Episode Eighteen
The Reaper Dethroned, What Is Left For Us Now?
A sound soul
Dwells within a sound mind
And a sound body
"Excellent work, Liir," Chandra praised. Liir snapped a glare and, his face twisted in a snarl.
"Shut up, Chandra! I am in control of this situation now. Everyone just be real still and listen to me, okay?" Liir snapped. There was a solid four or five seconds of silence; he had their attention.
Good.
"First of all, Chandra. What is it exactly that you are planning to do? I am tired of being treated like an outsider. None of this would be possible without me so out with it! What are you going to do?"
"That's all that you wanted? It's really not necessary to get all upset about it Liir. I am going to use the Alchemizer to make a magical black hole and swallow every soul in Death City—including the Grim Reaper's," Chandra said.
"You're willing to kill everyone in an entire city just to kill the Grim Reaper?" Liir asked.
"Collateral damage," she replied dismissively, "a means to an end."
"You're crazier than I thought. I can't let you do that," Liir said resolutely.
"I beg your pardon?" she asked, her turn getting more and more fiery.
"You heard me. I'm not okay with that plan and I won't let you get away with it. You want to kill the Reaper? Fine! Kill the Reaper. There is no need for so many innocents to die because of your vendetta," Liir shot back.
"What makes you think you can stop me?" Chandra asked.
"I have the key to the Alchemizer. You can't operate the tool without it. And I'm not going to give it to you," Liir said. Chandra began with a chuckle and her laughter escalated into hysterical laughter.
"You are so simple and naïve. Do you think for one second I would make a plan this daring with even the slightest chance that it would not succeed? After you retrieved the key and locked it in the vault, I switched it out for a fake months ago. The key has never left my side," Chandra said. Liir's eyes went wide. This sounded like something that Chandra would do. He reached into a pouch in his cloak and looked at the key.
"This—is a fake?" he asked looking down at it. He looked over at Chandra and saw that she reached into the folds of her dress and produced a similar-looking device. She waved it in the air tauntingly.
"What you have is a worthless trinket, nothing more. I'm glad that it went down this way though. Really! Now I know where your true loyalties lie," Chandra taunted. Liir was stunned. He thought he was holding all of the cards and now the rug had been pulled from beneath his feet.
"Chandra! There must be another way! There's no need for so many people to die! Our grief is with the Grim Reaper, not these people," Liir pleaded.
"I really don't understand where this change of heart came from, Liir. It's not going to do you any good. You've just made the biggest mistake of your entire life. If you think for one second you're going to find solace in the world out there, guess again! The world is full of people that hate you just because you exist. This Academy raises up soldiers that have but one mission: to kill you and devour your soul.
"My coven has taken you in, fed you, clothed you, trained you and this is how you repay us? Betrayal! Weakness!" Chandra shot back.
"You make is sound like you took me in but that's not true. I'm a slave and you know it. The only reason you put up with me as long as you did is because I am a Witchblade. If it weren't for that, I would be dead a long time ago," Liir replied.
"That's probably true," she sneered, "so be thankful you are a Witchblade. Now Liir, I may be angry at you but I do possess the capacity for forgiveness. Kill that Reaper boy there and help us finish what we set out to do and I will forgive you just this once. How does that sound?"
Liir looked at the helpless Reaper on the end of his spell and began to give it consideration. He had only just begun to mull the idea around in his head before there was a bright flash and he felt his body smack against the floor of the Death Room.
"What's wrong with them?" Vyse asked, staring at his professors. The three faculty members were motionless and standing in front of the entrance to the Death Room completely still. He rested his hand on his chin and eyed them with curiosity.
"It's a spell called, 'Shadow Stitch.' Liir uses it to hold his victims in place. It usually wears off in a couple of minutes," Tsarevich replied.
"So they can hear us?" Vyse asked, eyebrows mischievously raised.
