"Bailey Vinez?"The sky was painted gray, like a canvas, blurred together. Rain pelted down, almost as if the huge palette was dripping with wet paint. I turned to the man clad in blue, my midnight cloak waving like a vast sea in the semi-harsh glade.
"Yeah? What is it?"My voice was monotonous. What would you suspect? I had just killed a mass murderer, so he deserved it... right? The man ran up to me, handing me a piece of paper and doubling over, catching his breath. Before I could open the parchment, though, he bolted upright again. I now got a good look at his facial attributes. Slicked back, spiky black hair with a single strand sticking out in front of his rectangular glasses, which framed forest-green eyes. He had a bit of stubble, but a kind smile on his face.
"Hello, miss. My name is Hughes. Maes Hughes."He did a funky little pose, trying to show of his sleeve-covered biceps. I rolled my eyes and he chuckled."Anyways, my good friend Lieutenant Mustang has recommended you for the State Alchemist Exam. Would you like to participate, ?" I squinched my gray-blue eyes in thought.
"And become a mutt of the military? I think not."Turning, I began to walk away. But, before I could get out of reach, he took my shoulder, firmly, yet gently. His voice became more serious now, almost guilty.
"You may want to read that letter, first." I gave him a curious glance from under my shadowed hood, then down at the folded letter. Opening it, I read the script slowly.
Dear Ms. Bailey Vinez,
I am sorry to say that your mother and father have been killed in action by the killer 'Ricardo the Assassin' on the date 7/19/07. Their burial was in Central's Military Cemetery. They were truly brave people. Their final words were "Make sure our daughter becomes stronger and is protected. A State Alchemist, that's what she should be." We are sorry for your loss. We would've given you this information sooner, but your whereabouts were unknown.
Sincerely,
King Bradley
I couldn't believe it. They were just... gone? Three years ago, gone, and I didn't know? I cried. Just cried. I didn't bawl or sob, just cried. I could feel myself shaking, both outside and in. Just... gone. Before I could think, I had turned around and was clamping onto Hughes as if for dear life. They were gone, I would never see them again. All those years waiting to see their smiling faces were for nothing. Killed three years ago. Hughes didn't seem to mind my tears soaking his navy-blue shirt even more than it already was. In fact, he took his hand and patted my head. That is, before getting cut. With a quick "OW!", he shook his hand and looked down and the ripped cloth that used to be my hood. Right there, screwed onto my skull with silver plates, were wolf ears, sharp as knives, and small drops of blood splattered on them. His eyes widened for a moment, before returning to normal. Maes ushered me into one of the black taxi-like cars, out of the rain, and buckled me up. He sat in front of my curled-up form, seeming somewhat sad.
"Kid..."He put his hand under is chin slowly."What happened to you?"And so, I told him. Everything. How I could only remember pain... hurt both mentally and physically. The next thing, I can't recall. Just fuzzy and black. I had gone to sleep.
Blurred. That was the world right now. A big blob of blur, right in my face. I was moving. Not walking, just... moving. Something was carrying me... someone was carrying me. My first reaction was kick, scream, do something, but I couldn't. Something about the arms wrapped around me, the scent of musk inflaming my nostrils, immobilized me, as if informing my brain that I was safe, for once. That I was secure. Soon, I no longer felt the pelting force that was falling above and onto me, and a bright, yellowish light entered my obscured vision. It died down some, and I was placed on something soft. Not a bed, this is too small...Then, I heard talking. It was Hughes, those wolf-appendages atop my head could determine that much. But the feminine voice, I didn't know. Those words... what were they? So slurred... Before I knew it, my world faded to a nightmarish midnight.
"I hate deserts."My head shot up. Oh yeah, I was with Edward and Alphonse Elric, searching for the Philosopher's Stone! I must've got carried away in my memories again..."It's nothing but sand."I laughed as the older blonde of the two, Ed, fell face-first into the golden sands that surrounded us.
"Well, what'd you expect? An oasis every mile or so?"I laughed.
"Oh, shuddup! If there was at least some grass, I could turn it into bread! I'm starving!"
"Yeah, well we all are. Or, me and you, at least. Al can't eat..."I put my hand to my chin, looking up at the sky thoughtfully and walking forward. Sadly, I tripped on Edward's conveniently placed briefcase, earning a mouth full of sand. Ed, though, didn't notice, as he got on all fours, swinging his head to his right, opposite to my fallen form.
"Hey, All! Were'dja go?"He swung his head in my direction, and I quickly stood so he wouldn't see that my usual high-end reflexes had failed me."Al? HEY!"
"Down here!"A gray hand rose up from the grains below us, grabbing Ed's right leg, which, quite frankly, made him scream like a girl. I couldn't help myself. I laughed. A lot."I sunk again."Edward glared at the hand.
