A/N: I'm glad you guys enjoyed the Soul scene from the last chapter. I'm going to try and make sure that the original cast get some representation, if not in every chapter, then in most of them. Even though Rei is the main character, Maka and the others still have (very awesome) parts to play in the plot, and are just as important to the story as Stein, Marie, Spirit, Sid, and Naigus were to the original. (That means, yes, Black Star and Tsubaki will be making an appearance too. Keep an eye out for it~) Heads up, though. NaNoWriMo is starting in a couple of days, and since this isn't my NaNo, expect a slow down of updates in November (I still plan on updating. It will just be slow).

The book Cassie is reading is called Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson. It's ginormous, and very very good. Highly recommend, but start with The Way of Kings first.

If Stein's treatment of Black Star during the exam is any indication, the E.A.T. class apparently doesn't have the same rules about corporal punishment that any other American school does.

Happy Halloween!

Review Responses:

fpojhn, he probably would. Ayame is girly in her own way—she actually cares a lot about her appearance and how she looks, but fangirling is a little more than she wants to admit to.

AmyNChan, thanks, glad you liked it! You didn't need to understand the reference to get the omake. I was just searching my brain looking for a ninja Ayame could fangirl over.

fanficlove2014, thanks, glad you liked the battle scenes (and poor Soul). Morgan and Cassie are going to be important later on, so I'm glad you liked their intro! (yes there will be a plot at some point, I promise).

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater.


CHAPTER FIVE

The Red House Mystery Part 1; Rei's First Mission!


"Cassie," said Maka, from the front of the classroom. "Cassie?"

Rei turned around, as did most of the class seated below him. Cassie sat at the row of desks above him, her headphones placed firmly over her ears. She was hunched over, fully absorbed in reading a fantasy novel that seemed to Rei's eye to be almost as large as she was. She read at lightning speed, flipping the pages so fast that Rei could have sworn he felt a breeze.

"Cassie!" Maka said again, louder and sharper than the last time.

Morgan elbowed her in the ribs from her seat next to her, making Cassie look up. She blinked, her eyes moving over the classroom before landing on Maka at the bottom of the room, her fists resting on her hips. Maka motioned in the general direction of her ears with an impatient hand and Cassie reached up, pushing her headphones down around her neck.

"Maka-sensei?" she asked in apparent confusion.

"No headphones in class," Maka said. "And please put the book away."

"Five more minutes?" Cassie asked, holding up the book. "Kaladin's about to fight Szeth. Please?"

"No," said Maka. "Put the book away and read it after class."

"After class, huh?" Cassie repeated. A gleam of mischief appeared in her eye as she looked up at the clock. She smiled, holding out her hands in front of her. "And then class was over for the day, and everyone left," she said, in a cheerful voice. A tremor passed outward from her, moving through the seats around her.

From beside Rei, Ayame's hand moved to her notebook, shoving it into her backpack as she got to her feet. Rei blinked, realizing that he was also halfway out of his seat, his own bag in his hand. He looked around, noticing that the students seated around Cassie were all staring in confusion, bags and books in their hands.

Maka was fuming.

"Cassandra," she said, her tone a warning. She had her gradebook clutched in one hand, the other clenched tightly into a fist.

"Huh…" Cassie said. "Guess it doesn't work on that many people at once. Um…and then Maka-sensei wasn't angry at all with Cassie and decided to forget everything that had happened."

A ripple passed over Maka's expression, her frown faltering for a moment before it returned in force. She glared at Cassie, beginning to stomp up the steps towards where they were seated. Rei shrank back into his seat in spite of himself. He knew she wasn't angry with him, but he recognized that expression.

Cassie gulped, sinking back into her seat and speaking quickly. "And then Maka-sensei calmed down and went back to her desk. And then Maka-sensei forgot that Cassie was here. And then Cassie was invisible. And then Cassie didn't exist—."

"MAKA CHOP!" said Maka, bringing the book down with a crash.

Cassie whimpered in the aftermath, her arms clasped tightly over her head as Maka walked calmly down the steps towards the front desk. She set her gradebook down, smoothing out her skirt with one hand and clearing her throat.

