Prologue

There are no bad guys when no one's innocent

We all know of the Sins. The homunculi led by Dante – wicked, evil, monsters – whatever you'd like to call them. Created by twisted acts against the laws of nature in the foolishness of humans – but what happens when someone voluntarily gives their soul. When someone gives a sacrifice to something that never existed in the first place.

Desperate, that's what he was! Fool – he should know better than to try such an unexplored process through alchemy; had anyone even done it before?

Dante picked a loose thread on her sleeve, mellowing in her thoughts. She knew Koseim was desperate, but would he really throw himself away? She looked to the horizon opposite that of the setting sun. A moon would rise soon enough, destined to be full. That would be when he did it. They were closer than ever to gaining a hold on him – he probably knew that they were going to pounce sometime tonight; if they could just find his whereabouts.

Four shadows, loyal shadows, stood perfectly still, their faces hidden by the angle of their hanging heads. "Lust," Dante muttered, and one of the figured shifted uncomfortably, beckoning the figure forwards to reveal a darkly haired woman in a simple dress, black gloves and with a bowed chin.

"Yes," the homunculus replied, keeping an even tone and careful not to betray the thoughts she held on the absurdity of their odds. Dante remained silent for another minute. "Such an act would require a great deal of space, would it not?" Lust did not reply. "He cannot hide in some baker's pantry and still commit to the act, can he?" Silence. "Do you think . . . they would try the act in the very place they've done all their research?" A figure stirred and opened his mouth before another nudged him, allowing Lust to reply.

"That seems plausible, but wouldn't it be considered obvious?"

"They could either be very smart or very desperate. After all, they and all others are inexperienced in such advanced alchemy. Koseim is one of the greatest State Alchemists I have ever had the misfortune to meet, but he has been forced to travel far and wide for the scraps of knowledge he holds in his situation.

"Why couldn't he just use the traditional way of creating a monster?" A figure silenced until then burst out with a seemingly urgent question in the form of a growl – a history on the subject seemed to have aroused this. Dante did not turn, merely closed her eyes and smiled lightly.

"Envy, Koseim wants to destroy all of you, not make another one. Besides, after all the tracking we've done, I'd think you'd know what he's up to," she replied with an air of impatience, her eyes settled on the very rim of the sun as it sank below the mountains, then the other direction – the peak of the blue moon crawling up with a glow in its wake. "Envy. Lust. You can handle a couple of Alchemists, can't you?" A scoff from the shadows met her, a nod from the light. "Go to the library. Kill Koseim, and whatever the hell he's whipped up."

With that, the woman with the long dark hair sped off, the new figure of an equally long haired figure running after her. Neither said anything, for the tension and urgency to this attempt kept their tongues at bay, perhaps in between their teeth as they sought a way to seize the upper hand.

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

"Sir Koseim – we should draw it now; the circle's contents are complicated. Sir, at least begin on yourself. Sir?"

The incessant babble was silenced with the wave of a leathery hand, the one free from the pen. An older man, perhaps in his mid fifties, clutched a quill in his left fingers and smiled benignly as he jotted down an entry to his daughter. She would be his daughter, his child. He scribbled on what seemed to be the last pages of a thick book, his legacy and all that his daughter would need to know. "Yes, Sergeant. In due time," Koseim muttered, making a pronounced period with an inky blot from his quill. With that, the aged man took off his tie, bound the book shut and made sure his initials, the gold embroidered letters K. H., were easily visible. "Show this to her when she is calm enough," he commanded, and the Sergeant nodded, confused and slightly morose at the almost cheery look on the wilted features. Koseim knew he was to die in a fashion, why should he be unhappy when he knew he was to bring in new light. He just wished he could see what his daughter looked like. His daughter. His child.

Koseim knelt and stood up, rubbing his sore back and handing the book to the Sergeant. Knowing he was under the watchful eyes of several State Alchemists, one of which was his previous apprentice, he offered them a smile and a salute, the latter which they offered in return. At that, he pulled a dagger from his pocket, unsheathed it, and brought it across the palm of his left hand. No one moved, and Koseim continued smiling. He brought his index finger into the collective pool and traced a circle on the back of his hand, above his wrist but below his knuckles. He did the same for his other hand, and made another incision in his right palm. No one moved.

The Alchemists sprang into action at the faintest nod, two whipping out chalk and making precise measurements, always under the close watch of the famous ex Alchemist. He instructed them when the lines were too wavering, and made sure every single angle was correct. When they'd finished the markings and symbols of the most basic measures, Koseim knelt and began his work. It was tedious, but out of respect, every member in the room watched and encouraged him with their very presence. Blood smeared over the thick chalk but the elderly man made sure not to allow blow in contact with the circle. He couldn't have a foolish error ruining what could be the only way to rid of the Homunculi.

At exactly five minutes before the moon was at its highest, hell broke loose. A soldier rushed into the room just as Koseim sat back to admire his extremely intricate drawing. "Sergeant! The homunculi! They know!" Obviously out of breath, the young soldier struggled to continue. "Dead Guards . . . East gate . . ."

"Is that all, soldier?"

A nod.

A gunshot.

All the Alchemists save for Koseim allowed their eyes to widen and their mouths to gape as the young brown haired soldier dropped to his knees, then fell backwards, a rivulet of blood streaming down the side of a sizzling bullet wound in his forehead. Before any of them could protest or question him, the Sergeant turned away, facing them. "This procedure is necessary under such conditions. We cannot have the homunculi ruining this project, and for we know, he could have been one of them."

"This is not a project, Sergeant . . ."

The Sergeant turned, staring at the speaker – Koseim.