"Reason number two why I hate the desert..."
We had dug Al out with our bare hand, as how Edward couldn't Transmute in sand and I was just that mean and made him suffer. As of right now, he was crouched down, breathing heavily. Abruptly, he brought his head up and glared at Al's tall glory.
"I don't understand how you keep falling in!"He yelled.
"I get full."Alphonse answered truthfully. Ed stood up quickly, all five-and-a-half-feet, and brought his leg up.
"Full of what?"He then brought it forward, harshly kicking Al's metal chest. With a large echo, the armor opened, and at least twenty pounds of sand fell out onto Edward in a huge mound. Al and I laughed quietly, then scooted away before we could get hit with Edward's fury. The mini-sand hill blew around him as he stood, pure wrath etched onto his face. Before we knew it, Al and I were being chased by Edward, the phrase 'Eat my dust' becoming quite literal when we did so."Get back here!"He yelled.
"What're you gonna do?"Alphonse asked, somewhat timid.
"Nothing!"
"Then why are you chasing us?"My voice came out carefree, in a mocking manner.
"Stop and you'll find out!"I laughed again.
"You'd miss us too much!"I twisted my foot in the sand, turning myself around and running backwards, also sticking my tongue out. You readers probably think that I am begging for a grave. The writer is thinking this as she is writing it, also. But since she based me on herself, she knows that I will not back down and that I strive to annoy Edward Elric, even through the afterlife. And yes readers, if you want to become the authoress' friend on DeviantART, prepare to be annoyed with her randomness. Just a word of advice.
"Why would I? You're just a chick that looks like a guy!"Another word of advice, ever head of 'Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn'? Yeah, that doubles for me and the authoress. My black-clothed head showed a large red anger mark, and Edward's face of wrath quickly morphed into one of fear. I walked towards him slowly, and he recoiled back. Soon, I was chasing him in the reverse circle.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY, SHRIMP?"
"I'M NOT A SHRIMP!"
"SHRIMPY, SHRIMPY! WHERE'S THE COCKTAIL SAUCE?"
"SHUDDUP, WOULD'YA?"
"Uh, guys...?"Al said quietly. We both stopped in our tracks, facing him, both extremely angry. You could practically see the flames behind us as we yelled "WHAT?" together. Alphonse's metal helmet became plain as his eyes grew big in fear."D-d-don't you think we sh-sh-should get to the city...?"
*THOSE WHO CHALLENGE THE SUN*
We were now trudging through the city. It was clearly old, rusted in many places, but the population seemed large and friendly, by the looks of it. There were a bunch of blue statues of a man holding a staff in front of him. On that staff was a miniature stone sun. Edward seemed, quite frankly, pissed off. Hunched over and his faced shadowed and scrunched up like that.
"You okay, brother?"Alphonse asked quietly. Edward grunted.
"It's your fault for not stopping when I said."He grumbled.
"You wouldn't stop either, if someone was chasing you."I remarked.
"Someone was chasing me! YOU!" I shrugged and tugged on the hood of my black cloak boredly.
"And your point is...?"
"Just shut up, would'ya?"
"Nah, I like annoying you too much to let it go. Besides, we all know you love the sound of my voice."I snickered at his half-disgusted, half-blushing face.
"I'm too tired to fight right now..."
"Or you're just too much of a wimp to talk back to a girl."I walked up in front of him, strides backwards once again, mocking him with my outstretched tongue. He growled slightly and turned his head away from me. I snickered again and turned back around, and then a sound hit my sensitive ears. Water...? I walked to my right into a alley, Edward and Alphonse following me.
"Hey, where're you goi-"Al started, but Ed interrupted him by running up to the fountain ahead, yelling "Water water water water water!" like the idiot he is. Heck, he even jumped like a little girl in a candy shop to get to it. If anyone could see my face, they'd be surprised at how exhausted I looked. Not be walking through a desert for 2-3 days or dehydration, but because I had to deal with THAT fifteen-year-old for... what? Three, Four years maybe? When he got there, though, he stopped. Alphonse and I walked up to the fountain and saw that it wasn't water, but red liquid."Is it blood?"Alphonse asked.
"Nope. More like blood-red wine."Edward sighed, looking at the chipped cup he had picked up. I rolled my eyes.
"Hey! Get away from there! You know that's off-limits to kids!"
^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^
"Hahahahaha, you're out-of-towners! That explains it!"The guy who had grabbed Ed by the collar a few minutes ago had took us to his juice bar, getting Ed and I some Orange Juice while we were there. He seemed relatively nice."You'll hav'ta forgive me! I thought you gonna try and sneak a little sip!"
"Fountain stocked with free wine? That's pretty ritzy!"Edward laughed as he enjoyed his OJ.
