To war!
That damned DWMA brat actually managed to damage her body in such a way that parts couldn't regenerate. Ametrine growled as she cleared the center of the cave floor, closing her eyes and chanting under her breath. Slowly, a spell tome began glowing brightly, intricate and ancient witches' symbols etching into the dirt. At least she had her intended target; the meister Maka Albarn, possessor of black blood and anti-demon wavelength abilities; not to mention soul perception on top of it. Her heart had stopped, nearly five minutes ago, and her lifeless form had become frigid and stiff. Asura didn't essentially need a heart to survive, but in order to do what she needed to, the girl had to be alive.
As soon as the circle finished forming, the witch strolled over to the table where Maka laid and pressed her hands against her chest. A warm glow flowed down her arms and into the meister, her chest glowing brightly before dying out. After a few moments of no movement, Ametrine was about to transfer more of her life energy to the girl when she suddenly twitched. With two fingers she checked her neck for a pulse; it was weak but growing stronger with every beat. She would remain unconscious, but now that her blood was pumping again, the ritual could continue.
"Mistress, is there anything I can do for you?" Zefirov asked anxiously, shuffling noisily up to the witch with the box of vials in his wrinkled and twisted fingers.
"Why don't you set those down over there for me," Ametrine pointed a delicate nail to a podium settled in front of the spell tome. "Are there still any of your clan left in the village?"
"Ah, apart from the two Elders, I don't believe so." The old ninja carefully set the box down, rubbing the lid lovingly. "It seems they were given an evacuation order before our meeting, so there is no one. Wait, there is Viktor, though he seems to have sided with the DWMA and the witches. Disgraceful, turning his back on his clan in their greatest moment in all of history."
Viktor Leonidovich, one of the highest skilled members of the Hidden Shadow Ninja Clan. It seemed he disappeared shortly before everything began yesterday. Ametrine clenched her jaw. He had sided with the witches and the DWMA, meaning someone above him gave the orders to do so. Either that, or he went rogue; a nagging feeling told her it was the former.
Now that she had sealed herself deep within the caves, she could get to work without disturbance. There were a few hundred Pre-Kishins out there to keep them busy long enough for the ritual to complete. Even her newest ones, the largest she's ever created, would do some serious damage to them. She had to collect stronger souls for those; a quick visit back to the Witches Realm provided what she needed easily. As she gathered her spell book and ingredients, a noise caught her attention.
Maka was in the process of moving her hand, followed by her arm. Watching her closely, it seemed the girl was trying to wake up. Grimacing, the witch kept her eye on her as she continued setting up everything she needed. Even if she woke up, her conscious wouldn't be the same anymore. That curse engraved into her shoulder was proof of that; not only did it take her life at exactly midnight, when the moon was at its highest, but it also infected her with the same amount of madness swirling inside of her own body. There wasn't a clear answer as to whether or not the black blood in her would respond, but it would be made clear once Asura was revived through her.
Getting Asura released from the moon was nearly impossible, something she had learned years ago after the battle ended. Eibon was securely locked inside of Asura and Chrona was the one guarding it. Getting past the black blood wouldn't be too hard, though the problem was that the Kishin would no longer have any blood inside of his body, making it impossible to release him and wreak havoc upon the world. The black magic spell she had found back in the Witches Realm spoke nothing of unleashing Kishins, but the ancient forbidden art of Madness Transfer – a technique where a person of pure blood was to have overwhelming madness injected into their blood stream and theoretically becoming a Kishin vessel. The major downside was the fact that if the madness rejected or was expelled by the host, the caster would receive the damage and turn into a rogue Kishin.
Pain shot through her upper torso and the witch hissed; most of her upper body had been burnt severely from the soul shockwave. It left jagged marks over her chest and up to the base of her jaw, red, angry areas of burnt tissue. Luckily, her explosive blasts seemed to knock them down long enough for her to escape. There wasn't enough time to spend healing herself, so she just dulled the frayed nerve endings enough to focus on the ritual. With a blast of magic, she hit a panel on the caves ceiling; a large chunk of rock blasted outwards, revealing the moon directly overhead. As the light hit the tome, it began to crackle with energy. She had only a few minutes before the moonlight shifted away and her chance would be gone.
