I had awakened to the sound of the revolt. Liore, in all of its glory, was at war with itself over the revealing of Father Cornello`s true intentions for the town.
It hadn`t been long before the orange glow of the sunset turned bathed the town the same color as the flames that were burning the apartment above Vince`s Tavern Stand—my home for the past few years.
I watched as the few possessions I owned smoldered under the oppression of Cornello`s believers, the flames that had come straight from the torches they held. Like savages, they marched with pitchforks through the streets below. The non-believers, people like myself, fought for survival against those who had once been considered family and friends. It was unbelievable what words could do to turn others against each other.
No, it was more baffling the kind of whirlwind two boys from out of town had brought through Liore`s once quiet and peaceful streets.
I had always been a non-believer of Cornello`s work, turning my nose up at his sermons and broadcasts for years. But though all he did was provide false hope in his followers, he kept Liore at peace.
This was all too familiar to me. Screams of agony, people turning on each other over something so trivial. Innocent lives being mowed down in the streets that had always been considered safe. Memories of my mother flooded my head, the night I`d lost her to a war I had no control over. I fought for my life then. I didn`t feel like fighting again and watching those I had grown close to lose their lives without having any control.
And so I was choked to sleep by the smoke filling my lungs. The sounds of angry shouts and tearful, frightened screams of a small child lulled me as my vision fled my senses as if I were on the back of a train entering a dark tunnel.
That same dark tunnel that had taken me away from the last revolt I had witnessed not too many years before.
i
"Children of God who live on this Earth, Have faith and thou shalt be saved."
Nothing made my upper lip curl like Father Cornello`s voice coming in through over the loudspeaker. And by the looks of it, I was the only one. Everyone seated at the tavern stand bowed their heads in dedicated prayer as I sipped idly on the tea I had ordered.
That is, everyone aside from the two newcomers at the end of the row of stools.
A man dressed in full armor, in the desert accompanied by a boy several feet below his height. The smaller one, though he appeared to be young, he looked as if he`d been through the wringer a couple of times. His face was hard, and his mouth turned upside down—lips only parting from the sour expression to take bites of food. I watched as he stuffed his face, amused that he was the only other person aside from myself in this town that didn`t embrace Cornello`s words like the were the be-all end-all of his very existence.
That suit of armor had to have been boiling whomever inside alive. It was remarkable how long they had lasted. I was hardly comfortable myself in the skimpiest sundress I could find that wouldn`t earn me disapproving stares from the people of Liore.
"A radio broadcast of a sermon?" The suit of armor bore the voice of a child. A younger boy, to be exact. It was enough to capture my attention, being the nosy girl I`d always been.
"A messenger of God? What`s that?" The smaller boy asked, though from the sound of his voice he had to have been older than the boy in the armor. What kind of kid would want to be stuck in that massive armor all day? I could only imagine how miniscule the other whippersnapper could have been.
I`d have bet he was standing on stilts in that thing.
The bartender, Vince, raised an eyebrow from being the counter as he polished a bottle of wine that he was probably planning on donating to Cornello, who was already showered with gifts and attention from the entire city. Vince was a nice enough guy, though he was pulled in by the religion that dominated Liore as well.
"I think I ought to be the one saying that about you." His frown was emphasized by the handles of his mustache that drooped down along with the turned corners of his lips.
"Are you street performers?"
I snorted at the remark, hand flying to my mouth as I noticed the smaller boy go rigid as the beverage he`d been sipping from squirted from the sides of the glass due to the air he`d blown through the straw with his overdramatic reaction.
"Alright Pops, what part of us looks like street performers?" The smaller boy snapped back across the counter, slamming the drink down on the hard surface and causing yet more of the cold tea to splash onto the counter.
The counter that I would be wiping clean later that evening.
"Well you`re doing a fine job of entertaining Nora." Vince scratched the top of his bandana-covered bald spot and winked in my direction. I suppressed the laughter that had bubbled up in my throat. When I met the intense stare of the said street performer, it died down miraculously and I turned the other direction, pretending to take another sip from my tea.
"I don`t see people with faces like yours around here often. Are you tourists?" Vince was becoming way too preoccupied with the riff raff that had stumbled in. Though in a town so tight-knit, it was hard not to notice two peculiar looking strangers. Especially ones with such disdained faces. The two looked half as miserable as I did on the daily.
"Yeah, we`re just looking for something," The smaller boy explained, returning to stuffing his face. I filed his comment away. There was nothing in this town worth harboring aside from Cornello`s so-called magical powers.
Which I believed were bound to be a hoax, just like all the other miracles that had been passed around.
"Anyway, what`s with this broadcast?" The newcomer asked. I eyes the radio up ahead, sitting on the shelf above the small eatery. It was one of the many speakers in the town that blared the voice of our Savior.
"You haven`t heard of Lord Cornello?" Vince seemed shocked. It was true that Cornello had a large reputation, but then again, word didn`t get out much outside of the desert paradise.
"Founder Cornello! Messenger of Leto, the Sun God!"
The men that had seated themselves at the counter around starter blathering off about the miracles Father Cornello had done, and I couldn`t help but want to worm my way out of there. I slid from the stool as Edmund Price piped up, his mass of facial hair swarming the abyss he considered a mouth.
"He`s this really wonderful man who came to this city a coupe of years ago and showed us the way of God!"
"It`s incredible! Definitely the power of God."
Now, by this time I`d learned to just keep my stupid mouth shut. But when they all went off on a tangent, I couldn`t help myself.
"We were all just fine before Cornello." I grumbled as I went around the counter to help Vince clear the empty dishes.
"Nora`s so ungrateful." One of our merchants, Jim Greening scoffed at me as I rolled my eyes in reply to him, reaching for his glass so that I could refill it from the tap. Drinking before six in this town was the only real miracle. That and the access to all of the alcohol it would take for me to endure the nonsense—and the only person I could thank for that was Grandpa Vince.
Vince turned from the men who`d been blathering and grew irate when he saw the kid just playing with the straw from his drink, letting it tap the ledge of the glass idly.
"You ain`t even listening!" He gruffed, hands falling to his side. It was the same tone he used with me when I wasn`t paying attention to the cult blathering.
"Nope. I`m not interested in religion."
And I`d thought I was the only one. Curiosity besting me, I reached out and drummed my knuckles on the forearm of the metal suit of armor, letting the hollowness ring off of each rap.
The armor only shifted his head to look at where the noise had come from. I withdrew my hand and removed the empty plate from the boy seated to his right.
"I`m stuffed," The smaller vagabond said, pushing himself away from the counter, "Let`s beat it."
I watched in awe as the suit of armor stood, towering feet above everyone. I wondered if he would have been taller than my father had been. He kept rising until his head rammed into the overhead of the bar, sending the radio crashing to the ground in several pieces, thus silencing Father Cornello`s broadcast.
"He-hey! Don`t cause any problems here!" Vince was quick to defend his stand, "It`s all because you`re walking around in that suit!" He accused the young man in the armor, who was apologizing frantically as he crouched down to the pile of rubble that had once been a radio.
