Inside a prison a guard sleeps his chalice on the ground as he sleeps peacefully. While that happens a frog hops about further into the building. A man sits against a wall his eyes covered. He sniffs the air and smells the approaching being.

"Who's there? Talk to me." The man says quietly into the void.

Eruka sits in frog form in front of the cage holding him. "I... I was sent here by someone who wants to break you out of that cell and free you from witch prison... I'm gonna let you out now, okay?"

"What kinda person do you think I am...? You think I take handouts from whoever comes along?" He asks.

...

"Thank you!" He shouts running from the prison carrying Eruka in frog form.

The pair hop away from the prison. Doing their best to escape. Ian & Medusa stand side by side. The young male seated with the map showing Eruka moving, while Medusa is looking in the direction they're coming from. Ian glances up watching the unique moon this area of the earth has, as from its mouth blood starts to drip down.

"A massacre has occurred..." Ian mutters. Medusa hums turning to Ian. Ian points at the moon. "If only a few murders happened that night you may get a single stream in between two of the teeth on the bottom jaw of the moon, a massacre means the moon gushes blood from its mouth, several streams from the top teeth and all of the bottom teeth."

They hear the jingle of a few chains. Ian covers his face with a blank white mask turning to the pair while pulling up a hood.

"You did it?" Medusa asks.

Eruka nods. "Uh-huh. I brought the guy."

Medusa hums. "Good work, Eruka."

"I've done my part... now take all your snakes out of my body and remove your glyph like you two promised you would."

Medusa sneers. "All? Oh no... you must be joking... I'll remove one snake for every errand you run."

"And I'll remove one piece of the tracker for every successful mission."

Eruka's eyes widen. "Huh?! How many more of them are there?!"

"In terms of pieces of the glyph, up to a thousand." Ian jokes, though she can't tell.
Medusa huffs. "That's not something you need to know right now..."

Eruka recoils. "A thousand?!"

"It's a because of my glyph that she can't bring all of them out at once, if she did you'd be torn to ribbons."

Free steps forward standing between Eruka and the pair. "You two are the ones who set me free? I wouldn't have expected it from a witch, and you are...?"

Ian looks up. "A freelance fighter, studying the power of the human soul for a crazed doctor. She's Medusa, you can refer to me as Rats.  You're known as the man with the magic eye, I think I prefer death 13."

"Man with the magic eye, huh?" The man mutters. "Of course. What else could you call me, after all? In that prison even my name was taken away from me...  but as of today, I'm officially free again... all right then... My new name is Free, Death 13!"

Ian hums. "Free, nickname Death 13, got it."

"I owe you both one. I'd like to repay you somehow."

Medusa smiles. "No, no, that's all right. Don't worry about it."

"Please let me. I like to settle my debts."

"Well, maybe... there is one thing I could ask you to do for me... there's a certain weapon and meister pair. I would like to see crushed."

Free looks up to Medusa. "From the DWMA... that what you mean?"

Medusa nods. "Yes..."

"I don't like death or that school of his... with all his damn rules... you've got a deal witch. And what about you, Rats?"

"You're against Clarissa Star's assassin guild correct?"

"You want me to kill them?"

"No... Capture two of them. She has a group of 4 assassins left. Taking two gives us intel and weakens her. Bring them to this location, and then use this to contact me." He hands Free a map and an earpiece with an invert of his glyph that faintly glows. Though, neither Eruka or Free notice. Free takes the map and the earpiece the moment it fully enters his ear the glyph expands across his body with only Ian knowing.  Afterwards Ian walks away and teleports discretely to the location. Inside is a small antique store, all of the antiques inside being from the Bronze Age, he enters the back and after placing his hand on a wall with his glyph on in it glows opening a walk in closet where he hides the mask & clock and returns to his normal clothes. He quickly races out the back of the store creating fake humans inside who begin cleaning the store and waiting for customers to sell stuff too. He gets on his bike and rides away.