"Yes they can hear you. Their souls and bodies are bound to their shadows; they're not dead," Tsarevich replied. He wondered if Vyse was planning trouble.
"Can you learn a technique like this? Binding people's souls to their shadows?" Vyse asked.
"Doubtful. It's a spell powered by Witch magic, remember? Last time I checked I was a Meister, not a Witch," Tsarevich shot back.
"I was just asking…sheesh!" Vyse said, throwing his hands up defensively.
"I'm sorry, it's just that we've been here for about ten minutes and they're still stuck this way. The last time Liir used this spell on the professor it wore off fairly quickly. We can't afford to just stand here and wait for it to wear off," Tsarevich said.
"And we also can't afford to do this without their help. Do you hear the commotion going on in there?" Vyse asked, pointing to the Death Room. Tsarevich nodded and looked grimly at the door. He could hear the sounds of shouts, clanging steel and gunshots coming from just inside. He turned his soul perception on to see if he could glean some more information from the situation. As he feared, the display of colliding souls was as chaotic to behold as listening from outside. All of them were engaged in battle with Witch or Warlock souls except for one.
Liir.
"So what are we going to do?" Vyse asked.
"If I can hit Liir with an anti-magic wavelength it should break the spell," Tsarevich said.
"You really want to go in there? It sounds like a warzone," Vyse replied.
"I have another idea that might work, but I'm not for sure," Tsarevich said.
"What's that?" Vyse asked.
"I think that I might be able to hit them with an anti-magic wavelength and break the spell. The reason it might work is because the spells are attached to their souls just like with Chandra," Tsarevich explained.
"Couldn't you injure them if you hit them with your wavelength?" Vyse asked.
"I could, but I could also adjust my wavelength so that it is as similar to theirs as possible, maybe even match it entirely. The worst that could happen is that they stay stuck and then we go with plan B," Tsarevich determined.
"Which is?" Vyse asked.
"Go into the Death Room, find Liir, and hit him my wavelength—and then put an end to him once and for all," Tsarevich explained.
"You sure you're ready for that?" Vyse asked.
"I'm ready. Here goes nothing," Tsarevich said. He closed his eyes and looked at the three souls before him. Marie's was the simplest, as he oftentimes found Weapon souls to be. Professor Aurion's was complicated, but he had seen it enough times that he had come to understand it. Stein's soul was an entirely different matter. He could only think of two words to describe it: precarious and ominous.
"I'm going to start with you, Miss Marie. I think that I have matched your wavelength so this shouldn't be too uncomfortable," Tsarevich said.
"Soul Pulsar!"
Marie gasped and suddenly began to move around. She looked frightened and bewildered as Tsarevich imagined anyone frozen in place would feel.
"Good! It worked. Alright, give me a minute and I am going to do the same for Stein and Aurion," Tsarevich said.
"I'm so glad you came along when you did. I thought I was going to be frozen there forever!" Marie exclaimed with a sigh of relief.
"Stand aside. I'm going to free Professor Aurion next," Tsarevich announced. He performed his attack again, and just like Marie, Professor Aurion jolted to life as soon as Tsarevich made contact with him. He did the same with Professor Stein and was ready to admit that he was glad that there were teachers and more experienced fighters present now. He knew that it would hurt Vyse's pride, but the two of them were in way over their heads.
"Thank you, Tsarevich," Stein said, twisting the bolt in his head, "I cannot tell you how annoying it was to be frozen in place like that. It's enough to drive one mad." Marie stepped over next to him and hooked her arm into his free one. The look on her face told Tsarevich that she was worried. He had heard rumors of Stein's susceptibility to the Madness. He seriously hoped that he would not have to witness it firsthand.
"Alright, now what?" Vyse asked. He sounded like he was a little anxious.
"Merios, Marie and I will go on ahead to balance the scales in the Death Room—from the looks of things, they're going to need our help," Stein said, giving his bolt a final twist.
