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2022-12-19
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Kaleidoscope

Summary:

Kid has just turned five years old when he meets and befriends little Maka Albarn. But soon, the adults worry that the children being friends could only endanger both of them.

Art by Lealee0325.

Notes:

This was inspired by an idea Lealee0325 and I talked about before. With Lord Death and Spirit Albarn being so close, how come Maka and Kid never knew each other? What if they did meet, a long time ago, but can't remember it?

(See the end of the work for other works inspired by this one.)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

“The secret mission was a complete success!” Spirit Albarn exclaimed as he entered the Death Room, one hand behind his back. He walked past the large, ornamented mirror, straight towards a small kid, who was lying belly-down on the floor, focused in coloring a draw. “I found the perfect gift for my godson on his fifth birthday!”

“Spirit!” the kid called with enthusiasm. He immediately got up with a jump and ran towards the man. “What is it?!”

The red haired man smiled and triumphantly presented the gift he had been hiding behind his back. The boy’s expression changed from a wide smile to a puzzled frown as he looked at a gray, metallic cylinder. He extended a hand to grasp the object and realized it was lighter than he anticipated, which suggested it was hollow inside. The kid noticed that Spirit kept watching him with excited anticipation, attentive to his reaction.

The boy observed the strange gift again. He couldn’t understand why Spirit believed he would like this thing so much. Still, he didn’t want to hurt the Weapon’s feelings. “Thank you very much, Spirit. I love it,” the kid said, a bit too flatly, trying to hide his confusion.

“You don’t know what this is, do you?” Spirit smiled, and he pointed at one of the sides of the cylinder, which had a small circular window. “You have to see within.”

The kid followed the instruction, one that seemed to echo his father’s lessons on soul perception. He closed one eye, and with the other, he gazed into the tube. As he did, it revealed an unexpected image. Shifting patterns of light, symmetric geometries in motion, suddenly changing into new configurations with just a small tilt.

“It has a soul!” he exclaimed, blinking at the object in his hands. “But, how?”

A growing shadow slowly emerged from the tall mirror and materialized inside the room. The child turned towards it and smiled at the sight of the familiar darkness and the white mask.

“It’s a kaleidoscope. There are mirrors inside,” the Lord of Death explained to his son. “They are reflecting the fragments of stained glass from the other side.”

The child blinked, golden eyes wide in amazement, before gazing again into the toy. Inside, the gleaming, colorful pieces rearranged their positions with the softest rotation. The toy created new designs with each turn, all of them perfectly symmetrical, now blooming flowers of glass, now a living mosaic, now a gothic rose window. The kid lost track of the minutes that passed, as his father and Spirit conversed, not too far from him. The adults believed he would be too distracted with the toy, but soon, the kid began to pay attention to their words

“…so lonely, I’m worried about how that could affect him,” his father told Spirit with a hushed voice. The boy only thought he would not be so lonely if his dad spent less time working and more time home, with him…

“It would be good for Kid to have a friend, he is surrounded only by adults most of the time,” Spirit observed.

“Maybe he could befriend someone of his own age,” Lord Death replied. “Someone like your daughter.”

An abrupt silence followed. The boy pulled the toy down to see what was happening. The adults’ backs were turned, so the kid could not see Spirit’s expression at his father’s words. Still, he could perceive the shift in his soul, the wide range of emotions elated by the suggestion.

Spirit was worried. Honored. Nervous…

Afraid?

“Please, just consider it,” his father told the Weapon with a hushed voice. “You don’t have to answer right now. Talk with your wife, and decide together.”

 

 

Maybe he had asked for too much.

The Lord of Death knew that Spirit Albarn loved and cared about his son, and so did his wife, he could see that in their souls, crystal clear.

Still…

Spirit had been present, helped even, in several of Kid’s training sessions. The Weapon was well aware of the kind of things the boy could do. Besides, the man was one of the very few who knew in detail about the god’s past, his old mistakes… Spirit knew this child wasn’t his first son, he knew what occurred before.

The father sighed. He thought it was only natural that Spirit would have doubts and uncertainties about all of this. Still, it had pained him to perceive the insecurity and undeniable worry etched in his Weapon soul and in his face. So, he almost didn’t believe it when the Albarns informed him about their decision. They would bring little Maka to the mansion today, so she could meet his kid.

“We must be polite,” he told his son as they waited in the living room. “Don’t forget to always say please and thank you.”

“Won’t forget!”

“Remember to be gentle when playing,” the Lord of Death said to the boy. “She is not nearly as strong as you are.”

The child nodded emphatically. The father stroked his head, and tried to keep the past off his mind. Kid was going to be different, he was different. He was sensible and considerate, so smart, aware and in control of his own strength. The father had noticed his special care, that delicate precision whenever he would move a ceramic vase less than one millimeter, or the way he would push with just the minimum pressure, to fix a tilted mirror.

“Also, remember-”

But before the father could tell him anything else, the doorbell rang.

