A/N: Forgive me for the wait I got distracted from writing for a while. Sorry to leave you all with a cliffhanger, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!
CHAPTER 11
"This..." Hohenheim swallowed the many emotions that were building up a solid barrier in his throat and tore his eyes away from the paper to look up at Anthony. "This is the...the..."
"The instructions on how to go about making the legendary Philosopher's Stone," the man answered quietly, not meeting Hohenheim's gaze but instead staring down at his clenched hands.
"But why-how did-there is no way he could have found this out, these instructions-" Hohenheim's words were simply pouring out his mouth for the soul purpose of keeping the barrier down. His mind was racing as he studied this information over and over. Of course, he had come across this term during his research, but all that was said insisted that alchemists not even think of trying to make one. Impossible and only a myth is what they said. Yet here before him were the clear instructions.
"My brother studied alchemy for nearly all of his life, I am sure he could have found this out easily." Anthony should have looked at least a bit proud of his brother's great achievement, but the look on his face merely implied that he was about to be sick. "All those correspondents he had...days locked up in his room studying..."
"I cannot believe this," Dante spoke finally, just as flummoxed as Hohenheim. "All those times he mentioned Hohenheim Avaris and his studies...I never knew this was what the two of them were working on."
"His brother knew Hohenheim Avaris?" Hohenheim cried incredulously, looking away from Anthony and the paper to stare in surprise at her.
"Did he?" Anthony inquired, displaying the same emotions. Dante started, as though she had just come out of a trance and looked from one man to the other. After a while she nodded slowly.
"Yes, they were friends for quite some time, unless I am mistaken," she explained. "They met at some sort of conference or gathering is what he told me."
"Why did you not tell me before your brother knew him? Rather if you had this information, why even seek me out in the first place?" Hohenheim questioned Anthony heatedly.
"The reason being that I knew nothing of this myself," was the cool answer. "Brother never shared that with me, he had no need to...he was dying after all the last time we spoke. Hohenheim Avaris most likely had little or nothing to do with what he wanted me to do. And furthermore, if the dates are correct from that page of my brother's journal I showed you, Hohenheim passed away two years before my brother."
"That is true," Dante agreed "After we had gotten to know one another, he explained to me that his dear friend in the study of alchemy had died a little over a year before we met."
"I recall him telling me one day that he was going to a funeral," Anthony said thoughtfully. "He was depressed for so long that our parents worried greatly for his health. It was because of that they sought a fiancee for him, hoping that once married he would be happy again. You saved him then, Dante. After meeting you he was happier than he had ever been since the day of his friend's death."
Dante closed her eyes. "I am glad he was, and may his soul rest in eternal peace. All the same, if he truly felt that way for me, then why did he not tell me all of this?"
"Think about it, Dante, do you honestly believe he would tell you something as horrible as this? Read what the ingredients for the stone are: human lives. Would you really have wanted to know that your lover was studying about such things?"
"No," she answered in a barely audible voice. Hohenheim could tell that she was suffering a severe internal battle. Of what, he had no notion whatsoever.
"What was the last thing your brother ever said to you?" Hohenheim asked, desperate to direct his attention away from Dante.
Anthony gave him a grim smile. "My brother always was a kind man. He could cheer up any person, no matter how sad or angry they were." Out of the corner of his eye, Hohenheim saw Dante nod once. "After he had given me the paper and entrusted me with the secret as well as his journal, I began to cry. It was the hardest I had ever cried in my lifetime. I clutched the journal to my chest and wept like a lost child. Brother, lying on his death bed, reached up his arm and touched my cheek gently.
'Why the tears, little brother?' he asked me. 'I do not want you to die, you are too precious to me...I still need you' I answered him. He simply laughed, and it was at that my tears stopped. I realized then that my brother was not afraid of death at all. 'You are also precious to me as well, brother. So are mother and father, Dante, all our friends...I have no wish to leave any of you. But I have no choice, do I now? Besides, has it not been said that death is the next great adventure in life?' This brought me little comfort, so he took my hand in his. Looking into my eyes he gave me a sad smile and whispered 'We cannot live forever, Anthony, we cannot live forever. For someone to live longer than they are meant to, it is just wrong. Death is a way of life, and there are times when we should not interfere with it. Always remember this, my precious brother; you must not try and live forever.'" Anthony paused, and his two companions watched in silence as he brushed tears away gently.
