Gold fell from a sunset sky like rain. Kid awoke, his friends framed his vision, consumed with worry and relief at the same time. He sat up slowly despite the protests of his friends. He healed faster than they did, and he couldn't stand looking them in the face when just a few minutes ago he'd lumped them into one amorphous problem. There was no way they could hear what had gone on in his head, but he felt the guilt all the same. Black Star's gaze met his; neither said anything, but Kid nodded in silent thanks. They'd talk later.
"Are we still in the book?" Kid asked. His friends nodded.
"You were injured so we didn't want to move you." Liz said.
"How are you feeling?" Patty dropped to her knees and offered him a shoulder to lean on.
"Fine now," Kid got off the ground with her help. "So, how are we going to get out?" His friends didn't answer. "You do have a way out, right?"
"We didn't think that far ahead." Tsubaki said sheepishly.
"WHAT!" Kid ranted. "How can you plan a mission without exhausting all possible outcomes! There are specific steps to planning and one of them is to do so thoroughly. Is that how you make it to school on time? Not planning ahead? I always make sure to leave the house completely clean-" He looked at Liz and Patty with dawning horror. They'd been in charge of the manor for who knows how long. "The house is a disaster isn't it?"
"Yep, he's feeling better." Liz sighed with a smile. There was a small cough. The group, now alerted to the Index's presence, made room for it to enter the middle of the crowd.
"Since you're all here, I might be of assistance." It said. "Noah's opened the book a few times now. Should he open it again soon, I could push you out. That is, if you'll let me."
"Why couldn't you do that to begin with?" Kilik asked.
"I can only move the contents of the book. Were I to do as you suggested, only the Shinigami would leave and the rest of you would be trapped here. you willingly add yourself to the book's contents, I could let you leave."
"I don't see why not." Maka said with a nod. They didn't really have any other options. "Is that alright with everyone?" The group nodded. As each offered their consent, a white bar of light passed through them head to toe. The feeling was, in a word, invasive. Like cold hands flipping through every page and drawer in quick succession.
"So it is done." The book's avatar said. A hole opened up beneath the group, the children fell through and the hole sealed up above them. Eibon swayed, a worn tome hovering in front of it. "I hope you don't mind that I kept your copy of the book as collateral." Magic symbols surrounded it as a dim view of the outside world appeared before it. "As soon as I decode this algorithm you won't be able to access my realm again."
The group fell to the ground in a heap. They moaned in discomfort and untangled themselves from each other. A low growl emanated from above them. They looked up to see a fierce, blind lion. It fanned out large torn wings and roared. All around them the ground was littered with the fallen and injured. Those left standing were struggling to fend off the seemingly endless array of mythical creatures that had been summoned to fight.
"This enemy is too strong," their teacher Marie was on the ground, "run." Maka's eyes widened. Three gigantic fanged leaches arched up into the sky, their teacher in it's maw.
"Sensei!" Maka shouted. They were too far away to intervene.
"Who's doing this?" Kid said. A manticore charged its spiked tale poised to shoot poisonous spines at the group. Black Star drove its head into the ground with an elbow. Followed by Kid who broke the tail with his heel. A gold seal on the beast evaporated and the manticore rapidly began to age until all that was left was dust. The Book of Eibon was what kept them alive.
"I see you've defeated my manticore." Kid turned to see Noah, his capture, observing the fight like a passing fly. Fight or flight kicked in and Kid wanted the upper hand before Noah tried to suck him back into the book.
"Liz! Patty" The guns transformed and fell into Kid's hands. An electric shock surged around him, the weapon's forms rejecting Kid's touch even though they wanted to help. He immediately dropped his partners.
"Kid, what's wrong?" Liz transformed back into her human form and caught her sister. The shinigami looked at his hands.
"I can't do it, I can't use my weapons." He stated in shock. He'd seen something similar when Black Star tried to use Soul in the past, but he never expected it to happen to him. For all their faults, Liz and Patty had been easy to work with and understanding. They weren't the problem though, he was.
"His wavelength is still weak," Maka said, "he still hasn't fully recovered from the book!" Kid hoped that she was right and this was only temporary.
"Kid , can you still fight?" Black Star asked. The shinigami smirked.
"I'm not going to let a little set back stop us." He looked to his partners. "Will you be all right on your own?"
"Yep!" Patty giggled as Liz spun her around. "Let's kick some creeper butt!"
"Not before I reclaim what's mine." Noah said with a laugh. "All of it. The lands, the ocean; every living soul, with their hopes and dreams, belongs to me. I will be the one who controls the creation of new life and only I am fit to cast judgment on the world!"
"You disgust me," Kid glowered, "is that all you care about? Forcing the world to see your views?" The man in front of him was an empty shell that could feel nothing but greed. Strange such a shallow person thought they were capable of judging anyone. "Something like you had no place in the world." Kid said and lunged toward Noah.
