Let's continue onward!
Kid had just signaled for the fireworks finale to launch when it happened. A massive explosion shook the grounds, sending people into an immediate panicked frenzy, pushing over one another to escape. Black Star had disappeared from nearby, most likely in search of the culprit responsible for the attack. A handful of teachers were ushering people to safety further into the city limits while meisters and weapons rushed in to help.
"Something isn't right here, Lord Death," Stein appeared beside the Reaper, Spirit ready in scythe form. "I'm not sensing any soul wavelengths near the explosions. Someone must have set the bombs and activated them from a distance."
"Stein, I want you to check out the bomb location—" Kid stopped short as another explosion went off, shattering a nearby game booth to shreds. "Find another team and send them to investigate the second site, you and Spirit will look into the first one."
Kid felt a twitch in his soul and froze up, suddenly jerking his head towards the forested area opposite of the festival. It was brief, but he was positive Maka was trying to relay something through resonance. It almost seemed like…a warning. His eyes narrowed in concentration, a brief soul wavelength flashing and then vanishing. He expanded his Soul Perception to locate Black Star, connecting instantly once he locked onto the energized soul wavelength.
'Black Star— meet me at the forest immediately. Maka resonated with me but the connection was suddenly cut short. I think she's in danger.' Kid could feel the sudden wave of anger rushing through the connection, the Reaper almost jerking back at the force.
'Unknown target seen escaping to the West, I'll kick Ox and Kilik to it. On my way.'
Kid grit his teeth as he motioned for Liz and Patty, the weapons immediately transforming. With a nod to Stein, he took off, propelling himself as fast as he could. A sudden attack on Death City meant the letter The Witch of The Eternal Time sent was coming true and that this was only the beginning. Maka had always been a target for her exceptional Soul Perception and anti-demon wavelength, even more so now that Ametrine had attempted once before to strike her down. What she had been so worked up about, so worried about these past weeks, if Kid had just listened. The wall encasing the small woods came into view, immaculate black shoes landing perfectly balanced on the weathered stones. A shadow landed silently beside him.
"I don't hear anything, Kid," The ninja spoke barely above a whisper. "I think…there's something on the ground, just ahead a ways."
"Move carefully, it could be a trap." Black Star nodded before vanishing into the woods. A minute ticked by before any noise was heard, raising the hair on the back of Kid's neck at his friends call.
"Kid, we got a body in here."
Sprinting through the trees, the Reaper noticed the ninja crouching next to an object, a look of disgust on his face. It wasn't until he moved closer that he realized the body was missing an import feature.
"The head is gone? Where could it have gone?" Kid muttered as he crouched opposite of Star. The head had been severed clean off, the work of someone with blade experience. "It's probably around here somewhere."
"You said Maka was over here? Think Soul did this?"
"It's possible, but until we find them both, we won't know for sure. Soul doesn't seem like the kind to aim for a lethal hit, but if the situation was bad enough then he would, especially if Maka was in trouble. Nothing else in the area?"
"Some scorch marks by the base of that tree right there. Magic is my guess." Kid glanced over to where Black Star nodded. "Another blast just opposite of that, head level roughly. My guess is they were ambushed on the way out after the explosions started. Doesn't this body look familiar?"
Kid narrowed his eyes as he studied the corpse, scanning over the clothing carefully. A hint of red caught his attention and he motioned for the ninja. With a nod, they both grabbed one side of the body before lifting it and setting down a few feet away. Two braids of bold red hair were flattened to the ground, soaked in blood.
"Ametrine…" Tsubaki gasped as Black Star grabbed a stick to poke at the strands. "But…her body was destroyed back in Russia, so how can she be here?"
"She wasn't destroyed in Russia," Kid said darkly. "Her soul wasn't in her body when she was destroyed. Someone disrupted the flow of time and removed her soul and a portion of Asura's madness. We're dealing with an immensely powerful being who has the capabilities to alter time. This is becoming a serious issue. Priority is ensuring the safety of Soul and Maka. Maka's soul wavelength came from this area, that I'm sure of. I can't even sense it now—"
'It is because they are no longer in this timeline, Lord Death.'
A ghost-like figure emerged from the depths of the woods, gliding effortlessly above the grass. A woman, Kid thought as he watched her stop a few feet from them, her robes billowing from the movement. It was hard to tell how she truly looked as the transparency of her body gave barely anything above basic outlines away. An iridescent butterfly fluttered over to her raised finger, landing gently before disappearing with a puff. Black Star readied his sword while Kid stiffened before relaxing his stance, loosening his grip on the pistols as he studied the person in front of them.
"Where the hell did they go?" Snarled Black Star, ready to unleash his full fury upon the unknown person. "What did you do to them?"
"Black Star, enough." Kid barked without looking. "She is not our enemy." The figure gave a small smile.
'My name is Mardella Sipheron, though I may also go by the Witch of the Eternal Time." Mardella's figure bowed slightly, her hands moving to rest at her front. 'Soul and Maka are no longer in this timeline of reality, though, not by my doing.'
"No longer in this timeline…?" Kid muttered to himself in disbelief. "Does…this have to do with that entity Maka was talking about?"
Mardella nodded tightly, lips pursed together. 'Yes. A powerful ancient witch by the name of Esadora. She is the only other witch in the universe to have some control over time and space, much like myself. Many centuries ago, we had engaged in a disastrous battle, one that would prove to be the beginnings of her time disruptions. Her trickery caused a lapse in my defenses and she collected some of my blood.'
"What's so special about your blood?" Tsubaki asked curiously as she transformed back. Black Star shifted slightly in front of her.
'Being merged with Father Time, my blood contains the power to control and manipulate time and space itself. If someone were to get ahold of it…'
"They could gain some of the power within it." Kid finished. "Which could be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands." Mardella nodded solemnly.
'Esadora comes from an immensely powerful lineage of witches, as does Mabaa-dono. Their family specializes in Spatial Magic, a rare, but powerful form of time manipulation. Mabaa has chosen to stay on the path of righteous usage of the powers while Esadora has chosen to stray, leading into dangerous territory.'
"They're related?" Black Star asked incredulously. "What the fuck is this, a family reunion for everyone?"
"Don't be disrespectful!" His weapon hissed, jabbing him in the ribs. "I'm sorry, please continue."
'Such an eccentric soul, even when you were young.' Mardella smiled fondly at the meister. 'Esadora managed to collect my blood and with her lineage, was able to create a potion she could drink to gain some of my powers. Since it was a miniscule amount there are limitations to what she can control. For example, I can control all of time and space, tearing multiple pockets in different planes of reality and entering them. Esadora can control only one at a time, though it takes a tremendous amount of magic for her to do so, even with my blood and her reserves. She would need another witches' power in order to open more timelines.'
"So, it's possible to Maka and Soul were transported to another reality?" Kid asked slowly, not liking where this was going. "Ametrine…she took her soul, didn't she? How do we get them back?
Mardella frowned deeply and looked at the ground, causing everyone to tense up.
'I am afraid…you are unable to.' The witch said slowly, feeling their gazes burning into her. 'From this timeline, this reality, you cannot access the realm they have fallen into.'