Chapter 2

Notes:

Happy New Year!! Best wishes for everyone, hope you enjoy the new chapter :D

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

As soon as the door opened, a tiny girl in a pink dress entered the house like a morning sunray. Before her parents could stop her, the five year old crossed the hall at the speed of light, rushing straight towards the boy.

"It's you!" she exclaimed happily. "You're my new friend!"

The boy took a hesitant step back, as the girl quickly invaded his personal space, her nose suddenly just mere inches from his. He blinked, his vision shifting between the image of the girl's bright blue soul and her smiling face.

"Yes, of course..." the boy replied, trying not to show his unease at the girl's proximity. He abruptly remembered his good manners. "Welcome to our home; my name is-"

Before the boy could even finish the sentence, he felt his whole body stiffen at her sudden embrace. "I love my new friend!" the little girl exclaimed.

"Maka, wait..!" her mother called with a nervous laugh, as she caught up with her daughter and carefully pulled the girl back, allowing a more respectful distance. The boy felt relieved after she released him from her tight hug. He observed the mother-daughter duo, finding that little Maka was like a younger version of her mother. Her eyes were the same deep shade of forest green, and the hair was the exact same tone of ash blonde. Of course, the boy immediately noticed it was fashioned in two perfectly symmetrical pigtails, identical red bows on each side. That made it easier for him to finally smile back.

 

 

The adults conversed, while the two kids walked around the enormous living room. There were large mirrors, as well as abstract, black and white art, hanging from the spotless walls. Tall, lit candles and ornamented vases decorated the antique furniture. The girl observed everything with curiosity, her eyes widening as she stared at a collection of pristine crystal vases

“I ordered all of these, on my own,” the boy proudly pointed out the result of his continuous efforts. “Their symmetry is perfect.”

“Symmetry?” the girl questioned slowly. “What is that?”

“It is when one side looks exactly like the other,” the boy explained, happy to talk about such topic. “Like a mirror. It is the most important thing!”

“Why?” the girl asked.

“Because it means that everything is in balance. That everything is all right, and safe, and...”

He paused his explanation, a bit disappointed when he realized that the girl wasn’t listening to him anymore. Her attention had already jumped to another novelty, she had just spotted a large hourglass and was rushing to it, her face distorting when she looked through the object. "Wow," the girl mouthed in amazement at the sight of the falling white sand inside of it.

The boy noticed the Albarns were keeping a watchful eye on the girl, their postures a bit too tense...

Maybe they were worried she could break something.

Fortunately, she didn't try to touch anything. While the girl examined a Newton’s cradle, the boy took the opportunity to observe her spirit. Even thought he was quite advanced in his soul studies, he was still learning to distinguish the intrinsic geometries that revealed the individual’s character, their nucleus of comprised memories, and the patterns of energetic irradiation that could inform him about their current emotions. He narrowed his eyes and observed...

Maka was fearless. Temperamental. Curious and energetic, eager to learn about everything. There was a gentle sweetness in her spirit, as well as a soft, but powerful strength. There was also a silver glow, a metallic glint that was so distinctive of Spirit's soul.

"Hey, Kid," his father’s voice made the boy turn his head. "Why don’t you go play in your room?"

 

 

Both children sat on the floor of Kid’s spacious room. The girl placed her pink backpack on the dark gray carpet and pulled a large book from it.

"I’m learning to read, I know all the vowels already!" she stated proudly. "One day, I'll read as many books as mom does!"

The girl opened the volume and pointed at large, colorful images, as she began narrating a tale, the same way her mother would read to her at night. The adventurous protagonists first traveled through the galaxies in a spaceship. Then, only some pages later, they were pirates navigating the seven seas. And then, they went back in time, to explore the dinosaur age.

The boy listened attentively to the girl's enthusiastic storytelling. After a while, he began to consider that maybe that wasn’t what was actually written there. More so, it seemed that the book wasn't about one long, single story, but various different, shorter ones. Still, he didn't dare to voice his thoughts and contradict Maka’s words; the book in her hands was quite large, and Spirit said that she would often use those things as deadly weapons whenever she got mad. And, at least according to her dad, she was quite easy to anger.

The story came to its finale, where the heroes, now cowboys in the Wild West, managed to save a train from the bad guys, using special laser guns from the future, and helped by a pair of pirate girls from some pages earlier. It was then that the boy decided he didn't care if that wasn't what the book actually said. He really enjoyed Maka's version of the story.

"The end!" Maka exclaimed as she closed the book.

"It was a great story."

"It's my favorite book!" the girl declared.

“Thank you for sharing it with me,” the boy said sincerely. He decided he would share something that was just as special for him. He ran to the chest where he kept his toys and came back with a metallic cylinder and showed it to the girl.

“This is my favorite toy,” he said, as Maka took the strange object in her hands and examined it with interest.

“Why? What is it?” she asked, and he instructed her on how to use it. “Wow,” the girl mumbled, fascinated by the changing geometries. “It looks like the people's lights!”

“You can see them? The souls?” the boy frowned.

"I can see the lights, sometimes,” the girl said. “But when I try to look at them, they're gone!" she added, with frustration.