"We`ll fix it right up." He said, to which Vince scratched his head again,
"Fix it how?" He asked. I noticed the smaller boy give an arrogant looking smirk to the owner of the stand. It was conceited, knowing looks like that which set me off about Cornello in the first place. Something about that look made my blood boil beneath my skin.
What was worse, I noticed the boy in the armor had been drawing a transmutation circle.
If anything in this city was unholy, it was the use of alchemy—which I also believed to be at the core of Cornello`s "magic".
I felt the hairs standing up on the back of my neck as I watched the chalk take shape around the broken mess that was the radio.
Once the circle had been completely, the boy in the armor held his arms crossed above it, letting a "Here go`s" slip as light began to emit from the circle. I knew all about the laws of equivalent exchange and all of the laws of alchemy from my father. None of it was enchanting or miraculous, it was science and it was another form of Playing God—something that no one, not a traveler, military dog, or so-called prophet should ever attempt.
The light died away and the sound of Cornello`s voice returned to us once more
"Hey, that`s amazing!" Vince was in awe, and I was disgusted at how easily amused the old man could be at times. Usually he was one of the few that made more sense but he was on a roll today.
"You two are just like Father Cornello!"
I turned my nose up at the newcomers, and the shorter one caught the cold shoulder I`d been giving off as I turned to complete the dishes I`d been collecting,
"You mean phony?" I spat over my shoulder. "They`re just a couple of alchemists."
"Alchemy? Hey I`ve heard of them!" Jim stared in awe at the boys as he spoke. These simple minded townsfolk would let themselves be entertained by just about anything that walked in here.
"Well maybe you`ve heard of us, we`re the Elric brothers!" The smaller Elric boasted, arms crossed over a puffed-up chest.
"Hey I do know that name—" "The FullMetal Alchemist!"
FullMetal was a Military Name given when a state alchemist had passed the exam, along with his pocket-watch. The name is a badge of honor used to spread popularity or fear depending on the type of reputation the Alchemist has.
"Edward Elric is that right?" The crowd of over excited men crowded the suit of armor, fawning over him like a bunch of women over a newborn.
I watched as the smaller boy stood just feet away, hands crossed over his chest as he looked about ready to boil over with rage. Poor thing, couldn`t have been easy living in the shadow of a famous brother.
"No, no I`m not the FullMetal! He is!" The boy in the armor was barely overheard thanks to the crowd of awed townspeople that had swarmed in light of his "magical powers".
I glanced warily at the boy. He was so small, fragile looking despite his grim facial expressions. Surely he was too young to be a State Alchemist. Then again, they both seemed too young to be State Alchemists. Well, too young to be having their lives run by the military.
Edward Elric, the smaller of the Elric brothers, began to throw a tantrum upon hearing someone mention his height disadvantage, and caused an even bigger scene. Thus proving they were much too young to be dogs.
Which meant that there was something far more peculiar about the two than just transmutation circles and pocket watches.
The suite of armor introduced himself as Alphonse Elric, the younger brother, though it still made no sense that someone younger than the elder Elric could cart around a full body suit of armor so easily.
Unless he was rippling with muscles and was six-foot-something, which was unlikely if the two were from the same gene pool.
"Hello!" A cheerful, female voice rang out above the groans of men standing around the eatery Vince had so uniquely labeled "FOOD". Heads turned to greet Rose, another of Cornello`s dedicated followers. The girl was young, tan and with beautiful dark hair. She was exactly what she should have looked like for living in the desert.
I, on the other hand had been labeled the Albino of Liore due to my complete lack of pigmentation.
As she approached the counter, I reached below to grab a neatly folded paper sack to fill with supplies to offer Cornello as offering. Nothing made me want to wretch more than knowing that the stand`s food was going to be donated to the chattering moron in priest`s robes.
"Nora, you`re looking well!" Rose greeted me with a genuine smile as she leaned her elbows on the counter. I was prepared to shoot her down from the first glimpse of her two toned hair. I was never going to be a follower of Cornello, yet every time she stopped by she asked me to accompany her back to the chapel to speak with him.
I was much too polite to say anything to the man aloud about how I thought he was a phony, but if Rose was about to drag me along with an arm full of offerings one more time…
I grunted at her in acknowledgement, reaching for heavier items to fit in the bottom of the paper sack. Being reminded that State Alchemists still existed pinched a nerve somewhere in me, and I wasn`t in any mood to force proper manners. Though, I supposed that Rose didn`t exactly deserve my rude behavior.
Still, she received it anyway.
"I haven`t met you before!" Rose exclaimed as she noticed the newcomers to her left. I grit my teeth together and turned my back to her, headed for the pantry where we kept the fresh loaves of bread. Father Cornello preferred Sourdough, which was the hardest bread to make. Another reason why the Father could kiss my ass.
"Said he`s an Alchemist. Seems like he`s looking for something." Vince helped fill another sack of groceries. I could feel my body tensing as I knew what was about to come,
"Hey Nora, make yourself useful and help Rose carry the offering."
"No." I answered Vince almost as soon as the words came out of his mouth, though I was already untying my apron. I reached for the second paper sack that was nearly overflowing onto the counter, wrapping my arms around it and lifting it, feeling a sharp pain in my spine as I did so. Hours standing in at Vince`s stand had been taking a toll on my skeleton, and it was becoming harder to avoid. Sometime I had trouble crawling out of bed because I knew it would hurt to sit upright from the laying position.
I rounded the bar and joined Rose`s side as she bid the Elric brothers farewell,
"Well I hope you two find what you`re looking for! May Leto protect you!" She grinned happily as she squeezed her paper sack close to her as well, turning on her heel to stride off with me.
"Rose," I struggled to keep up with her fast-paced footfalls, being that she and I were the same height it shouldn`t have been too much of a problem. But of course, my feet weren`t nearly as weightless as hers. She`d been elated ever since Cornello had convinced her to believe he could bring her dead boyfriend back from the dead.
Which he`d still yet to do.
"Yes, Nora?" She glanced over her shoulder at me briefly as we made our way uphill, my thighs already burning. I hated this city and its slopes. I trudged on, speaking between more grit teeth.
"Tell me you don`t still dedicate your life to Cornello… because you think he can bring
Thomas back from the dead…"
Rose`s body went stiff, arms locking up at the mention of his name. Thomas had died in a car accident seven months ago, and Cornello had been telling her to keep the faith, that her belief would only bring him back sooner.
But I saw right through him.
"Even if Thomas came back from the dead, what if he wasn`t the same?"
"What do you mean not the same?" The girl turned on me, eyes knit together in an irritated fashion as she glared back at me.
Thomas was a sensitive topic, but I didn`t mind stepping on and over the line here and there.
"If Thomas were somehow brought back from the dead… anyone were to come back from the dead, you think they would be the same person? I mean, death is pretty frightening…"
"Nora, I don`t want to hear this." Rose interrupted, keeping her eyes forward now, afraid to face me.
"But you have to think through the worst possibilities, you can`t get your hopes up like that. You have to be willing to accept that if—and only if Cornello keeps his promise to you, it could turn out worse than… than just letting Thomas lie."
