Beginning Author Notes

This chapter is something of an interlude. I'm going to cover what I had planned for Kilik, Pot of Fire and Pot of Thunder in this one. I must confess, Kilik is my second favorite character behind the inevitable Tsubaki, so I was looking forward to writing this even though I'm not exactly satisfied with the final product. Strange how things sound better in your head…

Disclaimer: Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

Origins of the Little Ones

Month 6, Week 1, Day 6 (Saturday, June 4th)

In the Witch Countermeasures Headquarters, Akane and Clay sat a square table, discussing the files laid out before them while lapsing into menial talk every now and then. Akane leaned back, wooden chair creaking. "So those three went home for the summer? Where do they live?"

"Dublin, Ireland." Clay pointed at the information among the papers. "Their legal guardian is Ophelia Louisengale, a military advisor for the European division. She's a Demon Staff and graduated a Three-Star. Her one and only Meister as a student was Katrina Forsythia, later Katrina Vladingham. Ophelia is Portuguese."

Akane raised his mug of coffee to his lips and took a small sip. "What of their biological parents?"

"All I got was their mother died of childbirth," Clay answered, "The dad's a mystery."

Akane chuckled, setting down the cup. "Well, looks like we got our work cut out for us." The Hoshi child then heard a distant conversation outside the door. He and Clay scrambled to regather their papers of focus and put them in their proper files. The door opened, Sid and Stein walking in. Akane stood and bowed at the two teachers. "Good day, you two."

"Akane, Clay," Sid said, setting down a clipboard on the table as Stein sat backwards in a chair, "Working hard or hardly working?"

"I'm working hard." With his usual expression, Akane jabbed a thumb in his partner's direction. "Clay's hardly working."

Clay's features tightened with frustration as he whirled around and shot a glare at him. "H-Hey!"

Sid chuckled as he walked over to the bulletin board. "I hate to interrupt you, but this is important." He then tacked on several pictures to it. Akane and Clay looked more closely. Most of them were different shots of the ant soldiers everyone on campus gossiped about. The sole sketch grabbed their attention. A plain scribble of a distinct set of antennae. Sid stepped back and then said, "This is beginning to become an epidemic. Some students are concerned about these mysterious things. Others are complaining about how this undermines their duties. I agree with both sides, that's the kind of man I was."

"What are they?" Akane asked, adjusting his glasses, "Did a Meister with Soul Perception check one of their souls?"

"No," Stein answered, rolling over to the bulletin board. He placed another piece of paper on it. It showed a girl wearing bug-like crown on her of her short, dark hair. Two long pieces of hair extended from her bangs and hung low over her face. "See how this girl's crown matches their masks? Guess what? According to Lord Death, that's because they're connected."

"Ponera, princess of the Paraponera Clan," Sid added in, "Her witch clan specialized in all sorts of insect-type magic. The Academy wiped out her clan in the endgame of the Period of Destruction by the Academy."

Clay sighed, shaking his head. The setup seemed too familiar. "That's not good. She must be hatching plan to get back at us."

"Lord Death thinks so too," Stein said, cranking his bolt, "He's already put Ponera Paraponera on his list. She's to be brought in dead or alive."

Akane turned to Clay. "In that case, we'd better dismiss our duties to focus on the bigger picture." Receiving a nod from the Demon Longsword, the two hurried to the door. It opened. Akane stopped in time to avoid getting hit. "Oops! Pardon us, Mister Mifune!" He and Clay brushed past the entering samurai.

"Good to see you, Mifune, Angela," Sid greeted. He noticed the young witch's disposition. She actually looked quite stern today. Curious, the zombie asked, "Everything all right?"

"Well, sort of," Mifune replied, standing near the other men.

Stein stopping turning his bolt, raising his eyebrow. "Sort of? What's going on?"

"We found out who the meanie was that wanted my soul!" Angela blurted out, shaking her fists.

Mifune sighed. "As Angela so eloquently put it…" He took this time to explain to Stein and Sid about his past, about the mission to capture Angela that changed his path in life, and about the meeting with the now incarcerated Marlon in Chicago. "-so, not sure if it warrants that much attention, but I'd like to keep an eye out for this Noah character. I want to know why he wanted Angela."

Stein glanced at Sid, who stood there with an unreadable expression, likely deep in thought himself. The scientist then spoke, "That's odd. I don't recall cases where someone wants a Witch Soul other than for making Death Scythes. Arachne aside."

"Witch Souls do contain magic energy and have transformative properties," Sid added in, "but Angela being so young and inexperienced, it still baffles me."

