Chapter Text
"Happy birthday to you," the group sang, out of sync and out of key. "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Soul," the birthday boy in question got some affectionate touches at the mention, whether it be a friendly, but forceful, pat on the back from Patty, a kiss on the cheek from Maka, or a fierce hair-ruffling from Black★Star. "Happy birthday to you!"
With the final line, Soul blew out the candles on the homemade cake before him; eighteen and one to grow on. Finally, a legal adult.
It was hard to believe that he had been fifteen when the kishin had been defeated, and it was still baffling that Maka, a year younger, had landed the final blow, splitting the deranged man into pieces with nothing but her fist and her own bravery.
His parting words still haunted them from time to time, as did the fact that he was Kid's brother, which they only learned after enough people bothered Lord Death about it. Despite it all, they were all alive. They were all happy. That alone was cause for celebration.
In the three years since the kishin's defeat, there had been many other celebrations, much more impactful than a single weapon's 18th birthday.
The first of which happened pretty much the second the group got home. According to Black★Star, Tsubaki, and the Thompson's, Kid's final attack on Asura was really something. They joked about how he was briefly completely symmetrical, and on the way back noticed that he was slightly more so than before; one of the stripes in his hair now went all the way around. Upon arriving in the Death Room, it was the first thing Lord Death addressed.
The stripes were something unique to reapers, called something Soul didn't bother to remember, and once all three were connected, Lord Death would cease to be, and Kid would ascend to a full reaper. He was a third of the way there. While it was technically cause for celebration, Kid didn't want to dwell on it too much. Not only did he have no memory of that attack, he clearly didn't like the thought of his father leaving so soon.
Some time after the final battle, Marie announced that she was pregnant, and that her and Stein were getting married. Two months after the wedding, the couple had a baby boy, named Asger. Furthermore, the couple had adopted Crona, who was thrilled, if not very nervous, to be an older sibling. Ragnarok made at least one attempt to eat the baby.
Marie was currently pregnant again, and had been insistent that she would keep teaching until she couldn't stand anymore. She had retired from her death scythe duties, but she found a joy in teaching that she hated being away from.
Another small celebration was the polyamor-mess made up of Soul, Maka, Crona, Kid, and Black★Star. The five of them had all been together for a year and a half now, and while it was a hassle to explain to people, they were happy, and none of them regretted it.
The biggest celebration, however, was the tentative peace made between the DWMA and the witches. A year or so after the kishin's defeat, the Grand Witch, Maba, had a meeting with Lord Death, and in the end the conclusion was that the DWMA was free to hunt down witches who had been deemed dangerous to both parties, as most witches simply wanted to live normal lives rather than let madness rule the world.
Top of the list were any and all witches associated with Medusa. Some of them, such as Eruka Frog and the immortal werewolf, Free, who had been the ones that directly revived the kishin, had yet to be found.
That being said, it was harder to become a death scythe now. It couldn't be any witch — it had to be a witch in the wrong. Which was fair, the whole group agreed, but a tad annoying when you were finally back up to ninety-nine kishin egg souls after almost five years and you just couldn't find a damn witch.
Soul knew that, despite how frustrated he was, Maka was even more so. In more recent years, she had been having some issues regarding her feelings about her mother, but she was still determined to create a Death Scythe more powerful than her father. Furthermore, they had come so close twice now, it had become more of a hassle than an adventure.
The rest of the group kept the two of them grounded. It would happen eventually. There was a new task force at the DWMA dedicated to tracking the witches on the Wanted list. The few witches within the school, such as Kim and, more recently, Angela, would supervise and make sure no one was trying to hunt down an innocent witch. Updates were given as they came; so far, Maka and Soul had just been plain unlucky.
But it wasn't something to dwell on now. With the candles blown out, the party could continue, and Black★Star and Patty were already prepared to tear the cake apart, and Ragnarok soon popped out to join them.
Making the cake was a group effort, with the exception of Soul, of course - he’d been barricaded in his room, to prevent him from helping. Maka, Tsubaki, and Kid tried to come up with the perfect recipe, and once Soul was finally allowed out of his room, there were three cakes on the counter. No one could decide which to go with, so Soul said they should just stack them on top of each other and make it one cake, and so they did. Each layer was different, but none of them were bad. Maka had made the angel food layer, Kid the devil's food, and Tsubaki the red velvet.
The cake was gone quicker than Soul had expected, likely due to the bottomless-pit-stomachs of a few members of the group, and as the party dwindled and people began to leave, he felt that this was the best birthday he'd had in a long time.
