A/N: This is the longest chapter in the fic so far, which makes sense because it wraps up the Fata Morgana arc. There's one arc left, the title of which will be revealed in the next chapter, where I'm sure some of your questions will be answered~ Enjoy!

P.S: My beta reader would like to say sorry for the lateness. She's busy with a bunch of stuff (including seeing people she hasn't seen in a while) and has accumulated a bit of a backlog with chapters (both this and my Persona fic). So don't worry, all, we aren't dead! At the risk of angering my beta reader, since I don't know how busy she is, I can sort of say that you might get the next chapter sooner than you think (it's already drafted~).

Review Responses:

cherrishish, Ayame is constantly frustrated by the fact that there's too much Soul in Rei to take proper advantage of awesome set-ups like that, haha.

Diana Raven, yep yep! I sort of hinted at Rei's Grigori Soul in chapter one. Surprised no one caught that, or if they did they chose not to comment on it.

Anonymous, I might, but no promises. There will be an epilogue that's about 5 years later though. Thanks for reviewing!

Karma88, yeah sorry. See my note above...we're working out some timing issues with getting these beta'd. The beta reading is worth it though. You should have seen the errors that came out of this chapter. Original version had Rei somehow holding a weapon with his eyes. Thanks for your patience though!

Wisteria, erm...soon. Very soon. That's pretty much all I can tell you without spoiling anything. Super glad you enjoyed it, and don't worry. I haven't forgotten...him either.

pokelover01, Black Star was TOTALLY hanging around waiting for the best moment to make an entrance. XD Glad you liked all the scene, particularly the stag and as always thanks for your awesome reviews and for reading this story!

Guest, thanks! I'm mostly over the burn-out, thankfully. I think the fact that I only have 5-6 chapters left has made me decide to just get it done. But see my note above for delays.

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater.


CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Fata Morgana Pt. 5, The Last One I Cared For


In the depths of his darkness, he remembered Morgana.

He could never forget her, would never forget the way she looked when he stepped into that hut in the desert that day, that little shelter that she had built away from the world. He would never forget that look in her eyes, that kaleidoscope of emotion when she saw him. Anger, betrayal, sadness.

Defiance.

All of those feelings in her eyes, on her features. And yet, she was still beautiful somehow as she gathered herself up, turning to face him. His sister, his twin, his brilliant, beautiful guiding star. He felt power gather to her fingertips as she faced him, the energies of the universe bending themselves to her will.

"I know why you're here," she said, "Brother."

He looked away, unable to bear her gaze. His fingers drifted lightly over the mantelpiece, examining the dust that gathered there as if this visit was nothing more than idle curiosity.

"Your…friend isn't home?" he asked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"He's out," Morgana said, sniffing in disdain. "Probably for the best."

"Yes," said Mordred, and he was already thinking that he could let Morgana's lover live, if only he never showed his face. It would be against orders, but Mordred certainly couldn't be expected to kill someone he never found. His mother would be displeased, but she would eventually forget about it. "Yes, probably."

"She'll destroy you," Morgana said, and in the back of his mind, Mordred thought that she already had. "You know that, don't you? You know why I've done what I've done."

"I know," Mordred said, and he felt his throat tighten in a familiar way, a way that it hadn't for centuries.

I know why you do what you do, Morgana, because I know you. Because I love you.

The words stuck in his throat.

"Can't you even look me in the eye?" Morgana asked, her voice breaking for the first time. The slightest quaver, but it was there. "Gods damn it, Mordred, you're here to kill me. The least you could do is look me in the eye."

Mordred swallowed, gathering up his resolve. He raised his head, meeting his sister's eyes. She looked back at him, her own eyes wide. Fearful, he realized, which startled him. Morgana had never been one to fear for her own life.

It was only later that he realized that the fear hadn't been for herself. That it had been for him, and maybe for another.

The sound of the front door opening distracted them both. They turned towards the sound as one, hearing a voice cry out in alarm.

"Morgana!"

A man ran into the room, the DWMA agent that Morgana had run off with, her ally in this rebellion. Morgana's eyes widened, and she raised her hand.

"No!" she shouted, "Stay back!"

But Mordred's hand was already moving, power crackling into his palm. He loosed that power at the man before he had a chance to think about it, energy tearing through the air as it rushed towards him.

The dust cleared around him and he looked up, eyes fixing on the boy that stood perched on one of the tower's crenellations. Something had changed in Rei Evans since his fall. He stood calmly, resolutely, looking down at Mordred from above. The defiant look in his eye, that expression. It reminded him—it almost reminded him of Morgana.

The wings around him stretched out, preparing a second volley. Mordred's eyes narrowed in resolution as he straightened up, letting the light of his shield fade away. He extended his hand, calling energy into it, drawing forth power. Energy coalesced, forming something at the tip of his fingers, something shaped almost like a sword.

Rei's eyes drifted towards it, and Mordred saw him raise a hand, the black wings on either side of him flaring into light.

"Zero Star," Mordred heard him say. "First Form: Requiem."

The wings around him separated from his back, dissolving into light as they streamed into the palm of his hand. They formed another shape, a slender shaft appearing in the air just under his palm, one end of the shaft erupting to form a large, curved blade.

Mordred's hand closed around the hilt of his sword. He charged forward, blade flashing.

At the same time, Rei's hand closed around the shaft of his scythe. He spun the shaft deftly over his knuckles, the blade whirling in the air as he leaped forward, rushing toward Mordred.


Elaine came at him in a rush, the Magatama's pale pink blades gleaming in the lights of the hallway. Cassie screamed as she charged, darting away. He knew that he should have followed, but he couldn't do much more than stand frozen in place, couldn't do much more than stare at her.

"Clark!" Cassie shrieked. "Clark, get back!"

She slashed at him, and he leaped back, ducking out of the way as one of her blades sailed over the top of his head. The second blade came from his side, aimed at his neck. He raised his arm and managed to block it, his forearm stopping her own arm at the wrist. She twisted nimbly, raising her other blade, and he jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding the blow as her blade sliced through the air, chipping the tiles beneath him.