Cut to a few days later as Ian along with several of his classmates stand on the London bridge as it snows. Ian wears a black coat with fur along the cuffs and hood. He looks around his eye dimly glowing every once and a while he seems to be watching something. Ryuko steps next to him her jacket zipped and on black boots, and jeans. Behind her is Tomoe wearing the Kuoh academy uniform with a pair of leggings as opposed to pants. She continues to shiver as the rest of the team, Maka, Soul, Black Star, and others approach.

Black Star smiles laughing loudly. "Hello, London! Black Star has arrived! Yahoo!"

Tsubaki turns to Black Star who's in his normal clothes. "It's snowing. Aren't you freezing?"

Ian steps forward. "Typically a Star can handle blizzard conditions with the type of clothing most would wear during a regular snow storm. This is like a breezy day for us."

Ryuko scoffs. "Then explain the fur coat!"

Ian grins turning to her. "I went thrift shopping."

Ryuko groans. "Don't you sing the fucking song."

"I'll wear your grandads clothes. I look incredible." He taunts. Wham! Ryuko smacks the back of her scissor blade into his head as he collapses downwards face first into the snow where he continues singing.

"This sucks. Ever since Soul got himself hurt by that Demon Sword. All our extra lessons have to be done with at least two teams... You guys better not slow me down okay?" Black Star points at Ryuko, Tomoe, Ian & Maka.

"Trust me, I bagged 150 Kishin eggs on my own over the course of maybe a three day period."

Ryuko hums. "And I've technically saved the world once before."

Tomoe sighs. "I'll do my best."

Maka & Soul simply look away from each other in awkward silence.

Tsubaki class to the duo. "Hey you two, would you come take a look at this? It's so beautiful at night, don't you think...? Huh? Yay, London!"

"Hostiles, nearby." Ian mutters to Ryuko and Black Star.

"How many?" Black Star asks.

"Singular. And he's powerful."

"Here you are." Free stares at the group of teens.

"Black Star, use your weaker sword mode... EXCALIBUR!" The blade appears in his hand through a magic circle, Ryuko grabs her scissor blade and sets it to decapitation mode, and Tomoe preps several spells behind her and two glyphs in front of her. Black Star rushes in first using Demon Sword mode, however he doesn't even connect a hit before collapsing from exhaustion.

Ian sighs seeing this. "Well then, Ryuko!"

The pair rush forward Free attempts to block them using ice powers however Excalibur easily cuts them to pieces he ducks down after distracting Free when Ryuko stabs him directly through the heart.

Ryuko grins. "Easy pickings."

He smirks and laughs a bit, concerning the others. Ian swiftly realizing something grabs Ryuko and her scissor blade and takes them back away from Free.

After a brief exchange Free begins to transform, Maka's eyes widen and Ian summons Caliburn preparing to use the pair of blades together to fight him.

Maka gulps in fear. "I know who he is now... we've run into the legendary wolfman... the one who stole the witch's eye!"

Maka and Soul prepare to fight however, when Maka and Soul get into position Soul's handle burns Maka's hands. Ian steps forward with Ryuko behind him.

"Get your shit together, you two!" Ian orders.

Free rushes them, Ian blocks with Caliburn however the force launches him back. Freed creates a giant ice cylinder behind him. Ian recovers and rotates landing on the cylinder and leaping to the side seconds before Free kicked the ice shattering it hitting Maka & Black Star away. Free makes a speech to the children about Death and his rules. Just as he denounces them he throws a large sphere of ice at Ian. The sphere is swiftly cut in half however when Free attempts to hit what cut it in half he finds Ian above him, and two glyphs in front of himself that blast him with fire. He then bounces from another glyph, Ian cuts into the back of Free's legs before being launched off the bridge as he tumbled down Excalibur & Caliburn are sent back via his glyphs. Ian then goes into a free fall. He turns towards the water down below and and rotates to land feet first. However, he swiftly grabs a device from his pocket and launches it down where upon impact with the water explodes the force rocking the area and the force of the blast wave is enough to change his trajectory to land on the ground nearby. By the time he makes his way back up Maka's hanging off the side and Soul's holding her. He rushes over finding Free holding on to them.

