"I wonder what's really going on," Maka told Soul after the third day of training. She and her friends had been training late that day; the sun was setting behind the academy. "Shouldn't they have found the Keshen by now?"
"It's undetectable," Soul said. "Sneaky monster. Based on how we've been training the last few days, I think this Keshen just might be more than what they've been telling us."
"Think about it, Soul," Maka said. "When Bernkastel saved us, she killed the witch without breaking a sweat; she didn't need her magic. If she needs to train with her wings, then…."
"Are you saying the Keshen could be made from an Endless Witch?" Soul gasped.
Maka was about to nod, but she froze in place, her eyes widening in fear and pain. She threw her head back and screamed, collapsing to her knees.
"Maka!" Soul yelled, kneeling beside her. "What's the matter with you?"
"I've never… felt such strength… from a soul wavelength… like this… before…" Maka whispered, trembling. She put her head down. "Soul, it's coming."
Endless Keshen; Can Bernkastel Stop Him?
"Maka! Maka!" the others cried, running towards her.
"Maka, what's wrong?" Stein asked. Maka got somberly to her feet.
"Soul," she summoned. Her partner nodded and transformed into a black and red scythe. "The Keshen is coming. I think it was created from an Endless Witch."
Stein nodded. "I feel it too. If you don't want to fight, you should get out now."
"Tsubaki," Blackstar said.
"Come on, Liz, Patti," Kid said, holding his hands out. The sisters nodded and transformed. Stein grinned at them.
"Does anyone know where Bernkastel is?" Maka asked slowly, not facing them.
"She's speaking with Lord Death and Spirit," Stein answered. "They should be joining us shortly."
The distant footfalls of a running Keshen were heard through the deathly silent night. They drew closer and closer. The others tensed, preparing themselves for clash. Maka stole a glance at Blackstar, who nodded to her, and then at Kid.
"Soul's about to play. You ready?" Maka asked. Their wavelengths began expanding, reaching out to one another in a way that they had strived to perfect last year. They knew that they would need it for this battle. The footfalls faltered, and a scream echoed through the darkness, followed by a heavy drafting sound. They saw two long iron seals carry a body over one of the rooftops.
The Keshen landed on all fours in front of them, a dead body hanging from his mouth. He was actually smaller than most Keshens; he was still human size. He turned his head up sharply, glaring at them with piercing red eyes. He got to his feet, wiping the blood from the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand and grinning psychotically. With a wave of his hand, a strong spell cut through the group. Maka turned her shoulders, charging at him as the first erratic notes of Soul's piece floated through the air. The Keshen deflected her attack, throwing her to the side. His wings moved at a rapid pace to shield a collection of bullets fired at him. He bent backwards at an impossible angle to avoid getting cut in half.
"There's just no hitting this guy, is there?" Blackstar demanded.
"Focus, Blackstar," Maka said. "If we regroup, we can probably—!" She stopped running as the Keshen turned to her. She drew up short; his soul wavelength had changed.
"His soul looks," she thought. "Human… and sad…."
"Maka, move!" Soul yelled. Maka snapped out of her trance and fell to the ground just before one of the Keshen's seals reached out to stab her. The wing retracted and the Keshen took to the sky.
"My soul hurts you," he said in a smooth, insane voice. "Doesn't it?"
"Shut up," she growled, regaining her footing. She lunged forward, and Soul's blade reformed into the Technicolor tool for their Keshen Hunter attack. Tsubaki transformed into an Enchanted sword, and Liz and Patti began forming a Death Canon.
Bernkastel ran out to the schoolyard and froze. Her teal eyes widened as she took in the Endless Keshen. Her wings burst out of her back and she tore across the sky; she pushed Maka to the ground. Maka inhaled, trying to recover from the unexpected blow, surprised that Bernkastel would attack her like that.
"Bernkastel!?" she demanded. Her allies paused in their attacks as well.
"Stay out of this, Maka," Bernkastel snarled, shooting into the sky again. She crossed her wings, attacking the Keshen. He mirrored her, and together, they created a symmetrical dance out of their fight.
"I'm surprised to see your face here," the Keshen growled.
"I guess I'm just sporadic like that," Bernkastel retorted, casting a destruction spell in his direction. "Why are you doing this? I thought you were dead and you just show up as a Pre-Keshen?!"
The Keshen froze, his eyes softening momentarily as he allowed the spell to hit him. He wavered in the air for a second.
"Dead?" he demanded. "DEAD? You abandoned me and you have the nerve to lie to me, saying you thought I was dead?!"
He lunged at her, pushing her down onto the roof of the DWMA. Her head hung over the edge, and he put one of his seals under her chin.
"Are you afraid?"
"Of what? I'm best friends with Death," she replied.
"Liar!" he threw her off the roof. She turned in the air and shot towards the sky. He followed heatedly.
"You're afraid," she said as they crossed blades again. "Aren't you?"
"I'm not," he lied. His eyes held conflicting emotions; fear, pain, anger. "You will not kill me. I want to live… forever."
Bernkastel pulled away and composed a silver stake out of nothing. With a teal flash, the weapon shot forward and stabbed through his stomach. He whimpered in pain, crossing his seals in front of him. The witch lunged at him, clashing her wings with his sharply. Bernkastel put one of her hands on their crossed seals, steadying herself as she reached her other hand over the iron wings to touch the boy's face. His red eyes melted from hosting anger to holding fear.
"I don't want to die," he whispered, tears pouring down the sides of his face. "Sis… I don't want to die."
"Kanon," she sighed.
Kanon's seals evaporated in red flecks and he went limp in Bernkastel's arms. A bright teal, red, and blue light emanated from the pair as they were reunited once again. Bernkastel carried the unconscious witch with care to the stone ground and set him down.
Lord Death, Maka, Blackstar, Kid, with their weapons, ran towards the two, but Bernkastel stepped in front of Kanon's body and put her arms out defensively. The others hesitated, and she raised her head.
"If you lay a finger on him, I swear I'll kill you," she snarled. Maka gritted her teeth. Was she betraying them after all? Bernkastel straightened and lifted the Keshen in her arms. He was so scrawny that his weight was nothing for her. She began to walk calmly towards the school, pausing to exchange a meaningful look with Lord Death. She continued walking inside until she reached Stein's office, where she laid Kanon on the bed. She turned to the others, who had followed her.
"You can't kill him," she said. Lord Death was surprised; she'd never shown signs of weakness or fear towards anybody; she just wasn't that kind of person. "Please, Lord Death! If you need a soul to atone for the sins committed, by all means, take mine!" She inhaled sharply as a crystalline tear slid down her face. She lowered her head in submission. "Not his."
The god of death reached his hand forward, and Bernkastel became rigid. He put his hand on her head gently, comfortingly; the witch looked up in hopeless confusion.
"I owe you," he said. The others stared at him with their mouths agape.
"Seriously?" Maka demanded.
"Since you saved Kid's life, I am willing to give this Keshen a chance. If he can be reformed, I won't kill him. However, if he can't, I will turn the responsibility over to you. I think you can handle that."
Bernkastel exhaled and nodded, sinking to her knees in relief. Her face became serious and she raised her head.
"I have… a lot to explain to you," she said.
What does she want to tell them? Hm… maybe Soul can finally find out about that mysterious past of hers, you think? The end of this chapter! Yay! Stay tuned/subscribed/all else to keep reading!