"Noah-sama!" Gopher shouted. She blindsided Kid and kicked him out of the way. Black Star used the chaos to his advantage, he drew Tsubaki and dashed to Noah. The book opened and summoned an eyeless girl that was soaked to the bone. She opened her lips and powerful notes began to push the ninja backwards with the force of her voice. Kilik jumped to get an aerial attack in, but was blocked by swarm gremlins. Kid came to his feet. Before he could help either of his friends, Gopher tried to pin him to the ground.
"Don't you dare move," Gopher spat, "your fight is with me."
"Out of my way!" Kid shouted. He jumped and swung his leg towards Gopher. She blocked with her right arm.
"Not until you call off Shibusen's assault." She punched him in the stomach with her left. "I know you can, so why don't you just leave?" Kid paused.
"You'd let us go?" He prodded.
"You think I wanted you here?" Gopher shouted above carnage. "Any of you?" Noah's collection was getting torn to shreds left and right as more people from Shibusen came in to assist. The two sides were at a standstill and bleeding resources.
"That didn't answer my question." Kid said. He frowned and went to punch her. She jumped and extended her black soul wings.
"Daedalus' Feathers." She chanted. Black feathers shot down from her wings and pinned Kid to the ground. She walked up to him, uncertain if he was truly immobilized, but too tried to waste energy on a redundant spell. Her eyes were dark and merciless. "I hate his collection." Things would be so much easier if she could just kill Shibusen's rising stars instead of handling them with care.
"If that's true, then why are you helping him?" Kid snarled. The iron feathers cut into his skin, burning with the heat of the sun.
"He wasn't always like this." Gopher said. As much as she hated Kid, she longed for someone to understand. "He's the kindest, most understanding person I know. It's just lately Noah-sama's been suffering. I know he feels empty inside, and that he collects things to fill that void, but it won't make him whole again." It wasn't like Lord Death was planning to swoop in and rescue him either. The death god would rather destroy his opposers than reason with him. "That's why I try, you stupid shinigami; to help him. And I would have if you hadn't shown up and ruined everything!" She soared into the air. Tears fell as she prepared to strike Kid's heart. "I won't let Shibusen destroy my happy ending." Her wings receded. The vassal began to fall at an increasing rate towards Kid. She was about to hit the boy when a voice called out to her.
"Gopher, don't you lay a finger on him." Noah scolded. Gopher's wings spread and she landed gracefully next to the shinigami. Her tears held back by the adrenaline of battle.
"You really don't know how lucky you are." Kid swung his leg underneath her, throwing her to the ground. With a swift movement he used her own feathered projectiles to pin her down. As quickly as he could he ran to go aid his companions.
Justin watched as the gremlins fell, shriveled and dried next to the skeleton of the siren. It wasn't working this time. No madder how many people he hurt; he felt no pride, no wrath, no sin whatsoever. Had he really fallen so far that he could no longer feel guilt towards his actions? Gopher was damaged and in tears again, the blood of Shibusen around them like so many years ago.
"I promised to save you," he muttered, "all of you; the same way you tried to save me. I just don't know how." She had been like a feral child then, a beast trapped in a frail body. He had seen wild Kishen's be tamed and learn to be human again. Noah and Gopher were slowly loosing their humanity, and with them gone, the technique would be lost. "No madder how many second chances I get, I keep failing." He turned and left the battlefield. "I'm too tainted to try anymore."
"Ultros!" Noah called. Five squid like appendages shot out of the book. At the end of each, a fox head snapped eagerly for prey. A head lunged for Black Star, Kilik blasted it with a stream of fire.
"Come on Black Star," Kilik shouted, "don't give up on me now." Black Star cut off the head of another. He was still hurting from his fight with Kid, but they needed all the help they could get. The book couldn't be endless, eventually the other side had to run out of ammunition.
"Like I'd do something like that." Black Star smirked. The two teamed up on the beast. Kilik would distract a head and Black Star would cut it off. At last, every head had been severed and the beast lay still. The two turned to Noah, but the man merely smirked and pointed behind them. The beast had regenerated. Each tentacle now sported two ferocious heads.
"The seal!" Maka shouted. "Destroy the seal!" Kilik dodged an assault from two heads.
"I don't see it!" Black Star grinded his teeth. He ducked and wove through the winding necks, but all he found was more hungry mouths. "We don't have time for this!" Black Star growled. "INFINITY BLADE!" He sliced off as many heads as he could. With a clearer view, maybe, just maybe he could catch sight of it.
"You idiot!" Soul shouted. "Don't keep cutting it!" Black Star's sword sliced through the beast; it fell apart into irregular cubes. The ninja spotted a shimmer of gold in the pile. "Kilik, on the heart!"
"Got it!" As the beast began to reform, Kilik hit the heart with a blast of electricity. It calcified and crumbled to bits. The beast turned to stone and fell into a pile of rubble.
"You don't think I'm done, do you?" Noah sneered. Amongst the confusion, Kid pulled free from the spiritual feathers that had pinned him. He swung his leg to knock Gopher off balance. When she fell he quickly pinned her right leg with one of her feathers. He looked up to see a three-headed dragon. Its back covered in the tombs of other warriors. "Say hello to my Hora Dragon."