"This is the inside of a book…" Mesmerized, Maka whispers wild-eyed at the sight of the book interior alongside the others. All except for the scowling Ava looking done with the kids around her, with the area she's in with everything.
"Not just a book Maka. Eibon's book it's a maze you need to be on your guard understand?" Strictly, she tells the group.
"R-Right!" Meekly, Maka stutters slightly.
"Oh ho so you like books?" Bemused, the creature appeared before the group.
"Oh brother…" Ava sneers scowling at the sight of Index.
"Who's there?" Blackstar's eyes narrow at the creature. The Table of Contents has a vaguely humanoid resemblance in regards to its general shape but it is here that such similarities end. Its mechanized face comprises of a single curved triangular plate, attached to a substantially large cog, with the more commonly observed facial features being replaced instead by emotionally devoid simplistic swirl patterns. The remainder of the Table of Content's body is concealed under a literal shroud, embellished with various words and a repeating pattern composed from squares and circles, except for the multiple small protrusions that act as its fingers.
"The inside, the table of contents, the directory call me what you will. I never thought I'd see you here." Honestly, Index turns towards Ava.
"You know why I'm here." Ava scowls at the creature.
"For the boy I take. That little brat before you wouldn't think about anything but tidying up the insides of the book." Unfazed, Index says making Ava scowl.
"Watch your tongue index." Irritated, she warns the creature.
"Hey you know Kid don't you!? Where is he!?" Blackstar asks the Index.
"Ooh another interesting little brat…" Amused, the Index says.
"You're the index aren't ya? Give us some guidance! We all came here to help Kid!" Liz demands hands on her hips.
"Oooh Kid is on a page quite deep inside." Index answers.
"What did you do to him!?" Ava demands.
"I believe you mean what you did." Index remarks making her hues narrow.
"Excuse you?" Ava does a doubletake.
"The boy wanted knowledge so I gave him it. Knowledge you continuing to hide even from your own blood…what happens to him is something you brought on." Honestly, the index exclaims.
"Index!" Incensed, Ava sharply snaps at the creature.
"I suppose I can take you to him. It will be waiting for you after all…" Index considers.
"What about us!? We can't just go home!" Huffing, Patty argues angrily.
"We came here for Kid." Resolved, Tsubaki says scowling.
"Very well then I shall perform my role as Index follow where I lead thee." Index opens a portal for the group.
"Lady Ava!" Concerned, Tsubaki calls out to her when another clone of Index appears opening a separate portal for her.
"As for you I have something special for you." The index tells the angry Ava.
"Of course you bloody do. You lot just focus on scurrying all of you stay on your guard." Annoyed, Ava orders them.
"Right!" The group of kids chorus unaware of Ava's sharp scowl to the side.
"We won't let you down!" Determined, Maka promises the frowning woman.
"Damn right you won't." Ava grumbles glaring at the group behind her, her hues sharpening scowling at the group.
"It seems they've safely dived into the book of Eibon…" Spirit sighs as the group of adults reside in the death room.
"Yes…" Death confirms.
"Lord Death are you…?" Spirit furrows his brow concern clear upon his face.
"I'm fine." Death brushes him off.
"Urgh to have Ava do all the work no saving face there." Spirit sighs bowing his head.
"Well if it was you, you'd be out by the first chapter." Calmly, Death states the fact firmly.
"Sad to say that you're right. Still even admitting that the eyes of adults are more easily blinded by mortal desires its awfully rough just sending a bunch of kids in there." Shamed, Spirit sighs.
"They aren't alone though." Death offers optimistically.
"I guess but why is it when Ava went in there, I got this gut feeling." Furrowing his brow, Spirit sighs.
"Gut feeling?" Frowning, Death exclaims.
"Something was off with her I mean I've never seen her have those tattoos before have you Stein?" Spirit turns to Stein.
"No…perhaps when she left she decided to get them done?" Stein offers.
"Still something off I don't know what it is though." Spirit furrows his brow crossing his arms over his chest.
"…" Silently, Death furrows his brow a still silence hanging heavily, furrowing his brow at the thought.
"All we can do is try out best at whatever we can do. Ava knows what she's doing I have faith in her." Stein sighs stating the fact blowing out some smoke from his lips.
"As do I. If anyone is going to save Kid it's hers." Resolute, Death states the fact firmly.
"Right now let's hammer down Noah's main lair Tesca Tlipoca is waiting…" Stein tells the group nodding their hands in understanding as they leave, knowing what must be done.
"Gopher foreign objects have gotten into the book…" Displeased, Noah informs Gopher perched upon his throne.
"But how? Only powerful magic can…" Confused, Gopher furrows his brow but is swiftly shut down by the sheer intensity of Noah.
