Hey everyone and welcome back! Thanks again for keeping up with the story! It really means a lot! Anyways, I don't really have much to say here. So, without further delay, let's get on with the chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own DGM or BNHA, all rights go to their respective owners.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Running Low
"Priests? You've got to be kidding me," Aizawa groaned as a truly bizarre group of individuals shuffled out of the fleet.
"They look strange," Midoriya muttered as he bit his lip, "I don't like this." An awkward silence swept over the crowds as a contingent of what they assumed to be the group's leadership sauntered up to them.
"Greetings!" a buxom woman chirped as her hair danced in the breeze. "My name is Linda Weinsbach, I'm the acting representative of this group. You heroes wouldn't have any idea where we could converse with this city's main association, would you?"
"They're here to talk to the Commission?" All Might thought, dumbfounded.
"Uh, I'm sure that'd be fine but why d—"
"Splendid!" the woman cut them off. "You three go to the main tent and start discussing our terms. While we're here, see if we can spare a few men to aid in this town's recovery. See if you can set up a few medical stalls as well!"
"Roger!"
"Understood!" a few of the priests nodded as they rushed off to complete their tasks.
"Now then," Linda yelped as she clapped her hands together, "Would you all be so kind as to show me around? Charity work won't help unless we can get it to the people in need!"
"Sheesh," Kirishima thought as he took a few tentative steps back. Kaminari and Mineta did the same.
"She's breathtaking, but every fiber of my being is screaming at me to get away from her!" Mineta thought with crocodile tears flowing down his face. While this chaos ensued, a representative ran up to them with bated breath.
"Heroes! The Head Office just sent us a report! Apparently, the Vatican is sending a contingent of—"
"You're too late," Metal Meister grunted, "They're already here." He wasn't one to shy away from good-natured charity work, but something about this whole mess didn't sit right with him. "What do priests need with all that hardware?" This looked less like an act of charity and more like an invasion. "I'll have to keep an eye on them." Luckily, with the military and heroes all on high alert, they wouldn't be able to do anything drastic. "Still... something isn't right. These folks are too calm about all this."
"You smell it as well?" Vlad King muttered. "These people aren't here for no charity work, of that I'm certain."
"Well, we weren't exactly given permission to hold back the Vatican. Get the city officials on the line, hopefully they'll help us figure this mess out."
"Roger. Do you mind keeping an eye on my students while I chat with the brass?"
"Of course," Metal Meister smiled, "Just make sure you get to the bottom of all this." With that, Vlad King nodded and walked off, leaving Metal Meister with a brief moment of silence.
"I should probably go check on the kid," he thought with a frown. Allen's condition worried him greatly. And, with the uncountable number of villains about, he just didn't feel safe leaving him all alone. "Please, Walker, be safe."
Allen grimaced as he toiled and churned in a familiar, bleak dream. Yet again, the cartoonish visage that he'd experienced after his near-death experience in China had reared its ugly head. Unsurprisingly, it remained unchanged, barring the now-relatively clear lake. "I saw Lenalee here once upon a time," he thought as he shambled over to the water's edge. The second he peered into that dark abyss, memories of a disturbing figure rushed to the surface. "Looking back, that was most likely the Fourteenth."
Thankfully, this time, the water was as clear as glass, allowing him to peer through right to the lake's floor. There was nothing there but dirt and sand, which, in a way, was almost more disturbing than before. "Why am I back?" Allen pondered as he wandered aimlessly through the dreamlike woods. He circled the lake's perimeter a handful of times, taking a moment to gather his thoughts, before collapsing upon a soft bed of moss. For some reason, a strange sense of finality crept over him during this short rest, almost like he was watching the curtains of his very life close before his eyes.
"This is the boy?" he overheard a strange voice say from behind the stars.
"Yes, though it's hard to believe. Previously, we all thought he was quirkless."
"Well, obviously you all missed the mark there."