"How can we save them then? There has to be a way!" Kid flung his arms out, exasperated, desperate. "For all we know, they could be killed there! Witch Mardella, I implore—"
'Lord Death, I cannot control something that has been severely corrupted by madness.' Mardella locked eyes with the Reaper, overwhelming distress filling her eyes. 'If I were to try and access that timeline, the possibility of unending madness escaping and corrupting this realm would be exorbitant. I may have the full powers of Chronos within my body and the magic of a powerful witch, but I cannot willingly open a tear in space where Asura resides.'
The group stiffened at the name, a chill sliding down their spines. Tsubaki covered her mouth in horror, Black Star cursed. Liz cowered behind Patty. Kid stood silent, eyes wide as he stared at the iridescent figure before him, brain failing to comprehend the situation. Asura…had escaped? No, he was still sealed on the moon, that he was certain of. An alternate reality full of madness…it shouldn't even be possible. But Mardella wasn't one to lie as far as he could tell, so…what was really going on?
'Lord Death, my magic is nearing its limit in this form,' Kid snapped out of his daze, watching as Mardella's form began to waver. 'The box given to Maka, open it and you will be directed to the location of Esadora. Be warned; the world you know now has already begun to shift. Prepare yourselves.'
With that, she was gone.
Maka Albarn was never one to run from a battle, yet here she was sprinting for her life in a torn yukata and socks with wild hair, dirt smeared across her face, as creatures of madness hunted her down with saliva flying from their gnarled jaws. There were at least a handful of the monstrous creatures thundering after her, hellish screams echoing in the air. The last thing she could remember was a warm sensation and a butterfly before she plunged into the darkness, awakening on the ground with strange howls surrounding her. Soul had been separated at some point so the meister ran for her life weaponless. Ducking under a branch, her chest heaved as she tried to lose the creatures in a thicket of dead trees, taking advantage of the narrow spacing between trunks. A snarl not far behind sent her heart into her throat as she pushed herself faster, aiming for a gap between two trees. A hidden mud patch caught her foot and twisted her ankle, sending her tumbling to the ground, just feet from escape. Scrambling, Maka attempted to crawl away, the sharp pain in her ankle preventing her from moving any faster.
A large black paw suddenly slammed down on her leg, the meister screaming out in pain as it pressed its full weight against the extremity.
"Get off of me!" Maka yelled as she tried kicking at the massive creature, grabbing anything around her she could to throw at it. "Let me go!"
The creature lowered its head to look at her, jaws opening wide as it prepared to feast. Maka stared at it with petrified eyes, tears spilling down her cheeks as she prepared to meet her end. A high-pitched whistling alerted the creature and it stopped, whipping its head to the side just as an arrow pierced it, killing it instantly. The pinned leg was freed and the meister wasted no time in scrambling for the exit, clawing at the rough dirt to pull herself to safety. More whistles filled the air, the sound of arrows zipping through the air in a volley of fire. Maka pushed herself up with her good leg and quickly slipped between the trees, stumbling as her ankle and leg protested. The noises behind her were dying down, meaning whoever had fired those arrows could be coming after her next.
It looked like she was at the top of a hill, a steep pathway leading the way to a clearing of sorts. With one last glance backwards, Maka began slowly hobbling her way down the slope, using nearby bushes and tree branches to keep her steady. It wasn't until about halfway down, when she had instinctively grabbed the nearest branch, that she realized her mistake as a loud snap filled the air.
"Oh, fuck—!"
Maka's cursing filled the air as she slid the remainder of the way down, the yukata catching on rocks, shredding the fabric to pieces. A large puddle of what she assumed, and hoped, was water cushioned her fall. She hacked up the liquid while pushing herself to a sitting position, a hand resting against her stomach. The wound witch Esadora gave her had been pulled open, black blood coating her fingers as they pulled away. The black blood was no longer clotting her wounds, something that put her at a huge risk given the situation. Neither hair nor hide of the ogre appeared since her death back in Innopolis, the connection seemingly broken for good, even with the amount of madness sitting heavily in the air.
A chill ran up her spine, teeth clattering. Now that she was completely soaked, the next thing would be to find shelter and attempt to dry off. But looking around, it didn't seem like there was anything for miles. The sky above churned an ominous blood red as she slowly continued moving in search of shelter. It seemed madness was running rampant all over, affecting everything from the animals to the trees and even the weather. Having an anti-demon wavelength was a lifesaver to the meister, though it did little to quell the lurking urge to be swallowed by the madness. But what about Soul? Without her there to help suppress the overwhelming madness, it could plunge him into a murderous rampage. She needed to find him quickly before his soul was completely consumed. The amount of madness in the air was preventing her Soul Perception from working, so the meister set out in search of her partner the old-fashioned way; by walking until she found any sign of civilization.
As Maka walked across the deserted plain, two sets of eyes watched from high above, sharing a curious glance. With a nod, they began to move along the ground, keeping just far enough behind the girl to remain unnoticed.
"Do you think," The shorter of the two whispered, wide eyes never leaving their target. "She really is…?"
"I don't know for sure, but the resemblance is too coincidental. She has to be real. After…you know, what happened, it couldn't possibly anything else." The other one muttered lowly, voice shaking. "Unless these things have figured out how to morph into people…"
It was a few hours before Maka finally called it quits, her leg screaming in agony from the constant movement. It was possible the creature caused a fracture just by its sheer weight pressing down on her slim leg. The perfect crippled target for any nearby predators, she thought bitterly. The only upside was that there seemed to be a building of sorts not too far in the distance, a beacon of hope for the stranded meister. It was too far for her to continue on for the night, or was it day? The darkened red skies made it impossible to tell the time of day, something that annoyed her greatly. The watch she had gotten from Soul had broken off somewhere, either when she landed or during her escape. Not like it would do any good wherever the hell she currently was.
A small cluster of rocks to her left seemed to act as a land marker leading towards the structure in the distance. Hobbling over to the pile, Maka let herself slump against the sharp edges, ignoring the small points pressing into her skin. She was exhausted, physically, mentally. Carefully pulling down her torn and dirty sock, she hissed as she took in the swollen purple and red joint. There was no chance of walking any further even if she wanted to. At least the rocks provided a bit of shelter, though it also left her extremely vulnerable to attacks. She had to figure something out if her journey had to continue on. No partner, no weapon, a useless ankle and a gaping stomach wound that leaked every time she shifted.
Where was Soul? They had gotten separated at some point, at least, she was fairly sure he was here in this hellhole, and the thought of him succumbing to the madness plagued her constantly. If there wasn't so much interference she could try to search for him. The madness overwhelming the lands nearly blocked her from sensing her own soul wavelength. Maka sighed, letting her head rest against the rock. Moving forward was the best option for now, until she could reach the building just on the horizon. Exhaustion took over and she fell into a darkened slumber.