Turning around, the witch came face-to-face with the meister, eyes widening in surprise. She shouldn't be able to move much, let alone get up. Apart from some color returning to her skin, she still looked deceased and the witch took a step back just in case. The meister didn't move, though, and seemed to be rooted to the spot. Messing with this level of madness was dangerous, especially when it hadn't settled into its host yet. Ametrine took another step back, watching to see if Maka's body would move. It didn't. Grabbing her by the arm, she walked the lifeless body back to the table, grunting with effort as she threw her back on. When it didn't move again, she let out a small sigh before continuing her work, keeping the body in her sight at all times. There was so much to do and so little time…
Maka felt numb and empty as she floated along the darkness, slipping in and out of consciousness. The darkness seemed to have lightened up as she could now see around her when before it was pitch black. A warm sensation pulsed in her heart and she soon found her eyes opening slightly. It continued through her body, filling her veins with warmth and energy. Previously damaged organs began to repair themselves, stitching themselves back together like nothing happened. Air entered her lungs and she greedily pulled in more, coughing heavily as her throat became scratchy. After her body calmed down, she looked down to see she was completely naked. Ancient markings covered nearly every inch of her body, glowing as they were weaving and twisting across her flesh like a book page. They seemed familiar, but her mind was having trouble remembering anything.
"Maka Albarn…so, we meet again."
Maka Albarn? Was that who she was? The teen turned around to see a heavily clothed man sitting with his legs folded in the air, palms resting openly in his lap. His black and white hair and red eyes seemed so familiar, but she couldn't place it.
"Wh-who are you?" Maka rasped out, clearing her throat. "What are we doing in here?"
"Ah, I see what's going on here now," the man unfolded his legs and floated to a stop in front of her. He grabbed her face with one hand, turning it this way and that as he studied her. "The madness has taken over your mind, sealing your personal memories. It's probably for the best; memories just include fear, fear that could devour your very soul."
Releasing her face, the man ran his gaze over her body, studying the markings with vague interest. Heat creeped up her neck and Maka curled her body up, covering up her sudden indecency.
"Oh, please, like you're anything special to look at." He said blankly, pushing her legs away to continue reading. "Ah, here it is. Look, right here,"
Maka looked down to where he was pointing at; a set of symbols centered directly on her chest.
"What does it mean?"
"This scripture right here, it's missing something important. There are two words that are written similarly but have two completely different meanings. What this saysis 'Corruption/Imprisonment'. What it should be written as is 'Madness/Uncontained'. If anyone were to mess up and use the spell containing that wrong phrase, it would cause their soul to become corrupted and drive them to insanity."
With a jagged nail, the man traced it across her chest, following the scriptures as they wrapped around her body, mumbling under his breath as he read along to it. Maka tried to stay still as the sensation creeped her out, wanting to push him away though the curiosity got the better of her.
"So, if someone tried to use this spell, what would happen to them?"
"Like I told you, they would be drawn into insanity and their soul would become corrupted. Since your soul is a very rare and special one, you'd probably survive with little to no side effects." He stopped once more, this time around her center. "Hmmm, that's odd. There's a line here that should be glowing, but it isn't. It seems to be dormant—"
As soon as the man grazed the dull symbols, electricity zapped his hand away, crackling angrily before settling back down. A twisted smile adorned his face and he began laughing, grabbing his stomach as he doubled over. Maka jerked back in surprise, looking down at the letters. With slow movements, she inched her finger closer until she was just barely touching the words. Nothing happened. Thoroughly confused, she pressed harder, even trying to rub at it to no avail.
"It seems you're stronger than you seem, girl." The man wiped away a tear as he straightened up. "Your soul is so powerful that it has resistance to overwhelming madness that would consume you whole. Hmm, it probably has something to do with your anti-demon wavelength and Grigori soul shape. I wonder if the black blood still resides within you as well,"
"I have no idea what you're saying…" Maka said dumbly. The man glanced at her and shrugged, not a care in the world.