"As I was saying," she said. "It's time for each of you to go on your first extracurricular assignment. So, I'm going to dismiss class early so that all of you can go to the Mission Board and choose an assignment that feels right for you. All assignments appropriate for one-star meisters will be open to this class, but since this is your first mission, I'd like to ask you to go in teams of two or three meisters, for safety purposes. Classes will be suspended for the next two days to give you all time to complete your assignments. If you need more time than that, you need to contact Shinigami-sama while on assignment and make your case. And remember, the mission doesn't end until you come home safely. Dismissed."


"So that's that," said Vayne, his hands on the back of his neck as he walked with Rei and the others down the hall. Cassie hummed to herself as she trailed behind them, her headphones already back on her head and her nose already in her book. "We'll go in a team of six."

"Seems fair," said Rei, nodding. "Are you alright with that, Morgan?"

"Hmm?" asked Morgan, looking up. The grimoire meister had been spending time with them more as of late, but she always seemed surprised to be addressed in conversation, as if she wasn't used to being spoken to. "I have no problems with it if you don't."

"I would never object to your presence, dear Morgan," said Clark, with a smile. "Or that of my lovely Cassandra."

"Ugh, can we gag him?" Ayame asked, making a face. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Be my guest," said Vayne, patting Clark on the back as Clark shot him a glare.

"Focus, guys," said Rei, as they neared the board. "We're here to choose a mission."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," said Ayame. She looked up at the board ahead of them, grinning. "I wonder what it'll be. Pick something exciting, Rei."

"Yeah, somewhere interesting too," said Vayne. "Like, I dunno. Egypt or Peru or like, Paris."

"Eh, Paris isn't all that exciting," said Ayame, waving her hand dismissively. "And my parents are in Egypt. Let's not go there."

"I keep forgetting you're quite the world traveler, Ayame," said Clark, smiling at her.

"Yep," said Ayame proudly, placing a hand on her chest. "Five continents before my tenth birthday. I can speak like twelve languages too—mostly cuss words and how to start a bar fight, but my English and Japanese are pretty good. So where are we going? Russia? China? Ooh, Hawaii's great this time of year!"

"How about New York state?" asked Morgan, picking one of the pieces of paper off the wall.

Ayame looked disappointed. "I guess that works," she said.

"New York?" Rei asked, stepping closer to her. "What's in New York?"

In response, Morgan handed the piece of paper off to Rei. "You have Soul Perception, don't you, Rei?"

"Uh…sort of," said Rei, taking the sheet from her.

"What d'you mean, 'sort of'?" asked Ayame. "It's an ability. You either have it or you don't."

"He means it's on his file, but he's not actually sure he can use it," said Vayne, grinning. He slung an arm around Rei's shoulder, one that Rei pulled off of himself with an annoyed scowl. He held the sheet of paper that Morgan handed to him up, reading it quietly.

"What is it?" Vayne asked, looking over his shoulder. Rei wordlessly shifted, giving Vayne access. The other boy leaned over to read.

Objective: Solve the mystery of the haunted red house

Requirements: Soul Perception and bravery

The sheet went on to describe that locals had been reporting strange activity at a supposedly haunted house on the outskirts of their town for a while, ever since the death of its former owner. These events always seemed to happen at night, and only to those who were staying at the house overnight. The mission was to stake out the house over a period of one or two nights in an attempt to solve the mystery.

With each line that he read, Vayne's face grew progressively paler.

"I—," he said. "I—uh, I'd love to go with you guys on this one, but, uh—ooh, this looks interesting!" He reached for the board at random, pulling a sheet of paper from it and reading it. "Stop an oni from terrorizing a town—Japan. Japan sounds super interesting, doesn't it, Clark? I think we should go to Japan. Sorry guys. Have fun!"

He reached out and grabbed onto the back of Clark's collar before the meister could protest, dragging him back into the crowd of students.

"Wait!" Clark said, extending his arms towards them as Vayne dragged him backwards on his heels. "I wanted to stay at a haunted house with Cassie!"

"Whoops, too late, we're going to Japan!" said Vayne, waving the sheet of paper in his free hand. "Hey, anyone wanna come to Japan?"

Before Rei could see if anyone had taken him up on that offer, the crowd shifted, hiding Vayne and Clark from view. He blinked, then looked back at the others. Ayame and Morgan had the same confused expressions on their faces, and behind them Cassie was still absorbed in her book, swaying with excitement as she flipped the pages. He exchanged a glance with Morgan and then Ayame in turn. Ayame shrugged a shoulder at him as Morgan nodded.