"I guess so," the voice sighed. "Bring the doctors in, the ones with healing quirks. I want him on his feet by the morning."
"Are you sure about that? Even while unconscious, the pain of such a fast recovery would be unbearable for the patient."
"Look at him, we don't have the luxury to take things slow now." Like a river, Allen felt a strange, almost soothing, sensation wash over his body. "Give him an injection of morphine and clear the room. Let's get to work." Just like that, another onslaught of nausea overcame him, catapulting his mind back into a thoughtless void.
When he awoke, Allen found himself surrounded by a menagerie of strange doodads and gadgets. "What in the world?" he thought, confused, as he stumbled to get himself back upright. "Damn," he hissed as he coddled his head. His whole body felt like it was on fire. "Guess I shouldn't be too surprised." He sighed.
"Knock, knock," he heard a woman call from the entrance to his hospital room. She didn't even wait for his confirmation before she let herself in. "Ah, good, I see you're finally awake."
"Who're you?" Allen grumbled, still grumpy from the pain, as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You'll learn that soon," she said. "For now, let's just say that I'm a person who's concerned for your wellbeing."
"Hmph," Allen coughed. "Are you part of the Association?"
"Oh no," she laughed while juggling a small apple, allowing it to land snugly on the windowsill above his bed. "Trust me, I'm nothing like that lot."
"Then what—" he stopped. Just overhead, he could hear the thundering sound of an untold number of footsteps. The force was enough to shake the room, almost like an earthquake, and make his heart tremble.
"The reporters must've got here," the lady surmised as she let out a frustrated breath. "I swear, you can't trust this country's police at all." With that, she stood up and hurried to his bedside. "You were quite the hero out there, killing all those monsters and whatnot. Blimey, I watched the whole thing with my own two eyes, and I can scarcely believe it!"
"You watched it?" Allen muttered as he felt his stomach clench up. Right then, the gravity of what he'd done finally started to settle in. "How… how am I going to explain this?" he thought as he stared at his left arm. It was now exposed to the world, no doubt due to the hospital's meddling, which made his heart skip a beat.
"Hah! It's fine, Mr. Walker, you don't need to worry about hiding that thing," the woman said with a strange smile.
"I don't?" How could that be?
"I know." The second those words left her lips, he felt his blood run cold.
"You know?" Was she saying what he thought she was saying? No matter how hard he searched, every little tidbit of information from the Order's war against the Earl was lost to history. Such a thing simply wasn't possible. "Wait," he gulped as he turned to the woman, "do you mean you used—"
"A quirk? Yes!" she said as she tapped her forehead. "It's my ability, you see. As long as I have a personal item from a person, I can view critical moments from their past! And you, Mr. Walker, have led quite an interesting life."
"You can see the past? I'm amazed I haven't heard of you," he muttered, his nervousness momentarily getting the better of him. Yet again, the woman scoffed.
"Ah, I just don't use my powers for the public. I'm a devoted soul, after all." With that, she peeled back a layer of fabric on her blouse to reveal a familiar symbol.
"The Vatican?!" Allen thought, dismayed. "She's not here to take me back, is she?!" If he was thinking logically, he'd know that wasn't the case. However, in this momentary bout of confusion, Allen's train of thought screeched to a halt.
"It was all thanks to this," she said, tossing a familiar button onto his bedside dresser. "I found this little thing while rummaging through the archives, the second I touched it, well... I'll assume that you can guess the rest." Allen didn't respond, he was still too busy trying to process what was happening. "I saw several interesting things, Walker, such as the presence of the demons, an explanation for a void in our organization's history, and the existence of a strange material."
"I guess that means you've got me," he conceded, throwing his hands in the air. However, when he looked up, he found the woman missing. "Huh? Where did she go?" he thought as he looked around the room. Eventually, he found her. "Um... what are you doing?" he asked. The woman was kneeling, bowing like a knight would do for their liege.