"Hey! Don't call me inexperienced!" Angela interjected, moving up and down on Mifune's shoulders, "I'll have you know I can turn both myself and Mifune invisible. So there!" She ended her rebuttal by sticking out her tongue and blowing a raspberry, her hat mimicking her.

Sid slapped his forehead and shook his head, Stein sniggering in the background.

Month 6, Week 1, Day 7 (Sunday, June 5th)

The laptop laid on the old wooden benches, like slices of technology from some far flung extraterrestrial world meeting the hand hewn woodwork of the late nineteenth century. Like opposite worlds colliding. Connected to a printer, scanner, and a projector, the dark grey laptop was sleek and shiny, thinner than an average school textbook but contained the knowledge of a whole world, all at the click of a mouse and the touch of a button.

And that was exactly what Kilik wanted.

In the living room, he sat back in his chair, so deep in thought that the Pot Twins playing behind him and his mother's cooking meant nothing. He even shut the television off so he could concentrate better. Kilik skimmed the wealth of information laid out before him. "Fire and Thunder came from Africa. Alexandre and Dengu said they were lost in a village. I found out a village was burned to the ground around that same time." Kilik turned to see them playing patty-cake. He smiled to himself. "They don't know much about where they came from. So, it's up to me to find out. They deserve to know." He faced the laptop again and looked through the rest. No knew info popped up. "Man, I haven't researched this hard since that winter paper! This is torture!"

"Kirikou, dinner is ready!"

"Coming, Ma!" Deciding to take a break, Kilik minimized everything on-screen and stood from his seat. For right now, his mother deserved his attention. Ever since his dad left their lives, Kilik knew her mother was alone. That was why he took every moment to connect with her, to keep her company. He heard rapid scuttling and saw Fire and Thunder hurrying to the dining room. "Hey, you two! No running in the house!"

Kilik followed behind them. The dining room was elegant in a minimalist sort of way, yet still an echo of the natural world. The table dominated the space, an elongated ellipse of oak with the raw bark at the edges. The chairs had come from the same tree, each one beautiful in its simplicity, all clean straight lines and high backs. The floor beneath it all was slate and with the cream walls and tall mullioned windows.

Kilik's mother, his spitting image down from cornrows to skin tone, finished placing pots on the table. Fire and Thunder already sat at elevated chairs, eager to eat. "Dinner is served."

For several minutes, the four eat in silence, enjoying the food and one another's company. Eventually, Kilik's mother asked him about his research. He was glad to keep her posted.

"Well, is there anyone there who can help?" She asked.

"Other than the Death Scythe and Death Weapon Meister? Not really."

Then, it hit Kilik. There was that one girl, Krysa, that Medusa as a pawn on Cobra Island. She was taken back to her home in Africa. Now that he thought about it, he remembered Fire and Thunder making an offhand remark about her: "Fire, doesn't it feel like we've seen the pretty lady before?" Those happened for a reason. His mother was on to something.

"Scratch that," Kilik said, staring his mother down, "It's hit or miss, but I think I got something."

Month 6, Week 2, Day 1 (Monday, June 6th)

It was a hunch, but it was better than nothing. The next day, Kilik used his DWMA privileges to take the next flight to Africa. Using buses and then carts, he and the Pot Twins reached the place Krysa was sent to, the Yufahla Village. After being dropped by at the bamboo gates marking the dirt trails, he and the children walked in. It was a juxtaposition between country town and African village. They passed the greengrocer with his window full of apples and oranges. Then the butcher with his bloody lumps of meat on display and naked chickens hanging up. Then, the small bank, the grocery store, the electrical shop, and finally the other side of the village.

Now with an idea of the village's structure and size, Kilik stopped walking and stared out to the narrow country road leading to the horizon. "Now, where to start?"

Just then, footsteps and a resounding 'ah' caught the trio's attention. Turning around, Kilik, Fire, and Thunder saw of the natives gathering around. Then, they started chanting in a musical fashion. The three stood dumbfound during what they guessed was a welcoming in their language.

"Um… Hello?" Kilik said, frozen in his spot. "If they did this in the village, I wonder how many odds looks they'd get."

"Gurzil and Shango."

