CRONA, INTERRUPTED

4 months, 2 weeks after asura

"I shoulda known he was gonna say something like that... I mean, do you think they can handle it?" Stein clipped the collar around her neck after pushing past the sharp, long strands of hair that adorned her. She was giving him a curious look - she was concerned, but her motivations were still unclear to him. He blew out a puff of smoke, she wrinkled her nose and tried to blow it away.

"I don't think they can do it. It's a gamble, on Lord Death's part - to buy time. He needs to come up with a better plan, and he could use all of his death scythes right now. If the students fail, then the world will definitely be cloaked in madness by the end of tomorrow, at least." Her body shouldn't have gone so cold - she knew that this plan was good. Arachne had come up with it herself.

He was leading her down a flight of stairs, taking her to her room until they could find further use for her. She had been told she would compromise the mission if she was close to her sister and Soul. Agni and her shared a mindscape when resonated with a meister, regardless of if they were resonating with the same person; she could easily persuade her sister back to her side, turning the tides of their victory from unlikely to absolutely impossible.

Still, Stein found it curious that Lord Death was keeping their strongest ally from taking on their strongest foe - perhaps it had something to do with why he was not sent. Strangely, no adults had been included in the plans. The EAT students were flying solo on this one, and there was no reason that they couldn't spare a more talented meisters and their weapons. It would almost seem as though these students were merely to test the strength of the pair.

Stein's cigarette fell out of his mouth, but he covered it by not pausing his stride. Rudra's gaze was downcast, and she seemed to be thinking. But he had made up his mind, and before she could register the warmth of the sun on her skin, she felt Stein take off her collar. The wind chopped off her long hair, and she turned to look at him with confusion.

"There's something wrong with this whole situation. The absence of high-ranking meisters-"

"I don't believe in trusting others, Stein. You should know that by now. For all I know, everyone's already dead. But I know Black*Star, and I trust that they're all strong enough to handle this - but he is no match for my sister. I'm not even sure if I'm up to it - and that's why the adults are staying here. If we all bite it, then you'll have to take them down." He had been there when they discussed the plans - and it hadn't occurred to him then that this was her goal the entire time. Rudra had known Lord Death wouldn't let her go - it was too risky on his part. She had to have someone else do it; but he hadn't been sure of what she would do once she was free.

"What will happen to Maka?" Rudra grinned at him, and he felt himself try to smile back. He lit another cigarette and she waited for him to say something else. He seemed to be troubled by the lack of her answer. Her grin waned, but turned into a confident smirk.

"You know those two would never hold it together without her."

Stein watched as she descended the stairs, the gears in his head turning. He needed to get someone else down there - a bunch of kids would need real back-up; not just her. He turned around and headed back inside of the academy, his thoughts set on finding another squad to fight when the kids couldn't anymore.

They weren't sure how it happened, but Crona had gotten themselves a tad lost on their journey in the woods.

Kilik had been engaged by Giriko, and lead him away from the group so they could escape. However, the group was then engaged by a large sum of Arachnophobia agents; the meisters instructed Crona to find Soul as soon as possible, and they've been wandering ever since then.

The sun had risen about an hour ago, and Crona was still sweating fiercely. The desert had been hot and dry - but this place was just moist. The air was heavy with droplets of water, and Crona felt them at work, soaking their clothes. It was quiet this early, a strange fog blanketing the island. Crona came to a sizeable opening in the trees, only to find their target waiting patiently for them.

Agni was different than the last time they had seen her; her face was gaunt and sharp, her hair literally an uncontained fire atop her head. She seemed wild, but still slightly restrained. She had always been cool and collected; but now it seemed as if she was on the brink of losing it.

"Why would they send you? Do they think the black blood is gonna save you?" Soul's voice was playful, but the skittering eyes pouring from his body made Crona remember that he was a kishin now, and Soul could easily crush them. Ragnarok formed silently in their hands, and Crona slid into an attack position. Soul smirked at them, cocky and slightly off, before holding out his hand. Agni gladly complied, transforming into a sword seething with fire.

