"It's the madness," Maka said immediately. "The Hatter has made his move and the strength of the madness has increased. We need to get this city purged, quick, or else we'll have people trying to eat soup with forks while screeching like pterodactyls."
"But we can't purge the entire city, the only one who has enough power to do that is Kidd," Soul muttered to her secretly.
"Then go get Kidd and help him!" Maka snapped. "We have to hold off the madness as long as we can and get together the Spartoi-"
"Wait, what about the Spartoi?" Shun asked. "What the hell can we do against this?"
"She means we're going to fight the hatter," Rhya replied, almost horrified. "This madness…it's the strongest I've ever felt. They're going to need every staff member just to keep everybody sane, but they won't last long unless someone gets rid of the source, and we're the only one advanced enough that's not included in the staff…"
"Wait, what's the purge?" Scar demanded. "It's not like some exorcism shit, is it? And if we're infected with the madness, then why aren't we mad?"
"We are," Kaido replied, sudden realization coming to his eyes. "The moon. We can't see the moon because we're mad."
"Of course!" Maka snapped again. "What, do you think the Hatter literally plucked the moon from the sky in less than 5 seconds? Fuck, what are we teaching these kids?"
"Maka, calm down, if you get angry the madness will advance quicker." Soul hissed quietly. Maka whirled around, about ready to bite his head off, but she sighed, shaking her head.
"Shun, you know how to perform a purge." Maka ordered. "Make sure Scar and Kaido get it, since Rhya's already had it, and then get the rest of the Spartoi. Meet us at the Death Room when you're done, we'll tell you what to do next." Maka and Evans, without a second delay, then ran off to the school, as the sounds of the insane started to emerge from the city, ranging from the mating call of an arctic fox to the ancient call of the pterodactyl (probably trying to eat soup with forks while doing it). Scar and Kaido ran up to the two, almost panicked.
"Alright, what the fuck is going on?!" Scar demanded. "What's the fucking purge? Why can't we see the moon? IT PUTS THE LOTION ON ITS SKIN!" Scar covered her mouth, absolutely terrified. It was clear that she didn't mean to say that last part, and she desperately looked to Shun.
"Alright, calm down, don't freak out, I'll explain after I do this," Shun explained, taking a few steps towards her. "You're growing too mad to even fathom what I'm going to say next."
"This stuff will make you a goddamned sexual Tyrannosaurus, just like me," Scar muttered, turning towards Kaido with a deranged smile on her face. Shun rolled his eyes and grabbed her head, turning her face towards him. Shun looked at Scar straight in the eyes, muttered something quietly under his breath, then dropped his hands, stepping back. Scar blinked a couple times, almost in disbelief.
"…that's it?" Kaido asked. "How do we know if she's better?"
"I can see the moon!" Scar cried out, completely ecstatic. "It's just an outline, and its faded, but I can see it! It really isn't gone!" She turned to Kaido excitedly, only to have her smile fade. Kaido had his hands on his face, gripping onto his hair, a gruesome smile crossing his face.
"Kaido…?" Scar murmured, trying to step towards him. Kaido jumped back and turned towards her, laughing.
"Now, now, ladies, there's plenty of me for everybody - if not I'll just have 'em draw me bigger." Kaido laughed, dropping his hands. Shun sighed again, a scowl crossing his face.
"God, you too are nut jobs." Shun muttered, walking up to Kaido. Kaido quickly jumped off to the side, out of his reach.
"Hey, what is this place?" Kaido asked. "Palm trees, hula girls, pineapples, hula girls, surfboards, hula girls, hula girls, hula girls! Of course, it all adds up, I've somehow landed in Norway." Shun growled, trying to grab Kaido again, but Kaido ran off again, laughing like crazy. Rhya rolled her eyes. She walked up to Kaido, and before he could evade her grasp, she grabbed his wrist and threw him to the ground, making him (and Scar) cry out in surprise.
"Get this over with," Rhya growled. Shun walked over to Kaido, dragging him up to where he's sitting, then looked up at Rhya.