"Clark!"

He landed lightly on the ground, still staring at her with wide-eyed disbelief. She turned to face him, her movements slow and uncoordinated up until the moment she charged. Her arm swept out, blade arcing towards his face, and quickly leaned backwards, the blade passing an inch in front of his eyes.

He moved half a second too slow. The tip of the blade nicked the skin of his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.

"Clark, I'll transform!" Cassie shouted, sounding desperate. "Just tell me what you need me to be! Clark! I need you to tell me what you want me to be!"

He almost didn't hear her. Elaine turned her head towards him as she struck, and his breath caught, his eyes fixing on hers, on her face, on her expression. In his mind he was standing on a street corner again, chasing after a woman's retreating back, his hand outstretched. In his mind, his father was running after him, grabbing him by the shoulders, holding him back while he screamed and cried, hand still stretched towards the retreating figure.

"Mommy!"

He could still hear his voice from that day in his ears, in the back of his mind.

"Mommy, don't go! Don't go!"

Clark froze, staring at her. Cassie screamed.

Elaine spun like a ballerina, the Magatama's pale pink blade slicing him open from collarbone to waist. He managed to jerk back just in time, managed to avoid getting skewered in the heart. Warm blood stained the front of his clothes as he stared at her, wide-eyed, numb. His hands went up, disbelieving, pressing against the wound on his chest.

Electricity crackled around her other hand as it came up, pointed at his face.

His breath caught in his throat, his heart stopping for a moment. Her hand surged towards him, lightning quick, and time slowed to a stop. Her eyes were perfect mirrors, a lifeless dull gray. They were nothing like the eyes he remembered. He could see himself reflected in them, small, pale, shivering. Bleeding.

The word slipped out of his mouth before he realized he had said it.

"Mother…"

The hand stopped an inch from his nose, so close that he could hear the air crackling around it. Clark froze in place, not daring to move, barely daring to breathe. For an instant, something behind her eyes shifted, the fog lifting from her expression. Her brow furrowed, as if confused, her eyes moving as if the whole world were out of focus and she was trying to focus on him.

Her mouth opened.

"C…lar…k?"

A giant raven swept through the air, letting out a raucous caw as it got between the two of them, claws pointed towards Elaine. The two of them stumbled away, the spell breaking. Clark slipped on the tiled floor, falling onto his rear as Elaine turned, darting down the hallway and out of the room.

"Wait!" Clark screamed, reaching out for her with one bloodstained hand. "Mother! Mother, wait!"

She ran around a corner, disappearing from sight. The raven banked in the air, flying towards the other end of the hallway. Clark turned, feeling his strength leaving. The raven flew towards an outstretched hand, landing on a young girl's forearm.

Morgan.

"Morgan!" Cassie said, turning towards her. "And Vayne! You're alright! Oh, thank goodness—."

Morgan swept past her, running towards Clark. Vayne followed suit, and Clark could only watch, still shaken, as Morgan pried his hands firmly off of his chest, frowning down at the wound.

"Not too deep," she muttered. "Thankfully. Cassie." Morgan held her hand out, and Cassie transformed without question, the grimoire appearing in her palm. "A fully stocked DWMA first aid kit appeared in the hallway next to them."

The air shimmered on the floor next to Morgan's skirt, the requested first aid kit appearing. Morgan set the grimoire down gently on the floor behind her, then popped the kit open, leaving Vayne to hold Clark up as she pushed up her sleeves, pulling out a roll of bandages.

"I know," she said. "It's not exactly a literary masterpiece, but it got the point across. Hold him steady, Vayne."

"You don't need to tell me twice," said Vayne, his voice sounding grim. He held Clark still as Morgan tugged off the remnants of his shirt, rolling the bandages tightly around his chest. She worked quickly, her expression grim as well, before she stood up, stepping away from him.

"That will have to do," she said. "We have to leave, and quickly. Vayne, can you help Clark to the airship?"

"I can," said Vayne, already beginning to shift Clark's weight so that he was leaning on Vayne's shoulders. He inclined his head towards Grayson. "What about him?"

"Leave him for now," Morgan said. "I can't carry him, and Cassie can only handle so many workings at a time. We can send someone back for him once we get back."

Clark blinked, shaking himself out of his stupor.

"I can walk," he said. "A little bit. You don't have to carry me."

"That's good, because I wasn't planning on it," said Vayne, giving him a tired smile as he started to straighten up. The smile faded as he looked at Morgan, who was picking Cassie's grimoire form off of the ground, holding it open. "We need to go, and now. Sorry, Clark. It's going to be kind of a rough ride."

"Why?" Cassie's voice emanated from the grimoire, a beat before he thought to ask the same. "What's happened?"

"Long story short?" Vayne asked. "This castle's about to blow."

Clark looked up. "What?" he asked, groaning. "What do you mean?"

"My grandmother is planning to destroy the castle," Morgan said. "This was a trap."

His vision faded at the edges, but he grit his teeth, managing to hold on long enough to look up at the two of them. "We have to warn the others," he said.

"That's the plan," Vayne said. "Morgan, can you get his other arm?"

Morgan didn't answer, glancing down at the grimoire in her hands. Vayne frowned, looking up at her.

"Morgan?" he asked.

She shook her head, slowly, deliberately holding Cassie's grimoire form out to him. "There's something I need to take care of," she said. "Make sure the book stays open, or the bandages will vanish."

Vayne's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" he asked, sounding desperate. "What are you going to do?"

"Morgan!" Cassie called.

Morgan ignored her.

"I'm going to buy us more time," she said, pushing the grimoire into Vayne's arms and turning away. "Take Clark back to the airship, and warn them about the explosion. Don't worry about me."

