differently Allen. I hope one day soon that you can see the akuma for what they really are...because soon you won't be able to ignore it because...because of the 14th.

Allen didn't see it as Road dragged him back to the mansion but her eyes watered slightly.

XXXXXXX

Allen had been led through some dimly lit corridors, each new hall seemed to hold more shadows and less light with each turn until it almost felt like a different building in itself until Sheryal stopped in front of a set of doors in the dark hallway.

"Umm you said there was someone I needed to meet?"

"There is. He's just beyond these doors."

"Sorry if I seem a bit hesitant but what with the atmosphere here and all..heh."

Sheryl gave a light smile, "don't tell me someone who used to belong to something called the 'Black Order' is afraid of the dark."

"heh...you have a point...sorry about that."

Sheryl opened one of the set of doors and allowed Allen entry as Road trailed closely behind him. Her arm was grasped by her father who spoke to both Allen and Road. "I'm afraid this is a meeting meant soley for Allen. You can't come with him Road. I hope you both understand."

Road nodded her head as she began to pout and gave a verbal "AWWWW" which quickly became much quieter noises of disapproval. Allen gave his consent but he didn't truly understand at all.

The door was closed behind Allen and he found himself in a very dark room just as exquisite as all the rooms in the house yet this room felt much more foreboding and unnerving than the others. Perhaps it was the dark. But Allen felt it was because Road wasn't here with him and that thought alone caused him concern. He missed her already? Had he really grown so attached to her? He realized that he had come to depend on her when he choose the path he had. She was his emotional support and that was surprising in itself. She gave him reassurance that this path was the right one. Without her support he would have doubts in himself. He didn't realize till he had been separated from her all this. But there were more pressing matters to attend to at the moment.

In the center of the room a man in distinguished gentleman's attire, complete with top hat, cane, and monocle, sat at a small circular table covered in a white sheet. It was a humble piece of furniture considering the surroundings but still very nice.

As Allen approached the table he couldn't make out the man's face very well because of the dimly lit room yet as he closed in on the table, "Hello. I am assuming you are the one I am supposed to meet. My name is Allen Walker, it's very nice to meet you." Allen extended his hand across the table which he now stood at. The man looked him over at glanced at the hand which had extended itself and shortly thereafter took it in his own gloved hand and laughed lightly in an amused tone. "It is nice to meet one who has such manners. I admit I am slightly surprised at this. I did not know that you had it in you young man."

Allen was slightly puzzled by his statement. "I'm sorry but....have we met before?"

"Yes but not formally. It's nice to be able to talk to you face to face. Would you like some coffee or tea perhaps?"

Allen noticed that there was a cup of coffee in front of the gentleman and he was adding cubes of sugar to it. The containers which held the coffee and presumably tea, sat in the middle of the table along with numerous assortment of items to be added to chosen drink.

"Um no thank you. I'm afraid I wasn't privledged enough to get your name sir? If you would be so kind as to do so please?"

"I'd rather not at this point. You see names work as labels and tend to prevent proper assements to be made. I am hoping to have this chat with you before making it known. I know this is slightly unnerving and I am sorry for that but it is necessary." The gentleman was still adding cubes of sugar to his coffee Allen noticed yet he said nothing at this time.

Allen, Smiling slightly with some mild discomfort, "Well it's nice to know you are aware of that. Um well may I know what it is you wished to meet with me about?" Still the gentleman was adding sugar cubes to his drink clink clink clink went the small cubes as they were added.

"Well I will get right to the point. It's about why you are here. We gathered from Road that you have had a change of heart and wish to join us. As I'm sure you can surmise this is very unusual and quite suspicious. An exorcist suddenly betraying his own to join us. It is not the first time it has occurred but it is the first that has occurred without some use of force on our part. A Mr. Suman for example needed to be coerced into participating but little else was needed. It's unheard of for an exorcist to simply join and as such it makes us suspicous as to your true intentions. Would you mind sharing your reasons with me young man."

at the mention of Suman memories of him flashed through Allen's mind and he was reminded of why he joined in the first place and needed little time to think of an answer.

"I...I recently learned that a very important person to me...hid certain things from me. I loved him a great deal and he gave me reason to live. When he died I had nothing and was left with his words of 'keep on walking, no matter what keep on walking until the day you die.' These words and his love are what have guided me through life.-"

Interrupting politely, "Would you mind if I inquired as to this man's name?"

"His name was Mana."

Hearing the name the gentleman became noticably bothered, as he paused midway in placing another sugar cube in his coffee. His hands shaking slightly, all of which Allen noticed.

"Mana...." was the gentleman's quiet voice.

"I found out that....that the 14th was inside me recently. Now I wonder if when Mana said he loved me if he was talking about me or....the 14th....his brother. Everything I'd been living for had been a lie."

