To some extent, it had been a game to Maka. That sounded cruel, but how could you blame her? Soul's behavior had been absurd. It had annoyed her, so she'd aimed to prove him wrong. She had been upset and frustrated when he'd first brought it up, but she'd been able to dismiss it as a result of the fight. Now, her view on things was beginning to change. She had effectively achieved checkmate. If direct confirmation from professor Stein didn't remove his worries, nothing would. And that scared her. Suddenly, this situation posed a real threat to their relationship. It wouldn't just work itself out over time. The idea that she was unwell couldn't be disproven with absolute certainty.

The game had ended. Reality returned. What, then? Were they just done? Before they had even really gotten started? No. She would not go back to passively longing for his affection. That Maka had died on that rainy night. She wanted to be with Soul. She wasn't ashamed to admit it, and she would fight for their relationship if she had to. Perhaps she had taken the wrong approach from the start. Maka was a rational person at heart. She had aimed to convince him by proving that she was sane. But Soul's concerns weren't rational. His behavior was rooted in insecurity. Armchair psychology aside, Maka was beginning to see a vision. A thoroughly irrational manner of proving the veracity of her feelings.

It was not something she wanted to do. The fact that she was even considering it made her doubt her own sanity for a moment. Yet, she had exhausted all other options. Desperate times required desperate measures. And times were about to be desperate indeed.

There seemed to be a belief among her friends. That Maka hated femininity. That she hated romance and intimacy. It was a misconception. The truth was a little more complex. Maka did not mind those things. She desired them, in fact. Sometimes. In moments of weakness. So why had she never had a relationship? Or gone on dates? That answer was very simple. It sat right in front of her. She'd never told her partner or their colleagues but, over the years, the meister had been approached by various men. Some of them had been sleazy jerks, obviously, but a few had looked to be genuinely sweet guys.

Regardless, she had shot them all down on the spot. Hadn't even thought about it. Her view on men had been negative from the start, thanks to her father. It was unfair. Those guys hadn't wronged her. Still, they were creeps in her eyes. She couldn't bring herself to trust any one of them. In her life, there was room for exactly one man. One man she actually trusted. And, though they had only started dating very recently, that position had been occupied since long ago. How, then, could she have gone out with other men? It would have been wrong. A betrayal. So she hadn't. And because she hadn't, romance had remained foreign territory to her. Perhaps, if she and Soul had gotten together earlier, such a misconception would never have been born.

Even keeping all of that in mind, however, she was shocked by much she enjoyed this little act of hers. She'd been so nervous beforehand. And it had felt weird, at first. She had had to remind herself multiple times that she was doing it for their future. Yet, once she had seen his reaction, all those doubts had gone right out the window. It was obvious from a glance that he was into it. That she had control over him. An addictive, intoxicating sensation. Forget proving him wrong. Forget happy ever after. Utterly irrelevant. She just wanted to keep playing with him. To see how far she could take it. To see what would happen.

Arguably too much so. A question surfaced, somewhere in her mind. Did Soul have a point? No, of course he didn't. She was a woman. Her having a sensual side was to be expected. Right? She wasn't sure. These sensations were new. But they were part of her. Questions piled up. He met her gaze. His eyes were passionate. Needy. He wanted her. The questions disappeared. Burned up by his hunger, and hers. She knew herself. There was no need to doubt. She had him. It was time.

"Let's do Soul Resonance."

He hesitated. Aimless eyes regained their focus. Slowly came to terms with their surrounding. Frozen brain cells resumed operations. She hadn't been able to overwhelm him like she'd hoped. Maka hadn't lost yet. He was wavering. She could tell from his answer.

"You know we can't."

A halfhearted refusal. Her next words were important. This surprise play had gotten her further than any argumentative reasoning. She would stay her course. Maka put on her most clueless expression and responded.

"Why?"

She knew why, of course. They'd been over it on multiple occasions. But he might not. Her partner was struggling to think straight, his vacant repeatedly magneting to her legs. Maka's ruse had had the intended effect.

"Because of... the consequences."

Vague, distracted responses. Weakening resistance. She could actually do this. Maka whispered into his ear.

"Forget the consequences."

He went quiet. Considered it. That was half the battle. It was as good as over. His next words would be 'Alright.'. She was certain of it. Just when he opened his mouth, the forces of gravity rudely interrupted them. The room rotated. No, her vision did. A loud bang somewhere in the distance. Windows broke. The building shook. Maka collided with the ground. Except the ground was soft. Soul had embraced her as they flew off the couch. Shielded her. They laid somewhere on the living room carpet. The TV had fallen over, its screen shattered. The kitchen was littered with shards and cutlery. Their apartment was a mess.

