Warning: slight gore in this chapter.

A few weeks later, after Maka had performed more research and had confided in Professor Stein about what she had found, she decided to tell Soul about everything. After all, he was her best friend and her partner. If she could trust anyone to believe her on this, it was him.

"Maka, you are going crazy," Soul warned with his hands on her shoulders as he spoke to her. "Lexi is not out to kill all of us. You need to go upstairs and get some sleep-"

"I know what I saw, Soul!" Maka hissed back at him. "Her soul is silver. I see it every time she walks into the room. She carries that knife around with her everywhere, and she's always secretive about why she moves around so much! Professor Stein agrees with me."

"And what does he think she is?"

Maka glanced around and lowered her voice to a whisper just in case Lexi was in earshot of them. "The Soul Master," she said. "I don't know exactly what that is, but Professor Stein's found more instances of silver souls in old literature. I can't believe I never noticed it before! The Odyssey, The Art of War, The Egyptian Book of the Dead, the freaking Bible, The Legend of King Arthur, The-"

"King Arthur?" he interrupted, a bemused smirk on his face. "What was that, 12th Century? Come on, Maka, you've gotta think."

"What are you talking about?" she crossed her arms, now confused.

"Who could you possibly talk to? Someone old, possibly from the 12th Century, likes to tell stories-"

"EXCALIBUR!" she yelled, standing straight up, eyes wide with the sudden realization. "He was there! And he's been there ever since! He could tell me anything I needed to know! Soul, you're the best!" without thinking, she planted a kiss on his cheek, too excited to even notice what she had done while a blush spread across Soul's cheeks. "Will you come with me?"

"Whoa, what? Come with you? To talk to that complete asshole? No thanks." He rolled his eyes and reclined further back into the couch, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV. Just as he was about to start flicking through the channels, Maka grabbed the remote and turned it off again, tossing it onto the chair nearby.

"Soul, if you come, you'll finally believe me."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"I'll make dinner."

"Not good enough."

"For two weeks. And I'll do your laundry."

"…make it a month."

"Soul!" she protested, and he sighed, getting up to pull on his jacket.

"Fine, fine. Two weeks. But if he starts making us go through those damn trials, I'm gonna lose my-" his sentence was cut off when she grabbed his sleeve, pulling him out to his motorbike and hopping on the back. Soul sighed dramatically and got on in front of her, revving the engine before they took off down the street towards Excalibur's cave.

"What would you say to a walk in the woods tonight?" Kid asked as he picked his way through the crowds of chattering students and caught up with Lexi in the school hallway. They had gone on multiple dates in the past few weeks, but he hadn't had the chance to kiss her. Well, he had, but either he had chickened out or she had noticed and slipped away before he could do it.

Before Lexi could even answer him, she noticed Stein standing at the end of the hallway, staring at her. A feeling of dread suddenly shot through her whole body, from the pit of her stomach to everywhere else.

He was here.

She could see it in his face. The way he was glaring, like she had done something wrong- no. Like she was something wrong. The man that had destroyed her life- and the lives of countless others- was in Death City, and he was looking for her. He knew she was putting everyone in danger by being there, and he also knew that she couldn't force herself to leave. She had grown attached, and now Kid- and everyone in Death City- was in danger. In an instant, all of the happiness she had felt during her stay in Death City melted away. But still, she couldn't bring herself to tell this to Kid.

"…You know, I'm actually starting to feel a little sick," she said, turning her attention back to Kid. "I think I'm coming down with something. Best not go out and spread it."

Kid's face fell just a bit. She immediately felt bad. She knew she didn't look sick, but she had to start planning. She could buy bus tickets out to the airport while Kid wasn't home. She could pack tonight while he was asleep. She could be gone in two days and no one would get hurt. Kid shrugged it off, though she could see he was still a bit upset about it, and together they walked to class.

'Sorry, Kid,' she thought to herself. 'It's for your own good.'