"Remember what Evans said," Shun warned as he put his hands on Kaido's head. "Don't get angry or else it'll get worse."
"I have you to fix the problem," Rhya replied, a smirk crossing her face. Shun muttered something under his breath again, and then dropping Kaido's head. Kaido blinked a couple times, gripping onto his head.
"That's really freaky," Kaido muttered. "So that's what its like to be mad…How do you do it, Rhya?" Everyone turned to Rhya, staring intently. Rhya shifted her weight awkwardly.
"Actually, what I've got is more like the black blood Evans has…" Rhya started. "It basically overruns my personality with enough persistence. It does things a lot worse than what people who are mad too. Evans and Maka think its purpose is to spread madness instead of infect the 'host' (me) with madness… "
"Wait, how does it infect people with madness?" Scar asked. "Does it like, whenever you hang around someone make them steadily mad?" Rhya bit her lip, turning away.
"No…it's more like…she tortures people to make them mad…" Rhya muttered. Scar looked at her funny for a second.
"Wait, she tortures people?" Scar asked. "Like who?" Rhya didn't answer, looking down at the ground as Shun slowly rested his hand on her shoulder. Scar stared for a second, before a look of clear realization came across her face.
"You mean…your madness is what tortured me…what tortured Keiran… your madness works for the Hatter…" Scar murmured, staring at Rhya. Rhya slowly looked up, refusing to meet Scar in the eyes. Scar pursed her lips closing her eyes. Kaido slowly wrapped his arm around her, but Scar shook her head.
"It's ok, Kaido." Scar reassured. "I mean… I'm upset, but Rhya wouldn't tell me this if she herself worked for the Hatter… It's ok… But I need a moment…"
"I understand..." Rhya murmured, turning around and walking off.
"Wait, where are you going?" Kaido called, holding Scar closer. Shun looked back at the two.
"We have to go help Julia and the others." Shun explained. "You stay with Scar and meet us in the Death Room. Kidd will be able to keep you sane until we leave, so don't worry about going mad again." Kaido bit his lip and nodded, holding onto Scar as she shook with anger and frustration. Rhya ran off, unable to handle being around Scar anymore. Shun quickly turned around and ran after her, leaving Scar and Kaido to be alone. Kaido stared at Scar, gently holding her as she shook. Scar sighed, looking up a bit.
"Are you ok?" Kaido asked. Scar shook her head, but looked up.
"I'm not ok," Scar said. "But not because Rhya's madness tortured me. It's because…in the DWMA, we always have seen evil as a person does something wrong, so they have the right to have their soul taken. But her…she's not evil. But something that controls her is. It doesn't have a soul. It can't feel pain. There's no way to take revenge on it. So I have to swallow the sick feeling, knowing there's nothing I can do…" Kaido sighed, holding her closer. He couldn't stand to see her like this. He wasn't sure if it was just because she was his partner or if it was something else, but he wanted to make her happier, he wanted the Scar that would irritate him to the ends of the earth before she calmed down, the Scar that wasn't tormented all the time. Scar looked up at him suddenly, almost surprised.
"Kaido…do you…?" Scar asked. Kaido stared at Scar for a minute before realizing what she was implying. His face went slightly red, and he quickly started to walk, dragging Scar with him.
"C'mon, we have to go to the Death Room." Kaido demanded. "I have to find the bastard that made you cry and tear out his eyes."

"Wait, so you're madness tortured countless people, including Scar and Keiran, and we're all going mad because the Hatter's doing shit so we don't see the moon?" Myrady questioned. "Man, what are you smoking? Whatever it is, it must be some pretty good stuff."
"We'll we were definitely mad for a minute there," Julia replied. "I mean, I tried to shove Jackal into an oversized pot so I could teleport him past the 4th wall. And didn't you stare at a picture of David Tennant talking about how you-"
"ANYWAY, so what's our next move?" Myrady interrupted, directing her attention to Shun and Rhya. Shun stretched his arms, looking around.