"I apologize for this, and I'm sure you're confused, but allow me to offer you my utmost gratitude."
"Gratitude? I haven't done anything."
"But you have," she looked up. "I might not know everything, but I've been made aware of perhaps the most important fact; you are Allen Walker, a living apostle of the Almighty."
"What?" Allen thought, dumbfounded, as he stared at his guest's bizarre expression. "I'm sorry," he stuttered in his confusion, "I don't exactly know what you're talking about."
"There's no need to be so humble," she said as she strolled back up to his bedside, "You're what the faith has been looking for!" she yelled, grasping the crucifix hanging around her neck. "All the religions in the world—all those competing sets of ideals and doctrines—they're all missing just one thing to be fully complete: concrete proof."
"Proof?"
"Yes." She nodded. "That's what you are. My quirk might've left me in the dark about the specifics of your upbringing, but I know what spirit has afflicted your body. I know that, residing in your left arm, are the remnants of the Almighty's power. Don't you understand? You're living, breathing proof that our faith is real!"
"H, hold on!" he yelped as he haphazardly pushed her away. "I certainly can't say that I expected this," he thought while awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. What in the world was he supposed to do now? "So... now that you know... what's the plan?" She couldn't have come all this way just to say hi.
"I was just about to get to that!" she said as she handed him a mountainous stack of documents. "I and my subordinates at the Vatican wish to re-induct you into the fold! Though, obviously, not as a combatant. I think you and I both know that you've done quite enough of that for someone your age."
"You want me to... go back to the Order?" he muttered; however, the woman just tilted her head. "I guess she doesn't even know that much," he surmised. "Though, now that I think about it, is this really so surprising?" In a world as chaotic as this, where villains lurk behind every corner, having a faithful pillar would be... well... indispensable. "So, this lady happened upon a bit of my past, and that convinced her to come all the way here?" He bit his lip, "You must have some authority, ma'am."
"More than you know, my lord," she said in an overdramatic fashion, bowing to complete the scene-chewing exchange.
"Please don't call me that," Allen groaned as he stared longingly out a nearby window. "Is this really what you have planned for me?" he asked the closest thing he had to a god. In hindsight, maybe he should've seen this coming. "Innocence," he continued as he glanced down at his left arm, "If you really are a manifestation of God's power, then what does that make me?" He and his fellow exorcists were always too busy fighting to stay alive to ponder the idea, but was he truly blessed by something? "I apologize, but do you mind giving me a moment?"
"Ah, I see, it's okay, I'm sure all this must be very overwhelming for someone in your position," the woman said as she headed for the door. "I'll be waiting in the neighboring wing; just let us know when you want to finish this conversation."
"Us?" Allen shook his head; he'd worry about that later. First, he had to make some calls. However, in his haste, he failed to notice something crucial: namely, the apple that his visitor had brought vanishing into thin air.
"I'm sure the heavens will forgive me for this," Linda thought with a disturbing grin. "It's all in the name of the faith, after all."
"Is that you, boy?!" Metal Meister yelped. He held onto his phone for dear life, a joyous smile adorning his lips, as he jumped happily out of his seat.
"Yeah... yeah it's me," Allen said, "Sorry for worrying you." Metal Meister chuckled, for some reason, the pair thought for a moment that they'd been through this before.
"They treat you all right up there?" he asked. "Barring proven friends and family, those priests aren't letting anyone near your wing of the hospital. They even got permission from the bigwigs up top! Though, I don't have any idea how they managed to get it."
"Sounds like one giant mess."
"Yeah," Metal Meister continued as he surveyed the now mostly destroyed city. "Sheesh... this is going to take a lot of work." Metal Meister frowned. "Hey," he continued as he watched a platoon of priest-like soldiers march down the neighboring street, "You're going to be okay, right?" It didn't take a genius to tell that these unwanted visitors were here for something, or, more accurately, someone, in particular.
"I think so."
