A few days pass with Maka's residence in the lovely village.

Just when she's getting accustomed to working in Stein's shop for money and seeing a handsome face always show up to check on her; Soul wasn't the only one to check on her for once. Blair, who normally stays outdoors and disappears until nightfall, darted into the shop today. She leaped onto the counter where Maka and Stein sat behind mindlessly sorting herbs, then took a defensive crouch in front of the blonde one.

Both shopkeepers noticed at once, looking at each other and then the normally chill feline.

"Blair what's coming?"

The cat whips around and changes position to sitting calmly while facing her friend. The cat mewed like it was chanting, and suddenly a small poof of smoke occurred on the top of her head.

A witch hat revealed underneath the clearing smoke.

"God damn it, already?"

The cat nods while Stein loses his shit over a cat with magic that can understand human tongue. "Stein I forbid you from harming the cat in any form of experimental way." Maka stated immediately and the doctor replies with a saddened sigh.

"Witches are coming?" He questions, poking the mini purple hat upon the cat.

"Or something of witchcraft, they will usually send minions or minor evils first."

Stein gives a sound of acknowledgment, grasping a book under the wooden counter top.

"Should I go find Soul, Doctor Stein?"

"Nah, I can defend just as well as that young one if he fails to come back to check your assets out again."

Maka gives an offended gasp, and the elder laughs while pricking his finger out of view and smearing his blood across the book. "You cannot be blind to how many times his eyes will slip from yours in a conversation, Miss?" He continues amused, effortlessly placing a magic barrier around the shop without Maka's notice.

He was as mysterious as her when it comes to abilities.

Chink.

All attention directs to just outside the shop. Blair's fur is elevated, indicating that witchcraft must be near. Stein was calm much to Maka's surprise, calm enough to stroll to the front door and swing open the heavy wooden door.

Chink.

He looks down, greeted by black frog that stands directly in front of him.

Chink.

Stein chuckles childishly as the frog attempts to leap at him and enter the shop, but slams into an invisible barrier each time. It was as if it was smashing its body against a glass window, and it left Stein in hysterics. Maka peers over his shoulder and sees the sight; it was a witch minion from the witch of frogs quite obviously, yet the poor controlled creature was a blithering idiot. Witchcraft oozed off of it visibly as it tried another tactic of hitting the block with whatever possessed magic gift it was given-which was nothing other than black dust it seemed and that furthered hysterics from the mentally unstable.

All of a sudden the frog exploded, by will of a silver arrow.

"Sorry to hack off your fun there, Doc."

"You're late as usual, Eater."

"Did not expect for them to start so early."

He still did not have a shirt on since this morning. There was a crossbow being strapped to his back and an axe leaning against his leg. Chopping wood apparently was a side task he did to prevent his pockets being empty.

That would explain the golden tan.

"There's more coming today most likely right, Lady Maka?"

"They certainly aren't going to stop—this village may even get a visit from the upper ring of witches."

Soul looks at Maka confused.

"Witches are not human; however they are not uncivilized either. They all belong to a society which is entirely a government. Social status is divided into which government ring a witch is in, and there are a few rings, highest being upper."

"Strongest of the kind I'm guessing?" Stein interjects, and Maka nods.

"Soul, the ones with the highest bounties and will have been wanted for centuries are upper ring witches. Are you positive you want me to stick around?"

"I would capture you myself if you left."

He replies back instantly with a cocky grin on his face. Blair leaves the shop as Stein slowly backs into it; closing the door, not wanting to sit through the sexual tension which will be settling shortly right outside his shop door. Instead a storm settles outside making the earth muddy. This was not a dandy thing per se; with the mud came more frogs. Soul after while would not even bother to shoot them, he just stepped on them much to Maka's and Blair's disgust as they made their way home.

A few slimy moments later a large wooden door is slammed shut and locked, and sighs of relief occur. Thunder rumbles quietly overhead as the group makes fruitless attempts to dry their clothes and fur by shaking. Unfortunately for Blair, she could not take her fur off, but Soul and Maka could take their clothes off which is exactly what they did.

Sadly for Soul, not in the same room.

