Chapter 2: The Amazon, Part 2

Maka groaned and realized quickly that she was on dry, even ground. How did I get here? Where's Soul? She raised her head and winced. She felt her head and there was a small bump on the side. At least she wasn't not bleeding.

There was a clearing with dark forest surrounding her. A jagged, triangular monolith commanded the space in front of her. The sound of running water came on her right, where there was an old, heavily vined water fountain attached on the side. There was a low fog, but she was able to see the spreads of people walking slowly, aimlessly, and who seemed to be in a trance.

Maka got up and wobbled. Dizziness wasn't good. She slowly approached a middle-aged woman waved her left hand in front of her face. The woman gave no acknowledgment she was there and continued to walk away from her. Maka looked into her soul and saw that it was unharmed, but muted somehow. In fact, there were a lot more people here than she anticipated. Were these the missing people they were looking for?

She scanned the crowd for Soul and there were no signs of her partner. Nearly defenseless, her first priority is to contact Kid for back up and look for Soul. She searched her pockets for her emergency mirror. Opening her compact, she saw that it had spider-webbed cracks from however she got here. It'll do, she thought as she dialed Death's number.

While normally the dial tone was consistent, this time the ringing was slow and after a few beats, the mirror continued to show her reflection. After dialing three more times and no answer, she accepted her fate and the only thing she can do was find Soul and come back another day.

She coughed and she realized how thirsty she was. She eyed the fountain warily but went toward it to take her chances. Taking off her glove, she dipped her hand and scooped a handful up to eye level. It looked surprisingly clean, but she was still unsure. She debated the consequences of drinking foreign water for a minute before she saw a reflection in the water that wasn't her own.

Hello, Maka Albarn.

She jumped away from the fountain and assumed a defensive stance. How did she miss someone so close to her?

Don't be startled. The water is safe to drink if that's what you're wondering.

"Who are you?" she said.

A man sat on the edge of the fountain like he had been there all this time. He had long brown dreads that draped onto the ground and clothes that were worn down to rags. Rested at his side was a heavy looking staff with a rounded end with red jewel at the center. His face showed a young man and his body was well-built and dark. He had droopy eyes that were unfocused and cloudy. Was he blind?

Yes, child. I am blind.

Maka realized with dread that the voice came from inside her head. "How are you doing that?"

I am very old. As old as this forest.

"Why are you holding people hostage?" she demanded.

Your soul is brave for such a young person. Your partner is a lucky man.

She snarled, "How do you know about Soul? Where is he?"

He is lost, just as you are. His soul is noisy and strange. What an interesting partnership.

Maka wishes she had any sort of knife right now and damned herself for losing Soul in the middle of the Amazon. How was she going to get out of this?

The answer is simple: You don't.

The finality of that made her pause. "What makes you say that?"

You are trapped here forever. Until my time has come.

"What?" she said.

I must die here. And sacrifices must be made for that to happen.

The idea of Soul dying skims across her mind and she doesn't accept it.

He will be here soon and you both will die with me. I assure it.

/

Maka doesn't know how much time has passed and she tries to stay awake. She suspects she has a small concussion by the pressure near her head bump. Maka refused to drink the fountain water at first, but when she sees several missing villagers taking long sips from the shallow well, she took her chances and drank some. It was clean, yet it didn't make sense. Why keep people alive if the point of them was dying?

She deduced that she and the hostages must be living in order for him to die. But when she went back to the well to ask him he disappeared. She hadn't seen him since. He hadn't made any effort to speak to her again, either. What madness this is? Soul is still missing and she can only see so far with her soul perception without him. There was no communication for miles and it was getting dark. Her stomach growled feebly.

She has tried to walk out of the perimeter, but there seemed to be an invisible boundary from letting her exit anywhere outside the circle clearing. The fog hung eerily still around the monolith, despite not being a cloud in the sky. When night fell, the only light came from muted stars. Is this how Crona feels? Trapped in near darkness?

How will she get to Crona now? Without Soul? Maka was used to having solutions on hand to get her out of a sticky situation. But how can she when there was nothing to do?

