A short time after the defeat of Asura, The DWMA launched an assault on the remaining Arachnophobia bases around the world. The goal was to simultaneously wipe out all traces of the organization, while minimalizing losses…

Chapter 1- The Cursed Sword and His Owner: A Fallen Meister?

"Damn…" a coarse voice muttered as an explosion rocked the earth around him. "Gotta get out…run…have to run!" the voice whispered to himself as he made strides down the lab-like hallways in front of him. Identical hallways led to identical corridors, and if the young male hadn't spent months here, he would have been hopelessly lost in his panicked escape. As it was, his special "gift" allowed him to avoid most of the combat, staying where it was quiet and no soul other than his own emitted sound. Suddenly, he stopped, slowly drawing the sword at his side; a katana, ruby red with a black handle with a glint that showed just how sharp it truly was. "Hey, what's up? You sense something?" a calm voice emitted from the sword. This was the man's weapon, and only friend. Known to history as Masamune, the weapon at his side was actually a long descendent of the original fabled sword. "Kaido…there's someone ahead…" the man wielding the sword muttered. Kaido, the soul in the form of a sword, appeared in the glint of the weapon. Long black hair tied back into a topknot that covered a smirking, sharply dressed man in a suit. A sharp jaw, strong build, and determined eyes made the sword a striking being. He cocked an eyebrow at his wielder and sardonically asked, "What? Scared of a little pest from the Academy? Come now, we've fought tougher."

The wielder frowned and readied his sword in a fighting posture, deciding not to reply. He edged forward, cautiously reaching out with his senses, trying to determine what made him feel so off. A soul brushed against his, followed by an intense wave of soul energy, setting off alarm bells within him, and he instinctively dropped to the floor. As soon as he dropped, a halberd sliced the air he had occupied moments ago. The man rolled forward with his drop, quickly bringing his sword up into his target. A splash of blood, a scream, and the soul quickly dropped in strength and "sound". The man rose, striding towards the downed warrior. "Alexander…what're you going to do? Kill him? We need to go…" Kaido spoke from his side. The downed academy student stared up at him, his eyes wide with fear. His weapon transformed before him, a woman in a leather coat with studded jeans. She took a defensive posture before her wounded Meister. Alexander readied his blade, preparing to slice down the foe, when he felt another soul encroach on his mind. One that was more powerful than the two before him. A…Death Scythe? Impossib-his train of thought was interrupted as the woman before him struck while he was distracted, slugging him across the right jaw. Alexander grimaced in pain and staggered, quickly recovering his composure and striking back, slicing the woman across the abdomen. She screamed and dropped to the ground, blood oozing from the wound. Alexander slowly walked towards them, staring vacantly at them. He clenched his gloved fist, then with two fatal slashes, the sound that plagued his mind vanished. He was in blessed silence again. Yet, before Alexander could make any further action, he felt the strong soul grow closer, and his senses were flooded by intense waves of screaming energy. This soul was strong, stronger than any he had felt before.

He heard another woman shout, "You! Servant of Arachne, surrender and we won't take your soul!" Alexander slowly turned around to see….a girl. No, a young woman, with blonde hair in pig tails, a long black overcoat over a sweater and skirt. She wielded a large scythe with a ruby red eye in the middle. Alexander had a realization, and Kaido voiced his concerns. "Crap…this isn't good….that's the newest Death Scythe…" Kaido mumbled aloud. Alexander slowly raised his sword, removing the spider mask he was forced to wear in the compound. The face revealed had piercing aquamarine eyes, with a red goatee and dark brown hair covering his head. He stared intently at his opponent, trying to read her. Figure out her next move. "Maka, let's just beat this guy and be done with it, the battle is won, we just need to get out of here now." The girl, Maka, nodded and gripped her scythe tighter. "Sure thing Soul, but first…we need to avenge the other students, you saw what he did to them…" Alexander gave a sarcastic smirk and said, "They attacked me. I had no quarrel with them, I just want to leave. Move, or I'll have to kill you too." Although his words were brave, he was scared. Could he really face a Death Scythe? And this girl…she unnerved him. Her green eyes seemed to stare directly into his core, as if it tried to unravel his being. Maka suddenly ran forward, flinging her scythe out ahead of her. Alexander responded quickly, deflecting the scythe with Kaido, then riposted immediately. The girl dodged to the right and lashed out with a side-kick, striking Alexander in the gut. He grunted and held his ground, feinting to the right, then quickly flicking Kaido to the left. Maka blocked with her weapon's handle, then unleashed a flurry of swiped and jabs with her scythe. Alexander blocked every swipe with skill, but couldn't manage to get an attack in. Suddenly he sensed an opening. A slight delay in her swing. He took his chances, and attacked. He could have sworn he saw a face in the scythe smirk, a flash of silver hair and the glint of maddeningly red eyes. He realized his mistake too late. His opponent quickly changed directions, bringing the handle up hard into Alexander's gut. He dropped, gasping for air, when a boot slammed into his jaw. Bone crunched when he hit the ground, then blood oozed through his teeth. The noise of the two strong souls combined threatened to overpower his consciousness, but he struggled to hold on. Kaido yelled in worry, "Get up! Come on! FIGHT!" Alexander tried to stagger to his feet, but could rise no further than his knees. The long months of combat, coupled with the exhaustion brought on from the receding madness of the Kishin Asura, caught up with him in one fell swoop. He looked up slowly, and laid his sword down to his side.

"Kaido….run. Leave me. I have failed you, and deserve to die here. Let the noise take me." The blade was silent for a moment, then flashed into his human form. He stepped between his owner and the couple he had lost to. "Afraid I can't do that, Alex. If you go, I go." He adopted a defensive posture, but was quickly brought to the ground by a sweep of a scythe. "Damn…little rusty on my human form…" Alexander coughed up blood and stared into the blonde girl's eyes, defiance showing fiercely through. "Kill me then…do it. Take my 'evil' soul and destroy it. That's why you're here, right? To purge our evil from the world? Tch…just finish it…" he looked down and waited for the blow that would end his life, silently apologizing to Kaido for failing him. A long moment passed where he heard nothing but the buzzing of souls followed, but the blow never came. Instead, he felt his gloved hands be clasped behind his back, and the girl hauled him up to his feet. Her scythe was now a young male, the silver hair and red eyes looked him over, but not for long. The red-eyed boy hauled Kaido to his feet, and cuffed him in a similar fashion. Maka glanced at him for a moment, and whispered sadly, "we aren't here to kill you…that's for Lord Death to decide. A fallen Meister like you must face his judgement alone…" Alexander felt a small jab in his soul at the tone of her voice. What was that..? Pity? Regret? Disgust?...He was unsure. Who was this girl, exactly? He contemplated his fate as they were lead away, and loaded into an Academy transport van. In the distance, the sounds of combat faded as the Arachnophobia facility was detonated by placed charges. Kaido looked at him from across the seats and gave a sarcastic, false smile. "Hey…at least we aren't dead" Alexander sighed and looked away, and muttered, "We might be better off that way…"