Maka played with the stem of a crocus flower restlessly, straining to remember how her mother had woven her flower crown. Her mother's hands had moved so swiftly and surely, she thought as one of the stems of her flowers broke in her hands.

Maka gritted her teeth, determined to get it right by the time she was found. She was so absorbed in what she was doing that she didn't realize until the hissing was ringing in her ears that it had returned, louder than ever.

Leaping to her feet, the flowers in her hands tumbled to the ground, spreading out in a mess of petals and leaves around her. She gaped in fear as what had to be the largest snake in the world slithered toward her, fangs that were as long as her arm bared at her.

Her heart lodged itself in her throat as she backed up, legs shaking. She fell with a yelp to the ground as her feet tangled in with each other. Frantically, she searched the ground for something that she could fight with.

Nothing but tufts of grass and flowers.

She staggered to her feet, balling her hands into fists.

If she was going to get eaten whole by a giant snake, she wasn't going down without a fight.

Soul came to with a groan, feeling like his head had been set on fire. He opened his eyes slowly, touching the stickiness that clung to his hair. His hand came back painted red. Huh, he was actually bleeding. That hadn't happened since he didn't know when.

He sat up with some difficulty, examining the blood with interest. A reflected gleam caught his eye and he picked up as a piece of his now broken scythe, lying strewn about him in pieces, his memories came back in full force.

Soul pushed himself to his feet, swaying for a moment as the world threatened to spin again. Gazing unhappily for a moment at his broken weapon, he tightened his grip on the shard he held and turned towards the forest.

He knew that he was in no condition to fight at all, that the best thing to do would be to summon Kid (whose ferrying services went beyond shepherding dead souls across the Styx) and save the fight for another day.

Still, he headed back into the trees, stubbornness propelling him forward.

"That's what they want you to do, you know," a voice chimed behind him.

Soul didn't turn to look at Melinoe, instead wending his way through the forest carefully, straining his ears for any sign of the snake. Apophis' trails from before and after their skirmish mixed with each so he couldn't tell which was which.

"Didn't you hear me?" Melinoe's voice lost its whimsical and carefree tone. "You don't even know where you're going!"

Soul paused, feeling the anger and fear in her words. He looked down at her.

Her red eyes were wide, bone-white skin sticking out against the black robe she wore more than usual. She looked exhausted.

"Is he bullying you?" Soul asked quietly.

"What?" Melinoe asked mockingly, crossing her arms tightly around her middle. "Of course not. You just locked your madness inside me, that's all."

"That was a mistake," Soul said, feeling the guilt wash over him as he began to walk again. "The biggest one of my life. I can't change it."

"And now, I'm forced to live with the consequences," Melinoe said bitterly, striding ahead.

She stopped suddenly. "You know what? Do what you want!"

Melinoe disappeared without another word.

Soul stared at the spot where she had stood, open-mouthed. Never before had he seen Melinoe so angry. He'd known that Ogre took a toll on her but he hadn't thought it was this bad.

Reaching inside his robe's pocket, he felt for the skull ring that Kid had gifted him back when Soul first became god of the Underworld.

He was about to slip it on when he heard the scream. He froze, listening hard. The scream rang out again.

Well, it wasn't really a scream. It sounded more a cry, angry and determined.

He only hesitated for a moment before shoving the ring back into his pocket, dashing off deeper into the forest.

As he ran forward, a curious feeling came over him, like what he was going through wasn't real. Maybe it was the bump on the head but his entire reality felt out of focus. He felt like he was moving through quicksand, going nowhere.

He burst into through a stand of trees, a horrifying sight meeting his eyes. In the middle of a meadow, Apophis slithered menacingly, head reared back and mouth open to strike. His eyes were focused on something just in front of him. Soul traced his pointed gaze and felt shock bring his world back into sharp reality.

The girl that stood in front of him had to be a goddess. Her porcelain skin shone with radiance despite her mussed up robe, determination burning in her verdant eyes. She faced the snake with her hands raised in fists.

Soul took a few steps forward, unsure of what he was going to do. He opened his mouth.

"Hey!"

Her eyes, fixed on the snake, broke away suddenly and latched onto Soul. Her jaw went slack as she took in the sight of Soul, hands dropping down to her waist.

Apophis made his move then, striking suddenly. She dodged just in time, running towards Soul. He rushed forward to meet her. The girl nearly crashed into him, skidding to a stop.

"How do we fight it?" she asked breathlessly.

Behind them, Apophis gave a loud hiss as he swiveled his head around, spying the two instantly.

Soul let out a hollow laugh and reached inside of his pocket, pulling out the ring. "We don't."

Her eyes widened. "Then, how-?"

"Come with me?" He held out his hand.

The girl hesitated. "I-"

She glanced behind her at the charging snake. Her eyes widened in fear for an instant and then they narrowed determinedly.

"Yes!" She grabbed his hand, her warm hand encircling Soul's cooler one.

Soul slipped on the ring.