Authors Note: Sorry for the wait, everyone, college resumed and has been my priority since it's my final term before graduation. But here is the newest chapter, and it is, personally, a favorite of mine. Feel free to let me know what you guys thought of this one in the comments.
"How is he?"
Spirit looked over as Marie approached him, worry filling her golden eye as she came to a stop.
"Still isn't talking to any of us, nor letting any of us in his room," Spirit sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm more concerned over that than the silent treatment. Not even food is getting him to let us in, I'm worried he's going to end up starving himself at this rate." They had tried forcing their way into his room, but Spirit was certain he'd somehow managed to push all his furniture against it to keep the door from opening.
It had been a few days since the warehouse incident, and as soon as he had been able, Maleko just cut them all off and isolated himself from all of them. It'd gotten to the point that the few students he'd won over were growing worried.
They'd tried bribing him with his favorite foods and drinks, with candy and toys, but nothing worked. The only signs that they had that Maleko was even alive and still in there was the movement they'd hear through the door and his soul still very much present within his room.
Marie frowned and as Spirit walked, she fell into step beside him. "I wish we knew what caused this."
That was another mystery, Spirit thought to himself. It was obvious that there had been more to the warehouse incident than what he had told them. But now it was going to be impossible to find out if he kept acting like this. Had they said something, the ones who had kidnapped him and Soul? Had they done something? For all they knew, this new behavior could be the result of trauma.
Spirit wished he had the answers, wished he could say something, anything, and make it all better. Sure, Maleko was a sorcerer, but he was still a kid and Spirit was a parent. His heart hurt for the boy, and whatever pain the kid might be suffering since that night.
The only thing they could do now is just wait for him to be ready to talk and keep an eye on him as best as they could. It was a blessing that Maleko couldn't use Soul Protect, his soul wavelength was so drastically different from the others in the city that it'd make it easy to locate and follow if something were to happen.
Was he even at risk of fleeing? No one knew for sure, but they had to be cautious.
Spirit felt terrible for him, that was the honest truth, what he went through was probably traumatic. Even if he was a sorcerer, he was a child first and foremost, and that's what mattered in the end. There was a chance that he could still become something, someone good, not twisted and poisoned by his magic.
But if he pushed everyone out of his life like this so suddenly, it wasn't a good sign.
"Maka's going to try talking to him again later," Spirit said out loud as they walked. He had faith that if anyone could reach Maleko, it was her. Maleko had been fond of his daughter, almost like a little brother looking up to a big sister, and he hoped that it would be enough to get Maleko to talk to them again.
Marie's mouth twisted into a frown, "I hope she succeeds," she murmured softly, a hand coming to rest over her heart as she looked down. Then, as if struck by determination, she straightened, "I'm going to try cooking him something to eat. Chicken, some cookies. He's got to be hungry in there."
She was so certain, so hopeful, Spirit could only hope that her plan worked, "If there's one way to reach a boy, it's through his stomach," he agreed with a tired smile. "You do that, I'm going to meet up with Stein, see if there's anything new."
The weapons parted, footsteps echoing softly in the halls, growing quieter and quieter as they drifted away.
The days were beginning to blur for Maleko. He refused to leave his room for anything or for anyone, unable to cope with the bubbling emotions within him that wanted to burst free in a beautiful eruption with the intensity of the grinning sun itself. He wanted to lash out at the world, but held it all back, his anger and fear and confusion, kept it inside where it festered like an infected wound, putrid and oozing.
He'd shoved his desk against the door to keep it from opening. All the toys that they had given him, he'd thrown across his room, broke and burned. Drawings were torn to shreds, claw marks were left gouged into the floors and walls. It was the best he could to handle this sense of betrayal.
That's what this was, wasn't it? A betrayal?
His friends, the people he played with, come to care for, come to enjoy being with… they weren't good people. They hunted and murdered his kind, and for what? Their souls, so they could get stronger, stronger so they could hunt stronger witches and sorcerers.
Maleko was just prey to them.
All this time, were they just keeping him here so they could kill him when the time was right? Were they using him as bait to lure mama in so they could kill her as well?
Had all that time he'd spent with them, playing with them, was it just so they could get his trust, so he wouldn't even suspect a thing when they finally brought down the guillotine blade upon his neck? Maleko hadn't done anything wrong, but being born was crime enough to warrant being executed to these people.
Everything had been one-sided, hadn't it? The friendship, the laughter, and games, and smiles, he'd been the only one who saw them as friends, hadn't he?