The feeling she gave off was powerful and intimidating, and Crona took a step back. They couldn't do this. There was no way that they would be able to overpower either of them. They needed help.

The first thing that came to mind, very suddenly, was Maka.

They had hurt Maka. They hurt Black*Star, and they were willing to hurt everyone else for this goal. They gripped the handle of Ragnarok before bringing the sword close to their face.

"Ragnarok, scream resonance." The lips on the blade opened, a tongue rolling out; the weapon made a noise of approval before drawing in a breath. The clearing was silent, and Soul was waiting patiently for the duo to attack. The shriek that emanated from Ragnarok startled Agni - enough that she let out a horrible shriek of her own, making the pommel of the sword vibrate. Crona began to yell as well, and soon they were on the same pitch as Ragnarok. Agni let out a blast of fire that diminished in the sound wall.

They were stronger than she had anticipated, but not strong enough to scare her. She looked around the dark landscape that she went to while in weapon form, summoning up Soul's wavelength briefly. Crona watched on in horror; the kishin was standing there, head down, and a violent black fire swirling around him. Black, crack-like scars formed on his skin and crawled up his neck, and he slowly lifted his head.

"I can handle this by myself, Soul. Take a nap in there or something."

"Pst, Crona. Agni took over Soul's body - so now she's wielding herself... better watch out, she's a better meister than she is a weapon." Crona nodded in acknowledgement of their weapon's observation. This would be a tricky fight - but at least she wasn't as fast as Rudra.

Soul raised Agni and brought her down in an arc, a blast of magma heading for Crona; they rolled out of the way, only for her to pull it back while it was cooling. The meister was rammed into from behind by hot rocks; black blood crept down their skin, a few drops hitting the ground as they stood back up. Soul and Agni were there in an instant, a kick poised for Crona's neck stopped by a few bloody needles.

Soul was hit in his shoulder, but the black blood crusted up quickly. He made an irritated face before Crona let out a cry and charged them. Soul deflected the blow and kicked Crona in the chest, the meister taking a step back before engaging him again. Agni came down and struck the ground at their feet, allowing Crona to step back and prepare their next attack. Gathering up their energy, they hurled a Scream Alpha attack at them. Soul's arm was severed and his grin turned upside down, his eyes glinting in displeasure.

"I'm not overly concerned... See, unlike you, Crona, I wasn't made with a half-assed formula. I was chosen, and I was given real black blood. I'm undefeatable, a weakling like you will never take me down!"

Soul's new arm burst from his shoulder, and he wiggled his fingers to get the nerves and muscles all in place. He tossed Agni between both hands before throwing her at Crona; she scorched the meister and cut their leg, but Ragnarok had managed to push Crona out of the way just before she struck. Soul's scythe blade shot from his right arm and he slashed at Crona, who then barely dodged the piano wire - it struck Ragnarok, who cried out angrily.

They exchanged brief blows before Crona pushed them back. They let out a few harsh breaths before taking a few steps back, allowing for Soul and Agni regroup quickly. Soul's entire demeanor changed; the purple eyes of Agni grew wide and hopeful.

"Crona!" Rudra burst through the trees, into the clearing. Crona headed towards her, relieved that their backup had finally arrived. Her expression shifted from relief to shock, but Crona's confusion was short-lived; Agni protruded from their front, Soul still pushing the blade through their back. The black blood began to harden, but then something strange happened.

Agni ignited, and Crona began to scream as they were burned from the inside out. Black blood dripped down their body, pooling on the ground. Soon Ragnarok began to shrink in their meister's hand, and Rudra fully understood what was going on. She started running towards them, mortified that they had come up with such a brutal tactic.

"Heh, we shoulda killed you..." Ragnarok's last words rang in her head as she watched them disappear. After a few more moments, blood stopped dripping from Crona's body. Agni extinguished and Soul discarded the meister. Rudra's eyes were wide with absolute shock and raw fear; Crona was dead, and her sister had killed them.