Prologue
July 25th, 1935
Lightning cracked across the sky followed by a deafening peal of thunder. The ominously swirling dark clouds held the promise of a vicious storm. But it seemed as if mother nature itself was holding back, waiting for the scene far below in a country field to play out before unleashing its fury. Wind gusted, creating rippling waves in the sea of long grasses. On a piece of barren earth atop a small hill, a figure crouched. His shoulders were hunched against the wind, and his short blond hair whipped about his face as he focussed all his energy on carving the last lines into the transmutation circle he had engraved into the soil. A pile of red stones rested at its center. Despite the number of human lives poured into the creation of those stones, it likely wouldn't completely suffice for payment. Nevertheless, it was enough to get things started. Whatever else the gate took to make up for the lack of payment made little difference at this point.
Dante couldn't suppress a gleeful chuckle. Everything was finally working out. True, her first plan had been foiled. She'd never expected her idiot son to start acting so pathetically human. And the backup plan she'd put into place beforehand hadn't gone exactly as she'd hoped. It had taken much longer than she had originally anticipated gaining control. But she was about to make the years of waiting well worth it. She was so close she could taste it. It would be the end of her. It would release her from this stale, miserable existence. She had given up the dream of immortality years ago. But she couldn't allow herself to die until she had ensured that she could take her enemies with her. She would have her revenge: On the Elrics, on her son, and on their families.
Her annoying little pest of a daughter-in-law had effectively shattered her initial plan for revenge. But now she had a chance to fix that. She wasn't entirely sure of the outcome of what she was about to attempt. If anything at all went wrong she could end up creating something wildly different from her initial goal. Ideally she would be able to draw something from the gate that would wreak havoc on the country. But given her rustiness and unfamiliar host body it was by no means certain it would work out the way she wanted. Still, regardless of what she managed to draw out, it was bound to cause problems for her family in some form or another. After all, the ones she wanted revenge on the most were likely in hot pursuit of her at that very moment. With any luck they would be the first to encounter it. Besides which, if she didn't take advantage of this opportunity now then her consciousness might waste away completely before she had another chance to exact revenge. That wasn't something she was prepared to risk.
She shrugged the broad shoulders of her current body a little uncomfortably. She'd never taken over a male body before. It was certainly odd. No matter. It was only a very temporary set up. She finished off the final line of the complex transmutation circle she had been carving into the earth. Casting a glance at the roiling sky she scowled. Time to finish this before the rain came pelting down and destroyed her hard work. She hadn't waited this many years to be outdone by the weather. She clapped the masculine hands of her host to the transmutation circle. It lit up in a flash of blue light. The crackle of energy shot up into the sky and then, rather unexpectedly, a bolt of searing energy from one of the thundering clouds flashed into existence and clashed with the energy of the transmutation, drawn to it like a lightning rod. The crash of thunder that followed created a sonic boom that flattened the grasses of the clearing and sent Dante's host body flying backwards.
Two enormous doors flashed into existence above the hill. They swung outwards with an ominous squeal and a moment later two figures emerged. They stepped forward onto the barren earth and the giant doors swung shut behind them.
"Ah. She's here. I can taste it in the air," the light male voice was filled with a contagious glee.
"There are two of them," the second voice was female, with a chillingly hollow ring to it. There was a sharp intake of breath.
"Well, well… you're right. This new one…she's younger," the male voice was thoughtful.
"She's the one we need. The other one has gotten too old to easily manipulate," the female voice was flat and emotionless.
"Yes…you have a point there. Oh this is going to be so fun!" the male voice let out a hysterical peal of laughter with a distinctly maniacal ring to it.
"Just stay focused," the female voice ordered glumly. The male one snorted.
"Honestly, you're such a bore," he muttered.
"Let's get moving," her empty tone left no room for argument.
Earlier that day...
Envy stood on the front step, staring pensively down the road leading up to the shop. The sun had just emerged over the horizon, spilling its golden light across the city and causing the heavy layer of dew coating the vegetation in the front yard to glitter like droplets of gold. Spider webs spun amidst the garden flowers sparkled like threads strung with diamonds while bird song filled the cool morning air. But for the moment the beauty of the summer morning was lost on the middle aged man. His mind was preoccupied by the strange phone call he had received from his half-brother. Edward and Alphonse would be arriving shortly. But a trip from Resembool to Dublith wasn't something one made for a casual, hour long conversation over a cup of coffee. Something wasn't right. The tone of Ed's voice over the phone had confirmed it.