"Well, that's good to hear," Metal Meister yawned. "Oh, sorry, all the chaos just caught up with me."
"It's fine," Allen chuckled.
"Have your classmates visited you? I've heard that they're all quite worried."
"No, but it doesn't seem like my doctor is allowing normal visitors. Once he gives me the green light, I'm sure they'll stop by!"
"Must be those priests' doing," Metal Meister thought. "Those guys from the Vatican, they haven't done anything to you, have they?" For the first time since they started talking, the line went silent. "Kid?"
"Oh, sorry, I was spacing out! No… don't worry… they haven't done anything yet."
"'They haven't done anything yet'? What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm not sure," he said, "They're kind of just roaming around here at the moment."
"They're definitely waiting for something," Metal Meister thought. "New orders, perhaps?" he frowned. "No... I'm overthinking things." For now, their guests were behaving themselves and, for the most part, were providing some invaluable assistance to the local first responders. With throngs of villains still roaming about the ruined city, the heroes had their hands full. "If you're fine, go ahead and shoot me a call when you're able to have visitors." After that, the pair said their goodbyes and Metal Meister, still overcome with paranoia, hurried to the cleanup's temporary headquarters.
"Well, that was one long walk," he heard All Might say from one of the main tents. Midoriya, Bakugo, and the rest of Walker's class were there as well.
"Sorry, I've been busy wrangling with a few unsolved questions," he responded as he scratched the back of his neck. "What about you guys? Any luck finding Miss Midnight and the others?"
"Regretfully, no, we lost sight of her and the rest near the end of the battle." All Might frowned.
"You don't think—"
"Stop, remember, the students are here."
"I see," Metal Meister said as he glanced over at U.A. High's best and brightest. "Those glum faces don't lie. They've got to suspect that the worst happened." Still… he didn't have it in him to break the news. That simply wasn't his responsibility.
"We're going to continue the search. I just wanted to let you know that it seems grim," All Might said as he patted his shoulder.
"Thanks for the warning. I'll be prepared." None of them expected their ranks to come out unscathed after such a catastrophe, but they, and especially the students, couldn't help but hope and pray that this was all just a bad dream.
"That aside," All Might sighed as he watched a pair of powerful-looking priests march down one of the debris-covered roads, "How's Walker?"
"The kid? He's doing fine. It'll take a lot more than this to keep him down!"
"Is that so?"
"Huh? Why are you smiling? Do I have something on my face?"
"Oh, no, it's nothing like that," All Might said with a laugh. "I was just thinking that you look a lot happier now than before. Meeting Walker really did you some good."
"Ah, well, thanks," Metal Meister mumbled with his cheeks slightly red.
"Although," All Might continued as he stared longingly toward the horizon. "I guess now we have to address the elephant in the room." Suddenly, the mood took a turn for the worse. "The students and a few of the others haven't said anything yet due to Walker's injury. But that power… such a thing isn't normal."
"I know," Metal Meister sighed, "He's been opening up to me little by little, but it's still so hard to believe."
"Hmm? Believe what?" Yet again, Metal Meister sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I'm not sure where to even begin." Before their foray into Allen's past could continue, they were interrupted by a few of their passing coworkers.
"So, you actually showed up, Metal Meister?" Aizawa asked as he shrugged.
"There weren't any of those monsters left in the areas I patrolled. Thought I might as well spend my time here and help out."
"I appreciate the sentiment. Really, I do, but to be honest, we aren't the ones who need it." As he spoke, Aizawa turned to one of the ruined courtyards, which was now covered in tents and temporary housing for the displaced civilians. "Once the dust settles, there's going to be hell to pay. The public's going to want to blame someone for this disaster. You understand what I'm getting at, right?" Metal Meister bit his lip. He understood perfectly well just how precarious Walker's position was. As the only person who seemed to have any idea as to what those creatures were, it was obvious that he'd fall under some suspicion.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of him," Metal Meister said.