"Nora, drop it!" Rose hissed, her steps hastening. She couldn`t wait to get rid of me at this point. Rose was in denial, and I would admit I was trying to manipulate her—but wasn`t that what Cornello was doing? Manipulating his followers with fancy light shows and magic tricks and labeling them as works of God?
"I`m just trying to help you! Why are you getting your hopes up like this—Every time you ask him about Thomas he just tells you 'Oh, it isn`t time yet'! When is it going to be time, Rose? What kind of preparations does the work of God need?"
"You don`t question it!" She shrieked, clutching the bag so tightly I thought it could bust out onto the cobblestone at our feet. Rose`s face was hard to make out, shadowed by the setting sun that had long disappeared behind the chapel of the church. I knew she had tears in her eyes. Rose was frustrated, and rightly so—but God wasn`t channeled through Father Cornello and he never would be. I knew he never would be. And for some reason I thought I could change her mind.
"Nora, you can`t tell me to not believe in anything. I have to believe it." Her voice hitched, her breaths shallow as she delved deep in her lungs to try and find the air to shout at me. Her voice broke as she went on,
"Please Nora, just have faith. Find your faith!"
"I do have faith!" Rose had now struck a nerve. I had plenty of faith—In the God that made decisions to take and give life without consulting any phony like Cornello.
"Don`t you tell me to put faith in a man just because he says he is a disciple of God. Rose, I could say that I was a disciple of God!"
"But he`s shown us his miracles—"
"Those boys you just saw—they showed us the same, stupid trick and called it Alchemy. Cornello isn`t—"
"Father Cornello is no scientist!" Rose shouted over me, emphasizing 'Father'—I had never called him by that title, "Father Cornello would never do what those State Alchemists did to your—"
"Don`t you dare try to tell me what man would or wouldn`t do with a little bit of power!"
My throat burned as the street fell silent—the sound of my shriek echoed around us. Rose`s eyes were wet with tears under angrily-knit brows and I was left with a bag of groceries being crushed under my tight grasp, muscles tense and alit with rage. The flattened loaves of bread probably wouldn`t suit Cornello`s fancy, not that I cared any.
"You wouldn`t dare try and drag my mother into this conversation." My voice died down in lengthy decibels as I stepped closer to the girl, sticking my nose in her face. She was several inches taller from the incline of the hill, but that wouldn`t have stopped me from defending the words I didn`t want to hear from Rose.
"Don`t try to tell me that Cornello is any different from the monsters that killed my mother. We`re all the same. We`re all human and no matter what kind of smoke and mirrors we`re capable of setting up-faith in Cornello will not bring the dead back to life."
Rose`s shoulders dropped, arms growing limp as she held very loosely onto the paper bag in her arms. She was tired of arguing, but also tired of waiting. And I was tired of seeing her put so much effort into something that would only break her heart.
"I can`t give up on Thomas. I`m sorry, Nora." Her voice sounded defeated, and her sad smile appeared as a heavy drop of saltwater poured down the side of her face.
"I`m sorry." I looked to my feet, feeling guilty for pressing the girl`s buttons now. I couldn`t stand to see others cry before me from my own words, no matter how confident I was in them.
"Come on, Nora," She turned on her heel, trotting forward as if nothing had happened, "I`ll make you something nice for dinner after we drop this off."
I stood frozen in the street as she ventured farther up the hill towards the landing which the chapel courtyard rested upon.
I supposed that I could understand how easily Rose had denied all of the reservations I had about Cornello. If someone had caught me while I was still grieving over my mother years before and offered me a chance to revive her then even I may have fallen for a blatant lie. But this wasn`t just Rose that believed, it was the whole town.
My voice was just that of a silly little girl—they shook their heads at me and told me to be grateful for what Cornello had done for us.
I hadn`t realized at the time that he was so vital in keeping the peace in Liore.
"We`re closing the stand early today."
I raised an eyebrow at Vince, who never believed in cutting out of work early—especially before the merchants closed their shops and stopped by for a drink before going home to their families.
"Why`s that?" I asked, drumming my fingers on the polished countertop. Business had been slow all day. Still, very unlike Vince to close the stand.
"Well, I`ll tell you, though I know your ungrateful little butt will only poo-poo the idea. But Father Cornello`s going to be out in the square tonight and I planned on going to see what all the fuss is about."
"You`re right. I don`t care about that pompous fatty." I droned, turning from the counter to begin counting the money drawer in the back, being careful to record all of the numbers we had for the day, taking out whatever amount went over a hundred in bills.
"I figured as much. Kids don`t appreciate everything that`s done for them." I mocked Vince while his back was turned, writing down the numbers on the scrap of paper I used as a closing sheet.
"I do have one more thing for you to do before I let you off." He said. I turned from the register to see Vince standing with a bottle of wine in his hand.
"I didn`t send this with you yesterday because Rose would have objected, but I figure even the Founder needs a glass of wine now and then."
"For the love of Leto." I mumbled, slamming the register drawer shut,
"Don`t we do enough already when it comes to supplying that phony peace of garbage with food. He`s fat enough as it is."
"You should hear yourself. Why, if it weren`t for Father Cornello, we wouldn`t have any business therefore you wouldn`t have a job." He fired back, and I huffed in reply before adding,
"Why don`t you just take it to him yourself if you`re headed up there?"
"Because I don`t have time to wait around for that crowd to disappear. You want to keep this job or not?"
Now, I knew Vince wouldn`t fire me. His conscience wouldn`t allow it, however, I wasn`t about to get into a yelling match and work under that sort of incident hanging around when there was already limited space to breathe behind the counter. I rolled my eyes, untying the apron from around my waist as I let out a defeated sigh,
"Just give it to me."
Pedals fell at my feet as the crowd cheered. Cornello stood at the heart of the square, waving, smiling as he leaned on his cane. His bald head glimmered in the sunlight like the beacon of ridiculousness which he represented.
I saw flowers bloom and flourish in his hands. I could see how everyone believed it was a miracle, but seeing still wasn`t enough for me. If God wanted to prove Cornello was the real deal then he would help me see the light himself-not through a radio broadcast or with pretty flower shows.
I flinched as a rose pedal brushed the side of my face, and I swiped it away from me with the back of my free hand, the hand that wasn`t holding onto a bottle of red wine that Vince had fermented in his very own basement.
"What do you think?" A familiar voice came from behind me, and I was sure that it was another smug Leto elitist that wanted to push my buttons—and was elated that I would have even bothered to show my face at one of Cornello`s picture shows. I inhaled sharply to throw a snarky remark over my shoulder about how I didn`t think anything at all of Cornello, but another voice beat me to it,
"That transformation reaction is normal alchemy, right?"
"Yeah, but… the law…"
I turned around, eyes landing on the large suit of armor accompanied by the smaller boy who had perched himself atop his upright suitcase so that he could get a better look over the crowd.
"Nora, there you are! Vince told me I could find you here." Rose wormed her way around several others in the crowd. I had kept myself towards the back, afraid to be swallowed by the mass of people.
"Oh, and you two came!" Rose looked past me at the two boys,
"How is it? No doubt about it, this is the power of miracles. After all, Lord Cornello is the son of the Sun God."
