It's still dark out when Soul is woken by the buzz of angry voices and opens his eyes to find a knife being pointed inches from his face.

"Don't move," orders a voice.

Soul gets a glimpse of the one who is speaking-he's a dwarf but he wears a mask so he can only make out his eyes, narrowed in distrust. Four other dwarves stand next to the dwarf; they're also masked but there's one who towers over the others, body lanky instead of the sturdy build of the other dwarves.

Beside him, Maka rouses in response to his shock and he hears her intake sharply. She springs to her feet in the same instant and knocks the dwarf holding Soul at knifepoint off his feet with a ball of light.

"Come on!" She pulls Soul to his feet but the other dwarves close around them.

"They're Arachne's spies," one of the dwarves thunders. "Let's dispose of them now."

"Wait!" The dwarf who was hit by the light ball staggers to his feet. "Black Star, do you really think Arachne would have a light elf as her spy?"

Recognition buzzes from Maka to Soul and she breaks away from him. "Sid?"

The dwarf pauses and then he pulls off his mask. His features look like they've were carved from the mountainside itself; he peers at her curiously. "Maka?"

"It is you!" She runs headlong at him and the dwarf envelopes her in a hug although she's more than a head taller than him.

The dwarf called Black Star pulls off his mask and addresses Soul as if he hadn't been eager to kill him two minutes ago. "Do you know what's going on?"

Soul watches Maka pull back, eyes shining. "She's just been far away from home for a long time."

Sid shakes his head in awe for the upteenth time as Maka finishes her story. He and the other dwarves lead her and Soul away from the river and into the sandy slopes of the desert surrounding the mountains. "We had all taken you for dead or worse when the invasion plan went wrong."

"Or worse is one way of putting it," she answers. "I can't believe you're still alive."

"I wasn't that old when you were born," Sid grumbles. "Dwarves age a lot slower than even you elves."

Beside her, Soul is trying to pay attention to their conversation while Black Star talks his ear off on the finer points of astronomy and star-gazing. He and the other dwarves had been born after Maka had been imprisoned by Asura, which was why only Sid had recognized her.

"One day, I'm going to reach the stars," the dwarf finishes matter-of-factly. "I don't get what's so great about the underground, dirt is all that's there."

Soul nods. In addition to having nothing to add, he's still stunned by the fact that he's being treated normally by the dwarves, even with the scythe in his hand.

The tall dwarf of the group appears out of nowhere and falls in step with them. "Going on rants again, I see."

Black Star rolls his eyes. "It's the same thing I have to hear when you go on about why diamonds are the best."

"Their molecular structure is such-"

"I'm going," the dwarf declares, patting Soul on the shoulder. "It's your turn to hear it."

He stares after Black Star as the dwarf walks away. "He is-"

"Something," the tall dwarf finishes. There's a fondness in his voice that makes Soul question whether they mean the same thing by "something."

He extends a hand to Soul. "Kid."

"Strange name," he says, shaking his hand.

"So is Soul."

He likes Kid, he decides.

Kid gestures towards the scythe. "I know about Sathros' myths about the Grigori and Kokketsu scythes. I didn't think they could have multiple wielders."

Soul's too tired to hold up walls. "The demon tied to me at birth is possessing the scythe."

"You're bound to a demon?" To his credit, Kid doesn't let shock seep into his voice.

"It's as fun as it sounds." He glances at the blade, expecting to Oni's face to pop up but he sees only his reflection. The night demon has been silent for a while now, he realizes.

"I'm sorry if my questions brought up bad memories," he says.

"Part of life." Soul glances at Kid. "Though I have a question for you. Night elves aren't very popular anywhere, especially if they have this." He holds up the scythe. "So, why don't the you or the others distrust me?"

"You'll see shortly for the others," answers Kid. "But as for me it'd would be awfully hypocritical of me, wouldn't it?" He removes the mask, revealing golden eyes in a pale face, three white stripes weaving through his black hair like rings.

Soul blinks, astonished. "You're a night elf."

"Half," Kid answers. "My mother was a light elf."

"We're here," calls Sid back from just ahead, interrupting Soul's reply. He feels his feet stumble against stone as the path sharply downturns into an underground cave he hadn't even noticed till now.

Kid tilts his head to one side. "I hear Black Star looking for me." He grimaces. "And so will the whole underground if I don't go."

Soul opens his mouth to stop him but gets distracted by someone looping their arm with his, looking down to see Maka. Her skin glows luminously from the happiness radiating off of her. "Did you know there are other night elves here?" he asks.

"Defectors," she answers quickly. "But there are more than just dwarves and night elves here."

He waits.

"There are light elves eyes here." She can hardly contain herself to walking. "Sid told me Arachne tried quietly killing off the light elves who escaped when Asura murdered Vajra but some survived. My parents-"

"They have to be somewhere around here." All of the hope he had felt her bury during their time searching for the group spills across their link and Maka grips his hand tightly. "Do you think my parents are still here? What if they left?"

In front of them, Soul catches Sid stiffen and he keeps his notice of it out of their link. "Then we'll go find them."

The large tunnel they walk in opens up into what looks much like a town square; dwarves and elves, both light and dark, walk among each. Soul notices that the number of light elves are far outnumbered by the dwarves and even the night elves.

The conversations cease as they weave through the square, showing news of Soul and Maka's arrival preceded them.

"My mother's going to like you." Maka takes notice of none of the strange looks both the dwarves and elves give them. She glances up at him. "Though, my father might give you a hard time at first but he'll accept you. Eventually."

