Permanent Prophecy

Epilogue - Is This How It Ends?

Soon after that, Stein ran through with Spirit and other students behind them to Kid and Maka.

Maka's eyes were wide and blank; her features expressionless. It was only when Stein tried to take Kid out of her arms was when she snapped out of it and began to freak out. She screamed and slapped Stein across the face with her nails.

"Don't take him! Don't take him!" She sobbed, her eyes filled with madness.

Stein stumbled back, clutching the side of his face in surprise.

Shocked, Spirit kneeled behind his daughter and wrapped his arms around her so Stein can easily take Kid in his arms. Maka screamed again and struggled to get away from him.

"Please! Don't!"

Stein took Kid from her in a swift movement and Maka's sobs grew louder.

"Kid!"

Kid's eyes were blank and stared into nowhere, his hands just clawing into the bloody pit of his stomach, hoping that it would somehow make the pain disappear.

Stein began to walk away, the assistant students walking close with him. Spirit stood up, lifting Maka up to her feet with him in the process. He pulled her towards him and hugged her as tightly as he could.

"Shhshhshh…Calm down, Maka…"

She sobbed into his chest and gripped handfuls of his shirt.

"They…They took him away…from m-me… they took him…"

Spirit's heart broke at just the simple sound of sorrow in her voice when she said that, and he rubbed her back gently.

"They're gonna help him… they're gonna see what they can do to make him okay…"

Maka bit her quivering lower lip.

"He just collapsed… he just fell, and began to bleed…"

Spirit sighed and kissed her forehead.

"C'mon… we should catch up with them…"

Maka nodded a little, telling herself over and over that Kid was gonna be alright.

Spirit took hold of his daughter's hand and they quickly walked through the forest together.

Death looked out at them through his mirror, his arm in a sling. His eyes were wide and he can barely move or breathe. He squinted over Kid's head to see a crimson hourglass over his head, bloody sand making its way to the bottom. It was something only he can see. It happened every time someone was close to taking their last breath.

He clenched a good fist, hoping Stein would get there on time so he can try to save his son.

Stein walked up the steps with Kid in arms, the ash falling in sheets from the crimson sky above their heads. As he passed through the crowds of students, they stepped back to let him through, staring at Kid.

Kid was too traumatized to see or hear anything around him. It was just the blinding white light in his view, and the agonizing, numbing pain within him.

When Maka set foot at the top of the stairs with her father beside her, everyone turned their attention on her. She looked up at everyone and sniffled, quickly looking away.

"Valencia… is dead …"

The students remained silent, and Maka walked through, letting go of Spirit's hand as she did so.

Stein set Kid down on an infirmary bed and pulled the curtains so he was out of view from everyone except for him and the nurses. Patty was ushered out of the room with other students so that Stein and the nurses would be able to have room with no distractions. She sat in a wheel chair with an IV cord stuck into her arm. She quickly wheeled herself away from other students so that she wasn't trampled in any way, and looked up to see Maka running into the school. Her eyes widened and she ran right past her and towards the infirmary room just as the door was slammed closed, and it was locked, the curtains over the window quickly drawn.