"Thanks," Aizawa smiled. "Just want to know that my student has someone besides us watching his back." With that, their dialogue teetered out into small gossip and rumors. However, during this casual conversation, something interesting came up.
"The priests wanted to talk to Walker? You're kidding, right?"
"I can't even begin to fathom why. I've been wracking my brain as to why they showed up here, but—besides helping a few of the civilians—they haven't really done much."
"You don't think… Walker's the reason they're here?"
"That's preposterous," Metal Meister huffed, "He's a bit mysterious, but it's not like he's an angel or something." Yet again, the circumstances surrounding Walker had left them scrambling.
"With that said, we should have someone watch him. The League was there during the fighting, there's no way that All For One's scion can ignore such a unique quirk."
"They still think it's a quirk, huh?" Metal Meister frowned. "I'll go ahead and take up that responsibility. The kid trusts me, so it's only natural."
"I'll inform the hospital director and get you a pass," Aizawa said as All Might flipped out his phone. Finally, things were starting to move in the right direction.
A few hours after that exchange, Metal Meister hitched a ride on one of the functioning lines and hightailed it to the nearest emergency wing. "Hey," he said with a sigh, "I know you all want to see him, but do you really have to stick to me like glue to do it?" Hot on his heels was the entirety of Allen's class. They rushed through the hospital in awkward silence, carefully weaving past the priests—who were more than a little displeased to see them there—before finally making it to Allen's room. "Sheesh, that was a headache," Metal Meister thought as he knocked on the door. "Kid, it's me, you in there? I've brought visitors."
"They actually let you in?" they heard Allen ask as he fumbled with the key.
"It was a pain, but some of these folks aren't too bright."
"Well, I can't say I'm surprised to hear that." The second the door cracked open, Midoriya and the others rushed in like a wave. "Oh no," Allen thought as they surrounded his bed. At first, their expressions were full of glee and joy that he was alright. However, the atmosphere in the room quickly plummeted to an uneasy stillness, no doubt due to the elephant in the room, which they were all ignoring.
"So... how was the checkup?" Kaminari asked, trying his best to tiptoe around the proverbial mine that lay at their feet.
"It was fine. The doctors here are really incredible!" Allen said, tossing the boy an olive branch of sorts.
"Of course!" Ashido said as she smacked Midoriya on the back. "They've got more than enough practice thanks to this idiot!"
"Is that so?" Allen chuckled as he nervously watched the door.
"Are you waiting for someone?" Metal Meister asked.
"No, no, it's nothing," he said as he shook himself out of his worry. "It doesn't look like she's coming back," he thought. That lady—he heard some passing priests say that her name was Linda Weinsbach—unnerved him, but, at the moment, he simply didn't have enough information to make any decisions. "I'm proof of the faith, is that what this all boils down to?" In a way, he didn't mind that the church saw him as such. It was certainly a preferable situation to them dragging him back for heresy. But that wasn't saying much. "Do you mind if we take a quick walk?" he asked his classmates and Metal Meister. "I've been in this room all day; I'd like to stretch my legs a bit."
"Of course, though we should keep it to the confines of the hospital," Metal Meister said as he helped him up.
"Thanks." With that, they eventually found their way to the roof, which had a view that overlooked the entire ruined city.
"Sheesh. From here, this place looks like a war zone," Kirishima muttered to the rest's silent agreement. For some reason, he was the first one to say what was on everyone's mind. "So… why'd you hide your quirk?" Immediately, the air became dense and heavy, with all of them waiting with bated breath while Allen thought of an answer. Surprisingly, though, he was quick and to the point.
"I was afraid of what people would think, and also… I wanted to turn over a new leaf, I guess."
"A new leaf? Was your old home really that bad?" Bakugo asked, his tone uncharacteristically soft and worried.
"I guess even he knows when to use a soft hand, depending on the situation," Metal Meister thought with wide eyes. In response to the boy's question, Walker did something slightly unexpected. He lifted up his right sleeve, showing them the old scars that littered his body.
