Allen woke up on the second day after he fought Tyki and Road with a groan. He felt Crown Clown healing his wounds but it's not as fast as the Noah side of him does.
"Allen…" he hears Lenalee next to him and sees her crying face.
"I'm back…Lenalee…" his smile made her sob even more and she tightened the grip on his hand.
"Why do you keep doing this!? You keep fighting by yourself….not relying on us…"
"…I'm sorry…I just…" he didn't finish.
'How can I explain to her that I can't. I don't want to rely on the humans that sealed Mother? Used her body to make the innocence?' He felt anger creep up inside of him at this but pushed it down.
"Want to protect you…" Allen eventually says this truth instead and Lenalee resumes her crying.
"Allen Walker, I'm glad you've woken up." The head nurse walked in and placed a tray of bandages and disinfectant on the table.
"Yeah…thank you."
"Think nothing of it, dear boy. Now, let's change those bandages. Can you step out, Lenalee?"
"Oh…yeah. I'll see you later Allen…" she reluctantly let's go of his hand and walks to the door.
"Bye Lenalee." Allen waves her goodbye despite the soreness in his muscles.
The girl nodded before closing the door.
The head nurse was silent as she changed his bandages. Frowning every time she sees a scar on his body, which was a lot more than she wanted. Allen was thankful for this as he could think of what's happening next.
[You should rest, Allen. Even as a Noah, the mental stress you're dealing with is…]
'I know, Neah….I do…but it's only a few more months…I can deal with that small amount of time considering the 7000 years we've been waiting.'
[Fine….But be careful, ok?]
'I will….'
The head nurse got done replacing his bandages and told him to rest. Apparently, he woke up at night so she said nobody else will be visiting for the rest of the night.
'Perfect….'
Allen waited a few minutes and opened up the ark to enter the room he left Tyki and Road in. When he did, he saw them both peacefully sleeping and felt at peace within himself too. He wanted to have something to eat and drink and before he knew it, a plate of Mitarashi Dango appeared with some tea.
He stared at it for a few seconds still trying to process what he just saw. His memories not containing anything of an ability like this.
'Neah, what just happened?'
[It seems that mirror wasn't a fluke after all….You see Allen, The Ark is an inter-dimensional device. It can take you anywhere, in any dimension. Father used to say that it was a friend to him that had feelings,
But none of us ever really knew why…until just now.]
'You mean it heard my thoughts and gave me this?' He asks as he starts eating the dessert. The plate never ending, just how he dreamed of before he became a Noah.
[Exactly.] Neah nodded. [It always used to favor me over the rest of my family, but I thought that was just because I could play the piano. Apparently, the real reason as to why my family needed to make a new Ark was because this one refused to listen to Adam.]
'I thought that was your doing. That's what Master Cross said, anyway.'
[Ha! That fool….He always thinks everything plays out according to his thoughts and actions. I never told him that, he just assumed that to be the case.]
'Yeah….he was a fool….' Allen agreed with a sad smile. 'Cross was a bastard, a devil, an asshole, an idiot, a genius, and a great sorcerer, but he was also somebody who I looked up to. A father to Allen Walker much like Mana was.'
Allen spent the entire night in the Control Room with a book in his hand. Apparently it was about some guy named Frankenstein making a monster. One of the good things about reincarnating, is that you get to experience new things.
He was in the middle of the part where he was digging up graves, when he heard Road speak.
"…Vas…ta….tor….I'm….sorry….." he saw some tears glisten down her cheeks and he went over to her.
"Somnia…." He caressed her cheek. "I always have loved your purple hair, I'm glad each of your incarnations have had it…." He whispers and kisses her forehead, right on the middle stigmata.
He pulls his head back up and was about to turn around when he saw her eyes snap open. Her Golden pupils blurry, but becoming clearer by the second. She saw his face and could immediately tell who he was.
'Vastator…Neah….Allen….' She thinks and her eyes begin to tear up again.
"Good evening...Road….." he gently caresses her head and rubs her hair lovingly.
The girl jumps out of bed and hugs him as tightly as he could. Since she's a Noah, her hug would have killed him if he wasn't one himself.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! ImSorry! Msorry! Sorry! Sorry!" She kept apologizing over and over as her tears fell faster and faster.
"How could we….Our own brother!? How could we do that to you…..?" She wept in his embrace while he hugged her back.
Not as tightly as she remembered which made the pain that much worse. The memories of him finally accessible and she felt horrible for not having them. How could she forget Vastator, the brother who sang to her when their mother passed? The brother who did everything for them despite not wanting to? The brother, who…..they betrayed.