It hurt. It really hurt.
He ground his teeth, nails digging into the floor, "Aaaagh!" he screeched until his throat was raw, his back arching as he crouched on the floor.
Taka ruffled his feathers a little but didn't budge from where he perched on the desk, watching and waiting. Taka… Taka was the only one who was actually on his side, wasn't he? He was honest with Maleko, trying to be helpful in his own way. Taka said that Maleko needed to get away, and he was right, he needed to go.
But he couldn't just up and run, the moment he left his room, they'd be on him. They'd follow his soul and drag him right back, and this time instead of him locking them out, he'd be locked up with no way to escape. No, he couldn't leave, not until he learned how to hide his soul.
It had been four days since the truth came out, four days since he'd last eaten a proper meal. To say he was hungry was an understatement, but Maleko wasn't going to let it get to him. He'd been through worse in the past, and it wasn't as if he wasn't eating anything at all. Maleko had some candy storied in his room, it wasn't filling, but it was enough for him, for now.
He couldn't risk opening the door for anyone, it's a sign of weakness, of submission. He had to stand his ground, even if it meant starving.
Maleko scowled, pushed himself up onto his feet to start pacing the room, growling and scratching at his neck before tugging at his hair. If he pulled out tufts, would that relieve the pain and frustration?
Still perched above, Taka only watched and said nothing as Maleko moved, growing angrier and more agitated by the second. He needed freedom. Even if Maleko imprisoned himself, being confined was driving him crazy.
But he couldn't leave the academy, not until he learned to hide his soul, or else he would never be able to escape at all.
Maleko snarled, turning on a bare heel and slamming his head into the wall. A dull ache sprang from his forehead, growing worse as he continued to pound it again and against, his shoulders shaking as he growled and huffed, seeking something, anything to soothe the growing anger inside of him.
There was a knock on his door.
Blood beginning to dribble down his face, Maleko pulled away from the wall and turned to glare at the door. His nose twitched at the smell of chocolate, but he didn't take a step towards it.
"Maleko? It's me, Maka," came from the other side as another knock rang out. "Are you okay in there? I… I brought you some candy, chocolate bars, your favorite." Her voice hesitated a little, and she knocked again.
Maleko bared his teeth, growling softly. He trusted her, admired her, thought they were friends, but how many witches and sorcerers has she already hunted? Already killed? And if not any yet, she certainly will in the future. She and Soul always talked about how they were going to turn Soul into a Death Scythe, they would need to kill a witch for that or a sorcerer. Sure, they avoided the details when he was around, but now he knew what was needed to achieve that dream.
Were they planning to kill him? Was that why she was so eager to spend time with him?
His hands shook, his claws extending with the need to tear into something. Taking a deep, shaky breath, he couldn't even calm himself, but he was able to refrain from responding to her, from yelling at her like his instincts wanted.
There was another knock, and then a soft thud followed by the sound of something sliding against the metal door, he wasn't sure what she did this time. "Maleko, please, just talk to us," she was speaking softly, pleadingly. "We're all worried about you, please just tell us what's wrong."
She sounded so sincere, so genuine, it made him want to trust her again, to believe in her again. It made him want to apologize and go back to how things had been.
"They're killers," Taka reminded him. It was all that Maleko needed.
His anger returned, a sharp flare and Maleko whirled around on his heels once more to face the wall, to glare at the faint stain of blood he'd left. With a snarl, he dragged his claws through it, leaving a fresh trail of gouges into the surface. It was all he could do to keep from dragging them through flesh.
There was chatter outside his door, one of the others must have been with her. Soul, probably. He bared his teeth, should have let those two men in the warehouse kill him or whatever they were planning. They worked for mama, served her—and he killed them. Of course he killed them, they hurt him, they beat him up, made him bleed, they had to go.
His blood was at a boil, his skin burning.
"Maleko… I'll be back, I promise that I will, but please at least eat something," Maka said giving another soft knock on the door. Footsteps receded from outside his room, growing softer and farther away. Maleko kept his ears perked for any other noise, any sign of life outside his door, breathing, shuffling of shoes, a rustling of clothes.
Nothing. He was alone, again. Well, not entirely, but alone enough.
Maleko snarled and hit the wall. His knuckles cracked and burned, the pain only made him angrier.
He didn't want to stay here any longer, he wanted to get out, needed to get out. Find Kai, find her and be with her again, he'd be safe with her, at least. He could warn her that they're looking for her.
