Chapter 2: The Heart Part 1 (Order 3066)

Somehow Issac drifts himself into glimpsing at the visages of the train, he somehow thought of home for that mere moment. True he ventured out to earn his place as the State Alchemist fighting an honourable war, a war to liberate the unclean. He watched a field of flowers and quickly sketched the patch of field, with such tenderness and calm. Issac secretly wished he had brought his watercolours along, to capture the vividness of the flowers in the field.

A voice echoed in the distance, just Archer smirking smugly "Sanctifying yourself for that one moment Isaac…" Issac turned to Archer quietly, which he placed a cigarette in between his mouth. "I know it sounds pretty pretentious but…" as he flipped through his dog-eared sketchbook, all animated with vignettes of life, from the food he ate on his journey to the train, the faces of a child playing with her mother's hair with her luminous eyes and even the bridge that snaked across the pretty lake. They were filled with joy and respite, unknowingly forgotten in the future. "You have talent, I suppose if you do not become a State Alchemist, people will buy your shit.." Archer laughed again as he flipped his sketchbook. Archer muttered under his breath while bitting his cigarette between his teeth "My my my…", admiring the details of his work. "To be honest, I cannot draw to save my life..but you…"

"You have bloody talent..." Issac heaved again as he ran over to the next corner to draw another transmutation circle. Maybe he should have fled to a different path, but he can never take back. His heart raced amidst the screams of the soldiers. He can never forget the sunken eyes of the corpses of the Ishvlans, as he waved his arms to form frightful icicles, blocking the views of the soldiers and slowly unleashed steaming tides, blinding them from Issac's quick steps. Another corner ran off with soldiers aiming at Issac's forehead which he quickly grasped it. Soon steam covered the secluded corner.

"Freezing and boiling. The elements of water." Isaac spoke frankly, the deconstruction and reconstruction are the factors where alchemy is birthed. That makes killing the soldiers easier, as he closed his heart to those frightened by his radicalism.

Perhaps it was not that time...

"If we are not stuck in that shitty war…you could be a bloody artist.." Isaac reluctantly closed his sketchbook, shutting down Archer's showering comments. A change of scene churred Isaac's stomach. A broken bridge protrudes outside the fog, and instead of a clear stream. The water is streaked by the blood of men and women lying on the floor. Isaac closed his eyes off the horror, the horror only echoed at the paintings of an obscure museum, hellish forces swallowing the fertile land. He will never forget that hellish image. "And I swear I thought that hell did not exist…until now…" A wasteland enraptured by honour and glory. Kimblee chuckled slightly "You may be right Archer…" as he heaved in the aroma of the burning battlefield "The carnage…like spring.." Archer grew sick to the stomach on Kimblee's glee "War…what a time of reckoning and change, and we.." Isaac shuddered slightly on Kimblee's erotic grin as they passed away from the horrid landscape unto the blistering desert. "Are simply the harbingers of this land." At that moment the train whistled to their destination. Isaac swallowed slightly, as he kept the sketchbook inside his coat. And soon he followed the row of state alchemists whose gazes will swallow the calm land. Archer simpered darkly to Isaac who shivered slightly. "And so it begins…" and somehow he let the cigarette off from his mouth and blew a cloud of smoke. "Order 3066." Isaac watched the carnage of a rather peaceful town, with citizens screaming and blood trailing at every crevice of the land. That hellish image that is reckoned to an another, as the body become shrivelled. He glanced at the dashing dots, and suddenly the spear landed on the pathway. He observed quietly, it was not crafted by men, but a force that circled around by nature.


"Alchemy…" Somehow he heard a cocky voice of a young boy "Man that is horrible…" observing the carnage Isaac caused. "Sacrifices are inherent when attempting something great.." Isaac gave a cold grin "That is Equivalent Exchange." And indeed a horrid one to be exact, and soon they came to a battlefield. The hearts soon stripped off the battlefield. The young man came out the shadows, with striking golden eyes "This and that is not a thing…",as he clapped his hands furiously transmuting a spear into a bat with a comical face.

He seems to have a life that is not a battlefield. That should be fun.

Isaac swung his body against the young alchemist's swings. He heard the clanking at the distance. An armoured man clinging onto his body with steel arms. He is at the losing end, at most, he heard about the rumours of the youngest State Alchemist, a shining star in the military's dull crown. Of course, the boy's temper was hard to oppose, compared to the innocent Ishvalns who trembled at Issac's quick lunges at the battlefield.

Issac quietly surrendered himself to the forces, whilst praise was bathed to the glories of the Elric brothers. As he walked quietly to a secluded corner, he glanced at the puddles on the pavements. Maybe he cannot do it alone. He thought of the next person alive who lived those horrors. Kimblee. He heard rumours about his horrid killings of those involved in the military, and currently held in Central prison for his acts. Again a coup from King Bradley, to brainwash the military personnel.

That morning, Issac awoke wearily from the tent, when he glanced at Archer smirking at him wearily "Well wake up Issac of the Ice…" He watched Archer repressed his tremors in his hands. "We are making haste to the East of the State" Isaac missed the light-hearted banter between Archer and himself, it mostly eased the loneliness which they faced. "Apparently you know the shitty Flame Alchemist, and his dog Hughes who sat alongside with us." Slowly Issac lifted himself up from his bed and paced slowly. He recognized the duo, they seem to create a bond, and Roy's eyes holding to Hughes. "They are closer than ever, heard he wanted to be the Fuhrer, taking over King Bradley... A ballsy task I must say.."

"And you…" Isaac mummer wearily "What did you think of Roy.." Archer replied darkly "Aside from that he is ambitious, I admire his guts, but it wears him down someday. In fact, that bloody war shows the worse in humans, given that Kimblee seems to enjoy killing every Ishvlan in cold blood. Bloody hell his laughter grates me…"

Isaac fought the churring of his stomach of Kimblee's light-hearted nature to war. Maybe he will follow Issac's cry. He too must feel the heat of war. Issac smiled coldly as he clapped his transmutation circles and slowly fell down. Like a fog, he disappeared into the darkness, devising his next move to take down the king that oppose his people.


Note: Thank you for all who read my fanfic, I hope you will continue to follow that story. Interestingly I took to watch The Fullmetal Alchemist to refresh my mind on Issac' scenes, and one of the challenges is to flesh out Issac as he is deemed as a one-note villain, so adding Archer is a great idea and plus I love the comedic foil between him and Isaac. I actually prefer my interpretation of the confrontation between Kimblee and Isaac more than the anime (And plus Kimblee is very fun to write which I may add his character into my original stories ), though I struggle to tone down the comedy aspect between the Elric Brothers and Isaac first meeting. But do not worry I am going to do more Elric brothers' scenes which is gonna be fun.

What really helps in this fanfic is reading T.S Eliot's The Waste Land in creating such vivid imagery of a battlefield and its horrors, I especially like Burial of the Dead, and The Hollow Men which I get my pen name from, to push Eliot's psychological lenses into Issac. It is rare I get to read things for stories but it helps me to get the right tone.

As usual, feedback and likes will be appreciated and I will put that chapter on Tumblr for our reading pleasure.