Before Vayne could stop her, she started running, taking off down the hallway. Vayne cursed, and Clark felt him tense beneath his arm, as if he was about to run out after her. Clark turned towards him in concern, ready to let go, but Vayne only scowled, clamping Cassie's grimoire form close to himself with his free hand and marching the three of them towards the airship.


The airship was under attack, DWMA forces fighting the Morrigan's conjured creatures in the courtyard that led up to it. The melee was confusing, but someone caught sight of Vayne stumbling out of the castle with Clark draped over his shoulder and Cassie pressed to his chest and the next thing he knew, medical staff were peeling Clark off of him, lowering his meister onto a stretcher and hustling him into the airship. Vayne spun around, Cassie's open grimoire form still pressed close to him, and tried to find someone who looked like they were in charge. He caught sight of Shinigami emerging from the airship, shooting at the Morrigan's forces as he leaped down onto the ground, making his way towards the castle.

Shinigami would do.

He ran up to Shinigami, breathing hard from their flight out of the castle. Shinigami frowned at him, his eyes widening slightly in concern as they took in the blood staining his clothes. Vayne drew to a stop in front of him, doubling over and resting his free hand on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Shinigami turned to face Vayne, firing a bullet nonchalantly over his shoulder as he did.

"Vayne—," Shinigami said. "What—?"

Vayne held up a hand, cutting him off as he struggled to get his breathing under control. "Not mine," he said, tugging at his bloodstained shirt. "Need to—get out of here. Castle's—trap—rigged to blow."

Shinigami's brow furrowed, and Vayne saw him fire two more shots at enemies behind him. "Slow down," he said. "What are you talking about? What do you mean?"

"The whole building's a trap," Vayne said, looking up. "It's going to explode as soon as the Morrigan leaves. You can't go in there, sir. She's drawing you in. You have to get everyone out."

"A trap," Shinigami repeated, his eyes moving from Vayne to the castle. Vayne looked up and caught a brief flash of indecision on the other man's face before his face screwed up in frustration, and he muttered a curse under his breath. "Get to the airship," he told Vayne, his eyes fixed on something that Vayne couldn't see. "I'll call them back."

"There's a couple more things," said Vayne, straightening up. Shinigami glanced back at him, impatience written all over his features, but Vayne had already caught his attention. He had to press on. "We managed to capture Grayson," he said. "He's unconscious in a corridor on the second floor."

Shinigami frowned, looking back at the building. "I see him," he said, nodding. "Was there anything else?"

Vayne hesitated. "We…also managed to find Morgan. But she ran back into the castle. She said she was going to buy us more time." He clenched his fists, gathering up his courage, and looked back up at Shinigami. "I have to go back for her! I promised I'd—."

But Shinigami was already shaking his head. "No," he said. "It's too dangerous. Get back to the airship now."

Vayne's eyes widened. "But—," he began.

"That's an order, Vayne," said Shinigami, turning away. "If I can find Morgan, I will, but I'm not risking anyone else."

Vayne stared as Shinigami started walking forward, as he realized what Shinigami was about to do.

"But, sir—," he began.

"Now, Vayne," said Shinigami, harshly.

Vayne grit his teeth, but the look in Shinigami's eye told him that the conversation was over. He turned around, hating himself for it with every step as he ran back towards the airship.


The Morrigan's eyes widened as Black Star faced her, actual surprise appearing on her expression for the first time. Wrapped up in her arms, Annie renewed her struggles, squirming frantically as she tried to reach out for her mother.

The Morrigan recovered quickly. She tightened her grip on the girl, fingers digging lightly into the flesh of Annie's arm. Annie gasped, going rigid with fear as the Morrigan stretched out a hand towards Black Star, the shadows around her forming the shape of an army of crows as they charged at the warrior.

Black Star scowled as the crows approached, widening his stance. He swept his arm out, slicing the shadows apart in one great sweep of the Chain of Blackness. Maka, meanwhile, took the opportunity to dart forward, swinging Soul overhead as she brought the blade down towards the Morrigan.

The crow witch smirked, snapping her fingers. The shadows beneath Maka suddenly rose up, forming a series of ropes that grabbed her by the arms and legs, pinning her arms to her back. Maka's eyes widened, and she let out a shout of fury, struggling against the bonds as they slammed her hard onto the ground.

"Maka!" Soul yelled, anger and worry radiating from the scythe in her hand.

"Mama!" Annie shouted, alarmed. "Mama, get—mmph!"

"Shh," the Morrigan said, a smile on her face as a tendril of shadow parted from the mass around her, covering Annie's mouth. "This will all be over soon."

At that same moment, Black Star leaped into the air, slashing at the Morrigan's side. She slid back gracefully, keeping Annie in front of her as she held out her hand, Black Star's strike hitting an invisible wall. On the ground in front of her, Maka grit her teeth, pulling one arm free of its bindings and using her free hand to tug at the shadows holding her down.

Two gunshots rang out through the air, blasts peppering the shield that the Morrigan held out in front of her. Black Star and Maka looked up at the same time as Kid leaped into the hallway, pistols held out in front of him. He landed between Maka and Black Star, a frown on his face as he pointed the guns at the Morrigan.

Black Star grinned at him.

"Took you long enough," he said, as on Kid's other side, Maka shook herself free of the shadows, drawing herself to her feet.

The Morrigan scowled, eyes moving over the three of them as they assembled to stand against her.

"Well," she said. "This has gotten entirely too annoying. Be gone."

She moved her hand, a dismissive flicking motion. A whirlwind of darkness formed up behind her, rushing towards the three of them.

"Tch," Black Star said, sinking down low and holding Tsubaki's weapon form out in front of him. "Lady, it's going to take more than that."

"Maka!" Kid said, his eyes darting towards her as he crossed his arms in front of himself, pistols out.