"What about us?" Vyse asked.
"The two of you should probably meet up with the rest of your classmates outside or help to make sure the citizens of Death City are evacuated. We still don't know exactly what Chandra has planned," Professor Aurion said.
"I'm sorry, Professor but that's not going to happen. We're going in there with you. Don't try to stop us. You'll waste precious time that could be used focusing on our enemies. You need every capable Meister at your disposal there, and with my anti-magic wavelength, I can help make sure that Liir doesn't pull that stunt again," Tsarevich said resolutely. All eyes were on him, most of them wide with surprise.
"Alright, let's go," Professor Aurion said.
"That's it? You're just gonna let us go? You're not even the least bit worried about our safety? What kind of teacher are you? You're supposed to at least try to talk me out if!" Tsarevich began to rant.
"You said not to try to stop you, and that it would waste time," Professor Aurion said.
"Yeah, now look who's wasting time," Vyse snickered. Tsarevich fumed.
"Fine! You're right; let's do this. There's a huge chance that we're all going to die anyway. We might as well go down fighting," Tsarevich said.
"Now you're speaking my language," Vyse said.
"Come on, you two! You're lagging behind!" Stein called back. He and Marie had already opened the doors and were on their way into the Death Room. She had transformed into her hammer form. Professor Merios was not too far behind them.
"You ready, Vyse?" Tsarevich asked.
"Ready!" he said, and transformed into a katar. Tsarevich caught him in mid-air, fitted the Weapon to his left fist.
"Our target is the Witchblade. That's it. We're not going to worry about anything or anyone else in there. He's not getting away from us this time," Tsarevich said, running down the hall to the Death Room, trying to catch up to the long-legged professors in front of him.
"I couldn't agree more," Vyse said darkly.
"Tsubaki, this is getting really old really fast," Black Star complained, speaking with his mind to his Weapon.
"Don't do anything brash, Black Star! The Witchblade has Kid in a vulnerable position. One wrong move and he could die!" she warned.
"You think I don't know that? Come on, Tsubaki! It's us we're talking about. We won't make the wrong move," Black Star insisted.
"The last time you said that you cut a seal instead of a syringe and the Kishin Ashura woke up," Tsubaki pointed out.
"That's why I'm not going to miss. Tsubaki! Shuriken mode!" he said. As she transformed he heard footsteps from behind. He could only hope they were friendly, but he didn't have time to care anymore about it. He allowed his soul wavelength to flood into his Weapon and she looped it back to him again and again, adding to it her own strength.
He fixed his eyes on the target: the magic between the Witchblade's arm and Kid's chest. It was a narrow target, but he was throwing a large enough projectile he was certain he could hit it.
"Ready, Tsubaki?" he asked.
"Ready!" she replied.
And with that he hurled the shuriken through the air, curving it around the targets, both friend and foe, at the stream of magic that held his friend and ally in place. It flew soundlessly through the air and seemed to for an eternity. Black Star kept his hand poised for the follow-through, and his eyes fixed on his target to make sure that he hit his mark.
From the corner of his eye he saw a young Meister dashing across the Death Room, his Weapon in hand, running full-speed for the Witchblade. The thrown shuriken severed the magic tied to Kid and he fell to the ground. Just as this happened, the Meister that Black Star now recognized as one of the students in his Advanced Martial Arts class planted his palm deeply into the Witchblade's solar plexus.
"Soul Pulsar!"
No matter how familiar he became with the pain, it never made it any less overwhelming. Liir could see everything in slow motion unfold before his eyes. He could see Tsarevich with a determined look slowly transforming into a smile of victory. He could see the blood escaping from his mouth from who knows how serious an internal injury. The power that came from deep inside of his soul that allowed him to use magic faded. His arm slowly transformed from a gunblade back into its regular form and he knew right away that he would not be able to transform again any time soon—if he even survived.