"I'm sure you'll find out when the spell is activated. I'll be needing to borrow your body now."
The man thrust his hand into her chest, wrapping his fingers around the inside of her ribs before snapping them open. searing pain filled her, and she screamed as he widened the hole, using both hands to spread them further open. Black blood gushed out in large globs, wiggling angrily as they floated away. With an eager look and a tongue running over his lips, he plunged himself into her body and darkness soon washed over Maka, plunging her into the abyss of unconsciousness.
They had landed at the edge of a village, supposedly the one that housed the Hidden Shadow Ninja clan. It was right around midnight and the moon was still high in the sky, it's black veil seemingly translucent. Kid bowed to the witches as they teleported away, taking their forces and leaving his team and Free to fend for themselves. The first thing the Reaper noticed was the horrendous screeching echoing loudly through the forest; the second was a handful of said screeching creatures running right at them, ravenous snarls ripping from their twisted jaws.
"Kilik, Ox, take care of these ones and regroup once they're taking care of." Kid ordered as he blasted one in the face. "Free, scout ahead and clear anything that's in the path since you can better in the dark. Kim, Stein, and Spirit are on me."
Free charged ahead as the two meisters stayed behind, clearing the outer perimeter. Kid rushed through the snow-covered village, golden eyes darting left and right for enemies. As they trekked onward, the screaming seemed to get louder the deeper past the houses they ventured.
"What's this black stuff falling from the sky?" Patty asked curiously.
"It looks creepy to me. Try not to touch it, Patty," Liz said uneasily.
"If I had a guess, it would be the remnants of whatever these creatures are," Stein pondered as he rubbed some between his fingers. "I'll take some back to the lab and do an analysis on it."
A familiar wavelength smacked the Reaper in the face, and he slowed, a sensation of unease washing over him. It was Black Star, alright, but there was something different about it. Stein noticed too, slowly cranking the screw atop his head. It felt like his soul had become wild; it was erratic with emotions and wavering violently. Tsubaki's was not too far from his, along with Soul's and another he didn't recognize.
"Where's Maka, can you sense her?" Spirit huffed out as he brought up the rear of the group, clearly out of shape.
Kid pressed his perception further, scanning for the familiar soul of his friend. His level was nothing near Maka's, but he could still see a good distance. There was something flickering dimly in the distance, but it was fuzzy and hard to tell what it was.
"There's something in the distance, but I can't see it clearly. Let's focus on mov—"
A large creature suddenly slammed into the building next to them, debris flying in every direction as it rained over them. Everyone braced themselves for it to crawl back to its feet, but instead it began dissolving into thick black particles that blanketed the now gray snow.
"Look, over there!" Kim shouted as she pointed to the top of a dilapidated shrine.
"Is that… Black Star?" Marie asked. He was knocking back enemy after enemy at full strength, ruthless in his attacks.
"Yeah. Something's wrong with him, keep your distance for now." Kid warned. He could handle a fight with the ninja, the others would just be crushed by his inhuman strength.
"K-Kid, is that you…?" A weak voice called from inside of a collapsed house.
"Tsubaki? Are you alright?" Kid called as he made his way through the rubble, the snow making it difficult to trek. "Do you have any injuries? How's Soul?" No answer.
He reached the back part of the house, seemingly untouched by the surrounding carnage, and found the weapon sat up against the corner with Soul lying beside her. A small candle was lit on an aged end table, giving a small amount of light in the blackened room. Blood had trickled down from her hairline, coating her porcelain skin deep red. She seemed weak but was at least conscious. Soul, on the other hand, was sweating profusely and his skin was pale and clammy. Kim pushed her way through and began working immediately, soothingly talking to Tsubaki.
"Tsubaki, what happened?" Kid kneeled on the other side of her, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "What's going on here?"
"Kid, you need to get Black Star…he…after Maka…" The weapon broke down, quietly sobbing. "He snapped…we couldn't save…Soul has been unconscious for a while…"
"I can explain everything. You are Lord Death, no?" A figure appeared in front of the group, silent as the night as he dropped in from the broken roof. "I am Viktor, the inside contact for the witches."