The boy reflected for a moment. He knew there were many people who could see souls, but according to his father, it was more difficult for humans. Even if they had the ability, it could take many, many years to manifest, and even more to develop.

 “You know? I could help you practice,” he offered.

“You would? Yes, please!” the girl agreed with enthusiasm. But before she could say anything else, her father appeared by the room’s door.

"Maka!” Spirit called his daughter. “Time to go!"

“Can we stay a little longer?” Maka said with puppy eyes. “Pleaaase?”

“I’m sorry, baby,” the man replied. “You’ll visit Kid tomorrow.”

As Maka waved goodbye, Kid wished it were tomorrow already.

Notes:

There'l be more chapters than I originally thought haha, maybe six in total.

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

“Sixteen… seventeen…. eighteen… twenty!” The girl finished counting and turned around. “Ready or not, here I go!”

From his hiding spot, the boy could hear each steps on the tile floor, as clearly as he had heard her whispered counting. He noticed she would stop every few meters, probably focusing on activating her soul perception. Then, she would move again with a new direction, each time closer to his exact location.

The girl would find him very soon, the boy thought with a smile. Playing with Maka was so much better than being alone. Not that he was always on his own, he had his dad, but the time his father would spend with him was mostly dedicated to his classes. Besides learning the numbers and the letters like any other kid his age, he would spend long hours studying the souls, all of their secrets and their intricate world. Other days, he’d be training, practicing new moves and fighting techniques, repeating them over and over until he could execute them flawlessly.

It was only after those lessons were over, long after the sun had set, that the kid could spend time with his dad just to play, without assignments to fulfill perfectly nor exhausting exercises to repeat. The kid treasured those nights with his dad, when the moon smiled in the sky and there was nothing to be worried or sad about. His toys were the enigmatic mirrors and the dancing shadows; and his favorite game from all, was when his father would hide a red or purple soul somewhere in their enormous house. The kid enjoyed using his improving soul perception to search for it, in all the corners of their home, finding it in a ceramic vase, or in the attic, or behind a book in the library...

Nothing could hide from him.

The echo of the girl’s laughter resonated very close. It seemed that he could not hide from her, either. The sound of the girl’s steps, jumping down the stairs and running to the front door proved that she had already discovered where he was hiding. The little girl’s soul was bright with joy and determination, not scared at all by the sight of the tall, lifeless trees on the manor’s garden. She ran among the dark trunks and the fog, jumping over roots, straight towards her objective.

Her perception guided her to some thorny bushes. She crouched down to crawl under the branches, not worrying in the slightest about dragging her new, pastel pink dress on the ground. The girl reached a small clearing and looked up with a bright smile.

“Found you!” she exclaimed. “I win again!”

“You’re too good for this game!” the boy praised.

“It’s easy to find you. More than to find mom or dad. Your soul is so big and bright!” the girl said. She reflected for a moment, and then asked. ”Why is it so big?”

Kid kept quiet for a moment. Maka made too many questions. His father had warned him about the secrets he had to keep, the knowledge that would be dangerous for her.

“I don’t know,” he lied.

He feared she would press further, but she was already distracted. She had found a stick and was drawing flowers on the dirt. They stayed in there for some minutes, hidden behind those thorny bushes in that cold, foggy morning.

“You don't go to school,” she said. “Dad says, I must not talk about you. Why?”

The boy bit his lip before responding. “It’s a secret.”

Maka’s eyes shone “I will keep it, I promise!”

“I can’t tell anyone.”

“But, I’m your friend!”

“I’m sorry.”

Maka threw the stick away and crossed her arms. Friends told each other all of their secrets. She looked away in anger, both of them quiet for some minutes, feeling that the cloudy day became suddenly colder and grayer. A gush of wind blew, making dry leaves fly over the kids’ heads, the air whistling through the high branches of the trees, their dark silhouettes suddenly unfamiliar and menacing.  

"Are you afraid?" the boy broke the silence.

"Of what?" the girl asked back, a bit harshly.

"Of me, of my father?"

Maka frowned, but then she couldn't help but giggle. "I'm not afraid of your dad! He's just wearing a mask!"

The boy’s face seemed inexpressive, if a bit sad. Maka really wanted to know his secret, but maybe his dad would be mad, and he was afraid of that. She felt she wasn’t as angry with him anymore, and smiled as she took her hand to his head to remove some dry leaves lodged in there. “Come on, I’ll count again!”

 

 

“It’s amazing how fast Maka is improving her soul perception,” Lord Death observed. “Even faster than her mother at her age. No doubt she’ll be a great meister!”

“I’m sure she’ll be,” Spirit responded with a smile, as he stood next to his boss in the Death Room. The man didn’t mention that, for very long, he had kept the hope that she’d be a Weapon, just like her dad.

“Kid is learning so much, as well. We played a new game last night,” the dark entity said as he extracted a red sphere, the soul of a kishin, from among his black robes. “He had to find the soul, but this time, he had to snatch it himself!”

Spirit frowned. “What… what do you mean?”

“It was his first reap!” the Lord of Death exclaimed, beaming with pride.