He smashed against the floor, bouncing his head a few times and saw stars. The world was spinning like an out-of-control carousel though he was lying face down on the white floor of the Death Room. He coughed again and sent crimson ribbons of blood splashing out before him. The rest of it, mingled with saliva, began to trickle out of his mouth and collect in a small pool beneath him.
He didn't try to get up. He didn't try to move. He didn't try to say anything or to face his assailant. The only thing that he could do is lay there, try not to pass out or slip into the darkness. He thought instead about the path that he had taken and where it had led him. For so long he had been Chandra's lapdog, hating the Reaper and his minions because that is what he was taught. He was saddened to discover the same blind hatred towards witches.
So much hate.
Blind ignorant hate based upon what kind of soul people had and what they could do with those souls. All these people still entangled in a feud that started hundreds of years ago. It was all so pointless. He had finally chosen his own path and paid for it with his life, but that was okay. He would rather die for what he believed was right than Chandra, or Lord Death, or anyone for that matter. Peace might be a lofty ideal, but it was one worth dying for, he decided. Maybe he would find peace in the afterlife that he could not find in this one.
It could not have worked more perfectly—her plan, that is. Chandra could not help the smile that crossed her face when she saw the young Meister she had fought in the hall deal a crippling blow to Liir. The key to the tool dropped from his hand and clanged to the floor. She had lied, you see, hoping against hope that Liir would cast the key to the side. It was she who had the replica, and he who had the real thing.
What was better than that was all eyes were on Liir and the little Meister. None of them saw her walk gingerly over to the key on the floor and pick it up. None of them seemed to notice as she inserted the key into the device. None of them seemed to notice the magic surge in the air as she began the spell.
It was the most powerful spell that she knew. She had never cast it before because it required more magic than even she, a coven leader, had possession of. But the Alchemizer would change all of that. It whirled to life in her hands, glowing with an aquamarine aura. It opened to reveal a place for someone's hand to go and she quickly pressed hers to it.
It was a remarkable device, the Alchemizer. Someone needed only the slightest magical ability and a basic understanding of what it did in order to operate it. She named her spell, said the words necessary to cast it, teaching the tool the spell in a sense. Then she need only name the types of matter it was to convert into magic and it would do the rest itself. She named hydrogen, her favorite element (because of its flammable properties) and she put it into motion.
She was almost disappointed that it had been so easy. She was expected to have to overcome obstacles that would bring her to the end of herself. Instead, one little Meister provided exactly the distraction she needed to accomplish her goal. It was about this time that the others had taken notice to what she had done.
"What's happening?" Merios demanded as the room began to resound and reverberate with a loud, humming noise.
"She's activated the Alchemizer. Quick! We have to destroy it before the spell fires up!" Stein said pointing. He held Marie in her hammer form tightly in his hand as he dashed towards the device. He didn't get far before a Witch struck a surprise blow to his face and sent him tumbling backwards.
"Oh no you don't! We've worked to hard to let you stop us now!" the Witch said. Merios saw several outcomes unfold before him and he knew exactly what he needed to do next—the last thing his opponent would expect.
He pretended to come at the Witch head-on and she threw a jab powered with fiery witch magic at his face. He took hold of her wrist, the flames sizzling his skin, and yanked her forward and twisted her around like he would a dance partner. He positioned his hands around her head and twisted until he heard her neck break with a sickening snap.
He was not the only on trying to get to the Alchemizer. Black Star had retrieved Tsubaki in shuriken mode, transformed her into the Enchanted Sword mode and was currently slicing his way through several foes, trying to get to the Alchemizer. All that stood between Lord Death was Chandra he unleashed an onslaught of flaming attacks to keep him at bay. He was gaining ground slowly by slicing through the attacks with his Death Scythe Soul Eater.