The voice was like sandpaper against Kilik's skin. Looking behind him, he saw a man wearing tapestry weave patterned cloth. His grey beard reached his ankles, and the gold jewelry around his neck and arms almost blinded him in the bright sunlight. He was hunched over, too, to the point Kilik suspected his cane, topped by the skull of a bull, was there to make sure he didn't fall over. Kilik shifted his focus to the young girl standing beside him. Her red, off-the-shoulder dress bore the same patterns as the old man, which looked out-of-place with her washed-out jeans and gladiator sandals—a juxtaposition between tribal and modern like the rest of the Yufahla Village.

Thunder huddled behind Kilik's leg, bringing him back to reality. "Um, mister? Who are you talking about?"

"Nice to meet you all again," the girl said, smiling. The welcoming committee quieted down, "Welcome to the Yufahla Village, Malawi. My name is Krysa Salamu. This is my father, Arva the Umbra Sage."

"Okay, I'm gonna have to stop you there," Kilik said, holding up a hand, "you namedropped several things I know nothing about that."

"Excuse our suddenness." Arva motioned the natives to disperse. When they left, Kilik and the Pot Twins relaxed. Arva began walking back towards the village, everyone following him. "Let us start from the beginning. I, Arva, am the chieftain of this village. I am grateful the Academy found my daughter and brought her back from Medusa Gorgon's clutches. You see, she infiltrated our peaceful land and took Krysa away from us." Arva and Krysa's gaze dropped as the former's voice did as well. A brief silence befell before he continued, "My wife, rest her soul, was an unfortunate obstacle in her path."

"So that was a moment of silence." Kilik stiffened like when he confronted someone he hated. "Good riddance."

The Umbra Sage lifted his head and smiled at Kilik, reassuring and relaxing him. "So, I cannot stress enough you all have my eternal gratitude." Passing by some huts, Arva tapped his cane on the ground loud enough to catch some of the natives' attention and said something in his tongue. When they resumed walking, a few priests joined the trek.

Fire and his sister stayed close to Kilik, looking around constantly as if a stranger would come out and get them. "W-Where are we going?"

"To the shrine of Gurzil and Shango," Krysa answered. She and the Umbra Sage strayed from the main path, heading into the jungle by a trail of stones. "The Yufahla Village is dedicated to the commemoration of many, many religions all throughout the country. While the village itself may have modernized, the culture has stayed the same."

Kilik moved shoot upon shoot of leaves out of his face, already feeling imaginary itches running down his neck. "So, religion is a big thing here, huh?"

"Indeed," Arva said, leading the group to a clearing flanked on either side by wooden pillars. Brass, stone, and wood made up the small shrine up farther ahead. Despite the crude elements, Kilik and the Pot Twins stopped and looked in awe. A diffuse bluish light was beaming through the pillared alley, which made an eerie contrast with the white halo beaming from the brass sculpture on the central altar. The fragrance of incense was heavy and the sound of chimes could be heard in the distance. Arva stopped walking too and turned to the gathering. "Some faiths are more important than others, and that is solely because their gods do exist."

Kilik tore his gaze from the shrine and to the Umbra Sage. "Really? Like who?" Kilik knew he lived in a polytheistic world. There were lesser demigods like ones he heard in lore. Lord Death and Kid were important "true gods." All of them existed alongside the God, who was the greatest. "Wonder where these 'gods' fit on the food chain."

"Gurzil and Shango." Arva gestured to the twins clinging to the Pot Meister's legs. "Those two."

The Pot Twins looked at each other, then back at the Umbra Sage, and pointed at themselves. "Us?"

Kilik froze, staring ahead with an open mouth and raised eyebrows. "Th-Them?!" Surprise then gave way to confusion—Kilik tensed up, balling his fists. "H-Hold on a second! That can't be right. Why should I believe you?"

"My father, as the Umbra Sage, can commune with the gods through this shrine. He was gifted with divine sight," Krysa explained, "That's how he can tell the young ones are descendants, mortal reincarnations, of Gurzil and Shango. I'm his successor, so I can too to a limited extent. We've spoken to Gurzil and Shango before."

Fire titled his head. "Is that why I thought I knew you when I shouldn't?"

"Gurzil, the sun god of the Huwwara people of Libya. Shango, the god of thunder and lightning of the Yoruba people of Nigeria." Arva stared at the two children as they cowered behind their meister. Kilik recognized the glazed look in his eyes as someone using Soul Perception at school. "I can see it in their souls, I can feel their essence."

Kilik glanced upward, his mouth slightly open and loose. His eyes were fixed as if looking at something a yard behind the Umbra Sage's head. "I-I don't get it. I mean, I know they're Earth Shamans and all that, and this sort of explains why, but… It's just… hard to accept."

"If I may ask, young man, where did you find them?"

