Chapter 2: The Messiah
Cornello sees a person standing in front of Edward who seems to have his face, but with a few differences. He has long golden brown hair in a tail with a red coat and black clothes on underneath. His white gloves have arrays on the palms with tiny triangles on each of the three sides. He has brown eyes that show his personality, showing every fiber of his being. Edward looks at the other boy in front of him, having his back toward Edward as he now holds out his arms, shielding him.
"If you want Ed, you'll have to go through me", says the boy.
"Al, what are you doing here? We're not supposed to be seen together, remember?"
"Well excuse me for being worried about you. You're not exactly the most careful person, Ed", responds Alphonse.
Cornello drops his smile and stares at Alphonse. "Ah, so you are the younger brother. That's perfect", says Cornello now smiling again. "Now I can kill two birds with one stone! Feel the wrath of God!!!!"
"Stop", shouts Rose standing in front of Al. "Father Cornello, stop this! Violence is not the answer!"
"Foolish girl! If you will side with these blasphemers, then you will share their fate!!!"
"You do that father, and we will rise against you", says the barkeep.
"We all will", says a woman from the crowd.
"Leave them alone", shouts the people in the crowd, now chanting it over and over again. Alphonse steps up to the altar and looks out at the crowd and holds out his hand for them to silence.
"People of Lior, tell me now if we are truly challenging your faith. If so, then we will leave you peacefully", says Alphonse.
"Father Cornello was supposed to be our prophet, but now he has shown his true colors to us as a tyrant", says the barkeep.
"He has been telling us that Leto rejects violence, yet Father Cornello has been reinforcing it as of now", says a man from the crowd.
"So you tell me what you think of your prophet now", says Alphonse.
"He is a hypocrite, a true villain in the eyes of God", shouts the barkeep.
"Anyone who defies me is a servant of the Devil", shouts Cornello, hoping that the statement will save him when Rose speaks up.
"You're the Devil, Cornello! You made us believe in you, believing that you were performing miracles, but they were just a ruse, weren't they? You made us think that we were worshipping God, but the real truth is that we were worshipping you! It was always about you the whole time, even before the Elrics arrived. What were you really trying to do with us?"
Cornello feels himself in a tight corner, like a child on time out. He feels compressed, strangled, unable to move. He has truly been put on the spot this time and he doesn't know how to worm his way out of it this time. His gun reverts back to his walking cane and he stands upright with his cane beneath him elegantly.
"Now that I have what I want from this town, I suppose I can tell you the truth. You see Rose, you were all to join my cause so that we could become an army and overthrow the military! After that, the world would be ours for the taking! Think about it, Rose. Without the military barking orders and killing people that they tell you are bad, we would create a utopia!"
"By shedding blood? How is that helping anyone", interrogates Edward.
"And besides, it won't be their army. It would be YOUR army", says Alphonse.
"Whether you think I am God's commissary or not, it doesn't matter. With the power I have shown you people today and many times before, it should be proof enough", says Cornello.
"But Ed and Al have shown powers beyond your own. If anything, they are the true messengers of God Almighty", says Rose rebelliously.
"What now, Cornello? It seems your adoring fans are against you now", says Edward seriously.
"It seems that you forgot something. I still own most of this town. If not for me, Lior would not have the riches that it has now! I turned water to wine! I healed injured canaries! I even brought back their loved ones from the grave!"
"Well, he did do that", comments one of the men in the crowd.
"Bringing back the dead, huh? Have any of you people actually seen him do it", asks Edward.
"No, they haven't", quickly responds Alphonse.
"How did you know that, Al", asks a stunned Rose.
"Because I read your eyes. They tell all."
"They are all members of my temple. They can't leave, even if they wanted to. My men have this city surrounded and will punish anyone who dares to defy Leto", says Cornello.
"Then I guess I have no choice", says Edward walking over to Father Cornello. Edward then holds up his right arm and takes off his glove, showing a hand made of auto-mail.
"Now I see where you get your name. Full Metal suits you indeed", says Cornello.
"I challenge you to a standoff. If I win, the people of Lior get to choose who they want to follow", says Edward.
"And if I win?"
"You can do whatever you want with us. After all, we're fugitives, right?"
"Ed, what are you doing", questions Alphonse.
"Relax, Al. I have everything under control."
Ed's metallic hand then shakes Cornello's flesh hand. Cornello feels the cold of the metal and believes that Edward will be colder than that once he is done, for Cornello smiles to himself, thinking of something sinister…
Next Chapter: The Infinite