The impact of him hitting water had jerked the weapon from unconsciousness, his lungs filling with fluid as he struggled to surface. A shadow beneath him had caught his eye and sheer terror paralyzed his body as he looked into the massive glowing eye of Asura. Panicked, he kicked as hard as he could to reach the surface, the madness threatening to pull him under. As soon as he surfaced, Soul swam for the shore, the sensation of madness looming over him. Once on land, the weapon scrambled away from the shore, eyes wide and darting around nervously. The water was oddly still, not a single ripple moving across the surface. Not waiting around, the weapon took off as fast as he could, slipping against the loose dirt with wet shoes. The wasteland around him was overflowing with madness, lashing out at him as he ran. Creatures seemed to pull themselves up from the dirt, dangerously long claws snatching at his clothing. A shing reverberated through the air as Soul sliced the tendrils away. More and more appeared and the Death Scythe briefly weighed his options before yelling 'Fuck this!' and running faster. Dozens of creatures were chasing Soul with ravenous snarls and snapping jaws across the plain, footprints thundering close behind.
The only thing nearby appeared to be a high cliff overlooking the land. It wouldn't be an easy climb, but it was better than being torn apart by madness-tainted monsters. A low rumbling vibrated through Soul's feet, stumbling him slightly as he ran. With each step it grew more intense until a large shockwave suddenly flung the weapon high into the air. As he flew upwards, Soul watched in sheer horror as a massive writhing ball of tentacles rose from the earth, uprooting the horde that had been chasing him before slowly crashing back down, sinking back into the dirt and taking its prizes with it. Another shockwave blasted into him mid-air, sending him soaring at breakneck speed towards the cliffs.
Soul twisted his body to face the incoming rocks, partially transforming to catch himself. The surface quickly approached, and he slammed the tip of the blade into the rock, bracing his feet as he slid backwards. Metal screeched loudly against the rock, sparks flying from the friction. Soul grit his teeth as he barely slowed down, the momentum of the throw too much for him to stop. Transforming one leg, he dug as hard as he could into the hard stone, praying it would be enough to slow him down. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed the edge of the cliffs rapidly approaching and with an exerted grunt, released his blades. He never would've been able to stop in time before flying right off of the ridge so with a string of curses, the weapon flew back into the air, preparing to become a pancake on the ground below.
"Is that….no, it can't be…" A feminine voice whispered in shock, watching as a figure flew through the air, headed for the cliffs. "I-it can't be! He's…"
"That's him all right. I'd recognize that mop of hair anywhere." A deep, rough voice replied, a deadly anger lurking in his tone. "He has some balls to show back up here, after what he's done—"
"Why would he sudden show himself? He's been hidden for years, so why now? It can't be coincidental—" The female cut off as she heard a loud screeching noise, like metal to stone. "Oh, no—"
"Let's go say hi to an old friend."
He wasn't going to make it. Dead and decaying trees lined the surrounding area, but he was going too fast and couldn't adjust his mid-air position enough to reach them. If he was going to die like this, he didn't want to see the ground rushing up at him before it crushed his body. With a deep breath in, Soul released his breath and closed his eyes, waiting for the impending impact that would take his life. The wind sliced at him through his soggy clothing, his skin stinging. Would that be the last thing he felt? Pain? Or would adrenaline take over and numb his body before he hit? It was almost a disappointment that his life wasn't flashing before his eyes, though any memory before meeting Maka wasn't worth remembering. Was she alright? Since landing in this world, he hadn't been able to sense her at all. The wound she had could be fatal and if she didn't get help in time—.
A whipping sound hit his ears seconds before something wrapped around his waist tightly, the object pressing painfully into his skin.
"What the—"
Soul opened his eyes in surprise as his body suddenly yanked him sideways, rattling his spine painfully as he was pulled away from the ground and towards the tree line. Releasing the blade to his left arm, the weapon prepared to slice the unknown object to bits when it suddenly released, sending him crashing painfully into the dirt.
"Nice of you to show your face again, traitor." Someone spat as Soul rolled to a stop on his back with a grunt. "After everything you've done, after all we've been through, you sided with the one person who ruined everything."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Soul coughed as he sat up, hastily wiping the dirt from his face. "I don't even know where the fuck I am, how the hell could I have—"
A fist clenched into his shirts collar, suddenly dragging him upwards and into the face of an incredibly angry person. Blinking, Soul looked into the eyes of the person who had him locked into place. Dozens of new and old scars littered their face, the most noticeable one going over his right eye and the weapon's eyes widened in recognition.
"Black…Star?"
"You don't get the damn right to say my name!" Black Star snarled as he slammed Soul back into the ground. "You don't get to act all buddy-buddy after everything! I'll never forgive you!"
"Black Star, stop!" A slender arm shot out and gripped the ninjas arm tightly. "Look at him!"
"I don't want to look at this bastards' face another minute long—!"
"Look at him! He doesn't have that look in his eyes! The madness isn't controlling him, Black Star; it's not him."
"Tsubaki?" Soul was hastily released. "What the hell is going on here?"
Black Star retreated to the safety of the treetops, shooting venomous looks down at the bewildered weapon. Tsubaki crouched next to him, her arms wrapped around her thin waist as she studied him with knitted brows. Seeing her up close, Soul noticed her once perfectly smooth skin had been dirtied and marred with dozens of small and medium scars littering her face and neck. A particularly nasty one trailed from her hairline down to her cheekbone, slicing through the end of her right eyebrow. It appeared she had lost weight as well, her cheekbones slightly sunken in. The most startling change about the shadow weapon was the dead glaze over her eyes, hidden trauma lurking beneath the deep blue surface.
"You…aren't from this world, right? Things are very…different here, Soul."
"That's a little obvious," Soul scoffed as he dusted off his torn leather jacket. Maka had gotten him a new one last Christmas since he had grown out of his old one. A frown adorned his face. Where was she?
"Lose the attitude, asshole, or I'll punch your fucking mouth." Black Star threatened from above, ignoring Tsubaki's warning glare.
"What crawled up your ass? I just fell into this world, nearly got eaten by a horde of…I don't even fucking know what those things were! Got sent flying into the air by the biggest fucking creature I've ever seen, nearly became a pancake in the ground, nearly gotten beaten to a pulp by my supposed best friend, and Maka is nowhere to be found. So, no, I will not lose my attitude."
It went deathly silent as Tsubaki tensed beside him. Soul watched as Tsubaki bit her lower lip, looking away. Black Star cursed under his breath from above, the sound of his fist hitting the tree nearly shaking the ground.
"What…what happened?" Soul asked slowly, dread gripping his heart as grief washed over Tsubaki's features.
"You really wanna know, scythe boy?" Black Star landed in front of him, gaze locked onto Soul. "After you decided to side with Kishin Asura—"
"Black Star—"
"And lose yourself to the madness—"
"Please, wait—!"
"Who do you think tried to stop you? After you had slaughtered most of Death City with the full power of Asura's madness under your control? We tried to stop you, before any more damage was done, but you were no longer yourself. Even I took some serious damage. But Maka…"
"Soul, this isn't easy for us to say," Tsubaki whispered, blue eyes filling with tears as she looked at him with pity. "Maka, she…what happened was—"
"You killed her."
Soul's heart stopped beating, the air in his lungs rushing out. Glancing between the two, he was hoping they would suddenly say 'Just kidding! She's completely fine!' Their expressions weren't changing, no matter how many times he tried to blink it away. Maka…died? Because of him?
