No matter what happens,
promise me that you'll come back.
For me?
Please...
"Lavi? Lavi, please wake up,"
Lavi's first sense to return to reality was his sense of hearing. He heard the trees rustling with the afternoon wind and the birds singing their natural songs before he even opened his one good eye. When he did, Lavi was greeted by the image of an upside-down Allen Walker. The angel was dressed in white as he blocked the shining sun's rays from Lavi's face. Even at this strange angle, Lavi thought that Allen looked beautiful.
"A-Ano, Lavi, mass is going to start soon. You've got to hurry up and prepare yourself," Allen's mitre perched carefully on top of Allen's silvery head.
Without thinking much, Lavi got up to follow Allen's lead. The Church of Saint Allen Walker rang its ancient bells; the sound of echoing bongs signified the starting of a daily mass to the townsfolk. Wiping off the dirt from his white cassock, Lavi accepted his purple stole and shoulder guards from the altar servers graciously. But as he made his way into the back of the procession line where Allen was currently standing with Father Bak, something was biting in his mind.
His legs betrayed him as he felt himself drifting away. Something else was calling him, something that sounded so familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. Like walking through water, Lavi stood by Allen's side and waited for the processional music to begin. Allen was pulling on his white gloves, smiling serenely and looking untroubled.
"Allen, what's going on?" Lavi mumbled out, his voice coming out so roughly, he was surprised that Allen can comprehend his garbled words. His mouth not working together with his jumbled mind.
But Allen only looked at him with a mildly confused face and a small frown, "What're you talking about, Lavi?"
"Where are the demons?"
"Demons?" Allen whispered in his usual melodious tone, but his face showed disbelief as if Lavi was speaking in a foreign language, "What're demons, Lavi? I really don't know what you are saying,"
Before Lavi could answer Allen, the music sounded and the choir started to sing in harmony. Acting by instinct, Lavi followed along with Allen and Father Bak. Both of them looking peaceful and gracious as any other holistic servant of God. Although he was confused in his mind, Lavi's body moved automatically around the altar as if it had done the motions a million times already. He poured the Holy Water onto the heads of the praying people, he knew when to ring the bells and he knew how to break the Holy Bread without anybody's help. Lavi's mind was confused, yet his spirit felt contentment as he continued on with the mass.
"Lavi? You were acting strange during mass today. Is everything alright?" Allen kissed Lavi by the cheek as they sat down in the shadow of the giant oak tree. Lavi tried to argue back, but his tongue wasn't obeying him at all and no words came out from his mouth.
Why question it?
Lavi's mind spoke out logically. Lavi held Allen's soft hand in his own, caressing the frown away from Allen's worrisome face.
Just forget it. Everything is alright. Allen is fine.
Lavi kissed Allen back; first on both his cheeks and then his forehead. He thrived on Allen's small shiver and yearned for more. Allen gripped Lavi's collar as the sweet angel pulled him closer with teary eyes that was so undeniably flawless, "Lavi…."
Don't you want this?
Allen was perfect just the way he was; innocent and pure, Lavi was feeling the dark urge to ravish the begging Allen with everything he had. He felt his demonic side calling out to be released, his fangs coming out that was itching to bite down on the angel's pale skin. Allen's scent was seductive and lovely, calling out to Lavi's very soul like an alluring siren. Lavi knew that if he succumbed to Allen's call, he would drown in the sea of his desires forever.
NO!
Lavi pushed Allen away roughly, his hands holding onto the angel's shoulder shakily. Lavi shook his head, trying to control his arguing thoughts. "No… You're not real,"
"Lavi?" Allen asked with a hint of concern, his hand coming up to cup Lavi's cheek.
But as soon as Lavi started to fight against the temptation that was this Allen, the Demon Lord knew that something was wrong for certain. Allen's familiar scent was exactly the same, the peppermint smell covered with the refreshing aura. But it also felt like the scent was a mere shadow of the original, regardless that the scent had copied the original one perfectly. Also, the hand that was cupping Lavi's cheek was cold. Just simply cold.
Allen's hands had never felt dead-cold to Lavi.
Lavi immediately had a headache, the piercing pain shooting through his mind as it tried to grasp the difference between the real and the fake. He got up and gripped his head in pain, gritting his teeth as his eye glowed bright red. He unsheathed his hammer from out of nowhere and he closed his eyes tightly. There was only one way to escape the clutches of this reality and Lavi knew just what he had to do before the spell took over his mind and body once more. "Sorry.. Allen,"
He twirled his hammer and casted in onto the ground below, sending a tower of fire to surround him with massive heat and injuries. As soon as his own fire attack burnt his skin off, Lavi's mind threw him away into darkness once more. Then, only then, Lavi surrendered willingly.
LAVI!
Lavi let out a loud gasp as if he had just resurfaced from the depths of the deep ocean. Unlike the dreamy spell he had encountered before this, Lavi's sense of hearing picked up on absolutely nothing. There were no leaves crackling and there were no bird songs of joy from nature. Lavi was hearing the eerie silence as he got up with a groan. He felt as if his had not used his muscles in years and was rotting in the ground. Behind him, he saw the dense forest that stood creepily still.
But in front of him, there was… Nothing. Lavi was literally staring at nothingness. There was only blackness that stretched till far away. Lavi couldn't begin to think where this nothingness started and ended. But there was something suspicious about this thing in front of him; Lavi couldn't put his finger in it.
"Lavi!"
He saw Allen (the real one) rushing towards him with unconcealed relief in his angelic face, running ahead of Tyki and his Black Order clan. With open arms and wings, Lavi embraced his little angel. He revelled on the clear and refreshing scent that belonged solely to Allen Walker as both their wings came to entwine between each other also. He also felt his energy returning to its full capacity as Allen's healing magic coursed through his demonic veins. It felt good to be back together with Allen. Lavi tightened his hug and nuzzled into Allen's silver hair and then his neck, not having any intention to release Allen just yet.