Spirit felt his heart skip a beat, his gaze immediately fixing on the glowing red. Lord Death had required his most skilled meisters to bring him live objectives, an order that had confused him at first, as he knew there were no plans of getting information, nor anything else from them. It began to make sense now, and it sent a shiver down his spine.

“Kid is… he-he’s learning to-” Spirit stuttered. “Bu-but, isn’t it… dangerous?”

“Don’t worry!” The Lord of Death said, watching the soul trapped in his skeletal hand. “I made sure to injure it quite severely beforehand.”

Spirit felt his heart rate increasing and the air falling short. He controlled his breathing and tried to soothe himself. Why did he feel like this? He knew what his godson was, he always knew it. The Lord of Death didn’t seem to notice his reaction, too engrossed in his reminiscence. “You should’ve seen him attack!” he added with joy, as his long, skeletal fingers toyed with the red soul. “I had to take this from him, before he absolutely destroyed it!”

He playfully threw the soul to Spirit. The man could barely catch it in his trembling hands, and didn’t dare to tell his boss he had lost his appetite. He held the spirit in his hands for a moment, seeing the irregular and bent angles of its inner geometries, then the crimson core made of horrifying memories, of mad hunger and desperation. Spirit always felt sincere pity for these miserable creatures, consumed by their desire for power. When the Weapons ate them, the process that corrupted them began its reversion, releasing the power they had preserved for so long. If anything, their actions were putting those monsters out of a terrible existence and helping purify their souls. But no matter how convinced he was about that, there was something quite disturbing about knowing that this particular being had spent his last moments as the kid’s plaything, in games designed to develop his killer instincts and hone his hunting skills. He tried not to think about that as he took the unfortunate soul to his mouth.

Still, he had a hard time swallowing as he heard the next words by the Lord of Death:

“So, is your daughter coming to play today?”

 

Chapter 4

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Maka ran to her room, squalling. She shut the door behind her and jumped to her bed. The little girl screamed into a pillow, tears in her eyes.

This was the greatest injustice, ever.

Her parents said they would go visit her friend today, after school, they had promised it. So, she didn’t understand why, all of a sudden, they decided they couldn’t take her there. The girl was enraged, it was they who said that one must always keep one’s promises. But now, it was as if they had completely forgotten that! The moment she yelled at her parents in anger, and began to kick and stomp on the floor, they sent her to her room.  

The girl hugged the pillow; she wanted to see her friend so much! In such a little time they had become so close. The boy was strange, but she liked him still. He was so quiet and polite; he would listen to her stories, so attentively. He shared everything with her, from his favorite toy to his last cookie. And he was so clumsy! Whenever they played catch, he would always stumble right before grasping her. Even if he got to place a hand on her, it was very easy for her to escape, laughing with joy. Maka would be very angry if she lost all the time like he did, but the boy didn’t seem to mind.

The girl cried until she exhausted herself, and didn’t realize the moment when she fell asleep.

Maka didn’t know how many hours had past, but when she was awakened by the voice calling her name, the room was in penumbra. She rubbed her eyes and listened, but everything was silent again. Maybe she had dreamt the voice-

“Maka?” she heard again, this time more clearly and very close. She got up from bed with a jump, blinking as she gazed around, but her room was empty.

“Kid?”

“Here…” The sound seemed to come from inside the closet. She ran to open the door, but there was no one inside.

“Here!” she heard again. She turned around, towards the full size mirror hanging from behind the closet’s door, and couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Kid?!” Maka exclaimed. “How did you get in there?!”

“I… it’s a secret…” the boy hesitated, from the other side of the mirror. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” she frowned. “Why?”

“I waited, but you didn’t come. I was scared.”

“Why?” the girl asked again.

The kid kept quiet, wondering if Maka knew about the monsters. The creatures with red souls and sharp talons, roaming the night. His father had taught him so much about those demons, about their hunger for souls, and about their strengths and weaknesses in a fight. They preyed upon the innocent and attacked those most vulnerable. They could go after Maka… Kid had felt his heart clench in dread at the thought. But she’d have nothing to be afraid of. He was going to annihilate all the monsters.

The little girl blinked at his image in the mirror. “Your soul is different, and now you do magic?! Why don’t you tell me your secret?!” she exclaimed. Her green eyes suddenly widened. “Are you a witch?!”

“No!” he immediately replied, golden eyes narrowing. “No, of course not!”  

“Then How Are You Doing This?” she questioned, marking every word.

Kid wouldn’t, couldn’t tell her everything. But he needed to explain this at least. “I have a magic mirror.”

The girl’s mouth dropped in awe. “A magic mirror,” she mumbled as she touched the cool, transparent surface. It looked as if his friend’s room was in the other side, so close, behind that thin layer of glass. “It’s… like a window! Can you open it? And come here to play?”

“I can, but… I shall not leave the mansion. It’s a rule, very important.”

Maka crossed her arms, disappointed, and paced around her room, thinking for a minute.

“Wait! You can’t come here. But I could visit you!”

Kid frowned. There were so many rules about using the mirrors, like not to use them to enter to people’s houses uninvited, nor to travel to places beyond the limits of the city. However, thinking about it, there were no rules against using them to let a friend visit. He smiled, “it’s a good idea.”