Stein must have been somewhere behind him, but Merios kept pushing forward. He noticed briefly that Tsarevich was helping Kid to his feet before having to roll away and shield himself from a spell aimed for his head. The fight was never more brutal and never more important than right now. As time stretched on, Merios saw less and less possible outcomes in which someone reached the tool in time to deactivate it and the situation became increasingly bleak.
He stopped fighting when all of the possible outcomes narrowed down to one and looked mournfully at the device as it collapsed within itself and the magical black hole appeared. Starting from the size of a single atom and growing in seconds to the size of a basketball. All of the fighting stopped as they all looked towards their growing doom.
The Grim Reaper beheld the magical black hole and knew at once what must be done. With every ounce of power he had, he enclosed the magical black hole with a barrier of energy that drew its power from his very soul. It wouldn't last more than a few minutes, but it would buy them time to escape. There was no hope for him. What was done was done. For eons he had protected this world and finally he faced his owned demise. He would be damned before he would allow those he cared for most to suffer his fate. He tossed his Weapon, Soul Eater to the side and focused on his task: delaying the inevitable.
"Lord Death, what are you doing?" Soul demanded, taking his human form. Chandra's laughter from across the room taunted him and made his blood boil. All he knew is that the magical black hole was being held at bay.
"That's an awfully valiant effort, Reaper, but you know as well as I do that even you do not have enough power to stop that spell," she said.
"He's holding the spell at bay, but even he will only be able to postpone it for a few minutes," Stein explained.
"All of you get out of here! You have to get out of the city!" Lord Death pleaded. None of them had ever heard him sound so serious and so desperate. His voice had changed from its usually jovial tone to one deep and booming.
"Father, no! We can't leave you!" Kid pleaded.
"You have to! You have to go! It's too late for me, but if you hurry the rest of you can escape!" he replied. As he spoke, Chandra blew a hole through the top of the Death Room, providing means for her and her minions who had survived the battle to flee. Kid fired bolts of his wavelength through his Weapons, but it was to no avail. They disappeared through the opening and were out of range in seconds.
"Father, no!" Kid continued.
"We knew this time would come one day, Kid, where you would have to take the mantle that has rested on my shoulders for generations. Never let my legacy die. You must keep trying to achieve balance in this world. Do not let evil prevail," Lord Death said. Kid drew closer, tears streaming from his eyes.
"No!" was all that he could manage between sobs.
"I am proud of you, son, and of the Reaper that you have become. You're the last of our kind. Take my place as Lord Death and carry on from here. I know that you have what it takes. You're not alone either. You have loyal friends who will make sure that the principles that this Academy was founded upon stand firm," Lord Death said.
"C'mon, Kid. We have to go," Soul said, taking his friend by the arm. He pulled it away and stepped closer to his father.
"There must be another way!" Kid said frantically.
"There is no other way. The longer we stay here, the less likely we are to survive. This spell will swallow Death City whole," Merios said regretfully. How could he have let something like this happen? How could he not have foreseen this?
"I charge all of you to never forget what you learned here, and to teach others what you have learned. Serve my son as you have served me. Now, go! Go!" Lord Death roared with such authority, that even in the circumstances they began to obey. They had to tug Kid kicking and screaming from the Death Room. They scattered, each taking the route they could travel the fastest.
Tsarevich may have been the only one who noticed, but he saw that Liir was no longer lying on the floor of the Death Room. Either the Witches from his coven had taken him or he had already escaped. As much as it disturbed him, he didn't have time to dwell on it now.
The few Weapons and Meisters left from Death City watched from afar as a magical black hole radiating from the Death Room at the top of the Academy swallowed the city. Buildings broke apart, splintering like wood and swirled to the center of the mass. Hundreds of souls still stuck in the city were extinguished in an instant as the very foundation crumbled to dust and was consumed. The spell came to the edge of the city and stopped before it faded like a mirage in the desert and all that left of the place that they had called home for years was a massive crater in the earth.
The Reaper's son let out a soul piercing well that echoed through Death Valley as he fell upon his knees and beat the earth with his fists. His Weapons came to his side to cradle him in their arms and offer their support.