"Okay. You guys got reunited and everyone's alive. Can we get back to the matter at hand?" Tyki pushed the hugging duo apart, a bit ticked off after the fourth minute of watching the passionate cuddle.
Lavi grudgingly let Allen go, but didn't allow Tyki to stand between him and Allen for long. Pointedly ignoring the Judgement Knight just to spite him, Lavi enquired directly to Allen, "What happened here?"
Instead of Allen answering, Tyki was the one who spoke out, "Saint Earl is 'resetting' the world as we speak. See this nothingness? It's one giant black dome that's going to swallow all of earth and everything in it. Whatever and whoever is trapped inside this thing is living in their own dream world like Rhode's magic. But unlike Rhode's magic, this is one spell that can kill you happily,"
Allen broke in the bed news, "the dome is expanding. Wisely and the other angels are trying to halt its advance, but we don't know how to stop it completely. We don't even know what spell Saint Earl used,"
"I think I know," Lavi murmured as he looked at the gloomy dome. Testing out his theory, he placed his right hand onto the surface where both light and darkness collided. The purple lightning that came out of Lavi's palm brightened up the dome's veil, revealing many strange symbols and signs that decorated the spell maliciously. Behind him, he heard his Black Order clan growling. They too, realised the intensity of the wicked spell.
"karD tnetopinmO," Bookman whispered in horror.
Lavi pulled his hand back is if it had been burnt, but the purple lightning left nothing more than a small sting in Lavi's palm. He looked at the confused angels as he explained grimly, "Dark Omnipotent. A forbidden dark spell that even the worst demons from Hell fear. It feeds on its victim's dreams and it's practically invincible. Take a look; not even light itself can penetrate the spell,"
"How do we stop it? There has to be a way," Tyki growled out, his white wings puffed out in agitation.
"The only way to break the spell is to destroy it from within. It cannot be erased by any other way,"
Allen shook his head in deep regret as he clenched his fists tightly by his side, "this is my entire fault; I should've seen this coming…"
Tyki chided his youngest brother gently, "It's not your fault, little shounen. Stop this unnecessary guilt,"
Lavi stepped forward as he summoned his demonic armour, his black halo appearing and the twirling shadows dancing around his sharpened wings. "I'll go in and take Saint Earl out. There's no other choice," He took to the sky and dived down before any of his comrades stopped him. But when he touched the dome's surface, he was bounced back out and the momentum threw him back onto the grass. Lavi and the demons were shock, their mouths hanging wide open as they saw their own Demon Lord unable to enter the black dome.
"T-That's impossible! Lavi must be able to enter!"
Tyki ran forward to pick Lavi up and demanded, "What do you mean Lavi is the only one that can enter? Why can't we?"
Lenalee pointed at the evil dome, "Because love shows God's presence, only those who are devoid of love can enter by themselves!"
"ALLEN!"
Reever's shout stole everyone's attention away. Lavi shook his blurry head just in time to see Allen walking slowly inside the very dome itself! Quickly, Lavi pushed Tyki aside and he punched the dome's surface in anger, "ALLEN! COME BACK!"
Allen turned around when he heard Lavi's voice. The angel's wings were folded ominously still as Allen walked back to where Lavi was standing, but the angel stood his ground inside the dark spell. Lavi widened his eye as he saw the seal glowing from Allen's left chest, placed exactly above where Allen's heart should be located. The seal was something that Lavi has never seen before, but something in that one bright symbol told Lavi this was a God Seal.
It was where God Himself had placed the curse on Allen before The Falling. Suddenly Lavi remembered. He remembered Tyki's story of how the angels Fell, how every angel had to atone for their sin after their Falling. He remembered Allen sacrificing himself and begging his Father for forgiveness, but received nothing of that mercy sort. Instead, God gave Allen something only the angel alone had to bear. The additional punishment that Allen alone had to carry for his and his brethren's sin.
The angel Allen cannot truly love another.
"No… Allen…" Lavi fisted his hands as he growled at the surface, not taking his eyes off of the smiling Allen. He whispered harshly, "demons are supposed to be the ones who are heartless, Allen,"
"-Because they gave their hearts away to the ones they love. I know… Lavi, let me tell you a secret too: An angel's duty is to protect all of God's creations-" The angel kissed the surface where Lavi's forehead would be, feeling a tear coming out of his silvery eye. Allen knew what he had to do, but it didn't make him nor Lavi feel any better. Allen bit hip lower lip before pressing his mouth onto the surface, kissing –but also never touching- Lavi's shaking lips on the other side, "-but it is an angel's choice to love only one. Goodbye, Lavi,"
I'm such a heartbreaker, it's terrible! If anyone still doesn't understand, allow me to explain that Dark Omnipotent is basically a spell that is empty of love and only a person devoid of love can enter it with their consciousness intact. Lavi is believed to be loveless because of his curse, so everyone thinks that he can enter. But what he didn't know is that his curse is cured when he started loving Allen (I can't precisely say when, but there you go!), so Lavi cannot enter. Other demons also cannot enter because they have the chance and the choice to love one another.
Allen, on the other hand, cannot love anyone whether he wants to or not. His own curse disallows him to love anyone. He cares and treasures Lavi more than others, yes, but Allen doesn't love him. Therefore, through his curse, he is able to enter the spell. So, basically, Allen's handicap is going save the day!
I'm absolutely sorry for this late update. I've been very busy and I'm going to be more busy from now on, but I'll still try my best to work this story out. I really adore and love all your reviews and comments, thank you very much for your support and motivation! Have an awesome-filled day! =D