For the first time I was actually embarrassed for Rose. Everyone in Liore already believed in Cornello and his crap. These boys were associated with the military. Not only that, but they were Alchemists—and alchemists were skeptical of religion in general.
"Nope, definitely alchemy. " Edward glimpsed a little harder to make out something across the square from his perch,
"Cornello`s a fake."
Words that brought a smile to my face.
"But that`s against the law." The armored brother spoke next, to which Edward replied with a hum,
"That`s right."
"Law?" Rose asked in curiosity and disappointment. She gripped onto my wrist tightly.
"From an average person`s viewpoint, alchemy is a very handy skill that can make anything, without any limit. But the truth is that there`s a rule to this. To put it roughly, the law of conservation is mass and the law of providence."
The armored boy`s words sprinted circles around Rose and I, our comprehension of the entire speech blurring the words together. I gave the boy a pensive look while Rose completely broke down next to me from her brain being fried.
"Um, okay. It`s taking an object with one element, and changing it into an object containing the same element. An object with the properties of water can only be transmuted into an object with watery attributes."
Yes, equivalent exchange. My father had taught me about the laws of alchemy when I was young and it still continued to baffle me a bit. He had once explained it to me by creating a bird figurine out of a block of clay with nothing but a circle and chalk.
The block of clay contained the same properties as the figurine, which was why it had worked. If I had asked him to create a dress from the clay he wouldn`t have been able to do it.
"In short, the basis to alchemy is "exact trade". If you want to make something, you need something of the equivalent cost. But he ignored that law and was able to transmute."
Of course. So how was that possible? I narrowed my eyes across the square to Cornello as Rose`s voice became aggravated.
"Make some sense! Do you two believe in the power of miracles or not?"
"Rose, you`ll make a scene," I whispered, flexing my hand as I began to feel numb from how hard her grip was around it. Rose looked down and released me, looking back up at me apologetically.
"Brother, maybe it's…"
"Yeah, maybe it is?"
I looked back to see Edward wincing as he tried to make out something on the other side of the square. There was something they were refusing to discuss openly in front of us.
Something about their silence irked me, as I knew everything that was happening in this town. Secrets weren`t easily kept from me. I didn`t earn the nickname Nosy Nora for nothing.
"Don`t let it bother you, Rose," I reassured the girl as her shoulders slumped dejectedly. I hooked her arm in mine and gave her hand a pat, and a small smile reappeared on her face.
"Miss, I`m interested in this religion!" Both of our heads shot up and over to the Elric`s, the blonde boy looking at us with a shit eating grin plastered all over his eager face, "I want to talk to this founder, so could you give me some information?"
"Oh, you`ve finally become a believer!" Rose shot forward and out of my grasp as I stood back, empty hand reaching out for her as she ran towards them. I groaned, dropping that hand to my side.
The girl was too gullible for her own good. I guessed that was why I`d felt so responsible for tagging along with her as she accompanied the Elrics back to the chapel to speak with Cornello. That, and I had yet been given the opportunity to hand over the bottle of wine. Which, I had been considering downing the bottle by myself at that point anyway.
The walk up to the chapel was slow and steep, as usual. Rose had a spring in her step, as she was too excited in the newcomer`s false interest in Cornello. Neither of the boys were interested in religion—they were alchemists, scientists that believed they were God himself. Why would they place their faith in anything besides chalk drawn circles and books written by other alchemists before them.
I looked up at the younger Elric brother as he strolled beside me, craning my neck slightly, causing me to be indiscrete about my staring. A bad habit of mine.
"If only you boys were as easy to convince as Nora." Rose flashed a smile back at me, and I kept my mouth planted in a firm line. I didn`t want another argument with Rose. I did still consider her a friend.
"I thought everyone from Liore believed in Father Cornello?" The boy in the armor turned to me, and I frowned up at him,
"I believe in God. I don`t believe in Cornello." I answered, looking back at Rose, who had turned her back to me now. She wouldn`t say anything else. She didn`t want to argue either.
I looked next to the amber eyes of the Full Metal, his scowl from earlier making an appearance. The shrimp always looked like he had a stick shoved up his ass.
He didn`t avert his stare either, not intimidated by eye contact.
I finally looked away as we reached the stairs to the chapel, afraid to trip and make a fool out of myself.
Rose took us to the end of a long hallway inside the chapel, where a pair of large men guarded the double doors to Cornello`s office. As if anyone in Liore wanted to physically harm him. I was probably his number one enemy in the entire city and even I wasn`t that gutsy of a girl.
The doors opened after a few moments and an exchange between Rose and one of the men guarding the door. Out walked who I assumed to be Cornello`s personal assistant ushered us into what seemed to be another large hall. I stepped onto the carpet behind the Elric brothers with my single bottle of wine, unaware that I had walked right into a situation I hadn`t meant to be involved in.
"The Founder is a very busy person, and does not have much free time, but you sirs have very good luck." Cornello`s assistant addressed the brothers, and Rose fell back to my side as they walked forward at a faster pace.
"Why is Cornello so heavily guarded?" I whispered low, not wanting the men surrounding us to hear.
"They aren`t for his protection, silly," She smiled, "These men just want to dedicate their lives to Father Cornello and the lord. Some of them want to earn forgiveness for their sins."
"Earn forgiveness," I repeated, the words tasting bitter as they rolled off of my tongue. I had always been told to pray for forgiveness, not earn it by waiting on a false idol. Surely this wasn`t the real way of the lord.
"Sorry, I don`t plan on talking to him for too long." The state alchemist chimed as the large, heavy doors slammed from behind us as we crossed the carpet. I turned to see the snarky expressions of the men who had assisted in closing the doors and immediately felt the bottom of my stomach hit my toes.
"Yes, we`ll end this quite soon." I heard the click of a the hammer of a gun being cocked. I looked up and saw a pistol being shoved through the eye socket of armor the younger Elric brother was wearing.
"Just like this!"
My breath caught in my throat as I froze, dropping the bottle of wine at my feet. My ears fell deaf as the helmet of the armor was blown clear off of its body. The bottom of my skirt was soaked from the hem to the empire waist where I`d tucked my shirt in with red wine. I hadn`t realized the stains were from the wine, assuming they were blood from the younger Elric brother.
That is, until I lowered the elbow I`d been holding level to my face. There was no blood, just the broken bottle at my feet and a puddle. I looked back up to see the rest of the room spotless as the helmet of the armor stopped rolling a few feet in front of me.
I looked over to see the other brother being restrained by two of the men that had been standing alongside the other end of the double doors.
"Brother, what is the meaning of this?!" Rose raised her voice at Cornello`s assistant, who stood with the pistol still in hand, pointed at the Elric`s.
"Rose, these men are heretics that were going to trap the Founder. They`re demons!" He growled from behind grit teeth.
"No! If that`s why, the Founder surely wouldn`t have allowed th—"
"The Founder has allowed this!" The man`s stern expression turned into one of smug, knowing.
"The words of the Founder are the words of God, this is the will of God!"
Murder… was the will of God?