Another growl escaped him.
"Maleko," Taka commanded softly, taking from his perch on the desk to land on the boy's shoulder. "Relax."
Maleko snarled, but talons dug into his shoulder and he relented. Sitting down, he crossed his legs and left his hands to rest between them, taking a deep breath. Try and ignore his anger, focus on himself, inside of himself. Nothing would matter at all if he couldn't escape.
Focus on his soul, focus his magic on concealing it. Imagine a blanket, wrapping his soul up nice and tight so that it'd be safe from everything.
Safety, imagine safety.
It was hard to do, to hide his soul when he barely understood the concept of one. Trying to conceal his very essence, to smother the flames inside of him so that the smoke wouldn't lead others to him, it was difficult, and something part of him didn't want to do.
Hiding his soul, concealing it, it meant he'd have to lock away his magic, he'd be cut off for as long as his soul was hidden. There had never been a time that he'd been severed from his magic and to be honest it was a terrifying thought to have.
But it was necessary. He'd have to give up his magic, temporarily, if he were to escape. Had to, needed to. Stop being such a coward and do it!
There was no way to hide his grimace as he tried to focus his magic on himself. He tried to concentrate his fire, to compact it into a small ball to cover his soul. Imagine stuffing his soul in a bag, locking it up in a box where no one can find it.
Slowly, a chill began to spread through him. He could sense his magic growing fainter and fainter as he focused on the box, focused on keeping it locked uptight. His heat was ebbing away, quickly fading from his body.
Another soft knock echoed on his door, the box broke open and heat washed through him, burning his skin and leaving it prickling as the cold left him.
Maleko snarled. So close, he'd been so close!
He pushed himself onto his feet, forcing Taka to fly off at the sudden movement, stalked towards the door and leaped onto the desk so he could press his ear against the heavy metal. Who was bothering him this time? He wanted to tear them open and breathe magma into their carcasses! His teeth bared and his claws dug into the steel.
Another knock, this time louder and more insistent. A startled whine.
"R-Ragnarok! He's not going to, he's not going to open the door," a familiar voice cried in dismay as the knocking continued.
Hearing the trembling voice, Maleko paused, his snarl fading into confusion and uncertainty, he waited at the door, crouched on the desk, waiting for what else was going to be said.
"Of course he won't talk! All he does is growl and howl!" snapped a high pitched voice, Ragnarok was… well, his attitude was about as same as usual. But it was surprising to Maleko that they were here, they tended to avoid him, well, Crona did, he could never understand. He had thought that they'd be kindred spirits, rescued by the academy, waiting to be returned to their parents.
Now he had doubts about if that was true. Crona was fond of Maka, the two were close, with Crona's affections for her reminding him of the way Kom had always acted around his mama. Had she sent them to him as an attempt to make him open up? Was this a ploy, a trap?
But… Crona was like him, their mama was a witch, an enemy of the academy as well. Crona was the only one who could possibly understand Maleko. This could be… they could be a friend.
Ragnarok was still yelling at Crona as Maleko crawled off the desk and slowly pushed it away from the door. It screeched against the floor, and he panted and grunted at the weight of it, but was able to give enough room to open the door a bit.
The argument had died down at the noise he'd made, so when he opened his door, he saw the two looking at him with surprise. They hadn't expected him to let them in, to respond to them at all.
"Cro…? Raggy?" Maleko's voice was flatter than usual, worn out. He was tired and made no attempt to hide the physical and emotional exhaustion he felt.
"Looks like the brat finally opened his door, what a shocker!" Ragnarok jeered as he lounged against Crona's head, ushering for his meister to walk in. Maleko stepped aside so they could, watching the thin teenager slide through the narrow gap and then shut the door behind them. Ragnarok twisted about from his perch to stare at Maleko. "You look like shit."
Face scrunching up, Maleko glared at him, "Shut up," he didn't want to put up with the weapon, not right now. He felt too volatile to be able to deal with him, to on edge. He didn't want to lash out.
Taka flew over to land on Maleko's shoulder once more. "Ah, so this is Ragnarok and Crona… Medusa's pair, correct?" his voice echoed in Maleko's head, the other two gave no sign that they heard him but Maleko just nodded "Right," he mumbled back.
"You have a pet bird?" Crona asked softly, wringing their hands together in a clear sign of uncertainty, grasping at whatever they could to start a conversation. They probably hadn't planned this far ahead.
Maleko frowned and moved to sit on his bed. "Taka not pet," he corrected, "friend."
