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Magic Eater Ch. 1 (Unedited)
🕑 Added 2024-09-21 00:24:08 +0000 UTCMagic Eater
By: Bubbajack
Editors/Co-Authors: Icysnowsage, Antagonist, Loamy Coffee, First Hassan/Darklord331
Special Consultant: Heliosion
Note: special thanks go out to my Super Donors Alexander Murry, Bobby Glass, JackHanmer, Jareth Norris, Martin T. Aranda, NeroSolas, Selmephren, and Lucas White my sole Supreme Tier donor. My Heartfelt thanks go out to all my other Patrons as well.
Obligatory First Chapter Disclaimer: Frieren, HP, Little Witch Academia, Soul Eater, Taimanin, and Zero no Tsukiama.
Ch.1: An unlikely invitation.
Soul Evans, Demon Weapon to one Maka Albarn, a Scythe-Meister, Of the DWMA's EAT class was laid up in Death Weapon Meister Academy’s, hospital ward. Recovering from both surgery and a slash wound across his torso that went from his left shoulder to his right hip. Ever since he received the wound in Saint Peter's Basilica. He'd been silently cursing his own weakness. ‘That was so not cool of me. Passing out like that after getting slashed just once?’ What if Maka had been stabbed or worse? What kind of demon weapon am I if I can't even protect my Meister?’ Soul made a fist and slammed it against the pale white sheets he was currently covered in. He had never felt more useless in his entire life.
‘I need to get stronger, strong enough to protect Maka somehow. But how? I know I'm not strong enough to become a Lone Weapon. I'm not like Eternal Feather or anything. I've always been pretty much useless without Maka. But I have to do something. I can't go wussing out and passing out just by getting hit once. I need to keep her safe. I can't be weak like I was before.’
His self recrimination was interrupted by a sudden and incessant tapping on the glass of his window. Curious, the sharp toothed albino got up and hobbled over to the window, wondering what could be making that noise. Throwing the drapes back, he found a pair of owls sitting on the window sill. Both pecking at the glass. One was a regal white snowy owl and the other had dark plumage covering its body. Soul couldn't help but stare at them. Because even though this was Death Valley, he was pretty sure owls weren't native to this area. Nothing was, for it was too hot. So he was surprised to see these two night time avian creatures just tapping on his window sill. In fact, he saw two letters tied to their legs. Now intrigued, he pulled the window open and they flew directly onto his bed. “What the heck is this?” He muttered under his breath, “Some kind of prank by Black*Star?”
“I have no idea who that is, dear.” A posh, regal feminine accent spoke out coming from the snowy white owl. “I have a letter for you representing Gringotts Bank. I have been under their employ for several years. And it's my job to deliver official letters and such.”
Soul shook his head and gave his eyes a rub before saying “Did you just talk?”
The female snowy owl looked surprised for a moment before she said, “Oh, you can understand me? Well, how delightful! You must be quite the adept wizard indeed, to understand animal speech.”
The demon weapon muttered to himself, “I am dreaming. I've got to be dreaming. This must be a very realistic dream, because owls don't talk.”
In response, the brown barn owl fluttered over to his shoulder and gave his ear a peck. “Did you feel that? Now you know you're not dreaming, don't you?”
Soul put his hand to his ear and came away, drawing a tiny bit of blood. Blood that was black in color. “What the hell is going on with me? My blood is black. Owls are talking. Am I going insane? Do I have madness?”
“Everyone’s a little crazy, but that's nothing out of the ordinary.” The brown barn owl assured him.
“Will you get off his shoulder already? We have letters to deliver.” The snowy owl huffed. Puffing out her plumage with a hint of pride.
“You Gringotts owls are always so huffy,” The barn owl noted, “You really should lighten up a bit.”
The Snow Owl gave an affronted hoot, “Well, excuse me for valuing my job and taking pride in doing a good job at it. Unlike you Hogwarts owls.”
Before a fight could start, Soul spoke up, getting in between the two avians and saying. “All right, all right, enough you two. Let's see what you brought me.”
Both owls lined up on the end of his bed with their legs held out, allowing Soul to untie their letters. Deciding to open the one from Gringotts first, Soul upended it and found a strange pendant on a leather cord. It consists of a blue stone with green striations and splashes of red in it that seemed to pulse with life. ‘This thing looks pretty cool.’ Soul thought to himself as he held it up to the light by its cord before putting it over his neck. Deciding to see if the note came with some sort of explanation, he pulled it open and began to read.
“Dear Mr. Evans.
I am writing to you on behalf of Gringotts Bank. Goblin Bank of the Wizarding World. I realize this may come as a shock to you as you have demon weapon blood. But it has recently come to our attention that you have acquired magic. As such, it comes under our purview that we should talk to you at your earliest convenience of the vaults you have inherited. Enclosed in this envelope is a port key. Upon using the command phrase gobbledygook-”
“Gobbledygook?” Soul said aloud. He'd never really heard such a preposterous word, except in maybe a Doctor Seuss book.
The moment he said the word, however, he felt a tugging around his navel, and then the whole room began to spin.
The two owls looked at each other, with the barn owl asking, “Did he just activate the port key without finishing the letter first?”
The snow owl bobbed her head up and down in affirmation, “Yep, typical newbie wizard,” She then asked the barn owl. “He never did undo your letter. What are you going to do with it?”
“I guess I'll just leave it here for him to read. It's just a list of supplies for his first year at Hogwarts, nothing too vital.” All said as he pulled the string loose on his leg and left the letter there For its owner to come back for. The barn owl then sighed and said, “It's a shame he didn't have any treats to offer us. It's quite a flight back to jolly ole england.”
The snow owl gave her compatriot a reproachful glare, “He's new at this. You can't expect treats from every Tom, Dick, and Harry. Now come on, let's get out of here. It's bloody sweltering hot.”
The two owls then took off into the night.The only sign either one of them had ever been there was a single letter left on the bed. Other than that, the room was empty.