"Viktor, what happened here?" Kid forwent the formalities, turning to stare into translucent eyes.
"The short version is witch Ametrine is holed up in the caverns below the village, in the process of releasing Asura from his moon imprisonment. Maka Albarn…" He hesitated, glancing over the group until his eyes landed on Spirit. "You are her father, no? I can see you in her."
"I am, what's happened to my daughter?" Spirit asked tersely, fists clenched at his side.
"I am…sorry. Tsubaki filled me in with further information after it happened."
"What happened to my daughter!" The death scythe snarled as he closed the distance and grabbed the ninja by the front of his ninja-yoroi. "Did she—"
"She…died…"
Heads whirled around to see Soul opening his eyes slightly, Kim moving her magic over his body. It was just barely above a whisper, but the words rang clearly in the small room. Spirit released the man and stumbled backwards, hitting a wall before sliding down it, in shock. Kid froze in place and Stein chose to glare at the floor, glasses concealing his eyes.
"We couldn't…there was a curse engraved into her back, we couldn't stop it from happening." Tsubaki added, sitting up a little straighter. "Black Star tried to save her, tried so hard…"
"Where…" Kid swallowed the lump in his throat and tried again. "Where is her…"
"Ametrine took her body to complete the unleashing of Asura. Black Star went after the witch and dealt a good amount of damage, but then there were explosions and we were knocked out for a while, hence her head wound." Viktor supplied as he sat on a rusted bed frame, the springs groaning loudly.
"The resonance link between Soul and Maka was severed when…" Tsubaki hesitated, not wanting to say it. "He's been out since that moment. And Black Star…"
"Went nuts," Kid finished. He felt like his legs were going to give out if he didn't sit soon.
It was silent for what felt like eternity, nobody wanting to speak as the news settled. Around them they could hear the destructive force of the ninja ranging on, screams of anguish filling the air.
"How do we get into the caverns, Viktor? We need to focus on stopping Ametrine before she unleashes Asura." Stein spoke first, lighting up a cigarette.
"She has sealed the caverns off, unfortunately, and there is no other way in or out without creating an opening ourselves." The ninja supplied quietly, watching with slight awe as the injuries began to vanish from Tsubaki. "I…feel like I have failed you, Lord Death, for being unable to protect your students as foretold by the reading fire and my Elders. I will accept any punishment you deem appropriate."
"Worry about that later, right now I need someone who can find me a way into those caverns and kill Ametrine." Kid stood in front of the defeated man, amber eyes burning bright. "Are you able to stand by my side and assist in a potentially fatal mission or not?"
Viktor looked up, studying the intensity of Kid's face. With a steeled will, the ninja stood, cracking his back, neck and fingers before locking eyes with the Reaper.
"I swear my loyalty to you, Lord Death, for as long as needed."
"Good. Now let's go grab that idiot before he causes anymore damage."
"I'm coming with, Kid," Tsubaki grunted as she pushed herself off the wall. "I know I can reach him, we're still resonating, though just barely. You focus on reaching Ametrine."
"I'm counting on you, Tsubaki. Be careful." The weapon nodded before running from the room. "Stein, Viktor, let's go. We have a witch to hunt."
Glancing at Spirit, the death scythe was motionless as he slumped against the wall. Kim noticed the look and let out a small sigh, sending a pitying look to the man.
"I'll watch him, too, I guess."
Kid nodded before turning and climbing back through the crumbled house. Black Star was still wreaking havoc, knocking back any enemy that launched at him with ease. He could sense Tsubaki closing in on him, approaching from behind him slowly. The Reaper felt useless as they ran through the dense forest; Maka had died, Soul was suffering from the severance of soul resonance, Spirit was down for the count, and Tsubaki had to attempt to reign her partner in before he leveled the entire mountainside. As Lord Death, his goal was to pacify the world from madness and corruption, yet he couldn't even save his friends from a deranged witch.