"This town must be loaded!"I said happily.
"Yeah, we do alright here."I heard the bells of the nearby church echo around us. The man's face contorted with surprise."Oh, I almost forgot!"Ho took hold of a wire that was slightly above Al."Time for a little soul food."He flicked a switch on that wire, and a small radio that was on the platform above us clicked on, sounding birds chirping loudly. The other store owners around also turned radios on, having slow music invade my wired eardrums. Turning around, we saw everyone had their hands clasped in prayer.
"Children of God, who live upon this land,"I rolled my eyes. Joyous, some preacher that we have to hear daily."Pray in faith that ye shall be saved. As sun lights the day, so does the Sun God Lito illuminate thy path and drown out-"
"Well that's freakish."Edward remarked.
"Yeah."I agreed.
"Some kind of religious broadcast..."Alphonse said. We all turned back around in our seats, where the man had his fists on his hips, looking at us.
"Your buddies are in a suit of armor and a cloak and you've got on gloves and you're calling us freaks?"He asked. Edward just sipped his juice.
"Pretty much, yeah." I said, swirling my glass in my hand, making the juice slosh silently.
"What's your deal anyway? You street performers?"Ed spit out his drink in surprise. He looked at the man angrily.
"I don't think so, Pops!"He said, equal anger in his voice."Do I look like a clown to you?"
"Well, you must have some reason to journey out this far."I sighed.
"We're just trying to track something down, that's all."I yawned, bored again."Now who's this dude, on your airways?"
"Why that's Sir Cornello!"
"Eh, doesn't ring a bell."Edward said. The mans face became surprised, closing up to Edward.
"You're kidding me! You've never heard of the Great Prophet, Cornello?"He asked loudly.
'Some Half-Baked Prophet, I bet.'I thought, half angry at this Cornello dude.
"What's great about him?"Edward asked, clearly not caring on their answers. Some guy came up from behind us and spoke.
"He can perform miracles, for one thing. I've never seen anything like it!" Some other guy came up, too.
"This place was a God-Forsaken dust bowl before Cornello came here and transformed it into a desert paradise!"A small crowd came around us, remarking like this Cornello was some all-mighty God.
"Cornello can even correct sins!"
"Yeah, we're on the Sun God's good side, because of him! He gives us blessings!" Edward covered his ears and I twitched.
"I just remembered, we have to be somewhere." He said."Y-you ready to split?"I stood up with him.
"Yeah, we hav'ta go to that... place. Yeah. That place." I said, laughing nervously. Alphonse stood up and bumped his head, or should I say helmet, on the platform above us, knocking the small radio down, thus breaking it. The guy was not very pleased to see his 'precious' radio in bits.
"Oops..."Alphonse replied, kind of guilty, I guess.
"Now you've done it, buddy. What do you expect, wearing a stupid tin suit?"The guy owning the bar said.
"Don't bust a lung, Grandpa!"I said jokingly."We can fix it!"
"It's in a thousand pieces!" I laughed.
"So?"
"I'm sorry..."Al did a little mini-bow and turned to the broken radio. "Let me try."
"Sure."Edward said, quite smug, if I do say so myself.
In a minute, Alphonse had drawn his Transmutation Circle with white chalk around the radio and had prepared to fix it quickly.
"The drawing, what's it for?"The man asked, perplexed.
"You'll see."Edward and I chorused."Just give him a sec."
"It's called a Transmutation Circle."I said.
"Ok, here it goes."Alphonse said, placing his metal and clothed hand in a cross above the circle. Seconds later, blue lightning was striking there, fixing the radio in a large 'poof', all with a smoke bomb, it seems.
"If you are lost, follow me and you will be found."The radio spoke this Cornello's words. I snorted.
'Conceited much?'The crowd around us 'Ahhh'ed.
"It's really a land of Prophets!"The guy spoke, amazed."Your buddy can work miracles like Cornello!"
"It's nothing like that."Edward smiled, looking at him as Al brought the radio up to the man.
"It's science. We're Alchemists."You could practically hear the smile in Al's words.
"We're the Elric Brothers!"Edward boasted. I fake coughed and he looked at me, not getting the picture until I poked his left shoulder."Oh, and our wannabe sis, Bailey Vinez."
"Not to brag or anything, but were pretty well-known!"I smiled some, not that they could see it too well.
"Elrics? Vinez? Not familiar."Some other guy said.
"We don't have any Alchemists in these parts." Another said.
"I fix things for a living though. Lemme know if you need a job!"I laughed and rubbed the back of my head.
"They don't need any work."Some lady said from the other side of the counter."Those are Edward Elric and Bailey Vinez. The Fullmetal and Silver Wolf Alchemists." She looked at us. This chick didn't sit well with me..."They've been celebrities around Dese (sp?) City. They say that they're real Child Prodigies." Edward smirked and I rolled my eyes.