She strolls out into the living room as he is still naked and neither of them care. Mostly because she's seen him and his entirety too many times already to be phased and he knows that. This does not mean she will completely ignore his physique, but both are comfortable. As he slips into his pants he questions, "Did Stein set up the barrier around the shop or did you m'lady? If you did, would ya wish throw one up around the great abode?" while gesturing to the walls of the house.

"Stein had that one up. I am unable place barriers unless certain circumstances are met. However, Blair can mew rather powerful barriers to life if you think it's necessary."

"The cat can enchant?"

A proud mew of agreement from the floor answers that one.

"If you are familiar, she's... Pumpkin-oriented."

"The pumpkins around your imprisonment where her doing?"

Mew.

"Maka... is your cat a witch?"

Hiss.

Maka goes on to explain that several things in this world have magic. Witches are possessive or evil magic users. One can tell if something is a witch by if they're magic is creature or plant oriented. If they control creatures like snakes or spiders, they're witches. If they control plants like pumpkins, they're not evil nor witch, just deep earth-magic bound. She finishes her explanation while gathering supplies for dinner.

"Enlightening, however isn't there a third kind of magic bound?"

Maka pauses her movements in the kitchen.

"Pardon?"

"Like Tsubaki, or Kim, they use elements."

"Ahhh, not truly. They use objects, like medallions or rings to aid them, correct?"

"Well yes—"

"The objects are bound to probably a plant that is known for fire resistance; or floating, in Lady Kim's case. Abilities then can manifest through the users personal desire."

Soul becomes lost in thought as the conversation quiets. For one about how knowledgeable the maiden is; he's older than her and she makes him feel like an idiot about witches. Witches have been his entire life, he's killed well over one hundred of them and he knows nothing about them compared to her. Yet she has been the one to live alongside them by force for at least a century.

She would be ill not to pick up a few tidbits.

He knows her well enough to know that she never purposely answered his original question, and normally she would sputter numerous answers if she liked the question. He thought it was cute. Soul was no fool however; he found a question for once she hesitated to fully answer.

A question Stein would have no problem answering.


"Yes it exists. They're still unfortunately classified as witch scum though."

Stein replies as he adjusts his glasses. Maka was at the back of the shop sweeping the patio as Soul and the doctor converse in the front room.

"If they are not ones to use possessive magic, why are they classified as witch?"

"Because they're extremely rare. No one knows anything about them, more than often even their existence, so majority has been mistaken for witches."

Soul nods. That would possibly explain why Maka asked about objects when she heard elements. But wait, if no one knows anything about them how does Stein know? This question is voiced, and Stein's expression falters to a sad smile.

"I was married to one."

Soul was taken back. He's never known that the doctor was once married, let alone ever seen just sadness in the usually delusional man.

"Married to whom?" Maka suddenly speaks up, walking towards them finished with her task.

"A Grigori witch."

Maka and Stein exchanges glances of their own, mostly apologetic coming from Maka.

"I have rarely heard that term of witch before Doctor, what power did your wife hold?" She questions.

"She was a remarkable healer, and when angry could control impact forces. However a witch is a witch in my old village, and she was burned..."

"Impact?" Maka murmurs quietly. Soul catches it—he's heard her trail off just like that before, and straightens up immediately. He steps behind Maka seeing the way her eyes glazed over like that two times before, and was ready to support her in case her balance faltered.

"What do you know Maka?" Soul speaks softly, as if afraid to disturb her. Stein gains a strange look at Soul before Maka abruptly speaks,

"Marie Mjölnir, the hammer of Thor, is alive."

Maka suddenly steps backward as her weird state escapes her. Soul wraps an arm around her as she steadies herself. "Well it's been a while since you have done that." Soul states and Maka nods but looks to Stein cautiously. One word came out of his mouth,

"Where?"

"As far as I know, her whereabouts are unknown. I do not need to be in the weird state of mind to tell you that I knew an anti-witch that went by Marie M. She's a wanderer now, no affiliation to any village."

Stein was shocked beyond belief, so he quizzed Maka on what she looked like or stupid little things about her and he got more and more excited because she answered every single one of them correctly. Soul noticed how patient and calm Maka was to the insane one. Her tender smile as Stein finally cracked and said he believed her, and that she gave back part of his mind. Soul also noticed how comfortable his arm was still resting against the small of her back.

