I have returned with another chapter! Huzzah! Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story thus far! You guys are so sweet and encourage me much more than you all will ever understand. I've had so much fun writing this story so far, and you guys make it even better!
No warnings for this chapter. That's pretty dope.
I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.
"You should really eat," Roy commented as he looked at Riza's untouched plate of food.
He was such a hypocrite. He had hardly eaten himself, but he forced at least a few bites of the bread and fruit in front of him down his throat.
The First Lieutenant knew that she should eat. Every one of them had a very long day ahead of them and they needed the energy, but just the sight of the food in front of her made her want to vomit. Seeing the blood still splattered on her dress didn't do anything to quell the nausea.
She picked up the piece of bread and took a bite, at least trying to follow her superior's suggestion. She spat it out in her napkin instantly, but discretely as not to draw any unnecessary attention to her and her commanding officer.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
The Colonel frowned. It was already bad enough that he and Riza didn't get to see Edward. Before he was brought back to his prison, one of the guards found the two in the halls. He was grateful that the man was gullible enough to believe they were just lost since they were new to the Sanct. While he was relieved their cover remained intact for the time being, a chance to check on his subordinate was taken away from him.
At least he had the opportunity to speak to Ed a few hours ago. His First Lieutenant wasn't as fortunate in that respect. The only time she had seen the kid was when Corinthian broke his ankle and Absalom whipped him to a bloody pulp.
He wished he could do or say something that would ease her nerves, but he knew her well enough to know there was nothing he could do.
"Have you seen Jean?" Riza asked suddenly.
She scanned around the members of the congregation, all of which were chattering and causing her to cringe every time one of them mentioned the whipping. Havoc wasn't anywhere in sight.
The Colonel glanced around as well, his brow furrowing when there was no sign of his Second Lieutenant. He recalled seeing him follow Zayne after the whipping, but the young boy was nowhere to be seen.
"I don't see Zayne either," he muttered.
He could only hope that Havoc was getting more information out of the kid. All three of them needed it desperately if they were going to have any hope of getting Ed out of this madness soon.
*break*
"Zayne?" Jean quietly asked as they two wandered around the garden just beyond the archway.
The young boy didn't say a word. He hadn't since the whipping. Something was bothering the kid. That's the whole reason Jean followed him in the first place. He figured the boy would talk when he was ready.
He never had the chance to actually look around the garden that surrounded the Sanct. From what he understood, no one in the congregation usually ventured out into the bright, colorful oasis. He stared around at the vibrant flowers, fruits, and vegetables growing all around them. He remembered Zayne explaining that only the brothers could pick the fruits and vegetables since they were the only ones that could bless them before the congregation consumed them. No one was supposed to even touch anything growing in the garden, so he supposed it made sense why no one ever wanted to come here.
"Am I being unfaithful for not believing Edward is evil like the brothers are saying?" the previously silent kid asked, jarring the Second Lieutenant out of his thoughts.
"Not in the slightest," Jean responded automatically, unable to completely keep the bitterness out of his tone.
He had to force himself to remain patient. How anyone could see a fifteen-year-old as evil was beyond his imagination, especially Edward Elric. He grinned to himself as he remembered first meeting the young alchemist. Sure the kid could come across as a cocky, hot-headed brat if he really wanted to, but that didn't even scratch the surface of who he really was.
As he and the rest of the team got to know Edward and Alphonse Elric over the past few years, they learned quickly that those boys were some of the most selfless people they had ever met, never hesitating to look out for and defend those they cared about. Ed might try to deny it, but everyone knew that also meant the Colonel and the rest of his subordinates.
"Zachary took me to the sanctuary before I returned to the barracks," Zayne continued. "He thought Edward had tainted my soul since I had spent the last few days with him. He begged the Moon to cleanse my soul and my mind of the Darkness, but I honestly don't understand why. I can't tell anyone else what I think. They'll just tell me that I'm a terrible disciple and I should pray to the Moon for forgiveness."
"You aren't any less faithful," Havoc tried to assure the kid. "All you've done is prove you can think for yourself. There's nothing wrong with believing what you do, and there's nothing wrong with asking questions either. I've known Edward for years now and I can tell you he's not what the brothers are saying he is."
"I knew it was a lie. Sometimes, I wonder why my brothers and sisters take what the Jones brothers say as law. If we could read the Scriptures the brothers claim to have, it would make a bit more sense to believe what they say. We don't have any idea if what they're saying really comes from the Moon, but no one seems to care. It's absolutely mad! When you two first came to the Sanct, I finally felt like I met some people who were truly…sane…for a lack of a better word."