Magic pulsated deep within the woods, vibrating the ground every so often as they moved closer. There were no signs of creatures in the area, something that unnerved the meister, and it was absolutely silent. No birds, no creatures, no wind. Madness seemed to be spreading little by little with each pulse, spreading it slowly towards the village. Kid and Viktor seemed the least affected by the madness, while Stein seemed to struggle a little.
"Stein keep control of yourself," Marie snapped as she tried to extinguish the madness swirling within him.
"I'm fine, Marie, I can handle this amount with little issue. Let's keep going," He could feel it itching, wanting to spread and unleash itself in his body.
"There, the barrier blocking the cave entrance." Viktor pointed to a pile of boulders just down the hillside. "There is no use trying to break it, so I will try to find a way to destroy the area around it."
"Go." Kid nodded and watched the ninja leap weightlessly through the air, landing weightlessly on a tree branch overhanging above the cave.
"Can you sense it, Kid?" Stein eyed Lord Death with a heavy look, his lips twitching at random. "Down below,"
"Yeah, I feel it. She's down there, Stein," Kid tightened his grip on Liz and Patty. "There's someone else down there, too. And…a third soul that I can't distinguish…"
"It's a soul filled with the madness of Asura judging from the strength of it. If she needed Maka to be the gate to unleashing him…"
"Then maybe she's become the vessel…"
Tsubaki inched closer to her meister, the force of his soul wavelength making it difficult. He hadn't noticed her yet, blasting anything that launched at him with a fury that rivaled Hades. She could feel their resonance shaking wildly, his soul trying to break free from her hold on him. It was painful to keep the connection going, as she felt his emotions raging erratically, but if it were to be disconnected it could cause him to be swallowed by the grief.
"Black Star! I need you to listen to me!" Tsubaki yelled over the harsh winds, shielding her face as she inched closer to him. "Kid is here now, you can stop. Soul has even woken up, so please—"
The weapon barely had time to dodge a powerful swipe at her head, the slippery roof moving her out of the way in time. Black Star was close to losing himself, his eyes burning brightly yellow with the Star Clan signa. She could feel their connection stretching thin as he delved deeper into the abyss.
"She's not coming back…Maka isn't coming back…" The ninja muttered over and over, as he continued strikes against his partner, mind void. "She's never coming back…she's not fucking coming back!"
Tsubaki ducked low to avoid a punch and swept her foot out, catching him behind the knees. He buckled and fell to one knee, panting heavily as he struggled to keep control. She reached for his shoulder when the sound of electricity caused her to jerk back, narrowly avoiding the blast aimed at her face. Black Star staggered to a stand, rolling his head back to look at her with crazed eyes. Pulling a weapon on him wouldn't do either of them any good, so the weapon stayed on the defensive, striking when he left himself open. Sending soothing soul wavelengths seemed to have little effect as he continued to strike at her. The blood loss from earlier caused her vision to swim and she sank to her knees, the world spinning violently around her. He stopped in front of her, looking down at her weakened form with hesitation. Tsubaki could feel his soul quivering with mixed emotions, rapidly switching back and forth between angry and confused.
"Black Star, please listen to—!" The weapon grunted as her meisters foot suddenly connected with her stomach, red tinted spit flying from her mouth as she was thrown, rolling across the sharp clay tiles. With a hand stretched out, she caught the very edge of the roof, saving her from certain death.
Coughing, the weapon gasped for breath, blood trickling from her lips as she tried to get her bearings. She could feel a gash across her face begin to bleed, the hot sticky substance trailing down her chin. Black Star stood above her, eyes burning hot as he glared at her. Tears stung her eyes and Tsubaki looked up at the man she loved, looking at her with pure anger and distrust. She couldn't fight him, not because he was stronger, but because it would hurt her.
"You promised me, Black Star, earlier," The roof tile cracked under the added weight. "You promised me you would always protect me, even if it cost you your life, remember? If my words can't reach you, then maybe my actions will."