Maka nodded, tightening her grip on Soul's form and leaping forward in the last instant before the whirlwind hit. Kid fired twice, the pistols tearing through the darkness and weakening it as Maka brought her scythe down, slicing through the remainder of the attack. She landed neatly on the ground, sprinting towards the Morrigan with a cry of fury. Black Star, meanwhile, jumped forward, kicking off of the wall and angling himself so that he was flying towards the Morrigan from the side, arm raised to slash down at her. The two of them neared, moving to pin her between them as Kid raised his pistols again.

Then the Morrigan stepped back, her back resting against against the fragile pane of glass behind her. Against the window.

Maka's eyes widened as she realized what the Morrigan was about to do.

"No!" she shouted, stretching out a hand.

But it was too late. The Morrigan stepped backward, and then, with a final smirk at the three of them, the glass behind her shattered, shadows tearing through it as she stepped out into the air. Behind her gag, Annie let out a high-pitched, terrified scream. Gravity asserted itself as she plummeted, disappearing from sight.

"Annie!" Maka shouted, running up to the window. She braced her hand on the windowsill, heedless of the way a shard of glass pierced through the fabric of her glove, and made to jump out.

Before she could, darkness swallowed the figure of the falling Morrigan, and when it cleared, both she and Annie were gone.

Maka grit her teeth, about to leap after her anyway, but Kid surged forward, grabbing her arm and pulling her back into the hallway.

"Kid-!" Maka said, preparing to argue.

"The castle is about to explode," Kid said, cutting her off. "We need to evacuate the others. I've already sent out a message to the other teams."

Maka stared at him, momentarily uncomprehending. Then, her eyes widened as his meaning sunk in, and she pulled away from him, placing a hand to the side of her head as she activated her Soul Perception. The castle spread out above and around her, clear for the first time since she had set foot in it. She couldn't feel Annie and the Morrigan anywhere near them, but now that the Morrigan was gone, she could feel the energy that had built up in the castle's basement, ready to explode. She could feel Angela and Shelley and Cori, could feel Rei on the rooftop, fighting Mordred, his soul entangled in resonance with Ayame's. She could feel Grayson, unconscious in one of the hallways. And she could feel Morgan, moving steadily towards that point of energy, her Witch's Soul fully unveiled.

She turned towards Kid, who had drawn himself to his full height, staring down the hallway they had just come from. She knew that he had sensed the same things, that he had felt it too.

"Black Star, Tsubaki," he said. "Help Rei and Ayame. Maka, Soul, go to Angela and Shelley."

Black Star rolled his eyes, looking disappointed as he propped the flat of the Chain of Blackness's blade against his shoulder. "Come on," he said. "The kids've got it."

At the same time, Maka asked, "What about you?"

Kid didn't answer, running off down the hallway, but Maka knew. He was heading towards that point of light in the basement, that one soul running towards the danger.

He was heading towards Morgan.


Micah's eyes widened as the sword disintegrated, shreds of the Justice card littering the floor of the room. He leaped back quickly as Angela snapped the blade of her staff up to bear, the tip pointed at his face. She shifted stance, and he reached into the inside of his coat as the wind spears rushed at him again. The Magician card appeared a second time, glowing brightly in the air before sweeping up her wind spears in its cloak, but this time Angela was ready.

She leaped into the air, twisting nimbly out of the way of her wind spears and landing on the ground, legs spread to absorb the impact of her fall and her spear closed lightly in one hand.

Micah was reaching for another card. She saw him fish it out of the inside pocket of his coat, something like panic in his expression as he fumbled for it. She caught sight of the face of the card as he turned towards her, saw the desperation reflected in his wide red eyes.

Death.

A wave of cold ran through her, and she tensed, tightening her grip on her spear.

"I didn't want to do this," Micah said, his face pale. "But you've forced my hand. I'm sorry."

Her eyes moved to her side, unbidden, towards the corner where Cori was waiting. If this attack was anything like the Sun card earlier, then she would have to protect Cori. And if it wasn't, then she had to focus on protecting herself. Her mind was racing, her heart pounding as Micah raised the card over his head, the surface of the card beginning to glow.

All at once, he stopped, the energy that had been gathering around him fizzling out. He lowered the hand that had been holding the card, pressing the other against his ear as a look of shock appeared on his features.

Angela hesitated, the wind faltering around her. From the connection between them, she could feel Shelley hesitate as well, lowering her arms back to her side in her soul space's white void.

"What?" Micah asked, his eyes tracking towards them. "You're not serious."

A moment of silence, during which whoever was on the line answered. Micah's eyes moved helplessly, moving from Angela, to Shelley, to Cori. He grit his teeth, as if the other person's words were causing physical pain. Cautiously, Angela sank down, pointing her spear at him again.

"Micah…?" she asked, uncertain how to proceed.

He swept his hand towards her in a dismissive gesture, digging in his pocket for another card. Shelley realized which card it was before Angela did. Her partner's eyes widened, her reflection appearing on the blade of the spear.

"No!" she said, leaning forward.

Angela kicked off the ground as realization struck her, darting towards Micah, but she was too late. With one last helpless look at the three of them, Micah threw the Chariot card on the ground, disappearing in a flash of light. Her spear moved through the air where he had been, her outstretched hand following a moment later. Silence fell over the ruined library, oppressive and terrible.

They were alone.

"E-Excuse me," Cori asked a moment later, stepping out from her corner. "Miss Angela? Is everything—okay?"

Angela blinked at the child, unsure how to answer that. Outwardly, yes, she supposed that things were alright. Micah had left, which meant there was nothing stopping them from taking Cori to the airship. But the last few moments of that battle had been—frankly, bizarre, and that left an uneasy feeling in her gut. It was always a bad sign, when the enemy acted that unexpectedly. It meant that there was something about the situation she was missing.

The answer came a moment later, in the form of a crackling voice in Angela's own earpiece. Shinigami.

"Calling all teams," Shinigami said, his voice harsh even through the static in the background. "There's been a change in the situation. The castle is a trap. Return to the airship immediately. Repeat, the castle is a trap. Return to the airship immediately."