"Alright," Rei said, walking over to the woman seated behind the desk next to the mission board. "I guess it's just us four. Ma'am, we'll be taking this one." He placed the sheet of paper on the desk, sliding it towards her.


The school was quiet at lunch time, with the first-year E.A.T. class and many of the older students out on assignment. It was hot outside, the desert sun coming back into full force to celebrate the last few weeks of summer, so Maka decided to eat in the staff lounge today. She found Soul already there, eating absent-mindedly with one hand as he studied a sheaf of official looking documents with the other.

Maka settled into the seat next to him with a sigh, letting out her breath in a long and audible exhale. Soul didn't look up from his reading as he spoke to her.

"They're all gone?" he asked.

"Yeah," Maka said. She sank back into the plush seats of the staff lounge, closing her eyes and ignoring her meal for now. "All gone."

"You know Rei will be fine, right?" asked Soul.

"Yeah," said Maka, letting out another sigh. "I know."

"What's that?!" asked a loud voice from behind them, making both Maka and Soul jump. They turned to see Spirit standing behind the couch, directly in between them. "My grandson is on his first mission? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"How long h ave you been there?!" Soul demanded.

"A Death Scythe never reveals his secrets," said Spirit with a grin. "Something you have yet to learn, my young successor." He reached out, patting Soul once on the head. While Soul fumed, Spirit turned to Maka. "Where did he go? Which mission did he go on?"

"The haunted house one," Maka said. "He went with Morgan and Cassie."

Spirit blinked, taking a moment to process that. Maka groaned inwardly, already knowing that it had been the wrong thing to say. She could picture Spirit placing Rei in one column in his mind, Morgan, Ayame, and Cassie in the other.

"My Rei," Spirit finally said, "is spending the night alone, in a house, with three girls?"

"On a mission," Maka said, her eyes narrowing.

"Oh, I'm so proud," said Spirit, stars in his eyes. "He takes after me."

There was a crashing sound, mostly the result of Maka's foot making contact with Spirit's face.

"He does not take after you!" Maka said, reaching out and grabbing Soul by the wrist. "Come on, Soul, let's eat outside."

"Wait—Maka," said Soul, hurrying to catch up with her. "You forgot your lunch—."

The door to the staff lounge slammed shut.


"Alright, ghosts!" Ayame yelled, charging in through the front door and pointing dramatically. "Prepare to be busted!"

Silence followed in her wake. Rei stepped into the house after her, giving her a sidelong glance. "Was that necessary?" he asked.

Ayame thought for a second. "Probably not," she said. "But it was fun."

He sighed, setting his bag down and looking around. The house seemed normal so far, but then again, it was still the middle of the afternoon. He moved past Ayame, stepping into the living room and taking a deep breath.

Morgan stepped up next to him, her footsteps quiet against the carpeted floor. He stepped to the side to give her room, closing his eyes and opening up his senses.

It was like dropping a stone into a still pond. At first, he felt nothing, but then his natural abilities began to overcome his own uncertainty and inexperience, waves of awareness rushing outward from him in slow pulses. They brushed against the presences of the three people in the room with him, struck the walls around him and came back to him, the waves overlapping each other. He felt Ayame's tightly-guarded impatience, felt Cassie's distracted curiosity as she started pacing around the room and poking at things, the light pink orb that was her soul bobbing up and down in its space within her. He felt Morgan's quiet presence beside him, felt the way she was searching as well, her own awareness overlapping his.

He didn't feel anything else.

Rei opened his eyes, the awareness dropping away from him like water through the gaps between his fingers. Beside him, he saw Morgan do the same thing, her breath hitching as she came back to herself.

"Anything?" he asked her.

"No, nothing," she said. "It looks normal." She frowned as if that troubled her.

"Well something's definitely off," said Cassie, poking at a clock on the mantel.

"Yeah?" Ayame asked, picking up Rei's discarded bag and slinging it over her shoulder as she moved to join them. "What's that?"

"Morgan dearie, how long has this place been abandoned?" Cassie asked.

"Two years," Morgan said.

"Oh, I get it," said Ayame, comprehension dawning on her face. She looked around. "No dust."

"Exactly," said Cassie. "This place looks almost spotless. Abandoned buildings don't look this nice, believe me."

Rei looked around. True enough, the mantel, furnishings, and baseboards were free of dust, and the curtains that hung in front of the windows seemed flowing and in good repair. He looked back at Morgan. "You're sure we're in the right house?"