Envy let out a resigned sigh. There was a time in his life when the thought of the Pipsqueak encountering serious problems had filled him with a twisted glee. In fact, he'd made it his goal to be the cause of those very problems. Twenty-one years later he was feeling an unpleasant wash of anxiety over what on earth could possibly be distressing his half-brothers. The last sixteen years had been unusually peaceful compared to the rest of their lives. For a long time he had waited with apprehension for the other shoe to drop. Nothing remained perfect forever. But when disastrous problems had failed to present themselves for such an extended period of time, he had slowly begun to relax. Now however, he had an uncomfortable suspicion that trouble might finally be making its reappearance.
He was shaken out of his thoughts as he noticed two familiar figures walking down the road towards the shop. He saw Edward raise a hand in greeting and returned the gesture. Both men were dressed in dark pants, loose shirts and light jackets for traveling. They were tall and broad shouldered, taking after their father more and more the older they got. It was a startling difference from the small, wiry body Ed had possessed as a child. His long hair was still pulled back in its signature braid and the rising sun glinted off his automail arm. He was still of a slighter build than his brother who was actually still taller than him by an inch or two. Al kept his hair short, which helped in differentiating between the two of them. Their facial features were eerily similar, almost like twins. Ed claimed it wasn't how they used to be. He'd ended up basing the design for Al's body off of his own form, which had bothered him at first although Al claimed he didn't mind in the least.
The men arrived at the front step of the shop a moment later.
"Envy," Edward greeted him tiredly. The dark circles beneath his eyes weren't an unusual feature on his masculine face.
"You look half dead," Envy commented blandly, slipping his hands into the pockets of his loose dark pants as he regarded his half-brothers. Edward let out a gusty sigh.
"Your daughter is a little hellion. No wonder you want to ship her off to live with us for weeks at a time," he grumbled, giving the green haired man a half-hearted glower. Envy chuckled.
"Now Ed, as much as it's entertaining to see Mina driving you insane instead of me, she's only there because she and Adele refuse to be separated," he retorted.
"Yeah, yeah…Well I can't say she's a good influence, but I'm glad Adele's got her around. Mina pulls her out of herself a little. I'm not sure where my daughter got her personality from, but it certainly wasn't me or Winry," Ed sounded mildly exasperated. Envy smirked. His half-brother's youngest daughter was unusually shy and reserved compared to the rest of her family… which in some ways was a relief. It made it bearable when the two girls took their turn living at the shop. She tended to keep his own daughter out of trouble…to some degree…
It had become a tradition for the two teenage girls to take turns living with each other's families. Since they had grown up together and become nearly inseparable the distance between their homes had turned into a problem. Their parents couldn't constantly be making trips back and forth with them and neither family trusted the girls going off by themselves. Elmina had inherited her father's penchant for stirring up trouble while Adelina's quiet meekness made her an easy target for anyone with less than noble intentions. Thus the tradition of the girls staying with each other for extended periods had formed.
Envy's gaze flicked to Alphonse. The short haired man gave him a slight smile but there was an unusual tension radiating from him. It was obvious something wasn't quite right.
"Why don't you come inside? Elsie's making coffee, which I'm sure you could use," Envy suggested, turning and heading back into the house. The two men followed him in. The smell of freshly baked bread and coffee brewing led them just down the hall into the quaint, sunlit kitchen. A petite, dark haired woman sat at the table, an afghan she was in the process of crocheting spread across her lap. She glanced up at them as they entered and smiled.
"Ed, Al, you've got perfect timing. The coffee just finished," she said, setting aside the project in her hands and rising to fetch several mugs from the cupboard.
"Elsie, you're looking well. How have you been feeling?" Edward asked, giving the woman a knowing look.
"Oh, I'm just fine; although it's taken us a little while to wrap our heads around the idea. Especially after this many years" Elsie shot the men a small smile over her shoulder, "Go ahead and sit down. You both look tired," she set about pouring the steaming, dark liquid into the cup's she'd gotten out. Envy's gaze trailed over her, taking in the dark capris and light grey blouse which clung softly to her curves, including the new and rather unexpected one showing slightly over her lower abdomen. She glanced at him, her warm green eyes filling with amusement at catching him staring. There was a healthy glow radiating from her, and while the years had worn soft lines into her features they added a certain maturity to her gaze. The knowledge that their three person family would soon be increased by one more individual had come as quite a shock. It had been sixteen years since Elmina had come into their lives, and they'd both assumed by this point she would remain an only child.
"Are you guys' hungry at all? There's some fresh bread I can slice up if you want," she offered, gaze shifting to the Elrics sitting at the table.