Tsubaki felt the tile snap and she closed her eyes as gravity took over. She trusted her partner completely, even when his mind and soul weren't sound; she knew he would save her. A few seconds had passed, the ground was growing closer and closer. The head injury from earlier drained the energy from her and she briefly contemplated just allowing herself to enjoy the fall. Her eyes cracked opened to see a decorative sharp ornament on the shrines lower roof jutting out, right where her spine would directly hit. With a grunt, she began to twist her body to catch herself, when something slammed into her from the side and latched around her. A deep snowbank cushioned the impact and the weapon let out a held breath as she relaxed into it, heart pounding against her chest.
"I knew that would do it," She opened her eyes to stare at her partner, yellow iris now back to green.
"Tsubaki…" Black Star wiped the blood from her cheek with his thumb, examining for other wounds. "Did I…"
"You're back to normal, that's all that matters right now. More importantly, Kid needs our help." Tsubaki moved to get up but found herself pinned against her meister, his arms tightly around her.
"I'm sorry, 'Baki, for not protecting you like I said I would. I even hurt you myself…"
"Black Star…"
"No, I need to say it. I fucked up, big time, I don't deserve your forgiveness; I hurt you, Tsubaki. I can't make up for that, I have no excuses." His voice was muffled against her shoulder, his breath tickling the exposed part of her neck. "I could have seriously injured you or killed you. I wouldn't be able to handle that."
"And I forgive you; you weren't in your right mind. I'll be fine, but Black Star," Gently pushing him back so they were eye-to-eye, the weapon cradled his face, pushing stray hairs from his eyes. "Kid went after Ametrine with Stein and Viktor just a few minutes ago. If you want to repay me, then you can start by forgiving yourself and getting up. Now is the time to use that anger and grief to take her down and avenge Maka." Tsubaki squished his cheeks together, trying to get her message across faster. "Now get your ass up and get to work!"
Black Star remained quiet, searching her eyes as she gave him a hard look. A laugh slipped past his lips, earning a puzzled look in return. He pressed his lips hard against hers for a few moments before pulling back, watching her face heat up.
"You're right as always, 'Baki. Kinda hot when you take charge like that, gotta admit."
"J-Just get off of me already!"
Everything was perfect. Maka was centered motionless in the tome, the moon was mostly overhead, and she could feel the madness squirming inside of her, restless as it waited for its freedom. Grabbing one of the glass vials, she readied herself. Opening the book to the marked page, she poured most of her magic over it, along with the madness vial, and the book greedily accepted it all. After the toll was paid, she began to chant.
"Hear upon thy will, Creator of Madness; I call thy name to serve, to honor, to respect thy legacy. Speak upon thy will, so thou shalt be released from thine chains. See upon thy will, so thou shall return to reclaim what is rightful. I offer a sacrifice, great Kishin Asura, to be thy servant on Earth, to wreak havoc in thy name. I call upon thee to release! Madness Transfer!"
The ground began to shake violently as the spell tome ignited and electricity sparked along the edges, connecting the lines together. Maka's body began to float towards the moonlight, her eyes slowly opening as the madness began to pump through her veins. Ametrine held her breath in anticipation as everything came together smoothly, excitement ready to burst from her chest.
A bright light exploded from the hill a short distance from the cave entrance as dark magic and madness poured over the land, decaying the trees and melting the snow instantaneously. Kid braced against the tree he and Stein sought refuge in as the shockwaves had increased, the branches shaking violently. Viktor darted out of the way just as the cave entrance shifted and collapsed, shattering the magic barrier into pieces. Landing just above them, he ripped his mask down, grimacing at the beam as it shot towards the moon.
"Don't tell me she's finished the ritual," Kid growled as he eyed the madness speeding closer to them.
"Gaining entrance by the beam could be a deadly risk, so let us blast the cave entrance, but we need to move fast. If she continues, there will not be a world left to save." Viktor removed three medium-sized metal balls from his sling, chucking them hard towards the rock pile. Upon impact, they let off a massive explosion that blasted the rocks into smaller chunks. The smoke cleared to reveal an opening, big enough for two people to fit through.
"Move yer ass, Kid, before I kill this bitch myself!" Black Star yelled as he blurred past him, leaving an ident in the trees bark from kicking off.