Angela's eyes widened, glancing down at Shelley's reflection in the spear's blade. The look in her partner's eye told her that Shelley had heard the broadcast too. Cori looked between them, green eyes wide with concern, already moving rapidly between them.

The castle was a trap. That single fact sunk in, penetrating the mire that Angela's thoughts had become.

"Come on," she said, turning Shelley's spear form around so that the blade was behind her and swinging one leg over the handle. The wind obligingly began to pick up as Shelley concentrated, the spear starting to hover off the ground. She grabbed at the back of Cori's dress with her free hand, tugging her onto the space behind her. "Get on and hold on tight. The castle's a trap. We need to get out of here now."

Cori's eyes widened as she scrambled onto the back, small hands digging into the fabric of Angela's dress. "But what about Annie?" she asked.

But what about Annie?

Angela felt something in her stomach sink like a stone. She looked away from Cori, unable to look the girl in the eye as they lifted off the ground and Angela angled the spear towards the nearest doorway. Annie was valuable to the Morrigan, even more than Cori was. If no one else had managed to retrieve her, Angela doubted that the Morrigan would have left her in the castle to be caught in whatever the trap was, but half an hour ago she might have said the same thing about Cori.

"We don't have time," she said. "We'll have to hope that someone else got her."

"But—!" Cori began.

"I'm sorry," Angela said, biting her lip. She leaned into the wind before Cori could protest, her eyes narrowing as she urged Shelley on. The spear shot forward like a rocket, wind roaring in their ears as they sped towards the airship, and Cori pressed herself hard against Angela's back, holding on tighter.


Mordred's sword came crashing down from overhead, aiming for the top of his head. Rei blocked the blow with Requiem's shaft, then slipped underneath it, letting the sword slide off of the scythe's handle as he angled its blade towards the sorcerer. Violet light flared up just over Mordred's skin, the scythe blade striking the barrier as Mordred stepped away from him. The sorcerer raised his hand, energy crackling into his palm, and fired several blasts of power at Rei, three in quick succession.

Rei leaped back, slicing the first blast out of the air with the scythe's blade. He spun it in his hand, knocking the second and third away with a quick twist of the handle. The blasts struck the ground on either side of him as he launched himself forward, leaping into the air and tightening his grip on the scythe's handle as he brought it down over Mordred's head.

Mordred raised his sword to block the blow, the impact from their collision spreading over him in a dome of force that cracked the stones beneath him. He grit his teeth, swiping out with the sword, and the force behind the movement managed to throw Rei off of him. He landed on the ground several feet away, sliding back away from Mordred, the scythe in his hands.

Rei's eyes narrowed as he adjusted his grip, feeling the power of his and Ayame's resonance moving through him. Ayame's face was reflected in the blade for an instant, black stripes twisting across her skin, her eyes narrowed in a look of determination that matched his own, and Rei could feel the warmth of her wavelength deep inside of his soul, burning like a fire. He darted out of the way as Mordred sent another blast of power at him, moving faster than he had ever moved before, and kicked off of the ground, launching himself at Mordred from the flank.

Mordred turned and managed to block the blow with his sword, but just barely. The force behind Rei's strike knocked him off of his feet and he leaped back, landing several feet away. The wind whipped around the two of them as Mordred straightened up, his long black hair flowing behind him like a flag. He raised his hand, a scowl on his face, and a circle of magic began to spin in the air over his head, growing larger and larger until it encompassed the entire tower.

Rei's eyes widened as blades formed along the edges of the tower, seven blades of light spinning in the air at the edges of the circle. Mordred faced him, the light of his magic shining in his eyes, brow furrowed with the effort. Power crackled around him as he started to hover in the air, floating in the space just inside his magic circle.

"Do you see this, Rei Evans?" he asked. "This is the limit of my power, and there wasn't a thing I could change. This world isn't made for people like you, people like us. It will only destroy you in the end."

He reached out, fingers closing around the nearest of the light blades. It was massive, taller than he was.

"Perhaps," he said, "it's a kindness that I'm here to do it first."

Then, magic crackling around him, he flew in towards Rei, slashing out at him with the blade.

Rei's eyes widened and he leaped back, blocking the blade with the flat of the scythe. Power crackled in the air as the light blade struck the scythe's steel, a terrible heat wafting through the air between them. He grit his teeth, leaping back, and had to immediately twist to the side as Mordred reappeared, a second blade in his hand.

"You can't win," Mordred said, swatting aside Rei's attempt at a counter attack as Rei tried to aim the butt of the staff at Mordred's face. "This is inevitable, Rei Evans. You can't fight fate."

"Who says?" Rei asked, snarling in frustration. "The world can be changed. The only reason you haven't done it yet is because you've never tried!"

"Never tried?" Mordred asked, appearing in the air behind Rei. Rei raised his scythe quickly, managing to block another slash as Mordred brought one of the blades down from overhead, but the force behind it was enough to send him staggering back, struggling to keep his footing as he slid across the rooftop's cracked stone. "I tried, you ignorant little brat! I tried, but in the end, I wasn't strong enough!"

Mordred landed on the ground and spun around, gathering momentum as he swung at Rei with one of the swords. Rei blocked it with the scythe's shaft, grunting with the effort.

"This world that you want to change took everything from me!" Mordred said. "I killed my brother! My sister! The only two people I ever loved! This world can't be saved, it can't be changed! The only thing that this world deserves is to be destroyed utterly! Entirely! It's worthless! Useless!"

He slashed at Rei again, kicking out when Rei blocked him with the scythe's handle. His foot caught Rei in the torso, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying back. He landed crouched on the ground, one arm wrapped around his middle.

"You have an impossible dream, you stupid, naïve boy," Mordred said. "It isn't worth fighting for."

Rei scowled, looking up at Mordred as he sucked in a breath through his teeth, holding the scythe in front of him with both hands. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered under his breath. "The world didn't make you kill your siblings, Mordred! You did! You're the one at fault—you're the one who killed them!"