Ian sighs. "Damn it."

He jumps down surprising everyone summoning an axe as he embeds the axe with magic cutting clean through all of Free's nails. As the pair fall he creates a glyph around Free the pair falling out of earshot of the others.

Ian hums looking towards the iced over river. "A bit hazardous of a fall wouldn't you say? Now that's what I call Death 13."

Free's eyes widen as Ian kicks off him a glyph pushing Ian and Free away from each other allowing for Ian to land on the bridge where he watches Free fall.

"You won't die."

These words repeat for the entirety of Free's fall some overlapping each other as he and Ian continue to stare at each other. Free them creates an ice cylinder around himself as he falls into the water. Ian turns to the others Maka & Soul talking about how the other is doing. Maka & Ian both cough and at the same moment see the same thing on their hands...

They both silently stare at their hands both internally commenting "Black Blood."

A stone is kicked over by a black shoe, a moment later a barrage of bullets fires into a cave, the shouts of people heard from the secondary entrance as two people enter and slowly make their way through the base. As they walk one of the people draws a pistol and fires at a person who tries to attack them from behind.

"Well, I doubt he's here, what says you Alex?"

Alex grumbles in annoyance looking to the boy next to him who looks through the secret bases schematics using a glyph, before he rotates his hand and the glyph turns orange allowing the person to break just about every rule in the Geneva convention.

"Jesus Christ, why do you keep doing this, Daniel?"

"In our line of work the Geneva convention is more like the Geneva suggestion." Daniel says arm still extended burning everyone alive.

"Yes, but we're looking for him and want him alive."

"If he was here we would've sensed it, no?"

"Are you two done arguing?" Elisa Flint speaks, herself taking out some of her frustration on a nearby boulder.

Her father, John sits on a log, cooking meat over a fire.  Daniel grumbles exiting the entrance to the base and steps to the side to create the glyph showing the globe, while Alex rubs his eyes as he lays down on a bundle of rocks.

"This wasn't going to be easy, obviously, he knows he can't take us all in a fight." John turns the meat over taking but a moment to glance to the glyph.

"It's not that, that annoys me." Daniel remains focused on the glyph as he addresses John. "What annoys me is that he escapes just as we pick up his signature. He's leading us somewhere..."

Alex lazily raises his head as Daniel shows all of the locations on his globe map, which he adjusts to a flat map, revealing something to him.

"Hey, Star, try and triangulate the center of those locations." Alex comments.

"Already doing it..."

"Well the center is obviously Japan." Elisa walks over to them whilst taking a chunk of meat from John who's already eating.

"That we noticed, the question is where in japan." Alex stands grabbing some of the meat and taking a bite out.

"Fuck." Daniel blurts out as the glyph vanishes as he summons a sword and swiftly cuts through the same boulder Elisa was abusing minutes earlier. "You're not going to like where it's at."

"Hm?"

"Surely it cant be that bad." Elisa turns to Daniel as he sheaths the sword as opposed to sending it away.

"How do you all feel about returning home?"

"Returning... home?" John questions as the eyes of Alex and Elisa both widen.

"He's headed..." Elisa starts turning to John with worry in her eyes.

"Kuoh Academy." Alex growls out as he summons Hope & Despair, he and Daniel hurry off, both ready to give chase to Josh, the pair are joined minutes later by John and Elisa when a light starts blinking.

John turns away from it as he goes and prepares for battle, meanwhile Alex and Daniel head to the cockpit and transfer the message from the board in the back and to the front, Elisa takes a seat and continues to eat as they take off.