"I'm sure," said Morgan. "The address matches the address in the mission briefing, and the first floor looks to be laid out exactly like the floor plan we were given. Also, it was red. It almost feels like we're being…welcomed." She stepped forward slowly, moving past them and making her way up the stairs towards the bedrooms. Cassie blinked before trailing along behind her, dragging her oversized duffel bag up the stairs with her.

Her words sent a shiver down Rei's spine. He glanced over at Ayame, who was watching Morgan and Cassie walk up the stairs. She didn't look entirely comfortable with this either. The thought that Ayame might be scared was comforting in its own way, because it told him he wasn't in this alone, but it was also terrifying.

"Hey, wait," Ayame said, following them. Rei followed her, not really wanting to be left in the living room alone. "Welcomed? Welcomed by what?"

"By whatever's living in this house," said Morgan from the top of the stairs, not looking back. "I imagine we'll find out why tonight. You two don't mind sharing the guest room?"

"Wait, what?" Ayame asked.

Morgan blinked at Ayame as the four of them reached the top of the stairs, looking as if she didn't really understand the question. "The guest bedroom has two beds," she repeated. "The master bedroom only has one double bed. I thought since you two were partners you wouldn't mind sharing a room, but if you're uncomfortable, we could make room for you on the floor..."

"No, not that," said Ayame, waving her hand in frustration. "Go back to the ghost. Why do we have to wait until tonight? Can't you two just…I don't know, magic the ghost up?"

Morgan exchanged a glance with Cassie, who gave Ayame an apologetic smile in response.

"It doesn't work like that, Ayame dear," Cassie said. "My powers can't really influence people. I can come up with a pretty convincing illusion, but it's not mind control. And even if I could, I can't influence something if I don't even know what it is. If I tried, I'd just be drawing from my imagination, and while I'm sure I could make up a perfectly scary ghost, it would be just that. Made up."

"So we're stuck here?" Ayame asked.

"Looks like," said Cassie. "Chin up, though. I brought sleepover supplies." Her smile brightened, and she tugged on the strap of her oversized bag.

"You brought what?" Rei asked, blinking at her.

"Sleepover supplies," said Cassie, grinning. "I brought s'more ingredients and nail polish and magazines and scary movies and—."

"Alright, alright," said Rei, holding up a hand to stop her. "I get it. Let's—uh—let's settle in and look around the house while we still have daylight. We can meet up after for your—uh—sleepover supplies."

"Sounds good," said Cassie, dragging her bag into the master bedroom. "Morgan?"

Morgan followed in her weapon's wake, looking a little bemused. Rei watched the two of them go, looking back at Ayame. His weapon was studying her nails, still carrying both their bags. He took his back from her, not because she looked like she was having any difficulty with it, but because she was holding both so easily that it made him feel a little embarrassed.

"Come on," he said. "Let's put these down and look around."


It took him and Morgan about an hour to canvas the whole house, stopping in every room to use their Soul Perception. The house wasn't very large. It had two floors, a small attic, and a basement that consisted of just one room. Everywhere they went, the house seemed clean and well-tended to, as if the owner had just left for the weekend and they were intruders, breaking into the place. There was even a book lying next to the bed in the master bedroom, a bookmark in it as if the reader was going to be back any day now. He checked the publication year, more out of curiosity than anything. 1989. It looked new.

Other than the strange anachronism, though, and the fact that the house looked clean despite being abandoned for two years, it looked normal. Rei would have said that Shinigami-sama was playing a prank, if he didn't know for a fact that Shinigami wasn't that kind of person, and if something in the house didn't strike him as profoundly odd.

It was strange. He couldn't put a name on the feeling, couldn't even feel anything concrete with his Soul Perception, but something felt off around the place. It felt sad, almost as if the house was crying. He'd asked Morgan about it, but she had only looked at him as though he was losing his mind, so he'd dropped the subject. It looked like the rumors were true. They wouldn't be hearing anything about the ghost until well after the sun went down. The four of them settled in to wait.

An hour later, Rei found himself sitting on the couch, his phone in his hands as Ayame sat on the floor next to him, happily painting her nails a vibrant electric blue.

"That looks good, Ayame," said Cassie, unpacking the rest of her manicure kit. "It matches your hair."

"Thanks," said Ayame, with a grin. "Gonna put little gold stars on it when it dries."

