In the heart of a winter tundra, was a massive cyclone, the scales of which Shibusen was unprepared. The high speed winds pulled in snow from the surrounding blizzard and ejected sleet at the same rate. With the snowfall obscuring their vision, the adults had tried their best to take over, shouting orders over the high-pitched shrieking that echoed through the mountain-side. Every now and then a person would jump, swearing up and down they heard a woman's cry. Freezing from the cold and fatigue, they fought the magnetic pull from the storm to enter the city. The students had been given strict instruction to remain outside of the magical fallout, though it felt as though they were in the midst of it. It was a race against time, with Arachne's army around every turn, and they had been instructed to sit and wait.
Wait for Stein and Marie to retrieve the brew.
Wait to see if the magical storm had torn their teachers to shreds in a matter of minutes.
Wait for a sign that they could retreat.
Wait while the ever present anxiety threatened to consume them.
Kid thought about what happened earlier that morning, the cold wind of Alaska lost to his thoughts. 'Shini-kun, I found more information about Grimoire!' She had cheered. 'The Sekaigami was last seen at your mission site with the brew and the book of Eibon; she was trying to build something. If you can find what it was, maybe it'll explain why Lord Death's hiding it.' He had wanted to know where the information had come from, but she wouldn't tell him. It was easy to rationalize that hid father had lied to keep humans away from this dangerous place. He could very easily seeing fool hard thrill seekers, like Black Star, running head in for a chance at glory. Still, there were so many questions he wanted to ask her, but this mission took precedence.
"Kid, we've got company!" Black Star shouted from his perch high above the group. Arachne's soldiers marched toward them from the East. The bitter wind nipped at their faces as they scrambled for a plan. "We have to fight!" Black Star insisted.
"But what about Professor Marie and Stein?" Liz cried. "They've already been in the field for seventeen minutes, they're almost out of time!" This was what his father had tangled them into, a battle for the brew left behind so many years ago.
"Then ya' go after 'em." Kilik, a fellow teammate, suggested.
"Don't worry about us," Ox added, "We'll hold the soldiers off until you come back." He had never fought alongside the odd trio and their weapons before. Kilik was a master pugalist, and his nerdy friend was proficient with a spear. Kim circled overhead with the help of her flaming lantern. He was confident they would be able to handle the coming soldiers on their own. Kid looked to the others.
"I agree. We should see if they need help." Kid said.
"So it's settled," Maka concluded, "Kid, Black Star, and I will go check on Marie and Stein. Ox; you, Kilik, and Kim hold off Arachne's troops. If we're not back in fifteen minutes, shoot the signal to retreat."
"But that won't happen." Black Star boasted.
"I sure hope not." Maka agreed.
The trio emerged through the magic field to the site of the ruins, but the ruins weren't there. In their stead an intricate temple gleamed in seemingly warm sun light. Crystals had been decoratively set into the stone in bizarre patterns. They could no longer hear the screaming wind or feel the bitter cold. It appeared as if a glittering utopia, with clear fruits growing private own groves. In the distance, Kid watched a mother fishing her giggling children out of the branches.
"What's going on here?" Maka mumbled in wonder. It was clear how easy someone could let their guard down and remain in the eye of the storm past the time limit. Though through the singing birds and sparkling wind chimes Maka felt ill at ease.
"Maka, you okay?" Soul asked, watching his miester falter amidst the sparkling paradise. Something about the serene nature of their surrounds felt distinctly macabre, like standing on a memorial.
"I- I don't think the storm was made to keep people out." She realized. "The storm's been trying to get in. Whatever magic was used to protect this place... it's been corrupted." A maniacal laugh cut through peace.
"I found them!" Black Star called from a few yards ahead. Running to catch up, Kid and Maka saw the Dr. Stein had collapsed in a fit of laughter. Marie stroked the doctor's hair with concern as the man's mind slipped to places unseen.
"Oh look at it dance!" Stein chuckled; his eyes seemed to stare past Marie as he drew shapes on her jacket. "I think it likes me." Maka ran up to the teachers.
"Marie-sensei, what's going on?" She watched in horror, as Marie's arms blinked in and out between the sunny utopia, and an icy grave. The blond instruction snapped to attention, anger etched into her face at the sight of her students.
"What are you doing here?" Marie demanded. "You should be outside where it's safe!" She shuddered, a wave a malaise wrecking havoc on her body.
"We came to help you, and you obviously need it." Black Star said. Though boastful, there was concern in his eyes. He didn't quite know what to make of the powerful scientist now crippled in unhinged laughter.