Maka and Soul finally reached Excalibur's cave a few hours later. They were hot and sweaty from the heat of the desert, but when they stepped into the mouth of the cave, they were immediately encompassed by cool, damp air. The sound of trickling water met their ears, and the smell of sulfur was in the air. The light from outside was reflected in crystals in the walls, giving the cave an eerie bluish-green glow. They waded through ankle-deep water past chattering fairies and found the entrance to the room where Excalibur- in his sword form- was stuck in stone. Fairies flew around the room, begging them in their high-pitched, bell-like voices not to pull the sword out of the stone, but Maka didn't listen. Soul hung back a few steps as Maka took the hilt of Excalibur in both hands and pulled.

The traditional fanfare occurred- the sword glowed and floated out of Maka's hands, turning into a nearly blinding golden ball of light above her head until she opened her eyes and saw him standing there.

"Welcome, young ones, to the home of- oh. It's only you." Excalibur dropped the act and rolled his eyes, twirling the cane as he paced the floor. "What do you want?"

Maka immediately spoke, hoping he wouldn't make them do the trials. "We want to know about the-"

"My legend begins in the 12th Century," he interrupted. "I have seen the rise and fall of empires, and I am a far more powerful weapon than your silly little scythe friend over there will ever be."

"Hey!" Soul yelled at him, glaring. "You asshole, would you just listen to her?"

"Fool! To ask me a question, you must complete tasks which-"

Maka groaned, interrupting him. "What can you tell us about the Soul Master?"

Excalibur stopped and turned to her. "How did you know about the Soul Master?" His voice had changed. It was now grave and almost hollow, and a bit of dread formed in Maka's stomach.

"Your legend dates back to the 12th Century," she responded, quoting him, her words calculated and careful. "The Soul Master dates back to at least the 12th Century. You have to know something."

"Sit down," he ordered her. "Why do you want to know about this?"

Maka sat down next to Soul at the edge of the rock platform with the stream of water behind them. "She's in Death City," she answered. "I think she's dangerous."

"She is. I'll tell you everything I know."

Maka grinned- Soul had been right to suggest talking to Excalibur. She watched him intently as he began his tale.

"I knew the first Soul Master, Alexander. The one who created me also created another weapon: a knife. A knife far more powerful than I am. This knife could change into any weapon at the will of its holder; however, it only responded to one."

"The Soul Master," Maka filled in, earning a glare from Excalibur.

"Don't interrupt me."

"Sorry."

"Yes, the Soul Master. The knife could not change between human and weapon form like I or Soul Eater can. It was just a knife. I traveled with it, and one day I came upon a traveler. The knife glowed hot in my pocket when I got near him, and I knew that it was he that was destined to wield it. So I gave it to him under the pretense that it was worthless but would provide some protection on the dangerous roads around those parts. I saw him only once more after that, and that was the day he died."

"How did he die, exactly?"

"He was stabbed in the heart by a traveler. There was an explosion of silver light, and I realized that it was his soul leaving his body. After Alexander was dead, the man that had killed him… his body disintegrated into golden light. Not yellow, like many human souls, but golden. Shimmering, metallic gold. Years later, I was visiting a small town in China when I saw a woman holding the hand of a child. He couldn't have been more than six years old. His soul was silver as well, and I knew that Alexander had been reincarnated into this boy. A couple of days later, I saw the same man that had killed Alexander a few years before. He hadn't aged a day. I learned then that the boy's mother had been murdered, and he was now an orphan. It didn't take me long to realize what was happening, so I took the boy in and raised him. His name was Chen Xian."

"You were a father?" Maka's voice was awed, as was Soul's expression. Neither of them could envision Excalibur caring for a child.

"I was a teacher," he corrected. "I taught him to defend himself. One day, he found the same knife Alexander had had in a merchant's cart. He wanted to steal it, but I simply bought it and gave it to him. I was very upset when he died. He was only 31 years old when Calix killed him. I have kept a distant eye on every Soul Master since Chen Xian, but I refuse to interfere anymore."

"Who's Calix?"