(...)
Once the world stopped spinning, Soul found himself somewhere else entirely. It was a long, ornate room. The floor was made out of marble. The pillars on either side of the room were carved in the form of statues, each one depicting a goblin, and sconces full of eldritch green fire, lit the room. Soul found himself standing on a red carpet. That depicted a very long, intricate tapestry that seemed to be the history of goblins themselves, and it led up to a rather small ornate desk, behind which was a giant statue of some kind of goblin king perhaps? It held a giant axe over its head just above the desk. As if it was waiting to strike down the person sitting behind it. ‘And I am somehow here in my boxers.’ Soul grumbled to himself as he walked Across the plush carpet in his skull and crossbone themed boxers. Once he stood in front of an elderly looking but strong goblin, or what he assumed was a goblin. It had pale green skin, a hooked nose, Sharp, pointy teeth sticking out of its mouth. He then politely cleared his throat.
“Ah, Mr. Evans.You've come at last…” Looking over his apparel, or lack thereof, the goblin said. “I see you didn't finish reading the letter before using the pass phrase.”
“No, Sir. Who are you and where am I?” Soul couldn't help but ask.
“Ah, forgive my lack of manners, I am Gobbledygook. King of the Goblin Nation and Manager Of Gringotts. UK branch.”
Not knowing what the proper decorum was, Soul lowered himself into a respectable bow. Before rising and seeing the goblin was gobsmacked. “Um, sorry, did I do something offensive, Your Highness? I'm not sure what the decorum is here? But I'm pretty sure showing up in front of you almost naked isn't cool.”
Pulling himself together, King Gobbledygook grinned a little bit, refusing to show his teeth lest he offend the human in front of him. “I like you already, Mr. Evans, which is not something my kind says lightly about Wizards. Give me a moment and I will find some proper attire for you.”
He reached out and rang a small silver bell on the end of his desk. Moments later, a small goblin attendant appeared. “Gripfang, if you would be so kind as to get a… robe for our guest?”
Gripfang looked at the person in question and said. “Yes my Lord, right away.”
Soul muttered under his breath, “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, chuckleheads. I know I deserve it.”
“You'll have to forgive us, Mr. Evans. We very rarely, if ever, get to laugh at the expense of Wizards and not pay for it.The arrogant twats that they are.”
Soul just shrugged, “You're fine, if you can't laugh at yourselves, you don't really have the right to laugh at others.”
“With every word you say, you're impressing me more and more, Mr. Evans.” Gobbledygook said approvingly, “But I suppose we should get down to today's events. The reason why you've been summoned here to Gringotts.”
The back of his neck in agitation.“Yeah, I'm a bit curious about that. You said something about me suddenly having magic. I'm a demon weapon, I shouldn't have magic until I eat a witch's soul.”
King Gobbledigook nodded, “Yes, this is true. Have you eaten anything else lately that could provide you a substantial boost in magical power?”
Soul thought back, and there was only one thing that came to mind, “I ate the soul of a magical cat. One that could actually turn into a human being.”
King Gobbledygook nodded and stroked his pointed beard. “Yes, that might do it. That could have very well woken up your latent magical potential. But before we continue, could I have the thing I gave you to use as a port key? It is something rather important to the Goblin Nation. It is known as the Galator and one of the most potent magical objects we are charged to protect.”
Taking the object off his neck, Soul handed it back to the Goblin King and couldn't help but ask, "If it's so important then why did you send it to me?”
“Call it a hunch, Mr. Evans, but I have a feeling you're going to be a very important wizard in the future.” The goblin king said cryptically, As he placed the Galator at the edge of the desk before he placed a sheet of blank paper in front of the boy. “This is how we'll confirm just how important of a wizard you will be.”
Soul looked at the paper skeptically, “That piece of paper?”
Producing a small sewing needle. The King of Goblins replied, “This is a lineage paper specially treated to reveal one's lineage with just three drops of blood. So go ahead, prick your finger and drop it into the center of the page. From there, it will reveal your entire ancestry. Dating back several centuries.”
Looking at the small non offensive object, Soul couldn't help but say, with a hint of suspicion in his voice. “You're the king of the goblins, head of a bank, and all kinds of other stuff besides probably. And yet you're seeing me personally, having never met me before, so you must already assume I'm some kind of big shot or you wouldn't even be giving me the time of day.”
“You're very astute, Mr. Evans, very astute indeed. That will get you very far in the wizarding world,” King Gobbledygook noted as he nodded towards his steward, who had come back with a black robe for his guest to put on.
“You want something from me, I'm not an idiot.” Soul said as he put the robe on and tied it tight before sitting in the chair offered to him as Gripfang came back carrying a tea set on his opposing arm.
The King didn't even bother to try to deny it, he just nodded and said, “Everybody wants something from somebody. This much is true.The world operates on equivalency. With death comes life. People exchange currency for goods. People expect something from other people. That's just how the world works. On checks and balances.”
‘Like Order and Madness.’ Soul thought to himself. As he picked up the tiny pin and poked himself in the finger. Let a few drops of his black blood spill on the page. For a moment, nothing happened, then it stretched out like a spider's web across the parchment, forming lines, and squares with names written in elaborate cursive writing. When it finally stopped, he was looking at his full family tree.
Before Soul could even begin to read it, King Gobbledygook took the paper and scanned the top, His eyes widening in shock with every word he read. Until finally he exclaimed, “By Maglubiyet’s ax!”
“What? What did you find out? Is it good? Is it bad? Am I in debt?” If Soul were honest with himself, being in debt to a bunch of goblins was probably the worst case scenario. Looked like tenacious little buggers, who would get what they were owed, one way or another.
Your…” King Gobbledygook began, “Your…” He swallowed and tried again. “I can't believe that you're…”
“For Death's sake, spit it out, man!” Soul said before getting up out of the chair and taking the paper from his limp claws. Scanning the top of the genealogy tree for himself. The name he saw at the top of his family tree surprised him.
