Place: Outskirts of modern day Athens, Greece
Year: 437 BC
It had been six years since the start of the Peloponnesian War that waged all over Greece. The Athenians and the Spartans were at each other's throats, but it was a stalemate that the humans failed to acknowledge in favor of killing their enemies. Humans are such simple-minded creatures, Circe thought. They liked to think of themselves as being the closest to the gods, but were really nothing more than hairless apes that are slightly more intelligent than their harrier cousins.
Circe was lying on her stomach atop a hill, her head in her hands and her legs gently kicking back and forth in the air. She was currently watching yet another confrontation between Athenian and Spartan messengers. She could just tell that they were about to slaughter each other. "This'll be a good one," she said to herself, a sadistic grin on her face.
"You really should have Lord Death check your mind," said a girl's voice from behind. Circe turned to see her twin sister, Hecate. It was astounding how alike they looked; same sandy blond hair, same green eyes, same lack of physical development despite being sixteen. It was like looking through a mirror that showed one what they would be with an opposite personality.
"I already did," Circe replied with a chuckle. "He said that this extreme personality of mine comes from practicing nothing but combat spells."
Hecate sighed in disappointment at her sister. "I still say that you should consider adding a few defensive spells. Nothing but offense can leave you vulnerable to counterattacks."
"And I say that you need at least one attack spell," Circe retorted, making Hecate huff slightly. Circe returned her attention to the Athenians and Spartans down below them. The two factions were now hacking and slashing at each other, much to Circe's enjoyment. Hecate simply watched the bloodshed, her eyes narrowing in disgust.
"Why do they have to fight?" Hecate inquired to nobody in particular, but catching Circe's attention again. "It's so sad and pointless."
"Humans are fickle," said a powerful voice that the sisters easily recognized. Lord Death had joined them. "They only fight for their own benefit. They kill without hesitation." Hecate was about to respond, but Death stopped her. "However, they are also strong of heart. There are humans who will fight with reason and purpose. It is these humans that we are sworn to protect, for I have the utmost faith that they will play a part in making this world a truly better place."
Circe snorted, but couldn't disagree. Chaotic as she was, even she had her limits. She could see that slim light that some humans had in their hearts. They had the potential to become something truly amazing.
Hecate, however, had her doubts. She eyed the battling factions below, hating every second of the bloodshed. If one looked closely, one could see how hopeless she believed humans to be. Circe didn't miss this, but thought little of it. Her sister would be proven wrong eventually.
-o-
Circe stretched as she awoke in the large bed in her chamber. She could still hardly believe that Lord Death's home was on a land far across the western seas, and that he had somehow built an entire palace in what he claimed to be just three days. It was truly astonishing, but she was growing more and more used to the idea as time passed. She got dressed and left her room, ready to take on the day.
She headed straight for the breakfast hall, where she found Hecate sitting at the table, a stack of incredibly old books and scrolls next to her plate of bread and breakfast meat, as usual. She smirked, a nasty little idea popping into her head. She snuck up behind her sister, and when she was close enough, she covered Hecate's eyes and shouted, "Surprise!"
Hecate barely reacted. "Please don't do that, Circe," she requested. "I'm trying to read."
Circe huffed and released her sister. She took a seat next to Hecate, giving her sister's current book a curious look. "What're you reading?" she asked.
"Something about ancient mystical creatures," Hecate replied. "I've stumbled upon something particularly interesting." Circe raised an eyebrow at that statement and leaned in to get a better look at the pages. It was apparently something about an ancient, interdimensional master of chaos who destroyed countless worlds before he was confronted by a being of order.
"Who the hell is 'Isfet'?" Circe inquired curiously. "He doesn't look or sound very pleasant, and that's coming from me. What makes him so interesting to you?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out," Hecate answered secretively, her face lacking any sort of expression as she spoke. That alone worried Circe. Her sister had been acting quite strange lately.
-o-
Later that night, Circe lay in bed, but couldn't sleep. Her sister behaving unusually, and that was a major concern for her. She may not have cared about much in the world, but she always kept Hecate close. Before Lord Death came along, all they had was each other and the clothes on their backs. They had been together long enough for Circe to know when something was troubling Hecate. And this was something she needed to know.
Making up her mind, she got out of bed and left her room, heading for Hecate's room. When she arrived, she noticed that Hecate was nowhere to be found, which was very unusual. Hecate was always a stickler for curfew. Circe quickly went through the room, trying to find that book that her sister had been reading during breakfast. She combed the entire room, and eventually found it hidden under Hecate's bed. This was beyond abnormal for Hecate, to hide books. There must've been something in there that she didn't want anyone else to see.