It didn't much register in her brain. A manga panel aesthetic had covered everything in sight. Stylized, blurry, monochrome. It made taking things seriously very difficult. Perhaps it was no surprise, then, that her first thought was to lament the poor timing of it all. If this stupid thing had happened a minute later, she could've cleared things up with Soul. In the back of her mind, a siren's call. A compulsion she had grown all too familiar with. It was real. Her aching knee agreed. It had to have hit something while they were being launched. That didn't matter. The sensation in her head did. Why was it in Death City? It felt the same as the gas had. A terrorist attack? Against the city under the reaper's protection? No one could be that stupid. Her partner began to stir.

"What the hell is going on...?"

She didn't know either. But Maka couldn't let him panic. She had dealt with these conditions. He hadn't.

"The city is under attack, I think."

"Are you serious? I feel weird. My vision is fucked."

So it wasn't just her. Had to be an effect of the earlier blast, then. Or of whatever had caused it.

"Yeah. Something is messing with our heads. We need to stay calm."

"What, like back then? I thought Black Star took care of it."

A good point. Black Star had claimed to have taken out the culprit. The man wasn't exactly reliable. It would be quite the coincidence if the current events weren't related to that witch.

"Maybe he messed up. I don't know."

"Wouldn't shock me. You ok?"

She wasn't sure, herself. Maka carefully got up. Various minor pains aside, she felt alright. She wasn't bleeding and nothing seemed to be broken.

"I think so. How are you doing?"

Soul did the same and grimaced. Her partner was in pain, obviously. There were bruises all over his right side.

"I'm good."

Even now he found the energy to pretend. Male pride was a powerful thing. Well, if he could manage that, he would probably be alright. Maka smiled.

"Let's go, then. We have a city to defend."

He smiled back.

"Guess we do."

After Soul changed shape, they ran down the staircase and exited the building. There was no time to take in the chaos around them. She spotted several creatures in her vicinity. Taking on this many could be dangerous, but the state of things permitted no hesitation. A quick consultation with her weapon was the only delay she allowed.

"Soul."

"What's up?"

"If your vision is as limited as mine, that probably means you'll be affected as well, this time."

"Ya, I can tell."

"Stay cool, ok?"

"That's what I do."

His casual tone was both worrying and reassuring. Either way, she couldn't do anything for him. He would need to pull through. A small family was being pushed into a corner by two beasts. Maka dashed over and drew a large arc with her scythe. To her surprise, the creatures didn't react at all. They were decapitated and soon vanished. Soul spoke to her as she was about to address the people she'd saved.

"Tell them to run, Maka."

"Are you crazy? They'll get attacked again!"

"So you want them to stay here? I'm struggling. Civilians are gonna murder each other!"

It didn't feel that bad to her yet. Her mind was clear. Perhaps she had grown used to the feeling. Soul's view was probably more accurate right now. Nonetheless, she felt terrible sending these people to their potential deaths. She wanted to escort them, at least, but there was no time for that, either. The meister instructed them to run in the direction of the academy. If any place was safe right now, it would be there.

Another trio of beasts blocked her path. Three slashes took out three opponents. Were these the same creatures they had fought before? They had never been particularly threatening in terms of raw combat strength, but killing these felt too easy. Perhaps the enemy was struggling to control this many at once. Whatever the cause, it significantly improved their odds of survival. Additionally, Maka was barely bothered by their gas or the grey aura encompassing them. She felt good. Focused. That poison only amplified emotions. It was harmless to a mindful, calm person. And she had fought enemies relying solely on Soul Perception. A little black and white was no problem. The pair came across a young man. She called out to him.

"Hey! You have to get out of here! Run for the academy!"

But he didn't run. The boy turned towards them. He stood still for a second, before jumping Maka, swinging a hammer. Was that his partner? Maka dodged both his initial attack and the immediate followup. She gave communication another attempt.

"What are you doing?! Run!"

"Shut the fuck up, you dumb cunt!"

No saving that guy. Not with words, anyhow. He'd been overwhelmed by anger. She could relate. Soul shouted a response from inside his weapon form.

"Say that again, you piece of shit! She's trying to save your dumb ass!"

Had he gotten mad because the guy had insulted her? It was endearing. But it was also unusual behavior. The poison was getting to him.

"I'll say it again! Your partner's an ugly hoe!"

Maka closed in on the guy before he could get Soul any more riled up. Nonlethal combat was no easy task with a scythe. Their opponent was no slouch, either. She would've guessed him a two star meister, roughly. But his attacks were thoughtless and predictable. After avoiding an especially obvious overhead strike, she rammed the shaft of her weapon into his stomach. He fell to his knees, then over sideways. His weapon untransformed. Fortunately, the young woman was in better shape. After apologizing profusely, she threw her partner over her shoulder and ran off. Seeing the petite girl carry her partner around like he weighed nothing was a curious sight. Maka wondered if she'd be able to do the same.