Emyrs Myrddin. Otherwise known as Merlin, of the Arthurian legends. “Holy shit, I'm related to Merlin!” Soul couldn't help but swear… small box next to Merlin's own name was the name Nimueh. “And the Lady of the Lake?”
“It's often been theorized that he might have married the water elemental. The fact that he had children up until now was unknown.” King Gobbledygook said, having finally found his voice.
Soul's eyes trailed silently down the page until he found his own last name. Eos Evans. Which, according to this document, was his great great great grandfather. He had a son, Harry Evans, who had two sons. Both of them went on to marry and have children of their own. Which led to the familial split. According to this, he had a distant cousin four times removed. Her name is Heather Rosemary Potter. Both of her parents were currently deceased and he was related to her via her mother. At the bottom of the page was some other writing he was unfamiliar with.
“Vaults claimed by Conquest…” Soul muttered under his breath before turning to the Goblin King and asking. “What does this mean?”
“Ah, vaults claimed by conquest are an old but ancient magical rite,” The Goblin King said, having regained his wits. “Wizard defeats another in single combat, they have a right to claim their vaults as their own. Merlin was a proficient enchanter and duelist, He killed many dark Wizards and witches in his day. The dark witches Morgause and Morgana le Fey were but two of them.”
“It says here I own the vaults, Le Fay, Morgause-Lot, and Karstaag. As well as Vaults Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Emrys, Ambrosius, and the Eldest of Vaults Peverell by right of birth.”
The Goblin King nodded gravely, “Old names of old enemies. All of them. Le Fay and Morgause should be obvious, but Karstaag? He was a dark druid from the old days. Powerful, but not as powerful as a young Merlin was. When Camelot fell with Merlin being the sole survivor of that… It could have been a utopia between magic and men. He inherited the collective wealth of all the Knights of the Round. He was the only person alive left to claim any of it. Those riches, both magical and mundane, Ancient rites and Arcane lore, and all the wealth of the earth that they collected in their time now belonged to you. Lord Emrys.” The Goblin King nodded his head, as a symbol of respect. Pounding his fist into his chest as he did so. “The Ancient Pact of Fincraya still holds and the goblins will stand with you at your command, my Lord.”
Soul shook his head, a bit overwhelmed by everything he had just learned, “I have no idea what you're talking about.”
“No, I suppose you wouldn't,” The king said, smiling and making sure not to show his teeth. “Goblins have long memories and we hold to our agreements. No matter how long it takes for us to fulfill them. Long ago, before you were born, before even your forebear was born, we entered into a pact with The God of Magic. Eibon. A pact that has been upheld to this day.”
“What are the details of this… Pact?”
“We would not directly assault wizard kind unless affronted first. We would wait for the coming of his kin. Of Emrys and his house. For with him and his, all slights would be put to right, The paths to the old lands would be reopened, and the gold would flow like a rushing river,” King Gobbledygook's eyes gleamed like sapphires when he said this. “This is what Eibon promised us. This is what we expect you to deliver as the heir of Emrys-Myrddin.”
Soul ran his hand through his snow-white hair, “Yeah. No pressure or anything, right?”
“We do not expect you to do this alone, Lord Emrys. The Goblin Nation is behind you for whatever you need. Soldiers, Assassins, Messengers, Scouts, Warriors or a warband. We will do whatever you require of us. All our resources will be at your disposal.”
“Don't overwhelm the poor boy all at once, Gobby,” An elderly voice rasped out from behind the demon weapon.
“Mother,” The king said in a tense, high strung voice.
Soul turned around in his seat to see an elderly goblin woman. Her hair long and white, her eyes milked over with age. As she walked forwards, holding a long silver metal staff, topped with an endlessly glowing green fire. As she got closer, Soul got up and offered her his chair. “Ma'am, would you like to sit down?”
Even though she was blind, she looked right at him and smiled, “You would offer a goblin your chair, young wizard?”
Soul scowled. This was the second time they'd made such a comment. ‘Are all Wizards such uppity pricks?’ Soul thought to himself?’ “I don't know what the wizarding world is like, ma'am, but where I come from you get up and offer your elder a chair when they get close. It's just respectful.”
The elderly matron nodded, “Like you already, Young Master Evans.” Before, quick as a snake, her metal rod lashed out and smacked her son on top of his head. “Did you think I wouldn't notice that you took the Holy Galator, and use it as a damn port key?”
“I apologize, Mother. Lord Emrys, this is my mother, the Queen Dowager, Griselda Ethelfyre. She is the wisest woman of all of Gringotts, And is only consulted for the most serious of cases when the Goblin Nation is in crisis.”
“Nice to meet you, ma'am. Would you like to sit down? I can stand,” Soul replied, courteously offering her his chair again. Before wiping sweat from his brow. Truth be told, he was actually quite horrified right now because he was basically a witch. Meaning he might end up on the Shinigami’s list. But he was also a demon weapon. Meaning he probably had a kill on sight order if he was seen by the magical police. ‘Do Wizards and Witches have police?’ Soul wondered to himself. ‘They probably do. I mean, they have a whole society. They have banks. Meaning they probably have cops. And if they have cops, they have laws, and if they have laws, I guarantee you they're not going to like me very much. I have nowhere to go… I can't go back to Death City, they'll kill me. I can't let anyone find out I'm a Demon Weapon or they'll kill me. And I don't really belong in the normal human world anymore. Because I’m a demon weapon…’ He slumped in his chair as he muttered to himself. “I don't belong anywhere.”
Soul was forced to grab his head in pain, when Queen Dowager Griselda Ethelfyre smacked him with her metal rod. “No moping.” She chastised. “It won't do you any good. Is that offer of a seat still good?”
Getting up, Soul said. “Sure, Gran. You didn't have to hit me though.”