For hours later, she tries to feel her way through soul perception and tries mirror communication several more times. When the sun broke and morning came, Maka collapsed from exhaustion. Soon the humidity of the Amazon made the trees fuzzy and the civilians into colorful figures. The last thing she heard was the sound of the buzzing forest and a faint melody from far, far away.

/

Maka. MAKA!

She turned around and saw Crona running toward her. She felt joy rush up into her chest. Maka took off running. The desire to hug them was strong.

"Crona! I've missed you so much!" she yelled out.

"Maka!" they cried.

She felt like she could soar. She couldn't believe it. Crona was here!

"Maka! You need…up!" Their face contorted

"What?" she said, her step faltering.

Crona came up to her and shook her by the shoulders. "You have to… wake up! You're in… danger!"

"What are you talking about? We're home, aren't we?" she said, trying to remove their hands from her.

"Wake up! You have to wake up! This isn't real! You're dreaming!"

"Wha—"

"Maka! Wake up! Wake up…"

"Maka?"

She gasped suddenly. It was like falling and she was on her back.

"Maka!"

It was then she noticed her partner above her. His wild white hair plastered onto his forehead and he had a cut on his chin. She felt his hand behind her head and she was suddenly crushed onto his shirt. It smelled like sweat, his faint cologne, and home. And it all came rushing back.

"Soul," she said and gripped his back tightly.

"Thank fuck," he said, and hugged her tighter. "I felt your pulse, but—" He loosened his grip to get a good look at her.

"I'm fine," she mumbled as he fussed over her. "How did you find me?"

"I was dragged here by a panther?"

"Huh?"

"I don't know. This place is fucking weird."

"There's a guy!" she said, memory rushing back. "I think he's a witch! He had a staff that looked like it does magic. And it was him who led all those missing people here!"

He gave her a strange look, "What people?"

Maka froze, filled with dread. She looked behind Soul and the field that used to be occupied by humans was void of souls. It was like they were never there. Fury ignited within her.

"We have to find him, Soul. There were innocent people and he took them all."

He knew that familiar fire in her eyes and there was no going back. So much for leaving. But she was right.

"What do you wanna do?"

"Expand my soul perception to find him. Sound good?"

"Yeah."

He maneuvers himself behind her and rests his forehead on her shoulder. Maka clasped one of her hands with his, straightened her back, and closed her eyes. She found her partner's soul waiting for her and they commenced resonance. With his energy and support, she willed her perception to expand wider and wider into the dark plain, and she saw so much wildlife. She felt how tired Soul was and regret spiked within her.

Don't worry about it, he told her. Focus on the mission.

But the Amazon seemed to be devoid of humans. Was it possible that the witch was using soul protect? Had he already eaten all the souls he'd gathered here? Was this a new Kishin in the making?

No I do not plan on being the next Asura.

Maka snapped out of her perception and there he was, right in front of them.

"Soul!"

"Right!"

Adrenaline coursed through her when Soul transformed. They formed a defensive position. The man had a serene expression and did not appear threatened by them. He sat on the fountain near the monolith, staff in hand. The gem on the staff head glittered with life.

"I won't ask you again. Who are you? And where did you take those civilians?" said Maka.

You may call me the Wizard. And your time has come. The humans that were here already have their place in my ascension. It won't be long now before you all help me leave this life and into the next.

"In the name of Lord Death, you have been judged as a threat to humanity," said Maka. "Your days are done, Wizard. Your soul is mine!"

She rushed up to him and when she swiped Soul for a killing blow, the Wizard vanished in place.

There's no need to fight. You will lose if I use my full power. He reappeared behind sliced through the air but he countered her attacks easily, using his staff to block blow by blow.

"Then come fight me like you mean it!"

I am saving my energy for the ceremony. It will consume all of me. There is no need to take my soul when I am willing to give it up.

"This voice in my head crap is getting old," Soul said. "Why do you need living souls to die? Why don't you just kill yourself and do us a favor."

That would be distasteful.

The Wizard leapt high in the air and rested himself at the highest point of the monolith. It was there he started chanting.

"Oh now he talks," Soul said.

"We have to get up there," Maka said.