She came across many more students, some colleagues. The meister sent everyone conscious toward Kid. She had no way of getting the unconscious ones to safety. Hopefully, they would be safe where they were. Maka was getting a handle on the nature of the attack. The mental impairment wasn't connected to the creatures in the streets. She'd felt it right after getting hit by the shockwave. It was probably linked to the monochrome aura that encompassed the entire area.

These beasts also posed little real threat. Not to her and not to any other semi competent pair. She reasoned they were mostly present to spread fear. Their appearance certainly was disturbing. In combination with the destruction from the initial impact, they were bound to cause panic. That, in turn, would accelerate the mental decline of the city's residents. If she was right, hunting down the monsters was a lower priority. The real danger, then, came from the people that had been overwhelmed by their emotions. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to send everybody toward the same location. It would be fine. Kid was there. If the academy wasn't safe, he would take them elsewhere.

For the moment, her eyes found no more allies in need. The meister used this time to take a breather. She closed her eyes to scan her surroundings. The area had been largely cleared out. Her rest was suddenly cut short when she spotted Kid's soul. That wasn't surprising in and of itself. The reaper's soul stood out among all the others. What concerned her was his location. Kid was not, as she had hoped, at the academy building. He was fairly close to them, only a few streets away. That fact caused multiple issues. Maka had assumed the young god would take care of people she sent over. Him not being there was seriously risky. Kid had to know that as well. It begged the question: Why had he come all the way here?

Throughout the night, Maka had been keeping an eye on her partner's wavelength. It was unsteady, it had peaked here and there, but he had managed. Kid would hopefully be able to do the same. Regardless, she needed to get over there. The reaper had to know something. She expressed as much to Soul. The weapon had no complaints, so they took off. The streets seemed empty, now. She, herself, was partially responsible for that, but it still felt weird. They barely encountered any monsters on their way. The reason quickly became apparent when they turned the final corner.

Kid was there, surrounded by a veritable ring of enemies. He slayed them at a frightening pace. The next wave already came in. He appeared to be attracting them. Had that been his plan? To protect the others by luring opponents toward him? It did look to be working. Spotting an opening in the beasts around him, Maka approached.

"Kid! What are you doing out here? Do you know what's going on?"

She realized as soon as the words had left her mouth. Something was wrong. He hardly reacted to her questions. Only after he struck down the last creature in his immediate vicinity did he seem to notice their presence. Maka's query went unacknowledged in his response.

"Ahh. Soul. Maka. They've gotten you, too, have they?"

He faced the sky. His tone was eerily melancholic. He'd gotten caught up in the attack. That was bad. Words really couldn't express just how bad it was. If subduing that guy earlier had been tricky, doing the same to a grim reaper would be near impossible. Soul weighed in.

"Uhh, Maka? I don't think Kid's doing too well."

"I noticed."

"What do we do?"

What indeed. Kid wasn't his father, but he was doubtlessly capable of immense destruction, himself. In his current state, they could not leave him be. Did they stand a chance in combat? The two of them against a literal god? It was hard to say. She hadn't seen the reaper fight since his ascension. Maybe he was out of shape? Maybe he would fight brainlessly, like the other guy had? Even so, she didn't love their odds. The reaper rambled on.

"I've failed you. Don't worry. You, too, will be set free. By my hand."

"Set free? Kid, we're doing fine!"

In the blink of an eye, the leader of the academy had crossed the distance between them. He swung his bare hand at her. Maka blocked it with her scythe. It felt like deflecting a massive axe. She backed off and explained her plan to Soul.

"We'll have to fight, for now. Keep him busy. I'll try and get through to him with words."

"Gotcha."

Kid hadn't moved from where he'd struck her. He looked surprised. A few seconds later, he came for her again, speaking calmly as he slashed at Maka's body.

"Do you resent me? I won't blame you."

She was fully preoccupied with blocking his strikes. He hadn't listened to her replies, anyway. Perhaps Maka could snap him out of it if she understood what drove him into this position. She would defend and listen.

"It must have hurt. Your body bloating. Your humanity taken."

He started incorporating kicks into his assault. Maka could not possibly block everything. She had taken multiple hits already. A foot to her left side, a punch to her stomach. She couldn't focus on his words. Keeping up with his movements was all the meister could manage.

"I cannot make up for it. I cannot undo it. All I can do is free you."

