Prologue

She had always pictured souls as if they were pieces of chocolate in a heart shaped box. One would have to have a taste each chocolate individually to discover its true flavor. But, what if it could change its coating? The chocolate next to it, with the pink frosting. It would have a different taste, as it is altogether a separate treat. However, if it could have the exact same pink coating, it would easily fool you into thinking it was entirely changed from its original design. Despite the fact that its flavor remained unchanged.

This was her gift. Or was it a curse? She could never quite decide. She had seen witches and demon weapons before her do something similar, but their skills were possession based rather than transformation. This would require encountering and controlling a body in which a soul already inhabited. It was her own flesh and blood that could change and bend. She hadn't even needed to be in the same room as the person.

She sat in a foreign chair, in a foreign body, surrounded by foreign faces. Her location was that of an abandoned tavern. Hidden and unbeknownst to the average citizen. This was not her preference. But this was what needed to be done in order to keep him and herself safe. A large man and younger woman sat before her as if they were looking at a ghost. In a sense, they were. The camouflage she wore was that of a person long since dead. The woman was the first to speak.

"Medusa, we thought you were dead."

"And that's what the DWMA thinks as well." She grinned devilishly.

"I don't know how you did it." The woman replied. The one who appeared to be Medusa shrugged as if she knew a great secret, and wasn't going to reveal it in a thousand years.

"So what do you want? Why did you bring us here?" The large wolf like man inquired.

"Patience, Free." She began as she pulled out a photo of a man with spiked brown hair. His face was covered in piercings and his lips sported a wicked grin. "Giriko is attempting to revive the witch Arachne. Before we can even approach the DWMA, he must be eliminated."

"Nobody's seen the guy since the Kishin was destroyed." Free growled.

"That's where you come in. Find him. Search the entire globe and inform me of his location. Then we can continue with phase two of my plan."

"What exactly is your plan Medusa?"

"That's not something you need to concern yourself with Eruka." The snake like woman stood. "I will inform you of the rest of the plan when Giriko has been located. You know how to contact me."

With that, the woman left the old tavern and made her way out of the small town. The further she walked, the more the snake woman began to change. Her height decreasing a few inches, her hair darkening from blonde into a light shade of brown and her features relaxed. She no longer resembled the witch Medusa by any stretch of the imagination. When she was far enough away from her business associates, she pulled an out an ax that she had concealed on her person. The ax then transformed into a man with dark brown hair and piercing grey eyes. He stood taller than the girl, despite his previous position in her pocket. He locked eyes with hers.

"Are you sure this is going to work Vel?" He asked her.

"It's our best chance of finding Giriko." Was Velia's reply. "Jack, if you don't feel comfortable with this then I won't be mad is you lea-"

"I'm not leaving you Velia."

"If I were you I would." She replied mostly to herself. With that, they continued walking.


Lord Death, his death scythe Spirit, and Stein had all convened in the Death Room. It was silent, as it was not yet clear to Stein and Spirit why they were summoned. Lord Death gave no indication of what exactly the news was, but Stein could sense that it was far from good. It had been approximately six months since the Kishin was destroyed. Students and faculty alike at the DWMA had finally begun to relax.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news." Lord Death stated, slicing the silence like butter.

The men remained silent, trying to retain some of the peace that had been achieved with the death of the Kishin before it was destroyed.

"The Witch Medusa has been spotted. And she is gathering her old allies Free and Eruka."

"That's impossible, Maka destroyed her. I saw it with my own eyes." Stein replied with confidence.

"I was skeptical myself, but this was relayed to me by some of my most trusted informants." Lord Death explained. "Something is off, she doesn't seem as powerful as she once was."

"Stein and I can head out tonight." Spirit snapped, angered at his foe's apparent return.

"No Spirit, I need you to stay." Lord Death continued. "I don't know what she's planning but if she approaches the academy I will need you here. Stein, I want you to investigate along with Maka, Blackstar and Kid." Spirit was visible disappointed, but he understood his duties and quickly regained his composure.

"We'll leave as soon as possible."

"Excellent, I want this taken care of before things escalate." Lord Death concluded. Stein turned and left the death room. He saw Medusa's death. There was no way she could be back. But he would investigate. If the witch had truly returned, then he wasn't so sure she could ever be killed.