And a wave of sick washes over Soul as Maka falls.
He rushes forward, close to leaping without a thought from the edge of his island, because certainly he can catch her; he almost pauses when he considers what she would think about him diving to his certain death. Unfortunately, it's too late, and his mind is disbelieving static as he plunges toward the dark place Maka has gone. The air is chilly and his skin is clammy.
There is a weird stop, an abrupt jerking sensation on all of his joints as his body keeps trying to fall while something pulls him back up. There is a flapping of wings, and he wonders if he's going to end his life in the maw of some great beast from the Rift.
The "something" that has caught him, now that he looks at its arm around his chest, must be - Maka?!
"Maka?!" he says out loud.
"Nngh, yeah! You're so heavy!"
"This is insane," he mutters.
"Soul!" She's shouting over the wind, and she probably cannot hear his muttering. "Let me use my spell on you. It should make it easier. Please!"
Speaking of "easy," it's the easiest decision he's ever made.
"Go for it," he shouts, and the instant he's uttered the phrase, the heat of her spell washes over him. It starts at the base of his skull and spreads down his spine and up to the crown of his head until he's completely surrounded by her thoughts, her feelings. It doubles his panic because he feels her panic, too, and the only thing that keeps his heart from locking her out in its terror is their deeper, mutual terror of realizing they would certainly die here, if they were alone.
He feels much lighter now, however, and as they begin to get their bearings together, he glances around to see the massive pair of wings Maka is sporting.
"Wings?!" is all he can manage, but he knows she knows what he really means is where the hell did those come from?
Remember that power I wasn't able to use? she thinks in response with a mixture of smugness, awe, and gratitude. I guess I just needed an extra push to cast the spell. You can hold yourself up now, right?"
And he finds that he can. She slowly lets go, hovering in place, as his own pair of wings unfurl to hold him up.
Well, they aren't really his own pair of wings. They're part of her spell and she's sharing them. He feels better holding her hand, so even though they both can fly, he doesn't let go entirely.
He senses that they're both wondering the same exact thing: Why are we here and how can we get out? Whatever force had pulled them into the Rift is not active in here, but it might come back if they try to leave.
And rarely does anyone attempt to cross the Rift in a ship, much less in mere human bodies.
As they hover doubtfully, other thoughts take over. It isn't clear in whose brain they started, but they're exactly what both of them have feared this whole time: he knows she knows he knows she knows he knows Maka wants to kiss him, Soul wants to hold her, she wants them to belong to each other, he wants to be around for her always - infinitely beyond ten years for sure.
He also finds himself thinking, in tandem with her: this is what you were afraid I would see? You were afraid of me knowing how much you like me? We're both so stupid, aren't we?
They both have their defensive thoughts, even as their walls collapse entirely because the feelings are mutual and there's no judgment, no repulsion, only affection. She hasn't trusted herself this entire time, she hasn't wanted to lose him as a friend because romance screws everything up, right? He's been afraid of not being good enough - she would find out what a coward he is and reject him, right?
Not right.
He's about to forget what they're dealing with and embrace her when there is another ethereal roar from the swirling cloud walls around them.
Something black bursts from deep within the wall of the Rift.
Not the black of ink or the black of night, not like black paint or a dark room.
If asked to describe exactly what about the beast's appearance is so alarming, Maka would be lost for words. But it may be something about the way the thing has shoulders with wings that sprout off like lacerated flesh, but no arms or legs, or the way its body instead trails off into a sharp, lashing tail. It has the long neck of a serpent and two dangerous spikes protruding as if demon horns from its back; it's like a misshapen dragon made of an incomplete set of human parts, intentionally designed to look like a nightmare and dyed black. Its face is disturbingly simple, with bulging, milky-white eyes situated at the center of a large white X marking; it has human teeth except for its long-fanged canines.
They both flee toward the wall, completely overwhelmed by the sheer size of the creature, but to no avail - it is more than quick enough to block them off wherever they go.
The thing flies circles around them, its tortured shrieks taking on a gloating tone. It sounds like something miserable that is about to make them equally miserable and enjoy their company, and they have a feeling this is exactly its plan, if it is capable of planning.
She can feel both Soul's and her own heart and mind on fire, burning under the pressure of not knowing what to do. He casts his shield on her, and their connection - she's come to think of it as a resonance - shares it between them, so now they have some sort of protection. Unfortunately, they both doubt that a small shield will prevent them from being swallowed whole by whatever sort of unholy sky leviathan this creature is. He has an idea, though.
The second moonberry. Maybe in his desperation, he can use the spell, and maybe it will be useful.