The gentleman was staring at Allen intently with a gleam in his eye. Not of menace but of curosity and intrigue.

"Everything I'd lived for had been for Mana and his words. I than looked back at all I'd fought for. All the struggle and pain endured towards the goal of saving the souls of akuma and protecting humans and those I cared about. Looking back I realized...I hadn't made a difference I'd just delayed things is all. I can't protect the souls of the living from this world. I was so intent on saving akuma souls I never stopped to ask 'who will save the souls of the living?' Even if the akuma were all gone things would still be bad and nothing would truly change. People would still cry, hurt one another, suffer, get ill, die, grieve, and kill themselves and one another. I still want to save the souls of the akuma but just now....now I think their condition might be no worse than humans are. That's why I want to end everything. That's the only way I can save everyone's soul, both human and akuma. By putting an end to this world."

"Is that what Road told you?"

"No. That's what I came to realize on my own with Road's help."

The gentleman breathed deeply as the silence hung in the air. He contemplated Allen's words carefully. "I'm sorry to hear that about Mana. Is there anything else you wish to declare?"

"Not that I can think of right now sir."

Nodding his head solemnly the gentleman stood up and gave Allen a hug which caught Allen completely by surprise.

"Wh...what are you doing sir!?"

"I'm sorry that you doubt whether you were ever loved at all. The good side is that it has brought you to realize certain things but still. I am sorry. You've come back home to me 14th."

As Allen's head lay against the gentleman's chest he could hear his heartbeat and felt his chest and breathing tremble a bit. "Sir? Are you only accepting me because of the 14th?"

"No my boy. If you came back to us because of the 14th's influence or not it doesn't matter. The 14th will always be loved by us but...if it was you and not the 14th's influence that brought you here than know that you are loved. There is no way of knowing the truth however. Just know that right now. 14th, Allen Walker, There's no way to tell where one begins and the other ends. Simply know that you are loved right now for who you are. Not knowing the 14th from Allen Walker that is yet another reason to hate this cruel world."

There was a pause as the words sunk in to Allen. They hurt but they also felt good at the same time. To be loved yet not knowing if it was you who was loved...it was a strange feeling.

"You wanted to know who I am?"

Allen looked up and saw the man's face. He didn't recognize it at all.

"I am the same person who brought Mana back to you all those years ago. I am the Millennium Earl my boy."

XXXXXXX

Allen was shocked his face may be different but in his heart he knew the gentleman spoke the truth. This was the Millennium Earl!

Allen was too shocked to move or do anything. His mind froze and he didn't even contemplate the fact of how much danger he was in at the moment. The Earl had him in his hands and could wring his neck at the moment. None of this came to Allen though.

The Earl let go of Allen and looked down at him. "Have you nothing to say my boy?"

Allen's mouth struggled to form words yet no sound came out. His mind remembered how to elicit sound and his voice was found. "I...don't....know...what...to say. It's very hard to accept what has just transpired. I am having difficulty coming to terms with how I feel about it alone."

"Yes I suppose it is a bit much although this is a much better reaction than I was expecting. You continue to surprise me. Excuse me for one moment." The earl looked up towards the ceiling and began talking loudly to apparently no one.

"Road you can come out now! I know you have been watching the entire time." The Earl said in a sing song voice. At these words a door appeared close above the Earl's head and a loud giddy, shrieking voice was heard. Road fell from it and landed by grabbing onto the Earl's shoulders. "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you." Was all the was heard in between Road kissing the Earl all over the face as she hung from his shoulders in a lavish display of thanks and affection. After which she flew through the air and landed around Allen's neck with a huge smile adorning her features.

The Earl answered Allen's question which laced his face. "I couldn't allow Road to accompany you here because her influence would have made analyzing you and the validity of your statements much more difficult. I needed your thoughts without any outside influence intruding upon it. I am glad I did so because once Road was gone from your side your discomfort was palpable. Of course Road being who she is didn't let that stop her from spying on us."

"NOPE!" She said with a huge grin as she still hung from around Allen's neck.

The Earl had sat back down and resumed his task of adding sugar cubes to his coffee which was still warm. "Her affection for you only complicated matters further and I needed an unaltered analysis of your current thoughts and feelings to surmise your true motives. No offense to young Road here but feelings of affection can often blind a young woman to the truth."

"See Earl thinks of me as a woman. Tyki was being really rude earlier and didn't treat me as a lady at all!" She stated.

The Earl laughed lightly. "By the way Allen. You look very good. It really suits you." The Earl was refering to Allen's current suit and top hat.

"Uh...thank you...sir."

"A gentleman as Always. That's a good trait. Well it's best I get started then." With a snap of his fingers as he finally took a sip of his coffee at which point Allen couldn't help but think that's way too much sugar. Road must get her taste from him, a level 3 akuma appeared and landed with a slight thud! Adorned with tattered clothes and chains which wrapped around his figure and hung loosely. Skull insignias were carved into his abdomen. Quite a disheveled appearance all in all.