"He was gone within an hour after this," he murmured quietly. "You know the rest of what happened," he added to Dante. "Yes," she responded in the same quiet tone.
"I am sorry," Hohenheim said. He could feel the atmosphere of pain filling up the room, and winced as it began to take hold of him. The thought of death always had this effect on him, like a shadow constantly looming over him, waiting for him to think about it so that it could work its dark power within him. Hohenheim was afraid to die.
"There must be a reason why he seemed so keen for me to remember those words," said Anthony, breaking through the painful atmosphere as though with an invisible sword. "Perhaps he foresaw something in my future that I did not."
"Or he sought to comfort you," Hohenheim interjected. "From what you said it sounded like that was his aim." He then turned to Dante. "What were his final words to you?"
"I would prefer that information stays in my heart," she answered, her tone somewhat cold. Hohenheim sensed her aggravation and nodded.
"Forgive me, I should not have asked something so personal." Thrown into discomfort once more, he began to pour over the parchment again. The creation of a homunculus seemed like a simple project next to the Philosopher's Stone. Human Lives. That was what it took to create one. He could believe it however, seeing as all alchemists seemed so opposed to the idea. They were indirectly warning other alchemists about the price.
"What do you say, Hohenheim?" Dante asked suddenly. "Shall we make one?"
He gave her an incredulous look. "Could you really live with yourself if you did that, Dante? Took away so many human lives simply in the name of science?"
"What if..." and her tone suddenly became dark, almost cunning. "What if they were lives that are about to vanish anyway?" Anthony's jaw dropped as he gazed at her with that look implying sickness on his face.
"You mean people who are already dying?" he asked, his voice quiet and bursting with shock. He took a leaf out of Anthony's book and began to feel somewhat sick at the idea.
"Well, why not? Did Jonathon not say we should not interfere with death? If the people are about to die anyway, it will not matter how it happens. In fact, it may even relieve them of their sufferings."
"He did not mean that human lives should be manipulated for alchemy," Anthony pointed out, the look on his face somewhat indignant. "He must have been implying that we should not try to fight or cheat death in any way, it will only turn out for the worst."
"The Philosopher's Stone would be an achievement that any alchemist would give up their very life to have," Dante shot back calmly. "If you two do not wish to partake in the process, I will do it myself." She stood up and looked from one of them to the other. It was even at times like this that Hohenheim could not help but to admire her beauty and intelligence, even if she was in a rather sadistic mood.
"I will do it," he said to Dante and Anthony's surprise as well as his own. "If we are in this science together then I cannot possibly let you go at it alone." Dante gave him a grateful smile. The two of them then looked over at Anthony, who was massaging his forehead in either aggravation or deep thought.
"Mind you, this may not turn out for the better," he muttered at last. "I will help, but only because I made a promise to my brother." His eyes landed upon Dante. "I promised him that no matter what happened to him, I would always look after you and ensure your safety."
"That would be my task as well," Hohenheim growled, suddenly irritated at the other man. "But if you want to help us, we shall accept. After all, we need all the help with this that is available. Come let us go back now, shall we?"
"Anthony, you should stay at our home," said Dante. "I fear that Hohenheim's parents would be very displeased to have a stranger in their home."
"If you insist." Hohenheim felt another prick of annoyance. He feared it to be jealousy. Shaking this thought out of his mind, he strode out of the library without another word to either of them.
"Hohenheim," Dante started after him, but Anthony caught her by the hand and spun her around to face him.
"You know this is wrong, do you not?" he asked, holding her hand firmly in his. "The Philosopher's Stone is not just another experiment in alchemy...it is a serious thing."
Dante gave him a winning smile and gently pulled her hand away. "I know what I am doing, Anthony, no need to worry." And with that she turned and exited after Hohenheim.
Anthony paused with his hand on the knob and sighed. "There is a need to worry, Dante...because it is you."
A/N: I hope that was lengthy and descriptive enough. Please leave me reviews, and I'll try and update ASAP!