The Second Lieutenant nearly chuckled at that last statement, but refrained. Zayne was finally saying what was on his mind. He didn't want the boy to think he was dismissing the things that were bothering him. Quite the contrary. He was relieved to see that at least one person here somewhat had a good head on his shoulders, but he also couldn't help but feel sorry for Zayne. He didn't know how long these thoughts had been eating at the kid, and no one in the congregation would believe him if he tried to talk about it.
"Did you know Edward taught me how to tie my hair up?" Zayne asked.
Stunned, Jean shook his head.
"I haven't cut it since my family joined the congregation. I was too embarrassed to ask someone to show me how. Edward noticed my hair falling in my face and taught me how to tie it up like he does. I know it sounds silly, but I was really touched. I thought he might give me a hard time for it, but he never did. Ever since I started having doubts about what the brothers were telling us, it seemed hard for me to connect with the others kids my age in the congregation. I thought I would have a new friend here. I couldn't stand to see Brother Absalom…."
Zayne's voice trailed off and he stared at the variety of plants surrounding them. He quite obviously didn't want to talk about what just happened to the young alchemist he began to see as his friend. Havoc didn't know what to say, but he did know something else was still eating at the kid. Even after admitting all he had to the Second Lieutenant, Zayne still looked uneasy.
Jean was about to urge him to continue when something green caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. There were various green plants throughout the garden, but he could scarcely believe what he was seeing.
Before he even realized what he was doing, he stormed up to the innocent-looking leaves.
Zayne opened his mouth, as if to automatically tell him not to touch the plants, but stopped himself when he saw the look on Jean's face.
"Does anyone in the congregation eat these?" the Second Lieutenant asked.
"None of us do," Zayne responded, confused. "I think Zachary told me the brothers sometimes put those mint leaves in their tea. He said it's supposed to help them clear their minds to be open to hear from the Moon."
"This isn't mint."
Well, Havoc couldn't say that for certain just yet. He would have to ask the Colonel and First Lieutenant just to be safe. He grabbed a few of the leaves and stuffed them in his pocket. He headed back toward the archway with Zayne following just a step behind him. The two were silent until Zayne spoke up when they were almost back to the courtyard.
"Jean, if I ask you something, will you promise to answer me honestly?"
"Of course," the Second Lieutenant answered instantly.
"The military didn't order you all to come to the Sanct just because of those two murders, did they?"
Havoc froze in his tracks. He couldn't get himself to look at Zayne despite the question he knew was coming.
"Jean, do you know what happened to my dad?"
*break*
Roy and Riza trudged out of the dining hall. They had been hoping Havoc would join them, but they waited and waited for the Second Lieutenant and the man never showed up.
Well, until now.
Jean briskly approached the two, grabbing their arms and guiding them toward the sanctuary.
"Brother, sister, I think we need to pray."
Neither the Colonel nor the First Lieutenant questioned the man as he guided them to the wooden double doors. Despite the fact that the sanctuary was open to everyone for the entirety of the day, only a couple other members of the congregation occupied the giant room. Havoc glanced around, relieved when the third pew from the back remained empty.
Quietly sliding down to the far end of the pew, he reached underneath the seat and retrieved the microphone hidden there. The three instantly shut their eyes and bowed their heads as one of the two other occupants in the sanctuary stood up. Once the heavy wooden doors slammed shut, they opened their eyes again.
"I found this in the garden," Havoc whispered as he pulled the leaves out of his pocket. "Zayne thought this was mint."
Riza's eyes widened as she grabbed the green, mint-like leaves.
"This is salvia," she murmured, not wanting to believe it.
She recalled her time in the military academy, basic survival training. She remembered forcing herself to remember what plants were safe to eat and which ones weren't. It was quite boring, but necessary to know. Salvia looked a lot like mint, only slight differences in the shape of their leaves being the only way to tell them apart.
While salvia wasn't exactly harmful, it did cause vivid hallucinations.
"Zayne said the Jones brothers put this in their tea," Havoc explained. "I'm not sure how long they've been doing that, but I would assume it's been happening a long time now. He said no one in the congregation has ever had them."
Roy groaned softly in frustration and buried his face in his hands. That made sense. He remembered looking at the map Breda put up in the warehouse in Freyvale. A forest began not even a mile from the Sanct. He was almost certain that salvia was growing there as well. It wasn't exactly uncommon in the Northeast.
Even before the Disciples of the Moon started growing their massive garden, the brothers could have been consuming the plant for a while.