"Wow, a real-life famous person!"The crowd surrounded Alphonse.
"I see, you get the name 'Fullmetal' 'cause you wear that armor!"I sighed. Wrong person. And why did I always get left out, huh?
"Hey, would you come to my daughter's birthday party?"Al brought up his arms, waving them quickly.
"Uh, I'm not the Fullmetal Alchemist!"He said, pointing at Ed."He is! And Bailey's the Silver Wolf Alchemist!"The crowd looked at us, who were just a bit ticked.
"You mean the guy in the black cloak is the Fullmetal Alchemist? And what does that shrimp have to do with wolves or silver?"Both of us got anime veins. We each got a guy and began swinging them around frantically.
"DO I LOOK LIKE A DUDE TO YOU? NO, NO I DON'T!"I yelled, furious now. Edward didn't seem far behind me, either.
"SHORTY? CAN A SHORTY DO THIS? GONNA CALL ME A HALF-PINT BEEF-POUND MIDGET? I'M STILL GROWIN' YOU BACKWATER DESERT IDIOTS!"
"I see there's plenty of stuff going around here today!"
"Rose!"I stopped suddenly, as did Ed, and looked at the new visitor. She had pink bangs and maroon hair that went to the small of her back. The pink alone disgusted me.
"Don't mind me, I'd hate to spoil all the fun!"She giggled. I felt like throwing up.
"That's okay."Alphonse straitened up from his previous position."My name is Alphonse Elric."He did another bow."Nice to meet you."Edward threw the guy he was holding away, and I did the same.
"Name's Edward Elric."He looped an arm over my shoulder."And this chick is Bailey Vinez!"I grunted and side-stepped, making Ed fall to his side."HEY!"I laughed. It was just too fun, mocking him like this. He quickly stood again. "A-anyways, I'm Al's older brother, also known as the Fullmetal Alchemist!"
"Older brother? But shouldn't it be the other way around?"I laughed again as Ed began steaming, Al having to calm him down by moving his hands up and down slowly, in that certain movement that he seems to use a lot.
"Hehe, I'm Bailey Vinez, like Ed said. I'm younger than Ed, sadly one inch shorter, and is known as the Silver Wolf Alchemist."
"Huh. Why 'Silver Wolf'?"She asked. My laugh faltered a bit.
"Oh, uh, that's for me and my buds to know, hehe..."
"Oh... alright!"She smiled. Was this chick serious? Oi... The old guy chuckled to himself.
"Hey Rose, have you finished your shopping for today's offering?"He asked. She smiled again.
"Yeah."
"Well then, maybe you could take them to the temple with you! They say they're lookin' for somethin'. I bet father Cornello can help out. You know, have them ask for God's grace."
"Oh, we don't belie-"Rose cut me off.
"It's alright if you don't have an offering today!"She said."And besides, he has rooms for travelers! You could stay there tonight!"
"Thanks, but uh-"Alphonse was now cut off by his brother. Was this going to be a habit in this place?
"As a matter of fact, we'd love to take you on that offer, wouldn't we Al, Bailey?"
"We would?"We both asked.
"You mean you want to?"Al asked separately.
"Mmmhmm!"Ed mumbled. I sighed.
'Yay, a night in a church under some fake God. Joyous.' As we began to walk away, I heard a conversation back at the bar.
"It sure is nice to see Rose smiling again..."One guy said.
"Yeah. She's returning to her old self again. Her heart must be healing at last."
'Her heart?'I thought.'What happened?'
"Hey guys..."Al and I turned to Edward."Remember that woman at the shop? She knew us. Have we met before?"I shook my head.
"No. I would've remembered her voice." I wondered aloud. "Who was she, anyways..."
"You shouldn't worry!"Rose said, catching our attention once more."I'm sure Cornello will help you find what you're looking for!"She smiled again."And besides, I'm sure that if you show him you're faithful, he'll make you taller~"Okay, this chick was BEGGING for a grave. No, not from Ed, from ME! This was SO ANNOYING!
"What's wrong with you people? I'm not short! You come from a desert full of giants!"I huffed and stayed behind as Ed, Al, and Rose ran ahead. This Cornello dude... he wasn't a Prophet or worker of God. Why? Simple. God wasn't real. How? Science doesn't prove it, because science didn't make 'God', therefore, God isn't real. This Cornello guy is a fake, just like God.
[][][][][][][][][][][][][]
"Serve and true faith and thy prayers will be answered. As a man opens blinds to let the light flood in, so open thy heart so the Sun God shall shine on you."