He doesn't let go of her hand, but he does lift the other, palm open and fingers outstretched, a gesture familiar from less dangerous moments of spellcasting. As if the wings are already second-nature to him, a part of his body, they stretch and flap in accordance with his movements. Whatever spell was lurking at the back of his mind is ready for use now-
And suddenly, "resonance" has a whole new meaning.
She hears piano music. It's amazing, and it should be out of place here in the Dark Rift, far from any musical instrument, but it isn't. Maka isn't sure whether her heart is breaking or swelling with the melody, and in truth, the answer is probably "both." She also isn't sure whether she understands the music through Soul or Soul through the music, but a reminder of her love blossoms again in her chest with every single note.
The creature stops moving, stops making noise, stops gloating. Instead, its eyes bulge out as if it is in pain or shock and it floats frozen in place, an unnervingly-still obelisk, a hung body, its wings permanently angled down.
The notes of the music become more discordant as Soul and Maka both wonder what is happening, how long they have, whether or not they can turn their backs on this beast and escape - through the wall of the Dark Rift, no less.
And then Maka notices something.
The beast can share in her spell. She can sense its mind, open to a connection. It continues to hang there ominously in the windy air. And Soul won't be able to do this forever, maintain their shields and use his music while they try to get through the winds that will toss them around in the walls of the Rift.
Together, they decide to try to speak to it.
Soul implores her to be careful. Sharing in his thoughts and feelings must be bad enough, but for this thing? He cannot tamp down his fear that they will both lose their minds entirely. He's imagining both of their human minds being ripped open, seeing into some horrific truth or monstrous lie of the universe.
Maka believes in what she's about to do, though. Whatever this creature is, if she can feel her magic connect to it, it must have a human mind or soul or something, right?
With as much caution as possible, they fly toward the creature and decide to stay at its back for safety. Though it is unnecessary, Maka looks toward Soul and nods before concentrating. She then puts her spell on the beast, prying gently into its mind.
For the first time in her life, she is legitimately afraid of having a heart attack.
The only thing that keeps her from fleeing the onslaught of fear, rage, and despair is that she still gets Soul's thoughts and feelings, too, and he's focused on coming out of this alive. That alone carries an implication of hope, so she latches on to his determination as he latches on to hers.
Their best chance is to try to soothe the thing.
Fearful that she will lose her own focus or balance, she pulls Soul toward the creature and alights on its massive pseudo-shoulder. Maka is hardly aware of her own body anymore as she stands on the creature, and she kneels to avoid falling and focus on the writhing mess of madness she's connected to.
Who are you?! What are you doing to me?! a voice asks. It warbles like an anxious child, cracks as if it is about to cry.
Maka takes a deep breath; Soul keeps a hand on her shoulder. "My name is Maka," she says. "Who are you?"
I'm so confused, it says. I don't know how to deal with this.
"You don't have to deal with anything," she assures it. "We aren't trying to hurt you."
I think I'm supposed to kill you, but it's been so long since I've seen a person. Did you know that I was a person once?
"You were a person once?"
I think so. It depends how you define a person, but I used to think I was one at least!
"What was your name?"
I know I used to be Crona, but then I forget what happened, but I'm Ragnarok now.
"Crona, did you bring us here?"
There are a lot of people around and they woke me up but you were the first ones to get so close so yeah, I used Ragnarok's power to bring you here, but now I don't know what to do and it's way too much. Way, way too much.
"What's way too much?"
The music. Having you in my mind. The people around. Everything.
"Crona, why did you come here now?"
I don't know. The humans woke me up. I'm supposed to eat them all.
"Listen. I think you're very scared and lonely, and it's making it hard for you to think straight. You don't have to eat anyone."
My mother says I do. It's my reason to be. I don't want to destroy everything, but it's all I'm here for.
"That's ridiculous. Whoever your - your 'mother' is, she's wrong."
No, YOU'RE wrong! Get out of my head!
"You're still a person, Crona. And if you didn't want us here at least a little bit, I couldn't use my magic on you. It wouldn't be possible-"
WHY ARE YOU USING THAT NAME ON ME?!
The creature begins to shake. At the feeling of her spell breaking, Maka stands up hastily, nearly falling off; Soul is standing behind her with both his hands on her shoulders.
Their wings flare open just in time as the beast - Crona, Ragnarok - shudders out of its trance. Soul yanks Maka upward to avoid the massive, heavy wingbeats and displaced air the creature leaves behind as it zooms toward a wall of the rift.