He just left it there.

The gent was unable to contain a small smile at such an action, and how she casually accepted the action. It was the initiation of a lifetime because from then on over the next few days whenever they were to walk together to any place, his arm was there. His hand grasped gently at her side. It kept other men away and made her walk closer to him; which he really liked. Frogs have become extremely populated in the village, and they do nothing more than watch Maka as of lately, his planned excuse if she were to ask why he's keeping her so close.

However things don't always go in accordance to plan.

"Soul," She pauses, "Why do you always have your arm around me now?" Her body completely halts walking back to their house, and he stammers, "Uh I am uncertain to exactly know how it started," Oh, but he certainly did. "However it was originally to keep you away from the frogs—if they do ever decide to do anything I could pull you out of harm's way. I mean if it bothers you I-I can stop, m'Lady?" His hand is rubbing at his neck again and he looks away from her. He was shy, and that was a sucker punch for Maka because she really liked shy.

She also liked how soft his skin was as she pulls him into hug. Her murmuring into his ear, "I don't mind at all, it's rather sweet Sir." The sunset behind them almost complete. Soul smelled of musk and spices, his skin extremely warm, and his grip around her waist was gentle. She liked the fact that he never worked with a tunic on, and only really wore them when he was hunting.

Maka is pulled out of her thoughts when Soul's body suddenly goes rigid. She looks up to him, and he presses her head back down onto his shoulder whispering, "Sense anything unusual to the north of us?" It was only a moment before her body tensed up as well.

A witch was within the town walls.

In fact, the witch was on the same street as them. Soul calls out, "Who's there?" The answer is met with silence, because it's pretty obvious they know. Soul's arm tightens around her waist and the one holding her head down to his shoulder moves to pull the ever present crossbow off his back.

Ribbet.

Soul rips it off his back, aims, and fires directly in front of them faster than she thought was humanly possible. The arrow severed in half a giant tadpole that was hurled at them.

"Lady Maka would you please stand back for a moment?"

She does as she's told, and watches how elite Soul actually is with fighting. He oddly could see exactly where the witch was even with the darkening sky which made Maka question if his scarlet eyes gave him more than just rare colored sights. The witch could not land a hit on him because after every shot he took to counter an attack, he darted or side stepped to another unexpected location. After only two offensive shots he landed a fatal hit.

"Oh wow Soul you're a fantastic marksman." Maka comments as they cautiously step forward to the corpse. It's seen that two previous shots that were aimed at the witch didn't miss either, but rather pinned each of her arms to a random brick building before a silver arrow hit her heart.

"It was not difficult this cannot be the actual witch of frogs, so it was limited to what it could do."

Soul states casually, and Maka for once is confused. What does he mean not actually the witch of frogs? The body is right here? He then continues when he realizes her confusion,

"Oh hah, I know something you don't. Since I see them when they're dead I can tell if they're using a possessed corpse or if the body is actually theirs. Look here,"

He pointed to a blue patch on the skin of the woman, and mentions this is how the body originally died. The patch signified probably by poison and the witch magic entry point.

"I never knew they could control humans." Maka comments shocked and Soul just chuckles.

"Only if freshly dead. Instead of frogs now these things are gonna start showing up. I have a bad feeling about it."


Soul was certainly right—and right as in when they woke up this morning there was one who was in the living room of the house that Blair was playing with. Maka woke up first, heard a little bit of clatter and some mewing coming from the main room, decided to check it out.

Weapons that were once mantled to the wall were flying all around the room as were pumpkins. In the middle of the mess was an old lady who had the same mark on her arm as the other one last night. Blair was lounging on the bookshelf watching the elder attempt to move from the tornado of sharp objects around her but to no avail. Maka sighed with a smile at the cat; at least she contained the fowl thing.

If Maka were to look to her left, there was a large scythe mantled on the hallway wall right next to her. Lucky for her, Scythes are her favored weapon. It's gripped tightly as she walks out into the grand living room. The tornado of sharp objects stop, and Maka launches forward swinging the scythe swiftly.