"W-what are you talking about? I would never lay a hand on her. I love her!" Soul's voice hitched as the panic rose. "She's brought me back countless times before the madness overcame me, how can she just suddenly—"
"Not even her anti-demon wavelength could calm you, Soul, her words couldn't reach your soul." Tsubaki said quietly, slowly moving to cover his hand with hers. Black Star twitched in response, his fingers curling tightly at his side. "Asura had been more powerful than we thought and Chrona couldn't seal him on the moon. He passed away trying to seal the Kishin and was absorbed, making Asura stronger than we could manage."
"But we…won that battle, Chrona sealed Asura using Brew in the depths of the moon." Soul stuttered, red eyes darting between them as he tried to prove them wrong. "It's been five years since that battle!"
"That may have happened in your reality, Soul, but that's not what happened here." Black Star said quietly. "We lost the battle, the war, and even the city to the madness. Our fate was sealed when you lost yourself to the Kishin."
Soul sat there in stunned silence, staring blankly at Tsubaki's hands encasing his own. They…lost? What happened for them to lose the war? Was Chrona not strong enough to contain the Kishin even after he swallowed him? Did Brew not function properly? Sure, it was a tough battle, one that still haunted him occasionally, but they had won. And Maka…
Black Star stood and turned away, one hand moving to quickly swipe at his face, out of sight from the other two. Tsubaki could feel the pain radiating through their resonance but didn't attempt to send reassuring waves. It didn't do any good. Not anymore. They were all too emotionally traumatized for comforting to work. Looking up at the darkened skies, Black Star sent a silent plea to whatever god was left up there. Maybe things could be fixed, something, anything to end the reign of terror Asura brought upon the world. After a moment he scoffed. If there had truly been a god, they wouldn't be in this mess. With a heavy sigh, the ninja forced himself to move back towards the silent scythe. He had forgotten what the old Soul was like, the one without unlimited madness, and a part of him subconsciously relaxed around the weapon. It would only be until they returned to their own time, Black Star thought bitterly, then they'd go back to narrowly surviving the endless creature attacks. If they didn't all starve to death first.
"We can explain everything better once we get back to the hideout," The ninja said quietly, looking anywhere but at him. "I'm…sorry to have been the one to tell you, Soul, but we don't have time to sit around here, they'll be alerted by all of the noise."
"Soul, we need to move. Can you stand?" Tsubaki asked gently, receiving no response. "Black Star—"
"I'm fine, give me a moment." Soul grunted as he pushed back from Tsubaki, staggering to his feet. "Something similar happened to Maka, back in…our timeline. It's still pretty fresh, sorry."
"We can talk it all over once we get there. It's not too far from here. Keep your eyes peeled for any shadows." Black Star started walking away, leaving the other two to catch up.
She knew Black Star felt the pain as well, hiding it behind a well molded emotional mask. The pain transferring from him to her told the weapon everything she needed to know. With a flash of light, she transformed the end of her hair into a chain scythe.
With a confirmation nod from Soul, the three took off for shelter.
Maka cracked her eyes open, a sea of darkness greeting her instead a barren wasteland. Panic coursed through her veins as her eyes shot wide open. It was darkness as far as the eye could see. Twisting around, looking up and down, sideways, even upside-down didn't change to scenery a tiny bit.
"Surprised? You shouldn't be after all, this is all inside of your soul." A voice grumbled from behind her. "What you pulled last time was completely stupid and irresponsible, even more so than that spikey-headed buffoon."
"Y-you're still alive," Maka breathed as she whirled around to come face-to-face with the little red ogre. "I thought you—"
"Died? After that stupid stunt I did, for a while anyways." The ogre snapped at the meister, snapping his fingers. "You allowed yourself to be marked with an ancient curse that would kill you and use your body as a vessel to release Asura into the world. That's the stupidest thing I've ever seen someone do, though it makes for some fine entertainment. But you seem to forget one thing; 'Your anti-demon wavelength can only go so far if there's an extreme external source of madness around.' After you forced Asura from your body, your soul was overrun with anti-demon wavelength, preventing the madness from returning. It's a two-way street, dearie."
"What are you trying to get at…"
"You're denser than that blue haired idiot. I 'died' because you 'died'. But because your body is so intertwined with the black blood, I can never truly be killed unless you are permanently killed. Meaning—"
"The black blood's effect can still work," Maka breathed as she stared at him, emerald eyes wide. "So, because the black blood can be affected both ways by enormous amounts of madness or anti-demon wavelength, the reason you're here is due to the environment of this timeline?"
"Now you're getting it, dearie," He grinned manically, cracking his knuckles together eagerly. "Since the madness in this timeline outpowers your purifying wavelength, I'm able to move my way back in."
"Could've healed me a bit faster then," Maka bit out, her eye twitching at the nonchalant shrug from the demon. "Does this mean I can find out where Soul is?"
"You've got bigger problems to worry about right now." He tossed a hand at the meister.
Maka was suddenly thrusted out of the darkness and back to reality as she was tossed onto the ground, someone pinning her down by her back. She struggled against her attacker violently, trying to shift her knee up to kick them off. A hand slammed her head to the dirt, curses slipping from Maka's lips as her arms were pulled tightly behind her.
"Tie them tightly, I don't want this thing to get loose." A voice commanded to the meisters right. "She certainly looks like the real deal, but we'll let him decide on that."
"Let me go, damnit! Who the hell are you people anyways?" Maka grunted into the dirt, her limited vision only showing the expansive dirt plain. "I'm warning you, back off!"
A boot slammed down on her neck, constricting her airways. Choking, Maka struggled even harder, years of honed survival instincts kicking in. Twitching her fingers around until she felt skin-to-skin contact, Maka let out a strangled yell as she forced her wavelength into the person on top of her. With a yell they jumped off, their partner crying out in surprise. Rolling to her back, the meister swung out her good leg, catching the taller hooded perpetrator in the shin. A howl of pain echoed in the air as she forced herself to her knees, wincing in pain as her ankle popped angrily. With a burst of adrenaline, Maka took off, digging her heels into the dirt as hard as she could.
'I say we give them a taste of their own medicine,' He cooed in her head, anxiously chewing on his nails. 'They're going to kill you otherwise. So why not make the game a little more fun?'
"The goal isn't to kill them," Maka panted as she forced herself to go faster. An arrow shot past her face, narrowly missing the back of her head. "I need answers from them first about this place. You could help so we don't die again."
The ogre hummed as he thought, the sound of his nails tapping against the arms of his chair ringing loudly in the meisters head. 'I suppose a freebie wouldn't hurt.'
With a snap of his fingers, the madness twitched in her veins before roaring to life as the pain dissolved into nothingness and Maka ran at full speed, fluidly dodging arrows left and right. The urge to retaliate threatened to consume her soul, drag it down into the depths of madness where she felt nothing but bloodlust. She resisted. The plan was to escape these two and find a way to the building quickly coming into view. An arrow suddenly pierced through her back, the bloodied tip protruding through the center of her chest. With a giggle she snapped the tip off, pulling the rest out and tossing it aside like trash while running. The black blood's effects were in full swing as she reached the edge of what she assumed was the remnants of a town, jumping over and weaving through debris with ease. A shout in the distance hit her ears and she looked ahead to see a figure standing on a tall mound of rubble.