"No. Thank you though. We had breakfast on the train," Ed explained, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his forehead tiredly. Elsie brought the mugs to the table and sat down with a slight frown, sensing the unease radiating from the two men. Envy slipped into the seat beside her, eyeing his half-brothers speculatively.
"Alright, what's so terribly important that you had to come and discuss it in person?" he demanded, getting straight to the point. Edward glanced at Al and the short haired man nodded.
"The reason we're here is…well…Al's started having dreams," he sounded oddly reluctant. Envy tensed slightly as several grotesque images rose up in his mind from the usual nightmares that still plagued him regularly. Thankfully after years of practice his neutral mask remained firmly in place.
"What kind of dreams?" his tone was flat. Obviously these weren't typical dreams or the two men wouldn't have come in person to discuss them. An uneasy thought lingered in the back of the former homunculus's mind. It was a worry they had dismissed years ago when nothing seemed to have come of it. It was hard to believe it could still be a risk after this long, but he'd been alive long enough to know just about anything was possible when it came to alchemy; and more specifically, alchemy and his onetime mother.
"Dreams about the Underground City," Al spoke up finally, meeting Envy's gaze steadily, "And they aren't normal dreams. They're more vivid than any dream I can remember having. And they're always about the exact same thing. Every night, every time I fall asleep, it's the same thing, over and over."
"When did this start happening," Envy asked, frowning.
"Well…" Al shifted uneasily, gaze moving to rest on the table. Ed shot his brother an impatient look.
"He's been getting them for months now but he didn't see fit to mention it," the alchemist's voice was crisp.
"They didn't start getting so persistent until the last week," Al defended himself half-heartedly.
"You say it's the same thing over and over?" Envy asked, frown deepening. Al nodded.
"It always starts at the entrance to the city. I'm walking through the city into one of the areas we never bothered exploring much. There's a hidden door we never found because you have to press a specific stone in the wall to open it. The dream ends as soon as I walk into the room. I never get to see what's in there," he explained. Envy stared at him for a moment before his expression grew puzzled.
"That's it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. The short haired man nodded.
"Al wants to go to the underground city again and find the room. He thinks it'll make the dreams stop," Ed cut in impatiently, tone indicating he wasn't a huge fan of the idea.
"I feel like I need to go there. There's something important there that we missed," Al's voice grew urgent.
"Sounds like a trap if you ask me," Elsie spoke up finally, tone uneasy.
"That's what I said! But he won't listen," Ed sounded exasperated.
"Come on guys. It's been over twenty years now! What sort of trap could have lasted that long?" Al demanded.
"A trap set by Dante," Envy stated bluntly, "It doesn't make sense for this to start happening out of the blue for no reason,"
"I know," Al sighed, "But at this rate I'm not going to be getting much in the way of sleep anymore. It's not a very long dream and I wake up every time it ends," he sounded resigned. Envy's frown returned. Every instinct he possessed was screaming that going to the Underground City might be playing right into a trap that had been set for them years ago. They already explored the city rather thoroughly a long while back, looking for anything Dante might have left behind in case someone that shouldn't got their hands on it. They'd never actually found anything though. Going back now didn't make sense. He was more than able to understand the feeling of being plagued by unpleasant dreams. But he was also well aware it was possible to work around them and largely ignore the inconvenience.
"It isn't a good idea," there was an edge to the green haired man's tone. Al's expression grew stubborn.
"I need to know what's in that room. I'm going there one way or another," he replied firmly. Clearly the man had no intention of backing down on the matter. His seemingly irrational persistence only increased Envy's unease. Something was definitely off about the whole situation. But judging by Al's expression if they didn't agree to go to the city with him then he was going to end up going alone; which could potentially make things a lot worse. Envy glanced at Edward, meeting the golden haired alchemist's gaze. After this many years he could read the younger man like a book. His resigned expression indicated he'd already given up on the idea of talking his brother out of it. The reason he'd come wasn't to discuss whether or not to go ahead with the idea. He'd come to see if Envy wanted to join them in the likely very unwise endeavour. The green haired man sighed, resting his elbow on the table and his head in his hand.
"I hope you realize how stupid this is," he muttered.
"I don't understand why you're all so against it," Al replied, clearly perplexed. Edward rolled his eyes.
"See what I'm up against?" he asked, fixing his half-brother and sister-in-law with a helpless look.
"So you guys want us to go to the Underground City with you," Elsie stated skeptically. Envy's head snapped up to stare at her in alarm.
"You're not going!" his voice came out a little harsher than necessary. Elsie blinked before her eyes narrowed at his tone, expression unenthused.