“You were spiraling, dear.” She replied as she settled into his seat. “And if you're going to call me Gran, I'm going to do my utmost to live up to that.” She then fixed her blinded eyes on her son and said. “And you? Gobby. Thought it was a good idea to just dump everything on him all at once?”
The Goblin King muttered sullenly and angrily, “Mother, please, we've been over this. Don't call me by my child name anymore.
“I will call you whatever I feel like calling you. When you act like a child, I will call you by your child name. Thank you very much. Gobby.”
“Yes, mother.” The Goblin King sighed in defeat. Knowing there were some enemies even he couldn't defeat, and the righteous fury of his mother? That was one of them.
“Do you want me to wait outside while you guys talk this out or?” Soul asked, feeling awkward that he was seeing this family moment play out in front of him.
“That will not be necessary, Lord Emrys, but thank you for offering.” The wise woman replied, nodding in his direction.
“No problem, Ethel. Do you mind if I call you that? Your name's a bit of a mouthful.”
“That's perfectly fine, my Lord. Amongst goblinkind, giving one a nickname is a sign of closeness. The fact that you already consider me a grandmother. Well, this just solidifies the fact.”
“Oh jeez, did I make a mess of things? Like, did I commit some sort of social faux pas?” He wanted to ask just to be sure. Last thing he needed was to piss off the queen mother of the goblin people.
“You're quite all right, you know, Lord Emyrs. As my blockhead of a son has already explained, the Goblin Nation is at your disposal in any way you desire. If you want to consider me a grandmother, please feel free to do so, but know that I will take those duties seriously.”
“That's fine, Gran. I need as many people in my corner as I can get.” He then asked, “By the way, what time is it? Because the sun was just going down in Nevada, where I was.”
“It's a little bit past eleven in the evening, my Lord.”
“Ohh boy… I think I’m starting to feel the effects of jet lag?” Soul said, letting out a yawn, showing off his pointed teeth.
“This is probably for the best. Our tailors will need time to create some clothing for you. You can't exactly go around in your boxers above ground, can you?”
“Yeah.” Soul yawned again. “Listen Granny… No robes. I don't give a crap if I am a wizard now I am not wearing a robe… You might be able to get me into a suit though. I'm used to those.”
The wise woman nodded. “I think we can work something out, Lord Emrys, don't worry. Now, if you would just take my arm for a moment, I'll show you to your quarters.”
“Cool.” He said, placing his hand on her shoulder, and for a moment he felt like he was being squeezed through a small tube. Seconds later, he found himself in front of a giant vault door. “What the hell was that?” He asked after the feeling ended.
“What Wizards call Apparition. You'll figure out how to do it yourself eventually. It's one of the many magics you'll need to learn how to master. But, we'll speak about that another time.” Ethylfire said as she dragged a clawed finger across the vault door. That seemingly had no openings at all. No lock, no key, no nothing. It was just a solid metal door. With the symbol of a dragon on it set completely in red rubies. There were several clicks and then moments later, the doors seamlessly swung inwards, revealing an apartment. One that was covered in marble and gold with scrolls put into cubby holes in the walls and a large four poster bed. Draped in emerald green with silver snakes throughout the upholstery. An oak wooden desk was off to one side. Along with numerous books placed into a shelf, with a bathroom complete with a shower in the back.
“Merlin had taste, huh?”
“Indeed, he was quite the scholar, and a spell crafter on top of it. You would do well to learn from your forebear.”
Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he said, “Books and studying was always more Maka’s thing than mine, but if I want to get a handle on this I guess I'd better hit the books.”
“Maka, was that your partner in Death City, my Lord?”
“Yeah, she was my Meister. I was the weapon. A scythe,” Briefly transforming his arm into a red and black scythe blade as a demonstration.
“Most impressive, my Lord. But better to keep the fact you are a demon weapon hidden. The people of the magical world see your kind as… Boogeymen. You know the type, eat your vegetables and be home by dark or the Demon Weapons will come and eat your soul. Things like that.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured as much,” Soul said as he threw himself onto the four poster bed, “Can't go home, can't go back to the city, and I can't get caught here. Ethel, I think I might be fucked six ways to Sunday.”
“Get some sleep, milord, perhaps things will look better tomorrow.” The elderly gobliness replied.
“I'll try, but I'm so high strung right now I don't think I could sleep if I wanted to.”
“Do you require some dreamless sleeping draught? I can have some brought to you.” The blind seeress said.
“No, I think I'll just stay up for a bit, maybe actually do some reading for once in my life. Soul said as he went to the desk and picked up the book that was just sitting there. “The title of the book was “A Primer in Ancient Magick.”
“At least try to get some sleep, Milord. I have no doubt you'll want to explore Diagon Alley tomorrow. Word has it that your distant cousin is staying in the Leaky Cauldron nearby. You might want to make her acquaintance, no?”
“Heather is huh?” Soul paused for a moment before saying. “Yeah, it'd be cool to get to meet her, I guess. I didn't even know she existed until like five minutes ago.” He then proposed to question to the gobliness, “What is she doing staying at a pub? Doesn't she have a family to stay with? An aunt or something?”
“That would be a question best posed to her when you see her tomorrow. Good night, milord.” Ethelfyre said before disappearing, the door seamlessly shutting behind her as Soul picked up a book for the purpose of study for the first time in his life outside of music sheets. The moment he opened the book, a sealed letter fell out and smacked him in the face. Picking it up he found it was sealed in wax, the name written on the envelope was addressed in a delicate hand, “To mine descendant, the Pianist and Conductor” .
Curious, Soul tore the letter open and began to read.