"No!" I shrieked as I lurched forward, driven by anger as I dove for the man with the pistol pointed at the state alchemist. His eyes grew wide as I flew through the air towards him, stepping in his line of fire, his finger moving from the trigger or his gun as I balled my fists, ready to pummel his face in.
Fists that never impacted his skin. I was stopped by a metal arm that had wrapped themselves around me and pulled me out of the way so that a fist much larger than mine could knock the man`s teeth in far more sufficiently than mine could have.
I hung from the younger Elric brother`s arm, mouth and eyes wide open as I watched the other brother take out the two men that had been restraining him.
I looked up to suit again and noticed that the headless armor didn`t yield a body—anywhere inside.
And I shrieked loudly and wriggled violently to get out of its grasp.
"Ack, sorry, Nora!" It spoke to me with the same voice as before, causing me to scream again, chills running throughout my body. I was dropped, face down onto the carpet in all of the commotion. I looked up to see the helmet of the armor being hurled into the face of one of Cornello`s lackey`s.
"What is going on?!" Rose screeched the words for me, pointing at the empty armor in horror. All I could do was stare as the short boy knocked on the hollow armor as he said, "It`s always like this."
"There`s nothing inside? It`s hollow?!" She went on, and the armor picked its helmet back up and reassembled himself, speaking up to explain,
"This is someone with the sin of trespassing into God`s forbidden domain. Just like me, and my brother too."
I looked back to the older brother, who had turned his back to us, eyes wandering over him to find any … faultiness.
"Edward too?" Rose asked, the boy scratching the back of his blonde hair nervously.
"Let`s stop this topic." It sounded more of a plea than an order.
"You saw God`s true nature, didn`t you?" He asked, turning the topic at hand over to cover the previous.
"No!" Rose pressed, "There has to be some mistake!"
"How can you say that, even now?" I asked, dusting myself off as I got back to my feet. I grimaced at the unsightly stain on my skirt. I gestured to the men laying passed out on the floor,
"He`s a fraud, Rose. The will of God has never been to murder, no matter how filthy their souls are." I finished the phrase as I glared down at Edward, who returned the judgmental look.
"Do you have the guts to see the truth, Rose?" He asked the girl next to me, but never tore his angry stare from mine as he shoved his gloved hands into his pockets.
I looked back at Rose, who seemed hesitant to move forward, further into the interior of the chapel.
"I do." More than anxious to reveal the truth about Cornello after all this time, I volunteered myself forward, striding to the next set of doors down the hallway.
"Nora, wait," Rose`s hesitant voice came from behind me, and I turned back to see her looking back and forth to the two brothers.
"I`ll go." She gulped, "I want to know."
"Cornello won`t say a thing in front of her." I pointed out the obvious to the two odd brothers, who nodded. I turned to the hollow armor, eyes wandering over him. He was hollow, thus having more then plenty of room to conceal a person.
"Is there room for a stow-away in that armor?" I felt myself crack a witty smile for the first time in what seemed a long time. I knew it was only from the excitement of catching Cornello in the act, but I embraced it nonetheless, though it disappeared within the same moment that I began to think about what would happen to Rose once she heard the words come from Cornello`s very own mouth.
I knew the seed of doubt had now been planted inside of her, and along with that seed of doubt was the unattractive reality that Thomas wouldn`t be brought back to life.
And her heart was in the process of being pounded to little pieces, for the second time within three months. I side-glanced pensively to the suit of armor where she had been hiding as we closed in on the next set of doors.
"So this is where he`s hiding, huh?" Edward didn`t turn to ask, not that I knew the answer. I had never tried to approach Cornello myself. He pushed the doors open, revealing an unlit room.
"You`re supposed to say 'welcome'." Edward joked when there was no reply. I almost gagged at his cheesy line, but decided this wasn`t the time or place for it.
The Elrics stepped forward and I followed into the dim room. When we ventured only a few feet inside, the doors shut behind as they had earlier.
"Welcome to our holy church." The voice I had once rolled my eyes to as it was broadcast over the radios of every home in Liore now made my hair stand on end as I stood in the dark with the two unnatural brothers.
A light sparked and dimly lit the room, and I saw Cornello perched on the staircase before us with his cane and his usual shit-eatin' grin.
"Did you come to learn our teachings?" He asked.
"Yeah, I want you to tell us a bunch." Edward replied, "Like this rule about tricking your believers with cheap alchemy!"
Cornello`s grin didn`t falter, "Hm, I wonder what you might be speaking of… Grouping my 'power of miracles' with alchemy would pose a bit of a problem. If you saw it once, you would understand."
"I`ve already seen it." Ed argued, "The thing I don`t get at all is the thing about how you were able to transmute something while ignoring the laws."
Cornello tapped his head, "That`s why I said it wasn`t alchemy."
"I thought so." Ed`s tone became snide, "The 'philosopher`s stone'. You`re using that, aren`t you?"
Cornello continued to scratch his bald scalp, pretending not to know a thing, "It`s that ring, isn`t it?" Ed asked, and in that moment Cornello`s finger froze against his temple.
"I expected no less from a national alchemist. It is exactly as you said. You are correct!" Cornello held his hand up, bearing the ring with a tiny, red stone. A Philosopher`s stone.
"This is a mysterious power amplifier that was said to be found only in legends. If we alchemists use this, we can perform tasks of great magnitude with little cost!"
"So you admit it!" I stepped past Edward, shoving him with my shoulder as I approached the stairs,
"You admit you lied to all of Liore. You lied to Rose about Thomas." I could feel myself growing angrier as I stared up at that smug face.
"Nora, stay back," The other Elric brother called out to me, but I was too high on the anger and adrenaline,
"You would really lead her on like that knowing you couldn`t do it! You think that with that ring and science you can play God? You roach,"
"I wouldn`t expect an Ishvalan to have much faith in anything, let alone God." Cornello chuckled now, "Not than anyone would believe you. I`ve heard of you, Nora, the only non-believer in all of Liore."
"Hey—we were talking!" Edward shouted from behind me, interrupting me interrupting his conversation with the pompous fraud.
"I`ve been looking for that stone!"
"Hmph! Why do your eyes look like they want it? What would you wish for by using this stone? Money? Fame?"
"You too." Ed shot back, "You`ve made a religion though, I`m afraid. What do you want? If it`s money, you can use this stone to get as much as you`d want."
"It isn`t money," Cornello chucked again, "No, I want money, but even if I remain silent it will enter my wallet in the form of donations from my believers, you see."
Ain`t that the truth, I thought to myself, silently cursing Cornello for the large stain on my skirt.
"On the other hand, I need obedient believers who would be happy to throw their lives away for me." His widespread grin grew wider as he raised his voice in elation, "It`s wonderful! The greatest army in the world! One which doesn`t fear death! I`ve steadily advanced my preparations. Behold, after several years, this country will be mine!"
My lip curled as I grit m teeth together as his head snapped backwards in laughter, like his plans were a huge riot. I felt my stomach churn, and I realized I hadn`t even wanted Father Cornello to be a fraud, not if it was to this degree.