I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU, screeches a more desperate version of the voice Maka heard while she had the creature under her spell. PLEASE JUST GO AWAY. I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU. YOU'RE SCARING ME, YOUR VOICE SCARES ME, YOUR MUSIC SCARES ME. IT'S SCARY. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE.
Its milky eyes give her a final glance.
"Wait-!" Maka tries to shout, but too late - the thing is gone into the roiling wall of the Rift.
"What?" Maka breathes.
Soul takes her hand, tugging urgently. He thinks they can safely turn their backs and address finding a route out of here.
What are we gonna do? he wonders.
But he already knows what they need to do. Maka tries not to think about the potential for her spell to get exhausted as they flutter along the Rift's inner walls, looking for "soft spots," any area where the currents are not quite as brutal.
They find some. Maka had expected them to either be torn to bits by the wind or burst through the Rift's walls into the clear, starry night. Such is not the case - as they pass through the slightly-less-roiling parts of the walls, they realize their path lies before them as though it's a series of tunnels made of storm.
They don't stop holding hands. Soul doesn't drop his shield. But it's Maka who carries most of the burden, maintaining both her resonance spell and, of course, the wings that keep the pair aloft. Every wingbeat carries them an iota of the distance they must travel. For the effort, it never seems like enough. He thinks of her and she thinks of him and it makes them both a little bit lighter.
Eventually, when she almost begins to lose hope, they do break through the wall of the Rift. She wishes they had the energy to enjoy the air that doesn't buffet them from every direction, but they're too exhausted, and now they have the full distance to Esperanza to fly. It is easier out here; they can even glide some distances. They wordlessly pass the arcwhale again.
They finally arrive at dawn. The wings disappear from their shadows in the golden light. Both have forgotten how to walk, and they land belly-down on the ground in the shipyard, losing consciousness before they even hit the ground.
His nose stings. But he is in a soft bed, which is an improvement over the last sensation he can remember experiencing.
Soul slowly becomes aware of voices around him. They are all strangers; just as slowly, he begins to wonder why and then, all at once, he remembers everything. This gets his eyes to open, and he looks frantically to each side for his - friend? No. Girlfriend? He hopes that's accurate.
She's on her back in the bed to his right, chest rising and falling slowly, deeply. The first hint of relief flows through his veins.
"Ah, you're awake," says a voice from his left. He turns immediately to face a dark-skinned woman, who stands over him with a notepad.
"What's going on? Is she okay?" he asks.
The woman chuckles. "She's fine, just exhausted like you. Would you mind identifying yourself since no one here seems to know you…?"
"Ah. I'm Soul. She's Maka. Where are we?"
"My name is Nygus. I'm the doctor on call. You've been asleep for about six hours, and you're in the hospital at Esperanza."
Soul closes his eyes and breathes a sigh of relief. Okay. They are where they had intended to be. Everything is fine.
Wait, the Little Demon is a wreck. Maybe everything isn't quite fine. Still, all things considered - Especially Maka - Soul will take what he can get. He wants to go back to sleep so badly, but first, he has to check something. He pushes himself up from the bed, wincing at his aching muscles. Nygus walks around the bed to stand at his side, but doesn't try to hold him back.
Soul limps the couple of steps over to Maka's bed and studies her face.
"Everything's really fine?" he whispers, just to be sure. Nygus answers, though the question wasn't really directed at her.
"Yes. She seemed more exhausted than you were. What were you two doing, anyway?"
Soul takes a deep breath. "It's a really long story," he says, running his fingers through his hair anxiously, "but basically, we uh, crashed our ship, found a gigas, and had to use Maka's magic to fly back. Without a vessel. Er, I guess Maka's wings were like the vessel..."
Nygus whistles and her eyes bulge. "Wow. That should be impossible. Something tells me there's more than that, but…"
Soul nods, but he doesn't say anything and the doctor doesn't push him. Instead, he brushes Maka's cheek with his fingers to feel her warmth - not too hot, not too cold, just a healthy body heat. He watches her breathe for a while just to be sure before smoothing back the bangs on her forehead and letting his lips quirk into a sleepy smile when she takes a deep breath, huffing almost defiantly in her sleep. Somehow, she probably knows he's fussing.
Then he returns to bed to rest his still-tired muscles and wait for Maka to awaken.
The next thing he's aware of is Maka's face hovering over his own. She grins brightly when he opens his eyes. "You're awake!"
Soul blinks. "Yeah? How long have you been awake?"
"I dunno, half an hour?"
"Ah, I see you're awake again," an unfamiliar voice says from somewhere behind Maka. Soul props himself up.