Ugh, this sickened me. Why did I have to listen to this crap? I unplugged the nearby radio, then stretched out, my shoulders popping. A large crack was heard, and my hands wet to my lower spine quickly. I should've thought that through... I may have good balance and flexibility, but crap, things still hurt! I then looked at Edward. He was staring out at the graveyard that was shown outside our second-story window while sitting in a beige reclining chair. I walked up there also, Alphonse right behind me.
"I spoke to Rose..."He said."That grave belongs to her boyfriend... He was all she had. Her parents died when she was a little girl."I sat on the arm of the chair Ed was sitting in."She's convinced Cornello can bring him back to life."I scowled.
"Then he's leading her on..."I growled slightly, almost unheard.
"Letting her think he can do it..."Ed said, finishing my point.
"Well maybe he can."I looked at Al, surprised."What if Cornnello really is a Holy Man? Those scriptures... What if there's something else out there? Something we can't explain?"I became lost in thought. Was that possible? Things science couldn't explain? Like God? Holy Miracles, were they really miracles that science and fate couldn't explain? Or just things that were made because of our Economy, Weather, Global Warming, etc.?
"Don't count on it..."Ed said, almost scornfully. I looked out the large Bay Window again, watching the sunset as it splattered the colors of roses to violets in the evening sky. Then my sight traveled downward, into the lonely graves' settlement. Standing there was Rose, looking at a certain grave in particular. A large, chubby man was behind her. He was old, by the looks of it. He had a cane and I could see the bags on his cheeks from here. I got this vibe, making my metal feel like they were sparked by electricity, shocking my nerves and alerting my brain, that this guy, was a threat. And a big one at that.
This morning was hectic. Hectic, hectic, hectic! When we got out, we were ushered into this big hoard of people, looking at that same guy I saw yesterday. I still got that vibe, that electric shock, and it still gave me the chills. Everybody was cheering as this guy, this Cornello guy, brought a glass of water in his hands up for all to see, and then, in a flash of red lightning, it was blood-red wine. Then, he put his left hand, the same that glowed before, on a piece of lumber. After that red lightning, it was a stone statue holding a staff with a stone sun. This guy was such a fake! How long did he think he could keep this secret? That he was using Alchemy while completely ignoring the rules?
"Whadda'ya think?"Ed asked Al and I from above. Of course, he was standing on a box. Like he would get a growth spurt over night! That's about as possible as my spine growing back!
"Well it looks pretty obvious."Alphonse said.
"He's using Alchemy! And giving us State Alchemists a worse name than we've already got!"I said harshly. This dude was getting on my last nerves, and I hadn't even met him yet!
"Hey guys!"My hood twitched a small bit, not enough to see, but enough for me to know. Rose walked up to us in her pinky-dinky glory. Seriously, can I get a barf-bag here?"How are you enjoying our first Miracle Gathering? He's amazing, isn't he?"
"Well,"Ed answered truthfully,"he's an amazing actor. I'll give him that. Those aren't miracles. He's swindling you."Woot! Alchemists 1, Cornello 0
"Now Ed, we don't know that."Alphonse said, immediately bouncing up, trying to make things fair."We jut know he's using Alchemy, and he's ignoring the laws."
"What laws?"Rose asked. I sighed and Edward jumped off his mini-podium.
"Alchemy isn't some easy-peasy lemon-squeezy magic, Rose. There are rules you have to follow. Rule Number 1: Equivalent Exchange,"My voice came out extremely serious, a weird thing, for me.
"Equivalent... Exchange?"I nodded.
"To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. Equivalent Exchange. That's what makes the world go round, not 'Witchcraft', as you people call it."
'Isn't Witchcraft against religion, though?' I thought, out of nowhere.(Seriously, they called this Witchcraft in the anime, and my friend, Emily's, dad is a preacher, and she can't watch Harry Potter because of the 'Witchcraft'. So, if Cornnello's a 'Holy Man' why would he go against religion and use Witchcraft...? Just a question I thought up)
"But that Holy Bastard's disregarding it completely."I growled.
"Because he's working miracles!"Rose defended. Up front, on the platform, a girl brought a parrot to Cornello. He put his hands over it and the same lightning flashed. A green parrot flew up and landed on his shoulder. My growls grew louder."What do you say now, Bailey? I bet you can't do that with Alchemy. It's a true miracle."Her eyes teared up, and I snorted."It has to be."
'It has to be what it isn't seen as, Rose. If only you could see what we can.'
~()~()~()~()~()~()~()~
Later that day, Rose went to the church. Ed, Al, and I followed her secretly. Al went around back as Edward and I followed head on. We sat in the second row of seats, watching her clean this podium.
"So, if you pray and polish the alter enough times, someone who's dead will be brought back to life?"Edward's voice echoed in the large, candle-lit room. It truly was an amazing sight, the gothic form of this church. But we weren't here for that. Rose turned around and smiled.
