Beginning Author Notes

(4/6/2015): So yeah, um, long time no see, everybody. Don't worry, I'm gonna explain myself.

For those who don't know, I went back and reedited the first 24 chapters. I added stuff, I proofread, I restructured, etc., etc. I encourage you to reread the first half of Chapters 2 and 18, and all of Chapter 19. Their changes were pretty significant. As for the others, you don't have to. Do that at your leisure.

It took a long time (much longer than I expected), and I apologize for that. But! We can now finally move on with the show.

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.

Ouroboros

Caius watched as Kim placed her hands over his injured arm. She closed her eyes and mumbled a magical incantation, a very long one Caius couldn't understand. Then, a yellowish light appeared between her hands and his arm. Within seconds, all of the lingering pain in Caius's forearm started to go away. He held his breath when Kim actually put her hands on him, but he felt nothing but her gentle touch.

The glow eventually disappeared, and Kim removed her hands. "All done," she said. Caius stared at his arm and clenched his fist, flexing the muscles. It felt good as new. Kim picked up her lantern and suggested, "I'd keep the bandages on though. Just to be safe."

"You have my gratitude, Kim," Caius replied as he picked up his lance.

She gave him an innocent smile and patted him on his shoulder. "I'll be sure to send the bill when we get back."

"All right, that sounds—" His voice trailed off when he finally registered that Kim was charging him for her services. "Wait, huh?" However, she had already skipped to the front of the pack, not giving him time to say anything. Caius then scratched the side of his head in confusion. "Okay?"

"Um, Caius?" The Vladingham looked at the lance's blade and saw Claudia's reflection. She nervously played with her hair, having difficulty keeping eye contact with him. She was afraid that he might be mad at her for worsening his former injury. "Is it better?"

"Much better, yes."

Claudia exhaled in relief. He sounded normal, and she was glad that Kim healed him. However, there was the issue of why it happened. "You couldn't use Regnum Dei. Know why?"

Caius sighed as he started walking. "I really wish I did." That was a very dangerous blunder he didn't wish to repeat. "For the time being, it's best I act like I can't use it anymore. Or my Soul Blaze for that matter."

"W-What!?" Claudia understood that Caius was being precautious, but to forbid himself from using his entire arsenal of attacks seemed too much. That would leave him with just his meister skills and a single Soul Resonance. "You can't do that! What are we going to do in a fight?!"

Caius stopped walking and jammed the blunt end of the lance into the ground so that the blade was eye-to-eye with him. Claudia flinched and gulped nervously, not expecting that. Caius exhaled sharply through his nose as he gave her a firm look. "Alright then, what can you do to help me?" Here she was talking about what 'they' were going to do, and what 'he' was supposed to do. He wanted to hear how 'she' could help solve the problem. After all, this was supposed to be a partnership.

Claudia wanted to answer, to say something. But, deep down, she knew it was impossible. Her gaze fell down, and she hung her head. Caius said nothing more. He removed the lance from the ground and raced to catch up with the others. He wanted Claudia to think about this. And thinking she did. To her, everything led to one simple fact. A reality she had ran away from for far too long. A reality whose consequences didn't occur to her until now when it was too late.

"I'm useless."

Rowena felt her feet getting sore as she continued walking up the stairs. "Man, how long is this thing?" She and everyone else had begun their ascent a few minutes ago, but it seemed like it would be forever until they reached the next floor.

Marcellus's reflection appeared on the surface of his Default Form's crystal ball. "You'll be okay." He reassured her, crunching down on his lollipop and taking out the stick. He glanced at Tsuji, who stared forward vacantly and walked with almost mechanical steps. He was deep in thought, probably mulling over his failure on the previous floor. "Are you still thinking about that?"

Tsuji sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Marcellus. It's just messing with my head." He honestly felt horrible. He had a chance to save his captains and prevent all this extra trouble, yet he blew it. Tsuji ran a hand through his ink black hair and stopped walking. He tried to get it off his mind, but he was having a hard time doing it.

"Hey."

Tsuji let his hand drop and looked to the side. Kim stood there, holding up the lantern to Tsuji's face. "It's ok, Tsuji. We all make mistakes. No need to beat yourself over it." Jacqueline's reflection appeared on it, and she gave him a warm and friendly smile. "I know you're better than that. I'm sure you'll wow us the next time you get a chance."

