After staying with Road for the night, Allen needed to head back to the Order as his disappearance would cause the situation to go out of control.
'I can't disappear again like I did last time….' He frowns as he portaled back to the infirmary bed he was on earlier.
His mind and body exhausted as he spent the time talking with Road about everything and nothing. It was the first time in millennia that he has been able to talk with his sibling without insanity creeping in. He felt light hearted that everything is turning out ok.
"Good Morning, Mr. Walker." In walked the head nurse at 7:00 sharp. "Let's see how your wounds are today." Her gentle smile made him smirk back as he sat up for her.
Meanwhile, in the Black Ark. Lulubell was In her room wincing at the nightmare she's experiencing. A looming darkness trying to eat away at her mind ever present. Wanting to take away the precious memories that she just regained.
She snapped open her eyes just as the darkness surrounded her. Her body shook from fear of not being herself.
"How could you have remained sane, Vastator? With such madness that surrounds us?" Her mumbling disrupted by a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" Her cold tone would deter most except her family.
"I am a Skull, Lady Lulubell." Her eyes glowed for an instant.
"….Enter."
"….." The skull opened the door and closed it gently after entering.
She watched it hold its hand to the air and a bracelet appeared. It was black and white but she felt a certain calming aura from it.
"This is from Master Vastator."
"You spoke to him?" Hope laced her words.
"Yes." He pauses for a few seconds. "When he fought Lady Road and Lord Tyki, he ordered me to hand this to you."
"….." lulubell grabbed the bracelet and in an instant, the black aura of madness vanished as if it never existed.
She went wide eyed and then stared at the bracelet.
"This is a letter from Master as well. I was unable to hand these to you until now as I was ordered to make sure nobody else knew." He bows and leaves the room.
Lulubell looked at the bracelet for a few minutes and felt both dark matter and the energy from innocence, but none of the hate associated with it. She placed it in her wrist and then opened up the letter.
- Dear Sister Lustol,
As you may have guessed, this bracelet is a combination of both Dark matter and innocence. However, our Memories will feel no hatred for it, as it isn't innocence either. I call it Light Matter. Road and Tyki are safe in the white ark, far away from the humans.
I wished we were able to talk more, Lulu. I am happy that I am one step closer to returning to my family but saddened that we ever parted to begin with. I will send our brother and sister back within a few days, after they've awoken.
I know how hard it is to remain sane with the madness surrounding Adam, believe me. I know. But, I wish you to stay safe my sister.
With endless love, Your Youngest. -
She cried at this and she could feel her inner Noah do the same. The writing exactly the same as it was 7000 years ago and yet so filled with bitterness.
"I will, thank you….Allen…." She places the letter in her desk and heads to the dining area for breakfast.
None of the others seemed to notice the bracelet despite the energy of innocence ladened inside. She too didn't feel it until she touched it and realized it must be because of her brother's skill in sorcery.
'He must have gotten better in the time he's been away…' she caressed it underneath the table while keeping a cold expression on her face.
[He had to] Lustol spoke inside her mind with a sad nod.
"Good morning, my family~!" The Earl walked inside the room to which the rest greeted him.
Either with nods, hums, or actual words.
"Road and Tyki are on a mission so they can't be here. However, I do wish to inform you of a scenario I've been planning." At the mention of this, all eyes sharpened with glee.
"Haha, it seems the Black Order has finished their experiments with the egg and developed something interesting." He gestures for a maid to hand out some papers to his family.
"Third exorcists?" Tryde scoffs.
"How dare they use the egg for this!?" Mightra crushed the paper in his hands.
The Earl waits for them to calm down and continues.
"Our time is coming, my family. The three days of Darkness is upon us and we only need Wisely and Wrathra to awaken." Lulubell couldn't even imagine what his three days of darkness could mean compared to what she knows it is.
"Speaking of Wisely, I felt his Noah starting to awaken." The table went silent at this news but they all smiled happily when they heard it.
Even lulubell was no different.
"When we find him, we begin my plan of destroying the black order and returning the fourteenth to us!"