"Something like that."Ed and I sighed. She just didn't get it. Edward reached inside his cherry-red cloak and pulled out a ebony-black leather book, which had an Alchemist's Circle carved on the cover.
"Water, Thirty-Five Liters." He began, opening it to a page he had kittycat-cornered. (YES, that is a real saying! look it up!) I took a look at it.
"Carbon, Twenty Kilograms."Now he took the lead.
"Ammonia, Four Liters."My turn.
"Lime, One point Five Kilograms."I think you get the pattern now.
"Phosphorous, Eight Hundred Grams."
"Salt, Two Hundred-Fifty Kilograms."
"Salt Peter, One Hundred Grams."
"Sulfur, Eighty Grams."
"Fluorine, Seven point Five."
"Iron, Five."
"Silicone, Three Grams."
"And other traces of Fifteen different elements."I finished as Edward snapped the book shut.
"What's that?"Rosa asked, seeming, at the least, slightly interested. This time Ed spoke.
"It's all the ingredients to the average human body, to the last specks of Protein in your eyelashes"He lowered his eyes, soon closing hem completely."And even though science has given us the entire physical breakdown, There's never been a successful attempt at bringing a human back to life."He leaned forward from his former relaxed position, slumping a bit."There's still something missing, something scientist haven't been able to find in centuries of research."He now looked at Rose confident, as did I.
"So what makes you think that hack-job of a Priest can?"I asked. It all went silent for a brief moment.
"And in case you're wondering,"Edward replied after she inhaled sharply,"All those ingredients can be bought on a child's allowance. Human's can be built on the cheap. There's no magic to it."Rose's face began to contort slowly. She was jumpy, but aggravated, by the looks of it. She suddenly burst out.
"Well if there's no magic, then you bring someone back to life!"I smirked slightly. Man, she was an idiot!
"It's just a matter of time before science finds a way."I stood up, Edward doing the same."Science is the answer to everything, whether you know it or not."We began walking towards her, not as a threat, though. Now Edward spoke again.
"If I were you, I'd drop the scriptures and pick up an Alchemy book. We're the closest things to Gods there are."I leaned on the alter, waving my index finger around one of the candle's flames.
"You aren't Gods. You're nothing close to it."Rose said, facing us fully.
"And neither is the sun."I sighed as I took the lead once more.
"The sun is just a big ball of gas. A star. And is one of many. Bring up a bigger one..."I put my thumb and index finger to the wick of the candle, stopping the ember flat."It goes out. Something else is better."I suddenly jumped as a metal 'click' echoed around us. I looked to my right, and there was Al, with one of those preacher guys behind him.
"Don't worry young ones..."He spoke in a deep and masculine voice as Alphonse rose. I could just barely see the pistil in his hand."You will join him soon."He pulled the trigger, and the 'BANG' made my hands grip my hood tightly. Al's helmet shot forward and onto the floor, in front of Edward, while the rest of him fell to the floor.
"Uh! Crey! What are you doing?"Rose asked, panicked.
"These three are enemies of god."This 'Crey' guy brought the pistil up again, aiming at Edward and I."It's his will Rose, not mine."She quickly stepped to the side, and gasped. But then, out of all this, I smirked. He hadn't noticed that Al had stood again.
"I don't think so, mister."His face switched to one of surprise as he turned to look at the massive metal plates that connected together to make the armor. He started backing up, pointing at Alphonse. Ed quickly kicked his helmet up into the air while Crey couldn't stop us, caught it, then threw it straight at his head. Crey fell to the floor, unconscious, as Al ran around, trying to catch his head, yelling "I got it, I got it!" I Punched one fist in the air and grinned.
"STRIKE! IT'S GOOD!"But then, Rose just had to ruin it with that pitiful little scream. I looked at her, and she had her hands to her mouth in disbelief.
"H-He doesn't have a head!"I laughed nervously as Ed smiled.
"Yeah, that's Al!"He responded. Al turned to her, and she looked into the empty void of swirling shadows within.
"Please don't be scared, Rose. This is how I am."Alphonse tried to reassure her, but he was failing.
"Y-you're not there..."Rose said, slowly backing up."I-Is Bailey like that, too?"I laughed a little again, shaking my head, but she didn't see. Al put his helmet back on again, snapping it into place.
"It's true, I don't have a body. Bu I'm here. This is my punishment for setting foot on holy ground, where mortals are forbidden."Edward cast his sight down."We made a mistake, Rose, and we're paying for it. Rose began walking backwards again, her purple eyes widening considerably. I wasn't long before she screamed and began to run away from us.
"Rose, wait!"Ed yelled, ready to give chase. I sighed.