"Nope. Don`t care." Ed turned his nose up, and Cornello was silenced immediately,
"What?!" I literally saw the sweat roll off of Cornello`s face, "Don`t just saw a couple of words about my plans like 'don`t care'! You… aren`t you from the surrounding countries… no, in the army?!" Cornello began to lose his cool in the most dramatic way, and I saw the whites of his eyes for the first time ever as the bulged angrily out of his forehead.
"Nah, I guess you could say that. Country and army, dunno much about stuff like that." Ed pointed a gloved finger forward, "I`ll get straight to the point. Gimme the philosopher`s stone! Do that and I won`t say anything about your fraudulence to the people in his city."
"I will," I snapped now, "I`ll tell everyone all about this."
"You shut your trap already!" Ed hissed back at me, afraid that I would foil his plans on convincing Cornello to hand over his man ring.
"Ha! You`re trying to bargain with me. My believers won`t believe a word from the likes of either of you! I am loved by them! They are my faithful servants! No matter how many times you yell, they won`t listen!"
I felt my face turn stoic, knowing that it was true. Liore wouldn`t be turned by the voices of two newcomers. They hadn`t batted an eye at mine. But they would listen to Rose, the biggest believer and follower of Cornello, and that would be our saving grace.
If Rose chose to believe it as easily as she had believed in his lies. But denial was a strong, malignant disease.
"That`s right! Because these stupid believers have been fooled by me!" He cackled once more.
"Well, I didn`t expect any less of the Founder!" Ed clapped, a lonely applause echoing throughout the hall, "Thank you for letting us hear such a splendid speech."
I heard a scraping noise, and watched the younger Elric unlatch his chest piece,
"Yeah," He said, "Maybe the believers won`t listen to anything we`d say. But!"
The chest piece clattered to the floor, revealing a frightened, hurt looking girl curled up inside the armor, looking up at Cornello with betrayed eyes.
"How about the stuff she`d say?" Ed jerked his thumb over his shoulder in Rose`s direction, and Cornello lost his composer in the same instant.
"Rose?! What is the…"
"Father Cornello! Is what you just said true? Have you tricked us?! The power of miracles, God`s power… you weren`t going to grant me my wish?!" I turned my eyes to my stained, pleated skirt once more as I watched the tears well in the corners of her eyes,
"You weren`t going to bring him back?!"
More sweat began to bead on Cornello`s forehead and for a split second, I thought he knew what guilt felt like, but he soon turned over and back to his old expression,
"Hm, perhaps being a messenger of God was a lie."
Perhaps, I snorted aloud.
"But with this stone, as well as the transmutations of living organisms that countless alchemists have failed at… there is the possibility that your lover can be resurrected!"
"That`s not true!" I turned back to Rose, who looked confused as ever, "Don`t you dare listen to him! Think about what you just heard!"
"Be a good child and come here." Cornello extended his hand out to Rose. Edward turned back to her as well,
"If you go, you won`t be able to come back!" He snarled.
"What`s wrong?" Cornello asked, "You are one of us."
"Rose!" The younger Elric tried to get Rose to reason as well.
"Am I not the only one who can grant your wish? Remember your beloved!"
I watched Rose`s whole body tremble before me, and I became enraged even more so than I already was.
And then she took a step forward, and then another towards me, towards the stair case.
"Rose…" I whispered as she stepped towards me, "He`s lying to you."
"I`m sorry." Even her voice was shaking, "But this is the only thing… the only thing that I can rely on."
I reached out to grab her wrist, stop her from climbing the stairs, but she moved out of my way.
"Rose," I raised my voice, desperate for her to listen, "He won`t do it."
"Good child, really." Cornello grinned once more, reaching to his right for a lever on the wall, "Now, I will have to purge these heretics that threaten the future of my religion with haste."
Along with the pull of the lever came a thud from a dark corner behind us, and footsteps followed.
"This philosopher`s stone is a really impressive thing."
Out of the shadows stepped a creature so hideous and absurd that I found my hands clasping over my mouth before I could let out a cry of disgust. It appeared to be a reptile with the head of a lion.
"It can make things like this. Is this the first time you`ve seen a chimera? Hm?"
I couldn`t understand how the Elric`s could look at what Cornello had called a Chimera and not react. Edward`s face attained its same, uninterested expression. He folded his hands against each other, in what seemed like the stance one would take before saying a prayer.
"It`s a little hard to fight unarmed, so…"
He then pressed his hands to the ground, bringing forth light with them as he transmuted a spear out of the ground.
"Why you! To transmute a weapon from the pavement without an alchemist circle. I see that national alchemist isn`t just a fancy name. But that won`t be enough…"
The 'chimera' lurched forward towards Ed, and I took a deep breath, holding it in as Ed swung to defend himself, but the chimera swung at the same time. The spear broke into pieces, and the boy faltered, his hand on his leg which had been clawed as well. But there was no blood.
The scrapped material of his pants revealed an iron leg.
"How is that?" Cornello taunted, "How do claws that cut tough iron feel?"
"Edward!" Rose called out from the landing on the stairs, panicking.
"What was that:?" Edward`s voice was hardly audible from his crouched over position. There was a low groan from the chimera, and I looked over to see that his claws had been broken off from the attack on the iron limb.
"Sorry, but it`s made a bit special." Ed explained, raising his leg so that Cornello could see better.
"What happened? If the claws won`t work, bite him!" Cornello ordered the chimera in a panic, fearing that he would lose another battle to the Elric`s.
The chimera lurched at Edward again, this time bearing its jaws, clamping them around his right arm.
This time I screamed aloud, the breath I`d been holding released in the sound of a blood-curdling shriek. There as no way I was capable of fighting that thing, and the other brother hadn`t budged.
But the raised arm didn`t give, and the chimera hung from Edward`s as if he were a fur throw.
I could only assume that all his limbs were made of metal at this point.
"What`s wrong, you stupid cat? Get a real good taste." Ed growled back at the monster before lifting his leg and shoving his heel into the its jaw, sending the chimera skidding across the floor on its back.
"Rose, take a good look." Ed turned back to the girl on the stairs once he was sure the beast wasn`t getting back up for a moment,
"This is human transmutation," He raised his arm in the air, coat shredded like the leg of his pants, "The bodies of sinners that have breached God`s domain!"
Edward ripped the torn coat from his body as Cornello looked down at him,
"Artificial limbs of steel, automail—I see now. Why you`re the Full Metal Alchemist."
One arm was made of steel and the other appeared to be of flesh. I wondered how he`d done it—what he meant by breaching God`s domain.
"Come and get some, you third-rate," Ed beckoned, "I`ll show you what`s different between the two of us!"
"I see. It was quite the mystery as to why brat was called the Full Metal, but… this is why. Rose, these men, they have done something that is absolutely forbidden to alchemists; they have performed human transmutation…"
Human transmutation… they had tried to use science on human life. I couldn`t have been more revolted by both Cornello or the brothers at this point, as I pieced what I could together.
"They`ve committed the greatest crime!"
"We were positive that we could create life." The armored boy spoke up now, and I turned to him, my face tight with the same accusing expression I`d always looked to Cornello with,
"She was kind… she really was a kind mother. All we wanted to do was to see our mother`s smile, just one more time."