“Greetings and salutations to you oh descendant of mine! I hope this letter finds you well. Verily, we have much to discuss and, alas, the written word is a poor form of communication in which to do it. I have no doubt you have many a question in thine head, but again, the written word canst only convey one-sidedly. How thou art magical, what it meanest to have the blood of both weapon and wyche in thy veins, and above all fear of being discovered, be it by friends olde or new. Worry not though, descendant of mine! For I, Merlin hast a way for us to converse across the chasm of tyme and space. All thou must’eth do is findeth mine portrait in Hogwarts School of Wychcraft and Wyzardry. Then we mayst converse in truth. Fynde me nearth the Slytherin Common Room in the Dungeons. To revealth the door, useth mine mark. Furthermore, upon thine sorting, thou should’st be faced with a most pec’cul’yar syte, A chair made of the animals of the Founders Four, but fear it not. Tis thy destiny to sit the throne and claimeth Hogwarts as thime own.
Ever your ally,
Emyrs Myrddin
At the bottom of the page was a mysterious rune in the shape of three clockwise question marks all sharing a single dot. Soul supposed this was the mark Merlin was speaking about earlier. ‘Eh, I’ll think about this after I get to Hogwarts’ He thought to himself before he opened the book properly and began to read in earnest.
(...)
Maka Albarn looked at herself in the mirror before she left. Dirty blonde hair was tied up in its usual two pigtails. She was wearing her weapon’s piano coat. That he'd gifted her when they teamed up almost a year ago, and it still fit her like a glove. To her, it felt like Soul was giving her a hug every time she put it on. ‘I can't believe I almost lost him due to my own pathetic weakness.’ She thought to herself, and grim determination. “I'm going to become stronger. For his sake, for both our sakes. So something like that will never happen to him again.”
Every time she saw the scar on his chest, it was a grim reminder of how weak she really was. If anything, this near death experience had opened up her eyes to just how she felt about him. Partner. He was more than just her weapon, someone she attended to, enhanced to the point of being a Death Scythe. He was more than just someone who lived with her. He was more than just a friend. She loved him. She just had no idea how she was going to go about telling him this. Or if it was even a good idea to do so. ‘Soul would just end up laughing in my face or wonder if I was sick or something.’ Maka rationalized. ‘And I can't really blame him if he does, considering how I usually act around him and men in general. How should I show him that I'm actually sincere here?’ Slamming a fist into an open palm, she said. “I've got it!”
One of the books she read often said that a way to a man's heart is through his stomach. So all she had to do was cook him a really nice meal and bring it to him while he was stuck in the medical unit. ‘Maybe he'd be more willing to listen to me on a full stomach?’ She sincerely hoped so, because that was the best idea she had at the moment. Throwing the piano coat across the chair, she threw an apron over her normal attire and got to cooking. She didn't want this to just be a normal breakfast, however, she wanted this to be extravagant. So Maka pulled out all the stops. She started by cooking a six egg omelet, with all of Soul's favorite breakfast foods in it. That included bacon, ham, and hashbrowns. She then topped it with hollandaise sauce. Making some rice on the side. She formed it into the shape of a heart. Hoping that might help or get the point across. Packing this all away in a very ornate Bento box that her father gifted her once, Maka prepared to head out the door. She never saw Blair, of course. She assumed she was working early at Chupacabras like she usually did. She paid it no mind. She was a woman on a mission. One that didn't involve killing Afreet for once. As she ran down the cobblestone streets of Death City, She was silently praying to death himself that her partner would accept her feelings. She was slightly out of breath by the time she climbed the massive staircase to DWMA.
She was about to head to the medical unit when she heard a familiar voice call her name.
“Yo Maka, come greet your God?”
“Shinigami, please. Not BlackStar, not right now.” She silently pleaded to no avail. Plastering a fake smile on her face, the Scythe-Meister turned and found the superactive knuckleheaded hyper ninja, who also happened to be her childhood friend, standing just behind her with his own weapon, Tsubaki Nakatsukasa standing behind him. “Hey, BlackStar, what's up? Did you need something?”
“Where are you headed off to in such a hurry so early this morning? Not even stopping to greet your God?” The boisterous blue haired ninja asked.
“To see Soul obviously, he's still stuck in the medical unit,” Maka replied, “I'm really worried about him. Black*Star.”
In response, the diminutive ninja walked over to her and clapped her on the shoulders. “You don't need to worry about Soul so much, Maka. He may be a bit standoffish, but he's a tough bastard. He's your friend after all,” Black*Star laughed uproariously.
‘What the hell is that supposed to mean?’ Maka thought to herself, wishing she'd brought a book with her so she could hit him upside the head with it. In the end, Maka just huffed and said “Yeah, he is tough, Anyway, I should be going Black*Star. See ya.”
“I’m coming with you,” Black*Star decided imperiously. “We haven't seen that idiot since… since yesterday, actually.”
“Was he awake at any point yesterday, Maka-chan?” Tsubaki asked, worry evident in her tone for her fellow demon weapon.
“He did wake up for a little bit after you left with Black*Star. We didn't really get to talk all that much because visiting hours were almost over and he was out of it. Hopefully he'll be up for more conversation today.”
Tsubaki sighed in relief, a hand on her voluptuous chest, “Well, thank goodness I was worried about him.”
Maka nodded absent mindedly, Saying, “You and me both.”
“Well, let's quit worrying and get in there and see how he's doing.” BlackStar said, leading the way down the hall. Before Maka could stop him, he kicked in the hospital room door that Soul was staying in and said, “Soul, awaken and greet your God!” There was a moment of silence as BlackStar stood in the doorway before he said. “He's not in here.” Then the blue haired ninja called out, “Soul, are you in the shitter?”
The moment BlackStar said Soul wasn't in his bed, Maka felt her heart fall into her stomach. Pushing past BlackStar, she checked the room for herself. It was completely empty. In fact, it didn't even look like Soul had slept there last night. Just to be safe, she checked the bathroom too. Nobody was in there. The room was completely vacant. Maka felt fear, anger, sadness and trepidation welling up in her all at once. ‘Where was Soul? Where was her weapon? Where had he gone? Has somebody taken him? Had he been kidnapped? He was in no shape to be leaving the room by his own power. So what happened?’ She scanned the room for any type of clues. She found his jacket hanging on the coat rack, his usual jeans and sneakers were also nearby, so whoever took him, had stolen him away in the night in his hospital gown.