"The Death Scythe of Africa found them in a burned-down village alone a couple years back," Kilik replied, tone less hesistant now that he talked about something familiar.

Much murmuring followed. With a raise of his hand, Arva silenced it. "I believe I understand what incident you are referring to. According to messengers, a man of powerful magic razed the village to the ground in hopes of discovering and claiming the power of Gurzil and Shango. Evidently, he was unsuccessful."

Krysa smiled. "It appears you two were in good fortune."

Fire held his head, groaning a little. "I don't get it. My head hurts now."

"I'm confused," Thunder said, staring off in the distance.

"Perhaps it's best I show you." Arva glanced at Kilik. "As the Umbra Sage, little ones, I can expose you to the heritage you thought you never had."

Kneeling down, Kilik picked up the twins, hugging one in each arm for reassurance. Everything seemed so sudden, yet this was exactly what he searched for. He stared the Umbra Sage dead in his eyes. "Let's do it. I came here during summer vacation to find out Fire and Thunder's past. It's time to see what this is all about."

"Let us begin then."

They walked closer to the shrine, and Kilik got a better look at the brass sculpture. It was actually a two-in-one model. The one on the left held a drum and draped in what appeared to be cloth. The other had the head of a bull and the body of a muscled man. Almost like a minotaur, Kilik noted. He set the children down, and the Umbra Sage ushered them closer to the shrine. Fire stood in front of the bull-shaped one while Thunder the clothed one.

A frozen silence followed—no breathing, no wind, no nothing. Kilik shuffled nervously in his spot, watching Arva, Krysa, and the priests standing around with their chins raised. "What's going on—"

Krysa burst out into a chant in her native tongue. Two, drawn-out lines later, the priests took over, processing closer to the shrine and splitting into two groups. After a whole stanza, Krysa and Arva joined in. The statues glowed, one red and the other yellow. Out of nowhere, wisps like fireflies wafted in the air as the whole group reached a crescendo in their chanting.

Kilik's eyes wandered everywhere. The canopy above was distant like clouds of green. He watched the small lights dip and rise throughout the air, the trees, like freshly fallen rain seeping into the soil. Kilik was struck by a wish to melt in with it. Not to die, but to live forever amongst these ancient beings who graced land in which he stood. There was a sacredness here that transcended everyday concerns, casting them into the timelessness of forests, of oceans, of mountains.

He looked forward and, around his young partners like a parental embrace, were spirits fashioned after the statue. The two were nuzzled by them, smiling like babies in deep slumber. Gone was their apprehension, for they almost looked comforted. "Gurzil and Shango hath blessed thee," the Umbra Sage said as the chanting quieted down.

As far as Kilik was concerned, that meant only one thing. "So, wait, are Fire and Thunder like…gods!?"

Arva tapped his cane on the ground and everything went back to normal. "Do not fret. The children are still human. They simply possess the essence of a god within them, and it manifests in the form of their Earth Shaman abilities. If you allow me, I can bring out their hidden potential. It should aid all of you well in the coming battles."

Thunder hopped up and down. "Yeah, yeah! I want to help Kilik!"

"Me too, me too!" Puffing his cheeks out, Fire placed fists on his hips and broadened his chest to appear big and tough. "So we can beat meanies like Medusa by ourselves next time!"

Kilik laughed. "Well, you heard the kids. Let's do it."

Arva slammed his cane, bringing all attention squarely to him. "Begin the preparations!"

The tribe drew an intricate, circular insignia in the ground. The procession and Krysa held hands around this circle, heads bowed prayerfully. Kilik knelt behind the Pot Twins, hands on their shoulders for emotional support while Arva was in front, one hand on each head.

"I who preserve their unspoken words, I who serve the divine will." The Umbra Sage's voice was lighter than air, softer than feathery down. The fireflies of light returned full force, swarming them in a celestial column. "By the spirits working for the highest power." At the sage's beck and call, the half of the lights turned orange and flew into Fire's body while the other gold and into Thunder. Neither children flinched—it was as if the process was as natural and harmless as breathing. "Grant these young ones strength to fight off the everlasting evils."

With a sharp gasp, the children's eyes glowed. Kilik tensed up, but the Umbra Sage gestured him to calm down. "May your souls stay the course and may the hope of the world live on." Arva stood up right as the Pot Twins returned to normal. "It is finished."

Kilik turned his partners around. "How you feeling, you two?"

"A little weird," Fire said.

"My tummy is all tingly," Thunder stated.