A head rolls onto the floor as clapping is heard behind her.

"This is a really nice scythe, it's blade is sharpened incredibly well."

She spins it once in her hand, enjoying the finely crafted weapon.

"It should be that's my favorite weapon for close quarters combat."

"It's my weapon of choice actually in general." Maka mentions, happily mesmerized by the intricate latin carvings all over the staff.

"Where's your scythe then?"

"If I ever need it you'll see." She giggles with a sly smirk.

Contrary to the giggle, however, the answer held darkness within. If she ever really was pushed to a point to use it, it would only show up when she needs to defend someone standing on the bridge between life and death. Unfortunately, she's had to use it more than she liked. As she gives Soul a morning hug that's also becoming a common occurrence her heart fills with fear at what could be done to this village when the upper circle shows up.

Or more specifically, what could be done to Soul, because black blood is not entirely invincible.


It had been two weeks since the possessed corpses started to appear, but they decreased greatly in the last three days. One had yet to show up at all during the day. A day that was particularly work-filled for Soul, so Maka has been left to her own devices once outside Stein's shop.

It really was not an issue for her, as on cue the possessed corpse finally became present. Not visibly, no, Maka could not see shit. However she could sense the witchcraft, and it was sailing to her. What does she do?

Side-step it, and merely strikes the tadpole with one finger.

The explosive tadpole freezes midair and remains there, until Maka turns it around, and taps it again, returning it. Red glowing orbs are the only thing visible in the shadows of moonlight, and they gazed coldly at her as all evils do.

"Ribbet, finally you're entirely alone, not even the damnation of a feline is anywhere close to you."

"I do not understand why you see that as a good thing Eruka. I'm all the more dangerous to you."

Ribbet.

Tadpoles by groups of three are launched at Maka, and she dodges all of them swiftly. "Why don't you use your powers, are you scared?" Maka pauses her movements, and giggles. Maka knew Eruka was a third circle witch, the lowest rank to still be considered a threat. The witch of frogs was nothing more than a special puppet for the upper ring witches.

Maka was immune to everything Eruka could possibly do to her. She's tried to kill Maka before when the blonde was imprisoned in her lair, which is why Maka did not give flying shit about how Eruka threw everything and anything she could at her.

Nor about when Eruka flashed in front of her.

Or when Maka was pinned up against a wall by the wench, not even a flinch.

She could have fought, but Maka was mindful of the sleeping people around her, and did not desire to cause further ruckus. By now Eruka had her immobilized to the best ability, and a poisonous blue tongue was near the pigtailed beauty's jugular. The witch made one mistake. She wanted to prolong and attempt to torture. A switchblade is suddenly shoved into Maka's gut, and she yelps. Another one is slammed into the side of her thigh, and she makes a pained noise.

Three more switchblades with frog shaped handles penetrate her skin. She couldn't die easily, but that did not mean she was unable to feel pain. Eruka, grinning madly and giggling profusely in Maka's face, was beginning to enjoy herself too much. Maka began to recite latin in her head, as she wills for her Scythe to recreate itself. However Eruka's face expression abruptly changes, she seemed afraid.

Terrified.

She's ripped away from Maka's face then slammed on the ground.

"You fucking wench."

His crossbow was aimed, cocked, and shot at point blank range of the witch, and he did this again and again. A Soul so furious he was shaking visibly from anger before her. His eyes flicked to Maka, and she saw heavy guilt within, assuming that he wanted to get to her sooner. Her body was bloody red everywhere until she activated the black blood and started to pull out the switchblades, her chewing on her lip to prevent noise of pain.

"No," Husky, soft, and quietly he speaks moving toward her, "Don't do that yet, let's return home first, and let me remove them." Soul approaches her; arms wrapped gently around her back and legs as she's lifted up once again. He cradles her all the way home, head held tall out of protectiveness, fearing more witchcraft could be within the area.

She's set on their bed carefully.