"Shut up!" Mordred said, sweeping his arm out in front of him. "You don't know what you're talking about! You're just a little boy who's listened to one too many fairy tales, and I'm sick of this conversation. Die."

He swept his hand out in front of him, the remaining three blades in the air changing angle and darting towards Rei, one after another.

Rei breathed deep, adjusting his hold on the scythe. He could feel Ayame's presence worked into the metal, could feel her spirit as her soul rose up around him, suffusing his soul with that warmth, that fire.

In the back of his mind, he was on the rooftop with her again, the two of them looking up at the stars. He could almost hear her voice.

"I've seen you take a stand, Rei. If you were too scared to fight, that only meant that he didn't push you against the wall far enough. When push comes to shove, you're there, scared or not. You fight when it counts..."

Hey, Ayame…he thought, feeling the steel beneath his fingertips. I think this is when I want to take a stand.

Think you could help me with that?

He didn't have time to speak with her, didn't have a moment to say what he felt. Didn't have enough time, in the space between one attack and the next, to tell her what was running through his mind, but the feelings were there.

And somehow, he got the sense that she understood anyway.

He stepped back, and then, as the shards of light rushed towards him, he snapped the scythe in his hands forward, the blade detaching from the shaft with the movement. A slender chain connected the shaft and the blade as the scythe-blade flew, slashing through the shards of light. At the same time, he leaped forward, gripping the shaft of the scythe in his hand as he swung one end of it towards Mordred.

Mordred's eyes widened and he leaped back, arms crossed in front of him to block the blow. Magic crackled in the air around the scythe's shaft, stopping Rei from pressing in any closer. He grit his teeth, letting out a shout of effort, and leaned his weight against the shaft, pressing further.

Then he shifted his other hand, gripping the shaft a little bit lower.

The shaft came apart into a three-sectioned staff, the three pieces connected by chains. The far end of the staff slammed into Mordred's unprotected side before he could react, the sorcerer stumbling out of the way of the blow.

Rei slashed the staff out in front of him like a whip, and the blade swung back around as Mordred raised his arm to block the staff, Ayame letting out a shout of fury as the scythe blade swooped beneath his head. Mordred ducked beneath it, getting out of the way, but Rei was already moving, the scythe snapping back together with a touch of his fingertips as he rushed in, getting inside Mordred's reach, Mordred's timing.

He spun the scythe in his hand as he neared, seeing Mordred's arms start to move to block the blade. Rei could already see what would happen, already knew that Mordred would block the blow, but that that would potentially leave him open from the behind, giving Rei the opportunity to slip past him and land another strike. He saw the same calculations pass in front of Mordred's eyes as the scythe neared, the blade spinning upwards with the tip angled towards Mordred's belly. He saw the sorcerer's hands move up almost in slow motion, saw the first crackling of magic form just over his skin.

And then Mordred's eyes met his, and something broke in them. The rage and frustration that had been fueling him fled, and the man that was left in front of him just looked so tired, so…empty.

Magic faded away. In the last instant, Mordred lowered his arms.

Rei's eyes widened as the scythe struck home, the blade sliding smoothly into Mordred's gut. Mordred let out a small gasp as the blow knocked the wind out of him, and he slumped forward, his weight landing on the scythe and nearly dragging Rei down.

Blood dripped from the wound, staining the tower roof.

Rei stared at Mordred in shock as he started to fall backwards, the scythe blade sliding out of him with a sickening squelch. The scythe sprayed blood as Mordred fell, something hot and wet striking his cheek. Before Rei even knew what he was doing, he was starting forward, catching Mordred by the shoulder. Mordred gasped for breath, turning to eye Rei as he slid down onto the ground.

"Why?" Rei asked, tightening his grip. In spite of himself, his voice quavered. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I'm tired," Mordred said. "Because you're right. I killed them. Because I've had enough…"

He trailed off, coughing weakly. Rei shook his head.

"That doesn't mean you have to die!" he said.

"It does," Mordred said, leaning back. "It does. There's nothing else I can do…for her, or for them…Mother would have made me kill her too. I couldn't have borne that…this was the only way…" He stared up at the sky, his eyes clouding over. A pool of blood was steadily spreading beneath him, staining Rei's clothes where he knelt beside him. "You'll save her, won't you? You'll save Morgan…?"

Rei blinked, feeling his vision blur for a reason he couldn't name. This wasn't right. The fight wasn't supposed to end like this!

"Of course I'll save her," he heard himself say. "She's my friend. I was going to save her anyway!"

"Good," said Mordred. "Good. She was…the last person I cared for…"

Rei let out a choked gasp, lowering his head. This wasn't supposed to happen. This was wrong—unfair. It was wrong!

A touch on his face stopped him, making him look up. Mordred was reaching for him, fingertips stained with his own blood. He was smiling.

"Why are you crying, Rei Evans?" he asked. "Weren't you going to change the world?"

Mordred stared at him, meeting his eyes. Then, his hand began to slip away, trailing blood down the side of Rei's face. Rei stared, numb, as Mordred's hand landed on the ground beside him, as the sorcerer's eyes glazed over, fixed on the sky.

This was what you wanted, a voice in the back of his mind reminded him. You wanted to kill him.

But not like this. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Before he even knew he was doing it, he sat back, landing in the pool of blood. Then he raised his head to the sky and burst into tears.


In the aftermath of the battle, the house was silent. Mordred stood alone in the gutted ruins of the living room, his eyes on the bodies in front of him, feeling the pain of his wounds. He felt oddly calm as he pressed a hand over one of the wounds Morgana had left him, stumbling towards the door. An eerie sort of cold swept through him, as if the last vestige of his soul had taken refuge, his humanity hiding somewhere deep inside of him, somewhere where he wouldn't have to face what he had done.

When he had killed Arthur, there had been tears. He had expected the same sort of thing now, but the tears wouldn't come. It was as though he had nothing left, as though they had nowhere else to come from.