"And attack with what? Have you thought about calling backup?"

"The mirror is dead," she said. "He must be blocking the signal somehow."

The Wizard raised his arms mid-chant and the ground began to shake.

"Maka!" Soul shouted, and eased himself into flight mode. Maka climbed on and kicked off hard and shot them towards the enemy.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Soul.

"We have to do something!" she yelled.

And it was then the pain started.

Maka screamed and she clutched her head. It was like something stabbed a thin knife between her ears. Soul howled in agony and was unable to keep his weapon form. The pair fell from high above and Soul could only clutch onto Maka's back, paralyzed in pain. She felt her chest thump violently and the feeling of being ripped at the seams. She tasted blood and her own vomit. Overwhelmed, the last thing she saw was the sky and an arm reaching towards her…

And with a loud bang, Maka was awake. The sound of busy people buzzed around her and she found that she was looking up at a tent canopy. She was on her back once again and this is the second time she found herself in a strange place. Maka tried to sit up but was pushed back down, gently.

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy girl. You're safe now," said a familiar voice.

It was Liz Thompson. She looked windswept in a tank, red plaid button down tied around her waist over cargo pants. "Hey Maka. You look really bad."

"Thanks?" she tried to say, but ended up hacking on a dry throat. A water bottle was shoved in her face and within a minute, she finished it. Weariness finally caught up with her body and Maka decided to take in her surroundings while laying down. Medics with Shibusen armbands rushed around the makeshift hospital treating various injuries. She spotted the middle aged woman from the field talking amiably with a male nurse. She was alive. In fact, it seemed that all of the missing people were in the tent with her. Except…

"Soul is right behind you if you're looking for him," Liz said. "He's still out cold though. Stein is around here somewhere, but he said he should be okay."

Her weapon looked fast asleep, drooling slightly. She peered at his soul, which looked worn down, but glowing and whole. She turned back to Liz who explained what happened after she passed out.

It was actually Tezca who alerted Shibusen of their whereabouts. The former Deathscythe thought it was strange when an unknown presence blocked an alert coming from South America, and after the few times Maka tried mirror contact, Tezca decided to inform Kid of this odd occurrence, to which Kid immediately sent Liz and Patti with reinforcements to Brazil with Tezca's guidance. The person who grabbed Maka and Soul mid-fall was Patti, having been practicing for months with her very own state-of-the-art Beezlebub while shooting with Liz in her other hand.

"It sucks that you two were so banged up. Patti looked so badass," Liz said.

"Aww, thanks Sis!"

Patti popped from behind her sister and waved, "Glad you're awake, Maka!"

"Thank you Patti, Liz," Maka thanked, but only half-heartedly. She thought about how this mission was a complete bust and they had to be rescued. What kind of meister was she? Maka missed the quick look shared between the Thompsons.

"Hey," Liz said, putting a hand on Maka's shoulder. "Everyone has a bad day at work. Don't beat yourself up about it, okay? You are a great meister."

"Yeah, Sis is right!" Patti chirped. "You did the best you could! Don't sweat it, Maks."

Maka nodded slightly and gave them a small smile, but she felt a twinge in her chest. It felt like the pain she felt from the fall. That reminded her.

"What happened to the guy? That Wizard person?" Maka asked.

The Thompson's expressions darkened. Liz crossed her arms and said, "Whatever spell he was casting, we interrupted that, but we had some difficulty restraining him. Somehow, Maaba and the witches got whiff of his magic and came to help. She's containing him with her magic right now. The coven has told us they can handle him, but we're kinda hesitant to leave in case something happens. I don't know what Kid wants to do either. I should call him soon, but the reception here is bad.

"In the meantime, we're gonna get you and Soul home ASAP and we'll be stationed here until Kid calls us back. So just chill out until the plane comes, okay?" Liz said, patting her shoulder.

"Okay," Maka said. She felt babied. She was dehydrated and tired and Maka envied the self-confidence the sisters had in themselves. Liz and Patti discussed what to do with dinner and left to get some for Maka. Her stomach growled and she ignored it by rolling on her side. Next time, she thought bitterly, I won't fail.