The stranger, who wears a white coat and glasses, is clearly another doctor (though judging from his pale complexion, criss-crossed scars, and the bolt through his head, he may also be a zombie). Either he has quietly been here the entire time or Soul slept through a shift change.
Maka nods back toward the stranger. "Soul, this is Doctor Stein. He used to work with my father on Crescent Isle when I was a little kid."
"Hello," Soul says uneasily.
"Maka filled me in on all your escapades," Stein says, apparently not one for niceties. "You sustained some pretty serious exhaustion and some moderate lacerations, but no broken bones. You should be free to go whenever you both feel ready, but we're really going to need your help in talking about this - thing that you found in the Dark Rift, so please don't go too far. "
Soul nods. "Yeah, we can definitely do that."
"Did you use any magic on us while we were out?" Maka asks brightly, looking for some other new spell to learn. Soul rolls his eyes, because he knows she can't see him and he'll get away with it.
"I didn't, and I don't think Nygus did. Even your spirits were exhausted and there's no replacement for the kind of real rest that time can give you. Besides, Maka," he says, grinning diabolically, "you know that's not the kind of medicine I practice."
She smiles nervously clearly in the know about something Soul is not, and Stein gives him a wave as he leaves them alone.
They each take time to get some air and compose their thoughts. It's dark out now, and while they've only been apart for a couple of hours, he wants to find her again already.
She's standing at the top of the hill next to the shipyard. She leans against a fence which seems to exist mostly for aesthetic purposes (it's not long enough to cover the whole hill), and she stares out across the sky into the Dark Rift.
"Hey," he greets as he approaches. She turns and smiles at him, and he stands next to her.
"What did you think of that thing? The monster? The Black Gigas, I guess?" he asks.
She shrugs. "It's funny, because as horrible as it looked on the outside, I could feel how human it was inside."
Soul nods. "It sounded like a kid to me."
"Yeah. I think so. I don't know how they made it, but it must have been something awful. I feel...really bad for it."
There is a long moment of silence.
"What happens if we have to- well, how is anyone really gonna neutralize it? It's not like a person…"
Maka shakes her head. "It is like a person. That's what we were just saying. But you're right that it can't just be left out there. I think I want to be involved from now on - in whatever they do with the knowledge that it's out there, I mean."
"What if they have to hurt it?"
Maka chooses her words carefully. "I hope they don't. Maybe some kind of magic can be used to make it...more human again. Manageable. Whatever the case may be, I think it's in its own personal hell right now. I don't think there is a fate worse than what it's already been given."
He scoots closer. They don't ever stop getting closer, really, but it's gradual, and the air's getting colder and colder, which finally prompts him to wrap his arms around her entirely.
"Please don't worry about coming," she says, quiet. "It will probably be dangerous and I already kind of got your ship destroyed."
"Maka?"
"Yeah?"
"Y...you know what we both felt, when you read my mind. Back there." He nods toward the Dark Rift. "I don't want to rush you. But I am sorry for not saying it sooner, and you know whatever happens with all this, I'll always be with you."
Maka turns, but she doesn't move an inch away from him. Instead she wraps her arms around him.
"Thanks, Soul. Whatever happens, you can count on me, too." She rests her head against his chest, but this time, there are no tears.
The next time she looks up at him, he knows the right moment has come. When their lips meet, it is its own kind of magic, soft and warm and completely indescribable by any color. Their fingers on both hands tangle together.
"What's so funny?" Soul asks eventually, when her grin has become too broad to ignore. He's wearing a bashful grin himself, though.
Maka bounces on her heels and squeezes his hands in hers. "I'm just really excited to have adventures with you."
"Finally done!" Maka shouts. She stands on top of the Angel's cabin, gazing at the newly-unfurled sails. The moonstone engine hums.
Soul puts his hands on his hips and stands way back at the stern, admiring the results of their work - well, mostly eyeing the co-captain, but also peripherally looking at the ship.
The Angel's maiden voyage is the very next day. This time, they will visiting Ixa'taka, where Soulhas been frequently and Maka has never set eyes. Hopefully, it will be one of thousands of voyages. Afterward, it will be back to Esperanza, in hopes of discussing more about the Gigas with some of the stronger captains of the world - but nothing has been heard from Ragnarok since their encounter, and now is a time for relaxation and preparation.
They continue flying late into the night. After all, they can easily handle any pests they encounter out here, and being out at night is a great opportunity for alone time.
There is nothing at all like being on an airship in the middle of the night, skies clear all around, billions of stars overhead, with someone he trusts, someone who inspires him, someone he loves wrapped up in his arms.