"You don't need to bite my head off," she told him flatly. His expression hardened but his anxiety was clear as his gaze moved to rest on the slight bump over her stomach. Elsie sighed. "It's alright, I won't go if you don't want me to," she relented.
"I just don't want you getting in the way," he gave her a knowing look, his tone indicating a slightly different meaning than what the words usually implied. Elsie smirked faintly. It had been over twenty years since the last time she'd 'gotten in the way' as he was implying. Granted, the scar it had left just below her rib cage was testament to the validity of his concern, especially given her current condition.
"You never let things go," she murmured, resigned amusement coloring her tone.
"So you'll come with us then?" Edward asked, his gaze resting on Envy. The green haired man's expression grew resigned.
"If I don't go then the two of you will get yourselves into more trouble than you can handle and I'll end up having to bail you out anyway," he muttered, tone slightly irritated.
"Good! It's settled then. When can you leave?" Alphonse asked, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table eagerly. Envy sat back in his chair with an unenthused expression. He was used to the younger Elric being the level headed sensible one. The change in the short haired man was both annoying and unnerving.
"You might as well go now," Elsie replied. Envy raised his eyebrows at her questioningly. She shrugged. "It's Sunday. The shop is closed today and tomorrow, and even if you're delayed longer than that Mason is more than capable of running things without you. We can take care of things on our own," she told him blandly. Envy's expression grew mildly put out.
"It's nice to know I'm so needed," he muttered, putting on a show of sulkiness. Elsie smiled at him, clearly unconcerned by the display.
"Don't pout. You know you're irreplaceable. So you had better damn well come back in one piece," her tone became stern, concern obvious in her gaze. He blinked, and then his expression softened. He reached up to brush a lock of dark hair back from her face.
"You shouldn't worry so much. I'm not as fragile as you seem to think," his tone was faintly amused.
"Hmm," she didn't sound convinced.
"Isn't there a train to Central that leaves Dublith just after lunch?" Al asked. Edward let out a gusty sigh.
"More train rides in one day. Wonderful…" his tone was unenthused.
"Yeah. And since it leaves at half past noon there's plenty of time for the two of you to help me get the shop prepared for opening on Tuesday," Envy commented nonchalantly.
"Huh?" Al blinked.
"Excuse me?" the mixture of disbelief and resignation in Ed's tone made the green haired man smirk.
"Equivalent exchange," he retorted dryly. The alchemist rolled his eyes.
"Alright slave driver. Knowing you you've got a ton of unpleasant jobs piled up for just such an occasion… Might as well get started," he muttered. Envy chuckled, rising to his feet.
"You know me well."
"Just as long as we aren't late for the train," Al warned, his expression uncertain.
"I won't let him make you late. You guys go ahead. I'll have a lunch ready for you to grab before you leave," Elsie told them, rising to her feet and starting across the kitchen towards the cupboards. An arm slid around her waist, halting her progression and pulling her into an embrace. She smiled as her husband leaned in to steal a kiss.
"Promise you'll be careful," worry colored her tone as she pulled back to stare at him.
"I'm always careful," he told her, grey eyes solemn. She raised an eyebrow.
"Liar," her tone was flat. His lips curved into a smirk.
"Most of the time," he amended, "Don't worry so much. I'm sure we'll be back by tomorrow," he planted a kiss on her forehead before releasing her to follow his half-brothers out of the room. With any luck the dreams would prove to simply be a weird aftereffect of the transmutation they'd performed years before. Although even if that was the case, he was stumped as to why it would suddenly start appearing now… He couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness that had settled over him. There was an unpleasant feeling of inevitability about the whole situation. With Al being so hell bent on going, he'd end up getting there eventually even if they decided to back out of the idea. They would just have to move forward and let the chips fall where they may.
The train station of Central City was packed with people, as was typical on a Sunday afternoon. The sky had darkened outside, clouds threatening to unleash a deluge which had driven more people into the station than usual for shelter. The three middle aged men waded through the crowd towards the exit, shouldering past groups of talking travelers and passengers rushing to their imminently departing trains. Envy let out a long suffering sigh, dodging around just such a person to avoid a collision. He could feel the stares following him through the crowd and the occasional surprised whisper as he passed people. After this many years he'd grown used to it, but it was always more noticeable when he traveled. In the areas he frequented in Dublith people had long ago adjusted to his rather unique appearance. He'd become resigned to wearing what was deemed a more 'normal' outfit for human males, mainly due to Elsie finding it uncomfortable to be seen in public with him if he attempted to wear clothing resembling his old style. His hair however, had remained stubbornly unchanged throughout the years. Of course he could have styled it differently and dyed it a more normal hue, but he'd never exactly been a conformist. Not by choice in any case. Granted, some people were put off by it, but since he'd never had an overly high opinion of people in general it wasn't something he concerned himself with.