"Sheesh, and she hasn't even got to the scary part yet!"I took his shoulder, making him look at me."We hav'ta go to the main Chapel. That's where they'd be."He nodded, and we headed out of the church. This was going to be a long night.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!
We opened the doors to one of the many rooms in the main church. It was pitch-black inside.
"I can't see a church social down here, can you?"Edward asked, a bit harshly. I shrugged, ignoring it.
"Nope."Then the light came on. Candle-light. Rose was there, standing on a stair-led platform.
"There she is!"Edward got ready to lunge forward, but I stopped him by pointing at an old man who was walking down the stairs. Cornello.
"You've wrestle with the darkness and prevailed, Rose."He spoke."And thank you, for bringing them here."More candles spouted to life around us, giving us a slightly better view of the field before us. Cornello stood beside Rose, finally facing us with a cruel smile on his wrinkly face. I growled, those shocks and chills returning."State Alchemists, brutal reinforcements. I knew some of you would come someday."
"Well let's not chop that up to biased premonitions, okay?"Ed yelled up to him, standing confidently, wearing that grin of his."You knew we'd come for the stone!"At this, Cornello's smirk grew and he opened on old eye. He rose up his right hand, which placed on his middle finger, was a gold band with a red rock placed firmly. The Philosopher's Stone.
"Do you mean this, young man?"Now I smirked.
"I knew it..."Edward smirked one of his own, also."Alchemy without a Transmutation Circle. Completely ignoring the principle of Equivalent Exchange! It could only mean one thing!"
"Yes, the mythical gem."Cornello started, his voice still low and over-confident, if you ask me."The legendary amplifier. The Philosopher's Stone."
"That's it, Al, Bailey..."Edward said."It's ours."He put his left hand on his hip and the other out in the 'Give me' manner."Cough it up, Cornello! That stone belongs to me now, and if ya' hand it over peacefully, I won't tell the people here what you've been doing!"
"What's that, restoring your town to peace and prosperity?"Cornello spoke once gain. I swear, he was just nagging me on!"Do know what would happen if my miraculous wonders suddenly stopped? Nobody wants that."I growled lowly. He looked at Rose, who seemed frozen."Do we, Rose?"
"Don't listen to him Rose!"I yelled abruptly, stepping my right leg forward."He's just a low-life conman who-"
"Nonsense."Cornello interrupted. My growls grew louder."Would a conman restore life to a dying town? When I arrived, this town was full of strife and I brought peace. They came to me with parched throats and I made water. I've built buildings for them and even gave them money. They believe that heaven had forsaken them but I gave them hope and became their prophet. Why does the military want to soil all this?"Edward was about to burst.
"I don't care what the military wants, I'm here for me!"He yelled.
"What?"
"I need that stone... We need it to make something right again!"
"Oh!"Rose said, seeming to think up a picture in her mind."So that's it! This is about you, and what you want! What about us?"She leaned farther onto the bar she held."You don't care!"Al slumped over a bit.
"Rose, we're only trying t-"Ed put his hand up before his younger brother.
"It's no use!"He said. A second later, Rose was looking down, crying. I really didn't know why she was so emotional over this, but whatever.
"Enough!"Cornello brought his hand up again."There's no point in arguing. If you want the Philosopher's Stone, you'll have to take it from me!"His hand glowed with that same red lightning, and the stone floor beneath us transformed into yellow sands. Before we could really understand what had happened, a huge dune wave formed under our feet and knocked us around. Edward jumped up just in time, but my foot sunk, disabling me for that split second, letting the wave carry me. One second I was getting my leg free and the other, I felt a searing pain on the back of my head. I slipped down one of the many pillars slowly, the pain throbbing, blurring my view.
"Al! Bailey!"Ed called out. I blinked a couple of times to clear my vision and tried to stand, but only succeeded halfway, falling flat on my face. I looked up quickly though, my head still swirling."Hold on!"It started swirling more and more, darkness crawling closer, but I stood up and tall, determined not to let a headache bring me down.
"Armor is a disadvantage in soft sand!"Cornello said smugly. I looked around. Alphonse couldn't be seen."You can't draw Transmutation Circles in it, either."I growled and placed my hand on the pillar, steadying myself. What caught my eye, though, was how a quarter down it, crimson made a sketched line. I felt the back of my hood, and sure enough, it was caked in some liquid. As I pulled my hand back, I looked at it. Blood. Cornello placed his hand on a block in the wall, grinning maliciously."Let me show you one of my creations..."A metal clanking echoed around us, and I froze. I could hear it, it's breathing, it's steps. I was bloody, and something was coming up beside me. Surely, it could scent blood from a mile away. The inhales and exhales of the creature became louder, faster. The steps became more powerful, accelerating."You, of all people, should be able to appreciate this!"I sucked in a deep breath, and everything went in slow-mo in my head."A Chimera!"