"I know, Somnia….let it all out…." He pats the back of her head . "You've been asleep for so long…."
"…Vastator….how can you…still love us after all we've done to you? After everything…" she asks through the sobs.
"Don't you remember what Mother said?" His question making her stop and she nodded when she found the answer. "Family, are the ones that stick by you at your worst, love you when they don't love you back, help you when you hurt them…" As he spoke, his body trembled and she could feel the grief, the sadness, the hate, the hurt, and most of all the pain he has endured.
"So, Road. I still love you because you're my family. Through everything, I never lost sight of that….No matter what happened…."
The two spend hours hugging each other until she eventually calms down. When she did, she noticed the bandages on his body and saw the blood beneath them.
"W-what happened? Why are you wounded? Can't you heal!?" Her rapid questions of worry made him smile at her.
"I can, but-"
"But nothing! You're bleeding, Allen! You don't just-" he placed a finger on her lips effectively silencing her.
"I have to remain like this road. Or else it defeats the purpose of doing it to myself."
"You what!?" She yelled but stopped when she saw Tyki groan from the other bed.
"It's necessary I stay in the Black order, Road."
"What….why?"
"Our Family won't return to how it used to be unless I get rid of Apocryphos." The mention of that man drew a hateful hiss from The girl in his embrace. "He's a slippery one who's goal is to fuse with different innocent users throughout time. I….am bait for him."
"Allen…Vastator…no, you can't-"
"Don't worry, I'm strong now. See?" He raises his hand and a candle appears from nothing.
Road's eyes jumped in shock as she felt the same ability that she has. Manifestation of dreams. She touches the candle that was normal except for it being purple with a black flame.
"How…?"
"I'm not too sure. I think it's because I've combined innocence and dark matter." The mention of the former made them both depressed but didn't show it.
"So, does that mean you're like Father and Mother now?" This drew a chuckle from the boy. "What!? It's a reasonable assumption!"
"Haha, no. I'm nowhere near as strong as they were….Nobody is."
"Well, if anybody was. It would be you, youngest." She humphs and lays her head on his chest with her face pointing away from him as if she used him as a chair.
"Pfft! You're using that nickname again?"
"I think it's endearing." She pouts at him. "Plus…"
"Plus?"
"Nothing, what are your plans now?"
"Hmmm, that's a good question."
"Please, I may have just remembered you, but I know that you're scheming ways haven't changed. You probably have planned everything out to a T."
"True, but it's only general ones. I'm not sure what the Millennium Earl is planning, but I know it's going to be big. Plus, I've been hearing Link talk to his boss about something called the third exorcists."
"Oh yeah! The black order have recently made them."
"Hmm? You know about them already?" He looked down at her.
"Yeah, The Earl has spies in the black order." She shrugs. "It's funny that the subhumans have made Akuma themselves~~!" She cackles childishly and pauses for an instant.
"I'm-" he could see her worry over her sadistic side but he chuckles at her.
"Don't worry, Road…." Allen placed his chin on her hair. "You're not Somnia anymore, I don't expect you to be exactly the same, nor anyone else. Plus…." He leans close to her ears. "I don't care what happens to this world as long as my family is safe and in control of themselves. Even God agrees with me."
"How do you know that?"
"What are the chances a parasitic innocence accommodator is the next Noah of the only one who needed it? I don't believe that's a coincidence, Road."
"I guess…." She sighs in content as she enjoyed his presence behind her. "Anyway, you never said what is going to happen next."
"Oh yes. well, a few things could happen. One, I get arrested and Apocryphos comes to me to absorb me. Two, I go insane and kill some exorcists before going on the run as Apocryphos chases. Three, Apocryphos gives up on me but still wishes to kill me for corrupting his precious 'innocence'." the malicious tone he used to say the word made her flinch.
"….Anyway. In the end, I need more information. Has the Earl said anything about what's happening next?"
"Well, he actually has been kinda acting weird." She states and his eyes narrowed.
"Weird how?"
"Like saying things he wouldn't normally say. 'I want to be with the 14th.' 'I love The 14th!' Things like that."
"Hoh? And when did this start?" Allen became interested.
"Probably….a few weeks ago?"
"Like when I fought Lustol?" His words filled with hope.
"Exactly! Wait, does that mean something?"
"It might." Allen rubs her head as he stared out the window into the ark. "It definitely might."