"Oh, that's going to look so cute," said Cassie, with a smile. "You're going to use the glitter polish for that?"

"Of course," said Ayame, holding her hand up to the light. "They wouldn't be stars if they didn't shine."

"Won't that bother you when you're fighting?" asked Rei, lying back against the couch and raising his phone up in front of his face.

"Nah, not really," said Ayame. "If it gets chipped, it gets chipped, but it's fine for now."

"Huh…" Rei responded noncommittally, pillowing his head on his arm. His phone buzzed with a text from Vayne.

17:24 How are you holding up in Sleepoverville?

He dragged his thumb across the screen, typing up a quick response.

17:24 Surviving. You?

17:25 So-so. Still in transit. Clark says if you touch Cassie, he'll kill you slowly. Told him to text you himself, but he's being a dork.

Rei snorted softly at that, tapping out his response.

17:26 What else is new? Besides I'm not interested.

Vayne's response, when it came, was a while in coming.

17:28 Well yeah, cause it's not C you're interested in, is it?

Rei arched an eyebrow, scowling at his phone. He sat up, typing out a more furious response.

17:28 Huh?

What's that supposed to mean?

17:29 Nothing.

Vayne's response floated on his screen, immediately followed by another.

17:29 How's A doing?

Rei's eyes widened. "Idiot," he began to type. "I'm not interested in—,"

"Who you texting, Rei?" Ayame asked, tilting her head back and giving him a lazy grin. "Your girlfriend?"

He dropped the phone, the smartphone slipping out of his fingers and landing wedged between him and the couch. "No!" he said a little too quickly, feeling the heat rise to his face.

"Rei has a girlfriend?" Cassie asked, looking up from painting Morgan's nails a deep purple.

"Nah," said Ayame. "It's probably Vayne or something."

"It was Vayne!" Rei snapped, grabbing his phone and quickly returning it to the home screen. He got up. "I'm gonna try and get dinner together."

His phone buzzed by the time he made it to the kitchen, and he dug it out of his pocket, glancing down at him.

Message from Gramps, the screen read, and then below it, REI! I heard from your mom. I'm so proud of you. Don't forget—

Rei deleted the message without reading it, scowling as he shoved his phone into the back pocket of his jeans and walked towards the stove.

It was almost dark, and with the town far enough away and probably not willing to deliver food to the local haunted house, they'd brought some of their own supplies with them. Pasta wouldn't take long to make and would probably be filling enough. He pulled a pot from the cupboard, checking to make sure that it didn't have dirt, insects, or any ghostly apparitions in it before filling it with water and setting it on the stove to boil.

"Can I help you?" asked a voice from behind him.

He tensed, looking up to see Morgan standing there. He hadn't even heard her leave the living room. She was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, nails freshly painted, watching him with that stare that was equal parts aloof and uncertain. His eyes moved down to her hands.

"Won't it mess up your…?" he began.

Morgan shrugged. "It's quick drying," she said walking over to the counter. She stood beside him, not quite looking at him. "I never really cared about getting it done anyway. It was Cassie's idea."

"She seems excited about the whole thing," said Rei, reaching for the vegetables.

"She's never had a sleepover before," said Morgan quietly. "It was all she could talk about when we went home to pack."

"Ayame too, probably," Rei said, running the vegetables under the tap water to rinse them. His partner would never admit it, but she was probably as excited as Cassie had been. "She moved around a lot as a kid. Never had the chance."

"Cassie doesn't talk about her past," was all Morgan said on the subject. "And what about you, Rei? Any sleepovers in your history?"

"Some," said Rei with a shrug. "Mostly Vayne staying over when we were kids. You?"

Morgan didn't answer. She went so still that for a moment Rei worried that he had somehow offended her. He looked up, frowning, and she shook her head, shaking herself out of whatever trance had gripped her as she reached for the vegetables he had laid out in front of her with one hand, taking hold of a knife in the other.

"No," she said. "None."

He didn't ask her again.


He dreamed of screaming, terror and blood and awoke to cold fingers pressed against his cheek, sliding down his face with a pressure that burned.

Rei's eyes snapped open, looking straight into a pair of soulless black eyes that hovered above him. A hand was pressed against the side of his face, a weight pressing him down into the mattress. He screamed, thrashing against the unnatural figure, trying to break free. It opened its mouth, its breath foul and rank as it hissed at him, leaning closer.