"What's wrong with Stein?" Kid asked. The woman slumped in defeat.
"I don't know," she confessed, "as soon as we entered the field he collapsed. I think, maybe he's been here before and didn't tell me." She couldn't think of any other explanation for the tears and explicit nonsense that fell from his mouth in a steady stream.
"You don't have much time," Maka said, "you need to get Stein out of here." Marie was about to object, but she her hand flicker to a frostbitten state and nodded. With a surprising amount of strength, she slung the man over her shoulders.
"If you die here, so help me-" Marie shouted as the group ran further into the ruins. "I'll kill you!" They hated leaving their teachers behind, but there was no telling how much farther Arachne's team had gotten while they'd been rooted in place.
"How much time do we have?" Maka asked. Kid reached into his fluffy pocket.
"About fourteen minutes, we should have enough time to grab the brew and get out of here." Kid nodded. They were almost to the temple courtyard when a dark figure flitted across the pristine sky.
"Shi-shinigami-sama?" Maka exclaimed in shock. Plain as day the reaper was headed toward their destination, though no trace of his friendly demeanor remained.
"No… an image." Kid realized. A flickering hologram of the grim reaper in his younger years soared through the sky on spectral flames with an ordinary scythe in hand. A cracked skull served as his mask, his cloak was tattered and ragged. "My father from his 'grim' days. If he's here, then this must be a projection from before the accident." They continued to walk through the monument to the past as figures of witches past them fleeing the temple. They muttered words of confusion and cowardice amongst themselves. Maka glanced up at them and stopped.
"Yo Maka, what's the hold up?" Black Star called.
"I-it's her." Maka said. She raised a hand and pointed to an image of the witch Arachne. Two servants stood in front of a black BMW, one held the door for her, the other a small bundle.
"It looks like I lured Shinigami-kun here just in time." She chuckled. "With luck it will destroy him as well as the brew." She took hold of the bundle, a small hand reached out to grab her earring. "Either way the aftermath of this will keep him busy for quite some time." She slid into the car, and began to drive off. A brunette teen in tears chased after the car. She screamed in frustration as the exhaust shot in her face.
Before them stood a small old man with a metal brief case.
"Is he an image too?" Maka asked. He turned to them, making direct eye contact, obviously unimpressed.
"No, he's real." Kid said.
"And he has the brew!" Black Star pointed at the briefcase. The elderly man shook his head back and forth with a sigh.
"Shinigami's sent a couple of children to do his dirty work?" He tsked. "How despicable." He looked at them with pity.
"I wouldn't be so quick to diss if I were you," Black Star smirked, "your time's up." The man glanced at his body and saw it start to flickered.
"I see, so this old body can only last twenty minutes in the field. Perhaps I should revert 400 years back- no 100 years should be enough." With this the man's arms bulged and expanded. His swollen upper body hoisted his disproportionate legs. "Here is my form from 100 years ago, when my body was at its toughest." The opposing sides braced for combat when a silk cloaked figure crossed their path.
There was a gentle tinkle of bells as the figure paused. White and burgundy robes covered every inch of flesh, gold claws emerged from the lengthy sleeves, and an emotionless mask hid the figure's face. Kid's eyes widened at the sight, so oddly familiar. The mage looked to the temple his father had entered.
"So that's Eibon." The man said half with wonder and half with suspicion.
"Eibon!" Kid gasped. The being twitched, almost in recognition, it turned and looked in the direction Kid and his friends stood. It hesitated, reaching out a single gold claw, only to have it pass through empty air.
"You don't think it can see us, do you?" Maka asked, making Kid flinch. A loud boom startled the birds out of their trees and the smell of smoke bled through the air. Eibon glanced at the rising pillars of black smoke and embers coming from their home. They ran leaving the mortals behind.
"I-" He paused. "I don't know."
"We have less than ten minutes!" Black Star reminded. The ground rumbled against the impact of a wave of flaming skulls plummeting into the trees. "Let's get the brew, now." Maka rushed after him while Kid stood at a cross road. His gaze darted from the disproportionate man to Eibon's retreating form and back. The disguised witch darted out of sight while his friends fought. He sighed; Eibon would have to wait, right now they need to get their hands on the brew.
The air about the school had taken a dour tone as the team returned broken and defeated. Arachne's organization, known as Arachnophobia, had the brew in their clutches and now rumors of a double agent within the school was floating about. Stein's collapse had been ruled as sabotage in light of Marie's declining abilities as an aura cleanser. It was unheard of for a Death Scythe's wavelength to change so drastically overnight. Well, except for Soul, who had been infected with Chrona's black blood. Of all people, Kid wondered how Chrona was handling the news. No doubt she was already having to dodge accusatory glances from staff.