"The place I grew up in was rough and cold. Begging for scraps was a common occurrence back then, but all this didn't happen until much later." He stopped, taking a moment to stare at an injured child sauntering past down below. "In ways that I'm sure you wouldn't believe, fate led me down a path in which I eventually found myself fighting for a living. Every day was hell, but I crawled through it because of the friends I made, and those that I didn't want to lose."
"But?" Ashido interjected; she just knew that this story didn't end well.
"After a series of unfortunate events, I found myself being chased down by the very people I used to call comrades. It was a terrifying time, and one that I wasn't sure I'd be able to escape." With that, Allen took in a deep breath, the words that would come next would require grit and an unbelievable amount of faith. "That was years ago."
"Years?" Midoriya raised an eyebrow. "Like two? Three? You're talking like some old man," he said with a nervous laugh. However, Allen remained as silent as the grave. Even Metal Meister was confused.
"Hah! I guess you guys would react like this, huh?" Allen responded, his tone meek and quiet. Eventually, at the peak of their confusion, he worked up the courage and told them something that defied logic. "My name is Allen Walker, a former clergyman from England. I'm not sure when I was born, but my first memory was sometime in the nineteenth century."
"Man, if you're well enough for jokes, don't tell bad ones," Kirishima said as he picked at some dust in his ear. Everyone else's reaction was somewhat similar, being mainly a mixture of disbelief and poor comedy. However, after a few more moments of silence, it slowly seeped in that what he was saying was the truth.
"Wait," Ashido muttered in shock. "I think he's serious, you guys."
"Yeah, right, I bet you're just in on the joke, huh?" Kirishima said. Though, yet again, Allen remained silent.
"Oh, boy, he's not joking." If this were a normal situation, they'd have thought that Walker had gone insane. However, given the craziness of recent events, they couldn't help but believe him.
"But… wait… how's that even—"
"You live in a world where quirks are commonplace," Allen said. "So, what I claim shouldn't be too difficult to understand."
"I guess, but how—"
"Even I don't fully know how it happened," he said as he stared at the sky. "I was running, and then after coming into contact with something truly bizarre, I ended up here."
"That would explain some of the strangeness," Midoriya thought as he pursed his lips. Walker always did have trouble answering some commonplace questions. Especially, those surrounding modern history and the like. Him being from the past would also explain some of the rather ancient peculiarities of his personality, but even then, there were still quite a few holes.
"Look," Bakugo sighed, "Even if I believed you—which I don't—that doesn't explain the most crucial mystery. How did you learn to fight?" From day one, even without the use of his powers, Allen was more than able to defend himself against even the hardiest villains. Such a thing simply wouldn't be possible under normal circumstances.
"Yeah," Kaminari said, "Let's say what you claim is true. That wouldn't explain your, well, abnormal strength when not using your abilities." Walker's skill in the field was simply unnatural for someone his age.
"Oh, is that all?" he asked as he turned and looked off toward the horizon. "The truth is, when you get a person like me, there's only one avenue that they can take to put food on the table. For me, that was the church."
"The church?"
"Ah, forgive me, putting it that way probably came off as outlandish. In simpler terms, I became a fighter."
"Like as a sidekick?" Iida wondered, but Allen shook his head. The main event had finally arrived.
"No," yet again, Allen took in a long breath, this was going to be hard. "I became an exorcist."
Author's Note
Another month, another chapter. I hope you guys really enjoyed this one as it was quite a bit of fun to write! Currently, I've been using this story as a semi-template to see what sticks/doesn't stick for my actual book series, and, so far, it seems to be somewhat working! Please note that I've taken note of all of your comments, and I hope you'll see the series improve as we move forward into this final phase! So, with that, I'll leave things off here. Again, thank you for your support, I'll see you guys in the next chapter of ATOTE!
Chapter Twenty-Six: Obsessed