"Play the message during takeoff." Daniel tells the console as he messes with the controls and glances to Alex who does his job during the prep for takeoff. After a moment a glyph forms overtaking the message, this gets Daniel's attention and he hurries the takeoff, once the pair get the plane in the air the red glyph fully forms, Gremory, from it a visage of Rias is shown.

"Alex, we need you, we're under attack... Kiba's dead, Saji's doing his best, but.... we won't last much longer, Sona's struggling to fight off the attackers long enough for me to send this, please, hurry!"

Daniel and Alex glance to each other as Daniel grumbles, he opens a glass compartment and then grabs a microphone speaking to those in the back.

"This is your captain speaking, buckle the fuck up, we're going quick."

John and Elisa in the back rush to get into seats the pair quickly getting anything that can fly away placed in a spot where it won't. In the cockpit Daniel shrugs and slams the button within the glass compartment as the ship begins to speed up rapidly.

Meanwhile in Kuoh, Rias stands in the ORC building, with her, Xenovia, Sona, Akeno, Tsubaki, Tsubasa, and a very tattered and wounded Saji.

"Well, did they receive the message?" Akeno asks, launching a giant wave of fire towards Camelot agents covered in military gear.

"We can only hope at this point!" Rias shouts launching two balls of destruction.

A powerful explosion rocks the ground as Azazel is seen fighting in the air side-by-side with Sir Zechs, and Micheal. The three leaders doing their best to fight off the massive hoard rushing Kuoh, destroying gaps in the massive force, the city in ruins, deep in the city the unrecognizable bodies of several familiar faces, a blonde-haired male, riddled with bullets and surrounded by broken swords, a young girl cuddled by her sister both with white & black hair, a chestnut-haired girl stabbed clear through with Excalibur mimic, several others dead, and standing inside a church with the body of a young boy is Josh as he watches via a glyph, before he grabs a sniper rifle from nearby, he raises it, aiming into the air before lining a shot a moment later a body crashes into the ground their head destroyed, red hair slowly falling behind the body..

"Brother!" Rias cries out to the falling body.

A moment later a bullet flies her way only for Tsubaki to jump in the way the bullet piercing through her heart, Sona turns sharply before placing a barrier around the group blocking any more bullets from getting to the group. A moment later Micheal's body drops his wings indicating who it is, as Azazel places a barrier around the group in the ORC before he flies in a circle and drops several objects, a moment later amidst dozens of explosions Azazel can be seen making a mad dash for Josh's location, however before he can arrive at the church he's riddled with bullets and finally a singular shot through his head and out his foot ultimately turns the head of the crows to feathers. His barrier shatters as the survivors look around knowing what approaches.

"Lady Rias..."

"Save it, Akeno, I know we'll survive..." Rias prevents her queen from speaking the truth she wants to remain unspoken, however a moment later a bullet shatters the barrier and with it, two more victims, Tsubasa and Akeno, the pair eliminated by Josh's sniper, all that remains, Xenovia, and the two Kings, Rias and Sona. The three are all at their wits end, Xenovia on the ground her sword chipped and damaged, Sona leaning against a wall her energy spent as she looks to Tsubasa and Tsubaki on the ground as Saji is on the ground coughing up blood. Rias however falls to her knees cradling the body of Akeno, tears freely falling as she senses the bodies of her pieces, soon after however a dark presence overcomes the city, one that threatens to drown everyone in anger and bloodlust, the four have arrived, and from a crashing plane the four fall out of the sky. Daniel leads them and with him hundreds of glyphs with swords shooting from them, followed by Elisa with a mini-gun she uses to eviscerate the Camelot traitors, John watches slowing his own descent using a glyph as Alex grows his wings and flies directly for the church.

"You motherfucker!" Alex shouts flying full speed forward.

Ian sighs it's the day after the Super Written Exam. He sips some tea while reading a book, Blair, in her cat form, lays across his lap enjoying his off hand petting her in between sips of tea.

