Chapter 1

The Philosopher's Stone

I took a step back from the edge of the roof. Now that I was actually here, I was beginning to feel scared.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to focus on other things. Like the fact that I was in Ireland! For years I've yearned to be here, dreaming of the day I'd see these lands with my own eyes, and I did it! I traveled across the world to be here. I had made it, and I knew it would be beautiful, but I could never have guessed how wondrous it was in person.

There was green everywhere! Everything radiated a vibrant green: the rolling hills, the trees, the people.

Okay, maybe not that last part. But still!

I'd been to quite a few cities and towns in the past few days, and while each place held new sights to see, they emanated the same vibe. When you walked around Ireland, you got a sense that time had slowed and you had all the time in the world to take everything in. The rolling landscapes. The overcast skies allowing peeks of sunlight through every now and then. The cool, refreshing breezes. The smell. Oh, the smell! I had never breathed such crisp, clean air.

I had come here as a tourist with my mom and sister and only had a week to be here, so I'd made it my goal to enjoy every minute of it. We've been going to all the sights with our tour group, and now we were at the place that I've dreamed of visiting my whole life.

I was standing at the peak of the castle. Blarney Castle, to be exact. The structure mesmerized me when I'd first arrived. The sheer size of it took my breath away. Couple that with the landscape and I'd fallen in love at first sight. Surrounding the castle grounds were rolling hills filled with lush trees that accentuated the nearby gardens. The greenery extended from there, invading the crevices of the ancient stones that made up the fortress and growing up the walls in the form of moss that even reached the top of some of the turrets. From where I stood now, I could see the river that ran nearby, the River Martin I think they called it. The few rays of light that drifted past the heavy clouds were caught in the river, the tranquil water reflecting it like a mirror.

There was more to this adventure than mere sightseeing. My intentions were none other than to kiss the legendary Blarney Stone. It's believed to give a person good luck. Unfortunately, I was getting cold feet.

I shivered before shaking my head, What are you doing? You've been waiting your entire life to do this. People do this all the time! You can do this, Taylor.

My body didn't believe my mind. The adrenaline pulsed through my veins and my heart pounded with fear as if I were moments away from my death. It didn't help either that there was a fairly large crowd impatiently watching me from behind.

If I don't do this, I'll never forgive myself, I thought. This would undoubtedly be the biggest regret of my life if I turned back now. I couldn't just let the moment I've dreamt of slip through my fingers! Forget the people. Forget the height. Forget everything except for what's important.

Clearing my mind, I pushed the fear aside, took those last steps, and bent down to the ledge. With one final breath, I twisted onto my back and, securing my grip on the wrought-iron bars placed there for safety, I leaned backwards over the edge.

"Whoa," I breathed. The steep line of the castle wall ended at what seemed like miles down, meeting a grassy plain broken by a lone road. It would be a very long fall.

"Stop it," I chided myself. "All you're doing is psyching yourself out. Get a grip."

I leaned over further, trying to ignore the vast distance between me and the ground. When I was pretty sure I could hold my weight, I went for it, pressing my lips against the cold, hard stone.

Triumph coursed through me and I trembled with excitement. My mouth quivered, trying to form a goofy smile, I did it! I finally did it!

No sooner than I thought it, I felt something. It came from the stone itself, sending tiny shocks of static underneath my back before continuing into the metal bars where it intensified. My eyes widened as I watched thin, sharp crackles of light blossom down the bars, flowing fluently like a stream. It felt like electricity, alive. It shocked me senseless and burned the palms of my hands, but what shocked me more was when the metal bars broke apart in several places in the span of a second. With nothing to hold onto, I went over the edge.

(-Edward-)

"Good to see you again, Fullmetal," Mustang greeted in a bored tone.

"Oh, you sound like you mean it, Colonel," Ed retorted, rolling his eyes and planting himself on one of the couches in Mustang's office.

A smirk replaced Mustang's frown as his eyes scanned the report Edward had just tossed on his desk, "How goes the search?"

Ed shifted his eyes away. Helltem, a small village in the west, had been a bust. Mustang had sent him on a mission there, enticing him with rumors of the stone. Him and Al had followed the lead there, but had come up empty. Just like every other time.

"…There was no Philosopher's Stone in Helltem," Ed finally revealed. "The rumors were just that: rumors."

"So," Mustang concluded, "the stone eludes you once again."

Ed bristled, "Was there a reason you had me come back to Central or did you just want to chat?"

Mustang leaned forward in his chair, considering the blonde boy over interlocked fingers, "I have a mission for you."

Ed fidgeted on the couch, "What kind of mission?"

