Maka blinked blearily, confused as to where she was. How had the castle become a small wooden cabin with a thatch roof again? Lying in bed between the slightly-scratchy sheets, she considered getting up, but the leaden feeling in her bones and the looseness of her muscles discouraged the girl. If her body was so against waking up, maybe it was for the best... She curled up and twisted a bit as another headache hit her, only amplifying the feeling that her throat was made of sandpaper. Footsteps echoed through the room, inducing Maka into rolling over; the girl half expected the mysteriously white haired man in her after-sickness haze. Instead, it was Crona, which somehow disappointed Maka, which then worried her, because for what earthly reason was she disappointed to see a friendly face instead of her captors?
"H-how are you f-feeling today M-Maka?" they stammered, passing the girl a cup of chilly water, the iciness soothing her throat.
"Tired," Maka groaned, "but also awake enough to be bored."
"Oh, I'm s-sorry. D-do you maybe want to g-go for a walk? M-maybe that'll make you wake up more and feel b-better?"
Maka's sand-crusted eyes started to narrow - Crona hadn't stuttered this much in a long time. Had something happened while she was asleep? Was there something wrong that Maka didn't know about? Shaking her head, she pushed the ridiculous thoughts away. If there was anything seriously wrong, Crona would tell her, surely. They were good friends and had been for a long time, after all. Pushing herself out of bed, Maka felt Crona's thin arms help support her. Thanking them, she stepped forward on her own, trying to assess how well her motor skills were working. Luckily, Maka could walk straight and her legs weren't exceptionally weak, leading her to deem Crona's idea of some fresh air and exercise a good one, since the breeze was already dispelling her headache. What harm could come, at any rate? If she grew too tired, the pair could always take a break.
It wasn't long before the two were walking through the fields, the dirt path dusty and uneven. Maka had to watch her feet to make sure she didn't trip on a rock or twist her ankle in a pothole. The golden fields towered on either side of them, making the tiny road feel like part of a labyrinth, shadows dappling their faces as the two wound through the maze. Suddenly, the pair emerged out of the wheat fields on top of a hill, the view opening up to reveal a wide expanse of forest below them, the sun shining brightly in the sky among puffy white clouds on a bright blue expanse. The trees shone a thousand different shades of green, from mantis to emerald to fern, and the fields behind the pair rippled in the breeze like waves, the golden sheen flowing and changing constantly. Maka's loose hair flew around her face as the girl laughed, delighted with the sheer beauty of the world and her regained freedom.
She turned to Crona to share her delight, to see if they were as happy as she was, only to be met with their aggrieved face. "Crona? What's wrong?" They seemed about ready to cry as Maka gently reached out and touched their shoulder, sensing that hugging them wouldn't help right now.
"I'm sorry Maka, but this must be done," Crona cried, pulling a sword out from under their cloak, making her wonder just how she had missed such a huge weapon before, and how Crona's weedy arms could lift it, let alone wield the monstrosity with any sort of dexterity.
As they advanced towards her, Maka watched in shock, frozen with bewilderment and confusion. What were they going to do? Try to kill her? Even if they were friends?
"Wait, Crona, stop," begged Maka, dancing away from them; this time she was the one who stammered. "We can talk through this, just give me a chance!"
"I wish it didn't have to be this way, but Mother told me the truth! Believe me, it'll be better this way. You won't have to suffer anymore!" they replied regretfully, saddened that Maka was fighting against them. "Just let this happen easily, it'll be much more painless."
Maka turned and ran, long legs and a head start giving her the lead as Crona chased after her. As she raced down the paths, each breath stabbing her lungs, Maka frantically searched for anything that could be used as a shield or weapon. Even a large enough rock or a branch would help, considering that right now she had nothing. As she turned a corner, the blonde's mouth dropped open and she nearly fell down as she saw the white-haired man racing towards her, a scythe of all things in his hands. To her shock, the man completely ignored her, instead twisting around the corner and running past her towards Crona, though he had clearly seen her.
Stumbling to a halt, Maka turned and looked back, moving closer to the corner to watch when a whole swath of golden corn suddenly disappeared and the sound of clashing blades rang through the fields. To her shock, the man and Crona were fighting fiercely, scythe and sword meeting every few seconds with a tremendous clang. When had Crona learned to fight like this? What was the man doing here?
Heart in her throat, Maka watched the battle, nails digging into her palms until the skin cut and bled. The wetness on her hands startling her out her terror, Maka realized she couldn't just let the man fight her battles, no matter how scared she was now. She turned and clambered up the small that separated the fields from the path, ignoring the pain in her palms, carefully navigating through the wheat until she was behind Crona. She watched through the stalks, timing each attack and defense until Maka was sure she wouldn't miss. Terrified, but taking a leap of faith, Maka jumped out of the corn, tackling Crona to the ground and sending them both tumbling. Falling head-over-heels, the blonde crashed into the wall and groaned in pain. To her terror, Crona seemed to quickly regain their balance and with the gigantic, pitch-black sword in hands, they loomed over her.
"You could've just allowed me to kill you, none of this trouble was necessary," they sighed, eyes quiet and sad as they brought their arm up in preparation to slice. Maka twisted to the side, feet scrabbling for purchase, shock freezing her when she looked back at just the right moment.
A violent slash of white and black made the world explode in red, the color dripping into the sky and staining the universe crimson before Maka's very eyes.