Perhaps, Mordred thought, this was what it meant to die.

Perhaps, Mordred thought, he had killed his soul with Morgana.

Perhaps there had only been one soul between them to begin with.

And then he heard it.

It was a sound that pricked at his ears, that made him look up, drawing him out of his shell for a moment. His eyes tracked towards the ceiling, widening with surprise.

It was a cry.

He stumbled up the stairs, still feeling numb, taking them two at a time. The cries were coming from a small room off of the main bedroom, a room that Mordred recognized as a nursery. On one end of the room stood a crib, a small fledgling of a raven perched on top of its railing. And in the crib lay an infant, crying out into the empty room. Mordred walked over to the cradle, looking down at her. He bent down, slowly, almost reverently, and picked her up.

She was such a small thing, so light, like a doll. He looked down at her and saw Morgana in her features. Her cries slowed to a stop as he held her, and her eyes opened, wide, dark eyes looking up at him.

From somewhere inside him, he felt the last fragment of his soul wake up, struggling to the surface at the sight of the child.

He cried…


"Calling all teams. There's been a change in the situation. The castle is a trap. Return to the airship immediately. Repeat, the castle is a trap. Return to the airship immediately."

Shinigami's voice crackled in his ear, a faint, distant sound. He was aware, dimly, of footsteps at his side, aware of Ayame's presence as she knelt down beside him, gripping his shoulder tightly with one of her hands.

"Rei…" she said, her voice soft.

Rei didn't move for a few long seconds, his eyes on the sky. Then, feeling drained and exhausted, he nodded, getting to his feet. Mordred lay on the rooftop in front of him, lifeless, his hands stretched out to his side as he stared up at the sky. His soul hovered in the space just over his body, an orb of light so bright that it almost hurt to look at. Rei walked over to him and crouched down, passing his hand over Mordred's face and closing his eyes. Then he straightened up, casting out the net of his Soul Perception again.

It came easier this time, souls popping up at the edge of his awareness. He could feel Vayne and Clark and Cassie in the airship, Cori and Shelley and Angela quickly heading there. He could feel his and Ayame's parents together, heading towards them, could feel Shinigami. He couldn't feel Annie, which disturbed him in a way that he didn't have the energy to process now.

But he could feel Morgan. He could also feel, like a humming sound just off the edge of his hearing, the magic that had built up in the space around her, crammed in a space so small that it was ready to explode.

He looked back over his shoulder at Ayame, who was watching him expectantly, looking almost unsure of herself. One of her hands gripped her other arm tightly.

"We have to save Morgan," he said.

Ayame nodded, not saying anything else. Rei inclined his head towards Mordred's soul.

"Do you think a sorcerer's soul works like a witch's soul?" he asked.

"I don't think it matters at this point," Ayame said.

He thought back to the strength of the bond between them, the power that the stag had unlocked within her. Rei nodded. "You're probably right. But still, you should have it. It belongs to you."

"Mm," said Ayame, nodding her head. She reached out, her expression somber, and picked up the soul with both hands. Rei watched out of the corner of his eye as she held it close, as it sank into her. There was a flash of light as the soul vanished, and then it was gone.

He held his hand out towards her. His fingertips were stained with blood—Mordred's blood—but he didn't bother to clean them off. There was still work to be done.

"Think you have enough in you for one more?" he asked.

Ayame looked up at him, and he could see the weariness in her eyes as well, the exhaustion. But all of that faded, and the next thing Rei knew, her mouth was curling up in a ghost of a grin.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" she asked, clasping his hand.

Light surrounded her as she transformed, dark wings settling across his back.


The crystals were in the basement of the castle, embedded in the stone. Morgan ran as fast as she could down the steps, Quoth a dark shadow in the air above her. She could feel the power in the air coursing through her blood, a static charge against her skin. It was intoxicating, a pressure against her body and mind, and it hadn't even been released. There was so much here, enough power to turn this whole castle into a fireball. How had she not noticed this much strength building up in the castle? How had she not understood her grandmother's plan ahead of time?

Vayne would have alerted the DWMA, and they would leave as soon as they could, but it wouldn't be enough. The Morrigan controlled when to pull the trigger, and the DWMA's airship had no way of getting far enough away in time.

Not without help.

She leaped the last few steps, skidding to a stop in the space between the castle's four crystals. They towered over her on either side, hulking behemoths of glass and energy. Her eyes moved from one to the other, taking in their positioning, the spaces between them.

Above her, Quoth swooped down, landing on her shoulder. The raven folded his wings against his back, waiting. Morgan stretched out her hand towards the nearest of the crystals, muttering an incantation under her breath. Light crystallized in the air at her fingertips, forming a wall that stretched behind the crystal from floor to ceiling. She fixed that wall in her mind, stretching out her free hand to the crystal immediately opposite from it. Morgan muttered the same incantation under her breath, reaching for power. A second wall came into being, filling the space behind the crystal and essentially pinning her between them.

She grit her teeth. That was two crystals dealt with. The problem was that there were two more to go.

The energy contained in the crystals couldn't be blocked entirely, at least not by a witch as inexperienced as she was. No matter what she did her, detonation would be catastrophic. That energy was going to come out either way. But if it couldn't be stopped, it could at least be funneled, encouraged to go in one direction or another.

The airship was hovering along the side of the castle, so the energy from the crystals couldn't be safely dispersed in that direction. And down was out of the question, as it would severely damage a non-insignificant portion of the earth below. That left only one direction. Up. If she could redirect all that energy upwards, they might have a chance.

One caveat. She wasn't nearly skilled enough at magic to even attempt to do this sort of thing without being physically present, without being there to focus the barriers around herself. And once she formed that last barrier, she would be effectively locking herself in the room with the bomb. If she could even pull all of that off in the first place.

Quoth let out a loud caw, nipping at her ear and drawing her attention back to the present. Morgan winced, nodding.

"I know, I know," she said. "Worry about that later."