Ryuko glances to Ian. "So... is there a reason you're reading ghost stories, or are just that fucking bored?"

"Ghost stories are more real than anyone realizes. Jack the Ripper, La llorona, Wendigo's, even the rumored magical happenings around Rasputin, all have some truth to them. Quite frankly, not beliving in those childhood ghost stories might be more dangerous to one's health in this line of work than not doing so.

"Bah! It's just like the stupid life fibers."

Ian sips his tea. "Let's not forget, you didn't believe in those at first either."

"Shut up!" She pouts.

"Hey, where's Tomoe?" Ian asks.

"She was sent on a mission yesterday." Ryuko answers.

Ian scoffs. "Lucky bitch..."

Tomoe meanwhile stands alone looking out to the ocean. Fog slowly approaches as it washes over the town her devil wings form and a glyph forms around her ears enhancing her hearing. She hears nothing but creaking and waves. From her view from the cliff she watches as something large swallow nearly the entire shoreline. The next morning after her call for assistance, Death the Kid & the Thompson sisters were arriving at the scene.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Kid asks Tsubasa.

Tomoe sighs. "With all the fog, the best description I can give is something large showed up and took a large bite out of the area. I've tracked down a survivor. Follow me."

The four all make their way to what essentially amounts to a lighthouse where inside is a man terrified hiding in a corner.

"Can you tell us what happened here?" Kid asks.

"It was the mist..."

Tomoe hums. "That's all I was able to get out of him before he started to violently throw up before. What kind of mist?"

"No... No... (violently vomits)"

Kid tries to help the man. "Calm down, don't worry. You're all right now. We're here to help you, all four of us are from the DWMA to put a stop to whatever did this."

The man speaks in between rounds of vomiting. "The academy?"

"Yes. So please, tell us in as much detail as you can what happened here?"

He continues, still in between vomiting. "Black... Black Dragon... The black dragon came... The black dragon came and ate our village!" Every pause was him vomiting.

Kid walks away and drags Tomoe behind him. Liz & Patty are forced to catch up with them. The four head to a library where Kid & Tomoe do research on this black dragon. Liz & Patty do their own things until Kid & Tomoe come up with a plan to find the Black Dragon.  A few hours later, Kid stands on the front of a row boat with Liz & Patty rowing, the latter of the two singing "Row your boat". The four notice a wave of fog wash over them rapidly.

Tomoe sighs. "Just like yesterday. I'll be the eye in the sky, do your work Kid."

Kid nods and her devil wings form on her back, with a single flap she shoots into the sky headed for the top of the fog trying to quickly escape the large cloud of it. She very quickly loses sight of Kid & his row-boat. After a few moments she exits the cloud and flies around it this takes her several minutes to accomplish and then she heads directly towards the center of the fog from above.

"It's just as we predicted, a kilometer circumference, and a perfect circle at that... meaning, at the center of this thing, should be the black dragon."

She hurries to the top and after doing so launches herself down towards the center creating three glyphs before her. Within moments she sees the ship and launches her glyphs' attack the ship's upper deck creating a massive explosion that rocks the entire ship. When she steps onto the boat the area she steps on burned boards. She looks around Kid stands nearby. Weapons aimed up as a man stands before him stunned at her arrival. She preps several spells and prepares to fight when suddenly  the man's head is separated from his body at the mouth. Crona approaches her sword stabbed into the ship.

"What was that?" Kid asks quietly.

Tomoe sighs. "A major problem."

"The Sword..." Kid stares at Ragnarok.

Crona slashes through the Captain before stabbing ragnarok into the ship. "Ragnarok." Kid & Tomoe watch as Ragnarok's mouth opens on the sword. "Scream resonance."

The blade screams an ear-piercing shriek that hurts everyone on the ship, along with causing all of the souls accumulated to rise out of the ship. Hundreds of them.

Kid's eyes widen. "The souls are coming out now."