She then noticed something that was out of place, something that wasn't there last night when she left. One open and one folded letter, both laying on his hospital bed. Placing her bento on the bedside table, Maka picked up the open letter and began to read. What she read caused her mint green eyes to widen in shock. Her demon weapon was a wizard? ‘Souls a witch or he has witch blood? And he got taken to the Wizarding bank?’ Maka couldn't believe it. But there was also an unopened letter. It was addressed to Soul Evans, DWMA hospital ward. Maka couldn’t help but note that that was very specifically written. Maka knew it was a federal offense to open somebody else's mail, but in this case, she assumed she could break the law just this once.
Tearing the wax seal off the letter, she read the mail.
“Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,” She uttered out in a shocked breath. So it was true. Soul. Her demon weapon partner was a witch. Or she supposed, a wizard in this case. This letter was to welcome him to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and also tell him what items he would need for the coming school year, which started on September 1st. He would need things like a wand, a cauldron, robes, potion ingredients, and all manner of magical spell books for grade one through three. Attached at the bottom was an additional note.
“As you were a late bloomer Mr. Evans, supplementary classes will be granted to you to get you up to speed with the rest of your classmates in what would be your third year. You will be starting as a third year in what would be your first year of Hogwarts. Rest assured, the students and faculty will do their best to get you up to speed academically with your peers,” signed Professor Minerva Mcgonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts.
“Wot’chu fine?” Black*Star asked with his mouthful of food.
Snapping her head to the boisterous ninja, Maka found him eating the bento she had made specifically for Soul. “Tsubaki, could you?” She asked the Shadow demon weapon.
In response, Tsubaki karate chopped Black*Star in the back of the head before bowing in apology herself, “I am so sorry, Maka. I took my eyes off him for one second and he ended up eating the breakfast you made for Soul.”
“Well, it's not like he can eat it. He's not here, and I, the great BlackStar, am hungry!” BlackStar exclaimed bluntly and to the point.
Maka looked at Tsubaki again and nodded, earning BlackStar another karate chop to the back of the head. After she whacked him across the head, Tsubaki chided him, “That doesn't mean you can go around eating other people's food. BlackStar, that was made specially for Soul.”
“Look, even if she did make it especially for Soul to try and confess to his stupid ass, he's not here to confess to so it doesn't matter,” Black*Star rebutted hotly.
“Confessing! Who's confessing? I'm not confessing!” Maka denied as her cheeks turned red.
“The rice was in the shape of a heart, and it had everything and the kitchen sink thrown into the omelet. Either you were confessing, or you're trying to act as big as I am, and you're not capable of acting as big as me,” Black*Star replied as he folded his arms across his chest defiantly. “So you were confessing and it just didn't work out this time.”
‘Of all the times for Black*Star's intuition to actually be spot on.’ Maka thought to herself in amazement.
“Ohh Maka,” Tsubaki, pulling her into a hug. “Did this recent scare on the mission finally wake you up?”
Maka hiccupped and hugged her best female friend, as she nodded and said, “Was it that obvious?”
“You two fought like an old married couple,” Black*Star said in response. “A lot of the guys had a betting pool on who would… Nah, never mind. It doesn't matter.”
“Ohh no do go on,” Maka said, looking over Tsubaki's shoulder and glaring at someone, she considered both her childhood friend and her little brother. “I want to hear this.”
“Well, there's kind of a secret betting pool going on on who would confess to Soul first, Because I don't know if you noticed, but he's kind of the guy that girls get attracted to, you know, solemn loner, thinks he's cool, but he actually is cool when he’s not trying so hard? There were bets going on on who would confess to Soul first.”
“This is the first I'm hearing about this from you, Black Star, and you usually can't keep your mouth shut about anything.” It was Tsubaki who spoke this time.
“Hey, I may be a big star, but I'm no snitch. Snitches get stitches, Tsubaki. As a guy, you just don't break the man code.”
‘So he can follow the man code, but he can't follow the code for assassination. There's only three rules!’ Tsubaki thought to herself in wonder.
Hands on her hips and glaring at him, Maka said, “Humor me Black*Star, who was on this list of people who could confess to Soul besides me?”
“I ain't saying shit. I've already said too much. I ain't no snitch,” The last of the Star Clan said as he folded his arms in front of himself.
“Tell me and I'll cook you breakfast for the next week.” Maka offered.
“And I'll throw in lunch and dinner, like I always do,” Tsubaki added.
Black*Star caved immediately, “OK, deal. A man who will surpass the gods has to eat, after all. I mean all the girls in the EAT class were in the running, but the ones who were in the lead were, you and Tsubaki, basically. I hedged my bets and bet on both of you at the same time.”
“Dare I ask why you bet on both of us confessing to him at the same time?” Maka asked, thinking it was just BlackStar being BlackStar.
“Besides the fact that I just want my little sisters to be happy? There's like five grand in the pot against odds like that.”
“I'm older than you, Black*Star, and taller,” Tsubaki reminded her Meister, not for the first time.
Black Star didn't even hesitate as he answered, “Despite that Tsubaki, you'll never be as big as I am.”
“You're probably right,” the Nakatsukasa heiress couldn't help but agree.
“We're getting off topic. Way off topic. We need to head to the death room immediately and report what happened to Soul to Shinigami-sama…. actually, is that even a good idea?” For the first time ever, Maka found herself second guessing reporting something to the Shinigami. ‘If I do this, will he end up on his list?’ She wondered. She didn't want her partner and friend to end up on the Shinigami’s list. For something he had no control over. ‘But all witches are on the Shinigami's list, aren't they, by default? And they don't really have any control over being born witches, do they? So by default, are we just killing innocent witches? People who had no say in being born the way they were?’ She had never bothered to actually think of why they hunted witches. It was just something you did, the last step you needed to take to create a Death Scythe. But now she was, and it didn't sit well with her. In fact, it gave her an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She honestly didn't know what to do at the moment.