"Bailey!"I turned to the sound of pawsteps, and saw the animal, no, the Chimera, running towards me. I couldn't move. My mind was racing, as if searching through a filing cabinet to figure out how to escape. Then, all I saw was a flash of red, and there stood my savior, his right arm being chomped on by a half lion-half snake beast. I blinked and breathed out. Ed had saved me, just in time. The Chimera gnawed on his right arm, and I winced, holding mine. I wonder what that would feel like... I shook my head and pushed the though away. Edward stood still, then smirked."What's the matter, you lil' basterd?Can't get a good taste?"Cornello grunted and threw out his parrot, holding up his fist and aiming the lightning at it. The harmless bird transformed into a huge feathered creature
"Go, my pet!"It started flying towards me, like a jet, clamping it's talons onto my back. I screamed. It hurt, but not like rip and tear. My spine had popped just the way it shouldn't by that pull, the one that was coming from the base of my lower back. Cornello laughed. "You should die any minute now, with those deep wounds of yours."I snorted as Ed threw the Chimera away like trash, blood pouring from it's jaws."What the..."I snickered and twisted in the scythe-like talons until I was in the right spot, and sucker-punched the overgrown parrot's jaw. It screeched loudly and dropped me, and sadly, I was Thirty feet above the ground. Cornello grinned, that is, until he saw me front-flip and land upright. But what was queer to him, was that my feet where crossed in thin air, almost like I was floating. Little did he know that my ebony cloak covered my silver support beam. I grinned and laughed as Ed walked up beside me. Rose gasped. The parrot flew up to us quickly, but Edward just smirked and punched it with his right arm, sending it to the opposite side, and furthermore, unconscious. I rose both my fists in glory.
"HOME RUN!"I laughed. I then held my hand down and Ed slapped it, laughing with me.
"B-But how?"Cornello asked. I smirked."That's impossible! Those claws on your spine! The teeth on your arm! No one could survive that!"
"Unless..."I smiled harshly, my voice mocking. Cornello's eyes widened. He finally figured it out.
"Your limbs! They're fake!"I growled and smirked.
"DINGDINGDING! We have a winner!"Edward began ripping his cloak off, exposing his metal arm. Rose seemed absolutely terrified.
"Oh God..."She muttered.
"Don't look away, Rose. You need to see what happens when you try to bring a human to life!"Edward yelled."When you cross in God's territory or whatever the hell it is! Is this what you want?"Her ripped all of the crimson cloth off, his AutoMail arm and some of his leg from the torn pants he wore shining brightly in the candlelight."LOOK! AND YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN THE WORST OF IT YET!"
"H-His arm..."Rose mumbled."His leg, they're machines!"
"And what about you?"Cornello pointed at me. I growled and descended the small Three feet down, placing my feet on the ground."Your torso, it's those machines, too, isn't it?"I laughed.
"Oh, I wish!"He recoiled."I wish it was only that much!"My growls grew louder."I wish I wasn't born deaf and with half a spine! I wish my parents had took me to a professional than some conman like you! Rose, now is the time for you to see what hardships are REALLY LIKE!"I tore off my cloak swiftly, and took in the light. My dark-chocolate hair fell down to my shoulder blades and my gray-blue eyes adjusted to this light, as under the hood it was darker. My sharp-pointed silver ears pricked up, twitching and moving in every direction, taking the sounds of it all. And lastly, behind me, a long, Three-and-a-half long silver tail twitched behind me. My attachments were an awkward sight, indeed. My tail's underside showed light and dark gray fur in layers, the top covered in many plates of pure, genuine silver. In the middle of those plates was a circle that had what looked somewhat like a jagged drawing of a wolf's muzzle howling to a half-circle, the moon. Rose's eyes doubled, no, quadrupled, than when she saw Ed.
"H-Holy Mother of Lito!"She screeched.
"I see... now I understand you two, Elric, Vinez."Cornello said. I stabbed the needle-like tip of my tail in the sand and supported myself once again as I sat in mid-air. (THAT'S what I get for watching Soul Eater's Medusa for too long, stealing her pose! lol) "You crossed the line and did what was strictly forbidden! You tried to create human life and you and your brother's bodies were taken from you! And the other had desperate parents who thought nothing more than 'Make her better', when in reality, they just made you worse!"
"We told you Rose..."Edward said solemnly."About the Sun God, a word of advice;
"Get too close, and you'll burn."He and I chorused.
"Apparently so, but you were crazy enough to find out for yourselves!"Cornello yelled crazily."You two are the Fulmetal and Silver Wolf! The Fullmetal and Silver Wolf Alchemists!"
TO BE CONTINUED
And so ends Episode 1: Those Who Challenge the Sun
Stay tuned for Episode 2:Body of the Sanctioned