It wasn't just Jacqueline who felt that way. Kim flashed him a V-for-victory finger sign; Caius, when he walked by, gave him a supportive pat on his shoulder; and Tsuji already knew how Rowena, Marcellus, and Nayumi felt. The support of his friends and family touched him. His failure seemed less significant now that he got some reassurance. Tsuji looked at Jacqueline and smirked – a sign that he was back in action. "My next bull's-eye is dedicated to you."

Marcellus closed his eyes, put a fresh lollipop in his mouth, and smiled gratefully. "Finally."

"We made it!"

At the sound of Maka's voice, everyone at the back of the pack hurried up the rest of stairwell. There was an opening that led them to a considerably well-lit room. On the other side were five very large doors with the faces of snakes on them. Above them, Krysa stood on a balcony made of black iron vectors.

Krysa leaned against the frame, staring down at them as if they were peasants. "Welcome, children, to the second floor."

Rowena shivered at her emotionless voice. It didn't sound natural at all. "I always wanted to be in a video game, but this is ridiculous."

Kid took a step forward and pointed at the woman. "You know why we're here, Krysa! You have something that belongs to us!"

"You can certainly get them back," Krysa removed herself off the balcony's frame and slowly waved her arm, gesturing to the five doors below her, "Provided that you get through my maze quickly enough."

"What?!" The Meisters' and the Demon Weapons' outraged cries echoed up and down the monolith. Most of them threw out insults and death threats, but collectively, it came out as indistinct chatter. Humored, Medusa laughed. They sounded like immature little children right now, a pack of insignificant creatures.

Krysa patiently waited until they were done before she spoke again. "The object is simple. Select a door, go through it, and try to get to the other side within the time limit. If you succeed, the cages with your captains shall be waiting for you. If you fail, then take the stairwell at the end to the next floor."

Harvar's reflection appeared on the tip of his spear form as he stared hard at Krysa, trying to read her. "Tell me, how do we know the captains are safe and sound?"

"I assure you, they are in one piece." Krysa replied. Many of the group members had a hard time believing her. She snapped her fingers and, in a puff of black and purple smoke, a magical timer set at 20 minutes inscribed itself in the stone. "You will see how much time you have no matter where you are in the maze. Now, if there aren't any more questions, let us-"

"I have one."

All eyes fell on Crona, whose gaze remained affixed on Krysa. Crona wasn't stupid, not by a longshot. Most of the things Krysa was doing was awfully similar to Medusa's workings. "Are you by yourself, or are you working with someone?"

Lips appeared at the base of Ragnarok's sword form. "Or maybe for someone, huh?"

Medusa narrowed her eyes as they flashed a little in the dark room. To think, her failed experiment would be the first to see past the smoke and mirrors. Krysa stood there and stared at Crona and Ragnarok. This lack of response immediately raised everyone's suspicions. Were they on to something? Finally, Krysa said something. "Complete the maze, and your question will be answered." With not another word, she disappeared, and the clock started.

Frustrated, Kilik stomped his foot on the ground and resisted the urge to punch the nearby wall. "Okay, so let me get this straight." Once he got everyone's attention, he pointed at the timer. "We have T-minus 20 minutes to pick a door and walk through a maze. And we have no clue what's on the other side, or which is the right one."

Ox released a heavy sigh. "That sounds about it."

"Well, there's no use standing around being emo about this!" Blackstar turned his back to everyone, locked eyes with the door he really wanted to pick, and grinned. "So, let's get this thing started! I'm picking number one because who doesn't wanna be number one?"

Maka reached out and grabbed Blackstar by the collar of his shirt before he could sprint off. "Hold it, Blackstar!" She held him slightly off the ground so that his feet, spinning so fast that they looked like wheels, couldn't touch it. "We can't jump to conclusions like that!"

"Well, we need to do something," Liz said impatiently, "I mean, she didn't give us any clues, so we're on our own."

"I know how we can be safe," Tsubaki stated, "We're supposed to just get to the end, right? Well, we have four good sensors – Maka, Kid, Marcellus, and Nayumi. We have Blackstar's natural instincts, and we have Fire and Thunder's Earth Shaman abilities." She smiled as she looked around the entire group. "If we work together, we'll get there in no time."