"Hey Chrona, I'm back." There was no answer from the other side of the door. He knocked a second time. "Chrona?" Opening the thick metal door, he find the room distinctly barren. Her things, what little she had, were gone. Kid felt his heart drop into his stomach. "…no." He murmured. The young shinigami tore through the halls. "CHRONA! CHRONA WHERE ARE YOU!" The boy ran right into one of his instructors as he rounded up the stairs.
"Woah, woah! Kid slow down, what's the rush?" Sid asked. The zombified professor had gained a morbid sense of humor after his reanimation. It made him a prime instructor for entry level students, but very easy to extort for information.
"Chrona, I can't find her. Do you know where she is?" Kid panted.
"Chrona's... busy right now." Sid looked away, wracking his decaying brain for a sense of delicacy.
"With what?" Kid asked. He took a step back and struggled to even his breathing.
"I was never a loose lipped man when I was alive." Sid stated through tight lips. Though his tone alone echoed a sense of finality. Whatever was going on, Sid was instructed not to tell him, or any student for that matter.
"Then my father, where's he? I can have him find her in his mirror." Kid said, trying to ignore the sink feeling Sid's silence gave him. The zombie shook his head solemnly.
"He's in the middle of a trial right now."
"A trial?" Kid asked. Realization hit him like a cold bucket of water. He ran to his father's room and was startled when the doors flew open. Chrona walked past him, slow and weighted. "Chrona what happened?" The girl just shook her head silently and kept walking. Staff was pointed at either side, making it difficult for him to get close.
"I'm sorry." Was all she could choke out. Chrona left his father's room in tears. Slowly loosing his grip on rational thought, Kid barged into his father's space. He knew he couldn't get near Chrona with so many guards, but perhaps if he could persuade his father to reconsider.
"Father!" Kid shouted as he barged into the Death Room, startling the Death Scythe at his side.
"Kid, wh-" Spirit began.
"What did you do?" He glared at his father. The elder shinigami sighed.
"Chrona has been expelled from Shibusen for suspicious activity." He said in an even tone, though he seem appropriately solemn. Spirit looked at the ground, his hair a bedraggled mess. It didn't seem like this had been an easy trial.
"On what grounds?"Kid growled. His father stepped aside to reveal the stack of books he had been stashing in her room.
"Chrona had many books that were to be only released to fourth level miesters." Kid's eyes widened at the sight, adrenaline pumping through his viens. "You wouldn't happen to know about this, would you?" Kid bit his lip. "After all, you seem to be out of sorts over her banishment." She had covered for him and lied about his involvement at all. At least, that's how it appeared. There was also the chance his father knew and was merely patronizing him. Either way, he felt sick to the stomach.
"Any of her friends would do the same, otherwise you would have told us she was on trial." Kid said. "Those," he pointed at the books, "don't belong to her." It was the most he could manage before his father continued.
"I know but she was helping, whoever it was, to gain access to forbidden knowledge. She is as much to blame... but I went easy on her. You know the punishment for internal affairs." Kid's hands tightened into a fist, he knew of the death penalty all too well. "With all this spy nonsense, it would be best to show some results. We don't know what all she's done while we've been distracted by Arachne."
"So that automatically means she working for them!? That's preposterous!" Kid shouted. "What could possible in a bunch of books from your library that would warrant banishment?" It wasn't fair; he couldn't do anything against his father. His father was notorious for this, making decisions out of thin air. Then he wouldn't explain himself and would expect Kid to just accept it.
"It does no good getting angry at me." His father soothed. "This situation is more complex than late night reading. People are scared Kid. Scared people often do things that put others in danger, we can't risk people thinking we've lost control and can't protect them."
"But you are using a situation of circumstance to… to use her as your 'scape-goat!" Kid accused. "Our failure was just that, ours. She has nothing to do-"
"She confessed to hurting Marie, Kid." Spirit interjected. Kid stopped his rant.
"W-what?" His voice felt weak.
"It's true," Lord Death agreed. "When I asked her about the books; she confessed to being involved in internal affairs. Marie has been fighting the magic spell like a champ, but Stein..." Kid stood there in shock. "There was nothing you could do. We gave her a chance; she chose to put you and your friends in danger. I'm sorry Kid, but my decision is final." The damage had been done. Chrona was banished because of his own suspicions about his father and her own guilty concious. He bowed and left the room in numb silence.