The all looked at what was left for them and mourned in their own way. None of them said it out loud, but they all seemed to understand that they were thinking the same thing: what now? What is left for us?
After he had cried all the tears he could muster, Kid stood to his feet. He wiped his nose and eyes, knowing he must look like an asymmetrical mess, but for the first time in his life, that didn't seem to matter. His home was gone. His father was gone. Everything that he had ever known was gone. He turned and looked at the souls gathered around him and knew that they were looking to him for leadership now. How could he lead them? How could he fill his father's shoes? How could he even hope to pale in comparison to his father's greatness?
It doesn't matter how. You'll have to figure that out later. Right now there are people counting on you. Be strong. Be the Reaper your father believed in.
"We have suffered a terrible tragedy today and we have all lost more than our fair share in this battle. It seems that we have grown complacent over the years, enjoying the peace provided to us since the Kishin Ashura was defeated. My father sacrificed himself so that we could survive, and I refuse to let that sacrifice go to waste.
"Before all of you now, I, Death the Kid, hereby assume my father's position as Lord Death. I will serve as the Grim Reaper that this world needs in order to maintain balance and to quell the advances of evil to overtake this place. I will not rest until the West Witch coven pays for their crimes against our city. Once they have paid for their crimes, we will rebuild.
"All of you will always have a place at my side. I cannot thank you enough for your service to the Academy, my father, and the cause of good. I know that many of you had family who lived in Death City and you will want to find out whether they were able to escape before the attack. For those of you who have suffered losses, you have my deepest sympathies and condolences.
"My question to you now is what will you do? The Academy is gone. I will be travelling to Oceania and our other locations to inform them of what has happened. It wouldn't surprise me if there are other covens planning similar attacks around the world."
He looked at each of them and waited. As he expected, none of them were chomping at the bit to speak up. He waited, hoping that they would not all abandon him and leave him alone. Hopefully, his speech had served to encourage and embolden them.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned and saw his long-time friend staring back him with a determined look on his face. He was not sure why it surprised him that Black Star spoke up first, but for some reason it did.
"We're with you, Kid, to the end. If you're mission is to make the Witches pay for what they've done, then we will help you in any way that we can," he said, as Tsubaki nodded in agreement.
"We will travel back to Oceania. Your father had us stationed there for years. We are familiar with the operations and can help you get things organized there," Stein said, turned the bolt in his head as Marie slid her arm in his. Kid nodded and looked at Soul.
"I have to find Maka," he said simply.
"Do you even know where she is?" Kid asked.
"I have a pretty good idea, but no, I don't know for sure. She probably doesn't know what happened. I would rather tell her than for her to come back and see a huge crater where her home used to be," Soul said.
"If you happen to come across Spirit while you're travelling, be sure and tell him to report back to Oceania. He is a Death Scythe and we could use his help in these times," Kid said.
"Will do. After that, I'm sure that Maka and I will rejoin you in Oceania," Soul explained. Kid nodded in agreement.
"Let me go with you, Soul," Merios said. Kid was surprised at this gesture. He couldn't be sure what the brash, young teacher would decide to do, but he didn't expect him to accompany Soul. The two of them had barely spoken more than a few words to each other since they had met—at least as far as he knew.
"What? You want to go with me?" Soul asked, obviously just as surprised as Kid was.
"I have a feeling that we are going to need Maka Albarn's help if we are to survive the days to come. Besides, we'll be much more effective working together than either of us going alone," Merios pointed out.
"Yeah…there's still not much I can do without a Meister," Soul admitted. It was settled then; the two of them would be travelling together. This set Kid's mind at ease. A Death Scythe like Soul was a powerful thing, but he would never realize his true potential without a capable Meister to wield him. Though he had his differences with Merios, he did not for a moment doubt the man's skill.
