Allen spent the rest of the day in his room thinking about that conversation with Neah. He couldn't fathom what reason would make it okay for what the Noah's have done.
'They hate the innocence, but is it only because it can hurt them? Why can it hurt them?' His thoughts swirl as he thinks of questions he's never even thought to ask before.
'What is innocence?' Allen looks at his left arm, his Crown Clown. 'Who made it? Why did they make it? When?'
"Why am I thinking about this now of all times….?" He sighs.
Eight days later, Allen was in his room covered in a pile of books from The library. He spent the time trying to find the answers to his question, but to no avail. He hasn't really spoken to anybody except for the occasional 'hey' to Miranda or Lavi at the library.
He hasn't met Lenalee since the incident at the cafeteria and she hasn't tried to seek him out either. This pain of abandonment was directed at finding answers about the innocence.
'Damn it!' He slams another book closed. 'Why is it so hard to find out!?' Allen tosses it to a growing pile in the corner of his room.
"So many books about innocence, yet not one explains who made it, where it came from, what it's made of, or even any of its history. Just it's uses and previous weapons it became." He lays down on the bed with Timcanpy on his chest snuggling into it.
Allen rubs the golem's head and it seemed to purr at his touch.
'This doesn't feel right, how can we be using something we don't know about….it's almost like-' his thoughts were interrupted by a knock.
"Walker, we have a mission." Link's cold voice travels to his ears.
"Ok, Link. I'll be right out." Allen quickly puts on his uniform and opens the door as if he couldn't leave fast enough.
"Hm? You're reading?"
"Yeah….Not much else to do." The exorcist gives a hollow smile before heading to Komui's office.
On the way, they meet Lenalee who was bringing coffee to the science department. She flinched at his arrival once more but still smiled at him.
"Hi Allen-" she was brushed past by the teen and she felt a pang in her heart from guilt.
'He's isolating himself….' Link notes.
Allen knocks on the door and Komui's chipper voice was heard.
"Come in~!" He sees Allen and had a worried expression form on his face. "Oh, Allen. Are you feeling ok? You look-"
"I'm fine, Komui." He smiles at the Branch Leader. "I heard you had a mission? Good Morning Miranda."
"It's nice to see you Allen. Are you feeling better?" Her question made the boy feel a bit happier and it showed.
"Yeah, thank you for asking."
"Very well then~! It seems that there's a cemetery in London where a former Chess Grandmaster is laid to rest. Apparently, his hand appears every night to challenge others to a match."
"Really?" Link was shocked.
"Yep! He wore a ring before he died and we assume that the ring or the gem is the innocence. I've sent Finders a couple days ago and they confirmed it."
"Then why don't you have them retrieve it?" Allen asks.
"Well, Akuma have appeared and they aren't able to." Komui gave a sad grin. "I know you're still grieving from Cross'-"
"It's fine, when do we leave?"
"….In 2 hours." The branch leader wanted to help the boy, but he couldn't.
Ever since the Ark incident, Central has dictated that the branches merge into three entities. A secretary was sent from central to help Komui through this process, effectively limiting his movements.
"Ok, I'll be ready to go by then. I'll see you later, Miranda."
"B-bye…."
"Oh boy, I forgot to mention Kanda was going too….oh well~ it can't be too bad." Komui shrugs and goes back to his paperwork making the female exorcist sweat drop.
'Oh no….' She had a bad feeling about this mission.
Never say Miranda's feelings were wrong. When Allen saw Kanda outside the carriage that was going to take them to the cemetery, the air felt electric.
"Hey, Kanda…"
"….." the swordsman merely glared at Allen.
"….Ah…."
This noise broke Miranda's heart. She was barely able to hold back the tears as they climbed into the carriage. The entire ride went silently except for her fidgeting. She kept wondering what she could do to make it better, but before she could do so, the ride ended.
"Welcome Exorcists…." The finder said but zoned in on Allen with a hateful glare. "The innocence is this way, sir." He gestures to Kanda.
"Allen…." Miranda whispered.
"It's fine, Miranda. I've gotten used to it…." Allen followed the group with Link directly behind him.
The observer watched this and frowned. He was ordered to watch for any signs of the Noah surfacing, but all he's seen is an exorcist vastly under appreciated and being condemned for something he had no control over.
Soon, they reach a cemetery where 5 Level 3 Akuma were floating over it. They weren't able to enter as the innocence only wanted to challenge humans to a chess match.
"….5 Level 3 Akuma." Allen's eye activated and the finders made groans of disgust.
'Help us!'
'You can see us, right!?'
'Please help us!'
'Somebody love me!'
'You love us, right!?'
The Akuma's souls were pleading for salvation and Allen felt a headache coming on.
"Walker…are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine….just have to get used to the souls again."
"Souls?"
"….never mind. I thought you knew." Allen turned his head away and didn't explain further.
"We challenged Mr. Martin to a match but we lost. He doesn't accept our challenge again, and that's when the Akuma showed up. We talked to his sister, and she said that he desired to lose at least once, but never did."
"My stupid brother!"
"Sh, ma'am! The Akuma will hear you!" One of the finders yelled quietly.
"…sorry…."
'It looks like she loved him….' Allen smiled. 'Otherwise she wouldn't be here with them…'
[Thats what family does, Allen.]
'Neah!?'
Allen missed the explanation as one, he didn't really care and two. He finally was speaking to Neah again.
[Yeah, it's me. I'm sorry about my disappearance. It took me a lot of strength to talk to you like that.]