Maka jumped in joy. She picked up her favorite toys to place them in her pink backpack, and then took it to her shoulders. The boy placed a hand to the mirror, light and shadows crackling at his fingertips, the glass surface gleaming brightly, as Maka watched in amazement from the other side. Suddenly, his hand extended towards her, crossing through the glass as simply as if it was made of liquid or smoke.

“Take my hand,” he instructed, his voice suddenly very serious, “and don’t let go.”

The gravity of his tone made Maka feel nervous for a moment, but she did as he said. The girl noticed he was gripping her hand quite firmly, with a strength she didn’t know he had. She steeled herself and jumped towards him, helped by his pull.

As she crossed the glass, she caught a glimpse in her peripheral vision. Just for an instant, it seemed as if she was floating in an infinite, black space, distant stars everywhere around her, no floor below her feet. It lasted a fraction of a second, because then she was landing on Kid’s room, stumbling a little on her step.

Slowly, she turned back towards the mirror, only to find her own reflection. Her tiny fingers reached to touch a surface that was solid again. “What was that place?” she asked.

“What place?”

“That place! Between my room and yours. Inside the mirror.”

The boy avoided her eyes. “I can’t tell that. It’s a secret.”

“Everything is rules and secrets with you!” Maka exclaimed, raising her arms.

“I suppose it is,” the kid said flatly.

“But I like you still,” Maka said, smiling as she opened her backpack, pulling out plastic dinosaurs, a baby doll, toy guns and a little pirate ship. “Let’s have an Adventure!”

 

 

“I’m not sure about this…”

“That’s my point, exactly,” Spirit replied. “What if he gets carried away by one of his games? Or what if he forgets, just for a moment, that he’s playing with someone who doesn’t match him in strength.”

His wife pressed her lips into a thin line and took a hand to her face. “I think we can trust Lord Death,” she declared, but her voice wavered at the end.

“I do as well, of course I do! It’s just that…” Spirit began, but found no words to continue. He stared down, at his living room’s dark gray carpet. There were things his wife didn’t know, about hundreds of years ago, about the very being they served. Spirit knew Lord Death wouldn’t wish her daughter any harm, that he was trying to learn from past mistakes. Still, a creature incapable of feeling fear, could be truly aware of all the risks? Could he really be capable of caring?

The man sighed. Of course Lord Death could care! He cared about his son, about the Academy and its students. He cared about the souls he protected, he fought every single day against the forces that threatened them. But that was all he cared about, wasn’t it? Sometimes the god seemed so detached, though maybe it was because, for him, nothing was ever truly lost. His was the world of the souls. How much different could it be, for the Lord of Death, whether a soul belonged to a living or a dead person? As long as they were free of corruption, as long as things were in balance, his mission was complete.

Spirit trusted Lord Death, he trusted him for many things. But he was aware of the fact that he wasn’t a human being. He wouldn’t, couldn’t look at things the way one would.

And the kid? Spirit loved the kid, but… no matter how human he seemed, he couldn’t expect him to actually be one, either. He was as enigmatic as his father was, and just as wild. Like the lightning or the hurricane, their power inspired respect and fascination. But, would Spirit let her daughter play in the middle of a storm?

“It could only take one instant,” Spirit sighed, “one second of carelessness, and the consequences would be critical.”

The blonde woman got up from the couch and paced around the living room for some minutes, her arms crossed. “If we decide to end this,” she spoke in a hushed voice, “how are we going to explain it to him?”

“I think he’ll accept it…” Spirit sighed. “He might not understand our reasons, but he’ll accept that we changed our minds.”

His wife finally nodded. Her green gaze drifted to the closed door of her daughter’s room. “What are going to tell Maka?”

“We’ll have to think of something. We can tell her that Kid moved, or got sick. It won’t be easy for her, but eventually, she’ll forget about him,” Spirit said, trying to sound convinced, but he didn’t believe his own words.

“She’s been so quiet, she must be still asleep,” his wife observed.

“I’ll go check on her.”

Spirit was careful as he opened the door and pushed it softly

“Maka?” he called. He clicked the lights on, but there was no one inside the room. “Baby, where are you?” The closet’s door was open, but she wasn’t there. Nor in the bathroom, nor under the bed. “Maka… Maka!”

His wife caught up with him after hearing him call their daughter’s name in growing anguish. “Spirit, what’s wrong?!”

“Where’s Maka?!”

 

Notes:

Hope you're all enjoying this, thank you very much for reading!

Chapter 5

Chapter Text

The cool night wind was blowing inside the mansion through the front door, still open wide after the Albarns’ arrival.

“Why did you do that!?” Maka’s mother scolded the little girl as she held her in anguish, but the child only cried louder, tiny hands covering her face.

“We were worried about you!” Spirit added, his voice a little bit softer, but his expression just as preoccupied. If it wasn’t because of his wife’s powerful soul perception, they’d still be searching for the girl on the empty streets, instead of coming immediately to the mansion.