Crona yells as the souls are, by the dozen, sucked into Ragnarok & Crona. All of the souls are absorbed as the four watch stunned and ready to fight.

"This is impossible. He devoured all of the human souls."

Tomoe stares at the blade. "That sword wounded both Soul & Ian... we'll need to be very careful."

The sword shouts before transforming erupting from Crona's back as a pair of wings.

"I think we're looking at the Demon Sword's true form. In this region of the Baltic Sea there was once a legend believed by many about a ghost ship called the black dragon. However... this thing in front of us... this demon sword.. is a true black dragon."

Tomoe sighs muttering to herself. "Where's Genshiro when you need him."

Crona looks at the team. "Hey... my blood is black you know."

"I judge you." Kid says getting into a stance. "Reaper combat art. "Mortal Sin" Stance."

Ragnarok screams transforming now into a broadsword as Meguri leaps back, briefly her wings forming. She then draws from a glyph a sword and raises it ready to fight.

"I never thought I'd get to use this... thank you, Azazel."

Flashback Nearly 2 Years Prior

In the final days before the rating game between Sona & Rias' peerages, Azazel was Speaking with Sona's peerage granting the members each their own artificial sacred gears after their summer and winter training. Momo was gifted the Artificial Sacred Gear, Applause Wall, Reyna was gifted Scouting Persona, Tsubasa gained her Twinkle Aegis, Ruruko was granted Procellarum Phantom... and then she was given hers.

Azazel: For you, Mrs. Meguri. This is a sword called Blazer Shining or Darkness Samurai Sword. It has a similar ability to Yuuto's Holy-Devil Sword. And I was able to make it in the form of a katana for you.

Tomoe: Thank you sir.

Her eyes sparkle at the sword as she is forced to resist rushing out of the room to practice with the blade.

Azazel: Now, just be careful with it, it's still yet to see battle.

Tomoe: Sir.

Tomoe watches Ragnarok standing on her glyphs behind her, Blazer Shining in her hand aimed for Crona.

Kid frowns. "It's time to die."

"I'm scared... of everyone. I need to learn to deal with people better... but to do that I need power."

Ragnarok smiles. "Goo-be."

"Do you want to know where the real hell is hiding?" Crona asks.

Tomoe smirks. "Trust me I visit every summer I know where it's at."

Crona pokes her/his head before looking to the duo standing before them. "It's inside your head. If you get in my way, I'll have to kill you, you know."

"Will you? Just try it." Kid warns.

"Kid, be warned, his Scream Resonance can hurt weapons, don't let that sword make contact with them. I'll go first."

Tomoe rushes forward her wings helping to carry her upwards as she swings her katana Crona barely avoids the attack, and is immediately attacked by Kid, who launches them into the air and continues to shoot at Crona. Tomoe seeing this rises up to Crona's position and starts slashing through Crona.

"Supreme domination the attainment of ultimate power. That's your genius plan for escaping from all your fear? You disgust me! If what you really want is to be free from fear...then strengthen your soul."

Kid and Tomoe attack at the same moment, Kid standing on Crona's body shoots them directly in the face with Liz & Patty, while Tomoe slashes directly at Crona's waistline in attempt to bisect them. Crona tumbles and spins crashing into the ship. Meanwhile, Kid lands atop the ship's deck and Tomoe flies above them watching. After a moment the ship below Kid starts to break.

"Screech Beta!" Crona breaks out of the ship and floats over Kid just out of his hearing range though Tomoe also being in the air hears them.. "I guess I shouldn't expect you to understand me. I shouldn't be surprised... not even the little one can understand me. If a little one can't understand my feelings... then there's no way a Reaper like you could comprehend them."

Tomoe slightly lowers her weapon but remains defensive.

The Captain of the ship remains, his upper head bouncing on the ship's deck. "You'll... pay... I'll show you!"

Kid turns to the captain. "What? He's still alive?"

They watch as all of the canons of the ship aim for Tomoe & Crona.