'Really? But aren't you always out?'
[Out? What do you mean?]
'My reflection….I see a figure and hear it talking to me, that's not you?'
[…No…that's our Inner Noah. You're not supposed to see it unless-]
"Allen?" Miranda disrupted his conversation with Neah.
"Yeah? I'm listening."
"Ok…."
"So, we have to win a chess match?" Kanda clarifies.
"Yes, the Akuma have tried to forcefully take it, but they failed. It's ability must have to do with barriers."
"…Tch. Can you play chess?" The swordsman asks Miranda.
"N-no, what about you Allen?"
"I know how to play…." He nods.
"Ok, He will play while I take out the Akuma. That's our plan right now."
"Yes sir." The finders nod and get ready their equipment.
"Don't lose…." Kanda clicked his teeth as he walked past Allen.
The group walked to the grave of Brian Martin, World Chess Champion. A white hand appeared with a large ring on its pointer finger. Then, a chess board appeared with pieces already lined up.
"Good quality…." Allen commented as he sat down.
"So who goes first?" A finder asks.
"Whi-" Link was about to answer but the white haired exorcist did so first.
"According to international chess rules, white goes first." The hand moves a pawn.
'How did Walker know that? Isn't he an orphan?' Link was confused.
The two played for a while and the Akuma didn't notice anything amiss until Allen got rid of his opponent's Queen. The hand shook angrily causing the graveyard to do the same.
"Shit!" Kanda muttered as the Akuma turned to them.
"Exorcists!"
"They're here for the innocence!"
The five Akuma begin attacking and Miranda activated her innocence.
"Hurry up, Walker! The Akuma-"
"I know, Link." Allen's calm tone made him silent. "I'm doing my best, ok?"
'Speaking of, how am I doing so well? I've only played chess a few times and they were against drunk people…'
[Thats because of me.]
'Neah?'
[Yeah, one becomes bored after living for millennia. I played it for a little while, maybe a few hundred years?]
'That's a little while?' Allen sweat dropped as he took a white Bishop.
[It is for the Noah, Allen….] The man's tone was bleak. [Anyway, back to our conversation before.]
'Kind of busy here.'
[You can take him. The international standards have fallen if this guy was world champion.]
'Oh….' Allen subconsciously nodded to which link didn't see as he was helping with the fighting.
[You said you saw a reflection that wasn't yours, right?]
'Yes. Ever since I entered the Ark. it spoke to me about how I and Timcanpy were needed to move it.'
[I see….]
'What's wrong now. Neah?'
[Well, it's not that big of a deal, but it's not good either.]
'Can it be any worse than what's going on with my life right now?' Allen sarcastically asks back while taking a white rook.
[True..so, the only reason why the inner Noah should appear is if the host is in great danger. Whether it's from a wound made from innocence, or the very existence itself is at stake.]
'Like when I tried to exorcise Tyki?'
[Exactly. His inner Noah took over before Adam took him back.]
'….'
[Don't worry, Allen. You're not going to be like that.]
'Then why am I seeing it?'
[Because you're constantly surrounded by Innocence. Hell man, you have it inside of you.]
'I guess that makes sense. So, does that mean I'll die if I start turning into a Noah? My heart contains innocence, from when Tyki used his tease on it.'
[HE WHAT!?!?!] Allen groaned as a headache formed from this. [Sorry, you mean he used his tease to take a bite from your heart!?]
'Yeah…' Allen nodded as he checkmated the ghost.
"It seems I won, Mr. Martin." Allen smiles at the hand.
It shook and then gave him a thumbs up. The hand disintegrated into dust after that allowing Allen to pick up the ring. He bows to the gravestone in reverence at the life laid underneath.
"If you're done, help out idiot!" Kanda groaned as he was in the middle of fighting 5 Akuma.
He injured one but he kept being attacked by the others at the same time. He got hit and fell back into Miranda's shield with a broken arm.
"Ok, I'm coming…." Allen walks out by himself with his innocence activated.
"Allen! Kanda isn't ready-" she doesn't finish as the boy easily cut an Akuma in half with his sword.
"What…?" A finder was shocked.
The other 4 Akuma stopped for an instant allowing Allen to grin at the soul being sent to heaven.
"Thank…you…"
"You're welcome, may you find peace."
At this point, the other Akuma woke up.
"He's the one the Earl spoke of! The 14th's musician!"
"Is he now!? I can feel the innocence! I hate it!"
"Hahaha!"
Kanda was still a few seconds from healing, so he could only watch as Allen got surrounded.
"You're such pitiful souls…" Allen gave a sad smile to them. "Let me release you from those prisons…." His cape splits into multiple strings and wraps around the Akuma easily.
They were only tied down for a second but that's all he needed. He swipes his sword in a circle around him and cuts off their heads at the same time. Akuma Oil fell all over his body but he didn't seem to care.
"May you Rest In Peace…." He looks up at the sky as the clouds divided.
A Ray of sunshine hit him first before it hit the rest of the city.
"Those were…Level 3 Akuma and he…." A finder was in shock.
The finder who gave a disgusted look at Allen was shaking while Miranda had tears in her eyes.
"Why does he look sad?" Martin's sister asks with tears flowing from her own.
"..Tch!" Kanda clicked his teeth and left the graveyard.
He brushed past Allen who was still in his activated innocence.
'It hurts…so much….' A tear falls from his left eye made of blood.
[….] Neah inside his mind was still reeling at the revelation of Allen's statement.
'His heart was eaten by a tease!?