Searching for Allen Walker Arc

The Searching for Allen Walker arc is the seventeenth story arc of the D.Gray-man manga series which is written and illustrated by Katsura Hoshino. It unfolds as Allen Walker having run away from the Black Order tries to escape his pursuers whether they are outside or inside him. It starts at Chapter 208 and is currently on-going.

A turbulent departure
Johnny Gill reiterates his demand to leave the Order and go after Allen to Reever Wenhamm. Reever finally admits to understand Johnny's feeling and accepts his demission. On his side Allen is hiding from Apocryphos who is implacably tracking him. Johnny is on departure but to leave the order he has to ingest a liquid that will erase his memories of both Allen and the Black Order. He tries to escape but is caught up by the CROW. Suddenly Yuu Kanda bursts into the train and saves him from the CROWs.

Kanda then explains that he will accompagny him and help him to find Allen. Meanwhile in the Order, Lenalee and Marie try to cover up Kanda's disparition to their superior Komui who doesn't seem to buy their stories.

The Search
Johnny and Kanda track Allen by exploring a lot of places (mostlybrothels and other dubious locations) in which Allen has debts. During the research, Johnny is attacked by an akuma who taunts Kanda about how they will surely fail before being defeated. Kanda reveals that he escorts Johnny because he wants to repay his debt to Allen and blames himself for his awakening. They finaly find him dressed up and working as a wandering clown. They don't recognize him at first but when an akuma attacks, Allen is forced to use his Innocence and reveals himself. Allen tries to run away but he is caught back by Kanda. Kanda questions him about Link and Allen aknowledges his death.At this moment they are attacked again by akumas and Allen takes advantage of it to escape. The noahs Wisely and Tyki Mikk show up in the crowd, Wisely talks through telepathy to Allen and explains that the akumas are attracted to his noah aura. Johnny and Kanda go after Allen by using a tracking device Johnny put in Allen's hair earlier. Allen, put under stress, strain and Nea inside him finally falls unconcious ., Kanda and Johnny save him from an akuma and carry Allen to an inn.

A stressful night
Allen is fighting off the memory of the 14th with Johnny and Kanda on his bedside. Johnny encourages Allen while

Kanda feels something outside so he goes out. There he meets Howard Link in a street revealing the latter to be alive. Link remembers how he survived his fight with Apocryphos. Zu-Mei-Chang used a spell that would cost his own life to save Link's life and give him the golem Atuuda. Then Link woke up months later in a manor. There Lvellie gave him new weapons and a new mission: to go after Allen Walker. Kanda threatens Link if he plans to assassinate Allen. link replies that he only wants to witness Allen's fate with his own eyes. Meanwhile in the inn, The 14th awakes and knocks out Johnny. Nea stands up but has some trouble to walk. He watches his face in tthe mirror much to his surprise before asking Timcanpy to show hims records of Allen. Kanda returns and seing Johnny unconcious, he mmediately puts his blade under Nea's throat. However, at this point Allen was back in his body. . Johnny is drawn back to conciousness thanks to Kanda 's healing blood. Allen realizes with horror what happened and yells to his friend not get near him as he is dangerous. Johnny explains that he left the order to be by Allen's side which appears to soften Allen who believe they were after him as Order's agents.

Ambushed on two sides!
On the morrow, after putting special handcuffs to Allen and Johnn they all open a repair service on the street to earn some money. Johnny and Allen have to go in anotherstreet as Kanda wait here with Timcanpy. At this moment, Allen's innocence reacts to something approaching.