He rubs the back of her knuckles with his thumb. "Good to know."

Sid leads the pair into a large room that has smaller tunnels branching off, Kid and Black Star following after them.

"Make yourselves at home," Sid calls out as he veers off into one tunnels. "I'll be right back."

"I'm off to the surface again," Black Star declares to the room. His stomach gives a loud rumble. "After I eat." He glances at Kid. "Coming?"

"In a minute," Kid answers as he follows Maka and Soul to a couch lying against a wall. "You go on ahead."

He sits in a chair opposite of them and speaks as Black Star disappears. "I was wondering if we could talk to you two for a moment."

"Of course." Maka leans against Soul's shoulder.

Kid nods his thanks. "I was a part of a noble family when Arachne and her sisters took over. My mother was a light elf so she was killed during the purge and my father died defending her. Iwas brainwashed by her magic to join her army."

"During a raid on the border, I was captured by rebels," he continues. "Sid recognized I was being influenced by her magic and insisted on not killing me. He took me here where the spell broke. I have spent every second since then trying to find a way to bring peace back to Sathros."

"That brings me to you." Kid's eyes travel to Soul. "An old witch came to us a few weeks ago and said that a new wielder of the Kokketsu scythe was coming. We thought she meant to kill Asura and waited for the news and thought she failed when it never came." He leans forward. "Now I see that she meant to tie another elf to the scythe."

"So who is the scythe's real wielder?" Soul asks.

"You are tied but not bound to the scythe in the way that Asura is," Kid says. "You may summon night but it is not your innate duty to do so. It's your choice to bind to the scythe."

Beside him, Maka tenses, her end of the link going cold.

"But if we were to use both of your powers," Kid says, "We could break into Baba Yaga, Maka could take back the Grigori scythe and together, you could bring back the day." He looks from Soul to Maka. "What do you say?"

"I thought I told you not to ambush my guests, Kid." Sid comes carrying a tray full of steaming cups of tea.

Heat enters Kid's voice. "This is the best chance we have and-"

"And I don't want to hear it," Sid says firmly. "You know where we and the rest think about this."

"Yes, and you know what I think." Kid stands. He looks at Maka and Soul. "Thank you for hearing me out." To Sid, he says without looking at him, "I'm going to find Black Star."

"Sorry you had to hear that," Sid apologizes after the elf leaves, lying the tray on a table in front of the couch and taking his seat. "Kid and I don't see eye-to-eye on a few things."

Maka speaks for the first time since Kid had talked to them. "But what he says makes sense," she argues. "Why shouldn't we try to bring back the day? The resistance is strong enough to handle it."

Sid pick up a cup but doesn't drink. "The resistance doesn't exist anymore," he says finally. "What you see now is us picking up stragglers and trying to survive."

She become as still as a statue. "What?"

"I was hoping to ease you into this but Kid had to open his mouth," Sid sighs. He takes a swig of his drink. "The resistance persisted for a while after you vanished," he starts. "Neither Spirit nor Kami were the same when they learned you disappeared. We thought a new light elf that could wield the Grigori scythe would eventually show up among us and the question of whether you were alive or not would be answered."

He looked up. "Clearly, there never was. While most of us assumed that Asura had found a way to stop your soul being passed down, your parents were convinced that you were alive and they threw themselves into every invasion effort." Sid's finger taps against the handle of his knife. "Rebellion is a dangerous business."

Maka's lips barely move. "What are you saying?"

Sid leans forward, eyes soft with sympathy. "They were killed in an undercover raid in Sathros."

Soul waits to see how Maka reacts but she does absolutely nothing. He feels nothing from her side of the link at all.

Then her head snaps up and fire burns in her eyes. "If my parents died trying to find out if I was alive, then I'm going to finish what I failed to do." She rises in one fluid movement. "Where's Kid?"

Soul mirrors her. "Maka-"

"This is my decision," she interrupts, sensing his disagreement. "Just like the decision to be the wielder of the Kokketsu scythe is yours."

He doesn't keep the bite of anger out of his voice. "So if you get killed doing this-"

"My decision," she repeats, glaring at Soul.

He glares right back at her.

There's a knock at the door and Sid gets up, relief plain on his face. He opens the door and a dwarf wearing armor enters. "What is it?"

"We found another elf, sir," the dwarf says. "She's one of Arachne's but we think she has a spell on her."

"Where is she?" Sid demands.

The dwarf hesitates. "She took down three of us before we captured her so we put her under and placed her in the special holding cell."

"Give me a minute and I'll go," says Sid and the dwarf nods before leaving.

"I'm going too." Maka moves toward the dwarf.

He shakes his head

"I know what you're thinking," Soul whispers to her as they follow Sid out.

She levels a glower at him. "And I know you're not going to tell."

"No," he sighs. "It's just a bad idea."

"If we can break Arachne's hold on the elf, then maybe she'll be able to help us get into Baba Yaga," Maka says in a low voice. "It's our best shot of making it in."

"You also know I don't agree with that."

"I know."

The elf's cell is reinforced by steel made by the dwarves themselves, Sid informs them as they enter an observation area, fixed with a mirror that lets them see in. Soul lets out a groan as he sees it's Tsubaki who is the elf lying unconscious on the cell's bed.

He's surprised to hear simultaneous gasps from Sid and Maka and turns to look at them. "Did you fight against her from before?"

Sid shakes his head grimly. "Just the opposite."

Maka approaches the glass as if she's in a trance. She touches the glass, eyes wide. "She's my sister."