“What did those letters you found say?” Tsubaki asked.
Maka looked between BlackStar and her his weapon, speaking in utter seriousness. “If I show you this, you have to keep it absolutely quiet. No shouting it from the rooftops.” She looked at BlackStar pointedly as she said this.
“Mums the word,” Black*Star said in dead seriousness. “I'll take this to my grave if you need me to. They won't even be able to torture it out of me.”
Maka couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Black*Star this serious. So for the first time ever, she decided to take him at his word. And she handed over the pieces of paper and allowed the duo to read.
“Holy shit this is bad,” Tsubaki, of all people, cursed when she finished the letter from Gringotts before switching letters with Black*Star.
“Bad. That's an understatement, Tsubaki. Me being unable to surpass the gods, that's bad. This? This is a freaking nightmare.”
The ninja duo looked at Maka and asked, “What do we do?”
Wrapping her arms around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort herself Maka replied,“I don't know, I'm torn between telling Shinigami-sama and risking getting Soul put on his list and keeping it to ourselves, and something even worse possibly happening when he finds out on his own.”
“I mean, they're gonna find out he's gone eventually. Meaning they're going to search for him. It's only going to be a matter of time before they find out he's a wizard. Whether or not that means he's going to be put on the Shinigamis list is up to the Shinigami. But I think if he heard it from you, you could at least plead his case.” Black*Star of all people reasoned.
“That…was a well thought out and articulated response. Black*Star.” Maka said, surprised that such words had come from her friend's mouth.
“I have a brain, I just don't need to use it that much because I'm just that awesome.” Black*Star crowed.
“We can go with you to act as moral support and backup if you like,” Tsubaki offered.
Maka just shrugged helplessly, “You might as well. I mean the words are going to get around that he's missing by the end of the day, and who knows how long it'll take for everyone to find out he's a witch.”
Tsubaki put her hand on her friend's shoulder, “Don't worry, Maka, it'll be alright. You'll see. We'll show the Shinigami that we're on Soul’s side no matter what.”
The trio was interrupted by the nurse, Medusa, walking into the clinic. “Miss Albarn. Where has my patient disappeared to?”
She plastered on a fake smile for the woman, “I am afraid I don't know Miss Medusa. In fact, I'm about to go talk to the Shinigami about that, if you'll excuse us.” Maka said, hiding the papers in her coat pockets as she did so. The three ran off, heading towards the death room with all the determination they could muster.
(...)
Maka felt her fledgling courage dying in her chest as she passed through the guillotine laden tori gates leading to the Death Room. ‘I can do this,’ she told herself. ‘I just need to tell Shinigami-sama that something's going on with Soul, and hope to all the gods, him included, that nothing bad will happen. Soul’s not going to end up on Shinigami's list. It's Soul after all. Right? right.’ Maka hyped herself up and slapped her cheeks as she did so, before she all but barged into the death room. “Shinigami-sama. I need to have a word with you. It's important.” Maka said, wasting no time talking to her father, who looked extremely happy to see her. Not that she cared one bit.
The death God appeared in his mirror and held up A hand that looked like a Styrofoam finger. “Yo, hey, hiya. What can I do for you, Maka-chan? What brings you to school so early and to the Death Room of all places?”
Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, Mocha took a breath and then reached inside her coat pockets. “Something happened to Soul. He disappeared from his hospital room last night and I need your advice, Sir.”
“Disappeared, you say? Have you found anything on where he might have disappeared to?”
Using the scraps of paper out of her pockets, Maka held them out to the Death God and said “Just these.”
Reaching through the mirror, the shinigami took the pieces of paper and examined them, reading the contents. “Ah, I see,” he said after a moment, “So that's what's going on. Has it been a thousand years already? It seems just like yesterday.”
“Sir?” Maka questioned in utter confusion.
Looking at his young student, the Shinigami said, “Do you believe in prophecy, Maka-chan?”
The Scythe Meister shook her head in denial, causing her pigtails to flail about, “Not particularly, Sir. Why do you ask? What does this have to do with Soul being a witch? Also, do I have to worry about my partner being put on your list?”
Hearing this caused the Shinigami to laugh. “Oh, you have no need to worry about that. We only go after Dark Witches and Wizards. Those who fall to the lure of destruction. Those who break the fundamental laws of magic and tamper with things like the soul, the heart, the mind, or such.”
“So we don't go after all witches?” This was news to Maka, Black*Star and Tsubaki.
“Heavens know witches are far too numerous to just go hunting them down Willy Nilly. Not all of them are even evil. For goodness sake, aren't they teaching you kids anything in those classes? Aren't they teaching you the difference between a good witch and a bad witch? Clearly. If they aren't even teaching you that? Some remedial lessons are in order. Or overhauling of the curriculum at the very least.”
“Um, Shinigami-sama?” Tsubaki asked hesitantly. “What was that you were saying about prophecy earlier? And how does it relate to Soul?”
The Death God somehow smiled at her using his mask, and said, “I'm glad you asked. In fact, there is a prophecy concerning a descendant of a very important wizard. That might be Soul.”
“What is it?” Maka asked, becoming very serious all of a sudden. If it concerns her partner, her Soul, she felt like she had a right to know.
“With hair of snow and eyes of crimson, the descendant of the Prince of Enchanters shall arise from the domain of death. He must master the seven songs, gather his brides, and form the six covens. He will be tested in mind, body, and soul, where only an angel can pull him from the depths of madness. All in the shadows the great enemy watches and plots.”