"Friend, right," Ragnarok sounded uninterested and looked around the state of Maleko's room. "So what's got you throwing such a tantrum? Damn you really tore this room up."
He glared at the weapon, his skin was burning again, blood boiling. Should he tell them that he knew? Did they know? He looked at Taka and the bird nodded. "Academy… bad," he said, fishing around for the right words. Thankfully, the black blood meister and weapon said nothing as he spoke. "Kill… witches, not, not good. Mama witch, kill her… an me," there were so many words he wanted to say, but they were words he didn't know.
He dug his nails into his bed, hearing and feeling the fabric tear. "Bad people, killers," he spat, shaking. "Want to… find mama, get away."
Crona seemed nervous—but they always seemed nervous, so was it anything new? "You found out?" they asked. Ah, so they did know. Didn't explain why they would stay if they knew, maybe they weren't able to stay, they were just hostages with freedom like Maleko had been.
"Are you planning to run away?" Ragnarok asked. Maleko snapped his head up to look at the black blob, slowly he nodded. "Not going to be easy, the schools got all sorts of meisters who'd be able to follow you easily the moment you left the school gates. Doubt you'd even be able to get out of the city before they brought you back here."
It was nothing that he didn't already know. "Soul… protect," Maleko said firmly. "Gonna, gonna learn. Can't find Maleko."
"But, even if you do escape, how are you going to find Kai?" Crona asked, slowly coming to sit next to him on the bed. "She could be anywhere in the world, no one here's been able to locate her yet."
"Maleko tracker," was his answer. He was a good tracker, a good hunter, and beyond that, he had Taka, he knew what to look for. Find the Acolytes and they'd take him right to her. He didn't say that, though Crona, as much as Maleko liked them, was weak-willed, if Maka asked, or anyone else asked, they might just spill everything Maleko told them. He didn't want to take the chance.
Mama would be proud if she saw how cautious and thoughtful he was being right now.
The weapon snickered, "Well, it seems like you have everything planned out, as soon as you figure out how to hide your soul, you're out of here, huh?" he asked and Maleko gave a nod. "Heh, well, good for you."
Crona flinched and looked up at Ragnarok, "We can't just let them run off, Ragnarok. It's dangerous out there, and it'll be cold at night, there's no food and there are animals."
Maleko wasn't scared of any of that, what was the big deal? He snarled, "Maleko go," he said firmly, pointing to the window. Taka fluttered a bit and waddled across his arm to a different part. "Can make it!"
To his surprise, Ragnarok held up a round hand. "Hold it, kid, they've got a point, surprisingly enough. We can't just let you go out on your own like that. Surviving in a jungle and then surviving in a desert are two different things," he pointed out.
There was a sigh of relief from Crona, "I'm glad you understand."
"We'll have to get you some proper supplies," Ragnarok decided, earning a stuttered response from Crona. He looked down at them and began tugging at pale hair, "We owe it to them and to Kai, Crona. Because of her, we don't have to be afraid of Medusa showing up ever again, consider this us paying her back," he snapped easily avoiding Crona's flailing hands. "Besides, this can keep your precious friends safe, too. Kai gets Maleko and we avoid a war."
Maleko didn't really understand what was going on between them or what they were talking about, but Crona did and they stopped arguing soon after with a mumbled 'you're right'.
With that apparently settled, Ragnarok let go of Crona's hair to point at Maleko. "Crona here has a spare backpack in our room that Tiny Tits gave them. We'll give it to you, stuff some stuff you'll need in it. You sure you can find Kai?"
"Ye!" Maleko chirped, sitting straight.
Ragnarok nodded and rested against Crona as he continued talking as if thinking out loud. "Maybe get you a little bit of money just in case, Crona doesn't really spend any of their weekly allowance the school gives them so we got some we can spare. Food is a necessity… maybe the witches down at Chupa Cabra can loan something, too," he said and gave a light punch to Crona's head. "You're going to have to keep this quiet from the others, got it."
"I won't," Crona responded weakly as knuckles ground into their temples.
Maleko watched as the pair stood up, Ragnarok watching him closely, "You stay here, we'll try and get things put together for you so you can up and scram when the chance comes. Come on, Crona put those legs to work and do something useful for once!"
Watching them leave, Maleko quickly closed the door and pushed the desk back against it to barricade himself from the others. He had an ally, someone who was going to help him. He was so happy about this, he wanted to just roll and laugh.