There must have been poison on the blades, because she was starting to feel something toxic in her blood. Soul knew too, as she recognizes a vial of anti-poison in his hand pulled from a drawer. The knife she's already pulled out left a purple growing patch on her skin, and a drop of the vial's contents seep into the wound. Soul mumbles that it could sting and then asks an odd question a little louder,

"Do you want me to wipe away your blood or can you reabsorb it?"

"You can do that?"

"You should try when I'm done."

Maybe his black blood is invincible.

She hisses as he pulls out the one on her thigh, him murmuring soft apologies as he drips the poison remedy in. "Start healing the wounds, my Lady." The one issue about poisons and black blood is that the wounds heal either significantly slower or increasing more painful. Unfortunately for Maka it was both. She gasped as the first wound started to close and clenched a blanket in her fist when the second one closed up. Soul by this point has pulled out and prepared all the wounds, now monitoring her as she heals with the most regretful expression plastered to face.

If only he was there sooner, maybe she wouldn't have to deal with poison wounds. He could deal with them fine; he would have been a fantastic meat shield for her. However as he stares at her trying to hide her pain, he just feels like he failed her already. Maka's clenching hand has turned red now from the pressure.

The pressure was released when fingers glided lightly over her knuckles. They slid down the crevices between her fingers. A warm palm enclosed the top of her hand. Soul gently squeezed her hand for comfort as her wounds fully healed.

She feels cold, slightly anemic, and exhausted to the greatest degree. Healing through poison had a toll on the body. That's when she was brought against his body; his arms wrap around her protectively, and his head buries itself into the nape of her neck. She gasps at the sudden contact, and he thinks he touched a wound. His arms unwrap as quickly as they cradled her, however Maka's hand is suddenly gripping a retreating arm, and she blurts out coarsely that she liked him like that-oh no, no, not like that that, but liked him cuddling her.

She really liked it.

Scarlet color rose in her face, but the room was dimly lit, she really hoped he could not see. Meanwhile she quickly realizes that she's been holding her breath. Now whether out of the new physical contact or the last wound closing up, she doesn't know. Perhaps both were the cause.

"I'm sorry for that," Soul suddenly speaks up, ever so slightly as his head tilts to face her ear, "For not being there for you." He whispers. She hears a deep breath, and then feels air hit the side of her neck as he exhales. Goosebumps shoot up Maka's arm. Sympathy hits her, and she goes bold; turning around in his arms and hugging him back. Her entire body is pressed up against his for the first time. Actually it was first time she's given this physical contact to anyone.

It feels incredibly nice to Soul.

His heart rate sped up, because she fit perfectly in his arms and she was so soft and he had no other way but to describe her as huggable. Soul chews on his lip as he gets the courage to rub her back, then her freshly healed waist. His calloused fingers stroked the softest flesh he's ever touched, as she lets out a sigh of pleasant contentment. He smiles warmly as her next breath came out as a small snore. Her relaxed face clear as day, as he gently nudges her head under his chin before drifting off to sleep himself, a smile still evident on his face.


Maka woke up first, being greeted with incredible warmth and a strong smell of cloves. Her eyes opened to a tanned, thick collarbone, and she hears inhale—then exhale. Soul's hand was on her hip blade, his thumb falling into a little dip nearby perfectly. Maka's face began to heat up. She shouldn't be anywhere near Soul; she was a clean and formal maiden! She's been so for approximately three centuries why the fuck should she start to break that record now? He is why, she concludes. She also asks herself why out of all the times she seen him in particular vulgar states, and never questioned these—feelings, then.

Maka could not deny she fancied Soul.

It would be catastrophic; a maiden of her time should not have the slightest of feelings, especially when not married. It would not be in the interest of her father.

But why the hell would she care about that? Fuck societal formalities, she was already an outcast, a low life, when kicked from her kingdom.

The chest she's cuddling suddenly expands as he yawns, and she pokes her head up to see if he fully awoke.

"Good morning, Lady Maka."

Oh, the way that rolls of his tongue when he's half asleep. She bites her lip for only a moment before replying a similar statement. She sits up, only to be pulled back down, encased in their previous position,

"Just a few more minutes..."

"Must it still require me?" She growls squirming.

Soul gives a grunt of approval, holding her tighter for only a single moment. Her squirming to break free prevails, and then he looks down at the one still willingly hugging his chest.