"I suggest we do as he says, I don't want to hear him bragging about it for weeks on end." Stein gave a lopsided grin, tossing his cigarette aside. The madness was making him feel good.
The three men quickly followed after the ninja, hitting the ground running. Black Star blasted through the rocks with his soul wavelength, expanding the opening to the size of a small crater, before vanishing into the depths. Just as Stein finished passing through the entrance, madness crashed past them, sealing their only exit.
~*B*~
Ametrine realized too late that something went wrong as Maka's body stopped floating most of the way out of the cave and turned towards her, arm outstretched and palm facing her. Madness and magic blasted towards the witch and she screamed as the spell backfired. It sent her crashing backwards towards the cavern walls, jagged rocks puncturing and tearing her body apart.
"Your efforts are futile, Witch Ametrine," A deep voice emitted from Maka's mouth, her eyes burning a deep red, swirling with madness. "Had you noticed sooner; your soul wouldn't become food for my madness."
Maka's body suddenly turned black as night as it began to morph, stretching and widening to a taller form. With a burst of madness and black blood, Asura appeared, floating easily in the air. As he descended, red eyes darted around, observing the area with little interest. A movement caught his eye and his wraps secured over his face in fear, his body tensing up.
"L-Lord Asura…" Zefirov stuttered as he fell to his knees in awe, hastily bowing low. "I am at your service, my Lord." Asura eyed the elderly man, a sneer on his lips.
"The only thing people like you are good for is food!"
Zefirov had barely looked up when a hand was thrust through his chest, a hand clenched tightly around his soul. Blood dribbled down his chin as he took one last shaky breath, watching as his soul was ripped from his body. Asura licked his lips anxiously, lifting the wiggling soul above his head, mouth open wide. How many years had it been since his last meal? Just as he went to enjoy his meal, a sharp object sliced his wrist clean off. With little effort it grew back, shooting out from the depths of his arm and reattaching seamlessly.
"Like hell yer gonna eat that soul!" Black Star snarled as Tsubaki returned to him, rotating at top speed in Shuriken mode.
"Kishin Asura, under the law of my Father and myself, I will destroy you once and for all." Kid glared dangerously at the Kishin, lines of Sanzu glowing as his soul wavelength expanded.
"Ah, brother, what a nice reunion this is." Asura twitched as he looked towards the Reaper, fear writhing inside of him. "But I'm afraid I can't stay too long. Afterall, I'm just here for her soul." Pointing at Ametrine, the Kishin shot one of his scarves at her, aiming for her chest.
A blast of electricity deflected the hand back at Asura, the attack racing up the arm and aiming for his head. With a twitch of his finger, the attack was extinguished as the appendage was swiftly removed. It regrew moments later, angrily slithering at his side. Stein widened his stance in front of Ametrine, Mjolnir bursting with soul wavelength energy as he glared up at the Kishin.
"I'm afraid that soul isn't yours for the taking, Kishin Asura."
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong," Asura cracked open his face coverings, narrowed eye glinting mischievously. "You see, she failed to notice that her spell was incorrectly worded; meaning, instead of unleashing madness upon the world, all she did was cause it to backfire onto herself. Therefore, her soul now belongs to the madness and will become corrupt, turning her into a Kishin like myself."
"I will not permit you to do such a thing." Viktor appeared silently behind Asura, blade swinging down over his head.
With fluid like movements, the Kishin dodged the sharp blade before slapping the ninja away like a pesky fly. Viktor used the blade to brace himself as he landed, digging his feet into the dirt floor. Black Star switched Tsubaki to Uncanny Sword mode, standing slightly in front of the white clad ninja as he gathered himself.
"Wait, don't attack him so recklessly!" Stein threw out his arm, stalling the meisters. "It's in there, underneath the madness…Maka's soul, I can sense it."
"What?" Liz asked, incredulous. "She's…alive?"
"Bullshit, Stein, I watched her die!" Black Star clenched his jaw as the memory flashed in his mind.
"That may have been the case, but I can sense it too." Kid narrowed his eyes, watching her soul spark intermittently beneath the madness. "Avoid full strength attacks, we don't want to hurt Maka."