"Can you trust them?" Taka asked as he flew to stand at the window. "Crona and Ragnarok, are they trustworthy?"
Were they? Maleko wanted to think that they were, he had no reason to mistrust them, did he? He wanted to trust Crona, wanted to be able to trust someone, anyone in this academy again, in this prison. Anyone, someone.
He didn't have time to doubt, to question, he had to get ready, he needed to be sure he could hide his soul. That was his priority, his second was readying his escape route; it wasn't as if Maleko could just walk out the front doors. He glanced up at the windows and metal bars, knowing what he'd need to do.
But, first things first.
Maleko sat back down on the floor, closed his eyes and focused on himself, on his soul.
Crona didn't return until late that evening, carrying a faded backpack that seemed stuffed full. Ragnarok lounged on their head like it was a throne, waving a tiny fist in the air in greeting when Maleko pushed the metal desk aside once more. Maka had been true to her word and had tried to visit Maleko an hour prior, but he had stayed silent through her entire attempt.
They placed the bag on the bed and opened it up so that Maleko could see all that was in there. "We packed you some granola bars, a few fruits too, so you have something to eat," they explained, showing the box tucked away inside. "Um, we have a jacket in there, in case it starts raining, a map…" they mumbled as they rummaged through it.
"There's some money packed up in the side pouch, fifty or so, not much, but enough if you need to buy food or something when you reach the next town," Ragnarok pointed to said pouch, and then to the large object hanging off the other side. "There's also a canteen of water, try not to drink it all at once, unless you want to start drinking your own piss." Vulgar, but Maleko could understand the point.
He stuffed his hand in it and then pulled a baggie of some cream and herbs, his nose crinkled at the familiar bitter smell. "Yeah, we were able to get Arisa, she's a witch down at the cabaret club, some homemade ointment if you get hurt," Ragnarok said offhandedly.
Maleko stared at the contents, eyes wide. It was more than he expected, to be honest. His eyes might have gotten a little watery, too. He would have been content with just some water and a candy bar, but with this… this was basically a luxury trip.
"Thank you," he whispered and then threw himself at them, wrapping his small arms around Crona and burying his face in their midriff, letting out a soft purr. "Thank you."
Crona let out something of a terrified whine, going stiff and awkward at the hug, arms askew while Ragnarok just laughed. "Don't mention it, pipsqueak. Now, we just need to get your ass out of here, you know how?"
"Uh-huh," Maleko nodded, backing away from Crona and pointed to the window. "Jus… jus need a boost," he couldn't reach it on his own, not with the desk being used to block the door. He'd need help.
Ragnarok nodded, "Alright, makes sense," he tapped his fists against Crona once more, "Come on, get him up there!"
It was a bit awkward, there was a bit of trouble to it, but Maleko was able to climb onto Cronas shoulders so that he could reach the high window. They swayed under him, stumbling a little, but Maleko held onto the metal bars tightly, focusing hard.
Fire, heat… feel it pulsing through him.
He closed his eyes as he felt the metal heat up. Slowly the metal began to shift, softening, melting. Maleko breathed heavily and then pulled hard on the two bars. They creaked, bent, but remained. He focused harder, applied more heat and tried again, and again, and again. Each attempt, the metal bent more and more, it's shape becoming altered, becoming softer.
By the fourth time, Maleko broke the two bars off, giving enough space for him to crawl through. The two bars fell to the ground with a splat, the wet metal cooling quickly and sticking itself to the floor.
First, the backpack was pushed out the window, and then, with Crona's help, crawled through.
He was free,
Grinning from ear to ear, Maleko dropped to his knees and peered back into his former room. "Thank you," he whispered from the bottom of his heart, "Thank you."
Crona smiled, too, it was soft and small, but it was there. "Your welcome," they whispered but it was drowned out by Ragnarok, "Get running now, kid, they're going to realize you're moving soon, especially if you don't have your soul hidden."
He nodded in response, right, he needed to hide his soul. "Goodbye," he said, pushing himself onto his feet and shrugging on the bag. Hopefully, he'd be able to spend time with them again in the future.
With those final words, Maleko took off running. Away from the academy, down the stairs and into the heart of the city. As he ran, he focused on himself and took a deep breath. Inside his mind, Maleko imagined the chest, visualized his soul within and locked it shut.
Diving into the crowds, ducking into alleys, over fences and narrow spaces, there was no chance for anyone to find him or follow him, not when they couldn't locate his soul. Maleko broke free of the city without anyone finding him.