"This is your final warning, vile scum! If you don't turn back you'll face the wrath of the Lightning King!"
"Ox? He's alive?" Maka breathed as she dodged another arrow, sliding across the loose rubble.
Lightning sparked at the tip of the spear as Ox leapt towards her, swirling his weapon around him. Maka grit her teeth as she ran straight at the meister. Most likely he was going to use the Lightning King Quake attack, extremely deadly if she was on the ground when it made contact. Narrowed green eyes watched as the spear began swinging downwards, Ox screaming the attacks name. It would be a small window, a few seconds at most, for her to dodge the lightning. Just feet away and Maka took the brief opening, launching from the ground and pulling her fist back as the spear contacted with the ground. Fueled by the madness, the meister threw all of her power into her arm and slammed it into Ox's face, a smile twitching at the corner of her lips as his glasses shattered loudly.
'Feels good, doesn't it? Now that your anti-demon wavelength isn't here to hold the madness back, you're free to go all out without fear.' The ogre tittered gleefully, nearly bouncing out of his high-backed chair with excitement. 'Come on, Maka, let the madness take over every fiber of your being! Let them know what you're capable of.'
A rush of warmth cascaded from her mind, slowly coursing from her head to her chest and down to her toes. Maka's smile widened impossibly and her movements altered drastically as she twisted around and caught Ox by the neck with her shin. Hearing him grunt in pain made her heart race with giddiness and with a flick of her leg sent him careening into a heap of debris. Laughter slipped past her lips as she landed on a dilapidated chimney, hunched over and shielding her eyes.
"You fleeeeeeeew! You flew so far!" Maka cackled as she straightened back up.
"Kill her! She's lost to the madness!" Someone screamed behind the meister.
Turning around towards the noise, Maka watched as a meister-weapon duo transformed, a gun pointing at her chest. With her mind fuzzy, a gust of wind tore the shredded brown hood off of the wielder, locks of blonde flying.
'Liz…and Patty?' Maka thought hazily as she rapidly dodged the blasts of wavelength. 'If they're here, does that mean—?'
"Lightning King Drill!"
Dropping low to avoid the high-aimed attack, Maka swept her foot out and whacked Ox in the back of the knee, crippling his stance. With the aid of the black blood, the meister grabbed him by the arm before hurling him towards Liz and Patty. With a scream and some cursing, they crumpled into a heap of limbs. Giggling, Maka turned and sprinted towards the building with renewed vigor. If they were here, then that meant Kid was most likely inside of the crumbling building. The door came into sight and the meister slowed down, an uneasy feeling coming over her as she reached for the handle. The black blood quivered as an ominous dark aura seeped from between the cracks. Her mind screamed run as it grew more intense and before she could even shift her foot, the doors slammed open, black tendrils shooting from the depths and wrapping around her tightly before yanking her into the building. The doors creaked loudly as they slammed shut.
"So, this witch named Ametrine targeted Maka because of her anti-demon wavelength and planned to use the black blood to unleash Asura's power from eight-hundred years ago? And she used a curse to stop her heart in order to use her body so the Kishin could channel through her?" Tsubaki summarized the story Soul had just finished, the scythe pursing his lips tightly. "Once Asura was released, Maka had to fight through the madness on her own from the inside to reclaim her body and stop Asura from releasing into the world. But in doing so, she strained her soul too much by resonating with hundreds of stolen souls to escape, therefore causing an enormous amount of strain on her own. And now there is another witch coming after her, Esadora, right?" Soul nodded. "At the festival, you two were ambushed after explosions went off and somehow you were teleported to this reality overrun with madness."
"Fuck, that sounds worse when you repeat it." Black Star whistled lowly, earning a sharp look from his weapon. "What? I know Maka's badass and all, but shit."
"She didn't take too kindly to Asura taking over her body." Soul said dryly.
They had arrived at the small cavernous hideout in less than an hour, offering Soul what little food and water they had available. He declined. They were in a lot rougher shape than he was. Even Black Star had even lost some muscle mass by the look of it. There were a few beds scattered throughout the tunnels, some tattered clothing and a few small baskets filled with food. Water dripped from above and landed in a makeshift rain catcher with a shirt as a filter. Soul couldn't imagine living like this for even a few days, let alone years like they had. They sat for a few hours, talking about the differences between the timelines.
"Maka is still missing, I need to find her." Soul muttered quietly more to himself, missing the glance shared between Black Star and Tsubaki.
"Soul, there's something we haven't told you." Tsubaki started slowly, feeling his gaze. "Most of the people you know are gone, either due to the madness or…"
"I killed them."
"Well, this world's version of you," She quickly corrected. "But the witches are no longer in this realm due to the dangerous environment. They sealed off any entrances to the Coven and have cut ties with Death City. Kim was even pulled back. As Asura grew stronger, most of the world's population fell to the madness, even most of the city fell. There are a few meisters and weapons left, though—"
"Ox and Harvar, Liz and Patty, Akane and Clay, Marie…" Black Star counted on his fingers.
"Stein?" Soul dreaded asking the question, earning a slow headshake in return.
"Marie lost control of him and he tried to attack her…" Tsubaki bit her lip, averting her gaze. "It was purely self-defense, Soul, Stein couldn't be stopped. Marie…did what she had to do."
Soul clenched his jaw, teeth grinding together. Everyone he cared about had died because he fell into the madness. It was pathetic how weak he was, allowing himself to have his sanity taken away so easily. A hand clapped down on his shoulder and he looked up to see Black Star crouched in front of him, a serious expression adorning his face.
"It's not your fault, Soul, you had no idea what was happening in this timeline. Don't blame yourself for something you had no control over." Soul let out a heavy breath but nodded.
"How long did it take before I lost control?"
"A week, maybe a little less," Tsubaki spoke softly, blue eyes looking into his. "The madness was overwhelming, many perished the first day from the sheer intensity."
"What about Kid? Is he still alright?" Soul noticed the way they tensed at the name. "Don't tell me—"
"In order to combat the amount of madness Asura was releasing, Kid's own madness skyrocketed," Black Star pushed himself up and moved back to Tsubaki's side. "It began to overwhelm him after a while of fighting, so he locked himself in what's left of the DWMA building not far from here. By that point everything had already gone to hell and there were very few survivors left."
"There's no hope left then," Soul confirmed his fears as they nodded.
"Hey, we made it this long at least! Problem is, we're all going to just starve before madness takes us over."
"Star, knock it off! Soul is already traumatized by everything we've said." Tsubaki practically punched her partner in the arm, earning an insincere hurt look. "Look, Soul, we can take you to where Kid is, but we aren't sure how he'll react to seeing you. We haven't seen him the past few years, not since he locked himself up. Those of us still alive will be distraught to see your face, even though it isn't you they're seeing."
"If there's a chance Maka is there, I'll do whatever I have to. Hell, I'd even punch Kid in the face to straighten him out." Black Star snorted but held out his fist, nonetheless. Soul tapped it with a small grin.
"You heard the man, 'Baki, we've got us a Reaper to punch!"