“You must never go out alone!” the mother continued, anger and worry still etched in her face. “Don’t you understand!”

“Please, don’t blame her. It’s my fault!” the boy interjected, with a pleading voice. The couple turned their attention towards him, and Maka’s crying stopped. She pulled her hands off her eyes to look at her friend with teary green eyes. “I brought Maka here,” he explained. “I’m the only one to blame!”

Spirit was about to question how was that possible, but realization suddenly dawned in his face. His wife frowned, but said nothing, seemingly going through a similar thought process. The little girl blinked away tears, never pulling her gaze away from his his friend’s golden eyes. A strange silence fell in the room for some seconds, until a new voice spoke:

“Kid. Go to your room.”

The child turned around to find his father’s towering form behind him.

“Father, I-“

“Now.”

The kid nodded, and, gazing at his friend for the last time, he obeyed.

 

 

Sitting in the dark, the boy held his knees closer to his chest and hid his face.

Using the mirror had been a mistake. So many things could’ve gone wrong. Up until then, he had tried to be so careful with the girl. Only using a small fraction of his true strength when playing, always pretending to be weaker and clumsier, more worried about his friend’s safety than about ever winning the games. But tonight, he had tried something he had never done, and that could have so easily gotten her friend hurt.

The boy held his knees closer to his chest and hid his face.

It was not only that. His own soul perception was quickly improving and some things were becoming clearer with each day. Like the kind of feelings that his presence awakened in others. He had seen it in Maka’s parents tonight, as the couple watched him in silence after his words.

It was fear.

They were afraid of him. Tears brimmed in the kid’s eyes at the thought that, maybe, they were rightfully so.

A soft push opened the door of his room. The dark shadow of the Lord of Death advanced towards the kid, and crouched by his side. A cold, skeletal hand held the boy’s shoulder. They were in silence for some minutes until the father finally spoke.

“What you did was dangerous.”

The boy nodded in silence before responding. “I’m sorry.”

“The pull of that void is strong. Your hands could’ve slipped,” the father continued with a sigh. “A slightly off angle, and the glass would've shattered.”

The boy said nothing. He wanted to tell he had held her tight, and that he would’ve never let go. He wanted to say that he had it perfectly calculated, just like every single thing, every measurement and little detail, all the time. But he knew well that the possibility of a mistake was very real. A milimetric imperfection, one second of carelessness, could ruin it all. A microscopic accident could destroy everything.

And it was terrifying.

“Come with me,” the father said softly, sensing the child distress. “Let’s take a walk.”

 

 

Under the deep blue midnight, the city lights shone like a hundred pupils. The dusty spiral streets and deserted alleys created an intricate labyrinth, one that the little kid knew like the back of his hand. The boy would often explore his city at night, and only at night, as this was the time when he would be safer from prying eyes. It was during the darkest hours that he could run on the streets, balance on the roofs and jump on the edges, agile like a cat. The whistling wind and the smiling moon would guard the secret of his existence. Even when an insomniac citizen gazed outside through the window, quick shadows hid the kid from their sight.

Usually, the child loved these nocturnal strolls. But tonight, instead of wandering around with enthusiasm, he just walked quietly, his steps weary and his face disheartened.

The Lord of Death didn’t know how to react to everything that happened earlier. He felt more worried than angry about his son trying such a difficult trick on his own, without any help; after all, he still had so much to learn about mirror magic. But at the same time, the fact that his kid had managed to succeed, at such a young age, was amazing. He wanted to be firm in teaching his son to be careful and not take unnecessary risks, but he didn’t want to scold him, not when he was so proud at his son’s achievement, and so impressed by his initiative.

After some minutes of walking, the boy stopped and took a seat on the edge of large stone stairs, staring in silence at the sleeping houses downhill and the infinite desert beyond. The father crouched by his side and held him close in a tight embrace. All he could think in that moment was that his son was growing up so fast, developing his skills quicker each day, becoming more audacious and confident, and that filled him with pride. He didn’t know what else to do now, what to tell to his son…

Lord Death himself had a maker, not a father. He wished he knew how to be one.

“She won’t be back, will she?” the boy suddenly said.

Lord Death had to admit it. “No, she won’t.”

Tears brimmed in the child’s eyes. “It’s my fault. I ruined it!”

“No, it’s not your fault. It’s just…” the father replied, but he was at loss of words. The boy took his tiny hands to his eyes and sobbed in silence. Lord Death couldn’t bear to see the child so sad, he didn’t know what he was supposed to do or say now. Nor he nor Spirit considered this could happen when they let the kids be friends, it was supposed to be good for the children, it was supposed to make Kid happy, but the complete opposite happened and now it was too much...

With one hand, Lord Death removed his white mask. His other hand gently lifted the kid’s chin. The boy kept his eyes closed, but tears were still flowing.

“Son. Look at me.”

After a moment, the boy finally opened his eyes, and stared straight into oblivion.

 

Chapter 6

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

“You doing your homework, sweetie?” Spirit asked his daughter, pulling a chair to sit by her side. The girl barely nodded, and she continued writing on her notebook, focused and slowly. Spirit sighed, it wasn’t as if her daughter wasn’t speaking to him at all, but lately, she did seem to be more serious and quiet whenever he tried to approach her.