She feels a shift in the air, so she pauses, and looks up.

The expression she's met with is indescribable. His eyes were intensely deep, and as she looks directly into them she once again questions if they gave him unusual abilities of any sort. They could certainly make her blush more. Unconsciously she licks her lips, and by primitive instinct, he does too. However he catches himself, and very quickly loosens his grip on her and sits up. She then comprehends what they just did—or where about to do.

"Sorry..." he gruffs out and she mimics him. Both then play a fine game of ignorance thought their day, because that certainly was too close of an about-to-be event. It did make Maka's possible fancy (much) more noticed by Soul and for that fancy to be him; Maka however was too analytical to make an educated guess about anything involving that event.

However a fine game of ignorance is never always a wise choice, especially when one ignores more than just feelings, but their surroundings too.

It started in the shop. Stein babbled about directions and something about animals too tiny to see by the human eye, when he pauses mid-sentence. Just, staring at Maka—or perhaps it was what was behind her. She tosses a small piece of redroot into her mouth, part of her random herb-snack of the day commenting, "Pardon?" as she stands up from leaning on the counter.

"Maka, redroot gives you wings?"

The next chunk of redroot she was about to pop into her mouth falls.

"Someone is about to stand on the bridge life or death, and their paths are blocked."

"Oh my... you're... Lady Maka, are you the reincarnation of the Reaper Grigori?"

The woman looks up to her elder, and smirks. She breathes in, and her wings are concealed as she breathes out. She grabs Stein's black cloak from the back of the shop, hurrying to the front of the entrance.

"Some call me a reaper; some call me a guardian, all else I am a witch. I merely grant safe passageway to each realm be. Prepare yourself Doctor Stein—something is certainly off about tonight."

He was about to follow her to keep her safe, but he could sense Soul's black blood nearby, so he let her go. The two cross paths, and first thing that came out of gentleman's mouth was,

"I sense something, I have not a clue to what it is but I know it's malicious. I came to guard you and the shop."

Fog filled the street at an unnatural rate, and Maka comes to a realization that being indoors is an awfully bad idea. The shop, Maka thinks, before calling out to Blair.

"Get the stitched man, and then tell him to get the gang outside and to fight. The upper circle is coming tonight to either retrieve me or kill, probably both."

"Why get them outside?" Soul interjects.

"Because I am clueless to know what they put in the fog that's forming."

Soul understood this implied that there could be something toxic within is swirls, could be deadly to a sealed space.

"How many are 'they', m'Lady?" Soul questions.

"Two. Originally three, now just two."

"What happened to the other one?"

"I killed her."

Soul raises his eyebrows at the blunt statement, but he wasn't surprised. He had no idea what she could truly do—oh, not yet—but he certainly understood that she was a woman one does not fuck with. Suddenly she calls out to the fog, "Arachne, Medusa," Calm, strong, and articulated. She stood in front of the whole group, like a guardian, a protector. "I am aware that you are here. Leave this place at once." She announces again. The fog glows a faint purple and a hiss is heard throughout the clearing,

"Oh, this is new. You have chosen a new home away from us, you think?"

Maka could feel her wings willing her to let them materialize, but her powers are defensive, and right now she was defenseless.

"Oh, I see you found our only successful experiment with your powers too. Is that why you desire to remain here?" Another voice drones in from the fog.

At this point Blackstar's made it outside, spewing fruitless insults to the air around him. Soul senses an army of minions in the hundreds nearby and bites his lip thinking holy shit, Maka must be extremely important to them if they require her to such great lengths. Meanwhile Maka's thoughts are confused on what Arachne just said.

"Arachne what damnation do you speak of, who is this successful experiment?"

"The Forgotten King next to you, of course? He was the only one who didn't go insane and your powers successfully manifested to the dark blood in him. How can you not recall, sister?"


She couldn't see straight. Maka was chained much more heavily than usual. She was strapped to a wall, dangling helplessly.