She stood with the book in hand and opened it to the page where she thought her sister was reading about that "Isfet" character. It didn't take her long. Her memory was borderline perfect. When she found the book's entry regarding Isfet, she stopped there and began to read:
Little is known about Isfet. What is known is limited. He is the master of all chaos, and is believed to be the source of madness. He has enough power to destroy and recreate entire universes. He was confronted by the spirit of order, Ordinis, who managed to convince him to help her create a being that would maintain a balance between their two powers. It is believed that if one were to somehow contact him, he would grant them the power to erase a universe, and, if one so desires, rebuild it their own image.
That last sentence was underlined in bright red ink.
Circe couldn't believe what she had just read. Was Hecate planning to contact Isfet? What the hell was she thinking!?
"You should ask before you shuffle around in someone else's property," said the voice of Hecate, catching Circe off guard. She turned and faced her sister, who had a dark, dispassionate glare.
Circe was rarely ever nervous, but right now, she felt like she was sweating lead. "What are you planning to do, Hecate?" she asked, taking a cautious step back.
"I had thought that that would've been plainly obvious," Hecate replied with sinister neutrality in her tone. "I plan to speak with Isfet and gain his power to make a better world. One without war or violence."
"What? By destroying this one? How would that make things any better!? You'll kill countless innocent people!"
"A sacrifice well worth the reward. One world for a new and better one seems a fair price to pay."
Circe stared at her sister in shock and disbelief. What happened to her to make her think this way? What the hell happened to make her sister so twisted?
"You now know too much, Circe," Hecate stated, her hands suddenly glowing with a bright purple light. "I cannot kill you here, so I will send you away. Far away."
Before Circe had a chance to reply, she was enveloped in a bright, but still menacing light.
-o-
The next thing she knew, she awoke in some field in who knows where. She rose up from the ground, her hand upon her aching head. She looked around. Nothing for miles but grass and the occasional flower. She needed to get back to the mansion. She had to warn Lord Death about what Hecate was planning before she had a chance to do it.
It was nighttime still, she noticed. Either that, or she had been unconscious for a full day. The stars were vivid tonight, thankfully. She was great at reading the night sky like a map, so it shouldn't be too hard for her to get back home.
-o-
Oh, how wrong she was. Hecate had apparently teleported her to the other side of the world, evidenced by the architecture usually found in Asia. By now, Hecate would probably have convinced Lord Death that she was the one who wanted to destroy everything and make a new world. She would never be able to beat them both alone. She needed allies. Lots of allies.
-o-
Modern day, Maka's soulscape
"And so, I gathered people who showed potential for magic," Circe continued. "I trained them for about three years. When I thought that they were ready, I led them to confront Hecate… but I was right. She had already tricked Death into believing her to be the good guy, and me the villain." Her eyes slowly began to water. "I… I just wanted to save my sister from herself. She was going down a road that even I would avoid. When I was defeated, I told Lord Death to look for my diary, in which I wrote the true story."
Maka stared at the ancient witch with disbelief. Lord Death had been deceived? Was that really true? Could it be possible? "Circe…"
"I miss her…" Circe muttered. "Hecate has become something that threatens all of reality. She… she has to be stopped, no matter the cost." The witch's eyes soon became spilled with tears, but she didn't react. "She has to be…" She didn't finish, but Maka didn't need her to. She knew what Circe was saying.
"Circe, I…" She paused, not knowing exactly what to say. "I'll try to find a way to stop her… without killing her."
Circe looked at Maka as though she had just grown a second head. Was her suggestion really so ludicrous? The witch chuckled humorlessly. "You really are young, you know that?" Maka raised an eyebrow at that. "I would love nothing more than for Hecate to return to who she once was. But you have no idea just how far gone she is at this point. She may not look it, or even act like it, but she has been completely consumed by madness. There's no going back for her."
There was a tense silence for several moments. "I… I see," Maka said with a depressed expression. The way Circe was talking now… she sounded utterly defeated. Maka had initially thought of her as a crazed witch, but now… she was just a girl who just wanted her sister back. Maka bowed respectfully. "Thank you for telling me all of this. Do you need a piece of my sanity now or-?"
"Just go," Circe stated, turning her back on the scythe meister. "I just want to be alone right now."
"… Okay," with that, Maka performed her meditation technique again, disappearing form her inner world.
Circe sat alone in the dull grey desert now, staring down at her feet. "Dammit…" she muttered miserably as tears streaked down her cheeks without pause. This was something she hadn't done in centuries. This was something she thought she'd never actually do again. She cried, sobbing loudly. She couldn't save her sister, and now they were both going to pay the price for it. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, sister…"