Chapter 9

Old Man of the Land and Aria of the Night Sky (Part 1) (土翁と空夜のアリア①, Tsuchi Okina to Kuu Ya no Aria 1) is the ninth chapter in the D.Gray-man series written and illustrated by Katsura Hoshino.

Synopsis
As he is on his way to catch a train, Allen reads the booklet that holds his mission specifications. The contents tell of Mater, an abandoned town in Italy, and the “ghost” that resides in it. After they board the train and are allowed free passage due to their status as Black Order Exorcists, Allen asks Kanda to elaborate on their mission. Kanda explains that Innocence is often found at the center of paranormal phenomena, and that the “ghost” of Mater may be linked to Innocence. As they read on about their mission, Allen and Kanda both notice something odd. The Finder accompanying them, Toma, affirms their suspicions, and tells them what the “ghost” of Mater is.

The scene cuts back to Mater and the two mysterious figures, one a shadowed adult and the other a child, who are hiding from the Level Two that is steadily getting closer to where they are. The shadowed adult, named Guzol, tells the child to run, but the child insists on staying with Guzol. Just then, the Level Two finds their location.

Outside of Mater, Allen, Kanda and Toma have just arrived, Allen revealing the conclusion the group has come to: that the “ghost” of Mater is just a doll. Mater, a town centered in a nearly inhospitable environment, used to be home to doll makers, who made dolls that sang and danced to keep themselves happy. When the people left the town, they left the dolls behind, and five hundred years later they still moved. Kanda notes that it would only be possible if the dolls were made with Innocence. When they arrive at the outskirts of town, Allen and Kanda note an ominous feeling in the air, and when they cannot see the Finders Kanda concludes that they are probably dead. Kanda coldly informs Allen that if he (Allen) becomes a hindrance, than he (Kanda) will leave him behind. There is an explosion in town that attracts their attention, and they see the Level Two ordering several Level One Akuma to destroy a barrier the remaining Finders erected around Guzol and the child accompanying him. When the Level Two, which is standing on a Finder’s head, nearly crushes the Finder, Allen intervenes and begins fighting it, while Kanda watches, calling Allen an “idiot”.