"Hey! Get off of my partner!"

The weight lifted suddenly as Ayame surged across the room, throwing the creature bodily off of him and pinning it to the wall. It vanished into mist on impact, disappearing without a trace. Rei sat up, heart pounding and skin clammy. His mind raced, still working through the image of black eyes, a pale face, lank black hair.

"You okay?" Ayame asked, turning towards him. She was breathing hard, disheveled from sleep as if she had only just woken up. Rei nodded, not trusting his voice. He slipped out from under the covers and landed on his feet, looking around hastily in the dark.

Dust motes floated in the air and the floor boards creaked in a way that they hadn't before. With the creature's disappearance, the appearance of the room had changed, the bed now looking decrepit and moth-eaten, the wallpaper now peeling off the walls. The window was cracked and dirty and the wind howled in it, the timbers of the old house groaning in its wake. He coughed dust and bile out of his throat, turning towards Ayame.

"I'm fine," he said. "What was that?"

"No clue," said Ayame, looking slightly shaken as well. The four of them had stayed up as long as they were able, but when nothing strange happened, finally retreated to their rooms to sleep. Rei didn't know how long he had been asleep, but the shadows stretched throughout the room now, the darkness pooling in corners and under the bed.

He rubbed at his neck, and to distract himself from the memory of cold fingers on him, reached for his phone. Light flared up at a touch, reading the time. 4:14 AM. He drew in a breath, his eyes flicking up to the upper right corner of his screen.

"No service," he said.

"Yeah," said Ayame. "It looks like we're on our own."

As if on cue, a scream sounded from down the hall, making both Rei and Ayame look up.

"Cassie," Ayame said.

Rei nodded, running out of the room and into the hallway. The door to the master bedroom was slammed shut, still solid despite the rot beginning to creep in around its hinges. He threw himself against it, trying the knob, but it was locked. From the other side, Rei could hear something crashing, could hear gurgling sounds like someone was being choked.

"Morgan!" he said, pounding at the door with his fist. "Cassie! Morgan!"

No response. Rei snarled in frustration, holding his hand out to Ayame. "Katana Mode!" he said.

Ayame nodded, shifting into the black-hilted sword. Rei gripped the katana with both hands, taking a step back and letting out a loud yell as he cut twice, slicing through the door in an X. He kicked it the rest of the way open, the door splintering along the cracks as Rei charged his way through.

The inside of the room was a nightmare. The sheets of the double bed were rumpled, the right side stained in dark blood, in the shape of a human. Morgan was hovering in the center of the room, being lifted off of her feet by the same entity that had attacked Rei. Now that he was seeing it clearly, he saw that the creature had the shape of a woman. She was dressed in a filmy blood-spattered robe that might have been white, her hair hovering around her face and tendrils of shadow around her as she hissed at Morgan. She had her fingers around Morgan's throat, squeezing her tightly and holding her off the ground as Morgan thrashed, gripping at the fingers with one hand as she tried to hold onto Cassie's weapon form with the other. She kicked and struggled, gasping for breath.

Shadows surrounded the ghost, leading to a pool of blackness behind her, a portal where the wall simply disappeared from sight.

Rei didn't hesitate, charging forward. "Let her go!" he yelled loudly, bringing the sword up overhead and swinging it down at the ghost's wrists. The blade cut through her arms easily, shadows spewing out from the stumps instead of blood as the ghost shrank back, letting out a shriek of anguish. Morgan dropped to the floor, but the hands kept choking her.

"Morgan!" Cassie said, shifting out of weapon form in a flash of pink light. "Morgan!"

Morgan was turning purple. Rei's eyes narrowed, looking from her to the ghost that still hovered in the air in front of him, thrashing in pain.

"I said—Let. Her. Go!"

He charged at the ghost, angling Ayame's katana form for a thrust. The thrust caught it in the center of its chest, severing its spine. The ghost went rigid as the sword sank into it, falling back into the darkness. The momentum of his thrust threw him forward, after it. He struggled to right himself, but he couldn't, the ghost wrapping its arms around the sword and holding him in place. It hissed at him, its mouth curving into an unholy sneer as it dragged them down with him.

The darkness closed around him as he fell into it, his eyes wide as he tightened his grip on Ayame's hilt, refusing to let go.

The last thing he heard was Cassie screaming, calling his name. And then he and Ayame were falling.