Soul nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Nice work, Tsubaki." His reflection appeared on his scythe's blade as he looked at the gauntlets on Kilik's hands. "Fire, Thunder, you're up."

"Ok!"

Kilik got on his knees and placed his metal-clad hands on the ground. In the spiritual dimension of their weapon form, Fire and Thunder nodded to each other and held hands. They could feel the spirit of the Earth flow into them. Around them, everything was silent, but inside their minds, they heard many whispers, warning them of the dangers ahead in each door. Soon enough, the Pot Twins were told the best route to choose.

"The Earth says pick number four." The Pot Twins announced, pointing at the door in question, "It also says it's a bit darker than the other ones."

"Good thing I have my handy-dandy, efficient lantern." Kim said proudly, holding up her lantern with a cheeky grin.

Jacqueline blushed in embarrassment. "Y-You make it sound like I'm meant to be a tool and not a Weapon!"

"Uh, hel-lo!" Rowena called out from the other side of the room. She was in the process of opening the large room for everyone. "We still got a maze in our way and only 17 minutes and 31 seconds to get through it. Let's haul ass, people!"

Cautious but determined, the team headed through the door and down the corridor that awaited them. Maka's and Kid's Soul Perception alerted of them strong souls in the way, Marcellus's Wavelength Sonar detected objects or creature the first two might have missed, Nayumi's Wavelength Radiation uncovered their locations, Jacqueline's fire kept the path bright, and Fire and Thunder used the Earth to help everyone avoid possible traps and dead-ends. 'Teamwork makes the dream work' as they say.

And Medusa wasn't happy.

She underestimated the abilities of the group as a whole. She expected to see them running hopelessly around her maze, screaming in terror as her traps slowly broke down their will. She wanted them to work, not practically cruise through it. She considered stripping them of their skills right then and there, but she didn't want to risk overloading her system. Medusa was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps. She looked over her shoulder and saw her minions entering her lair.

"That's that, Medusa." Free announced as the Mizune Sisters hovered around him. He was back to wearing his old prison garbs. "It's all in your hands now."

"Chichichi! The Mizune Sisters squeaked excitedly. They too were happy to drop the act.

Eruka sat at a ledge, watching the students on the crystal ball. While Medusa had told her the basics of her plan, she never received the full details. Hoping she wouldn't be overstepping boundaries, the frog witch asked, "Lady Medusa? What exactly are you planning?"

Medusa spared no look to Eruka. She refrained from hissing when she saw the students avoid yet another trap. Taking a calming deep breath, Medusa finally answered her. "What I'm doing is weakening the Academy."

"Oh, really?" Free leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his bulky chest. "Because I don't think that's their whole army right there."

Medusa chuckled a little, sending chills down Eruka's spine. "There's much more to it than that, Free. Yes while Maka Albarn and her company certainly aren't the Academy's entire army, they seemed to be among their best and strongest. After all, why else would the Reaper put them at the forefront of everything? Why else would they of all people be the ones to fight us when we revived the Kishin?"

"Okay..." Questioningly, Free walked over and gestured to the Ricardsens and Caius. "Explain them then. I've never seen them around at all."

"Oh, them?" Medusa lazily waved her hand, dismissing them as threats. "I wanted to stave off suspicion. I simply picked names out of a hat from my old records as a nurse, and they happened to come up. That way, Stein, the Reaper, or whoever couldn't put the mission on hold." After all, if Stein managed to figure out her identity and plan, she didn't doubt he could dissect the mission specs and find her ulterior motives.

The Mizune Sisters titled their heads in unison. "Chichichi?"

"What's with the setup, you ask?" Medusa grinned devilishly, glad someone asked her that. "Because fighting all of them at full strength would take too much effort. So, I created the ultimate Cursing Magic spell. I call this beauty Ouroboros."

"Ouroboros?" Free and Eruka chorused.