"Are you telling me these 'visions' they claim to be having are just hallucinations?" he growled.
Riza's eyebrows rose.
"Sometimes I just wish I could hear from the Moon like the brothers. Everyone in the congregation does, but the brothers have assured us that the Moon will speak to us when the time is right!"
"That's why no one else has heard from the Moon," she realized.
Havoc perked up as the lone man in the very front pew got up and left the sanctuary, leaving the three military officers alone. He looked pointedly at the stage, then to the Colonel. His commanding officer immediately nodded in understanding. He grabbed the small bug out of Havoc's hand.
"It's me again," the Colonel said directly into the microphone. "Lieutenants Hawkeye, Havoc, and myself remain uninjured. Major Elric's injuries have unfortunately worsened. Lieutenant Havoc will place this microphone in his cell. If Major Elric gives the order to raid the Sanct, you follow it without any questions."
He handed the small device back to Jean. Without needing to be asked, the Second Lieutenant left the sanctuary.
The Colonel jumped up from his seat and motioned for Riza to follow him up to the stage and to the very back wall. This might be their only chance to investigate more into that accursed circle.
*break*
Jean whispered very detailed directions as he retraced the steps to Ed's makeshift cell. If their forces were going to invade, they needed to know how to get to Ed as fast as they could. He had to quickly take cover in when he heard guards coming his direction. Sneaking out from the room that had been his temporary hiding place, he glanced down the hallway where Ed's prison awaited.
There were no guards.
Initially, he was shocked, but he supposed it wasn't necessary.
Ed probably wasn't even conscious yet. Even if he was, he was in no position to resist at all. Then there was the fact that the brothers believed that he couldn't perform alchemy without those gloves. The brothers probably didn't see a reason to station one right outside of his prison.
Well, whatever the reason, he definitely wouldn't complain.
Hesitantly, the Second Lieutenant entered his young comrade's cell.
He thought he was mentally prepared because of what he saw in the courtyard, but he was very wrong.
Ed was curled up on his side, unmoving. As Jean moved closer, he noticed someone had done a poor job of bandaging the kid's back. Dark red seeped through the thin strips of white cloth. It looked as if someone was just trying to prevent him from losing too much blood, nothing more. The more he thought about it, it made sense.
Ed was supposed to be sacrificed this evening. The Jones brothers didn't care about properly bandaging him or preventing his wounds from getting infected since they were going to kill him anyway.
The kid's wrists were once again restrained behind his back with that damned barbed wire. A twinge of annoyance surged through the Second Lieutenant. Those brothers couldn't give the kid a break. Despite having broken his ankle and rendered his back to a mess of mutilated flesh, they still wanted to cause him pain.
Unconsciously, Jean moved closer to the young alchemist and kneeled beside the still form. The agony etched on Ed's face increased the already present concern he was feeling for the kid. He reached out to move the sweat-soaked hair that had fallen in front of the kid's face. He was met with a pained groan at the contact.
It took Ed a few tries to open his eyes. Guilt washed over the Second Lieutenant. He didn't mean to wake the kid.
"H-Havoc?" Ed's scratchy voice croaked through the previously quiet cell.
The boy moved slightly before letting out another pained groan. It seemed that he was trying to sit up.
"Don't move," Jean ordered as he placed a firm, yet gentle hand on Ed's shoulder. "You'll irritate your injuries."
Surprisingly, Ed obeyed. The kid was stubborn and notorious for not following orders, but even he must have realized he shouldn't be moving in his condition. He didn't even have the energy to come up with a sarcastic retort for the Second Lieutenant.
This only furthered his concern.
"Did you find out who…." Ed began to ask, but trailed off.
He barely had the strength to talk.
Havoc blinked, momentarily forgetting that the human transmutation circle even existed. Ed's physical state was so appalling that it was difficult for him to remember what he was supposed to be doing.
He shook his head.
"Not yet, Chief."
Anger briefly flashed in Ed's eyes before they were glazed over in pain again.
"Then why the hell are you here? I told you not to worry about me!"
The kid was trying his best to sound angry, but he was just too weak and suffering through too much pain to pull it off. His back felt as if it were on fire. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to mentally block out the pure agony.
He failed miserably.
"Too bad, Chief," Havoc said. "The Colonel told me to give you this."
Ed opened his eyes again and saw the small microphone the Second Lieutenant held in his hand. Glancing around the room, he tried to determine the best place to hide it. The cell was bare, so he settled for hiding the bug in Ed's pocket. At least it wouldn't be seen.