The black blood had quickly receded as Maka stared up in dread from her position on the cold hard floor, body shaking uncontrollably. Sitting just a few feet in front of her sat someone familiar, a person she had known for years and considered one of her closest friends. But it wasn't him. Golden eyes were darker, colder, more intimidating than she had ever seen. His posture was rigid, as if he were a statue, as he stared down at her with such contempt it made her skin crawl. His pale sunken face was dirt covered, something she knew he would never let happen, with three white lines covering his mouth. His Reaper robes were twitching around him restlessly as if they had a mind of their own and the meister couldn't help but feel uneasy at their movements. Maka could feel the laden of madness hanging in the air as she carefully tried to shift herself to a standing position. Kid's eyes never left her face, almost as if he were searching for something deeper beneath the surface.
"K-Kid…" Maka stuttered.
"You don't appear to be a monster of Asura's creation," Maka flinched at the hardness in his voice, void of any emotion. "Yet you can't possibly be here right now."
"It's a long story…" She could almost feel the ogre trembling within her soul, afraid of the overwhelming madness suppressing him. "What…what happened, Kid? Why is everything like this?"
Kid remained silent, narrowing his eyes as his gazed moved to her chest, studying something unseen. Maka suppressed a shudder as he searched her soul, the madness yearning to claw its way in there. Quickly glancing around, she noticed they were in what remained of the Death Room, even though most of it had been completely destroyed. By Asura or Kid, she couldn't tell.
"Interesting." Kid murmured, snapping Maka's attention back to him. "The souls are the same, yet this shouldn't be possible."
"I can explain—"
"No need, I have no use for an imitation of a dead friend." Kid almost lazily raised his palm towards her as madness swirled dangerously around him.
"W-wait! Kid, I'm not an imitation! I can prove it!" Maka blurted out desperately, hoping he would give her a chance.
The air was tense as everything came to a standstill, Maka tensing up to dodge a blast of madness as Kid eyed her emotionlessly. After a minute, his arm slowly lowered back to the arm of his chair, dirty fingers curling around the end. Taking that as her sign to continue, the meister let out a shaky breath.
"I-I come from another reality, one that isn't overflowing with madness," Maka hesitantly spoke, watching for any expression changes on the Reaper. "We won the battle on the moon and you became the next Lord Death after Shinigami passed away so you could inherit his powers. With the help of Kim, you helped create a treaty with the witches to end the hatred between us. You dubbed Soul the last Death Scythe—" There. It was subtle, but Kid's eyes widened the tiniest fraction. "And set about creating a peaceful world. It's been five years since the battle on the moon. I don't know how I got here, or what's going on, but I need to find Soul—"
"ENOUGH!" The Reaper bellowed, sending Maka sprawling to the floor in surprise, emerald eyes wide with fear. "You are not to speak of that name here. If it so much as forms on your lips, I will tear them from your face."
Kid pushed himself from his throne, towering over the petrified meister with a swirling aura. It didn't matter how many illusions Asura sent him, he would never believe any of them, especially the one staring up at him in sheer terror. For many years he had been plagued by the scene playing over and over in his mind, the screams haunting his every waking moment. They couldn't stop him as he slaughtered one by one, mind completely lost to the madness. It had started with a few of the nearby younger students, those who hadn't learned to control weapons yet. Teachers were next, falling one by one, followed by anyone who attempted to get near him. It wasn't until Maka had attempted to stop him that he briefly faltered, staring at her with blank eyes before a maniacal grin nearly split his face in two as he lifted the blade above his head, her pleas turning to screams of agony as it swung down. Everything had become a blur after that, bits and pieces coming back to him every now and then to prolong the haunting memory.
He had to admit, the illusion sitting before him was nearly identical to the fallen meister, down to the soul wavelength. It didn't matter though. This one would die like all of the others.
"K-Kid, please, listen to me! Let me help you! I don't know what's going on, but please let me help!" Maka pleaded with tears in her eyes. "You saw inside of my soul, you know I'm real!"
"Real or not, you are just a distant haunting memory that needs to be exterminated." Kid seethed as he raised his hand once more, a ball of swirling madness forming against his palm. "Begone."
B
They had just reached the inner edge of the city when an attack came out of nowhere, sending debris raining over them. Black Star immediately darted in the direction of the attacker, moving so fast his form became nonexistent while Soul ducked to the left, sliding across the dirt to hide behind broken concrete. He could hear fighting nearby as he ran low through the shambled buildings, peeking around corners. As he rounded a large chunk of concrete, a flash of lightning nearly blinded him, and he stumbled backwards with spots in his eyes.
"Damnit, I wasn't expecting to see Black Star! He hasn't been seen in years, so why is he here now?" A voice shouted over a series of explosions. Soul tensed up.
"It's Ox…Harvar must be with him, too." The weapon muttered as he blinked away the last of the spots.
The meisters back was mostly turned, giving Soul the perfect opportunity to strike. He didn't want to hurt his friend but in this world no one could be trusted. Carefully sneaking around the corner, Soul watched as Ox twirled the spear around him, eyes darting wildly around. His glasses were smashed in, imprints of the lens imbedded in the flesh around his eyes. Blood trickled from his nose, the swelling and bruising indicating it was most likely broken. Holding a dirty finger to his ear, Ox pressed down on the earpiece sticking out.
"Lord Death, we've got identified intruders breaching the inner edge of the city! They're moving fast! Oh fuck, is that—" Ox turned around in time to see Soul launching up at him, blades materializing on his arms.
With a blur of a movement, Soul sliced through the comm system in Ox's ear, disabling his connection to Kid. Ox stumbled backwards, landing on his butt, and stared up in horror at the weapon looming over him. Harvar was screaming at him to move already but his meister was frozen in place. Stepping closer, Soul looked down at him with pity. He was petrified, looking like he was facing death itself as he sat on the ground pleading to be saved.
"I'm not who you think I am, Ox, I won't hurt you. I just need to know," Soul crouched down in front of him, dissolving the blades. "Where Kid is."
"Y-y-y-you're h-h-ere-e," Ox stuttered out, teeth clattering violently. "P-p-please d-don't kill m-me!"
Soul growled and rolled his eyes before turning to the spear in Ox's quivering hands. "Harvar—"
"In what's left of the Death Room." The weapon said quietly, transforming back. "Though now he'll most likely be coming out here to take out the nuisances disturbing him."
"Was there someone else with him, a girl?" Soul asked hesitantly, looking into the scratched and dirty sunglasses covering his eyes. "Maka, was she with him?"
"You mean that creature that looked like her? It went nuts, controlled by the madness as it attacked us and Liz and Patty. Beat the shit out of Ox." Harvar sighed heavily. "Look, if you're going to kill us, do it. I'm tired of living in this miserable hell pit."
"I'm not going to kill anyone, I just need to get to Maka." Soul stressed as he stood back up. Maka controlled by the madness? This wasn't good.
Black Star suddenly appeared beside him, pointing his katana into Harvar's face. "Piece of shit! You just alerted Kid, didn't you?!"
"Black Star," Harvar spat. "You finally decided to show your face again after, what, nearly three years? Pathetic of you to return after tucking your tail and running away! A shame, Tsubaki, that you were dragged down with this idiot meister of yours." The tip of the blade pressed into his neck, a thin line of blood spilling.