Kilik picked them and bowed his head in gratitude at the Umbra Sage. "Thanks for everything. It took a while, but we were able to find out the mystery of Fire and Thunder's past. What can I do to pay you back?"

"Nothing! He belongs to Master Noah now!"

The person was like the swift, invisible wind, a predator that surpassed even the mightiest of birds of prey. It took Kilik a whole five seconds to register the sudden disappearance of Arva. Collective gasps forced him to look into the sky where an androgynous man with a pair of black wings had snatched up the Umbra Sage.

"Father! NO!" Krysa screamed, reaching out to him, but held back by the other priests.

"Get back here!" Kilik roared. The winged abductor disappeared into the trees. The African-Dominican Meister gnashed his together. "That little punk!"

Thunder tugged at his shirt. "Wait, Kilik, we can catch up!" She looked at her twin brother and nodded. The two instantly transformed into gauntlets. "Link with me! Link with me!"

"Well, I guess we're about to see what these babies can do." Kilik took a deep breath as everyone around took cautious steps back. He held up one of his gauntlets. "Soul Resonance!"

Bright energy exploded out of the gauntlet, thinning out into streams of lightening. Each one returned to Kilik, forming golden armor on parts of his body one-by-one. The rest of his body cloaked in golden electricity, Kilik was then garbed in a hood that went over his head and hung down in a curved loop with some segments of the hood separated. Finally, a cloth of energy stretched from one shoulder like a cape. "Soul Resonance, DOS: Drum of Shango!"

The transformed Kilik looked at Krysa over his shoulder. "Hold up, Krysa! I'll get your Dad back in a flash!"

And in a flash, he was gone.

Gopher giggled with utter glee as he neared the mountains, the black wings from his Grigori Soul flapping at a steady pace. A glazed look in his eyes, he imagined the many ways Noah would compliment him on a job well on this lucrative mission.

"Tell me," Arva spoke, his voice unchanged, "What are you plotting?"

Fantasies interrupted, Gopher sneered. "Master Noah is attracted to power. More he collects, the closer he becomes a true god. The more unique, the better!" He gave the calm man a wicked, crooked smile. "You, my wondrous Umbra Sage, are next on his list. You'll be taken into his Book, and all that mystical power will be his as long as you're in it."

"Power without purpose is meaningless and wasteful," the Umbra Sage said, "It will falter before those who fight with reason."

Gopher gritted his teeth, letting his impulse get the better of him. "I-I don't know Master what Noah has planned! I just know he wants you! And maybe you'll help him find those vessels of Gurzil and Shango too!" He looked forward and barely avoided some birds. Now, he kept his full attention on his flight path. "He went through all that trouble and none of the adults had it! How dare they waste his precious time and power."

Arva's eyes went wide with realization. "He is after the young ones as well! I cannot allow that." Closer to the mountains, he sent another shrine in the distance in a clearing. Gopher slowed down. "Why? Why serve someone like him? I see dedication in your soul, so why not use it for good?"

Gopher laughed. "Simple. Because Master Noah is my everything. He created me, so I serve him, and I will do it. I want him to please him because I want to be collected by him too! Master Noah is all I care about, so his enemies are my enemies! Now you ask too many questions, so just—"

"Shut up!"

Lighting flashed and, before either Gopher or Arva knew it, a metal fist planted itself in the former's face. Screaming, Gopher was sent crashing down to the clearing. Arva was then caught in midair. Kilik smiled at the old man. "I gotcha, old man."

Arva smiled "Fantastic, young one." It immediately disappeared. "But why are we plummeting?"

Thunder shrieked, catching the Umbra Sage by surprise. "Kilik, you gotta keep running!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Kilik resumed his sprinting, the lightning around him keeping him aloft, as he headed towards the ground at a steadier pace. "Still getting used to this!"

Just as quickly as he was attacked, Gopher soared back into the air. "How dare you! I will not fail Master Noah!" Raising the arm where the wings came from, he fired black feathers with the same speed as a machine gun.

"Hang on tight!" Kilik bolted down the air in zigzag pattern with the speed of an Olympic champion at the start gun. He sidestepped every shot and made to land safe and sound. He set down the Umbra Sage. "Better go run and hide out. I'll take him."

"Good luck, young ones." Arva bowed, showing respect to even someone so young. "May the gods bless you."

Gopher locked eyes with the fleeing Umbra Sage. "Where do you think you're going on?!"

"Hold on, man!" Kilik crouched down and broke out into a dead sprint, his aggressive footsteps like rumbles of thunder as he blocked Gopher's path and literally ran circles around him. "This is between you and me!"