"Al, wait up!" Ed called, his tone exasperated as he plowed through the mass of people in an attempt to keep his rather enthusiastic brother in sight.
"He's sure in a hurry," Envy muttered, keeping pace with the older Elric. He saw Ed's expression deteriorate to a frown out of the corner of his eye.
"He's been starting to act a bit odd the last few weeks… There's no way he's been getting enough sleep. Not to mention he's suddenly starting reading alchemy books again out of the blue. I didn't get a chance to check out exactly what he was researching, but from the looks of the books he had lying around at his house its old esoteric stuff," Ed's tone was uneasy. His half-brother shot him an alarmed look.
"And you didn't find this odd enough to mention until now…?" Envy demanded.
"Well he said he was just reviewing some old stuff for fun. Sort of a sentimental thing I guess…" the golden haired alchemist trailed off. Envy rolled his eyes.
"And you believed him? Sounds like a pretty absurd excuse to me. Seems to me you've just been in denial," he retorted. Ed let out an exasperated sigh.
"Well after this many years it doesn't make sense for him to suddenly start having problems," his tone was defensive. Envy shook his head.
"It may not make sense but it's obviously happening," he retorted.
"Hey! It's you!" Their attention was drawn back to the younger Elric who was a short distance ahead of them in the crowd. His tone was shocked. The two older men shared a look before making their way through the throng of people more swiftly. Pushing past another person Envy's gaze landed on the figure standing in front of Alphonse and his eyes widened. The newcomer's unusually long dark hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, while his bangs framed his face and fell slightly into his eyes. The man turned to meet his gaze and gave him a slight smile.
"Wrath?" the green haired man's tone was as shocked as Al's had been.
"Where the hell have you been?!" Ed demanded in surprise, coming to a stop next to his brother.
"I should be the one asking that," Envy growled, striding forward and fixing the dark haired man in front of him with a severe look.
"Well, it's good to see the two of you are as friendly as ever," the dark haired man replied dryly. Envy's eyes narrowed.
"You disappeared for the last two years! What happened to checking in with us every six months? Elsie's been worried sick!" His tone was decidedly aggravated. Wrath's expression shifted, blue eyes growing guarded.
"It's complicated. I was on my way back to see you actually," he replied reluctantly. Envy raised an eyebrow fixing him with an analyzing look. The small, hyperactive child he had known years ago was difficult to see in the man standing before him. He was nearly half a foot taller than Envy's own height of 5'8", and while he was broad shouldered and muscular, he tended more towards Izumi's wiry build than he did his father's rather imposing figure. He'd kept his hair long over the years, although he'd taken to wearing it pulled back from his face for practical reasons. The boyishness that his large blue eyes lent to his expression was tempered by the strong jawline and unreadable gaze.
Although he had watched him grow over the years, it still struck Envy how much the boy had changed. His mother's death had been quite a blow, having a rather sobering effect on his generally cheerful and carefree personality. He'd become quieter and more guarded, and tended to keep to himself more and more over the years. Five years after Elmina's birth he'd left their home to travel, feeling restless in the confines of the small city. Envy suspected he'd been searching for a purpose in his life. The green haired man had found a purpose in his wife and daughter, but Wrath had no such ties. He'd seemed to avoid having any serious relationships with people other than those he was already well acquainted with. Whether this was from a desire to avoid the heartache that sometimes accompanied such relationships, or simply because he had difficulty finding people he related to, Envy wasn't entirely sure.
"Well you better have a damn good excuse for leaving us hanging for so long," the green haired man glowered. Wrath grimaced slightly.
"Unfortunately I do… But that can wait until later. What are you three doing here? Where are Elsie and Winry and the kids? How have they been?" his expression grew curious. Ed sighed.
"Well, Winry's back at the shop looking after things there," he replied. "AJ's taken over half of the business so that takes away some of her stress, especially given how popular Rockbell Automail is becoming. Sara passed the State Alchemist exam a little over a year after you left, so she's away from home in the north much of the time. And Adele is still improving her alchemy at a surprising speed, although she doesn't seem to have any desire to become a State Alchemist like her sister. She's been working away at that idea of medicinal alchemy that Rose's son Elior came up with. Between his guidance and Sara's advice she's been making progress. She and Mina still travel back and forth with each other. Mina's staying with us at the moment," he explained.