"Well, we need to help out Haley and Keiran, then we need to meet Maka, Evans, and Kidd in the Death Room." Shun explained. "After that, we're probably going to have to hunt down the Hatter and stop him, since all the staff members will have to keep everyone from going insane." Julia sighed, looking at Rhya.
"And how can we trust Rhya?" Julia demanded. "What's the difference between her and her madness? How do we know she's not going to go 'mad' and do the Hatter's dirty work and kill us all?" Shun scowled, about to say something nasty, but Rhya interrupted him.
"I'm not asking you to trust me," Rhya intervened. "But I am asking you to help defeat the Hatter. I don't want the madness to win, and there's no way that me and Shun could do it alone. You can distrust me all you want, but Shun knows how to perform the purge on me so the madness won't be a problem, I assure you." Julia looked at Myrady curiously, and Myrady shrugged disinterestly.
"Well, it'll definitely be an adventure." Myrady replied. "Then we can hunt down that Ravenna witch, and c'mon, we have a chance to defeat a WARLOCK. Do you have any idea how powerful that'd make me as a death scythe? You could be the creator of the most powerful death scythe imaginable! And to think, I'll be that death scythe!" Myrady began to get a deranged grin on her face from excitement. "I love this plan! I'm excited to be a part of it! Let's do it!" Myrady got up, dragging Julia to her feet and stormed out the door without another word. Even Rhya blinked in surprise on how well they took the information. She turned to Shun, who looked equally confused. Shun rolled his shoulders and sighed, but right when he was about to walk out the door Rhya stopped him.
"Shun…" Rhya started. "I just…I wanted to thank you how you've been there for me, and how you've helped me with my 'madness'… I know we kinda became partners on default, and you definitely didn't have to, but you did…thank you so much…" Shun stared at her for a moment, but then smiled gently.
"I'll always be there, Rhya." Shun replied. "Not because I have to, or because obligated to, or because I'm stuck with you. I'll always be there because I want to." Rhya's eyes widened a bit and she turned red, then started to walk out the door quickly.
"C'mon, we d-don't have much t-time," Rhya stuttered nervously. "We have to go purge Haley and Keiran, and then we have to go kick some ass."

"Aw, sweet, how come I never get any of that?" Haley asked, turning to Keiran. Rhya and Shun stared at the two, wondering what kind of madness they've been inflicted with.
"Buy me a drink first," Keiran replied, looking around faintly with his damaged eyes.
"Such hard work," Haley joked almost seductively.
"But worth it," Keiran smiled. Rhya closed her eyes, realizing Haley though he was Captain Jack Harkness while Keiran thought he was the Doctor (while she admitted if they remained like this she wouldn't complain.) Shun sighed, gripping onto Haley's head and muttering under his breath. Not before long Haley was fine, blinking faintly. He looked at Keiran, who was still utterly mad.
"Go to your room!" Keiran yelled. "I mean it. I am very, very angry with you. I'm very, very cross. Go... To... Your... Room!" The room remained silent, but soon Keiran relaxed. "I'm really glad that worked. Those would have been terrible last words." Shun rolled his eyes and gripped Keiran's head, performing the purge again. Keiran shuddered as his madness subsided, but relaxed against his infirmary bed.
"I kinda wish you didn't do that…" Keiran muttered. "I enjoyed thinking I was the Doctor."
"It'd be nice if you were the Doctor, but unfortunately you're not." Shun snapped. "Now c'mon, we need to go."
"Wait Shun, I need to explain to them about my madness still," Rhya interrupted, turning to the two. Before she could even say the first word, Keiran held up his hand, crawling out of the infirmary bed.
"Don't worry about it Rhya." Keiran alleged. "See, me and Haley have been talking, and we've decided we don't care what your madness is all about or why you came to the DWMA in the first place. We place stock in how you act now, not how you act then, and we know we'll think differently if we hear your story. So don't worry about it. We want to see you the way we do now, not anyway different."