"If you feel that your life is in danger, just say the word and our forces from Freyvale will come in and get you out." He held up a hand when Ed was obviously about to protest. "Don't fight us on this. Zayne said the sacrifice probably wouldn't happen until midnight, just like the callings. However, the brothers are unpredictable. In case they decide they want to do the sacrifice sooner, you have to have a way to pull the plug on this mission."
That seemed to catch Ed's attention. He nodded in understanding. If the three military officers had anything to do about it, it wouldn't come to that.
Although, none of them would have thought Ed would be in the condition he's in now. When Jeremiah said that pain and suffering were the only ways to purify his soul, this was not what they had imagined. They couldn't believe the Jones brothers would justify torturing a fifteen-year-old to this extent. There was one thought that nearly made the Second Lieutenant shudder.
The brothers could do worse.
He put a hand on Ed's face, making sure the teen was looking him in the eyes.
"Ed, you know you can also call them in if you can't take the pain anymore. You're so brave. You didn't hesitate to give yourself up so we could still try to figure out the murders, but you've suffered through so much already. If you just can't take it anymore, no one will think any less of you."
Ed might see himself as weak for doing so, but no one else would. Havoc had to let the kid know that. He knew several soldiers that would have cracked before this point, so he was beyond proud of Ed for his willingness to help the brainwashed people of this congregation.
Unfortunately, even the strongest people had their breaking point. When Ed reached his, he had to know that it wasn't a sign of weakness.
After a moment of hesitation, Ed nodded.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway. The Second Lieutenant took that as his cue to sneak out.
Ed would never admit it, but he missed Havoc already. The Jones brothers and their congregation couldn't be described as anything less than insane. Just the presence of any of the three military officers brought him more comfort than he would ever willingly say.
Actually, he just wished they could all leave.
But they couldn't. If they did, the murders would just continue. He would never forgive himself if another person fell victim to this strange cult.
He shut his eyes as the door to his cell opened. He heard footsteps getting closer and closer to him. They stopped near his head. Keeping his breathing slow and steady, he feigned sleep.
If he was unconscious, they couldn't hurt him.
Well, that's what he thought.
He was doused in cold water and an agonizing scream tore its way out of his throat. The wounds on his back erupted in new flames of fiery pain.
"I figured salt water would be my best bet of making sure you were awake."
After several torturous moments, he opened his eyes and was met with the blurry form of Absalom towering over him. He grabbed the young alchemist by his hair and dragged him over to the wall. Setting him against the stone, he then sat down in front of the kid.
"W-what do you…."
Ed couldn't even finish the question as searing pain shot through every inch of his back.
"I see you have two metal limbs, Edward," he began. "You tried to hide your automail leg from us. You and Jean said you lost your arm in the car accident that claimed the lives of your parents. That was obviously a lie, so you could say I'm definitely curious as to how you lost your arm and leg."
Ed tried to focus on the man before him. Of all things, he wanted to know why he had automail? It didn't make sense.
"You see, there are a number of ways someone can lose a limb. Of course, accidents can happen. However, the more and more I thought about you and your knowledge of alchemy at your age, I began to wonder if it was just an accident…or perhaps a rebound?" He chuckled when Ed's eyes widened. "Just as I thought. Tell me, Edward, what do you know about human transmutation?"
The young alchemist was too stunned to say a word. Even if he could, he wouldn't.
Suddenly, Absalom was on his feet. Ed felt pressure on his right knee as the man stomped on it and began adding more of his weight.
"Why?" Ed choked out despite the pain.
"You have less than a day before you're sacrificed, Edward Elric. It's up to you how you spend the rest of it. I want to know how you did it. Obviously, your theory didn't work. I'm not too surprised. An alchemist like you couldn't even come close to the correct theory for human transmutation, but you could say I'm trying to keep an open mind. If you answer my questions, I'll leave you alone and can get my brothers to do the same. I'll ask again: what do you know about human transmutation?"
Ed still refused to answer. He clenched his eyes shut as the pressure on his knee intensified and showed no sign of relenting.
"I would like to think you'll come to your senses soon enough."
Crack.
And there's lucky number seven! I hope you enjoyed Havoc looking out for and worrying about his little brother! In my opinion there aren't enough brotherly moments between Ed, Al, and the rest of the team. I guess we just have to create it ourselves!
I know this chapter probably brought more questions than answers, but not to worry! Everything will make sense…somewhat…eventually. Can a cult really ever make sense?
Anyways, I hope to be able to write some this weekend. If so, the next chapter should be out early next week. No promises because life can get pretty crazy. Anyways, until next time!
