Chapter Text
“Innocence, Activate!” Miranda’s cry echoed through the battlefield.
Gripping tightly onto her innocence, the sobbing woman once more tried to summon her power. At her feet lay the broken bodies of some of her closest comrades. They’d all come to her when they were rendered unable to fight. They’d put their faith in her abilities. Now their wounds, stacked upon each other as they were, were too much for their bodies to bear. Krory had already succumbed to his injuries, and the others weren’t faring much better. Miranda’s innocence could not bring back the dead; it could only allow them to keep fighting their enemies.
Gripping herself tightly, the woman continued to wail - uncaring of who heard her. The Akuma had long been defeated, and not another living soul was around for miles. They had won the battle, but with their numbers down to so few, they were bound to lose the war. If she could only heal their injuries for long enough for backup from the order to arrive, then they might all make it through.
“No one’s coming, y’know”
Miranda’s head shot up as she stared fearfully at the newcomer. The child wore a bored look on her face as she surveyed the exorcist and her fallen comrades. Neither made any move to attack. Miranda because she was too tired to do anything, and the other for reasons unclear. An earsplitting grin soon replaced the dull expression on the Noah’s face. The look of sadistic glee was far more suited to Road Kamelot.
Miranda, determined to hold out until help arrived, moved to shield her peers from the Noah’s sight and schemes. Taking a quick glance that everyone's’ innocence was within reach, she once more began to concentrate. Unperturbed by her silence, Road talked on.
“You’ve lost. Your Order has fallen, and with it any chance you have for a victory. All we need to do now is destroy the heart.”
Road had shifted her form to that which all Noah preferred. Her skin had turned an ashy grey and her eyes a brilliant gold. Meanwhile, assured in her family’s triumph, the girl’s grin had turned into a predatory smirk. She was advancing upon the fallen exorcists at a leisurely pace. Determined, Miranda stood her ground, unflinchingly glaring at her adversary. She would not turn her back on her comrades, despite the fact that it would mean certain death. When she was within five feet of the frightened woman, Road spoke again.
“Now I’m here to claim what’s ours.”
Golden eyes looked past Miranda and at one of the figures lying behind her. She didn’t need to turn to know that it was the form of her youngest friend, Allen Walker. Not only had the girl in front of her formed an obsession upon meeting the boy, but somewhere within Allen dwelt the memories of a Noah. The Fourteenth Noah was an enigma to both sides of the war; he had previously betrayed his family in an attempt to usurp the Millennium Earl.
Road took a few more steps before stopping and giving Miranda a smile that could be called sickeningly-sweet. The exorcist's eyes widened when she saw a several sharpened candles form in the air. That smile which stretched grotesquely and cruelly across the young girls face returned when she took note of the fear in the eyes before her. Water once more ran down Miranda’s cheeks as hope left her. This time, her tears were silent.
Please work!
The tips of the candles got into position. They were set to skewer every exorcist save one. If Miranda didn’t act soon, their lives would be lost and their innocence shattered.
Please, activate.
Road, having grown bored of watching her enemy squirm, motioned for the candles to move. Remembering how painful being stabbed with one of them felt, the helpless woman closed her eyes for what would likely be the last time.
Activate… Time Record!
Exorcist and Noah alike were surprised when the light of Miranda’s innocence lit up the battlefield. The area was quickly engulfed in a dome, leaving Road on the outside and forcing her candles to harmlessly bounce off. Inside the dome, the hands of a clock began to tick backwards, gaining velocity each second. Miranda clutched her skull as the pain at her temples became worse and worse. Her innocence wouldn’t obey her.
Still, her fear of what was happening couldn’t cloud the joy she felt as, one by one, her friends began to awaken. Pained groans and surprised grumbles sounded from several mouths once their owners had become conscious enough to register their injured bodies. Eyes opened, one by one, and surveyed the situation.
Lenalee was the first to her feet, and the teens’s first instinct was to hug the kneeling woman. The ground seemed to heave beneath their feet as the clock above continued to tick backwards, now moving far faster than anything the human eye could track. The exorcists were quick to take stock of the situation and react. It was no surprise, given how deadly getting caught unaware during battle could be. One thing those eyes observed was the collected innocence pulsing in sync. Another was Krory, still lying motionless on the ground.
Suddenly, the dome shattered. Miranda passed out from the pain as she was overwhelmed by the energy flowing through her innocence. Seeing the Noah on the other side prompted the still conscious exorcists to activate their own weapons. However, not a single one of them showed any signs of working. A second after everyone had come to terms with the situation, the sound of a clock rang out. Miranda’s innocence was glowing brightly, too luminous to gaze at directly. The light also emerged from the ground beneath their feet.
Road took a few steps back, wary of the innocence’s power. One second, the six exorcists were all within a brilliantly glowing clock face, the next, they were falling through an empty void. Surprised yelps rang out as the ground underneath them lost its solidity and the sky disappeared from view. The absolute emptiness only lasted a few moments, after which, radiant clock faces began to light up the absolute lack of scenery.
“Kanda!”
Allen and Lavi turned their heads to see a frantic Lenalee, reaching towards the quickly falling form of their other alert ally. Without her Dark Boots to propel her, she had no way of reaching her friend, or stopping what happened next. Over the span of a few short instances, one of the clock faces had positioned itself beneath the blue-haired samurai. The two collided and both vanished from sight. Unconscious as they were, Miranda and Krory were unaware when the same fate befell them as well.
Thinking quickly, Lavi grabbed onto Clown Belt as he and Allen passed each other. Neither them, nor Lenalee, nor the now absent fighters had been descending directly downwards. Instead, they seemed to be whirling down at varying speeds. The white-haired boy shot Bookman’s apprentice a grateful look once he’d ceased flipping head-over-heels. They both looked over at Lenalee, trying to think of a way to bring her nearer. At the moment, she was below them, and the clock which seemed to be tracking her was growing ever nearer.
Neither of them was aware of Allen’s own clock until the impact. It nearly tore the younger boy from Lavi’s grasp with its force alone. Just as before, both the exorcist and timepiece were quickly being engulfed in light. Light that refused to make contact with the redhead. In a split second, Allen and Lavi had both come to the same decision. Using the temporary stability the clock provided, Lavi kicked off and Allen pushed him away. The force was enough to send him flying in the direction of the green-haired girl.
The only two living beings left in the abyss were steadily drawing nearer, each determined to save the other and locate their vanished friends. Right before their hands could touch, a bright light engulfed Lavi from below. He only had enough time to spare Lenalee a startled glance before he was completely submerged within the light. A second later, and nothing was left to prove that he was ever there.