Medusa nodded. "Yes." She raised her hand up and, soon, vector snakes peeked out of every wall, the ceiling, and the floor. "This whole island is littered with my vector snakes. They cannot run nor can they hide. At my command, a vector snake will 'bite' one of them." She tapped the crystal ball, zooming in on Tsuji and Caius. It showed the vector snakes wrapped around their legs, hidden by their pants, biting its own tail. "And the curse will take away whatever ability or personality trait that defines them as a fighter. That's why they're playing all these games. So I can see what I need to take away."

"And I'm guessing Krysa and Atlas were just red herrings. To make sure the kids didn't figure things out until it's too late." Free remarked, taking a seat.

"Perceptive, Free." No more questions asked, Medusa went back to studying the students' progress. 12 minutes remained on the clock, and they were over halfway finished with the maze. She wasn't going to let them get away scot-free. She needed to find something to take away from someone. No matter what.

"I wonder if that foolish younger sister of mine is holding up her end of the deal."

The trees stood still, the wind was calm, and it was so quiet in the school gardens one could hear a pin drop. It was the perfect place to train, to avoid any sort of distraction, to clear one's mind.

And that was precisely why Klemens was here.

Klemens stood before several bare trees, holding his claymore up to his face with his eyes closed. His breath was even, and his concentration perfect. Sure, he had passed the field exam, but the thorough beat-down Justin Law gave him and his partners was quite the wake-up call. Being in the EAT Class required him to be at the top of his game, and he didn't want to disappoint his parents back in Denmark.

"Soul Resonance!"

A blue aura of spiritual energy engulfed Klemens as he and Madeline increased their resonance rate, trying to produce more power. The wind around them whirled, and static appeared all over the claymore as they did their best keeping it up. They wanted their soul waves to reach maximum output, and so, they kept their minds completely focused on that goal.

Soon enough, the cutting edges on Madeline's claymore form detached. All soul energy rerouted to these blades, causing them to grow and split up into three, large, winglike blades on each side. Gritting his teeth to stay concentrated, Klemens rushed toward the bare trees. Once close enough, he slammed his foot into the ground and swung his weapon. The modified claymore struck the first tree with the blunt part, and the air pressure traveled from it to the others, bending the rest out of shape. Then, as Klemens finished his motions, the blades themselves took over, cleaving the weakened trees in half.

"You did it, Klemmy!" Madeline shouted, clapping her excitedly and laughing. Klemens span around again, almost losing his balance, but he ultimately managed to get both of his feet under him. "I'm so proud of you, Klemens Nielsen!"

The resonance deactivated, and Klemens took the time to examine what happened. When he first hit the tree, he felt resistance, but when he applied more force, everything else fell into place quite easily. He had to admit, the Soul Resonance turned out beautifully. The trees weren't torn to splinters or unceremoniously broken apart. They were cut and knocked down cleanly, and that appealed to him. "Marvelous. I had my doubts, but it appears our training isn't for naught."

"Well, whaddaya expect?" Madeline's reflection appeared on her weapon form. Her prideful grin never vanished. "Ya really gotta give Professor Matilda his props. I learned it all from him."

"I see."

Then, something went off in Madeline's head. "Oh! Oh! Oh! We gotta name our Soul Resonance!" She cupped her chin and began saying her thoughts aloud. "It's gotta be something cool, something elegant, something with a little 'Booyah' to it." She snapped her fingers when something came to mind five seconds later. "That's it! Our resonance will be called 'Empty Sky Form!'"

Klemens brought the claymore up to his face so that he could give her a wondering look. "Empty Sky Form? As poetic as that sounds, what's the significance?"

"None. Sounds hella awesome, though, huh?"

Klemens sighed and shook his head. Madeline could be a handful sometimes. Then again, if Klemens were told months ago he was going to the Academy and his partner would be an Australian chick, he'd look at the person like she or he had grown several heads. Klemens had to admit, the whole experience was a little overwhelming. One moment, he was an unassuming baker in Denmark. The next, he was a Claymore Meister studying in one of the wackiest schools on the planet. "But, it is an experience I shall embrace all the same."

"I'm bored now," Madeline declared. That was another thing Klemens found out quickly about Madeline – she got bored easily. "C'mon! Let's try to make another Soul Resonance. Let's keep the whole name theme goin', k—"

"Kill..."