"A prisoner by the name of Edgar Ronin is being transferred here and is set to arrive shortly at the train station-"

"That's it?" Ed interrupted in annoyance before Mustang could fully explain. "You had me come here to babysit someone?"

"This man isn't just an ordinary prisoner," Mustang's voice rose, yet remained as cool and controlled as ever. "He's been researching the Philosopher's Stone and has been rumored to have succeeded in creating one."

"Seriously?" Ed asked, interested for a moment before shrugging flippantly. "It's probably just another bogus rumor."

Mustang remained firm, "Whether true or not, I want you to go through all of his research. It's on the train with him. Since you're already here, you can make yourself useful and escort him from the station."

Ed broke off eye contact with the man to think about it for a moment, mouth pressed into a thin line. Ed wanted to refuse him. He didn't want to waste more time following up on phony leads. But…there was always the slightest chance that maybe, just maybe, this would be the lead that finally panned out. At the most, this could lead him and his brother in the right direction.

"Alright," Ed agreed, standing.

Mustang's mask betrayed nothing, but Edward knew that he was smirking on the inside, like he knew all along that Ed would agree. Not like he had much of a choice in the first place.

The older nodded, "Check with Lt. Hawkeye. She'll have the rest of the details for you. Dismissed."

Ed saluted his commanding officer and started for the door, but stopped as he was about to reach for the handle. "Hey, Colonel."

"What is it, Fullmetal?" Mustang looked back up from the report he'd begun reading.

"Why is this Ronin guy in custody? I mean, he's just a researcher, right?"

Mustang sat the piece of paper down and met Ed's gaze fully, "Ronin is suspected of using humans in his research."

"Oh…" he swallowed and exited the room without another word, lest the other should interpret how shocked the news left him.

Human beings used as guinea pigs for alchemy… Edward just barely suppressed a horrified shudder. The thought made his mind wander to dark places he'd rather not delve into.

Outside of Mustang's office, Alphonse greeted him, "How did it go, Brother?"

Ed looked up at Al and, shaking off his disturbed aura, grinned reassuringly, "It looks like we've got a job to do."

(-Taylor-)

I woke up in a cold, dark place…

That was a bad sign, if I ever saw one.

It got worse as my mind, addled by unconsciousness, unclouded itself. My breath sounded incredibly too loud in the silence, the whispers of wind leaving my lips and echoing around me. It shouldn't be this quiet. I was with other people moments ago, right? Or was that a dream? Or was I dreaming now? This certainly didn't feel like a place I should be waking up in, grainy, pebbles on a hard surface sliding beneath my hands instead of soft, rumpled sheets.

"What happened?" I groaned, sitting up. Rubbing at my face, I smacked my lips together and winced at the foul taste in my mouth. I could really go for some water right now. The muggy air wasn't helping matters. I could practically taste the musty moisture particles in the atmosphere. Why did it feel so weird here? Wasn't I…wait…where was this? What had I been doing?

The memory came to me in a flashes, forcing me to put the pieces together. The rooftop. I had fallen off the top of the castle. I should have ended up as a splat mark on the ground, but I hadn't. I wasn't even hurt.

I struggled to my feet shakily, scoping the area for clues as to where I was. It was almost too dark to see anything, the creeping shadows tying my stomach into uncomfortable knots. I stood in some sort of tunnel, that much I could tell. Running down the length of the ceiling were tiny cracks letting in just enough light to see.

Um…okay? How did I get here?

At least I wasn't hurt or dead. Yeah, that's the way! Find something positive about a completely negative situation. Don't think about how I was completely alone in some foreboding tunnel with God knows what kind of creatures crawling around…'cause that's totally not what I was thinking about.

"Where am I?" I thought aloud, my voice a bit raspy with fear and thirst. How did I get here? I was still in Ireland, right? Was anyone looking for me? Did they think I was dead? What if I really was dead? I shouldn't have been able to survive that fall so…maybe I didn't?

I shuddered and pushed the morbid thoughts aside. I felt alive enough. So I would just focus on the task at hand: getting out of here.

I glanced down both ends of the tunnel. Both of them went on forever. Which one should I choose to go down? I had to choose one. I couldn't just wait here for help that might never come. Besides, if I sat here long enough I might drive myself crazy with all the questions of how I came to be here. Might as well see for myself where exactly I was.

The direction behind me went from barely lit to pitch black. But the one in front of me appeared to get lighter the farther it went.