"Call Giriko at once. Eliminate the irregularities! It'll all be mine! They can't take it away…from the great old ones to the last drop of candy they won't….I want it heh heh everyone's everything will be mine! Heh heh! I want it…I'll take it I'll collect it I'll gaze at it…the great old ones the fragment is mine, Shinigami, Asura, it's only you now…now that I have Ava too I have the whole set all I need to do now is take Ingram, he can hide as long as he likes but I'll take him too!" Deranged, Noah proclaims proudly, a crazed glint gleaming in his eyes as he makes the vicious vow.
"This feeling…this wavelength…I've felt it before…Asura!?" Kid's hues expand when finding three familiar eyes flickering flashing before his very eyes recognising the wavelength far too well.
"Do you understand fragment? So you think to lump me in with Asura it is a great old one just as I am…as is your father and as is your mother." The old one tells Kid.
"G…Great old one?" Kid furrows his brow confusion clear upon his furrowed features as he floats before the creature.
"If I spoke of Shinigami, your mother and the eight warlords would you understand? Fragment of Shinigami? Three were eaten by Asura and those that now remain including myself, Shinigami, your mother, Asura and Eibon and one other of whom you know…" The creature reminds the boy.
"So Eibon was also one of the eight warlords." Kid furrows his brow at the thought.
"You…do you know where Asura is? Shibusen is tracking him now. If you're one of the eight warlords you must know where he might be right?" Hopeful, Kid asks him pleadingly.
"Little fragment what are you misunderstanding? I have been generous enough to give you that answer and you thought as one of the original eight warlords I would be your ally but I am not nor am I your anything. Order knowledge power rage terror the great old ones…our very existence drives men to madness…" The sludge like substance of the old one proclaims dripping down its essence over Kid as a wide lunatic like smile crosses his lips warmly welcoming the goop pouring over him.
"My skin is crawling…" Crazed, a sadistic smirk crosses Kid's lips, three black lines now formed over his lips, a crooked crazed grin upon his facial features, a glint gleaming in his hues as madness washes over the boy…
"Huh? Where is this? Shibusen? What happened? I was supposed to be in the book but…did I get sent back? On top of that everyone else is gone…wait you're…" Mystifed, Maka furrows her brow as she finds herself alone, no longer in her male form fortunately as instead she finds herself back in the academy, in the hallway confusion clear upon her face before perking up at the sight of a certain pigtailed girl glaring at her.
"You're o good together. You're not a good match for Soul." Seriously, the girl tells Maka.
"Wha…what?" Lost, Maka blinks baffled taken aback.
"I won't give Soul up. You may be the technician who made Soul into a death scythe but you're not right for him as a partner. I mean the coarse vibe you give off just how is it you think you're a good match for Soul? Truth is I know all about it…that you've only gotten this far because of Soul. Don't believe me? Go ahead try wielding this broom." Mockingly, the girl sneers shoving a broom in Maka's chest taking her aback as she clumsily catches herself, steadying herself as she begins twirling the broom in her hand, brow furrowing focusing on the task at hand.
"Faster." Frowning, the girl orders Maka gasping when she complies only to drop said broom, hearing the harsh clatter of wood below as the broom smashes down on the floor below.
"To think that a scythe technician couldn't perform even basic contact material it's laughable because you're a death scythe's technician. How've you fought all this time with skills like that?" Unimpressed, the girl tells Maka as Maka's mind couldn't help but go back to memory lane when the two first began their soul searching.
"H…How do I do it?" Meekly, Maka asks Soul holding him in his scythe form furrowing her brow befuddled, having no clue where to begin with the weapon.
"You just take hold lightly and move your arms like you want to spin thr scythe I'll lead." Simply, Soul explains to Maka through her blade.
"Lead okay?" Maka tells Soul as he holds her wearing a black blood dress as the two dance to the rhyme within the room of madness.
"A dance you say? You've always been carried on Soul's back…it's like you never even tried to comprehend Soul. I mean you don't even understand anything about music." The girl says to Maka smirking sadistically at Maka flinching from her words.
"That's not true. I studied my brains out reading books about music because I wanted to understand Soul better!" Defensively, Maka argues angrily.
"Because you couldn't understand it by listening to it?" The girl catches Maka off guard.
"Eeh you've been to a concert of his." Happily, Soul smiles as he and Liz talk while Maka miserably sips her drink, staying silent simply staring ahead as the two cheerily converse with one another.
"Yeah I have! I'm from new York so I've gone to lots of Jazz clubs and stuff! Ava funny enough got me these tickets to their recent concert maybe you'd want to come?" Liz offers.
"For real? Sweet!" Smiling, Soul eagerly accepts the offer unaware of Maka's furrowed frown as soon another memory resurfaces.
"Maka this is a record released by that guy Liz and I were talking about today." Soul tells Maka showing her said record case.