Maka twisted the hem of her skirt as she listened to the prophecy in full. ‘That didn't bode well. That didn't bode well at all. Some parts of the prophecy are obvious, of course. Like just who the heir of this Prince of Enchanters was. Obviously, that’s Soul. Something about mastering seven songs and gathering brides as in plural?’ That threw her for a loop. ‘And then it spoke of six covens and the fact that Soul was going to be tested in mind, body and spirit. The part that intrigued her the most was the end though, about how if he fell to madness, only an Angel could save him. ‘Where the heck could we find an Angel?’ Maka didn’t know, but she felt she should start looking.
“But you don't really need to worry about all that at the moment.” Shinigami said, waving away her concerns. “No, what you need is a new weapon partner since yours is currently on the lamb.”
“A new weapon, no offense. Shinigami-sama, Sir, but I couldn't see myself wielding another weapon besides Soul,” Maka replied honestly. “It would feel almost like I was cheating on him or something.” She said as she rubbed her arms to ward off a sickening chill, “And I really don't want to be anything like my Papa.”
“MAKA, I love you and your mama the most!” Spirit Albarn Said as tears cascaded from his eyes.
“Maka Chop/Shinigami Chop!” Both book and Reaper fist hit the current Death Scythe at the same time. The Scythe Meister and the Reaper looked at each other before giving each other a thumbs up.
“I understand your worry, Maka-chan, but I must insist. I can't just have one of my top students not going around collecting souls.” The Shinigami told her. “In fact, I think I know the perfect person for you.”
Maka put on a brave face, but she couldn't help but grimace as she said, “If you insist, Sir.”
“Now, now, don't look at me like that. I'm sure you'll get along with her just fine. You've already given her some great advice. With her being your undergrad and the NOT class and all.”
‘Who could he be talking about?’ Maka wondered before realization struck her. “You don't mean Tsugumi, do you?”
The Shinigami beamed at her through his mask.“I do indeed. I think she'd make a perfect partner for you. She may be a Demon Halberd, but one part of her weapon is a scythe blade. On top of that, like her, you also have an anti-demon wavelength. And I've always wondered what would happen if you pair two people with the same wavelength up. Would it enhance itself? Would it quadruple? I'm very curious to find out. Indulge an old Reaper, would you?”
‘Well, maybe with Tsugumi it won't be so bad.’ Maka thought half heartedly. “I'll give it my best shot Sir, but if I have a chance to get Soul back…”
“I completely understand Maka and thank you for being so understanding going with this sudden reassignment.”
“No problem Sir, but I do have to ask, are we allowed to at least go and try and get him back? He might be in danger for all we know.”
In response, the shinigami looked off into the distance, his eyes not focused on anything in particular before he shook his head. “No Soul is not in danger right now, I can tell you that much.”
“You're sure, Sir?” Maka asked, clenching her hands together worriedly. She wanted to be absolutely sure her partner, her Soul, was safe.
“He is fine at the moment, Maka. I can promise you that much. He's sleeping, I think. In fact, he’s about to be woken up for… A clothes fitting?” The Death God giggled to himself. “Oh, he's going to hate that, poor boy.”
‘OK, OK. At least I know he's safe,’ Maka, I thought as she released her breath she didn't even know she was holding. “Thank you, Shinigami Sama….” A pause before. “Would it be alright if I come here at the end of the day to see how he's doing?”
The Shinigami gave her an eye smile through his mask and said. “Of course, my dear, I understand you're worried about him. I'll tell you what I can. But for now, take this.” He handed her a handwritten note. “Head on down to the NOT class and collect Tsugumi. You should let her know that she's your new weapon partner after all.”
“Right. Yes, Sir. I'll get right on that. And thanks again for everything.” Maka finished, feeling a little awkward. Everything was changing too fast, too quickly for her to keep up with. She went from having a weapon she trusted implicitly, a friend she knew would have her back through anything, to suddenly being given a new weapon. Someone she saw as an undergrad, and she didn't know if she'd be able to work out with her all that well, but she was willing to at least try and make it work. And Soul, the person she trusted implicitly, was now a witch. In a world he didn't know if he was safe, and if he did reveal he was a demon weapon, they might kill him for it.
All she could do was silently pray that her weapon would be alright without her for a period of time. ‘Just keep your cool and don't act like BlackStar for once in your life. Soul, please for the love of all things, do not act like BlackStar.’ Maka silently prayed as she left the room. The obnoxious blue haired ninja was being unusually quiet for once. Even more silent than his weapon partner usually was as he followed in her wake.
“So what?” Are we just going to do what Death said? And not go look for our best friend?” He said at last.
“Yes Black*Star, that's what we're going to do because if we go charging in there, we're liable to get caught ourselves and get Soul killed along with us,” Maka told him, a bit forcefully as she stared into his sea green eyes. “Right now, according to Shinigami-sama, Soul is safe. Nobody knows he's a demon weapon. If we go charging in there trying to save him. We will probably out him and then end up dying right next to him. We need to leave it alone.” She said as she held up a book threateningly. Preparing to Maka Chop if he tried to do anything stupid that could potentially put Soul in danger.
“This sucks!” Black*Star yelled out at last. “A big star like me doesn't like the idea of waiting around while a friend could potentially be in danger.”
“I know you don't, and I don't like it either, but what choice do we have?” Maka replied, putting her hand on his shoulder. “If we go charging in there…”
“I know, I know, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.” He said as he shook her hand off his arm. “Soul better not die. He may not be a big star like me, but that doesn't mean he deserves to die like some chump. He's cool in his own way, you know?” Black*Star admitted, hands in his pocket as he looked at the ground.
Maka smiled and nodded.“Yeah, he really is.” She then took a breath and said, “I'll meet you guys in class later. I need to go pick up Tsugumi. Hopefully she doesn't freak out too much when I tell her I'm her new partner and she's joining the EAT class.”
“Best of luck, Maka,” Tsubaki, he told her in a polite, kind way while hiding her own feelings on the matter.
“Thanks, I'm going to need all the luck I can get, I have a feeling,” Maka muttered to herself as she ran off towards the NOT classroom.