By the time the moon rose, the only people left in the house were the polycule (and presumably Blair, though Soul hadn't seen her in a while…), crowded together on the couch. It didn't look very comfortable, but there's nothing quite as soft and warm as being surrounded by those you love.
There was an old Star Trek episode playing on the TV; at this point none of them were really sure who had put it on, but none of them were watching. Instead they were talking, sharing random nonsense that had happened at one point or another, with the occasional snide comment from Ragnarok when he bothered to show up.
Kid was in the middle of recounting a time where him and Liz or Patty were constantly being mistaken for a couple, so the girls started carrying business cards that Patty made, which read "He's our Meister/Brother, asshole," when they were interrupted by a loud crash, followed by a cat screeching.
Crona jumped, covering their ears, Black★Star fell off the couch and took Kid and Soul with him, and Maka, ever the one with the braincell, ran to the window, peeking her head out for any sign of trouble. Moments later, a cat with a large pointy hat jumped up to the windowsill, looking ruffled.
"Blair?" Maka asked, moving so she could enter the apartment. "Was that you? What happened?"
The cat jumped inside and with a puff of purple smoke, was no longer a cat, but a very angry-looking woman, thankfully fully-clothed. "Some lady in an alley down the street is looking for you. Tried to pull my tail off! Can you believe the audacity?! "
She flopped onto the now mostly-vacant couch, feet over the armrest, head in Crona's lap. Her expression turned from angry to sly as she continued, "I gave her a good clawing though, that's for sure. She won't be forgetting me for a while."
"I-I'm sorry you got hurt, Blair…" Crona kept their hands and arms close to their chest, clearly unsure of what to do about the catlady on their lap.
Blair crossed her arms, looking up at them. "I'm alright, now. I just wish people would have some manners, you know?"
As Blair rambled about common courtesy and the boys untangled themselves on the floor, Maka looked back out the window to the street below. "You said she was looking for me…?"
The room fell quiet, and Blair sat up. "Oh. Yeah!" She fidgeted with her nails, nervous energy radiating through her wavelength. "She was muttering about a war, the Albarns and their allies, and a bunch of other crazy stuff."
"What kind of stuff?" Maka had that look in her eyes. The look of gears turning, plans being made, and determination and curiosity kicking the braincell to the curb.
Blair stretched. "The universe or something? Time and space and that kind of crap."
Everything was still and Maka continued to look out the window. Finally, she blinked, turning away. "There's a person, maybe a block away. Something is off about their wavelength."
"Off how?" Kid asked, finally getting up from the floor and dusting himself off. He joined Maka at the window to look for himself. "I don't see anything amiss."
Maka shook her head. "I don't know, I can't explain it. There's just something wrong with it." There was a beat before she beelined for the door. "I'm gonna go check it out."
"Well, obviously I'm coming too!" Black★Star shouted, jumping up. "I can't let you outshine me if it's a threat!"
Crona was the first to join Maka at the door, pulling on a jacket with a determined and unafraid look in their eyes. "I trust you, Maka," they muttered. "We'll have your back."
Kid stepped in and adjusted Crona's jacket, a habit all of them had long since gotten used to, and spoke in a deceptively calm voice. "It's probably nothing," he said, more of an assurance to himself than anyone else. "Just… a drunk, or someone who got lost on their way home."
Finally, Soul put a hand on Maka's shoulder, prompting her to look back at him. He said nothing, instead giving her a confident, yet comforting, sharp-toothed grin. She smiled back at him, passing him his jacket, and opening the door. "We'll be back soon, Blair. Don't let the place get messier than it is, please."
Blair gave a mock-salute. "Yes, ma'am! And be safe!! She was a total weirdo!"
The door shut behind them, and the group walked through the chilly autumn night air towards the mysterious wavelength. It didn't take long for them to arrive at their destination.
Before they even spotted the woman, the area felt wrong. It seemed even colder, and everything felt frozen in a way greater than just ice. The streetlamp was out, the only source of light coming from a tall staff, held by a strangely-dressed woman.
Everything about her screamed witch. She wore a poofy dress, deep blue covered in gold stars, several belts of pocket watches, and a pointy hat, colored a blue so dark it almost looked black. Around her neck was a necklace that glowed slightly, in the shape of a human soul. Her staff was a tall and twisted branch, and at the top there was the same pendant as her necklace, but bigger, and brighter. She muttered to herself, pacing around, occasionally stopping and staring into space before returning to her pacing and muttering.