"Enough!" Soul snarled as he yanked back on Black Star's arm, earning a murderous look. "I don't give two fucks what happened between the two of you right now, all that matters is finding Maka before Kid does. You two were friends, look at yourselves now; calling each other traitors and threatening to kill one another? How could you turn sides so easily? If anything, you're both pathetic."
Harvar looked away in shame while Black Star scoffed before ripping his arm from Soul's grip, blue eyes flashing yellow. "Easy for you to say when this isn't your world."
Before Soul could respond, a large blast of madness spewed from the front of the school, crawling and slithering over the debris towards the group. Black Star tensed and put himself in front of them all, Tsubaki rapidly changing form.
"Tsubaki." Black Star caught the spinning shuriken, nodding towards a hole in the roof of the former DWMA. "I'll handle this asshole, make sure she's safe! I won't lose Maka again. Go, Soul!"
"Right!"
Maka watched as the madness began forming in Kid's palm, the sharp wind easily slicing through her. Her own madness had been overpowered and not even her anti-demon wavelength could save her now. There was nothing around for her to use as a weapon, at least nothing that could do enough damage for her to escape. Talking had only made things worse, though she couldn't understand why saying Soul's name triggered such a severe reaction. Pain throbbed in her leg and she winced. The black blood's affect wore off as well as the adrenaline, exhaustion crashing over her like a tidal wave. At least it would be quick, maybe a few seconds of pain and then nothingness. Squeezing her eyes shut tightly, she waited for the impact to hit.
"Lord Death, we've got unknown intruders breaching the inner edge of the city! They're moving fast!" A staticky voice echoed around the room, panicked. "Oh fuck, is that—" The line went dead.
Kid looked at the crumpled form sitting in front of him, exhausted and deflated while it waited for death. The creature couldn't run away, not with that severe of a leg injury. Clenching his fist shut, he glanced into the distance once more before letting out a heavy sigh.
"I will be back for you after I take care of some business. Do not attempt to leave, I have your wavelength memorized." With a flourish of his robes he was gone.
Maka nearly sobbed with relief as she opened her eyes. Waiting around would be pointless if Kid was going to kill her anyways, so the meister looked around for a means of escape. He'd gone down a narrow hallway, to the right of the tattered throne, and there was another hallway leading to the left. If she remembered correctly that hallway could lead to the study hidden beyond the main area of the Death Room. Having only been in there once or twice, it was a vague guess as to where the path would actually lead her.
Shoving herself up, the meister heavily limped her way against the massive chunks of concrete surrounding the room towards the hallway. Glancing over her shoulder quickly, Maka slipped into the hallway, moving as fast as she could before Kid returned. She didn't know what was happening or why everyone in this place was trying to kill her, though she wanted to know, but her priority was finding Soul first and foremost. This world was far too dangerous to navigate with the madness infected creatures and her 'friends' trying to kill her every second. The expression etched on the demon weapons face was pure anguish as she aimed Patty and pulled the trigger with shaking arms. Liz almost acted like she had seen a ghost.
After what seemed like an eternity, a doorway appeared at the end of the expansive hallway, a relief for the panting meister. Warmth trickled down her front as her wound spilled black blood over the surprisingly clean tile floors. She had lost too much blood, the edges of her peripheral swimming as she stumbled into the door. Shaking hands fumbled for the handle. With a soft click the door swung open, Maka falling to the floor with a grunt. It was warm, tempting the meister to just close her eyes and sleep. She pushed herself up to sit on her knees, slowly looking around the room. It was definitely Kid's office, that much she knew. There were pictures placed symmetrically along the walls of the meister and weapons, Black Star with Kid in a headlock, even one of the group at the school dance right before Medusa attacked, though part of it seemed to be missing.
"It's like nothing changed, everything is exactly like the one back home," Maka whispered as she used the corner of the walnut desk to pull her broken body up. Pain erupted in her stomach and she lightly placed her hand on the wound, blood seeping through her fingers. "Damnit."
With a deep breath in, she stood upright as she ripped the remnants of the yukata off, using her teeth to tear them into smaller strips, letting them fall onto the desk. When she had used up all of the material, Maka grabbed the individual pieces and began tying them tightly around her waist, hissing as dirt got into the wound. With two strips left she carefully hobbled to the large chair behind the desk and plopped into it. Her ankle was a dark purple as she lifted the once white shift, red splotching its way up her leg and stopping just shy of a massive bruise where her leg had been stepped on. Carefully, and clenching her jaw to not cry out in pain, she tightly wrapped the wound as best she could knowing it wouldn't help at this point.
A picture frame face down on the desk caught her eye and she swiveled in the chair to look closer. The wooden edges had splintered, glass gleaming beneath the warm light of the lamp burning above her. A corner of a picture stuck out and Maka carefully tugged on it, glass sliding off the desk as the frame moved. There was something written on the back of it though it was smudged and no longer legible, as if someone had held it repetitively. Slowly flipping it over, tears stung at her eyes as she looked down at the faces. It was all of them, standing side by side outside of the DWMA, all in their Spartoi apparel. Black Star had his arm thrown around an annoyed Kid's neck while the meister herself had a lock on his left arm, smiling widely at the camera. Liz and Patty flanked to the left of Maka while Tsubaki was on her partners right, yanking at his arm and looking worried. What threw her off was the fact that someone had been ripped off of the end, the picture torn haphazardly as though in anger.
"Soul…he was standing next to Tsubaki that day," Maka murmured to herself, running a finger over the rough edge. "Why would Kid do that? Freaking out over just his name was odd enough, but this is beyond weird. What happened between everyone and Soul?"
"People tend to hate you when you kill almost the entirety of Death City."
A voice from the doorway spooked Maka and she jerked back, eyes wide as the door shut quietly, plunging the room into darkness save for the lantern swinging above her. It…sounded like Soul, but there was something different, something sinister lurking in his voice. Had he fallen to the madness? No, he said he'd killed almost all of the city, something her Soul had never done or ever would.
"Who are you?" Footsteps slowly moved across the tiled floor, pushing the meister further back against the chair.
"Can't tell your own partner's voice, Maka? Pity, you certainly knew my name as you screamed while I sliced through you."
Oh Death.
"Y-you're the Soul of this world, aren't you?" Maka swallowed down the fearful scream climbing up the back of her throat. "What happened to you? Why is everything so—?"
"Fucked up? That's the power of Asura's madness," Soul chuckled darkly, scraping something loudly against the edge of the desk. A glint of metal caught the meisters eye and she froze. Now she understood why his name was forbidden.
"You fell to the madness and became unstable," The screeching slowed to a stop, as if he were listening. "Your mind became lost and you couldn't control yourself. When I mentioned your name earlier, Kid blew up on me, telling me to never say it again. Why couldn't you fight it, Soul? You're the strongest, smartest, kindest person I know, and I could've helped you fight it."
It was a tense few minutes, Maka breathing as quietly as possible while Soul remained silent. She couldn't tell what he was feeling, thinking with all the madness swirling in the air. A bright light flashed, and the reflection of the blade vanished.
"I…I tried to fight it," His voice was soft, damaged. "I never wanted to hurt anyone, least of all you. The madness overwhelmed me and…I watched it all, trapped within my own body as I laid waste to everyone."