Lord Death stood in his room and sighed; Spirit fidgeted in place a bit, and looked from between his partner and the door. The shinigami just simply nodded.
"Kid, wait!" The Death Scythe called as he ran out of the room. Shinigami-sama turned to his mirror and watched in the reflective glass as Kid sat on the steps of the school listlessly. Spirit ran up to Lord Death's son and stopped short next to the defeated boy. The man sighed and sat down next to the young shinigami. He rested a hand on the boy's shoulder and pulled him close in a half hug.
"I don't get it Spirit-sama." Kid muttered, "Why?" Spirit rubbed the young boys shoulder gently and did his best to comfort him.
"She never wanted any of you to get hurt, you were her friends." Spirit sighed. "She wants to protect you." From what exactly he wasn't certain, but the conviction in the young girl's voice had been clear. Kid's father stared at the reflection in his mirror and hung his head.
Chrona walked along the highway on the outskirt of Death City, rucksack in hand. This far away from the city, the bustling lights looked liked stars lining the horizon. Though she left with determination, she couldn't shake the feeling of wandering aimlessly in the desert with only the abandoned road as a guideline.
"I don't know if I should be pissed or proud." Ragnarok grumped from a top his mister.
"I would rather Shinigmai-sama banish me than get used to hurt my friends." Chrona sniffled. "I'm sure they'll understand."
"Then why are you crying?" Ragnarok asked. It was obvious she didn't want to go, but she was the one that put their cushy lives in jeopardy. All she had to do was sit in her little corner and eat food, but no, she had to go and make stupid friends that expected things from them.
"You're pinching me." Chrona mumbled. Ragnarok's frown deepened. For once he wasn't doing anything to the girl, which only meant she was crying about leaving.
"Well then, tell me what the plan is and I'll stop." She said nothing, which only concerned her weapon more.
"We're going back to Medusa's, aren't we?" The weapon sighed. What was the point of all this self sacrifice if they were just marching back into demon god boot camp?
"Well, what else can I do?" Chrona asked. "After I put Medusa's audio snake in Marie-sensei's drink..." She tapered off. "I don't want to go back, but she's the only family I have." She continued to walk down the empty road.
Deep with in the recesses of Chrona's soul, her younger persona was at odds with the reflection in the water.
"You've been banished." Her reflection stated dryly.
"I know." Chrona said. The ocean was still today, oddly so. She curled up on a large stone that was buried in the sand. From there she stared down at the crystalline reflection.
"Was it worth it?" It asked. Though obviously, it didn't think it was.
"Of course." Chrona hid her face. She would probably never see him or Maka again; but she gave him what he needed to continue his search without her. She had to believe he found his answers during his mission, otherwise, what was this all for? She hoped by answering her other half that she would finally have a moment alone to think. Of course her plans hadn't been working as of late.
"Even though it was for a shinigami?" It asked. Chrona snapped her head up in anger.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She demanded.
"Shinigami are dangerous, they steal the souls of witches like yourself. They are horribly deceitful, evil murders; who-" She threw a fistful of sand into the water, breaking the reflection into disorganized fragments.
"How dare you say such things! Shini-kun is nothing like that." She dusted off her hands on her skirt. "He's been nothing but a perfect gentleman to me."
"What makes you so sure?" The reflection asked. "He probably deceived you to receive the information he needed. Now that he has what he wants, he won't give you a second thought."
"That's not true!" He had tried to get her to let the investigation go."I know that's not true. He didn't want me to leave either!" He never would have wanted her to talk to Medusa or do anything to risk her position at the school. It was her selfishness to keep him close that had driven her decision, not anyone's manipulative intent. She stood from her makeshift seat and stormed over to the water's edge. Her outburst caught the image off guard. "Why do you even care?"
"Well I-"
"It was my decision, so you should agree with me! You're me, aren't you?" The reflection's resolve broke under the burning heat of the sun.
"Pass."
"It's not so easy now that I'm pestering you with questions, isn't it?" Schools of fish swam through, cutting the reflection in half again and again.
"Pass." The reflection looked weaker now, less vibrant.
"Then why did you keep asking me questions?" Chrona asked; tears began to fall from her cheeks.
"I just… needed help." It begged.
"Well I don't need it anymore!" Chrona spat. "I don't need people to tell me what to do, not Medusa and certainly not you!" She expected the voice to answer back, but froze when she saw a simple reflection. Her own pale blue eyes stared back at her, the limbs mimicked her own. She wiped the tears from her face and scanned around her soul, but heard nothing other than the cries of seagulls. The voice in her head was gone.