He watched her work, resigned to accompany her in silence. More often, it was her mother who helped Maka with these activities; so, it surprised Spirit to see how advanced the little girl was in her writing skills. He smiled as he saw Maka work with her glittery pencil, a few spelling mistakes here and there. He always knew her daughter loved to learn, and that she rarely had any trouble with her assignments. But as Spirit continued reading the text, his smile disappeared.

“Maka, what are you doing?! Why are you writing about him?”

The little girl pressed her lips into her most serious expression. “I’m describing my best friend.”

“Maka, we’ve talked about this. You can’t tell anyone about him!”

“I’m not gonna tell anything about it. I’m just writing,” she stated, matter-of-factly.

Her father closed her eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry, baby. You can’t do that, either”

The girl frowned. “But I can’t tell lies either! And he is my best friend!”

“Maka,” Spirit said, placing a hand in the girl’s shoulder. He decided to try a different approach “What about that… other friend of yours, what’s his name? Hiro!”

“He is not my best friend. Besides, he’s dumb!” the girl spat, crossing her arms and looking away from Spirit.

“Maka, please.”

Without saying a word, Maka took an eraser from her backpack, and began rubbing the page. Even after the words disappeared under the pressure, the teary-eyed girl continued erasing until the page ripped.

 

 

Something was missing.

Something was not in its right place. Something was very off, but he couldn’t pinpoint what.

He walked up and down his home, his steps echoing in the empty corridors of the enormous mansion. He was alone, but he was always alone, wasn’t he? He checked the again the art in the walls and the mirrors, everything was in its place, nothing slightly tilted, every angle carefully measured.

The house was clean, everything was symmetric and in order… but the anxiety didn’t leave, ever nagging him, spinning in his mind and numbing his senses. He went back to his room and searched for his favorite toy. It always relaxed him to see those colorful and whimsical shapes. But as he watched the changing configurations unfold, a new thought emerged within his brain.

All of these figures, no matter how complex and beautiful, would be completely gone, lost forever the next instant. This gorgeous pink petaled flower, this unique mosaic in green, the red pieces creating the most perfect ribbons…

He might never see them again.

The thought made him feel sad, and he put the toy away. His father always said nothing was ever truly lost; but what if he couldn’t remember where he left something very important? What if he forgot what was important?

A shift of energy informed of his father’s arrival. He would often run to him as soon as he entered the house, but tonight, he only stayed in his room, and waited in the dark for his father to appear.

“Kid,” Lord Death said, pushing the door of his room, “I’ve got great news! Very soon, you’ll be going to missions with Spirit!”

The boy said nothing. That was, in fact, something he had wanted for so long, and he knew his father wanted to make him happy, so he tried to smile. But his expression was sad. For some reason, thinking of Spirit only made the child feel as if he wanted to cry, and he didn’t know why. His father approached him and stroked his head gently. “Kid, you’ve been distracted. What’s wrong?”

The boy stilled. “I feel, something’s not right,” he said, as he looked around avoiding his father’s gaze. Still, he could perceive the irradiations from the larger soul.

Guilt? Worriedness?

Disappointment?

“Are you… disappointed on me?” the boy asked, finally looking at his dad, tears brimming. “I’m so sorry, I’ll do better, I promise I’ll do…”

“No, of course not. I’m so proud of you,” the father held the boy close as he mumbled, more for himself than for his son. “It’s me who’s sorry. I’m so sorry.”

 

 

Maka walked on the streets with her mother. She couldn’t hide her joyful enthusiasm the moment they turned that corner she knew so well now, the one that led straight to his friend’s house. She couldn’t wait to see him! There were so many things she wanted to tell him.

She was hoping to find her friend waiting for her as soon as the doors opened, but she abruptly stopped when she realized he wasn’t there. Maybe it was his absence, or the fact that the day was darkening with gray clouds, but the mansion seemed larger, and almost sinister. She finally entered, followed by her mother, and activated her soul perception… but there was no trace of his friend. The only one there was his father, standing in the middle of the room, in front of the pair.

“Hello, Maka” he said with a merry voice, one that didn’t seem to match the gray lightning of the silent, empty house.

The girl advanced towards him, looking around with confusion. “Where’s Kid?”

She didn’t understand, where had he gone? Would he return soon?

The entity only crouched down to be at the girl’s level.

“Maka, look at me.”

Maka stared as the entity took a skeletal hand up and removed the white skull. The girl’s green eyes immediately widened.

There was no face behind his mask.

It was weird, but she wasn’t afraid. It was like staring at the most perfect black, but after a couple of blinks, the sight began to change. How strange, she thought, squinting her eyes. Under his hood, a night sky appeared, a realm of darkness sprinkled with stars. Soon she could observe distant purplish and pink nebulae drifting beyond, like a scene from outer space, the far away clouds changing colors like a kaleidoscope.

How could the whole universe fit in there? The girl wondered.