"Soul…"
"I don't want your pity, Maka, it's no good to me now. I want you to do something, do me a favor."
Maka tensed as something moved in front of her, a shock of white hair appearing in the light. His normal red eyes had turned black from the madness churning inside of him, a sight that saddened the meister. Scars covered nearly every inch of his face and neck, a particularly bad one running through his left eye, over his nose and down to the corner of his jaw that plunged deep into his skin, an angry pink in color. Without thinking she raised her hand, outstretching her fingers to touch it. Reacting quickly, he grabbed her hand tightly and pushed it away as he tensed up. He was struggling with himself internally, she noticed, as he looked down at her bruised and bloody appendage. Maka waited patiently, eyes never leaving his as he glanced between the two. Slowly, he released his tight grip and moved her fingers towards his face. The scar felt smooth as she lightly traced over it, starting at the top and tracing downward. Soul stayed completely still, eyes watching her face intently.
"I can't imagine what you went through…" Maka whispered as tears trailed down her face and onto her lap. "I'm so sorry, Soul, for not being able to help you when you needed me the most. I wish…there was something I could do for you."
"There is." Soul grabbed her wrist, loosening his grip slightly at her tensing. "Only you can do it, Maka."
"Anything,"
"I want to hear your screams once more."
A hand wrapped around her throat and she thrashed wildly against his hold, scratching at his arm and flailing her legs at him. The madness was beginning to overflow from his body, snaking down his arm towards Maka's face. His eyes were pitch black, madness swirling violently inside of them as she glared at him. Clamping her hands tightly around his wrist, the meister forced the full force of her wavelength into his body, a bright blue electricity exploding into Soul and sending him flying through the far wall of the office and into the wasteland. Not wasting another second, she stumbled around the desk, coughing, as she reached for the door handle. Madness was flaring up, the itching in Maka's veins growing progressively worse, her mind becoming fuzzy as she tried to fight it. The handle turned and she flung the door open, falling against the tile.
"Move, body!" Maka grunted as she tried to stand, collapsing back against the cool floor. "Move!"
An explosion behind her finally sent the adrenaline pumping and she frantically began crawling away, forcing her body up. He was getting closer, toying with her like a predator with its prey, as he slowly walked through the doorway.
"Maka, you said you would do anything for me," Soul purred as his arm transformed, his footsteps slow and deliberate.
"Dying isn't included in that!" Maka huffed as she neared the collapsing portion of the hallway. Between Soul and Kid, she'd rather it be the latter at this point.
An objected whizzed through the air and barely scraped her arm before slamming into the pile of concrete, a cloud of dust kicking up as it obliterated. Maka pushed herself faster, squeezing through a narrow gap between the wall and debris. It was the path she had taken before, but the rocks had shifted to nearly seal the hallway. She spotted another gap and forced herself through it, flinching as something exploded near her head. A quick survey of the area appeared to be a side hallway, most likely one running behind and around the Death Room in case of emergency.
"Come on, Maka, just give yourself into the madness," Soul called to her, annoyance lacing his voice. "You can't escape this. You've got no weapon, you've lost too much blood, and you're headed towards a dead end."
Maka bit her tongue. Responding now would zero him in on her location and result in a swift death. Hopefully, he didn't know about the secret hallway she was currently staggering down, breathing ragged. Running her hands over the wall, she searched for any cracks or abnormalities in the wood. The previous Lord Death loved the idea of secret doors everywhere since Kid always wanted to play hide and seek when he was young. She thanked her lucky stars she read every book there was about the DWMA before becoming a student. Something snagged at her fingers and she stopped, pressing her palm over the wall. It was faint, but a shallow ridge was cutting into the wood. With her other hand she searched for the other side, looking for a notch that when pushed opened the door.
"Found it!" Maka whispered in triumph as she pressed into the noticeable notch, hearing a soft click as it quietly popped open.
Glancing over her shoulder, Maka quickly pried the door open, squeezing into the darkness.
Soul climbed his way over the rubble, hearing the explosive battle between Kid and Black Star raging on behind him. Overwhelming madness was surging over him, the urge to succumb to its warm embrace tempting to the weapon. He forced himself to keep going, jaw clenched tight as he tried to maintain his sanity. The roof had collapsed inward, brick and shattered shingles funneling like a slide into the building. Glancing back at the intense fighting, he pulled himself up and over the edge of the jagged wall. Soul landed on the massive pile of debris and slowly began sliding down it, keeping low to prevent himself from falling and tumbling to the floor. Just as he was nearing the bottom, a noise caught his attention and he froze, blade at the ready. A voice, he realized. It wasn't in the near vicinity as it was fairly muffled, but it wasn't one he recognized. Moving slowly, he crept along a hallway, keeping close to the wall and peering around every corner. The area looked somewhat familiar with nails jutting crookedly from the walls. Only the corridor outside of the Death Room had hanging paintings, to preserve the symmetry Kid had argued.
An explosion shook the foundation of the school, nearly knocking Soul off his feet in the process. Debris began shifting and Soul rolled out of the way as some fell from the ceiling, crashing loudly into the floor and kicking a heavy cloud of dust up. A creaking noise alerted him, and he crouched low, searching around with narrowed eyes. Another creak pulled his eyes to a section of the wall across from him, a thin line appearing in the paint. Soul snuck across the hallway, staying behind the wall segment to stay hidden. Slowly it opened, scraping debris across the ground as it moved. There was still dust in the air, but the weapon could see a hand gripping the edge of the door. As soon as the person had cleared the door, he moved.
"Don't move." Soul said lowly as he slammed his blade into the wall, blocking the person from escaping. "I don't want to hurt you—"
Blue electricity suddenly swung at him, catching him by surprise as he ducked to avoid the blast of soul wavelength. Grabbing the wrist that swung at him, Soul pinned it to the wall, dissolving his blade to grab for the other one that was reaching for his. The person was definitely smaller than him, though they fought against his grip like a hellcat, even trying to kick at him.
"Stop! I just want some information—!"
"Get off of me!"
Wait…
"Maka?" The person stopped struggling, tensing up.
The dust finally settled enough to reveal his meister looking up at him with wide and terrified eyes. Soul released his grip on her and took a step back. She was torn up and covered in dirt, her yukata gone except for strips wrapped around her waist and ankle. Dirty blonde locks were tangled and loosened from her curled bun. A bruise was forming around her neck, a sight that sent fury through Soul's body.
"S-Soul?" Maka blinked owlishly at him, slumping against the wall for support. "Y-you're not…the madness hasn't…?"
"Maka, who did this to you?" Soul reached his hand towards her neck but stopped when she suddenly flinched back. "Are you alright?"
Maka pushed herself from the wall and into his arms, slumping heavily against him as she cried silently. Soul held her tightly, placing a hand against the back of her head. His strong, powerful, brave meister looked just as broken as the people here, a side of her he never wanted to see. Another explosion shook the building, debris opposite of them crumbling over Kid's chair in the center.
"We need to move—"
"Well, isn't this interesting?"
DUN DUN DUUUUUUN. This chapter was extra long because I couldn't find a good place to stop. I would be terrified if I fell into a world like this. How would you guys handle it?