"This is bringing a human life into the world. A powerful one, inhuman in many aspects, but a human all the same . . ."

He looked weak, and his gaze dropped to his chalk dusted shoes. The Alchemists exchanged glances. Even if this was closer to a human being then a homunculus, it was still not considered a human – its matter had been produced through alchemy, and that was what divided whatever it would be from the human gene.

"Human … all the easier to destroy," came a cruel sneer, and the Sergeant came around just in time to have a thick metal pike thrust through the middle of his face, killing him instantly. Blood drenched the soldier's arm, but even as he grinned victoriously, viciously, he morphed into a green haired figure with flashing violet eyes. The victory was short lived, however, because before he could shake the corpse off his mutated limb, he was blasted with fire, had a spear driven through his abdomen and experienced roughly ten thousand volts of electricity in the same moment. "FUCK." Envy snarled, just as a bullet silenced him and threw him backwards, still flaming and smoldering.

In this moment, Lust appeared, using her own 'talents' to 'good use'. She drove her nails into the ceiling, lowered herself down, and retracted, swishing the fingers of her other hand and driving her index into the arm of the gun holder.

Meanwhile, Koseim had dived into his circle, muttered, and timed himself perfectly. The moment the moon centered above him, he flexed both veined hands and embraced the heat that surged through him, spreading from his core all the way to his fingers, toes, and even the tips of his ears. "My daughter . . ." Koseim smiled, just as the recovered Envy drove a lethal blow through the right side of his rib cage, stepping into the now glowing circle in the process. Lust glared at him all the while battling the four alchemists and struggling to angle her nails as each of them attacked her with their abilities. Green locks whipping about his face, Envy had a revelation and searched desperately for the symbol. Which one should he mess up? He could feel an unfamiliar warmth within as the magic searched for a soul; finding none, Envy managed only to smear what he thought would do the most damage before he was thrust out of the circle, hitting the opposite wall where he was forced to roll out of the way of a fiery dart before he could even regain his senses.

The only thing the homunculi could do was wait for Koseim to die or for the Alchemy to be completed. Meanwhile, they began occupying themselves with the talented Alchemists. While the Homunculi were swifter, the State had elements on their side and did not fail to use them to incinerate blast and electrify the pair, among other things. Koseim was bleeding everywhere, and he sank to his elbows, eyes wide, blood dribbling from his mouth. He felt intense pain just before he was pulled into the crushing blackness of the Abyss. As he disappeared, incinerated by what could be called It, the circle grew into a sphere of intense light, temporarily blinding the Alchemists and Homunculi alike. Then a sense of urgency donned on both sides as a barely visible outline appeared, a humanoid shape. The Alchemists needed to get this creation away from the Homunculi before they could destroy it; the homunculi away from the Alchemists before they could save it. In a cruel twist of fate, Lust speared two Alchemists through the forehead at the same time as Envy plunged his fist straight through another's stomach. The final Alchemist began a last ditch attempt against Lust; meanwhile, the creation had risen from the crouch and stepped from the light, dazed and confused. Not a very nice way to come alive; the second she emerged from the light, Envy's fist came smashing into the side of her face. The girl was sent backwards, out of the blinding light – now it was visible; she was wearing Koseim's clothes, and in such that they were baggy and loose fitting.

Stumbling backwards, the indifferent sin rained blows down from above, panic and urgency overriding thought and planning as he struggled to kill this . . . equal before she could don any defense, such as stones and recovery. So sure was he of his victim that he snarled a laugh, bringing his fist up to crush her skull in a final blow. He drove his knuckled downwards to the girl's wide golden eyes and caught sight – only for a moment – of dilated cat-like pupils, before her fist came to his eye, and his to hers. In this perfectly timed connection, one of defense, the other of aggression, both stumbled backwards, both blazing with an invisible radiated power.

"Who are you?" Still glowing, a note of confusion mingled with desperation and misunderstanding found its way into the furious growl. Envy realized that considering the way she'd been brought to life, she'd have no past memories at all, like he had. He could remember Hohenheim of Light, while she could remember only basic utilities like speech and writing; everything her 'father' had known as an instinct.

"Envy, pleased to meet you," he rasped, inattentive to the new threat as he pounced forwards, fists clenched and ready to bash every inch of flesh he could reach. She would die at his hands; they did not have the option of failure when this abomination could possibly be their defeat. As the bewildered girl unwillingly accepted the blows, she seemed to feel pain but nothing else. Why isn't she dead? He growled inwardly, thrashing around all the more and landing the odd solid blow – most glanced her in the flailing desperation of his hatred. No homunculus wannabe could stand in his way without facing his wrath.

The only thing the creation could do was don crossed arms and braced legs; as punches rained on her arms, she was shoved backwards until she was forced the kneel on one knee, and then the blows came from an upward angle. So intent on destroying this enemy, Envy had forgotten all about the final Alchemist – the one who happened to have broken away from Lust and had thrown himself around the homunculi's waist. Knocked sideways and taken completely by surprise, the State did all but leap off before the enraged homunculus could catch him in a jaw breaking fist throw. In a matter of crucial seconds, the Alchemist had clapped his hands together, blasted a hole through the wall, and then brought the roof down over their heads, creating a barrier as the two ran through the door. On the way out, he grabbed the book, though he did not find it as much of an important matter as Koseim had firmly stated.

Looking back over his shoulder, the Alchemist kept the heavy book under one arm and the girl's hand clasped in his own, literally dragging her behind him, ignoring the many questions that he knew he had no way to answer. One struck him particularly hard.

"What's going on?"