An unwanted client
Under his cardinal disguise, Apocryphos approaches Kanda. Timcanpy recognizes him and attacks him. Apocryphos is unhurt by the assault and quickly stands up. Kanda joins the fight but he is easily overwhelmed by the sentient innocence who erases the memory of him in his brain. Timcanpy shrinks in front of Apocryphos, ready to protect his master. Apocryphos decides to spare Allen for the day if Timcanpy doesn't fly away and accept his demise. He grows a wooden chip from his hand and prepares to stab Timcanpy but at this moment Kanda returns and deals one last blow. Apocryphos stands again and stabs Tim with the chip. The Golem is covered by a black substance and begins to crack. On his side Allen is ambushed by The Earl of Millennium himself. Apocryphos leaves but not before erasing the memories of all the witness except Howard Link who ran away after seing the cardinal who left him for dead 3 months earlier. Link is under the impression that the Vatican is corrupted. At this moment, Apocryphos is attacked by Jasdero and David. He engages the battle gainst them. On his side, Kanda is found by general Froi Tiedoll. Kanda thinks he has said goodbye to Allen and Johnny because Apocryphos put fake memories in his brain. However his healing seals gives him back his true memories and Kanda refuses to leave with Tiedoll. Tiedoll explains him that he nearly lost all credibility with Central and offers him to become a General. Kanda accepts.

The mad clown
The Earl appears to be in a very unstable state of mind as he attacks Allen. He keeps calling allen "Nea" and repeating that this is all "Mana"s fault. The earl hits Allen and the latter's conciousness is submerged by memories that aren't his. Allen's conciousness is fading away and leaves room for Nea's. On his side Wisely uses his demon eye and find Road Kamelot in between dimensions in a fragile form. He talks with her about Nea and she reveals that Nea is "special" and that the earl is their Achilles's heel. Tyki snaps Wisely out of his conversation and tells him that the earl has disappear, they need to go after him.

Awakening
Nea is now perfectly awake. He walks in the direction of the earl and takes stock of the situation. He greets his brother after 35 years and the earl leaves his costume to fall in Nea's embrace. They hug for a while with the earl questioning about his own feeling. Nea realizes that the earl's face has changed and his memories have disappeared so he proceeds to reveal the truth that the earl is actually "Mana". The reason he wants to be by his side is because Mana and Nea were originally the same person: The Earl of Millennium. One day he disappeared and became two infants who were raised as twin brothers by Katerina Eve Campbell.

A flashback shows a younger earl in front of a mirror. He is deeply conflicted and asks forgiveness to Nea for having devoured him. His reflection on the glass replies that this is all "Mana"'s fault. The reflextion then justifies that this was his duty as the earl of Millennium and decides to get rid of any memory of Mana and Nea. Unable to fathom to look at his Mana features, the earl blows up his own face with a blast of Dark Matter. Back on the present Howard Link is seen assaulting the Finders who are after Allen. He still feels the wound inflicted by Apocryphos and is still conflicted. Nea breaks his embrace with the earl as the earl is surprised to be called "Mana". He denies being Mana but Nea insists and claims that all he wants is destroy Mana. The earl is shaken by this reveal and at this moment Nea is captured by the talismans of two finders. The earl is shoved aside by one of the finders which causes Nea to yell to them to run away. The earl pierces the head of the finder with appendages from his hand and sucks up his soul, causing his body to dissolve into tiny balls. The earl does not want to be seen with his human face so he does the exact same thing to the other finder. He then attacks Nea who continues to taunt him about being Mana. However Nea is rescued by Howard Link and his spells. Link manages to restrain the earl and takes Nea away. Nea attempts to impersonate Allen Walker in front of him but Link states that he can sense his lust for blood. Link heals Nea's wounds with Atuuda but as he is exposed Nea reveals his true nature and threatens Link. Link reveals that Malcolm C. Lvellie and Cross Marian made a deal and that he has come to protect the fourteenth.

After a flashback, Link shows up to restrain the Earl and he claims to be an ally of the 14th. Feedler attacks him to force him to release the earl.

The Earl and the Noahs (after delivering the Earl) return to the Ark, declaring that the 14th has returned. They are called by Nea himself who announces his upcoming visit to kill the earl. Tyki Mikk stays behind as Wisely and the earl disappear. He talks with Nea who is annoyed by and decides to activate his innocence. Meanwhile, Link prepares to stop him because of the risks but at this moment Johnny arrives. Allen hears his voice and resumes control of his body.