Up close, those with soul perception saw more clearly that her soul appeared to be just that of a human, but there was something off, like Maka had said. There was something different about it. If she was indeed a witch and was using soul protection, that could account for the difference, but something in Maka's gut told her that wasn't it.
Stepping forward, Maka cleared her throat, and the woman jumped and looked at her. There was barely a second before her expression changed from surprise to confidence. Before any of the group could get a word in, she spoke.
"Miss Albarn! Or at least I figure that's your name by now… I was looking for you," she giggled, rocking on her heels. "It's been a while since we last met, I'm not surprised if you don't recognize me. I have changed quite a bit, but so have you! Look how short your hair is!"
"Who are you?" Soul asked, hesitant.
The woman bowed slightly. "My name is Vermea Versum, how are you on this lovely night?"
Maka crossed her arms. "I was fine, until my roommate came home saying a lunatic had attacked her."
"Then I'm afraid you have the wrong person," Vermea chuckled. "The only creature I could claim to have attacked tonight was a cat. It had a very lovely hat, but tragically got away," she shrugged, adjusting her own hat. "Anyway, I need-"
"That would be her," Maka interrupted, arms crossed.
"Oh." Vermea's face slid into a scowl. "So you were calling me a lunatic, huh?" She scoffed. "I don't know why I thought you'd be any different now."
"Where exactly do you know me from?" Maka returned the scowl wholeheartedly. "And why bother using soul protection if you're still going to dress like a witch? Nowadays witches are pretty all-or-nothing… unless they have something to hide."
Vermea stomped, growing angrier. "And now you're accusing me! Typical behavior, unbelievable." She continued muttering to herself, and Kid put a hand on Maka's shoulder.
"Maybe we should just take her into custody," he whispered. "She's definitely suspicious, but she doesn't seem to have done anything."
Maka didn't respond to Kid. Instead, she asked again, "How do you know me? When have we met?"
Vermea rolled her eyes. "Of course you don't remember."
"That's not an answer," Maka growled. "I'm losing my patience."
"Oh? You're losing your patience?" Vermea mocked. "Well, let me enlighten you, old friend. I lost mine a long time ago. Ever since Death started wanting that damn war!"
Vermea's eyes shone, as did her staff, and there was a sudden burst of power. She had released her soul protection. Not only was she a witch, but the strangeness of her wavelength persisted, significantly more intense.
The next thing Maka saw was a blast of blue-violet magic coming towards her, and she hit the deck, just barely avoiding the attack. She jumped back up, pissed, and held her hand out to her side.
"I don't recognize you, face or name," she began, as Soul transformed into her hand. "But seeing how you just attacked us, I'm willing to take the risk that you're on the wanted list."
With a swing, Soul's transformation was complete, and Maka prepared herself for battle. Crona summoned Ragnarok, who was very excited about the prospect of eating a witch’s soul, and Black★Star bounced in place, more than ready to fight a witch weaponless. Kid, also weaponless (and therefore somewhat unbalanced, in his opinion), was more apprehensive, but Maka knew he would help in any way he could. She only hoped none of them would hurt themselves too badly.
A witch was a formidable foe. Countless meister-weapon pairs had died to witches in attempts to become death scythes. Maka had reminded Soul as much the first time they had come this far. He had written her off then; they were lucky Blair wasn't actually a witch.
But they were older now, Maka reminded herself. They've all grown, they all know better. Even Black★Star wasn't stupid enough to think he could take on a witch single-handed and without a weapon. He would be a big help, as would Kid, but the two would need defense.
Vermea, after her initial attack, didn't make another. She stood, waiting for one of them to make a move. Specifically, she waited for Maka. Witch and meister were locked in a stare-down.
"I'll have you know that this isn't what I came here to do, but I'm not one to back down from a fight. If you're hesitant because it's illegal, you're both a coward and an idiot," Vermea spat, spinning her staff as it began to glow brighter. "Call that a universal constant."
There was a roar, and Black★Star went pummeling into the witch's side with his fists and his wavelength. It knocked her into a wall, causing her attack to miss completely, and hit a dumpster, which promptly changed in color and content.
Enraged, Vermea wielded her staff like a bat and stuck Black★Star in the stomach. In his second of being winded, she grabbed a fistful of his hair, and the light from her necklace and staff grew brighter.
Much to everyone's surprise, Black★Star let out a cry of pain, and there was a spot on his chest that seemed to glow as well. Not willing to let him get anymore hurt, Maka dashed forward, Soul and the ready, and aimed for the head.