Maka jumped to build some distance. Kid was suddenly above her. His foot connected with her skull, sent her body shooting downwards into the asphalt. She barely got up in time to avoid a devastating followup kick. That would have definitely taken her out. It didn't look good, regardless. She felt dizzy. Her head hurt. Worst of all, she was no closer to understanding what was going on with the reaper in front of her.

"You and all the others."

Kid was too fast. Blood dripped into her eye. She couldn't see well. His figure blurred across her vision. Blended in with the colorless world around her. Maka knew she had no way of defending against the incoming hit. In a final effort, she blindly swung her scythe around her. It connected with something. Bought her some space. The next bout would end badly. They had to do something. Her partner shared his own findings.

"...he thinks we're like those monsters."

"What? We look nothing like them."

"He keeps talking about 'setting us free' and our 'bloating bodies'. I think he blames himself."

That tracked. She knew Kid felt responsible for the academy and its students. He'd inherited it from his father, after all. Soul was onto something. She let him continue.

"And I'm pretty sure it's not just us."

Now it made sense. If he believed that his precious students had been turned into these abominations, that might just be enough to drive even a grim reaper insane. Her weapon voiced the primary question on her mind.

"He's wrong, though, isn't he? We haven't transformed and we've been exposed to much more of this shit than anybody here."

It seemed that way. There was no way of knowing for sure, though. She would keep that part to herself. They needed to stop Kid's rampage. Anything else could be dealt with later.

"Yeah. And we haven't seen anyone else transform. It's hard to believe."

"Then that's how we win. Can you get that through to him?"

Could she? The reaper had ignored everything else she'd said. She didn't have many other options. It was worth a try, at least.

"I can do it."

She had to. And fast. Her body was beaten and bruised. It wouldn't take much more to knock her out. But Kid was nowhere to be seen. Maka sensed him behind her just in time to deflect a jumping kick with her scythe. The motion sent the reaper flying past her on her left. She quickly turned and shouted after him.

"Kid! We're not monsters! I can speak!"

The other man halted his assault. He looked at her. The words had reached him. That was a good sign.

"You will be, soon. Everyone else already turned."

He resumed his onslaught. Maka was done defending. She had gained ground. Advantages needed to be pushed. A grim reaper could take a hit or two. Rather than passively blocking, she matched his attacks with her own. Kid was fast but she had much better reach.

"These things are not your students! Why would you even think that?!"

The fight was going better for her now. Soul Resonance would have made things even easier. She didn't dare bring it up in this situation.

"She said so herself! Look at their uniforms!"

She? The meister guessed Kid had also talked to the hooded woman. When she had a moment, Maka looked at the clothes of the monsters surrounding them. Suspiciously, none were the kind that produced smoke. Most of them were naked. A few did wear remnants of a school uniform. It might have been from the DWMA. Just shreds and pieces, really. No way to tell.

"What if she dressed them up beforehand?! Get a hold of yourself!"

"What if she didn't?! I have to atone!"

His rampage grew more intense. He was getting angry. It made him an easier opponent. Unnecessary movement telegraphed his attacks. She could land a hit on him now, if she wanted to. A plan took shape. She waited for him to launch a massive spinning kick. After ducking under his heel, she used the bladeless side of the shaft to launch Kid into a wall. Now that he was immobilized, she shouted the words she'd prepared.

"Pull yourself together! What would your father think of you?!"

She felt all sorts of stupid, admonishing a literal god. It was the only thing she'd been able to come up with. Maybe mentioning his father would snap him awake. Between the hit he'd taken and Maka's words, Kid did seem to relax. He laid against the wall he'd crashed into and made no move to get up. Half a minute passed before the reaper spoke.

"...he would be ashamed of me."

It had worked! Rather than waste time celebrating, she immediately pushed forward.

"Do you feel better?"

"Slightly."

"I'm glad. Why did you come out here?"

"Black Star and Tsubaki are at the heart of this attack. I was heading to their place."

Maka could follow his train of thought. Black Star had claimed to have killed the culprit. Now she was apparently here.

"We'll go. You return to the school."

"No. I'm coming with you."

Just being close to Kid was risky. If her impression about this attack was accurate, he was the most dangerous person in the city. There was no way he could come to the epicenter. Sending him to the academy would both allow him to help out there and get him far away from the origin of the mental interference.

"No offense, Kid, but you're in no shape to fight."

Once again, she found herself talking down to the grim reaper. Said reaper looked very discontent. He clearly wanted to protest, but ultimately surrendered.

"Very well. I've done enough damage, haven't I? I'll leave it in your hands."

"Thank you, Lord Death. We won't let you down."

He nodded at her. Then he got up and rushed off. Maka had no time to waste, herself. She ran in the direction of their friends' apartment.