"Calix is not exactly a who. That is, he is not human. He is a shapeshifter, but he takes human form. And he can change into anyone or anything he sees, as long as it's a living thing. Trees and plants included. He often takes the shape of someone the Soul Master is close to. He's also connected to the Soul Master in one very specific way that changes with every new life. He retains one physical aspect that mirrors something on the Soul Master. A scar, a mole, a misplaced bone that causes a limp, you know. And he can get it from any point in the Soul Master's life. They lose a leg on a fishing trip and Calix's leg would disappear, if that was the aspect he retained. He doesn't have a choice in it. His only purpose in life is to kill the Soul Master. I don't know why, it simply is. His preferred method is to stalk the Soul Master and kill off anyone they're close to. He's a sadistic fellow. He likes to see them in pain, both physical and emotional. Unlike the Soul Master, he is not reborn, he just… rematerializes. He never ages, and as far as I know, he cannot be killed. The closest anyone ever came was the previous Soul Master, Derek. Actually, it was him, Professor Stein, and your mother, Maka."

Maka's eyes went wide. Her mother had known one of those… things?

"She and Stein nearly died in the battle."

Oh. Of course. That made more sense. The Soul Master obviously brought destruction wherever they went. The only options now were to either run Lexi out of town and let Calix follow her somewhere else or kill her entirely.

"Derek used Stein and your mother as distractions to try to kill Calix, but it didn't work. They had all been friends, but I don't know if their opinions of him have changed. You said the new Soul Master is in Death City? She must be what, seventeen? Eighteen?"

"Something like that," Maka mumbled, standing up. Excalibur kept talking.

"Maka, the Soul Master is dangerous. They death and destruction follow them wherever they go. At this very moment, all of Death City is in danger."

Maka nodded and brought Soul up to his feet. "Thank you, Excalibur," she said. "I'll get her out of town." She then turned and walked out the way they came, with Soul right behind her. As soon as they stepped out of the cave, Soul sighed.

"You were right, Maka," he admitted. "I should have believed you. Sorry."

"It doesn't matter anymore," she responded, sitting on his motorbike. "What matters now is that we get her out of town before anyone gets hurt. I'm gonna go home and cancel dinner with my dad, then talk to Professor Stein."

Soul nodded as he drove his bike back into town. A couple of hours later, she and Soul were walking the halls of the school to find Maka's father and cancel dinner when they heard a bloodcurdling scream. Students and teachers rushed out of classrooms to find the source, as did Maka and Soul.

"That sounded like a man's scream," Maka yelled to Soul as they ran. "A teacher?"

"Maybe," he said back. They rounded a corner and Maka stopped dead in her tracks.

On the floor lay her father. He was beaten and very bloody, and his eyes were open wide, though there was no life in them. There was a stab wound to his neck: the source of most of the blood. Maka's eyes welled up with tears. She looked around at all the students, and her eyes landed on a note on the wall, written in her father's blood.

'LEXI' it said. Just her name, nothing else. Anger boiled in Maka's stomach and she knelt next to her father's body.

"I'm sorry, Papa," she whispered to his corpse. "I was too late." Footsteps resonated in the hallway and Kid and Lexi picked through the crowd of people and stopped cold at the sight. Lexi's eyes flashed up to the note on the wall and the color drained from her face. Maka stood, fists clenched and tears streaming down her face.

"This is your fault," she said to her, the anger in her voice controlled. "You killed him."

"No, I didn't, I was in class-"

"CALIX DID THIS BECAUSE OF YOU!" she screamed at her, and Lexi flinched back.

"How did you know about-"

"I know everything," she interrupted. "I know everything about you. You're putting everyone in danger by being here, and now MY FATHER IS DEAD!"

"Maka, I'm sorry-"

"Sorry isn't good enough." She stepped around the puddle of blood, getting in her face. "I want you out of this city."

"Maka, hold on a moment," Kid interrupted, but Maka didn't let him finish his sentence.

"Kid, don't you see? She's the Soul Master. Her soul is silver. She carries that knife everywhere in case Calix, the guy who's stalking her, attacks her. But she was selfish and she stayed here. And now my father is dead because of her. Leave this city and never come back." Her last sentence was directed at Lexi, who had grown silent. Every eye in the room was on her, and she looked around, her eyes lingering at Kid. The people around them began shouting at her to "get out of the city," "gonna get us all killed," and the like. She suddenly ran, shoving through the crowd of shouting people, and down the hallway. Kid stared at Maka, shaking his head, and ran after Lexi.

One was dead. Stein shifted and shoved his hands into his pockets, turning and quietly walking away from the scene.

One was dead. And there would be more to come.

Thanks for reading!