"E-Earl? You wish-" desires questioned in shock as the rest felt the same.
"Hm? Yes, I do Sheryl~! He is after all our brother. Even if he became wayward." His playful tone not helping matters.
"But…what if he tries to kill us again?" Mercym spoke up.
"If he does….." the black aura around the Earl got bigger. "Then I'll kill him again, just like last time…." His aura shifted back to normal and they had breakfast before being dismissed.
'Is Adam fighting back? How is this possible, unless?' She thinks of something and shook her head to dismiss the thought. 'No, If it was that easy then-' but another memory hits her.
A memory of the Earl missing for some years after he fought Neah 35 years ago. Of when his connection to the family was very thin almost like he wasn't there but ever present in their hearts. This lasted until 5 years ago when he returned like nothing changed.
She didn't think much of it then, but now that the insanity disappeared she wondered what happened during his absence.
The day passed by slowly for Allen, as he wanted nothing except to talk with Road more. Even with his friends at the black order keeping him company, his mind wandered to the memories of his family.
"Allen?" Lenalee asked with worry at the far away gaze the exorcist held.
"Hm? Oh, I'm sorry….just thinking about things…"
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"No, it's a….family thing."
"Oh…I'm sorry." She remembered the story of his foster father that the Earl told them. "I didn't mean to bring that up…"
"It's fine Lenalee….I miss Mana, I do. But, it doesn't mean I can't think about all of the memories I have of him." He rubs his curse mark.
"I'm glad…." The Chinese girl smiled at him. "I wish I could remember my parents, but…" she doesn't continue the depressing topic.
"Hey Allen!" Johnny walked in with Tapp holding a chess set. "Oh, hey Lenalee." He greeted the girl somewhat tensely.
"H-hi, Johnny. Oh, look at the time. I have to go make Brother his coffee or he won't wake up enough to work." She leaves quickly.
"Johnny, what was that about?" Allen asks as the scientist sets up the board with An obese man with dreads and a wool cap covering his eyes, behind him.
"It's…nothing. I'm still angry at how…Anyway, I'm here for my revenge. I can't believe how good you are at chess, Allen."
"Yeah, it's surprising really." Tapp nodded.
"Why?"
"Well, it takes a long time to become good at it and you traveled with General Cross for a while. I didn't think you would have had the time to learn." The glasses wearing scientist explains.
"Oh, I see…." He nodded in understanding. "I'm not sure why either, it just feels natural. Like I've played in a past life or something."
[Smooth.] Neah sarcastically said.
'Shut up…' Allen replied just as sarcastically.
"Maybe you're just a genius? It's amazing…" Johnny sighed.
"Stop being so weird…" Tapp grumbled which made the boy blush.
"Hahaha!" Allen's boisterous laugh made the two smile and they spend an hour playing the game.
At the end, Johnny crumbled to the ground with tears in his eyes. "I lost…8 times…" his mumbling brought another round of chuckles from his friends.
"It's time for you to Leave, gentlemen." The head nurse walked in with another set of bandages for her patient. Behind her was Jerry with a humongous cart of food for the boy.
"Already? Time flies, huh?" Allen looked at the clock surprised as he didn't feel the time passing.
"Hmm~. Allen-Boy, I'm glad you're looking better." Jerry started to place the food on a table.
"It's because of your food Jerry." He smiles
But flinched as he caught the state of the head nurse. "And of course you, the best nurse in the black order." His quick statement made the older woman nod.
"Yes, it is. Now sit down while I change the bandages." She points to the chair where the food is closest too and he nodded.
"How's it going, Allen? Are you feeling any better?"
"Yeah, I've found my path. Before….it was like I was in a dark tunnel, with many branches that I couldn't see. Now, it's a straight path lit up all the way to the end."
[….]
"I see….I'm glad you found your path, Allen. I believe we all are." The cook smiles widely and for the first time, Allen could see the eyes behind the sunglasses. Gentle and filled with love for everybody that eats his cooking.
'The same eyes Adam used to have….' He holds back the tears.