I felt a twinge in my chest, pain in my heart as I remembered my own mother. White teeth smiling at me, the touch of her soft fingertips as the combed through my snow-white hair…
"Even if that alchemy was forbidden, we learned alchemy just to be able to do that one thing… But the transmutation was a failure. Brother lost his left leg in the transmutation. I lost my entire body, then I lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes again, I saw this armored body and amidst a sea of blood… While brother was suffering from the loss of his left leg—he traded his right arm to transmute my soul into this armor."
I watched the armored boy`s hand touch the breast plate of his armor, and Edward smiled in a sad sort of way,
"This is the mess that happens when two people try to resurrect a single human being. This is what resurrecting a person means, Rose."
I couldn`t defend that I wouldn`t have tried to do the same thing. If I knew how to… I would have tried to save my mother. If I had the opportunity, I would still try it.
"You got the guts to do it?" Ed shouted up at Cornello, "Do you?!"
Cornello only laughed, "Edward Elric! And then you joined the military! Don`t make me laugh!"
"Shut up! Without that stone, you can`t do anything you ultra third rate!"
"I see. I see, and so, you want the philosopher`s stone. If you use this, your human transmutation would probably succeed, huh?"
My father was in the military. I had no idea where he`d been assigned to, but I wondered if Edward knew of him. Not that I was interested in catching up with him. He`d committed one of the worst crimes in the eyes of the Lord.
How was I expected to honor my father after what he`d done? So instead, I turned a blind eye and pretended that I hadn`t had a father. Existed without one.
"Don`t get me wrong, Baldy! We just want that stone to restore our original bodies! What I want the most is to be like I was before!"
Still, the burning desire to question my father was turning savage from the years of trying to keep it at bay. It was spreading through me, turning me into a bitter and quietly rage-filled being.
"We`ll say it again," The armor`s boyish voice sounded determined, "Give us the stone, while you`re still not hurt."
Cornello raised his cane and held it firmly in his hands, like a rifle.
"You stupid fools who came too close to God and fell to the Earth… this time, I will have to send you to God myself!"
The cane was transmuted into a machine gun, and more memories flooded me. Firearms and flames, screams from years ago causing me to stand frozen between the Elric`s and the stairs where Rose and Cornello stood.
He pointed the gun down at me first, and laughed manically, and I watched as his finger was placed over the trigger.
I thought about my mother, thought of how the last time I had been looking down the barrel of a loaded gun felt like. And as I said a silent prayer in my mind, begging forgiveness for all of my sins before Cornello fired, a wall of stone went up before me, protecting me from the gunfire.
Within a moment, I was whirled around, my legs forced to move alongside Edward Elric as we headed for the door. I looked behind to see the younger brother with Rose in his arms.
"Al!" Ed called back to his brother, "We`re getting out of here!"
"Fools! That exit won`t open unless I command it to from here!"
I tried to dig my heels into the floor, listening to Cornello`s words, but Edward yanked me forward regardless.
"Oh really?" Ed shouted, releasing my wrist to fold his hand once more before pressing them to the double doors, forcing them open as Cornello cried obscenities from behind us.
"If there ain`t an exit, I`ll make one!" Ed leaned his weight into the doors as they opened, and I wormed through at the earliest convenience, sprinting behind him and past more of Cornello`s lackey`s.
We rounded the hall coming back the way we`d come. There were several men with spears waiting for us, shouting and taunting us as we ran towards them.
"We`re screwed!" I shouted, and shortly after the words left my mouth, Ed used his alchemy to transform his arm into one of the sharpest looking blades I`d seen.
Cornello`s men moved out of the way, terrified as we plowed past them.
A little farther down stood a braver man, who tried to stand up to us himself only to have Al kick his face in on his way through.
We passed an open room on the right, and I crashed into Ed as he stopped short at the sight of the desk with a microphone sitting upon it.
"Oh? This room is?"
"This is the broadcast room. The high priest uses this radio for his sermons." Rose explained, and Edward rubbed his chin mischievously.
"You want to share the good news?" I asked as I watched his face contort as he silently plotted out the unveiling of Cornello, and a chuckled rippled through his grinning teeth.
"You could call it that."
"How do you plan on broadcasting it when no one knows you`re going to be on the air?" I was skeptical the radio would work. There were allotted times every day when the entire town knew to tune in. It was always at one, just after Cornello had eaten his lunch.
"We`ll make them listen," Was his answer, "Al, I need to you to create a speaker to hook up to the radio. Do you think you can do that?"
"How am I supposed to do that?!" Al panicked.
I looked over to the wall, it was ten to six, and the bells would be ringing soon to count the hour.
The bell, the large bell.
"How strong are you?" I asked the armored boy, debating whether he could lift a solid metal bell down from its` hook, "The bells could work as a horn if we needed, we`ll hook it up to the radio like a record player."
"Hey, that`s pretty good," Ed`s grin disappeared, "You may be a stuck up brat, but you`re kind of handy."
"Stuff it, Pixie," I spit at the boy, "I know how to get to the bell tower."
I grabbed the radio off of the desk, narrowly avoiding Edward`s sharp teeth as he attempted to bite my head off for making fun of his height disadvantage.
"You`ll need to give us time." Al said, and Edward came down from his fit. He took a deep breath and nodded.
"Stay here and distract Cornello if you need to." I said to Rose as I passed her. She pressed her lips firmly together.
"I`m sorry, Nora," She began, but I held my free hand up to stop her from continuing, "We`ll talk later."
I turned to Al, "We need to hurry if we want to get this done."
His helmet nodded in understanding, and we were off in an instant for the stairs.
"They`ll be ringing the bells any time now," I said, breath hitching as I ran, "If we`re lucky we`ll get there just before the ringer does."
I almost shoved the handle off of the door to the staircase leading up and outside, making too much noise as I slammed the door open and took the stairs two at a time in leaps.
The bell was large, large enough to use as a loudspeaker. Al shimmied up a pillar, reaching out and unhooking the bell from its' latch. He then leaped back down to the ground, taking off around the corner to a lower roof of the chapel as he carried the bell—which had to weigh a ton. He made it look effortless, then again, who knew what kind of strength he possessed without a human body.
I watched as Al set the bell down on the rooftop, and kneeled to draw a transmutation circle in chalk. Curiosity besting me, I blathered out loud,
"How come it didn`t work?" I asked, referring to his mother. He must have understood that was what I`d meant, because he answered,
"It`s like we said. The basis of alchemy is 'exact change'. If we want to do something, we have to pay a cost. Brother is called a genius, but he paid the cost through effort. So Brother is like this now."
"But if it took your body and his arm and leg… why wasn`t it enough? Surely you had to have the means to make…"
"The body couldn`t have been called human." He stopped drawing the circle, as if he was recalling the memory of what he and his brother had created. I couldn`t imagine what kind of horror could shake either of these boys. They appeared so tough, brave. Though I supposed you`d have to be brave without a body, or an arm and a leg.
At least they didn`t cower, they went out to find answers. They didn`t act as if the pieces of their lives weren`t missing.
"I see."