"Wow, Sara's a State Alchemist now? How do you feel about that?" Wrath raised an eyebrow. The blond alchemist gave him a flat look.
"Doesn't particularly matter how I feel; it's not as if she listens to me anyway. She's known as the 'Luminescent Alchemist'," he explained, tone unenthused.
"What a fitting title," Wrath smirked. "Still…I'm amazed you and Winry let her go ahead with it, what with the tension with Drachma and everything that's happened over the years…" he trailed off skeptically. Ed grimaced.
"We were against the idea but she went ahead with it anyway. She's an adult now so it's not like we could very well stop her," the blond muttered.
"What Ed means to say is that his daughter has inherited a stubborn streak a mile wide from both of her parents and she refuses to be turned away from anything she's set her mind to," Envy commented dryly.
"Oh shut up," Edward grumbled, shooting a glower at his half-brother.
"That does sound like Sara," Wrath agreed, although his expression had grown distant as if something about the subject concerned him. He shook his head after a moment and turned his gaze to Envy. "So what about Mina? Is she still going to that martial arts academy or have they finally expelled her?" his tone was dry. Envy's brow furrowed.
"She isn't that bad," his replied defensively. Wrath snorted, clearly unconvinced. The older man sighed. "Yes, she's still attending the academy in the winter. She's a talented enough student that they're reluctant to get rid of her. There wouldn't be any issues in the first place if she could just keep her mouth shut and stop provoking her classmates," he grumbled. Ed cracked a slight grin.
"You know, she reminds me of a certain former homunculus…" he trailed off pointedly. Envy scowled darkly in reply.
"She always did take after her father. Honestly, I don't know how Elsie has remained sane after this many years with the two of you," Wrath stared at Envy with a raised eyebrow. The green haired man wilted slightly.
"Honestly, I've wondered that myself," he muttered.
"I'm still amazed you found such an understanding, patient person to marry," Al commented thoughtfully.
"Well, they say opposites attract," Ed's tone was innocent. Envy rolled his eyes at the thinly veiled jibe.
"Shut it pipsqueak," he growled, tone more resigned than irritated.
"Well it sounds like not much has changed since the last time I checked in," Wrath said, changing the subject slightly, "But what are you three doing in central?" his tone was puzzled. Edward and Envy shared a momentary look before glancing at Alphonse.
"We're going to the underground city," Al replied amiably. Wrath's eyes widened.
"Why…?" his tone was uncertain.
"It's complicated," Edward replied with a grimace. Envy frowned thoughtfully.
"Why don't you come with us?" The green haired man suggested, "We could explain things on the way. Unless you've got more pressing matters to attend to…" he trailed off, raising an eyebrow. Wrath shook his head slightly.
"I was planning on coming back to visit you and Elsie anyway. I might as well come with you. Sounds like I might have missed out on some things after all," he cast Alphonse a slightly guarded look from the corner of his eye, clearly already sharing the same concern that was hovering in the back of Envy's own mind.
The four men made their way down the long, stone stair case leading deep beneath central into the underground city. Alphonse pressed ahead with almost feverish urgency, followed closely by his concerned older brother. Envy hung back slightly along with Wrath, putting a bit of distance between the Elrics and themselves.
"I don't like this," Wrath murmured uneasily. Envy shook his head.
"Neither do I, but he won't be talked out of the idea. I don't see that we have any other choice short of forcibly restraining him. And something tells me Ed wouldn't agree to that plan,"
"There's more at stake here than just Al's personal wellbeing," the dark haired man's voice was a low growl. The older man sighed.
"I know. But ultimately, if this truly is a trap set by Dante…well, Al will end up finding his way here one way or another. It's better that we're here to exercise damage control," Envy muttered.
"But what if that was part of her plan? Assuming we'd follow him here, meaning she could eliminate us all at once with whatever she's got waiting for us?" Wrath pressed urgently. Envy's brow furrowed. It was certainly a risk…
"Maybe, but that seems rather direct for Dante…not to mention she'd assume we'd be prepared for that and that would increase the chances of her plan failing. She's more conniving than that. Whatever it is, it won't be something we can easily predict…Besides, for all we know we're just being paranoid. It is quite a stretch to believe that she somehow managed to manipulate the soul transmutation, especially given how much time has passed," he pointed out reluctantly. Wrath's expression remained unconvinced.
"Well maybe… but I still have a bad feeling about this," Wrath stared uneasily at the Elric brothers who were already a fair distance ahead of the former homunculi.
"So do I," Envy replied, his tone resigned.