He looked to his Weapons, Liz and Patty. He was not about to assume what they would do. The deal he had made with them years ago that he would make them powerful Death Weapons, and he had done that. He was not sure what would compel them to stay now that their home was gone.
"Oh Kid, do you even have to ask? Of course we're sticking with you! We're a team! Together til the end," Liz said playfully.
"Yeah! Besides, who else is going to make sure you don't freak out about symmetry in a moment of desperation and get yourself killed?" Patty asked, followed by her signature giggle. He felt a swell of pride as tears welled in his eyes. His Weapons might have been a little rough around the edges, which is something that he constantly tried to find himself polishing, but they were loyal and he could not imagine his life without them.
"Thanks, guys. I cannot tell you how much this means to me," he said, tears welling in his eyes again. He turned and looked at the young student and his Weapon: Tsarevich and Vyse.
"I'm not sure what we should do, honestly," Tsarevich said, scratching his head, "you guys are way out of our league. I'm not sure we could do much more than get in your way."
"Don't sell yourself short. Though we lost the battle in there, you handled yourself well. You have promise and potential and there are no better people to learn from then the ones who are here now," Kid pointed out.
"I have to return to my village and warn them about what happened. I know that the Witches will not stop at just the Academy; they have other enemies too," Vyse said.
"Then I'll go with you," Tsarevich said, "Weapons and Meisters are supposed to stick together, right?"
"Would it be possible for your village to house us temporarily? Just until we have enough time to rest and regroup. There may still be other survivors around here after all," Kid asked.
"I can ask my elder, but I am not making any promises. They cannot stay though. I will not have them in my village; it would be a great dishonor to the memory of my sister if showed hospitality to the ones responsible for her death," Vyse said, his eyes burning with hatred towards Black Star and Tsubaki.
"Man, are you still on that tirade? Give it a rest; it's not our fault your sister died," Black Star shot back.
"Liar! You were supposed to be there the day that Arachnophobia attacked and you weren't. You were too busy being a big star to worry about lowly villagers. What kind of man would I be if I opened up their homes to you?"
"Vyse, what are you talking about?" Tsarevich asked.
"Black Star and Tsubaki were assigned by Lord Death to protect my village the day that Arachnophobia attacked. Instead of reporting to our village as instructed, they continued on to the battle. As a result, dozens of people died, and among them: my sister, Vera," Vyse said. Kid looked at Black Star and Tsubaki to see if they had any idea at all what he was going on about.
"It's true. We were originally assigned to protect your village since it was in the path between Baba Yaga Castle and Death City," Tsubaki said.
"Finally! It's good to see you finally take responsibility for your actions," Vyse said, transforming his hand into a katar.
"Wait! Let me finish!" Tsubaki pleaded, "I promised you an explanation and you'll get one."
"Don't waste your breath, Tsubaki! It's clear that he's made up his mind that we're to blame. I'm sure it's a lot easier to blame us than it is to accept the truth, that his people were too weak to defend themselves," Black Star said.
"Black Star!" Tsubaki exclaimed.
Vyse let out a cry of rage and charged at Black Star, both hands transformed. The boy was lightning quick, but he was outmatched. Black Star just tilted his head from side to side, moving just enough to get out of the way of Vyse's wild attacks. Black Star let this go on for a few moments before he struck, punching Vyse in the gut and following up with an uppercut that sent him sprawling backwards onto the ground. Kid knew enough to know that Black Star was holding back, swatting the student as if he would a fly.
"It's about time you learned some respect," Black Star said. At this, Vyse charged again, fiery rage burning like coals in his eyes. Black Start easily dodged before his hand zapped with electric soul wavelength energy. He hit him with a wave that brought the young assassin to his knees.
"So that was your big plan? Kill the people you think are responsible for your sister's death? You must be incredibly stupid? How could you hope to fight an opponent so much stronger than you?" Black Star asked.