Vermea ducked, Maka instead cutting her hat to shreds, but she did let go of Black★Star, who kneeled on the ground, gasping. Maka pressed forward, swinging again and hitting her mark, on Vermea's shoulder, near her neck.
The witch seethed before swinging her staff and knocking Maka and Soul out of her way. She stood above them, spinning her staff, preparing for another attack. Maka slashed at Vermea's legs, causing her to jump back and giving Maka a chance to stand back up and gather her bearings.
Crona joined Maka, making sure she was okay before lunging towards the witch. A few attacks were blocked by her staff, but Crona was too quick, and soon many new wounds appeared across her body, opened by Ragnarok's shrieking blade.
As she was reeling from the attack, Kid and Black★Star swooped in with their respective martial arts skills to further incapacitate her. After Kid landed a particularly nasty hit to the back of her neck, Vermea kneeled on the ground, clinging desperately to her staff.
Kid tried to take it from her, or at least break it, prompting her to swing at him in a frenzy. In response, Black★Star shot in and decked her, in the formation to use his wavelength… but nothing came. The attack was a strong punch, nothing more.
A familiar dread filled Maka's mind as she watched. The last time Black★Star hadn't been able to use his wavelength was years ago, during what could only be described as a depressive episode.
"But that can't be it," Soul piped up, following the same train of thought. "He did it just a minute ago, didn't he?"
The witch cackled as she dragged herself to her feet. As she planted her staff in the ground, there was a burst of energy, and the staff changed from blue to yellow.
In less time than it took to blink, everyone except Vermea went flying backwards, their bodies recoiling from the sudden energy shot into them. Maka barely registered Soul slipping out of her hands, and couldn't hear the clatter of metal over the ringing in her ears. Faintly, she thought that the energy felt oddly familiar.
Crona, however, was easily in the worst shape. Ragnarok had retreated, and they were coughing up blood. As Maka struggled to stop seeing double and noticed this, she realized what the energy was; it was Black★Star's soul wavelength.
The meister in question seemed the least affected by it, physically, but was very clearly shocked and angry, if his yelling was anything to go by.
"Did you steal my big move?! Do you even know who you're messing with?!" He growled, already ready to continue the fight. Maka rolled her eyes.
Vermea looked at him for a second. "Not really. Nor do I care. If I don't know you already, I don't need to."
Relying on her staff, she walked forwards towards the still-recovering Maka. She reached around for Soul, but between her blurry vision and electrified senses, she couldn't find him.
Black★Star lunged for Vermea, but when he got too close, she made a pulling motion with her hand, and the glow in his chest returned as he collapsed in pain.
Kid was next, he was always quick to recover, but he was whacked away with her staff, right in the head.
Crona, still badly hurt from Black★Star's wavelength, struggled to stand and fight, but they were easily kicked to the side.
There was a quick flash of light, and Soul was in front of Maka, prepared to defend. Vermea paused for a moment, and then jabbed him with the butt end of her staff. When he stayed standing, she knocked him upside the head. He stumbled to the side, but still transformed his arm and stabbed her from behind, piercing her stomach all the way through.
Leaning heavily on her staff, Vermea turned around and once again jabbed it into Soul's stomach, this time with the ornamental side. There was another zap of electricity, this time focused entirely on Soul, and he barely made a noise as he collapsed to the ground.
Finally, she stood over Maka, spinning her staff as it changed back from yellow to blue. Maka began to stand, but Vermea kicked her down.
"It'll be less painful if you stay put, my friend," she seemed somber, then grinned. "And you know, I have to hand it to you. You put up quite a fight this time!"
As Vermea raised the staff up above her head and the glow grew brighter and brighter, Maka found she couldn't bring herself to look away from her own inevitable death. Her mind raced for anything she could do, but there was no time.
Strangely, the staff was not brought down upon her head. The glow grew even brighter, almost blindingly so, and Maka felt a painful tug somewhere in her chest. She tried to keep a brave face, to not give in to the pain, but it grew exponentially, and soon it couldn't be contained.
Maka screamed in mind-numbing pain, barely hearing what Vermea was saying over her. The witch didn't look as pleased at winning as expected, but Maka couldn't bring herself to care. Not only that, there was a strange sensation, lower. A new glow, smaller, coming from somewhere near Maka's chest, where the pain was radiating from.
She couldn't make out what it was before the pain became too much, and everything went black.