Tomoe & Crona both stare. "Uh Oh." They say in unison.

"This ship is my body and my body's this ship... as long as the Nidhogg stays afloat, I'll never die. You damn greedy fools... you ate every last human soul I'd collected... You have no honor! You've got zero respect for other people's property! Let me teach you about honor! Let's see how you like a little taste of-!"

Tomoe blasts him with a large fire spell genuinely confused. Unfortunately the Demon Swords Soul begins to swell. Tomoe then raises back up her blade whilst floating back within moments, Crona launches a Screech Alpha bisecting the ship in its entirety. Tomoe watches in horror, her eyes widened as the ship separates down the middle and folds in on itself the water underneath also being cut as well. Kid & Tomoe both chase after Crona who attempts to fly away. Tomoe moves much faster than Kid and attempts to catch up to Crona. Kid is able to launch a few attacks at Crona,  however as the fog clears Kid stops suddenly, launching himself towards the sun and clouds which from a certain perspective, is symmetrical. Tomoe continues to chase after Crona however, after a moment or so a red glyph appears next to her and it explodes. Not only launching her away, but blocking her view, allowing for Crona to be sent through another glyph teleporting them away.

Tomoe looks away, annoyed. "Damn it."

Back at the school Ian sighs still reading ghost stories, and he chuckles to himself for a moment.

Blair looks up, still on his lap a day later. "Did you find something?"

"I think I found my next target."

Blair lowers her head relaxing. "Is that all you think about?"

Ryuko shrugs. "Don't bother, it's how the dumbass was raised."

"Uh, correction, Its how I raised my siblings."

Ryuko deadpans. "You're the youngest."

"Physically, yeah. Let's not forget, third life. Probably about to be on fourth."

Ryuko frowns, her eyes shining with anger. "If you keep it up, you will."

Ian mutters to himself. "What did I see in you...?"

"Anger, violence... mother & father issues..."

"I can relate to violence, but I had daddy issues... so... while similar it's different. Your dad died, mine abandoned me and my sister when I was a child."

"You know what I meant: We got a delivery today by the way."

Ian looks over to Ryuko finally. "From fucking who?"

"Mako."

Ian's eyes fill with fear. "Oh, dear god."

"She sent her mother's croquettes."

Ian sighs with relief. "Oh, thank god!"

Ian gently places Blair on the couch. He then walks over to the door and makes his way to the school. Within minutes he's arriving at the front of the school as Tomoe & Kid are arriving.

"Liz, Patty... you two go back home to Gallows Manor." Kid orders.

Liz looks to Kid. "Where are you going, Kid?"

"To speak with daddy, I assume?" Ian says finishing his climb up the stairs.

Kid nods. "Yes, to speak with my father."

"Good, I'm also headed there. Tomoe, make sure Ryuko & Blair don't kill each other. I'll cover for expenses."

Tomoe's eyes widen. "You left them alone together?!"

"Yes."

Tomoe turns and runs down the stairs. "Oh dear god..."

The sisters turn and walk away as the remaining duo make their way through the school all the way to Lord Death's office where both Death & Stein are waiting for them.

"Well, Well, heya. Long time no see, Kiddo... Good to have you back! I hear you ran into the demon sword on your reinforcement mission."

"Father... I have something to ask you."

"Oh? What's eating you, kid."

"I may be a reaper, but I'm still young, and I understand that. Still, there is too much I don't know. Someone mentioned "the Kishin who is right next to us"... what does that mean, father."

Death hums. "People and god's alive possess weaknesses. In order to bury those failings they seek strength and power. Fear and desire are two sides of the same coin."

"No, father... you're avoiding my question. That's not what I'm asking you. "The Kishin who's right next to us..." I want you to explain that exact phrase to me... does it have something to do with why you can't leave the academy? I need to know, father. Tell me what it means."

Ian off-handedly shrugs. "I guess there goes my warning."

Chapter End.