Chills ran down both Madeline's and Klemens's spines. The latter whipped around and witnessed several people trudging to him from the woods, lurched over. A strange growth surrounded their arms, ending in a blade reminiscent of a scorpion's tail. Their eyes were lifeless and glassy, save for the one that was blue and pink.

Klemens started to sweat nervously. He noticed all of these people were around his age of 17 or younger, so he guessed they were Academy students. So, why were they acting this why? The possessed students stopped before him, mumbling 'kill' over and over again. "Shame how just yesterday I provided a convincing argument as to why zombie apocalypses were never going to happen."

Madeline saw one of the students at the frontline twitch. "Here they come!"

Klemens brought up the claymore to block the quick jab of the student's blade. He then lifted his leg and rammed his foot into the student's gut, sending him away. The rest charged at different angles and paths, mumbling the word 'kill' like a mantra. Klemens kept his ears peeled, listening for the shuffling of feet and muttering of 'kill.' He did not want to be on the receiving end of those daggers. He heard rapid footsteps behind him and quickly turned around, slamming the shaft into the attacker's face.

Madeline caught the sight of three students falling from the sky. "Up high!"

Klemens looked up and swung the claymore, metal on metal clashing loudly. The trio of attacks continued to add pressure as their feet hit the ground. "Kill..." muttered Vincent, Autumn, and Damon – cold and unfeeling like robots. Hearing more students coming, Klemens withdrew from the clash, rolling off to the side to avoid several jabs.

Madeline looked left and right constantly, finally noticing the sheer number of people assaulting them. "Oh, bullocks, Klemmy, they're multiplyin' like rabbits!" She swallowed thickly, concerned for herself and Klemens. She wasn't sure they were prepared to handle a large group like this.

"Well, then I suppose we have but one option." Klemens stated as he unconsciously took steps back, holding up the claymore in a defensive stance. Led by the possessed Vanderbilts, the students ceaselessly limped his way. "You called it 'Empty Sky Form,' correct?"

The skies turned red, the once calm streets filled with panic, and Death City found itself in a state of emergency. Everywhere, a student from NOT Class targeted someone, trying to kill somebody or turn him or her into a mindless slave. Officials tried to keep innocents safe and deal with the problem, but the screaming and fighting never stopped.

And Shaula Gorgon loved every second of it.

Inside a spire in downtown Death City, she witnessed several of her Traitors tackling a hapless young man. She reared her head back when she heard the music that was his cries for mercy. Inhaling and exhaling through her nose, she let the ecstasy die down. "Magnificent."

Her plan went accordingly, and her poison worked wonders. She had an army of mindless killing machines at her disposal, and she had singlehandedly put the hub of the DWMA into a state of disarray. It made Shaula feel good about herself. However, there was something that ultimately made her achievement bittersweet. She had an alliance with Medusa.

Shaula scoffed. "She calls herself helping me." Even now, the scorpion witch tried to understand why she agreed to this partnership. Shaula vicariously watched the chaos reign through her Traitors, and she smirked in delight. Seeing the fruits of her labor lifted her mood. "Well, regardless, I'm still going to show why I am the most superior of the Gorgons."

As soon as Shaula finished here, she was going to pay Medusa a visit at Cobra Island with her army. How ironic that she was going to meet her end at the very place she was born. Shaula's smirk widened at the prospect. She could see it now – Medusa getting impaled and eviscerated by her scorpions. She didn't expect her to grovel and beg. Knowing Medusa, she would probably say some drivel meant to save face and spite her. After she perished, Shaula planned to hunt for Arachne too.

"She's the one related to the Heretic Witch. Stay away from her."

"I'm sorry to say this, but you're the last of your class. The Academy's at fault."

"It's hunt or be hunted for Witches."

Shaula reached over, embraced Meme, her best experiment, and stroked her short hair lovingly. To that, the girl responded with a monotonous 'kill,' and Shaula giggled in excitement. "And hunt, I shall."

Ending Author Notes

Yes, I'm aware Shaula's attack canonically happens at the Death Festival, which is on Halloween. In hindsight, I wrote myself into a corner when I made Chapter 12 (that's what I get for writing it before the NOT anime or manga finished). So please forgive the error.lls on this account and my DeviantArt one (they both have the same name, "Grade-AMasterpiece"). Vote for your favorite character! Believe it or not, it's a form of feedback.