"Thatta way," I said to the one in front of me and started walking, hoping I wasn't following the tunnel of light. As I walked I could hear my footsteps bouncing off the walls…almost like there were another set of footsteps, like someone following me… GAH! It was so creepy. I so didn't want to be in a creepy tunnel with nothing to defend myself. What if there was, I don't know, a bear or something in here with me? Funny, this was never mentioned in the tour…

I shivered, rubbing my arms to fight the chilly air. As I went farther down, the light from the cracks became brighter. I walked until I could finally see something at the end.

"Hello?" I called out. My voice echoing off the walls was the only answer I received. I went on to the end of the tunnel, hoping that this would be the way out. Instead, I found myself in a large circular room.

"What is this?" I asked, looking around at the cavern. I gazed in awe at the dome ceiling of brown stone, gaping, jagged cracks filtering in sunlight. The rays shined bright enough to where I could make out white markings covering the floor, as if they'd been drawn there. They connected into circles and shapes with strange symbols placed in the spaces in between, forming a huge intricate, yet perfectly symmetrical, matrix. At first I thought they might be some Celtic design but there was something about them that screamed they weren't. In the center of the design was a skinny altar, appearing as if the stone from the ground grew upwards. On top of the altar sat a shiny red stone, small enough to fit in my hand.

It all seemed so familiar. I had seen this somewhere before, I just knew it. But where? What did this remind me of?

"Transmutation circles," I breathed in wonder. "Then that must mean-!" I gasped, looking back to the altar.

"No way," I shook my head in denial. This couldn't be real. It just couldn't be! It was simply laughable... But it was here, right in front of me. "The Philosopher's Stone," I whispered to myself.

This had to be some sort of place for tourists to see, an attraction to visit and take pictures with some pretty red jewel. But why had I never heard of such a place before? And why weren't people here now? It was the middle of the day, prime time for tourists. And what are the odds that a red stone would be paired with circles that were undeniably related to alchemy? Unless this was the Sorcerer's Stone, but wizards didn't use fancy circles. It could be of historical importance? …maybe? They could have been big into the whole alchemy thing here in Ireland hundreds of years ago. But this place appeared set up for some sort of use, like a viewing room or something. Again, why weren't there any tourists here?

Then…what did it mean?

I must be losing my mind. Or I had hit my head in the fall. Yes, that would explain the sheer stupidity that I was even considering.

You're jumping to conclusions. Don't believe it until you see proof! I told myself. But proof wasn't very likely. The Philosopher's Stone was all fiction, and it embarrassed the hell out of me that I was thinking of it possibly, maybe, being the slightest bit real. I'd just slip over, check out the pretty stone and prove myself right and then skedaddle. Who knows? Maybe I could take the stone with me and I'd get famous for discovering some ancient lost artifact. That is, assuming I could find an exit.

I took a tentative step forward onto the edge of the circle. When nothing happened, I let out a breath I hadn't known I had been holding. I don't know why I was even worried in the first place. Shaking myself of my idiocy, I walked straightforward to the altar.

I stared at the stone, admitting to myself that, even if it wasn't magical, it was still breathtaking in its beauty. It wasn't smooth. It was in the shape of an oval with faucets over its surface. The light reflected off it in such a way that I thought there might actually be a light within it, causing all of the faucets to twinkle. It was mesmerizing.

No matter how much I told myself otherwise, doubt weighed heavily on my mind. I thought, What if? What if this could be true? I recognized everything for what it might really be. Was it true?

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

…I'd just have to see for myself.

I reached out and caressed the stone gently. It wasn't cold like I thought it would be. It somehow emitted its own warmth. Curious, I picked the stone up and held it, staring at it intently.

A jolt of electricity ran up from my feet and through my entire body. It was more surprising than painful. The energy shocked me to the core, and through my addled brain I recognized that this was similar to what occurred on the castle.

Suddenly, the array began to glow. It wasn't the bright blue I would have expected. It was red, as red as the stone. The symbols, the lines, all of it was glowing a bright, bloody red.

A black line appeared to split the circle in half. Then it opened.

Oh God…

Chills crept down my spine as I gasped in horror. It was an eye! I was standing on a giant eye!

This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't real.

From the depths of the eye, black arms swam out and wrapped around me. It was like a nightmare. It all happened way too fast. I never had a chance to get away. They lifted me easily into the air.

"Nooo!" I screamed helplessly, forgetting that this shouldn't be real as I succumbed to the throes of terror. The arms plunged me into the eye and I screamed again as it swallowed me whole.

(-Taylor-)

All I saw was white. White nothingness. It stretched on and on endlessly. I wondered how long I had been looking down that expanse of nothingness.

I turned around slowly. Sitting yards away was a person. Well, actually it wasn't human at all. It was the shape of a person though, with tiny black fragments that outlined its body. It had no features except for a mouth. I found it incredibly strange and, although the warning bells were ringing loud and clear in my mind, I couldn't feel anything past the numb shock that gripped me at the moment.