A figure materialized in front of her, she was too drowsy to see who, but they held a large, ancient fang. It was dripping with something. Inscriptions were written along its entirety. She could not talk, she could not scream when whomever plunged the fang deep into her chest. Apparently, she made some form of sound, because there was an angry yell from someone along the same wall in response. The figure faced the sound and started walking very briskly in that direction. Maka concluded, the figure was not pleased, and was probably about to do the same thing to the poor soul who called out. Maka could feel her vocal chords vibrating violently, yet in her current state she was deaf to her own sounds. Her sight was spotted.

The pain.

The substance drenching the fang seeped into her heart. It bubbled and burned. However her instincts kicked in, her wings bore themselves and illuminated the room activating as her body prepared to expel the fang in defense. It suddenly ripped itself out of her not by her will, and started to move in the direction of the other soul. Maka could not be concerned about that yet, her body fought to rapidly close the wound, to heal her heart and bone and skin.

Her instincts kicked in again when the same voice from before wails a dehumanizing sound. The chains restraining her illuminate and she yanks her body forward as they shatter like glass without sound. The air around her was different. She knew every soul in the room could feel the wrath of her guardian gifts hit in waves. Her feet do not move as she launches herself at the hooded figure. She could feel her voice was being used, but she could not hear nor think of what she was saying. The air around her illuminates and materializes to form a scythe, and just like screams from the fang piercing two skins a skyward slash strikes the witch.

However, this was not a wound that can heal like the two just before.


A voice from the fog speaks up again and jolts her from her own devices,

"That night you gave salvation to the Forgotten King was the same knight you brought true meaning to your Reaper capabilities. We wish often that we could have also been present to witness the full extent of those powers Maka."

"Then the entire upper ring of witches would have been dead instead of just one."

Maka braced herself, what she just recalled and what the witches have spoken of made her mysterious understanding of Soul much more transparent. They once kidnapped dozens of people and experimented countless ways on how to extract her powers and manifest them in another object or being. It became evident very quickly that objects could not even hold a single power of hers, and most people could not handle the capabilities either.

The fang that was stabbed into her was one of their last attempts at manifesting powers to an object, and the third upper ring witch seeing that the fang was unaffected after being plunged into her heart was decided to be used to kill off a loud annoyance at the other end of the wall. The fang dripped of black blood; a life force essence that was just then exposed to Maka while her wings were present. That blood was invisibly altered and as it was exposed to Soul aka the Forgotten King at the time, his body somehow could handle it and oddly absorbed it as Maka killed the witch directly in front of him.

Maka was losing herself in her thoughts again as people behind her mumbled about the name used to refer to Soul.

Soul moves up to stand next to Maka, angry that they've come for her and at the same time angry that they addressed him by a name he hoped was long lost to the sands of time. "You two have teamed up it appears hm?" is whispered from the fog, and snakes slither forward from it. Arrows sever all shortly after. Mewing is heard next to Maka's foot and all of a sudden the fog is lit up by dozens of floating pumpkins, visibility increased dramatically thanks to Blair. They could see a single dark figure hovering a ways away from them down the road. Arachne was not physically present even though she could be felt through the fog. They were dealing with Medusa, and whatever army stands behind her.

"This village will be of no more, unless you come a long with me Maka."

She was tempted to step forward; it would be of much less trouble and concern of the people behind her. However at the same time the people behind her were all of the more reason to stay and fight. She could take down single-handedly whatever was going to be thrown at her, yet here she was not alone to do this. Medusa chuckled and hissed and the forces behind her once at a standstill rushed forward. The team behind her felt this and acted at once. The village was gated and guarded at nights, however someone had already convinced the night guards to take a night off to relax in their homes once the fog was set in.

Each member spread out to the four gates, Blair and Stein took to making barriers around the buildings the strongest and didn't waste their time knowing that bubble barriers around the whole village would not do much. Snakes and minions swarmed the place, and it was handled very well at first. Maka had yet to use her powers, although she now had a reason for them to activate. She moved alongside Soul, following him closely and interweaving with him as they switched tossing the scythe once hung up on his walls between them to fight.

Everyone was content with doing this until the mobs started getting larger and more difficult to kill, the small ones still ever present.

Eventually barriers were beginning to break, and as Maka's cat became more stressed in rushing to summon new ones, Maka had to do something.