She fixed the second wall in her mind, then, holding her breath, moved her hand away from it to the third crystal, the one behind her. Eyes narrowed in concentration, she created a third wall, separating that crystal from the rest of the building.

One more, she thought, turning her eyes towards the last crystal. Once she sealed that off, she would be trapped in here. She thought of Vayne for an instant, thought of Rei and the others, of everyone she would be leaving behind, and felt a pang of regret, a sharp stab of fear. But it was worth it, wasn't it, to sacrifice herself here? If she didn't do it, they would all die. If that happened, she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

Morgan breathed deep, gathering up her courage, then shifted her right hand towards the fourth crystal, the one ahead of her. She exhaled, muttering the words of the incantation, the words that would seal her fate.

The fourth wall slid into place, violet light shimmering as a magic circle appeared on the floor beneath her feet, a barrier forming on the floor as well. As if on cue, the crystals began to hum, a sound that filled the air and set her teeth on edge. Light flared up from within them, a bright light all around her that was almost blinding. Morgan felt her heart pound as the magic in the air increased, sweat beading on her skin as her body reacted to the influx of power.

She focused on her breathing, pouring her power into the barriers on all sides of her, feeling suspended space between them as the crystals continued to hum and shake. There was too much power here. She was losing herself, losing her mind, losing her grip on reality.

Hold on, she told herself, her friends' faces appearing in her mind. Hold on just a little longer.

Rei and Ayame. Clark. Cassie. Vayne. They could have hated her when they found out her secret, could have revealed her to Shinigami immediately. But they hadn't. Cassie had accepted her, had become her partner, had covered for her. Rei, when he figured out the truth, had kept her secrets. And Ayame and Clark…and Vayne…

When they should have hated her, when they had every right to, they didn't. They befriended her, trusted her, made her feel like she belonged.

If she had ever belonged anywhere in her life, it had been with them.

For their sakes…she told herself, her head bowing against the power that surrounded her. For their sakes, she could hold on just a little bit longer.

Power crackled across her outstretched arms, so sharp that it burned. She choked back a cry, biting her lip as she struggled to stay upright.

Just a little bit more.

She could hold on just a little bit more.

"Caw!"

Morgan raised her head at the sound, her breathing labored from the strain of holding onto the barrier. Quoth had left his perch on her shoulder, and was standing on the ground before her, watching her with one beady eye. Her vision blurred. Quoth had been with her from the beginning. Her familiar. Her loyal companion. As far as she knew, he had been with her since she was born.

If she had one regret, it was that he had followed her in here, knowing what she was going to do. That she hadn't tried to stop him.

She opened her mouth to tell him that, but he cawed at her, silencing her. Then, before she could even wonder what had gotten into him, he spread his wings wide, flying at her face.

Light surrounded him, a bright white light that wrapped itself around her, easing some of the pressure against her skin. And in that light, Morgan heard a voice.

A woman's voice, one that made her breath catch in her throat, her heart aching with longing.

"Morgan…" the voice said, "…my Morgan. My dear, sweet child."

"Morgan…"

"Mother…" Morgan whispered brokenly.

A hand trailed down her cheek, brushing away her tears. She looked up, looked into that light, and thought she could see a face there. A woman, with dark hair like hers and pale skin like hers, with clear gray eyes. She had her hands cupped around something. It took Morgan a moment to realize it was a baby bird. A baby…Quoth.

"Be with her," the woman was saying, her voice soft. Her hands were moving over the fledgling in a curious motion, and Morgan realized that she was casting a spell, laying a working inside of the bird in her lap. "Protect her. I won't be able to, I can see that much. But someday, she'll have need of you. Protect her…"

Then the vision faded, and she was alone in a sea of light. Quoth was hovering in the air in front of her, all dark wings and shadow. She couldn't feel her spell anymore, couldn't feel the barriers she had laid down, but she knew they were still there, knew that the crystals were still pouring their power into the room.

Except they weren't hurting her anymore. She was no longer in pain.

Quoth was. She could see the strain in his body as he stood against the tide of magic, the last vestiges of her mother's spell hovering in the air around him. Morgan stared at him, realization hitting her like a splash of cold water. She shook her head, eyes wide.

"No," she said. "No, Quoth, no—."

Quoth cawed in reply, his eyes on her. She could feel the power in the room building, building to a crescendo, but still Quoth didn't move. Still he hovered in place, the magic fixed on him. Him instead of her.

"No," Morgan said, tears streaming down her face. "Don't do this. Let go, please. Let go."

Quoth stared at her, fixing her with those eyes, those black eyes that saw too much and said too little. Then he opened his mouth, letting out a soft, cooing sound. The raven looked away.

The magic exploded then, the crystals coming apart in a wave of light and power. It knocked Morgan off of her feet as it flooded the space, erasing the world.


A/N: A note on Rei and Ayame's technique names:

Zero Star: Rei and Ayame's second forms are collectively known as the Zero Star series (to contrast against Black Star and Tsubaki's 'Shadow Star'). 'Zero' comes from Rei, which aside from meaning 'ghost' or 'spirit', is also a homophone of the Japanese word rei, meaning 'zero'. Yeah, his name basically has all sorts of readings that mean 'empty' and 'out of sight'. 'Star' obviously comes from Ayame.

Zero Star, First Form: Requiem – A requiem is traditionally a Mass for the repose of the souls of the dead, but can also refer to a musical composition created for that ceremony. Requiem is also the name of Rei and Ayame's evolved kusarigama form, which is a standard scythe with a detachable blade that can come loose, and is attached to the shaft by a chain. The shaft itself can also come apart, becoming a three-piece staff, with the pieces linked by chains.

Zero Star, Zeroth Form: Nocturne – Brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department, Zero Star's base form is called Nocturne, which is a piece of music traditionally written to evoke the idea of nighttime. Nocturne is evolved form of the Cloak of Shadows, which has resonated with Rei's Grigori soul to become a set of bladed black wings.