Asura felt the girl's soul pulse within him, trying to break through the madness at the sound of Kid's voice. With a hand resting against his chest, he closed his mask once more. He wouldn't have long before she broke free, purging the darkness from her soul.
Floating in darkness got old pretty quick. He wasn't sure how long he had been there, but it felt like hours, at least. Soul felt like his whole world had been destroyed, his body numb as he stayed in suspended animation. His mind was blank as he stared ahead, waiting for the inevitable embrace of death. But so far, it was just darkness as far and wide as he could see. With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes; not that it made a difference in his current situation, but it made him feel slightly human again.
"How the hell did everything turn out this way?" The weapon mumbled to no one in particular.
"I wondered about that too," A soft voice responded, startling the weapon from his thoughts.
Pushing himself up, he stared at a distant light growing brighter as it neared. Rubbing his eyes heavily, to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, he blinked away the dark spots before looking again. Their outline was blurred, but he could tell it was human. At least, he hoped it was.
"Please tell me you're the Grim Reaper here to put me out of my miserable and pitiful self-wallowing floating party." The figure giggled. Wait, giggled? Do Reapers giggle? He must've ingested something weird.
"You didn't eat anything weird, I'm pretty sure, but I guess I am in a way, but not the one you're thinking right now."
"So…an angel? You're really not helping me figure this out." Soul sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He really wasn't in the mood to play games right now.
"You used to think I wasn't anything like an angel, years ago during our flying training." That caused him to freeze.
Whipping his head up, he came face to face with his meister, her smile warm as she floated to a stop. She was wearing a white strapless dress with matching short heels and elbow length gloves, her sandy waves flowing freely around her. In that moment, she looked like the most beautiful angel he had ever seen. His hand reached out to touch her, hesitantly, unsure if she was real or a mirage.
"You…I felt it, saw you…you died, Maka. Wait, does this mean I died too? Are we both dead now? That's fucking uncool…" A delicate hand reached out and touched his, gently guiding it to rest over her heart. It was beating steady and strong.
"I'm not entirely sure what's going on myself; I think this is just my subconscious beginning to awaken. I heard Kid's voice and I think that caused my soul to react." The smile slipped from her face and she looked at him with sorrowful eyes.
"What's wrong?" Soul asked as he cupped her cheek, brushing the hair from her eyes with his free hand. She felt warm beneath his touch.
"I'm sorry, Soul, for putting you through so much pain and grief. I should have told you sooner about the marking, but I was scared to. And now…" The meister chewed on her lip as she looked down, avoiding his gaze.
"Hey, it's not your fault, so stop blaming yourself. Look at me, Maka," He lifted her chin up to meet his gaze. "We'll find a way out of this, don't worry. You're standing here, that means you're still alive out there. I'm going to find you, I promise. I won't lose you again."
"I know you will, Soul, and I'll be waiting." Maka gave him a watery smile.
The light absorbing her body suddenly died out and the meister twisted away from him in fear. A scream erupted from her as she doubled over, angry red lines bursting from the center of her chest and swirling around in the darkness. The pristine white dress burned away as words twisted and wrapped themselves around her body like vines, leaving her naked and vulnerable.
"Maka!" Soul shouted as he reached out to grab her only to be forced back by an invisible wall. He pounded his fists against it, trying to reach his meister.
Madness swirled around her as it began to consume her, tearing at her flesh like hundreds of sharpened blades. Fear filled her eyes as she threw her head back to look at Soul, tears streaming down her face. She threw her arm out in attempt to reach him as the darkness swallowed her chest. Soul was pushed back as the barrier expanded, the invisible wall shocking his every touch. He watched in terror as Maka was nearly consumed by the darkness, feeling completely helpless.
"I need you…to wake up!" Maka gasped between choked breaths as it reached her neck. "Come to me, Soul…wake up and come back to me!"
Holy. Shit. This was intense, even for me to write. I did redo it a few times since a lot of it became random once I got tired. Not too sure how many more chapters there will be, but for now, the battle continues!