Most importantly she had to figure out whose soul was on the verge of life or death yet they could not move from their state of being. It easily could be any of her friends, or someone in a house nearby, she was terrified if it was someone lovely she just met. As a barrier broke next to her and Soul and monsters rushed in she had to do something.

Soul was almost startled when he heard her voice chant something in Latin, if he could recall his studies from a several centuries ago he might have been able to understand what she was saying, however he was much too preoccupied to turning around to figure out why it just got so damn bright behind him.

His eyes drag from his shadow on the ground as he turns to face Maka, quickly taking in the fact that she had a pair of luminous wings behind her and a scythe of the same form materializing above her hand.

She glances over to him; her eyes normally of a foggy or perhaps dull hue of green are crystal clear and much more vibrant than that of what he's used to being fond of. She smiles softly at him and it dawns on him that she is a heavenly being. She bent her knees as if to jump and she shot up into the air. She was at the same height as Medusa, and she spun her scythe once as a barrier without command swelled from her like a bubble.

It expanded to the outskirts of the village and annihilated every possessed or foul creature of magic within. The bubble remained there once it expanded, expelling the fog and Medusa travel backwards with it cautious of the force.

"I have not witnessed nor read record of this power before, is this new Reaper?" Medusa thundered through the bubble and Maka replied just as loudly and clearly,

"Reaper is just title, Medusa. You never fully understood what I am a reincarnate of, nor the full extent of my purpose."

The fog cleared suddenly around a women hovering upon something enchanted, her head clearly cocked to the side in bewilderment, "Pardon?" and that's when there was someone yelling down below, a man in a white stitched jacket passionately yelling at the witch,

"…you foolish wench she's not an actual reaper she's a Grigori guardian of the bridge between life and death, a keeper if time between living and non-living and you've been trying to manipulate her powers as a reaper are you seriously that foolish DO REAPERS HAVE WINGS?"

He quieted down furious from his epiphany that witches are blithering idiots as Maka's incarnate took over at the sound of her call.

"Someone is about to stand on the bridge life or death, and their path is blocked."

She says with a voice combined with another feminine ethereal one. Her wings suddenly expanded and she launched herself forward at the witch beyond the bubble. The witch made a feeble attempt to dodge and was successful for but a moment, however Maka in her Grigori state was practically a deity until her job was complete.

Medusa throws something at the bubble of the village and it disintegrates in a spot big enough for her to fly through, and the Grigori fuses through instantly. The witch had intention to harm the village by doing this, it was an unfortunate choice because she also trapped herself.

Meanwhile Soul not taking everything in quite yet managed to climb up to the top of the roof, the body before Maka may look like the witch but it was a unique possessed body, one of another witch. If Maka was going to kill it she was not going to get the target she had plans for.

He yelled this at the top of his lungs once he was standing at the tallest point in the village, but the body was already dissolving into more creatures of ruin. Maka for some reason didn't care; she swung the scythe into the dissolving, smiling flesh, and slammed it down to the ground below.

She landed without a sound next to it, all of this occurring just a few feet before the medicine shop group. The body hisses, "Your attempts are feeble, but you cannot kill me from here." Maka having not spoken in a bit smirks. It was the same smirk Soul recognized that was uniquely Maka's, he's always seen it when she had something up her sleeve she was about to play.

"Oh, I know," She replies calmly, her scythe is swung down again into the heart of the flesh but not all the way in, just the very edge of the blade piercing its foulness. She jumps over the body, turning the scythe that was curved toward the ground upward, and with it the body gasps. Maka's voice is heard again with the holy feminine one, this time her own tones louder than the other,

"Someone is about to stand on the bridge life or death," She lifts the upturned scythe and out of the body she pulls out a purple blob on the tip of it, the same body as before materializes around it, "and their path," she swings the scythe a final time a horizontal slice occurring through this image of Medusa.

"Is no longer blocked."


A little bit past this point was where I stopped writing the story / forgot about it. Not gonna include that though cause I'm gonna try to keep the chaptas comin' and need a starting off place, dunno how long this is gonna be, if completed would probably be my longest fic! Lemme know how ya like it so far.