Gritting his teeth, Gopher tried to take aim, but whenever he settled on one stop, Kilik long raced into another. He was trying to target a blur. "Hold still!"

Kilik suddenly appeared behind Gopher, one hand raised above his head. "Can't make me!" He delivered a karate chop to the back of Gopher's head, the man screaming as he was shocked. The force of Kilik's blow sent him plummeting back down to the clearing. "And stay down!" Kilik hustled to the ground, ready for whatever else Gopher had in store.

Gopher pulled his head out of the ground and spat out all the soil that collected in his mouth. Wiping his mouth on his sleeve, he turned to glare at the Pot Meister. "You want to be like that? Fine, Master Noah gave me something for emergencies just like this." Taking out a sheet of paper, Gopher tossed it into the air. "Come on out, King Kong!"

The paper exploded into a shower of black fireworks, forcing Kilik to avert his eyes. The ground then shook violently, and he looked back at the object obscuring the sun. It had the face of a demonic gorilla. Its hair was black as night with red scars and eyes, and humongous, sharp teeth. The gems on its chest, hands, feet, and forehead were the unmistakable shade of blood.

Kilik stared up the behemoth with his mouth wide open and arms hanging limp. "In what B-list film is that King Kong?!"

Gopher chortled. "Sic him, boy!"

King Kong swiped its wide hand across the ground, uprooting tree and stone alike. Kilik traveled as a bolt of lightning, sprinting to the beast's barrel chest and delivered a punch to the hide. King Kong huffed, glancing down to the flea trying to hurt it.

Kilik glanced up, spikes of apprehension seizing his heart. "That's not working." He propelled himself away to miss the swat of the monster's hand.

"My turn! My turn!" Fire piped in, giggling.

"Fire's right." Kilik and Thunder broke their resonance, causing the aura and armor of lightning to disappear. "We're gonna need some stronger firepower to tame this beast."

"Soul Resonance, G-H: Gurzil Horns!"

A torrent of fire rushed out of the other gauntlet, cloaking Fire's entire body. The flames congealed into dark orange armor. The remainders formed a scarf and aura of pure red-hot fire. Vents were also on some parts of his body. Lastly, long horns stretched across his shoulders.

King Kong raised its massive, beefy arm and slammed it down like a hammer. Kilik smirked. On impact, a surge of fire erupted beneath the simian monster. Beneath the limb, Kilik used one arm to keep himself from getting squashed. "I like to see Blackstar top what I'm doing today!"

King Kong snatched away its arm and threw another punch. Kilik met it with a flaming fist. The force was enough to shatter the gem on the monster's hand and scorch the whole appendage in a roaring blaze. King Kong released a skyward howl as it snatched back the burning stump. Grinning like a maniac, Kilik crouched and propelled himself at the primate's chest. A giant jet of fire exploded out of King Kong's back like an erupting volcano. The gems also shattered as fire plumed out of those spots.

As King Kong collapsed, slowly eroded by the powerful fire, Gopher bit his top lip, forming a ridiculously pouty inverted-V face. His muffled screaming was still loud enough to be heard over the destruction of King Kong. He took out another sheet of paper and spirals began to consume him. "You'll pay for this! Master Noah, forgive me for my failure!"

Fire blew a raspberry. "And don't come back!"

Thunder pulled her eyelids down at the departing Gopher. "We're going to tell Lord Death what happened here!"

By the time the fire subsided, King Kong was nothing more than a Kishin Egg Soul that Thunder absorbed. Kilik deactivated his Soul Resonance. He shot his hands to his knees to keep himself up, sweating bullets and panting heavily.

Fire's reflection appeared on the backhand. "You think your mommy is going to believe all this?"

Kilik chuckled weakly. "Doubt it. Heck, I still can't believe it."

Ending Author Notes

A little overdue, but I managed to shell it out. Honestly, guys, no clue if I'll be able to do the whole "one or two updates a week" thing I did last year. As of this year, I'm on a rotational schedule with my fanfics and works-in-progress. I don't plan on deviating from it because, so far, it's working like a charm for a multitasker like me. That and I noticed I focused on Soul Eater at the expense of everything else. A much easier class schedule certainly helps.

A minor announcement. In response to critiques from beta readers and editors from other works, starting next chapter, you'll see my chapters formatted differently. It's nothing too big. I'm in the process of making a couple of books to be published, one hopefully this year, and I wanted all of my works (official and otherwise) to reflect the new me.