"Wow Keiran, that's the longest statement I've ever heard you say." Haley said, jumping out of his own bed. "Anyway, I agree with Shun. We have to hurry up with this. That god damned Draco still has Demi and Ran. We need to hurry and leave."
"Um, wouldn't you at least like some clothes?" Rhya asked. Haley smiled and then pulled a suitcase out from under his bed.
"Got some right here," Haley replied. "I've got some for every tech and weapon in the Spartoi, since we have to leave last minute a lot. While I didn't add any clothes for you guys, you can pick some clothes from what we've got already."
"Oh thank god," Rhya muttered. "I've been wearing this outfit for I don't know how long."
"Rhya! Now's not the time to use that!" Shun exclaimed. "C'mon, everyone's waiting for us." Keiran started rolling his shoulders, starting to walk out of the room before hitting his entire shoulder against the door.
"Keiran, let me help." Haley grunted, walking over and grabbing Keiran's arm, leading him out of the room. Rhya and Shun followed them, and in a few short minutes they were in the Death Room, where the Spartoi waited for them, along with Evans, Maka, Tsubaki, Black Star, and Kidd. Kidd was in the middle of the room, his arms outstretched but his head completely down, completely immobile. From the calm in the room, it seemed like he was performing a powerful purge, one that probably encompassed the entire city.
"C'mon you four, in front of the mirror," Tsubaki chided. "Don't disrupt Kidd, just walk around…" The four did what Tsubaki instructed, then the entire Spartoi were standing in a line before the mirror, Maka standing just in front of it.
"Alright, here's the deal," Maka spoke, her voice having the commanding force she had when she teached. "As you know, the madness has infected the city. We need to destroy the source, which is probably the group that's working to resurrect the Hatter. Now understand, the Hatter is an idea, a force. There has to be a ritual for it to take human form, and that's going to happen really soon. We know where the group is going to perform this ritual, so the mirror will directly take you to the spot. When you get there, don't try to be clever or cool or any of that other shit. You need to stop them, so either destroying the alter, the human reciprocal , or the source of the madness is going to be your best option. Try to be as hidden as possible. Don't confront Draco or Ravenna directly, they're far too powerful to take on as of yet. If anything goes wrong, don't stay, use the mirror in Myrady's pocket to come straight back. I won't warn you all twice. This isn't only for the safety of the Earth, but your own safety above all. Listen to Keiran and Julia on how to stay hidden, they're the best at hiding themselves in battle. Now, you need to go now, before no one's here to actually help you." The Spartoi looked around, noticing how everybody stood in the exact same stance as Kidd, standing on the outlines of the platform around him. Rhya looked forward and saw Maka dragging her finger against the mirror, writing out something. The mirror soon began to ripple, and Maka stood off to the side. She held her hand out, clearly indicating that they had to walk through it.
Myrady was the first to go, immediately running through the mirror without a second thought. Julia ran after her, and as they walked through the mirror it rippled wildly like they had jumped into a pool. Scar strode towards the mirror next, Kaido following soon behind her. Haley grabbed Keiran's arm again, leading him to the mirror. They walked through, and soon it was only Rhya and Shun.
Rhya slowly reached out for Shun's hand, almost nervously. Shun gladly took her hand, slowly starting to walk through the mirror. Rhya took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
It's fine, as long as I have Shun. Rhya thought to herself. As long as I have him, I'll be ok…I will…
It looks like the final hour has begun then.
Rhya's eyes shot open as soon as they went through the mirror. Teleporting through it was like being squished and pulled at the same time, but the absolute numbing feeling of it was overwhelming, like being under anesthesia. No sooner than they entered they were already there, the rest of the Spartoi looking at the menacing castle before them outlined by the white of the Romanian moon.
"Ok, few things wrong with this picture," Myrady started. "But the main one is that it's incredibly tacky that they have the ritual held here of all places." Rhya had to agree, it was incredibly stereotypical.
They all were only feet away from the famous Dracula castle.