"I hate jazz after all the library doesn't have any books about jazz." Aloofly, Maka refuses scowling at the record.
"I'm sure they'll be some books on it after a few years." Soul sighs.
"Listen to it quietly okay? I'm going to study." Sighing, Maka brushes him off heading off.
"What's up with that? You wont understand music unless you listen to all kinds." Soul slumps his shoulders.
"I won't get it even if I listen to it." Stubbornly, Maka refuses.
"Being envious of Liz or jealous of music itself pretty stupid right? You're a failure of a technician who can't even competently handle a broom. There's lots of people who are ready to switch with a dummy like you anytime. You're weaker than Patty who's not even a technician but a weapon. You're not just a bookworm you're a cunning cowardly woman who depends on men…look these are all the people that want to be Soul's partner why don't you try spinning the scythe without letting go of it? Look too slow. You can't do anything but clean like that. And top of it all now you're dirtying the floor you're hopeless." Arrogantly, the girl giggles gleefully as she explains to Maka falling to her knees, grimacing from her words that is until…Maka blinks ad the girl's gone instead standing before her is…
"Soul?" Maka blinks baffled at the sheer sight of him.
"You alone? Looks like we got separated from everyone else. Maka did something happen to you too?" Soul sighs furrowing his brow concern clear on his furrowed features when eyeing Maka.
"Eh? What? did something happen?" Maka smiles strained at him.
"N…No…it's nothing." Soul grimaces glancing to the side scowling at the murky memory.
"Wonderful just as expected from the son of the Evan's family. He's every bit of a musician but his older brother Wes is definitely…." Eagerly, the crowd claps in the arena as Soul stands in a suit furrowing his brow by the eager crowd cheering.
"Some of the people in here can tell…no …perhaps there's no one here who can but those who can, can tell Wes and I are at different levels…Sadly, Soul remarks furrowing his brow at the people around him all in formal wear.
"Is that why you chose that girl?" Wes asks his little brother.
"NO!" Soul snaps sharply.
"No…it's not like that with Maka….
"C'mon let's go. We're done reading this right? Let's not lose each other this time." Soul sighs offering his hand out to Maka.
"Yeah…" Maka smiles shyly sliding her hand in his as he helps her up, the two ready to take on the chapter of sloth.
"There's no right nor left…a unity that exceeds symmetry so this is nothingness. Nothing the pinnacle of order…order imposed upon all living things in other words Death was this what I was seeking? Kill…that's the order a Shinigami should protect everything in this world…"
"What do you think little fragment? That's the insanity within you…"
"AHHH! I'M SO HUNGRY! IT'S PISSING ME OFF!" Boisterously, Blackstar bellows to the high heavens screaming as he and the others reside in the fierce fiery hellscape of the chapter of wrath a battlefield of some sort.
"STOP FUCKING AROUND A PUN I'LL KILL YOU!" Kiluk snaps back glowering at Blackstar.
"DAMMIT I'M HUNGRY AND ANGRY!" Blackstar complains out loud.
"DON'T KILL ME OVER A PUN!" Kiluk snaps raising his fist.
"DON'T YOU WANNA STEP BITCH!?" Blackstar slams his fist against Kiluk, both fists clashing yelling when…
"SHUT UP YOU SACKLESS PUNK!" Fed up, Patty yells at them both.
"This chapter is…" Tsubaki furrows her brow at their own version of Index.
"Wrath…yes." Index confirms curtly unfazed by the fiery hellscape before them.
"Hey! Why the hell are only Tsubaki and I still guys!?" Liz points out annoyed.
"SHUT UP YOU HORNY OLD GOAT!" Both Blackstar, Patty and Kiluk yell at the male version of Liz.
"Old!? We're only 2 or 3 years apart!" Annoyed, Liz reminds the kids.
"Don't get hysterical this is why blondes are so-!" Seething, Blackstar begins but…
"Index what's the meaning of this!? Please return us to our normal forms!" Firmly, Tsubaki orders Index.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Blackstar yells.
"WHY THE FUCK IS THIS PLACE ALL RED!?" Roaring, Kiluk demands.
"Red is the colour which most aggravates humans after all…" Unapologetic, Index reveals to the group.
"ARGH I'M PISSED OFF!" Blackstar screeched.
"I'M GETTING ANNOYED!" Patty joins in.
"WHY DON'T WE ALL CALM DOWN FOR A SECOOND!?" Shouting, Tsubaki tries to diffuse the situation.
"Goodness…so horny girl what's next after that pig? Wait…where'd Soul and Maka go?" Blackstar breathes in and out brow furrowing when taking note of the lack of the two where instead he is greeted by…
"Long time no see!" Merrily, a familiar top hat hollers, bringing a wave of disgust, dread and fear flowing through the aggravated kids.
"OH HELL NO!"