"We quit working with human transmutation, but Brother wants to return me to my original body. And I want Brother to go back to the way he was before. But, it`s as risky as I`ve said. We`ll probably pay for it and lose our lives. But this is the road we`ve chosen."
The bell formed into a large speaker, like the horn on a turntable. I grinned, too excited for all of Liore to hear about Cornello`s lies.
I tuned it to the station that Cornello always broadcast from, and heard voices already coming on through the speaker, blaring over the town.
I was certain people could hear for miles.
"—My underlings are still in the church, and there is no way you can break my control of the information to my stupid believers!"
"Perfect!" I shouted, my cackling drowned out by the voices on the radio,
"Oh, well, I feel sorry for the people who believe in you."
"Those believers are just pawns for my wars! Pawns don`t need pity! And, they`ll be satisfied if they died, happily believing they`re doing it for God! The difference between alchemy and the power of miracles is that I can mass produce believers and replenish my unending hordes of pawns! Did you think you could stop my plans so easily?!"
Edward`s laughter sounded over the speaker next, and mine accompanied it. I was sure that I got a bigger kick out of the radio show than the older Elric brother was.
"What`s so funny?!"
"Because, you`re third-rate, Baldy!"
"You brat! You`re still saying that?!"
"What`s this?" Edward`s voice sang the last phrase tauntingly, and I knew he`d revealed to Cornello why he`d been laughing as the white noise crackled over the speaker.
"You d—You didn`t! You! When did you push that switch?!"
"From the beginning~ All uncut!"
"H-how could this?!"
I was howling with laughter at that point, tears in my eyes.
"You brat, I`ll kill you!"
"Too late!"
There was a rustling sound that came from over the speaker, and Al and I looked at each other. Though the armor didn`t show it, I knew he was frightened for his brother.
And I had left Rose down there with them .
The sound of metal hitting metal, clanking as I assumed Edward and Cornello had transmuted weapons of their own.
"Told you, didn`t I? We`re different."
"I… won`t give up." As long as I have this stone, I can use the power of miracles as many times as—"
The static over the speaker had been building as Cornello spoke, until it popped and the line went dead.
"Ack!" I shrieked, and Al took off in the direction for the stairs.
"Hey wait a second!" I shouted as I ran after him, "What about—"
I rounded a pillar of the bell tower to find the ringer and another man already knocked out and groaning on the ground in pain.
"Nevermind." I squeaked, stepping around their bodies and heading for the stairs in pursuit of Al.
The entire chapel shook as I reached the base of the stairs and rounded the doorway into the hall, knocking Al and I onto the floor as the building rumbled like an earthquake.
There was a hole blown through the side of the chapel where the room Ed and Rose had been in was. I`d suspected that Ed had used it to transmute the giant fist protruding from the ceiling that had punched Cornello`s lights out. The man laid unconscious on his back. Edward helped Rose stumble out of the smoke and rubble and into the demolished hallway, where they collapsed onto their bottoms, heaving as the sunset illuminated the marred building.
"Brother, the stone was a fake." Ed growled as he caught his breath.
"Fake?" Al echoed him.
"Yeah, just another dead end. And I finally thought I could restore you… We`ll have to look somewhere else"
I went over to Rose and crouched down beside her, rubbing her back gently,
"You`re not hurt are you?" I asked her as she planted her palms flat on the floor, still trying to catch her breath,
"No."
"Well, that`s good," I smiled, trying to make light of the situation, but she hadn`t been talking to me,
"This has to be a lie, because… he said he could bring him back."
Oh no, she couldn`t still believe.
"Rose, you heard what those boys said. You`ve seen their bodies." I tried to reason, "You can`t bring people back from the dead. Even if you try, you pay a huge price for attempting to play God."
"Why does it have to be like this?" Her voice cracked, and I saw tears drip onto the floor as she sniffled.
"Rose, give it up." I looked up to see the older Elric brother stare down at the two of us with cold eyes, the truth having hit him just as hard as it was Rose.
"What am I supposed to do now?!" She looked up, tears streaming down her face, "How am I supposed to live now?!" Her voice was raised, frantic as she demanded for them to answer her question realistically.
"Tell me!" She went on, "Please!" With every shout I felt my heart twist as her voice literally reached out and dug her nails into the organ sitting in my chest.
I knew the answer, but I didn`t want to say it out loud. I couldn`t be the one to tell her to move on.
"Think about that on your own." Ed finally answered after we let her cry for a few seconds.
"Stand up and walk. Move on." He said as he walked past the both of us, hands shoved into his pockets as his brother carted along behind him.
"After all, you have perfect legs to stand on."
I watched as they disappeared down the hill, the opposite direction as the mob that was beginning to form and climb the stairs to the chapel.
I didn`t realize the damage the two had created until they were already out of sight.
"Rose, we should go. Let`s get you home."
When the girl didn`t budge, I yanked her up on her own and threw her arm over my shoulder.
"I know you feel hopeless now," I said as we trudged down the hill on the side the Elrics had disappeared to, "But you`ll feel better soon."
"I`m sorry, Nora," She huffed, "I didn`t mean to belittle you al this time. I know you were just trying to look out for me."
"It`s okay. We`re okay."
"…There is no God." She cried into her left palm, hanging her head as we trudged down the cobblestone path to our homes at the bottom of the hill.
I pressed my lips together tightly, though I wanted to protest her. I knew that shoving my beliefs down her throat was completely inappropriate at the time. I wasn`t going to do to her what she and the rest of Liore had tried to do to me for the past few years.
Though I couldn`t say I hadn`t felt like her before after I lost my mother.
"Nora!" I heard Rose`s distant screams as the apartment crumbled around me in flames and smoke.
"Nora, we have to get out of here!"
I felt myself being lifted, carried out of the building on the back of my boss, Vince.
"Don`t you dare pull a stunt like this. You weren`t going to just sit there and burn, you dumb kid!" His angry, rough, voice shook my ear drums, bringing me closer to consciousness.
"Nora how could you just lay there!" Rose screamed, and I opened my eyes again, half lidded to see her glaring down at me as I was set in an alleyway, clear of smoke and debris. More importantly, clear of the mob.
"What`s going to happen to Liore?" She asked Vince as he stood over the two of us in the alley. I coughed up a lung onto my charred clothes. Rose pounded her hand against my back as I did so, not helping but not hurting either.
"Can`t say," Vince`s voice was grim, "I don`t want to say that I prefer being lied to."
"I guess I got what I deserved." I chuckled, finally getting a breath in me. I wheezed a couple of times, "You know, 'be careful what you wish for' and all that crap."
"Nora, this isn`t your fault." Rose reminded me, her hand on my shoulder as she helped guide me to my feet.
"You`re right, Rose," I blinked, my mouth forming a frown, "It isn`t."
I looked up at the building I had been lying in only moments before, watching as the roof caved in and the walls continued to smolder. I was homeless for the second time in my life.
I supposed that it was time to find my father anyway, straighten a few things out.
Come as close to avenging my mother as I could without truly sinning.
And I knew exactly who was going to help me find him.
The Full Metal and his brother were the reason I was without a home again, and they were going to pay me back by helping me find a new one, and find my father.
Whether they wanted to or not.