They reached the bottom of the stone stair case a short time later and proceeded into the city. Alphonse clearly knew where he was going as he didn't hesitate at any of the intersections of the various deserted streets. Envy frowned, somewhat perplexed by the area of the city which Al was leading them to. It was an inconspicuous residential neighborhood. It hadn't held anything of interest when they'd explored the place years ago and they'd been rather thorough.
Al continued onwards until they came to a small house on a street corner. The place was still standing in one piece despite being subjected to years of wear and decay. Given how old the city was it was surprising how good the condition of the various buildings were. More than likely it was due to the city being unused and protected from the elements safely underground. The house before them was unassuming, nothing about it drawing attention or arousing suspicion. Nevertheless the younger Elric bounded up the front steps and tried the door handle impatiently. It opened shakily after a moment with an unpleasant screech, the hinges having rusted to the point of being nearly unusable. Without further pause the short haired man darted inside.
"Al, wait!" Edward protested, following after his brother.
"So much for being cautious," Envy muttered, stepping through the door at a slower pace, his gaze sweeping the small room. Wrath followed after him reluctantly. There appeared to be nothing in the room but falling apart articles of furniture and a heavy coating of dust over everything. Footprints from the Elrics lead out of the room and down the hall. With a final glance around the room Envy followed them until he came to a staircase near the back of the building. The steps lead down into the basement and were made of stone, meaning they hadn't rotted away over the years.
"Somehow this isn't reassuring," Wrath muttered, right behind the older man. Envy snorted, starting down the stairs swiftly to catch up with the other men.
They found the two of them in a cellar at the base of the stairs. Al was running his hand experimentally over the grubby stone wall.
"So this is the spot?" Ed's tone was skeptical. Al nodded distractedly, fingers moving back and forth over the wall methodically until they lit upon a stone that was slightly loose. His eyes lit up in triumph and he pushed it in forcefully. There was a grinding squeal and part of the wall in front of him slid down into the floor to reveal another room. Envy's eyes widened slightly and Ed drew in a sharp breath.
"How did we miss this before? That's clearly an alchemic construction," Wrath sounded taken aback.
"We weren't specifically looking for it," Edward muttered, "That wasn't exactly sloppy handiwork,"
"Lets go!" Al insisted impatiently, starting forward into the next room.
"Wait!" His brother's voice was slightly panicky as he darted after the short haired man, likely in an attempt to stop him. Envy let out a frustrated growl at the recklessness of his half-brothers. At times their idiocy never ceased to amaze him. Any trap waiting for them would be sprung instantly.
"What are they thinking?" Wrath hissed, stepping forward towards the doorway. At that moment there was an odd, crackling sound, as if a transmutation circle had been activated. Blinding light flooded both small rooms, causing all four men to cry out in pain. Envy's head spun and he was vaguely aware of his knees buckling beneath him. There was no time to consider what exactly had happened before his eyes slipped shut and he lost consciousness.
When he came to once more he was lying on his back on a cold, hard surface. His eyes fluttered open and he let out a pained groan at the unpleasant throbbing throughout his skull. Drawing in a breath, he raised himself slightly, glancing around to see he was lying on the floor of the cellar. Wrath was collapsed in the doorway to the next room and he made out Ed's sprawled figure farther inside. Envy grimaced, surprised at the cold stiffness he felt throughout his body. How long had they been unconscious?
He scrambled painfully to his feet and crossed the room to Wrath, crouching to shake the younger man's shoulder. He stirred after a moment, slowly raising his head with a bewildered expression.
"What happened?" his voice was hoarse. Envy shook his head.
"I'm not sure," he murmured, rising once more and stepping cautiously across the threshold into the next room. He heard Ed let out a muffled sound, his prone form beginning to shift. Envy's gaze darted about the small room. To his surprise it was empty save for an old wooden chest in one corner. The chest was open, revealing it to be empty, but judging from the lack of dust inside it hadn't been open for long. Suddenly Envy's eyes widened, heart freezing in his chest. Where was Al?
"Al…are you…ok?" Ed gasped, slowly raising himself to a seated position. "Alphonse?" his tone grew shocked, glancing around in disbelief as he realized his brother was nowhere in sight
"Where did he go?" the alchemist demanded, scrambling shakily to his feet. Envy's hands clenched into fists.
"It looks like he took something out of that chest and left us behind. Come on, we need to go after him," his voice was sharp. This was exactly what he'd been afraid of. At this point it was safe to say that the younger Elric was acting under Dante's influence somehow. He wasn't entirely sure how she'd managed to plant the dreams into Al's mind, or why they'd taken so long to take effect, but there was a good chance that by entering the hidden room Alphonse had triggered off a transmutation that had put him under Dante's control somehow.