In the center of it all, she could see the brightest of those stars, and the girl gazed straight at it. It’s light seemed to twinkle, her surroundings distorting and disappearing, as that distant star seemed to change sizes and shine even brighter.

That light was everything that existed…

 

When Maka opened her eyes again, she found her mother’s worried face.

“Mom?” the girl mouthed. She blinked, and looked around. They were alone in a strange room, all black and white, all symmetry, strange ornaments and many mirrors in the walls. “Mom, where are we?”

“Come on, Maka,” her mother smiled sadly. “Let’s go home.”

 

Notes:

I've only seen the idea of reapers being capable of manipulating memory in one fic: "The embrace of death and the kiss of life", by moonstone_vibe, highly recommended. I always felt the idea made complete sense.

I heard Ohkubo stated once that Lord Death does have a human face, but I haven't found the reference. Besides, in the manga, all we get to see is a sphere of light behind his mask, and that was the inspiration for this part. Also, I recognize the clear influence of the short film "Portrait of God". In my opinion, those 7 minutes are the best horror short ever.

Chapter 7

Notes:

Happy workers Day! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The desert extended far beyond her eyes could see. Above her, in that new moon night, the stars seemed a bit different. Or were those souls, or were those mirrors?

It wasn’t the first time Maka was having this dream. Or nightmare.

Again she was running, barefoot on the sand, her pajamas her only protection against the cool desert wind, her white rabbit plush safe under her arm. She knew the monster was here, she hadn’t seen what awful shape it had taken this time, but she had seen the sinister soul, blood red, oozing madness and insatiable hunger.

Again, she could see a boy in the distance, black robes agitating in the wind, and like always, she ran towards him. She needed to warn him, he had to run or it would get him. Maka wanted to scream at him, she wanted to call him by his name, but she couldn’t remember it…

Had he ever told her his name?

“BOY,” she cried. “RUN!”

Usually, the dream ended there, as Maka would wake up with the scream.

But it was different tonight, the young girl continued asleep and the dream went on. She sprinted, screaming at him, up and down the undulating dunes under the infinite desert night. The stars in the sky would drift, moving and rearranging, the distant clouds changing their shapes and colors, from pink to purple, from gold to green…

Her heart pounded in her chest as she realized that for the first time, she was getting closer to him, actually getting closer, despite the scenery waving and fluttering all around her. Finally, she was reaching him, so close she could touch him, and he turned his pale white face towards her.

“We gotta run, boy!” she exhaled, trying to recover some air. She held his arm in anguish, but he didn’t move. “There’s a monster!”

He only blinked and held her gently.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said, with a voice that sounded strangely familiar. “The monster is dead.”

Maka’s eyes widened in bewilderment as he pulled something from among his black robes, a crimson red sphere. The girl recognized it immediately; it was the soul she had seen, the monster that had haunted her nightmares.

“I killed it, see?” the boy said with a smile, as the soul’s spectral red glow illuminated his face. The girl noticed his eyes were a striking yellow. She squinted her gaze at the strange boy, as a part of her thought she should be afraid of this unknown individual, this stranger who might seem like a kid, but who might be just as dangerous as the monster had been. Maybe, even more…

Still, a deeper part knew she didn’t have to be afraid. He was so familiar, like someone she had met in another dream.

“Who… who are you?” she mumbled.

He didn’t reply. A swift move of his hand and shadows appeared, taking the eerie soul with them into his realm of darkness. Unconsciously, the girl hugged her rabbit plush closer to herself.

Don’t be afraid. He’s a friend… he’s your friend.

“I know you,” the girl blinked, as tears began brimming in her eyes. “Why… why are you here, all alone?”

Again, he remained silent, and he gazed towards the horizon, where a soft glow began to appear.

“Dawn is coming,” he said gently. “You need to go.”

“Wait!” the girl begged. “Come with me, and let’s play together, like before!”

“I can’t,” he replied.

“But, you can't stay here, all alone!” the girl spoke worriedly. “Are you gonna be alright?”

“I’ll be fine, see?” he said, extending a small hand toward the first morning rays. “The free energies of existence sustain me. Every end and new beginning, the twilight and the dawn, each life I take, the completion of their cycles… They release energies. My soul attracts them, makes them mine and I grow stronger.”

Maka only blinked, puzzled. Weird things imaginary friends said in strange dreams. The stars slowly disappeared as the whole sky gradually turned into a shade of soft pink.

“Goodbye, Maka,” the boy uttered with a sad smile.

The girl looked back at him, tears finally falling.

“Goodbye,” she mumbled as the dawning light grew, making the dream world disappear with her awakening. “Kid.”

 

As she opened her eyes to the new day, the girl realized she was mumbling something. The dream had already faded from her consciousness, dispersing like sand in the wind, like the glass pieces within a magical toy, foggy and confusing images receding back into the deepest, best hidden domains of her mind.

 

Notes:

well, this is the end. Hope you enjoyed it!

I made myself sad writing this haha, now I feel kind of bad for making these characyters go through all this, so I’m thinking of writing a whole new version where they met as kids and grow up together, and nothing (too) bad happens.

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