"Who are you?" the words spilled from my mouth. My voice echoed slightly in the odd white place, giving a dreamlike quality to the situation.

It smiled, "You know who I am." The voice was a combination of many voices, low and high, old and young. The effect was overall creepy, making me shudder lightly.

"This isn't possible," I whispered, shaking my head slowly.

"And yet you are here."

Still shaking my head, I muttered, "You're the Truth."

"Very good," it laughed.

Wake up, wake up, wake up. Why aren't I waking up!? I wondered internally. Inside, I was a confused bundle of trembling nerves. On the outside though, I remained frozen in shock.

"How did I get here?" I asked, feeling compelled to go through with whatever this might be, dream or not.

Truth stood, "I brought you here."

"Why?" I asked, a quiver causing my panic to show marginally. I tried my best to not reveal how scared I was, like somehow if it didn't see it, the otherworldly being in front of me couldn't hurt me. Although, I had the deep suspicion that, even without eyes, it could see right through me.

Truth came to stand closer to me, only a few feet away, "I think you can make things more interesting." It appraised me, its head tilting to the side as a feral grin marred its empty face, "Yes, I have big plans for you."

I didn't understand what it was saying, but I was afraid. I knew what happened to people in this place, and it wasn't anything involving rainbows and puppies.

"Don't worry," it assured me. "I brought you here, so you need not sacrifice anything."

The fear didn't leave me. I didn't know if I could trust what Truth was saying. The atmosphere was tense and uncomfortable, a sheen of sweat dewing on my forehead from the suffocating stress. I clenched my fists and realized only then that I was still holding the stone.

I gazed at it for a moment, noting how the warmth and light had not left the small object. It was the final piece; the last question. With trepidation, I held it up, "Is this really the Philosopher's Stone?"

It smiled wider, "Yes." Truth said nothing more. It breached the gap between us and touched the stone with the tap of a finger.

The stone became scalding and I let out a startled shriek. I tried to drop it but couldn't, my body failing me. I sank to my knees, red, angry sparks crackling up from my hand to consume my whole body. I squinted through the onslaught of pain to see the stone. It shined so bright. Too bright. The light seared into my eyes and I feared I would go blind. I could feel it changing texture and shape, becoming a liquid almost. It seeped into my skin like molten lava and the pain intensified.

This isn't real. This isn't real! It can't be…

But my screams of torment rang in my ears, spreading out around us to sweep into the yawning white expanse. Those were real. This pain was undeniably real.

Truth left my blurry vision but in its place stood a giant gate etched with designs that I was too far gone to comprehend. It opened wide to a terrifying darkness. It held the blackness of death…

I heard Truth's distorted voice one last time, "We'll meet again." Its voice dissipated like a retreating fog, but not before I recognized my own voice mixed in with the other ones. I whipped my head around wildly but Truth had disappeared. All that was left was me huddled on the ground with the gate looming over me.

A thousand eyes opened in unison from within the shadows. They stared at me hungrily, black arms snaking out. I couldn't get away. I couldn't even move. They covered me, enshrouding me in their inky hands, and pulled me unwillingly into the darkness.

Hello my furry friends! If you hadn't guessed from the summary, this story is a rewrite of my story The Blood Alchemist, TBA for short. The original story is already completed and I've gotten quite a ways into the sequel, but it's been a couple of years since I initially began TBA and my writing has vastly improved. That's why I wanted to post this, to show how much I've improved and to take one of my works, polish it, and really make it shine. If you're new to the TBA craze and want to read more, then I suggest going to my profile to find the original story because I don't plan to update this often at all (don't have the time to work on it unfortunately, sorry). However, I'm planning on posting the rewritten second chapter about a week from now. Anything after that, who knows.

If you've read TBA already, you might notice several changes, yet the story is pretty much the same, just better quality and details. One major thing I changed was Blarney Castle. In the original version, I hadn't researched anything about the Blarney Stone and was under the impression it was on a cliffside next to an ocean. That is not the case. I did my research this time. Something else I really focused on was Taylor's character. I've tried to bring out her personality a little more, as well as making her reactions more realistic. Speaking of Taylor, if you're new to the game I should warn you that Taylor is not my OC. She is in fact my best friend in real life and I began this story as a joke for her, but then it kinda took over my life...oops. Anyway, moving on. Those were about all the bigger changes I made, other than adding a crap load of details. Oh, and if you find any mistakes please tell me so that I can fix them.

Thanks goes to ZodiarkSavior for editing this chapter!