"This is Grant." The Earl said parting lips with his cup of coffee. Road was blinking slightly with curiosity as she looked him over not letting up her hold on Allen.

The Earl continued, "He will be accompanying you Allen. As rude as this is we still cannot trust you fully yet. Thus Grant will be at your side until further notice and will report any activity that should confirm our suspicions. Don't think it all bad though." The Earl said as he took another sip from his sweet drink.

"Grant will attend to your every need. Think of him as your personal attendant and servant until further notice. He will be under your command. I also think it's a marvelous way to get your feet wet don't you?"

Allen eye activated instantly at the sight of Grant and the pain of a level 3 was too much for Allen to ignore. A sharp inhale of breath and slight gasp of pain were emitted from Allen as he tried to come to terms with the akuma that stood before him. Allen quickly overcame the pain and stood at ease with his eye activated and a calm look adorning his face yet there was something else in his eye. Compassion?

Allen stepped forward and looked over the level 3 Akuma intently which stood kneeling before him. It spoke when Allen stood before him. "I'm at your command master Walker!" He clearly said with enthusiasm. Allen paused as he merely looked at the akuma who rose his head to meet Allen's gaze. Allen than did something unexpected at that moment. He knelt down in front of Grant, put his arms around him and hugged him.

Allen had tears falling down his face at this point though it was not because of the pain of seeing a level 3. "I'm so sorry..."

The akuma Grant had no idea how to respond to this. He had never been hugged before in his true form. This was all new to him. He stiffened at the contact Allen gave him. What is he doing? He thought

Allen continued, "I'm so sorry that you are suffering so much. I can see it and every fiber of my being wants to help you. But I can't do that yet. We need you to endure it for now so that we can save everyone from suffering like you are. But for now....all I can give you is what you deserve. That is to be treated and loved like a human. I can see the pain and lonliness in your soul. The misery of the lack of love. Before I would have sent you back to god but now...now I am working at something bigger so please forgive me for that. All I can do is give you the love and treatment which you have been lacking and your soul yearns for. I know it isn't much. But I hope it eases your sorrow."

The akuma named Grant saw Allen's tears and heard the sincerity in his voice and then something even more unexpected happened. Grant found tears streaming down his face. What's this? What's this coming out of my eyes? Wh...What is this feeling? Am...am I crying? That's impossible akuma can't cry...but...

Indeed he was. Grant was surprised to find he was crying despite the fact akuma were supposedly incapable of it. Road and the Earl noticed this and too were astounded at this phenomenon.

Without being conscious of it Grant wrapped his metal arms around Allen and returned the hug. Mas..Master Walker....whatever this feeling is....thank you.

As Allen knelt there and felt the arms around him. He opened his eyes to see the tears falling from Grant's akuma face. Seeing this Allen couldn't help but think to himself. I really do hate god for making someone suffer like this. Akuma aren't the only ones living without love. They aren't much different from humans are they?

At this thought a massive stabbing pain tore through his eye and caused him to cry out loudly in pain and fall to floor in agony. Clutching at his throbbing eye and shouting out in pain as his eyes were closed tight in a vain attempt to ward off the pain.

Grant was quickly at his side and was concerned and it was noticable in his voice as he knelt by Allen's suffering form and said, "Master Walker!"

"Allen!! What's wrong!?" said Road as she rushed to his side.

The Earl was quick and stood before Allen as he writhed on the floor in agony. Using his cane he turned Allen over onto his back and let out an audible gasp. "Walker..Walker look at me. Let go of your eye and look at me! What do you see!"

Allen did as he was told. Anything to make the pain stop as it felt as if the left side of his face was burning. Opening his eyes and taking his hands away he looked up at the earl and at Road and what he saw made the pain he felt before intensify and he couldn't help but scream out. He saw there souls! He saw Road's soul. He saw the Earl's soul. They were in such intense agony and pain. That was what Allen was feeling. He was feeling there pain all in a single instant. Their souls were suffering just like the akuma's were. It was horrifying. But the worst part was seeing the Earl's soul. Of all the tourtured souls he had ever seen he had never seen one as disgusting and heart wrenching as his. Not because his soul was wicked. But because he had never seen such intense suffering in anyone, never felt anything like that in anyone. Before Allen passed out from the pain he uttered "souls...i see..*gasp...your souls' pain!" Then he was gone.

The Earl was amazed. "His cursed eye has evolved!? He can see the souls of the living now? This...is quite intriguing and unexpected." He snapped his fingers again and two more akuma made an appearance out of thin air. "Treat him and take him to bed. Take care of him as best you can. Come to me if his condition should worsen."

"Hi Earl-sama!" All three said in chorus. And carried Allen away with a distraught Road following close behind while the Earl comforted her.

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