"Black Star, that's enough!" Tsubaki intervened, "Vyse, we were assigned to protect your village, but we were taken off of that assignment shortly after the battle for Brew. With Arachnophobia's entire force mobilized and trying to get the tool, there was no need to have anyone assigned to protect your village; they needed every able Meister for that mission.
"After that, all of our efforts were focused on destroying the Kishin and putting a stop to Arachnophobia. The Meister and Weapon that were reassigned to your village were there too. They were one of the casualties that we lost in that battle. They never made it to your village before they were struck down."
"Liar! You were supposed to be there and you weren't! It's your fault that Vera's dead!" Vyse screamed, tears streaming down his face.
"Get a clue, kid! She's telling the truth. Why would we lie about it? Even if we were, it's not like we're worried that you'd be able to do anything about it. You can't even land a single punch," Black Star said.
"It's okay, Vyse. Let it out. It's okay to mourn the ones that we've lost," Tsubaki said, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"No…that's not it…I've cried more tears for her than anything else in my life. It's just that…I've devoted most of my life to training for the day that I could face those responsible for her death only to find that I was mistaken…and that it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Black Star is right. I'm weak. My whole life has been for nothing…nothing," he said.
"Don't you dare say that!" Tsubaki shot back. He looked up at her with a look of surprise on his face.
"You may not get the chance to face the people directly responsible for her death, but you can still make sure her death is not in vain. You may not be as strong or fast as Black Star, but you've got the power to stand and fight against the evil in this world. Now, more than ever there are hundreds of helpless people who could use a person like you who is strong enough to protect them.
"Every evil soul that you vanquish is one more step to making this world the place it was supposed to be all along. I never met your sister, but I'm sure that she would not want you harboring misplace bitterness in your heart and wasting your skill on something as petty as revenge. You were meant for more than that, Vyse," Tsubaki said.
"She's right, you know," Black Star added, "revenge is a waste of time. I learned that the hard way too. Choosing a path of vengeance will only lead you to death. Choose a path that leads you to absolution, and you will find your way."
"Is that wisdom that I just heard, coming from Black Star?" Liz asked rhetorically.
"When he's not so busy trying to prove to the world what a big star he is, he can sometimes be capable of sharing something of true worth," Kid pointed out.
"Now pick yourself up, quit crying and start taking notes. You should be watching me every moment of every day if you're going to come close to being a big star like me! I don't know if you've heard, but I am the great and amazing Black Star and I will surpass the gods," he said.
"And he's back," Liz observed.
"Good things never last very long in this life," Kid said. The others thought he was talking about Black Star. He took one last look at the crater where his home used to be. His father was gone—gone. And he was never coming back. Nothing that he said or did would ever bring him back either. There was no one to teach him or guide him or show him what it means to be a Grim Reaper. He was on his own now, and what more, there were others looking at him for leadership.
While one chapter in his life was closing, Kid knew that a brand new story was being written. Everything that he had grown to know and love about his life was gone and never to return. He, and those who followed him had a long, hard road ahead of them full of perils and untold evils. Who could know if they would survive? Who could know if they had what it took to make a difference?
With Lord Death out of the picture, all kinds of hidden evil would come crawling out of the foulest, deepest corners in the world and start to rear their ugly faces. Tyrants and monsters thought long-gone would roam the lands unchecked, destroying innocents at will.
Unless I do something about it.
He looked up into the brightness of the laughing sun and saw the clouds arranged in perfect symmetry around it. It seemed such an out-of-place beautiful vista in the shadow of what had just transpired, but Kid was thankful for it nonetheless. Under this sun he made a vow to himself to attain to be an even better Reaper than his father before him. He prayed, hoping that somewhere, some place his father could hear his voice.
Father, grant me the strength I need to vanquish the darkness from this world. Show me the path that will lead to peace, prosperity and greatness. I will follow your way and stay true to what you taught me to be right.
No matter what happens I will carry on and fear no evil.