"Right, let's go," Ed agreed tensely. The three men turned and made for the stairs. They needed to find him before he put into action whatever else the old hag had been planning.
"Alphonse!" Ed shouted over the fierce howling of the wind. Rain was pelting down, soaking the three men as they sprinted across the farmer's field. Lightening flashed overhead followed by a deafening crack of thunder. Envy winced, willing his tired limbs to move faster. They'd been running for nearly half a mile now ever since they had seen the ominous flash of alchemic light on the horizon. His legs were less than thrilled about it. He wasn't in bad shape by any stretch, but long distance sprinting through wind and rain wasn't something he made a habit of. Dread twisted in his gut. Judging by that flash, Al had probably already carried out whatever it was Dante had had planned. After determining he was no longer in the underground city they'd spent the last hour searching Central and the surrounding countryside for him in vain. They'd gotten some tips from people who'd spotted him as he left the city, but it was the sky high transmutation that had drawn them in the right direction. They were currently headed towards a rise in the ground.
"Al?!" Ed's tone was panicky, "Dammit!" the blond leapt forward with renewed speed. Envy squinted through the sheets of rain and finally spotted what had drawn Ed's attention. A figure was sprawled in the grass at the base of the small hill. He felt an unpleasant sinking feeling inside as he neared the unmoving form. This couldn't be good.
Edward dropped to his knees in the wet grass next to his unconscious brother.
"Al, talk to me. Al!" the blond alchemist's voice was desperate, shaking the younger man's shoulders. Envy crouched down next to him, grasping Al's cold wrist in his hand and checking for a pulse. He felt a thrill of surprise to find there was still a faint rhythm beating beneath his fingers. He doubled checked at the unconscious man's throat and felt some of his dread ease off slightly.
"He's still alive," Envy stated guardedly. Al appeared uninjured but it was all too possible he has sustained internal damage of some sort.
"Hey!" Both men glanced up to see Wrath had climbed to the top of the hill. "There's a transmutation circle up here. Or at least what's left of it. The rain is washing it away," he called above the storm. Envy saw him frown. "From the looks of it…I'd say he tried to open the Gate."
"He what?!" Ed's head snapped up. Envy stared at Al's unconscious form. If he'd actually attempted to open the Gate there was no telling what it had taken as a fee.
"We need to get him to the hospital," his tone betrayed his concern. Wrath made his way back down the hill.
"Alright, let's lift him up. It's going to be a long walk back to the city but it'll be faster than waiting for someone to come find us. The less time he's out here in the rain the better," the dark haired man said, coming to a stop next to them.
"Dammit Al. Don't you dare die on me," Ed's voice broke. Together the men lifted the unconscious man into a standing position with his arms over Ed and Wrath's shoulders.
"Envy, you should go ahead and find some help," Wrath suggested. Envy nodded, already breaking into a swift jog back towards the city. He didn't want to imagine the possibility of losing his younger half-brother. Facing their families after such a disaster was unthinkable. They had to get him through this somehow.
"Hang in there Al," he muttered under his breath.
-Author's Note-
Merry Christmas everyone! I wanted to upload this earlier but the site was being glitchy.
Yes, I'm finally beginning to upload the sequel to By Virtue of Humanity. This prologue is absurdly long compared to the first chapter of the story, but that's just the way it worked out. This story, sadly, is not finished. But it's well on its way! So out of excitement/impatience I decided to begin uploading it...slowly...with many more cliff hangers than the last story...because Envy's sadism from the beginning of the first story rubbed off on me apparently lol. Despite this prologue, this is an OC centric story. The pairings are mainly OCxOC and WrathxElycia (eventually), however there is also EnvyxOC, EdwardxWinry, and RoyxRiza.
A couple little notes: Elmina is a shortened form of Wilhelmina which is the female form of William (Envy's human name). Envy and Elsie are 38, Wrath is 31, Ed and Winry are 37, Adele and Mina are 16, AJ is 18 and Sara is 20. I'll mention the ages of other characters as the story progesses.
I always have these smart, wonderful ideas of things I'm going to say in the artist comments before I begin uploading stories. But when it comes time to upload it I've either forgotten them, or in this case I'm too exhausted from staying up too late the night previously to bother with it so I'll keep this short. I hope you enjoy the story! If you have any questions feel free to ask them. I hate to stoop this low, but reviews do make me more inclined to upload the chapters faster... just a hint... xP
And lastly, for any of you who have yet to read By Virtue of Humanity, I suggest you start with that before reading this. It will make things less confusing lol.
Enjoy! :)